Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

puffed-up kingdom of this world and the devil will menury life *

, , , in the le»rntd.

set themselves against it, as raging dogs, but the smell of the lily will make 6 him faint ; and so now • we will speak as a child.

30. The 'minister (in a brotherly Christian 8 office) of the covenant and Testament of Christ, taketh water, and (upon the commandment of Christ in his covenant and Testament) sprinkleth

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[or poureth] it upon the head of the infant, in the name of the covenant, and in the name of the Holy Trinity, of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; this was the command of Christ, and therewith he hath set up his covenant with us, as it is a Testament which he afterwards confirmed with his death, and we must do it also, and not leave it undone ; it is not in the l liberty of a Christian's or free-will. . . ., . „ will to do it, or leave it undone ; but it he will be a Christian, he must do it, or else he contemneth his Testament, and will not come to him.

31. For the Testator standeth in the covenant, and saith, Come ; and whosoever doth not desire to come, goeth not in to him. Therefore it lieth not in our high knowledge, for he standeth in his covenant ; and the child that is newly born is as acceptable to him, as an old sinful man that repenteth and steppeth into his covenant. For it lay not in us that he became man, and received us into his love, but it lay in his love, in his

2 Barmhertz- 2 mercy ; for we knew nothing of him, nor did we igkctt, mercifulness. know whether we could be helped or no ; but he

3 Or into. alone chose us, and came to us out of grace, 3in our humanity, and took pity on us ; and so also the covenant of his promise was a covenant of grace, and not out of our foreknowing or merit. And therefore whosoever teacheth otherwise is in Babel, and confoundeth the covenant of Christ.

32. For Christ said also, Let little children come to me, for to such belongeth the kingdom of God.

Ch. 23] THE PRECIOUS TESTAMENTS OF CHRIST 649

Say not, What doth Baptism avail a child, which understandeth it not ? The matter lieth not in our understanding, we are altogether ignorant concerning the kingdom of God. If the child be a bud, grown in thy tree, and that thou standest in the covenant, wherefore bringest thou not also thy bud l into the covenant ? Thy faith is its * Or in. faith, and thy confidence towards God in the covenant is its confidence. It is indeed thy 2 essences, - o children -and generated from thy soul. And thou art to branches. know, according to its exceeding worth, if thou art a true Christian, in the covenant of Jesus Christ, that thy child also (in the kindling of its life) passeth into the covenant of Christ, and though it should die in the mother's womb, it would be found in the covenant of Christ. For the Deity standeth in the centre of the light of life ; and so now if the tree stand in the covenant, then the branch may well do so.

33. But thou must not omit baptism for all that ; for when the child is born into the world, then it is severed from its tree, and is in this world, and then itself must pass into the covenant, and thou must with thy faith present it, and with thy prayer give it to God, in his covenant ; there needeth no 3pomp about it, that doth dishonour 3 bravery,

. . . . sumptuousthe covenant ; ]t is an earnest thing. ness, or