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A61127 A treatise concerning the lawfull subject of baptisme wherein are handled these particulars : the baptizing of infants confuted, ... the covenant God made with Abraham and his seed handled & how the same agrees with the Gentiles and their seed, the baptism administered by an Antichristian power confuted ... / by me, J.S. J. S. (John Spilsbery) 1643 (1643) Wing S4976; ESTC R23657 75,483 50

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All the whole houshold of every familie among the Israelites in Aegypt as well children as others were to eate the Passeover Exod. 12.3 4. And the Lords Supper succeeds that 〈…〉 and yet Infants are not approved as fit Communicants in the Lords Supper because they are not capable subjects But it is a double mystery how persons are fit and capable of union in a State that are not fit and capable of communion in the ordinances of the same State And more mysticall how one should be a capable subject of Baptisme and no● of the Supper 〈…〉 I can see no Rule for such a practise in all the booke of God and it s against the Rule of nature that when a childe is borne to keep it from food The Church of the new Testament succeeds the old but it will not follow that the like order and subjects succeed each other also for no rejected Ishmaelite or Esau are to be admitted either to union or communion in the Church under the new Testament by Christs appointment therefore though that Baptisme succeed circumcision yet the same subjects doe not so The two Testaments are as Wills containing certaine Legacies given and bequeathed to such onely as whose names are expresly set downe in the same as Rev. 21.27 In the old Testament as the first Will a Male of eight dayes old or a Prosolyte Exod. 12.48.49 Gen. 17 10-44.23.25 Jo● 8. Phil. 3.4 5. So in the new Testament as the last Will of Christ the Legacies therein contained as the priviledges and blessing of Abraham are given onely to such as beleeve and to none else Gal. 3.14 22 29. Rom. 8 17. 4.11 12. 9.7 8. Gal. 3.6 7. These are such as are begotten againe by the immortall seed of the Word borne of the Spirit and so children of God and the onely true ●ei●es of the Kingdome of Christ with the priviledges thereof as Jam. 1.18 1 Pet. 2.23 Joh. 1 12 13. Joh. 3.5 6 1 Joh. 3.9 10. Rom. 8.17 These are the holy seed which God so approves of in the Scriptures as subjects of grace heires of life and being in the covenant they onely have right to the priviledges thereof and their children or of-spring are such as succeed them in the same saith and truth and so are called the Generation of the righteous as succeeding each other in the way of righteousnesse and not their Infants or personall seed proceeding from their loyns by carnall generation as Esa 43.5 44 3. 54.3 59.21 66.22 61.9 65.23 compare Rev 12.17 Gal. 4.26 to 31. These and the like Scriptures shew what is the right and true approved seed unto which the priviledges of grace belong so that although Baptisme succeeds Circumcision yet the difference is great both in matter and manner in persons and things Circumcision sealed to things temporall and carnall as well as spirituall and so were the subjects and things to come as under types and shadows and so in a cloud and darknesse Whereas Baptisme hath for its subjects children of the light in the cleare evidence of the Spirit with the face open and confirmes faith in things come and already done for Baptisme seals onely to faith in Christ and grace in the new birth which cannot be where there is not first a begetting by the immortall seed of the Word of life for which end God hath ordained in the Gospel preaching beleeving to goe before baptizing as Mat. 28.19 with Mark ●6 15 16. And that way or order which hath not God for its Author and found in the Records of Christ with his image and superscription upon it let us say as sometime he did Give to Caesar that which is Caesars and to God that which is Gods so say I Give to Antichrist his baptizing of Infants to Christ his baptizing of beleevers What advantage will it be to Infants to come before they are called to have a name to live and yet dead for ought any one knows and to come to the marriage-Supper without a wedding Garment shall the holy things of God be forced upon such as neither beleeve know or once desires them will men set a seale to a blanke are children capable to receive meate before they be borne except we make Baptisme the wombe of regeneration as many doe who teach that Infants are regenerated borne againe of the Spirit of grace in Baptisme whose doctrine is of the same stampe and authoritie as he that sent them so to preach What can be more naturall then begetting and bringing forth of the Infant before feeding of it at the Mothers breasts Is it not sacriledge to presse such upon the wise of Christ the Church for her Paps with whom she never travelled or beare of her body Christ will deny himselfe to be food and nourishment to any where he hath not beene first seed to beget Let men take heed how they impute such folly to the wisdome of god as to give the milke of his breasts unto any that are still borne or to set dead twigs in his heavenly and divine stocke or naturall branches in his holy and spirituall vine Let such beware how they fight against the God of order least in stead of finding the breast to feed before the wombe to beare they meet with a curse upon the single emptinesse of Christ with a double barrennesse that will admit of no conception or spirituall birth to succeed the naturall Not that I intend the least to deny salvation unto Infants no I am so far from this that I testifie against all such doctrine nor yet affirme all Infants to be saved neither doe I know among Infants which shall be saved and which not therefore I leave it as a secret thing to God untill he makes the same appeare by some visible effect of faith which onely gives a visible right unto any ordinance of the new Testament and therefore I cannot see by the Gospel how Infants voyde of visible faith should have visible right unto the priviledges of grace neither ought they to be admitted thereunto as hath been proved and also for these and the like reasons following First 〈…〉 because there is neither command nor example for the baptizing of Infants in all the new Testament the order and government of which in the administrations thereof is no way inferiour to the old but in the old Testament there was an expresse Rule by command from God what communicants were to be admitted to circumcision and other ordinances of that nature and what not but this order is no where found in the new Testament for the baptizing of Infants and therefore the same is not to be practised Secondly It is a high contempt and injury to Christ as he is the husband of the Church his holy Spouse to force upon him an naturall wife himselfe being spirituall and desires the like associate as such a Church is founded upon the naturall birth namely Infants
received there as a true ordinance of God And for a more orderly proceeding in this discourse I shall first set down my dissent and the causes of it and then examine those grounds that are brought for the proving of the contrary And first for that ordinance of Baptisme which as aforesaid hath been administred and received in a false Antichristian estate and retained the true ordinance of God and such so baptized by the power of the man of sin to be admitted into the Church of Christ with the same baptisme as the Lords ordinance This I cannot assent unto because I see no such thing in all the Word of God by which I must be guided here and judged hereafter So that I dissent from that baptisme administred by the power of Antichrist and cannot own the same for Gods ordinance appointed by him and instituted by Christ in the new Testament and that for these and the like reasons First because in so doing I shall approve of Antichrists matter and form 〈…〉 and so of the state it self As an infant for his matter and the words with water applied his form I have alreadie proved that an infant is not the subject of baptisme appointed by God though it be the child of a beleever but how much lesse such who are the carnall seed of the wicked The covenant of grace and the parents faith is alledged to inright the former unto baptisme but what inrights these unto it and how came they by it Secondly the ordinance of baptisme instituted by Christ is so essentiall to the constitution of the Church under the new Testament that none can be true in her constitution without it Neither can that be a false Church where baptisme is truly the Lords ordinance in the administration thereof as 1 Cor. 12.13 with Gal. 3.27 So that to approve of Antichrists baptisme to be Gods ordinance is to approve of his Church to be also the Church of God For as the eaters of the sacrifice were of old partakers of the Alcar 1 Cor. 10.17 18. and to receive him that is sent is a receiving also of him that sent him Mat. 13.40 so it is with this essentiall ordinance of baptisme in the church of Antichrist that whosoever approves of the one by the same he approves of the other also For the ground and piller that bears up the truth and that truth so born up stands and falls together as 1 Tim. 3.15 So that where there is not a t●●e constituted Church there is no true constituted Church ordinance and where there is a true Church ordinance in its constitution as baptisme is there is at least presupposed a true Church also And therefore to condemne a Church to be false and altogether Antichristian and yet baptisme there and by the same administred to be the ordinance of God this I can see no rule for in Scripture and therefore I dissent Thirdly 〈…〉 6. Christ hath disclaimed and denieth all communion with the man of sin both in respect of himself and his subjects and hath also proclaimed open warre against him in all his dominions and therefore he cals home his subjects as Jer. 51.6.45 Revel 18.4 Christ refuseth to be laid as a chief corner stone under Antichrists building as he must be if he in his holy ordinance of baptisme be granted to lie in his foundation For baptisme is no otherwise Christs ordinance but as it depends upon him the ordainer But Christ denies Antichrist any such priviledge and also forbids his people from taking a stone from Babylon to lay in the foundation of the I ords building as Jer. 51.26 But if Antichrists church be of himself and so false then all the parts thereof must be of his own devising and false also For if in opposition to a true Church of Christ there is a false church of Antichrists which thing cannot be if there be not in opposition to true ordinances of the one false ordinances of the other that are essentiall to the same as the ordinance of baptisme is And so the like ministery proportionable to the same as 1 Cor. 10.21 2 Cor. 11.13 14 15. Revel 2.2 according to Matth. 24.24 with 2 Thes 2.9 10. Fourthly I cannot approve of that baptisme in the church of Antichrist to be Gods ordinance because in so doing I shall advance humane testimony above the Word of God For I have no way to satisfie my conscience whether I have that ordinance or no but onely by Antichrists church-Church-book or my godfathers godmothers which if the one be dead and the other lost then am I to seek my baptisme But at the best if any should demand of me whether I were baptized or not all that I can say is that men tell me so in all which Christ must have no voice and the Word of God put to silence as knowing no such thing and Antichrists Church-book come in the place as a ground of my faith in a truth so essentiall Which thing I dare not approve of Fifthly to justifie baptisme in the church of Antichrist to be Gods ordinance is to force men to sin against conscience for if any man comes unto such for fellowship in the truth he must either justifie the baptisme he received of the man of sin as Gods ordinance or else continue in that sinfull way in which he is and desires to leave I speak now in their sense whose practise it is which I cannot at all assent unto for a truth Sixtly I cannot justifie Antichrists baptisme for Gods ordinance because it makes against Christs baptisme in these two respects First for the power by which the same was constituted and so authorised in the hand of the Minister being the power of the man of sin rejected of God as an enemic to the crown and dignitie of Christ the King of Saints Secondly in respect of that body into which the partie was baptized and so by the same made a visible member and that was in the body of Antichrist In both which respects the baptisme administered en the false Antichristian state in my judgement cannot be the ordinance of God And lastly I dare not go from that rule and order which Christ left in his last Testament for the constituting of his Church and taking of members into the same which is by faith and baptisme All which grounds being well considered I cannot see by any rule of truth to approve of the baptisme administred in a false Antichristian church to be Gods ordinance instituted by Christ in his new Testament That being there administred under a false power by a ●●se ministery upon a wrong subject in a false body and yet the same Gods ordinance this is more then I can find by the Word of God from which rule I dare not go Thus having shewed my judgement and some reasons why I so judge of the baptisme administred in a false Antichristian estate cannot be the ordinance of God instituted by Christ in the