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A60172
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A replication to a late book written by Mr. Benjamin Keach against infants-baptism intituled A counter-antidote, &c. By Gyles Shute of Lime-house.
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Shute, Giles, b. 1650 or 51.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing S3712; ESTC R221469
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41,869
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83
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his Book of Election But seeing they are all called holy Children without exception our Duty is to hope well of them all and dedicate them all unto God in the Ordinance of Baptism and believe and pray for them all as if they were all Elected and we did know it as long as we do not know any thing to the contrary But God hath put all the Infant-Seed of Believers in their Infancy now under the Gospel into the Ballance alike with a respect to their Parents knowledge as if they were Elected in the 1 Cor. 7.14 Thus I have proved splendently That the Infant-Seed of Believers are in Covenant and are the proper Subjects of Baptism not excluding Adult Proselytes By which I have fully Answered all the Arguments that ever were raised against it and also Mr. B. K's Book in particular as much as if I had confuted them Argument by Argument V. And Lastly Mr. B. K. hath laboured hard to prove That the Church State under the Law was only a Carnal Legal Church State and that it was dissolved at the Coming of Christ in the Flesh And one of his Topping Arguments to prove it to be so is That they were a Natural Church and the Churches under the Gospel are congregational Therefore my business is to prove the contrary and I shall pursue this Method viz. 1. I shall prove that the Church is of the same Form and Mettle substantially now as it was under the Law 2. That there are the same sort of Members both for Age and Sects 3. And Lastly The Church lives and feeds upon the same spiritual Food now as the Church did under the Law 1. That the Church is of the same Form and Mettle I shall prove first out the Old Testament Zech. 4. And the angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man that is wakened out of his sleep And said unto me What seest thou And I said I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold c. Secondly the New Testament Rev. 1.20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches Candlesticks are to set up a Light in and they are of the same Mettle viz. Golden Candlesticks What though there was but one under the Law and that was National and now several and they congregational yet the Form Use and Mettle is the same Suppose a Man hath a Tree in his Orchard that hath but one Branch upon it and that is decaying and he cuts that off and graffs several Branches upon the same Stock that doth not destroy the Root or Stock of the Tree Rom. 11.16 For if the first-frruit be holy the lump is also holy and if the root be holy so are the branches The Church-State under the Law was the same as it was in Abraham's Time which was 430 Years before the Law of Moses and it is the same as it was in Adam's Time Gen. 3.15 On this Promise the Foundation or Church-State was laid and as it was in the Beginning so it is now and ever will be to the Worlds End But saith Mr. K. in pag. 9. I also ask you whether the Jewish Church that was sounded upon the Old Covenant is not gone and dissolved If so what doth your arguing prove I Answer The Jewish Church-State was founded on the Covenant of Grace call it what Covenant you please for Abraham had the Gospel preached unto him when God established the Covenant with him Gal. 3.8 And so had Adam Gen. 3.15 And Noah was a Gospel Preacher 2 Pet. 2.5 And the Church-State is the same now as it was before the Dispensation of the Gospel 1. By the Words of our Saviour himself Mat. 21. Therefore I say unto you The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof Now if this Kingdom of God was not the Church-State in which all the Jews then were pray tell us what Kingdom of God this was 1. It appears that this Kingdom of God was the Church Militant and not the Church Triumphant 2. That the Church State was mutable and yet indissolvable God might remove it from one Nation to another as he did from the unbelieving Jews unto the believing Gentiles Mat. 21.43 Rom. 11.17 But the State of the Church is the same and is unalterable 3. There were the seven Churches of Asia dissolved but that did not destroy the Church State no more than the Excommunicating Members out of a particular Church doth 2. The Apostle makes it appear plainly that the Church State is the same now as ever it was before the Incarnation of Christ in Eph. 2. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and forreigners but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the houshold of God And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord In whom you also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit Now pray Mr. K. what do you think Was the State of the Jews Church a carnal legal Church State Whereas you hear it was a Habitation for God through the Spirit and Jesus Christ the chief corner Stone Did God dwell in a carnal Church Or was Christ ever the Foundation of a carnal Church Which must necessarily follow as the consequence of this carnal Position 3. In pag. 43. saith Mr. K. I ask whether or no Christ did not remove by the Gospel Dispensation all the Wheat out of the old Barn nay and pull down that Barn c. Christ did not pull down that Barn but he purged the Floor of it neither did he remove the Wheat out of it but he did winnow and fan away all the chaffy Hypocrites the unbelieving Jews and gathered his Elect Gentile-wheat into his Garner Kingdom or Church and John the Baptist's Testimony is sufficient to prove this let any Man deny this if they dare Mat. 3. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Whose san is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire Here are Two Things to be observed from this Text The Firist is A threatning the Expulsion of the unbelieving Jews and the Second A Prediction of the calling and conversion of the Elect Gentiles which was the taking the Kingdom of God from the Jews and giving it to the Gentiles 2. The Church is the same now in a sense as it was under the Law with a respect to the Members of it for as the Jews and their children were the Members of it under the Law so Believers
Infant-Seed of Believers are the proper Subjects of Baptism not to exclude Adult Proselytes and in proving this I shall Answer all Mr. B. K's Twenty Seven Arguments as fully and effectually as if I had confuted them one by one for the Ground of all his Arguments is to prove that all Children are excluded the Ordinance of Water-baptism in their Infancy And to effect my Purpose I shall take this Method viz. 1. I shall prove from the Sacred Scriptures that there is a Command from our Saviour Christ for the baptizing young Infants 2. There are undeniable Examples for it 3. I shall prove it from the peculiar Promises that are made to the Seed of Believers 4. From the Renowned Titles that are given unto them 5. From their being under the care conduct and Ministry of the blessed Angels 6. And Lastly From the tender care and sweet condescending Carriage and Behaviour of our blessed Redeemer to the Children of Believers above all other Mens Children in the World 1. There is a positive Command for the baptizing of Infants as well as of others in Christs Commission in Mat. 28.19 20. Go and disciple all nations that is Baptize them for if you observe Teaching comes after Go and disciple all nations make them disciples by baptism Now either Children are no part of a Nation or else there were no Children in all these Nations to whom Christ sent his Apostles and Ministers to preach the Gospel or else Children are every whit as much concerned in the Commission with a respect to Baptism as the Adult But Children are a great part of a Nation and for any to imagine that there were no Children in all these Nations is ridiculous and therefore Children are included in this Commission of our Lords and so they come under the Power and Authority of Christs positive Command to be baptized 2. They Object Children must be taught before they ought to be baptized and Children are not capable of being taught and therefore not capable of baptism Pray hear what God saith in Isa 59.21 As for me this is my covenant with them saith the Lord My spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever Isa 54.13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children Heb. 8.11 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 This Teaching of God proceeds from his Covenant Love as appears by the aforesaid Scriptures 2. In Mark 16.15 there is Christs positive Command to preach the Gospel to every creature that is to some of all Ages and Sects of the Rational Being therefore Children are concerned in this Command as being a very great part of the Rational Being and they have a great benefit by the Ministry of the Gospel which benefit lyeth principally in their Parents being so disciplined and taught as to be made Believers at which Instant their Children are also initiated and planted into the Covenant of Grace and are holy Children in Gods account 1 Cor. 7.14 and so have a Right to the holy Discipline viz. Water-baptism the Initiating Seal of the Covenant 3. And Lastly There is a Command for Children to hear the Word of the Lord as well as Adult Persons in Jer. 2.4 Even as Moses summoned all Israel Man Woman and Child to appear before God and renew their Covenant with him in Deut. 29.9 to 13. Thus I have proved A Command for the baptizing all the Infant-Seed of Believers 2. I will prove Infant-Baptism from clear Examples First From the Example of John the Baptist Mat. 3. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the regions round about Jordan And were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism he said unto them O generation of vipers who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come c. John baptized all the Natural Seed of Abraham that came to his Baptism he refused none though at the same time he exhorted them to Repentance and not to rely upon their Covenant-Relation to Abraham Ver. 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance c. So that it doth not appear that John baptized none but them which were truly penitent 1. Here you see all the Jews Men Women and Children that came unto John were baptized by him for all came to his Baptism for Children were a great part of Jerusalem and of all Judea c. And therefore Children were not excluded but were baptized 2. The Ordinance of Baptism was first Instituted among the Jews and their Seed before it was among the Gentiles and theirs many Years for the Gentiles must first be proselyted and taken visibly into Covenant by Discipline 3. And Lastly If John had not baptized all Children how could it be said that Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Region round about Jordan went out to him and were baptized of him Therefore it is plain that all were baptized by him Now if I should say All my Houshold are baptized and yet none of my Children are baptized who are almost double in number the rest of my Family How could that be true So that it is very plain from the Example of John the Baptist we have unquestionable Authority to baptize all our Children in their Infancy 2. There are Examples of Infant-baptism from the Apostles practice for they baptized whole Housholds wherefore if there had been but one Child in all these Housholds that was not baptized it could not properly have been said that the whole Houshold were baptized for children are the principal Upholders of the House for where there are no children that House is but of short duration and it is plain that believing Parents and their children make a holy House a sanctified Husband or a sanctified Wife and holy children make one Body and therefore they ought to be baptized 1 Cor. 12.13 For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body c. 3. Here are whole Housholds that were baptized by the Apostles Acts 18.8 Acts 16.14 15. and ver 30 31 33. and some others and also whole Housholds that were Believers which we read nothing at all of their Baptism 3. That Children are a great part of the Houshold is very clear for by our Saviours Words Parents and their children onely make the Houshold Mat. 10. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother c. And a mans foes shall be they of his own houshold These were Parents and Children not one Servant mentioned And the Widow of Zarephath 1 King 17.15