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A48462
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Truth prevailing against the fiercest opposition, or, An answer to Mr. Iohn Goodwins Water-dipping no firm footing for church communion wherein the invalidity of his twenty three considerations against withdrawing from those societies that want baptisme by the bodies burial in water is manifested, and the separation from such societies justified by the word of God : together with the discovery of his great mistakes in the exposition of eight chief Scriptures, wherewith he fighteth to overthrow Mr. Allens answer to his forty queries about church communion / by Thomas Lambe.
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Lamb, Thomas, d. 1686.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing L213; ESTC R25710
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97,252
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149
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thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest another dost the same thing Roman 2.1 If you will needs find fault with us you must repent and return to the Parish again As to your odious foul language of sacrilegious Church-breakers I answer 1 Pet. 2.20 21 22 23. hereunto are we called from the example of Christ when we are reviled not to revile again but to commit ourselves to him that judgeth righteously Your eleventh Consideration followeth and for substance this THat Baptisme is no constituting principle of a true Church yea probably no part of Churchship or the visibility thereof and that the Apostles did not so look upon it as being either 1. Because in his inscription to the Churches be mentioneth their sanctification calling to be Saints c. but not their Baptisme 2. It is not mentioned by way of commendation either of Church or person more than the observance of other Ordinances That Baptisme is so essential to a right raised Church of Christ that without it there can be none in the right order of the Gospel I have proved already in my Answer to your third Consideration To the Reasons you give why the Apostles did not look upon the Baptisme of the Churches as any part of their churchship or visibility thereof I shall now address my self to make answer Your first is because in the inscription of his Epistles to the Churches he mentioneth their faith with divers other things but not their Baptisme If this be ground to presume that the Apostles looked not upon their Baptisme as any part of their-churchship or visibility thereof then neither was their preaching or hearing the Word nor breaking bread nor watching over one another nor admonition in case of sin neither is the great duty of prayer any part of their churchship or visibility thereof for there is none of all these mentioned by name in the inscriptions of his Epistles to the Churches but I know it is farre from Mr. Goodwin to say that these duties were no part of their churchship or visibility thereof and if these were not I marvell what were This therefore is so farre from being a reason that it hath scarce the appearance of one But 2. You say it is not mentioned in Scripture by way of commendation more than other Ordinances Here Sir but with respect to your gravity and my own obligation of respects to you I must crave leave for the truth sake to say that our affirming there can be no true raised Church without Baptisme doth not force us to find that Baptisme must be commended in Scripture above other Ordinances nothing lieth upon us but to shew what service Christ hath appointed it to and not what preheminence of commendation the Scriptures give to it above other Ordinances neither doth Christs choise of this Ordinance for the service we speak of necessarily imploy the superexcellency of it above others no more than faith its justifying us and not love proveth faith to be a more noble grace in the nature of it than love love is said to be greater than either faith or hope 1 Corinth 18.13 love being a giving grace having the whole world for its object but faith a receiving yet notwithstanding the honour of that high and excellent service of our first justification is given to faith and not to love Rom. 5.1 Gal. 2.16 So here though Baptisme should be found a lesse noble act of obedience than some others yet it will not follow from thence that it s not the Ordinance of initiation into the visible body of Christ For a Souldier to behave himself worthily as a Souldier more commendeth him to God and men than his listing himself yet is he not reputed a member of the Army without it Let this therefore suffice to be spoken against all the insinuations you give throughout your book against Baptismes having the honour of entring persons into the visible body of Christ because of the meanness of it least you be found reproveable for objecting against Baptisme for the bodies visible incorporation as the Jews was against faith for justification because to them works seemed more sightly and agreeable to their reason Your twelfth Consideration for substance this VVHen the Apostle Paul instructeth Christian Churches what manner of persons they are who are unmeet for Christian communion he mentioneth fornicators 1 Cor. 5.11 2 Thes 3.6 covetous railers and the like but never unbaptised persons 'T is true Paul was wiser than to write any thing in his Epistles to the Churches by which he should suppose them guilty of that wherein he knew they were not in fault doth he not write to the whole Church of Corinth 1 Corinth 1.13 Were ye baptised in the Name of Paul nay 1 Cor. 12.13 Doth he not say We are ALL baptised And doth he not praise them 1 Corinth 11.2 that for the matter of Ordinances they had kept them AS he delivered them unto them and he delivered them from Christ 1 Corinth 11.1 and we have proved already that Christs Order was to baptise all the Disciples presently without delay And if all that hath been said in answer to your third Consideration be not enough to this point I heartily desire the Reader to lay to heart that which followeth To prove that no persons were reputed of the visible body of Christ before Baptisme and consequently farre enough from sitting down in Church societies without it I prove from the 4. of the Ephesians 4 5. There is one body which at the 12. verse is in plain termes and in words at length called the body of Christ Now that by the word body he did not mean it onely of the particular Church of Ephesus or any other particular Church of Christ but of the universal body of Christ it appeareth by that which he affirmeth concerning the body which belongeth no more to the Church of Ephesus than to any single Christian yea those many things wherein they are one he affirmeth as belonging to them in common with all the Scripture Christians in the world Now to accommodate his design of peace and love in the body he proceedeth to mention the many things wherein that body is one which he delivereth as so many notable Characteristical marks whereby all the members of that body may be known from all the world upon these marks I would fix the eye of the Reader behold then the Scripture marks of all the members of the visible body of Christ 1. They have one Spirit 2. One Hope 3. One Lord. 4. One Faith 5. One BAPTISME 6. One God and Father of all who is above all and in all and hath Christ linked their oneness in Baptisme with their union in those other things yea placed it in the order of words before their oneness in respect of God who is the Father of them all as being altogether the characters of a member of that body we speak of
where affirm any such thing Now whereas Mr. Goodwin supposeth as much may be drawn from the 4. Galat. 1 2 3. That the Text doth signifie a farre different state of the Church is plain and clear but that that difference should lie in a less obligation to any of the Commandments of Christ then the Church then was to the Ordinances of Moses this is not in the Text nor indeed in any other 'T is true 1. This Text saith We when we were children were in bondage to the elements of the world which at the 9. verse he calleth weak and beggarly but they were no other but the carnall Ordinances of the Law of Moses those slavish customes of the Jewish Law which he calleth the rudiments of the world or beginnings of teaching sutable to their dark state but to argue from their redemption to those Ordinances to our liberty from obedience to Christs in his which Mr. Goodwin doth or else where is the countenance this Text giveth his cause but in my poor apprehension it is a horrid consequence Again 2. The Text saith further That we are redeemed from under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons But that the receiving the adoption of sons signifieth any such thing as a less tie to obey the great Prophet in his Ordinances than was on the Jews to obey their lesse Prophet in his or that to suppose us to stand equally bound to Christ in his Ordinances as they were to Moses in his that this will confound the difference of the two states of the Church is onely said by Mr. Goodwin not proved nor attempted to be Now as I have shewn already that the difference of the two states cannot lie in this that Christs Disciples are lesse bound to Christs Ordinances than Moses was in his by Acts 3.22 Hebr. 2.1 Hebr. 12.25 Mark 8.38 But for the further clearing of this point I shall offer breifly wherein the difference of the two states of the Church doth lie and particularly 1. In the matter of the Church the matter of the old Testament Church was Abrahams carnall seed without respect to morrals Acts 7.38 The whole posterity of Abraham are called the CHURCH in the wilderness But now under the new Testament the matter of the Church is the spiritual seed of Abraham such as follow him in faith and holiness Math. 3.9 John 4.23 24. 1 Peter 1.5 The Churches of the new Testament are or ought to be by constituation called to be Saints sanctified by Christ Jesus 1 Corinth 1.2 and if any other be admitted and prove otherwise such are not to be endured in communion 1 Corinth 5.13 2 Thes 3.6 14. Revel 2.2 Christ affirmeth it in the honour of the Church of Ephesus that they could not bear them that did evil 2 In respect of the Ordinances The Ordinances of the old Church exceeding many The Gospel sew 2. The old ones costly and afflictive The new comparatively not so 3. The old ones carnal the new comparatively spiritual Gal. 3.2 especially Baptisme which betokeneth the reward of duty namely resurrection to glory with Christ as well as our duty now and present state of death and burial with Christ Colos 2.12 compared with Colos 3.1 3. In respect of a more abundant pouring forth of the Spirit Luke 11.13 2 Corinth 3.8 the consequence whereof is 1 More boldness in approaches to God Galat. 4 6 Romans 8.15 2. More light and knowledge touching the good will of God to sinners and the way of their reconcilement to God 2 Tim. 1.10 Ephes 1.9 Titus 2.11 2 Corinth 5.19 21. 4. The Churches under the new Testament have richer grounds whereupon to raise holiness conformity to God Titus 2.11 12 13 14. Hebr. 2.3 Rom. 8. from 32. to 39. 2 Corinth 3.18 1 Peter 1.16 17 18. 5. They have richer grounds of comfort because clearer ground for faith and hope 1 Peter 1.21 Rom 8 21. Rom. 4.25 therefore 1 Pet. 1.8 Rom. 5.2 3 they rejoyced with joy unspeakable and full of glory 6. More peace of conscience Hebr. 7.19 Hebr. 9.9 14. Hebr. 10.1 7. More full communion with God the Father and the Son 1 John 1.3 By all which it appeareth that there are respects in abundance to shew wherein the difference of the two states of the Church lieth and consequently no necessity to conceive that if the Disciples of Christ be as straitly bound to obey him in all his Ordinances as the old Church was to obey Moses in his that then the difference of the two states of the Church would be confounded I shall conclude this with the words of Mr. Baxster If when Gods worship was so much ceremonious he yet layeth a charge to DOE WHATSOEVER he commandeth and to ADD NOTHING THERETO NOR TAKE OVGHT THEREFROM That is saith he not to or from the words commanding onely but also THE WORK COMMANDED Is it likely then that he will be lesse jealous in this now Sixthly A sixth Scripture complaining of wrong is the 1 Corinth 11.24 25 26. There is an eye of Evangelical liberty concerning external observations P. 61. Of Water dip saith Mr. Goodwin in the institution it self of the other Ordinances also as the Apostle rendereth it 1 Corinth 11 25 26. THIS DO YE AS OFT AS YE DOE IT in remembrance of me for as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come Here is no injunction how oft but a plain intimation of liberty touching this onely the termes for the manner of doing it is set down which is the direct calculation or manner of sanction of the institution concerning the free-will offering under the Law this kind was imposed on no man as of necessity To which I answer Your inference from the word I humbly conceive to be just contrary to the design of our Lord Jesus in the instituting you suppose he intended a liberty as to the use of the supper by not determining the time how oft they should eat that bread whereas in truth the undetermining of the time how oft following the positive command of its use This doe ye noteth rather the frequent use of it upon all convenient occasions as supposing the determining of time for the performance of commands is onely necessary where the matter commanded doth not nearly concern the party that doth obey he supposeth principles of self-love will carry men to frequent diligently the meanes of their comfort and safety which also I take to be the reason why 't is not set down punctually how oft we shall pray or hear or frequent the assemblies of the Saints That precept saith Dr. Ames of an undeterminate time Doe this admitteth no other limitation but want of opportunity or some just impediment But Vrsinus more plain from the words AS OF T The Supper therefore saith Vrsin is often to be reiterated and that 1. Because of the words of the institution and 2. Because of the end of the