Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	communion_n	person_n	1,213	5	5.7325	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53334	A brief defence of infant-baptism with an appendix, wherein is shewed that it is not necessary that baptism should be administred by dipping / by John Ollyffe ...	Ollyffe, John, 1647-1717.	1694 (1694)	Wing O287; ESTC R32212	67,029	72

all almost are baptized in their Infancy and thereby admitted Church-Members they are therefore so still esteemed and so the Churches of the Pedobaptists are overloaded with such Persons which defile their Communions Answ But what are there no such Persons to be found among those of the other Perswasion I heartily wish indeed for the Honour of our holy Master and the Credit of his Religion that there were no such either among them or us or those of any other Denomination But this is not to be expected in this imperfect State of the Christian Church Matth. 13.47 which is as a Net cast into the Sea that receives of every kind where good and bad are mix'd together and so we must expect it will be till the End of the World when the Angels shall come forth and sever the Wicked from among the Just But let us not blame that for this which is not to be blamed It is not to be laid to the Charge of Baptism either in Infancy or in Age nor to that in Infancy more than to that at Age. For if once the Baptism of adult Persons were the general Fashion and as commonly received and as much encouraged as Infant-Baptism now is I doubt not but the Church would be as full of Hypocrites then and carnal Gospellers for any thing that Baptism at Age would do more to prevent it than Infant-Baptism now doth For it is no great Matter to make such a Confession of Faith as may serve turn for Baptism and if once it were Mens Interest to do so it would be easily enough gone through As for so many profane Persons which they say are in the Church by reason of Infant-Baptism because so many are look'd upon of the Church that were once baptized and these are for the most part bad I answer However that be yet Infant-Baptism is not to be blamed for it but generally it is the want of Care in Parents and Godfathers about the Instruction and Education of Children that have been baptized and want of Discipline in the Church to expel those that are profane out of it when they once become scan dalous in it It is not Infant-Baptism that is to be blamed for that is a proper Means rather to make Persons good and that betimes That will do its Part well if it be rightly adverted to when they grow up to Understanding by Reflection upon it and full as well as if Baptism were administred at Age. This tends to continue and help forward the Conveyance of Religion down to after-Generations by laying a strict Engagement upon Children to be good betimes and upon Parents to educate them and bring them up well in order to it so that there might be still a young Nursery of tender Plants growing up in the Vineyard of the Lord. And to say otherwise is a Refiection upon the Wisdom of the Jewish Church in admitting the Children of Proselytes together with their Parents yea and of the Wisdom of the holy God himself who loves the Purity and Glory of the Church certainly more than any of us can do and knoweth best what most tends to further it who himself ordered the Token of his Covenant to be applied to Children at eight Days old For according to this Opinion it had been much better to have let it alone till all had come to Age. And the same Censure will lie upon the Jewish Church for admitting of Members then in their Infant-state as much as it can now upon the Churches of the Pedobaptists But let not us go to teach God or instruct him what Means are best to promote the Churches Purity I can make no doubt but Infant-Baptism is as great an Advantage to the Church now as Infant-Circumcision was then in all the spiritual Respects of it or as the Baptism then of Proselytes Infants was But if there be other Ordinances and Duties neglected which God hath appointed which should be for the procuring of a pure Church or for the cleansing of it when it is impure it is the Neglect of those Ordinances and Duties that is the true Reason of that Impurity in the Church and not the keeping up of that Ordinance which rather helps towards its Purification as well as admits into the Communion of it They of the other way when profane Persons are at any time found among them don't blame their Baptism at Age for it as if that were the Reason of their Badness which would rather tend to make them good and if these Persons continue still in their Church no doubt it is the Churches Neglect and not the Fault of their Baptism And so if profane Persons be sound in the Church wherein the Members are admitted by Infant-Baptism let not Infant-Baptism be blamed for that but the Neglect of those other Ordinances and Duties that should tend to promote the Churches Purity Object 5. Why may not the Lord's Supper be administred to Infants as well as Baptism that being as well a Seal of the Covenant as Baptism is and was likewise administred to them in some of the first Ages of the Church Answ If the Lord's Supper should be administred to Infants it could be of no other Use to them than Baptism is viz. to be a visible Badg or Mark of their being owned and received by us as the Children of God and Members of the Church of Christ and a Seal of the Blessings of the Covenant and of their Communion therein These things are sufficiently confirmed to them by the Ordinance of Baptism and the Ordinance of the Lord's-Supper could be of no further use to them than what this comes to And therefore the Administration of the Lord's-Supper to them would be supervacaneous and needless because it can do no more for them than Baptism doth Nor is the Ordinance of the Lord's-Supper so fit and proper to be administred to them for the Ends aforesaid as Baptism is Because Baptism is a Sacrament or Ordinance particularly designed or appointed for this purpose to be for their visible Initiation or Insition into the Church of Christ and is therefore to be administred to all the Members of it as a Token or Sign of their being the Children of God and Members of Christ and so to seal to them the Blessings of the Covenant and to engage them on their part to the performance of the Conditions And Infants being capable of all these Ends and Uses of it which are the chief Ends of Baptism it is therefore proper and fit to be administred to them Whereas the Lord's-Supper is a Sacrament of Growth or Perfection for the strengthening and refreshing of our Souls and for our Growth and Progress in Grace which is promoted and furthered by an Act of Reflection on our parts upon the Death of Christ and the Benefits that he hath purchased thereby and is to be a thankful Memorial or for solemn Thanksgiving to Christ for this great Grace and Love of his that he hath