Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	according_a	church_n	true_a	5,382	5	4.9678	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91973	Pædo-baptisme: or, the baptizing of infants justified: by the judgement and practice of ancient and moderne Protestant divines, both foraine, and of this nation: clearly proving the absolute necessity of baptizing infants, from the authority of sacred scripture and the force of undeniable reason. Together with an excellent letter of Mr. John Philpots to the same purpose. / Collected by Robert Ram, minister of Spalding in Lincolnshire. Published by authority.	Ram, Robert, d. 1657.; Philpot, John, 1516-1555.	1645 (1645)	Wing R194; Thomason E276_12; ESTC R209870	23,751	33

marvellous beautifull composition in the middest of the Sky the sight whereof so inwardly comforted me that I am not able to expresse the consolation that I had thereof yea the remembrance thereof causeth as yet my heart to leape for joy and as charity is no churle but would others to be partakers of his delight so me thought I called to others I cannot tell whom and whiles they came and we together beheld the same by and by to my great grief it faded away This dreame I thinke not to have come of the illusion of the senses because it brought with it so much spirituall joy and I take it to be of the working of Gods Spirit for the contentation of your request as he wrought in Peter to satisfie Cornelius Therefore I interpret this beautifull City to be the glorious Church of Christ and the appearance of it in the Sky signifieth the heavenly state thereof whose conversation is in Heaven and that according to the Primitive Church which is now in Heaven men ought to measure and judge the Church of Christ now in earth For as the Prophet David saith The foundations thereof be in the holy hills and glorious things be spoken of the City of God And the marvellous quadrature of the same I take to signifie the universall agreement in the same and that all the Church here militant ought to consent to the Primitive Church throughout the foure parts of the world as the Prophet affirmeth saying God maketh us to dwell after one manner in one house And that I conceived so wonderfull joy at the contemplation thereof I understand the unspeakable joy which they have that be at unity with Christs Primitive Church for there is joy in the holy Ghost and peace which passeth all understanding as it is written in the Psalmes As of joyfull persons is the dwelling of all them that be in thee And that I called others to the fruition of this vision and to behold this wonderfull City I construe it by the will of God this vision to have come upon me musing on your Letter to the end that under this figure I might have occasion to move you with many others to behold the Primitive Church in all your opinions concerning faith and to conforme your selfe in all points to the same which is the pillar and establishment of truth and teacheth the true use of the Sacraments and having with a greater fulnesse then we have now the first fruits of the holy Ghost did declare the true interpretation of the Scriptures according to all verity even as our Saviour promised to send them another Comforter which should teach them all truth And since all truth was taught and revealed to the Primitive Church which is our mother let us all that be obedient children of God submit our selves to the judgement of the Church for the better understanding of the Articles of our faith and of the doubtfull sentences of the Scripture let us not goe about to shew in us by following any private mans interpretation of the Word another spirit then they of the Primitive Church had lest we deceive our selves for there is but one Faith and one Spirit which is not contrary to himselfe neither otherwise now teacheth us then he did them therefore let us believe as they have taught us of the Scriptures and be at peace with them according as the true Catholique Church is at this day and the God of peace assuredly will be with us and deliver us out of all our worldly troubles and miseries and make us partakers of their joy and blisse through our obedience to faith with them Iob 8. Therefore God commandeth us in Iob to aske of the elder generation and to search diligently the memory of the fathers For we are but yesterdaies children and be ignorant and our daies are like a shadow and they shall teach thee saith the Lord and speake to thee and shall utter words from their hearts And by Salomon we are commanded not to reject the direction of our mother Prov. 6. The Lord grant you to direct your steps in all things after her and to abhor contention with her For as St. Paul writeth 1 Cor. 11. If any man be contentious neither we neither the Church of God hath any such custome Hitherto I have shewed you good brother S. my judgement generally of that you stand in doubt and dissent from others to the which I wish you as mine heart to be conformable and then doubtlesse you cannot erre but boldly may be glad in your troubles and triumph at the houre of your death that you shall die in Church of God a faithfull martyr and receive the Crowne of eternall glory And thus much have I written upon occasion of a vision before God unfained But that you may not thinke that I go about to satisfie you with uncertaine visions onely and not after Gods Word I will take the ground of your Letter and especially answer to the same by the Scriptures and by unfallible reasons deduced out of the same and prove the baptisme of infants to be lawfull commendable and necessary whereof you seeme to stand in doubt Indeed if you looke upon the Papisticall Synagogue onely which hath corrupted Gods Word by false interpretations and hath perverted the true use of Christs Sacraments you might seeme to have good handfast of your opinion against the Baptisme of infants but for as much as it is of more antiquity and hath its beginning from Gods Word and from the use of the Primitive Church it must not in respect of the abuse in the popish Church be neglected or thought not expedient to be used in Christs Church Auxentius one of the Arrians feet with his adherents was one of the first that denied the Baptisme of children and next after him Pelagius the hereticke and some others there were in St. Bernards time as it doth appeare by his writings and in our daies the Anabaptists an inordinate kind of men stirred up by the divell to the destruction of the gospell But the Catholique truth delivered unto us by the Scriptures plainly determineth that all such are to be baptized as whom God acknowledgeth for his people and voucheth them worthy of sanctification or remission of their sins Therefore since that infants be in the number or scrole of Gods people and be partakers of the promise by their purification in Christ it must needs follow hereby that they ought to be baptized as well as those that can professe their faith for we judge the people of God as well by the free and liberall promise of God as by the confession of faith For to whomsoever God promiseth himselfe to be their God and whom he acknowledgeth for his those no man without great impie●y may exclude from the number of the faithfull But God promiseth that he will not onely be the God of such as doe professe him but also of infants promising them his grace and remission

of sinnes as it appeareth by the words of the covenant made unto Abraham Genes 17. I will set my covenant betweene me and thee saith the Lord and betweene thy seed after thee in their generations with an everlasting covenant to be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee to the which covenant circumcision was added to be a signe of sanctification as well in children as in men and no man may thinke that this promise is abrogated with circumcision and other ceremoniall lawes for Christ came to fulfill the promises and not to dissolve them therefore in the Gospell he saith of infants Matth. 5. that is of such as yet believed not Let the little ones come unto me Matth 10. Matth. 19. Matth. 18. and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdome of Heaven Againe it is not the will of your father which is in Heaven that any of these little ones doe perish Also he that receiveth one such little child in my name receiveth me Take heed therefore that ye despise not one of these babes for I tell you their Angels doe continually see in Heaven my fathers face and what may be said more plaine then this It is not the will of the heavenly Father that the infants should perish whereby we may gather that he receiveth them freely unto his grace although as yet they confesse not their faith Since then that the word of the promise which is contained in baptisme pertaineth as well to children as to men why should the signe of the promise which is baptisme in water be withdrawne from children when Christ himselfe commandeth them to be received of us and promiseth the reward of a Prophet to those that receive such a little infant as he for an example did put before his Disciples Now will I prove with manifest arguments that children ought to be baptized and that the Apostles of Christ did baptize children The Lord commanded his Apostles to baptize all Nations therefore also ought children to be baptized for they are comprehended under this word All Nations Further Acts 10. whom God doth account among the faithfull they are faithfull for it was said to Peter That thing which God hath purified thou shalt not say to be common or uncleane But God doth repute children among the faithfull Ergo they be faithfull except we had rather to resist God and seem stronger and wiser then he And without all doubt the Apostles baptized those whom Christ commanded but he commanded the faithfull to be baptized 1 Cor. 1. among the which infants be reckoned The Apostles then baptized infants The Gospell is more then baptisme for Paul said 1 Cor. 1. The Lord sent me to preach the Gospell and not to baptize not that he denied absolutely that he was sent to baptize but that he preferred doctrine before baptisme for the Lord commanded both to the Apostles but children be received by the doctrine of the Gospell of God and not refused therefore what person being of reason may deny them baptisme which is a thing lesser then the Gospell for in Sacraments be two things to be considered the thing signified and the signe and the thing signified is greater then the signe and from the thing signified in baptisme children are not excluded who therefore may deny them the signe which is baptisme in water St. Peter could not deny them to be baptized in water to whom he saw the holy Ghost given which is the certaine signe of Gods people Acts 10. for he saith in the Acts May any body forbid them to be baptized in water who have received the holy Ghost as well as we Therefore St. Peter denied not baptisme to infants for he knew certainly both by the doctrine of Christ and by the covenant which is everlasting that the Kingdome of Heaven pertained to infants None be received into the Kingdome of Heaven but such as God loveth Rom. 8. and which are endued with his Spirit for whoso hath not the Spirit of God he is none of his But infants be beloved of God and therefore want not the Spirit of God wherefore if they have the Spirit of God as well as men if they be numbred among the people of God as well as we that be of age who I pray you may well withstand children to be baptized with water in the name of the Lord The Apostles in times past being yet not sufficiently instructed did murmure against those that brought their children unto the Lord but the Lord rebuked them and said Let the babes come unto me Matth. 10. why then doe not these rebellious Anabaptists obey the Commandement of the Lord for what doe they nowadaies else that bring their children to baptisme then that they did in times past which brought their children to the Lord and our Lord received them and putting his hands on them blessed them and both by words and by gentle behaviour towards them declared manifestly that children be the people of God and entirely beloved of God But some will say why then did not Christ baptize them because it is written Jesus himselfe baptized not but his Disciples John 4. Moreover circumcision in the old Law was ministred unto infants therefore baptisme ought to be ministred in the new law to children for baptisme is come in stead of circumcision as St. Paul witnesseth Colos 2. saying to the Colossians By Christ ye are circumcised with a circumcision which is without hands when ye put off the body of sin of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ being buried together with him through baptisme Behold Paul calleth baptisme the circumcision of a Christian man which is done without hands not that water may be ministred without hands but that with hands no man ought any longer to be circumcised albeit the ministery of circumcision doth still remaine in faithfull people Iosh 5. To this I adde that the servants of God were alwaies ready to minister the Sacraments to them for whom they instituted As for example we may behold Joshua who most diligently procured the people of Israel to be circumcised before they entred into the Land of promise but since the Apostles were the preachers of the word and the very faithfull servants of Jesus c who may hereafter doubt that they baptized infants since baptisme is in place of circumcision Item the Apostles did attemperate all their doings to the shadowes and figures of the old Testamont therefore it is certain that they did attemperate baptisme according to circumcision and baptized children because they were under the figure of baptisme for the people of Israel passed through the red sea and the bottome of the water of Jordan with their children And although the children be not alwaies expressed neither the women in the holy Scriptures yet they are comprehended and understood in the same Also the Scripture evidently telleth us that the Apostles baptized whole families or housholds but the