therefore the Jewish Infants were to have the initial Seal of Circumcision the old Ministration imprinted upon them in their infancy to seal up the Covenant unto them under which they were born though they had no such discerning as is now required of the Replier to be in the present act of our new Ministration so our Christian Infants are to have the initial Seal of Baptism the new Ministration sprinkled upon them In their infancy to seal up the same Covenant unto them under which they are born though they have no more discerning than was mentioned to be in the Jewish Infants then at the past act of their old Ministration And yet neither of these Ordinances vain or ineffectual to either of the Infant parties For the efficacy of Baptism as Circumcision depends not upon the act of the Creature discerning and working this is but a rank Romance or a Roman prank of the Replier but upon the free Grace and mercy of God conveighing and operating yea Baptism is not onely a transient act as to sprinkling of water and outward washing but a permanent and continued act of the same grace and mercy as to the inward washing and application of Chirsts merits unto all Gods children But Jewish infants discerned somewhat as who had a bodily seeling of the cutting of their the foreskin of their flesh and so have our Christian infants a bodily feeling of the water laid upon their forehead or faces but what 's either to the purpose of the spiritual discerning of either action or sign as Sacramental to them they discern somewhat and this somewhat is nothing nothing to the purpose being but a natural feeling of the coldness of the water or sharpness of the knife But there is mroe reason there should be demanded discerning of the sign when Baptism is ministred than there was when Circumcision was given for this left a mark or print of it self behinde it so that the Circumcised person bare in his body the mark of the Lord Jesus to use the Apostles phrase and he did daily discern that visible sign to assure him that he was sealed into Covenant with God but the water leaves no impression upon Baptized infants but is either presently wiped off with a Handkercheif by the Midwife or other woman though I think they should not do so and the Ministers ought to rebuke them for it or shortly after it is dried up of it self so that the body is as if it were not washed or wetted at all and and no mark to be seen outwardly to put the party in minde of his being sealed into God his peculiar Servant But what and if there be a mark and character of Baptism like as of Circumcision then there is no more reason of discerning in the one party than the other I do not mean that mark which Papists hold is formed in the soul of every Baptized infant and inscribed thereby the external action of Baptism Simply and barely in it self considered which they call an Indelible character For such is not to be found in Scriptures nor Orthodox writers such a character as may be imprinted and consist without grace in a soul damned and besides its absurd if not impious to ascribe to an external action of a creature that which is the proper act of God an internal characterising or indelible marking in the soul and they may as well say the bare and naked external preaching of the Gospel or remission of sins doth imprint eternal salvation upon the soul without perceiving any force or using any faith But I mean that mark and character which the Ancient Orthodox held to be imprinted in Baptism which was either that gracious act or gift never to he reiterated and therefore called an indelible character for a man rightly baptized becomming a Turk or Jew and afterwards returning to the faith and Church of Christ is in no case to be re-baptized the vertue of his former Baptism is not spunged out but still remainech a vailable of which matter I have spoke largely before or else the very grace and gife of the holy spirit of which the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 1.22 Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts and Eph. 1.13 In whom after ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise which also may very truly be called an indelible seal and character wheresoever it is inscribed and imprinted as it is in the hearts and souls of many Baptized infants even all belonging to the eternal election and inheritance mentioned and spoken of in the Texts above alleged Or thirdly the character of Baptism is that passive power whereby the party Baptized is made fit and capable in due time and order to receive the other Sacrament the Lords Supper whereof without Baptism he were uncapable as without Circumcision the Jew was of the Passeover So then there is in both the initial seal marks or characters and as much mark left upon the face and forehead of the infant Baptized as there was upon your head and face when you were dopt or dipt over both in the Pond or River you wote off and though the outward mark were more permanent in Circumcision being done and engraven upon and into the flesh by incision yet there was an outward mark in Baptism though more transient done and laid upon the face and flesh by aspersion or infusion as anciently by immersion But neither was the one character or mark more discernable to the one the Circumcised infant then the other to the Baptized infant neither if it was was it more available to the participation of the Passeover then the other to the partaking of the Lords Supper or more acceptable to God who though he set sometimes an outward mark upon them that mourned Ezek. 9. and so and outward mark upon the houses of the Egyptians for good ends and purposes and so appointed the external elements and actions both of Circumcision and Baptism to be holy and profitable signes and seals yet are not the outward marks in the flesh or the sensitive discernings of the sings the excellencies of Circumsion or the eminencies of Baptism nor is God taken onely or chiefly delighted with beholding such external services and administrations who required these at your hands these onely or chiefly when therefore the Jewish infants came to years of discretion and discerning God looked for and called for not the Circumcision of the flesh but for the Circumcision of the heart this was the mark he looked for and upon in his sheep the Israelites and and so likewise when Christian infants shall attain to the age of discerning and understanding God will look for and upon not so much the water in or upon the face which was the mark of flesh as the blood of Christ in the heart which is the mark of the Spirit And this is that I conclude with As one of your Baptized and re-baptized adult proselytes may
3. The case of necessity in state of Person I scarce understand unless it be this When as he or she earnestly desireth and imploreth for the same whether by its speech or its need and there is no Minister to give it Baptism here the Lord will have mercy and not sacrifice and men are not to stand upon this ordination but the persons salvation Let but your Brother or your self stay and expect such cases of necessity before you or he dip any more or baptize again and then though you be not nor he set a part for the administring that Ordinance but are meer Lay men you shall hear nothing from me against the same I assure you But if in a well ordered and already planted and constituted Church and that when there are no such cases or states of necessity but that lawfully ordained Ministers may easily be procured you and your Brethren will go on still to dip and baptize and that publiquely being no better ordered or set a part then you have related I shall say though again Ye take too much upon you ye sons of Gad for I shall not hold you of the Tribe of Levi Num. 16.7 or Issachar rather couching down between two burthens Genes 49.14 your Laical and Ministerial Callings And it shall come to pass as Zacharias saith Zach. 13.4 5. that such Prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision which he hath prophesied and every one of his Division that he hath made and set a partition yea of his Dipping also that he hath ministred and Baptisin and he shall say and confess at last I am no Prophet I am an Husbandman for man taught me to keep cattel from my youth God never ordained me to dip Christians from my birth Distinctly Take this a Presbyter or Priest in respect of his Ministerial Character and Order I mean onely a sacerdotal gift power and commission is primarily and principlally the publick and ordinary minister of Baptism A Deacon may baptize also and that publikely so it be at the appointment of the Bishop or Priest but a Priest by his own right may baptize ex officio as we say by vertue of his sacerdotal office even in the presence of a Bishop But a Layman may not baptize publickely but onely privately neither privately in the presence of a Priest or Deacon but onely in their absence neither alwayes in their absence but onely in case of necessity Then it hath been permitted according to the good old way and new way also of true Churches some such times to Laymen to baptize so he intend to do that which the Catholick Church doth in that kind of administration The second Catechistical Quaere is concerning the Persons Dipped Quaere 2. What warrant of precept or example have you from the Sacred Word or Prim tive Antiquity for your Dipping and Anabapâ—izâ—ng Christians washed before or members of the visible Church baptized once in their Infancy by lawful Ministers so as the two Women and Sisters were whom your Brother Dipped Ask now of the days that are past which were before since the day that God created man and woman upon Earth and commanded circumcision in the eldest Chruch of the Jews and appointed Baptism in the younger Church of the Gentiles ask from the beginning to the end of both whether there hath been any such thing as this that a person circumcised or baptized in their infancy were ever recircumcised or rebaptized at growth or yeras after when they could render a Reason or make confession of their Faith c. Instance in one if you can and be instant upon it as you will and is not then your dipping the formerly dipped a new business As for that example of Joshua upon Gods command Circumcise again the children of Israel the second time Jos 5.2 This doth not intimate any Repetition or Reiteration of that Sacrament in or to the same particular Israelitish person circumcised as if he should be now circumcised again but onely relates the Restauration and Renovation of that Sacrament unto the people of Israel in general amongst whom Circumcision was a long while intermitted and discontinued by reason of their frequeut yea continual journals and removings up and down as the 4 5 6 Verses do evidence the same As for that Acts 19.5 of St. Pauls practise the example of the Ephesian Disciples in the Acts it is abundantly answered in my Instruction of your Scribe to which I refer you and I add this for a plainer and shorter Resolution for you 1. That it maketh nothing for your Re-dipping and Re-baptizing 1. Because St. John's Baptism being there spoken of and you or your Sect being Popish in your opinion of Re-baptizing and so holding from hence that the Baptism of John and Christ are two different Baptisms and that in the substance and not onely in the Degree of their signification and efficacy Here was no iterat on of one and the same but the ministration of a diverse Baptism and so is not to your or my purpose 2 For that there is no Baptism of water spoken of much less there laid to be reiterated that the Ephesian Disciples had long before received from some of Johns Disciples but onely the Baptism of Fire i.e. of the Spirit and the miraculous gifts of the same is there mentioned which they confess they had not so much as heard of namely that they unsually as then accompanied the other Baptism of water And so that the former was that they were baptized with and was poured upon them there in the Name of Jesus namely the gifts of the holy Spirit which were miraculous If you shall produce as somewhat you must say for your selves the example of Saul Cornelius and the Eunuch baptized in their elder years upon their conversion to and cofession of Christ and the commands of God to Ananias Peter and Philip c. to baptize them thereupon All this and as much more which you might have alledged of the same sort brings no advantage to your practice no age to your new business of Rebaptising the second time for that the mentioned above were their first and onely baptizings they being some of them Pagans born others aliens from the Covenant of Christ adverse and opposite to ignorant at leastwise of the Christian Faith were then frist of all baptized upon their embracing of it and never after baptized again No not the Black Aethiopian amongst them was ever dipped the second time And what is all this to your Redipping of two Women baptized before in their infancy as being born Christians and within the Covenant of Grace and Christ Yea more if the Pope of Rome should come over into England and turn Protestant or become one of your Sect a separate nor we would nor should you of right baptize him again having been baptized before rightly as to the Element and Words of Institution Therefore the Ancient Orthodox Church never Re-baptized Hereticks themselves upon their
wicked one they held their baptisme good and valid and would not repeat it being performed in the true Essentials the form of Words and matter of Water as before yea and when such were converted and returned into the Church they did note rebaptise them but received them and held them in that baptisme which they had in their Schism and Heresie knowing the same to have been according to the form prescribed I have no reason I confesse to put a weapon of an objection into your hands out of 19. Acts 5. but if I do it is to take it out of your hands again both to give you a blow in present and prevent an after-blow It is indeed there thus said When they heard this they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus and it s said before Verse 3. that they were baptised unto Johns Baptism This Text hath been much and mightily urged and pressed even to the Vexation of the Spirit by your torturing Anabaptists and truly the words lye doubtfully and ambiguously at the first hearing as if Paul baptised the Disciples of Ephesus with the Baptisme of Christ who had before received the Baptisme of John and were never full and well cleered and explicated until Beza took them in hand who ingeniously confesseth that he received the same interpretation from that Noble Pious Vertuous and Industrious Divine Philippus Marnixius that singular ornament of the Belgick Church who was born in 1538. and dyed in 1598. and lies in body buried at Leyden I say this because his name ought to be precious in the Churches even for this interpretation though he wrote Commentaries upon divers other books of the Bible and so ought the name of Theodorus Beza to be venerable with us as that singular ornament of the Gallick Church for the like Piety Industey Learning and Vertue as by whose means this interpretation came to our hands of this Church I remember I have read it or heard it written and spoken and I may I think write it speak it again that as when God found David he sound a Man after his own heart So when David found Mollerus he found an expounder according to his heart and I may apply it thus here also That when Christ found Paul he found a chosen vessel and beloved Apostle after Christ own heart and when he found Luke he found a choise Historiographer of the Acts of the Apostles after his heart and a beloved Physician besides so when Luke found Beza and Beza Marnixius he found interpreters of them after his own heart and Beloved Divines moreover But what need such a Trumpet afore hand The Almes given the interpretations given by these wo thies will deserve it and I do not blow this for your sake Sir but others that may perhaps read it The sum of the Interpretation is this that in the 5th Verse above cited Luke speaks not of any Baptisme done by Saint Paul But Saint Paul speaks on still of Johns Baptisme and so you and all Anabaptists are blown away from this Text as to any Anabaptisme or Rebaptisations hence to be had This is a short and sweet interpretation if it can be proved Yes learned Beza proves it and that from the two Greek Conjunctive Particles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I pray Sir stand aloof if you be afraid but you shall not need I do not Conjure It is no Heathen Greek no humane learning be content that for this once or twice If I did it before that I may write or speak a little Greek it being the Christian Greek and Divine Learning These two particles ever have relation one to the other knitting together the parts of the Verse or Verses and make them answer fitly one to the other Therefore the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 5. Verse must necessarily answer to the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 4th Verse and so in no wise doth or will suffer that the series of the speech be broken of as if the former in the 4th Verse were to be attributed to Paul the speaker and the latter part in the 5th Verse to Luke the Writer So then the words in the 5th Verse are the words of Paul who having before related and approved of Johns Doctrine and Baptisme as true and Evangelicall doth here also relate and approve of the peoples hearing his Doctrine and receiving his Baptisme and so laying his hands upon the 12. Disciples here present baptised after Johns baptisme but not by John as who deceased long before 30. or 40. years In Judea a place also far distant from this City of Ephesus where these twelve Disciples dwelt baptised in all likelyhood of some of Johns Disciples And the gifts following thereupon which before Paul signified by the name of the Spirit and of which he had questioned them He confirmed and established the Ephesine Church And so to shew yet farther that Beza and the other above named are intepreters after Lukes heart as I said see again Luke himself in Acts 1.6 and 7. verses where both are joyned together in like manner by the same Particles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yea moreover if Paul had here baptised these 12. Disciples of Ephesus sure he would have made mention of it in the 1 Cor. 1.13 14 c. where of set purpose he reckoned up such as were baptised by him not only at Corinth but else where Yea and writing from Ephesus to Corinth he doth not mention them amongst the rest whom if he had baptised he surely would and should I wish indeed that those of our excellently Learned Translators who took this part of the Acts of the Apostles in hand had expressed the meaning thereof in some playner and more perspicuous English and had made it plain upon the Tables Verse or Margin that he might have run that readeth it and he that readeth it might have seen and understood that they who heard John when living and beleeved his Doctrine were here spoken of to have been Baptised of him and not the 12. Disciples of Ephesus hearing Paul to have been baptised of him as the words now read seem to shew which occasioned though through their ignorance and wilfulness this error of Rebaptising But I will not be so presumptuous as to proscribe or prescribe any thing here But it may be you and the Anabaptists who comply with the Papists in divers other of their Tenets do also hold with them in this also that Johns baptisme was much different from Christs baptisme and not a like effectuall like as you say the same of our baptising of Children that it is invalid and contrary to Christs baptisme and to therefore dream stlll of Pauls rebaptising these 12. Disciples baptised of John that so you may ground your dipping again of grown persons baptised before of us I must in a word tell you That John his and Christ his baptisme differ not in the nature and substance which
than with your manly or rather unmanly pride envy uncharitableness roughness and presumption whereout it is that you so despise and offend the little ones withholding them from their due of Baprism rail and revilethe Churches of God and the Ministers of Jesus Christ These things I tell you grieve the good and mild Spirit of God and send it away sad from such hearts and at last if presevered in will quench its holy fervours And I wonder very much that any people should run after you as they do who leave their Infants and Children under no better a condition or denomination than of Infidels and unbelievers for so you tell them that their condition by nature and their seed is the same which Pagan-Gentiles and till they know God and believe in him open and professed enemies of God whereas upon their and our nature that is natural Generation or Procreation of Seed there is the Covenant of Grace established and set up which you see at large Ephes 2.3 and 4 c. That we were by Nature the Children of wrath as well as others when out of Covenant You profess much Scripture Learn to speak in that Holy Language and to call Children of Christians Christians by Nature and not sinners of the Gentiles or Pagans for so Saint Paul speaketh Gal. 2.15 We who are Jews by Nature and not sinners of the Gentiles How Jewer by Nature because they were the Children of the Prophets and of the Covenant born under it Act. 3.25 So are our Children Christians by Nature how not sinners of the Gentiles because born Jewes had not their sins imputed to them though born in original sin as the Gentiles the Covenant being a remedy appointed against it and a means to bring them into Gods favour again and so are our Children not sinners of the Gentiles You that are Parents and are carefull enough to keep sure your inheritances and joyntures of earthly things to you and your Children suffer not your Children to be wrangled out of their birth-right and joynt inheritance they have with your selves in the Covenant of Grace under the name and notion of unbelievers when as the Scriptures never calleth them so but a holy Seed and God hath made you and you Children joynt-partakers of the Covenant and the Seals thereof I have been the longer in this for that I would lay therein some ground-work for something to follow I will be very short in your next Quaere Section II. Of Baptism making Christians and how YOu ask whether Baptism maketh a man or woman a Christian without Faith and following of Christ in all his Commands and Steps left upon Record for our imitation This is a short Quaere and therefore shall be soon answered as not seeing to what purpose it is for you or against me I shall therefore briefly answer something to it out of Rom. 2.28 and 29. distinguishing of the sorts of Christians and the parts of Baprism as he doth of the sorts of Jews and parts of Circumcision As Circumcision which was outward in the flesh made though I do not here approve of this your word and therefore I will use another shewed or declared the Jew outwardly or the outward Jew so Baptism which is outward in the flesh sheweth or declareth the Christian outwardly or the outward Christian And both may be without Faith and following of Christ in all his Commands c. as in Esau and Simon Magus the one Circumcised the other Baptized Again As Circumcision which is of the heart in the Spirit not in the Letter made for here your word may go a Jew inwardly or the inward Jew So Baptism which is of the heart in the Spirit not in the water onely maketh a Christian inwardly or the inward Christian neither of these can be without Faith which parifieth the heart or the fruits of Faith in following of Christ c. Now as the Apostle saith surther He is not a Jew and that is not Circumcision so may I He is not a Christian and that is not Baptism namely approved of God and avaylable to Salvation which are outward onely and literal and therefore every true Jew or Christian must indevour after Faith and Following Christ to speak as you do and to find and get the inward and spiritual substance and nature of these Sacraments which is to worship God in Spirit to believe and rejoyce in Christ Jesus having no confidence in the flesh Phil. 3.3 to put off the sinsull body of the flesh Col. 2.11 That we may draw neer with a true heart in full affurance of Faith having our hearts sprinckled from an evill Conscience and our bodies washed in pure water Heb. 10.22 and may have the washing of Regeneration and the Sprinkling of the Blood of our Lord Jesus within us as Tit. 3.5 and 1 Pet. 1.2 Again There are Made Christians and there are Born Christians or a Proselytical or Parental Christianity As for such who are of the Pagan and Heathen world by Nature They can no otherwise be made Christians or Members of the Church but by a lawful Baptism upon their accession unto the Church and expression of their Faith so the Proselvtes of old were and did whom Baptism made Christians and outward members of the visible Church upon their Confession of Faith like as their Faith if true made them Saints and inward members of the Invisible Church But for them Infants who are in the Church and within the Covenant descended of Parents and in Covenant these are Born Christians and Church-members visible I mean not as born of Christian Parents but as born in and under the Christian Covenant so that their Baptism doth not so much make them to be Christians but only shew and declare them to be such as I said and seal them as Covenanters And howsoever a Positive expression of Faith explicitely be necessary unto a Heathen Born for his Admission unto his Christianity or Church-membership yet it is not so unto a Christian Born for their Christanity or Church-membership is their Birth-Privilege and Baptism is but their Instalment or inrolment and is but as the Inauguration or unction unto a Prince Born Faith I confess and I mean saving and justifying Faith and so must you seeing you joyn thereto the following of Christ in all his Commands and Steps left upon Record for our Imitation is absolutely requisite unto Born Christians as a Condition to their partaking and enjoyment of the Benefits and Fruits of Baptism but not absolutely required as the condition to their comming and engaging to the Covenant to the which they have a good Title and Right without present actual Faith unless you will affirm that all the Jewes who came to Circumcision had the like and all the whole Congregation of Israel man woman and child who Deut. 29. entred into Covenant with God had a saving and a justifying Faith In a word Baptism without Faith may declare a visible Christian but incompleatly
is a great deal of distance and difference twixt a Warrant out of Gods word and a Command or Precept out of the same I shall I hope bring you forth some warrants out of the word for our Baptizing Infants but for a Precept or Command for the same I am not engaged no nor required to give by this your Quaere Warrants enough and those from the word I shall serve upon you for though a Warrant from a Justice be a Precept Missive yet a Permissive will of God which is no Precept for it may be a Warrant of an Action and such are and may be any solid Reason or good Consequence or like example drawn there from which though it will not be admitted for a Precept may serve for a Warrant A. first Warrant shall be this Reason which is but a recollection or recapitulation of somewhat immediatly said before If Infants of Christians are all of them capable and some of them partakers of the Spirit and Faith and other inward Graces Then they may and ought to be Baptized This is warranted out of the word and those Texts Act. 8.36 Act. 10.47 The one warranting Baptism to a believer the other to him who hath received the Holy Ghost whether young or old Infant or grown person If Thou believest saith Philip thou mayest be Baptized when the Eunuch asked what doth hinder me so Faith it was that made him capable and removed the hindrance though upon his confession of his Faith it being not otherwise discernable he having no other right pleadable he being one o' the Gentiles He was actually Baptized So can any man forbid water that these should not be Baptized who have received the Holy Ghost as we and so he Commanded them to be Baptized That particular Hypothetical if thou believest c. thou may'st be Baptized may and must be resolved into this general Categorical whosoever Believeth may be Baptized Man or Child Young or Old and howsoever Cornelius and the rest their receiving of the Spirit was in the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit then manifesting it self that way yet any other manifestation of the Spirit any word or act of God declaring that Persons do belong to Gods Covenant as some or other way the Spirit doth manifest it self in all that do belong to Gods Covenant is to us and ought to be to you a sufficient Warrant without any danger of will-worship to account them such and therefore to Baptize them be it this pouring out of extraordinary gists as here upon Cornelius and others or the Consession of Faith as in Philip or Repentance as in those that came to John the Baptist or be it a promise to believing Parents-and their Seed to be their God or Gods owning them as Persons belonging to the Church or any other ordinary Gifts and Graces of the Spirit or the Spirits supplying their infirmities in these cases can any man forbid water that these should not be Baptized This Interrogative and quaestionipropounding Speech may and must be resolved into a Nagative-Answer absolutely No man can forbid water rightly for that 's done that is rightly done or done of Right anless he will forbid that which God hath Commanded and some of these we have abundantly for the Infants of believing Parents where no man can forbid there God Commands that they who have received the Holy Gholst should be Baptized The resule also out of this is this general Proposition whoseever whether Infant or grown Person hath received the Holy Ghost whether apparently or secretly ordinarily or miraculously whether in sight or Faith hath a right to Baptism no man can forbid it and in one of the particulars Peter here Commands it See how I have gratified you beyond a Warrant with a little less than a Command for the Baptizing of Infants if having Faith and the Spirit as many yea all the Elect of them have whom we not able to know one from the other particularly do therefore Baptize all under the Covenant with God More briefly and syllogistically thus take it as I recollect it All Persons who have received the Holy Spirit or have Faith are Commanded by God in Scripture to be Baptized as appears by the two Texts here cited But some Infants of Christians have received the Holy Spirit or have Faith as appears by many Texts formerly cited Therefore some Infants are Commanded by God in Scripture to be Baptized A Second Warrant is This Reason It Infants of Christian Parents be in the Holy Covenant of God and have the same engraven upon them and established with them Then they are to be Baptized and to receive Baptism as the initial seal thereof This Reason is warranted or this warrant may be reasoned out of the word Gen. 17.9 c. and Rom. 4.11 for it s there apparent and the light there shining dazzles all Antipaedobaptists they cannot abide to look thereon that as Abraham and his Proselytes grown men upon their profession of their Faith were Circumcised so the seed or Children of Abraham and those Proselytes were Circumcised as Children of Parents in Covenant and joyned together with them in covenant and both these are there expresly Commanded and so this also that the seed of Abraham and his Proselytes should be Circumcised by vertue and reason of Gods Covenant with them which was to be sealed unto them by Circumcision Now as the Being of Infants in Covenant under the Law made them capable of and gave them a due Right to Circumcision the Initial seal of that Covenant under the Law so the being of Infants in Covenant under the Gospel makes them capable of and gives them a due or Right to Baptism the Initial seal of the Covenant under the Gospel The Covenant being the same for substance and in relation to the eternal wel are of the Soul as in the nâ—x I shall shew which being so if Anabaptists passing by this reason from the Covenant will insist still upon the meer and sole Commandement of God I must tell them the Text saith not Thou shalt keep my Command but thou shalt keep my Covenant implying that this Command of Circumcision had reference to the Covenant and was part of it For here God is to be considered not in his absolute Prerogative commanding but as God in respective mercy Covenanting with his people and all his Commands are to be taken as branches of his Covenant and all prounded upon his Free-grace in Jesus Christ therefore Gen. 17.10 and 13. God calls expresly Circumcision by the name of his Covenant to teach you and all others that will learn that the Covenant made Infants capable of the Seal and not Gods meer Commandement as you and your notional and metaphysical Masters do abstract who love to play with your own Fancies and Imaginations whereas the Seal is nothing but the confirmation of the Covenant and appointed and commanded so to be of God But the Covenant in order of Nature going before the Seal thereof
found even of all which are done throughout the whole life Ambrose the Bishop of Millain by whom Augustine was Converted and Baptized in his Book of Abraham the Patriark lib. For the year 381. 2. Chap. 11. writing upon those words unless a man be born again of water and the Spirit See saith he Christ excepts none not the Infant not the prevented by some necessity c. Every age is obnoxious to sin therefore every age is fit for the Sacrament So also in his Epistle ad Demetriadem Virginem he mention eth the Baptism of Children Epist 84. lib. 10. speaking in that Epistle against Pride and Boasting of some especially Hearetiques and shewing the evill effects thereof to the defending false opinions extenuating of evil and sin and the evacuating of some good gives these two Instances amongst others Hence the sin of Adam is affirmed to hurt his Posterity by example not by passage or transition into them Hence is that Evacuation of the Baptism of little Children as if they should be said to have Adoption given there but not to be absolved from their guilt and again Though little ones not Baptized may or should be saved yet great is the negligence of those that hindeed their Baptizing In his Book de vocat lib. 2. cap. 8. he mentioneth Baptism of Children three or four times and once thus They speak very ill and unjurly of little Children who say Grace hath there what it may Adopt but the water hath not there what it may wash away speaking of such as deoyed sin in little Children Paulinus Bishop of Nola in Camqania For the year 379. a man famous for Poetry and Eloquence Piety and munificence a good acquaintance of Augustine and Hierom betwixt whom and Him there passed sundry Epistles a great favorite and familiar of Ambrose whose life he wrote as also of Sulpitius Severus to whom he wrote 14. Epistles As the Beginning of the twelfe Epistle to the same Sulpitius Severus hath these two verses whhich for your sake I must be fain to tranflate into English Thence from the Sacred Font the Priest did lead it The Infant white in body heart and habit Epiphanius For the year 376. In his first Book Haer. 8. The Figures were in the Law the Truth in the Gospel Circumcision which served for a time gave place to the Great Circumcision which is Baptism which Circumciseth us from sin and Sealeth us into the Name of God In His Book against the Cerinthians Circumcision had its time untill the Great Circumcision came that is the washing of the New-birth as is manifest to every one Surely he meant that which the Apostle calls so that is Baptism the washing or Laver of Regeneration and by calling Baptism the Great Circumcision he must intend Infant Baptism as Infant-Circumcision and speaks of them as of things manifest and wel-known the Carnal or fleshly Baptism as Circumcision In the end of his work calls Baptism and other mysteries observed in the Church which are brought out of the Gospel and setled by Apostolique Authority Traditions and then in his Time Baptism was ministred to Infants and observed Gregory Nazianzene For the year 375. In his 40. Oration of Holy Baptism largely speaketh of it the brief is in the Question and Answer What say ye of those who are of tender Age and perceive neither dammage or Grace shall we Baptize those Yes surely if any danger be it is better to be Sanctified without sense and feeling then to depart without the Seal and Initiation Circumcision bearing in a manner the figure of Baptism was offered to them who were void of Reason c. calleth also Baptism the Seal or Signet to such as enter into the Race of Life Basil the Great For the year 372. Bishop of Caesarea 1 Tom. Exhortation to Baptism wherein though the Baptism of Infants is not named yet I find these words There is a proper and peculiar time for this and that as for sleep for watching for warring the Time for Baptism is the whole life of man which he proves at large and again without Baptism there is no light to the Soul and then adds the Jew was compelled or forced to Circumcision because every soul which was not Circumcised the eighth day was to be cut off wilt thou defer the Circumcision not made with hands which is performed by Baptism in the putting of the flesh When wilt thou be a Christian Athanasius Q. 91. For the year 325. Of the Sayings and Interpretation of Scripture We dip or put the Infant thrice into the water and thrice bring it out insignification of the death and resurrection of Christ upon the third day I shall also here set down an answer of his Quest 2. to Antiochus because it confirmes what I have writ before of Infants having the Holy Spirit How shall we know that the Infant was truly Baptized and received the Holy Ghost in Holy Baptism when it was a Child but the answer is long and shall not need because I would be short The Question is enough to the purpose and sheweth both that Athanasius held both infant-Infant-Baptism and therein affirmed them to receive the Holy Spirit the very question makes it unquestionable as to him Again in his Treatise of the Sabbath and Circumcision Hee calls Circumcision a type of Baptism Cyprian Bishop of Carthage and a Martyr For the year 247. The higher we go the cleerer the light shines for the Baptism of Infants for now here Cyprian with 66 Colleagues all Bishops do in a Councel at Carthage decree for it and so Certifieth his Friend Fidus in an Epistle to him third Book of Epistles Ep. 8. Yea that whole Epistle written by Cyprian and his 66 Colleagues sitting in Council with him The Title of it is of Infants to be Baptized and the subject of the whole Epistle is to justifie the Baptizing of them and answereth the objections of Fidus. As to the Cause the Baptism of Infants we all have judged that the mercy and Grace of God is not to be denyed to any Child born of man c. and that there is the same equallity of grace for the young Infant as the Elder God is no respecter of personages nor ages Yea he gives divers reasons why Infants and the rather and the sooner because Infants should be Baptized which for brevity sake I leave out here as who am onely upon the shewing having proved the Baptism of Infants before the Custom and Practice of Antiquity herein This Epistle also is owned and avouched both by Hierome Au-Augustine to be the true Epistle of Cyprian by Hierom as above is said and by Augustine Epistle 28. unto Hierome saying Cyprian did not here devise a New decree but kept and observed the true Faith or the faithful Practice and Custom of the Church Yea this Epistle of Cyprian was a very strong ground for them both to stand upon and they very much relyed
your errors then you cite the Text onely but write not the words for want of time and truth too and so feed their senses onely with figures and numbers onely sending them away to search out the words for their satisfying their understandings as the Egyptians did the Isaelites to finde out straw for their burning the Brick But I remember your last Text you cited wherewith you think you have hit us home was that off the Scribes and Pharisees laying heavy burdens upon mens or the peoples shoulders and not moving them with one of their fingers I have put by the blow as of all the other your Texts alleged against us so of this and the Scribism of the same and have made them to recoil-back fly in your own face because you overcharged and had no kill to charge aright you hold as great if not a greater correspondency with the Pharisees than the Scribes Few of you are Scribes more are Pharisees for you are like unto them in your name the word Pharisee signifying Separate as formerly I said so in your corrupting and false interpreting of Scripture this I have shewed throughout this Discourse so in your high conceipt of your own righteousness and holiness this you manifest in your scornful and supercilious looâ—s and speeches so in your compassing the Land to make you Proselites and ambitious seeking the people and their applause this all men see and you will not deny I adde lastly which makes the wonder that people run after you in your laying heavy burthens and grievous to be borne upon the shoulders of men and women This latter is the thing I will shew out off Act. 15. where ver 5. There arose up certain of the Sect of the Pharisees which believed or professed Jesus to be the Messia saying it was needful to Circumcise the newly converted Brethren c. the matter is decided in the 10. ver 28. ver Now therefore why tempt you God who put a yoke upon the neck of the Disciples which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear And it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary thing c. Out of which I gather and deduct this one General Proposition leaving out the particular of Circumcision Things laid upon Christians or Disciples more than necessary are a burden and yoke and seemeth not good to the Holy Ghost but is a tempting of God Joyn we issue now in brief Here the Pharisees of the old separation said it was needful to Circumcise the new converted Chirstians or Disciples and you of the newer separation say it is needful to re-Baptize grown and professing Christians or Disciples upon a particular confession of their Faith are not you now agreeable to the Pharisees in laying on a burden and a yoke upon the necks and shoulders off the Disciples and Christians But how do I shew this latter to be a burden or yoke why from the Proposition here because the re-Baptizing of Christians or Disciples who were Baptized formerly in their Infancy is more than needful or necessary andthat it is so my whole last part of this Discourse which now I am finishing hath amply Demonstrated yea your own Rule given to me at first doth joyntly attest the same the which is this of all things necessary to Salvation the Scripture hath either a Command or an Example or both Now shew me for that your practise any Command of God Expresse or Implicite or by Consequence for such your re-Baptizing Or any Example of any grown person or Christians formerly Baptized so re-Baptized if you cannot hold you your peace they are your own words I will speak you a Pharisee laying upon mens necks and shoulders a yoke and a burden and moreover by doing so a tempter of God and doer of that which seemed not good unto the Holy Ghost and the Apostles Again for you to require of Infants born in Covenant with God and of Parents in Covenant with God an external confession or profession of Faith before you will put them under the initial Seal of that Covenant and in the mean while to with hold this from them until they shall do that is a putting a yoke and burden upon their necks and shoulders to hinder them in their Christian progresse it is to tempt the Lord and to put him upon other means for Infants Salvation than Baptism and its a doing of that which seemeth not good to the Spirit and the Apostles assembled and determining the case in a holy Synod for that it is a requiring more of Infants than is necessary to needful for their Baptism Yet once more The leading of grown Christians Baptized before into some deep Pond and therein re-Baptizing them plunging and holding them some while there under water over-head and ears body and cloaths too is a yoke upon the neck and a burthen put and laid upon the head and shoulders heavy and grievous to be borne especially of the aged infirm and sickly and a doing of more than is necessary unto the administration of Baptisin unseemly and superfluous if not ridiculous and so more than seemeth good un to the Holy Ghost and the Apostles met in Counsel yea it is an tempting of God and some as I have heard have sickned and died soon after thereupon of which I shall discourse at large in my Narration censure of a late dipping which followeth Now see Sir by this whether we Ministers of the Church of England or you Separates from the same be like to the Pharisees And so I have retorted all your Texts and returned them to you again to apply them to your selves or to apply your selves to them I shall therefore onely give you the like friendly farewel at the end of my Letter as you gave me in yours namely a few Texts of Scripture to consider of and seriously to weigh some for your self and others that take upon you to be Preachers of the Separation to consider of and that not slightly as you use Numb 16.11 and 12. 2 Chron. 26.18 Jer. 23.21 31 32. 2 Corinh 11.13 14 15. 2 Tim. 3.5 6 7 8 9. Tit. 1.10 and 11. Heb. 5.4 and 5 2 Pet. 2.18 19. 2 Pet. 3.16 Some for your followers and others that hear you and if any of my people be amongst them for them also to consider of and that not lightly 2 Chron. 36.15 16. Jerem. 2.13 Matth. 24 23 24 25 26. Mark 12. 38 39 40. Luke 21.1 with Mat. 16.6 and 12. Rom. 16.17 18 Gal. 4.16 17 18. Gal. 5.7 8 9 10. 2 Tim. 4.3 and 4. Heb. 10.23 and 24 Heb. 13.9 2 Pet. 2.12 Jude 17 18 19. 20. And this one for all and every one of you 1 Tim. 6.3 4. 5. You see Sir I do not as you did for whereas in the matter of Proof I have written out the words of every Text to the full here in point of Reproof I onely name the Texts and no
how quickly it hath made you a right and perfect Scribe and taught you the art and skill and practice too of your master which is to pervert Scripture wresting it to your own ill intents and purposes and worsting it against its own good meaning and sense For all this that you have cited here The accusation of a new thing may justly and manifestly still lie against you for your dipping whilst there goeth along with them and their conquering the Revelation of a new song or that new song of the Revelation But I must remember that I have entitled this to be a word and work of Catechising the Dipper as I have Instructed the Scribe And instead of many Quaeres which I received I shall give but these four Questions 1. Was not the person dipping a new thing 2. Persons dipped a new thing 3. Place where a new thing 4. And the very Dipping it self for the 1. Action 2. Maner a new thing If either of them be such then let this be my first Catechistical Quaere to you of the person Dipping and tell me or shew me Quaere 1. What warrant you have from any precept or example in facred Scripture or succeeding Primitive Antiquity for one Lay-Breother no Minister called or ordained to be the Dipper or Bapitzer of another or any Paul indeed Baptized Crispus and Gaius and the houshold of Stephanas 1 Cor. 1.14 16. The same Paul baptized the jaylor and all his and a certain woman named Lydia Acts 16.14 33. Peter baptized Cornelius and his houshold Acts 10.48 So Ananias baptized Saul Acts 9.18 Philip baptized the people of Samaria and Simon the sercerer Acts 8.12 13. And the three thousand souls which were added unto the Church were baptized by the twelve Apostles with the assistance of the seventy two Disciples Acts 2.38 41. And so the Commission was given by Christ to the Apostles as of Preaching so of Baptizing Mat. 28.19 20. And so it was from the beginning The first Baptist was John who baptized all them of Judea and Jerusalem and Christ himself and his Disciples Now John I know and Philip I know and Ananias I know and Paul I know and Peter I know and the twelve Apostles I know and the seventy two Disciples I know and the seven Deacons I know that they were servants of the most High sent and appointed of God to shew unto us the way of salvation and to minister the holy Ordinances Acts 16.17 Acts 10.15 But who are ye Ye that go for Dippers And whereas it is said that Peter commanded them tob e baptized it seems that together with Peter some other Brethren also present there either assisted in bringing water or it may be in pouring on water or aspersing therewith the houshold of Cernelius but at the command and call of Peter and God chiefly who had baptized them before with the holy Spirit Besides they the Brethren were some such of the Disciples who had before an ordinary calling to such like work if not here they had extraordinary to this in present Thus John 1.25 the Pharisees I wonder how the Scribes hypocrites kept off for if as usually they had been here joyned then you and yours had been here fetcht in in their scrupling at John resolved the point saying unto him Why baptizest thou then if thou be not that Christ nor Elias nor that Prophet And at the 33. verse John sheweth his Authority namely his Mission He that sent me to baptize with water The Baptist was of Gods sending nay when Johns disciples came and told him saying Rabbi He that was with thee beyond Jordan to whom thou barest witness behold the same baptizeth and all men come to him John answered and said A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven John 3.26 27. So giving us a rule in general first No man can lawfully baptize except he be authorized from above that is sent of God So at 34. ver he applieth and expoundeth in the particular of himself as before so here of Christ He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God And thus the Author to the hebrews Chap 5. ver 4. giveth both the same Rule in general No man taketh this honor unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Also maketh the application in particular to Christ ver 5. So also Christ glirified not himself to be made an high priest but he that said Thou art my son he said also Thou art a priest c. To circumcise was a ward of the Legal and to baptize of the Evangelical Keyes and they belonged onely to the Priests and Apostles and their successors in both admiministrations So then still I ask the Question Who are ye who take upon you I hope not to call over them which have evil spirits the name of the Lord saying We adjure you by Jesus yet to call over them whom ye think to have the holy Spirit The name of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost saying We baptize you in the name of these § 1. Your answer is They are Brethren set apart by fasting and prayer of the Church to administer holy Ordinances But if this would do it that they are Brethren and that they are set apart why do ye not all at times become Dippers for ye are all spearate Brethren there is but one letter less and as little literature in a brother separate then or as in a brother sot apart And if truly set apart to administer holy Ordinances why do they not give over as in ordinary their secular Trades and Laicall Callings and wholly or chiefly tend upon such Administrations unto which they are set apart for so is both the precept and example of the word you so much pretend to Separate me Barnabas and Sakl for the work whereunto I have called them Acts 13.2 Give thy self wholly unto them i.e. Reading Doctrine Exhortation and the Gifts given thee 1 Tim. 4.15 It is not meet we should leave the Word of God and serve Tables Acts 6.2 and much less Stalls § 2. If set apart by or of whom I pray by and of the Church you say and what Church do you mean sure your own small private company of Believers or be you a great publique multitude of them And now are you not again out of the good old way yes sure for Christ never gave unto such a Church no not to the whole community of people Believers as Believers any such power and authority to set apart a Brother or Brothers to admi-ister the Ordinances of Christ as Preaching Baptizing but onely to such as himself chose out of the Church and believers to be Guides and Pastors of the same So of old Ephes 4.11 He gave some Apostles and seme Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and it followeth for the Church its perfecting and edifying c. not to the Church to ordain and set apart the Authority is Christs to
give repentance to the acknowledging of the truth 2 Tim. 2.24 25. 1. The children of Israel are said to be all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea 1 Cor. 10.2 the Red sea being an antitype of the Waters of Baptism and the cloudy pillar an antitype of the Spirit yet were they not dipped in the cloud dashed they might be and wetted with the cloud and some showers or drops falling from it as they passed under it going before them and behinde them at times as Exod. 14.22 but dipped or immerged in or into it you will not say I suppose nor can you say I think that the Israelites were dipped in or under the waters of the Red Sea as which were a wall unto them both on the right hand and on the left so that they walked dry foot and dry shod through the same sprinkled they might be and washed a little with some droppings and aspersions from the walls but dipped and immerged they were not in them and yet baptized I the rather and at first instance in this because the Apostle doth himself call this a figure or example of our Baptism at the 6. and 10. verses for as in that passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea they were preserved and their enemies the Egyptians drowned so by our undergoing and partaking of Baptism the water whereof representeth the blood of Christ to us our fouls are saved and our enemies sin and our natural corruption are enfeebled and overthrown so as remitted unto us thereby it cannot have dominion or bring damnation 2. Our Saviour asketh the two ambitious Suitors Can ye be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with and foretelleth them With the Baptism that I am baptized with shall ye be baptized Mark 10.38 39. What did he mean that either himself or those two Apostles should be dipped all over in blood and immerged therein no rather but that they should be sprinkled with the drops thereof and besmeared with the same so himself Though blood trickled down his head by the pricking of the Thorns and blood ran down his back by the cuttings of the scourge and blood issued out with water out of his side by the piercings of the spear and blood fell out of his hands and feet by the wounding of the spikes and nailes sprinkled he might be and aspersed in body and so was with blood but dipt and immerged he was not and yet baptized with the baptism thereof and as for the two Brothers James was killed of Herod with the sword Act. 12.2 and so he was baptized in blood but not dipt in it and John was banished by Domitian into the Isle of Patmos in the 90 year of the Nativity of Christ which was as every persecution is a kind of such baptism as is here meant by our Saviour where he endured Exile nine or ten years and there wrote the Revelation to the Churches but being after released by Trajanus he returned to Ephesus and there wrote his Gospel and there dyed in the 100. year after the Nativity he onely amongst all the Aposties being the Survivor of them all siccâ morte sine sanguine as some say though Augustine Libro Soliloq Cap. 29. Tom. 9. hath these words Veneni poculum Johanues intrepidus potavit He was forced to drink a cup of poyson but he saith not that he died thereof so if he were not baptized with the baptism that Christ was he drank of the cup which Christ did and foretold he should die also in the same Text. 3. John the Baptist told the people that He who came after him meaning Christ should baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire Mat. 3.11 and Christ himself foretold the Apostles they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many dayes hence Acts 1.5 and so they were on the day of Pentecost following when there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the holy Ghost Acts 2.3 4. thus were they baptized with fire and the holy Ghost but not dipped or immerged in that fire but rather aspersed or superfused according to the phrase of Scripture I will pour out my spirit Joel 2.28 and the spirit was shed abundantly Titus 3.6 I could tell you of more baptizings for so the word is in the original of Cups Tables and Beds as they are mentioned in the Evangelist Mark 7.4 The which howsoever they may fit you well as being Pharisaical and Hypocritical and me also as wherein there was no dipping or immerging but onely washing and rubbing I passe by for brevity sake as also that which the Fathers call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called since the Baptism of Repentance in which they were not merged or drowned in tears that 's but a metaphorical phrase to shew an abundance of their weeping but onely sprinkled and perfused with tears by which they did seek and desire the remission of their sins and also found and obtained the same 4. I will add but one more 1 Cor. 15.29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead whether it be taken passively according to the translation for those who were baptized with water for dead i.e. given over for dead or ready to die or whether Actively and Passively for those who did baptize and also were baptized over the dead i upon the graves of the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being oft as here put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as learned Beza observeth upon Mat. 17.27 and Mark 10.48 or whether it be meant who are washed for dead their dead bodies are washed according to the custom of the Patriarchs as yet then retained in the Church and mentioned to be done unto Dorcas Acts 9.37 who being dead they washed and laid in an upper chamber which way soever that Baptizing with water be meant it cannot imply any dipping or immerging as being unto dying persons or unto persons baptized over graves or unto dead bodies And thus I have shewed you that there may be baptizings where there are no dippings and immergings and that this derivative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is of a larger signification then its original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to the general and therefore that it can be no Argument to prove your dipping to be the baptizing because baptism is a derivative word from the root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to dip And so I come now to the very particular work in hand and shall take it not onely in the Grammatical and Theological sense but in the very Sacramental and Mystical meaning the properly baptizing with water In the Name of the Father and the Son and the holy Ghost so as John the Baptist Peter and Paul and Philip and the Deacons and the 72 Disciples gave and ministred its so as Jerusalem and all Judea round about Jordan Christ and the Apostles the 3000. the 5000. the Eunuch Lydia
or shoulders and to have laid them down backward in the waters and to have lifted them up again out of the waters being now more heavy in their drenched garments and to have set them upon their feet again surely John the Baptist would soon have been spent that way or had needed many other Baptists under him half a score of such dippers as your Brother is to have assisted him daily and continually to have dispatched such multitudes as daily and continually resorted to him Amongst which great multitudes that came continually unto him from all quarters of Jerusalem and Judea and other Regions about I cannot but think that many sickly and weakly and diseased persons hearing of the great fame of such a Prophet as John the Baptist was who not onely preached the doctrine of Repentance and of the Messias come or shortly to come but baptized into Remission of sin through the same came flocking to him or were led or brought by others as desirous to partake of so great a blessing and mercy before they departed the world like as Mat. 4.24 25. And now can you think or imagine that Joh◠when he baptized such would dip or immerge them under water over head and ears thereby to endanger their lives and in the curing their souls of sin to destroy their bodies of life when as with more safety to them and to as much efficacy he might onely asperse or sprinkle them with water or lay it on with his hand upon some part of their body or head rather If farther you add that it is said in the original that John baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in water which he could not do unless he stood and dipped them in water Sayest thou this thing of thy self or did others tell it thee of him I am sure you could not say it of your self who know nothing of the original but your sin if that and therefore for those others that told you so of him tell them from me that it is right enough translated and rendred to their hand if they can take it with water that Greek particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very often signifieth and is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with or by and that in the Gospel as Mat. 26.52 they that take the sword shall perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by or with the sword and so Luke 22.49 Lord shall we smite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by or with the sword c. But to draw up if John the Baptist was in the River of Jordan with the people that came to him how was it possible for him to stand there in the cold water all the day and every day dipping and immerging their whole bodies in and under the water and if he was out of the water upon the brink or bank of Jordan how was it possible for him to dip and immerge with his hands the whole bodies of those and so many as came to be baptized For whereas it may be replyed that John came straightway up also out of the water and therefore he stood in the water and baptized there Mark 1.10 if the words of straightway coming up out of the waters refer not to Christ but to John then it s spoken of John that he did so after the baptizing of Christ onely At the baptizing of others as they came and went away John stirred not from them but discoursing many things of Repentance and Faith in the Messias to come both whilst he was baptizing them afterwards and so before they departed out from him he inculcated to them of the Faith of the Fruits of Baptism as Mat. 3.8 9 10 there is the sum of his instructions to the people set down which because as he knew Christ had no need of therefore as soon as he had baptized him he straightway came forth with Christ out of the water and the rather to see the Heavens opening and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove and so further to instruct the people thereupon Again if the people baptized were dipped and immerged with their cloathes on their bodies it was the more heavy too heavy a work to be done by one if with their cloaths off the multitudes coming consisting of men and women some doubtless weak and sickly it was too dangerous a work to be done too immodest a spectacle to be caused or endured by that holy and reverend Prophet of God Hereupon my opinion is clear to my self but with a Salvo to the naked immersions of the whole body by the Ancients cited onely by me to disprove the cloathed dippings of Anabaptists to be the old way yet not so stiff but that it is ready to bend yield to the spirit of the Prophets upon better evidence given that Christ the people baptized of Joh. came indeed to the River Jordan and into it some little way it may be or abode in the brink thereof the people confessing their sins so John the Baptist from his hands taking up water poured it upon their heads or sprinkled and aspersed it upon their heads or faces The which manner of baptizing by aspersing or infusing of water doth yet plainer appear unto me out of the 2 Acts 41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls What do you think of these three thousand baptized in one day were they dipped and immerged so many bodies in one day by Peter and the Apostles how could they if they had bin together in or at a River but where they were gathered together in the City and in one place thereof there was neither River nor Fontain nor Wels nor Ponds to be dipped and immerged in in their whole bodies neither is there any fyllable of their removing or going out of the City to Rivers or Ponds and how then could they be so many baptized there but as I said by aspersing water upon them or pouring water upon their heads the very place and the persons the multitude of those who were to be baptized and the paucity of those who did baptize do plainly evidence that the 3000 were not dipped but aspersed onely at that great and first baptizing after Christs Ascension No nor Lydia and her houshold though by a River side abroad when she was converted and baptized was dipped and immerged in her cloaths or out of her cloath◠and so much less those other housholds of grown persons and professors baptized in private by the Apostles as of Cornelius Stephanas c. these or any of these cannot be said or thought to be dipped and merged under water in their whole bodies cloathed or naked without great inconveniences difficulties improbabilities if not impossiblities all which are and may be avoided by the other way of baptizing And thus Sir you may see and feel too unless you will run into darknes in the day time grope
in the noon-day as in the night that there is no footing or bottom in any River or Pond in Scripture for your dipping and immerging baptism How dare you then cry this up as the onely good old way of baptizing and determine that and decree it so to be even the very practice of John the Baptist and the very Acts of the Apostles and the mind of the Spirit when as it never seemed good to the holy Ghost and to them to lay upon us no greater burthen then the necessary things of which your immersion and dipping is none I am sure a burden indeed but not necessary thing sure if there had bin or were any such necessity or but conveniency thereof to the perfecting and compleating baptism as that without it baptism should not be true and right as of old the wind that bloweth where it listeth and the spirit that breatheth where it pleaseth would in some place or other of the Gospel have blown and breathed out unto us something of it nay rather hereof is a very great silence of your dipping and immerging though much speech and practice of baptizing Christ saith as elsewhere to the winde peace and be still and the spirit rather holds in its breath no words here are made no circumstances are given no consequences are to be drawn out for this dipping diving putting off or on of cloathes laying or lying down in the waters of ponds as is used by you at your baptizing But I shall now tell you that the winde bloweth fair and the spirit breatheth strongly and sweetly and that of old too for our sprinkling and aspersing Baptism and I perceive this sound from heaven will come suddenly upon you before you looked for it as of a mighty rushing winde and I wish it may fill all the house where you and your Brethren are sitting and that you would take them the Texts I mean into your considerations unless they be all spent and sent away to me in your Brothers Letter wherein he gave me so many considerations 1. Now of these Texts 1. Some are Typical as all those in the Pentateuch especially which speaks of the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifices as Levit. 16.14 The Priest shall take the blood of the Bullock and shall sprinkle it before the Mercy-Seat 2. Some are Prophetical and allude unto Baptism as that of Ezek. 36.25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness by the which I mean the thing signified in and by the Baptismal-water even the cleansing blood of Christ the which David aimed at when he said also Wash me from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin and I shall be whiter then snow Psal 51.2 7. 3. Some other Texts are Mystical and represent it as Heb. 10.22 12.24 ye are come to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel and again Let us draw nigh with a true heart in full assurance having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Here is mention of sprinkling and washing with a reflexion upon the pure water or baptism the which another Text sheweth 1 Pet. 3.21 where he nameth Baptism where having spoken of the eight souls saved by water in the Ark He saith The like Figure whereunto even Baptism doth now also save us by the resurrection of Christ so then like as the Ark saved Noah and his family by water so doth Baptism save us by water by being washed and sprinkled therewith as they were in the Ark for so the Apostle specifieth and hath no words of dipping or immerging as not conducing to the salvation of them or of the Ark it self which may be a fifth Text or instance where that is said to be baptized which was not dipt or immerged Again 4ly 1 Pet. 1.2 the Apostle there mentioneth the sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ as the inward grace and thing signified of the outward sign and water in Baptism Now wherefore in all these or the most of these places doth the Spirit of God set forth the manner of application of Christs blood and the spiritual grace by the sprinkling it upon us but to intimate the way and maner of ministration of the Baptismal-water the sign and seal thereof to be by the springling and aspersing it upon us Had you Sir but such a Quaternion of Souldiers as it is called Acts 12.4 four such militant Texts to stand up and fight for your dipping and immerging yea or but an Union one such Text I mean in all the Bible that did but carry the colours or bear up an Ensign a sign or but the name of dipping as they do of sprinkling how would you glory and triumph as the Philistines did when they had gotten Samson into their hands how would you call your friends and neighbours your Brethren and Sisters together especially the two last dipped saying Come rejoyce with me for I have found the piece that was lost a Text for our dipping that was at a loss But it is so still and you are at a loss for it and may be at alas also for it you may go light up a candle and sweep or sweat too and seek diligently and yet not finde a piece of Scripture one Text for your dipping and immerging into and under the water like as I have found out fair texts and pieces of Scripture for our sprinkling and perfusion of water in the time and act of baptizing For as for that Text and piece of Scripture Rom. 6.3 4. Col. 2.12 which are both one that we are buried with Christ in Baptism wherein also we are risen with him I know some do descant and discourse hereout of Immersion into Immoration under and Emersion out of the water of baptism but the Plain Song in this as in other Scripture is this onely that through baptism being truly ingrafted into Christ and made one with him we are made partakers of the merit and efficacy of his death and burial and resurrection for these are included in that to kill and mortifie bury and abolish sin and natural corruption in us Though I add also this that such representation and operation of the death burial and Resurrection of Christ and of us sinners after his example is not then at baptism required of us as which is accidental to baptism or secondarily essential neither is it primarily nor properly the inward grace signified by baptism but the ablution and washing of the soul and cleansing it from the guilt and filth of sin in that Laver of Regeneration is principally intended and primarily essential to baptism like as the putting away the filthiness of the flesh by cutting off the foreskin was to circumcision And lastly if it were so the burial and Resurrection of Christ the main thing in
charge nor are so sparing of their wine our Divines tell them and they should teach their people that a sup of wine as a morsel of bread may do well enough as well if not better then greater quantities of each at the Sacramental Communication according as anciently they did as Gelasius Lyzicenus in Act is Concil Nicaeni cap. 30. reporteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this cause we take not much but little of the Bread and Wine for that we know we take them not to or for satiety but sanctity The like whereof is that of Eucherius Serm. 5. de Pascha Eucharistiae sacrae perceptio non in quantitate sed in virtute consistit quòd corpus sacerdote dispensante tantum est in exiguo quantum esse constat in toto The participation of the holy Eucharist stands not in the quantity but efficacy for that the body of Christ when the Priest dispenseth the same holy Eucharist is as much in a little part of the Wine and Bread as in the whole together I have indeed said the more of this as being in my opinion very needful and necessary to strengthen and arm our selves and our people against the dangerous tentations of the Devil wherewith he and his instruments which are many in these dayes do mainly assault the mindes and scruple the consciences and pervert the faith of the weaker amongst us as indeed they have done to your self Sir by your leave He as he goeth about the earth roaring and they hissing as they creep into houses that their and your sprinkled baptism was no true baptism as being but a little water poured upon your face but onely one part outwardly and telling you if you will be baptized indeed and to purpose you must be dipped and immerged in your whole body and in every part outwardly that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless against the coming of the Lord 1. Thess 5.23 Thus they together have cast a snare upon you they have snared you into their nets and caught you with some other silly Fry as the Spider hath the simple Fly and have dipped and doused you in your cloathes under water you being in their nets the devil in a corner laughing snearing and dancing the while over you even as the Spider doth winde up and truss up the Fly being come into its Cobweb and then skips leaps and runs about it and which I may mark sucks and seeds upon the poor Fly Well Sir if you be willing to come to the acknowledging of the truth as I am zealous to bring you to it and to recover your self out of the snare of the divel who are taken captive by him and others at his will and theirs 2 Tim. 2.25 26 read consider believe the Truth I have set before you but read with impartiality without prejudicateness Consider with indifferency without precipitancy and believe the Truth with submission without resistance and with many other words have I testified the Truth in the answer of your Brother before as well as in this answer to you and have exhorted and do exhort saying Save your selves especially save your self from this untoward and froward Generation Acts 2.40 And if this be not enough that I have said read on still for I have somewhat more to say unto you as willing that you should not perish but come to the knowledge of the Truth and the acknowledgement of your Errors for so also there is somewhat more that you say to me in your Letter thus you write further Sir I wonder how you dare to say that you do imbrace the Truth as it is laid out by Jesus did Jesus ever lay down that a man should learn the Latine and Greek Tongue and so to a Vniversity to read Philosophy and commence Batchelor and Master of Arts and Batchelor and Doctor of Divinity and so come to a Parish there to take a Living from them to the value of 100 l. per annum more or less they nilling willing and there stile himself the Minister of Jesus Christ Did ever Christ lay down that you should take a little water and sprinkle it on the face of an Infant and say you dip them in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost did ever Christ lay down that his Ministers should be his peoples Masters as Lords over Gods Heritage Did Christ lay down that you should take a Parish a Church and to them cast the holy things of the body and blood of Christ as unto a company many of them if not the most of them no better then dogs I my self having been one who was not so good as a god till the grace of God appeared plucking me out of my wicked wayes to the knowledge of the Truth which you fear I have not owned But the day will discover and God will judge between you and us Here is stuff indeed enough to make an onely English-man to speak Greek and Latine of purpose to declare the vanity of such words against Languages like as the Sedentary Philosopher did presently arise and walk about to shew the folly of him who before him denied motion Quis expedivit Psittaco suum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Picasque docuit nostra verba conari I wonder Sir where you learned to speak these our words to spie out our Liberties yea to Pie and Parrat out our Tongues Degrees and Learning of the University your self never living there and now conversing with the Antipodes to the same Auditum spectatum admissi risum teneatis amici Truly friends and Readers so I would join you for that I know all Readers of me will not be friends with me I had not written out this passage but that I would at the closure of my answer present you with this spectacle of ridiculous stuff to move some mirth in you for there is nothing of Oracle or solid matter in it to take up any of your serious eyes ears or thoughts These indeed having been carried now a long time even unto wearisomness and tediousness I fear through the washes deeps and dippings of Ponds and Rivers it is time to bring you now to a fire to warm and dry you and in good time be it spoken as done Here 's an ignis fatuus a smoaking fire-brand a sparkling squib a blazing Comet a crackling thorn-bush enough to smutch a whole University but fear nothing deest ignis there 's no fire under the words nothing but a little flash and fume and new light a noise vox preterea nihil if you cannot warm your hands at it yet clap your hands at it and shout and laugh at it till you have warmed and refreshed your self sufficiently whilst I go on with my answer to such words for there is nothing of matter in them and shew the vanity of vanity in them also and all to be but vanity here Sir How dare you say you embrace the truth laid out by Jesus did ever Jesus lay down
margent wherewith they made Baal And so you do not or did not know that Gods first Covenant of Grace in Christ I will be thy God and the God of thy seed sealed unto you in your Infant-baptism your first Infant-baptism sealing unto you the Covenant of the Grace of God in Christ gave you your knowledge of the Truth your Conversion from your evil wayes your Repentance your Faith and increased these and other Graces in you which you and they prepare for and ascribe to their and your Anabaptism and wherewith they and you would make Anabaptism leaping upon the Altar that they have made and dousing in the Ponds that you go to crying O Baal hear us or Great is Diana of the Ephesians the dipping of the Anabaptists Why halt ye or how long O ye people halt ye between two opinions or two Baptisms 1 Kings 18.21 if your first Infant-baptism be the Seal of Gods Covenant of Grace to you follow it but if the Anabaptists second Dippism be the Seal then follow it Therefore I say farther to them the people and you not I even I onely but we even we also thousands of us remain the Ministers of the Lord and your Prophets are a great many more for every one that will with you may consecrate himself and be a Prophet we as we do will still bring our children and Infants of believing Parents unto Baptism in our Churches pouring on or sprinkling water In the name of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost with invocation or calling on the Name of the Lord and do you as you use go out with your grown but born Christians men and women whom you have with-held from their Baptism in their Infancy or with other grown persons formerly baptized whom you have seduced into your by-wayes and carry them to your dippings and diving them over head and ears body cloathes in your Ponds of the field the Baptism or washing that answereth by fire I mean the Spirit 1 Kings 18.24 and spiritual Graces bringing after to Repentance from evil wayes and unto the knowledge of the Truth let that be the right washing and Baptism indeed All the people I know will and yur selves also must needs answer The word is good and it is well spoken Now then I propose and it s my major proposition most true That washing with water or Baptism which answereth by fire cavil not at the phrase God in or by Baptism I mean and hath the Graces of Gods Spirit Faith Repentance Conversion answerable and following thereupon is that and that onely which is mentioned in the Scriptures as of Gods Institution so conjunction Mat. 3.11 Mark 1.8 Acts 2.38 John 3.6 and in a great many other places which formerly I have brought shewing the correspondence or accompanying the one of or to and after the other the Baptism and the Spirit But I assume and it is my minor proposition yet no less true That neither of your two dippings I call them two in respect of the Subjects which are of two sorts some formerly baptized and some not are to be found in any part of Scripture throughout the whole Bible either instituted of God or conjoyned with fire or the Spirit as my whole Book and this annexed Treatise or Censure hath cleared demonstrated And therefore I may conclude Negatively against your diping by Anabaptists that it answereth not by fire and so you have received from them and it nothing but water no fire no Spirit no Grace no Regeneration no Conversion no plucking out of your evil wayes into the knowledge of the Truth What you have of these Goods or Graces in present you have and received as sparks at your first Baptism in your Infancy which being according to the Scriptures and to Gods Ordinance and Institution answereth by Fire in all Gods elect children as who are inwardly also baptized of the Spirit whch is the fire I mean and speak of which answering also by fire in them afterwards sheweth their Baptism in Infancy to have been according to the Scripture Gods Ordinance and Institution To come up yet closer to you If you Sir be one of those that belong unto the Election and Covenant of Grace as I in charity judged of you as I ought to do when I baptized you and gave you Baptism as the seal of the Covenant then were you baptized with fire i. e. the Spirit as well as water the inward Grace being united to the outward Sign unto such and the Spirit as truly and really and actualy applying the merits and blood of Christ in the justifying and sanctifying vertue unto your soul as I did the water to your body or bodily part of your face or forehead and the invisible Grace of the Sacrament was conveyed to you by such visible means so that if you had dyed in your Infancy this your Baptism had been to you supposing you still an Elect Infant as a seal of the Righteousness of Christ extraordinarily applied by the holy Ghost to your Justification and Salvation God hath now suffered you to live to years of discretion I must therefore put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift or Grace of God which is in you as Paul speaketh to Timothy 2 Tim. 1.6 I cannot say by the putting on of my hands but I may by the pouring on of that water with my hands The word in the original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stir up that fire of the Spirit I spake of and to quicken up the grace of Baptism that hath lien under the ashes throughout your youthful and sinful dayes of ignorance that so now it may kindle and burn brighter in you You are now to bestir your self in reading the Word and hearing it preached by such Ministers as God sendeth into the Church and amongst them him especially who baptized you at first that so you may come to Faith by such means and by Faith now actually lay hold on the promises of the Covenant of Grace touching Justification Remission and Adoption and enjoy them to your use and comfort which were but made and sealed in your Baptism as to every Elect Childe of God and estated upon you on Gods part as to your Right and Title I do not say that your Baptism properly did give you or primarily the Right and Interest you have unto God and Christ Gods free Covenant and promise did it but it sealed up onely and mainly confirmeth that Right and Interest which you had already even then in Gods Govenant and Promise Gods Word is as good as his Bond and his Promise as effectual as his Seal your Baptism as the other Sacrament was not for the strengthning or effectualizing of Gods Covenant but to the confirming and supporting your faith in apprehending it I would make this very plain to you hoping it may be for some good to you Suppose an Estate made over unto you in your Infancy by a Will and Testament under Seal you
is one and the same in both and both but one and the same baptisme as to the Essence they differ indeed in Circumstance John baptising into Christ as to come and to suffer and Christs Apostles baptising into Christ as come and suffered If you alledge the words of John against this Matth. 3.11 I baptise you with Water but be that cometh after me shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire it is but a poor shift to shift off that to the baptisme of John and Christ which is put upon the persons of John and Christ for the words carry onely a difference of the Ministers of one and the same baptisme John dispencing it outwardly in Water by the hand of Man Christ dispencing it inwardly by the Finger of his Spirit which is as Fire It s but Popish sophistry to compare Johns baptism with water and Christs baptisme with Fire Johns baptisme with water is onely to be compared to Christs baptisme with water and then both the baptisme of John and of Christ are but one both in Authority for Christ Authorised and Appointed it John 3 3. Hâ— that sent me to baptise with water c waâ— God as also in Essence as I hinted for John used the right Element and matter and baptised with Water and the right Words or form invocating the sacred Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost is appears both because it was the form known to John and the Apostles who certainly baptised many before the death of Christ and before that form was solemnly and publickly declared Math. 28.19 after Christs Death and Resurrection besides that in the 19. of the Acts Saint Paul testifieth that John baptised into faith on Christ to come and so knowing Christ he could not be ignorant of the Father and the Spirit yea John 1.33 there is a manifest Testimony of the Father sending to him and telling him of the Spirits descending like a Dove upon him who was the Son of God So thirdly they were the same in effect and efficacy For John preached and practised the baptisme of Repentance for or unto the Remission of Sins Marke 1.4 the same which the Apostles did in and by their administration of baptisme And Christ himself testifieth that the baptisme of John pertained to the fulfilling of righteousnesse Matth. 3.15 and that the Publicans and People being baptised of John Justified God But the Phariseet despising the Counsel of God were not baptised Luke 7.29 Whereby it appears that Johns baptisme was a part of that All Righteousnesse a piece of the whole Counsel of God which they that partaked of Justified and declared God to be good and righteous Were it not so the Apostles themselves might be questioned whether truly baptised as who were no doubt baptised of John some of them being first his Disciples for where else should they be baptised seeing Christ with his own hands baptised none unlesse one of them should baptise another which is not probable And Lastly If Johns baptisme were not one and the same with ours that we have of Christs how do we injoy the same common baptisme with Christ who was baptised of John It will follow That Christ was baptised with another baptism than we are and so that our baptisme was not sanctified in the person and flesh of Christ like as the Jews circumcision was and so it will abate much of our Comfort that we have Christian Baptisme the members one and the same Baptisme with our head Thus I have driven you off this shoar of Jordan John Baptists Wharf where you see you cannot land or ground your dipping of Christians or your Rebaptising of Christened people as we speak Though I must withall prompt you here that our Quaere is in these tearms twixt Anabaptists and us Whether the baptism of Christ which is given to and received by infant Caristians or Christian infants may be iterated and you and they bring a Text to shew that the baptism of Iohn was iterated which as it is not to the scope and purpose so neither can you shew the same was iterated ever in the twelve Disciples or any other baptised of Iohn I say so long as you hold the baptism of Iohn and Christ to be two different and repagnant baptismes you cannot inforce upon us from Iohns baptismes iterated suppose so Christs baptism to be iterated It will be best for you therefore see how still and ever I am ready to give the best counsell I can to yeeld to the identity of both Iohns and Christs baptism as to the nature and substance of them and so indeed you may argue from the one to the other Hale in therefore again your Fly-boat to Iohn Baptists shoar and see if you can land there any thing to your purpose cast on this right side your net again into Iordan catch a frog Whatsoever you get you then and thus will lose your new and true friends the Papists and Jesuites for they row hard against you and these throw their nets on the other side holding that Iohn and Christs baptism are very far asunder and different in the very Essentials and do and will accurse you with Tridentine Book Bell and Candle and Lantern too of their ship none of which I know you can abide especially not the Book and Bell and Anathematise all who say that Iohn and Christs baptism are the same for substance and of the same force It is like to be a hot sea-fight as most an end the hottest fights are upon the water and there is most fire spit out or rather a cold River skirmish twixt you which I for my part do not intend to stand looking on though I have set you together by the ears but will thus leave you to fight it out to the last man and will passe away and on to another Text pressed and squeezed by some of your party for the Rebaptising of baptised ones It is Heb. 6.2 Where there is mention made amongst other Principles of the Doctrine of Christ The Doctrine of Baptismes Lo say they Here are Baptismes in the plurall as well as one Baptism in the singular and if your reason were good why the Apostle called it one Baptism because it is to be but once given and received may not we say say they our reason is good why the same Apostle calleth Many Baptismes two at least and so baptise you your Infants in their Infancy and we will baptise ours in their growth when they can make profession of Faith And so here are baptismes Truely this is somewhat like the discourse the Saduces had with Christ about one Woman who had seaven Husbands whose Wife she shall be of the seaven in the Resurrection I say and answer in Generall as Christ did Are yee not therefore deceived and do err because you know not the Scripture I could tell you here of the baptismes that of Iohn and the other of Christ to be here meant and you may remember if
Reason If Baptism be a means and Remedy to free Christian-Infants from originall sin as to guilt and punishment and the dominion thereof in them that are Eâ—ect and Beleevers Then such are and ought to be baptised The Church or Minister of it knowing nothing of this and that particular Infant but he or she may be such This Warant is reasoned out of Gods Word or this Reason is Warranted out of Gods Word Romans 6.3.4 5 6. verses We as many of us as were baptised into Christ were baptised into his death therefore we are buried with him by baptism into his death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead so we should walk in newnesse of life c. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin I must here add a little explication lest there may be a misconstruction construction of some Popery The Popery in this poynt is this That baptism taketh away original sin that it ceaseth after baptism to be a sin properly and is nothing but a defect or weaknesse which maketh the heart fit and ready to conceive sin like Tinder which is not Fire but is apt to conceive Fire This I abandon as Popery and an Error But this I aver as Truth and Protestancy 1. That after baptism in the Elect Infants original sin is taken away as to the punishment of it for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8.1 2. As to the guiltinesse of the person there being nothing to bind them to punishment if no such condemnation 3. As to the dominion of it it shall not reign in their mortal bodies nor they serve it 4. As to the Imputation of it it shall not be imputed to them but be pardoned and in that respect be as if not But for all this original sin or concupisence remaines in the Elect Infants even after baptism and ever after and is still sin and properly sin some limbs and portions of the old man and the body of sin remain even where he is said to be crucified and destroyed in the manner above and there are and will be defilements in them that are washed I must enlarge no farether here However this may be a comfort to Beleevers that in Christ the promised seed who should and did break the Serpents head which in some good sense I may call original sin there is pardon of this sin to their natural seed and therefore Christ was also born not in the ordinary way as others of Mankind but of a Virgin as conceived by the Holy Ghost that so being free himself from original all sin He might procure the pardon of the same and be a plea against it Yea though Infants in present have no actual sins yet their baptism extends its vertue to the taking away also of the guilt punishment dominion and imputation of sins to come so the party baptised stand to the order terms of Baptism which is to turn to God beleeve actually in Christ and continually renew repentance as the place above mentioned imports Romans 6.4 and thus baptism saveth 1 Peter 3.21 So doth baptism seal the Pardon as of original so also of actual sin Acts 22.16 Ananias said to Paul Arise and be baptised and wash away thy sins calling upon the name of the Lord. Oh but we commit sins dayly after baptism that after justification will the Lord continue to pardon such sins yes if we continue to repent of and purge away sich sins So 1 John 1.7 8. If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us how faithful and just to forgive sin it implyeth that he hath somewhere bound himself by promise to do it and where and when but in baptism and to whom but the party baptised so far as sin is repented of when the Conscience makes any question whether God will continue to pardon sin the washing of Baptism doth seal the assurance thereof the person baptised may say I am assured of it I have it sealed to me so many years ago at the time of my Baptism It is also a popish device who tell you that Baptism onely serveth for Remission of sins done before and therefore for sins does after they must have a Sacrament of Penance distinct from Baptism appointed for a remedy For the Sacramental force of Baptism doth extend it self to the whole life that is to be a Seal unto them of Remission of sin in the blood of Christ And the confession of sin is but a more effectual application of the force of Baptism like as the people who were baptised of John confessed also their sins And therefore there needs no Sacrament of Repentance or Penance to be set up for this purpose after Baptism to be a second Table for Refuge after sins actually committed like as they say making Baptism but the first Table for Refuge after original sin contracted For Baptism it self is the Baptism of Repentance for the Remission of sins Mark 1.4 Christs baptism being not different from Johns Baptism as is shewed as which teacheth and ingageth us to dye unto sin and rise unto newnesse of lie Romans 6.4 Which is nothing but Repentance which is called Repentance from dead workes and so a rising from them Heb. 6.1 It would therefore much promote the good cause of Infant-Baptism if the Doctrin of original sin especially also actual were pressed and urged upon People and Parents especially a little more and they heard oftener how all Men and Women and Children born in the ordinary way sin Adams fall are born in the guilt of original sin and have a sinfull and polluted being whosoever have any being and may and must every one confesse with David I was born in sin and in iniquity hath my Mother conceived me it is plain that he confesseth not his Parents but his own sin this being the scope of the whole Psalm so with Job Who can bring that which is clean not of that which is unclean that which is born of the flesh is felesh flesh and blood cannot inherit eternal life and that by Nature we are the Children of wrath and all Infants as that in Ezekiel 16. polluted in their bloods their Fathers are Adamites their Mothers are Hevites c. This if preached and pressed would shew to Parents what great need there is of a New-Birth for their Children and so would lead and drive them to procure for them the outward washing in Baptism as a Seal of the inward washing away of that natural pollution of sin by the Spirit Thus our Saviour Christ inforces it unto Nicodemus John 3.5 and that not so immediately in reference to actual sin as original or Birth sin the natural pollution in which Infants are born and I can see no good reason to the contrary but that the outward Elementary Baptism of Water is here intended as
a Seal of the inward washing by his Spirit which is also called the washing or Laver of Regeneration Titus 3.5 Because the inward washing of the Spirit in Regeneration is sealed with the outward washing in Baptism Therefore I find it in the Ecclesiastick Histories That in those ages and places where and when the vilenesse of original pollution was best understood of Parents of Children as most preached of by the Fathers of the Church as in Augustins dayes what running there was od Parents with their Children in their armes to Baptism and why not there being no other visible ordinance appointed of God in the Church but Baptism for the washing away the guilt and filth of that Birthfin and pollution And was it not so of old wherefore did God command the Infants of the Jewes to be circumcised and wherefore were they so circumcised in the fore skin of their flesh but to shew tht the very nature was defiled which they received by carnal generation from their Parents and which they were like to traduce and conveigh to their Children and to testifie what need they had to have such original Corruption and uncircumcision of the flesh to be done away by the clensing and Regeneration Spirit of Christ sealed in their outward Circumcision And that Circumcision in the former as Baptism in the latter dispensation do both poynt at this one and the same thing the Cleming away of the pollution of the natural birth by the Spirit of Christ there is a clear Text Colossians 2.11 12 13. We now are fallen into those days wherein there have been not only shaken but rased many foundations and principles of the Doctrines of Christ especially two of those six in Hebrewes 6.2 Which are Repentance from dead workes a chief of which is original sin and the doctrine of Baptism and wherein a Spirit of Pelagianism hath entred into many and goeth about preaching unto Parents a freedom from original sin pollution in their Infants as derived from Adam and so proclaming a liberty from baptifing of them just as the impostors foretold of by Saint Peter whilest they promise them liberty they themselves are the Servants of Corruption 2 Pet. 2.19 It concerneth us therefore so much the more who are Master-builders in the House of God or but Repairers of the breaches to uphold and maintain these two foundations of the Christians Faith and to teach the people first that as themselves were so their Children are defiled with original sin and pollution by their natural birth and then next that there is no other ordinary way of clensing and washing them but by the regenerating and purifying Spirit and Grace of Christ Signified Sealed and Exhibited in andby the outward washing of Water in Baptism as pleaseth God Again I say not that Baptism doth all this from or by the deed done or work wrought which is their Popish phrase but as our Protestants say either as it is a means to give exhibite Christ with his benefits the which it doth by signification as a particular Certificate assuring forgivenesse of sins or as a token or pledge of the Grace of God confirming it Or as an instrument because in and with the right use of Baptism God confers Grace where and when he pleaseth for it is no Physicall but a Moral Instrument and sets his image or mark of Regeneration upon the party whence Baptisme is called the Laver of Regeneration God is at liberty and may when and how he pleaseth let his Grace accompany his ordinance of Baptism Which way soever God doth work these great things by or in Baptism Methinks it is a potent and invincible reason and warrant for the bringing Infants upon Baptism the onely outward ministerial remedy in the Church for the abating and abolishing the malady of original sin of which even Infants stand guilty born and conceived in it unlesse you would involve Parents in another guilt of neglecting the meanes and cure of that disease which they were instrumental to the bringing their Children into or else that you are of the opinion of the Pelagian Hereticks who held no original sin at all in Infants but actual which they also contracted by Imitation of other wicked whereupon all the Antient and Orthodox Divines urged and pressed them with the Baptism of Infants and made it a foundation and proof of original sin in Infants like as I now go the other way and urge and presse original sin in Infants as a proof and plea or warrant as you call it for the Baptism of Infants as being the only outward ordinary way to begin their cure and Rogeneration more briefly and syllogistically thus take it as I recollect it If Baptism be commanded of God in the Gospel for the washing away the guilt and filth of original and birth sin then all Infants who are Partakers of these are commanded Baptism But Baptism is commanded of God in the Gospel for the washing away the guilt and filth of original and birth-sin Therefore Infants who are Partakers of these are commanded Baptism The first proposition is not questionable the light of Nature and Reason commandeth the use of meanes and medicines to the end and for maladies the sick need the Physician c. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden c. The second proposition is the matter of the Texts Rom. 6.3 and 4. and Acts 22.16 as hath been declared and so I have reasoned baptism of Infants into a command before I intended it Sirs I speak to you Parents are you willing your little pretty babes should be saved you should be very willing and desirous of it and the rather in that you have been means of conveighing into them a corrupt seed you should labour they might be born again of the incorruptible seed by the Word of God and the Seales thereof one whereof which is fit for them in their Infantile Estate is this Baptism I am speaking of and for If you would have them saved it must be either without or with Regeneration without Regeneration they cannot be saved For Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh a degenerate sinful corrupt thing neither can corruption iherit incorruption Therefore they must be saved with Regeneration for except a man be born again of Water and the Spirit John 3.3.6 He cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit a Regenerate sanctified and clean thing If so the Sirs bring forth your Infants and Babes unto the Laver and means of Regeneration present them to the Water of Baptism and wati and pray for the Spirit of God that it would move upon the face of the Waters as it did in the first Generation and so form a spiritual Light out of or in a natural darknesse That the Baptismal Water may be effectual by and through that Spirit of God as Waters of Jordan were
to the washing the Leprofie of original sin and as the Waters of Bethesda to the healing of other diseases whatsoever even their actual sins also when afterwards committed It is true that your Children dying without Baptism may be saved by the Coverant and Promise of God and his Grace many are so all are so that are of the Number of Gods Elect Yea I confesse the hope of salvation doth no lie so much in the Seal as in the Covenant and Promise to which the Seal is annexed Indeed the Lord having made a promse to you beleeving Parents concerning your Children born in original sin That he will be your God and the God of your seed in this case you must beleeve this his Word and Promise But where he hath ordained a Seal for the confirmation of your Faith you must take heed how you neglect to apply it you must not as more than too many do in these days think it a superfluous and idle figure and some also hold it a superftitious and Idol-service That which I may and do plead with you for is this that you would so account of it as it is that there is a necessity lying upon you to baptise your Children born in original sin I mean a necessity not absolute but conditional in case your Children be prevented of Baptism by death you may well hope of the salvation of them by the Promise and Covenant onely as I said of God and his Grace and if after Baptism they be taken away from you by death you may better hope of their salvation from both Covenant and Seal also But if you be carelesse and negligent and do also it may be purposely and prophanely omit your duty to put your Children in Covenant with your selfs under the initial Seal thereof you will very hardly answer such your course either to God himself or his Church yea or to your Children and I think at laft to your own Consciences But in the mean time what blindnesse and presumption is this in you Parents to tempt God and to cast your Children onely upon the hands of his Spirit when he hath also appointed Water for their Washing and Regenerating this is as if you should throw up your Children unto the top of the Pinnacle of the Temple when as you have a Ladder standing and reaching up thither to carry them up by or upon upon this glosie God shall give his Angels charge over them so his Spirit order over them and in their hands shall they bear them up and on his finger shall he hold them lest at any time they perish and come to destruction bodily or ghostly What Prophanesse and impiety is this in you Parents to slight and refuse the outward ordinary means of your Childrens spiritual and eternal good as it may be the freeing of them from the Guilt Dominion and Condemnation of original pollution c. and to refer them over wholly to the inward ordinary means Christ Jesus and his Spirit when as these have appointed and dedicated the former to be used and applyed also What carelesnesse yea cruelty is this in you Parents to leave and let your Children lie in the pit and under the bondage of original and natural pollution into the which your selves have been accessary to their falling and not to suffer a hand of Gods ordinance to be reached out unto them which is Baptism for their raising up unto newness of Birth and Life And whereas God hath made a Covenant with you for your selves and your Children yea a joynt Covenant with you both to be your God and the God of your seed what ingratitude is this and ungodsiness to God what inhumanity or apparent imparentnesse is this to with-hold your Children from the Seal of that Covenant and so in a manner to disinherit them as much as in you lieth of their just and due Joynture and inheritance spiritual and eternal Well be it so your infants dying without Baptism may be saved and I pray God they may be saved through the Riches of his Grace but you have not delivered your own souls because you gave no warning to have them baptised as you ought to do seeing the evil come and more a coming upon them But suppose you with-holding them from their means of Baptism blow no Trumpet give no warning to have them baptised God should also with-hold his Spirit of Grace from your Children which God forbid and your Children be taken away in their infancy and minority They shall die in their iniquity or original sin But their-blood will he require at your hands for your negligence contempt you have broken his Covenant Gen. 17.14 Ezek. 33. A fifth warrant or reason is this If Baptism now under the Gospel doth succeed Circumcision under the Law Then are the Infants of covenanted beleeving Parents to be baptised like as Infants of the covenanted professing Jewes were circumcised this warrant is reasoned out or this reason warranted out of Collossians 2.11 and 12. Where the Apostle plainly sheweth that there is no need of their being circumcised who were baptised Jews or Gentiles because such baptised ones had received the Circumcision made without hands namely Baptism the better and great Circumcision as the Antients call it If you deny this you must affirm that the Churches of the Gospel and all the Gentiles converted to the faith of Christ of whom especially they consist are left without a Sacrament of Inititiaon or admission thereinto for their infants and so without one Seal of the Covenant of Grace which ought not to be nor is indeed For the Condition of Christians and their Infants is better at leastwise as good under the New Testament as the Old the Grace of God by the cōing of Christ into the world is more ample and clear as ample clear at leastwise to us living under the Gospel as to the Jewes living under the Law To deny these things were to cast foul dirt into the bright Sun and to shoot Arrows of Contumely Reproach into heaven against our Lord Jesus Christ by whom came Truth and Grace 1 John 17. as the Law was given by Moses and to grant these things is to yeeld Infant Baptism under the New Testament And whereas it is or may be replyed that in that Text above and others where Biptism is conjoyned to Circumcision as its substitute and successor there also are conjoyned with Baptism Mortification of the Flesh Newness of Life Faith and other Graces mentioned it s easily taken off though one of your most difficult Replies as thus 1. They are no more conjoyned with Baptism than Circumcision and therefore as their Infants were commanded to be circumcised So ours are commanded to be baptised notwithstanding their iuoability and incapacity of doing such acts or having such Graces which is equal and alike in both 2. In such Conjunctions if the Texts speak of Actual Faith Actual indeavoring after Mortification c. And require
these in persons baptised they must be limited to such as were Adults grown in years converts from Heathenism such as Cornelius and the Eunuch for therefore doth the Scripture name them to shew the same when it mentioneth their Baptism and the conjoyned duties as required in such which is nothing against Baptism 3. Or if Infants should be meant it sufficeth that these have them Mortification c. not in the Act exercising and manifesting themselves in any deed or word professing the same but onely in Habit included and lying in the principle of Grace the Holy Spirit and why because infants are sinners not by any proper Act of their own but onely by an Hereditary Habit. Now who amongst you can or will say that infants have not thus the Spirit of God which bloweth where it listeth and hath listed to blow in some of them we know of and thousands more where it listeth that we know not of effecting and producing in them this habitual principle of Grace Of this see more before 4. Nor is it necessary that Baptism in that very moment it is received should effect all things it figureth out and doth signifie no more was it that Circumcision should do the like but it may fall to working them afterwards wherein present there is an impediment and hindrance that letteth actual fact mortification Repentance c. as in infants the want of reason doth Those Actuals are not for the present required in infants to be baptised who yet are required to be in present actualy baptised for they are required to be partakers of the death and burial of Christ that is the merit and power thereof to the killing and burying of sin and natural corruption of which Baptism is the sign and means More briefly and syllogistically thus take it as I recollect it If Baptism do succeed and is substituted of Christ now instead of Circumcision in the Church of the Gentiles then as infants were commanded to be circumcised then in the Church of the Jewes so are Infants commanded to be baptized in the Church of the Gentiles But the Antecedent is true being the very matter and substance of the Text above Therefore also the Consequent is such and so I have reasoned Infant-Baptism into another Command before I intended this as reserved for the latter argument But I serve too large warrants upon you Sir to whom I now return I have another or two brief ones yet to serve A sixt warrant therefore is this Reason If infants of Christian Parents be capable of all the good ends effects and benefis that Baptism bringeth with it and worketh or offereth them then surely they are both capable of Baptism and their Baptism is warrantable and justificable This warrant may be reasoned out of the Word or this reason warranted out of the Word 1 Gor. 4.15 1 Cor. 9.1 The Apostle warrants and reasons his Apostleship and the Gospel he preached to be true and right from the good ends effects and benefits that came thereby to the Gorinthians and they received That he had begotten them through his Gospel they were his work in the Lord and the Seal of his Apostleship were they in the Lord. So may I hence warrant and justifie our ministery and even the Baptism which we minister to the infants of Christian Parents to be good had true from the many good ends effects and benefits thereof of which Infants are capable and receptive and which are wrought and sealed in them thereby Our Ministery of the Seal of Baptism with such effects and successe may be also the Seal of our Ministery Now the ends effects and benefits of Baptism are these for which it was appointed 1. To be a means of entrance and admission into the visible Church and a kind of engrafting the party baptised into the body of Christ and an enrolling of him amongst the houshold of God as Members and Servants of Christ Acts 2.37 2. To be instead of Circumcision an annexed Seal and assurance yea conveiance of the good and grace of Christs word and promise covenanted the sum whereof is this of being the Parents God and God of their seed Rom. 4.11 3. To be a representation and Collation of the washing and clensing of the Blood and Spirit of Christ and of the Regeneration and New Birth Titus 3.5 1 Peter 3.21 4. To be a Tye or Obligation of the baptised to stricter Obedience of God and his Truth to make the parties more diligent to serve God and careful to abandon sin Rom. 6.1 to the 9. 1 Cor. 1.13 5. To be a means of Union with Christ and of Unity amongst themselves knitting them faster and bringing them nearer unto Christ 1 Cor. 12.13 Eph. 4.5 6. To be a badge of Christianity and for distinction of Christians from Unbelieving Jewes and Gentiles as the stamp and Character whereby they are known to belong to Christ being a kind of partition-wall betwixt Christians and Jewes and Heathens Ephes 2.14 Now Sir tell me which of all these our infants are incapable of that you should thereupon deny them Baptism in the mean time I tell you they are capable to them all and therefore are not to be denyed The promises of the Covenant the washing away of sin by Christs Blood and Spirit the admittance into the body of Christ c. may be sealed unto them as wherein they are but Passive and if you say so are they capable of the Graces signed in the Lords Supper and therefore may communicate I say how know you that you have no rule for that no glimpse of light from the Word for that whereas I have given you evidence enough of light for the other if you will see there is a Scriptural light that infants are capable of the Graces signed and sealed in Baptism we may be sure of it and therefore may admit them to Baptism there is but your supposal light which is below Traditional you so much write against that they are capable of the Grace signed and sealed in the Lords Supper are you sure of it and will you thereupon admit them thereto The Lords Supper is no initial Seal and for Reception into Covenant which I onely plead for for infants yet this Seal which is Baptism it servesto confirm all the benefits of the Covenant as the baptised grow capable of them and are made partakers of them and so is a good preparative unto the Christians Passeover or the Lords Supper afterwards in due time and order The Lords Supper is a Seal of Augmentation appointed for the nourishment and growth of those Graces which the Covenant promiseth and requireth particularly and expresly of all partakers of it That they must discern the Lords Body and try and examin themselves and therefore Infants are not capable of the Graces of the Lords Supper like as they are of them of Baptism for that they must be Active in that whereas they may be but Passive in this Those that are capable
and constant custom of the Primitive and the succeeding Churches throughout the several ages to Baptize the Children of believing Parents in their Infancy then it ought to be so still continued accustomed and practised This Warrant may be Reasoned out of the word or the Reason warranted out of Matth. 19.4.9 where Christ in case of a point of difference about divorce himself argueth and reasoneth from the Ancient times and the beginning of the Church of God So out of 1 Cor. 11.16 if any man seem to be Contentious we have no such Custom neither the Churches of God Where you and I may see the case there and here to be much alike The Corinthians had got up a fashion of their mens praying covered in their long Hair and their women praying uncovered in their shorn Hair you likewise have taken up a practice of baptizing onely believers when grown persons they make profession and have shut out Infants from their right to the Seal of Baptism being Covenanters with their Parents Saint Paul refuteth that their fashion by divers arguments drawn from the headship of man over the woman from the dishonouring of the head from the shamesulness and the uncomeliness of it from the Presence of the Angels from the light of nature five good and sound arguments and when he perceived for all those that they were contentious and quarrelsome with him about and for their fashion He clappeth upon them as his last argument this taken from the Churches of God that have been before us In like manner I have refelled your Practice by sundry Warrants and Reasons raysed out of the word from such Infants some of them having the spirit and faith in some degrees from their being in the same Holy Covenant of Grace with their Parents from the proportion and succession of Baptism unto Circumcision from Baptisme's being a remedy against Original sin especially from Infants capableness of the ends effects and benefits of Baptism five good and warrantable reasons out of the word and supposing for all this you will not be conquered though overcome but will still strive and contend contrary to 2 Tim. 2.24 Now I urge upon you in the last place this Reason which is the Custom of the Church both Modern we have such a Custom of Baptizing Infants of Believing Patents and we have no Custom approved or General of Baptizing onely Grown Believers As also Ancient Neither the Churches of God have had any such For so though Saint Paul argue N gatively onely the Reason is of as much force and weight affirmatively and the Custom of the Ancient and Modern Church's is good and pleadable both against the New Lights of late scismatical Innovators as also for the old Light of former and present Orthodex Professours As for the Negative the Not or No Custom Primitive and practice Apostolieal of Baptizing again at their growth upon Confession of Faith such as had been Baptized before in their Infancy I do reserve it for at other Place your Dipping Pond of which I shall speak at last onely here I shall bring in the Affirmative That the Ancient Prinritive Churchès succeeding the Apostles what the Apostles themselve did do and practied shall hereafter soon follow did hold and practice the Baptizing of Infants And though I think it will but disturb your Brain and cause you to stop your Nostrils and Mouth who small no sweet Savour or Odour of Antiquity as being one of the New Sent or unsent rather yet notwichstanding I shall and relate the Dictates of some of the Ancient Apostles succeeding Pastors and Fathers of the Church of old and I will do it for others sake who are Lovers of Antiquity but I will do it in English for your sake whom I am Instructing who are no lover of Languages more than you can speak I know you will not take this General Custom and Practice of the Church upon my bare word and present Assertion nor do I desire you should Therefore Remember the dayes of old consider the years of many Generations ask thy Father and he will shew thee thy Elders and they will tell thee ask now of the dayes that are past which were before wheâ—â—er there hath been any such thing as the Baptizing of Infants of Believers You shall readily find the same attested by the Reverend Fathers of the Church the Bishops and Doctors of the dayes of old and years of former Generations to have been so to be the Custom and Practice In a matter of Fact or Practice one Good and Creditable witness is sufficient and that I am sure I have Saint Augustine I mean not onely for the General Practice of Infant Baptism in his dayes and those present tim 's wherein he lived as might easily be shewed our of his Books of Original Sin Chap. 40. Third Book of the Merit of Sin and Remission Chap. 9. Third Book against Julian fourth Book of Baprism against the Donatists c. But also for the former and praeceding Churches up to the Primitive dayes For so Augustine who lived in the year after the Nativity of Christ 39â— and was Presbyter first and after Bishop of Hippo saith thus in his third Epistle to Volusian The Custom of the Mother Church in Baptizing little ones is in no wise to be despised not to be thought needless and were not to be believed but that it was as Apostolicall Tradition This is a very full and clear evidence of an Ecclesiastical Custom an Apostolical Tradition whether written or unwritten that infringeth it not according to that of the Apostle 2 Thest 2.15 hold the Traditons which ye have been taught whether by word or Epistle not to be despised but believed Nor did Augustine utter this suddenly but advisedly and therefore upon second thoughts saith it over again and the more Resolutely in his 15. Sermon of the words of the Apostle Let no man saith he buz or whisper into our eares any Doctrine to the Contrary This Practice of Baptizing Ghildren The Church alwayes had this it hath this it alwayes held this it hath received from the Faith or fidelity of our Ancestors and this it keeps Constantly to the end Therefore doth the same Father so often and so much press this Argument The Churches Practice of Baptizing-Infants upon Pelagius and his followers who were Contemporary with Augustine holding Infants were not taken or tainted with original Corruption and Sin by propagation but only contracted the same by Imitation as in his 150 Epistle unto Sixtus in his second Book of Marriage and Concup 18. Chap. in his first Book against Crescon the Grammarian cap 30. in his fourth Book against the Donat. c. 23. in his sixth Book against Julian one of Pelagius his Schollars or his opinions Now if this had not been truly and undeniably The Custom and Practice of the Church even up to the first and Primitive times as Augustine affitmed Pelagius and his Disciples would soon have fallen foul upon
him as the Pharisees did upon our Saviour and have said thou bearest witness of thy self for thy self thy witness is not true they would have given a check or denyal to such a Custom accused it of Novelty or but of Yesterday and so have turned off easily that Argument which of all other lay most heavily upon them the Ancient Churches Custom and Practice in Baptizing Infants But they never did that as who could not deny this And so that other exception against Augustine as if he should utter and urge this in Heat and Passion against Pelagius his Adversary in point of Baptizing of Infants and speak more of the Custom and Practice of the Church than was true falleth of it self For they differed not in that point of Infant-Baptism no nor in the matter of the Custom of the Church herein For so Augustine affirmeth both in his first Book of the Merit and Remission of Sin The Peloagians themselves do grant that little Children are to be Baptized as who cannot come in or stand up against the Authority of the Vniversal Church delivered without doubt or Traditioned by our Lord and his Apostles And again in the eleventh Book against Caelestius and Pelagius He affirms and cites that Caelestius in a Book of his written at Rome acknowledged that Infants in a Book of his wirtten at of sin according to the Rule of the universul Church and according to the sense and meaning of the Gospel and Therefore Pelagius not daring to deny though otherwise impudent enough the General Practice of the Ancient Church in Baptizing Infants as who then and that way might have slipt his neck out of the Collaror Yoke Augustine held him to was feign to shist off that Fathers Argument as well as he could but very poorly and pittifully That the Church Baptized indeed Infants but not for the washing away of original fin which he denyed in Infants but for the better bringing them to the Kingdome of Heaven which Christ said was of such as theirs And truly this makes a great Addition to the Truth of this The Custom and Practice of the Universal Ancient Church in Baptizing lnsants that Pelagius so great a Schollar and Travellour who had seen the Customas and Practices the manners and fasthions of the Affricane and Asiatiqne yea and Europaean Churches being also himself a Brittish born should not as indeed he could not make any denyal or take any exception thereto as who by his own eyes and experience saw found it to be most true and uniform and so I may say our Baptism of Infants is a true Baptism and the Ancient Churches Practice hereof is a true Practice even our enemies themselves being Judges as Deut. 32.31 〈◊〉 why then was not Augustine himself Baptized in his In … y who was such as strong Advocate for the Baptism of Infants the Reason is plain and makes nothing against our Infant Baptism or the General Practice of the Church for neither his Father nor Mother were Christians or Believers when himself was born and they continued so untill a little before their death Augustine himself was not converted from his Manichean Haeresies and other vices untill the 31. year of his age who two years continuing a Catechumen and in the mean time writing somethings to give proof and testimony of the truth of his conversion or of his conversion to the Truth was Baptized himself and his Son Adeodate together like as Ahraham was circumcised with Ismeal his Son on the self-same day These things may be seen in His Confessions I shall need to adde no more for the shewing Infant-Baptism to have been the Custom and Practice of all the former Ancient Churches Augustines Testimony of the same is to me instead of all and as Goliahs Sword to David there is none like that Give it me 1 Sam 21.9 I have taken it and I give it thee not as a single Testimony of one Father for it but as a Quadruple witness of the Universal Church and its Custom and Practice for the point of Paedobaptism being four times expresly deliveced though by one and the same Father Saint Austin Yet I may for more perspicuity sake follow up this General Testimony by one Father unto its Particulars I mean the Covattestations of other particular Fathers in their several ages You have heard what Augustine hath said and written as for that Century For the year 390. 384. and those years wherein he lived Hierom In his Epistle ad Laetam having told her that the good and the evill of little once are imtured much to their Parents he addeth in the middle of that Epistle unless perhaps you think the Sons of Christians is they receive not Baptism They onely are guilty of sin and that the wickedness also thereof is not to be referred or to redound to the Parents who would not give it especially at or in such a time wherein they could not contradict who were to receive it In his Book against the Pelagians towards the end he is for Infant-Baptism and confirms it by allerdging the Authority of Cyprian and his Colleagues In the same third Book against Pelag it is thus Crito i.e. Pelagian saith grant me thus much at lest that they are without sin who cannot sin speaking of Infants To whom Atticus i.e. Hieronimus Answereth I will Grant it if they have been Baptized in Christ and again They are without any Sin through the Grace of God which they have received in Baptism Chrysostom Arch-Bishop of Constantinople For the year 382. in his Homil. to the Neophytes is for the Baptism of Children and in his 40. Homil upon Genes calls Baptism our Circumcision His being not Baptized untill he was 21. years of age doth not prejudice here as whose Father and Mother were not Christians at his birth and who himself was brought up under Libanius an enemy to and a scoffer at Religion but after he was instructed in the Divinity knowledge by Miletus a Bishop and Baptized of him In his Homil ad Neoph having spoken of the Honours and Benefits of Baptism he saith a little from the beginning For this cause we Baptize the little Infants that they may not be defiled with sin that to them may be added Sanctity Righteousness Adoption Inheritance Fraternity of Christ That they may be all his Members and the Habitation of the Spirit In his 40. Homil upon Genes having spoken of Circumcision appointed to the Children of the Jewes and the pain of the Incision he addeth but our Circumcision or the grace of our Baptism brings the medicine without without such dolour and Innumerable benefits with it It hath indeed no definite time set down for it as that hath but it is lawful to receive both in the first and in the middle and in the last age this not made with hands Circumcision in which there is susteined no great pain but the weight of sins are put off and Remission of them is
upon it for the strengthening themselves in their own opinion of Infant-Baptism Origen the Schollar and Disciple of Clemens Alexandrinus For the year 204. so forward a Schollar that at eighteen years of his age he set up a School and taught others in his fift Book to the Rom. 6. c. the Church hath received the Tradition from the Apostles even or also to little Children to give Baptism because in them as in all are the Genuine or ingenerated filths of sin the which ought to be washed with water and the Spirit Somewhat more of this there is in his eighth Book upon Levit 8. Homil. and upon Luke Homil. 14. Tertullain whom Cyprian read so diligently and esteemed so highly For the year 195. that in all matters of doubt he would have recourse to him saying Give me my Master meaning Tertullian in his Book of Baptism chap. 18. According to the Condition disposition and also age of every person the delaying of Baptism is more profitable especially in and about Infants for what necescessity is there if it be not so necessary to bring the suerties into danger of not performing their promise and whether this be meant of the Children which were not born of Christian Parents as some will or of the Children of believing Parents as others say its evident that Baptism was administred in all ages and he intimates the Custom and practice of the Church in his age to Baptize them even Children as well as others Though he seems not to be so well pleased with it and yet again the words import no other then that he denyed the Necessity onely of Baptism to them being out of danger of death not simply the Baptizing of them rather as in another place he doth imply they ought to be Baptized if there be danger or fear that afterwards they may not or cannot be Baptized in his Book of the Soul Chap. 39. and 40. where he saith that Infants of believing Parents or one Parent have such a Sanctity and that from the Privilege of their Birth not the discipline of their bringing up as gives them a Right to Baptism Therefore Tertullain calleth the Children of Believers The designees or destinates of Holiness or as elsewhere the Candidates of Holiness and so here is an evidence for that Birth Holiness or foederal Holiness of which I shall speak anon out of the 2 of Acts. Irenaeus 2 Book For the year 170. Chap. 39. He came to save all by himself I say all who are born again by him into God Infants and little ones and Children and yong men and old men c. The intention of the words is of Christ Jesus who as it followeth there went through every age to Infants made an Infant Sanctifying Infants to little ones made a little one sanctifying those of that age but you see there is an expression of Infants of whom he saith they are born again into or unto God that is Baptized for so Baptism is usually stiled by the Ancients especially the Greeks a Renascence or New Birth or Palingensy as might be shewed out of Athanasius and Basil who took it from the Apostolique manner also of speaking Tit. 3.5 as before I mentioned I can go no higher for Irenaeus was the Schollar and Disciple of Polycarpus and Polycarpus was the Schollar or Disciple of John the Evangelists and to you see I am come up to the very skirts and thresholds of the Apostolique Churches and Primitive Times with the Custom and Practice of Baptizing Infants Some go yet higher to Justin Martyr quaest resp ad orthod qu. For the year 130 90 60 56. and so to Clemens the Roman Bishop in his Apostolical constit lib. 6. cap. 15. and to Dyonisius Areopagita in his Eccles Hietarchy Ch. last And indeed there are pregnant places in them for Baptizing Infants if the Authors were Legitimate they are so good and sufficient against the Papists who own them and maintain them for true and Genuine but with us they are held to be suppositions and spurious and though many good and true things are in them as Infant-Baptism c. Yet they are not belonging to such venerable Names as those I have rchearsed and therefore not of that Antiquity with them and so impertinent to my purpose Onely one thing I must ad to satisfie the Reader why on this side of Augustine towards the Apostles I have mentioned no more of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church seeing there were many more or what were they discrepant in their opinion about the Baptism of Infants no sure the reason must needs be this they all lived long before Pelagius came out from the Brittish Seat and gathered to himself a Sect of Locusts which spread over the world and troubled the Churches with this matter for one they denying the Traduction of originall sin in Infants Therefore those Ancient Fathers of the Church having no occasion to intermeddle with any such matters about Infant-Baptism kept close onely to such controversies and questions as were on foot in their dayes save onely that Cyprian as I touched before was questioned hereabouts the silence of those Fathers that touched not upon it gives consent to the Practice as unquestioned by them but God would put words of it it to the mouthes of some of them to be witnesses unto posterity of the Antiquity of Infant-Baptism and the Churches Practice The like answer may be given why in those two General Councels the Nicene and the Constantinopolitan and some other Provincial ones which were before Augustine nothing is touched upon in their Canons about Baptism of Infants except that of Cyprian and his 66 Colleagues before mentioned because it was at a thing never in question amongst them never opposed by any and yet that was a very sruitful age of haeretical weeds springing up in those purer times witness the Munichees Arrians Donatists Macedonians Aaerians Eunomians Luciferians c. amongst all which not an Antipaedobaptist not any that so much as made scruple at it which sure some or other in malice or envy to the Church would have done if they could have found how to have shaken that as they did all other Foundations of Christinaity But after Augustines time when Pelagius arose Then the Councils came in against him thick and threefold as the Milevitane or Council of Carthage in the year 402. 418. Canon 11. and the Gerundense Council held in Spain 518. Can. 5. and the Bracarense Council the 2. 572. Can. 7. And so the Fathers and Doctors of the Church are ever and anon storming of Pelagius and his adhaerents And now Sir I know all this Labor is lost as to you who are and desire to be but a man of to day and for ever but for yesterday or Antiquity there you will leave even Christ and his Church and go no farther you are none of the old Martiald Souldiery but the New Modell'd Militia and yet you may remember how you began
this Doctrine of thus baptizing Infants overthrows your practice of baptizing onely Children grown though born of baptized Christian Parents when they can give a reason of their Faith I say Infant-Baptism overthrows this your Man Baptism in a setled planted Church and you have not one Text to raise or lift it up or hold up your selves But I remember you joyned with Infant-Baptism overthrowing its preventing also the Baptism expresly commanded in those Scriptures alleged by you What mean you Sir by such a conjuntion of overthrowing and preventing for if that overthroweth this then it doth more than prevent and if that doth but prevent this it doth not so much as overthrow it For my part I think the one doth not prevent the other but both were joyned together both in the Precept Baptise the discipled Nations the believing Parents and their children as also in the practice The Apostles having converted Pagan Nations and Houses I mean the grown Parents unto the Faith baptized them and their children at the same time or left them baptizeable and to be baptized of others if they were in haste of their preaching the Word like as Abraham the Believer and Ismael his Son were both circumcised upon one and the same day Sure if any one prevented the other it was the old Administration as you call it in this place the Baptism of Believers that prevented the other the Baptism of Infants and not the other back way as you affirm for the Believers both of the Jewish and Heathenish Nations were first baptized and then their Infants were afterwards baptised as Abraham was first circumcised and then the self-same day was Ismael circumcised But let me hear and reade your Reason You say likewise Insant-Baptism prevents the old ministration of this expresly commanded baptizing of Believers because most of persons look upon themselves as baptized in their infancy and so never look after the command of Christ to be baptized when they believe What a Reason is here given of Infant-Baptism preventing another Baptison expresly commanded namely the baptized persons imagination of himself or looking upon himself as baptized in his infancy and so never look after the command of Christ to be baptized when they believe To let go the irrationality of this Reason I must say again that there is no such old or new ministration of an expresly commanded Baptism of Believers grown after they have been once baptized in their Infancy Your cannot wring or wrest it out of the mouth of any one of your cited Texts so far are you from deducing and leading it fairly by the hand as I may so say out of them or any one of them This of yours savours too rankly of the old Heresie and new Schisme of Rabaptization ever condemned in the Churches of God both of old and of late as I have formerly proved from the Apostles casting up this account and bringing all Baptismes to this as the total summe that there is but one Baptism and therefore once baptized are not to be baptized any more And therefore not onely most of the persons but all of the persons baptized are to look upon themselves as baptized sufficiently and never to look after any other Baptism commanded them of Christ when they believe for there is none commanded Do you Sir express it as if it were a fault or a fancy that most of persons look upon themselves as baptized in their infamcy and never look after to be baptized when they believe Stop your ears Oye baptized men women and children at the voice of the chaarmers for they charm neither wisely nor foundly nor sweetly as to you and your good and benifit not wisely for you but subtlely for themselves and their party who having forsaxen their first love and renounced their first Baptism now compass about to make your their proselytes and so two-fold more the children of Hell than themselves if ye after so many strong Reasons and so fair a warning will also renounce your Baptism wherein ye renounced the Devil and all his works A chief one of the DXevils works is to draw people to renounce their Baptism the mark and Seal of their Covenane with God Gods with them as he useth to do with Wirches and Sorcerers before he entreth into Covtract with them and give them a mark and Seal of their Langue with him and his with them Not soundly or truly for you but hypocritically and falsly for themselves do they thus charm as who onely do pretend the Word and Commandement but can shew you none nor example for any Christian once baptized who ever was baptized again The desire to have you baptized again as the Impostors would have had the baptized Galathians circumcised That they may glory in your flesh Galat. 6.13 a most vain and shamefull glory and make you tread under foot the Son of God and to count the blood of the Covenant wherewith ye were sanctified an unholy thing and do despite unto the Spirit of grace Heb. 10.19 at least to grieve the holy Spirit of God wherewith ye were sealed unto the day of redemption if ye belong to the Election of God Such a grievous hainous and unsound thing tit is to renounce your Christian Baptisms Look therefre diligently to your selves as the Authour to the Hebrews hath it lest any man among you fall from the Grace of God even that Grace offered in the Sea crament of Baptism ot you and it may be received by you therein lest any root of bitterness springing up in you trouble you lest there be any profane person amongst you as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birth-right Heb. 12.15 16 thus Esau despised his birth-right Genesis 25 34. Is not Baptism your birth-right also is not your renouncing of your Infant-Baptism a despising of your Infant Birth-right and a breaking or pulling off or a trostrating or evacuaring the Seal either way a despising it and a profaning of the Covenant of Grace and will ye thus part with your Birth-right first Baptism and sell it as it were to these supplanting Jacobs and all for a mess of twice sod pottage such is second Baptism or rebaptization Will you leave your Manna that came down first from Heaven loathing it to lust after and hunt after these Quails and listen to their Quail piper who say What is this Manna nothing before ouer eys but this Manna Remember that whilest the flesh of the Quails eaten in cintempt of Manna was yet between their teeth ere the Quails were chewed the wrath of God was kindled amongst the people to the smiting of them with a great plague besides that the flesh afterwards came out at their nostrils and was loathsom unto them and so fear ye left while the water of the new Dippers or second Baptism received in contempt of your first Baptism is yee upon your heads and ears and faces the wrath of God which ever attends upon the
contemners and despisers of his Sacraments fall heavily upon you and some or other curse of God pursue you so also that such water may be loathsom and noysom to you afterwards Remember Esau again For ye know how that afterwards when he would have inherited the blessing Heb. 12.16 17 he was rejected for he found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears Are they not ritghtly called Jacob's Supplanters one of the first planters of them was called Jacob and that rightly for they that take away your Birth-right Baptism will also take away your Blessing the Blessing of God in Covenant with you as well as with your Parents Yea remember one of the Separation by name Hodsou of the City of Glecester and by an Epithite called Hodson-peevish who since he was new baptised grew as light in the head as before he was light in heart the which I finde recorded by Master Thomas Wynell in print a Minister of Cranham nigh unto that City Yea remember the sad and desatrous ends of those first Ringleaders of re-baptising Muncer Cnipperdoling c. And now thirdly Can they charm sweetly and delightfully to any of you who have the root of bitterness in them from which I dehorted you and whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness like as they have bitter envying and sirife in their hearts against your Mother-Church and your Baptism especially wherein ye were if regenerate at all born again of water and the Spirit My Brethren these things ought not to be doth a Fountain send forth at the same place or hole of heart or mouth sweet water and bitter Hear now ye Benjamites ye left-handed Protestants will the Son of Jesse Muncer who I mentioned but now give every one of you the Field Benefits 1 Sam. 22 2 5 and Vine-eard Priviledges of Christ and his Church by their new dipping of you and make you Captains of thousands and Captains of hundreds against your sins that they shall not raign or have dominion over your mortall bodies or immortall Soules that all of you have conspired against your Mother-Church and brethren Ministers O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified amongst you even in your Baptism Gal. 3.1 as the word and other Sacrament wherein you were sprinkled with the blood of Christ unto the washing away of sin being also crucified in the old man with him and buried with him by Baptism that the body of sin might be destroyed that thenceforth ye should not serve sin I mervaile that you are so soon removed away from your Baptism and your calling into the Grace of Christ and his Covenant of Grace unto another Baptism which is not another but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the Baptism of Christ Gal. 1.6 7 But though they or an Angell from Heaven preach any other Baptism unto you then that which we have preached and reached unto you let him be accursed and as I said before so say I now again if any man preach or reach any other Baptism unto you than that ye have received of us let him be accursed or let him shew where ever the Lord Blessed for ever at any time blessed or consecrated instituted or appointed a Baptism of Baptized ones Parents or Children or any other Baptism then once of Believing Parents and their Children once They say if a man put away his wife and she go from him and become another mans shall be return again to her shall not that Land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the Harlot with many Baptisms and many Dippers yet return again to me saith the Lord I say return again to the Lord Jer. 3.1 and to the Lords Baptism if thou hast put it away from thee and renounced it if thou be gone from him and with the strange woman hast forsaken the guide of thy youth yea Child-hood and forgotten the Covenant of thy God Prov. 2.17 and the Seal thereof art become another mans and betaken thy self to another Baptism for which the Land is also defiled as thy self I say return again to the Lord and his and thy first Baptism The Lord look upon thee and remember thy first Baptism and the words of the Covenant of Christ and go out from amongst them who by their Quaeres and intricate questioning of thee caused thee to deny thy first Baptism and therein thy Lord and Master go out and weep bitterly for the same Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first works Rev. 2.5 and leave not thy first Love hold fast that which thou hast already even thy first Baptism till Christ come I say Repent and be still as you were in your Infancy baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ and you shall have the Remission of your sins even of this sin of being Baptized again if so you have committed it For the promise is made to you and to your Children with many other words I would have testified and exhorted you saying save your self from this untoward Generation But that I hasten and will tell you to the contrary Look often back to your first Baptism in your Infancy and think not upon any other Baptism afterwards as to a Store-house of comfort in all time of your need if you be tempted by the devill and assaulted about your sins in your youth or old age think not now of ny new or second Baptism but recall thy first and old Baptism oppose it against him say and know that therein God hath promised and sealed unto thee the pardon of thy sins and the purchase of everlasting life by Christ If thou beest troubled with doubtings and weakness of Faith Fetch from thy first Baptism such a strengthening consideration and meditation for the doing of which to introduce another Baptism is but a Fetch that God hath given thee there an earnest and pledge of his loving kindness to thee in the water sprinkled upon thee representing the blood of Christ applyed to thee and so as when Thomas saw the Holes in Christs-side and the print of the nailes he strengthened his Faith against doubtings be not thou faithless but faithfull when thou reflectest upon thy Baptism and remembrest the pouring out of the blood of Christ for thee and the earnest thereof the pouring out of water upon thee If thou liest under any kind of Crosse or Calamity whatsoever have recourse to thy Baptism in which God hath promised to be thy God of which promise he will not fail thee nor canst thou be miserable having this promise yea if God be with thee who shall be against thee Thou doest often look upon the wills and Testaments of thy Father and Grandfather when you are in a doubt of hour Estate or in some trouble about it or in want to be resolved in all
matters thereabout do the same here look often back to thy Baptism wherein the will of thy heavenly Father which is this I will be thy God is delivered and sealed and thou wilt be well resolved comforted and cleered in all Estates and Conditions Onely look back also to and remember as often the obligation of Homage and stipulation of obedience wherewith thou hast bound thy self to God by thy suerties or prelenters of thee to Baptism now thou knowest and understandest it thou must stand to it nd make it good thy part of the Indentures perform the Order of Baptism on thy side which is to turn to God and believe in Christ and be continually renewing of thy Faith and repentance and then there shall be no need of any second Baptism or washing in water having the benefit and efficacy of and from the same Baptism at first For this also I will tell thee for thy farther comfort that the benefit and efficacy of Baptism extendeth it self to all actual sins like as originall to the whole course of the life of man whensovever he shall believe and repent and is not to be restrained to the time of the Birth and Infancy so after the administration of it Baptism hath the same force it hath before or in the time of its administring for Baptism is of force so long as the Covenant is of force and that is everlasting Esay 54.10 Hos 2.19 The Papists indeed will tell you as I have mentioned already that your Baptism will serve you only for Remission of sins done before it meaning your originall sin and so call your Baptism the first Table for Refuge as from it and for sins done after Baptism you must have their Sacrament of Pennance or Repentance which they call a second Table for Refuge like as the Anabaptists tell you you must have their Sacrament of Confession as I may call their second Baptism which they Minister upon Confession of Faith But I tell you both are needless and superfluous for your one first single Baptism supplyeth all you need no New Sacraments for the matter as whose force and efficacy though the rite and Ceremony were gone in an instant doth extend it self to your whole life time and to all sins to be a seal unto you of the Remission of all original and actual past and to come so you will still have recourse unto it and make application of the grace thereof offered and sealed to you on Gods part For I do not mean nor must you think that the bare and empty Review or Remembrance of your Baptism that such an outward Act was done will be unto you at all times a Remission of your sins but it must be an effectual application of the blood of Christ which is the virtue and power of it that will do it and this may be and is done in the confession of your sins and the profession so your faith I may rather speak more properly than they do and say that your Baptism is not so only the first Table for Refuge after Shipwrack and Repentance the second but that Baptism is the first and one long drawing Table that may and must be drawn out at length into the Two Leaves of it namely into and unto Repentance of sin and confession of Faith at or upon which rightly used and applyed you and all true believers and penitent sinners may sit down and find plenty and provision of grace and mercy or which not so much as a Table or Plank but as the Ark and Ship it self will save you as Saint Peter saith So then let the effects and fruits of your first Baptism be acted and exercised by you aad let the force and efficacy thereof be seen in the reformation of your whole life for Baptism is a seal of a dying to sin and a rising unto Newness of Life Rom. 6.4 as well as a Seal of the Remission of sin Mark 1.4 and then you shall need no second Baptism and if not your first will be frustrated and yet you can have no second and I may say unto you Christians ye stiffnecked and unbaptized in heart and eares as Stephen doth the Jewes ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart ears when as you do not express the force and vertue of your first Baptism as they did not of their first Circumcision in the renovation and reformation of your hearts and eares i.e. life and actions Therefore when the Jews fell away from God at any time and were called to Confession of sin or profession of Faith the Prophets did not propound unto them a new or second Circumcision as if the former were voyded or vacated but onely mind them of their first and onely Circumcision and their Obligation in their Infancy bidding them to Circumcise the fore-skin of their hearts and to practice the inward Circumcision in conversion to God the spiritual and inward part of that Sacrament And so the Apostles used to call them that had sinned after Baptism as the Galathians by name who had fallen from the Grace of the Gospel to confession of sin and repentance to believe in Christ telling them of their Baptism into Christ so bringing and reducing them to that foretaken by them and the order set down there which is already mentioned nor do we read either in Prophet or Apostle of any other new order required afterwards of the Baptizing them again but only a renewing of their Faith and Repentance the Order and Obligation of their first and once Baptism by the Ministry of the word and that other Sacrament the Supper of the Lord. In a word learn now to practice thy Baptism the inward part of it to which appertains Repentance and Faith and so look not only back to it but into it an find out there thy ingagement and restipulation and perform that now that thou art come to knowledge thereof and walk before God in true obedience and in good resistance and abrenuntiation of the Devill and all his works For I would not such a looking back to thy Baptism as may put a vain confidence in the cutward element received by thee such a Respect or Contemplation of Baptism as to trust in the Elements is a misapplication of it through corruption and may well indeed occasion sin and encourage thee to a certain libertinisin licentiousnest in life there are some who being reproved for their swearing drunkenness and whordom take Sanctuary at their Baptism as if it assured men wilfully trading in sin of the remission of it without Repentance and Faith but rest not thou in the outward Letter or Element of the water but study the Spirit and walk in the Holiness of the same Repent of every breach of Covenant and this Repentance will be as a second plank or board after such Shipwrack to carry thee to the Haven of Happiness like as thy Baptism was a first step and stair of thy entrance into the visible Church and set
thee as it were a Shipboard or into the Ark sealing Christ with his benefits unto thee which shall not be pulled off and made Null and therefore need not to be iterated and set to again the first being still of force and efficacy to all true believers in Christ and repenters of sin Thus I have shewed you Sir how most men yea all men who have been Baptized in their Infancy may and ought to look upon themselves as Baptized in their Infancy which you seem to condemn and that to very good purpose and benefit and whereas you adde as the other part of your condemning them for their not looking after the Command of Christ to be baptized when they believe will you have them look after that is not to be seen or found nay have you seen or found out such a Commandment I pray Si lend or sell no some of your eye-salve to annoint our eyes for by and from that eye-salve in the 3. of Rev. 18. wherewith we have anointed our eyes according to Christs Council there given we cannot see from the one end of the New Testament to the other any such Commandement for persons baptized in their Infancy to be baptized when they believe And yet as if you had revealed and brought to light some rare matter of Salvation you have a very scrious and devout epilogue that it your considerations should be considered without a selfiish prejudicial Spirit a Spirit willing to he guided by the Spirit of the Lord according to his word of truth and the Scriptures truly red and interpreted by the Spirit of the Lord which are quoted to prove the Assertions It will appear to every honest and unbyassed Spirit that Infant-Baptism is a great and dangerous errour for ever to be rejected of every Soul that expects Salvation by Christ Jesus What a Cackling is here made upon the laying of an addle egge or rather what a Crowing is here upon the Treading out of a few idle considerations you have the faculty of entitling upon the Spirit and the Scriptures that which they being the Spirit and Scriptures of Truth own not your considerations and interpretations though very seldom you give interpretations them you leave for me to make quotatious and considerations enough you bring and those to no purpose or proof as I have particularly demonstrated where you cite them I leave it to the Honest and unbyassed Spirits to judge and determine whether the Texts you have cited were pertinent to your Consideration or according to your meaning or interpreting if you have given any whether infant-Infant-Baptism be a great and dangerous errour for evewr to be rejected because now opposed of you which ever was a good and Religions Truth ever practised amongst the Saintt because recommended of Christ and the Apostles whether youts or mine be a selfish and prejudiciall Spirit I confess my Spirit is prejudiciall to yours your opinions as your Spirit is prejudicate to mine and thoughts Lastly whether your considerations be not as inconsiderate in the writer so inconsiderable to the Reader However you think so well of them that you go on to more of them when its time to have done with such selfish things and in the next place offer to me some of your considerations upon Act. 2.39 The which if I thought they were no more considerate nor considerable than your former I would consider a while upon it whether or no I should take them into consideration at all or pass by them as inconsiderable And such indeed they seem to be and upon the General view I find them so for in them all there are nothing but answers and solutions made to objections not set down Refutations and denyals of a sense before it be any where mentioned is not this Cart before the Horse which a Carter methinks should not do a consideration without consideration which a Consideratour I am sure should not do we had before your judgment setled out of Quaeres this is as bad your answers to no objections your refuting no Exposition of ours Well as all the way hitherto I have ordered your matters for you so I see I must do so still or else we shall make no work of it at least have no orderly proceeding in it First therefore let the sense of that Text be given and the argument drawn out of it for Infant Baptism which I will do for you and then after let the refutation of that sense and the Answers to that Argument be added or subjoyned the which you shall do for me Peter having preached here unto the Jess and laid to their charge the death and crucifying of Jesus Christ and brought them to some apprehension of their horrid sins at the 38 Verse exhorteth them to repent and be baptized into the Name of the same Jesus Christ and to accept him for their Messias the which he doth upon this reason and ground mentioned in the 39 Vers and drawn from the benefit that should redound not to the mselves onely but to their Children by their believing in Christ The which he proves from the Promise made to them and their Children In plainer and larger words thus it is God hath remembred his Covenant in sending that blessed Seed in whom he promised to be the God of Abraham and his Seed know ye therefore that as God made the Promise of Grace in Christ to come and to be exhibited unto Abraham upon his believing and took also his Children and Posterity into Covenant with him not onely the natural Jews but even amongst all Nations whoever became followers of Abraham's Faith should by vertue of the same inherit Abraham's Promise That he would be their God and the God of their Seed also which should also be taken into the same Covenant so now this blessed Seed in whom the Promise was founded being now come and exhibited would make it good to you all Jews and Gentiles who would believe in him and notwithstanding your cruel practises against him and your crucifying of him if you will believe in this Lord of life and your Messias you shall thereby be in as good or better condition under this last Administration for your selves and your children as in the former therefore deprive rot your selves by your impenitency and infidelity of so great a benefit as may come to your selves and Posterity for the Promise is made to you and your Children c. what Promise or the Promise of what for so I will clear the Text of some exceptions the Promise of the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost so say some of you that you may the better turn this off from Infants of Believers baptized It is true they are promised also in the Verse before and I acknowledge they were Appendants to the Primitive Baptismes of the adult and peculiar to the first times for the more abundant confirmation of their Faith as Act 10 11. who were converted to it from Paganism and
Judaism But no doubt Peter here aimed and even pointed at that grand and fundamental Covenant of Grace made to Abraham In thy seed shall all families of the Earth be blessed Such a Promise as this of Grace and the free remission of their sins by that blood of Christ though shed by some of them sealed in the Sacrament of Baptism comes seasonably to them to pacifie their troubled consciences and cheer up their drooping spirits whereas the other Promise of receiving the Gifts of the Spirit that is the extraordinary ones of speaking divers Languages c. would nothing so properly and effectually have done it as that was the thing then in hand to be done And besides the Promise here spoken of being a Gospel Promise was to extend to all also that were afar off as many as the Lord shall call and so it did pass on in the general Tenders Privileges and Effects to the Believers of the Gentiles and their children from that time and so shall unto the end of the World But you will not say I dare say That according to this Promise the believers of the Gentiles and their Children have received and shall receive those Gifts of speaking divers and strange Languages throughout all Ages and Generations Such a Promise was never made and ought not to be challenged of God But it may be the Promise made to Abraham was but a personal and peculiar one to him and his seed to be taken Into Covenant and to become a visible Church I will be thy God and the God of thy seed i.e. Isaac Jacob and their children No it extended we see to the Proselytes of other Nations also and to all followers of Abraham's faith both Jews and Gentiles and therefore the same Promise was frequently renewed in Scripture many hundred years after those Patriarchs deceased both to Jews and Gentiles as Isa 30.6 Isa 44.2 3. and so shall continue unto the end of the World Isa 59.21 to as many as the Lord our God shall call until the very last calling in of the Jews it being as I said a Gospel-Promise Yea say you it is granted when any of the Children of Believers come to be called and do believe this Promise shall be made good to them But thus saying you make the Promise to hold forth no more comfort or benefit to the children of Believers than the children of Pagans and thus even Isaac and Jacob should have no external privilege by this Promise until they actually believed yea thus all the Jews but such as were Elect and truly faithfull were cut off as well as the Gentiles from having any visible communion in external privileges thereof The Call here is either inward or outward if inward can none partake of the outward privileges as Baptism but such as have that We know those are common to the Elect and Reprobate If of an outward Call why the Infants of Believers enjoy this Call with their Parents and so partake of the Promise And what if Peter here required repentance of such as were in Covenant before baptism are therefore Infants not to be baptized so Ahraham was in Covenant and an actual Believer and justified in Uncircumcision and received Circumcift on as a seal of righteousness of Faith and Proselytes turned to the Jews were first to make profession of faith were therefore none but such to be circumcised But if being under the Covenant besufficient to give a proper right to the seals of it and the privileges of it as I said why-doth Peter keep such a do with these Jess being already in Covenant to repent and believe before they were baptised and why were none of them being in Covenant baptized but such as gladly received the Word and believed It is no where so said that none but such were baptized amongst the three thousand souls And as for the Jews who receiving the Word gladly were baptised you must know they were not now before it in Covenant so as to acknowledge Jesus Christ the Son of Mary to be the Messias and Saviour of the World as who denied that holy One and killed the Prince of life True they were born Jews under the Covenant in the first Ministration of it and were circumcised and had the seal of their faith in Christ to come But this being now antiqunted and out of date by the coming of Christ in the flesh and these Jews having renounced Christ and deposed themselves and their children from the Title they had to Christ as Matthew 27.25 they so renounced the Covenant they had Title to by birth and were now in a condition little better than Pagans Christians to be made and therefore they were not to have the new appointed seals of entrance which was Baptism to assure them that Jesus was Lord and Christ until they embraced him by faith confessing that he was come and that Jesus was he and repented of their crucifying him And thus having cleared the interpretation of the Text I will give you a Consideration of mine upon it before I come to your Considerations without any interpretation given of you My Consideration upon it is this That here is a good warrant for me and for Infant Baptism against you and so as Solomon said of Adonijah 1 Kings 2.33 That be had spoken a word against his own life I may say you have brought in this Word and Text against your self and the life of your Cause said I a warrant yea a very Command The words Be baptized every one of you you will not deny I suppose to be a word of command from Peter in Christs stead and so from Christ by Peter But the Command is To baptiae Father and Child I prove thus Because the Promise is to the Father and Child The Promise is made to you and your Children and therefore the Command is Be baptized every one of you and your Children For if the Children of Believers have a right to be baptized by the word of Promise they must have a right to be baptized by the word of Command and so the other way also these two being convertible Terms the word of Promise and the word of Command having mutual relation each to other So it s in the general nature of Covenants there must be a convertibility betwixt the two parts that do contract as the mutual Indentures shew and so also it must be in the Sacramental Covenant betwixt God and man and betwixt the word of Promise which is Gods part and the word of Command that contains the duty of man in the Sacramental Action And so particularly it was in Circumcision in which Institution there was a mutual neer relation and convertibility between the word of Promise I will be thy God and the God of thy seed and the word of Command Every man-child among you shall be circumcised so that as many of them that had a right to be circumcised by the word of Promise had a right to be circumcised
I tell you the Evangelist John is against the the Anabaptist John even herein in that very thing for which you cited him as I have shewed you but if for Truth sake out of love to the Truth you would have compared Habakkuk with Paul in any of the three Texts the Margent directed you to yea the whole Books and Epistles to the Romans and Galathians they would have given you a cleer Elucidation if you would lay aside your own Spectacles and look with theirs that your Justification and everlasting life is there in the Prophet set upon the account of Faith in your own person applying to your self the Righteousness of Jesus Christ which contains rather the Execution of the Promise But what 's all this to the Promise it self here mentioned and of old made to the believing Parents and their Children in their Infancy Sure when you were a Child you spake as a Child you understood as a Child you thought or reasoned as a Child you reckoned and accounted as a Child I pray now give me some account because you make an instance in your self passing by the Faith in your Parents of the Faith was in your own person when you was a Child and went to Baptism by which you lived or instance now again in the Children of faithful Parents amongst the Jews what account of their Faith did any of them make in their own persons when they were Circumcised in their Child-hood or here in the 2. of Acts which you have taken upon you to expound what word or syllable or the least intimation is there of any account of faith to be made of Children in their own persons And yet the Promise and Covenant is both here said to belong to the Children and the Children before and so likewise to your self Sir all the while before you could or did give an account of Faith in your own person you would be loth to be accounted all that while to be without Christ and an alien or stranger from the Covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the world and if you should think or say so of your self yet I will not so account of you and you would be very ungrateful unto God Covenanting and Promising and ungracious to your Parents bringing you into the world and to Baptism in so thinking or saying It is as cleer as the light at noon day that Feter to perswade those enemies and Crucifiers of Christ to Repent Believe and so to be Baptized and to come under the New administration of the Covenant of Christ exhibited in the Gospel whom they had renounced useth this as a main argument the Benefit also that should redound to their Children that they should also be accepted into Covenant and be made partakers of the external Privileges of the Church as to be Baptized and Counted Gods people like as before they were Circumcised and so reckoned which he proveth for the Promise is made to you and your Children as to them and their Children to you indeed upon account of your actual Faith in your own persons but unto them upon account as I have given before of their being taken of God into the same Covenant with you their believing Parents But for all this Though Children without account of Faith in their own persons by their Birth of believing Parents in Covenant and Promise have Right and Title to Baptism by vertue of the Promise and Covenant made to them both Thy God and thy Seed yet Children when they come to enjoy the Benefits of the Covenant in their Justification and Salvation they must have these upon the account of Faith in their own persons or some grace of the Spirit answerable applying Jesus Christ and his Righteousness unto them Your other Reason is Because nothing answereth the Promise but Faith and if Faith be needless then the Promise is needless You did well to add no Text here having abused enough already but let us look upward and see what it s you prove And that it doth overthrow the Promise what is it the Exposition of the Text Act 2.39 of Childrens being in Govenant from Faithfull Parents that it overthroweth the promise I prove farther because nothing answereth the promise but Faith thus then it must be reasoned if nothing answer the promise but Faith then Childrens being in Covenant from Faithfull Parents overthroweth this promise I am sure This is a needless consequence because the promise stands up still and is of so ce notwithwanding though there were no Faith in some to uphold it and much more though no Faith in some to answer it I will give you a Text here though you give me none Rom. 3.3 and 4. What if some did not believe shall their urbelief make the Faith of God the Faith made and given of God i.e. this promise without effect God forbid yea let God be true and every man a lyar Let Gods promise stand though some mens faith fall yea though none in the world had believed yet God would have fulfilled his promise in sending and exhibiting the Messias a Christ and therefore much less is the promise overthrown because there may want Faith in some for some while to answer it If indeed there were no Faith at all extant or to come any where to answer the Covenant and promise this might seem to endanger the overthrowing of it as to the taking effect and benefit in men and then your reason would be of some seeming consequence or your consequence carry some shew of Reason But it is not so here for here is Faith in the faithfull Parents as you acknowledge embracing and holding up the promise and here are Children in Covenant upholding also and enjoying the promise by birth of Faithfull Parents by grace and indulgence of God and for any thing you know by Faith or other influence of the Spirit Look again into the Text of Act. 2.39 See if the promise there be not standing fast and firm to the believing Parents and their Children though there is no mention made of Faith to answer the promises but only called for of those grown men that were to be and were Converted But which way do you mean Faith answereth the Promise For one thing may be said to answer another many wayes as the Antitype doth the Type the thing signified the Sign a thing regulated the Rule the consideration a bargain performance a contract or a Condition a Covenant I suppose it is this later way that Faith answereth the Promise For as the old Covenant with Adam stood all in Preceps Do this Live and so works as the Condition were to answer that Precept so the new Covenant stood all in Promiser I will be thy God if thou wilt trust to me and Faith as the Condition is to answer the promise else no proportion or agreement betwixt them For nothing but Faith it is that answers the promise it being impossible to have made the Sons of men
partakers of the Covenant that other way by obedience to the Law if it could it should have been done that way Adam though made perfectly Righteous and able did not answer it and if God had tryed Adam the second time he would not have answered in obedience to it but would have broken it again and so should we Therefore it must needs be by Faith embracing the promises and so amswering them that the Covenant of Grace must be made sure unto us which otherwise could never have been done But all this maketh nothing against the exposition of the Text above of Infants being in Covenant with their faithfull Parents and included yea they are expressed in the promise for God looked upon the Faith of Abraham when he entred into Covenant with him and his Children and made the promise to be the God of him and his seed and hereupon himself was Circumcised and his seed And where God pleaseth and when he pleaseth as he doth give sanctity the Spirit and other Graces to Infants as to the Innocents Jeremy John the Bap. so the habit of Faith infused it being the Condition on mans part yet wrought in every Elect Infant by God whereby they answer the promise as to the good and benefit of the Covenant if they dye before or soon after the Sealing thereof by Baptism besides that Infants being born of Parents in Covenant and themselves also in Covenant with God and others as sureties and sponsors in the name of the Infants answering for their Faith and promising for their education in the Faith and the Churches charitable opinion or judging them to have Faith are sufficient to answer the promise as for the outward visible seal which is Baptism to be conferred upon them But you make an answer to an objection which will make also an answer to the promise If any will say say you that the Parents may believe for their Children and so their Faith will answer the promise I answer 1. That the Text doth not say the promise is made to you in the behalf of your Children but to you and to your Children and therefore you must believe for your selves and they for themselves or else neither you nor they do answer the promise Somewhat of this before Sir whilest you are about this promise I wish you would observe the precept of using no vain repetitions as here you do so that I must either wholly omit or repeat vainly with you 1. Though the Text saith not so much in so many words yet it meaneth so much The Promise is made to you in the behalf of your Children also that word added it is the same with The Promise is made to you and your Children both together and joyntly the one being in promise as well and as soon as the other and thus the Text neither saith or denyeth your objection nor your answer For the promise may be truly made and is to believing Parents and their Children whether the Parents do believe for their Children also or the Children for themselves 2. Whereas you say Parents must believe for themselves and children for themselves or neither answer the promise it is truly meant according to the inward and spiritual part thereof so as to partake of Remission of sin Justification and Salvation But yet the Faith of Parents in Covenant may be and is so far beneficial to their born Children that thereby they are declared to be also in Covenant with themselves and to have a Right and Title unto the Seal of the Promise and the external Ordinances and outward Privileges of the Church and in respect of these may be said to answer the promise For the promise is the whole Covenant and the dispensations of it in outward Ordinances as well as saving Graces and it s your constant errour and mistake never to speak distinctly of this promise but usually and onely strictly of the saving Graces thereof belonging to the Elect whereas there is an answering of this promise also by visible profession and external Church-membership and privileges which is done both by the Parents and Children whether the inward Graces thereof be known or not Concerning Infants Faith and their inward Graces whereby you will have them also and they may be answerable to the inward promise I refer you to what I have said before 3. You Sir must own the Child above and it must be laid at your doors I mean the objection there made That Parents may believe for their Children and so answer the Promise I do not believe you can find out a Father for it nor did I ever reade the words as I remember it is true as I have related before that Parents did answer for the Faith of their Children presented to Baptism when the Child was asked dost thou believe the Parent in the Name and place of his Child answered I believe but this is far off from your Parents believing for their Children for it was onely Parents professing of their Childrens Faith or the Childrens professing their Faith by or in the mouth of their Parents as I have largely shewed And as for those Divines who though contesting for Infant-Baptism because they could not be perswaded of Infants-Faith made their refuge to Parents-Faith yet they did it not in such words as Parents believing for their Children nor to such purpose that their Faith might answer the promise but to shew that the Parents Faith gave unto their Children a proof of being born under the Christian Covenant and a Plea for the Seal of Baptism notwithstanding the supposed privation of Faith in Children Though therefore Infants as to their inward state before God of Justification and Salvation are not relieved and helped forward either by profession of Sponsors and Parents or by the acts and habits of their Faith because as I said the just shall live by his Faith and as you say the Parents must believe for themselves and as the Errors and Heresies of the Parents do not hurt the Children no more do their Faith and Truth help them as giving nothing from themselves unto their inward and eternal condition Yet are they beneficial to their Children otherwayes 1. It s from their Faith that the Children are brought out to Christ and offered and dedicated to him in Baptism Psal 206.37 whereas the Infidels offered their Sons and Daughters unto Devils 2. And as in their dedication so by their supplication the Faith of the Parent is helpful towards the obtaining of their Childrens regeneration and many graces of the Spirit God being ready to hear and do accordingly 3. If original sin did hurt Infants which without any fault of theirs they drew according to the flesh from their Parents why may not the Faith of the Parents profit the Children so as that sin be not imputed to them for Christs sake to whom they are offered and dedicated purposely and willingly by their Parents seeing grace is more abundant than Condemnation and the
baptized or unbaptized is saved she hath no judgement of certainty but only of charity and this may have though there should be none of those particulars saved 4. That inward saving grace doth not alwayes attend the Covenant largely and comprehensively taken of which before nor the Seal but only in such as belong to the election of grace Yet the Church may in charity think so as to particulars in Covenant and under Seal till the contrary appear though she have no certain knowledge of it 5. Elect Infants Baptized and dying in their Infancy have no outward means of Salvation but their Baptism the Seal of the Covenant but there is an inward invisible grace which the Holy Spirit before in at or by Baptism doth truly really and actually impute or impart to them applying Christ in his Justifying and Sanctifying vertue unto the souls of such Infants This the Church holdeth not only as of Charity but as of certainty 6. Such Elect Infants Baptized and so dying are capable of and do attain to such saving inward graces not by the usual and ordinary way of Believing upon hearing and conceiving for such actual Faith is not of absolute nececessity to all Gods Elect but only to those to whom God affords the means of it it is the application of Christs Righteousness that justifieth them which is done to them either by some habits of Faith infused of God into their hearts or by Gods Spirit in a secret and unknown way to us supplying all defects in them and doing all things on their parts and this he holdeth most in charity with some though not full of certainty because it is secret 7. Such Elect Infants Baptized and living to the Use of Reason and Understanding the seeds of Grace and Faith infused before or in Baptism do grow up by the ordinanry means unto an actual apprehension of Christ and his Righteousness yea areall possession and comfortable fruition of Christ and all his benefits which were in Baptism truly and effectually sealed before unto them whensoever they should be capable to make use of them and this she affirmeth both out of certainty and charity 8. Because the Church and all this while I speak of the Church of old England hath no certain knowledge of particulars who are Elect Infants and who not but only a charitable opinion of this and that and so every particular one born in the bosome of the Church for that she not only charitably holdeth but certainly knoweth that all Infants born of Christian Parents are also inexternal and professional Covenant of God together with their Christian Parents Therefore she is carefull as she ought that all such in convenient time and with the soonest may be Baptized and receive the Initial Seal of the Covenant so as none as much as may be depart out of this life without Baptism not as if she certainly thought Infants having been true partakers of Baptism must needs without doubt be saved but because she will not be wanting in her charity and duty to God and such Infants which being once baptized and dying soon after she thinks them saved in her judgement of charity in which she thinketh the inward grace may accompany the outward Ministration but for any judgement of certainty and verity herein she disclaimeth and referreth the same to the God Omniscient Now to what end you add these last words Jesus saith Ye do erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Mat. 22.29 I am the God of Abraham of Isaac and Jacob God is not the God of the dead but of the living Verse 32. unless it be to shew a kinde of fatality of errour falling upon you and following you wheresoever you go not knowing but pretending ever the Scriptures which still you cite as heretofore and speak words against your own life the life of your Cause and cut your own throat with your own knife or run your self thorow with your own Sword even the Sword of the Spirit the Texts of Scripture as you cite and apply them as here For by virtue of Abraham's saith which God so well accepted of did not God enter into and make a Covenant both with Abraham and his Seed Isaac and Jacob and all other both Jews and Gentiles who should be followers of Abraham's faith and God being the God not of the dead but of the living Abraham liveth still in the children of Abraham who are of the same saith with him and so the Covenant made with Abraham lives still in all believing Parents for themselves and their children In that saidest thou truly John 4.18 And for your last words hereabouts Consider these things with a single eye aiming at Gods glory and thy Neighbours good and answer these Considerations by plain and direct Scriptures if you can or eise leave off wresting the Scriptures to your own ends if not your destruction I have done it you see considered your Considerations which I wish you had better considered of that so they might have been truly Considerations and that not onely with a single eye as you speak but with a twofold eye so I must if aiming at both Gods glory and my Neighbours good even your good also as well as Parents and their children whereas your Considerations did neither but rahter obscured Gods glory in his Covenant and diminishing your Neighbours good the good of Infants especially which God hath enlarged to them And God hath enabled me for I can do nothing of myself to answer your Considerations by plain and direct Scriptures and Reasons drawn from them yea and such Scriptures as you have wrung wrested and wronged I have vindcaged by explaining them and directing of them to their right end and construction And so I shall not need to leave off that I never began But truly it is time for you to give over that which you have practised all along your Letter to me the wresting of Scriptures and that to your own ends if not destruction yea I must tell you though you may wrest the Scriptures to your own destruction unless you see your errour and repent you do not wrest them to your own ends I am sure for they do not come up or attain either to your own end the destruction of our Infant-Baptism or to your other end for both these are your own ends the justification of your Adult Baptism of persons before baptized I will not be my own judge herein but refer it to the indifferent Reader if any shall peruse this my Answer I proceed to that which followeth of yours An Exposition according to the minde of the Holy Ghost in that Scripture 1 Cor. 7.14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband else were your children unclean but now they are holly holy or clean which is opposite to uncleanness What a Mountebank are you alwaies thus to mount up your low bank and to elevate
your mean drugs of Exposition with such high and extream Praises and Titles as if it were according to the minde of the Holy Ghost is not this to sound a loud trumpet before a poor alins given as the hypocrites do Matth. 6.3 Is not this one kinde of boasting of things without your measure 2 Cor. 10.15 and this one thing The minde of the Holy Ghost in this and that Scripture and peremptorily saying your Exposition to be according to the same this is that the Spirit indeed speaketh expresly that in the Latter days some shall be lovers of themselves proud boasters 2 Tim. 3 1 Tim. 4. and boasters of the Spirit having not the Spirit these be they who separate themselve as Jude telleth you now again verse 19. O the depth of the riches both of the knowledge and wisdome of God for who hath known the minde of the Lord Rom. 11.34 Behold the man who expounds according to the minde of the Holy Ghost in that Scripture at leastwise No Sir you do not you are confounded already who presume to be of the Council of the most High and of the minde of the Holy Ghost see how you falter and stagger at the first step and setting out to your Exposition for the meek will he guide in judgement and the meek will he teach his way Psal 25.9 God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble James 4.6 for you chop and change the words of the Holy Ghost whose own words do best express its own minde turning holy as you should write it but that you are so holly or hollow into clean as if you would teach the Spirit of God the words it should use and then indeed you may the sooner know the minde of the Spirit speaking in your own words Sir are you like to expound this Text according to the mind of the Holy Spirit who refuse the words of the Spirit by which it signified its minde and bring and add another word which expresseth your minde better besides that in the ciring the words of the Spirit you twice add Believing believing as if you would teach the Spirit to express its minde more fully and plainly than of himself he doth putting words into his mouth which he left out though I acknowledge the words aee twice necessarily implied But I would you could once teach your self to write English and speak sense your self so far are you from expounding according to the minde or words of the Holy Ghost Look agian upon what followeth of yours This Scripture is owne one of the main props that Mr. Wsinell buildeth his Infant Baptism upon gounding rom hence That children are holy because there their fatheâ— and there their mother are lawfully married for that is the Apostles meaning in this Text namely the holiness of the child or uncleanness of it according to the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the marage marriage of the Parents and so the the unbelieving husband or wife is sanctified by the believing husband or wife being lawfully marid married as the holy Ghost saith Vnto the pure all things are pure Titus 1.15 Rom. 14.20 and so an inpure impure or unbelieving wife or child is sanctified or pure to the pure or believing husband and so likewise the husband to the wife being lawfully maryed married or joyned together according to Gods Ordynance Ordinance or may of maryage Heb. 13.4 and so their children are holy or clean otherwise they ware were unholy or unthan or bastards and they themselves made whoremongers and adulterers whom God will judge First I pray Sir poine your two first lines and make your flops for the whole two Verses seem to relate Mr. Wyness opinion and grounding childrens holiness upon their father and mothers being lawfully married as if that were the Apostles meaning The which Mr. Wynell disclaimeth as his grounding or the Apostles meaning Seeing then it is your gounding and expounding put it into such words or dress it in such clothes that I may know it and you own it for your Child or child ish opinion whether it prove a legitimate or bastard for so I see you intend to make of the Apostles holy children only legitimates and of the unclean onely bastards And I am farther glad to see you are willing to look into any of our Writers and Books that treat of Infant-Baptism as here Mr. Wynell whose Treatise as I remember I sent either to you or to a friend to shew you and the rather because your Provincial Anabaptists like as the Provincial Jesuites do forbid unto their new Converts and old Catholiques as they call them the reading of our Protestant Books are cautious that our Oathodox Teactates come not into the hands and view of their Catechumen Proselytes It appears to me you have not so much as read Mr. Wynell about this Text so far are you from reading over his Book or not read so much as he wrote about it because you pass by his Exposition of it and his Reasons and your Answers to them and spend your time in drawing out of your self and your own bowels as a Spider those Cobweb-Consideration of your own spread out to catch Flyes that will come into them Well suppose it one of Mr. Wynell's main props or pillars he hath more besides and I thought that such a Sampson as you are would have laid hold on both or all the pillars of the house and pulled them down but instead of pulling down his you set up first a prop and pillar of your own by his and do interpret the Aposltes meaning of children being holy to be onely from a Matrimonial holiness as born in lawfull wedlock and so to be nothing else in a manner but a legitimation of birth And here you cite Rom. 4 20. which speaks of lawfulness and purity of meats to Believers and Titns 1.15 which speaks of faith purifying the heart and all things after to the pure and Heb. 13.4 which sheweth Marriage is honourable and the bed undefiled all to what purpose forsooth to prove that the holiness spoken of children by the Apostle was meant of a legitimation of birth and the sanctification there mentioned of a Matrimonial sanctification were they not rather to this purpose to shew that a good memory and a good wit have not met in your head who shew your good memory to cite many Texts of Scripture but no good wit to apply them or to prove that out of them for which you bring them Next you infer it from the scope of the words For say you the words are part of an Answeare Answer to a Question put by the believing Corimhians Whether that they which were converted by the preaching of the Gospel might live with there their husbands or wives which were not converted Now the Apostle answer thus If the unbelieving husband or wife will dwell with the believing husband or wife is sanctified to or by the unbelieving husband or wife else ware your children
generally set down at the 3. verse and specified in two particulars the one of chastity along to the 6. verse in whcih verse is another particular of justice and at the 7 verse the reason of both is yielded For God hath not called us to uncleanness but holiness which if understood only of Matrimonial uncleannes which is Fornication and holiness which is chastity then the Argument must run thus let no man go beyond his brother in bargining for God hath not called us to fornication but to chastity and so you alone shall run with it for me and follow the consequence thereof which I hold to be of no consquence And fourthly Such another consequence is this uncleanness and holiness or sanctification is put by St. Paul to the Thessalonians for fornication and chastity suppose it so though I grant it not so and therefore the same is meant by St. Paul to the Corinthian when he saith the husband is sanctified by or in or to the wife else the children were unclean but now they are holy as if the same words may not bear divers senses in scveral Text of Scriptures according to the diversity of the matter and scope and how will you shew that chastity among the Heathens and unbelievers is ever called sanctification in Scripture the spirit only being the Spirit of sanctification and the bodies of Heathens and unbelievers being not the Temples of the Holy Spirit and yet you see the Heathen or unbelieving husband or wife is said to be sanctified in or by the believing wife or husband And Fiftly and lastly The Apostle speaketh to the Thessalonians grown persons converted to Christ and tells them for the present and time to come that it is the will of God they should abstain from uncleanness and fornication from fraud and injustice for the one of which you cite Heb. 13.4 also the only tâ—xt you ciâ—e according the sense of it and what 's all this to the unbelievers being sanctified by the believers or their childrens being holy Here was no such mixt conjugal societies of Christians and Gentiles or Heathens and children born of them as appears in that the Apostles saith Let every one of you possesse his vessel in sanctification and not in the lust of Concupisence even as the Gentiles which know not God I am sure the Apostle neither speaks nor means a natural holiness or cleanness that is not born of Fornication as you strangly and inconsiderately blurt out which words I leave to you to put into some Genitive Case for the birth of I know not whom the fathers or children of these Thessalonians for you make no Genuine sense here either of fathers or childrens Natural holiness or cleanness There is a parcel of your third Consideration clapt in by you not belonging to the matter in hand there which according to my custom of right ordering and methodising of your confused stuffe I reserve untill anon to come in its due and proper place I proceed now that I have answered your Allegation for a Natural you would say if you were acquainted with the best spoken of your Sect Matrimonial sanctification Holiness and cleanness to give you my Reasons to the contrary of your Opinion 1. When the Apostle saith the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife c. and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband this cannot be meant of Matrimonial sanctity and holiness that their Marriage was good and lawful and chaste for both parties knew that of themselves before nor needed they nor did they here propound any such Quaere unto the Apostle Whether they were at first or still rightly man and wife or were joyned in lawful way of Wedlock whilest they were Heathens And that case was also determined before by the Apostle as the 9 and 10. verses let not the wife depart from the husband and let not the husband put away his wife But the Quaere here was whether the believing party might depart and seperate from the unbelieving party a Brother or a Sister as its more explicated at the 12 and 13. verses so that it seems this Quaere arose from something in difference of Religion that troubled the Conscience of the believing party after his or her conversion as whether it would not be defiled in remaining joyned to Idolaters and Infidels Now suppose the Quaere had been sent to you for answer for I will see how good you are at answers who are so much in Quaeres what will you answer to these Corinthians why thus you do Be content Sirs you have a natural holiness cleanness or your Matrimony is lawful notwithstanding the difference in faith you may live together for all that you are no Adulterers and Adulteresses increase and multiply your children are no bastards but Legitimates But Sir do you think this would have answered their Quaere satisfied their scruple or pacified their Conscience would they not have replyed to you in the words of Job to his Friends We have heard many such things miseralbe Comforters are ye all Job 16.2 Tell us that we know not answer us to that we Quaere you speak that we have not heard we have heard many such things we know all this that we are lawfully man and wife and our children are no Bastards but Legitimater if this be all you can say as good hold your peace for you speak no peace to Conscience Miserable comforters of Conscience are ye all or as in the margent troublesome comforters of conscience are ye all and by this your resolution make our Consciences more troublesome and miserable than before they were Our doubts are whether we that are converts and believers may put away or go from our husbands or wives which are Infidels and unconverted and also his or her children as not belonging to God for part of his people or seed and being as a grief and vexation if not pollutionto us what do you tell us of lawfulness of our Marriages or Legitimacy of our children Can you shew us there is any sanctification betwixt us and our unbelieving consorts whereby we may be induced to live and dewell together any holinesse of our off-spring and children that we may own them as members of the Church of God do this and do somthing else it s nothing you say But I will take off these Corinthians from you Sir and from baiting of you for which you may thank me and will direct them to a more happy and peaceable Comforter ever their own Apostle St. Paul who here fully answereth their doubts and quiets their Consciences telling them that the unbelieving husband is sanctisied by or in the word in the Original beareth all the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by or in the husband meaning though not expressed the believing husband and the believing wife I blamed you Sir before for expressing it in the text where the word believing is not for mentioning it as the fense and scope which my self
now do for the question is what the believing wife or husband is to do with the unbelieving husband and wife Now this goeth and speaketh to the heart as the Hebrews say of these Corinthians and bringeth a calme upon their troubled spirits now if the unbelieving husband bepleased to dwell with his believing wife she is well coutented for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by or in the wife and if the unbelieving wife be content to keep with her believing husband he is as well pleased for the unbelieving wife is sanctified in and by the husband and now also their children are not unclean but holy This of sanctification is such a privilege as is not common to all married folks but peculiar to believing persons so that these may reap such comfort and benefit hereby that their unbelieving consorts are sanctified to or by themselves and they may have not only a lawful enjoyment but also a holy use of their unbelieving yoke-fellows for that God esteems the seed of such to be a holy seed as truly as if both were believers Thus the Apostle his resolution removes that scruple of Conscience telling them the believing husband or wife they were not defiled by remaining joyned with the unbelieving consort but rather that the unbelieving consort was sanctified in or by the believing husband wife he which your sense of natural or Matrimonial chastity or sarctification if you will have the word also is nothing so satisfactory to or answerable for For again if so it should be meant and understood the Reason would have been as good The unbelieving wife or husband is sanctisied by or in the unbelieving husband and wife or the believing Consort is sanctified in and by an unbelieving Consort or the husband is sanctified by the wife and the wife by the husband Let them be what they will believers or unbelievers according to your sense as betwixt whom there is your matrimonial Chastity or lawful Marriage But then it would not have been so true every way as now it is according to my sense for to the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their minde and conscience is defiled Titus 1.15 Nay more whereas the believing Consort sanctifieth the unbelieving Consort and not the other way the unbelieving Consort sanctifieth the believing one if matrimonial Chastity or your natural Sanctity were here understood both Consorts would here be sanctified yea both the believing one and also the unbelieving one would be and were hereby sanctified in themselves not by or in one the other for Marriage is honourable amongst all and the bed undefiled Heb. 13.4 And then you may alter the Text of Titus and say to the impure and unbelieving husband or wife also all things are pure 3. they are sanctified even in themselves by their matrimonial Sanctity and natural Chastity and even their minde and conscience is undefiled Besides what an incongruity and inconsistency is there in such a reddition and interpretation the unbelieving wife is sanctified by or in the believing husband that is chastified or matrimonially holy Said I not but even now That chastity amongst the Heathen or spoken of them as here you will have it of the unbelieving is never called Sanctification or Sanctity in Scripture Turn down to your self the one Text and then turn it over to me I gave you also reason for it because their bodies are not the Temples of the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of Sanctification and Sanctity But I pray shew me also that one Consort or yoke-fellow doth chastifie or make chaste the other like as the Apostle sheweth you that one doth sanctifie and make holy the other and if so be both Consorts be not chaste how are they made chaste or chastified each by or in other or if but one be unchaste how is he or she chastified or made chaste by or in the other chaste one be it he or she Truly Sir this opinion of yours and your sense here deserves a little to be chastised till it be more sensible yea and chastified too as which doth adulterate and corrupt the purity of the Word and the sanctification of this Text. It may something recreate the Reader if any come to reade these sheetâ— besides your self who do concreate iâ— to intersert what a great Champion of Infant-Baptism hath related of as great an opposer of it about the interpretation of this Text which he holding as you do it to be meant of matrimonial chastity and holiness bringeth forth as a parallel Text the 34 Verse of this Chapter I pray look the Verse it is too longton me to write out twice and he thus rendreth and meaneth it The unmarried cares for the things of God that she may be holy in body and Spirit i.e. That she may be chaste but she that is married cares for the things of the world that she may please her husband The Relator saith of it onely this That in truth it is a pretty odd sense thus invented and that which I onely shall adde is That if thus invented it is hardly in truth and though pretty it is not chaste but holy that the Apostle aimeth at That she being unmarried and free from worldly cares careth the more for the things of God that she may be godly and holy and whether the sense be even or odd I pass not it is odd indeed that the unmarried careth for the things of God that she may be chaste I will make it even and say with the Apostle The unmarried careth for the things of God how she may be holy If you ask me now for my sense and interpretation of S. Paul here to the Corinthians saying The unbelieving Consort is sanctified by or to the believing Consort I gave it you but a little before to be this plainly You believing Consorts may have and have if you dwell together not onely a lawfull enjoyment but a holy use of your unbelieving Consort This I shall elucidate by comparing it with 1 Tim. 4.5 where the creature is said to be sanctified by the word and prayer unto the pure and Believer You may as well limit and restrain the Sanctification here onely to a lawfull use of the Creatures to Believers and unbelievers as you do the other former sanctification onely to the lawfull marriage of the unbelievers and Believers But as I have shewed you the one so I shall now prove that the other holdeth out more to your eyes if you will open them and look on because the Heathens and unbelievers had a lawfull use of the Creatures but S. Paul here to Timothy speaks of such an use of the Creatures as they had not and is appliable onely to Believers and therefore is a holy and sanctified use also not lawfull onely as appears by that which followeth for it is sanctified by the Word and Prayer they have the Word to Warrant the use of
so many of them as he did and I would wish you to be very wary when you go over to the Savages in New England and the Pagans in our West Indes that you broach not this either doctrine or interpretation amongst them lest the Parents there and husbands and especially the mothers and wifes fly in your face and all to scratch you and scald you for calling and making their children bastards and left the children 〈◊〉 come forth out of the Cities and mock you and throw stones at you or words as hard Go up thou baldhead he interpretation is bald indeed and hath not one hair of a rational Writer whatsoever the head is or hath under the cap I know not and the she Bears come out of the Wood and tear the false Prophet and interpreter instead of the true children and no bastards What a man are you Sir that thus fill the world with bastards by such your interpretation I mean the world of Pagans and Heathens where man and wife being neither of them believers and so neither sanctified by the other their children must be unclean bastards according to your doctrine and Exposition thus instead of satisfying and pacifying the doubtful and scrupulous consciences of some converted yoke fellows the other remaining unconverted you will trouble and disquiet a world of consciences or the conscience of the greater part of the world which being unconverted and lying in infidelity must sadly look upon their issue as bastardly and illegitimate because unclean Yea this will make such mutinies insurrections in those Kingdoms that there will be no Conscience of peace made as no peace of conscience successions in them and all inheritances may be hereby questioned and overthrown by this your Divinity although it be not good Humanity Yea those worthy Primitive Christians converted by the Apostles who were born in Paganism of both Infidel Parents must lie under your censure and sense of bastardy until you release them and the very father of the faithful Abraham himself cannot escape you but by your exposition must be a bastard too as whose Parents were Idolaters both and servers of other gods than the true one Jos 24.2 I pray you Sir you that pretend so much to the language of the Spirit as if it were your Mother-Tongue the cloven Tongue of the Spirit as also to exposition according to the minde of the Spirit as you said of your self even now as if you were the Spirits Secretary or Clerk of its Closet shew me such a language of the Spirit such a minde of the Spirit in any one Text throughout the whole Bible for this in hand fails of it where a child or children of two unbelieving or Infidel Parents lawfully married together are called or but intimated bastards and will you have the face and impudency without any exemplary Text or parallel Scripture or miraculous gift of Prophesie it would be miraculous indeed if you were so gifted but indeed miraculous gifts are ceased and they were for confirmation of Truths not for confusion of them as are your prophesyings to affirm such children bastards as you cannot avoyd it whilest you interpret the children in St. Paul whereof but one of the Parents in lawful wedlock is an Infidel or unbeliever are therefore caleld holy because they are legitimates or lawfully born and not bastards and when you have done it or before you do it to call it the genuine sense and meaning of the Text and to father it as it were upon the Spirit to be an exposition according to the minde thereof And so now having gone thus far against your interpretation of bastardly uncleanness and legitimal holiness I shall now come back to mine which is also the Exposition generally of all Orthodox Baptist Protestants and I may adde more truly an Exposition according to the minde of the Spirit and the very genuine sense of the Text. For I suppose you will not deny but the minde of the Spirit was in Paul Now Paul was of this minde you must confesse it That children of though but one Christian Parent were holy in the Scripture phrase in the Spirits language in the Churchs relation and if they be judged and reputed such esteemed and spoken of as such by Paul I shall not hereafter much minde or regard what they are in your or others mindes and meanings expositions and interpretations For if the Apostle reputeth them so then God reputeth them so in some things the Apostle said I but not the Lord 1 Cor. 7.10 in other not I but the Lord 12 ver but in this I and the Lord for not I saith he i.e. I onely but the Lord also verse 14. the believing wife is sanctified by the husband c. else were your children unclean but now they are holy I said before that such holiness is here meant and spoken of as is opposite to uncleanness as appears in the very words placed and set in opposition one to the other else they were unclean but now they are holy but to what uncelanness not to the uncleanness of bastardy as you will have it to make up a holiness onely of legitimation both which I have refelled but the uncleanness of infidelity or a state out of Covenant as our Divines will have it to make up the holiness of these children a holiness of federation or federal holiness For so this state out of Covenant as Infidelity and Paganism and Idolatry is very often stiled and called uncleanness as I touched before and such Infidel and Idolatrous Parents or people are even named Adulterers and Fornicators and said to go a Whoring after strange gods or Idols and so it s the condition and denomination of their children to be called unclean all after a Spiritual or Ecclesiastical sense But you cannot shew me where by unclean are meant bastards though bastards may be called unclean for where the unclean persons are reckoned up bastards are not mentioned But if this must go for an Exposition of the Text and that according to the minde of the Spirit as thus unclean i.e. Bastards then the terms or words must go or run true both waies backward and forward that bastards are unclean and the unclean are bastards And whereas bastards amongst the Jews might not by their Laws bear any Office in Magistracy ordinarily for Jephthah was extraordinarily chosen by God and the people for this valour nor sit in the Sanctuary nor execute any Priestly Office as over the Congregation of the Lord Deut. 13.7 like as by the Civil Laws they could not enjoy Inheritances yet they were Circumcised and might eat the Passeover and had free accesse to the Temple and Tabernacle to perform worship and hear the Law and were federally holy as any legitimates But for the particular of infants holiness I say 1. in general Any person or family for so it was at first in Abraham or Nation as afterwards it was with the Jews and is now with the
persons in the Church holy and so reputed by the Apostle to be by their being in and under the holy Covenant of God or by being children of a believing Parent or Parents in Covenant may and ought to have the holy Initial Seal of that Covenant which in the Gospel is Baptism But all infants in the Church of believing Parents are such persons holy and so reputed by the Apostle to be by their being in and under the holy Covenant or by being children of a believing Parent or Parents in Covenant Therefore all infants in the Church may and ought to have the holy initial Seal of the Covenant which in the Gospel is Baptism You will now Sir of your self I shall not need to urge or advise you being experienced and practised often before therein now the eighth time with much facility deny the conclusion For the first Proposition you cannot deny it being grounded out of that Text Act. 10.47 where Peter saith Can any man forbid water that those should not be Baptized who have received the holy Spirit and as is largely explained and proved before as also upon this Reason deducible hence that where holiness is the Spirit is and where the Spirit is Christ is and where Christ is the Covenant is and where the Covenant is the Seal initial namely Baptism may and ought to be For the second Proposition you cannot deny it being the expresse affertion of Paul here But now they are holy namely their children And whereas I have put in my whole Discourse all these my eight or nine Arguments into the form of a Syllogism I have done is the better to inform you to which you pretend to be willing in the close of your Letter I hope you will taste it now at last the better though savouring much of our University Arts and Humane learning as consonant and agreeing subservient and conducing to the Divine wisedom and of good use for the understanding and Expounding of the Scriptures written in the learned Tongues and Languages and often referring to Moral and Phylosophical matters of which I have spoken largely before and should not have mentioned again but that you have another fling at the same in the close of your Letter saying that it appears that the most learned by Humane learning want the learning of the Spirit to interperate interpret Scripture It is true that some of the learned by Humane learning may and do want the learning of the Spirit to interpret Scripture but do not more of the ignorant by their Humane ignorance much more want the same yet none of the learned and much less of the most learned do by humane learning as you must mean though you point not your words with any Comae's or Colons for want of Humane learning by Humane learning I say want the learning of the Spirit seeing the Spirit of God hath both taught it at first as the Author of it and made much use of it practising some of it in the Scripture and as Hagar and Sarah may dwell together in the same house humane learning as you call it and the learning of the Spirit may keep together in the same head-house so long as Hagar is an obedient handmaid to her Mistris Sarah and Humane learning humbly submits and is servant or subservient unto the learning of the Spirit and the Misteries of it But of this matter there is enough written before and how it should now at the last appear to you that the most learned by Humane learning do want the learning of the Spirit to interpret Scripture if you mean it of those who interpret the Scriptures for Infant-Baptism against you it is marvelous to me for I will instance but in this one and last interpretation of 1 Cor. 7.14 But now they are holy We interpret it holy federally as who are born in Covenant with God and of a believing Parent or Parents in Covenant with God and so are not unclean as the Gentiles out of Covenant but you interpret it holy legitimally as who are lawfully born of Parents in wedlock according to the Law and so are not unclean as bastards born out of wedlock now do you remember your words four times repeated in one of your pages I will repeat them once more for you but to you Judge you but judge you righteous judgement for God will judge you I say whether of the interpretations savours most of Humane learning or the learning of the Spirit yours or ours doth it not clearly appear to your eyes that your interpretation is a meer Humane natural carnal political interpretation and such as you can bring no word or example for from the learning of the Spirit the Scriptures where holy are called or meant legitimates and unclean bastards and therefore it is a meer Humane learning and not agreeable to the learning of the Spirit nay repugnant to it for by the learning of the Spirit all bastards are not unclean nor all legitimates holy But our interpretation is a very Divine gracious spiritual Ecclesiastical interpretation and such as I have brought both word and example for from the Scriptures the learning of the Scriptures where all in Covenant with God or born of Christians or one Christian Parent are stiled holy and all childeren born out of Covenant or of Parents both Heathens are called unclean and therefore ours is the very learning of the Spirit to take your words now out of your mouth and put them into ours as justly I may according to the minde of the Spirit as who declared unto us in the Scriptures and we from it to you that all Covenanters born of Covenanters with God are holy and all out of Covenant and born of such as are out of Covenant are unclean And so now by this as indeed by all or most of the Scriptures that you have made use of throughout your whole Letter which rather you have made an abuse of it will appear yea doth that your self is one of them the most learned by Humane learning certainly Sir for all your talk against it you have been at the University and gotten up some Humane learning and are a great Practitioner therein as appears by this and your other interpretations yea I take you to be a man if not a Master of Arts and Humane learning more than of the learning of the Spirit though pretending to this more a better Humanist than Divine or rather an Alchymist who can extract out of the Spirits holy in Scripture the spirit and flesh to a child lawfully born and out of spirits unclean the quintessence of a bastard Do you call this the learning of the Spirit to Interperate Scriptures with all for so you write and shew your self to be good at expounding as you are at spelling your Orthography and Orthodoxy being both alike do you interpret the Scripture by your learning of the Spirit no sure you Interperate interpret Scripture rather by the ignorance and illiterature of
your flesh Interperate what 's that is it not Intemperate or interprate sure it is not to interpret Scripture No marvel indeed if you would have me To confider of these things you have written with an unbiassed spirit and a self-denying humble spirit such as those spirits are that are guided by the spirit of the Lord For surely then your spirit hath not been guided by the Spirit of the Lord as which is or hath been in your Letter a byassed spirit and an all other besides your self denying proud spirit and therefore without any just ground you arrogate those words of the Apostle to your own practise saying as he 2 Cor. 2.17 We are not as many which corrupt or deal deceitfully with the Word but as of seneâ—rity sincerity but as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ What you speak when you are teaching and expounding or praying I know not this I know by the experience you have given of your self to me that in your writing and citing Scriptures in your Letter you are the most corrupter and the most deceiptful dealer and wrester also of Scripture that ever I read I do not know many scarce any that go beyond you except your Masters and Tutours you know whom I mean and your sincerity is as false spoken as written of you if as of sincerity as of God in the sight of God you shall speak in Christ it will be acceptable as to God so to man and my self if renouncing the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness not handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth you commend your self to every mans conscience in the sight of God as you add of your selfe 2 Cor. 4.2 Comparing spiritual things with spiritual but so you did not when you compared the holy and legitimates together and the unclean with bastards to go no farther backward And Scripture with Scripture for Scripture is the best Interpreter of Scripture neither did you so when you could finde no Scripture to compare with 1 Cor. 7.14 that either did interpret or intimate bastards to be unclean and much less fignified by this word there or legitimates to be holy and much less meant by this word there For that in the close of your Letter which concerneth my self in particular as That you should gladly see better fruits from me If I knew what fruits you mean I should soon tell you whether or no I should ever glad you so much as to see them but if they relate to which immediately goeth before them the wresting of Scriptures by Humane learning I must tell you that the root that I am graffed into and which beareth me shall ever I hope bring forth better fruits though I question your gladness in seeing them as being opposite to your fruits who throughout your whole Letter have been gathering yea pulling and enforcing thornes of grapes and thistles of figs divers errorneous Tenets from Texts that will not nor can bear them the which I am sorry to see from you And for your intreating me to lay aside all selfe-ends and by-respects you must pardon me herein for I took up the defence of my self and my Ministery and infant-Infant-Baptism as well as of others making both my end next unto Gods glory and the truth without any other by respects which I must not upon your request lay aside but for that which followeth I have seriously considered the things and words of God spoken by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures which were all written for our learning and imitation yea moreover have enformed you in particular how far forth all which were written for our learning were written for our imitation some of them and some of them not which you indistinctly and confusedly jumble together yea and according to your farther intreaty I have turned to and looked into all those Scriptures you have but quoted and named and not written out for want of time as you say and have writ out all the words of most of them as who never want time to search out the Truth of the Scriptures if I want not health Your self best know whether it was for want of time or for want of truth you did not transcribe the words as making most an end nothing to the purpose or Point for which you set down and multiplied Chapters and Verses by their figures onely and whether this was Not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceiptfully but by a manifestation of the Truth a commending your self to every mans Conscience whether this was of sincerity as of God as in the sight of God spoken or written judge you but judge righteous judgement for God will who trieth the heart c. For that in the close still of your Letter which concerneth your self it is your desire that wherein you have erred I would inform you by plain Scripture It is done to your hand but I fear it is not gone to your heart whose heart was and is I surmise resolved before hand as your hand laid upon your heart to that purpose of not acknowledging any error or submitting to information for what hope or likelihood is there hereof when as presently you adde You are confident heare here is nothing aserted asserted nor queared but will now appeare a truth proved by Scriptures and likewise will appeare at the great day Wherefore then do you intreat me to weigh things seriously and if you have erred in any thing to inform you when as you are confident here is nothing asserted or quaered but will now appear a truth just as the man in the Gospel professed to follow our Saviour Christ and went away presently about other matters of no such consequence you likewise say you will be informed by me wherein you have erred and in the next words you are confident of nothing asserted or quaered by you here but the very Truth I am perswaded the work will be much alike the informing you to the laying down of any error of yours and the washing of a Leopard to the putting off any of its spots But I should gladly see better fruits from you than such a non resolution and brasse-forehead which for the most part is in most of the Revolters from our Church and the Truth as not to be conformed and converted when informed confuted notwithstanding Though I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought and in vain yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my work with my God Isa 49.4 But Sir are you confident that there is nothing â—sserted or quaered but will appear a Truth what that which is asserted by you may appear let passe buâ— sure that which is quaered by you here will not now appear a Truth neither now nor never will it be a Truth no not at the great day that which is quaered onely your Quaeres were your judgement as you affirmed before now you affirm they are a
Truth proved by Scriptures and yet but propounded in Quaeres and what will they be at the last your Quaeres will appea you say a Truth also at the last and great day you will be deceived then as now for your Quaeres are not Resolutions Decrees Axioms but Quaeres it doth not yet appear what is Truth in them to your self or any others put them out of Question into Propositions come out of your Quaeres into your Resolves and then I will tell you whether now in the later little daies they do or in that last great day they will appear a Truth or Truths In particular to passe by your Questions and Quaeres your Sacrilegious Usurpation to Preach Baptize and distribute the Sacramental Bread and Wine your injurious Detension of Christian Infants from Baptism the Seal of the Covenant God made with them also your ridiculous dopping and plunging of grown persons over head and ears back ward in a Pond who were before Baptized in their infancy in the face of the Congregation your Scrismatical separation from your Parochial and National fellow members professing truth and holiness your Scurrilous railing upon the true visible Church of England and the Ministers thereof as Baalitish Devillish and Antichristian professing and worshiping Christ Jesus and God in spirit and truth with a world more of fraudulent misinterpreting and misapplyings of sacred writ virulent Caluminations of holy Truth violent oppositions of lawful order uncharitable imaginations and contempts of higher Powers and all persons who are not of your S ct and Set can I think or any man else whose brains and heads have not been intoxicated by a superfluous re-baptization that these will appear a Truth or truths at that great and last day which in all the former daies the Word of God hath judged and condemned for errors and untruths it hath been the fashion of some Heretiques and Scismatiques when they have been confuted and confounded with the evidence and light of Truth which hath been flashed in their faces here from the Word and Scriptures to make their appeals to the great and last day for trial and to Jesus for the Judge of truth or untruth but we have it already as a ruled Case from himself in the 12. of John 48. ver The word that I have spoken the same shall judge him and you and all at the last day and the Apostle Paul speaketh of the same day When God shall judge the secrets of men according to his Gospel Rom. 2.16 Flap not me off therefore with this put off of your Tenets if you have done with Quaeres as its high time that they will appear Truths at that great and last day for if you cannot now in this your little present day make them to appear Truths according to Christs word and Pauls Gospel better than you or others have done as yet and yet I think you and they have done your best they will never appear Truths in the great and last day but the Word and Gospel will then as now they do appear against them for errors and untruths and by that Word and Gospel Christ and his Apostles and all the Saints shall judge and condemn them for such so that you and they who held up your heads in these waters of strife and contention here on Earth with the pust and blown bladders of your self-conceipted fansies will be fain to hang them down in shame and confusion of face Revel 3. â—â— Calling upon the Hills to fall upon you and to the Mountains to cover you from the face of him that siteth upon the Throne and from that shine and lustre of Truth that then will appear at that great and last day I will therefore give you the good counsel of the Apostle Let every man for the counsel is good for all of us take heed how he buildeth upon the Foundation Jesus Christ every mans work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it Especially the great and last day you speak off Because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is whether Gold Silver precious Stones or whether Wood Hay Stubble if any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward if any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer losse 1 Cor. 3.10 and 12. And whereas in your next close you bid me lye down before it and stoop to it it is spoken like an imperious School Master or imperial Master of the Field which as yet you are neither as for all the Truths of Christ set forth in his Word and Gospel I do here stoop to them and ly down before them prostrating and casting down all my imaginations and every thing of my Reason that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God bringing into captivity every thought or affection of mine to the obedience of Christ and his Truth and pleasure laying my hand upon my mouth and putting my mouth in the dust and laying dust upon my head I do here bow down my head incline my heart throw down all within me and without me and wholly and totally yield my self unto Truths of the Word of God as to the Victorious and Conquering the powerful and Triumphant Rod and Scepter of Christ Speak Lord for thy servant heareth 1 Sam. 3.10 1 Kings 18.39 Numb 23.18 Deut. 32.4 The Lord he is the God The Lord he is the God God is not as man that he should lye a God of Truth and without iniquity just and right is he yea God is truth it self and Christ is the Way and the Truth and the Spirit is truth 1 John 5 6. And thy Law is truth and all thy Commandements are truth John 14.6 Psalm 119.142 and 151. Thy Word is true from the beginning Psal 119.160 and so to the end thy Word endureth Heaven and Earth shall passe away but one jot and tittle of the Word shall not passe away till all be fulfilled Matth. 5.18 But Sir to lye down before or stoop to your Quaeres and Considerations and Interpretations so void and empty of the Divine Truth of God and his Word so full and even swoln with the Humane sanfie of man and his will though you masterly expect it I shall Scholarly defeat you I am now too strong and well truss'd and truth'd to untrusse or untruth to such a dip-dop pedant or rather Anti-pedant as you are such a one as you are I could have disciplined that way and discipled any other way fifty years ago and I have too much of Mordecai the Benjamite in me and of his zeal to the Church of God than to bow or stoop to such a Haman a man the Agagite the separate that speaks so ill and vilely of the people of God and seeks to destroy it and them utterly Nay rather let your Dagon fall upon his face to the earth before the Ark of the Lord and your Quaerulous errors lie down
return and reversion to the Faith who were before baptized nor the children of Professors though baptized by Hereticks or heretical Ministers if rightly according to the Ordinance but rather condemned it and pronounced it a Heresie to hold it or to practise so a Rebaptization For the Sacrament of the Eucharist there is a Quotiescunque it should be received as oft of the same Person as may be conveniently for that our growth and augmentation in grace ought to be daily and continually whereof the Eucharist is the Sacrament But I never read of above a semel of the Sacrament of Baptism that it should be received above once of the same person because our Spiritual Birth and incision into Christ is but once whereof Baptism is the Sacrament The thing is acted but once and therefore is signified but once I acknowledge indeed that it is no where expresly written that baptism should not be irerated and received the second time so it s no where said there are three Persons of the Deity though the word of persons is no in sacred Writ yet the will of God about the things signified by the Word is revealed and expressed in the same So the Will of God that baptism should not be iterated and once baptized should not be re-baptized or baptized the second time appears partly out of what I have alledged 1. That Circumision was never iterated none ever circumcised twice and Baptism succeeds Circumcision 2. That there is mention made of an Iteration or often Receiving the Lords Supper but not a syllable of Intimation there or elsewhere of the like of Baptism 3. That in the very Place and Scripture where Christ instituted Baptism which yet had been the very proper place for it there is no order at all for re-baptizing or iterating baptism 4. That among all the many examples of persons baptized There is not one recorded to have been re-baptized no not Simon the Sorcerer nor Demas the Revolter not one of the Cormthians nor of the Galathians relapsed but onely were called upon to Return to the Grace of the Covenant sealed in their first Baptism by Repentance and Faith I suppose the grand reason of your re-dipping and re-baptizing in elder age is this for that you hold your first dipping and baptizing to be vain Invalide frustrate which was transacted in your infancy for so one of your Sect told me the other day that when he was a Child he was Christened but he was then also but cozened As I warned him so I wish you to take heed unto your wayes that you offend not in your tongue or thought so as in either of them to reproach the Living God or blaspheme his holy and effectual Baptism by thinking and calling this a Cozenage and him a Mocker Did God cozen the whole Church and People of Israel when he appointed and commanded their children even but of eitht days old to be circumcised how then doth he cozen the Church and people of the Gentils in our Infants baptized seeing baptism is the Circumcision made without hands Col. 2.11 Nay seeing both Circumcision and Baptism are the signs and seals of that one and the same Everlasting Covenant of Grace they neither are nor can be any cozenage or frustrate things to the right Partakers of them until they be frustrated by themselves the Partakers as by Esau was his birth-right and also his circumcision and them God is rather mocked and cozened then a Mocker and Cozener but they are valide and of force to the spiritual good ends and purposes of either and therefore being rightly once imprinted are of vigour and vertue of frait and efficacy during life and so long as the Covenant lasteth which is everlasting as I said and so need not to be repeated and reiterated but are often to be revolved and revived in our mindes memories and meditation and the Tenor of the Covenant daily to be studied and practised and the Conditions thereof on our part to be observed and performed accordingly Rather your self Sir and your two Sisters were cozeded and cheated and never so much in all your lives as when you renounced that your first Christian Infant baptism and received this your second novel youthful Dippism Nor can that be any good reason of your re-dipping or rebaptizing your defect of Faith in the time of your Infancy or sithence days of age your Eccess of sins such as have vacated the gracious Covenant and vitiated a good Conscience For you must consider that the Covenant is sealed in Baptism or Baptism is added to the Covenant on Gods part as well as mans God promising there Grace and Eternal life and man stipulating for Faith and new Obedience Though therefore you might or did fly from the performance of your Promise by Hypocrisie or Apostasie and upon such default on your part lost your right and claim of eternal life God notwithstanding stood and standeth still firm to his Promise on his part as who never breaketh Covenant with any nor ever loseth his right to any party baptized by any default made on his side These things if they be true as they are most true God being not as man that be should change and alter to what purpose was it that you should or did entâ—r anew into a Covenant with God and reiterate the seal thereof Baptism and so be rebaptized and re-dipped which was but will-worship of yours fruitless and a tradit on of men needless no where commanded you of God no where exemplified to you by the men of God the Saints This rather you should have done as that one and onely necessary thing you should have repented of your evil ways and works and so have returned unto God in Covenant already and still with you sealed in your Infant-Baptism though forfeited on your part yet not released on Gods part This you should have earnestly pleaded with God confessing your sins and by Faith firmly embracing it through Christ your Advocate and Mediatour Thus you would have set your former Baptism on work and your self too in performing the conditions thereof and so you should have recovered and received all the fruits and benefits of the Covenant of Grace sealed to you by Baptism in your Infancy This every where in Scripture do the Prophets call upon Covenant-breakers on their part and his revolting and relapsed people to repent and to return to their first Covenant with God sealed in their Circumcision not to any re-circumcision as you may see Jeremy 3.1 12. Hos 2.7 and 6.1 And so the Apostle cals to the Corinthians and the Galathians who were far gone from God yea fain from Grace not to put off their old baptism and to put on a new but to put off the old man and to put on the new to Repent of sin and to return to the Grace of the Covenant to perform the condition of their baptism and to grow up in the fruits of the Spirit minding them
of their first baptism that as many of them as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ Galat. 3.27 1 Cor. 6.11 such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified c. see also Rom. 6.3 c. The Husband who hath kept the marriage contract inviloable and undefiled in his part and is willing to receive into bed and board a fornicating wife requires no new marriage or the solemnities thereof again but her humiliation onely and submission with promise of better carriage after God who keepeth Covenant for ever fast and indissoluble on his part is also ever ready to admit into his Grace and Favor all who have gone a whoring from him onely upon their repentance and sorrow with resolves of reformation for time to come and expects no new solemn Re-baptizings and Re-dippings into the Covenant but I have spoken somewhat of this in the Scribe instructed I shall add to this point but a few words of the good old Fathers of the Church and shall shew by them that this your second baptism or rebaptizing was is none of their good old way Some of them built their judgements against Rebaptization upon those Texts Rom. 6.9 Heb. 9.28 wherein it s said Christ died once for all but once offered for sin Hence Basil de Spirit usancto Cap. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I English it for your sake We know there is but one saving Baptism for that there is but one Death for the world and one Resurrection from the dead of which Baptism is the Figure Damasc lib. 4. Orthod sid Cap. 10. hath almost the same words as to the one Death Augustine also de vera falsa poen Cap. 3. if that be his Book hath the same also Semel Christus crucifixus est una morte suâ nos omnes redemit quod videns Ecclesia intellexit non iterandum esse Baptisma Let the English before serve for this also Yea Damascen calleth the Reiteration of Baptisin rightly collated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if rebaptization were a kind of Recrucifixion of Christ others of them concluded against rebaptization from John 13.10 He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet but is clean every whit Thus Augustine lib. 11. de Baptismo contra Donat. cap. 14. Quid sit perniciosius non baptizari an rebaptizari judicare difficile est Invenio de utraque Domini sententiam nam Petro dixit qui lotus est non habet necessitatem iterum lavandi Nicodemo nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aquâ Spiritu non intrabit in regnum coelorum It is hard to judge whether of the two is more pernicious not to be baptized at all or to be again baptized I finde the Lords sayings of both for he said to Peter He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet but is clean every whit And to Nicodemus unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven John 3.5 It seems St. Austin could not well tell or would not which of the two are the worst an Abaptist or an Anabaptist Ambrose also lib. de iis qui initiantur myst cap. 6. and Fulgentius de Fide ad Petrum cap. 36. agree to the same interpretation of and argumentation out of that place of John against Rebaptization especially Fulgentius whose words are Ideò Baptisma et si ab Haeretieis fuerit administratum modò in nomine Patris Filii Spiritus sancti fuerit factum venerabiliter agnoscendum ab hoc nullatenus iterandum esse juxta dictum Christi semel lot us non indiget nisi ut pedes lavet I shall english this the rather to you because it confirms a passage of mine before which perhaps seemed strange if not false to you Therfore Baptism although it were administred of Hereticks as long as it was done in the name of the Father Son and holy Spirit is venerably to be acknowledged and even for this not to be repeated or reiterated according to the saying of Christ once washed hath no need save to wash his feet Others of them concluded against Rebaptizing from Ephes 4.5 One Lord one Faith one Baptism Thus Leo Papa cited by Gratian decret de censec dist 4. Canon non licet And so Thom. Aquinas in 4. Sent. Distinct 3. I shall onely cite what the learned Hugo saith Hac authoritate universi utuntur All the Ancients make use of this Text and Authority against second or double Baptism quod enim unum est geminari non potest that which is but one cannot be doubled and iterated whether a man be baptized of a Catholique or of a Heretick as he also addeth but no more of this because there is somewhat of this unity of Baptism in my Instruction or a Scribe I know there be some of our Divines do not allow of these ancient Deductions and Argumentations from those Texts cited by them which I believe they would have made good and firm if they had been questioned in their times and now others might do the same in their behalf But this in present is onely my business to shew their Judgements not to maintain all their Arguments by which they grounded them I say to shew what their judgements about this your Redipping and Rebaptizing namely that they are quite against it and would not own it as any of their good old wayes its evident this was their strong and unanimons judgement and therefore the and very probably confirmed it from the Scripture Dictates mentioned and produced above The third Catechistic I Quoere aebout the maner of this Dipping Quaere 3. What warrant or command or example have you from the sacred Scriptures or the succeeding Primitive Antiquity for your dipping of persons in their clothes and vestments at your baptizing them so your two Sisters stripping themselves in a chamber and putting on other and others clothes that so they might have their own dry against they came to the House again from the Pond went into the Pond in their clothes and there were dipped in their body and clothes as you relate to me and as you or others instructed them All this speaketh novelty and nothing else but a new business unheard in Scripture unseen in Antiquity and the Ancient Churches For do your think that thd Eunuch or Lydia were thus and in this maner baptized of Philip and Paul in the waters clothed and with their garments upon them and that to this purpose they went aside in private to shift themfelves of the suits they had on and to put on others that they might have dry clothes ready against they came out of the water with their wet ones say not so no not in your thought for the Scripture saith no such matter no nor suggesteth any such thing to thought This being then silent here succeeding Antiquity must be heard what they say and you cannot refuse to do so seeing in your
Ancients their dipping and immerging as I have before touched in part and now shall fully handle For 1. I have shewed how the Ancients dipped and immerged in Rivers and Fountains and Wells and Fonts or Baptisteries made so wide and big of purpose but you especially of the later brood of the Separation run out into Ponds to do the same 2. They the Ancients dipped the whole bodies of those who were baptized naked and out of the cloaths such was the Candid Innocency honesty of the old times and for other reasons I have given but you do dip your converts and proselytes covered and in their cloaths for no reasons given by you that I hear of unless it be fear lest Satan tempt you to incontinency as these last ages are very naught indeed and wicked And yet I know some of the Ancients dipped immerged but a part of the body in the water this is not yet touched upon and it will make somewhat for what I have said before of sprinkling and pouring the water upon the head of the baptized Augustine in his 4. Homil saith and so he is cited of Gratian. decret de consec distinc 4. cap. 66. Postquam vos credere promisistis tertiò capita vestra in sacro fonte demersimus and this in the words following he calls Ordo baptismatis it was the very order and manner of baptism after their confession to dip and immerge their heads in the sacred Font. And before him Hierom. Dial. adversus Luciferianos hath these words Multa quae per traditionem in Ecclesia observantur authoritatem sibi scriptae legis usurpaverunt velut in lavachro ter caput mergitare To dip and immerge the head thrice in the laver of baptism he makes it a tradition of the Church and as Authentique as if it were a Law written And before Hierom a little a matter of two years Chrysostom upon these words of John 3. Vnless a man be born of Water and the Spirit saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To those who dip and immerge their head in the water as in a sepulchre the old man is buried and overwhelmed c. Yea before him Eunomius and his followers as ever the Heretiques like Apes will be following some Ancient Customs of the Church who started up in the year 360 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when they baptize they wet them down to the breast and no lower the word is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dip and immerge strictly but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. dew or wet them it may be our English dew may be derived thence and so here by the way may be a proof of the Antiquity of our aspersing or sprinkling or bedewing the baptized for which cause when they the Eunomians baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is labrum quasi lavabrum in a large and ample vessel such as they used in bathes or bucks the party to be baptized standing on the outside or brim thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they bowed down his head unto his breast into the water all this is reported by Theodoret. lib. 4. haeret fabularum Lastly before these it is recorded of B. Laurentius that he baptized one Lucillus and the manner this as the words in the Acts are cum expoliasset eum fudit super caput ejus when he had stript him of his cloathes he poured the water on his head these lived about Cyprians time in the year 260 recorded by Surius tom 4. in the Hist of the Martyrdom of the B. Laurentius But you as you differed from some of the Ancients in dipping and immerging cloathed bodies wheras they did them so naked so do you differ from some other of them in dipping their whole bodies down even to their feet whereas these did but their heads down to their breasts 3. The Ancients dipped those thrice whom they baptized you had but even now the Testimony of Hierom and Augustine a part of whose words I reserved for hither Qui ordo baptismatis duplici mysterii significatione celebratur The order of baptizing with thrice dipping and immerging is famous in the Churches for these two mysterious significations 1. Of three Persons of the Deity 2. Of the three dayes death and resurrection some others add a 3. of the three sorts of sin cleansed by baptism offencâ—s in thought word and deed To which may fitly come in next Teâ—tullian advers Praxeam cap. 26. Nam nec semel sed Ter ad singula nomina in personas singulas mergimur as also Athanasius in dict interp scr qu. 91. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. To dip the childe thrice in the Baptistery or Font is to signifie as above Augustine saith I might add to these Chrysostom homil De fide in Deum Patrem Filium Spiritum sanctum Ambros lib. de Sac. 2. cap. 7. Gregor Mag. in Epistela ad Leandrum And it appears that as this custome was very general so very Ancient for that Arrius also who lived in 314. some ten years before Athanasius but yet a great while after Tertullian who lived in 190. and therefore best sheweth to be ancient He I say Arrius had got up also this manner of baptizing by thrice immerging who did it for an ill purpose and proof of three natures in the Trinity and not three persons and one God as the Catholiques then spake and therefore according to Christs form baptized in the Name and not in the names for there is but one Name and so but one Divinity which when the Fathers of the Church perceived they saw good reason to change that custome and order of thrice dipping and instead thereof to use but once dipping and thereupon Gregory the Great and the 4 Tolletan Councel are very earnest about it the leaving of that Trine immersion and taking up the simple or once immersion for the avoiding of the scandaling the weak and incouraging the heretiques and lest they should seem to countenance their error when they complyed in their customes But you herein also differ from the Ancients and your practise is to dip but once for so you tell me in your Letter and that with an emphatical reduplication If he had dipt them more then once I would have expressed so in my first Letter but he did dip them but once and so in your saying twice once and again that he dipt them but once you gain-say the greater and higher Antiquity and your self too for once dipping though it was also a good old way yet it was not The good old way as you say that is it is not the best and the oldest way amongst the orthodox Ancients Not but that I acknowledge once dipping to be as efficacious to the ends and fruits of baptism and as mysterious to the signifying of the one Deity of the three holy Persons and the one Death of Christ Jesus besides that in the unity of the same faith a diverse or different custom of the Churches cannot be
kept and maintained in these Northern parts of the world where the Churches of God cannot practise or use it I speak of dipping and immerging with safety to our Infants healths and lives But to the other part of the objection or doubt I answer and that from Antiquity First I gave you but even now four several Testimonies out of four Ancient Fathers and Writers of the Church how in their times they poured water upon the heads of those who were baptized so I gave you good probabilities and more then so of John the Baptists manner of baptizing of Christ and Christs Apostles most of them if not all and the great multitudes that resorted to his baptism by pouring water upon their heads were not all those as amply and sufficiently baptized as those who had their whole bodies dipped and immerged under water and were they not as fully partakers of all the benefits and effects of Baptism In the Ark were the eight souls the Epilogue of the World and the Epitome of the Church saved by water The like figure whereunto even baptism doth now also save us 1 Pet. 3.20 21. Now then as the Ark being washed with water but in a part of it whether that which was immerged under the water or that which was aspersed with the rain that fell saved the Church then so baptism doth the Church now though but a part of the body as the head or face or fore-head be either immerged and dipped or aspersed and sprinkled with the water in baptism And good reason for it because by and from the Divine Institution the Baptismal-water is blessed sanctified and impowred of God and his grace to be the ablution and washing of the whole man body and soul though it be applied in the out ward Element but to a part onely of the body and so received but of a part it being so in this mystical as it is in some physical soveraign Doses and Receipts which being taken onely at the mouth and into the stomach diffuseth its healing vigour and vertue unto the whole body though not here in baptism by any natural and self-operation in this but a gracious and the spirits dispensation so then though the water which in baptism is poured onely upon the fore-head or face doth reach to or flow down to all the whole body in the external liqucur to wash and wet it yet in the internal vertue and efficacy which the same hath from the Institution and Benediction of God it extendeth to a total ablution of the party baptized so that it goeth over all body and soul too even to an internal ablution of the soul chiefly as being principal in sin and all this still by the force and vertue of the Divine Ordination of the water hereunto See it also from the Analogy that Baptism hath with Circumcision I know you are never willing to hear of that Circumcision but you shall hear of that whether willing or not In Circumcision there was but one part of the flesh the fore-skin was touched and cut off with the Knife yet it was and is so called the putting away the filth of the flesh the whole body and soul for that the vertue and efficacy of that which was done but to a part redounded also by Gods appointment to the whole even to the Circumcision in heart and ears and lips as the Scripture every where speaketh Now in Christ Jesus also we are circumcised with the Circumcision made without hands in puting off the body of the sins of the flesh Coll. 2 11. that is we are baptized with the baptism of Christ to the washing away the sins of the body and soul and therefore though but some one part and the fittest part the head or fore-head or face be onely externally sprinkled washed with the water thereof yet the baptism is valid and effectual to the ablution internally of the soul also and all the body also virtually some way according to his ordination Lastly I think not the meaner of our Baptism by reason of our but handful of water and our but sprinkling or pouring on of it upon the face and fore-head or the better of yours by reason of your Pond-full of water and your immerging and dipping of the whole body therein No Ordinance of God is to be esteemed more or lesse effectual for either the more or the lesse of the Instrument or Element for God usually and more usually saveth with a few then many 1 Sam. 14 6. with little then with great that so all power might be known to be of him so all glory might be to him Rom. 11.36 as who is the God of the Valleys as well as of the Mountains 1 Kings 20.28 This is true especially in mystical and spiritual Ordinances and proceedings which have his Inslitution and Benediction upon them as I have shewed in Circumcision and may do the like in the Lords Supper where a smal portion of bread and a little pittance of wine a morsel of the one and a spoonful of the other are as sâ—gniâ—cant as effectual to a spiritual and internal refection of the Communicant as if a whole loaf of the one and a full Cup of the other should be given and taken So also in baptism a few drops of water or a little handfull of it sprinkled and poured on the face or forehead of an Infant or other is as representing of and as working to a spiritual and internal ablution of the baptized as if a whole pailfull of water should be poured on or the whole body of the Infant dipped and immerged into a River full of water after the custome of the Eastern Churches I will onely add to this point a Testimony or two of Antiquity Chrysostom writing in his 6 Homil. upon the 2 Chapter of the Coloss and those words in the 11 Verse In whom ye are circumcised with the Circumcision made without hands in putting off the sins of the body c. buried also with him in Baptism He hath these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I shall not stand to English all the effect of all is this that both in Circumcision and Baptism though the hand in the one doth but cut off a part of the flesh as the fore-skin with a small knife and in the other pour on a little water but upon some part of the body as the fore-head the whole body of sin may be and in the Elect is cut off put off in the Apostles phrase and washed away in both Sacraments by a spiritual operation of Christ So also for the other Sacraent the Lords Supper it being one of the Popish evasions for their not giving the wine unto the people by reason of the great quantity of wine would be spent upon the numerous multitudes of them that would then the rather come and drink great draughts which should not have been thought upon here by them seeing at other ordinary seasts and banquets they stand not upon such
mans own heart will tell him more of himself then seven Watch-men that sit in a high Tower yet I say as though the Grace of God given to me to every man that is among you and you especially not to think or speak of himself more highly then he ought to think or speak Rom. 12.3 as to think or speak of himself as an Angel or Lion as I said giving out that himself was or is some great one or the great power of God Acts 8.9 10. so not to think or speak of himself more lowly then he ought to think or speak as to think or speak of himself as a worm or a dog as you say unless you be of the same spirit assuredly that they were who extraordinarily thought and spake so of themselves For the Apostle saith of the first they do not think or speak soberly of themselves or unto sobriety and I may of the second they do not think or speak sincerely of themselves or unto sincerity there is an excess in the one and a defect of Truth in the other and your anger and rage against another who should call you so would soon discover the truth and the sincerity yea or not There is a saying amongst the Moralists that Nemo sibi injuriam infert no man can do an injury to himself No man ever yet hated his own flesh the Divine adds Eph. 4.29 Surely either you are gone out of your self or if you be come to your self with him Luke 25.17 you have injured your self in thinking and speaking your self a dog and not so good as a dog from your birth hitherto until this year When the Grace of God appeared plucking you out from your wicked wayes unto the knowledge of the Truth For the Grace of God which pluckt you as you write to the knowledge of the Truth is the same Grace which brought St. Peter to the knowledge of the Truth in this matter and appeared to him Acts 10.15 28. God hath shewed me saith Peter that I should not call any man common or nuclean and besides the vision there was a voice spake to him also What God hath cleansed that call not thou common and so the same voice forbids you though you see not the vision hear it and call not any man hereafter call not your self dog or any other common or unclean creature or name Indeed before the Election and calling of the Gentiles was make known to the Apostles by our Saviour Christ the Apostles and others had some such thoughts and speeches of the Gentiles as dogs and as unclean as appears by Peter here at first and Apostles and Brethren that were in Judea who contended with Peter for going unto them and eating with them Acts 11.3 Yea and Christ himself told the woman of Canaan a Gentile It was not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to dogs when she supplicated him for to cast a Devil out of her daughter Mat. 15.26 Dogs because they were out of a visible admission and reception into the Church-visible For without are dogs Rev. 22.15 but even she as they other Gentiles when she shewed the faith she had in the mercy of God and made profession of her Master Christ in that reply Truth Lord yet the dogs do eat of the crumbs that fall from their Masters Table Mutavit vocabulum quia mutatum vidit affectum saith Augustine upon the place he changeth his word and appellation because he saw in her a change of state and condition now he saith O woman great is thy Faith no longer now a dog but a woman yea and useth her not like a dog but as one of the lost Sheep of Canaan or the Gentiles But for your self and those other of my Parish who are born Christians of Christian Parents and so within and under the Covenant of Grace and also put under the Initial seal of the Covenant of Baptism I my self baptized you thirty six years sithence and thriving under my Ministery of the Word your self have often heard me preaching answered me and well to my questions of Catechizing your Mother Eunice also bringing you up like a Timothy in the nurtriture and knowledge of the Scriptures from a very childe and growing up a Faith by my administration of the Lords Supper If I remember well I have also taken examination of you as of the young men and found you or made you fitting and capable of the same and exhibited the fame unto you And what were all my people the most of them no better then dogs and yoiur self not so good as a dog all this while and no Grace of God appearing and plucking you to the knowledge of the Truth A Christian dog is a word for a Jew or a Turk to speak to look upon Christians as dogs and to use Christians like dogs is an act for a Barbarian and Scythian to do § Nay Sir you not onely wrong your self a Christian and my Christian Parishioners but you injury Christ himself and the Grace of Christ appearing both in them and your self to the plucking of your self and them from their wicked wayes to the knowledge of the Truth I can be a better witness for them then yoiu who are but herein the accuser of the Brethren for the Seal of my Ministery are they many of them in the Lord I can truly say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 9.2 I say again you wrong Christ himself and the Grace of Christ and the Covenant of his Grace and the Seals of his Covenant Baptism and the Lords Supper and the fruits and effects of his Seals and the Spirit of God that daily wrought and brought forth such fruits and effects in their lives And lastly you wrong your own eyes and conscience that will not see and acknowledge this by your stiling your self not so good and my people no better then dogs till you and they came out of your and their wicked wayes to the knowledge of the Truth What say you then to the children of Israel and their children by your speech and reason they must go for dogs too as not yet plucked out of their evil wayes to the knowledge of the Truth but in the phrase and language of Scripture they were a holy people and their children not unclean but holy The Root holy and the Branches likewise Rom. 11.16 and that by reason of the Covenant of the holy God and the Seals upon them with the other Ordinances and even Saul in the Acts of the Apostles was no dog but a chosen vessel of Christ before the Grace of God appeared plucking him out of his wicked way to the knowledge of the Truth Yea thus you wrong all the Elect of God for Gods Elect as Saul and your self it may be may live in wicked wayes and be ignorant of the Truth a long while as Saul did and you say of your self that you did yea the Elect Ephesians are said to be children of wrath by
and effects thereof to comfort and support you upon your faith and repentance and all this for impotent element and beggarly rudiment as the Apostle speaketh Col. 2.22 for I may add your Affirmative of Dip again to their Negatives Touch not taste not which all are to perish with using ordinances after the commandments of men having indeed a shew of wisdom in Will-worship and Humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh or sanctifying either flesh or spirit or which is neither seal of any Covenant by Gods institution neither leaves any benefit behinde it in the present act nor carrieth any good before it to the future life as you will see when the scales fall off from your eyes which now hang upon them In this you did but run along with the Papists if you did not out-run them they teach that Baptism of Infants taketh away all sin that goeth before it as Original sin but for sins commited after as actual ones they must be taken away by their devised Sacrament of Penance or Repentance And your masters have taught and told you that they must be taken away and that after Repentance hath taken them away by their forged Sacrament of Re-dipping and so both of you do though in several wayes destroy the true nature and use of Baptism which is the Laver for all sins past present and to come to be washed in and away as to the guilt and filth of them True that Repentance is also another good way to take off sins committed and to procure the remission of them according to Gods Promise and Covenant but it must not thrust out Baptism to bring in it self to be a Sacrament of Pennance as the Papists would have it nor lay aside your Infant-baptism to carry you out to a Man-dippism as the Anabaptists have served you For that your Infant-baptism being the Seal of the eternal Covenant is ever effectual and of force and upon the repentance of your actual sins at any time whatsoever will doth comfortably assure and seal unto both the pardon and remission of them so that there will need no new Sacrament to be set up by them of penance nor any second dipping to be practised by you as a Sacrament of profession as I may call it Nay more Repentance Faith c. Conversion Sanctification are all but as the fruits and effects of the Covenant of Grace offered and sealed to on Gods part by his Spirit of Grace and also but the parts and conditions of the same Covenant of Grace entered into and sealed to on your part to do and perform by the operation of the same Spirit in the use of the means of Grace so that therefore those and all other such like do continue and demonstrate both to Papists and Anabaptists the efficacy of the first Infant-baptism which runneth along and even liveth in them And Sir as to your self take it from me and be no longer mistaken from those who make but merchandice of your soul as they do of the Word Whatsoever things are true in you to use the words of St. Paul Phil. 4.8 Whatsoever things are honest in you whatsoever things are just in you whatsoever things are pure in you whatsoever things are lovely in you whatsoever things are of good report in you if there be any vertue in you and if there be any Grace of God appearing in you plucking you out from your wicked wayes unto the knowledge of the Truth they sprang all and are derived to you from that first Covenant of Grace with your believing Parents and your self I will be thy God and the God of thy seed and from the initial Seal of that Covenant your Baptism which was imprinted upon you in your Infancy and which still remaineth in the force and efficacy thereof if you will mind it and embrace it and practise it and none of all these Goods or Graces have been wrought in you or communicated to you by the Spirit of God in or by your late dipping as being none of the Signes or Seals of Grace appointed of God Do men gather Grapes of thorns or Figs of thistles Mat. 7.16 you are not nor will be any whit the better thereby as to the salvation of your soul and I perceive you have been somewhat worse thereby as to the health of your Body The which I somewhat wonder at seeing your two Sisters who were dipped at your House said as I am rightly informed in your chamber as they were shifting off their wet clothes and putting on dry The one of them I have been these many years in a Consumption and now by this I finde my self even cured now yea and I indeed Sister replyed the other do find and feel much comfort in this Why Sir how came this about that you went farther and fared worse had it not been better for you to have been dipped in your own Pond at home then to ride out and be dipped in a strange Pond abroad Are not Adgors and Kettring's Ponds of Much-leighes better then all the waters of either of the Lavers 2 Kings 5.12 might you not have washed in those and have been clean sure your own Pond and water would as well have cured you of a Consumption and comforted your heart as it it did your two Sisters But the reason was The vertue and operation of Kettrings waters was not then known when you were to be dipt as now they are and are famous even as the Laver waters whither you went and were dipt onely now there is this difference The Laver Pond and Waters are for the dipping of the Brothers and they do sometimes well and sometimes ill upon it witness your self but Kettring Pond and waters are for the dipping of the Sisters and they do alwayes well upon it and are cured of Consumptions and cheered up with comfort after which may redound to your credit and glory and the reputation of your waters Nay this hath fallen out very happily to your profit and advantage also and may be very helpful to the paying of your Rent more then either the returns of your Crop or the Retail of your Shop if you would know how I shall tell you First make it to be more publickly known abroad in this County and Secondly give notice hereof to Mercurius Politicus to Print it in his weekly Intelligences to be communicated to all other Counties and the whole Common-wealth that at Kettring's House in Much-leighes of Essex there is a Pond wherein upon once dipping two Sisters have been instantly the one cured of a Consumption the other much filledwith Comfort And you will have out of hand all the sorrowful souls and Consumptious bodies in the Nation at leastwise this County come flocking to your House as the blinde and the halt did to the Pool of Bethesda Joh. 5.2 3 4. and then I hope you know how to deal with them and to make your gain of your Pond