Marginalia1555. December.do continually see in heauen my fathers face. And what may be said more plainer then this: It is not the wyl of the heauēly father, that the infants should perish? wherby we may gather that he receiueth them freely vnto this grace, although as yet they confesse not their faith. Since then that the worde of the promise which is conteyned in Baptisme, perteyneth as well to chyldren as to men, why shoulde the signe of the promise which is Baptisme in water, be withdrawen from children, when Christ him selfe commaundeth them to be receyued of vs, and promiseth the rewarde of a Prophete to those that receyue such a litle infant, MarginaliaMath. 28.as he for an example dyd put before his Disciples.

MarginaliaArgumentes prouing the baptisme of childrē to be of God and that the Apostles baptise children.Nowe wyll I proue with manifest argumentes, that chyldren ought to be baptised, & that the Apostles of Christe dyd baptise chyldren. The Lorde commaunded his Apostles to baptise all nations: therefore also children ought to be baptised for they are comprehended vnder this woorde, All nations.

Further, whom God doth account among the faithful, they are faithful, for it was said to Peter, That thing which God hath purified, thou shalt not say to be common or vncleane:MarginaliaActes 10. But God doth repute children among the faithful: Ergo they be faythful, except we had leaue to resist God, & seeme stronger and wiser then he.

MarginaliaAn other argument.And without al doubt the apostles baptised those which Christ commaunded: But he commaunded the faithful to be baptised, among the whiche infantes be reckened: The Apostles then baptised infantes.

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

MarginaliaActes. 20.S. Peter could not deny thē to be baptised in water, to whom he saw the holy Ghost geuen, which is the certayne signe of Gods people: for he saith in the Actes: May any body forbid them to be baptised in water, who haue receiued the holy Ghost as wel as we?MarginaliaAn other reason. Therefore S. Peter denyed not Baptisme to Infantes, for he knew certainely both by the doctrine of Christe, and by the couenant which is euerlasting, that the kingdom of heauen perteyned to infantes.

MarginaliaAn other reason.None be receyued into the kyngdome of heauen, but suche as God loueth, and whiche are endued with his spirite, MarginaliaRom. 8.for who so hath not the spirite of God, he is none of his: But Infantes be beloued of God, and therfore want not the spirite of God: wherefore if they haue the spirite of God as well as men, if they be numbred among the people of God, as well as we that be of age, who (I pray you) may well withstande children to be baptised with water in the name of the Lord?

MarginaliaAn other reason.The Apostles in tymes past beyng yet not sufficiently instructed, did murmure against those which brought their chyldren vnto the Lord, MarginaliaMat. 10.but the Lord rebuked them, & sayd: Let the Babes come vnto me. Why then doo not these rebellious Anabaptistes obey the commaundemente of the Lord? For what doo they nowe adayes els that bring their chyldren to Baptisme, then that they dyd in tymes paste, which brought their children to the Lord, and our Lord receyued them, and putting his handes on them, blessed them, and both by words and by gentle behaueour towards them declared manifestly that chyldren be the people of God, and entirely beloued of God. MarginaliaObiection.But some wyll say, why then dyd not Christe baptise them? Because it is written: Iesus hym selfe baptised not, but his disciples. MarginaliaIohn. 4.

Moreouer, Circumcision in the old law, was ministred to infantes: therfore Baptisme ought to be ministred in the new law vnto chyldren. MarginaliaAn other reason.For Baptisme is come in the steed of Circumcisiō, as S. Paul witnesseth, saying to the Collossians: MarginaliaColos. 2.By Christ ye are circumcised with a Circumcision which is without handes, when ye put of the body of sinne of the flesh, by the Circumcision of Christ, being buried together with hym through Baptisme. Behold, Paul calleth Baptisme the Circumcision of a Christian man, whiche is don without hands, not that water may be ministred without handes, but that with hands no man any longer ought to be circumcised, albeit the mysterie of Circumcision do stil remayne in faythful people.

MarginaliaAn other reason.To this I may adde, that the seruaunts of God were alwayes ready to minister the sacraments to them, for whō they were instituted. As for an example, we maye beholde Iosue, who moste diligently procured the people of Israell

MarginaliaIosua. 5.to be circumcised before they entred into the land of promise: but since the Apostles were the preachers of the word, and the very faythfull seruauntes of Iesus Christ, who maye hereafter doubt that they baptised infants, sithen Baptisme is in place of Circumcision?

MarginaliaAn other reason.Item, the Apostles dyd attemperate all their doynges to the shadowes & figures of the old Testament: therfore it is certayne that they dyd attemperate baptisme accordingly to Circumcision, & baptised chyldren, because they were vnder the figure of baptisme: for the people of Israel passed thorow the red sea, & the botome of the water of Iordane with their chyldren. And although the chyldren be not alwayes expressed, neyther the womē in the holy scriptures, yet they are comprehended and vnderstand in the same.

MarginaliaAn other reason.Also the Scripture euidently telleth vs, that the Apostles baptised whole families or housholdes: But the chyldren be comprehended in a familie or a householde, as the chiefest and dearest parte thereof: Therefore we maye conclude, that the Apostles dyd baptise Infantes or chyldren, and not onely men of lawfull age. And that the house or houshold is taken for man, woman, and chylde, it is manifest in the. xvij. of Genesis, and also in that Ioseph doth cal Iacob with al his house, to come out of the land of Chanaan, into Egypt.

MarginaliaArgumentes of example and Antiquitye.Finally, I can declare out of auncient writers, that the baptisme of infants hath continued from the Apostles tyme vnto ours, neither that it was instituted by any Councels, neyther of the Pope, or of other men, but commended from the scripture by the Apostles them selues. OrigenMarginaliaOrigen who was 200. yeares after Christ. vppon the declaration of S. Paules Epistles to the Romanes, expoundyng the sixt chapter, sayth: That the Churche of Christe receiued the baptisme of infantes from the very Apostles. S. HieromeMarginaliaS. Austen and S. Ierome 400. after Christ. maketh mention of the Baptisme of Infants in the thirde booke agaynst the Pelagians, and in his Epistle vnto Leta. S. Austen reciteth for this purpose a place out of Iohn Bishop of ConstantinopleMarginaliaVerba Iohannis Constantinopol.
διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τα παιδία βαπτίζομεν και τὰ ἁμαρτήματα οὐκ ἔχοντα.  

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John Bishop of Constantinople [Marginal note]

Foxe text Greek

??? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ?????????? ??? ?? ?????????? ??? ??????.

Foxe text translation

Not translated.

Translation (Wade 2003)

Because of this we also baptise the children and they do not have sins (?)

MarginaliaAugust. contra Donatistas.Also S. Austen writyng agaynst the Donatistes in the. 4. booke, ca. 23. and. 24. saith, that the baptisme of infantes was not deriued frō the authoritie of mē, neither of Councels, but from the tradition or doctrine of the Apostles.

MarginaliaCyrillus.Cyril vpon Leuiticus cap. 8. approueth the baptisme of chyldren, and cōdemneth the iteration of Baptisme. These authorities of men I doo alledge, not to tye the Baptisme of chyldren vnto the testimonies of men, but to shewe howe mens testimonies doo agree with Gods word, and that the veritie of antiquitie is on our side, & that the Anabaptistes haue nothyng but lyes for them, and newe imaginations which fayne the Baptisme of chyldren to be the Popes commaundement.

After this wyll I answeare to the summe of your arguments for the contrary. The first whiche includeth all the rest, is, It is written: Goe ye into al the worlde, and preach the glad tidinges to all creatures. He that beleueth and is baptised, shalbe saued: but he that beleueth not, shall be damned. &c.

To this I aunsweare, that nothyng is added to Gods word by the baptisme of chyldren as you pretende, but that is done which the same worde doth require, for that chyldren are accounted of Christ in the Gospel among the number 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 him to haue a mylstone tyed aboute his necke, and to be caste into the bottome of the sea. Where playnly Christe calleth suche as be not able to confesse their fayth, beleuers: because of his mere grace he reputeth them for beleuers. And this is no woonder so to be taken, sithen God imputeth fayth for righteousnes vnto men that be of a riper age: MarginaliaRighteousnes and acceptation, is onely by imputation and mere grace.for both in men & chyldren righteousnes, acceptation, or sanctification is of mere grace and by imputation, that the glory of Gods grace might be praysed.

And that the children of faythful parents are sanctified, & among such as do beleue, is apparent in the 1. Cor. 7.Marginalia1. Cor. 7. And where as you doo gather by the order of the wordes in the sayd commaundement of Christ, that chyldren ought to be taught before they be baptised, & to this ende you allege many places out of the Actes prouyng that suche as confessed their fayth first, were baptised after: I answere, that if the order of wordes might weigh any thyng in this cause, we haue in the scripture that maketh as wel for vs. For in *Marginalia* Marke. 1. S. Marke we reade, that Iohn dyd baptise in the desert, preachyng baptisme of repentance. In the whiche place we see baptising go before, and preachyng to folow.