N00230:28
The divine right of infant-baptism asserted and proved from Scripture and antiquity. By Increase…The divine right of infant-baptisme asserted and proved from Scripture and antiquity. By Increase…
The divine right of infant-baptism asserted and proved from Scripture and antiquity. By Increase Mather, teacher of a church of Christ in Boston in New-England. ; [Ten lines of quotations]The divine right of infant-baptisme asserted and proved from Scripture and antiquity. By Increase Mather, teacher of a church of Christ in Boston in New-England. ; [Ten lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by John Foster, 1680
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Arg. 5. Believers have right to Baptism, But some Infants are Believers. The Scripture speaketh of little ones that do believe on the Lord Jesus, to deprive whom of their Right will be found uncomfortable. Math. 18.2.6. compared with Mark 9.37. Infants are subjects capable of Grace. Yea, some of them are regenerated whilst in a state of Infancy. The Scripture tells us that John Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from his Mothers womb, Luk. 1.15. Therefore his Soul was filled with Grace from his very childhood. Peter sometimes argued, Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the holy Ghost? Act. 10.47. The Lord in Scripture tells us, that an Infant hath received the Holy Ghost, who then can without sin forbid water that they should not (any of them be baptized? If Infants have not Faith, how are they saved? There is no Salvation but by Christ, Act. 4.12. No Salvation by Christ except there be union with him, 1 John 5.12. There must be Union before there can be Communion. There is no Union to Christ without Faith. Eph. 3.17. If the first Adam convey his sinful image to Infants, why may not the second Adam communicate his holy image to them? Elect Children dying in the state of infancy have Faith (they believe the Resurrection of their bodies) and other Graces, when in heaven, and therefore whilst on earth also seeing there is no grace in heaven which was not wrought on earth. Whether infants do act faith (as the ⟨p. 8⟩Lutherans maintain) or have only seminal habitual faith, is another Question, which I meddle not with. They do not put forth acts of Reason, and yet we must not reckon them among irrational creatures.
Arg. 5. Believers have right to Baptism, But some Infants are Believers. The Scripture speaketh of little ones that do believe on the Lord Jesus, to deprive whom of their Right will be found uncomfortable.