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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38578	Anabaptism considered Wherein the chief objections of that sect against infant-baptism, and the manner of baptizing by aspersion, or sprinkling, are fairly stated and answered; and reasons given why dipping is not to be taken as the essential or necessary mode of administration. In a familiar letter of advice to a parishioner inclining that way. By William Eratt, M.A. and minister of Hatfield near Doncaster.	Eratt, William, 1655 or 6-1702.	1700 (1700)	Wing E3220; ESTC R200374	28,824	40

longer Here I might very justly lay down my Pen and at present say no more the Authority of the Church I mean not of England only but all or most Christian Churches in the Western and Northern parts of the World now using the Sprinkling or Pouring Water upon Infants at the time of their Baptism instead of Dipping of them is methinks sufficient Satisfaction to me and ought to be so to any indifferent or unprejudic'd Christian until the contrary is made appear viz. That there is an essential necessity in the very Nature of the Sacrament of Baptism that Immerging or Plunging be the only Mode of Administration Yet on second Thoughts when I consider I am not disputing against an Adversary as to whom I ought to take all reasonable advantage in the way of Argument but that I am writing to a Parishioner and a Friend and am endeavouring to satisfie one under my Charge in some Scruples of Conscience which is a Duty incumbent upon my Office upon this Consideration Neighbour I shall be free'r with you than otherwise I had need to have been and so will give you some Reasons why I think Dipping not essentially necessary in the Administration of Baptism And 1st For that I look upon it there 's a vast difference to be made betwixt a legal washing and a sacramental one John indeed in his Baptism doth seem to conform to the Jewish Mode of Immerging and this Symbol might truly better comport with the then present Circumstances of those his Disciples who were polluted with an outward and as it were visible Stain as well as an inward one either of * Being grown very corrupt by their Superstititious Traditions Judaism or Heathenism but now thank God the case is far otherwise the very name of a Jew or an Heathen being among us in the Country a strange thing the Subjects of Baptism generally speaking are now the Off-spring of Christian Parents and to it there is a promisory Right or Title included in the Grace of this Covenant Acts 2.39 The promise is to you and your Children in whom there remains no legal or outward Impurity But now to come to the point in question why should not a little Water as well as a great deal represent the inward washing of the Spirit to Infants at their Baptism who are after a sort clean before as being of the stock of Believers So the Apostles Else were your children unclean but now are they holy For instance herein by way of Simile Was I to sign you a Bond would not the impress of a little Wax the bigness of my finger's-end make the Condition of the Bond as good and as sure unto you to all intents and purposes as if it had been stamp't with a Seal ten times as big Now in the reason of the thing Why should not a little Water be as good a Seal of the Covenant of Baptism as a greater quantity and why is not the inward washing of the Spirit as virtually represented in a small quantity of Water as well as Christ's Body and Blood in a little quantity of Bread and Wine The excess herein was the Fault of the Corinthians and justly condemned by the Apostle but I never understood 't was a Crime to eat or drink sparingly at the Lord's Table for that the food there is sacramental and the strengthening and refreshing of our Souls by the Body and Blood of Christ is to be lookt at and not the strengthening of our Bodies by the Bread and Wine should any think otherwise I must stop their Mouths with St. Paul's Question 1 Cor. 11.22 Have you not houses to eat and drink in or despise you the Church of God c. So in the other Sacrament we are not so much to look at the outward Circumstances of it viz. how much or how little Water is necessary towards its due Administration as to consider the Design and End of it and not the outward washing of the Body of the Person baptiz'd the putting away the filth of the Flesh as St. Peter speaks which might require more or less Water for its Purification according to the Stature Age or Uncleanness of the Person to be wash'd For the use of Water in this Sacrament is symbolical and representative of the inward washing of the Spirit at the time of Administration Church Cat. It is an outward visible sign of an inward spiritual Grace given unto us and ordained by Christ himself as a means whereby we receive the same and a pledge to assure us thereof and so a little Water doth as virtually represent the Operation of the Spirit in the new Birth as well as a little Bread and Wine doth represent unto us in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper the Operation of the same Spirit in exhibiting to us spiritually the Body and Blood of Christ in order to strengthen and confirm in us the new Birth that we may thereby be enabled to walk in newness of Life 2dly To this add * Vpon this very account the Anabaptists in Holland do only pour Water upon or dip the Head The reasonableness of this Custom being alter'd from Dipping to Sprinkling even necessity herein compelling for in our cold and Northern Climates shou'd all the Children and those are the most who want baptizing now be dip't well truly they might be said in a literal sense to be buried with Christ in their Baptism the washing 〈◊〉 of Regeneration might be the cause of sending them to their Graves But God loves and delights in Mercy more than in Sacrifice and therefore that Commission which our Saviour gave in order to the health of our Souls we cannot without manifest prejudice to the gracious intention of the Lawgiver suppose he wou'd have so executed as to indanger the health of our Bodies Upon this very Account also we read that the Sanhedrim of the Jews was petitioned that Dipping in their Female Purgations might be taken away For what Cause For that the Women of Galilee by reason of the Cold they then got became barren Did the Galileans pity their menstruous Women and shall not Christ have compassion of his poor Babes to whom when on Earth he made such kind Promises gave such tender Embraces and his Divine Blessing and was so angry they should be kept from him In fine I shou'd never condemn any Person for desiring to have his Child dip'd but shou'd he stand upon it as of the Essence of the Sacrament sine quâ non that I think would argue his hankering too much after the legal and Judaical Washings his putting too much stress on the outward Element of Water which is but the visible Sing and his slighting the thing signified viz. the inward invisible Grace the secret Washing and Purification made by the Spirit at the time of Administration I shall conclude this Point with the Judgment of an Ancient Father when consulted upon this very account his words are these That Immersion

Uncleanness upon them namely Judaism or Heathenism I agree farther that this Custom was probably in use in hot Countries some time after Christ and his Apostles where the same might be done without endangering the Health of the baptized and I shew'd you also that our Church is not against this use when it may be done with fafety as appears by her Rubrick of Baptism But then to urge that this Mode of dipping is Essential in the very nature of the Sacrament that I deny'd and put it to the Anabaptists to prove it if they could and did say and do say still that a little Water in Baptism by sprinkling or pouring the same upon the Person baptized doth as virtually and sacramentally exhibit the Seal of the Covenant as the greatest quantity whatsoever even as I shew'd you by the like parity of Reason that a little Bread and Wine the least Sup as well as the biggest Draught in the other Sacrament doth sufficiently represent the Body and Blood of Christ to every worthy Communicant and hereupon did urge farther that for any Person to insist upon Dipping as essential to the Sacrament of Baptism it seem'd to me to be a leaning too much to the Judaical Washings and putting too much stress upon the outward Sign the Element of Water and a slighting the thing signified the inward washing and invisible operations of the Spirit I shew'd you what was the Judgment of an ancient Father of the Church when consulted on this occasion and what was and is the Practice of all or most Christian Churches in the Western and Northern parts of the World and now in the close I shall refer the whole matter of this Letter to your serious and Christian Consideration with this Caution only 2 Tim. 2.14 that you bear always in mind in the perusal of it St. Paul's Advice to Timothy Of these things put them in remembrance charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit but to the subverting of the hearers To conclude Thus Neighbour you see upon due enquiry made there 's really nothing in the new way we have been speaking of to invite you to it unless Principles of Sedition Heresie and Schism can be any due Motives herein No the Apostle St. Paul positively affirms that they who upon this account cause Divisions in the Church of God are such as love not our Lord Jesus Christ but that by their good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.18 Pray then be not led away with an outward shew of pretended Sanctity and Holiness for such a Vizard the false Teachers were to put on 'T is our Saviour's own Affirmation that there should arise false Christs and false Prophets who should be so artful in their counterfeit shews of Piety as to go near imposing upon the very Favourites of Heaven the Elect or chosen of God Mat. 24.24 25. Take therefore our Lord's Advice herein If they shall say unto thee he is in the desart go not forth behold he is in the secret chamber believe it not For when the Root is unsound the Branches must be so likewise A corrupt Tree may bring forth Fruit fair to the eye but not really good Where the Doctrines of any Sect are against God's Word as 't is plain the Anabaptists are they are none of Christ's let them pretend what they will Hear what our Lord bids us do in this case Judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment And as there is nothing in the new way things rightly considered to invite you to it so you have heard there is nothing in the old way the good old Religion you have been baptized and brought up in to dissuade you from it All the Objections our Adversaries have yet made are vanish'd and fled as Chaff before the Wind. Truth is great and will prevail If you are therefore a Lover of God and of Christ of Truth and of your own Soul hold fast to your former Profession without wavering and our Lord Jesus Christ give you a right Understanding in all things Which is the sincere and hearty Prayer of Your loving Friend and Minister Hatfield Jan. 19. 1699 1700. William Eratt POSTSCRIPT I Am told Neighbour by several that you seem concern'd for that you hear I 'm angry at you Now to be free with you and that you may have no more occasion to listen to Hear-say I tell you frankly I am in some measure really so but that I may not be misunderstood in this you must give me leave herein to express my own Meaning and this is but common Justice every Man being suppos'd the best Interpreter of his own words In order then that you or any other Person may the better understand my Meaning when I say I am angry at you I shall consider the matter two ways with regard to an unjust or a just Anger and the Word bears these two senses in the common Usage of it and so 't is also taken in Holy Writ To these I shall speak a little severally 1. As to unjust Anger taken in a strict sense it imports properly speaking not so much an Evil as a groundless and hasty Passion The former of these our Saviour condemns when he tells us Matt. 5.22 We must not be angry with our Brother without a cause of the latter I take the elder Son in the Gospel to be guilty for though his Anger with regard to his prodigal Brother might not be altogether groundless yet was it too rash and hasty The Thoughts of his Brother having wasted his Father's Goods in riotous living gave cause of just Resentment but then the consideration of his being reform'd of his becoming a new Man of his being return'd home in his Person but not in his Vices which moved the tenderness of a Father to pardon should also if it had been well considered have prevail'd with the Brother too not to have been angry the greater Good shou'd have out-ballanced the lesser Evil and so the occasion of the Father's Mirth shou'd have stirr'd up Joy in the Brother also and not a fretting Passion being grounded upon this solid Reason For this thy Brother was dead and is alive again Luke 15.28 32. was lost and is found I am alas too much Man to clear my self of having been never guilty of both these two foolish Passions a Groundless and Hasty Anger and to take up the words of holy Job Should I justifie my self herein my own mouth would condemn me Job 9.20 No far be that Presumption from me but I must freely with the Apostle own my self of like Passions with other men Acts 14.15 Now as to the latter instance of an hasty Passion I wish I might with the elder Brother be blam'd and condemn'd by all good Men shou'd I be angry when I ought to rejoyce if my straying Brother who was lost should be found and return home