to doâ—…ineer ovâ—…r the Clergy 1 Pet. 5. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. we see therefore God calls the flock and not the Sheepheards muchlessâ—… tâ—…e Sheepsâ—…ers by the name of Clergy but the Pope as if he had projected purposely to betheeve Gods people out of all their priviledges and rights leaves them not so much as their own proper name to be known by but bestows the name of Clergy upon the Creatures of his own creating and leaves them the name of Laicks in its stead tâ—…lling them when they begin â—…o charge his CC Clergy with impropriation of preaching and pay to themselves that they are but a Clergy of Laicks see Featleys Epistle but to say the truth excepting some few of his sons of the Episcopal and Presbyterian CClergy that are come from him two wayes viz. by dissent and descent who may be honester and wiser then the rest and yet are not so wiâ—… as to know their own father the rest are mostly A CCClergy of Lazicks or lazy locustâ—… In like manner hath heâ—…ingrost other titles to himself and his CCClergy all which the Scripture gives to all Christs people as namely that of Spiritual men as if all the world were but Natural at least but Temporal men besides themâ—…elves thus the Bishops were called Lords Spirituâ—…l and other Lordâ—… Lords Temporal so thâ—… of Priests see the book of Common-prayer and of ordination of Priests and Deacons whereas these are titles afforded by the spirit to all the Sâ—…ints of God as well as some 1 Cor. 2. 15. 1 Pet. 2. 9. Rev. 1. 6. 5. 10 yeâ—… I call them by tâ—…se â—…mes because these are now the most common names whereby they are known or â—…lso properly I cannot call them by these nor by any other names whereby they commonly call themsâ—…lves I cannot call them the Spiritualty for not one of many of them hath any Spiritualnesse in him I cannot call them Devines for they are rather Humanes if they have their due whilst they teâ—…ch Gods fear after mens precepts and for doctrines the Traditions of men I cannot call them the Tribe of Levi for Levi though he took Tith according to the Law whereof he was the Priest in the loines of Abraham paid Tithes to the person of that high Priâ—…st that we are undâ—…r viz. Melchizedeck or the King of Righteousnesse Christ Iesus but these are so fâ—…r from paying Tithes to Christ that they most grievously gripe his people if they pâ—…y it not to them I cannot call them Ministers i. e. servants of Christ of the Church for they are rather Lords and Masters over his heritage unlesse Servus Servorum and Dominus Dominorum may stand together I cannot call them Pastors or Shepheards till I can own their Parishes for Christs Sheep for if we denominate them by the General temper of their people they profess to stand Pastors too they seem to be Swinheards rather by their peoples wallowing in the mire I cannot call them Presbyters or Elders though some of them be Seniores annis unlesse they were Saniores Animis then they are for they are not yet sound nor Orthodox in either their judgements doctrine or practise so long as they are against the truest baptism and abide unbaptized I cannot call them Preachers of the Gospel for they preach down that Gospel which was at first preached concerning Christs dying for the sins of the whole world I cannot call them Bâ—…shops or Overseers of Christs flock in the spirits sense i. e. in respect of their care to take heed to or feed it but Overseers in another sense rather I may properly stile them for verily Christs flock is so little and low poor and plain mean and base hated and dispised and themselves so lofty and high minded that as not many noble and mighty so few or none of these wise men after the flesh can stoop or look so low as it is and so for the most part they oversee it and lastly if those be the true Clergy and Priests of God that are obedient to his word as the Scripture saies they are the CCClergy need not find fault as they do with the Mar-priests of these times for in very deed the CCClergy PPPriests and Presbiters have been the truest Priest-biters Claw-clergies and Mar-Priests themselves * Rem enim ndig nam esse putent c. saith Calvin Inst. li. 4. c. 11. 5. 15. they deem it a disparagement that they should be made to answer in their own personall causes before any civil Magistrate and suppose both the liberty and dignity of the Church i. e. the Clergy to ly in an exemption from the common seats of judicature and their laws but the Bishops of old who were otherwise strict enough in pleading the priviledges of the Church did judge it no disgrace either to themselves or their function to subject themselves to civill powers * whose work 〈◊〉 mostly in reading service in old time till the Gospel came again to be preached in these latter daies * Act. 19. 24. to 39. * who saw some truth in their daies wherein t was twilight but not all that is nowtobe seen for though I reverence the men as I do every man that sees truth as far as iâ—… shines clearly in his time yet Luther left much truth unseen to himself be hind him and some of Calvins Institutions too are none of Christs * For verily these Starrs for their light of learning as Dr. Featley confesses p. 165. 166. have been the Authors devisers and broachers of Heresies yea peruse saith he if thou please all the antient Heresies listed by Epiphanius Austin Philastrius Alphonsus a castro Ambrosius de Rusconibus and others and therein thou shall find the Ring-seaders great Clerks and accute Sophisters whence is that true observation of Tertullian Philosophi Hereticorum Patriarchae Philosophers have been the great Grandfathers of Hereticks * Nahum 3. thy crowned are as the locusts O King of Assyria Apollyon in the Antitype * Of which chain of succession of Ministry if but one link fail or chance to be lost so that it meets with interruption you confesse all your Ministry lies on the ground too and cannot at any hand be counted valid or raised again and yet if there was not a breach of that line in the link of Pope Joan aliâs Gilberta an English woman born at Lin who was both literally and mystically the Whore of Rome and therefore far I wot from being a true Presbyter or Minister of Christs Church in which women are forbid to usurp authority then my understanding failes me not a little * Who by Austin the Monk dispatcht an Ordination hither with resolution about infants viz. that in case of necessity they might be baptized by which ordination men have ever since bin authorized to ordain here and such as have been ordained to baptize * For the civil Magistracy may reside in women as is also shewed above who though by Pope
beasts and so cast them to the dogs to be devoured i. e. with the names of Monsters and so exposed them to the hatred of the world with the which kind of sport not onely Dr. Featley and Mr. Edwards while they lived made themselves merry and their friends too by bestowing Legends a piece towards the support of their severall false wayes as one great Benefactor did a Legend of lies on the Papistrey to the maintaining of that which they call the golden Legend but others also bely the nicknamed Anabaptists of this present age and nation as denying any obedience to civil Magistracy any propriety in goods as holding plurallity and community of wives divorce for difference in religion as dipping men and women stark naked and such like Yea just the same lying shifts and inventions that the Popish Clergy did use to help their Religion by against the Protestants when they began first to protest against them and their abominations do you the Protestant CCClergy i. e. both Prelacy and Presbytery strengthen your cause by against the Anabaptists especially of all sectaries 1. They detain the People from reading the Scripture alledging to them the perills they may incurr through misinterpretation you likewise would not have the Scripture medled with by this Clergy of Laicks Mechanick fantastick Enthusiasts profound watermen Sublime Coachmen Illuminated Tradesmen c. Apron Levites Sectarian Preachers as Dr. Featley and Mr. Baily call them for they say you are dunces and ignorant both of tongues and arts and so must needs run into errors and are insufficient for these things let the smith keep him to his Anvile and the Cobler to his last 2. These bred Antipathy between the Papist and Protestant and debar them all sound of the Protestant Religion as much as may be by prohibiting books of the reformed writers and Traffick with such Hereticall Countries or such places where those contagious sounds and sights as they term them might make them return infected You also forbid your good Protestants all society and commerce as much t is possible with these pitchy persons as those that they can't come neer but they must be defiled with them 3. Those by the severity of their inquisition and so you by your high commission and spiritual alias spiteful Courts while they stood and by complaints to the next Classis Synod c. as in Scotland and threats to have an order taken with such and such as here in England crush as far as you can in your people the very beginnings and smallest suppositions of being this way addicted 4. They teach their people to Believe that the Protestants and so do you that the Anabaptists are basphemers of God and his Saints Those that in England Churches are turned into Stables you that the Anabaptists preach in Tubs that Stables are turned into Temples stalls into Quires Shopboards into Communion-tables Those that the people i. e. Protestants are barbarous and eat young children that Geneva is a professed sanctuary of Roguery c. you that the Anabaptists are filthy and base in their Conventicles and are for Murder Adulâ—…eries Butchery Bawdery the veriest villains in the world You tell the world that the Anabaptists would have no rules nor bonds of lawes because of their dissolutenesse which though it be true enough of the Ranter that Peter and Iude speaks of that seperate themselves from their churches sensual presumptuous self-willed despising Government Peter the second Epist. chap. 2. yet is most false of our Churches that seperate from you that we would have no discipline in the Church no learning nor universities No coercive power in the civill Magistrates to restrain us because we walk inordinately whereas though we cannot away with your Canons yet we are the only men in the world for the rule which Christ himself hath set for men to walk by even the word the Scriptures which onely and not Synodicall constitutions nor holy chair we stand to have the standard for truth to be tryed by to the worlds end and are for all lawes in nations save such as obedience to which makes us palpably rebellious against the law of Christ viz. lawes for tithes with trebble dammages for Christ never appointed mens goods to be streined and they sold out of what they have to pay his own Ministers for preaching his own Gospel much lesse to pay the Popes Ministers for preaching a Gospel of their own also laws to come to masse in Latine or Masse in English or any service of mans making under penalty we also stand for a true Church that hath right matter viz. professed believers baptized and right form viz. free not forced fellowship in breaking of bread and prayers we are also for the true discipline i. e. Christs not the Clergies in that Church we hold also that Magistrates though their persons should be wicked men and heathens for the notion of Christian addes nothing to their power as Magistrates are the ordinance of God To maintain all civil justice and righteousnesse between man and man and to restrain abuses such as murder treason adultery drunkennesse theft false witnesse though they have no coercive power to keep men from sâ—…ving God according to his own will that power we deny yet go not about by violence to withstand it but in quietnesse suffer under it when it is put forth against us we are also for learning for t is a good talent to use for God and too good for the Devill a good servant but a bad master and we wish that there were more of it then there is among you CCClergy if it may be also well improved as it seldome is by those of you that have it for as those of you that are more singular schollars then the rest in humanity and that meer Anthropo-Theology that is among you which you call Divinity are deep dunces for the most part in the school of Christ and most opposite through the wisdome of their flesh which is enmity against God to the follishnesse of the Gospel so no lesse then legions of you are little learned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either Yea verily and fiftly howbeit among other things you brand the Anabaptists with the names of an illiterate and sottish sect cut as chips out of Nicolas Stock whom Featly faines to be the father of the Anabaptists and stiles a very blockhead and such as know not how to teach nor dispute for truth because they know not the original and cannot conclude in mâ—…od and figure p. 113. 164. 163. nor make able ministers of the Gospel because they understand not the Scripture in the Original languages and cannot expound without Grammer nor perswade without Rhetorick nor divide without logick nor found the depth of any controversie without Philosophy and School divinity p. 118 yea Dr. Featley defeats 1000s of his fellow Clergy men utterly in so saying from the name of able Ministers yea as
senses utterly unclean is evident for the child of two believing Jews begotten besides the marriage bed was both a Bastard and also barr'd from the Congregation Deut. 32. 2. again this faederal holiness as well as faith may be in neither parent and yet the issue not be unclean but holy still and so are all Matrimonially and civilly at least that among Pagans are the issue of the marriage bed and with the holiness of the Covenant of Grace too when they come to years and believe themselves as not a few children of unbelievers do and sometimes the seed of Turks and Tartars this therefore i. e. the faith or faederal sanctity of the one parent nor of both cannot be the cause of this sanctity is here denominated of the seed for holiness in the infants is not alwaies when this is and sometimes it is in the infant when this is not in the parent which being of each without other cannot be between a true cause and its effect but as for the second viz. the marriage sanctity in the parents it is that which being in the parents holiness is naturally and necessarily in the seed that is born of them whether they be both or either or neither in faith or unbelief but being not in the parents there can be no holiness no birth holiness in their infants nor Matrimonial nor Congregationall neither therefore this is that which is the cause of the holiness of the issue in this Scripture the result of which and not of faith in the parents is this non-uncleanness in their posterity and so I have done with this kind of holiness and with this Scripture which speaks of this Matrimonial holiness and no other Thirdly Ceremonial holiness I call that same holiness which properly peculiarly and pro tempore only pertained to the whole nation and congregation of Israel denominating them all holy every one of them and distinguishing them from all other people and nations which during the time of the Iews pedagogy according to Gods own imposition were then accounted sinners common and unclean by a certain ens-rationis an extrinsecall meerly notional and nominal rather then either real moral or substantiall sort of sin and uncleanness to which the others holiness was directly opposite and answerable The subjects of which Accountative holiness were not only the people of the Jews themselves which were a holy people Deut. 7. ver 8. Exod. 22. 31. but also and more specially the Priests and more specially yet or in a higher degree but in the same kind of holiness for degrees do not vary nature the High Priests which were holiness to the Lord Exod. 39. 30. also their parents which were not matrimonially only nor often morally yet to allow your own phrase here because they were outwardly in Covenant with God concerning outward promises and priviledges on performance of outward ordinances every faederally a holy parentage a holy root Rom. 11. also their natural if withall matrimonial issue which were not at all in their infancy and but seldome when at years spirituaâ—…ly allwaies faederally holy branches a holy seed also their land of Canaan which was the holy Land their Metropolitan City Ierusalem which was the holy City their Temple which was a holy Temple the Utensills vessels 〈◊〉 and other accomplishments which were all holy a holy Lavar a holy Altar a holy Ark holy Candlesticks holy Cherubims most holy place c. and in a manner all things belonging to the Law of Moses and that first Covenant made with Abraham and his fleshly seed whether hollowed or consecrated by God himself or dedicated to him by men at his appointment viz. the first born the first fruits tithes offerings sacrifices daies feasts which were all holy and had relation as shadowes and types for a while unto things Evangelically Spiritually and substantially holy that were to be there after yea with this same kind of holiness some meats were holy some flesh Hag. 2. 12 13. was holy some birds and beasts were sanctified as holy and lawfull to be used and eaten when others were prohibited as prophane common and unclean not so much as to be touched without sin without contracting such an outward fleshly kind of guilt and impurity as made their souls in that ceremonial sense abominable yea with an uncleanness oppositely answerable to this carnall holiness those fleshly purities and purifyings that then were some actions as the touch of a dead body some issues of men and women some diseases as the Leprosie some bodily blemishes as crookedness dwarfishness blindness lameness yea the very easements and excrements that passed from them in the camp without covering did defile and render them sinners prophane unclean unholy and guilty before the Lord Levit. 5. 2. 3. 5 11. 43. to 46. also Chapters 14. 15. 22. also Levit 20. 25. 26 21. 18. to the 24. Deut. 23. 12. 13. 14. which deâ—…ilements did then reach to pollute the flesh only which the bloud of Bulls and Goats that could not cleanse the conscience morally did sanctifie to the purifying of Hebr. chap. 9. ver 13. neither do these things defile any man now in any such sense at all This is the holiness which when you say infants of believers are holy I have ground to perswade my self you Ashford Disputants mean not but rather some inherent morall holiness when I consider how you talk of infused habits in the hearts of infants in your Disputation and Review and yet again I have ground to believe you mean this holiness which was in the Jewish infants and their implements if I may imagine your meaning by what is extant in the writings of your brethren upon the subject specially if I may measure your meaning by Mr Blakes in his Birth-priviledge or covenant-holiness of believers and their issue wherein he laies himself out at large and yet is too short when all is done in proving from the like under the law among the people of the Iews and their issue that even now in the times of the Gospel also a people that enjoy Gods ordinances convey to their issue a priviledge to be reputed by birth not unclean but holy persons and thereupon to be baptized the absurditie and inconsequence of which doctrine and so I hope to make it appear now I am upon it is little less then if he had argued thus as the Pope doth from that time to this viz. there was an Hierarchy or holy principallity among the Priests under the law therefore there must be such another under the Gospel and as then the high-Priests Aaron and his Sons who were holiness to the Lord wore holy garments in their ministration for glory and for beauty viz. Coats and robes embroydered with gold and blew and purple and scarlet and fine linnen and curious girdles of needle work nnd miters and holy Crowns upon the miters so his Holiness to the Lord the High-Priest of Christendome Appollyon and his sons must thus swagger in their service and
and their seed were altogether alienated from that further then every individual of them did cut themselves off from a right of standing therein by want of faith in their own persons for as this covenant was never made with any men and their meer fleshly seed no not with Abraham Isaac and Iacob and their natural posterity so that a bare birth of their bodies doth ipso facto make them heirs of the heavenly inheritance promised therein nor give them a right as such only to be signed as true heirs thereof but only with Abraham and his spiritual seed i. e. Christ and all believers in him so no men and all their naturall posterity are outed from it together but as both they and their posterity do stand together in unbelief upon which account faith being the only way of standing heirs under the Gospel and the Iews Children proving unbelievers in all ages as well as their parents I confess they are broken off together and not otherwise for if the Children of the Iews did appear to have faith as in infancy they cannot and when they are grown up unversally they do not their parents infidelity could in no wise prohibit their standing and since neither in infancy nor at age they appear to be in the faith their parents in case they were never so faithful can in no wise intitle them to a standing for then the natural seed of those thousands of Iews which did believe in the Primitive times have a birth-priviledge and holiness to this day whereupon they may claim admittannce unto baptism as well as any specially if those words Rom. 11. 16. if the Root be holy so are the branches were to be taken in such a sense as you put upon them but we know that though they are branches growing naturally upon that holy Root as you call it of believing parents yet they are counted unholy by your selves because they believe not in their own persons yea if we should ask how the children of those Iews that at first believed did come to be such strangers to the Gospel Church your selves would answer vs because they believed not as their parents did by which you do no less than grant what we contend for viz. that the faith of Ancestors gives no right to their posterity to stand at all in the Gospel Church and Covenant but faith in the particular persons only so standing Well then they were broken off but why not because they had not believing parents for Abraham was the fleshly Father of all of them and the primitive believing Iews were the fleshly fathers of many of them and are to this day as much as ever if bare birth priviledge could ingraft them as it did of old in the family of the Iewish Church Nor was it because they wanted title upon which they might have stood still in the Iewish Church if that Church it self had stood to this day for they were Abrahams seed and that gave them capacity enough to dwell in the house before their own unbelief notwithstanding but because they do not believe themselves because the terms of standing in the Church which before Christ were these viz. We have Abraham to our Father we are the Children of such and such parents are now quite changed so that it boots not to say such a thing as Abraham is our father Mat. 3. unless we can also say we repent and believe the Gospel The Jews were broken off by unbelief and thou and thine o believing Gentile must stand by faith yet not thine by thy faith but thou thy self by thine and they by their own faith is that in which thou standing and not thy seed thou hast right to stand in the Church and not they in which they standing and not thy self they have right to stand in the Church and thou hast none Perpetuity in personall faith gives perpetual personal right to baptism and to Church-membership but not a perpetuity of the same right to any mans whole posterity there 's now no difference made at all as to Gospel interest by being either this or that by nature but in all the world any person Jew or Gentile male or Female seed of believer or of unbeliever Barbarian Scythian bond or free is capable both to be saved and signed as an heir of salvation by baptism upon personal faith but in no wise the progeny upon the faith of the parentage And yet to put it more out of doubt that the Covenant holiness and church-right of mens fleshly seed which was of old is not continuing under the Gospel but Ceremonial and so ended in Christ in whom your selves say Iudicialia sunt Mortua Ceremonialia Mortifera I will leave two or three consequences upon the file which either answer and that not invitâ Minervâ nor stretching your Genius beyond sense and reason rather than want somewhat whereby to prove your Iudaizing to be judicious or else by silence say you cannot I leave you to consult with them as you see occasion That holiness which sanctified the Iewes Land City Temple Altar all its untensils Priest-hood and the whole body of that people and all the pertinences of the first tabernacle and old Covenant was Ceremonial only and is now abolished and not abiding among believing Gentiles But that holiness that sanctified the Iewish seed was the same and no other then that which sanctified their Land City Temple Altar and its Utensils Priest-hood and whole people and all the appertenances of that first Tabernacle and old Covenant Ergo That holiness which sanctified the Iewish seed is now abolished and not abiding at all among believing Gentiles As for the Major I would wish you not to subject your selves so much to suspicion of superstition as you will do in these daies of light by putting me to prove it as to require proof on 't since no intelligent man or religious Christian save the Pope and Dr. Featley and the rest of their several fryes and fraternities will deny it or did ever in the daies of the Gospel attribute the same holiness to outward and inanimate things viz. places Lands profits Emolluments first fruits Tithes Oblations and other obventions Temples Altars Tables Lavers Chalices Vestiments nor yet to Priests and people that all these were denominated holy by under the Law for to me by the same reason that first fruits tythes and such like are now to be called holy the first born of every creature both of man and beast is still to be called holy also for even these were sanctifyed and holy Denominativè and Dedicativè as much as any of the rest Ezod 13. 2. yea as Paul did in another case viz. appeal to the Pharisees to judge between him and the Sadduces so may I to you of the Presbyterian Priest-hood to decide this matter between me and the Seducers of the Popish and Prelatick strain whose holy sandalls copes surplices and other superfluities viz. railes high Altars holy Tapers and
Priesthood not onely confesse to be agreeable and conformable to that custom of circumcising children under the law but also contend with all your might to â—…ave them baptized now upon no other account mainly then this upon which Paul plain ly seems to forbid it for you say t was the custom and manner of old to circumcise children therefore though circumcision it self be ceased and baptism come in the room of it yet thus far at least we must follow the fashion of the Church of the Jews that as they then circumcised infants so we in like manner must baptize them but Paul saies plainly that we must forsake Moses and neither circumcise children now as of old they did nor yet walk after the manner of circumcision nor conform to such Jewish customes therefore we may not now baptize them which to do your selves as you contend so to have it so confesse it to be after the manner of circumcision Whether therefore we shall believe him or you in this case judge ye This as it is of weight in it self so it must needs be an argument ad hominem however of force enough to stop the mouthes of all such as though they yield the law it self and circumcision to be ceased yet will needs in point of Priesthood nationall Churches Tythes Temples outward administration infants admission have all things at least after such a manner as the Jews had and specially to Mr Marshall and Dr. Holms and all such as assert that the very command that was given to circumcise infants of old is vertually the command to us to baptize them for thus saies not onely Mr. Marshall but Dr Holmes also out of Aâ—…nsworth p. 9. and 7. of his animadversions fetching his argument for infant baptism as far as from the first book of Moses called Genesis thus Where there is a command for a thing never remanded or contramanded there the thing is still in force But there is a command for signing the infants of a believer with the sign of the Covenant of Grace Gen. 17. 7. 9. never yet remanded or contramanded Ergo signing believers children with the sign of the Covenant of Grace namely baptism now is still in force The Minor of which argument hath no lesse then three false assertions in it For First circumcision was not a sign of the Covenant of Grace as baptism now is nor did any further relate to the Covenant of Grace then all other things under the law did viz. as types and shadows of the things to come but that Covenant of which circmcision was giyen to be immediately a sign and token was of that earthly Canaan made with Abrahams fleshly seed onely nor Secondly were they believers infants only who were there commanded to be circumcised but all the male infants and male servants also of every houshold of Abrahams posterity by Isaac onely through their several generations though the parents and masters were unbelievers as the Iews were for the most part of them in all ages and both they and theirs neverthelesse to be circumcised while that Covenant of circumcision lasted Thirdly whereas he saies that circumcision of infants for that 's it he falsely signs there with that name viz. the sign of the Covenant of Grace was never yet remanded or contramanded it is as false as all the rest for we see plainly that it was remanded by that text I am yet in hand with viz. Act. 21. 22. Babist But baptism which is the sign now was never remanded Baptist. I grant it is not yet I le prove it to the faces of you all that t is as much remanded and contramanded as ever it was commanded in Gen. 17. Sith then Mr. Marshall and Dr Holmes both say and so indeed you say all in effect that the command for circumcision of infants was a command to us to baptize them and therefore unless we can shew that command to be remanded again it is still in force to bind us to baptize them I dare be bold to tell them that if infant circumcision and infant baptism were both commanded together in that one and the same precept Gen. 17. 10. where God bidds Abraham and his seed to circumcise their children then they are both uncommanded again in that one and the same prohibition wherein God by the mouth of Paul forbad the Iews to circumcise their children any longer I say if infants baptism were commanded in that very command for the circumcision of infants then by Analogy for contrariorum contraria est ratio infants baptism must needs be remanded in the remanding of infants circumcision the remanding of which by Paul among all the Iewes that dwelt among the Gentiles where he mainly exercised his Ministrie is related plainly Acts 21. 21. To conclude then though I utterly deny as being well assured that nor Dr. Holmes nor Mr. Marshal neither have yet nor ever will make it good that the precept for circumcision is so much as a virtual or consequential command to baptize infants yet if it be I hope they will receive the sâ—…me Law they give and rest satisfyed in it that this Countermand to circumcise infants is a consequential and virtual countermand also to baptize them By all which it appears still that there is not only no precept but also plain prohibition enough of infant-baptism And as there is no precept so neither is there any president of baptizing infants as there was of circumcising them of old from which practise of circumcision therefore there is no consequence to infant-baptism there is not one example to be found any where upon the file of such a thing as infant baptism unless it be in your Parish Registers and there indeed you may shew us not only three or four hundred as vpon occasion of our calling for example Mr Kentish in a discourse we had with him and Mr Glenden at Swevenock said he could but as many as we can shew you of baptized believers in the Scripture-Register viz. no less then three or four thousand but this though it satisfy them that live by the example of the world yet will in no wise serve their turns that live by the example of the Word and therefore Ms Kents negative precept of non express prohibition and Mr Kentish his popish president of parish church admission may go both together as things that can never pass for currant among the true Christians of Kent though they pass for good proof of infant-baptism among most Kentish Christians and Priest-ridden people As for the Scriptures there 's not so much as the least shew of any example of baptizing infants iâ—… them for howbeit you draw in the several housholds that were baptized as that which you would fain seem to make somewhat of to this purpose yet how well they serve your tum that way judge ye when as whether there were at all any one infant in any one of them is confessed to be uncertain by your selves so Mr. Blake
Merchandize slaves and souls of men Rev. 18. a den of theeves have not you the CCClergy yea your Dr. talks of the Font and the communion Table and the pulpit but who stole away baptism and the supper and preaching it self so that there 's nothing but sprinkling bells babies and confusion and one moity of a dinner and more Pulpit and Pew and Belcony and Canopy and Cloth and Cushion then preaching and plain publication of the Gospel as it is in Jesus you talk off robbing God in matters of the law and Tithes offerings and things that came by Moses and now are not at all but who hathrobbed him in matters of grace and truth and ordinances and things that came by Christ one tittle of whose Testament shall not be contradicted by man nor angel under pain of cursing you talk of golden cups and vessels in which the whore fills out her abominations and filthinesse of her fornication to the whole earth but who hath taken away the key of the Kingdom of heaven i. e. from the people and Church in whom the power lies fundamentally and primarily for t is but derivatively from the church under God secondarily executively and ministerially in the Officers not onely Papa but P P too see Rutherfords Presbytery wherein he wrests the power of the Keyes from the people who hath taken away the key of knowledge and shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men as neither willing to go in themselves by the right way and baptism nor to suffer them that would who but ye O Priests have been in these things more sacrilegi church-robbers then sacerdotes or givers of holy things yea what evil of this kind YYYou have wrought in the sanctuaries of God how you have laid them wast throughout the whole earth how you have defiled the pure waters thereof and did so Claudere rivos shut down the floodgates that the people could have none of these to drink and caused all discourses and all placesto overflow with muddy and brackish waters if I should hold my peace the stones out of the wall even those living stoâ—…s out of the true Temple that are living monuments of Gods mercy at this day in that they are alive from the dead even the dead night of your errors will proclaim to the everlasting infamy of that generation that have been the neerer the church the further from God Thou makest thy boast of God O P P Priesthood and wouldst seem to approve of the things that are most excellent and art confident thou thy self art a guide of the blind and a light of them that sit in darknsse an instructer of the foolish a teacher of babes but indeed thou art a blind guid a dark lantorn a foolish instructer and hast need thy self to be taught by those babes which live upon the sincere milk of the word which be the first principles of the oracles of God thou hast a form of knowledge and of truth as it was in the Law that was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 long since abolished according to which thou Enthusiasts to thy self a Iudai al Pontificall Politicall Pollitical Religion of thy own but thou art grossely ignorant of the truth of the Gospel and that form of doctrine that Rome obeyed from the heart of old before it came to be a mother of harlotry and of such a crew of corrupt children as have since then come from her to the corrupting ing of the earth thou teachest another but thou teachest not thy self thou preachest a man should not steal but thou stealest thou saiest a man should not commit adultery but all the Kings and their people in the christian earth have committed adultery with thee thou seemest to abhorre it yet thou more then any committest sacriledge yea thou o P P Priesthood art that holy harlot that holy thief that hast fingred the most holy things yea even the holy Scripture it self which is the store-house and under Christ the treasury of truth and hid it from the world under unknown tongues and a heap of unsound sences which thou hast put upon it therefore thou art inexcusable O woman when thou judgest the now churches of sacriledge for wherein thou judgest them thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest doest the same things which thou saiest they do but they do not and therefore is he now killing thy children with death and we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them that do such things Yea wo unto you O ye blind guids ye strein at a gnat and make it sacriledge and church robbing to take Fonts and railes and pipes and pictures and altars c. out of your stone Temples and keep a do about cleansing and hallowing and having these outside decencyes and orders and offerings but swallow a camel and demolish the true temple of God and the vessels of the sactuary i. e. the ordinances thereof which is holy indeed which Temple the Saints are that are built together a spiritual house unto him and your selves are full of ravening extortion and excesse you are as graves that appear not and the men that walk over you are not aware of you nor how they are rid over by you nor how very well to be rid of you wherefore the wisdome of God even Christ Iesus now sends you prophets and Apostles and wisemen and Scribes to warn you yet these you kill and crucifie and scourge and persecute as your enemies because they tell you the truth that the blood of all the Prophets that have prophesied in Sack cloth and tormented you and your forefathers and your people that dwell on earth for 42 moneths may come on this generation and so your house be left unto you desolate for ever And fourthly there needs no more to prove you to be what you say of us that we are viz. a lying and blasphemous sect then all these forenamed falsities which are asserted oâ—… the Anabaptists when of right they belong more properly to your selves Yea great need indeed and good reason that you should be the Plantiffs in this businesse of loading with disgraces belying and blaspheming who have bin your selves nexâ—… and immediately under Satan Supreme false accusers of the brethren to the world and the powers Courts and consistories thereof civil and ecclesiastical for Hereticks Schismaticks Sectaries seditious deceivers hypocrites blasphemers enemies to Caesar trouble Townes and what not with which kind of nick names you the false kingdome of the Priests have overwhelmed the true royall Priesthood as with a flood the burden of whose scandals blasphemies tales and disgraces wherewiâ—…h you have loaded the saints per mille ducentos sexaginta annos 1260. years exceeds any id genus that the saints have loaded you with in number weight and measure per millies mille ducentas sexaginta Iâ—…s 1000000260 l. You have cloathed the pretious sons and daughters of Sion as the persecuting Emperors did of old with the skins of wild