Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	baptism_n	baptize_v	infant_n	1,991	5	9.3594	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39697	Vindiciæ legis & fœderis: or, A reply to Mr. Philip Cary's Solemn call Wherein he pretends to answer all the arguments of Mr. Allen, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Sydenham, Mr. Sedgwick, Mr. Roberts, and Dr. Burthogge, for the right of believers infants to baptism, by proving the law at Sinai, and the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, were the very same with Adam's covenant of works, and that because the gospel-covenant is absolute. By John Flavel minister of the gospel in Dartmouth	Flavel, John, 1630?-1691.	1690 (1690)	Wing F1205A; ESTC R218689	64,584	175

in the World to clamour so loudly against us for want of express Presidents for Infant Baptism whilst your self confesses you want even one President in the New Testament to legitimate your own Practice and in the mean time are found in the sinful neglect of a sweet and heavenly Gospel-Ordinance viz. the singing of Psalms for which you have both Precept and President in the Gospel Col. 3. 16. James 5. 13. 1 Cor. 14. 26. 2. It is objected against you Page 2. That if the Commission Matt. 28. excludes none from Baptism but such as are to be excluded by the order therein to be observed and if Baptizing and Teaching are to precede or follow one the other as there named by Christ then these two Conclusions will follow 1. That Infants are not there excluded from Baptism 2. That a Person may be baptized before he be taught for there we have First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Disciple all Nations make them Disciples or Christians Secondly We have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which literally to translate is Baptizing-teaching Now then Discipling being a general word that contains in it the two others that follow viz. Baptizing and Teaching and being the Imperative Mood whereas the other two are Participles it is manifest that the whole Command or Commission is given in that and the mode of Execution in these and if the mode of executing that general Commission be expressed in these where Baptizing is first and teaching comes after what is become of the order the Antipoedobaptists have so long talk'd of The Summ of your Answer is That if Baptizing be first and teaching comes after then it will follow that the Apostles understood not their Commission aright for they first preached and then baptized them that by their preaching believed Acts 8. Acts 10. Acts 2. with many other places you heap up to the same purpose and therefore Infants must be excluded by that Commission because uncapable of being taught And therefore let us criticize as we please upon Imperative Moods and Participles the case is clear Teaching must go before Baptizing Reply It had been more modest to suspect that you understood not the Text aright than that the Apostles understood not their Commission aright The order of the words as this well fortified Objection declares and you cannot deny puts Teaching after Baptizing and though we should allow you that they discipled adult Persons by teaching and taught others Baptized in Infancy after their Baptizing them in both they followed their order and commission in Discipling the Parents by Preaching and teaching their Children Baptized by vertue of the promise to them after their Baptism For he declares Acts 2. the Promise is to them and to their Children which gives a right of both unto Baptism and so teaching according to the order of this Commission may be an antecedent Duty to the Parent and a subsequent Duty to him and his baptized Children For if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 includes Teaching before Baptizing why should not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is put after Baptizing respect the subsequent Duty of teaching both the one and other 3. Mr. Allen's next Argument mentioned by you pag. 5. is taken from Matth. 19. 14. Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Whence he argues against your Objection of the Incapacity of Infants for Baptism That if they are capable of Interest or Membership in the Kingdom of Heaven or Church they are equally capable of the Sign or Cognizance which is Baptism To this you reply three things 1. That it remains to be prov'd that these little Children were Infants and not grown Boys or Girls capable of making an actual profession of their Faith in Christ. 2. 'T is doubtful whether they were for present in the Kingdom of God or were only elected and so in time should be of his Kingdom And 3. Whatever they were they were brought unto Christ who himself baptized not not to his Disciples who did baptize Reply Your first Exception is vain and groundless that they were very young and little ones appears not only by Christs taking them in his Arms but from the very Notation of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Diminutive Word signifying a little Child or Infant So John was call'd when New-born Luke 1. 76. and Christ when he lay in the Manger and Moses when among the Flaggs And if this be not enough St. Luke gives them another Name Luke 18. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Infants a word given to a Child in the Womb Luke 1. 41. And for what you object out of Piscator that the same word is us'd of Timothy who knew the Scriptures from a Child 'T is an evident mistake or shift for the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He knew them not being an Infant but from his Childhood or Infancy that is when he had past his Infant State in which State th●…se were that were brought unto Christ. And 2. Whereas you question their present Right in the Kingdom of God or whether it were not future by vertue of their Election The Text will not allow your Interpretation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of such is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be the Kingdom of God Their present Church-membership asserted by Christ is also a known Rule to regulate for the future the Disciples Carriage towards them which was too severe harsh and therefore highly displeasing to Christ but by telling them they were Members of the Church or Kingdom of Heaven they being very probably the Infants of believing Parents as their bringing them unto Christ with such affection through the Frowns and Repulses of the Disciples shews he gives them a known and plain Rule how to distinguish Infants and regulate their Carriage towards them which God's Election can never be that being an unrevealed Secret And 3. Whereas you say Christ did not Baptize them I reply We never urged this Scripture to prove he did so but only to prove their Chruch-membership which methinks Christ asserts as plainly as words can assert it when he saith Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven and tho you use to quibble at the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of such as though it respected not the present Infants but grown Persons resembling them in humble and innocent qualities Mr. Sydenham hath sufficiently baffled that Interpretation by shewing its inconsistence with the Scope and Argument of the place and how ridiculous this Sense would be when reduced to a formal Argument 4. The fourth Argument you pretend to answer pag. 8. is drawn from 1 Cor. 7. 14. Else were your Children unclean but now are they holy To this you answer two things 1. That the Holiness here spoken of is not a Federal but a Matrimonial Holiness namely Legitimacy and is as much as to say your Children are no Bastards seeing one of you is a Believer Reply If this be true and the

making them the chief Fundamentals in Religion as that Expression doth if it be not a vain and Sinful Hyperbole the Salvation or Damnation of Men depends upon compliance or non-compliance with them And then whither must you send all Gods People in the World that differ from you Sir I find your Brethren in the Appendix to their confession of Faith Pag. 110 placing one of these which you make of highest concernment among the other circumstances of Religion And doubtless that is it's Proper place Nor do I see how they can free themselves from Participation in your Sin 'till they have admonished you for it and caused you to expunge it out of your Book 6. That it is a Setling of our Thresholds by Gods Threshold The Words you recite from Ezek. 43. 8. which speaks of the Idolatrous Kings of Judah and Israel building Temples and Altars for their Idols in or near the Courts of the Temple of God As the English Annotations on the Text will inform you an Abomination that defiled Gods Holy Name a Wickedness not to be Named and for which the Lord consumed them And calls it Whoredome in the next Words Here Sir you have exceeded all the Bounds of Society and Christian Charity And made this circumstantial difference about the Proper Subject of Baptism the Grossest Heathenish Idolatry in the World And consequently dissolved the Bond of Christian Charity and broken off all communion with us for with such Idolaters you ought not to have any communion Your more wise and moderate Brethren in the place above cited tell us they are loath hereby to alienate their Affections or Conversations from any that fear the Lord and are willing to participate of the Labours of those whom God hath endued with Abilities above themselves Qualified and called to the Ministry of the Word Desirous of Peace and not of renewed Contests hereabout This is a Language of another Air. And if they be as I dare not suspect but they are sincere in that Profession they dare not Comprobate such a desperate and unchristian censure as yours is If they do then we may easily guess what our Lot and Treatment shall be whenever Anabaptism get the Ascendent in England We may expect as civil usage as is due to gross Idolaters and no better But I hope better things 7. You say that as these things are of highest concerment so they ought to be our most serious Practice and endeavour pag. 243. l. ult Good Lord whither hath Zeal for an Opinion Transported you Our most serious Practice and endeavour Sir I thought the most serious Practice of a Minister had been to Preach Christ and Salvation to the Souls of Men And not to Baptize I am sure St. Paul reckned so Christ sent me not to Baptize but to Preach That is Baptism is not my principal Work or main business And ver 14th he thanks God he had Baptized none of them but Crispus and Gaius I believe he never utter'd such an expression about his other Work of Preaching Christ. And for all Christians I thought the secureing of their Interest in Christ living in the duties of communion with him Watching their Hearts and mortifying their corruptions had been the Object matter of their most serious Practice and Faithful endeavour and not the Litigations about Baptism But I hope these were only inconsiderate expressions falling from your Pen whil'st you were in a Paroxism of Zeal or a transport in the height of a conceited Triumph But whatever was the cause I am sure you ought to revoke and repent such Words 8. You wish your Testimony rise not up at last as a Witness against us Sir we do not apprehend any Cause we have to fear your Testimony against us or severest Censures of us whilst we are satisfy'd that as you neither have a Faculty or Commission to be our Judge so neither is there any convincing Evidence in your Reply to our Arguments But I think you have much more Cause to fear lest those Arguments should come in at last as a Witness against you who deny and contemn them when mean time you are put to most lamentable Shifts even Contradictions and somewhat worse to escape the Point and Edge of them 9. To conclude You tells us we must not expect the special Presence of Christ to be afforded to us without our compliance in these Points with you Sir We never yet deserted the Judgment or Practice of Infants Baptism and yet have had blessed be Jesus Christ for it great and manifold sweet and signal Proofs and Evidences of his Presence with us He hath owned and blessed our Ministry to the Conversion of many and there are some and those not mean or few of our Spiritual Children now in your Societies in England who have acknowledged us to be the Instruments of their Conversion The Lord lay it not to their Charge who now desert that Ministry in which they first received Christ. But as for the Departure of his Presence I assure you Friend I am more afraid of the Rents and Divisions you now renew so unseasonably among the Churches of Christ than of any one thing amongst us beside it It grieved my Soul to see you Quiet a movere awake a sleeping Controversie especially in such a Season when we are little more than half delivered from our Enemies and Dangers you take us by the heel as Jacob did his Brother whilst but yet in the Birth Sir except you return to a more quiet and Christian Temper than you seem here to be in I am out of hope that ever you and I shall see those blessed days we have so often with pleasure comforted our selves with the hopes of ●…wever extend your Charity if you have any left so far as to believe that I am one notwithstanding all this that am studious of the Churches Peace and ●…quisitive into the Rules of Duty not daring to hold any Truth of God in Unrighteness and yet well satisfy'd I am in the Path of my Duty wherein though we cannot walk together yet I hope to meet you at the end of our way in our Fathers House where perfect Light and Peace dwells And here I had put an end to this Debate had I not received your Return to some of these Sheets whilst the last of them was under my Hand wherein I only find four things in which I am concerned In general you tell me You are not convinced of any Error by what I have said I am sorry to hear it But considering the nature of Error on one side and the difficulty of Self-denial on the other you have not much deceiv'd my Expectation More particularly 1. You say As to your hooking the Sinai Covenant into this Controversie I gave you the first occasion of it for when you shew'd me your Papers about God's Covenant with Abraham I told you that you were best first to try if you could prove the Covenant at Sinai to be a Covenant of