The grounds and ends of the baptism of the children of the faithful. Opened…The grounds and ends of the baptisme of the children of the faithfull. Opened…

To the READER.

The due Application of Baptism to all those Persons Christ would have it administered unto, cannot but be apprehended, by all that have any insight into the Controversies of these times, to be of a very high importance; whether we respect the Ordinance it self, the Persons right, or the Consciences of those in Error about it. For the Ordinance it self; as it was one of the first of those institutions of the Gospel, so in respect of the things sealed up therein, it is the Greatest: our first Union with Christ, the great promise of the Spirit, (the foundation of all grace and glory.) Our representation by, and communion with Christ in his death & resurrection, being hereby at once sealed up by God to the persons that partake thereof as belonging to them, and to have all these misplaced, to persons not capable, through want of divine warrant, of any benefit thereby, cannot but be esteemed a great profaning of it: As on the other side, the withholding it from such as Christ hath bequeathed this Legacy unto, would be found as highly derogatory to the great goodness and rich grace of the Testator. And so withal an injury unto the Persons of Infants having right thereunto, in those whom Christ ⟨image 4⟩hath made Administrators of these his Mysteries. Great also is the moment thereof to the Consciences of many good souls, as in the consequents of the contrary Opinion of denying Infants Baptism, is in some (I must not say of all) too apparent. The vindication therefore of this great Truth, doth deserve and challenge the choicest abilities of the Divines of this age: it being in the days of this second Reformation with us, afresh, if not as much controverted, as in the times of the first Reformation it was in Germany. And it is more light and less violence (though in truths taken generally for granted) that must end this and all other controversies of this elevation that are amongst us. And it will surely be rewarded by Christ at the latter day, as a work of more then ordinary Charity, to have pleaded and maintained the right of these poor members of his, who want a tongue to speak for themselves.

THe due Application of Baptism to all those Persons Christ would have it administred unto, cannot but be apprehended, by all that have any insight into the Controversies of these times, to be of a very high importance; whether we respect the Ordinance it selfe, the Persons right, or the Consciences of those in Errour about it. For the Ordinance it selfe; as it was one of the first of those institutions of the Gospell, so in respect of the things sealed up therein, it is the Greatest: our first Union with Christ, the great promise of the Spirit, (the foundation of all grace and glory.) Our representation by, and communion with Christ in his death & resurrection, being hereby at once sealed up by God to the persons that partake thereof as belonging to them, and to have all these msplaced, to persons not capable, through want of divine warrant, of any benefit thereby, cannot but be esteemed a great prophaning of it: As on the other side, the withholding it from such as Christ hath bequeathed this Legacy unto, would bee found as highly derogatory to the great goodnesse and rich grace of the Testator. And so withall an injury unto the Persons of Infants having right therunto, in those whom Christ