They make it so absolutely necessary, as if any die unbaptized ⟨p. 64⟩he cannot be saved: which doom they pass against infants, though they be deprived thereof without any fault of their own, yea or of their parents, being still borne. A merciless sentence without any warrant of Gods word: yea against his word & against the order which he hath prescribed. He hath established 1his covenant, & promised to be the God of the faithful & of their seed: on which ground S. Peter saith, The promise is unto 2you & unto your children: & S. Paul saith, your children are holy. 3Shall all these privileges be made void by an inevitable want 4of baptism? if so, would God have enjoined circumcision (which to the Jews was as baptism is to Christians) to be put off to the eighth day, before which day many infants died? or would Moses have suffered it to be forborne all the time that the Israelites were in the wilderness? If it be said that baptism is more necessary then circumcision, I answer, the Scripture layeth no more necessity upon it. If it were so necessary as they make it, then the virtue of Christs death were less effectual since he was actually exhibited then before. For before it was effectual for infants without a Sacrament, but belike not now. Had the ancient Churches conceived so of the absolute necessity of baptism, they would not have had set times for the administering thereof: nor suffered it to be put off so long as they did. aSome Churches appointed it to be administered only at Easter. bSome at Easter and Whitsuntide. And though many who gave evidence of their true faith died before they were baptized, yet cthey did not thereupon judge them to be damned. This practise and judgement of the ancients hath made dmany Papists somewhat to mitigate that absolute necessity, and to say that, In this case, God which hath not bound his grace, in respect of his own freedom, to any Sacrament, may and doth accept them as baptized, which either are martyred before they could be baptized, on else depart this life with vow and desire to have that Sacrament, but by some remediless necessity could not obtain it. If remediless necessity can help the matter, what necessity so remediless, as for a child to be still borne.
They make it so absolutely necessary, as if any die vnbaptized ⟨p. 64⟩he cannot be saued: which doome they passe against infants, though they be depriued thereof without any fault of their owne, yea or of their parents, being still borne. A mercilesse sentence without any warrant of Gods word: yea against his word & against the order which he hath prescribed. He hath established 1his couenant, & promised to be the God of the faithfull & of their seed: on which ground S. Peter saith, The promise is vnto 2you & vnto your children: & S. Paul saith, your children are holy. 3Shall all these priuiledges be made void by an ineuitable want 4of baptisme? if so, would God haue enioyned circumcision (which to the Iewes was as baptisme is to Christians) to be put off to the eighth day, before which day many infants died? or would Moses haue suffered it to be forborne all the time that the Israelites were in the wildernesse? If it be said that baptisme is more necessarie then circumcision, I answer, the Scripture layeth no more necessitie vpon it. If it were so necessarie as they make it, then the vertue of Christs death were lesse effectuall since he was actually exhibited then before. For before it was effectuall for infants without a Sacrament, but belike not now. Had the ancient Churches conceiued so of the absolute necessitie of baptisme, they would not haue had set times for the administring thereof: nor suffered it to be put off so long as they did. aSome Churches appointed it to be administred only at Easter. bSome at Easter and Whitsuntide. And though many who gaue euidence of their true faith died before they were baptized, yet cthey did not thereupon iudge them to be damned. This practise and iudgement of the ancients hath made dmany Papists somewhat to mitigate that absolute necessitie, and to say that, In this case, God which hath not bound his grace, in respect of his owne freedome, to any Sacrament, may and doth accept them as baptized, which either are martyred before they could be baptized, on else depart this life with vow and desire to haue that Sacrament, but by some remedilesse necessitie could not obtaine it. If remedilesse necessitie can helpe the matter, what necessitie so remedilesse, as for a childe to be still borne.
- 1Gen. 17. 7.
- 2Acts 2. 39.
- 31 Cor. 7. 14.
- 4Gen. 17. 12. Jos. 5. 5.
- aIn Thessalia mos fuit ut paschalibus tantùm d•ebus baptismus perageretur, Niceph. hist. lib. 12. cap. 34. Socrat. hist. lib. 5. cap. 22.In Thessalia mos fuit vt paschalibus tantùm d•ebus baptismus perageretur, Niceph. hist. lib. 12. cap. 34. Socrat. hist. lib. 5. cap. 22.
- bNe quenquam Sacerdotes baptizent praeterquam in Pasco a & Pentecosle. L L. Pipi•. Carol. M. &c.Ne quenquam Sacerdotes baptizent praeterquam in Pasc• a & Pentecosle. L L. Pipi•. Carol. M. &c.
- cJustus quacunque morte praeventus fuerit anima eius in refrigerio erit, dixit Ambr. Orat. de obit. Valent. Qui diem obij• antequam baptisaretur.Iustus quacunque morte praeuentus fuerit anima eius in refrigerio erit, dixit Ambr. Orat. de obit. Valent. Qui diem obij• antequam baptisaretur.
- dRhem. annot. on Joh. 3. 5.Rhem. annot. on Ioh. 3. 5.
