nominally yet not really Christians obeying the pure word of Christ would not endure sound doctrin but having itching ears that loved to be tickled not grated upon grew weary of the plaines of the Gospel saying to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophecy not prophecy not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophecy deceits get ye out of the way turn aside out of the path cause the holy one of Israel to cease from before us despising his word and rufusing to hear the Law of the Lord as they of old Isa. 30. then the Lord gave them their own hearts lusts and sent leanes withall into their souls granted them heapes upon heaps of such Cater-pillars as should dwel at their own doors and devoure their soules and delude them with Heresie and false divinations and as their pay for so doing should devour also the tenth of their labours nay the sixth in all parishes through the Nations he removed the candlestick out of his place and because they walked not in the light thereof whilst they had it let darkness come upon them he gave them Priests that should teach for hire and Prophets that should divine for money and say is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us Mic. 2.11 he gave them like people like Priest a people not willing to be taught and a Priesthood not able to teach he removed their truth-teachers into a corner so that their eyes should see no more such teachers nor their ears hear any voice behind them saying this is the way walk in it and so opened the flood gates for all manner of horrible Heresies to flow in upon them he powred upon them the spirit of deep sleep and closed their eyes the Prophets their Rulers their Seers he covered so that the vision of all became unto them as the words of a book sealed which if delivered to their learned men saying read this I pray they cannot for it is sealed if to their ignorant people saying read this they cannot for they are not learned t is for their Orthodox Divines and not for them to read and expound the Scripture forasmuch as the people drew neer to God with their mouth and with their lips did honour him with Gloria Patries c. but removed their hearts far from him and would have their fear towards him taught by the precepts of men therefore the Lord proceeded to do a marvellous work in all Christ'ndome yea a marvellous work a wonder for the wisdome of their wise men perisht and the understanding of their prudent men was hid and the Lord left them to do their works in the dark and to turn all things upside down and to put a bridle upon the jawes of the people and ride them from Ierusalem unto Babilon even to all manner of Heresie blindnesse and confusion for ages and generations together Lastly to provoke the Pastors to diligence and watchfulness to prove them whether they be hirelings or not such as will flie when the wolf comes or lay down their lives for the sheep therefore the Apostle Paul speaking specially of that very time wherein the insolency and obstinacy of Hereticks and Schismaticks should increase to such a height as not to indure sound doctrine but rather to turn from the truth and turn to fables and heap false teachers to themselves to tickle them up in their lusts preach down and act no patience but rather persecution toward those that preach up the truth in consideration thereof charges Timothy to whom he left the oversight of the Church at Ephesus in order to the making full proof of his ministry to stand to it then with so much the more diligence to preach the word and be instant in season and out of season to reprove rebuke and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine to watch in all things indure the afflictions that should befal him from the hands of wolvish spirited men 2 Tim. 4.1 ad 8. And indeed this is that which should move the Pastors of the several congregations of Christ and such whom the holy spirit hath made Overseers of that little flock of his in these daies to take good heed both to themselves and all that flock for throw the negligence of the Pastors turning Hereticks yea wolves themselves in former dayes the sheep have been most miserably misled and rul'd over with force and cruelty and this will be a proof of their love to Christ above their lives if they shall give all diligence to the feeding of the sheep and lambs of Christ not flying for fear of men from that worthy work not forbearing nor shunning to deliver unto them the whole councel of God at this day though there be so many CCClergy men to croak against them for it And here let it be well noted that whether here or wherever throughout this discourse I dilate on the duty of the Pastors and put them on to performance of it I mean the Pastors of the Churches which are commonly called Anabaptists which are among the Nations as sheep among wolves as the lilly among thornes rent and torn for their Testimony to the Truth and not YYYou the PPPriesthood YYYou the PPPastoralty of the Parishes for verily he is blind that beholds you not to be no Pastors but rather Hâ—relings yea Wolves Persecutors then Pastors of the sheep of Christ yea even you Presbyterian Pastoralty as well as others Indeed you have the boldnesse to stile your selves the Ministers of Christ but you are wrapt up in a cloud of confusion and contradiction about the proof of your Pedigree as from him yea when its closely quaeried whence you came I mean as to your ministerial function and capacity seeing you cannot derive your ordination by a lineal succession from the Apostles otherwise some of you and I judge the most do not deny but that remotely you receive your orders from the Pope who as you say not as Pope but as Presbyter ordained those Bishops which not as Bishops but as Presbyters ordained you Presbyters though t will prove but Priests when all is done if the Antients among you consult the common-prayer book and form of your ordination a pretty series for the Ministers of Christ to descend in why Sirs are you not ashamed of this to cry out against the Pope as Antichrist and Rome as an Apostate strumpet and yet to hold all you have as a Ministry from and through these and that too since they Apostatized from the truth shall we think that all Christs ministers descend lineally from the loines of Antichrist ye are witnesses then against your selves that your Grand-father is the Pope and so that you descended one and the same way with those locusts even popish Priests Iesuites Monks and Friers and that you are no better born as to your being men in holy orders then the veriest Scoundrel among them that depends together with you upon that Hierachy Mr. Rutherford saies Diotrephes
the Ministers would not hinder the preaching of the word or call any time unseasonable for that the Ministers answered that they magnified preaching as much as any yet must needs tell them the Apostle makes it inferior to charity and that when charity was in danger to be violated by it it were but Christian prudence to omit it Reply Antichristian priestly-popely pollicy if ye will but neither Christian prudence nor Pastor-like pitty nor Peter-like piety nor Pauls charge to Timothy 2 Tim. 4.1.2 which was to preach the Word and be instant in season and out too to reprove rebuke exhort c. with all long suffering and doctrine Ob. But some there would have been griev'd at it in which case better to have omitted it in charity then hazzard hatreds by performance Aâ—sw Some there its like would not have indur'd it yet is that no plea whereupon to omit it for then we must preach no more Gospel to the world which sets two against three and three against two and occasions not causes by means of mens lusts opposing it more sword then peace at present Luke 12.51 52 53. Yea the time will come and now is when men yea Ministers will not indure sound Doctrine but after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers and what heaps upon heaps of false teachers are there in all Christendom for the Clergy have made themselves many as the locusts many more then to every parish one tickling men up still with an omnia benè in a bad condition even when for their sakes Isa. 24. omnia penè penitus peritura sunt and will turn away their ears from the truth and be turned unto fables of mens feigning but watch thou in all things indure afflictions do the work of an Evangelist fulfill thy ministry 2 Tim. 4.3 4 5. Report That the Congregation consisted of two sorts of men and women whose opinions were different that there was a danger of a breach between them that as they came together and had behav'd themselves quietly all the time so they might be permitted to depart that the mischieâ—s which follow Division are easier prevented then heal'd c. Reply Great indeed are the mischiefs that follow Divisions they are more easily prevented then heal'd but as sure as the Lord lives and his word hath any truth in 't the Divisions of these dayes the mischiefs of which and that 's the best on t ' will light most upon the tripple Tower of BBBabel even the Tripple CCCrown and Kingdome of the CCClergy out of whose clutches God is going to redeem his Captive Clergy the height of which Tower he will bring down to the Earth even to the dust these Divisions I say will neither be prevented nor healed notwithstanding all indeavours to that purpose till that be fully accomplisht which this Division of Languages truly tends to in the Councels of God viz. the utter shattering and disabling of these great Babel-builders so that their Ambitious projects shall come to a Perpetual end till then breach upon breach cannot be avoided while the Earth was as in old time of Priestly pomp it was of one language and of one speech all saying nemine contradicente as the Pope said all worshipping as the Priest-hood appointed all believing as the Church believed there was so much Charity to the Churches peace that all truth was choakt under the name of Schism for the sake on 't the builders by whom the corner-stone is still refused saying one to another go to let us build us a City and a Tower whose top may reach to heaven let us make us a name and nothing was restrained from them which they imagined to do by advantage of this their unity and uniformity of speech and Religion but now God is coming down to view the great Tower this Pompous Kingdom of Priests and finding it swell up to heaven above the stars of God over all on earth at least that 's called God he sayes go to let us go down and confound their language that they may not understand one anothers speechâ— whereupon as the great City is split in three parts so each of these will be subdivided more and more into Sectaries of all sorts so that men understand not now the language of the Pope and Priest-hood nor will Christs sheep hear the voice of those strangers by which Division of tongues if that Great City cease to reign and that montanous Babell come down and become a plain before Zerubabel as it must t is not so devillish as Divine a Division which all are not so sorry for as some whose Alas is lamented back again with Hallelujah yea let the day break more and more and the shadows flie away and my beloved be like a Roâ— or young hart hasting ore these mountains of Bâ—ther i. e. Division Cant. 2.17 And now as to the peoples being permited to depart I know none were held there against their wills besides your selves yea both you and they too that would might have gon in peace and those that would might have staid in peace had you not troubled all with your oppositions if such as had a mind to stay had been as peaceably permitted to abide as you who had such a mind to be out were peaceably permitted to depart for any hinderance you had from us all might have been full as well for ought I know as now it is Report Next you relate I not hearkning to the Reasons of the Ministers it was at last referred to the Minister of the place being there present and he desired to declare whether he would give way to my preaching which he refusing to do upon the reasons before said one of the Congregation began to utter some words tending to a Commotion viz. that he had nothing to do with them that they would do it without his leave and the like whereupon the Ministers conjured me whose interest they observed to be so great in the people by the bonds of Charity the candor and Sobriety of a Christian and ingenuity of a Scholar that I would dissolve the Congregation that they might part without professed hostility that there would great disgrace light upon their meeting besides dangers which they did foresee if I did not that if I persevered in my motion they did protest openly before the Congregation against it and did charge upon me whatsoever inconveniency should follow so being perswaded I went out of the Church with the Ministers and the Congregation followed Reply I saw not so much as a grain of reason in all you spake in prevention of so innocent and in it self inoffensive a purpose as that was to render a reason of my faith to a people that expected it from me and were as your selves were not then and there so willing to hear it whereupon I neither did nor durst decline the doing of it upon any such account as convicted that by right I ought not to have done it nevertheless I must confess when
once before all the principles of the doctrine of Christ whereof this laying on of hands is said to be one and not only so but secondly from these words you ought to be teachers that by this time they should have been of ability to teach these principles to others which also shews that these principles ought all along still to be taught Moreover if it be queried where or by whom these Hebrewes were at first taught this A B C these principles of the oracles of God there spoken of is it not as clear as the sun to any serious understanding considerate spirit that it was by Peter at Ierusalem in his first preaching there in obedience to Christs commission Mat. 28. after power was come upon him from on high in Act. 2. which I direct to as a second place wherein we may find it preached did not Peter there lay this foundation of the principles of the doctrine of Christ among them in preaching as they did themselves in practising Heb. 6 2. and howbeit the whole form of the doctrine he there delivered is not set down as none of the doctrine that Philip preacht at Samaria is nor of that Paul preacht at Philippi Act. 16.14 nor at Corinth Act. 18.8 yet is it not by sundry passages as evident that he taught that principle of laying on of hands among all the rest as it is and how evident that is is shewed above that they in those other places preached baptism shall we think that Peter taught the principles of the doctrine of Christ all which he was to lay as one foundation among them by the halves did he build them upon one part of the foundation and not on the other part did he constitute them partly upon it and partly beside it did he teach them all the rest of the principles every of which its said Heb. 5.12 they had been taught viz. faith repentance baptism resurrection and judgement and did he leave out that one onely of laying on of hands specially since it s said that with many other words he exhorted that people who are said there also to continue in the Apostles doctrine what man that devotes himself to the comparing of Scripture with Scripture can imagine it and if not why not be satisfied that it was preacht by some at least of Christs Apostles to all baptized believers A third Scripture I direct the inquirers unto is Act. 8.5.12.14.15.16.17 whence first its evident from the Apostles administring and the Samaritans submission to it that the doctrine in the purport and tendency of it was first declared unlesse we shall judge the Saints at Samaria were such idiots as to act by implicit faith as men were not to do but by comparison of what they said with the Scriptures under the ministry of the Apostles themselves Act. 17.22 and to yield blind obedience to they knew not what the Apostles also justifying them in it which if they did then you that professe your selves to be yet ignorant in that service and that you know not the meaning of it may submit to it as safely though as senslessely as they from the hands of such as do which yet when all is done I am sure you may not but Secondly more evident yet if you weigh some passages of that text it self the words whereof are on this wise viz. then went Philip down unto Samaria and preached Christ to them v. 5. and when they believed the things spoken by Philip pertaining to the Kingdom of God they were baptized both men and women when they at Ierusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God they sent unto them Peter and John who when they were come prayed for them that they might receive the holy spirit for as yet he was fallen upon none of them onely they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus then laid they their hands on them and they received the holy spirit It s said that Philip preached Christ and spoke of the things pertaining to the the Kingdome of God and that they received the word of God which they did not surely so much as to believe what was to be done till he had preached it now can any rationall man think that he preached Christ and the things pertaining to his kingdome and the word of God and not preach so much as all the principles of the oracles of God not so much as all the first Rudiments or whole beginning word of Christ but left out imposition of hands onely among all the rest as none of the word of Christ nor of the things pertaining to his kingdome as not to be preacht no not in that juncture wherein immediately after it was to be and accordingly was so universally submitted to by them and dispenst unto them or if you say they received not that word of laying on of hands from Philip but from Peter and Iohn I answer t is true practically from the hands of Peter and Iohn dispensing it but by faith so as to believe it to be a practicable doctrine that was their duty to own from the mouth of Philip dispensing the doctrine of it or suppose that Philip spake nothing of it till Peter and Iohn came which is non supponendum yet is it likely that the Apostles that were sent to them from Ierusalem though nothing is said of that they said that therefore they said nothing to them at all yea will right reason ever receive this for truth that the Apostles were sent to Samaria upon the account of some service whether solely that of prayer and laying on of hands it matters not so long as that was one part of it at least and yet neither acquaint them whether before acquainted with it or no to what end and purpose they came and what was the end and purport of that service they onely or mainly came for he that can receive this let him receive it for my part I professe I cannot A fourth place from whence it is easily gathered that the doctrine of laying on of hands in order to their receiving the holy spirit was wont to be preached to all baptized believers is Act. 19.1 2.3 where Paul speaking to the whole company of disciples that he found at Ephesus the number wherof were then but about twelve among whom the doctrine of laying on of hands in order to the receiving the holy spirit had not been preached at the time of their baptism seems to reprove and blame the neglect of it enquiring whether they had not received the holy spirit supposing surely at least that the promise of it had been to them and prayer made for them in the usual way with laying on of hands that they might receive it but marveiling much that they being baptized believers had not been informed about these matters nor had so much as heard of the holy spirit have you received the holy â—pirit saies he no nor so much as heard of it say they no unto what then
which you profess to give A true Account of First The Propositions agreed on between your selves and your Respondent his Position and what else was precedent and preparative to the Disputation Secondly The Disputation it self and such things as were subsequent to it in each of which if I shew not that you have recorded more flat falsities and down-right untruths than one and that were too much to fall from your pens were you Ministers of Christ indeed then let my own pen record me for a lyar and my own self bear the blame of over-charging you and that for ever In order to a trial of the Truth in this case between you and me though I suppose I shall not be more critical in considering nor volumnous in dilating on them than your selves are numerous in bewraying of your own negligences ignorances contradictions fictions nakednesses and abusive shifts throughout this your three-fold thing yet I shall make little less than a totall transcription of your Papers before I have done and therin take notice of such absurdities at least whereby you most notoriously delude the world most grosly oppose the truth most unworthily wrong your Respondent and most palpably proclaim your selves to be rather true Dissemblers than true Discoverers of the Ashford Disputation and Smotherers rather than Publishers of that Gospel-truth in the point of Baptism which you pretend also to give as true an Account of to the world as of the other Report You talk first of Propositions agreed upon between your Respondent and your selves the Ministers at the Communion-Table in the Church of Ashford in Kent before the Disputation began Reply Give me leave Sirs sith silence with you may be taken else for Assent to say a word or two to this you stile your selves the Ministers both here and else-where throughout your book But if you mean Ministers of Christ and the Gospel I am yet to learn that from you which I never found you very forward to teach me viz. that you came truly and honestly by that Title you have hitherto wanted no provocation from me to prove the lawfulness of your calling I made bold to denominate you Antichristian Ministers in my Position upon the very day of the Disputation before those Thousands which you say were Auditors thereof And I have asserted the same more abundantly since in that letter to Mr. G. C. which it seems you know so well as even thence to take occasion in a Pet to publish so much as you have done of your Disputation all which is enough to give you to understand that I own you not at all in that capacity yet did you never no neither then at the Disputation nor since in your so true a Relation of it so much as once open your mouth or strike one stroke with your pen whereby to evince it that you are Christs Ministers which gives me to believe that howbeit you have a habit of calling your selves so yet you had rather men believed you on your bare words than put you to prove your selves to be so and that you are as utterly uncapable to clear it as 't is clear you are unwilling to be urged to it You speak of the Church of Ashford and a Communion-Table in it 'T were strange if I should not know what you mean thereby yet had you told this peece of your tale in other Terms it had been so much the less lyable to correction I know but one Church of Ashford that hath a Communion-Table in 't and that is those few persons who since they have gladly received the Word of Truth have been according to Christs will in that kind baptized in his name for remission of sinnes and do now continue in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking oâ— bread and prayers to which the Lord I hope will add dayly such in those parts as shall be saved in this Church there is a Communion-Table indeed even the Table of the Lord at which they meet blessing and drinking that Cup of blessing which is the Commemoration and Communion also of the blood of Christ breaking and eating that bread which is the Commemoration and Communion of the body of Christ at which you and your Respondent never yet met but may do yet in due time if the Lord please to grant you for till then surely it never will be repentance to the acknowledgement of his truth But for other Communion-Table I wot not Sirs that there is any at all at Ashford As for that common Table which stands in the great stone house where the Bells hang where the people meet once a week but never do that they should do if they were disciples of Christ indeed which house you call the Church of Ashford and I cannot but allow you so to do sith you disclaim the true one the very Steeple being well nigh as much a truly constituted Church of Christ as a parish people the one whereof is but a compacted number of dead stones in a literal sense and for the most part no less in a spiritual sense is the other besides stone Churches and wooden Priests such as if you are not yet most of the Popes children are suit well enough each with other as for that Table I say where you and your Respondent agreed better about the Articles of the Disputation then they do for ought I see to this day about that Article of faith they disputed on you had need to find some fitter phrase for it than Communion-Table for it hath long since ceased to be of any such use as for people to communicate at it The Gentleman my beloved friend that is now Resident there and President too in pretence at least as a Pastor over that flock having never administred it at all since his abode among them nor since the Classis possest him of that Relation and gave him orders to feed them with that ordinance why he doth not meddle with that service in his parish would be farre more wonderful to me then 't is had not mine own conscience been of the same constitution with his when I was with him in the same condition for as my own feet stuck once in the same stocks when I stood in Pastorall relation to parochiall people so I believe him to be further inlightned then to be free for a promiscuous admittance to the Supper of such Societies among whom he discerns not a few more goats than sheep or to hold Communion there with them whom in the Pulpit he cries out on as unbelievers as knowing well enough there 's no fellowship to be held between light and darkness believers and unbelievers in that holy ordinance yet he sprinkles the Infants of all as you also do and my self blindly did or else that parish will prove happily to hot to hold him upon what account he doth so I know not for sure it cannot be upon this because onely believers Infants are to be sprinkled The Lord open
even therefore no true visible Church of God because it Rantizes Infants for that being undoubtedly a stragling from the truth and an undue administration of that ordinance not only as to the form of it but the subject also the name of the true visible Church of God is ipso facto destroyed from it were there no more error in it but barely that if Doctor Featly to whom you send us in your Review define the true Church of God aright for while he saies that meaning that only is a true Church where the word is truly taught and the Sacraments duly administred consequently that is no true Church where baptism is unduely administâ—ed and so it is or rather Rantism instead of it not only at Rome but in England also whilst to Infants therefore as the Church of Rome is but a false Church so the Church of England is no true one I utterly do therefore yea and did then deny that Infant-Baptism is at all practised by the Church of God and yet O full of all fallacy as if your Respondent were agreed with you in 't that the true Church of God did baptize Infants how finely have you foisted in this Epithite to the baptism of little children viz. practised by the Church of God and that in this very Account you give of our agreement about the very form and terms of the question that was yet to be disputed between us Report Thirdly That the Arguments used in the disputation should be only express Scriptures or arguments of necessary consequence from them All Authorities of Fathers and Churches laid aside though the practise of the Church was pleaded for yet would not be yielded to Reply 1. I agree with you that the Arguments should indeed have been such only by agreement but that one of those you then used or any of these few material ones for the immateriall being of no account with your selves you Account not for which you here expose to be perused is grounded upon express Scripture or any good consequence therefrom I deny as will I hope be manifested in my ensuing Re-review of them and Review of your Review it self Secondly if by Fathers whose authority you hang so much on you mean those that were some hundreds of years after Christ and were canonized more lately for such as Father Origen Father Chrysostome Father Ierom Father Cyprian Father Austin and the other objects of the Clergies Dotage and if by Churches you mean those that were in the ages when and places where these Fathers lived or any other since the primitive times which were the purest it is but a follie to stand arguing from them whose words and waies are no more the rule of truth to us then ours are to be to them that succeed us for verily they might and did speak sometimes not according to the word and then they were as Heterodox as others and our selves are in as good possibilities as they to speak according to the word and then we are as Orthodox and Authentick to the full as themselves I did therefore utterly disown all authority of these Fathers and Churches for I knew none they had to be a Standard to after ages yet though I counterpleaded your Plea from their practise it was not least your cause should be advantaged thereby for even the Testimonie of those Fathers is against you but because as they were subjected to the word so were they as subject to error as our selves but if by Fathers you mean the Primitive Prophets and Apostles to whom all your Fore-fathers are but Children viz. Father Peter Father Paul Father Iames Father Iude Father Iohn whose Doctrine was the foundation to the Churches and by Churches those that were then built upon their doctrine as that of Ephesus Corinth Philippi Rome c. before the falling off from the truth the Authority of these Fathers and practise of these Churches is pleaded for as seriously by us as the other superstitiously by your selves Report Fourthly Here you tell us t was propounded That the form of the Disputation should be Syllogisticall which I after many reasons alledged by you the Ministers to inforce the same at last yielded to Reply A very fit phrase for it for 't was inforced by you indeed yet more by strength of resolution than reason that 't was yielded to by my self is as true yet I must profess it was because the Disposition of your wills did put me 〈◊〉 as we say to Hobsons Choise for I saw you so desirous to draw your necks out of the coller and to make any thing an excuse to break off the Discourse that I must choose either that way or none and therefore rather than the work of that day should â—all as it must have done altogether else for you to the total failing of the expectation and hindering the edification of the people I could not but give way to your desires Nevertheless your many reasons which were but two and those as reasonless too as if you had said nothing were counter-mand with as many more and those also of so much weight that because you began to feel them sit heavy upon your Scholastick skirts you would have obstructed my delivery of them to the people for what great matters did you alledge whereby at that time and place to prove the expediency of such a form First that 't was given out as my desire to them is it never may be again by them of our party that I was a Scholar and durst meet with Scholars in discourse and therefore seeing I now was before Scholars it was expected that I should dispute in the way that 's most usual among them Secondly That the way of Dispute by Syllogisms for which some of you had little need to dispute considering their illogicall and un-syllogisticall doings that day wherein they were all-to-be-puzzled in their matter by fumbling so much about that form was the clearest and most compendious to the proving of things and the preventing of extrravagancies and disorder much what in such a manner did you utter your selves in order to inforcing your Proposition to which the reply was to this purpose Namely First that though I had been in the Vniversity and a Graduate there yet I pretended to no great Scholarship yea that I was a Dunce and a fool which very terms and no other I repeated again in my Position and was contented to be counted for no other as to that kind of learning of much of which I was willingly forgetful that I might know more of Christ and the plainness of his Gospel Secondly that I came not thither to dispute nor did I the Lord is my witness in that formal way you stood upon but in plainness to give an account before all to as many as should ask it according to my ability and what liberty you should allot me thereunto which yet was well nigh none at all of the way you call Heresie after which I and many others
children but onely were pricked at the heart upon some measure of conviction that the person whom they had crucified was the Lord of life which thing the very Devils believe and tremble at for in order unto the begetting of that saving faith which yet they had not he spake these words of incouragement and exhortation to them and this to the contradiction of Mr. Vahan whod ag'd in an Argument by the head and shoulders from this place at the Ashford disputation was ingenuously acknowledged by Mr. Prig. Nor Secondly doth Peter make the promise any otherwise to them and their children then he doth to all others in the world i. e. on condition of their comming in at Gods call tis saies he to you and to your children and to them that are far off i. e. all manner of persons even so many in all nations and generations as the Lord our God shall call i. e. as are prevailed with to come when God calls them which to be the sense of this place is further illustrated by that pararel place of Paul Heb. 9.15 where he saies thus viz. they that are called received the promise of eternall inheritance Nor Thirdly when the parents did believe and were baptized were any of their infants baptized with them as they must have been had that promise been to their infants as well as to themselves on that single account of being their seed for recording how many were baptized at that time he concludes them under such a term as excludes the infants from that daies work while he saies thus as many meaning no more then those for else he deceives us utterly in his Relation as gladly received the word this infants could not do were then baptized which number as they are recorded to be about 3000 might in likelihood have amounted to three times 3000 if all the infants of all those had been dipped also Fourthly nor were there any more inchurched that day among the rest but such as gladly receiving the word were then and thereupon baptized for of these onely it is said and not of infants they continued together in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers but all their infants must have bin inchurched also as well as they if equally with their parents and by vertue of the same promise the right of Church-membership had belonged to them Besides Fiftly It crosseth the current of all other Scripture to put such male-construction upon this for that the promise of old I mean the old promise of the Law which was of the earthly Canaan and but a type of this did appertain unto a fleshly holy seed I grant but that the new covenant or Gospel promise is made to any mans fleshly seed as such so that thereupon we may baptize them in token of it before they are called to profess faith in Christ is a thing which I confess I found in the common high way when I look'd not after it but since I searched narrowly for it I could never see it Sure I am the Scripture holds forth no other seed of Abraham himself to be heirs with him of the heavenly Canaan but his spiritual sead i. e. believers that do his works nor doth it own any but these to the right of membership and fellowship in his family i. e. the now visible Church for the visible Church is Abrahams family in all ages as well under the Gospel as under the Law Abrahams house i. e. the visible church as t is under the Gospel is much altered from that it was under the law yea so differently is it constituted and totally translated from its Mosaical form that it is even turned up side down and in a manner nothing remains the same it then was as the covenant is not the same with that of that of the law so neither is any thing else that appertains to it but every thing at it were divers from the other and no way answerable save as the Antitype is answerable to the Type for neither is there the the same Mediator nor the same Priest-hood nor the same Law for the Priesthood being changed there must of necessity be also a change of the Law Heb. 7.12 That being the Law of a Carnal Commandment only in the observation of which perfection was not to the conscience for it sanctified only to purifying of the flesh i. e. from those outward fleshly not morall uncleannesses and therefore with the ordinances thereof called carnall Heb. 9.9 this the power of an endless life i. e. available not to that temporal typical cleansing purifying and pardon only for the procuring of a Temporal life or well being in Canaan but to the obtaining of an eternal life by procuring remission of moral pollution Heb. 9.13 24. nor is there now the same Lawgiver under God that then was that being Moses the Servant who yet was faithful to him that appointed him in all his house the fleshly Israel for a Testimony of those things which were to be spoken after this Christ the son who was worthy of more glory than Moses and is now over his own house whose house we are that believe to the end Heb. 3.2.3.5.6 Nor yet the same Promises that being of of an earthly this of an heavenly inheritance nor yet the same holy Nation holy people holy seed to which the promises are made that being the typical promised seed Isaac and his posterity this the true promised seed i. e. Christ and his seed i. e. all the Saints that are born of God by faith in him Gal. 3.16 to Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not unto Seeds as of many but as of one and unto thy seed which is Christ nor the same ordinances and administrations signing the inheritance those being circumcision the Passeover these baptism in water and the Supper nor lastly the same subjects for those ordinances those being by nature Iewes or at least by profession and their Male seed only as to the one Male and Female as to the other and that whether believing yea or no these nor Iewes nor Gentiles by nature only but all persons whether Iews or Gentiles Males or Females yet only as believing for verily so far are the natural posterity of believing Gentiles as such and as yet not professing to believe themselves from being heirs apparent with Abraham of Gospel promises and priviledges and from title to the Gospel ordinances that sign them and from being holy ones by birth as the Iew once was and as Mr. Blake contends for it that these are and from the repute of Abrahams seed in the sense of the Gospel that even Abrahams own natural seed as such only are not at all his seed in this sence at this day nor at all holy with that kind of birth holiness they once had for that is ended and abolished in Christ crucified nor entailed as heirs of that Canaan without faith and repentance in their own
first after once we do repent and believe and that so necessarily first necessitate both praecepti and medii in order to outward membership and fellowship in the visible Church of Christ and in order also to the true being of the visible Church in that outward right form and order that if it be not first done and done according to his own mind and not mans and first laid as a foundation among the rest of those principles Heb. 6.1 2. of Christs doctrine which altogether are called the foundation i. e. to the visible Church of Christ which is said to be built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets i. e. their doctrine or that form of doctrine they delivered whereof baptism in water was a part and a principle though not the principal part Eph. 2.22 Rom. 6.2.3.17 I deny that there can be any visible Church of Christ at all truly constituted according to his own will and such a bearer up of that building it is thaâ— abstract it and there is no building fitly framed together nor people growing together visibly an holy Temple in the Lord and he that in these latter dayes will ever erect that holy City and Temple which was trodden under foot by the Gentiles advancing all into the name of the Church at the door of infant-sprinkling must preach and practise again that true baptism of repentance for remission of sins in the absence of which there was no true visible Church as to outward order and form at all in their opinion as well as mine who hold and so does the whole Clergy that baptism is the way by which persons enter and out of which there is no entring at all into the visible Church in which therefore to erre is in truth such an unsufferable crime and so fearfully to erre in one of the most necessary points of Religion as pertaining to visible Church order that except ye repent of your infant-sprinkling O ye Priests and be baptized truly according to Christs will in the name of the Lord Iesus for remission of that and all other your sins and superstitions your error is enough to justifie our separation from you nor find we how we can in Christs name and according to his will or without violation and palpable breach of that outward order which he gives no dispensation for to us abide in one body or Church fellowship with you in the supper Secondly Sirs though I told it you before yet to conclude this I now tell you again though we deny infant baptism yet we do not hold at all nor conclude thereby that the whole Church of God hath universally erred i. e. the Church of Christ in all ages and places and howbeit it is trâ—e as Dr. Featley saies p. 19 and we with him That particular Churches have erred and may erre as the Greek Church and the Latin Church the two legs upon which Mr. Marshal strives to make infant baptism stand still because it hath stood there so long and general councels which the Schooles term the representative Church are subâ—ect to error and have sometimes as Dr. Featley saies and so often say I that that I le never build my faith upon them decreed heresie and falshood for truth howbeit all christendom hath erred after the Clergy in this point and many more for 1260 years yet t is true as Dr. Featley saies that the formal Church as they speak i. all the assemblies in the world cannot be impeached with errour in this point of infant baptism forasmuch as the true Churches of the first times never knew it and many faithful witnesses that knew it to be a corruption testified against it in the darkest times and the best reformed Churches even no lesse then scores of Assemblies do deny it at this day to the shame of that one general Assemblie that would have settled it Review And not onely so but if Mr. Fishers doctrine which 〈◊〉 lately delivered as a judicious gentleman affirmd who heard him that â—ll that did believe and were dipt should be saved but all that did believe and were not dipt should be damned be true they as much as lies in them damn to the pit of hell all the Matyrs Professors Fathers believers for many hundreds of years together Which onely doctrine should make all men to abhor them and not let their soules intermeddle with their secret whose rage is so fierce whose wrath is so cruel Christ shuts out onely unbelievers from heaven whosoever believeth not shall be damned This doctrine shuts out believers if they be not dipt i. e. if they be not Anabaptists it cannot be the ceremony they are so hot for without the substance Re-Review But saving the over apprehensive powers of that judicious Gentleman who ere it was that heard me he most grossely abuses in it himself and me in reporting such a thing to you as also you abuse both him and me and the world too in reporting it as from him to the world yet you have done him honour so farre I confesse as to conceal his name or else you had done him a greater spite indeed himself in shewing such shallowness of capacity in hearing as scarcely calls for that worthy title of judicious Gentleman and me in not only mistaking but mistelling his mistake also to you who print out his mistake to all the world for such doctrine as this That all that did believe and were not dipt should be damned did never yet fall from my mouth nor did ere take place or was ever owned for truth in my mind yea howbeit I summon you or any else to shew me in the word not taken by snatches but in the whole intent and scope of it Gods promise of salvation by Christ without obedience to him both in repentance faith and baptism too to those of whom all these things are required I say it again least you mistake me as speaking of infants for they being capable of none of these of them to salvation none of these are required of whom all these are required since all those that obey not the Gospel in what part soever of it it is manifested to them shall be damned 2 Thes. 1.7 8 9 2.10 11 12. Howbeit I say I wish you to advise how safely you that know it to be your duty may neglect it and how groundedly you can assure your selves that you do believe at all in truth if you receive not the love of every title of Christs truth so as wherein it appears to you to imbrace and obey it yet I am well assured I never utterd the other viz. that all that did believe and were not dipt should be damned nor is it now nor ever was it my judgement to this hour of which for the worlds and your satisfaction sith I have been very often charged and that twice or thrice in publique places where I have preacht so to hold I shall here give this brief account I judge that all persons
honest men in both Ked and Bewdley among whom if Mr. Ba. be one it shall not grieve me at all yet according to Dr. Featleys nor yet according to Mr. Baxs own definition who say a true visible Church is a particular company of men professing the Christian faith known by two markes viz. the sincere preaching of the word and due administration of the Sacraments Dr. Featly p. 4 or a society of persons separated from the world to God or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called out of the world c. Mr. B. p. 87. neither of those two parishes are true visible Churches of Iesus Christ for neither were they ever yet called out of the world or separated from the world to God in that wise i. e by such meanes and in such manner as Christs Church is i. e. by the pure preaching of the word and pure power of God but rather by the power of the word of man i. e. partly of the Pope and partly of the civil sword in this nation of old under a penalty imposing upon them their present posture nor is the word preacht to them to this hour sincerely by Mr. Ba. or any other parish minister who unlesse he sing a new song will make them no more a Church of Christ then he found them but with wonderful much mixture of mans invention yea the fear of God is taught by him according to the precepts of men much lesse are the Sacraments rightly administred for their baptism is no baptism at all And as touching separation I know but three separations they have had since they stood under the name of Christian Churches answerable to the different Christian Religions of point blank Papism prelatical Prostantanism and present Presbyterianism which the parishes haue past under since they have been Parishes viz. a Presbyterian separation by appointment of the present Parliament who on pain of their displeasure commanded all to separate from the lesser superstitions of episcopall formes ceremonies services to a finer and more directorian kind of Protestant profession a generall Protestant separation by the Appointment of our english state under K. Ed. and Q. Eliz. who commanded all on pain of their displeasure to separate from the Romish grosser superstitions Popes Supremacies masse and other Marian opinions and professions also a parochial and a paropopical separation or distinct oppidal division of their particular selves from each other and all other particular Churches i e. Towns besides themselves by the appointment of the Pope and his Subs and Subsubs viz. Christian Emperours Kings and Princes who when they threw down their Crownes and gave up all their power to make one beast called Christiendome and themselves and theirs to be ruld and reignd over wholly by the whore at her wil did both separate all Christendome from the world and then sub-separate it into many smaller Christendomes and constituted Churches i. e national provincial parochial and thus Ked and Bew. first began to be Churches or societies visibly separated from the world viz. by the call of the Pope who separated one parish from another but Christs Churches had another separation i. e. by the word barely preached and not by outward force imposed they were called to faith in Christ and baptism not Rantism into his name for remission of sins and after that continued in the Apostles doctrine and in fellowlowship one with another not forced but free and in breaking of bread and prayers these are the Churches to which as then so now the Lord adds dayly such as shall he saved and therefore I must tell Mr. Ba. and the honest men in either Ked or Bew. that are of Mr. Bs. beguiling that except they repenting both for and from their dead works and their vain conversation in point of baptism worship Church-fellowship c received by Tradition from their fathers and their unadvised zeal in siding to smite Christ with reproches thorow the sides of the true Churches be baptized better then ever they have been and do as those did in Act. 2. which as no infant then did so now none can do they have neither the true matter nor the true form constitutive of the visible Church of Christ yea so many of them onely as shall gladly receive the word which infants cannot do and yet may do well enough too neither that nor walking in fellowship being required of them as it is of others and be baptized according to his will shall be owned as the true visible Church of Christ in these two parishes as Christs appearing Sixthly the residue of Mr. Bs. book which containes his arch argumentation from three principles for infants baptsm viz. their discipleship Church-membership and rightship of being dedicated unto Christ is for the most part to the satisfaction of any that are minded to own the truth though not so intentionally in way of formal answer to Mr. Ba. so fully and effectually enervated before where the same arguments as they are used by others are examined that it could amount to no other then superfluity and Tautologie to answer them over again because they are urged in another that is a more pedantick for me by him whose work is not at all to produce any new principles from which to prove the point but onely to improve more largely in a way of labor more long then strong to manage more formally in a way of hipothetical syllogism and to drive on more furiously these few old ones therefore excuse me specially since Mr. T. hath given reply some while since who is more strictly concern'd in it if I am loath unless there were more need then Mr. Baxs new triming up of two or three old arguments ministers thereunto to begin and play over the whole game again I know a trick worth two of that viz. to refer you to what is already written by Mr. T. and what I have said my self above and my friend thereby be admonished for to make many books much more upon one subject is to no end and much study is a weariness to the flesh yet a general return I may chance to give and some brief reply to his arguments in particular The truest general verdict I can give of it if I may speak my judgement without offence is this it is a three footed stool the legs of which are all lame and decrepid made by Mr. Bax. for the people of Ked and Bewd to sit at ease on in that popish posture and practise in which truth being hid for ages and generations both they and all Christendome have been housed and out of which Christ Jesus is now about to storm them it is a tree shooting forth with three Trunkes against the truth whereof the middlemost which is the main runs out in tot ramos ramulos ramusculos so many smaller boughs twigs and twiggles and layes it self forth at large into such a train of Trivials so many littles to the purpose that he will find himsel◠great store of
by Christ Iesus of resurrection of the dead and the eternall judgement and baptized in water in the name of Christ for remission of sins and together with imposition of hands prayed for that they may receive the holy spirit of promise do afterward continue stedfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers all the true universall visible Church that I know of if you will needs have an universal visible is that which doth exist in these particular visible societies and is neither narrower nor wider then these particulars Such was the visible Gospel Church in the primitive times and the same and no other then that which was the visible Church then is the visible Church now and in all times of the Gospell wherein it is at all the visible Church was that which did consist and was made up of all the particular Churches that then were viz. Rome Corinth and all the rest which were societies and assemblies of persons thus called gathered and built up an house unto God upon the foundation of the first principles of the doctrine of Christ as the six above named are called Heb. 6.1 as they are also called Eph. 2.20 the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles i. e. that form of doctrine as t is called Rom. 6.17 which every beginner in Christ did own and obey and which obeying he was fit matter for the visible church and was after by mutual consent of the party offering himself and their suffering him to join with them Acts 10.26 formally added actually admitted to visible fellowship with them in breaking of bread and prayers for that with freedome on both sides such persons as had thus far been taught and had learned these principles this a b c and owned it i. e. professing to believe what of it was matter of faith and visibly practising what of it was practical were visible disciples new born babes Heb. 5.13 and such babes being baptized and having laid this foundation as to fellowship were then accepted thereunto that they might grow up to perfection in order whereunto unto this visible church Ephes. 3.21 which though it exists in many several particular bodies each of which is independent on any other head then Christ and impowered from him to determine all its own affaires ultimately within it self yet since it endeavours to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace is said to be but one body because of one spirit one call one hope one Lord one faith one baptism one God and father of them all who is above all and through all and in them all God hath given officers gifted for its service viz. some Apostles some Prophets some Pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of this visible body of Christ till we all come to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Eph. 4.3.4.5.6.11.12.13 As for that Catholique visible church I mean that voluminous body or part of the world commonly called Christ'ndome which was once all as it were of one language and one speech and is now rather three in one or a Triune treader of the truth viz. Papall Prelaticall Presbyterial yet to this day exists in those particular visibles as were never thus seperated and called and constituted upon the foundation of the doctrine of the Apostles but conglomerated by the lump by the Apostle Peters supposed successor into Nationall Provinciall Parochiall to call a spade a spade I can call it no other then the CCCatholique Beast that bears now in three parts a BBBabilonish CCClergy Rev. 16.19 i. e. indeed the very CCCatholique whore Rev. 17. As for particular persons though professing to be believers that yet are not baptized and added to some such particular visible society or church but are yet abiding in the capacity only of single though visible Saints till they are both baptizd and added as members to walk in fellowship with some particular assembly and congregation in breaking bread and prayers as every such a one as supposes himself to be a saint ought to be or else his saintship may be much suspected if he will not they are no visible members of the visible church but onely fitter materials then they were before their faith and in a neerer right to be both baptized and admitted to be members then when they had none they are better matter for the visible church but not yet formally of the visible church have jus ad rem not in re ad ecclesiam not in Ecclesia a right to the church but not actual standing in it till entered and admitted Nor yet are they immediate matter for or in immediate right to membership though believing till baptized but materia remota and in jure quodam conditionali remoto a certain remote matter though neerer then when meerly men and in a conditional and remote right For as believers are the immediate matter for or in immediate right to baptism so baptized believers after laying on of hands in prayer are the immediate subject i. e. in immediate right to be admitted yet neither are baptized believers actuall members till admitted the formality and most immediate entrance and way of becoming a visible member of a particular visible Church and so consequently of the generall visible if I may so call it which hath its existence in all the particular churches which are the immediate matter of which that is made up being not simply the act of baptism but the act of joining our selves after it Act 9.26 and the constitutive form of a visible Church is not their being all baptized but their free falling into fellowship with each other and though we are said to be all baptized into one body t is an expression of the necessity only of every ones being baptized in order to a being in the visible Church for none hath right to be of the visible body unbaptized but though the baptized have immediate right to be of the body yet are they not meerly of it because baptized till added to it and as one cannot be said to be actually under baptism from an immediate right to it by faith till he have submitted so neither can we be said to be actually in the body from our immediate right to it by baptism till we are admitted Self condemned sinners have a right to believe in Christ believers a right to baptism baptized believers a right to the spirit of promise to have hands laid on with prayer that they may receive it according to the promise Asts 2. Acts 8. Acts 19. such as these to fellowship in the visible Church yet not in fellowship till assaying to join themselves they are accepted and yet in a visible state of salvation too both before baptized as the thief and after baptized before added to the Church visible as the Eunuch who both were seemingly members of the
invisible Church and yet then when converted and baptizd neither one not the other as yet actual members of the visible stones though never so unhewn and ragged are remote matter hewn and polished stones immediate and fit matter for a building yet not a building till built together many sheep are fit matter to make a flock yet not formally a flock till they come neer together Christs visible church is Christs flock Gods house Temple building several sheep and single disciples that hear his voice believe in him and are baptized into his name for remission of sins are pecious materials and in potentiâ proximâ thereunto yet be they never so many of them not visibly actually nor formally a flock an house a Temple a Building his visible Church longer then imbodyed into fellowships nor till fitly framed together they are builded an habitation of God through the spirit Ephes. 2.20.21.22 any more then many sheep that never came neer each other are a flock and a multitude of fitted and squared stones lying a long way a sunder each from other make a building Mr. B. shall be no Champion of my choosing to mannage the matter against the non-churchers of these times for all he flourishes his sword so against them at the end of his book if he plead the cause of them so that sit down satisfyed in single fellowship between God and themselves onely living up with him in the spirit contenting themselves to believe onely and renouncing all ordinances forsaking the assembling of themselves together and all fellowship in breaking of bread and prayers if he grant the denomination of the true visible Church to such as these as well as to those that continue stedfast in the Apostles doctrine and in fellowship in breaking bread and prayers yet Mr. B. does not yet agree with me in this that the particular assemblies collectively taken are the only visible Church for indeed he is aware that it overturns all his visibilities from the bottom and layes this foundation of no salvation for infants without the visible Church on which he frames his present Argument flat on the ground to allow the bounds of the visible Church to be no broader then all the particular visible societies that are actually baptized and in formal fellowship in breaking bread and prayers so as to say he is no member of the visible Church that is not actually entred and solemnly stated in some particular congregation or other therefore being politick he premises this among the rest 3. You must understand saith he but a man may understand a little better if he will that to be a member of the visible Church is not to be a Member of any particular or politick body or society Nay more to make his own matter good and that he may find out a way of his own whereby to hope well of all the infants of believers before baptism that they may be saved for let all other dying infants damn for him he cares not for harbouring any hope of them and finding no way but one whereby to help himself to any hope of those i. e. by feigning them to be of the visible church he fetches the visible church so far that he makes it larger then the number of visible baptized ones and holds all believers infants to be in the visible Church from the womb and though in the last page but two of his book he disputes against twice entring into the visible body he feigns them to enter first into the visible church when they first enter into the world besides and before their second first entrance into the visible Church by baptism I wonder whether he hold those believers infants to be of the visible Church or no that were once alive yet dy again in the womb But for all these flim-flames Mr. Ba. will once know I hope that the true visible church is no other then all those particular politicall assemblies in which baptized believers hold fellowship together and that to be a member of the visible church is to be a member of some political society or else how can such be ruld admonisht complained on to the church as Mat. 18. and excommunicated if need be in case of obstinacy if under no Ecclesiasticall Government and yet to hope well of the salvation of all infants that dy in infancy too without either baptism or visible membership in those visible societies And if he will not agree with me about it that the visible church is all the visible assemblies of Christians onely will he agree with Dr. Featley who defines the true visible church to be where the word is truly taught and the sacraments duly administred where therefore neither word is taught nor sacraments at all administred as to unbaptized infants I judge they are not nor baptized infants neither there 's no visible church Again the universal visible church that is saith he all the assemblies of Christians in the world the visible church and all the assemblies are adaequate with him at least therefore unbaptized infants cannot be of it for they were never entred into the assemblies but if Mr. Ba. will agree with neither of us we shall perswade him I hope to agree in this with Mr. Ba. for howbeit Mr. Ba. will needs reckon upon the very unbaptized infants of believers as not in right to the visible church onely but of it in it visible members of it as as soon as born for let him study his own book how oft does he beat upon that saying there is but two states for them to be in or members of the visible kingdome of the devil or the visible church of Christ but believers infants before baptism are not in the first therefore in the visible church of Christ though I say he speak of them as in the visible church before baptism as not knowing else how to hope their salvation if they dy without it yet if any man living do deny infants or any other to be of or in the visible church before or without baptism Mr. Ba. denies it with whom how often is it exprest that baptism is the first visible entrance into it Yea to say nothing of his own definition of the visible church p. 75. to be such as were baptized and continued together in fellowship in breaking bread and prayers which ought to conclude the whole church so defined unlesse he have defined it by the halves in his plea for the continuance of baptism against the seekers p. 342.343 he saies so and saies moreover that we must not admit any to be of the body without it that it is the appointed ordinary way of ingrafting all into the body that are ingrafted and p. 24.25 he saies baptism still is to be at and not after persons are stated in the Church at and not after our admission at and not after our igrafâ—ing and entrance into the visible Church making baptism and our first being in or of the visible church so
up aloft and yet feed on nothing but the meer air of their own high flown fancies I must needs say thus much here before I come to the other argument viz. that as wise and strong as they reckon upon themselves to be so that they can live to God and thrive toward salvation as well without baptism or any other ordinance as those that use it and as poor pieces of business as they deem these to be and unworthy of their condescension to them as smal despised homely and earthen as they are in their eyes yet they are of such precious and heavenly consequence as may well challenge a right of continuance to the end yea they are no lesse then the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth the wisdom of God in a mystery yea this foolish thing of God is wiser then man and this weak thing of God is stronger then man i. e. then all the gawdy formes and new wayes of mans tradition whereby the Rantizer or those non-entities and new-nowayes of mans invention whereby the Ranter hath made void the commands of King Jesus and howbeit they count it their spirituallity yet I cannot but count it their naturallity their carnality to call any of the ordinances of Christ even that which may seem to them the most empâ—y for here 's the mystery of Christ giving out heavenly treasure in earthen vessels I say to call those lowness weaknesse unprofitablenesse foolishnesse As many as Christ commanded to be taught preacht to and made disciples are commanded when discipled to be baptized in water in the name of the father Son and holy spirit But Christ commanded all nations even every creature therein that is capable thereof to be taught preacht to and discipled Ergo all nations even every creature none excepted so soon as discipled are commanded to be baptized c. The first proposition is most undeniably evident for teaching and baptizing are both concluded here under â—he and the very same numerical command and both instituted here de novo as parts of the will and Testament of Christ in one and the same word of institution and both enjoined to be used to one and the same subject viz. all nations every creature therefore if every creature as far as capable to be preacht to by us and we are capable to preach to him is to be taught as is expressely asserted not onely in the Minor but in the texts themselves then it must needs follow that every creature after he is preacht to and converted to the faith by our instruction is to be baptized and that no creature is exempted or excused from being baptized any more then he is from being taught and discipled no not one and consequently that baptism is not a meere matter of liberty and indiffeâ—ency that may ad placitum be done by us or let alone but a matter of absolute duty of positive praecepâ— and necessitate precepti and therefore how far forth necessitate medu ad salutem is worth examining a matter of necessity if not of equall necessity with that of repenting and believing for if it be his voice and command equally with the other and we see t is in one and the same place and phrase given out as his will together with the other then why it should not be equally obeyed and that sub paena fith he is that Prophet whom God hath now raised up unto us whose voice whoever harkneth not to in all things whatsoever he saith shall be cut off from among his people no man is able to give a solid reason nor yet why any should shun to declare it it being a a part of that whole councel of God which the Apostle Paul durst not decline to declare the whole of any more then to declare the doctrine of faith repentance and obedience in other things yea and such a weighty part of that councel and of such neer concernment and great consequence unto us is baptism that as it is said even that despised dispensation of water baptism to be from heaven and not of men so they that own it are said to justifie God and they that rejâ—ct it and refuse to submit to it are said to reject the councel of God against themselves And all the people that heard and the Publicans justified God being baptized with the baptism of John but the Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the councel of God against themselves being not baptized of him And to prove it to be no matter of meer indifferency but of duty to all believers I argue yet further from the forenamed Scripture thus That which is positively commanded to be done and dispenst to all persons when once discipled without exception of any and without the least intimation of a dispensation from Christ to any to omit it is not a matter of meer indifferency but of absolute duty among all those persons that are so discipled But baptism is positively commanded to be dispensed to all persons when once discipled without exception of any and without the least intimation of a dispensation from Christ to any to omit it yea I may say as positively commanded to be dispensed to disciples as persons are commanded to be taught discipled or to repent and believe the Gospel and that is so positively that he that knowing it to be Christs will concerning him submits not to it obeyes not Christ in it shall be damned Ergo baptism is no matter of meer indifferency but of absolute duty to all believers or disciples The Major is most undeniable the Minor also is most expresse and obvious to every eye in the text it self where it s said in one intire sentence by way of positive command concerning both these teach all Nations baptizing them i. e. all them that are taught and made disciples and not onely in this Scripture but also in several other which I may alledge very subservient unto this as to the proof of the second proposition The first whereof is Act. 22.16 and row why tarriest thou arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord where it is not a little worth our noting in this case that Ananias doth not onely in one and the same sentence command Paul to be baptized as strictly as to call on the name of the Lord but also checks him in a certain round reproof and angry expostulation for his lingring and delaying in this businesse which he could not rationally have done if it had been no neglect of duty in Paul to be tardy to it and a matter of no necessity but of such indifferency that t was without danger of incurring divine dispeasure at Pauls choice whether he would be baptized yea or no. The second is Acts 2.38 the first place wherein we read of any practising according to that commission that Christ gives out in Mat. 28. that being indeed the first time of its beginning to
Iesus not one jot of Philips sermon unto him is set down but the next newes we hear is this v. 36. that coming to a certain water in the way the Eunuch desired to be baptized saying see here is water what hinder why I may not be baptized doth not all this plainly import howbeit what Philip preached to the Samaritans and the Eunuch is not extant expressely in any particulars thereof yet he preached the ends and â—uses of bapâ—ism to them and prest the practise thereof upon them how else could they have known it why else did they both do and desire it we see then how the first preachers of the Gospel Ananias Philip Peter Paul are said all along to preach Christ and Jesus and the things concerning the kingdome of God and the name Jesus Christ and the word of the Lord and peace by Jesus and things that we must do and that are appointed for us to do and what we ought to do and the things that were commanded them of God to command us in his name and yet preacht baptism still as well as faith repentance and salvation and so he seems to me to this day to preach Christ but by the halves that preaches salvation by Christ faith in Christ and not baptism in the name of Christ for remission of sins And as this doctrine of water baptism was thus universally preached in Christs name as his will concerning those that were converted and discipled in obedience punctually to Christs Commission in that kind Mat. 28.18.19.20 in those primitive ages of the Gospel so was it as universally imbraced and obeyed by them that were made disciples in those dayes not onely before but also after Christ crucified for as in the dayes before Iohn the baptist was beheaded and before Christ crucified all those multitudes of disciples which by each of them were made by teaching were universally baptized either by Iohn confessing their sins or by Christs disciples who dispenst in Christs name for he dispenst not himself in Enon or Iordan or some other places that were convenient Mat. 3.5.6 Iohn 3.22.13.4.1.2 so even long after Christ crucified raised and ascended were the people that were discipled and converted to the faith before ever they joined in visible Church-fellowship in one body in breaking of bread and prayers baptized all without exception for as it s said Act. 2.38.40.41.42 of that first Church of the Jews or Hebrews to whom that Epistle was after written they were bid to be baptized every one of them so as many of them as did gladly receive the word of the Lord i. e. as repented and imbraced the Gospel were baptized and then continued in the Apostles doctrine who surely taught them all the six first principles of the oracles or holy things of God at that time Heb. 5.12.6.1.2 and what more they saw occasion for for with many more other words then those that are recorded did Peter then exhort that people v. 40. and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers so it s said 1 Cor. 12.13 of the whole Church of Corinth in way of sacramental metonymy whereby that is very familiarly spoken of the thing signified which can be spoken properly onely of the outward sign et retro by one spirit we are all baptized into one body Iewes or Gentiles bond or free none excepted and have been all made to drink into one spirit Yea as these Churches in Iudea Ierusalem and Corinth were all baptized before bailt up in a body so which of all the Churches were not to whom the Apostles directed afterward those several Epistles All the Romans to whom Paul wrote were baptized all the Galatians were baptized the Ephesians which at first were but 12 disciples that imbraced the truth were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus the Colossians were baptized the Philippians were baptized as we see by Lydia and the Iaylor and all those that believed with them which was the beginning of the Church at Philippi and that the Thessalonians were not baptized is more then bruitish to imagine for surely Paul and Silas that went immediately thither from Philippi where the Iaylor and Lydia and many more were baptized had not got a new doctrine of no-baptism to preach before they came to Thessalonica nay it is evident by the Jews accusation of them Act. 17 6. that what doings and disturbance they were occasion of through their preachings and baptizings at Philippi the same they were by the same means no causes but occasions of at Thessalonica therefore of them say they these that have turned the world upside down are come hither also yea Paul himself hints that to us 1 Thess. 2.2 that after they had suffered and were shamefully intreated at Philippi they yet were bold to speak to the Thessalonians the Gospel of God the same Gospel sure that they preacht at Philippi for what he did and ordained in one Church the same he did and ordained in all the Churches 1 Cor. 16.1 with much contention By all which foregoing considerations the Minor of the third main argument above is cleared which assure baptism to be commanded to all without exception therefore a duty from which we are not exempted What Christ commanded to be taught and observed not only in and among all nations of the world but also in all ages and generations thereof even to the very end the same is not ad placitum but de jure not at mens own pleasure but of right to be taught and observed as Christs will and their duty in all nations to this very day Buâ— Christ commanded Baptism in water to be taught and observed not onely in and among all Nations of the world but also in all ages and generations therof even to the end Ergo Baptism in water is not at mens own pleasure but of right to be taught and observed as Christs will and their duty in all nations to this very day The Minor which only needs proving needs none neither to him that will but observe how plain it is to every mans understanding in the text For first if baptism be to be taught to and observed as duty among all nations and by every creature therein that hears and believes as t is clear it is both here for teach them saies Christ i. e. all nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and did he not command them in the very verse above the observation of that administration of baptism and also Mark 16.15.16 where he bids that the Gospel of salvation be from thenceforth tendred on terms of faith and baptism to all the world to every creature capable of being preach to then of necessity in all nations and generations to the worlds end for all nations were not then extant but many nations are risen since that the world then knew not all the world every creature was not in actual being
baptized for that form of doctrine that was at first delivered to them was the form of doctrine spoken of Heb. 6.1 2. even the six first principles of the oracles of God of the doctrine of Christ which as they are here called a form of doctrine so there are called the foundation or ABC of a Christian and of the Church as also Eph. 2 20. the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles i. e. the first doctrine of Christ on which they built the Church of which baptism is there said to be a part yea and that very phrase of Paul Rom. 6.17 viz. ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you is no other then a further prosecution and inculcation of the former argument upon the whole Church of the Romans still and is as much as if the had said ye were once i. e. before your baptism the Servants of sin and then nothing but sin could be expected from you but now the case is otherwise you have all obeyed the form of doctrine delivered i. e. have professed your repentance from dead works and faith and been baptized into Christ and thereby listed your selves visibly under him as his Souldiers and are hereby become Servants to righteousnesse therefore now you must not let sin have dominion over you This verily is the very meaning of the Apostle in the whole chapter yea and in those very words know you not that as many of us as have been baptized viz. not to have us suppose that but some of them had been baptized but to give them to understand that as all of them had been baptized so as many as are baptized into Christ are baptized into his death in token of it that they should now all become new creatures if we speak his mind in a Syllogistical form it runs thus viz. As many of us as are baptized must know this that we are baptized into Christs death and therefore must dy to sin and live holily But we have been all baptized or buried with Christ in baptism into his death Therefore we must all dy to sin and live holily If this were not his sense but we must take the words as many of us as have been baptized to be conclusive of himself and but some of that Church and exclusive of the rest of them as to baptism then I testify they are much more exclusive of many of theâ— from that duty of dying to sin which he there presses upon the whole Church by the consideration of their being baptized yea if that phrase as many of us as have been baptized doth intimate to us that not all but some only of the believing Româ— had bin baptizd then it must needs intimate to us that not all but some of the believing Româ— were engaged by their baptism and pressed by Paul in that chap. from the consideration of their death and burial with Christ in baptism to dy to sin and live to righteousnesse which no rational man can imagine but rather as they were all urged by an Argument drawn from their baptism to live to God so they had assuredly been all of them baptized And the same may be said of that same phrase as t is used to the Galatians Gal. 3. to whom Pauls drift was to prove what he had said of them all in the verse above v. 26. viz. that they were all the children of God by faith in Christ and how doth he prove it that they were so no otherwise but by this Medium viz. that they had been all baptized you are all the children of God by faith in Christ for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have visibly put him on and thereby declared you have faith in him which having you are the children of God in form his Argument runs thus viz. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ and are thereby apparently declared to be the children of God by faith in him But you have been all baptized into Christ c. Ergo c. This must needs be his sense here too or else if the term as many of you as have been baptized must not be taken as conclusive of all the Galatians to whom he writes but exclusive of some of them from baptism it must be exclusive of the same persons from being proved by Pauls Argument drawn from their baptism to to be the children of God as many as received him to them gave he power to be come the Sons of God is as much as to say he gave power to become the sons of God to no more then such as received him so as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ and are thereby visibly declared to be the children of God by faith in him though it do not signify that all the Galatians had not been baptized but some of them onely yet it signifies this however that no more then such as had been baptized into Christ had put him on and were thereby declared to be Gods children and consequently that if but some of the Galatians were baptized but some of them onely appeared to be Gods children which were absurd to think and would render Paul as contradictory to himself in the verse above where he saies ye are all the children of God so very ridiculous in his Argument and render his proof as pedling as if he had said thus by way of position viz. you are all even every one of you the children of God and then by way of proof thus viz. for some of you have been baptized and by that baptism of yours are declared so to be though the rest are not Ranterist You make baptism I perceive very needfull but the Apostle Peter who very well understood the Commission given to him and the rest of his fellow Apostles Matth. 28 29 20. Mark 16.15.16 when he speaketh of the baptism that saveth 1 Pet. 3.21 least any should think that he meant the baptism of water whereof we speak by which the filth of the body is put away he excludeth the putting away the filth of the flesh and places baptism wholly in the answer of a good conscience towards God neither can any man truely say that by putting away of the filth of the flesh is here to be understood the putting away of the â—ilthy works of the flesh for then could it neither be excluded from salvation which is promised them which mortify the deeds of the flesh but walk after the spirit Rom. 8.1.17 nor opposed to the answer of a good conscience which springs from the putting away of dead works such as the works of the flesh are for he only is truly said to have a good conscience who is not conscious to himself of walking according to the flesh Baptist. That by the words putting away the filth of the flesh is meant that bare outward dispensation of water
whole truth and are built upon the whole foundation or beginning doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles do yet ignorantly withstand it and some even of these bitterly band against it I shall the Lord assisting in all possible meeknesse brevity and plainnesse make good unto them and that in this one single long-winded syllogism onely least the presse which now presses on apace after me and is at the very heels of me all along at my penning of this whole businesse called Anti-ranterism should overtake me and stand still for want of such supply as it expects hourly from me least also I out run too much as I have almost done already the bounds prefixed to this interposed Treatise the Minor proposition of which argument being proved and cleared from those clouds of objection wherewith some strive to darken it will both evince and evidence the continuance of that service also in its right use to this day so sufficiently that howbeit much more might be spoken yet no more shall at this time at least by me Whatsoever was in the primitive times taught practised dispensed or submitted to own'd or observed as a command of Christ as one of the oracles or holy things of God as a part of that foundation on which the true visible Church is built as one of the very principles of the doctrine of Christ as a practical part of the Law Will and Testament of Christ concerning them in order to their receiving the holy spirit of promise according to the promise at their first beginning to be disciples at or about the time of their baptism and before actual fellowship in the visible Church in all the Churches and among all baptized believers even men and women without exception of any without the least hint of any limitation of it to those times onely and without the least intimation to us in the word of Christ that t was his will it should then cease and hath also plain injunction form Christ for its continuance for its being taught to and observed by the disciples that should be successively in all the world through all nations and generations of it to the end and hath also the same ends grounds and reasons why it was to be used continuing still to this day as much as then is certinly in the same manner as then to be observed to this very day But on this wise is that service of prayer and laying on of hands not onely on officers Deacons Elders messengers in order to their receiving of the holy spirit to impower them in a fuller measure for those severall functions but also on common disciples men and women in order to their receiving the holy spirit in such manner and measure as Christ Iesus shall be pleased to impart it in to comfort them under sufferings and make them fit for fellowship in the body or visible Church Therefore that service of laying on of hands with prayer on common disciples men and women as well as that on officers in order to their offices is now to be observed as in former daies The first proposition is so undoubtedly true that if any should be so irrational as to deny it as I judge none will but the Rakesham Ranter that regards neither God nor devil and reckons on all Christs commands as not worth a rush I shall be more rationall then to believe him to be a man fit to reason with or that it can be to any purpose in never so reasonable a manner to bespeak him As for the Minor wherein t is affirmed that the businesse of prayer and laying on of hands after baptism in water upon every disciple man or woman is such as was taught practised dispensed submitted to ownd and observed as an ordinance and command of Christ c. as it followes in the Major that remains yet to be cleared which by that time I shall have done in each of those particulars that are there asserted of it either expressely or by such plain and legitimate deductions and inferences from the Scripture as may be justly satisfactory to any sincere souls that love truth and allow others to draw inferences from the word without which who can prove that he shall be saved as well as themselves and by discovering the weaknesse of such exceptions as are ordinarily made against the present use of this rite or service t wil be more then high time for me to quit this subject also whereas therfore contrary to what is asserted in the very front of the foregoing argument viz. that laying on of hands was taught in the primitive times I find it intimated to us by way of query that some who even therefore as well as for other reasons by them rendred cannot practise it are in no wise satisfied that such a thing as laying on of hands on all baptized believers was ever taught by either Christ or his Apostles in proof of this that laying on of hands was taught I send such as doubt of it first to the name of doctrine of Christ by which in common together with the other five principles of it it is denominated Heb. 6.1.2 leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God and of the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands which denomination of doctrine of Christ could not possibly belong to it properly but that it was somewhere or at sometime or other taught by either Christ or his Apostles or disciples in the judgement of any that are but so far learned as to know whence the word doctrine is derived which as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the greek is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is of doceo to teach but secondly whereas t is desired that we should if we know of any direct to some place of Scripture where ever Christ or any of his Apostles or disciples did preach this doctrine that all baptized believers ought to practise or submit unto laying on of hands for my own part I shall direct the enquirers to several Scriptures in one of which as it is expresse enough so in the rest its plain enough to such as are not more resolved to proceed in propounding questions then when they are answered to be resolved that some or other of the Apostles or disciples of Christ did teach and preach that doctrine the first of these is Heb. 5.12 where to that Church of the Hebrews or Iews the very platform to all the rest which as to its more compleat outward form and order and that denomination of the Church to which God added dayly such as should be saved had its first being and beginning under Peters teaching Act. 2. t is said thus viz. whereas for the time ye ought to be teachers ye have need to be taught again which be the first principles of the oracles of God Where note first from the words taught again that they were taught
were you baptized saies he if at least you have not so much as heard of it as who should say who baptized you I wonder and did not so much as instruct you about the spirit nor laying on their hands pray for you that you might receive the spirit this plainly shewes that by right they should all about the time of their baptism in water have heard of the holy spirit and in what way it was to have been expected by them even that of laying on of hands none of all which they having so much as heard of as yet Paul therefore after some words of fuller information to them and such other passages as fell out thereupon laid his hands on them verse 6. in order to their receiving the holy spirit These Scriptures what they are to others I know not are to me a cleer and safe conduct into the belief of this truth that the doctrine of laying on of hands with prayer in order to receiving the holy spirit both was in the primitive times and was to be preached to all baptized believers as that which was no lesse then their duty to own and submit to have dispensed to them And as it was so universally taught and preached so was it as universally in those times practised dispensed submitted to ownd and observed in all the churches and among all baptized believers even men and women without exception This is evident out of the four forenamed places viz. in the first of which it is not only expresse that they i. e. all that Jewish Church had been taught this principle among the rest but also that it had been practically owned and observed among them as well as all the rest for as it s said there of all the principles together that these Jewes had need to be taught them again so that they should not now lay them again but go on to perfection which shews that as these principles had been all preacht to them all so all these Jewes or Hebrews did once lay them all as a foundation at their first beginning to be a Church and therfore this of laying on of hands among the rest In the second we read that Paul laid his hands on all the baptized believers that he found at Ephesus being then no more in number then about 12. speaking as it were by way of blame and reproof of those by whom they were baptized that this was not also done by them at their baptism in order to their receiving the holy spirit much more in that they were not so much as informed that there was a holy spirit to be expected by them ver 32.3 which may serve also as an Argument to them that say as some of the inquirers do that the reproof of the omission of any service doth evince that that service ought to have been performed and as an answer also to the fourth question of the abovenamed enquirers with the ground thereof which is this viz. In the third place we find it most expressely asserted that Peter and Iohn prayed for them that they might receive the holy spirit and laid their hands on them i. e. all those men and women for that 's the only substantive to this pronoun them in that place of whom it s said before that they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus which word only they were baptized intimates to us thus much also viz. that though they had submitted so far as to baptism yet they had not practised all that was to be practised by them but that some other service was yet behind which ought to be performed towards them viz. that of laying on of hands In the fourth it s asserted also most plainly that all the three thousand believers that were baptized did gladly receive the word i. e. the word that Peter preacht to them who exhorted them with many other words then those that are there specified viz. repentance and baptism and that they continued in the Apostles doctrine of which word and doctrine if we may judge the word or doctrine of Christ the Apostles to be one and the same laying on of hands was part as well as faith repentance baptism resurrection and judgement Heb. 6.1.2 besides if the word and doctrine of Christ that was preacht and practised at Jerusalem was the self same word and doctrine that was after preacht and practised at Samaria then we may safely gather that whatever was preacht and practised by them at Samaria had been preacht and practised by them at Ierusalem before from whence they came immediately to Samaria where its easie to be discerned by any but such as will bend their brains to multiply impertinencies and to make bluâ—ies to themselves and others in businesses that are beyond doubt to impartial inquirers that they laid hands praying for them that they might receive the holy spirit on all those believers there that were baptized whether men or women without exception if we may as warrantably understand the men and women that are said to be baptized v. 12. to be the same persons that are said to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus v. 16. and the same persons that are denoted by that pronoun them v. 14.15.16 as I am sure we cannot warrantably because not congruously do otherwise for who else can be meant all along but the very same and not some of them onely but even all the same even the men and women that are related above to be baptized for whereas its said ver 12. when they believed they were baptized both men and women and v. 16. that the holy spirit was fallen upon none of them onely they were baptized must not they and them there be taken for all those that are said to be baptized above and so consequently when it is said ver 15. that they prayed for them and ver 17. that they laid their hands on them doth not them denote out the very same Yet this cannot be digested for truth with some of the inquirers for t was asserted as his opinion the rest assenting to it by their silence by one of those with whom we had some discourse at Ely house Maâ—ch 27. 1653. whether the same be the sense of all those that sent him I know not that Peter and Iohn did not with prayer lay hands on all the baptized believers at Samaria but on the men only and not on the women And whereas in proof of the contrary I asserted that the pronoun them in v. 14.15.16.17 doth relate to not the men onely but the men and women even all those that are said to be baptized as the adaequate substantive with which it did agree t was answered by him to this purpose a pretty put off I confesse but nothing to the purpose viz. that the Scripture had expressions both particular indefinite and universal that the word them here as t was not a particular so t was not an universal for then it would have
been said all them but an indefinit expression signifying some onely not all whereby he bewrayed his too little acquaintance with one received rule among the Rationallists viz. that an indefinite proposition or expression in a necessary matter is equivalent ever to an universal howbeit my reply to him then was not so but on this wise viz. that if we must take them but indefinitely only for some and not all the persons or things before spoken of unlesse that particle all be added to it then we had consequently no clear command from Matth. 28.19 20. to baptize all that are discipled and converted to the faith for by the pronoun them that is there used also we must not mean all them but some of them onely in the nations that are discipled because it s not said all them but meerly them but I intreated him from his conscience to tell me whether he did think that when Christ saies Go teach all nations baptizing them teaching them he meant that they should baptize all them or but some of them only in the nations that were discipled his return was that if there were not other places that did more clearly prove it that Christ commanded that all should be baptized then Matth 28. he could not see it fully commanded there and being desired to assign any place wherein Christ did more universally command baptism then there he directs us to Luke 7.30 where it s said the Pharisees rejected the Counsel of God against themselves in not being baptized whence he gathered that baptism was the Councel and consequently the commandement of God to all men because they are here reproved for rejecting it which if it be a sound Argument to prove baptism to be the command of God to all men because the pharisees in particular for the Pharisees is but a particular expression indigitating one single sort of men among all the rest and not so much as an indefinit much lesse an universal because I say the Pharisees in particular are reproved for refusing to obey it how much better may we collect that both baptism and laying on of hands with prayer for the spirit are commanded by God to all men because we find all those save Simon witnesse his giving them his holy spirit recorded as most highly approved of God that at any time did reject neither but silently submit themselves both Those passages between that my beloved friend and my self I could not conscientiously neglect to set down least I should seem to love any man more then the truth for the sake of which principally and partly for his also and theirs he walks with whom I love in truth as far as they love the truth I write this that he reviewing here his own empty evasions may more evidently discern himself to be mistaken in many things then he may be capable to do in a discourse by word of mouth and that they remembring how they in proof of baptism it self to be Christs command to all believers are necessitated to use such cloudy inferences and deductions as those above may excuse us more then many if not most of that party do if in proof of laying on of hands to be the duty of all baptized believers we take the like liberty to our selves in order to their satisfaction to use more clear inferences and deductions then those out of Scripture and out of Heb. 6.2 it self as t will appear that we do to reason it self rightly acted in comparing of Scripture with Scripture which I for my part refer the enquirers unto as the surest rule to try the spirits by and to try all inferences or deductions by because the best of men are liable to mistakes and sure enough to fall into them if ceasing to exercise their reason in deducing inferring and gathering one thing out of another they will receive nothing for truth though otherwise never so plain even to common sense and reason unlesse they find it in so many words in Scripture as t is by us exprest in and this is all that I shall trouble my self to say in reference to the seventh and eighth questions of the late Enquirers with the grounds thereof which are laid down in these words And now further to prove the Minor of the forecited syllogism in some other particulars of it that remain unproved viz. that laying on of hands was not only taught and practised dispenst and submitted to ownd and observed among all baptized believers in the primitive times but all this as by command from God I argue thus viz. Either by command from God or without it But neither without nor against command from God Ergo by it the consequence of the first proposition is most clear for whatever Gospel administration was never commanded by God to be dispensed is practised if practised at all as a tradition of men and without nay against Gods command whose command it is that no man shall presume to teach for doctrines of his the traditions or commandments of men the Minor is as clear that the Apostles did not teach for doctrines of Christ any traditions of their own for as Paul who was one of them that practised laying on of hands saies of himself 1. Cor. 11.23 that he received from Christ that which he delivered unto the Church at Corinth so may we say on the behalf of all the rest as concerning what doctrines they delivered and dispensations they practised to the Churches for surely as Christ the great and immediate messenger from the father could do nothing of himself was not to do his own will but the will of his father which sent him nor to speak or do any thing but as the father gave him commandement confessing that even his doctrine was not his own but his that sent him so they that were the great and immediate messengers from Christ might speak and do nothing in things pertaining to him but as God by him gave commandements unto them neither were any doctrines they delivered among the Churches their own nor any other then the doctrines of Christ whereupon though as Christs doctrine and commandements are called his because he preacht and gave them from God and yet were not his own but the fathers so theirs are called the doctrine and commandements of the Apostles as they had them immediately from him yet are they not their own but the doctrine and comman-of Christ and had they done any thing more then they had order for from him who from him were to give order to the Churches either in the point of laying on of hands or any thing else they would surely have heard harshly from him for it been reproved by the spirit in the word but as to this service of prayer and laying on of hands on all baptized believers in many places he is recorded as approving of them in all they did Moreover that laying on of hands was taught and practised not of their own heads
Christs next appearing Thus having sufficiently proved the Minor of the forenamed argument in each particular of it in which as neerly as I could well croud them together are coucht as many if not all such particulars are needful to be proved to the evincing of the continuance of this doctrine and dispensation of laying on of hands to the end I shall hasten to an end both of this subject and of this system also but because I find some things put in by way of positive exception and objection against this truth from the mouthes of some as well as something by way of query from the pens of others who also in that way have appeared against it so newly at the the presse viz. the late Enquirers above-named a remnant of whose Questions â—emain yet unanswered here though not so unanswerable as some do deem them I shall adde a word or two more toward the removeal of these two sorts of blinding bushes whereby I fear many may be infatuated so as to turn andâ— from the way of truth in this particular and so leave both it and them unto the Lord. First then whereas by word of mouth some tell me That Laying on of hands was a way peculiar to that juncture designed of god to the time then being only wherein the Apostles say some and othersome the Lord gave the holy spirit in some visible eminent and extraordinary gifts thereof as tongues prophecy miracles healing c. simply to this end that these might be a sign to confirm it visibly to the eyes of people that the doctrine they taught and practised in the principles and other parts of it was from above and no other then the oracles of God First I grant that in the primitive times there were and that in the way of prayer and laying on of hands given not by the Apostles though for as is shewed above they were not baptizers with the spirit but by the Lord onely whose onely prerogative that is to baptize with the holy spirit sundry gifts as healing c. which may be called extraordinary and rare respectively to these times wherein they have bin seldome or never seen or heard of as I know not that that of tongues now adaies ever was though as to that of healing and that of discerning of spirits and some other manifestations of the spirit given to profit withall as a word of wisdome and a word of knowledge it is within a little of past doubt to some that such as these as the Lord pleases are some lesse some more frequently given now among them that walk in truth though what gifts some have seen and been sensible of in others or themselves t is not so fit to boast of as to be silent Secondly I grant that many of this sort and hapily many more then either are or need to be or shall be given now were given then to confirm the New Testament doctrine in the first delivery of it to the world in the room of the old one to be of God of some of which there maybe a cessation the end they had such special respect to then being sufficiently accomplished and the word being now committed unto writing Mark 16.17 18 c. Heb. 2.3 4. But thirdly that either such gifts of the spirit as these were either the onely or the chief kind of gifts of the spirit that were to be and were expected lookt after or given in that way of prayer and laying on of hands as a service destinated pro tempore only in order to the receiving of such or that these gifts were so extraordinary in respect of the eminency or excellency of them because more visible and ad extra beyond such as may be warrantably by promise expected and are in that way assuredly and ordinarily given at this day these two I see no warrant to subscribe to for as t is most sure that the promise was so far as I find in terminis nor onely nor so oft of these things though I deny not but these were at that time for ends that concern not these times promised too but of the spirit to several other purposes as above the holy spirit the spirit in the fruits and graces and comforts of it the gift of the holy spirit we find it all along almost in no lesse then scores of Scriptures whereof some few are more plain so assuredly the holy spirit in that way of prayer and laying on of hands was given to baptized believers in other gifts then these viz. the graces comforts and fruits of it love joy peace assurance c. In respect of which in case those outward gifts of the spirit should all have failed or shall fail now yet that dispensation is not therefore rendred empty useless and out of date but remaines rather more gloriously useful then as to external gifts of tongues and such like continually even unto the end yea also if we speak of gifts meerly externall and visible as some call them though for my part I judge the spirit is as visible to us and manifested to be in men by the fruits and graces as by those things that are more commonly but not more properly then those called gifts I suppose his senses as well as his reason doth not a little fail him that descerns not not only those most excellent waies of grace as love joy c. 1 Cor. 12.31 but even the best and most excellent and profitable outward gift of the spirit even that of prophecy or speaking to exhortation edification and comfort for that is the gift of prophecy and the best outward gift that we can covet or compasse given unto baptized believers whom we pray for and lay hands on at this day to whom nature and University Nursery never gave it And if any say we see such a kind of gift as you call prophecy given also to others aswel as such as submit to it That 's nothing to us what God does whose word binds us to such or such a way but not himself we are quaerying what we are required to do by him upon the account of which we may by promise expect the holy spirit not what God does God often anticipates his own promise and is better then his word as Act. 10. 47. he gave the spirit before baptism which is promised onely to baptized believers Act. 2.39 yet that does neither give us disingagement from Gods outward way nor warrant us to expect the spirit out of it but ingage us so much the more unto it ver 48. If God will give any other men his holy spirit out of that way I am glad sith it pleases himself he is so good to them but as that assures me not that I specially if inlightned about his way yea then assuredly I shall not shall have it so too so sure I am that in his way I shall obtain it and if any have been so highly favoured of god as that he
in thus To all which viz. their introduction ground and question I answer as followeth First I deny not but that hands were laid on men then by several sorts of administrators godly and wicked in the several seasons of before and after baptism to and upon several ends purposes and accounts though all the several ends and cases you here distinguish by do not make so many several kinds of imposition of hands neither so substantially distinct each from other as you would seem to make them for imposition of hands on baptized believers before admission and after that before ordination to office were one and the same in kind distinguished onely by the different capacities of membership and ministership eldership messengership to each of which laying on of hands was Antecedent yea these were one and the same kind of imposition of hands used all in order to one and the same end in general viz. receiving the holy spirit or as occasion was more and more of the spirit in a measure answerable to their places diversified onely by the different degrees or stations in the Church to which they were thereby visibly designed but what if there were never so many kinds of laying on of hands is it therefore so impossible to determine as by your query you seem to imagine which among all the rest is meant in such or such a place shall we think the Apostles meant to deliver the mind and doctrine of Christ and that in the very principles or first rudiments of it too which ought to be the plainest in such obstruse dark and ae igmatical wayes that men should scarcely be capable possibly to know what they meant there 's several sorts of baptism spoken of in the Scripture is it therefore so difficult if men be not willing as some are to puzzle themselves besides the practise of water baptism to know when he speaks of water when of sufferings when of the spirit But to the question sith some will needs though needlesly query which of all these layings on of lands the Scripture speaks of is called the foundation principle or beginning doctrine I answer that laying on of hands that t was dispensed with prayer on baptized believers not as yet to be set apart to office mentioned Act. 8.15 16.17 not in order to gifted mens giving it for though you will mistake us do what we can and bring us in as confessing it here yet we ever utterly deny that any men were ever so gifted as that they could give it but in order to Gods giving and our receiving the holy spirit from the Lord that laying on of hands I say is it which in Heb. 6.1.2 is called a principle a part of that foundation of Christs doctrine on which the visible Church is built In proof of which let this Argument be considered viz. It s none of all the other kinds of laying on of lands mentioned by you that is meant Heb. 6.2 therefore it must necessarily be that Most undoubâ—edly t is not that mentioned Luke 21.12 where it s said prophetically as concerning the wickeds persecution of the Saints thâ—y shall lay their hands on you c. which we read of also as fulfilled accordingly and spoken of historically Act. 5.18 they laid their hands on the Apostles and put them in prison c. First because that is not simply a laying on of hands but a laying on of violent hands and so it should be read if the word there used were rightly rendred and translated into its true English out of the Greek for t is not the same but a word of a far different sense from that which is used every where else where this doctâ—ine of imposition of hands is spoken of for one sounds forth as much as a violent handling the other a gentle putting or laying our hands upon the persons Secondly as for that violent laying on of hands in way of persecution wherby the saints suffer that 's included in the doctrine of baptisms immediately foregoing it belonging to one of the three viz. the bitter baptism of sufferings as a branch thereof so that it were but confusion and tautology to expresse that ore again as if t were anoâ—her doctrine which was but a part of the doctrine going before by another name and such a one too as is never given it in the original viz. of imposition of hands Thirdly whatever doctrine is called a principle or part of the foundation of the doctrine of Christ Heb. 6.2 the same is called Heb. 5.12 one of the principles of the oracles or the holy things of God But the laying on of violent hands on the saints in way of persecution is one of the principles of the devils doctrine and a principal part of the very foundation of his kingdome yea one of the most wicked things that the devil does or delivers as Christs doctrine to his disciples Nor was it a laying on of hands though such a one was used some times in order to healing the sick or curing the blind that was taught as a principle and practically ownd and laid as a part of the foundation among all the Hebrewes Heb. 5.12.6.1 2. for they were neither all sick surely nor all blind when they past under this dispensation so as to have all need to have hands laid on them all upon such accounts as healing or curing Nor was it in order to ordination of them to offices that they might be gifted and fitted by the spirit thereunto for the laying on of hands there spoken of was laid as a principle as a part of the foundation on which the Church stood but the laying on of hands to set apart men to administer either temporal things or spiritual things in the Church is no principle nor beginning thing nor foundation antecedent to the Church as every foundation must be to the building for the visible Church ever since the first Apostles whose doctrine was the foundation to it was antecedent to its officers and not they to it the churches were first collected and constituted upon the foundation or first form of doctrine delivered by the Apostles and then officers were ordained in every Church for the true visible Church may be without officers though not without ordinances but Church officers cannot be chosen nor ordained in it till there be a Church besides this imposition Heb. 6.2 was learnt owned and laid by the whole body of the Church whom he reproves saying ye might have been teachers but ye had need to be taught again which be the first principles of the oracles of God but they were not all at first surely by laying on of hands ordained to office As to the sixth question of the Enquirers which is also the last that I am to speak to having spoke to the seventh and eighth above which with the ground thereof runs thus it is grounded upon such a grosse and grievous mistake that I am almost amazed that of the
the power and purity of Christs ordinances are a 1000 fold more strictly stickled for according to the Covenant by us then by all those Orthodox ones he talks of who the more shame for them do so zealously and constantly oppose us we therefore cannot rationally be denominated Hereticks and Schismaticks in separating from and practising contrary to you in the point of baptism so long as we keep close to the primitive truth gladly both preaching and receiving the word as t is preacht by Peter Act. 2. saying repent and be baptized every one of you repenting and being baptized accordingly and after that continuing in the rest of the Apostles doctrine and fellowship in breaking of bread and prayers and though we draw never so many disciples from you after us yet the man is out of his Christian wits that deputes and declares this to be Heresie and Schism sith so far are we herein from rending from and refusing to be reduced to the Church that we indeed earnestly endeavour to reduce them to the true Church to the true head Christ the true constitution the true Baptism and Gospel order from which they are rent and run astray wondring after a false Church a false head viz. a Lording Priesthood and Parochial posture both which derive all their being from Dioâ—rephes i. e. his prating Preheminence the Pope But now as for your selves the PPPriesthood of the Nations who mostly deny not but that the primitive baptism was of believers and dispenst in Rivers or places of much water which was needlesse if sprinkling was then the way you have a thing among you indeed which you call Baptism but t is not that one Baptism that old Baptism then urged and used but another a new Baptism and yet to say the truth neither another nor A new Baptism but A-no-Baptism Rantism Babism a toy of your own taking up by tradition from your forefathers but not the first fathers that were the founders of the Christian Church for you find it not there but fetch it further from thence by such consequence as besides the remotnesse of it is too weak and rotten to carry it downwards to these times you are they that dissent and rend from the truth in this point of baptism and draw all the world to Sectarize and erre after you by a law by your subpaena directories yea you pretendedly reforming Presbyters who peculiarize the term oâ— Orthodox to your selves even you as to the right administration of the outward right of baptism are not a whit lesse Erratical Heretical Schismatical and Heterodox then the Pope for as he hath another baptism then that which was in the primitive times viz. infant â—antism which by the mouth of his cardinal Bellarmine he confesses to be but a tradition of the Church so you have no other then the same yea you own that for good baptism which is done at Rome or else how to prove the Popish Bishops to be baptized themselves that baptized and ordained you Presbyters you plainly know not yet you falsely father it upon Christ and fain it to be an ordinance of his then which nothing is more clear then that it is not And as in point of baptism you all erre not knowing or at least not doing according to the Scriptures all means used to reduce you thereunto notwithstanding so in th supper and many more matters pertaining to that visible Church order that was in those times as namely impropriating to your selves sole power of speaking in your Churches i. e. steeple-houses so that your members may well say men mutire nefas it is not for them to open their mouthes there unlesse to answer when you catechise them whereas then all the Church were to covet to prophesie i. e. to speak mutually to the exhortation edification and comfort each of other and being gifted might all women onely excepted prophesie one by one and every one minister as of the ability God gave them great or small that God in all things might be glorified and all judge of the doctrine delivered but with you what doctrine ere ye deliver men may try it if they will but must take it whether they will or no the mouths of all must be muzzled up save such as in your sense are ministers i. e. have some Parchment Preachment orders to shew from such as can shew their orders from his Highnesse the head of the Church not Christ but his Holinesse the Pope who had his from the beast Rev. 17. who had his from the devill Rev. 13. yea verily as to the external face and fashion of the first Churches you have altogether altered it from what it was and brought in a businesse of your own heads being all gone aside and altogether become vain in your wayes as to your administrations of Gospel ordinances so that there is none of you that are in the right way of the primitive Churches no not one yea ye are separated from and make a head against the true head of the Church Christ Jesus and take upon you to head the Church your selves for this is not the fault of P the Pope onely but of PP i. e. you Prelates and Presbyters too who howbeit you seem to throw off that supremacy or headship which the Pope had once and laies claim to still in the protestant part of Christ'ndom yet in your several Christ'ndoms you have been not nominally but really as supreme in Church work as he and that not over the people onely but civil powers also to whom in all cases Ecclesiasticall and civill though you say you grant the headship or Supreame Government under Christ yet how doth that appear sith they only Corrective but you Directive till of late have done all for the Bishops and Sinods and General Convocations of the Clergy and assemblies of the Kirk seeundum te must determine what is to be done by Magistrates in Church affairs and they do it accordingly The Priests must give out the word and sentence what is the worship the way the faith the truth what Heresy and Schism who are Hereticks and Schismaticks and then the Princes in all their Dominions establish the one and root out the other as Rogues at their appointment in which cases saving the bare name of supremacy over the Churches which hath been allowed it is difficult to me to discern whether Christian Kings have not been as of old under the Popedome so more lately under the very Protestant Clergy as the Bosholder under the Constable at his discretion direction to whip the beggars and though you may say and so saies the Pope too that you claim to head and order the Church directive no otherwise then under Christ yet in very deed as he for all his saying so you have presumed to set your selves above Christ the only head Counseller Lord and Lawgiver to his Church for as the Pope hath done no more then broken his lawes changed his ordinances trampled his truth
many Arrians sprung up because the Nicente faith was neglected there and had we Baptists in our Ministry of old been careful to preach for the true way of baptizing believers onely when the baptism of infants first began to come up and creep upon superstitious grounds into the Church It would certainly have hindred the propagation of that reasonlesse Rantism and freed the Churches that now return to the onely true baptism again which they let go from that simple censure of Anabaptism which now they passe under from men that take rantism to be baptism at least our flocks in those daies that followed the truth had been so well provided as that they would not so easily have departed as they did from that plain way of the word in point of baptism Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum The Pastors are appointed by God for watchmen their office is to to see dangers and to give warning they are the dogs of the flock such as the wolf would have â—â—lent wâ—e be to them if they barke not Naâ—ianzen was such an one as some say his mother dreamed that she had brought forth a white whely and such they say for I knew him not he proved that the 〈◊〉 heretick durst not enter but he spied him nor staie but he hunted him out if he did thus not mistaking heresie and instead thereof hunting out truth as the Priests do but I hope he did not t was the better for the Churches he was the Pastor of but we be to the Church the CCCatholick aecumenical visible Church cal'd CCChristndome whose faithful Pastors are gone from the truth and turned wolves themselves that weary the very truth it self Saint Paul tells those of Ephesus Act. 22.29 I know that after my departure many grievous wolves shall enter into the flock and as he said so verily it it came to passe for the three sorts of National Church PPPastors Pope Prelate Presbyter are in sheeps clothing but indeed ravening wolves that have devoured the truest flock of sheep that Christ hath upon this earth they are the dogs of the flock indeed but many of them dumb dogs that cannot bark and others barking at the sheep themselves and others biting them with their teeth because they put not into their mouths and tearing them though they never teach them yea they are greedy dogs that never have enough looking each to his gain from his quarter The rest of this discourse shall be partly Paraenetical to the people partly Apologetical to the Priests and so end As to the Paâ—aenetical part It concerns the advice of the Pastors of the true Churches to their flocks and all people that they would endeavour to preserve and recover themselves from all infection of Heresie and Schism from the primitive times by which the whole world is gone astray and in order thereunto they commend unto them this serious exhortation 1. To endeavour to be thoroughly instâ—cted in the principles of Christian Religion to be houses with foundation that every wind of doctrine may not shake them Qui huc et illuc fluctuat quovis momentur impellitur He that is not settled upon the true foundation yea and that house or Church that is not built upon a right foundation even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the primitive Prophets and Apostles heard and obeyed is driven to and fro to this and to that and back again almost with every storm that rises and hath a time wherein t will fall and the fall thereof will be very great Matth. 7.21 ad 28. Ephes. 2.20.21.21 we have experience plain enough of this in the Nationall and PPParish Churches and people who because they are houses without foundation or else constituted upon nothing but the sandy foundations of mens inventions traditions doctrines and the prudentiall precepts of the PPPriesthood and not upon the primitive doctrines of the Prophets and Apostles neither were ever perfectly but at best in part onely instructed in the A B C and first principles or beginning word and doctrines of Christ as they ly plainly before us in sixt of the Heb. 1.2 because I say they never knew nor owned all these nor laid them as the foundation of their building and Church posture but are brought into that mongrel Church way they are in by principles of birth breeding abode in such a Town custome fashion lawes of men Statutes Spiritual orders Popes Bishops Synods Canons implicit faith more then by cleer knowledge of acquaintance with conversion by the light of Scripture therefore they are wavering like a wave of the Sea tossed to and fro with every wind and turn of tide and driven to any thing that chances to please the Princes or that civil power best under which they happen to be bred and born yea as t was of old in Babylon where Nebuchadnezzer reigned all the Lords People Tongues and Nations within his jurisdiction saving two or three honest souls who saw Gods will and served him according to it fell down straight at his command and threatnings of the furnace if they did not so hath it been in BBBabylon the new under the three PPPriesthoods wherever they have born sway all the people exceptis excipiendis a very few that keep their standing in every turn being built upon the rock Christ and his doctrine fall down and do as they and the Princes that have committed adultery with them have enjoined yea they have reel'd to and fro like a drunkard being drunk with the whores wine and fell forwards and backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards again in the lump and been by turns of what religion or way soever hath pleased the powers to impose under penalty Papists Protestants Papists Protestants Popish Presbyterian or as it happens 2 To love the truth and imbrace it those that yet scorn it and let their affections be ravished in the imbracings of it such as have or shall yet at any time imbrace it so shall they be stable in it and not soon moved from the truth 3. To take heed of itching ears such as love to be gently toucht but not plainly talkt to that say to the Sâ—ers see not prophecy to us smooth things that will not endure sound doctrine nor any troublesome truth that say of the words of Christ the doctrine of his baptism that calls for self-denyal the practise of which exposes to the crosse censure scorn shame suffering losse of credit custome offence of friends fathers mothers husbands wives c. which whoever loves above Christ is not worthy of him these are hard sayings who can bear them take heed I say of such ears as love to hear some truth but not all that stand open gladly to any thing but the losse of Herodias the darling lust what ever t is whether the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye or the pride of life God in his Iust Iudgement sufâ—ers such to fall Learn to be doers of the word not
bearers onely and doers of all that you know and not some things onely as some do and patient both hearers and doers of what God and not what man saies Temptation hardly prevails against that soul that is built upon the practise of Gods commandements but as is shewed above and exemplifyed in the parish people that are so built and no otherwise and whose fear toward God is taught after the precepts of men the soul that is built on the practise of mens commandements in his religion faith worship is easily prevailed with to be of any Religion the State pleases as well a false as a true as well Popish as Episcopall or Presbyteriall 4. To beware of the ordinary converse and needlesse society of these Schismatical Seducers the PPPriests that have drawn the whole world into a deep dotage after themselves and desperate departure from the plain doctrine of the primitive Churches and Apostles not to frequent groundlessely their popish parochial Antichristian Assemblies that say they are Jewes i. e. the Churches of Christ and are not but do ly and are the Synagogue of Satan and if any of the disciples or others think themselves strong enough to encounter with them or if they be so indeed yet to take heed of being foiled and spoiled throw their philosophy and vain deceit after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ 2 Col. 8. and however of offending weak ones by their example The Arguments of some nay of all these HHHierarchian Hereticks have not prevailed half so much to the perverting of the saith of so many millions of men and women as in all ages of their reign have been perverted from the truth as it is in Jesus as the examples of some shall I say nay of wellny all the Great ones in all nations the gentry the mighty the wise the noble not many of which can submit to own the Carpenters son in the homely ordinances mean waies foolish and base things he hath chosen 1 Cor. 1. yea the Kings of the earth that falling into folly and committing fornication with this cunning women the CCClergy were besotted to sacrifice all their Crowns and the wealth and power and strength of their whole kingdomes to her will and to set up her waies Rev. 17.2.17 Who perhaps onely for noveltie or curiosity at first but at last after some few ages and generations out of principles of foolish custome and pretended antiquity have been present themselves and not by their own example onely but extremity of Lawes and Statutes which the Saints onely in each age have smarted for the breach of enforced others to be present at their will worships superstitious services extravagant dispensations and erroneous exercises and yet the bare example of great ones in a false faith without other enforcement is inforcement great enough amongst Parochiallists and the carnal commonalty who commonly live and believe much more by example then sound reason the faith of he Rulers right or wrong is usually the rule of their faith and Rex sum such a convincing reason with them as seldome receives other reply then nil ultra quaero plebeius 5. Not to be too rash to believe every Spirit nor to receive any more implicitly the spirit of the spiritualty the PPPriesthood no though it come â—n never so ghostly shapes and gorgeous pretences of piety humility zeal prayers tears c. for she is a mystery and this is the very mystery of the Whores iniquity that she hides all her guile with a godly garb In nomine domine incipit omne malum saith the old Proverb and I wish that in homine domini occidat omne malum may be a new one if it prove a true one i. e. that in thy fall O man of God there may be an end of all mischief yet surely a worse mischief to the true Church sharp and short will arise out of thy ashes yet before the end false prophets muâ—â— come in the name of the Lord as well as true ones How gloriously did Balaam profess As Austin saith of Pelagius whose doctrine he counted devillish that his life was like a Saints so I say the Sancti Sanctorum of all Christendome in pretence have been in doctrine the veryest devils Alexander of â—ales writes say some of Bonaventure that Adam did not sin in him and yet of all the Papists none leâ—t more blasphemy behind him the Crocodile weeps till he hath got his prey the Priesthood won the world to it self with the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and then set up the trade of being Lords and Lawgivers themselves and rooted out his from off the earth 6. having once found out and fallen into fellowship with the true Church that is rightly constituted upon the true foundation of the Prophets and Apostles or principles of the doctrine of Christ to be stedfast and unmoveable in the way of truth not suffering themselves to be swayed aside in any wise by any deep devises or perverse pretences Satan of whatsoever and in order to their standing to avoid a weak and querrulous conscience misliking finding fault complaining taking offence at every thing where there is no cause streining at a gnat giving over the company of the flock for every â—ub forsaking the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some is seperating from the Congregation not so much for a ceremony as through a crooked and carnal conceit that t is but a meer ceremony to assemble and meet or meddle with any outward ordinances at all a matter in force onely for that small moment of the primitive age of the Gospel and now of no moment to us weak worships low things carnal ordinances unprofitable dispensations empty elements bodily exercises beggerly rudiments c. like bruit beasts depraving the precious precepts of Christ even those holy matters of his which they understand not the weight and worth of these and such like have made such as of old Jude speaks of and we see so doing at this very day to depart and seperate themselves from Saintship to sensuality from Church-fellowship in the faith to fellowship in filthynesse thus the Seeker seeks to subvert himself and others and all that holy law of Christs own giving as foolishnesse to overturn all that is of Christ whilest Christ is overturning all that is of man he scruples every thing till he is satisfyed to own just nothing as if because there is some waies of error therefore there can be no way of truth he is weak in the faith believing nothing to be good till he believes every thing to be so and nothing to be bad or naught at all And wheresoever his weaknesse is at first it thrives into wickednesse at last so that how ere he seems modest against the truth a while yet after there will be raâ—â— censures arrogant and bold speeches and Iudgements condemning or at least contemning both of good persons and holy things Thus this man runs up to ranting
I shall be saved No condemnation to them that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit so dying but I walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Ergo so doing so dying there 's no condemnation to me and so consequently still I shall be saved Rom. 8.1 * witnesse a paper newly extant subscribed with 15. hands and sent to my self in particular by one of the subscribers while I am just beginning this very treatise of Anti-ranterism which occasions a more distinct handling of this point of laying on of hands then I otherwise intended stiled Questions about laying on of hands with the grounds why they are demanded lovingly propounded to all those churches of Iesus Christ in London or elsewhere or to any one member of the body of our Lord who pleadeth or preacheth for the necessity or usefulnesse of laying on of hands to be practised by all baptized believers The 2d query of which is on this wise viz. We desire to be directed by them unto some place of Scripture if they know of any where our Lord Iesus Christ or any of his Apostles or disciples preached this doctrine viz. that all baptized believers ought to practise or submit unto laying on of hands * Heb. 5.12.6.1 2. Act. 19 6. Act. 8.12.15.16 17. Act. 2.40 42. * because many blame and reprove baptized believers because they do not practise submit to or come under laying on of hands Therefore we desire to know of them if they can tell of any of the servants of Christ that ever did reprove or blame any sort of people whether baptized or not because laying on of hands was not practised or submitted to by them * As if women were not under the promise of the holy spirit repenting believing and being baptized as well as men when as Peter saies Acts â— 39 to the whole multitude of women as well as men repent and be baptized and ye shall receive the holy spirit for the promise is to you and to your children and them that are a far off even as many as the Lord shall call as if John Baptist also did not speak promiscuously to the multitudes of both men and women and to the women as well as the men whom he baptized when he said I indeed baptize you with water but she shall baptize you with the holy spirit and if baptized believing women be under a promise of being baptizd with the spirit as well as men pro. 1.23 then why they should not have hands laid on them and be prayed for that they may receive it as well as the other according to the promise he is a wiser man then I am that knowes any reason Viz. seeing that many draw inferences and deductions as they call them from Heb 6.2 to maintain one laying on of hands onely and none of them upon the forementioned considerations neither in the end purpose or event Therefore we desire to know whether you judge it a command of our Lord Christ that any mans inference or deduction should be of a binding form in point of faith and obedience and because we have seen some of our dearly beloved brethren in the Lord to the grief of our hearts much offended at us because we believe not the inferences or deductions as they call them Heb. 6.2 Therefore we desire to know of them what they will refer us to as the sure rule to try inferences or deductions by because the best of men are liable to mistakes * witness his reproving and threatning of lost labour to those that so do Mat. 15.9 x John 5 30.8.16.17.12â— 49.50.14.31 * Act. 1.1.2 3.10.33 * Act. 2.42 1 Cor. 14.37 Eph. 2.20 Heb. 6.1 2 Pet. 3.2 Jude 17. * For there was a certain form of Christs doctrine delivered by the Apostles to persons as from him which they were to obey and after obedience unto which and not before they were counted unto Christ as now his servants which till they had obeyed they were counted none of his but unto sin as its servants standing in several particulars whereof its most evident that water baptism was one for obedience in baptism and obedience to that form of doctrine delivered are both urged as arguments and ingagements to the Romans now to reckon on themselves or from thenceforth i. e. their obedience thereunto as in foro dei hominum et ecclesiae Christs servants that had formally owned him and whether the rest viz faith repentance laying on of hands belief of a resurrection and judgement which are Heb. 6. all called the foundation which was at first to be laid altogether with baptism called by the name of the form of doctrine Rom. 6.17 which was at first to be obeyed by every beginner in Christs school is worth our serious considerations * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 6.1 * so the Enquirers seem to me to do while they teach men that as yet have not that they need or ought not to submit to prayer and laying the holy spirit and unteach such again as have been targht it till they disown that first principle of the doctrine of Christ after they had once even practically owned it * who would â—ain be our own carvers and either have such visible gifts as some call them as he was pleased to give them or else we will be blind and not see not believe though we see it that he gives any gifts of his spirit now at all * John 14.17 28. Gal. 5. 17. John 16.13 R m. 8.13 1 Cor. 2.12 1 Cor. 12.7 Eph. 4.11 Eph. 4.30 a Eph. 1.13 b Act. 2.39.40 c Prov. 1.23 Joh. 7.38 39. Luke 11.13 Act 5.35 * Iohn did no miracle but all the the things which Iohn spake of this man are true Joh. 10.41 Iohn 7.48 Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe Iohn 20.29 Thomas because thou hast seen thou hast believed but blessed are they that have not seen and yet believed Herod hoped to have seen some miracle done by Christ but he would not so much as answer him Luke 23.8.9 He did not many mighty work there because of their unbelief Mat. 13.5 Lord why could not we cast him out Iesus said because of your unbelief â— Joh. 1.16 â—â—f his fulaes we have â—ll received grace for grace Iohn 16.7.13 2. Cor. 13.14 the communion of the spirit be with you all Gal. 5.22 2 Cor. 5.5 God who hath given us the earnest of his spirit Ephes. 1.33.14 in whom after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance c. whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption Ephes. 4.30 * if any doubt it as some do and say prophesy is a gift of speaking infallibly by revelation from God as t is spoken of 1 Cor. 14.1 the 2.3.4.5 verses of the same chapter confute him where prophecy as it is determined to be a far more eminent and profitable gift and greater and more
desirable then tongues which is so talkt on so it is defined to be no other then speaking to exhorration edification and comfort and also v. 31.32.33 where it s said you may all prophecy one by one and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets which shewes t was no gift of speaking infallibly but only preaching because it s supposed that they may be out and erre in their prophecy and must submit to correction in case they do from the other prophets Obj. Ans. Ob. Ans. * which I much marvel at sith this objection supposes a continuation or resurrection of that same ordinance of laying on of hands in the last daies after a whiles waiting for administrators but the questions subscribed to are all or most of them such as suppose the Enquirers to be much in the dark and in doubt about it what kind of laying on of hands that is that 's called a doctrine of Christ Heb. 6.1 whether ever such a thing was or is ever to be dispensed to all baptized believers c. as if they could not tell almost whether there be at least appointed by Christ such a manner of administration * viz. Seeing we are denied communion by some of those Churches or by some members thereof who hold the necessity of all baptized believers to practise submit to or come under the laying on of hands Therefore we desire them to acquaint us what we are commanded to say or do that we may be found faithful in that point or otherwise to be discovered disobedient unto a command by the Word of God which is the onely director here and that which shall be our judge at the last day * which is the wise query of some also and as learned a question as if one should ask whether at the supper we must put the elements to our mouths with the right hand or the left or in baptism ask how the baptizer must handle the person baptized and where he must take hold on him when he dips him and if he have not expresse Scripture concerning such nicities and trifles as these suspend the dispensation of both the supper baptism because Christ is somwhat short in his word not expressing punctually enough how his ordinances shall be dispensed nor what is to be said and done by persons at the doing of them so distinctly as they would have him But foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strises 2 Tim. 2.23 p Viz. Seeing there be many that do desire baptized believers to require that hands should be laid on them Therefore we desire of them to shew us some place of Scripture if they know of any that doth expresse such a behaviour either of the administrator or the person on whom hands were laid * for such a behaviour as to reprove their backwardnesse and summon men to shew their forwardnesse to own Christs wayes may become any administrator whatsoever Act. 22.16 * Viz. Seeing many plead laying on of hands to be practised or submitted unto as a foundation principle or a beginning doctrine of Christ and that by all baptized believers Therefore we desire to know if any of them can inform us which of all these layings on of hands forementioned is called by Christ or his Apostles the foundation principle or beginning doctrine by some text in Scripture * if it be not somewhat an improper phrase to stile wicked men in their wrathful and cruel handlings of the Saints Administrators of any doctrine of Christ that is stiled imposition of hands as to me it seems to be unlesse wee l allow the name of an Administrator also to the devil himself when he tempts the Saints and puts forth his hands against them to smite them with any mischiefs in either body or spirit as by Gods permission he did Job Job 1.12 Job 2.6.7 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 21 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act 5 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act 8 17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act 19.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act 13.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 〈◊〉 4 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. ◠2. * Viz Seeing that Heb 6.2 speaks of the laying on of hands as plural as the doctrine of baptisms and doth not speak of any one laying on of hands fore-mentioned particularly nor of any other by distinction neither of any end purpose or event Therefore we desire to know what safety it is for any man to conclude that Heb. 6.2 is meant but of one of them onely †See Mr Blackwoods last book newly extant even whilest I am writing to you on this subject stiled a soul-searching catechism p. 58 in p. 54.55.56.57.58.59 of which he treats totally of this subject * Viz. Mr. Cotton Dr. Holm◠who as is shewed above in the 139 140 141. pages of this very volume I am yet in hand with borrowes Cottons and Calvins reading out of Antiquity concerning the practise of imposition of hands to all grown persons before admission to Church-fellowship wherby to prove infant-baptism which thereby he rather breaks the neck of * Viz. Mr. Cotton Dr. Holm◠who as is shewed above in the 139 140 141. pages of this very volume I am yet in hand with borrowes Cottons and Calvins reading out of Antiquity concerning the practise of imposition of hands to all grown persons before admission to Church-fellowship wherby to prove infant-baptism which thereby he rather breaks the neck of * consisting of 3 sorts of Christ'n creatures under a 3 sold CCClergy viz. papal prelatical presbyterian * yet some Ranters are not ashamed to say they are Christ and God and there is no other God then they and what 's in them and such like blasphemies whereby they declare themselves to be that generation that are to rise in the latter daies and make the man of sin even that wicked one that shall exalt himself above all that 's called God saying of himself he is God given over to strong delusion to believe lies that they may be damned because not receiving the love of the truth that they might be saved whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming 2 Thess. 2. denying the Lord that bought them and bringing on themselves swift destruction 2 Pet. 2.2 * Viz. touching of dead bodies Num. 5.2 eating or touching the carcases of any forbidden fishes birds or beasts Lev. 11.24.31 diseases as the leprosie Lev. 13.8 running of issues Levit. 15.2 and such like * for if he that despised Moses law died without mercy of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy that hath troden under foot the son of God Heb. 10.29 therefore we had need to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard least at any time we let them slip for if the word spoken by angels was sure and stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of