cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly." Yea, the Lord blesses to them the means of grace, under which they are born and brought up, and "teaches them from their youth," Psalm lxxi. 17.

The other question, which we would resolve, is, how the parents, and the witnesses in baptism can be obliged to acknowledge, that the children are sanctified in Christ, seeing they cannot know this with respect to their children, and the elect children, who either do partake of the principle of regeneration, or will partake of it, are by much the fewest in number in the church: for "many are called, but few are chosen," according to Matt. xx. 16, xxii. 14. But it is not asked in the form, whether they acknowledge that all, or that this and that child is sanctified in Christ, but only children in general are spoken of, even the children of the church, who are the elect "children, whom the Lord our God will call," to the church, as Peter speaks, Acts ii. 39. For which calling the parents and witnesses ought to prepare the child, after it hath arrived to years of discretion, to which they are also obliged, when they present the child for baptism; yea, godly parents may look for this calling with hope, in behalf of their children, by virtue of the covenant of God, made with them and their seed, if it be not for this child in particular, nevertheless for their generation following; and therefore they can present a claim to the Lord, and solicit him for their children, upon that sealed covenant.

APPLICATION.

Are these my solutions of the questions proposed, hearers, not sufficiently clear, in order to satisfy your minds, ye will however not approve of the erroneous opinion of the Papists concerning the efficacy of water-baptism, and of the Mennonites concerning infant-baptism, but condemn it. How many are there nevertheless among us, who, whether they know this, or not, behave not otherwise than if they had never heard of this our truth, but had been educated among our adversaries! For,

1. Do not many conduct toward baptism, like the Papists? It appears plainly; for (a) they look upon baptism to be absolutely necessary for their children, and therefore they are as much, yea, more set on it than on regeneration, and the washing away of sins; it proceeds from this that they seek baptism for their children at incon

venient seasons; doth the child die before it can be baptized, they are as much disturbed, as if it could not now be saved. And mark well, do ye make so much ado, and are ye so much concerned about the misery of your child. to wit, that "it is a child of wrath by nature, even as others," as the apostle speaks? Eph. ii. 3. Have ye as great a desire that your child should be regenerated, that its sins should be washen away, that it should be justified and sanctified, as that it should be baptized? How few understand, and heartily seek the thing signified by baptism, when in the mean time they dote upon, and remember only the outward sign! It is still more evident that Popish principles possess the heart, (b) because they are easy and unconcerned, when their child is only baptized, they think it is now well, as if the child had now no more sin, and were in a state of grace; as if baptism had, by the mere act, as the Papists speak, washen away sins, while they do not show the least real concern with respect to the baptism of their child; for did ye, before your child was baptized, ever retire in secret to supplicate the Lord for your child? Did ye surrender your child in baptism, in covenant to the Lord? And did ye after baptism earnestly and frequently beseech him to be favourable to it, in consequence of the sealed covenant? Many have no knowledge of this, it is a strange thing to them, they never saw nor observed it in others; yea. they would consider such earnestness, and bowing of their knees, as savouring of Popery, and as not beseeming Reformed Christians. But what advantage doth your child derive from such a careless, and mere bodily procuring of it to be baptized? Can such an outward baptism save your child? It is no more than "a putting away of the filth of the flesh," according to 1 Peter iii. 21.

2. Others see no more in baptism than the Socinians and Mennonites: for some look upon it only as a civil and ecclesiastical custom, a mere badge of Christianity, and a solemn way of giving a child its name: they would never have procured their children to be haptized, if they had not seen others do it, and if it did not look well. Is not this true? for if they saw aught more in baptism, would they not choose better witnesses, than they often do? they do not choose wise and godly persons, who are of a strict conversation, and are able, and heartily willing to discharge their duty toward the children for whom they solemnly obligate themselves; but they only consider whether they be relations, and whether they be able and liberal enough to bestow a handsome christening present. And how do they array the child, when they are about to present it for baptism? do they clothe it in a decent and modest manner? No, but as if they

were about to dedicate it to, and incorporate it into the world, they deck it in a fantastic manner, and appear with it attired so in the presence of God, and of the church, to the dishonour of the divine name and of baptism. Friends, if ye knew what baptism was, and wherein it consisted to separate your child from the world, to dedicate it in covenant to God, and procure it to be sealed, would ye appear in such a manner in the presence of God? Surely ye would not A solemn awe for God, for the church, and for the divine mysteries would restrain you from such vanity. Yea, do not men show that, with the Mennonites, they believe that baptism is not very necessary for children, when they so easily defer the baptism of their children without a reason, at least without weighty reasons. The witnesses, the fine clothes, are not at hand, or the place of baptism is not near, it can be done at some other opportunity; the child, they think, will not be damned, though it should not be baptized: but is it not an institution of God, to which he obligeth us? and if your child should die without baptism through your neglect, would it not grieve you, and cause you to think that in this respect ye had rejected the institution and counsel of God, that ye had not procured your child to be baptized. See Luke viii 30.

3. And how do the most of you conduct with respect to their own and their children's baptism? Observe only the behaviour of our baptized Christians. Ye who are baptized, do ye ever think of your baptism, what it signifies, and why it was administered to you? have ye indeed endeavoured to understand that this baptism teacheth you your sinful impurity, and your damnable condition? that the Triune God hath received you into covenant, and sealed all his grace to you, and that your sponsors dedicated you to God for this purpose? that ye solemnly engaged in baptism to forsake and deny all besides the Triune God, and to love and serve him alone and wholly? Have ye cleaved to this engagement, which was made for you, and actually yielded yourselves up for this purpose, "saying, and subscribing, I am the Lord's?" Isaiah xliv. 5. Alas, how few understand and regard this! Because they are baptized, they are easy and unconcerned: they live like unbaptized heathens: "they have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins: they had escaped the pollutions of the world" outwardly and sacramentally; "but they intangle themselves in them again: they suffer themselves to be Overcome; and so their latter end is worse than the beginning," as Peter speaks, 2 Peter i. 9. ii. 20. What do ye, who conduct in this manner, but break the covenant of God, and testify openly that ye will not abide by the engagements which your parents and witnesses

made for you with the Lord? what think ye, will not the Lord re venge this breach of the covenant, and bring all those curses of the covenant upon the unfaithful breakers of it? certainly he will, read it yourselves. Lev. xxvi. 25-39. Jer. xi. 1-8. And to add this also, parents and others, who have presented children for baptism, did ye indeed understand what was proposed to you in baptism, and asked you? Have ye also kept your promises by instructing your children, and by causing them to be instructed? what should many do? they did not so much as know what they did, when they presented their child for baptism, and nodded to the questions that were proposed to them. If ye had done your duty, would your children be so ignorant, irreligious, stubborn, worldly minded, and disorderly, as they are? surely something of Christianity and of morality would appear in them? but we do not now hear the language of Canaan from the mouths of your children, but the language of Ashdod, See Neh. xiii. 23, 24. The children manifest abroad in what manner, and by what kind of parents they are educated at home. What will become of the next generation? by what kind of persons will our church and state be yet governed? Parents and witnesses, how will the children, whose souls ye have neglected and abused in this manner, rise up against you to your sorrow in that great day, and accuse you on account of your conduct toward them! How will the Lord God accuse you on account of your conduct toward him that ye have snatched his children, whom ye had born and dedicated to him from him, and offered them up to the world! ye may see it, Ezek. xvi. 20, 21. "If an ox, that was wont to push, had gored a son, or a daughter, it should be recom

if he knew before

pensed not only on the ox, but also on his owner, that he was wont to push," Exod. xxi. 29, 30, 31. How much more then will the Lord recompense it upon the paren's and witnesses, that they have not laboured, as much as they were able, to preserve the souls of their children from destruc ion? Did the Lord God inHict grievous judgments on Eli, who was otherwise a godly person, on his house and on all Israel on account of his carelessness toward his children, 1 Sam. ii. 11-14, and 1 Sam. iv. 10-22, what will not the Lord God then inflict upon those who are ungodly themselves, and who educate their children in an ungodly manner, and for hell!

Alas! that each one of you would impress this upon his mind, and strive to amend his conduct in this respect. Apply your hearts therefore hearers, to these admonitions of mine.

1. Endeavour to understand the nature of baptism, read frequently the form of baptism, and see what it signifies, and to what it obligeth you, that ye may thus learn what use ye ought to make of your baptism. Can ye not understand it, lament that ye have lived so long in ignorance of this important matter, to so great a disadvantage of yourselves and of your children; and suffer others to teach you what ye do not know yourselves, and nevertheless ought to know: "the doctrine of baptisms is one of the principles of the doctrine of Christ," as Paul saith, Heb. vi. 1, 2. And if ye do not understand this, how will ye understand other and higher mysteries, which ye inust necessarily understand.

2. Recover from your imagination, that water-baptism hath been by itself of any advantage to you. Your imagination, that baptism hath constituted you Christians, renders you continually careless, and injures your souls; therefore know that "the baptism, which is a putting away of the filth of the flesh, doth not save you," but that it is necessary that ye should be born again, in order that ye may be saved. Hear how the mouth of truth confirms this by a double verily, John iii. 3, « Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." And therefore be earnestly desirous to be born again.

3. Give yourselves yet up to the Lord in the covenant, in which ye were surrendered forthwith after your birth by others: abide by that engagement which others made for you, and renew it in truth and with your hearts, "saying and subscribing, I am the Lord's," as it was foretold of the people, who should be sprinkled, Isaiah xliv. 5. Will ye refuse, and obstinately persist in your shameful carelessness and sinfulness, glory not then any longer in the name of Christian, but lay it aside, come to the pulpit, and declare in the presence of God and of the church, before whom ye were solemnly baptized, and engaged to God, that ye will not abide by that covenant and engagement, which your parents and witnesses made for you, and upon which they procured you to be baptized, but that ye revoke it. And it will then appear, "whether ye belong to us, or to our enemies." But would ye abhor this, abide then by the covenant made and sealed, receive all grace from it, and conduct yourselves worthily of it. In this manner do we, like the Jews, cleave to the words, which others speak for us to the Lord, in making a covenant, and "we enter into the curse and into the oath," Neh. x. 29. Thus would the seal of baptism, which hath been so often profaned by you, be yet "a seal and undoubted testimony to you, that VOL. II.

K