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A76517 Remarks, and animadversions, on Mr. Keith's two sermons, being his first after ordiantion, [sic] preached at the parish church of St. George's Butolphs-Lane, London, May the 12th. 1700. on St. Luke i. 6 Now impartially compared with his former writings, setting George against Keith, and endeavouring to reconcile them, by shewing what he should have said upon the subjest. By W.B. a communicant of the Church of England. W. B. 1700 (1700) Wing B224; ESTC R230841 17,705 18

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Water as well as of the Spirit yea of both to make I say such Eternally Happy as the Lord himself has assured us John 3.5 so to pass by his empty and frivilous Objections where in the 3d. he has shewed himself a Pharisee p. 29 30. I 'll only take notice of the Weak and Impertinent Answers he makes to the 5th c. That it is meant of Material Water is Manifest from the Coplative and with the Ensuing Verse That which is Born of the Flesh is Flesh to which the Water-Baptism belongeth but that which is Born of the Spirit is Spirit which is not improperly call'd a Second Baptism or New Birth by the Spirit in the Adult But he further Objects p. 34. Saying Then upon the same ground Material Fire in Matth. 3.11 as well as Material Water is meant in the forecited Text which is absurd To which I Answer To be Baptized with the Holy Ghost and with Fire as Matth. 3.11 Being an Hebraism denotes only the Efficacy cy of the Holy Spirit since at Penticost the holy Spirit appeared unto them in shape of Cloven Tongues like as of Fire as Acts 2.3 So Infants which have committed no actual Sin by being washed or baptized with Water are like to the eight Souls in Noah's Ark saved as it appears from 1 Pet. 3.20 21. and p. 36. he saith That our Soviour in that Commission bid them not Baptize or Dip them in cold Water as John did but into the Name of God And p. 38. That tho' their Lord had given them a Form yet was not since as we ever heard or read of any where else used by the Apostles and that St. Paul baptizing but two or three Families yet established many Churches whose Members were never washed at all by Water And p. 42. probably most Apostles did the like Seeing that Christ's Baptism included John's and was sufficient without it and that there 's but one Baptism from Eph. 4.20 All this is but an Ipse Dixit without any Reason or Proof the contrary ●●th manifestly appear in every particular for all which the Apostles baptized were by the same Form in the Name of the Lord Jesus c. as Acts 19.5 Nor as we read did they ever Lay their Hands upon any Member as to be Baptized by the Spirit but what were either before or after Baptized with Water as Acts 10.43 44. Can any forbid Water that these should not be Baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we and he commanded them to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord. So that you may understand that the Baptizing by the Spirit was not sufficient but the Baptism of the Water must be added True St. Paul tells us Ephes 1.5 That there 's but one Baptism Answ No more there is but one Man but he consists of two necessary parts viz. Flesh and Spirit so is Baptism said to be one where our Saviour explains it thus in John 3.6 saying That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Therefore to be Christians let us take the Apostles advice to 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these Promises by Water and the Spirit to be found Members and Children viz. Sons and Daughters let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God And since as St. Peter Acts 2.39 assures us That the Promise is to us and also to our Children and to all that are afar off even to as many as the Lord our God shall call And since there are others which differing with and dissenting from our Church do pretend to observe and walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord so as be thought at least blameless which alas I find being seduced with popular Examples have unwarily imbibed a groundless Prejudice against all the Children of Christian Parents which as I humbly conceive has been caused by not knowing or want of Ephod and Terephim among them so not understanding the Scriptures which they have been apt to wrest but yet I hope not to their Childrens tho' it to their own hurt And that which they have grounded their Error on is on Mat. 28.19 and some others which mentions Teaching before Baptizing and that we have no possitive Command for Initiaing Infants as under the Law and that we have neither Precept nor a Primitive President for so doing To which I Answer That in that Commission Christ had a more peculiar regard to the Persons to whom the Apostles were sent which were ignorant Superstitions and prophane therefore he mentions such Qualifications antecedant to Baptism for it was not fit that such should be admitted to a Covenant of Grace and Reconciliation with God till they with Abraham were converted and reclaimed and understood the Covenant and then as he was Circumcised they to be Baptized In short the matter was this The Adult were first to be made Disciples by a saving Faith the case of the Children was distinct to be considered afterwards when their Parents were not only Converted but well grounded or settled and then also the Church judged it safest to take Proxies or Sureties viz. some Old and steady Converts lest the Parents Apostatizing as they often did and so the Children being under their Tuition it s presumed that they would have the same Principles and Perswasion of the Parents Apostatized then the Proxies took care and trained them up in the Christian Faith And thus Infants as to the Covenant and Privileges are accounted in the state and right with their Parents Therefore as the Children of Unbelievers upon this account may in some cases be said to be partakers of their Parents Infidelity since they are like to be brought up in it and for that Reason they are denyed Baptism otherwise they are capable and may be admitted where there is sufficient Satisfaction given to the Church that they shall be educated in the Christian Religion for it would be preposterous to admit such into a Religion which they were never likely to be instructed in afterwards Now when Circumcision was thrown off which was not at the first then in all probability began the Jews to Start the case of Infants admission who by Circumcision were admitted but that being abolished their privilege would be lo●● And these Absurdities would have naturally followed as Frst That Infants under the New Covenant were in a far worse condition than those under the Old for they were entred Secondly That the Priviledges under the Gospel were to Infants straiter and narrower than those under the Law which would be abominable 3dly If it was God's Will that Infants under the Gospel should be reckoned as out of his Covenant which before were in it then it must follow that our Saviour was forgetful and unfaithful to his Church in that he never acquainted her with this alteration which is also both base and absurd Nay and this might justly raise Clamours and Complaints in the Jewish Children so as to hinder the bringing in of their Parents Indeed I must confess that Believing and Repentance in the Adult are absolutely necessary where Infidelity and Iniquity are found as in Abraham yet this doth not prove that the Infants of Believers were and are to be excluded because they cannot actually believe yea they are rather to be included and baptized as Isaac was Circumcised for the Scripture intimates that the Innocency of harmless Babes whose Original Guilt is done away by Christ who have not by actual Transgression offended such innocency is as pleasing to God and as agreeable a Qualification for the admission of such to a Covenant of Grace and Mercy by sealing it with the not Intollerable but Easie Seal of Baptism as either the Faith of an Actual Believer or the Repentance of the Penitent this may be illustrated by Examples which I shall own omit What if Infanss do not as under the Law understand the Covenant verily that is no bar for if we were but as wise in Spirituals as in Temporals we find it in no wise disagreeable to Reason that Infants are bound in Covenants to the future Performance of Conditions which they at present know nothing of nor can be capable of performing till they come to Age. This is common in Wills in settling Estates on Infant-Heirs having Guardians c. But you 'll say the Covenant is not the same Answ It 's the same in Substance tho' not in the Accidents True it differs in this The first being in Works had Circumcision for its Seal The last of Grace which has Baptism for its Acts 2.39 For the Promises is to us and our Children which that we may embrace God grant for Christ's sake Amen FINIS
any are so much our Enemies that they will never be our Friends God may and can turn their Hearts 3dly 〈◊〉 must never do any Evil which will make it impossible for our Enemies to be happy they are vital parts which must in no wise be cut off unless the case is very desperate True they are Men liable to Errors but yet as I was capable of Information they are God's Image and our Flesh and Bone let us not be angry with them if they have hitherto loitered and comes to be hired at the Ninth Hour Let us imitate our Lord and Master and as he has loved us so love one another and reward them as well for one Hour as if they had laboured all the Day Yet what if our Enemies be Infidels evil and foolish or no Christians having put off common Civility and Humanity verily the greater than is their Misery but since they are not Devils being as I was capable of a recovery the more compassionable are their case therefore to be pittied for its unnatural Cruelty monstrous Inhumanity and hellish Malice to hate and prosecute any in Misery What if they be our Enemies they are Friends to many others as good if not better than our selves and can't we be satisfied with and love that which is our particular Interest if others receive Advantage by it For if the Rain that overflows me makes my Neighbours Field fruitful I ought not to and must not dislike it or if the Sun warms thousands by its heat and scorches me or the Season by which I suffer favours many others I am not to be displeased we are all God's People and Sheep of his Pasture therefore we have the greatest engagement laid upon us to mutual Kindness and Good-will nay that Christian Virtue is more innocent and doth less harm to both our selves and others and as we find by sweet experience ordinarily prevails upon others to lay aside all malicious thoughts for we are naturally prone to imitate as with the Froward to learn Frowardness and with the Loving Love and further there 's no reason imaginable to hate one that loves us because we only hate that which is evil to us but if any Person love us we can't think he doth us evil since he designs and will do us good so that if we hate such we hate our own good To conclude this Command our returning Love for Hatred quencheth the violence of it for the common Observation is if the Sun shine upon the Fire it will put it out so Love takes away the Heat and Fewel from those unnatural and consuming Fires destroying both the Parent and Nurse of Enmity viz. Hatred and Evil which would have propagated and preserved it yea this is the firm Foundation of a lasting Peace even that which passes our Understanding obtaining an answer to all our Petitions by forgiving as we would be forgiven and as St. 1 John 3.22 saith Then whatsoever we ask we shall receive of him because we keep his Commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight And these are his Commandments to believe on Jesus Christ and love one another even our Enemies as he gave us Commandment so as to be Blameless The Second Commandment which our Saviour gave his Apostles is mentioned by St. Mat. 28.18 19 20. All Power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth Go ye therefore and teach that is to make Disciples all Nations Baptizing them c. teaching them to observe all Things whatsoever I have commanded you c. In which Words our Saviour first Asserts and Declares his own Commission shewing his Apostles that what he did was not the result of his own private Judgment but the Exercise of Authority which was given him of his Father who had confirmed unto him a full Power of ordering and disposing whatsoever belonged to the Church But since in his own Person he must Ascend and leave them he gave them their Deputation by sending the Holy Spirit the Comforter to be with and Comfort them to the end of the World And since they were Mortal he gave them Power to Depute others to succeed them in them same Care and to deliver down the same Power successively to the end of the World it 's then without doubt by that Promise that our Saviour intended some Benefits to the Church which should be of no less continuance than it self So the Apostles were to be the first Dispensers of those Benefits Now the Benefits as appears from the Commission were these these First Teaching Secondly Baptising and some other Things which he had Commanded as the Taking and Eating of the Bread and Drinking the Cup which was to be a shewing of his Death to the end of the World And the Exercising Censures against the Obstinate and Sinful such as Elimas the Sorcerer as Act 13. c. Now These were either to end with the Apostles or they were not if they were then to end The Church ever since their Deaths has been without such which amounts only to this that there has been no Church since their Decease Or if they did not end with the Apostles but have always been and are still to be exercised unto the end of the World then there ever must have been and now must be fit Persons Which like to the Apostles must have a just Power to dispense these Benefits or exercise these Offices for no less can be conceived to have been intended by Christ in his Promise of being with his Church to the end Now when the great Bishop of our Souls ordained his Apostles it was according to the Tenor of his own Ordination As my Father sent me so send I you Luke 4.18 And said John 23.21 22. Receive ye the Holy Ghost The case is the fame in Matthias Saul and Barnabas as Acts 1.24 ond 13.2 and in those which the Church made Overseers or Bishops as Act. 20.28 and Eph. 4.11 and we have no reason at all to doubt but that the Spirit doth as truly tho' not so visibly assist at the present Ordaining of Ministers as then since the Church Prays for and bids them receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Priest in the Church of God now committed to such by the Imposition of Hands And since many say that the Gospel-Priesthood is left open to all that will enter it without any further Ceremony than a geting up and Ride or a jumping from the Shop-board to the Pulpit or Desk Now to the sober Consideration of such I Humbly recommend the ensuing Particulars as First Since St. Paul setting down the Nature of a Church Stiles it the Body of Christ where he means not a Similar Body such as Fire Air and Water where all the parts are alike and perform the same Office But a Body consisting of Diversity of Organs for several Faculties and Operations such a Body as is not one Member but many knit together with Unity and Charity as
for some long time some now taking such Opinions up only upon trust and without consulting or advising with the Learned entertains them as sure and certain Now to free those from their former mistakes and consequently from their Errors I know of no other way than wholly to forsake these Doctrines sucked in with their Mothers Milk which are turned to natural Food and Nourishment and totally adhere to the Pure and Unerring Word of God and not bring Hearts to it preposest with Doctrines and Opinions learned of their Grannums but to come with Hearts and Consciences free and not pre-ingaged in all Meekness Uprightness and Simplicity of Heart to hear what the Holy Jesus with his faithful and true Witnesses viz. the Apostles have and do say touching the Point and so receive and believe that alone tho' never so differing from the Opinions and Doctrines of some nay of many Tho' such are and may be offended at it yet I have chose rather to build on the clear Word tho' alone than on any blind Conjectures tho' magnified and embraced by many Thus far Mr. Dell to p. 5. So as he further saith In my inquiry meeting with that place in Heb. 6.2 where the Apostle speaks of the Doctrine not only of Baptism but Baptisms in the plural number which made me think and conclude that there belongs to every adult Christian more than one Baptism and what these then were being such necessary principal and fundamental Points I thought it my bounden Duty to enquire out and with Mr. Dell p. 8 9. have gathered and so concludes that they are two distinct Baptisms the first by Water to initiate and make us Members the other by the Spirit to strengthen and confirm so as to make us Children and if Children as St. Paul argues Rom. 8.17 then Heirs of God and joynt Heirs with Christ c. The first called Water-Baptism from St. John the other being Fire-Baptism from Christ or his holy Spirit both which are confirmed by St. August contra liter Petil. 2. c. 39. where he saith Alium fuisse Johannis Baptismum alium Christi And both absolutely necessary to the Salvation of the Adult tho' by reason of a dark and dim Glass Mr. Dell could or at least would but see the one for as our Saviour argues about other things and this also so may I withal observe the one ought to be done and the other not to be left undone John 3.5 Verily verily I say unto thee except a Man be Born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And 1 Pet. 3.20 21. Eight Souls were saved by Water the like Figure whereunto even Baptism doth now save us c. And since that the Learned and Eloquent Apollos being as St. Paul tells us Acts 18.25 instructed in the way of the Lord spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing only the Baptism of John Some of which things was undoubtedly Water-Baptism and consequently the Lord's as well as John's Nay further when St. Paul Acts 19.3 4. found certain Disciples which had only been Baptized with John's Baptism he Baptized them with the Holy Ghost by laying his hands upon them as verse 6. Now this with Mr. Dell p. 13. I must confess being a second Baptism was not as the Anabaptists fondly think a Renewing or Dipping them in Water but only a laying his hands upon them that the Holy Spirit might come to empower them I think Mr. Dell p. 14. has made an Objection and drawn a Conclusion from it which no wise Man either did or could ever make or draw viz. That John 's Doctrine was the same with Christ therefore his Baptism the same True tho' the Doctrines were the same yet this forced conclusion could not follow That their Baptisms were And p. 16. he saith That John 's Baptism was brought in besides the rite and manner of the Law and so a sign of a great Change to follow It 's but a mistake which proceeded either from Wilfulness or Ignorance for John's Baptism was brought in not besides but according to the rite and manner of the Law for the Jews admitted all their Proselites by it and their Children also were washed as well as circumcised neither was it a Sign that it should be changed or left off till the End for only the intolerable and burdensome Cerimonies of the Law such as Circumcision c. were to be abolished For John's Baptism as he tells us p. 17. is tho' Weak and Imperfect yet very Honourable was Evangelical as well as Legal being from Heaven Luke 3.2 John 1.6 33. so that God was and is the Author of this as well as the other for 〈◊〉 Publicans which received this Baptism are said to Justifie God when as the Pharisees and Lawyers that refused it did then reject against themselves that is to their own hurt the Counsel of God Luke 7.29 30. I wish there were none such now nay Christ himself who was Born under the Law and so Circumcised to fulfil it was subject to this Divine Institution of being Baptized with Water as Mat. 3.13 not that he had any Sins to report of himself but for us to imitate him in it for our Sins that he might fulfill all Righteousness Mat. 3.15 and tho' Jesus Baptized not himself but his Disciples more than John's as John 4.1 2. true our Lord the chief Bishop of our Souls as our chief Bishops now Baptized none It did not become him neither doth it them he had greater Work to do so have they He left it to his Apostles which were Subordinate so do our Bishops to the Subordinate Curates as a thing still needful to be done No wonder then if the great Apostle in such a large Circuit or Diocess as from Jerusalem to Illiricum Acts 15.9 Baptized no more than two or three Believing Families since he had a greater Work to do than lay that Foundation which was laid by Subordinate Ministers So as he saith Heb. 6.1 2. therefore leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ let us go on unto Perfection not laying again the Foundation of Repentance Faith the Doctrine of Baptisms c. Now tho' Water-Baptism gives not the yet it initiates into the Church and makes Members in order to be Baptized by the Spirit to become Children as Acts 19. and tho' it doth not give Kepentance and Remission to be Happy yet it 's in order to these Infants indeed having never committed any actual Sins have no need of Repentance only of Remission for their Originnl Sin which is done away by the Blood of Christ which the Water represents So that if they Dye in their Infancy they are undoubtedly Happy So that contrary to Mr. Dell's Ipse dixit in pages 26. 29. and 28. Water-Baptism both was and is absolutely necessary and to continue till the end so to make Infants dying before they commit actual Sins and also the Adult which is Born again of