Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A31641
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Master Bakewells sea of absurdities concerning sprinkling calmely driven back / by Peter Chamberlen, 12 April, 1650.
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Chamberlen, Peter, 1601-1683.
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1650
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Wing C1898; ESTC R38996
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10,275
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16
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distinct from the SPRINKLING OF BLOOD Exod. 12.22 and 29.21 and both distinct from their BATHES AND WASHINGS Levit. 15.5.6.7.8.10.11.13.18.21.22.27 And 16.26.28 and 17.15.16 and Numb 19.7.8.19 and Exod. 19.10 and 29.4 and 30.18.19 and 40.12.31 Levit. 6.27.28 Deut. 21 6. and divers other places And we have under the Gospel BAPTISME distinct from the SUPPER OF THE LORD And the Holy Ghost is punctuall John 19.34 that there came out of the side of Jesus both Water Blood Now should they have confounded the sprinkling of water with that of blood or either with their washings or one with the other under the Law they could not but have neglected a great part of those Rights and Ceremonies wherein they were to be so exact And if we also should confound those few Commands which our Saviour lest us under the Gospel we should soone arrive to that spirituall Babel which is so rife in these dayes amongst many who suppose themselves spiritual Forbeare therefore so boldly to affirme or inferre that the water in Baptisme is called in Heb. 12.24 The blood of sprinkling But if you will needes finde Baptisme in that Text find it in our coming to Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant from the which the Blood of sprinkling is distinguished by a conjunction Copulative AND That also of the 10. of Heb. 22. must be kept from confusion and then it comprehends the 2 compleat parts of Baptisme 1. The work and promise of God in these words Our hearts sprinckled from an evill Conscience and the work and obedience of men in these words Our Bodies washed with pure water For IT IS NOT THE WORK OF MAN TO SPRINKLE THE HEART NOR IS IT THE WORK OF GOD TO WASH THE BODY 2. GODS SPRINKLING IS EQUIVALENT TO MANS WASHING In which sense the phrase is used of GODS FINGER Exod. 8.19.31.18 And these two parts are distinctly held forth in many places Mat. 3. Mar. 1. Luke 3. I baptize with water but he shall baptize with the Holy Ghost And Act 1.5 John baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost So Act 2.38 Repent and be baptized and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost If either of these be wanting Baptisme is not compleat For Christ himself who had not the spirit by measure must be baptized to fulfill all righteousnesse Mat 3. Peter by Cornelius his Companies receiving the HOLY GHOST judgeth them thereby fit to be baptized with water Act 10. Who can forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we And he commvnded them to be baptized And on the other side without fruits worthy of Repentance the Pharisees shall not be admitted to the BAPTISME OF WATER Mat. 3.7.8 Nor probably the Eunuch unlesse he had BELIEVED WITH ALL HIS HEART Act 8.37 For it is not the outward washing away the filth of the flesh but the inward answer of a good Conscience towards God through Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 3.21 2. Your second Argument or Article with the latter end of the first layes down a Rule of Similitude between the signe or Sacrament in your phrase and the thing signified Consider your own Rule with SPRINKLING OF A CHILDES FACE which is a Ceremony but lately allowed by the late Directory and was not allowed though practised by the Book of Common Prayer Consider I pray you whether by your Rule you do not make a Face-Christian yea a specled face-Christian your SPRINKLING being onely on the FACE and that but here and there in DROPS but if you allow BAPTISME to signifie the WASHING AWAY OF SIN as all Catechismes imply would you onely wash away the FACE and OUTWARD APPEARANCES OF SIN to make an Outside-Pharisee-Christian or would you have ALL SIN even the whole body of Sin washed away Therefore the washing of the whole Body as was appointed by the Book of Common-Prayer and was the COMMAND and PRACTISE of CHRIST and his APOSTIES and of those learned men whom they commonly call FATHERS is the right way of administring the Sacrament and not a new-invented way of SPRINKLING which though practised was NEVER COMMANDED TILL OF LATE Compare it also with those other REPRESENTATIONS IN BAPTISME would you have the Baptisme of the HOLY GHOST to be but in DROPS and that but in APPEARANCE on the FACE or but one PART Or would you be FILLED so as to have Rivers of living water flow out of your Belly John 7.39 Would you have your FACE onely BURIED WITH CHRIST IN BAPTISME or have your FACE onely BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH and have onely your FACE to RISE WITH HIM or have onely an Outside-shew of Death to Sin and Resurrection to life in Christ Col. 2.12 Rom. 6.34 c. Or would you make CHRIST only a VISARD FOR YOUR FACE to PUT HIM only ON UPON YOUR FACE Gal. 3.27 Lay your hand upon your heart and consider seriously these things Then you insist upon the VISIBILITY OF THE SIGNE OF THE BAPTIZED c. First consider your own Practice Do INFANTS SEE THE WATER wherewith they are sprinkled Are their EYES commonly OPEN or SHUT Do any pluck them open yea if they were open would not nature teach them to shut them when they felt the drops of water upon them Or if they open their eyes know they what water is or what it meanes Secondly Whether is a Bason of Water or a River most visible Is not this like the old Woman that could see the needle but not the Barne Thirdly whereas you say that he who is plunged doth not see the Signe if you mean WATER He doth not onely see it but feele it and if you mean the Washing and Clensing of his Body surely they are more likely to see their Bodies clensed that go into a RIVER and afterwards drie themselves and wipe away the filth then they that onely have their Face Sprinkled which they cannot see without a Looking-glasse a thing of no use to New borne Infants And whereas you say that they cannot heare what is said no more do Infants nor do they understand if they hear the words but the baptized according to the Scriptures do both heare the words and know them before they are plunged although pronouncing the WORDS do not the work but the Obedience of being Baptized into the Name of the Lord. 3. Your third Article saith that many were Baptized in their houses and you instance in Paul Cornelius and the Jaylor for whom you quote Act 9.17.18 16.25.48 You do ill Mr. Bakewell to father so many untruths in print upon the Scriptures The Scriptures say NOT that PAUL was BAPTIZED in the HOUSE but that Ananias entred into the House and afterwards when the scales were fallen from his eyes he arose and was Baptized without saying he was Baptized either in a Tub or Pond according to your roving language or in a River or that he was Baptized without Water as the Drie-washing Book of the Doctrine of
To beare great Ships To vvater the Earth to vvash and bath no nor to sprinkle neither Or vvhat vvould you have to follow That as one drop of vvater is vvater as vvell as the vvhole Ocean so is one part of the body a Body as vvell as the vvhole Body This concludes nothing to your purpose Or that as one drop of vvater is vvaetr as vvell as the vvhole Ocean so if one part of the body be sprinkled all the body is sprinkled The similitude vvil not hold nor follow but trie the practise of it vvhen your face is foule vvash your feet and see vvhether your face vvill be any vvhit the cleaner 2. You say there is no measure of water prescribed onely it must be vvater No more there is for your Bread yet one drop vvill not suffize to make Dowe nor vvill one drop serve to vvash your hands or feet vvhen you go to knead it and it vvere ridiculous for the Apostle to mention that John vvas baptizing in Aenon BECAUSE THERE WAS MUCH WATER THERE if one drop vvould have served the turne but so there be enough it is no matter vvhether it be in Jordan or Aenon or the Wildernesse Act 8. or the River vvithout the City of Philippi Act. 16.13 3. You say to as little purpose that the baptized may be under one drop as vvell as under a Tunne so he may be under a Tunne as vvell as one drop and vve are daily under more in the Cloudes but vvhat vvould you inferre thereon That a man may be buried and plunged or drowned vvith one drop or by being under one drop as vvell as by being under a Tunne He may indeed be as drie under a Tunne as under one drop so the Vessell leake not in the sense you mentioned last of the Childs being under the Ministers handfull of vvater but not so soone buried or plunged vvith one drop as vvith a Tunne of vvater and if the Sextone afforded but one graine of earth upon each body that vvere to be buried I believe each Nostril vvould soon complain there vvere not sufficient But 4. you as desperately attempt to clear this by the Conference of Jesus Christ with Peter about the washing of his Feet Jo. 13.8 Read on to the 10. verse He that is Washed saith he or he that is already Baptized needeth not save to cleanse or wash his feete c This shewes say you from the 8. verse instancing in me for with me as almost in all the Scriptures you quote you mistake somewhat this shewes that washing was sacramentall If you mean it is a Sacrament why do you not so practise it If it be the Sacrament of Baptisme why do not your Ministers wash the feet of Infants as Christ did his Disciples rather then sprinkle the face onely which Christ never did When you have spoken your last you come with 3. OBIECTIONS for plunging from Act 8.38 Mat. 3.6 Rom. 6.4 To the first you answer that every Pit or River in those hot Countries were not alwayes brim-full of water Be it so Therefore every Pit which you make a Synonyma to a River was not chosen but the chief River Jordan and Aenon because there was much water You say they might go into the Pit and not go into the water The Lord deliver us from the Pit where there is no water Jer. 39.6 Zach. 9.11 but the Text answers your Cavel if you would at all heed what the word saith that in the Baptisme of Jesus and the Eunuch where the manner of Baptizing is particularly mentioned they went both down into the water and they came up out of the water not into the Pit and out of the Pit Mark 1.9.10 Act 8.39 To the 2. you affirme that the Greek word which I suppose you can neither write nor read which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Infinitive doth signifie as well to SPRINKLE as to PLUNGE whereas all the Schollers in Europe cannot finde it so used in any Greek Author nor others but of late some Latine Authors from the practise have rashly printed what you here affirme Which if it should be granted and your Testament so interpreted heare a little your own Absurdities Mat. 3.1 In those dayes came John the SPRINKLER preaching in the Wildernes of Jordan Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Region round about Jordan and were SPRINKLED of him in Jordan the River Mark 1.5 John 3.22 After these things came Jesus and his Disciples into the Land of Judea and there he tarried with them and SPRINKLED verse 23. And John also was SPRINKLING in Aenon BECAUSE there was MUCH WATER there and they came and were SPRINKLED Mark 1.19 And it came to passe in those dayes that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was SPRINKLED of John 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into Jordan verse 10. And straightway coming up ut of the water c. Act 8.30 And they went down both into the water both Philip and the Eunuch and he SPRINKLED him verse 39. And when they came out of the Water the Spirit caught away Philip. So Gal. 3.27 As many as have been SPRINKLED into Christ have put on Christ and Col. 2.12 BURIED with him in SPRINKLING wherein also ye are risen with him But I confesse this sort of bettering the Transiation I shall not like in my Bible Yet not content with all these Absurdities you say you might adde more of plunging in water and danger of lives and you condemn men of murther for having plunged in winter yet name none that were murthered nor executed for that murther nor is there any proof save you own Authentick Imagination To avoid the hardship of Winter the Common-prayer-Book will tell you in the preamble that Easter and Whitsuntide were therefore appointed by the Ancients for fit times of Baptisme And the Winter-Baptizing of Children in Wales will sufficiently testifie that you foist in your own untruths by the strength of your own distracted Imagination In answer to the 3 Objection from Rom. 6.4 you would take a great advantage because there is no mention of water and will make it a drie Baptisme When you bid your man wash your Cup or Glasse unles you bid him do it with water doth it signifie nothing But let him that is diligent read the Texts Rom. 6.4 Col. 2.12 1 Cor. 1.8 and satisfie themselves To as little purpose do you bring in all the other places of Scripture and therefore I shall trouble my self no futrher in the particulars of them Nor do I intend further to be at Charges of printing a satisfaction to every one that Scribles after having spent and lost so much for the publick and repayed with so much injustice and ingratitude Nor will I meddle at present with the lawfullnesle or unlawfulnesse of your Ministry which you bring in by head and shoulders Therefore you may well perceive by my patience in answering your weak Arguments and by my waving all your words of provocation and censure as of Pride like Tyrus Questions of strife Janglings that I know nothing P. 2. Popish Pilgrimage P. 4. to abide in the Asse or with the Asse P. 8. and his invention who was a murtherer P. 7. Anabaptists P. 6. mad and drunk P. 3. Dippers plunged in a Sea of Absurdities in the Title Renouncing of Baptisme denying of God Devills Heaven Hell Grace Glory and the like that I am not al ogether so proud as you censured me but that I desire in meekness and lowlinesse of Spirit to win you and all of your opinion not to mine but to the truths of God which the Lord grant through Jesus Christ Amen FINIS The late coming forth of this Impression is to be amongst the Errata of the Printer He that desires to be satisfied of the point may read the Scriptures and the Disputes between Mr. Denne and Mr. Tombes Dr. Featly and Mr. Marshall And Mr. Blackwells storming of Antichrist And Mr. Laurence his Treatise of Baptise Or the Book entituled the Vanity of Childrens Baptismes c. But they that are like Gallie Act 14.15.16.17.18 may let all alone