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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30859	Baptism, infant-baptism, and Quakerism briefly, but impartially considered, in a letter to a friend with a short disswasive from the impiety, atheism, and popery of our age, in another letter : with an appendix.		1674 (1674)	Wing B675; ESTC R22609	22,764	60

miserable World and left us to grapple with all the fie●ce fiery Temptations wherewith the Devil shall assault our Souls and all the Afflictions and Troubles that like our shadows shall continually follow our Bodies what remains therefore but that we seriously set us about that great work of eternal Concernment examining our selves what progress we have made in our Journey to Heaven how far we are gone towards Happiness or whether we are gone any thing at all how great the work we have to do is and how short the time we have to do it in and why should we unless because the Devil will have it so be backward in Catechizing our selves about these things things that so much comport with reasonable Souls things too that so loudly call for the greatest and exactest care for me-thinks there is so much of Reason in Religion and Piety and so much of it wanting in Irreligion and Luxury that there is none at all in them that chuse the way of sin whatever Joy or Encouragement it may vainly promise them before Grace and Virtue though cloathed in Raggs and attended with the greatest Misery the World can lay upon them what pleasure can there be in Vice Or what delight in sin Is there any thing in them Consonant to the generous Principles of Reason or to those more generous Principles of real Happiness Can there be any thing taking in Gluttony Drunkenness or Luxury in which we are most experienced and perfect we have but very fairly converted our selves into Beasts that perish and turned our selves a grazing like Nebuchadnezzar with the Beasts of the Field A brave Commendation for a Reasonable Soul For indeed if we do but obey that other half ofour selves our Reasonable Souls and yield to it's dictates we shall soon be convinced that there is a God for could the World so glorious a Fabrick being of a Compound Nature make it self before it was Could eachpart come together without some Mover Or could each part move before it was Could it bear the rest of the most curious and Critical Reason and be found to be exactly Consonant to the highest Reason and yet be made by something that had no Reason at all It must then be either Created or Eternal and if it were Eternal it is very strange that we should have no Records no Chronicles of any Persons or their Actions before Adam That the World should be doing nothing from Eternity till six thousand years ago is more incredible than the greatest error in Religion and if they did any thing it is as strangely so that we should never hear of it And why those Persons the Egyptians that pretend to the highest Antiquity do yet acknowledge a beginning why no particular Beings that God we erve excepted did erect or could with any shadow of Reason assert themselves Eternal without making themselves the objects of the greatest Ridicle and Laughter Or why no particular Nation or People have ever claime a right to the highest Antiquity viz. Eternity Or lastly why Eternity must when nothing ele can exist only in Universals and Generals and not in Particulars or Individuals are all Paradoxes beyond belief incredible If then there be a God as it is Infallibly certain there is and if he hath Created us it is a Natural and most reasonable Inference that he should be adored and Worshipped how disingenious should we be if instead of serving him we should take those Courses that are most displeasing in his eyes as the least sin and the most minute vice is and if he must be Worshipped it is all the Reason in the World he should acquaint us how and that we can no way know but as he is pleased to reveal his Will by his word the Scriptures and therefore it is your and my safest way to Regulate our Devotions and all our Actions by his Word If we should not Worship him according to his Word according to what else should we Is it not most probable that God would rather appoint us our way of Worship i● his Word then hazard us to he vain Traditions and uncertain dictates of a fallible though Roman Church Is it not more safe to follow the Word ofGod than the Commands of Idolatrous Men under what plausible Titles soever they go How far therefore the Great Infallible and Massie men of our days are out when they are so importunate with us to serve God according to their Fanatick Breviaries and yet will not give us leave to Worship him according to his Word without the imputation of Hereticks is soon discerned by one with half an Eye We Live Dear Cosin we Live in Times and Places that it is but Ordinary to hear men talk in Company against the Being of a God and cry down Religion as a vain and Melancholy fancy and others make as light of the Word of God as the former do of God and therefore we had need be well principled in Religion and know the grounds and Reasons of our Faith against the Huffing Atheists on the one hand and the proud and imposing Papacy on the other To my desire that we might be so impute this large a Harangue And now I am sufficiently sensible how tedious I have been how much I need your pardon and hoping that you will grant it you shall rest and I remain Yours c. Appendix I AM not Ignorant of Mr. Danve●s his Book against Infant-Baptism nor of others about Quakerism and against Atheism that have come ou● since these Letters were written which I have neither time leisure nor necessity to take notice of however upon that Account perhaps it my be needful to add a word o● two concerning each point Concerning infants born in Covenant and so having a right to the sign of it I offer this Argument further when the Jews are called which most of our Brethren do believe either their Children shall be the Subjects of the sign of the Covenant or not if they shall then our Children are so now and this sign must be either Baptism or Circumcision but not the latter therefore the former if not then it is as plain as th Sun at Noon day that they will want a priviledge which they had before the coming of Christ which was theirs before the giving out of the Ceremonial Law and therefore no p●●t of i● and before the distin●●● between J●r an● Gen●ile and therefore not prope● to the Jews though the●● and that God 〈◊〉 give a sign that he will 〈◊〉 Covenant or the Grace of the Covenant of Grace to ●●me more o●●●oner than others or that he will enter them into any part though but the outward of it is one would think a great priviledge And whether t●as p●ece of Sup●rstition may ●ot be an Obstacle and hindrance to the Co●●●rsion of the Jews as at this day the Idolatry of the Bom●●n●s●● is I leave it to the judicious and unpr●j●●i●ed to consider For the f●rther obviating that tri●e

BAPTISM INFANT-BAPTISM AND QUAKERISM Briefly but Impartially Considered in a Letter to a Friend WITH A short Disswasive from the Impiety Atheism and POPERY of our AGE in another Letter With an Appendix LONDON Printed in the Year 1674. TO THE READER Reader I Have had the Happiness of these Papers Company some years they have lain by me in this defensive posture thou now findest them a long time and I assure thee they have demeaned themselves very quietly though Men of War without offending any as I hope they will still since they first Quartered with me there have been many Insurrections many a Battle fought many a Line drawn and many a Trench closely Besieged These Controversies of Infant Baptism and Quakerism have of late been hotly bandied to and again I have after several attempts made by my self and others proved vain and ineffectual through the Authors modest loathness to appear in Print I have I say at length prevailed with the Author to Commission them to go out into the Camp and contribute all they can towards the Peace and quiet of Religion I have extorted leave of him to press them to the publick Service and yet I hope they will demean themselves as victorieusly as other Volunteers that have gone out to slay This is all I thought good to Advertise thee and so I leave thee to the Authors previous Advice TO THE READER Un●●●●●diced and Impartial Reader FOR so these papers suppose thee if they mistake I am sorry for it if thou art not Impartial I wish ●●ou wert so if not unprejudiced and unpre-engaged may they make thee so if thou art hot cither pro or con here is no treatment for the at least not in the first at puter if thou comest with a pious inaifferency to possess thy self of Truth and verity read and welcome soon and prosper The deagn of those prefactory Lanes is not to Court thy Acceptance or suborn thy sa rane for to bride thy vote nor yet to fort-stall thy judgment for this would be very unlake the lasiness of the dispute they usher in which is ●●t to beg but by strength of reason command thy assent not to desire the favour but by dint 〈◊〉 Argument to require the justice of thee to believe the Truths defended and dis-believe the Erros confuted it is hoped both are modestly enough done I request of thee onely to be clam sedate and impartial and be what thou wilt eise It is not knnecessary I think to let thee know that these were real not feigned Letters thou art not the first they were sent to nor the Friend meant in the Title page though now at the second hand thou art and I hope they wil give thee no cause to be otherwise so that thou maist be assured the reason of the Title is not any emulatton of the Fashion of writing even contraversies that hath of late so much obtained A Letter to a Friend of 700. pages sometimes which me thinks should be added to the Title that the Friend might know how long the Letter would keep him from business and matters of concernment without the trouble of turning to the end of the Book before he hath scarce sa his eye upon the beginning Know also this both Letters were writ so long ago as 1668. both of them without the least intent or purpose of publication That the first was writ in a sheet of paper which you must be remembred for the us derstanding of an Expression in the close of it That in the close of the last Letter the Roman Innovations are intended and how much reason there hath been since the Year 666. to fear the corrupting of the Truth and the defacting of the Religion of England by Popish contrivances I need not tell thee therefore if thou takest the sense meaning or design to be that the Church hath not the power to regulate necessary Circumstances not expressed in Scripture in the Worship of God thou dost mistake And lastly take notice that brevity was studied in both Letters and therefore thou canst not expect as much here on the Subjects treated of as thou maist in larger volumes yet I think I may say thou wilt find more in a little here than thou canst any where else so much brevity reason and distinctness couched together if I mistake not thou wilt miss in many other books thus much I hope I may say without any arrogance or immodesty ERRATA Reader THou maist well wonder to see so many Errata's in so few Leaves and so large a Catalogue of Errors in so little a Book nor are here all some are on●●ted because they will not much disturb the sense others because they will not easily escape they nother Share the fault between the Authors Absence and the Printers Negligence and then Correct before there Readest Preface 1. line 11. r. Truth 2 preface l. 11. r. Pre fatory The Book p. 2. l. 24. for that r. not p. 4. l. 10. r. Acte 8.36 l. 21. r. it not God p. 6. l. 9. r. sure l. 10. r. not p. 10. l. 1. for now r. when l. 11. between they and are r. that p. 11. l. 10. after Baptism r. to come ro the sprinkling used in the Law which signified the san●●● bing that Baptison doth p. 16. l. 3. for and r. the l. 10. for and r. 1. l 16. r. tremulous l. 25. r. Devtl p. 18. l 2. to them add Isa 8.20 l. 13. for of is r. in p. 19. dele of l. 22. dele not p. 20. l. 25. r. these p. 22 l. 17. for of it r. not l. 23. r. Evasion p. 23. l. 11. r. tenent p. 24 l. 15. r. idioms p. 26. l. 16. after only add every p. 29. l. 17. r. Willingly p. 32. l. 10. add to which when p. 33. l. 13. r. ever p. 42. l. 18. r. Ratiocinoso's p. 43. l. 6. r. Wittynesses l. 7. r. We. p. 46. l. 7 and 10. r. Master not Minster l. 8. r. are generally not and generally BAPTISM INFANT-BAPTISM AND QUAKERISM CONSIDERED Dear Cosin THese Lines c. The Question is Whether Infants are the Subjects of Baptism Or Whether Insante may be baptized Answ I affirm it shall lay down my mind in these following positions concerning Baptism 1. Baptism is an Ordinance a Command that claims every Christians Obedience while he is on this side the end of the world One known proof to prevent tediousness shall serve my turn Mat. 20.19 Teach 〈◊〉 Disci●●s all Nations Baptising c. A pl●● proof that Christ would have all Nations who pretend to be his Discipies to be baptized and if this be a Commandment a Christ furely they that have any love for him should keep this as well as other commandments John 14.15 Is it not then 〈◊〉 dangerous aspersion upon the wisdom 〈◊〉 Christ to call it a Carnal Ordinance Is it not extremely hazardons to load the Institutions of Christ with Carnal outward us profitable and the like ignominious