be judged for For Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth the Law for sin is the transgression of the the Law Joh. 3.4 and where there is no Law there is no transgression saith Paul Rom. 4.15 but in such little babes there is no Law therefore there can be no transgression imputed And indeed I much wonder that men should be so wicked as to think that God who is so merciful as to forgive the worst of sinners their sins and transgressions should yet cast poor babes into hell and everlasting torments for Adams sin Obj. But hath God one way to save Men and Women and another way to save little Children Answ Yea or else Children must never be saved as I shall shew thus for the Scripture saith Rom. 5.18 that as by the offence of one Judgement came upon all to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all to justification of life And if none but men and women that can hear understand and beleive the Gospell may partake of the benefits of Christs death to life and salvation then no Infants that are capable of receiving faith which cometh by hearing the word preached could have any salvation by him But that some Infants as saved by him all will grant Therefore I conclude First concerning Infants that fell in Adam without any actuall sin or knowledge of Adams transgression even so they dying in their infancy before they know good or evill they are saved by vertue of Christs death without any actuall faith or knowledge of Christs obedience or else it is not even so as Rom. 5.18 saith Secondly concerning Men and Women that have lived to commit actuall sins against conscience and knowledge of such God requireth actuall faith in Christ and actuall obedience to Christ without which they have no promise of salvation by Christ And thus its plain according to Rom. 5.18 As by the offence of one viz. Adam Judgement came upon all to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one viz. Jesus Christ the free gift came upon all to justification of life Again that God hath one way to bring Men and Women to life and salvation and another way to bring little baces to it is evident thus We find the Lord speaking words to Men and Women that are to be understood and observed by them that have Ears to hear and Hearts to understand and therefore we find the holy Ghost crying out so oft in the Scriptures to them that have Ears to hear that they should hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches see Rev. 2.7 ver 11. ver 17. ver 29. chap. 3.6 ver 13. and 22. with many more places to that purpose but we never find him calling to little babes in the flesh to hear and obey Commandments and beleive pomises Again we find the Scripture pronouncing life and Salvation to all those that beleive in Christ and obey his voice Joh. 3.15 16. with Heb. 5.9 but we never read that litte Children are promised it upon these terms Again the Scripture threatneth death and damnation to those that know not God and obey not the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of God and the glory of his power 2 Thes 1.7 8 6. But little babes of 8 daies weeks or months old cannot know God nor yet obey the Gospell of Christ for they know not their right hand from their left and yet we find them not threatned with this punishment and if it were but this it were enough to satisfy all rationall men fearing God that God hath one way to bring Men and Women to life and salvation and another way to bring little babes to it that is to say he requireth faith in Christ and obedience to Christ as necessary to salvation to those of ripe years but in Infants he requireth none let any man prove it by Scripture if he can Lastly Gods ordinary means by which he bringeth Men and Women to life and salvation is by the preaching of the Gospell which is the power of God to salvation to every one that beleiveth Rom. 1.16 and it pleaseth God by the foolishness of preaching to save them which believe 1 Cor. 1.21 for with the heart man beleiveth unto righteousness but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Rom. 10.10 But little babes that can neither speak nor understand cannot beleive with the heart unto righteousness nor confess with the mouth unto salvation for they cannot speak at all therefore they are not saved by that ordinary means that Men and Women are saved by And thus is their great and invincible objection or rather cavill answered clearly and plainly by the Scriptures of truth And the truth is they may as well debar little babes from food because the Scripture saith He that will not worke let him not eat as to debar them of salvation because they are not Church-members for it is as easie for babes to worke and get their own bread as to perform the work of a Church-member Therefore he that gives them food without labour in their non-age will also give them salvation without observing of Church-ordinances for the Scripture speaketh to Men and Women that have Ears to hear and not to babes in their nonage Thus having taken away the chief ground upon which Mr. Cook and Mr. Baxter build I shall now proceed to shew the rottenness of their building by the following Arguments by which I come to shew that such infants as they baptize cannot be Church-members neither can Church-membership do them any good but rather the contrary Argument I. My first Argument is from Joh. 15.2 in these words Christ faith I am the Vine and my father is the husbandman every branch in me that beareth not fruit be taketh away c. What the fruit is is expressed in the seventh and eighth verses If ye abide in me and my words or Commandments abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you herein is my Father glorified that you bring forth much fruit From whence I Argue If every branch in Christ must bring forth fruit and the fruit be to abide in his words that God may be glorified then infants that cannot speak nor understand cannot bring forth such fruit Therefore they are not branches in him nor members of him or if they be then they must be cut off and cast into the fire because they bear no fruit which is absurd Argument II. My second Argument is from Act. 8.1.4 where we read that the Church at Jerusalem were all scattered abroad except the Apostles and they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word Whence I argue thus If all the Church were scattered abroad except the Apostles and those that were scattered did go up and down preaching the Word then there were no infants that could not speak nor understand in the Church at Jerusalem for as for the
and Customs of it till they come to understanding to learn them and when they learn then they are scholars or disciples and to them that learn it is given to know c. So also I believe that little children according to the Scriptures do belong to the kingdom of heaven and partake of the priviledges of divine protection and likewise of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus although they know nor believe nothing of it till they be of yeers and discretion to be disciples of Christ and begin to learn of him and then To them it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom as aforesaid Argument VIII My eighth Argument is from Luke 14.27 in these words And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple Whence I reason thus If none can be the disciples of Christ but those that bear the cross of Christ and so come after him then little children that know not what the cross of Christ is nor yet what belongs to following of him as dear children in love cannot be his disciples But none can be his disciples but such as do bear his cross and follow him Therefore little babes cannot be Christs disciples Argument IX My ninth Argument is from Luke 14.33 in these words So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be my disciple From whence I reason thus If none can be Christs disciples but such as considering before what it will cost are willing to forsake all that they have yea and their own lives also for his sake then little children that can neither consider what it will cost nor yet resolve in themselves what to do cannot possibly be Christs disciples But none can be Christs disciples without they have the use of their Will Reason and Affections so far as to consider before what it will cost and to resolve after whatsoever it cost to forsake all and their own lives also as is proved by all these Scriptures Luk. 14.26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33. compared with Matth. 10.37 38. and Mark 8.34 Matth. 16.24 25. Therefore they which say little children that can do none of these things are Christs disciples it is much to be feared that they never yet learned to know what a disciple of Christ is and are none themselves Thus having shewed the deceit of Mr. Cooks and Mr. Baxters Arguments in general by which they would prove that Infants are Church-members and Christs disciples and so fit subjects for Baptism I leave it to the view of all both friend and foe and proceed to answer Mr. Baxters eight Arguments by which he saith he proveth the Anabaptists way of Baptizing sinful His first Argument is this If there be no word of precept or example for baptizing the childe of any one Christian at yeers of discretion then to delay their baptism till yeers of discretion and then to baptize them is not the Scripture-way But there is no one word of precept or example in all the Scripture for the baptizing of the childs of any one Christian at yeers of diseretion Therefore to defer it till then and then to baptize them is not the Scripture-way Answ 1. I would gladly know whether Mr. Baxter do or dare judge Mary the mother of Jesus to be no Christian who said Luk. 1.46 47. My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour c. if he will deny her to be a Christian who rejoyced in God her Saviour then I will be bold to say he doth not know what a Christian is yea and that he is none himself Again if he confess her to be a Christian then his Argument is worth nothing for her childe viz. her Son Jesus was baptized at yeers of discretion when he was thirty yeers of age Luk. 3.21 22 23. And thus I have given him an example And our way of baptizing of people at yeers of discretion is a Scripture-way and therefore not sinful And now I shall retort his Argument upon himself that all men may see his folly thus If there be no word of precept nor example in all the Scripture for baptizing the childe of any Christian before they come to yeers of discretion then so to baptize them is not the Scripture-way But there is no word of precept nor example in all the Scripture for baptizing the childe of any one Christian before yeers of discretion Therefore to baptize them before yeers of discretion is not the Scripture-way and therefore sinful And thus is Mr. Baxter wounded with the edge of his own sword and his folly manifest Now to the second Argument which is this That practice which is utterly inconsistent with the obeying of Christs rule for baptism is a sinful practice But the baptizing of children of Christians at yeers of discretion is utterly inconsistent with obedience to the rule for baptism Therefore such baptizing is a sinful practice Answ This is the same with the first Argument therefore the same answer may serve But yet to make Mr. Baxter's folly manifest I shall give him his Argument again thus That practice which is utterly inconsistent with the obeying of Christs rule for Baptism is a sinful practice But the baptizing of children of Christians or others before they come to yeers of discretion is utterly inconsistent with the obedience to Christs rule Therefore it is a sinful practice 2. Whereas Mr. Baxter would make us offenders for doing of nothing that is to say for not baptizing children in their non-age I answer He can never make it a sin till he shew us what command we have broke in not baptizing them for all sin is the transgression of some law therefore saith the Apostle where there is no law there is no transgression But there is no law nor commandment in all the Scripture to baptize little babes that cannot speak before they come to yeers of discretion Therefore no sin to let it alone 3. There is both precept and example for baptizing men and women at yeers of discretion viz. when they believe Mar. 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved and Acts 8.12 When they believed Philips preaching they were baptized both men and women And Acts 10.48 Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus c. And now seeing there is both precept and example for it therefore it is no sin to baptize men and women at yeers of discretion 4. That Mr. Baxters Mr. Halls and Mr. Cooks way of baptizing is sinful is evident First because they baptize little babes before they come to yeers of discretion for which they have neither precept nor example therefore utterly inconsistent with Christs rule for baptism and a sinful practice as Mr. Baxter himself hath granted in these former Arguments and thus out of his own mouth he is judged and condemned for a sinner Secondly that this their way of baptizing infants before
c. but this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God they shall be to me a people and they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest c. This is the new Covenat of grace Now that Children that cannot speak nor understand cannot be in it is evident by the following reasons 1. Because they that are in this Covenant have the Laws of God put in their minds and written in their hearts but little babes that cannot speak nor understand have not the Laws of God in their minds nor written in their hearts therefore they are not in this Covenant Now that such little Children are not in a capacity to know the mind and Laws of God is most plaine Isa 7.14 15 16. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel butter and hony shall he eat that he may know how to refuse the evil and chuse the good for before the child shall know how to refuse the evil and chuse the good the Land that thou abherrest shall be for saken of both her Kings Thus its evident that even the Lord Christ as he came in the flesh of the seed of David there was a time in which he was not capable of discerning between things which differ and therefore it is said againe that he grew and waxed strong in spirit and the grace of God was upon him Luke 2.40 And againe Jesus increased in wisedome and stature and in favour with God and man ver 52. From all which I conclude that if it were thus with the Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh as he was man much less do other Children understand the Laws of God in their non-age to have them written in their hearts and minds and therefore not in Covenant Obj. But it may be some for want of wisdome will object that upon this account Christ will be excluded the Covenant in his infancy Answ To which I answer Such people know not what they say for the Lord hath given him for a Covenant of the people and for a light of the Gentiles Isa 42 6. chap. 49 8. And he is the Mediator of the new Covenant Heb. 12.2.4 And his blood is the blood of the everlasting Covenant chap. 13.20 with Luke 22.40 And he is the seed to whom all the promises were made and in him they are yea and in him amen Gal. 3.15 with Cor. 1.20 and without him could be no Covenant of life and peace for he is the substance and life of the Covenant Therefore vain and foolish it would be for any man to make such an objection Again those that are in the new Covenant shall know the Lord from the greatest to the least Heb. 8.11 but little babes born of the flesh of a week or a month old cannot know the Lord for they know not their own parents nor their right hand from their left Jonah 4.11 therefore the Lord saith plainly that children are innocent yea the children of those which worship and do sacrifice to the devil Psal 106.37.38 in these words They sacrifice their sons and daughters to devils and shed innocent blood even the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan therefore little babes though innocent are not nor cannot be in Covenant for that which is born of flesh is flesh but the new Covenant is a spiritual Covenant and they which enter into it must be born again for those that worship God must worship him in Spirit and in truth Joh. 4.24 Thus have I plainly proved that little babes that cannot speak words nor understand Reason cannot possibly be in the new Covenant Obj. But now followeth that great and unanswerable objection as Mr. Cook and Mr. Baxter supposeth which is this If children be not in Covenant they cannot be saved therefore saith Mr. Baxter in his 21 and 22 Arguments pag. 71 72. that Doctrine that leaveth us no sound grounded hope of the justification and salvation of any dying infants in the world is certainly false Doctrine But that Doctrine which denies any Infants to be members of the visible Church doth leave us no sound grounded hope of the justification and salvation of any Infants in the world therefore it is certainly false Doctrine The same saith Mr. Cook in his 13. Argument pag. 44. That Doctrine and practice is to be abhorred as most contrary to the Covenant of God which puts the Infants of Christians into the same condition with the children of Turks and Infidels and leaves them in the visible kingdom of the devil as no visible members of the Church c. But the Doctrine of the Anabaptists is such therefore to be abhorred To all which I answer first denying that any children are saved by vertue of visible Churth-membership or being in the Covenant as believers are and let Mr. Baxter Mr. Cook or any for them prove it by the Scriptures if they can Secondly I answer there is no difference between the children of believers and unbelievers in their non-age for the children of believers are but innocent when we make the best of them and the children of unbelievers also are innocent Psal 106.37 38. yea though their parents be such as worship and do sacrifice to the devil yet the Lord hath pronounced them innocent ver 38. saying They shed innocent blood even the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed unto the Idols of Canaan Thus it is plainly proved by the word of the Lord that the children of the murtherers and Idolaters that worshipped and sacrificed to the devil as ver 37. were innocent and those that are innocent God will not destroy See Exed 23.7 with Job 22.30 and Prov. 6.16 17. Again there can be no difference between the children of believers and unbelievers because no such children have actual sin and the best of children of men have that which is called original sin viz. the sin that came by Adams transgression for which they must all dye and return to their dust even the best of Saints as well as the worst of sinners for it s appointed for all once to dye and after that cometh judgement but the Scripture doth not say that any shall be judged according to their original sin or condemned for Adams transgression but it saith They shall be judged according to their works Rev. 20.13 and that every one shall receive according to that he hath done in his body whether it be good or bad 1 Cor. 5.10 therefore no ground to fear the salvation of children dying in their non-age for although they must dye for Adams sin yet Christ is become their Resurrection and they have no actual sin to
their oftences every Assizes and Sessions we will now come to the teachers and leaders of them and see what they do and and how they behave themselves for examples and now I shall not trouble you with outlandish news from Germany and other places beyond the Seas neither will I foolishly and maliciously invent things against you but I will refer you to a book that is printed by the order and authority of Parliament intituled The first Century of scandalous and malignant Priests c. printed by George Miller dwelling in Black-Friers wherein you shall find the Persons names the places where they had their benefices and the reasons why they were sequestred And that you may the better understand what manner of creatures these Ministers and Teachers were I shall briefly put down the names and causes of some few of them word for word as it is in the book which was printed by the authority of Parliament to which I refer the reader for further information where you shall find no less then a whole hundred of these vile and abominable wretches called Ministers of Christ by some and so lookt upon as if the Parliament had done them wrong All these were found in eight or nine Counties at most about London therefore we may judge how many of these Locusts are in England Scotland amongst the Covenanters and in Wales of which persons and their practices I now come to speak particularly Page 1. The Benefice John Wilson Vicar of Arlington in the County of Sussex is sequestred for that he in most beastly manner divers times attempted to commit buggery with Nathaniel Brown Samuel Andrews and Robert Williams his Parishoners and by perswasions and violence laboured to draw them to that abominable sinne that as he shamed not to profess they might make up his number 18. and hath professed that he made choice to commit that act with mankind rather then with women to avoid the shame and danger that oft ensueth in begetting of Bastards and hath also attempted to commit buggery with a Mare and at the baptizing of a Bastard-Child blasphemously said openly in the Congregation that our Saviour as he was in the flesh was a Bastard and hath in his Sermon much commended Images in their meeting-houses as good for edification that baptism takes away original sin c. and hath openly said that the Parliament were Rebels and endeavoured to starve the King and that whatsoever the King commands we are to obey whether it be good or bad and hath openly affirmed that buggery is no sin and is a great drinker 2. The Benefice of Robert Hiliard Vicar of the Parish-Church of Ewell in the County of Surry is sequestred for that he said the Parliament is a Parliament for the Devil and the Divels Court and that the Petitions of the Parliament to the King are like the Petitions of Jeroboam to Rehoboam viz. commands and not Petitions and that he had rather live under the government of a Heathen then of the Parliament and is a common frequenter of Taverns and Ale-houses sitting tipling and quarrelling there is often drunk is a common curser and swearer and hath jeered the holy Spirit of grace saying We have Ministers now for sooth will preach and pray by the Spirit and hath threatned to kill those that have exhibited articles against him and went about with the Cavaliers at Kingstone directing them to plunder honest men Mr. Baxter saith the Anabaptssts are traytors to the State but I wonder who are traytors now 3. The Benefice of John Peckham Rector of the Parish-Church of Hosteedparva in the County of Sussex who giveth out that he is the Kings Chapline is sequestred for that he hath been very negligent of his cure absenting himself from his Parishioners sometimes a whole moneth together without leaving any to officiate for him and hath resufed to adminster the Lords Supper to his Parishioners that would not come up to the railes and is a common drunkard and a notorious adulterer and unclean person having drawn divers women to commit uncleanness with him and hath bragged that he could lie with divers women and never get them with Child and hath used sordid and beastly carriages towards women to entice them to satisfie his lust not to be named amongst the Heathen and hath expressed great Malignity against the Parliament and proceedings thereof and hath affirmed publickly that a man might live in murther adultery and other gross sins from day to day and yet be a true penitent person 4. The Benefice of Richard Hart Rector of the Parish-Church of Hargrave in the County of Suffolk is sequestred for that he is a common Ale-house-haunter an upholder of private Ale-houses and commonnly sitteth drinking in them divers daies together as from Tuesday to Sunday-morning and then being come home durst not come to Church his face was so battered and beaten and forced his Parishioners to go to other places by reason of his inabilities either to preach or read service to them and used on the Lords day on the afternoones to draw his Parishioners with him to his house forceing them there to drink untill they be drunk causing every one to to cast a Die in their course and to drink so many cups as fell to their chance perswading them that if they would take their cups he could forgive them their sins And when he hath preached on Fast-daies he hath told his Parishioners that he knew not wherefore the Fast was And on Whit-Sunday last though he had administred the Communion in the fore-noon yet in the after-noon he drew a Man and his Wife to a private Ale-house and there kept them drinking till night and then led them to his own house and there made the man so drunk as he fell asleep and then enticed the mans Wife up into his Chamber where they were all night together drinking and taking Tobacco and hath expressed great Malignity against the Parliament professing he would rather curse them then pray for them 5. The Benefice of Nicholas King Vicar of Priston and Snape in the County of Suffolk is sequestered for that he is a common Ale-house-haunter and a companion of scandalous persons and men of evill fame and oft drunk and attempted the chastity of Elizabeth Scotchmer who going to his house to pay him some monies he inticed her to lie with him and did strive a long time to abuse her by force and would have corrupted her thereunto with monies but she protesting unto him that she would not sell her soule to the Devil for mony he replied to her she was a fool for God did forgive the greatest of sinners and he hath expressed great Malignancy against the Parliament 6. The benefice of John Wells Parson of the parish Church of Shimplin in the County of Suffolk is sequestred for that he is a common Ale-house-haunter and common drunkard and in his drunkenness hath lain abroad in the fields lost his Hat fallen into the Ditches