Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A25662
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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.
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Collins, Hercules, d. 1702.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing A3498; ESTC R26646
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22,680
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25
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others Feet believe with others Faith Covenant with others Tongues I am sure Christ went upon his own Feet to Baptism near forty Mile and the Eunuch also and believed with his own Faith and Covenanted with his own Tongue Now for the Conclusion I say Infants are not now Visibly in covenant it not being within my Sphere what they are as to Gods Decrees yet conclude well of all that Die in their Infant State But seeing there are so many Qualifications required individually to Gospel Church Membership your task is to prove that Infants have them or give up the Cause according to your Promise and confess the Covenant of Peculiarity made unto Abraham and his Seed is Repealed Whereas you mention Jeremiah and John Baptist Sanctified from the Womb on Jeremiah our Annotators say I have Appointed and Approved thee as a fit Minister for the Work I have Prepared and Ordained thee for Publick Service viz. not with Saving Grace tho that need not to be excluded and of John the Baptist they say being filled with the Holy Ghost from his Mothers Momb this is true both as to Prophecy which is an extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost and also of the Holy Ghost considered as a Sanctifying Spirit Now consider our Annotators lay the great stress of those two Men Sanctified from the Womb upon their being fitted for publick Work for as much as they had insuperable Difficulties which in those degenerate and corrupt Times they must unavoidably Encounter with but what if it should be granted those two Men were not only Sanctified from the Womb That is set a-part to publick Work which the word Sanctified sometimes imports but that also they were Savingly Sanctified in their Hearts Is this a good Argument to prove that all the Infant Seed of believers have Habitual Faith from their Mothers Womb If so how comes it to pass that so many of them Die unsanctified Logicians will tell you its unsafe Arguing from particuliar Instances to general is this a good Argument Solomon was a very Wise man ergo all men are very Wise Sampson was a Strong Man therefore all Men have Sampson's Strength Abraham was a great believerâ therefore all Men have great Faith Moses was a Meek Man therefore all Men are Meek and all Men Patient because Job was such I hope we shall never have these instances urged any more of John Baptist and Jeremiah for to prove that all the Infant Seed of believers have Habitual Faith SEEING some have queried where you find that Children are forbidden to be Baptised tho you know it is rather your work to prove the Positive That there is a Command for the Baptising of Infants than for me to prove the Negative That there is none for if you would but prove the former you would save me the Labour from proving the latter however I shall attempt it for once TO prove the Baptism of Infants Forbidden ALL positive Commands Prohibit whatever is repugnant thereunto but the Baptism of Infants is repugnant to the positive command of Christ for that Ordinance ergo the baptism of Infants is prohibited The Major is undeniable the Minor I thus prove Iâ Ignorance be opposed to understanding the want of an act of Repentance Faith and Obedience be opposed to the Act and Teaching be opposed to them not capable of it If a few drops of Water be opposed to a burial in Water In a word if a wrong Subject and a wrong manner of Administration be opposite to a right Subject and manner of Administration then Infants Baptism is repugnant to Christ's Command for that Ordinance and therefore roundly Prohibited for no man of Sense can imagin that our Lord can allow of any Practice repugnant to his own Commission the word all Nations in Matt 28. is referable only to the Teaching of all Nations all positive Commands prohibit whatever is repugnant thereunto We might Illustrate when we are commanded to Worship God in Spirit and Truth it forbids all Ignorant Devotion Formallity and Hypocrisy and when commanded to Worship God all Idols and Idolaty is forbidden to eat bread and drink Wine in remembrance of Christ forbids a belief of his Corporal Presence what need I do any act to put me in remembrance of him who is Corporally Present when God's Word asserts we are saved by Grace it forbids Works as Meritorious so when God Commands Persons that Profess Faith and Repentance to to be baptised it Prohibits all that are uncapable of those Qualifications Take heed of incurring Divine Displeasure by commanding that in the Name of the Lord which he never commanded Oh! what a dreadful Judgment did God threaten against Jerusalem for doing those things which God Commanded them not In offering their Children to Molech in the Valley of Ben Hinnom which I commanded them not saith God neither came it into my mind Jer. 19.5 The Geneva Note on that place saith Whatsoever is not Commanded by God touching his Service is against God's word because not commanded Was not Nadab and Abihu prohibited false Fire when commanded to take Fire from the Altar Is not Tertullian's Notion true every positive Command of Christ includes a Negative by this Argument you may set up a great part of the false Worship in Rome by Interrogating where it is forbidden read Matt. 28.18 Acts 2.37 Mark 16.16 Rom. 6.4 Acts 8.36 37. Acts 10. All which Scriptures shew that Infant Baptism must be Repugnant unto that Baptism which is from Heaven therefore is Prohibited Syllogistical Arguments against Pedo and for Believers Baptism Arg. 1. THAT which hath no Divine Command nor Example none Commended for its Observation nor Reprehended for its neglect cannot be of God or Divine Authority but the Baptising of Infants hath no Divine Command nor Example none Commended for its Observation nor reproved for its Neglect ergo the Baptising of Infants is not of God or Divine Authority Arg. 2. THAT which hath a Divine Command and Example some commended for its Observation and others reproved for its neglect must be of God and Divine Authority but the Baptism of Believers hath a Livine Command and Example some commended for its Observation others Reprehended for its neglect ergo the Baptism of Believers is of God and Divine Authority Mark 16.15 16. Luke 7.29 30. Arg. 3 THAT which was the Practice of the pure Primitive and Apostolick Times about Initiating persons into the Church ought to be the same unto the Second Coming of Christ But to Initiate persons into the Church by Baptism upon a profession of Faith was the Practice of the pure Primitive and Apostolick times ergo to Initiate persons into the Church by Baptism upon a profession of Faith ought to be the same unto the Second Coming of Christ This Argument doth stand Immovable against the Churches for Pedo-Baptism unless they can assign the time and place where Christ altered the Constitution of his Churches and changed the manner of Initiation into them or
Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple and whosoever beareth not his Cross and commeth after me he cannot be my Disciple twice repeated as if our Saviour had foreseen how men would boldly assert Infants Disciples who were wholly uncapable of it Let this put you to everlasting Silence from mentioning Matt 28.18 your great Bulwark you always run unto now you may plainly see our Saviour did not mean Children when he said go Disciple all Nations if he had intended Infants to have been Disciples also he would have made that exception but our Lord knew they were in no wise capable of being taught taking up Christ's Cross and following him without which it's impossible saith our blessed Lord you should be my Disciples Thus you see that Children are excluded the Commission because they cannot be Disciples being wholly uncapable to take up the Cross and so consequently not Visibly in Covenant nor Church Members therefore that Covenant of Peculiarity with Abraham and his Natural Seed is Repealed Arg. 3. The Promise of Remission of Sin and the gift of the Holy Ghost unto the Children of Believers is upon the terms of Repentance and Obedience Ergo the Promise is not to the Fleshly and Natural Seed of Believers as such The Antecedent is proved from Gods word Acts 2.38.39 where the Jews upon Conviction by St. Peter's Sermon of their being the Murtherers of the Messiah cries out unto the Apostle Men and Brethren what shall we do Peter Answers them Repent and be Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the Remission of Sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for this Promise is to you and your Children also yea to the very Gentiles afar off if they are called Repent Believe and Obey the Messiah for tho you called for the Guilt of Christs Blood to be upon your Heads and your Childrens yet for your Comfort it shall not be upon either If both have these Qualifications before mentioned therefore the consequent roundly follows that the Promise is not made to the Natural Seed of Believers as such therefore the Covenant of peculiarity made with Abraham and his Seed is Repealed But if you will not yet comply with this plain sense of the Words but that the Promise of God in this Text is to the Infant Seed of Believers as such consider your task if God hath made such a Promise as Sins Remission and the Gift of the Holy Ghost to all the Natural Seed of Believers as such then you are to make this appear that the Believers Infant Seed as such are indeed Partakers of these Promises which God hath here made or else you Reflect unfaithfulness on God for non-performance of his Covenant so that unavoidably all the Infant Seed of Believers as such must be Saved since God hath made the promise of Sins Remission and the Gift of the Holy Ghost unto them unless you suppose some may Eternally Perish which have these Gifts but if you will add and say we never believed they should be the better for the Promise without an Actual taking Hold of the Covenant then shew us what Promise and Priviledg the Child of a Believer hath more than the Child of an Unbeliever or Gentile afar off if they do also actually take hold by Faith of God's Covenant Thus you see that the Promise is not to the Fleshly Seed of Believers as such but upon the terms of Faith and Obedience therefore the Covenant of Peculiarity made with Abraham and his Natural Seed is Repealed Arg. 4. Abraham's Seed under the Gospel Dispensation are only Actual true Believers Ergo the Covenant of Peculiarity made with Abraham and his Infant Seed as such is Repealed The Antecedent is clear from Gal. 3.29 If ye are Christs then are ye Abraham's Seed you boast saith Christ Abraham is your Father but you are the Children of the Devil for ye seek to kill me so did not Abraham boast not of your Birth Priviledges it signifieth nothing except you are born again for the Children of the Flesh tho the Children of Abraham are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise viz. The Children of Faith are counted for the seed Rom. 9.8 The consequent follows naturally That the old way of Infants Visible Incovenanting is Repealed unless you think Infants do believe so that whatsoever was comprehended in that Promise made to Abraham and his Seed Gen. 17.7 can no ways affect the Seed of Believing Gentiles as such for my Seed as a Gentile cannot be the Natural Seed of Abraham a Jew nor the Spiritual Seed of Abraham because such are reckoned according to the Spirit and Faith So that that Text Gen. 17.7 hath been very improperly applied all along to the Seed of Believing Gentiles as such being neither the Natural nor Spiritual Seed of Abraham And to advance a little further know this that no particular Believer can infer they are a Holy Root to their Posterity because Abraham is called the Father of the Faithful for Abraham is accounted a Spiritual Father but we are accounted Natural So that the Covenant of Peculiarity made with Abraham and his Natural Seed as such must be Abolished because we are not accounted Abraham's Seed now but as we believe in the Messiah and for a Gentile Believers Natural Seed as such cannot be the Seed of Abraham neither in a natural nor Spiritural Sence therefore cannot in any wise affect them Here you have brought your self again into a Noose and I cannot help it Now seeing the Seed of Abraham are Actual Believers therefore the Covenant of Peculiarity made with Abraham and his Natural Seed is Repealed Arg. 5. Infants are not capable of the Qualifications of Gospel Church Membership Ergo Infants Incovenanting and Church Membership is Repealed THE Antecedent is clear from their being wholly uncapable of being Taught and made Disciples by taking up Christs Cross and following him also of Self-Examination In the Covenant of Peculiarity made with Abraham the Infant Church Members were wholly Passive in suffering the sign of the Covenant under the Legal Oeconomy But Members of a Gospel Church are Active the Corinthians gave themselves first to God and then to the Apostles by the Will of God in a Church State in a Gospel Church they are Innitiated after Conversion or a least a Profession of it It 's said of such They that gladly received the Word were Baptised and they eat their Meat with gladness and singleness of Heart and went to their own Company lift up their Voice in Prayer and were Obedient to the Faith but Infant Church Membership no ways agree to a Gospel Church State who are said to be Sanctified in Christ Jesus Saints by calling Holy Brethren Living Stones Christ's Spiritual Temple and House of God Church Members now are to be Active they are not to go as Austin absurdly saith of Infants going to Baptism with