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authority_n	book_n	canonical_a	church_n	4,924	5	5.1670	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85959	A mirrour for Anabaptists in three rational discourses that may put the blush upon them, viz. 1. Pædobaptism defended and justified. 2. Anabaptism plainly confuted. 3. Some valid and suasory reasons to draw them from the errour of their way, to re-embrace the truth which they have deserted, and to return to the church of God from which they have departed. / By Thomas Gery ...	Gery, Thomas, d. 1670?	1660 (1660)	Wing G619A; Thomason E1892_3; ESTC R232259	17,498	58

discipled or taught and so put into a capacity and susceptibility of the Sacrament of Baptism and all in that Nation have a title unto it whereof Infants are a considerable Party whose Incapacity of teaching doth not make them uncapable of Baptism because while they remain Infants they are not included among those that are to be taught For our Saviour did not send his Disciples to teach Infants but men of years And therefore the teaching pre-required as antecedent to Baptism is necessarily required only of men of years that be docible and not of Infants that are indocible So that we acknowledge a necessity of a praevious precedaneous teaching before Baptism of docible persons but not of Infants because they are capable of Baptism though not of teaching I know that protervious and peevish Spirits are able and apt enough to cavil at any truth be it never so clear and so its probable will cavil at the interpretation of this place of Scripture But the indifferent Reader may discern it to be both can did and consonant to other Texts for no where in Scripture is there any exception against this general Command of battizing all Nations that embrace the Gospel amongst which Infants are a considerable party as was said before And therefore where the Gospel is preached and embraced there Infants of that Nation are to be baptized by vertue of that command For a general Command in Scripture to perform any duty appertaines to all persons of what condition soever unless in the same Scripture some exception be added whereas in this case there is no any A Second Argument may be th● testimony of the ancient Fathers o● the Church who affirm it to be a● Apostolick Tradition and so of the same authority and credibility with other Apostolick Traditions such as these The Apostles Creed Th● change of the Sabbath from the la●● day of the week to the first an● what Books of Scripture are Canon●cal and what Apocryphal Whic● Assertions being received by th● Church as Apostolick Tradition● are and ever have been acknowled●ed and embraced as undoubt●● Truths though they be not in t●minis word for word expressed i● Scripture And so in like manner hath Infant-Baptism as leaning upon the same ground with them so that the Anabaptists may as well question the truth of the Apostles Creed an● the sanctification of the first day of the week for the Sabbath and the Canon of Scripture as the lawfulness of Infant-Baptism in that they 〈◊〉 lean upon one and the same foundation i. e. Apostolick Tradition which was ever held by the Churches of God to be of authentical authority next unto Scripture it self For though the Reformed Churches disclaim Popish Humane Traditions as mens Inventions yet these Apostolick Traditions they receive and reverence as unquestionable Truths Now that the ancientest Fathers as Dionysius Areopagita Justin Martyr Origen St. Augustine with many others have witnessed Paedo-Baptism to have been accounted and received as a Tradition Apostolical neither can nor is denied by the Learnedest Anabaptists But yet they will not give credence to their testimony hereof which how void of Charity it is to censure such renowned Doctors as reporters of an untruth especially in matters of Religion I leave it to be considered of by all persons of understanding Arg. 3 A Third Argument may be the constant practice of Infant-Baptism by all Christian Churches from the very next age after the Apostles to this present age This was witnessed by Dionysius who lived in the Apostles time and Ignatius and Justin Martyr and Iraeneus and Origen This is proved at large by many learned men who of late have written of this Subject and therefore I will supersede the labour of rehearsing the particular proofs thereof especially considering that the most learned of the Adversaries of this truth do not deny this but yet condemn it as an errour and a very pernicious abuse needful to be taken away out of the Church of God as is to be seen in Mr. Tombes his Antipedo-Baptism in the 3d Part and Section the 98 about the middle of the Section which is a presumptuous censure unfit for any particular man to pass against the Church Now this practice of Paedo-Baptism by the Universal Church of Christ in all ages and places is an Argument irrefragable and unanswerable to prove the lawfulness of it For the Church is the ground and pillar of truth so saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 3.16 Particular Churches may erre both in judgment and practise but the Universal Church cannot erre in any important point of Faith such as this is because of Christs promise to it both of protection and direction in several Texts as Mat. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway even to the end of the world which could not be meant only of the Apostles as who could not live to the end of the world but of necessity of the whole Catholick Church And John 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall send you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of truth And again John 16.13 He promiseth his Disciples again to send them the Spirit of truth which should guide them into all truth Seeing therefore the Universal Church for many ages and those next succeeding the Apostles have allowed and practised Infant-Baptism no intelligent godly Christian may oppose it without manifest contempt of the sentence and judgment of the Catholick Church which whose will not hear is to be accounted as a heathen man and a publican Mat. 18.17 If some particular Churches only had practised it the Legality of it might have been questioned but seeing all Churches for many ages did practile it the legality of it is thereby made unquestionable A Fourth Argument may be the Circumcision of Infants in the time of the Jewish Church Arg. 4 For if Baptism be the Sacrament now under the Gospel that succeeds the Jewish Circumcision which is abolished then by the rule of analogy and proportion and parity that is betwixt them to whom Circumcision belonged under the Law to those Baptism belongs under the Gospel But Baptism is the Sacrament now under the Gospel that succeeds and comes in place of the Jewish Circumcision Which is most apparent from Col. 2.11 12. Where the Apostle proves that the Collossians were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ being buried with him in Baptism that is because they were baptized in or into his name for else the Apostles argumentation were inconsequent if Baptism did not come in place of Circumcision for in affirming they were circumcised because they were baptized he declares Baptisme to come in room of Circumcision Hence therefore it followes that as Infants were to be circumcised in the time of the Law so Infants are to be baptized under the

of our Saviour Christ working by them And for the Martyrs in Queen Maries daies Mr. Fox in his History of them recordeth many speeches uttered by them which were manifest evidences of Gods divine Graces and Comforts in an extraordinary measure and manner conferred and breathed upon them And therefore to censure both these and all other Christian Professors in the world besides themselves to be without God in the world sets a shameful brand of Pharisaical pride and uncharitableness upon them And is enough to make both the ears of all that hear it to tingle and their hearts to boil with indignation against them and divers wise and godly persons wonder that they are not more strictly dealt withal and restrained this and some others of their gross hallucinations and errours and presumptuous and irregular extravagancies and Practises considered A second Reason that I shall offer to their consideration is this Reas 2 Their presumptuous confidence in their own Opinions and Judiciousness preferring the same before the wisdom and judgment of millions of eminently Learned and Godly Christians and many of them Martyrs who lived before them and that in all ages even next to the Apostles as hath been formerly declared This is contrary to the prescript Rules Directions and Sanctions of the holy Scripture as in Prov. 3.7 Be not wise in thine own eyes And Prov. 26.12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool than of him Esay 5.21 Wo unto them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight Luke 9.23 If any man will come after me let him deny himself Which self-denial in one point of it consists in the denial of a mans own reason and wisdom Rom. 12.6 Be not wise in your own conceit It s not to be questioned but that the Christians of the Primitive Church and the Learned holy Fathers that succeeded them who were main and strenuous Props and Pillars of the true Christian Faith in defence thereof against the Heresies of those times as also the modern learned and illustrious Divines the late Reformers of Religion Luther Zuinglius Melancthon Peter Martyr Calvin Junius Beza Zanchy Chemnitius with many such of other Nations and those Renowned Pious and Learned Divines of our own Nation that lived but a few years since as Cranmer a Bishop and a Martyr Jewel Whittaker Reighnolds Andrews Perkins Bishop Usher Bishop Hall Hooker with thousands more who were Divines of singular and transcendent piety and Learning It 's not to be questioned I say but that these men did seriously and searchingly and throughly sift and examine this Point of Infant-Baptism yet concluded for it and owned it to the last period of their lives without any scruple at all And is it likely that a few Illiterate Persons I speak it comparatively namely in respect of those so profoundly Learned before-named should espy out such an errour to be crept into Gods Church as they were never able to discover Oh be humbled now in your selves all ye self-conceited and perverse Anabaptists and lay your hands upon your mouths and deny your selves if ye will be Christs Disciples as ye would be accounted And take unto you these or the like words and say as the truth is Alas we are weak men and far inferiour to those renowned Worthies and glorious Martyrs now mentioned both in Learning Perspicacity Judgment True Zeal and Piety and therefore we do acquiesce and submit to the Judgment and Sentence of those Learned Judicious and illustrious holy Ones of God so far excelling us in all divine Graces and Vertues And the rather to bend you hereunto remember how St. Peter hath set this Presumption and self-conceitedness as a black Brand upon the Hereticks of these last times in 2 Pet. 2.10 Where he speaks thus of them That they are presumptuous and stand in their own conceit and fear not to speak evil of them that are in Authority And therefore it stands you in hand to beware that you wear not this Reproachful Livery A Third Reason may be this Reas 3 Because they give great offence to many Godly Christians by separating themselves from the Congregations of the Reformed Churches which is repugnant to the Doctrine of the holy Scritpures as is evident by these Texts 1 Cor. 10.32 Give no offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God And Rom. 16.17 Now I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which we have learned and avoid them Herein they proclaim themselves to be such vain ostentators as God complains of Esay 65.5 Who said stand by thy self come not near to me for I am holier than thou and yet they were a smoak in Gods Nose and a fire that burned all the day as in the next words God himself pronounceth against them Hereby also they declare themselves to be such Mockers as St. Jude foretold should appear in these last times in the 18 and 19 v. of his Epistle in that they thus separate themselves from other godly Christians for these be they saith he that separate themselves If they shall say that it is an offence taken and not given It s answered that its the unanimous sentence and judgment of all Learned and Orthodox Divines both ancient and modern and amply justifiable by Scripture that neither corruption in manners in a particular Church nor errours in matters of Ceremony Circumstance or in the manner of Church-Government are a sufficient ground or warrant for any particular persons to desert it and make separation from it but it must be some errour in the Fundamentals of Religion that will justifie a separation from any particular Church Now the Church of England is not culpable or chargeable in the least measure of errour in any one particular Tenet that strikes at the Foundation of Christian Belief as I doubt not but they will ingeniously confess And therefore their separation from the Church of England is an offence given by them and not an offence taken by us who profess our selves Members of the said Church I wonder that the example of our blessed Saviour is no more minded and regarded by them who never refused to joyn himself to the Congregations of the People of the Jews though they were guilty of more foul errours and gross abuses by many degrees than the Church of England is And it s very apparent from St. Pauls Epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians that neither errours which are not fundamental nor corruption in Manners will warrant a separation from any Church seeing he acknowledgeth and owneth both these as the Churches of God albeit he taxeth them both both for palpable errours and foul misdemeanors as is evident in the said Epistles and such as were more gross and dangerous errours that any the Church of England holds Reas 4 A Fourth Reason shall be this Because their Sect hath hatched several Broods of