Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	baptize_v	child_n	infant_n	1,168	5	9.1746	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46634	A vindication of that part of Spira's despair revived which is challenged by the Anabaptists, and shamefully callumniated by John Wells, a Baptist preacher : wherein also some things are handled relating to infant baptism and dipping in baptism : particularly it is evinced that dipping is not essential to the sacrament of baptism / by Thomas James, author of Spira's despair revived.	James, Thomas.; James, Thomas. Spira's despair revived.	1695 (1695)	Wing J437; ESTC R32366	32,972	42

A VINDICATION Of that Part of SPIRA's Despair Revived Which is Challenged by the ANABAPTISTS And Shamefully Callumniated By JOHN WELLS a Baptist Preacher Wherein also some Things are Handled RELATING TO Infant Baptism AND DIPPING in BAPTISM Particularly it is Evinced That Dipping is not Essential to the Sacrament of Baptism By THOMAS JAMES Author of Spira's Despair Revived LONDON Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultrey 1695. To those Inhabitants of Ashford and the adjacent Parishes who attend upon my Ministry Beloved Christians THE Dedication of these few Sheets of my Vindicatio● is due to you and it would be a Crime to prefix any ●ther Name or Names You are concerned with me in th● Matters here spoken to and your Concern is little le●● than that of my own yea upon some Accounts it is evident●● greater You have also some knowledge of these things yea som● of you do know the truth of what I write to your exceedin● great grief and sorrow This Neighbourhood hath of a long tim● been the Seat of many Anabaptists and the Stirs they have mad● have not been small witness that Disputation held in the Paris● Church July 27. 1649. between Fisher and several Ministers b●fore some thousands of Hearers about three Thousand as th● Printed Relation telleth us it was guessed and a late one b●tween them and my Predecessour and they have not come short 〈◊〉 my time having urged me to the same though I have answere● them only with contempt of their Challenge The Reflection I made touching their troubling weak and unst●ble Souls and their Practices of this kind are Matters well know● to many of you Every Day discovers how restless they are 〈◊〉 turn some or other of you away from the Faith you profess an● to make you renounce your first Baptism Vpon these Account 〈◊〉 judge it a part of my Ministry which I have received in th● Lord to watch over you and to preserve you from those Seducer● and if I should not take all occasions to warn to exhort and i●struct you I am afraid I should not fulfil the same Beware of ●hem therefore and be not terrified and dismay'd at their bold and desperate Speeches cavilling at and condemning Infant-Bap●ism as a new Doctrine a Scriptureless thing as Antichristian which yet was practised many hundred of Years before the Name of Anabaptists or Baptists being taken for a Society of People opposing Infant Baptism was ever known in the World and long before the Man of Sin was ever revealed But why should ●ou be afraid to have your Children baptized when Christ shewed his Love to those Lambs by taking them in his Arms and blessing them and the Holy Ghost makes no difference be●ween them and the oldest Disciples calling them Holy and saying the Promises equally belong to them and God to where in all his Word forbids you to dedicate them in Baptism or refuseth them Let them shew you that Scripture if they can which forbids Children to be baptized What hath God less love for your Children than for those of his old People the Jews Is his Mercy clean gone from our ●hildren Is he not the God of the Christians also Yes ve●ily the same God in Covenant for he is a God keeping Cove●ant and Mercy with his People whose People we are if we be●ieve on Jesus Christ his Son and we are Children of Abra●am to whom Circumcision was given as a Seal of the Covenant ●od made with him and his Seed to which Baptism now answers Christ changing the two old Sacraments Circumcision and the Passo●er into Baptism and the Lord's Supper the Subjects of them ●ho were to receive Spiritual Benefit and Priviledge thereby ●eing still the same Many things I know they have written to ●isprove this but I seriously profess that their Distinctions and ●ub distinctions about Circumcision being a Seal to Abraham and ●ot to his Seed the two Covenants God made with him c. ●●re so handled by them in some of their Books scattered among us ●hat I can hardly understand them and wonder how they could render ●●ich plain Matters so intricate But until they can shew you ●ow God makes a difference between Children under the Law and the Gospel taking theirs in and leaving ours out why should yo● keep your Children back from the priviledge of so blessed a Sacrament or seek a new Baptism for your selves As for the point of Dipping can you dare you lay the stress of the Efficacy of a Sacrament wholly upon the quantity of Water as though the application of more or in another way than Sprinkling or pouring● could profit you so exceedingly Or must you needs be adult and profess yo● Faith as though the Vertue of the Sacrament did wholly consist in what you do and nothing in the Grace of God 〈◊〉 Cannot God bless his own Ordinance to Infants Beware I be●seech you least you should provoke God by limiting him after thi● manner and scandalize your Brethren and all the Reformed Churches of Christ even the purest of them as that of the Wa●denses now commonly called Vaudois who were never tainte● with any Corruption of Antichrist but certainly the most pur● and Apostolical in the World who baptize Infants and generall● apply the Element of Baptism some other way than by dipping as by pouring it on sprinkling c. But I pray what do yo● see in these Men that you should think the Word of God came only to them What Power and Demonstration of the Spirit is ther● in their Preaching What Holiness and Exemplariness in the●● Lives more than others to convince you that they are the Peop●● of God above others I do not go about to set you against their Persons or Societies and therefore say nothing that may tend to the●● Reproach but I am shewing you how vain it is to believe eve●● Word they say to prevent your being insnared by their confident boasting of things they are never able to prove Let me speak 〈◊〉 some of you in the Words of the Apostle Be no more Childre● tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrin● by the● slight of Men and cunning craftiness whereby the he in wait to deceive And I do earnestly exhort you all to a●tend to that Gospel Precept If it be possible as much as ●●th 〈◊〉 you live peaceably with all Men live peaceably even wi●● these Men as they are Neighbours live in love let not the● Questions and Strivings about Matters of this or any other natu●● imbitter your Spirits and provoke you to speak unadvisedly much less to be guilty of any Misbehaviour in your Actions rather pity them and pray for them They are their own Enemies-many ways especially their Childrens whom they debarr of many blessed Priviledges therefore pray for them and be at peace with them The strange Divisions of the Land of our Nativity is a sorrowful Consideration to all that fear God and are by no means unnecessarily

upon the Account of my Book did own to us that he was with him the same Day or the very next after my being there and that he discoursed with him of these matters and that he urged Believers Baptism to him meaning Dipping upon Profession of Faith Now supposing no more Evidence could be produced yet upon this alone how shameful was it for Mr. Wells to publish thus p. 11. First We observe that you were the only Man that visited discoursed and advised this poor Man in his deplorable Estate and p. 11. Mr. James was the Man chiefly concerned with him in his Hurry and Trouble of Mind but to the end he may not be thought remiss and the better to seem clear he finds out some to be mentioned that he says did so much wrong O shameful Was ever any matter turned so fouly against another What when I was desired to visit him by one of his Kindred pitying his Condition when a Minister was carried to visit a poor disturbed Man must he therefore suffer in his Reputation and have the Odium of all cast upon him But alas 't is too plain for them that he was wounded by the Anabaptists and I found him with an Arrow shot in sticking fast and tormenting him and to keep him in their Bonds one of their Teachers as himself owned and is certain is with him the same Day for so the Woman his Baptist Sister is positive though he were not urging Believers Baptism whether he were there accidentally or not or upon design I know not but there he was and discoursed and advised him Yea further at another time as the Woman confessed to me in presence of a Gentleman who accompanied me to her House June 12. there was one F another Teacher among them who visited him and had private Discourse with him about an hour which F saith another Sister he was carried to hear preach and shewed some uneasiness as he went and as she judged she was dissatisfied but one of the Neighbours a Baptist and his Sister she found going along with him which Neighbour had been at the House and she doubts not brought him thither and out of pity to him in his condition she went along with him also and heard the same Man Yet Mr. Wells saith We observe that you were the only Man that visited discoursed and advised this poor Man in his deplorable Estate What will the World think of this What can they To begin his Reply thus First We observe Truly if you observe at this rate you may observe First Secondly Thirdly and infinitely even as far as you please or can invent But Mr. Wells did you observe this at London by your selfe or did your Ashford Friends give you these Instructions If you did it alone it was a wonderful Observation indeed you had better Eyes than Lynceus and more surely than Argus but if your Friends gave you this Instruction it was so much the worse For one of them as another confest to me whose Hand was to the Letter to get a Reply set forth was one who confest that he was with the Man in his Trouble and discoursed and advised him So then here are two of your Teachers found to be with him and who will not think but there were others also of your opinion in the space of about nine Months of his illness But again I pray Mr. Wells how was I conversant with him as you write p. 14. when I never spake to him but that one time in my life Never but once in his Company so as to be able to discourse with him I had thought to be conversant had implied a Familiarity and frequenting a Persons Company so that this is no good English and that is the best Interpretation of it or I know not how to excuse the same from a Falshood But I begin to grow weary of tracing our these Slanders and Untruths I will take notice only of one thing more about the Case of this R. M. and dismiss this Head And really it is a sad thing to consider how these Men strive and struggle and are restless till they entangle themselves and Write and Print at that rate that doth ill become Christians whom I was willing and desire yet to own as such Pray Reader now observe what follows in these Words p. 15. Mr. James bestirs himself to persuade him that his Infant Baptism was true Baptism N. B. and to go to Town to board and make use of a Physician of his own way and to bear him which was done But the poor Man grew weary not liking the means that was used And it seems and as he told his Sister that they were in a consult what to do about him one day and unexpected to them he over-heard them and one said he was in love and another said he had not a Dram of true Grace but he hearing this it made an addition to his weak disturbed Head N. B. and gets away and relates the matter to his Sister and so waxes worse and worse till at last he ends his Life For my part when I read and consider this I am amazed so many Lyes in one Story Such Falshoods sent forth so bare-fac'd If my Neighbours gave these Instructions to their Brother Wells they are what I never took them to be if he Printed it of himself it is little better in him Did I design a large Answer here is a large Field for it and matter enough for one of no great Parts to work upon enough to wind and toss and for ever shame Mr. Wells and all his Friends who have acted in this Business Surely some body owed them an ill turn and secretly wrought it this way But however it were and though my Neighbours might deserve most yet I must keep to Mr. Wells only and truly he hath discovered himself all along to be an unaccountable Writer Once before he observed that I was the only Man was with R. M. during his trouble of mind this he saw it seems at London there he could tell who went in and out and discoursed him and here he saw him at Board at Ashford which no Creature in Ashford ever saw no not any of his Anabaptist Friends since Mr. Wells sent out this strange Relation we have ask'd his Friends here and they are ignorant of the matter When I discoursed his Sister the Baptist who was his House-keeper she only said she thinks he was one Night at Ashford at his Cousins R. M. the Person who carried me over to visit him and her Son who went with him will say he was But the Family deny it and all say it was no such thing and are certain he never lodged there one Night he dined indeed one Day there as they tell me and went up into a Chamber and lay down on a Bed to refresh him but never lay one Night in their House But suppose it that he were one Night in Town What is this to Boarding

and cry out That I will give no Proofs or Satisfaction I appeal to those few present at that time when they attended me to use Mr. Well's own Words p. 9. after the publishing my Book I appeal I say to the Consciences of their Three Teachers whether I did not name several guilty of the things I laid to their Charge But to clear all at once and to satisfie their longing desires so far as is any ways meet and ●it of assigning Persons both those who were troubled and almost distracted by the Anabaptists urging it upon them to be Dipp'd as ever they hoped to go to Heaven and be saved and those who did trouble them laying this mighty stress upon Dipping I say to put an end to all that I may clear my self and shew how able I am every way to vindicate my self from the foul Slanders cast on me and to make my Charge good to a tittle let Mr. Wells know that I have several Depositions of Persons by me which fully prove the matter in Hand subscribed freely and which will be readi●y attested and solemnly upon just occasion Behold one in Form ●s I have it by me with so me others I N. N. do own and testifie That N. N. hath divers times and to my great Vexation and disquietude urged me to be Dipped setting forth the absolute necessity thereof to Salvation inveighing against those who practised Infant Baptism as Antichristian and urging me to be Dipped as ever I expected to enter into the Kingdom of God Witness my Hand N. N. But alas should I go about to lay open the Practises of the Anabaptists about us and reveal what many poor weak Christians have told me with great bitterness of Spirit how burthensome their very Life was to them by reason of their importunate Sollicitations to bring them to be dipped and their Desperate Speeches striking an Horrour into their Minds vexing their Souls continually it would I doubt sound very strange to many Readers But so it is in truth and yet forsooth these Persons would fain be counted innocent and cry out of the wrong I have done them One instance I cannot but produce and that a little largely it being so material and I am glad as the Case is to take the opportunity to let the World know it and judge thereof And because Mr. Wells hath sprinkled here and there a little of the point of Controversie and his Ashford Friends make advantage of his Reply such as it is to scatter their Books among us and surely the like was never known for to this Book of his they have tack'd another stitch'd them together yea and more than so at the end of his Reply there are these few Lines Printed to couple them together And as to the point of Baptism we refer that to the following Treatise formerly written by another Hand intituled The Reason why c. Good Mr. Wells why did you not send me a perfect Copy But I suppose you thought I should hardly be caught with your Chaff and therefore a few Books were provided for my self and such as could better judge what was written Truly this was civilly done not to trouble me with any more Books than your own and now it seems I have nothing to do to answer any thing but your Reply this is a kindness I acknowledge I say because Mr. Wells hath scattered up and down somewhat of Controversie I think it convenient to give a touch or two to the same to prevent Mistakes and Error and to send forth an Antidote for others as well as a Vindication for my self The instance by which I take occasion to write this was this A Woman aged near Forty Years came to me to be baptized Upon instructing her in the Principles of Christian Religion and her answering to such Questions about the same as seemed to me necessary first having consulted the Practice of other Churches in like Cases and professing her Faith and Repentance I baptized her on a Lord's Day in the Evening before the Communicants Now quickly upon her being so baptized the matter being noised abroad she was set upon by the Anabaptists even as I have represented the too common Practice of some of them and one of them in their Communion which they cannot disown did exceedingly perplex this poor Woman with Questions and Cavillings asking her what Faith she had in what was done and speaking against it as no Baptism seeing she was not dipped This really disturbed her so that she lamented it to me not that she was unsetled or believed them but because they followed her with such Discourses giving her no rest Yea at the very time of writing this which is now about two Years since her being so baptized the Design is carried on very busily to proselite her She declares to me how she is continually disquieted by that Party she now tells it me with Tears that she is wearied by them and hath desired them to let her rest being well satisfied in her Baptism But that which is yet more considerable is this At the time when those three Teachers were with me about about my Book among others whom they press'd me to name and instance in I named this Woman and represented the Evil of this Practice in going about thus to disquiet a poor weak Woman who was baptized so authentickly as one would think all Christians should allow being an adult Person having profess'd her Faith and Repentance before the Administration of the Sacrament Hereupon one of them had the confidence to tell me it was indeed no Baptism Monstrous Doctrine What will become of Christians at this rate and what hope can Millions have to whom it hath been applied in any other way than that of the Baptists What can a Mode destroy the Essence of the Ordinance and shall the Application of Water in a less quantity render it altogether ineffectual and destroy its end and efficacy When the Name of the true God Father Son and Holy Ghost is put upon the Person and the true Element of Water is used and the principal end of its application signified which is washing the Soul with Christ's Blood and purifying it by the blessed Spirit and all is done by a Minister ordained to that Office Is not this Baptism O but she was not dipped and that is Baptism and that only Poor ignorant confident Men thus to cavil The Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chosen by Christ and the Holy Ghost doth signifie to wash as well as to dip it signifies a washing with Water not only a total immersion but a partial not only a Dipping but other applications of Water to wash Yea it is certain that some of those diverse Washings under the Law spoken of by the Apostle Heb. 9. 10. which he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were not total immersions but partial of one par● of the Body and another and even Sprinklings as at the Consecration of the Levites Numb 8. 5 6