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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47744	Five discourses by the author of The snake in the grass viz. On water baptism, episcopacy, primitive heresie of the Quakers, reflections on the Quakers, a brief account of the Socinian trinity ; to which is added a preface to the whole.; Selections. 1700	Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.	1700 (1700)	Wing L1133; ESTC R1214	55,897	120

But the Apostles did practise Water-baptism therefore Water-baptism was that Baptism which Christ commanded Matth. xxviii 19. III. And as the Practise of the Apostles is a most sure Rule whereby to understand the meaning of that Command which they put in execution so the Practise of those who immediately succeeded the Apostles who were Cotemporaries with them and learn'd the Faith from their Mouths is as certain a Rule to know what the Practise and what the Sense of the Apostles were And thus the Practise of the present Age in the Administration of Water-baptism is an undeniable Evidence that this was the Practise of the last Age the same Persons being many of them alive in both the last and the present Age. For one Age does not go off the World all at once and another succeed all of perfect Age together but there are old Men of the last Age and young Men and Children growing up to another Age all alive upon the Earth the same time and Mankind being dispersed into far distant Countries and Climates who know not of one another nor hold any Correspondence It is by these means morally impossible for any Man or Men to deceive us in what has been the Vniversal and Receiv'd Practise of the last Age to which the present Age is so linked that it is even a part of it I say it is impossible for all the Fathers of the World to be suppos'd willing or if they were to be capable of imposing upon all younger than themselves namely That they had been all Baptized and that this was an universal receiv'd Custom and of which Registers were always kept in every Parish of all who had been from time to time Baptized and that such Registers were publick and to be recurr'd to by all that had a mind to it Every Man's reason will tell him that it is utterly impossible for such a thing to pass upon Mankind And as certainly as the present Age is thus assur'd of the Practise of the last Age in a Thing of so publick and universal a nature so certainly and by the same Rules must the last Age know the Practise of the Age before that and so backward all the way to the first Institution to the Age of Christ and the Apostles The publick nature of this Water-baptism as now practised being an outward matter of Fact of which Men's outward Senses their Eyes and Ears are Judges not like Matters of Opinion which sort of Tares may be privately sown and long time propagated without any remarkable Discovery and to this so publick matter of Fact adding the universal Practise of it through all the far distant Nations of Christianity I say these two Marks make it impossible for the World to be impos'd upon nor was it ever or ever can be impos'd upon in any such publick Matter of Fact so universally practised All this makes it undeniably plain That the last Age did practise the same outward Water-baptism which is practis'd in this Age and that the same was as certainly practis'd in the Age before the last Age and by the same Rule in the Age before that and so onward as abovesaid to the Age of the Apostles I have made more Words of this than needed but I wou'd render it exceeding plain considering with whom I have to do And I beseech them to consider That all the Authority which they have to Over-ballance all these Demonstrations is the mad Enthusiasm of a Lay-Apostle George Fox a Mechanick so Illiterate that he was hardly Master of Common Sense nor cou'd write English or any other Language and started up amongst us in the Year 1650 the Age of Schism and Rebellion and Damn'd as Apostates all Ages since the Apostles In all of which no One cou'd be found before G. Fox to bear their Testimony against this Water-baptism tho' it was constantly and universally practised and that Christians were then so Zealous as to contend against the least Variation or Corruption of the Faith even unto Death and the most cruel sort of Martyrdom Can any Man imagin that if Water-baptism were a Human Invention or Superstitiously either Continu'd or Obtruded upon the Church no One shou'd be found for 1650 Years to open his Mouth against it when Thousands sacrific'd their Lives for Matters of much less Importance But I have over-labour'd this Point to any Man who will give himself leave to make use of his Reason Therefore I will proceed to the next Section SECT III. That Baptism must be Outward and Visible because it is an Ordinance appointed whereby to Initiate Men into an Outward and Visibly Society which is the Church THere goes no more towards the proving of this than to shew First That the Church is an Outward and Visible Society 2dly That Baptism was appointed and us'd for Initiating or Admitting Men into the Church First That the Church is an Outward and Visible Society Our Saviour calls it A City that is set on a Hill Matth. v. 14. The Quakers themselves are an Outward and Visible Society and so are all those who bear the Name of Churches upon Earth They cou'd not otherwise be Churches For that implies a Society of People and every Society in the World is an Outward and Visible Thing And as it is so has an Outward and Visible Form of admitting Men into it For otherwise it wou'd not be known who are Members of it Every Society is Exclusive of all others who are not of that Society otherwise it cou'd not be a Society For that supposes the Men of that Society to be thereby distingushed from other Men And that supposes as much that there must be some Outward and Visible Form whereby to Initiate Men and intitle them to be Members of such a Society otherwise it cou'd not be known who were Members of it and who were not and it wou'd thereby ipso facto cease to be a Society for it cou'd not then be distinguish'd from the rest of Mankind as a River is lost in the Sea because it is no longer distinguished from it but goes to make up a part of it From hence it appears that the Church being an Outward and Visible Society must have some Outward and Visible Form to Initiate Men and make them Members of that Society 2dly That Baptism was that Outward Form All the several Baptisms that were before Christ's were all meant for Initiating Forms The Jews had a Custom long before Christ to Initiate the Proselites or Converts to their Religion not only by Circumcision but by Baptizing or Washing them with Water The same was the meaning of John's Baptism to make Men his Disciples And the same was the meaning of Christ's Baptism to initiate Men into the Christian Religion and make them Disciples of Christ. Hence Baptizing Men and making them Disciples mean the same thing Thus John iv 1. it is said That Jesus made and baptized more Disciples than John That is he baptized them Disciples which

the Jews writing against some Dissenters amongst the Quakers asserts the Authority of the Church very high and the Power of the Elders in the Church p. 13. and presses that Text Matth. xviii 17. Tell it unto the Church to extend to Matters of Faith and Worship as well as to Private Injuries or Offences amongst Christians That Christ says he as well gave His Church Power to Reject as to Try Spirits is not hard to prove That notable Passage Go tell the Church does it to our hand For if in case of private Offences betwixt Brethren the Church is made Absolute Judge from whom there is no Appeal in this World how much more in any the least case that concerns the NATURE BEING FAITH and WORSHIP of the Church her self But the Case was quite alter'd when he came to Answer that same Text as urged against the Quakers by the Church which he does in his Address to Protestants p. 152 153 154. of the Second Edition in Octavo printed 1692. And then that Text does not relate at all to Faith or Worship but only to private Injuries For having deny'd the Authority of the Church in Matters of Faith he puts the Objection thus against himself But what then can be the meaning of Christ's Words Go tell the Church Very well I Answer says he p. 153. 'T is not about Faith but Injury that Christ speaks and the place explains it self which is this Moreover if thy Brother shall TRESPASS against THEE go and tell him his FAULT between thee and him alone Here is Wrong not Religion Injustice not Faith or Conscience concern'd as some would have it to maintain their Church-Power The words TRESPASS and FAULT prove abundantly that He only meant Private and Personal Injuries and that not only from the common and undeniable signification and use of the words TRESPASS and FAULT but from the way Christ directs and commands for Accommodation viz. That the Person wronged speak to him that commits the Injury alone if that will not do that he take one or two with him But no Man can think that if it related to FAITH or WORSHIP I ought to Receive the Judgment of one or two or three for a sufficient Rule Therefore it cannot relate to Matters of FAITH and Scruples of CONSCIENCE but PERSONAL and PRIVATE INJURIES Thus he But tho' the Judgment of one two or three is not of it self a sufficient Rule none ever said it was yet may not one two or three ADMONISH one another even in Matters of Faith and Worship as well as of Private Injuries and in case of Refractoriness and Obstinacy bring the Cause before the Church Lev. xix 17. Thou shalt in any wise Rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Yet was not the Judgment of every Man a sufficient Rule to his Neighbour And our Saviour's commanding to bring the Cause finally before the Church shews plainly that the Judgment of the one two or three was not meant for a sufficient Rule that is the ultimate Decision But in Answer to Mr. Penn's Argument That this Text Tell it unto the Church was meant only of Private Injuries I shall repeat but his own words before quoted and grant that as it was meant of Private Injuries so as Mr. Penn very well infers How much more in any the least Case that concerns the Nature Being Faith and Worship of the Church her self But to return The fifth Article in that Enumeration of Fundamentals Heb. vi 1 2. is The Resurrection of the Dead which the Quakers do likewise deny as it is fully prov'd in The Snake in the Grass Par. 2. Sect. 13. The last is that of Eternal Judgment which depends upon the former and may be made one with it and is likewise deny'd by the Quakers that is turn'd into Hymeneus and Philetus's Sense of an Inward only and Spiritual Resurrection or Judgment perform'd within us I have frequently heard Quakers say that they expected no other Resurrection or future Judgment than what they had attain'd already that is the Resurrection of Christ or the Light and the Judgment or Condemnation of Sin in their Hearts George Whitehead in his Book call'd The Nature of Christianity c. printed 1671 p. 29 thus ridicules it Dost thou says he to his Opponent look for Christ as the Son of Mary to Appear outwardly in a Bodily Existence to save thee if thou dost thou mayst look until thy Eyes drop out before thou wilt see such an Appearance of him And now what Wonder is it that these should throw off Baptism who have likewise thrown off all the other Fundamentals which are reckon'd with it in this Text VII But let us hence observe and beware of Neglecting or Despising the Outward Institutions of God because these depending upon the Authority of God no less than the Inward and Spiritual rejecting of the one overthrows the Obligation and Sanction of the whole and is a rejecting of God the Institutor who in His just Judgment suffers those to lose the one that think themselves too good for the other Men were made Partakers of Christ to come by the Sacrifices which were appointed as Types of Him under the Law So now are we Partakers of Him who is come by the Sacraments which He has appointed in Remembrance of Him under the Gospel And as those who neglected or despis'd the Sacrifices when they might be had from the Legal Priests according to God's Institution were made liable to Death and did forfeit their Title to the Participation of Christ the Archi-Type So those who neglect or despise the Sacraments which he has commanded as the Means of Grace and of our Inward Participation of Him under the Gospel do thereby justly forfeit their Title to such Participation For if we will not take God's Way we have no Promise nor Reason to secure us in the following of our own Inventions SECT XI The Quaker-Objection That there are no Signs under the Gospel I. THE Quakers throw off all Outward Institutions as not only Vseless but Hurtful to the Christian Religion which they pretend consists not only chiefly which is granted to them but solely in the Inward and Spiritual Part. They say That all Figures and Signs are Shadows and that when Christ who is the Substance is come the others cease of course That they have attain'd to Christ the Substance and therefore these Shadows are of no use to them That Baptism and the Lord's Supper are some of these Shadows and these were Indulging to the Early and Weak Christians but that the Quakers who have stronger Participations of the Spirit are got beyond these Beggarly Elements c. II. A Key c. by W. P. Printed 1694. C. 10. of Water-Baptism and the Supper P. 24. This is settl'd as a Foundation-Principle That no Figures or Signs are perpetual or of Institution under the Gospel-Administration when Christ who is the Substance is come though their Vse might