Marginalia1555. Decemb.And what may be sayd more plainer then this: It is not þ^e will of þ^e heauēly father, that þ^e Infantes should perish? Whereby we may gather that hee receyueth them freely vnto this grace, although as yet they confesse not theyr faith. Since then that the word of the promise which is contained in Baptisme, pertaineth as well to children as to mē, why should the signe of the promise which is baptisme in water, bee withdrawen from Children, when CHRIST him selfe commaundeth them to bee receiued of vs, and promiseth the reward of a Prophet to those that receiue such a lytle InfantMarginaliaMath. 28. as he for an example dyd put before hys Disciples.

MarginaliaArgumēts prouing the baptisme of children to be of God and that the Apostles baptise children.Now will I proue wyth manifest argumentes that children ought to bee baptised, and that the Apostles of CHRIST did baptise children. The Lorde commaunded his Apostels to baptise all nations: therefore also Children ought to be baptised, for they are comprehended vnder this word all nations.

Further, whom God doth accompt among the faythfull, they are faythfull, for it was sayd to Peter, MarginaliaAct. 10.that thyng which God hath purified, thou shalt not say to be cōmō or vncleane: But God doth repute Childrē among the faythful: Ergo they be faithfull, except we had leaue to resist God, and seeme stronger and wyser then he.

MarginaliaAnother argument.And wythout all doubt the Apostles baptised those which CHRIST commaunded: But he commaunded the faithfull to bee baptised, among the which Infantes bee reckoned: The Apostles then baptised Infants.

The Gospel is more then Baptisme, for Paul said: Marginalia1. Cor. 1. An other argument.The Lord sent me to preach the Gospell, and not to baptise: not that he denyed absolutely that he was sent to baptise, but that he preferred doctrine before Baptisme, for the Lord commaunded both to þ^e Apostles: But Childrē be receiued by þ^e doctrine of the Gospel of God, & not refused: Therfore what person being of reason, may deny them Baptisme, which is a thing lesser then the Gospell? MarginaliaIn sacramentes 2. thinges to be considered.For in the Sacramentes be two thinges to be considered, the thyng signified and the signe, and the thing signified is greater then the signe, and from the thing signified in Baptisme Children are not excluded: who therefore may deny them the signe, which is Baptisme in water? MarginaliaAct. 10.

MarginaliaAn other reason.S. Peter could not deny them to bee baptised in water to whom he saw the holy Ghost geuen, which is the certaine signe of Gods people: for he sayth in the Actes: May any body forbyd them to be baptised in water, who haue receaued the holy Ghost as well as we? Therefore S. Peter denied not Baptisme to Infants, for he knew certainly both by the doctrine of CHRIST, and by the couenaunt which is euerlasting, that þ^e kyngdom of heauē pertained to Infants:

MarginaliaAnother reason.None be receiued into the kingdome of heauen but such as God loueth, and which are endued wyth hys spirite, for who so hath not the spirite of God, he is none of his: MarginaliaRom. 8.But Infants be beloued of God, and therefore want not the spirite of God: wherefore if they haue the spirite of God as well as men, if they be numbred amōg the people of God, as well as we that be of age, who (I pray you) may well withstād childrē to be baptised wyth water in the name of the Lord?

MarginaliaAnother reason.The Apostels in times past being yet nt sufficiently instructed, dyd murmure agaynst those which brought theyr Children vnto þ^e Lord, but the Lord rebuked thē & sayd: Let the Babes come vnto me.MarginaliaMat. 10. Why then doe not these rebellious Anabaptistes obey the commaundemēt of the Lord? For what do they now a daies els that bring their Children to Baptisme, then that they did in tymes past which brought theyr children to the Lord, and our Lorde receiued them, and putting his handes on them, blessed them, & both by wordes & by gentle behauiour towards them, declared manifestly that Children be the people of God, and intierly beloued of God. MarginaliaObiection.But some wyll say, why then did not CHRIST baptise thē? Because it is written: IESVS himselfe baptised not but his disciples. MarginaliaIohn. 4.

MarginaliaAnother reason.Moreouer, Circumcision in the olde lawe was ministred to Infants: therefore Baptisme ought to bee ministred in the newe lawe vnto Children. For Baptisme is come in the steede of Circumcision, as S. Paule witnesseth saying to the Collossians: MarginaliaColoss. 2.By CHRIST ye are circumcised wyth a circumcision which is wythout hands, when ye put of the body of sinne of the flesh, by the circumcision of CHRIST, being buryed together wyth hym through Baptisme. Behold, Paule calleth Baptisme the Circūcision of a Christian man, which is done without handes, not that water may bee ministred without handes, but that with handes no man any longer ought to be circumcised, albeit þ^e mystery of Circumcision do still remaine in faithfull people.

MarginaliaAn other reason.To this I may adde that the seruantes of God were alwaies ready to minister the Sacraments to them, for

whom they were instituted. As for an example, we may behold Iosue,MarginaliaIosua. 5. who most diligently procured the people of Israell to be circumcised before they entred into the land of promise: but since the Apostels were the Preachers of the worde and the very faithfull Seruantes of IESVS CHRIST, who may here after doubt that they baptised Infants, sithen Baptisme is in place of Circumcision?

MarginaliaAn other reason.Item the Apostles did attemperate all their doinges to the shadowes and figures of the old Testament: therfore it is certain that they did attemperate Baptisme accordinly to Circumcision, and baptised Children, because they were vnder the figure of Baptisme: for the people of Israell passed through the read sea and the bottome of the water of Iordane with their Childrē. And although the Children be not alwaies expressed, neither the women in the holy scriptures, yet they are comprehended & vnderstand in the same.

MarginaliaAn other reason.Also the Scripture euidently telleth vs that the Apostles baptised whole families or householdes: But the Children be comprehended in a family or a household, as the chiefest and dearest part thereof: Therefore we may conclude, that the Apostels did baptise Infants or Children, and not onely men of lawfull age. And that the house or househould is taken for man, womā & Childe, it is manifest in the. xvij. of Genesis, and also in that Ioseph doth call Iacob with all his house to come out of the land of Chanaan into Egipt.

MarginaliaArgumentes of example, and antiquitie.Finally, I can declare out of aūcient writers, that the baptisme of Infants hath continued from the Apostles tyme vnto ours, neither that it was instituted by any Councels, neither of the Pope, or of other men, but commended from the scripture by the Apostles them selues. OrigenMarginaliaOrigen who was 200. yeares after Christ. vpon the declaration of S. Paules Epistles to the Romaines, expounding the sixt chapter, sayth: That the Church of CHRIST receaued the baptisme of Infantes from the very Apostles. S. HieromeMarginaliaS. Austen & S. Ierome 400. after Christ. maketh mention of the Baptisme of Infants in the third booke against the Pelagians, and in his Epistle vnto Leta. S. Austen reciteth for this purpose a place out of Iohn bishop of ConstantinopleMarginaliaVerba Iohannis Constātinopol.διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τα παιδία βαπτίζομεν και τὰ ἁμαρτήματα οὐκ ἔχοντα. in hys first booke against Iulian. cap. 2. and he againe writing to S. Hierom, epist. 28. saith: That Cyprian not making any newe decree, but firmly obseruing the faith of the church, iudged wyth his fellow byshops that as soone as one was borne, he might be lawfully baptised. The place of CyprianMarginaliaCyprian 250. after Christ. is to be seene in his Epistle to Fidus.

MarginaliaAugust. contra donatistas.Also S. Austine writing against the Donatistes in the. 4. booke, cap. 23. and 24. saith that the baptisme of Infantes was not deriued frō þ^e authority of mē, neither of Councels, but from the tradition or doctrine of the Apostles.

MarginaliaCyrillus.Cyrill vpon Leuiticus, cap. 8. approueth the baptisme of Children, and condemneth the iteration of Baptisme. These authorities of men I do alledge, not to tie the baptisme of Childrē vnto þ^e testimonies of mē, but to shew how mens testimonies do agree with Gods word, and that the veritie of antiquitie is on our side, and that the Anabaptistes haue nothing but lyes for them, and newe imaginations which fayne the baptisme of children to be the Popes commaundement.

After this will I answer to þ^e sūme of your argumēts for the contrary. The first which includeth all the rest, is, It is written: Go ye into all the world, and preach the glad tidinges to all creatures. He that beleueth and is baptised, shall be saued: but he that beleueth not, shall be damned. &c.

To this I aunswere that nothyng is added to Gods worde by the Baptisme of children as you pretend, but that is done which the same worde doth require, for that children are accounted of CHRIST in the Gospell among the nomber of such as do beleue, as it appeareth by these wordes: MarginaliaMath. 18.He that offendeth one of these litle babes which beleue in me, it were better for hym to haue a mylstone tyed about hys necke & to be cast into the bottom of the Sea. Where plainly CHRIST calleth such as be not able to cōfesse their faith, beleuers: because of his mere grace he reputeth them for beleuers. And this is no wonder so to be taken, sithen God imputeth fayth for righteousnes vnto men that be of a ryper age: MarginaliaRighteousnes & acceptation, is only by imputation, and mere grace.for both in men and children righteousnes, acceptation, or sāctification, is of mere grace and by imputation, that the glory of Gods grace might be praysed.

And that the children of faithfull parentes are sanctified, and among such as do beleue, is apparent in the 1. Cor. 7.Marginalia1. Cor. 7. And where as you do gather by the order of the wordes in the sayd commaūdement of CHRIST, that children ought to be taught before they be Baptised, and to this end you alledge many places out of the Actes prouyng that such as confessed their faith first, were Baptised after: I aunswere that if the order of wordes might