Congregation of the People of God their professing and declaring openly our faith and amendement of life We esteem for an abomination and Anti-Christian all humane inventions as a trouble and prejudice to the Liberty of the Spirit When humane Traditions are observed for Gods Ordinances then is he worshiped in vain as Es 19. Matth. 15. And which is done when grace is attributed to the External Ceremonies and persons enjoined to partake of Sacraments without faith and truth That Anti-Christ attributes the Regeneration of the holy Spirit unto the dead outward work of baptizing Children into that Faith and teacheth that thereby Baptisme and Regeneration must be had grounding therein all his Christianity which is against the holy Spirit What he makes their Confessions to be p. 45 c. God hath ordained certain Sacraments to be joined with the word as a means to unite us unto and to make us partakers of his benefits And that there are only two of them We do believe that in the Sacrament of Baptisme water is the visible and external sign which represents unto us That which is within viz. Renovation of the Spirit and Mortification of our Members in Jesus Christ We esteem for an abomination and Anti-Christian all humane inventions as a trouble and prejudice to the Liberty of the Spirit When humane Traditions are observed for Gods ordinances then is he worshiped in vain as Es 19. Mat. 15. And which is done when grace is attributed to the External Ceremonies and persons enjoined to partake of Sacraments without faith and truth That Anti-Christ attributes the Regeneration of the holy Spirit unto the dead outward work of baptizing Children and teacheth that thereby Regeneration must be had Whereby you have demonstrated his great unfaithfulness in misrepresenting their Confessions by leaving out so many material and considerable parts thereof that make against him and then so unfairly and untruly to say That there was a Harmony betwixt all the Protestants Churhes in the World in those Articles and the Waldenses because all that are for Infants Baptisme believe the same But whether it be so indeed let us examine the particulers 1. Infants not capable to hear the Word First Do all the Paedobaptists believe That Baptisme and preaching the Word are joined together to instruct the Baptised partyes and that thereby they have union with Christ and partake of his benefits Pray how is that to be made good in any Infant that has no actual knowledge Faith or understanding 2. Nor of the Lords Supper Secondly Do they indeed believe the Lords Supper to belong in Common with Baptisme to all the Members of the Church why then do not Infants partake of one as well as the other since it belonges to them in Common if Members of the Church as Mr. Wills saith they are 3. Nor to understand the Symbole thereof Thirdly Do Paedobaptists with the Waldenses believe as you say That water in Baptisme is the usual sign representing to the Subjects thereof the invisible vertue of God operating in them viz. Renovation of the Spirit and Mortification of their Members And can it be truly said it is so to an Infant that is not capable to put forth any act of Faith Repentance or Mortification or discern any the least sign in the water of any such things signified thereby Fourthly 4. Nor to make Confession of Faith before it Have they indeed a Harmony with the Waldenses in what further they confess concerning this Ordinance viz. That by it tâ—ey are received into the holy Congregation of the People of God there professing and declaring openly their Faith and amendement of life But how is the Infant capable with the Waldensian Christiaâ—s not Pagan converts to profess and declare openly their Faith and Repentance and so to be received into the Congregation thereby Fifthly Do Paedobaptists indeed believe with them That humane Traditions and Inventions 5. That Infants Baptâ—sme is a humane Tradition and why are to be esteemed Anti-Christian â—bâ—mâ—na ions and vain worship and that that worship is vain and Traditional when Persons are enjoined to it without Faith and truth Why then are Infants baptised by them that have no Faith or knowledge of truth and for which there is neither Precept or Example in Gods word and by themselves owned to be an unwriten Tradition Sixthly Do they believe 6. Anti-Christ groundsall Religion in it That Anti-Christ Grounds all Châ—istianity and Religion in the Baptisme of Childreâ— attributing Regeneration to that outward work done contrary to the holy Spirit Why then do they baptise Children which as acknowledged is the basis and Foundation of the false Church and so contrary to the Spirit and for which there is nothing but the Decrees of Popes and Anti Christian Councels to warrant it Whereby you see that Infants are manifestly excluded Baptismâ—â— in these six particulers in these Coâ—fessâ—â—â—s and that Paedobaptists cannot assert the same without evident contradiction to themselves Objections to the contrary Confessions But in the next place if these Confessions be good as you say against Infants Bâ—ptisme yet what do you say to those contrary Confessions that own the Baptizing of Infâ—nts as Master Wills hath given them from Perin p. 62 63 65. Answer To which I say it is to me matter of the greatest admiration that I having with that exactness especially in the last Edition given you such a particuler Account of all tâ—ose Confessions word for word both of that of Bohemia and that of Provence and proved to you by such ample Dâ—moastration the following particulers viz. First That none of them were extant till the sixteenth Century whereas the other are upon Record in the eleventh or twelfeth Centuries so many hundred years before Secondly That that Confession said to be made by the Waldenses in Bohemia to King Ladislaus were not Waldenses as they themselves acknowledge in the preambule thereof Thirdly Have given an account how and by what means and when those of Provence came to introduce that Custom so contrary to what their ancient Barbes had instructed them in How sadly they had â—eclined even to going to Mass And how contradictious that practice was to other parts of the Confessions into which it was foisted And that these Waldenses of Provence that made these Confessions were inconsiderable to the Body of that People that was dispersed into so many parts of the World that held the contrary Yet Mr. Wills should take so little notice of what I have said and Mr. Blind-man that has written since who has also transcribed the said contrary Confessions without the least notice to what I have said in answer thereto which I think is such an abuse as was never offred by any pretending to answer Books and therefore I must refer them and all others that desire satisfaction therein to what I have so fully and as I humbly conceave unanswerably spoken to each Confession The Second Demonstration
and so one would indeed for if Faith must go before and Children have no Faith then only professed Believers were the Subjects And again if None but the Catechumens and those instructed in the Faith were to be Baptised then surely no Children were to be Baptised who were so uncapable both of the one and the other Therefore by the way it must be granted that this was a proper proof to evidence that the Eastern Church in his time admitted only of Adult Baptisme which he is pleased to say is so abominably false And to evince my Forgery and Falshood from the good acquaintance he would have you think he had with this Father that the same Author viz. Bazil in the very next lines to which I had above cited speak thus as he confidently affirms What then say you of Infants which neither know good nor evil may we baptise them Yea saith â—e for so we are taught by the Circumcising of Children And therefore saith he hence-forward have a care Reader how ye trust the Authors Quotations for the palpable abuse done to this Father Answer ∣ ed. 8 To which I say but if the abuse prove his own what then And that it is so the Reader will presently understand Know therefore that the Quotations out of Bazil's Exhortation to Baptisme you 'l find in the Magdeburgs Century 4. cap. 6. p. 416. in these words Bazilius non alios quam Catechumenos Baptizatos esse scribit Basil say they writes that none other but the Catechumens were baptised And then in the next lines immediately following nothing intervening say Qui in Paschale convocabantur in Exhortatione ad Baptismum Who are called together at Easter to be exhorted in order to their Baptisme There being no such syllable nor any thing like it either in the forgoing or following words I have also searched all that the Magdeburgs say of that Father and all Bazils works themselves and particularly the third Book against Eunomius but can find nothing like it I have also Examined the great Dutch Book of Martyrs that recites most of the principal passâ—ges that Bazil speaks of Baptisme and who from Mirningus and Montanus their great Century Writers do testify that he was altogether for Adult and wholy against Infants Baptisme He used to say Sicut enim credimus in Patrem Filium Spiritum Sanctum sic Baptizamur in nomine Patris Filii Spiritus Sancti As we do believe in the name of the Father Son and holy Spirit so we may be baptised in their names Cent. 4. p. 235. And in the definition he gives of Baptisme he calls it Sigillum Fidei Tessera Christiani Miliâ—is similitudo mertis sepulturae ac resurrectionis nortuorum The Seal of Faith the Badge of the Christian Soldier and the Symbole of death burial Resurrection from the dead And again very fully Quicunque baptizatur sive Judaeus sive Graecus sive Masculus sive Foemina quacunque generit differentia nominatus exutus in sanguine Christi veterem hominem cum actibus suis per doctrinam ipsius novum in Spiritu Sancto indutus qui secundum Deum conditus est in justitia sanctitate veritatis ac renovatur ad ignitionem secundum imaginem ejus qui condidit ipsum c. That who ever is baptised whether Jew or Greek male or female c. have put off by the Blood of Christ the old Man with his deeds and by his Doctrine have put on the new Man by the holy Spirit who according to God is built up in the Righteousness and holyness of the truth and renewed in knowledge according to the Image of him that created him c. And therefore in his Book of Baptisme doth largely treate of the necessity of partaking of the Lords Supper that other Ordinance of Christ immediately after Baptisme Regenerati vero in nomine Filii baptisati sumus Filii Dei declarati opus itaque deinceps nutriamur cibo vitae aeternae Those of us that are Regenerate and have made declaration of the Son of God and are Baptised in his name it is meet that we should immediately be nurished with the food of Eternal life viz. the Bread of God in that Ordinance And whether all this is not agreeable to what before was said of this Doctor is left to the Reader to judge being also one of those say the Magdeburgs that made that former Decree in the Councel of Neocaesaria But you 'l say how came Mr. Wills by this saying it is to be supposed he did not make it which will be with him to declare and how he came to father it upon Bazil that no man could ever find in him before It is true the words I find exactly to be the words of Gregory Nazienzen but not of Bazil as Cent. 4. cap. 4. p. 234. Oratione in sanctum Lavacrum tertia Quid de Infantibus ais qui neque gratia quid ne sit paena cognorunt nam illos baptizemus Maxime quidem si periculum aliquod imminet melius est enim nondum rationis compotes sanctificari quam non signatos initiatos vita excedere all which Mr. Wills leaves out then adds Idque nobis designat post octavum diem Circumcisio illa quae figurale fuit signaculum What will you say of Children which are neither sensible of good or evil shall we Baptisme them yes by all means in Case of urgent danger for it is better to be sanctified without their knowledge then to dye without it for so it hapned to the Children of Israel in Circumcision But suppose there had been such a Sentence as Mr. Wills saith followeth I had cited enough of the Father to confirm the truth of what I asserted viz. that instruction and Faith according to Christs Commission was necessary to precede Baptisme And that none but the Adult that made Profession of Faith were to be baptised And if he should have contradicted himself as some others had done it would have been their parts that should avouch him in the behalf of Infants Baptisme to have reconciled such a contradiction to those his former assertions But to put the matter more out of doubt I procured a Friend to write to Master Wills to know where that passage was to be found in Bazil To which he made this following return viz. As to that passage of Bazil Mr. Wills Letter to his Friend about the Quotation of Bazil I do not charge Master D. with misquoting but partially quoting and misapplying him and upon Examination of my Papers cannot find any Page to which that passage of mine concerning that Father doth refer But when I go to Oxford where I made my Collection I may be able to give better satisfaction Therefore upon the whole respecting this passage I appeal to the Reader whether Mr. Wills is not found tardy and justly reprovable in the following particulars viz. Mr. Wills guilty of much
which I give you at large from them pag. 234. of which he takes not the least notice Thirdly That I brought in Durandus Durandus a severe Encmy against Anabaptists as a witness against Infants Baptisme p. 146. the quite contrary he 'l find is true in my pag. 242. where I proauce him as the great Enemy and Persecutor of Bruno and Berengarius for their witness against Infants Baptisme and is it not very injurious and conterdictious for him to owne that Durandus was so severe an Enemy against Anabaptists and yet not to acknowledge and allow me Bruno and Berengarius my two witnesses I produce for denying Infants Baptisme that he persecuted the same It is true Durandus is in the Index I do not know how put among the witnesses but the said Index directs to the page where the Story is rightly told you and from whence he had the account what an Enemy he was to the Anabaptists Bishop of Apamen Fourthly That the Bishop of Apamen c. was mentioned amongst my witnesses and pag. 231. said to be for Anabaptisme yet not said to be against Infants Baptisme pag. 146. But the late Century Writers so calling them in a modern sense we have no Reason to doubt it Fifthly That I have nothing to evidence that Peter Bruis Pet. Bruis denyed Infants Baptisme but the impudent Storyes of two lying Abots when he knows I produced three or four Evidences more to prove it And he also knows that those pretended absurdeties he would bring upon the two Abbots viz. Cluniacenses and Bernard are lying forgeries of his own which I shall presently demonstrate Sixthly That I have no ground to say â—hat Wickliff Wickliff denyed Infants Baptisme p. 146. when I produce so much evidence to prove it which you have from p. 283. to 289. demonstrating that he not only affirmed that Believers were the only Subjects of Baptisme but withal that Children are not Sacramentally to be baptised and what can be more express evidence in the case Another piece of injurious dealing A notorious falacy abuse detected I have to complain against our Author for is for his fathering so notorious a falacy upon the Reader and abuse upon my self In affirming that I produce a great Bede-role of witnesses against Infants Baptisme who were so firmly for it as I in contra diction to my self grant viz. Austin Chrysostome pag. 25. of his And Theophilact Anselme Bede Gregory Anslbertus Albertus Lumbard c. And the three Councels of Bracarens Tollatan and Constantinople in his Recapitulation p. 139 c. Whereas I have again and â—gain said that I produce them not as positive witnesses against Infants Baptisme there being not one of them in my Catalogue which would have been madness indeed whâ—n I have brought them in amongst those that have asseâ—ted Infants Baptisme but for these Reasons only viz. 1. First to shew what strong Arguments Why Persons owning Infants Baptisme are produced for witnesses so agreeing to the Scripture Institution and pattern they have themselves produced for Believers Baptisme only viz. From the necessity of Confession and Profession of Faith and Repentance before Baptisme 2. Secondly upon what weak and erroneous Grounds they assert Infants Baptisme also most of which I have given pro and con that their contradictions not mine may appear 3. Thirdly that that which they make to Reconcile that contradiction may appear insignificant viz. the Confession and Profession of Gossips or Sureties for them of which the Scripture makes no mention and whereby all the former Authorities for Believers Baptisme may appear good for us and against themselves The witnesses produced from Churches Having thus cleared my Testimonies given in from particuler Persons I come in the next place to examine what he hath said to the witnesses produced from the several Churches I have mentioned viz. the Waldenses Donatists Britains c. concerning whom he is pleased thus to express himself p. 129. And in reference to the confidence of my Antagonist that the Waldenses Donatists and Britains were all against Infante Baptisme when none of them were makes good the Proverb Pertureant Montes c. But what cause he hath for this confident vain glorious boast will soon be tryed The Witness born by the Waldenses against Infants Baptisme justified The 4. fold Evidence to prove the Wald. denyed Infants Baptisme THe first he opposeth is thâ—t of the Waldenses whose witness against Infants Baptisme I make good from a four fold Demonstration viz. Fitst From their Confessions of Faith Secondly From the witness born thereto by their most eminent Men. Thirdly From the Decrees of Councels Popes and Emperors against the Body of the People for the same And Fourthly From the Footsteps thereof they have left in the several Regions and Contreys where they have been dispersed Upon which he makes this following reply pag. 46. viz. That there are two sortes of People that 't is like will be imposed upon by the Flourishes which this Champion makes those who are ignorant and those who are prejudiced against Infants Baptisme no doubt but all this will pass for Gospel amongst such But I may say of the Author Multa loquitur sed nihil dicit or rather probat and that which he saith is but Vox praeterea nihil A great sound of words but no proof and this he promiseth to make appear in order To the First as to the Confessions of Faith he saith two things First that there are no such Confessions to be found of that Nature nor any thing that looks like a Confession unless it be in Vtopia pag. 111. But my Adversary hath a notable dexterity to prove Quidlibet ex quolibet p. 46. Secondly That the quite contrary appears by their contrary Confessions of Faith witnessing how firmly they did assert Infants Baptisme pag. 46 and 64. c. To both which I answer First that it may be manifest to the Reader that their Confessions of Faith do indeed exclude Infants from Baptisme I shall give in a Parallel betwixt what their Confessions say and what he in the Repetition thereof makes them say and leave it to judgement how fairly he hath dealt therein What their Confessions are as p. 239 c. The Waldenses Confessions of Faith That God hath not only instructed us by his Word But hath also ordained certain Sacraments to be joined with it as a means to unite us unto and to make us partakers of his benefits And that there are only two of them belonging in Common to all Members of the Church under the New Testament viz. Baptisme and the Lords Supper We do believe that in the Sacrament of Baptisme water is the visible and External sign which represents unto us That which by the invisible vertue of God operating is within us viz. the Renovation of the Spirit and the Mortification of our Members in Jesus Christ By which also we are received into the holy