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	righteousness_n	seal_n	13,716	5	9.8320	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85408	Philadelphia: or, XL. queries peaceably and inoffensively propounded for the discovery of truth in this question, or case of conscience; whether persons baptized (as themselves call baptism) after a profession of faith, may, or may not, lawfully, and with good conscience, hold communion with such churches, who judg themselves truly baptized, though in infancy, and before such a profession? Together with some few brief touches about infant, and after-baptism. By J.G. a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1653 (1653)	Wing G1189; Thomason E702_7; ESTC R207109	25,228	32

according to the order of Christ by others who themselves convey or dip under water their whole bodies leaving onely their heads above the water to be bowed down forced or thrust under water by the Baptizer Or is there either vola or vestigium little or much of such a practise as this to be found in the Scriptures where they speak of Baptism Or can he in any tolerable sence or construction be said to be the Architect or builder of a Turret or Steeple who onely setteth the Weather-cock on the top of it and not rather he who buildeth the rest of the body and Fabrick hereof XXX Whether is there any particular or express Institution of Baptism to be found in the Scriptures I mean any such Institution as there is of Circumcision and the Passover in the Old Testament or of the Lords Supper in the New or which prescribeth and determineth all circumstances essentiall unto Baptism as all the other do prescribe and determine all circumstances essentially requisite to their administrations respectively If not do not they {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} make themselves wise above that which is written constructively obtrude upon the consciences of men an Institution of their own in the Name of the Ordinance and Institution of God who undertake to prescribe and determine either particularity of subject or manner of Administration in Baptism XXXI Whether did not they amongst us or at least the generality and far greater part of them who have accepted and entred into the way of new-Baptism and at present walk in it receive that precious Faith from God together with all those Graces or fruits of the Spirit whereby they are whatsoever they are in Christ and towards God did they not I say receive all this blessedness from God under the dispensation of their Infant-Baptism Or is there one of a thousand of those ingaged in this new way who have added so much as the breadth of the least hair of their heads unto their former growth and stature in Christ I do not say by vertue or means of this their new Ingagement but since or after it Or is there not a visible and manifest change for the worse in very many of them and this in all probability occasioned by an overweening conceit that by means of their new baptizing they are more excellent then their Neighbours and too holy and near unto God to suffer themselves to be numbred amongst the members of other Churches Or do such things as these any way favour or strengthen the claim which their way of Baptizing makes of being a Divine Ordinance yea the onely true Baptism of God XXXII Whether amongst men and women whose consciences have at any time been surprized with a Religious conceit of a necessity of new Baptism and have accordingly submitted to it have not the most Christianly-meek and humble on the one hand and the most Judicious and Learned on the other hand upon a little experience of this way grown cool and very indifferent in their thoughts about it yea and many of them repented of their surprizal and weakness in this kind as Johannes O●colampadius Johannes Denkius Johannes Gaster men of great learning worth and humility with several others about Luthers dayes yea and some of like Character of late amongst our selves who might be named if it were necessary or meet XXXIII Whether because Baptism is termed the Baptism of Repentance {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. for or towards the remission of sins Mar 1. 4. doth it a whit more follow that children ought not to be Baptized either because they cannot repent or because they have no sins to be remitted unto them then it doth that children ought not to have been circumcised considering that Circumcision the nature of it and counsell of God in it considered may as truly be called the Circumcision of Repentance for the remission of sins as Baptism The Baptism of Repentance for the Remission of sins yea the Apostle Paul himself giveth a definition of Circumcision for substance and import of matter the same with that of Baptism when he calleth it the seal of the righteousness of Faith Rom. 4. 11. and however Children are altogether as uncapable of Faith as they are of Repentance and have no more need of the righteousness of Faith then they have of remission of sins these being but one and the same thing XXXIV Whether when the Apostle Peter speaketh thus to his new Converts Acts 2. 38 39. Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost For the promise is to you and to your children c. Doth he so much enjoyn or exhort them to Repent in order to their being baptized as encourage them both unto the one duty and the other upon the account of the Promise relating both to them and their children and the certainty of its being fulfilled and made good unto them both upon their Repentance and submission unto Baptism respectively And if their title unto and interest in the Promise be a ground or motive unto them the Parents to be baptized is not the like title and interest in the children a ground and motive also why they should be baptized XXXV Whether doth God smell the assemblies or in the assemblies of those who judg themselves the onely Baptized persons under Heaven with any such pleasure or delight as he smelleth many the assemblies of those who are called Unbaptized by the other Or are the Church-meetings of the former filled with the glory and presence of God at any such rate or to any such degree as many the holy assemblies of the latter are Or are there any such manifestations of the Spirit either in gifts or in graces in the tabernacles of the Baptized as there are amongst those who bear the reproach of Vnbaptized Or are the powers of the world to come any wayes so busie active and stirring in the Churches which call themselves Baptized as they are in many the congregations which are cast out to the Gentiles as unclean and Un-baptized Or is not that good word of God the Scriptures as a sealed book in many the assemblies of the former whereas even the deep things of God contained in it are by the Holy Ghost revealed in many Churches of the latter Or are such differences as these of no authority interest or import to umpire or decide the controversie depending between the two Baptisms XXXVI Whether are not children oft-times in Scripture comprehended under or with their Parents men and women c. where they are not expresly mentioned or named and particularly Jos. 25. 26. 1 Cor. 10. 1 2 * even as Subjects are under the names of their Kings and Families and Descents under the names of their Heads c. Yea are not both women and children to be understood where men only are

PHILADELPHIA OR XL QUERIES Peaceably and inoffensively propounded For the Discovery of Truth in this Question or Case of Conscience Whether Persons Baptized as themselves call Baptism after a profession of Faith may or may not lawfully and with a good Conscience hold Communion with such Churches who judg themselves truly Baptized though in Infancy and before such a Profession Together with some few brief Touches about Infant and after-Baptism By J. G. a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius And I baptized also the boushold of Stephanas besides I know not whether I baptized any other For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel 1 Cor. 1. 14 16 17. For ye are all the children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 4. 26. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by love Gal. 5. 6. Circumcision is nothing nor uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandments of God 1 Cor. 7. 19. Deus nobis imperavit congregationem sibi servavit separationem August in Mat. 13. 47. Infantibus minime negandus Baptismus quos Deus adoptat filii sui sanguine abluit Calvin Harm. p. 253. London Printed by J. M. for Henry Cripps and Lodowick Lloyd and are to be sold at their Shop in Popes-head Alley 1653. QUERIES ABOUT Lawfulness of Communion with Churches deemed unbaptized As also about Infant and after-Baptism I. WHether is there any Precept or Example in the Gosp●l of any person how duly soever baptized who disclaimed Christian Communion either in Church fellowship or in any the Ordinances of the Gospel with those whom he judged true Beleevers upon an account only of their not having been baptized especially after such a manner as he judged necessary for them to have been Or in case there be neither precept nor example found in the Scriptures to warrant such a practise upon what ground are the Consciences of such men who practise it satisfied or emboldened in their way Or if it be replyed that there were no Beleevers in the Apostles days who were not baptized and that truly and consequently that there was no occasion of scrupuling communion with any Beleever in these days 1. How can this ever be proved viz. that there were no Beleevers unbaptized in the Apostles days the contrary being apparant as may be touched hereafter 2. Be it granted that there were no Beleevers unbaptized or unduly baptized in the Apostles days upon what ground notwithstanding can the practise now queried be justified or maintained unless the Practisers certainly know and can satisfie themselves that in case there had been such Beleevers in these times I mean who had been un-baptized or unduly baptized those duly Baptized would have declined such communion with them as that specified especially considering that positive actions such is a declining or withdrawing from communion with the Saints in Church-fellowship cannot be justified upon negative grounds at least not further then in point of meer lawfulness or indifferency no nor thus far in case of scandal which is the case of those who withdraw from Church-communion to the offence both of that Church from which they withdraw and of many others II. Whether can it be proved from the Scriptures or by any Argument like or meet to satisfie the Conscience of any tender and considering Christian that the Apostles or other Christians in their days would have declined Church-communion with or denyed Church-communion unto such persons whom they judged true Beleevers in Christ and Partakers of like precious Faith with themselves only because they had not been Baptized or dipped in water after a profession of their beleeving especially in case they had been baptized and solemnly consecrated by washing with water unto the service of Jesus Christ before considering that the Apostle Paul expresly saith that in Jesus Christ i. e. under the Gospel or profession of Christ in the world neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision BUT FAITH which worketh by love a And again That Circumcision is nothing nor Vncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandments of God b meaning that under the Gospel and profession thereof neither did the observation of any external Rite or Ceremony Circumcision by a synecdoche speciei being put for all kind of external Rites or Ceremonies avail or contribute any thing towards the commending of any person unto God nor yet the want of any such observation discommend any man unto God or prejudice his acceptation with him but that which was all in all unto men and which availed any thing in and under the Gospel that which being sound in men rendered them accepted and approved of God and the want of it disapproved was such a kind of Faith not such or such a kind of Ceremony or such or such a kind of Baptism which by the mediation or interveening of that heavenly affection of love uttereth and expresseth it self in keeping the Commandments of God viz. so far as they are made known unto them and as humane infirmity will well bear and admit Or is it to be beleeved that either the Apostles or other Christians taught by them would have rejected those from their communion who were weak in the Faith and were not convinced of every thing that was in any degree necessary for them to know and to do only for want of such an external observance of the lawfulness whereof they were unconvinced and which had they submitted unto it would have availed them little or nothing III. Whether can it be proved by any text or passage of Scripture either directly or by any tolerable consequence that Christian Churches were in the Apostles days constituted by Baptism or that none were reputed members of Churches or admitted into Christian Communion with those who were Baptized but only such who were Baptized likewise considering that that text Acts 2. 41. commonly and only as far as I know pretended for proof of such a thing doth not so much as colour much less cotton with such a supposal or conclusion the tenor of the place being only this Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand Souls For 1. It is not here said that all they that gladly received the Word were baptized but indefinitely only They that gladly received c. Now indefinite expressions in Scripture are not always equipollent to universals but sometimes to partitives or particulars When the Apostle speaking of Beleevers under the Old Testament saith that THEY stopped the mouths of Lions quenched the violence of fire c. Hebr. 11. 33 34. he doth not mean that they all did either of these nor indeed that many of them did either See Mat. 27. 34. compared with vers 48. to omit an hundred instances more of like import Yea many times universal expressions