expects no fuch Services from the Infant, why are Sponfors called forth to pretend to perform them for him! And this when the Pretence is in every View ridiculous; because in things of Religion 'tis utterly abfurd for one Man to pretend to promife, to repent, to believe in the Name of another.

66

66

I

One principal Defign of the Baptifm of a Child, you own," is that fome SECURITY be given; fome folemn STIPULATION be made before the Church for its RELIGIOUS EDUCATION." Who then, pray, fo proper to give this Security, as the Perfon to whom its Education is committed? Whom Thould the Church bring under the Engagement of a folemn Vow or Covenant for this Purpofe? Strangers, who, perhaps, never faw the Child; or, who when the Ceremony is paft, will never fee it more! Or the Parents, in whofe Family it is to grow up, under whofe Eye it is to be form'd!

An explicit STIPULATION, in your Baptism of an Infant, you do not pretend there is any but what the Child (poor Babe) ITSELF makes; " but the "Sureties by ftanding there, and receiving a fo"lemn Charge concerning the religious Education "of the Child are juftly fuppos'd to accept it." But do you not know, Sir, that this is no Stipulation, neither explicit nor implicit. A Stipulation is a mutual Promife: But though the Sponfors ftand there, and bear the Admonition; no Anfwer, no Word, no Token is required of them by which to fignify their folemn Purpofe and Engagement to obey it. Accordingly, when they return home, they too generally with great Levity shake off the Charge again, and throw it over to the Parent †. And thus the Solemnity of the Inftitution dwindles into a mere trifling if not ludicrous Ceremony; and your boasted double Security ftill remains no real Security at all.

Dr. Nichols's Account of this apparently abfurd and myfterious Affair, to which I refer'd you, is to be fure far more defenfible, though quite contrary * II Def. p. 36. + Com. to the Temp. p. 612.

to

to yours, viz. "Baptifatrum fidem religiofè in fe recipiebant, eos fincerè omnia in Evangelio reve"lata credere, & fubfequentes vitæ actiones juxta "Chrifti normam directuros effe * That the

Sureties religiously ENGAGED for the Faith of the Baptifed, that they should fincerely believe all that was revealed in the Gospel, and direct the fubfequent Actions of their Lives by the Law of Christ. This you call My Tranflation; and tax me before the World for having WRONG TRANSLATED it to ferve my Purpofe." It will give you, furely, fome Confufion and Pain to be told that this is not mine, but is the Doctor's OWN Tranflation, or that of his learned Friend who published his Defence, &c. And I appeal to the Public, whether the Doctor's or Yours be the proper Rendering of the Words. Is Recipere in fe fidem baptifatorum,To make a folemn Declaration and Profeffion touching the Faith of the Baptifed

-? Befides, the Doctor was too wife a Perfon to reprefent the Sureties, as you would have him, as making a folemn Declaration that the Infant DID fincerely believe all that is revealed in the Gospel,

-be

cause this he well knew was what no wife or honeft Man could poffibly declare concerning any Infant upon Earth. He knew it abfurd to affirm,That the Infant DID BELIEVE at all; much more to affirm that it fincerely believed; but more even yet, that it fincerely believed ALL that is revealed in the Gospel. -Which ever way you view it then, 'tis all mysterious and recondite: And this Business of the Sureties and their Answers at the Font, after all your Pains to clear it up, is ftill covered with extremely dark and impenetrable Clouds, which till fome Light fhall arife one may venture to prophefy will never be difpell'd: It turns the Ceremony of your Baptifm into little elfe than a folemn Trifle; and furnishes to Unbelievers Matter of everlafting Contempt and Ridicule.

*Nich Def. Part II. p. 273.

II Def. p. 26.

SECT.

A

SECT V.

Of CONFIRMATION.

S to the Ceremony of Confirmation, you are still fo wife as not to affert any Scriptural or apoftolic Authority for its Practice. But yet afk,"If both the ordinary and extraordinary Gifts of the "Spirit were communicated by the Apoftles by

Impofition of Hands, why may we not expect that "the ordinary ones will be ftill communicated by "the fame Adminiftration? And why fhould we "not continue that Administration in the Church "in Hope and Expectation of them?" By thefe ordinary Gifts, as you fully explain yourself, you mean, what are ufually called, the GRACES of the Spirit, even the Spirit of Love and of a SOUND MIND. For you add, "If this Spirit of Love and "of a found Mind was given to Timothy by Impo"fition of Hands in his Ordination; why may it

not be done by the fame Ceremony in Confirma“tion?" I am forry there is a Protestant Divine in this Kingdom capable of afking fuch a Question as this. For, 1. This Spirit of Love and of a found MIND, ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμό, which you encourage us to expect from the laying on of the Bishop's Hands, is one of the fublimeft GIFTS conferr'd upon the human Race by the Gospel of CHRIST. A GIFT which far excells an Ability to fpeak with Tongues, a Faith that can remove Mountains, a Power to caft out Devils, to heal all manner of Diseases, or even to raise the Dead.-The Spirit of Love and of a SOUND MIND far excells them all; and yet this it feems we may now expect by the laying on of the Bishop's Hands! Bleffed Epifco

*II Def. p. 38.

pacy

pacy indeed, if it carries with it fuch Gifts! But how foolish and wild the Claim, if neither Scripture nor Reafon lend it the leaft Support! For,

2. Because this GIFT was conferr❜d on Timothy at his Ordination by the laying on of the APOSTLES Hands; does it follow, that the fame Gifts may be expected in Confirmation from the Hands of our prefent Bishops? Is there Power in their Lordships Fingers to convey fo divine a Bleffing to the Head on which they reft? You should know, Sir, that the learned Prelates of this Church abbor the prefumptuous Claim They pretend to no fuch Power. Why then will you officiously prefume to claim it for them? And why amuse the World, and give Infidels room to fcoff by the use of a folemn Ceremony for the conferring these Gifts, which no mortal Man hath now Power to bestow? The Age is critical and difcerning. For the Honour of the Chriftian Name therefore, and the Dignity of Chriftian Bishops, all Claims not clearly founded on Scripture or Reafon, and all Offices and Rites not evidently fupported by them, fhould at least be filently dropt.

The only Rite, after Baptifm, which I find either instituted or practifed by CHRIST and his Apoftles, to make a public Recognition of our baptifmal Engagements in the Face of a Chriftian Congrega"tion," is the celebrating the Lord's Supper. By this Chriftians are openly to profefs themselves the Subjects and Followers of Jesus CHRIST; to recognize their baptifmal Covenant; to fhew forth that Death by which he purchas'd them to himself; and in the most public and folemn manner to lay themfelves under fresh and moft facred Obligations to live obedient to his Laws.Here then are all the Ends which can rationally be propos'd in the ufe of Confirmation, a human Invention, more effectually and better answer'd in that of the Lord's Supper, an undoubted Inftitution and Command of JESUS CHRIST. With the Emblems of their Saviour's Bo

dy

dy and Blood in their Hands, the Recognition they HERE make of their Engagements to an holy Life is vastly more folemn, the Motives to Obedience more powerful and conftraining, and they are CERTIFIED of GOD's Favour and gracious Goodness to them by a TOKEN incomparably more important than the laying on of the Bishop's Hands.-If you afk, "What is this to thofe who dare not offer "themselves to the Sacrament*?" I answer, fuch have equal reafon not to offer themselves to Confirmation; the fame Faith and Sincerity which are requifite to render a Perfon a proper Subject of the one, make him alfo a worthy Communicant in the other.

That this Ceremony of Confirmation is no Part of genuine and primitive CHRISTIANITY, there are few, I fuppofe none, of our learned Bifhops and Divines, but perfectly know. Tertullian is the most antient Author in which Mention of it is found: But by his Time, 'tis well known, a great Variety of Superftitions and ridiculous and foolish Rites were brought into the Church. And you are also, I prefume, not ignorant that Confirmation was then always perform'd (not as it is with us, but) IMMEDIATELY after Baptifm. A due Regard to this will lead you to the true Meaning of that Expreffion in your Office, which you are fo embarrass'd in clearing up; where the Bifhop declares to GOD, That he hath vouchsafed to regenerate thefe his Servants by Water and the Holy Ghost, and to give them the Forgiveness of all their Sins. An Expreffion taken, probably, from fome antient Liturgy; and which was fuitable and well adapted to the Practice of those Times, but is utterly incongruous and unfuitable to

ours.

For then, as Dr. Cave obferves †, "Though In"fants were undoubtedly taken into the Church by

II Def. p. 39.

I

Prim, Chrif, Part I. p. 194, 208.

"Bap