Selected quad for the lemma: body_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	head_n	member_n	mystical_a	10,566	5	10.6497	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74998	Some baptismal abuses briefly discovered. Or A cordial endeavour to reduce the administration and use of baptism, to its primitive purity; in two parts. The first part, tending to disprove the lawfulness of infant baptism. The second part, tending to prove it necessary for persons to be baptized after they believe, their infant baptism, or any pre-profession of the Gospel notwithstanding. As also, discovering the disorder and irregularity that is in mixt communion of persons baptized, with such as are unbaptized, in church-fellowship. By William Allen.	Allen, William, d. 1686.	1653 (1653)	Wing A1075; Thomason E702_12; ESTC R10531	105,249	135

the profession of Faith or the acknowledgment of Christ as that which doth declare who are the children of God then this saying of his that because they had been baptized into Christ that therefore they had put on Christ was a good reason or proof of their being known to be the children of God by their acknowledgment of Christ because by their putting on of Christ in Baptism and clothing themselves with his Name they did declare whose children they were and who it was they worshipped and resolved to serve and from whom they expected remission of sin and the Salvation of their Souls For so to be baptized into Christ what is it else but to be baptized into the belief profession and service of Christ and to resign up ones self to be his If ye be Christs says he Vers 29. as he supposes them to be upon that very account of their being baptized into him as will appear if you compare v. 27 28 29. together If ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams seed and heirs according to promise The upshot or result then of this piece of the Apostles discourse is That persons by Baptism do make such a profession of Christ as by which they are characterized to be his If this then be the characteristical mark to distinguish the children of God from the world then it will follow that no other acknowledgment of Christ without this or with neglect of this is to be looked upon as any other then a partial owning of Christ and not a compleat putting him on so as to be esteemed thereby visibly the children of God Which thing may be yet further confirmed by that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit That it is the Baptism by water that is here spoken of is the general sence of Interpreters so far as their judgment herein is come to any knowledg and observation The body into which we are said to be baptized is the mystical Body of Christ made up of Christ as head and of the Saints as members In that by one Spirit they are said to be baptized hereinto we are to understand I conceive that it is by the work of the Spirit upon their hearts by which men are inclined to seek membership or fellowship with Christ and his Saints in this way of Baptism as being the way of God to attain hereunto But that which is principally for our purpose is that men and women are initiated and brought into this Body by Baptism They are baptized into one Body And if their entrance thereinto be made by Baptism then it 's evident that they are not to be reckoned to be of this Body till they be baptized and consequently that Baptism is the visible door by which man enter into this spiritual corporation and a wall of partition between the world and the Saints Those Scriptures witness the same thing also which speak of mens being baptized into Christ and of their being planted together with him Rom. 6.3 5. Gal. 3.27 For can we conclude less hence then that mens visible being in Christ is to be reckoned from the time of their Baptism that being as it were the immediate instrument or means of their visible ingression into him For otherwise if they were to be looked upon as having a visible Being in Christ by any act endowment or qualification preceding Baptism why should their ingression their entrance into Christ be attributed unto their Baptism If mens owning of Christ which still did precede their Baptism had been sufficient as God accounts sufficient to have asserted or declared their visible or cognisible standing in Christ doubtless the Holy Ghost would not have ascribed or rather appropriated the same unto their Baptism as now he hath done For as Paul speaks in another case Gal. 3.21 If there had been a Law given which could have given life verily Righteousness should have been by the Law If the Law had been sufficient to have given life God would not have super-added the promise of the Gospel for the same end for he makes nothing in vain so we may say in this case if any qualification action or profession preceding Baptism could have rendered mens being in Christ knowable upon terms agreeable to the wisdom of God he would not have super-added Baptism for the same end But it should seem to be in this case as it is amongst men A Major or Sheriff receives that kind of Civil or Magistratical Being by which he is distinguished from other men from some solemn acts done at the time of his enstalment into his Office and as a Husband and Wife receive that conjugal relation and matrimonial Being proper to them from some solemn act done at the time of their marriage or as a man receives a relative Being as member of such a Corporation by some solemn act done at the time of his enfranchisement even so according to the import of these Scriptures now insisted on men and women receive that relative Being which they have in Christ and as visible members of that spiritual Corporation wherein Christ is head and chief from that solemn act of their being baptized into him And as a Major or Sheriff is not vested with his authority or Husband and Wife with that power over the bodies of each other of which the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 7.4 nor yet any member of a body corporate with those immunities proper to him by any prequalification or action preparatory thereunto until first that be acted and done by way of solemnity which appropriately and immediately does invest them with their several and respective capacities in like manner none are to be esteemed to be in Christ or capable of those spiritual priviledges which visibly do belong to the body of Christ the Church upon the account of any precedaneous qualification profession or action whatsoever until first they have passed through those spiritual solemnities in Baptism by and upon which they are invested with the denomination and visible priviledges which do belong in common to the members of Christ mystical body By the way I have insisted the more largely upon this particular to detect the repugnancy of that Opinion against the plain current of the Scripture which holds Baptism needless useless amongst those that have long made profession of the Gospel though they as yet never were baptized But it may be I shall deal further with this conceit in a place by it self and therefore shall come to bring home what hath been discoursed on this head to our present purpose If then that publique owning of Christ in Baptism by which men put him on and by and upon which they are incorporated into Christ visibly be another end and use of Baptism as you see it is most clear and evident it is that this end and use is

which should have rendred them worthy the name of Christians indeed whilest they have fancied themselves to be such upon account of their Christendome as they call it i. e. that Baptism which they received in their Infancy For whereas they are made to beleeve that they have been Baptized into Christ and thereby received into the number of Christs flock and incorporated into his Church by that Baptism they have hereupon presumed themselves good Christians and in safe condition and have taken it ill that any should make question to the contrary though otherwise they have had little more then this upon which to build such a confidence Whereas otherwise if they could not have attained so much as the name and repute of Christians much lesse the hope of that salvation which belongs to Christians indeed without a manifestation of repentance and faith preceding their Baptism and their reception of Baptism thereupon which yet is the Gospell way there is no doubt but that millions of men and women would have quit themselves upon far better tearms then now they have done in labouring after knowledge in the Gospell and such other qualifications as would have rendred them meet for Baptism and consequently for communion in other ordinances of the Gospell rather then they would have fallen short of the confidence of being Christians and the repute of such and the hope of salvation which belongs to those that are such indeed For mens extream impatience of not being reputed Christians indeed upon account of their Infant Baptism and that slender and contradictory profession which they make argues the name and repute of such and that hope they have thereby to be a thing so dear and precious to them as that they would do much more then now they do for the gaining of it if they had it not upon such easie terms as now they have as men have ordered the matter Secondly From what else then the practise of Infant Baptism hath proceeded the Churching of whole Nations and Kingdomes whilest all Infants in a Nation except such as have been prevented by death have been Baptized and thereby received into the Church and if so why may we not say that the national Church officers the Bishops yea the universal Bishop himself the Pope have grown out of the same root For if there had been no nationall Baptism in this kind as doubtlesse there would not if Baptism had not been to be had but upon Scripture terms viz. apparent repentance and faith preceding then there would have been no nationall Churches that being as to outward form the foundation upon which they are built and door of entrance thereinto and if there had been no nationall Churches there could have been no nationall Church officers and if no nationall Church officers then surely no universall officer over all nationall both Churches and officers So that Infant Baptism may well be conceived to be the cause sine qua non that without which neither the one nor the other of these would have been as now they are And therefore how small a matter or innocent thing soever Infant Baptism seems to most yet who may not see if they will but seriously consider it that the evils and mischiefes that have taken place in the world upon the taking place of nationall Churches and their Officers and the head of them all the Pope may in great part be charged upon that dangerous errour Infant Baptism of which we speake And what a dishonour and reproach hath it been to Jesus Christ that he should be looked upon as head of such Churches and that such vile and unworthy persons should be esteemed members of his body as those nationall Churches and the persons of whom they have mostly consisted have been as if Christ and Belial had been well agreed Besides these Nationall corrupt indeed Antichristian Churches have in great part thrust out the true Churches of Jesus Christ and his discipline and the purity of his administration of Ordinances and have contempered themselves in constitution discipline and worship unto the spirit of this world by which they have for the most part been inspired and acted And therefore however this After Baptism as it is called is charged with rending and tearing of Churches which in true construction is but a rending and dividing of persons from Churches of an undue and humane constitution that they might be gathered into the fold of Christs own making and such a division as this the Gospell hath always wrought in the world in respect of some or other of its truths Luke 12.51 yet indeed and in truth it is not fiduciall Baptism i. e. the Baptizing of men after they beleeve but Infant Baptism that is truely guilty of rending and tearing indeed of dissolving the true Churches of Jesus Christ in the world And therefore in the third place though those Congregationall or Independent Churches as they are called have conceived with themselves that they have provided well against that sin of corrupting and carnalizing Churches of which the Nationall and Parochiall associations are guilty by that separation which they have made from them yet upon due consideration it will be found that they have but only for the present lopt off some evill and corrupt branches but have not at all taken away the root that bears them for their practise of Baptizing their Infants and thereupon imbodying them with themselves will within the space and compasse of lesse then an age as is more then probable render these Churches also much-what as carnall as the Parochiall and Nationall are For whatsoever children are whilest but Infants during which time I cannot but hold their condition good and safe God-wards the Scriptures favourable aspect that wayes considered yet when they come to years of discretion they so corrupt themselves with actuall sin even the children of good men as well as bad as that that saying of our Saviour must take place concerning them Joh. 3.3 Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God And without controversie those who in reason cannot on this account be judged in a capacity to see the Kingdome of God cannot in reason be judged in a capacity to have communion with God and with his Saints in all the ordinances of God And whether it be not very rare for persons to be as early in their repentance and faith as in their actuall sinning which yet hath no promise of pardon without an actuall turning unto God I leave to themselves to consider whose experience and observation I doubt not will incline them to conclude it so to be And therefore it cannot be in all probability but that such Churches if they should continue for the space of an age in that way in which they now are they must of necessity consist in great part of carnall and unregenerate persons as the parochiall Churches do If any shall conceive this a convenient remedy against this evill viz. to Excommunicate children