rectissime creditur That is If any man loke for the autorite of God in this matter Howbeit that which the hole churche holdeth and is not ordened of any counsell but is alwayes holden styll it is mooste ryghtlye beleued that it was geuen oute and ordened by the Apostles The same Austen in a sermonde of the baptysme of infantyng agaynst the Pelagyaus sayth these wordes Cypriane beyng axed whether an infant myghte be baptysed before the viij daye because in the olde lawe the childe myght not be cyrcumcysed but on the eyghte day Saint Cyprian said that no man shulde be hyndred from grace and that the spirytual cyrcumcysyon oughte not to be hyndred by carnall cyrcumcysyon Cypriane wryteth also in the viij epistel of the thyrd booke these wordes concernyng the baptyme of infantes Porro autem si etiam grauissimis delictoribus in deum multum ante peccatibus cū postea crediderunt remissio peccatorum datur ae baptismo atque gratia nemo prohibetur quanto magis prohiberi non debet infans qui recens natus peccauit nisi quòd secundum Adam car naliter natus contagium mortis antiqua prima natiuitate contraxit Furthermore but yf that forgeuenes of synnes be geuen vnto the greatest synners and to them that dyd greately offend before after that they dyd beleue and no man is forbydden frō baptyme grace How much more ought not a spechles chylde to be forbydden whych beyng lately borne hath commytted no offence but that it beyng borne carnally after Adam hath caught the infeccyon of the olde death by hys fyrst byrthe This is the mynde of Cypryane concernyng baptysyng of chylder and of originall synne And the same doctor writeth in an other place Nos iure damnamus omnia quae Christus non docuit We condemne by good ryght all thynges whych Christe hath not taught But Cypryane alowed the baptyme of chyldern therfore he reckened that the baptysyng of chyldren was taught of Christ That Origen is of that iudgement that the baptyme of chylder came from the Apostels hys wordes vpon the epystle to the Romanes and vpon Iohan do clearly testyfy as hereafter I shall proue whē I shall come to the place where as ye alledge Orygen your owne selfe Now seyng that these noble learned men whych were so nere hand the tymes of the Apostles holde in theyr workes with the baptyme of infantes and saye that it came vnto vs from the Apostles what wyse man wyll rather beleue yow beynge so longe after the Apostles tymes then them whych were so long ago and so nere the tymes of the Apostels Ye haue therefore long and besely babled in vain holding without any autorytye and agaynst learnyng and authoritye that the Pope ordened fyrst the baptyme of infantes And so ye haue won nothyng sauyng that ye haue founde and made a rodde for your owne tayle I meane that I haue gotten and gathered of your assertyon and opynyon a good coniectural argument that the baptyme of infantes came from thapostles tymes For ye shewed me fyrste that Hyginus ordened the baptyme of infantes which Hyginus as I shall declare hereafter was but .xxxviij. yeares frō some of thapostles For Volaterane wryteth in hys boke called Anthropologia that Saint Ihon the Euangelyst lyued vnto the .lxviii. yeare after the passion of Christ hys wordes are these Ioannes longa senectute confectus 68. anno post Christi supplicium extinctus est And Christ was .xxxiiij. yeares olde when he suffred therefore Iohan beyng alyue .lxviij. after hys passyon was alyue in the 102. yeare after Christes byrth And Hyginus was 140. yeares after Christes byrth therfore Higinus and some of the apostles namely saint Iohn the Euāgelist were no more one frō another then xxxviij yeares Whereby thorow youre helpe I haue now proued that the baptisynge of yonge chyldren was vsed wythin .xxxviij. yeares of some of the Apostles tymes I haue also proued by good auctorytye that Hyginus dyd not orden the baptysynge of chyldren and that he onlye put and added to the baptyme of chyldrē chrisme godfather godmother wherfore the baptysyng of chyldren beyng before Higinusses tymes and seynge he seynge he was with in .xxxviij. yeres of some of the Apostelles tymes it is a probable and very lykelye thynge that the baptysyng of childer came vnto vs euen from the apostels who were but a very shorte tyme before Ye are disapoynted of your purpose whych thought to haue brought the baptysynge of spechles chylder into a great cōtēpt an vtter despysyng because it had ben as ye thought of the Popes ordenyng makyng yf ye had not bē proued an arrāt lier but ye are proued a lyer wher ye sayd that Hygynus ordened the baptim of infants and an argument of antiquite is gathered of the longe contynuaunce of chylders baptyme and of the long approbatyon of the same thorow oute all hole Christes churche which is more worthy to be admitted then your supersticious opinion whose author was that perilous heritike Pelagius whom in th ende of your boke ye bryng in right honorably for a wytnes to mayntayne your dyuelishe opinion But although Hyginus had ordened first that childer shuld be baptised yet shulde not their baptyme haue bene Popyshe for in the tyme of Hyginius the byshops of Rome had not yet vsurped any supremacie ouer other Byshops muche lesse ouer Kynges and Emperours Neyther hadde the byshops of Rome brought in the dyuelyshe doctryne wherefore theyr doctrine was hated and called popyshe and dyuelyshe In the tyme of Hyginus euery byshop was called Papa as euery prest in hygh Almony is called pfaff and in low Germany pape euē vnto thys day Wherefore the doynge of Hyginus shuld haue no more ben called popysh then the ordynaunce of any other byshopp that dwelt out of Rome ether in Asia or Aphrica How be it thankes be vnto God I haue had wytnes ynough to proue that the baptyme of yong chyldren was not ordened of Higinus and lo can the baptyme of chyldren in no wyse be called popysh as we call suche as yow Popysh whych at the last ester right Popishly knelyng toke the sacrament geuyng occasyon vnto all men to thynke that ye were a sterke ydolater and beleued that bread was turned into a God For your doyng was the ordinaūce of a lofty and a right Antichristian byshop of Rome whiche vsurped power both ouer all byshops and also ouer al Kynges and Emperours Although I haue with the rehersal of .vii. places of scripture sufficiently reproued your folyshe and monkish maner in dilaying of baptime your tyrannical tying it vp vnto certayne tymes and that your Cathechumeni with their yeares of probation are contrary to the vse of Christes primatiue church yet for to proue that youre dylaying of baptime whereupon ye wolde groūde your erroure that childer ought not to be baptised is agaynst the scripture and only the ordinaunce of men I wyll shew what men and what coūcels haue ordened all
broughte by lynage into all men by the trespasse of one man vnto condemnatyon The rewarde of synne is death By Adam all men do dye and by one manne synne entred into the worlde and thorough synne death as farre furth as we haue all synned that all chyldern whych as ye holde are vnbeleuers and therefore can not be purged for lacke of fayth in Christes bloude muste nedes be damned Whych opinion howe wycked it is and howe contrarye vnto the holye scrypture lette the chyrch of CHRIST gyue sentence Haue ye not taught holsome lessons in youre boke wherof suche a damnable conclusyon foloweth Are ye not worthye to be dubbed a doctour of heresye If ye be not I can not tell who is Wher as ye say that water cā not scoure the soule because orygynall syn is a wounde receyued of the soule ye seme to mene that the bodye shall not be damned for orygynall synne as a thing that neuer receyued it Is it not agaynst iustyce that they shoulde be condemned together whych were not conioyned in the dede doynge that deserued damnation ¶ Ye holde in youre nexte sentence a maruelous opynyon whyche is thys It is to be vnderstande that thoughe synne be common to all yet baptyme is not common to all Whych sentence semeth not to be true For to whomsoeuer preaching is common to the same is also baptyme common For preachyng and baptysyng are ioyned and commaunded together in these wordes Euntes docete omnes gentes baptizantes eas Go and teache all natyons baptysyng them Then is baptyme as common as preaching is hut preachyng is common to all ▪ therfore is also baptyme common to all though all wyll not receyue it For a man hauinge seuerall grounde ynough of hys owne oft tymes putteth no cattell into the comon allthough hys parte is as commō vnto hym as vnto anye other man Are the feldes no more cōmon vnto a man after that he enioyeth no longer the profyte of the common feldes Answer me wyth scrypture as I do confute yow wyth scrypture and let your arrogant I says whyche ye haue wythin thre leues of the begynnyng of your booke in the stede of scrypture boldly brought in thre tymes goo shake theyr eares For thoughe ye haue inchaunted your wretched scholars so that they beleue that it is the gospel whatsoeuer ye say yet are ye in no such autoryte maister doctor with me that I wyll beleue your I say when as ye bryng neuer one text of scrypture to bylde your I say vpon Well I deny the doctor saye what he wyll and set these textes of the scripture agaynst hym Paule wryteth vnto the Romanes thus As by the trespas of one man euel was brought by lynage into all men to condēnation so by the rightuousnes of one good came vnto all men to the iustifycation of lyfe Then is iustifycation as comon as condemnatiō And baptym is as cōmon as iustifycatyon is then is baptyme common vnto as many as sinne is common to Saynt Ihon sayeth that Christ obteyned mercye for our synnes and not only for our synnes but for the synnes of the hole worlde Lo here is mercy and remyssyon of synnes as generall and as commō as synne is And baptyme is common to all to whome remissyon of synne is common for baptym is the seale of forgyuenes of synnes and so he that maketh the one common maketh also the other common youre meruelous sentence therefore will not stand with scripture Of lyke folyshnes is youre conclusyon that foloweth that is that baptyme is to be offered to all men yet is it not to be gyuen to all men nor to be taken of all men Whosoeuer offereth anye thynge to anye creature and intendeth not to gyue the same mocketh the creature as when the Popishe priest sayeth vnto hys parishoners Accipite comedite take ye and eate ye and gyueth them nothyng but eateth all hym selfe mocketh hys parishoners And ye captaynes of catabaptistrye offer baptyme vnto all chyldren and intend not to gyue it vnto them Therfore ye mocke all chylderne lyke as boyes mock yong byrdes and yong choughes whyles ye offer vnto thē baptyme whych ye neuer intende to gyue them ¶ For the confutacyon of the laste parte of your sayinge that is that baptyme is not to be taken of all men I aske you whether mortification and regeneracyon ought to be taken of all men or no If that mortificatyon and regeneratyon ought to be receyued of all men and true baptym is true mortifycation and perfyt regeneracyon then ought all men to receyue baptym That baptim is mortyfycacyon and regeneracion Paule beareth witnes to the Romanes in the sixt Chapter and vnto Titus the thyrd chapter and in other places whych I might here reherse if I thought not these sufficient And so is your sayng false that all men ought not to the baptysed But what if all men ought not to be baptised What hindereth that baptisyng of yōg childrē What if many wicked persones be not worthy to receiue the seal of saluaciō I mean the outward baptime because thei wilfulli willingly refuse mortification wtstand the word of God shal their vnworthines make the innocent childer whō Christ hath wasshed with his bloud vnmet vnworthy to receiue the sacramēt of saluatiō regeneratiō the seal of the promis which god made vnto thē Thē this sayng of yours that al mē ought not to receiue baptī proueth nothing that chylder ought not to be baptized here may al mē se that your ground that ye wold make is but sande falleth whē it is but lightly touched that the worke that ye wold bylde vpō your fundaciō can fynd no fast groūd to rest vpō Wherfore ye ar not lyke to prosper in your purpose baptim say ye is onli dew to the elect churche chosen in Christe Iesus before al worldes What maketh this agaynst the christening of yōg childer I thāk yow for ye help me with argumētes agaynste your false doctrine For if baptim be only dew vnto the elect churche chosen in Christ Iesus before al worldes then is baptim dew vnto al the mēbres sparkes of the same churche but chylder ar membres a part of the elect churche Therfore baptim is dew vnto thē What nede vs now to dispute any longer in this matter seyng that by your own sayēg baptim is dew vnto childer as the membres of Christes elect churche chosen befor the worldes Is baptim only dew to the elect and chosen if that be so your brether anabaptistes of munster did wrong whē they baptysed so many deuilishe and reprobat persones of your sect that they by theyr myght and strenght put down all lawfull magistrates and rulers there and set vp a Kyng among them selues which had .xvi. wyues were these murderers and dispisers of goddis ministers of the elect chyrche was thys kyng ryghtly regenerate and a mortifyer of hys membres vpon earth which had so many wymen to
infantes expressedly therefore chylderen ought not the baptysed If they be good argumentes then all the conclusiones that I gather are true and so ar ye a fals man and a perillons heretike When as ye say that By baptym alone is no saluation but by baptyme and preachyng I aske you whether ye meane hole baptyme that is bothe the inwarde and the outwarde baptym togyter or the outwarde baptyme a loue If ye meane of the inwarde baptym and outwarde bothe conioyned together ye hold an opē heresi agaynst the scripture for thus wrytethe the Apostell of CHRIST saynt Pet. j. Pet. iij. few sowles that is to wit eyght were saued in the arke throw the water to the figure where of baptyme at this tyme answering doth now lykewyse saue vs. Paul also the elect vessel of GOD gyueth vnto the right holy baptym clengyng and the hole man and also saluation Ephes v. husbandes loue your wyues as Christe hathe loued hys churche and gaue hym self for it that he myght hallow and clēge it by the bath of water thorow the word and Tit. iij. But after that the goodnes and loue of GOD oure sauioure towarde vs appered not of the workes that ar in the righteousnes which we did but accordynge vnto hys mercy saued vs throwe the bath of the new byrthe and the renewyng of the sprite Paule also graunteth that baptime is of suche effect that the receyuyng of it is the receyuing and puttynge on of Christ is not Christ saluation and doth not baptim bring Christ Paules wordes ar these As many of you as are baptised haue put Christ vpon you Then when as Peter doth expressedly gyueth saluation vnto baptim and Paule like wise your erroure is open and seene of all that haue any eyes to se withal The perfit baptim hath Christ it hath the holy gooste likewise for thei that ar rightly baptised haue the holy goste and Christ put vpō thē Is not this baptim able to saue alone wherin is Christ with his holy spirit if ye meane by this word baptim only the outward baptime I graunte you that by it commeth no saluation alone ye moreouer that it is no parte of saluation but that it is onely a signe a certification of our saluation But then ye shall in to right popistry for ye fall that of preachyng and baptyme meaning of outward baptime commeth saluation preachyng is a worke of mā in opening of goddes word and the outward baptim is an outward worke then if these twoo together bring saluation then workes bryng saluation How far are ye syr now from popistry whych call other men papistes farther from papistry then ye are nere vnto the verite Christ sayeth Mar. xvi He that beleueth and is baptised shall be saued but he sayeth not he that heareth the worde of god hath only the outward baptime layed vpon hym shall be saued ye haue be like authorite of youre woode spirite to make new textes of scripture and to bylde thereupon what ye lyst Other haue ye none If preaching baptim be the meanes to saue and damne the hole worlde by how proue you that baptime is ordened to damne men wythall let vs heare one word of scripture of you to proue this strange opinion withal But least any man shuld thinke that I reherse that ye neuer wrote I will write your awn wordes By baptime alone is no saluation but by preachyng baptim certaine it is that God is able to saue hys chosen Churche wythout thes meanes But thys is hys ordynary waye to saue and damne the whole worlde by namely by offerynge remyssion of synnes and baptime to all the worlde that thereby the beleuers maye be absolued from all conscience of synne and the disobedient and vnbeleuers bounde styll other to amende or to be damned for he that beleueth not is all redy damned The offeryng of remission of sinnes and of baptim is not the law whose office is to condēne but it is the glad tidinges whiche we cal the Gospel ye are so vnlearned and so foolyshe in your reasonyng that ye are vtterly vnworthy to be reasoned wythall so that it hath repented me ofte sence that I began to write that I troubled my selfe wyth such a bungler But leste your bablyng boosting shuld bringe any simple people out of the way I wyl not disdayne to opē your folishnes to bewray your abhominable heresies Saint Paul vnto the Romanes iij. sayeth by the law cummeth the knowlege of syn In the .iiij Capter he sayeth that the law worketh wrathe and in the seuenth chapter I haue not knowen sinne but throw the law so that it is the office of the law to shew syn and to condemne the worlde wherfore ye do against al scriptur to trāslate remoue the office of the lawe vnto the moste comfortable offeringe of remission of syn and to the most sure seale and signe of our saluatiō baptim is the ende or office of offering of remission of sinne is to saue make blessed for thei are blessed sayde Dauid whose sinnes ar forgiuen What is the Gospel or glad tidinges els but the offering of remission of synnes Did not Christ commaun hys disciples to preache repentaunce and that the kingdom of heauen was at hande dyd not the angel bring in the tydinges of peace was not remission of synne offered where peace was offered What other thyng did the Apostels els then offer remission of synne vnto theyr auditores Christe commaunded them to preache the Gospell and thys Gospel or gald tydinges was remission of synnes How can then the offerynge of the Gospell whyche was ordened to saue the worlde bee a meane to damne the worlde How can baptime whyche was ordened to bee an instrument of salmation be an instrument of damnation The offeryng of remission of synnes is the offerynge of an holsum medecine Baptime is as it were a confortatiue vsed to bee gyuen vnto the syk after purgations Who is he that hath the comon wyt that wyll saye yf a foolyshe syke man refuse an holsum medicine with a confortatiue and he die for lacke of medicine that the offerynge of the medicine wyth the confortatiue was the meanes whereby thys man came vnto hys deathe Yet doo ye thys whyle ye make the offerynge of remyssyon of synnes to bee the meanes whereby GOD dampneth and saueth all the worlde by If faith do iustifie as oft times ye graunt wyth open mouthe then doth infidelite condemne and it is the meane where by the worlde is condemned as Christ witnesseth he that beleueth not is condemned already Lo here is condemnation assigned vnto vnbeleue and nother to the offerynge of remission of sinne nother of baptime Then may it easely be spyed how vnlearnedly ye alleged thys text he that beleueth not is condemned already to proue that the offerynge of remyssyon of synnes and baptime is meanes bothe vnto saluation and condemnation namely when as Christe immediatly before shewed the meanes of saluation