man and his purposes or decrees are his actions and if before the foundation of the world God elected us in Christ as the Apostle teacheth Eph. 1.4 then were we actually chosen before we had naturall being though Gods choyse had not effect in us till we had being But whereas they add vpon the condition afore spoken it is an error before refuted Object But of the elect Paul sayth Ye were without Christ without God in the world Eph. 2.12 so they were not then really and particularly elected Answ. Howsoever they change their tearmes their reason is not good They were not without God or Christ in respect of Gods election which he did before the world was made Eph. 1.4 but in respect of their sinfull estate and unbeleefe before they were called they were without God 2 Obj. But the Apostle sayth After yee beleeved ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise c. Eph. 1.13.14 Answ. What of this Could they not be elected of the father before they were sealed by the holy Ghost Gods election was before all time Eph. 1.4 their calling and sealing by the Spirit was in time But they would confound election and sealing ignorantly 3 Obiect Rom. 9.25 1 Pet. 2.10 I will call them my people which were not my people c. If we were actually and particularly chosen before the creation then were we also really Gods people and could not at any time be sayd not to be his people Answ. Here againe they confound Gods election with his calâ—â—ng which is the manifestation of his election by the effect Gods predestination is before his calling Rom. 8.30 So though they were not his people by calling they were his by election It is evident by Act. 18.10 that many in Corinth were Gods people before they were called or converted Ieremy was knowne sanctified and ordained to be a Prophet before he was formed or born Ier. 1.5 and can we thinke he was not then also chosen to life They say The Apostles meaning is that wee are first particularly chosen when we receiue or put on Christ. For God onely chooseth where be findeth faith and obedience to the Gospell and rejecteth where these are wanting Herein they wrong the Apostles who neither spake nor meant as these men speak It is shewed before from Act. 13.48 that election goeth before faith so these men erre that put it after They pervert the order set down in Rom. 8.30 whiles they make men to be first called justified glorified and then predestinated unto life They neglect Pauls doctrine that God chose us before the world was that we should be holy and teach new doctrine of Antichrists devising that God chose vs because we were holy But to follow them in their doctrine God chooseth none they say but where he findeth faith Where doth God find this seeing he hath shut up all in unbeliefe Rom. 11.32 Faith is not of our selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 so then hee findeth not faith in his elect but giveth them faith And if they say some will not beleeue and them God rejecteth some will beleeue and them God electeth I demand whence haue any this will to beleeue If they answer of themselues and their own power the Apostle telleth us the contrarie It is God that worketh in us both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 Now God giveth not all men this will to beleeue and obey for some cannot beleeve 1. Ioh. 12.39 some are reprobate concerning faith and every good work 2. Tim. 3.8 Tit. 1 16. If God would giue all men alike grace he could make all men willing to beleeue and obey but this hee doth not for in some he giveth a new heart and a new spirit and takes away the stony heart out of their flesh Ezek. 36.26 in other some he hardeneth their heart that they cannot beleeue nor turne unto him Ioh. 1â— 39 40. The mysterie of his Gospel God bideth from some and revealeth to othâ—rsome even so for so it seemed good in his sight Math. 11.25.26 He hath mercie on whom he will whom he will he hardeneth Rom. 9.18 By this which hath been sayd all that loue the truth may see that all men to whom the Gospell is preached are not elected to salvation in Christ as these corrupters of the Gospell teach neither can all men beleeue or obey because God giues them not such grace Some refuse indeed willingly and they perish justly some who naturally are as bad as other haue harts of stone not of flesh are changed new hearts are given them faith and holines are wrought in them and so they are brought unto salvation whereunto they were elected Why God changeth the heart of some and not of other some when he could if he pleased change alle is not a question to be disputed of Rom. 9.19.20 Let it suffice us that God oweth us nothing except death for our sinnes His grace is his owne he may giue it where he will and none haue cause to complaine If God haue given grace to any of us let us praise him for his mercie when we see others left without grace let us reverence him for his unsearchable judgements The rest of their discourse about election though there be many abuses they offer to the scriptures which mought justly be taxed yet because they none of them doe proue these mens vniversal Election nor disproue our faith I think needlesse to reply unto Of Reprobation TOgether with Election they treat of Reprobation badly as before Our doctrine they pretend to be thus They say God hath reprobated some and the greatest number and that before they were borne and had done evill for whom there was never meanes of salvation because God would haue them perish for that was his good pleasure Answ. We hold not as they would beare the world in hand that God would haue men to perish because it is his good pleasure but because of their sinnes he destroyeth them his justice so requiring Neither doe we hold that God euer decreed to punish his reasonable creature without respect of the sin therof deserving punishment Yet was their punishment decreed before they were borne or had done evill For God foreseeing their wickednesse appoynted them to wrath before they acted it though hee inflicteth not punishment till they be sinners And this the scripture teacheth as in Iude vers 4. there are certaine men crept in who vvere before of old ordained to this condemnation If they vvere ordained to it before of old then vvas it before they vvere borne The same is confirmed by Rom. 9.11.12.13 vvhich scripture they seeke to pervert by a longsome and erroneous exposition Our doctrine being thus by them mis-reported they labour to refute their owne forgeries not our assertions So that they are unworthy of any reply Of falling away THE next errour which they would maintaine is that a man may fall from his election or that
boast of the excellencie of it is to no purpose for all men being corrupted with evill qualities Rom. 2. 3â— how is it that any are changed into good but by the povver and grace of God vvhich is effectuall in all his elect The residue abide in their sinnes because God changeth not nor reneweth their harts and such he never elected unto life but ordained them of old unto condemnation Iude v â—4 Lastly they answer vvith absurd Sophistry saying that these vvords 1 Ioh 2 19 they went out from us is meant of lying spirits the Antichrists in those persons vvho once had the spirit of truth in them And the Apostle sayth they were never of us for v 21 no lye is of the truth For example say they the spirit of Hymeneus together vvith his person was in spirituall fellowship vvith Paul so long as he reteined faith a good conscience but having put avvay the spirit of truth and received a lying spirit he vvent out from them in that his spirit for or because it was never of them c. Will any say that the Pope himselfe is Antichrist in respect of his person or rather in regard of his spirit or spirituall power he hath Therfore all that this place proveth is that lying spirits or Antichrists in mens persons went out from the truth and were never of the truth and therfore serveth nothing to proue that the elect can never fall away Answ. Was ever plaine scripture more violently wrested by any heretick The Apostle sayth of the many Antichrists they went out from us but they were not of us 1 Ioh. 2 18 19. This these men will not haue to be meant of their persons but of their spirits in their persons And what understand they by their spirits their lyes their errors their spirituall power such as the Pope hath that is as before they distinguished their wicked qualities not their persons for God they say loveth all persons they being his generation Act. 17.27 First it is an errour to say God hateth not the persons of wicked men but the evill qualities in them onely for though hee hateth no creature in respect of their creation which was good yet the creature being degenerate and fallen from God he hateth their wickednesse and them also for it as the Scripture plainely witnesseth Psal. 5.4.5.6 11 5. 2 It is erroneous to say that by Spirits the Apostle meaneth not persons but qualities 1 Ioh. 4.1 for himselfe sheweth his meaning when he saith because many false Prophets are gone out into the world So by Spirits to be tried he meaneth Prophets which came with spirituall gifts and it is frequent in Scripture to call subjects or persons by the name of adjuncts or qualities in them as I am against thee ê pride Ier. 50 31 that is ô thou most proudâ— and pride shall stumble and fall v. 32 that is the proud person the poverty of the land 2 King 24 14 15 the poorest people Deceit or Sloth rosteth not that which he took in hunting Prov. 14 27 that is the deceitfull man and many the like 3 It is from the deepnessâ— of Familisme to say that Antichrists are not persons but evil qualities in men so Christ may be holden no person but a godly quality in us The Apostle speaketh of the person for he saith not the lye but the lyer he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ he is Antichrist 1 Ioh. 2.22 4 It is an absurd exposition of 1 Ioh 2 19 to put qualities for persons He there spâ—aketh of Antichrists They went out froâ— us these men will haue it evill or Antichristian qualities went out from us Buâ— what sense then will they make of the last branch of the verse That they might be made manifest that they were not all of us Will they say some Antichristian qualities were of the Apostles though not all The meaning is evident that in the Church are persons some good some bad some elect some reprobateâ— but whiles they abide and walk together in the Church it is not manifest who are of the Church who are not but when the wicked and reprobates depart from thâ— truth and Church then it is manifest that such Apostates though for a time in the Church yet were never of it So it is a sure proofe that Gods elect are both in and of the Church of Christ and shall never fall away utterly from it Of Freewill THis point these adversaries handâ—e confusedly and maliciously Confusedly because they shew not what they meane by freewill or freedome of will whether free from compulsion or free from bondage of sinne Mâ—liciously for that they feigne the Calvinists to hold that the wicked are not onely lift by Gods suffring but compelled to sinne by power c. compelled by the power force and compulsion of Gods predestination to commit all those wicked crimes for which they are punished by the Magistrate or tormented in hell c. and then much more doth it in goodnesse as violentâ—y work all so that the godly can neither chuse nor refuse goodnesse Answ. If these adversaries haue common honestie let them shew out of the writings of the Calvinists as they call them these assertions which they impute unto them Till they doe this let them haue their name and fame among lyers and workers of iniquity As for us we abhorre these doctrines of compulsion to sin by force and power of Gods predestination c. As for will in man we know it to be a naturall facultie still remaining though corrupted by sin as all othâ—r like faculties in us We acknowledge it still to be free from compulsion or constreynt for so will should be no vvill But we confesse with greiâ—e that in respect of bondage to sinne under which all mâ—n were sold Rom. 7 14. it may rather be called Bond will then Free will for it is not free to refuse sin untill it be renued by Christ and so far as it is regenerate by him it is againe as other powers and faculties in the Saints freed by grace and willeth things that are good Againe they produce to their owne condemnation out of Bastingius and the Disput. in Geneva these words Man by evill was spoyled not of his will but of the soundnesse of his will therefore that which in nature was good in quality became evill and Bernard teacheth there is in us all power to will but to will well we had need to profite better to will evill we are able already by reason of our fall The which if they would stand unto saith this adversarie I would require no more Answ. This we will stand unto and thereby doe evince Odegos to be a blinde guide and vaine disputer that with lyes and calumnies would disgrace his opposites We grant evill Free-will or Free will to evill is remaining in all naturall men we beleeue that freewill to good is from grace and regeneration and that all the Saints
14.24.25 compared with Psal. 77.16.17 c. and they may see there vvas vvater enough in the clowd and they will not say I think that there vvas no vvater in the sea All outward baptising or washing must be with water or some other liquor If they were not baptised with water vvhat other liquour were they baptised in not vvith bloud as in the Baptisme of suffering death for Christs sake which they impertinently mention Not vvith vvine or strong drinke for they found none such in the wildernesse If they can shew nothing but water to baptise them in let them deny no more for shame that they were baptised with water God spake to our fathers by the Prophets at sundry times or in sundry parts as it vvere by peice meale as the Apostle teacheth Hebrew 1.1 By Moses he shewed how the clowd removed from before Israel and stood behind them as they passed through the sea and gaue them light but vvas darknesse to the Aegyptians and from this fierie cloudie pillar the Lord looking troubled the Aegyptians and took off their charret wheeles that they draue them heavily Exod. 14.19.20 24.25 This being briefly and obscurely told by Moses God after inlargeth by Asaph another Prophet vvho sheweth the manner of it how not onely the vvaters of the sea saw the Lord vvhen they fled and parted but the clouds also from aboue poured out vvater vvhen they rained the skies sent out a sound by thunder c. thus the ground being softned vvith the raine occasioned the charret vvheeles of the Aegyptians sticking in the mire to fall off and hindred their pursuit Psa. 77.16.17 c. After this the Apostle taught by Gods spirit manifesteth the mystery which before was kept secret namely how this passage under the cloud which rained and through the sea was a baptism to the Israelits even as Christian mens washings in rivers or vessels was a baptisme to them And as the manna which Israel ate and vvater from the rock which they drank vvas the same spirituall meat and drink which we haue signified by bread and wine in our Lords supper so their vvashing in the cloud sea and our vvashing in vessels or rivers is spiritually the same baptisme From hence we gather the baptising of our infants by two arguments 1 All our fathers saith Paul were baptised in the cloud and sea therfore say we infants for seeing there vvas no other baptisme but that in the cloud and sea such of our fathers as then vvere infants vvere at that time baptised or else many of our fathers even al the infants of many thousand families vvere never baptised vvhich is contrary to the Apostles doctrine And if infants had baptisme under Moses it cannot vvith any colour of reason bee denied them under Christ. 2. In that the Apostle teacheth us that the extraordinary and temporary sacraments or seales of salvation vvhich Israel had vvere the substance and truth vvhich wee now haue though Moses doth not so express it followeth upon like ground that their ordinary seales namely Circumcision and the Passouer vvere the same in truth and substance vvith baptism and the Lords Supper vvhich vve now haue And being the same as infants had circumcision then so they are to haue baptisme now Secondly vvheras they say that of Moses was called baptisme by comparison as if it were not properly baptisme they swerue from the right way it was as truely and properly baptisme to them as ours is to us though the manner of administration differ even as their Manna and vvater vvere as truly and properly the sacrament of Christs body and blood to them as bread and wine in the Lords supper are to us Otherwise the Apostle should not say truly that hey vvere the same 1. Cor. 10.3.4 Thirdly Noes ark is not called the figure of baptisme as these corrupters of scripture tell us but baptisme sayth the Apostle is a like-figure or antitype 1 Pet. 3.21 So that the saving by water of eight men in the Ark was a type or figure and the saving of a few now by vvater in baptisme is an antitype or like figure both of them figuring salvation by the death of Christ. Fourthly neither do these men set down the reason fully and rightly why they are sayd to be baptised namely because the cloud and sea was their safetie as Noes ark was for though it may in some sense bee granted that these were thâ—ir safetie as baptisme is our safetie for it is sayd to saue us 1 Pet. 3.21 yet properly thâ—y were sayd to be baptised in the cloud and sea because they were in them sacramentally washed from their sins planted together in the likenesse of his death buriall and resurrection as we are now by baptisme Rom. 6.3.4 5. The cloud served them for three users 1. to protect and keep them safe Esai 4.5.6 2 to guide them in the way that they should go Numb 9.17 c. Exod. 13.21 and these two were ordinary 3. to baptise them by powring down water and this was extraordinary and but one time in the red sea for ought we finde And in this respect Paul sayth they were baptised in it Fiftly their last speech of inioyning infants to suffer persecution as well as to baptise them is spoken vvith a wry mouth for as vve enjoyne not infants to bee baptised though we baptise them so can we not enioyne them to suffer persecution But this we say and know as infants are baptitised into Christ so oftentimes they suffer persecution for Christ being with their parents afflicted imprisoned banished c. yea and bereaved of life it selfe so that they haue even the baptisme of blood or martyrdome also Wheras we find mention of whole housholds to haue been baptised by the Apostles from which example it is probably gathered that infants also were baptized Against this they dispute thus 1. There are many housholds in which there are no infants Ans. This is true and it is also true that in many there are infants Therefore this argument is propounded but as probable not as certaine 2 They say It is most sure as the Apostles practised in one houshold so they practised in all But in the Iaylors house they baptised such as they preached the word unto and such as beleeved Act. 16.31.34 and this is most plaine that infants cannot heare nor beleeue c. Ans. It is not most sure but altogether unlikely as themselves I think will acknowledge For there is no likelihood that all housholds to whom the Apostles preached did beleeue every one in them though some did And they grant that none but beleevers were baptised So then if the goodman of the house and the men onely beleeved there none but men were baptised if women onely beleeved they onely were baptised Therfore the Apostles practise was not alwayes alike in respect of the persons that they baptised So for infants such houses as had none wee easily grant
their parents they cannot maintaine the justice of God for killing infants and that oftentimes with strange and horrible deaths And if they grant that infants are sinners they cannot with any truth deny but hell is their due unlesse they be redeemed by Christ. And by infants death we certainly conclude that they are sinners from the Apostles ground in Rom. 5 12 14 6 23. and that for their sinne they may and shall be cast into hell unlesse Christ saue them is evident by Christs doctrine in Ioh. 3 3 Except a man bee borne againe he cannot see the Kingdome of God And that infants are there implyed is plaine because an infant is borne a man as Christ speaketh Ioh 16 21 and being borne a sinner Psal. 51 Rom. 5 must be borne againe of the Spirit or else shall not see the kingdome of God If it see not Gods kingdome it shall see the divels prison for a Limbus or third place will no vvhere be found And how these men can exempt wicked infants from hell otherwise then by their own fansies I know not â—he Apostles taught no such doctrine vvhen vvithout exception of infants they call the old world that perished the world of the ungodly 2 Pet. 2 5 and reckon none saved but Noe and his house Heb. 11 7 1 Pet. 3 20 21 and tell us that Sodom Gomorrha and the Cities about them are set forth for an example suffring the vengeance of eternall fire Iude v 7. But these presumptuous men vvill controll the judgements of God and tell us that which no Prophet or Apostle ever taught that all the infants in those cities suffer no such vengeance yea though God himselfe promised that if but ten righteous had been found in Sodom wherein vvere many times ten infants he vvould not haue destroyâ—d the citie for tennes sake Gen. 18 32. 2 The reason vvhich they vvould ground upon because other unreasonable creatures as vvell as infants haue alwayes had their portions in bodily death this reason is brutish and beseemeth not men For no unreasonable creature is a sinner as all men in Adam are sinners no unreasonable creature hath a soule immortall infused of God as all mankind hath no bruit beast shall be raised from the dead as all men shall both old and yong to life or death eternall And vvhen a beast dyeth it hath an end both of vvelfare and misery so hath none of Adams children What comparison then is there between men and beasts Where they say death is losse to none but to the wicked it is true And hereupon it followeth that seeing infants are wicked as is formerly proved untill they be made righteous by Christ and borne againe death is a losse unto them and a gaine to those onely whether old or yong which are made partakers of the grace and gift of righteousnesse by one Iesus Christ Rom. 5 12 17. Of Baptizing Infants AGainst baptising of Infants the adversaries first lay this ground Baptisme perteyneth onely to them that declare their repentance and faith to those Disciples of Chriâ—t that baptise them This appeareth by Iohn Baptists doctrine and practice Mar. 1 4 Mat. 3 6 and Christs disciples Joh. 4 1 3 22 by Christs commission for all nations Mat 28 19 Mar. 16.16 by the Apostles practise Act. 2 38 41 8 12 36 c. Answ. That baptisme pertaineth to such as declare their repentance and faith is true and the Scriptures alledged proue it But that it pertaineth to such onely is untrue and none of the Scriptures vvhich they bring doe so teach The infants of the Church vvhich cannot declare repentance or faith are also to be baptized as after shall be manifested That the practise taught by the foresaid Scriptures is to be perpetuall we grant and they needed not haue taken paines to proue it Infants say they may not be baptized because there is neither commandement example nor true consequence for it in all Christs perfect Testament c. Answ This we deny commandement there is for it in Math. 28 and Mark 16 necessary consequences from many Scriptures confirme it as shall be proved Baptisme they say is in that a good conscience maketh request unto God 1 Pet. 3.21 it is of repentance for remission of sinnes Mar. 1 â—â— the washing of the new birth Tit. 3 5 c. If it cannot be proved by the Scriptures that infants haue their hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience haue repentance faith c. they ought not to be baptized Answ. Their argument hath onely a shew no substance of truth For first a man might frame as good a reason thus Circumcision is not that which is outward in the flâ—sh but that of the heart in the spirit Rom. 2 28 29 it is the putting off of the body of the sinnes of the flesh Coloss. 2.11 it sealeth the righteousnese of faith which they haue Rom. 4.11 and the circumcising of the foâ—-skinne of the heart Deut. 10 16 to loue the Lord c. Deut. 30.6 Now if it cannot be proved by Scripture that infants haue the lâ—ue of God in their hearts the righteousnes of faith the putting of of the body of sin c. they may not be circumcised and theâ—r circumcision is nothing If this be not a good argument to keep children from circumcision the other is no better to keep thâ—m from Baptisme Secondly Christian infants haue the graces they speak of repentance faith regeneration c though not actually or by way of declaration to others yet they haue through the worke of the Spirit the seed and beginning of faith virtually and by vvay of inclination so that they are not wholly dâ—stitute of faith regeneration c. though it be a thing hid and unknown unto us after vvhat manner the Lord vvorketh these in them Eccles. 11 5. Which I further proue thus If infants naturally are some vvayes capable of Adams sinne and so of unbeleefe disobedience transgression c. then Christian infants supernaturally and by grace are some wayes capable of Christs righteousnes and so of faith obedience sanctification c. But infants are capable of the former evils by Adam therefore they are capable of the latter good things by Christ. That they are capable of the former is before proved vvhere vve treated of originall sin by Rom 5 Psal. 5 1 Ioh. 3 and many Scriptures The consequence that therefore they are capable of the latter also â—o wit of Christian graces is thus manifested 1 Because the first Adam was a figure of the second Adam Christ so that as the sinne of the first Adam his fault disobedience and death for it came on all his children both by imputation and infection or corruption of nature so the righteousnesse and obedience of Christ commeth on all his children both by imputation and renewing of nature unto life and salvation as the Apostle compareth them Rom. 5.12.15.16.17.18.19.21 2 Because infants being by Adam sinners children of
vvrath c. must be borne againe of the spirits or else they cannot see the Kingdom of God Ioh. 3 3.5.6 But the Christian infants dying in infancie shall see the Kingdom of God and not be damned as the adversaries grant therefore by Christs doctrine they are borne again of the spirit and so must needs in some measure haue repentance faith holines vvithout which there is no regeneration Again that infants haue the faith and loue of God in them and regeneration in their measure is thus proved They to vvhom God giveth the signe and seale of righteousnesse by faith and of regeneration they haue faith and regeneration for God giveth no lying signe he sealeth no vaine or false covenants But God gaue to infants circumcision vvhich vvas the signe anâ—â—ale of the righteousnesse of faith and regeneration Gen 17.12 Rom. 4.11 2.28.29 Coloss. 2.11 Therefore infants had consequâ—ntly now haue faiâ—h regeneration though not in the crop or haâ—vest by deâ—laration yet in the bud and beginnings of all Christian graces They that deny this reason must either make God thâ— author of a lying signe and seale of the covenant to Abraham and â—is infants or they must hold that infants had those graces then bâ—t not now both vvhich are wicked and absurd to affirme Or tâ—ey must say that circumcision vvas not the signe and seale of the righteousnes of faith and then they openly contradict the Scripture Rom. 4.11 Moreover as the Apostle in Rom. 5 compareth our naturall estate in Adam and our spirituall estate in Christ so may vvee in this case If wee cannot justly objâ—ct against Gods vvorke in nature but doe beleeue that our infâ—nts are reasonable creatures and are borne not bruit beasts but men though actually they can manifest no reason or understanding more then beasts yea a yong lamb knoweth and discerneth hâ—s damne sooner then an infant knoweth his mother then neiâ—her can we justly object against Gods vvorke in grace but are to beleeue that our infants are sanctified creatures and are borne beleevers not infidels though outwardly they can manifest no faith or sanctification unto us And why should it be thought incredible that God should worke faith in infants If because we know not or perceiue not how it can be let us consider that wee know not the way of our naturall birth and other earthly things Eccles. 11 5. Ioh. 3 8 how then can we know heavenly things If we make question of the power of God nothing is unpossible with hâ—m Hee made all things of nothing he can make the dumb beast speake with mans voyce Numb 22 hee can make the babe in the mothâ—rs wombe to be affâ—cted and leape for joy at the voice of vvords spoken to the mother Luk. 1.44 and can he not also work grace faith holynesse in infants Hath Satan power by sin to infâ—ct and corrupt infants as is before proved and shall nor God haue power to cleanse from corruption and make them holy If we make doubt of the will of God herein behold we haue his promises to restore our losses in Adam by his graces in Christ as he shâ—weth in Rom 5 that he will circumcise our heart and the heart of our seed to loue him Deu. 30 6 we haue the seale of his promise in giving circumcision to infants to signifie and seale the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.11 Gen. 17. And we haue assurance of all his promises and of that to Abraham his seed in particular to be confirmed unto us not abrogated or lessened by Christ 2 Cor. 1.20 Luk. 1.72.73 c. Gal. 3.14 c. Wherefore they are but a faithlesse and crooked generation that notwithstanding all that God hâ—th spoken and done in this kinde doe deny this grace of Christ to the infants of his people and the seale or confirmation of this grace by baptisme now as it was by circumcision of old But they proceed to plead against the truth thus Regeneration is a turning from sin to God Rev. 6.11 1 Thes. 1.9 Tit 4.5 Repentance is a sight and knowing of sin by the law a confessing and sorrow for sin c. Faiâ—h is thâ— ground of things hoped for c. Heb. 11.1 and is accompa-with obedience Iam. 2. Let them either now proue that infants are turned from sin see know confesse and sorrow for it beleeue the promises of God c. or they say nothing Answ. They reason ignorantly and perversly not onely against the light of Gods word but of nature As if some brutish person should plead thus A man is a living creature that hath a reasonable soule and the proper affections of a man as he is a man are the facultie of understanding of thinking capablenesse of learning of remembring facultie of reasoning of judging and discerning true and false good and evill of approving and improving of willing nilling of speaking of numbring c. Now let them which affirme that infants are borne men as Christ doth in Ioh. 16.21 proue that infants doe understand do think remember judge discerne good and evill approue will speak c. or else they say nothing Were not such a disputer worthy to be laughed and hissed at who requireth the actuall use and manifestation of humane affections and faculties in infants vvhich are in them but potentially in the seed and beginning and because thâ—y cannot declare these things by their workes therefore he denieth them to be of the generation of mankind or borne men into the vvorld or that they haue the faculties of men at all in them any manner of vvay Even such is the argumentation of these erroneous spirits against the truth of religion For as before they reasoned against the sin transgression and condemnation of Infants contrary to Pauls doctrine in Rom. 5 because infants actually understand not the law nor transgresse against it and will not consider how they are sinners originally in Adam so now also they reason against the grace of Christ in infants and his work of regeneration in them because they cannot outwardly manifest the effects of regeneration or fruits of faith such as the scriptures that they allege do require in older persons wil not understand that these graces are in them through Christ and his spirit but in the beginnings onely as I haue formerly proved and are not in them as in those of full age who by reason of use haue their sences exercised to discerne both good and evill And here I desire to know of the Anabaptists in their next vvritings about these matters first when they thinke that children vvho in their opinion are borne without aâ—y sin begin to be sinners vvhether at 2.3.5.7 or other yeares and vvhen they can justly reproue a child for sin if it shew in vvord deed or gesture any thing contrary to the law of God as if it sweare curse lye disobey parents take anothers goods be froward angry or the likâ— Yea let any of