My Baptised One, Thoughts for Thinking Parents

"My Baptised One, Thoughts For Thinking Parents" by Benjamin Hanbury. This 19th-century tract advocates infant baptism within the Baptist context, arguing that the covenant promise and the example of Scripture authorize the baptism of believers’ children. The text guides anxious parents, especially mothers, through the debate over baptism, the scriptural basis for infant baptism, and the proper mode of administration. It critiques opposing views, cites discussions around John’s baptism, circumcision, and the status of infants in the church, and examines Scriptural phraseology and practical concerns about immersion, propriety, and health. Through chapters on the affection of parents, christenings among Baptists, and exhortations to parents, the work argues that the gates of the visible church should include the infant children of believers, consistent with Old Covenant promises and the New Covenant’s expansion. It uses historical examples, such as Knibb’s Jamaica Christenings, to illustrate how infant baptism functioned in practice and urges parents to educate and dedicate their children within the faith. The aim is to provide conviction, comfort, and steadfastness for thinking parents.