see his Treat of Bap. pag. 20. lin 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. consisted all of visible Saints Deut. 29.18 to be câ—rrupt For the like you said before in your book p. 4 That they stood meerly upon nature and circumcision of the flâ—sh not by faith and circumcision of the heart And here you oppose this nature unto grace the naturall seed unto the spirituall seed And thus it appeareth that you hold neither the matter nor forme of the Church to be spirituall then nor the persons graciâ—us but ungracious fleshly and carnall But the Scripture teacheth us that they were a holy nation and a peculiar people unto the Lord their God and so excellent that none were like unto them Great advantage had they every manner of way Vnto them was committed the Oracles of God And shall wee thinke that God committed his Oracles to a Church which had a carnall constitution or that he owned such for his holy peculiar people God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham that he would be a God unto him and his seed for ever And though the Law was added because of transgression yet it could not disanull the covenant and therefore not the Church or people of the covenant or the seale of the promise Now surely if that the Church had been constituted upon nature corrupted such as you have opposed to grace and upon the naturall not upon the spirituall seed * See before in this Treatise pag. 29 30 31. For there it is answered at large then there was no difference between the Israelites and the Heathens and then was the Church of Israel no communion of Saints but a mixt multitude which to thinke is very erronious as may appeare by these Scriptures Exod. 19.5 6. 22.31 12.48 49. Num. 9.14 15.15 Levit. 19.2 20.7 8. Deut. 7.6 14.1 2. 26.18 19. 1 King 8.53 Deut. 4.20 29.10 11 12 13. 10.15 Psal 147.14 But from this your groundlesse affirmation you would through an inference make another disparitie between the Church of the Jewes and the Church of the Gentiles You say That was therefore termed Israel according to the flesh and of the circumcision of the flesh this Israel according to the Spirit and of the circumcision of the heart Rom. 8 28.29 Rom. 9.6 7 8. Coll. 2.11 And to this I answer That your speech doth here import as if none who were Israel according to the flesh were Israelites according to the spirit but the Apostle sayth All are not Israel that are of Israel He maketh a manifest difference between Israel the Church of God and those who were not really Israelites though they came of Israels loynes according to the flesh But your speech crosseth the Apostles speech and tendeth to prove that all were Israel that were of Israel But what will you say to the Proselytes and their seed Were they Israel according to the flâ—sh Surely they were not therefore they were Israelites according to the spirit As well as others who were also Israelites both according to the spirit and flesh Moreover None were to be circumcised externally in the flesh but those who were in Gods covenant and were circumcised in heart so farre as mâ—n could discerne and those that were in Gods covenant were Israelites spiritually and so to be esteemed even as true members of the Church So David sayth Yet surely God is good unto Israel unto those that are pure in heart Deut. 30.6 Circumcision of the flesh sealed unto them the circumcision of the heart and this God promised both to them and their seed and then both male and female were all one in Christ * Exod 12.48 49. Num. 9.14 15.14 15 16. and so they are now ** Gal. 3.28 As for the Scriptures Rom. 2.28 29. Rom. 9.6 7 8 Coll. 2.11 which you cite they make nothing for your present purpose to prove That that was onely called Israel according to the flesh and the other onely according to the spirit The one constituted upon that nature which you have opposed to grace upon the naturall seed destitute of the spirit the other constituted on grace without nature and the spirituall seed of Abraham without the naturall seed Prove this and then you say something else it is nothing to your purpose But indeed the substance of what you say heer is answered at large in this Treatise pag. 29 30 31 32 33. And now I will proceed to examine the Scriptures which you have cited heer for confirmation of these your opinions As touching Rom 2.28 29. there the Apostle declareth who are the true Jewes indeed namely those that are Jewes inwardly and that the true Circumcision indeed is that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is of God c. Now will you reason from this place that those who were the naturall seed not degenerating were not the spirituall seed and that because God accepted of the infants with their parents and commanded them to be circumcised that therefore the Church-state was built upon nature and not upon Christ Surely you cannot gather any such thing from the Apostles words in Rom. 2.28 29. nor from any other place of Scripture but rather the contrary Yea the Apostle in the following Chapter declareth that as for the advantage of the Jew and the profit of circumcision it was much every manner of way chiefly because that unto them were committed the Oracles of God For sayth he what if some did not beleeve shall their unbeliefe make the faith of God without effect God forbid And so he concludeth that both Jewes and Gentiles are justified by faith Seeing it is one God which shall justifie the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith Doe wee then make voyd the Law through faith sayth he God forbid yea wee establish the Law And in the fourth Chapter Paul treateth of justification by faith without workes and expoundeth Davids speech for whereas David sayth * Psal 32.1 2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne and in whose spirit there is no guile Paul explaineth it thus Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without works From which places of Scripture much may be gathered against those who denie infants to have faith imputatively for the Apostle declareth that he to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne is a righteous person Now every person is either righteous or unrighteous for as righteousnesse is not imputed unto those to whom sinne is imputed So those whose iniquities are pardoned and their sinne covered the Lord imputing no sinne unto them he imputeth righteousnesse unto them without workes and this righteousnesse is that which justifieth before God It was faith which was counted unto Abraham for righteousnesse And so he proceedeth in the 9th 10th and 11th verses to prove that this blessing or blessednesse came not onely upon the circumcision but also upon
Anabaptists by proving unto them that mis-begotten children and Bastards were not to be put away in respect of civill use for sayth he who should nourish or bring them up rather then their owne parents 2 Sam. 11.4 5. 12.14 15 c. Moreover If unbeleevers cannot be sanctified to beget or conceive a holy seed except they be yoked unto beleevers as you here grant by your words in saying that * See A. R. Pag. 12. lin 19. that which is sanctified to a beleever being unsanctified to an unbeleever must needs be sanctified unto him by his beleeving And so the meaning of the translations whether by or to * See A. R. lin 16 is all one and may be thus expressed That the unbeleeving wife is sanctified unto the beleeving husband by or through his beleeving Then it will follow by your owne confession that though an unbeleever be in the state of matrimony yet except it be with a beleever the unbeleever cannot procreate such a holy seed * To wit not borne visibly holy in the holy Covenant as the Infants of beleevers are spoken of in 1 Cor. 7 14. And so this argueth that there is a great and manifest difference in respect of holinesse between the infants of beleevers and the infants of Infidells And that this holinesse proceedeth not meerly according to your former inferences * Pag. 11. lin 36 37 38. Lin. 14 15. from a lawfull conjunction in respect of Matrimony which is honourable to all Neither doth the unbeleevers being sanctified come simply by being in the honourable state of Marriage which those have who are not so sanctified but because she or he is coupled in marriage with such a beleever Keep still to this that the unbeleeving yoak-fellow may be sanctifiâ—d to her or his beleeving yoak-fellow but not to any unbeleever And then there will be some more hope that you will be drawn out of your Anti podobaptisticall errours for as I sayd before this doth shew that those children whose parents are neither of them beleevers are not holy nor sanctified by their birth from any ground appearing in 1 Cor. 7.14 or any other Scripture Moreover I know none that pleadeth that the unbeleeving wife of the beleever should be admitted to Baptisme and Church-fellowship with her beleeving husband And yet shee is sanctified unto him in the enjoyment of her to bring forth a holy seed and therefore is in this respect far different from his cattell and beasts with whom he may not so unite himselfe they are not so sanctified to him as to bring forth a holy seed but his wife is which difference you doe not set downe when you say * See A R. Pag. 12. lin 21 22 23. that shee is no otherwise sanctified then servants and his cattell and beasts But you should have minded that the Beasts are sanctified to him as beasts the servants as servants and the unbeleeving wife is sanctified in him to him or by him as a wife But touching the children they are holy under the holy Covenant as hath been formerly observed and proved and shall be further cleared A. R. Pag. 12. li. 27 28. A. R. To another Question which you call an Objection Whether the Children of beleevers have no more priviledge then the children of Heathens Turkes and Infidells You say * Lin. 29. In respect of the Covenant of Grace and Salvation none at all Ans If by their children heer you meane their infants then I absolutely affirme and will prove that the infants of beleevers have more priviledge then the infants of unbeleeving Heathens in respect of the Covenant of grace and salvation for God hath testified to Abraham * Gen. 17.7 Jer 30.22 Ezek. 37.27 Heb. 8.10 saying I will be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee And this is the new Covenant of grace and of salvation That God will be our God and wee shall be his people Which Covenant is not made unto the wicked and their off-spring to Turkes and Heathens who are without God in the world Rev. 21.3 Nor have they any ground to hope for the salvation of their infants for true hope is grounded upon some promise of God which they are destitute of 2 Cor. 6.16.18 and where God hath made no promise who can expert performance Touching secret things they belong unto the Lord our God but things revealed appertaine to us and our children * Deut. 29.27 for ever And whereas you say * Pag. 12. lin 30. It commeth not by any naturall Birth but by the worke of the Spirit for the Spirit bloweth where it listeth Joh. 3.7 8. And God is no respecter of persons But in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him Act. 10.34 35. I answer As the Saints generation doth not hinder their regeneration so their naturall birth doth not hinder the birth of the Spirit for the Spirit bloweth where it listeth John 3.8 And yet the sound thereof may be heard by the testimonies of Scripture which declareth that the Spirit of God is in all that are his and he hath wrought upon some of the infants of beleevers miraculously before they were born and God loveth all his Saints without respect of persons * God hath promised to circumcise our heart and the heart of our seed and this is the work of the Spirit yea he respecteth the poorest of their infants before the infants of the world which are without though they are never so rich In every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him Act. 10.34 35. And as those infants in the time of the Law whom he claimed visibly for his own in speciall were not then to be judged destitute of his Spirit no more are such holy infants now for as Gods Spirit is the Spirit of promise so God is alwayes as good as his word Whereas you say * See A. R. Pag. 12. lin 34. In respect of the means of salvation their priviledge in having beleeving parents is far more then those that have not because beleeving parents may be a means to bring their Children to the knowledge and faith of Jâ—sus Christ and so be instruments of their salvation as Sainâ— Paul saith here The beleeving husband may save his unbeleeving wife I answer If by children here you meane infants if this be all the priviledge you will afford them I thanke you for nothing But it is well they are not at your finding for indeed this measure of yours is somewhat scant If they die in their infancie how shall their parents bring them to the knowledge and faith of Jesus Christ yea how shall they beleeve that they goe to heaven if they had not some warrant to beleeve that the worke of regeneration was wrought in them before If the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and the graces of his holy Spirit were not imputed unto them before Psal
Exod. 12.48 Baptisme is to us as Circumcisâ—on was to the Jewes directed by the infallible rule of Gods Word which rule was never yet abrogated therefore it standeth in force and is not a vaine tradition and seeing God himselfe administred Baptisme upon infants before the Law was given in Mount Sinai how dare you say it is not of God Next after this you cast your eye upon an Author A. R. whom you * See Pag 7. lin 25 26. call A lâ—arned and able Author of our times whose expression you say you cannot but take notice of Ans It may be you call him learned and able because as you say he confesseth himselfe unconvinced of the lawfulnesse of the Baptisme of infants by demonstration of Scripture for it And yet he taketh the Baptisme of infants to be one of the most reverend generall and uncontrouled traditions which the Church hath and which he would no lesse doubt of then the Creed to be Apostolicall And upon this beliefe and confession of his you Paraphrase * In lin 31. to Pag. 8. saying No more would I doubt thereof if I could be convinced by any demonstration of Scripture for it But seeing demonstration of Scripture neither to us is nor by him can be produced for it I doe and must remaine still unconvinced with him and must needs take it to be a meere humane device To which I answer That the doubting conscience cannot be satisfied unlesse God doe it by his Word or Spirit but if the Lord doe open your eyes and give you sight to apprehend and comprehend this light then in it you shall see clearly this truth even the lawfulnesse of the Baptisme of holy infants But if God doe not by his Spirit open your heart the tongue of men and Angels cannot convince you but you must still remaine unconvinced But how can you expect that this Author whom you call Mr. Daniel Rogers should produce Scripture for the Baptisme of Infants while he is as he saith himself unconvinced of it by demonstratioÌ„ of Scripture except you did expect that he should have played the hypocrite so have gon against his Conscience you should know that Whatsoever is not of faith is sin And it doth not argue as you infer that because no demonstration of Scripture is brought by him that therefore none at all is brought to you by those who are convinced of it by the authoritie of Scripture This cannot be true which you affirme considering the many Scriptures which you acknowledge have been alledged for to prove the Baptisme of infants The demonstration whereof hath been sufficiently shewed unto you and therefore if you take it not for satisfaction you may remaine unsatisfied and still unconvinced though convicted with your alledged Author and take it or rather mistake it as you esteem it for a meere humane device But further you say A. R. Pag. 8. Nor is this Author alone in deeming the Baptisme of infants a traditions for many of the Ancients with him have so declared it Origen calleth it a Ceremony or Tradition of the Church In Levit. hom 8. in Epist ad Rom. lib. 5. Augustine calleth it a Common Custome of the Church De baptismo contra Dona. lib. 4. cap. 23. Et de Genesi ad literam lib. 10. cap. 23. To which I say that things may be traditionall and câ—mmonly and customarily practised and yet have sufficient ground and warrant in the Scripture Origen But in citing Origen you doe not tell us what he sayth in the same Epistle to wit that the Church received Baptisme of infants from the Apostles Augustine And in citing Augustine you doe not declare what he sayth in contra Donatist lib. 4. cap. 23 24. that the Baptisme of Infants was not derived from the authoritie of man or Counsels but from the tradition or doctrine of the Apostles But next of all you say Erasmus * Lin. 9 lib. 4. de Ratione Concio sayth that they are not to be condemned that doubt whether Childrens Baptisme were ordained by the Apostles c. To which I answer No more will I condemne those who in weaknesse doe doubt of the Baptisme of Infants but rather pittie them and pray for them and labour as the Apostle biddeth us concerning those that are fallen through infirmitie To restore them with the spirit of meeknesse But when their sinne cometh to such a height The obstinate though ignorant are to be rejected when they reject the truth that they resist the truth and run on wilfully and blasphemously with a leaprous headines and that against the Scripture and the very light and law of reason and will not heare good Counsell nor receive wholsome instruction then they are not to be borne with but condemned Whereas you say further that Ekius * Lin. 12. calleth the Baptisme of Infants a Commandement and ordinance of man In Echiridion I answer You should know that it is a Commandement and ordinance of God In the Scripture Whereas you produce the Papists * Lin. 15. and the Authoritie of Counsells * Lin. 23 to jump with you and your first learned Author cited by you against the Baptisme of Infants to prove it not to be warranted in the Word but grounded upon tradition and not upon the Scripture I answer It evidently appeareth that these your erronious conceptions and peremptory conclusions are builded upon a sandy foundation I pray you tell me How can they beleeve a thing by Scripture that judge the Fathers above the Scripture And as you thus bring humane unsufficient Testimony to prove the Baptisme of Infants to be a humane invention so you doe the like in labouring to make knowne the time when it was invented a meere dreame and vaine conceipt of your owne a thing farre above your reach And you would by your humane Authors beare your Auditors in hand as if the Baptisme of infants were invented some hundreds of yeares after Christ which is neither certaine probable nor possible and yet you cite other humane Authors for it whose historicall relations as you have set them downe have no bottom upon truth and therfore are to no purpose against the Baptisme of holy Infants And therefore your citing them maketh nothing for your purpose neither But you ought rather in this to mount above humane testimony and leave these your two cited Authors to reconcile themselves Goe to the Law and to the Testimony * Isa 8.29 for whatsoever is not according to that hath no light in it and there see what time the baptisme of infants was administred I thinke that Circumcision of infaÌ„ts was not invented nor administred before the Baptisme of infants As for the time of the invention thereof I will not intermeddle or take upon me to determine at this time forasmuch as it is sufficient for us to know that God is the Author and instituter of it the administration whereof was in the
the distillation of the spirit of giddinesse into the hearts of their hearers that they walke indeed as you speak * Lin. 33. in a circular Maze And so by confounding Law and Gospel have laboured to bring you or rather detaine you in bondage to sinne See A. R. pag. 26. at lin 10. Next You would make us beleeve that you desire that the doctrine of free grace by Jesus Christ might be set forth distinctly in its native luster and the spiritualitie thereof in its fulnesse of beautie and glory clearly layd open Which is indeed a thing to be desired both in the continuance and encrease thereof But alas little doe you thinke as I in charitie judge how all your labour in this Treatise tendeth to the darkening obscuring eclipsing restraining and limitting of the doctrine of free grace by Jesus Christ the distinct displaying of whose native luster though it be never so often done or the spiritualitie thereof in its fulnesse of beautie and glory never so clearly layd open before you yet you cannot see it clearly indeed so long as you thus hudwinke the eyes of your charitie and present the blessed babes of beleeving parents unto you and your selfe unto them in such beastly shapes as you have don throughout your discourse coÌ„cerning them You talk freely of free grace as if it were excellent in your eyes and that you desire to be satisfied with the fulnes of the beautie thereof But in the mean while you would not have us thinke that any part thereof belongeth to the holy infants But surely as I sayd before * See before in this Treatise pag. 82. it is well they are not at your finding for if they were it seemeth that you would Dives-like not admit them the least crum which falleth from your Table But our sweet Saviour Jesus Christ who was once an infant and is and alwayes was the onely begotten Sonne of God full of grace and truth hath free grace enough in store for them and hath displayed the same excellently in its native luster as is frequently manifested in the Scripture of God Which thing no doubt you will perceive when once God openeth your eyes to see how the covenant of mercy is made with beleeving parents and their seed that he will be their God and will accept of them in Christ binding them to do nothing above their abilitie And this free grace of God ariseth from his loving kindnesse or good will which he hath unto them and alwayes had which kinde mind moved him to look upon them with the eye of pittie and so to take such his chosen ones to himselfe And this grace may well be said to be free and why Because it proceedeth not from workes but from the love of God in Christ Jesus The love which is in God is that which moveth God who is love to love Because He loved thy fathers Deut. 4.37 Gen. 17.7 8. therefore He chose their seed So the covenant of free grace runs thus I will be the God of thee and of thy seed after thee And he bindeth the holy infants to no action or any thing which they cannot doe but giveth them the true blessednesse without works And therefore though you talke never so long of free grace and tosse it never so often in your mouth yet it is no freedome for you but bondage unto you so long as you doe by with-standing holy infants as it were snatch their bread out of their mouths The ground whereof is your unbeliefe because you perswade your selfe that the holy infants are not visibly in the state of salvation till they actually and verbally expresse faith As if the beleevers infants dying in their infancie were not saved by Christs righteousnesse imputed unto them without workes And your own errours you mention which like hypocrites twinnes doe smile and weep stand and fall together may be justly fathered upon those who bâ—râ—e out the infants from the said priviledges which Christ hath bequeathed unto them as they are selected unto him As for the gay Clergie which you mention Pag. 25. meaning those of the Church of England as I suppose which you now run upon as you did at the latter end of your first book though it be to little purpose for as much as it doth not concerne our poynt in hand yet I will tell you what I know and have found by experience that they are faine to betake themselves to Anabaptisticall Arguments both for the maintenance of their state and retaining of evill persons therein which indeed ariseth from their grosse mistake of the Historie of the Scripture thinking as you doe that the Church of the Jewes was constituted meerly upon nature and carnalitie and the like stuffe never considering that God from the beginning of the world alwayes constituted his Church onely of such persons who in all visible account were faithfull and holy And still provided a way and means to purge the Church from corruptions Moreover The parties formerly specified in maintenance of their state have also a fond erronious conceipt that because they have some of Gods ordinances therefore they are a true Church not considering that Gods ordinances may be in a false state as in Jeroboams whorish Church as hath been observed formerly ** See the Answer to A. R. first part Hereupon they are forceably driven either to confesse the Church of Rome to be a true Church or else to maintaine that an unbaptizâ—d person may baptize Now if they stand to denie the baptisme in the Church of Rome they denie their owne Baptisme which they received successively from thence which if they doe as upon your grounds they are driven thereunto then how doe you thinke they will raise baptisme except an unbaptized person baptize another Thus you may see into what streits they wrap and ensnare themselves in taking up such groundlesse Arguments as you bring and all to justifie themselves in their own way and to avoyd and withstand the way of Seperation which is the onely way of God Whereas you bring in the disorders in worship government which you say the Papists have brought in I tell you this is a varying from the matter in hand yet I say we ought to learne by the same to avoyd them and all those who seek to ruinate the foundation of Christian Religion by casting darke shadowes upon the heavenly beautiâ— and glorious excellencie of Christs Kingly Priestly and Propheticall office and eclipse his Mediatorship as if it were lesse then it was before he was manifested in the flesh As if he who hath all power both in heaven and in earth hath not given so much authoritie as generally and universally to make Disciples and baptize them as the Saints of old had to make Disciples and circumcise them Surely seeing Christ is as faithfull in his house as Moses As the Gospel of Christ in former time was so effectuall and powerfull as to cause Proselytes and