Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	circumcision_n	covenant_n	seal_n	7,337	5	9.8059	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62871	A publick dispute betwixt John Tombs ... respondent, John Cragge, and Henry Vaughan ... opponents, touching infant-baptism, the fifth of September, 1653 ... occasioned by a sermon preached the day before, by Mr. Tombs, upon St. Mark 16.16 ... : also a sermon preached by Mr. Cragge, the next Lords day following, upon the same text, wherein the necessity of dipping is refuted, and infant-baptism asserted.	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.; Cragge, John, Gent.; Vaughan, Henry, Sir, 1587?-1659?	1654 (1654)	Wing T1813; ESTC R9749	45,440	168

The Anabaptists ANOTAMIZED and SILENCED in a PUBLIQUE Dispute The Man̄er of the Anabaptists Dipping Their Laying on of Hands Their Washing of Feete The Disputation A PUBLICK DISPUTE Betwixt JOHN TOMBS B. D. Respondent JOHN CRAGGE and HENRY VAUGHAN M. A. Opponents Touching INFANT-BAPTISM The fifth of September 1653. in the Church of St. Maries in Abergavenie in Monmothshire Occasioned by a Sermon Preached the day before by Mr. Tombs upon St. Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Also a Sermon preached by Mr. Cragge the next Lords day following upon the same Text Wherein the necessity of Dipping is refuted and Infant-Baptism asserted LONDON Printed for H. Twyford N. Brook J. Place and are to be sold in Vine-Court Middle Temple the Angel in Cornhill and at Furnivals-Inn-Gate in Holborn 1654. To his Reverend Friend I. T. P. Grace Mercy and Peace be multiplyed SIR I Received your Letter full of Zeal and Christian Piety the Contents whereof may be reduced to these six heads wherein you desire resolution first what my sense is of the Anabaptists secondly when was the spring and rise of them thirdly what is the cause of this present growth and increase of them fourthly why they are permitted fifthly what I think of Disputes and Conferences had with them sixthly a true Relation of that had with us of late which you say is variously reported of all which briefly I 'le endeavour to give satisfaction For the first I referr you to the Sermon and Conference here following to the Harmonies and Confessions of the Reformed Churches of all Churches since the Apostles especially the Western where you shall find Universalitie Antiquity and Succession besides many pregnant places of Scripture pleading for Infant-baptism And that as Austin saies which the whole Church holds was never begun by any Councel but alwaies observed cannot otherwise be believed but that it came from the Apostles For the second the spring and rise of Anabaptism as all Errours so it had its beginning after Truth the Husbandman first sowed good Corn then the Enemy Tares No Age was free In the first hundred years arose the Ebionites Chiliasts and Gnosticks In the second the Marcionites Valentinians and Montanists In the third the Novatians Sabellians and Manichees In the fourth the Arrians Donatists and Eunomians In the fifth Nestorians Eutychians and Patripassians In the sixth Jacobites Armenians and Monothelites in which time the Mysterie of Iniquity began more fully to work which was first nascent then crescent then regnant then triumphant And no sooner appeared a Reformation in Luther's time but there were Herods that sought the life of this Babe Dragons watching while the Woman was travelling to devour the Child Amongst whom the Anabaptists of Germany were most venemous The first Author whereof was one Nicholas Stock then Phipher Knipperdoling Munster with their Tayler-King John Beccold of Leyden who gave out that he had a Commission from Heaven to destroy all Nations that would not submit to his Gospel and be rebaptized raging with sword and persecution till he was taken and being examined by exquisite tortures confessed he received his Doctrine from an impure spirit there you have the spring and rise of it Now for the third the present growth and increase of it the reasons may be many 1. Times of division wherein the hedge of Discipline is broken down Liberty in Religion is like free conversing without restraint or watch in time of pestilence one house easily infects a whole City 2. Satan's malice like a River the further it goes the deeper and fiercer 3. The corruption of man's nature more inclinable to errour than truth 4. The fitness of the engin for devastation and ruinating all former Churches under colour of first-baptisms nullity gathering of new ones after their own mould out of the old ruins by re-baptizing 5. The pretence that Children are uncapable of Church-membership or Communion of Saints as if there were not the same capacity under the Gospel which was under the Law 6. False allegation that Infant-baptism is occasion of loose living as if the native Jews that were sealed when Infants were more dissolute than the Proselytes 7. To limit it to ripe years increases Piety as if Jews and Turks and their own rebaptized converts were not more frequently guilty of Apostasie and Hyprocrisie 8. Not understanding that Infants Church-membership in the Old Testament is not repealed but confirmed in the New 9. A carnal estimation that the Covenant made with Abraham was partly carnal of which Circumcision is a part as if Godliness in both Testaments had not the promise of this life and of the life to come 10. That Circumcision was the seal of righteousness of Faith to Abraham and not his Posterity 11. That the Covenant was made with Abraham and his Spiritual Seed onely and not with visible Professors 12. That there is no such thing as National Churches though Christ saies Make Disciples of all Nations and Isaiah saies All Nations shall flow in c. yet they say all Churches must be gathered by actual profession as well in Christian Nations as amongst Turks and Pagans 13. Because we have no particular instance in terminis that any Infants were baptized and because they are not expresly named in the precept as if generals did not include particulars as well for Infants as Old Men 14. Denying equivalencies and necessary consequences from Scripture 15. A vilifying of the judgement and persons of all godly and learned men of this present and former ages building up their rotten foundations upon their ruins 16. Temporal interests of the lowest of the people which while they dream it s countenanced by men in power cry Hosanna to day and perhaps Crucifie to morrow 17. A pretending to the Spirit of God Numa Pompilius feigned that he conversed with the Goddess Egeria Minos with Jupiter in the Cave Solon with the Delphian Apollo Mahomet with the Angel Gabriel Montanus and the Shakers with the Holy Ghost the white Witches with the Spirit in the shape of a Dove and all but to palliate their unfound opinions and practises Let not his Soul prosper that does not acknowledge and thirst after the true Spirit of God yet let us try the Spirits and not believe every lying Spirit 18. The learning subtilty and industry of some Anabaptists to gain Proselytes Arrius Pelagius Marcion were not wiser in their generation than they to inveagle the poor simple people especially Women and inferiour Tradesemen which in seven years can scarce learn the Mysterie of the lowest profession think half seven years enough gain'd from their worldly imployments to understand the Mysterie of Divinity and thereupon meddle with Controversies which they have no more capacity to pry into than a Batt to look up into the third Heaven These and many more are the causes of the increase of Anabaptism Now for the Fourth you enquire why they are permitted

day and a half to long censure Fourthly the Anabaptists as they will deem for too uncourteously galling their soars Fiftly their Adversaries the Paedobaptists for too courteously or as they will fancy partially concealing Mr. Tombs harsh language and his Favourites Incivilities Sixtly the Learned in general for bringing these Nilus-like hatched Births in a moment into the open Amphitheater with those Elephants that have been ten years in conception My Apologie for the whole is as followeth The bulk of this Manual is small some may reach to the price of it that cannot of those larger Volumes may have time to read it that cannot them The method of this is facile the language plain some will understand this that cannot them Besides we naturally love the transactions of those whose persons we know Some heard them transiently as they were delivered and would be glad deliberately to read them Some heard them not but at the second hand as they were variously reported according to the judgement and affection of the Relator who would be willing to know the business truly stated If any of the Parties cencerned find themselves aggrieved and intend to bend their stile against me I 'le answer them at the Day of Judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed In the mean time if Truth may be advanced Errour discouraged Godliness countenanced Hypocrisie unmasked thou edified God glorified I have mine ends Farewell Yours in the Lord I. T. P. A relation of a conference had between Mr. John Tombs B. D. and Henry Vaghan M. A. in St. Maries Church in Abergevennie Sept. 5. 1653. touching Infants Baptism briefly and punctually set down to the sense of both V. INfants may lawfully be Baptized for they may be admitted into the covenant of grace now by Baptism as they were before and under the Law admitted into the same covenant by Circumcision T. I deny your consequence V. You must deny it either because the covenant of grace made with Abraham and his seed is not the same in substance with that which is now actually in force with beleevers and their Children or Secondly because Baptism succeedeth not in the room of Circumcision T. I could deny your division yet I say to gratifie you for both those reasons V. For the Former That the covenant made with Abraham and his seed is the same which is now actually in force with beleevers appears by comparing Genes 17.2 with Galat. 3.14 where it is clearly set forth that the promise made to Abraham came unto the Gentiles through Jesus Christ T. Here he distinguisheth of a towfold seed of Abraham the naturall and spirituall and saith that the covenant was made with Abrahams spirituall seed and not the naturall V. Even all the children of Abraham were Circumcised and consequently admitted into the covenant not one excepted for every Man-child was to be Circumcised Gen. 17.10 It appears by what hapned to Moses for not circumcising his Child Exod. 4.24 Even Ishmael was circumcised Genes 17.23 who belonged not to the promise but was of the naturall seed T. Ishmael and the naturall Children of Abraham were admitted to the externall part namely outward privileges and temporall blessings and not to the internall or spirituall part thereof By the Internall part he must needs mean that part of it expressed Gen. 17.7 in these words To be a God unto thee and unto thy seed after thee and in the end of v. 8. I will be their God To justifie this his distinction he referred us to Rom. 9. and I think v. 8. where the Children of the promise are contradistinguished from the Children of the flesh or the naturall Children of Abraham So that the covenant was made not to the naturall Children of Abraham but to such of them as were elect and faithfull V. This covenant was made alike in the same extent and latitude promiscuously with all the seed of Abraham and those that lost the promise and the benefit of this covenant which men you call the naturall seed lost it not because they were not at first comprehended in the covenant but because of their own unbeleef Rom. 11.20 I confesse that the Children of Isaack are Rom. 9. called the Children of the promise not in regard of any peremtory election or designation to faith and Salvation or on the contrary of any absolute reprobation of the seed of Ishmael For if it had been Pauls designe to declare the Children of Ishmael yea the greatest part of the Jewes to have been rejected by a certain absolute decree why should he v. 1.2 so much lament their incredulitie wish himself accursed for their sakes v. 3. and Rom. 10. v. 1. desire and pray for their conversion since upon such an absolute decree of reprobating them all that happened to them was inevitable But the Children of Isaack are called the Children of promise First because they onely were to inherite the land of Canaan and Secondly because Christ according to the flesh was to descend from the progenie of Isaack not of Ishmael I might have added that if none but the elect and faithfull can be admitted into the covenant there is no subject left for the ordinance of Baptism it being impossible for man to know who are elect spirituall and true believers Neither can you Baptize with right or safety all such grown persons as you Baptize since you cannot be assured that they are elect Spirituall or true believers Revel. 2.17 nor have any light to guide you save that of charitable opinion and conjecture Again it being admitted that none but the Spiritually elect and believing can be Baptized the same charitie that swayes your judgment for grown persons must much rather move you to hope the best of innocent infants guiltie of no actuall sin since it hopes all things and thinks no evill 1. Cor. 13.2 They may have faith in semine habitu in the seed as they have the habit of principles and reason tho they cannot exercise it till ripe years 3. Though they have not actuall faith yet the faith of their parents may and doth put them into a capacitie of being admitted into the covenant nor is it news that the parents faith advantageth the Children Joh. 4.50 T. I could wish you could prove that Infants of believers might be admitted to Baptism by virtue of their parents faith V. They were admitted into the same covenant by Circumcision into which we are admitted now by Baptism but Circumcision is a seal of the righteousness of faith Rom. 4.11 12. Whence it will follow that either they had the righteousness of faith inherently in themselves or that of their parents imputed to them chuse you whether or else it will follow that Circumcision was a false seal T. It is not said there that Circumcision was the seal of righteousness of the Childrens faith but onely of Abrahams own faith in particular V. But the covenant or promise was the same and alike to Abraham and his

as were Baptized before should be drowned So we have resolved the former doubt that Baptizing is not dipping and come to the latter that Infants may nay ought to be Baptized And Brethren I beseech you to give me leave a little to speak for Infants those poor Souls that cannot speak for themselves And before we come to the Question take with you these two Considerations First that those truths that were not in controversie in the Primitive times the Apostles were not so punctual in pressing of them seeing there was no need Solon being asked why he made no Law against murtherers of Parents answer'd because he conceiv'd none would commit that unnatural Act If the Apostles had been asked why they did not put down Infant-Baptism in plainer terms I suppose they would have answered that they thought none would have denyed it Secondly observe that those things that are pressed often in the old Testament are mentioned more sparingly in the New as the Sabbath and Magistracy in the old Testament line upon line and precept upon precept but scarce a Syllable for a Christian Sabbath or a Christian Magistracie in the new Nothing is more clear then Infants Church-Membership in the old Testament therefore not so clear in the New and yet clear enough to those that have eyes to see it as will appear by these reasons following 1. Arg. First those that are in Covenant with God ought to have the Seal of the Covenant which is Baptism But Infants of beleeving Parents are in Covenant with God Therefore Infants ought to have the Seal of the Covenant which is Baptism The former Proposition is firm by Confession of all Divines even our adversaries Haec est fundamentalis ratio paedobaptismi sayes Daneus this is the fundamentall reason of Baptizing of Infants that they are in Covenant Esse foederatum sufficit ad accipiendum signum foederis sayes Davenant to be in Covenant is sufficient to receive the signe and seal of the Covenant Omnes foederati sunt Baptizandi sayes Wendel all that are in Covenant are to be Baptized Si in foedere sunt impiè agunt qui eis signum foederis negant saith Ferus if they be in Covenant they do wickedly that deny them the signe of the Covenant in a Civill contract sayes Mr Perkins the Father and the heir make but one person and the Covenant 's for himself and his posterity The Minor proposition that Infants of believing Parents are in Covenant is grounded on many Scriptures Genes 17.7 Where God establishes a Covenant not only with Abraham but with his seed after him in their generations for an everlating Covenant everlasting and therefore to last to the end of the World as Cornelius à Lapide sayes absolutè aeternum est in semine spirituali fidelibus It is absolutely everlasting in the spirituall seed to the faithfull Galat. 3.8 The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith preached before the Gospel to Abraham therefore if Isaac was in Covenant with his Father when he was but eight dayes old and had the seal by vertue of the Lamb to be slain much more the Children of believing Parents by vertue of the Lamb that is already slain Deutero 29.11 When all the people stood in Covenant before the Lord their little ones are mentioned amongst the rest which is further confirmed Acts 2.38 39. Be Baptized every one of you for the promise is to you and your children to say that they were not yet believers is but a shift the Text makes it cleer as soon as they were believers their Children were in Covenant with them and to be Baptized Arg. 2. Such as were Circumcised under the Law may be Baptized under the Gospell But Infants of believers were Circumcised under the Law Therfore they may baptized under the Gospel Huic Argumento non omnes Anabaptistae resistent sayes learned Whitaker all the Anabaptists shall not be able to resist this Argument the Minor that Infants under the Law were Circumcised is confessed The former proposition is onely questioned that Baptism under the Gospel to Infants does not necessarily follow from Circumcision under the Law Augustin is cleer for it saying Mutatis signis manet eadem gratia sine aetatis discrimine the outward visible signes being changed the same grace remaines without any difference of age and he gives a reason because the grace of God is not straiter in the new Testament than in the old Therefore Christ Hebr. 8.6 Is said to be Mediator of a better Covenant but how were it a better Covenant if all poor Infants that were in Covenant under the Law were out of Covenant under the Gospel Titus 2 12. The grace of God hath appeared unto all and therefore surely to Infants as Ireneus sayes Christus pro parvulis parvulus factus est Christ becam a little one for little ones sake that he might redeem the little ones Little ones were the first Martyrs that suffered for Christ in Rama was a voice heard and that Baptism came in place of Circumcision the Apostle cleares it Coloss. 2.11 12. Ye are circumcised with circumcision made without hands How is that Buryed with him in Baptism Hence arises another Argument Arg. 3. Those that were once in Covenant had the Seal of the Covenant and were never disfranchized and put out of Covenant have title to the Covenant and Seal of it still But Infants were once in Covenant had the Seal of the Covenant and were never disfranchized and put out of Covenant Therefore Infants have title to the covenant and seal of it still Let any man shew one syllable one tittle in Scripture that ever Infants were put out and wee l yield the gantlet nay the Gospell is so far from expressing of them that they are put out that it gives them large commendations beyond them of riper years making them the rule of our perfection as new born babes receive the sincere milk of the Word Unless you be as little Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of God which is a case so cleer that even Bellarmine him self encludes Nullum est impedimentum c. there is nothing that hinders but that Infants may as well be Baptized under the Gospell as they were Circumcised under the Law for neither hath God forbidden Ministers to give them this Sacrament neither are they uncapable to receive it Arg. 4. That which God hath commanded may lafully be practised by the Ministers of Jesus Christ But God hath commanded Infant-Baptism Therefore it may lawfully be practised by the Ministers of Jesus Christ That God hath ommanded it appears Matth. 28.19 Go Baptize all Nations it s a generall command and as Aquinas sayes posito generali mandato pars ejus negari non potest a generall command being given no part of it can be denyed Infants are a part of Nations and included in them Object But here is no mention made of Infants Answ. No nor of them of