Deut. 17.11 From Jeremiah 35.6 some there are contend to maintaine the law and customes we have in this Nation received from our fathers because the Rechabites stuck so close to theirs To which I answer 1. That the Rechabites were subject to the judicial law as the other Jews were 2. These traditions of theirs were not forbid nor commanded of God that the magistrate could not forbid the doing what they did 3. Nor cause c. saith In the Congregation of God confession of sins is always the first the which in times past went before before baptism for commonly children were baptized when they came to their understanding c. Idem super Mat. Christ hath nowhere commanded to Baptize infants 19 Calvinus in Institutionibus lib. 4. cap. 16. Confesseth that it is nowhere expresly mentioned by the Evangelists that any one childe was by the Apostles hands baptized 20 Dathenus in the Frankendalische Colloquium fol. 549. We believe that christian children ought to be baptized albeit it stand no where plainly with such words written That Christian children shall in the New-Testament be baptized And folio 605. Now we have plainly confessed that we have no such express commandment that you should baptize the Christians children And fol. 663. Also in Protocol Printed in Netherlandish 274. 1 He confesseth that there is no evident example that the Apostles did baptize children 21 Beza in Annotationibus super Matth. John taught those that were to be baptized and admitted none to baptism but those that gave testimony that they believed the forgiveness of their sins such Confession was also in the Primitive Church required of the Catechumens before baptism For in that the Sacraments are Seals it is requisite that Doctrine or Instruction should go before the use of those things by which the Doctrine it self is to be sealed 22 Luther in his book of the civil Magistrate The Sacraments neither can nor may be received without Faith but with great hurt Wherefore we hold our selves to the words of Christ He that believeth and is baptized so that either before or else even then present when Baptism is administred there must needs be Faith or else there is a contempt of the divine Majesty who offers his present grace when there is none to receive it Thus much out of those Teachers own writings which observe and use childrens baptism from whence the Reader may take notice of the unsoundness of their principles and what little ground 1 There is for it in the Word of God as they themselves confess 2 Therefore what great cause have we to search the Scriptures for better information let the sober-minded judge Moreover I shall further prove out of their own writings that the baptism of infants and sucklings is a Ceremony and Ordinance of man brought into the Church by Teachers after the Apostles times and Instituted and Commanded by Councels Popes and Emperours Proofs out of the Ancient and latter Teachers 1 ORigen calleth Baptism of children a ceremony and tradition of the Church In Levit. Hem. 8. In Epist ad Rom. lib. 5. 2 Augustine calleth it a common custom of the Church De baptismo contra Donat. lib. 4. cap. 23. Et de Genesi ad literam lib. 10. cap. 23. 3 Pope Gregory the 4. calleth it a Tradition of the Fathers In decretis distinct de consecrat 4 Erasmus lib. 4. de ration concio saith that they are not to be condemned that doubt whether Infant-baptism was or was denyed by the Apostles and think that the same is to be received as the placita Scholasticorum theologicorum which cannot be proved by sacred Scripture 5 Eckins calleth it a commandment and ordinance of man In Enchiridion 6 Luther in his book of Anabaptism acknowledgeth that it cannot be proved by sacred Scripture that childrens baptism was instituted by Christ or begun by the first Christians after the Apostles For many yeers since it came to be in use in the Church and was established by Pope Innoceneius 7 Cassander in his book de infantium Baptismo saith That it came to be used by the Fathers which lived three hundred yeers after the Apostles 8 Cyprianus lib. 3. Epistolarum 8. Epistle 9 Augustinus Epist 28. ad Hieroni. 10 Cassander de infantium baptismo 11 Bullinger in his House-book 12 Justus Menius of the Spirit of the Anab. 13 Melancthon in his Answer to the Anab. Articles About the yeer of our Lord 248 and after the departure of John the oldest Apostle 158 yeers lived a Priest called Fidus the same would that men should according to the manner of Circumcision baptize young children upon the eighth day Against whom Cyprianus with sixty six Bishops and Elders more gathered together opposed themselves ordaining that every one without delay should receive Baptism and that the young children should timely be brought thereto Thus have you the time when and the persons by whom it was brought in viz. The time when in the yeer of our Lord 248. the persons by which it was brought in namely Fidus by name who was a Priest who then lived Thirdly the opposition that he then had by Cyprianus and 66 other Bishops and Elders so that by their own Confessions it is an Ordinance and Tradition of man which will and must perish with the using And that it is Will-worship and Idolatry appeareth by their own Confessions as followeth 14 Bullingerus in ex Augustino contra Julianum lib. 1. cap. 2. saith The Carthaginian Councel concludeth thus to Innocentium Forasmuch as we believe that Christ the Son of God was holy born of the pure Virgin Mary to fulfil and ratifie the promise of God which excludeth not children from salvation but much rather comprehends the same within the Covenant We will therefore that they be baptized Thus we see it is We will therefore Will-worship 15 In Tomis Conciliorum Synodorum ex Concilio Carthag 5. cap. 6. saith Concerning Infants we will that they be baptized if there be no certain witness to testifie that they are baptized c. 16 Item Gregorius quartus Bonifacio Those young children whose parents are absent or unknown whether they be baptized or not let them according to the Tradition of the Fathers be baptized Here the Reader may take notice that it is a Tradition of the Fathers according to their own confession 17 Ex Concilio Miletano cui interfuit Augustinus Anselmus Romae Ecclesiae legatus It is also our will that all those that will not that children which are new born from their mothers womb should be baptized to the washing away of Original sin let them be excommunicated 18 Ex Tomis Conciliorum Franck. in Chronologia In the second Bracharense Councel holden 610. Baptism of children was adjudged and holden to be needful 19 Tuicensi Divinis officiis lib. 4. cap. 18. In times past the children in the Church were throughout the whole yeer instructed in the word And at the feast of Easter to rehearse the Faith which
writings as we wrote them and therefore he cunningly saith that in the stating the question many things must be animadverted or changed in the minde and then he states the question according to his own minde and then falls on answering not ours but his own words and thus he darkneth the Counsel of God by words without knowledge and so deceives the hearts of the simple but he telleth us that we take it for granted that he holds that by baptizing or sprinkling of infants Churches are constituted but he denies it Answ 1 If you deny that you differ from the rest of your brethren and forefathers who all generally and with one consent till within these ten or twelve yeers at the most did conclude that children were made members of Christ children of God and heirs of heaven in their baptism witness your old Catechism which you all concluded was Orthodox till the beginning of the first Parliament 1640. and therefore out of your own mouths you are condemned for if in Baptism they were made members of Christ children of God c. then they were not so before and if not members nor children before then not constituted members and thus is your folly manifest And now if you shall for an advantage seem to disown the Common-Prayer book and that Catechism Then I answer You may as well disown your baptism which you had by it and be baptized again as we are 2 I suppose you will not be so absurd as to own any unbaptized person for a Church-member that hath an opportunity to be baptized neither do I think any of you that are zealous in your own way will have communion with any such persons in the Lords Supper or other Ordinances 3 No people in Scripture since the Resurrection of Christ and his Ascension the time that all power was given into his hands to give to his Church Laws and Commandments were ever called a Church of Christ without baptism prove it if you can by the Scriptures Therefore baptism doth constitute a true Church being done upon right subjects viz. such as can believe and gladly receive the word of God as in Act. 2 41 they that gladly received the word were baptized and the same day were added three thousand souls And ver 47. the Lord added to the Church dayly such as should be saved 4 Your self saith than faith and interest in Christ constitutes a Christian Very well then but why do you baptize such as cannot believe in Christ nor yet make out their Interest in the Covenant of Grace it is cleer to all that will understand that if faith in Christ and interest in the Covenant of Grace do constitute a Christian then they that do not believe in Christ and cannot make out their interest in the Covenant of Grace are no constituted Christians but all the infants baptized into the Church of England could do neither therefore no constituted Christians What they are to God is nothing to you nor me secret things belongs to God Deut. 29. Again you say that joynt and orderly profession of faith and interest in the Covenant doth constitute them a Church Very well and I pray then is not repentance and baptism an orderly profession of faith doth not the Apostle say Act. 2 38. 1 Repent and 2 be baptized c. and 3 So many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 and is not putting on Christ profession Consider it again doth not a man that puts on a garment profess to wear it to all that behold him whilst it is upon him so likewise they that put on Christ by baptism do profess to own him before all men and Mr. Baxter calleth it a listing engaging ordinance himself I hope you will not deny his Doctrine to be Orthodox although you cavil with the Scriptures And now seeing that baptism is an Ordinance by which believers do put on and profess Christ then its evident out of your own mouth that it constitutes a Church or else you must say they are constituted before they put on Christ 5 You say that baptism is a sign or pledge of peoples admission into the Church Well then if so then it followeth that they are not in before to any mans sight and if not in the Church much less constituted and established members of the Church But you proceed to prove by instancing the Thief upon the cross to be saved without baptism Answ We deny it not because he declared openly his faith in Christ and owned him when he was disowned almost of all which sheweth plainly that if he might have had liberty to come down he would have quickly been baptized into his name and therefore the Lord accepting the will for the deed as 1 Cor. 8.12 he said unto him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise But what makes this for the baptizing of Infants to tell us of a man that was saved and was never baptized at all You might rather if you would have dealt honestly with the Text have proved that little babes may be saved though not baptized for alas they can profess no faith nor confess no sin neither hath Christ anywhere required them to obey any command before they can understand and believe the Gospel for what soever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 But you are pleased to say that we do not apply that Scripture right And why I pray because it spoyles your practice but doth not the word what soever include all matters and duties we owe to God Consider it again cannot the Scriptures be in quiet for you But because this offends you we will give you another Heb. 11.6 without faith its impossible to please God Now consider whether you please God or no when you baptize babes that have no faith in them neither have you any word of God for it Again this your president of the Thief upon the Cross will not at all help you except you finds some men in the like condition or some men upon the Gallows that would gladly come down and become new creatures then I confess as you say 2 multitude of such penitent ones might be reckoned to be in a saying condition though not baptized But sir I suppose that neither you nor I are in that straight the poor Thief was in as yet therefore it wall be no plea for us but if either of us be unbaptized we have time and liberty enough to consider our ways and to turn our feet to the testimonies of the Lord therefore let us make haste and not delay the time see Psal 119.59 60. Lastly You tell us that the Church of England was constituted in or anon after the Apostles days and by the Ministry of the word were converted from heathenism to Christianity and then persons of yeers were baptized upon profession of Faith and Repentance Answ What then what is your Church now the better for that which was done 1600 yeers agone
purpose so that all men may know him to be one of those that Paul speaks of 2 Tim. 3.1 2. in these words This know also that in the last daies perillous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their owne selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers c. Now whether it doth not appear that Mr. Baxter is a lover of his owne self more then of Christ when he prefers self-preservation before obeying the command of Christ and following the example of Christ I leave it to them that fear God to judge for Christ saith If ye love me keep my commandments John 14.15 and He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me vers 21. But he that loveth Father and Mother Wife or Children yea or his one life better then me saith Christ is not worthy of me and He that will save his life shall lose it Mat. 10.27 38 39. And truely if Mr. Baxter make so much of following Christ into the water how will he follow him through the fire if he should be called to it It is very probable he would write as big a book against suffering with Christ as he hath now done against obeying of Christ in this Ordinance of baptisme of which Christ saith thus It becometh not onely him but also us to fulfil all righteousness Matth. 3.15 and yet for all this it is Mr. Baxters judgement that self-preservation doth become us better then fulfilling of righteousness in obeying this command or following this example of Christ as aforesaid Lastly I desire the Reader may diligently and in the fear of God consider how like Mr. Baxters counsel to us is unto Peters counsel to the Lord Christ Mat. 16 21 22 23. When Christ began to shew to his Disciples that he must suffer many things of the Elders and chiefe Priests and Scribes and be killed c. Then Peter began to be rebuke him saying Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee even so doth Mr. Baxter say to us and especially to Gentlewomen old and weak People and Shopkeepers and women that take but little of the cold ayre then he tells them O be it far from you this shall not be unto you for I dare say in the course of nature it will kill hundreds and thousands of you either suddenly or by casting you into some Chronical disease c. Thus we see how Mr. Baxters counsel and Peters do agree in these cases therefore let all that truely fear God learn of Christ to answer Mr. Baxter as he answered St. Peter verse 23. in these words Get thee behind me Satan for thou art an offence unto me for thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be of men And thus I leave what I have written to the judgement of them that fear God and proceed to his seventh Argument His seventh Argument as he saith is against another wickedness in the manner of baptizing which he saith is our dipping of Persons naked as is usual with the modestest that he hath heard of which he saith further is a breach of the seventh Commandment which saith Thou shalt not commit adultery and therefore is intolerable wickedness and not Gods Ordinance To all which I answer Answ 1. I am sure it is an intolerable wickedness in Mr. Baxter and a breach of the ninth Commandment which saith Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour for him to say we baptize people naked and a thing which he never saw with his eyes as he confesseth when he saith he hears so It may be indeed that some which he accounts Christians have so little grace and of the fear of God in them as to tell him such lies as these and he is willing to belive them although for my part I believe I have baptized and been at the baptizing of many hundreds if not a thousand and never saw any baptized naked in my life neither is it allowed nor approved of amongst any that I know of But suppose that some men have been baptized naked when there were none but men together would this be such an unheard-of wickedness as Mr. Baxter talks of or can it be a breach of the seventh Commandment for men to see each other naked or if it be such an immodest thing as Mr. Baxter speaks of then the Disciples of Christ were immodest and broke the seventh Commandment for they were together a fishing and Peter was naked amongst them the Word saith expresly John 21.7 therefore if at any time any should have baptized a man naked being none but men together it is not such an offence as Mr. Baxter would make it to be I do not think but Mr. Baxter will allow that men may go into the water together to bathe them and yet not sin But Mr. Baxter doth confidently charge us with baptizing Maids naked as if he took it for granted that it were certainly true and therefore he breaks out into these words and saith If Mr. Tombes could baptize all the Maids in Bewdly naked and think it no immodesty he hath lost his common ingenuity and modesty with the truth Answ I confess if he doth such things I should think he had lost his modesty indeed but Mr. Baxter should first prove that Mr. Tombes or any man else did ever baptize any Maid or Women naked in any place in England he should prove this first and then he did something and had some ground to reason thus but till then he doth but wickedly labour by saying all manner of evil sayings on us falsly as Mat. 5.11 to cast dirt upon the truth of Christ 1. by supposing the thing to be so without proof saying If Mr. Tombes could do such things c. 2. by insinuating into the affections of men and women perswading them that it is so without question and saying Is not every good man sensible of the deceitfulness of his owne heart and that he needs all helps against it c. and would it be no tempation to Mr. Tombes to be frequently imployed in baptizing Maids naked let him search and judge Methinkes saith he the very mention of it could I avoid it is immodest Answ I wonder why Mr. Baxter saith If he could avoid it what could he not avoid speaking of untruths Is he predestinated to be a Lyer and insinuate into peoples hearts as if the things were certainly true which are but his owne suppositions And then he saith again Methink Ministers should have regard to themselves and not go so frequently into the cold water so often to baptize others Answ Truely they are careful enough for they never meddle with so good a work but I know Mr. Baxter is a lover of his own self and can give others of his brethren the same counsel and great need for good men are scarce they had need take heed they do not kill themselves in the service of Christ But it is very like that the zeal
judge of them by their fruits but there are some are more transformed into the Ministers of righteousness and can as Paul before his conversion out of zeal persecute the Church of God thinking they should do God good service if they should kill us Phil. 3.6 with John 16.1 2. and these are a generation which as Solomon saith Prov. 30.12 are pure in their owne eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness and notwithstanding they preach and prophesie in the name of Christ and call him Lord Lord yet they do not the things he saith Luke 6.46 but cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles witness their Rantizing of Babes instead of baptizing of men and women when they believe Acts 8.12 So that they contend not for the Faith once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. but for a new up-start business which themselves confess they cannot finde written in the Scripture See Mr. Baxters tenth Position pag. 8. and Mr. Halls fifth Argument pag. 30. therefore they serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their owne bellies and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.17 18. Thus having made an end with Mr. Baxter I shall conclude with Mr. Cooks last end of his font uncovered pag. 46. where he seems to answer this objection Object But what need you write so much in answering so little it seems your cause is not good you take so much pains about it why did you not answer as briefly as the other party propounded This objection Mr. Cook makes against himself by which all men may perceive that he is sensible of his owne vanity in multiplying words without knowledge whereby he hath laboured to darken the counsel of God which is already so plainly declared in the Scriptures of truth and yet notwithstanding his being so sensible he laboureth to hide himself under this cloke 1. by making the objection and 2. then to answer it himself thus 1. He saith the truth oft lies deep and will not easily be found out as it is more pretious then Gold and Silver so it requires more diligent search Gold-mines are not obvious to every eye much skill and labour are requisite to finde them out and bring the Gold to light Answ Sir I am afraid indeed that this is your Gold that you have deceived so many poor souls withall which you have taken great pains to dig out of the mountain of ancient Fathers the mines of mens inventions and indeed you may well compare your work to digging for you have digged deep to hide your counsel from the Lord like those in Isaiah 29.15 But Sir we would have you understand that the sayings and commandments of Christ and practice of the Apostles are the right Silver and Gold-mines to which we have digged through all your deceivableness of unrighteousness false consequences Syllogisms and Sophistries and are come to that sure Rock Luke 6.47.48 which is the sayings of Christ But what have you to do to call Christ Lord Lord and yet will not do the things which he saith or commands you Luke 6.46 which is to preach the Gospel to all and baptize them that believe it and gladly receive it Mark 16.15 16. with 2.41 chap. 8.12 this Gold will indure the fire and the building will stand upon this foundation in despight of all the power and wisdome from beneath when your tradition of rantizing little Babes will fall and perish with the using after the commandments and Doctrines of men notwithstanding your great pains and skill which you exercise dayly to uphold it and your folly will be manifest to all in time as it is already to some who observe what a heap of confused stuff you make of Christianing as you call it or rather cozening pour Children in their Cradles which you plead for and when you have done you have made them seven times harder to be coverted to the Faith of the Gospel then they were before because now they plead as you have taught them that they are Christians members of Christ Children of God and heirs of heaven made so in their baptism before ever they knew it and that they cannot fall away for you say Once in Christ and alwaies in Christ and so all the men and women in England that were baptized in their infancie must needs be saed by a consequence and if this be not the broad and easie way judge all men But if this Gold be not Brass by which you deceive poor souls I am mistaken for notwithstanding that it is affirmed they are made Christians and they are within Covenant and they are Church-members in their infancie yet 20 or 30 years after you preach to them to convert them and to bring them into Covenant or else you will tell them thousands that were baptized in their infancie they will be damned Who seeth not your folly surely I cannot think but some of you see it your selves yet I confess the Scripture saith that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived 2 Tim. 3.13 But Sirs you know that by this craft you get your wealth some an hundred a year some two hundred some more some less therefore I confess Mr. Cook you may say you have been in the Silver and Gold-mines but take heed that the earth do not fall upon you and swallow you up for such casualties do sometimes happen to those that work under the ground in darkness and you will not come to the light lest your deeds should be manifest but if you shall escape judgement in this world yet remember the day is coming in which men shall call to the mountains to fall upon them and to cover them from tha face of him that shall sit upon the throne whose commands of baptizing men and women when they believe and understand the truth have you made of none effect by Rantizing Infants before they can beleive understand or give a reason of their Faith which things are utterly unprofitable amongst men and abominable in the sight of God But you say again that though we have now briefly propounded our judgements in these Papers yet it is known what large discourses we have made amongst the People and how many treatises are written on this subject Answ If we have had large discourses amongst the people to declare nothing but the word of God to them you cannot blame us for it is lawful to preach the word both in season and out of season and thereby to reprove rebuke and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2 Tim. 4.2 Secondly whereas you say we have written may treatises on this subject I answer That is because you have written so many against it but yet our Treatises do not exceed yours in bigness so much as yours do exceed ours as appeareth thus we you gave about a quarter of a sheet of paper and you have answered it in seven sheets and
how have you laid aside the Common prayer-Book or why do you lay it aside and yet retain the baptisme that you had according to it and the rules prescribed in it is not this plain dissembling deceiving your selves and mocking of God consider it well in the fear of God before it be too late had you ever any baptisme but that you had in your infancie or were you baptized since you believed if you were not then you are still unbaptized persons and no visible Christians by profession because you have not put on Jesus Christ by being baptized into him since you believed See Gal. 3.26 27. you have but received Common-prayer-Book-baptism which is full of lyes and deceit as I have already proved at large shewing that the Godfathers and Godmothers stood by and said they desired to be baptized when they never meant it and then their taking the poor Babes that said nor knew nothing of their doings and baptizing them and making them Christians as they think before they know either Christ or their owne Parents or their right hand from their left Thus have you the third reason at large why we separate or dissent from the Church of England which is the Priests lying and deceiving the people by false baptism instead of a true Our fourth and last Reason is the Priests their teachers cruelty and blood-thirstiness for they are them that would build up Sion with blood Jerusalem with iniquity as Mic. 3.10 11. for they do not onely preach for hire and divine for mony but they would have the life and blood of all that will not be of their minde and judgement and the weapons of their warfare are not mighty through God by his Spirit and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God to cast downe high imaginations of men and to stop their mouths by sound doctrine as 2 Cor. 10.4 5. with Eph. 6.17 but the weapons of their warfare are carnal and mighty through the Magistrates to pull downe mens houses and hale them to Prison and convert them with Prisons and stocks and whips and Gallowes these are the weapons of their warfare men must believe as they believe or else be hanged or banished or at least be imprisoned and disabled to get an honest living by the labour of their hands And how doth this their doings agree with that saying in Rev. 13.16 17. which saith that none might buy or sell but they that worshipped the beast and his Image and received his Mark c. let all that fear God and understand themselves judge Object But they do not persecute now for now all opinions have liberty enough Answ We will never thank them for it for we know it is against their wills witness Mr. Baxters incensing the Magistrate against us to cut us off as soon as highway-murderers and their dayly preachings and printings extant therefore praised be the great God in whom we trust who hath changed the times and seasons at his pleasure for the good of them that fear him and hath given his Churches rest for a little season to the end we might renew our strength and walk in the comfort of the holy Ghost and be edified And thus have you four reasons at large of our dissenting or separating from the Church of England 1. Because of the Priests or Ministers covetousness as appeareth by their taking tythes and forced maintenance greedily looking every one for his gaine from his owne quarters as Isa 56.11 2. The Ministers pride in advancing themselves by reason of their humane learning above those that have the Spirit and truth of God in them more then they 3. Because of the Ministers deceit and falshood in administring Antichrists baptism piecing and patching of it together with lyes and deceits to make the poor people believe it is the baptism of Christ 4. Reason is their cruelty and bloodthistiness as aforesaid in that they would have all suffer that are not of their minds and believe as they believe being the same that is done at Rome to those that will not believe as the Church believe From all which I reason thus If these things be in the Teachers and Leaders of the people what may we expect from the poor deluded people thus blindly led but onely Christs words fulfilled viz. If the blind lead the blind they will both fall into the ditch Thus having laboured to manifest the truth of Christ to those that know it not and to vindicate the truth against those that do speak evil of it and the professors of the same I having also laboured to make the folly and wickedness of deceivers who transform themselves into Ministers of righteousness manifest to all I commit my lines to the view of all both friends and enemies not doubting the favourable acceptance of the one not at all fearing the subtilty nor malice of the other but desiring the blessing of God upon my weak and unworthy labours for the good of all men I remain Yours engaged in the service of Christ Henry Haggar FINIS