is at this day denyed to be dispensed but specially to that numberless number of infants of Turks Pagans and infidels to whom in infancy your own Doctrine denies baptism as well as ours and consequently if your own bloody tenet of no baptism no salvation to dying inâ—ants were true all hope of their salvation T is your common course to clamor and cry out against us as having no christian charitie as being most inveterate and cruel enemies to infants only for denying the baptism of those few to whom you dispense it as well as those Myriads of little ones to whom your selves deny it together with us but I appeal to all people who are not already so perfectly prejudiced against us by your prating as to stand resolved to believe nothing but your blind dictates to judge between us whether we are so cruelly opinioned towards infants who barely deny them baptism believing the salvation notwithstanding of all that dy in infancy without it or your selves rather who deny that dispensation to all infidels infants which are twenty to one in the world and yet hold that dispensation so necessary to salvation that there is no hope of other then damnation to whomsoever it is denyed whereas in confutation of you out of your own mouths if your own sense of Mat. 18.14 be true where you contend to have the word little ones taken literally for infants Christ himself saies there that it is not the will of my Father that so much as one of these little ones should pâ—rish Secondly oh the palpable papistry which is here openly professed by you who yet would seem to protest against every inch of it for it is one of the grossest pieces of popery to hold no salvation to infants without baptism and one great controversie between them and protestants yet you give the cause thus far as to grant it to be necessary and effectual to salvation of infants whether ex opere operato or no as you are silent in it here so pray tell us another time that there need be neither doubt nor fear of such dying infants damnation to whom it s dispensed and can be no hope of the salvation of such as dy without it or at least to whom doctrinally it is denied Thirdly oh the wretched contradiction that is here given 1. To your selves who say above p. 5. that it is breach of Christian charity to presume otherwise then well of such little infants of whom it cannot appear that by any actuall sin they have barred themselves or deserved exemption from salvation and such are all infants in infancy whether baptized or unbaptized whether of Christians or heathens and yet here you say there is no hope of the dying infants of infidels and in case we deny baptism to them as little hope of the salvation of such dying infants as are born of Christian parents also Hay-Ho I dare say the dog is not good Mutton if this be not uniform Divinity Secondly not only to other writers on this subject as Mr. Cotton who p. 85. of his book called The way of the Churches in New-England saith one may remain a member of the invisible Church of the first born when yet he hath neither part nor portion nor fellowship in the particular flock and visible Church of Christ Iesus which shewes to the confutation of you and Mr. Baxter also who pins the salvation of infants so much upon their Churchmembership and baptism that infants may be supposed to be out of the Visible Church and yet be hoped to be in a state of salvation also I say not only to other writers but to the writers your selves will us to peruse viz. Calvin and Vrsin For first Vrsins Catechism as insufficient as it is to prove infant baptism furnishes us with enough wherewith to confute this unsavory stuff you have here recorded viz. the hopelesness of the salvation of such infants to whom baptism is denyed whose words are these viz. The want of the sacrament doth not damn persons that dy without it if those persons do not contemn it and whether infants in infancy can possibly be said to contemn it though their parents permit them to dy without it needs no great explanation again Christ doth not ere the more deny salvation to whom baptism is denyed Secondly Calvins institutions confesses at large that baptism is not so necessary to salvation as you seem to make it his words are these Li. 4. c. 15. S. 20. What mischief that opinion brings viz that baptism is necessary to salvation few consider and therefore they take the less heed in asserting it for where that opinon grows on once that they are all damned that dye unbaptized our conditiis worse then that of the Iews for hereby Christ may be thought to come not to fulfill but to abolish the promises if the promise which then was efficacious of it self to salvation before the eighth day be not now available thereto without the administration of the sign and a little below Sect. 22. he saith thus Infants are not shut out of the kingdom of heaven that dye before baptism therefore there will no small injury be done to the Covenant of God unlesse we rest in that alone as if it were not valid enough of it self when its efficacy depends neither on baptism nor any other matters accessary to it By all this it may be easily perceived not onely who they are that streiten the Grace of God under the Gospel and make it narrower then of old under the law viz. not our selves as you feign but your selves who say denial of baptism to infants destroyes the hope that else might be had of their salvation but also what an individuum vagum your Pamphlet is wandering and swarving clear aside from the stars you direct us to for light and would seem to steer your own course by Thirdly to the doctrine of the Church of England which though it own baptism as a sign and falsely enough as a seal of the Covenant of Grace that may lawfully at least be dispensed to infants yet rejects that tenet however as spurious and popish that makes salvation and damnation depend so much up-the dispensation or denial of it to infants that there 's no hope of the salvation of those infants that dye without it witnesse Rogers his Analysis of the 39. Articles of the Catholick doctrine of the Church of England p. 167.168 we condemn saith he the opinion of the Russeis that there is such a necessity of baptism that all that dye without the same are damned we may see how well the Church of England is serv'd among you whose own ministers swerve from the sense of those Articles she makes them sweare to If you mean that a denial not de facto but de jure i. e. not of baptism it self to infants but of their right to baptism damns them and that doctrinally onely not really they dying without it you might have said
viz. They that are not so much as seemingly or visibly in a state of salvation of them so dying we can have no ground of Christian hope that they shall be saved But they that are not so much as seemingly or visibly of the Church are not so much as seemingly or visibly in a state of salvation therefore of them so dying we can have no true ground of hope that they shall be saved The Major of this second syllogism which he sets himself to prove I freely grant to be true The Minor I have many things to say to First I take notice how he changes the termes from what they were in this pro-syllogism which had he been minded to deal fairly and not to sophisticate and shuffle I know not why he should do and a sincere disputant whould not have done it In the Minor of the former syllogism the terms were thus viz. that doctrine that denieth infants to be members of the visible church but here he writes leaving out the word visible foisting in the word seemingly and visibly to fill up the room of it that it might not be mist they that are not seemingly or visibly of the Church whereas he ought of right to have brought in the Minor and conclusion thus viz. but they that are not members of the visible Church are not so much as seemingly or visibly in a state of salvation therefore of them viz. them that are not members of the visible Church we can have no true ground of Christian hope that they can be saved I say he should have exprest it visible Church in both places else the word Church being understood by Mr. Ba for the invisible Church sometimes i e. them that are not onely seemingly sincere and in state of salvation but as really and truly in state of salvation as they seem by this variation of his from visible Church to Church without the term visible the state of the question may be changed and howbeit he premises this and takes it for granted that to be a visible member of the church and to be a member of the visible Church is all one saying he that denies that will shew but his vanity yet he takes it before it is granted him from me who am one of those vain ones that by his favour deny these to be all one unlesse by the word Church in both places he means the visible Church which though I do not say he doth not yet I say if he do he should by right have exprest it or else there may be fallacy in it for I aver to Mr. Ba. and albeit I seem to him to speak paradoxes and parables thorow the distance of our principles yet I hope to make it clear to his conscience that the visible Church doth not so contain the invisible in it as he saies it doth p. 75. but that there are cases wherein persons may be both real and visible i. e. to us seeming members of the invisible Church or mistical body of sincere ones and in state of salvation and yet not be real members of the visible Church or else not to speak now of the state of believers infants whom you rantize before you rantize them let him tell me what visible state believers themselves whom onely and not their infants Acts 2.41.42 the first Gospel ministry bapâ—ized were in immediately before they baptized them they were not visibly members after profession of their faith of the visible Kingdom of the devil and therefore at least visible and seeming members of Christs mistical body and of the invisible Church and in state of salvation and yet were they not members visibly of the visible Church of Christ till though I hold not baptism it self neither to be the immediate formal entrance into the visible Church yet necessarily previous to it till I say they were to use Mr. Bas. own phrase by baptism admitted and stated in it for to be admitted to be a member of the visible Church and yet to be a member of that visible Church before that admittance are utterly inconsistent each with other yea to enter in by baptism and yet to be in before baptism beside the contradiction that is in one of these to the other it makes your baptism which you call the sacrament of visible entrance to be what you say the supper is i. e. a sacrament rather of continuance to be seemingly therefore and visibly a member or to be a visible member of the church unlesse we mean the visible Church and then it ought to be so exprest by them that hold there is an invisible and to be a member of the visible Church are not all one thus having first justly faulted the Minor for its fallacious faultring in the terms and form of it and varying from those of the first syllogisme and setting down the syllogisme in the plain termes in which Mr. Baxter should have done it viz. They that are not so much as seemingly or visibly in the state of salvation of them so dying we can have no true ground of Christian hope that they shall be saved But they that are not members of the visible Church are not so much as seemingly or visibly in a state of salvation therefore of them that are not members of the visible Church so dying we can have no true ground of Christian hope that they shall be saved In the second place I fault the Minor of this argument as most false and unsound in the matter of it and therefore I lay down this for truth which is directly opposite to it viz. that they that are not members of the visible Church may be seemingly and visibly in a state of salvation and so consequently that of them that are not members of the visible Church so dying we may have true ground of Christian hope that they shall be saved These two positions with the consequence thereof are so contradictory each to other that if this latter be truth then the former universally understood i. e. of all that are not of the visible Church as it must be or else it serves not Mr. Ba s purpose must needs be false whereupon I need do no more toward the disproof of his then to prove my own in order to which I shall premise what the visible Church is and then examine whether it be not possible for some persons as Mr. Ba. it seems thinks it is not to be seemingly and visibly in a state of salvation and yet not be members of the visible Church The true visible Church now in the times of the Gospel and so onely it concerns our purpose to consider of it is all those severall particular visible assemblies and societies of persons in the world or visible disciples collectively taken which in all places and ages since Christ past present and to come being first separated or called out of the world to personall prosession of repentance from dead works and faith towards God of remission of sins
by Christ Iesus of resurrection of the dead and the eternall judgement and baptized in water in the name of Christ for remission of sins and together with imposition of hands prayed for that they may receive the holy spirit of promise do afterward continue stedfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers all the true universall visible Church that I know of if you will needs have an universal visible is that which doth exist in these particular visible societies and is neither narrower nor wider then these particulars Such was the visible Gospel Church in the primitive times and the same and no other then that which was the visible Church then is the visible Church now and in all times of the Gospell wherein it is at all the visible Church was that which did consist and was made up of all the particular Churches that then were viz. Rome Corinth and all the rest which were societies and assemblies of persons thus called gathered and built up an house unto God upon the foundation of the first principles of the doctrine of Christ as the six above named are called Heb. 6.1 as they are also called Eph. 2.20 the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles i. e. that form of doctrine as t is called Rom. 6.17 which every beginner in Christ did own and obey and which obeying he was fit matter for the visible church and was after by mutual consent of the party offering himself and their suffering him to join with them Acts 10.26 formally added actually admitted to visible fellowship with them in breaking of bread and prayers for that with freedome on both sides such persons as had thus far been taught and had learned these principles this a b c and owned it i. e. professing to believe what of it was matter of faith and visibly practising what of it was practical were visible disciples new born babes Heb. 5.13 and such babes being baptized and having laid this foundation as to fellowship were then accepted thereunto that they might grow up to perfection in order whereunto unto this visible church Ephes. 3.21 which though it exists in many several particular bodies each of which is independent on any other head then Christ and impowered from him to determine all its own affaires ultimately within it self yet since it endeavours to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace is said to be but one body because of one spirit one call one hope one Lord one faith one baptism one God and father of them all who is above all and through all and in them all God hath given officers gifted for its service viz. some Apostles some Prophets some Pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of this visible body of Christ till we all come to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Eph. 4.3.4.5.6.11.12.13 As for that Catholique visible church I mean that voluminous body or part of the world commonly called Christ'ndome which was once all as it were of one language and one speech and is now rather three in one or a Triune treader of the truth viz. Papall Prelaticall Presbyterial yet to this day exists in those particular visibles as were never thus seperated and called and constituted upon the foundation of the doctrine of the Apostles but conglomerated by the lump by the Apostle Peters supposed successor into Nationall Provinciall Parochiall to call a spade a spade I can call it no other then the CCCatholique Beast that bears now in three parts a BBBabilonish CCClergy Rev. 16.19 i. e. indeed the very CCCatholique whore Rev. 17. As for particular persons though professing to be believers that yet are not baptized and added to some such particular visible society or church but are yet abiding in the capacity only of single though visible Saints till they are both baptizd and added as members to walk in fellowship with some particular assembly and congregation in breaking bread and prayers as every such a one as supposes himself to be a saint ought to be or else his saintship may be much suspected if he will not they are no visible members of the visible church but onely fitter materials then they were before their faith and in a neerer right to be both baptized and admitted to be members then when they had none they are better matter for the visible church but not yet formally of the visible church have jus ad rem not in re ad ecclesiam not in Ecclesia a right to the church but not actual standing in it till entered and admitted Nor yet are they immediate matter for or in immediate right to membership though believing till baptized but materia remota and in jure quodam conditionali remoto a certain remote matter though neerer then when meerly men and in a conditional and remote right For as believers are the immediate matter for or in immediate right to baptism so baptized believers after laying on of hands in prayer are the immediate subject i. e. in immediate right to be admitted yet neither are baptized believers actuall members till admitted the formality and most immediate entrance and way of becoming a visible member of a particular visible Church and so consequently of the generall visible if I may so call it which hath its existence in all the particular churches which are the immediate matter of which that is made up being not simply the act of baptism but the act of joining our selves after it Act 9.26 and the constitutive form of a visible Church is not their being all baptized but their free falling into fellowship with each other and though we are said to be all baptized into one body t is an expression of the necessity only of every ones being baptized in order to a being in the visible Church for none hath right to be of the visible body unbaptized but though the baptized have immediate right to be of the body yet are they not meerly of it because baptized till added to it and as one cannot be said to be actually under baptism from an immediate right to it by faith till he have submitted so neither can we be said to be actually in the body from our immediate right to it by baptism till we are admitted Self condemned sinners have a right to believe in Christ believers a right to baptism baptized believers a right to the spirit of promise to have hands laid on with prayer that they may receive it according to the promise Asts 2. Acts 8. Acts 19. such as these to fellowship in the visible Church yet not in fellowship till assaying to join themselves they are accepted and yet in a visible state of salvation too both before baptized as the thief and after baptized before added to the Church visible as the Eunuch who both were seemingly members of the
invisible Church and yet then when converted and baptizd neither one not the other as yet actual members of the visible stones though never so unhewn and ragged are remote matter hewn and polished stones immediate and fit matter for a building yet not a building till built together many sheep are fit matter to make a flock yet not formally a flock till they come neer together Christs visible church is Christs flock Gods house Temple building several sheep and single disciples that hear his voice believe in him and are baptized into his name for remission of sins are pecious materials and in potentiâ proximâ thereunto yet be they never so many of them not visibly actually nor formally a flock an house a Temple a Building his visible Church longer then imbodyed into fellowships nor till fitly framed together they are builded an habitation of God through the spirit Ephes. 2.20.21.22 any more then many sheep that never came neer each other are a flock and a multitude of fitted and squared stones lying a long way a sunder each from other make a building Mr. B. shall be no Champion of my choosing to mannage the matter against the non-churchers of these times for all he flourishes his sword so against them at the end of his book if he plead the cause of them so that sit down satisfyed in single fellowship between God and themselves onely living up with him in the spirit contenting themselves to believe onely and renouncing all ordinances forsaking the assembling of themselves together and all fellowship in breaking of bread and prayers if he grant the denomination of the true visible Church to such as these as well as to those that continue stedfast in the Apostles doctrine and in fellowship in breaking bread and prayers yet Mr. B. does not yet agree with me in this that the particular assemblies collectively taken are the only visible Church for indeed he is aware that it overturns all his visibilities from the bottom and layes this foundation of no salvation for infants without the visible Church on which he frames his present Argument flat on the ground to allow the bounds of the visible Church to be no broader then all the particular visible societies that are actually baptized and in formal fellowship in breaking bread and prayers so as to say he is no member of the visible Church that is not actually entred and solemnly stated in some particular congregation or other therefore being politick he premises this among the rest 3. You must understand saith he but a man may understand a little better if he will that to be a member of the visible Church is not to be a Member of any particular or politick body or society Nay more to make his own matter good and that he may find out a way of his own whereby to hope well of all the infants of believers before baptism that they may be saved for let all other dying infants damn for him he cares not for harbouring any hope of them and finding no way but one whereby to help himself to any hope of those i. e. by feigning them to be of the visible church he fetches the visible church so far that he makes it larger then the number of visible baptized ones and holds all believers infants to be in the visible Church from the womb and though in the last page but two of his book he disputes against twice entring into the visible body he feigns them to enter first into the visible church when they first enter into the world besides and before their second first entrance into the visible Church by baptism I wonder whether he hold those believers infants to be of the visible Church or no that were once alive yet dy again in the womb But for all these flim-flames Mr. Ba. will once know I hope that the true visible church is no other then all those particular politicall assemblies in which baptized believers hold fellowship together and that to be a member of the visible church is to be a member of some political society or else how can such be ruld admonisht complained on to the church as Mat. 18. and excommunicated if need be in case of obstinacy if under no Ecclesiasticall Government and yet to hope well of the salvation of all infants that dy in infancy too without either baptism or visible membership in those visible societies And if he will not agree with me about it that the visible church is all the visible assemblies of Christians onely will he agree with Dr. Featley who defines the true visible church to be where the word is truly taught and the sacraments duly administred where therefore neither word is taught nor sacraments at all administred as to unbaptized infants I judge they are not nor baptized infants neither there 's no visible church Again the universal visible church that is saith he all the assemblies of Christians in the world the visible church and all the assemblies are adaequate with him at least therefore unbaptized infants cannot be of it for they were never entred into the assemblies but if Mr. Ba. will agree with neither of us we shall perswade him I hope to agree in this with Mr. Ba. for howbeit Mr. Ba. will needs reckon upon the very unbaptized infants of believers as not in right to the visible church onely but of it in it visible members of it as as soon as born for let him study his own book how oft does he beat upon that saying there is but two states for them to be in or members of the visible kingdome of the devil or the visible church of Christ but believers infants before baptism are not in the first therefore in the visible church of Christ though I say he speak of them as in the visible church before baptism as not knowing else how to hope their salvation if they dy without it yet if any man living do deny infants or any other to be of or in the visible church before or without baptism Mr. Ba. denies it with whom how often is it exprest that baptism is the first visible entrance into it Yea to say nothing of his own definition of the visible church p. 75. to be such as were baptized and continued together in fellowship in breaking bread and prayers which ought to conclude the whole church so defined unlesse he have defined it by the halves in his plea for the continuance of baptism against the seekers p. 342.343 he saies so and saies moreover that we must not admit any to be of the body without it that it is the appointed ordinary way of ingrafting all into the body that are ingrafted and p. 24.25 he saies baptism still is to be at and not after persons are stated in the Church at and not after our admission at and not after our igrafâ—ing and entrance into the visible Church making baptism and our first being in or of the visible church so
simultaneous that we may not must not be supposed to be in to be of to be visibly members of the visible church before baptism which if it be true as indeed it is that none can be counted to the body as one of it though in never such right to it first before baptism ordinarily at least as he pleads how doth all this hang together and agree with what he pleads here and in the foregoing argument p. 71. where he saith it is not the deniall of baptism directly that leaveth infants in the visible kingdom of the devill I would every one and Mr. Ba. himself would consider this grant of Mr. Ba. for then what ever necessity there may be of supposing them as he doth to be visible members in infancy and even before they are baptized we can suppose them in as good a state as he yet at least there will be no need to baptize them whereby to put us into more hopes of their salvation if they dy in infancy for if I can hope the salvation of some believers infants that die without Baptism upon that account what ere t is I may as well hope the salvation of them all dying without Baptism and so save the frivolous pains of baptizing infants at all he goes on thus t is true saith he that many unbaptized are in the Kingdome of Christ meaning his visible church but no man who is known to be out of Christs visible church ordinarily can be out of Satans visible kingdome I say how do these things square hear what he saies no entring into or being in the visible Church but by baptism and yet many unbaptized are in the visible Church viz. all believers infants before baptism viz. from the womb Either Mr. Ba. must hold two first entrances into the visible church viz. natural birth and baptism or else he must hold that baptism is not the first entrance or else that believers infants are not entred and if not so not in the visible church before baptism whether they have right to be so or no which is another question if he chuse to say the first then he contradicts what he saies of entring the visible Church p. 343. if the 2d he contradicts all he saies of baptism being the onely entrance if the 3d. that believers infants are not entred and so not in nor visibly of the visible church before baptism then of these two things he must say one viz. either that all the infants of believers that dy before their visible entrance into the visible church by baptism are damned without hope which he neither will nor can say or else say that there is hope of dying infants salvation and that they may be seemingly and visibly in a state of saluation and yet not be visible members of the visible church and then what need any further witnesse or disproof for hee l confute the Minor out of his own mouth which I am to disprove and save me the labour For if they may be in a visible state of salvation and yet not be visibly in the visible church then t is so and there 's an end If to all this he saies that he meanes not more but that believers infants before baptism have right to be baptized and to be of it and to deny them that right to it denies them salvation I deny that infants dying without right to be of the visible Gospel church denies them to be in state of salvation and shall shew the contrary neverthelesse Mr. Ba. might have spoken more properly and plainly then to call a right to visible membership by the name of visible membership it self as he often yea all along does therefore we might wish him to mend his Minor before we meddle with it and also he must confesse to the contradiction of himself that there is a third state betwen the visible church of Christ and the visible kingdom of the devil in which infants must be supposed to be by himself viz. a right to the church but not a present standing in it which kind of right and middle state I acknowledge â—â— baptized believers to have but as for infants though they are in a present visible state of and right to salvation as well as they unlesse living longer they reject Gods grace afresh which dying infants cannot do and so not in the visible Kingdome of the devil yet are they neither in nor yet in immediate right to the visible Church as men and women of years not yet baptized and yet believing are but in medio abnegationis together with them these things premised I come now to the disproof of his Minor in which I le take him in a fairer sense for himself then he expresses himself in and yet make no question but to disprove it in contradistinction unto which I lay down my self thus Viz. That not only some men may be de facto no members but all infants de jure in no right to membership in the visible Church of Christ under the Gospell and yet both be possibly in state of salvation Now how far forth de facto persons may be out of an actual standing in the visible church and yet in a visible state of salvation I le not meddle much to examine because the question is though Mr. B. does not so fairly expresse it but I take it in the way that is most to his advantage whether denyal of the jus this imediate right to membership excludes them not from salvation yet thus much I shall say to that viz. if persons must be seemingly and visibly in state of salvation before they are to be admitted members they may be as yet no members of the visible church de facto and yet in a visible state of salvation This is evident not only by the singular case of the theif who never was actually admitted into the visible Church nor so much as baptized at all for want of opportunity and yet in a visible state of salvation but also if we instance in all others that ever we read were baptized in the primitive times who were first seemingly and visibly in a state of repentance faith and disposition to obey Christ in all things and therefore in a visible state of salvation Heb. 5.9 and then after this added to the church Mâ—t. 3. Mark 16.16 Act. 2. Act. 8. Act. 16. Act. 18. for a certain remote and conditional right all persons have thus de facto and now de jure that the denyal of persons present and immediate right to membership in the visible church doth not deny them universally to be in a visible state of salvation is evident also thus viz. If some persons both men and infants may appear to us to be in state of salvation and yet not in immediate present right to be joined to the visible Church then the denyal of persons present and immediate right to membership in the visible Church does not universally deny them to be in a visible state of salvation But some persons yea both men and infants may appear to us to be in a state of
salvation and yet at the same time not be in so much as immediate and present right to be joined to the visible Church Therefore The first proposition is most clear the second I shall make as cleer First briefly concerning men Secondly More largely concerning infants because the question mainly is of them Concerning men I instance in all the believers in the primitive times of whom comparing Scripture with Scripture Act. 2. Act. 8. Act. 19. Heb. 6.1.2 it s most evident they had not an absolute immediate right to visible fellowship in the visible church though converted to faith and repentance by the word and so in a visible state of salvation as the thief upon the crosse so far as with him visibly repenting believing till such time as they were admitted after baptism and â—aying on of hands with prayer and of single disciples as they were before they were added and admitted in to the visible body till of single living pretious stones as they were before by their precious faith they were built up visibly into a house the whole building the whole body was fitly framed together fitly joined together as well as shaped before therefore they that were not actually added and joined were not of the body Ephe. 2.21 the 4.16 if the whole were compacted by joints and bands then all the parts were actually added and joined and those that were not joined were no part of the whole so Col. 2.19 knit together Mr. Bax. argues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Cart before the horse they must be first supposed to be visibly members in the visible Church before to be visibly in a state of salvation but it is undeniably apparent they must have visible right to salvation and that by faith too before visible right to membership in the visible church Mr. Bax. supposes persons must be first supposed to be members of the visible Church a priori before they can be warrantably supposed to be of the invisible i. e. to be such as shall be saved for if a person be of the invisible Church he must be thought to be of the visible much more for the visible containes the invisible in it saith he p. 72. and ordinarily we may not judge any to be of the invisible Church he means in real state of salvation who are not meaning first of the visible p. 72. But now I say and suppose the clean contrary viz. that persons must be first supposed to be of the invisible Church a priori before they can be warrantably supposed to be of yea or so much as to have right to be of the visible who backs Mr. Ba. in his sinister supposition I weigh not let him chuse his second if he will I le chuse Mr. Bax. himself to back me and to be witnesse to the truth of mine whose words are altogether the same with mine p 73. viz. if we were fully certain by his own externall discourses that any man were not of the invisible Church that man should not be taken to be of the visible In order of time therefore persons were to seem to be members of the invisible church and were visibly in a state of salvation first before they could have any right at all so much as to be baptized which with Mr. Ba. himself was the first entrance into membership in the visible church but with me is not so much as an immediate entrance into it but that which is necessarily to go before it therefore persons may be seemingly in a state of salvation and not yet in present right to membership in the visible Church much lesse actually and visibly in it And now concerning infants of whom Mr. Ba. asserts that they must be members of the visible Church or else cannot be seemingly or visibly in a state of salvation upon such slender grounds as these he concludes it to be clear viz. First because it is the body that Christ is the Saviour of and his people that he redeemeth from their sins and his sheep to whom he gives eternal life and those that sleep in Iesus that God will bring with him and the dead in Christ that shall rise to salvation and those that die in the Lord that rest from their labours and the Church that Christ will present pure and unspotted all which places I appeal to Mr. Bas. conscience whether they speak not of the misticall body and invisible church of Christ to which all and onely they square and are adaequate and not to the visible Church which he was to speak to or else speaks nothing to the purpose to all which visible church and to onely which these things agree not for neither all those that are of the visible church are saved nor onely those of the visible Church saved witnesse many infants of believers whom Mr. Ba. dares not say are damned some never living to enter the visible Church so farre as to baptism and some once alive coming dead out of the womb which he is blind that ever saw to be in the visible church so that he sits here beside the saddle Secondly and Thirdly because there is no divine revelation for the salvation of any without the visible Church that yields good ground of Christian faith or hope that any such shall be saved as notwithstanding he saies there is not yet I shall shew there is by and by Fourthly because it is said Acts the 2.47 that God added to the visible church dayly such as should be saved which though he did yet t was not all nor onely such but onely such men and women not such infants as should be saved Concerning infants in proof of the proposition above viz. that some infants may be in visible State of salvation and yet not be in nor yet in present right to membership in the visible Church I argue thus downrightly First if all infants are in infancy in a visible state of salvation and no infants are members or in any right to be members in their infancy of the visible church under the Gospel then some infants may in infancy be in a visible state of salvation â—â—d yet not be in nor yet in present right to membership in the visible church But all infants c. and no infants c. Ergo some infants ut supra The first proposition is most undeniably clear the Minor hath two parts which I shall prove successively one ofter another and then I have done with this argument of Mr. Ba. I le ptove the last first and the first last and here I dare say I might easily muster up scores if not a century of solid arguments toward the fuller clearing of it that no babes now but the new born babes spoken of 1 Pet. 2.2.3.4.5 i. e. at least in appearance spiritually born babes such as those 1 Iohn 1. 1 Cor. 3.1 Heb. 5.13 are to be
as the other for a bastard was not to be admitted into the congregation of the Lord unto the tenth generation and its evident that that child was a bastard I conclude therefore contrary to that round Mr. Ba. runs about in like a horse in a mill making a necessary concatenation between being in visible right to Church-membership and in a visible state of salvation proving the one by the other concluding sometimes that infants of believers are children of the Gospel promise so visibly in a state of salvation therfore they must be baptized and in churcht or else they could not and others may not sometimes that infants of believers are in visible right to be admitted into the visible Church and therefore we may have sound ground to hope their salvation so dying as denying their right to membership we could not have and of other infants we cannot I conclude I say that there may be sound ground whereon to hope the salvation of some dying infants that dye without actual membership in the congregation or visible Church of Christ and without any right to it also in their infancy had they lived longer And if we may hope well of some infants that dy without membership and without right to it also I know not why we may not hope the like of all for all Mr. Baxs impropriating the unlimited and boundlesse grace of God and ingrossing all hope of the salvation of dying infants to the dying infants of none but faithful parents specially considering besides what grounds more of my own I shall add in proof of it by and by two more at least of Mr. Baxters own grounds whereon to hope the salvation of believers infants are grounds whereon to hope the salvation of other dying infants as well as them the Scriptures he refers to for them speaking if of infants at all then of the whole species of the whole kind of that Stature called infants and not of infants of one kind more then another For first whereas his 6th ground for the salvation of believers dying infants and of being without any fear of their damnation is this viz. because it is said Psal. 127.3.4.5 children are the heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb his reward c. if that be spoken of infants at all as it seems rather to be spoken of children that are grown up that are the strength of their father and his family it is surely spoken of all infants as well as some and he that particularizes that indefinit term of children and the fruit of the womb where ever the Scriture speaks hopefully of such so as to understand it universally to expresse and sound forth no more then those individualls viz. the seed of believing parents and yet thus Mr. B i. muzzles up all such Scriptures and makes them sound no more then he would have them doth little lesse then force the word to his own fancy Secondly whereas his 13th ground is from Mat. 18.10 where he argues thus If little ones have their angels beholding the face of God in heaven then they shall be saved for that is a mercy peculiar to the people of God I argue that if little ones litterally taken i. e. if infants be there meant as he saies but never shewes they are saving per alios and not per se then surely all infants as well as some for he speaks not there of the little ones of believing parents in special but of what kind of little ones soever he speaks he speaks of that kind of little ones in general without exception whether it be of infants or of his disciples and if yet it must needs be understood of infants onely that they shall be saved it is understood universally of them and so much Mr. Ba. might have seen and would have said had he consulted the 14. verse but just below where it is thus said of all little ones that are lost and so of all as well as some viz. it is not the will of your heavenly father that one of these little ones shall perish And sith Mr. B. so suches it out below p. 104 105. c. from Mark 10.14.15 saying that of such is the kingdome of Heaven must needs be meant viz. by kingdome of Heaven salvation which I grant and by such as I le grant also at this time however sith thence I shall have another Argument ad hominem to give hope by of the salvation of all dying infants not such as are like infants but infants themselves and that not of those individuals onely that were then brought which whether they were children of believing parents or no too is more then Mr. B. ere can demonstrate there being many that came to Christ for healing of themselves or theirs as t is most evident that these did of whom not more then one of ten were as they should be for of 10 leapets clensed where were the nine I say not of those individuals onely but of the very species of infants yea how oft ore and ore and ore again does he inculcate this upon us in that place saying it was the species of infants the very species infants in specie and not those individuals whom Christ saies the kingdome of heaven i. e. salvation doth belong to I appeal to Mr. Bs. own conscience whether there be not out of his own mouth a strong Argument of hope if not of assurance from Christ himself that the whole species of infants so dying i. e. all infants and not some onely shall be saved for the â—pecies of infants expresses not some infants onely but all infants or infants quâ tales so that quatenus ipsum evermore including de omni whatever belongs to infants inspecie i. e. to the kind or to infants as such belongs to all infants quod convenit homini purely qua est homo convenit omni homini and so what ever belongs to any thing as t is such belongs also to all that is such But Mr. B. teaches us the truth in this that the kingdome of heaven and salvation belongs by Revelation from Christ himself to infants not in individuo onely i. e. not to those infants onely that were then brought to Christ nor any other but to the kind to infants in specie i. e. all infants as infants therefore the kingdome of heaven and salvation belongs to them all and so did that kind of comming to Christs person while he was on earth with infants not for nor by baptism but for healing belong to all infants that needed it as well as some that were then on earth as comming to Christ with infants by prayer to him to help and heal them in whatever malady since his person is absent belongs to all infants in the world and not to believers infants onely and yet not baptism and a standing in fellowship in the visible Church for they indeed are not fit for fellowship Therefore though Mr. Ba. contracts the grace of God to
infants as concerning their everlasting salvation into little a little corner yea good lord how few dying infants does he hope shal be saved that hath hope of none but of some i. e. believers infants which are but one of many and also not of all but onely some of them yet to conclude this in a way of resemblance to Mr. Bs. conclusion of his Argument from Mark 10. p. 107. I blesse the Lord Jesus Christ King of the Church though he gave no order to baptize and in church infants here on earth yet for having a greater tendernesse towards the eternal state of all dying infants then Mr. B. is yet aware of and towards all that live to years such a tendernesse as to invite them to himself universally and bid them wel-come and so great a care to inform his Church in his Word and Gospel concerning his good will to all men and to all infants also in that particular so as to speak it so plainly that plain minded men that are not minded never to change their minds as I hope Mr. B. is not may well see his mind in this case even as if he had therefore done this because he foresaw that some would arise so carnally and so cruely conceited as to suppose it impossible to be and but in vain to hope it almost that Gods saving mercy should extend to any more dying infants then those few and not all those few neither of their own and for my part I gladly accept Christs information and submit to his discovery let them resist it that dare And lastly one more Argument of hope that I have within my self that all dying infants must needs be saved is this yet because I could never find since I lookt for it as also none ever shall that look not without their eyes what should nor what save the Priesthoods divine kind of Doctrine does damn them I mean any of them so dying any more then one of them First as for sin which onely damnes I know none they have of their own and to say that any infant dyes eternally for theiniquity of his father only makes the word of God which is truth it self no better then a flat falsehood to me who read in Ieremy 31.29.30 Ezek. 18.3.4.19.20 Deut. 24.16 2 Kings 14.16 that the waies of God who requires it strictly of man not to put the children to death for the sins of the father but every man only for his own sin are so equal for all the false accusation of him by the wicked Jewes that seeing he both saies and also swears it that men shall never have occasion to say the childs teeth are edged by the grapes the father only hath eaten and in way of complaint for injustice doth not the son bear the iniquity of the Father but that every soul that dies shall dy for his own iniquity onely and that individual soul onely that sinneth shall dy i. e. eternally for temporally t is true we all dy in Adam as far as a to temporal death God may and often doth visit the sins of the Father on the children to the third and fourth generation of such as hate him not onely when children inherit so as to imitate their fathers hatred of God in which case only t is a punishment to those children but also on infants so as to take them out of the world with the fathers as in the case of Dathan and Abiram Amaleck Hittites Amorites c. yea Sodom and Gomorrah and the old world on which for ensamples sake to them that in after times should live ungodly the flood and the fire fell not onely temporal but eternal to the adult ones that gave themselves over to fornication and followed strange flesh though but temporal only to infants who neither lived ungodly nor gave themselves over to fornication as the other did and therefore though passing hence with the rest to a temporal death by that fire yet are not set forth as an ensample with the rest to all that should live ungodly by suffering the vengeance of eternal fire 2 Pet. 2.6 Iude 7. But the same temporal death that may be in fury to one as t is a passage to worse may be a mercy to another and so to those infants a passage from worse to better as good Iosiah was slain in battell as well as wicked Ahab and that for going on his own head to war as well he yet was it in respect of that eternall state that followed as well for him as ill for Ahab Sith therefore it s said so plainly the son shall not die for the iniquity of the father and yet temporally they may be taken away with the father it must needs be meant that eternally none die nor lye for ever under wrath for no more then meerly the fathers fault whereupon all dying infants having no trangression of their own cannot be damned for their own nor yet for their father Adams transgression and so are all as well as those of believers in a visible state of salvation and while they live infants unlesse hereafter they reject it as Esau did the land of Canaan in visible right to so dying to the heavenly Canaan Yea many thanks to my Ashford opposites for that clause of their pamphlet which is assistant to me almost at all assaies Christian charity it self which doth presumere unumquemque bonum nisi constet de malo constrains us to hope all things believe all things concerning the salvation of dying infants and of all infants as well as some specially since these more then those i. e. the infants of unbelievers more then of believers have not committed any actual sin wherby to deserve to be exempted from the general state of little infants declared in Scripture viz. that of such is the Kingdome of heaven Secondly as for righteousnesse there 's enough in Christ to take away it being imputed what ever unrighteousnesse is imputed for Adams sin and why that righteousnesse should not be imputed if the Scripture had not said it so plainly as it does Rom. 5. 2 Cor. 5.19.21 1 Cor. 15.22 to all poor dying innocent infants as well as some I cannot imagine unlesse you say not God the fathers love to all but man the fathers faith is that thing that must save some of those infants of believers that are savd by interesting that fruit of his body in the righteousnesse of Christ as well as himself for the taking away the sin of his soul which faith a father wanting the child shall perish for ever in default out and yet be in no fault in the world about it Alas poor infants indeed that descend from such parents as believe not if it be so that that the fathers faith onely does interest the infant in Christ their forefather the first Adam by his sin unawares to them damned them say they and say I if it did there 's righteousnesse enough in the heavenly father and the second
he drawes as he saies from Deut. 28.4.18 32.41 blessed shall they be in the fruit of their body that keep the covenant and cursed in the fruit of their bodyâ— i. e. that break the covenant c. he may well say he drawes it for there 's no such thing as he draws flowes freely from that or any other Scripture he produces he drawes indeed but at such a distance that I see nothing followes from thence at all he does not fall flatly upon it nor deal down rightly with the text alledged nor doth he interpret the blessing and cursing to be membership and non-membership so as to say that by blessed shall be the fruit of thy body is meant thus i. e. thy infants shall be inchurched and by cursed shall be the fruit of thy body thus i. e. thy infants shall be dischurched for that had been too palpably to pervert it but he keeps a loof off from it and doth not draw neer to the heart and center of it but syllogizes in a circumference and fetches it from far for fear I think least it should fly in his face The Argument that I fetch hence is this That doctrine which maketh the children of the faithfull to be in a worse condition or as bad then the curse Deut. 28. maketh the children of covenant breakers to be in is false doctrine But the doctrine which denyeth the children of the faithfull to be visible Churchmembers doth make them to be in as bad or worse condition then is threatned by the curse Deut. 28. Therefore The Minor of which Syllogism is most false for infants may be both unbaptized and no visible Church members and yet be in a better condition then such as are under the curse and the captivity threatned Deut. 28. and so are all these to whom baptism and admittance into the visible Church is delayed by yourselves who in the Church of England in old time were wont to defer the baptizing of all infants to two times in the year viz. Easter and Whitsuntide and so are all those also to whom we deny it for both those to whom you delay it and those to whom we deny it dying in infancy without it may be saved without it as well as if they had it And at the same rates as they dispute them to be under cursing to whom we deny baptism and visible Church-membership and our doctrine to be false that denies it may we dispute those infants to be under cursing to whom they delay baptism and visible membership though but for a week during the time of their delaying it and their doctrine to be false that delaies it if we retort the same Argument on themselves which I shall do and leave it That doctrine which makes the children of the faithful in as bad or worse condition then is threatned in that curse Deut. 28. is false But that doctrine which delaies baptism and visible Church-membership to the infants of the faithfull till the tenth twelfth or twentyeth day of their age till Plumcake be made maketh them during the time in which t is delayed in worse Condition then is threatned in that curse Deuter. 28. Ergo t is false Till then you have ingrafted your children into the Church by baptism they are it seems with you in worse state then if they were in captivity and all the poor innocent infants of those parents that are in England to which your selves O Presbyters deny baptism unlesse the parent will confesse his faith before the Bason are in worse and more cursed condition then if they were in captivity And if an Indians infant should be born and bread up here in England and be in never such a hopeful way of comming in time to the knowledge of the truth yet all the time he remains unbaptiz'd and not visibly added to your corrupt church of England he is belike under a worse curse and condition then if he were in slavery or captivity I wonder where Christ or his disciples ever preached such kind of Gospel His 21 plain Scripture-lesse proof for infant-infant-Church membership and baptism runs upon this disjunction viz. Either they are in the visible Church of Christ or in the visible kingdome of the Devil for there is no third state saith he in which they are but if they be not in Christs visible Church they are visibly out of it and if they be visibly out of that visible Church then they are visibly in Satans Kingdome This is the summe and substance of what he laies down and the basis upon which he builds a necessity of admitting the children of the faithfull into and reckoning upon them as in the visible Church of Christ or else we must saith he say they are in the visible Kingdome of the Devill which to say saith he is false doctrine the rest is but amplification and augmentation rather then Argumentation of this position now howbeit a wise body that is not resolved to trouble himself and fill the world with curious pryings long proofs and prolix prates about matters which the wisdome of Christ in the word of his Testament which was written to for and concerning men and women and not infants is pleased to be silent in would surely have sat down satisfyed with that sober saying which Mr. B. himself cotes out of Mr. T. Apol. p. 66. viz. that infants are neither in the Kingdom i. e. visible church of Christ nor Satan visibly till profession For really so it is and no otherwise properly and quoad nos who have no warrant to take cognizance of them as in either one or in the other visibly but as at years they visibly appear to cleave to either neither are these two viz. the visible Kingdome of Satan and the visible Church of Christ the adaequate dividing members of the whole world but excepting infants of the adult ones in it only which visibly obey either Christ or Satan neither doth Satans visible kingdome consist of any infants visibly at all but of such as visibly are acted by him even the children of disobedience in whom he works Ephes. 2.2 nor Christs visible Church of any infants visibly at all save when some were inchurched and incovenanted as a type for a time but of such onely as visibly obey him these I say are visibly the subjects servants disciples and children of each Rom. 6. his servants ye are i. e. visibly to whom i. e. visibly ye obey whether c. 1 Ioh. 3.10 in this i. e. doing or not doing righteousnesse are manifest i. e. visibly the children of God and of the devll so Iohn 8. They are visibly of their father the devil who do the works of their father i. e. in Gospel account for else in the lawes account they as Abrahams seed were then the Churches children howbeit I say any one that is not willing to be wise above what is written and to have vision of more then is visible would rest in this yet sith Mr. B.
will put us positivly to prove a third state denying that there 's any medium asserting that infants if they be not in the visible Church of Christ in their infancy are in the visible kingdome of the devil which to say is false doctrine I shall bring Mr. Baxter to stop the mouth of Mr. Baxter and to convince him that either there is a third state in which believers infants are in their infancy which is neither of these two or else to drive him to that Dilemma to preach this false doctrine himself that believers infants are in the visible kingdome of the Devil To this purpose I first demand of him which of these two viz. the visible church of Christ or the visible kingdome of the devil believers infants are visibly in before baptism First as for the visible kingdom of the devil he must say they are either visibly in it or out of it if he say they are in it then he himself preaches that false doctrine which he saies is ours and makes all infants even of believers members of the visible kingdom of the devil if he say they are out and not in the visible kingdom of the devil then that doctrine which teaches men to leave them unbaptized and denies them to be admitted members of the visible church of Christ till they come to age is not guilty as he saies it is of making them doctrinally members of the visible kingdome of the devil for it is but a delay indeed till they can do what is required to baptism As for the visible Church of Christ he must say they are either visibly in it before baptism or not in but out of it if he say they are in the visible church of Christ visibly before baptism then they cannot be said to be as oh how oft ore and ore again are they said to be by Mr. Bax. p. 24.25 admitted to be members entered listed added initiated into it as into Christs School and first stated into it by baptism for to be first entered into it by baptism and yet to be visibly in it before baptism these two are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 utterly inconsistent each with other as to be let into a room when and while one is already in the room is impossible yet with Mr. B. persons are let into the visible church after they are in it yea they must be in it saith he before they may be admitted to be in it nor will his distinction of a member compleat and incompleat p. 24. which he used before to the tearm disciple which I know he will make help him at all here sith with himself an incompleat member is one that hath but jus adrem not in re ad Ecclesiam not in Ecclesia a right to onely not a standing in the Church a title to the relative change and not a being yet in that relative change that he saies passes upon him by baptism Besides to say the truth they are but incompleat members after baptism whom you baptize sith when baptized and in the church they have not present right to other ordinances of the church for you admit not your infant members to the Supper but if he say they are not visibly in the church of Christ before baptism but out of it as indeed they are then either he must say they are in the visible Kingdome of the devil which is false doctrine with himself to say of believers infants or else say they are in some third or middle state to the unsaying of what he said before by way of denial of such a third state which let him say and we will agree with him and such a third state there is which all infants are in as well as some whether he will deny himself so as to acknowledge it yea or no. His 22. plain Scripture-less proof for infant Church-membership and baptism is this viz. That doctrine which leaveth us no sound grounded hope of the justification or salvation of any dying infant in the world is certainly false doctrine but that doctrine which denieth any infants to be members of the visible Church doth leave us no c. This argument I have spoken to sufficiently above and thereupon might well passe it by here and refer Mr. Ba. thither for an answer where in answer to the Ashford Disputants that urge the same argument enough to satisfie is returned But finding this to be that which of all things most gravels Mr. Baxter and makes him stick so stiffly to his plea for the baptism and Church-membership of infants because unlesse that be owned he can find no good ground in all the word whereupon to hope or believe that any dying infant in all the world can be saved which if he could find he would find the vanity of his venting so much concerning a necessity of baptizing and inchurching infants and save himself a deal of puzzling himself about that which the New Testament hath not one word of and fearing lest I should be judged cowardly to slide by it as if I saw Mr. Ba. handled it more unanswerably then any other and partly because Mr. Ts. suspension of his judgement concerning the future state of any infants is puft at by him and uneffectual to his satisfaction unlesse he could assure him of the salvation of some dying infants at least of believing parents which if he could assure him of out of the way of their church-membership and baptism it should satisfie him sufficiently I perceive to censure all other infants to hell and to say all those millions of poor innocents I mean the dying infants of other men in respect of which these he is so pittiful to are scarce one of a 100. are all damned for ever with which harsh cruel bloody and mercilesse censure of his I am much more and more groundedly dissatisfied then he is about the denial of meer outward membership and bare ordinance of baptism to those few on whose behalf he pleads them and lastly hoping the Lord may lend him some ligh◠whereby to see a consistency between the non membership and baptism of believers infants and the salvation of the dying infants of not believers onely but all dying innocent infants in the world I shall enter on an examination of what he saies to the contrary and an explication of what apprehension in this particular I am begotten to by the word of truth and though I shall decline sacerdotale delirium that common stock of divinity which the Clergy have treasured up in their Theological Systems out of which ocean of error and dead sea of tradition the younger Rabbies use to draw into their common place books and store themselves with arguments against Anabaptistical heresie i. e. this troublesome truth yet I trust I shall give a good account before all the world at the Tribunal of Christ Jesus In order hereunto therefore I first flatly deny the Minor of Mr. Bas. above cited syllogism which by another Syllogism he proves
Christianismus Redivivus CHRISTNDOM Both un-christ'ned and new-christ'ned OR That good old way of Dipping and In-churching of Men and Women after Faith and Repentance professed commonly but not properly called Anabaptism vindicated by that two-edged Sword of the Spirit the Word of God from all kinde of Calumnies that are cast upon it and Cavils that are made against it by the Rantizers on the one hand and the Ranters on the other and proved to be the onely true Baptism and way of CHRIST In five or six several Systems containing a General Answer directed to No-body in particular In which Not onely A Publick Disputation for Infant-Baptism managed by many Ministers before thousands of People against this Author who was then Respondent A False Account extant under the name of A True Account whereof and their express Challenge to him to answer or give the cause gave good cause to him to undertake this Work is after a discovery of their True Account to be A true Counterfeit abundantly disproved and their own Review of their own Arguments over again Reviewed and refuted and their Talk about Toleration of Hereticks so Talk't with that Toleration of them though not by Ministers in true Churches yet by Magistrates in Civil States is manifested to be the minde of God But also Mr. Baxters Scripture proofs are proved Scriptureless and the chief Arguments of Dr. Holmes Dr. Featley Mr. Marshall Mr. Blake Mr. Cook Mr. Cotton and many more that plead it in print or private Letters are Enervated and indeed scarce Any-body that stands up for non-Baptizing and non-Churching or for that Parish-Practice of Sprinkling and In-churching Infants is left unanswered By Samuel Fisher M. A. and Pastor once of the Parish-Church but since of the true-Church of CHRIST which is at Lydde in the County of Kent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 2.38 8.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LONDON Printed by Henry Hills and are to be sold by Francis Smith at his Shop in Flying Horse Court in Fleetstreet 1655. Postscript READER SInce the first Impression of this Book there is a Butter-fly flown abroad that makes a fearfull fluttering among its own favorites for Infant-sprinkling from the hands of one Mr. Reading with whom I once held a publick Dispute against it at Folston as is hinted to thee above in p. 231. p. 308. in my reading of which Work of Mr. Reading had I attained to satisfaction that our present way of Dipping Believers is the error and their way of Infant-sprinkling the truth thou shouldst have had my Recantation or had I seen it sending in any new supply of evidence not availing to my conviction in proof of theirs and disproof of ours thou might'st likely have seen from me some new supply of Relief or new Reply to such new Repulses but finding his to be but a new Book for the most part furtively collected out of many old ones already routed and that both in the Argumentative and Responsive part thereof as well that which relates more immediately to my self as that which relates to the cause I stand up in as managed by others there is Nil ferè dictum quod non fuit tam contradictum quà m dictum priùs wel nigh nothing spoken that was not both spoken and spoken to before by my self in this very Volume in so much that had he perused it as he had engagement and advantage enough to do it being extant in those parts where he lives almost a year before his own he might have seen his Book here answered before ere it appeared at the Press and have sav'd himself the charges of the Impression I resolved to supersede from any further medling with it as judging it frivolous to fight afresh with every old Argument and Answer that thrusts it self out onely in a new Harness Howbeit among other of his misrepresentations of my Arguments few or none of which are by him rightly represented I cannot but advertise thee of this as most notorious in that p. 154. of his Book whether in simplicity or subtilty I know not he suggests it unto thee for a truth that from this Proposition viz. the Parents to whom Peter spake Acts 2.39 were unbelievers then when he spake so to them I inferred this conclusion viz. that therefore the Gospel promise is not to believers and their children and so busies himself in beating the air and making good what none opposeth for our opinion is this which then also was my conclusion viz. that therefore the Gospel promise is made not onely to believers and their children but to unbelievers and their children also to whom it shall be made good too as in time to come they shall believe repent and be baptized Ex pede Herculem by this little thou mayst see the whole lump and how apt the man is to answer matters before he hath well heard them which for any man to do saith Solomon is follie and shame unto him And now since some know not what the meaning is of those three capital Letters viz. PPP CCC SSS c. with which the titleâ— given to the Clergy whether true or surreptitious are very often signed by me but especially in this later part of the Book above when I speak of the three kindes of Clergy-men altogether viz. Papal Prelatick and Presbyterian I signifie that this is to intimate unto thee how these three are the three PPParts of that great Citie BBBabylon which reigneth over the Kings and Kingdoms of the earth into which it stands divided before its fall Rev. 16.19 17.18 Moreover I do thee to wit that what thou findest in the last part of this Book distinguished by the old English Character is word for word the last part of that Paedobaptistical Piece which was put out about the Ashford Disputation which Reading abstract from the rest thou readest all that to a tittle on which this last part is but a Paraphrase to shew how the Ministers own good matter unmaskt is but a glass wherein if they be not blinde they may easily see their own ill manners and themselves who talk so much against Toleration of Hereticks and Schismaticks to be more Heretical and Schismatical than those they call so Finally desiring thee to help thy own understanding in the Reading of this Book in such places wherein the sense is clouded by reason of such defects as fell out in the Printing through male-correction of it at the Press by this ensuing Rule of Direction I commend thee to the Lord and Rest Thine in Him SAM FISHER Errata Epistle to the Reader p 4 l 15 r pugnandum Praescript p 2 l 24 r quid verbis p 3 l 21 dele if not p 6 l 10 dele as p 17 l 49 r when p 21 l 46 r possible they might ly p 23 l 30 r when he had p 41 l 4 after sprinkling r which it rather maiâ—s and suppress the true Baptism which premi c p 46 l 28 r the odd
for infant baptism from the several Housholds that are said to be baptized discovered and disproved p. 185. to 188. Old England Scotland New England concurring together by the ears about their infant-rantism 227. to 237. All those Eulogies or high commendations that are given to little infants in those Scriptures Mark 10.14 Mat. 19.14 Luke 18.16 cannot possibly prove them to have any right to baptism and the childish disputings of the Ashford disputers therefrom disproved also Dr. Holms's weak Arguings from Mark 10. for infant baptism and that Scripture opened and urg'd as a strong Argument against the Priests in that point p. 132. to 142. F Faith their apparent having of which is the first way whereby the Ashford Disputants would prove believers infants to have the Spirit not possible to be in any infants much lesse to be manifested to be in believers infants more then in those of unbelievers the childish disputings of the Ashford Disputers in proof of infants Believing from Matth. 18.6 from Faiths being and witnessed by their circumcision to be in the Jewes infants from their uncapablenesse to be justifyed and saved without it and from all other considerations whatsoever abundantly disproved p. 69. to 75.195 to 201.271 to 279. and their unreasonable repulses to such objections as themselves confesse Reason makes against infants faith on Reasons behalf replyed to p. 279. to 299. Not onely the primitive Fathers viz. F. Peter F. Paul F. Jude F. James F. John are all for us but the sub-primitive Fathers which the Ashford Disputers pretend they would fain have pleaded it from perhaps are more versed in then in the other discovered to be more against then for Infant baptism p. 214. to 226. H Imposition of Hands asserted unanimously by Paraeus Calvin Hophman Marlorat Bullinger Cotton and Dr. Holmes who cites these to be dispensed in antient time to baptized persons when at yeares in order to their admittance into church-fellowship p. 139. One undeniable Argument for the present use and practise of that doctrine of laying on of Hands on baptized believers before their admission into fellowship in the Church p. 492. in prosecution of which A Paper newly extant stiled Questions about laying on of Hands with the grounds thereof is answered p. 493. to 510. What Heresie and Schism is who is a Schismatical Hereâ—ick p. 524.525 the PPPriests proved to be the chief Hereticks and Schismaticks p. 526. to 528. the Churches of the Baptists clearing themselves from the crime of Heresie and Schism out of Calvins own mouth p. 529.530.531 Heresies Idolatry false worship 〈◊〉 to be tolerated in civil States the parable of the tares and Wheat Mat. 13. opened liberty of conscience in matters meerly of Religion proved and pleaded therefrom and by many other Arguments as the mind of Christ and the Higher Powers of the earth strictly summoned in the name of Christ as they will answer the contrary at their peril to cease acting according to the PPPriesthoods bloody Tenet of persecution for cause of conscience p. 532. sundry causes why God suffers Hereticks to be four great causes of the CCClergyes so great Heresie and erring from the truth viz. 1 Amor sui self conceit 2 dislike of their own places 3 Gloriae secularis Aucupium a desire to be Some body 4 Covetousnesse p. 590. to 608. Holinesse threefold 1 Morall none of this in infants p. 75. to 78. 2 Matrimoniall this in all infants as well as some save onely Bastards but proves not the holy Spirit to be in its subject nor gives any right to baptism yet this proved to by the Holiness onely meant in 1 Cor. 7.14 p. 78. to 85 3. Ceremoniall viz. that of the Jewes by nature that entitled them to circumcision commonly called Faederall by the Priests the common Topick whence they Analogically plead a Birth Holines in believers infants consequently their right to baptism proved abundantly to be abolished and the extream contradiction follies absurdities of Mr. Blakes Baby book stiled the Birth-priviâ—edge discovered p. 85 to 132. The Holinesse of the Iews seed confest by both Mr. Blake and Mr. Baxter to be the same whereby the Land City Temple were holy which being ceremonial and abolished the other must needs be so also p 114.115 The Babish disputings of the Ashâ—ord Disputers and of Mr. Baxter for infant baptism from the Hope or Hopelessnesse of their salvation according as we dispense or deny baptism to them discovered and disproved and grounds to hope the salvation of all dying infants whether baptized or no exhibited p. 189. to 193. also 442. to 462. I Innocency of infants no argument for their baptism but much rather for the contrary p. 77.78 As Ishmael and his seed was cast out of Abrahams house before Isaac so Isaac and his seed before Christ. Gal. 4.22 to the end and many other Scriptures illustrating that truth opened Johns Baptism why called Johns how differing from Christs and how it was Christs p. 478.479.480.401 M The National Ministry whether we consider their ordination or manners and many more matters no Ministry of Christs making but of the Popes p. 558. to 588. O The reasons ordinarily rendred against the use of baptism or any Ordinances at all refelled p. 476. to 491 509. to 522. P The Gospel Promise not made to believers seed as such nor to the meer fleshly seed of any man in the world Act. 2.39 which is made so much of by the Priests as of force to prove infant baptism opened and cleared to make against them p. 89. to 95.261 to 266. S Scripture up in armes against infant baptism as coted in proof of it out of Mr. Baxters own mouth 206.207.211.212 Of Sprinkling when and how it came instead of baptism p. 311. P. 311. line 27. for Fidus read Magnus Caetera tam nil sunt ut vix funt digna notatu Crimina Typographi parva remitte precor ANTI-DIABOLISM OR THE TRUE ACCOUNT A TRUE COUNTERFIT ANd now Sirs to say nothing of your pretty Preface till anon for even that also must then be forth coming to give Account of its dawbery and incongruity as well as your Account it self I will begin with your book which as diminutive as it is you have for all that stitcht up in no less than three Treatises First A Report of your Disputation Secondly A Review of your Arguments Thirdly A Ratiocination about Hereticks In all which how far forth you quit your selves like men of truth and reason comes now before the world to be examined The first I say is a Story of the long Disputation that was held at Ashford Iuly 27 1649. from noon till neer seven at night and it 's contained in the five first leaves whereof two whole ones at least but say so they had need are spent in your exact setting down of the Arguments and Answers and the rest in praevious and posteriour passages So that in this first part of your Pamphlet there are two things in generall
of the first times for so far are they from clearing such a thing as he alledges them for that they clear the clean contrary the subjects of that imposition of hands they speak of being only professors of the faith and not infants yea how doth D Holmes belabor himself to prove it that those to whom the primitive Churches dispeased Imposition of hands were persons grown to years more then doth his cause good and more then any wise man puts him to by the denial of it but those that were brought to Christ for it here spoken of none other then very infants in their nonage Secondly in that this ordinance of laying on of hands was not likely yet in use and being in this prae-primitive-period wherein Christ laid his hands on these infants the ends in order whereunto it was enjoined and practised when it was being such as in this juncture not only infants but also the very disciples themselves were uncapable of viz. as the Doctors own quotations truly shew perfect and full fruition of confirmation in Church state Gospel Church liberties Church-fellowships in all Church ordinances viz. the Supper and suppications and also the receiving of the holy spirit none of all which were yet given to any in such wise as afterwards they were no not to the Disciples till either just before as the Supper or else after Christ was crucified for howbeit matter for the Gospel Church and fellowship was fitting preparing and gathering in by preaching and baptizing even from Iohn who began the Gospel two or three years before that and the Gospel Church was as it were in a certain Chaos or Congeries of matter not yet digested into its perfect form somewhile before the Jews Church was ended in Christ death yet it came not to have its own formall constitution in point of visible order posture fellowship government officers discipline endowments with the spirit whereby they might be built up an habitation of God and ordinance of laying on of hands in prayer specially relating thereunto till after Christ crucified and ascended the holy spirit being not yet come because Jesus not yet glorified Thirdly they came not for this but for another kind of Imposition of handâ— which is otherwise called touching which who ever had from him were in case of diseases made whole They came surely for that laying on of hands which Dr Holmes himself speaks of p. 57. out of Hophman viz. a laying on in order to healing for which healing by a touch of him many men women and children came or else were brought to Christ while others that were well came to hear him Mark 5.27.28.29.30 Luke 6.17.18.19 Mat. 14.13.14.34.35.36 This Imposition of hands therefore that these infants had was not that which persons when past infancy only had in the Churches after and for Dr Holmes to say the Apostles and ancient Churches confirmed persons by prayer and laying on of hands when they were past infancy and not in it therefore surely Christ to the same intent and purpose laid hands on these in infancy is equally absurd as to argue thus viz. the Apostles and primitive times practised baptism to men and women onely confessing sin and professing faith therefore it is most fitting and likely now to be the will of Christ that persons should be sprinkled in their nonage so brittle are all the bottoms you yet build on but to proceed Disputation Know ye not that the spirit of God is in you except ye be reprobates and they dare not say that little children are all reprobates Also Review page 16. They are not Reprobates Therefore Christ is in them Disproof Nor do we say that little children are all reprobates nor durst you say that any of them are reprobates if meer blindness did not embolden you thereunto for the truth is consider them yet living in the capacity of infants and so though in foro Dei in esse intentionali conditionali i. e. with God who calleth things that yet are not as though they were and foresees both what they will do and what he accordingly will do with them hereafter they are already known to be either of one sort or the other yet in foro hominum and in esse actuali i. e. actually and in the sight of men they are finally neither reprobated nor elected till they finally receive Christ or reject him yea I wish you were all but as sure to be saved as it is sure that none are quoad nos rejected or devoted in the word which is the coppy of Gods decree to eternal damnation but upon account of their own actual transgression and as t is sure that none at all of them that dy in infancy and no more of those that live to years also are damned 〈◊〉 such as finally put salvation away from them and so judge themselves most worthy of the other for though of Iacob and Esau they being yet unborn neither having done any good or evil it was foretold by God who foresaw what good and evil they would do in time and what he thereupon would do unto them that the Elder should serve the younger yet this was foretold of and fulfilled in their posterity and not their persons for though Edom served Israel yet Esau in person served not Iacob but Iacob rather bowed before him and as for that viz. Iacob have I loved Esau have I hated which you wot was spoken of them as from the womb you shall find if you look again that it was not spoken of their persons but their posterity nor yet secondly of those without respect to Edoms wickedness above the other much less thirdly before Iacob and Esau was born and had acted good or evil but so long after Iacob and Esau were born and had done good and evil that they were also ere that time when this was spoken Mal. 1. many years since dead and rotten but this would lead me into another controversie of as large extent and consequence as this in hand and therfore I will wave it here yet not so as to decline the discourse of it with you upon occasion any more then of the other well then that they are not all Reprobatâ—s it is asserted by you and us too but what is this at all to your purpose For First is there no Medium between being a reprobate and a present having the holy spirit there were twelve Disciples at Ephesus which had not so much as heard of the holy spirit so far were they from having it yet yet dare you say they were all reprobates there were many men and women that believed the things spoken by Philip pertaining to the Kingdome upon which the holy spirit had not yet fallen were they all reprobates because they had not yet received it or those thousands Peter promised the holy spirit to were they all reprobates because they yet had it not when he spake to them yea millions of men ly yet in wickedness and so far from
errors which she defends by that were denyed to be of the universall Church But the Anabaptists can never prove that this practise hath not been universall or dare not say that this matter is not doctrinal Re-Review This Argument is so far from having any substance and weight in it toward the demonstration of the truth of infant-baptism that it is not so much as a Topicall syllo gism but meerly Sophisticall so that any that are never so little learned in Logick may discern it to be the fallacy called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ignoratio Elenchi in which is proved aliud a quaesito i. e. quite another thing then that which is by us denyed in which Illud infertur ut contradictorium negato quod revera non conâ—radicit it doth not at all conclude the point in question for that you are to prove is not that it is damnable blasphemy to hold that the universal Church hath erred in baptism but that to deny infant-baptism is damnable blasphemy toward the direct and legitimate illustration of which bold charge wherewith you assault us viz. that our denyall of infant-baptism is damnable blasphemy you ought of right to have made this pro-Syllogism viz. To hold the universall Church hath erred in so necessary a matter as baptism is damnable blasphemy But to deny the lawfulness of infant-baptism is to hold that the universall Church hath erred in that matter of baptism Ergo To deny infant-baptism is damnable blasphemy The Major of which pro-syllogism we do not put you to the trouble of proving neither do we hold any such thing that the universall Church hath erred in baptism any more then you for the primitive Church did not erre in it though you do yet how do you belabour your selves here to prove what we deny not But the Minor of that pro-syllogism which we do deny as being indeed in it self most peccant and apparently false for to hold infant-baptism to be an Error is not to conclude the universal Church to have erred for the universall Church hath not held it the prove of this you evade and most serpentinely slide away from never medling with it at all unto a business you might as well have spared your pains in and fall a Syllogizing upon us in the self same sophisticall way as Rome doth for her Popes Supremacy and all other her traditions for thus say they indeed when they summon us back again to their fopperies sub paena damnabilis blasphemiae viz. To hold Christ promise is not true is damnable blasphemy But to hold that the universall Church hath erred is to hold Christs promise not true Ergo to hold the universal Church hath erred is damnable blasphemy So for the Popes Supremacy thus That which is above all the members hath Supreme authority over them all But the head of the Church is above all the members Ergo the head of the Church hath Supreme authority over all Which Syllogisms are both fallacious per ignorationem Elenchi for in this last there 's concluded what is not questioned for the question is not whether the head of the Church have supremacy over all or no for none denies but that it hath but whether the Pope be at all that head that is it which we deny and they take perforce for granted from us before we have yielded it or themselves proved it and so proceed to have more mischief by it so again in the first the question is not whether the universal Church hath erred or no but whether Rome be that universal Church or no that cannot erre or whether those traditions she practises among which infant baptism is said to be one by Cardinal Bellarmine and is taken by Mr. Rogers to be the most reverent have bin universally practised or no which we deny that they were for the first Gospel Church knew none of them and so they are not universall which Romish Sillygisms the best Logicians among the Protestants are so far from answering so formally as you strive to do to the first of them in this place that they rather explode them as Silly and Sophisticall and so must I do yours which is not onely Istius-modi but in terminis the very same with the first of theirs Therefore good Sirs fall back a little and begin again and make a prosyllogism or two if you please before this Syllogism takes its turn and do not beat the air and let flie such hot bullets as accusations of damnable blasphemy before you have any adversary appearing against you for verily you first falsely suppose us your opposites in that wherein we agree with you and bestir your selves to fight us in such a fierce fashion as if you would fright us out of our cause before you come neer us and set your selves to prove that which whoever doth yet I for my part do not deny for verily t is the minor and not the major in the Prosyllogism which we quarrel with and as for this Syllogism of yours I honour it not â—o farre as to own it neverthelesse if it be lawful to make a formal answer to an unlawful argument and least you take it ill and think much on 't if I sleight it so as to give no other reply then that above I le make bold to answer it now it s brought by you for infant-baptism as you do when the same is brought by Rome for other traditions viz. that this tradition you plead for is not universally practised therefore taking your words in a true sense and in their largest latitude though I dare not be so damable in my doctrine as you viz. to bring every one under blame of damable blasphemy who holds a possibility of error to befall the universal Church i. e. the whole state of Christs Church which is but imperfect here on Earth yet can I not say nor do I that in esse actuali the universal Church hath erred in the practise of this point of baptism so as that she hath been totally diserted by the spirit of God and that Christ hath not made good his promise to her any more then your selves yea really if you use the word universal Church in its due and proper extent viz. in respect of both time and place and in the like latitude in which Dr. Featley from whom you borrowed this argument and some of the rest and might as well have sent us to him for it as troubled your selves to hold it out here in a new harnesse uses the word universal Church as expressing All the assemblies of Christians in the world that ever were from the Apostles dayes to this present which he stiles the formal Church this universal Church cannot be impeached with error in the point of infant-baptism for it hath not universally owned it neither was it in use from the beginning there have bin some ages and places wherein the Churches practised baptism so agreeably to Christs will that you shall never be shent by him
thereby members of the Iewish Church could not be the visible church according to the Gospell unless they did manifest faith and so be in covenant with Abraham according to the spirit and baptized into the same faith Whereas if the Covenant now under Christ were the same that was before Christ with Abraham and his posterity in the flesh then by the same right they possessed circumcision and the Iewish Church state they must possesse this since Christ which they could not do therefore it is not the same It is true therefore that the Covenant of God makes the Church both in time of the Law and Gospel too for the Church is nothing else but a people in covenant with God now look how the covenant differs so the Church and people differs which is made by it and which enter into it Now the Covenant whereby God took a people outwardly to be his people then was that whereby they did being circumcised participate of all those outward meanes which led to Christ which was to come Psal. 149.19.20 But the Covenant whereby he takes a people outwardly to be his people now whereby they are admitted to be baptized is that profession they make of faith in Christ Acts 8.12.37 Mat 3.6 Whereby they have true and spirituall conjunction with God and are his people Heb. 3.6 Indeed it is true that Christ is and ever was the Mediator and Means of salvation and also that all those that were saved were saved through faith in him both before and since his comming But yet because the outward means of making Christ known doth differently depend upon his being yet to come and upon his being come in the flesh the one being more dark the other more plain the one more carnall the other more spirituall therefore the participation of these meanes doth make the state of the participants to differ Thus far are his words and then noting certain differences to the number of seven or eight between the Old Testament and the New which is 1. Established upon better promises 2. After the power of an endless life 3. In Christ. 4. And liberty of the spirit 5. A Celestial Jerusalem 6. A State of faith He very truly concludes that such onely as are in the New Covenant in Christ in faith of the promises born from above and partakers of the spirit and the power of that endless life or of the world to come are suitable to be admitted to Gospel Church priviledges In the time therefore before Christ saith he such as would circumcise themselves and their males and observe the Law in the rites and ceremonies therof together with their children by generation were the seed and in covenant with that Church but now since Christ only such as believe in Christ and are thereby children by regeneration are the seed and in covenant with this Church and this he proves further yet First Because None of the Natural seed of Abraham are in the Covenant by vertue of any natural relation though they did remain in the Iewish Church till the death of Christ and as that Church then ceased so their being in the Church by an natural relation ceased also Act. 10.28 Rom. 9.8 Gal. 5.28.31 3.7 8 9 14.16.19.26.28 29. Secondly The Gentiles have no natural relation to become Abrahams seed by therefore a believers child cannot become the seed of Abraham by being the seed of a believer unless such children do believe themselves and cannot otherwise in no respect be participants in the covenant made with Abraham p. 14 15. And again p. 18. No Gentile saith he is Abrahams seed at all but by believing the righteousnesse of faith allthough he be the child of believing parents Now therefore because you tell us not only First that believers children in infancy are Abrahams children though they yet do not the works of Abraham i. e. believe not on him that justifyes them as some of you dote they do but also Secondly that the promise of the Gospel is to believers and their seed These both are abundantly confuted by that quotation of mine which quotes more Scripture then you will ever answer so that I wonder you blush not to shoot out so boldly two such blind and unsound assertions together the second of which I shall say no more to it being virtually answered by what is more formally spoken to the first also because I have shewed so undeniably above that I know your consciences must yield to it and that from this Act. 2.39 whence you would wreâ—t a proof to the contrary that the promise if you take it for the profer of the Gospel Grace is to all men in the world every creature and so not to believers and their seed only but to all unbelievers and their seed also in case they shall believe for he conditionats the promise on calling for such these were whom Peter spake to whilst he was yet speaking that very word to them viz. the promise is to you and your children but if you take it for the thing promised which is not Church-membership and participation of baptism as some say whose absurdity therein I have declared but the spirit remission of sins and salvation this is made good also to the believer himself and it is mercie enough to him that it is so I think but not at all to his seed for his sake nor his faiths sake for if it be I testify his children need no faith of their own nay more God never made promise to save any of believing Abrahams natural seed without faith in themselves for Abrahams sake as neerly as he took Abraham to be his friend for even he had sin enough of his own to have sunck him if the same Mediator that saves any of his seed in that way of faith had not mercifully saved him the same way nor yet for Abrahams faiths sake for that merited not salvation for them nor was it instrumental but faith only in themselves to any one of his sonnes salvation for every one must bear his own burden if Christ bear it not and the just must live by his faith and not his fathers neither did he ever promise for his faiths sake to give faith to his natural seed as his for then they must all have had it qua sic including de omni and being universale summum or God should ly which he cannot neither could God blame them as he doth for unbelief but himself without whom say you they could not believe who had promised to make them believe and did not though yet he promised to circumcise i. e. by his spirit to sanctify the hearts of his spiritual seed as well as his own i. e. all such as believe and are in the faith with him for the promise being still sure to all the seed which it is made to they all must be blessed with faithful Abraham Now if God who made the old Covenant promise of the earthly Canaan to Abraham and his
he whereupon to prevent Dr. Featleys followers from charging the above syllogism with that fallacy I have exprest in what sense I mean it viz. in precepto in which sense the premisses are granted to be true by the Dr. himself and therefore I know not why they should be denied by Mr. Ba. or any else and then the conâ—luâ—ion must be true but saith Dr. Feat there is a fallacy called ignoratio elenchi in the conclusion i. e. it concludes not the thing in question but that which is not denied by us for they that are for baptizing of infants do not separate faith and baptism for they baptize children into their fathers faith saith he Secondly they believe that infants of believers receive some hidden grace of faith in time of their baptizing his followers say before baptism p. 3. of their pamphlet oh how contrary are they each to other therefore are to be baptized but Mr. Ba. will say none of all this I hope for he is against Baptismal regeneration nor will he charge the syllogism with sophistry I hope but deny either the Major or the Minor either of which if he do he answers his own grand argument against the seekers p. 341 where word for word saving a term or two put in here for explication this very syllogism is his own or else he will grant both these and consequently the conclusion to be true and then why will he dispense baptism to persons i. e. infants before they so much as seem to believe But it may be that which is a good syllogism when used by himself will be meer sophism with him too when urged by us Secondly the reason why we may not argue that all infants are damned from Mark 16.16 though they believe not is this viz. because that place speaks of persons at years onely to whom the Gospel is preached and not of infants that are not capable to believe But then saies Mr. Ba. the same may be answered to the argument from Mat. 28. against infants being disciples and to be baptized To whom I reply thus First if he saies as we of Mark 16.16 of Mat. 28.20 viz. that go teach all nations baptizing them is meant of men at years onely and not of infants then he grants as much as we desire and confesses that Christ in his commission to teach and baptize the nations does not mean discipling and baptizing infants but men and if the commission to baptize extend not to infants as the subject then what warrant to baptize them Secondly if that place be meant of men onely and not of infants then Mr. Ba. was well busied the while when he brings that very place in the very front of his plain Scripture proofs for his infant membership and baptism its ill stumbling at the very threshold But I shall not multiply nor improve as Mr. Ba. hath done to the utmost but give one argument more against infant membership and so come to the other member viz. If all that can be said in proof of the visible Church-membership of infants may be disproved as weak and inconsequent utterly to that purpose then sure there is enough if one would stand upon it to be brought against it But all that is said by Mr. Ba. in his two dozen of arguments who improves himself to the utmost to say as much as can be said in proof of the visible Church membership of infants is well nigh already and will be altogether by and by disproved as weak and inconsequent Ergo there must needs be enough against it for contradictoriorum uno negato statuitur probatur alterum If all that can be said on one side to the proof of this that infants ought to be members of the visible Church will not avail to evince that to be the truth then that infants ought not to be members of the visible Church of Christ is a thing will prove it self well enough And so I have done with one member of my proposition that I may say a little also to the other which is this viz. Though no infants have right in infancy to be baptized and joined to the visible Church as I have already proved yet all infants in their infancy are in a visible state of salvation Mr. Ba. finds out or rather fancies to himself certain grounds whereupon to hope that some dying infants are saved viz. some of the dying infants of the faithful as in opposition to all the dying infants of the wicked I say some of them for he dares not say p. 78. that his own grounds yield a certainty though a probability of the salvation of all such neither so doth he narrow up the grace of God to that innocent age of infancy for all he would seem so merciful as to plead its cause against those cruel conceits which he conceives are conceived of it amongst us yet he finds no good ground whereupon to hope the salvation of the dying infant of any godly man but the same on which he conceives them of nececessity to that salvation to have also a right to membership in the visible Church but such a necessary dependance of them each on other that suppose one to be no member at least in no visible right to membership in the visible Church of that person so dying there can be harboured no hope at all of his salvation but what if I can make it good from one of those very grounds of Mr. Baxters own bringing that there 's a ground to hope the salvation of one such dying infant as of whom it is most palpably evident that it was neither actually a member of the visible Church before it died nor so much as in any visible right to membership in the visible Church if it had lived Mr. Ba. will then I hope let go his wretched conceit of a necessity of dying infants membership in order to our having hopes of their salvation And in order to the making good of this I instance in the very same child which himself brings in as his fifth ground page 77. and alludes to as his example of the contrary viz. the child that David had by Bathsheba while she was yet the wife Vriah of whom I testifie the very same that Mr. Bax. does viz. that Davids comforting himself concerning his dead child because he should go to the child but the child not return to him was an evident argument that David was confident that that child of his should not be damned and yet he could not hope so upon any such account as his childs dying a member of the visible Church for the child never lived so much as to the 8th day nor to be circumcised and thereby entred into the visible Church for its plain 2 Sam. 12.18 that it died on the 7th and if Mr. Ba. say it was a member de jure though not de facto i. e. in a right to have been a member had it lived I deny that with as much confidence
may read as it were in text letters your own abstract from that of mine when you please and signing the Titles of the CCClergy whether true or surreptitious with three letters in the front as C. C. C. PPP c. most commonly when I speak of â—hem in the lump to denote the three PPParts into which that great City B B Babylon which they make stands divided I proceed as followeth That Heresies must be the Apostle hath said yet it makes no more for a tolleration of them in the true Church I mean though others mean in the civil state than that of our Saviour of offences saying foreseeing no question how by means of the Clergies crying out Heresie Heresie Schism against the way of truth being once turned aside to Heresie themselves the world would be offended at his little ones for walking in it They must come but wo to the man by whom they come the Apostle reckons Heresies among the works of the flesh Idolatry Witchcraft c. Gal. 5.20 which alone is argument sufficient against the Patronage and Invitation of them unless withal license in the true Church should be given to all other carnal sins why should the Church of God upon Earth make much of those against whom the Kingdome of Heaven shall be shut her pale is not so strong to keep them out from breaking in upon her like wild bores and wolves to spoil and wast her but her good will should not be so great to them as to wellcome them in to her fellowship till they repent from their dead works of superstition bloody tenet of persecution for cause of conscience worshipping God after mens traditions blaspheming the name of God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven trampling the holy City Heresie Schism from the primitive truth c. Neverthelesse howbeit to tolerate and harbour Hereticks in communion with them whilest they oppose the true way of Christ would be an error and an evill too intollerable in a true Church of Christ yet I hold that opinion of the C C Clergy not onely intollerably Heretical in it self but intollerably hurtful also to themselves that Hereticks may not be tolerated in a civil state for if Fines Prisons Banishments Racks Wâ—ips Tortures headings hangings burnings and such like punishments with the civil sword were the due of every Heretick and Schismatick in the faith as the C C Clergy have for ages and Generations born the world in hand that they are to the causing of all these their national Church censures to be inflicted on the Saints when they have once blindly sentence them to be Schismaticks to the civil power if this I say were the due of every Heretick or Schismatick and every true Heretick and Schismatick had his due too good Lord how have the C C Clergy condemned themselves out of their own mouthes to devastation when the civil powers shall find them to be the Arch-Hereticks in the world if taking them at their word they shall do with them as they say they ought to do in this case concerning others but God forbid that with what judgement they judge they should be judged and with what measure they meet it should be measured to them again at our suggestion if their own Cheek-by-jole carriage to the Stern-men of the State do not pull it unavoidably upon themselves yea verily though as far as those that oppose themselves against the truth of Christ they may well challenge the name of Schismaticall Hereticks and though Amen might justly be said by the Magistrate in this point to the opinion of Gangraena and his Gang and might Amen be said to his wise wishes as concerning us who teach and practise baptism in its primitive fashion we could expect to be suffered in the Common-wealth no more then High-way Murderers yet dare we not desire their exâ—irpation out of any of their native rights in the several states wherein they are nor such uncivill suppression of them meerly for their erroneous Tenets as they have sollicited the higher powers to concerning us we have not so learned Christ nor would they if they had heard him and had been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus for howere it comes to passe that the C C Clergy whose own the worst would he if that were true and execution done accordingly are so besotted as to believe that Hereticks and Schismaticks from the faith men of false waies worships religions though elsewise never fo peaceable and innocent must not onely be dischurched but discommunicated also from the patronage of the civil power and cut off from the priviledges of other Subjects yet neither Christ nor any of his Apostles as from him gave any order for such rigid rejection indeed the Apostle Paul wills in his Epistle to Titus cap. 3. who was a Church officer that a Heretick after a second and third admonition be rejected i. e. from the Church and Gal. 5.12 wishes that they were cut off from the Church that did trouble the Church and Rev. 2.20.21 the Church of Thyatira was reproved for suffering that woman Iezebel which calleth her self a prophetesse to teach and seduce his servants to fornication i. e. false worships c. but it will noâ— follow therefore that such may not have license to live civilly in civil states for the weapons of the Churches warfare wherewith she is to fight against Heresies and which she is ever to have in readinesse to revenge all disobedience to Christ by are noâ— carnall 2 Cer. 10.4 5 6. not such as are used by the officers of States but onely spirituall as admonition reproof and in case of obstinacy putting out from among them delivering up to Satan and not delivering up to the secular power as the Popish Priesthood used to do when any of their creatures specially of their Clerico-creatures turned Hereticks i. e. departed from their Heresies to the truth saying pray take him into your power and be merciful to him meaning hang or burn him for a Heretick The Church I say is neither to use the carnal weapons of the State nor yet to stirr up the State so to use them on her and truths behalf as to imprison fine hang burn or banish false worshippers unbelievers misbelievers or Hereticks further then they are withall as by meer unbelief they are not offenders against the civil State I find the Lord Christ foretelling by himself and his Apostles that for the most part the more is the pitty the Rulers Kings Governours and Princes of the world would be such enemies against his Gospel that his Disciples should be â—ald before them as evill doers for his names sake Matth. 10.18 that not many mighty and noble men would own his truth 1 Cor. 1.26 that rich men would oppresse the Church and draw them before their Judgement seats and blaspheme that worthy name wherby the poor in this world which commonly are the richest in faith are called Ia. 2.6 that the Kings
that it may come up the more easily by the roots and seeks what he can to kill it by his kindnesse The other viz. thou PPPriest though that thou mayest seem to be totally for the truth and all others to be enemies to it but thy self and thine thou cravest I might say commandest and challengest such a large toleration for what thou callest truth that nothing else must be tolerated besides it yet the truth is the truth as it is in Jesus which is Heresie with thee is lesse beholding to thee then to the other for it hath not so much as leave from thee to live if it can nay it can take no root at all at least not thrive above ground if it do where thou livest at the length of thy Lordlines for like Nimrod the mighty hanter before the Lord thou hast built to thy self great B B Babel a Triple Tower a three-fold Fort or form of Tyrannical Churchlines wherein thou seatest and securest thy self and whence being jealous least all that comes neer thee under the name of truth should undermine thee thou fightest it afar off Thou art as it were a wild man like Ismael having thy hand against every man and every mans hand against thee dwelling alone as much as thou canst in the midst of thy brethren by thy sword and thy bow by cutting and slashing and shooting out thy sharp arrowes even bitter words viz. Hereticks Hereticks against all that heed not what thou sayest before thou hearest them these are the rough hands of Esau wherewith thou handlest thy brother Iacob that will obtain the blessing before thee TTThou art the 3 heads of that Eagle spoken of 2 Esdras cap. 11. cap. 12. and wheresoever thou lookest and spreadest thy black wings thou lookest that all other birds should tremble under thee and be subject to thee so that none of old durst so much as chirp against thee no not one creature upon earth but so soon as any began to appear any where within thy range that was not Pullus Aquilae a chicken of thy own brood thou hast rapaciously torn it with thy Talents and made it a prey to thy young ones and whersoever thy wonted principle of persecution for conscience hath taken place and thy gawdy greedy griping Government stood up in full force the truth hath lien groaning and grovling under thee upon the ground Thus verily hath it been not onely for ages and generations within the dominions of the old Bruitish but also more lately under the domination of our BBrittish Priesthood Yea thou O P P Priest hast been such a thicket of thorns to the Lilly that she could never flourish upwards without a thousand scratches from thee such a tall crop of tares as hath overtopt starved and strangled the wheat TTThou knowest not what spirit TTThou art of thou wouldst fain command fire to come down from heaven and consume them as if it were Christs mind that receive not Christ Jesus in the wayes of thy own invention thou judgest them that are without that are none of thy C C Church whom were thy Church the true Church thou should leave to God to judge 1 Cor. 5.13 if they be but in the same Nations wherein thy Church is and that shrewdly too sometimes when thou canst get the strength and power of states to stand to thee and execute such censure as thou saiest is due to Hereticks and Schismaticks in the Church yet I cannot much blame thee whilst thou clap'st whole common-wealths at once under thee as thy Church which ought as much to be corrected into an observance of the directories and decrees of Synodical power in matters spiritual as of the Senatical in matters civill thy chief way to cure Hereticks when they are in health is to kill them this Panpharmacon is letting blood thy present remedy against the remedilesse disease of Truth-telling Truth-spreading is Truth treading and present smoothering it from the vulgar by stopping the passage of the press and opening the Pipes in the Pulpit and present tampering with the Truth-teller who if he unsee not what he sees is ense recidendus to be dispatcht out of the way ne pars sincera trahatur lest sincere ones that seek after truth should find it when it flies abroad and be in-per-fected by it as well as he thou massacrest men to the Masse slayest men into thy service books setst up thy religion by treason when it can stand no more by reason fightest with fire and sword when thou canst do little by the spirit and word makest thy pen knife keen enough to cut when thy pen is not quick enough to countetfeit thou stopst Stevens mouth with stones and bearest him down with brick-bats that he blasphemes when thou canst not resist the Wisdome and the Spirit by which he speaks like the wolf in the fable thou accusest the poor innocent lamb of troubling the waters for nothing but drinking at the pure fountain and when the lamb replies my cause is better then thine Oh but quoth the wolf my teeth are better then thine I must devour thee Now therefore as to the civil Magistracy throwout all Nations Tongues kinreds and people where thou O proud P P Priesthood ridest them I humbly beg of them in the name of Christ and on behalf of his truth and people which thou hast suppressed that they would no longer set TTThee up as Lady of Kingdoms as Lords over Gods heritage as Supream dictators to the whole nations where they live so in all Matters of Religion faith and Gospel as that all people must fal down to thee and worship God only according to thy more dimme and divided then divine directions but that people may go forth from under thy Egyptian prohibition to serve the Lord according to his own will and word which thou hast hid from the vulgar by unknown tongues and forcing thy own constructions on men in nations wherein its mostly truly translated and believe no more at a venture as the P P Priests believe by any law as from the Magistrate whose duty it is not to force men to unity of faith and uniformity in Religion further then they find freedome to fall into such unity among themselves but to force men to live at unity and peace in honesty and innocency in all justice and civility one towards another under what diversity of religion soever may be among them and whilest any Religion puts its people in mind to be subject to principalities and powers to obey Magistrates in civil things for conscience sake and not to resist them in rebellious waies in such cases under pain of resisting the ordinance of God and receiving to themselves damnation according to Rom. 13.12 Titus 3.1 1 Pet. 2.13.14.15 to see that it have as mutuall protection from them as it yields subjection to them for this is the good will of God concerning them as such and whether they be Heathens or Christians they are Gods
Ministers to attend continually upon this very thing viz. to reâ—der unto all men their dues as men viz. a room in quiet in the world of what wayes of religion soever yea though Indians and redress of any civil wrongs as they expect to have all men of what religions soever within their power to render to them their dues of tribute honour custome fear for for this cause pay they their tribute also because Magistrates are Gods Ministers to the world ward and to the Church as part of the world and in no other sense then as to the rest of the world to attend continually on this very thing to dispense praise or punishments for civil good and evil among men not spiritual for then they may punish evill thoughts proud looks ignorance non-profiting by the word not Gods Church-ministers to dispense good or evil for good or evil done in the Church but as the same actions may have reference to the state also as theft or the like civil abuse which comes one way under the Churches censure and another way under the Common-wealths they are not I say Church Ministers nor Ministers to the Church qua Church as the Priests principle seemes to make them for then they may claim not only Tribute but Tith also as well as the Priest but that he will be loath to part with though in truth it belongs to him for his Church wasting work full as little as to the other I humbly beg therefore I say of the Powers that truth which hath been trod under foot may be tolerated among them in their several civil States Common-wealths and Kingdomes and to the end it may undoubtedly be so let all that which the Powers in the several Nations do judge in their own consciences to be truth in point of Religion have toleration and protection and no more countenance by them as Magistrates but bare protection from injury as other waies also may have and not such extraordinary supports from a power Heterogeneal to that of the Church nor such extraordinary gratulations gratuities revenews incomes preferments and portions out of the common State-stock let their own private purses be as open to them such as professe it pay to its Ministry as much as they will for besides the partiality of this thing of making other Religions and wayes that judge themselves to be the truth as well as that pay and be tributaries to the true one and the gâ—umbles it will ingender in mens minds this proves the greatest mischief under heaven to the truth when the Ministers who should expect nothing but shame and suffering with their Master who was Beelzebub are flusht with the outward pomps and vanities of this world till they forget themselves so as scarce to know what ground they stand on and howbeit Magistrates may mean honestly in their high honourings of them as that good man Constantine the great did yet as his high embraces and graces done to Christian Bishops proved besides his intent the stirrup whereby those Lord beggars got up on horse back and rode to the devil for so hath that Romish whore rid both her self and the beast under her which is Christ'ndome so though I hope it never will yet it may possibly be so again if care be not taken against it witnesse the two other more seemingly modest and maidenly Minions Episcopacy and Presbitery which qua Ministry came out of her loines who have not brought the world so far out of that old Babilon towards Sion as they pretended to do by reformation as else they might have done being slugged luld asleep by benefits and benefices in the way for positâ eâdem causà ponitur idem effectus sublat â tollitur golden cups ever yet made wooden Priests and ever will do let truth have liberty and peace it will desire no more of the State if it be truth indeed And Secondly let all other wayes and religions besides that which the Magistrate judges to be truth that judge themselves to be in the truth save that of those whose very way as abovesaid is no way but dishonesty and whose way is to root out all wayes but their own by civil power be also tolerated practised and protected from outward violence and oppression as well as that for this besides the knitting of the hearts of men of all wayes under one civill power in intire love and strong affection to that Power that domineers not ore their conscience besides that I say this tolerating all practices in point of religion save that practise of non toleration of any but it self in civil states must needs tolerate the truth among the rest whether it ly in this way or that and so the Power shall be out of all danger and hazard of coming under the guilt of truth treading which the PPPriesthood hath engaged the civil power in for 1260 years together as else it cannot for if toleration be of no way but one then if that chance to be the wrong and the magistrates are no more sure then other men that they are in the right yea 100 to 1 they are not if they use civil violence to others First because the false wayes are many and broad and easie and fine and the true way but one and that so streit and narrow mean and base that not many noble and mighty and men of power ever find it 1 Cor. 1.26 Secondly because as King Iames said persecution is a certain note of a false Church then truth is unavoidably smothered by them and will first or last pull vengeance upon that power Rev. 6.11.12 though it be under the name of Heresie onely that he suppresses it and plucks it up under the name and notion of weeds and tares that would else choak the wheat besides therefore a most strict charge that Christ gives Mat. 13. that in the world i. e. the civil States and Common-wealths of it the Tares should stand together among the wheat untill the harvest which alone is an Argument putting all out of doubt in this controversie he gives this good reason viz. least in plucking up the Tares the wheat also chance to be rooted up with them t is for the wheats good therefore for the Tares to stand and for the wheats sake that Christ wills they should though not in the Church yet in the world to the very end thereof And because the Divine cannot yet divine that to be Christs meaning in that scripture that false worshippers hereticks c. may lawfully if not civil offenders be licenced to live in civil States let us consider how sinister his own conjectures are upon it I have met with some and some of chiefest note in this County of Ken who have shifted it of thus saying that by the Field is meant the Church not the World as we say and Christ himself interprets it in that place Secondly that the servants who ask whether they should pluck up the Taris yea or
no and are bid to let them grow together with the Wheat are not the Civil Magistrates but Christs Disciples who had nothing to doe to pluck them up and so the civil Magistrate may do it no withstanding to this purpose I have been answered when I have askt in way of querie the sense of that place To which I say First that by the Field is most necessarily meant the World and not the Church First Christ so expounds it himself the field saith he is the World but say they the World is oft used to expresse the Church and so may here I reply first I deny that the word world in any one place of Scripture signifies the Church onely it signifies sometimes the fabrick of the Universe Secondly it signifies all man kind good and bad collectively Thirdly sometimes the wicked onely that lie in wickednesse 1 Iohn 1.13 Iohn 17. abstract and in contradistinction to the godly and the Church but never at all the Church the godly the Elect alone abstract and as in contradistinction to the wicked and though I know how far forth to maintain their absurd doctrines in other cases some Divines divine such a matter yet till they shew more for it then they have ever shewed to me or I am sure can shew out of the word not denying but that there is a number electorum i. e. all that believe and obey Christ exmundo electus their Mundus electorum is haud mundus dialectus Secondly here it cannot be the Church however because it is vox secundae intentionis a speech that is expounded by Christ to be the sense of the other speech of field he used before for if the word world were ever used for the Church it must be by a figure synechdoche whereby a smal snip of it is signified by the whole and then Christ speaks figuratively again in his Exposition of the other figurative word field which were incertum per incertum to open one paraboricall expression by another as paraboricall as that which who can think Christ did to his Disciples to whom his intent was to speak more plain that they might understand him but understand him they could not well if while he spake figuratively at first he did not speak properly at last however for whereas he had told them the field was the World they had as much need to have asked again what the world was if they could not think he meant plainly as he said Thirdly the Church is exprest usually by the name of Christ's Garden Vineyard c. which are places more peculiar and sequestred as Cant. 4.12.16 Isaiah 5.6 Ez. 15. and the world or part without the Church by the name of Field Forrest c. wherein Tares wild bores briars thornes as well as wheat and Saints may live Fourthly if by Field and World here is meant the Church then t will follow that sith the Tares i. e. false Worshippers Hereticks Antichristians are bid to be let alone untill the harvest that such as these may be tolerated not in the world or civil state onely with the Church but also in the very Church it self which toleration cannot be for God chides that Church that suffers Iezebel to teach fornication in her and if the P P Priesthood plead for such a Toleration as this as he had need considering how his Church is filled with tares more then he is either able or willing to root out then â—e is for a tolleration far more intollerable then that we plead for for we would have Hereticks and Schismaticks and Erroneous false worshippers and nominall Christians Antichristians no neerer the Church then in the world with them i. e. the same States Towns houses but not in one and the same Church-fellowship or Congregation but they would have them stand in the Church for which sure Christ gives no permission much lesse a strick Commission as here is that they should But say you Christ does not here mean that they shall stand as if none had to do pluck them up but onely forbids these servants who were his disciples from meddling with them to evâ—ry of whom he gives not Authority to pass censures and punish but some may have Authority for it for all that Some who are those I trow it must be then either the Ministry or the Magistracy not the Ministry for it is far more cleer that by the servants here that took notice of the tares to the housholder is meant the servants of Christ in the office of Ministers that would fain have been meddling as the false Ministry ever does to root out all both out of Church and world too that is not of institution by Christ in their opinion and such a spirit may too much shew it self in the true too see the like Spirit in his own disciples the first Ministers Luke 9.54.55 Mat. 15.12.13.14 for which Christ gives them a check and tells them they knew not what spirit they were of and bids them let the false plants alone to the heavenly Father to pluck up in his time saying let them alone they be blind leaders of the blind and will both in due time fall into the ditch t is far more clear I say that t is his Ministry he here forbids then common disciples for why should not their Ministry complain of them aswell as they yet he bids these let them alone which shewes too that t is the World and not the Church they are to stand in for it belongs properly enough and primarily to the Ministers with consent of the Church executively to passe the censure of putting them out of the Church Secondly not the Magistracy for if it were the Church as they say it is how miserably do they mope and yet so the Priest does that make him the highest officer in the Church to cast persons out of the Church who is though the highest officer over the Church and World too yet in truth no Church officer or Minister in the Church qua Church at all Besides lastly which puts all out of doubt the prohibition is to all men as well as some and sounds forth the mind of Christ to be that the tares shall stand in the Field till the harvest and not be pluckt up by any at all but stand till the harvest they cannot according to his will if according to his will either Magistrate or Minister might pluck them up out of the field what field ere t is that is here spoken of his will is not only that such shall not pluck them up but that they shall not be pluckt up until the harvest i. e. the end of the world till he sends his Angels to gather the tares all things that offend every plant that the heavenly father hath not planted out of his Kingdome which taken at large is the whole world and to bundle them for the fire To all these many more reasons may be added why the Magistrate may not force men at all
in matters of faith repentance Religion worship see Barbers answer to the Essex watchmens watch-word p. 7. c. the Magistrate receives no charge from God about Religion neither is cura ammarum but cura corporum onely committed to him Luther himself was of this mind that the Lawes of the Magistrate extended no further then to the bodies and goods that which is external and that God would have none to rule in the soul but himself therefore where the Magistrate goes about to govern in the conscience he usurps that jurisdiction which God reserves to himself certainly this is that great arrogany in the Whore or Woman of sin which God will severely punish in that S S Shee gives lawes to the conscience and sits in the Temple and Church of God as a God King Iames in Parliament 1609 said That it is a sure rule in Divinity that God never loves to plant his Church with violence and blood and again in his Apology for the oath of Allegeance p. 4. speaking of the Papists that took the said oath That he gave a good proof of it that he never intended persecution for conscience but onely desired to be secured of them for civil abuses that it was usually the condition of Christians to be persecuted but not to persecute Again Faith and repentance to acknowledgement of the truth is Gods gift and if wee 'l believe our Clergy no way in every mans power no not by gift from God to perform and so the Magistrate must punish men belike because God who gives where he lists does not give them to believe c. Again Blasphemers Persecutors as Paul Idolators as the Corinthians yea Iewes Turks and Pagans may be converted in time by the word therefore are not to be plucked up out of the Earth for then they can never possibly repent Again persecution was never taught by Christ nor practised by his Apostles but arose among Heathens and was continued by the Roman Antichrist and his Ministers Yet there 's one way more whereby they evade all this and that is by denying that by the Tares here are meant Hereticks False Worshippers and Antichristians and asserting them to be Hypocrites in the Church and this is the way of Mr. Cotton whereby you may see again how Divines are divided among themselves in all things almost as well as some which Mr. Cotton in a book which the Bloody Tenet relates to gives out as I remember that by tares is meant hypocrites in the Church who are so like the wheat that they cannot well be discovered nor discerned from it and so must be let alone in the Church by the Ministers of the Church least they mistake and pluck up wheat instead of tares and cast out men for hypocrites who its possible may be sincere for ought we know In answer to which I must confesse men that cast out persons for Hypocrites had need be pretty wary and not overhasty yea better an inconvenience than a mischief betâ—er erre in letting some Hypocrites stand in the Church then for hast cast out one that seemes to be so to us and yet is not But this is not the sense of our Saviour in this place for as it cannot be the Church that the Tares are here bid to be let alone in as I have shewed above so much lesse by the tares can be meant hypocrites so neer the wheat i. e. true Saints in shew and likenesse and pretence as to be hardly discerned from them For First Though Hypocrites are like Saints and appear so to be oft it may be alwaies to the deceiving of us yet the Tares are not at all like the wheat nor at all to any but such as are stark blind appearing to be wheat Secondly an Hypocrite in the Church who is one that appâ—ars to be what he is not must be supposed while he is in the Church to be discovered or not discovered so to be when not discovered he is no hypocrite to us to whom things are as they appear what ere he may be to God but as true a Saint as the rest and when discovered till when to us he is a Saint and must stand under the notion of a Saint then he must not stand in the Church which is not to harbor any that are palpably wicked and who is so palpable as he whose simulata sanctitas is dulplex iniquitas But now First the tares hee spoken of are plainly said and seen to be tares and appeare to be tares and a distinct stuff from the Wheat and yet for all that they are bid to be let alone in the Field as hypocrites must not be in the Church when they appear to be such But in the field i. e the world t is true enough that hypocrites may stand even after they are cast out of the Church unlesse they act any thing that civil justice will reach them for and so also may Antichristians and all false Worshippers T is evident then that in this place as well as Matth. 15.13.14 that in the time of the Gospel Church Tares that much hinder the wheat that are mingled in the same Field world Civil States Countreyes Common-wealths of Satans sowing among the Wheat Weeds Nettles Bryers Thorns Plants that are not of the heavenly Fathers planting Faâ—se worshippers Hereticks men and their Ministryes of false Religions doctrines faiths waies of serving God may and ought by permission and commission from Christ be let alone and allowed to stand by no means in the same Church by all means in the same world or part of the world locally considered for the Church is not locally considered as a place measured by and consistent of such or such a compasse of ground as the Popes parish Churches did whereupon they went on procession once a year lest they should forget the bounds of their Church but mystically of such or such a company of men however scattered locally here or there yet in one fellowship I say in the same part of the world nation City Countrey civill corporation with the wheat Saints true Church under the protective power of civil Magistracy free from molestation meerly for their religion so be they live justly soberly and peacably with all men any thing said to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding by the Priest who of all men hath least reason to be against toleration of tares in the world and of plants which the heavenly father never planted if he consider what he is himself and unlesse he desire to be rooted out in hast by the civill power before his time See the parable and read it with the exposition of it Mat. 13.37 c. He that sowed good seed in the field is the son of man i. e. Christ the field is the world therefore not the Church the good seed or wheat are the children of the Kingdom i. e. the Saints the true Church and worshippers the tares which while men slept and did not mind it the
will oblige him seemingly to himself at least to tread down truth and set up false hood and all this by a law yea if the Magistrate take the part of any religion against all other so as to establish it alone and root out them whether it be the true one or a false one that he sets up not tolerating all others but forcing them to submit to it the mischief is in a manner intolerable on either hand for if false have not we all felt the smart of being forc't to false wayes Smectimnus as well as others if he hath not forgotten the groans that for liberty of conscience came once out of his own mouth while he was crusht under him that was crusht under the Popedom but in the Marian dayes above but if true the forcing men to own it before they see ground freely to receive it makes a world of formalists of nominal Christians who had as good be nothing at all as no better then they are of hypocrites which are worse then nought the worst sinners in the world for is it not better for me to remain a Jew under a blind conscience till I see the truth then to turn Christian against my though blinded conscience for fear of men before convinc't or before I yet see it to be the truth a forced feigned profession for fear of men if it happen to be of the truth it self is at best but splendidum peccatum a guilded sin Besides t is to weave the spiders webbe as Isa. 59. to make laws and penalties to bind conscience which brawny conscienc't men can creep ore let them be what they will as we see in Nebuchadnezzars dayes and in the Popes time and ever since all people for fear fall down and worship the golden image the King and Clergy sets up save such as fear God indeed And if it be thought that if the civil power take not the part of truth as I wonder where and when ever it did at least since Constantines times till of late it will be lost more in the croud of errors and Heresies that will ensue a general toleration then any other way it can I say let truth alone and turn it loose to plead fully for it self and it will work out its way and live and thrive maugre all the entanglements it can have from tares plain truth may be trusted to treat with the subtlest and proudest opposers it hath in the world that caeteris paribus do make head against it but if it be set against by the forrain power of a civil sword premi yet then too hand supprimi potest do but defend it onely from injury equally with others by the civil and then it will defend it self by the spirituall sword against them all Wherefore I again humbly represent that grave Councel of Gamaliel whose reason is good to all the civil Magistrates throughout the earth by whose subjects t is sharpely controverted and zealously quaeried what is truth viz. that they refrain from meddling more with men though they seem mad men to the world and besides themselves for the sake of truth in pretence lest happily they be found fighters against God for if any way be not of God t will in Gods time come to nought of it self and ye cannot establish it if of God you cannot withstand it but t will come on in this juncture specially wherein it dawns toward the great day and God is about to pluck up every plant he hath not planted And if men be in your apprehension blind leaders of the blind in things of God yet let them alone if they will not go to the right way when called to it they will see when they both fall into the ditch And likewise I humbly beg that what is further and more clearly held forth concerning this subject of liberty of conscience by Mr. Blackwood in the first part of his storming of Antichrist may be well weighed by our Magistrates together with the thirty quaeries presented to them lately by Mr. Iohn Goodwin and his vindication of them against the Apologist neither of which ever will be answered solidly by their parish Ministers And as for the P P Priesthood it self though I hope the night is too farre spent for any save such as will be ignorant and if any man will be ignorant let him be ignorant saith Paul 1 Cor. 14.28 and so say I to doubt but that the day is dark over them and theirs they are blind leaders of the blind in many things which many others see of whom yet they are asham'd to learn and which is worse such as stand not a little in their own light by snuffing at it that the Russet Rabbies and Clergy of Laicks should presume to instruct them more perfectly in the way of God which God in these daies wherein the last must be first and the first last will subject the proudest spirited Priests in Christ'ndom to take from some illiterate and perhaps non-sensical yet honest hearted Saints stammerers in speech babes with them bablers as of old eloquent Apollos from Aquila and Priscilla or else it may be hid from their eyes And though what they would not that others do to them when they were underlings each to other they have done unto all other professions that were underlings to them in the day of their raign hasting what they could to the hunting of the Sectaries out of their synagogues or their native rights and enjoyments therein which they have subjugated to be their Synagogues counting the compasse of whole Common-weals and Kingdomes little enough for them to Lord it over and set their several names of Papal Prelatical or Presbyterian there confounding and Babilonishly blending Church State Power together so that t was hard for any token clearly which was which or to know where to set the sole of his foot almost upon European ground in any Nation but he and all his conscience and all must come under the command and fall within the verge of some or other of their mercilesse Church Monarchies yet neverthelesse my humble desire to the powers on their behalf is that they may be tolerated and protected in the practise of what profession Religion way of worship doctrine discipline or Church-government soever they see occasion among themselves and such as shall see occasion to cleave to them or any of them to set up so far as they shall desire to build their several BBBabels without that blood of souls and bodies of men in which they have imbrued both their own and the Princes hands of the Christian Nations in former dayes I heartily plead for a toleration for them if ever the power shall as not a few people already do discern them to be as Heretical and Schismatical from the truth as they have judged all others to be such toleration I mean as may not be inconsistent with the toleration of all other people and professions of Religion in the
as well as they do in the tenth part of it already will take cognizance ere long that it can be no great ease to truly tender consciences who with the CCClergy are ever stiled Sectaries and Schismaticks to lie under the lash of these Lords over Gods heritage and in tender consideration thereof and compassion to those righteous souls who are vexed with their vanities proclaim such a Iubilee that the true spouse of Christ whom they made a keeper of their vineyard shall have leave to keep her own vine yard go forth from her Apprenticeship to these spiritual Task-masters that their consciences shall be no more yoaked nor captivated to their crude and carnal conceptions and the wings of the CCClergy so clipt that they shall not soare so high as they have done over the faith of all people yea in the name of the blessed and onely Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords Christ Iesus I warn all the civil Powers Princes and Potentates of the world that have been bewitched by the sorceries of that WWWhore who corrupts the earth with her fornications that they give up their power and strength no more to be improved to the forcing of the inhabiters of the earth to drink of the golden cup and wine of her fornications but that they improve it rather henceforth to the freeing all men from from her conscience crushing principle of persecution by the civil sword that submit not to her Sinodical constitutions and if they refuse to obey the will of the Lord in this thing and permit not all people to live peaceably in their several forms of worship they behaving themselves civilly and in all subjection to them in civil matters in their several States I testifie unto them that then the hand of the Lord will be so heavy upon them and their PPPriests and people that he will plague them as certainly as he did Egypt Pharoah and his Magicians till they let his Israel go forth and serve him as he required Yea O ye Powers if ye shall yet persevere to Tyranize over truth and trample upon tender consciences and force all men to that one faith which the men or rather the woman Rev. 17. the CCClergy in their counsels make the standard through you several States the Lord Christ will tread you and your people in his wrath and trample you in his fury and stain all his raiment with your blood and strengthen your own Subjects against you and your PPPriesthood IIIezebel that stirs you up whose lovers you are with invincible courage and irresistable wrath against you to suppresse your miserable misgovernment and cast her into a bed and you that commit adultery with her into great tribulation except you repent of your deeds yea he will endlessly imbroile you in wars one against another about your false faiths and Anti-christian Christianities and bring plagues upon you the sword famine death and destruction that he may repay unto you the things that have been done unto his chosen and will hold his tongue no longer as touching the wickedness of that kind which hath been profanely committed but as innocent and righteous blood crieth unto him and the souls of the just complain continually so the Lord will surely avenge them and receive unto him all the righteous blood from among them behold his people hath been led as a flock to the slaughter but he will not suffer them now to dwell any longer in the land of Egypt i. e. under the Lordly tyranny of the PPPriesthood who is that threefold great City BBBabilon which is also spiritually called Sodom for her Spiritual whoredoms and Egypt Rev. 11.8 the land of Israels captivity in the streets within the territories of which the carcases of Christs witnessesly dead where also our Lord was crucified But he will bring them out with a mighty hand and a streched out arm and will smite EEEgypt with plagues as before and will destroy all the land thereof EEEgypt shall mourn and the foundation of it be smitten with the plague and punishment that God shall bring upon it like as they do yet this day unto his chosen so will he also do and recompence unto their bosom and he will make the Princes of the earth to know that t is Christs right alone to rule over the consciences of the children of men and that no meer man may sit as a judge there and thou O PPPriest shall know that Christ alone is King in his Church and in the conscience and the true Ministers but meer Ministers or servants unto both and not Masters over either and that the civill state is the element and the Orbe which the Magistrate onely is to move in under him and that only meerly in matters civill and that thy self who art a creature not of Gods but of thy own creating and hast usurp'd a supreme jurisdiction at least a jurisdiction over all these hast nothing but naught to do in any of them at all and as thou art no plant of the heavenly fathers planting so shalt assuredly be plucked up by the very roots from all thy pretences priviledges provinces parishes and other profits and places in which thy earthly father the Pope hath planted thee yea thou shalt be weakned as a poor woman with stripes and as one chastised with wounds so that the mighty and lovers shall not be able to receive thee would I with jealousie have so preceeded against thee saith the Lord if thou hadst not alway slain my chosen exalting the stroak of thine hands and saying over their dead when thou wast drunken set forth the beauty of thy countenance the reward of thy whordome shall be in thy bosom therefore shalt thou receive recompence like as thou hast done unto my chosen saith the Lord spoiling and destroying them that fear the Lord wasting and taking away their goods tearing them with thy teeth for Tith and casting them out of their houses even so shall God do unto thee and shall deliver thee unto mischief thou shalt be cast down by them as stubble and they shall be to thee a fire look what thou hast they shall spoil it and marre the beauty of thy face and the glory of both thou O poor Princely PPPriesthood and of all those PPPriestly Princes that adhere to thee shall be dried up as a flower when the heat shall arise that is sent over thee Be wise now therefore O yee Kings be instructed ye that are judges of the earth see that you serve the Lord with fear in your own persons according to his own will and way revealed in his word and know that howbeit you are the Gods of the earth to judge all men that are under you whether in the Church or of the world in earthly cases and matters of meer secular concernment that you are not the Gods of heaven that is the Church so far as to meddle at all as earthly judges to correct in those meer heavenly
wool milke egges calves pigs apples peares plums flax hey hens hops hemp wood houses cum multis aliis quae nunc praescribere longum est either in kind or pecunialiter but you passe over judgement mercy faith and the weighty matters of Christs law you eat the fat and cloth your selves with the wool and kill them that are fed but you feed not the flock you even flea the very flesh from mens bones for your un-dues and that such men too sometimes whom your selves are so far from teaching that you have need to learn of them which be the first principles of the oracles of God you feed your people with words but not with the word you strengthen not the diseased but strengthen them in their diseases you strengthen the hands of the wicked that they do not return from their wickednesse and discourage the hearts of the righteous you run from place to place parish to parish parsonage to parsonage pretending you have Christs call from this to that when the loadstone that leads you is the love of lucre and when you are about to leave one living for the love of another you often dance a while between both serving them by turns by the halves till the half year be expired that you may have your half years hire from both places and when you take your leave of the flock which you fleec't before then what a deal of do there is to part and such scrape sometimes as if it went to the hearts of you that you must forsake them then there is farewell speeches farewell Sermons farewell all at once once for all the Lord be with you and such like but the devil may take them all and be their minister if he will for you if you can but get Christs call to a bigger living or some more emolumentall employment And howbeit you parish PPPastors can give your selves a dispensation from Christ to run away for selfs sake when you please from your flocks yet if any of your flocks run away from you for Christs sake to other Pastors many of you take on heavily at this saying t is a most miserable thing that when you have converted them and been a means of opening their eyes they should presently run away from your ministry you may separate your selves it seems without sin from them for more Tith but if they separate themselves from you for more Truth this is such a hâ—gh piece of Schism and iniquity in the Church as deserves to be sharpely censured by the State at least if they abide not in all conformity to the cry of your wide mouthd coffers which if they do there 's so much the more content yea let them run to what Pastors they will so they still stand Paymasters to you for what said one even what many more of you proclaim is in your minds by your mindlesseness of ministring to men in spiritual things any farther then they minister to you in carnal viz let them run to the devil if they will quoth he for so you judge they do when they run from you to God so they will but pay us our tithes How justly may even England say as Isaiah said of Israel of old Isa. 56.10.11.12 his watchmen are all blind they are dumb dogs that cannot bark but bite they can bitterly if men put no into their mouthes sleeping lying down loving to slumber greedy dogs that never have enough all looking to their own way every one to his gain from his quarter And as you can shift and flee from flock to flock and stand in several livings one after another some of you in two or three together in the same creeds catechisms formes of worship Government c. for your own earthly ends and emoluments so can you stand under severall postures practises creeds catechisms forms of worship government in the same livings rather then lose them when time and tide turns so strongly upon you as to turn you out of your places if you turn not with it Yea verily you are the most subtle shifting sinful shameful shuffling self Saviours some few still excepted for those that know their innocency in this I speak not of them but if any mens consciences tell them I speak of them I speak of them indeed from suffering joyfully the spoiling of your goods turning out of your houses in the troublous turnes of times for your professed conscience scruples that are to be found throughout the earth hence it is that you are generally quiet under the absence of that which you strictly pleaded for as truth while it stood and under the establishment of that which you stiled and stickled against as error till it was set up when the remove was made by the hand of that authority that was like to remove you out of your places if you sided not with it you suspend the removal of known corruptions and practise of known truths many times unlesse the whole state will move all in a body with you and unlesse all men may be made to march your way by Canons Ordinaces and Acts yea one order for this or that from the Rulers hath often given you a more clear sight of some things you seemd not to see before in an hour then bare reason would have done in a year from your Masters to you as well as to your servants from you stat pro ratione voluntas Hence it is that the same persons could ever serve the nations in the office of Priesthood under powers never so different never so contradictory one to other in principles postures practises government discipline liturgies formes Creeds Catechisms when there was no other remedy though till the sword decided it there was nothing but deadly implacability irreconcileablenesse to each others waies maugre all that the word could do among you witnesse the case of Common prayer which many of you saw to be a corruption yet kept to it while t was dangerous to decline it and till Authority took it away what Authority had to do to take it away by force from them whose conscience being blinded perswaded them they ought to use it I leave to authority to examine yet sure I am that Authority hath no Authority from God if it be a corruption to excuse impower or authorize any one to practise it without sin for so much as but an hour and many of you that could not see it to be any corruption at all but rather such a thing as would pluck up all Religion by the rootes till such time as Authority did remove it under that name on pain of five and ten pounds forfeiture to them that used it did then see it a corruption and imbraced the Directory in its stead and did not sleep as before but were changed in a moment yea we cannot be ignorant for who so blind as they that cannot see what they cannot but see of the Protaean practises of you Priesthood who since the new moulding of things
you could tell how become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord however repent or repent not this I say unto you from the Lord that your bloody principle of persecution for conscience and forced conformity to your foolish forms canons creeds chatechisms dictates directories shall utterly perish from off the ear h. I wish the Independents for their turn 's next look to it in time and take heed of turning aside too much from that precious principle of depending upon no King but Christ in conscience cases neither state Councells nor Church councells nor Classes save onely for conscience to Christ to be subject freely in all meer civill cases to the one and for cognizance sake to consult in meer church and conscience cases with the other and whom else they please keeping Church and State as distinct as t is possible which the CCClergy have confounded so together that we have lost the true Peculiarities of either and as not suffering such sawcy doings as to have most general Assemblies of the Kirk quâ Church Assemblies to be tampering at all with state affairs so not troubling any officers of state qua State officers no not the highest nor Committees nor Sheriffs to wearinesse with representations of things pertaing purely to churches and church orderes expecting no more then a passive permissive influence from them to the church-ward i. e. to let all Churches and all religions Jewes themselves alone to their light till they see the true one so be they live faithfully under them and quietly peaceably and civilly one by another but me thinks I smell a mixt mongrel Independency too much on foot and creeping on an Indepency by the halves a Presbyterian Independency Independency too dependant in church work upon the state for state pay enquiring after parish maintenance telling some truth and taking as much tith as they can lay their hands on lending liberty to themselves to have no supper in the parishes when they please yet resolving to make the people pay for it so long as they preach whether they eat a bit of it at all yea or no A thing I cannot well tell what to call it that has a smack too much of Smectimnuus and yet t is not so tyrannical neither nor yet so tender towards a toleration of all consciences and Religions though of all tender conscienced Christians as that the poor Jew or natural Israelite can have any room or creep hole by it into the Common-wealth in order to his conversion he must keep out unlesse he be so converted before he come as to resolve heel own Christ and not speak against him as not the Christ which what power in any State under heaven can banish a Jew out of any nation for doing I plainly know not an Independency that is willing to let Israel go but not to let another Isâ—ael come into the Land so as to promulgate his principle which I'm sure is contrary to the principles of Christian Religion or if the Jew may deny Christ and yet live in the world in quiet why not another unlesse the word can gain him to the belief of it as well as he Independents a word or two with you by the way no hurt I hope if you will have but patience I find proposals presented Feb. 11. 1651. that make me amazâ—d to think that they should come from Independents for I took Independents till of late to be genuine Independents indeed but I see there 's nothing but may have something like it which is not the same and such is your Semi-demiindependency to me For supply of all parishes in England with Orthodox Ministers it s propounded that the Sheriff of each County give account to the Committee what parish hath no Minister â—hat maintenance each such parish hath what Ministers that reside in each County have no livings and such of them as are Orthodox be placed there as the â—ommittee shall think sit For settling right constituted Churches that all Churches that are or shall be gathered signifie to the Committee of the Vniversities or elsewhere whom they have or shall choose for their Pastors and that such and such onely shall be declared right constituted Churches whose Pastor shall be approved by the Committee to be able godly and orthodox Fye Fye Sirs that you will still have such a minglement of Sheriffs Committees Ministers Churches in a kind of Omnigatherum about the Gospell and your Churchwork and that you will trouble the Sheriffs to find what pay is in parishes what parishes want Ministers and what Ministers lack means if your Ministers lack meanes cannot they look aftâ—r it themselves and bestow themselves in some honest calling or other to get a living out on or if they cannot cannot your Churches see to them a little what they lack or do you lack to have the tithes and parish pay turned ore to you now as the Presbyters gaped after augmentations from the Bâ—shops Deans and chapters lands if you do I hope the State will save your longing as they did theirs and take them sheer away root and branch and let those Churches that have Ministers maintain them if they need and let the Gospel be preached freely by Messengers from Churches to the Gentiles to the world without charging them with it till converted to it for such you suppose the nation to be now as well as we and not a Church of Christ why else do you gather Churches of Christ out of it will you gather Churches of Christ out of Churches of Christ what rule have you for that surely Churches must be gathered out of the world and if so that the nation be no true constituted Church of Christ it s no true Church of Christ for Christ hath no falsely constituted true Churches that I know of and so her Ministers no true Ministers of Christ for Christs Ministers are not Ministers of no Church but such as came remotely as to their ordination and parish posture baptism and all from the Pope whom if you also look upon with such favourable construction as to own him and his ordinations and his baptism and administrations and what the Prelate and Presbyter sucks in a way of succession from thence as Apostolical so as to stand Ministers and baptized by it I shall think the world goes round then indeed and that whoever chances to get on horseback and sit in the Saddle here in England whether Prelate Presbyter or Independent they cannot chuse for customes sake but face about still and ride back at least a little way toward Rome or do you hold as some Presbyters do your ordination O Independents from the Magistrate if so he was ordained a minister of God in other cases but neither per se nor per alios to ordain and authorize Ministers for Christ Churches yet me thinks I sent you comming somewhat neer that when you propose onely that such shall be declared right constituted Churches whose Pastor shall be approved by
the committee to be able godly and Orthodox which Independent proposition I hardly know what to make of it is so odd what Sits does the denomination of a right constituted Church depend upon the Pastors being approved to be able godly and Orthodox a right constituted Church is that which is built upon the foundation or principles of the word of Christ and the Apostles Heb. 6.1 2. Ephes. 2. some of which you Independents yet want but go on in your light for me till you see it darknesse I can speak but obiter to you here yet know that if you settle not upon all the foundation even your Church will be a come down castle too ere long a right constituted church is that which hath right matter viz. baptized professors right â—orm i. e. free fellowship of such together in one body in breaking of bread and prayers whether they have yet a Pastor over them yea or no for the churches were rightly constituted first and had elders after ordained among them as they were found gifted yet with you the church that hath no Pastor and he not approved Orthodox is yet not to be declared a right constituted church what if the Pastor prove Hetâ—rodox does the church loose its true constitution or I would I knew what you mean by constitution for perhaps I do not and why do you talk in singulari so much of the Pastor and Pastor of a Church as if you were of the mind that a church might have no more Pastors and Overseers over it but one whereas t is most evident that there may be more Elders Pastors Overseers these are all one 1 Pet. 5.1 in one Church and that not without need neither when that one flock or congregation grows numerous for then they oft grow out of the observation too much of one eye see Act. 20. Paul sent for the Elders of the Church of Ephesus whether any Church ever had but one Pastor or Overseer in it or no if any at all I know not but I am sure the use was to ordain more then one to one Church Act. 14.23 Tit. 1.5 but one cannot Lord it so well if others be i th traces with him but however why must all this business of declaring which be right constituted Churches Orthodox Pastors which not hang upon the Committees approving or not approving of the Pastors what if the Committee should chance to be Heterodox it self or the Major part of it or the Major part sitting at that time when this Pastor comes for approbation what shall a true constituted Church lose or keep her name of a true constituted Church at a venture upon the vote of a Committee and what need at all that the Committees be so cumbered with the care of such affairs and what vanity to venture the determination of which be true Churches of Christ which the Scripture declares plain enough whether the Committee see it yea or no upon the verdit of a Committee to whom other affairs are most properly committed let all the Churches come before the Committee and all people declare their ways and their God and he whom the Committee saies is God let him be God and not the rest will you have it so if you will I will not take truth upon trust from the vote of any Committee man under the Sun and if you would not have it so you were better never trouble Committees with such matters at all then not commit them finally to them so as to agree to act at a venture as they determine in matters meerly of Religion and that the true Churches of Christ who know no King but Jesus in church and conscience will never do but prove themselves to be true constituted churches of Christ and preach the Gospell too as it is in Iesus where ere they see people ignorant of it whether they will hear or forbear though all the Committees yea and all the Kings and Popes and Priests and People in the world should declare against them Beloved Friends me thinks you look too like a national Ministry to be of the right stamp yet I had hoped Independents would never have turned State Ministers and have lookt so much after State honour State help State approbation State preferment State Maintenance for ministering to either their Churches or to the purblind nation as I see they do but Sirs if you be true constituted Churches of Christ indeed I do not say you are nor is it my businesse here to prove you are not though you are not till you own his baptism but if you be as you imagine you are know that Christ hath set in his Church Apostles or Messengers to be sent forth not by the State but by the Church it self to preach his Gospel to the world at the Churches and not the worlds charges and to preach the Gospel to the Parishes without pilling the poor parish people making way for the Gospâ—l and the truth by force and law whether they be free to have it to buy aâ—d receive it on such terms as you tender it on yea or no therefore send forth and maintain your messengers among your selves you are rich enough and let them preach the Gospel to them gather Churches but alas now I think on t how can they preach the Gospel by the halves and gather true constituted Churches that yet own not as ye O Independents yet do not all the principles of the oracles of God nor all the first doctrines of Christ as that of baptisms laying on of hands upon which together with the rest the true visible Church stands as on her foundation and are yet not onely unbaptized but unwilling to be baptized or to baptize with any other baptism then that Rantism that ran down hither through Rome You propound that when any of the Pastors of right constituted Churches dye or leave them to take up some other imployment they choose and present another Pastor within six moneths and may have one settled among them within 12 moneths by approbation from the said Committe or to dissolve or disperse themselves into other Churches Good Sirs what mean you by this shall the Parliament and their Committees never have their liberty to attend onely and perfectly the true liberties of the subject nor be at quiet from this wearisome work of approving and setling of ministers that are men mostly so unsetled in their minds that they 'l never if they have such liberty to leave as you here allow them settle longer in one place then till they have more means or be more to their minds in another had this piece been propounded by parish ministers and people it had become them as sounding somewhat sutable to their posture and principle for t is the usual tone they talk in when one Pastor having left them to take up another call from Christ or imployment somewhere else to his advantage they addresse to the Committee for the approbation or settlement of
dislike of others so 2. Dislike of their own places is another cause of the Heresies of the Clergy the foot will be the hand or not of the body the hand will be the head or else will be no body at all the Servant regarding neither the Councell nor the command nor the Example of his Master who came not to minister to but to minister and gave in charge that there should be no dominion among his disdiples and bade them that meant to be greatest to be last and least would needs be above his Master and he that was sent greater then he that sent him and by this he entred exceedingly into error the Minister could not indure to be the foot to have the whole body of the Church stand above himself though sure if he were as a king is Major singulis yet he is Minor omnibus and must stoop to the vote of the congregation he could not bear it to be the hand onely to execute what the head directed in but he must be the â—ead to give laws and ordinances of his own Corah could not be content with his place but sought the Priests Office the CCClergy could not be contented with such Shepheardship as the Gospel had at first but they must needs be made Priests after that more pompous way of the law nor to be Priests onely in sensu diviso from all the Saints but they must seek the High Priests office too and have Arch-Patriachs Arch-Bishops Lord Bishops c. they could not brook it to be amonst the Saints as them that serve but they must be as they that sit at meat having all others to serve them and in no mean manner neither have some of their Holinesses been served when Kings and Emperours have stood bare before them bare foot at their dooâ—s as Henry the fourth Emperour and his wife and son did at Pope Adrians gate before they were admitted to the speech of him and not onely so but held their stirrups also and lay down to have their necks trod upon by him as Frederick Barbarossa did to Pope Gregory saying non tibi sed Petro and was answered again by the proud Prelate et mihi et Petro in a word have held it honour enough to kiss his feet In the state Absoloms ambition O that I were a Iudge was the cause of his rebellion and the same kind of aspiring mind after no lesse then all power both in heaven and earth Church and State too made the Clergy when time best served their ambitious turn to rebell so abominably against all civil power as not onely to exempt themselves fully from the jurisdiction of Temporal Princes but most wickedly to subjugate all civil power to such depency on them and their Lord God the Pope that when they have not been slaves to the Clergies Imperious will and carnal concernments he hath took upon him to act according to that power he claimes most blasphemously saying by me Kings raign to force them to surrender their crownes and sacrifice their lives too to his lust witnesse the case of King Iohn here in England and in scorn to kick off the crowns of Emperours with his feet and in testimony of their taking all civill power as well as spiritual to themselves Eugenius the second took on him within the Roman territory the authority of creating Earls Dukes â—nd Knights as the Exarchate had done before him Helin p. 182. also Innocent the third held a councel in Rome in which it was enacted that the Pope should have the correction of all Christian Princes and that no Emperour should be acknowledged till he had sworn obedience unto him Helin p. 184. upon the same ambitious account Pope Boniface the eight by a general bull exempted the Clergy from all taxes and subsidies to Temporal Princes whereupon Edward the first put the Clergy out of the protection of him and his laws by which couâ—se the Popes bull left roaring here in England He. G. p. 184. the same Boniface boasted one day in his pontifical attire with the keyes of the Kingdom of heaven in his hand that all spiritual power was committed to him and the next day in the Robes of an Emperour with a naked sword born before him that all civill power was committed to him also ecce duo gladii hic yea after the translation of the Eâ—pire from France to Germany the Popes began to make open protestation that the Pontifical dignity was rather to give laws to the Emperours then to receive any from them Helin G. p. 188. and as in the state ambition so in the Church the desire of a change from Membership to Mastership from Servantship to Lordship over the true Clergy is the true cause of the Clergies Heresie and Schism for being raised by earthly power and greatnesse they forgot the salvation of souls sanctity of life and the commandements of God propgation of Religion charity toward men and to raise armes to make warre against Christians to invent new devises for getting money to prophane sacred things for their own end to enrich their kindred and children was their onely study saith Helin out of Gâ—iciardine Geog. p. 188. 3. Gloriae secularis aucupium a desire to be somebody Iudas Thudas Simon Magus are Instances of it which Simon sin'd and erred so grossely out of his vain glorious desire to be lookt upon as some great one as to offer to buy the gift of the holy spirit for money of which sin and error of Simon no men under heaven are more guilty then the CCClergy for as they endeavour to to get gifts and endowments for the honour office of ministry in the Church by laying out money at Schooles and purchasing to themselves degrees as if the spirit must undoubtedly gift men for the Ministry that mean to bestow themselves that way when once they are train'd up to be Masters of Arts in the university so to say nothing how they pay for their ordination and actual admission into the function it self when so fitted though themselves call it Simony or the sin of Simon to buy spiritual livings these with them we see are the gifts of the holy spirit yet such is their unsatiable greedinesse after glory and greatnesse in the world that as hateful a sin as Simony seems to be among them few of their spiritual gifts shall be lost for lack of buying if a fee be lookt for yea how few are dispensâ—t fâ—eely and fairly from the spirit and not rathet from the flesh i. e. some base corrupt rotten fleshly respect and selfish end or other in the spiritual patrones how little or no spiritual preferment is there to bigger benefices Bishopricks or what ever ecclesiasticall dignity in any almost of the three Hierachies but it s either bruitishly bought for money or basely beg'd for some trencher service or bestow'd on men qua befriended more then qua befitted with Gospel spirits for Gospel service or in some sinister way of
legerdemane or other most paultrily purchased but specially under the Papacy where si nihil attuleris ibis Homere foras Calvin saies vix cente simum quodque beneficium in papatu sine Simonia conferri c. scarcely every hundredth benefice is bestowed at this day in the Papacy without Simony as the old writers defined Simony I do not say that they all buy them with ready mony but shew me one of twenty that cometh to a benefice without some by commendation some either kindred or alliance promoteth and some the authority of their parents some by doing of pleasures do get themselves favour Finally benefices are given to this end not to provide for the Churches but for them that receive them therefore they call them benefices by which words they do sufficiently declare that they make no other account of them but as the beneficial gifts of Princes whereby they either get the favour of their souldiers or reward their services I omit how these rewards are bestowed upon Barbers Cooks Moil-keepers and such dreggish men And how judaical Courts do ring of no matters more then about benefices so that a man may say that they are nothing else but a prey cast afore dogs to hunt after Is this tolerable even to be heard of that they should be called Pastors which have broken into possession of a Church as into a farm of their enemie that have have gotten it by brawling in the law that have bought it for money that have deserved it by filth services which being children yet scantly able to speak have received it as by inheritance from their uncles and kinsmen and some bastards from their fathers But this is more monstrous that one man I will not say what manner of man but truly such a one as cannot govern himself is set to govern six or seven Churches A man may see in these dayes in Princes Courts young men that have three Abbacies two Bishopwricks one Arch-bishoprick but there be commonly Canons laden with with five six or seven benefices whereof they have no care at all but in receiving the revâ—nues Inst. lib. 4. cap. 5. Sect. 6. etc. Thus they yea the Popes studied nothing more saith Helin Geog. p. 184. then to advance their Nephews for by that name the Popes use to call their bastards hence came the saying of Alexander the third viz. the laws forbid us to get children and the devil hath given us Nephews in their stead and though Luther add Calvin were themselves men of more moderate minds then to purchase preheminencies titles dignities to themselves yet though somewhat better then at Rome it hath been too bad among the Successors of both in Clerical capacity as to that corrupt kind of climbing to the chiefest punctillioes of earthly eminency they can attain to yea verily there 's very few of them but they are Papalis Ambitionis homines of Popely aspiring minds seeking superiority gaping after glory of this world not that to come liking to be lookt upon with distinction as men not like other men as men of worth when their worth lies more many times in what they have then what they are affecting to be applauded for their very Sermons to be humb'd when they come to a period in order to which I blush to think how they were wont to pause and look for 't in university pulpits and sometimes too when to their greater shame they went without it and to be thankt for their great pains when they have done thus surfeiting upon self-conceit and being drunk with affectation they erre in affection to the rule of faith for how can ye believe saith Christ when ye receive honour one of another and seek not that honour that cometh from God onely Iohn 5. this honour from beneath is the very element in which and not in God save as they are his creatures these Chamaeleons the CCClergy live move and have their being The ar of popularity is the breath by which the Heretick lives vain glory the stirrop by which he mounts into such magnitude and towers so high as to overtop not onely all other people but all other Princes also of the earth and to exalt himself above all that is worshipped and called God he lackt to make himself a name like to the name of the great men that are on the earth for the name of Minister or Servant to so plain and disrespected a Master too as the Master Christ was whose name was cast out as evil who made himself of no reputation and would have all his Servants specially the Servants of all his Servants to be of the same mind and follow him through scorn shame suffering and not be above him here if they mean to reign with him hereafter this was too mean a name for him to be known by he must be Dominus Dominorum here KKKing it over the Kings of the earth Paschalis the first caused the Priests of certain parishes at Rome by reason of the neernesse of his person their presence at his election and to honour their Authority with a more venerable title to be called Cardinals they are now Mates for Kings and numbred about 70. Helin Geog. p. 182. And howbeit Christ forbad his ministers the seeking of glory from men in this world as not the time for them to come to the crown in or to any thing but the cross yet his desire was Dicier hic est to be cryed up by the people as Supreme Moderator in all the matters of Christs Church and civil State too against the plain will of the old master in his word and to be sought after as a new Master Our Saviour saith of the Pharisees they loved the praises of men and the present priesthood of the Protestant nations lay this to our charge who are Christs Messengers and Servants to his Churches whom they call Anabaptists calumniating us so far as we are zealous and follow on according to the many covenants which both they and we have taken to reform fully by the word as if we sought nothing but glory and to be seen of men and meerly to make our selves Masters of a sect and such like which if we do we shall dearly answer for the sin of seeking and serving our selves of Christs service at the last as well as they but me thinks if blindnesse in this point had not happened to them they should see of themselves that men cannot seek secular honour to themselves by siding with such a sect as ever was and ever will be whilest the world stands such is its hatred to the truth every spoken against yea verily the name of these churches that own and keep close to all the principles of Christs doctrine and own the whole truth for Christs sake whose they are both are and yet will be cast out as evil by all other churches yet grant these Churches should grow into more request and favour among men as they do at sometimes more then some Act.
contrary unto truth for women may be Magistrates but not Church Ministers and may be Supreme in authority in a State as Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth but are bid to be under obedience and fordid in Church matters so much as to speak much more to usurp authority in the Church 1 Tim. 2.11.12 1 Cor. 14.34.35 viz. in refusing to be judge in matters of faith and religion * For Custos et vindex ut ciusque tabulae under the Gospel because it was sounder that typical standing of the Law is but a tale and a trick of our Priests whereby to curry â—avour with their princes the truth is that whole Jewish State which was also a Church as no one whole nation under heaven now is was a type and both the Kingly Priestly and Prophetical office that then headed that Church were typical of that tripple true head of the Gospel Israel Christ Jesus and are no more to be drawn in as an example so as to argue more warrantably from the Kings then to the civil Rulers now then from the High-PriestHood to the Popedome * my Petition to the powers on behalf of the Church is that it may have as much peace and as little preferment as they please for ever Cum Ecclesia peperit divitias filia devoravit matrem y Two spritualties whereof as bad as the first is the latter will be more sensuall then the former having not the Spirit Jude 17. though pretending to it more supremely then the other under which last the devil now acts as under a new vizard to the deceiving of people from the way of truth perceiving his old vizard worn so thin that all men begin now to see through it * Luk. 9.53.54 55. * Witness the Iesuites that may kil Kings if Hereticks the Northen presbitery that may lawfully fight England if it receive not their directory and the Episcopal war against the State * So Iulius the second who seeing himself vanquisht â—hrew away Saint Peters keyes into the River Tyber protesting he would thence forth help himself with S Pauls sword * The contrary to which where ere t is well may men submit out of fear till they can help themselves but never out of love while the world stands for conscience is a tender thing and though but a worm yet if trod upon wil turn again * Howbeit they shall never want flatterers to perswade them that they are Abj. Ans. * Vid. Tho. Beacons Reliques of Rome set forth cum privilegio 1563. Pope Servitius ordained that Hereticks should be banisht An. 588. fol. 214. Pope Pelagius the first that all Hereticks and Schismaticks should be put to death by the secular power provided that the Bishops in their spiritual courts do first prosecute convict and condemn them for Hereticks and then commit them to the temporal Magistrate to dispatch them out of the way by fire sword or halter for they say as the chief priests to Pilate it is not lawful for us to put any to death In the councel of Lateran by Innocent the third 2 Patriarchs 70 Arch-bishops 400 Bishops twelve Abbots 800 Priests the Legates of the Greek and Roman Empire the Embassadors of Spain Jerusalem France England Cyprus it was decreed that all Hereticks and so many as should in any point resist the Catholique faith should be condemned that the secular power of what degree soever should be compelled openly to swear for the defence of the Catholique faith and to the utmost of their power to root out and destroy in their kingdomes all such persons as the Catholique Church should condemn for Hereticks and if any King should be a Heretick or defender of them and not reform within a year then his subjects should be absolved by the Pope from yielding any further subjection or obedience to him or keeping any fidelity with him and so t was in the case of John here in England who resigned to the Popes Legate his Crown kissing his knee as he came into England which John was after poisoned by a Monk who having his pardon from the Pope poisoned himself first to poison the King and also that the Pope may give that land to Catholiques to possesse peaceably and without contradiction all Hereticks being rooted out of it Obj. Ans. * 1 Sam 5.24 * which he hath more faith then I that believes they ever will for surely the CCClergies Win all or lose all will pull them down at last * 2 Es. 15.5 to the 12.49 to 57. Rev. 11.10.6.19.2 * for howbeit it was the Roman civil power in Potius Pilate passing sentence yet it was the Priestly malice that caused him to be crucified or else Pilate had released him so its Princely power but PPPriestly malice crying out crucifie him crucifie him that hath caused him under the Gospel be crucified in his truth and Saints or else many of the civil Powers would release him * Rom. 13.1 1 Pet. 2.13 Magistrates are called the ordinance of God as the materiality of the thing we call government is of him the ordinance of man as to the particular form of government viz. whether it shall be by Kings Parlia c. and also the particular persons that shall execute that form is altogether in choice of the people * Act. 18.12.13.14 * Se supra p. 279. * For that name Clergy however by themselves improperly impropriated to themselves as if they onely were the heritage of God for that 's the plain English of that Anglico-greek word Clergy yet in plain truth pertains properly to all Christs people and that in contradistinction too from the Ministry for the spirit speaking of the Elders and Pastors of the Church charges them not to Lord it over the heritage i. e. in other location not to domineer over the Clergy 1 Pet. 5.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. we see therefore God calls the flock and not the Sheepheards muchlesse the Sheepshearers by the name of Clergy but the Pope as if he had projected purposely to betheeve Gods people out of all their priviledges and rights leaves them not so much as their own proper name to be known by but bestows the name of Clergy upon the Creatures of his own creating and leaves them the name of Laicks in its stead telling them when they begin to charge his CCClergy with impropriation of preaching and pay to themselves that they are but a Clergy of Laicks see Featleys Epistle but to say the truth excepting some few of his sons of the Episcopal and Presbyterian CClergy that are come from him two wayes viz. by dissent and descent who may be honester and wiser then the rest and yet are not so wiâ—e as to know their own father the rest are mostly A CCClergy of Lazicks or lazy locusts In like manner hath he ingrost other titles to himself and his CCClergy all which the Scripture gives to all Christs people as namely that of Spiritual men as if all the world
reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at first began to be spoken by the Lord and was after confirmed to us by them that heard him Heb. 2.1.2.3 whosoever shall be ashamed of me or my words of him will I be ashamed when I come in the kingdome of my father with my holy angels Mark 8.38 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * as indeed I find thee to be of the whole Scripture which though Paul bids Timothy give attendance to the reading of 1 Tim. 4.13 2 Tim. 3.15.16.17 yet thou hast left off to read disswading others also from the reading of it as unprofitable as no other then the writings and inventions of men to keep the world in awe so that it cannot come to enjoy that liberty alias license for lewdnesse and fleshly lusts which thou promisest and pleadest for and that makes thee to be such a weather cock such a well without water such a wandring star as thou art such a cloud tost to and fro with a tempest because thou hast no steady rule to steer by no whither goest thou to talke with or to take heed to to recall or to fix thee to any one point but onely the whifling multifarious fancies and foolish figments of thy own aiery brain and unconstant spirit * Isa 8.13 14. Eze. 11.16 1 Pet. 3.20 21 * Heb. 10.25 * all which will fall to the share of the silken snapsack to carry in the end * See how Mr. Baxter defines him out of Bullinger p. 259. Hereticum cum dico intelligosectarum Authorem qui ecclesiam scindiâ— c. when I talk of an Heretick I mean an Author of Sects who rendeth the Church who pertinaciously proceedeth by false and erroneous doctrine to infringâ— trouble the unity of the Church and out of Viguerios Hereticus est qui relicta fide et ecclesiae doctrina alicujus temporalis commodi gratia et maxime gloriae falsas et novas opiniones gignit vel sequitur ut vel fiâ— maneat ab ecclesia divisus * such words as none of you parrish PPPriests in CCChrist'ndome do can or ever did preach in for if your people Ask the Priest what they must do you say repent but be not baptized yea take heed every one of you that at any hand you be not baptized * Dr. Featley p. 161. * For Tent makers such as Paul was to make the Gospel chargeless you are mostly too proud to be †Sine qua Christianismus non constat saith Calvin * Calvin inst lib 4. c 2. s. 1. verbi eâ— sacramentotum Ministerium nobis perpetua tessera digno scendae ecclesiae * divsion * which whether in the Antitype it be not that woman the CCClergy by whom the Kings of the earth have bin as Ahab by the other stirred up to all mischief against the the truth may be seen moâ—e clearly Rev. 17. * witness the case of Iohn Sawtrey the first English Martyr of whom we read thus viz. that Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury 1399 first denouncing him an Heretick 2 in the name of all his fellow brethren the Bishops and of the whole Clergy condemning digrading him from his priestly orders from all his priestly honors in token therof taking from him as he was a Priest the patent and chalice the authority of saying Masse the casul and vestment as a Deacon the book of the New Testament as a Subdeacon the Albe and Maniple as an Acolite the Candlestick and taper as an Exorcist the book of Conjuration as a Reader the book of the Church Legend of lies as Sexton the keyes of Church door and surplice and then rasing his crown and putting the cap of a lay prrson on his head delivers him up to the secular power saying pray be favourable to him who after burns him being called on by the Bishops in the City of London * Whether the magistrate be the minister of Christ as God onley or as Mediatour also I mean God man is a question about which I find some fill the world with a world of confusion viz. Mr. Gelaspie and Mr. Rutherford who are together by the ears about it and Mr. Baxter also who makes much more ado then needs p. 228. c. to prove that Christ exerciseth some of his Government as Mediator by Ministers and some by Magistrates by which if he mean that Magistrates are officers in Christs Church of Christs appointment I pitty his blindness when I read Eph. 4. where its shewed what officers Christ sets in his Church for the edifying and establishing thereof if he mean that the Magistrate is Christs officer and ordinance to the worldward for the Government of it under him and of the Church too as t is a part of the world so far as he doth yet administer in the world and judge it I will not greatly deny that howbeit that he as man yet judgeth the world and as Mediatour governs it as once he is to do by appointment from the father Acts 17.31 at his appearing his kingdome 2 Tim. 4.1 when he shall put that power in full execution for which he hath now but the commission when he shall return personally to set up and rule in that Kingdome which he is now gon to heaven to receive Luke 19.11.12.15 c. when the Prince of this world for so Christ himself who is Prince of the world to come is pleased to call the devill now John 14.30 who is dominus fac totum here by permission and rules over Kings Princes and People by the Beast and whore that rides it Rev. 17. to whom he hath given his seat power and great Authority Rev. 13.2 shall once be judged and bound up in the bottomlesse pit from domineering over and deceiving the Nations any more that Christ I say yet judges the world as once he is to do when the Kingdome appointed by the Father to him in reward of his for them and by him to his disciples in reward of their sufferings for him Luke 22.28 is come this I utterly deny nay rather he is yet in his Saints an underling to the civil powers the miserable ignorance of which time wherein Christ shall take unto himself his great power and reign and be de facto as he was de jure before King of Kings and Lord of Lords makes the Divines so dote as to Interpret that place Isa. 49.23 of Kings being nursing fathers and Queens nursing mothers and bowing down and licking the dust of the Churches feet and a hundred more as fulfilled now in this his day of small things in this his personal absence which when the divel is blind at least and bolted up in the bottomless pit Rev. 20. they l surely see are not in esse actuali till then and to suppose Magistrates to be now Christs chief Church officers Supremely under him to rule in it when as were they not already blind themselves they could not but see it to be