This is why we give no quarter to modern ana-Baptists and would refuse such from attendance at the LORD's Table. This is said to include, but not limited to: Billy Graham, John Piper, Mark Dever, John MacArthur, Steve Lawson, Al Mohler, Scot McKnight, Mark Driscoll, C.J. Mahaney and all his 100 Pastors, Southern Baptist Pastors, all Charismatics and Pentecostals. Why do we not coddle rebellious Ana-Baptists? Because we are Protestant, Reformed, Confessional and Anglican Churchmen. It's that simple. Weak Anglicans, like John Stott, would disagree, but John died and infants and children will be in heaven. Weak Presbyterians, like Ligon Duncan and R.C. Sproul, Sr., would disagree too. Death faces us all. Let us speak truth, irrespective of voices, concerns for responses or income streams.
A quote from Ursinus below, a co-author of the Heidelberg Catechism, a catechism worthy of memorization by youth (if an adult, get on it). A hat tip to Andy Underhile. Thanks Andy.
"Wherefore, the Anabaptists, denying Baptism to infants born in the Church, not only spoil them of their right; but also obscure the grace of God, who wills that the seed of the faithful should from their birthday, yea, and from their mother's womb, be reckoned for members of the Church: yea further, they derogate manifestly from the grace offered in the new covenant, and scantly it less than the grace of the old covenant, seeing they deny that Baptism is now extended unto those infants, to whom circumcision was extended: They weaken the comfort of the Church and faithful Parents: they cancel the solemn bond, whereby God will have the seed of his people from their first infancy bound unto him, and discerned and severed from the rest of this world: they impair and make faint, in Parents and children, the study of thankfulness, and keeping their bond: they impudently contradict the Apostles, affirming that they cannot be forbidden water, who are endowed with the holy Ghost: they saucily restrain and keep back the infants from Christ, who biddeth them to be brought unto him. Lastly, they profanely detract from Christ's general precept of baptising all. All which absurdities manifestly prove, that the impugnation of infants' Baptism, whereon they are consequent, is no light errour, but an impious, profane heresy, contrary to God's word and the comfort of the Church. Wherefore this, and the like follies of the Anabaptists' sect, is with the more circumspection and wariness to be avoided, which doubtless have been inspired by the devil, and is an execrable monster, composed and made of divers heresies and blasphemies."
Zachary Ursinus, The Summe of Christian Religion
Theoretically this sounds unassailable. Do you also not coddle Reformed and Presbyterians who deny that infants are sacramentally united to Christ in their baptisms with all that implies? What would a non rebellious Ana-Baptist look like? But in the real world would you actually refuse to fellowship with Christ's servants at the Table-- sinners and ignorant though they be? Why does God allow people to live in ignorance except that it serves His purposes now and in the age to come?
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