Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	scripture_n	6,364	5	6.0991	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68467	A treatise of the sacraments according to the doctrin of the Church of England touching that argument Collected out of the articles of religion, the publique catechism, the liturgie, and the book of homilies. With a sermon preached in the publique lecture, appointed for Saint Pauls Crosse, on the feast of Saint Iohn Baptist, Iune 24. 1638. / By T.B. Pr. Pl.	Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653.	1638 (1638)	STC 1789; ESTC S113179	66,854	266

The promise is made to you and to your children the same did St. Paul preach to the Gentiles when they were converted And how should they confirm the truth of this to them but by baptising their children Neither by children can we with the Anabaptist understand their youths of discretion only but their Infants also for in Act. 2.39 and Cor. 7.24 the word is generall to comprehend all their issue and of-spring Another Pattern is probably collected out of Mar. 10. the gospell read in the Liturgy at the Administration of Baptism The children there mentioned were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Infants such as men do hold in their arms Christ indeed baptised them not but probable it is that he might deliver them to his Disciples to be baptised as some think or rather that they had been baptised already doubtless it was a pious act of the Parents to bring them to Christ and who can much doubt of this but that the Parents having been by Iohns Baptism directed to Christ when they knew him brought children to him to receiv a further blessing from him and thus much for answer to the first and main Argument of the Anabaptists The second Argument of the Anabaptists WIthout Faith say they none ought to be baptised Mat. 28. Mar. 16. Act. 8.36 Which also the English Catechism doth allow But Infants want faith Ergo they ought not to be baptised Let the Minor be granted tho if a man deny it as some do I see not how they can prove it but gratifie them in this the Major is utterly fals for neither do these texts prov it nor the English Catechism Besides there are good reasons against it The texts prov it not indeed they prov the Affirmativ That whosoever beleeveth may be baptised But from thence to draw a negative conclusion is against Reason Thus out of Iohn 3.16 it is manifest that whosoever beleeveth shall be saved but will the Anabaptist thence conclude Infants beleev not ergo they shall not be saved God forbid Reasons are against it First In respect of Infants There needeth none actuall faith in children as a previous disposition to fit them for the grace of Baptism for why In the Baptism of Infants the spirit worketh not as a morall Agent to proffer grace to the will but as a naturall or rather supernaturall Agent to work it in the will to put grace into the heart conferring upon them seminall and initiall grace which doth not presuppose faith but is it self the seed of faith To Parents converted Baptism conveyed as did Circumcision to Abraham a superaddition of further grace to what they had extraordinarily received But to their children Baptism conveyed as did Circumcision to Isaac the first seeds of grace and Regeneration Add this that the faith of the Parent is sufficient to qualifie the child for Baptism yea for the grace of Baptism the child I say in whom as yet corruption of nature being scant active calleth for no act of Personall grace to remove the barr of guilt polluted he is but by the act of another not by consent of his own therfore the faith of the Parent sufficeth to procure for the child the Sacrament and the benefit therof They cavill and say every man must live by his own faith and not by anothers True we say so to only the words of the Prophet are misalleaged and misapplyed the text doth not add that clause not by anothers nor doth it speak simply of the benefit it self gained by faith viz. Justification Salvation Preservation but of the pre-assurance of it But not to strive hereabout we see in Matt. 9.3 the sick man fared the better for the faith of his friends even in the remission of sins Parents are nearer to their Infants and have more interest in them than one friend in another Infants are a part of their Parents so that the promise of grace mentioned in the Covenant betwixt God and the Parent is not ratified to the whole Parent except also it extend to his Infant It is then the faith of the Parent laying hold of the promise which qualifieth his Infant for incorporation into the mysticall body of Christ. And this is a point of good comfort to the parent to consider the goodness of God to him having provided for him that as he hath been a naturall instrument to convey to his child the guilt of sin and seminall corruption so may he also challenging Gods Covenant by faith be made a voluntary instrument to procure pardon of sin and seminall grace a just remedy for the former malady The consideration wherof were it well and advisedly thought upon might cure that supine negligence found in Parents who seldome think of this and consequently shall one day heare the just curses of their condemned children crying woe worth the negligence of our careless Parents who having begotten us for their pleasure therby conveyed to us guilt and corruption but never took care to cure us of this malady yea the consideration of this might provoke them to intend the act of their faith and not only in the Church cursorily of custome to present their children to God but also actually by the prayer of faith challenge Gods promise for the good of their Infants for doubtless even in this as in all other occasions the more intentive mans faith is and earnestly set upon the promise to challenge it the sooner doth it prevail and obtain the desire To return to the Anabaptist since the faith of the Parents sufficeth since the spirit worketh in Baptism as a supernaturall Agent there needeth no actuall faith to be found in children consequently they are deceived who defend that none may be baptised without faith inherent Secondly In respect of Men grown the want of faith doth not barr them from Baptism i. e. the Church may not deny water to them that desire the Sacrament if they profess to repent and beleev tho peradventure their heart be naught See then herein the unreasonable dealing of the Anabaptist who will barr Infants from the water of Baptism for want of Faith when as hath been shewed not so much the actuall Inexistence of these graces as the formall profession of them doth qualifie even Men grown sufficiently for what the Church can do in the administration of Baptism Two things are usually objected against this in the heat of contention which I shall briefly touch for the satisfaction of sober minds and so return to the former doctrin of preparation First say they children are as farr from Profession of faith as from performance consequently to be barred from Baptism To which I answer that Profession is either actuall or virtuall An actuall profession of Repentance and Faith is required of them who by the acts of reason formerly abused have multiplyed their personall transgressions but for Infants a virtuall profession is sufficient and such a profession we find in them in respect of their Propagation They are

suppose that one of the Corinthians should have been so wilfull as to deny this medium this argument of Saint Paul what is there to confirm the argument and to convince the gainsayer but only the practice of Infants-baptism this must of necessity be here presupposed else doth the Argument fall to the ground and overthrow it self 2. Object Circumcision was but a seal of the old Covenant even the law which was made to Abraham and to his children after the flesh this fleshie covenant had a seal in the flesh viz. Circumsion but what is this to the covenant of Grace touching life and salvation which is made only with beleevers thus the Anabaptist to the end he may elude the argument drawn from the Circumcision of Infants and wheras the text of Saint Paul doth directly cross this his base esteem of circumcision honouring it with that worthy title A seal of the righteousness of faith The Anabaptist expoundeth it thus A seal of his faith not in the Messiah but in that promise That he should be the father of the faithfull Wherin he bewrayeth a twofold ignorance First in disjoyning these two viz. his faith in the Messiah and his faith in the promise which are subordinate For in Gen. 12.1.4 divers promises are made to Abraham to wit of the land of Canaan of a numerous off-spring of the Messiah in whom all nations should be blessed these doth Saint Paul in Rom. 4.13 joyn in one and calleth it the promise that he should be the heir of the world Of these three the first and second only are mentioned Gen. 15. but questionless the third included and ratified by a formall Covenant to Abraham who beleeved and was thereupon justified Afterward in Gen. 17. the second alone mentioned but questionless the other included and all ratified by the Sacrament of Circumcision which was to him the seal of the righteousness of faith which Abraham had before he was circumcised That all are included in both places tho not all mentioned may yet further appear by this that in Gen. 22. when God would lastly manifest how his covenants and seals had built up Abraham in faith by that sore triall they are again all three repeated his faith accepted and commended This did not or would not the Anabaptist receiv but disjoyneth those which should be conjoyned as being all apprehended by the same faith Another part of his ignorance is the misinterpretation of that phrase The righteousness of faith A phrase twice used in that fourth chapter equivalent to and therfore to be expounded by that phrase The righteousness which is by faith and that also the righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 Both which are joyned in one Rom. 3.22 The righteousness of God which is by faith which betokeneth not the Essentiall righteousness of God but the benefit of justification or imputed righteousness which he bestoweth on beleevers for their justification This benefit God having bestowed upon Abraham did seal it up to him afterward by circumcision which is therfore called not the seal of his faith as the Anabaptist speaketh full ignorantly but the seal of the righteousness that is of justification which commeth by faith and not by works We conclude therfore that infants of beleevers may be lawfully baptised that by Baptism they may be admitted into the covenant of grace Nay inasmuch as Baptism is the Sacrament of admission and no time fitter to incorporate the buds of Christians into Christ than while they are buds that so betimes grace may prevent the growth of naturall corruption Infancy is the fittest time for Baptism nay the only time in the successive ages of the Church So far is God from barring infants from Baptism that he may rather seem to have allotted them to it and it to them We conclude also touching Baptism that it doth not only admit the baptised into the roll of Christians this indeed is done in Baptism wherupon there is a necessity of witnesses and a conveniencie of publike administration but this is not all it is also an admission into the Covenant of grace here is the ground of Assurance that they are indeed within the Covenant and to be dealt withall by the ministerie as men in covenant with God The LORDS SUPPER is the Sacrament of our preservation and confirmation in the covenant of grace Not enough that men be born living and lively except a care be had of their preservation so in the case of spirituall life not enough that we be admitted into the covenant of grace except we be confirmed in grace we may lose our former hopes of future glorie to begin in the spirit doth not profit them who end in the flesh For which cause as the Scripture is full of exhortations to constancy and perseverance to make our calling and election sure So hath God ordained also a Sacrament for our preservation and certain confirmation in grace and holiness This is to us the tree of life and immortality here is provided for us that bread of life of which who so eateth shall live for ever here is that true Nectar and Ambrosia which doth continually renew the youth and the strength of the spirit of grace within us But of this more when we come to the benefits Now let this only be added That this Sacrament being ordained for this end it will hence follow that all those are to be barred from this Sacrament which without breach of charity may be thought as yet not admitted into the covenant of grace Such I count all persons unbaptized these must be sent first to the Laver of Regeneration before they be admitted to this Sacrament of confirmation In vain is food sought where there is no life This also must be thought upon by them that address themselves to this Sacrament This Sacrament was ordained to this end Do I propound the same end to my self in my partaking if not what good can I expect thence Should I propound to my self another end than that which God hath propounded Is then mine end to gain my confirmation in the state of Grace Doth not preservation presuppose admission and initiation How doth it appear to me further than by Register that I have been incorporated into Christ What fruits of my Baptism do I find and feel in my self Were I unbaptised in the flesh the Church would barr me shall I not barr my self till I find and feel my soul baptised with the blood of Christ Such meditations as these would help to dispose the soul and fit it for the Sacrament and for the benefits This is the next thing that we are to speak of CHAP. VIII The Benefits of Baptism THe Church in the book of Articles doth thus explain her self touching this particular That by Baptism as by an instrument the promises of Remission and of our Adoption to be the sonns of God by the holy Ghost are visibly sealed faith is confirmed and grace increased In the second