As touching Infants, the Learned Professors of Leiden require Faith not only in the Adult,1 but in Infants too, in order to Baptism. Infants may be put into three ranks: Some Infants are in their infancy in union with Christ; they have Faith in the seed, though not in the fruit; Grace in the gift, though not in the use; they have the ⟨p. 207⟩Spirit dwelling in them,2 and are a part of his Temple, though they know him not: Neither needs this seem strange, it is very reasonable to believe, that a supernatural power may do as much as a natural one; the Image of God, which, if Adam had stood, would have passed to Infants by natural generation, may well be derived to them by spiritual regeneration. It's granted on all hands, that some Infants at least enter into life eternal; But what? do they do so unjustified, unsanctified? Surely no, in Heaven there is not so much as the guilt of one unremitted sin; those Infants, who go thither, must be justified; if they be justified, they must have Faith and Sanctification; Faith, because justification is by it. The Scripture knows not two ways of justification, one by Faith, another without it; Sanctification, because Justification is never separate from it; But you are sanctified, but you are justified, saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 6.11. These twins of Grace can never be parted; where the justifying blood is sprinkled, there the sanctifying spirit is communicated; where the binding guilt of sin is dissolved, there the polluting spot is done away; both are to be found in those Infants that are saved. Hence the Fathers in the Milenitan Council, Can. 2. ⟨p. 208⟩do say, That Infants are baptized, in peccatorum remissionem, ut in eis regeneratione mundetur, quod generatione traxerunt, for the remission of sin, that, that in them may be cleansed in regeneration, which they drew in generation: Here they mention both, remission and regeneration in them. Again, In Heaven there is not, there cannot be the least spot of pollution. Infants, which go thither, must be sanctified; without the new birth there is no entry, Joh. 3.5. Without holiness no seeing of God, Heb. 12.14. Hence it appears that Infants have sanctifying graces; to these Baptism doth immediately seal union.
As touching Infants, the Learned Professors of Leyden require Faith not only in the Adult,1 but in Infants too, in order to Baptism. Infants may be put into three ranks: Some Infants are in their infancy in union with Christ; they have Faith in the seed, though not in the fruit; Grace in the gift, though not in the use; they have the ⟨p. 207⟩Spirit dwelling in them,2 and are a part of his Temple, though they know him not: Neither needs this seem strange, it is very reasonable to believe, that a supernatural power may do as much as a natural one; the Image of God, which, if Adam had stood, would have passed to Infants by natural generation, may well be derived to them by spiritual regeneration. It's granted on all hands, that some Infants at least enter into life eternal; But what? do they do so unjustified, unsanctified? Surely no, in Heaven there is not so much as the guilt of one unremitted sin; those Infants, who go thither, must be justified; if they be justified, they must have Faith and Sanctification; Faith, because justification is by it. The Scripture knows not two ways of justification, one by Faith, another without it; Sanctification, because Justification is never separate from it; But you are sanctified, but you are justified, saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 6.11. These twins of Grace can never be parted; where the justifying blood is sprinkled, there the sanctifying spirit is communicated; where the binding guilt of sin is dissolved, there the polluting spot is done away; both are to be found in those Infants that are saved. Hence the Fathers in the Milenitan Council, Can. 2. ⟨p. 208⟩do say, That Infants are baptized, in peccatorum remissionem, ut in eis regeneratione mundetur, quod generatione traxerunt, for the remission of sin, that, that in them may be cleansed in regeneration, which they drew in generation: Here they mention both, remission and regeneration in them. Again, In Heaven there is not, there cannot be the least spot of pollution. Infants, which go thither, must be sanctified; without the new birth there is no entry, Joh. 3.5. Without holiness no seeing of God, Heb. 12.14. Hence it appears that Infants have sanctifying graces; to these Baptism doth immediately seal union.
- 1Synops. Theo. de Baptismo.
- 2Aust. Epist. 57.
