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word_n	believe_v	church_n	tradition_n	3,808	5	9.3936	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41783	The Pædo-baptists apology for the baptized churches shewing the invalidity of the strongest grounds for infant baptism out of the works of the learned assertors of that tenent, and that the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins is a duty incumbent upon all sinners who come orderly to the profession of Christianity : also the promise of the Spirit [b]eing the substance of a sermon on I Cor. 12, I, to which is added a post-script out of the works of Dr. Jer. Taylor in defence of imposition of hands as a never failing ministery / by Tho. Grantham.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.; Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1671 (1671)	Wing G1541; ESTC R39521	38,200	120

righteousness of Faith Which whe●her it did any such thing to an● s●ve to ●braham only ●n m●ch doubten so by vertue of i●'s 〈…〉 and remanem●y in their fl●sh it did that work when the 〈◊〉 came to age But in Christian Infants t●e case is otherwise for the new Covenant being estab●ished upon better promises is not only to be●ter purposes but also in a distinct manner to be understood when their spirits are as receptive of a spiri●ual act or impress as the bodies of jewish children were of the sign of circumcision then it is to be consign'd but the business is quickly at an end by saying that God hath done no less for ours then for their children for he will do the mercies of a Father and Creator to them and he did no more to the other but he hath done more to ours for he hath made a Covenant with them and built it upon promises of the greatest concernment And note further we have as much ground of comfort concerning our dying Infants as the faithful had for the first two thousand years during all which time the Covenant of grace reached to Infants though there was no external ceremony to consign it to Infants For the insinuation of the precept of Baptizing all Nation of which children are a part does as little advantage as any of the rest because other parallel expressions of the Scri●ture do determine and expound themselves to a sence that includes not all persons absolutely but of a capable condition as ado●ate ●um omnes gentes persallirae Deo omnes Nationes terra And Nation shall rise against Nation where Infants are excluded and divers more But Erasmus hath well expounded this text where he restrains the baptizing to such as are repentant of their former life As for the Conjecture concerning the Family of Stephan●s at the best it is but a conjecture and besides that it is not prov'd that there were children in the Family yet if that were granted it follows not that they were baptized because by whole Families in Scripture is ment all Persons of reason and age within the Familie for it is said of the Ruler at Capernaum that he beleived a●d all his house Now you may also suppose that in his house were little babes that is like enough and you may suppose that they did beleive too before they could understand but that 's not so likely and then the argument from baptizing Stephen's Family may be allowed just as probable but this is unmanlike to build upon such slight and airy conjectures But tradition by all means must supply the place of Scripture and there is pretended a Tradition apostolical that Infants were baptized but at this we are not much moved for we who rely upon the written word of God as sufficient to establish all true Religion do not value the allegations of Traditions and however the World goes none of the reformed Churches can pretend this argument against this opinion because they who reject T●adition when 't is against them must not pre●end it at al● for them But if we should allow the Topick to be good yet how will it be verified for so far as it can yet appear it relies wholly upon the Testimony of Origen for from him Austin had it Now a Tradition apostolical if it be not consign'd with a fuller testimony then of one person whom all after ages have condemn'd of many errours will obtain so little reputation among those that kn●w that thing have upon greater authority pretended to derive from the Apostles and yet f●sly that it will be a great argument that he is credulous and weak that shall be de●ermined by so weak probation in matters of so great concernment And the truth of the business is as there was no command of Scripture to obliedge children to the susception of it so necessity of ●ae●o-baptism was not determined in the Church till the eight age after Christ but in the year 418. in the Mileritan cou●cel a principal of A●r●ca there was a Cannon made for Paedo Bapt never till then I grant it was practised in Africa before that time and they or some of them thought well of it and though that be no Argument for us to think so yet none of them did ever before pretend it to be necessary none to have been a precept of the Gospel St. Austin was the first that ever preach'd it to be abso●utely necessary and it was in his heat and anger against Pelag●us who had warm'd and chafed him so in that question that it made him innovate in other doctrines possibly of greater concernment then th●s And that although this was practic'd antiently in Africa yet that it was without an opinion of necessity and not often there nor at all in other places we have the testimony of a learned Paedo Baptist Ludovicus Vives who in his annotations upon Augustin De Civit. Dei l. 1. c. 27. afirms Neminem nisi adultum antiquitus sol●re baptizari And because th●s Testimony is of great import I will set down the very words of Augustine and Ludovicus Vives as I find them in the English Edition of the said book of the City of God cap. 26. Where Augustine puts forth this question What is the reason then that we do spend so much time in our exhortations endeavouring to annimate th●se whom we have bapt●zed ei●her unto Virginity or c●●st widdow-●ood or honest and honourable marriage Now upon these words ●hose whom we have baptiz●d Vives comments t●us Least any man should mistake this place understand tha● in times of old no man was brought unto baptism but he was of s●fficient years to know what that mistical water meant and to require his baptism and that sundry times I hear that in some Cityes of Italy they do for the most part observe the antient Custome as yet And it is to be observed that in the Margent are two Notes the 1. is that this is the old manner of baptizing The 2 That all this is left out in the Paris Edition whence we may note how the writings of the Antients are abused and how ingeniously it is confessed Paedo-Baptism is not the old manner of baptizing And here we will insert some other testimonies from the learned Paedo-Baptists touching the Novelty of Infant baptism The first is out of Robertus Fabianus his Chron. 4. part in fol. 107. where he brings in Augustine the Monk speaking thus to the Brittain Bishops Since ye will not assent to my H●sts generally assent ye to me specially in three things the first is that ye keep Easter-day in due form and time as it is ordained The second THAT YE GIVE CHRIS●ENDOM TO CHILDREN c. But THEY WOULD NOT THEREOF This was about the fifth Age after Christ whence its remarkable that Infant bap●ism was then opposed by ●he joynt consent of the Brita●n Bish●ps which were sent to the Assembly to consul● the affairs of Religion at

THE Paedo-Baptists Apology FOR THE Baptized Churches Shewing The invalidity of the strongest grounds for Infant Baptism out of the works of the learned assertors of that tenent AND That the Baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins is a duty incumbent upon all sinners who come orderly to the profession of Christianity ALSO The Promise of the Spirit ●eing the substance of a Sermon on 1 Cor. 12. 1. To which is added A POST-SCRIPT Out of the works of Dr. Jer. Taylor in defence of imposition of hands as a never failing Ministery By Tho. Grantham Mr. Perkins on Gal. 3. 27. Baptism alone is no mark of Gods Child but Baptism joyned with Faith for so must the text be consideres All the Galations that believe are baptized into Christ Printed in the Year 1671. To the Reader Friend I Have a few things to say before thou read this ensuing Apology and first The occasion of it is from the late unkind usages which the Baptized Churches have received from the Paedo-Baptists by violently dispersing their Assemblies by defacing and taking away their meeting places by imprisoning their persons seizing and wasting their Estates by injuring them in their Trade by means of excommunications by Writs de Capiendo and other penall proceedings both confining their Persons and exposing them to great inconveniencies And all this only as I conceive for their conscionable observance of the will of God in Preaching the Gospel to sinners ●●r the obedience of faith and for adhearing to that form of Doctrine once deli●ered to the Saints Heb. 6. 1 2. In which Doct●ine and sufferings being through the mercy of God a pertaker with them I thought I might lawsully write an Apology for them or at least for the Truth professed by them And that I might the ●ore effectually do this I chose to speak ●o their advers●ries by the learned ●ens of their own Doctors 2. My design in writing this Apo●ogy is to abate if it may be that great enmity which hath appeared generally between the parties concerned and more perticularly that spirit of opposition and disresp●ct which too much appears in the more refined sort of the Paedo-Baptists against such as labor to reform or rather to restore the Doctrine of Baptism to its first integrity and estimation among all that profess the name of our Lord Jesus Christ under what Epethets or den●minations soever And me thinks th● truth should prevail with all that do consider the authority and force thereof to be such that men are constrained as it were to speak for it though to the overthrow of their dearest errours so that we may say their Rock is net as our Rock our enemies being judges 3. I have not injured the sense of my authours and where I have added any thing for explycation of any word or passage I have distingushed the same partly by a different Letter and partly by this Character nor have I said much in the Apology as indeed it was not necessary considering the evidence of the word of God for us and the Record which our opposers do bear in favour of our Cause and beside they that will may see what may be further said in the case depending if they please to peruse the Learned works of those of our way viz. Denn his Answer to Dr. Featley Tombs his Antipaedo-Baptist Fisher his Christianismus Rediv●vous and many others 4. The second part intitled Of the Promise of the Spirit I though fit to be annexed because Acts 2. 38 39. such as are Baptized with the Baptism of Repentance for Remission of fins have the promise of the Spirit made to them which being sought for in the way ordained of God shall be received according to his will for he is faithfull that promised Thy servant in Christ Tho. Grantham THE Paedo Baptists Apologie FOR The Baptized Churches c. THere is no point of the Christian Faith of greater importance in order to the composure of Divisions among such as conscientiously profess the Name of Christ then the Doctrine of holy Baptisme in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins for as many as have been Baptixed into Christ have put on Christ And where this foundation truth hath been neglected or essentially corrupted there hath ensued great disorder in Religion because the being of the Church as visible is so concern'd therein that there can be no orderly proceeding in any Church Act nor participation in any Church Priviledge where Sacred Baptisme is not Antecedent And though Reformation or rather the restoration of this Truth be hard to accomplish yet must we not be discouraged but still pursue all lawful and probable wayes to effect it in this as well as in other cases And the way which I have chosen to help on this needful work at this time is to shew that notwithstanding the discord in point of practice yet there is a very great concord in doctrine touching the main questions which concern this Heavenly Institution between the Paedo-Baptists and the Baptized Churces The questions are these 1. What are the Qualifications required of all such as are to be bapt●zed 2. What is the aue Act or right Form to be observed and done in this solemn rite of Baptisme Touching the first the doctrine of the Baptized Churches is well known namely That Repentance toward God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ are prerequisites to the baptisme of every sinner And to this agrees the holy Scripture with full consent ●aying Repent and be baptized every one of you They were all baptized confessing their sins When they beleived Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdome of God c. They were baptized both men and women many of the Corinthians hearing believe'd and were baptised And hence this holy Ordinance is well called the Laver of Regeneration the Baptisme of repentance fo●th● r●mis●ion of sins Now let us hear the doctrine of the Paedo-Baptists touching this question 1. The Church of England both in her Articles and vulgar Catechism delivers her mind clearly to this purpose that such repentance whereby sin is forsaken and such Faith as by which the promises of God are stedfastly beleived is required of persons meaning all persons which are to be baptized and that in Baptism Faith is confirmed c. 2. M● Perkins a Learned Son of ●he same Church upon these words ●each all Nations baptizeing them saith I explain the words thus mark first of all it is said Teach them that is make them my Disciples by calling them to believe and to repent Here we are to consider the order which God observes in makeing with man the Covenant in Baptism first of all he calls them by his word and commands them to beleive and repent then in the second place God makes his promise of mercy and forgiveness and thirdly he feals his promise by Baptism they that know not nor consider this order which God used in Covenanting with them in