Selected quad for the lemma: law_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A67325
|
A necessary treatise for this age, or, A plain discovery of that great error of denying baptisme with water to the children of believers in justification of the arguments of John Turner, for infants basptisme, against Robert Admond : together with several other useful particulars on this subject, the contents whereof follow in the next page / briefly and plainly handled and discust by Thomas Wall.
|
Wall, Thomas.
|
1669
(1669)
|
Wing W486; ESTC R38029
|
30,254
|
53
|
ones Gen. 50. 21. and it is lâ—â—ewise said David dwelt with Achish at Gath he and his men every man with his hâ—ushold 1 Sam. 27. 3. which is expounded to be their Sons and daughters 1 Sam. 30. 6. If there were no more evidence than these two Witnesses it might suffice reasonable men but all men have not faith and therefore do they muddy the water of Gods truth with their feet Ezek. 34. 18 19. but there is a pure River of water of life clear as Chrystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb Rev. 22. 1. to confirm the spirits of the faithful from these mens abuse of Scripture We read in Deut. 25. If two brethren dwell together and one of them dye and have no child the Wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger her Husbands Brother shall go in unto her and take her to him to Wife and perform the duty of an Husbands brother unto her and it shall be that the first born which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead that his name be not put out of Israel ver 5 6. and in the seventh verse If the man like not to take his Brothers wife see in ver 9. then shall his Brothers wife come unto him in the presence of the Elders and loose his shoe from off his foot and spit in his face and shall answer and say So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his Brothers house how plainly doth it appear in this place that a mans children are his house Again the Elders prayed the Lord to make Ruth like Leah and Rachel which built the house of Israel Ruth 4. 11. which were their children and again the Widdow of Zareptha's son was called her house read 1 Kings 17. 12 13 14 15. verses Again a Bishop or Pastor must be one that ruleth well his own house having his children in subiection 1 Tim. 3. 4 5. and again Jacob went down into Egypt every man and his houshould which were their children Exod. 1. and where persons had no children see what God saith promising to give children he maketh the barren woman to keep house or dwell in a house and to be a joyful mother of children Psal 113. 9. which is farther confirmed in that sense and it came to pass because the Midwives feared God he made them houses Exod. 1. 21. compared with 1 Sam. 2. 35. and the cause why Sarah gave her Maid Hagar to Abraham that she might be builded up by her Gen. 16. 2. or obtain children thus I hope no Conscience can doubt or scruple or think the contrary but that the children is the mans house or houshould and the Apostle Baptising Believers and their houshould or house did with his own hands Baptise Believers and their children thus your stumbling block is taken out of the way if God be pleased to open your eyes to see it R. A's Objection Because you cannot see the children of the faithful bring forth the fruits of faith you presume to say they have not faith T. W. his Answer Might not one by your ground say that a child of 8 dayes old cannot have all the faculties of nature in him as a man though the Holy Ghost saith a child is born a man John 16. 21. in the bud or beginning as hearing seeing smelling speaking and the like yet because the child cannot hear understandingly and see perceivingly and smell distinguishingly and speak plainly as a man of years shall one conclude he hath not the faculties in him in the bud but little children Christ saith are of the Kingdom of God which is the houshould of Faith Gal. 6. 10. and can any be of the houshould of Faith and want Faith therefore as the world knoweth not Christ nor the subjects of his Kingdom 1 John 3. 1. they must needs be but as the world to say those have not faith which are of Christs Kingdom and with Nicodemus say how can thâ—se things be John 3. Again we read Isaac was Circumcised at eight dayes old the Apostle calleth Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of Faith Rom. 4. 11. and the children of Believers are as capable of Faith at eight dayes old now in Gospel times as before the Law the Prophet speaking of Gospel times saith their children shall be as afore-time Jer. 30. 20. so that as Circumcision was a sign of Faith and holiness Rom. 4. 11. and 2. 29. Col. 2. 11. Deut. 10. 16. even so is Baptism now Acts 8. 37 38. Rom 6. 3 4. The Covenant of the Gospel with Abraham is the same now in substance Gal. 3. 8. Gen. 17. 4 5. Rom. 4. 13 16 17. the Covenanâ— with Abraham was that the Lord would be a God to him and his seed after him Gen. 17. 7. as Blessed is that Nation whose God is the Lord Psal 33. 12. this blessedness commeth on none by the Law Rom. 4. 15. Gal. 3. 10 11 12. and that the Lord will be a God to us and we his people is the Gospel in the substance Heb. 8. 10. Rev. 21. 3. 2 Cor. 6. 16. and Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision to confirm the Promise made to the Fathers which they believed Christ was to come we believe he is come Luke 1. 69 72 73. Acts 13. 32 33. being one faith of Gods elect Gal. 3. 9. Heb. 11. and we believing Gentiles fellow Heirs and of the same body with the Believing Jews therefore I may justly conclude That which was once commanded of God and never repealed ought still to be done But God commanded the sign or seal of faith and holiness to the faithful and their seed and never yet repealed therefore ought still to be done But if any object that Circumcision was a seal of the Land of Canaan the Apostle ought to be believ'd before them who saith It was a Seal of faith and for farther manifesting of their folly that say It was a seal of Canaan for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were Circumcised and they never passed it according to the promise nor their Generations till they came out of Egypt but dwelt as strangers in it Heb. 11. 9. Again as uncleanness is opposite to holiness when the fruit of the Land of Canaan was forbidden the children of Israel three years it should be as uncircumcised unto them and not to be eaten and in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy Lev. 19. 23 24. thus we see that Circumcision is a sign of holiness Again we read that God promiseth to Circumcise the hearts of his people to love him Deut. 30. 6. which is no less than a clean heart Psal 51. 10. which is no less than putting off the body of sins by the Circumcision of Christ Col. 2. 11. and when men do not hear and obey the Lord they are said to have uncircumcised ears Jer. 6. 10. Thus we may see plainly that Circumcision
not to go beyond their limits set them by the King of Kings and because some presumed to break the order of God as Corah Dathan and Abiram Numb 16. and Nadab and Abihu Levit. 10. and Uzah 1 Chro. 13. 9. 10. and Vzziah 2 Chro. 26. 18. Gods Judgment fell upon them for presuming to do Gods service out of Gods order even so in the dayes of the Gospel some presumed as aforesaid to be Apostles but were found lyers and ministers of Sathan 2 Cor. 11. And though Uzah was a Levite yet he must not touch any of the holy things which belonged only to the sons of Aarons line Numb 4. 15. And the Lord smote the men of Bethshemoth because they looked into the holy things in the Ark fifty thousand threescore and ten men Sam. 6. 19 So that let all know that as of old God was the God of Order he is the same in all Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14. 4. Col. 2. 5. So that the place where Baptism ought to be performed must be in the Stative Assembly or Church of God in which Assembly the ordinary Officers of Christs true Church ought only to perform and those who are not Officers of a true Church have no Rule from the Word of God either to baptize or administer the Lords Supper but if any out of Office presume to do it is accursed as Corah Uza and Uzziah and as I heard some say some of your Judgment have taught persons must be dipt or damned If this be so it is very high judging Mat. 7. 1. We find it written He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16. 16. The stress of damnation is for not believing the Holy Ghost foreseeing that in the greatest heat of persecution men by reading holy Scriptures may believ seeing none have right to baptize but the Ministers of a true Church and when the Church cannot of a Soul be fond and die in that time who dare say that Soul shall not be saved as it is written tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest and where thou makest thy Flock to rest at noon For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the Flocks of thy Companions Cant. 1. 7. Here was no neglect of the Souls desire to give it self up in holy Covenant with Christ and his Church when it saw the true way of God Deut. 26. 17 18 19. Ruth 1. 16. and 2. 12. 2 Cor. 11. 2. Jer. 50. 5. to put in practice Gods holy Ordinances Mat. 7. 24. James 1 22 23. for the neglect of injoying or performing Gods holy Ordinance is a sin but it shall not be laid to their charge if they want the injoyment of Gods Ordinances when in Gods holy Order they cannot have it but what will belaid to their charge that shall run head-long upon the Ordinances of Christ with out warrant from his Word Secondly Next I shall now shew on what part of the Body Baptism of Water ought to be administred or is most likely by the Scriptures it was administred upon You have R. A. supposed because they went down into the Water that therefore they were dipt do you think one cannot go into the water unless he be over the head Consider my friend a man is said to be in the mountain when he standeth within the limits of it Mat. 5 1. 2 Pet. 1. 8. Deut. 10. 1. Heb. 12. 20. Christ is said when he was teaching in a Ship that he sat in the Sea Mark 4. 1. So that when one is never so little in the water it answereth to the going into the water but it is very likely John preaching in the Wilderness where the River was which by reason of Ebbing and Flowing of the Water as Enon and Jordan were great Rivers joyning to the Sea might at sides be muddy and in the Wilderness having nothing conveniently to take up water they might that were baptized go so far as to take with the hand clear water to cast upon the face or forehead for the dumb beast will go so far into the River to drink as he may have clear water much more a man being a reasonable creature will go so far as to have clear water to cast upon the face or forehead lest the eyes be filled with dirt being so tender a place God having appointed every ordinance for the good of his people and not for their hurt and as I said before how Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Regions round about Jordan were baptized of John when here a part must be taken for the whole Because The Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the counsell of God against themselves being baptized of John Luke 7. 30. and these were inhabitants of Jerusalem John 1. 19. 24. So that here a part is taken for the whole in like manner we may conclude the use of water in Baptism on a part of the Body even the Face or forehead which representeth the whole Person As for example Hagar was said to flee from the Face of her Mistris which was from her person Gen. 16. 6 8. for farther evidence see these Scriptures Lev. 19. 23. 2 John ver 12. 3 John 8. 14. Rev. 6. 16. and many such like testimonies there is Likewise when Israell played the Harlot she is said to have a whores forehead setting forth all her abominations by the forehead beheld of all and yet not ashamed Jer. 3. 3. So the fals Church hath upon her forehead a name written Mystery Babilon the Great the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth Rev. 17. 5. Moreover the Saints are not ashamed of the profession of the Gospel Rom. 1. 16. signified as sealed on the forehead Rev. 7. 3. departing from all iniquity as a seal to Gods people 2 Tim. 2. 29. So that as Baptism of Water is a manifesting of Christ to Israell John 1. 31. a sign of Remission of Sins by Christ Acts 2. 38. whereon should it be administred but on that part of the Body wâ—icâ— repâ—â—sâ—ntâ—th the whole man even the face or forehead which place or part of man the name of Christ is said to be Rev. 23. 4. whose name is the Word of God the of Christ Rev. 19. 13. the Covenant of the Gospel Heb. 8. 10. where then should the sign seal or token be administred but to the Covenant and on that place where the Covenant or Name of Christ is said to be even on the fore-head Rev. 22. 4. Again Christs Law or Covenant is also said to be written in the mind and heart of his people Heb. 8. 10. and the spirituall Baptism being there for Christ dwelleth in the heart by faith Eph. 3. even by the spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. then it will necessarily follow that as the inward baptism of Gods spirit is administred by God himself on that place even the heart where his Law or Covenant is wrot the end of the