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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	believe_v	faith_n	propound_v	3,192	5	10.4974	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43045	The ministers office, the infants inheritance By James Harwood, B.D.	Harwood, James.	1659 (1659)	Wing H1099; ESTC R221283	28,474	108

also all the now Papists and Conformist Protestants and the Presbyterians all concuring in the necessity of Baptizing children building the Structure of their Salvation in part upon this Foundation 2. We take John 3. ver 5. to be a good Scripture ground for Baptizing of Infants where is said Verily verily except a man be born of water and the Spirit be cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Not without the one into the kingdom of Grace not without both into the kingdom of Glory I speak so far as is revealed to us we dare give no farther a warrant then God a precept and must tye our selves to the revealed means though not our God at all times to such tearms as he hath revealed himself to us But this place of Scripture the Anabaptists tell us is to be understood of men of years not of Children who are of less age then the tenth of one year As a reverend Doctor writes they might as well put in an Exception against women no more named then Children This they dare not that they ought not for our Saviour in that place speaks of man Specifice I mean of mankinde of every person sprung from Adam which since the youngest is defiled as well as the eldest as appears by Psal 51.5 therefore Infants while Infants ought to have the Medicine Baptisme administred to them as well as if elder people especially considering it is the onely Church cure to free such who are conceived in sin and born in iniquity from the guilt of Original sin of which Ordinance I take new born Babes to be capable though not Activè yet Passivè for in all the work they are passive being prayed for and belessed and washed and none can doubt but capable of this Seal of grace at those young years as well as the children under the old Law were capable of Circumcision at eight dayes old And this is that Murus Aheneus that Brazen Wall which all the Anabaptists are never able to leap over not yet lay flat but under this Analogy our Children will finde a perpetual shelter for baptisme in the greatest storm of Anabaptists 3. Acts 16. 33. wintnesses how the Jaylor was baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all that were his his children then were not to be excluded or if they had been to have been debarred doubtless our Apostle would have entred his Caveat against Infants Baptisme and as he said 1 Cor. 1. 14. I thank God I baptized none of you save Crispus and Gaius as also the houshold of Stephanus so ●ere he would have told us how all of the Jaylors household he had baptized but the young ones but his non-exception is a sure confirmation that old and young were there and then baptized 4. I answer how the Anbaptists can bring no express place of Scripture commanding us to give the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to women or for changing the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week nor finde they the Creed word by word in Gods word nor yet the words Trinity and Unity and Unity in Trinity and yet they acknowledge a Trinity in Unity believe the Creed observe the Lords day and give the Communion to Women why then not Baptisme to Children for which we have fair evidence how it belongs unto them And now the premises considered how that many things are approved of for Divine Truths not exprest at large in so many lines of the Text. Secondly since whole families were baptized our Apostle telling us whom he did not baptize but entering no Caveat against Infants Baptisme Thirdly Since Scripture tells us this is the way for man or mankinde to enter into the kingdom of Heaven by being born of Water and the Spirit this water charter being granted by the God of heaven to all men of what age of sex upon earth Fourthly since our Saviour assures us heaven belongs to our young children and that at their years there is no way to free them from their birth-sin and ensure them heaven but by Baptism with these few smooth stones taken out of the bag of the shepheard of our souls we have knockt in the forehead the Anabaptists great grand Goliah argument and made it of as little force as Samson when his locks were shaven And now to pass from our adversaries most material Objections to our Arguments which are as so many Champions to defend the baptizing Infants and my first is this This salve was never forbid us to apply to our Infants sores who are all over wounded with original sin by Adam let the Anabaptists point out where God forbids it and we will leave it methinks it had been time enough to cry out of us for baptizing children when they had shewed us Christs prohibition but where there is in Scripture so universal a silence I know no cause why they should make so open an out-cry we much desire they would cease to quarrel with us on earth till the God of heaven declare for them They tell us how we have no express place in Scripture to justifie what we do we tell them how they have not the least appearance in any text in Gods word which contradicts what we do it were wisdome in them to let us without disturbance baptize our Infants till they finde a Law to condemn us or a Gospel to forbid us The second Argument Our second Argument to justifie baptizing Infants is this Our Doctrine is Catholick and was practised both in the Primitive Church as also till this day in all Nationall Churches Christian You know what is said 2 Thes 2.15 Hold fast the Traditions which I have delivered unto you whether by word or our Epistle Now this Church Doctrine of baptizing Children being an Apostolical Tradition we hold it warranted by Gods word and a Doctrine not to be oppugned especially considering God hath promised to be with his Church unto the end of the world And though the Churches of Asia have their golden Candlesticks removed and are fallen from the Faith yet the Universall Church never erres and of this judgement are all our Learned Divines nor dare our Adversaries make the least Mutiny against it if the question seriously and soberly be propounded to them And now the Task I have undertaken is to prove Infants Baptisme a Church Tenet all the time of the Primitive Church for since it is undeniable for practised by the Greek and Latin Churches witness the Churches in all Graecia where there are Christians as also in Syria in India in Muscovia in Ethiopia And as for the Churches in this part of the world what I have delivered will appear to be truth by the confession of the English Scottish and Irish Churches by the practice of the Romish Church to which I may adjoyne as supernumerated up to my hand the Augustine Confession the Bohemian the Belgick the Helvetian the Saxon with many moe all asserting Infants Baptism for of such as saith our Saviour are the

at armes the Doctors of our Church take up the cudgels against Infants whose right to Baptisme is of so long a standing that I find it practised before any Council did decree it and yet to support the Pillars of this Divine Truth the Council of Carthage and the Milevitine Council even both of them accurse for Hereticks all such as detaine Infants from Baptisme The third Argument And now I come to the third Argument which though I have made some use of it amongst my answers to some objections yet it is no spiritual cowardice to draw out the same sword so I wound the adversary more deeply Notum est omnibus it is notoriously known how we have Baptisme instead of Circumcision but very young children at eight dayes old under the Law were circumcised therefore children under the Gospel may be baptized such an Argument that as before I hinted at either must the Anabaptist quarrell with God for circumcising those young children or lese beshrew himself for blaming us who baptize these The fourth Argument God calls on them to come unto him it is an unmannerly part of those Ministers who will not by that door Baptisme let these young ones into their masters house the Church whom himself calls upon would you see who these are turn to the Christning Gospel Mark 10.14 Suffer saith he little children to come unto me and forbid them not It seems even in our Saviours dayes there were some a little too sawcy and burstling against this Doctrine of baptizing Infants The fifth Argument Young children are comprehended within the covenant of Grace witness Gen. 17.7 where said Ero Deus tuus Seminis tut Nay famous is that place Acts 2.39 There sayes St. Peter the promise is to you and your seed and to your children If God be thus open-handed unto us and to our young ones as to pass his promise to them that he will be their God ashamed then may they be who will not let our young ones have the cogniscence how they are his people The sixth Argument Children may be inspired with the Holy Ghost even in utero in the womb and it is a Scripture Argument since these have received the Holy Ghost as well as we what hinders meaning they must not be hindered Baptisme and that a childe may be thus inspired witness that first of Luke where said of Iohn the Baptist how he leaped for joy in his mothers womb and that joy is a fruit of the spirit Gal. 5.22 puts it out of all doubt But replied that was miraculous and so it was yet since children may have Faith I see not in my judgement but how they may receive Baptisme and let me tell you that as children are counted guilty of sin and reputed sinners who never commit any one actual sin so all our children may by counted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 believers who yet have no faith of their own but of their parents And hereupon saith St. Augustin Absit ut ego di●am non credentes Infantes God forbid bid that I should say how Infants are no Believers Credit in altero qui peccavit in altero He believes by a Proxie who sinned by a Deputy and is reputed for a true believer and this reputative faith as a reverend Doctor of our Church well observes is accepted of by the Church on the Infants behalf and the rather because it is evidenced by the Baptisme of Simon Magus and all other Hypocrites how it is the profession of faith not the possession of it which is required as the qualification which authorizes the Church to admit the baptized to this Sacrament and since they cannot speak and make this profession because they have not as yet the use of their tongue for this cause it hath been the practice of the Catholick Church to admit of their seconds to profess in their name which well they may since as you know I have proved the promise is made to you and-to your seed and to many that are afar off To conclude it is an unchristian part for a word speaking to make our little ones want their Charter for Heaven The seventh Argument Heaven belongs to young children Matth. 19.14 Are they reckoned among owners of heaven and shall we keep them out of Gods Church on earth shall Christ tell us unto them belongeth the kingdom of Heaven he is an Heretick then that will not by this Sacrament grant them admittance into the kingdom of grace what are our young children for heaven and dare any hinder them for coming into the way which leads unto the kingdome This Sacrament receiving sets you into the very first way for heaven till then we are out of the Church way the streight way to a life everlasting whither God for his mercies send all of us The eighth Argument My last Argument to convince the Anabaptists is taken out of Acts the 16. read the 15. and 33. verses There is mention made of two whole families that were baptized the one Lydea's the other the Jaylors from the example of the blessed Apostles we have liberty to baptize all in the family men women and children And now to give you the colle●… of all since the Apostles baptized whole families old and young 2. Since heaven belongs to young children 3. Since it is not the possession onely but profession of Faith makes the baptized capable of Baptisme 4. Since children are comprehended within the Covenant of Grace 5. Since Christ calls on them to come unto him and saith forbid them not 6. Since we have Baptisme left instead of Circumcision and that at eight dayes old that Seal of Grace was in print upon the Infants flesh 7. Since we have the practice of all National Churches Christian to justifie our practice both Greek and Latin old and modern yea all the Fathers which lived in the Primitive Church declaring for us Lastly Since there is no place in Scripture that in the least stands in opposition against baptizing young children but many divine Texts leading us to this business All these reasons seriously weighed in the ballance of an impartial Reader I hope this will give good satisfaction and encourage us to Anathematize that damnable Doctrine of the Anabaptists as also to look upon them as Hereticks and murtherers of the Souls of Infants And now that you may for ever bear in your remembrance how odious were these Heretiques to all Christian Nations for this cause I shall present to the view of the Judicious Reader those heavy Punishments by godly Princes inflicted upon those who were obstinate Anabaptists 1. To begin at Home They have been judged to be burned to death and have suffered by Fire in this famous City of LONDON And let me tell you that if these Fire-locks of the Devil had not now of late by this present Power been suppressed they were a blowing that Coal which would have kindled that Fire which might have consumed Suburbs and City to hot ashes 2. Justinian