Q. 5. What doth the washing of the body with water represent and signify?

A. The washing of the body with water in baptism, doth represent and signify the washing of the soul from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. Rev. i. 5, That loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

Q. 6. In whose name are persons to be baptized? A. Persons are to be baptized in the name of the FaMatth. ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 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.

Q. 7. What is to be understood by the baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?

A. By baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is to be understood, not only a naming of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but a baptizing in the authority, and into the faith, profession, and obedience of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Q. 8. What is signified, sealed, and engaged on God's part, by our being baptized in his name?

A. There is signified, and sealed, and engaged on God's part, by our being baptized in his name, 1. His ingrafting us into Christ. 2. His making us partakers of the benefits of the new covenant. Rom. vi. 3, Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death?

Q.9. What is meant by our ingrafting into Christ? A. By our ingrafting into Christ, is meant, our being cut off from our old stock of nature, and being joined unto Jesus Christ, whereby we come to draw virtue from him as our root, that we may grow up in him, and bring forth fruit unto him. John xv. 5, I am the vine, ye are the branches. Rom. xi. 17, Thou, being a wild olivetree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive-tree.

Q. 10. What are the benefits of the covenant of grace, which by baptism we are made partakers of?

A. The benefits of the covenant of grace, which by

baptism we are made partakers of, are, 1. Admission into the visible church. Matth. xxviii. 19, Go teach all nations, baptizing them, &c. 2. Remission of sins by Christ's blood. Acts ii. 38, Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. 3. Regeneration and sanctification by Christ's Spirit. Titus iii. 5, According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. 4. Adoption, together with our union unto Christ. Gal. iii. 26, 27, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus: for as many of been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. 5. Resyou as have urrection to everlasting life. 1 Cor. xv. 29, If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead? Rom. vi. 4, 5, We are buried with him by baptism into death, &c. If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

Q. 11. What is sealed and engaged on our part, by being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?

A. By our being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is sealed and engaged on our part that we will be the Lord's; and that, 1. Wholly, soul and body, with all our powers, faculties, members, are to be employed by him as instruments of righteousness and new obedience. And 2. Only the Lord's; and therefore we engage to renounce the service of the devil, and the flesh, and the world, and to fight under Christ's banner` against these enemies of the Lord, and of our souls. Rom. vi. 4, 11, 12, 13, We are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God. Let not sin therefore reign, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are aliye from the dead; and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

up

from

Q. 95. To whom is baptism to be administered?

A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible church, are to be baptized. Q. 1. Is baptism to be administered unto all?

any

A. Baptism is not to be administered unto all, nor to that are out of the visible church, because they, being out of the covenant, have no right unto the seals of the covenant. Eph. ii. 12, At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

Q. 2. May not heathens and infidels be baptized?

A. Heathens and infidels, which are without the church, while they continue infidels, ought not to be baptized; but if, upon the preaching of the gospel unto them, they repent and believe, and make profession of their faith and resolution of obedience, they are hereby virtually within the church, and then have a right to this ordinance of baptism, and it ought not to be denied unto them. Mark xvi. 15, 16, And he said, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He, that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved, &c.

Q. 3. May not infants be baptized?

A. 1. No infants of heathens and infidels, while such, may be baptized, because both parents and children are out of the covenant. 2. The infants of Christians and believing parents, being visible church-members, nay and ought to be baptized.

Q. 4. How do you prove that the infants of such as are visible church members, may and ought to be baptized? A. That the infants of such as are visible church members, may and ought to be baptized, may be proved, because they are in covenant; and the promise of the covenant belonging unto them, this seal of the covenant doth belong to them also. Acts ii. 39, The promise is to you, and to your children. It is upon account of the promise of the covenant that any have the seal: hence it was, that

not only Abraham, but all his seed, while in their infancy, received the seal of circumcision, because the prom ise of the covenant was made to both; and by the same reason not only believing parents, but also their infants, are to receive the seal of baptism, the promise being made to both. Gen. xvii. 7, 10, I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee; to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Q. 5. How do yoù prove, that because the infants of the Jews, under the law, had the promise and seal of the covenant of grace, namely, circumcision, whereby they were admitted to be visible church-members: therefore that the infants of Christians, under the gospel, have the promise of the covenant of grace, and ought to have the seal of baptism, to admit them to be visible church-members also?

A. 1. That the infants of Christians have the promise of the covenant of grace made with Abraham, is evident, because that covenant was an everlasting covenant; Gen. xvii. 7, I will establish my covenant for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee; which covenant Christ is the Mediator of, and it is renewed in the new testament with all believers, and that as fully as under the law; and, therefore, if the infants under the law were included, the infants under the gospel are included too. 2. That the privilege of infants, (being made church-members) under the law, doth belong to the infants of Christians under the gospel, besides the parity of reason for it, and equality of right unto it, is evident, because this privilege was never repealed and taken away under the gospel.

Q. 6. How do you prove, that the privilege of infants being made visible church-members under the gospel, was never taken away?

A. That the privilege of infants being made visible church-members, was never taken away under the gos pel, is evident: 1. Because if this privilege were repealed, we would have some notice of its repeal in the scrip

ture; but we have no notice or signification of God's will to repeal this privilege throughout the whole book of God. 2. Because Christ did not come to take away or straiten the privileges of the church, but to enlarge them; and who can upon scripture-grounds imagine, that it was the will of Christ, that the infants of the Jewish church should be church-members, but the infants of the Christian church should be shut out like heathens and infidels? 3. Because the scripture is express, that the infants of Christians are holy. 1 Cor. vii. 14, Else were your children unclean, but now are they holy. As the Jews are called in scripture a holy nation because by circumcision they were made visible church-members; so the infants of Christians, as well as themselves, are called holy, that is, federally holy, as they are by baptism made visible church-members.

Q. 7. How doth it appear, that baptism doth make members of the visible church?

A. That baptism doth make members of the visible church under the gospel, is evident, because it is the sacrament of initiation and admission into the church, by which our Saviour gave his disciples commission to admit persons into his church. Matth. xxviii. 19, Go and teach all nations, baptizing them, &c. or make and admit disciples, as the Greek word signifieth, disciple them.

Q. 8. But doth not Christ first require, that people should be taught and believe, at least make a profession of their faith, before they be baptized; and, therefore, all infants being incapable of being taught, and making profession of their faith, are they not hereby excluded from the privilege of baptism?

A. That which our Saviour required of teaching, and an actual profession of faith, before baptism, is to be understood of the heathen nations, unto whom he sendeth his apostles to preach, who, without this, were not to be baptized but there is not the same reason concerning the infants of such who are themselves members of the visible church. 2. The infants of the church-members being incapable of being taught, and making an actual profession of faith, doth no more exclude them the privilege of baptism, than their being incapable of working,