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A25662 The antidote proved a counterfeit, or, Error detected and believers baptism vindicated containing an answer to a nameless author's book entituled An antidote to prevent the prevalency of anabaptism / by Hercules Collins. Collins, Hercules, d. 1702. 1693 (1693) Wing A3498; ESTC R26646 22,680 25

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book page 35. 36. where Children were brought to Christ to be touched from whence some infer they were Baptized But I need not wonder you are so unfair with me when you are so with the very Word of God when God saith Acts 16.34 That the Jaylor believed in God with all his House you positively say here we read of none but the Jaylor which did believe and yet notwithstanding say you his whole Family was Baptized I hope Sir you believe there is a Judg. Mr. Charnock speaking of an Habit tells us It is an inward Frame enabling one to Act readily and easily as when an Artificer hath the habit of a Trade the new Creature consists in gracious qualities and habits which beautify and dispose the Soul to act righteously and holily Hence habits are as Seeds which make the Earth capable to bring forth good Fruit but what good Fruit hath an Infant with all his habitual grace This habit saith he is exprest by a fountain of Living Water springing up to Eternal Life Page 75. Some say indeed that Regeneration is conferred in Baptism upon the Elect and exerts it self afterwards in Conversion but how so active a principle as a Spiritual Life should lie dead or a sleep so long even many years which intervene between Baptism and Conversion is not easily Conceivable Where these habits are there is a Spirit of Love of Grace whereby as their understandings are possest with a knowledg of the Excellencies of his ways so their wills are seasoned by the power of this Habit And further as Christ had a Body prepared him to do the work of a Mediator so the Soul hath a habit prepared to do the work of the new Creature as the corrupt Nature is the habit of sin so the new Nature is the habit of Grace God doth not only call us to Believe Love Obey but brings in the Grace of Faith and Love and Obedience this habit receives various Denominations either from the Subject or Object 't is subjectively in the Essence of the Soul but as it shows it self in the Understanding 't is called the knowledg of God as 't is in the Will 't is a choice of God as in the Affection 't is a motion to God and from the Object it is diversified as it closes with Christ Dying 't is Faith as it rejoyces in Christ Living it is Love as it lies at the Feet of Christ it is Humility as it observes the Will of Christ it is Obedience as it submits to Christ afflicting it is patience as it regards Christ offended it is grief yet all ariseth from one habit but where doth any of these things appear in the Infants habitual Faith he tells you further where the habit of true Grace is there is a ready disposition to every good work because Seminally in every renewed person And saith he as 't is ready in respect of disposition so it is in the activity of motion yea 't is naturally active according to its divine Nature moreover 't is voluntarily active where these habits are there is a kind of natural necessity of motion from life and habit yea 't is fervently active the nobler the Being of any thing is the greater degree of activity it is attended with yea 't is unboundedly active also powerfully active easily active and pleasantly active the entire inclinations of the Soul stands right to good actions Mr. Charnock 2 vol. page 85. to 94. Now let all those Characters of Habitual Grace be put together and ●hen consider whether any of these things can affect little Infants I hope by this time you have enough of Infants Habitual Faith I will only add this further page 94. There is in this habit an orderly motion and activity and a permanent activity a Spring of perpetual motion even unto everlasting Life how then can all the infant Seed of Believers have this Habitual Faith when so many of them make their Parents Hearts to ake This is like Mr. Marshall's Notion in his Sermon before the Parliament God doth Seal the Infant presently and puts their name into the Deed and that God accepts of such a Seal on their parts as they are able to give in their Infant age expecting a further Ratification when they come to riper years and that in the mean time affords them the favour of being in Covenant with him and that the surety of the New Covenant is pleased to be their surety yet saith when grown men they may refuse to stand to this Covenant and nullity all Oh amazing How inconsistent is this with perseverance Take this Ar●ument for a close of your second Query and Answer it Those Children of Believers which Die in an Vnregenerate State either never had the Habits of Grace or else if they had them they have lost them But there is no losing Habits of Grace Ergo they never had them If you say they had them and have lost them that is against your own principle about perseverance If you say they never had them then you contradict your own ●ook which assert That all the Infants of Believers have it and therefore you Baptize them get out of this Prison as well as you can FOR your third Query What if I allow all Believers are wholly passive in ●●generation and can ●o more ●egenerate th●mselves than a 〈…〉 ●hat is all 〈…〉 Faith Is this a concluding Argument Surely no Pray Sir go to School and learn better Logick for this is no Argument in Barbara There is no more say you in Children to hinder Grace than in the Adult Ergo they believe what think you Sir is this good Arguing Christ can raise of stones Children unto Abraham Ergo stones believe or Stones are wholly passive and have nothing to hinder Regeneration Ergo Stones are Regenerated When you bring better Topicks and Mediums to prove your Argument by more may be said to it but you may think I have said too much to discover your Ignorance of Divine things already Here we may give a hint to your fifth Query Whether Children may not have the Golden Oyl of God's Free Grace as well as Adult persons Answer What little Infants have or what they may have lieth not within our Sphere secret things belong unto God Revealed things unto us but the question is how this Gentleman will prove that infants have this grace which qualifieth them for Baptism my neighbour is capable of being King of Vtopia Ergo he is king of Vtopia doth this Conclude the Scripture saith Men and Women ought to believe who are capable of knowing good and evil therefore infants do believe who know neither good nor evil Your 4th 7th 8th Queries look one way and we do assert infants may be fit for the Kingdom of God as our Lord hath said and yet not qualified for Gospel Ordinances Can it be shewed that ever our Lord Instituted Gospel Ordinances for Infants Could it be made appear that Infants have Repentance Faith and