the more Christian and Orderly managing of this our Brotherly Agreement and Association we do agree First That every Man at his entering into this Society tender us a Certificate of his Painfulness in the Ministry and of his Godliness in Conversation under the Hands of two godly Ministers at least not of the Society and of two or three godly Christians known to some of the Society And that all the Certificates be brought into and kept in the Hands of one of the Brethren that by common Consent shall be appointed thereunto Secondly That every Man that cometh into this Society and Agreement be desired to express his willingness in case of any Miscarriage whereby he shall give just occasion of Offence unto the Society to submit unto the Reproof and Determination of the whole or the major part of the Society so farforth as their Reproof and Determination shall be warranted by the Scripture Thirdly That our Meetings be constantly begun and ended with Prayer to be made by the Moderator pro tempore who at the first Meeting is to be chosen for the Meeting next following and so continually for the better ordering of our Meetings and Debates Fourthly That no private Matters be propounded in our General Meetings but by the Moderator and that not while any Publick Business is in debate without the leave and consent of the whole Society or the major part Fifthly That any Brother that shall be willing to joyn hereafter into this Society may upon the same Terms be freely accepted into this Brotherly Agreement The Independant Churches also in Ireland led by Dr. Winter Pastor of their Church in Dublin associated with the moderate Presbyterians there upon these Provocations and the Perswasions of Col. Iohn Bridges my Neighbour And they sent us together their Desires of Correspondency with which our Answer is here subjoyned Honoured and Beloved Brethren in the Lord IT hath pleased the good hand of Heaven to bring into our Parts our much esteemed Friend Coll. Bridges in much Mercy to us all and by him as also by several other hands to give us some acquaintance with the State of Christ's Affairs among you which very much obliges us to Sympathise with you according to the several Administrations of Providence as becomes the Relation of Fellow-members and Subjects in Christ's Kingdom His Return into your Parts affords us an Opportunity to signify the same and how much we desire to manifest it by real Demonstrations through the good Will of him that dwelt in the Bush. In order thereunto we thought fit to testify our Willingness to contribute our utmost through his Assistance to the maintaining of a Christian Correspondency between us that we may mutually receive and give the Right Hand of Fellowship in a Season of so much need Whilst the common Enemy is still labouring to divide and destroy the Friends of Christ in all parts it concerns us nearly to be so much the more industrious and active in the promoting of Christ's Interest against his Power and Policy the bitter Fruits of unchristian Divisions we have too much tasted of and through the Lord's Goodness have reaped already some Benefit from our brotherly Association whereinto we entered not long ago The present Condition of God's People in Foreign Parts as among us calls a loud for a more cordial Union and Communion among all such who desire to fear his Name It 's therefore our Hearts Desire not to be wanting in our Faith and Prayers Resolves and Endeavours to the fulfilling of those exceeding great and precious Truths do eminently centre in these latter Days that Christ's Friends may receive one Mind and Heart to serve him with one Lip and Shoulder We are thereby much encouraged to request your Christian Assistance and Brotherly Correspondency that we may all be the better able in our several Stations and Relations to promote more vigorously the Interest of Christ and of his People After the sad shakings of this Land and his many turnings of things upside down the Lord is pleased to promise us a little Reviving and to open a Door of Hope even in the Valley of Achor Your favourable help is therefore earnestly craved that Ireland may once more partake of the glad Tidings of Heaven and the wants of many Thousand starving Souls may be seasonably supply'd with the Bread of Life The particular of our Affairs Coll. Bridges will give you a more exact Account of and will be ready to convey to us the Signification of your Christian Compliance with our longing Desire To the Blessing of the most High we humbly recommend the care of the several Nurseries of Christ among you that the Plants of his House may flourish in his Courts through the Supplies of Christ's Spirit in whom we cordially desire to be and appear Your affectionate Brethren in the Bonds of the Gospel to serve you through Grace Sam. Winter Pastor of the Church in Dublin Claudius Gilbert Pastor of the Church at Limerick Ed. Reynolds M. J. Warren M. Will. Markham Tho. Osmonton M. In the Name of the associated Churches of Christ in Ireland Dublin 5. M. 8. D. 1655. Iuly 5. These for the Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter Pastor of the Church of Christ in Kiderminster to be by him communicated to the several Churches of that Association Our Answer whereto was as follows Much honoured and beloved Brethren in the Lord WE received your welcome Lines from the Hand of our faithful and much honoured Friend Coll. John Bridges It much rejoiceth us to hear of your brotherly Affeciation and the Success and more that your Hearts are enlarged with such Desires for the farther promoting of this healing Work and that you thus breath after the Union of the Saints It doth not only rejoice us on your own behalf and on the behalf of that desolate Land where you abide but also on the behalf of the Churches in general because we seem to discern the gracious Thoughts of God unto his People in sounding a Retreat to their unbrotherly Contentions by sending forth that Spirit of Love and Peace which we know must build us up if ever we are built When God was pulling down and laying Waste be witheld this Mercy and let out upon his Churches a Spirit of Contention Bitterness and Division which hath gone on to demolish and break in pieces and made our own Hands the Executioners of those heavy Iudgments which have laid us so long in Shame and Sorrow and filled our Enemies Mouths with Scorn While this evil Spirit that made desolate did prevail Division seemed aimable and dividing Principles seemed glorious Truths and all Motions to Reconciliations were unsavory things and rejected as a Defection from Truth or Zeal and as a carnal Compliance with the ways of Darkness and even those that were zealous for Truth and Holiness were too many of them cold for Peace and Unity reading those Scriptures which so earnestly press them as if they read them not never
observing or laying to Heart the strict Commands of the Lord herein as if there had been no such Passages in our Bibles But blessed be the Lord that beginneth mightily to awaken the Hearts of his Servants and cause them to observe the Truths which they overlook'd and at last to lay to heart the Duty so much neglected We now hear from many Countries of this Nation the Voice of the Spirit of Peace our Brethren begin to get together and consult of the means of reparing our Breaches and in many Places are associated and though the Work be but beginning and mightily resisted by the Enemies of Holyness and Peace yet are we in great Hopes that these Beginnings do promise more and that God hath not awakened us to this Work in vain And now by the Tidings of your Concord we have received an increase of these our Hopes and Consolations Go on dear Brethren as One in the Centre of Unity and prevail in the Strength of the great Reconciler This is the way that will prevail at last and however it be thought of by others will certainly be comfortable to ourselves in the review when dividing ways will be all disgraced and look with another Face than now they do He that is for Vanity and Love is likest to have his Approbation who is one and who is Love Our Hearts are with you and our Prayers shall be for you that you may abundantly reap the Fruits of Concord in the Conviction of Gain-sayers and the farther Confirmation and Edification of your own Your Motion for a Correspondency we gladly entertain and shall rejoice in the Assistance of your Advice and Prayers and willingly to that end communicate our Affairs We are now upon a joint Agreement to bring all the ancient Persons in our Parishes who will not do it in the Congregation to our Houses on certain Days every Week by turns to be catechised or instructed as shall be most to their Edification A Work that requireth so much unwearied Diligence Self-denial and holy Skill and wherein we are like to meet with so much Resistance and yet doth appear to us of great necessity and use that we earnestly crave your Prayers for such Qualifications and Successes The State of your Affairs we partly understand by the Information of Coll. Bridges We heartily pray the Lord of the Harvest to send forth more Labourers among you and could we contribute any thing to so good a Work we should willingly do it But able Ministers fit for the Work with you are too few and many of them so weak of Body that they are unfit for Travel and most of them so engaged to their Godly People and the People so impatient of a Motion for their remove that the Work will be very hard but we hope to be faithful in our Endeavours whatever be the Success Brethren we crave your Prayers to God that we may be faithful and Successful in his Work as also that Brotherly Correspondency which you motion might abide and we remain Your Brethren in the Faith of Christ Rich. Baxter Teacher of the Church at Kiderminster Jarvis Bryan Teacher of the Church at Old Swinford Henry Oasland Teacher of the Church at Bewdeley Andr. Tristram Teacher of the Church at Clent Tho. Baldwin Minister at Wolverly In the Name of the associated Ministers meeting at Kiderminster August 12. 1655. To the Reverend our much honoured Brother Dr. Winter Pastor of the Church at Dublin to be communicated by him to the associated Churches in Ireland These They wrote us also a Second Letter which I here subjoin Reverend and much valued Brethren YOUR Affectionate Letter in Answer to ours by that Honourable Person we have received and do desire that these Lines may testify our Thankfulness to you for your loving and free Acceptation of our Desires of a Brotherly Correspondency Those Pantings of yours for the Peace and Union of the Saints we doubt not will be to your Comfort at the great Day of your Account God is not unjust to forget your Work and Labour of Love Go on therefore dear Brethren in his Strength whose work it is and of whose Power and Presence you have had so great Experience We trust as our Hearts are with you so our Prayers shall not be wanting for you at the Throne of Grace We thank you for your Ioy at our Association and Success and that we still breath after that happy Work Surely if after our long Experiences of those woful Desolations that Divisions and Dissentions have involved the Saints in our Hearts should not be enlarged after Union and Peace that must repair our Breaches we should have Cause to suspect our Union with and Love to our Head We are not ignorant how much the Self-love and Pride of some and the misguided Zeal of others of approved Sincerity have advanced the Design of the grand Enemy by over eager and unbrotherly Bitterness even in matters circumstantial Neither are we altogether ignorant how subtilly that old Serpent and Deceiver hath laboured by a pretext of Love to swallow up Truth it being for a while the only Cry Love Love yet not the least hint of Truth which had most need of their Charity being miserably torn and mangled To which our Charity leads us to attribute the Praise of many of our Brethren as being unwilling to buy Love with the Loss of Truth It is the Apostles Advice that the Truth should be spoken in Love and that we should contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints But Thanks be to the Lord God of Truth that hath preserved his Darling from the Devourer making the way of Love exceeding aimable because of Truth so that we trust it will not lie untrodden by the Lord's People through circumstantial Differences whilst all hold the Form of wholesom Words considering one another and walking together in what they are agreed and waiting upon the Lord for the revealing of that wherein they differ perfection being reserved for another World That there are any Beginnings and that by you we hear of more we earnestly desire our Hearts may be duly and thankfully affected therewith praying the God of truth and Peace to uphold his Truth and to shower down plentifully the Spirit of Love and Peace that at the Lord is One so his People may be One. Your present Work we are in some measure sensible of its Necessity and Weightiness Wherefore our Prayers shall be for you that the Lord whose Servants ye are and whose work it is would be with you to counsel encourage strengthen and prosper you in it as we crave your daily Prayers for these Infant Churches that our God may vouchsafe his Spirit and Presence to us whose lot is cast in this Wilderness having many Enemies to conflict withal from within as well as without your Advice and brotherly Assistance we request as we shall have Occasion and Opportunity to communicate our Affairs to you Lastly the deep
no great disputing Faculty but only a florid Epistolary Stile and was wholly a Stranger to me and to the Matters of Fact and therefore could say nothing to them But only being of a Bold and Roman Spirit he thought that no Suffering should deter a Man from the smallest Duty or cause him to silence any useful Truth And I had formerly seen a Latin Discourse of his against Monarchy which no whit pleased me being a weak Argumentation for a bad Cause So that I desired no such Champion shortly after he went over with the E. of Anglesey whose Houshold Chaplain he was into Ireland and having preached there some times and returning back was apprehended and sent Prisoner to the Tower where he continued long till his Means was all spent and how he hath since procured Bread I know not When he had been Prisoner about a year it seems he was acquainted with Mr. Davis who was also a Prisoner in the Tower This Mr. Davis having been very serviceable in the Restoration of the King and having laid out much of his Estate for his Service thoâ—â— the might be the bolder with his Tongue and Pen and being of a Spirit which some called undaunted but others furious or indiscreet at best did give an unmannerly liberty to his Tongue to accuse the Court of such Crimes with such Aggravations as being a Subject I think it not meet to name At last he talkt so freely in the Tower also that he was shipt away Prisoner to Tangier in Africa Mr. Bagshaw being surprized by L'Estrange and his Chamber searched there was found with him a Paper called Mr. Davis's Case Whereupon he was brought out to speak with the King who examined him of whom he had that Paper and he denied to confess and spake so boldly to the King as much offended him whereupon he was sent back to the Tower and laid in a deep dark dreadful Dungeon When he had lain there three or four Days and Nights without Candle Fire Bed or Straw he fell into a terrible fit of the Haemorrboids which the Physicians thought did save his Life for the pain was so vehement that it kept him in a sweat which cast out the Infection of the Damp. At last by the solicitation of his Brother who was a Conformist and dearly loved him he was taken up and after that was sent away to Southsea-Castle an unwholesome place in the Sea by Portsmouth where if he be alive he remaineth close Prisoner to this day with Vavasor Powel a Preacher of North-Wales and others speeding worse than Mr. Crofton who was at last released § 261. While I was in Shropshire and Worcestershire it fell out that some one printed one of our Papers given into the Bishops And though I was above an hundred miles off yet was it all imputed to me and Roger L'Estrange put it in the News Book that it was supposed to be my doing Indeed when Dr. Gunning had asked me Whether we would keep ours from the Press if they would do the same by theirs I would not promise him but told him though I supposed that none of us intended to be so presumptuous as to publish them without Authority yet I could promise nothing for all them that were absent nor could any one promise it when so many Scriveners were intrusted to Transcribe them that the King and Bishops might have Copies and whether any of those Scriveners might keep a Copy for themselves I knew not And after this most of the other Papers were printed by I know not whom to this day But I conjectured that a poor Man that I paid for writing me a Copy Dr. Reignolds's Curate was likeliest to do it to get some what to supply his very great wants but I am utterly uncertain But I had intelligence that the second Papers were in the Press and that Malice might impure it to me no more I went to Secretary Morrice and acquainted him with it that he might send a Messenger to surprize them But he told me that if I could assure him that the Bishops had not given consent I should have a warrant to search for them I told him that I knew not what the Bishops had done but he might easily conjecture Nor would I search for them but having told him left him to do what he thought meet § 262. And here I must give notice That whereas there are then printed 1. Our first Proposals for Concord in Discipline 2. Our Papers upon the sight of the first Draught of the King's Declaration 3. Our Petition and Reasons to the Bishops for Peace 4. Our Reformed Liturgy 5. Our Exceptions against the Faults of the Common Prayer Book 6. Our Reply to the Bishops Answer to these Exceptions with the Answer it self verbatim inserted 7. Our last Account and Petition to the King 8. A Copy of all their Disputation for the Liturgy with our Answers all these being surreptitiously printed save the first piece by some poor Men for gain without our Knowledge and Correction are so falsly printed that our wrong by it is very great Whole Lines are left out the most significant words are preverted by Alterations and this so frequently that some parts of the Papers especially our large Reply and our last Account to the King are made Nonsence and not intelligible But the last Paper Dr. Pierson's and Dr. Gunning's Disputation I confess was not printed without my knowledge For Bishop Morley's misreports with so great confidence uttered had made it of some necessity But I added not one Syllable by way of Commentary the words themselves being sufficient for his Confutation If I remember I will give you in the end of this Book the Errata of them all that they that have the printed Copies may know how to correct them § 263. The coming forth of these Papers had various effects It increased the burning indignation which before was kindled against me on one side and it somewhat mitigated the Censures that were taken up against me on the other side For you must know that the Chief of the Congregational or Independent Party took it ill that we took not them with us in our Treaty and so did a few of the Presbyterian Divines all whom we so far passed by as not to invite them to our Councils though they were as free as we to have done the like because we knew that it would be but a hinderance to us partly because their Persons were unacceptable and partly because it might have delayed the Work And most of the Independents and some few Presbyterians raised it as a common Censure against us that if we had not been so forward to meet the Bishops with the offers of so much at first and to enter a Treaty with them without just cause we had all had better Terms and standing off would have done more good so that though my Person and Intentions had a more favourable Censure from them than some others yet for the
be as dear to us as any other and that if I were a Member of Mr. Tombeis Church if he would permit me I would live obediently under his Ministry allowing me the Liberty of my Conscience I hope God is working for our Unity and Peace I have been long preaching of the Unity of the Catholick Church containing all true Christians as Members and the last Week save one Mr. Tombes came to the Re-baptized Church at Bewdley and preacht on the same Subbject and so excellently well as I hear for Unity among all true Christians to the same purpose with your Husband's Arguments that I much rejoiced to hear of it though I hear some of his People were offended And now that this should be seconded with your Husband 's peaceable Arguments puts me in some Hopes of a little more healing I have strong Hopes that if I were in London I should persuade such as your Husband and Mr. Iohn Goodwin and many an honest Presbyterian Minister as great a distance as seems to be between them all to come yet together and live in Holy Communion But be sure God will drive us together before he hath done with us Living Members will smart by distance and be impatient till the Wound be closed what a Damp is upon the Spirits of those Christians that can separate interpretatively from a thousand parts to one of the Church of Christ. The Papists would desire no better sport nor the Infidels neither than to reduce the Church of Christ to the Antipaede Baptists or the baptized at Age and so to deny him to have had any visible Church in the World that we can prove for so many Years Would they have held Communion with the Catholick Church for a thousand Years together or would they not if they had lived in those times If they would then why not with us also that are of the same Judgment Was it a Duty then and is it unlawful now or are they Respecters of Persons If they would not in all those Ages have held Communion with the visible Church what would they have done but separated from the Body and so from the Head and cast off Christ in all his Members and taken him to be a Head without a Body which is no head and so no Christ what would they have done but denied his Power and Love and Truth and consequently his Redemption and his Office Hath he come at the end of Four Thousand Years since the Creation to redeem the World that lay so long in Darkness and hath he made such wonderful Preparations for his Church by his Life and Miracles and Blood and Spirit c. and promised that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and that his Kingdom shall be an Everlasting Kingdom and his Dominion endureth from Generation to Generation and yet after all this shall he have a Church even as the Seekers say but for an Age or two For doubtless tho' where Heathens were the Neighbours of the Church many were baptised at Age yet no Man can name or prove a Society or I think a Person against infant Baptism for One Thousand Two Hundred Years at least if not One Thousand Four Hundred And for many Ages no other ordinarily baptized but Infants If Christ had no Church then where was his Wisdom his Love and his Power What was become of the Glory of his Redemption and his Catholick Church that was to continue to the End That Man that can believe that Christ had no Church for so long time or any one Age since his Ascension must turn an Infidel and deny him to be Christ if he be a rational Man Did all the Gospel Precepts of Love and Holy Communion cease as soon as Infant Baptism prevailed doubtless though it be be his Ordinance Christ never laid so great a stress on the outward Washing as Dividers do Whenever Baptism is mentioned in Scripture it means The Engagement of the Person to Jesus Christ by solemn Covenant which Washing is appointed to Solemnize and 1 Cor. 12. 13. doth plainly mean That one Holy Spirit which is usually given to the Baptized either in or near their outward Baptism doth inwardly animate all the Body and unite them and assimilate them and prove them Members Constantine the Great was the Glory of the Church in his Generation maintaining Holiness and Peace when the Pastors were some Corrupters and some Dividers and would have broken all in Pieces but for him He ordinarily Preached or made Holy Prayers and Speeches in Meetings and yet was never baptized all this while till near Death and none ever scrupuled his Communion I would know of the Dividers why they should think Baptism more necessary to be believed than the other Sacrament the Supper of the Lord Yet it is certain that all the ancient Church did purposely conceal the Lord's Supper from the Knowledge of the Catechumens by which it appears they judged not the Belief of it essential to a Church Member Yet I know the great thing meant by the Word Baptism in Scripture is essential to the Church-Membership of the Adult that is the giving up our selves to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in Covenant but the Sign is only necessary as a Duty but not as a means without which the thing cannot be had This is voluminously proved against the Papists with whom the contrary minded do comply Circumcision in the Wilderness was separated from Church-Membership and Communion And is the outward part of Baptism more necessary under the Gospel which setteth less by Externals and where God that is a Spirit will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth and where neither Circumcision nor Un-Uncircumcision availeth any thing but a new Creature and Faith that worketh by Love But our main Argument against them is That no true Definition can be given of Baptism that will not agree with Infant-Baptism if it were granted to be unlawful were it proved an unmeet Age it will never prove the Baptism null But I do but go besides your Expectation I suppose in all this which is occasioned by your Husbands Paper and the main Cause I shall therefore come at last to your Case But will Mr. Lambe regard the Judgment of one that differeth from him as I do You know according to my Judgment what I must advise him to but though still it is my Judgment that Infants of Believers should be solemnly given up to Christ by Baptism yet I shall deal as impartially as I can and put my self in Mr. L's Case and supposing I were of his Opinion against Infant-Baptism I shall answer your particular Questions To the two first I answer 1. We have a sure Word to fly to for Direction and many great and evident Principles as here the Nature of the Catholick Church c. to give us Light in the darker Points that depend upon them and in such a Case it is dangerous gathering our Informations about Truth or Duty or
peaceable Reformation among us than to break down This Partition-Wall for there is nothing provokes more than this doth to deny such Churches to be true Churches of Christ. For do but think with your selves and I will give you a familiar Example You come to a Man whom you think to be a godly Man you tell him He hath these and these Sins in him and they are great ones It is as much as he can hear though you tell him he is a Saint and acknowledge him so but if you come to him and say besides this You are a Limb of the Devil and you have no Grace in you this provoketh all in a Man when there is any Ground in himself to think so or in another to judge him so so it is here Come to Church and say You have these Defects among you and these things to be reformed But if you will come and say Your Churches and your Ministers are Antichristian and come from Babylon there is nothing provoketh more Therefore if there be a Truth in it as I believe there is Men should be Zealous to express it For this is the great Partition Wall that hindreth of twain making one Then again This is that which I consider and it is a great Consideration also I know that Jesus Christ hath given his People Light in Matters of this Nature by degrees Thousands of good Souls that have been bred up and born in our Assemblies and enjoy the Ordinances of God and have done it comfortably cannot suddenly take in other Principles You must wait on Christ to do it In this Case Men are not to be wrought off by Falshoods God hath no need of them no rather till Men do take in Light you should give them all that is comfortable in the Condition they are in we should acknowledge every good thing in every Man in every Church in every thing and that is a way to work upon Men and to prevail with them as it is Philem. v. 6. That the Communication of thy Faith may become effectual acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Iesus It is that which buildeth Men up by acknowledgment of every good thing that is in them Lastly The last Inconvenience is this It doth deprive Men of all those Gifts that are found amongst our Ministers and in this Kingdom that they cannot hold any Communion or fellowship with them So that I profess my self as Zealous in this Point as in any other I know And for my part this I say and I say it with much Integrity I never yet took up Religion by Parties in the Lump I have found by tryal of things that there is some truth on all Sides I have found Holiness where you would little think it and so likewise Truth And I have learned this Principle which I hope I shall never lay down till I am swallowed up of Imortality and that is that which I said before To acknowledge every good thing and hold Communion with it in Men in Churches or Whatsoever else I learn this from Paul I learn this from Jesus Christ himself He filleth All in All He is in the Hearts of his People and filleth them in his Ordinances to this Day And where Jesus Christ filleth why should we deny an Acknowledgment and a right Hand of Fellowship and Communion My Brethren this Rule that I have now mentioned which I profess I have lived by and shall do while I live I know I shall never please Men in it Why It is plain for this is the Nature and Condition of all Mankind if a Man dissents from others in one thing he loseth himself in all the rest And therefore it a Man do take what is good of all sides he is apt to lose them all But he pleaseth Christ by it and so I will for this particular Thus far Dr. T. Goodwin prefaced and commended by Thankful Owen and Iames Barron worthy and peaceable Men deceased The Transcriber craveth judicious Resolutions of these two Questions 1. Whether it be lawful to be a fixed Member of a grosly Schismatical Church that is guilty of such separating from slandering almost all others as is here reproved when Communion with better may be had Quest. 2. How far others are bound to reprove and Testify against such dividing Principles Ministers and Churches especially after and under doleful Experience of their sinful calamitous Effects Dear Brother I Have felt that in my own Soul and seen that upon my Brethren for these two or three Years last past which persuadeth me that God is about the healing of our Wounds having communicated more healing Principles and Affections and poured out more of the Spirit of Catholick Love and Peace than I have perceived heretofore Love is arisen and shineth upon the Children of the Day and your congealed Stiffness begins to vanish and a Christian Tenderness to succeed The Prince of Peace erects his Banner and the Sons of Peace flock in apace It is a shame to be the last but a misery to be none God will bring his divided distracted Servants nearer together and it is Pity he should be put to bear down any resisting Saints among the Instruments of Satan and that any of their Carcasses should be found on the Ground when he conquereth the Enemies of Peace The Lord is about revealing to his Servants the Error of their Consoriousness Harshness Uncharitableness and Divisions and how grievously they have wronged him and themselves by departing so far from Christian Love and Unity He will let them see how much of the Cause was secret and undiscerned Pride and Self-conceitedness and want of Holy Christian Love while little was pretended or discerned but Strictness and Obedience He will shew them more fully wherein the true Nature of Grace and Holy Obedience doth consist and teach them by the Impress of his Spirit what he so emphatically commanded them by his Word to go learn what that meaneth I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice It 's pity we should not understand the meaning of Words so plain but it 's Sin and Shame as well as Pity that we have studied them no better after such a Memorandum and Command as this But many of God's Servants have in the Points of Unity and Peace been like those miserable Souls that are described to have Eyes and see not Ears and hear not Hearts and understand not these blessed Precepts of Love and Unity though none more plain and frequent and urgent for the time was not come that they should be recovered and healed though this Defection be not in the Essence of Christianity but the Degrees nor for Perpetuity but a Time yet it 's sad that such a Spirit of deadness should so far prevail that Men inquisitive after Truth and zealous of Holiness should least understand the plainest nearest frequent Precepts and so little feel their Obligations to such weighty Duties that the Lord is pleased to stir upon their
Spirit among others is a great rejoicing to me And I hope I may tell you that it is in vain as I am sure I may tell you it is no small Sin any more to resist and strive against him If the Hand of our dear and tender Lord be setting you in joint again shrink not on account of present pain much less should you fear the Reproach of being in Communion with the Body but impartially hearken unto him and yield but lay by all Tumults of Spirits and Passions and get out of the Noise of vulgar Clamours for the Voice of Peace is a still Voice and in Calmness must be attended unto And when you are restored if you find not the Sweetness and Advantages of Peace if you are indeed restored in Mind as well as Practice the Lord hath not spoken in this by me I can hardly think that he that hath raised these Thoughts within you and begun these Convictions will let them die In order to the Ends desired and hoped for I shall offer you so much of my present Thoughts as your described Case requires And 1. though I desire not to dispute the Case of Infant Baptism with you now yet I may say we believe you live in a constant Sin against the Lord in neglecting denying and opposing it and that if you will by one erroneous Supposition draw on a Chain of hurtful Consequences you are the Cause of your own Disorders At a fitter Season I should desire you but to answer me this one Argument All that should be sacramentally or solemnly inticed into the Holy Covenant with God as his People should be Baptized or at least be taken as true Members of the Church and their Entrance just but the Infants of believing Parents should be sacramentally and solemnly entred into Covenant with God or his People Ergo c. The Minor we give you the abundant Proof of Law and Promise for before Christ. It was Abraham's Duty and Priviledge according to the Tenour of the Promise which was made with him before the Law to enter his Children sacramentally and solemnly into the holy Covenant It was all the Churches Duty after both Jews and Proselytes both the uncircumcised Females and the circumcised Males and all the uncircumcised Church in the Wilderness Deut. 29 c. Tell me now how I should answer it before the Lord if I tell Parents that they are absolved from this Duty of solemn entring their Children into the Covenant and are divested of the blessed Priviledge especially when you here tell me well that you know of none but his Body that Christ is the Saviour of and that the Church is this Body Ergo you know of no Salvation for Infants if they be not of the Church Ergo Exclussion would be a heavy Case shall I say that Christ hath recalled this Law and Grant but how should I prove it I shew you the Law and Grant do you shew me the Repeal and we have done Christ never speaks a word to repeal it nor any of his Apostles Entring our Children into the holy Covenant is not a Ceremony If God say to a Father why didst thou not dedicate this Child to me and solemnly enter him into Covenant with me what can he say The Precept Promise and long Practice were plain was the Repeal also plain Yes if it be a Repeal for Christ to take such Children into his Arms and bless them and tell us of such is his Kingdom and to be offended with those that would have kept them from him and to command that all Disciples be Baptized He knew well enough when he instituted Baptism and exercised it first upon the adult that the Iews did so too with their Proselites And Ergo when he did in that no more than they did that yet admitted the Infants of Church-Members his baptizing the Adult could no more signify his Denial of Infants to be baptized than the Iews baptizing the Adult could signify it who at that time baptized Infants also nor could the Disciples interpret Christ's Doctrine and Will to be contrary to the Iews when his Practice was no more than theirs And when he never uttered a Syllable to intimate a Repeal of that great Mercy and Duty of entring Infants solemnly into the Covenant which by God's Appointment had continued so long And the Covenant was I will be thy God and thou shalt be my People But all this falls in besides my first intent and therefore I rather expect your Pardon than your regard of it at the present though time may shew you Light in that which now seems Darkness 2. But if our Infant Baptism were irregular how will you prove it a Nullity never by any sound Argument every Irregularity is not a Nullity Whether you take the Word as signifying Faedus Sacramentale a Sacramental Covenant as Scripture commonly doth more notably intending the Covenant than the outward Act or Sacramentum Faederale a Federal Sacrament or Action most notably signifying the Sign or Act it 's all one to our purpose for Infants are capable of both the Covenant and the outward Sign and of all that is essential to Baptism That they are capable of being entred into Covenant 1. Nature tells us we commonly enter them under Princes as their Subjects and into private Contracts with Landlords for Possessions 2. The ancient Law Promise and Practice of the Church before Christ tells us for then it was actually done by God's Command And that they are capable of the outward Sign is undeniable Prove it a Nullity if you can though it were a Sin 3. But if both were granted the Sin and Nullity I come now to give you my Reasons why it warrants you not to deny Communion with the Churches that were thus Baptized in Infancy And 1. I beseech you note that Baptism is as necessary if not much more to the Admission of Men into the universal visible Church as such or into a particular Church Ergo If Men may be admitted into the universal visible Church without adult Baptism then he may be admitted into a particular Church without it But yet here grant that he may be a Member of the universal Church without it Ergo Baptism is indeed appointed to be our regular entrance by way of Sacramental Covenant and Investiture into the Church Universal and not into a particular Church necessarily though it may be into both yet it is but indirectly into the particular Church The Eunuch and all that were baptized first in any place by the Apostles were baptized only into the Church universal and afterward setled in Order under Pastors in particular Churches Baptism as such as it was called our Christening doth only list Men under Christ as Christians and if it do any more as to the thing in Question it is accidentally and not always nor necessarily We are not directly sure baptized to our Pastors and so not to that Particular Church nothing then is more plain