Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	ghost_n	holy_a	trinity_n	3,214	5	9.7060	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63006	Of the sacrament of baptism, in pursuance of an explication of the catechism of the Church of England. By Gabriel Towerson, D.D. and rector of Welwynne in Hartfordshire	Towerson, Gabriel, 1635?-1697.	1687 (1687)	Wing T1971A; ESTC R220158	148,921	408

the Profession thereof shewn by several Arguments to be the intendment of the Christian Baptism What the measure of that conformity is which we profess to pay to the Laws of Christianity and what are the consequences of the Violation of that Profession HAving thus consider'd the things signified by Baptism on the part of God and Christ best known by the name of its inward and spiritual Graces It remains that I give the like account of the things signified by it on the part of the baptiz'd or the things the baptized person maketh Profession of by it Which as was before observ'd are an Abrenunciation of sin a present belief of the Doctrine of Christianity and a resolution for the time to come to continue in that belief and act agreeably to its Laws That something is signified by Baptism on the part of the baptized as well as on the part of God and Christ is evident from what was before said * Of the Sacrament in general Part 2. concerning the nature of a Sacrament in the general and Baptism's † Ibid. relating as well to something to be perform'd by the baptiz'd as to those divine Graces or priviledges which we expect from the other That the things before mentioned are the things thus signified by it hath also been elsewhere * Expl. of the Aposties Creed declar'd and so that it would not be difficult for a diligent Reader to satisfie himself from thence But because what I have said concerning them lies dispersedly in my former Discourses and would therefore require more pains than I ought to impose upon my Reader to find it out and apply it to the present Argument I will here though very briefly consider them anew and if not which would be too tedious repeat all that I have said concerning them yet point him as I go to the particular places from whence they may be fetch'd That Abrenunciation of sin is one of the things signified by Baptism is not only evident from the manner of administring it in the Primitive times and which together with the form of their Abrenunciation and our own are set down in my account of the Preliminary questions and answers of the Catechism but also from the general tenour of that Religion which Baptism is an initiation into That requiring the renouncing of all sin and wickedness and therefore supposing the baptized person to do so when he takes that Religion upon him For which cause as an express Abrenunciation was heretofore requir'd and continues so to be to this very day So it was signified as by other Rites and particularly by the baptized persons putting off his cloaths in order to his Baptism as putting off together with them the Old Man and his deeds so by the Rite of Baptism it self He who submits to that implying thereby his looking upon sin as a Moral impurity and which therefore for the future he would not have any thing to do with The second thing signified by Baptism on the part of the baptized is his present belief of the Doctrine of Christianity more especially of the Doctrine of the Trinity As is evident from that Baptism's being commanded by our Saviour to be made in or into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost For to be baptiz'd into the name of those persons importing the owning of those persons as our Masters (a) Expl. of the Creed Art. I believe in the Holy Ghost and our selves as the Disciples of them To be so baptized moreover importing the owning of those persons as alike (b) Ibid. Masters of us and consequently because the Father cannot be own'd in any lower relation as partakers of the same divine Nature and Authority Lastly to be so baptiz'd importing the owning of them in particular by a belief of the Christian Doctrine that being the most signal instance of that Discipleship we receive by it The belief of the Doctrine of Christianity and of the Trinity in particular must be look'd upon as signified by Baptism on the part of the baptized and those baptized ones consequently as making profession of that belief by it For which cause as the rule of Faith or the Creed (c) Introd concerning Catechising c. was given to those to learn who were willing to be initiated into Christianity so they were particularly interrogated (d) Expl. of the Prel Quest and Answers as to their belief of the Articles thereof and then and not till then baptiz'd into it and the priviledges thereof The third and last thing signified on the part of the baptized is a resolution for the time to come to continue in the belief of Christianity and act agreeably to its Laws Both which will receive a sufficient confirmation from S. Peter's affirming Baptism to be the Answer or stipulation of a good conscience toward God and from what I have elsewhere (e) Ibid. said concerning it For as it is evident from thence that Baptism signifies on the part of the baptized a stipulation or promise of somewhat to be done by him So it will not be difficult to inferr from thence that it signifies also a stipulation or promise to continue in that belief of Christianity into which he is baptiz'd and act agreeably to its laws As will appear whether we consider that stipulation as having a good conscience toward God for the object of it in which sense I should think S. Peter ought to be understood or as I find many others to do as proceeding from such a conscience For a good conscience having a due regard to the several parts of that Religion which it makes profession to espouse He who with relation to Christianity stipulates from a good conscience or makes that good consoience the object of his stipulation must consequently be thought to stipulate or make a promise of answering the several parts of it and therefore also because they are parts of Christianity of continuing in its Faith and acting agreeably to its Laws And hence as was before (f) Expl. of the Sacrament in general Part 1. observ'd this and the other Institution of our Religion had of old the name of Sacraments as importing a Vow or promise to Christ of believing in him or obeying him And hence also that the Antients argued (g) Ibid. the unlawfulness of superinducing an humane or military Sacrament upon a divine one and answering to another Master after Christ Which we shall the less need to wonder at if we remember that that Baptism whereof we speak was copyed from the Baptism of the Jews (h) Expl. of Baptism Part 1. and particularly from that of John the Baptist For concerning the former of these it hath been observ'd (i) Ibid. that those three men that presided over it lean'd over the baptized persons as they stood in the water and twice explain'd to them some of the more weighty and lighter precepts of their Law. For

more expresly signifies when he tells them that whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little Child he shall not enter therein Which suppos'd a way is opened for the inferring of that Baptism of Infants which this passage both now and of old was made use of to evince For it appearing from the premises that Infants have a right to the Kingdom of Heaven and upon and by vertue of that right to be brought to Christ also They must consequently have a right also to those means which are by the same Christ appointed to put them into the possession of his Kingdom Which Baptism certainly being and so that ordinarily at least none can enter into that Kingdom without (b) Joh. 3.5 being born again by it it cannot without injustice be withheld from those Children to whom the other doth appertain Neither will it avail to say though the Objection be not to be despis'd that by this rule our Saviour should either himself have baptiz'd or order'd his Disciples to baptize those Children that were now brought unto him for his blessing For beside that one Argument will not solve another and much less hinder the matter thereof from being true or conclusive There might be reason enough though the premises be allow'd for our Saviour's not baptizing or requiring his Disciples to baptize those Children who were now brought unto him for his blessing Partly upon the account of the incompetency of those that brought them and who being not Disciples themselves but as is probable of the multitude (c) Mark 10.1 Matt. 19.2 that followed him could not claim from our Saviour nor he so regularly bestow Baptism upon their Children And partly to let the World see that he was not ti'd to any methods himself in the dispensing of the graces of that Kingdom For that our Saviour by that blessing which he gave them gave those Children rem Sacramenti or the Graces of Baptism and so shew'd yet more the title Children have to it cannot well be doubted of by any who shall consider how zealous he was for their being brought to him as that too upon the account of the title they had to the Kingdom of Heaven For considering that zeal of his and the ground of it what can be more reasonable than to think that our Saviour agreeably thereto did by his blessing conferr upon them that Evangelical regeneration which was to fit them for the Kingdom of Heaven and without which considering the impurity of their nature and the necessity of being thus born anew they could not regularly obtain it And I have been the more particular in deducing and pressing the present argument Partly because led thereto by the meer force of the Text it self and the Authority of the Church that imployed it till by accident I fell upon those things I have before quoted out of Aretius And partly because I think it a better service to the Church of God to strengthen one old Argument than devise many new ones Such a course procuring the more respect to the Church's both opinion and practice as shewing it to proceed upon substantial Arguments and such as in themselves are not lightly to be refus'd My second Argument for the Baptism of Infants shall be taken from that holiness which S. Paul (a) 1 Cor. 7.14 attributes to the Children of Christian Parents yea where only one of them is such upon the account of their descent from them For S. Paul having before persuaded the believing party to continue with the unbelieving one supposing that unbelieving one to be as willing to continue with the believer as a motive to the doing of it alledgeth that the unbelieving party is sanctified by the believing and proves that sanctification again by the holiness of the Children that come from them as which otherwise those Children could not have in them but the contrary Now I demand what that holiness is which S. Paul supposeth to be the property of those who come from such a sanctified couple that is to say whether an inward holiness or an outward one If they who would avoid the force of this Text as to the Baptism of Infants say an inward holiness they say more than we desire or can with truth be affirmed because though Original Sin be traduc'd from the Parents yet inward holiness is not as being the product of the Spirit of God and his instrument Baptism But if they do however attribute such a holiness to those Children they say enough to evince that Baptism ought not to be deny'd to them For who as S. Peter spake (e) Acts 10.47 upon another occasion can forbid the water of Baptism to those who have receiv'd the Holy Ghost as to be sure all that are internally holy have It remains therefore that if the Children of such matches be not internally holy they are externally so and that external holiness therefore if it may be to be investigated by us Now I demand First what external holiness can be imagin'd in those Children but such by which they come to belong to God in a more peculiar manner than the Children of other matches do This being the nature of all things that are externally holy whether by the voluntary consecration of men or the Institution or choice of God. I demand secondly supposing those Children to belong more to God than the Children of other matches whether by their thus becoming the peculiar property of God they may not be suppos'd to be more dear to him than the Children of other matches are Every one naturally having an affection to such as belong to him suitably to that nearness wherein they belong to him I demand Thirdly supposing the Children of such matches to be more dear to God than the Children of others whether we are not to think he will take a more particular care of them than of others The care of any person being always suitable to the affection he bears to those who are the object of his care I demand Fourthly whether supposing such a particular care of the Children of such matches he will not take a more particular care of them as to their eternal welfare than he doth of the Children of other men All other care without this being of little value to the party cared for and beside that as experience shews equally extended by God to the Children of other matches as well as to the descendants of Christians I demand Fifthly supposing such a particular care as to their eternal welfare whether he will not also allow them more means toward the compassing of it than he can be suppos'd to allow to the Children of other Parents All care where it is reasonable and just employing sutable means to bring that care of its unto effect Now what peculiar means doth or can God allow to the Children of Christian Parents as to the procuring of their eternal welfare supposing them to die before they come of years as the