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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02435	A description of the Church of Christ, with her peculiar priuiledges, and also of her commons, and entercommoners With some oppositions and answers of defence, for the maintenance of the truth which shee professeth: against certaine Anabaptisticall and erronious opinions, verie hurtfull and dangerous to weake Christians. Maintained and practised by one Master Iohn Smith, sometimes a preacher in Lincolneshire, and a companie of English people with him now at Amsterdam in Holland. Whome he hath there with himselfe rebaptised. By I.H.	Etherington, John, fl. 1641-1645.	1610 (1610)	STC 12567; ESTC S118987	75,210	130

your house And if you would but search these Scriptures diligently and compare them together I hope you should finde these things true and then I trust you shall see that which we now see at this present and which may appeare also euidently to all that will weigh thinges vprightly without partialitie your frame and building pulled downe from the toppe to the bottome The outer Court and the Temple that common things are for the many and the peculiar things for the few One thing remayneth but not of your building which you cal the Character and marke of the beast not worthy to come vnder the roofe of your house Namely the baptising of Children against the which we will see and examine what you say I haue seene a principall answer of yours to an argument drawne frō Circumcision to proue the baptising of Children Wherein you deny circumcision to be a seale or signe of the new Couenant and the righteousnes therein of faith Affirming that it was a seale of a carnall couenant made to a carnall seede and calling that carnall Couenant of yours one of the two testaments and abusing them by your carnal conceit who are both of them most holy and spirituall Rom. 7.14 and not carnall as you affirme And therin you seeme to your selfe to be so wise in your application of circumcision to a carnall couenant made to a carnall seed that you by meere Ignorance and error to the charge of all that take it otherwise and so almost in all your answeres and reasons this is your principall obiection still that we mistake the couenants and build the baptising of children vpon a false ground but herein by the grace of God we will see who it is that is mistaken and that doth erre and buildeth vpon the sands And because that by the mistaking of the two Testaments and the two seeds and by the false distinctions them not onely all your errours but all other false doctrine doth depend as in the true vnderstanding of them and right distinguishing both of the two Testaments and also of the two seeds all truth doth consist wee will therfore more carefully by Gods assistance set down what the two Testaments are and also distinguish betweene them and what the two seeds are and also distinguish betweene them that so we may the more cleerely discerne the truth from that which is erronious And then we shall see to which of the two Testaments Circumcision doth belong and whether baptisme may not be administred vnto children as well as Circumcision was And although baptisme is nothing nor vnbaptisme nothing as circumcision is nothing and vncircircumcision nothing compared with a new creature nor yet is able to pollute any though he had receiued it in the Church of Rome and though it bee not worth the contending about nor yet the speaking of compared with the doctrine of baptisme which is regeneration the washing of repentance and the purging of the holy Ghost through Iesus Christ and faith in him which is indeed the true begining of euery liuing stone of his Church and Temple whereof he is the foundation and head stone of the corner because you trouble Israel with your flashes and false lights affirming from your fleshly wisedome that the baptisme of children is the marke of the beast we will therefore discouer how you of meere ignorance erre therein by your mistaking the two Couenants and the two Seeds and how by your false distinguishing both of the two Testaments and the two Seeds you deceiue both your selfe and others Master Smiths aunswere The summe of your answere is this First you distinguish the two Testaments but very vntowardly for you say one was made with Abraham and his Carnall seede and of that Couenant was Circumcision a seale Another Couenant was made with Abraham and his spiritual seed and of that Couenant was the holy spirit of promise the seale for the carnall Couenant had a carnall seale vpon the carnall seede The spirituall Couenant had a spirituall seale vpon the spirituall seed and circumcision which was a carnall seale could not seale vp the spirituall Couenant to the spirituall seede The two Testaments being thus by you distinguished you goe on to disprooue the baptisme of children for we vnder the Gospell you say doe not receiue that carnall Couenant which was made to Abraham and his carnall seede whereof circumcision was the carnall seale but that carnall Couenant and seale together with the subiect of that seale viz. a male of eight dayes old is taken away by Christs crosse And in the roome thereof wee haue the spirituall Couenant typed by that carnall Couenant and the spirituall seale viz. the holy spirit of promise figured by that carnall seale and the spirituall infant viz. A new borne babe in Christ in whom Christ typed by the male is newly formed signified by that carnall infant That all these particulars are so you proue it plainely you say by these places of Scripture There are two Testaments made with Abraham Gal. 4.24 For Agar that is the olde Testament and Sara that is the new Testament were both married to Abraham and Abraham had them both Vers 23 There are two seeds Ishmaell of Abraham and Agar who typed the carnall seed borne after the flesh and Isaack of Abraham and Sara typed the spirituall seede borne by promise There are two seales Circumcision a seale of the carnal children and the holy spirit of promise Gene. 17.11 a scale of the spirituall couenant vpon the spirituall seede 2. Cor. 1.22 And as Circumcision was a seale from God Ephe. 1.13 to the carnall seed of the promise and from the carnall seed to God in obedience So the spirit of promise is a seale from God to the spirituall seed of the promise Ephe. 1.13 Iohn 3.33 and from the spirituall seede to God in obedience These thing are euident you say and so you proceed to proue and disproue accordingly And here I cannot but meruaile what you meane by this carnall couenant you talke of which you call one of the two Testaments and of which you make circumcision the seale and also what you meane by Abrahams carnall seed Which couenant seale and seed you say is taken away by Christs Crosse For you speake so doubtfully that one had need dwell in your heart that would known your meaning But if you meane as the Scriptures meane which you cite then it is certaine you say one thing and meane another For the Scripture faith and meaneth thus Gal. 4.22.23.24.25.26.27.28.29.30.31 that Abraham had two sonnes one by a seruant and one by a free-woman but hee which was of the seruant was borne after the flesh And hee which was of the free-woman was borne by promise by the which things another thing is ment for these are the two testaments The one which is Agar of Mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage for Agar or Sinai is a mountaine in Arabia

it the part of an humble daughter to aunswere her mother with mildnes and not disdaine And now Master Smith where you triumph and praise God you say in the end of your answer publisht against the obiections of one Master Clifton assuring your selfe of the trueth of your opinions so that neither he nor all the earth shall euer be able to wring them out of your heart and hands So and more then so I praise the Lord my God for that he hath assisted me against you and your lies and I haue receiued so much more assurance of the trueth of that which I haue written vnto you then you haue of that which you haue said as there is difference betweene a truth and a lie And I boldly in the name of my Lord and for his chosen sake chalenge not all the earth but you and all or any one of your company to answere directly and without colloring or painting to that which hath beene said or else to subscribe vnto it according to your promise Though these things be not ratified by you nor written in your bookes yet behold they are true and although they be but few and goe but simple yet they shall stand and be had in honour when much and many things shall faile not that I presume vppon the strength of mine owne arme for it is like a broken bow but my strength is the Lord and in him I will reioyce and that hee hath written my name in his booke of life for which grace and all other his mercies his name be praised for euer AMEN And thus Master Smith I thought Good to write vnto you and to the company with you of whom I haue great hope God wil deliuer them frō the errors and distractions of these times and that others falles will driue you to looke better about you and although I haue beene somewhat bould with you yet I pray you take it not in the euill part for truly God is my record that for his truthes sake and for his childrens sakes and for your sakes haue I written that you and we and all might perceiue the trueth and walke therein and for no other respect and howsoeuer these things may seeme strange vnto you yet if you consider them well you shall finde them not so strange as true And although those little ones be now more rare and more seldome seene then the truth in the fielde yet that which hath beene saide of them is true And let vs not labour any longer to cut and fashion the truth like our selues but let vs studie and striue to become our selues both in vnderstanding and in doing like the truth Let vs not deceiue our selues with shadowes for they fly away but let vs take hold of the su bstance and roote it selfe which is able to defend vs in the stormy day let vs stoope and put on the yoake of the Lord for he was meeke and of a lowly heart his dwelling was among the little ones and the least was the greatest with him yea he tasted his teares with them and wept also for those whose hearts could not affoord a teare for themselues hee sought out that which was lost and the broken did he binde vp This was our Lord let vs learne of him and these were his companions and on earth his dearest friends But now alacke where are these litle ones become Doe the high looke of these proud times make them ashamed to shewe their cast-downe eye Oh come forth ye habitation of the Lord althogh indeed there boldnesse may make you blush and shew your face for we haue heard that he which is with you is greater then he that is with them And what is the cause they are so seldome seene this day One thing is they are few Another thing is they that sought them mist the way that ledde to their Tents They sought them vpon the Mountaines and in the drie places but they were in the Valleyes among the water plashes filling the Lords bottle with Teares They sought them among the great but they were of the little ones They sought them among the learned and men of great study and long experience but they were sitting among the little children weeping with the tender babes And thus they sought but found not How hard a thing it is to suppresse those harts of ours Ah let vs teare them in peeces and intreat the Lord with thousand of teares to dissolue the drowsie fatnes that droppeth vpon them that we may find the way to the dwellings of his little ones where also his owne habitation is and see and enter into his Kingdome of heauen where also we may behold these his brethren and loue them and be knowne and loued of them whereby we shal all know that our names are written in the booke of life These things let vs striue for it is time now we should be established in the truth and not be carried about still with euery winde Let vs build vpon the Rocke and then though the floods come and the winde blow our building shall stand we haue pretended Discipline and Gouernement a great while but where is he that is corrected Where is the man that hath crucified the world to himselfe and himselfe to the world and hath mortified the flesh with the workes thereof Pharisees and Hypocrites can make cleane the out-side but let vs make cleane that which is within Wolues oftentimes goe in Sheepes skinnes but Sheepe neuer in Wolues skinnes There is a Controuersie this day in the world where Christ should be whereof he hath also foretold vs saying Many shal come in my name and say here is Christ and there but beleeue them not One saith I am the first and I haue beene of olde I haue kept the saith and haue not erred to this day Another saith Nay thou liest thou hast lost the faith and hast erred from the right way and art become a Cage of vncleane Birds this day but I haue recouered that which thou hast lost and I haue the right vse of the Word and Sacraments which thou hast polluted therefore he is here The third comes and saies Ye are both liers and Harlots and thou that spake last for thou art not gouerned by his lawes he is a King aswell as a Priest and a Prophet and therefore thou liest also but he is here with vs we haue his Ordinances and lawes and are ruled by them we haue also the word and the Sacraments in their right kind and so he is to vs a King a Priest and a Prophet The next stands vp saying Who is this that boasteth thus and reteyneth the baptisme of the Whore Must they not needes bee her children seeing they hold her baptisme sufficient and refuse to be baptised aright What Can their baptisme bee good and their Church and Gouernment nought Not possible wherefore ye are also deceiued and he cannot be in the middest of you as you suppose But hee is where Antichrist

right and inheritance challengeng them the field and setting vp a flagge of defiance against the Citie of truth and the God of Israell Behold here comes one the least of ten thousand that doth accept the challenge seeing others doe hold their peace and although hee know not how to beare armes in the field as the manner is yet he promiseth in the name of the God of Iacob with a sling and a stone to bring their champion on his knees for all his stout words that his army who trusted in him may be glad to take their flight and you enioy your Citie in peace And thus most noble Citizens farewell Your faithfull friend till death I. H. To M. IOHN SMITH and to the Companie with him at Amsterdam in Holland AH Master Smith I would for your owne sake you had not written with such affirmation Many things which you haue also made so publike the which you can neuer call home againe although you your selfe doe finde them false whereby also you haue made your selfe more vnable and vnwilling to reuoke them though they be proued so Much better therfore had it bene for you to haue left that Paper vnstained by your hand that should paint forth an vntruth and neuer haue set Pen to write but to the vnchangeable truth of God of which you neuer neede repent and whereof the Church of Christ is the piller Considering also how great a danger euery one doth fall into that is found to adde or diminish from or to the intent and purpose of the word of God I would therefore you had beene better aduised before you had published your bookes You thought your selfe as fully satisfied when you were of another minde You know or at the lest there be that know them that haue three foure nay fiue times changed their Religion that thought themselues as fully satisfied euery time as you thnike your selfe now what they are now some of them I wil not say And if euery man should publish bookes so often as they change their mind how many Religions then should spring from one man and he perhaps be author of so many sects what heapes of bookes are there at this day of seuerall opinions Make therfore no more matter for the fire there is straw and stubble enough already Speake truth for the day of burning is at hand And whatsoeuer you do looke to the maine leaue not the foundation as some haue done Hold fast the beginnings least you neuer come to the endes And I pray God deliuer you from the Curse of Sinai and her sonnes Hagars children And bring you all vnto the blessings of mount Sion and into the rest and freedome of her children euen Saraes sonnes and daughters Your friend I. H. ¶ The Contents of that which followeth 1 A Description of the heauenly Ierusalem with her priuiledges and of her stability and of her Commons and intercommoners 2 A veiw or search of Master Smiths Church with a discouery of the vnsoundnesse and Ruinousnes thereof 3 An examination of a principall answere of his wherevpon many of his other reasons doe depend against the Baptisme of Children and the confutation thereof with sufficient reasons and proofe for the lawfulnes of Baptizing them and that the Baptizing of Children cannot be the marke of the Beast 4 Of the Commonalty and Commons of Christians in generall and wherein specially they are to be distinguished and how the Commoners ought to carry themselues toward the little speciall ones and how the speciall do and ought to walke towards the Commoners 5 Of Christian libertie and of the lawfulnes of the Authority of Magistrates and how all subiects are bound to obey 6 Of Faith and Repentance 7 A Reprehension of Master Smith for his bold Challenge 8 An exhortation to him and his company 9 A short description of the contentions of these times 10 Of Sions Restauration the fall of her greatest enemy and of her euerlasting glory To Master IOHN SMITH and to the Companie with him at Amsterdam in Holland ANd least I runne into your fault and fall into the same daunger with you as of my selfe I haue no strength to stand more then you By the grace and assistance of my God I will take heede and though I haue not the skill of the learned Disputers of this world yet I hope the Spirit of Trueth will so direct me that I shall rather say I know not then set downe and affirme that for trueth which shall be found a lie This therefore I say and write not respecting what you haue said nor regarding your many Arguments to the contrarie That the Church which the Lord doth build consisteth of liuing stones 1. Peter 2. Mat. 16.18 And the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against that Church or any one of the stones thereof Reuel 20.6 but it shall stand and preuaile against Hell and the snares of the second death so that not one shall perish that is of this holy Temple For this Church of Christ and euery stone thereof 1. Pet. 2.4 7. is framed and fashioned from aboue he himselfe is the foundation and chiefe corner stone And all the stones of this building are his brethren reborne and made a new not in shew but in very trueth not for a time but for euer not one of them shall euer fall off They are all of them euerlasting as is their foundation whereon they rest and whose strength doeth stay them vp Matt. 16.19 Great priuiledges hath this Church aboue all other for to it hee hath giuen the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen to open and shut to binde and loose And where two or three of this vniuersall Church of Christ Matt. 18.18 20. consisting of stones of life are gathered together in his Name hee hath promised and will not faile to be in the midst of them And whatsoeuer they binde in earth is bound in heauen and whatsoeuer they loose on earth is loosed in heauen And where two of them shall agree in earth vpon any thing whatsoeuer yee shall desire it shall bee giuen you saith he of my Father which is in heauen This Church is one Ephe. 4.5 6. the Faith is one the Baptisme is also one and the same in euery stone thereof not on the skinne but in the heart Their Rocke is Christ that their one Lord he is the Prince of their Faith and Hope and his Father is their one God and Father alone who is aboue all and through all and in them all praised for euer Gal. 4.26 And this is Ierusalem from aboue which Saint Paul saith is the mother of vs all and is free And this and all of them are those little ones whom the Lord said whosoeuer shall offend It were better that a Milstone were hanged about his necke Matt. 18.6 and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea so precious in his sight are they all And whosoeuer shall giue but a cup

a true Israelite So likewise in this new time there is the Baptisme of the skinne and the Baptisme of the heart but the Baptisme of the heart is the onely chiefe baptisme 1. Cor. 12.13 and they that are so baptised are the onely true Christians and Israel of God and is but one and the same for euer In comparison whereof that which is but outward on the skinne is none at all And tell mee Master Smith are not these thinges true indeede dare you to resist and gain-say them do you not know that which is of God shall stand Act. 5.38.39 and that which is of men shall fall and come to nought Take heede therefore least ye be found a fighter against God But you may say to me thou art a sinfull wretch and if I write against thee I write but against a wretched one It is true indeede and therefore vnworthy I am to write or speake of these holy things And as for me spare me not for my sinnes but yet let the truth goe free for the Lords sake whose it is and for his childrens sake to whom it may come and for your owne sake least you die Obiection But some will say perhaps Master Smith is too wise I trow to fight with or to yeelde to such a foole that hath not one maior or minor but all minimes too too little for his great capacity Alacke Master Smith regards it not he scarse looked on it it is so meane he will not file his hands to answer such a clownish discourse that hath not one artificiall argument in it and so void of learning that it hath not so much as method but plaine like the plough Alacke Master Smiths bringing vp hath not beene so Swineheard and Shepheard like He is a Scholler of no small reading and well seene and experienced in Arts. If hee thought his answere to Master Clifton would be the lesse esteemed for that hee is helde a weake man but that his allegations and reasons are the best plea of the greatest Rabbies themselues Thinke not that he will weaken his cause to answere thee If it were any of the Rabbies of England or any other harlot whatsoeuer you should see then what he would say to it for although Master Smith doe publish answeres to Master Clifton one of the separation on Master Iohnsons side chalenging them especially to the combat yet he proclaimeth saying Be it knowne to all the separation that wee account them in respect of their constitution to be as very an harlot as either her mother England or her grandmother Rome out of whose loines she came Answere As her Mother England whose sonne is Master Smith if one might aske where was hee borne and where had he his education and bringing vp In England yea in England Is this a kind sonne to vse his mother thus not onely to runne away from her like his followe brethren against whom also he doth protest but to raile against her so Is this your Logick sir was this your bringing vp hath Art caused you so much to forget Nature If not grace yet mee thinkes the light of nature should haue taught you better If you had beene borne in America or in Rome it selfe very nature might haue perswaded you that some might bee there that had rather die then worship diuels or bowe to Baal Much more in England though you be runne out for feare tell mee whether can any man runne in all the world to mend himselfe at this day And although your mother England hath too many disobedient and froward children yet if you had beene a Naturall sonne you would haue stayed at home and if you had receiued a greater light then the rest of your brethren Loue would haue forced you to haue laide downe your life for them rather then they should haue beene vntaught therein considering also what great hope is to bee conceiued of England aboue any one Nation in the world and not to leaue them in the darke and cry out a harlot a harlot no Church visible nor Christian to be seene no faith but the faith of diuels no Baptisme but the marke of the beaste no Church to bee seene in the world but I Iohn Smith and my Company Is this your shamelesse voice Dare you be so bold to set vp a flag of defiance against the City of God Be it knowne vnto you that the least Citizen thereof is able to meete both you and all your company in the field and through the strength of the Lord thereof without either bow or shield euen by the word of his mouth put you all to flight And for all your great bragges and flagges Bee it knowne vnto you and vnto all the world this day That his holy Citie is in England euen Ierusalem that is from aboue and although she hath many yea and too many entercommoners yet she hath free Denisons who pertake of her priuiledges whose feete walke in our streetes though the world regard it not and if ye will not beleeue me wipe but your eyes with Sackecloth and come and see and if you will doe neither answere in the field and although heere bee neither Art nor learning and therefore you know not how to frame your pen to stoope so low Remember where once you were from whence you came know that reason brought forth Art and therefore was before Let Art then beeing the daughter although shee be so high looke downe a little to her mother and let both and all and euery creature bend and yeeld vnto the word of the Lord which shall endure for euer And although it be none of the Rabbies but one of the vnlearned babies yet meete him seeing hee doth accept the challenge but looke well to your forehead for all your Artificiall Armes and skill to vse them for little Dauid beeing a keeper of sheepe though he knew not how to stir himselfe in such like armor yet comming in the name of the God of Israel from the sheepe with his sling and a stone stroake Goliah so deadly that hee fell downe and with his owne sword cut of his head wherefore looke vnto it it is dangerous striuing with trueth for although Kings be strong and Wine is strong and Women are stronger then either of both who beare Kings and the planters of Vines and all Masters of Artes and sciences whatsoeuer yet truth is stronger then all and all must bend and bow and yeeld to her least they die at the point thereof And though it come out of the mouth of very babes and sucklings yet it is stronger then Goliah withall his forces Not that I despise learning but reuerence it and doe acknowledge my selfe to be vnworthy thereof but only this It must not be so proud to thinke that trueth should learne of it or to thinke that reason must not rule it and if Art should thinke for it is like Nature very blind that truth and reason could ouershoot it selfe yet were