a meer dogmatical faith To which I answer 1. Let them that thus distinguish first clearly explain to us the branches of the distinction and shew us the difference between the two faiths and prove it from Scripture and then prove that it is the last only that must needs be professed in Baptism and then they have done somewhat 2. It will be found no ordinary thing for Scripture to call any common faith a believing on or in Christ. 3. That faith which is said to be in the ungodly though in respect of sides in genere it be really faith yet in respect of sides evangelica in Christum Mediatorem in specie required in the Gospel it is but Equivocally called faith or because that term to Mr. Blake is so abominable let it be Analogically a while till I come to the proof that it is but equivocally such The faith that God requireth and maketh his promises on is only the Faith called Justifying or Saving and the other is as a Mole to a Child or a Monster to a Man which is so far defective ex errore naturae non ex intentione generantis that it doth differ tota specie from a true man and so doth this Faith differ in spâ—cie morali from Evangelical Faith 4. When Faith is mentioned in a preceptive or promising way the nature of the thing and the course of Scripture sheweth that we must understand it of that faith which God owneth by precept or promise and not of that which is but Analogically called faith and ex errore credentis is so monstrous that God never owned such by precept or promise I can find where this Monster is ascribed to many as to Simon Magus and others but let any shew us where it is in hac specie commanded by God or hath any Promise made to it in his word 5. However it will not I hope be denied but that saving faith is the famosius analogatum vel significatum and therefore the Analogum per se positum must be understood of it and not of the Analogical Monstrous faith And therefore when in baptism we must profess â—o Believe in the Father Son and holy-Ghost it must be understood of saving belief till we have a limiting Exposition proved 6. Yea further the nature of the Ordinance commandeth us this exposition For when God hath so frequently promised pardon to believers in or on Christ and then ordained baptism to be the seal of this promise and required that the person to be baptized profess to believe in Christ it plainly followeth that we must understand him to speak of the same faith in the promise and about the seal and not of divers sorts unless he had so declared himself which he no where hath done 2. For the further proof of the Minor I add that the same faith that is mentioned in the ordinary Creed of the Church iâ— meant in the baptismal profession and to be required before baptism this will be confessed 1. because the Creed it self hath been this 1300 years at least profess'd before baptism 2. because the Creed it self is but the 3. fundamental baptismal Articles mentioned Mat. 28.19 enlarged and explained on subsequent occasions as Sandford Parker de descenju have learnedly and largely proved and Grotius in Mat. 28.19 proves out of Tertullian c. that the creed was not then in the form of words as now though the same doctrine was used in other words to the same uses But I assume it is saving faith that is meant in the common Creed by the phrases of believing in God the Father in Jesus Christ in the holy Ghost This our divines do so copiously prove against the Papists that with most Protestants I may take it for granted Saith Mr. Perkins on the Creed Pag. 128. To believe is one thing and to believe in this or that is another thing and is contains in it three Points or Actions of a Believer 1. To know a thing 2. to acknowledge the same 3. To put trust and confidence in it And in this order must these three actions of faith be applied to every Article following which concerns any of the persons in the Trinity And this must be marked as a matter of speceal moment For alwayes by adding them to the words following we do apply the Article to our selves in a very comfortable manner As I believe in the Father and do believe that he is my father and therefore I put my whole trust in him and so of the rest So far Perkins And it 's worthy to be observed which Peter Martyr saith Loc. Commun Ch. 2. in expofit Symboli pag. 421. Age sigillatim videamus quid propriè hoc sibi velit Credo in DeuÌ„ euÌ„ esse agnoscendum uti DeuÌ„ i. e. Deum esse aeternuÌ„ bonuÌ„ ex quo bonuÌ„ aliud quodvis oritur Vnde patet eum qui quippiam tanti aut pluris faciat quà m Deum ipsum dicere verè non posse Credo in Deum Si enim eum ut summum bonuÌ„ agnoscat nihil ei unquam anteposueris Neque etiam is hoc rectè credat qui usquam alibi spem suam collocet quum spes non sit nisi boni cujusdam si ergò Deus sit bonum unde quodvis bonum defluat quicunque aliunde boni quidpâ—am expectârit in eum verè non crediderit Praeterea qui bona quibus fruuntur suae justitiae industriae factis sibi denique ipsis accepta ferunt sensum verúmque ut sic dicam gustum hujus primae nostrae sidei capitis non habent proculdubio ejusmodi homines non Deum propriè sed Dei loco phantasmata sui cerebri inventa colunt Res mihi crede maximi momenti est verum Deum modo suo habere Ursine Paraeus Chatech Q. â—6 p. 140 141. Diffâ—runt Credo Deum Credo in Deum Illud declarat fidem historiae hoc fiduciam Nam credo Deum est credo quòd sit Deus quòd sit talis qualeÌ„ se in verbo patefecit viz c. Credo in deuÌ„ est credo quòd mihi sit Deus hoc est quod quicquid est habet sit habeat ad meam salutem Et p. 360. Credere in DeuÌ„ non est tantuÌ„ Deum agnoscere sed etiam in Deo fiduciam habere Alinqui etiam Diabolus habet Notitiam Dei promissionum ejus sed non habet fiduciam Ideò Notitia ejus non est fides Justificans sed Historica And p. 191. Quid est Credo in Jesum silium Dei unigenitum Resp. Credo JesuÌ„ esse silium Dei sed hoc non est satìs nam etiam Diâ—boli hoc credunt Itaque addenduÌ„ 2. Credo mihi hoc est in meam saluteÌ„ eum esse filiuÌ„ Dei p. 213 Credere in ChristuÌ„ DominuÌ„ nostruÌ„ hoc est ita crede ChristuÌ„ DominuÌ„ nostrum ut in eo fiduciam collocemus Cum igitur dicimus nos
what persons have such a thing The like testimonies the Apostle John gives of them as may quickly be seen But all the doubt is Whether the seven reproved Churches in Rev. 2. and 3. were such or not To which I say 1. All of them professed the foresaid saving Faith 2. There is no sin charged on them that was visible and inconsistent with true saving Faith 1. For the Church of Ephesus we heard what they were esteemed by Paul a little before and here their grace is mentioned and the faults expressed are consistent with true grace 2. The same I say of the Churches of Pergamus and Thyatyra And for the Nicolaitans and other Hereticks whom they are blamed for suffering as the former is commended for hating them they are such as were to be cut off from the Church and while they were in it were not of it Nor are they any where called Believers Saints Disciples or Church-members But it is the Church of Sardis that Mr. Blake takes special notice of And it is said of her indeed that she had a Name to live and was dead But 1. in that they had a name to live it seems it was a living faith which they Professed and not only one short of it 2. Their death was not a death in reigning sin such as is the death of the unsanctified But a declining condition comparatively called death as the children of God do oft complain of deadness And therefore its next said Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to dye And it s exprest that their deadness was in that their works were not found perfect before God that is that many or most of them had defiled their garments with some Heresie or vice which the rest had not done 3. How far this was notorious to others is of further enquiry 4. If they had gone on so far as by obstinate impenitency after admonition to shew themselves void of saving faith they had been unchurched as appeareth by the threatning The Church of Philadelphia is so far commended as that the case is put out of doubt And the Church of Laodicea though discommended hath nothing visible charged upon it inconsistent with sincerity and the luke-warmness which is charged on them they are threatned to be spewed out for and so to be unchurched And thus we see what a Church was and what Saints were and what Believers and Disciples were supposed to be by the Apostles and what is the signification of these words in Scripture for they are all of the same extent Mr. Blake saith He is a believer in Scripture that is a visible Professor that puts himself in the number of those that expect salvation by Jesus Christ. Answ. 1. A Professor of what Of true saving faith 2. Not that puts himself among them locally only for so may an Infidel but that becomes one of them as far as to a Profession of it And if they expect salvation by Christ either they profess that faith which salvation is annexed to or else they give God the lye and contradict both Scripture and themselves even in their very Profession As if they should say I look to be saved by Christ but I will not take him for my Saviour nor be saved from sin by him And sure such a Profession makes no mâ—n a Saint Believer or Church-member Thus much I have said to prove that all the Baptized are accounted Saints and therefore Professed a saving Sanctity The second Title which I mentioned follows of which I shall be more brief All the Baptized are accounted to be dead and risen with Christ even dead to sin and risen to newness of life therefore they all profess a saving faith The proof of this is full in the two Texts already cited Rom. 6. and Col. 2.11 12. Rom. 6.33 c. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father so we also should walk in newness of Life For if we have been planted together into the likeness of his Death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that hence forth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin Now if we be dead with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Here is a full Report of the use of Baptism and the Profession of all that are Baptized and the state that they are supposed to be in so that I cannot speak it plainlier than the words themselves do Calv. on the Text saith Extra Controversiam est induere nos Christum in Baptismo hâc lege nos baptizari ut unum cum ipso simus Imò docet hanc mortis societatem praecipuè in Baptismo spectandam esse Neque enim ablutio sola illic sed mortificatio quoque veteris hominis interitus proponitur Vnde palà m fit ex quo recipimur in Christi gratiam mortis ejus efficaciam statim emergere Porro quid valeat haeâ— cum morte Christi societas continuo sequitur ut scilicet nobis emortui si amus novi homines Nam à mortis societate transitum merito facit ad vitae participationem quia haec duo inter se individuo nexu cohaerent veterem hominem Christi morte aboleri ut ejus resurrectio justitiam instauret nosque efficiat novas creaturas Haec autem est Doctrina Quod Mors Christi efficax est ad nequitiam carnis nostrae extinguendam ac prostigandam Resurrectio vero ad suscitandam melioris naturae novitatem quódque per Baptismum in istius gratiae participationem cooptamur In summa Qualis sit Baptismi ritè suscepti veritas docet So Col. 2.11 12. which I shall not stay to recite because it is to the same purpose and before cited The third Title mentioned in the Argument is this All that are Baptized have Professedly put on Christ therefore they have professed saving Faith The Antecedent is expressed Gal. 3.27 For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. The Consequence is proved in that to put on Christ heartily is to be made true partakers of him and living members of him therefore to Profess this is inseparable from the Profession of saving Faith yea by that faith is he truly put on Putting on Christ is the same with Putting on the New man which after God is created in Righteousness and true holiness being renewed in the spirit of our minds Ephes. 4.20 21 22 23 24. Col. 3.10 It is putting on the New
Scripture so connexed to salvation I know no Regenerate ones but the justified or those that profess to have a justifying faith Nor hath he proved any more Argum. 11. All that are meet subjects for Baptism are after their Baptism without any further inward qualification at least without another species of faith meet subjects for the Lords Supper having natural capacity by age But no one that professeth only a faith short of justifying is meet to receive the Lords Supper therefore no such a one is a meet subject for Baptism Or thus Those at age whom we may baptize we may also admit to the Lords Supper without any other species of faith But the Professors of a meer common faith short of justifying we may not admit to the Lords Supper Ergo c. The duty of a particular examination before the Lords Supper is nothing to our purpose because 1. that makes a man fitter than he was but the want of it is not in the cognizance of the Minister alwaies nor will not justifie our refusal of a godly man excepting some apparent gross evils 2. And it is the necessity of another faith and state that we are enquiring after which will not be proved by the necessity of an actual examination or excitation of our present grace The Major Mr. Blake will easily grant me and if any other deny it I prove it thus 1. It is the same Covenant that both Sacraments Seal one for initiation the other for confirmation and growth in grace therefore the same faith that qualifieth for the one doth sufficiently qualifie for the other For the same covenant hath the some condition 2. They are the same heresies that are conferred in baptism and the Lords Supper to the worthy Receiver Therefore the same qualification for kind is necessary for the reception The Antecedent is commonly granted Baptism uniteth to Christ and giveth us himself first and with himself the pardon of all past sins c. The Lords Supper by confirmation giveth us the same things It is the giving of Christ himself who faith by his Minister take eat drâ—nk offering himself to us under the signs and commanding us to take himself by faith as we take the signs by the outward parts He giveth us the pardon of sin sealed as procured by his body broken and blood shed 3. A member of Christs Church against whom no Accusation must be brought from some contradiction of his first profession must be admitted to the Lords Supper but the new baptized may be ordinarily such at age therefore if he can but say I am a baptized person he hath a sufficient principal title to Baptism coram ecclesia I mean such as we must admit though some actual preparation be necessary unless he be proved to have disabled his claim on that account either by nulling and reversing that profession or by giving just cause of questioning it 4. The Church hath ever from the Apostles daies till now without question admitted the new baptized at age to the Lords Supper without requiring any new species of faith to entitle them to it I take the Major therefore as past denial All the controversie between Mr. Blake and me is like to be about the Minor whether the profession of his common faith short of justifying make people fit for or capable of the Lords supper 1. No man should be admitted to the signal profession of Receiving Christ as he is offered who will not orally profess to receive him as he is offered But all that are admitted to the Lords supper are admitted to the signal profession of receiving Christ as he is offered Therefore no man that will not orally so profess to receive Christ should be admitted to the Lords Supper The Major is plain because 1. Else we cannot know who is fit if he will not make profession of it 2. His refusal shews that he either understandeth not what he doth in the Sacrament or is wilfully uncapable by infidelity or impenitency 3. The Minor is evident in the nature of the Sacrament The offer of the bread and wine with the command Tade eat drink is signally the oâ—fer of the Lord Jesus himself with a command to take him He that puâ—s forth his hand to take the bread professeth thereby to Accept of Christ as offered If it be said that Mr. Blakes professor of a lower sort of faith doth profess to take Christ as offered I say No This proposition I here suppose as evident in it self that no man but the sound Believer doth take Christ as offered no not as Christ. He is offered as a Saviour from the Guilt and Reign of sin and so Mr. Blakes professor doth not so much as profess to accept him For I hope we are agreed that so to accept him heartily is saving faith 2. No man should be admitted to receive a sealed pardon of sin or have it delivered to him that doth not profess that faith which is of necessity to make him capable of a sealed pardon but he that only professeth a faith short of justifying professeth not that faith which is of necessity to make him capable of a sealed pardon Therefore he is not to be admitted to the Lords supper It is a present sealed pardon that they profess there to receive by the very actual receiving God presently offereth and they presently profess to accept it signally and therefore must do so verbally 3. No man is to be admitted to the Lords supper that professeth not true Repentance for sin But Mr. Blake's Professor doth not so for that is inseparable from saving faith Therefore Mr. Blake must deny the Major or say nothing that I can imagine but what is to no purpose And if he do deny it 1. I would desire him once to give us a just Description of that Repentance short of saving which he will be satisfied with the Profession of in his Communicants 2. I must confess as much as I am against separation I never intend to have communion with Mr. Blakes Congregation if they profess not saving Repentance and faith And if he exact not such a Profession I say still he makes soul work in the Church And when such soul work shall be voluntarily maintained and the Word of God abused for the defilement of the Church and Ordinances of God it is a greater scandal to the weak and to the Schismaticks and a greater reproach to the Church and sadder case to considerate men than the too common pollutions of others which are meerly through negligence but not justified and defended And if Mr. Blake be angry at my speaking these things I cannot help it I am bound to tell him of it as a faithful Brother that I doubt not but God is angry at his Doctrine and the great wrong that he doth the Church of God while he is so angry at his Brother for resisting it For my part I would not have done his work no nor justified it as some of his
his house and was baptized that same hour of the night or straight way It is here evident that he professed the same faith which Paul required or else the equivocation would make the text not intelligible And that which was required was a saving faith Acts 18 8. Crispus the chief ruler of the Synagouge believed on the Lord with all his house and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized Here we have two proofs that it is saving faith that is mentioned One in that it is called a believing on the Lord which expresseth saving faith Another in that it is the faith which related to the doctrine preached to them as is expressed in the word Hearing that which they heard they believed but they heard the promise as well as the History of the Gospel and they heard of the Goodness as well as the Truth and they heard Christ offered to them as their only Saviour for Paul never preached Christ but in this manner and to these ends even as might tend to their Justification and Salvation and it was a saving faith that he still exhorted men to Those in Acts 19.5 were baptized as Believers in Jesus Christ which is saving faith whether it were by John's Baptism or by Paul or others I now enquire not And what all the Churches were supposed to be to whom the Apostles wrote I have shewed before In a word I know of no one word in Scripture that giveth us the least intimation that ever man was baptized without the Profession of a saving faith or that giveth the least encouragement to baptize any upon another faith But before we proceed Mr. Blake's exceptions against some of these â—rguments from the forecited texts must come under consideration how little soever they deserve it pag. 166. To what I said from Mat. 28.29 I am very sory to hear the constitution of visible Churches to suffer the brand of making of counterfeit and half Christians Answ. For all that I will not be moved with pity to err because you are sorry to hear the truth 1. Church constitutions make not Christians of one sort or other but contain them when made 2. And my arguing was to prove that every faithful Pastor must intend the making of sincere Christians and not only counterfeit or half-Christians This is a truth that so good a man should not have been sorry to hear 3. If you mean that visible Churches contain not counterfeit and half-Christians you might have been sorry long before this to hear both Protestants and Papists say the contrary You add Its well known whose language it is that all charging duty on unregenerate persons is only to bring them to hypocrisie Answ. And if the end of that duty were no higher than to bring men to be counterfeit Christians they had not said amiss When we hear that charge it is for perswading men to hear pray c. for sincere faith But if I perswade men to become Christians and mean only the Professors of faith without the thing professed or the believing with another sort of faith then I might well be charged with perswading some to hypocrisie and the other to be half-Christians 2. You have not yet proved that Baptizing the Professors of a lower faith is the appointed means to bring them to saving faith You say In order to make men sincere Disciples they must be made visible professing Disciples Answ. If there be not a palpable equivocation you must mean that it is the same Discipleship which some have sincerely and others but visibly by profession and then it must be the same faith And then you say to this effect that in order to make men sincere they must profess seem to be so before they are so that is a lie is the appointed means to make the thing spoken become true But if according to the current of your doctrine you mean in the later branch of your distinction those only that profess another sort of faith and so equivocate in the word Disciples then I answ 1. Your Disciples are no Disciples nor so called once in Scripture 2. Nor is that any thing to baptism till you have proved that baptism also annexed to your Discipleship is a means appointed to bring them to a higher saving faith You tell us that men may be half Christians in order to be whole Christians Answ. But not baptized to that end nor must the Preacher intend the making of any half-Christians and no more What you mention out of Ames of taking stones out of the quarry to polish c. is nothing to the purpose Baptizing them is not polishing them that is preparing them for conversion according to the Institution but it s the placing polished stones in the building To polish them for the building is to make them true Disciples and not Professors of another kind of faith Pâ—g 168. When I say that to be Christs Disciples is to be one that unfeignedly takes him for his Master c. You answer that This is true as to the inheritance of Heaven but not as to the ininheritance of Ordinances The Jew outwardly was not thus qualified Repl. 1. Our question is what is a Disciple and what 's your answer to that unless you distinguish of two sorts and mean that another sort there are that inherite Ordinances 2. And then I say further some Ordinances are without the Church and those may have them that are no Disciples and fâ—r those proper to the Church none have right to them but who at least profess the foresaid Discipleship I wonder what your three sorts of Disciples will prove that do not profess to take Christ for their Master Next where Mr. Blake would have proved the Text not to be meant of sound Believers because they are such Disciples as a whole Nation is capable to be I answered that whole Nations are capable of saving faith and proved it to which he mentioneth the capacity of stones to be made Children As if men had no more then stones And as if God could not make all in a Nation believers by the same means us he makes some such He turns to the question what a Nation is capable of to what may be expected â—nd argueth as if they were capable of no more than we may eventually expect and saith this that is a doctrine so clear that proof needs not Where there never shal be any futurity we may well and safely speak of an incapacity Ans. As if omne possibâ—le esset futurum and men should have every thing good or bad which they are capable of A sad world when among learned Divines such sayings are Truths that need no proofs as if the contradictories of our Principles were become Principles It s added Capacity is vain when it is known coâ—fest that existence shall never follow Answ. Hath such an assertion bin usually heard among the worshippers of the Creator the admirers of his works If one of
that faith to be the qualifying condition of Visibility of Member-ship But your other kind of Faith to be neither ARGUMENT XII Mr. Blake The Children of God have right in the sight of God to be admitted to Baptism this is clear enough but men short of Justifying faith are Children of God even those that drew down judgements on the old world as Gen 6.2 The whole body of the children of Israel Deut. 14.1 ANSWER The same Error continued requireth the same Answer ARGUMENT XIII Mr. Blake Those whom God ingraff's by his power into the true Olive and makes partakers of the fatness of the Olive they have right in the sight of God to be admitted This is plain God ingraffing right must not be denied but he ingraff's by his power those that are short of that faith that justifies even the whole body of the Church of the Gentiles and we expect the like of the Church of the Jews as appears from the Apostle Rom. 11. Therefore those that are short of a justifying faith have right in the sight of God to Baptism ANSWER Again the same Error Therefore accept the same Answer ARGUMENT XIV Mr. Blake All of those that professedly embrace a Gospel-tender in which there is a conditional Promise of Justification Adoption Glorification have right in the sight of God to all Ordinances ordinarily necessary and requisite to bring them up to these conditions and to the fruition of these glorious Priviledges and consequently to baptism the leading priviledge This none can deny that know the readiness of Christ in imparting saving ordinances to a People But those that are short of faith which is justifying may embrace a Gospel-tender in which there is a conditional Promise of Justification Adoption Glorification Those therefore that are short of faith which is justifying have right in the sight of God to all such Ordinances and consequently to Baptism ANSWER Embracing is a Metaphor and can signifie nothing here but their Wills Consent and Use. The words Gospel tender signifie either the thing tendered or the act of the tenderer To consent to and so embrace the latter is no more than to be willing to hear or to consent thaâ— God and his Messengers shall make the render This an Heaâ—hen or Infidel may do To consent to and embrace the thing tendered upon the terms that it is tendered is saving faith In that sense therefore I deny the Minor and in the former the Major as extending to Baptism All that consent that Christ shall be offered to them ought not to be baptized nor any on that account None that consent to have Christ offered Christ as Christ can be truly said to be short of saving faith If by embracing you mean Metonymically the profession of embracing Christ then you say as I say give up your Cause It s that Profession and not his short faith nay that without any faith that will warrant us to baptize him ARGUMENT XV. Mr. Blake If the Apostle argue for a right to Baptism from gifts that are common to the justified and unjustified then faith which is short of justifying gives right in the sight of God to Baptism This none can deny unless they will call the Apostles Logick into question and deny his Consequence But the Apostle thus argues for a right to Baptism from those gifts that are common to the justified and unjustified This is plain Act. 10.47 Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we The Holy Ghost there is the gift of the Holy Ghost then poured out the gift of tongues as in the 45 46. verses is held forth which is a gift not only inferiour to Charity but such as may be served from it 1 Cor. 13.1 A gift of that kind that men of a miraculous faith ordinarily did as in an instant conferr They are therefore gifts common to the justified and unjustified Those therefore of faith short of that which is justifying have right to Baptism ANSWER This is the only Argument of all the seventeen that doth so much as speak to the question A strange way of arguing To the Major 1. I deny the Consequence The Argument will not hold from one common gift to any common gifts nor to this common faith Prove this Consequence 2. I distinguish in the Antecedent between arguing from gifts as a Title or the condition of a Title and arguing from them as satisfactory evidences of a Title such as profession it self is To the proof from Acts 10.47 I say further It followeth not he that hath received the Holy Ghost may be baptized therefore he that hath your common faith may be baptized For that 's no evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost 2. The Holy Ghost was promised only to be true Believers Mark 16.17 and not to any others Yet God did not hereby restrain his own power from giving it to others Seeing therefore God had promised it to true believers though he did give it to some others it followeth that it was a probable evidence of saving faith though not a certain And therefore it might warrant us to baptize them as Profession it self might do Especially when it accompanied that Profession seeing that both Evidences are more full than one and yet one is sufficient as to us 3. You cannot prove that ever God gave the holy Ghost to any that professed not saving faith Nor yet that any man was baptized upon any such gift of Miracles without the profession of saving faith Those Acts 10. confessed Christ and professed faith before they were baptized 4. You cannot prove that it was only common gifts of the Spirit that is meant in Acts 10.47 For ordinarily the Holy Ghost was given at once for Sanctification and such extraordinary works And anologum per se positum stat pro significato famosiori And their praising God doth intimate their love to God and honour of him and sense of his goodness which proceed from the sanctifying Spirit ARGUMENT XVI Mr. Blake If the promise be to others besides Believers then so is the seal for to whom God promiseth to them he engageth himself to perform But the Promise is to others therefore the seal is to others This will be evident if it be once understood that it is only the conditional Covenant which God sealeth by the Sacraments for this promise is made to unbelievers though the good promised is not to be enjoyed by any but those that perform the condition ANSWER The 16th Argument Mr. Blake fetcheth from my words to Mr. Tombs that he may prove me a self-contradicter But I do not contradict my self every time Mr. Blake understandeth me not I confess still that the Seal is to others besides Believers but though the promise be conditional we must not seal to any but those that profess consent to the Conditions And therefore not to any but those that profess to be true believers ARGUMENT XVII
I have no true faith I cannot believe Faith is a perswasion of Gods love to me or a resting on him for salvation and I cannot be perswaded of his love to me nor can I rest upon him And when I have convinced them that the Gospel is 1. a Narrative of what Christ is and what he hath done and suffered for us and 2. an offer of Christ and life to all that will accept the offer And therefore that faith is 1. an Assent to the truth of his Report and 2. a Consent to be Christs and that he shall be ours And when I have asked them whether they do these two things or not whether they believe the Gospel to be true and are willing that Christ and Life be theirs and that they be Christs they profess very cheerfully both this Assent and Consent they are wâ—lling to have Christ if they know their own hearts and yet they dare not say that they are true believers partly through general fears and partly because they know not that this which they profess is saving faith Now in such a case we are to let them know that it is the thing and not their Certainty of the thing that God hath mâ—de necessary And therefore we do not nor must not ask them in Sacramental Administrations whether they have saving faith by meer name without description but whether they believe in God the Father Son and the Holy Ghost and renounce the World Flesh and Devil and whether they are willing to have God for their only God and Christ for their only Saviour and the Holy Ghost their Sanctifier And he that saith yea doth profess a saving faith though he know it not so to be And what would Mr. Blake do with him if he say neither Yea nor Nay Having thus vindicated the Proposition against their Objections and shewed the vanâ—ty of all other waies and that we can have no certainty what Profession to expect if we expect not a Profession of saving Faith I may well sum up all and still insist on the 19th Argument that we must expect the profession of a saving Faith seeing if we take up with any other we are utterly at a loss Mr. Blake cannot agree with himself what faith to require nor hath given any certain description of it when he hath so voluminously talkt for it and what he or others seem to require as a thing distinct from saving faith we see sufficient Reason to reject as being wholly unproved and by us proved insufficient to this use I shall now therefore proceed to my 20th and last Argument for the Proposition which is drawn from the constant practice of the Universal Church of Christ. It hath been the constant practice of the Catholike Church since the Apostles daies till now to require that Profession of saving Faith and Repentance as necessary before they would baptâ—ze and not to baptize any upon the Profession of any lower kind of Faith Therefore it must be our practice also And here I must confess my self in as great an admiration at the words and dealings of Mr. Blake and some godly learned Divines that go with him in this Cause as ever I was brought to by the groundless confidence of such men He must shut his eyes against the fullest Evidence of Historie and Church-practice that will deny that it hath been the practice of the Universal Church of Christ to baptize upon the profession of a saving faith and not otherwise Insomuch that I must profess that I am not for my own part able to prove that ever any one person since the daies of the Apostles was baptized upon the profession of any other faith by any save the gross Hereticks even those whose Baptism was accounted invalid I desire Mr. Blake or his Neighbours of his mind to help me to an instance of any one approved Baptism since Christs time or his Apostles upon the account of a faith that was short of justifying and not upon the Profession of a justifying Faith Hitherto this is not done by them the contrary is fully done by others and yet to my admiration they as confidently affirm that all the Church of Christ hath gone their way or that it hath been their constant practice and that they should forsake the example of the Church if they should do otherwise and they except against my Opinion as novelty I must confess that such Experience hath brought me to lower thoughts of the credit even of good men than formerly I have had and to resolve to try before I trust One would think that the matter of fact in such a point as Baptism which we all pass through should have been out of question before this day For the proof of the Churches practice 1. I have already said enough about the Apostles own practice and the Church in their daies Even when they describe the faith which they require expresly by assent alone yet they shew that it is a saving Assent which they require and the promise of pardon and salvation is in the same or other Scriptures affixed to that Assent But this I shall not recite now 2. The constant practice of the Church since the â—postles to this day is undoubtedly known 1. by the very form of words in Baptism and 2. be the historie of their proceedings therein 1. It is certain that the Church did ever Baptize into the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost And as I have proved before the voluntary seeking and reception of that Baptism containeth the actual profession of a saving Faith 2. It is certain that the persons to be baptized if at age did profess to believe in the Father Son and holy Ghost whâ—ch as is shewed is saving faith 3. It is also certain that they did profess to renounce the Flesh the World and the Devil which is a profession of saving Repentance 4. And it is certain that they promised for the future to live in new obedience which is the consequent of saving faith and thus they publikely entered the three stipulations Crediâ— Credo Abronuncias Abrenuncio Spondes Spondeo And no man can do this that hath not saving faith therefore the professing of it is not without the professing of a saving faith Nay indeed it containeth the profession of that faith 5. Moreover it is a known case that the ancient Churches commonly took all those that were duly baptized to be in a state of salvation That they supposed them to have the pardon of all their sins I think none doubteth that ever read much of their writings Davenant in his Epistle of Baptism giveth many proofs and many hundred more may be given if any be so blind as to deny it All the doubt is Whether they also ascribe Regenerating Renewing Grace to all the rightly baptized And though Davenant deny that they ascribe the infusing of habits to it as to infants yer 1. he denieth it not as to the Adult nor 2. that they ascribed
capacity On the same ground did Peters Converts receive their Baptism Acts 2.41 For they baptized them suddenly and the Scripture mentioneth no further search that was made by the Apostles after their sincerity nor is it probable it could be done upon three thousand souls The same may be said of the Eunuch Acts 8. and the Jaylor Acts 16. and other Scripture Examples It is past question that they then took up with a present profession and therefore so must we For if any will be so overwise as to give reasons why they may swerve from these Presidents let them consider whether they teach not the licentious a way as effectually to avoid other Examples of the Apostles and so to destroy the order and Discipline of the Church Object In those times Profession did hazard mens Lives and therefore it was then a greater Evidence of sincerity then it is in prosperous times Answ. It 's true that often it was hazardous yet 1. When 3000 were converted at a time and when the Rulers durst not persecute for fear of the people and when the Churches had rest and were so edâ—fied walking in the fear of the Lord Act. 9.31 then it was not so dangerous 2. This Difference is but gradual and altereth not the case For as still they that will Live Godly shall suffer persecution so Profession is taken in Scripture for a satisfactory Evidence Arg. 2. The Law of Nature which is the ground of humane converse requireth that we believe men till they have apparently forfeited their Credit therefore so we must do here and therefore must take their Profession as a sign of the thing Professed and consequently valid Deny the Antecedent and you must overthrow all Communities and Societies which is contrary to Gods Will revealed in Scripture and in Nature They that will not believe others must not expect that others should believe them and so humane Converse will be overthrown and all men must live by themselves or live as enemies in constant diffidence of each other Obj But wicked men have forfeited their Credit and therefore their word is not to be taken Answ. They have not made such a total forfeiture quâ wicked as to warrant our unbelief For 1. There are such remnants of Common honesty in mans Nature that commonly makes a Lye to be odious and a matter apparently evil among unconverted men 2. They Profess themselves to be turned from their Wickedness and therefore you cannot refuse Credit to them upon the supposition of their wickedness which they disclaim without proof 3. The Apostles took their Profession who within a few hours before had been persecutors and guilty of the murther of the Lord of life therefore a mans wickedness before is not enough to invalidate his following Profession of true faith repentance and reformation Argum. 3. We must not censure our Brother to be a Lier without clear evidence that he is so indeed therefore we must take his Profession to be true and consequently to be valid The Antecedent is plain in Scripture No man may Judge that is ungroundedly or without a Call that would not be Judged Who art thou that Judgest another mans servant Rom. 14.4 Therefore we may not Judge them to tell a lye when we cannot prove it till they have quite forfeited their credit no more then we may lawfully Judge a man to be a thief or murderer or adulterer or Heretick when we cannot prove it If the slander of the tongue be a sin so is the slander of the heart And for the Consequence it is most clear that either the Minister must believe the mans Profession or take him for a Lyer there is no third way that can be pretended save one and that is that we must suspend our belief and neither Judge his Profession to be true or false But this cannot be here pretended with any tolerable appearance of reason For 1. God would never make mens profession necessary to their admittance and put the Minister in the power of Baptizing upon such a Profession and consequently of requiring receiving and Judgeing of that profession if we might wholly suspend our Judgement of it whether it be true or false It cannot be that I can be required as an officer of Christ to require and receive a mans Profession without any respect of the truth of it for it is therefore required that it may declare the mind or else why may not an Infidel be received without Profession 2. And if I be not to Judge of the truth of a Profesâ—ion or of the falshood then a Professâ—on apparently false may be received but that may not be as hath been manifested 3. It is denyed by learned Philosophers that the mind can possibly hang in equilibrio in such cases 4. It s one half the uncharitable sin of rash Censures to suspend the Judgement of Charity and not to Judge the person to speak truth when he hath not forfeited hâ—s credit as it is the other half to Judge him positively to speak falsly 5. A pari We must not suspend our judgement of the truth of mens Profession of Penitence that they may be Absolved and Re-admitted to Communion but must discern whether probably their Profession be true or false nor may we suspend our judgement of the Truth of that Profession which we may have occasion to require in order to the Lords Supper or to the private comforting of an afflicted conscience c. Therefore not here neither seeing the Profession is the same and the reasons at least as urgent In this point I find a learned sober Divine Mr. James Wood Professor of Theologie at Aberdeen in Scotland hath with much Christian moderation manifested his dâ—ssent from me by name in a book against Mr. Lokier concerning the matter of the visible Church pag. 149.150 151 c. A book that I never saw till a day or two before the writing of these words June 12. 1656. This Reverend man agreeth with me in the main points wherein I differ from Mr. Blake He owneth fully he necessity of the Profession of a saving Faith and alloweth of no lower Profession as a tittle to Baptism he frequently owneth the distinction between forum Dei vel interius forum Ecclesiasticum exterius and consenteth too to the application that I make of it But he thinketh that though the profession of true Faith is necessary to Baptism yet not as an Evidence of Regeneration but that we are to abstract the Profession wholly from Conversion or non conversion Pag. 8. he saith 2. when he saith Hypocrites have no Right to be in the Church or as afterward should not be there if the meaning were that men though they make a Profession of Religion yet continuing Hypocrites and graceless in their hearts do sin in adjoyning themselves to the visible Church and that they have no Right in foro interiori this we should not deny but if his meaning be that no Hypocrites have a
with water to Repentance therefore it is but an engagement of them to it for the future Answ. Our expositors have fully shewed that this signifieth no more but I baptize you upon your present Profession of Repentance to newness of life For that this Profession did go before is proved already and then the rest can be no more then the continuance of Repentance and exercise of it in newness of life which they are engaged to for the future Only if any falsly profess it at present his own confession is an engagement to it as a duty Grotiuâ— saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potest non incommode exponi hoc modo Bâ—ptizo vos super professione poenitentiae quam facitis The plain meaning it is in a word I do by baptism initiate you into the state of Repentance or of Penitents but Christ shall give the Holy-Ghost as it was poured forth And so as Pelargus speaks on Mat. 3. against Salmeron we maintain Johns baptisme to be â—ffectual being the baptism of Repentance to Remission of sin And that it was true Repentance that he required appeareth further by the fruits of it thaâ— he calleâ—h for from the Pharisees Mat. 3.6 7 8 9 Lastly I shall prove anon that God hath not appointed us to baptize any upon a promise of Repentance or faith before they profess actual faith and Repentance nor are they fit for such a covenant Argum. 2 For the proof of the necessity of a Profession of Repentance before baptism is this If Jesus Christ hath by Scripture precept and example directed us to baptize those that profess true Repentance and no other then we must baptize them and no other But the Antecedent it true therefore so is the consequent All that requireth proof is the Antecedent which I prove from an enumeration of those texts that do afford us this direction besides the forementioned 1. Jesus Christ himself did by preaching Repentance prepare men for baptism and for his kingdom as John before began to do Matth. 4.17 so Mar. 1.15 The Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and believe the Gospel And to that end he sent his Apostles and other preachers Mar. 6.12 Acts 17 30. Luke 24.47 Repentance and Remission is to be preached to all Nations in his name And baptism which is for the obsignation of Remission of sin according to the appointed order comes after Repentance And when it is said by John I baptize you with water to Repentance but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost Mat. 3.11 Mar. 1.8 Luk. 3.16 It implyeth that Christs baptism comprehended Johns and somewhat more in Act. 2.37 38. when the Jews were pricked in their heart which was a preparatory Repentance and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles men and brethren what shall we do Peter saith to them Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins so that we must require and expect true Evangelical Repentance to be professed before baptism for ver 41. it s added then they that gladly received his word were baptized so that he baptized none that to outward appearance did not gladly receive that word which could not be without a profession of that Repentance And he that here perswadeth them to repent and be baptized for remission doth in the next chapter ver 19. require them to repent and be converted that their sins may be blotted out shewing what kind of Repentance it is that he meaneth And as the work of General Preachers to the unbelieving world is sometime called a discipling of Nations which goeth before baptizing them Mat. 28.19 20. So is it in other places called a Preaching of Repentance and commanding all men everywhere to Repent Acts 17.30 An opening of mens eyes and turning them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive Remission obsigned in baptism Act. 26.18 to repent and turn to God ver 20. And it was the sum of Pauls preaching to the unbaptized Repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ Act. 20.21 So that it is apparent that they took the profession or appearance of both Faith and Repentance as pre-requisite to baptism And still this same repentance is it that hath the remission of sin connexed Act. 5.31 Luk. 24 47. It s repentance unto life Act. 11.18 And when the Apostles compare Johns baptism with Christs they still acknowledge Johns to be the baptism of Repentance Act. 13.24 and 19.4 and when the Apostle doth purposely recite the principles of our religion he doth it in this order Heb. 6.1 2. The foundation of repentance from dead works and Faith towards God the doctrine of Baptism c. Argum. 3. They that before they are baptized must renounce the world the flesh and the devil must profess true Evangelical Repentance I mean still such as hath a promise of pardon and salvation but all that are baptized must by themselves or others renounce the world flesh and devil of which we shall have occasion to say more anon Argum. 4. They that profess to be buried with Christ in baptism and to rise again do profess true Repentance but all that are baptized must profess to be buried with him and rise again therefore c. The Major is proved in that to be buried and risen with Christ signifieth A being dead to sin and alive to God and newness of life and it is not only as is feigned by the Opposers an engagment to thâ—s for the future but a profession of it also at the present This with the rest we thus prove Col. 2.11 12.13 In whom ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ buried with him in baptism wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead and you being dead in your sins the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses where note 1. that this is spoken to al the Church of the Colossians therefore they are presumed to be what they profess and appear to be 2. that the putting of the body under the water did signifie our burial with Christ and the death or putting off of our sins And although we now use a less quantity of water yet it is to signifie the same thing or else we should destroy the being of the Sacrament so also our rising out of the water signifieth our rising and being quickened together with him 3. Note also that it is not only an engagement to this hereafter but a thing presently done They were in baptism buried with Christ and put off the body of sin and were quickened with him and this doth also suppose their own present Profession to put off the body of sin and their consent to be baptized on
these terms The like we have in Rom. 6. chap. 4.5 Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the father even so we also should walk in newness of life for if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also into the likeness of his resurrection Here also it is evident 1. That all the members of the visible Church are supposed to be baptized into Christ and into his Death and so to be buried with him by baptism into death and planted together into the likeness of his death 2. And that this is not supposed to be only an Engagement for the future but a present entrance into the state of Mortification and Vivification wherein they were to proceed by newness of life And therefore ver 5.6 7 8 11. They are supposed to have the old man crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed And that henceforth they should not serve sin And that they are so dead as to be freed from sin as to the servitude thereof And that they must reckon themselves dead to sin but alive to God He that Readeth the whole Chapter with judgement and Impartiality will soon discern that true Repentance and Abrenunciation of the service of sin was to be professed by all that would be Baptized And that hereupon they Sealed their own Profession and Covenant by the reception of Baptism as Christ Sealed his part by the actual baptizing them and that hereupon they are by the Apostle all called and supposed such as they professed themselves to be Argum. 5. If it be the very nature and use of baptism to signifie and Seal both the present putting off the body of sin and present putting on Christ then the profession of true Repentance must needs precede or concur with baptism but the former is certain of which more anon I conclude then that both Scripture and the very signs themselves and the common consent of the Church of which more after do shew that true Repentance and present Repentance must be professed by all those that we may baptize or whose children we may baptize on their account And consequently that true saving faith which is Inseparable from it and some think is the same thing must needs be Professed too and not only Promised We should before we leave this Argument hear what the Opposers say against it but they are all in pieces the Papists I mean among themselves about it some of them confessing what we plead for and others of them Especially the New ones contradicting it but by such reasons as I think not worth the while now to discuss There are two Reverend men of our own whose unhappy owning the cause that we argue against doth call us to a more respectful Consideration of their Answers viz. Dr. Sam Ward and Mr. Thomas Blake The former saith Concedo neminem Adultorum ad Baptismum admitti debere absque Professione fidei Poenitentiae Concedo iterum solidam poenitentiam conjunctam cum vera vivâ fide in mediatorem obtinere praesentaneam peccatorum remissionem apud Deum You see how much of my Argument is here yielded Sed nego poenitentiam aut fidem Initialem qua judicio Apostolorum sufficiebat ad dandum Baptisma desiderantibus semper eorum judicio aut praesumptione suffecisse ad tales ponendos in statu adeptae reconciliationis remissionis peccatorum regenerationis aut Salutis c. The sum is that there are two sorts of Repentance and Faith one Initial which the Apostles thought a sufficient Title to Baptism and the other saving or connexed to Justification And this they did not expect a Profession of or suppose but put them in the way to it Answ. To this I shall return Mr. Gatakers answer Contra Wardum pag. 71. Ego quaenam sit sides illa ac poenitentia Initialis non intelligo qua praeâ—itum quis ausit ad Baptismum admittere quem tamen vera vivaque in Mediatorem fide imbuâ—um nondum credat Philippus certè Aethiopi baptismum poscenti Si credas inquit ex toto corde licet Act. 8.38 Quasi non baptizaturus nisi id ille profiteretur ipseque Charitatis saltem judicio ità credere credat Non vult â—um baptizare nifi credat Inquit Lutherus in Gen. 48. Nec fidem tantùm Initialem illam volebat qui ex toto corde poscit ut credat Et de Anâ—nia Calvinus ad Act. 22.16 Verae fidei expertem non baptizasset ea nempe imbutum praesumpsisse vult Et ex Christo ipso id didicisse videtur Act. 9.11 See the rest I add only the saying of Peter Martyr which be concludeth with in Rom. 3. Vnam esse verae poenitentiae rationem quae à baptizandis adultis exigatur It is milâ—i Impress TIGUR 1559. pag. 148. Where he reprehendeth some Papists quòd sibi singunt in Baptismo poenitentiam non requiri and confuteth them so he doth also in c. 11.864 and the repentance that he requireth is described p. 143. sed quicquid illi Colonienses dicunt una est ratio verae poenitentiae ut ex animo doleamus admissa peccatae quae Deum à nobis abalienaverunt Cui dolori adjungitur desiderium condonationis preces ut eam obtineamus cum certo proposito non amplius incurrendi in eadem peccata voluntate mortificandi veterem induendi novum quae omnia fide niti oportet quae sine illa constare non possunt Much out of this Author we shall produce anon But I have spoke to this of Dr. Wards already in the Appendix to my Treatise of Baptism 1. To which of mine Mr. Blake taking exceptions and publishing them I published my Defence and among many more used this Argument from the Necessity of Repentance but Mr. Blake found it easier to say that of almost forty Arguments few were to the question and so to pass them by than to give us a satisfactory answer to them But yet I find him upon the Point against another Pag. 107 108. And there I find this Question Did they the Apostles so require it Repentance as in reality to precede Baptism Or were Satisfied with a Profession of it I answer If that you yield the last it is enough to the main Point of difference Pag. 108. He saith Faith takes Christ to give Repentance Answ. Only saving faith is properly called a Taking Christ And that takes Christ to give more Repentance but not to give the first Repentance For Christ gives the first Faith and Repentance ut Amesius in medulla lâ—b 1. de Vocat before faith take him But if it were otherwise yet both are to go before baptism according to the Intention of the Institutor or the Profession of both To that Mat. 3. They
many Scriptures if not to many erroneous Doctrines also And when they read of Faith simply they commonly take it for meer Assent And so they are led into error in the present controversie For when they find that he that Believeth must be Baptized they conclude presently with Bellarmine that sides non charitas facit Christianum he that assenteth is a Believer therefore may be baptized But our Divines have so frequently and so voluminously confuted this conceit and proved against them that faith is in the Will as well as the understanding and that to Believe in signifieth to Accept or rest upon or have Affiance in and that Faith and Love are inseparable yea true and through Assent that I shall not needlesly stand to do again a work so oft and fully done And themselves confess that when Faith is mentioned as Justifying it includeth the act of the Will which they call Charity And sure we have oft proved against them that this is the faith that is meant in Gods Covenant and in our Baptismal Profession and Covenant with him and in the Creed In a word that Faith which is meant by God in the Covenant offered must be meant by us in our profession of Accepting this offer But it is a true saving Faith which hath a promise of Remission which is meant by God in the Covenant offered therefore this must be meant by us c. The Major is clear because else we do but Equivocate with God and we do not Accept the same thing that he offereth The Minor is clear in that the Covenant of Grace is but one and that one Covenant offereth Christ and Life to all that will accept him so that the Acceptance puts us into a participation of Christ and Life The Covenant offereth pardon of sin to all that Believe or Receive Christ therefore it is a saving faith that it means because it annexeth saving special Benefits To these I add another Argument which is this The hearty Acceptance of the Gift is the first and principal part of our Heart-covenanting with God The hearty Acceptance of that same Gift is saving faith therefore the first and principal part of our Heart-covenanting with God is the same thing as saving Faith The like I say of the Professions of each Or thus Our Heart-covenanting is the principal condition of the Promise or Gods part of the Covenant Our saving Faith is the principal condition of the Promise Therefore our Heart-covenanting and our saving faith are the same The Major I prove by the Medium of the fore-going Argument Our hearty Acceptance of the Gift is the Principal condition of the Promise But this hearty Acceptance of the Gift is the first and principal part of our Heart-covenanting therefore our Heart-covenanting is the principal condition of the Promise or the first and chief part of that covenating at least The Major is proved 1. In that it is a free Gift And our Divines against the Doctrine of Justification by Works or Merit have fully proved that it s so free that Acceptance is the condition of our Interest 2. And the free Offers of the Gospel fully confirm it Isa. 55 1 2.3 Rev. 22.17 c. The main point that is necessary for me to insist on is the proof of the Minor which yet is so plain from what is said and the very nature of the Gospel offer that one would think it should need no more to be said to it But that I perceive some few do misapprehend the nature of our covenanting with God as if it were only an Agreement or Covenant to do somewhat for the future that God may do somewhat for us for the future And this gross mistake gross indeed in the very point of the Gospel promise which is our only tenure of our Title to Life doth animate abundance of dark confused quarrelsom contradictions and oppositions which I have had on this point It is a matter of very sad consideration that any Preacher of the Gospel had need to be perswaded that the first and great part of the Covenant of Grace offered by God and accepted by us doth consist in present Giving and Receiving not only in mutual Promises for hereafter The Gospel is a most free Deed of Gift some of its benefits it actually giveth on condition of meer Acceptance to be presently possest and some of them on condition too but in a waiting obediential way to be hereafter possest In respect to the presently given benefiâ—s the Gospel is a Deed of Gift presently entitling us to them and our present acceptance is the condition But in regard of the future Benefits the Gospel is also a Deed of Gift but giveth not present Title or at least not so full and therefore requireth future conditions as it gives future Benefits At the present in the New Covenant God giveth himself to be our God Christ to be our Saviour Head and Husband the Holy Ghost to be our Sanctifier and also the present actual pardon of our sins the Justification of our Persons the Adoption of Sons the indwelling Spirit a Right to a beneficial use of the Creature and a Right to the Inheritance of Everlasting life so far that if we should die that hour we should be saved All these God offered us at the present on condition of our Accptance or consent This consent is our Heart-covenanting so that this first and great part of the Covenant consisteth but in the present Giving and taking of all these Benefits which in a word the Apostle expresseth 1 John 5.11 12 by the words Christ and eternal Life God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life The remaining part of the Benefits are our future helps of Grace Pardons Protections final Absolution at Judgement and eternal Glory All these we have a right to at our first Justification but it is a right to be continued only on some future conditions that is on the condition of our continuance in the Faith which we begun and of our renewed faith and Repentance and sincere Gospel-Obedience which is to be performed in a receiving way Now its true that as to these future conditions we do not actually perform them in our covenating but promise them as God doth not then actually give us the very Blessings now mentioned but promise them But as to all the first expressed great Benefits as God did before our Consents but promise and offer them but in our covenanting or consent doth actually give them so we do by our covenanting in heart which is nothing but our consenting or accepting perform the conditions of Gods promise and thus our very covenanting with God is the same thing as our fulfiling the conditions of the Covenant that is of Gods conditional Deed of Gift which before gave us Christ and Life if we would accept them and now giveth them
expounds the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus Id est praed cabat baptisma resipiscentiae quod ad Remissionem peccatorum pertinet seu destinatum est ut Act. 2.38 sed hoc est rectè intelligenduÌ„ viz ad Remissionem peccatoruÌ„ testificandam sive obsignandam non autem ad illam consequendam hoc opere And on Mal. 3.11 Observe he shews that Christs Baptism and Johns are the same in that both have the same end and use viz. Obsignatio Remissionis peccatorum Resipiscentiae that is as already extant as his Judgement is oft delivered As in his Schol. on ver 11. he expresly saith In resipiscentiâ—m id est in testimonium Resipiscentiae ut nimirum susceptione baptismi testatum faciatis vos resipuisse indies magis ac magis resipiscere velle sed simul hìc intelligendum Joannem baptizasse quoque in remissionem peccatorum hoc est in remissionem peccatorum ut nimirum nomine Dei testatum faceret resipiscentibus in Christum credentibus peccata ipsis remissa esse propter Christum agnum Dei. And I pray mark his observation on Mat. 3.6 8 10. concluding our present Question Baptismus nulli adulto conferendus est nisi prius ediderit confessionem peccatoruÌ„ fidei in ChristuÌ„ ac praeterea promissionem sanctae vitae which he proves And as he shews that it is Saving Faith and Repentance that he means which hath the promise of remission so the promise of a holy Life cannot be sincerely made by any till he have a Regenerate heart See Doctor Hammond on Mark 1.4 Calvin on Mat. 3.6 saith ergò ut se ritè ad Baptismum offerant homines peccatorum Confessio ab illis requiritur alioqui enim quà m inane esset ludicrum tota actio If I had charged the guilty so of making the whole work of Baptism ludicrous they would have been highly offended Calvin shews his judgement that it is a true special Repentance which he would require this Confession to manifest And he addeth Notandum est de adultis hic verba fieri quos scimus non promiscuè in Ecclesiam esse admittendos nec Baptismo initiandos esse in corpus Christi nisi examine prius habito viz. about the said Repentance and Faith Paraeus on Mat. 3.5 shews that the order was that Confession as a testimony of true Repentance go first and then Baptism for Remission of sins confessio post ponitur sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 constructionis Confesii baptizabantur pro Cum confessi essent peccata baptismum accipiebant Sacramentum remissionis peccatorum Non prius baptizabantur postea confitebantur Auditores igitur primò in testimonium Resipâ—scentiae confitebantur sua peccata deinde baptizabaÌ„tur tertiò fide Baptismi fructum suscipiebant RemissioneÌ„ peccatorum Docet hic locus varia 1. Quod Baptismus sit sacramentuÌ„ Remissionis peccatorum ex parte Dei spondet enim Deus ceu jurejurando baptizatis remissionem gratuitam peccatorum propter Christum 2. Quod sit etiam sacramentum Resipiscentiae ex parte nostra Restipulamur enim Deo fidem poenitentiam pro tanto beneficio That is both profess it at present and engage to continue in it answering the interrogation Credis with a Credo and not only a Credam 3. Ad Sacramenta non esse admittendos Impoenitentes He speaks of the Repentance which had the promise of Remission Hoc enim damus Anabaptistis in Ecclesiam suscipiendos baptizandos non esse nisi praevia confessione Fidei Poenitentiae by the adult quem morem vetus servavit Ecclesia nostrae hodie observant si vel Judaeus vel Turca adultus baptismo sit iniâ—i indus And on verse 7. he saith which will be harsh to our Opponents Ex concione ipsa datur intelligi multos illerum simulata poenitentia etiam baptismuÌ„ petivisse Horum hypocrisin cùm non ignoraret non passus eos latere in turba nec ad baptismum indignos admisit sed acri objurgatione hortatione comminatione ad seriam resipiscentiam extimulat ad baptismum praeparat where he goeth three steps beyond our Opposers who 1. will not have us require as necessary so much as a shew of this Repentance 2. Much less the sincerity of it 3. nor to deny them Baptism as unworthy till they are prepared After he shews that Hypocrits will creep in among the good partly such as we cannot discern and those are to be left to the judgement of God partim manifesti quos Pastores admittere non debent sine examine nè Sacramenta prostâ—tuant sibi Ecclesiae reatum attrahant How little do our confident opposers fear this Facite fructus dignos Poenitentiae Pro Cavete mihi vel Deo hypocrisi illudere sed videte ut veram poenitentiam agatis ab erroribus peccatis vestris siâ— baptismum Novae Ecclesiae sacramentum suscipiatis Fructus poenitentiae vocat ut palam erroribus sectis vitiis suis renuncient emendatione vitae se novos homines deinceps testentur Non enim satis est foris poeniteÌ„tiaÌ„ simulare quod etiaÌ„ hypocritae solent c. And p. 56. against Maldonate he proveth the Baptism of Christ and John all one and when Maldonate saith that John baptized in poenitentium baptismus praecedebat poenitentia sequebatur confessing that in Christs Baptism Repentance precedes he answereth that it is false Nam etiam in Joannis baptismo praecedebat poenitentia sequebatur baptismus If then it be certain that Johns Baptism was for present Remission of sins even the obsignation of a Remission already conferred by the promise it will be at least as evident that Christs Baptism is so to and accordingly to be administred Hence it is that the Faith which the Apostles before they baptized men did perswade them to was still a Justifying Faith as Act. 13.38 39. passim as that which they were to annex the Seal of Baptism to or to Gods promise on mens believing 2 Pet. 1.9 It is said of the barren ungodly Professor that he hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins where I take it for a clear case that it is the Baptismal Washing which the Apostle there intendeth wherein all profess to put off the Old Man and to be washed from their former filthiness For I suppose we shall be loth to yield that it was an actual cleansing either of Remission or Mortification which the Apostle meaneth left we grant that men may fall from such a state And therefore it must be a Sacramental washing or Cleansing wherein the matter was appearingly and sacramentally transacted From whence it is plain that the Apostle took it for granted that as all the Baptized were visibly Church-Members so were they all visibly washed from their old sins which sheweth both what was their own Profession and what was the stated end and use of the Ordinance The Apostle saith
Regenerate because he saith as many of you I answer it is manifest that he speaks of all 1 Because it was all of them that were baptized into Christ. 2. He expresly saith as much in the next foregoing words vers 26. For ye are all the Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus To which the words following are annexed as the proof For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. The assumption is implied But you have all bin baptized into Christ therefore ye have all put on Christ and so in him are all the Children of God 2. Note that they are the special gifts of saving grace that are here ascribed to all the Baptized 3. Note also that all this is said and proved to be by faith 4. Note also that it is expresly said to be a â—ustifying faith before vers 24. That we we might be justifyed by faith Indeed this Text affordeth us divers Arguments 1. The Apostle supposeth all the Baptized to profess a justifying faith among the Galathians therefore so must we suppose of others and expect that they do it The Antecedent is proved from vers 24 25. and 27. compared 2. All the Baptized are said to have put on Christ therefore they are supposed to profess that faith by which Christ is put on But that is only justifying faith 3. All that are duly Baptized are baptized into Christ therefore they are supposed to profess that faith by which men are united or ingraffed into Christ but that is only justifying faith But the rest of the Arguments here will be further touched on anon Mr. Blake saith p. 152. Whether all union with Christ imply Regeneration let John 15.2 be consulted where an union with Christ is clearly held out Yet Mr. Baxter brings that text among others to prove that there are some saints that shall never be saved Answ. 1. But I told you that by Saints I meant only those that profess an Acceptance of Christ and not your Saints that only profess a lower faith In this you do by me as you use 1. Union with Christ in the primary and proper sense is proper to the sound believer or else no Title or benefit on earth is proper to him But as those are believers in profession that are not so in heart so those are united to or ingraffed into the Church and so to Christ by an outward Profession who are not so in heart And this is called a Union because they profess that inward Union which they have not which is the famosius significatum Whether these be only equivocally said to be united to Christ we shall enquire in season But tell me where any man was ever said in scripture to be united to Christ without saving faith or the Profession of it 3. I suppose you know how many of our Divines do expound Iohn 15 of a saving Union and take the cautions about unfruitfulness and Apostacy to be de rebus nunquam futuris purposely given that they might not be future But this I stick not on Next he citeth Mr. Cobbet Mr. Hudson and Mr. Ames to shew that Christ is the head of the visible Church and hath many unfruitful members c. Answ. As pertinent as most Citations that I there have met with that is utterly impertinent It 's yielded that as they have a Profession of saving faith so by profession they are members of the visible Church But prove if you can that ever any are such visible members but the professors of a saving faith and their Children I conclude then that Christ hath appointed no Baptism but what is for a visible marriage of the soul to himself as the Protestants ordinarily confess therefore he hath appointed no Baptism but for those that profess to take Jesus Christ for their Husband and to give up themselves to him as his Espouse But this is a Profession of Justifying faith For heartily to take Christ for our Head and Husband is true saving faith and proper to his own Regenerate people if any thing in the world be so And no man can profess to be married to Christ that doth noâ— profess to take him for a Husband Therefore for my part I never intend to baptize any without profession of saving faith As for Mr. Blakes answer that we are oftener said here to be espoused to Christ then married I think that this and many hundred such passages do need no answer But yet I shall say 1. Either will serve my turn No unregenerate man is truly espoused to Christ. 2. Though the whole Church in one be solemnly to be married to Christ at judgement that is presented perfect justified and glorified yet that particular believers are married to Christ here I am resolved by Gods assistance to believe while I believe Isa. 54.5 Eph. 5. and many other Texts of scripture Arg. 10. If Paul account all the Baptized Saints or sanctified men dead with Christ and risen with him such as have put on Christ sons of God by Adoption Abraham seed Heirs according to promise and justified then did they all profess a true justifying faith But the Antecedent is certain ergò so is the consequent The Antecedent Mr. Blake confesseth And I shall prove it by parts The consequence is that which lieth chiefly on me to prove and I shall do both together The Apostle in the beginning of his Epistle to the Corinthians and in may other places calls the whole Church Saints 1 Cor 6.11 He saith to them But ye are washed ye are sanctified c That part of the Antecedent then is certain The consequence I prove thus There are none called Saints in all the new Testament but only such as where in heart Devoted to Christ by a saving faith or Professed so much therefore the word Saints in this case must signifie only such If any will prove a third sort of Saints viz. such as profess a faith not saving they must do that which I never yet saw done 2. The first and most famous signification of the word Saints or Sanctified in the new Testament is only of them that are in heart devoted to Christ by true faith therefore the borrowed or Analogical or less proper signification call it what you list must be of that which hath the likeness or appearance of this and that is only the profession of it and not the profession of another thing 3. Let us peruse the texts and see whether it be not a special Saint-ship which Paul ascribeth to these and therefore as to appearance and Profession they had 1 Cor. 6.11 such were some of you but ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God and that sanctification whâ—ch is joyned with justification which is wrought by the spirit of God cleansing men from their former reigning sins which else would have kept them out of the Kingdom of God and which
was in them that must judge Angels ver 3. was a special saving sanctification But such did this seem to Paul which he speaketh of as is exprest in the Text therefore there must needs be at least a Profession of this And because Mr. Blake tells me pag. 14â— how well I know that he hath proved his assertion I shall peruse all those Texts which he citeth to that end in his Book of the Covenants pâ—g 207 208. And first we must observe that the persons that he there himself speaketh of are Visible Professors as distinct from the Elect and Regenerate yea from those that are really Saints and shall be for heaven And he calleth them men separate for God and Dedicated to him But this is unedifying slippery dealing to confound two distinct causes toâ—â—ther He that is professedly Dedicated to God is a Professor of saving Faith He that is really and heartily Dedicated to â—od shall certainly be saved Here Mr. Blake pleadeth the cause that I do maintain and not that which he hath undertaken against me and the common truth I confess as well as he that Profession maketh Saints visible or by profession as hearty Dedication to God by faith maketh real or heart-Saints But how angry is he himself afterwards at this distinction of Real and Professed Saints as if that none but the justified were real Saints But what is all this to a Saint-ship consisting in the Profession of a faith short of that which is Justifying I shall take these last to be Mr. Blake's Saints and no Scripture Saints I mean Saints of his denomination till he have better proved that ever Scripture so calleth them The Texts cited by him are these Frst Psal. 16.3 Saints on earth And I yield to him that there are Saints on earth Then 1 Cor. 16.1 Heb. 16.10 where we read of Collections for the Saints and Administration to the Saints By these I doubt not but he may prove that more than the heart-Saints are called Saints but that is because they profess and seem to be heart-Saints These Texts are far from proving that there are any Saints that profess not saving sanctity I shall anon tell Mr. Blake who they were that Calvin and other Protestants do expound the word Saints of in such Passages as these though he hath already told us that he abhorreth the Doctrine which they maintain But this is a Practical case that Mr. Blake hath here put us upon the Communion of Saints doth not only consist in Conjunction in God's Worship but also in mutual relief and free communication of outward things as the Text which he here citeth doth declare Those therefore that are of his mind must communicate as well to the Professors of a common Faith as of a saving Faith But hear who they be that Pareus supposeth Paul to mean in loc Docemur vero ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sanctorum quam credimus etiam huc pertinere ut necessitatibus fratrum mutuò tangamur pro virili succurramus prompte fideliter sumus enim unius Corporis membra c. Nam Fidei charitatis unitas omnes in Christo Capite conjungit It is then the Members of Christ united in him and joyned in Faith and Love And those that Profess to be such are so to us Acts 26.10 Acts 9.2 When Paul shut up many of the Saints in prison and did much evil against them he knew no other way of distinction than an outward Profession c. saith Mr Blake Answ. Nor do we know means hearts nor think that Paul knew them But the Question is What they professed Whether saving Sanctity or a common Sanctity and Faith short of it He addeth We read of Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 and they were taken in to be Church-Members as soon as they made profession as they ceased to be Jews or Pagans and took them to the way of Christianity as we see Act. 2. Act. 8.12 13 38. Ans. 1. They renounced the way of ungodliness and wickedness in general by a Profession of repentance as well as the way of Paganism and Judaiism in particular There were no Christians that Professed not Repentance towards God from dead works 2. We believe that there were Churches of the Saints and therefore that none should be of the Church that Profess not to be true Saints But prove if you can that there was ever either Church or Church-member called Saints in Scripture that had no either special Sanctity or a Profession of it You say nothing to prove that any were called Saints upon the Profession of a Faith short of saving Faith Emphaticum est saith Calvin in loc quod exprimit sanctorum acsi Ecclesias rite compositas à sinistra nota subduceret Of which see him fully on 1 Cor. 1.2 And as for those Acts 8. you cannot prove that any of them were either called Saints or Baptized without a Profession of a Justifying faith as shall further be shewed afterward M. Blake addeth The Epistles wrote to particular visible Churches are inscribed to Saints among which what some are read both the Epistles to the Corinthians yea what almost all are in some Churches read the Epistle to the Church of Sardis Answ. 1. No man in any of these Churches is called a Saint upon the Profession of any lower kind of faith but only on the presence or profession of saving faith 2. I have not heard a proof that the worst of these Churchâ—s had many members if any that were impenitent and obstinâ—te in any error or sin after admonition and so that were visibly destitute of the saving Sanctity which they did Profess 3. If such there were the Churches are commanded to cast them out and then they will be no longer numbred with the Saints 4. The Apostles may well call the whole Society Saints when part are really so in heart and the rest Profess it We commonly tell both Papists and Separatists that the Scripture thus denominateth the whole from the better part as a field is called a Corn-field though theree be more Tares then Corn and yet you will not call the Tares Corn No more will I call the ungodly Saints when I know them though I will call the Church Saints where they are and them while they Profess themselves Saints and I know not but they are so 5. If you can with patience but read what Clavin saith on 1 Cor. 1.2 and Peter Martyr to name no more now you will see that Doctrine which you abhor maintained by the Protestants and in what current it is that your opinion floweth Mr. Blake adds The Apostle tells us of the faith once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. the doctrine of Faith as is agreed on all hands all that profess that Doctrine are Saints Answ. All that cordially entertain that Doctrine are Saints in Heart All that profess so to entertain it are Saints by Profession while that Profession hath any validity But all that barely
profess to assent to the truth of that Doctrine and no moâ—e unless as that Assent may imply the Consent of the Will are not Saints But let us peruse some other Texts besides these that Mr. Blake citeth The Congregations of the Saints are mentioned in the Old Testament as Psal. 89 5 7. and 149 1. But what Saints these were may appear by the Promises made to them Ps. 149.5 9 4 16.3 37.28 97.10 132.9 16. 145 10. The Children of Israel a people neer unto him are called Saints Psal. 148.14 but it is because they are a part of them his people in heart and the rest profess themselves to be his People in a saving sense And if there were any that did not so he was not an Israelite by Religion nor to be of that Common-wealth but to be cut off from his People Acts 9.13 The Saints at Jerusalem that Paul persecuted were such as not only professed saving Faith but also had the witness of Martyrdom and Persecutions to testifie their Sincerity They that continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and breaking bread and prayers having all things common selling their possessions and goods and parting them to all men as every man had need praising God c. did profess more then a Faith and Repentance short of that by which we are saved But so did the Church at Jerusalem Act. 2.41 42. to the end yea the multitude of them that Believed were of one heart one soul and great grace was upon them all c. Acts 4.32 to 36. so that we may see what Saints the Church at Jerusalem were And if all were not such we see evidently that the whole was denominated from such The Church of Rome were all called Saints Rom. 1.7 True But what was meant by that word and what Saints did they appear to Paul by their Profession to be Even such as were beloved of God whose Faith was spoken of throughout the world that were dead to sin but alive to God that had obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine delivered to them and being made free from sin became the servants of Righteousness and of God having their fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life Rom. 1.7 8. and 6 11 14 17 18 21. whose obedience was come abroad to all men Rom. 16.19 Here is more then the Profession of a common Faith The Corinthians are called Saints True But what is meant by Saints such as called on the name of the Lord Iesus Christ having much of his grace enriched by him in all things coming behind in no Gift waiting for the coming â—f our Lord Iesus Christ who shall confirm them to the end that they may be blameless at his coming 1 Cor. 1.2 to ver 10. all was theirs 1. Cor. 3.22 23. They were such Saints as were washed and sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of God and such as were to â—udge the World and the Angels Chap. 6.3 11. delivered from that unrighteousness that would have kept from Heaven ver 9.10 11. such as had no temptation but what was common to man whom the faithful God would not suffer to be tempted above their strength c. Chap. 10.13 such as were not so much as to eat with the notoriously wicked Chap. 5 11. and therefore doubtless Professed Godliness themselves in whom godly sorrow had wrought carefulness clearing of themselves zeal c. 2 Cor. 7.11 in whom the Apostle had confidence in all things ver 16. Object But Paul saith they were carnal and taxeth them with some gross Errors and Sins Answ. 1. So are all the Regenerate carnal in part and guilty of too many sins And it is not Impenitency after admonition that he chargeth them with Their sin was no worse to our eye than David's or Solomon's 2. If any were so bad as to be notoriously ungodly those are not of that number whom he calleth Saints as they are not of them that have the following Descriptions of Saints which I have cited but only were among them but not of them The Galathians I find not called Saints but to call them a Church of Christ or Believers is Equipollent And what Saints were they Why they were all the Sons of God by Faith in Christ Jesus having been baptized into Christ and put him on and were all one in him and were Abraham's seed and heirs according to the Promise Gal. 3.26 27 29. And because they were sons God sent the Spirit of his Son into their hearts by which they cryed Abba Father and therefore were no more servants but sons and if sons then heirs of God through Christ. Object But Paul was afraid of them lest he bestowed upon them labour in vain Answ. 1. It appeareth by what is said that it was not such a fear as made him take them for ungodly 2. This confirmeth what I maintain that the Apostles judgement of them proceeded according to the Evidences of probability He took himself bound to believe their Profession so far as they contradicted it not and according to the prevalency of their Errors which were against it he was jealous of their condition and if they had proceeded so far as to have declared themselves certainly ungodly Paul would have denominated them a Church no more The Church of Ephesus are called Saints Eph. 1.1 But what Saints such as were blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before him in love pâ—edestinated to the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his Grace wherein he made them accepted in the beloved in whom they had redemption through his blood the remission of sins and have obtained an Inheritance being predestinated c. Who trusted in Christ and were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of their Inheritance they were such as believed in the Lord Jesus and loved all the saints and were quickened who had been dead in trespasses and sins were raised up together and made to sit in heavenly places If Mr. Blake while he abhorreth the name of a Saint or Church equivocally so called would not make all words equivocal that in Scripture are used to denominate or describe a Church or Saint we might easily be resolved by such passages as these what Paul meaneth by a Church or Saint See further Eph. 3.18 All Saints comprehend what is the breadth and length depth height and Christ dwelleth in their hearts by faith and they rooted and grounded in love Eph. 3.17 18. But Mr. Blakes Saints do none of this therefore they are no Saints in Scripture sense With this text compare Eph. 2.19 and see what a Church is and what it is to be fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and
other and they ever lye under all this Obligation You next instance in Prayer and conclude that As for Prayer there is no more ground or colour to make it a converting Ordinance than the Supper c. Repl. 1. A man that hath but common desires may be perswaded to ask for what he so desires Though he have no Promise of Acceptance you do not find him threatned with judgement for such a Prayer so it be not groslâ— hypocritical or wicked as he is for unworthy receiving the Supper without a discerning the Lords Body 2. When we exhort any man to pray for Christs pardon the Spirit c. we therein exhort him to desire them for desire is the soul of Prayer and the chief part of its essence Now the first of these desires which we exhort them to is conversion it self even that they would turn to God by a change of their wills and express them in Prayer 3. I can shew you where the wicked are commanded to seek the Lord that is by Prayer to express their returning hearts which implyeth their returning it self but you cannot shew where ever they are commanded to communicate with the Church in the Sacrament but in this order first to be converted and repent and so baptized and so communicate or if Baptized already to be Penitents first and Communicants next But if you would have all exhorted to the Lords Supper for conversion whom we are bound to exhort to Prayer for conversion you would do that which I confess I dare not do The 11. Argument was that Ordinance which is Eucharistical and consolatory supposeth such as partake of it to have part and portion in that thing for which thanks is given c. but c. To this it s answered that the assumption might as well have bin of the Word and Prayer which are Eucharistical and Consolatory Repl. 1. To hear a Sermon is not to give thanks 2. The Application of the Word must be according to mens various states An unregenerate man may take this for consolation If I be converted and repent and believe I shall be saved A true believer may apply it to another measure of consolation because I am a believer this Promise is mine that is secureth me of the benefit Now if the Impenitent and unbeliever shall do the later he sins such another sin as if he received the Sacrament which is an Ordinance Instituted for personal assumption and application of the general Promise 2. As for Prayer 1. To petition is not to give thanks 2. And for Thanksgiving it self an Impenitent man may not give thanks for true saving faith Repentance part in Christ and hope of Glory though he may for the mercy that he hath because he may not lye Now in the Lords Supper we must give thanks for our part in Christ and pardon and life through him or at least for the present Gift of Christ to us which we consent to accept It s added This Ordinance is not wholly Eucharistical c. It is for humbling as well as for comforting Repl. But if the other use be common to it with other Ordinances and here Inseparable from the Eucharistical then other Ordinances may be used to that end but this may not by him that may not do both because if he receive the Sacrament he signally Professeth both The substance of the twelfth Argument with its answer is spoke to before where Mr. Blake saith that The unregenerate may so far be suitably worthy for this work that he may know himself called to it and that it would be his sin to hold back from it and he may hopefully expect a blessing in it I reply 1. That he is called to it remotely that is first to repent and believe and to communicate we yield and that it is every mans sin that keeps off that is that comes not in this order But that he may lawfully come before this Repentance you never proved nor shall do I think 2. I would you could shew us on what ground he may hopefully expect a blessing in it True hope goeth not beyond the promise but the unregenerate have no promise unless the Arminians be in the right of a blessing on any Ordinance much less on that which they cannot prove that they may use till they are converted Yet Hope in a larger sense they may have where they can prove that God hath set them a work though they have no promise But that 's not here The 13th Argument is That Ordinance which was instituted for Communion of Saints is intended only for Saints c. It s answered by distinguishing of Sants as such by calling and separation for God or regeneration and that the Lords supper is the priviledge of the Church as visible Repl. Its one thing to ask Who may demand it and come there and another to ask To whom may we give it We may give it to all professedly separated for God None may ask or take it but those that are heartily separated to God But your Professor of a lower faith is neither of these and therefore may neither seek it nor may we give it him if he do seek it Whoever professeth himself separated for God doth profess saving sanctification which consisteth therein Self and Earth is highest in all the unregenerate therefore they are not separated heartily to God The 14th Argument was If Baptism it self to the adult is not regenerating or converting then not the Lords supper but c. This Argument Mr. Blake hath no more to say to but that this seemeth to suppose an opinion of Conversion by the very work done which he disclaimeth But here is no such supposition at all intimated and he should have dealt with it as he found it and not so have bawkt it especially when Mr. Gilaspie had so explained and confirmed it And because Mr. Blake thought best to silence Mr. Gilaspie's proof of his Assumption and I think it worthy the Readers observation at least that he may see how far Mr. Blake is from truth in his affirmations of the singularity of my opinion I shal here transcribe them Aaron 's Rod blossoming pag. 514.515 The assumption that baptism it self is not a Regenerating Ordinance I prove thus 1. Because we read of no persons of age baptized by the Apostles except such as did profess faith in Christ gladly received the Word and in whom some begun work of the Spirit of Grace did appear I say not that it really was in all but somewhat of it did appear in all 2. If the baptism of those who are of age be a regerating Ordinance then you suppose the person to be baptized to be an unregenerate person even as when a Minister first preacheth the Gospel to Pagans he cannot but suppose them to be unregenerate But I believe no Conscientious Minister N. B. would adventure to Baptize one who hath manifest and Infallible signs of unregeneration Sure we cannot
Scripture either of Precept or example where any person in baptism or the Lords Supper doth engage or is required to engage to begin to believe with a saving faith or to believe with a faith which at the present he hath not Shew but one word of Scripture to prove this if you can if you cannot I may conclude that therefore we must not require that which we have no Scripture ground to require 2. This Engagement to believe savingly is either for a remote distant time or for the next instant â—ut no unbeliever as to that faith is called to promise in Baptism such a saving faith either at a distant time or the next instant therefore not at all 1. Not at a distant time For first that were to resolve to serve the Devil and be an unbeliever till that time 2. And no man is sure to live any longer time 2. Not at the next instant For first that instant cometh as soon as the word of Promise is out of his mouth even before Baptism and therefore by that Rule he must believe savingly before 2. We may as well stay one minute or instant to see whether he will perform his Promise as to baptize him upon that bare Promise of believing the next minute 3. It is a ridiculous unreasonable conceit that any man should say I believe not savingly yet but within a minute of an hour I will and that this should be required in baptism and the Lords Supper 3. God makes it not the condition or qualification of them that are to be admitted to Baptism or the Lords Supper that they should Promise to do that which they have no Moral Power to do I mean such as the seed or habit of Grace containeth as to the act But the unregenerate have no Moral Power to believe with a saving faith Ergo c. The Major is proved thus 1. To promise to believe savingly is to Profess that they are truly willing to believe savingly but no wicked men are truly willing so to believe therefore they are not called to promise it for that were to be called to profess an untruth and so to lye Unless as they are called to be really willing and promise both and that is but to be sincerely faithful and to promise to continue so 2. It is not found any where in Scripture that I know of that God doth call any wicked man to promise to be a godly man or true believer before he is so but only commandeth him to be so And if God never call such men to such a promise at all then is it not the condition or qualification of persons to be admitted to the Sacraments We still speak of the aged The Minor is proved from many Scriptures and is the common Doctrine of all Antipelagians at least We are dead in trespasses and sins and must we baptize and give the Lords Supper to such dead men upon a Promise that they will be alive Out of Christ we can do nothing Without faith it is impossible to please God It is God that giveth to will and to do of his good pleasure And no wicked man can tell whether God will give him the grace of saving faith therefore he cannot promise to have it But I shall speak more to this under the last Argument Argum. 16. If there can be no example given in Scripture of any one that was baptized without the Profession of a saving faith nor any Precept for so doing then must not we baptize any without it But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the Consequent What is pretended this way we shall examine anon among the Objections In the mean time let us review the Scripture examples of Baptism which might afford us so many several Arguments but that I shall put them together for brevity 1. I have already shewed that John required the Profession of true Repentance and that his Baptism was for Remission of sin 2. When Christ layeth down in the Apostolical Commission the Nature and Order of his Apostles work it is first to make Disciples and then to Baptize them into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And as it is a making Dâ—sciples which is first expressed in Matthew so Mark expoundeth who these Disciples are as to the aged by puâ—ting Believing before Baptism and that we may know that it is Justifying faith that he meaneth he annexeth first Baptism and then the Promise of salvation Matth. 28.19 Mar. 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved This is not like some occasional Historical mention of Baptism but it s the very Commission of Christ to his Apostles for Preaching and Baptism and purposely expresseth their several works in their several places and Order Their first task is by teaching to make Disciples which are by Mark called Believers The second work is to Baptize them whereto is annexed the Promise of their Salvation The third work is to teach them all other things which are afterward to be learnt in the School of Christ. To contemn this Order is to renounce all Rules of Order For where can we expect to find it if not here I profess my conscience is fully satisfied from this Text that it is one sort of faith even saving that must go before Baptism and the Profession whereof the Minister must expect Of which see what is before cited out of Calvin and Piscator That it was saving faith that was required of the Jews and professed by them Acts 2.38 41 42. is shewed already and is plain in the Text. Acts 8. The Samaritans believed and had great joy and were baptized into the name of Jesus Christ ver 8 12. Whereby it appeareth that it was both the understanding and will that were changed and that it was not a meer Dogmatical faith and that they had the Profession of a saving faith even Simon himself we shall shew anon when we answer their objections Acts 8.37 The condition on which the Eunuch must be baptized was if he believe with all his heart which he Professed to do and that was the Evidence that Philip did expect Paul was baptized after true conversion Act. 9.18 The Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles Acts 10.44 before they were baptized and they magnified God And this Holy Ghost was the like gift as was given to the Apostles who believed on the Lord Iesus and it was accompanied with Repentance unto life Act. 11.17 18. Acts 16.14.15 Lydia's heart was opened before she was baptized and she was one that the Apostles judged faithful to the Lord and offered to them the evidence of her faith Acts 16.30 31 33 34. The example of the Jaylor is very full to the resolution of the question in hand He first asketh what he should do to be saved The Apostle answereth him believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thy house so that it was a saving faith that here is mentioned He rejoyced and believed with all
of a good conscience is we shall further enquire anon Both the common expositions fully confirm the point which I maintain The Assemblies Annot. recite both thus Hence by the answer of a good conscience we may understand that unfeigned faith whereof they made confession at their Baptism and whereby their consciences were purified and whereby they received the remission of their sins c. Some understand by the Answer of a good Conscience that Covenant whereinto they entered at their Baptism the embracing whereof they testified by their unfeigned confession of their Faith viz. such a Faith as is aforesaid so that I conclude that this Texâ— doth plainly shew that Baptm is for the saving of the Baptized as to the instituted use and may not be used meerly to any lower ends then to put them into a present state of Salvation Aâ—gum 18. No one may be admitted to Baptism who may not be admitted a Member of the Church of Christ. No one may be admitted to be a Member of the Church of Christ without the profession of a saving faith by himself or Parents or Proparents therefore no one may be admitted to Baptism without the profession of a saving faith I speak of such admission to Church-membership as is in the power of the Ministers of Christ who have the Keyes of his Kingdom to open and let in as well as to cast out The Major is past question because Baptism is our solemn entrance into the Church who were before entred by private consent and Accepted by the Covenant of God All the question is of the Minor which I shall therefore prove 1. It is before proved that all the Members of the Church must be such as are visibly solemnly or by profession sanctified from former sin cleansed justified persons of God the Heirs of the Promise c. But this cannot be without the profession of a saving faith Ergo c. 2. This also is before proved where it was shewed that no others are Christians or Disciples 3. In Acts 2.41 42 c. The many thousands were added to the Church were such as received gladly the doctrine of saving Faith and Repentance and continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and Prayer and so far contemned the world as to fell all and make it common And doubtless no man continued in those wayes of doctrine fellowship prayer c. without the profession of saving Faith Repentance for the very use of these is such a profession Of which saith Calvin in Act. 2.42 Quaerimus ergò veram Christi ecclesiam Hìc nobis ad vivum depictum est ejus Imago Ac initium quidem facit à doctrinâ quae veluti ecclesiae anima est not as barely heard but as professed or Received Nec quamlibet doctrinam nominat sed Apostolorum hoc est quam per ipsorum manus filius Dei tradiderat Ergo ubicunque personat pura vox Evangelii ubi in ejus professione manent homines ubi in ordinario ejus auditu ad profectum se exercent illic indubiè est Ecclesia c. Quare non temere haec quatuor receâ—set Lucas quum describere vult nobis ritè constitutum ecclesiae statum Et nos ad hunc ordinem eniti convenit si cupimus verè censeri Ecclesia coram Deo Angelis non inane tantum ejus nomen apud homines jactare And ver 47. It is said that the Lord added daily to the Church such as should be saved Obj. It saith not that all shall be saved that are added to the Church Answ. But it describeth them that were added to the Church viz. that were such as should be saved or as Beza yielded to another reading and so Grotius and many others such as saved themselves from that untoward Generation quisese quotidie servandos recipiebant in Ecclesiam The Church is the Body of Christ Col. 1.18 24. and none are members of his Body but such as either are united to him and live by him or at least seem to do so The Church is subject to Christ and beloved of Christ and cherished by him we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones Ephe. 5.24 25 30. And those that are against the General Redemption me thinks should be moved with the consideration that it is the Church that Christ gave himself for even the visible Church which he purchased with his own blood Act. 20.28 Ephe. 5.25 and he is the Saviour of his body ver 23. But so he is not effectively the Saviour of the Professors of a Faith that doth not justifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is the effective Saviour of those that profess a Justifying faith and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the sincere but of others neither way Hitherto Divines have gathered from the plain texts of Scripture that there is but One Church One Faith and One Baptism and that those that had this Faith really were to be baptized and were real members of the Church and that those that professed this faith and so seemed to have it when they have it not are visible members of the Church and are so taken because their Profession is sensible to us and by that they seem to have the thing professed But the Opponents are fallen into a new conceit in all these 1. They feign a New Christian faith to themselves viz. A faith that is short of Justifying which Scripture and the Church of God have taken to be but a preparatory to the Christian faith subjectively or but a common part of it objectively considered so that before there was but one Christian faith and now they have made two 2. And so before there was but one sort of real serious or sincere Christians consisting of such as had that real Christian faith and now they have found out another sort of them that hold another sort of faith 3. So have they feigned a new Baptism for the Old Baptism was for Remission of sin and Burial and Resurrection wiâ—h Jesus Christ and to engraff men into the Church wich is the body of Christ upon the profession of a saving faith but the new feigned ends of Baptism are far different 4. And they have feigned also a new kind of Church For the Church of Christs constitution is but one which is called visible from mens Profession and invisible from the faith professed But they have made a Church which consisteth of a third sort of members that is of men that neither have saving faith nor profess it but only have or profess to have a faith of a lower orb 5. To this end they have confounded the Church and the Porch the Vineyard and the adjacent part of the Wilderness those that heretofore were but Catechumeni or men in preparation for the Church are now brought into it and are annumerated to true Christians before they once profess themselves such and that upon a lower profession 6 And hereby also the
this cannot be his sense For the man is not fradulent and besides his following arguing sheweth the contrary But then I confess that arguing amazeth me again He will prove that he is for the necessity of the profession of a justifying faith to Baptism because he is for the necessity of a Dogmatical faith and that faith must be profess Wonderful Doth he make a justifying and a Dogmatical faith all one No he constantly distinguisheth and opposeth them How then doth he prove that he asserteth the necessity of the profession of a justifying faith because he asserteth the necessity of a professed Dogmatical faith Reader I am at a loss I dare not say Mr. Blake is so perhaps he understands himself make thy best on 't for I can make nothing on 't or worse then nothing But if really he will be of this mind that the Reality of a dogmatical faith is necessary and the profession of a justifying faith I shall not only thank him for giving quiet profession to the truth but I will give him some back again and will come my self a beg lower then he and will affirm that we must give them the Sacraments that profess a saving faith though they have not so much as the Reality of a Dogmatical faith Yet Reader if thou think that there is any parcel of the cause which Mr. Blake doth not expresly give up after all his labour adjoin his words p. 124. and rest satisfied so that I conceit no promise of these Ordinances made to such a faith but an actual investiture of every such believer in them I have made the best enquiry I can into Mr. Blake's sense and I cannot find any reasonable footing for a man to fix upon if we once forsake our present hold and say that it is a profession of some other faith short of that which justifyeth which is the title to the Sacraments For as no man can prove out of Scripture then what faith it must be but we shall there be at a loss so whatever he assert we have evidence enough to prove it insufficient A Real Dogmatical faith cannot be the title For then the Baptizer must know the heart The profession of a bare Dogmatical faith or assent cannot be it For then he that hath the faith of Devils persecutors of Christ and such as are supposed to sin against the Holy Ghost should have title Some consent therefore of the will there must be But to what if not to have Christ as he is offered who can tell A consent to be externally Baptized will not serve A consent to Baptism as Baptism comprizeth saving faith A consent to be a named Christian and to live among them may be without any profession of Christianity No man can tell where to fix nor what we must consent to to procure a Title if once we forsake the present ground If any man will give us yet a more exact Description of a faith short of justifying entitling to Baptism and the Lords Supper I shall be willing to examine it For hitherto I cannot see where I should set my foot if I should leave the ground I stand on I now come to examine the Arguments that are brought for the contrary opinion And I shall begin with Mr. Blake's and then proceed to some which others insist upon In his Treâ—t of Sacr. pag. 161. Mr. Blake beginneth some as he calleth them Additional Arguments that a faith short of that which justifieth gives title to Baptism ARGUMENT I. Mr. Blake They that have right in the sight of God to many and great Priviledges of his gift have a right in his sight to the first and leading Priviledges this I think cannot be denied having a right to those that follow they have right to those that lead If any had in the time of the Law right to the Passeover they had right to Circumcision and if any now have right to the Lords Supper they have right to Baptism But those of a faith that is short of that which â—ustifies have right to many and great Priviledges in the sight of God This is clear from the Apostle Rom. 3.1 The Jew outwardly where Circumcision of heart was wanting had every way much benefit and advantage he had therefore right to Circumcision and those with him that are short of a faith that justifies have right in the sight of God to Baptism ANSWER I. The question is not in the conclusion If all be granted it s nothing for Mr. Blake's cause or against mine It is not all one to conclude those that are short of a faith that â—ustifies have right and such a faith gives right or is the qualification condition or evidence of right either A man that is a Burgess of such a Corporation hath right to be Major But his Burgesship gives him not that right but his election A Frenchman hath right to the Crown of France but not because he is a Frenchman The Jew outwardly Rom. 3. had not his right by a faith short of justifying But he had first an actual abode among Ordinances and the offers of Grace and helps to salvation by free providentiall disposal of mercy 2. The claim that he made to Church-priviledges before men must be upon his Professing of saving faith viz. That he took the Lord only for his God and believed in him according to the tenor of the Promise and not upon the having or Professing of a faith of another Species This answer sufficeth as to the present controversie But because Mr. Blake doth seem also to intend these Arguments to the following controversie I shall briefly enervate them as to both that I may not be put to go over them again when I come to that controversie 2. I deny that Baptism is the first and leading Priviledge of Gods gifts It is a great Priviledge to have the Gospel preached to them to have pardon conditionally offered them that is if they will accept of Christ to be converted and made a true believer to be born of Christian Parents c. These and more are Priviledges and before baptism 3. I distinguish at large of the term Right in my Apologie Here let it suffice to say 1. Right is properly so called which in this case must arise from a promise or proper gift 2. Or it is Analogically so called which ariseth 1. indirectly from Gods command to the Parent Priest Pastor c. to do this for all that require it upon a profession of true faith 2. Or from bare permission or providential disposal 4. I distinguish also the Jews case from ours They had some promise of a continuance of Ordinances among them though not for perpetuity yet for a long time which no Church on earth hath now 5. And now I answer to the Minor 1. An Analogical improper right resulting from permission and a command to Ministers to Baptize all that upon such a profession require Baptism this I ever granted to all that profess saving
necessarily as the other And I would fain know of him how meer Dogmatical believers are sure that they have a Dogmaticall faith 1. Many of them know not what that faith is nor what the essentials of Christianity are nor know not those essentials themselves as I before said from sad experience They might therefore be sure that they have not a true Dogmatical faith but not that they have it and yet they are as confident they have it as other men 2. Many that believe the same truths as others believe them but side humanâ and not divinâ and therefore have no true Dogmatical faith 3. Many do but half believe them and think they may be true they may be false and cannot tell whether they may believe them or not but indeed do not their unbelief being more predominant and therefore from it must be denominated 4. Many true saving believers are sorely tempted about the Truth of the Gospel and troubled with doubts and their Dogmatical or Historical faith is but weak and mixed with much unbelief so that they cannot tell whether their belief or unbelief be predominant and consequently whether they believe or not And for my part I see no reason but that it should be as hard to a true Christian to know whether he truly believe the Dogmata Christiana the Articles of Faith the truth of the Gospel as to know whether he truly rest upon Christ or love God above all And I know many learned wise and godly men to all appearance that are in doubt and long have been of the truth of their assent to the Gospel and are troubled with no other doubtings of their sincerity in any great measure but only as the doubts of this doth cause them Some of the ablest men that ever I knew have groaned out many a complaint O I am afraid I am an Infidel I cannot believe the Word of God! I know not whether I believe it or not A Turk may have some thoughts or motions that it may be true but if he be more perswaded of the falsness than of the Truth he is not to be denominated a believer Now if Mr. Blake will but tell us plainly how he would deal with these that doubt of their very historical faith and what he would have them do then I will tell him the like by them that doubt of their saving faith 5. Nay see what a desperate plunge he puts his believers to He requireth them to perform impossibilities They must engage to believe savingly that is they must profess a consent so to do And this they must know that they do sincerely or else they cannot do it in faith as the Objection saith when as it is a thing that no unregenerate man can do sincerely If he engage to believe savingly he doth it not sincerely but ignorantly or dissemblingly At least few of them know that they do it sincerely as themselves will here confess what then must these do in such a case 6 At least let the heart and light of a godly man and an ungodly be compared and I will appeal to Mr. Blakes own judgement whether a Godly man be not as likely to know his sincerity in saving faith as an ungodly man to know that he haâ—h truly a Dogmatical faith and doth truly engage to believe savingly I could soon shew such disadvantages that a wicked man hath to know his own heart even in this point that me thinks might easily determine this Controversie if it were needfull to stand upon it 7. It is the duty of the godly to give God thanks for his saving Grace for converting them giving them the Holy Ghost Justifying Adopting them c. Must none perform this duty but they that have attained Assurance of their Conversion Justification Adoption c Then it is not many that must perform it But if others may and must do this on the same ground they may and must perform the other It is the duty of every child of God to pray and praise God in the relation of a child in a special sense and to call God Father in a special sense and to plead those Promises with him that are the proper portion of his Children And must all omit this that have no assurance or subjective Certainty It it the duty of each member of the mystical body of Christ to love the Saints and assist them as fellow-members Must none do this that is not certain of his own member-ship If I should instance in all the particulars of Christian Duty that this case extendeth to you would see that this your principle reduced to practice would make buâ— unhappy work in the Church and would do much to the extirpation of a very great part if not the far greatest of the service of God 8. In all such Cases our Actions must follow the smallest prevalent perswasions of our Judgement though far short of full Assurance If a true Believer do think himself to be such he may profess himself such When so far as he knoweth his own heart he doth believe and repent he may profess that he doth believe and repent implying or expressing that he speaketh according to the knowledge he hath of his own heart We are so strange to our selves that if only Certainty must move us to Action I think we should sleep out the most of our lives He speaks sincerely that speaks according to his perswasion and as he thinks though he be not certain 9. In such cases it condemneth not to act in doubting but the same man that doubteth may act in faith Indeed if the doubting be so predominant that a man is more perswaded that he doth not believe than that he doth whether dogmatically or savingly then he may not profess that he doth believe that is he may not think one thing and speak another and speak or do against his Conscience And also if it be in an indifferent thing as about meats or drinks or indifferent daies where he is certain to be innocent if he forbear and uncertain to be innocent if he act then he must take the safer side and therefore forbear And the Apostles words will reach no further than to these two points He that hath unbelief and therefore doubing may say Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief 10. The thing that is necessarily required to the Sacramental participation is not an Assurance that our faith is sincere and saving but that it be really that Faith which is sincere and saving whether we know it so to be or not Many a man knoweth that he hath that faith which is saving and yet knoweth not that it is saving And many one knoweth that he performeth the saving act but through vain scruples understandeth not whether he do it sincerely And many think or hope they are sincere that yet doubt of it I have met with many that have lived in deep distress for want of perceiving the truth of their faith that have cried out
question I plead not for any Error of the Antients in keeping men from Baptism that were fit for it but only mention such as were but in preparation to such fitness Argum. 23. That Doctrine is at least much to be suspected which by contradicting the very Natural Principles of Religion doth tend strongly to disgrace Jesus Christ and tempt the world to Infidelity But such is the Doctrine which we oppose Ergo. For the proof of the Minor Note 1. That it is a natural certain Verity that the Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness and that he is a hater of sin in whomsoever and delighteth in that Holiness which is his very Image and that God is no Accepter of persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him 2. Note That the Doctrine which we oppose holdeth that Jesus Christ doth set so much by the bare believing that He is the Son of God yea the verbal profession of it and so little by Holiness that if men will but make that profession let them live how they will let them be Adulterers Murderers of Fathers or Mothers perjured to God and Man c. yet they lose not their Right to this Priviledge that even the children of their bodies shall be of the family of Christ upon their Interest or Account yea though themselves will not so much as soberly promise to amend yea though they be Persecutors of any that would reform them or any other way notoriously ungodly Doth not this strongly tempt men to imagine that Jesus Christ came not to cure souls and bring men back to God and save them from sin but to seek himself and his own honor and that he preferred the acknowledgement of his dignity before the Interest of God and mens souls Doth it not tempt men to think that Christianity is no better than the other Religions of the world when it owneth such Monsters as the Children of the Church When we justly condemn a Seneca Cicero Fabritâ—us Socrates c. as miserable for not believing in Christ whom they never heard of most of them and priviledge the children of one worse than Nero Surdanapalus Machiavel and that for the sake of such a Parent and as a member of him to be in Covenant with Christ and of the beloved Society and Houshold of Faith In my opinion this will he a horrid stumbling block to those without and give them such cause to blaspheme our holy profession as our Lord never gave them who came purposely into the world to destroy the works of the Devil and to bring back revolted man to the Holy Image and obedience of his Maker and who professed himself but the Way to the Father and therefore established and valued faith in himself but in order to the acknowledgement and love of God and so of Godliness and Holiness as its end and a greater good yea that hath purchased us by his blood to a glory which doth consist in the fruition of God in the perfection of Holiness and hath sent forth his spirit into the souls of men to be in office their Sanctifier and to make such wondrous changes on mens hearts as shameth all the rest of the Religions of the world yea who hath made his Kingdom to consist in Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost and the heavenly wisdom to be first Pure then Peaceable Gentle easie to be entreated full of mercy and good fruits and who hath sanctified to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works and makes so strict and holy a Law to guide them as he hath done In my opinion so loose a doctrine should not be pinned on the sleeve of so Holy a Saviour Argum. 24. That doctrine and practice is not by good Christians to be received which besides the forementioned evidence of Scripture contradicteth the doctrine and practice of all the Primitive Church But such is this Ergo. I admire that grave men among us and Godly who will stretch their wits to the uttermost to defend that which is the more common opinion of Divines of best repute among whom they live before they will differ from them can yet make so small a matter of differing from the Fathers and universal consent of the Primitive Churches as far as we have any means to disprove it That it was their Judgement and practice to refuse to baptize any Notorious ungodly person while such appears past all doubt 1. By their requiring a profession of Repentance 2. And a profession of Believing in the Father Son and Holy Ghost and renouncing the world the flesh and the Devil and promising a new life 3. By their Judging the Baptized to be in a state of salvation which was on supposition of their true sanctification 4. By their too much care in delaying the Catechumeni in later times lest they should be unmeet Let me recite the testimonies of one or two of our own and one of those Antients each of the highest Authority in the present case 1. Mr. Gilespie Aarons Rod. l. 3. ch 15 pag. 544. saith It were a Profanation of the Sacrament of Baptism to Baptize a Catechumene a Jew or a Pagan professing a Resolution to turn Christian he being manifestly under the power of abominable Reigning sins and being still a prophane and wicked liver although he were able to give a sound and orthodox Confession of Faith From whence he argueth that therefore the same men are not to be admitted to the Lords Supper 2. Spanhemius Epist. ad D. Buch. pa. 14. gives three reasons to prove that Athrists Epicures Profane men qui vitam inter flagitia traducunt aperte ostendunt se non habere fidem quâ creditur nec spiritum sanctificationis secundum ullum ejus gradum quamdiu in ista impietate perstant nec poenitentiam tum profitentur tum spondent may not lawfully be baptized And our Divines commonly say In Baptism we engage our selves to a holy Life those therefore which live not holily are covenant-Breakers and herefore have not Right to the benefits of the covenant See Piscat in Mat. 3. Obser. ex v. 6 8.10 in Mat. 28. v. 19. Davenane is Col. 2.12 Peter Martyr in Rom. 6.3 Zanch. in Ephes. 5. loc de Bapt. cap. 3 Thes. 37. many more I omit 3. The Doctrine of the Antients I have given a touch of elsewhere as to these points All that I shall now say is to desire the learned Reader that hath not done it to peruse all over that book of Augustine de fide operibus which is wholly written on this subject There were then some Christians whose opinion was that if a Heathen lived in whoredom when he turned Christian he was not to be refused Baptism till he would promise Reformation and would put away his whore but because that the Apostles baptized upon believing and required obedience afterward and works are to be the consequent fruit of Faith therefore the Pastor
ought will be excluded or suspended And the fruit of Discipline its like will be judged scarce worth the trouble so few causes will be brought as will bring it to be strange But Discipline must not be so eluded Ergo. Argum. 5. Christ telleth us that by their Fruits we should know them therefore by fruits of Godliness or ungodliness we must judge of men as Godly or Ungodly as to these acts of administration and communion We must judge that to be a Vine which hath Grapes and that to be no Thistle that hath Figgs We judge not usually of the certainty of mens Impenitency or Infidelity but of the strong probability It s possible a mans own words may be false Argum. 6. We must admit of a weak presumption or probability for admitting men to Priviledges therefore we may admit of strong presumption for denying them If we must take a probability in one then in the other only allowing the difference as aforesaid that we must have a stronger presumption for denying than for granting is necessary For we must be content with less evidence for a man than against a man Quest. 1. But what is that we may take for a sufficient reason of a mans claim And. 2 Quest What must we take for a violent presumption of the unsoundness of his claim To the first I say in brief 1. If a Heathen that yesterday was guilty of the grossest sin do come to me this day and with seeming sorrow confess his fault and with seeming seriousness profess to believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost that is to believe all the essential Articles of Christian Religion and profess his consent to take God for his only God and portion Christ for his only Redeemer and the Holy Ghost for his Sanctifier renouncing the World Flesh and Devil I shall take this Verbal profession for a sufficient Reason of his claim unless any just Bar of exception be put in against him to invalidate it 2. The same Title I shall take for valid for the Baptism of his Infants 3. If a man have made the same profession and after long continuance in the Church doth offer his Child to Christ in Baptism and offer to renew that profession and enter his child into the same Covenant I shall suppose his claim just till some sufficient reason be brought to prove it unjust 1. I find that the Apostles took such a profession as a sufficient proof of the justice of the claim at the Parents own baptism Not as being it self the Condition called by many the Title but as being such an evidence of the Title to us as we are bound to accept 2. In equity and reason if the condition of a mans interest or his Title as they call it do lie in the heart out of mans reach we must take his own profession as evidence sufficient unless he give himself the lye and give us other reason to discredit him If a man say he is a Believer and profess himself to be a godly man that is a Lover and Honorer of God I will take him for a Believer and a godly man till I can disprove his profession I am not not bound to believe an evident Lye but I am bound to believe a man till the falshood of his speeches be evident Charity believeth all such things and thinketh not evil without sufficient evidence I need not go to a mans life for his evidence of his first Title And for his Right to after-communion and priviledges though other mens Testimony of a Godly conversation be a good confirmation yet I am not alwaies bound to seek or require that nor yet to have a personal knowledge of it But if any from his life will bring a cross evidence to disprove his own verbal profession of faith and obedience I will take it into consideration And I could wish that all Christians would proceed according to this Rule and call no man ungodly when they cannot prove hâ—m to be such at least so far as to a strong presumption But that they would take all for Godly that say they are Godly till they can disprove them I know they will say then you will miscall men and call those Godly that are not and then you must not difference the Precious from the Vile this is large charity indeed To which I answer 1. We call them but what they seem and 2. what God warranteth us to call them the Apostles telling such themselves that they were all the Sons of God by faith heirs saints justified c. Gal. 3. 1 Cor. 1.1 6.2 We difference as far as we have evidence to lead us and further we must not As I said before we must imitate God in this where the mixture is such that the Tares cannot be pulled up without pulling up the Corn both must grow together till the Harvest we must not think to difference so exactly and search and sift so neer to the bran as God will then do If the case be so uncertain and inevident that we may on such Grounds condemn the Righteous with the wicked we must let Righteous and wicked go together as if all were Righteous and call the whole field a Corn field for all the Tares Obj. Then must we judge falsly for we must judge men to be what they are not Answ. 1. If it were so it is no sin in you but in them that profess falsly When ever you judge the most glorious hypocrite to be Godly you judge falsly but not sinfully for every mistake is not our sin 2. But I say you are not to judg falsly neither For you are not to judge that it is certain that these are Godly men but only that its probable And note well that there is a difference to be made within the Church between the better and worser Members as well as between the Church and those without And observe that there are divers degrees of this probability of mens sincerity some do so fully second their profession by a Godly life that we have a very strong confidence of their sincerity though not a certainty Some do give us some good hopes but not so strong a perswasion Some are so dull and negligent and faultie in their lives that we have much fear of their perdition though we are bound because of their profession to keep up some hopes of them as being not without some probability of their honesty I doubt the common sort of Christians are but such as these And therefore we may even in the Church preach for mens Conversion and Regeneration because though we know not certainly who they be that are unregenerate yet we know that many such there are that profess Religion and have great cause of fear and jealousie concerning many in particular So that we must place a great difference between those whom we must permit in the same Church-communion and must administer the same Sacraments to we rejoyce in our hopes of some we
for my learning what advantage or profit a dead corps is in capacity to enjoy I think none at all but these have much every way Ans. Thus you argue or you say nothing If unregenerate Saints Church-members c have much advantage and a corps have no advantage then they are not Equivocally called Saints Church-members c. as a corps is called a man But c. The consequence is not only false but too gross Advantage or disadvantage are nothing to the nature of Equivocals 2. In its kinde a Corps may have advantage It may be stuck with flowers perfumed emblamed and kept from stinking as ungodly men are by their common Gifts for the sake of those with whom they do converse 3. An Ape is capable of advantage and yet if you call him a man it is a more Catachresticall Equivocation than to call a corps so An embryo or rude beginings of a mans body before it receive the soul it is capable of advanatage in order to Manhood and yet is but Equivocally called a man Mr. Blake If such Equivocation be found in the word Saint then the like is to be affirmed of the word Believer and Believers having their denomination from their faith that is equivocall in like manner and so the common Division of faith into Dogmatical or Historical temporary miraculous and justifying is but a Division of an Aequivocum in sua Aequivocata which I should think no man should affirm much less Mr. Baxter who makes common and special grace to differ only gradually and then as cold in a remiss degree may grow to that which is intense so one Aequivocatum may rise up to the Nature of another animal terrestre may become Sydus Coeleste Ans. 1. It s no good consequence because the word Saint is Equivocal therefore the word Believer is so 2. Our dispute is not about the sence of the word Faith or Believer in General but about the Christian Faith in special from whence a man is to be properly called a Christian and upon the profession whereof he is to be baptized for I told you once already that as Faith is taken in General so your lower sort of faith is truly and properly Faith and so is believing in Mahomet To distinguish Faith into Divine and Humane and into Christian and Mahometan c is not aequivoci in sua aequivocata divisio But to distinguish the Christian Faith which entituleth to Baptism into saving Faith and that which is short of it is aequivoci in sua aequivocata 3. If you thought No man had been guilty of this conceit whether that thought do more disparage the said assertion or your self I must not be judge but I take it as if you had said I thought no man had written against Bellarmines definition of the Church 4. As to your No Man much less Mr. Baxter as I know not the reason of your thought unless you indeed take me not only to be No Man but to be somewhat distinct both from a man and no man so I am as little satisfied with the Reason which you alledg For 1. It is a Gross untruth unworthy a Divine and a Brother that I hold common and special Grace to differ only gradually And that this should be deliberately published even after I had given the world in print so full an account of the mistake of this accusation from another once and again this is yet less ingenuous and doth but tell us what we must expect from Brethren when passion is predominant I never affirmed any more than this that there is a Moral specifick difference between special and common Graces founded in a Natural Gradual difference I manifested in print that Dr. Kendall who writeth against me on this occasion doth not only say the same thing but profess that others differ not from me and resolveth his dispute into a reprehension of me for pretending a difference Yet after all these writings my reverend Brother Mr. Blake sticks not to affirm to this and future Ages in print that I hold Only a Gradual difference without any more ado And of such dealing I may say his Book is too full 5. Your reason is no reason I hope you think not either that your Animal terrestâ—e Sydus caeleste differ but Gradually nor yet that there are no Equivocals that differ only in Natural degrees who knows not that in many hundred cases a Degree may vary the species Mr. Blake If Juda's faith was only Equivocal then the unclean spirits were Equivocal likewise Ans. A consequence as well fortified with proof of Reason as much more of your book is Yet I take the boldness to deny it Mr. Blake I shall never believe that an Equivocal faith can cast out a reall devil Answ. 1. You are not able to make good your word for you have not wholly the Command of your own belief I am as confident that you will believe it 2. But if you will not that 's no good argument to us that the thing is false 3. An Equivocal faith is a Real faith why then may it not cast out a Real Devil that is be a Causa sine qua non for no faith doth properly effect it I hope you will believe that the finger of God can cast out a real devil and yet I hope you think that Gods Power is but Equivocally called His finger Mr. Blake The Apostle tells us of Faith to the removal of mountaines void of Charity if this were Equivocal faith those must be Equivocal mountaines Still the like proof you may as well say If it be Equivocally called Gods finger then it must Equivocally be called a devil that is ejected We need better proof Mr. Blake pag. 153. bringeth Du-Plessis Wollebius Gomarrus Hudson Paraeus Ames saying that good and bad are in the visible Church Ans. Have you to do with any man that denyeth it But you know they distinguish between In the Church and Of the Church and 2. that they Judge not of the visible as you do And therefore you do but fraudenly pag. 156. make it my opinion as joyning with Bellarmines unjust charge that the visible Church is no true Church but Equivocally so called and that there are two Churches c. Do but you quit your self of the charge of making two Churches as well as all and we shall do well enough for that And for the other part of your charge our Divines say that there are in the visible Church 1. those that belong to it as Invisible 2 hypocrites and reprobates the former say they are properly members of the Church in its proper sense the latter are only seeming members and the Church visible is called a Church in respect to the former And the visible is denominated but from an Accidental and not the essential form Their words before cited shew this Mr. Blake And whereas Mr. Baxter saith that other Divines generally plead that Hypocrites are not true members of the universal Church