Jordan For then the water did not so much wash Christ the Lord as was washed by him The truth then is that this is no popish errour in the judgement of so holy a Father although now a dayes any thing be popery which a peevish precisian thinks good to stumble at As little or lesse cause have you to quarrell about the mysticall washing away of sinne for a thing may be really performed although the manner be mysticall and the means such as doth not discover in what maaner the reallity of the thing is done So that although it be true that the soules which are defiled with sinne are washed in the blood of Christ which Saint John affirmeth yet the virtue and efficacy of his blood shed is conveighed and sealed to us by such wayes and means as himselfe hath appointed otherwise he had never said that Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God Joh. 3.5 But the water you say doth but signifie Signifie it doth but to say it doth but signifie is to assign unto it no end but only to teach the minde by other senses that which the word doth teach by hearing And unto Infants which are not capable of instruction who would not think it a meer superfluity that any Sacrament is administred if to administer the Sacraments be but to teach receivers what God doth for them But when our Saviour Christ saith as in the text already mentioned that except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God the truth is that as the Spirit is a necessary inward cause so Water is a necessary outward mean why else are we likewise taught in another text That Baptisme is a bath of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 And that with water Christ doth purifie and clense his Church Eph. 5.26 Let then the Sacraments have their due for though they do not conferre grace ex opere operato as the Papists teach yet they conferre grace ex opere operantis because the holy Ghost worketh both in and by those holy Rites and Institutions DIALOGUE Min. In another prayer the Minister prayeth that the Infant may receive remission of sinnes by spirituall regeneration The truth is that the Children of God have their sinnes forgiven and are sanctified by Faith Rom 5.1 and not by spirituall regeneration which is but an effect of Faith purifiing the heart Act. 15.9 Or to speak more plainly it is God that justifieth Rom. 8.33 by accepting of the sufferings and obedience of Christ as a sufficient recompence and satisfaction and doth by Faith assure the hearts of his Children that for the merits of the sufferings and obedience of Christ his wrath is pacified and his Justice satisfied ANSWER And is it possible that you should be offended with this Prayer because the Minister prayeth that the Infant may receive remission of sinnes by spirituall regeneration Why man Remission of sinnes is plainly promised to them that receive Baptisme aright as we read in Act. 2.38 It is therefore the Doctrine of the Catholick Church to beleeve one Baptisme for the remission of sinnes as I am sure you know and are bound unto it except you mean to be an Heretick Let it then good Sir be lawfull to pray for that which the Scripture promiseth and to demean our selves as we ought in the use of these holy mysteries Simon Magus indeed received no benefit by Baptisme because he was not disposed aright but yet neverthelesse where no obstacle comes between even the sinnes of the Baptized are remitted Your false tenet is also again confuted by that which the devout Ananias said to Paul at the time of his Conversion And now why tarriest thou Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes calling on the name of the Lord Act. 22.16 See then your error now at full not only remission spoken of but also Prayer mentioned If therefore your accusation be just let any man that will but come and see as he ought to doe be judge You have alledged Scripture but very impertinently and as for your first quotation out of Rom. 5.1 there is no such thing there as you speak of concerning sanctification by Faith Put on your Spectacles when you look again But I conclude this answer in the words of that worthy Hooker Eccles Polit. lib. 5. sect 60 pag. 132. 133. There were saith he of the old Valentinian Hereticks some which had Knowledge in such admiration that to it they ascribed all and so despised the Sacraments of Christ pretending that as Ignorance had made us subject to all misery so the full redemption of the inward man and the work of our restauration must needs belong unto Knowledge only They draw neer unto this error who fixing wholy their mindes on the known necessity of Faith imagin that nothing but Faith is necessary for the attainment of all grace Yet is it a branch of Beliefe that Sacraments are in their place no lesse required then beliefe it selfe DIALOGUE Min. In another Prayer thanks is given to God for regenerating the Infant with his holy Spirit The truth is that the Children of God do receive the Spirit of God to Regenerate them not by springling of water in Baptism but by hearing the Gospel Preached 2 Cor. 3.8 Act. 10.44 To make mention of all the Popish errors that are in other Prayers and Collects would be too tedious ANSWER To be regenerated is to receive new motions of the minde by the holy Ghost and to be made a new creature Whereto agreeth that which Melancthon writeth Melanct. in Loc. pag. 246. Cum spiritus sanctus novos motus novam vitam afferat dicitur haec conversio Regeneratio But this you say is done not by the sprinkling of water in Baptism but by hearing the Gospel Preached and hereupon you point us to two places of Scripture I shall shew you two other which are more plain and proving the one is Jam. 1.18 the other is in 1 Pet. 1.23 In that of S. Iames the words bethese of his own will begat he us with the Word of Truth And in S. Peter thus Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which liveth abideth forever And yet notwithstanding the scripture saith elswhere That a man must be born again of Water and the Spirit Joh. 3.5 And in another text Baptisme is expresly termed the Laver of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 to both which places in a former answer I have already pointed you So that Regeneration is wrought you see by severall means not by the word alone but by Baptisme as well as by the word The one you mention the other is forgotten nay it is altogether denied by you But be better advised and crosse not the Scriptures good Sir I beseech you And for a full clearing let it be known that what the word doth in that which you mention is to
tribe of thine inheritance and mount Sion wherein thou hast dwelt Lift up thy feet that thou maist utterly destroy every enemy which hath done evill in thy Sanctuary Thine adversaries roare in the middest of thy Congregations and set up their Banners for tokens He that hewed timber afore out of the thick trees was known to bring it to an excellent worke But now they breake down all the carved worke thereof with axes and hammers All which being spoken by a man after Gods own heart is of current weight and without exception I may therefore turn againe now to follow what is next in the Dialogue And that which is next is about the order prescribed by the Church in the Visitation of the sick in which because you have some exceptions the same with what we have heard from you already in certain other passages shall not here be again repeated DIALOGUE Gent. What form of Prayer doth the Service-book prescribe for sicke persons Min. It prescribeth no form to be used in the Church Gent. What then Min. The Minister must go to their houses and salute them as the Masse-Priest doth saying Peace be to this house and to all that dwell in it and when he is come where the sick person is he must kneele kc. ANSWER And why I pray doe you quarrell with this Christ taught his Disciples so to salute the house into which they entred Math 10.12,13 and Luk. 10.5,6,7 And may not the Ministers since those times doe the like but be blamed for their labours You fight with your own shaddow and quarrell without a cause as is most apparent There be six duties of charity of which our Saviour will speak at the latter day and to come and visite the fick is one of them Math. 25.35,36 Nor is it in the Minister but even a work also of his office And therefore being sent for he commeth to pray with instruct comfort and strengthen the sick party For Is any man sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him Jam. 5.14 This order then is not without a scripture rule But you have a further quarrell and that 's against our absolving the sick person from all his sinnes in the name of the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Why man if it be done in the name of the blessed Trinity it is not by any primary or originall power that is in our selves For the Bishops and Pastours of the Church doe not forgive sinne by any absolute power of their own for so only Christ their Master forgiveth sinnes but ministerially as the servants of Christ and stewards to whose fidelity their Lord and Master hath committed his Keyes If you aske me how Christ came by this power seeing none can forgive sinnes but God I answer first that he had it by Commission from God it was a power given him by his Father and so we reade in Joh. 20.21 Secondly he had it through the Union of the God-head and Manhood into one person For though it be true that as he was God he had it of himselfe yet not so as he was Man For as he was Man he had it by virtue of the Union from God Now this he transfers further Peter had a promise that the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven should be given but this promise was not accomplished untill afterwards not untill the day of Christs Resurrection whereupon we reade in as plain words as may be That the same day at night which was the first day of the weeke and when the doores were shut where the Disciples were assembled for feare of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and said unto them Peace be unto you And when he had so said he shewed unto them his hands and his sides Then were the Disciples glad when they had seen the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again Peace be unto you As my Father sent me so send I you And when he had said that he breathed on them and said unto them receive the holy Ghost Whosoevers sinnes yee remit they are remetted unto them and whosoevers sâ—nnes ye retaine they are retained Joh. 20.19,20,21,22,23 When this promise was made to Peter although spoken to him in particular yet not with an intent to invest him solely in the thing promised as even the sequel and accomplishment thereof fully proveth Howbeit because he by his Confession gave answere for the rest and was the speaker for them when Christ said But whom say ye that I am therefore doth Christ direct his speech to him againe in particular who as he spake for them all so he is promised the Keyes in the behalfe of them all See Mat. 16.15,16,17.18,19 This then sheweth that S Peter was indued with no more power then the rest of the Apostles and therefore the Pope can claime no more then another Bishop and in that regard our Ordination is lawfull and right valid and firme although we goe not over to Rome to fetch it For so long as we have Bishops of our owne consecrated and installed into their Office as Bishops alwayes have been there is no doubt or scruple to be made Knowing therefore that when we take Ordination we also receive an holy and Ghostly authorioy not only in having the word of Reconciliation and dispensation of the Sacraments committed unto us but also of binding and loosing or of remitting and retaining sinnes we may not suffer our Church to be dâ—famed nor the Ministers thereof to be accounted Antichristian For hath our Saviour said Whose sinnes yee remit they are remitted and whose sinnes yee retain they are retained and shall any mortall man deny it His words are not Whose sinnes yee signifie to be remitted but Whose sinnes yee remit which the Author of the Practice of Piety no Papist sure hath well observed Nor is the same but granted by a distinction put between declare and pronounce For to declare is chiefly to shew Gods goodnesse towards penitent sinners which every good Christian may doe when he sees occasion for the comfort of his brother according to the truth of Gods gratious promises but to pronounce is to give sentence as a Judge in the name of him who hath the authority primarily in himselfe You speak of the key of Knowledge and explaine it well enough but that is not the sole key of binding and loosing and therefore not a thing which comes fully home to the purpose Whensoever therefore any sick person or burthened sinner shall unbosome himselfe to one of Gods ministers and shall heare him pronounce thus By the authority which Christ hath committed to me I doe absolve thee from all thy sinnes in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost then may the said Sinner rest assured that his sinnes are forgiven him and that God doth ratifie in Heaven what his Priest pronounceth on Earth The like may be said of one who for the present sees