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A20358
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A discription of what God hath predestinated concerning man in his [brace] creation, transgression, & regeneration : as also an answere to Iohn Robinson, touching baptisme.
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Murton, John.
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1620
(1620)
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STC 6773; ESTC S768
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92,942
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190
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to take heed of Presumption they thinking themselues sure and safe because they had put on CHRIST by Baptisme and were Christians and first hee sheweth them a similie of two runners and applyed it to them saying so runne that ye may obtaine And further vrgeth it by himselfe saying I beate downe my body and bring it in subjection least when I haue Preached vnto others my selfe should become a cast away After hee hath done with the similie he passeth to an example as if he should say besides this I would haue you vnderstand how God delt with our Fathers when hee brought them out of Egipt with signes and wonders and gaue them manifest tokens of his loue in giuing them a Cloude to couer and defend them by Day and night and caused the Sea to deuide it selfe for them to passe ouer and fed them 40 yeares with Bread from Heauen and caused the hard Rockes to yeeld them drinke by the which testimonies of his fauour he offered them Christ and did confirme vnto them by these extraordinary wonders that he was their God yet for all this when they sinned he was displeased with them and destroyed them diuers times euen so you Corinthians notwithstanding you are Christians and haue Christs ordinances among you the pledges of Gods fauour as these Israelites had in their time yet if you sinne without repentance you shall perish as they did for their example is written for our learning And thus this of Moses is called Baptisme by comparison as Noahs Arke is called the figure of the Baptisme that saueth For as Noahs Arke saued them that were in it from drowning in the water yet afterwards some of them perished so our Fathers were all vnder the cloude and in the Sea and were all therein Baptised or safe guarded from destruction of their enemies yet afterwards many of them perished Euen so true Baptisme saueth them that are in it or put on Christ by it from the destruction of Hell though afterwards many may perish that hold not fast that profession vnto the end and hereupon th'Apostle concludeth Let him that thinketh hee standeth take heed least he fall And this is the meaning of this Scripture cannot with any shew of truth be produced for Infants Baptisme If any further aske why it is said they were Baptised in the Sea and cloude I answer it pleased the holy Ghost so to speake for the reasons which I haue shewed the Cloude and Sea was their safety as Noahs Arke was and as true Baptisme is and as Christ saith They are Baptised that suffer for his sake So there is asmuch warrant to enioyne Infants to suffer persecution because it is called by the name of Baptisme as to Baptise them from this place because the cloude and Sea is called Baptisme Ereu. Another obiection they haue which is whole Housholds were Baptised Act. 16.15.33 1. Cor. 1.16 and Infants are a part of the houshold therefore Infants were Baptised Odeg. True it is whole housholds were Baptised but it is also most true that there are many housholds in which there are no Infants Therfore they that practise Infants Baptisme must proue not imagine that there were Infants in those houses and that they were Baptised or else they say nothing It is most sure as the Apostles practised in one houshold so they practised in all but in the Iaylors house they Baptised such as they Preached the word vnto and such as beleeued * Act. 16.32 34. and this is most plaine that Infants cannot heare nor beleeue For they know not God * Deu. 1.39 Esa 7.16 1 Cor. 14 20. Ionah 4 1â— and then how can they beleeue seeing Faith comes by hearing * Rom â—â— 17. and is grounded vpon Knowledge * Heb. 11.1 Ereu. An obiection they make thus Infants are said to bee of the Kingdome of Heauen and Christ commandeth they should be brought to him and hee laide his hands vpon them and Blessed them therefore they may be Baptised Odeg. It is not said Infants are of the Kingdome of Heauen that is obeyers of the Gospell * Luk. 4.43 but that they that enter into the Kingdome of Heauen must become as little Children for of such like is the Kingdome of God * Mat. 18.3 This is Christs meaning men must bee converted and receiue the Kingdome of God as a Child weyned from all euill wayes and willing to submit vnto CHRIST in euery thing * Ephes 5.24 Thus was Dauid humbled vnder Gods hand euen as one weyned from his Mothers brest * Psa 131.2 not personally a Childe but in Condition as 1. Cor. 14.20 Gal 4 19. 1. Pet. 2.2 c. as before is related And for taking them in his armes and Blessing them hee Baptised them not * Ioh. 4.2 but tooke occasion to teach his Disciples and the multitude that all that would be admitted into the Kingdome of Heauen must become like them * Luk. 18.16.17 Mark 10.14.15 And for his blessing them Christs blessings are manifold hee healed the Sicke clensed the Leapers made the Dumbe to speake the Blinde to see cast out Deuils fed many thousands with Bread and gaue Life to them that were dead all which and many moe were temporall blessings It is a blessing to Infants to be created to liue to growe in stature and comelines in wisdome in towardnes to haue their sight their limbes and all their sences and to be preserued from dangers so that Christs blessings extends aswell to this life as that which is to come and because CHRIST prayed for them it is no safe conclusion that any may Baptise them his mayne end being herein to declare their Innocent estate and to teach all to be like them therein by conuersion And therefore let them build no longer on sandy foundations least the wrath of God breake forth and destroy their buildings for what is not of God shall come to nought Ereu. They demand why Infants of beleeuers may not now aswell be baptised as Abrahams Infants were circumcised Odeg. I answer 1. there was a Commandment for circumcision Gen 17. there is none for baptisme of Infants 2. that CoÌ„mandment included Males onely Children or seruants though vnbeleeuers excluded all Females though beleeuers so doth not baptisme for males if vnbeleeuers must not be baptised but females if beleeuers must be baptised 3. That Law required circumcision to be performed on the 8. day so doth not the Law of baptisme but when Faith is manifested then is baptisme to be performed so that all may see there is no proportion betweene circumcision and baptisme Ereu. These indeed doe not well agree but they say that as Abraham tooke his Infants with him into the Couenant of life and saluation so doe the faithfull now and being within the Couenant they may haue the seale of the Couenant as they circumcision so we baptisme Odeg. First I say proue neither circumcision nor baptisme are
breaketh God promise with him but still abideth faithfull For the second being from Rom. 11. let vs see what th'Apostle speaketh of vpon the which he concludeth with these wordes â—e sheweth that the Iewes were broken off from the prom ses of the Gospell which was fiâ—st offered vnto them because they would not seeke it by Faith in CHRIST but sought it by the work s of the Law and the Gentiles were ingrafted into the same promises in that they sought it onely by Faith yet teacheth the Gentiles that although they stood by Faith they should not be high minded but feare and continue in Gods bountie for if for vnbelief the natuâ—aâ— branches the Iewes were broken off they shoul also be cut off if they fell to vnbeliefe also for the bringing in of the Iâ—wes he writeth that they alâ—o if they abide not still in vnbeliefe shall be grafted in againe this is the somâ—e and of this the guifts and callings of God â—re without repentance For God hath iustly shut vp all in vnbeliefe that he might haue mercy on all onely by that one way which he hatâ— appointed for there is but one entrance vnto the Father by one Spirit for both Iewes and Gentiles Ephe. 2.18 So that God will not rep nt neit er can he of sauing all pers ns at all times in all places that seeke saluatioâ— by Faith in CHRIST and conâ—iâ—ue therein otherwise God is said to repent in many Scâ—iâ— neuer concerning the condition of Faith and continuance vnto the which he hath alwaies respect but concerning the pe son which casteth away the same cond tion Therefore Gods loue is stable without any shadow of turning to righteousnes by Faith in whom soeuer it is but if any p son in whom righteousnes is forsake righteousnes then Gods promise is changed to that person and he repenteth of the good th t he promised him as these Scriptures reach 1 Sam. 2 30. and 1. Sam. 15.11 Ier. 18.8.10 and many others Ereu. 1. Ioh. 2.18 What say you to that of Iohn They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs c. Hence they conclude that what person goeth from the Church and trueth were neuer truly of it Odeg. The mistery of this well discouered would make an end of all the controuersies that depend of Predestination for as they affirme that God hath predestinated some persons to saluation and some persons to damnation without any condition so also they affirme that these persons the Elect making neuer so great shew of wickednesse and walking in the wayes of Beliall are still Elect and can by no meanes fall out of their Election and the other persons hauing neuer so many testimonies of Godlines and walking in the Church of Christ yet can neuer but be reprobates and if euer they fall away from the Church or truth they conclude they were neuer truly of it for which cause they peruert this Scripture and others therefore I will something shew their deceiuings All mens estates are one by creation they are one by transgression all haue sinned and are dead in sinnes and as all are shut vp in vnbeliefe so God hath mercy on all there is no respect of persons with God so often repeated in the Scriptures God sent his Sonne to saue all and the Sonne soweth the seede of saluation vpon all some receiue the good seede and they are called children of the kingdome Math. 13. others receiue it not because it crosseth their fleshly hearts in pleasure and the like but in stead thereof receiue the tares the false doctrines of the enemie and therefore are called the children of the wicked now it is most plaiâ—e the persons of them who receiue the good seede were no better then the other neither were the persons of them who receiue the tares any worse then the other the former persons receiue the good seede because the goodnesse of the sower first sowed it and therefore hath cause to praise him onely for what he hath the latter persons refuse the good seede offered them as freely as the other and receiue the tares and therefore hath onely cause to blame themselues The former are children of the kingdome by reason of the quality wrought in them by the goodnesse of the sower Iesus Christ The latter are children of the wicked by reason of that qualitie wrought in them by the enemie the deuill and themselues so that their difference is not in respect of their persons but of their qualities for God loueth all persons they being his generation Act. 17.27 c. but hateth wicked qualities in the persons where they are and also because of the wicked quality hee hateth the persons as weapons or instruments of those wicked qualities so that the most holy God hateth nothing but wickednesse I desire this description of person and quality may be well obserued for it is the most blessed trueth of God and w ll teach vs truly in the expâ—sition of all Scriptures to attribute righteousnesse to God in all his iudgements and wickednesse to wicked men and to the deuill their Father Now for the wordes the Apostle sheweth vers 19. that as they had heard that Antichrist should come euen then there were many Antichrists and vers 21. he saith I haue not written vnto you because you know not the trueth but because yee know it and that no lye is of the trueth who is a lyar but hee that denieth â—hâ—t Iesus is Christ the same is the Antichrist c. and chap. 4.1 he exhorteth them to try the Spirits and teacheth that euery Spirit which confesseth not Iesus Christ is come c. is the Spirit of Antichrist c. Now these lying Spirits these Antichrists in these persons who once had the Spirit of trueth in them these saith hee went out from vs as elsewhere Paul saith Act. 22.30 from among your selues shall men arise speaking peruerse things c. for there must bee heresies euen among you c. But saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.19 They were neuer of vs for vers 21. no lye is of the truth for if these lying Spirits had beene of the tâ—ueth they would haue continued with it but they are not of it As for example the Spâ—rit oâ— Hymeneus together with his person was in Spirituall fellowship with Paul and other Saints so long as he retained faith and a good conscience * 1 Tim. 8.19.20 but hauing put away the Spirit of trueth and receiued a lying Spirit * 2 Tim. 1.17.18 he went out from them in that his Spirit for or because it was neuer of them euen as Iohn saith these Antichrists or lying Spirit did so that his person was of the truth so long as the Spirit of trueth remained in him but when he receiued the lying Spirit which was neuer of the trueth it caried his person from the trueth