A TREATISE OF THE VANITY OF CHILDISH-BAPTISME WHEREIN The deficiency of the BAPTISME of the CHURCH of ENGLAND is considered in five particulars thereof AND wherein also is proved that Baptizing is Dipping and Dipping Baptizing A. R. Proverbs 4. 25. 26 27. Let thine eyes looke right on and let thine eye lids looke straight before thee Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy waies be established Turne not to the right hand nor to the left remove thy foote from evill LONDON Printed in the yeare MDCXLII TO THE READER HAving with most serious thoughts minded divers texts of Scripture which doe evidently set out Baptisme to be an undoubted pledge from God to all the right Subjects to whom it is applyed of the free Pardon and Remission of all their Sinnes Mar. 1. 4. and 16. 16. Acts 2. 3 8. and 22. 16. 1 Pet. 3. 21. And finding also That Baptisme is designed only to Beleevers upon their making Profession of Faith and their willing submission thereunto Mat. 28. 19. Ioh. 3. 22. compared with 4. 1 2. Act. 2. 41. and 8. 12. 37 38. and 18. 8. And seeing likewise that the right Subjects are not to be meerly passive but are required and did perform therein such duties as are incompatible to all Infants and persons destitute of understanding Mat. 3. 2. 6. Mar. 1. 5. Act. 22. 16. Gal. 3. 27. Col. 2. 12. compared with 3. 1. I could not without unfaithfullnesse to God and my owne Conscience but much suspect the truth of the Baptisme which I had in my Infancie in the Church of England whereupon I diligently tryed by all good waies and meanes for satisfaction in this point yet found none But the more I tryed the more I still saw the unwarrantablenesse for the Baptizing of Infants even by the invalidity and insufficiencie of the very strongest Arguments which are and could be given by the best and ablest mainteyners therof Insomuch that at last I found it to be but only a meere devise and tradition of men and brought into the world for politique and by ends and accordingly yet continued and still defended meerely by the subtilty of humane Arts and acutenesse of mans braine Wherefore in discharge of my duty to Almighty God and to expresse my unfeined love to my Countrey men and lovers of Truth for whose best welfare I count not my life deare I am now imboldned courteous Reader to present these few lines to thy serious view introating thee as thou wilt answer it at the great day herein to lay aside all prejudice and partiality duly to weigh all things and to imbrace the naked Truth of God in the love thereof and not to respect it as it hath esteeme in the world with variable men Luk. 21. 27. Isa 40. 5. 10. and 24. 23. and 25. 8. 28. 5. 30. 26. 31. 4. 66. 15. 16. 18. but only as it hath been is and ever will be unchangeable in Jesus Christ who shortly will come and inlighten the Farth with his Glory to the discovery of things hid in darknesse to the making manifest the Counsells of mens hearts and 1 Cor. 4. 5. Psal 72. 67. Isa 2. 20. 21. 2 Tim. 4. 8. Col. 3. 4. to the praise and glory of all them that love his appearing to whose Grace and direction I commend thee Farewell Thine A. R. March 25. 1642. THE VANITY OF Childish-Baptisme And of Sprinckling or washing any part of the Body for Baptisme Briefly examined THAT Baptisme is a great Ordinance of the New Testament And that it is the duty of every true Beleever oâ— Disciple of Jesus Christ to submit thereunto cannot be denyed for Christ commands his Disciples Math. 28. 19. to goe and make Disciples all Nations Baptizing them c. And Peter exhorts generally Acts 2. 38. Repent every one of you and be Baptized But now the great Question which most concerneth us is this Whether that which is administred in the Church of England for Baptisme be the Baptisme of the New Testament or not And herein we will briefly consider these five particulars Baptisme is there Administred 1. The End for which 2. The Manner in which 3. The Power by which 4. The Ground from which 5. The Subject on which And First of the first and so in order 1. First The End for which Baptisme is there administred is to Regenerate the Infants there Baptized as may appeare by the forme of Baptisme set forth in their Lyturgie when the Infants are presented at the Font. The Minister bespeakes the Congregation thus Forasmuch as All men be conceived and borne in sinne and that our Saviour Christ saith none can enter into the Kingdome of God except he be regenerated and borne a new of water and the Holy Ghost I beseech you to call upon God the Father through our Lord Iesus Christ that of his bountifull mercy he will grant to these Children that thing which by nature they cannot have that they may be Baptized with Water and the Holy Ghost Then the Minister and People pray thus We beseech thee of thy infinite mercies that thou wilt mercifully looke upon these Children sanctifie and wash them with the holy Ghost that they being delivered from thy wrath may be received into the Arke of Christs Church and being stedfast in faith joyfull through hope and rooted in Charity c. Againe they pray thus We call upon thee for these Infants that they coming to thy Holy Baptisme may receive the remission of their sinnes by Spirituall Regeneration c. Againe in the third Prayer thus Give thy Holy Spirit to these Infants that they may be borne againe and be made Heires of everlasting salvation After this the Minister having sprinkled or cast a little water on the Childrens faces he openly forthwith without blushing saith Now seeing that these Children be regenerate and grafted into the body of Christs Congregation c. And then exhorts the people to give thanks to GOD for that it hath pleased him to regenerate the Infants with his Holy Spirit and received them for his own Children by Adoption c. And with all this agrees the Catechisme wherein the Children are appointed to be instructed after they are growne to yeares of discretion for to the Question Who gave you that name they are to answere My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptisme wherein I was made a member of Christ a Child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdome of Heaven If any man question the truth of this Doctrine let him take notice of these few Authors iâ—stead of many more that I could alledge which serve to justifie the same HIEROM saith The spirit of God moved upon the waters Adver Lucifer whence it is evident that Baptisme cannot be without the SPIRIT AUGUSTINE saith That in Infants Baptized the Holy Ep. 57. ad Dardanum Ghost doth dwell although they be not aware of it ZANCHIUS saith not unfitly do the Fathers teach that
Now then if no generall Counsell which is accounted to represent the whole Church upon earth hath any such power then no Nationall Synod of what sort soever hath any such power and if neither of these then much lesse a Covocation of Priests hath any seeing our late experience yet prompts us of a monstrous issue produced by that Generation soil savoured and unsevoury that the corruption therof might soone have poysoned our whole Land if by the mercy of our good God the wisdome of our State had not soone strangled that birth Object Rut a Nationall Synod might be chosen of learned godly Divines that may do better and preseribe such a forme of worship so agreeable to Gods word that no mans conscience may be offended Answ They can no more do this then make one laast serve every mans foote besides God only can and already hath prescribed rules in his word for his own worship so absolute and perfect that none may adde or diminish or vary from it in the least without incurring eternall Piagues bringing down judgements upon themselves Deut. 4. 2. 12. 32. Iosh 1. 7. 8. Pro. 30. 5 6. Rev. 22. 18 19. Gal. 3. 15. First Because all men knowing but in part have erred 3 by Rease may erre and the reason is further rendred in the 21 Article of the Church of England which saith even of generall Councells thus That for asmuch as they be an Assembly of men whereof all are not governed by the Spirit and ward of God they may erre and have erred even in things appertayning to God Because we can be saved only by our own Faith and that Reason 2. grounded upon the word and truth of God alone apprehended and seene by our own judgements and not by any others nor built upon the Testimony of any man or men for all such can produce no divine but a humane Faith and which like the house built upon the Sands Matth. 7. 26 27. will at last utterly faile us All this these men know to be true and therefore it cannot be Object thought that they seeke to have any such unlawfull power or having it would use it so unlawfully as to compell any in matters of Faith or worship knowing what the Spirit of God saith That the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle towards all men apt to teach patient in meeknesse instructing those that oppose themselves if God at any time will give them repentance That they might acknowledge the truth 2 Tim. 2. 24 25 26. That these men will prove persecutors as I will not accuse â—nsw them all so yet conceiving that no unlawfull power can support it selfe but by unlawfull meanes I cannot but suspect the best of them in this case especially discerning the malignant Spirits of some already this way breaking out like little sparks from a great flame against such as concurre not in judgement with them as is evident by their revilings both in Pulpits and private for the attaining of which rayling Rhetorick they needed not to have spent much time in the Vniversities seeing herein they might become sufficient Graduates by conversing but a while at Billings-gate amongst the eloquent Oyster-women there to whom for answere to all such their Arguments I wholly referre them And also discerning their murmurings and complaints against some for their exercising among themselves edifying one another out of Gods word according both to their liberties and duties they being but Lay-men as they call them and without orders as if they feared least truth should too soone breake forth and shake their buildings in the very Foundation thereof and as if they thought the Spirit of God was only at a Bishops dispose to blow when where and upon whom he pleased to breath his Holy Ghost and hence hope they that some fiery Law will speedily come down from the heavens and Hemispheere of our teâ—rene Gods at once to devour all these their adversaties not considering of what spirit they are so different from that in Moses which wished that all the Lords people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them Numb 11. 49. And so quite contrary to that sweet and blessed Spirit of Christ which breathes in the Scriptures and which there also tells us of an Antichristian Spirit that should both raign and rage in the world make warre with the Saints and prevaile against them yea to the overcoming and killing of them And wherefore is all this only for not conforming themselves to a worship meerely set up by the wills and traditions of men Rev. 13. 4. to the 16. Dan. 7. 21 25. And now least I should be thought to shoote at Rovers I will instance in one particular and late carriage of a learned Divine as they would be stiled in the West who frequenting the company of strangers part of three daies together under pretence of unfained love and friendship and then and there reasoning with them upon certaine points of Religion wherein they and he differed in judgement did afterward take leave of them and pretended to be sorry he could stay no longer with them and immediatly hasted and raised most soule and false accusations against them as being Blasphemers Hereticks and what not and did in fine procure them to be apprehended by Constables Behold here a true Sonne of a Butcher a Bonner a Bishop Ioh. 8. 40. 44. and brought publiquely like Thiefe's before the civill Magistrate and this Priest being there ready on the bench as if he would be both accuser and judge lay's these his false accusations against them all which not taking such effect as he desired he then instigated the Magistrate after their taking the oath of Allegiance to put them also to the Oath of Supremacy which the Magistrate contrary to Law meerly to satisfie the will and pleasure of this Priest did which oath they scrupling to take desired some time to consider of that as duty bindes them they might give to Cesar the things which are Cesars and to God the things which are Gods wherupon being committed and to be carried to to the Jâ—yle they were constrained with sureties to be bâ—uâ—d over and are yet to be prosecuted accordingly Now faine would I know whether this be any meet Spirituall weapon for this Spirituall mans use to convert men by and whether this Sword was ever intended to lie ready in the Magistrates hands to be drawne forth and be disposed of by such a Scholasticke Ignoraâ—â—us in defect of better Arguments to confute his opposites by and therewith to kill and Skinne them and all for not subjecting their judgements to his in some doctrines vainely received and taught by him from the vaine traditions of men and in particular for their not granting with him that the God head of Christ was begotten which for any to affirme as I conceive is no lesse then grâ—sse Blasphemie inasmuch as thereby he denieth the Lord Jesus Christ
De Triâ— Eloh Lib. 7. c. 1. effect of the Holy Ghost upon the waters which Moses describeth Gen. 1. to be a resemblance of that which the Holy Ghost performeth in the water of Baptisme for as there he rested upon those waters that he might cherish and prepare them for the producing of living creatures and for the Generation of all things So the Holy Ghost sits upon the waters of Baptisme and sits as it were abrood upon them and blesseth them and thence doth cherish regenerate and animate the Elect c. PETER MARTYR In Infants who by reason of their Loc. com â—â—as 4 Cap. 8. Sect. 2. tender yeares cannot beleeve the Holy Ghost supplieth the roome of Faith AUGUSTINE cited by Bishop JEVVELL Def. ch 11. saith Infants have Faith of their own because they have Baptisme the Sacrament of Faith For saith he as the Sacrament of Christs Body after a certaine manner of Speech is Christs body so Baptisme is Faith because it is the Sacrament of Faith Dr. WHITAKER Infants are purged by the Spirit Treatise of the Sacraments seeing they are in the Church and of the Church Christ sanctifieth his Church The end for which Infants are Baptized in the Church of England is to regenerate them and that they may be borne a new and accordingly it is concluded in the Catechisme and confirmed by all these Authors and divers others well knowne to our Ministers the maintainers of this doctrine That in Baptisme they receive the Holy Spirit that they are regenerate and borne a new that they are made the members of Christ the childâ—en of God and heires of the Kingdome of Heaven In answere to all which I shall say nothing but only reason this with some other of their own principles and practise and thereby I doubt not but it will appeare to all how unfaithfully they have and do delude the Nations in this particular They are regenerate and borne againe in Baptisme they are then made the members of Christ the Children of God and inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven Why then they are all saved No not so for the Ministers twenty yeares after if the Children live so long preach Râ—generation Repentance and conversion to them and tell them that they must then be regenerate and borne againe or else they cannot enter into the Kingdome of God for without holynesse no man can see the Lord. Why but what needs this were they regenerate and borne againe in their Infancy when they were Baptized and must they yet be regenerate and born again the second time or have they lost their first generation new birth and of the children of God and members of Christ become the lâ—mbs of Satan and children of the Divell No not so neither for the Ministers of the Church of England both have will defend and maintain the Doctrin of perseverance in the Regenerate and members of Christ both against Pelagians Arminians and Papists or whosoever else shall oppose or question the same What then were they in their Baptisme regenerate and borne againe made the members of Christ and children of God c. and have they not nor can they not fall away from that estate and yet shall they not be saved will God lose his children or Christ his members doth not Christ say except a man be regenerate and borne againe he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Ioh. 3. 5. thereby assuring us that if a man be regenerate and borne againe he shall enâ—er into the Kingdome of Heaven Here now these these learned Divines are at as great a straight to defend their proposition and to avoyd the Arminians and others consequents that will necessarily follow thereupon as their predecessors the Priests and Elders were to justifie themselves in their rejecting of the counsell of God Luke 7. 30. When Christ demanded of them whether the Baptisme of Iohn was from heaven or of men Mat. 21 25. And therefore in all likelyhood they thus reason and debate the matter amongst themselves If we should say that Infants are not regenerate and borne againe in Baptisme then our adversaries the Anabaptists as we use to terme them will say that then our forme of Baptizing of Infants before laid down together with the Testimonies of our learned Fathers to whom both in this point and divers other we are more beholding then either to Christ himselfe or to any of his Apostles are nothing but meere conceits of mans foolish braine first invented to make all the world wonder after the Beast which otherwise never had nor possibly could have bin brought to passe besides this we our selves shall be found false witnesses of God and false Prophets to the people in pronouncing before God and them and bearing them in hand all the time of our raigne over them even unto this day that God hath regenerate and begotten againe their Infants in Baptisme when there is no such matter yea and how impudent and audacious shall we be judged to be in that we have solemly given thanks to God for regenerating their Infants in Baptisme requiring the people also to joyne with us therein exhorting them not to doubt but confidently beleeve the truth thereof If now we should acknowledge that they are not regenerate and borne againe therein Moreover if we should grant that Infants are not regenerate and born againe in Baptisme then it will follow that our Church hath a false constitution not being constituted of Christians beleevers Disciples Sonnes and Daughters of God but contrariwise of persons borne in sinne dead in trespasses and sinnes the children of wrath even of such persons as we declare Infants to be before we Baptize them and then our own definition of a true visible Church in the 19 Article where it is said that every true visible Church consisteth of beleeving men and women will rise up against us and declare us not to be the true Church of Christ Againe on the other side if we shall stand to it and maintaine that they are Regenerate and borne againe in Baptisme then first it will follow that the greatest part of our preaching might very well be spared for the whole Nation are regenerate and borne againe before we preach at all unto them namely in their Baptisme And also secondly it will follow that we convert none by our Ministry and then the Seale and marke of â—ur Ministry whereby we use to prove the same true against the Brownists will utterly faile us And thirdly we shall justly be impeached as abbettors of that Popish Tenet that Sacraments convey Grace Exopere operato by the worke done And last of all it will undeniably follow as the Arminians use strongly to inferre againstus from this ground That either the whole Nation is saved or that the Children of God and members of Christ persons regenerate and borne againe may finally fall away and be damned Now Sirs by this craft yee know we have our wealth Acts 19 25.