welfare of all his fubjects. And let him not think that he bears the fword in vain, unless he employs it in the cause of God and religion. It was not put into his hands for this ufe, nor can it be applied to this pur pose with any good effect. It was given him. for quite other ends, and he will find work enough for it in deciding civil controverfies, without meddling with those of a religious nature; in executing judgment and justice letween one man and another; in breaking the jaws of the wicked, and plucking the spoil out of his teeth; in checking and controuling the arrogant and ungovernable, in preventing or punishing all fraud and injuftice, violence and oppreffion, and in fuppreffing faction and tumult, fedition and rebellion. I fay, thefe and fuch like particulars will afford the magistrate fufficient exercise for his fword, without turning the edge of it against false doctrine, herefy, and fchifm. ; And if civil magiftrates, and minifters of the gospel, would thus contain themselves within their own bounds, there would be the most exact harmony and agreement between them and we might hope to fee the prophet's prediction fulfilled, concerning the happy state of * Letter concerning toleration, toward the end. ↑ Job xxix. 17. M 2 the the church or kingdom of Chrift; * when the wolf fhall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard fhall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child fhall lead them. When the cow and the bear fhall feed, their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion fhall eat fraw like the ox. When the fucking child shall play on the hole of the afp, and the waned child fhall put his hand on the cockatrice den. When thy fhall not hurt nor defroy in all God's holy mountain. Then would mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace would kifs each other. Which God of his infinite mercy grant, &c. * Ifa. xi. 6, 7, 8, 9. + Pfal. lxxxv. 10. A N ENQUIRY INTO THE CONSEQUENCES O F Suppofing that BAPTISM makes INFANTS, dying in Infancy, Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven; or is of any Advantage to them in the World to come. WHEREIN Is clearly demonftrated, that fuch a Doctrine did not, nor ever can, proceed from a Merciful and All-wife Being; and therefore not from GoD, &c. By a Member of the Church of CHRIST. The foul that finneth it shall die; the fon fhall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither fhall the father bear the iniquity of the fun, Ifa. xviii. 20. First printed in the Year 1733. The Pillars of PRIESTCRAFT, &c. 247 TO THE REA DE R. T is the cuffom of moft perfons, when they profefs to prove the principles or practice of others erroneous, to use more words in exclaiming against them, than would exprefs the whole of what they have advanced, which might be called reafon or argument: but as I have always judged it better for fuch perfons to learn how their own paffions may be governed, than to attempt the correction of others miftakes, while they write with a temper quite reverfe to the charity and meckness of a true follower of Chrift; I have therefore, in the following enquiry, ufed no more, nor no other words, than what were necessary to give the reader a clear view of the arguments there used, and the matter enquired after; my dfign being to lead others into a true notion of their own opinions, and thereby, in a friendly manner, to convince them of their mistakes, and not to caft any uncharitable reflections upon them; and to this end, I defire every one to read the following lines with fincerity and calmness of fpirit, to confider that God views their hearts, and difcerns their fecret thoughts; and that |