therefore it ought to be administred only to beleevers else we set a seal to a blank But children are no beleevers nor can be while they are such because they cannot understand the word nor give assent thereunto Ergo children ought not to be baptized But we answer that unbeleevers or not beleevers may be either taken for first such as when they hear the word of God reject it or secondly such who neither have means to hear it nor desire it such unbeleevers are to be excluded from baptisme For to give baptisme to such were worse then to set a seal to a blank it were to give holy things to dogs and cast pearl before swine Or thirdly for such who are born within the precincts of the church and care is taken that they shall be taught the principles of faith as soon as they are capable thereof These though they cannot give yet an actuall consent to the mysteries of faith are not to be rearmed infidels or unbeleevers positively but negatively only and we ought in charitie to beleeve that they will actually beleeve as soon as they shall have use of reason and God by his spirit shall open their hearts to attend to the word preached to unbeleevers in this latter sense as circumcision the seal of the righteousnesse of faith under the law was given so may baptisme though not in token of their present yet of their future faith Secondly the children of the faithfull parents whom the Apostle calleth holy receive some measure of grace even in their infancie as the text saith expressely of S. Iohn Baptist he shall be filled with the holy Ghost from his mothers womb Luke 1. 15. 41. as Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary the babe sprang in her womb Upon which words S. Ambrose commenting saith Iohn Baptist while he was yet in his mothers womb received the grace of the holy Ghost and his leaping with joy argued some sense and apprehension of that joyfull message Now sith children that dye shortly after baptisme have the full sight of Gods face in heaven why may they not have some glimpse of it even whilst their soul is in their bodie S. Austine is confident that God after a most hidden manner infuseth his grace into children and in his 57. epistle ad Dardanum it is a wonderfull thing yet true that God dwels not in some who know him as the philosophers Ro. 1. and he dwelleth in some who know him not as in infants baptized We may safely therefore conclude with Tilenus children have faith as they have reason in the seed though not in the fruit in the root though not in the leaf in some inward operation though not in any outward expression They argue also ab absurdo indeed absurdly after this manner signum frustra datur non intelligenti it is a vain and absurd thing to administer the sacrament to such as know not what it means as it is to no purpose to present a beautifull picture to a blind man or sound a silver trumpet in a deaf mans eare or minister physick to a dead bodie But children know not what the sacrament means when the cold water is powred on them they are offended with it and expresse their dislike with crying and tears therefore it is vain to christen children But we answer in this objection the Anabaptists Gyant-like fight with God For if there be any force in this argument at all it will be as available to overthrow the circumcising of children instituted in the old law by God himselfe as their baptisme in the new For the children among the Iews under the law who were circumcised the eighth day knew no more what circumcision meant then ours do what baptisme only they felt the pain of the knife as these do the coldnesse of the water yet were they circumcised by Gods expresse command Will they say that Christ uttered many parables and wrought many signs and wonders before his disciples and other of the Iews in vain because at the present they understood them not though afterwards they understood them and made singular use of them In like manner dare they affirm that Christ did in vain lay his hands upon children and blessed them because children knew not what it meant or that ministers in vain baptize them because at that time they know not what it signifieth or why it is done Secondly it is not in vain to offer to any that which may doe them good whether they be sensible of it or no Physick is ministred to children naturall fooles and mad men to cure them although in the case they are they have no knowledge what good it may doe them A man that is in a swoon hath strong water poured down his throat even when he is past sense and it fetcheth him again so though children perceive not what they receive yet the sacrament may be and is soveraign unto them for their soules health Thirdly though children for the present understand not why they are baptized and what is undertaken for them and what fruit they reap by baptisme yet order is taken by the Church that as soon as they come to yeares of discretion and actuall use of reason they shall understand and be perfectly instructed in this mysterie and that which is done to them in their infancie after they have notice of it will be altogether as beneficiall unto them as if they had known it at the time when the sacrament was administred unto them They argue from the effects of baptisme baptisme is the laver of regeneration the burying of the old man the putting on of Christ the putting away the filth of the flesh with a confident demanding of a good conscience But children are not regenerated nor renewed in their mind nor have buried the old man nor have put on the new nor can confidently demand with a good conscience out of a certain perswasion of faith therefore they ought not to be baptized But we answer the texts of scripture upon which they ground their argument namely Coloss. 2. 11 12. Tit. 3. 5. Heb. 10. 22. 1 Pet. 3. 21. contain in them high commendations of baptisme but no prohibitions of administring it to children for all these effects the Spirit of God produceth in all the elect that are baptized but not all at an instant but by degrees as we grow in faith and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour they are begun at our baptisme but perfected afterwards unlesse the partie immediately die after baptisme when no doubt God supplyeth that by the extraordinarie work of his Spirit which riper years with the ordinarie means of faith would have brought forth if God had spared them life Children are regenerated by the impression of Gods image in their soul which in processe of time shineth most bright in them by supernaturall light in the understanding and puritie in the heart and conformitie in their
thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Christ saith it is life Eternall to know the Father to be the onely true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ but it is not life Eternall to know Christ onely as man but as true God and man and so a perfect Mediator neither is Christ said only the Son of God in respect of his temporall generation as man but also in respect of his eternal generation as he is the second person in Trinity this answer therefore of yours is not sufficient nor pertinent M. Doctor the company is not satisfied with their Answers I pray resolve the doubt your selfe I will as soone as they have propounded their objections for I moved these Questions only to make it appeare to the auditors how unfit these men are to take upon them the office of Teachers who are so imperfect in the fundamentall poynts of Catechisme Now let them propound what questions they please What is the nature of a visible Church what is the matter and fâ—rme of it or what is the visible Church of Christ made up of by authority of the Scriptures Your Question is Quid constituit visibilem Ecclesiam what makes a Church Yes I answer according to the Scriptures and the joynt consent of of all protestant Churches in the world French Dutch c. in the harmony of confessions that the sincere preaching of the Word and the due administration of the Sacraments constitutes or makes a true visible Church The Papists make many notes of the Church as antiquity universality succession miracles and diverse other but the reformed Churches make but two onely namely those above mentioned What is a true particular visible church A particular companie of men professing the christian faith knowne by the two marks above mentioned the sincere preaching of the word and the due administration of the Sacraments Is the church of England such a church It is so How prove you that First I answer I need not to prove it but you are to disprove it For as Hooker teacheth in his Ecclesiasticall Politie they who are in possession are not bound to prove their right but they who goe about to thrust them out are to disprove their right aud bring a better title for themselves Secondly yet to give you further satisfaction thus I prove the church of England to be such a church Every church in which the word of God is sincerely preached the sacraments lawfully and rightly administred is such a church But in the church of England the word is sincerely preached and the sacraments lawfully administred Ergo the church of England is such a church I denie that in the church of England the word is sincerely preached or the sacraments rightly administred I have here two things to prove 1. That the doctrine of the church of England is agreeable to Gods word 2. The sacraments are rightly administred in it First the doctrine of the church of England is contained in the 39 Articles Secondly the due administration of the sacraments in the communion-book But both the one the other are agreeable to Gods word Ergo the preaching of the word and administration of the sacraments in the church of England are agreeable to Gods word I denie that the 39 Articles and the book of common-prayer are agreeable to Gods word 1. I wil prove that the book of Articles is agreeable to Gods word In the book of Articles the first which concerneth the blessed Trinity the 2. 3. 4. which concern the incarnation of Christ Jesus his death and resurrection the 5. which concerneth the holy Ghost the 6. the perfection of scriptures and the 18. following which impugn popery are agreeable to Gods word and you cannot name any one of the rest which is not agreeable therefore they are all agreeable If you know any one that is not agreeable instance in it and I will presently shew how it is agreeable to scripture For the 39 Articles I know not what they are I never saw them that I remember Then for ought you know they are all conformable to scripture at least you can except against none of them Now for the book of common-prayer it consists partly of Psalms Epistls and Gospels partly of Prayers and the form and manner of administration of the sacraments But the former are taken out of scripture the latter are agreeable to it What doe you except against it I except against your administration of Baptism it is not rightly administred in your church for you baptize children and that is not agreeable to Gods word if you say it is how doe you prove it by scriptures This D. F. undertook to prove out of scriptures but before he alledged any text of scripture for it another Anabaptist interposed You say your church is a true church that cannot be for the true church compells none to come to church or punishes him for his conscience as the church of England doth Iosiah was supream governour of the true church in Iudah and Israel but Iosiah compelled all Israel to come to the house of God and worship him there 2 Chron. 34. 33. So Iosiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that appertained to the children of Israel and compelled all that were found in Israel to serve the Lord their God Ergo men may be compelled by the civill magistrate to the true worship of God Josiah compelled them to come to Jerusalem but that law is not now in force There is a three-fold law of God delivered by Moses 1. Ceremoniall 2. Judiciall and 3. Morall The ceremoniall and judiciall are not now in force but the morall is and Iosiah did this by the command of the morall law For the text saith not that he compelled them to come to Ierusalem but to serve the Lord their God which is a dutie required by the morall law and the law of nature For though the place of Gods Service and the manner be changed yet the substantiall worship of God still remains and princes are now as much bound to compell their subjects to the true worship of God as Iosiah was And moreover it is to be noted that Iosiah did this by vertue of a covenant which he made before the Lord to walk after the Lord and keep his commandements with all his heart and all his soul 2 Chro. 34. 31. And the spirit of God sendeth this testimony after him 2 King 23. 15. Like unto him there was no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might according to the law of Moses which words have an apparent reference to that first and great commandement Deut. 6. 5. thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might
Anno Dom. 1644. 219 IX The conclusion of all 227 Errata sic corrige Page 1. line 15. read end p. 4. l. 8. r. a visible Church p. 23. l. 24. r. reiteration p. 36. l. penult r. 1. Cor. 14. 19. p. 41. l. 22. r. sexes p. 44. l. penult r. and they are no where prohibited p. 48. l. 3. r. And. p. 51. l. 15. r. or a legitimate wife p. 53. l. 33. r. from p. 57. l. 27. r. in the principles of p. 67. in marg ad lin 19. r. Valentinian p. 70. l. 9. r. that they lin 25. r. rue it by p. 89. l. 17 r. propounded p. 120. l. 24. r Prayer himselfe p. 125. lin 18 r. hebetetur p. 185. lin 6. dele to page 189. l. 8. r. Scepter p. 195. l. 4. r. abjiciunt p 198. l. 13. r. the man p. 207. l. 14. r instance p. 211. l. 21. r. reliquo p. 215. l. 31. r. habet p. 216. l. 17. r. stagello p 218. l. ult r. as well as an Arrian p. 219. in marg l. 5. r. bini p. 225. l. 35. r. evident p. 226. l. 37. dele of Greg. Naz. Theol. Orat. 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What wilt thou say of Infants that neither experimentally know the grace of Baptisme nor the losse by want thereof Shall we baptize them Yes by all meanes if there be any danger For it were better that they should be sanctified though they be not sensible thereof then to goe out of this world without the seal and badge of their initiation into Christianity A true Relation of what passed at a meeting in Southwark between D. Featley and a company of Anabaptists October 17. 1642. AFter the Company were placed and Dr. Featley had made a short ejaculatory Prayer to GOD to give a blessing to the meeting a Scotchman began thus M. Doctor we come to dispute with you at this time not for contention sake but to receive satisfaction wee hold that the Baptisme of Infants cannot be proved lawfull by the Testimony of Scripture or by Apostolicall tradition if you therefore can prove the same either way we shall willingly submit unto you Are you then Anabaptists I am deceived in my expectation I thought that the ending of this meeting had bin to have reasoned with you about other matters and that my taske would have beene to have justified our Communion-Booke and the lawfulnesse and necessity of comming to the Church which I am ready to doe Anabaptisme which I perceive is the poynt you hold is an heresie long since condemned both by the Greeke and Latine Church and I could have wished also that you had brought schollars with you who knew how to dispute which I conceive you doe not so farre as I guesse by your habit and am informed concerning your professions for there are but two wayes of disputing First by Authority Secondly by reason First by Authority if you will dispute in Divinity you must be able to produce the Scriptures in the Originall Languages For no Translation is simply authenticall or the undoubted word of God In the undoubted word of God there can be no Error But in Translations there may be and are errors The Bible Translated therefore is not the undoubted word of God but so farre onely as it agreeth with the Original which as I am infermed none of you understand Secondly if you will dispute by Reason you must conclude syllogistically in mood and figure which I take to be out of your Element However sith you have so earnestly desired this meeting and have propounded a Question to me I little expected before I answer yours I will propound a Question or two to you concerning the blessed Trinity that I may know whether you are well instructed in the principles of Catechisme who yet are so well conceited of your selves that you take upon you to teach others This M. Doctor is nihil ad Rhombum we would know of your whether the Baptism of Children can be proved lawful as we said before as it is practised among you Whereas you say this my question is not ad Rhombum you mistake the matter For it is ad Rhombum if you know what the Phrase meaneth Is not the form of Baptisme this I Baptize thee in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost therfore my questions concerning the Trinity appertain to the Doctrine of Baptisme Before therefore I answer you concerning the persons fit to be Baptized whether men and women onely in riper years or children also to try your skill I will propound an argument to each of you out of Scripture concerning the blessed Trinity And first turning to the Scotchman Doe you believe saith hee that each of the three persons is God how then doth Christ Iohn 17. 3. say that the Father is the onely true God 2. After turning to the other Doe you believe that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son if you doe so how then doe you answer the words of our Saviour Iohn 15. 26. The Spirit which proceeds from the Father there is no mention at all of proceeding from the Son but the Father onely To the latter of these queries nothing was answered by either of them to the former they both answered First the Scotchman We never intend to deny that every person in Trinity is God for the text you alledge it proves not what you bring it for Herâ—t be Text being read the Scotchman answered Christ opposeth his Father as the true God to all false Gods I doe not urge the word true for that indeed is spoken in opposition to false Gods but the word only and thus I frame the Argument If God the Father be the only true God then the holy Ghost is not God But God the Father is the onely true God Ergo the Holy Ghost is not God The Father is said to be the only God in respect of Essence This Answer containes in it Blasphemy for if the Father bee the onely true God in respect of Essence then is not the Son or the Holy Ghost God in respect of Essence but that is false and blasphemous for then the three persons should not be one God in Essence or in respect of Essence Here the Scotchmans answer being exploded he wrote something and gave it some there present and in the meane while one M. Cufin interposing said I come not here to dispute but to receive satisfaction of some doubts which if you can resolve me in I shal submit Now for the place you alledge out of S. John I conceive it may be thus answered Christ spake this as man and his meaning is that his Father is only God and no Creature is so It is very true that only excludes all creatures but whereas you say that these words are spoken by Christ as man onely it cannot stand with the Text for it is added and whom
which law is morall and perpetuall as all grant Prove that any ought to be compelled by the gospel That which Iosiah did agreeably to the morall law bindeth us under the gospel for Christ in the gospel both repeateth and confirmeth this commandement of loving the Lord with all our heart and all our soul calling it the first and great commandement Mat. 22. 37. 38. Therefore our princes are as much bound as Iosiah was to compell their subjects to serve the true God Yet farther to give you satisfaction I will prove that it is agreeable to the new law to compell men to come to church and hear Gods word and receive the sacraments for this Christ teacheth in the parable recorded by S. Luke chap. 14. 23. Of a King who made a great supper and bade many guests and when they made excuses he said to his servant gâ—e to the high-ways and hedges and compell them to come in that my house may be full To this nothing being answered D. Featley proceeded in his argument Besides this command in the parable thus I prove that you ought to come to our churches the Apostle commandeth Rom. 13. 1. Let every soul be subject to the higher powers and Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have the over-sight of you and submit your selvs for they watch for your souls c. To which if we adde those places in 1 Tim. 2. 2. and 1 Pet. 2. 13. 14. An undeniable argument may be framed to convince your conscience after this manner All lawfull superiours either temporall or spirituall commanding lawfull things are to be obeyed But your lawfull superiours in church and common-wealth require you to come to our church which I proved to be a true church of Christ. Ergo you ought to obey them and you sin against God by your disobedience to lawfull authority if you come not The word of God doth not command us to come to your steeple-houses the King hath nothing to doe to command us in that kind The King hath power to command you in all things that are lawfull and not repugnant to Gods word indeed if he should command any thing against Gods word you ought rather to obey God than man by the example of the Apostle in the Acts 4. 19. But it is a thing lawfull and no way repugnant to Gods word but most agreeable thereunto to come to our steeple-houses as you call them where the servants of God assemble on the Lords day and other times to worship him in spirit and truth Ergo the King hath power to command you to come to our church The King makes an Idoll of the church where doth Christ command us to come to it Where he commandeth us to hear the word preached for in our church the word of God is preached and therefore there we ought to hear it I am not so averse but if one of our society should preach in Olaves or Mary Overis church I would hear them I would come where the church is gathered for therein I obey Christ. Then you will hear none but one'of your society as if your societie were the true church and none of the true church but those of your society I have proved already that we have a true church among us but you have none For where there are no lawfull pastors nor flocks there is not a true church But amongst you there are not lawfull pastors nor flocks Ergo no true church We have amongst us lawfull Pastours There are no lawfull Pastors but those who are sent Ro. 10. 15. No man ought to assume unto himself that honour but he that is called as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. all Presbyters are to be made by imposition of hands 1 Tim. 4. 14. 5. 22. 2 Tim. 1. 6. But your Pastors have no sending no calling no imposition of hands on them Ergo you have no lawfull pastors None amongst us teach but they have Ordination for they are elected examined and proved Have you imposition of hands of the Presbytery Wee are not bound to tell you if you will come to our Church you may see I pray you M. Doctor come to the point how prove you the Baptisme of Children to be lawfull by the Word of God It seems you will willingly fall upon no other point but this of Anabaptism which heresy was condemned neer fifteen hundred years ago Here after a long space the Scotchman puts in a word saying Not sixteen hundred years ago If it were but a thousand it is long enough being condemned by the whole Christian Church Greek and Latin Sir that is neither here nor there you know what the woman of Samaria said Joh. 4. Our father 's worshipped in this mountain and ye say that at Ierusalem is the place where men ought to worship they continued in an error above 2000 years You are mistaken in your chronology for there were not 2000 years between Iacob and Christ. But to let that your errour passe the Samaritans indeed were in an errour a long time but this is no errour but a doctrine of truth that children ought to be baptized There are three sorts of arguments of great force with all understanding men the first and chiefest from 1. Scripture 2. From consent of the universall church 3. From evident reason I will produce all these for the baptisme of children We desire to have it proved by scripture Our proofs out of scripture are of two sorts some probable some necessarie First probable as where it is said in the Acts 16. 33. that the Apostle baptized the Gaoler with all that belonged to him and Lydia and her houshold Acts. 16. 15. and 1 Cor. 1. 16. that he baptized the houshold of Stephanas and in a whole houshold in all probabilitie there were some children I cannot tell that let 's hear your necessary proofe out of Gods word There is as good ground reason or warrant for the baptizing of children now as there was of old for circumcising them But of old children were to be circumcised many plain places there are where that was commanded Ergo now by the same warrant they are to be baptized We denie that there is the same warrant or ground now for the baptizing of children that there was of old for the circumcising of them For there is an expresse command for circumcising of children but there is none for the baptizing of any but those who can hear the word preached Mat. 28. Go teach and baptize 1. That which circumcision was in the old law to the Jews that is baptisme now to us the sacrament of entrance into the church for so St. Austine and all sound divines hold that our sacrament of baptisme answereth theirs of circumcision as the sacrament of the Lords supper doth their Paschall Lamb. 2.
such distinctions in the new testament We can for we read in the new testament of pastours and flocks they who feed with the word are the Clergy and the flocks who are fed are the Laity All are not pastours or teachers 1 Cor. 12. 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers That is all are not so Deacons preached they were Lay-men therefore may Lay-men preach I instance in Steven c. The Deacons were not meer Lay-men but men full of the holy Ghost and of wisedom upon whom the Apostles layd their hands Acts 6. 6. Prove that any preached who had not imposition of hands Here that Anabaptist failing Cufin undertook it saying In the 8. of the Acts we read plainly that after that great persecution of the church at Jerusalem they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the Apostles and that they who were scattered abroad went every where preached the gospel and that God gave a blessing to their preaching it is plain Acts 11. 19. Again Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. 10. As every man hath received the spirit even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of Christ. If God have given us a talent it is our duty to improve it They that were scattered and preached the gospel were such as the Apostles had layd hands on and sent to preach and among them Philip the Deacon there mentioned For the text of S. Peter he speaketh not there of publike preaching and administring the sacraments which appertaineth only to pastours by their speciall function but of edifying one another and teaching and admonishing in private according to the precept of S. Paul Colos. 3. 16. Let the word of God dwell richly among you in all wisedom teaching and admonishing one another this was no publike preaching or expounding the word but godly conference in private houses with those whom they met such as every godly master of a family useth in his house instructing his children and servants the best that he can telling them their duty out of Gods word It is true in time of persecution we read of one Frumentius a Lay-man who in his travailes converted some to the christian faith confirming the truth of christian religion by scriptures That is all we desire to do as Frumentius did That was no preaching publikely by vertue of a pastorall function or expounding scriptures but holy conference and exhortation such as that of Aquila and Priscilla And the historian addeth after the church had notice how God blessed Frumentius his labours in turning many heathen to christinity the bishops sent ministers unto them to confirm them and administer the sacraments unto them and himself also received holy orders to accomplish that work which he had so happily begun The scripture puts no difference betwixt publike and private it is as lawfull to worship God in a private house to preach there as in one of your Steeple-houses The Apostle puts a difference 1 Cor. 11. 22. What Have you not houses to eat and to drink in Or despise ye the church of God The word in the originall is ecclesia not templum which never signifieth your Steeple-house in all the scripture The word ecclesia is taken diversly in holy scripture sometimes 1. For a company of men and that either of the wicked as Psal. 26. 5. Odi ecclesiam malignantium Or of the godly Acts 20. 28. 11. 26. c. 2. For the place of their publike meeting and so the word ecclesia is here taken If the people of God meet in a private place is not that then the house of God There is a publike house of God that is a place sequestred from common use and dedicated to Gods service and there is a private house of God as we read Ro. 16. 5. where some of the faithfull privatly meet and that also is called the church greet the church in thine house in such private houses it is lawful to preach in time of persecution but not now when we have publike churches for the service of God to which we may and ought to repair and in these churches no lay-man ought to preach nor at all exercise the pastorall function either there or any where else Which I prove by two reasons especially First none ought to take upon them the office of pastour or minister of the word who are not able to reprove and convince Hereticks and all gain-sayers but your lay and unlettered men are not able to convince Hereticks and stop the mouths of gayn-savers because they can alledge no scripture but that which is translated into their mother-tongue in which there may be and are some errours for though the Scriptures be the infallible word of God yet the translators were men subject to errour and they sometimes mistook Will you say that those learned men who translated the bible at Geneva committed any error in their translation I will and for instance Luke 22. 25. in the Geneva translation printed 1569. we read the Kings of the Gentiles reign over them and they that beare rule over them are called gracious Lords whereas in the originall it is Euergetai that is benefactors or bountifull yet this place hath bin much urged against the titles of our Arch-Bishops and Bishops as if Christ forbad any ministers of the gospell to be called by the titles of Lords or gracious wheras there is never a word in the text that signifieth either Lord or gracious neither dâ—th Christ there speak only to the ministers of the gospell but to all Christians Besides this I could produce many other errors in that translation which are corrected in the Kings translation Though we cannot prove the letter to be well translated that matters not much for the letter of the scripture is not scripture That 's blasphemy I pray take notice of it he denyeth the letter of the Text to be scripture The letter of the word of God is not scripture without the revelation of the spirit of God the word revealed by the spirit is scripture Very fine doctrine if God reveal not to us the meaning of the scripture is not the letter of the text scripture By this reason the greatest part of the Revelation and other difficult texts of scripture should not be scripture because God hath not revealed to us the meaning of them Here one that stood by demanded of the Anabaptist how prove you the bible to be Gods word By experience For whatsoever is written in the word of God commeth to passe concerning Christ and Anti-christ experience is the best doctor that teacheth us This reason alone will not prove the bible to be Gods word for Moses saith If a false prophet shall arise and fore-tell any thing and it come to passe Deut. 13.
baptized before they can hear and understand the gospel preached to them ANSWER 1. The setting preaching before baptizing doth no more prove that preaching must alwaies go before baptisme then the naming repentance before faith Mar. 1. 15. Repent and beleeve the gospel proves that repentance goeth alwayes before faith which the Anabaptists themselves hold not 2. Christ setteth in that place preaching before baptizing for two reasons neither of which make any thing against the baptisme of children The first is because it is the more principall act of the ministeriall function for it is preaching which through the operation of the holy Spirit begetteth faith which the sacraments only confirme preaching draweth the instrument as it were of the covenant between God and us whereunto the sacrament is set as a seal Secondly because Christ there speaketh of converting whole nations to the Christian faith in which alwayes the preaching of the word goeth before the administration of the sacraments For first men beleeve and after are admitted to baptisme but after the parents are converted their children being comprised within the covenant are admitted to baptisme and whensoever any proselyte is to be made this course is likewise to be taken they must professe their faith before they be received into the church by baptisme but the case is different in children they have neither the use of reason to apprehend the gospel preached unto them nor use of their tongue to professe their faith and God requireth no more of them then he hath given them the like course God himself took in the old law before any men of riper years were circumcised the commandement of God was declared and his covenant made known unto them but children were circumcised the eight day before they were capable of any preaching unto them or such declaration Nothing remaineth but that the two objections concerning the doctrine of the Trinitie in the beginning propounded by D. F. for no other end but to try how well verst these ring-leaders of the Anabaptists were in the more necessary points of catechisme he answered The first was framed out of Ioh. 17. 3. This is life eternall to know thee to be the only true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. If the Father be the only true God how is the Son or the holy Ghost very God Hereunto the Anabaptists gave two answers the first blaspemous the second unsufficient and impertinent as appears in the beginning of the conference The true answer is that Christ Ioh. 17. prayeth to God and not to any of the three Persons particularly for though he useth the word Father v. 1. yet Father is not there taken for the first Person in Trinity but as a common attribute of the deity as it is also taken Mat. 6. 9. Our Father v. 14. your heavenly Father Gal. 1. 4. God and our Father Jam. 1. 27. Before God and the Father 1 Pet. 1. 17. If you call him Father who judgeth without respect of persons So then the meaning is O God Father of heaven and earth This is life eternall to know thee to be the only true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. According to which interpretation this text is parallel to that of the Apostle one God and one Mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus 1 Tim. 2. 5. The second objection was out of Ioh. 15. 26. The spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father If the spirit proceed from the Father only how do we say in the Nicen creed and that other of Athanasius and in the Letany which proceedeth from the Father and the Son To this none of the Anabaptists gave any answer at all yet the answer is very easie for the spirit is said to proceed from the Father in the place above alledged because he proceedeth from the Father originally not because he proceedeth from the Father only for he is elsewhere called the spirit of the Son as well as of the Father Gal. 4. 6. And in this very text Ioh. 15. 26. it is said the spirit whom I will send you from the Father which sheweth that the holy Spirit hath a dependance from both To whom three Persons and one only true God be ascribed all glory honour power and dominion for evermore FINIS A TRACTATE against the ANABAPTISTS CHAPTER I. Of the name and severall sorts of Anabaptists THe name Anabaptist is derived from the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth are-baptizer or at least such an one who alloweth of and maintaineth re-baptizing they are called also Catabaptists from the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying an abuser or prophaner of baptisme For indeed every Anabaptist is also a Catabaptist the reitteration of that sacrament of our entrance into the church and seal of our new birth in Christ is a violation and depravation of that holy ordinance Of these Anabaptists or Catabaptists who differ no more then Bavius and Maevius of whom the poet elegantly writeth Qui Bavium non odit amat tua carniua Maevi Alstedius maketh fourteen sorts first the Muncerians 2. the Apostolical 3. the Separatists 4 the Catharists 25 the Silents 6. the Enthusiasts 7. the Libertines 8. the Adamites 9. the Hutites 10. the Augustintans 11. the Buchedians 12. the Melchiorites 13. the Georgians 14. the Menonists But in this as in other things he is more to be commended for his diligence in collection then for his judgement in election For although there are schismaticall and hereticall persons that have neer affinitie with Anabaptists known by all these names yet these are not so many distinct and severall sorts of Anabaptists For some of these differ only in respect of their doctors or teachers and not of their doctrines as the Muncerians Hutites Menonists others were hereticks more ancient then the Anabaptists properly so called as namely the Apostolicall the Catharists the Adamites and Enthusiasts though as I shall shew hereafter some of our present Anabaptists trench upon their heresies the Augustinians Melchiorites and Georgians are Anabaptists aliquid amplius though they agree with them in their main doctrine of re-baptizing yet they go beyond the ordinary Anabaptists holding far more damnable tenents then they For the Augustinians beleeve that none shall enter into paradise till the prince of their sect Austine the Bohemian shall open the way The Melchiorites expect Melchior Hofmannus to come with Elias to restore all things before the last day The Georgians blasphemously boast that their master David George was a holy person composed and made of the soul of Christ the third person in the Trinitie Lastly he omitteth one sort of Anabaptists called Hemerobaptists who in the summer time quotidiè baptizabātur were christened every day senserunt enim aliter non posse hominem vivere si non singulis diebus in aqua mergeretur ita ut abluatur sanctificetur ab omni
Muâ—â—erus his doctrine at Alset and it very much took with the common people who presently left working and what they wanted they took by force from them that had it Seventhly with the Enthusiasts and their joynt issue is That the Scripture is not our onely rule of faith and manners but that God revealeth his will to his children at this day by visions and dreams and therefore Iohn of Leidan after he had set himself to sleep and had dreamed three dayes and nâ—ghts when hee awaked fained himselfe speechlesse and called by signes with Zacharie for a table-book or pen and ink and there writeth down certaine positions as revealed to him from God and commanded the preachers to publish them the first and principall whereof was that a man was not tyed to one wife but that he might have more and this doctrine he put presently in practise martying three wives at once and fifteene before he left Eightly with the Iesuites and their joynt issue is That it is lawfull for the people to lay hands upon the Lords anoynted and depose and slay hereticall and wicked magistrates the Iesuites hold this to be lawfull after a declaration and sentence of deprivation by the Pope the Anabaptists upon a revelation from one of their prophets And this doctrine the Anabaptists practised in the yeare 1527. and pulled downe all magistrates where they had any strength Ninthly with the Arminians and their joynt issue is That there is no originall sinne or at least that none is damned for it alone that election is upon fore-seen faith and repentance that God giveth all men sufficient grace to be saved that man hath free will of himselfe either to accept or refuse Gods grace that Christ dyed indifferently for all that a true beleever who is in the state of grace may fall away totally and finally Tenthly with the Brownists or Barrowists and their joynt issue is That there ought to be a paritie in the church that the government by arch-bishops and bishops c. is Popish and antichristian that the service and ceremonies of the church are idolatrous and superstitious that in regard of these and such like abuses and corruptions the church of England is no true church of Christ and consequently that all that have a care of their soules must of necessitie separate from her Eleventhly with a peculiar sect called the Separati and their joynt issue is That no Christian may goe to law or in any case to right himselfe by arms or violent means Secondly such as are peculiar to their sect and these are six First That none are rightly baptized but those who are dipt Secondly That no children ought to be baptized Thirdly That there ought to be no set forme of Liturgie or prayer by the book but only by the Spirit Fourthly That there ought to be no distinction by the word of God between the Clergie and the Laitie but that all who are gifted may preach the word and administer the sacraments Fifthly that it is not lawfull to take an oath at all no not though it be demanded by the magistrate Sixtly that no Christian may with a good conscience execute the office of a civill magistrate ARTIC I. Concerning Dipping ANABAPTIST None are rightly Baptized but those who are Dipt THE REFUTATION Though Dipping may be used in Baptisme and if the childe be strong and the weather and climate temperate it is very fit to be used and the church of England both alloweth it and practiseth it yet it is no way necessary or essentiall to Baptisme neither ought they who have been washed or sprinkled according to the form prescribed by our Saviour In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost by a lawfull Minister by any means be rebaptized which I prove ARGUMENT I. That which Christ who is the Authour and Ordainer of Baptisme requireth not cannot be necessary or essentiall to the right administration of that Sacrament But Christ no where requireth Dipping but onely Baptizing which word as Hesychius and Stephanus and Scapula and Budaeus the great masters of the Greek tongue make good by very many instances and allegations out of Classick writers importeth no more then Ablution or Washing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say they in their Lexicons and Commentaries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est lavo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lavatio ablutio which may be done without Dipping Ergo Dipping is not necessary to the right administration of Baptisme ARGUMENT II. If the words Baptize and Baptisme are often used in holy Scripture where the persons or things said to be Baptized were not Dipt then certainly Dipping is not necessary to Baptisme neither will the word Baptize inforce any such thing But the words Baptize and Baptisme are used in Scriptures where neither the persons nor things were Dipt as appears by these texts of holy Scriptures Matth. 3. 11. be shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire which promise Acts 1. 5. is applied to the sending down of the holy Ghost in the shape of fiery tongues and Acts 2. 3 it was fulfilled when the Apostles were filled with the holy Ghost and spake with other tongues yet were they not Dipt into that fire that came down from heaven but as the text saith the cloven tongues like fire sate upon each of them And again Matth. 20. 23. Christ foretelling his disciples that they should partake with him in his sufferings and drink deep of the cup of trembling expresseth it by the phrase of Baptizing saying Ye shall be Baptized with the Baptisme that I am Baptized with yet neither was Christ nor any of his disciples that we read of dipt into blood but onely sprinkled washed or besmeared therewith Likewise Mark 7. 48. we read of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word for word baptismes of cups pots tables or beds yet cupts or pots when they are washed or rinsed as viz. at a pump are not necessarily Dipt into the water but onely water powred into them and upon them with rubbing c. And for tables and beds they are not washed by Dipping for in mens houses they have no commodity of so great lavers or broad wells wherein tables may be Dipt and the dipping especially of beds will do them more hurt then good Lastly we read 1 Cor. 10. 2. of baptizing in the cloud and Heb. 9. 10. of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divers Baptismes or Washings and carnall ordinances imposed on the Jews untill the time of Reformation yet were not the Jews who are said to be baptized dipt in the cloud but they were onely washed with it as men are in a shower of rain neither did Moses in the ceremoniall law prescribe different kindes of Dippings though he did severall kindes of cleansing purifying or washing nor did the Apostle deliver any doctrine of many Dippings but ablutions Ergo Dipping is no way necessary to Baptisme ARGUMENT III. If the
thing or spirituall act or grace signified by Baptisme may be sufficiently expressed without Dipping then is not Dipping necessary in Baptisme for the whole use of the signe in Baptisme in all other Sacraments is but to represent the thing signified and inwardly wrought upon the soul by the means of that ordinance of God But the thing signified to wit the cleansing of the soul from the guilt and filth of sin may be sufficiently expressed by washing or rubbing with water and so putting away the filth of the flesh 1 Pet. 3. 21. without any plunging or Dipping of the whole body or any part thereof Ergo Dipping is not necessary in Baptisme ARGUMENT IIII. Sprinkling may be done and is usually without any Dipping at all But the outward act of Baptisme representing the inward Ablution of the soul is expressed in holy Scripture by sprinkling Hebr. 9. 13. The blood of bulls and goats sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh Heb. 10. 22. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water 1 Pet. 1. 2. Through the sanctification of the spirit and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ. Ergo The outward act of Baptisme may be rightly performed without any Dipping at all ARGUMENT V. Baptisme is a Sacrament though not of absolute necessity yet of very great as all confesse and it falleth out often that it ought to be administred to sick and infirm persons even sometimes lying upon their death bed they making profession of their Faith and earnestly desiring it But in such case these infirm persons cannot after the manner of the Anabaptists be carried to rivers or wells and there be Dipt and plunged in them without evident and apparent danger yet may they safely be Baptised by sprinkling or gentle rubbing with water Ergo Sprinkling or rubbing the flesh with water in the Name of the Trinity by those who have authority and commission from Christ is sufficient without any Dipping at all ARGUMENT VI. All the Sacraments of the church may and ought to be administred without giving any just scandall But the resort of great multitudes of men and women together in the evening and going naked into rivers there to be plunged and Dipt cannot be done without scandall especially where the State giveth no allowance to any such practise nor appointeth any order to prevent such fowl abuses as are like at such disorderly meetings to be committed Ergo The Sacrament of Baptisme ought not to be administred with such plunging or Dipping The Objections of the Anabaptists answered Now let us hear what they can say for their Dipping and with what weak bulrushes they fight against the truth Fist they object that the word Baptize is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to Dip or Die therefore say they washing or sprinkling with water is not Baptizing but plunging the body or the head at least in water But we answer First out of Aquinas and the schoolmen in verbis non tam spectandum ex quo quam ad quid sumantur in words we are not so much to respect from whence they are derived as how they are used as we see the branches of trees spread much further then the roots so the derivative words are often of a larger extent of signification then their primitives for instance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth originally and properly Catechizing or such a kinde of Teaching wherein the principles of Religion or of any Art or Science are often inculcated and by continuall sounding and resounding beat into the ears of children or novies but yet it is taken in holy Scripture in a larger sense not onely for catchizing of children but instructing men of riper yeers in the doctrine of salvation as Luke 1. 4. That thou mightest know the certainty of those things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherein thou hast been instructed and Acts 1825. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and Acts 21. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereof they informed concerning thee and Rom. 14. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Follow the things wherewith one may edifie another and Gal. 6. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him that as taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth him In like manner The word prophecie is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth originally and properly to foretell things future yet it is taken in the new Testament especially in a larger sense for all such as reveale the will of God and declare his promises aswell past and already fulfilled as to be fulfilled hereafter as namely 1 Cor. 11. 4. every man praying or prophecying having his head covered dishonoureth his head 1 Cor. 14. 1. Desire spirituall gifts but rather that ye may prophesie and verse 3. He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification to exhortation to comfort verse 31. Ye may all prophesâ—e one by one verse 32. The spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets So the word Baptize though it be derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tingo to Dip or Plunge into the water and signifieth primarily such a kinde of washing as is used in bucks where linnen is Plunged and Dipt yet it is taken more largely for any kinde of washing rinsing or cleansing even where there is no Dipping at all as Matth. 3. 11. 20. 22. Mark 7. 4. 10. 38. Luke 3. 16. Acts 1. 5. 11. 16. 1 Cor. 10. 2. Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence Baptize is derived signifieth as well to Die as to Dip and it may be the holy Ghost in the word Baptize hath some reference to that signification because by Baptisme we change our hiew for as Varro reporteth of a river in Baeotia that the water thereof turneth sheep of a dark or dun colour into white so the sheep of Christ which are washed in the Font of Baptisme by vertue of Christs promise though before they were of never so dark sad or dirtie colour yet in their souls become white and pure and are as it were new died therefore admitting that in the word Baptize there were something of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tingo to Dip or Die yet it will not follow That it necessarily signifieth Dipping for it may aswell imply this spirituall Die to which no Dipping is necessary Secondly they argue from the example of Christ and Iohn and of Philip and the Eunuch Iesus say they and Iohn went both into Iordan and there Iohn Baptized Iesus and likewise Philip and the Eunuch went both down into the water and there Philip Baptized the Eunuch therefore say they sprinkling or washing with water will not suffice but the parties that are to be baptized ought to go into the water and there be Dipt over head and ears But we answer First an example of Christ or his
through error of their judgment take not care for their childrens baptisme and thereby deprive them of the ordinary remedie of that originall maladie in which they are conceived and born ARGUMENT II. None ought to exclude the children of the faithfull out of the kingdom of heaven But by denying them baptisme as much as in us lyeth we exclude them out of the kingdom of heaven For as Christ affirmed to Nicodemus confirmed it with a double oath or most vehement asseveration Amen amen or verily verily I say unto thee except a man beborn of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven Ergo we ought not to deny them baptisme ANABAP ANSWER The words of our Saviour concern mâ—n in riper years not children he saith except a man not except a child be born again REPLY First Christ by man there understandeth the species of mankind comprehending all ages and sects for otherwayes they might as well exclude all women as children from baptisme because it is said except a man be born not except a woman but the words immediatly following make it a clear case the Christ by man understandeth all singular persons contained under the species of mankind whether male or female young or old that saith he which is born of flesh is flesh but certain it is children are properly born of flesh as men and after they are born of flesh they are first children before they are men Secondly this regeneration by water Christ speaketh of is to take away the filth of sin that so they may be capable of entring into the kingdom of heaven into which there shall in no wise enter any thing that is defiled but children before their regeneration by water are defiled as well as men And therefore Christ prescribes this remedie to them as well as men That children are died as it were in the grain and stained from their mothers womb is clearly proved by many pregnant texts of holy scripture as namely Psal. 51. 5. Behold I was born in iniquitie and in sin hath my mother conceived me and Ioh. 3. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven 1 Cor. 15. 50. and Rom. 5. 12. By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom or for that all have sinned 1 Cor. 15. 22. In Adam all dye and Ephesi 2. 3. We were by nature the children of wrath even as others All that are sentenced to death are guiltie of sin but children as well as men in Adam were sentenced to death else no children should dye Again that which comes by nature is common to all who partake of that nature but the Apostle teacheth us that by nature we are the children of wrath therefore certainly children are not free from sin which alone makes us the object of Gods wrath ARGUMENT III. They whom the Apostles baptized are not to be excluded from baptisme For what the Apostles did in the performance of their ministeriall function they undoubtedly did either by Christs command or by the direction of the holy spirit wherewith they were infallibly assisted But the Apostles baptized children for they baptized whole families whereof children are a known part Ergo children ought not to be excluded from baptisme ANABAP ANSWER The word houshold or family is taken in the places alledged for the greater part of the family neither is it said that there were any children at all in those families REPLY First to refell the first answer the words of St. Luke are sufficient of themselvs where it is said that the gaoler was baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all that were his or all that belonged unto him therefore not only the major part of his family according to the false and corrupt glosse of the Anabaptists but simplie and absolutely all that lived under his roof Secondly as it is not said in expresse words that there were any children in these families so neither is it said that there were any women or servants yet no man doubteth but there were of both sexes and conditions in these families Thirdly it is to be observed that it is not said that the Apostle baptized one family but many namely that of Lydia that of the Gaoler and of Stephanas and it is no way credible that in all these families blessed by God and converted to the Christian faith all the women should be barren and not one fruitfull Lastly if there were any children in the families and the Apostle had not baptized them he would undoubtedly have excepted them as he doth in the like case 1 Cor. 1. 14. I thank God I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius I baptized also the houshold of Stephanas He who is so exact and punctuall in reckoning of those whom he baptized if he had baptized no children would have added I baptized also the houshold of Stephanas except the sucklings and children there But the Apostle neither there nor elsewhere excepteth children therefore being as essentiall parts of a familie as well as their parents they must be comprised under the name of the family or houshold ARGUMENT IV. Such as were circumcised under the law may and ought to be baptized under the gospell For baptisme answereth to circumcision and is called by that name Colos. 2. 11. 12. the same grace is sealed unto us by the one as by the other to wit mortification of the flesh remission of sins and admission into the visible church and the children of Christians are as capable of baptisme as the children of the Jews were of circumcision But children were circumcised under the laâ— Gen. 17. 12. 13. Ergo children may and ought to be baptized under the Gospel ANABAP ANSWER The argument from the circumcision of children to the baptisme of them followeth not because there is a command for the one and not for the other REPLY First in this their answer either by command they understand an expresse command and in particular or a generall and implicite if they mean an expresse command and in particular such an one is not requisite as themselvs will they nill they must needs confesse for they can produce no expresse and particular commandement either for the baptizing of women or administring the Lords Supper to them or for sanctifying and keeping holy the eight day from the Creation or first day of the week called now the Christian Sabbath nor for re-baptizing any that were baptized in their infancie which yet the Anabaptists generally practise and from thence take their names If they understand a generall and implicite command such an one we produced before for the baptisme of children in the prosecution of the first argument and shall many other in the arguments ensuing Secondly where the reason and equitie of law remains there the law is still in force at least for substance though
his arms and blessed them to shew that he was the Saviour as well of young as old REPLY First Barber deserveth to be trimmed himself for thus reproaching his mother the church of England who if she be a whore what must he needs be but a bastard who cannot deny himself to be born of her If she and other reformed churches who have excluded the papacie and banished the great whore out of their precincts be no better then whores what true spouse hath Christ in the world or what had he for 1500. yeares during which time all churches through the Christian world baptized infanâ—s even those who were the forerunners of these Anabaptists and bare also theâ—r name because they practized rebaptizing as these do yet they condemned not simply the baptisme of infants as I noted before Secondly though it be said that these children came to Christ in a large sense that is had accesse to him yet they came not to him upon their own leggs for S. Luke saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they brought unto him babes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who were no other then such as we tearm sucklings or infants and though it be true that Christ christened them not for he christened none himself but his Disciples only as S. Iohn teacheth us yet his receiving them and blessing them and commending humility to all by their example saying that of such and none but such is the kingdome of God is a sufficient ground and warrant for us to christen them for why should not we receive them into the bosom of the church whom Christ took into his armes Why should we not signe them on whom he layd his hands Why should we not baptize and pray for them whom he blessed If he be the Saviour of young as well as old and to perswade us of this truth expressed such love to infants why should we exclude them from baptisme an outward means of salvation whom Christ as they confesse excludes not from salvation it self See more below in the answer to A. R. ARGUMENT VIII All they who are partakerrs of the grace both signified and exhibited to us in baptisme may and ought to receive the signe and sacrament thereof this is the basis and foundation upon which S. Peter himself builds Acts 10. 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the holy Ghost as well as we And it may be further confirmed both by an argument drawn à majore ad minus after this manner if God bestow upon children that which is greater the inward grace why should we denie them the lesser the outward element Or by an argument drawn à relatis they to whom the land is given ought not to be denyed the sight and keeping of the deeds and evidences thereof neither ought we to sever those things which God hath joyned to wit the signs and the things signified they divide the signe from the thing signified who denie them to have grace ordinarily modo non ponant obicem who receive the outward sign and they again sever the thing signified from the sign who allow unto children the grace of remission of sinnes and regeneration and yet denie them the sign and seal thereof to wit baptisme But children receive the grace signified and exhibited in baptisme for the Apostle teacheth us they are not unclean but holy and therefore have both remission of sins and sanctification Ergo children ought to receive the sign and sacrament thereof to wit baptisme ANABAP ANSWER The Apostles â—eaning is that the children of beleevens are not uncleane that is bastards but holy that is born in holy wedlack REPLY First this answer is no way pertinent to the scope of the Apostle which is to perswade the Christian husband not to forsake his unbeleeving wife nor the Christian wife to depart from her unbelieving husband because the unbeliever is sanctified by the beleever where by sanctification the Apostle cannot understand legitimation For faith in the husband doth not legitimate the wife that is make her no bastard if she were so born but sanctifieth her to himself and maketh her a part and member of a holy familie dedicated to God Secondly neither is sanctification here nor in any other place of Scripture taken otherwayes then for separating some way from prophane as persons times and places are said to be sanctified Neither doth holy necessarily implie no bastard For some holy men have been base-born nor doth not bastard implie holy for both the children of damned hereticks yea and infidells too if they be begotten in wed-look are no bastards yet in the state and condition they are in are far from holy See more hereof infra in the answer to A. R. ARGUMENT IX All Apostolicall traditions which are truely such ought to be had in reverent esteem and retained in the church For what the Apostles delivered they received from Christ himself either by word of mouth or the infallible inspiration of his spirit such things are part of that sacrum depositum which Timothie is charged so deeply O Timothie keep that which is committed unto thee and the Thessalonians to keep stand fast and keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word for word the traditions which you have been taught either by word or by our Epistle But the baptisme of children is an Apostolicall tradition truely so called Ergo it ought to be had in high esteem and retained in the church ANABAP ANSWER Though it hath been an ancient custome in many churches to christen children yet it is no Apostolicall tradition but a humane ordinance which had its originall from the Pope the man of sin REPLY First there was christening of children in the church before there was any Pope in the sense they take the word for oecumenicall bishop chalenging unto himself and usurping authoritie over the whole church for not only S. Augustine and Prosper and and Ierome make mention of this custome and good use of it to condemn the Pelagian heresy which denieth original sin but also the councell of Carthage in the dayes of S. Cyprian who flourished in the year 250 determined not only that children might and ought to be baptized but also even before the eighth day upon which some in those dayes stood strickly but erroneously and conformably hereunto we find a canon in the Milevitan councell in which the synod decreed that whosoever shall deny baptisme to children even as soon as they come out of their mothers womb in case the children be weak and in apparent danger of death let him be accursed and before either the synod of Carthage or this Mileâ—tan Irenaeus in his second book against heresies chap. 39. speaks of infants children young and old saved by their new birth in Christ namely by water and the spirit Joh. 3. 5. Secondly S. Origen and S. Austine affirm in expresse tearmes that the baptisme of children is
were circumcised under the law they ought to be baptized under the Gospell For sith they are comprised in the covenant why should not they as well receive the seal thereof set to it in the new law as well as the children of the Jews received the seal set thereunto by the old Secondly I have produced before both command for baptizing of children Argument 1. and example of it Argument 3. and promise also unto it Argument 5. The command of baptizing all Nations Mat. 28. 29. the examples of baptizing whole families Act. 16. 15. 33. 1 Cor. 1. 16. and the promise made to us and our seed Act. 2. 39. evidently extend to children They argue from Scripture affirmatively our Lord Jesus Christ in that great charter Mat. 28. 18. 19. 20. saith Go teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and Mark 16. 15. Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospell to every creature he that shall beleeve and be baptized shall be saved but he that will not beleeve shall be damned From these texts they would infer that none ought to be baptized but such who are first taught and instructed in the principles of Christian faith and consequently that no children ought to be baptized because they are not capable of teaching That the placing the word teaching before baptizing in that text doth no more conclude that teaching must alwayes precede baptisme then the setting repentance before faith in those words Repeâ—t ye and beleeve the Gospell Mark 1. 15. and setting water before the spirit Ioh. 3. 5. except a man be born of water and the spirit necessarily infer that repentance goeth before faith which yet is but a fruit of faith or that the outward baptisme with water goeth before the inward baptisme of the spirit whereas the contrarie is clearly proved out of that speech of Peter to Cornelius Act. 10. 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the holy Ghost as well as we Secondly if there be any force in this argument drawn from the order of the words it maketh against them for thus we wound them with their dudgeon-dagger Christ saith baptize them in the name of the Father teaching them to observe all things baptizing therefore must go before teaching especially in children who may be baptized before they can be taught Thirdly they mis-translate the words for Christ saith not go teach all nations baptizing them and teaching them to observe all things neither is there a tautologie in our blessed Saviours words for his words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. go make disciples among all nations baptizing them and teaching them Now though children cannot be taught before they are baptized yet they may be after a â—orâ— made Christs disciples by their parents or god-fathers offering them unto God and undertaking for them that they shall be brought up in the Christian religion Fourthly Christ speaketh here of the plantation of the Christi an faith and the conversion of whole nations in which alwayes the preaching of the word goeth before the administration of the sacrament First men are taught to repent of their sins and beleeve the Articles of the Christian faith and after they have made confession of the one and profession of the other then they are to be received into the church by baptisme This course was taken by the Apostles in the beginning and must at this day be taken by those who are sent into Turkie or the East and West Indies to convert Pagans or Mahumetans or unbeleeving Iews to the Gospell They are to baptize none before they have taught them the principles of Christian religion but after the Gospell is planted and the parents are beleeverâ— and received into the church by baptisme their children are first to be baptized and afterwards taught so soon as they are capable of teaching They argue from examples after this manner such are to be baptized who with the Iews in Ierusalem Mat. 3. 6. confesse their sins who with the Proselytes Act. 2. 41. gladly receive the word who with the Samaritans Act. 8. 6. give heed to the word preached who with those of Cornelius familie Act. 10. 44. receive the holy Ghost by the hearing of the word who with Lydia have their hearts opened to attend the things that are spoken by the Apostles Act. 16. 14. who with the Gaoler hear the word preached and seek after the means of salvation Act. 16. 30. But children can neither confesse their sins nor attend to the word preached nor actually beleeve nor desire baptisme they therefore ought not to be baptized But we answer all that can solidly be concluded from these examples is but this in the affirmative all such who were so qualified as these were viz. hearers of the Gospell penitent sinners and true beleevers unfainedly desiring the means of their salvation ought to be admitted into the church by baptisme which we freely grant but they cannot conclude from these examples negatively that none other ought to be Christened No more then it will follow that those of Cornelius his family received the gift of the holy Ghost and spake with divers tongues before they were baptized with water therefore none but such who have received such gifts of the holy Ghost may and ought to be baptized To confesse sins and actually professe faith makes a man more capable of baptisme yet dumb men who can do neither if they have a good testmonie of their life and conversation and by signs make it appear they unfainedly desire the sacraments may receive them Secondly if there be any force at all in an argument drawn from examples affirmatively it must be from examples in the like kind as from men to men from children to children not from women to men or from men to children or from children to men For it will not follow women in the Apostles times were covered in the church therefore men ought to be so or men may speak in the church therefore women may or children are usually fed with milk and not strong meat therefore men in ripers years ought to use such dyet no more will it follow men in riper years who are capable of instruction ought to hear the word to give their assent thereunto and enter into a strict covenant with God to lead a new life before they have accesse to the Font. Therefore the like duties are required of children who have not yet the use of reason nor knowledge of good or evill By this reason they might starve children because the law is he that will not labour let him not eat It holds in men but no way in children who are not able to labour in any calling by reason of the infirmitie of their joynts and want of reason and understanding Baptisme is a seal of the righteousnesse of faith
the Anabaptists in this section And therefore I come briefly to examine his second assertion or rather aspersion of the whole Christian world in these words in the frontis-peece of his book Against the anti-christian faction of pope Innocentius the third and all his favourites that enacted by a decree that the baptisme of the infants of beleevers should suâ—ceed circumcision These words vertually contain this proposition that the christening children is the practise of an Anti-christian faction which was brought first into the church by the decree of Pope Innocentius the third Of which enunciation I may say as Tertullian doth of the Chameleon quot colores tot dolores or rather quot dicta tot maledicta so many words as there are so many grosse errors and scandalous reproaches For the baptizing infants is not the practise of a faction nor a part but of the whole not Anti-christian but truely Christian church Neither was it introduced by Innocentius the third but is of far more ancient date and was derived even from the times of the Apostles themselvs First it is well known that the Greek and Latine churches or the Eastern or Western were the membra dividentia of the whole church and that the christening of infants was approved of and practised by the Greek church is evident by the testimonies of Gregorie Nazianzen orat 40. in bap Origen hom 8. upon Leviticus and 14. of Luke and that it was likewise approved and practised in the Latine church is clearly collected from Ambrose lib. de Abrahamo Patriarcha Ieron cont Pelag. l. 3. Augustin l. 10. de Gen. ad lit c. 23. Cyp. ep 59. ad Fidum Now if the Greek and Latine churches were Anti-christian where were there any Christians in the world Secondly Pope Innocentius the third as it is well known to all the learned lived in the twelfth age of the Church and flourished about the year 1215 in which year he called the great Councell at Lateran Before him Gregorie the great whom M. Cornwell himself alledgeth page 11. out of M. Fox in his book of Martyrs about the year of our Lord 599. above six hundred yeares before Innocentius the third resolved Austine the Monk that in case of necessitie infants might be baptized as soon as they were born and two hundred yeares before Gregorie S. Austine wrote a treatise de baptismo parvulorum and for the lawfulnesse thereof in his 28 epistle and in his third book de pec mer. remiss and by occasion elsewhere also alledgeth a testimonie out of S. Cyprian to that purpose who wrote in the year of our Lord 250. nay which is most considerable Origen in his Comment upon the epistle to the Romans c. 6. l. 5. quoted by M. Cornwell himself p. 10. affirmeth in expresse tearms that the church from the Apostles received a tradition to baptize children whence I thus frame my argument All Christians ought to hold the traditions which have been taught them by the Apostles either by word or epistle 2 Thess. 2. 15. But the baptizing of children is a tradition received from the Apostles as Origen affirmeth loc sup cit Austine l. 10. de Gen. ad lit c. 23. de bap cont Donatis l. 4. Ergo the baptizing of children ought to be retained in the Christian church Thus M. Cornwell hath spun a fair thred of which a strong cord may be made to strangle his own assertion Yea but M. Cornwell chargeth all ministers deeply to answer this his negative demonstration saying O that the learned English ministerie would informe me lest my bloud like Abels crie aloud from heaven for vengeance for not satisfying a troubled conscience how shall I admit or consent to the admittance of the infant of a beleever to be made a visible member of a particular congregation of Christs body and baptized before it be able to make confession of its faith and repentance lest I consent to separate what God hath joyned together That which God hath joyned together no man ought to separate But faith and baptisme God hath joyned together Mar. 16. 16. Acts 8. 37 38. 16. 33 34. Gal. 3. 27. Ephes. 4. 5. Ergo faith and baptisme no man ought to separate ANSWER This argument is so far from a demonstration that it is not so much as a topicall syllogism but meerly sophisticall therin any who hath ever saluted the University and hath bin initiated in Logick may observe a double fallacy The first is fallacia homonymiae in the premises The second is ignoratio elenchi in the conclusion First the homonymia or ambiguity is in the tearm joyned together for the meaning may be either that faith and baptism are joyned together in praecepto in Christs precept and that no man denieth all that are commanded to be baptized are required to believe and all that believe to be baptized or joyned together in subjecto that is to say all who are baptized have true faith and that none have true faith but such as are baptized in this sense it is apparantly false and none of the texts alledged prove it for the thiefe on the crosse had faith yet not the baptism we speak of as also the Emperour whom S. Ambrose so highly extolleth in his funerall and many thousands besides again Iulian the Apostata and all other who after they came to years renounced their baptisme and Christian profession had baptisme yet no true faith which as M. Cornwell himself will confesse cannot be lost totally or finally Secondly in the former syllogisme there is ignorantio elenchi he concludes not the point in question they who most stand for the baptizing of children will not have faith and baptisme severed for they baptize children into their fathers faith and take sureties that when they come to yeares of discretion they shall make good the profession of the Christian faith which was made by others at the font in their name and for them nay so farre are they from excluding faith from infants that are baptized that they beleeve that all the children of the faithfull who are comprised in the covenant with their fathers and are ordained to eternall life at the very time of their baptisme receive some hidden grace of the Spirit and the seeds of faith and holinesse which afterwards beare fruit in some sooner in some later Neither is this any paradox or new opinion for S. Ierome advers Lucifer and Austin ep 57. ad Dard. and Zanchius de tribus Elohim affirm that the holy Spirit moveth upon the waters of baptisme and that as the Spirit in Genesis 1. 2. rested upon the waters incubabat aquis that he might cherish and prepare them for the producing of living creatures so the holy Ghost resteth upon the waters of baptisme and sits as is were abroad upon them and blesseth them and thereby doth cherish the regenerate and animate the elect S. Leo speaketh most elegantly and fully to this point in his sermons of the birth of
gain nothing by their fathers or mothers faith but rather lose For if they remained still in their Judaisme not beleeving in Christ yet their children were to receive the outward seal of the covenant to wit circumcision whereby they were reckoned among Gods people and had such outward federall holinesse as that sacrament might give them Sith therefore this glosse of the Anabaptists no way agreeth with the scope and intention of the Apostle nor with the truth it selfe it remaineth that we admit of that interpretation which the best of the ancient and latter Expositors give of the text to wit the unbeleeving husband is so far sanctified by the faith of the wife and the unbeleeving wife by the faith of her husband that their children thereby are entitled to the covenant of grace and therefore the Ministers of God have a good ground and warrant to administer baptisme unto them which is the seal of their entrance into that covenant ARTIC 3. Concerning set forms of prayer ANABAPTIST NO set or stinted forms of prayer ought to be used in publike on private but all that pray ought to pray by the spirit in a conceived form variable according to severall occasions THE REFUTATION Though we condemn not all conceived or ex tempore prayer especially in private when we lay open our wants to our Father in secret and rip up our consciences before him yet set or stinted forms of prayer in publike are not only warrantable by Gods Word and verie profitable but in some case necessarie ARGUMENT I. What God appointed in the old testament as appertaining to his substantiall worship it being no part of the abrogated rites of the ceremoniall law may and ought to be observed by us under the Gospell But set forms of blessing thanks-giving and prayer were appoynted by God in the old testament and are no types and figures of Christ nor parts of the ceremoniall law Ergo they may and ought to be observed by us under the Gospell Of the major or first proposition there can be no doubt for that cannot be evill whereof God is the author and though the rites and ceremonies are different yet the substance of Gods worship is the same both under the law and under the Gospell The assumption or minor proposition is confirmed by the expresse letter of these texts Numb 6. 23. 24. 25. 26. Speak unto Aaron and his sons saying on this wise ye shall blesse the children of Israel saying unto them the Lord blesse thee and keep thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace And Deut. 26. 5. And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God a Syrian readie to perish was my father and he went down into AEgypt and sojourned there with a few and became there a nation great mightie and populous c. And Hosea 14. 2. Take with you words and turn to the Lord and say unto him take away all iniquitie and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips And Ioel 2. 17. Let the Priests the ministers of the Lord weep between the porch the Altar and let them say spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people where is their God ANABAP ANSWER The forms mentioned in holy Scripture were composed by those that were prophets and immediatly inspired by the holy Ghost such are not the composers of our liturgies and therefore the argument will not follow from the one to the other REPLY First the question is not now whether we ought to use no form but such as is immediately inspired by the holy Ghost but whether set or stinted formes either inspired or not inspired may or ought to be used in the church that they may we prove by Gods own command which must not be restrained to prayers immediately inspired and dictated by the holy Ghost for then none should pray but Prophets and by that reason as none that are not immediately inspired might use set forms of prayers so neither conceived or extempore prayers Secondly though none now pray by immediate inspiration yet we have now the spirit of supplication and we pray by the assistance of the holy Spirit and if our prayers in matter and form are agreeable to Gods word they are acceptable unto him and they cannot be unacceptable unto him hoc nomine for that they are delivered in set formes because God himself was the first author of them and hath left them in scripture for our direction and imitation Thirdly in our Liturgies a great part of the formes of prayer and thanksgiving used by us are formes composed by prophets immediately inspired by the holy Ghost as namely the Lords Prayer the Psalmes of David the Magnificat the Benedictus Nunc dimittis and the close of all our prayers The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ c. Why then doe they not at the least joyn with us in rehearsing these set formes If these may be rehearsed without quenching or restraining the Spirit why may not others also framed according to these patterns ARGUMENT II. Whatsoever the prophets and saints of God practised in the substantiall worship of God under the law may and ought to be a president for us But they used set or stinted forms of prayer and thanksgiving Ergo their practice may and ought to be a president for us The major or first proposition needs no proof because the substance of Gods worship is the same under the Law and under the Gospel and what the prophets and holy men of old did or spake they did or spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. The assumption or minor is abundantly proved by manifold allegations out of the old Testament as namely Numb 10. 35 36. And it came to passe when the Ark set forwards that Moses said rise up Lord and let thine enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flee before thee and when it rested he said Returne O Lord unto the many thousands of Israel and 1 Chron. 25. 6 7. All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord with Cymbals Psalterie and Harps for the service of the house of God according to the Kings order to Asaph Ieduthun and Heman so the number of them with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the Lord was 288. And 2 Chron. 29. 30. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing prayses to the Lord with the words of David and of Asa the Seer and they sang prayses with gladnesse The words of David are those which are extant in the book of Psalmes under the name of David the words of Asa are comprehended in those Psalmes which bear this title A Psalme of Asaph as namely Psal. 73 74 75
word as I proved heretofore and therefore are not to be accounted a meer humane invention although therein mans wit and invention be made use of Thirdly this argument may be retorted upon the Anabaptists Forms of prayers upon premeditation which Preachers use before their sermons are as well a worship of mans devising as the set forms devised and framed by the governours of the church But premeditated or studied prayers made by way of preface before sermons are acceptable to God and allowed by the Anabaptists themselves Ergo set forms of prayer cannot be disallowed OBJECT II. None who useth a set form of prayer prayeth by the Spirit Every good Christian ought to pray by the Spirit 1 Cor. 14. 15. Ergo no good Christian may use set forms of prayer ANSWER First the Apostle in the place alledged speaketh of an extraordinarie gift of the Spirit as appeareth by the verse immediately going before If I pray in a strange tongue my spirit prayeth but my understanding is without fruit Now sith those extraordinarie gifts of the Spirit are ceased Christians are not now bound to prophesie or pray by the Spirit in the Apostles sense This text therefore is impertinently alledged and maketh nothing against set forms of prayers now in use in the church Secondly the phrase to pray by the Spirit as it is used by Divines may admit of a double meaning either to pray by the immediate inspiration of the Spirit as the Prophets and Apostles and all the pen-men of the holy Ghost spake and wrote and in this sense they who use set forms of prayer devised by men pray not by the Spirit as neither doe they who pray ex tempore for then they could not be out which they are often nor commit any errour in their prayers which they doe very many nay then their prayers should be of equall authoritie with the Psalmes other prayers set down in scripture given by divine inspiration or by this phrase they mean to pray by the assistance of the Spirit and in this sense they who use premeditated and penned prayers more pray by the Spirit then they who use ex tempore prayers conceived and brought forth at the same instant for the Spirit assisteth the former both in their premeditation and their present deliverie but the latter only in their sudden expressions and I would fain know of them why they who preach studied and penned sermons preach by the Spirit and that far more accurately learnedly judiciously and powerfully then others and yet in their judgements they who utter studied and penned prayers pray not by the Spirit Thirdly this objection may also be retorted by the Apostles example we are as well to sing by the Spirit as to pray by the Spirit for so are his expresse words I will pray with the Spirit I will pray with understanding also I will sing with the Spirit I will sing with understanding also But a man may sing by the Spirit and yet sing prick-song and a written or printed dittie in meeter for such are the Psalmes of David which they themselves sing therefore a man may pray by the Spirit and yet use a set form and rehearse a penned or printed prayer OBJECT III. It is not lawfull to confine the spirit for that is a kind of quenching it forbidden by the Apostle 1 Thess. 5. 19. But the prescribing and using set forms of prayers is a confining or stinting the spirit Ergo the prescribing or using set forms of prayer is unlawfull First if the governours of the Church should simplie and absolutely forbid all suddainly conceived or ex tempore prayers in publike or private they should offend in some degree and be guiltie of the breach of that precept of the Apostle For to stifle all suddain motions of the Spirit and prohibit all piouâ— ejaculations is in some sense to quench the Spirit But albeit they command a set form of Liturgie to be read in the church yet they condemn not the use of conceived or premeditated prayers by preachers in their Sermons nor by private Christians in their closets but leave them to their Christian libertie Secondly I demand of them when they object against the use of set forms of prayer that they confine the spirit what Spirit they mean the Spirit of God or their own spirit the spirit of man If the Spirit of God their objection contains in it blasphemie for the Spirit of God cannot be confined by us whether we pray with premeditation or without use a set form or not the Spirit of God worketh in both as he pleaseth both by enlightning the understanding and warming our affections and powerfully assisting both in the conceiving and deliverie of prayer If they mean their own spirit or the spirit of him that prayeth in the congregation namely the minister or preacher I answer this is most necessarie that his spirit for the time be confined and his intention tied to that prayer he readeth or saith by heart neither is this forbidden by the Apostle nor is it any quenching of the spirit but rather a kindling it For in uttering zealous prayers with a fixt intention and devout affection we feel our hearts burn within us Thirdly this objection may also be retorted if a preacher may not use a set form of prayer because the spirit in him is thereby confined neither may he deliver a conceived or ex tempore prayer in the audience of the people because by it the spirit in them is confined though the prayer of the preacher be no set form to him but meer voluntarie and extemporarie yet is it a set form to the hearers and their spirit if they will not suffer their mind to wander is tied and confined to it so long as it lasteth being an home or two according to the length of our late fast prayers in which regard none more confine the spirit in men then these our upstart Enhusiasts OBJECT IV. Prayers of the Pastor or Minister ought to be fitted to the severall occasions of the faithfull Set forms of prayer cannot be so fitted Ergo they ought not to be used in churches First this is ignorantly objected by such who never read either our books of Common-Prayers or other helps to private devotion for in them there are not only generall prayers fit for all men to use at all times but also speciall applied to severall estates and conditions of men for men in sicknesse and in health in time of war or in peace and the like Secondly these severall occasions they speak of are either such as concern more in the congregation or some one only in partilar if they concern more and the preacher be acquainted therewith he may either chuse a penned prayer fitting for them or himself upon premeditation make one if they concern one only such are not fit to be mentioned in publike prayers but the Pastor is to repair to them and applie a salve in private to their peculiar sore Thirdly
every man have praise of God The Apostle speaketh not in that place against any judiciall proceedings but against private rash and uncharitable judging of our brother and taking his words in the worst part without any just ground or censuring not so much his outward actions or speeches as inward intentions known only go God Such perverse judging our Saviour condemneth Matth. 7. 1. And this Apostle Rom. 2. 1. Therefore thou art unexcusable O man whosoever thou art that judgest As in the skye sometimes there is cleare light and perfect day sometimes perfect darknesse and yet besides these a third condition which we call twilight neither so light as day nor so dark as night so the actions of men for which they are questionable in Spirituall or Temporall Courts are of three sorts some are altogether hidden of which there can be brought no sure proofe nor strong presumption the judgement of these must be reserved to the last day when Christ shall reveal the secrets of all hearts some are done as it were in the face of the Sunne whereof there may be strong and evident proofes brought in such cases a Judge ought to proceed secundum allegata probata and not put the conscience of any man as it were upon the wrack to extort the truth from him by oath Lastly some are of a mixt nature neither fully open and manifest nor altogether hidden such whereof there are strong presumptions and a generall fame but no pregnant proofe in such cases the oath ex officio is of use whereby the truth may be more and more discovered and the party either cleared upon his deniall or convicted upon his confession or held pro confesso by his evasions and tergiversations and refusing to be put to the test of his oath ARTIC 6. Concerning the office of the Civill Magistrate THere remain many other errours of the Anabaptists some blasphemous as the denying the incarnation of Christ from the substance of the blessed Virgin some impure and lascivious as maintaining the plurality of wives some drowzie and sottish as the casting of the soule into an Endymion sleep untill the day of judgement But because these absurd positions are not at this day generally owned by our Anabaptists the last errour which I intend to encounter at this present is that pernicious assertion of theirs concerning the exauctorating all Civill Magistrates whereby they dull the edge or wring out of their hands the sword of justice Other of their errours fight against the Church but this against the State others agaisnt piety but this against Politie yet as Velleius in Tully goeth about by reason to prove that nothing is more hurtfull to man then the gift of reason so this errour against policie is most politickly devised by them for there being but two censures which any need to fear the Ecclesiasticall and the Civill and they regarding not the Ecclesiasticall because they are out of the pale of the Church if they could keep themselves out of the reach and stroake of the Civill sword all were cock-sure with them they might every where securely both vent their errours and practise their villanies This is the true reason why they so vehemently contend that the coercive power of the Magistrate can no way consist with the perfection of Christianity Now although the Civill Magistrate be ordained of God for the suppression of all vice and heresie yet above all other he ought to have an eye to this for this hath a peculiar antipathy to Magistracie The Magistrate shall beare his sword in vaine indeed if he let other heresies grow but if this thrive in any Kingdome State or Common-wealth he shall not beare his sword at all There is that contrariety and repugnancie between this heresie and that calling that if Magistracie doe not speedily root out this heresie this heresie will extirpate all Magistracie for thus much it professeth in formall tearmes ANABAPTIST No Christian may with a good conscience execute the office of a Civill Magistrate REFUTATION Before I cut off this heresie against the materiall sword with the sword of the spirit which is the word of God I will present to the Anabaptists a glasse wherein they may see their own faces drawne to the life Saint Peter and Saint Iude speaking against false Prophets in their dayes so describe them that all men may see who were the Grand-Fathers of these Hereticks who trouble the Church at this day They walke saith Saint Peter after the flesh in the lust of uncleannesse and despise Government and Dominion Presumptuous are they selfe-willed they are not afraid to speake evill of dignities whereas Angels which are greater in power and might bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord but these as naturall brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed speake evill of the things they understand not and shall utterly perish in their owne corruption I intreat the Reader to take speciall notice of the words of these two Apostles which fall so pat upon our present Anabaptists as if the Apostles had particularly aimed at them But to leave pâ—urtraying them and fall to refuting them ARGUMENT I. Every office appointed by God for the administration of Justice and preservation of peace both in Church and Common-wealth may with a good conscience bee executed by a Christian called thereunto But the office of Civill Magistrates is an office appointed by God for the administration of justice and preservation of peace both in Church and Common-wealth Exod. 18. 20 21. 2 Chron. 19. 6. 7. 11. Prov. 8. 15. Dan. 2. 21. Ergo the office of a Magistrate may with a good conscience be executed by a Christian. ANABAPTISTS ANSWER Although God appointed Magistrates in the time of the Law and the Iewes were kept in order by them yet it followeth not that Christians may exercise that power one over another or that they need any Civill Magistrate at all for they are called by Christ to a greater perfection They must not resist evill but give place to wrath REPLY There is a like necessity of the office of a Judge and Magistrate as well under the Gospell as under the Law For both the Scripture teacheth us Acts 6. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 3 4. 6. 6 7. Phil. 3. 18. Iames 4. 1. and daily experience sheweth that such disorders fall out among Christians as did among Jewes and that through the corruption of our nature we are subject to those passions that unlesse the Civill Magistrate interpose his authority there will be no quiet and peaceable living and if the malady still remaine we must use the remedy which God hath appointed It is false which they affirme that Christ in the 5. of Matthew addeth any thing to the law which the Prophet David Psalme 19. 7. affirmeth to bee perfect converting the soule but only he vindicateth it from the corrupt glosses and false interpretations made thereof by the Scribes and Pharisees For even
the Father of the Anabaptists of our age who as I shewed thee before out of Bullinger and Melancthon was Nicholas Stock a man every way answerable to his name for a very Block-head was he Robertus Galius had a vision wherein he saw the Pope saying Masse with a lean meagre and a drye head like as if it had been made of wood Such of all the world was this Stock the head of the Anabaptists and from this block when he was hewen downe in Germany some chips flew into England Although the eye of the mind of man since the fall is like to the eye of an Owle that cannot endure the bright beames of the Sunne of righteousnesse and howsover God in the first planting of the Gospell made use of illiterate men such as were Tent-makers and Fisher-men to the end that all might know that He that planteth and he that watereth is nothing but all is Gods who giveth the increase yet when the eye of mans understanding is anointed with the ey-salve of the Spirit the clearer and sharper the eye is the better it discernes both Spirituall and Naturall objects and since the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit have failed in the Church the learnedst men whose knowledge God sanctified to that use have proved the worthiest instruments of his glory in proclaiming the doctrine of Saving Grace and turning many unto righteousnes who shall shine as Starres in the skie for evermore And as it remaines a blot upon Ieroboam and his house never to be wiped out that he made of the lowest of the people Priests of the high places so it is not one of the least brands of the Roman Antichrist that he filled the Church with a number of ignorant Masse-Priests Monkes and Fryers who blind guides as they were of the blinder people fell together with them into the ditch of superstition heresie and sensuality And think we the blindest men are the fittest to draw them out of it This is the Anabaptists judgement who as the Romanists teach ignorance to be the mother of devotion so these to be the mother of Propheticall revelation or interpretation For Iohn Tuseoverer a Gold-smith of Warendorp pretending himselfe to be a Prophet sent from God commanded the Senate in Munster to remove all their Magistrates and put down all their Preachers as well Evangelicks as Papists and to place in their roome twelve simple illiterate men to expound the word of God to the people without any help of Arts or Tongues by meer Enthusiasmes or suddain inspirations and ejaculations Another of their Prophets Iohn Matthias commanded that none should keepe any booke in his house but the Bible whereupon all the books that were found in any Library Study or House save Bibles were brought into the Market place and a bone-fire made of them But better all these obstinate Sectaries were burnt at a stake then such a bonefire made in this Kingdome after which would follow the ruine of all Schooles and Universities and more then Egyptian darknesse through the wide Kingdome Since the extraordinary gifts of Prophesie and Languages have ceased in the Church secular learning hath been as the Day-starre appearing in the Firmament of the Church before the Sunne and where no Day-starre going before no Sunne rising after As for rude Mechanicks and unlettered Artificers to chuse them for our guides to the celestiall Canaan is all one as if an Army to march by night over narrow bridges and by fearfull precipices should by common consent elect pur-blind men to lead the way or a â—leet at Sea after they have cut the line and saile under an unknowne Climate in a ruffe Sea and tempestuous weather should among all the Mariners chuse the unskilfullest Pilots to steer their course Wee read in the Apocalypse of a Starre called Wormewood bitter in the effects and influences but a Starre in the light thereof Such have ben the Authours Devisers and Broachers of other Heresies bitter indeed in their tenets and distastfull in their manners yet Stars for their light of learning whereas these false teachers cut as chips out of N. Stock resemble brands of hell fire in which there is a sultring heat but no light at all Peruse if thou please Christian Reader all the ancient heresies listed by Epiphanius Augustine Philastrius Alfonsus à Castro Ambrosius de Rusconibus and others and therein thou shalt find the Ring-leaders great Clerks and acute Sophisters Whence is that true observation of Tertullian Philosophi haereticorum Patriarchae Philosophers have been the great Grand-fathers of Hereticks but of this base contemptible Sect of the Stockites there was never yet heard any Professour of eminent learning neither is there like ever to be for learning they hold rather a disparagement then ornament an extinguisher then a kindler of their new light and strange fire In a grosse and foggy Mist a cleare light cannot long shine for either the light will pierce through the Mist or the Mist will dampe the light so if it should fall out that any great Scholar should be admitted into their communion either their grosse erronrs would in time put out the light of his knowledge or the clear light of his knowledge soone dispell the Mist of their ignorance and palpable errours Which need the lesse confutation because they contradict themselves as much as the truth For First they condemne the Baptisme of children upon this ground because they say they cannot be assured of the truth of their faith and repentance by which reason they should forbid or forbear the christening of men in riper yeares also forasmuch as these teachers can be no way assured of the sincerity of their Scholars faith and true purpose of amendment of life For though they professe the one and promise the other yet they may do it in hypocrisie and for worldly ends Or if they will say we ought to beleive their profession and promise for themselves why then ought we not as well to beleive their profession and promise for their Children when the Fathers or God-fathers undertake for them at the Font Secondly they preach the doctrine of mortification of the flesh and crucifying the lusts thereof and yet withall they maintaine plurality of wives and adulterous and incestuous copulations under the title of spirituall marriages with those of their own Sect. Conjugium vocat hoc praetexit nomine culpam Thirdly they allow of no set formes of prayer or studied Sermons because such as they conceive who use them pray not by the Spirit yet themselves in their Assemblies make use of set hymnes and Psalmes which notwithstanding they make us beleive they sing by the Spirit according to the example of the Apostle I will pray with the spirit and will pray with understanding also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with understanding also Fourthly they cry up the doctrine of the crosse and boast
sith God as you see himself is our Standard bearer the heavens weare our colours A new topick and a true kinde of preaching according to Anthonie à Coneigsten his method Per colores rhetoricos But the even answered not expectation the bow in the clouds did them no service at all in their warre neither did their prophet Muncer his robe serve as a target of steele to repell and dead all the bullets shot against them but as soone as ever this army of the Bores and that other of the Princes were engaged the people were miserably slaughtered with Veni Creator spiritus in their mouths expecting that God should fight for them from heaven according to Muncers promise Of Georgius and Melchior Hofman see before Sect. 1. After Muncer and his chiefe associates and Phifer who deluded the people as much with dreames as Muncer with visions had acted their parts Iohn Becold commonly known by the name of Iohn of Leiden and Iohn Tuscoverer came upon the stage and they so well acquitted themselves in the persons they took upon them that the one gained the reputation of a Prophet the other the title and for a time the power of a King First Iohn of Leiden in a fanaticall fury pretending a Propheticall spirit puts off his cloathes and runs naked through the City of Munster crying The King of Sion is come the King of Sion is come Then returning home falls into a deep sleep dreames for three dayes together and as soon as he awaked faines himselfe speechlesse and by signes demands Paper and Inke and sets down twelve men most of them mean tradesmen to bee governours of the City of Munster whereto he addes certaine conclusions that a man was not tyed to one wife but that he might marry as many as he pleased and such other hereticall positions Not long after this dumbe Prophet gaining his speech told the people that the spirit of prophesy was gone from him and now rested in one Iohn Tuscoverer a Gold-smith this new Prophet having called an Assembly declared before them that it was the will of the Heavenly Father that Iohn Leiden should bee King of the whole world As saith he God set Saul to bee King in Israel and after him David taken from the sheep-fold so hath he appointed Iohn Becold his Prophet to be King in Sion Suetonius writeth that after Caligula made himselfe a God he ordained his great horse after the Heathen rite to be a Priest Dignus profecto saith Bencius tali Deo Sacardos tali Sacerdote Deus like God like Priest in like manner we may say here most truly Like Prophet like King a Smith-forge Prophet and a Tayler-shop-board King Iohn Leiden consecrates Tuscoverer a Prophet Tuscoverer crownes him a King And as Iohn Leiden acted dumb Zacharie so Gastius reports of a woman who took upon her to act the part of Iudith about the middle of the siege of Munster This Prophetesse made the people believe that God had put into her the spirit of Iudith and that she would goe out of the City and never return till she had brought back the Bishops head having cut it off as Iudith did the head of Holofornes she was not so mad but diverse of the Citizens were as foolish for they put her in gorgeous apparell and drest her like Iudith and she premeditated a speech like to hers but shee could not keep her owne counsell For before she came into the presence of the Bishop her intent was discovered and instead of cutting off the Bishop head she lost her owne I shall trouble thee Christian Reader but with one influence more As Biddulph writeth in his travailes that the Darvises which are accounted Prophets among the Turks run round so long till they fall down as it were in a trance and after they have layen in a seeming dead sleep for the space of an houre or more rising up they deliver their dreames for divine Oracles so at Abbarella a certain sort of Anabaptists fell down on the suddain as if they swooned holding their breath as long as they could possibly till they swelled and looked black in the face insomuch that the standers by were affrighted at the sight in the end after they were out of their extasie and come to themselves they told the people what God spake to them in their Rapture namely that Zuinglius erred in his doctrine of Baptisme that the christening of children was unlawfull and that before two yeares came to an end the day of judgement should be and truly the former revelations were as true as the latter it is now full a hundred yeares since Gastio his book was printed at Basill namely in the yeare 1544. And he relateth this Prophecie of theirs as much more ancient then his book so farre were these Epileptick Prophets out in their reckoning OBSERVAT. III. That the Anabaptists are an impure and carnall Sect. In a foule and spotted glasse we cannot perfectly see our face neither in a foule and impure foule is there any cleare reflection of the Image of God God is a most pure and holy Spirit and none are capable of his divine irradiations and heavenly influences but pure minds and chast bodies on the contrary the Dâ—vill is tearmed in the Gospell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the uncleane spirit who as he once besought our Saviour to give him leave to enter into the herd of swine so wheresoever he now enters and whatsoever soule or body hee possesseth hee maketh it a Nasty Sty As the true Religion whereof God is the Author is undefiled before God so all false worship of God devised by Sathan and his instruments is both defiled it selfe with idolatry or superstition and defileth also the soules and consciences of all that practise it Hence it is that the Professours thereof are tearmed by Saint Iude spots and blots darke spots in regard of the errours of their understanding and foule blots in regard of the impurity of their lives and conversation Such were the false Prophets whom Saint Peter sets out in their colours having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sinne who allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonnesse those who for a while escaped from them who live in errour to whom it is happened according to the Proverbe the dogge is turned to his owne vomit againe and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Such were those ungodly men Saint Iude sets a marke upon that turned the grace of our God into lasciviousnesse vers 4. gave themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh ver 7. filthy dreamers defiling the flesh despising dominions and speaking evill of dignities ver 8. Such were the Nicolaitans and the Disciples of lezabell branded by the Spirit Apoc. 2. 6. 20. Who defiled the marriage bed and seduced the servants of God to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols
an Apostolicall tradition Origen having alledged the words of the Psalme 51. 5 I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceived me inferreth upon it propter hoc for this reason because we are all conceived and borne in sinne the Church hath received a tradition from the Apostles to administer baptisme to little children And S. Austine The custome of our Mother the Church in baptizing infants is no way to be slightened or rejected nor otherwise to be thought on or beleeved then as an Apostolicall tradition Thirdly it may be proved to be an Apostolicall tradition by that ground which S. Austine layeth and every mans reason readily giveth assent thereunto namely that whatsoever is observed uniformly in all churches and no man can tell when it began must needs be thought either to be done by the Decree of some generall Councell or to have descended from the tradition of the Apostles themselves But the baptisme of children hath been observed and practised through the whole Christian church as Austine affirmeth neither was it first appointed by any Canon of generall Councell that can be produced for though it be mentioned in the Councell of Vienna and the second Councell held at Brachara and in Synodo Gerundensi yet was it farre more ancient then any of those Councels neither can any name the time when first it began and therefore we cannot otherwise conceive of it then that it had its first originall from the Apostles ARGUMENT X. All members of the reformed Protestant churches in Christendome ought to conforme their judgements to the harmonie of the Protestants confessions set forth by the consent of all orthodox churches and firmly grounded upon deductions at least of holy scripture if not evident texts But the judgement of all the reformed churches delivered in the harmonie of their confessions is professedly for the baptisme of children and expressely against this renet of the Ans. baptist's Ergo let the Anabaptist either disclaime the 〈◊〉 of Protestants and children of the reformed churches 〈◊〉 renounce this their heresie for tâ—â—s pâ—rs quâ—â— nâ—m congruit â—otâ— Now for the Protestant confessions concerning this point I shall rehearse them in order beginning with the English Articles of Religion Artic. II. First the infants of Christian parents are not to be kept from baptisme because they care borne in sinne and belong to the people of God Secondly the Helvetion confession We condemn the Anabaptists who deme that children newly born ought on be baptized for according to the doctrine of the Gospel of such is the kingdom of God and they are within the covenant of God why therefore should not the soul of that covenant be given unto them Thirdly the Bohemian confession Though baptisme for the most part in the primitive church were administred to men of riper yeares yet children ought to be dedicated and consecrated to Christ according to his command Suffer little children to 〈◊〉 unto me Fourthly the French Article zy Although baptisâ—â— be a sacrament of saith and repentaunce yet in as much as children are reckoned with their parents in tho church of God we affirme that infants that are born of holy parents ought to be baptized by Christs authoritie Fifthly the Belgick confession We beleave that children ought to be baptized and signed with the sign of the covenant for the same reason for which the children in Israel were circumcised namely for that the same promises are made to them and to us Sixtly the Augustane confession they condemn the Anabaptists who dislike the baptisme of children and affirm that infants without baptisme and dying without the church may be saved Seventhly the Saxon confession We retaine the baptisme of infants because it 〈◊〉 must certain that the promise of grace belongeth also to infants and because of them it is said Suffer little children to come unto me for of such is the kingdome of seaven To drive this nayl to the head I shall need to adde nothing save the capitall punishments inflicted upon such as taught and practised Anabaptisme those Christian States accounted it no light errour upon which they layd so heavie a load of punishment in some places the broachers of this heresie and practisers of rebaptizing have been punished with beheading in some with drowning and in some with burning There is a law against this sect in the Code of Iustinian written with blood rather then ink If any man be convicted to re-baptize any of the ministers of the Catholike sect let him who hath committed this hainous crime together with him whom he hath seduced to be re-baptized suffer the stroake of death At Vienna the Anabaptists are tyed together with ropes and one draweth the other into the river to be drowned as it should seem the wife magistrates of that place had an eye to that old maxime of justice quo quis peccat eo puniatur let the punishment bear upon it the print of the sinne for as these sectaries drew one another into their errour so also into the gulf and as they drowned men spiritually by re-baptizing and so prophaming the holy sacrament so also they were drowned corporally In the year of our Lord 1539 two Anabaptists were burned beyond Southwark in the way to Newington and a little before them five Dutch Anabaptists were burned in Smithfield If I have been somewhat the more prolix in the prosecution of the arguments which make for the baptisme of infants S. Austine shall plead for this my large plea for them We are in conscience bound to speak the more for poor infants because they are not able to speak for themselves Now there remaineth nothing but that we stop the mouthes of their adversaries by reselling such objections as they usually make and unchristianly urge against christening them at our fonts The objections of the Anabaptists answered First they argue from the Scripture negatively thus the baptisme of children hath no warrant in Gods Word for we find there no command for it no example of it no promise to it therefore it is to be rejected as an humane invention and condemned also as an addition to the Scripture But we answer that by the like argument they might prove that no woman ought to be admitted to the sacrament of the Lords Supper for there is no command for womens participation of the sacrament nor example of it nor promise to it in Scripture If they answer that women are comprised under the name of beleevers so are children under the name of whole housholds and families which are reported in holy Scripture to have been baptized if they say further that by a like reason women are to be admitted to the sacrament as men because Christ dyed as well for them as men and they are as wel incorporated into Christs mysticall body as men we rejoin in like manner for the same reason that children