and proof after Christs ascension of comon disciples then you have of officers baptizing You therefore make much more a do in this then needs you strain indeed at a gâ—…at and swallow a camel and busy your self so about the truth of administrators that you have lost the truth and substance of the administration it self were your baptism true baptism indeed there is no necessity that ordained Ministers must administer it but unlesse it were â—…ruer then 〈◊〉 it is no matter if it were neveâ—… administred at all Know therefore Sirs I beseech you that the verity worth weight and efficacy of baptism depends not upon the quality of the person administring but upon the truth of the subject to whom and the true form wherein t is administred the Scripture prescribes plainly who they are that shall and in what manner these shall but not at all by whom they shall be baptized t is the duty of them â—…at believe to be baptized and his duty that baptizes to baptize indeed not rantize only and to baptize such as being taught the Gospel do believe it but who they must be that are to baptize those is neither here nor there to the baptism for ought I find in the wordâ—… so they be but Masculine disciples nay though the person baptizing be not only no officer but in the case above named as yet unbaptized himself yet if the person baptized be not only a believing disciple but also baptized really and indeed his baptism is never the worse for the other Experience tells me and I believe many more that have been baptized according to truth that t was drawing neer to Christ with true hearts in his true ordinance that made us accepted in his sight not the qualifications of the baptizers whose baptism and ministerial functions were they invested with both could add never the more validity nor verity to our baptism as neither could the non-entity of either of those in them have possibly made the baptism so sincerely submitted to be in any measure void and of no effect the placing so much in persons administring as to think our selves ere the better for that was that fantastical fopery of the Corinthians for a while one saying I am of Paul another I of Apollo another I of Caepâ—…as i. e. I was baptized by such or such which made the Apostle Paul who with his own hands baptized but some of them well â—…igh wish he had baptized none of them at all when he saw their carnall glories in the persons administring and blesse God that he baptizd no more least they should have thougt the better of themselves and of their baptism for its dispensation of it by his hands The administrators therefore being baptized or not baptized minister or no minister maketh the baptism if elsewise warrantable neither better nor worse of it self all this I speak all this while not as granting that our baptism is by unbaptized persons and that my self am no minister of the Gospel for neither of these shall be yielded by any meanes unlesse you were more able then you are to prove them I speak it suppositively that if these were both so yet both my baptizing and being baptized may be warrantable enough notwithstanding or else if we deemed it worth while to seek out what succession our baptism hath had from the Apostles in a series without interruption t is possible there were some disciples in all ages that owned the truth though so few and despised that their generation can scarcely be declared for who can declare his generation whose life in himself and his was still cut off from the earth but we go by the word that is above all Church and Ministry in our account of our baptism and ministry and not by succession in either and as for your selves that hold so much on succession and boast of a lineal descent of your ministry and Rantism from the Apostles t will pussle you no lesse to prove that if we put you to it then t will if we put you to it to disprove a lineal succession of our baptism for if we cannot name the particular persons that baptized one another in this way wherein we do it successively from the persons of the Apostles in answer to this question who baptized you and who him and who him and so upwards till we come thither are you able if we ask you who sprinkled you and who him and who him and who him c. to particularize more punctually then we are you able to assign who began our way of baptism first of all in the world unlesse you begin as high as Iohn the baptist nay verily though Dr. Featley would fain father it upon Stock yet it s most manifest unto you all that infants sprinkling was denied by some ever since it was known to have a being for it was controverted in the daies of the fathers and that it would not have been had there been none that had then denied it and denied it could not be by any but such as pleaded the baptism of believers in those times and were the right way baptized themselves You have not one president of one infant sprinkled nor proof that such a thing was so much as talked on for at least an hundred years after Christ but we are most certain and your selves cannoâ—… deny it that the baptiâ—…m of believers began at Iohn the baptist and the Apostles and if we could prove a succession of it de facto no further downwards then so yet it is enough to us that we find it then was so whereby to prove that it ought to have been so in all ages since and is to be de jure at this day One word more and then we have done with this if none at all save such as are baptized themselves may in any case dispense baptism to others save such also as are by ordination true ministers of the Gospel then your selves who pretend solely to the title of baptizing are no right administrators as being in truth neither baptized nor ordained in such wise as the Scripture requires that your baptism is null I have cleared it enough already and that your ministry is no lesse is apparent sith whilst you indeavour to derive it from the Apostles you can derive it thence no other wise then the Pope doth his for if a line of succession be a proof of true ministry you may indeed derive it as well but not one jot better then he he can shew you his line of succession if not from Peter yet at least from Linus himself that lived in the daies of the Apostles and you can shew us the line wherein you came from the Pope and so through his loines from the other there is no other way for your ministry to prove its pedigree from the Primitive times but this no way for you to climb up to the Apostles as the fathers and founders of your function but by a chain of many
not dipâ—… should be damned be true they as much as lies in them damn to the pit of hell all the Matyrs Professors Fathers believers for many hundreds of years together Which onely doctrine should make all men to abhor them and not let their soules intermeddle with their secret whose rage is so fierce whose wrath 〈◊〉 so cruel Christ shuts out onely unbelievers from heaven whosoever believeth not shall be damned This doctrine shuts out believers if they be not dipt i. e. if they be not Anabaptists it cannot be the ceremony they are so hot for without the substance Re-Review But saving the over apprehensive powers of that judicious Gentleman who ere it was that heard me he most grossely abuses in it himself and me in reporting such a thing to you as also you abuse both him and me and the world too in reporting it as from him to the world yet you have done him honour so farre I confesse as to conceal his name or else you had done him a greater spite indeed himself in shewing such shallowness of capacity in hearing as scarcely calls for that worthy title of judicious Gentleman and me in not only mistaking but mistelling his mistake also to you who print out his mistake to all the world for such doctrine as this That all that did believe and were not dipt should be damned â—…id never yet fall from my mouth nor did ere take place or was ever owned for â—…uth in my mind yea howbeit I summon you or any else to shew me in the word not taken by snatches but in the wâ—…ole intent and scope of it Gods promise of salvation by Christ without obedience to him both in repentance faith and baptism too to those of whom all these things are required I say it again least you mistake me as speaking of infants for they being capable of none of these of them to salvation none of these are required of whom all these are required since all those that obey not the Gospel in what part soever of it it is manifested to them shall be damned 2 Thes. 1. 7 8 9 2. 10 11 12. Howbeit I say I wish you to advise how safely you that know it to be your duty may neglect it and how groundedly you can assure your selves that you do believe at all in truth if you receive not the love of every tittle of Christs truth so as wherein it appears to you to imbrace and obey it yet I am well assured I never utterd the other viz. that all that did believe and were not dipt should be damned noâ—… is it now nor ever was it my judgement to this hour of which for the worlds and your satisfaction sith I have been very often charged and that twice or thrice in publique places where I have preacht so to hold I shall here give this brief account I judge that all persons in the world meaning not infants but such as 〈◊〉 at years of discretion to whom the Gospell comes in any measure are of some or other of these three sorts viz. 1. Either such as neither believe at all nor so much as in words profess so to do Or 2. Such as in words say they believe and indeed do not Or 3. Such as both profess to believe and do indeed believe as they say Now I suppose we all hold the first sort viz. professed prophane ones so living so dying will be damned and unless we will deny the Scriptures we must needs hold the second sort whose professed faith is a dead faith shall not be saved for what doth it profit if a man say he hath faith Jam. 2. 14. and have 〈◊〉 works c. whereby onely faith is proved to be true indeed as it is professed can that faith save him as for the third sort viz true believers I subdivide them in my thoughts into 2 ranks First such as believing in Christ truly for salvation believe also baptism in its true way of dispensation and not rantism to be Christs will concerning them and these I am certain will submit accordingly and obey him in it for such as say they have faith and live in rebellion to what parts of Christs will they know they ought to obey him in have not faith to salvation what ever they say Or Secondly such as believing in Christ neither see nor believe nor practise baptism in that only true way wherin we dispense it and all this meerly for want of meanes to discover it to them or by means of the invincible ignorance of their times and ages wherein they lived and wherein according to the will of God permitting it so to be the mind of God in that thing hath been hid and as we know it hath in many more things for ages and generations together remained undiscovered which times of ignorance I believe God much winked at in those who sincerely owned truth and obeyed it so far as it then appeared and as they saw it thoâ—…gh now he commands all men to return from Babylon in these daies of light wherein men may see but that they will not yea many prophets and righteous ones in the height of Popery have desired to see and hear what we do or may do yet could not the Scriptures lying lockt up as unlawful well-nigh for any to consult with therefore look you to it who say you do not this or that because you see it not for I testify to you that it is a time wherein the true light shineth so cleerly that men need not erre if they love not darkenesse more then light because their deeds are evil And the same measure of light and reformation and truth which might have denominated you reformists had you lived 100 years ago will not serve to denominate you so now since the smoak that darkned the sun and the aire is much more perfectly dispelled then in that twilight in this form I mean of such as could not see not because they would not but because it shone not do I rank all the Martyrs and those honest men whom you doâ—…e on as Fathers and all true professors and believers for many hundreds of years together who witnessed to truth and suffered for it too so far as it did appear to them in their times to this sort of men I am more charitable and tender in my censures then you can possibly prove your selves to be and so I am also to infants for all your pâ—…ate of pleading for them against our cruelties neither doth any doctrine that ever I delivered damn any of these to the pit of hell as your doctrine of so rigid harsh fierce and cruel rejection of all infants from salvation save those of believers doth damn an hundred to one of them that dy in innocent infancy and where it should be that that Gentleman told you I preacht that doctrine That all such as believe and yet are not dipped shall be damned I know not but this I know that I was ever
Anti-christians Pedobap tists Sectaries c. and about his law and about Heresie and spiritual Truth and Schism in the Church and Ministry and such like about which the eares of the civil powers have been dâ—…d by the usual addresses of the PPPriesthood unto them for help against Hereticks and Schismaticks and by their hideous outcries viz. of the Prelates against the Presbyters saying help O King and the Presbyters against the Sectaries help O Parliament all will be overspread with a Gangrene of Heresie Murder Murder c. O ye Magistrates restrain dipping in cold water as you will save the lives of your subjects and such stuff and folly as is powred out to the Magistrate by the Minister against men more true to Christ and Magistracy then himself I humbly conceive the Magistrate may lawfully and more acceptably to God then otherwise save himself so much labour as to let these matters alone yea he may do well to see that whatever Religion men be of that are under his civil power in each state whether Iewish Turkish Heathenish Popish Prelatical Presbyterian or Independent may not be injurious each to other without satisfaction in civil matters and to see that none commit any uncivil actions that are contrary to that common honesly and righteousnesse among men which men as magistrates are set to vindicate to see that none live be they of this or that Religion dishonestly without correction to see that none usurp Dominion over each others faith so as to make all men believe as some do whether they see ground to believe so yea or no by the civil sword to see that in order to their own eternal good they find out and walk in the way of truth themselves as it is in Jesus and when they are once assured that they are in the truth themselves to let that truth be verbally declared per se or per alios as much as they please but not forced upon others as their faith further then the light of preachings and discourses may prevail to fasten it on others consciences and to see that even enemies to the Gospel and true Church may have no more then the weapons of the Churches warfare which are not carnal used towards them to make them friends and as to those who walk in truth whoever they are or shall but be supposed by the successive representatives Princes or Powers to walk in the way of truth to see that they be countenanc't but not too much maintenanc't because Christs disciples nor cockt up to all the honour and preferment and places of trust and advantage above their fellow subjects to the ingendring of jealousies and emulations in others that may be happily though not so neer the truth of Christ yet as trusty to the State as themselves for that too often choaks the Church but onely that with an indifferent impartial hand as men whether in Church or out being otherwise honest and able and of publique spirits not selfish nor covetous nor cruel c. may seem fit to be intrusted with such and such places so they may be chosen and disposed of thereunto in a word to see that such as make prayers and supplications and intercessions and giving of thanks for all men for Kings and such as are in authority living in all godlinesse and honesty may as well as others and others also as well as they living soberly and honestly though not Godly in Christ Jesus nor worshipping in way of truth but falsly may live a quiet and peaceable life without persecution as to confiscation bonds or death for doing and denying according to the dictates of their own though yet blinded conscience and that men of all Religions may live without molestation one from another any more then by meer manifestations of their light one to another at seasonable times in wayes of query disputation and preaching and then to leave all men to worship God according to their several wayes even misbelievers Hereticks and Iewes themselves and others that yet believe not in Christ but deny him till the Lord lend them light by the word of truth and to stand or fall to their own master Christ Jesus to whom every conscience shall give account of it self at last who if any man hear his words and believe not nor receives but rejects them judges him not here either by himself or the civil magistrate or by his Church any further then to non-communion with them yet by the word that he hath spoken unto him will judge every man at the last day Thus it is most evident the magistrate whether Christian or Heathen is to do and not otherwise viz. to give protection to men as men living honestly so berly and justly without respect to their Religions whether true or false And as to Religions to allow Tolleration to all men to practise according to their principles the practise of whose principles is not directly destructive to the true Religion common honesty civillity morallity righteousnesse and the peace and safety of the Common-wealth as some mens principles are if put in practise yet verily I know none among Christians at least save those of the two Spiritualties vix the Rantizing PPPriest that in his precincts which is the whole world could he catch it would have no tolleration for any way of worship but his own and the Ranting Prophet who would have toleration of all and more too not onely all Religions but all as well unciuill unnatural lewd abominable as irreligious actions which nature it self cries shame on among beasts magistracy finds it self an ordinance of God to give correction to among heathens for those men are now acting upon the stage of whom Iude speaks when he saies Iude 10. what they know naturally as bruit beasts in those things they corrupt themselves the principles of that old PPPriest and this new Prophet if practised in the hight of them are utterly inconsistent with the standing of truth in the world untrampled viz. that of the Priest and also with the standing of very manhood among men of civility in civil states of the common-health of the Common-wealth it self viz. that of the Prophet the one is so far from owning any power to be a terror to evil works and incouragement to good that despising all Government and speaking evill of dignities he holds that there is at all neither good nor evil nor better nor worse amongst works but all alike and then good Lord how fast must iniquity dishonesty unrighteousnesse and incontinency thrive and abound upon earth to the ripening of iâ—… for the sickle when it shall be acted with allowance from such a principle as this viz. that there is now no iniquity at all this man would have the civil power allow all Religions and good Manners too but allowes of none at least thinks he needs use none himself and is for a Toleration of all truth in the world thoughall truth is the intollerablest thing in the
saw his work whose finger it is not more safely then I can yet whose it is for in such sense as some Scripture is it s doubtlesse no singer of God and though I am sure t is the finger of meer man assisted by Satan yet of what man in special I confesse I have good ground to pay it with thinking I may not speak positively in print unlesse I le speak upon bare hearsay which I heed not Secondly if it were mainly the employment of one to gather things together compose them into one bulk yet it seems plainly to be the joint issue of several mens brains and to have been rak't out of more memories then one and therefore well may you call them Collections yea that not meerly one but more then one had a hand in it I am informed sufficiently to belief by the voice of the Baby-book it self which speaking in some places plurally but not any where singularly of its Parentage little lesse then assures me of this that howbeit there might be one prime penman of the Pamphlet or whoere it was that thrust it through the presse yet the minds of more men yea more Ministers then one is sounded forth in it yea of such as were but Auditors at the Disputation whose sense both of it and of its efficacy upon the people is said in your Account to be so unanimous that they resolved together with the rest to declare their sense of it in their several congregations and oppose the growth of Anabaptism as t is cal'd in their respective flocks which since it hath been done by them too accordingly as was then agreed whether if not all or at lest a plurality of those Priests who before laid their heads togetheâ—… to betray the truth of God did not since compare their notes together to bely it and whether birds of a Feather did not flock together to give their several influences toward this hotch-potch relation t is more if if any of you can clear your selves of it do then I can clear any of you of at all save the Scotchman of Kenington who at Folston disclaimed his having any hand in it But should that be more then I have warrand to be sure of yet however I am certain of this that either it is the sense of you all or else some of you have the more wrong whilst the book is so curiously composed that it may seem to be the Ministers book and the Arguments that are set down in it be they never so silly and inconsequent are fathored upon you all in grosse recorded as the Ministers arguments though proceeding but from one Ministers mouth and not few follies and absurd things whilst the Penman dances in the clouds himself are related as spoken and done by the Ministers which the Ministers may very well and will once find time to be ashamed of yet you seem to take all that 's put upon you to your selves not any of you entring your dissent whilst therefore you seem so jointly to justifie him that puts you all upon the score in the Report you cannot justly condemn him who Arrests you all for it in the Reply 5. As to these present Returnes of mine to that threefold thing you have thrust forth I am experienced by your wonted Demeanor toward such as trouble you too much with truth how much more Odium then ever I must come under there by among both your selves and your Admirers but hic murus ahaeneus esto nil conscire sibi nulla pallescere culpa This verily is no lesse then a Brazen fence to me against all your censures and exceptions that even herein as well as in in other things for which you condemn me I have exercised my self so as to keep a conscience void of offence and that toward both God and man Yea if I have not dealt clearly as you wish me to do i. e. according as the truth is indeed then in the very way of waiting upon God onely singly seriously and with many tears for the understanding of it in which way he that cannot lie hath assured me he will be found my conscience is most wonderfully clouded therefore see that you see if you see But if I have not dealt ingenuously i. e. as candidly as so crooked a generation as the CCClergy is that do alwayes erre in their hearts and have not known Christs wayes can justly claim from any but some Cowardly Clawback that cares not to be unfaithful in his carriage both toward God and them then the Lord deal so graciously with us all as to humble both you under a sanctified sight of such sins as you are as truly guilty of as here reproved for and me under my miscarriage in reproving 6. Finally Sirs having briefly premised these things and praying earnestly that our Lord Iesus Christ would vouchsafe you all that holy spirit of his even the spirit of promise which I fear you are more strangers to then you are aware of and in order thereunto adjuring you to repent from your dead works to arise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on the name of the Lord so resteth as to this Epistle Your truly loving though as little Beloved as Believed Friend SAMUEL FISHER 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 which you profess to give A true Account of First The Propositions agreed on between your selves and your Respondent his Position and what else was precedent and preparative to the Disputation Secondly The Disputation it self and such things as were subsequent to it in each of which if I shew not that you have recorded more flat falsities and down-right untruths than one and that were too much to fall from your pens were you Ministers of Christ indeed then let my own pen record me for a lyar and my own self bear the blame of over-charging you and that for ever In order to a trial of the Truth in this case between
men under their girdles and by force to tye high and low rich aâ—…d poor Prince and people male and female bond and free to serve God in no other way than the Pope or their Arch-bishops or Arch-presbyteries appoint and to tread all under them that with never such evidence of Scripture and demonstration of the Spirit and power do gainsay them or that poor party of people who meerly in order to the promotion of truth rejoicingly subject themselves to scorn shame hatred of all revilings from friends foes neighbors old acquaintance c. whether I say it be those or these alià s you or we that pretend verity and intend onely victory will appear more at large in the examination of the 23. page of your book in the first line whereof you charge us therewith as an evil most specially incident unto us mean while I let it pass and go on Report Secondly that the question to be disputed was Paedo-baptism namely whether the baptizing of little Children born of believing parents practised by the Church of God were lawfull Reply I remember indeed that when 't was questioned what the question should be Paedo-baptism was agreed upon to be it i. e. whether children ought to be baptized but had I been as wise as a Wood-Cock or minded the matter so well as I should have done I had spoken in a language more consonant to your practice for Paedo-rantism was the question I intended i. e. whether children ought to be sprinkled for though Baptism or Dipping of Infants is that the lawfullness of which you will never be able to demonstrate an error lying still in the Subject in case you did as in truth you do not dispense it yet you are gone further from the truth then so no more at best than Rantizing that false Subject which to do is indeed no Raptism at all I excepred against this in my Position as well as the other but your prudence was pleased to leave it out in your accurate Account thereof least it should do you more harm than good and asserted your errour to be double in your dispensation of that you call Baptism viz. first in that you plead to have Infants be baptized when they ought not Secondly in that you pretend to baptize them and yet do not of both which I demanded an account at that time and in all reason you should have given it but not caring how little your sprinkling is spoken of because you have little or nothing to speak for it you so took me at my word at the Table when I yielded to dispute Paedo-baptism that Paedo-rantism your only practise might not be medled with in discourse at all Secondly I observe when ever you come to dispute for your Childish-christeninâ—…s you plead only for the Infaâ—…s of Believers but is not your plea by far too narrow for your practise whilest you commonly christen the Infants of all you know your people are not all in the faith why else do you preach to them as prophane to the end you may convert them thereunto yet the wickedest wretches you so keep from the Supper that you often keep all from it for their sakes have access with their seed to be christened as freely for the most part as the other doth not that same faith that denominates men believers saints godly and gives them and as you say theirs too a true title to Baptism intitle their persons to the Supper or must a man bring you another and that a better kind of faith to the one than he had need care for toward the other this some of your Tribe do not blush to say because as the case is there is nought else to be said but know ye Sirs and they too that though you have your several sorts of Saints for your severall services viz. your grosser sort of believers to admit not in their own persons neither when at years but in their posterity only to your Rantism and a finer sort for the Supper yet Christ requires but one sort of faith and saintship to both these ordinances viz. no more than a true one to the one and no less than a true one to the other Again you had much need had you not think you to set children of believing parents as the only subjects of Baptism in the state of the question between us when throughout your whole Dispute as I shall shew when I come to consider it there is not a tittle nor grain of argument brought by you to prove the right of Believers Infants to Baptism but it serves as much every whit to prove the like for the Infants of Unbelievers also yea Sirs take this from me you do your cause a world of wrong in stating your question so streightly for besides that you give the ly therein to your own action which is the admission of all that are brought to you and are born within the precincts of your parishes you drive your selves to such a Dilemma by your own disputes that you will not know how to open your Church-doors for Believers Infants to come in thereat but Unbelievers Infants will with ease creep in at them too Thirdly one word more to this yet Did your Respondent assent to you in it as you seem to say that the Baptism of children is practised by the Church of God how pretily have you put these terms practised by the Church of God into the very question and that too as it stands stated beeween us Did I give and grant so much or have you not rather taken it for granted from me whether I will or no Sirs I had thought I had given you sufficient evidence of my denial that the Baptism of Infants is practised by the Church of God yea though the Church of the Pope and such as you call the Church of God as the Church of the Prelate the Church of the Presbyter and some others too do dispense Rantism to Infants under the name of Baptism yet I did then as also I do still deny it to be or have been practised by any true Church of God primitive or modern that then was or now is visibly constituted according to his will in the word As for what you call the Church of God whether you mean all Christendome or the Protestant part of it only it is even therefore no true visible Church of God because it Rantizes Infants for that being undoubtedly a stragling from the truth and an undue administration of that ordinance not only as to the form of it but the subject also the name of the true visible Church of God is ipso facto destroyed from it were there no more error in it but barely that if Doctor Featly to whom you send us in your Review define the true Church of God aright for while he saies that meaning that only is a true Church where the word is truly taught and the Sacraments duly administred consequently that is no true Church where baptism is
example is also hinted in your Review p. 16. of your Pamphlet just before to this effect viz. Iohn had the holy spirit from the womb therefore children have it and being answered to that thus viz. Ex puris negativis et particularibus nihil sequitur universale claps in this consequence to close up his discourse with viz. It doth not appear to you that children have not the spirit as much as to say they may for ought you know have the holy spirit therefore they have it To whom 't was repli'd that it would not follow that I was at Canterbury such a day because it did not appear to him that I was not and this as I remember though your Account doth very freely forget all this but I hope you will remember to be asham'd on 't was the very period of that mans Disputation with me saving what he added after in his recapitulatory moderation and after that in other emergent conferences with me and others to whose non-sequiturs as I have in faithfulness set down what I returned then so pace vestrâ I say thus much more now viz. that if I should go about to prove from the Possibility of things to be so or so or from their non-appearance to be not so though not yet appearing to be so that therefore they are so viz. more worlds then one or another world of men in the moon or as he from the particular case of Iohn Baptist to other infants so I should syllogize from the particular and extraordinary case of Balaams Ass to other creatures of that kind viz. Balaams Ass by a special power of God upon him did speak and reprove the madâ—…ess of the Prophet therefore very Asses can speak plain enough to reprove the madness of the Priests though I have learn'd Christ better then to record him as such a one for the like deduction yet I know who have so well learn'd the Featlaean language that in their Account I should have been an Ass for my labor Secondly and this I told you then too but your Account had no mind to mention what makes against you Tum dâ—…mum i. e. proprie et quoà d nos dicuntur res fieri cum incipiunt patefieri then things as to us are when they appear and not before and to talk de non entibus et non apparentibus is one as frivolous as the other yet such lazy learning and lowzy logick is at Rome with the infatuated Pope and such of his Creatures as trouble themselves so much about Tyth that they have no time to study Truth nor understand either sense or reason that whilst wise men indeed whose wisdome is not as theirs is already turn'd into foolishnese do argue from the Appearings of things to be to their being from the evidence that they are to their existence they magisterially impose things to be received as truth because Ipse Dixit and both assert them to be and make men believe they appear plain enough so to be when their say so shews them though no inquisitive sincere self-denying Christian can in the word find either how or where of but a very little better stamp is your way of arguing here who being hous'd by custom under a cloudy confidence that insants have the holy spirit will needs have it appear whether it doth or no but for my part it appears not yet to me yea I reply Secondly to this part of your Report that I did indeed then say as you have here truly related that it could not be made appear that Infants have the holy spirit to the making of them subjects of baptism yea I testifie the same still that it cannot notwithstanding all your undertakings which of what little force they are to such a purpose I shall try more at large when I handle your Account over again not as an Account but as your Argumentation for Infants having the holy spirit and so right to baptism Nevertheless Thirdly that I acknowledged any such thing as this in the least that the Scriptures above named did seem so much as to intimate such a matter as that infants might have the holy spirit as it had been most contradictory to that which here you say I said immediately after it and is most contrary to my Judgement to this present so I deny it disclaim it and testifie again it as another of your abominable abuses of your selves my self and the world into which you have feigned forth this Account and as an opinion that neither then or ever since nor everbefore since I found the way of truth hath had the least entertainment within my bosom And so I pass on to your other juggles among which Nigro Carbone notandum est this would not be let slip without a Selah in that some few lines below this you relate thus Report That my Answer was that in Scripture children were indefinitely taken but concerning this or that particular child no proof could be made Reply Which thing I confess I said yet take notice I must how you let slip your memories being willfully weak as I find them very often to be something more of my then speech which had you not declined to set down would have shewed a little more plainly and yet its prety plain as t is but hardly quite so plain as the nose on a mans face how you strike quite besides the iron stear to a wrong point and in your following undertaking upon that my Answer stickle clearly to another purpose then that proposed by me for my speech was not concernng this or that particular child only but of this or that particular child above another viz. proof could not be made of this child in its infancy suppose a believers more than of a Heathens if one of these and one of those be lookt on together whereupon also I then added but you have absented it in your Account that if two Infants viz. a believers and an unbelievers as yet unknown which is which should be presented to you whereof but one secundum to o Sacerdos may be baptized It would put you very shrewdly to it to disceâ—… of your selves which of the two is the believers Infant by any more manifestation of the spirit in it than in the other yea I now tell you over again that such a presentment would fumble and puzzle both the Priest and his whole Parish to find the Spirit more in one infant then in all but you have omitted all this least it should do you too much right and too much lay open the rottenness of your Principles and yet you have set down enough to shew to any clear capacitie how you syllogiz'd besides the business I ingaged you in my speech to speak to as well as meerly bawbled in the very business you found your selves yea how odly did you shuffle over the thing you undertook to make Appear shewing not an inch more of ground to prove it in one or two or three little Infants
that then was so Secondly Si aliqualitèr quarè non aequalitèr if you will needs Iudaize at all why not in all as well as the Pope though where he doth all and more too he shall at last have no thanks for his labor The next and last argument whereby I shall prove that typical holiness of Abrahams fleshly seed as well as of all the other subjects denominated and distinguished by it under the Law to be but Ceremonial and now nullified under the Gospel is this That holiness whose contrarily opposite commonness sin and uncleanness was but meerly ceremonial and is now utterly ended and abolished must necessarily be but ceremoniall and now abolished also But that holiness which successively through all generations for the time then being did denominate and distinguish the Iewes and their progeny from all people and their seed as holy is a holiness whose contrarily opposite commonnesse sin and uncleanness was but Ceremonial and is now abolished Ergo That holiness which did distinguish the Iews and their natural progeny as holy from all other people and their seed was but ceremoniall and is now utterly abolished also The Major cannot possibly he denyed for contrariorum eadem est ratio contrariorum uno sublato tollitur alterum of contraries take away one and the other cannot remain in its opposition to it any longer as for example the commonness sinfulness prophanness uncleanness of some meats flesh birds beasts places persons and their natural seed above others being ended the cleanness of some meats flesh birds places persons and their natural seed above others must without controversie be at an end also under the law whilest there was more uncleanness commonness and prophanness in such and such meats places people then in others there must necessarily be by the Rule of contraries more holiness in these meats places people then in those but under the Gosspel there being no more uncleanness commonness or prophanness in these things places or persons above those there must be consequently no more holiness in those than these and so if there be no such birth holiness as was under the Law there can be no such birth uncleanness as was under the Law and if no one man in all the world is more sinfull common and unclean then another by nature no man can be more holy then another by nature with the holiâ—…ess directly opposite to that uncleanness but all men must now be all alike by nature or fleshly birth And now as to the Minor viz. that the commonness sinfulness prophanness or uncleanness of some mens fleshly seed above others oppositely answering to the holiness with which the Iewes seed was then holy above others is totally destroyed as well as all that uncleanness and the holiness contrary thereunto that was then in some meats and flesh of birds and beasts above others is evidently proved to be a truth to any which will impartially consult and compare these three scriptures each with other viz. Act. 10. v. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 28. Act. 11. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. also Gal. 2. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17 18. in all which if you be not either so blind that you cannot or so obstinate that you will not see you cannot avoid the sight of this very thing viz. that not only the Commonness and uncleanness that was once in some meats and flesh of birds and beasts forbidden as abominable to be eaten under the Law but also the commonness and uncleanness that was in some people and their seed more then in others even that sin and uncleannesse of the Gentiles by nature in respect of the Jews who were then forbidden to eat with them as a thing for them unlawful and abominable is not at all in being now under the Gospel but quite abolished and consequently the birth holiness directly opposite to it abolisht also which holiness yet that was as then in the Iews by birth and nature M â— Blake is not ashamed to scrue his wits to prove a translation of from the Iews seed now to the seed of believing Gentiles under the Gospel and that from the last of these Scriptures viz. Gall. 2. verse 15. then which I testifie no Scripture doth more clearely confute him As to those Scriptures cited out of Act. 10. and Act. 11. these things are well worthy your observation in them first that Peter though under the Gospel stood yet opinioned God having not till now discovered the contrary to him according to the Law that such meats as were then forbidden to be eaten and such people as were not Jewes by nature but by nature sinners of the Gentiles were unholy unlawfull unclean and abominable for him that was a Jew so much as to eat or eat with still Secondly that God did not shew unto Peter in that vision any such thing as Mr. Blake dreams and seems to himself to have the vision of viz. that he had now translated that old commonness and uncleannesse that was once in the Gentiles by nature and stated it now upon such as are Iews by nature and such as are by nature descended from unbelieving parents and contrary wise translated and stated the birth-holiness that was once among the Iews by nature because they now believe not upon such Gentiles by nature as are born of believing parents for no more then Gentiles by nature can I call them still for all their parents faith not Christians or Saints by nature as Mr Blake frivolously fancies them to be that are descended from Christian parents after the flesh onely for howbeit the fleshly seed of the Iews are Iews still both naturâ nomine et natione yet the meer fleshly seed of Christians and Saints are not Christians and Saints at the same rates in Gods account how ever they are in the Popes and his any more then the meer fleshly seed of believers are by birth nature name and nation believers as much as their parents which that they are Mr. Blake himself will not surely be so shameless as to assert and though he tells us a trifling tale that the name of Christian would not long hold in any family or among any people if it be not so that as Iews are Iews by birth so Christians are Christians p. 6. yet I tell him again 't is no great matter whether it do or no yea 't is not onely worth nothing but worse then nothing to have the meer name and title of Christian communicated and derived from parents to children from generation to generation without the nature for that 's the main mischief that hath overspread all Christendom and fill'd it with a thousand Antichristians to one true Christian indeed Secondly as simply as he saith God provideth for a continuance in succession of that name from age to age yet I know no such provision that God hath made in his word for any such thing as the continuance of the meer name of Christian in one family
from being members of the Church maketh the covenant of the Gospel worser then that under the Law Ergo that opinion is a wicked and false opinion Disproof The Major here is most undeniably true for what opinion soever doth make the Gospel covenant worse then that under the Law contrary to Heb. 8. 6. is indeed both false and wicked But the Minor wherein you say that the denial of baptism to little infantâ—… makes the Gospel covenant worse then that under the Law contrary to Heb. 8. 6. where the Gospel is said to be a better covenant then that of the Law in this respect as it is established upon better promises this is most palpably false yea I appeal to every man who doth not wilfully shut his eies against the truth to judge between us whether our opinion or your own rather doth most clearly contradict that Scripture of your own alledging Heb. 8. 6. in order to the true discerning of which First Mark well what it is that is there asserted concerning the meliority of the Gospel covenant above that of law and you shall find it to be this viz. That the Gospel covenant whereof Christ is the Mediator is a covenant that promises better things better injoyments 〈◊〉 a better inheritance then that of the Law did whereupon it there bears the name of a better Covenant then that of which Moses was the Mediator Secondly Mark whether our denial of infant baptism do at all contradict that for what if infants be not baptized doth that make that the promises of the gospel are worse than the promises of the Law nay verily who ever is or is not baptized the promises of the Gospel are both in our opinion and our constant manifestation of it too in this particular better and as far beyond the promises of the Law as the substance is beyond the shadow the City it self beyond the map of it that is on the wall for the promises of the Gospel are of the whole world Rom. 4. 13. of a heavenly inheritance incorruptible Canaan Crown Kingdome 1. Pet. 1. 5. Iam. 2. 5. Rev. 2. 10. of eternal salvation Heb. 5. 9. and this not to the Jewes only upon obedience to Moses voice but to all men in case of obedience to the voice of Christ the Mediator of it in point of faith baptism and other things which he requites in order thereunto of those onely which are capable to perform them but the promises of the Law were but of a spot of the world of an earthly Canaan inheritance kingdome c. to the posterity of one man only viz. Abraham and not to all his fleshly posterity neither for his posterity by Hagar and Keturah were excluded and that covenant established with Isaac and his seed only and that in case of obedience to the voice of Moses the Mediator of that Testament when God should give out his mind to them by hiâ—… in that covenant more perfectly then he did in the daies of Abraham and in case of observance of the Law whereof circumcision was a part though given before and an Ingagement to them to keep the whole when it should be given and all this but as a Map and type for a time of the Gospel Covenant which was made and established on better promises with a better seed i. e. not a carnal but spiritual seed not such as are of Abrahams own much less of any inferiour mens flesh but such as are of Abrahams faith and do his works i. e. believers themselves this is our opinion which if it do not rather confirm then contradict that meliority of the Gospel-covenant and its promises above that of the Law which meliority is spoken of Heb. 8. 6. your very selves being Judges of it then surely Satan hath shut up your eyes from seeing that you see But now as for your selves who stand so much in vindication of the Gospel covenant as a better Covenant then that under the Law and that in that very respect in which it is said to be a better Covenant Heb. 8. 6. viz. established upon better promises I le shew you plainly how you are so far from making it better then the Law as that you make that of the Law at least equal to it for whereas that Scripture which you quote saies plainly that the Gospel is a better Covenant than that of the law forasmuch as it stands on better promises yet that is never the better for you in your cause whose tenet utterly denies flatly contradicts that for you say that the things promised in the word of the Law which were signed and as your phrase is not ours sealed by circumcision were the very same things that are promised in the word of the Gospel and signed and as you say sealed in baptism viz. the kingdome of heaven aâ—…d howbeit this is most manifestly false for in reality though you jumble them together into one when it seems to serve your turn so to do in such a confused way as preaches to the world your present ignorance in both the Law and the Gospel the Law and Gospel are two distinct Covenants established on two distinct kinds of promises whereof the one was typical of and so inferiour to the other the one an old oâ—…e and a first that vanished before the second and new one Gal. 4. Heb. 8. 6. 13. 9. 1 12. 18. and though all that was then promised in the Law and signed in circumcision as well as circumcision it self were types of things under the Gospel yet the things then promised upon keeping the Law and immediately signed to Abraham and all his fleshly seed by Isaac save Esau and his seed that sleighted it in that covenant of circumcision which God gave him were no other then that literal Canaan that earthly land of promise flowing with milk and honey and not the heavenly inheritance Gen. 17. 8. c. for they that were heirs of the other according to the Law are not thereupon heirs of this also according to the Gospel Rom. 4. 13. Now howbeit I say that be very false yet you asserting it that the promise under the Law and under the Gospel is the very same do therein deny the one to be a covenant of better promises then the other for to say the promise of the law is the very same that the promise of the Gospel is is to say that the one is as good as the other and so to contradict that of Hab. 8. 6. which saies the Gospell Testament and the promises thereof are better then the promises under the Law And secondly if you say the Meliority that you hold to be in the Gospel covenant consists not in the Meliority of the promises of it above the other but in the Meliority of the administration of it the Gospel ordinances belonging not to the same only but to more subjects then the ordinances of the Law in which respect we denying Gospel ordinances to infants which were admitted
and contrary to the practise of the primitive times and consequently a sinful practise are as sutable as Humano capiti cervicem pictor equinam Iungere Si velit or as when Muâ—…er formosa superne desinat in turpem piscem And howbeit Mr. Baxter in defence hereof tells us p. 128. they who baptize the children of Christians at age as the Anabaptists do cannot possibly do it when they are first discipled I am so amazed at that expression that I can hardly believe he minded what he said when he pend it nor do I think the man had his wits well about him when he wrote all the rest that follows in proof therof through out that whole chapter of his where the further he proceeds the more he abounds and sinks ore head and ears in absurdities contradicting himself and his own principles and overthrowing the very thing he there prosecutes the proof of for First so farre is it from being impossible to baptize believers children immediately after they are discipled if we forbear them till they come to years that indeed it is impossible that they should be discipled at all till then in such a way as all those were discipled in whom he hath produced as examples in this case for whatever conversion there seems to him to be of all or at least the most of the children of believers so timely that neither themselves nor others be can discipled when by the preaching of the Gospel they are brought over both to believe and to be willing to obey the Lord Jesus and do freely seriously and as may seem to us sincerely professe their faith in him and their readiness to obey him and their repentance from those dead works and waies of the flesh they have formerly lived in unless he suppose it possible that these should live in sin and their desires to be baptized in the name of Christ for remission of their sins then I say they appear first to be discipled in foro hominum Ecclosiae for whatever they were before in foro Dei is nothing to us and then and not before to be baptized As for us therefore we have a steady rule to go by in the baptizing of persons according to which we still baptize them as of old they did when first discipled yea though they are persons whose parents were Church-members or in other meer relative only or reall discipleship yet they are first made Disciples when they first appear to be converted witness the three thousand Iewes whom Mr. Baxter himself doth instance in who though they and their parents were all relatively holy by birth and Church-members of the visible Church of old and as Mr. Baxter is pleased to say most simply p. 20. both disciples and Servants of God by very nature yet in the Gospel sense they were first made disciples or discipled so as thereby to be in right to baptism when they were by Peter converted only and not before so that if the children of Christians had now either such a Relative discipleship as he calls it and as he saies the Iews children had once by birth and such a real discipleship or invisible conversion to God in very infancy as he deeply doâ—…es all such to have so soon as ever they they are born neither of which yet they have indeed yet nevertheless that they may be and also must be first discipled when they are at years in that sense wherein discipling was in the Commission enjoined in order to baptism it is evident by Mr. Baxters own alledged Instance of the Iews Acts 2. who though they were according to Mr. Baxter himself as nigh and in truth more nigh to God by birth than the fleshly seed of believing Gentiles are yet were not for all that their old Church-membership and discipleship for indeed they were not in infancy but when grown up discipled unto Moses admitted to baptism thereupon till they were first discipled unto Christ and had both heard and gladly received the word of the Gospel neither were ever any as appears by all the Examples forecited of what parents soever descended though of Abraham himself admitted to baptism in the primitive times till discipled i. e. till visibly appearing and verbally at least professing to repent believe and imbrace the Gospel nor is it possible for men to whom Christ gives order to make disciples to him to do it any other way than by instructing persons till such time as they learn and receive the things that are taught them Moreover to let pass that round he runs p 127. where after he had shewed so abundantly that to be Christs disciples gave persons admission immediately to baptism to go round again he expresses himself thus lin 32. that baptism admitteth them to be his disciples whereas Mr. Baxter asserts that we cannot possibly baptize children of Christians at age immediatly after they are first discipled because we cannot possibly know when such children are first discipled except it be in their first infancy as I have shewed him already what a steady rule direct period of time we keep to in baptizing as they did in the primitive times viz. as soon as they are first discipled i. e. when first they appear to us truly to be converted and profess seriously and sincerely as far as we can judge to repent from their sins and believe in Christ and desire and profer to be baptized in his name for the remission of sins so I must return his own proposition upon him ' that they who baptize the children of Christians in infancy as the Anti-baptists do cannot possibly do it when they are first discipled and that because they cannot possibly know when such persons are first made disciples and except they account them to be first discipled as we do viz. when professing verbally and when first appearing visibly and for ought we can discern truly to believe and repent from their sins and desire baptism which things no infants ever do Babist But Mr. Baxter supposes infants of Christian parents to have a Relative infant-discipleship from the womb and so hath a sure way of baptizing them when they are first discipled if he baptize them in their first infancy Baptist. That Relative infant-discipleship if by that he mean the same birth-priviledge as I am sure he doth which the Jewes infants once had is a real piece of non-sense and such a phrase as the spirit never expressed the Jewes birth priviledge by as not by any other so much as tantamount thereunto in sense or signification in either the old Testament or new neither can any such denomination as that of disciple which is of disco properly be given to any person upon a meer account of such a relative holiness as the Jewes infants once had without respect to their being actually under some tuition or other any more than it might be given to the Temple it self which had then also the same relative holiness Secondly if it could
conversion of children of christian parents or when they are first discipled cannot be known for the most part by either themselves or others whereupon he concludes that if we baptize them at age though never so punctually at the time of their profession of faith repentance and desire of baptism we cannot possibly baptize them when first discipled or immediately after conversion as we ought to do by the example of the primitive times wherein yet they did thus and no otherwise witnesse all the instances of his own alledging but those that baptize them without delay so soon as ever they are born they cannot do otherwise then jump just with the very time wherein they are first discipled according to the primitive pattern he himself produces wherein of all that were baptized whether Iews or Gentiles immediately upon their being discipled we read not of one infant And good reason why they must needs hit right upon their first being discipled or converted that baptize them in the first infancy for though the time of the first conversion or discipling of the children of Christian parents be not scarce possible to be conjectured at either by themselves or others yet to go round again it may so safely and surely be supposed and conjectured to be in the first of their infancy that they may warrantably be baptized then as then newly made disciples without any danger of aberration from either Christs commission or the primitive custom of baptizing persons when first discipled and professing themselves disciples O the wisdom he that being in the fire would not come out to hear how bravely Mr. Baxter brings about and about again his businesse in that 8 chapter of the second part of his book t is pitty but he should be burnt And lastly whereas Mr. Baxter queries so oft when Mr. Tombs would have such baptized the set time of whose conversion is not distinctly known leaving Mr. Tombs to tell him his mind as he sees good himself I tell him if he ask me the same question that in my mind such whose conversion is not known when it is as by his own confession the conversion ofChristians children some times is not witnesse that one in which he instances and as few as he knowes of that sort yet how many hundreds of the children of Religious parents among whom I my self make one do know when they were first truly converted such I say should be baptized as neer as may be upon the time of their conversion and becoming disciples and if it have been then foreâ—…owd it must be after as soon as it can but in no wise so many years before it as the priests unviversally do it and such of whom it is not known nec per se nec per alios when they first were discipled and converted but oh how do I fear that as he that never doubted never believed so many of those implicit converts Mr. Baxter talks on that never knew when they were discipled and converted were never yet truly discipled â—…or converted at all to the truth as it is in Iesus but as they had it more by tradition from their fathers then unfained search of Scriptures such I say of whom t is not known when they first were converted and discipled shall by my consent be baptized when ever it is first known that they are converted and discipled unto Christ by their own profession of their conversion and discipleship and desire of baptism and this not by my consent alone but by the joint consent of all these very Scriptures which Mr. Baxter himself hath coted for our example and warrant all which if as far as Christs own precept and practise and the primitive Churches example can do it they do not warrant the baptism of all and onely such persons as were first taught or made disciples by preaching or instructed till they both learnt believed and imbraced the Gospel and professed themselves disciples and offered themselves to baptism and consequently of no infants then for my part I le lay aside all sense and reason as no more to be heeded as a help to understand the Scriptures and turn a very Tom-fool and he that can Altobe logick these Scripture institutions and instances into plain Scripture proofs of infant Church membership and baptism Erit mihi magus Apollo for there 's no mention of infants either expressely or implicitly in any one of them Oh therefore to Eccho back to Mr. Baxter a little in much what his own words to us concerning those Scriptures p. 127 that those who are so inclinable to seperation from the primitive practise would consider the unfitnesse of infants to be admitted by baptism to be Church members under the Gospel Oh that they that inchurch whole parishes as if they because the Pope will have it so were all Churches and will have no trial at all and discoveries of the work of persons conversion before they admit them but take them all at hap hazard as they fall from the belly within the bounds of that parish where they are plac't and popified would but lay to heart all these Scripture examples and make more conscience of observing their rule and not presume to be wiser and holier then God when it was mans first overthrow to desire to be but as God though he did not attempt to go beyond him as the priests do in adding other Subjects to his ordinances then himself appointed which changing of his law will be mans last overthrow Isa. 24. doubtlesse those that Christ baptized by his disciples were Church-members but those were not infants but such as were first made disciples by preaching onely Iohn 4. and he that will go beyond Iesus Christ in strictnesse shall go without me I do not think he will be offended with me for doing as he did i. e. for baptizing none but such as believe and professe themselves disciples and as repent of their sins and desire to be baptized in the name of Christ for the remission of tâ—…m and so I have done with Mr. Baxter till we meet again onely since Mr. Marshal is pleased ponere obicem to object and bolt in here that we cannot say none in these places were baptized but such as did thus i. e. believe and professe themselves disciples p. 217. to Mr. Tombs because the word onely is not here I may well call it obicem or objectionem obularem a hint not worth a half penny and if he appeal to his own conscience it will tell him no lesse neverthelesse what ere he thinks I say again all that were baptized in the forenamed places were such as are there specified to be profest converts and believers and if there were any more let him assign and shew us whom and wee l believe him as for the housholds himself is in the sands whether there were any infants in them or no and I have shewd above that they that were baptized in them are exprest all by some
clause or other exclusive of infants and conclusive onely of adult disciples besides Mr. Cotton confesses that the infants were not baptized with their parents and that the infants that were brought to Christ were not baptized at all for ought he knows not their parents neither and here are all the Scriptures that declare how baptism was done then and to whom most of which are cited by Mr. Baxter himself from which you cannot possibly scrape so much as any old odd end of an example for such a businesse as your baptism As for us besides that plain precept we have in Mat. 28. even every whit of this is plain president for our baptism and comes into our assistance against all your cavils O ye Priests for thus I argue viz. The baptism of men and women professing faith in the Lord Iesus confessing sins calling on the name of the Lord c. is a baptism yea all the baptism that the Scripture speaks of either in way of command or example But the baptism which we dispence is a baptism of men and women professing faith in our Lord Iesus confessing sins calling on the name of the Lord gladly receiving the word c. Ergo that baptism which we dispense is a baptism yea all the baptism the Scripture speaks of in way of either command or example Therefore Sirs how hath Satan bewitched you that you cannot believe and obey the truth what will you onely think things and thrust your thoughts of them as oracles upon all others will you imagine and suppose and dream and dote and fancy and fain a baptism that the Scriptures and first Churches never knew and then father your figments upon the Scriptures and fasten them as the fashion which the whole world must be forct to follow and conform to Moreover I do not at present remember any one part of Scripture which your selves summon into your help in this case of infant baptism that doth not yield ammunition and much matter against you more then for you unlesse it be one or two used by your selves which one may as well with Skoggin untile the house to look for an hare as urge either pro or con about infants baptism so farre shall he be from finding in them any proof for that or the true baptism either as namely 2 Cor. 13. 5. 1 Thess. 4. 13. There are but two places that I know of besides those I have already turned upon you above that are held out by any of you out of the armory of Scripture in defence of infant baptism and those are Col. 2. 12. 1 Cor. 10. 1. 2. both which not onely knock sprinkling oth'head but may also very easily be sheathed in the bowels of baby-baprism As for the first it speaks as well nigh all scripture doth not much medling with infants not onely to but of adult disciples only of whom as well as to whom and not of infants in way of satisfaction to them and answer to those that would have brought in the old circumcision made with hands among them Paul saies ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands which circumcision without hands there spoken of is not baptism neither as some dâ—…eam who thence also draw in circumcision and baptism to be of so neer kin that as they have both one name so they must both have one subject also for baptism is no more done without hands then the other but the sanctification or inward circumcision of the heart cutting off the foreskin i. e. the filth of the heart which things infants do not in token of which he tells them they are not sprinkled but buried i. e. overwhelmed in water with Christ in the outward baptism wherin also they are risen with him through faith c. All which things he that imagins they more include then exclude the sucking infants of such to whom he speaks is no man in discretion with me As for the other place its most evident the Apostle speaks not of baptism litterally but Meâ—…aphoically onely there they were baptized unto Moses i. e. by the visible tokens of Gods presence amongst them viz. the cloud and Sea assisting and siding with them and overthrowing their adversaries they were confirmed in the belief of God and his servant Moses as we by baptism are in the faith of Gods goodnesse to us and of his Son Jesus Christ in further confirmation of which meer figurative sence of the word baptized you may do well to consider that though they were said to be baptized in the cloud and in the sea which phrases however sound forth such a total immersion as is not in two or three drops of water fingered on the face yet they were not so much as wetted with either the cloud or the sea for its said Exod. 14. 21. 22. the sea was made dry land under them and they went through it dry shod or on dry ground which they could not be well said to do had it so much as rained upon them such a figurative sence of the word baptize there Mr. Baxter himself denies not p. 90. yet Dr. Channel urged that place in a publique dispute at Petworth Ian. 1651. as one of his arguments for infant baptism besides Secondly if you will needs have it properly taken that they were baptized really and not quasi baptized as Mr. Baxter yields they were and if you will needs make that baptism such an emblem of ours that ours must have an adequate subject to that which say you was infants as well as parents then t will put you to your trumps to excuse your selves handsomly in your now denying to infants the same spiritual meat and drink in the supper which they then eat and drank of in a figure also viz. the Manna and the Rock which both were no other Antitypically then the bread and wine are mistically in the supper i. e. the Lord Jesus Christ. For all your vain boasting therefore of what innumerable arguments you have from Scriptures I say the Scriptures are sure enough on our side nevertheless taking the word in a sutable sense you do well to call your Scripture armes or arguments innumerable for indeed they are not to be numbred for even unit as much more nonit as non est numerus being no more than just none at all Secondly whereas you boast of the innumerable Arguments which may be brought for your infant rantism from reason the full force of reason is utterly against you and so wholly assistant to our cause that the unreasonablest man amongst you will once see it when sound reason comes to reign and sway the scepter indeed Yea not to stand reasoning on it now how reasonless a thing it is to ask a company of men and women as the priests were wont to do at the font thus viz. do you believe in God the Father and Christ c. and will you be baptized in this faith and when they answered yes that is all our desire then
instead of them who profess their faith and desires to be baptized to take a small sucking babe out of their armes and dat him with a drop or two on the face and send away all the other unbaptized Babist The sureties or parents in so saying do but represent the child that could not speak for it self and expresse his good resolutions to forsake the divel c. and his desires to be baptized Baptist How reasonless is it to put questions to infants through their parents ears and then very gravely suppose them answering again through their parents mouthes yea as reasonless as to suppose that all people should see through none but the blind priests eyes nor yet to stand reasoning how reasonless a thing it is to signifie things to sucklings while they understand them not and that too by such a vanishing visible sign that when they can understand they neither see nor never shall and such like Trumpioall transactions to which there are as few grains of reason concurring as there are inches in an Apes tail even your selves however it happens that you so contradict your selves yet that is no news with you as to sound it out here how Reason fights on your sides for infant baptism are even in this very cause found falling out with and fighting down right against reason hand smooth but some four or five pages below this why else is there such a reasonles reply made to seven or eight several objections which byyour own confession p. 16. reason makes against infant baptism but I le spare you till I come thither 3ly That the practise and authority of the Church of God you so much boast of from the beginning and the Fathers thereof which you complain and grumble much p. 1. 11. 12. that t was set aside and might not be admitted into your assistance at the Disputation is so utterly against your infant baptism that even this alone were it of any esteem with you had bin enough to have silenced all your disputes for it and laid the itch and quencht the heat of your hearts after that meer novelty is most manifest if by the Church of God and the Fathers therof you mean what I do viz. the Church of God in the primitive which were the best and purest times of the Gospel whose practise in this particular is set out in the word but specially in the Acts of the Apostles the fathers of which Church and of the Church in after ages too were the Apostles themselves viz. Father Peter Father Paul Father Barnabas Father Iames Father Iohn and the â—…est whose authority from Christ was great indeed and adequate with the Scriptures then written and the foundation for all the Churches to build on and such was not the authority of the Churches then much less since which are to be subjected to their word in Scripture this Church and these fathers never knew such a baptism as yours nor is there the least tittle of talk concerning any such matter to be found among them Or if by the Church and Fathers of it whose authority and practise you build on you mean those of the ages next to the Apostles Then first I marvel why you should put your selves upon the triall by succeeding ages and decline the first and purest age of the Gospel of all specially since there 's as clear history and more infallible testimony given in the word of what was done by the Church and the first fathers the Apostles then ever was in any age inferiour to it whatsoever and more specially yet since its being in after ages is no palpable argument of its being in the first age for the mystery of iniquity was at work from the very Apostles t is now Ergo it was then is not so good a wherefore to our why as we look for besides t is ingenuously confest by your own writers viz. Mr. Blake in answer to Mr. Blackwood p. 58. that faith can hang on the humane testimony of the succeeding fathers in whose daies infant baptism was no further then de facto viz. that it was onely and not de jure that it ought to be and Mr. Marshal p. 5. of his sermon that the practise of the thing in their dayes proves not the truth of it at all Secondly neither doth the second Century help you so much as to a proof de facto For First as much as you would seem to be verst among the fathers in which many Priests are better read then in the Scriptures and some to seem to be better read there then they are will quote the fathers when they have not read them but by snaches and pickt a few fine phrases out of them to make their sermons the more sententious yea and sometimes for those very sentences for which they might more truly quote the Apostles that primitively pend them witnesse one of your tribe whom I heard with my own ears say of Heb. 2. 16. he took not on him the nature of Angels thus viz. for as Saint Barnard saith when as he might as well have said as the spirit or as the Scripture saith He took not on him c. if yet he knew that t was in the Scripture as much I say as you are versed in the fathers you are desired by Mr. Blackwood a man better read in those fathers then either you or I yea you and Mr. Marshall also who quotes Iustin Martyr are defired by him in his storming of Antichrist p. 25. 26. 27. to prove if you can out of any place of Iustins genuine works who is the antientest father extant next the Apostles whose works are accounted on that there is so much as the name of infant baptism much more the thing yea he tells you ye may as soon find a Dolphin in the woods as any such thing save onely that t is once mentioned in a spurious book falsely called his out of which book Mr. Marshalls quotation is neither doth Mr. Blake gainsay this nor yet Mr. Marshall in their replies nay they rather seem to grant that it s to be doubted it was so which makes me as well as Mr. Blackwood not a little wonder that Mr. Marshall should quote it with so much confidence I mean so as to assert it thereupon as a matter manifest that the Church counting from the time of Iustin Martyr viz. 150 hath bin possest of the priviledg of infant baptism for the space of 1500 years and upwards for had he not doubted but that the words the cites were without question the words of Iustin himself he had not had sin but now he hath no cloak sith he demonstrates to all men Dubitatum per magis dubium and tells the world to make them believe that Iustin disputes the condition of children that dye baptized and unbaptized when yet it s not believed but much doubted by himself whether Iustin did any such thing yea or no as to the words Mr. Marshal p. 4. of his sermon cites
therefore O thou most miserably be wildred Priesthood of the Nations and understand for so thou shalt if thou return from out of that thick wood of Authors Polemical Tracts Schoolmen Casuists Tomes Volumes of Fathers Councels Commentators Treatises Systemes of Theology framed forms of old and New Creeds long and short Catechismes confessions of Churches c. in which thou hast wandred and lost thy self from the truth to the unfeigned study of that little book of Scriptures which alone if thou wilt be admonished by it is able to make thee and them that hear thee wise enough unto salvation Thou speakest what thou hast seen of thy fathers we speak what we have seen of our Fathers what thine teach in their books we regard not quâ ipsi dixerint unless quâ dictum prius by our Fathers if they teach no other then what our Fathers teach in theirs it is no more then what thou having the same Scripture the same liberty to search the same promise of the same spirit to guide the same accesse to God in prayer for it mayest learn not at second hand from them but at first hand from thence as easily as themselves but when they go aside from that and thou with them and thine with thee a venture this seems no other to me then Ignis fatuus with a false flash going before and Ignoramus fatuus with his false faith and a number of ignorants following after Thou tellest us of thy novel antiquity of Counsels National Oecumenicall of Churches Greek and Latin of Fathes Austin Gregory c. and yet confessest thy self that particular Churches have erred and may erre and if all particulars then why the universal which consists of all particulars cannot thou canst not prove and that generall councels which the School-men term the representative Church are subject to error and have sometimes decreed heresie and falshood for truth thou confessest by Dr. Featley p. 17. of his figment And that none of the fathers nor yet the joint consent of many is a competent judge for faith to hang upon concerning the right of things is confest by Mr. Blake p. 58. of his to Mr. Blackwood and yet to go round again thou ventest thy self out of the mouthes of others as if their verdict were enough to warrant and canonize all that for verity that is vented by them Tell us therefore no more as Dr. Featley doth of Gregory nor yet of Gregory the great whose testimonies if they were for thee but now I think on t they are not for in the place cited by Dr. Featley himself in the very forehead of his book in the next page of all before the first t is evident that Greg. Nazianzen was for infants baptism but in case of danger onely i. e. if they were likely to die in infancy otherwise saith he for so Mr. Den cites Gregories words more fully in the place which the Doctor docks and custs off in the midst p. 49. of his answer to Dr. Featley otherwise let them stay still they be capable to hear and to answer and no more to your purpose speaks Pope Gregory the great whose words are cited out of Mr. Fox by Mr. Cornwell and out of Mr. Cornwell by Dr. Featley p. 63. 64. in way of resolution to Austin the monk are no other then the same viz. that in case of necessity infants might be baptized as soon as they were born yet were their testimonies any more for thee then they are against thee they could make nothing for thee as to evince the equity of thy cause As for our way of baptism if it were our way onely we trust we should be against it our selves but sith it is the onely way of that word by which all works must be tried and all persons judged whose authority alone being absolutely divine if it were of any esteem with the adversaries thereof were enough to silence their disputes against it it will stand though never so many Councels and things which thou callest Churches and a 1000 Gregories were against it By this time you may see O ye Ashford Synodians how little ground you would have gotten by it if the Authorities of the Church of God from the beginning and the fathers of both that and after ages had been used by you to the advantage of your disputation when as not onely the primitive fathers of all i. e. the Apostles and the Church in their daies whose authorities you rebell against are wholly against you but also the prime of those postern fathers and the Church in their daies whose authoritie you so stand upon are nothing for you But if by fathers and Church you should chance to mean either the universall C C Clergy and their C C Christendom or the Christned Emperors Kings and civil governâ—…rs that have thrown down their crowns to the Clergy and according to the C C Clergies cruel sense and wicked will have been hitherto nursing fathers to the Christen Nations which they have reigned over both of which the Clergy hath reigned ore and nursed alias nusled in ignorance to this day Rev. 17. then indeed as Caiaphas did in an another case you speak truer then you are aware of for their authority alone I mean so far forth as it hath acted it self in a way of meer might besides rightâ—… if it were of any esteem with such as chuse to obey God rather then man were enough to silence all disputes against infant-baptism indeed at least to lay the itch and quench the heat of them when not onely the Popes paternal precepts and decretals in the latin Church witnesse that of Innocentius the third who Decret Greg. l. 3. as cited by Mr. Cornwel enacted that the baptism of infants should succeed circumcision but also the imperial lawes and constitutions as well as Synodicall cannons required infant baptism in the Greek Church and that so strictly too as Mr. Marshall himself alledges out of Photius p. 33. 34. to Mr. Tombes that whatsoever baptized persons would not bring their children and wiues too that 's more whereby you may note the goodnesse of those rimes and Churches when a baptizd husband was forct to bring his wife as well as his seed to baptism should be punished and who ever denied baptism to a new born infant should be Anathematized or cursâ—…d with a most bitter curse when also as Dr. Featley boasts out of Gastius p. 68. of his book At Zurick after many disputations between Zwinglius and the gainsayers of infant baptism the Senate made an act that if any presumed to rebaptizâ—… â—…lià s baptized such as were falsely supposed to be baptized before should be drowned and at Vienna many meerly for baptizing such were so tied together in chaines that one drew the other after him into the river wherein they were all suffocated and at Ropolstein the Lords of that place decreed that such should be burnt with an hot Iron and bear the base brands of those Lords in whose
if universality perpetuity or antiquity either I mean that post primitive Antiquity of the fourth or fifth Century may pass for president more current then the primitive the Pope and his priesthood may prove the protestant priesthood to be but upstart Novices to them by this way of arguing from the antient perpetual universal practise of their Church I write not this as taking the Papists part against the Protestants for so far am I from justifying the Iesuites that I rather fight with Dr. Featley and his friend against them in this case holding with them that no succession of true visible and rightly constituted Churches can be shewn of either your way or ours in all that time of popish unity and universallity but I do it to this end onely ut hosâ—…uo Iâ—…gulemus gladio as Dr. Featley saies of us p. 88. that I may fight against Featleys followers in the point of infants baptism with Featleys own Fauchin i. e. saâ—…isfie them concerning the narrownesse novelty and invisibility of our Church in times of popery when they say where was our Church before Nicholas Stock the very same way and no other then that wherin they excuse the non-appearance of their Protestanâ—…s Churches then to the Iesuits when vaunting in their own visible universallity they ask them where was your Church before Luther for verily if it must be taken from you by the Papists as evidence good enough that your Churches are the true Churches and lineally descended from Christ though none of them ever visibly appeared before Luther in all that time of the Popes Peterdome ore his fellows because your doctrine is truer then that of theirs and specially since several witnesses successively held it out against Romes contradictions then I hope it shall be taken from us by you Protestants as good evidence that our Churches are yet truer then yours and such as have been as much as yours have been in visible constitution from the time of the treading down till this modern resurrection because our doctrine and practise is that of the primitive and purest times specially since we can evince it as clearly that many witnessed the truth of it against infant-baptism in times of priestly tyranny as you can that any have witnessed yours at all For howbeit you say your infants baptism was not so much as questioned till of late if you had your wits so well about you as you should you could not but see that t was almost ever opposed for though it were never heard of in the first Century yet that it hath been ever withstood since it came up is most evident by the conflicts of corrupt times for it for what made such controversies among the fathers about it what mâ—…de Cyprian and his 66 Bishops conven'd in councel lay their heads together to find out such superstitious stuff as your selves are ashamed of wherewith to support it what made Bernard complain that t was laught at among other ridiculosities as praying to and for the dead what made Imperiall lawes and Synodical cannons enjoin it under such strict penalties what made Pope Innocent 3. who together with the 600 Bishops and all the rest of the Clergy which in the councel of Lateran determined Transubstantiation confession were called fooles and block-heads seducers of the people hereticks and blaspemers by Iohn Purvey one of Wickliffs followers p. 17 of Luth. praedec what I say made that Innocent among other things decree so strictly as he did that the baptism of believers infants should succeed circumcision if that tradition found no Traitors which sought the death out and if the risets up against it were hardly heard of before Luther Either then the verity of doctrine in Churches reformed from Romes downright dotage doth prove as Dr. Featley sayes well it doth a perpetual duration of it so that it must needs have professors in all ages or it proves it not if not then the main argument whereby Dr. Featley defends Protestanism to have been perpetually before Luther doth not vindicate you in your Religion from the name of Novellists any more then us and so the Pope by his plea for the verity of his Church from perpetuall visibility universality c. carries the cause clean from us all but if it doth then as we deny your infant-baptism to have been perpetuall because its false doctrine and our Church and way of baptism we hold in contradistinction to you being as consonant to the word and primitive pattern as the truest of those doctrines you hold in contradistinction to the Pope is vindicated by Featleys own argument to have been as perpetually before Luther as the purest piece of Protestanism and party of Protestants whatsoever Again an ennumeration of a successive number of particular persons barely professing the truth in the times of all Christendoms erring from it but not visibly constituted into any right Church form or order either doth prove Christ and his spirit to have been with his people alwayes and in all ages according to his promise and consequently his promise in that particular to be true notwithstanding the worlds so universal erring for a time or else it doth not prove it if such an ennumerarion of single professors successively witnessing to the truth against Romish error doth not clear Christs promise to be true then your selves are as justly charged by the Iesuites who use the same argument against you that you use against us to be guilty of that damnable blasphemy of denying Christs promise to be true as we are charged to be guilty of it by your selves for as much as all that you say towards the salving of Christs promise of his perpetual presence with your Church while he left Rome from fault of falshood is but an induction of certain persons that before Luther testified to your doctrine yea he that answers the Iesuites question sayes no more confessing that a succession of Protestant Churches cannot be shewed but if it doth prove Christ his promise to be true then I hope it serves to prove it in our case as well as yours or else it s a hard case indeed for as much as though a perpetual succession of such visible Churches as ours are is not to be shewed through all ages of the Clergies crushing down the truth yet we can give as full evidence of a sort of single Sâ—…ints that testified against infant-baptism even in those times as you can of such as testified against any other popish tradition whatsoever By this time you may see the fore-man in your for-lorn hope that is sent before as a subtil scout in a sophistical coat to entrap us is not onely discovered in his drift but divested also of his deceltful dresse disarmed and disabled from your service and laid a bleeding neverthelesse sith he opens his mouth and prates against us â—…ll with malicious words falsely chargâ—…ng us again and bespattering us what he can with his tongue because he sees he cannot hurt
nevertheless sith he hath strengthens himself again what he can and comes up recruted and attended with a company of scambling and for the most part very unsound sentences at his heels t wil not be amisse to enter the lists a little with him and these his Auxiliaries First then Sirs whereas you come in again with that crooked consequence viz. infâ—…nts must be baptized under the Gospel because circumcisied under the law we might more pertinently set up a shout at your shameful folly in this particular then set upon the shewing of it any more it is so palpable for verily as is proved sufficiently above these two viz. the Covenant of the law and the Gospel from the Identity of which you infer an Identity in the subject of the ordinances and administrations of both and by way of analogy would evince them both to belong to the same persons I must tell you these are two Testaments or wills of God concerning men in those two different times viz. before Christ and since and these two so specifically distinct that they not onely run upon different strains and require different terms as your selves here confesse the law saying do this and live the Gospell onely believe but also stand upon different promises whereof the Gospels being of the heavenly Canaan are better then the laws which were but of an earthly one and these also pertaining to two different seeds viz. the legal to the natural children of Abraham i. e. Isaac and his posterity by generation the Evangelical to the spiritual seed of Abraham i. e. such as are of Christ by faith and regeneration and they had also different dispensations the one circumcision the other another thing viz. dipping a thing no way like it and different subjects also for those different dispensations so that if men and their ministers were not all turned Momes they could not but must manifestly perceive it the old Testament admitting to circumcision onely males and these onely on the eighth day in case they were in the house so young and all the males in the house whether sons or servants whether born in the house or bought with money of any stranger and all this without respect to either faith or repentance in the persons to whom dispenst or any prae-preaching to them by the person dispensing the new Testament taking in to baptism as no servants upon the masters faith so all persons in the world both males and females upon their own and that upon any day and not the eighth onely wherein after they have been preacht to they professe to repent and believe Mat. 3. Act 2. Act. 8. Act. 18. The proof of which real specifical diversity of these two Covenants is yet farre more evident First because the spirit denominates them so to be in Scripture calling them expressely the two Covenants Gal. 4. 24. and also very osten in plurali the Covenants the covenants of promise Secondly by that contradistinction of speech which the spirit useth when he speaks of them and those oppposite Epithets by which he diversifies them calling one the Law the other the Gospel and the law by the name of the first testament or will of Cod the Gospel the second the law the old testament the Gospel the new the law which bound to circumcision and to the observation of which in all other things circumcision bound its subjects when they came to years not of faith though faith then was too in a few and also from the beginning as to the eternal inheritance but of flesh rather and the time before faith came Gal. 3. 11. 12. 13. also a law of a carnall commandement a faulty and a blameable testament of weak and beggerly rudiments in respect of Christ who is the end of them standing in imperfect and onely flesh-purifying precepts and on meerly terrene inferiour and flesh-pleasing promises as Canaan and Ierusalem here below also the Letter in ink in 〈◊〉 of stone the ministration of death and condemnation the Covenant gendering to bondage the hatred the hand writing of ordinances that was against us yet thus farre not against but subservient to the promises as t was the similitude of heavenly things the figure and shadow of the good things to come and a schoolmaster to bring to Christ Eph. 2. 14. Col. 2. 14. The Gospel contrariwise the time of faith Gal. 3. 25. for after faith came c. the power of an endless life Heb. 7. 16. a better Testament standing in lesse painful ordinances more plain and soul purifying precepts and on better and more precious and foul saving promises a Canaan a Ierusalem from above Heb. 8. 6. Also the ministration of the spirit in fleshly tables of the heart of righteousnesse of life liberty love grace reconciliation the very Image and truth it self of which the law was but the shadow Thus you find the Scripture opposing one of these two to the other so farre is it from signifying them to be one and the self same Covenant as you frivolously fain them to be that you may build your infant-baptism thereupon Now whether we shall believe the holy spirit which stiles these two expressely two Covenants or your selves who will have them to be but one judge ye Moreover how two Covenants or testaments can be plurally pointed out and called two and opposed respectively ad se invicem by the names of the first and second the old and new the type and the truth a better and a worse c. yea and contradictorily predicated too as the law and the Gospel are of which it s said the one is of faith i. e. ever for so the Gospel ever was saying believe and live and the â—…ust must live by faith the other not of faith i. e. never for the law never was of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them was the teâ—… thereof and yet all this while be but one and the same Covenant and Testament iâ—… no lesse then a mystery to me sith t is an undeniable rule among Logicians that oppositio semper subinfert pluralitatem also that contradictio est oppositionum perfectissima pugnacissima et Eternaeâ—…d â—…unctionis opposition specially contradiction which is the greatest of oppositions doth suppose a plurality so that t is impossible that one thing should be two contradictory things at once or that contradictories should eodem tempore cadere in idem i. e. be truely spoken both of the same thing at the same time Babist The one is called the first and the old Testament meerly because it went before and is now vanisht away and alienated the other is called the second and the new one meerly because it comes after that and is now in being not because it is really another Testament another Covenant as you contend but two parts rather or periods of one and the same Covenant of grace which was from the beginning of the world Baptist. I confesse that the Gospel Covenant was in the
do while you do that at last cast which had you done at first you had saved your selves a deal of hurt which you have done your selves by circumlocuting so long in way of proving the very Minor proposition of that last Argument which Reason urged against you viz. that Christians children are not more inclined to actions of faith then those of infidels for at last you fall flatly as your safest way to deny that Minor and assert contrarily thereto that children of Christians are more inclined to holy actions then other children which if it be true First how grosly do you contradict that you say in the lines above where you seem to grant that there may be more inclinablenesse in infidels children and promptnesse to holy actions then in Christians Secondly I wonder how you come to be experienced in it for if you Clergie men be all Christians and so you are in your own account your children excepting some that by the breeding you give them grow up to the same stamp of Christianity you print upon them do for all their native holy inclinations not seldome prove the lewdest and rudest of any mens children in a Countrey for not onely through the Priests and Prophets own practise but from their posterity too oft times prophaness goes out into all the world or else the Popes had never filled it with iniquitie as they have done The next objection of Reason is as followes Review 7. Faith comes by hearing Little children cannot hear must lesse understand Ergo they have no faith They might also conclude they have no faculty of understanding neither for that comes by hearing but infants have an hearing the spirit opens their ears he must do it in adultis or for all their hearing they will never believe He is not tyed to means though we are without the outward hearings of the Word he works faith in little children The manner of his working is miraculous as it is in the conversion of every soul enough hath been said to that before nor ought it to be objected if miraculous then not ordinary for the work of the spirit in the conversion of men is both Re-Review Had Reason had the managing representing and writing of this Argument her self she would not have set it down in so weak absurd and silly a manner as Reasonlesse hath done it in in this place Reason never held such a thing yet as is asserted in this Minor viz. that children cannot hear much lesse understand for abstract hearing from understanding and take these two in sensu diviso as you do here and children can hear but in sensu composito they cannot it cannot rationally nor truly be said they cannot so much as hear much lesse understand but they cannot hear so as to understand or they cannot hear understandingly as those must that hear in order to believing and whose faith comes by hearing a hearing t is true infants have for they are not destitute of that sense more then of seeing and the rest Auriculas Asini quis non habet the same hearing that an Asse horse or other bruit beast hath which is only the sound of words without the knowledge of the sense who hath not save he that is deaf but the hearing they have is neither such as Paul speaks of there nor yet that heating you say they have viz. an inward hearing of the voice of Christ and the spirit opening their ears so as to make them learn things as adult ones do that is a meer figment of your own fancies besides if they had such an internal hearing as you dream of what were that to the matter in hand or to the answering the objection that is grounded upon the alledged Scripture which speaks not of an inward but an outward hearing the word of God preached as that by which faith is begotten and without which it cannot come out of which outward way and meanes if persons be brought to believe as usually as by it and so it must needs be if little infants believe by the understanding of certain secret whisperings and teachings within the spirit would not have spoken of it as such an unpossible case as he doth in saying how can they believe on him of whom they have not heard and how hear without a Preacher But say you that is the usual means by which faith is begotten in adult ones but the spirit is not tyed to meanes though we are he works faith in little children without the outward hearing of the word Is it so Sirs that the spirit is not tyed to work by means in little children in the same cases wherein he works by means in men and women I wonder then that you whose opinion this is should be so forgetful as to teach quite contrary to your own tenet for verily of all the men that are I know none that limit the spirit and tie him to means in his dealings with little infants like unto your selves As for us we own this position fully and to a tittle viz. that what God acts at all for infants he acts without meanes as to their salvation but as for your selves you own and disclaim this by turnes according as it seems to serve your own turnes so far as to hold it helpes to hold up your monstrous odd opinion of infants faith which hath no footing at all in Scripture you inwardly entertain it and outwardly proclaim it for undoubted truth but when you find it makes against you then t is no other then a figment of the Anabaptists for when we tell you there is no right to baptism without faith but infants cannot believe because faith comes by hearing understandingly the word preached which infants cannot do then such of you as Rantize infants on such a sottish supposition as their having faith in themselves excuse the matter thus viz. The spirit is not tied to means nor to the outward way of hearing the word so but that though he begets men to faith that way and by that means yet he begets infants to believe without it and such of you as ashamed to assert that the infants themselves have faith do Rantize them on the fathers faith without their own excuse the matter thus viz. The spirit is not bound to admit infants to baptism in that same way wherein he admits men viz. the way of faith but admits infants to have right to it without that outward means of believing But when we tell you faith and baptism are the way wherein and the outward means by which the spirit justifies and saves men and women but without this outward way of faith and baptism he can and doth save dying infants and that the spirit is not tied to the same means of belief and baptism in the justifying and saving infants through Christ by which and which onely he saves men then you plainly disclaim what you proclaimd for truth before viz. the spirit is not tied to means in infants but
parents can have no hope of other then their damnation nay all the grounds on which to hope that any good comes of them are utterly destroyed So then of the doctrine that you deliver this is the summe in two round heads viz. That infants right to salvation must needs be apparent or else they may not be baptized Secondly to go round again baptism of infants must needs be or else there 's no apparent ground on which to hope they can be saved Finally I tell you I marvel in my heart it being so that such danger comes by denying infant baptism that parents cannot hope they can be saved how you dare for your ears delay so long as you do sometimes a week sometimes a fortnight sometimes almost a year as the custom of England was of old to baptize but twice in the year viz. at Easter and Whitsontide and do not rather baptize your infants so soon as they are born least happily their lying in the visible kingdome of the divel longer then you need to let them they happen to die before your good chear can be made and all your kinsfolks come together and then the parents be left without hope of any other but that their children remain in the kingdom of the divel for ever for persons live or dye visibly say you either in the visible Church of Christ out of which you say also there 's no salvation the visible entrance into which is by baptism by which therefore unbaptized infants never entred or else in the visible kingdome of the divel this is one of Mr. Baxters diseased disjunctions p. 71. for there isno more necessity then there is of sprinkling infants and that 's as little as little can be of their being visibly in either neither are they visibly in either the visible Church of Christ or visible kingdome of the devill till they are at years but in medio abnegationis you salve alâ—… that danger which I confesse is none at all in infants dying unbaptized but onely that I speak according to your own principles by telling us that t is not the bare omission or neglect but the contempt of the ordinance that damnes the persons that dye without it I tell you again that if this may passe for true and currâ—…nt doctrine among those that hold baptism due to men and women onely and not infants as I scarce know how it should sith neglect of known duty is damnable in a lower degree as well as contempt of it is in a higher yet however its false silly and nonsensical doctrine among you that baptize none but infants apply it how you will for the parents neglect and the parents contempt of the ordinance as to his infant is much at one i. e. neither of them damnable to the infant unlesse you will hold up that saying again in the world which God protested long since men should never have occasion to use any more viz. that the child shall die eternally for the fathers sin surely the fathers contempt doth not redound any more then his bare neglect with any danger or disadvantage to the infant and as for the infant he cannot be damned for not being baptized in infancy through his own neglect or contempt of iâ—… for he neither contemnes nor neglects it To the third of these three things that you and I both have thrust here into one place you in the Review and I in the Re-Review in order to the dispatching of them all together viz. it unchristens the whole Church of God c. I say thus confessing that our doctrine unchristens whole christendome which the Pope hath called the Church of God but is indeed the whole world of Gentiles that hath got into the outer court the meeâ—… outward form and name of christianity and hath trod down the holy City and true worship for 1â—…60 years that whole world that hath for ages and generations wondered after the beast nor is this inconsistent with the truth of Christs promises of his presence and guidance among those that are his true Church and people indeed for howbeit he hath according to the word left those to their own wayes that left and liked not his wayes yet he ever hath still doth and ever will lead those into truth that love the truth and will be led by his spirit when he will lead them yea though he tied not himself to teach them that should chuse the Pope for their Tutor yet according to his promise he hath bin more â—…r lesse with those that observed what he commanded them in his word from the beginning and so shall be even to the end Review Lastly it doth the devils work in the shâ—…pe of angels of light to make men renounce their baptism and if from Nero's hating the Chrictian Religion the antient Apoloâ—…etist of the Church did rightly gather the goodnesse of it we mâ—…y the validity of infants baptism from the devils hatred of it it hath ever been said of him he will not make a bargain with any soul till it hath renounced its first bargain which was made with Christ at baptism the Anabaptists are his Proâ—…tors and do it to his hand Re-Review Of whichdesire of his tohave us renounce our baptism being not a little aware though immediately after I renounc't that Rantism I once had unawares to my self in the innocency and ignorance of mâ—… infancy in the room thereof received real baptism I had one messenger from Satan to buffet me and beat me off from further proceeding in and owning of that practise yet through the goodness of God and that grace of his wherein I still stand I was so far from being removed that I was much more settled strengthned and stablisht in the present truth wherein I walk and I trust shall walk in unto the end unlesse I receive more evidence to the contrary then ever I have done from any wriâ—…ings or any discourses of any that ever I met wiâ—…h of what principle or profession soever which messenger whose name was William Everard after the flesh but the name that the father had given him was Chamberlin as he said for he lived in the secret chambers of the most high though he came to my house pretending that he was immediately sent from God with a message to me in particular viz. to renounce that practice of baptizing which himself had sometimes walkt in also but now relinquisht did to my self and some others after half a dayes most serious observation of his speeches strange extasies and uncouth deportment by many prodigious passages blasphemous pratings and as by experience we then proved them flatly false pretences to what he had not and most presumptuous yet successeless undertakings and frivolous fopperies of which I am willing at any time but not capable under a hours time to give fuller account to any that shall desire it discover himself to be one of the Archangels of darknesse which the devil now sends forth a new
that wetting of the face onely came up surely in Cyprians daies when they had got that trick of ease to be baptized I should say to have their faces the onely member at that time extant besprinkled in ther beds Rantist But Mark 7. 4. Christ speaks thus of the Pharisees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. unlesse they be baptized they eat not and yet by that baptism is meant no more but the washing of their hands and that appears plainly in the very verse above where it s said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. unlesse they wash their hands and then immediately after thus and when they come from market 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except they be washed i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their hands suitable to what 's said before they eat not yea and surely he would have exprest so much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that t was exprest so â—…ust before under 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it was needlesse to repeat it and therefore he rather leaves it to be understood therefore sometimes you see Christ denominates men baptized or washed when no more then some members of them are dipped or washed Baptist. Thatby the baptism or washing spoken of v. 4. and exprest by the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant no other then the washing of the hands of the Pharisees I freely grant and also that the 3. verse so clearly proves it that no man living I think may rationally deny it nor can I think that the Pharisees when ever they came from market were plunged ore head and ears before they sat down to dinner or were washed or baptized any further then manâ—…um tenus onely in that paâ—… viz. their hands but I beseech you be you as ingenuous in acknowledging what you must also necessarily grant and what you have in a manner given and granted also viz. that the force and sense of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the verse before is carried to the 4 verse so that it must be understood to the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also as following it as well as it followes the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though it be exprest onely under the first of them and then your recourse to the former verse for the finding out of the sense of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 makes much for the proof of what I say viz. that Christ does not usually denominate the whole man to be dipt or baptized when yet he meanes that some part of him onely is baptized or washt without expressing some way or other that part of the body wherein he is washt and according to which onely he denominates him so to be for even here by your own plea and t is the truth we must to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except they be baptized subaudire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 understand this word their hands which as you say so I say also would undoubtedly have been set down under the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew that to be the plain sense and meaning out viz. washing the hands but that it was so newly named before under 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that its more elegantly understood then exprest So that the place runs as smooth for us as we would have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subauds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Pharisees except ever and a non they wash or be washt as to â—…he hands atleast for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the first future of the middle voice and is read either actively or passively but rather passively they eat not and when they come from the market unlesse they be washed meaning manuâ—…â—…enus as just before they eat not Assuredly therefore Sirs sith the Apostles and Evangelists all along in the new testament tell us of men and women that were baptized or washt by dipping into the water without varying this word or using any more words whereby to give us to take that in a more moderate sense then for total dipping and all this too without any expression of any particular parts or members of those men and women nor any more particular subject of that baptism then the whole persons the bodies of those men and women they meant to acquaint us thereby that those men and women were totally dipped that we might be so also after their example or else their denominations of men and women baptized dipped in Iordan so often so onely used are scare â—…fair free plain and proper but rather contrary to what Paul professes when he saies we use all plainnesse of speech forced improper figurative dark and delusive which farre be it from us once to think Thirdly as far as the thing well can or atleast need to appear in the word by instance and example it appears in Mat. 3. 16. Act. 8. 38. by the baptism of Christ and the Eunuch that the form and manner of baptizing was then and is now to be by a total dipping of the party Rantist There is no pooof of universals by particulars besides it will hardly be make good that Christ and the Eunuch were dipped mark and peruse what Doctor Featley saies to this and some other passages and places of Scripture p. 69. This â—…aith he is a weak and childish fallacy for ex particulari non est Syllogizari no man in his right wâ—…s will conclude a general from a particular viz. some men thaâ—… were baptized went into the River therefore all that are baptized must do so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes signifies to dip Ergo it must alwaies signifie so besides Act. 11. 16. Iohn 1. 26. the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies not in but with as the words immediately following 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make it plain notwithstanding I grant saith he that Christ and the Eunuch were baptized in the River and that such baptism of men especially in the hotter Clymates hath been is and may lawfully be used yet there 's no proof at all of dipping or plunging but only of washing in the River but the question is whether no other baptizing is lawful or whether dipping in Rivers be so necessary to baptism that none are accounted baptized but those who are dipt after such a manner This we say is false neither do any of the texts alledged prove it it is true dipping is a kind of baptizing but all baptizing is not dipping the Apostles were baptized with fire not dipt into it Tables and beds were baptized i. e. washed yet not dipped Israel baptized with the cloud not dipped into it Christ and Zebedeâ—…s children baptized with blood yet neither he nor they dipt â—…to it All this he writes in Answer to what you say as if he had foreseen it by way of preoccupation and one thing more which I had like to have left out The Fathers called Teares a Baptism yet there is no dipping in that Baptisme Baptist.
under water in baptism in its nature and essentiall form in its true Analogy and proportion to the spiritual things signified which are primarily the death burial and resurrection of Christ and secondly our being washed from sin by his blood but if once you fall from baptizing to rantizing from submersion to aspersion from dipping to dripping from a totall covering to almost a totall keeping him from the water you vary from the very thing that is required not from one manner of baptizing to another but from baptizing to another matter There fore Sirs when you talk of our being hot for a ceremony if by the word Ceremony you mean some petty trivial immaterial meer circumstance in baptism which may indifferentèr aut adesse aut abesse sine baptismi interitu be or not be and yet baptism be baptism still as dipping backwards or forwards in ponds or Rivers you are much deceived in us we regard not such ceremonies But a ceremony is a thing which though it stand but for a time yet stands by positive command for that time wherin it is to stand by no lesse then divine institution nor know I any man Church or Angell that can institute a Ceremony to be observed and imposed and if by a Ceremony you mean thus not the meer manner of baptizing but the matter even baptism it self which of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may altogether with the ordinances of the Gospel or new Covenant very properly be stiled Ceremonies as well as all the Ordinances of Divine service under the Law forasmuch as these last but for their time viz. till the second appearing of Christ as those of the old covenant Heb. 9. 1. lasted only till his first appearing then I confesse we are somewhat stiff for the ceremony nor can you blame us if you consider what we do for in so doing we contend for no lesse then substance as far as you can call any ordinance of Christ so that hath a tendency as a sign or otherwise unto something yet more substantial the rite of Circumcision the Passeover and all the other Sacrifices of the Law though shadowes in comparison of what they pointed at yet were ordinances so substantial as instituted of God and so strictly to be observed that who so should have taken upon him to alter and shape them more to the model of his own mind would have heard as ill from God for it as without his leave for omitting them altogether how ill that is he cannot be ignorant that hears how sharply he speaks to them that were too short but in tiths and offerings when in force saying that a curse had therfore devoured their blessings Mal. 2. and also that neglected circumcision saying every soul that is not circumcis'd meaning of whom circumcision is required but it was not of females then any more then baptism is of infants now shall be cut off from among his people and I appeal to your own consciencies if any should have said circumcision is a painful a tedious and dangerous piece of service and dispensation to little infants and so it was indeed much more then dipping in cold water and thereupon in charity circumcision being nothing and uncircumcision nothing but a new creature we will only pare there nailes and make that serve instead of the other would the Lord have took it better at their hands would either God or good men have held them guiltlesse yet whether they had circumcised thus or thus viz. with a knife a sharp stone or a pair of shears I suppose that circumcision had been dispenst with and even thus may we say of baptism as nothing as it is it being an ordinance of Gods institution both they that omit it to whom it is commanded and they that in charity take upon them to alter it so as to make Rantism serve instead of it preaching or practising no baptism at all or another thing that is no baptism under the name of it were it the Apostles themselves or an angel from heaven that should thus alter the Gospell shall equally be accepted or rather equally accursed before God Gal. 1. can you blame us therefore if we contend for the right baptism for it is not another manner of the thing then you use but the very thing it self we plead against you who cannot be said to alter the right way of baptizing but the rite of baptism it self it is not a bare circumstance in the ceremony we differ in but we differ in the substance i. e. in the ceremony or rite it self which you have changed having no parts at all of the rite in your wrong practise which your own party divide the rite of baptism into Ritus in baptismo est triplex saies Tilenus the rite or ceremony in baptism is threefold immersion or plunging into the water continuance for a time under the water resurrection out of the water in resemblance of Christs death burial and resurrection and ours in him Which of all these three are to be found in your aspersion unlesse you will all own Featleys fetch for good resemblance viz. the dipping burial and resurrection of the ministers hand when he sptinklâ—… the infants face sith therefore you have broken the law of Christ the Son that Law-giver and Prophet whose voice we are to hear in all that he saith and changed the ordinances so far as to turn his baptism into rantism you will as they that despised the Law of Moses the servant be cut off from his people Acts 3. Heb. 2. Heb. 10. sith you make void his plain word under pittiful pretences viz. the coldnesse the tediousnesse the danger of dipping in these climates as if the reason for dipping were proper onely to Hot Countries no marvel if such as see from under the vail of priestly pretence that hath darkned the whole earth are hot to have a recovery to the truth specially since it is a truth not unknown to us nor yet so trivial truâ—…h as these that inck is made of gum and paper made of rags nor yet such a Scripture truth as is not material to be known as that about Pauls cloak and parchments and that Abiam was the Son of Sacar as Mr. Baxter bables p. 218. 219. a sign that paper is made of rags by his wasting it in such toies for these we are not so strictly held to reveal but a truth of such worth that it is to be preferred before that truthles peace he pleads for the disturbance of which he calls hell p. 2â—…0 saying We are little beholding to those men that would have turned the Church into hell i. e. privation of peace rather thensilence their supposed truthes To whom I say If that be hell which priests so call Then truths true friends are hell-hounds all But a word to Mr. Baxter out of Mr. Baxter p. 218 in vindication of our loathnesse to betray this truth by our silence viz. The Law commandeth us to do our duty to
then the children of heathens Again who holds or practises such a thing as naked dipping of women and maids not I nor any man breathing under heaven I imagin nor will any wise man be coxcombd into the belief of it that t is our practice I hope because Mr. Ba. disputes against it as ours yet these are the main matters argl'd against well nigh in all those pages yea if he prove the baptism of Christians children at years ordinarily to be against rule t is fully sufficient against the Anabaptists faith he if we had not a word more against them the man feigns adversaries to himself and finds himself work with them and takes on and layes about him like a Thatcher and fights and fences against his foes when he hath none at all about him Secondly much if not more then a third part of it viz. from p. 262. to p. 286. consists almost universally in a particular private publike prate to Mr. Tombs in vindication of himself from Mr. Tombs's valedictory vindication of himself from Mr. Baxs abuses of him which tedious mixt blattering recrimination and red-argumentation if any save Mr. Tombs himself whom it so personally relates to shall trouble himself with from better employment and the world with any more reply to then the Lord rebuke him he hath more time then wisdom profitably to improve it Thirdly much if not much more then a third part of the residue viz. from p. 289. to 338. he spends in division with other divines for pleading and practising baptism to infants from other grounds and principles and to other ends and purposes then himself doth as namely from Tradition and yet in order to baptismal regeneration as Mr Bedford who is fain to fly to tradition for proof of infant baptism and yet holds that baptism doth really as an instrumental efficient cause confer and effect the grace of regeneration of nature on infants which Mr Bedford Dr. Burges Dr. Ward together with Mr. Baxter himself and I know not how many more Divines in the meandrous multitudinous mist of whose pro and con opinions a man may sooner loose himself then find the truth are all ore the tops of the boots in dissentaneous discourses about a businesse called baptismal regeneration the quiddity quantity and commodity of which non ens of which nonsense as to infants is so curiously pryed into and learnedly inquired after by them that it is not for every ordinary body that hath no more learning then Peter and Iohn had who never Scholasticallized the plain Gospel out of the reach of plain men and poor folks as our Rabbies now adaies do to come within a mile or two of their meaning some divining on this wise some on that some one thing some another some that baptism is instituted to work the first grace in infants i. e. habitual but not in men in whom the first grace is prerequired as Mr. Bedford some thwarting that by this reason that baptism cannot have two different uses to men and infants and yet saying with all that it may be for some ends to the Aged for which it is not to infants as Mr. Baxter some saying that baptism is a Physical some a Metaphysical some a Hiperphysical instrument to convey real grace into infants the spirit working it in them thereby naturally or rather supernaturally as Mr. Bedford who holds that it really conveyes grace on all infants elect or non elect and Dr. Burges who yet differs and subdivides from him holding that it conveyes grace on the elect infants only and not on the non-elect some that baptism is onely a moral instrument and the spirit neither a Physical nor Hyperphysical but a moral Agent in baptism signifying and so working on the souls sealing and conveying no real grace but relative grace i. e. right to the real as Mr. Baxter who saith that real true grace and change of mind is to go before baptism as a condition both in the institution and every example of baptism through all the bible therefore not to be conveyed in it this Mr. Baxter proveth by the institution Math. 28. 18. Mark 16. and by the examples of the Iewes Samaritans the Eunuch Paul Lydia the Iaylor the Corinthians who all did gladly receive the word repent and believe and then and thereupon only were baptized p. 300. and because all this is exclusive of infants who have no faith nor grace for to the utter confutation of the Ashford Disputers who say infants in their infancy have faith and the spirit of grace and that apparently enough the Scripture making it plainly appear concerning them Mr. Baxter professeth that it is utterly unknown to any man on earth and unrevealed in the word whether God give infants any inherent spiritual grace or not p 301. Therefore to salve his baptism of infants that have not that grace and faith in them that is prerequired to be in persons to be baptized as a condition he very goodly tells us that by grace and faith being prerequired as a condition he means either in the party or another for him so then though infants have no faith in themselves yet o mirandum they have faith in the loines i. e. in the hearts of their parents and so are to be baptized they are buryed in the dipping of the Ministers hand saith Featley and believe by the faith of their Parents saith Mr. Baxter Thus oh how these men who more stink of the Schooles then skill in the Scriptures are at variance about their own inventions bending their brains some one way some another to botch up their businesse of infant-baptism and yet as fast as one builds up another of them saves us a labour and razes and pulls down to our hands oh what stoch what stuff what stirs what strife what stickling what striking flatly against each others principles what a ditty what a do is here among them as if the Divines were all mad so let all the fraternity of divines be divided o God and fall out ever about their own falsities till they find thy truth and never let them agree better among themselves on what account to baptize infants till they ashamed of themselves and people ashamed of waiting on the Seers for determination of what is truth be all driven to confesse as blessed be thy name Mr. Baxter doth already p. 301. That they find it a hard controversie to prove infant baptism it is so dark in the Scripture much more a hard task to prove different uses of it to men and infants as needs they must if they prove it to be of use to infants for it signifies not at all to them as it does to men and so to conclude to the freeing of themselves from that puzzle and perplexity and fire of contention that now they fry in for their hatred of that one onely plain way of truth that leades to piece that verily t is not thy will that any infant at all should be baptized
the words are not as he reads and construes them viz. I will shew mercy to a thousand generations of them but to thousands of them that love me i. e. to thousands of such people such persons as love me and keep my Commandments and so if the mercy were that of membership yet it were nothing concerning infants in their infancy at all but concerning thousands of such individual persons as love him and keep his commandments or else God must shew mercy to all infants in their infancy to this day meerly for their father Noahs sake though the immediate parents be wicked and if he he do not he shewes not mercy to the thousandth generation of believers infants there being not a thousand generations from Noah to this day We may see what little plain proof these men can find for their false way of inchurching and baptizing of infants in the New Testament in that they are faine to fetch it so far off as the old thus doth not Mr. Ba. onely but others also as well as he who would certainly never look for it so far behind as â—…he second commanment if they could easily find it neerer hand among the rest this mindes me of one of more then ordinary note viz. Dr. Channell of Petworth in Sussex who Ianuary the first 1651. in a publique discourse with my unworthy self being desired to assign some particular place of Scripture where Christ commands the practise of infant-baptism assigned the second commandment to whom as I said then before hundreds of people so I testify here again before the whole world that if any man see infants baptism commanded in the second Commandment it is because his eyes are out for though he tell me that the generall scope of the second Commandment is to command all Gods people to observe all Gods institutions from time to time yet I tell him again as also I did then that infant baptism is none of those institutions yea I tell him yet further and Mr. Bax. also that unlesse it can be made appear by plainer Scripture proofs then ever were yet brought by either of them that Christ Jesus injoined the baptizing and inchurching of infants or that its any other then a tradition of man and an addition to the Gospel which was not so from the beginning and that is more then either of them will ever make plainly to appear the second Commandement doth rather forbid them both yea Ah si fas dicereâ—… sed fas the second commandement the general scope of which as their own selves expound it is to pâ—…ohibit all will worship and superstition all serving of God after our own invention all customes devices innovations Traditions of men all addiâ—…ion to and alterations of Christs will and Testament all teaching other doctrine then is containedin the word doth forbid it and therefore iâ—… haled in by head and shoulders to serve the turn of these men and to help to uphold them in their rantizing of infants into the same visible body with them whom yet they deny to drink with them into the same spirit as all that are baptized into the same body are to do 1 Cor. 12. which infellowshipping persons by the halves into Gospel participation if it be of Christ what else is of man I plainly know not His 17 plain Scripture-lesse proof for infants Church-membership and baptism is drawn from Psalm 37. 26. where it is said that the seed of the Righteous are blessed whence he argues as before and therefore need not have made a distinct Argument of this if God have pronounced the seed of the righteous blessed then certainly they are members of his visible Church its absurd once to imagine quoth he that god should pronounce a society blessed and take them for none of his visible Church But I am ashamed of such trifling stuff such strawâ—… and stubble as he here builds upon as if God himself can no way be said to blesse the seed of the righteous unlesse he require them to be baptized and inchurched visibly in their infancy as if God had but one blessing even that of baptism and church-membership upon which all other blessings are so eternally intailed even to infants that such of them as attain not to an actual interest in these are ipso facto accursed in all respects else that for ever wheras to say nothing how that phrase the seed of the righteous may be taken for the race of righteous ones that succeed one another in righteousnesse as well as a seed of evil doers Is. 1. 4. for the whole race of evill doers that succeed their fore-fathers in evil doing for these indeed I take to be the seed to which the Scripture oft pronounces blessing and cursing and not alwayes the meer natural seed of good men and bad for theâ—… there is manifest falsehood in many promises and threats the natural seed of righteous men often perishing and being not counted their own fathers children unlesse they be like them in righteousnesse as Iohn 8. 39. Christ denies Abrahams natural children to be Abrahams children and blessed with him because they did not as Abraham did and contrary wise the natural seed of the wicked prospering when they do well contrary to Prov. 2. 21. 22. Is. 20. 14. Ps. 37 20. if the word seed were there taken for the natural seed where it is said the seed of evill doers shall never be renowned And so the seed of the serpent and the children of the devil expresses those that do his works to say nothing I say of this which yet is enough to blunt the edge of Mr. Bas. argument grant the word seed here to be taken for the natural seed of the righteous even those in infancy may be many wayes blessed though they neither be baptized in infancy nor inchurched yea they may be blessed with eternal salvation dying in infancy without either baptism or membership in the visible Church for I hope you will not say those 1000s of Jewes and belieuers infants that have died before circumcision baptism and visible admission are damned without any more ado because they fell short of your admired membership and if these be blessed with salvation to whom you delay baptism why not those to whom we deny it doth our denying baptism to an infant before he dies send him to hell sooner then your delaying it till he be dead But however the seed of the righteous may be blessed with many temporal blessings as provision fruitfulnesse multiplication and yet not be taken into the visible Church and to say the truth if Mr. Ba had not been resolved to wrest this Scripture besides its true sense to botch up his proofs into a multitude he might easily have seen by consultation with the verse before that it is not such a thing as membership that is here meant by the word blessed but meer matter of outward sustentation I never saw the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread he is
that when Christ saies Go teach all nations baptizing them teaching them he meant that they should baptize all them or but some of them only in the nations that were discipled his return was that if there were not other places that did more clearly prove it that Christ commanded that all should be baptized then Matth 28. he could not see it fully commanded there and being desired to assign any place wherein Christ did more universally command baptism then there he directs us to Luke 7. 30. where its said the Pharisees rejected the Counsel of God against themselves in not being baptized whence he gathered that baptism was the Councel and consequently the commandement of God to all men because they are here reproved for rejecting it which if it be a sound Argument to prove baptism to be the command of God to all men because the pharisees in particular for the Pharisees is but a particular expression indigitating one single sort of men among all the rest and not so much as an indefinit much lesse an universal because I say the Pharisees in particular are reproved for refusing to obey it how much better may we collect that both baptism and laying on of hands with prayer for the spirit are commanded by God to all men because we find all those save Simon witnesse his giving them his holy spirit recorded as most highly approved of God that at any time did reject neither but silently submit themselves both Those passages between that my beloved friend and my self I could not conscientiously neglect to set down least I should seem to love any man more then the truth for the sake of which principally and partly for his also and theirs he walks with whom I love in truth as far as they love the truth I write this that he reviewing here his own empty evasions may more evidently discern himself to be mistaken in many things then he may be capable to do in a discourse by word of mouth and that they remembring how they in proof of baptism it self to be Christs command to all believers aâ—…e necessitated to use such cloudy inferences and deductions as those above may excuse us more then many if not most of that party do if in proof of laying on of hands to be the duty of all baptized believers we take the like liberty to our selves in order to their satisfaction to use more clear inferences and deductions then those out of Scripture and out of Heb. 6. 2. it self as t will appear that we do to reason it self rightly acted in comparing of Scripture with Scripture which I for my part refer the enquirers unto as the surâ—…st rule to try the spirits by and to try all inferences or deductions by because the best of men are liable to mistakes and sure enough to fall into them if ceasing to exercise their reason in deducing inferring and gathering one thing out of another they will receive notâ—…ing for truth though otherwise never so plain even to common sense and reason unlesse they find it in so many words in Scripture as t is by us exprest in and this is all that I shall trouble my self to say in reference to the seventh and eighth questions of the late Enquirers with the grounds thereof which are laid down in these words And now further to prove the Minor of the forecited syllogism in some other particulars of it that remain unproved viz. that laying on of hands was not only taught and practised disâ—…enst and submitted to ownd and observed among all baptized believers in the primitive times but all this as by command from God I argue thus viz. Either by command from God or without it But neither without nor against command from God Ergo by it the consequence of the first proposition is most clear for whatever Gospel administration was never commanded by God to be dispensed is practised if practised at all as a tradition of men and without nay against Gods command whose command it is that no man shall presume to teach for doctrines of his the traditions or commandments of men the Minor is as clear that the Apostles did not teach for doctrines of Christ any traditions of their own for as Paul who was one of them that practised laying on of hands saies of himself 1. Cor. 11. 23. that he received from Christ that which he delivered unto the Church at Corinth so may we say on the behalf of all the rest as concerning what doctrines they delivered and dispensations they practised to the Churches for surely as Christ the great and immediate messenger from the father could do nothing of himself was not to do his own will but the will of his father which sent him nor to speak or do any thing but as the father gave him commandement confessing that even his doctrine was not his own but his that sent him so they that were the great and immediate messengers from Christ might speak and do nothing in things pertaining to him but as God by him gave commandements unto them neither were any doctrines they delivered among the Churches their own nor any other then the doctrines of Christ whereupon though as Christs doctrine and commandements aâ—…e called his because he preacht and gave them from God and yet were not his own but the fathers so theirs are called the doctrine and commandements of the Apostles as they had them immediately from him yet are they not their own but the doctrine and comman-of Christ and had they done any thing more then they had order for from him who from him were to give order to the Churches either in the point of laying on of hands or any thing else they would surely have heard harshly from him for it been reproved by the spirit in the word but as to this service of prayer and laying on of hands on all baptized believers in many places he is recorded as approving of them in all they did Moreover that laying on ofâ—…hands was taught and practised not of their own heads but as t is asserted in the argument as a practical part of the Law will and Testament of Christ concerning baptized believers as one of the oracles or holy things of God as one of the very principles of the doctrine of Christ as a part of the foundation or beginning word of Christ as well as baptism or of the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles on which the true visible Church is built as upon a certain basis and from which the whole building growth up an holy temple in the Lord toward perfection an habitation of God through the spirit being first fitly framed together by a joint uniform visible obedience unto that one whole form of doctrine whereof I say this laying on of hands was a part and was practised at their first beginning to be disciples at or about the time of their baptism and before actual fellowship in the
say as to the evincing of what we contend for for sith we yet see not face to face 1 Pet. 1. 8. in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable c. when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 Iohn 3. 2. i. e. then and not before and since that which is perfect i. e. the substance is not yet come for as we that remain and shall be alive at the coming of Christ shall not prevent or as to perfection be before hand with them that are asleep in Iesus 1 Thess. 4. 15 16 17. so they i. e. that are long since dead both in and for the Lord without us shall not be made perfect Heb. 11. 40. sith we are not all yet come to be men at age to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ therefore ad hominem till then we must look through the glasse till then the shadow and that which is in part and imperfect as being indeed most suitable to an imperfect state must stand till then the outward work of the ministry in point of offices and ordinance for the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying of the body must remain Eph. 4. 11. 12 13. Thou tellest us mistaking the sense of Paul Phil 3. 13. 14. Heb. 6. 1. 2. that higher things perfection are now to be minded and prest after and these to be forgotten that those are principles of Christs doctrine which were once eyed and laid as a foundarion but must be left and not laid now any more But contrary to what David saies of himself Ps. 131. 12. thine eyes are so lofty thy heart so haughtily exercised in minding the things thou callest high some of which are too high and others too low and base for any Christian to be busied in that thou mindest not the words of Paul to all Saints Rom. 12. 16. where he saith not minding high things for so the greekwords truly translated are but together with high things minding low things t is confest that in some sense we are to forget or not to mind what is hehind but to mind to presse after to reach forth to things that are before to leave the principles the foundation of Christs doctrine go on to perfection but not in thy sense o Ranter who hereby takest upon thee to buryall manner of observation of these things even by any under utter oblivion to prohibit all present practise of principles by so much as babes to rase the foundation so as to declare it not sit to be laid at first now as of old it was no not by very biginners in the School of Christ but in the spirits sense who in those places means no other then thus viz. not that the babes in Christ must not use milke in these times as well as in the primitive not that the beginner in Christs School is not now as well as then to learn his letters and to begin first in his ABC not that those that will begin to build themselves an holy temple in the Lord an habitation of God through the spirit must not now lay any foundation at all but that having laid the foundation they should not think that their building is at an end but build up higher grow up higher in Christ thereupon that they should lay the foundation so sure at first that they should not have need in respect of their non proficiency or relapses into sin to be laying these i. e. faith of remission repentance c. ore and ore again but to proceed to perfection that babes should not remain alwaies babes feeding on nothing but milk but growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ and in ability to bear stronger meats higher doctrines that the young Scholar should not remain alwayes a novice an ABC darian no further learnt then in his horn book but according to the time he hath had learn to read perfectly that he may be able to teach others rather then need to be taught his letters again this is the spirits senâ—… for otherwise it s ever necessary that babes have milk and absurd that a Scholar should be bid to forget his letters and how to spell that builders should leave laying any foundation when they begin nay verily the most studied Scholar must first learn and then remember his letters or else he cannot possibly read babes must be fed with milk at first or else they will not thrive to be perfect men builders must lay a foundation and have an eye to it too all along in their building upward even till they come to the very top observing how all the whole fabrick that they work after doth square and keep touch with that or else they may chance to make such a crooked fabrick as will fall to the ground at last yea perveniri ad summum nisi ex principiis non potest Thou tellest us as concerning the outward ordinances of the Gospel that bodily exercises profit little but art wretchedly ignorant of it that by bodily exercises which profit little Paul means not at all as thou dost the ordinances of Christ or any ouâ—…ward parts of his worship and will revealed in his word for that is though not the greatest yet a great part of godlinesse it self which according to the true signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a right serving of God according to his own will in his word of truth where he requires us to serve worship and glorifie him in our bodie as well as in our spirit 1 Cor. 6. 19. 20. but such bodily exercises and old wives fables as abstinences from meats lent'n and good friday fasts and such ordinances as touch not tast not c. which men subject themselves to after the commandements and doctrines of men of Popish Priests whose Religion stands mostly in such matters 1 Tim. 4. 3. 4. 7. 8. Col. 2. 20. 21. 22. Thou tellest us as one of the main grounds whereupon there must now be no more walking in ordinances and that way of outward service that was at first that it was foretold 2 Thess. 2. 3. that there should come a falling away from it and a treading down of all that outward form which then was which to say nothing how probable it is that that prophecy 2 Thess. 2. 3. and several more do point more at that falling away that thou oh false prophet shalt cause in the very last dayes then at that which by the proud P P Priesthood hath been made before thee I declare to be such an absurd and senslesse consequence as is more worthy of a silent sleighting then a solid answer for if that be of force to prove a disannulling of that administration then it s of force much more against the acting of faith it self for as it s not said there from what the falling away should be so it s expressely said elsewhere there
measure the City and Temple and worshippers in order to building again of what was ruined as the plummet was then in hand of Zorobabel Zach. 4. 10. we have for ought I see as plain promises prophecies warrands and grounds as they had to build when they came from Babilon if we have eyes to see them unlesse nothing will serve to the satisfying of us as indeed it will not to the satisfying of some that our acting in the old way of Christ is his mind and will concerning us now but miracles to confirm us in the belief of it by whose leave I must rather call for miracles from them to confirm it that their leaving that old administration of ordinances and beginning to act in that new way of no ordinances is of God for as for the doctrine we practise t was at first confirmed by miracles as Gods manner ever is at the remove of any old Testament or will of his and establishing a new one in its stead but theirs though a new one nor yet committed to writing was never yet confirmed by miracles at all and suppose they had had more extraordinary Prophets then we have at the restoring of their ruins after the Babilonish wastings yet le ts know what extraordinary Prophets they had to build upon for the re-edifying of their dayly sacrifices and religion when trod down for a time times and an half also by Antiochus that most lively type of Christs Church-wasting enemies under the Gospel of whose violent ablation of all and lawful restoration of all again by the Jews according to the old pattern excepting what corruptions were afterward among them which yet did not disannul the right of the remaining of any truth may be read at large 1 Mac. 1. 2. Mac. 7. 2. Mac. 10. which all stood in force notwithstanding that falling away even till Christ himself who also confirmed and practised to a tittle according to Moses Testament during his life at last put an end to it by his death All thy arguings therefore 〈◊〉 â—…ertine from a falling away to no return from a treading down of the true way of ordinances to no erecting it again are but a sort of sorry shâ—…s whereby thou fencest off that part of Christs Gospel which I confesse from some experience in my own crooked deceitful yet self-searching heart flâ—…sh and blood takes no delight in for if we consider things under the Gospâ—…l with that relation and propoâ—…tion they stand in to things under the Law which were Types and shadows of them then we must conclude thâ—…e is a certain space or intertime between the last period of the 42 months or of the time of treading down of the true Gospel worship by might and Christs coming to abolish and take away their right as there was after the Babilonish captivity a space of 70 weeks in which the Saints according to the call and warning gâ—…ven them to worship God aright and decline the beasts worship and come out of Babilon Rev. 14. Rev. 18. are obedient and continue in the word of Christs patience under all the mallice of the beasts worshippers and in the observation of the commandements of God and the faith of Jesus and of all the works that Christ left in charge at his departure to be kept in memoriall of him in his absence viz. baptism the supper c. that so when the Lord shall come as a snare and as a thief on all that are disobedient to his voice and contentious against any tittle of his truth they may be found as Noah and Lot till whose separation the dâ—…om determined could not fall upon the wicked Gen 19. 22. out of Sodom Rev. 11. 8. in Zoar in the ark i. e. Christ and his true wayes Ordinances and worship which are to them as those of old to the other a little Sanctuary and being found so doing as Christ required keeping his commandements may be blessed and have right to the tree of life and to enter in thorow the gates into the City Rev. 22 14. 15. and be entertained with well done good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful in a very little and over a few things have thou authority over much over many â—…hings enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Mat. 25. 21. Luk. 19. 17. Thou tellest us that the day star arises and the day approaches and therefore now there need be no such heed given to the edifying one another in Assemblies by the use of Ordinances but whether we shall believe thee o perverter who saiest we must give attendance to these things so much the lesse or Paul who saies so much the more as we see the day approaching let any judge but thy besotted self who speakest all allong by a spirit most contradictory to and yet canst not be perswaded but that in all thou speakest answerably to the word Thou tellest us that Christ is â—…ow in his Saints the hope of glory but thou tellest us no newes in this for I know not when he was otherwise while they walkt not after the flesh but after the spirit in obedience to his voice in holy confirmity to his will and word and in fellowship one with another in the use of all his holy ordinances but as for thy self o spiritualist that separatest thy self sensual not having the Spirit though pretending to have it in a higher degree then any that live in bondage unto Ordinances I know not how to believe he is so much in thee as the hope of glory for every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himself as Christ is pure 1 Iohn 3. 3. Thou tellest of seeing face to face of present perfection and manhood and that that which is perfect is come and that thou livest already with God in God in full and actual enjoyment of heaven and all heavenly happinesse God dwelling already in thee and thou in him in the very substance which was once shadowed out by the childish things called Ordinances in the secret chambers of the most high in the heights of God in the very bosom and inmost imbraces of the father in a high degree of godlinesse spirit and glory But to let passe how thou contradictest confutest and givest thy self the lie when thou expressest all this sometimes by no higher a term then Christ in thee the hope of glory for hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for but if we hope for that we see not then do we not say we have it but with patience wait for it as not yet actually enjoyd Rom. 8. 24. 25. we know well enough forthy own practise and sometimes thy own speech bewrayeth thee what thy 〈◊〉 perfection and godlinesse is thy spiritualnesse is to fulfil the will of the flesh with out scruple â—…o feed and feast it without fear to swaggar and swear revil roar and rant and whore and in all this to have no more conscience
broken his lawes changed his ordinances trampled his truth made void his commandments and subpaena damni Temporalis et eternae damnationis imposed mens Traditions arrogantly in their stead so you in your severall lines have done no lesse yea you also make people to erre with all your might and whatever tender consciences find Christ piping to the contrary in his word yet if they dance not after you pipe when it sounds to the tune of Tithes and put not into your moneths you cry peace but bite with your teeth and prepare war against them Mich. 3. 5. possessing the world with prejudice against them as a sort of seditious Sectaries damnnble Hereticks and Schismaticks yea exceptis excipiendis saving some few scatterings here and there of more sober and moderate minded Ministers like so many graines of salt to keep the rest from stinking too much in these states where you have or would have raigned who have not been so hot spur as their fellowes by the good will of P. the Presbiter as well as of P. the Prelate and P the Pope many an honest mans native countrey for non-conformity to his Gangraenaticall domination should ere this have been made too hot to hold him so far therefore as separa from the true church and her orders may denominate a people Heretical Schismaticks and Divines themselves place the Nature of Heresie much in seperation and Schism the Denomination seems to be your due O P P Priests who are departed from the primitive church and not ours for departing from you ye are are those Schismatical Teachers that are rent all from the primitive plainesse of the Gospel and present pompousnesse of each others way and have seduced the whole world into spiritual thraldome idolatry and superstition and inticed them into a carnal liberty of calling all things according as your carnal ends and interests impose the names of Heresie or truth upon them you are S S She that having got the good liking of the Kings and Kingdomes of the earth to confide in you do close the eyes of their judgements as Dr. Featley faines we do with your birdlime of Schism from the true church and head thereof Christ Jesus and bewitcht them into an implicic submission to Papism Arch-bishopism Occumaenical Synodism Provincial Classism and so lead them as you list into Anti-gospelism Antiscripturism c. making a prey of them and though Featly had the faculty of faining the Baptists â—…o be such yet you are indeed devisers of new religions and Spiritual Impostors falsely pretending to Christ as the Patron and Authorizer of your new doctrines of which Paedo-baptism is one which because there is not the least dram of evidence for it in the word of Christ therefore when people begin to question it you amuse the vulgar with the names of some divine Authors or other not Peter nor Paul c. but St Austin S â— Gregory S Chrysostome c. at Rome his Holiness the Pope the holy Mother the Catholique Church Ghostly Fathers c. and in places where those subterfuges are not regarded Reverend Sinods of grave Orthodox Divines Ministers of Christ Suffrages of all the learned Divines in the Reformed Churches c. and this you do to secure your Tenets from the hazards of disputes and exempt your persons and actions from the test of examination as if there were such infallibility herein that it is no lesse then blaspemy to doubt or call in question the Dictates or Directories c. of such and such thus bearing your selves up with bombasting termes of Fathers Spiritual Ius divinum c. you gain to the captivating of the reason of men so far that they resign up themselves â—…urare in v v vostram sententiam and will be as their Priests are and never believe but that they believe the truth when all this while there is nothing but humane authority and humanum est errare for most things you do yea you are indeed the greatest Schismaticks or Rentmakers in the seamlesse coat of Christ that the Earth bears you are they that have caused divisions and offences contrary to that doctrine which was at first received at Rome and in all Churches and by good words and fair speeches viz. decency order c. have deceived the hearts of the simple so as to make more conscience of serving those belly gods the Priests then the Lord Jesus according to his own will therefore when you talk so much to us of the Church and your Church crying out as the Pope does against the Bishops for theirs and the Bishops against you Presbyters for your departure from them Hereticks Hereticks that disturb the peace of the Church forsake the Church infringe the unity of the Church yet I say what Church so long as there is no other Church constitution among you to this day then that of parishes into which the Pope put all Christ'ndome what Church so long as the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles on which every true Church is built is cut off disclaimed and exploded and neither the word purely preached nor the Sacraments duly administred which by Calvin and Featley themselves are both made such true notes of the true visible Church that wherever they are there is the true Church and where not there 's no true Church what ever there may be in pretence yea verily so far are you from due administration of the sacraments giving the Supper to such as were never at all much lesse truly baptized many of you Presbyterians not administring it at all to your flocks whom you contend were truely initiated into your Church by baptism that indeed as you have substituted infant rantism instead of it so you preach down that due administration of baptism and the Supper which according to the primitive pattern Acts 2. is at this day to be found amongst us withall the vehemency you can proclaiming us Schismatical hereticks for declining your disorderly administrations and according to our covenant pressing on to that purity of administration of Gospell ordinances which lies now in such plain English before mens eyes that all your glosses wil beguile them but little longer there is no danger therefore of being rent from the Church of Christ in departing from participation with you in your oppositions of the truth therefore never glory so much in these vain lying words the Church of God the Church of God which is indeed the Common tone of all you Romanists each to other in your rendings each from other for there is none of you all three have a true visible Church of Christ among you nor yet right any administration of the things you call Sacraments whether we speak of either baptism or the Supper My answer then to the whole PPPriesthood of Christ'ndom even ye Protestant Clergy also from all whom as well as from the Pope we who are fictitiously stiled Anabaptists and charged as Schismatical Hereticks for so doing and troublers
where ere we are and what ere we say we submit not onely to your accesse but your exception also as you though in publique do not to ours You professe your selves desirous to have all things come to light before all that all things may be proved by your people and indeed though he that doth evil hateth the light neither â—…ometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved John 3. 21. 22 yet he that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds might be made manifest that they are wrought in God yet the means and courses by which truth should be tryed which are plain and not puzzling discourses upon the Scripture you smother by all the means and courses you can conveniently devise as for any entire discourses of such as are contrary minded to you though teachers of truth as t is in the word these you cannot away with at any hand not permit to be used in publique before the people while you have any powar to shut your pulpit doors upon them you bid your people now or then prove all things that they may find out which is good and shun the evil but by your good-evil will they shall hear no more then what you tell them and chuse whether they 'l take that for truth or nothing you bid them cut where they like and yet you 'l be their carvers and force them to feed upon what you offer them or fast and welcome for no more messes must be meddled with though they have never such a mind to cut and try then what is of your dressing that oft is no more then some sugar spot sententious Academical bespangled hide bound glasse measured spirit stinting stuff which may challenge the name of duncery baldnesse babling and prating more then that sincere milk of the word you commonly call so which hour of divinity when you have bookt down and cond with no little care is many times but Sed and sometimes but Red ore when all 's done neither yet oft times you crow couragiously upon your own dunghil you pay it soundly in your own pulpits with convincing and opposing the approach of heresies and argue so substantially against them that you carry the cause and win all but t is because you play there by your selves for if any chance to hear you that hath never so much wherewith to undeceive your deluded people yet they may not receive his interrupted reply to never so little when you in the first place have pleaded your cause the next thing to be done is for all them that hear and have ought against you to hold their peace they must not andere audire alteram partem least they be infected though wise men know there is no other way to be perfected in the knowledge of the truth and freed from that hobnob implicit faith which is wrongly acted when rightly objected then by hearing all that is to be said against it as well as for it yea the heathen herein may be thy Tutor O PPPriest Qui statuit aliquid c. You cry out they are not Orthodox that oppose you and so forbid all audience of them to your people whom you feed with a word and a blow a bit and a knock lest if they be not as well corrected into a refusal of all direction from others as directed by your selues they quickly discern difference between you and them yet you would fain be counted free and forward that all should have liberty according to their duty to try all but the niggard shall never be called liberall nor the churl said to be â—…ountiful for me for he deviseth not the liberal things whereby the liberal shall stand yea tâ—…e instruments of the churl are evil and he deviseth wicked devices to destry the poor with lying words when the needy spoaketh right things yea his heart works iniquity to practise hypocrisie and to utter error befor the Lord to make empty the soul of the hungry and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail Isa. 32. 5. 6. 7. 8. As for pro and con discourse or disputation you smother that likewise with all your might for as you desire no more of it then needs must so you decline it what you can and disclaim it too as far as you dare for shame be seen in such a service as disputing against disputing is declaiming against it as a dismal thing of some dangerous consequence poison means of infection contentionem scabiem and such like being sensible of your sores you come not to the stake to be questioned in your waies before your blind admirers but when you cannot with credit considering your over shooting your selves sometimes in hasty challenges make a cleanly come off without it though it be to meet with those that are inferiour to your selves save that the Lord is with them for surely you see somewhat further then a mole into a milstone that things are no better with you then they should be why else should there be such loathnesse like that of the Elephant that 's loath to drink in fair waters for fear of seeing a foul face to come to the light as we find there is in the most of you as well as in Dr. Gouge who would at no hand vouchsafe any publique discussion of insant-sprinkling whether it wâ—…re of God or man nec per se ne per synodum in his parish with Dr. Chamberlain yet sometimes Euphoniae gratia for reports sake you make some pretty put offs in publike and put on tooth and nail for disputation but alas you curtail it into so narrow a compasse as namely half a day two hours or some odd end of an after-noon when two dayes is too little two weeks scarce enough two years not too much to discusse the truth in witnesse not onely Iude who bids the Saints of the last times saving Tertullian and Sir Henry Wottons dislike out contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints and Paul who for 2 years space disputed dayly in the School of one Tyrannus not such a Tyrant to the truth as you are it seems for if he had he would have admitted not a word out you confine it I say into such a corner of time that as Pilate askt what 's truth and when he had so said went his way without an answer so you hast to have an end not hearing half the half quarter that is to be said in opposition to your own opinions about that question And during that little while the busines lasts you carry all as much as you can above the reach and beyond the capacity of plain minded men and women that come together for resolution in Scholastick terms and conclave it from their cognizance under the lock and key of your Linsey wolsey Logick which is neither fine enough for the University from which you have a while discontinued nor home-spun enough for the Country which muddy way of mood and figure is neither
Merchandize slaves and souls of men Rev. 18. a den of theeves have not you the CCClergy yea your Dr. talks of the Font and the communion Table and the pulpit but who stole away baptism and the supper and preaching it self so that there 's nothing but sprinkling bells babies and confusion and one moity of a dinner and more Pulpit and Pew and Belcony and Canopy and Cloth and Cushion then preaching and plain publication of the Gospel as it is in Jesus you talk off robbing God in matters of the law and Tithes offerings and things that came by Moses and now are not at all but who hathrobbed him in matters of grace and truth and ordinances and things that came by Christ one tittle of whose Testament shall not be contradicted by man nor angel under pain of cursing you talk of golden cups and vessels in which the whore fills out her abominations and filthinesse of her fornication to the whole earth but who hath taken away the key of the Kingdom of heaven i. e. from the people and Church in whom the power lies fundamentally and primarily for t is but derivatively from the church under God secondarily executively and ministerially in the Officers not onely Papa but P P too see Rutherfords Presbytery wherein he wrests the power of the Keyes from the people who hath taken away the key of knowledge and shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men as neither willing to go in themselves by the right way and baptism nor to suffer them that would who but ye O Priests have been in these things more sacrilegi church-robbers then sacerdotes or givers of holy things yea what evil of this kind YYYou have wrought in the sanctuaries of God how you have laid them wast throughout the whole earth how you have defiled the pure waters thereof and did so Claudere rivos shut down the floodgates that the people could have none of these to drink and caused all discourses and all placesto overflow with muddy and brackish waters if I should hold my peace the stones out of the wall even those living stoâ—…s out of the true Temple that are living monuments of Gods mercy at this day in that they are alive from the dead even the dead night of your errors will proclaim to the everlasting infamy of that generation that have been the neerer the church the further from God Thou makest thy boast of God O P P Priesthood and wouldst seem to approve of the things that are most excellent and art confident thou thy self art a guide of the blind and a light of them that sit in darknsse an instructer of the foolish a teacher of babes but indeed thou art a blind guid a dark lantorn a foolish instructer and hast need thy self to be taught by those babes which live upon the sincere milk of the word which be the first principles of the oracles of God thou hast a form of knowledge and of truth as it was in the Law that was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 long since abolished according to which thou Enthusiasts to thy self a Iudai al Pontificall Politicall Pollitical Religion of thy own but thou art grossely ignorant of the truth of the Gospel and that form of doctrine that Rome obeyed from the heart of old before it came to be a mother of harlotry and of such a crew of corrupt children as have since then come from her to the corrupting ing of the earth thou teachest another but thou teachest not thy self thou preachest a man should not steal but thou stealest thou saiest a man should not commit adultery but all the Kings and their people in the christian earth have committed adultery with thee thou seemest to abhorre it yet thou more then any committest sacriledge yea thou o P P Priesthood art that holy harlot that holy thief that hast fingred the most holy things yea even the holy Scripture it self which is the store-house and under Christ the treasury of truth and hid it from the world under unknown tongues and a heap of unsound sences which thou hast put upon it therefore thou art inexcusable O woman when thou judgest the now churches of sacriledge for wherein thou judgest them thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest doest the same things which thou saiest they do but they do not and therefore is he now killing thy children with death and we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them that do such things Yea wo unto you O ye blind guids ye strein at a gnat and make it sacriledge and church robbing to take Fonts and railes and pipes and pictures and altars c. out of your stone Temples and keep a do about cleansing and hallowing and having these outside decencyes and orders and offerings but swallow a camel and demolish the true temple of God and the vessels of the sactuary i. e. the ordinances thereof which is holy indeed which Temple the Saints are that are built together a spiritual house unto him and your selves are full of ravening extortion and excesse you are as graves that appear not and the men that walk over you are not aware of you nor how they are rid over by you nor how very well to be rid of you wherefore the wisdome of God even Christ Iesus now sends you prophets and Apostles and wisemen and Scribes to warn you yet these you kill and crucifie and scourge and persecute as your enemies because they tell you the truth that the blood of all the Prophets that have prophesied in Sack cloth and tormented you and your forefathers and your people that dwell on earth for 42 moneths may come on this generation and so your house be left unto you desolate for ever And fourthly there needs no more to prove you to be what you say of us that we are viz. a lying and blasphemous sect then all these forenamed falsities which are asserted oâ—… the Anabaptists when of right they belong more properly to your selves Yea great need indeed and good reason that you should be the Plantiffs in this businesse of loading with disgraces belying and blaspheming who have bin your selves nexâ—… and immediately under Satan Supreme false accusers of the brethren to the world and the powers Courts and consistories thereof civil and ecclesiastical for Hereticks Schismaticks Sectaries seditious deceivers hypocrites blasphemers enemies to Caesar trouble Townes and what not with which kind of nick names you the false kingdome of the Priests have overwhelmed the true royall Priesthood as with a flood the burden of whose scandals blasphemies tales and disgraces wherewiâ—…h you have loaded the saints per mille ducentos sexaginta annos 1260. years exceeds any id genus that the saints have loaded you with in number weight and measure per millies mille ducentas sexaginta Iâ—…s 1000000260 l. You have cloathed the pretious sons and daughters of Sion as the persecuting Emperors did of old with the skins of wild
beasts and so cast them to the dogs to be devoured i. e. with the names of Monsters and so exposed them to the hatred of the world with the which kind of sport not onely Dr. Featley and Mr. Edwards while they lived made themselves merry and their friends too by bestowing Legends a piece towards the support of their severall false wayes as one great Benefactor did a Legend of lies on the Papistrey to the maintaining of that which they call the golden Legend but others also bely the nicknamed Anabaptists of this present age and nation as denying any obedience to civil Magistracy any propriety in goods as holding plurallity and community of wives divorce for difference in religion as dipping men and women stark naked and such like Yea just the same lying shifts and inventions that the Popish Clergy did use to help their Religion by against the Protestants when they began first to protest against them and their abominations do you the Protestant CCClergy i. e. both Prelacy and Presbytery strengthen your cause by against the Anabaptists especially of all sectaries 1. They detain the People from reading the Scripture alledging to them the perills they may incurr through misinterpretation you likewise would not have the Scripture medled with by this Clergy of Laicks Mechanick fantastick Enthusiasts profound watermen Sublime Coachmen Illuminated Tradesmen c. Apron Levites Sectarian Preachers as Dr. Featley and Mr. Baily call them for they say you are dunces and ignorant both of tongues and arts and so must needs run into errors and are insufficient for these things let the smith keep him to his Anvile and the Cobler to his last 2. These bred Antipathy between the Papist and Protestant and debar them all sound of the Protestant Religion as much as may be by prohibiting books of the reformed writers and Traffick with such Hereticall Countries or such places where those contagious sounds and sights as they term them might make them return infected You also forbid your good Protestants all society and commerce as much t is possible with these pitchy persons as those that they can't come neer but they must be defiled with them 3. Those by the severity of their inquisition and so you by your high commission and spiritual alias spiteful Courts while they stood and by complaints to the next Classis Synod c. as in Scotland and threats to have an order taken with such and such as here in England crush as far as you can in your people the very beginnings and smallest suppositions of being this way addicted 4. They teach their people to Believe that the Protestants and so do you that the Anabaptists are basphemers of God and his Saints Those that in England Churches are turned into Stables you that the Anabaptists preach in Tubs that Stables are turned into Temples stalls into Quires Shopboards into Communion-tables Those that the people i. e. Protestants are barbarous and eat young children that Geneva is a professed sanctuary of Roguery c. you that the Anabaptists are filthy and base in their Conventicles and are for Murder Adulâ—…eries Butchery Bawdery the veriest villains in the world You tell the world that the Anabaptists would have no rules nor bonds of lawes because of their dissolutenesse which though it be true enough of the Ranter that Peter and Iude speaks of that seperate themselves from their churches sensual presumptuous self-willed despising Government Peter the second Epist. chap. 2. yet is most false of our Churches that seperate from you that we would have no discipline in the Church no learning nor universities No coercive power in the civill Magistrates to restrain us because we walk inordinately whereas though we cannot away with your Canons yet we are the only men in the world for the rule which Christ himself hath set for men to walk by even the word the Scriptures which onely and not Synodicall constitutions nor holy chair we stand to have the standard for truth to be tryed by to the worlds end and are for all lawes in nations save such as obedience to which makes us palpably rebellious against the law of Christ viz. lawes for tithes with trebble dammages for Christ never appointed mens goods to be streined and they sold out of what they have to pay his own Ministers for preaching his own Gospel much lesse to pay the Popes Ministers for preaching a Gospel of their own also laws to come to masse in Latine or Masse in English or any service of mans making under penalty we also stand for a true Church that hath right matter viz. professed believers baptized and right form viz. free not forced fellowship in breaking of bread and prayers we are also for the true discipline i. e. Christs not the Clergies in that Church we hold also that Magistrates though their persons should be wicked men and heathens for the notion of Christian addes nothing to their power as Magistrates are the ordinance of God To maintain all civil justice and righteousnesse between man and man and to restrain abuses such as murder treason adultery drunkennesse theft false witnesse though they have no coercive power to keep men from sâ—…ving God according to his own will that power we deny yet go not about by violence to withstand it but in quietnesse suffer under it when it is put forth against us we are also for learning for t is a good talent to use for God and too good for the Devill a good servant but a bad master and we wish that there were more of it then there is among you CCClergy if it may be also well improved as it seldome is by those of you that have it for as those of you that are more singular schollars then the rest in humanity and that meer Anthropo-Theology that is among you which you call Divinity are deep dunces for the most part in the school of Christ and most opposite through the wisdome of their flesh which is enmity against God to the follishnesse of the Gospel so no lesse then legions of you are little learned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either Yea verily and fiftly howbeit among other things you brand the Anabaptists with the names of an illiterate and sottish sect cut as chips out of Nicolas Stock whom Featly faines to be the father of the Anabaptists and stiles a very blockhead and such as know not how to teach nor dispute for truth because they know not the original and cannot conclude in mâ—…od and figure p. 113. 164. 163. nor make able ministers of the Gospel because they understand not the Scripture in the Original languages and cannot expound without Grammer nor perswade without Rhetorick nor divide without logick nor found the depth of any controversie without Philosophy and School divinity p. 118 yea Dr. Featley defeats 1000s of his fellow Clergy men utterly in so saying from the name of able Ministers yea as
4. ad 11. 2 Cor. 11. 23. ad 28. and if mighty meanes were such a mighty means to make able Ministers of Christ as is pretended by you Clergymen that tell the State they may as well set Carpenters to build without tools as send forth Ministars without liberal maintenance I wonder there are no better Ministers at Rome where they are maintained more like Monarchs then Ministers of Christ but t is a true proverb that their golden cups made them become such wooden Priests Cum ecclesia peperit divitias filia devoravit matrem you tell the Magistrates that they l discourage persons from medling therwith if they allow not large maintenance to the Ministry But I pray God they may never meddle more with the Ministry that are incouraged to enter on it with respect to maintenance such ever more maimed then maintained the Gospel such which loved the gold of the altar dearer then the altar and Corban more then conscience and minded the wages more then the work as exceptis excepiendis some few onely excepted the national Ministry ever did since donations of dignities from Temporal Princes fell upon them were ever more murderers then Ministers of the Gospel nil tam sanctum the Heathen said but gold would expugne it You would be rich and so fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts that drown men in destruction and perdition your love of money was the mother of all mischief which while you coveted after you were seduced from the faith yea in these daies wherein you vow and protest for the faith as if you would fain follow on to find it fully as t was once delivered to the Saints you l neither find it further nor follow it faster then it keeps pace with your outward enjoyments so that we may say truely Quantum quisque sua nummorum servat in arcâ tantum habet et fidei so much money as you can get by it so much faith religion reformation you l be for and no more yea like Lawyers that look more at the greatnesse of the fee then the goodnesse of the cause nay being feed better leave their old Clients and turn to the other side so do many of you in these daies wherein many run to and fro that knowledge may be increased turn to and fro that livings may still be established on you from masse to liturgy and back again and back again and then to the directory from all which while you stood in the practise of them there was no moving you by Scripture nor reason but qui pecunia non movetur hunc dignum spectatu arbitramur But you plead that the mouth of the Ox must not be muzzled that treadeth out the Corn that t is the will of God that such as have sown in the Church spiritual things should reap their carnal things that such as preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel I answer t is most true there is a power and liberty allowed for such as serve the Church to eat and to drink and to subsist in case they cannot subsist otherwise at the charges of the Church when she sets them apart for her service 1 Cor. 9. but it is most commendable and thankworthy in the Ministry to serve the Church and preach the Gospel freely and as far as t is possible not to be burdensome in this kind at all as namely in case they have any estates of their own or can improve themselves in any such outward employment labor or lawful calling wherby to obtain a competent livelyhood and lay out themselves and the gifts that Christ hath freely given them in the service of Christ freely too as men may do many times if they be not idle and loving their own ease more then to ease the church of Christ of unnecessary pressures in their purses And thus the Apostle Paul and the first Ministers of the Gospel did and though they pleaded a power to live upon them in case they could not live without them that the Church might know it to be their duty freely to minister to their Ministers necessities when they saw them willing freely to expose themselves to necessities for the truths sake rather then seek supersluities to themselves yet they did not use that power they had much lesse abuse it too make a trade of it but did rather suffer all things that they might make the Gospel as little chargeable as might me 1 Cor. 9. 12. 18. yea they received wages sometimes when they went out to warfare i. e. to preach the Gospel up and down so as was utterly inconsistent with the totall maintaining of themselves which while they abode more settledly at one place they did attend to with their own hands for its evident that to this end they might not hinder the Gospell from taking place in mens hearts by seeming too much to make a trade of it they laboured working with their own hands as ost as they could conveniently and their own hands ministred to their own necessities and they had some honest outward occupation as also Christ himself had and sollowed too till he was wholly taken up in travel to preach the truth therefore Mark. 6. 3. is not this the Carpenter wherein they wrought at all times saving when they were actually imployed in some service of preaching to the world writing disputing visiting c. as is plain to him that consults these Scriptures in the last of which least any should think they did more then Ministers now need to do Paul saies plainly they did not use their power that they might be an ensample to others to follow them so Act. 20. 35. and therefore howbeit he bids Timothy that was a Minister of the Gospel not entangle himself in the affairs of this life for t is not good indeed that Ministers mind the world so much as to cumber themselves with over much business in it that they may be more free then other men to please Christ who calls them in a more special sense then all Christians to be his souldiers yet I believe he is far from prohibiting him in that speech from following any civil calling at all for in the very verse before 2 Tim. 2. 3. 4. he bids him endure hardnesse as a good Souldier of Iesus Christ yea Ministers of all men should be patient of all things for the Gospel sake that they hinder it not by their delicacy viz. of hard work sometimes and hard fare too if occasion be and hunger and thirst and cold and nakednesse and extremities and necessities and distresses rather then lie too heavy upon the flock of Christ which is a little flock and those few mostly poor folks too in this world though rich in faith that may have more mind then ability to Minister to their Ministers and many of them more need to be ministred to by their Ministers if at any time they have abundance then to have their houshold-stuff
blushing at the lives of those men who stiled themselves their successors I have done with the câ—…uses of his heresies and come to his design The design of the Heretick even this Heretick of Hereticks the CCClergy is to propagate his Error and as his grounds are wicked so are his manners in mannaging of them intrat ut vulpes regnat â—…tleo he pretends verity but intends onely vctory that he may reign over the kings and people of the earth and that they might all stoop to his commands directions and under pretence of verity at first he did get victory at last over the whole world so that Pape Oh strange the whole world wondered after him and doted upon him as their Lord God and became slaves in chains to his Priestly will yea as he loved to be supreme and overcome so the lord let him for a time that he might manifest his own power the more in the overcomming him for ever in the end yea power was given him to make war by the beast that bears him even all nations of Christendom which he overcame first against the Saints and to overcome them also and so to be filled with his own inventions he gives out when any disputes against him that his desire is to be satisfyed by disputing and so perhaps he would but t is with riches more then rightousnesse with tith more then truth for in truth he seemes if he must meet with such as charge him with error in his doctâ—…ine of baptism tith forced maintenance forcing conscience as if he would renounce his opinions and practises in these points if any can prove them to be corrupt but seeks onely opportunities to spread his odd opinions of what sc'â—…ism and sacriledge and robbing of God it is if submission be not acted and tithes be not offered to him among the vulgar among whom his Ghostly pretences produce a kind of aweful affrightment and dread of doing any thing against what he saies being resolved before hand never to be convinced of the truth as t is in the word for that overturns him in all his preferment projects and plucks him up from all the profits of his present princely posture which is such a right eye to him that he hath not faith enough to believe that it can possibly be more profitable to him to part with though Christ himself till him tis then to preserve and perish with it His disciples are for the most part not such as the noble Beraeans that would take nothing upon trust from the very Apostles mouths but searched the Scripture dayly whether the things were so or no not onely men but honourable women too not a few but rather meer idle implicit forefather faitht men simple and weak women who try nothing but keep their Church and believe as their Church believes and as their good churchman saies led away with diverse lusts and pleasures leaning onely on their Priests understandings pinning all their Religion upon their sleeves adoring all that their Orthodox divines deliver at a venture ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth as t is in the word whose honest ignorant devotions he hath won to himself by his cunning artifice of pretended piety voluntary humility seeming zeal to the truth long prayers or rather multitudes of short prayers and praises Pater Nosters Miserere Meâ—…'s Magnificats Te deums Gloria Patri's per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrums and such like devoutries and being once gained are so carried on with the streme of corrupt custome present fashion foolish affection that no reason in the world can reclaim them he deterreth lay people as much as may be from reading expounding or too much prying into the Scripture alledging unto them the perils they may incur by misinterpretations he hath laid his foundations so firmly in the dark consciences of men women by perswading them of his own infallibity Ecclesiastical Authority his Ius Divinum in the Government and guidance of the Church as here in Britain and even of his Temporal jurisdiction too as at Rome over both heaven and earth hell and purgatory of his power in the agony of mens souls to forgive sin that men and women are becharmed into beleif of him he hath woven himself so far into their credulity that all his sayings are received as oracles all his doings as divine all his traditions as truth it self all his Adminstrations as Apostolical all his doctrines as Orthodox all his Arguments though confessed by himself to be weak as unanswerable and all others Administrations Actions Answers Arguments though never so consentaneous to the true sense of Scripture valued at that price which he sets upon them as if the holy chaire of Papall determination Episcopal Convention Synodical constitution could not possibly be mistaken yea the Scripture it self is but a nose of wax with him of what shape soever the CCClergy casts it into of no more authority then Aesops Fables with the Papists if the Pope say the word so as to disdate digrade it or put any part of it out of commission of no other sense then the Bishops and Synod seem to say is the sense on 't with their good Protestants so altogether Oraculous is the Pope among his the Bishop among his the Presbyter among his and even all the three several CCClergies among their three several sorts of CCCreatures that their different ipse dixits are ipso facto divine directory and discharge enough too for these different doters on them insanire cum ratione to dote to and fro by Authority so as to do and undo and do and undo and do by In a word he is too bold to be born down not so much from such things as mae the righteous witnesses to truâ—…h as bold as Lioâ—…s before God and men viz. the goodnesse of his cause for that is stark naugh and rotten nor the clearnes of his call â—…ther to his Clerical function or any actions he goes about by vertue and in persuance thereof for t is clear enough that his orders emission commission as to the external etymology of them are more from the Pope then Christ and the true Church nor any good answer of a good conscience for either his conscience is so cloudy that he cannot or so cowardly that he dares not or so resolved that he will not see or else so clear that he is condemned of himself wâ—…en tâ—…uth shines plainly upon his face but rather from either his great interest in or directive authority over the civil power that hath long back as well as bellyed him as in England or his having it all in his own hands and dispose as at Rome where â—…e duo gladii both swords are in the Clergyes clutches so that he can quickly correct those that conâ—…radict him he is too clamorous to be silenced calling out with such a heavy noise and divine ditty against the truth and condâ—…ing it with such an
outcry of Schism Schism Sedition blasphemy Heresie Heresie before he hath half heard it and so soon as ever its opening its mouths to speak that all the parish pulpits in a whole Countrey and now and then their steeples ring out in such combustion to the tune of Greâ—…t is Dâ—…ana of the Ephesians Act. 19 28. 34. that truth hath no way wherby to silence him but to be silent her self for when she begins to declare he with his Heresie Heresiâ—… soon stops men ears he is too arrogant to be convinced he hath controuled whole nations cut of the spirit of Princes bin terrible to the kings of the Earth and devinced invincible Emperors in his time therefore may well scâ—…rn to be convinced abominate detest disdain to be direâ—…ed by Russet Râ—…s Apron â—…os Minisâ—…n Mechanicks illiterâ—…â—…ns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tradesmen Christ the Carpenter Peter the Fisâ—…rman Paul the Tentmâ—…ker Aquilla and his wise Priscilla from which kind of poor folks and babes to whom it seems good in gods sight to preach the plain Gâ—…spel and reveal by his word and spirit what he hides from wise men when they will not see this prudent PPPriesthood if he were not proud might learn more truth and Gospel purity then ever was taught him by his Grand-father the Pope or any of those Clerical Councells or Ghostly fathers which he consults more with then with Christ and Scriptures The Reason of all his obstinacy against tradesmens teachings is this he knows that his trade of teaching for hire and divining for money Must fall if tradesmen begin once to turn divines and to teach truth for nothing ye know that by this craft quoth â—…e Act. 19. 25. c. we have our wealth moreover ye see and hear c. he is well aware and so are we that if he lose the lives of persecution for conscience and sprinkling of infants Iachin Boaz the two main pillars grand Supporters of his kingdom his Temple will quickly reâ—…d in to more pieces then 3 PPPs from the top to the very bottom and all his matchlesse magnitude and numberlesse priestly Prerogatives drop directly to the ground viz. his Lieutenantship to the prince of this World his Lordship over the heritage his headship over the Church his dominion over the faith his title to the tenth of every mans estate his merchandize of slaves bodies and souls of men his leave to trample the holy city and slay at pleasure the truth tellers that torment him his rich revenues dignity glory power seat and great Authority together with all the priviledges profits liberties immunities thereunto belonging All this his royalty must fail if he give ground but a little and would have failed ere this tiâ—…e If he had a face could blush at his own abominable blindnesse or ingenuity to confesse himself hurt or own the plain truth while his lungs will serve him in reply or Amor sui constrain him to cry heresie against the truth therefore this Diotrophes that loves to have the preheminence over all for ever because he hath had it for a while receiveth not truth but prates against it in the pulpit and elsewhere with malicious words and though he contradict himself ever and anon in his own Sermons and discourses yeâ—… if he say any thing at all he thinks it much when wisemen weighing it find it little to the purpose Tertulliau thus describes Hermogenes Loquacitatem facundiam existimaret Impudentiam constantiam deputaret c. so he when he bumbasts the pulpit and slashes the Saint Schismaticks in their absence before his people supposes he hath spoken with no small grace when t is for want of grace that he did it and that when he is most audacious against all reformation aâ—… at Rom and even that he hath sometimes sworn himself and others to as here in England when he finds it more crosse to his credit then he thought of when he undertook for t he counts them fickle unconstant that change their minds and mend their manners and himself only stable and constant to the CCChristian Religion Hence it is that the effects of Disputation with him have been not onely fâ—…strate but dangerous dangerous I say to him no otherwise then as it overturned his Kingdome that the truth of Christ might take place but to them that disputed with him in this respect as it hath been no lesse then their pretious lives were worth once to oppose or open their mouths against him witnes Wickliff Hus Ierome of Prague and all the executions done in Queen Maries daies upon such as dâ—…rst dispute against the Pope or meddle against the mass and those done in Queen Elizabeths upon Barrow Greenwood and Penry who were hang'd by Episcopal malice for professing against them and the Common-prayer which now well high all England hath renounc't as a corruption and what should have been done upon such as disputed against or depraved the Presbyterian directory is well known for that Clergy hath shew'd themselves so much in their Fathers colours that ere long all England will renounce both it and them and in this respect it hath been also frustrate as to peoples conviction for truths witnesses to dispute never so clearly against him for as much as he hath still stopt their mouths with the stake prison or gallows and kept his own wide open against them in the pulpit when he hath-secured them from all capacity of storming him there for The common sort are apt to think those have the victory that live to speast last and that their CClergies cause is never wrackt by the cause of Christ as long as one is left alive that can speak a word in that against the other And by how much error takes with our corrupt nature more then truth by so much there is more danger of its spreading where the Roots i. e. the self love vain glory ambition covetousnesse pride Lordlines universally and cruelty of the CCClergy who are plants that our heavenly father never planted Stocks from whom stemes out a stench from whom abomination branches it self out to the corrupting therof in al quarters of the Earth Rev. 11. 18. 1â—… 5. 19. 2. are not plucked up and rooted out for from the Priest and the Prophet profanness heresie hath gone out into all the world and spread it self like a leprosie or some raging canker and for the most part such is the resolvednesse of the CCClergy to bind the people still to a blind obedience to their blind guidance of them beside the word that Disputations with them if not carefully I mean clearly and also coolly proceedad in with love to their persons and almost without zeal against their evils which yet we must not abate them an ace of for all their anger pacem cum hominibus cum vitits bellum they Raise more evil spirits of wrath and divellishnesse in them then we can lay because they see them raise more good spirits of doubts and earnest enquiries after
truth in the people who before were wont to take their ware on trust without trial then then they can lay again while they live by all the shifts and subtleties they can devise for when once people are resolved to believe things to be heresie by heatsay no more but to fancy them according as they find them in the word and to see into the plainness of speech that is in the Scripture with their own eyes they see so much disproportion between the national Church wayes and those of the primitive Churches of the Gospel that they commonly resolve not to see at all adventures through the unclear eyes of CCClergy men any more This makes them fieâ—… and fume and fain and fiddle hither and thither which way to fasten their Heretical opinions further if it be possible on them in whom they they stick and into whose hearts they have eaten fowl healthless holes already and to dâ—…ive them deeper even with hammer and nailes if they can tell how or else to cleave whole Countries asunder with beetle and wedges Heresie is said by the Apostle to fret like a canker so that it is not the clearness nor yet the coolness nor yet the heat of a disputation can correct it in some mens hearts the tongue may heal any poisoned wound with licking of it sooner then that which the Heretick the Pope and the Priesthood hath made so deeply hath he found his heresies in the dark cells of some mens implicit consciences Athauastus his disputation with Arrius and Austins with Manichaeus are sufficient Instances Indeed it is not possible to expect any good fruit from those former grounds as to the CCClergie themselves and such of their CCCreatures as stand bent to believe all they say and never doubt it though otherwise much good may come to others that are inquisitive by disputation with them or that he which is possessed with self love and hunts so greedily after glory or gain as the CCClergie does should be perswaded to hearken to any reason which contradicts his principles or to disclaim that wase which must advance his design What is the result of this discourse to forbid all disputation with HHHim no by no means it is necessary to stop the clamors of the adversarie to the truth who will cry out victoria if his challenge be not answered and make our silence be a confession of the truth on his side if he be not stoutly encountred with Saint Austin who was in his time called Malleus hereticorum of whom it is said that he never went so willingly to a feast as to a conference when Pascentins the Arrian bragd that he had worsted him in his dispute and those believed it which desired it yet gave not out from disputing but was onely careful to set down his disputations in writing for the future that the truth might appear vindicated from thofe false reports with which commonly it is blasted either by word or else by some such true counterfeit Accounts in print as that which is at this day extant of the disputation held at Ashford A Disputation orderly carried soberly proceeded with without heats and distempered passions not suffered to go out of its due bounds nor to follow every new sent that is taken up by the way nor to degenerate into quarrellings and hasty fals chargings of the Anabaptists as this and that they know not what without proving them such or disproving their doctrines as if others do not I do know more then one place where and where more then once too it hath been so will contribute much to the clearing of truth the begetting of doubts in them that yet never doubted but blindly believed the contrary The removing of doubts in them that are already in doubts about it and putting it out of all doubt to them all in the end that all is not so well yet as it ought to be with the very reforming Clergy and that their parochial posture is popish and their constitution ordination administrations baptism and the supper is all disorderly and out of joint to the confâ—…rming of the strong that stand fast in the true faith the recovery of the laps't world that hath departed from the faith Gospel Baptism Church order which was once delivered to the Saints and been seduced from Christ by the Scholastical incroachments of the CCClergy and as it may chance in time if the civil powers that have preferred them would come once to favour the truth the convincing the SSSeducer it is rare so to mannage one among an unskilful multitude where the auditors take themselves no lesse engaged then their champions and will be ready on all hands too much but an 100 fold more for ought I find among the parochial party then the other disorderly to break the lists which hath made so many able Scholars not in mans onely but in Christs School also almost averse from undertaking it but unless their be sufficient caution against such exorbitatances as jangling with bells to drownd all audience of truth and counter speeches of non-sense rather then nothing to interrupt him that is about to speak the truth and noise of shouting if it were possible to shame the truth and such like geer as I have met with in my daies better be no disputation at all nor preaching of truth among such it being if not a giving of that which is holy to dogs and casting of pearles before swine which will turn again and rent you yet at least impossible any thing should come of it that good is and yet even that shall be no hurt to the Ministers of Christ that are approved in tumults yet cannot help it but blasphemy to the truth stumbling to the weak parishioners that stumble enough already poor souls the Lord help them to see their preachers violently oppose preaching and proving the truth out of the Scriptures a kind of shamefull Glory to the adversaries of the truth the PPPriesthood from some a glorious shame to the undertakers for it There is therefore a better way for the true Pastors of the true Churches and specially the Churches messengers to the world in which to oppose the approach of heresies which the parish Pastors make mickle use of to oppose the truth by under the names of Anabaptism at least in their Respective flocks and that is by preaching To argue substantially against them to convince them soundly is the best in the pulpit if they can freely get in a place wherein one might have hid ones self for a month together or more and sometimes a year from some parish Priests non-resident Parsons divinity Doctors but specially the lazy Lord Bishops not very long since but now to keep out the Anabaptists more frequented by some Priests then else it would be a place which is secured much and yet not alwayes neither when plain truth tellers are in it from those incursions to which disputations are subject It is worth observation that
in filthynesse thus the Seeker seeks to subvert himself and others and all that holy law of Christs own giving as foolishnesse to overturn all that is of Christ whilest Christ is overturning all that is of man he scruples every thing till he is satisfyed to own just nothing as if because there is some waies of error therefore there can be no way of truth he is weak in the faith believing nothing to be good till he believes every thing to be so and nothing to be bad or naught at all And wheresoever his weaknesse is at first it thrives into wickednesse at last so that how ere he seems modest against the truth a while yet after there will be raâ—… censures arrogant and bold speeches and Iudgements condemning or at least contemning both of good persons and holy things Thus this man runs up to ranting by little and little circumcising away all flesh for so he now stiles the waies of the word and spirit crucifying all that flesh of Christ till he becomes welâ—…igh as spiritual as the devil 7 To endeavour after the true temper of a son of the Church which consists especially in these two qualifications 1 Humility or self denial 2. Charity or love humility is a being low in your own eyes Christ bids you learn it of him Nothing hath broacht Heresse and â—…chism so much as self conceit and self love as is shewed above in the case of the PPPriesthood who conceive themselves to be those unerring orracles from whom the law for Religion and faith is to go forth to the people throughout the several Nations this makes men these spiritual men especially to stand out in their own odd opinions as if all were heresy ipso facto that jumps not with them obstinately defend them utterly untractable to any argument though never so clearly urged out of the word it self that shall be brought against them resolved never to yield to any Iudgement nor willingly be in much lesse embrace any company that â—…olds contrary to them proudly prohibiting any but such as are approved of by themselves disdaining to be discipled by any but men in orders as if that poor people and those babes to whom God delights to reveal the Gospel rather then such prudent ones as they are in their own sight were all as they said of old of such a people that know not the law and are accursed for which things sake the Lord suffers blindnes to happen to them leaves them to live in error as men lea ing to their own understanding but true humility as she is ever conscious of her own weaknesse and darknes so when she is most sure that in the Lords power and light she sees light and is most diffusive of it and desirous that all others should see it also and very zealous of promoting it yet is she far from glorying over others or boasting as if she had not received what she hath much lesse is she so impositive as by compulsion or otherwise then by plain proposal round reproof or earnest intreaty to inforce her faith as a rule for all people to believe by and howbeit it submits not as some say she does to the iudgments of others sooner then its own for that verily is no other then that humble ignorance and implicit knowledge into which the PPPriestood hath beguild the earth who as much as they perswade men to expresse their humblenesse by a voluntary submission of themselves to others judgements yet are as far from that expression of their own humility as men can be that would have all men see with their eyes swear into their faith and resign up themselves to their judgement against their own yet she submits her judgement as proud Papacy Prelacy and Presbytery never did to such free examination by others judgements as to lend free leave to such as judge it wrong and are not satisfied to close therewith to decline and reject it and both to believe and worship as they find occasion and howbeit she must contend sometimes she dares not contend with any much lesse her superiours as the Priest does with his whole parish now and then about some trifle or remnant of tithes for so small a matter as a smal matter of means or maintenance but for matters of much more moment and of eternal consequence viz. that faith and Gospel which was once delivered unto the Saints for here indeed she gives place by subjection neither to ghostly father nor holy mother no not for an hour that the truth of the Gospel may continue and as t is Christs things she seeks and strives for and not her own so she assaults not without strong and evident and convincing reason from Scripture for her assertion not such butterflies and brown paper reasons as mans tradition 1500 vears profession nor meer internal imagination and spiritual perswasion which the Rantizer and the Ranter render and even then too she prosecutes her cause with such candor and dociblenesse as to be ready to receive what ever is made manifest in the conscience to the contrary without such arrogauty as appears in some Divines when they dispute who are more ready to call them fawâ—…y fellows that dares affront their false assertions then to clear what they hold to be the truth and without the Spirit of contradiction that is wont to shew it self in every haughty heart which is more asham'd to seem ignorant then to be so most specially in the Priesthood when the truth tendred is such as if it be acknowledged will not onely crack his credit but certainly pare his profit also As for Charity alias love it is the very cognizance of a Christian the property of it is to blow out the coals of contention not kindle them in the true Church of Christ though it contend sharply with the false Churches for the truth to seek what in it lies to prevent not foment rents Schisms divisions and offences therein contrary to the doctrine at first delivered the love of which occasions offences in the world it is the very rafters that hold all the house of Christ whose house they onely are that are built upon the foundation or form of doctrine delivered by the first Apostles the principles of which are set down Heb. 6. 1. 2. together in most comely frame and order Oh that the Saints and faithful brethren in Christ of those Churches that walk in truth would among all yea and above all those pretious things commended Col 3. 12. ad 16. to be put on would put on this which is the very bond of perfectnesse this is that which will make them endeavour in all lowlinesse and meeknesse and forbearance and forgivenesse of each other to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Eph. 4. 2. 3. the love of the Brotherhood within it self which is hinted to us by Peter Pet. 2. 17. and harpt upon more then any other string by that beloved Disciple Iohn 1 Ioh.
for Gods sake yet how did he put him off with delaies as if the businesse were now dubious to himself when as formerly he had acknowledged that it was a tradition of the Church and would give answer nec per se nec per se Synodum When therefore they shall say unto you ask the Priest seek unto us I say seek not unto them that say they seek but are loath to find themselves or at least are afraid that men should find and see all that which they cannot clearly deny to be the truth seek not to them that peep and that mutter and speak not out as if the matter were not momentary to be mentioned as if they were in a quandary whether it be safe or no to seek too seriously after the truth out should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead to the law and to the testimony your selves oh yee people if they speak not plainly according to the word it is because there is no light in them Isa. 8 19 20. Ask therefore the High Priest Christ Jesus and if you cannot be resolved so speedily as you desire to your satisfaction and content be content to stay till God shall reveal in the mean time while you doubt suspend the practise and do nothing doubtingly but exercise your selves the while in searching the Scripture and prayer to which pretious practise God hath made many pretious promises in his word as namely That they shall be undefiled in the way that seek the Lord with their whole heart Psalm 119. 1 2. That if thou wilt turn at his reproof though thou hast been a simple one and hast loved simplicity a scorner that delightest in scorning and jeaâ—…ing at the truth and a fool that hath hated knowledge which all are high degrees of sin yet he will powre out his spirit upon thee which happily hath been thy laughing stock and make known his words unto thee Prov. 1. 22. 23. that if thou wilt receive his words and hide his commaddements within thee If thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thy heart unto understanding yea if thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasure then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God Prov. 2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Yet be assured of this humble ignorance in many questions debated in these daies by Divines and also in old timebefore us by learned Schoolmen and Casuists and by the Popish priests that reason about the unreasonable fopperries and refusely scum that arises out of the dead sea of their divinity is more acceptable to God then contentious curiousity yet not such humble ignorance about the ordinances of Christ as our Priesthood would hold men in as if the Law and Oracles of Christ which are all plain to him that understandeth were in things necessary to salvation so difficult and obstruse that poor mechanicks must meddle no more in t then they have leave from them in facili et aperto postta est salus the way of salvation is plain to be found in the book of God he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord for remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy spirit but the PPPriesthood hath led men the next way round about to salvation and framed a new Gospel for their followers which Scripture makes no mention of at all but as those Israelites that were led up and down the wildernesse so long God had sworne should not enter into his xest so neither shall those Christians that when the truth lyes plain before them delight rather to trace to and fro in the thicket of traditions received from their after forefathers then in the way of the first fathers of the Church and love more to wander then to walk in the narrow way of truth in the vast forrest wondrous wood and wide wildernesse of the PPPriests inventions 9. Consider sadly in heresie the sin the punishment the sin St. Paul places it among the works of the flesh Murder Idolatry Witchcraft Drunkenness c. and well may for t is onely in favour of the flesh and for some base fleshly ends or other that men depart from the way of truth and not of the spirit for that leadeth those that are resolved to be led by it as it speaks in the Scriptures into all truth as it is in the mind of Christ Jesus Iohn 14. The leaâ—… hereste cannot be excused the nature of it is to gather as it grows it is to run downhil and that 's the cause why so many follow it and so few the truth for its an uphill a narrow way that leads to life therefore few find it but facilis descensus averni the way to the bottomlesse pit is an easie and broad descent therefore many there be that go in thereat even whole towns Counties Kingdoms yea the whole world 1 Ioh 5. 19. Rev. 13. 3. a few onely excepted that obey the truth whose names therefore are written in the book of life the heretick that hath begun it cannot stop when he will but when once he ceases to receive and retain God in his knowledge and the love of the truth that he may be saved through some base love of the world and the lucre and lust thereof that he may be pleased profited preferred a 100. to one but he is hardned for ever in blindnesse God also giving him over as well as he himself to deeper and deeper delusion and at last to the love of lies more then truth Ieroboams rent turned into idolatry and the rent of such as run from the primitive doctrine of Christ is come to no less the Rantizer and the Ranter also are both sad examples to us how fearsul a thing it is to run away from the plain path of the word of Christ the one whereof when he ran down once but so far as to take upon him to mend Christs ordinances and teach for doctrine his own traditions never left adding more and more of his own odd constitutions till he sunk ore head and ears in a gulf of golden legends and a lake of lies the other when he had once declined the Scripture and denied all ordinances never left advancinxg himself into the clouds of his own airy conceits till his waxen wings melted with his soring so neer the sun and so he fell headlong into a sink of sorbid sensuality The punishment is either temporal the Donatists of old as some say the Anabaptists as they are commonly cal'd of Germany who if ever they ownd the truth abode notvery long in it are examples of Gods Iudgements in that kind spiritual blindnesse of understanding hardnesse of heart seeing and not perceiving hearing and not understanding and last of all eternal the worm that nâ—…ver