we must therefore of necessity here Sophisticate the matter by some distinction though never so absurd to bleere the eyes of the Nation and stop the Clamors of those that thus persue us to whom if we say nothing but let them alone in short time as it is said of the Samaritans Act. 8. 10. when Philip preached the Lord Jesus Christ unto them that all the people from the least unto the greatest will give eare unto them and then our Kingdom is at an end for which purpose some of them have improved their skill and thinking to silence the controversie as it is here stated thus to distinguish neither absolutly affirming that they are regenerate in Baptisme nor granting that they are not but that they are in the charity of the Church only so esteemed neither are any required to beleeve them to be regenerate as an Article of their Faith but in the judgement of charity In answere to which I desire them to informe me in the ground of this their charity for if it hath no ground in the word of God which is the rule of charity It cannot be termed charity but folly and presumption so to beleeve like unto that of the wicked who beleeve they shall have peace when as there is no peace to them Isa 48. 22. for hath God any where in his word spoken or Christ promised or the Apostles taught that hee will give his Spirit to Infants to regenerate them in Baptisme surely not a word no more then he hath said that he will destroy them in hell Therefore as it would be rash and censorious for any to judge they shall be damned in regard the Lord hath no where so declared so on the otherside it must needs be great folly madnesse and presumption for any to beleeve their Regeneration in Baptisme forasmuch as the Lord hath no where so promised Therefore for shame leave off this kinde of jugling and give glory to God in acknowledgeing the truth and then with me you will say It is no more the charity of your Church to beleeve thus but the presumption yea the craft and subtiltie of the Prelates and Priest hood of your Church for their bellies sake thus to delude and seduce the people But it after all this they shall object and say That Infants Object are elected and therefore may be Baptized To that I answere that all Infants are not elected and therfore Answ all Infants ought not to be Baptised But they will reply That in regard some Infants are elected Object and none can say that this or that particular Infant is not elected therefore Baptisme must be administred to all because we may not denie the elect their priviledges for feare of giving to others that which belongs not to them To this I answere That if it be a warrantable ground for Answ us to administer Baptisme to all Insants because that some particular Infants are elected then by the same reason it will follow That Baptisme may lawfully be administred to every man and woman in the world because amongst them also we may judge that some â—â—e elected But this contradicteth the order and rule of Christ laid downe in the commission Matth. 28. 19. where he saith Gâ—e teach all Nations and Baptise them and Mark 16. 16. He that beleeveth and is Baptised shall be saved first teach them that is make them Disciples or beleevers and then Baptise them and not before Therefore this reason brought for the Baptizing of all infants because that some infants are elected must be ranked amongst other of their Sophismes before detected 2. This being granted which is not true that Baptisme is to be administred upon the elect before they manifest faith then except we could know the elect from those that are not elected we ought to administer it to none at all for we may in noe case do evill that good may come thereon Rom 3. 8. Therefore whensoever the Lord commandeth us a duty or for biddeth us any evill he alwaies prescribeth unto us some rules that in the observation thereof we may answere â—im in what he requireth of us and never for want of instructions leaves us in such straites that we cannot obey him in one but of necessity we must offend him in the other And therefore we see when he commandeth us in Mat. 7. 15. to shun and beware of false Prophets he presently directeth us how to know them from his true Ministers whom hee requireth us very highly to love and esteeme 1 Thessa 5. 12 13. And so likewise doth he in point of Baptisme not only command the duty but also appoints the persons whom he would have Baptized Mat. 28. 19. else he would come farre short of Moses 〈…〉 faithfull in all Gods house Numb 12. 7. but Christ was as faithfull as Moses Heb. 3. 2. Therfore this objection which granteth that the Lord intendeth his Baptisme only for the elect and yet layeth an absolute necessitie to administer it to all others to whom he intendeth it not is most vaine and frivolous and therefore to be rejected of all And were it possible for us to know and distinguish the elect from the other as it is not yet I would faine see these profound Clarks make it appeare by the authority of the Scripture that they might lawfully upon that ground only administer Baptisme unto them I denie it utterly and affirme that its true faith only manifested and made knowne by confession with the mouth that gives the elect admission to Baptisme Act. 8. 37. Rom. 14. 23. And thus this objection is vanished away and so I shall proceed to the second particular The manner in which Baptisme is there administred 2. which is by sprinckling or casting a little water upon the head or face of the child Baptised wherein they shew themselves as contrary to Christ as in the former particular forasmuch as the institution of Christ requireth that the whole man be dipped all ever in water For the manner of the use of water in Baptisme must be either by infusion or by dipping But Iohn the Baptist or dipper according to the Dutch Version did use the water by putting the party in the water and not by infusing or sprinkling water upon the party as is proved Mat. 3 11. Ego men baptizâ— humas en hudati 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I indeed Baptize you in water Mark 1. 8. ego men ebaptisa humas en hudatâ— I indeed have Baptized you in water also Iohn 1. 26. Acts 11. 16. All these poinâ— ouâ— a Baptisme in water but not a Baptisme with water Obj. But the word En doth somtimes signifie with as in Rev. 19 21. Kai Hoi Loipoâ— apecteathesan en teromiraia A. Never after this word Baptize which signifies to dip for if it should then it would be no sense to say dip with water Therefore either the word Baptizo must signify to sprinkle or else the word En must not
to be verie true God And is not here extreme ignorance and malice manifestly striving to exceed each other in this Priest And as if all this were not enough he with the rest of his fellow Ministers there to quit their standings the lawfulnesse whereof being justly questioned doe neither spare pittifully to abuse Scripture nor yet cease unchristianlike upon all occasions to callumniate and publiquely to vent most false aspersions against them and that also with such violence and rage which would much better beseeme Beares robbed of their whelps then reasonable creatures and all this to uphold the great honour and authority which they have unduly got amongst many by all which it evidently appeares what must be looked for at their hands if once their Presbyterian Tribunall were errected But leaving these to be accounted with by God and their own conscience I will now proceed Fourthly The ground from which Baptisme is there administred is the Repentance and Faith of the sureties as is evident also by the Catechisme where these Questions and Answeres be made Quest What is required of persons to be Baptized Answ Repentance whereby they forsake sinne and Faith whereby they stedfastly beleeve the promises of God made to them in that Sacrament Quest Why then are Infants Baptized when by reason of their tender agethey cannot performe them Answ Yes they doe performe them by their sureties c. And like hereunto in the administration of Baptisme these Questions are demanded of the Sureties 1. Dost thou forsake the Divell and all his works c. 2. Dost thou beleeve in God c. 3. Wilt thou be Baptized in this Faith To which three questions each of the Sureties in particular make answere in the singular number personating the Child to be Baptized and then they Baptize the Child Now first to affirme that Faith and Repentance is required of persons to be Baptized and then conratriwise to affirme that Children destitute of Faith and Repentance may be Baptized upon the Faith and Repentance of others is a flat contradiction and the latter affirmation is all one as if they should say that a person destitute of Faith may be saved by the Faith of another for that which gives any man a right admission to the Baptisme of Christ gives him admission into life eternall and glory and therefore if Children may be Baptized upon the repentance and Faith of others they may also be saved the Faith and Repentance of others If thou beleevest with all thy heart thou maist be Baptized Act. 8. 37. He that beleeveth and is Baptized shall be saved Mar. 16. 16. Therefore this Doctrine being directly repugnant to the Scriptures must be rejected as impious Ezck. 18. 20. The same soule that sinneth shall die Hab. 2. 4. The just by his faith and not by the faith of others shall live Gal. 6. 4. 5. Let every man prove his own worke and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another for every man shall beare his own burthen Fiftly The Subjects on which Baptisme is there administred 5. are Infants whereas the Scripture holds forth that Disciples or Beleevers only are to be Baptized For the Commission of Christ was to Baptize only Disciples as appeates Mat. 28. 19. The words being these Porenthentes oun matheteusate panta ta ethne Baptizames 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. autous c. The English of which is Goeing therefore Disciple yee all Nations Baptizing them Now the question is what this word Autous them hath relation to whether to Ethne Nations or no but it is cleare out of the words that it hath not relation to Nations but to Disciples for the word which is put for them in that place is Autous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not Auta which it should be if it had relation to Nations Therefore out of this place we finde that Christ gave command to the Disciples to Disciple the Nations or to teach the Nations that they might become Disciples and then to Baptize them but not to Baptize the Nations or any persons therein before they were made Disciples And to this agreeth the very practise of Christ himself and his Disciples for Ioh. 3. 22. we read that Iesus and his Disciples came into the Land of Judea and tarried there and Baptized And who they were that they there Baptized we may see in the very next Ch. 1. 2. ver where it is said that Jesus made and Baptized more Disciples then John though Jesus himselfe Baptized them not but his Disciples Baptized them to wit the Disciples or they whom they had by teaching made Disciples and what it is to be a Disciple may be plainely seen in Ioh. 8. 31. Luk. 14. 16. 27 33. And this truth is further evidenced from many other Texts as Mar. 16. 15 16. where Christ saith to his Disciples Goe into all the world preath the Gospell to every creature he that beleeveth and is Baptized shall be saved and accordingly in Act. 2. 38. Peter saith even to the Jewes and children of Abraham Repent and be Baptized every one of you that is Repent every one of you and then be Baptized every one of you And afterwards verse 41. it is said that as many of them as gladly received the word that is beleeved were Baptized and the same day there were added of them to the Church about 3000 soules And in ver it is said that all that beleeved were together And in Act. 8. 37. The Eunuch coming to a certaine water and demanding of Philip what did hinder him that he might not be Baptized was answered if thou beleevest with all thy heart thou maiest which implieth that unlesse he beleeved he might not be Baptized And with all this agreeth that in the Service-booke before recited That Faith and repentance is required of all persons to be Baptized Now then forasmuch as Infants cannot have either Faith or Repentance which is required by the Lord of all persons to be Baptized as is manifestly proved by the Scriptures and also granted by the pleaders for the Baptisme of Infants in the Catechisme afore recited It must needs be concluded that Infants are no meet Subjects of Baptisme and so by consequence it must needs follow that the Baptisme of Infants is none of the Lords Baptisme Object But yet after all this if any shall be so ignorant as to object that the Profession of Faith and Repentance made by the Sureties may give the Infants right to Baptisme Answ I shall answere them That if the profession of Faith and Repentance of the Sureties can give them a right admission unto Baptisme then also may it give them admission to eternall life as they ignorantly in the Catechisme pretend it doth for to the question Who gave you this name The Children are taught to say My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptisme wherein I was made a member of Christ a Child of God
for they grant that no children save only beleevers Children are in the Covenant or have right to baptisme then most of themselves had no right to baptisme then most of themselves had no right to baptisme their Parents by their own acknowledgement being ungodly whence it will follow that they themselves being baptized in their Infancy had not the baptisme of Christ and so by consequence are yet unbaptized persons thus is their own baptisme clearely made voyd even from their own grounds and how then can their children be now baptised in the right of such Parents who are yet unbaptised themselves But the grounds which SEPARATISTS and others do urge for the baptising of INFANTS shall be further examined and answered if God will in another Treatise And if any shall thinke it strange and unlikely that all the godâ—iest Divines and best Churches should be thus deceived in this point of baptisme for so many yeares together Let them consider that all Christendome except here and there one or some few or no considerable number was swallowed up in grosse Popery for many hundred yeares before Luthers time which was not untill about 100 yeares agone Let them also consider how long the whole nations of England and Scotland have bin deceived in the point of the Hierarchy untill of late and yet they now for the most part do see it to be Antichristian and abominable and why may they not like wise be deceived in this point of the Baptisme of Infants especially seeing that the Hierarchy hath asmuch warrant from Scripture as this and the Baptisme of Infants as little as that Yea and much lesse in the judgement of Bishop Hall who Episc Jure divino par 2. p. 127. in this point expresses himselfe in these words viz. Jam for my part so confident of the Divine Institution of the Majority of Bishops above Presbyters that I dare boldly say that there are waighty points of faith which have not so strong evidence in holy Scripture and then he instanceth in two particulars The power by sacred orders given to the Ministers alone for the Consecration and distribution of the holy Eucharist and the receiving of Infants to holy Baptisme which saith he is a matter of so high consequence that wee justly brand the Catabaptists with Heresie for denying it yet let me with good assurance say that the evidences of this truth come farre short of that which the Scriptures have afforded us for the superiority of some Church Governors over those who otherwise indeed in a sole respect of their Ministeriall Function are equall and then he shuts up the point in these very words vizâ— He therefore that would upon pretence of want of Scriptures quarrell at the Divine institution of Bishops might with much better colour cavell at these blessed Ordinances of God And after in an other booke he challengeth his opposites to try their skill by entring into a serious contestation with Answ to Smectymnuus pa. 98. him to see if they could produce more clearer evidence from Scripture for the Baptizing of Infants then he could for the Hierarchie which challenge of his may easily be maintained for indeed and in truth the Scripture ownes neither of them And as one of note not long since in defence of the Hierarthy c. alledging altogether hymane authority and being urged by me either to make good his position by Scripture or else to say nothing â—e replyed to me thus If you will beleeve nothing in Religion but what may be proved by Scripture then must you renounce your Christendome and turne Turke for you cannot prove your own Baptisme not the baptisme of Infants by Scripture wherein the man spake nothing but reason for if I will beleeve one point in Divinity upon the authority of mâ—n or tradition of the Church why not another and another and so to multiply them beyond number upon one and the same reason and authority 3. And let them likewise consider that there is no marvaile at all in this seeing there is nothing nor more herein then was foretold by the Spirit of God should come to passe in the world vizt That men should depart from the Faith and give heed to the Spirit of error 2 Thessa 2. 3. 1 Tim. 4. 1. That all the world should wonder follow after and worship the Beast Rev. 13. 3. 4. 15 16. And that the Inhabitants of the earth should be made drunke with the wine of the fornication of the whore Rev. 17. 2. And in no place it is told us of any one Nation that should cleave to the truth before the calling of the Iewes but that untill then this only was and is to be looked for that all that will live Godly in Jesus Christ must suffer persecution 2. Tim. 3. 12. be brought before Kings and Rulers yea to the losse of their liberties and lives for his cause and truth Mat. 10. 17 18. 24 9. And that all the rise of all our glory and happinesse in the world to come is from our being made conformable to him in his death and sufferings in this world Mat. 5. 11 1â— Lu 6. 22 23. Phil. 3 10. 2 Tim. 2. 12. And if any shall thinke that any of the Expressions concerning the Ministry in this Treatise be too harsh seeing many in that Office are Godly and worthy men 1. Let them know that I esteeme not lesse of divers of them their worth and honesty being well known to me yet never the lesse the Office and ministry which these men have is no whit the truer for their worth or honesty for the honesty of a man in a false Office cannot make the Office any truer or lawfuller then it is in it selfe 2. Let them also consider that I speake not against any goodnesse in any man but against the evill and against the unlawfulnesse of the Office wherein he is for this being derived from one and the same power in one and the same manner to one and the same end unto them all must needs be one and the same Office and no better or lawfuller then the power from whence it is derived for no man can convey unto another any better or truer right or power then he hath in himselfe besides if I should speake evill of the vertues of any man in that Office for that Office sake I should then be as foolishly ignorant and as liable to the curse of God as he is that speakes good of that Office being evill for the goodnesse or sake of the man in that office for both these are abhominable and alike accursed in the sight of God Isa 5. 12. 3. Let them likewise consider that if the Godliest and best Minister upon Earth were made Arch Bishop of Canterbury or Yorke yet that Office would still be the same and as bad as before and in some respects far worse then if a worse man had it for an evill Office gets credit by the goodnesse of the man in it and thereby deceives and keepes the people in blindnesse and error the more and puts them the further off from seeing their sinfulnesse in submitting to it And hence is the proverbe verified viz. The better the man the worse the Bishop the very same is the case of the Ministry and Priesthood here treated of Jer. 23 11. Both Prophet and Prlest do wickedly yea in my House have I found their wickednesse saith the Lord. Jer. 5. 31. The Prophets prophecy lies and the Priests beare rule by their meanes and my people love to have it so 2 Thess 2. 11. 12. Wherefore God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve lies that they all might be damned who beleeve not the truth FINIS ERRATA PAg 8. line 23 for apecteathesan read apectanthesan and for romiraja read romphaja and line 35. for ebaaptisthe read ebaptisthe