Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	act_n	believe_v	faith_n	3,882	5	5.9558	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47535	Gold refin'd, or, Baptism in its primitive purity proving baptism in water an holy institution of Jesus Christ ... : wherein it is clearly evinced that baptism ... is immersion, or dipping the whole body, &c : also that believers are only the true subjects (and not infants) of that holy sacrament : likewise Mr. Smythies arguments for infant-baptism in his late book entitled, The non-communicant ... fully answered / by Benj. Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.	1689 (1689)	Wing K68; ESTC R17190	114,897	272

saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Now they affirm that Infants are Believers and therefore are to be baptized Mr. Smythies says Infants are Believers in a sense or else they could not be saved nor have right to the Promises of Christ in the Gospel and if they are in any sense such Believers as are intitled to Salvation they are such Believers as have a right to Baptism if the Estate belongs to a Child in the Cradle the Indentures and Seals of that Estate belong to him likewise the Child of a Believer may as well be called a Believer as the Child of a Proselyte was called a proselyte if God gives Children but the denomination of Believers it is sufficient to entitle them to Baptism Thus Mr. Smythies But how does it appear that Infants are Believers in any sense is there any Argument or Scripture brought by this Man to prove them so to be if he can prove they have Faith and do believe in Christ he will do more than all the Men that ever lived on Earth could do I mean Children as such in common and in an ordinary way to be Believers True nothing is too hard for God to do he that can make an Ass to speak can as well cause a Babe to believe But how does it appear God has given them either the Habit of Faith or the Act of Faith or Faith in any sense to render them to be Believers But 't is intimated they are Believers by their Parents Faith why may not their Parents Baptism serve as well as their Parents Faith and they receive the Lord's Supper for them in their Names also and that be imputed to the Children by virtue of their Parents Faith And what though the Estate belongs to the Child in the Cradle together with the Indenture and Seals of that Estate Is it required the Child in the Cradle should therefore set his Seal to the Indenture is that requisite or would it make the Estate the more firm or sure to him But when you can prove Grace and Salvation to be Hereditary and that the Father's being a Believer and a godly Person all his Children must needs be such too you do your business Secondly But why do you say Children must be Believers or else they can't be saved who told you so Because Faith in Adult Persons is required as necessary in them if they are saved Can't God save poor Infants without they also do believe has God told you he cannot or will not save them except they believe I must confess I wonder at your Ignorance and daring Boldness God as Dr. Taylor observes may have many ways to magnify his Grace through Jesus Christ to them which we know not of and what have you to do with the Secrets of God who made you one of his Privy-Council you may as well say unless they repent they cannot be saved from Christ's words Luk 13. 3 5. and that they must be obedient and take up the Cross for these things are required of Adult Persons that would be saved as well as believing Thirdly Prove that God has given Children the Denomination of Believers or if it was granted he hath would it therefore ●ollow they may be baptized certainly no for we read of many who were said to believe they had some kind of Faith and so in some sense had the denomination of 〈◊〉 and yet had no right to Baptism for such ought to have 〈◊〉 Faith or to believe with all their Hearts 〈◊〉 Philip said to the Eunuch Act. 8. who are fit Subjects of that Ordinance or have a sufficient Title to it and would not that believing in any sense you speak of that entitles them to Salvation give them as good a right to the Lord's-Supper as to Baptism Come Sir you can't infer a right to an Ordinance from what grounds you please Baptism depends wholly I say again upon the Authority of a positive Law and express words of Institution and none but such who are made Disciples by preaching or who do actually believe ought from thence to be baptized I wonder what Faith 't is you suppose to be in Infants is it the Faith of the Church as Tho. Aquinas asserts which is intailed upon all within the pale thereof Or is it an Imputitive Faith from the Parents in Covenant as Musculus and others maintain Or is it the Faith of the Gossip or Surety as many of your Church say i. e. others believe for them Have they a justifying Faith as Mr. Baxter intimates or a dogmatical Faith only as in Mr. Blake's Sense Some as Mr. Danvers observes say 't is a Physical some a Metaphysical and some a Hyperphysical Faith. Some say they are born Believers others say they are made Believers by Baptism Now when you tell us what Faith they have we shall the better understand you and give you an Answer A Personal and actual Faith saith Dr. Taylor they have not for they have no Acts of Understanding besides how can any Man know they have Faith since he never saw any sign 〈◊〉 neither was he told so by any that could tell Secondly saith he Some say they have Imputative Faith But then so let the Sacraments be too that is if they have the Parents Faith or the Churches then so let Baptism be imputed also by derivation from them And as in their Mothers Womb and while they hang upon their Mothers Breasts they live upon their Mothers Nourishment so they may upon the Baptism of their Parents or their Mother the Church for since Faith is necessary to the susception of Baptism and they themselves confess it by striving to find out new kinds of Faith to daub the matter such as the Faith such must be the Sacrament for there is no proportion between an actual Sacrament and an Imputative Faith this being in immediate and necessary order to that This saith the Bishop We know there are some argue stifly for Infants having habitual Faith but as the said Doctor saith Are there any Acts precedent concomitant or consequent to this pretended Habit this strange Invention saith he is absolutely without Art without Scripture Reason or Authority But the Men are to be excused unless they had any better Arguments to defend their Practice they are forc'd to confess the Truth in the main viz. That Faith is required of Persons to be baptized and therefore they do what they can to prove Infants do believe But I will conclude this with what the said Doctor further saith And if any Man runs for Succour to that exploded Cresphugeton that Infants have Faith or any other inspired Habit of I know not what or how we desire no more advantage than that they are constrained to answer without Revelation against Reason common Sense and all the Experience in the World. CHAP. XII Containing an Answer to several other Arguments brought for Infant-Baptism Object 1. THough there is

Almighty God Jesus Christ nor his Apostles neither commended for baptizing any one Child or Children nor reproved for neglecting to baptize such then Infants Baptism is not of nor from God. But no Man or Woman was at any time or times either commended by the Almighty God c. for baptizing any one Child or Children nor reproved for neglecting to baptize such Ergo Infants Baptism is not of nor from God. This Argument remains good and unanswerable unless they can shew us that there is some Gospel-Ordinance and universal Duty injoyned on Men that no Man or Woman was ever commended for doing it nor reproved for neglecting it when they can shew that this Argument will be invalid That Doctrine that reflects upon the Honour Care and Faithfulness of Jesus Christ our blessed Mediator and glorious Law-giver or renders him less faithful then Moses and the New Testament in one of its great Ordinances nay Sacraments to lie more dark and obscure in God's Word than any Law or Ordinance of the Old Testament did cannot be of God. But the Doctrine of Infants Baptism reflects upon the Honour Care and Faithfulness of Jesus Christ c. or renders him less faithful than Moses and the New Testament in one of its great Ordinances nay Sacraments to lie more dark and obscure in God's Word than any Law or Ordinance of the Old Testament Ergo Infants Baptism cannot be of God. The Major certainly none will deny The Minor is easily proved Can any thing reflect more upon the Honour of Christ c. than this as if he should neglect to speak out his Mind and Will to us plainly or be so careless about it that sorry Man is forc'd to try his Wit to supply what is defective and wanting in this Matter in Christ's Word for he is strangely left of God and benighted who will not confess Infant Baptism to need much of humane Craft and Cunning to make it out from Christ's New Testament and when he has done all he leaves it as doubtful as he found it in the Judgment of indifferent Persons Did Moses deal thus with the Children of Israel No no. How careful was he to deliver every Law Statute and Ordinance exactly particularly the Law of the Passover Do but read how careful and circumspect he was in that in all respects and matters relating to it Nay and the Wisdom of God was such to leave nothing then in the dark but gave order that all Things might be made plain that he that run might read it and he that did read might know the Duty i. e. the Statu●e or Ordinance tho in many things they might need instruction how in a right Spirit to be found in it and what it signified But I dare affirm no Man who reads the New Testament from the beginning of Matthew to the end of the Revelations a thousand times over shall ever from that Holy Word or any place or part of it find it to be his Duty to baptize his Child the Word of God is powerful in convincing Men of their Duties as well as of their Sins but in this it fails it has no Power to convince Mens Consciences The Faith of Persons must stand in the Wit and Subtilty of Men in respect of Infant-Baptism and not in the Power of God and efficacy of his blessed Word Let some shew us the Person who only by reading the New Testament was convinced of Infant-Baptism though 't is true divers by reading of the Writings of Learned Men and their subtil and sophistical Arguments for so I must call them have been perswaded to believe it to be of God. Yet after all some of them have plainly signified the great Ground and Argument they build upon is this viz. Because such and such Learned Godly and Wise Men assert it to be a Truth of Christ So that it appears very clear they build their Faith herein not upon the Authority of God's Word but upon the Credit and Authority of Men. But certainly it must needs as I said reflect upon the Honour and Faithfulness of Christ to conclude Infant-Baptism to be of God for can any think the Lord Jesus would leave so great an Ordinance or Sacrament of the New Testament so obscure and dark in his Sacred Word had it been his Mind that Believers should baptize their Children since the Apostle magnifies Christ's Faithfulness who is the Son above that of Moses who was but the Servant And Moses verily was faithful in all his House as a Servant for a Testimony of those things which were to be spoken after Hebr. 3. 5. But Christ as a Son over his own House c. ver 6. and therefore was counted worthy of more glory than Moses ver 3. Besides do but consider what Darkness and Confusion the Asserters of Infant-Baptism seem to be in about the Proof and Right they say Children have to it 1. Some of them say it depends wholly upon the Authority of the Church 2. Others dare not baptize them but as Believers and Disciples and therefore affirm they have Faith c. 3. Others can't believe this and therefore though they likewise baptize them as Believers yet get Sureties to stand for them 4. Others say they have a Right by the Faith of their Parents some are for baptizing all Children others none but the Children of Believers 5. One says if either of their Parents are Believers they may be baptized some say both Father and Mother both must be godly Persons and in the Covenant of Grace or else the Child has no Right to be baptized No marvel when Men have lost their way they are thus lost in a Wilderness That Ordinancé God has made no Promise to Persons in their Obedience thereto nor denounced any Threatning or Punishment on such who slight neglect and contemn it it is no Ordinance of God. But God has made no Promise to Persons who baptize their Children nor denounced no Threatning or Panishment on those who slight neglect and contemn it Ergo Infant-Baptism is no Ordinance of God. Let any such who assert Infant-Baptism shew us a Promise to the Obedient herein or a Threatning denounced against the Disobedient thereto and we will say no more There are Promises made to Believers in their being baptized that 's evident and Punishments threatned on such who reject the Counsel of God in that respect the like there is in respect of any other Gospel-Ordinance but none of this in the Case of Infant-Baptism CHAP. X. Wherein the great Arguments and pretended Scripture-Proofs for Infant-Baptism concerning the Covenant Circumcision and Infants Church-membership are Examined and Answered ONE main and great Argument the Pedobaptists bring for that practice is this viz. Children of Believers are in Covenant as well as their Parents The Covenant made with Abraham was the Covenant of Grace or Gospel-Covenant to which the Seal of Circumcision was annexed and as Circumcision belonged to the Children of the