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A47740
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A discourse proving the divine institution of water-baptism wherein the Quaker-arguments against it are collected and confuted : with as much as is needful concerning the Lord's supper / by the author of The snake in the grass.
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Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing L1128; ESTC R13375
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53,245
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76
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of them So very wild is that Notion that there must be no Signs or Figures under the Gospel It would be much Truer if they had said That there are nothing else but Signs and Figures There is nothing else without a Figure but God! For all Creatures are Figures of Him Christ the Highest But have the Quakers no Figures G. Fox in his Saul's Errand p. 14. says That Christ's Flesh is a Figure They call the Body of Christ generally a Figure a Vail a Garment Then either they have none of it or they have Figures Richard Hubberthorn wrote Snake in the Grass 1st Part pag. 208. That Christ's coming in the Flesh was but a Figure He meant of the Inward coming of Christ or the Light in the Heart which they call the Substance and the Mystery of which Christ's Outward coming in the Flesh they say was but a Shadow or the History to use their own words G. Fox made a great Mystery or Figure of his Marriage which he said 2d Part p. 43. Was above the State of the first Adam in his Innocency in the State of the second Adam that never fell He wrote in one of his General Epistles to the Churches which were read and valu'd by the Quakers more than St. Paul's That his Marriage was a Figure of the Church coming out of the Wilderness This if deny'd I can Vouch undeniably but it will not be deny'd tho' it be not Printed with the rest of his Epistles but I have it from some that read it often But why was it not Printed That was a sad Story But take it thus He Marry'd one Margaret Fell a Widdow of about Threescore Years of Age and this Figure of the Church must not be Barren therefore tho' she was past Child-bearing it was expected that as Sarah she shou'd miraculously Conceive and bring forth an Isaac which G. Fox promis'd and boasted of and some that I know have heard him do it more than once She was call'd The Lamb's Wife And it was said amongst the Quakers That the Lamb had now taken his Wife and she wou'd bring forth an Holy Seed And Big she grew and all things were provided for the Lying in and he being perswaded of it gave notice to the Churches as above observ'd But after long waiting all prov'd Abortive and the Figure was spoil'd And now you may guess the Reason why that Epistle which mention'd this Figure was not Printed I wou'd have brought nothing into this Discourse that looks like a Jest but they have compelled me And it may be of use to them to shew them that while they throw off the Sacraments of Christ's Institution upon the Pretence that there must be no Signs or Figures under the Gospel they at the same time make Ridiculous Signs and Figures of G. Fox and his Fantastical Marriage and of several other things every thing almost among them is a Sign or Figure of something to come upon the World How many of their Lying Prophets have call'd themselves Signs to the Men of their Generation as the Holy Prophets were in their Day VII There have been Outward Signs in all the Institutions of Religion since the beginning of the World as well before as under the Law and now under the Gospel Only they have been vary'd or Ended according to what they praefigur'd Thus those Signs which had no further Tendency than to point out what Christ did or suffer'd upon Earth are fulfill'd and therefore Ended But there were some Signs which though they pointed to Christ upon Earth had yet a further Tendency For Signs may be appointed to more Ends than one Thus the Institution of the Sabbath was appointed for the Commemoration of God's Rest from the Works of the Creation Gen. ii 3. and Exod. xx 11. and likewise the rest of the Children of Israel who were the Type of the Church from their Captivity and Slavery in Egypt Deut. v. 15. which expresses the Servitude of Sin and Hell and their final Rest in Canaan the Type of Heaven after their forty Years wandering in the Wilderness which represent the Labours of this Life But this was not the Ultimate Rest or Sabbath Heb. iv 18. For if Joshua had given them Rest then wou'd he not afterward have spoken of another Day there remaineth therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the keeping of a Sabbath which signifies Rest to the People of God For he that is entred into his Rest he also hath ceased from his own Works as God did from his Thus Christ as he suffered the 6th Day of the Week the same Day that Man was created and fell so on the same Day on which God Rested from his Work of Creation viz. the 7th Day did Christ Rest in his Grave from his Work of Redemption And there is yet a farther Rest or Sabbath beyond this and that is the Eternal Rest in Heaven Heb. iv 11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that Rest Now though several Significations of the Sabbath are already past as the Deliverance out of Egypt the Entrance into Canaan and the Rest of Christ in his Grave Yet there being one behind that is the Sabbath of Heaven therefore do we still keep the Sabbath as a Type of it But there is another Reason for the Continuance of the Sabbath and that is That it was not only ordained as a Type of Things to come but as a Commemoration of what was past viz. Of God's Rest from his Works of Creation And by the Alteration of the Day of the Sabbath it serves likewise to us Christians as a Commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ and his Conquest over the Powers of Death and Hell It was the first Day in which Light was created and Christ who is our True Light of which the Visible Light is but a Shadow and was ordain'd as a Type Arose from the Dead the same Day and gave Light to those who sat in Darkness and the Shadow of Death by the Joyful Tidings of our Redemption from Hell and Eternal Bliss in Heaven Now so long as the Works of our Creation and Redemption are to be kept in Memory so long is the Sabbath to continue as a Commemoration of these Inestimable Benefits And by the same Reason so long as we ought to commemorate the Death and Passion of our Lord so long ought the Sacrament of it to continue which he Instituted in Remembrance of it and commanded it to be continu'd till his Coming again Thus you see that there are Signs under the Gospel not only the two Sacraments of the Church which flowed distinctly out of Christ's Side after his Death upon the Cross but that the Gospel does still retain the Signs of Commemoration which have descended down to us all the way from the Creation And likewise such Signs or Types as have yet a Prospect forward and are not wholly fulfill'd And 3 dly The Signs of Present Signification as the outward Acts of
till the Day of Pentecost fifty Days after the Resurrection of Christ as it is Recorded in the Second of the Acts. This Spiritual Baptism was promised John xiv 16 26. xv 26. xvi 7. And the Apostles were commanded to tarry in the City of Jerusalem till it should come upon them Luke xxiv 49. 2. The Quakers allow that John did Baptize with Water and there is no other sort of Baptism here mentioned with which Christ did Baptize and therefore these Baptisms being spoke of both together there can be no Reason to interpret the one to be with Water and the other not It is said John iv 1. The Pharisees heard that Jesus made and baptized more Disciples than John How cou'd the Pharisees hear of it if it was not an Outward and Visible Baptism For as before is said the outward and miraculous Effects of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost were not then given And since it Was an Outward it must be the Water-baptism for there was then no other Obj. But the Quakers start an Objection here That it is said John iv 2. Jesus himself baptized not but his Disciples 1. Ans Tho Jesus himself baptized not yet it is said in the Verse foregoing that He made and baptized i. e. those whom His Disciples by His Order Baptized For if it had not been done by His Order it cou'd not be said that he had Baptized those whom his Disciples Baptized But because He that doeth a thing by Another is said to do it Himself therefore Christ himself is said to have Baptized those whom his Disciples by his Order did Baptize 2. Answ That Baptizing which Christ is said to have Administred himself John iii. 26. might have been at another Time than that which is mentioned in the 4th Chapter And then the consequence will only be this That at some Times Christ did Baptise Himself and at other Times he left it to his Disciples Tho as to our Argument it is the same thing whether he did it Himself or commanded his Disciples to do it For either way it is his Baptism his Onely his Disciples did but Administer what he commanded II. As Christ himself did Baptize with Water and his Disciples by his Commandment while he was with them upon Earth so did his Apostles and Others thereunto by them commissionated after his Death and Resurrection by vertue of his Command to them Matth. xxviii 19. after he was Risen from the Dead What is said above of the Etymology and true Signification of the word Baptize is of itself sufficient to prove that by Baptism in this Text the outward Baptism with Water is meant especially till the Quakers can shew any Contradiction or Absurdity in having the word taken in the proper and literal sense in this and the other Texts which speak of it And this will be very hard to do since as it is just now proved that Christ did Baptize with Water as well as John And what Absurdity or Contradiction can be alledged that his Apostles shou'd Administer the same sort of Baptism after his Death as he had Practised and Commanded during his Life Nay rather what Reason can be given why they shou'd not be the same since the same word i. e. Baptize is us'd in Both and no new Sense or Acceptation of the word is so much as hinted And therefore to put any new sense or acceptation of the word must be wholly Arbitrary and Precarious But as I promis'd I will Demonstrate yet more fully and plainly that the Apostles did Practise the Outward i. e. Water-Baptism after CHRIST's death Acts x. 27. Can any Man forbid Water that these shou'd not be Baptized Acts viii 36. As they Philip and the Eunuch went on their way they came to a certain Water and the Eunuch said See here is Water what doth hinder me to be Baptized And Verse 38. they went both down into the Water hoth Philip and the Eunuch and he Baptized him And when they were come up out of the WATER c. Acts xxii 16. And now why tarriest thou Arise and be Baptized and wash away thy sins And to save more Quotations the Quakers do own that the Baptism of the Corinthians mentioned 1 Cor. i. 14 17. was Water-baptism Therefore I will conclude this Point as undeniable That the Apostles did practise Water-baptism And the Argument from thence will lie thus The Apostles did practise that Baptism which Christ commanded Mat. xxviii 19. But the Apostles did practise Water-baptism therefore Water-baptism was that Baptism which Christ commanded Matth. xxviii 19. III. And as the Practise of the Apostles is a most sure Rule whereby to understand the meaning of that Command which they put in execution so the Practise of those who immediately succeeded the Apostles who were Cotemporaries with them and learn'd the Faith from their Mouths is as certain a Rule to know what the Practise and what the Sense of the Apostles were And thus the Practise of the present Age in the Administration of Water-baptism is an undeniable Evidence that this was the Practise of the last Age the same Persons being many of them alive in both the last and the present Age. For one Age does not go off the World all at once and another succeed all of perfect Age together but there are old Men of the last Age and young Men and Children growing up to another Age all alive upon Earth the same time and Mankind being dispersed into far distant Countries and Climates who know not of one another nor hold any Correspondence It is by these means morally impossible for any Man or Men to deceive us in what has been the Vniversal and Receiv'd Practise of the last Age to which the present Age is so linked that it is even a part of it I say it is impossible for all the Fathers of the World to be suppos'd willing or if they were to be capable of imposing upon all younger than themselves namely That they had been all Baptized and that this was an universally receiv'd Custom and of which Registers were always kept in every Parish of all who had been from time to time Baptized and that such Registers were publick and to be recurr'd to by all that had a mind to it Every Man's reason will tell him that it is utterly impossible for such a thing to pass upon Mankind And as certainly as the present Age is thus assur'd of the Practise of the last Age in a Thing of so publick and universal a nature so certainly and by the same Rules must the last Age know the Practise of the Age before that and so backward all the way to the first Institution to the Age of Christ and the Apostles The publick nature of this Water-baptism as now practised being an outward matter of Fact of which Mens outward Senses their Eyes and Ears are Judges not like Matters of Opinion which sort of Tares may be privately sown and long time