all their Teachers had bere a meer Lay-Original, which began in the Time of the Rebellion against K. Charles the Firft.

Therefore, fince it is fo evident, fo demonstrably apparent, that your Teachers are but meer Laymen, having no Authority from God to minifter the Word and Sacraments, how can you expect to receive any real Spiritual Benefit from that Word, and Sacraments fo pretendedly ministered without any Authority or Warrant from God? If you fay, that you fee God bleffes their Ministry, by the Converfions wrought by their Ministrations, which is what I have beard from fome of you; confider I beseech you, that is no more than all Impostors may plead when they draw in a Number of Followers, and none more than Mahomet himself. Has not he converted, I should say perverted vaft Nations and Countries, are not his Followers ftri& in their Ways, and most upright in their Dealings, do they not lead virtuous Lives, according to bis Laws? Undoubtedly they do, to the Shame of many Chriftians. Yet fure we shall not give this grand Impostor the Name of a true Prophet, because his Preaching has wrought fuch Effects.

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Let me therefore entreat you to confider thefe Matters feriously, as things on which your Eternal Salvation depends: And do not take Pains to deceive your felves with vain Fancies and frivolous Arguments, nor venture your Eternal Salvation on so slight a Security as you would not venture the smallest Part of your Temporal Estates. I know that I am become your Enemy because I have told you the Truth: For I have never done any of you any other Injury. And if you will think this an Injury, I am forry for it: But however, I shall not forbear to pray for you in the Words of our Church. God give you in this World the Knowledge of his Truth, and in the World to come Life everlasting.

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MAT. xxviii. 19.

Go ye therefore, and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

HESE Words contain that Commiffion, which our Saviour, a little before his Afcenfion into Heaven, gave to his Disciples, in order to Authorize them to encrease and enlarge his Church, by the Solemn Admiffion of new Members into it, after a particular Form and Manner which he here prescribes to them. The Text itself is well known and remember'd by moft Perfons, but I am afraid is not fo well obferved, and understood as it ought to be. It is very frequent in the Mouths of a particular Sect of Men, who misunderstand and mifapply it, as if it plainly tended to make Infants uncapable of Baptifm. It is alfo, I am afraid, not fufficiently obferv'd by many, with relation to the Perfons, to whom this Commiffion is granted.

All Sects and Parties, except the Quakers, feem fenfible, that Baptifm is hereby made a perpetual Sacrament, or Divine Inftitution, ordained by Christ himself for the Admiffion of Members into his Church; but all do not seem fufficiently fenfible, who are the Perfons to whom this Authority is given, to admit Members into the Body of Christ, but are apt to think, if a Perfon is baptiz'd, it matters not

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by whom that Ordinance is administered; That altho' for Order fake, it may be most fit and proper to have it performed by fuch as are fet apart for Holy Functions and Ministrations; yet, if the Thing be done by any other Perfon, it is nevertheless valid, and that the Baptifm is good, and the Person who has receiv'd it from the Hands even of a meer Layman, is as good a Chriftian, and as much a Member of the Church, as he that has received it from a Prieft.

I shall therefore in the following Difcourse, endeavour to establish thefe Two Points,

First, That there is nothing in this Text, which tends to make Infants uncapable of, or unqualify'd for Baptifm, but the contrary: And

Secondly, That it is no indifferent Matter by whom any Perfon is baptiz'd, because Christ in thefe Words has plainly authoriz❜d a particular Order of Men, to perform this Office.

I. First then, There is nothing in this Text which tends to make Infants uncapable of, or unqualify'd for Baptifm, but the contrary. There is a well known Sect, which call themfelves Baptists, as if they were the only truly baptiz'd Chriftians, and that no others befides have any true Baptism amongst them: They love to call themfelves Baptized Believers, as if none but They, notwithstanding they are Believers, could claim the Grace and Be nefits of Baptifm. But let them affume what Name or Appellation they pleafe, and pride themselves with a vain Boaft, I am firmly perfuaded, and doubt not to prove it also, that they are neither true Believers, nor yet truly baptiz'd. This is the Sect which denies Baptifm to Infants, and pretends to prove from this Text, That fuch are neither qualify'd for, nor capable of Baptism. They tell us, That the Words are, Teach all Nations, baptizing them, therefore fay they, It is neceffary that all Per

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fons fhould be taught before they are baptiz'd, but In fants are unqualify'd for Teaching, and uncapable of it, confequently they are unqualify'd for, and uncapable of Baptifm. It is true, the Words in our English Bibles are, Teach all Nations, baptizing them: But the Holy Evangelift, who wrote by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghoft, did not write his Book in our Language, and therefore, if our Tranflators have not in this Place given us the true Sense of the Original, we ought not to build any Doctrine upon that, which they have plainly mifinterpreted. And therefore by the way, I must give you a Caution, that you be very careful that you be not led away into new Notions or Opinions, contrary to the receiv'd Doctrine of our Church, because you may be fhew'd fome particular Text of Scripture, which as it lies in our common Bibles, may feem oppofite to it: But in all fuch Cafes have recourse to your Paftors, who understand the Original Language, and be firft fatisfy'd by them, that the Words are rightly and truly tranflated, and that you have a right Notion and Understanding of them: Our Tranflation, God be prais'd, is generally very good, and may for the most part be depended on, but not in all Cafes, and therefore when Scruples arise about any particular Paffage, it is neceffary to have Recourfe to the Original.

In the Text now under our Confideration,

There is clearly a Miftake in our Translation, and it should not be faid, Teach all Nations, but Dif ciple all Nations, baptizing them: That is, Gather Difciples out of all Nations by Baptism, or make † Dif- † Note, ciples or Chriftians of all Nations by baptizing them, That thefe Now a Difciple is a Learner, a Perfon put under the very Words Discipline and Inftruction of another, to be taught, Difciples directed, and guided by him, and fuch as He shall depute for that Purpose. Therefore, when our Sa- ftians] are viour gave his Apofties Commandment, To Difçiple the Margi

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or Chri

nal Read- all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, ing in our and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, He thereby moft Authentick plainly required of them, that they fhould make use English of the Ceremony of Baptifm, to admit Scholars of

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Learners into the School of Christ, and thereby to put them under the Difcipline, Inftruction, and Guidance, of the Three Perfons in the Bleffed Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, to he taught and directed by these Three Perfons and one God, and to be obedient to him in all Things, as Scholars or Learners to their Mafter. And being thus admitted into the School of Chrift, then they are to be inftructed and taught fuch Things, as are proper for them to obferve and do. For which Reafon our Lord adds, in the Words following the Text, another Precept for the Inftruction of those that are thus made Difciples, Teaching them, fays he, to obferve all Things whatfoever I bave commanded you.

Now a Child, an Infant, may be admitted under the Care, and Conduct of a Master, even from the Womb, if any Mafter will be fo kind as to take him into his Houfe or Family fo young. And this Chrift has fhew'd himself to be ready and willing to Mar, x. do: For we read in the Gofpel, That they brought young Children to him, that he should touch them, and bis Difciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jefus faw it, he was much difpleased, and said unto them, fuffer the little Children to come unto me, and forbid them not: For of fuch is the Kingdom of God. This is a very plain Evidence, that Chrift is willing to take Infants, or young Children into his own immediate Care and Protection, to have them dedicated to him, brought into his Houfe or Family the Church, which he ufually in the Gospel calls by the Name of the Kingdom of Heaven. Shall we fay then, that they are unqualified, or uncapable to be made his Difciples, when he has fo plainly told us,

That