notwithstanding their dissent from me in this particular I must craue leaue to professe and protest before him that knoweth all things that my aime is not so much as in my secret thoughts to despise or disparage any of them hereby but only to set downe their arguments that thereby occasion might be taken more throughly to discusse this subiect It is true that I haue sometimes made vse of the same phrases first vsed by my friends to me yet I desire them to take notice that I haue only weighed their arguments impartially in the ballance of reason and truth without the least glaunce vpon any of their persons And if I could haue beene ascertained that none but they would euer haue lighted on the same obiections I could as willingly haue suppressed them as J doe the names of the obiectors But because what friends doe octiect in loue others may also presse to the preiudice of this truth I haue made bold to make those arguments thus publique that their mouthes may be stopped who else might happen to vrge the same with violence and passion enough and thinke them vnanswerable if there should no answeres be sent out to meet them For their sakes therfore haue J thus presumed on my friends whom I earnestly desire still to hold deare vnto me hoping they will not bethinke it to the publique good nor hold themselues disparaged hereby but rather reioice that they haue beene a meanes of a more exquisite debate of this point wherby the truth may be better knowne 3 I haue a request to all that shall vouchsafe to make vse of this booke that they will be at the paines to read ouer the whole or forbeare to censure it by any peece therof that they may happen to cast their eye vpon For in a point of controversy wherein method requires only explication in one part confirmation in another refutation in another and often references from one part of the discourse vnto other places thereof for avoiding of confusion and tedious repetitions it is impossible to receiue full satisfaction by reading any one peece only how satisfactorie soeuer it may proue when it is considered altogether and when the rest is pervsed and weighed as well as that branch on which hasty and forward censurers doe sometimes passe a sharpe and heavy sentence If you pervse the first part of this booke only without the residue yee may perhaps obiect divers things and remaine vnsatisfied because ye goe not on to the latter part wherein all such obiections together with answers to them doe present themselues in their proper rankes On the contrary if wee looke only on the latter part to see how the maine obiections be answered yee may sometimes haply sticke through your owne fault at some of the answeres because I take sundry things for graunted which ye may doubt of till ye haue read the former part wherein the same things are proued at large and to which in my answers the rules of Method often compell mee to referre you Farewell A Table of the severall Chapters of this Booke CAP. I. The Introduction declaring the Occasion and Necessity of this Treatise p. 1. CAP. II. The State of the Position pag. 11 CAP. III. The Agreement of this point to the Publike doctrine of our church p. 22 CAP. IV. The point proued by Authority of Scripture pag. 70 CAP. V. The iudgment of the Fathers of the Primitiue Church in this point pag. 117 CAP. VI. The Agreement of it to the confessions of Reformed Churches pag. 138 CAP. VII The Iudgement of Forraine Divines in this point p. 157. particularly of Calvine Chameir M. Bucer â— Martyr Musculus Fran Iunius Zanchius Danaeus Gerhardus Vossius CAP. VIII The Iudgment of some Divines of speciall note in our own Church p. 185 Bishop Iewel Doctor Whitaker Dr Francis White now L. Bishop of Norwitch D Davenant now L. Bishop of Salisbury D. Fulk and D. Featly CAP. IX Six Obiections against the maine Position answered pag. 231 CAP. X. Six other Obiections against the same Position answered p. 296 The principall Authors quoted in this Treatise as giuing testimony to the maine assertion handled herein Fathers Cyprianus Gregorius Nazien Athanasius Basilius Mag Chrysostomus Hieronymus Ambrosius Augustinus Confessions of Churches Heluetica Scoticana Belgica Gallicana Genevensis Argentinensis Augustana Saxonica Wirtembergica Palatini Forraine Diuines Ioannes Calvinus Petrus Martyr Hieron Zanchius Wolfgangus Musculus Fran. Iunius Aug Marloratus Mart. Bucerus David Pareus Lamb. Daneus Daniel Chameir Ger. Vossius English Divines Bishop Iewel Dr Whitaker Dr Fulke Dr Dauenant B. of Sarum Dr White B. of Norwitch Dr Featly Dr Ames Mr Richard Hooker Mr Thomas Rogers Mr Thomas Taylor D. of Divinity Mr. Aynsworth BAPTISMALL REGENERATION ORDINARILY COMmunicated to Elect Infants CHAP. 1. The introduction declaring the occasion and necessity of this treatise THere is no Ordinance set vp by Christ in his Church more vsefull and comfortable vnto a Christian throughout the whole course of his Militant condition then sacred Baptisme the Laver of regeneration and of the renewing of the Holy Ghost Nor is there any fountaine which the Arch-enimy of mankinde a Tit. 3.5 hath more endeauoured to trouble and corrupt with multiplicity of poisonous errors then that which is set open to all the inhabitants of spirituall Hierusalem for sinne and for vncleannesse b Zach. 13.1 For proofe hereof I shall not need to thrust any mans head so much as Within the doore of that Augaean stable of Popish absurdities we haue too many instances else where Some aduance Baptisme too high Others depresse it as much too low There are that hold it so absolutely necessary as that none can be saued without it On the contrary there are that in scorne call it Elementish water Others that thinke it a thing indifferent and deny it to infantes notwithstanding that to them belongs the kingdome of God c Mar. 10 14. Others that make it a bare signe and badge to distinguish the members of the visible Church from the rest of the World some in tearmes yeeld it to be somewhat more yet deny to it all present efficacy in vpon infants ordinarily in the act of administration Some grant an efficacy but such as is equally communicated to all infantes that are outwardly baptized Some admit the efficacy of it vnto remission of sinne in Infants elect but any present worke of the spirit vnto Regeneration in them they either flatly deny or refuse to acknowledge Against all these errors and particularly against the last the Church of England hath iustly opposed her selfe in her Publique Doctrine for the defence whereof haue I taken vpon me this difficult province The occasion this In the course of my ministry in mine own cure I was lately * In Hilary Terme 1627. cast vpon this point viz That all elect infants doe ordinarily in Baptisme receiue the spirit of Christ to seaze vpon them for Christ and to be in them
initiation into Christ and for their future actuall renovation in Gods good time if they liue to yeares of discretion and enioy the other ordinary meanes of Grace appointed of God to this end This Position I am now to make good to be agreeable to the Doctrine 1 Of the Church of England by which it appeares to be no priuate fancy 2 Of the Holy Scriptures vpon which this Doctrine of our Church is founded 3 Of the Ancient Fathers of best note in the truly Primitiue church 4 Of the Reformed churches beyond the Sea and particularly of Geneva 5 Of the most famous and eminent Divines both at home and abroad particularly of calvine and Dr Whitaker beside sundry others Lastly I will adde Answers to all the Obiections that euer I could heare of against this Assertion CAP. 3. This agrees to the Publique Doctrine of our Church BEfore I goe further I must aduertise the Reader of one thing constantly to be obserued throughout this Treatise and it is this Wheresoeuer I shall for brevities sake only say thus much that the Elect doe receiue the spirit in Baptisme my purpose is to haue it vnderstood with all those conditions and limitations before expressed in the stating of the Point So that it must alwaies bee thus interpreted viz That it is most agreeable to the Jnstitution of Christ that All Elect Jnfants that are baptised vnlesse in some extraordinary cases doe ordinarily receiue from Christ the Spirit in Baptisme for their first solemne initiation into Christ and for their future actuall renovation in Gods good time if they liue to yeares of discretion and enioy the other ordinary meanes of Grace appointed of God to this end This premized I may more securely goe on with my worke Nor shall any man that findes oftentimes in that which followes a more compendious expression of this Position haue cause to complaine that I deale ambiguously and sophistically because my resolution is to be alwaies tryed by this Conclusion so largely deliuered and so bounded as in the former Chapter you may behold it The first part of my taske is to make it good that this assertion is agreeable to the publique and established Doctrine of the Church of England And this I propound in the first place not as if I meant to tye any mans faith to beleeue the point meerely because the Church of England saith it For She will not assume so much Authority ouer any mans faith hauing declared her selfe expresly in the 21 Article of her Doctrine that euen Generall Councells which represent the whole Church of Christ on earth in things ordeined by them as necessary to salvation haue neither strength nor authority vnlesse it may bee declared that they be taken out of holy Scripture I vrge not then the Doctrine of our Church to proue the point by it as some haue giuen out but only to shew the agreement that it hath with our Publique Doctrine that no man might proclaime it to bee a peece either of Popery or Arminianisme nor yet a priuate conceit of mine owne dissonant from the Churches of Christ but that it is a branch of that truth to which all the Ministers of our Church either haue subscribed or ought so to doe and so are as deeply engaged in the defence of it as my selfe whom some of them either ignorant or carelesse of what they subscribed to doe now so much oppose That this accordeth to the Doctrine of our Church may appeare in one or two plaine Syllogismes the first whereof shall be this Syllogis 1. Maior That which the Church in the Publique Leiturgie thereof exhorteth requireth vs to pray for when any Infant presumed to be truly and indeed within the couenant of Grace is brought to baptisme and that which it also teacheth vs to pronounce concerning that and euery such infant so soone as he is baptised must needs bee granted to bee agreeable to the Publique Doctrine of our Church touching all elect Infants that are baptised ordinarily Minor But the Publique Leiturgie of our Church exhorteth and requireth vs at the baptizing of euery infant presumed to haue interest in the Couenant of Grace as being within Gods Election a That our Leiturgy hath an eye to the covenant of Grace and presumes of any particular infant that vnto him the kingdome of Heaven doth indeed belong and therevpoÌ„ pronounceth the child after baptisme is administred to be regenerate may appeare most evidently by this viz That it leadeth vs to that which our Saviour spake in the Gospell touching those infants that were brought vnto him blessed by him vpon this ground that theirs is the kingdome of heaven Not that all children haue right to the kingdome for Esau had none Rom. 9. Yet because men cannot see Gods secret decree they are not to make doubt of any particular but knowing that some infants are elected and haue right to the Kingdome vpon this ground they know for certaine that this Child is regenerate by the Spirit if he be elected and if to him doe belong the Kingdome of God And therefore our Church in charity pronounceth so much of every Child considered individually and apart because in charity shee presumeth that vnto that very particular belongs the Kingdome of God For vpon this ground is the following exhortation and assurance built which vpon this consideration saith Doubt yee not therefore but earnestly beleeue that hee will likewise favourably receiue these present Jnfâ—nts that he will embrace them with the armes of his mercy that he will giue vnto them the blessing of eternall life and make them partakers of his everlasting kingdome to pray for the Spirit of Regeneration to bee giuen vnto him and so soone as hee is baptised to conclude him to be regenerated with the Holy Spirit and accordingly to giue thankes for this in Prayer vnto God Conclus Therefore it is agreeable to the Publique and established doctrine of the Church of England that all elect Jnfants doe ordinarily receaue the spirit of Christ in Baptisme in such manner and sense as is before expressed The Maior Proposition cannot be doubted of vnlesse we shall say that the Doctrine and Leiturgie of our Church are contrary to one another which no man wel in his wits will affirme and yet subscribe to both The Minor or as some tearme it the Assumption is the only Proposition then that must be proued I pray you therefore with patience see it done in the severall branches of it There are in it these two particulars 1 The Church in her Leiturgie requireth vs to pray for the spirit of Christ to be communicated to every particular infant brought to baptisme presuming of the particular that he is within the election of Grace 2 She concludeth him to be regenerate so soone as he is baptised that is to haue receiued the Spirit of regeneration as the first principle thereof 1. For the former let the Leiturgie it selfe be produced wherein the
videre est vt providentissimi erga nos patris familias personam suscipit qui ne post mortâ—m quidem nostram solicitudinem nostri deponit quin liberis nostris consulat ac prospiciat Calvin Instit l 4. cap. 16. Sect. vlt. where the Holy Ghost hath seazed vpon him for Christ so as whether himselfe liue or die he may conceiue good hope that Christ hath taken the charge of his child will prouide all things needfull for it and giue it both grace and glory What a comfort saith a learned writer * M. T. Taylor vpoÌ„ Tit. 3.5 making it one Vse of this very Doctrine is it for a father to see his child washed with the bloud of Iesus Christ Clensed from sinne Set into the visible Church yea into the Body of Christ in the right vse of this Sacrament Wherein a Parent ought more to reioyce then if hee could make it heyre of the world All these considered I appeale to any Vnderstanding Man whether I haue not cause to publish my Labours vpon this subiect out of duty that I owe to the Church of Christ and whether considering how little is done in this kinde it were not worth the best search and greatest labour of the most able Diuines in the kingdome * I am sure D. Whitaker was of this minde Tract de Sacram controu de Bapt quaest 4. c. 5. in principio Where speaking of the efficacy of Baptisme in Infants he hath these words Est autem ea quaestio cum difficilis plena controversiae tum digna quae tractetur explicetur diligenter This is a question that is both difficult full of controversie and such also as is worthy to be haÌ„dled and carefully opened to cleare this point to the full for the edification and comfort of pious and peaceable Christians †What I haue performed herein I humbly offer to bee freely censured by the more Iudicious who truly and indeed are both able and willing to maintaine the publique Doctrine of this Church already established I will not take vpon me to tie all men or any man to my private opinions I knowe that the Learned may without blame dissent from each other in many things so long as they obtrude them not vpon others nor trouble the peace of the Church thereabout Howbeit if this of mine be a private opinion I renounce it and craue pardon of the whole Church of God for troubling the world with such a toy But if it appeare to impartiall Iudges able to weigh it in the ballance of the Sanctuary to be a truth such a truth as the whole Church of England is as much engaged in as my selfe I trust that then it shall finde acceptance with all sober men and by Gods blessing proue profitable to all that in humility and loue desire endeavour to imbrace the truth As for others I shall passe them by with pitty and prayer that they may at length come againe to themselues CAP. 2. The State of the Position NOt to trouble the Reader with any discourse touching the Name or Definition of Baptisme nor yet with the efficacy of Baptisme touching Remission of sinne which I willingly admit let vs now fall vpon the state of the Position touching the efficacy of this Ordinance vpon the Elect vnto Regeneration I shall haue occasion to declare my selfe in the other particulars as I passe along There is no terme in our Position needing explication vnlesse Two the Spirit and Regeneration By Spirit I meane not onely grace wrought by the Spirit but the Holy Ghost dwelling in every true Christian and working Grace Howbeit I consider this Holy Ghost not essentially not personally as the third Person in Trinity but operatiuely as the Spirit of Christ communicated from him to all his members to vnite them vnto himselfe and to bee in them the first principle and as it were the soule of spirituall life It is the Spirit himselfe and not his Graces that first knits vs to Christ * 1. Cor. 12.13 Graces are effects of the vnion not the bond it selfe Nor can some of those things which are attributed to the Spirit dwelling in a Christian possibly be applied to any created Gift or grace infused but only to the Holy Ghost himselfe as for example our Saviours speaking of that Comforter which he would after his departure send to his Disciples to dwell in them saith that when hee is come hee will reproue the world of sinne of righteousnesse and of iudgement Ioh 16.8 which must needs be the act of a person not of a created inanimate gift and in ver 13. whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall he speake and hee will shew you things to come He shall glorify me for he shall receiue of mine and shall shew it vnto you c. In breife no place of Scripture can be produced wherein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The HOLY GHOST is put only for grace wrought or bestowed and not for the Author of it I am not ignorant that some moderne writers doe holde otherwise but sauing their iudgements I cannot but follow the Fathers soundest schoolemen who soundly maintaine this truth I will not trouble the reader with heapes of Authors * Of this see more in Zanth de Nat. Dei lib. 2. cap. 6. Quaest 2. 3. As also in my learned and much honoured friend Mr. I. Downham Christ-warf part 4. lib. 1. cap. 3. Choquet Lillan De Gra. Sanctific Tom 1. lib. 1. disp 1. ca. 4. I only pray the learned to consider well whether the admitting of this exposition of such texts of Holy writ as mention the dwelling of the Holy Ghost in a Christian viz. that by the HOLY GHOST is meant only Grace wrought or working doth not vnawares giue some countenance to the heresy of the Pneumatomachists Sure I am S. Augustine b Cont. Serm. Arrianorum cap. 20. cap. 29. Cont. maxim lib. 1. lib. 2. cap 11. lib. 3. cap. 21. alibi passim was wont to proue the Godhead of the holy Ghost by this very argument that wee are said to be his Temples and he to dwell in vs. That other of regeneration I take to be all one with spirituall life taken in the largest sense which life according to the Scriptures I distinguish into Initiall and Actuall For as in the naturall sometimes the soule which is vsually called the forme by which and sometimes the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse the being it selfe of such or such a creature animated by his soule is put for life as that learned Zanchius well obserueth a De Nat. Dei lib. 2 cap. 5. quest 1. so is it in the Spirituall life whereof we are now to treat And vpon this foundation it is that wee rightly build our present distinction which hath cleare footting also in the sacred Volumes of Eternall Truth 1 Initiall which we may also terme Seminall or Potentiall life I call that which
T.C. about Baptisme T.C. affirmes that Baptisme is only the seale of Grace before receaued Mr Hooker answeres by distinguishing of Grace into Grace of Election and grace of Sanctification admitting his words with a perhaps to bee true in the former sense but not in the latter ordinarily * Deus in Baptismo vt significat remissionem peccatorum salutem ita re operatur veritas cum signo coniuncta est in electis Whitak de Sacram. in gen quaest 4. cap. 2. respons aâ— 7. tessim And doth not that Reverend Prelate D. Francis White p Now L. Bishop of Carlile in answere to the calumny of the Iesuite Fisher say as much For first he makes good the efficacy of Baptisme out of Scriptures Fathers our owne Church Forraine Divines and particularly out of Calvine Then he addes not without approbation of it why else should hee speake it And what vse would it be of against Fisher The same Author with others of his part maintaine the former Doctrine concerning the efficacy of the Sacrament of Baptisme and they differ onely from Lutherans and Pontificians first in that they restraine the grace of sanctification only to the Elect Secondly in that they deny externall baptisme to be alwaies effectuall at the very instant time when it is administred q Answ to Fisher Pag 176. * If any shall pâ—esse mee with the Rubrick before Confiâ—mation my answere is That Rubrick hath reference to Confirmation giving vs to vnderstand that if an infant dy without Confirmation it is certaine by scripture that he is as vndoubtedly saued as if he had beene Confirmed 2 That Rubrick speakes of the state of infants dying before they come to yeares as the old Rubrick of the first book saith expresly which doth not concerne our present Position which hath reference onely to such infants as liue to yeares of discretion shewing what ordinarily is conferred on them in Baptisme and not what they receaue that liue not so long bur dy in infancy In these I doubt not but that the spirit of God doth work more effectually To make an end our owne Catechisme teacheth as much in expresse termes What need we further witnesse That teacheth me to beleeue in God the Holy Ghost who hath sanctified me and all the elect people of God The elect all the elect only the elect if my learned friend Doctor Iacksons word may bee taken for the exposition for hee would haue the Reader to obserue a difference between the extent of the sufficiency for so I take him of christs death and the efficacy of Christs Spirit Although saith he in that place we are taught to beleeue in the Holy Ghost yet this we are taught with this caveat that he doth sanctifie all the elect people of God not all mankind r Treat of Gods Essence and Attrib Sect. 2. cap. 15. pag. 171. Now compare our Leiturgie Article and Catechisme all together The Leiturgie teacheth mee to beleeue of this and every particular infant considered single and apart that he is indeed regenerate with the Holy Spirit The Article saith that they that all they that receaue baptisme rightly are grafted c by the Holy Ghost The Catechisme shewes how this is to be limited and extended saying that the Holy Ghost sanctifies me and all the elect people of God Therefore by the doctrine of our Church all the elect and only the elect * This restraint is clear in the Scripture see Gal. 4.6 And wee must expound the doctrine of our churâ—h by that Rule See the next Chapter doe certainly indeed ordinarily receaue the Spirit in Baptisme Yea our very Leiturgie is cleare in this point as I haue before shewed in that it presumeth the child to be one to whom belongs the kingdome of God vpon which ground wee are taught not to doubt but stedfastly to beleeue that he will favorably receaue the present infant that he will imbrace him with the armes of his mercy that hee will giue vnto him the blessing of eternall life and make him partaker of his everlasting kingdome Againe in the end of the praier which is appointed to be vsed immediatly before the act of baptisme in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost wee pray that the children may receaue the fulnes of Gods Grace and ever remaine in the number of his faithfull and ELECT children which shewes plainly that the Church supposeth that all such as doe indeed receaue the Spirit in their baptisme bee of the number of Gods Elect. And so Bucer expounded it of old as shall hereafter appeare in due place * See Cap. 6. when we come to shew the judgment of forraigne Divines in this point Nor is this to bee put off with that new coyned distinction of election to Grace and not to Glory For the Leiturgie speaks onely of Election to glory inasmuch as it had assured vs before that God will giue vnto the infant baptized the blessing of eternall life and make him partaker of his euerlasting kingdome so concluds this prayer that the infants may be inheritors of his euerlasting kingdome through Christ our lord And why should any presume to obtrude vpon the Church such a distinction which hath not the least shew of any footing in the word of God For how euer I deny not but that the scripture sometime speaketh of a temporary election of some persons vnto some particular offices seruices in the Church of God yet it neuer speakes of election vnto the grace of sanctification but as it is a beginning of glory which certainly followes sanctification and is vndoubtedly conferred on all that are sanctified so as no man is elected to the one but he is elected vnto the other also For such grace is but glory begun 2. Coâ— 3.18 And when S. Paul Act 20.32 commends the Ephesians to God that is able to giue them an inheritance among all that are sanctified he most euidently shewes that as none partake take of the inheritance but such as are sanctified so none that are sanctified can misse of the inheritance The like might be demonstrated out of Rom 8.29 30. where the Apostle shewes that all predestination to effectuall calling and iustification ends in glorification as S. Augustine doth most soundly vnanswerable collect from this very text Yea this is so cleare a truth that Bellarmine himselfe could not but confesse maintaine it against all opposers u De praedest Sanct. cap. 17. vide locum although hee could not but know it to be contray to the doctrine of many of his owne side who were the first authors of the distinction of election into election to grace and election to glory which is still maintained by the later Iesuites Cornelius a Lapide * Com in Ephes 1.4.5 and others from whom the Arminians haue made bold to borrow it as they doe sundry other wares of that society