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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	great_a	religion_n	1,317	5	5.4600	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86928	An ansvver to Mr. Tombes his scepticall examination of infants-baptisme: wherein baptisme is declared to ingraft us into Christ, before any preparation: and the covenant of the gospel to Abraham and the gentiles is proved to be the same, extended to the gentiles children, as well as to Abrahams: together with the reason, why baptize children, is not so plainly set down in the gospel, as circumcise children, in the law, and yet the gospel more plain then the law. / By William Hussey, minister of Chislehurst in Kent.	Hussey, William, minister of Chiselhurst.	1646 (1646)	Wing H3815; Thomason E343_3; ESTC R200939	83,416	79

is not tied to sacraments so as that he cannot fave without them though contempt of sacraments be sinfull and damnable Mr. Tombes his second argument is That which agreeth not with the Lords institution of baptisme is deservedly doubtfull but the right of Infants baptisme agreeth not with the Lords institution of baptisme Ergo. I deny the minor Mr. Tombes proveth because Infants cannot be Disciples of Christ I say they may Mr. Tombes confesseth Infants may be sanctified but it cannot be made known to us that is not Mr. Tombes his argument that it must be known to us that they are sanctified neither from the institution doth it appeare that they must be Disciples before they are baptized much lesse that it must appear The commission to the Apostles and from them to all the Ministers of the Word to the end of the world is to make Disciples of all nations baptizing and teaching them what Christ shall command The parties to be baptized are all nations without any restriction at all their commission is to baptize all nations and this in reference to that nationall covenant that then was among the Jews only the publike worship was limited to the Temple then now to no place make Disciples is no limitation of persons Their commission was to make all nations Disciples which they were to execute pro viribus to the uttermost of their power the conjunction of baptisme and teaching with making Disciples was not with respect to any personall restriction but it is conjunctio mediorum ad finem make all nations Disciples the meaning is by baptisme and teaching Now the setting down of these words making Disciples first is because that was the end of their commission first in intention and must first be proposed as in all operations is necessary as if a man will have an house built a city conquered an enemy taken the first thing that he proposeth is the thing that he will have done and after directeth or consulteth about the means though they must use the means before they get the end I have already spoken to this and shall more fully in my arguments that I intend for childrens baptisine For that which Master Tombes saith then the children of Infidels might be baptized I have already spoken of that it is not incapacity of the childe that disableth him from baptisme it is the fault of the parent that will not bring his childe nor will undertake to bring up his childe in Christian doctrine nor is he that is an Infidell herein to be believed but in Christ Jewes and Gentiles are all one and a childe as capable of Christian Religion according to his education though his father be an Heathen as if a Christian the reason why the seed of Abraham had a priviledge was the Ordinances were only in his house as many as came to have benefit of the Ordinances were circumcised though not of Abrahams seed they that were bought with money or sojourned in Abrahams house nay though they were reckoned as a family distinct from Abrahams and the males reckoned not as Abrahams males but their own males yet if they desired to eate the Passeover their males must be circumcised Exod. 12.48 Those that joyn themselves to the Ordinances and claim their interest in baptisime and relation in Christ to be his Disciples they must be baptized and their families and as many as they can undertake for to bring to the outward means if they can undertake for whole nations the commissioners may not refuse them they must be suffered to come if any will undertake to bring them though children Now that fathers by undertaking to bring their children to hearing and to learning what is the way of God do no more then their dutie and what they can readily perform and do bring their children to Church and take order for their catechizing which were the parents as carefull as they ought were a great means to promote Religion and Piety among men and is often required in the Scripture from the father That is by this Anabaptisticall tenet laid only upon the Minister which turneth into a great incumbrance and neglect of the instruction of the people whereby many have been enforced to fall into that inexcusable error that all men have the office of a Minister if baptized themselves and have gifts such as the people shall approve of But grant that the nations must be made Disciples before they must be baptized and that all nations must believe before Disciples doth it follow that every party must believe that is baptized quod convenit parti quapars convenit toti gratia istius partis that which agreeth to any part agreeth to the whole by reason of the part but not to every part the whole man seeth with his eye I speak de actu videndi but not with any other member but having gotten the knowledge by the eye the soul implieth other members more imperato to do their office So the Magistrates that are not only the sense but the understanding of the nations believing may be baptized and by the duty of their place require others to be baptized also Non quicquid totius etiam partis est in totis integrantibus a man must see before he go into the river to be washed he seeth with his eye not with his foot but when he is washed his foot may be washed also the nation believeth by the Magistrate by whose authority the whole nation is put to school to Christ and is baptized which is an externall duty and may be required by the Magistrate as for faith we have no Lords of faith here every man must give an account of his faith to the Lord of faith Jesus Christ upon his day In the mean time it is a most insolent arrogancy and contrary to Scripture for any man to judge of anothers faith Saint Paul saith not as having dominion over your faith but as helpers of your joy 2 Cor. 1.24 and Saint Peter not as Lords over the flock if therefore they are not Lords how come they to be Judges what do Lordship consist in a name or in judicature names be but weake and childish apprehensions of things natures only yeeld distinct knowledge Moses could no sooner take upon him to judge of wrong done among brethren but presently they aske Who made him a Prince a Lord a Judge intimating that judgement belongeth to a Lord Wee doe much declaime against Lordship and dominion over other mens consciences and faith yet not only Ministers but every man will take upon him to judge without scruple this man hath faith and that man hath none it is true charity doth permit men privatly to approve but not condemne the faith of another Baptisme is an externall duty such as man can take notice of whether done or not and if a man be called to an account whether he hath baptized such a person or not or whether he went or carried an Infant to be baptized who

a prophane meeting to feast together Ninthly men forget baptisme so that it hath the force of a carnall right and not a spirituall institution Tenthly it taketh away or at least diminisheth the zeal and industry of knowing the Gospell But be all these faults and are all of these flowing from Infants baptisme First I shall shew that many of these have no affinity at all with Infants baptisme First private baptisme hath nothing to do with Infants baptisme for that Infants may be baptized publikely nay Lawes may be made requiring their publike baptisme though Infants nay the Directory is at this time so penned and in all times publike baptisme was principally aimed at and desired and for the most part so performed what he meaneth by private baptisme I do not know baptisme in an house among so many as make a congregation I cannot discerne how that can well be accounted any such fault I am sure he hath not proved it 2. He telleth us that baptizing of Infants hath brought in the baptizing by women as though Ministers may not baptize children as well as women 3. The baptizing of Infants hath brought in the baptizing of children not brought to light for my part I can say nothing but wonder at such an inference 4. As for baptizing of children of uncertaine progenie I know nothing of it but that if any man that is a Christian himselfe will undertake to bring him up a Disciple of Christs such a childe may be baptized 5. They are baptized in the name of the Lord that know not the Lord what inconvenience from that It is true St. Paul saith No man can call upon him of whom he hath not heard It would indeed put on the forme of some probablity if it were referred unto the person that did call on the name of the Lord that it were something absurd but doth it follow because no man can call on him of whom he hath not heard therefore he cannot call on the name of God in the behalfe of any but such as have heard of God none can pray but those that have faith but may not a faithfull man pray for an Infidell may not a Christian parent pray for his childe because the childe doth not know the Lord this were very strange as for the childs consent I say so farre as concernes the Covenant between God and man which is sealed in Baptisme consent is not required on our part to the obligation we are bound to obedience and are under the sanction of condemnation if we consent not and this is the very reason why circumcision which had as great a respect to the circumcision of the heart as baptisme was as vaine and nothing without faith as baptisme was yet stamped on the infants of the Jewes wherein the Scripture is not silent therefore this argument is not of any force that baptisme is not to be administred to Infants because they doe not consent unlesse the consent of the party to be baptized were required to the obligation if the childe were free from those duties unto which he is tyed by his baptisme untill he had consented thereunto it were a great wrong to baptize him and thereby lay a yoke upon him without his consent from which he were otherwise free but whether he consent or not the obligation of obedience and faith lyeth on him and the sanction of wrath and condemnation attendeth on the Infidell and disobedient whether they consent or not whether they are baptized or not so that consent both to obedience and faith and baptisme whether baptisme be represented to them as already done or to be done is required of him that is adultus or of yeares as a duty not as liberty 〈◊〉 ●●fusing to consent is a sinne and punishable both by God and man though these consist much in internalls of which only God can judge and punish faith and obedience of the heart but as for the externalls of Gods worship such as are the externall rite of baptisme that is to be performed in the sight of men and men may require him that is of yeares to consent to his baptisme laying the neglect on him as a sinne and punishing him for it as for adultery fornication or any other publike offence leaving the matter of faith which is private to the judgement of God so likewise may the Nations receive baptisme for the whole as all other externalls requiring parents to bring their children as before I have thought good to speake something to this point because it seemeth to carry some shew of reason with it that no man should be tyed to a Covenant unto which hee never gave any consent which in free covenants is true though in publike covenants we are tyed by the covenants of our Ancestors and are bound by those lawes wee are borne under made by the consent of our parents but in the case between God and us he made us and giveth lawes to us under which we must live or dye I take Lawes here in a generall sense to signifie direction for faith and repentance as well as any other rules of life not by vertue of our owne consent but Gods absolute right and authority 6. Mr. Tombs telleth us that baptizing of Infants hath brought the admission of ignorant and prophane persons unto the communion of the Church and to the Lords Supper for who can deny rightly the rite of the Church to the baptized so he To this I answer that the engagement of the parent to instruct his childe which is but his duty will certainly be a great meanes to set men upon the performance of their duty therein when men shall solemnly in the presence of God before a congregation be charged with the bringing up of their children in the feare of God that they must looke to their owne conversation that it be exemplary to their children if this be not performed by the parents yet the charging it upon them out of Gods word cannot but be a meanes rather to keep out ignorance and prophanenesse then to bring them in can any means be used by man more available then to instruct children in their tender years in the knowledge of God Certainly God hath informed us that this is the most lasting knowledge that wee learned in tender yeares and our experience doth abundantly confirme this Now what greater care can bee had by the Church then in such a solemne and sacramentall manner for a man to bee charged with the education of his childe as a Scholler of Christ as soon as he is able to learne any thing if this be a way to introduce prophanenesse and ignorance I know not what can keep it out but he implyeth as a great sinne that ignorant persons should be admitted into communion of the Church and the Lords Supper for this admittance into the communion of the Church if any thing may be argued from thence touching the unlawfulnesse of Infants baptisme a just and due tract ought to

were vainly reported and taken up to countenance severall errors as delivered from the Apostles if some have disclaimed the proof of Scripture for childrens baptisme and held it notwithstanding lawfull from weaker grounds that doth not any way weaken the authority of Scripture and strength of reason taken from thence If any one hath proved baptisme lawfull from Apostolicall tradition that doth not hinder me or any other from proving it lawfull by Scripture neither doth the mixing it with errors in the same person make the baptisme of Infants erroneous if so all truths would quickly be turned into errors seeing few men have been without their slips which yet have not only held but defended and propagated with admiration many pretious truths Mr. Tombes would be loth if his Anabaptisme be convicted erroneous that all that he hath or shall hereafter speak should be therefore reputed erroneous by the same reason all the truths that were taught among Papists are eo nomine erroneous because they taught them and so not only the doctrine of the Trinity but the incarnation of Christ th●● 〈◊〉 of the dead were therefore erroneous because those that held 〈…〉 held likewise many other heresies and so his tenth argument 〈…〉 ●●●wered His 6 7 8 and 9. 〈…〉 neer alike and all to little purpose that I had thought wholly to 〈…〉 them but that men would have given some other construction then 〈…〉 were weak and therefore omitted I shall therefore say something of 〈◊〉 le●t men willing to be deceived should place strength where indeed there is none He telleth us in his sixth argument that Infants baptisme hath caused many inventions to support it and hath occasioned defect in Church policy but proveth none of that which he saith he only affirmeth that Infants-baptisime was supported by sureties and Episcopall confirmation and that it brought in Church-covenant as a preparation to the Lords Supper for abuses that may creep in with any duty they do not take away the goodnesse or lawfulnesse of the duty it self His seventh argument accuseth baptisme of Infants with four errors First that baptisme conferreth grace by the work done The second is regeneration The third Infants dying are saved by the faith done The fourth regenerate persons may fall from grace To these two arguments I plainly say that none of all these things are occasioned by Infants baptisme or if so men may not doubt of the goodnesse of all such things as wicked men may or will take occasion to be offended at for then Christ and the Gospel should be principally questioned the great stumbling stone and rock of offence so that occasion of offence is an argument rather of goodnesse then of fault Satan being most ready to entice us to corrupt our best actions What doth baptizing Infants imply the conferring of grace by the work done nay we say of Baptisme as Saint Paul of circumcision that is not baptisme that is outward in the ceremony but that which is of the heart but the praise of that is not of man but of God we cannot praise men for baptisme of the heart God baptizeth seeth judgeth the heart we baptise the body but leave the residue to God only in steed of Christ we teach those children that by their parents are brought to be enrolled the disciples of Christ the things that Christ hath commmanded us and tell the baptized when they come to be catechised that they must have the effect of their baptisme by faith in Christ and not by the work done What Mr. Tombes are all Pedobaptists Papists these are strange calumnies and why must Infants baptisme necessarily imply that the regenerate may fall away from grace can none of your baptized persons that are baptized being of full yeers fall away from the effect and benefit of their baptisme if that be not an heresie that such men as are judged believers by your Ministers and so adjudged fit for baptisme and baptized cannot ever after fall away from grace I know not what is I hope Religion and knowledge of God is not brought to that outward formality that all should consist in your humane judicature it seems Mr. Tombes when he baptizeth any he will promise the parties he baptizeth that they shall never fall from grace I have heard many ignorant people use this argument but that Mr. Tombes a man cried up for learning should use such an argument is admirable and strange to me and certainly by this Mr. Tombes doth plainly confute himself guilty of that opinion that baptisme doth conferre grace by the work done For he inferreth that if children may be baptized in Infancy then men may fall away from grace because many not withstanding their baptisme become wicked afterward doth not this imply that if they were baptized they were gracious if baptisme do not conferre grace by the work done how can it be inferred that such men as after baptisme turn wicked do fall away from grace Saint Paul speaking of false teachers 1 Joh. 2.19 saith of them they went from us because they were not of us not that they fell away from grace but they deserted the profession because they were not gracious but saith Mr. Tombes if baptisme be administred to Infants and they walk not according to their profession they fall from grace no such matter unlesse Mr. Tombes will say baptisme cannot be administred but to the gracious they fall from baptisme and so will many that Mr. Tombes or any the most discerning of them all notwithstanding all the caution that can be taken or else it were a most happy case to come under their hands which cannot be imagined unlesse it flow from the oper●tion of the work done some of them that passe their examination will undoubtedly be unfaithull or at least may be such for ought they can do to prevent it so that if they do deceive them and obtain baptisme then baptisme must conferre the grace or they may remain ungracious still and so notwithstanding their baptisme they cannot be said to fall away from grace which they never had though they should renounce their baptisme muchlesse by not walking answerable to the profession into which they are baptized or not behaving themselves as Disciples ought to do The eighth Argument is taken from this That baptisme of Infants hath caused many faults and abuses in discipline worship and conversation this is likewise only said nothing proved in it he reckoneth ten of these First private baptisme Secondly baptisme by women Thirdly of unborn Infants Fourthly Baptizing Infants of uncertain progeny Fifthly they that are baptized in the the name of the Lord know not the Lord Sixthly it hath brought in the admission of ignorant and prophane persons into the Church and unto the Lords Supper for who can deny rightly the right of the Church to the baptized Seventhly it p●rverteth the order of discipline that first a man be baptized and after among the catechised Eighthly the sacrament of baptisme is turned into