of God did ever by example practice nor by rule comaund nor give power that anie should be compelled by anie bodily punishment to obey their lawes and Ordinances which were infalibly true holy and good How much lesse ought our lord the King to comaund or give a power to Arch-Bs lord Bs. men full of the spirit of error to make lawes Canons with aucthority from the King to compell by imprisoment sharpe persecutions the Kings true subiects and people of God vnto the obediente thereof who for their religion to God although they be contrary mynded to the K. therein ought not seeing they deserue not to be punished either with death or bonds this is cōfirmed to the K. by the testimony of King Agrippa and noble Festus the governor who adiuged Paul to have done nothing worthy of death or bonds but that he might have bene loosed if he had not appealed to Cesar yet Paul was contrary mynded to Cesar to the jewes in his religion to God But they iudged him by the lawe of Nations by the power of which law the Kings of the nations are to rule judg according to their owne severall lawes against which law Paul had not transgressed for his cause was concerning the faith of Iesus Christ which could not be judged by that law And let our lord the King give his servants leave to comend this to the Kings best observatiō which is worthy to be observed that where soever in the new testament throughout the professors of the faith of Iesus were adiudged by earthly rulers Governors for anie thinge that they did or held of conscience to God of faith to Iesus Christ if earthly Rulers and Gouernors tooke the cause in hand by their power the iudgment was alwaes wicked and abhominable And if our lord the King will but begin his obseruation at the fore-runner of Christ Iohn Baptist whome Herod put in prisō and beheaded And then let the King come to Iesus Christ whome they iudged and crucified finding no evill he had done And so if it please the K. to looke throughout the whole booke of the Act. there the King knowes how the disciples of Christ were imprisoned threatned beaten stoned The made Saul hauock with his letters of Comission and entred into every house and drew out both men wemen and put them in prison Then Herod stretched furth his hand and vexed certen of the Church and Killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword and Caught Peter and put him in prison Then were Paul and Sylas taken at Philippi by the Gouernors and people and were sore beaten cast into prison and the Iailer comaunded to kepe them surey being charged to preach Ordinances which were not lawfull for the Romans to receive nor observe Here may our lord the King see a true patterne how the people of God are persecuted when the Civill power doth iudg their cause of their faith and profession in their religion to God Thus have worldly Gouernors delt with the Church of Christ when the disciples fell vnder their censure for their faith to God And all these sentences of death bonds and persecutions the King can iugd to be vniust and vnlaw full in that these Rulers and Gouernors had no lawfull power nor aucthority to iudg Christ nor his disciples for matters of faith they being in all other thinges obedient to their lawes But men wil say all this is answered in one word They were heathen Rulers Now if our lord the K. will challeng a Prerogative or power becaus he professeth Christ then let it be lawfull for the King servants to tell the King that it he will professe to be a disciple of Christ that gives the King no power to do anie of all these thinges to imprison to banish to put to death that belongs onely to his earthly Kingdome for Christ and Appostles had no such power given them neither taught they the disciples to take vpon them anie such power and to execute it vpon the contrary mynded but taught them the cōtrary to instruct thē with meeknes and by preaching the word seeke their conversion with all long suffering and not to destroy them by severe punishments yea the disciples of Christ must wait and labor for the grafting in againe of the Iewes according to the prophesies of the scriptures Rom. 11.24.27 and therefore the King knowes they may not be destroyed although they be the greatest enimies of Christ that are vpon the earth and have and yet do cast the greatest reproach and contempt vpon Christ with such words as are most fearfull to vtter yet must the disciples of Christ wait for their conversion and not worke their destruction And let our lord the King call to mynd how the Appostle Paul teacheth all the disciples of Christ to be mynded towards all infidells Rom. 1. 14.15 where he saith Iam debter both to the Grecian and to the Barbarian both to the wise and to the vn wise And the same Appostle 1. Cor. 9.20.21.22 saith To the Iewes I become as a Iew to them that are vnder the law as though I were vnder the law to them that are without the law as though I were without the law to the weake I become as weake that I may wīne the weake I am made saith Th-appostle all thinges to all men that I might by all meanes save some All these instructions and directions are for our lord the King to direct the King how he should go in and out with holines all meeknes before his people to wynne them to Christ and not to set vp a Cruell Hyrarchy to make havock of the K. people as Saul did pulling them out of their houses both men and wemen casting them into prisons forceing them to flee the land and persecuting them with all cruelty May the King suffer all this to be done by his power vpon this ground of being a Christian King the Kings servants shewe the King yet once againe in all humility that Christ the King did not so himself he never appointed to be punished anie one man for desobeing his Gospell with the least bodily punishment And therefore wee instantly exhort our lord the King that the King would be no longer seduced by those most dangerous deceivers that have gottē the Kings power to punish those that Christ the King of Israell would not punish that persuade the King that the King hath the same power in the Kingdome and over the house and people of Christ that the Kings of Israell had in that Kingdome and over that house and people of God as it was the Church of God Wee according to our great weaknes have shewed to our lord the King before that the King cannot challeng that power meaning onely in respect of Religion And wee will by the Kings favour repeat the substāce of the whole ground in few words and wee beseech the King that wee may the rather do
is that wee may but try the power of these called Spirituall Lords and that by earthly power they may not force men to yeild vnto their spirituall aucthority How can it but seeme equall in the Kings seight that spirituall lords should have no more spirituall authority then they can gett and mainteyne by spiritual power And if the Hyrarchy themselves thinke it vnequall that the doctrine of their power should be tryed be not most willing ready therevnto but shall by pollicie secret intimations shift it of then shall our lord the K. that is wise easily deserne that their deeds are evill and they hate the light neither cometh to the light least their deeds should be reproued Ioh. 3.20 But they that do truth come to the light that their deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought according to God Thus shal our lord the King all the world have a ful tryall of them whether their deeds are wrought according to God or no for if they will now come to the light of Gods word in the sight of all men and manifest their deeds to be wrought according to God then have they approved them selves but if they do not then hath our Saviour Christ here condemned thē with his owne mouth and let our lord the King also condemne them in his owne wisedome Shall wee need to be importunate with our lord the King in this cause of his poore people which concernes the condemnation of all their soules what need wee seeing our lord the King knowes that a King that iudgeth the cause of the poore rightly his throne shal be established for ever Pro. 20.14 Then let our lord the King here the cause of the poore and the rather in that the Kings most noble Predecessor hath before iustly adiudged the same cause and freed his people so far of the bondage wherein they were King Henry the 8. that Prince of great renowne freed his people from the bondage of the first Beast especially in these two great and maine perticulers in causing the scriptures to be set over and printed for the people in their owne language that so they might heare the word with their owne eares and also that their worship should be in their owne tongue that they might speake to God with theyr owne tongue and not in a straing tongue as they did Let heaven and earth iudg and let our lord the K. iudg let all the Kings people iudg whether this was not the depth of all darknes when men might not knowe what God speake vnto them nor knowe in their publique worship what they speake vnto God Let our lord the K. iudg whether ever there was such spirituall cruelty vpon the earth when the poore people of God for whome Christ died were debarred from the presence of God in their publique worship might neither heare god nor speake to God with their owne outward cares tongues but as the Ministers of the mā of sinne appointed and in astraing tongue as they taught them Wee knowe our lord the K. doth see that heere the abomination of desolation was set vp in the high places as also that the Corpes of the two witnesses of God prophesed of Reuel 11.8 which are the word and spirit of God lay dead in the streets of that great Citie there being no true vse at all of them and the people being deprived of the life of them for the word was a dead letter vnto them and the spirit a dead spirit The Kings predecessor of famous renowme thus freed his people from that bondage of the first Beast but there is risen vp a second Beast which exerciseth the power of the first Beast and now our lord he Kings people cry vnto the King with the sighes and groanes of their spirits and would cry also with a lowd voyce but for feare of the Beast and humbly besech the King that he would put too his helping hand to free his people from the bondage of the second Beast that their soules may not perish to everlasting perdition which all must do which are vnder the bondage of the same and so continewe And now let the King heare with an eare of compassion and see with an eie of pittie the cruell spirituall bondage that his poore people are kept vnder by the second Beast in these perticulers The Kings people have the word in their owne language and may pray in their owne tongue But they must not vnderstand the word but as the Lord Bishops will have it vnderstood and they must not pray nor administer in the holy things but as they appoint Now let the King with a godly wise hart consider in what woefull Spirituall bondage Gods people and the Kings are kept by this Hyrarchy Now plainely would our lord the King see the cruell Spirituall tyrany hereof if the King would make it but his owne cause Would not the King thinke it a must cruell tyranny if the King should be by force compelled to vnderstand and beleeve the scriptures as the Hyrarchy of Rome would have him And to worship God and administer in the holy thinges as that Hyrarchy would appoint And if the King would not so do that then that Hyrarchy should have power to put the King in prison and if that would not serve the turne to procure or cause the Kings life to be taken from him or at least to banish the King from his Kingdome nation would not our lord the K. thinke this great tyrany cruell bondage Wee knowe the King would for which cause the K. and his predecessors have cast of this bondage Then let the King see that the Kings people are vnder this same bondage for if they will not vnderstand the scriptures and worship God as the Hyrarchy of Arch. Bs. and lord Bs. comaund appoint they straight send a pursivant apprehēd them by violence and force imprison them sometimes divers yeres manie times not suffering so much as their wives to come at them and if their lives cannot be gotten then procure their exile or banishment The lord give the King a hart to pittie his people herein the King is ignorant of these dealings and none dare tell the King thereof the Prelacy have bene so mighty and so cruell And will it please the King to veiwe the cause of his people being true and faithfull subiects yet further what doth it profitt the Kings people to have the word of God to heare and read it seeing they are debarred of the spirit of God to vnderstand it but according to private interpretation by the the lord B. as though they had the spirit and could not err Oh that our lord the King that is a man of excellent wisedome would but bēd his wisedome to behold how that herin wherein the whole power of the Beast consists this Hyrarchy of Arch-Bs lord Bs. doth nothing differ from the first Beast for the first Beast kepes both the word and spirit
cruelty thereof executed by the Ks. power whereby they make our lord the K. gilty of all the imprisoment banishment persecution which by the Kings power they impose vpon all the faithfull subiects of the King who with stād their abhominations But aboue all let our the King for the glory of God and for the salvation of the Kings owne soule suffer vs the Kings servants thus far to prevaile with the King that our Lord the King would but search the scriptures whereby the K. knowes he must be directed if he wil be saved and let the King see with his owne eie what showe of warrant can be found that the King should take vnto himself power to Elect Bishops Oh wee beseech the King that the successive possession and the goodly apparence of this power may nothinge sway with our lord the King herein but let the King set before his eies the worthy recorded remembrance by the spirit of God of Cyrus King of Persia who brought furth the vessells of the house of the lord which Nabuchadnezzer had taken out of Ierusalem had put them in the house of his God Ezra 1.7.11 Not regarding the monuments of his predecessors great cōquest nor the dispoyling of his Gods of such bewtifull ornaments nor the departing with treasure of so great value All these respects could not hinder this King for restoring the vessells of the house of the Lord. Let our lord the K. be no lesse mynded to the house Church of God but let our lord the King freely restore at once to the Church and house of God the whole glorious power of Christ the onely King thereof and perticulerly that most bewtifull ornament of Election and ordination of the Bishops and deacons thereof who ought to be elected ordeyned according to the rule of the holy ghost Act. 14.23 6.3 and who ought to be qualified withall and every one of those gifts and graces set downe vp Th-appostle 1. Tim. 3. Tit. 1. yea their wives childrē also or els it is grevious iniquity to chuse them And who must onely by their Office beare those names titles which the holy ghost hath given them and lead or rule by that power which Christ hath appointed and by those lawes and ordinances and live by those maintenāces if they stand need And will our lord the King change all these and manie mo lawes statutes and ordinances which Christ Iesus the mediator and King of the new Testament hath appointed and ordeyned in his Church Will the King take this power to himself to Elect in such manner and such men as the King thinkes good And give names titles and power such as best pleaseth the King Hath Iesus-Christ with his blood purchased to himself this honor to be the head of his Church Ephes 5. And hath he shewed himself a faithfilll Mediator And hath he bene accounted worthy of more glory then Moses And hath he builded his owne house himself Heb. 3. And shall he be dispoyled of all his honor And will our lord the King be entised by evill men to enter vpon the inheritance of the Sonne of God in appointing and by the Kings power suffering to be appointed Lords and lawes in and over the house of God which are not according to the patterne Which lords because Christ is not their buckler nor faith their sheild nor the sword of the spirit the weapon of their warfare they have deceitfully seduced our lord the King bringing themselves vnder his protection for their defence and getting the Ks. sword into their hands to destroy all that speake or write against them preferring their owne Kingdome before either Christs Kingdome or the kingdome State of our lord the King as wee have already shewed vnto the King in that they with such loveing patience suffer and permitt so manie thousands of Romists who by their profession and the practices of some of them are dangerously opposite to the Kingdome of Christ and to the King and State But these Lords Bs. Cannot in anie wise endure one that doth faithfully seeke for reformation because such are onely adversaries to their kingdome Wee still pray our lord the King that wee may be free from suspect for haveing anie thoughts of provoking evill against them of the Romish religion in regard of their profession if they be true faithfull subiects to the King for wee do freely professe that our lord the King hath no more power over their consciences then over ours and that is none at all for our lord the King is but an earthly King and he hath no aucthority as a King but in earthly causes and if the Kings people be obedient true subiects obeying all humane lawes made by the King our lord the King can require no more for mens religion to God is betwixt God and themselves the King shall not answere for it neither may the King be iugd betwene God and man Let them be heretikes Turcks Iewes or what soever it apperteynes not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure This is made evident to our lord the King by the scriptures When Paul was brought before Gallio deputie of Achaia and accused of the Iewes for persuading men to worship God contrary to the law Gallio said vnto the Iewes if it were a matter of wronge or an evill deed o ye Iewes I would according to right mainteyne you he drave them from the iudgment seat Act. 18.12.17 shewing them that matters of wrong and evill deeds which were betwixt man man apperteyned onely to the iudgment seat and not questions of religion The like is shewed by the Twne clerke of Ephesus in Act. 19.38.39 And further Paul being in like case accused of manie thinges Act. 24. in the 25. chap. he appeales to Cesars iudgment seat where he saith he ought to be judged approveing and justifieing thereby that Cesars power judgment seat was the holy Ordināce of God and our Saviour Christ is himself obedient therevnto comaunds teacheth his Disciples obedience but this judgment seat power which was of God had nothinge to do in the causes of the Religion of God as our lord the King may see for if it had then could not our Saviour Christ have comaunded obedience therevnto but he must have vtterly overthrowne his owne kingdome and power Neither could Th'appostle Paul have said he ought to be judged at Cesars judgment seat if Cesar had or might have judged in causes of Religion to God for then had he vtterly overthrowne the Office of his Appostle-ship and then had he submitted his Appostle-ship wholy to the judgment of Cesar and so had the power and aucthority of it bene altogether destroyed made of no effect which might in no wise be Now let our lord the K. whose honor it is wisely to judg in thinges that differ judg whether there be in these daies anie other earthly power or anie other spirituall power
Christs owne works Ioh. 10.14 And al the power you have to administer is by the authority of the Bishops bull which you have in so great contempt and yet it is all the seale of your admittance to your ministerie and warrant for your administration therein a most sit warrant for such administrations Oh that you could see these thinges if you have anie the least love of God in you cast of al these abhominations aÌ„d become the disciples of Christ and preach Christ in his owne ordinance as his disciples did Act. 11.19 which if you wil not doe buâ— runne on in the heate of your blind zeale in this your false ministerie theÌ„ shal you be found to be those false prophets that come in shepes clothing of whome our Saviour Christ hath fore told Mat. 7.22 that shal say Lord Lord have wee not by thy name prophesied by thy name cast out Devils by thy name done manie great workes To whome he wil answere I never knewe you depart from me ye that worke iniquity Let this suffice to have proved by Gods word that your Election and Ordination to the Office off your ministerie is not off God and that you have not entred in by the doore but have climed vp another way and therefore are theeves robbers false Prophets hierlings straingers whose voices Christs sheepe knowe not but they flee from you and wil not followe you Ioh. 10.5 And by this are all they that heare you and followe you most plainly proved vp the most evident words off Christ that they are no one of them his sheepe for he saith His Sheepe knowe his voice followe him they wil not followe a strainger for they knowe not his voice And this is al the comfort that Gods word doth afford anie one of you in your flocks that followe you they are not Christs Sheepe And this is all the comfort that the people can have off you You are not Christs Sheepherds so are you like people like Preist like Sheepherds like Sheepe And you shall perish everie Man for teaching and drawing them after you because you are false Prophetts and are not sent of God and the People shall perish everie one off them for hearing and following you because you are straingers and hirelings iff you and they repent not Luk. 13.3 This is the word off the Lord the which you shal neither al nor anie one off you bee able to gainsay for you shal never bee able whilst heaven and Earth endureth to make anie shew from Gods word for your entrance into your Office off ministery and then are you vtterly confounded in al your waies aÌ„d al the people that follow you Wee have spoken sharply vnto you as it may bee thought and if wee have not wee had need seeing you have bene so often spoken vnto off this your false ministery and that with excellent words and yet you have not regardâ— which might discomfort vs in you and discorage vs in our owne simple playnnes But the love of Gods glory which through his grace wee hold most precious and the longing disire off our soules after your salvation and the salvation of this whole land which is so deare vnto vs and wee so much wish and pray for And the hope and assurance we have of Gods mercie and power to prevaile by weake meanes these causes have stirred vs vp driven vs on and encoraged vs to speake thus vnto you And wee pray you by the name off Iesus that as there is anie purpose off hart in you to feare God and walke-in his waies or anie love in you to this people whome you are bound so much to regard with al faithful carefulnes make haist to reforme your owne waies and to enforme this people in the way to life and salvation according to the strict rule off Gods word and do not stil lead them on in the way to death and condemnation according to the new inventions off your owne harts and old traditions off other men Wee will now returne to speake a few words off your ground and reasons or rather excuses that cause you to vndergo these thinges whereoff you cry out so much for reformation One 〈◊〉 because it is vnder a Christian King Wee demaund off you how iff the King should bid you truely enforme him whether it were more lawful for a Christian King to restraine the Church off some off the Ordinances which Christ hath appointed then for a Heathen King It can not bee that you would tell the King that a Christian King might more Lawfully do such evill then a Heathen King iff you should you would make Christianity a liberty â—o sin which may not bee why then iff a Christian King may not more lawfully do such evil evil sure you hold it to be els why cry you out so much for reformation neither may you more lawfully obey him in such evil then a heathen King Leave off such deceitfull pretences and vaine ymaginations for the which iff you should bee required warrant out off Gods Word you would easily see that it is but an excuse off a false shewe The Disciples off Christ who were most obedient subiects and taught you and vs all obedience vnto our King yet they would not be restrained in the causes off God but chose rather to obey God then men and rather to suffer imprisonmeÌ„t and beating then to bee restrained either of preaching or practicing anie off the ways off God although they were commaunded imprisoned beaten by the High Preist the Counsel and al the Elders off Israel that were no heathen Governors Act. 5. Those were faithful disciples and were content to obey in al sufferings And such obedience should you have submitted vnto iff your harts had bene vpright to God and the King herein but you have al bene found deceitful vpon the weights aÌ„d lighter then vanity it selff in these thinges when you came to trial and have dawbed with vntempered morter and no marvil though you fel because the lord was not your streÌ„gth in that you sought not the right way but would have established a Presbitary Hyrarchie and a decreing Synod which would have bene no more pleasing to God then an Hyrarchie off Arch Bishops and Lord Bishops and a Canonical ConvocatioÌ„ house for they have both one mynd with the Beast and give the right haÌ„d off fellowship one to aÌ„other seeking aÌ„d exercising one power which is to rule over mens consciences by their owne lawes and decrees Therefore strive no more for that your waie the Lord wil ever be against you in it For iff a Ruling Presbitary by their Synodal decrees and ordinances bee lawful then why not a Ruling Prelacy by Convocation Canons lawfull and then why not a Ruling Pope These are all off one Condition in their degrees and not anie one of them more pleasing to God then another although they bee every one more sinful in their degrees then other yet they al abolish
naturall men and your selfe as in this point in hand because with your carnall eies and eares you see and heare water and washing with such words to bee vsed in the administration off the Lords Baptisme therefore you according to your naturall vnderstanding iudg these thinges to bee the essentiall causes of spirituall Baptisme and teach simple soules that these things being once truely done they are not to bee repeated or done againe when they are whollie natural actions and prophanelie done as you confesse and therefore can in no respect be said to be the Baptisme off Christ which is whollie a spirituall action aÌ„d ought holilie to be performed and done Thus do you make the ignorant beleeve that you can put the spirit off grace into naturall actions formerlie prophanelie done and make the same actions Spirituall and acceptable to God Thus do you make Mid-wives baptisme good and the holie ordinance of God in the essential causes so can you make al the prophane praiers and sermons in playes which are vsuall holie and good actions and the Ordinances of God This then is your rule denie it if you can everie washing with water into the name off the Father etc. is the true Baptisme and Ordinance of Christ in the essential causes thereof by whome soever administred and vpoÌ„ what person or thinge soever This may bee good in lodgick and Philosophie but this is blasphemous cursed doctrine in divinitie and woe are wee for you that ever such abhominations should bee vttered by you wee are a shamed to follow you in the perticuler application of these things which if they should be vrged to the ful it would make everie hart that had anie grace and knowes you tremble and greive for you This hath your Lodgick and Philosophie brought you to whereby you have confounded manie a simple hart and weake vnderstanding and whereby you thinke you have a Privilege to vnderstand the meaning off God in the Scriptures before them that are ignorant of these Arts But now hath the Lord confounded you in them glorie to be his Name and the Lord give you a hart to acknowledg it and to repent and denie your selfe and give glorie to God Wee will omit to speake off your vnproper speach saying that Baptisme must be clothed with a right person vpon whome it must be administred Thus to make your maâ—ters to agree you speake preposterous things for the party must put on and bee clothed with baptisme and not baptisme bee clothed with the partie The next thinge that by the helpe of our God wee will endeavor to discover you to bee a false Prophet and a deceaver in is in a stronge ground you have wherevpon you much relie and often repeat it in your booke and that is this You say Baptisme is the vessel off the Lord as when the house of the Lord was destroyed the vessels thereof together with the people were caried into Babilon they remained stil the vessels off the Lords house in nature right though prophaned by Belshazzar and made quaffing bowles being brought againe out of Babilon to the house of the lord were not to bee new cast but being purified might againe be vsed to holie vse So this holie vessel Baptisme though prophaned in Babilon being brought againe to the house of the Lord remaines stil the holie vessell off the Lord. This is a strong doctrine from example both with you and al the rest of the false Prophets off your profession and no marvil though you deceive greatlie hereby because the doctrine and example is good but most deceitfullie misaplyed of you for you preteÌ„d hereby as though your baptisme were brought from the house of the Lord as the holie vessels were will you iff there bee anie vprightnes in you shew how and from what house of the Lord your holie vessel of baptisme was brought you shew vs plainlie from whence you have brought it againe out of Babilon that is England But out of what house of God came it before it came into Babilon that is England that is not shewed how deceitfully do you faine these things These are the imaginations off your owne vaine harts far have anie of you brought your Baptisme from the house of the Lord into England have you anie other roote or foundation for your baptisme then England do not all men knowe that your vessel off Baptisme was composed formed framed and made there How shal anie man bee able to open his mouth to denie this Why then your holie vessel falflie so called was made in Babilon Thus are you found false dissemblers to say and faine that your baptisme is a vessel brought out of the house of the Lord into Babilon as the vessels of the Temple were wheÌ„ it is most evident that it was molded and made in the Church of England which you confesse is Babilon Mr. Rob. had not you and al your Congregation the true matter as you cal it and true forme of your baptisme in England and was it not administred vpon you al in the assemblies of England then was your vessel off baptisme made there see your deceit herein if there bee anie grace or vnderstanding in you How have you blinded the eies of the simple herein and how hath Sathan seduced you and your owne hart deceived you Now the Lord Iesus give you a hart to repent and in the name of the Lord wee beseech you repent for you have bene and are a malicious adversarie of Gods truth and you lead manie soules in the way to destructioÌ„ The lord for his Christs sake deliver you out of these and all the snares â—f Sathan and the Lord deliver his people out of the net wherein you have like a cuning fowler taken theÌ„ and overthrowne them And wee pray you that you wil with patience suffer vs to shew you how you are al deceived in this point in saying baptisme is the vessel off the Lords house and brought from thence and so applie it to your owne baptisme which you may see iff you do not both winck and cover your eies never came out of the house of the Lord except you wil say The Church of England is the house of the Lord which wee hope the Lords word hath convinced to al your consciences that it is not therefore your baptisme can not be the vessel of the Ls. house but it is the true doctrine or Ordinance of baptisme that may bee said or called by way of comparison the vessel of the Lords house and this we and al must needs confesse is the vessel of the Lords house whether soever it is carried either to Rome or England and though it be polluted and prophaned there as both it and manie other doctrines and ordinances of the Lord are yet being purged from those errors aÌ„d abuses wherewith both they and you have and do pollute theÌ„ they may aÌ„d ought to bee brought into the house of the Lord againe and remaine holie vessels
diligentlie with your whole harts the law and statutes off the Lord that you may keepe them which lovâ— when you shal diligentlie aÌ„d faithfully search into through out you shal no where find it once mentioned that anie infants are to be Baptized and therefore it is but the meere vaine invention and tradition of men which who so followeth can never have favour nor acceptance with God because they make the Law off God of no authority Mark 7.13 In this great and waighty cause wee wil not through the grace of God burden you with manie grounds or arguments but lay downe before you some few things withall the plainnes and evidence of truth wherwith God shall make vs able And first wee pray al those whose harts God hath inclined to seeke his truth and who desire in vprightnes to walke in the light that they wil duelie consider what the CovenaÌ„t of the Gospel is and with whome it is made and thus hath the Lord set it downe This is the Covenant saith the Lord that I wil make with the house of Israel I wil put my law in their inward parts and write it in their â—aâ—ts and I wil bee their God and they shal bee my people Iere. 31.33 Heb. 8.10 And our Saviour Christ declares this more fullie Mark 16.16 Where he saith Go ye into al the World and preach the Gospel to everie Creature he that shal beleeve and be baptized shal bee saved Thus doth the Lord by his spirit in the preaching of the Gospel put and write his law in the harts of men according to the Parrable of the sower Mat 13.23 And they shal beleeve in him and bee Baptized Thus they shal be his people and he wil save them and so is he their God Here is the new Covenant set downe by the Holie ghost both on Gods behalf and on their behalf with whome it is made and here is it plainlie declared and expounded by Christ himself The Lord on his behalfe doth Covenant that he wil put and write his law in mens hâ—res by the power of his spirit in the preaching of the Gospel and he wil bee their God and save them and the Covenant on his peopls behalf which they are to keepe and performe is to beleeve the Gospel and bee Baptized Let al men now that have anie willingnes of hart to bee enformed by the word of God and whose harts are not wilfullie set to go on in their igno◠〈◊〉 â—old waies without trying their waies whether they bee of God or no let them wee say search examine and try by what shewe of truth it can possibly bee conceived that vnder or by this Covenant of the new Testament infants should be baptized where the Lord requires no such thinge in this Covenant of men to baptize their infants and if you wil but see and consider with wise and gracious harts how the Lord doth set downe the Covenant which he made with Abraham Gen. 17. You shal see with what evidence the Lord in mercie doth set it downe Thus saith the Lord to Abraham I wil establish my Covenant betweene thee and me thy seed after thee in their generation for an everlasting Covenant to bee God vnto thee and thy seed after the and I wil give to thee and to thy seed after thee all the Land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I wil bee their God this is on the Lords behalf and saith the Lord This is the Covenant that thou and thy seed after thee shal kepe Let every man-child amonge you bee circumcised yee shal circumcise the foreskinne of your Flesh and every man-Child at eight days old aswel he that is borne in the house as he that is bought with monie this is the Covenant on Abrahams behalf and his seed Thus doth the lord declare in every perticuler his Covenant with his people aswel what he wil do for them as also what he requireth them to do in obedience to him aÌ„d here wee see God hath comaunded Abra aÌ„d his seed to circuÌ„cise al the males in their house And now this Covenant is disanulled and all the Ordinances thereof as is shewed Heb. 7.18 And the Lord saith he wil make a new Covenant with the house of Israel not like the old teaching vs that wee should not forme and frame it according to the old but that wee should receive it according to the new forme and frame wherein he delivers it vnder which Covenant the Lord doth not commaund or require of his people that they should Baptize all their houshold and infants both borne in their house and bought with monie according as vnder the old Covenant he commaunded that they should circumcise them How dare you then thus contend against the Lord and whereas he saith he wil make a new Covenant not according to the old you wil say and have it according to the old for you wil have it that according as infants were circumcised vnder the old Covenant so you will haue infants Baptized vnder the new is not this to set yourselves against the lord and to change his Covenant which he hath sealed with his blood and after your owne wils in what you thinke good to make it according to the old Covenant directly contrary to the Lords owne word aÌ„d saying and you have no way to mainteyne the baptizing of infants but by saying the new Covenant is according to the old and this is to say directly contrary to the saying of the Lord who is the Covenant maker and who saith in plaine words the new Covenant which I wil make with Israell shal not bee according to the old Here it is made evident to al that wil not resist the truth that your baptizing of infants is contrary to the new Covenant of the Lord. Thus do you to make your owne tradition good make the new Covenant like the old which the Lord saith is not like the old how can you possibly oppose the word of the lord more directly Furthermore the holy ghost by the Author vnto the Heb. Chap. 9. endeavoring by al evidence to prove that the new Covenant is not like the old sheweth that the old Testament or Covenant had a worldly Sanctuary and that the service of that Tabernacle onely stood in meates and drincks and divers washings and Carnall rites which purified the Flesh but purged not the Conscience and the holie Ghost sheweth there that the new Testament or Covenant hath not a worldlie Sanctuarie and that the service of that Tabernacle stands not in carnal rites which purge not the conscience but 〈◊〉 is a perfect Tabernacle the sacrifice where of doth purge the conscience from dead workes to serve the ljveing God Thus doth the scripture shew that the ordinances of the new are not according to the ordinances of the old and for this cause saith the holy ghost Christ is the Mediator of the new Testament that is because the new Testament or Covenant and Cabernacle