Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	write_v	year_n	3,375	5	4.5864	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B09923	An epistle concerning baptism. [occai]sionally written upon the sight [of] two treatises published by Thomas James father of a Presbyterian congre[ga]tion at Ashford in Kent : who [ha]th reflected upon the baptized [C]hristians / [by] [W]illiam Russell.	Russel, William.	1696 (1696)	Wing R2357B; ESTC R187283	23,383	34

peteret baptisnum intelligeret quid sit baptizari None of old Time were wont to be baptized but in a grown Age and who desired it themselves and understood what it was to be baptized Erasmus in his Annotations on the E●istle to the Romans affirms That baptizing of Children was not in use in Paul's Time And Dr. Field in his learned Treatise of the Church pag. 729. affirms That many very antiently who were born of Christian Parents put off their Baptism a long Time insomuch as some were elected Bishops before they were baptized As we read saith he of A●●brose c. The Learned Bossuet speaking of the manner of administring Baptism saith We never read in the Scripture that any were baptized otherwise than by Immersion And we are able to prove from the Acts of Councils and antient Rituals that every-where in the whole Church throughout the World for the space of 1300 Years Baptism was never administred but by Dipping except only in Cases of Necessity And Bellarmine saith Infant-Baptism is called an Apostolical Tradition not written because it is not found written in any Apostolical Book Tom. 1. lib. 4. cap. 2. Where by the way I shall note That if a Man of his Parts and Learning could not find it there I believe others will have as little Success in their search after it And it had been his Interest to have proved it from Scripture as much as any because 〈◊〉 say a greater stress upon 〈◊〉 than 〈◊〉 and these of his Religion for they assert it to be necessary 〈◊〉 ●●ation Let Mr. Ja●● know we do not bring the Testimonies of Hur● he Writers because we think the Holy Scriptures 〈◊〉 to justify our Cause For I may say with Tertullian Lib. contra Hermogenem Adoro Scripturae ple●itudi●● c. I adore the Fuluess of the Scripture let ●●●gexes shew that it is written But to satisfy the World that we are not singular in our Judgments about these Matters as also to obviate an Objection of your Pastor who tells us in his last Trease Pag. 20 That at the rate some Baptists write and 〈◊〉 report the Words of the Learned they would per●●● swade silly People all the Learned Men were almost 〈◊〉 Anabaptists and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self-condemned being 〈◊〉 as they are in Opinion though of a contrary Practice I answer That although they are of a contrary Practice I hope that can be no Bar to us from reciting their words in favour of our Opinion For Firmum est 〈◊〉 prohationis quod ab ipso adversario sumitur ut veritas 〈◊〉 ipsis inimicis veritatis probetur It is a forcible kind of Proof which is taken from the Adversary himself when ●e Truth is proved from them that oppose the Truth ●nd I have herein followed the Counsel of Lactantius 〈◊〉 1. c. 6. Eos suorum Testimoui●● revincere c. To convince ●hem by their own Testimonies which is the strongest Conviction that may be As it is truly said by Chrysostom Tunc illos maxime revin●●us cum suorum in eos dicta retorquemus We do most ●rcibly convince them when we can retort their own ●yings against them And therefore as Lactantius de vera sapientia cap. 12. faith Satis firmum Testimonium ad probandum veritatem quod ab ipsis perhibetur inimieis That is a sound Argument for the proving of the Truth which is setched from the Enemies of the Truth Yea suppose it were but weak in it self yet it hath great weight against him that brings it For as the Roman Orator observes in the like Case Tuum Testimonium quod in alienare leve est in tua quoniam contra te est gravissinum esse debet Thy Testimony which is but light and frivolous in another Man's Cause yet is weighty in thine own when it is against thy self Now I fancy that the Reason why Mr. James would not have us urge the Testimonies of the Learned for fear of shewing how contradictory some of their Opinions have been to their Practices is lest in so doing he also should be found to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned of himself and that in many places of his Book particularly when he brings a Poet to prove that Christ was not baptized by Dipping And in Pag. 20. he saith I would fain know who can prove our Lord Jesus Christ was dipped or plunged in his Baptism or any of those baptized Ones spoken of in the New Testament were so dipped or plunged I will give you the Opinion of some Learned Men upon it in this very Place altho I have said sufficient to it elsewhere and then shew you how Mr. James is condemned by his own Pen. Now if any one saith Maldonate ask why the Evangelists use the Word of Ascending c. It was because Christ ascended or went up out of the Water in the which he had been dipt or drowned Lucas Brugensis saith upon the Place Matth. 3.16 Christ descended into the River after the manner o● others that were baptized as deep as his Thighs o● his Navel for the rest of his Body was dipt by Joh● and not sprinkled only with Water And the Learned Cajetan tells us upon the Place Christ ascended out of the Water therefore Christ was baptized by John not by Sprinkling nor by pouring Wate● upon him but by Immersion that is by dipping o● plunging in the Water Many more Testimonies might be brought from Men 〈◊〉 use Rantism instead of Baptism but that I have al●● exceeded my first Intention But I shall now shew 〈◊〉 that Mr. James like the rest of those I have quo●● hath contradicted himself For in the same 20th 〈◊〉 of his Book where he vapours so mightily and ●enges us to prove that Christ or any others were ●●ized by Dipping as you have seen above yet pre●●y he tells us That Baptism was oft performed by ●ping I gainsay not And in the very next Page he 〈◊〉 I do not produce these Testimonies as tho I would ●●tain that our Lord Jesus was not dipped It seems 〈◊〉 Conscience began to check him whilst he was writ●●● And again in Pag. 25. Who speaks against the Anti●ity of Dipping I thought Mr. James had But he goes 〈◊〉 Dipping there might be in Christ's Time and that the 〈◊〉 way of Baptizing Very well then it seems we pra●●●● the most Antient and the best Way of Baptizing Mr. James's Acknowledgment And himself doth pra●●●● the contrary and therefore must needs be self-con●●ed as practising the worst Way especially if he 〈◊〉 consider That there is neither Precept nor Precedent 〈◊〉 Infant-Sprinkling in all the Word of God But to close this Head I am upon If this be true that 〈◊〉 of the Apostles nor first Ministers of the Gospel 〈◊〉 ever practise the Sprinkling of Infants there must 〈◊〉 some good Reason why they did it not And the best 〈◊〉 think of is because Christ had not commanded them 〈◊〉 do But on the contrary