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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	holy_a	son_n	spirit_n	92,207	5	6.2343	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88811	A plea for the vse of gospell ordinances: against the practice and opinions of certain men of these times. Unto which is added by way of an illustrious instance; a vindication of the ordinance of baptisme: against Mr. Dels booke, entituled The doctrine of baptismes. Wherein it's proved that the ordinance of baptism is of gospel institution, and by divine appointment, to continue of use in the Church, to the end of the world. / By Hen: Laurence Esq;.	Lawrence, Henry, 1600-1664.	1652 (1652)	Wing L668; Thomason E654_2; ESTC R205905	51,207	92

Christs Those of the reformed Religion on the other side are generally of opinion that the Ministry of John was the the same that was after delegated to the Apostles and that the Baptisme of John was the same which was administred after by the Disciples and Apostles of our Lord and which by the command of Christ was to be propagated into all the World and all Nations to be Baptized with it This controversie though in the tearmes of it it remaines much the same yet in sense and meaning it is exceedingly changed by some men of this generation who would have us beleeve that there is no use of Water in the Baptisme of Christ that belonging onely to Johns Ministry the last terme of which was the Ascention of Christ but that Christs Baptisme and the rule and Institution of it Matth. 28.29 Goe teach all Nations baptizing them c. is not to plung and dip them in cold Water as John did his Disciples But baptize them or dip them into the Name of God the Father Sonne and Spirit that is to use their owne words by the Ministry which shall be of the Spirit and not of the Letter You shall Baptize them or dip them or interest them into the Name of God who is the Father Sonne and Spirit or sprinkle his Name upon them that they may be holy just true mercifull righteous good c. The drift of all is as they affirme distinctly to exclude Water Baptisme in lieu of which as a thing contradistinct they would bring you in Spirit Baptisme To make this good they draw most of their best weapons out of the Popish Quiver in the disputes betweene us and them of the difference of Johns Baptisme from that of Christs though they manage them to a quite other purpose then they meant them for we and they differ about the efficacy of Baptisme by Water they the Papists affirming that Baptisme doth ex opere operato conferre grace that is by the force and vertue of its administration without any respect to the foregoing Faith and Repentance in the party baptized in which respect they preferre it to the Baptisme of John administred also by Water but these would have us beleeve that there is no such thing remaining to Christians as Baptisme by water When therefore I say they have helped themselves by these borrowed arguments to shew that the baptisme of Christ and that of John are two things and abused the Popish arguments to their owne ends then with many a specious flourish they acquaint you with the excellency of spirit Baptisme above water Baptisme wherein as in a Theame very easie they make a great flourish and shew us forsooth how much the efficacy of the spirit is more then water which for honour sake no doubt ever and anon they call cold water and so at length conclude with that which all the premises drive at that all outward and carnall and earthly things are put to an end in which number all outward administrations are contained by the inward spirituall and heavenly things of a better and second testament In which how little sincerely and faithfully they deale with holy Ordinances and the great Master and Institutor of them Jesus Christ by imposing their Apocryphall novelties upon the people under the specious title of a more raysed and spirituall administration as I have in part shewed already more generally in the preceding discourse so I shall endeavour more particularly in the vindication of the Ordinance of Baptisme to make manifest For my owne part I have thought that the difference of Johns and Christs Baptisme was not very considerable for we by the acknowledgment of all injoying Christs baptisme it was of lesse moment to know what the difference of the two Baptismes were if there were any But as it comes stated to us by new hands and it is the particular credit of errour that it is new there is nothing more considerable since by vertue of that distinction of Johns and Christs Baptisme they would utterly take away the Ordinance of Baptisme it selfe and by a like reason all the rest which with so much comfort and edification the Saints of God have knowne how to use as pledges of love and paths and tracts of Communion with God in Jesus Christ without adoreing them or putting them in Gods place though I confesse according to what our corruption is that is not without danger but it is the part of good and wise men to reform errour without overthrowing foundations on the other side folly ever rests in the extremities to which the Devill drives it That there is a Gospell New Testament Baptisme that these men will grant and that it is particularly held out in these places Matth. 28.19 20. and Marke 16.15 16. The words of Matthew are Goe teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father the Sonne and holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and so I am with you unto the end of the World To say here that Christ might mean baptisme by water of which ceremony there should be an end within a certaine time is to contradict the expresse words of the Scripture that sayes he will be with them in these things unto the end of the World and they may with as good reason prefix a time to the ending of Faith and Hope or any Christian grace or Ordinance according to their owne fancies or pleasures or to Preaching also since Preaching and Baptisme are here put together But some would Philosophate more subtlely and tell you that by baptizing here is not meant dipping or plunging in water in the Name of the Father c. But to Baptize them or dip them or interest them into the Name of God or sprinkling his Name upon them that they may be holy just mercifull righteous good But besides that this is boldly affirmed how ridiculous and absurd it is you will easily see boldly because in a thing of this moment upon a ba●e affirmation without any proofe they goe against what hath been the sense of all ages and of all men if you will judge of their sense as we must needs doe by their preachings and by their practice but ridiculous I say also and absurd it is The words are wee know Goe teach all Nations or disciple them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then Baptize them that is first make them Disciples first make them beleevers and then baptize them therefore in Marke the place before quoted Hee that beleeves and is baptized shall bee saved According to this word of Institution and command yee have exactly the Apostolicall practice and this I dare affirme there can be no better way of finding out the nature of any Ordinance then by comparing the practice with the Institution The practice you will find in severall places particularly Acts 8.34 35. When Philip had Preacht to the Eunuch Jesus and the Ordinance of Baptisme as it appeares because the

his season Why not here he shall baptize for hee doth baptize that is hath this worke or office to baptize with the spirit Besides John 1.33 yee have it in the Present Tense affirmed of Christ This is he that Baptizeth with the holy Ghost Ob. But then it is told us out of Acts 1.4 5. he commanded them they should waite for the promise of the Father For John Baptized with water but yee shall be baptized with the holy Ghost not many dayes hence according to what John sayes of himselfe I Baptize you with water but hee shall Baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Therefore Johns baptisme was the baptisme of water and Christs the baptisme of the spirit and so not one but severall baptismes Answ Answer I doe not speake still of the efficacy of baptisme but of the Ceremony or Element It is certaine that here is not a distinction of baptismes but of Baptizers I Baptize you with water but he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost Therefore when John sayes I Baptize you with water hee doth not handle that point what his baptisme was but what hee was himselfe to the end that they should not attribute to him that which was proper to Christ for so ye have it Matth. 3.11 Hee that commeth after me is mightier then I whose shooes I am not worthy to loose he shall Baptize with the holy Ghost and with fire So here yee have what is the vertue of John or of the Minister in baptizing and what of Christ This distinction is common to the New Testament and runnes through the whole course of the Ministry I have planted Apollo watered but God gave the increase No Minister ever gave the holy Ghost ever baptized with the holy Ghost and fire that was Christs part So as when ever baptisme is administred the Power and Ministry are to bee distinguished The Power is Christs the Ministry Johns or any other man qualifyed for it The baptisme of the Minister is externall conferring but the signe that of Christ internall conferring the thing signifyed and because John who had so great an opinion amongst the Apostles was to decrease and our Lord to increase therefore Christ instances in him in this place of the first of the Acts in opposition to his part in the Ministry But last of all I aske any man whether men were not baptized with the holy Ghost and with fire before that time for first the Apostles were baptized with the holy Ghost before that the Saints and Beleevers were sanctifyed and regenerated and made holy before then which is all these men would have to be that Ordinance so as things were not annexed and affixed to that famous sending downe of the holy Ghost in the shape of fiery tongues but was before long during all the course of the administration of baptisme though perhaps not with that efficacy and fulnesse and glory as after for so it is true that the holy Ghost was not yet given because Jesus was not yet gloryfied So as clearly this place of the Acts holds out the excellency and glory of Christs administration in respect of all under-Ministers and particularly in respect of John who being the first Minister of baptisme had a peculiar honour from it and the whole Church here was spiritually baptized as in a type the Apostles receiving eminently the holy Ghost not for themselves but for the Churches This extraordinary administration Luke as Calvin observes improperly that is out of the ordinary signification calls Baptisme for baptisme properly signifies Immersion to the end that the Antithesis and opposition between Christ and John might bee intyre by the same reason as Paul after hee had mentioned the Law of workes to the end that the Antithesis might lye on both sides faith The Law of Faith Rom. 3.27 After this wee have a new Interpretation framed upon Acts 19. where we are made beleeve that those twelve Disciples found to be baptized onely by Johns baptisme were baptized againe in the name of Christ and this baptisme into the Name of Christ he sayes was not the repeating of any water but meerely the gift of the spirit This as the rest is boldly affirmed but where lyes his proofe or how doth hee make it out It is most probable as it hath beene taken by all to this day that if this were another baptisme or a repetition of baptisme it was by water as well as in severall other places in the Acts where any are sayd to be baptized hee himselfe understands it by water why not as well here But truely I am of opinion with those that thinke that Paul did not here command any to bee baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus which were already baptized with the baptisme of John but rather taught that those who had received Johns baptisme were rightly baptized into Christ and therefore had no need of any new or other baptisme It is very probable notwithstanding that from this place did either arise or was confirmed in many the opinion of the difference of these two baptismes of John and Christ though as it is now stated to us by our namelesse Author hee for any thing I shall say to the contrary shall have the honour of the novelty of it But to consider the place a little particularly Paul being come to Ephesus found certaine Disciples which afterwards Ver. 7. are sayd to be about twelve he presently askes them if they had received the holy Ghost since they beleeved The sense must certainely be as it will appeare by what followes have yee received the gifts of the holy Ghost which ordinarily accompanied faith and baptisme in those dayes according to that in the Acts Repent and bee Baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus which our Author will not deny I suppose to bee administred by water and yee shall receive the gifts of the holy Ghost and according to that Gal. 3.2 Received you the spirit by the workes of the Law or by the bearing of Faith also Verse 5. He that ministreth the spirit and worketh miracles among you where they are joyned together as things of a kind Besides being Christians and having beleeved they could not want the spirit of God regenerating and sanctifying for no man can say that Jesus is the Christ but by the spirit therefore it must needs be meant of those extraordinary gifts which were peculiar to those times as an effect of beleeving and baptizing and yet not common to all They answered simply as the thing was and particularly to his question that they had not so much as heard whether there were an holy Ghost or no. The sense whereof must cleerly be that they were ignorant of the holy Ghost or knew not whether there were any such thing or no to wit as he was then visible or exhibited to beleevers in miraculous and extraordinary gifts for else being Christians they felt the power of the holy Ghost and being Jewes as they