pened in him, because he was endued with these three good qualities: "1. The fear of God and reverence for his word; so that it was by occasion of that zeal for truth that he fell into this way. "2. Judgment and good sense; so that he quickly perceived the force of an argument. "3. Modesty and a meek temper, which caused that when he had heard and comprehended the truth, he did not obstinately withstand it."To which I shall here add an Advice of Bishop Stillingfleet to his Clergy, whose Sayings and Advices all people love to hear.' Where the sense of Scripture appears doubtful, and disputes have been raised about it, inquire into the sense of the Christian Church in the first ages, as the best interpreter of Scripture; as Whether ? &c.; and, Whether baptism were not administered to infants? &c. * Duties and Rights of the Parochial Clergy, p. 118. INTRODUCTION. THE meaning and full import of a rule, given in any old book for the doing of any thing, is not so well apprehended by us, unless we understand the history of that nation and of that time in which the said rule was given; and this holds especially for such rules as are expressed in very short and general words; for it is common for a rule or law to be so worded, as that one may perceive that the lawgiver has supposed or taken for granted, that the people to whom it was given did already know and understand some things which were previous to the apprehending of his meaning; so that it was needless to express them; but though these things were ordinarily known to the people of that time and place, - yet we that live at so great a distance of time do not know them, without an enquiry made into the history of the state of that time, as to those things which the law speaks of; and, consequently, without such inquiry the law or rule that was plain to them, will, in many particulars, be obscure to us; so, for example, many of the Grecian and Roman laws, whereof we have copies yet extant, would not be well understood by us, unless they were explained to us by such as have skill in the history of the state of affairs in those empires; and so many passages in the books of the New Testament of our Saviour Christ are not rightly apprehended, without having recourse to the books of the Old Testament, and other books wherein the customs of the Jewish nation are set forth, for understanding the state of religion among that people at that time when our Saviour gave his rules. Another thing that does much help us in understanding the meaning of any such old law that is given in such short words, is, to observe and learn how the men that lived in or so near that time, that the meaning of the lawgiver must easily be known by them, did practise it; for in what particulars soever we may doubt how, or in what manner it is to be executed, their actions and declarations do serve as precedents to us upon the said law; and this holds especially in such laws as have been in continual use from the time of their enacting to this time. Now, our Saviour's law concerning baptizing all nations, is, as I shewed in the Preface, set down in Scripture in very short and general words; and many people of later times have doubted whether it is to be understood to reach to the baptizing of infants, or only of adult persons. All that have any such doubt, ought to have recourse to the two several helps for understanding the said law, which I have here proposed. I mean, they ought to learn as well as they can, what was the state of the Jewish religion as to Baptism, at and before that time when our Saviour gave his order for baptizing all the nations; and what we must suppose the apostles did of themselves already know concerning its being proper or improper for infants, which it might not be so needful for our Saviour to express in his new direction to them; - and also they ought to learn as well as they can, how the first Christians did practise in this matter; whether they baptized their infants or not. It is the latter of these two things that I have taken upon me as my task to shew; viz. how the primitive Christians did practise; and this I do by giving you their own words, without omitting any that I know of for the first 400 years after Christ. But yet some knowledge of the other point also (viz. how the Jews, in and before our Saviour's time, did use to act, in reference to the baptizing of infants) is so very necessary to a right understanding of the words both of our Saviour and his apostles, and also of the primitive Christians; and he that knows nothing of it, is so incompetent a judge of the force of their sayings, that I |