Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bear_v	die_v	sin_n	6,507	5	5.1003	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41792	Truth and peace, or, The last and most friendly debate concerning infant-baptism being a brief answer to a late book intituled, The case of infant-baptism (written by a doctor of the Church of England) ... whereunto is annexed a brief discourse of the sign of the cross in baptism, and of the use of the ring, and bowing at the altar, in the solemnization of marriage / by Thomas Grantham.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1689 (1689)	Wing G1550; ESTC R41720	89,378	100

TRUTH and PEACE OR The Last and most FRIENDLY DEBATE CONCERNING Infant-Baptism Being a brief Answer to a late Book intituled The Case of Infant-Baptism Written by a Doctor of the Church of England In which Answer is shewed I. That the Covenant of Circumcision strictly taken was not the Covenant of Grace for the Salvation of Mankind many being not bound to observe it II. That Circumcision was no Gospel-Ordinance as is affirmed by the Doctor but a part of the Yoke of Bondage III. That the Jews had a Tradition to baptize Infants is either a Fable or destructive to the Christian Baptism if grounded thereon IV. The Doctor 's five comprehensive Questions particularly answered V. From the whole it is made evident that the Restoration of Sacred Baptism in respect of the true Subject and due manner of Administration is the only true method to revive the Ancient Christian Religion in all Nations where it has been corrupted by humane Innovation Whereunto is annexed A brief Discourse of the Sign of the Cross in Baptism and of the use of the Ring and bowing at the Altar in the Solemnization of Marriages By THOMAS GRANTHAM The Custom of baptizing Infants was brought in without the Commandment of Christ Curcelleus Disserta of Orig. Sin n. 56. London Printed for the Author 1689. The PREFACE THAT Prophecy of St. Paul 2 Tim. 4. 4. That Men shall turn away their Ears from the Truth and shall be turned unto Fables had too much of its Verification in the early Times of Christianity and as in other respects so in the case of sacred Baptism both in respect of the Time and Order in which it should be performed 1. From a Fear that Sin committed after Baptism should hardly if at all be remitted many did delay their Duty being desirous to have the full remission of their Sins near their Death This scandalous delay of Baptism proved pernicious to the Church of Christ as well as to the Persons thus neglecting their Duty and seems to have been the occasion of altering the manner of the Administration of Baptism For many of these Delayere being surprised with Sickness and afraid to die without Baptism requested that it might be administred to them in their sick Beds which was endulged to them without any Warrant from Heaven which in such cases should always be enquired for Yet this Custom was so doubtful to them that did allow it that they required such Chinicks that in case they recovered their Sickness they should be had to the River and there be baptized Cyprian Epist ad Magnum 2. Others did as much outrum the Rule of this Duty in preposterous haste even to baptize Infants as soon as born and sometimes before and this Error sprang from this apprehension that God had tied the Solvation of all Flesh to Baptism that even Infants dying without it could not be saved Yea so powerful was this Error that its Assertors did Anathematize all that held the contrary The Council of Afric decreed That all that affirm young Children receive eternal Life albeit they be not by Baptism renewed they are accursed Sure a more unreasonable Decree was never made by Men. Now this Leaven of false Doctrine has so prevailed that scarce any but Infants came to be concerned in obeying Christ in Baptism nor could poor Infants obey him therein for Austin confesses they did not willingly receive Baptism but strove against it with great Crying So that neither Young nor Old in a manner were found in some Ages to put on Christ in Baptism seeing that cannot be done without the free Consent of an Heart enlightened by Faith Gal. 3. 26 27. Acts 2. 40. It is therefore the work and proper business of the Restorers of holy Baptism to do what they possibly may to remove this Stumbling-block out of the way I mean this Doctrine which would damn to Hellish Torments all Infants dying unbaptized Concerning which I have wrote several Treatises and could be content still to be an Advocate for all dying Infants as being through the Grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ discharged of the condemning Power of Original Sin and having no Actual Sin the Infirmity of their Nature shall not damn them but the Mercy of God shall save them all And were Mens Judgments clear in this Point the Controversy about Infant-Baptism would naturally cease and all Men would see it the only safe way to refer Baptism to the time wherein through Repentance and Faith it might according to the Will of God interess them in the remission of their Sins and in the Priviledges of the Church of the Living God in order to Life eternal I shall therefore once more endeavour to take away this false Covering which is not of God's Spirit I mean the Doctrine of Infant-Damnation by proposing a few things to this Generation as an Introduction to my Reply to the Case of Infant-Baptism And 1. Seeing it cannot enter into the Heart of any Christian I hope that God does create Infants on purpose to damn them and to shew them no Mercy seeing he is very merciful to the chief of Sinners if we can find out a just cause for the damning of them it must be either 1. From themselves from their Parents from the Devil or from Christ's not loving them so as to redeem them from the Fall which they had in Adam But none of these things can be the cause of Infants Damnation 1. They cannot damn themselves by sinful Courses and it is certain our gracious God will damn none who do not first destroy themselves by their Wickedness This is evident by his unwillingness to destroy those who had destroyed themselves Hosea 13. 9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy Help How then can it enter into any Christian to think that God should have no pity for innocent Babes who never offended him Is he thus compassionate towards great Sinners and is there no Help in him for poor Infants 2. No Man can damn Infants because if any have power to damn his Infants all Men have it it 's no Man's peculiar Power whether good or bad to do this and if any say all Men have this Power he reflects upon the Goodness of God for giving such power to Men and contradicts the Word of God Jer. 31. Every one shall die for his own Iniquity the Son shall not bear the Iniquity of the Father This is only true in the case of eternal Death for Children even Infants often die for their Fathers Sin a temporal Death as in the old World in Sodom yea and in Jerusalem too Lam. 2. 11. Yet who can think that our just and merciful God should now after their swooning in the Streets cast them into Hellish Torments It was not the Iniquity of the Infants but of the grown Persons which cried for Vengeance 3. The Devil cannot damn Infants because they are out of the Reach of his Temptations They know

the new Covenant as it respects the Abolition of the condemning Power of Original Sin and Gift of eternal Life as I think whatever the Doctor says at some turns yet he will grant me this at least for the substance of it for all that die in Infancy yet he will not say that all Infants in the World in Abraham's time who were Males ought to be circumcised or that all Infants in the World since Christ's time are to be baptized And therefore suppose the Covenant of Grace before in and since the Law to be the same yet it 's clear that an immediate Right to the Mercy of the Covenant in the sense before explained does not infer an immediate right to partake of Ordinances but some other particular Qualifications and God's Direction must give immediate right to participate of them or else we act and do we know not what Let us then calmly consider what were the necessary Qualifications for Circumcision and what are the necessary Qualifications for Baptism and then we shall soon be able to answer this Question Whether Infants are capable of Baptism Infants Qualifications for Circumcision were these They must be the Seed of Abraham according to the Flesh or born in his House or bought with Money or the Children of Proselytes and they must be Males and they must be eight days old else they could not lawfully be circumcised I say it was not all Infants as such that might lawfully be circumcised but Infants under such Circumstances or Qualifications Wherefore in the next place let us consider the indispensible Qualifications for Baptism And here I shall chiefly make use of that Text Col. 2. 11 12. so much insisted on by the Doctor with its parallel place Rom. 6. 1 2 3. From these Texts it plainly appears that Baptism is a mystical Burial and therefore every one of the faln Race of Mankind which are lawfully baptized are buried with Christ in Baptism So then there is an indispensible Necessity that all who are to be thus buried be first dead for it is directly against these Scriptures and against all Reason and Religion to bury any Person before they be dead The Question therefore is what Death is here meant It cannot be a corporal Death for then none but dead Bodies should be baptized which is absurd Nor can it be a Death in Sin for if that did qualify for Baptism then all unregenerate Persons were fit Subjects for Baptism but that also is absurd It must therefore be a Death to Sin and to the Rudiments of the World. And thus does St. Paul himself expound it How shall we that are dead to Sin live any longer therein Rom. 6. 11. Wherefore reckon your selves to be dead indeed unto Sin but alive unto God. Col. 2. 20. Dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World. This is that Death which is so absolutely necessary to the Baptismal Covenant that the Doctor knows it to be granted by the Church of England that Repentance whereby we forsake Sin which is the same thing which St. Paul calls a Death to Sin is required of all that are to be baptized Another indispensible Qualification is every Subject of Baptism ought first to be a Child of God by Faith in Christ Jesus or to be a new Creature Hence it is said of the whole Church Militant Ye are all the Sons of God by Faith in Christ Jesus for as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3. And as every Member of this Church is said to be buried with Christ in Baptism so they are said therein to be risen with him through Faith. And to this also the Church of England gives Testimony that Faith is required of all that are to be baptized even such Faith as whereby the Promises of God made in that Sacrament are stedfastly to be believed And that it 's necessary the Party baptized be a new Creature they boldly affirm when they have sprinkled the Infant when perhaps fast asleep that he is born of the Spirit c. And that to be born again is a necessary Qualification for Baptism The Word of God is clear Tit. 3. where Baptism is called the Washing of Regeneration And St. Peter calls it the Answer of a good Conscience And unto this Doctrine all the ancient Writers of Christianity agree with full consent And for Brevities sake as also because Augustine is thought to be as eminent as any of the Fathers that were before him and more eminent then any that did succeed him I will content my self with his Testimony who saith Per fidem renascimur in Baptismate by Faith we are born again in Baptism Serm. 53. And again Primo fides Catholica Christiano necessaria est per ipsum renascimur in baptismate Salutem aeternam impetramus first of all the Catholick Faith is necessary for all Christians by the which in Baptism we are born again to obtain eternal Salvation And that Infants have not Faith he testifies in these Words Si illis minati essent ipsum Baptismum 〈◊〉 susciperent cui videmus cos cum magnis stetibus reluctari From these Premises I think we may safely conclude that Infants are not capable of Baptism for what Man with any Truth or Fairness of Discourse is ever able to bring Infants under these Qualifications or to shew that Baptism may lawfully be administred to Persons of whom we can have no Knowledg nor Evidence from themselves that there is any thing of these Prerequisites to Holy Baptism but as far as they are able Augustine being witness they do oppose and withstand it If Infants were illuminate they would gladly receive Baptism which we see them strive against with great crying Now all that Augustine the Church of England or the Doctor can say in this case amounts but to this That Infants do perform this Repentance and Faith by their Godfathers c. which is so poor an Answer so dellitute of Divine Warrant that it is to be lamented that ever wise Men should satisfy themselves with such a Speech as no Man can know to be true but by all Experience is found to be false insomuch that no Man could ever yet I suppose give Thanks to God for that Faith and Repentance which their Godfathers performed for them nor do the Godfathers themselves know that they do the Infant any good in or by any Supply the Infant does receive from them in respect of Repentance or Faith. But p. 24. the Doctor proceeds thus If the relative Nature of Circumcision considered as a Sacrament was the same under the Law that Baptism is under the Gospel it must needs follow that Children under the Gospel are as capable of this supposing no new Command to exclude them as under the Law they were of that But by the Doctor 's favour we do not exclude Children from Baptism but bring them to it as soon as lawfully we can but we must not make more haste