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 AN 
 
 ENQUIRY 
 
 C O N C E R N I N G THE 
 
 DESIGN AND IMPORTANCE 
 
 OF 
 
 CHRISTIAN BAPTISMS DISCIPLINE. 
 
 In way of dialogue 
 Between a MINISTER and his NEIGFIBOUR. 
 
 By N ATH AN'WILLI a MS, a. m. 
 
 Paftor of the Church in Tolland. 
 
 Bat Jefusfajd^ftiffer little children, a^td forbid them tio! to come unto me : For offiich 
 is the kingdom of Hewven. Matthew, xix. 14. 
 
 Such as are horn of chriftian parents, and baptized in infancy — ar; metnbers ofthn 
 churchy though dejlitute of fcriptural grace, until they jiijlly deprime themfci^es of 
 tbatfello-TvJhip. Cotton on the HoHnels ot Church Members. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 PRINTED AT BOSTON, 
 
 By ISAIAH THOMAS and EBENEZER T. ANDREWS, 
 
 Fault's Statue, No. 45, Newbury Street. 
 
 M,DGC,XCII. 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE is acknowledged by all to be one of 
 the means intliruted by Chrift for the prefervalion of his religion in the 
 world. To the neglctl: of this is much to be a(cribed the decline ofour churches 
 and the decav of rehgion in them. Any prudent attempt tor the reftoration 
 of it to its primitive vigor and energy, mult merit our warmea approbation. 
 To trace an evil to its caufe, is the way to difcover the remedy. The evil 
 complained ot isdoubtlefs, in part, owing to our too great inattention to the 
 young, who, though defcended from chri(fian parents, have of late years, bee« 
 generally confickredzi'ivifboufthechurch,ai\6i confequently not (ubjei^s of her dif- 
 cipline, till they explicitiv put themfelvcs underher watch. While they grow up 
 thus unnoticcd'and negle6ted by the church, there is danger, that irreligion will 
 more and more diiTufe itfelf with every rifing generation, and difcipllne of 
 confequence more and more languifb, till it lofes all its efficacy, and the churches 
 fink into LrMciicean formality and indifference. Our attempts then for the re- 
 vival of decaying piety muft begin in a care to train up the youth in the nurture 
 and admonitiOH of the. Lord. This is primarily, but not folely incuiTibent 
 on heads of families ; churches ought to cooperate with thehi and ftrengthea 
 ilieir liands. 
 
 The author of the follovying EfTay has endeavoured to fhew, that the children 
 ofchriftians cLXt^jjith'tn the church ■.■^•ndL'xn virtue of their memberfliip are fubjects 
 not only of baptifm, but alfo of difcii-iline, as foon as their age admits ; and 
 tonfequ'ently that the general negleft of the church to exsrcife difcipline to- 
 wards them, is utterly inexcufeable. How far hehaslucceeded in this attempt, 
 every reader will judge for himfelf. But we are free To declare, that on a care- 
 ful perufal of his efHiy, the matter appears to us^ to be treated, not only with 
 candor and ferioufnefs, but alfoin a plain and convincing manner ; and we flatter 
 otirfelves, that, by the divine blelTing, his pious labour may contribute to the 
 refloration ofnegjefted difcipline, the revival ot decaying piety, and the edi- 
 fication of the churches. We therefore, with great Sincerity and cheerfulnefs, 
 recommend the following work to the perafal both ofour brethren in the 
 miniftry, and bur fellow chriftians in genera!, and wifh it may be read with the 
 fame good temper, and the (ame pious and practical view, with which we be- 
 lieve it to have been written. Rev. Eliphalet Williams, D. D. 
 
 Rev. John Willard. 
 
 Rev. Elizur Goodrich, D. D. 
 
 Rev. Joseph Lathrop, D. I>. 
 
 ExtraSl of a Utter from tU- Rev. ?refidint Willard, to the'PubliJhers of this EdUion. 
 
 Cambridge, Auguft 28, 1792. 
 Gentlemen, 
 «' T HAVE read with much fatisfafVion^a treatife by the Rev, Nathan Wi!- 
 X liams, entitled " An linquiry concerning the Delign and Importance of 
 Cl.riflian Baptifm and Difcipline." The plan of it appears tome rational and 
 fcripiiiral, and the execution Judicious ; and I cannot but think, if it fhould 
 be difperfed among us, and attended to by our ohurches, as the importance 
 of the (ubjeft requires, it v\ould happily promote the great interelt ot th« 
 Redeemer's kinjjdom. 
 
 I am, gentlemen, your humble fervant, 
 
 JOSEPH WILLARD." 
 
 UPON a curfory perufal of the following pages, I freely and heartily ron- 
 cur with the uonhy and ingenious Author, as to the fubftaneeand fcope 
 »f i)isdii£Ourl£, and thiiikit worthy of the ferious attention of all our Churches. 
 
 - '--Y'^ WEMMENWAY,D, D, 
 
A 
 
 FAMILIAR CONFERENCE, &c. 
 
 NEIGi^B0UR.OIR, I have long defircd to converfe with 
 •j^ yon on thofc facrcd ordinances of chrif- 
 tian Bapti/m and D//ciplifi^, concerning which chriflians 
 are noc agreed. 
 
 MiNrsTER. These are ordinances of great importance ; 
 and were chriftians more generalJy agreed in the truth, 
 concerning them, it v^ould greatly recommend religion, 
 and promote peace and purity in the churches. 
 
 Much has been faid and written upon ih^^c go/pel in/li- 
 tufeSf yet perhaps few matters of equal confequcnce have 
 been lefs underftood. The ordinance of baptifm lies very 
 much as a foundation article in the chrilVian fcheme ; 
 and chrillians in general profefs to confider it as a matter of 
 importance, tho' they have widely differed both as to the 
 fubjeft and the mode. 
 
 N. At prefcnt, Sir, I have no difficulty as to either of 
 thcfc points : I could wifh however to be better informed as 
 to the import and defign of the ordinance ; whether the 
 fubjefls of it are to be confidered as the difciples of Chrift, 
 and members of his vifiblc famiily on earth. Pedobaptifts, > 
 in general, make no diftinftion between the landing of a * 
 perfon baptifed in infancy, and a vifible heathen. All are , 
 alike admitted to the focial worfliip of God : And however 
 diforderly their converfation may be, no notice is taken of ' 
 it as an offence againft the religion of the gofpel. , 
 
 M. Your remarks arc juft, and would lead us to enquire, ^ 
 what advantage then hath the baptized child ? and what 
 profit is, there in his baptifm? ' 
 
 But, this notwithflanding, it is an ordinance of great fig- 
 nificance i and chrillia.ns ought to have clear and dillinil 
 conceptions of it. 
 
 la 
 
[4 j 
 
 In compliance therefore with your defire, we will en^ 
 deavour in the firft place to enquire into the defign and 
 import of Chriftian Baprifm. And, 
 
 id. Obferve that baptifm is a pofitive inftitution : And 
 all we know concerning it, is from revelation. It de- 
 mands, however, our careful obfervation, equal with any- 
 moral preceor, bccaufe it comes clothed with the authority 
 of Chrift himfelf. 
 
 It is a facramental ordinance, and defigned to be a token, 
 pledge or feal of a covenant tranfadion, which has already 
 taken place between God and the lubjeft, whether an aduk 
 or an inHint. It is therefore, in ibme fenfe, diflindl from 
 the covenant. Yec, fince it is an inRituted appendage or 
 fubjoinder to the covenant, into which God is plcafed to 
 admit Tome of mankind, thereby feparating them ixoxvi the 
 vifible family or kingdom of Satan, we may not confidcr 
 the covenant fcanding of a perfon, in all refpe£ls complete, 
 vvirhout i\\\zfeaL 
 
 But a careful inquiry into the fcripture account of cir- 
 cumcifion, will help us to ajuft view of t^is ordinance. 
 For thefe two ordinances have the fame general intendmiCnc 
 in the different adminiflrations of the covenant of grace ; 
 for the believing gentile is grafted into the olive treCy >he 
 fame covenant or churchy from which the unbelieving Jew 
 is rejected, and partakes of ^// their church privileges*. 
 Thus arguing by analogy from circuincifion, pedobaptifts, 
 infer the right of infants to baptifm — and perhaps the doc- 
 trine of infant baptifm, will ftand or fall with this. 
 ' Now if we attend to the account given usof ciraimcifion, 
 we fhall find it to be a token or feal of the covenant which 
 God made with Abraham in particular, and with his feed 
 after hi^m. This is taught in the 17th chapter of Genefis 
 and clfewhere. This chapter *' contains articles of agree- 
 ment, covenanted and concluded upon between the great Je- 
 hovah, the Father of mercies, on the one part) and piou$ 
 Abraham, the father of the faithful on the other part." In 
 the firft place, God requires him to look well to his con^ 
 verfation, and perform the duties of the covenant in all faith- 
 fulnefs : PP^alk before me and he thou ferfe5i. And, after 
 fome particular promifes, God was plcafed to engage to 
 
 him 
 
 • Rora. II. 
 
[ 5 ] 
 
 ^; 
 
 hliii and his poderity what was comprehenfive o( all gooc. 
 VIZ. that he would be their God, in a fpecial and appropri- 
 ate fenfe, 7th verfe, and I will ejlablijb my covenant between 
 me and thee^ and thy feed after thee, in their generations, for 
 an everlajling co-ijenanty to be a God unto thee, and to thy jced 
 after thee. 
 
 At this time God was pleafed to inftitute circumcifion 
 to be -Si fed of this covenant. Hence it it called the cov- 
 enant of circumcifion^y i. e. the covenant of which circuir- . 
 cifion was a fign or feal. And in the i iih vcrfc, God ex- 
 prefsly calls it a token of the covenant. 
 
 From this we learn, that when God had faken Abraham 
 and his pofterity into his covenant, hereby feparating them 
 from tho^fe families which he was pleafed to leave in a ftate 
 of heathenifm, and who were therefore faid to be aliens 
 from the comnionzvealth of JJrael ; ftrangersfrom the covenant 
 ofpromifey and without God in the world : i. e. v;ithout any 
 due regard to him or any fpecial-intereft in himf; this 
 mark in their flefh was inliituted as afacramental token of 
 their covenant relation to him. Itfignified that they were 
 feparated from the relt of the world, and thus fandified or 
 fet apart for God, as his chofen^ hh peculiar people. Thus f 
 it anfwers the general purpofes of zfeal to an inftrument. \ 
 It binds the parties of a covenant to perform the conditions » 
 of it, and then infures to them the privileges and benefits I 
 of it. 
 
 This covenant, thus lealed, was of the nature of an oath, ' 
 by which God and his people were clofely connedcd and ' 
 facredly bound to each other. Agreeably to this, God ' 
 declares to his people, Ifware unto thee, and entered into ccv- ' 
 e>umt with thee, and thou becarnefi mine \. Thus circum- • 
 cifion was, to Abraham and to his po(lerity;,avif]bletoken of 1 
 their being in covenant with God. It found them in that , 
 flate, and facram.cntaliy confirmed their covenant (landing: , 
 Otherwife it would be as a feal to a blank j an unmeaning 
 thing, a mere nullity. And to apply it to an heathen ; one \ 
 who is not in God's covenant, and is not his in 2, fpecial i\Vi<\ | 
 appropriate fenfe ^ would be a profanation of a divine ordi- \ 
 nance. 
 
 Further, 
 * A^s xvii. §. f Ephefinns ii. 13, % E"^- ^^^- "• 
 
[ 6 1 
 
 Further, that a perfon migkt be a member of the coven- 
 ant, previous to his receiving this feal of circumcifion, is 
 intimated in the 14th verfe of this 17th of Genefis; And the 
 zindrcicincifed rr>an child, zvhofe fleJJj of his forefim, is not dr.. 
 cumdfed, that Joul fljall he cut off from his people -, he hath 
 ■broken rny covenant. By this we learn, that God was pleaf- 
 ed to confider the children of his people, as included within 
 his covenant, by virtue of his own fovereign conflitution, 
 and previous to their being circumcifed. And although 
 infants were not blame worthy for being deftitute of this 
 leal, yet, fo 'org as this was the cafe, they might not be ad- 
 mitted to commune with the people of God, in fpecial 
 ordinances; the pafibver particularly *. This vj2iS to be cut 
 cff, or excluded from the communion of God's people : And 
 ihould any fuch perfon, when arrived to adult age, refufe to 
 takeupon himfelfthe feal of the covenant, he ought to be 
 cut (?jf from his people, in a formal manner, i. e. be excom- 
 municated. A contemptuous negleft of the feal, might 
 well beconfidered as a cenfurable breach of the covenant ; 
 but yet, no perfon could be confidered, as having a ccmplefe 
 ftanding in the covenant, previous to the feal's being af- 
 fixed, fince it was an inftituted appendage or token of the 
 covenant. 
 
 Fedobaptifts generally agree in opinion, that chriftian 
 baptifm fucceeds circumcifion as an ordinance of the fam6 
 lignification. That it implies a covenant ilanding ; and 
 that God is pleafed to include the fubjed of it within the 
 number of his vifible people, graciouQy engaging 7wt to 
 confider him as a ftranger, a foreigner, an alien from the 
 commonwealth of Ifrael ; but as a fubje^t of his kingdom, 
 a child of his fam.il y, or a difciple of his fchool ; and in 
 token of this, is pleated to ordain that this mark of dif- 
 mmination fhould be put upon him. Thus, we mark the 
 fheep and Iambs of our flocks, hecaufe they are ourSy not to 
 make them oiirs\, 
 
 N. 
 
 * Exod. xii. 48. 
 •f 1 would here recommend it to ferious enquiry whether we have not been 
 ready to conceive of tliat covenant, into whicli God has been pleafed to take 
 lome of his creatures, in fuch a manner as has been difrefpeilfiil to the Deity. 
 We are not to bring the infinite Jehovah down to a level witii ourfelves, by 
 confideting him as Petting his covenant before us, and propofing that we fhould 
 cahf the niatier into confideration j and if, on the whole, we find ourfelves in- 
 
 i lined 
 
E 7 1 
 N. But, Sir, If we fuppofe baptifm to be a feal of the 
 covenant, and that it infers complete Jianding in the cov- 
 enant, muft we conclude that the fubjedt is a complete mem* 
 ber of the church ? 
 
 M. If baptifm fucceeds circumcifion as an ordinance of 
 t\\Qfame import^ anfwering ihtfame facramental purpofes, as 
 the advocates for infant baptifni affcrt, then we may infer 
 
 the 
 
 dined to confent to the propofals, we (hould then become a parfv, and by our 
 own voluntary confent, bring ourfelves under obligation to walk in the ftat- 
 iitesand ordinances of it : But if no/, the treaty would be at an end, and we be 
 left at full liberty to take our own courfe. This is tlie cajTe ordinarily with 
 (jontratts and covenants that take place between fellow creatures ; But t* 
 apply it in the prefent cafe, would be a refled^ion upon Deity. 
 
 When God ispleafed tp treat with his creatures in a cwenant way, it is, in 
 fuch a manner as to aflert hisown fovereignty and infinite fuperiority. /w//te 
 your God and ye /ball be my people, is the ftyle of his propofals. This feems to b$ 
 held forth in mofl of thofe covenant tranlatlions that have taken place be- 
 tween God and his creatures ; particularly with our firft parents, with Noah» 
 with Abraham and his defcendants from time to time. We feldom hear of any 
 reply. God's propofals and commands were received with filent fubmifTioi ; 
 by which they acknowledged his ijnqueftionable right to make all the propofals, 
 a.id their duty imrefervedly locotnply. 
 
 Joihua, indeed, propofes to the people deliberately {& ihoofe v/hom they would 
 ferve ; not as if titey were then about to commence a covenant relation witlj 
 God ; it was rather a reneixial of covenant ; for, long before this they were 
 owned as God's vifiblc people, andhad the token of the covenant in their fielh; 
 and had tliey refotved that they would not ferve the Lord, they would have 
 been conlidered as covenant breakers. Yet it muft be allowed, that thofe ob- 
 fervations and inftances cannot apply in every cafe. A bare hearing the re- 
 port ofthegofpel, will not bring a perfon within the bonds o( the covenant. — 
 The heathen, who refufe to hearken to the calls of the gofpel, muft anfwer 
 for their contempt of God's grace ; but are not chargeable with a perfidious 
 bleach of covenant engagements. However, an explicit perlonal content to 
 tjie covenant of grace, in the external difpenfation of it, is not, in all 
 cafes, neceflary in order to bring perfons within the bonds of it : For 
 God has always admitted children'into his covenant, with iIkIc parents, 
 
 and allowed them a perfonal (landing in his family or church; . 
 
 And this is further examplified in the inftance of the ancient Ifraelites 
 who were conilituted the people of God, in an appropriate lenfe, by the 
 fovereign conftitution of Heaven ; and when God w:ts pleafed to renew his 
 covenant with them, with circumdances of formality, he exprefsly de- 
 clares that he included thofe in his covenant, who, by reaion of infancy (lutU 
 mes) and becaufe they were not then prefent, could not give their perfonal 
 confent to it. And this was the cafe under the gofpel difpenfation, fince our 
 Saviour deciaics that, little ones or infants, as the original word propfHy fig^ 
 nifies, belong to the kingdom of Heaven— and St. Paul, that the children of 
 a believing parent are holy. 
 
 This leads m^to obferve, that there are many amongftchriflians, who think 
 themfelves at liberty, to own or reject the covenant ; and that if they do not 
 promife to walk in God's Ratutescvpd ordinances, they are at liberty to indulge 
 their vicious inclinations, as if they could not be bound for God, witiiout 
 their explicit confent ; or, at leaft, that fuch a confent, would greatly aggravate 
 their fins ; and tli£refore to efcape this aggravated guilt, are careful to make no 
 liroraife. It may be cxpctled that this caution, will in the iffiie, be of n« 
 
 advantage 
 
[ 8 ] 
 
 the church memberfhip of baptized perfons, from what ap- 
 pears to have been the Handing of circumcifed perfons. 
 
 All agree that under the Jewifh conllitution, tv^vy/uch 
 perfon was ;i compleCe member o^ that religious community. 
 This ordinance was defigned to be a mark of difcrimination 
 between the vifible people of God, and thofe who are aliens 
 from the commonwealth of Ifrael : And all who had this 
 token of the covenant in their flefh, whether adults or in- 
 fants, were confidered as members of thac family, and 
 
 entitled' 
 
 advantage to them; God refers exprefsly to Tuch charaflers, in Dent. 29^h, 
 where he declares, I make this covenant nvith him that Is not here nvith us this day^ 
 (they were in the covenant therefore without their con(ent) and the reafon 
 why God was thus explicit, follows : left there Jhould be amongyou, man or 
 Kuoman, or family or tribe, <whofe heart turneth anvay this day from the Lord our 
 God, to go andfer-x'e the gods of the nations : left there fhould be amongyou k root 
 that bcareth gall and luormicood ; and it come to pafs, JFhcn he hcareth the ivords of 
 this curfe (lor breaking; the covenant) that he blifs himfelfin his heart, faying^ I 
 fhallhwue peace, though Iivalk after the imagination of my heart, to add drunkemiefs to 
 thirft ; i. e. bscaiife I am not under the bonds of the covenant, having never 
 perfonally confented to it. For fuch impiety and contempt of the covenant, a 
 dreadful threatning is added: The Lord /hall not fp are him — but then the anger 
 (f the Lord and his jealoufy fljallfmoke againft that man ; and all the curfe s that 
 are larittenin this book, fhall lie upon him, and the Lord fiall blot out his name 
 from under heauat. 
 
 It would be well if thofe wlio have had the advantages of religious inftruftion, 
 were defcended from chriftian parents, and have had the feal of baptifm put 
 upon them, and yet are very cautious of owning the covenant, left they ftiould 
 lay themfeives under (pecial obligations to keep God's commandments ; and 
 take encouragement from this to lead vicious lives, would ferioufly ronlider 
 this palfage, which feems directly to point them out, as perfons eminently 
 devoted to the cui fe of God. 
 
 This objeftion or caution comes in too late for thofe whom God has already 
 taken into his covenant and fealed for himfelf. They are already in that pre- 
 dicament, which they wilh to guard againft. Their owning or renewing of 
 covenant does not Z/r/;?^ them into covenant, it is rather an acknowledgment 
 tiiat they were in it before — nor does it infer any /zroy or additional obligations y 
 though it is a Jicw engagement. 
 
 It may be worthy of enquiry, whether cb/igatlon to duty, does depend at all 
 upon our covenant engagements. Our obligations to God', arife from what he 
 is, in himfelf and to us. The fervant that knows his mafier's will, is bound to 
 comply with it. But h'\& promifng to cornply, gives his lord no greater right 
 to his fervice ; and perhaps in ffriflnefs, infers no additional obligation upon' 
 him ; bccaufe our engaging to be for God, is only an acknowledgment of our 
 obligations to be for him ; And thefe obligations are neceifary, and indepen- 
 dent of any promifc on our part ; unlels this promife refpedt tilings which are 
 in themfeives indifferent. 
 
 This was the cafe with feveral vows which the ancient Ifraelites were at 
 liberty to make or not, astheychofe. In thofe cafes it nvere better not to I'O'w, thaa 
 vow and not perform ; for all their obligation depended upon their voluntarry 
 engagements. 
 
 Perhaps we do not always properly diflinguifh between obligation and en- 
 gagement. A perfon may be under the (irongcft obligation to i^eiform that, 
 which he lias never engaged to perform. 
 
I 9 1 
 
 fntitkd to all the privileges of Gpd's people — and accord- 
 ingly even young children were admitted to the pa(rover,one 
 ofthennoft iacred and folemn ordinances in thatconftitutioa. 
 And agreeably to this pradtice of the JevviOi church, ec* 
 clefiaftical hiftory informs us that it was the praftice of the 
 chriftian church to admit children to the Lord's table, for 
 feverai of the firft centuries. But this is not a matter that 
 falls under our prefent enquiry j though it plainly, points 
 out the opinion of chriftians in thofe early times of the 
 church, and that they did confider their young children ^js 
 lambs of the flock. 
 
 No reafon can be given why baptifm fliould not iiifer 
 church memberfliip, equally with circviiTicifion. Nor do 
 we learn from the facixd volume, that any formilic-y 
 was required of any after they were adniitted to either of 
 thefe fealsj as a term of communion, in any religious orcli- 
 nance. 
 
 The apbftles required that tbofe W;ho were converted from 
 judaifm and heathenifm to the chriiiian faith, fliould make 
 profefiioa of it, as a term of their being admitted i«to the 
 chriftian church by baptifm. The nature of the thing 
 made it proper and needful ; and this was agreeable to our 
 Saviour's command to his firft minifters, to_g-£? andteach^ or 
 difciple all 'nations, bapifing them, &c. Here baptifm i-s | 
 confidered as ,chc fcal of initiation into the family of Chriftj 1 
 and in order that the apoftles mi/iht know who were qual- 
 ified for this ordinance, it was needful that the candidate 
 Ihould make profefiion of his faith, as the eunuch did. I 
 fpeaknow of adult difciples — and the fame was needful for 
 the admiffion of a profcly ted Gentile into the Jewifli church. ( 
 
 Indeed, to be a member of the covenant, which is im- I 
 plied in baptifm, and a member of the church of God, are 
 much the fame : \i not, then a perfon may be vifibly in j 
 God's covenant, and vifibly an alien from the Ifrael of God; i 
 i. e. vifibly in faran's kingdom, at one and the fame time j | 
 for there is no fuch thing as halfway memberfliip. 
 
 We do indeed fometime.s hear fuch aiTertions as thefe, 
 viz. ' there is a proper difference between being members 
 infull or comp.leU ftanding, and being members mjome fort '. 
 Church members may belong to the church in a forty and 
 vet fometbing mor-e be ^bfoiutely necciiary to adm.it them 
 
 to 
 
[ 10 j 
 
 tci full fta-niing, and without which they cannot be receivec^. 
 Hence children, from infancy, till they are adult, may, ijft 
 n/oriy belong to tbeviftble church, when yet they do net fully. 
 When God takes a believer, as fuch, into .covenant, and 
 tells him that he alfo takes his children into covenant, 
 we cannot think that the parents and children arc both ta- 
 ken precifely in the fame li^nfe into covenant. Parents 
 are taken as members complete to all ordinances — children 
 are not capable of this. In this manner, it is faid, we 
 may confider this covenant relation of,. children, and 
 be confident, even if we fliould not fuppofe the feed of be- 
 lievers are taken as being truly gracious, or upon the fup- 
 pofition of our having reafon to hope they are fandified : 
 And then, it is added j Dr. Watts exprcffcs himfelf thus : In 
 my opinion, fo far as infants are any way members of the vifi- 
 bif^ rliriftian church, ic is upon a fuppofition of their being 
 (v;irh their parents) members of the invifible church of 
 God. Of this opinion are many divines, and dbubtlefs it 
 may be defended*.* 
 
 It fcems then, wc arc not to fuppofe the k^d of believers 
 -are wken in, as being truly gracious, and yet, fo far as they 
 are, any way members of the vifible church, it is upon the 
 fuppofition of their being (with their parents) m.embers of 
 the invifible church. 
 
 But all this ftudied caution^ as to the (landing of bapti- 
 zed children, might be fpared, if we attended to Mr. Nor- 
 ton's drfirinftion betwixt comjmunion and memberfhip. 
 Members, fliys h^,, in refpe(5^ of their communion, may be 
 fai'J to be complete or incomplete, becaufe communion 
 receives more or lefs, and may be enjoyed either in whole or 'm 
 ])art. But in refpeft to membcrfliip they can't be faid ro be 
 complete ov iuconipletCy becaufe nieniberfiiip being a relatien 
 doth not receive more or lefs : as a little m.ember is as truly a 
 member as the greateft ; tiie hand of a child is truly a hand, 
 and member of the whole, as the hand of a man. Bcfides, 
 the notion o( i\\<t halfivay covenant^ and halfivay members^ 
 has been much exploded and derided of late years ; buc 
 ihouid we afiert that baptized children are members, only in 
 a Jort, or in fornefsvfe, and Joniethmg raore cbjclutcly necejfary 
 fo admit'fhem fo full fandin^, we lliall, perhaps, fall into 
 that clafs of chridians, who are faid to be for the half- 
 w^ay, &c. N. 
 
 ♦Mr. Green's enquiry into tha Gpr.aitii'.ion of :h? jevvlfii C!:urch. 
 
■ -> ] 
 
 N.- Are not thefe new and fingular opinions,, that bap- 
 tized perfons ^asjuchy aie in tlie covenant, and complete 
 members of the church of Chrill ? 
 
 M. If what has been faid be true, they are as oJd ss the bi- 
 ble ; and indeed our own practice plainly admits it for truth. 
 Thus, wben an adult perfon defires baptiiin for himfclf, wc: 
 expe<5t that he make profelfion of religion, and own the 
 covenant, in order to his being admitted to that ordinance. 
 In fuch cafes, baptifm fuppofes that a covenant tranfaflion j 
 has already taken place, and that this is the ratifying and j 
 completing feal. Thefe adults are fuppofed to be in the ^ 
 covenant by the dedication of themfelves to God, and to his i 
 people, and to be members of the church, i^nd perhaps i: ' 
 would be difficult to point out any material difference in 
 the import of baptifm adminillered to an adult, or to an in- 
 fant ; one is in God's covenant through the channel of his 
 parents ; the other by his own ad. And by the conllitu- 
 tion of heaven the child is federally holy ; is thus fanohified 
 and fee apart for God, as truly as the adult. This was evi- 
 dently the cafe under the Old Teftament, as we have al- 
 ready confidered : Nor do we find it any where fuggefted, 
 that the conftitiition is altered with refped to children, in. 
 thcprefent difpenfation ; and until we can find that they 
 are excluded, either in whole or in part, from their covenant 
 privileges, we may not prefume to wreft them from them. 
 Alluding to the covenant relation which the ancient If- 
 raelitesand their offsprings bear to God, he charges them, 
 as in Ezek. xvi. 20, 2 1 . Thcubaji takenthyjons andthydaugh^ 
 ters whom thou haji b-orne unto me, and thou hafi (lain my chil- 
 dreriy plainly intimating that their children were born with- 
 in the covenant, and fo were God's children in a fpccial and 
 appropriate fenle. Agreeably to this, the apoftle Paul af- 
 ferts that the children of a believing parent are holy ; elfe 
 were your children unclean^ but now are they holy*, i. e. . 
 they would be heathen, out of the pale of the church and 
 covenant of God, and fo unclean. They would not be of the 
 holy feed as the Jews are called. If. vi. 13. butcommoaand 
 unclean, in the fame fenfc as heathens in general were called 
 in the apoftle's vifion. This v/ay of fpeaking, is according 
 to the dialed of the Jews, among whom a child begot by pa- 
 
 reiits 
 
 * J. Cor. vii. 14.. 
 
[ 12 J 
 
 rents yet heathens, was faid to be begotten out of holinefs ; 
 and a child, begotten of parents made profclytes, is laid 
 to be begotten, within the holy inclofure. But fhould 
 it be faid, that fince the apoftle here declares, that the 
 unbelieving hu(band or wite is fanftified by the believing 
 correlate — therefore the unbeliever is in the church as 
 truly as the offspring j for to hejan^lified, is the fanne as to 
 be holy — 
 
 We may obferve, that the apoftle is here remov- 
 ing a difficulty out of the way of chriftians converted 
 froin Judaifm. They had been taught not only that they 
 might not marry witJi heathens, but, if married, the infidel 
 correlate, together with their offspring, muft be put away. 
 This was the cafe in Ezra's time j of this the apoftle is 
 here rcfolving ; and determines that the believer is not 
 obliged to put away the unbelieving correlate j nor is de- 
 filed by having conjugal fociety with an unbeliever. For, 
 fays he, The unbelieving hufhand is JanSlified by the wifcy 
 or in or to the wife — and vice verfa ; i. e, the believer has 
 a lawful and fan^lified enjoyment of an unbelieving yoke- 
 fellow, agreeable to the apoftle's obfervation cllev;here, 
 that all things are pure to him that is pure ; and every crea- 
 ture of God is good, and nothing to he refiifed : For it is Jane- 
 iified by the tvordof God and frayer. Thus, as one obfcrved, 
 the unbelieving hufband or wife is fan^lified to the believer, 
 as every creature t)f God is, which we may have occafion to 
 ufe. Formerly all who were out of the church, were ac- 
 counted unclean ; and a Jew would have been defiled by 
 living with a heathen wife $ but now there \i no defile- 
 ment in the temperate ufe of any of God's creatures ; even 
 rhofe forbidden under the law and pronounced unclean; 
 They are all fandified to the believer j fo that though a 
 believer might not marry any unbeliever, yet they might live 
 together in that relation, efpecially if they had been married 
 before the converfion of either. And though this fandifi- 
 cation does not intend any particular relation to the cove- 
 nant or church of God, any more than that of any other 
 creature which is faid to be fandified by the word of God 
 und prayer ; yet the children are entitled to covenant and 
 church privileges, as fully as if both the parents were be- 
 lievers. Elfc 'H'ere your (hildrsn unclean ^ but now are they 
 holy. This 
 
[ '3 ] 
 
 This was another difficulty which the apoftle was here 
 rcfolving. The queftion was this, How fhall chriftians- 
 confider and treat thofe children v/ho were delcended from. 
 parents fo unequally yoked ? Shall they be put away with, 
 their heathen parents, as unclean, as they were in Ezra's 
 time ? No, fays he, they derive a covenant holinefs through 
 the channel of tht believing parent. The unbeliever is 
 fanftified Ifj or in the believer ; fo, as by the chriftian dif- 
 penfarion, not to prevent the covenant holinefs of the child : 
 And this is very different from the fanclirtcation of the pa- 
 rent. * For, a perfon's being fandified in fome certain rr- 
 ' fpe6t, docs not give hinn the denomination of a holy om^ in 
 ' the l3nguao;e of fcripture ; v^hich is a peculiar and ap- 
 
 * propriate tide of thofc who belo.ng to the church, and is 
 
 * not given to any others of the children of men. And 
 
 * fincc the children are holy^ which is not faid of the unbe- 
 ' lieving parent, the children are to be acknowledged as 
 
 * of the church, but not the parent.' Thus chriftians ara 
 commonly termed, /<2/^;/.c ; Such they are by profeffion, fe- 
 parated to be a peculiar people to God, and as fuch diftin- 
 guifhed from the v;orld J and therefore, children born of 
 chriftians, are not to be reckoned as part of the world, but 
 of the church ; an holy, not a common and unclean feed* : 
 It is upon, this principle, viz. the covenant and church 
 ftanding of the feedof believers, that our Saviour direfts that 
 little children be brought to him, /<7r cfjiich is the kingdom 
 of God ■\. We could not eafily find words more exprcffive 
 of a real^-perjonal ftanding in the viuble church of God. It 
 is, as ifourSaviour had faid, that children, little children, or 
 even infants (for that is the meaning of the word, ufed by 
 the evangelifr Luke) hehng to this kingdom ; they are vifible 
 fubje6bs of it ; it is a community confilling o^ /uch inem- 
 bers y at lead in part: Accordingly cur Saviour treated 
 them as his children j taking them into his arms, with par- 
 ticukr tendernefs ; putting his hands upon them and blef- 
 fing them. We may here remark, that to pronounce a 
 blefllng, with impofition of hands, had in it fomething la- 
 cred J and denoted that the perfon, who was thefubjedtof 
 this religious ceremony, liood, in fomefpecial relation, to 
 the worlliippers and people of God. 
 
 Had 
 
 * IIsn.in'Loc, f Maik 5c, 14. 
 
[ 14 3 
 
 Had this aflfertion been made, of adults, few would have 
 
 rifqued their reputation for candid difcernment by denying 
 this to be the plain purport of it ; and yet we are told, that 
 children cannot belong to the covenant and church of God, 
 any otherwife than as-conneded wuh their parents, and in- 
 cluded in //^Wr covenant : And that circumciiion and.bap.- 
 tifi-n, were feals of che parent's covenant, or of his faith in 
 dedicating his child to God ; and that the child docs not 
 retain his^elation to the church, when arrived to adult age, 
 linlcfs he take the covenant upon hinnfelf. 
 
 •But if a perfon may be in covenant widi God, without 
 his own cxprefs confent (as is plainly implied in Deut. 29.) 
 and if the children of the Jews v/ere, by God's fovereigii 
 eonfiitution, admitted in that church, and circumcif;on 
 v/as a token of the covenant into which God had brought 
 them, though without their confent or knowledge ; the 
 fame may be f^id c;f the children of chriftian parents, inaf- 
 much as they fucceed the Jews in the fam^e covenant and 
 church, (Rom. 1 1,) and areexprefsly faid to be/^c/y, and of 
 the kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 The defign and import of baptifm are fct forth to us by 
 the phrafe of being baptized into Chrijl *, and all fuch arc 
 {■did to put on Chrijl •\. This muil intend fome new and 
 Tpecial relation to Chrift, as the children of his family and 
 members of his covenant, fo as others were not ; and this 
 confirmed by the vifible token of baptifm. Hereby chrif- 
 tiaris are confidered ^s putting en Chrijl, i.e. putting on his 
 livery, taking up the profeffion of his religion, and profef- 
 fing fubjeftion to him, as the king and head of his church. 
 
 ' 'From this,' one obferves * that baptifm is now the folem.n rite 
 of our admifiion into the chriftian church, .as circumcifion 
 was into that of the Jews ; we have the fame phrafe of being 
 
 ) baptized unto Mc/eSy in the cloud and in the feaj. i. e. 
 
 ' ' brought under obligation to Mofcs's law and covenant, 
 as we are by baptifm under the chriftian law and covenant.' 
 We are repeatedly faid to be buried with Chrifi; in haptijm, 
 which denotes fome fpecial relation to and connexion with 
 Chriil,of u'/'/V/^ baptifm is the token. Indeed, the whole cur- 
 rent of the bible holds forth fomethingfpecial in circumcifion 
 and baptifm, as confirming feals and tokens of the cove- 
 liiinr, fignifying that the fubjedt ftands in fome fpecial 
 .:■?, relation 
 
 *Rom. vi.l. I Gal. iii. 27. } Cor. x. a. 
 
['5 1 
 
 relation to that covenanty of which they were thtfi'ah f 
 that he is feparated from the vifible family and kingdom of 
 Satan, and taken into Chrift's houfliold, and has this feal 
 put upon him, in token and confirmation of it. If this be ' 
 a fcriptural account of thedefign and import ofthefe initi- \ 
 ating ordinances, it may keep us in countenance, even tho* / 
 we fhould be fom^what fingular. 
 
 But though vic have, in fome way, contra<5i:€d an habit of 
 confidcring baprifmvery much as an unmeaning ordinance, 
 yet it would be eafy to fliow from other writings, that thef? 
 are far from being novel fentimcnts. The reformed 
 churches in Europe agree in confidering ali baptized per- 
 fons as members of Chrift's vifible family, and as having 
 either an immediate or remote right to all th€ fpccial, ex- 
 ternal privileges of church members. Writers upon the 
 fubjecl of bapcifm, very generally infift upon the covenant 
 ftanding of tbofe whom they confider as proper fubjeds of 
 baptifm, whether infants or adults j and by treating per- 
 sons baptized in infancy, as we treat heathens, we put an ad- 
 vantage into the hands of antipedobaptifts, which may eafily 
 be improved, to point out our great inconfiftency. And 
 indeed, if baptifm does not fuppofeor infer afpecial relation 
 to the vifible covenant or family of God, we have yet to 
 learn what it does import. 
 
 N. Some have afierted, that, 'though baptifm, when 
 adminifteredtoanadult, infers completechurchmcmberfliip, 
 yet the relation of a baptized infant to the covenant and 
 cliurch of God is incomplete ; all thedefign of it is to lay him 
 under bonds to be the Lord's when arrived to adult age ; 
 and if he then negledl to take the covenant upon himfelf, 
 he becomes an heathen, in the view of the church, however 
 ferious and regular in his converfation.' 
 
 M. Dr. I. Mather abferves, that rebaptization is the necef- 
 iary confequence ofthisopinion ; for itfeems, fays he, accord- 
 ing to this plan, th€ covenant which the child was in, when 
 an infant, is become a mere nullity, fo that now being aduk, 
 he muft not renew his covenant, but enter into a new and 
 other kind of covenant, which he never was in before. Now 
 it is neccffary that when a man doth enter into covenant, 
 he fhould be initiated by baptifm. There was lately a fedt 
 in she world, as Mr. Baxter tells us, who, upon this very 
 ground, altho' they did acknowledge baptifm of infants as 
 
 lawful. 
 
[ 16 ] 
 
 lawful, yet did rebaptifc themfeives when adult*. St. 
 Vaul obfervcs, we are all baptized inio one body \ \ i. e. as 
 fome uhdcrftand it, we arc ^//, whether infants or adults, as 
 •well as Jews or Gentiles, received into the bofom the church, 
 and arc equally members of his body, v/hich is but me. 
 And the fame apolllc fays, if the root be holy ^ Jo are the 
 branchesX. This ihows, fays one, that the feed of believers, 
 as fuch, are within the pale of thevifible church, and with- 
 in the verge of the covenant, till they do, by their unbelief, 
 tkrow themltlves out. Though real qualifications be not 
 propagated, yet relative privileges are j though a wife 
 •man do not beget a v/ife man, yet a free man begets a free 
 man ; though grace doth not run in the blood, yet external 
 privileges do (till they are forfeited) even to a thoufand 
 generations. Look hov/ they will anfwer it another day, 
 who cut off the entail, by turning the feed of the fairhfui 
 oiitof d^ church, and fo not allowing the bleffing of Abra- 
 ham to come upon the Gentiles. The Jewilh branches are- 
 •reckoned holy^ becaufe the root was/i? -, neither was there 
 any difference, either in kind or degree, betv/ccn the cove- 
 nant holinefs of the root and the branch. |1 Children arc 
 immediately -Tnemhsrs^ as to theeffence of member fhip (i. e^ 
 they themfe'lves in their ov;n pcrfons, are the immediate 
 fubjefls of this adjunft of church rnemberlhip) thotigh they 
 come to it by nr>eans of their parent's covenanting. For 
 divine inftitution giveth or granteth a real and perfonal 
 rnemberfliip unto them, as well as unto their parents, and 
 maketh the parent a public perfon, and fo his aft their' s to 
 that end. JHence the effence of memberfhip, i. e. covenard 
 inter eft ^ or a place and portion within the viftble church', is reaU 
 'ly, properly, perjonally and immediately the portion of the 
 child, by divine gift and grant. 
 
 Again, Their vifible ingrafting into Chrifl the head, and 
 fo into the church his body, is fealed in their baptifm j 
 but in grdftii>g, nothing comes between the graft and the 
 flock J tljeir union is imnediate : hence they are rtnmedi- 
 alely inferted into the vifible church, or immediate members 
 thereof. The little children, in Deut. xxix. 1 1. were per- 
 fonaily and immediately a part of the people of God, ©r 
 
 members 
 
 * SiibjeEhof b^jptiftn, page 65. f i Cor. xli. I3. J Rom, xi. i5. 
 'Ij 5^'tlje opbiou of the Synod of i66i, page lo. 
 
[ '7 ] 
 
 members of the church of Ifrael, as well as their parents* 
 To be in covenant, or to be a covenantee, is the formalis 
 ratio of a church member. If one come into the covenant ' 
 one way, and another in another, but both are in covenant 
 or covenantees (i. e. parties with whom the covenant is 
 made, and whom God takes into covenant) as the chil- 
 dren Jiere are. Gen. xvii. 7. 8. then both are, in their 
 own perfons, the immediate rubje(5ts of the formalis ratio of 
 memberfhip, and fo immediate members. 
 
 That their memberfhip ftill continues in adult age, and 
 ccafeth not with their infancy, they fay, appears, id, Be- 
 caufe in fcripture, perfons are broken off, only for noto- 
 rious fin or incorrigible impenitency and unbelief, not for 
 growing up to adult age*. 2d. The Jewifli children cir- 
 cumcifeddid not ceafe to be members by growing up, but 
 Continued in the church, and were, by virtue of their mem- 
 berfhip, received in infancy, bound unto various duties, 
 and in ipecial unto thofe folemn perfonal profefTions that 
 pertained to adult members, not as then entering into a new 
 memberfliip, but as making a progrefs in memberly dutiesf . 
 There is no ordinary way of celTaiion of memberfhip, but, 
 by death, difmiQion,. excommunication, or difTolution of 
 the fociety — neither of which is the cafe of the perfons in 
 queltion. When adult, they are cither members or non 
 members ; if non members, then a perfon admitted a mem- 
 ber and fealed by baptifm, not caft out nor defervingto be 
 To, may (the church whereof he was a member Hill remain- 
 ing) become a non member and out of the church, and of 
 the unclean world, which the fcripture acknowledgeth not. 
 Now if the parent ftand member of the church, the child 
 is a member alfo : for now the root is hcly lo are the bran- 
 ches : the parent is in covenant fo is the child. But I 
 might bring a whole cloud of witnefTes to thefe points, from 
 our pious fathers, the firft minifters that came into this land : 
 And if you defire it, I will recite the opinions of feveral of 
 thefe eminent charaflers, with theirreafoningsj. 
 
 C N. 
 
 * Rom. xi. 20. f Deut. xxvi. 2, 10, 16 and 17. 
 . X 1 truft that (erious and inquifitlve minds will be well entertained, in read- 
 ing (everal lengthy quotations from thofe eminent divines, fince they will fliew 
 us how widely the opinion andpraftice of the prefent times, differ from thofe 
 of the fathers of this country, concerning the import of baptifm, and the (lanrl • 
 
 ing 
 
[, i8 ] 
 
 N. Sir, as thefe are matters of great importance,! {hall 
 think my tim.e well improved in hearing whatever will tend 
 to throw light upon them : for indeed I have thought that 
 chriftians in general have attended to them very fuperfici- 
 ally. We ought not to be governed by an implicit faith, 
 efpccially in ir)atters of religion. However, a decent re- 
 fpedl is due to the opinions and reafonings of great and good 
 characfters : I Ihali, therefore, be glad to hear what can be 
 produced from thofe venerable men to enlighten the fub- 
 
 jea. 
 
 M. The Rev. Samuel Stone, firR teacher of the church 
 in Hariford, expreiTes himfelf thus : I conceive that chil- 
 dren of church members, have right to church memberfliip, 
 by virtue of their father's covenant j it being granted that 
 they are in Abraham's covenant ; they have memberfhip by 
 birth, Gal. ii. 15. 2d. God is their God. Gen. xvii. 7. 
 3d. They are branches. Rom xi. 4th. They are fubjedls of 
 Ciirift's vifiblc kingdom. E2ek.>xxxvii. 25. 
 
 N. Before you proceed in this, be fo kind as to let me 
 know, whether there was any thing fpecial in theftate of the 
 churches in thofe early times, which occafioncd thefe ven- 
 erable men to give their opinions concerning the covenant 
 and church ftanding of children, defccnded from chriflian 
 parents, and their right to baptifm. 
 
 M. It was the opinion of minifters and private chriftians 
 in general, that no unregenerate perfon might /awfully ap- 
 proach the Lord's table : And none but communicants 
 were allowed baptifm for their children. Hence it came to 
 pafs, that the rifing generation was growing up in a flatc 
 of vifible heathenifm. This was alarming to good men j 
 
 and 
 
 ihg of baptized perlons, as/uch, (if indeed we may in gencra-1 be faid to have 
 any regular and conriflent principles refped^ing this important fubjeft.) But tho' 
 we may and onglit to venerate thofe worthy characters, yet their opinions arc 
 to be tried by tlie unerring (tandard, and if they will not bear the left, are to 
 be rejeifted ; 1 (hall give their reafons ia their own words, that every one may 
 judge for hinifelf. Some gentlemen have advifcdthat it woitld ferve thecaufc 
 of religion, to have the fentimenls of thefe venerable men preferved in this 
 way ; which otherwife, may foon be loft in th.e wreck oi time. 
 
 A refpeftable gentleman has favoured me witii a number of quotations, from 
 the writings of fome of the moft eminent divines in the chriflian church : Some, 
 who lived in the early ai^es of ir, and others, of later ftanding. It may per- 
 haps not be amifs to infert fon-.e of thele quotations, merely to let us know 
 wliat lias been the general received opinion of chriftians upon this important 
 point, in the various ages of the duirch, though we have not their reafonings at 
 large. 
 
[ '5 ] 
 
 and to remedy the evi), this point was attended to, by the 
 ablefl divines for fevcral years, viz. whether the children of 
 parents, who were not comrTiUnicants at the Lord's table, 
 were proper fubjefts of baptifnn ? At length a general fynod 
 met at Bofton, to confider and anfwer to queftions pro- 
 pounded to them by the general court ; of which, this was 
 one, viz. Who are the fubjefts of baptifm ? And after much 
 prayer, ftudy and converfe, they came to a folemn.decifion 
 upon the queftion ; advifing that parents fhouid be admit- 
 ted to own the covenant, even though they were not ad- 
 mitted to the Lord's table,' and their children be baptized. 
 .Several minifters of diftindion oppofed this refult, and fome 
 wrote againil it ; however, fooner or later, they fell in, al- 
 moft to a man. 
 
 Mr. Stone goes on to fay, in his letter to Mr. Mather, I 
 think, unlefs there may be fome conference this year, in 
 the Bay*, about it (i. e. about owning the covenant) chat 
 we may fee reafon to the contrary, our churches will ad- 
 venture to praflice according to their judgement, i. e. take 
 in all fuch children as members, &c. 
 
 Mr. Mather, of Dorchefter, referring to the fame matter, 
 cxprefTes himfelf thus : For my parr, my thoughts have 
 been this long time, that our churches, in general, do fall 
 fhort in their pra6lice, of that v»'hich thp rule requires in this 
 particular; which, I think, ought to be this, viz. that the 
 children of church members, fubmitting themfelves to tiie 
 difcipline of Chrifl in his church, by an a(5t of their own, 
 when they are grown up to man's and woman's eftate, 
 ought to be watched over, as other members, and to have 
 their infants baptized, &c. Thefe miniilers were for in- 
 troducing the pratflice of owning the covenant, as prepara- 
 tory to their having baptifm for their children, and to help 
 tender confciences v^ho were doubtful as to their own gra- 
 cious eflate, and afraid to come to the Lord's table, left 
 they fhouid be found deftiruie of this gracious qualifi- 
 ^^//o;/,"andfo be moreguiky than if they fliould' tarry away. - 
 But though thefe divines were for the pracftice of owning 
 the covenant for this purpofe, yet they fpeak of children as 
 being in the covenant, previous to baptifm, and even mem- 
 bers of the church, and thus having right to the feal of bap- 
 tifm. We 
 
 * The old province of MafTacliufetts Bay, was formerly, for the fake of 
 brevity, called, by fome, 7he Bay, 
 
[ ao ] 
 
 * We have the anfwer of this Mr. Mather, to this qnef?- 
 tion, viz. when thofe that were baptized in infancy, by the 
 covenant of their parents, being come to age, are not yet 
 found fit to be received to the Lord's table, although they 
 be married and have children, whether are thefe their chil- 
 dren to be baptized or no ? The anfwer is in thefe words : 
 I propound to confideration this reafon for the affirmative, 
 viz. that the children of fuch parents ought to be baptized. 
 Thereafcn is, the parents, as they were born in the cove- 
 nant, fo they ftill continue therein, being neither cad out, 
 nor deferving to be fo : And if fo, why fhould not their 
 children be baptized ? for if the parents be in covenant, 
 are not the children fo likewife .? is not the tenor of the 
 covenant, I zvill be a God to thee and to thy feed ? Is not the 
 text plain ? A6ls ii. 39. The promife is to you and to 
 your children ; and if thofe children be in the covenant, 
 why fhould they not be admitted to the feal of the cove* 
 nant, fince, they are partakers of that which is one main 
 ground, v;hy other infants are admitted thereto ? He 
 adds, if their parents were caftoutofthe church by cenfures, 
 or fallen away from the fame by wilful apoflacy and fchifm, 
 or deferving to be cafl our by reafon of fcandai, then there 
 weremorereafonthat their infants fhould beexcluded from the 
 feal. But fince no fuch thing can be faid of the parents, of 
 whom, we fpeak, a good reafon fliould be given, why their 
 infants are debarred. For, if it be faid that the parents are 
 not confirmed members, nor have yet been found fit for the 
 Lord's table, 1 cooceivc this need not hinder their infants frorn 
 
 baptifm, 
 
 * It does not appear tliat (lie praiSlice of cnvnlng the conjerant (as it has been 
 temie(i) ever obtained in (he chriftian church, until it was introduced by the 
 fvnod ori662; and perhaps none would contend for it, unlefs, for the rea- 
 if'ons tliat influenced the f\ nod, viz. to help fender confciences, who were free 
 to fubfcribe to the covenant, and own their indifpenfibie obligations to be for 
 God, yet feared led they (houldadd fin unto iniquity, by approaching the table 
 of the Lnrd,tt!iilfl yet it was matter of queflion with them, whether thev were 
 the acrual (ubjcOs of thofe renewing and fandlifying influences, wliich they 
 fuppofed to be a necellary qualification for a lawful attendance upon that ordi- 
 nance, and alfo to prevent the rifinggcneration from growing up in a flate of 
 vifible heathenifm. And though I revere the memory of thofe ancient wor- 
 thies, as much as any man, yet I would not be underflood to quote their fenti- 
 ir.pnts, with a view to fupport that praflice : Nor to intimate, that I confider 
 ii!l of them, as plainly taught in revelation, or free irom inconfifiencies ; what 
 1 have in view is, to give their opinion with regard to the defign and import of 
 baptifm, and the (landing of baptized perfons a^/wc/', wliether infants or adults, 
 together v/ith their rearoningf-, •' 
 
[ -' J 
 
 b.aptifm, To long as they (I mean the parents) u'o neither re-- 
 nounce the covenant, nor doth the church fee jiid caufe to 
 caft thein out from the fame ; for it is not the parents fitnefs 
 for the Lord's table, that is the ground of baptizing their 
 children, but the parents, and lo the children, being in 
 the covenant : This is that which is the 777ahj ground thereof, 
 and fo long as this doth continue not diffolved by any 
 church cenfure againft .them, nor by any fcandalous lin of 
 theirs, fo long the children may be baptized. 
 
 I (hall next give you the opinion of Mr. Norton upon 
 this queftion, viz. whether the children of parents in cliurcii 
 covenant, are church members and ought to be baptized? 
 Anfwer — Children of parents in church covenant, arc 
 church members, and ought to be baptized. This anfwer 
 ftands upon five propofitions, as ill. Children are capable of 
 confederating, in a publick perfon ; 2d, Children, by di- 
 vine conftitution, have confederated, and do fbill confede- 
 rate in their parents ; 3d, By virtue of this confederation, 
 children are made church members j 4th, The memberfliip 
 of children confederating in their parents, is a didinil 
 mcmberfhipfrom the memberlhipof their parents; 5th, This 
 didind m.ember(]iip gives them a proper right unto bap- 
 tifm, fo that they arc baptized by their own right, and not 
 by the right of their parents. Under the fecond prcpofi- 
 tion he obferves, ' Either children under the gofpel, are 
 confederate in their parents j or children may not be bap- 
 tized ; or non members may be baptized : But children 
 are to be baptized, and non members arc not to l)e baptiz- 
 ed ; therefore children under the gofpel are confedc.are in 
 their parents. External baptifm is an external feal of tlie 
 external, not of the internal covenant only ; and ascircuin-* 
 cifion was applied only to fuch as were in covenant, fo 
 fhould it be with baptifm. In fupport of the third propo- 
 fition, he obferves, i ft. That, that in children which givetli 
 the form of memberfliip, maketh children church irieiiibers ; 
 but confederation giveth the form of church mcmberJliip ; 
 therefore, confederation maketh children church rncmbcrs. 
 2d. That, whereupon God declareth children to be in cove- 
 nant v^'wh. him, to be /:?c/y, and to have right unto churc'i 
 privileges, makes children to be church members. But 
 upon confederatior,, God declareth children to bf hi ccve- 
 
[ 11 ] 
 
 nmt with him, to he holy, and to have right unto church 
 privileocs, Gen. xvii. i Cor. vii. 14. Afts ii. 39. There- 
 fore, confederation makes children to be church members. 
 3diy. That which diftinguilheth between children in church 
 eilate, and children aot in church eflate, makes children 
 church members. But confederation dillinguifheth be- 
 tween children in church eftate, and children not in church 
 cllate, therefore confederation, &c. 4th. Either children 
 are members by confederation, or there may be given fome 
 other way of tiieirmemberfliip, or all children are non mem- 
 bers. But neither ran there be given any other way of 
 their memberlLip. Neither is it a true propofnion that -.11 
 children are non members. Therefore, &c. 
 
 To this! might add the teftimony of Mr. Thomas Shep- 
 herd, fometime paftor of the church in Cambridge : This 
 is contained in a letter of his upon the church membcrfhip 
 of children, and their right to baptifm, printed firft in the 
 year 1662, and reprinted in 1769. In this, he alTerts and 
 proves, that children are members of the vifible church, and 
 that their memberfnip continues when adult, and that the 
 children of believers are to be accounted of the church, un- 
 til they pofitively reject the gofpcl ; and that the member- 
 Hiip of children hath no tendency in it to pollute the church 
 ;z(?':x;, any more than under the Old Teftament : And that 
 children are under church dilcipiine. It would be long to 
 infert all his reafons in lupport of his pofnion ; it is alfo 
 needlefs, as his letter is in the hands of many. 
 
 With this agrees the opinion of Mr. Nathaniel Rogers, 
 formerly pailor of the church in Ipfwich. His words are : 
 *' To the queftion concerning the children of church mem- 
 "b'ers, I have nothing to oppofe, and I wonder that any fliould 
 deny them to be members. They are members \vijenju ec- 
 clefiafticQ, God fo calls them. The church is fo to ac- 
 count them ; and when they are adults j^tatts, though 
 having done no perfonal aft, yet they are to be judged 
 members flill ; until after due calling upon, they fhall re- 
 fufe or negledl to acknowledge or own the covenant of 
 their parents, and profcfs their belief of, and fubjedion to 
 the contents thereof; which if they iTiall deny, the church 
 . may cafl^cr or difown them." 
 
 The 
 
i ^3 1 
 
 The Rey. Mr. Prudden of Milford, in a k'^-v dated 
 1651, exprefies himfelfthus : ^'"Thofe children who are 
 within thf covenant, and fo members of it, baptifm cannot 
 be denied unto. But the children in queftion, are within 
 the covenant, and fo members of it ; therefore baptifm can- 
 not bedenied unto them. The children offuch parents as 
 are within the covenantof the church, are thcmfelves within 
 the covenant of ihat churchy and /i? members. But the chil- 
 dren in queftion are the children of ftich parents as are in 
 covenant, and fo members of the church j therefore they 
 are fo themfelves." He adds, " the aflumption is evident, 
 becaufeelfe/«f^ their parents had not had right to baptifm, 
 the feal of the covenanr, bur they had right unto, and i'o 
 received it : And the fame right they had, the children 
 have, who are included in their covenant, as they were in 
 their father's. If it be faid that their fathers did exprcfsiy 
 engage and covenant, butthofewo/j I anfwer, that the co- 
 venant is the fame, and of the fame extent in the one cafe 
 as well as in theother, and of the fame force to bind. Ex- 
 plicit and implicit arc buz adjunds of the covenant; and 
 therefore, though they are not come into covenant the fame 
 way that their parents did, viz. by explicit perfonal cove- 
 nanting, but are taken in by the father's covenanting for 
 them and themfelves, yet it feems to me, that they are not 
 le/Sy or lefs completely in covenanr. Thus thofe divines 
 feem to have beejB of opinion, that a perfon may be cotn- 
 pletely a member of the covenant, and of the church to 
 which his parents belong, vvithout explicitly covenanting 
 for himfelf : And that this covenant and church (landing, 
 continues until he openly reje(5ls it." Thefe were the 
 fentiments of the Rev. Jonathan Mitchel, once of Cam- 
 bridge, which he expreffcs in thefe three propoGtions, viz. 
 id. The whole vifible church under the New Teftament is 
 to be baptized. 2d. If a man be once in the church (whe- 
 ther admitted at age or in infancy) nothing lefs than cenfura- 
 bleevil can put him out. 3d. If the parent be in the vifi- 
 ble church, the infant child is/o too. And adds, Thefe 
 three things, are, all of them, the dodrines c/ all our great 
 divinesy as well as of the fcriptures. 
 
 I would here obferve to you, that Dr. Increafe ' Mather 
 collefted fome of thefe fentiments of ancient divines, as 
 
 tending 
 
t 24 ] 
 
 tending to cftablifn this propofition, viz. That the children 
 ofparelits profefiing the religion of the gofpel, and owning 
 the covenant, though not admitted to the Lord's table, were 
 proper lubjefls of biiprifm. It met with great oppofition 
 f(,r a kafon, and many fharp and bitter refieclions were 
 thrown out upon thoie who were in favour of this expedi- 
 ent, to prevent general vifible heathenifm in the knd, fo 
 far as confined in the want ofbaptifm, which occafioned 
 this Mr. Mitchel to exprefs himfelf thus, '*.! fhould bs 
 \brry if there were to be found with us, the fy/hes of irregu- 
 larities that abound among our antifynodical people in the 
 . country, who ftick not to defpife, reproach and diftafte fy- 
 nods and minifters, and all upon the account of this matter, 
 whereby I wifli the Lord be not provoked unto anger. And 
 how far thofc few in the miniftry that have appeared in op- 
 pofition, may have been accelTory, I had rather they would 
 ferioufly confider betwee^i the Lord and their own fouls, 
 than I go about to (rletermine. 
 
 It v.'cre eafv to fill many pages with quotations from the 
 refult of the fynod of 1662, full in thefe points; ift. They 
 aflert, that they, who according to fcripture, are members 
 of the vifible church, are the fubjefts ofbaptifm. In proof 
 of which, they fay that baptifm appears to be the feal of firft 
 entrance or admiffion into the vifible church, from i Cor. 
 xii. 13. Baptized into one body : i. e. our entrance into the 
 body or church of Chrift is fealed by baptifm. And Rom. 
 vi. 3, 5, Gal. iii. 27. where it is fliewed that baptifm is the 
 facrament of union or of ingrafting into Chrift the head, 
 and confequently into the church his body : And from its 
 anhvering unto circumcifion, which was a feal ofadmiflfion 
 unto the church : Hence it belongs to all and only thole that 
 are entered into, that are within, or that are members o/the 
 vifible church. They obferve that circumcifion isoftenpuc 
 for the v/hole Jewifii church, or for the members of it ; hence 
 by proportion, baptifm (which is our gofpel circumcifion, 
 Col. ii. ir. 12.) belongs to the whole vifible church under 
 the New Teftament. 
 
 They afifert r.lfo, that the members of the vifible church, 
 according to fcripture, are confederate, vifible believers, 
 in particular churches, and their infant feed, i. e. children 
 in minority^ whofe next parents, one or both are in covenant- 
 In 
 
[ 25 ] 
 
 In fupport of each ofthefeaflercions, they offer fevcral rea- 
 fons, all which need not be particularly recited. For the 
 kft, they fay, ift. The covenant of Abraham, as to the fiib- 
 fbanctofit,viz. That whereby God declares himfelf to be the 
 God of the faithful and their feed, Gen. xvii. 7. continues 
 under the gofpel, becaufe the believing inchurched gentiles, 
 under the New Teflamentj do ftand upon the fame root of 
 covenanting Abraham, from v/hich the Jews were broken 
 off. They are put into the fame inheritance, for fub- 
 ftance (both as to invtfible and vifible benenrs according 
 to their refpeflivc conditions) are of the Jame body and 
 partakers of the fame promife with the Jews. At the 
 paffing of the Jews into New Tcftament church eftate, the 
 Lord is fo far from repealing the covenant intei-ell: that was 
 granted unto children, in the former tefbamenr, that he 
 doth exprefsly renew the old grant, and tells them that the 
 promife or covenant is to them and their children^. If then 
 the feed of the faithful be dill in the covenant of Abraham, 
 then they are members of the vifible church ; becaule that 
 covenant of Abraham, Gen, xvii. 7. was properly a church 
 covenant, or the covenant which God made with his vifible 
 church, i. e. the covenant of grace confidered in the ex- 
 ternal difpenfation of it, and in the promifes and privileges 
 that belong to that difpenfation. After referring to many 
 paffages of facred writ, in both teftaments, they infer that the 
 feries or whole frame and current of fcripture expreffions, 
 doth hold forth the continuance of children's mem.berfhip in 
 the vifible church, from the beginning to tlie end of the 
 world. But thefe hints may ferve as a brief account of the 
 fynod's fentiments, and as a fpecimen of their reafonings : 
 I would recomiiiend it to you to read their refult, publiflied 
 by order of tiie general court, held at Bollon, and com- 
 mended to the confideration of all the churches and people 
 of thatJurifdi6tion. 
 
 Yoii will obferve that thefe divines aoree in fentimenr, 
 that, as the children of the Jews were included with their 
 parents in the covenant of God, fo the children of believing 
 parents (even if they are not confidered as communicants 
 at the Lord's table) are alfo cliildrcn of the covenant, and 
 D as 
 
 •Aasii. 39. 
 
[ "^6 ] 
 
 as fuch have right to the confirming feal of baptifm : And 
 that being in covenant they belong to the vifibk family of 
 God ; are members of his church, and muft be confidered 
 and treated as fuch, until they either openly renounce the 
 covenant, or by fcandalous behaviour obftinatcly perfifted 
 in, render themfelvesdeferving of cenfure and are cut off 
 from the communion of the faithful. 
 
 Pedobaptills do, and muft (upon their principles) hold, 
 that children are really in the covenant, by God's fove- ' 
 reign conllitution, being included wiih their parents ; for 
 this is the ground and reafon of their being admitted to 
 baptifm, and thus publickly fealed for God. That the 
 church is eflentially the Jame under every difpenfation ; 
 that chriftians are grafted into the fame olive, from which 
 the Jews were broken by unbelief: and that baptifm has 
 the fame place in the covenant of grace, under the prefcnt 
 adminiftration, that circumcifion had under the former. 
 
 The Wertminfter aflembly of divines ap-pear to have the 
 fame view of the dcfign and import of baptifm, when they 
 fay, baptifm is not to be adminiftered to any that are out of 
 the vifible church, and fo Grangers from the covenant of 
 promife, rill they profefs their faith in Chrift and obedience 
 to him: But infants defcending from parents, one or both 
 of them, making this profciTion, are in that refped, within 
 the covenant, and to be baptized ; they alfo add, that here- 
 by the parry baptized is iolemnly admitted into the vifible 
 (fhurch. 
 
 I will add a very few of the many quotations I have by 
 me, wliich I before referred to. 
 
 I, By baptii^m, we are joined with the church and are 
 iTiCmbers of ChrilVs vifible body. Be%a, 
 
 1. Baptifm was inRituted as a vifible fign and facrament 
 of our initiation into the church, and is a confirmation of 
 our intereft in the covenant of grace, Pereus. 
 
 3. To be baptized in the name of the Father, &c. is by 
 the outward fign of washing, to be made one of God's fami- 
 ly, which is his church ; and to be a partaker of the privi- 
 leges thereof. Perkins, 
 
 4. Children, by baptifm, are folemnly received into the 
 bofmn of the vifible church. Scot Dire5fcry. 
 
 5. By baptifm we are admitted Into the fam.ily of Chrift-^ 
 
 and 
 
[ 27 ] 
 
 and die houfehold of faith ; have a facramcntal sdminion 
 into the vifible kingdom of Chrift, and are members of his 
 vifible body. Naziavjen. 
 
 6. Baptifm is the publick entry and door to Chrifl's 
 houfe, or the ordinance whereby perfons are folem.nly ad- 
 mitted into the church, and made members of Chrift's fam.- 
 ily. There is the fame rcafon for adminiftering the ordi- 
 dance of baptifm to infants under the gofpel, that there was, 
 circumcifion under the law, feeing baptifm is now come in 
 its room, as the facrament of initiation, or entrance into 
 the church which circumcifion then was. Willijon.^ 
 
 7. Baptifm is defigncd to feal, confirm and ratify the 
 covenant, with the promifcs thereof, unto thofe with whom 
 it is eftablifhed : And to give to thole a folemn admifiion 
 into the vifible church, who have an antecedent right there- 
 to (by being born within the pale of the church) — This is 
 fpoken in reference to infants of believers. Such are capa- 
 ble of thefcends of this ordinance. /. Wbijlon. 
 
 The gentleman that miade thcfe cxtradls, and many more 
 of the like import, has deduced fi'om them, thefe axioms 
 and corallaries, viz. 
 
 1. Circumcifion was the ancient rite of initiation or ad- 
 mittance into the Jcwifh church, and all who received this 
 rite, were confidered as covenanters, whether old or young. 
 
 2. Baptifm under the gofpel, is the chriflian circumci- 
 fion, whereby the baptized are admitted into, and conftitut- 
 ed members of the vifible body of Chrift the church. 
 
 3. That every one to whom the facred rite of baptifm 
 has been regularly adminiftered, is a member complete in 
 the church of Chrifi:^ and denominated chriftian. 
 
 4. Where, and whenever a profefiion of religion was re- 
 quired, theperfonor perfons of who-n the requircm.ent was 
 made, were either Jews or infidels, or unbaptized adults. 
 
 5. That we no where find in the New Teltament, that in 
 was ever required of one that was baptized that he would 
 make a profeffion of chrillianity, in order to his enjoyment 
 of any of the privileges of God's houfe. 
 
 6. Infants of vifible believers, are born within the p^lc 
 of the church, and heirs of the promifcs, therefore have 
 a right to the feal of the covenant * . n. 
 
 * Perhaps fome may think it needlefs and impertinent, to colle»5l fnch ^^ 
 number of extracts, all tending to point out the defign and import of chrifiiau 
 
 biiptilm ; 
 
[ 23 ] 
 
 N. But, fir, is it not the opinion of feme cnninentchrif- 
 tians, that, cllhough baptijm is a fed of the covenant, and 
 fuppofes the recipient to be a member of the covenant, yet 
 it docs not introduce him into any /-^rZ/Vz^/^r church, but 
 rather into the church iiniverfal ? Thus they tell us, ' that the 
 catholick church, is, the univerfality of men, profefllng the 
 doflrines of the gofpel, and obedience to God in ChriiV^ 
 accordingly thereto, and that baptized infants ^/^m^//)-, be- 
 long to this church cnly,' 
 
 M. I am fenfible that great and good men have differ- 
 ed in fentiment upon this point. Nor would it be difEcult 
 to oppofe human teilimony to itfelf : And therefore we are 
 to try it by the (landard, and to receive it, no otherwife, than 
 as it appears to agree with reafon and revelation. 
 
 Dovfb. Owen (a very eminent divine amongft the difient- 
 ers in England) was of the opinion you mention ; and }et 
 held that baptized perfons, asjucby were proper fubjedls of 
 difcipline. However, he has not told us, whether the uni- 
 verfal church, can, and ought to difcipline her members, c«r 
 
 whether 
 
 baptidn ; efpccially fincc we general')- agree to confider it, as a vifib'.e feal or 
 token of the covenant wliich God has been pleaied to make wiih/omeof 
 nnnkind, tliercby fepMrafing them from vilible heatliens. 
 
 In reply to whirl), I would obfcrve, that v\e have Jome reafon to apprehend 
 that abundance of chriffiaiis have not duly attended to the delign of this ordi- 
 nance, and probably are nolfovveil edablifned in the truth, as aiightbe wifhcd. 
 We have generally confidered baptized children, as. being in a flate very dif- 
 ferent from that of church membc-vs. V/e treat iliem as aliens trom the com- 
 monweailhof the goffiel Krael ; particiilariy '■■ iih regard to chrifiian vvatch- 
 ftdnefs and dilcipline. 'Tis common to fay of them that they are not in the 
 church', and ij they 'wifl} to be admitted to ffecial frrcilcges, thry nwjl johi totke 
 chinch : As if, hereby, tliey emerge from a Hate of vifible heathenifm, and com- 
 liience vifible rhriOians. This is to treat the ordinance of baptifm as an infig- 
 mfirant matter. And flnce baptized perfons are thus trained up with an ha- 
 liit of confidering tliemfelves, as no church members, 'tis not to be wondered at, 
 that they are not willing to fubmit to tlmrch diicipline. -For chrifb'ans aie 
 not to judge thofe that are 'without. But if baptifm.is a token of the covenant, 
 and denotes that the fubjeii: does belong (not only \n feme fart, as fometimcs 
 cxprcded. but rea/fy AnA fully )to the vifible family of Chrift ; and asfiuh, liave 
 either an immediate or remote right to the fpecia! privileges of Chrift's houfc ; 
 and may come to the enjoyment of them, as their right, when qualified, 'tis 
 important that they fhould know (heir ftanding. And if it is the mind of Civrift 
 ihat fuch perfons Hiould be difciplincd, great guilt does lye upon thefe churches 
 for neglecting them in this mnter. And if chriflians were agreed and pro- 
 perly tpirited to revive difcipline, upon this plan, 'tis eafy to fee that it would 
 liave the haf>picft tendency to encourage virtue and difcountenance vice. 
 
 I liave recited the incidental remarks and brief reafonings of feveral' emi- 
 nent divines upon the fubjea, the rather becaufe the contrafted, and perhaps 
 wrong views of many chriftians, refpedting the import of baptifm, might indgce 
 them to charge the privileges lierc advanced, with the imputation otitoveltv ; 
 and becaufe the fiibjcft has rarely been very particularly attended to. 
 
[ =9 ] 
 whether an individual church, may go amongfl what he 
 calls the timverfality of inefiy i^c. and difcipline /?fr difor- 
 derly rrembers ; nor indeed where and how they may be 
 found. 
 
 Jc appears from the New Tedamcnt in particular, that 
 the people of God did confederate and form particular 
 churches, or religious focieties for the purpofe .of chriilian 
 fellowfhip in gofpel ordinances j and for obvious reafons, 
 this was needful, and is pradifed to this day, as'well as 
 heretofore. But are we any where told, that thofe religi- 
 ous focieties, were wont to require of their baptized chil- 
 dren, when arrived to adult age, to own the covenant as 
 a term of their being confidered as members in complete 
 Jianding'i Does not the fJence of fcripture in this matter, 
 plainly teach us, that thofe children, whofe parents formed 
 a particular church, by perfonally covenanting, were con- 
 fidered as conneded with their parents, and as going with 
 them into that religious community ? If not, where can thejr 
 be found ? How can they be difciplined ? Will they not 
 be as lambs and (lieep, left to roam at large, without any to 
 infpeft them ; to prevent or recover them from their wan- 
 derings ? Does it confift with the wifdom and goodnefsof 
 the great fliepherd of the chri-lian fold, to leave thofe whom 
 he has marked for himfclf, in fuch a loofc Hare, as not to be 
 fubjecl to the care and inTpcction of rheir brethren ? Is it not 
 more reafonable to fuppofe, with feme of thof*" divines al- 
 ready referred to, and with the fynod of 1662, that the chil- 
 dren of believing parents were to be found in one and tlic 
 fame religious community, with their parents ? and this 
 tliey fay, appears, 
 
 1. Becaufe fo were Ifaac and Ifhmael of Abraham's 
 family church j and the children of the Jews, and profelytes 
 of ifrael's national church; and there is the lame reafon 
 for children now to be of the fame congregational church 
 with their parents. Chrift's care for children and the fcopc 
 of the covenant as to obligation unto order and govern- 
 ment, is as great rioiv as then. 
 
 2. Either they are members of the fame church wi'h their 
 parents, or oflbme other church, or non members. I'here is 
 no ordinary and orderly fianding eftateof church members, 
 but in fon:e particular church. 
 
[ 30 ] 
 
 3- The fame covenant a6t, is accounted the asfl of pa- 
 rent and child : But the parepts covenanting, rendered hiin- 
 felf a member of this particular church, therefore fo it ren- 
 ders the child alfo. 
 
 4. Children are in an orderly, regular church ftate j for 
 they are in that ftate, wherein the order of God's covenant, 
 and his inftitution therein, hath placed them. Now all will 
 grant it to be mod orderly and regular, that every chriflian 
 be a member in Jome particular church, and in that parti- 
 cular church wherehis regular habitation is— which to child- 
 ren ufually is, where their parents are. 
 
 They lay, were it granted that the apoftles and evangclifLS 
 did fome times baptize fuch as were not members of any 
 particular church, yet their extraordinary ofticc, large pow- 
 er and commiflion, renders them not imitable thereip by or- 
 dinary officers, for then they might baptize in private 
 without the prefence of a chi iflian aflcmbly, as Philip did the 
 eunuch. But in ordinary difpenfation, the members of tlie 
 vifible church, according to fcripture, are fuch as are men- 
 bers of fome particular church. Becaufe the vifible believ- 
 er that profeffedly covenants with God doth therein give 
 up himfelf to wait on God, in all his ordinances : But all 
 the ordinances of God, are to be enjoyed only in a particu- 
 lar church. 
 
 D06I. Owen obferves, ' that when God would take the 
 pofterity of Abraham into a wt'N -peculiar ft ate ^ he did it by a 
 folemn covenant whereby they coalefced, into that church 
 ftate, which abode unto the time of reformation, which co- 
 venant is at large declared, Exod. xxiv. and that this was 
 not properly a covenant of grace, or covenant of works, but 
 a particular church covenant, by which the people engaged 
 to walk in the commandments and ordinances blamelefs.* 
 If fo, might not thofe warm contentions, refpeding qualifi- 
 cations for church fellowfhip, which have fo often difturbed 
 the peace of the church, have been omitted ? But was there 
 any thing in that, neiv peculiar church ftate, which ejfentially 
 diftinguifhed that church from the church of God before 
 that time, and after the time of reformation ? 
 
 When a church is formed the confederates engage to 
 walk in the commandments of Chrifl: as becometh chrif- 
 tians, expe(5ting to enjoy in that community, the external 
 
 privileges 
 
[ 31 1 
 
 privileges of the gofpcl, of which this is one, viz. Tha6 
 their children fhall be confidered as mennbers of that rcli- 
 ous fociety, as was the cafe under the Old Teftament difpen- 
 fation ; for the church «<?C£;, is the ancient church, 
 Jlill continued^ only with fome circumftantial difference, as 
 all pedobaptifts aftert j fo that as children were then born, 
 within the pale of the church, and grew up in it,/o it isnciv. 
 
 N. But, fir, are we to confider you as obje£ling to the 
 ufual practice of our churches, \n making-prof ejfion of religion 
 and owning the covenant^ in order to a perfon's being admit- 
 ted to fome church privileges, particularly to the Lord's 
 table, even though he was baptized in infancy ? 
 
 M. I am not objc6ling to the pra(flice, fo far as it is de- 
 figned to exhibit evidence of a perfon's being qualified for 
 admilTion to that ordinance. It is a duty of chriftians to 
 watch over one another, and not fufFer the ordinances of 
 thegofpel to be polluted with profane hands. They there- 
 fore ought to be fatisfied whether thofe who defire admif- 
 fion to the Lord's table have the requifite qualifications for 
 it. We are generally agreed that no one (even though he 
 bear the mark of difciplefiiip, by baptifm) can have an 
 immediate right to that ordinance, in the view of his bre- 
 thren, who does not appear to underfland the dodrines snd 
 to praftifc the duties of chriftianity. And fince a publick 
 profelTion of religion, in confequence of due examihation 
 (as praftifcd ^n thcfc churches) may ferve as a publick evi- 
 dence of a perfon's being the fubjed of thefe qualifications, 
 the pradice, may be admiffible, and may anfwer valuable 
 purpofes. But if the defcendants of chriftian parents, have 
 a covenant hoiinefs, agreeably to that of St. Paul, i Cor. 
 vii. 14. do the facred pages teach us, that children have 
 no relation to the covenant and church of God, any other- 
 wife than as included in their parents covenant : And that 
 they retain this relation no longer than they continue in 
 their minority, unlefs they take this covenant upon them- 
 felves, by publickly owning what their parents did for 
 them ? 
 
 Do we learn from fcripture that baptifm, when applied 
 to an adult, is a feal o{ his own covenant ; and when applied 
 to an infant, is a feal of the parents covenant ; or a token 
 of his faith in dedicating his child to God ? Will it not fol- 
 low 
 
[ r- ] 
 
 low from the fentii-nent here fuppofed, that the fignKication 
 of this ordinance varies with the age of the recipient ? and 
 that the baptized infant, is an alien from the connnnon- 
 wealthoflfrael, until he take upon himfelf the bonds of 
 the covenant ? ■ 
 
 But was a Jewifli child admitted to circumcifion on the 
 ground of his being included in the parents covenant ? Was 
 this ordinance a feal of the parent's faith, in devoting him to 
 God ? and did he loofe all his relation to the covenant and 
 churctiof God, when he became an adult, unlefs he expreff- 
 ly owned the covenant, according to the ufage of ihefe 
 churches ? 
 
 Is nothing pergonal intended, vv'hen the apoftle fays, el/a 
 "j^ere your children unclear.^ hut no--uj are they holy ? and does 
 not the child retain his right to baptifm, even if his parents 
 are dead ? 
 
 As to the p erf on al federal hollnefs of children, the fynod 
 of 1662 obferves, that they may be faid to be mediate 
 members by means of their parents covenanting, as an in- 
 flrumental caule thereof; but that doth nothing vary or di- 
 minifli the e/Jence o( ihdr memberfliip. For divine inftitu- 
 tion, giveth or granteth, a real and perfonal memberlhip to 
 them, as well as unto their parents ; and maketh the parent 
 a publick perfon, and fo his aift their s to that end. Hence 
 the eflenceof m.emberfhip, i. e. covenant intereft or a place 
 and portion in the vifible church, is really , properly, psrfcn- 
 cilly and ijnmediately the portion of the child, by divine gift 
 and grant. Jof. xxii. 25. 27. Softallyour children make our 
 children to ceafe from fearing the Lord. 1h at your children may 
 not fay to our children, in time to come, ye have no part in the 
 Lord. 'Their children have a part in the Lord, as well as 
 themfelves. A part in the church there, or church men- 
 berfhip, or memberfxiip in Ifrael, are terms equivalent, as 
 pedobaptifts fuppofe ; and if this gives them a right to the 
 feal of baptifm, as a confirmation of their covenant {land- 
 ing ; and if they are to be confidered as members of the 
 church, yea, and of the fame individual church, to which 
 their parents belong ; then this profeflion of reli2;ion is not 
 needful mfich cafes to conftitute church mernbei (liip : Nor 
 does it materially alter their church Handing, becaufc it is 
 but a renewal of covenant. We fpeak indeed of admiting 
 
 perfon s 
 
I 33 ] 
 
 pcrfons into the church by profejion. They are faid to bt 
 church members^ when they have owned the covenant which 
 is connmonly ufed, although they were baptized in infancy, 
 and have had their covenant and church llanding publickly 
 acknowledged and ratified by baptifm. The natural ten- 
 dency of this has been to lead us to view baptilm as an un- 
 meaning ordinance; and all adultSy whether baptized in. 
 infancy, or brought up in heathenifm, equally unconnefted 
 with the vifible family of Chrift, until they make a perfonal 
 profefTion of. religion. Baptized, perlons, indeed, would 
 think thei-nfelves injured, fliould we exprefsly denominate 
 ihtmheathens ; yet they really place themfelves with them^ 
 and are fond of being treated like them. * I am no church 
 member (fays one) I have nothing to do with you^ nor you 
 with me. What my parents did for me in my infancy, is 
 nothing to me. I knew nothing of the matter, and there- 
 fore am not holden by it.' But what is this but to re-* 
 nounce their baptifm, and to break that covenant, into 
 which God did admit them, by his ov/n fovereign authori- 
 ty ? Is it not, in all juft conftrudion, to Uy * we do not 
 approve of the confl:itution God has made ? We do not de- 
 fire to belong to his family, or to have any conneftion v/ith 
 his children. We are ftrangers, and aliens from the com- 
 monwealth of Ifrael. We choofe to be fo, and to confider 
 Gurfelves as belonging to the vifible family of Satan.' But 
 had an Ifraelite, circumcifed in infancy, fpoken this language, 
 would not God and man have conQdered it as the language 
 of vile impiety ? And ought not fuch a profane fcoffer, who 
 like Efau, defpifed his birthright, to be rejeded, and turned 
 over to that community where he virtually fays he belongs ? 
 For indeed there are but two vifible kingdom^s upon earth. 
 The kingdom of Chrift, and the kingdom of Satan, divide 
 and include all mankind* 
 
 A perfonal and explicit confent to the cov_enant is not, 
 in all cafes, necefTary to bring perfons under the bonds of 
 it. God may take his rational creatures into his covenant 
 by his own fovereign authority : They arc then indifpen- 
 fably bound to perform the duties of it; and may expert 
 the confequences of 'performingox not 'performing the con-' 
 ditions. When God is pleafed to make his covenan^knowQ 
 
 to 
 E 
 
[ 34 J 
 to men, it is their duty fincerely to fall in with it, and to 
 fdy as the people of Ifrael did, when they were led to renew 
 covenant, ' ail that the Lord hath /aid, •will ive do, and will 
 be obedient." And thofe who are not capable of confenting 
 to the covenant, may be holden by it. The whole con- 
 gregation of Ifrael, including their little ones, were con- 
 fidered as entering into the covenant of God, and into his 
 oath. Yea, fays God, I make this covenant with him, that 
 is not here with us this day.* And 'tis upon the fame 
 principle that God is pleafed to confider the children of 
 believing parents as holy, in a covenant fenfe. 
 
 N. But, fir, does not the New Teftament require fome 
 fpecial qualifications to conftitute church memberfhip ? 
 Does not the divine being fay, that he would make znew 
 covenant, v/ith the houfe of Ifrael, and put his law in their 
 inward parts ? See Jer. xxxi. which is quoted in the let- 
 ter to the Hebrews, ch. 8th, as having had its fulfilment^ 
 in the peculiar fpirituality of the gofpel difpenfation. 
 
 M. This is improved by antipedobaptifts as affording a 
 leading principle, in their fcheme refpcding the fubjeft of 
 baptifm. I have no defign to meddle with that contro- 
 verfy. The fubject has been thoroughly confidcred by 
 many v^riters. Thofe who hold to infant baptifm> will 
 not improve this promife and predidion to weaken thd 
 covenaTjt-ftanding of the children of believing parents, in- 
 afmuch as their right to baptifm depends upon it. Botb 
 fland or fall together. If children are to be baptized they 
 have tlie fame relation to the covenant and church of God, 
 as under the OidTeilament ; and as the church is \.\\^Jame, 
 the way ofadmifQon into it is much the fame as heretofore,, 
 and the fubjeils and qualifications are //!:'£• yk;;?^ .* And fince 
 children are faid to belong to the kingdom of Heaven, and 
 to have a federal holinefs, as the children of the Jews had, 
 pcdobap tills infer their right to baptifm; and by no 
 means fuppofe the covenant to be new in fuch a fenfe as 
 to exclude infants from any relation to it; or that baptifm 
 does not fignify precifely the fame that circumcifion did, 
 as to the relation of the fubjed, whether an adult or an 
 infmt, to the vifible family oif God. 
 
 This prediction, which evidently refpefls the eminent 
 effufions of divine grace in the days of the Meffiah, and 
 *Deut. 2j. peculiar. 
 
I 3S 1 
 
 peciiliar fpirltuality of the gofpel dirpenfation of the cove- 
 nant of grace, has been fuppofed to fdvour this opinion, 
 viz. that regenerating graceis a neceflary qualification, for 
 a lawful approach to the Lord's table. Arid alfo that bap- 
 tized perlbns do enter into a nezv church Jlate, by perfonal 
 profeflion and covenanting; as ifbaptifm when applied to 
 infants, conftituted a fort of middle ftate between chriftiamty 
 and heathen i fill. / 
 
 Thofe eminent divines, to whom we have referred, do 
 fully alTert the complete church mem.berfhip of baptized 
 children, and yet fuppofed that none might lawfully ap- 
 proach the table of the Lord, in a ftate of unregeneracy. 
 This indeed Vv^as not the objeft they had mainly in view ; it 
 was rather to cftabliihi this point, viz. that the children of 
 parents who hadownedthecovenant, though not in full com- 
 munion, were in covenant, and from hence had a right to 
 baptifm, the feal of it 9 and to introduce the praftice of 
 owning the covenant, as we before obferved. And 'tis ob- 
 fervable, that, that fentimcnt v/ith regard to qualificationsy 
 led to the pradicc of owning the covenant, and has alfo 
 given occafion to the warm oppofirion it has met with : 
 And its being fo generally laid afide, has brought the 
 churches into much the fame ftate they were in, 130 years 
 ago ; that in many of them, but very few of the rifing ge- 
 neration, have had the feal of the covenant put upon them. 
 
 Indeed if we fiiould confult the writings of fome of thofe 
 pious and learned men, we fhould be at a lols no know 
 what were their fentiments upon the matter of qualifica- 
 tions. We find Doft. Owen, in his book, intitled, the true 
 nature of a gofpel church, page 3d, faying, that, * whereas 
 regeneration is exprefsly required in the gofpel, to give a 
 right and privilege to an entrance into the church or 
 kingdom of Chrift, &c.' And after enlarging upon this 
 point for feveral pages, fums up all, in thefe corollaries; 
 ' Hence it appears that there are none excluded from an en- 
 trance into the church ftate, but fuch as are, either, ift, 
 grofsly ignorant ; or 2dly, perfecutors and reproachers of 
 thofe that are good, or of the ways of God wherein they 
 walk ; or 3dly, idolators ; or 4thly, men fcandalous in lives, 
 in the commiftion of fins, or omiffion of duties, through va- 
 rious habits or inclinations ; or 5thly, fuch as would par- 
 take 
 
[ 3« ] 
 
 ti\s cf gcfpd ordinances and privileges, yet openly avow, 
 that they will not fubmit unto the law and connmands in the 
 gofpel ;. concerning whonn, and the like, the fcripture rule 
 is peremptory, ^ fromjuch turn away.' 
 
 N. * But are not many things laid in the bible refpeding 
 quali^cations neceffary'to conftitute church memberfliip, 
 wliich refer to the ftate of the mind ? Did not the apoftle 
 ^eter exhort thofe that were pricked in their heart, to 
 repent, in order that they might be baptized ? Did not Phi- 
 lip require of the eunuch to profefs his faith in Chrift for 
 this purpofe ? Yea, did notour Lord himfeif ^ir^^ to bap^ 
 tize thofe that believe ?' 
 
 M. Thefe pafTages, and others of the like import, are of- 
 ten improved againft infant baptifm. But thofe who are in 
 favor of that do6trine, will not confider them as applicable 
 to adults, baptized in infancy, unlefs they luppofe infant 
 baptifm not to infer a ftanding in the covenant or church of 
 God, and thus make a material difference, between bap- 
 tifm and cicumclfion in this refped:. Thefe paffages evi- 
 dently refer to the ftate of the Jews or heathens converted 
 to the chriftian faith, and dturing communion in that 
 church : Of fuch, it would be expefted, that they profefs 
 their faith in Chrift, and obedience to him, as a condition of 
 their being admitted to baptifm. Thus an idolator, prof- 
 elyted to the Jewifn faith, muft profefs fubjedion to the 
 Gad of Ifrae), in order to his being admitted to the circum- 
 cifion, and to the communion of that church, in other or- 
 dinances. But from thence we cannot infer that xhe fame 
 muft be required of an adult, circumcifed in infancy, in or- 
 der to his being confidered as a member of the church. 
 
 N. May we not argue for the pradice of adult perfons 
 owning the covenant, though baptized in infancy, from 
 that in If xliv. 4. 5. * They ftiall fpring up, as among the 
 grafs, as willows by the water courfes. One fliall fay, I am 
 ihe Lord's ; and another fhall cail himfelf by the name of 
 Jacob ; and another fhali fubfcribe with his hand to the 
 Lord, and firname himfelf by the name of Ifrael.* 
 
 M. The expreffions ofy/??-/;?^/;^^ up amongfi the grafs ^ arc 
 fijppofed by fome to exprefs., in a figurative manner, the 
 Handing of young perfons in the covenant, who grow up 
 with their fellow faints, under the care of their brethren, 
 
 and 
 
[ 37 1 
 
 and with the cultivations of divine grace, until they conic- 
 forward to a(fl for th^mfelvcs, and in a covenant way, en- 
 gage to be the Lord's. Mr. Henry thinks it refers to the 
 plentiful effufions of divine grace, upon the Jews, upon 
 their return out of captivity, when they fhould renew cov- 
 enant, aspredided in Jer. 1. 5. And that it alfo looks fur- 
 ther (till, to the converfion of the gentiles, and the multi- 
 tudes of them which Ihould be joij;ied to the Lord, and ad- 
 ded to the church, upon the efFufion of the fpirit, after 
 Chrifi's afcenfion. Thefe converts v;ere one and anothery 
 very many of different ranks and nations, and all welcome 
 to God. Col. iii. 11. When one doth it, another (hall by 
 his example, be invited to do it, and then another. Thus 
 the zeal o( one, may pj'ovoke many. But perhaps, it would 
 be ufing great freedom with this prophetic defcription of 
 multiplied additions to the church of God, upon the abun- 
 dant eiTufions of the fpirit in the times of gofpcl grace, to 
 infer from it, cither that it had been the practice of the jew- 
 ifli church, or Jljouldh^ the pradiceof the chriftian church, 
 to require of thofe, who were circumcifed or baptized in 
 infancy, to make an explicit profeffion of religion, when 
 arrived to adult age, as a term of their being confidered 
 members of the church. 
 
 N. But, fir, if a publick profeffion of religion is not ef~ 
 fential to a complete Handing in the church, may we not 
 fafely drop it, and, without ceremony, ccnfider all baptized 
 perfons, as fully in thcchurch ? But, in that cafe, * might we 
 vot fear that the decline of religion^ ivould be more rapid than 
 ever ?' 
 
 M. You will recoiled, fir, that I have not objefted to the 
 ufual practice, burhave fuppofed it might be admitted, for 
 a particular purpofe. But is it not to treat the covenant of 
 God, and thefacrament of baptifm, as a nullity, to fuppofe 
 that perfons born within the pale of the church, as we fomjC- 
 times exprefs it, and folemnly devoted to God and baptiz- 
 ed into Chriji^ to be, this notwithftanding, aliens from the 
 commonwealth of Ifrael, and ftrangers from the covenant of 
 promifci andconfequently as belonging to the kingdom of 
 Satan ? unlefs there is fome middle {landing ; and is noc 
 this as great an evil as to confider a verbal profeffion of reli- 
 gion not abfolutely needful in order to bring hifn into the 
 church, who has already put on Chrifl by baptifm ? But if 
 
 baptifn^ 
 
[ 3S ] 
 
 baptifm be a feal of the covenant and docs imply or infer 
 a covenant (landing, as pedobaptifls have generally fuppof- 
 ed i and W this alfo infers a real {landing in the church cr 
 family of God, agreeably to the opinion of our venerable 
 forefathers, where is 'the danger of confidering baptized 
 perfons in that flate where God has placed thern ? 
 - The protellanc reformed churches have ganeraily paid 
 more refpeo: to the covenant Handing of baptized perfons, 
 than the churches in" New England : And perhaps the de- 
 cline of religion, has not been nnore rapid any wherCj than 
 here. But we are certainly fafe, if we leave things as God 
 has left them, and think not to apply ourown inventions, 
 in order to keep the ark of God from tottering to the 
 ground. Had it been our invariable pra<5lice to confider 
 zind treat baptized perfons indifcriminately as tkie lambs and 
 ilieep of Chrift's fiock, agreeably to the pradice of the 
 church of God under the former difpenfation, and of the 
 chriftian church, 'till it became very corrupt ; and had we 
 exercifed thatdifcipline which Chrifl inflituted for thebenefic 
 of his family, we might hope there would have been as 
 much religion, and lefs impiety and vice, than there »cw /V, 
 v;ithin "the limits of his kingdom:' But now, alas ! a great 
 proportion of thofe v/ho have been baptized into the name 
 of the facred Trinity y ar^, almofl wholly neglefted as to 
 chriftian watchfulnefs, and have no fuch reftraint to keep 
 them from open iniquity. 
 
 Doclor I. Mather replies to an obje6lion of this import 
 in the following manner: * It is, fays he, a zealous and 
 diligent attendance to difcipline, according to the rules of 
 Chrift, and not curtailing the covenant, that will keep 
 churches pure. There are two ways pra^tifed by man, in 
 order to keep churches pure, the one is hiimaUy the other 
 divine. The human way, is to fir ai ten the grace of the 
 Lord's covenant, that is the way of the anabaptills. The 
 divine Vy/ay is, faithfully to attend to difcipline. Now it 
 will be found in the ilTue, that the divine ivay only, is that 
 which will attain the end. Experience doth teftify, that 
 churches have been pure or impure, according as difcipline 
 has Pjourilhed or been attended to amongft them. Look a- 
 broad in the world, upon the corrupted, collapfed churches, 
 that are, in many places, and we fliall fee that they have lit- 
 tle 
 
[ M ] 
 
 tkmQre than the carcafe of difcipline amongft them, with- 
 out the life and power of it, which is the true and great rea- 
 fon of their corruption.' 
 
 The fynod of 1662, ah'b reply to fuch an objeftion, and 
 fay: ** That the owning of the children of thole that fuc- 
 cefTively continue in covenant to be a part of the churchy 
 is fo far from being de(\ru6tive to the purity and profperity 
 of the church, and religion therein (as fome conceive) rhac 
 this imputation belongs to the contrary tenet. _ Tofeek to 
 be more pure than the rule, will ever end in impurity, in 
 the iffue. God hath ^o framed his covenant, and confe- 
 quently the conllitution of his church thereby, as to dcfigii 
 a continuance and propagation of his kingdom therein, from 
 one generation to another. Hence the covenant runs to us- 
 and to our Jeed after us, in their generations. To keep in 
 the line and under the influence of this covenant of God, is 
 the true way to the churches glory : to cut it off, cuts ofY 
 the profperity of Zion, and hinders it from being an exter- 
 nal excellency and the joy of many generations.' 
 
 It might tend greatly to prevent profanenefs and immo- 
 rality, and to encourage virtue and every thing praife wor- 
 thy, if whole churches v/ould, from time to time, explicitly 
 renew covenant, asthechurchof Ifrael did,by God's own di- 
 rection ; and as fomechriftian churches have done, to their 
 own fpiritual edification. But to require baptized perfons 
 to own the covenant, upon the principle of their not being 
 already in the covenant, and ftanding in no relation to the 
 church of God, has been productive of great mifchief to the 
 caufe of truth and religion, as it has led baptized perfons to 
 confider themfelves as not being in the church, and there- 
 fore not amenable to their chrillian brethren, for any of 
 their conduft. This has cut the finews of chriftian difci- 
 pline. 
 
 N. Some have obfcrvcd that there are no promifcs ta 
 perfons baptized in infancy, and that therefore they cannot be 
 confidered as complete members of the church ofChrifr. 
 
 M. , Antipedobaptifts may confiflcntly make this objec- 
 tion : For baptifm, according to them^ does not entitle the 
 fubjeCl: to any promife, only as he is pofTeft of the great 
 qualification of faving faith, according to that of our Sa- 
 
 viour^ 
 
t 40 ] 
 
 viour, he that helieveth and is baptized Jhall hejaved, Mark 
 xvi. 16. Hence they fuppofe infants arc not proper Tub- 
 jefts of baptifm. But, as before hinted, I liave no refpeft 
 to their difcriininating fcntiments. 
 
 Pedobaptifts have generally confidered baptifm, as fuc- 
 cccding circumcifion, and as having the fame place, and 
 the fame intendment in the covenant under theprefent dif- 
 penfation, as that had under the former — And as God was 
 pleafed to promife Abraham and his feed that he would be 
 a God to themy and inftituted circumcifion as a token of this 
 promife, as well as a token of their covenant engagements, 
 to do to all that the Lord Jhould command themj and be obedient ; 
 fo he is pleafed nov/ to engage himfelf to believers and to 
 thoirfecd j and this covenant promife, lays the lame foun- 
 dation for baptifm, as it did, of old, for circumcifion. 
 
 On this ground the apoftle Peter, dircfbed his hearers to 
 be baptized in the name of Jefus Chrifl. For the promife 
 is unto you and to your children^ If the promife here refers 
 folely, to the prophecy in Joel, and had its fulfilment in the 
 wonderful effufions of the holy fpirit, in his miraculous gifts 
 at that time, how could it be faid to be to them and their 
 children, and to future generations, any otherwife than as 
 they would be an evidence of the truth of the chriftian 
 fcheme, juft as the accomplilhment of other prophecies ? 
 for thefe gifts were not beftowed upon them indilcriminate- 
 ly. And if this general advantage was promifcd in this 
 prophecy to all whom God (iiould call into his church, 
 might not many other predidlions be faid to be promi- 
 fes of good to the whole church, in the fame fenfe, and be 
 equally a reafon for their being baptized ? Would not 
 fhe apoftles exhortation appear much more pertinent, if we 
 (hould confider it as referring to the covenant which God 
 made with Abraham, including his natural oflfspring wiihhis 
 fpiritual feed amongfl the Gentiles in the laft days ? as the 
 general promifes of God's being a God in covenant, with 
 the Jews, was a good reafon why they fhould receive the 
 feal of circumcifion ; fo the fame promife continued fQ them 
 under the chriftian difpenfation, would contain the fame 
 reafon for their fubmitting to baptifm : And as this is re- 
 peatedly referred to under the term, theFrornife^ by way of 
 evidence, would not the apollles have us naturally under- 
 
 •Aasii. 39, (land 
 
[ 41 ] 
 
 (larrdit fo'in this place. Thus in Rom. iv. 13. 14. vfhlcfi 
 is underftood to refer to that promife in Gen. xii. 3. in thc^ 
 (hall all families of the earth beblefled, or thofe whom the 
 Lord our God (hall call. The 'promife^ has plainly this 
 meaning in Gal. iii. 17. The covenant which was con* 
 firmed before of God in Chrift, the law, which was 430 
 years after, cannot difannul, that it fhould maTce the'^romifs 
 of none cffe6t j far if, as he goes on, the inheritance be -of 
 the law, it is no more of promife, but God gave it to A- 
 braham by promifcj fo, 4th ch. 28. We as Ifaac, arc chiU 
 drcn ofthefromi/e. Thefe refer to the covenant in which 
 thefe blerf!nga.wcre promifed. 
 
 If the reafon here given why Peter's hearers Ihould re- 
 pent and be baptized, refer to the covenant as we have con- 
 fiJered ic, we find him exhorting them, in the next chapter. 
 CO repent and be converted that their fins might be blotted 
 our, with a fimilar reafon, Te are, fays he, the children of the 
 covenant which God 772ade with our fathers , faying unto Ahra- 
 ham^ and in thy feed fo all all the kindreds of the earth be bhj- 
 Jed. r 
 
 But all agree that the covenant which God made v;ith 
 Abraham, as the head of his numerous offspring, extended 
 tothen^whilft in infancy j and can a peifon be in the co- 
 venant of God and not be a fubjedl of fome promife ? Did 
 not God promife that he would, he their God ? And are noc 
 the children of believing parents fubjefts of the fam.e cove- 
 nant blelfings noWy partaking of the root and fatnefs of 
 the olive ? 
 
 We find feveral prophecies in the old Tcilamenc refpe(5t- 
 ing the acceffion of Gentile covenants to the church of 
 God, which refer to perfons in their non-age, and impli- 
 citly contain /)r(9;;2?/^i, viz. \L xl. 11. He ff^all feed his 
 flock like a fhe-pherd ; he fo all gather the lambs in his arms! 
 and carry ther,i in his hojom. xiix. 21. 22. '^hen fhalt thou 
 Jay in thine hearty who hath begotten me thefe y feeing I have 
 lof my children, and am dejolatey a captive, and removing to 
 and fro .? and who hath brought up thefe ? Behold, I was left 
 alone ; thefe, where had they been ? Thus faith the Lord God^ 
 behold I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles and Jet up my 
 fiandard to the people ; and they f jail bring thy Jons in their 
 arms, and thy daughters fhall be curried upon their fooulders: 
 
 This 
 F 
 
[ 42 ] 
 
 This is not to be reftridcd to the return of the Jcwifh 
 church fronn captivity, but looks forward to the planting 
 of the chriftian church by the preaching of the gofpel of 
 Chrifl:. The church, after Ihe had loft the Jews, who 
 fhould be cut off for their infidelity, Ihould have more 
 children than when the Jews belonged to her. 
 
 The 6oth chapter alfo fpeaks of the great increafe of the 
 church by the acccflion of the Gentiles, after the middle 
 wall of partition Ihould be broken down. But what is 
 moft to our prefent purpofe is the 4th verfe j Lift up thine 
 eyes round about thee and fee ; all they gather themf elves 
 together^ they come to thee, thy fens fhall come from far, and 
 thy daughters pall be nurfed at thy fide. 
 
 " There (hall come fome ofboihfexes,fons and daughters, 
 " they fhall come inthe mioft dutiful manner, as thy fons and 
 *' thy daughters, refolved to be of thy family to fubmit to 
 *' the laws of thy family, and put themfelves under the tu- 
 " ition of it. They jQiall come to be nurfed at thy fide, 
 " i. e. to have their education with thee from the cradle; 
 " the church's children muft be nurfed at her fide, not fcnt 
 " out to be nurfed amongft ftrangers." 
 
 If. Ixv. a^d. They are thefe.edof the blejfed, of the Lordy 
 and their offspring with them. From thefe and other fimi- 
 lar texts, we are led to remark, that the children of cove- 
 nanted parents, being perfonally in the covenant, are the 
 fubjc<5ls of certain promifcs made to them, either explic- 
 itly, or by plain implication. To them, with their pa- 
 rents, belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenant, 
 and the fervice of God, and the promifes : Rom. ix. 4. 
 
 Mr. Shepherd, in his treatifc of church-memberfhip of 
 children, (in pagef andy) obferves; The Lord promifeih 
 that they fhall, above all others in the world, have the means 
 ofdoing them good, &c. What privilege hath the Jew (faith 
 the apoftle, Rom. iii. i.) and what advantage by circumci- 
 fion, if by nature under wrath and fin ? (for upon that'ground, 
 he makes the queftion) and anfwers, 'tis much every way : 
 but chiefly becaufe to them were committed the oracles of 
 God, i.e. the word, promifes, covenant; which are the or- 
 dinary means of faving grace and eternal good. Others 
 hear the word, but thefe, in outward covenant, cnjcy it by 
 avenant andprcmije. Again, the Lord promifeth, that the 
 
 feed 
 
[ 43 1 
 
 feed of his people, indefinitely confidered, fhall have this 
 hcart,(viz. a heart that would rcfufefpccial grace and mercy) 
 taken away ; as well as means ufed for that end : Deut. xxx. 
 6. The Lord thy God wiU circumcife thy heart and the hea7't 
 of thy feed, to love the Lord. He will take away the ftony 
 heartj not indeed from all in outward covenant particularly, 
 but from thele indefinitely \ fo that there is no promife to 
 do this for any out of the vifible church, tho' God of his 
 fovereignty and free mercy fometimcs doth fo : 15ut the 
 protnife of this belongs indefinitely to thofc of his church, a- 
 mong whom he ufually works this great work, leaving him 
 to his own frecnefs of fecret mercy, to work thus on whom 
 he will and when he will. If by promife be intended any 
 abfolute, and unconditional promife of eternal life, to the 
 recipient of baptifm, it may be as difficult to find any ftich 
 promife made to the adult as to the infant. 
 
 If baptifm is to be confidered only as a feal or token of 
 faving faith, as the antipedobaptifts aflert, then their in- 
 ference muft be admitted, viz. that none ought to be re- 
 ceived to baptifm, but thcfe who are capable of having and 
 excrcifing, and manifefting this grace of faith. But the a- 
 poftle Peter intimates that baptifm will fave no man, with- 
 out an anfwerably good confcience and converfation*. 
 
 Thofe who comply with the duties of the covenant, 
 which comprifc the whole feries of Gofpel obedience, have 
 the promife ©f eternal falvation, and confirmed by this vifi- 
 ble token of baptifm ; and circumcifion fignified the fame, 
 and to all that were the fubjcvfls of it, whether adults or in- 
 fanrs. Whatever promifes of fpiritual good things were 
 made to the fubjeftsof the covenant under the ancient dif- 
 penfation, and fealcd by circumcifion, are for fubftance, 
 continued under the prcfent difpenfation, and in the fame 
 fenfe fealed by baptifm. 
 
 But as heretofore, fo now there are many, who have a 
 complete (landing in tlic vifible covenant and church of 
 God, who have not already complied, and probably never 
 will/o comply with the terms of the covenant, as to be en- 
 titled tofalvation. 
 
 But as thcfe qualifications, at lead fome of them, are in- 
 ternal and lie out of our fight, they can't infiuence us, in 
 
 judging 
 
 * I Pet. ili; -ii. 
 
[ 44 ] 
 judging, who are in the covenant and church of Godj nor 
 does their real {landing in, or relation to the vifible fannily 
 of God on earth, depend upon their being poffeffed of thefe 
 qualifications. Some are of Ifrael, i. e. the vifible family 
 and church of God, who yet are not I/raely i. e. have not the 
 fpiritand temper of the gofpel. Rom. ix. 6. And in the 
 2d. chap, of this Epiftle, the apoiUe teaches us, that, altho' 
 circumcifion was a feal of the covenant, and fignified that 
 the ancient Ifraclites were God's peculiar people, yet it 
 would be of no final advantage to them, if they did not 
 keep the law : For he is not a Jew which is one cutivardly ; 
 neither is that circumcifion, which is outward in thefiefh ; but 
 he is a Jew which is one inwardly^ &c. Not that the apof- 
 tie v/oiild fpeak lightly of circumcifion, as it was infi:ituted 
 by God, and a token of his covenant : But he would hold forth 
 to thofc who were in the covenant, the great imporcance of 
 their attending to the duties of it. And agreeably to this, 
 he obferves ; that circumcifion is nothings and uncircumcificn 
 is nothing, but the keeping the ccmniandments of God* : 
 The fame may be faid of baptifm j and the fame promifes 
 are implied in both. . 
 
 N. I have often thought that entering into the church, and 
 quoMfj cations for the Lord's table, have Ibmetimes been inju- 
 dicioufly blended together; a perfon may be a member 
 of the church, in complete llanding, and yet not have imn^- 
 diate right to the Lord's table, according to Mr. Norton's 
 remarks before referred to. 
 
 M. This may be illufi:rared by the apoCtle's fimilitude of 
 a child under age, differing nothing from a fervant, though 
 he be Lord of allt. A child in its infancy is as much a 
 member of the family, as when grown to adult age : And 
 though he be heir to an inheritance, may not come into ac- 
 tual pofiefiion, before he is capable of improving it ; fo the 
 children of Chrift's family may not be admitted to privileges 
 bequeathed to them, before they are capable of receiving 
 benefit fronri them ; nor be called to the duties enjoined, 
 before they are able to perform them. Not that the apoftle 
 had the ftate of individual chriftians in view, here, but is ra- 
 ther fcrting forth the great excellence of the chrijiian difpen- 
 fanon, beyond the Jewifh. 
 
 But 
 
 » t Corinth, vii, 19. f Gal, iv. 
 
[ 45 ] ■ 
 
 N. - Bur if you pleafe fir, we will now proceed to the other 
 point, ^iz. that of difcipline. This has occafioncd muck 
 fpeculation amonglt chriilians ; yet, if I am not miftaken, 
 it is but little underftood, and lefs praclifed, by many, who 
 call themfclve chriilians. 
 
 We are generally fond of having our children baptized, 
 but take no care to reftrain them Ironi vicious courfes, by 
 theexercife of church difcipline ; and, perhaps a great pro- 
 portion of profclTing chritVians, do not confider baptized 
 perfons, as under the watch of their chriftian brethren, iin- 
 lefs they exprefsly dtCiic it, by owning the covenant. 
 Ought we to call them chrijlians and yet treat them as 
 heathens ? 
 
 M. Church difcipline is an ordinance of Heaven. Vv^e 
 find it in the Old Teftament inftitutions j and as all the 
 members of that church were intitled to the benefits of it, 
 fothcy were bound to fee it put in execution. I'huujhalt in 
 any wife rebuke thy neighbour^ and not Jnffer fin upon him, was a 
 law of univerfal obligation. And Chrilt has adopted it in- 
 to his inftitutes, and given particular diredions, as to the 
 manner in which it is to be executed, as in the iSrhof 
 Matt, and elfewhere. And perhaps it will not be eafy to 
 fhow why chriftians are not as generally bound by thii law, 
 iib the church of Ifrael was, 
 
 N. I have heard it obferved, that, allowing baptifm to be 
 a mark of difciplefnip, yet children are not under the im- 
 mediate watch of the church; it is rather the duty of par- 
 rents, to take care and bring them up in the nurture and ad- 
 monition of the Lord; and the church arc to watch over 
 the parents, and fee that they do their duty to their chil- 
 dren*. M. 
 
 ♦ Parents often fo negle£l their duty, as to the education of their children, 
 «S to defervc the reproof of their rhriliian brethren. We »re directed to exhort one 
 another daily : And It may be our duty to reprove and coun(el each other, in matters 
 which will not bear a publir.k inquiry. For no cafe may be brought before the 
 church, which will not, obftinately perfifted in, defeive tiie higheft ceisfure : And 
 perhaps it will be difiicult to find many cafes of parental regled which will bear a 
 public procefa. 
 
 Parents are directed to bring uf> their children in the nurture ar.d admonition rf 
 the Lord. And their chriilian brethren rr.ay affill them in the difcharge of tlieir 
 duty. And for the church to confider minors, when arrived to yearsof difcrelion,as 
 under her immediate watch, is not to interfi?re with parental government ; or to 
 weaken the hands of parents, as fome hsvc thought, but rather to Ihengthcn thcm< 
 
 It does not appear, that the church of Ifrael Uft the cafe of her youth wholly wiih 
 the jjarsnts : But fince they were cojnpleie meir.bers of that KJi^Ious ccintnimlty, 
 
 we 
 
[ 4S ] 
 
 ?r. Parents are under fpecial obligations to train up their 
 children in the way they ftiould go; God and nararc re- 
 quire this of them ; and their chriftian brethren ought to 
 inrped their condua in this nfiatter j children arc wholly 
 under the care of their parents for a feafon. But if they 
 are the lambs of Chrift's Bock, and if of fuch is the kingdom 
 of Heaven, they have a right to that food which is luited to 
 their fpiritual nourifnment. And when they are capable of 
 underftanding thenatui-e apd defign of this ordinance ; of 
 feeling their chriftian engagements, and of reaping the ad- 
 vantages of this inftitution, it is not eafy to fee why they are 
 not fubjecSts of difcipline, and why the church ought not 
 to grant them the enjoyment of the privileges which 
 Clirift hath bequeathed to the members of his family, inde- 
 finitely ; unlefs It can be made to appear from fcripture, that 
 Chrift has denied them this enjoyment, until fuch time as 
 they own the covenant and put thcmfelves under the watch 
 of the church. 
 
 N. ButMTiay they not be left without this privilegei^ 
 if they will not defire the enjoyment of it, by owning the 
 covenant ? 
 
 M. If the laws of Chrift require that they fhould cxprefs 
 their df/ire in this vjay^ then for them to live in the appa- 
 rent carelefs or wilful negleft of this duty, is a fcandalous 
 breach of thefe laws. But what is more abfurd than to 
 fuppofc a member of Chrift's family may be guilty of fuch 
 3 negledl, and yet his brethren have no right to call him 
 to account for it ? On thst fuppofition, may not a parent 
 leave his child without reproof and corre6tion, though he 
 greatly need it, 'rill he ftiall afk it as a favour, or claim it 
 ashis privilege ? In that cafe, might we not expe6l that an in- 
 confiderate and froward child would greatly fuffer for want 
 of difcipline ? Then an inconfidcrate member of Chrift's 
 family would be fo far from fecking to enjoy rhe privi, 
 leges of this ordinance, that he would with to get away 
 from it. 
 
 But 
 
 wc mtift foppofa (hat fhe confidered tliem as Jntitled to the privilege of her watch 
 and ciilcipline. 
 
 But fhonld we ndmit that the church is to difcipline minor*, through the nnedium 
 of the parents, is not fi;.- bound to take them under her immediste care, when the 
 law fe;s them free from parsntal governmenr ? Otherwife, will it not follow (hat 
 ihey loofetlieir relition to the vifibie fsmiiy of Chrift, and are transferred to 
 th« Devil's kingdo.n, the moment they c«ai'e to be under their parents control ? 
 
 I 
 
[ 47 1 
 
 But the goodnefs and grace of Chrift, forbid us to fup- 
 
 pofe that he fhould leave the enjoyment of this privilege to 
 the choice of fuch inconfiderate perfons : He has rather en- 
 joined it upon his difciples to watch over one another, and 
 to adminifter this wholefome food, as there may be occafion. 
 The duty of the church in this matter, is very independent 
 of the choice of the offender ; they are to attend to him, as 
 he would defire, were he governed by rcalon. 
 
 N. But may not the matter of difciplinc be left with pa- 
 rents and mafters, fo long as children remain in their mino- 
 rity ? 
 
 M. The bible no where determines how long a child 
 does remain in his non age; nor does it confider difciplinc, 
 with reference to that : human prudence mufl determine 
 this matter. The lambs of the flock ought to be dealt 
 with according to their age, and other circumfbances ; and 
 fhould be called to thofe duties which they are capable of 
 performing, and admitted to thofe privileges which they 
 are fitted to enjoy j and their brethren of greater age and 
 riper judgment, muft detcrnQine when this is the cafe ; fome 
 will appear to be capable of enjoying the benefits of this or- 
 dinance, fooner than others. 
 
 Proceeding upon this general rule, fome are admitted to 
 the Lord's table, very early in life ; and fuch, all agree, arc 
 under the watch of the church, even though in their minor- 
 ity. 
 
 And befides, how long a child continues a minQr\ is a 
 matter determined by human authority ; and under fome 
 conftitutions they ar€ agents in law, at an earlier period 
 than under others. 
 
 But, fir, in my turn, I would afl^ whether you fuppofe, 
 that thofe who obje6b againfl: admitting fuch perfons to the 
 privileges of this ordinance, would confider them as fobjetfls 
 of difciplinc, when, by la'-ju, they ceafe to be under the im- 
 mediate care and control of their parents ? 
 
 N. Indeed, fir, I fuppofe, that with many, it is defigned 
 merely as d^put off, or excufe for taking no care at all of 
 baptized perfons. For luch are generally negle6led, not 
 rtierely, 'till they grow i/p^ but 'till they grow dd^ yea, 7/7/ 
 they die. 
 
[ 48 ] 
 
 ■ M. r conclude this is the cafe j and "thcrcf-ore, as before 
 observed, the ordinance cfbaptifnn, is generally treated as a 
 very unmeaning thing, in as much as no nnatei ial difference 
 IS made between the {landing of baptized perfofis, and vifi- 
 b!e heathens. So that a by (lander might, with propriety 
 afk, what advantage hath the baptized perfons, above thofc 
 who are without ? or, what profit is there in baptifrn? 
 
 N. I have heard it afferted, that the defign of baptifrn, 
 is, to engage the parent to take care of his children, or, to 
 fervc as a memento to him, to bring them up in the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord, and that it fignified nothing as 
 to the covenant Handing of the recipient. 
 • M. Parents are indeed, llrongly bound to educate their 
 children religiouflyj the cbmmand of God lays them un- 
 der great obligation thus to do, and their engagements con- 
 lift in their folemn promife to comply v;ith this command. 
 But is it not trilling to fuppofe, it fhould fignify nothing 
 further, as to the recipient, than that he had right to expcd: 
 his parent would do his duty to hinTc" If baptifrn fignifies 
 nothing more, neither did circumcifion, nor is there any. 
 propriety in terming it a feal of the covenant, or in admi- 
 niiiering it to adults, inafmuch as they are not under the 
 care of parents and guardians. One would fufpedl, that 
 this fuggeflion was defigned to relieve fome favourite opin- 
 ion from embarrafTmcnr. 
 
 N. But if it be allowed that baptifrn is a feal of the co- 
 venant, in the room of circumcifion, and that baptized chil- 
 ch-en are members of the church, may they not loofe xhis' 
 mcmbcrfliip and ceafe to be vifible chritlians, provided 
 ihey negleft to own their baptifmal engagements, v.hcn 
 arrived to adult age, and alfo appear to be carelefs, irreligi- 
 ous and prophane ? 
 
 M. Is it not abfurd to fuppofe that a perfon, under the 
 watch of the church, fliould yet become an heathen, in the 
 view of his chriiiian brethren, without ever being dealt with 
 as a diforderly perfon I when perhaps his prophanenefs and 
 impiety are in fome meafure owing to their very criminal 
 neglect ? May not their negleft be as faulty and fcandalbus, 
 even as the youth's immorality ? Does it ceafe to be the 
 duty of a church to watch over baptized perfons, merely 
 becaufe they have neglected to do it ? Are not the church, 
 
 in 
 
[ 49 ] 
 
 in fome meafure anfwerable for the wickednefs of thofe dif- 
 folute youth, for whom the rod of difciplinc was inftitutcd 
 and put into their hands, and who might hopefully have 
 been reftrained, or reclaimed, had their brethren done their 
 duty to them ? 
 
 If one member of the church, may loofe his church re- 
 lation, without ever being dealt with as a diforderly pcrfon, 
 why not another ? Why may we not lufFcr communicanis 
 to goon in fin, 'till they have become openly very wicked, and 
 then fhut the door of the church upon them, telling them 
 they are fit only for Satan's kingdom, though we have doni^ 
 nothing to reclaim them ? 
 
 The laws of Chriil bind chriftians to watch over each 
 other ; and if any one (trays from the path of duty, the reit 
 ought to endeavor to reclaim him by chriftian difciplinej 
 and if irreclaimable, rejed him, as our Lord direfts. But 
 what more abfurd than to fuppofe that pad neglcdl of duty 
 can free us from obligations to duty for time to. come ? 
 
 The pious prefidentWadfworth, oblerves, that * children 
 of the covenant do notceafeto be in God's covenant, rnere^ 
 ly by their growing up from an infant to an ^aduk Rate, as 
 fome are apt to imagine. No indeed, God tvill he evsr 
 mindful of his covenant^ he has commanded his covenant for ev- 
 er ^ Pf. iii. 5. 9. Ifware unto thee and entered into covenant 
 with thee^ faith the Lord God, and thou hecameft mine^ Ezek. 
 xvi. 8. Thofe in God's covenant are his, he will not alien- 
 ate his right to them, and none elfe have authority to do ir. 
 (Bonds of Baptifm, page 27, 28.) Again, he fays, thefe 
 children admitted in minority, when grown up, do conti- 
 nue in God's covenant, vifible members of his vifible church, 
 unlefs juftly excommunicated for their wickednefs.' (Trea- 
 tife of Baptifm, page 38.) 
 
 N. You have referred to the teftimony of feveral emi- 
 nent minifters, in confii'mation of this point, viz. that all 
 baptized perfons are members of the church of Chrift ; do 
 they alfo agree in this, that they are fubjccfts ofdifcipline ? 
 
 M. You will recoiled that the great thing they had in 
 view, was to eitablifh this point, viz. That the children of 
 confederated parents, were in the covenant, and therefore 
 had right to baptifm as a fcal of the covenant j fome aflerc 
 
 that 
 G 
 
[ JO ] 
 
 that they are born within the pale of the church, in confc- 
 quence of God's fovereign conftitution. And all of them 
 were clearly of opinion, that when baptized, they have areal 
 al and full ftanding in the church of God. Yet fome of 
 them incidentally affert the right of fuch to difcipline. 
 Thus Mr. Shepherd in his printed defence, of the nine po- 
 fitions, page 143, does maintain the church-memberfhip of 
 children and their fubjedLion to difcipline. 
 
 Mr. Mitchel exprcfies himfelf thus, ' I think that when 
 all ([ones are turned, it will come to this, that all the bap- 
 tized are, and ought to be, under difcipline in particular 
 churches.' Page 7th of poilfcript. 
 
 Do(5l. I. Mather is very particular in affcrting and prov- 
 ing, that fuch perfons are iubjedls of difcipline. Thus in 
 his difcourfe concerning the fubjc6l of baptifm, page 27, 
 he fays : 
 
 ifb. Baptized perfons arc under the difcipline and gov- 
 ernment of Chrili, for baptifm doth engage the receiver of 
 ir, unto an obfervance of all that Chrifl: doth command, 
 and therefore unto a fubjedion unto the difcipline which is 
 by him appointed. Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. Whenaperfon 
 is baptized, he is folemnly admitted into Chrift's fchool. 
 Can one be admitted into Chrift's fchool, and yet notlub- 
 jed to the orders and difcipline of the fchool ? 
 
 Again, Baptifm is the livery which, of right, appertaineth 
 to Chrift's houfhold fervanrs. Surely if a man accept of 
 that livery, he doth thereby fubmit himfelf to the laws and 
 government of Chrift- which are exercifed in Chrift's family 
 on earth. 
 
 3d!y. That difcipline and government which Chrift hath 
 appointed in his church, hath been exercifed towards chil- 
 dren (according to their capacity) in all ages of the world. 
 So it was when the churcfi was domeftical. Gen. iv. 16. 
 and xxi. 10. This I take it is queftioned by none or 
 very few ; page 29. The reformed church hath ever 
 owned this truth. As for thofe pure churches, that for a 
 long time flourifncd in Bohemia, Commenius teftificth con- 
 cerning them,thate\'en children as well as others were under 
 difcipline. Thus alfo it was in that gathered church which 
 was in London, in the davs of Edward the 6th, as their 
 fiimous paftor John Alaflb hath declared. And in one 
 word, in reformed churches generally, and the churches of 
 Plymouth colony, at this di,y, extend difcipline towards 
 
[ 5' ] 
 
 their children (as the martcr cloth require) and difmifs theui 
 alfo (when by removal put upon it) to other churches. 
 And further. This extending of diicipline cowards the chil- 
 dren of the church, which we plead for, hath been the ca- 
 tholic pratflice of the church of Chrill, in all places and 
 ages, which is a great argument to prove, that it hath the 
 {lamp of jus divinum upon it. 
 
 4thly. God hath owned and blcfled the application of 
 church difciplinc towards the children in queilion for much, 
 yea for laving good, &c. 
 
 5thly. The neglect of difcipline towards the children in 
 queftion, hath been the woful caufe of much evil amongil 
 us. There are many fad complaints againfl; the rifing ge- 
 generation, and too much caufe for them. But how much 
 ladder would it be, if they who make fuch complaints fliould 
 be any way chargeable with the guilt of thefe miifcarriages, 
 by withholding from this generation, that which is, by the 
 Lord's appointment, the means of reltrainc and recovering 
 from this evil. This very negled hath brought a wound 
 upon thefe churches, which (except the Lord be very mer- 
 ciful) is become immedicable and incurable. Children 
 have been let alone fo long ; and many of them fuch 
 belialifts, as that (though once it might have been done 
 with much eafe) it is now become difficult and almoft an 
 impolTibility how to bring them under the yoke of 
 Chrift. 
 
 But what anfwer they will give to the Lord at that day, 
 at whofe door this evil (hall lie, I know not : But fome- 
 times have had inv/ard tremblings to think, I would not for 
 all this world, that the guilt of the mifcarriage of fo many 
 fouls fliould lie at my door. 
 
 I have been thus particular in reciting the doflor's re- 
 marks, bccaufe they are very applicable to the (late of our 
 churches in general, at this day. 
 
 N. But, fir, is it not a proper exercifc of difcipline to 
 hold baptized perfons off from owning the covenant, if they 
 have been guilty ofgrofs immorality, -until they fhall make 
 gofpel fatisfa6lion ? And have we any thing more to do ? 
 
 M. Here let me obferve, ift. If thefe perfons are not in 
 covenant, and not anfwerable to the church for their con- 
 duft ; it cannot be improved as an objedion to their make- 
 ingprofefllon of religion, becaufe this is to judge thoje that 
 
[ 52 ] 
 
 itre wilhouty which the apoftle intimates wc have no right to 
 do*. 
 
 2dly. This has an invidious appearance and may tend to 
 keep a perfon from making any pretenfions to religion. 
 And profeffors, in feme inftances have threatened thofe, 
 with whom they have had fome perfonal difficulty, that they 
 would obie6l to their being admitted into the church, fhould 
 they defire it. This favours of a fpirit very different from 
 the gofpel temper 
 
 3dly. If thefe perfons are in covenant and fubjedts of dif- 
 cipline, they ought to be dealt with as the gofpel diredts, 
 without unneceffary delay. Sin fhould not be fuffered to 
 reft upon them month after month, and year after year, and 
 then be brought into public view as a matter of fcandal, 
 merely as a bar, to a perfon's owning the covenant. This 
 praftice is fo far from anfv/ering the defigns of difcipline, 
 that it renders the ordinance contemptible. 
 
 N. As we are upon the fubjedt of difcipline, I wifh to 
 know your thoughts on a few particulars, as, ift. What 
 are thofe faults which require difcipline ? 
 
 M. They are errors in dodrine and pradice. Yet not 
 every fuch error. A man may be miflakcn in leffer matters 
 and yet not endanger his foul, nor reproach religion. His 
 errors muft be of an heinous nature, fuch as ftrike at the 
 foundation of religion. 
 
 Cenfurable '^ Herefy fignifies fome fundamental error in 
 matters of religion, adhered to with obftinacy." 
 
 St. Paul reckons herefy amongft the v;orks of the fiefbf. 
 And St. Peter fays there fhall befalfe teachers among you, 
 who (hall privily bring in damnable herefies, even denying 
 the Lord that bought themj. 
 
 Now Herefy is a proper matter of difcipline. The apof- 
 tle therefore direds Titus to rejecft an hereticlj. 
 
 Cenfurable errors in practice are open and fcandalous vi- 
 olations of the Laws of God. But to make breaking points 
 offmall matters, or thofe of a doubtful nature, or fuch as 
 are merely of human inftitution, h3s fadly rent the chriftian 
 church, and not onlv occafioncd bitter anathemas, but fhed 
 feas of human blood. 
 
 N. 2dly. In what manner ought chriftians to proceed in 
 matters of difcipline ? 
 
 M. 
 
 • I Cor. V. 12. f GjI. t. XX. J 2 Pet. ii. i. H Tit. iii. i». 
 
[ 53 1 
 
 M-. Our Saviour hag given iis particular and plain direc- 
 tions in the 1 8th of Matthew. 
 
 But as chriftians would perform this duty acceptably, 
 they ihould be influenced by a fincere regard to the autho- 
 rity of Chrift and a zealous concern for his glory. The 
 credit of religion, the fupport of Chrift's oidinanccF;, and 
 the beft good of our offending brother, fliould always be near 
 our heart. 
 
 Asdifcipline is one of the higheft expreflions of friendfhip, 
 chriftians fhould always inftrud and reprove thofe who op- 
 pofe themfelves to the truth, either in principle or in prac- 
 tice, in meeknefs and love ; and ihould give them reafon 
 to believe, that they fincerely aim to promote their belt good, 
 rather than gratify any ill-will, or advance any party or felf- 
 ifli intereft. 
 
 Indeed fuch matters fliould never be confidered ss party 
 matters. And no perfon fhould complain of his brother, 
 to the church, with a vicv? to obtain any redrefs of injury 
 done to his perfon, name or eftatc. We llTould have no- 
 thing in view, but to promote the intereft of truth, of reli- 
 gion, of Chrift, of the church, and of our brother. 
 
 And as Chriftian reproof Aould be given with a fpirit of 
 meeknefs, love and tenderneis, fo it fnould be received with 
 a fpirit of meeknefs, love and thankfulnefs. David efteem- 
 ed brotherly reproof a real kindnefs, and inftead ofreproach- 
 ing his reprover, as too many do, to the great Icandal of 
 religion, he would make the moft grateful return, Pf 141. 
 
 N. But how can difcipline be carried into execution, 
 fincc, even communicants are fo apt to confider themfelves 
 injured, if they are dealt with in this way j and very often 
 turn their backs upon the church j will feparare and join 
 other denominations of chriftians ? And as to thofe who 
 have never renewed covenant, they doncprofefs to be church- 
 members ; they afl<: for no fpecial religious privileges, nor 
 do they defire any : and, as might beexpefled, will pay no 
 regard to chriftian reproofs and cenfures. 
 
 M. It is indeed unhappy that there fliould be fo many 
 clafles of profefting chriftians ; for, certainly, they cannot 
 all, be upon the plan of the gofpel ; and that any fliould be 
 difpofed to weaken the hands of difcipline, by receiving to 
 their communion difcontented and fcandalousperfons, from 
 
 other 
 
[ 5+ 3 
 
 other churches — fcch perfons indeed carry their infamy 
 with them, and cant fail to difgrace the community that re- 
 ceives them. 
 
 But fince, what you obferve, is very nrtuch the cafe, it 
 ihould make chriftians -very careful to attend ftridly to gof- 
 pel rules of diicipiine; to confider nothing as cenfurable 
 but wiiat is a plain and fcandalous violation of divine com- 
 mands ; to be and appear to be influenced by a confcienti- 
 ous and tender regard to the honour and authority of Chrift j 
 to the purity and cdilication of the body of Chrift, and very 
 particularly, to the good and welfare of the offending bro- 
 ther. 
 
 Were chrift ia;TS fuitably careful as to thefe matters, fepa- 
 rations, in confequence of difcipline, would be very rare, 
 and otiier churches would be lefs forward to receive fcanda- 
 lous and difcifFefted perfons to their communion. 
 
 But be this as it may, chriftians are to do their duty, and 
 are then not anfwerable for confequences ; and thofe who 
 leave their communion, becaufe they will not fubmit to 
 v^holefome and needful difcipline, will fuffer the greateft 
 inconvenience. 
 
 As to thofe who have never renewed covenant, and nei- 
 tlicr all^: nor dcfne any Ipecial church privelege — this fhould 
 not influence the meafures which their chriftian brethren 
 ought to take with them. In matters of difcipline they are 
 10 be dealt with as communicants — if they will not hear 
 the church, they mull be confidered and treated as heathens 
 ftnd publicans. 
 
 N. I find that chriftians are not agreed how to underftand 
 this direftion of our Saviour's. Some fuppofe, that it re- 
 fers only to the communion of chriftians in fpecial gofpcl 
 ordinances: Others that it includes alfo common familiar 
 intercourfe and civil courtefy. This difirrcnce in opinion 
 does occafion fome jarring in pra6tice, and ferves much to 
 impede regular difcipline. 
 
 M. As was before noted, difcipline is a great exprefllon 
 of friendfhip, and is well calculated to promote the beft 
 good of offenders : And did ' we always properly regard 
 this, tiiere could be no ground for thofe angry paffions, 
 which too often influence chriftians in their dealings with 
 ofxlnding brethren. It fliouid srive us painful feelings to 
 
 be 
 
[ 55 3 ■ 
 
 be under the neceflity ofreproving, cenfuring and avoiding 
 our chriftian brethren, as the gofpel direds. 
 
 But we are repeatedly directed to withdraw from thofe 
 that walk diforderly, and will not be reclaimed, as particu- 
 larly in 1 Thef. iii. 6, 14, 15, Now zve commarid you, bre- 
 thren, in the name of our Lord J ejus Chr'ijl, that ye withdraw 
 from every brother that walkeih diforderly, dnd not after the 
 tradition which he received from us. The Iblennnit^v o( the 
 charge is worthy of particular notice, wc command in the 
 name of our Lord, ^c. This may well call up our attenii- 
 on, and make us careful to enquire what the charge is, and 
 fee to it that wc comply with it. \^ any man obey not our 
 word by this epiftle, note that man, and have no company with 
 him, that he may be afliamed : Yet count him not as an e- 
 ncmy, but admonifh him as a broilicr. 
 
 Here, I choofe to give you the expofuion of Mr. Henry's 
 Continuators — Wc muft ift, note that man, who is fufpect- 
 ed or charged with not obeying the word of God, or of 
 walking contrary thereto, i. e. we mufb have fufficient proof 
 of his fault, before we proceed further — 2dly, we muft ad- 
 monifli him in a friendly manner j we muft put him in mind 
 of his fin and of his duty, with that faithful plainnefs, as 
 will be moft like to reclaim him. Then if he will not hear 
 3dly, withdraw from him and not company with him, i. e. 
 we muft avoid familiar converfe and fociety with fuch, for 
 two reafons : ift, that we may not learn his evil ways, for 
 he that foUoweth vain and idle perfons, and keepeth com- 
 pany with fuch, is, in danger of becoming like them — and 
 2dly, for the fhaming and fo the reforming them that of- 
 fend. That when idle and diforderly perfons fee hovv their 
 loofe praflices are difliked by all wife and good people, 
 they may be afhamed of them, and walk more orderly ; Yet 
 even thofe that are under the cenfures of the church muft 
 not be accounted as enemies. The expreftion is very ftrong, 
 note that man and have no company with him, i. e. \\{t no 
 particular and needlefs freedom with, him, either in civil or 
 religious refpcfls. 
 
 And the hiftory of the churcli foon after the time of tlie 
 apoftles, lets us know, how very exact chriftians were to 
 praftife upon this command, in this extenfive fenfe of it. 
 
 This feems to be of the fame tenor with the cauuons he 
 
 gave 
 
[ 56 1 
 pave to the Corinthians*. I wrote unto yon in an epiftle 
 iiot to company with fornicators— yet not altogether with 
 the fornicators of this world — for then you mull needs go 
 out of this world— But now I have written unto you, ko/ /o 
 keep company. This cant be confidered as referring to com- 
 munion at the Lord's table, only—i\\\s is never exprefied /^j>' 
 keeping company^ which feems to fignify fome daily, familiar 
 intercourfe. If any man that is called a brother be a for- 
 nicator, &c. withjuch an one, no not to eat. This, like the 
 former, is confidered as a dircdion to chriftians to avoid the 
 familiar converfation of fellow chriftians, who are fcanda- 
 louflv wicked and under juft cenfure for their immoral 
 practices ; fuch difgrace the chrillian name and are only- 
 fit companions for their brethren in iniquity, and to fuch 
 company fliould they be left till they m-end their ways and 
 doings. 
 
 But the apoftle limits this caution -, he does not forbid 
 chriftians the like com.merce with immoral heathens, the 
 fornicators of this world as he calls them, as with immoral 
 chriftians ; they know no better, they profefs no better, the 
 gods they {^^v^j, and the worfliip they render to many of 
 them, countenance fuch wickednefs ; and you muft needs 
 go out of the world if you will have no converfation with 
 fuch men. 
 
 Now, as the apoftle allows them to ufe greater familiari- 
 ty with heathens than with fcandalous brethren, it muft re- 
 fer to fome converfation, that was not of the religious kind 
 — It was not communion or company with them, at the 
 Lord's tablcj that heathens would defire, and chriftians be 
 like to admit them to — and yet the apoftle allows chrifti- 
 ans greater familiarity with them, than with immoral bre- 
 thren. The companying therefore which the apoftle refers 
 to muft be of a civil rather than of a religious nature. 
 
 It was the praftice of the Jews to avoid all intimacy 
 with the Gentile nations — they accounted it unlawful to 
 eat with the uncircumcifed on ordinary occafions, and 
 much more fo, at religious feafts. Accordingly our Sa- 
 viour direfts that chriftians under cenfure fhould be treat- 
 ed as the Jews were wont to treat heathens and publicans. 
 If he negleti to hear the church, let him be fecluded from fpe- 
 cial ordinances, and degraded from the dignity of a church- 
 member — 
 
 • I. Cor. V. 9. 10. ij. 
 
[ il ] 
 
 member — let him be put under difgrace — let him be unto 
 thee, as an heathen man, and a publican — let the members 
 of the fociety be warned to withdraw from him, that he 
 may be afhamed of his fin, and they not be infcded by it, 
 or be chargeable with it*. 
 
 Thus, the diredions here given by our Saviour, agree 
 with thofe of the apoftle, referred to, particularly refpedling 
 the inceftuous perfon. He muft be taken away from a- 
 mongft them — they muft have no needlefs commerce with 
 him — he muft be delivered to Satan — be turned over to his 
 vifible kingdom — and be treated as an heathen, with ref- 
 pe(9: to fpeciai and fealing ordinances — be treated with 
 greater referve, and be kept at a greater diftance than they 
 were obliged to keep the heathens, and this was to treat 
 them as the Jews were wont to treat the heathen. 
 
 The venerable Do(5t. Owen, has given his opinion of 
 thofe paflages of the apoftle, which we have had under con- 
 (ideration. It may not be amifs to recite it : His words 
 are, 
 
 1 ft, To eat, comprifeth all ordinary converfe in things of 
 this life ; Give us our daily bread. 
 
 idly. Ho note, is either the a6t of the church, fetting the 
 mark of its cenfure and difapprobation on him., or the duty 
 of the church to take notice of him, as unto the ends of 
 not keeping company with him. Wherefore 
 
 3dly. Herein all ordinary converfe of choice, not made 
 neceflfary by previous occafions, is forbidden. The rule, 
 I fay, forbids, ift, all ordinary converfe of choice, not that 
 which is occafional. idly. Converfe about earthly, fecu- 
 lar matters, not that which is fpiritual. For fuch an one 
 -may and ought ftill to be admonifhed whilft he will hear 
 the word of admonition, jdly. It is fuch converfe as is not 
 made previoufly neceflary, by men's mutual engagement in 
 trade and the like, for that is founded on fuch rules of e- 
 quity and right, with fuch obligations in point of truth, as 
 excommunication cannot diflblve. 
 
 4thly. No fufpenfion of duties, antecedently neceflary 
 by virtue of natural or moral relations, is allowed or coun- 
 tenanced by this rule. Such are thofe of hufband and wife ; 
 parents and children ; magiftrates and fubjefts \ mafters 
 and fervants ; neighbours, relations in propinquity of blood. 
 H No 
 
 • Matt. i8. 
 
[ 58 ] 
 
 No duties arifing from or belonging unto any of thefe re- 
 lations are rcleafed or the obligations unto them, weakened 
 by excommunication. 
 
 N. But ought a church to proceed with a fcandalous 
 perlbn, in a way of difcipline, provided he withdraw and 
 leave their communion ? 
 
 M. A queftion of this import, the Do6t. anfwers in the 
 affirmative i and for the following reafons : as, 
 
 id. No man is to make an advantage unto himfelf, or to 
 be freed from any difadvantage, cenfure or fpititual penalty, 
 by his own fin, fuch as the voluntary relinquifhment of the 
 church, by a perfon under admonition for fcandalous offen- 
 ces. 
 
 idly. It is necefiTary unto the church, both as unto the 
 difcharge of its duty, and the vindication of its honour. 
 
 jdlv. It is neceiiary for the good and benefit of him who 
 fo deferves to be excommunicated : For, 
 
 ift. The end of the infiiitution of the ordinance, is his 
 correclion, not his deflruclion, and may be effeftual unto 
 his repentance and recovery. 
 
 idly. It is to be followed v/ith .(harp admonition and 
 prayer, which in due time, may reach the moil profligate 
 finner. 
 
 jdly. It becomes not the wifdom and order of any focie- 
 ty entruRed with authori:y for its own prefervation, as the 
 church is, by Chrift himfelf, to fufFcr perfons obnoxious 
 unto cenfure, by the fundamental rules of that fociety, to 
 cafh off all reipe6lunto it ; to break their order and rela- 
 tion, without animadverting thereon, according to the au- 
 thority wherewith they were entrufted. To do otherwife 
 is toexpofe their order unto contempt, and proclaim a dif- 
 fidence in their own authority, for the fpiritual punifhment 
 of offenders. 
 
 4thly. One end of the appointment of the power and 
 fentence of excommunication, is, to give teftimony unto 
 the future and final judgment of Chrift, againft impenitent 
 finners, which none of them can run away from, nor efcape. 
 
 N. I have obferved that chriftians have been ready to 
 think themfelves injured, by being called upon to confefs 
 their faults, as if this was a reproach and fcandal. I wifb, 
 fir, to know your thought, upon this plain queftion, viz. 
 whether confcfllon is of the nature of punifhment ? 
 
 M. 
 
[ 59 ] 
 
 M.- It isobfervable that perfons are very loth to confcfs 
 their faults, as if hereby they fhould get a wound and bloc 
 to their good name, which would not eafily be wiped away. 
 But if it is no difgrace to a man to repent of his fin, how 
 can it be a difgrace to him to make open and public pro- 
 feffion of this repentance, or forrow ? This is the dehgn' 
 of confellion, and therefore 'tis fo far from being a reproach, 
 that it is the only way for aperfon to recover his loll cre- 
 dit. 
 
 Sin only, is the reproach of a perfon, and as it difcovers 
 a difobedient and ftubborn temper of m^ind ; but as con- 
 felTion difcovers a better difpofuion, it does him honour. 
 For a perfon therefore to appear very backward to confefs 
 his fault, or very folicitous to extenuate if, tends to faften 
 the fhame of it upon him, and even to increale the fcandal, 
 inafmuch as it difcovers an unhumbled heart. 
 
 Indeed if a perfon, overtaken by a fault, appears very 
 ■forward to confefs it with its circumftances of aggravation, 
 rather than of extenuation, this may not merely wipe away 
 the (tain and reproach of his fin, but even raife his reputa- 
 tion higher than it was before : becsufe it evidences great 
 tendernefs of confcience, and regard to the honour and au- 
 thority p[ God ; or, a more virtuous temper of mind, which 
 is greatly to a man's honour. 
 
 Confeflion, inftead of being a puniflimrnt is the way to 
 prevent it ; every ftep in difcipline is to prevent the next, 
 and even the laft, is to fave the foul from hell -, and when 
 a perfon exhibits due marks of penitence, his chrillian 
 brethren, have nothing more to do, but to receive him into 
 the arms of charity. 
 
 Hence it is moll: unfuitable for one chriftian to threaten 
 another, that he v/ill church hiniy as the cant phrafe is, a?id 
 bring him to walk the broad-alley : As if hereby he fhould 
 fhamc and punifh him, and gratify his own angry, fpiteful 
 and revengeful temper. Little do perfons think how they 
 reproach themfelves by fuch revengeful threats. 
 
 Nothing is more inconfiilent with the nature and defign 
 of this ordinance, than to view it, as an invidious, reproach^ 
 ful affair, as too many do j this is greatly to reproach Chrill, 
 
 the king and head of the church 
 
 N, 
 
[ 6o ] 
 N. Is it fuitable, ever to urge an offending brother ta 
 confcfs his fault ? 
 
 M. Confeffion ought always to be free and voluntary. If 
 a perfon appear very relu6lant to it, this fo far deitroys the 
 evidence of ingenuous forrow, without which, a confeffion, 
 is a kind of mockery, and makes him appear in a more 
 reproachful light than before. 
 
 Nothing therefore, can be more unfuitable than for a 
 perfon to lay, (asfometimes they do) ' I was forced to make 
 a confejfion — I could have no peace without — and the like.' 
 This is indeed to trifle with an ordinance of Heaven : And 
 the laft error, may be even worft than the firft. In liria:- 
 nefs, an offender ought never to be urged to confefs his 
 fault ; 'tis abfurd to fuppofe there fhould be any compul- 
 fion in the matter. 
 
 We m.ay and ought to urge a perfon to repentance, by 
 ufing every fuitable argument to convince him of his fm 
 and folly ; and if he is once brought to a due fenfe of his 
 fin, his own humble and penitent feelings, will fufRcicntly 
 conftrain him, to fuitable confeffion. 
 
 N. But, fir, if all baptized perfons arc members of Chrift's 
 family and in his church, and when arrived to years of 
 difpretion, are fubjeft to the difcipline of Chrid's houfe, 
 will it not follow that they have a right to act as voters in 
 the church ? But are lads of a dozen or fifteen years of age, 
 capable of ading in matters of weight and difficulty in the 
 church r 
 
 M. It is difficult for communicants to know how to a61:, 
 in many cafes that come under their confideration : And 
 oftentimes they do misjudge. 
 
 Are there not many in our worfhipping affemblies who do 
 not approach to the Lord's table, through fears and fcruples 
 and tendernefs of confcience, who yet are as capable ofjudg- 
 ing, as thofe that do .? 
 
 Does the bible any where teach us that no one has a right 
 to a6l in the church, 'till he owns the covenant, though bap- 
 tized in infancy, and thus acknowledged to be a member of 
 Chrifl:'s vifible kingdom ? 
 
 However, if fuch perfons muft be allowed to belong to 
 Chrift's family, for the reafons that have been, or might be 
 offered in proof of it, muft we allow them no church pri- 
 
 vileees. 
 
[ 6i ] 
 
 vilepe^, left they fliould claim fome, which we think they 
 are not capable of improvino ; or left they fhould pretend 
 that that IS, their duty which they are not able to perform ? 
 Thofe eminent divines we have referred to, did not hefi- 
 tate to aftert the complete church memberftiip of baptiz- 
 ed chidren, without any apprchenfion of their having a next 
 and immediate right cither to the Lord's table, or to vote 
 in church meetings j agreeably to the apoftle's firnilitude 
 of a child in a ftate of minority. Gal. iv. before referred 
 to*. 
 
 Doflor Mather fuppofed that churches are to be kept 
 pure, not by curtailing the covenant, but by a zealous and 
 diligent attendance to difcipline, according to the rules of 
 Chrift. And were chriftians generally influenced by a pro- 
 per fpirit ©f difcipline and brotherly watchfulnefs, we 
 fliould probably have little reafon to fear the confequences 
 of admitting fome perfons to ad in the church, who arenoc 
 communicants. 
 
 N. If the obfervatlons that have been made upon the 
 fubjeft of difcipline, be juft,wemay infer, that 'tis but little 
 underftood, and perhaps lefs praftifcd hy Jome who are cal- 
 led chriftians. But is there no reafon to fear that thecafe 
 is remedilefs ? 
 
 M. I am fenfible that fome are ready to fay ' the diftem- 
 per is incurable: 'Tis vain to attempt a reform: The times 
 wont bear it ; and with the (lothful man are ready to fay, 
 there is a lion in the way, a lion is in the flreets ; and fhould 
 we llir abroad we may be devoured.' 
 
 But though we may think to keep ourfelvcs in counte- 
 nance with our fellow men, by this plea, whilft we fuffer 
 the vineyard to run wafte ; we fhould do well to confider, 
 whether we fhall dare to venture ourfelves upon it, at the 
 of our bar Judge. 
 
 It is matter of confolation, that v/e are not anfwerable 
 for the fuccefs of our faithful endeavours. If God is not 
 pleafed to fucceed them, yet we may hope for his gracious 
 acceptance, through the mediation of Chrift. 
 
 The very depraved ftate of thefe churches calls for the 
 moft vigorous exertions. It is at the door of this great and 
 general neglect that a flood of iniquity has broken in, and 
 nearly deluged the land. Had proper care been taken tc^ 
 
 watch 
 
 •Secrefuh of fynod of j66j, page 82, 83, 
 
[ 62 ] 
 
 watth over the fheep and lambs of Chrifl's flock, it would 
 have Icrved as a mighty rsftraint, to keep them from fuch 
 wanderings and fuch obftinacy in the paths of iniquity, as 
 bring the greateft reproach upon the chriftian name. And 
 was there now a proper zeal to revive this decayed ordi- 
 nance, it would probably do more towards reftraining loofe 
 and vicious perfons from their finful excefles, than human 
 laws, executed in the bed manner. 
 
 But lb regardlefs are chriftians in general of their duty 
 in this matter, that difcipline is grown into difufe. In many 
 places the greateft part of Chrilt's difciples are wholly neg- 
 fcfted. Even communicants are let alone in their fcanda- 
 lous fins. This is acknowledged to be the cafe in fome 
 churches that are very ilrift in the admilfion of members. 
 
 And baptized perfons who have not renewed covenant, 
 ar* treated as heathens in this matter. However fcandalous 
 their condud is, and though they proclaim their fin as 
 Sodom, yet they have no apprehenfion that they fhall be call- 
 ed to account by theii" chrlftian brethren. And many are fo 
 impatient of reproof, and probably through the very faulty 
 negleft of chriftians in the matter of difcipline, that fhould 
 any one venture to adm.iniller reproof to his neighbour, for 
 high handed ofiences, he may exped it will be returned in 
 bitter reproaches. 
 
 lis it notfo, that one can fcarcely go abroad without hav- 
 ing his ears grated with the moft profane language from 
 the mouths of thofe v.hohave been baptized into the name 
 of Chrift ? How often are we witnefifes to the moft fcanda- 
 lous conduct in thofe who would think themfelves injured 
 fhould they be called heathens ? and yet will not bear a word 
 of brotherly reproof ; and would even fcorn the thought of 
 being accountable to chriftians for the vileft conduct. And 
 can we wonder at it, fince fcarcely the fliadow of difcipline 
 is to be found in many of our churches ? For this finful neg- 
 lect great guilt muft lie upon the land. 
 
 Oh ! how have the churches loft their beauty and their 
 glory ! does not the whole appear like a fhattered* edifice 
 ready to fall about our ears 1 
 
 As to thofe churches that have nothing more than the 
 name, and wont bear a revival of dicipline upon gofpel 
 principles, who could lament it fhould they fall into ruinSj 
 
 to 
 
[ 63 ] 
 
 to make way for fiich as would anfwer the ends of a gofpel 
 inftitution. Are they nor nigh unto curfing ? and have 
 they not reafon to fear thatGod will wholly caft them ofi^, and 
 moft vifibly difown them, as he, long fince, did the once 
 flourifhing churches of Afia ? 
 
 In many of our churches there are ferious chriftians who 
 mourn in fecret for the lax llate.of difcipline, very vifible 
 amongft us, and devoutly v/ifii for a revival of this ordi- 
 nance upon what they believe truly gofpel principles, inclu- 
 ding all baptized perfons arrived to years of difcretion : But 
 find themfelves wholly unequal to the arduous taflc, fince 
 they are not fupported by their chriftian brethren. 
 
 Some churches are of opinion that fuch perfons are lambs 
 of Chrift's flock, and have aright to the benefits of this very 
 falutaryordinance,by his fovereign and gracious conftitution. 
 And though they may have refolved that 'tis their duty to 
 watch over them in a way of chriftian difcipline, yet find 
 themfelves exceedingly cmbarafTed in their attempts to carry 
 ic into execution, fince they have not the fupport of filler 
 •churches ; but are confidercd as fetting up for fingularity, 
 and arc, perhaps, derided as being a company of fick brained 
 enthufialls who are running wild, and by cverading will 
 break the reins. of government, and bring themfelves into 
 contempt, and perhaps deftroy their very exiflence as 
 churches. 
 
 Should they attempt to difcipline their baptized mem- 
 bers, it will at once be faid, * other churches do not har- 
 rafs fuch perfons by vexatious church proiecutions ;' as if 
 the difcipline of Chrift's houfe v/as not for edification, buc 
 for deftru6lion. And indeed this is the light in which this 
 divine ordinance is too commonly viewed. 
 
 'Tis not uncommon to hear perfons of diftindion in our 
 churches, fpeak of thofe as raih and imprudent, who endea- 
 vour to revive difcipline, not becaufe it is unfcriptural, but 
 becaufe it is unpopular, and thus difcourage the hearts and 
 weaken the hands of thofe who mourn for the degeneracy of 
 the times, and believe that a proper attention to thofe facred 
 .rules of difcipline which our divine Lord has given for the 
 regulation of his kingdom, would have the happieft tenden- 
 cy towards efFc(5ting a reformation s at leaft as to open ir- 
 religion and immorality. 
 
 The 
 
I 64 ] 
 
 The greateft difcouragements arifc* from thofe, who pro-' 
 fefs to befriends tothccaufe of Chrift, and yet cxcufethcm- 
 felves from affording their affiftanee to help forward a re- 
 fornnation, which they own is much wanted, under the 
 pretence that ' tis not -prudent — the times wont hear it, and the 
 like. 
 
 If we admit what we have attempted to prove, viz. 
 That baptifm is a feal of the covenant, and fignifies that the 
 recipient, whether an adult or an infant, has a real and per- 
 fonal ftandingin the vifible church of God — that the in- 
 fant denies his relation to the covenant and church of God, 
 by the grant and conftitution of the great head of the 
 church, through the channel of his parent, and goes with the 
 parent, into that individual church to which he belongs; 
 and has a right to the privileges ofdifcipline in that religi- 
 ous community ; and holds this relation and right ufttil he 
 is regularly removed from it, as is the cafe with perfons 
 admitted in adult age ; it will follow, that the church is 
 bound by the lawsof ChrilV, to watch over him as one of her 
 members ; nor can fhe be excufed, although the labor and 
 difficulty of doing her duty be ever fo great. 
 
 Our divine Lord has not told his difciples, * you lliall 
 watch over bne another, provided this can be done with 
 peace and harmony ; and your offending brother will take 
 it in good part. But if it is like to make adifturbance in the 
 church, and will prove a troublefome affair, you may even 
 fuffer fin upon your brother, and let the members of my 
 family difgrace my name and religion, as much as they 
 plcafe. But fee to it that you do not throw all into confu- 
 fion, by indifcreetly efpoufing my caufe.' 
 
 Do we not by neglefling to take care of one another, 
 reprefent our Lord as faying thus. And does not this as 
 well excufe us from watching over communicants ? Yea art 
 they not, almoft wholly, negle<5led in many of our church- 
 es ? In fhorr, where is the glory we once fpake of ? Where 
 is the zeal for difcipline v/hich diftinguifhed the primitive 
 churches of this land ? Where is the virtuous order which 
 was {o much their glory ? even though we allow it to be 
 tarnifhed by that intolerant fpirit, and indifcrect zeal which 
 appeared in our fathers, with the reft of mankind in that 
 bigotted age of the world ? 
 
 Wc 
 
C 6s 3 
 
 We-dont reafon in matters of intereft, as we many times 
 do in matters of duty. Inftcad of laying them afide, we 
 rife to vigorous exertions j and by extraordinary care and 
 diligence, efFcft that, which would otherwifc be left un- 
 done. And Ihall we do more for our temporal interell, 
 than for the intereft of virtue and religion ? Shall we be 
 able to hold up our faces to our divine Lord, when he will 
 require us to give an account of the care we have taken to 
 carry his laws and ordinances into execution ? 
 
 Had we the zeal of Phineas, could we ftand by and fee 
 the laws of Chrift trampled under foot, by thofe whom he 
 has been pleafed to own as members of his family, and 
 not execute upon them the law of difcipline ? Did wc love 
 one another with pure hearts fervently, Ihould we not take 
 care to pluck our finning brother as a brand out of the burn- 
 ing ? 
 
 A gentleman, who has been defirous that this book might: 
 be reprinted, lately wrote me * that fome who have read ic 
 and like it, think it impoffible to bring about a reform, and 
 therefore it is not beft to meddle with it, and adds, of fuch 
 men, I fear there are not a few amongft us.'. 
 
 But (hall the church of Chrill become a cage of unclean 
 birds ? Shall fhe hold her peace and not dare tcftify againft 
 her fcandalous members, in the way which Chrift has di- 
 re6led ? Nay, fhall fhe countenance vice ? Shall fhe fondle 
 in her bofom thofe who openly trample Chrift under their 
 fee?, and not dare appear on his fide ? Will he be pleafed 
 with thofe who have not courage enough to ftand up againft 
 the workers of iniquity, and he, who will leave his intereft 
 to fink into dilgrace and infamy, rather thanroufe from their 
 lethargy ? 
 
 It is not many years fince the general afTociation of this 
 ftate (agreeable to thercfuhof the fynod in Bofton in 1662) 
 advifed the churches to watch over the lambs of Chrift's 
 flock, and thus keep them from running aftray, or bring 
 them back from their wanderings ; many churches voted a 
 compliance with their advice. Some have endeavoured to 
 carry it into effed j but have found it an arduous talk, be- 
 caufe they have been dcferted by their brethren. 
 
 But would thofe who do, in theory, admit thefe princi- 
 ples, unitedly exert thcmfelves j and, with prudent firm- 
 I nefs, 
 
[ 66 ] 
 
 nefs, endeavour to flrengthen each others hands, we fhould 
 have no reafon to fear for the exiftence or the peace of our 
 churches. Inftcad of that, they would probably collet 
 firmnefs and become more refpedable. Vice would not 
 appear with a bold and impudent face, virtue and every- 
 thing praife worthy, would be encouraged, andthefe church- 
 es become the glory of our land. 
 
 Perhaps the preceding remarks, by many will be con- 
 fidered as unfeafonable, and tending to mifchief. Such 
 infinuations, however, can make no confidcrable imprefTion 
 upon a mind fully perfuaded, that there is the greateft need 
 of reviving difcipline upon gofpel principles J and that it 
 might be efFeded with the bleffing of heaven upon the pru- 
 dent and determined exertions of thofe who profefs fubjedtion 
 to Chrifl: as their Lord and Mafler. 
 
 And cfpecially, if, in addition to the advice of feveral re- 
 H^ious and very refpeftable charadters, that this enquiry 
 fhould be made publick, the things herein contained, pro- 
 ceed from a conviftion that they are taught us in the facred 
 pages. 
 
 But as lax as matters now are, would minifters generally, 
 with a rcfpeflable number of private chriftians, exert them- 
 felves with a prudent zeal and firmnefs, to flrengthen the 
 things that remain, that are ready to die, might we nqt 
 hope that this divine ordinance would colled firmnefs and 
 grow refpeftable j* that the rod of difcipline would be a 
 terror to evil doers, and a praife to fuch as do well ? At leaft 
 that the loofe and profane, who are a difgrace to the chrif- 
 tian name, would be awed into decency of conduct ? 
 
 Might not we hope that the church of Chrift would re- 
 cover her loft reputation ; become beautiful as Tirzaby comp- 
 ly as fei'-iifalem^ and terrible as an army with banners ? That 
 her light would break forth as the morning.^ and her health 
 Jpring forth fpecdily, and her right eoufnefs go before her, and 
 the glory of the Lord be her re-reward. 
 
 F I N I S. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Containing a niimher of FORMULAS^ for the affjlance of 
 young Miniflers, and ■private Chriftians, in Church 
 Processes. ' 
 
 F O R M e/" ^ C O M P L A I N T. 
 
 To the Rev, I. L. T aft or of the Church of Chrifl in H. and 
 to f aid Church. 
 
 COMES S. Vv''. a member of the church, and informs, and gives 
 faidpaftor and church to underftand, that, L. R. who isallbamera- 
 
 ber of this church, did, on the day of at ■ with 
 
 an ill intention, being minded to hurt, ftain and b!acken the charafter 
 of R. H. in the prefence and hearing of T. W. and F. E. utter, fpealc 
 and publini,as followeth ; that is to fay, that R. W. is a thief, and 
 has ftolen money out cf the cheft of N. P. which expreffions your com- 
 plainant confiders as falfe, and a cenfurable breach of the 9:h com- 
 mandment of the moral law ; and juft caufe of offence to all good men. 
 Your complainant further faith, that he hath taken the regular fieps of 
 the gofpel,. for convincing and reclaiming the faid L. R. but he lefuf- 
 eth to hearken : And as in duty bound, he now tells it to the church, 
 ihat his brother may be proceeded with according to the rules of the 
 gofpel. 
 
 ■ S. W. 
 
 Dated in H. this — — — (lay of 
 
 The cemplaint may be committed to a brother of the church, to be 
 by him read in the hearing of the fuppofed offender, with a citation to 
 anfwer, written apon the complaint ; which may be to the following 
 import. 
 
 To L. R.a Member of the Church ofChrift. in H, 
 THESE are to require you to appear before this church, at their 
 
 meeting, on the day of at 2 o'clock P. M. at — — — . 
 
 to anfwer to the within complaint. 
 
 I. L. Paflor, 
 IT ought to be remembered, that in all chnrch proccffes, the only 
 parties, are the great head of the church, on the one hand, and the 
 
 fuppofed 
 
[ 68 ] 
 fuppofed offender on the other. Whoever, therefore, is confidered as 
 being perfonally injured, or intcrcfted, he is, in a meafure, difqualified 
 for taking an aftive part in the procefs, either as informer or judge . 
 
 A Citation for mtnejfes, 
 
 WHEREAS S. W. has exhibited a complaint againft L. R. for lic- 
 
 ing guilty ofcenfurable defamation, and informed thatyoucan teftifjr to 
 the church of matters contained in faid complaint, and has defired that 
 you may be cited for that end— This is therefore to require yoato ap- 
 pear before this church, at their meeting on, &c. to teftify to what yea 
 know concerning that cafe. 
 
 I. L. Paftor. 
 Dated at, l^c. 
 
 A Judgment upon a Complaint, 
 
 At a meeting of the paftor and brethren of the church of 
 
 Chrilt, in H. on day of . 
 
 THIS church taking into their ferious confideration, a complaint, 
 exhibited by S. W. againft L. R. for being guilty of afcandalous breach 
 cf the 9th commandment of the moral law, and having heard the evi- 
 dence, and pleas thereon, are of opinion, that the charge is fupported, 
 and that the faid L. R. in cafe of obllinacy, ought to be proceeded 
 wi(h, in way of cenfure, according to the rules of the gofpel. 
 
 Atteft. I. L. Paftor. 
 
 A Confejfwn, 
 
 I L. R. do humbly acknowledge before God and this congregation, 
 
 that I have made my felf guilty of the heinous fin of — ; whereby I 
 
 have offended God and this church ; fcandalized religion and wounded 
 my own foul : And I do hereby declare my hearty forrow for this ray 
 fin ; and humbly aflc the pardoning mercy of God, and the forgive- 
 r.efs of my chriftian brethren ; together with their prayers for me, that 
 I may be enabled to walk circumfpeftly and inoffenfively for the fa- 
 tcre. L. R. 
 
 A Citatien to appear and receive an Admonition. 
 To L. R. a member of the church of Chrift in H.' 
 V7I-IERE AS you have been conviftedof the fcandalous fin of — — — 
 and after doe pains taken with you in private. Hill remain ob- 
 ftinate and impeniteKt ; whereby it becomes neceffary, according to 
 the rules of the gofpel j that you be publickly admonilhed, as an inftitut- 
 ed mean to bring you to repentanc*. 
 
 Thefe 
 
[ 69 3 
 
 Thefc are, therefore, in the name of oar Lord Jefas Chrift, to require 
 you to appear before the paftor and congregation, in the meeting houfe 
 in H. on the next Lord's dayl in the afternoon ; then and there ta 
 receive a publickadmoniiion for the fin aforefaid, 
 
 I. L. Paftor. 
 
 A Form of Jdmonition, 
 
 BROTHER L. R. Be exhorted, to confider that a holy and fove- 
 reign God, whocallcth all men to repentance, hath commanded .us to 
 exhort one another daily ; and thofe who fin, to rebuke before all, that 
 others may hear and fear ; and if they repent not, to avoid and con- 
 fider them as heathens and publicans : According to thefe, and fuch- 
 like commands of our divine Lord, this church have taken into ferious 
 confideration, a complaint exhibited againftyou, and have judged you 
 guilty of a cenfurable breach of the 9th commandment of the moral 
 law ; and lince you difcover no figns of penitence, we now admonilh 
 you in the name, and by the aathority of Chrift, forthwith to hearkea 
 to divine rebuke ; lay to heart you Gn ; the affront you offer to Chrift, 
 and the juft occafion of offence ycu give to your chriftian brethren, 
 ivho are bound to watch over you in the way of gofpel difcipline, and 
 not fuffer fin upon you. 
 
 We earneftly exhort you, for the fake of your own foul, ferioufly to 
 confider what it is you can gain by your impenitence, and whether it 
 will compenfate for the lofs of everlafting life ; and how you expedl to 
 ftand in judgment before God, as you refufe now to comply with your 
 duty, and turn to him in a way of reformation. 
 
 And as a mioifter of Chrill and the paftor of this church, I donon^ 
 earneftly befeech you, and in the name of Chrift, exhort and charge 
 you, as you will anfwer the contrary at the bar of God ; that you forth- 
 with, unfeignedly repent of your fin, as becometh one, who has been 
 made acquainted with his Lord's will, and is under indifpenfible obli- 
 gation to walk inoffenfively. 
 
 This admonition is given you, not out of any ill will to your peribn» 
 (as the Lord knoweth) but in love to your foul, and in obedience to 
 Chrift Jefus, who hath made it my duty ; deliring that you may be re- 
 covered from the error of your ways, and be reconciled to God, and to 
 his church ; that fo you may not be cut off from the communion of the 
 church of Chrift here, nor be excluded from the church triumphant 
 above. Signed I. L. Paftor. 
 
 An heretick, fays the apoftle Paul, after the firftand fecond admoni- 
 tion, rejeifl. From hence it is inferred, that the church may caft no 
 cne finally out of her communion, let his offence be what it may, witfei. 
 
 out 
 
[ 70 ] 
 
 tut a repe&ted admonition. Some conjider the judgment of the 
 church, declaring a perfon guilty of a cenfurable fault, as the firft ad- 
 monition ; fince hereby he is fufpended from the enjoyment of fpecial 
 ordinances. 
 
 J form of Excommunication, 
 WHEREAS you L. R. have been adjudged guilty of a cenfurable 
 breach of the ninth commandment of the moral law, and after due ad- 
 monition, and much patience, doft yet remain obftinate, giving no 
 evidence of repentance ; and it being the will and ordinance of our 
 Lord Jefus Chrift, that his church fhould have no fellowfliip with 
 wicked and fcandalous perfons ; but withdraw themfelves from every 
 brother who walketh diforderly, and cafl fuch cut of the church ; and 
 •fteem and treat them as heathens and publicans. I do therefore, in the 
 naraeandby the authority of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and with the confent 
 of this church, declare thee L. R. excommunicated and caft out of the 
 communion of the church of Chrift ; debar thee from their privileges, 
 and deliver thee into the vifible kingdom of Satan, for the deftruflion 
 of thy fiefhly and corrupt principles and prafticcs, that thy fpirit may 
 be faved in the day of the Lord Jefus. 
 
 I. L. Paftor ; 
 Datedt &c. with the concurrence of 
 
 the brethren. 
 
 An Ahjolution. 
 WHEREAS thou L. R. for thy feandalous fin, and obftinate impe- 
 nitence, haft been caft out ef the communion of the church ; and haft 
 BOW raanifefted thy repentance, to the fatisfaftion of the church — In 
 the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and before this congregation, I 
 pronounce /^^^abfolved from the fentence of excommunication, formerly 
 denounced againft thee, and do receive thee into the communion ef 
 the church, and the free ufe of all the ordinances of Chrift, that thou 
 mayeftbe a partaker of his benefits to thy eternal falvation. 
 
 LL. Paftor; 
 
 with the confent of 
 the brethren. 
 
I^^II^