Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	believe_v	church_n	tell_v	2,230	5	6.0616	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45244	A treatise concerning the covenant and baptism dialogue-wise, between a Baptist & a Poedo-Baptist wherein is shewed, that believers only are the spirituall seed of Abraham, fully discovering the fallacy of the argument drawn from the birth priviledge : with some animadversions upon a book intituled Infant-baptism from heaven and not of men, defending the practise of baptizing only believers against the exceptions of M. Whiston / by Edward Hutchinson.	Hutchinson, E. M. (Edward Moss)	1676 (1676)	Wing H3829; ESTC R40518	127,506	243

subject and so soon lose the grounds So that I must give this short but true Character of Mr. Baxter and his late Book that he hath written neither with that gravity that became his Age with that Sobriety that became his profession nor with that modesty that became any tolerable Education And since he so much forgets himself I must tell him that that Gentleman Mr. Danvers whom he so insolently despises is to say no more his Superior a person of known worth piety and integrity and one whom God hath chosen to bear witness to his truth at that very time when he a Learned Scribe is shaken with every wind and scruples not to change his Judgement for and against things as the stream of outward success doth guide and influence them I shall now conclude with Mr. Baxter's Opinion of the Anabaptists when his heat is over he saith thus in his last Book There two sorts of Anabaptists amongst us the one are sober Godly Christians who when they are Re-baptized to satisfie their Consciences live amongst us in Christian love and peace And I shall be ashamed if I love not them as heartily and own them not as peacably as any of them shall do either me or better men than I that differ from them The other sort hold it unlawful to hold Communion with such as are not of their mind and way and are Schismatically Troublesome and Vnquiet in labouring to encrease their party I hope all the pious Anabaptists do virtually though not actually devote their Children to God and Consent to their Covenant-relation while they vehemently plead against it for surely they have so much natural Affection that if they did think that God would be a God in a special Covenant with their Children and pardon their Original Sin and give them right to future Life upon the Parents dedication and consent they would undoubtedly accept the gift and be thankful And I believe most of them would say I would do all that God entrusteth me to do that my Child may be a Child of God and accept any Mercy from him as far as God doth authorize me so to do page 188 199. Indeed my Judgement was and is that the point of Infant-Baptism hath its considerable difficulties which may occasion Wise and Good men to doubt or to be mistaken in it page 219. Therefore I never took the point of it to have such weight as that all that differed from me in it must be denyed either love liberty or communion If I know my own heart I do as heartily love a sober Godly man that is against Infant-Baptism as I do such men that differ from me in other Controversies and much better than one of my own Judgement who hath less Piety and Sobriety Nor do I think there is so much Malignity in the bare Opinion which denyeth Infant Baptism as that all the Anabaptists miscarriages should arise from the nature of that Opinion Ibid. I know that in the Ancient Churches men were left at Liberty both when t●● would be Baptized themselves and when their Children should be Baptized and though Infant-baptism was without any Original since the Apostles yet it was not a forced thing And were it in my power it should be so still I would not deny Christian-love nor Church communion nor publique Encouragements to any pious peaceable man for being an Anabaptist I am not therefore half so Zealous to turn men from Anabaptistry as I am to perswade both them and others to live together with mutual forbearance in Love and Church-communion notwithstanding such differences page 221. I make no question but many of them are far better men than I and knowing my self lyable to Error c. I am far more offended at their Separation than their Opinion page 228. I know not by any Scripture or Reason that Re-baptizing is so hainous a sin as should warrant us to contemn at our Brethren page 233. By which you see Mr. Baxter is not so much offended with the Anabaptists as their Separation To which we say Let Mr. Baxter by his Elaborate Systems and subtil Distinctions first convince the P●edo-Baptists of their error herein as the Independants and others and especially his Friend Mr. Wills who though he hath Written so much for Infant-Baptism yet 't is well known he is a wide Separatist May not the Church of Rome cry out against Mr. Baxter for his Separation Might not the Church of England do so formerly And may they not still yea Mr. Baxter also cry out against Mr. Wills and his party and say they are Rigid Independents and Separatists What means then all this Out-cry against the Antipaedo Baptists unless they would have us believe that they are such Universal Dictators as have Authority over Faith and are Infallibly inspired to propound Rules for all others that when they Separate we must and where they have Communion so must we Now if Mr. Baxter will vouchsafe to do Two Things 1. Tell us of what Church he is of 2. Prove that Church to be rightly Constituted according to the Primitive Pattern We will not then Separate from him In the mean time we judge it our duty whereunto we have already attained to Walk by the same Rule And if any be otherwise-minded we hope the Lord will in time reveal it unto them Amen FINIS ANIMADVERSIONS Upon a Late Book Intituled INFANT-BAPTISM From HEAVEN and not of MEN In Answer to Mr. Henry Danvers his Treatise of BAPTISM WHEREIN Believers Baptism in Opposition to Infants pretended Baptism is further Vindicated and Confirmed And that Believers only are the Spiritual Seed of Abraham is also further Evidenced against the Exceptions of Mr. Joseph Wh●ston By E. H. Non adeo perdite confidens sum ut ausim aliqu●d affirmare quod Sacra Scriptura silentio praeterit Theodoret. i. e. I am not so desperately confident that I dare affirm any thing which the Holy Scripture doth pass by in silence Grace doth not run in a Blood neither is the love of God Tyed or Entailed upon any Linage of Men Caryl on Job cap. 5. The Preface to the READER Courteous Reader THe Delay of the Fore-going Treatise in the Printer's hands gave me Opportunity to peruse and briefly to Animadvert upon Mr. Whiston's Book wherein I find a promising Title and very little more To Trace him in all his Meandrous Digressions would be an Argument I want other Business The main strength of his Objections is in the said Treatise fully Enervated and I do not think my self concerned to pursue him when he insists upon matters besides the Question in Debate His Exceptions touching the matter of Antiquity are substantially answered by Mr. Danvers yet shall be briefly glanced upon here I shall not now Dispute whether it be Generously done by Mr. Whiston to assail with so much Violence one that 's already beset with such clamarous Adversaries as Mr. Baxter and Mr. Wills But he gives the Curious some occasion

in as much as he that hath builded the house hath more honour then the house Moses was faithful as a servant but Christ as a son over his own house whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence c. where the servants are also described they are belivers not infants hence they are also called living stones and a spiritual house 1 Pet. 2.3 And that none but such are of this houshold appears in that Christ the great Master of this house is compared to a king travelling into a far Country who called his servants all his servants and delivered unto them his goods that is Certain Talents to improve Math. 25.14 15. which cannot be supposed to be delivered to infants while they want the use of reason for these ●alents are presently to be improv'd and laid out not laid up So again Christ is compared to a house-keeper who made a great supper and invited his guests but they were not infants because the first that were invited made excuses The next are compeld to come in which supposes an unwillingness in the parties and that they were persons capable to consent or deny The summe of all is that the old house the Jewish Church with all the appurtenances and priviledges of it is pulled down and a new one built into which infants are not admitted because not invited nor appointed by any law They were of the houshold of old but it was by a positive law shew us the like now or you say nothing Sure I am there is no institution that makes infants now fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God Neither are they so to be accounted till they believe and are able to do service in the house And if you say that amongst men infants are counted of the houshold though they can do no service I answer that comparison does not run upon four feet it doth not follow that because we count our infants of our family therefore they are to be accounted members of Gods family the Gospel Church unless God by any institution had made them so The houshold of God is called the houshold of faith do good unto all especially the houshold of faith or a house consisting of believers now unless you prove your infants to be believers they are not of this house For all the servants here must be believers either really or Historically and professedly which infants cannot be And it will not help you to say the Church was or may be called the houshould of faith synecdochically from the greatest part for it is evident all the materialls of the first Churches were adult persons and professed believers as appears by the narrative we have in the Acts of the Apostles the direction of all the Epistles and divers Scriptures Besides it may so happen that the infants may be the greatest part of a Congregation and then where is your houshold of faith Poed But Mr. Wills tells us that Mr. Baxter saith That Infant Church membership did take place as an ordinance of God before Circumcision was enjoyned or the Ceremonial law instituted and why then should it cease with it It was no part of the typical administration but a moral institution of God even from the beginning of the world God ever made a distinction between the seed of the faithful and the seed of the wicked as visibly belonging to several kingdomes of God and of Satan Mal. 2.15 Therefore they are called a holy seed Wills pag. 54. Bap. Here is vox praeterea nihil 'T is true Mr. Baxter saith so but if it be warrant enough for Mr. Wills to believe it it is not for me It is strange of what authority some mens words are when they have got the estimation of Orthodox and pious and we have no great cause to wonder at the implicite faith of the Church of Rome when an ipse dixit from an English oracle commands such credit and vassals us to their raw and undigested dictates But let us examine this assertion He saith that Infant Church-membership did take place as an ordinance of God before Circumcision c. But where is that ordinance why are we not directed to some place of Scripture where we may find it Did God make Mr. Baxter of his Cabinet Councel and reveal it to him and no body else Or in what Ancient father did he find it Did any one ever say so before him 2. He saith that it was no part of the typical Administration but a moral institution of God c. I answer there hath been enough said to prove the fallacy and novelty of this position Therefore I referr you to what hath been written But he saith it is a moral institution We still demand where we shall find that institution or else wee 'l say Mr. Baxter is wise above what is written 3. He saith God ever made a distinction between the seed of the faithful and the seed of the wicked But what distinction Did God single them out and separate them by any visible sign or character before the law of Circumcision It is evidently known he did not Or did God distinguish them by his providential care of them or provision for them more then others The Scripture is silent as to this also Or did God love them with a saving love more then the children of unbelievers This seems to be his meaning because of his next words as visibly belonging to several kingdoms of God and Satan But is it so Did all the children of believers from Adam to Abraham belong to the kingdom of God and all the children of unbelievers belong to the kingdom of the Devil If it be Mr. Baxters Divinity or M. Wills charity it shall be none of mine But he thinks to salve all with the word visibly But pray when the sons of God took the Daughters of men and all flesh had corcupted its ways to what kingdom did they belong Did not the seed of believers grow prophane and wicked and the seed of unbelievers pious and Godly as appears in divers even Abraham himself whose father was an Idolater as is probably supposed he himself being bred up in Idolatry But Mr. Baxter hath some Scripture for his warrant and it is Mal. 2.15 that he might seek a godly seed But he that can find infants Church-membership in this text and that the seed of believers did always belong visibly to the kingdom of God and all others to the kingdom of the Devil erit mihi magnus Apollo What though God says he that s●ught a godly feed therefore let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth implying that children born in lawful wedlock are this Godly seed Let none whether believer or unbeliever unless you hold that children of unbelivers may not be a godly seed But these are such Non sequiturs that it is in vain to spend further time about them So that the Morality of Infants Church-membership is a very fancy And that