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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	age_n	church_n	scripture_n	2,636	5	6.5110	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41786	The quæries examined, or, Fifty anti-queries seriously propounded to the people called Presbyterians Occasioned by the publication of Fifty queries, gathered out of the works of Mr. Rich. Baxter. By J. B. Wherein the principal allegations usually brought to support infant-baptism are discovered to be insufficient. By T. G.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1676 (1676)	Wing G1543A; ESTC R223637	27,933	56

in the Donation at all And have not Infants guilt and misery from their Parents And though Life and Pardon be by Christ only yet is it not congruous that the meer condition of acceptance may b● Performed by the Parents while they cannot accept for themselves Baptist Antiq. 38. Whether the meritoriousness of Christ is not as available to save Infants without any mans acceptance thereof for them Or whether hath God ty'd the salvation of any person to the acceptance of another And whether these be not unreasonable and unscriptural conceits And whether it be not for want of better Grounds for Infant-Baptism that you thus continually tautologize varying little from that which you have said once and again Presbyterian Query 39. Whether it be no advantage for children to be under an early engagement to God and Jesus Christ Whether to dedicate them betimes to God doth not tend to secure God's right and childrens good and to prevent their sin and misery they being thus under a double Obligation which they may be minded of betimes and which may hold them more strongly to their duty and disadvantage the Tempter that would draw them off from God c Baptist Antiqu. 39. Who is against as early an engagement of children to God as can lawfully be made and do not the Baptists engage their children to God as soon as they can by Prayer and Supplication whiles Infants and then by the best education they are able when docible But whether any thing be done to purpose in your judgement when yet all is done that can be done unless it be rantized in your way And whether it be not b●tter to leave the event of their accepting Baptism to the wise dispose of God then to do it per force in Infancy without Precept from God Also whether the Infant-Baptism be such a means to propagate Religion as you suppose may be seen when you consider how in the darkness of Popery Pedobaptism was more common then now but Christianity much less And name one if you can that was bettered in Christian vertue by Pedobaptism we think we can name one and that your self which is worse for it for had you not that to rest on you would probably desire to put on Christ in baptism whether it be not the fittest time to be buried with Christ in baptism when we are dead with him from the rudiments of the world or whether it be reasonable to bury sinners therein till they be dead to sin and whether it can profit any person to be baptized unless he have the answer of a good conscience by the Resurrection of Christ from the dead 1 Pet. 3. therein Presbyterian Query 40. Whether it can be proved that ever there was one Age or Church particular on Earth since Adam till about 200 years ago that the Anabaptists rose wherein Infants de facto were not Members of the Church Baptist Antiqu. 40. Whether in your sense of making Infants Members of the Church de facto it can be proved there was any one so made a Member from the beginning of the World till Abrahams time and whether John Baptist Christ or any by his order did receive Infants into the Church de facto And whether the Baptist do not better prove the Antiquity of their faith and practice in baptism then any Aedo baptist in the world and doth not your conscience tell you that the baptism of Men and Women upon profession of faith and repentance is beyond the reach of contradiction whilest M. Baxter himself confesses Infant-baptism to be so difficult that many of its Assertors both Protestants and Papists are forced to confess it cannot be proved by the Scriptures See his Cure p. 7. And seeing you and we are generally agreed that our way both for subject and manner is out of dispute clear in the Scriptures and you confess by the Pen of Mr. Baxter that yours is very difficult is it not reason the difficult way should give place to the clear and evident way Presbyterian Query 41. VVhether it can be proved that ever there was any one I●fant of true Church-members that was not rightfully a Church-member himself from the Creation till Christ's days Or from the Creation till this day except the Anabaptists who reject the benefit whose case we will not presume to determine Baptist Antiqu. 41. Whether this Query be not the same we had before and whether what is said to it may not also suffiee to this Presbyterian Query 42. Seeing that Infants have been de facto Church-members from the Creation to this day as far as any Records can lead us Is it likely that the Lord and Head and all-sufficient Governour of his Church would have permitted his Church till now to be actually made up of such subjects as in regard of Age be disallowed and suffered his Church to be wrong framed till now Or is it a reasonable modest and lawful undertaking to go about now in the end of the World to make God a new framed Church as to the age of the Subjects And is it not more modest and safe to live quietly in a Church of that frame as all the Saints of Heaven lived in till the other day as a few Anabaptists did attempt an Alteration Baptist Antiqu. 42. Whether it be not utterly untrue that Infants were Members of the Church de facto i.e. to be brought to partake of Ordinances Practical in the Church save only from Abraham to the end of the Law And whether all the Pedobaptists in the world have not hitherto been unable to shew any one instance before Abraham or since the Law was abrogated so much as one Infant admitted to any such Ordinance in the Church of ●od according to what the Scriptures afford in thi● 〈◊〉 And ●●●her it be not as modest in us to labour to restore ●●ptism to its pure use in the Church both in respect of the subject and manner of Administration thereof as it was for the Protestants to do the like in respect of the Lords Supper Also whether your pretending the Authority of the universal Church be not the same figment with which the Papists deceived themselves and others And how can you pretend the universal Church when the Primitive Church is on our side Presbyterian Query 43. Whether considering Christs own Infant-Mem●●rship and his kind reception of Infants and his chiding those that would have kept them off and his offers of taking in all the Jewish Nation Matth. 23. 37. and that they were broken off by unbelief and consequently the Seed of Believers broken off from the Church Vniversal and that whole Housholds are oft said to be baptized and that Paul pronounceth Believers children holy and that Christ Mat. 28. commanded his Ministers as much as in them lieth to disciple all Nations baptizing them c Baptist Antiqu. 43. Whether Christs Infants Church-membership did not pertain to the Jewish Church only Gal. 4. 4. born under the Law only

unawares serve the design of the great enemy and whether you are not guilty of the fault wherewith you would charge us P●esbyterian 48. Whether too many well-meaning but weak Christians are not disaffected to lawful and warrantable things in the Worship of God meerly because they see such as are ungodly use and own them And whether if God should but let us have a King and other Rulers that were against Infant-Baptism and singing of Psalmes c. and would make Laws for their own way and impose it on others so that the ungodly multitude should fall in with them it would not presently cure many that are now for such Opinions Baptist Antiqu. 48. Whether many but weak Christians would hold to the errou● of Infant-sprinkling but meerly because J. B. and Mr. Baxter c. do so And whether this be not as much weakness of the one hand as the case put by you on the other and whether both ought not to be amend●d And whether the latter part of this Query do not shew that to follow the greatest number is not always the best way And why then would you discourage us by our Paucity And whether such Confiderations might not have discouraged the Apostles seeing they were to alter the state of Religion in the Jewish Church yea throughout the whole world Presbyterian Query 49. Whether Mr. Baxter in the second and third part of that his second defence of our Infants Rights have not sufficiently detected the great and notorious untruths in Fact and History wherewith Mr. H. D. Treatise of Baptism and Reply to Mr. Willes is fully stuffed Baptist Antiqu 49. Whether Mr. D. and Mr. Tombes have not sufficiently detected Mr. Baxters mistakes in many of his Works 〈◊〉 Infant-baptism and particularly in Mr. Tombes his Felo de se Also whether Mr. Wills exceptions against Mr. D. are not well foiled by Mr. D. in his twofold Defence of his Treatise of Baptism And whether Mr. Baxter did ever yet or ever will accept of Mr. Tombes his serious Challenge lately made in these words I Challenge him to set down distinctly his Theses concerning the Grace he meanes the Covenant of Grace what and whose it is how it is bap iswal what are the rights and benefits conferred to Infants by it using words in their proper sence and genuine notions and then without Questions Exclamations Flirts Suppositions improved set down his Scriptures and form his Arguments substantially --- and then I doubt not but learned and accurate Disputants will see his folly c. Postscript to Mr. D. second Reply p. 267. Presbyterian Query 50. Whether the Anabaptists schism or separation from Communion with our Churches be not worse yet then their simple Opinion And whether it be not desirable and possible that some may be found out and terms laid down in which good and sober men on both sides would agree and hold Communion Baptist. Antiqu. 50. Whether the Papists may not on fairer Grounds Query thus with the Protestantt then you can do with us especially when the Cause you manage against us is so doubtful in the judgement of its best friends as we shewed in our Preface and here we shall further add what Mr. Y. notes in his first Reply p. 126. Mr. Chillingworth saith he in his Answer to Knot 's Charity maintain'd part 1. c. 3. § 44. p. 152. saith The doctrine of Infant-baptism is of that sort of which the Scripture is silent And the Oxford-Divines in their Reasons os the present Judgement of the University c. June 1. 1674. Do. sect 4. p. 9. say That without the Consent Judgment and Practice of the universal Church which they distinguish from the Scriptures they should be at a loss when they are called upon for proof of the baptizing Infants Now this considered with what Dr. Taylor saith Dissuasive from Popery p. 118. That it is certain there is no universal or prime Tradition for baptizing infants then whether you may not more securely forbear baptizing your Infants till endowed with knowledge and faith then to do it without And in the mean time retain your opinion about their being in the Covenant of Grace and let Christs Ministers or your selves pray for them after the example of Christ And whether this might not be a more likely way for a lasting Peace between the Baptists and the Pedobaptists and more consonant to the Scriptures then the way propounded by you And seeing it shall come into your hearts to make some Overtures for peace we desire you would prosecute that needful Work And whether it may not better be done by personal Conference in a friendly and Christian manner then by writing Books one to another And whether the Baptists have not offered this and bin rejected by you in such their tenders of friendship May these Queries and Antiqueries have an effectual tendency to the increase of Love and Chirstian Friendship and if not whether it had not been better they had been unwritten FINIS The Postscript Shewing that Infant-baptism is contrary to the Command of Christ REceiving lately in Writing a Proposition from a Minister of the Church of England to which I sent him certain Arguments to prove what is denied in the said Proposition I shall here offer the same to Consideration The Proposition is this Prop. Infant-baptism is not contrary to the Command of Christ Contra. Infant-baptism is contrary to the Command of Christ Arg. 1. If Infant-baptism be not contrary to the Command of Christ then it is of divine Institution But Infant-baptism is not of divine Institution Ergo Infant-baptism is contrary to the Command of Christ The Major is true because there is only one Baptism instituted by Christ The Minor is true because no man can shew any divine Institution of Infant-baptism Arg. 2. If infant-baptism be not contrary to the Command of Christ then it agrees with Christs Commission for the perpetuity of Baptism Mat. 28. 19. But Infant-baptism is not agreeable to the Commission from the perpetuity of Baptism Mat. 28. 19. Ergo Infant-baptism is contrary to the Command of Christ The Major is true because Christ commanded nothing contrary to his own Commission The Minor is true sith no man can shew any Agreement between the Commission and Infant-baptism Arg. 3. If infant baptism be not contrary to the Command of Christ then it is agreeable to the practice of the Apostolical Churches But infant-baptism is not agreeable to the practice of the Apostolical Churches Ergo Infant-baptism is contrary to the Command of Christ The Major i● true because the Apostolical Church did observe all that Christ commanded in the case of baptism The Minor is true because no man can shew the Apostolical churches did baptize so much as one Infant Arg. 4. If infant-baptism be not contrary to the Command of Christ then it is the baptism of Repentance for Remission of sin But infant-baptism is not the baptism of repentance for remission of sins Ergo Infant-baptism is contrary to the Command of Christ The Major is true because christ commanded no baptism but the baptism of repentance for Remission of sins Acts 2. 38. and Eph. 4. 5. The Minor is true because Infants have all the Remission needful in Infancy without repentance else they can have no Remission Arg. 5. That which hath in a great measure and naturally tends wholly to make void the baptism commanded by Christ is contrary to the Command of Christ But infant-baptism hath in a great measure and naturally tends wholly to make void the baptism commanded by Christ Ergo infant-baptism is contrary to the Command of Christ The Major is true because Christ commands nothing to make void his own command The Minor is true for where Infant-baptism is generally rcceived there believers baptism ceaseth Arg. 6. If infant-baptism be as unreasonable as to baptise persons when they are asleep or dead then it is contrary to the Command of Christ But infant-baptism is as unreasonable as to baptize persons when they are asleep or dead Ergo Infant-baptism is contrary to the command of Christ The Major is true because Christ commanded nothing that is unreasonable I mean that which is really so according to truth and not in mans judgement only The Minor is true first becaufe those who baptize Infant● do usually do it when they are a●leep Secondly because the Grounds usually insisted on for infantbaptism will as well justifie the baptizing Persons asleep or dead ● mean such only as have known and believed in the Lord Jesus yea the Scripture may seem according to Interpreters to hint some such thing to have been done in the Christian Church and he not approve it but no such intimation touching any Infant Arg. 7. That practice which renders the practice of Christ and his true followers who were baptized in Rivers or much water superfluous or ridiculous and which agreeth not with the word baptize when used in the New Testament to express the Act done in that Ordinance is contrary to the Command of Christ But the sprinkling of Infants now used by the Presbyterians renders the practice of Christ and his true followers who were baptized in Rivers or much water supersluous or ridiculous and agreeth not with the signification of the word Baptize when used to express according to the New Testament the Act done in that Ordinance Ergi Infant-baptism is contrary to the command of Christ T●e Major is evident because Christ would command nothing to reflect dishonour upon his own practice The Minor is true because if sprinkling a little water on the face only be su●ficient then immersion or dipping in the River must needs be superfluous c. neither can the word Baptize and Rantize with any equity of speech or good sence be used to ezpress the same action Thus though we justly refuse infant-baptism because no man can prove it commanded by Christ yet that we may more effectually perswade our Countreymen to admit of the restoration of this Ordinance to pristine integrity we have offered these Arguments to shew how contrary to Christs Command is that darling Tradition os Pedobaptism FINIS From the institution of baptism From the institution of Bapt●sm From the practice of the first Church From the necessity of Repentance where sin is washed away baptismally From the ill consequence of Infant-baptism For the unreasonableness therof From the dishonour i● offereth to Christs practice