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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	according_a	appearance_n	judge_v	2,239	5	7.7140	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38578	Anabaptism considered Wherein the chief objections of that sect against infant-baptism, and the manner of baptizing by aspersion, or sprinkling, are fairly stated and answered; and reasons given why dipping is not to be taken as the essential or necessary mode of administration. In a familiar letter of advice to a parishioner inclining that way. By William Eratt, M.A. and minister of Hatfield near Doncaster.	Eratt, William, 1655 or 6-1702.	1700 (1700)	Wing E3220; ESTC R200374	28,824	40

Uncleanness upon them namely Judaism or Heathenism I agree farther that this Custom was probably in use in hot Countries some time after Christ and his Apostles where the same might be done without endangering the Health of the baptized and I shew'd you also that our Church is not against this use when it may be done with fafety as appears by her Rubrick of Baptism But then to urge that this Mode of dipping is Essential in the very nature of the Sacrament that I deny'd and put it to the Anabaptists to prove it if they could and did say and do say still that a little Water in Baptism by sprinkling or pouring the same upon the Person baptized doth as virtually and sacramentally exhibit the Seal of the Covenant as the greatest quantity whatsoever even as I shew'd you by the like parity of Reason that a little Bread and Wine the least Sup as well as the biggest Draught in the other Sacrament doth sufficiently represent the Body and Blood of Christ to every worthy Communicant and hereupon did urge farther that for any Person to insist upon Dipping as essential to the Sacrament of Baptism it seem'd to me to be a leaning too much to the Judaical Washings and putting too much stress upon the outward Sign the Element of Water and a slighting the thing signified the inward washing and invisible operations of the Spirit I shew'd you what was the Judgment of an ancient Father of the Church when consulted on this occasion and what was and is the Practice of all or most Christian Churches in the Western and Northern parts of the World and now in the close I shall refer the whole matter of this Letter to your serious and Christian Consideration with this Caution only 2 Tim. 2.14 that you bear always in mind in the perusal of it St. Paul's Advice to Timothy Of these things put them in remembrance charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit but to the subverting of the hearers To conclude Thus Neighbour you see upon due enquiry made there 's really nothing in the new way we have been speaking of to invite you to it unless Principles of Sedition Heresie and Schism can be any due Motives herein No the Apostle St. Paul positively affirms that they who upon this account cause Divisions in the Church of God are such as love not our Lord Jesus Christ but that by their good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.18 Pray then be not led away with an outward shew of pretended Sanctity and Holiness for such a Vizard the false Teachers were to put on 'T is our Saviour's own Affirmation that there should arise false Christs and false Prophets who should be so artful in their counterfeit shews of Piety as to go near imposing upon the very Favourites of Heaven the Elect or chosen of God Mat. 24.24 25. Take therefore our Lord's Advice herein If they shall say unto thee he is in the desart go not forth behold he is in the secret chamber believe it not For when the Root is unsound the Branches must be so likewise A corrupt Tree may bring forth Fruit fair to the eye but not really good Where the Doctrines of any Sect are against God's Word as 't is plain the Anabaptists are they are none of Christ's let them pretend what they will Hear what our Lord bids us do in this case Judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment And as there is nothing in the new way things rightly considered to invite you to it so you have heard there is nothing in the old way the good old Religion you have been baptized and brought up in to dissuade you from it All the Objections our Adversaries have yet made are vanish'd and fled as Chaff before the Wind. Truth is great and will prevail If you are therefore a Lover of God and of Christ of Truth and of your own Soul hold fast to your former Profession without wavering and our Lord Jesus Christ give you a right Understanding in all things Which is the sincere and hearty Prayer of Your loving Friend and Minister Hatfield Jan. 19. 1699 1700. William Eratt POSTSCRIPT I Am told Neighbour by several that you seem concern'd for that you hear I 'm angry at you Now to be free with you and that you may have no more occasion to listen to Hear-say I tell you frankly I am in some measure really so but that I may not be misunderstood in this you must give me leave herein to express my own Meaning and this is but common Justice every Man being suppos'd the best Interpreter of his own words In order then that you or any other Person may the better understand my Meaning when I say I am angry at you I shall consider the matter two ways with regard to an unjust or a just Anger and the Word bears these two senses in the common Usage of it and so 't is also taken in Holy Writ To these I shall speak a little severally 1. As to unjust Anger taken in a strict sense it imports properly speaking not so much an Evil as a groundless and hasty Passion The former of these our Saviour condemns when he tells us Matt. 5.22 We must not be angry with our Brother without a cause of the latter I take the elder Son in the Gospel to be guilty for though his Anger with regard to his prodigal Brother might not be altogether groundless yet was it too rash and hasty The Thoughts of his Brother having wasted his Father's Goods in riotous living gave cause of just Resentment but then the consideration of his being reform'd of his becoming a new Man of his being return'd home in his Person but not in his Vices which moved the tenderness of a Father to pardon should also if it had been well considered have prevail'd with the Brother too not to have been angry the greater Good shou'd have out-ballanced the lesser Evil and so the occasion of the Father's Mirth shou'd have stirr'd up Joy in the Brother also and not a fretting Passion being grounded upon this solid Reason For this thy Brother was dead and is alive again Luke 15.28 32. was lost and is found I am alas too much Man to clear my self of having been never guilty of both these two foolish Passions a Groundless and Hasty Anger and to take up the words of holy Job Should I justifie my self herein my own mouth would condemn me Job 9.20 No far be that Presumption from me but I must freely with the Apostle own my self of like Passions with other men Acts 14.15 Now as to the latter instance of an hasty Passion I wish I might with the elder Brother be blam'd and condemn'd by all good Men shou'd I be angry when I ought to rejoyce if my straying Brother who was lost should be found and return home

and so are made visible Members of Christ's Church But for the farther clearing of this point let us compare † Circumcision and Baptism are Seals of the same Evangelical Covenant the former given by God to Abraham the latter given by Christ himself Circumcision and Baptism together as they respect those two things viz. 1. Matter of Fact 2. Matter of Right Now it cannot be denied but Circumcision was the Seal of the ‡ Of the promised Messiah to our Father Abraham who was to come Evangelical Covenant and was not that a Covenant of Faith yea doubtless We have the Authority of St. Paul for it who calls it Rom. 4.11 the Seal of the Righteousness of Faith And were not I pray you Children capable of receiving this Seal of Faith given to Abraham You answer Yes tell me then why not Children of Believers now or were Infants under the Old Testament more capable of receiving the Seal of Faith then than Children are now under the Gospel or was the Seal of this first Covenant of Faith more privilegial and extensive in favour to Abrabam and his natural Seed than the second Seal of the same Covenant is in and through Christ to all those who are of the Faith of Abraham Who will presume to affirm this I 'm not ignorant what a Noise the Anabaptists make about the Commission our Saviour gave his Apostles in reference to the Sacrament of Baptism Go teach all Nations Mar. 28.19 Baptizing them in the Name of c. They 'll tell you Persons must be taught before they are baptiz'd but with their Favour this is not always to be taken in their meaning but only in the case of adult Persons For if we consider the Etymology and real Signification of the Word Teach in the Original it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which according to very learned Expositours signifies also discipling and then the Commission runs thus Go ye and by Baptism make disciples To what end That they may be taught and instructed in the Duties of the Christian Faith as will plainly appear if you take the Commission mentioned in the 19th ver together with what follows in the 20th and it is thus Go ye Disciple all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching 'em to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you They 'll answer we are only for the literal Sense of the Word I reply discipling is also as true a meaning of the Word if the Original must be judge but if they do not understand it or will not believe it I cannot help that And now that we are upon Christ's Commission let us examine it a little farther as to the extent of it Go ye Baptize all Nations c. Ask'em what this means and then they 're against the literal Meaning for we say this Authority must needs reach the Baptism of Infants if Children are part of the World and there cannot be all Nations if they are excluded No such matter say they this Commission extends only to adult Persons of all Nations who are first to be taught and then to be baptized When we urge farther that of the Apostle St. Peter The promise is to you and your children they answer as before This is to be understood to you and your Posterity as when Moses speaks of the Children of Israel is meant all Persons of that Stock and if we agree to this how then Are not young Children I pray ye part of that Stock Truly there are not many Families in comparison without them and if it was otherwise there would soon be left but few or no Nations at all From the extent of the Commission let us go the Execution of it and see if that can help to reconcile us Well then from Scripture we tell 'em of whole Families that were Baptized together as Lydia and her houshould the Jayler of Philippi he and all his straitway and how St. Paul affirms that he baptized the houshould of Stephanas 1 Cor. 1.16 And are they sure there were no Children in these Families But farther there is one thing more I must observe unto you before I leave the Authority of the Scriptures as to this point that there were three ways of Proselyting among the Jews namely Circumcision Baptism and Sacrifice The first belonged only to the Males the two latter to all Men Women and Children and all the Rabbins do with one coment affirm that Persons of all Ages and Sexes were admitted into the Church by Baptism In the Gemara it is thus expressed If with a Proselyte his Sons and his Daughters are made Proselytes also that which is done by their Father redounds to their good and again in the Babylonian Talmud They baptize a little Proselyte according to the Judgment of the S●anhedrim that is as the Gloss renders it If he is deprived of his Father and his Mother brings him to be proselyted he is baptiz'd according to the Custom which was this there was to be three Men present at his Baptism who were accepted instead of a Father to him From hence I observe That the Custom of Baptism being a thing so common among the Jews when they sent Messengers to John the Question was not Why dost thou baptize which in all likelyhood had been the first Question had not Baptism with them been so usually a way of discipling no but they demand the Authority of the Baptizer and they asked him and said unto him Why baptizest thou then if thou be not the Christ nor Elias John 1 25. neither that Prophet Hence also I farther observe that Pedobaptism being so common and known a Custom in the Jewish Church when Multitudes flock'd to John's Baptism who dare positively affirm they did not bring their Children along with them to be baptized As to our Adversaries alledging where is it said Go Baptize Infants I answer What need was there to strengthen Baptism with any particular Precept when it became an Evangelical Sacrament for that our Saviour took it as he found it this only added that he promoted it to a more worthy End and to a larger Use to be a Seal of the Covenant of Faith as Circumcision was before and to be also the Laver of Regeneration not only to the Natural Seed of Abraham but to all those who should be of the Faith of our Father Abraham and that there is in some Measure * An outward or foederal Holiness an imputed righteousness of Faith as well as an actual one seems to me very plain from St. Paul when he thus argues The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife 1 Cor. 〈…〉 and the unbelieving wife by the husband else were your children unclean but now are they holy I cannot tell what can be meant by this Holiness but that the † These necessitate cogente may have private Baptism but the other I think cannot without Sponsors be