considerate men then the too common pollutions of others which are meerly through negligence but not justified and defended Let Master Baxters own words judge him who makes the same foul work in the Ordinance of baptism by admitting Infants to it upon a Parents or Proparents as he terms them profession when all his proofs of the necessity of profession to go before baptism are of the profession of the party himself to be baptized and this device of a Parents or Proparents profession instead of the Infants is his own invention that hath not any intimation in Scripture and by his own proofs makes Infants capable of the Lords Supper and perverts the nature of Sacraments which his own words do fully express thus Pag. 123 124. The first Argument of Master Gillespies 20. is from the nature of Sacraments which are to signifie that we have already faith in Christ remission of sin by him and union with him The sense of the argument is That seeing Sacraments according to Christs institution are confirming signs presupposing the thing signified both on our part and on Gods therefore none should use them that have not first the thing signified by them Though I undertake not to defend all the Arguments that other men use in this case yet this doth so much concern the cause of baptism which I am now debating that I shall give you this reply to it What Divines are there that deny the Sacraments to be mutual signs and seals signifying our part as well as Gods And how ill do you wrong the Church of God by seeking to make men believe that these things are new and strange If it be so to you it is a pity that it is so but sure you have seen Master Gataker's Books against Doctor Ward and Davenant wherein you have multitudes of sentences recited out of our Protestant Divines that affiâ—m this which you call new It is indeed their most common Doctrine that the Sacrament doth presuppose remission of sins and our faith and that they are instituted to signifie these as in being It is the common Protestant Doctrine that Sacraments do solemnize and publickly own and confirm the mutual covenant already entred in heart as a King is Crowned a Souldier Listed a Man and Woman maried after professed consent So that the sign is causal as to the consummation and delivery as a Key or Twig and Turff in giving possession but consequential to the contract as privately made and the right given thereby so that the soul is supposed to consent to have Christ as offered first which is saving faith and then by receiving him Sacramentally delivered to make publick profession of that consent and publickly to receive his sealed remission Master Cobbet cited by you might well say that primarily the Sacrament is Gods seal but did he say that it is onely his and not secondarily ours And in the next words you do in effect own part of the Doctrine your self which you have thus wondered at as new and strange saying I confess it is a Symbol of our profession of faith If you mean as you speak taking profession properly then 1. you yield that the Sacrament is our symbol and so declareth or signifieth our action as well as Gods 2. And it is not onely a sign of our profession but a professing sign and therefore a sign of the thing professed for the external sign is to declare the internal acts of the mind which without signs others cannot know As therefore the words and outwards actions 〈◊〉 â—wo distinct signs of the same internal acts so are they two wayes of professâ—â—â— My signal actions do not signifie my words which are plainer signs the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore need not darker to express them but they both expre 〈…〉 mind So that they are not only symbols of our professiâ—â— as you spea 〈…〉 t professing symbols 3. And if so then they must be signs and professions of those internal acts which correspond with them The Fourth Argument of Master Gillespy is from Rom. 4. 11. Circumcision was a seal of that righteousness of faith therefore so is baptism therefore it belongeth onely to justified believers He that maketh it the instituted nature or use of circumcision to be a seal of righteousness of faith which the person had before doth make his circumcision a proof of his foregoing righteousness of faith Pag. 133. You cannot shew where ever the wicked are commanded to communicate with the Church in the Sacrament but in this order First to be converted and repent and so baptized and so communicate Gillespy Aarons rod blossoming pag. 514 515. The assumption that baptism it self is not a regenerating ordinance I prove thus 1. Because we read of no Persons baptized by the Apostles except such as did profess faith in Christ gladly received the word and in whom some begun work of the Spirit of grace did appear I say not that it really was in all but somewhat of it did appear in all Baptism even of the aged must necessarily precede the Lords Supper Pag. 144. My Twelfth Argument is from Matth. 22. 12. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment and he was speechless To come in hither is to come into the Church of Christ By the wedding garment is undoubtedly meant sincerity of true faith and repentance so that I may hence argue If God will accuse and condemn men for coming into his Church or the communion of Saints without sincere faith and repentance then it is not the appointed use of baptism to initiate those that profess not sincere faith and repentance But Infants profess not sincere faith and repentance as is manifest by sense therefore it is not the appointed use of baptism to initiate Infants Pag. 145. The Thirteenth Argument is this We must baptize none that profess not themselves Christians But no Infants profess themselves Christians as is manifest by sense therefore we must baptize no Infants The major is certain because it is the use of baptism to be our solemn listing sign into Christs Army our initiating sign and the solemnization of our mariage to Christ and professing sign that we are Christians and we do in it dedicate and deliver up our selves to him in this relation as his own So that in baptism we do not onely promise to be Christians but profess that we are so already in heart and now would be solemnly admitted among the number of Christians the minor I prove thus 1. No man is truely a Christian that is not truly a Disciple of Christ that is plain Act. 11. 26. No man is truly a Disciple of Christ that doth not profess a saving faith and repentance therefore no man that doth not so profess is truly a Christian The minor I prove thus No man is truly a Disciple of Christ that doth not profess to forsake all contrary Masters or Teachers and to take Christ for his chief Teacher consenting to learn of him the way
be Crowned so fully a King or a man and woman so fully maried till it be solemnized in the congregation in this sense they say the same that I am proving men must be first Disciples by the professed consent before they are declared such by the seals or publick sacramental solemnization And that onely the professors of saving saith are Disciples may appear by a perusal of the texts of Scripture that use this word and it will not onely by found that this which I maintain is the ordinary use of the word which should make it so also with us but that no Text can be cited where any others are called the Disciples of Christ For the major and minor both observe Piscators definition of baptism on Matth 28. 19. Baptismus est sacrimentum novi testamenti quo homines ad ecclesiam pertinentes ex mandato Christi cultui veri Dei qui est Pater Filius Spiritus sarctus per ministros verbi consecrantur in fide remissionis peccatorum spe vitae aternae confirmantur Baptism is a Sacrament of the New Testament by which those men who belong to the Church by the command of Christ are consecrated to the worship of the true God which is the Father Son and Holy Spirit by the Ministers of the word and are confirmed in the faith of remission of sins and of hope of eternal life And he proveth this description per partes by parts 1. That is a Sacrament 2. That it belongeth to those that pertain to that Church and that onely must be baptized qui ecclesiam fuerit ingressi ac fidem Evangelii prosessi who are entred into the Church and have professed the faith of the Gospel Which he proveth from Mark 16. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Vult ergo saith he ut prius constet de alicujus fide quam baptizetur unde Act. 8. Philippus Evangelista non prius baptizare voluit eunuchum illum Ethiopem quam is professus esseâ— fidem Christi He wills therefore that his faith be manifested before he be baptized whence Acts. 8. Philip the Evangelist would not baptize the Ethiopian Ennuch before he had professed the faith of Christ Calvin in loc. upon the place saith Baptiâ—â—ri Jubet Christus qui nomen Evangelii dederint sâ—que professi fuerint discipulos partim ut illis baptismus siâ— vitae aeternae tessera coram Deo partim apud homines externum fidei signum quem ad modum gratiam suam Deus hoc sigillo nobis confirmat ita quicunque se ad baptismum offerunt vicissim quasi data syngrapha obstringunt sâ—am sidem Christ commands them to be baptized who have given up their names to the Gospel and have professed to be his Disciples partly that baptism might be to them a sign of eternal life before God partly an external sign of Faith before men and as God confirms his grace to us by this seal so whosoever offers himself to baptism doth reciprocally engage his faith as it were by his bond And after verum quia docere prius jubet Christus quam baptizare tantum credentes ad baptismum vult recipi videtur non rite administrari baptismus nisi fides pracesserit But because Christ commands first to teach then to baptize and onely will have believers to be received to baptism it seems that baptism is not rightly administred unless faith doth precede So that it is Calvins judgement that this very Text which is the most notable copy of the Apostolical commission for the baptizing of the Disciple nations doth appoint that saving faith be professed before men be baptized Paraeus in locum from Mark 16. 16. sheweth that the order is â—redere baptizari to believe and to be baptized I agree with him and the rest in the main that justifying Faith must be an act of the Will embracing or accepting an offered Christ as well as of the understanding and that the profession of it must go before baptism But I shall further prove the minor from some other texts of Scripture viz. that they are not Christs Disciples that profess not saving Faith Luke 14 26 27 33. If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brothers and Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple and whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be my Disciple This is spoken of true Disciples in heart the first significatum by him that knew the heart From whence I argue thus If none are Christs Disciples in heart nor can be but those that value him above all and will forsake all for him if he require it then none can be his Disciples by external profession but those that profess to esteem him above all and to be willing to forsake all rather then forsake him But the former is proved by the Text the consequence is clear in that the world hath hitherto been acquainted but with two sorts of Christians or Disciples of Christ the one such sincerely in heart and the other such by profession and the later are so called because they profess to be what the other are indeed and what themselves are if they sincerely so profess And it is the same thing professed which makes a man a professed Christian which being found in the heart doth make a man a hearty Christian John 13. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another Here Christ giveth a certain badge by which his true Disciples may be known If onely those that love one another are true Disciples in heart then onely those that profess to love one another are Disciples by profession Joh. 8. 31. If ye continue in my word then are ye that is you will approve your selves my Disciples indeed If onely those are Christs Disciples indeed as to the heart that have the resolution of perseverance then onely those are his professed Disciples that profess a resolution to persevere But therefore all this I have said is no more then we have ever practised when in baptism we renounced the world flesh and devil and promised to fight under Christs banner to our lives end Saith Piscator in John 13. 35. Si pro Christianis id est Christi Discipulis haberi volumus oportet ut nos mutuo quam ardentisaime diligamus c. If we will be accounted Christians that is Christs Disciples we ought most ardently to love one another Object Any one is a Disciple that is willing to learn of Christ Answ. No such matter in an improper sense you may so call them but not in Scripture sense where 1. A Disciple and a Christian are all one Acts 11. 26. but every one that is willing to learn of Christ is not a Christian therefore not a Disciple 2.
Their first task is to make Disciples which are by Mark called believers The second work is to baptize them whereto is annexed the promise of their salvation The third work is to teach them all other things which are afterward to be learned in the School of Christ To contemn this order as Master Baxter doth in Infant baptism is to contemn all rules of order For where can we expect to find it if not here I profess my conscience is fully satisfied from this Text that it is one sort of faith even saving that must go before baptism and the profession whereof by the Party himself to be baptized He that believeth and is baptized not another then the believer make Disciples and baptize them not others then the Disciples made the Minister must expect of which see what is before cited out of Calvin and Iâ—scator I shall be amazed reading this passage at the blindness of Master Baxter if he see not how unanswerably his own words overthrow Infant baptism or his hypocrisie if being satisfied as he saith in conscience of his own exposition he do not deny Infant baptism and bewail his alledging of Matth. 28. 19. in his Book termed Plain Scripture proof of Infants baptism Part. 1. chap. 3. And I pray God to deliver me from such hardness of heart be adds That it was saving faith that was required of the Jews and professed by them Acts 2. 38 41 48. is shewed already and is plain in the Text Acts 8. The Samaritans believed and had great joy and were baptized into the name of Jesus Christ vers. 8. 12. whereby it appeareth that it was both the understanding and will that were both changed and that they had the profession of a saving faith even Simon himself Acts 8. 37. The condition on which the Eunuch must be baptized was if he believed with all his heart which he professed to do and that was the evidence that Philip did expect Paul was baptized after true conversion Acts 9. 18. The Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles Acts 10. 44. before they were baptized and they magnified God And this Holy Ghost was the like gift as was given to the Apostles who believed on the Lord Jesus and it was accompanied with repentance unto life Acts 11. 17 18. Acts 16. 14 15. Lydia's heart was opened before she was baptized and she was one that the Apostles judged faithful to the Lord and offered to them the evidence of her faith Acts 16. 30 31 33 34. The example of the Jaylour is very full to the resolution of the question in hand He first asketh what he should do to be saved the Apostle answereth him Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thy house so that it was a saving faith that is here mentioned He rejoyced and believed with all his house and was baptized that same hour of the night or straightway It is here evident that he professed that same faith which Paul required Acts 18. 8. Crispus the chief Ruler of the Synagogue believed on the Lord with all his houseâ— and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized Here we have two proofs that it is saving faith that is mentioned Those in Acts 19. 5. were baptized as believers in Jesus Christ In a word I know of no one word in Scripture that giveth us the least intimation that ever man was baptized without the profession of a saving faith There is constantly this order in the prescribed duty that no man should seek baptism but a true believer and no man should baptize any but those that profess this true belief Acts 8. 37. Philip is determining a question and giveth this in as the decision If thou believe with all thy heart thou mayest And to say that this is but de bene esse meaning that it includeth not the negative otherwise thou mayest not is to make Philip to have deluded and not decided or resolved Use that liberty in expounding all other Scripture and you 'l make it what you please A Dogmatical faith is not the Christian faith nor anywhere alone denominateth men believers in Scripture I remember but one Text John 12. 42. where it is called believing on Christ and but few more where it is simply called believing but none where such are called believers Disciples or Christians or any thing that intimateth them admitted into the visible Church without the profession of saving faith I conclude that all examples in Scripture do mention onely the administration of it to the professors of saving faith and the precepts give us no other direction and I provoke Master Blake as far as is seemly for me to do to name one precept or example for any other and make it good if he can I conclude that all examples of baptism in Scripture do mention onely the administration of it to the same persons who in their own persons were professors of saving faith and the precepts give us no other direction And I provoke Mr. Baxter as far as is seemly for me to do to name one precept or example for baptizing any other and make it good if he can and if not by his own reason he ought to baptize no other but must reject baptism of Infants who do not in their own persons profess saving faith and give over his vain Plea of Parents or Proparents profession of saving faith as entituling Infants to baptism which unless his violence and wilfulness of spirit blind him his own words and arguments will inforce to do Pag. 156. Argum. 17. is from 1 Pet. 3. 21. The like figure whereto even baptism doth also now save us Not the putting away the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good Conscience toward God whence I thus Argue If baptism be appointed for our solemn admission into a state of salvation as Noahs Ark received men into a state of safety from the Deluge then none should be baptized but those that profess that faith which entereth them into a state of salvation but no Infant professeth that faith which entereth them into a state of salvation as is manifest by sense and reason therefore no Infant should be baptized Here it is implied plainly that this is quoad finem instituentis as to the end of him that instituted it the common appointed of baptism which the Text mentioneth though eventually it prove not the common effect through the errours of the receivers and this appeareth 1. In that it was spoken plainly in the text of the very nature and appointed use of baptism and so of baptism as baptism without any exception limitation or distinction Therefore it is not spoken of any different use that it is appointed for to the elect as distinct from its common use to others It s spoken of that signification and common use to which baptism is appointed viz. to save else we shall never be able to understand the use of it or any ordinance from Scripture if we