which law is morall and perpetuall as all grant Prove that any ought to be compelled by the gospel That which Iosiah did agreeably to the morall law bindeth us under the gospel for Christ in the gospel both repeateth and confirmeth this commandement of loving the Lord with all our heart and all our soul calling it the first and great commandement Mat. 22. 37. 38. Therefore our princes are as much bound as Iosiah was to compell their subjects to serve the true God Yet farther to give you satisfaction I will prove that it is agreeable to the new law to compell men to come to church and hear Gods word and receive the sacraments for this Christ teacheth in the parable recorded by S. Luke chap. 14. 23. Of a King who made a great supper and bade many guests and when they made excuses he said to his servant gâ—e to the high-ways and hedges and compell them to come in that my house may be full To this nothing being answered D. Featley proceeded in his argument Besides this command in the parable thus I prove that you ought to come to our churches the Apostle commandeth Rom. 13. 1. Let every soul be subject to the higher powers and Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have the over-sight of you and submit your selvs for they watch for your souls c. To which if we adde those places in 1 Tim. 2. 2. and 1 Pet. 2. 13. 14. An undeniable argument may be framed to convince your conscience after this manner All lawfull superiours either temporall or spirituall commanding lawfull things are to be obeyed But your lawfull superiours in church and common-wealth require you to come to our church which I proved to be a true church of Christ. Ergo you ought to obey them and you sin against God by your disobedience to lawfull authority if you come not The word of God doth not command us to come to your steeple-houses the King hath nothing to doe to command us in that kind The King hath power to command you in all things that are lawfull and not repugnant to Gods word indeed if he should command any thing against Gods word you ought rather to obey God than man by the example of the Apostle in the Acts 4. 19. But it is a thing lawfull and no way repugnant to Gods word but most agreeable thereunto to come to our steeple-houses as you call them where the servants of God assemble on the Lords day and other times to worship him in spirit and truth Ergo the King hath power to command you to come to our church The King makes an Idoll of the church where doth Christ command us to come to it Where he commandeth us to hear the word preached for in our church the word of God is preached and therefore there we ought to hear it I am not so averse but if one of our society should preach in Olaves or Mary Overis church I would hear them I would come where the church is gathered for therein I obey Christ. Then you will hear none but one'of your society as if your societie were the true church and none of the true church but those of your society I have proved already that we have a true church among us but you have none For where there are no lawfull pastors nor flocks there is not a true church But amongst you there are not lawfull pastors nor flocks Ergo no true church We have amongst us lawfull Pastours There are no lawfull Pastors but those who are sent Ro. 10. 15. No man ought to assume unto himself that honour but he that is called as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. all Presbyters are to be made by imposition of hands 1 Tim. 4. 14. 5. 22. 2 Tim. 1. 6. But your Pastors have no sending no calling no imposition of hands on them Ergo you have no lawfull pastors None amongst us teach but they have Ordination for they are elected examined and proved Have you imposition of hands of the Presbytery Wee are not bound to tell you if you will come to our Church you may see I pray you M. Doctor come to the point how prove you the Baptisme of Children to be lawfull by the Word of God It seems you will willingly fall upon no other point but this of Anabaptism which heresy was condemned neer fifteen hundred years ago Here after a long space the Scotchman puts in a word saying Not sixteen hundred years ago If it were but a thousand it is long enough being condemned by the whole Christian Church Greek and Latin Sir that is neither here nor there you know what the woman of Samaria said Joh. 4. Our father 's worshipped in this mountain and ye say that at Ierusalem is the place where men ought to worship they continued in an error above 2000 years You are mistaken in your chronology for there were not 2000 years between Iacob and Christ. But to let that your errour passe the Samaritans indeed were in an errour a long time but this is no errour but a doctrine of truth that children ought to be baptized There are three sorts of arguments of great force with all understanding men the first and chiefest from 1. Scripture 2. From consent of the universall church 3. From evident reason I will produce all these for the baptisme of children We desire to have it proved by scripture Our proofs out of scripture are of two sorts some probable some necessarie First probable as where it is said in the Acts 16. 33. that the Apostle baptized the Gaoler with all that belonged to him and Lydia and her houshold Acts. 16. 15. and 1 Cor. 1. 16. that he baptized the houshold of Stephanas and in a whole houshold in all probabilitie there were some children I cannot tell that let 's hear your necessary proofe out of Gods word There is as good ground reason or warrant for the baptizing of children now as there was of old for circumcising them But of old children were to be circumcised many plain places there are where that was commanded Ergo now by the same warrant they are to be baptized We denie that there is the same warrant or ground now for the baptizing of children that there was of old for the circumcising of them For there is an expresse command for circumcising of children but there is none for the baptizing of any but those who can hear the word preached Mat. 28. Go teach and baptize 1. That which circumcision was in the old law to the Jews that is baptisme now to us the sacrament of entrance into the church for so St. Austine and all sound divines hold that our sacrament of baptisme answereth theirs of circumcision as the sacrament of the Lords supper doth their Paschall Lamb. 2.
Apostles without a precept doth not necessarily binde the Church as may be proved by many instances for Christ washed his disciples feet before his supper and he administred it at night and to twelve men onely and no women yet we are not bound so to do In the Apostles dayes widows were maintained to serve the Church at the publike charge yet we are not bound to have such Likewise the first Christians sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men and lived together and had all things common Acts 2. 44. yet are not we obliged so to do Secondly The reason is not alike at the beginning Christians had no Churches nor Fonts in them and therefore they were constrained to Baptize in such places where were store of waters besides the climat of Iudea is far better then ours and men in riper yeers that were converted to the Christian Faith were Baptized in great multitudes and they might without any danger go into the Rivers and be Baptized after such a manner but now the Gospel having been long planted in these parts we have seldome any Baptized but children who cannot without danger to their health be Dipt and plunged over head and ears in the Font or Rivers especially if they be infirm children and the season very cold and the air sharp and piercing Lastly They urge the custome of many ancient Churches in which a three-fold Dipping was used and if they Dipt those that were Baptized three times it should seem they thought Dipping very necessary But we answere First that what those Ancients did they had no precept for it and if they follow some of the Ancients in Dipping the Baptized why do they not follow the example of all the ancient Churches in Christening children Secondly Those ancient Churches which used the trina immeâ—sio they speak of did it for this end To expresse the three Persons which may as well be done by thrice sprinkling or washing the Baptized as well as thrice Dipping But the truth is that neither is requisite because the Trinity is sufficiently expressed in the very form of Baptisme when the Minister saith I Baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Thirdly We answer with the Apostle That though some of the Ancients had such a custome for a time yet now we have no such custome neither the Churches of God 1 Cor. 11. 16. ARTICLE II. Concerning the baptizing of children ANABAPTIST NOne ought to be Baptized but those that professe repentance and faith and consequently no children ought to be Christened THE REFUTATION The children of such parents as professe Christian religion and are members of the visible church sith they are comprised within Gods covenant made to the faithfull children of Abraham and their seed may and ought to receive the seal of that covenant which was Circumcision under the law but now is Baptisme which I prove ARGUMENT I. That which extends to all nations belongeth to children as well as men for children are a great part if not the half of all nations But Christs command of Baptizing extendeth to all nations Matth. 28. 19. Go therefore teach all nations baptizing them and Mark 15. 16. Preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved Ergo Christs command of Baptizing belongeth to children and they ought to be baptized as well as men ANABAPTISTS ANSWER Christs command extends onely to such as are capable of teaching and instruction which children in their infancy are not for Christ saith Teach all uations baptizing them REPLY First the words of onr Saviour are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teach but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is make disciples and though children in their non-age cannot be taught yet they may be made Christs disciples by being admitted into his school their parents giving their names to Christ both for themselves and their families And in Christs precept teaching doth not goe before but follow Baptizing ver 20. teaching them to observe all things c. which is punctually observed in the children of the faithfull who after they are Baptized when they come to yeers of discretion are taught to observe all things whatsoever Christ hath commanded Secondly Though children in their infancy are not capable of teaching or instruction because therein they must be active both by apprehending what is delivered to them and assenting to the truth thereof yet are they capable of Baptisme wherein they are meerly passive being washed in the Name of the Trinity prayed for and blessed and received into Christs congregation this may fitly be illustrated by Circumcision which by the command of God was to be administred to children at the eighth day though then they were no way capable of teaching or instruction in the Spirituall meaning of that outward signe made in their flesh and our Argument drawn from the analogie of Baptisme and Circumcision may be truly called in regard of the Anabaptists pons asinorum a bridge which these asses could never passe over for to this day they could never not hereafter will be able to yeeld a reason why the children of the faithfull under the Gospel are not as capable of Baptisme as they under the Law of Circumcision If they alleadge that these cannot be taught being but sucklings neither could they If they alleadge that these know not what is done unto them nor have any sense at all of the Sacrament neither had they save that they felt the pain of the knife as these do the coldnesse of the water and often shed tears at their Christening as the others did at their Circumcising If it be further said That they were of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh it may be truly rejoyned that these are of the seed of Abraham according to promise and his children as he is the father of the faithfull and so they have the better title of the two Thirdly It is no way safe to defer Baptisme till riper yeers for by this means millions of children might go out of this world without the ordinary means of their salvation which were an unsufferable if not a damnable abuse for though we like not of that rigid opinion of the schools ascribed to S. Augustine who in that regard was stiled durus pater infantum that children dying unbaptized are necessarily damned yet we must take heed of declining to the other extream in denying Baptisme to be the ordinary means of salvation for them and thereby slighting our Lords precept It is true God is not tied to his own Ordinance he may and in charitie we beleeve doth save thousands of the children of the faithfull who are still-born or dye before baptisme neither will he punish the child for that which it is no way guiltie of yet Gods ordinance ties us and the parents and governours are guiltie of a hainous crime before God who in contempt of Christs command or
thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Christ saith it is life Eternall to know the Father to be the onely true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ but it is not life Eternall to know Christ onely as man but as true God and man and so a perfect Mediator neither is Christ said only the Son of God in respect of his temporall generation as man but also in respect of his eternal generation as he is the second person in Trinity this answer therefore of yours is not sufficient nor pertinent M. Doctor the company is not satisfied with their Answers I pray resolve the doubt your selfe I will as soone as they have propounded their objections for I moved these Questions only to make it appeare to the auditors how unfit these men are to take upon them the office of Teachers who are so imperfect in the fundamentall poynts of Catechisme Now let them propound what questions they please What is the nature of a visible Church what is the matter and fâ—rme of it or what is the visible Church of Christ made up of by authority of the Scriptures Your Question is Quid constituit visibilem Ecclesiam what makes a Church Yes I answer according to the Scriptures and the joynt consent of of all protestant Churches in the world French Dutch c. in the harmony of confessions that the sincere preaching of the Word and the due administration of the Sacraments constitutes or makes a true visible Church The Papists make many notes of the Church as antiquity universality succession miracles and diverse other but the reformed Churches make but two onely namely those above mentioned What is a true particular visible church A particular companie of men professing the christian faith knowne by the two marks above mentioned the sincere preaching of the word and the due administration of the Sacraments Is the church of England such a church It is so How prove you that First I answer I need not to prove it but you are to disprove it For as Hooker teacheth in his Ecclesiasticall Politie they who are in possession are not bound to prove their right but they who goe about to thrust them out are to disprove their right aud bring a better title for themselves Secondly yet to give you further satisfaction thus I prove the church of England to be such a church Every church in which the word of God is sincerely preached the sacraments lawfully and rightly administred is such a church But in the church of England the word is sincerely preached and the sacraments lawfully administred Ergo the church of England is such a church I denie that in the church of England the word is sincerely preached or the sacraments rightly administred I have here two things to prove 1. That the doctrine of the church of England is agreeable to Gods word 2. The sacraments are rightly administred in it First the doctrine of the church of England is contained in the 39 Articles Secondly the due administration of the sacraments in the communion-book But both the one the other are agreeable to Gods word Ergo the preaching of the word and administration of the sacraments in the church of England are agreeable to Gods word I denie that the 39 Articles and the book of common-prayer are agreeable to Gods word 1. I wil prove that the book of Articles is agreeable to Gods word In the book of Articles the first which concerneth the blessed Trinity the 2. 3. 4. which concern the incarnation of Christ Jesus his death and resurrection the 5. which concerneth the holy Ghost the 6. the perfection of scriptures and the 18. following which impugn popery are agreeable to Gods word and you cannot name any one of the rest which is not agreeable therefore they are all agreeable If you know any one that is not agreeable instance in it and I will presently shew how it is agreeable to scripture For the 39 Articles I know not what they are I never saw them that I remember Then for ought you know they are all conformable to scripture at least you can except against none of them Now for the book of common-prayer it consists partly of Psalms Epistls and Gospels partly of Prayers and the form and manner of administration of the sacraments But the former are taken out of scripture the latter are agreeable to it What doe you except against it I except against your administration of Baptism it is not rightly administred in your church for you baptize children and that is not agreeable to Gods word if you say it is how doe you prove it by scriptures This D. F. undertook to prove out of scriptures but before he alledged any text of scripture for it another Anabaptist interposed You say your church is a true church that cannot be for the true church compells none to come to church or punishes him for his conscience as the church of England doth Iosiah was supream governour of the true church in Iudah and Israel but Iosiah compelled all Israel to come to the house of God and worship him there 2 Chron. 34. 33. So Iosiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that appertained to the children of Israel and compelled all that were found in Israel to serve the Lord their God Ergo men may be compelled by the civill magistrate to the true worship of God Josiah compelled them to come to Jerusalem but that law is not now in force There is a three-fold law of God delivered by Moses 1. Ceremoniall 2. Judiciall and 3. Morall The ceremoniall and judiciall are not now in force but the morall is and Iosiah did this by the command of the morall law For the text saith not that he compelled them to come to Ierusalem but to serve the Lord their God which is a dutie required by the morall law and the law of nature For though the place of Gods Service and the manner be changed yet the substantiall worship of God still remains and princes are now as much bound to compell their subjects to the true worship of God as Iosiah was And moreover it is to be noted that Iosiah did this by vertue of a covenant which he made before the Lord to walk after the Lord and keep his commandements with all his heart and all his soul 2 Chro. 34. 31. And the spirit of God sendeth this testimony after him 2 King 23. 15. Like unto him there was no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might according to the law of Moses which words have an apparent reference to that first and great commandement Deut. 6. 5. thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might
like that it be a certain and constant one from which the Pastors of the Church may in no wise depart or varie ARGUMENT V. Those prayers which all in the kingdome are perpetually bound to use ought to be approved by the whole church or kingdome for such prayers especially ought to be made in faith and care taken that nothing be in them repugnant to sound doctrine But such prayers cannot be ex tempore ejaculations or sudden conceptions of every private Pastors brain opinion or fansie Ergo they must be penned forms examined by Gods word and publiquely printed that all may know what they are and may confidently goe along with the Minister and without any scruple of conscience say Amen to the prayers which they cannot doe to such unwarranted immethodicall inconsequent nay hereticall schismaticall and seditious prayers as many of our ex tempore Enthusiasts deliver especially on fast-dayes with infinitie of tautologies and vain repetitions to the great scorn and scandall of our religion ARGUMENT VI. There ought to be publique prayers not only on the Lords day but on the week-dayes also upon speciall occasion in every church or congregation of the saints for prayer is the Christians dayly sacrifice from which those houses of God ought to take their denomination domus mea domus orationis vocabitur my house shall be called the house of prayer domus orationis non orationum not a house of sermons though such there to be made nor a house of sacraments though there to be administred nor a house of Psalmes though there to be sung but a house of prayer as the principall and chief and most necessarie dutie there to be performed prayer may be without the other the other cannot be without it But such prayers can be no other in most churches then set forms devised by the learned of the Clergie and approved by the State for there is not one Minister or Curate of a hundred especially in countrey villages or parochiall churches who hath any tolerable gift of conceived as they tearm them or ex tempore prayers Ergo there ought to be set forms of prayer used in publique congregations ARGUMENT VII No man prayeth as he ought who poureth not out his whole soul before God praying as well with an entire intention as affection But this a man cannot doe who maketh a prolix ex tempore prayer in a publique congregation by reason that he must at the same time both think upon what he speaketh and invent also what he is to speak in order and with good coherence unlesse he will pray absurdly and inconsequently Ergo no man prayeth as he ought who comes not with a set or premeditated form of prayer into a publique congregation ARGUMENT VIII Not to speak of sudden ejaculations which necessitie forceth or excuseth nor of prayers in extasies and raptures in which an elevated soul is rather passive then active In all ordinarie prayers which we are to offer to God in the usuall and constant course of our Ministerie we must be carefull to shun all temeritie and rashnesse and watch in prayer with all diligence The pure oyle Olive of the Sanctuarie was to be beaten by Gods appointment Exod. 27. 20. and the Virgins were to trim their lights Mat. 25. 7. before they went out to meet the Bride-groome and God himself rejected the blind and the lame for sacrifices None presumeth to put up a petition to the king which is not carefully perused before and shall we lesse reverence the King of heaven then an earthly prince But temeritie and rashnesse cannot be avoided by such who speak to God quicquid in buccam venerit and presume to deliver that in a publique assembly which they never thought on before Ergo all such ex tempore prayers ought to be forborn in publique and the set forms of the Church retained or some in stead of them composed with publique approbation Anabaptists Objections In excepting against all set or stinted â—orms of prayer aspis a vipera sumit venenum according to the Latin proverb the asp borroweth poyson from the viper that is the Anabaptists from the Brownists who may rightly be tearmed a generation of vipers because they after the manner of vipers make way to their separation or going out from the Body of their Mother the Church of England by eating and rearing her bowels Out of their own store the Anabaptists furnish themselves with arguments against all set forms of prayer in generall but they are beholding to the Brownists for all such objections as they make against the publique forms of prayer used in the Church of England in particular For the more distinct handling of the objections being somewhat of a different nature and for the ease of the reader that he may more readily find a particular and punctuall solution to any such speciall objections as most stick with him I will first propound their main arguments against set forms in generall and both answer them and retort them and then particularly scan what they seem materially to object against the Service-book established by law in the Church of England OBJECTIONS against set forms of Prayer in generall OBJECT 1. No worship devised by man is acceptable to God Set forms of prayer are a worship devised by man Ergo set forms of prayer are not acceptable to God ANSWER First a worship of God devised by man may be taken in a double sense either for a worship wholly devised by man without any precept or president in scripture and such a worship is not agreeable unto God but condemned in his word under the name of will-worship or for a worship in substance prescribed by God but in some circumstance manner or help thereunto devised or composed by man and such may be and is acceptable unto God as for example reading scripture is a religious act prescribed by God yet the translation of the originall into the mother-tongue divisions of the text into chapters and verses diverse readings interlinearie glosses together with the contents and fitting them to the times and seasons are from man Preaching is a worship of God yet the choyse of such a text dividing it into parts and handling the parts in such a method raysing doctrines and applying Uses from them are from man or acts wherein the Preacher maketh use of his invention art and judgement Catechizing is a dutie enjoyned by God yet to use such a form of words or method in Catechizing by questions and answers as also the dividing the Catechisme into 52. Sections answerable to the Sundayes in the year as we see in Calvins and other Catechismes is a device and invention of man In like manner prayer is a dutie enjoyned by God and a part of his substantiall worship but the set forms are devised by man yet according to generall rules prescribed in scripture Secondly not only prayer it self but even set forms of prayer have both precept and example in Gods
such distinctions in the new testament We can for we read in the new testament of pastours and flocks they who feed with the word are the Clergy and the flocks who are fed are the Laity All are not pastours or teachers 1 Cor. 12. 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers That is all are not so Deacons preached they were Lay-men therefore may Lay-men preach I instance in Steven c. The Deacons were not meer Lay-men but men full of the holy Ghost and of wisedom upon whom the Apostles layd their hands Acts 6. 6. Prove that any preached who had not imposition of hands Here that Anabaptist failing Cufin undertook it saying In the 8. of the Acts we read plainly that after that great persecution of the church at Jerusalem they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the Apostles and that they who were scattered abroad went every where preached the gospel and that God gave a blessing to their preaching it is plain Acts 11. 19. Again Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. 10. As every man hath received the spirit even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of Christ. If God have given us a talent it is our duty to improve it They that were scattered and preached the gospel were such as the Apostles had layd hands on and sent to preach and among them Philip the Deacon there mentioned For the text of S. Peter he speaketh not there of publike preaching and administring the sacraments which appertaineth only to pastours by their speciall function but of edifying one another and teaching and admonishing in private according to the precept of S. Paul Colos. 3. 16. Let the word of God dwell richly among you in all wisedom teaching and admonishing one another this was no publike preaching or expounding the word but godly conference in private houses with those whom they met such as every godly master of a family useth in his house instructing his children and servants the best that he can telling them their duty out of Gods word It is true in time of persecution we read of one Frumentius a Lay-man who in his travailes converted some to the christian faith confirming the truth of christian religion by scriptures That is all we desire to do as Frumentius did That was no preaching publikely by vertue of a pastorall function or expounding scriptures but holy conference and exhortation such as that of Aquila and Priscilla And the historian addeth after the church had notice how God blessed Frumentius his labours in turning many heathen to christinity the bishops sent ministers unto them to confirm them and administer the sacraments unto them and himself also received holy orders to accomplish that work which he had so happily begun The scripture puts no difference betwixt publike and private it is as lawfull to worship God in a private house to preach there as in one of your Steeple-houses The Apostle puts a difference 1 Cor. 11. 22. What Have you not houses to eat and to drink in Or despise ye the church of God The word in the originall is ecclesia not templum which never signifieth your Steeple-house in all the scripture The word ecclesia is taken diversly in holy scripture sometimes 1. For a company of men and that either of the wicked as Psal. 26. 5. Odi ecclesiam malignantium Or of the godly Acts 20. 28. 11. 26. c. 2. For the place of their publike meeting and so the word ecclesia is here taken If the people of God meet in a private place is not that then the house of God There is a publike house of God that is a place sequestred from common use and dedicated to Gods service and there is a private house of God as we read Ro. 16. 5. where some of the faithfull privatly meet and that also is called the church greet the church in thine house in such private houses it is lawful to preach in time of persecution but not now when we have publike churches for the service of God to which we may and ought to repair and in these churches no lay-man ought to preach nor at all exercise the pastorall function either there or any where else Which I prove by two reasons especially First none ought to take upon them the office of pastour or minister of the word who are not able to reprove and convince Hereticks and all gain-sayers but your lay and unlettered men are not able to convince Hereticks and stop the mouths of gayn-savers because they can alledge no scripture but that which is translated into their mother-tongue in which there may be and are some errours for though the Scriptures be the infallible word of God yet the translators were men subject to errour and they sometimes mistook Will you say that those learned men who translated the bible at Geneva committed any error in their translation I will and for instance Luke 22. 25. in the Geneva translation printed 1569. we read the Kings of the Gentiles reign over them and they that beare rule over them are called gracious Lords whereas in the originall it is Euergetai that is benefactors or bountifull yet this place hath bin much urged against the titles of our Arch-Bishops and Bishops as if Christ forbad any ministers of the gospell to be called by the titles of Lords or gracious wheras there is never a word in the text that signifieth either Lord or gracious neither dâ—th Christ there speak only to the ministers of the gospell but to all Christians Besides this I could produce many other errors in that translation which are corrected in the Kings translation Though we cannot prove the letter to be well translated that matters not much for the letter of the scripture is not scripture That 's blasphemy I pray take notice of it he denyeth the letter of the Text to be scripture The letter of the word of God is not scripture without the revelation of the spirit of God the word revealed by the spirit is scripture Very fine doctrine if God reveal not to us the meaning of the scripture is not the letter of the text scripture By this reason the greatest part of the Revelation and other difficult texts of scripture should not be scripture because God hath not revealed to us the meaning of them Here one that stood by demanded of the Anabaptist how prove you the bible to be Gods word By experience For whatsoever is written in the word of God commeth to passe concerning Christ and Anti-christ experience is the best doctor that teacheth us This reason alone will not prove the bible to be Gods word for Moses saith If a false prophet shall arise and fore-tell any thing and it come to passe Deut. 13.
given this power to the church yet some particular men in the church ought to execute this power of ordination The issue of the conference was first the Knights Ladies and Gentlemen gave the Doctor great thanks secondly three of the Anabaptists went away discontented the fourth seemed in part satisfied desired a second meeting but the next day conferring with the rest of that sect he altered his resolution and neither he nor any of that sect ever since that day troubled the Doctor or any other Minister in the Borough with any second chalenge Finis Additions to the former Conference IN the conference above mentioned D. F. promised to prove the baptisme of children 1. By scripture 2. By consent of the universall church And 3. by evident reason And the arguments drawn from the first head he prosecuted but was not permitted at that time to urge the arguments drawn from the second and third heads yet because they were desired by some persons of note it was thought fit they should be added to the former Next to the arguments drawn from expresse testimony of scripture for the baptisme of children we have a most forcible argument drawn from the consent of the universall church testified by their constant practise of admitting children to baptisme even from the Apostles dayes unto this present This argument if it be well weighed is of very great moment and may convince the conscience of any ingenuous Christian. For no Christian doubteth but that the Apostles were inspired by the holy Ghost and Christ promised his spirit to lead his church into all truth which promise he hath hitherto made good in such sort that it cannot be proved that ever the whole church of Christ unversally erred it is true particular churches have erred and may erre and generall councels which the schools tearm the representative church are subject to error and have sometimes decreed heresie and false-hood for truth but the formall church as they speak that is all the assemblies of Christians in the world cannot be impeached with error at any time whence I thus frame my argument That which the Apostles in their dayes began and the whole christian church scattered over the face of the whole earth hath continued in all ages and all countries where christianity hath been and is professed cannot be an erroneous practise But the catholike christian church in all places and ages even from the Apostles times hath admitted the children of faithfull parents to holy baptisme Ergo the practise of christening children cannot be erroneous or unwarrantable as the Anabaptists teach The major or first proposition is already sufficiently proved the minor or second proposition is proved by the testimony of Origen for the Greek church and S. Austin for the Latine and the Ecclesiasticall stories in all ages Origen in his Commentarie upon the sixt chapter of St. Paul to the Romans having alledged the words of the prophet David Psal. 51. 5. I was born in iniquity and in sin hath my mother conceived me addeth proper hoc ecclesia ab Apostolis traditionem accepit parvulis dare baptismum for this reason namely because all are conceived in sin the church hath received a tradition from the Apostles to administer baptisme to little infants And St. Austine l. 10. de genesi ad literam c. 23. Consuetudo matris ecclesie in baptizandis parvulis non spernenda est nec omnino credenda esset nisi Apostolica esset traditio the custome of our mother the church in baptizing infants is no way to be sleighted or rejected neither were it at all to be beleeved if it were not an Apostolicall tradition As for the continuance continuance of it the hystorie of all ages of the church confirms it neither can there be brought an instance in any Christian church in the world that denyed baptisme to children til this sect arose in Germany since the reformation began there in the dayes of Henry the eight After the testimonies of scriptures and the practise of the catholike church we have a third proof drawn from evidence of Reason against which if it be excepted that the eye of reason in matter of faith is but dim and therefore that such arguments are no way convincing I answer that it is true that such arguments drawn from reason as have no other ground but philosophicall axioms or sensible experiments are of little force in matter of faith which is above reason but such reasons as have ground and foundation in scripture and are firmly built upon those foundations are of exceeding great force and such are those I purpose to alledge First where the disease is there ought the remedy to be applied But the disease to wit originall sin is in children as well as men For all have sinned in Adam Rom. 5. 12. and are by nature the children of wrath Ephesi 2. 3. Ergo the remedy which is baptisme ought to be applied to children as well as men Secondly those who are comprised within the covenant of grace ought to be admitted into the church by baptisme For to them appertain both the promises of the new testament and the seal thereof which is baptisme But the children of the faithfull are comprised within the covenant of grace Gen. 17. 7. I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee for an everlasting covenant Ergo children ought to be admitted into the church by baptisme Thirdly no means of salvation ought to be denyed to the children of the faithfull whereof they are capable But baptisme is an outward means of salvation whereof children are capable under the gospel as well as the children of the Jews were capable of circumcision under the law Ergo baptisme ought not to be denied to children Fourthly all those who receive the thing signified by baptisme ought to receive the outward sign It is the argument of St. Peter Acts 10. 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the holy Ghost as well as we But the children of the faithfull receive the thing signified by baptisme to wit regeneration and remission of sins Ergo they ought to receive the sign to wit the baptisme of water The proposition or major is proved alreadie the assumption or minor is thus proved Christ bad children come to him and he blessed them and said of such is the kingdom of God Mar. 10. 16. and that their Angels continually behold his Fathers face in heaven Mat. 18. 10. and unlesse the Anabaptists will grant that children are regenerated and receive remission of sins they must needs hold that all children are damned which is a most uncharitable and damnable assertion The ANABAPTISTS Objection Yea but the Anabaptists object Mat. 28. 18. Go teach all nations baptizing them Whence they would infer that none are to be baptized but those to whom the gospel hath before bin preached consequently that children ought not to be
through error of their judgment take not care for their childrens baptisme and thereby deprive them of the ordinary remedie of that originall maladie in which they are conceived and born ARGUMENT II. None ought to exclude the children of the faithfull out of the kingdom of heaven But by denying them baptisme as much as in us lyeth we exclude them out of the kingdom of heaven For as Christ affirmed to Nicodemus confirmed it with a double oath or most vehement asseveration Amen amen or verily verily I say unto thee except a man beborn of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven Ergo we ought not to deny them baptisme ANABAP ANSWER The words of our Saviour concern mâ—n in riper years not children he saith except a man not except a child be born again REPLY First Christ by man there understandeth the species of mankind comprehending all ages and sects for otherwayes they might as well exclude all women as children from baptisme because it is said except a man be born not except a woman but the words immediatly following make it a clear case the Christ by man understandeth all singular persons contained under the species of mankind whether male or female young or old that saith he which is born of flesh is flesh but certain it is children are properly born of flesh as men and after they are born of flesh they are first children before they are men Secondly this regeneration by water Christ speaketh of is to take away the filth of sin that so they may be capable of entring into the kingdom of heaven into which there shall in no wise enter any thing that is defiled but children before their regeneration by water are defiled as well as men And therefore Christ prescribes this remedie to them as well as men That children are died as it were in the grain and stained from their mothers womb is clearly proved by many pregnant texts of holy scripture as namely Psal. 51. 5. Behold I was born in iniquitie and in sin hath my mother conceived me and Ioh. 3. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven 1 Cor. 15. 50. and Rom. 5. 12. By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom or for that all have sinned 1 Cor. 15. 22. In Adam all dye and Ephesi 2. 3. We were by nature the children of wrath even as others All that are sentenced to death are guiltie of sin but children as well as men in Adam were sentenced to death else no children should dye Again that which comes by nature is common to all who partake of that nature but the Apostle teacheth us that by nature we are the children of wrath therefore certainly children are not free from sin which alone makes us the object of Gods wrath ARGUMENT III. They whom the Apostles baptized are not to be excluded from baptisme For what the Apostles did in the performance of their ministeriall function they undoubtedly did either by Christs command or by the direction of the holy spirit wherewith they were infallibly assisted But the Apostles baptized children for they baptized whole families whereof children are a known part Ergo children ought not to be excluded from baptisme ANABAP ANSWER The word houshold or family is taken in the places alledged for the greater part of the family neither is it said that there were any children at all in those families REPLY First to refell the first answer the words of St. Luke are sufficient of themselvs where it is said that the gaoler was baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all that were his or all that belonged unto him therefore not only the major part of his family according to the false and corrupt glosse of the Anabaptists but simplie and absolutely all that lived under his roof Secondly as it is not said in expresse words that there were any children in these families so neither is it said that there were any women or servants yet no man doubteth but there were of both sexes and conditions in these families Thirdly it is to be observed that it is not said that the Apostle baptized one family but many namely that of Lydia that of the Gaoler and of Stephanas and it is no way credible that in all these families blessed by God and converted to the Christian faith all the women should be barren and not one fruitfull Lastly if there were any children in the families and the Apostle had not baptized them he would undoubtedly have excepted them as he doth in the like case 1 Cor. 1. 14. I thank God I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius I baptized also the houshold of Stephanas He who is so exact and punctuall in reckoning of those whom he baptized if he had baptized no children would have added I baptized also the houshold of Stephanas except the sucklings and children there But the Apostle neither there nor elsewhere excepteth children therefore being as essentiall parts of a familie as well as their parents they must be comprised under the name of the family or houshold ARGUMENT IV. Such as were circumcised under the law may and ought to be baptized under the gospell For baptisme answereth to circumcision and is called by that name Colos. 2. 11. 12. the same grace is sealed unto us by the one as by the other to wit mortification of the flesh remission of sins and admission into the visible church and the children of Christians are as capable of baptisme as the children of the Jews were of circumcision But children were circumcised under the laâ— Gen. 17. 12. 13. Ergo children may and ought to be baptized under the Gospel ANABAP ANSWER The argument from the circumcision of children to the baptisme of them followeth not because there is a command for the one and not for the other REPLY First in this their answer either by command they understand an expresse command and in particular or a generall and implicite if they mean an expresse command and in particular such an one is not requisite as themselvs will they nill they must needs confesse for they can produce no expresse and particular commandement either for the baptizing of women or administring the Lords Supper to them or for sanctifying and keeping holy the eight day from the Creation or first day of the week called now the Christian Sabbath nor for re-baptizing any that were baptized in their infancie which yet the Anabaptists generally practise and from thence take their names If they understand a generall and implicite command such an one we produced before for the baptisme of children in the prosecution of the first argument and shall many other in the arguments ensuing Secondly where the reason and equitie of law remains there the law is still in force at least for substance though
an Apostolicall tradition Origen having alledged the words of the Psalme 51. 5 I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceived me inferreth upon it propter hoc for this reason because we are all conceived and borne in sinne the Church hath received a tradition from the Apostles to administer baptisme to little children And S. Austine The custome of our Mother the Church in baptizing infants is no way to be slightened or rejected nor otherwise to be thought on or beleeved then as an Apostolicall tradition Thirdly it may be proved to be an Apostolicall tradition by that ground which S. Austine layeth and every mans reason readily giveth assent thereunto namely that whatsoever is observed uniformly in all churches and no man can tell when it began must needs be thought either to be done by the Decree of some generall Councell or to have descended from the tradition of the Apostles themselves But the baptisme of children hath been observed and practised through the whole Christian church as Austine affirmeth neither was it first appointed by any Canon of generall Councell that can be produced for though it be mentioned in the Councell of Vienna and the second Councell held at Brachara and in Synodo Gerundensi yet was it farre more ancient then any of those Councels neither can any name the time when first it began and therefore we cannot otherwise conceive of it then that it had its first originall from the Apostles ARGUMENT X. All members of the reformed Protestant churches in Christendome ought to conforme their judgements to the harmonie of the Protestants confessions set forth by the consent of all orthodox churches and firmly grounded upon deductions at least of holy scripture if not evident texts But the judgement of all the reformed churches delivered in the harmonie of their confessions is professedly for the baptisme of children and expressely against this renet of the Ans. baptist's Ergo let the Anabaptist either disclaime the 〈◊〉 of Protestants and children of the reformed churches 〈◊〉 renounce this their heresie for tâ—â—s pâ—rs quâ—â— nâ—m congruit â—otâ— Now for the Protestant confessions concerning this point I shall rehearse them in order beginning with the English Articles of Religion Artic. II. First the infants of Christian parents are not to be kept from baptisme because they care borne in sinne and belong to the people of God Secondly the Helvetion confession We condemn the Anabaptists who deme that children newly born ought on be baptized for according to the doctrine of the Gospel of such is the kingdom of God and they are within the covenant of God why therefore should not the soul of that covenant be given unto them Thirdly the Bohemian confession Though baptisme for the most part in the primitive church were administred to men of riper yeares yet children ought to be dedicated and consecrated to Christ according to his command Suffer little children to 〈◊〉 unto me Fourthly the French Article zy Although baptisâ—â— be a sacrament of saith and repentaunce yet in as much as children are reckoned with their parents in tho church of God we affirme that infants that are born of holy parents ought to be baptized by Christs authoritie Fifthly the Belgick confession We beleave that children ought to be baptized and signed with the sign of the covenant for the same reason for which the children in Israel were circumcised namely for that the same promises are made to them and to us Sixtly the Augustane confession they condemn the Anabaptists who dislike the baptisme of children and affirm that infants without baptisme and dying without the church may be saved Seventhly the Saxon confession We retaine the baptisme of infants because it 〈◊〉 must certain that the promise of grace belongeth also to infants and because of them it is said Suffer little children to come unto me for of such is the kingdome of seaven To drive this nayl to the head I shall need to adde nothing save the capitall punishments inflicted upon such as taught and practised Anabaptisme those Christian States accounted it no light errour upon which they layd so heavie a load of punishment in some places the broachers of this heresie and practisers of rebaptizing have been punished with beheading in some with drowning and in some with burning There is a law against this sect in the Code of Iustinian written with blood rather then ink If any man be convicted to re-baptize any of the ministers of the Catholike sect let him who hath committed this hainous crime together with him whom he hath seduced to be re-baptized suffer the stroake of death At Vienna the Anabaptists are tyed together with ropes and one draweth the other into the river to be drowned as it should seem the wife magistrates of that place had an eye to that old maxime of justice quo quis peccat eo puniatur let the punishment bear upon it the print of the sinne for as these sectaries drew one another into their errour so also into the gulf and as they drowned men spiritually by re-baptizing and so prophaming the holy sacrament so also they were drowned corporally In the year of our Lord 1539 two Anabaptists were burned beyond Southwark in the way to Newington and a little before them five Dutch Anabaptists were burned in Smithfield If I have been somewhat the more prolix in the prosecution of the arguments which make for the baptisme of infants S. Austine shall plead for this my large plea for them We are in conscience bound to speak the more for poor infants because they are not able to speak for themselves Now there remaineth nothing but that we stop the mouthes of their adversaries by reselling such objections as they usually make and unchristianly urge against christening them at our fonts The objections of the Anabaptists answered First they argue from the Scripture negatively thus the baptisme of children hath no warrant in Gods Word for we find there no command for it no example of it no promise to it therefore it is to be rejected as an humane invention and condemned also as an addition to the Scripture But we answer that by the like argument they might prove that no woman ought to be admitted to the sacrament of the Lords Supper for there is no command for womens participation of the sacrament nor example of it nor promise to it in Scripture If they answer that women are comprised under the name of beleevers so are children under the name of whole housholds and families which are reported in holy Scripture to have been baptized if they say further that by a like reason women are to be admitted to the sacrament as men because Christ dyed as well for them as men and they are as wel incorporated into Christs mysticall body as men we rejoin in like manner for the same reason that children
were circumcised under the law they ought to be baptized under the Gospell For sith they are comprised in the covenant why should not they as well receive the seal thereof set to it in the new law as well as the children of the Jews received the seal set thereunto by the old Secondly I have produced before both command for baptizing of children Argument 1. and example of it Argument 3. and promise also unto it Argument 5. The command of baptizing all Nations Mat. 28. 29. the examples of baptizing whole families Act. 16. 15. 33. 1 Cor. 1. 16. and the promise made to us and our seed Act. 2. 39. evidently extend to children They argue from Scripture affirmatively our Lord Jesus Christ in that great charter Mat. 28. 18. 19. 20. saith Go teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and Mark 16. 15. Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospell to every creature he that shall beleeve and be baptized shall be saved but he that will not beleeve shall be damned From these texts they would infer that none ought to be baptized but such who are first taught and instructed in the principles of Christian faith and consequently that no children ought to be baptized because they are not capable of teaching That the placing the word teaching before baptizing in that text doth no more conclude that teaching must alwayes precede baptisme then the setting repentance before faith in those words Repeâ—t ye and beleeve the Gospell Mark 1. 15. and setting water before the spirit Ioh. 3. 5. except a man be born of water and the spirit necessarily infer that repentance goeth before faith which yet is but a fruit of faith or that the outward baptisme with water goeth before the inward baptisme of the spirit whereas the contrarie is clearly proved out of that speech of Peter to Cornelius Act. 10. 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the holy Ghost as well as we Secondly if there be any force in this argument drawn from the order of the words it maketh against them for thus we wound them with their dudgeon-dagger Christ saith baptize them in the name of the Father teaching them to observe all things baptizing therefore must go before teaching especially in children who may be baptized before they can be taught Thirdly they mis-translate the words for Christ saith not go teach all nations baptizing them and teaching them to observe all things neither is there a tautologie in our blessed Saviours words for his words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. go make disciples among all nations baptizing them and teaching them Now though children cannot be taught before they are baptized yet they may be after a â—orâ— made Christs disciples by their parents or god-fathers offering them unto God and undertaking for them that they shall be brought up in the Christian religion Fourthly Christ speaketh here of the plantation of the Christi an faith and the conversion of whole nations in which alwayes the preaching of the word goeth before the administration of the sacrament First men are taught to repent of their sins and beleeve the Articles of the Christian faith and after they have made confession of the one and profession of the other then they are to be received into the church by baptisme This course was taken by the Apostles in the beginning and must at this day be taken by those who are sent into Turkie or the East and West Indies to convert Pagans or Mahumetans or unbeleeving Iews to the Gospell They are to baptize none before they have taught them the principles of Christian religion but after the Gospell is planted and the parents are beleeverâ— and received into the church by baptisme their children are first to be baptized and afterwards taught so soon as they are capable of teaching They argue from examples after this manner such are to be baptized who with the Iews in Ierusalem Mat. 3. 6. confesse their sins who with the Proselytes Act. 2. 41. gladly receive the word who with the Samaritans Act. 8. 6. give heed to the word preached who with those of Cornelius familie Act. 10. 44. receive the holy Ghost by the hearing of the word who with Lydia have their hearts opened to attend the things that are spoken by the Apostles Act. 16. 14. who with the Gaoler hear the word preached and seek after the means of salvation Act. 16. 30. But children can neither confesse their sins nor attend to the word preached nor actually beleeve nor desire baptisme they therefore ought not to be baptized But we answer all that can solidly be concluded from these examples is but this in the affirmative all such who were so qualified as these were viz. hearers of the Gospell penitent sinners and true beleevers unfainedly desiring the means of their salvation ought to be admitted into the church by baptisme which we freely grant but they cannot conclude from these examples negatively that none other ought to be Christened No more then it will follow that those of Cornelius his family received the gift of the holy Ghost and spake with divers tongues before they were baptized with water therefore none but such who have received such gifts of the holy Ghost may and ought to be baptized To confesse sins and actually professe faith makes a man more capable of baptisme yet dumb men who can do neither if they have a good testmonie of their life and conversation and by signs make it appear they unfainedly desire the sacraments may receive them Secondly if there be any force at all in an argument drawn from examples affirmatively it must be from examples in the like kind as from men to men from children to children not from women to men or from men to children or from children to men For it will not follow women in the Apostles times were covered in the church therefore men ought to be so or men may speak in the church therefore women may or children are usually fed with milk and not strong meat therefore men in ripers years ought to use such dyet no more will it follow men in riper years who are capable of instruction ought to hear the word to give their assent thereunto and enter into a strict covenant with God to lead a new life before they have accesse to the Font. Therefore the like duties are required of children who have not yet the use of reason nor knowledge of good or evill By this reason they might starve children because the law is he that will not labour let him not eat It holds in men but no way in children who are not able to labour in any calling by reason of the infirmitie of their joynts and want of reason and understanding Baptisme is a seal of the righteousnesse of faith
gain nothing by their fathers or mothers faith but rather lose For if they remained still in their Judaisme not beleeving in Christ yet their children were to receive the outward seal of the covenant to wit circumcision whereby they were reckoned among Gods people and had such outward federall holinesse as that sacrament might give them Sith therefore this glosse of the Anabaptists no way agreeth with the scope and intention of the Apostle nor with the truth it selfe it remaineth that we admit of that interpretation which the best of the ancient and latter Expositors give of the text to wit the unbeleeving husband is so far sanctified by the faith of the wife and the unbeleeving wife by the faith of her husband that their children thereby are entitled to the covenant of grace and therefore the Ministers of God have a good ground and warrant to administer baptisme unto them which is the seal of their entrance into that covenant ARTIC 3. Concerning set forms of prayer ANABAPTIST NO set or stinted forms of prayer ought to be used in publike on private but all that pray ought to pray by the spirit in a conceived form variable according to severall occasions THE REFUTATION Though we condemn not all conceived or ex tempore prayer especially in private when we lay open our wants to our Father in secret and rip up our consciences before him yet set or stinted forms of prayer in publike are not only warrantable by Gods Word and verie profitable but in some case necessarie ARGUMENT I. What God appointed in the old testament as appertaining to his substantiall worship it being no part of the abrogated rites of the ceremoniall law may and ought to be observed by us under the Gospell But set forms of blessing thanks-giving and prayer were appoynted by God in the old testament and are no types and figures of Christ nor parts of the ceremoniall law Ergo they may and ought to be observed by us under the Gospell Of the major or first proposition there can be no doubt for that cannot be evill whereof God is the author and though the rites and ceremonies are different yet the substance of Gods worship is the same both under the law and under the Gospell The assumption or minor proposition is confirmed by the expresse letter of these texts Numb 6. 23. 24. 25. 26. Speak unto Aaron and his sons saying on this wise ye shall blesse the children of Israel saying unto them the Lord blesse thee and keep thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace And Deut. 26. 5. And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God a Syrian readie to perish was my father and he went down into AEgypt and sojourned there with a few and became there a nation great mightie and populous c. And Hosea 14. 2. Take with you words and turn to the Lord and say unto him take away all iniquitie and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips And Ioel 2. 17. Let the Priests the ministers of the Lord weep between the porch the Altar and let them say spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people where is their God ANABAP ANSWER The forms mentioned in holy Scripture were composed by those that were prophets and immediatly inspired by the holy Ghost such are not the composers of our liturgies and therefore the argument will not follow from the one to the other REPLY First the question is not now whether we ought to use no form but such as is immediately inspired by the holy Ghost but whether set or stinted formes either inspired or not inspired may or ought to be used in the church that they may we prove by Gods own command which must not be restrained to prayers immediately inspired and dictated by the holy Ghost for then none should pray but Prophets and by that reason as none that are not immediately inspired might use set forms of prayers so neither conceived or extempore prayers Secondly though none now pray by immediate inspiration yet we have now the spirit of supplication and we pray by the assistance of the holy Spirit and if our prayers in matter and form are agreeable to Gods word they are acceptable unto him and they cannot be unacceptable unto him hoc nomine for that they are delivered in set formes because God himself was the first author of them and hath left them in scripture for our direction and imitation Thirdly in our Liturgies a great part of the formes of prayer and thanksgiving used by us are formes composed by prophets immediately inspired by the holy Ghost as namely the Lords Prayer the Psalmes of David the Magnificat the Benedictus Nunc dimittis and the close of all our prayers The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ c. Why then doe they not at the least joyn with us in rehearsing these set formes If these may be rehearsed without quenching or restraining the Spirit why may not others also framed according to these patterns ARGUMENT II. Whatsoever the prophets and saints of God practised in the substantiall worship of God under the law may and ought to be a president for us But they used set or stinted forms of prayer and thanksgiving Ergo their practice may and ought to be a president for us The major or first proposition needs no proof because the substance of Gods worship is the same under the Law and under the Gospel and what the prophets and holy men of old did or spake they did or spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. The assumption or minor is abundantly proved by manifold allegations out of the old Testament as namely Numb 10. 35 36. And it came to passe when the Ark set forwards that Moses said rise up Lord and let thine enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flee before thee and when it rested he said Returne O Lord unto the many thousands of Israel and 1 Chron. 25. 6 7. All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord with Cymbals Psalterie and Harps for the service of the house of God according to the Kings order to Asaph Ieduthun and Heman so the number of them with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the Lord was 288. And 2 Chron. 29. 30. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing prayses to the Lord with the words of David and of Asa the Seer and they sang prayses with gladnesse The words of David are those which are extant in the book of Psalmes under the name of David the words of Asa are comprehended in those Psalmes which bear this title A Psalme of Asaph as namely Psal. 73 74 75
set forms of Prayer which are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Common Prayers and distinguished from that which he delivered alone by himself by way of preface to his Sermon or Homilie In the third age we meet with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prescribed prayers and Tertullian in his apologetick gives us the moulds or heads of the publike prayer then constantly used saying our prayer for all our Emperors is that God would vouchsafe to grant them a long life a happy reign a safe Court valiant armies faithfull counsellors a good people a quiet world Yea but say the Anabaptists they said this prayer de pectore out of their brests and sine monitore without any guide or remembrancer or prompter and therefore by an ex tempore facultie This will not follow they mistake much the matter for this monitor Tertullian speaks of was a kind of Nomen-clator who kept a Catalogue of their numerous heathen deities to whom those Paynims prayed upon speciall occasions and directed them to whom and for what to pray left they should commit any absurditie in their prayers in praying to Ceres for wine and to Bacchus for corn Such monitors or prompters the Christians needed not who prayed to one God only and not a prayer suggested by others but premeditated by themselvs and first spoken in their heart before it was uttered by the mouth according to that of the Psalmist My heart is enditing a good matter my tongue is the pen of a readie writer To pray then de pectore in Tertullians sense is no more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to say without book or pray by heart or from the heart whose feat is in the brest S. Cyprian flourished in this age about the year 250. in whose writings which S. Ierome affirmeth to have been sole clamora as illustrious and well known in the Christian church as the beams of the sun or as he speaketh hyperbolically brighter then they We find some short forms of prayer at this day in use both in the Roman Missall and our book of Common-Prayer as namely sursum corda habemus ad Dominum lift up your hearts and we lift them up unto to the Lord c. Upon which passages and the like the Centurle writers who have gathered all the harvest of antiquitie and have scarce left gleanings for any other truly infer that in this blessed Martyrs dayes out of all peradventure they had certain set forms of short prayers and responds In the fourth age Eusebius writeth that the most religious Emperour Constantine the great commanded all his subjects to keep holy the Lords day and on it to send up to God with heartie and unanimous devotion an elaborate or studied form of prayer penned as it seemeth for the purpose as to give God thanks for the great and miraculous victories he gave him over all the tyrants that persecuted the church so to pray to God to perfect the great work he had begun by him to propagate the Gospell through the whole world and reduce all that were subject to the Roman state to the obedience of faith Besides this prayer penned by some Bishop the same Historian writeth that the Emperour himself made a speciall prayer which he commanded the Souldiers to say every day in the Roman tongue In this age also the famous Councell at Laodicea was held which hath left us diverse Canons like so many golden rules both to regulate our devotion and rectifie our lives and among these for one that everie morning and evening the same service or form of prayer should be used and because some even in this verie age adventured to make use of their ex tempore gift of prayer at least read or said some private prayer conceived by themselvs in stead of the publike form the Milevitan Councell provideth against this abuse by a speciall Canon which carrieth this tenor it seemed good to the reverend fathers met in this Synod to appoynt that those prayers or orizons which were devised or at least allowed by that Councell should be used by all men and no other lest peradventure something through ignorance or want of care might be uttered in the church that might not well agree with the Catholike faith The occasion of this Canon was the over-weeâ—ing conceit that some Bishops had of some prayers devised by themselvs which they obtruded to the church in stead of the publike prescript form whereby it appears that in those dayes that libertie was not permitted to any reverend or ancient Bishop which now everie punie minister taketh to himself to adde or leave out or change what he thinketh good in the Book of Common-Prayer established by the church and ratified by Act of Parliament About the end of this age or the beginning of the next Basil Ambrose and Chrysostome framed Liturgies to be used in their Diocesses yet extant in their works and bibliotheca patrum though with some interpolation And S. Augustine in his seventh Tome consisting of many excellent treatises against the Pelagians produceth divers passages out of the Common-Prayer then used by the church to convince those hereticks of the noveltie as well as falshood of their tenets For notwithstanding that the Pelagians were furnished with many testimonies of the ancient Doctors especially of the Greek church qui ante exortum Pelagium securius locuti sunt who before that heresie sprang up spake more freely of the freedome of mans free will by nature in opposition to the Manichees who taught a fatall necessitie of sinning then could well stand with the free grace of Christ accurately defended by S. Austine and his scholars yet this learned and zealous father being most expert in the prayers appoynted to be read in the ancientest Christian churches out of them exceedingly confounded these upstart hereticks and proved a full consent of antiquitie for those Orthodox tenets he propugned against all the enemies of Christs free and saving grace and truly at this day a man may more certainly gather out of the Book of Common-Prayer and specially the Collects used in our Liturgie what is the judgement of the church of England in those points anciently questioned by the Pelagians and now by the Arminians then out of the Book of Articles or Homilies In the sixt age Gregorie the great and S. Isidore set forth offices or forms of church Service and partly out of them partly out of the Liturgies above mentioned of S. Basil Ambrose and Chrysostome partly some more ancient attributed to the Apostles and Evangelists themselvs all the famous and known churches of the Christian world have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 misses officia services or Books of Common-Prayer compiled which they use at this day and as most of the reformed churches have so the most learned and judicious Calvin wisheth all might have Concerning a form of prayer and ecclesiasticall rites I very well
every man have praise of God The Apostle speaketh not in that place against any judiciall proceedings but against private rash and uncharitable judging of our brother and taking his words in the worst part without any just ground or censuring not so much his outward actions or speeches as inward intentions known only go God Such perverse judging our Saviour condemneth Matth. 7. 1. And this Apostle Rom. 2. 1. Therefore thou art unexcusable O man whosoever thou art that judgest As in the skye sometimes there is cleare light and perfect day sometimes perfect darknesse and yet besides these a third condition which we call twilight neither so light as day nor so dark as night so the actions of men for which they are questionable in Spirituall or Temporall Courts are of three sorts some are altogether hidden of which there can be brought no sure proofe nor strong presumption the judgement of these must be reserved to the last day when Christ shall reveal the secrets of all hearts some are done as it were in the face of the Sunne whereof there may be strong and evident proofes brought in such cases a Judge ought to proceed secundum allegata probata and not put the conscience of any man as it were upon the wrack to extort the truth from him by oath Lastly some are of a mixt nature neither fully open and manifest nor altogether hidden such whereof there are strong presumptions and a generall fame but no pregnant proofe in such cases the oath ex officio is of use whereby the truth may be more and more discovered and the party either cleared upon his deniall or convicted upon his confession or held pro confesso by his evasions and tergiversations and refusing to be put to the test of his oath ARTIC 6. Concerning the office of the Civill Magistrate THere remain many other errours of the Anabaptists some blasphemous as the denying the incarnation of Christ from the substance of the blessed Virgin some impure and lascivious as maintaining the plurality of wives some drowzie and sottish as the casting of the soule into an Endymion sleep untill the day of judgement But because these absurd positions are not at this day generally owned by our Anabaptists the last errour which I intend to encounter at this present is that pernicious assertion of theirs concerning the exauctorating all Civill Magistrates whereby they dull the edge or wring out of their hands the sword of justice Other of their errours fight against the Church but this against the State others agaisnt piety but this against Politie yet as Velleius in Tully goeth about by reason to prove that nothing is more hurtfull to man then the gift of reason so this errour against policie is most politickly devised by them for there being but two censures which any need to fear the Ecclesiasticall and the Civill and they regarding not the Ecclesiasticall because they are out of the pale of the Church if they could keep themselves out of the reach and stroake of the Civill sword all were cock-sure with them they might every where securely both vent their errours and practise their villanies This is the true reason why they so vehemently contend that the coercive power of the Magistrate can no way consist with the perfection of Christianity Now although the Civill Magistrate be ordained of God for the suppression of all vice and heresie yet above all other he ought to have an eye to this for this hath a peculiar antipathy to Magistracie The Magistrate shall beare his sword in vaine indeed if he let other heresies grow but if this thrive in any Kingdome State or Common-wealth he shall not beare his sword at all There is that contrariety and repugnancie between this heresie and that calling that if Magistracie doe not speedily root out this heresie this heresie will extirpate all Magistracie for thus much it professeth in formall tearmes ANABAPTIST No Christian may with a good conscience execute the office of a Civill Magistrate REFUTATION Before I cut off this heresie against the materiall sword with the sword of the spirit which is the word of God I will present to the Anabaptists a glasse wherein they may see their own faces drawne to the life Saint Peter and Saint Iude speaking against false Prophets in their dayes so describe them that all men may see who were the Grand-Fathers of these Hereticks who trouble the Church at this day They walke saith Saint Peter after the flesh in the lust of uncleannesse and despise Government and Dominion Presumptuous are they selfe-willed they are not afraid to speake evill of dignities whereas Angels which are greater in power and might bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord but these as naturall brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed speake evill of the things they understand not and shall utterly perish in their owne corruption I intreat the Reader to take speciall notice of the words of these two Apostles which fall so pat upon our present Anabaptists as if the Apostles had particularly aimed at them But to leave pâ—urtraying them and fall to refuting them ARGUMENT I. Every office appointed by God for the administration of Justice and preservation of peace both in Church and Common-wealth may with a good conscience bee executed by a Christian called thereunto But the office of Civill Magistrates is an office appointed by God for the administration of justice and preservation of peace both in Church and Common-wealth Exod. 18. 20 21. 2 Chron. 19. 6. 7. 11. Prov. 8. 15. Dan. 2. 21. Ergo the office of a Magistrate may with a good conscience be executed by a Christian. ANABAPTISTS ANSWER Although God appointed Magistrates in the time of the Law and the Iewes were kept in order by them yet it followeth not that Christians may exercise that power one over another or that they need any Civill Magistrate at all for they are called by Christ to a greater perfection They must not resist evill but give place to wrath REPLY There is a like necessity of the office of a Judge and Magistrate as well under the Gospell as under the Law For both the Scripture teacheth us Acts 6. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 3 4. 6. 6 7. Phil. 3. 18. Iames 4. 1. and daily experience sheweth that such disorders fall out among Christians as did among Jewes and that through the corruption of our nature we are subject to those passions that unlesse the Civill Magistrate interpose his authority there will be no quiet and peaceable living and if the malady still remaine we must use the remedy which God hath appointed It is false which they affirme that Christ in the 5. of Matthew addeth any thing to the law which the Prophet David Psalme 19. 7. affirmeth to bee perfect converting the soule but only he vindicateth it from the corrupt glosses and false interpretations made thereof by the Scribes and Pharisees For even
other his Dominions unto whom the chiefe government of all estates of this Realm whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Civill in all causes doth appertain and is not nor ought to be subject to any forrain jurisdiction The Lawes of the Realm may punish Christian men with death for heinous and grievous offences The summe of all is the Civill Magistrate is a divine ordinance and his chiefe care is or ought to be Religion for the defence and vindication whereof God hath put a sword in his hand to cut off the disturbers of the Peace as well in the Church as the Common-wealth and because he is the Minister of God for our wealth and safety his authority is to be obeyed by all sorts of men for conscience sake and not to be resisted upon paine of damnation And now Christian Reader thou hast heard a Harmony listen not to discords thou hast heard a consort of silver Trumpets hearken not to a single oat-pipe or the harsh sound of Rams hornes thou hast heard the suffrages of all the learned Divines in the Reformed Churches regard not the votes of a few illiterate Mechanicks much lesse the fancie and dreames of fanaticall Enthusiasts who because they are Anomolaes themselves would not by their good will there should bee any Rules because they are wandring Starres they would have none fixt because they are dissolute they would have no bonds of Lawes because they are Schismaticks and Non-conformists they would have no Discipline in the Church because they are dunces and ignorant both of Tongues and Arts they would have no learning nor Universities Lastly because they walke inordinately they would have no coercive power in the Magistrate to restraine them There was never more cause then now to take heed what thou hearest and to try the spirits whether they are of God or no for there is not one only lying spirit as in the dayes of Ahab but many lying spirits in the mouthes of Prophets not only Romish Priests and Iesuits who endeavour to seduce thee to spirituall thraldome idolatry and superstition but also diverse sorts of schismaticall Teachers who intice thee to carnall liberty prophanenesse sacriledge and faction When I first heard of the manner of taking Apes in the Indies I could scarce forbeare laughter but now seeing dayly men of worth and parts caught after the same manner by our new Sectaries I can hardly refrain tears The maner of taking those beasts is thus described he that goes about to catch Apes in those parts of America which abound with them brings a Bason with fair water and therein paddles with his hands and washeth his face in sight of the Apes and then steps aside for a while the Ape seeing the coast cleare steales to the Bason and seeing his face in the water is much delighted therewith and in imitation of the man dabbles with his feet in the cleare water and washes his face and wipes his eyes and after this he lyes in wait for him fetches away the Bason powres out the faire water and fills it againe with water mingled with birdlime and puts the Bason in the place where it stood before the Ape returning to the Bason and suspecting nothing puts his feet in the birdlime and with that foul mingled water washes his face and wipes his eyes which are thereby so dazled the eye-lids closed up that unawares he is easily caught In like manner these late Proselytes who invade many empty Pulpits in the City and Suburbs at the first in their Sermons set before thee as it were a Bason of the pure water of life wherin thou maist see thy face wash away the spots of thy soul but after they have got thy liking and good opinion confide in thee then they mingle bird-lime with the water of life the birdlime of Socinianisme of Libertinisme or Antinominianisme Brownisme and Anabaptisme wherewith after they have put out or closed the eyes of thy judgement they lead thee whither they lift and make a prey of thee Praemonitus praemunitus I have forewarned thee bee thou forearmed against them and the Lord give thee a right judgment in all things Gastius de exord Anabap. p. 495. Quia Anabaptistae à veritate avertunt aures idea Deus mittit illis Doctores non qui lingua medica sanarent ulcera ipsorum sed qui pruritum ac scabiem affectuum ipsorum commodè scalperent Because the Anabaptists turn away their eares from the truth God sendeth them teachers according to their desire not such as with their wholesome tongues and doctrine heale their sores but with their nailes scratch gently the itch of their carnall lusts and affections Remarkeable Histories OF THE ANABAPTISTS WITH OBSERVATIONS thereupon THE French after the first course of solid dishes entertaine their guests with Kicke-shoses and wee with fruit In the former part of this Treatise courteous Reader as well in the propounding our arguments for the orthodox faith as in the Refutation of the Anabaptists objections against it I desired to set before thee Solid and substantiall dishes to strengthen thee in the true doctrine of thereformed Church of England but in these ensuing relations and observations I make bold to set on the board Kicke-shoses and variety of strange fruits which though peradventure they will not much nourish thy faith yet eaten with a graine of Salt will some way irritate thy appetite and help thy digestion and concoction OBSERVAT. I. That the Anabaptists are an Illiterate and Sottish Sect. As Macarius who had the care and oversight of erecting that magnificent structure at Ierusalem built by Helena the mother of Constantine the great was happy in his name for Macarius in Greek signifieth blessed and as Theodoret testifieth a blessed man was he so on the contrary many Arch-hereticks and Boâ—tefeux of the Church and State have been happily unlucky in their names their God-Fathers at the Font proving Prophets and the names they gave them being presages of their qualities and fortunes and Characters of their persons Haymo noteth out of Iraeneus that Ebion the Father of the Ebionites signifieth in Hebrew poore and silly and a silly poore man God wot was he Manes the Father of the Manichees derives his name in Greeke from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insanio or à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insania madnesse and verily a franticke heretick was he Aërius the Father of the AërianÌ„s carieth wind in his name and a light giddy-braind fellow was hee blowne into his heresie with the wind of ambition as Saint Augustine declareth in his bed-roll of heresies What should I descend to Maldonate whos 's very name speaketh the abuse of his filts Maldonatus quasi malè donatus and to Ignatius the Founder of his Sect Ignatius Layola who as he hath Ignem fire in his name so he and his Disciples have proved the greatest Incendiaries in the Christian world I will trouble thee but with one instance more and that is
the Father of the Anabaptists of our age who as I shewed thee before out of Bullinger and Melancthon was Nicholas Stock a man every way answerable to his name for a very Block-head was he Robertus Galius had a vision wherein he saw the Pope saying Masse with a lean meagre and a drye head like as if it had been made of wood Such of all the world was this Stock the head of the Anabaptists and from this block when he was hewen downe in Germany some chips flew into England Although the eye of the mind of man since the fall is like to the eye of an Owle that cannot endure the bright beames of the Sunne of righteousnesse and howsover God in the first planting of the Gospell made use of illiterate men such as were Tent-makers and Fisher-men to the end that all might know that He that planteth and he that watereth is nothing but all is Gods who giveth the increase yet when the eye of mans understanding is anointed with the ey-salve of the Spirit the clearer and sharper the eye is the better it discernes both Spirituall and Naturall objects and since the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit have failed in the Church the learnedst men whose knowledge God sanctified to that use have proved the worthiest instruments of his glory in proclaiming the doctrine of Saving Grace and turning many unto righteousnes who shall shine as Starres in the skie for evermore And as it remaines a blot upon Ieroboam and his house never to be wiped out that he made of the lowest of the people Priests of the high places so it is not one of the least brands of the Roman Antichrist that he filled the Church with a number of ignorant Masse-Priests Monkes and Fryers who blind guides as they were of the blinder people fell together with them into the ditch of superstition heresie and sensuality And think we the blindest men are the fittest to draw them out of it This is the Anabaptists judgement who as the Romanists teach ignorance to be the mother of devotion so these to be the mother of Propheticall revelation or interpretation For Iohn Tuseoverer a Gold-smith of Warendorp pretending himselfe to be a Prophet sent from God commanded the Senate in Munster to remove all their Magistrates and put down all their Preachers as well Evangelicks as Papists and to place in their roome twelve simple illiterate men to expound the word of God to the people without any help of Arts or Tongues by meer Enthusiasmes or suddain inspirations and ejaculations Another of their Prophets Iohn Matthias commanded that none should keepe any booke in his house but the Bible whereupon all the books that were found in any Library Study or House save Bibles were brought into the Market place and a bone-fire made of them But better all these obstinate Sectaries were burnt at a stake then such a bonefire made in this Kingdome after which would follow the ruine of all Schooles and Universities and more then Egyptian darknesse through the wide Kingdome Since the extraordinary gifts of Prophesie and Languages have ceased in the Church secular learning hath been as the Day-starre appearing in the Firmament of the Church before the Sunne and where no Day-starre going before no Sunne rising after As for rude Mechanicks and unlettered Artificers to chuse them for our guides to the celestiall Canaan is all one as if an Army to march by night over narrow bridges and by fearfull precipices should by common consent elect pur-blind men to lead the way or a â—leet at Sea after they have cut the line and saile under an unknowne Climate in a ruffe Sea and tempestuous weather should among all the Mariners chuse the unskilfullest Pilots to steer their course Wee read in the Apocalypse of a Starre called Wormewood bitter in the effects and influences but a Starre in the light thereof Such have ben the Authours Devisers and Broachers of other Heresies bitter indeed in their tenets and distastfull in their manners yet Stars for their light of learning whereas these false teachers cut as chips out of N. Stock resemble brands of hell fire in which there is a sultring heat but no light at all Peruse if thou please Christian Reader all the ancient heresies listed by Epiphanius Augustine Philastrius Alfonsus à Castro Ambrosius de Rusconibus and others and therein thou shalt find the Ring-leaders great Clerks and acute Sophisters Whence is that true observation of Tertullian Philosophi haereticorum Patriarchae Philosophers have been the great Grand-fathers of Hereticks but of this base contemptible Sect of the Stockites there was never yet heard any Professour of eminent learning neither is there like ever to be for learning they hold rather a disparagement then ornament an extinguisher then a kindler of their new light and strange fire In a grosse and foggy Mist a cleare light cannot long shine for either the light will pierce through the Mist or the Mist will dampe the light so if it should fall out that any great Scholar should be admitted into their communion either their grosse erronrs would in time put out the light of his knowledge or the clear light of his knowledge soone dispell the Mist of their ignorance and palpable errours Which need the lesse confutation because they contradict themselves as much as the truth For First they condemne the Baptisme of children upon this ground because they say they cannot be assured of the truth of their faith and repentance by which reason they should forbid or forbear the christening of men in riper yeares also forasmuch as these teachers can be no way assured of the sincerity of their Scholars faith and true purpose of amendment of life For though they professe the one and promise the other yet they may do it in hypocrisie and for worldly ends Or if they will say we ought to beleive their profession and promise for themselves why then ought we not as well to beleive their profession and promise for their Children when the Fathers or God-fathers undertake for them at the Font Secondly they preach the doctrine of mortification of the flesh and crucifying the lusts thereof and yet withall they maintaine plurality of wives and adulterous and incestuous copulations under the title of spirituall marriages with those of their own Sect. Conjugium vocat hoc praetexit nomine culpam Thirdly they allow of no set formes of prayer or studied Sermons because such as they conceive who use them pray not by the Spirit yet themselves in their Assemblies make use of set hymnes and Psalmes which notwithstanding they make us beleive they sing by the Spirit according to the example of the Apostle I will pray with the spirit and will pray with understanding also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with understanding also Fourthly they cry up the doctrine of the crosse and boast
of the Gospel both by the Law of God and by the Law of nature vers 7. Who goeth a warfare on his own charge who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock and vers 13. Doe ye not know that those that minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple and they that wait at the Altar be partakers with the Altar even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel He saith not God permitteth or alloweth of it but ordaineth and commandeth it And lest these two strings should not be strong enough to keepe the bow still bent he addeth a third to wit an Apostolical injunction let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things Moreover when we read that Abraham and Iacob gave tithes I demand by what Law whether by the Law of nature or the Leviticall or Evangelicall not by vertue of the Leviticall for that Law was not then enacted and by that Law Levi was to receive not pay tithes Yet Levi himselfe in Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedech if they paid it by the Law of nature that bindeth all men if by the Evangelicall Law it bindeth all Christians to pay their tithes towards the maintenance of Melchisedechs Priesthood which endureth for ever And Saint Austine fearfully upon this ground threatneth all those who refuse willingly to pay their tithes that God would reduce them to a tithe and blast all the nine parts of their estate Thirdly I except against the thirty ninth Article viz. that baptisme is an ordinance of the new Testament given by Christ to be dispensed only upon persons professing Faith or that are disciples or taught who upon a profession of Faith ought to be baptized Here they lispe not but speak out plaine their Anabaptisticall doctrine whereby they exclude all the children of the faithfull from the sacrament of entrance into the Church and the only outward meanes of their salvation in that state but the best of their proofes fall short the word only which only can prove this their assertion is not found in any of the texts alledged in the margent nor can the sense of it be collected from thence For though it is most true and evident in the letter of those texts that all Nations that are to be converted and all men in them of yeers of discretion that have been taught the principles of Religion ought to make profession of their Faith before they are baptized as all that came to mens estate among the Jews or proselytes ought both to know and to give their assent to the covenant before they received the seal thereof to wit circumcision yet no such thing was or could be required of children who notwithstanding were circumcised the eight day so by the judgement of all the Christian Churches in the world the children of beleevers who are comprised in the letter of the covenant may receive the seal thereof to wit baptisme though they cannot make profession of their Faith by themselves for the present but others make it for them and in their stead the affirmative is true that all that make profession of their Faith and testifie their unfained repentance are to be baptized but the negative is most false that none are to be baptized who have not before made such profession of their Faith when by reason of their infancie they are not capable to be taught But this hereticall assertion is at large resu'ed by manifold Arguments drawne from Scripture Fathers and reason and all their cavils and evasions exploded Article 2. to which I refer the Reader Fourthly I except against the fortieth Article viz. The way and manner of dispensing of this Ordinance the Scripture holds out to be dipping or plunging the whole body under water it being a signe must answer the things signified which are these 1. The washing of the whole soul in the blood of Christ 2. That interest the Saints have in the death buriall and resurrection of Christ 3. Together with a confirmation of our Faith that as certainly as the body is buried under water and riseth again so certainly shall the bodies of the Saints be raised by the power of Christ in the day of the resurrection to reigne with Christ. This Article is wholly sowred with the new leaven of Anabaptisme I say the new leaven for it cannot be proved that any of the ancient Anabaptists maintained any such position there being three wayes of baptizing either by dipping or washing or sprinkling to which the Scripture alludeth in sundry places the Sacrament is rightly administred by any of the three and whatsoever is here alleadged for dipping we approve of so far as it excludeth not the other two Dipping may be and hath been used in some places trina immersio a threefold dipping but there is no necessity of it it is not essentiall to Baptisme neither doe the Texts in the margent conclude any such thing It is true Iohn baptized Christ in Iordan and Philip baptized the Eunuch in the river but the Text saith not that either the Eunuch or Christ himselfe or any baptized by Iohn or his Disciples or any of Christs Disciples were dipped plunged or dowsed over head and eares as this Article implyeth and our Anabaptists now practise Againe the bare example of Christ and his Apostles without a precept doth not bind the Church and precept there is none for dipping it is certaine Christ and his Apostles celebrated the Communion after Supper and in unleavened bread and with such a gesture as was then in use among the Jewes yet because there is no precept in the Gospell for these things no Christian Church at this day precisely observeth those circumstances and therefore dato non concesso that Christ and Saint Iohn or their Disciples used dipping in Baptisme it will not follow that we ought to baptize in the like and no other manner Besides it ought to be noted that in the beginning Christians had no Churches nor Fonts in them and there being many hundreds nay thousands often to be baptized together there was a kind of necessity that this Sacrament should be administred in rivers or such places where were store of waters as there were in Enon neare Salem where John baptized But now the Church hath better provided there being Christian Oratories every where and Fonts in them most convenient for this purpose whereunto I shall need to adde here no more having fully handled this point both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the discussion of the first Article Fiftly I except against the 41. Article viz. The persons designed by Christ to dispence this ordinance the Scripture hold forth to be a preaching Disciple it being no where tyed to a particular Church Officer or Person If the eye be
darknesse how great is that darknesse if there be confusion in order it selfe how great must the confusion needs be if all be Pastours where are their flocks if all be teachers where are their Scolars a preaching Disciple sounds as harshly as a Scholar Master or a Lecturing hearer it is true we grant that all who have received gifts from God ought to make use of them for the benefit of others and if any abound in knowledge hee ought to communicate to them that lack and freely give lumen de lumine Clouds when they are full powre downe and the spowts runne and the eaves shed and the presses overflow and the Aromaticall trees sweat out their precious and soveraigne oyles and every learned Scribe in the Kingdom of God brings out of his rich treasury new things and old Notwithstanding this necessary duty of imploying our talent whatsoever it be to our Masters best advantage none may take upon him the cure of soules without Commission nor divide the word and dispence the Sacraments without ordination and imposition of hands none may preach except he be sent none may assume the honour of the Priesthood except hee bee called as was Aaron none may open and shut the Kingdome of heaven except they have received the keyes from Christ neither a calling without gifts nor gifts without a calling makes a man of God if any have a calling without gifts their Ministery is without fruit if any gifts without a calling their Ministery is without power the former have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not every one that hath a strong voice is a lawfull cryer in a Court but he that is appointed neither is every one that can write a good hand a publick Notary but he that is sworne neither may every Mariner that is skilful in Navigation take upon him the office of a Pilot but he that is chosen But this error of the Anabaptists whereby they overthrow all order in the Church and confound shepheards and flocks Masters and Scholars Clergy and Laity I have professedly impugned and at large refelled Article 4. Whither I referre the Reader for further satisfaction Sixtly I except against the 45. Article That such to whom God hath given gifts being tryed in the Church may and ought by the appointment of the congregation to prophecie When Muncer a seditious Anabaptist first set abroach their doctrine at Mulchus and took upon him to reforme many things in Church and State Luther advised the Senate to demand of him what calling he had to doe such things he did and if he should avouch God for the Author of his calling then they should require of him to prove that his calling from God by some eminent signe for that whensoever it pleaseth God to change the ordinary course and to call any man to any office extraordinarily he declares that his good will and pleasure by some evident signe If the calling of the Anabaptisticall teachers bee be ordinary let them demonstrate it by Scripture if extraordinary let them prove it by miracle For the prophecy they spake of let them distinctly declare what kind of Prophecying they mean and whom they esteem Prophets for prophecying is taken in a double sense in holy Scripture sometimes according to the propriety of the Greek derivation for the prediction of things future sometimes in a larger sense for revealing the mysteries of God expounding his Oracles either coÌ„cerning things past present or to come and this two manner of wayes either with study and upon premeditation with the help of Arts and Tongues and by consulting the best Commentaries both ancient and latter or without any study or premeditation by immediate revelation or inspiration Prophecy in the first sense is an extraordinary calling in the last an extraordinary gift in the middle acception an ordinary Ministeriall duty And if that custome which Arch-Bishop Grindall would have introduced into the Church in the dayes of Q. Elizabeth and is in use at Geneva and among some other reformed Churches were put in practise in England and a certaine number of learned and able Pastours met at some set times and having before notice of the Texts to be handled should every one in their order deliver their severall interpretations observations and applications thereof which they call Prophecying we should exceedingly approve of it and questionles thereby the Ministeâ—s would very much improve their talents of knowledge But for rudeÌ„ and illiterate Mechanicks without calling without knowledge of Arts or Tongues upon a Scripture read in the Congregation to give their suddain judgements and interpretations thereof as is the manner of the Anabaptists we hold it an intolerable presumption in them and unsufferable abusâ— in the Church For those extraordinary revelations they pretend unto together with the miraculous gift of Tongues and healing for many hundred yeares agoe have failed in the Church If they could now doe as the Primitive Corinthians could not onely pray by the spirit but sing by the spirit if upon the first proposall of an obscure and intricate passage of the old Prophets or Apocalypse they can give upon the suddaine a cleare and rationall interpretation and deliver this in what Language soever if they can discover the secrets of the hearts of unbeleivers in such sort that they falling down on their face shall worship God and report that God is in your Assemblies of a truth then let the examples of the Primitive Christians in the Apostles dayes serve them for Precedents in this kind but of those irradiations of the Spirit together with the glisning of the fiery tongues have not been seen in any Christian Church these many ages if they come as short of the prime converts to the Christian Religion in extraordinary gifts as in time if they are so far from speaking with strange tongues that they cannot speak correctly and coherently in one if they are so wide of the sense of the place they expound that their Paraphrases are often without sense if they utter old broken notes taken from none of the best Sermons for new revelations if they furbish up ancient heresies that have layne long in the dark for Christian Armour of Light if in their interpretations they not only contradict the Scriptures but themselves and in stead of a musicall consent we hear nothing but vain janglings if their prophecyings for the time past have bin no better and none can prophecie or promise better of them for the time to come though they pretend never so much to the spirit and boast of visions and Revelations though some of them have a glib tongue and thereby slide into the approbation of the vulgar sort though in their contemplations they sore up so high that they lose themselves and their hearers though they draw their thinâ—e wier to a great length though notwithstanding they are often
thing or spirituall act or grace signified by Baptisme may be sufficiently expressed without Dipping then is not Dipping necessary in Baptisme for the whole use of the signe in Baptisme in all other Sacraments is but to represent the thing signified and inwardly wrought upon the soul by the means of that ordinance of God But the thing signified to wit the cleansing of the soul from the guilt and filth of sin may be sufficiently expressed by washing or rubbing with water and so putting away the filth of the flesh 1 Pet. 3. 21. without any plunging or Dipping of the whole body or any part thereof Ergo Dipping is not necessary in Baptisme ARGUMENT IIII. Sprinkling may be done and is usually without any Dipping at all But the outward act of Baptisme representing the inward Ablution of the soul is expressed in holy Scripture by sprinkling Hebr. 9. 13. The blood of bulls and goats sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh Heb. 10. 22. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water 1 Pet. 1. 2. Through the sanctification of the spirit and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ. Ergo The outward act of Baptisme may be rightly performed without any Dipping at all ARGUMENT V. Baptisme is a Sacrament though not of absolute necessity yet of very great as all confesse and it falleth out often that it ought to be administred to sick and infirm persons even sometimes lying upon their death bed they making profession of their Faith and earnestly desiring it But in such case these infirm persons cannot after the manner of the Anabaptists be carried to rivers or wells and there be Dipt and plunged in them without evident and apparent danger yet may they safely be Baptised by sprinkling or gentle rubbing with water Ergo Sprinkling or rubbing the flesh with water in the Name of the Trinity by those who have authority and commission from Christ is sufficient without any Dipping at all ARGUMENT VI. All the Sacraments of the church may and ought to be administred without giving any just scandall But the resort of great multitudes of men and women together in the evening and going naked into rivers there to be plunged and Dipt cannot be done without scandall especially where the State giveth no allowance to any such practise nor appointeth any order to prevent such fowl abuses as are like at such disorderly meetings to be committed Ergo The Sacrament of Baptisme ought not to be administred with such plunging or Dipping The Objections of the Anabaptists answered Now let us hear what they can say for their Dipping and with what weak bulrushes they fight against the truth Fist they object that the word Baptize is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to Dip or Die therefore say they washing or sprinkling with water is not Baptizing but plunging the body or the head at least in water But we answer First out of Aquinas and the schoolmen in verbis non tam spectandum ex quo quam ad quid sumantur in words we are not so much to respect from whence they are derived as how they are used as we see the branches of trees spread much further then the roots so the derivative words are often of a larger extent of signification then their primitives for instance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth originally and properly Catechizing or such a kinde of Teaching wherein the principles of Religion or of any Art or Science are often inculcated and by continuall sounding and resounding beat into the ears of children or novies but yet it is taken in holy Scripture in a larger sense not onely for catchizing of children but instructing men of riper yeers in the doctrine of salvation as Luke 1. 4. That thou mightest know the certainty of those things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherein thou hast been instructed and Acts 1825. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and Acts 21. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereof they informed concerning thee and Rom. 14. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Follow the things wherewith one may edifie another and Gal. 6. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him that as taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth him In like manner The word prophecie is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth originally and properly to foretell things future yet it is taken in the new Testament especially in a larger sense for all such as reveale the will of God and declare his promises aswell past and already fulfilled as to be fulfilled hereafter as namely 1 Cor. 11. 4. every man praying or prophecying having his head covered dishonoureth his head 1 Cor. 14. 1. Desire spirituall gifts but rather that ye may prophesie and verse 3. He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification to exhortation to comfort verse 31. Ye may all prophesâ—e one by one verse 32. The spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets So the word Baptize though it be derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tingo to Dip or Plunge into the water and signifieth primarily such a kinde of washing as is used in bucks where linnen is Plunged and Dipt yet it is taken more largely for any kinde of washing rinsing or cleansing even where there is no Dipping at all as Matth. 3. 11. 20. 22. Mark 7. 4. 10. 38. Luke 3. 16. Acts 1. 5. 11. 16. 1 Cor. 10. 2. Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence Baptize is derived signifieth as well to Die as to Dip and it may be the holy Ghost in the word Baptize hath some reference to that signification because by Baptisme we change our hiew for as Varro reporteth of a river in Baeotia that the water thereof turneth sheep of a dark or dun colour into white so the sheep of Christ which are washed in the Font of Baptisme by vertue of Christs promise though before they were of never so dark sad or dirtie colour yet in their souls become white and pure and are as it were new died therefore admitting that in the word Baptize there were something of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tingo to Dip or Die yet it will not follow That it necessarily signifieth Dipping for it may aswell imply this spirituall Die to which no Dipping is necessary Secondly they argue from the example of Christ and Iohn and of Philip and the Eunuch Iesus say they and Iohn went both into Iordan and there Iohn Baptized Iesus and likewise Philip and the Eunuch went both down into the water and there Philip Baptized the Eunuch therefore say they sprinkling or washing with water will not suffice but the parties that are to be baptized ought to go into the water and there be Dipt over head and ears But we answer First an example of Christ or his