Q.5. What doth the washing of the body with water reprefent and fignify?

A. The washing of the body with water in baptifm, doth represent and fignify the washing of the foul from fin by the blood of Jefus Chrift. Rev. i. 5. That loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood.'.

Q.6. In whofe name are perfons to be baptized?

A. Perfons are to be baptized in the name of the Fath er, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Matth. 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 Ghoft."

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

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

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

A. There is fignified, and fealed, and engaged on God's part, by our being baptized in his name, 1. His ingraft ing us into Chrift. 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 Jefus Christ, were baptized into his death.'

Q. 9. What is meant by our ingrafting into Chrift?

A. By our ingrafting into Chrift, is meant, our being cut off from our old ftock of nature, and being joined unto Jefus Chrift, 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 graffed in among them, and with them partakeft of the root and fatnefs of the olive-tree."

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

A. The benefits of the covenant of grace, which by baptifm we are made partakers of, are, 1. Admiffion into the vifible church. Matth. xxviii. 19. Go teach all nations

3. Re

baptizing them,' &c. 2. Remiffion of fins by Chrift's blood. Acts ii, 38. Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion of fins.' generation and fanctification by Chrift's Spirit. Titus i. 5. According to his mercy he faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft.' 4. Adoption, together with our union unto Chrift. Gal. iii. 26, 27. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Chrift Jefus: for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Chrift. 5. Refurrection to everlafting life. 1 Cor. xv. 29. If the dead rife not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead? Rom. vi. 4, 5. We are buried with him by baptifm into death, &c. If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be alfo in the likeness of his refurrection.' Q. 11. What is fealed and engaged on our part, by being. baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft?

A. By our being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Hoiy Ghoft, is fealed and engaged on our part that we will be the Lord's: and that, 1. Wholly; foul and body, with all our powers, faculties, members, are to be em ployed by himas inftruments of righteousness and new obe. dience. And, 2. Only the Lord's; and therefore we engage to renounce the fervice of the devil, and the flesh, and the world, and to fight under Chrift's banner against these enemies of the Lord, and of our fouls. Rom. vi. 4, II, 12, 13. 'We are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Chrift was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even fo we also should walk in newnefs of life. Reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto fin, but alive unto God. Let not fin therefore reign, that ye fhould obey it in the lufts thereof: Neither yield ye your members as inftruments of unrighteoufhefs unto in but yield yourselves unto God, as thofe that are alive from the dead; and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

:

that

XCV. Queft. To whom is baptifm to he adminiftered? Anfw. Baptifm is not to be administered to any are out of the vifible church, till they profefs their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of fuch as are members of the vifible church, are to be baptized

Q1 Is baptifm to be administered unto` all? ·

A. Baptifm is not to be adminiftered unto all, nor to any that are out of the vifible church, because they, being out of the covenant, have no right unto the feals of the covenant. Eph. ii. 12. At that time ye were without Chrift, being aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and ftrangers from the covenants of promife, having no hope

and without God in the world.'

2. May not heathens and infidels be baptized?

A. Heathens and infidels, which are without the church, while they continue imfidels, ought not to be bap tized; but if, upon the preaching of the gospel unto them, they repent and believe, and make profeffion of their faith and refolution of obedience, they are hereby virtually within the church, and then have a right to this ordinance of baptifm, and it ought not to be deni ed unto them. Mark xvi. 15, 16. And he faid, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel to every creature. He, that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved, &c.

Q3. May not infants be baptized ?*

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

Q.4. How do you prove that the infants of fuch as are vifia ble church members, may and ought to be baptized?

A. That the infants of fuch as are vifible church members, may and ought to be baptized, may be proved, because they are in covenant; and the promise of the cove nant belonging unto them, this feal of the covenant doth belong to them alfo. 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 feal: hence it was, that not only Abraham, but all his feed, while in their infancy, received the feal of circumcifion, because the promise of the covenant was made to both; and by the fame reason not only believing parents, but also their infants, are to receive the feal of baptifm, the promise being made to

both. Gen. xvii. 7. 10. 'I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee; to be a God unto thee, and to thy feed after thee. This is my covenant, which ye fhall keep between me and you, and thy feed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcifed.'

Q. 5. How do you prove, that because the infants of the Jews, under the law, had the promife and feal of the covenant of grace, namely, circumcifion, whereby they were admitted to be vifible church-members: therefore that the infants of Chrif tians, under the gospel, have the promise of the covenant of grace and ought to have the feal of baptifm, to admit them to be visible church-members. alfo ?

A. 1. That the infants of Chriftians 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 everlafting covenant, to be a God to thee, and to thy feed after thee; which covenant Chrift is the Mediator of, and it is renewed in the new teftament 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, befides the parity of reafon 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 vifible church-menibers, was never taken away under the gofpel, is evident: r. Because if this privilege were repealed, we would have fome notice of its repeal in the fcripture; but we have no notice or fignification of God's will to repeal this privilege throughout the whole book of God. 2. Because Chrift did not come to take away or ftraiten the privileges of the church, but to enlarge them; and who can upon fcripture-grounds imagine, that it was the will of Chrift, that the infants of the

Jewish church fhould be church-members, but the infants of the Chriftian church fhould be fhut out like. heathens and infidels? 3. Because the fcripture is exprefs, that the infants of Chriftians are holy. 1 Cor vii. 14. Elfe were your children unclean, but now are they holy.' As the Jews are called in fcripture a holy nation because by circumcifion they were made visible churchmembers; fo the infants of Chriftians, as well as themfelves, are called holy, that is, federally holy, as they are by baptism made visible church-members.

Q. 7. How doth it appear, that baptifm doth make members of the vifible church?

A. That baptifm doth make members of the visible church under the gofpel, is evident, because it is the fa crament. of initiation and admission into the church, by which our Savior gave his disciples commiffion to admit perfons into his church. Matth. xxviii. 19. 'Go and teach all nations, baptizing them,' &c. or make and admit difeiples, as the Greek word fignifieth, difciple them.

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

A. That which our Savior required of teaching, and an actual profeffion of faith, before baptifm, is to be underftood of the heathen nations, unto whom he fendeth his apostles to preach, who, without this, were not to be bap tized but there is not the fame reafon concerning the infants of fuch who are themselves members of the vifible church. 2. The infants of church-members being incapable of being taught, and making an actual profeffion of faith, doth no more exclude them the privilege of baptifm, than their being incapable of working, doth exclude them the liberty of eating, when the command is exprefs. 2 Theff. iii. 1o. If any work not, neither fhall he eat." Notwithstanding which command, infants being incapable of working, yet they may eat; and fo infants being incapable of profeffing their faith, may be baptized. 3. Infants, though they are incapable of being taught by men, and making an actual profeffion of their faith, yet