THE

HISTORY

OF

INFANT BAPTISM:

IN TWO PARTS.

THE FIRST,

BEING

AN IMPARTIAL COLLECTION OF ALL PASSAGES
in the Writers of the Four First Centuries,

AS MAKE FOR OR AGAINST IT;

THE SECOND,

CONTAINING

SEVERAL THINGS TO ILLUSTRATE THE SAID HISTORY.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

A DEFENCE

OF

The History of Infant Baptism,

AGAINST THE REFLECTIONS OF MR. GALE AND OTHERS.

Br W. WALL,

VICAR OF SHOREHAM, IN KENT,

THE FOURTH EDITION;

WITH THE AUTHOR'S LAST CORRECTIONS.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON; J. NUNN; J. CUTHELĻ;
J. HATCHARD; OGLES, DUNCAN, AND COCHRAN; W. OTRIDGE;
R. PRIESTLEY; SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL; RODWELL

AND MARTIN; J. PARKER, OXFORD; AND
DEIGHTON AND SONS, CAMBRIDGE.

CONTENTS.

VOLUME II.

CHAPTER I. Some Passages cited; but not to the Purpose

II. Opinions of learned Men concerning ancient

Practice or Omission of Pædobaptism

III. Of those who are said to be born of Christian

Parents, and not baptized till of Man's Age

PAGE

1

10

Of Constantine and Constantius

Of Gratian and Valentinian the Second

Of St. Basil

Of St. Gregory Nazianzen

Of Nectarius

Of St. Chrysostom

Of St. Ambrose

Of St. Hierom

Of St. Austin

36

39

46

56

59

69

71

75

78

90

IV. Church of the Ancient Britons; the Nova-

tians, Donatists, who were thought Anti-

pædobaptists; Of the Arians

V. Of Heretics that denied Water-Baptism; of

others that baptized the Person several

Times; Dispute concerning rebaptizing;

of the Paulianists, &c.

-

Dispute among the Catholics whether Bap-

tism by Heretics be valid

The Nicene Fathers accused of Tritheism

104

The Mischief brought on the Credit of the

Christian Religion

VI. Opinions of the Antients concerning the Fu-

ture State of Infants, or those who die

unbaptized

Opinions in anno 500, 600, 1000, and 1200,

respecting unbaptized Infants

Argument of the Christian World with respect

to baptized Infants

CHAPTER VII. State of Infant Baptism to the Rise of Ger-

-

man Antipædobaptists; Of the Wal-

denses, and their Confessions

The Lives of the two first Antipa dobaptists

VIII. Present State of the Controversy. All Na-

tional Churches are Pædobaptists. Of the

Antipædobaptists in Germany, Holland,

England, &c.

No considerable Number of Antipædobaptists
in England till the Time of Cromwell

Opinion of the Antients concerning Hell, and
the State of Souls in it

The Papists affirm that Infant Baptism can-

not be proved from Scripture

IX. Of the most ancient Rites of Baptism

Doctrine of Transubstantiation

PAGE.

178

210

214

235

266

--

291

-

296

376

-

378

380

Argument of the Antipædobaptists against
the ancient Practices considered

X. Of the Evidence given on both Sides

XI. Dissuasive from Separation on Account of the

Difference of Opinion about the Age of re-

ceiving Baptism

-

-

An Error in Opinion not a Fundamental one

Difficulties on the Part of the Church of Eng-

land in receiving Antipædobaptists to Com-

munion considered

404

422

THE

HISTORY

OF

INFANT BAPTISM,

PART THE SECOND.

CHAPTER I.*

OF SOME OTHER PASSAGES WHICH ARE CITED,
AND PRETENDED TO BE TO THIS PURPOSE,
BUT ARE NOT.

THE passages produced in the First Part, are all that

I have met with in authors that wrote in the four first centuries; saving that in St. Austin's works there are, as I said, a great many more; but all to the same

purpose.

In some collections of this nature I have seen several other quotations, pretended to be out of the authors within the said term; -but they are either,

1. Out of such books as are now discovered to be forgeries of late years; or,

2. They are nothing to the purpose; or,

3. Wrested and altered by those that cite them to another sense than what they carry in the authors themselves; or,

4. Such wherein the author does not say that for

* The Rey. Mr. Wall, in the following part of his Work, has accommodated his dates to the Years after the Apostles, instead of fixing them to the Years of our Lord. The dates, therefore, which occur between crotchets are to be understood as years after the time of the Apostles; but where two dates are inserted, the first refers to the Year of Christ, and the second to the Year after the Apostles.

YOL. II,