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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	good_a	great_a	3,132	5	2.4770	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78132	A defence of the lavvfulnesse of baptizing infants. As also of the present baptisme, as it hath continued in the severall ages of the world, from John Baptist the first beginner thereof. In way of answer to something written by Iohn Spilsberie against the same.	Barbon, Praisegod, 1596?-1679.	1645 (1645)	Wing B749; Thomason E270_12; ESTC R212355	60,304	74

A DEFENCE OF THE LAVVFVLNESSE OF Baptizing Infants As also of the present Baptisme as it hath continued in the severall ages of the world from John Baptist the first beginner thereof In way of Answer to something written by IOHN SPILSBERIE against the same 1 Thes 5. 12. Try all things hold fast that which is good Psal 105. 8. He hath remembred his Covenant for ever the word which he commanded to a thousand generations Deut. 30. 6. And the Lord thy God will circumcize thy heart and the heart of thy seed c. LONDON Printed by M. Bell for Benjamin Allen and are to be sold at his shop in Popes head Alley at the signe of the Crowne 1645. To the Reader THe holy Scriptures do inform us of two severall persecutions raised by Satan against that innocent part of the Church to wit Infants beside the persecutions which inclusively they at severall times have suffered with the rest of the Church The first was by Pharaoh that sore oppressour of Israel that held them in such cruell bondage The second was by bloody Herod Our Lord himselfe in this latter was personally concerned he then being an Infant and Rachels Infants suffering for him In both which it is considerable the time when In the first it was when the Israelites were neere deliverance from Egypts bondage The second was when the Deliverer was come to Sion and deliverance it was neere at hand In like kinde now in this last age now God is delivering of his Church from the long and sore bondage of spirituall Babylon called Sodom and Egypt he returning to her as in the dayes of old There is even now also a sore persecution against this innocent part of the Church which is so much the more sad and grievous in these three respects First in that it is raised and carried on by such as pretend to be friends and lovers of Sion the Church of God if it were by open and professed enemies it were more easie to be borne Secondly in that they pretend to the glory of God this their persecuting and casting out a part of his heritage as did of old those that cast out their brethren and said Let the Lord be glorified Esay 66. by which meanes many are deceived Thirdly in that their opposition is against them in a spirituall regard it being against their relation to God to his Church to his gracious Covenant or Covenant of grace from all which they seclude them driving them out of Gods heritage that they may goe serve other gods spoiling them of all their externall rights and priviledges and so leaving them among the dead to wit in trespasses and sinnes Pharaoh endeavoured to destroy and Herod killed a part of this part of the Church But these in a spirituall sense have destroyed all this part of the Church not one left alive in way of relation to God or interessed externally in Jesus Christ But this hard and injurious dealing Jehovah that is mighty and Jesus Christ that is gracious who manifested much tender respect unto these will plead their cause and right their wrong against such as rise up against them as he did of old for he taketh it as done against himselfe Courteous Reader in the behalfe of these innocent Saints to whom the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is most free they having nothing to bring unto him no not so much as good words I doe make defence in their cause as touching their right in the Covenant of grace and part in the Church of God to whom they having relation as to a father and are therein blessed as such are whose God is the Lord. Now I have thought good to offer it to thy view in regard that a great part of what I have said for them and against their opposers runneth in another line something different from what is usually pleaded in their behalfe that it might be considered of together with an answer to some things controvertable in that way about the raising of Baptisme pretended to be lost but indeed continued by the power of God under the defilements of Antichrist The exceptions against the said continuance I have made answer unto as also some other particulars handled all which I have referred to thy judgement forbearing such confident expressions of proofe and full proofe as is to be found not in a few of this way and others also that in the judgement of the Reader have made proofe of nothing at all Indeed such confident praising of a mans own work is a certaine signe of the weaknesse of it Use thy rightfull liberty good Reader in the consideration of what is said and be impartiall seeing thou art free Now for my particular Opponent I professe as much respect and tender of love to him as to any of that way and therefore desire that nothing may be misconstrued in regard of the manner of any proceed nor of any phrases wherein I intend no hurt but to quicken the Reader and to make the matter more plausible to some that are dull If any aske why I answer only a part and not the whole book published by my opposite I answer first that a great part of it was an answer to some others to whom I leave it to make reply if they please Secondly in regard that some other part of the Booke is in way of opposall of their opinion that hold not alike the truth of the Church and Baptisme in the defection but hold the truth of Baptisme only I might doe them wrong for want of ability to manage and make out the matter therefore I have forborn and left it to themselves if they please to make defence In regard some part of this Contest is of personall Reformation and proceed from corrupt wayes to serve God purely the maine worke of this present age I shall take the boldnesse to forewarne in love and sobriety all persons to take heed to their setting out at the first for want whereof this and other errours have been fallen into by not a few A person missing his way at the first setting out the further he goeth the further out and to seeke even so it is in this one errour begetteth another and another and there is no end till men sit down in darknesse That person that cast away the truth of his relation to God to Christ externally because of defilements will never be able to make out his relation in a way of purity Other foundation can none lay then that which is laid already no not ingard of outward Religion and the service of God It is safest keeping to this lest men make their ease like those that comming from captivity sought their discent and could not finde it and so might not be admitted to speciall Ordinances but by Vrim c. Esra 2. 62. 63. Their labour is to be pitied that know not the way to the City how shall such be ever stayed in their course or setled in their way

head and husband that all this time of her backsliding did not renounce her In short she was approved to be but not approved as pure in that her being And surely so is the case of the Church where Antichrist sits as God 2 Thes 2. 4. The matter so considered let J. S. when he awaketh make the most he can of it The second part of the dream is this that this is a part of the same I suppose he meaneth corrupt as the whole is To which I answer though it be corrupt yet it is no part of the corruption there being difference as before betwixt a thing and the corruption that attends it the Israelites were a part of the Schisme of Jeroboam The seven thousand were a part of the ten Tribes which went astray In a diverse 1 King 19. 18. sense persons may be of the Church of God and members for their parts and yet in a way of Idolatry and in that way none 1 Cor. 12. 27. compared with 1 Cor. 5. 1. 1 Cor. 25. 12. of Gods as may be further seen by the case of Manasses as also of the Priest that went astray that went along with the Israelites in their Idolatry sure there is little in this part of the whole But in the third place in his deep charge he saith this is to look for a man in the Moon Answ Just as J. S. did look for the Church and Baptisme in the Scriptures Indeed Eliah thought as his complaint sheweth that he was left alone but God told him otherwise for sure to Rom. 11. 3 4. minde a Church as retaining her being though in a corrupt estate is no looking for a man in a Moon though he for want of other matter and better proofe is pleased out of his sick stomack to say so against the truth and such as stand for it Fourthly saith he It is to suppose a Church to consist in such matter as is destructive to it self Sure J. S. cannot make out this in any rationall way it is but a part of his dream to hold a Church to consist of matter corrupt and degenerate as was the Idolatrous Israelites and as was the lukewarme Laodiceans is not to hold amisse is not to hold the matter destructive to the form or being The faithfull City becomming sometime a harlot Indeed such matter is against Esa 1. 21. the well being of the Church but that is not our question the matter of the Church ought to be holy and pure but it is often otherwise Fifthly he saith to hold a continuednesse of the Churches being though not of her well being his term is here succession of truth but he meaneth sure the Churches being It is against the light of nature Answ A marvellous high ascent and sore charge but it is but rashly spoken as one in a dream that loveth no inferences But however it is well it is not against the light of the holy Scriptures J. S. hath left them and is gone to the light of nature but how doth the light of nature teach that a Church and Ordinances of which is our question cannot continue their being if corrupt or greatly corrupted Truly no more then in the case of Job that he should not or could not be a man because corrupt Job 2. 7. The folly and weaknesse of this fifth part of the dream I suppose any weak judgement will be able to see and I will say no more In the sixth place to bring up the reare he addeth a charge of a foule nature That to hold a continuance of the Church and Ordinances under the apostacy of Antichrist Is a keeping of the Pope upon the throne of Christ whether he will or no But how doth this appear truly as all the rest because he saies so I would ask J. S. or any other if the holding the Israelites of the ten Tribes to be Gods people and their Circumcision to be Gods Ordinances did thus keep up that apostacy and the Calves at Dan and Bethel perforce as in the place of God and his waies Againe doth J. S. and those of his way because they hold the continuation of the same Scriptures and which is more translated by Antichristians in their sense and so successively from Pope Jone doth he or they in thus doing keep the Pope upon the throne of Christ whether he will or no It concerns him to see to it and to renounce and cast away those Antichristian Scriptures as he hath done his Baptisme and so seek new Scriptures too lest not being true to his owne principles hee should become guilty of keeping the Pope upon the Throne of Christ whether he will or no. Experience the School-mistris of fooles hath shewed the contrary of this charge in the Reformed Churches who have almost unthroned the Pope of whom J. S. and those of his way as if they had some compassion have busied themselves in making a little Terret Throne for him to sit upon and inhabit in namely their Babel practise And certainly their erroneous practise and way doth more help to keep the Pope upon the Throne of Christ then any other thing that pretends opposition to it as that course doth of which a little more hereafter and for the present I shall onely here aske J. S. whether he doe think the Pope doth sit upon the Throne of Christ yea or no if he say yea then sure hee sitteth in the Temple of God in the Church for Christs Throne is there He proceedeth after that great charge thus But to lay the chain of succession of truth this way namely through the Popedome of Rome as all such must doe that hold a personall succession of a Church Ordinances to consist in the same from the Apostles untill now What will such doe and where will their succession of truth lye when they come to the woman Pope of whom the Papists themselves are ashamed In answer I retort it thus to lay the chain of succession of truth this way namely through the Popedome as all such must doe that hold the writing or the letter of the Scriptures to have continued from the Apostles untill now in a way of personall succession in that defection what will such doe when they come to the woman Pope of whom the Papists themselves are ashamed truly J. S. hath cause to be ashamed of his foolish reason which if it were true he would finde himselfe to be at as great a fault as his oponent But further I say such as hold the continuation of the Church and Ordinances through Popish defection or under the state of the Popedome will doe well enough with their tenent notwithstanding Pope Jone who could never reach the Churches being to cause it to cease nor yet Baptisme of which in speciall is our question all the coined words of J. S. put upon the matter will not doe it as his chain of succession of truth in stead of continuation of Baptisme again hold