Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	holy_a	son_n	teach_v	15,032	5	6.6919	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38578	Anabaptism considered Wherein the chief objections of that sect against infant-baptism, and the manner of baptizing by aspersion, or sprinkling, are fairly stated and answered; and reasons given why dipping is not to be taken as the essential or necessary mode of administration. In a familiar letter of advice to a parishioner inclining that way. By William Eratt, M.A. and minister of Hatfield near Doncaster.	Eratt, William, 1655 or 6-1702.	1700 (1700)	Wing E3220; ESTC R200374	28,824	40

and so are made visible Members of Christ's Church But for the farther clearing of this point let us compare † Circumcision and Baptism are Seals of the same Evangelical Covenant the former given by God to Abraham the latter given by Christ himself Circumcision and Baptism together as they respect those two things viz. 1. Matter of Fact 2. Matter of Right Now it cannot be denied but Circumcision was the Seal of the ‡ Of the promised Messiah to our Father Abraham who was to come Evangelical Covenant and was not that a Covenant of Faith yea doubtless We have the Authority of St. Paul for it who calls it Rom. 4.11 the Seal of the Righteousness of Faith And were not I pray you Children capable of receiving this Seal of Faith given to Abraham You answer Yes tell me then why not Children of Believers now or were Infants under the Old Testament more capable of receiving the Seal of Faith then than Children are now under the Gospel or was the Seal of this first Covenant of Faith more privilegial and extensive in favour to Abrabam and his natural Seed than the second Seal of the same Covenant is in and through Christ to all those who are of the Faith of Abraham Who will presume to affirm this I 'm not ignorant what a Noise the Anabaptists make about the Commission our Saviour gave his Apostles in reference to the Sacrament of Baptism Go teach all Nations Mar. 28.19 Baptizing them in the Name of c. They 'll tell you Persons must be taught before they are baptiz'd but with their Favour this is not always to be taken in their meaning but only in the case of adult Persons For if we consider the Etymology and real Signification of the Word Teach in the Original it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which according to very learned Expositours signifies also discipling and then the Commission runs thus Go ye and by Baptism make disciples To what end That they may be taught and instructed in the Duties of the Christian Faith as will plainly appear if you take the Commission mentioned in the 19th ver together with what follows in the 20th and it is thus Go ye Disciple all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching 'em to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you They 'll answer we are only for the literal Sense of the Word I reply discipling is also as true a meaning of the Word if the Original must be judge but if they do not understand it or will not believe it I cannot help that And now that we are upon Christ's Commission let us examine it a little farther as to the extent of it Go ye Baptize all Nations c. Ask'em what this means and then they 're against the literal Meaning for we say this Authority must needs reach the Baptism of Infants if Children are part of the World and there cannot be all Nations if they are excluded No such matter say they this Commission extends only to adult Persons of all Nations who are first to be taught and then to be baptized When we urge farther that of the Apostle St. Peter The promise is to you and your children they answer as before This is to be understood to you and your Posterity as when Moses speaks of the Children of Israel is meant all Persons of that Stock and if we agree to this how then Are not young Children I pray ye part of that Stock Truly there are not many Families in comparison without them and if it was otherwise there would soon be left but few or no Nations at all From the extent of the Commission let us go the Execution of it and see if that can help to reconcile us Well then from Scripture we tell 'em of whole Families that were Baptized together as Lydia and her houshould the Jayler of Philippi he and all his straitway and how St. Paul affirms that he baptized the houshould of Stephanas 1 Cor. 1.16 And are they sure there were no Children in these Families But farther there is one thing more I must observe unto you before I leave the Authority of the Scriptures as to this point that there were three ways of Proselyting among the Jews namely Circumcision Baptism and Sacrifice The first belonged only to the Males the two latter to all Men Women and Children and all the Rabbins do with one coment affirm that Persons of all Ages and Sexes were admitted into the Church by Baptism In the Gemara it is thus expressed If with a Proselyte his Sons and his Daughters are made Proselytes also that which is done by their Father redounds to their good and again in the Babylonian Talmud They baptize a little Proselyte according to the Judgment of the S●anhedrim that is as the Gloss renders it If he is deprived of his Father and his Mother brings him to be proselyted he is baptiz'd according to the Custom which was this there was to be three Men present at his Baptism who were accepted instead of a Father to him From hence I observe That the Custom of Baptism being a thing so common among the Jews when they sent Messengers to John the Question was not Why dost thou baptize which in all likelyhood had been the first Question had not Baptism with them been so usually a way of discipling no but they demand the Authority of the Baptizer and they asked him and said unto him Why baptizest thou then if thou be not the Christ nor Elias John 1 25. neither that Prophet Hence also I farther observe that Pedobaptism being so common and known a Custom in the Jewish Church when Multitudes flock'd to John's Baptism who dare positively affirm they did not bring their Children along with them to be baptized As to our Adversaries alledging where is it said Go Baptize Infants I answer What need was there to strengthen Baptism with any particular Precept when it became an Evangelical Sacrament for that our Saviour took it as he found it this only added that he promoted it to a more worthy End and to a larger Use to be a Seal of the Covenant of Faith as Circumcision was before and to be also the Laver of Regeneration not only to the Natural Seed of Abraham but to all those who should be of the Faith of our Father Abraham and that there is in some Measure * An outward or foederal Holiness an imputed righteousness of Faith as well as an actual one seems to me very plain from St. Paul when he thus argues The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife 1 Cor. 〈…〉 and the unbelieving wife by the husband else were your children unclean but now are they holy I cannot tell what can be meant by this Holiness but that the † These necessitate cogente may have private Baptism but the other I think cannot without Sponsors be

in Baptism is now generally disused in these parts of the World and Sprinkling succeeds in its room because the tender Bodies of most Infants the only Persons now to be baptized could not be put under water in these cold Northern Climates without apparent prejudice to their Health if not their Lives And therefore in this as in other cases God requires Mercy rather than Sacrifice especially considering that the main Ends of Baptism are attained this way and the mystical Effects thereof as virtually represented by Sprinkling 〈◊〉 Dipping And to this Mode of Baptizing the Prophet Ezekiel chap. 36. ver 25 26. seems prophetically to refer when he saith Then will I sprinkle clean Water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your Filthiness and a new Heart will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you Now what has been said upon this Head will I hope satisfie you Neighbour and all other Persons that are not wilfully prejudic'd against Reason and Truth and as for such who are resolved to dissent and wrangle on whatever is said or whatever is proved I shall advise 'em to consult St. Paul for an Answer that may be more satisfactory namely If any man seems to be contentious we have no such custom neither the Churches of God 1 Cor. 11.16 And now Neighbour having gone through the Particulars I was to speak to and having also fairly answered some of the main Objections our Adversaries the Anabaptists chiefly insist on I shall only leave the whole matter before you in order as it is written with some useful Inferences and so conclude In the Introductory Part of my Letter I gave you to understand that there is such a thing as Men call an Erroneous Conscience and that there is a Zeal sometimes which is not according to Knowledge and hence I infer what a prudent and sober-minded Christian ought to do when he had some Scruples upon him before he left the Communion of the Church he was in he ought first from Scripture and Reason to examine into the Validity of the Scruples that seem to dissuade him from his former Profession and when he has done the best he can herein if his Scruples still grow upon him before he quits his old way he shou'd then by all due ways and means examine into the Truth and Safety of the new way proposed unto him instead of the old one else it may so happen that his Change may be for the worse and this no wise Man wou'd make Now in the making this Examination I put you in this way for finding out whether your old Profession or the new proposed one was the better I advised you to consult the holy Scriptures the Standard of Truth and thereby try your old Religion and your pretended new one and see which of them is purer in Doctrine Discipline and Worship and if upon a Fair hearing of the Cause the old one should prove the better it would then be clear you ought not in prudence to change and till this is done you are to keep to your old way And For the more orderly trying this Cause our Adversaries being Complainants and accusing our Church of false Doctrines it lies upon them to prove what those Doctrines are and what be those unlawful Terms of Communion she requires that are not justifiable by the Word of God and till then we are to keep our Ground and to act only as Defendants in the Cause no Man being by Law bound to accuse himself And he that voluntarily espouses a Quarrel against the Religion he has been brought up in without knowing first why and wherefore acts the part of a weak not to say a contentious Christian and 't is a true Maxim He that accuses another of dishonesty ought to look to himself in the first place Therefore in dealing with our Adversaries who are so free of their obloquies I took this Method pursuant to the proverbial Saying now mentioned and so inquired what pretence they have for the Truth for if they are in the wrong there 's no colour for your joyning with them what ever there may be for your leaving the Church for suppose for Argument sake the way you have been in is not good yet if the new way you are invited to be worse 't is madness to change so that be the Title naught that in possession by the Courtesie of all Laws is to be look't upon the best and ought to be so esteem'd until a better is prov'd In examining then into the Goodness and Truth of their Cause in Matter of Religion I took this Method 1st I gave the Character of those Persons who were the first Broachers of this Sect of the Anabaptists and this Neighbour is a very material thing to be considered For suppose I had a journey to take of great Consequence and being a Stranger to the way some Persons come and do very officiously offer themselves to be my Guide pretending they understand the Road very well and are making to the same place well surely in this case before I give my self up to their Guidance and Conduct I shou'd know who they are enquire into their character whether they are boni legales Homines honest and true Men and shou'd I find them otherwise it wou'd be very madness to take them for Guides let them pretend never so fairly For thus has many an honest Man been choust out of his Money and sometimes his Life too by the fair Speeches of Thieves and Robbers In this Case he that values his own safety shou'd with all speed rid himself of their Company and while he may without hazard bid them adieu Now To bring this matter home I have let you know what the first Setters up of this Sect were when and where it was they cry'd up their stupendous Doctrine Repent and be re-baptized or else you are damn'd what horrid Exploits they play'd what Barbarous Acts they were guilty of how they sack'd and plundred all before them filling all the places wherever they came with Blood and Confusion at Leyden Munster Amsterdam Utrecht and other places Now this is matter of Fact and cannot be denied and pray what think you of these new Guides Is it safe to follow them Did Christ and his Apostles ever take these methods to plant the Doctrines of the Christian Religion And shou'd it be alledged that the present Leaders of the Anabaptists are other sort of Men I answer Where there are the same Principles there wants nothing but Power and Opportunity to produce the same Effects And this brought me 2ly To consider what Doctrines they taught They held that Christ was not the true God to this let them take St. John's answer 1 John 2.22 Who is a lyar but he that denyeth that Jesus is the Christ He is Antichrist that denyeth the Father and the Son They taught also that we are to be saved by our own Merits and Sufferings and that there