onely those that belong truely and indeed to the election of Grace I must be content to beare this brand as many doe the name of Puritane without desert Obiect But they will say Both the Leiturgie Catechisme and Article speake generally excluding none therefore if you be in sober sadnesse resolued to sticke so close to the Doctrine of the Church of England you must hold this not of the Elect only but of all infants whatsoever Answ It is very true that our Church excludes none from participation of the inward Grace in the Sacrament but knowing for certaine that all the Elect doe partake of it and not knowing at all that this or that particular infant is not elected suffers not any of her children to speake or iudge of any particular infant that hee doth not receaue the inward grace no more then she permits him to say that such a particular is not elected For who hath knowne the mind of the Lord g Rom. 12.34 And who art thou that iudgest another mans servant h Rom. 14.4 Howbeit our Church knowes very well and presumes that all her children knowe also that in respect of Election knowne only to God They are not all Israel that are of Israel i Rom. 9.6 and that of those many that be called but a few be chosen k Math. 20.16 But who those few bee shee will not determine yet thus much shee doth determine that any particular infant rightly baptized is to be taken and held in the iudgment of charity for a member of the true invisible elected sanctified Church of Christ and that hee is regenerated indeed in the sense aforesaid And so doe I. Notwithstanding mistake not Her or me It is one thing to speake of all infants distributiuely singling them out individually one by one and passing iudgment of each particular apart and another thing to speak of them collectiuely and in the lump without restraining our speech to any particular To say that wee cannot iudge of any particular sonne of Adam not discouered by God himselfe to be reiected that he is reiected of God doth not proue that no sonne of Adam is reiected when we speake of all mankind in the general Masse or Lump for then what need of a Hell for cast awaies Thus that learned Bishop By the iudgment of charity the Faithful iudge every professed member of the visible Church when they speake of the particular persons to be a member of the invisible elected called iustified sanctified howbeit they knowe in generall that many are in the church which be not of it and that many be called but few are chosen l Dr Iohn Downham on Psal 15. ver 1. pag. 19. The like phrase wee haue in the forme of Burial wherein when wee bury any particular person whatsoeuer wee are taught to say and pray that wee with this our Brother c. may haue our perfect consummation and blisse c. and yet no man will say that all men that dye doe goe to heauen for euen in that very prayer we are taught to restrain this only to the elect Almighty God with whom doe liue the Spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord and in whom the Soules of them that bee elected after they be delivered from the burden of the flesh be in ioy and felicity So then neither our Leiturgie in the Publique Forme of Baptisme nor Catechisme nor Article doe intend to bind me or any man else to beleeue that every man without exception doth indeed partake of the inward Grace of Baptisme although it bind me and every man to conclude no other when wee pitch our speech vpon any particular Nor is this my Glosse alone but that Iudicious Hooker saith also that all receaue not the grace of the Sacrament that receaue the Sacrament of his Grace m Lib. 5. Sect. 57. So Mr Tho Rogers in his so often printed Commentary on the Articles of Religion For in Article 25 hee makes this one of the Propositions coutched in that Article All which receaue the Sacraments receaue not there with all the things signified by the Sacraments n Propos 11. Hee that shall hold otherwise doth in effect bring in opus operatum againe For although he will say that grace is giuen by virtue of the institution yet hee also saith that by virtue of the institution every infant outwardly baptized is partaker of the inward grace why so because baptized forsooth Now no Pp. will say that baptisme could confer grace if it were not by virtue of divine institution for there are none of theÌ„ so absurd as to say that the outward signes of themselues naturally without respect to the institution doe conferre grace This opinion therefore for substance is the very same with that of the Papists only they haue put on other cloaths vpon it It is as much â—lvâ—sh as the other onely it hath gotten on a Lambs skinne Therefore Dr Whitaâ—â—r disclaimes it in his Treatise de Sacram. in genere quaest 4 cap 1. Non enim ex opere operato ne parvulis quidem gratiam conferri à Sacramentis affirmamus vt necesse sit habere gratiam omnes qui Sacramenta percipiunt And before in explication of the third Proposition he saith In some the Sacraments doe effectually worke in processe of time by the helpe of Gods word read or preached which ingendreth faith Such is the estate principally of infants elected vnto life and salvation and encreasing in yeares And vpon Art 28. Prop. 4. The life spirituall is PECVLIAR to Gods elect Mr Hooker deliuers as much for hauing said that infants receiue the divine virtue of the Holy Ghost in baptisme which giueth to the powers of the soule their first disposition towards future newnesse of life afterwards addes Predestination bringeth not to life without the grace of externall vocation wherein our Baptisme is implied For as we are not naturally men without birth so neither are wee Christian men in the eye of the Church of God but by new birth nor according to the ordinary manifest course of divine dispensation new borne but by that Baptisme which both declareth and maketh vs Christians In which respect we iustly hold it to be the doore of our actuall entrance into Gods house the first apparent beginning of life a seale perhaps to the Grace of ELECTION before receaued but to our sanctification here a step that hath not any before it o Lib. 5. Sect. 60 pag 316. Some it may bee will cavill at the word PERHAPS and say that hee makes it but a Perhaps that men receaue baptisme as a seale of Election But before they doe so let them duly weigh the place and they shall finde that he makes no PERHAPS of this that such as partake of the Grace of Baptisme are elected but only of this that they doe perhaps receaue Baptisme as a seale of grace of election before bestowed on them For hee is dealing with
saâ—guinem Christi infantibus ibid. And least any should take him to meane only an outward admission he afterwards addes The externall meanes are the word and water administred by the Minister of Christ the effectuall meanes on his part that is cleansed is faith in one of yeares at least the spirit of faith as in infants for to them the spirit applies the blood of Christ 3 That renowned Frenchman Daniel Chameir wi lingly yeelds that elect infants may be in some sense termed Faithfull but how not actuall beleeuers but only potentiall because no man beleeues actually but hee that is capable of discourse d Quomodo inquam fideles actu ne an potentia nam si actu negatur quia nemo credit nisi compos rationis c. lib. 5. cap. 10. parag 28. 4 Doctor Ames being to proue against the Anabaptists the lawfulnesse of baptizing Infants of 5 Arguments he reserues this to the last place as if he set most by it In the very beginning of regeneration whereof Baptisme is the seale a man is meerely passiue and hence it is that of a man that is to be either circumcised or baptised no external act is required as in other Sacraments there is but only a capacity passiue to receiue Infants therefore are as capable of this Sacrament in respect even of the CHEIFE VSE thereof as men of yeares themselues e Quia in ipso initio regenerationis cuius sigillum est baptismus homo se habet merè possiue vnde etiam hominis vel circumcidendi vel baptizâ—ndi nulla actio externa requiritur vt in aliis sacramentis sed tantum receptio passiuâ— Infantes igitur sunt aequè capaces huius sacramenti respectu praecipui eius vsus atque adulti Medull Theol. lib. 1. cap. 40. Thes 13. And indeede it is absurd to say that the grace of that Sacrament cannot be attained by infants vvithout faith actuall in them when as it is cleare that one part of the inward Grace thereof is the Spirit the worker of Faith Now no man well in his wits will say that no person can first receaue the spirit but by the hand of actuall faith for how should he haue faith without the spirit to worke it in him * Spiritus autem communicari dicitur fidelibus non quia fides antecèdit omnem spiritus operationem vt quidam imperiti colligunt nam ipsamet prima regeneratio conversio aperte tribuitur spiritui sancto a Christo Ioh. 3.5.6.8 genitus ex spiritu Sed quia soli credentes postquam iam crediderunt operationem illam accipiunt spiritus sancti qua obsignantur tanquam arrha haereditatis futurae Ephes 1.13.14 4.30 Gal. 3.14 The spirit is said to be communicated to the faithful not because faith goes before all operation of the spirit as some ignorant men doe collect for the very first regeneration and conversion is plainely attributed by Christ vnto the Holy Ghost Iohn 3.5.6.8 Except a man be begotten of the spirit c. but therefore the spirit is said to be communicated to them because onely beleeuers after they haue beleeved doe receaue that worke of the spirit whereby they are sealed as with the earnest of the inheritance to come D. Ames Medull Theol. lib. 1. cap. 28. de adopt Thes 23. Hee must therefore first be partaker of the Spirit of faith to beget faith in him which spirit then hee may receaue in Baptisme without actuall faith to take him in These new lingles in Divinity against the current of all judicious Divines are most intollerable and good for nothing that I knowe but to breed quarrells to worke distractions to increase doubts to make all things vncertaine and to bring in Atheisme I neuer yet saw that Divine of note in the Church that ever durst to say stand to it that any infants though dying in infancy were of necessity actually to beleeue or else they could not be vnited vnto Christ so as to be saued nor yet that no man can ordinarily haue the spirit of Christ in baptisme or at any other time till by faith he lay hold vpon him and so receaue him into his heart But this by the way 5 That Reverend Bishop Dr Davenant in his elaborate and solid Lectures vpon St Pauls Epist to the Collossians answering that Obiection so much bawled by the Anabaptists one of the most ignorant Sects in Amsterdame viz that Baptisme hath mortification c. annexed to it whereof infants are not capable because destitute of knowledge and faith to apprehend it and therefore not to be baptised Thus saith If they speake of actuall faith and of the actuall study and profession of mortification and vivification thosâ— Scriptures which require these in persons to be baptized are to be restrained to those of yeares Touching Infants because they are sinners not actuall by any proper act of their owne but by an hereditary habit it sufficeth them to haue faith not actually exercising it selfe but included in the habituall principle of Grace and that the Spirit of Christ can worke this habituall principle of grace in them and vseth so to doe none but a crackt braine will deny f Si lâ—quantur de fide actuali de actuali studio professione mortificationis vivificationis illa scripturae loca quae â—aec requirunt ni baptizatis ad adultos esse restringenda dicimus Ad infantes autem quod attinet quia peccatores sunt non proprio actu sed haereditario habitu sufficit quod peccaâ—i mortificationem fidem habeant non proprio actu â—ese exerentem sed in habituali principio gratiae iâ—clusám spiritum autem Christi principium hoc habituale gratiae in illis efficere posse solere nemo sanus negaverit 6 The Author of the Comment on Tit answering an objection which some might make against that resolution of the Question touching the ordinary reception of the inward Grace in baptisme viz that infants want faith He saith that they want indeed actuall faith which presupposeth hearing vnderstanding c. He further saith with Musculus that children may bee called faithfull although they haue no faith and with Zanchius that it is probable that elect infants haue the spirit of faith in such as liue to yeares he adds that the spirit worketh in theÌ„ the seeds or inclinations of faith which in due time shall fructifie vnto eternall life Now we haue witnesses enow and sufficient to proue that to receiue baptisme rightly so as to partake of the spirit in it faith is not required And I think every man will acknowledg that all these Authors were far enough off from Popery Arminianisme that thus witnesse for mee And will men yet lay both these to my charge If this bee Arminianisme or Popery to say that all right receavers doe ordinarily receaue the spirit in Baptisme so long as I restraine it only to right receauers and declare that by right receauers I meane
T.C. about Baptisme T.C. affirmes that Baptisme is only the seale of Grace before receaued Mr Hooker answeres by distinguishing of Grace into Grace of Election and grace of Sanctification admitting his words with a perhaps to bee true in the former sense but not in the latter ordinarily * Deus in Baptismo vt significat remissionem peccatorum salutem ita re operatur veritas cum signo coniuncta est in electis Whitak de Sacram. in gen quaest 4. cap. 2. respons aâ— 7. tessim And doth not that Reverend Prelate D. Francis White p Now L. Bishop of Carlile in answere to the calumny of the Iesuite Fisher say as much For first he makes good the efficacy of Baptisme out of Scriptures Fathers our owne Church Forraine Divines and particularly out of Calvine Then he addes not without approbation of it why else should hee speake it And what vse would it be of against Fisher The same Author with others of his part maintaine the former Doctrine concerning the efficacy of the Sacrament of Baptisme and they differ onely from Lutherans and Pontificians first in that they restraine the grace of sanctification only to the Elect Secondly in that they deny externall baptisme to be alwaies effectuall at the very instant time when it is administred q Answ to Fisher Pag 176. * If any shall pâ—esse mee with the Rubrick before Confiâ—mation my answere is That Rubrick hath reference to Confirmation giving vs to vnderstand that if an infant dy without Confirmation it is certaine by scripture that he is as vndoubtedly saued as if he had beene Confirmed 2 That Rubrick speakes of the state of infants dying before they come to yeares as the old Rubrick of the first book saith expresly which doth not concerne our present Position which hath reference onely to such infants as liue to yeares of discretion shewing what ordinarily is conferred on them in Baptisme and not what they receaue that liue not so long bur dy in infancy In these I doubt not but that the spirit of God doth work more effectually To make an end our owne Catechisme teacheth as much in expresse termes What need we further witnesse That teacheth me to beleeue in God the Holy Ghost who hath sanctified me and all the elect people of God The elect all the elect only the elect if my learned friend Doctor Iacksons word may bee taken for the exposition for hee would haue the Reader to obserue a difference between the extent of the sufficiency for so I take him of christs death and the efficacy of Christs Spirit Although saith he in that place we are taught to beleeue in the Holy Ghost yet this we are taught with this caveat that he doth sanctifie all the elect people of God not all mankind r Treat of Gods Essence and Attrib Sect. 2. cap. 15. pag. 171. Now compare our Leiturgie Article and Catechisme all together The Leiturgie teacheth mee to beleeue of this and every particular infant considered single and apart that he is indeed regenerate with the Holy Spirit The Article saith that they that all they that receaue baptisme rightly are grafted c by the Holy Ghost The Catechisme shewes how this is to be limited and extended saying that the Holy Ghost sanctifies me and all the elect people of God Therefore by the doctrine of our Church all the elect and only the elect * This restraint is clear in the Scripture see Gal. 4.6 And wee must expound the doctrine of our churâ—h by that Rule See the next Chapter doe certainly indeed ordinarily receaue the Spirit in Baptisme Yea our very Leiturgie is cleare in this point as I haue before shewed in that it presumeth the child to be one to whom belongs the kingdome of God vpon which ground wee are taught not to doubt but stedfastly to beleeue that he will favorably receaue the present infant that he will imbrace him with the armes of his mercy that hee will giue vnto him the blessing of eternall life and make him partaker of his everlasting kingdome Againe in the end of the praier which is appointed to be vsed immediatly before the act of baptisme in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost wee pray that the children may receaue the fulnes of Gods Grace and ever remaine in the number of his faithfull and ELECT children which shewes plainly that the Church supposeth that all such as doe indeed receaue the Spirit in their baptisme bee of the number of Gods Elect. And so Bucer expounded it of old as shall hereafter appeare in due place * See Cap. 6. when we come to shew the judgment of forraigne Divines in this point Nor is this to bee put off with that new coyned distinction of election to Grace and not to Glory For the Leiturgie speaks onely of Election to glory inasmuch as it had assured vs before that God will giue vnto the infant baptized the blessing of eternall life and make him partaker of his euerlasting kingdome so concluds this prayer that the infants may be inheritors of his euerlasting kingdome through Christ our lord And why should any presume to obtrude vpon the Church such a distinction which hath not the least shew of any footing in the word of God For how euer I deny not but that the scripture sometime speaketh of a temporary election of some persons vnto some particular offices seruices in the Church of God yet it neuer speakes of election vnto the grace of sanctification but as it is a beginning of glory which certainly followes sanctification and is vndoubtedly conferred on all that are sanctified so as no man is elected to the one but he is elected vnto the other also For such grace is but glory begun 2. Coâ— 3.18 And when S. Paul Act 20.32 commends the Ephesians to God that is able to giue them an inheritance among all that are sanctified he most euidently shewes that as none partake take of the inheritance but such as are sanctified so none that are sanctified can misse of the inheritance The like might be demonstrated out of Rom 8.29 30. where the Apostle shewes that all predestination to effectuall calling and iustification ends in glorification as S. Augustine doth most soundly vnanswerable collect from this very text Yea this is so cleare a truth that Bellarmine himselfe could not but confesse maintaine it against all opposers u De praedest Sanct. cap. 17. vide locum although hee could not but know it to be contray to the doctrine of many of his owne side who were the first authors of the distinction of election into election to grace and election to glory which is still maintained by the later Iesuites Cornelius a Lapide * Com in Ephes 1.4.5 and others from whom the Arminians haue made bold to borrow it as they doe sundry other wares of that society
this place repeat what hath beene formerly produced out of any of these nor yet stay you with a large view of all those that vpon further search might be added vnto these to witnesse the same truth with them It shall suffice that I alledg only these 6. viz. Bishop Iewel Doctor Whitaker Doctor Francis White now Lord Bishop of Norwich Doctor Davenant now Lord Bishop of Salisbury Doctor Fulk and the learned Author of the second Parallells B. Iewel 1 I begin with that rare and much honoured and admired Iewel the first champion of our English Church since the last happy reformation that both by publique Apology for our refusing to communicate any longer with the present Romish synagogue and also by open chalenge made to that side for prouing their principall tenets now in difference betweene vs to haue bin so much as knowne to the Ancient Fathers for the doctrine of truth within the first six hundred yeares after Christ entred the lists with that great Goliah in the name of the Church of England and came off so happily that all that wish well to the truth doe to this day and for euer shall call him blessed What testimony approbatioÌ„ this worthie mans workes frequently receiued from our late learned K. Iames they who last published B. Iewels Workes in their Epistle Dedicatory to giue publique witnesse viz. that they haue long and frequently vpon all occasions had a most singular testimony approbation of his Maiestie for the most rare and admirable workes that haue beene written in this last age of the World And what generall acceptance they finde in the whole Church of England is euident by this that euery parish in England is enioyned to buy them and to haue them opeÌ„ in the parish Churches for all that desire instruction in the truth to read and pervse And lastly what extraordinary approbation he receiued from the most iudicious and eminent diuines beyond the seas their frequent epistles and dedication of bookes vnto him of which wee may read in the history of his life doe amply declare Therefore I thinke that what I alledg out of him may iustly be receiued if not as the doctrine it selfe of the Church of England yet as that which no iudicious sonne of this Church will refuse as dissonant from much lesse repugnant to the publique doctrine of our Church but as most agreeable both vnto it and vnto the truth of God maintained therein This Chariot of Jsrael and Father of our Church in his Apology of the Church of England which was first written in latine and translated almost into all languages for the great esteeme it receiued in all the Churches of God speaking of the sacraments and denying transubstantiation in the Lords supper thus saith a Nec tamen cum ista dicimus extenuamus coeâ—â—m Domini aut eam frigidam tantum ceremoniam esse dicimâ—s vt in ea nihil fieri quod multi nos docere calumniantur Christum enim asserimus verè sese praesentem exhibere in sacramentis suis in baptismo vt eum indumus in Coena vt eum fide spiritu comedamus de eius cruce ac sangume habeamus vitam aeternam idque dicimus non perfunctorie frigide sed re ipsa vere sieri In B. Iewels workes last set forth you shall finde this in english in the defence of the Apology cap. 14. divil 1. pag. 269. And in speaking thus wee meane not to abase the Lords supper or to teach that it is but a cold ceremony only nothing to be wrought therein as many falsly slander vs that wee teach For wee affirme that CHRIST DOTH TRVLY AND PRESENTLY giue himselfe in his Sacraments In baptisme that wee may put him on and in his supper that wee may eate him by faith and spirit and may haue euerlasting life by his Crosse and blood And we say not this is done slightly or coldly but effectually and truly Now in this passage this renowned Prelate makes no difference betweene the efficacy of the sacraments he allowes a presence of Christ in the one as well as in the other he professeth that in Baptisme Christ is as truly put on as he is fed vpon in the Supper and when he saith that in the Supper he is fed vpon by faith and the spirit saying no such thing of the necessity of faith for putting on of Christ in Baptisme when an infant is baptized he plainly yeeldeth that in baptisme of infants that truely and indeed belong to God Christ is truly and indeed put on although they be not endewed with actuall faith which is required of persons growne to yeares of discretion And when M. Harding quarrelled him for this and charged him of error in making the presence of Christ in baptisme like to his presence in the supper He thus answeres b Defence of Apology pag. 264. Chrysost in Epist ad Ephes hom 20. Bernard super missus est hom 3. Leo in serm de 4. feria c. 1. Here is one error more then any of the learned Catholique Fathers euer noted Saint Chrysostome saith In the sacrament of Baptisme wee are made flesh of Christs flesh and bone of his bones Saint Bernard saith Lavemur in sanguine eius Let vs be washed in his blood Leo saith Christi sanguine rigaris quando in mortem ipsius baptizaris Thou art washt in the blood of Christ when thou art baptized into his death By these few it may appeare that Christ is present at the sacrament of baptisme as he is present at the holy supper vnlesse ye will say we may be made flesh of Christs flesh and be washt in his blood and be partakers of him and haue him present without his presence Therefore Chrysostome when he had spoken vehemently of the sacrament of the supper hee concludeth thus Sic in baptismo euen so it is also in the sacrament of baptisme The body of Christ is likewise present in them both Beda in 1. Cor. 10. And for that cause Beda saith and he saith it out of Saint Augustine nulli est aliquatenus ambigendum tunc vnumquemque fidelium Corporis sanguinisque Dominici participem fieri quando in Baptismate membrum Christi efficitur No man may doubt but euery faithfull man is THEN made partaker of the body and blood of Christ when in Baptisme he is made the member of Christ All this B. Iewel vrgeth out of the Fathers and by approuing their doctrine confoundeth his Aduersary If any question be made of the word faithfull I haue sufficiently shewed how that is to be taken And if Saint Augustine be not mistaken he tells vs that euen c Vbi ponis parvulos non baptizatos profecto in numero credentium De verb. Apost Serm. 1. Infants were reckoned among the faithfull nor was there euer any question among the Fathers in any Age of the Church but that elect infants did receiue remission of sinne in baptisme and by