Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	great_a	king_n	see_v	2,740	5	3.6171	3	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

AN ●PISTLE Concerning BAPTISM ●●●asionally written upon the sight of two Treatises published by THOMAS JAMES ●●●cher of a Presbyterian Congregation at Ashford in Kent Who hath reflected upon the Baptized Christians WILLIAM RVSSEL Medicinae Doctor Academiae Cantabrigiensis Lover of Primitive Christianity 〈◊〉 for the old Paths where is the good Way and walk therein and ye shall 〈◊〉 rest for your Souls Jer. 6.16 London Printed in the Year 1696. 〈◊〉 those Inhabitants of Ashford and the adjacent Parishes who attend upon the Ministry of Mr. Thomas James THE Occasion of my writing this Epistle to you at this time ariseth from the Consideration of two Books written by T. J. The one intituled Spira's Despair revived The other called A Vindication of that Part of it which is ●●ed by the Anabaptists c. which is a pretended An●●o a Book written by J. W. in Answer to his first 〈◊〉 c. the latter of which he dedicates to you 〈◊〉 which Book he brings you in as Parties with him in ●●deracy against that People as making you to have ●●●al if not a greater Interest than him in that Pa●●●●ar he hath raised against them 〈◊〉 seeing it hath pleased God by his good Providence to put it into the Hearts of our King and both ●●●●s of Parliament to give us the free Exercise of our ●●●●on by Law which we esteem as a great Mercy 〈◊〉 a wonder to me to read such scurrilous and re●●●●ful Language against those of our Perswasion and ●●●ore for that it proceeds from one who is himself a ●●●●er from the established Religion of the Land and ●●●●ther of a Presbyterian Congregation And to find ●●●●ublishing to the World that the Inhabitants of Ashford and divers other Parishes did join issue with him in ●●●●ng it seems to bespeak but little Sense of the Good●●●● God and of our Rulers in the Liberty you enjoy 〈◊〉 whereas those Ministers that are of the Episcopal ●●●●ision do give us civil Treatment and do not con●●●● themselves to disturb our Peace and Quiet much less ●●●●oach and abuse us I was considering what should move Mr. Thomas James to act as he hath done And at last I concluded it must certainly proceed from that very Spirit and Principle of the first Founder of your Sect Mr. John Calvin who burnt the Books of Servetus a Learned Baptist and afterwards perswaded the Magistrates of Geneva to burn him alive Which Sentence was execute● upon him as Castellio testifies who was a Contemporary with him in these words Michael Servetus was burn alive for his Opinion at Geneva Anno 1553 upon the 27th day of October And yet as one well observes Mr. Calvin did acknowledg this of him That he was a Learned and a Charitable Man Notwithstanding this he wrote a Book to justify the● putting him to death as a Man whose Books were full 〈◊〉 Errors Which Book was sufficiently confuted by t●● Learned Castellio where he also shews that the Reason 〈◊〉 Calvin procured his Death was this lest the excelle●● Parts and Learning of Servetus should have eclipsed 〈◊〉 Glory of Calvin and prevented him from being the 〈◊〉 of a Party And yet Castellio was not a Baptist Now if Mr. James should have imbibed the same per●●cuting Principles it is no wonder to find so much Ranc●● of Spirit appear in him against the Baptists in our Day as he hath expressed in these two Treatises I speak 〈◊〉 this as if I meant to accuse the whole Party for 〈◊〉 know that divers of them are meliorated and have manifested themselves to be Men of better and more peacea●●● Principles But seeing there are some young Men of another mind I thought it not amiss to give you a Cau●●●● against it remembring what an honest old Presbyter●●● Minister said once to some others of his Brethren 〈◊〉 met to ordain three young Ministers who had decla●●● themselves for this persecuting Principle saith he 〈◊〉 will have no hand in their Ordination for there 〈◊〉 Firebrands enough in the World already and 〈◊〉 please God I will have no hand in sending more 〈◊〉 such as they are enough to set the World in a Fla●● where-ever they come And I fear your young Man may be of that number 〈◊〉 pray let me ask you a few civil Questions which I de●●● you to propound to him and do you demand of him ●●ticular and distinct Answers thereunto 1. Whether Mr. James doth not believe the Episcopal Church of England to be a true Church and their Teachers to be true Ministers 2. Whether he doth not own their Baptism and Ordination to be true and valid 3. Whether he doth not think it lawful for you to go to their publick Worship and attend upon their Ministry in their Parochial Assemblies rather than suffer Imprisonment and the loss of your Estates And if this be so Then 4. what can be the Motive to excite Thomas ●●mes to keep up a Separation from the established Church 〈◊〉 England now in a Time of Peace unless it be to get 〈◊〉 better livelihood for himself than he could otherwise ●●ain 5. Whether the fear of losing some of his Auditors or ●●ing hindred from an increase of their Number by which his Income might be diminished might not be ●●e great Motive which excited him to such a foolish way 〈◊〉 scribling against the Baptists 6. Whether it doth not therefore highly concern you 〈◊〉 make a diligent Enquiry into the Word of God and ex●●ne his Doctrines thereby that you may see whether ●●y agree with the Doctrine and Practice of the Apostles ●●d Primitive Christians lest you should be cheated both 〈◊〉 your Money and of your Souls Now Sirs if a prejudicate Opinion doth not interpose 〈◊〉 ●oubt not but it may be said of you as of those in Acts ●● 48 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you are disposed to eternal Life ●●ed then there will be some hope you will give credit to ●●e Authority of God in the Gospel of his dear Son ●●d be willing to learn what may be taught you Had not Mr. James opposed us in the Point of Holy Baptism I had not concerned my self with him believing he 〈◊〉 sufficiently confuted about his Calumnies against our friends at Ashford by another hand I shall therefore for the sake of Truth use my endeavour to elucidate the Point in controversy that you may ●●re a more clear and distinct knowledg of it Neither you nor your Teacher ought to think it below 〈◊〉 to be instructed in any Gospel-Truth but receive it 〈◊〉 meekness and humility and be thankful to them that 〈◊〉 take the pains to do it For Apollos who was a great Preacher and a Man mighty in the Holy Scriptures did not disdain that a Woman should instruct him in the Way of God more perfectly Acts 18.24 25 26. And for your better understanding the Point in Controversy I shall do these three things I. Shew you that Baptism is to be administred by Dipping Plunging or

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