Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	ancient_a	church_n	father_n	2,262	5	4.7708	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61842	The indecency and unlawfulness of baptizing children in private, without necessity, and with the publick form seriously recommended to the consideration of both the clergy and laity of the Church of England : to which is added, a brief exhortation to the constant receiving of the Lords Supper.	Strong, Martin, b. 1663 or 4.	1692 (1692)	Wing S5995; ESTC R15237	25,798	32

from the 5th to the 16th page will find it undeniably proved that St. John and the Apostles themselves baptized in Public That both the Greek and Latin Churches do the same at this day and that several of the Antient Fathers Justini Martyr Tertullian St. Athanasius Greg. Nazianzen St. Ambrose and Chrysostom St. Cyril and most learned Writers of the Primitive Church whose Names are in the Margin do all contend for Baptism in Public He will find it proved that the Baptizing in Private houses Concilium Constans Meldense Vernense Cassander Hospinian Chamier Vasquez c. Rel. Assemblys p. 294. has been often condemned and prohibited by whole Councils of Bishops And all this abundantly strengthned by the Testimonies of several other learned Writers Men of great esteem in their times After all which I presume we may very justly conclude with the learned Dr. Sherlock That the Primitive Christians always administred Baptism in Public places and in the presence of the Congregation and never that the Custom thus continued in all the following Ages Now the force of this Argument amounts to this That in all cases not positively determined by the Scripture The Practice of the Primitive Church is the surest way for us to understand the Mind of Christ and his Apostles For we cannot but think that those who convers'd with the Apostles and with the Apostolical men of the next ages are the safest guides for us to be directed by who live so remote from those times The Authority of Antient and Vniversal Tradition has always been esteemed sacred and venerable and whatever men may think now yet to contradict the concurring Testimony and Practice of the Universal Church was heretofore always thought one of the greatest Sins and Follies that a Man could be guilty of The Fathers themselves do often confute Heretics of their times from prescription or the constant Traditionary Faith and Practice of the Church For tho we do not make Tradition to be a Primary and Infallible Rule as the Holy Oracles are Yet where the thing is doubtful or disputable where the Scripture is silent there certainly the received Practice of the ancient Vniversal Church is the surest guide for us to follow There is an Obligation upon us of the present times to conform as much as may be to the Practice of the Universal Church and to avoid Novelty and Singularity in all things relating to the Worship of God And therefore when we have so many plain Testimonies of Antiquity for baptizing in Public and can find no one Church in the Christian World that ever practised otherwise when we have so many Ancient Fathers Councils and learned Writers condemning Private Baptism and pleading for that which is Public and not any one single Author produced of a contrary persuasion There is certainly so much respect due to this Vnanimous Consent of all our Pious Ancestors as proves it to be very rude indecent and immodest for us of the present age to contradict the general sense of Christianity to affront and condemn the Holy Catholic Church of Christ by our contrary Practices and to think our selves wiser than all the Christians that went before us who for 1600 years together have always Baptized in Public and no doubt for good reasons Thirdly The Administration of Baptism in Private houses without just Necessity and with the Public Form is contrary to the Express Laws and Rubrick of our own National established Church of England This is so plain and undeniable a Truth that a modest man would think it needless to go about to prove it to any man who has got a Common-prayer book and is but able to read the Rubrick without coloured Spectacles which is as plain and express in this particular as words can make it For 1st The very appointing of two distinct Offices and the calling one of them by the Name of Public and the other by the Name of Private Baptism is a plain demonstration of the mind of the Church in this respect For to what purpose has the Church composed a distinct Form of Baptism for cases of sickness and extreme Necessity if she had ever thought that the Public Form might have been then used as well But let us examine the several Titles of those two Offices And the first we find is called The Public Baptism of Infants to be used in the Church Now the very word Public proves that 't was never intended to be used Privately And the addition of that Clause To be used in the Church is an unanswerable Argument that it ought not to be used in Private houses But let us proceed from the Title to the Rubrick for Public Baptism And the first thing we meet with is This. The People are to be admonished that 't is most convenient that Baptism should not be administred but upon Sundays and other Holy-days when the most number of People come together And this our Church requires for two very good reasons which immediately follow both which reasons conclude strongly for Public and against Private Baptism The first is That the Congregation there present may testify the receiving of them that be newly baptized into the number of Christs Church The second is That by the Baptism of the Infant in the Church every Person present may be put in mind of his own solemn vow and profession made to God in his own Baptism To this purpose the learned Dr. Comber tells us That Infants ougut to be brought to the Church Discourse upon the whole Common Prayer p. 338. that there may be many Witnesses of this solemn act and that others may be put in mind of their Vow as also because they may be admitted Members of our Religious Assemblies in the proper place And he that has a mind to see farther how much Public Baptism tends to the Edification of the Church Let him read Dr. Sherlocks Rel. Assemblies p. 293. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and consider withal how the Custom of Baptizing in Private can be reconciled with that Precept of St. Paul 1 Cor. 14.26 Let all things be done to Edifying that is in all acts of Public Worship let every thing be so performed as may tend most to the benefit and advantage of others Dr. Hammond in locum and Dr. Beveridge his Sermons on this Text. which is the Paraphrase of a very learned man on the words In the third Section or Paragraph of the Rubrick before Public Baptism The Godfathers and Godmothers and the People with the Children are required to be ready at the Font Now I hope this may pass for a plain Command for the bringing of Children to the Church for where else is the Font Are there any in Private houses Or how can Children be brought to the Font if they are not first brought to the Church where alone the Font is placed But this is not all the time is also specified as well as the Place The Children are to be

See Dr. Caves Primitive Chr. Chap. 6. Part 1. and Cap. 9. always paid such an extraordinary Respect and Veneration to the public places of Gods Worship both at their first Entrance into and all the while they continued in them And for this reason 't is that the Public place of Gods Worship is in Scripture set forth by so many honourable Names and Titles such as are the Temple the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary of the Lord the Habitation of his Holiness and the place where his Honor dwelleth the House of Prayer and the Church of God All which things put together do strongly prove that there is at least a Relative holiness in the Church above other places and that God is more immediately present there to hear the Petitions and to answer the Prayers of his humble Supplicants and to give a due vertue and efficacy to his blessed Sacraments But lest I should be thought to be singular in this opinion I shall beg leave for the satisfaction of every unbyass'd Reader to transcribe the words of a pious and learned Bishop of this Church Dr. Sparrow Bp. of Norwich in his Rationalé on the Com. Prayer p. 371. who speaking of the Dedication of Churches and Chappels to Service of God tells us That our Prayers and public Services are most readily accepted in such holy separate places and he proves it from 2 Chron. 7 15. Now mine Eyes shall be open and mine Ears attent to the Prayer in this place which promise of acceptance belongs to any other place so dedicated and consecrated to Gods holy Worship and Service as was this house which Solomon built for the reason which God gives of his gracious readiness to hear the Prayer of that holy place is in general this v. 16. For now have I chosen and sanctified this House that my Name might be there for ever Now that this house is dedicated and solemnly set apart by religious Rites and Prayers to my Service A quatenus ad omne valet consequentia now I have chosen it for mine And a little farther he adds By the like reason whatsoever other place shall be dedicated to him shall have the Eyes of God open and his Ear attentive to the Prayer of it And God Almighty promises as much Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my Name I will come unto thee and bless thee that is in all places dedicated to me and my Service and so made mine And a little farther p. 385. are these very remarkable words The Church is the most convenient place for the service of God and adds much to the beauty of holiness And he that should neglect that decency and despising the Church should offer up the Publick Worship of which we have already proved Baptism to be a most solemn part in Private He would by so doing sin against that law of God that says Cursed be he that having a better Lamb in his flock offers up to God a worse Mal. 1.14 For God Almighty must be served with the best we have otherwise we despise him He that can have a Church and will offer up the holy Service in a worse place Let him fear that Curse This I think is home to the purpose and an evident proof of my former assertion from the plainest Texts of Scripture and if it seem severely spoken let it be remembred that 't is substantially proved and that they are not mine but a Reverend Prelates words of this Church whose name and authority ought to be had in veneration by all its members And would to God those persons who contend so earnestly for Baptizing their Children at home without any just necessity would consider seriously whether This be not very like that sin of despising the Church of God which St. Paul so severely condemned in the Corinthians 1 Ep. 11.22 and not only making their own houses equal to the Church but in this respect preferring them before it Upon the whole of this first Argument I think it is undeniably proved that Baptism is not of a Private but of a Publick Nature and that the Church is the fittest and most decent place for the Administration of it And therefore that to administer it in Private houses is both contrary to the Nature and Designs of Baptism and a plain transgression of this precept of St. Paul Let all things be done decently and in order Secondly To Administer Baptism in Private houses is contrary to the constant practice of the Catholick Christian Church in all ages For the proof of this I cannot take a better Method than to give you the words of the judicious and learned Dr. Cave Prim. Christ c. 10. p. 311. pars pr. who speaking of the place where Baptism was anciently administred tells us That 't was always as near as might be to the place of their Public Assemblies and that 't was seldom performed without the presence of the Congregation and that for very good reasons both as 't is a principal act of Religious Worship and as 't is the initiating of Persons into the Church which therefore ought to be as Public as possible that so the whole Congregation might be Spectators and Witnesses of that Profession and Engagement which the baptized Person then took upon him And this the Primitive Christians so zealously kept to that the Trullan Council Can. 59. allows not Baptism to be administred in a Private Chappel or Oratory but only in the Public Churches punishing the Persons offending in this particular with Deposition from their Office if they were Clergy-men and if Laity with Excommunication For this reason they had their Baptisteria or Fonts built at first in some place near the Church then in the Church * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. Porch till afterward they were placed in the Church itself This I think is very plain and I have chose to transcribe the very words of this reverend and learned Person because of his great Name and Eminency in the Church especially as a faithful and diligent Inquirer into the Customs and Practice of Antiquity of which this Book called Primitive Christianity is amongst the rest One illustrious proof I was once thinking to add some other Observations of my own relating to this affair But I since find this particular so largely and unanswerably proved by an ingenious Author who has lately writ on this very subject Mr. Arwaker's Dissuasive from Baptizing Children in Private printed 1687. that because I can add nothing new I think it better to refer the inquisitive Reader thither The Book is licensed by the Arch-Bishop and dedicated to the Bishop of London Of both whose pious Endeavours to reform this Vnlawful Custom the Author gives us an account in his Epistle Dedicatory which I observe for this reason that the Reader may know that what I here write against has been condemned by the Metropolitan and the whole Church of England in general Whoever reads this little book