Irenaius (about A.D. 125-190), a disciple of P0I3'- carp, who was a disciple of the apostle John, in his Adversus Ilcereses, lib. ii, 22, 4, says: "Omnes enim venit per semet ipsum salvare ; omnes, inquam, qui per eum renascuntiir in Deum, infantes, et parvulos, et pueros, et juvenes, et seniores" (For he came to save all by himself; all, I say, who through him are born again unto God — infants, and little children, and boj-s, and old men). The testimony of Irenteus depends upon the meaning of renascuntur in Deum. Pa;dobap- tist writers affirm that he includes baptism in the meaning as a part of the means by which thej' are bom again ; for not only with Irenreus, but with Jus- tin Martyr and others of the fathers, baptism is con- nected with regeneration as having some mystical, magical, or spiritual agencj' in effecting it. It is the beginning of baptismal regeneration, resulting from their interpretation of John iii, 5, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit," and Tit. iii, 5, "the washing of regeneration." So inseparably associated with regeneration had baptism become, that the word regeneration almost always included it. Regenera- tion had come to mean commonly that change which takes place in and through baptism. In proof of bap- tism being alluded to in the passage quoted, reference is made to another, Adv. Ila-r. iii, 17, 1: "Et iterum potestatem regenerationis in Deum dans discipulis, di- cebat iis, 'Euntes docete omnes gentes, baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti' " (Giving them the power of regeneration to God, he said to them. Go and teach all nations, baptizing them, etc.). Again, iii, 18 : " Baptismus tribuit rege- nerationem" (Baptism imparts regeneration). He used also the phrases ' ' baptism of regeneration," and " bath of regeneration." The conclusion seems to be well founded that IreniEus in the phrase quoted refers to baptism in speaking of the regeneration of infants. Neander admits no trace of infant baptism earlier than this father, and on this passage remarks, " It is diffi- cult to conceive how the term regeneration can be employed in reference to this age (i. e. infancy), to de- note anything else than baptism." The Baptist view
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of this passage may be seen in the following extract from an article by the Kev. Irah Chase, D.D., in tlie Bibliotheca Sacra, November, 1849 : " According to Irenaeus, Christ, in becoming incarnate, and thus as- suming his mediatorial work, brought the human fam- ilies into a new relation under himself, and placed them in a condition in which they can be saved. In this sense he is the Saviour of all. He became, so to speak, a second Adam, the regenerator of mankind. Through him they are regenerated unto God ('per eum renascuntur in Deum')." Comp. also the Christian Review, June, 1838. But, though this may have been a view of Irenaeus, the preponderance of critical opin- ion is very decidedly in favor of the view that this term in the passage in question, and generally, in- cludes baptism in its meaning.
TertuUian (A.D. 160-240), in his De Baptismo, has, as we have already mentioned, an unmistakable ref- erence to infant baptism as being practiced, wliich very few Baptist writers are disposed to dispute. This treatise was written A.D. 202. The reference is as follows, in c. 18: "Itaque pro cujusque personam con- ditione ac dispositione, etiam ajtate, cunctatio baptis- mi utilior est: prajcipue tamen circa parvulos. Quid enim necesse est, sponsores etiam periculo ingeri? quia et ipsi per niortalitatem destituere promissiones suas possunt et proventu raalffi indolis falli. Ait quidem Doniinus : Nolite illos prohibere ad me venire (Matt, xix, 14), veniant ergo, dum adolescunt, veniant dum discunt, dum, quo veniant, docentur; fiant Chris- tian! quum Christum nosse potuerint. Quid festinat innocens aetas ad remissionem peccatorum ?" (There- fore, according to every one's condition and disposi- tion, and also their age, the delaying of baptism is more profitable, especially in the case of little chil- dren. For what need is there that the godfathers should be brought into danger? because they may ei- ther fail of their promises by death, or they may be deceived by a child's proving of a wicked disposition. Our Lord sa3'S, indeed, "Do not forbid them to come to me ;" therefore let them come when they are grown up; let them come when they understand, when they are instructed whither thej^ are to come. Let tliem become Christians when they are able to know Christ. Why should their innocent age make haste to the for- giveness of sin ?) Tertullian thus advocates the delaj' of baptism in general, and in the case of little children cspeciall)'. But he speaks of their baptism in such a way as to implj' that it was a common practice to baptize them as well as others. It is to be noted that he does not oppose the baptism of infants on the ground of its being an innovation, and not of apostolic origin, but on tlie ground of its not being profitable or expe- dient. If he could have spoken of it as an innovation, it is quite certain from the nature of the case, and from his frequent use of this argument in other mat- ters, that he would have done so. If it was a frequent practice at that time, it must have been practiced at least some time before, and must have been regarded as legitimately involved in apostolic teaching and tra- dition.