were that this Baptisme should last but while the coming of the Holy Ghost then did not Peter know Christs meaning for he obeyed that command of Christ baptizing them after they had received the Holy Ghost But as you are ignorant of the Covenant of Grace so are you ignorant of the Signes or Seals of the Covenant for when God made a Covenant with Abraham he gave Circumcision for a signe or seal of that Covenant And ye shall Circumcise the flesh of your fore-skin and it shall be a token of the Covenant between me and you Also the Apostle saith that He received the signe of Circumcision a seal of the righteousnesse of the Faith which he had yet being nncircumcised Now as Circumcision was a sign and seal in the time of the Law before Christ his coming in the flesh so hath Christ ordained Baptisme a sign and seal of the righteousnesse of Faith in the time of the New Testament to the end of the world according to that of the Apostle Peter in the dayes of Noah while the Ark was a preparing wherein few that is eight soules were saved by Water The like figure whereunto even Baptisme doth now save us that is it is a sign or seal of Salvation by the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God Minde he saith Baptisme doth now save us I never read of a Light within us that saveth us Also the Apostle John saith that as there are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost so there are three that bear witnesse in Earth the Spirit and the Water and the Blood and these three agree in one Now by Water can be meant no other thing than the Water in Baptisme that as Water doth wash away the filth of the Body so doth the Water in Baptisme witnesse that Christ by his Blood hath washed away the filthinesse of sin but one of your Teachers asked me if I were so Ignorant to believe that the Water in the Thames or any other Water could do a mans Soul any good To which I answer that Water simply considered in it self it hath no such vertue but consider it in relation unto Gods Ordinance used according to his command and appointment it is profitable to the Soul But you speak and believe like Naaman the Assyrian who coming to the Prophet Elisha to be cleansed of his Leprosie when the Prophet sent him word to only go and wash himself in the waters of Jordan seven times he was in a great rage saying Are not the Waters of Damascus better then all the Waters of Israel he considered not that Gods command doth give vertue and efficacy to the thing for which it was appointed and this cleansing of Naamans Leprosie by the Water of Jordan was an emblem or type of our Baptisme we know God did make the Walls of Jericho fall by the blowing of Rams hornes because he had commanded and appointed so it is a great sin to disobey Gods command although the thing commanded seem never so smal and contrary to our sense and reason We know what the Lord did unto Moses because his Son was not Circumcised according to Gods command And it came to passe by the way in the Inne that the Lord met him and sought to kill him Now if the Lord would not bear with Moses his neglect of Circumcising his Son how do you Quakers think to escape Gods displeasure who not only neglect Gods Ordinance of Baptisme but also teach that it is abolished and uselesse and make a meer mock at Water-baptisme but the Apostles of Christ did highly esteem of that Ordinance of Baptisme I Christ himself did not only command it but honoured it in being Baptized himselfe who had no need of it for himself but that he might be an example unto us for saith he Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousnesse Minde Christ calleth it righteousnesse Also God the Father did highly honour Baptisme in that he opened Heaven at the Baptisme of Christ and sent the Spirit descending like Dove and lighting upon him and a voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased And as God the Father Christ his Son and the Apostles did honour this Ordinance of Baptisme so did the Ministers of the Gospel since the Apostles dayes highly esteem the same I shall alledge what Calvin writeth concerning Baptisme I hope you do 〈◊〉 count him a Popish Father in his 23. Sermon on Gal. 3. 17. his words are these And in good sooth all of us professe the Gospel and yet we shall finde a number of people that know not the true use of Baptisme nor whereto it availeth nor to what end it is ordained but such shall pay dearly for taking such a pledge at Gods hands he will shew them that it is too costly a thing to be abused for as much as it is said to be a Seal whereby we are assured of the benefits of Christ his Death and Resurrection that whereas many have lived some twenty some forty some fifty years in the world without knowledge to what end they were Baptized it were better for them that they had been born dead and to have been sunk a hundred times in the earth than so to have unhallowed so holy a thing And therefore let us bethink our selves the better and learn that although there be but a little water cast upon our heads yet notwithstanding it is not a vain figure for the Heavens are opened upon us and God speaks in it as it were from Heaven and Christ is there present with his blood as witnesses of the usage and operation of the Sacrament Let us think well upon these things and let them be well rooted in your hearts by which you and all others may see what an esteem Calvin had of Baptisme Also in his fourth book of Institutions chap. 11. concerning Baptism his words are these Baptisme is a token and proof of our cleansing or to expresse my minde better it is like a sealed Charter whereby God confirmeth unto us that all our sins are cancelled and abolished that they may never be rehearsed nor imputed Also Beza in his Annotations upon the fifth chapter to the Ephesians ver 26 27 Christ loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water through the word that he might make it unto himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing o Baptisme is a token that God hath consecrated the Church to himselfe and made it holy by his word that is his promise of free Justification and Sanctification in Christ p because it is covered and clad with Christ his justice and holinesse I have written what these two eminent Ministers did believe and maintain concerning Baptisme who lived in the Church of
Geneva because that Church hath and is counted one of the best reformed Churches from Popery and therefore I hope you will not say they were Popish writers and I am certain they were no Quakers for they observed Christ his ordinance of Baptisme which you deny teaching that it is of no use now in the Church in which you disobey Christ his command and walk contrary to his practice and walk contrary to the practice of the Apostles and all the Ministers of the Gospel in the best reformed Churches and therefore are not perfect But you say that if it be lawful now to Baptize yet is it not lawful to Baptize Children and therefore our Ministers do that which Christ never commanded which is the thing you all fly unto when you are put upon the tryal of the lawfulnesse of Baptisme and that is one of E. B. his objections against our Ministers in his book called A just and lawful tryal of the Teachers and professed Ministers of this age and generation by a prefect proceeding against them and justly weighed measured and condemned Which book was given me by a Quaker in London as being unanswerable I have answered already all the chief grounds and reasons alledged in the said book against our Ministers but this being one ground that our Ministers Baptize or sprinkle Infants and tells them they are Christians before they preach to them contrary to the practice of Christ and his Apostles Now although it was not in the least any part of my intention when I began to write to medle with that controversie of Baptizing Childen because I was to write against Antibaptists not Anabaptists yet finding since that Quakers who are Antibaptists in that they deny all Water-baptisme do make that one of their chief grounds against the lawfulnesse of our Ministers both in their writings and disputings I was moved to bestow a little more time and labour in answering you in that particular although I might have saved that labour in regard Mr. Richard Baxter hath so plainly proved the lawfulnesse of Infant-baptisme in his answer to Mr. Tombes but because I know you Quakers do not usually read any books but such as are of your own stamp or such as are written in opposition to your opinions I shall write such grounds and reasons as I conceive are sufficient to prove the lawfulnesse of Infant-baptisme Wherefore I shall first lay down this assertion That the Covenant of Grace which God made from the beginning with Adam and renewed unto Abraham is the same for substance which we have now in the dayes of the Gospel and as he did give Circumcision a Sign and Seal of that Covenant before Christ his coming in the flesh whereby they and their children were distinguished from the Heathen Gentiles so hath the Lord Christ appointed Baptisme a Signe and Seal of the same Covenant in the dayes of the Gospel whereby all those that believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ they and their children are also distinguished from Heathen Infidels that believe not the Gospel Now the Covenant of Grace was made to the children of all those that are within the Covenant I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee Now all those that are of the Faith of Abraham are the seed of Abraham and if ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams seed and Heirs according to the promise and the Father to them that are not of Circumcision but also walk in the steps of that Faith of our Father Abraham Now the children after Christ his coming in the flesh were counted within the Covenant so as to be accounted visible Members of the Church and so capable of the outward external Sign and Seal of the Covenant I shall prove first by the words and example of 〈◊〉 â—imself when they brought Infants unto him 〈…〉 saw it and they rebuked them but 〈…〉 and said suffer little Children to 〈…〉 not for of such is the kingdome of God Now if children belong to the Kingdome of God then surely the Seals of the Kingdome do belong unto them Also when Christ gave Commission to his Disciples he said Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Now are not children part of the Nations and if you say they must be taught first I answer that Mr. Baxter hath proved that by Teaching is in the Original Disciple them where he also proveth that children are Disciples as well as others Also the Apostle Peter said unto those converts in the Acts Repent and be Baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call Now if the Promise did belong unto their children surely the Seal of the Promise doth belong unto them and it cannot be Circumcision for that was abolished wherefore it must needs be Baptisme which is the Badge or Seal whereby Christions are distinguished from others Also the Apostle writing to the Corinthians some men having unbelieving Wives and the Women unbelieving Husbands were in doubt whether they might live together the Apostle therefore doth resolve their scruples telling them that there was no cause of separation for saith he The unbelieving Wife is sanctified by the believing Husband and the unbelieving Husband by the believing Wife else were your Children unclean but now they are holy Where the Apostle cannot be understood of any inherent holinesse but rather a relative holinesse which makes the person capable of being a member of the visible Church by the Ordinance of Baptisme I know the Anabaptists say the meaning is else were your children Illegitimate that is base born but that cannot be the Apostles meaning for the Apostle saith that the unbeliever is sanctified by the believer Now I never read in Scripture that being lawfully Married made children holy or unholy for I believe Jews and Turks are lawfully Married but that doth not make their children holy but if that interpretation were granted it will serve to prove the point in controversie for no Bastard was to be admitted into the Church and Congregation of the Jews and were therefore not to partake of holy things but all children that were born being not Bastards were admitted visible members of the Church and were capable of that federate relative holinesse and if the Apostles meaning be of their being not base born but legitimate then I say he doth thereby intimate that then their children were capable of being made visible members of the Church by Baptisme as well as the children of the Jews by Circumcision or else the Jewes and their children had a greater priviledge in the time of the Law
to make us sinners before we did actually sin much more there is a power in Christ to make elect Infants righteous before they have actual faith else how shall those that dye in their Infancie be saved and it is the Apostles own Argument how strange soever it seem unto you For as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous And by grace are you saved Now Infants are objects of Gods grace and free favour as well as others and therefore capable of the seal of the covenant of grace being Children of those that professe faith in Christ for it is not faith as it is an act that saveth but it layeth hold on Christ the Object and so it is necessary to assure us that we are in the covenant of grace but doth not make us in covenant And if you still object that there is no example for baptizing of Children I further answer that seeing you do so much stand upon the express Letter of the Scripture I shall prove by the Letter of the Scripture that Children were baptized For you may read that there came out of the Land of Egypt 600000 on foot Men besides Children and the Apostle saith That all our fathers were under the Cloud and in the Sea and were all men women and Children all baptised unto Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea Now that Baptism of theirs was written for our example saith our Apostle that we should not build too much upon outward priviledges in that we are partakers of Baptism and the Supper of the Lord as the Israelites did for they were many of them destroyed in the Wildernesse notwithstanding that they were baptised and did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ and there passing thorough the Sea were baptised whereby they were saved from their enemies the Egyptians and their enemies there destroyed in the Sea did set forth our Salvation by Christ according to that prophesie of Deliverance by him He will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the Sea That is into the Sea of Christs blood where all our spiritual enemies were destroyed and we saved Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins I shall now give you one reason more which doth sway much with me for Infant Baptism and that is the constant practise of all reformed Churches ever since the Apostles days I cannot be so uncharitable as to think or believe that all the Churches of Christ ever since the Apostles days lived in the practise of that which was against the will and mind of God and this reason did sway much with that truly noble person Robert Lord Brooke deceased which I make bold to mention because I have heard several persons of late affirm that he was against Infant Baptism Wherefore I shall write his own words in his Book called A Discourse opening the Nature of that Episcopacy which is exercised in England written a little before his Death in the year 1641. In which Discourse he laboureth to prove the unlawfulnesse of Episcopacy as it was then exercised in England and therefore fit to be abolisht where he doth start a Question or Objection Whether the remedy will not prove worse then the Disease by the change of this Church Government That Anabaptism Brownism and Separatism will increase and every Ley-man will turn Preacher I wish the thing feared had not come upon us but the reason of the growth and increase of all sorts of errors among us doth proceed as I concieve not from the change of Church Government but by reason of having none at all but suffering a wicked sinful tolleration of all manner of Heresies and Blasphemies Now that noble person was for a change of our Church Government not for none at all For we see that in Scotland Geneva and other reformed Churches where they had no Episcopal Government they kept Heresies and Hereticks out better then we did here in England in the time of the Episcopacie This by the way to return to what that good man doth write concerning the niceness of Anabaptism I will not I cannot saith he take on me to defend that men usually call Anabaptism Yet I concieve that Sect is twofold some of them hold Free will community of all things deny Magistracy and refuse to baptize their Children These truly saith he are such Hereticks or Atheists that I question whether any Divine should honour them so much as to dispute with them Much rather sure should Alexander's Sword determine here as of old at the Gordian knot There is another sort of them who only deny Baptism to their Children till they come to years of Discretion and then they baptize them But in other things they agree with the Church of England Truly these men are much to be pitied And I could heartily wish that before they be stigmatized with the opprobrious brand of Schismaticks the truth might be cleered to them Many things saith he prevail very much with me in this point The first he nameth to be this because for ought I could ever learn it was the constant custome of the most purest and primitive Church to baptize Infants of believing parents for I could never find the beginning and first rise of this practise Whereas it is very easie to track Heresies to their first rising up and setting foot in the Church Again saith he I find all Churches even the most strict have generally been of this Judgement and Practise yea though there have been in all ages some that much affected novelty and had parts enough to discusse and cleer what they thought good to preach yet was this scarce ever questioned by men of note till within these last Ages And sure the constant Judgement of the Churches of Christ is much to be honoured and heard in all things that contradict not Scripture Now I believe that this noble person so much to be honoured both for his piety and Learning had read more Ecclesiastical Histories to find out the rise and beginning of Baptising of Infants in the Church of Christ then all you Quakers unless some Jesuits among you that go under the Name of Quakers and Anabaptists And yet he could never find the beginning of it it being constantly practised in the Church ever since the Apostles days But it is an easie matter to find out the beginning of Anabaptism for if you would take the pains to read that Book called The Rise and Growth of the Anabaptist in Germany you may find their beginning and the beginning of your selves although the name of Quakers of far later time yet those that spring up there were your Forefathers they layed the foundations of your
any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins And herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins And were these Apostles false Teachers and did they teach the people to sin because they taught this Doctrine of Justification by the blood and righteousnesse of Christ I know the false Apostles did slander the Apostles as you do For the Apostles teaching this doctrine of being justified freely by the righteousnesse of Christ saith We be slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say let us do evil that good may come thereof And the Apostle saith Where sin abounded Grace did much more abound What then shall we say as you Quakers do then we may continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid saith the Apostle that any should make such a conclusion from this Doctrine and you are not under the Law but under Grace What then shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace God forbid the Apostle knew that those whose hearts God hath touched with the apprehension of this Doctrine of the Free grace and Love of God in Christ would not make any such conclusions For saith the Apostle The grace of God that bringeth Salvation teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly Lusts VVe should live Godly righteously and soberly The Doctrine of free Grace doth not make Christians carnal Libertines but ingageth them to walk in all thankfulnesse unto God the Love of Christ constraineth us saith the Apostle The Sons of Agar that are in bondage they are frighted from sin by the terrors of the Law and fear of Hell but those that are of the free woman in the new Covenant of grace they are free their hearts are chiefly inlarged by the apprehending the free Love of God in Christ VVho so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleiveth in him should not perish And Christ is the good Shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep And can any man that by faith apprehendeth this love go on in sin as you say No no You know not what you say take the example of Mary Magdalen Many sins are forgiven her for she loved much Her loving much was not the cause of the forgivenesse of many sins as the Papists say and you Quakers Now consider Whether Christ and his Apostles did not teach the same things which our Ministers do and you may as well and as truely say they taught people to live in sin as you may say that our Ministers do so for they preach the Doctrine of Justification no other way nor to no other end and this I proved before in answer to John Horwood but I shall not think my labour ill bestowed if the Lord do convince any one of you of your error in this Doctrine of Justification And now I come to a second Lie The second Lie is that our Ministers if any be wounded and cries out because of the burden of sin and be sick and broken and trembles at the word of the Lord. Such they cry out is deceived and mocketh at them I wonder with what face any man can affirm such such a Lie For our Ministers do labour by their preaching to bring people to a sight and sence of their sins that they may feel sin to be a burden unto them When they see or hear any of you Quakers fall into your Quaking fits they may say you are decieved and do pity them but not mock them as you falsly accuse them A third Lie is that our Ministers have no maintenance but what is compellled from the people by the Law and the Magistrate to pay them Tithes and other things and if the Magistrates hold their hands from causing people to pay them Tithes by their orders and Writs they must either beg or work or a worse thing for a lively hood or else perish so little love is there in the hearts of their own people towards them For because of their wickednesse God hath left them and all honest true hearted people hath left them therefore what a condition are the Teachers in who deserves not the love of men because of their cruel heartednesse towards them And they deserve not the Love of God because they are so wicked against him and concludeth I might yet more fully describe and declare wherein they do exceed the Deceivers and False Prophets of old But of this according as the Lord moves and leadeth For answer to this bundle of Lies for here are many Lies together and of these he saith you shall have more as the Lord moves and leadeth Which I understand to be the great Lord Beelzebub that leadeth unto all Lies for surely the Divel did help to invent all these lies For that they are Lies I shall plainly prove by what I know by my own experience and I question not but that the experience of many thousands knoweth they are Lies Now to prove that these are Lies by what I know by experience for I have lived in London and Middlesex many years and have well observed the carriage and dealing both of Ministers towards their people and people towards their Ministers or Teachers and by what I have observed I know these things to be lies For that many Ministers are maintained by the voluntary love and affections of their people and not by the Magistrates or the Laws compelling them I know not only by what I have heard by inquiring of neighbour Parishes both in Middlesex and Surrey and London but by what I know by experience For I have for many years recieved the Ministers maintenance in the Parish where I live and I never received any mony or any Tithes by compulsion by the Law and by the Magistrates orders but did only receive what the people were willing to give and many have given more shillings to the Minister then of due I could demand pence And never demanded mony or any thing else of poor people thought by right of Law many of them ought to have payed to the Minister But the Minister hath said I had rather give to the poor then take any thing from them and when poor people have told him they were not able to pay him he hath said I will then give it you and hath given them mony besides and he never demanded any maintenance from any Anabaptist or Quaker or any other Sectary that refused to pay their dues And I have spoken with several men that have received the Ministers dues both in London Middlesex and Surrey and they have affirmed the same and is not this Quaker a Liar to affirm the contrary But they measure others corn by their own Bushel For because they will not pay the Ministers their dues but by the Law and the
but also to strengthen and confirm those that are converted that they may grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ though you Quakers say you are so perfect that you cannot grow in knowledge nor grace Also know that were it not for our publick Ministers people would in time grow Atheistical and become like Savage bruitish Heathens as for those sins which you say do abound among Teachers and People I say it is no new thing for you Quakers to accuse revile and slander all men that are contrary to your judgement But if such sins did abound among us that doth not prove our Ministers to be no true Ministers nor our Churches to be no true Churches for I have proved that there hath been as great sins in the first age of the Church as in Corinth Galatia Thessalonica and the Churches of Asia and yet they were all true Churches and the Ministers true Ministers but for your selves you are like the Pharisees that could finde faults in others but could see none in themselves And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy Brothers eye but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye which bringeth me to the tryal aud examination of the perfection among you Quakers that it may appear whether you be the innocent Lambes of Christ the holy Seed the Called the chosen of the Lord the Witnesses the Saints the children of the Light the perfect ones for so you write in your Paper but it had been better if it had been written or spoken by others than by your selfe but you follow your Fathers the Pharisees who praised themselves and your Fathers the Papists who say they are the only true Church which cannot erre as you Quakers say of your selves Wherefore I shall now endevour to examine your perfection whether you have that perfection which the Scripture doth hold forth and teach I have at large proved the perfection which our Ministers teach to be by Faith alone in believing what Christ hath suffered and done for us Also I have proved that there is no perfection in our selves that is to say no man is able perfectly to keep and fulfill the whole Law in thought word and deed but you Quakers say that Christ hath abolished the Law an old Antinomian error which hath been often confuted wherefore I shall not trouble my self about it but I shall exaamine whether you Quakers do perfectly keep and obey the commands of Christ and his Apostles and whether you walk according to the example of Christ and his Apostles Now Jesus Christ hath given forth several commands which you Quakers do not obey but teach men that they ought not to be obeyed now Christ saith that whosoever shall break one of these least Commandements and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the Kingdome of Heaven that is none at all Now if Christ threaten such as teach men to break one of the least of the commands of the Moral Law how do you think to escape that teach men to break his commands which he gave forth with his own mouth in the time of the Gospel and that neer the time of his Suffering and Ascension but you will say this is a false accusation wherefore it remaineth on my part to 〈◊〉 it And to that end I shall first begin with that 〈…〉 which Christ gave to his eleven Disciples And Jesus came and spake unto them saying all power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway unto the end of the world Now I do affirm that this command of Christ was given by him not to the Disciples only but in them to all the Ministers of the Gospel that shall succeed them unto the end of the world and that this command of baptizing in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost is the baptizing with Water which ordinance is to continue unto the end of the world or Christ his second coming Now you Quakers do deny the observing of this command of Christ and teach men not to obey the same but say it was a command that was to continue only for a time untill the coming of the Holy Ghost this several of your Teachers have affirmed unto me at several times and Jona Dell in his book called A voice from the Temple saith that Baptism and the Lords Supper were but ceremonies that were to last but for a time Wherefore I shall prove that this command of Christ to his Disciples was to continue in the Church untill his second coming and was not to cease at the coming of the the Holy Ghost as you say it is Now Minde the words and they do plainly prove it for Christ saith I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Now the Apostles did not live alway unto the end of the world but some of your company say by the end of the world Christ doth not mean the time of dissolving of all things in the world or Christ his second coming but till the world was ended in them and that was when they were perfect but consider what an absurd interpretation this is for if that be the meaning then it must needs follow that Christ left the Apostles when the world was ended in them but I would know where you finde the end of the world in Scripture to be taken for the end of the world in a Man but while you go about to defend one error you run into many but I shall shew from the Scripture that this ordinance of Water-Baptisme was practised in the Church after the sending of the Holy Ghost and after the Holy Ghost was received by many In the Acts of the Apostles we read that the Apostles were all filled with the Holy Ghost Surely no Quaker ever had such a measure of the Spirit and yet the Apostles after that baptized with Water as we may read in several places in the Acts to instance one which may serve in stead of many the Apostle Peter being sent for by Cornelius by the Lords own appointment and coming into Cornelius's house preached the Gospel unto him and many other Gentiles And to him give all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word Minde Peters Preaching is called the Word Then answered Peter Can any man forbid Minde Water that these should not be Baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Now can you tell how to deny this practice of the Apostle Peter if Christ his meaning