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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	text_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	14	3	9.9861	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77497	The doctrine and practice of paedobaptisme, asserted and vindicated. By a large and full improovement of some principall arguments for it, and a briefe resolution of such materiall objections as are made against it. Whereunto is annexed a briefe and plaine Enarration, both doctrinall and practicall, upon Mark 10.V.13.14.15.16. As it was some time since preached in the church of Great Yarmouth: now published for an antidote against those yet spreading errours of the times, Anabaptisme and Catabaptisme. / By Joh. Brinsley.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1645 (1645)	Wing B4712; Thomason E300_14; ESTC R200258	127,125	196

away with it And what is it that so prevailes with them for the sucking in of this errour why surely nothing more than the high opinion which they have of those who stand up in this cause an opinion of their singular piety zeale knowledge They are knowing Christians forward and Zealous Christians close walking Christians such as desire to come to the Rule and to follow Christ close Such they apprehend them to bee And I will not deny but some such may be found amongst them And hereupon they make their judgements and practise a standard a patterne to themselves Surely say they it cannot bee but that they should bee in the right A knowing people a praying people c. Ans To meet with this Errour doe but looke upon this instance in the Text and see who they were that prohibited these children from comming unto Christ and rebuked those which brought them They were not Scribes and Pharisees They were not superstitious or blinde ignorant or yet wicked and prophane persons No they were Disciples followers of Christ those who by reason of their constant attendance upon Christ and familiar acquaintance with him one would have thought should have understood his minde sooner than any yet they fall into this very errour they would not have children brought unto Christ for which they are reproved of their Lord and Master I doubt not but even amongst that Sect which I am now speaking against there may be some pious devout humble Christians though I feare not many for in most of them you shall see a spirit of pride and disdaine and bitternesse against all that doe not walke by their light but some such I hope there are some Disciples of Christ who do follow Christ according to their light in the simplicity and uprightnesse of their hearts Now what though they debarre children from comming unto Christ and rebuke th●se which bring them finding fault with the received practise of all the Churches in Baptizing of Infants What then Shall we presently hearken unto them Nay rather hearken unto Christ so doe these women here in the text The disciples prohibite rebuke them bid them be gone with their children But Christ hee incourageth them hee invits them And to him they harken not to his disciples Suppose the adversaries to childrens Baptisme be some of them disciples of Christ never so pious never so zealous never so eminent for grace for holinesse yet hearken we rather to their master then to them to him inviting rather then to them prohibiting The disciples rebuked those which brought them But upon what ground did the disciples this What did they it out of malice Out of envie Were they unwilling that these Infants should receive any benefit from Christ Surely not so Charitie envies not Grace is communicative willing and desirous that others should have a share in the same Christ and in the same benefits by Christ whence was it then Surely out of Ignorance out of blind-zeale 1 Out of ignorance ignorance of these two things 1. They did not apprehend what need these Infants had of Christ Not being troubled as is most probably with any bodily infirmitie they did not see what should occasion this their addresse The whole need not the physician but the sicke Had they been sick and diseased questionlesse the disciples would have admitted them as readily as they had done others but being sound and hayle they put them back as apprehending them to have no need of Christ 2. As they apprehended that they had no need of Christ so probably they did not conceive how they were capable of any benefit by him Those which came unto Christ ordinarily they came for one of these ends to be benefited by him either in their bodies or in their soules In their bodies by his miracles in their ●oules by his doctrine Now as for the former of these these Infants had no need of it and for the latter they were not capable of it and consequently the disciples could not see what they should be the better for coming to Christ and thereupon repell them keep them back And are not these the very grounds the chiefe grounds that the Anabaptists goe upon at this day in debatting children from the Sacrament of Baptisme 1. They have no need of Baptisme say they And 2. They are not capable of benefit by it 1. They have no need of Baptisme How so In as much as they are free from originall sinne that is the doctrine of the compleat Anabaptist Infants say they doe not stand charged with Adams sinne And as for any sinne of their owne whether originall or actuall they are not guiltie of it Originall sin in Infants faith one of their books it was but a Romish invention 〈◊〉 and set a foot by those Antichristian factors that so they might have an occasion to extoll and de●●●e their queen of heaven the virgin Mary whom alone amongst all the posterity of Adam they exempt from that common condition Now being free from sin say they from the guilt of sinne and from the staine of sinne what need have they of this laver which is ordained for the washing away of sins Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes saith Ananias to Paul The poole of ●eth●sda that miraculous hath it was proper for lepers and cripples and such other diseased bodies as for others they received no benefit by it And so is it with this spirituall this heavenly bath it is appointed for leprous sinsick-soules not for Infants who are not troubled with any such maladies Againe secondly as they have no need of Baptisme so what benefit can they receive by it or from it being void and destitute of understanding of reason and consequently of faith upon which depends the efficacie of this and all other the ordinances of God This it is that qualifieth a person for the Sacrament of Baptisme his faith in Christ If thou believest thou maiest saith Phillip to the Eunuch And this it is that draweth vertue and benefit from the ordinance which without this is rendred wholy ineffectually These are their reasonings and are they not for substance the very same with the supposed reasonings of the disciples here in the text They would not have the Infants brought unto Christ Why They had no need of him being in perfect health free from sicknesse and they could receive no benefit by him being void of understanding Even thus saith the Anabaptist what should children be brought to Baptisme They have no need of it being free from sinne neither can they have any benefit by it being voide of faith Now to both these we may say as our blessed Saviour once did to the Sadduces in an other case when they represented to him their mis-apprehensions touching the Doctrine of the Resurrection Yee erre saith he not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God Surely so did the disciples here

come to be strengthned and increased To this end it was that our blessed Saviour gave such harsh intertainment to that poore Cananitish woman that came to him in the behalfe of her daughter First bidding his disciples dismisse her send her away Then himselfe shaking her off telling her hee had nothing to doe with her or for her I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Then giving her tam and course language calling her a dog It is not meete to take the childrens bread and cast it unto dogs All this he did for her probation and tryall to try and exercise her faith These ends God hath in it 2. Satan hath other ends viz. to discourage dishearten the people of God to beate them off and make them desist and leave off their undertakings and therefore he endeavoureth to crush them in the shell and nip them in the bud Take we notice of it and make use of it that being fore-warned we may also be fore-armed against what ever discouragements wee shall meet with Not disheartned by them Alas these are no new or wonted things but such as Gods people have frequent experience of Let them not dull or rebate the edge of our endeavours but rather whet and set them Sowre sauces in the beginning of a meale they whet the appetite Even such use make wee of what ever impediments and discouragements shall encounter us in the entrance upon any pious relgious undertaking Let them be rather as whets to sett an edge upon our resolutions And in particular let it be usefull to new beginners new commers to Christ young Christians At first conversion when they doe but begin to looke towards God and Christ they oftentimes meet with such entertainment as these Infants here did They finde course usage from the world Course language it may bee or an overly carriage from friends and acquaintance mocks and checks from others And happily God himselfe or Satan by his permission may strow some Murices some Caltraps some crosses in their way But let not all discourage still hold on In the end what ever the world doth bee you assured Christ will smile upon you and embrace you as here he doth these Infants To passe on These Infants were repulsed and those which brought them checked But by whom By the Disciples of Christ His Disciples rebuked those which brought them What see we here Even good men holy and gracious men may sometimes be impedements to pious and Religious undertakings It was Peter that assayed to perswade his Master not to goe up to Jerusalem Master favour thy selfe Here was an assay to hinder the best worke that ever was done the worke of our Redemption and that by an eminent Saint an eminent Apostle Here in the Text the Apostles whose office it was to winne and bring all sorts o● persons unto Christ yet they prohibite these children and rebuke those which brought them Thus good men sometimes may bee back-friends to good causes This God permits this Satan incites to this holy men yeeld to See a Reason for each First God permits it to the end that our faith as the Apostle speaketh should not stand in the wisdome of men nor yet in the holines of men That we may learn not to make either the Iudgement or Practise of man our Rule our Rule to believe by our Rule to walke by Secondly Satan incites to it the rather making use of these Instruments because least suspected and consequently most prevalent Thus at the first he made use of the Woman in tempting the Man Adam could not naturally suspect his owne flesh hee could not suspect that poyson should bee reached forth to him by such a hand None so likely to perswade with him as his wife was Vpon a like ground it is that Satan maketh use of pious and godly persons in crossing and hindering some pious undertakings Thus hee made use of Peter to take off his Master So much our Saviour there expresseth Get thee behind me Satan It was Satan that spoke in and by Peter making use of him as his Instrument in suggesting and conveying that temptation And wherfore of him Why he thought if any could prevaile with Christ Peter might assoone or sooner than any 3. As God permits and Satan incites so holy men sometimes yeeld and become instruments to God and Satan in these services or rather dis-services in hindering of good and that because they know but in part It was so with the Disciples here In prohibiting these children they act according to their knowledge They did not know their Masters mind concerning them and thereupon they did what they did Thus is it with good and holy men they are sometimes Remoraes back-stayes to a worke that tends to the glory of Christ and good of his Church Whence is it not from any ill-will they beare to either but because they are not fully informed touching the minde of Christ they are not perfectly instructed in the way of the Lord wherein they walke according to their light Make use of it briefly even that which I have already given you a hint of Learne we hence not to pin our faith or obedience upon other mens sleeves not to make the Iudgement or practise of others whatever they be a Rule a Standard for us to believe or walk by A very common errour in these un-setled times How many well-meaning soules are there every where that bottome their faith upon the wisedome or upon the piety and holinesse of men Take wee heed of it Knowing that if we shall sayle by this Compasse we may bee on ground before we are aware You know who spake it Let God bee true and every man a lyar God onely is infallible and his Word an infallible Rule As for men the wisest the learnedest the holiest they are all lyars and that both actively and passively subject to deceive and bee deceived Take wee heed therefore of trying truth by this touchstone of weighing truth in this ballance by these weights To the Word to the Word That will not that cannot deceive Humane judgement humane practise may though in persons never so eminent Take heed then how wee bee prejudiced against truth because such or such assent not to it Take heed how we let in errour because such or such embrace and entertaine it Surely it is one of the prevailing Arguments of the times that hath misled and seduced many to the receiving and embracing of divers dangerous errors even the good opinion and high esteeme which they have had of some who have gone in those wayes I will instance but in one that which the Text leadeth me to viz. The errour of the Anabaptists in denying Baptisme unto children An errour which spreadeth farre and nigh in the Kingdome to the present disquietment to the future danger of the Church Many in all places carried

say they not those or any other Infants but such as are like unto them in some qualifications So divers Interpreters expound it Non istorum sedtalium Not of these but of such Such as are like to those Infants Like them non aetate ●ed moribus not in age but in manners in some imitable qualities as viz. Innocency Simplicity c. So much say they may be collected from the verse after the Text where our Saviour explaineth his owne meaning what he meaneth by such viz. such in humility Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdome of God as a little childe he shall not enter therein Such are the children say they to whom our Saviour here averres the Kingdom of heaven to belong And thus they thinke to elude and evade the force of this Argument and the evidence of this Text triumphing in this subter fuge Answ But all in vaine as will easily appeare if we do but consider the true intent of our Saviour in this place as also the true sense and meaning of the word First for the former our Saviours intent The text is cleare Hee was displeased with the disciples for repelling of these Infants and hee giveth this as a reason to convince them of their error For of such is the kingdome of God viz. those Infants and others like unto them in age otherwise his Argument had been of no force For of such c. For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such it cannot be conceived to exclude these Infants but to take them in as primarily and properly here intended So the word is commonly used as in our ordinary speech so in phrase of Scripture Parallel instances are very obvious Should such a man as I fly saith Nehemiah meaning himselfe Paul writting to Philemon For loves sake saith he I rather beseech thee being such a one as Paul the aged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such a one meaning himselfe Those which doe such things saith the same Apostle are worthy of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such things viz. those things before specified in the Chapter and things of like nature as himselfe expoundeth it Gal. 5. 21. Thus the word is commonly used inclusively still taking in the thing or person it selfe to which any other is equalized or coupled If need were more instances might be mustered up But I shall save that labour In the meane time challenging our Adversaries to shew any one place in all the Scriptures where the word is so used as they would interpret it in this text viz. Where the word such is put exclusively excluding the person or thing it selfe to which any other is compared but so as still it intends either directly and peculiarly the same person and thing instanced in or else that and others like unto it So without question must it be understood here in the text Of such i. e. these Infants and others like unto them whether in age or condition So as there can be no advantage justly taken from the word 2. Nay as it is well pressed by some it maketh the more strongly against the adversarie Of such is the kingdome of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non horum sed talium Not of these but of such Plainely importing that the Kingdome of God did belong not only to those particular Infants then and there brought unto him but unto them and others that should at any time be brought unto him after the like manner The word such is of larger extent then them Had our Saviour here said to them belongeth the kingdome of God Then might the Anabaptist here have found a more colourable evasion alledging that Christ who knew all things might know them to be elected and so might say that theirs was the kingdome of God but that it could not from thence be inferred that any other of like condition could claime the like right to it But saying such now hee taketh in others with them even all that should be offered and presented unto him after the like manner Conclude we it then This Argument ordinarily taken up by Divines from this text of scripture for the maintenance of Infants Baptisme it is of force and validitie carrying out the cause against all opposition They to whom belongeth the kingdome of God who are subjects and members of the kingdome of Grace and heires of the kingdome of Glory they have right to this seale of the Covenant whereby this their interest may be confirmed and sealed up unto them This by way of Instruction In the second place here is a ground of comfort and hope unto believing parents as touching their children whom God is pleased to take ab utero ad ut●rum from the grave of the wombe to the wombe of the grave cropping them in the bud taking them hence before ever they know the right hand from the left it may be before such time as they could be made partakers of the seale of the Covenant Yet let not such parents mourne as men without hope Let them not perplex themselves with a doubtfull anxietie touching their eternall state and condition The text in this case yeelds a ground of comfortable hopes Of such is the kingdome of God saith our Saviour here concerning these Infants who were as yet onely intentionally tendred to him not actually touched by him Is it so that we have done the like for our Infants Presented and tendred them unto Christ and to this Ordinance in the unfeigned desires and intentions of our hearts doubt not but the kingdome of heaven is theirs theirs as well as any others You know who spake it In Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Gentile neither male not female and I may adde neither young nor old for they are all one in Christ Jesus Being given unto Christ they shall come unto him be brought unto him one way or other and coming unto him they shall be all alike saved by him made partakers of the same Kingdome with him And thus much for this Reason as it is here simply propounded Vers 15. Verily I say unto you whosoever shall not receive the kingdome of God as a little childe he shall not enter therein COme wee now to looke upon this our Saviours reason as it is illustrated and amplified in the verse following viz. by an Argument a majori so Piscator conceives of it an Argument from the greater to the lesse As if he had said Wonder not at this that I have said that the kingdome of God belongeth to Infants I tell you more whosoever would enter into this Kingdome must become an Infant an Infant by way of resemblance imitating and being made like unto such a one in some imitable and observable qualities Otherwise hee never shall he never can enter into this Kingdome Whosoever c. The wordes make up but one entire proposition or conclusion In effect the same with that