Baptismes IN their Verity OR The Baptisme of John and the Baptisme of Christ What they are in truth as they are described in the Scriptures of TRUTH And of what necessitie they are unto Salvation In a plain and brief manner herein declared By one of the most unworthy servants of CHRIST J. E. 1 Cor 3.13 Every mans work shall be made manifest the day shall declare it because it shall bee revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is Printed by M. Simmons 1648. BAPTISMES In their Verity OR The Baptisme of John and the Baptisme of CHRIST What they are in truth as they are described in the Scriptures of Truth and of what necessity they are unto salvation In a plain and briefe manner herein declared THat the Baptisme of John and the Baptisme of Christ are two distinct Baptismes it is a truth not to be questioned But that the Baptisme of John was his washing the body onely with the Element of water as some men think and teach this is a manifest untruth The Evangelist Mark doth distinguish and make a plain difference between Johns baptizing with the water of the River and his baptisme in truth saying Iohn did baptize in the Wildernesse and preach the Baptisme of repentance for the remission of sins Mark 1.4 〈◊〉 baptizing with the water of the River was not of necessity for remission of him that it should follow the same But the Baptisme which he preached was And this very thing doth Iohn himselfe declare unto the people after he had preached that Baptisme unto them and he seeing Christ coming to him who was to take away their sinnes saying Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world This is he of whom I told you After me cometh a man which is preferred before me for he was before me And I knew him not but that he should be made manifest to Israel therefore am I come baptizing with water Iohn 1.29 30. Where Iohn meaneth by his Baptizing with water not that on the body with the water of Jordan which neither did nor could make ready a people prepared for the Lord that he might and should be made manifest unto them take away their sinnes purifie their hearts by faith through the baptisme of the holy Ghost as Iohn had said Matth. 3.11 12. Luke 3.16 Nay but the repentance which he in the spirit and power of Elias preached and with many teares and lamentations cryed out unto the people for saying Repent ye for the kingdome of heaven is at hand Matth. 3.2.3 And which took effect with many of the people of Israel in those dayes 〈◊〉 did so repent were so baptized with 〈…〉 proceeding from their humble 〈◊〉 â—â—ntrite hearts confessing their sins unto God This is the water that Iohn speaketh of and meaneth caused by the same Spirit and power from above which he had received And this was the thing performed by the people in Samuels dayes as he saith And they gathered together to Mizâ—eh and drew water and powred it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there we have sinned against the Lord 1 Sam. 7.6 And which the Prophet Ioel also required of the people of his time if they would escape the wrath of the great terrible day to come saying Therefore also now saith the Lord Turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning Rent your hearts and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for hee is gracious c. Ioel 2.10 11 12 13. And so David exhorting the people upon good grounds saith O come let us worship and bow down let us kneele before the Lord our maker For he is the Lord our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hands To day if ye will heare his voyce harden not your hearts as in the provocation c. Psal 95 6 7 8. For no man can heare the voyce of God thatt is beleeve the promise of entring into his rest that doth not first unharden his heart that is to say repent And so doth Christ himselfe set forth the baptisme of Iohn by mourning lamenting and weeping in reproof of those that despised the counsell of God concerning themselves and were not baptized by him saying We have mourned unto you and ye have not lamented for Iohn came c. Matth. 11.17 18. Luke 7.32 33. And so in the most places if not in all where Iohn is said to baptize with water is meant this kind of water as Matth. 3.11 Mark 1.8 Luke 3.26 31. Iohn 1.26 31. Acts 1.5 And where he testifying again of Christ and his baptisme saith And I knew him not But he that sent me to baptize with water the same said unto me Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him the same is he which baptizeth with the holy Ghost c. Ioh. 1.33 For although Iohn did baptize or wash the body with the element of water yet was not that his baptisme of which he saith He that sent me to baptize with water said c. but onely a signe or similitude thereof as the little child which Christ set in the midst of his Disciples was of those returned ones whose the kingdome of heaven is and with whom God will dwell for ever as he hath said Mat. 5.3 Mat. 18.2 3 4. Mat 19 14. according to Esay 57.15 Esay 66.2 Iohn was no more sent to baptize with such water in comparison of that effected in the hearts of the people by his preaching than Paul was in comparison of his preaching the Gospel of peace who saith Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel though he had as good authority to doe it as any of the other Apostles had and did so baptize as there it appeareth 1 Cor. 1.14 16 17. When Christ in answer to those Priests that asked him by what authority he did those things which he did said I will also ask you one thing which if ye answer me then will I tell you by what authority I doe these things The baptisme of Iohn whence was it from heaven or of men Matth. 21.24 25. Christ doth not mean here by the baptisme of Iohn his baptizing with the water of the River that low thing which any man that was not a Prophet could have done but the same onely which he in the spirit and power of Elias preached and which was indeed from heaven and wrought so great effect in the hearts of the people that all men held Iohn to be a Prophet indeed And all this the Priests knew and yet would not say it was from heaven but left Christ should say why then didye not beleeve him and fearing the people answered they could not tell Neither doth Christ say Iohns Baptismes whence are they as if Iohn had two baptismes or moe but Johns baptisme whence
and hee lying bound to death by that his sinne and by the justice of the law of God which now he knew that stood up as a fiery two-edged sword turning every way against him convincing him more and more of sinne and of death hee being not able possibly to doe the works thereof that from the very first houre after the promise was made he and all in his loines were set out of that unrecoverable estate wherein they lay bound without any remedy and a way prescribed and set before them in and through the same promise whereby to live again so gracious and faire as could not be more That whosoever would but confesse his sinnes unto God and ask mercy like the similitude of the lost Sonne hee should have his sinnes forgiven and bee saved Such a generall Redemption as this was from that houre and so gracious and fair a way was set before all mankinde in generall no one excepted And what sonne in the world could or can desire more of his father against whom he had so rebelliously sinned yet no man by his own wil or power in nature would or could doe this and live again It is true that Adam and Abell and all the children of the promise did attain thereunto but not by their own wills or power And though oftentimes since the promise was made God renewed the same his covenant of mercy and called upon man saying Whosoever is athirst let him come and whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely Yet where is the man that of himselfe so thirsteth that of himselfe so willeth and cometh and taketh of the water of Life or was there ever such a man No doubtlesse not one But on the clean contrary such is the hardnesse and stoutnesse of mans heart since hee is become so wise by eating the forbidden fruit that rather then hee will stoop so low as to mourn and weep for his sinnes and confesse them unto God with teares from a truly sorrowfull broken heart and defire mercy and forgivenesse he will doe any thing else take up and submit to any forme of religion though never so strict and painfull entertain any opinion or doctrine that shall come to his eares in pretence of truth though never so erronious perform any outward work of the Law or of the Gospel so farre as Cain and Iudas went or as a Pharisee and hypocrite can goe some way to quiet his guilty conscience and to shun that straight way of the Lord it is so disagreeing to his lofty and prudent minde stubborn and hard heart so naturally given to pride and carnall pleasure as we may see by the experience of the many Sects of religious and sorts of opinions that are amongst us at this day as well as by the superstitions and idolatries that have been and are in the world that so his minde being quieted hee may pleasantly passe his time without repentance and without that faith of Christ which purifieth the heart the birth of water and of the Spirit So that if God should not by his speciall power from heaven like the husbandman that breakes up his fallow ground and then soweth his seed so turn the heart of man from his sinfull pleasures and fulfilling his owne will and doing his own works take away his hard and stony heart and give him a heart of flesh a soft and tender heart and write in the same by his Spirit his covenant of mercy and love as he did unto Adam his first lost sonne and Abell whose sacrifice therefore hee accepted Adam and all his posterity would have perished for ever But God foreseeing all things and having before the foundation of the world chosen of the fore-seen fallen lump of mankind a certain compleat number to save and glorifie did destinate them to be conformed to the image of his Sonne Jesus Christ his first borne and whom he so predestinated them he in his due times called giving them repentance and whom he so called them hee justified through faith and whom he justified them he glorified as it is written Rom. 8.28 29. And as God did thus call and justifie his chosen to Pauls time so hath hee done ever since and will doe to the end of the world that his number may be filled And they that are so predestinated and born of God shall certainly bee saved and none else as Christ hath absolutely affirmed Ioh. 3. What then Shall wee therefore say that God did predestinate the other to doe wickedly and so to perish Nay that followeth not neither did he so any more then he did decree the fall and sinne of Adam and so mans destruction for then God must bee the authour and cause thereof as he is of grace and salvation which may not once be thought Neither have we any more reason to charge God with unmercifulnesse in not saving all men by the new birth from above in and through Christ then we have for his not keeping Adam from falling and saving all that way It is true and it must be acknowledged that God could have done so and that he could also have kept those Angels which fell if it had been the good pleasure of his will as it was not shall wee therefore charge God with unmercifulnesse because he did not keep them and so have saved all both men and Angels Or shall wee make his not keeping them the cause of their fall sinne and destruction Who dares do so or have such a thought Nay Satan himselfe knoweth it to be otherwise and that their fall and destruction is of themselves and mans also of themselves thorough his eavie against them his malice and lies Neither did God ever harden the heart of any man that he should not repent and beleeve the Gospel and be saved or bind their wills or power therefrom by any decree or worke of his at any time nay let all men feare to think such a thing and know that it is his own hardnesse of heart and evilnesse of will that hinders him But this is true that God doth give some men up to their own hardnesse of heart such as having known God and tasted of his bountifulnesse and goodnesse which led them to repentance and reject the same as they whom the Apostle Paul speaketh of Rom. 1.19 20. to verse 32. And so is God said to harden the heart of Pharaoh in giving him up to hisown hardnesse of heart he having seen and known so much of the power and goodnesse of God and rejecting the same and still oppressing his people to fill up the measure of his wickednesse that God might declare his power as Paul saith Rom. 9. And according to this are the words of Christ to those Scribes and Pharisees of the Jewes the generation of them that killed the Prophets Matth. 23. Fill ye up the measure of your Fathers ye Serpents ye generation of Vipers c. Now what is there in any thing of
in him that is in his flesh as Paul saith Rom. 7. So then it is cleare and certain that whosoever is born of God are kept by the power of God and of Christ his seed the Spirit of Christ remaineth in them and they shal never perish And this is the true estate of every child of God that is born of him which if they who teach the contrary doctrine could attain they should discern the things that so truly differ and be able to distinguish truly between the speciall peculiar graces which they onely that are born of God partake of and those that are common to all Could they annoynt their eyes with that eye-salve of which Christ speaketh Rev. 3.18 19. Draw such water as they in Samuels dayes did powre it out before the Lord the tears of true repentance from an humble and contrite heart and confesse their sinnes unto him and desire mercy they should then be baptized with that one Spirit and beleeve in their hearts with that one faith and have that one hope of the Saints and see and know the mysteries of the Kingdome of heaven for unto such onely doth God reveal them as it is written Psal 25. Math. 11.25 Matth. 13.11 They would not then reject that first principle of Christ the baptisme of repentance as a needlesse thing to goe before in the heart of a sinner to prepare the way to the Faith of Christ which justifieth such sinners from their sinnes and call it a comming in by the back doore Nor judge such poore heavie loaden weary soules to bee at the farthest distance from Christ of any sinners in the world as some have done But would know that they are the bruised Reeds and broken hearted whom Christ was anoynted to preach the good tidings unto and to bind up those lost sheep whō he came into the world to seek out and to save let them therefore confider of these things and repent And let every one unto whom God hath given eyes to see eares to heare and a heart to understand beware of these false teachers and their doctrine And also and more especially of those who turn all Scriptures into Allegories Parables and conceited fancies which they our of their deep Philosophy have found out and teach as the great mystery of truth contained in them Their chiefe Author being one Henry Nicholas or H. N. as it stands in his books The main points of their doctrine being these following That CHRIST is now at this present come from the Right Hand of GOD and fitteth in his throne of judgment judging the quick and the dead 2. That they which sleep in Christ are raised from the dead the sting of death taken away and death swallowed up in victory 3. That all the promises of God and whatsoever is written in Scripture concerning the everlasting kingdome of Christ with all his Saints becometh now in this present last day as they call it fulfilled 3. That the seat of judgment is in the comminalty of the Family of Love 4. That Christ is a mysticall thing which they call Holinesse and the Antichrist Sin 5. That there is no other resurrection of the body than what is now in present brought to passe and in fulfilling mystically by the voyce of H. N. 6. That the Soule or Spirit when the body dieth goeth into the Being of God and the Body to the earth the principle from whence it came there to remain for ever and so both Soule and Body to be as they were before they knew they had a Being You shall see here some of his very words as in his Book intituled A joyfull Message of the Kingdome He inviteth all people in the world to entertain his message As first in his Preface he hath these words following Confider on the time O all ye people which love the truth of Jesu Christ Presently in this day of the love and of the appearing of the coming of our Lord Jesu Christ in the resurrection of the dead wherein the Law the Prophets and all what is written of Christ becometh fulfilled And in Chap. 1. thus it stands H. N. through the grace and mercy of God and through the Holy Spirit of the love of Jesu Christ raised up by the higest God from the dead according to the providence of God and his promises anointed with the holy Ghost in the old age of the holy understanding of Jesu Christ Godded with God in the Spirit of his love c. His quotations Esay 65. 1 Cor. 15. And Sent. 9. of the same Chapter For behold in this present day the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with the many thousands of his Saints becometh manifested which hath set himselfe upon the seat of his Majesty for to judge in this same day the whole world c. quot Mat 24. Mat. 25. Iude 1. And Chap. 35. Sent. 8. Behold in this present day according to the Scriptures the resurrection of the Lords dead cometh to passe presently in this same day through the appearing of the coming of Christ in his Majesty c. In which resurrection of the dead God sheweth unto us that the time is now fulfilled that the dead which are fallen asleep in the Lord rise up in this day of judgment and appeare unto us in godly glory c. His quot Dan. 12.4 Esd 7. 1 Thes 4. 1. Cor. 15 And Chap. 38. Sent. 2. Wherefore awake now all lift up your heads here and see the wonderfull acts of God and have regard unto the sound of the last Trumpet c. His quot Mat. 24. Luke 21. 1 Cor. 15. 1 Thess 4. These and a thousand more such like sayings to the same purpose hath H. N. in his writings onely these I thought fit here to relate to the end that you unto whom God giveth eyes to see and a heart to understand may perceive upon what foundation those many Ministers and people that have fallen from one opinion and form of religion to another doe ground their new spirituall way called Familisme And that ye may beware of giving care thereunto it being a very cunning mystery of deceit much taught by Ministers and others publickly and privatly and much spreading in this Citie of London and in all parts of this kingdome now at this day And know ye that although it be true that Christ by his Spirit is now with his faithfull now in this present time during their pilgrimage here as he promised and that by the same Spirit of truth the wicked world is convinced of sinne of righteousnesse and of judgment as he said and that they are in the spirit of their mind and affection risen with Christ and have by faith an entrance into the rest of God and everlasting kingdome of the Lord Jesus Christ as it is also written Yet is not Christ therefore come in his glory to judge the quick and the dead to fit in the throne of his glory and reigne in his kingdom with all his Saints nor they raised up according to those Scriptures which H. N. quoteth for his purpose Neither doth the last Trumpet yet sound spoken of Matth. 24. 1 Cor. 15. 1 Thess 4. Rev. 11.15 Nay but Christ shall come and will come and that speedily and shall fit in the Throne of his glory visibly and truly the dead shall be all raised truly in respect of their body and every man shall be judged according to his workes the last Trumpet shall sound at his coming according to those Scriptures and his Kingdome and reigne with all his Saints shall be truly manifested to all His Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea and from the River to the ends of the Earth they that dwell in the wildernesse shall bow before him and the enemy shall lick the dust All Kings shall fall down before him and all Nations shall serve him as it is written Psal 72. God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reigne over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end as it is also written 1 Chro. 17.11 12 13 14. Psal 89. Dan. 7. Luke 1. And whereas there be some that would have ye look for new Apostles to teach you plant new Churches And others for another Elias to come and restore all things hearken ye not unto them but consider and know that as Christ said In those dayes ye have Moses and the Prophets so have we yea more we have the Apostles we have Christ and the Elias also that was to come insomuch as we have their word and testimony And if we shall refuse to heare them then will we not beleeve the Prophets and Apostles themselves in person if they should come And besides let us know for a certainty that we hive their word and that Christ prayeth for those that shall beleeve in him through their word John 17.20 And know also that as the Ministery and Baptisme of Christ remaineth to this day so doth the Ministery and Baptisme of Iohn who is that very Elias that was to come before the great and terrible day of the Lord. And that his voyce crieth out unto us all for repentance that we may have our sinnes purged away by the Baptisme of Christ and so become born from above of Water and of the Spirit without which what form of Religion or opinion soever we have we shall certainly perish for ever Let us therefore hearken to their voyce and the Lord give us hearts will and power so to doe that we may repent and beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved from his wrath in that day and so live and reigne with him in his kingdome for evermore Amen FINIS June 16. Imprimatur John Downame