Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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B03480
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Four tracts. I. A short discourse about divorce and its causes, fornication and adultery. II. A charge to judges, juries and witnesses concerning oaths. III. About infant baptism. IV. A letter to a lady, who hath forsaken [t]he Protestant religion for the Romish. / By J. Gailhard, Gent.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1699
(1699)
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Wing G121A; ESTC R202025
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118,480
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174
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for the Thing Signified as the Holy Ghost washing with the Blood of Christ Secondly 'T is taken for Doctrine (g) Mark 11 30. The Baptism of John was it from Heaven or from Men And it is called (h) Acts 13.24 The Baptism or Doctrine of Repentance Thirdly It is taken for Death whereof 't is a Figure (i) Matth. 20.22 23 Are ye able saith our Saviour 〈◊〉 the Sons of Zebedee to drink of the Cup that I shall drink and to be baptised with the Baptism that I am baptised with Here I intend not to engage in any Dispute against all that are in an Errour concerning Baptism my Design being upon some occasion given me only to Vindicate the Doctrin of Infant-baptism against Anabaptists And to state well the Question we say and own how men newly Converted that are come to Years of Discretion ought to give an account of their Faith before Baptism be administred to them We also own Children of Jews Mahometans and other Infidels must not be Baptised except God-fathers or the like promise before God and in presence of the Church they will cake Care to see them Bred and Instructed in the Knowledge and Fear of God But to deny Baptism to Infants born of Christian Parents 't is to deprive them of their Right to Despise the Ordinance of God to take away the Mark whereby they are distinguished from Children of Unbelievers to Cheat them of Christ's Livery and the Badge of Christian Profession 't is with Pelagius to deny them Naturally to be Sinners and not to need being Washed And 't is also to deprive Parents of the Comfort to see how God takes care to bring their Children within the Pales of his Church Before we proceed further into this matter to make it the Clearer it is necessary to go back and say something in general In order thereunto God hath not only made us Promises in his Word but to help our Weakness and strengthen our Faith hath also appointed Sacraments to Signify Seal and exhibit Things Promised for Sacraments do Seal that which the Word Promiseth Thus God works upon two of our Senses first upon the Ear (k) Rom. 10.17 Faith cometh by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God And upon our Eye with the sight of those visible Signs representing invisible Graces Hence Augustin calls a Sacrament The Visible Word Thus God did with his Church under the Old Testament and thus he doth under the New and man must not pretend to be wiser than God and to alter the Rules he hath given And as the Church of Christ is formed by degrees and that daily some were and are added to it so there are Two Sacraments instituted one of Initiation whereby we are introduced and admitted into 't such was Circumcision under the Old and such is Baptism under the New Testament another to Feed Strengthen and Confirm such was the Passover of Old and now the Lord's Supper which Sacraments of the Old and New Testaments though they differ in some Circumstances yet agree in the Substance both these of the New Testament (l) John 19.34 Water and Blood came out of our Saviour's Side God is the Author of every Sacrament none but God who can give the Grace signified hath right to Institute a Sacrament wherefore God instituted those under the Old Testament and our Lord who is the same those under the New To every Sacrament belongeth a Precept and a Promise the Precept of Baptism is (m) Matth. 28.19 Baptise all Nations in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost the Promise is (n) Mark 16 16. Luke 22.19 He who believes and is baptised shall be saved The Precept of the Lord's-Supper is first to those who administer it this do that is take the Bread bless brake and distribute it so pour the Wine into the Cup and give it 2ly To those who receive it 't is Commanded (o) Matth. 26.26 27 28 to take eat and drink the Promise is this is my Body this is my Blood which is shed for many for the Remission of sins Now in every Sacrament the words of the Precept ought punctually and exactly to be observed without Addition Diminution or Alteration There are Four sorts of those whom Sacraments are administred unto for some have the Sign without the Thing Signified others have the Thing Signified without the Sign some others have both Sign and Thing Signified lastly some have neither Sign nor Thing Signified A Sacrament is an Ordinance of God wherein God under visible signs doth represent some invisible grace in and thorough the Mediatour therefore in the Sacrament are the visible and earthly part and the invisible and spiritual which some call the outward and inward parts of the Sacrament Then the Third thing is the Analogy and Relation between the Sign and Thing signified and the Acts outward and inward and except one doth understand this he can never have a right Notion of the Nature of a Sacrament To demonstrate it I shall insist only upon the Holy Sacrament of Baptism which is the only Point I handle in this Discourse Water is the Visible Sign in Baptism and the Blood of Christ is the Invisible Thing thereby Signified the Analogy and Conformity is this as poured or sprinkled Water washes the Filth and Uncleanness of the Body so the Sprinkling of the Blood of Christ upon our Souls doth Purify them for (p) 1 John 1.7 the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin Both these are mentioned elsewhere (q) Heb. 10.22 Having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and the body washed with pure water By this last the Apostle alludeth to the several washings under the Law as to the use of Water in Baptism Now the Minister doth administer the outward Sign and can do no more but the Holy Ghost gives the Thing signified and with applying it doth purify and sanctify us to this purpose saith John Baptist (r) Matth. 3.11 I baptise you with Water but he that comes after me will baptise you with the Holy Ghost Though this Water be a common Element yet being bestow'd upon so holy an Use as well as Bread and Wine in the Lord's Supper it is thereby sanctified what I say is not to attribute so much to 't as if the use of the Sign could infallibly confer the Grace thereby signified but 't is to shew how Anababaptists are in the wrong to undervalue Sacraments in general and this of Baptism in particular as (s) 2 Kings 5.10 11 Naaman the Syrian did the Water of Jordan They are not bare Signs but 1st Signifying Signs for by those visible Signs are represented things not seen which we do believe 2ly They Seal not only the Analogy between the Signs and the Things Signified but also the Vertue and Efficacy of the Union of Sign and Thing Signified being duly and lawfully used is thereby Sealed 3ly As that
Repentance it doth not follow they must be deprived of Baptism for all this might be said of Circumcision and yet God commanded Children to be Circumcised and to oppose this as contrary to reason is to Dispute against God who would have Circumcision a Sacrament of Regeneration for as I observed before 't is called Circumcision of the Heart and without Hands to be administred to Children whereby we are taught 't is not always necessary the Truth signified in a Sacrament should go before the Sign sometimes 't is enough it should follow at least in part so that except one would make which were a kind of Blasphemy the Mercy of God less towards us and our Children than towards the Jews and their Seed we must not deprive them of Baptism the Seal of that Covenant no more than they were not deprived of Circumcision for by these Two Sacraments God did and doth separate some from others to offer them his Salvation They who have no right to the Promises must joyn themselves to Christ's Flock before they receive his Mark Thus God instructed Abraham in the Doctrine of Faith and in his Covenant before he gave him Circumcision but once having admitted him into the Church he ordered his Seed to be made partakers of the same benefit Out of what hath been said one would hope every Rational Man would be satisfied how Infants ought to be Baptised and the Sign not to be denyed those who may have the Thing signifyed But because I know (a) Matth. 13.11 'T is not given to all to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven but only to those whom God is pleased to reveal it to for 't is not any man's Parts or Learning that can do 't (b) 1 Cor. 3.6 Paul may Plant Apollos may Water but God alone can give the Increase To him must be left the Success of things all I now can do is to beseech the Lord to open (c) Luke 24.45 the Understanding of those who are concerned As he did that of his Apostles that they might Vnderstand the Scriptures and open their Heart as that of [d] Acts 16.14 Lidia to attend unto the Things spoken Some other things there are relating to this matter wherein Anabaptists differ from us which we must not omit The First is about the outward Act used in Baptism They would have it done with Dipping whence they have gotten the Name of Dippers and 't is the signification of the Greek Word whence comes the word Baptism And though as much as we can we must close with the Ceremony of the Institution yet that outward Rite is not of the Essence of the Sacrament and that which is used hath the same Effect and Signification It doth not appear any where that they that were Baptised were dipped under Water for they had been in some Danger of being Drowned but that they went into the River or other Water and he who Baptised as John Baptist or other poured it upon their Head whereupon they were accounted to have been under Water as in some kind they had been but those who at that time were Baptised were persons come to Years and consequently more able to resist the Coldness of the Water in cold Weather in case any Quantity had been poured upon them which yet was but little But leaving aside the Difference of Climates Hot or Cold of Constitutions Weak and Strong of Age Childhood and Manhood or Inconveniency that might arise therefrom I say in the Church Sprinkling hath succeeded Dipping and not without Ground in Scripture for the word Sprinkling is used for the Thing signified and of this we have Two Witnesses St. Paul is the first (e) Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true Heart in full Assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and our Bodies washed with pure Water There are Sprinkling and Washing And chap. 12.24 't is spoken of the blood of Sprinkling The other is St. Peter (f) 1 Pet. 1.2 Thorough Sanctification of the Spirit unto Obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ If the Thing signified be represented with Sprinkling so may the Sign be administred with Sprinkling and the Child lying upon it's back in man's Arms may be said to be under the Water sprinkled upon it's Face We also find in Scripture that the Administration of that Sacrament is both as to the Sign and Thing signified called Washing so that there is no certain and constant Obligation to the strictness of the Greek word and to the outward Rite of Dipping and Sprinkling Answers the end of the Sacrament and the Analogy between the visible and the invisible parts of it as well as Dipping and we see in the Lord's Supper there is no Obligation to any certain Posture so that provided there be no Superstition nor Idolatry it may well be received Sitting Kneeling or Standing Another thing we differ in is about Rebaptisation Hence they are called Anabaptists from baptising again those that were baptised before The Church of Rome doth not rebaptise those who from us turn to them nor we those who from them come to us but Anabaptists do all that come to them out of other Perswasions and though the Lord's-Supper be administred many times yet Baptism is not or ought not to be but once because Baptism is the Sacrament of Initiation and the Lord's-Supper of Nutrition and Increase Baptism is a Regenerating and the Lord's Supper a Confirming and Strengthening Ordinance Now as there is but one beginning of spiritual Life thorough Regeneration and there is but one Introduction and admission into the Covenant so the Sacrament of these things ought only once to be administred but as during our whole Life we need spiritual Nourishment so the Sacrament of it ought often to be reiterated as in our natural Life we are born but once but we must Eat often to preserve our Life I must resolve a Difficulty and then I have done 'T is said in one place [g] Ephes 4.5 One Lord one Faith one Baptism And in another 't is spoken of the Doctrines [h] Heb. 6.2 of Baptisms as of many There is certainly but one Sacrament of Baptism instituted by our Lord Jesus In that first place the Apostle exhorteth the Ephesians to Unity for this reason that our whole Salvation is grounded upon it in it's Principle Progress and End One God One Lord One Faith One Baptism one Hope one Body and one Spirit whereby all these are united In consequence of this we find [c] Acts 4.32 the multitude of those that believed were of One Heart and of One Soul Philip. 1.27 and ought to stand fast in one Spirit with one Mind So that this admits of no difficulty But in the other place the Apostle exhorteth the Hebrews to tend to a perfection and make a further progress in the knowledge and way to Salvation the Principles thereof having been laid before whereof