was come to Ierusalem be assayed to joyne himselfe to the disciples Act. 9 26. And the whole body fitly joyned together c. Eph. 4 16. And a fitly framing of matter together for a house or habitation of God as Eph. 2.21 22. All which is the Saints entering covenant with God which covenant is their forme that gives them a being in such a relation or fellowship Isa 43.21 1 Pet. 2.9 And so much in briefe of the constitution of a Church or of the Saints entering into Church-fellowship and the causes producing the same And now being come into her own land as of old was signified Ezek. 36.24 25. which is into a visible covenant with God or union with Christ and so become his own shee is now to be washed with water in Baptisme as Ezek. 16.8 9. Mat. 28.19 Eph. 4 5. And thus being in covenant with God by faith in Jesus Christ in which their state consists and so the agreement made the covenant passed between them now the seale is see to which is the outward ordinance of Baptisme to confirme the same which being done she is then to enter upon her holy communion in all the rest of Gods holy ordinances thereunto belonging for her comfort and well-being And thus I have by Gods gracious assistance done with this subject charged upon me partly by such as feare the Lord in a far Countrey beyond the Seas and partly by my own conscience for the truths sake at home And good Reader confider well before you judge and what I see not teach thou me c. Job 34.31 But let not my unweary Readâ—â— be offended with me though I speake a word or two more It may be some will aske me if I condemne all Churches but onely such as I have here described To which I answer that I condemne no Church which God approves of in his word secondly I condemne no Church at all for I goe not about to shew who are false but what is true and it is enough for me if such a Church as hath been spoken of be granted to be true and let all others alone to stand and fall to their own Master and in regard of those reproachfull clamours cast upon all without exception that seem to be of my judgement about Baptisme I shall yet make bold with my Reader briefly to declare a word of my faith what I beleeve and hold to be truth and desire to practise the same and so leave all to God for the godly Reader to judge what difference there is between him and me in the maine that men should be so incensed against me as to seeke my life as some have done the Lord in mercy forgive them and lay it not to their charge And now for my faith First I doe beleeve that there is onely one God who is distinguished in three persons God the Father God the Sonne and God the holy Ghost yet but one in nature or essence without division and uncommunicable who made the world and all things therein by the word of his power and governes them all by his wise providence Secondly I beleeve that God made man in his own Image an upright and a perfect creature consisting of soule and body which body God framed of the earth and breathed a soul into the same To whom God gave a law upon his keeping of which depended all his happinesse and upon the contrary attended his misery which soon took effect for he breaking that Law he fell under the curse and the wrath of God lay upon him all his posterity By which fall Man lost the knowledge of God utterly disabled himself of all ability ever to recover the same againe Thirdly I beleeve God out of the counsell of his own will did before he made the world elect and choose some certain number of his foreseen fallen creatures and appointed them to eternall life in his Sonne for the glory of his grace which number so elected shall unavoydably be saved and come to glory and the rest left to themselves in their sinne to glorifie his justice Fourthly I beleeve that God in the fulnesse of his owne time did send his Sonne the second person who in the wombe of the Virgin Mary assumed mans nature and in the same he suffered death upon the Crosse onely as he was man to satisfie his Fathers justice for the sinnes of all his elect and them onely and that he lay three dayes three nights in his grave from whence he arose the third day by the power of his Godhead for the justification of all for whose sinnes be dyed and that in the same body Christ dyed be arose from tho dead and afterwards ascended into heaven the place of glory where he was before and there to remaine untill he comes at the last day to judge the world in righteousnesse Fifthly I beleeve that God of his grace in his own time effectually calls such as shall be saved to the knowledge sive as a childe in the parents begetting of it and so God by his Spirit works faith in the hearts of all such to beleeve in Christ and his righteousnes only for justification And thus they are made righteous before God in Christ and so conformable to the will of the Father through the Sonne and also made holy through the worke of regeneration and the holy Spirit of grace dwelling in them yet all such have still as long as they live here in the flesh remaining in them an old man that originall corruption the flesh that warres against the Spirit which hinders them in their obedience both to God and man and many times draws them to that which is evill and contrary to their intentions yet all of them shall through Christ overcome and safely be brought to glory at last Sixthly I beleeve the holy Scriptures to be the word of God and have the onely authoritie to binde the conscience to the obedience of all therein contained and are the allsufficient Rule by the Spirit of God to guide a man in all his obedience both to God and man Seventhly As for the absence of originall sin and power in the will to receive and refuse grace and salvation being generally offered by the Gospel and Christs dying for all persons universally to take away sinne that stood between them and salvation and so laid downe his life a ransome for all without exception and for such as have been once in Gods love so as approved of by him in Christ for salvation and in the covenant of grace and for such to fall so as to be damned eternally and all of the like nature I doe beleeve is a doctrine from beneath and not from above and the teachers of it from Satan and not from God and to be rejected as such that oppose Christ and his Gospel Eightly I doe beleeve the resurrection of the dead that all shall rise and come to judgement and every one give account of himselfe
the same And to affirme this to be Gods way to brings persons to the faith by working so upon them by his Spirit in their infancy argues some ignorance of the true nature and worke of grace as the Gospell holds it forth And to be capable of the grace of the Covenant which must be understood of the promise containing the blessings and priviledges thereof in the holy dispensations of the same We shall finde in the Scriptures of God all the sweet promises of Grace under the New Testament holding forth their blessings and blessed priviledges onely to such as beleeve And that to the Elect themselves as they are considered in Christ and appeare so by some effect of grace declaring their faith and they to be such as God approves of in his Sonne and so to have visible right to those priviledges they are visibly justified by and possessed in as such that have a visible right unto the same Which can come to us Gentiles no other way then by Christ and faith in his Name And if any shall object from the testimony of John the Baptist Obj. that he is said to be filled with the holy Ghost from his Mothers wombe Luk. 1.15 c. and hence conclude that Infants may have faith To this I answer in a word Ans first what Infants may have is one thing and what Infants can from this Scripture be proved to have is another For if any thing from this Text can be proved for Infants it will be that they are filled with the holy Ghost from the Mothers wombe as John is said to be which is another thing then to beleeve as Act. 6 5. 4 31. Secondly All such so testified of by God as he did of John I shall acknowledge as much as is here meant to be in him to be also in them so testified of by the holy Ghost But to affirme because God so testified of John the Baptist in the wombe therefore the same holds true upon all other Infants likewise This is indeed weaker then infancy so to affirme Job 31.18 and grosser then ignorance for any to beleeve Job is said to be a Guide to the distressed from his Mothers wombe Shall it be concluded thence that he was a Guide to such when he was an Infant or if he were so must it needs follow that all Infants are capable Guides because it is said so of him And lastly I am not against any that have faith but absolutely for all that beleeve whether Infants or others so that their faith appeares by such effects as the Word of God approves of Otherwise what have I or any man to doe to meddle with the secret and unrevealed things of God either to justifie or condemne And whereas in the former Proposition there seemes a restraint made of the worke of grace in an Infant over there is in other persons by saying onely so farre as is necessary to union with Christ and justification to life thereby Now for answer to this we shall first consider what in this sense is to be understood by Christ and secondly what by union with Christ so as to be justified thereby By Christ here I understand him so as the Gospel holds him forth in the work of mans Redemption in reference to his death resurrection and the onely righteousnesse that commends such to God as beleeve in the same And so Christ thus considered is the onely subject of life to every soule that shall be united unto him by faith To which union with Christ these three things must be minded as essentiall to the same First Gods revealing tendering of Christ as the alsufficient onely way to life Secondly A heart fitly disposed by faith to apprehend and receive Christ so tendered And lastly The Spirit of grace uniting and knitting of the heart and Christ togegether as aforesaid And this I understand to be that effectuall and substantiall union with Christ to justification of life which the Word of God approves of that most decide all differences in matters of Religion For justification to life ever presupposeth apprehension of Christ as the subject of life and a true application of the same by faith as aforesaid The Gospel holds forth no other justification to salvation but what is or faith and faith ever presupposes the parties knowledge of the thing beleeved Rom. 10.14 Heb. 11.6 Now let this be well examined by the rule of truth then let the Reader judge how capable Infants are of union with Christ and justification to life thereby Now for to darken and obscure this truth there are these evill consequences as absurdities brought in as to follow upon the same First If Infants should not be capable of those graces aforesaid then they were not elected Obj. Secondly Then their bodies should not be raised againe to life And lastly We have not infallible judgement but may be mistaken as in the case of Simon Magus c. To this in a word and first I would know of such Ans whether Infants with referrence to their non-age were the subjects of Gods Election Secondly If Infants so considered are capable subjects of glory And if not as I suppose none will affirme then why any more in Grace then in Glory And for any to appoint God a way how to save Infants or to draw out to themselves a way how the holy Spirit of Grace must sanctifie them to salvation above what is written I thinke it is somewhat too much boldnesse God will have his creature to keepe onely to his Word as the Rule by which man must judge all things and the Word of God shews that he hath elected persons to the meanes as well as to the end being the way unto the same And that was the Adoption of Sonnes and to be called and justified by beleeving in Jesus Christ as Ephes 1.4 5. Rom. 8.29 30. 1 Pet. 1.2 2 Thes 2.13 14. And therefore the ground of Gods calling us and our beleeving is attributed unto out Election Act. 2.47 Act. 13.48 Rom. 8.28 Rom. 11.7 And to the glory of God as the cause of all by the dispensation of his grace upon his chosen in Christ and their free obedience unto him againe as Rom 9.23 24. Ephes 1.6.12 These things God hath revealed in his Word and further I dare not goe but leaving the secret things to God who gives not account of all his wayes And for the raising of Infants bodies doth none rise but such as are in visible union with Christ as for invisible things we meddle not with It is the power of God that raiseth the dead and not union with Christ 1 Thes 4.16 And when any of Gods Elect can by the Scriptures be shewed to die in their infancy then it will be granted that their bodies are raised to life eternall onely as they are Infants Nor that I hold all that dye in their infancy to be damned but being a secret thing I leave the
thereof which cannot be untill a man be borne from above and such as are spirituall alive are the onely subjects of Baptisme This will be further cleared in the constitution of the Church which now follows which constitution is the orderly collection conjoyning of persons into the new covenant or visible union with Christ their head and so consequently into an orderly body among themselves wherein the Saints are the matter and the covenant the forme from which two concurring the Church ariseth and is by them constituted as Ezek. 16.8 Jer. 31.33 Heb. 8.10 Gal. 3.18.29 Heb. 6.17 Zech. 13.9 with Deut. 26.16 to 19 Deut. 29.12 13. Rom. 9.8 with Gal 4.28 By which it appeares that it is the promise or the covenant of grace that produceth a Christian and gives him a beeing in such an estate of grace as in Church-fellowship and so consequently the Church it selfe for that which is true in a part is the same in the whole Now for the constituting causes by which God ordinarily useth to effect this worke are these First the word of God which is to fit and prepare the matter for the forme Secondly the confession of faith which is to declare the fitnesse of the matter for the forme Thirdly the free and mutuall consent and agreement of the particular persons upon the practise of the same truth beleeved and confessed as aforesaid And lastly the Spirit of Christ uniting and knitting up their hearts together in and by the same truth and of each of these a word First of the Word of God sitting and preparing of the matter and this appeares in the ministery of John thâ—â— Baptist who was to goe before Christ in the spirit and power of Elias for to turne the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient unto the wisdome of the just and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord as Luk. 1.17 Compare with this Luk. 3.4 5 6. where he is said to prepare the way of the Lord and to make his paths straight And now the manner how this is to be done is to fill up every valley and to bring down every mountain and hill and to make the crooked straight and the rough wayes smooth And so verse 6. by the valleys is to be understood of such as whose hearts were possessed with fear either of Gods displeasure against them for sin or fear of the dangers straits and difficulties that attends the Gospel of Christ in the true profession of the same From both which the hearts of such are to be freed that are fit to follow Christ and prepared subjects for his Kingdome Luk. 14.26 In which sense the Gospel is a preparative meanes to fill up such valleys by powring in the great abundance of Gods rich grace and free love in Christ towards all such as beleeve and his all-sufficiency to preserve such as suffer for his Names lake And for laying low the mountains and hills that is to humble and to bring downe the proud heart of man that exalts himselfe and cannot submit unto the simplicitie of the Gospel and to that low and meane condition of Christ upon his Crosse as Isa 2 11-22 with 2 Cor. 10.4 5 6. And for the crooked to be made straight that is the crooked and Serpent like nature wayes and evill dispositions of men these shall be changed and made conformable to Christ And so for the making of the tough smooth that is the hard and rough turbulent spirits of men that will admit of no rule order or peaceable societie at all shall by the word of God be made soft smooth and of such a meek temper of spirit as that all such shall live together in love innocent and harmlesse with unitie peace and uniformitie to Christ in all things as Isa 11.6 7 8 9. All which Christ himselfe often affirmed that except a man deny himselfe he cannot be his disciple All which change thus upon the hearts of men is by the power of the Word of God by which they as matter are sitted and prepared for the forme The second constituting cause is the confession of faith which declares the fitnes of the matter for the forme which confession of faith is produced by the power of the Gospel shining into the heart of man and drawes away the same after that which is by the Gospel revealed Which truth is of such a working nature that will not be kept in but like unto leaven which so seasons and sweetens the whole man that as fire at length it breaks forth and discovers it selfe or rather such as have it not onely so but it brings them together by which they come now to conferre about the same so that at length they come to be of one and the same minde and judgement in it and withall convicted of their obedience thereunto And upon this here follows a third constituting cause which is their free mutuall consent and agreement upon the practise of that truth so by God revealed and by faith received as his will in their obedience thereunto which agreement is between God and them in his truth who by his power subjects them to himselfe by the same and where this is in truth Now comes the cause in the last place which 〈…〉 and concludes the whole work and that is the Spirit of grace and power going forth in their hearts by faith uniting knitting them up together in one for the manifestation of their obedience to God in their practie all subjection to Christ in the said truth by them received and agreed upon as aforesaid and this is the Covenant that formes the Church which ever goes in order before the externall administration of any other ordinance then the matters joyning together for orderly practise for persons must be informed of the truth in judgement and bound by the same in conscience and agree upon the practise before the same can orderly be put into execution which foresaid union is the holy Ghosts conjoyning and uniting the said persons together in one and the same truth and so consequently into an orderly body among themselves immediately under Christ their head Which conjunction is called in Scripture the unitie of the Spirit Eph. 4.3 and the gracious covenant by which God becomes their God and they his approved people in such a visible relation Gen. 17. as Deut. 29.12 13. with Deut. 26.17 18. Ezek. 16.8 Ier. 31.3 This is called also joyning to the Lord as Ier. 50.5 They shall aske the way to Sion with their faces thitherward saying Come and let us joyne our selves unto the Lord in a perpetuall covenant that shall not be forgotten And the sonne of the stranger that joyns himselfe to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and to be his servant c. Isa 56.6 And bâ— that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 And of the rest durst no man joyne himselfe unto them Act. 5.13 And when Paul
God to Abraham and to his seed after him in their generations as Gen. 17.7 That was faithfully to performe all that he had promised either to Abraham in particular or his seed in generall as Neh. 9.8 Psal 105 9.10 11 12 13 14.42 Luke 1.72 73 74. In token of which God annexed Circumcision as a seale to confirme the same as Gen. 17.11 These are the severall parts and branches of the Covenant that God made with Abraham and his seed and Circumcision in the flesh as a seale to confirme every part to each seed as was proper to the same But if any shall say the Scriptures deny many seeds Obj. and approve onely of one seed in Abraham with whom the promise was made as Gal. 3.16 To this I answer and say that this place well considered will help forward the truth Ans for the Apostle here speaks of the Covenant so as comprehending Christ the substance of the same and the Elect in him for eternall life In which sense the covenant of grace was not made to Abraham and to all his seed without exception for then all his seed must either be saved or else such as are not but perish must fall out of the said covenant of Grace for I suppose no man will say that all the seed of Abraham without exception were saved And if not then there was some of Abrahams seed comprehended in the Covenant in one sense and admitted to the seale thereof whom God excepted against in another some of which was Ishmael and Esau signifying in Abrahams generation a fleshly seed as well as a spirituall between which seeds God ever held forth a distinction through all their generations from Abraham untill Christ who put an end to the type and the flesh and all priviledges of that nature thereunto belonging Col. 2. as 2 Cor. 5.16 Phil. 3.3 4 5. So that now all is laid up in Christ as Gods store-house and treasury and in him only for such as beleeve and therefore now first in Christ by faith and then to the Covenant and the priviledges thereof as Gal. 3.29 And none by the Gospel approved of now to be the children of Abraham but onely such as walke in the steps of his saith For as none invisible before God are by him at all approved to have right to any priviledge of grace but onely as he lookes upon them in his Sonne No more are there any visibly before men to be approved of so as to have right to the same but as they appeare to be in Christ by some effect of faith declaring the same And so much the more in that God excludes all from his holy Covenant is to have right in the outward dispensation thereof but onely such as beleeve Rom. 11.20 Heb. 3.18 19. Heb. 4.1 2 3. Heb. 11.5 6. Rom. 9.7 8. Gal. 3.22.26.29 Let all this be well considered and I doubt not but the difference between the Covenant God made with Abraham before Christ and this under Christ will appeare very great though in some respect for substance the same Yet in the outward profession of them the difference is great both in respect of persons and things Wherein our descent chiefly lyes that covenant admitted of a fleshly seed but this only of a spirituall Gen. 17. with Rom. 9. That in the flesh and this in the heart Gen. 17.13 with Jer. 31.33 Rom. 2.28 29. The seale and ordinances of that Covenant confirmed faith in things to come but the seale and ordinances of this confirme faith in things already done That Covenant was nationall and admitted all of the same to the seales thereof but this personall and admits of none but such as beleeve That Covenant begot children after the flesh as all Abrahams naturall posteritie But this onely begets children after the Spirit and onely approves of such as are begotten and borne from above in whose hearts God writes his Law Jer. 31. Ezek. 36. Heb. 8. Joh. 3.5 6. That covenant with Abraham and his posteritie before Christ comprehended a civill State and a worldly Government with the like carnall Subjects for the service of the same But this covenant now under Christ comprehends onely a spirituall State and a heavenly Government with the like spirituall Subjects for the service of this also That covenant held forth Christ in the flesh to a heart vailed this holds him forth after the Spirit to a face open 2 Cor. 3. In all understand the visible profession of the Covenant in the out ward dispensation of the priviledges thereof And now I come to the consequence gathered from the Covenants Obj. being one and the same as aforesaid That as Infants were in that covenant then and circumcised so are Infants in this now and to be baptized In answer to which Ans I shall commit in the first place to the Readers consideration these particulars for the further clearing of the aforesaid truth First What the Covenant is Secondly What is that which admits into the said Covenant Thirdly Who are the true approved Subjects of this Covenant And lastly Whether all have not one and the same way of entrance into the said Covenant and to each of these a word First the Covenant it selfe is a Covenant of grace and salvation by which God of his grace takes a person or a people to himselfe for his own above all others and to be their God and to manâ—â—est upon them the riches of his grace and glory and the manner of which is in effect but onely thus much Gods calling of a man to an agreement with himselfe in his Sonne wherein he promises to be his God and to give him life and happines and all things in Christ and that he shall beleeve and rest upon his faithfulnes and truth and so take him for his God c. And thus I say God and man come to an agreement in Christ upon something passing between them wherein they both agree and this is called a Coveannt and I call it a covenant of grace when the thing agreed upon is a subject of grace as Gods giving of man life and peace and all things in Jesus Christ and that he will be his God upon whom he shall relie and beleeve the accomplishment of all things in his due time and that he shall heare and know his will by his Sonne and obey him in the same and mans free consent to God againe that he likes of all this well and concludes with God that it shall be so For a Covenant presupposeth two persons at least and also something to agree or covenant upon thus did God with Abraham and so he doth with every beleever and chiefely when God takes any into a Church-fellowship So that the covenant consisteth of these essentials First the persons disposed to agree Secondly something to agree upon And lastly their mutuall consent which is the agreement it selfe And so much for the Covenant and what the same is Secondly What it is that gives right
because commonly to one that is borne of the spirit there is twenty borne of the flesh Thirdly It is a practise that overthrows and destroys the body of Christ or holy temple of God for in time it will come to consist of naturall and so a nation and so a nationall Generation carnall members amongst whom if any godly be they will be brought in bondage and become subjects of scorn contempt and the power of government rest in the hands of the wicked Fourthly because it is a ground both of ignorance and errour for it holds people in blindnes that they cannot come to know the nature of that holy ordinance nor what the same requires in the subjects thereof also it causes the simple to conceive that Baptisme is of necessity to salvatiō Fifthly it keeps up the State of Antichrist by granting him this so chiefe a corner-stone of the Lords house to lie in his foundation for that church where Baptisme is the true ordinance of God in the administration thereof is by the Rules of the Gospel a true Church so that if Antichrists Baptisme which he administers be Gods ordinance then that Church wherein he doth so administer the same must be also the Church of God and in sin that refuseth communion with it Sixtly Because it builds faith upon humane testimony in matters fundamentall for such as are baptized in their infancy have no other way to satisfie either themselves or others but the bare word of man that must stand in the place of the word of God for such to beleeve their true receiving of so holy ordinance of God Seventhly To Baptize Infants makes the holy ordinance of God a lying signe because none of those things can be expected in an Infant which the said ordinance holds forth or signifies in the administration thereof which is the parties regeneration and spirituall new birth a dying and burying with Christ in respect of sin and a rising with him in a new life to God and a confirmation of faith in the death and resurrection of Christ and a free remission of sinne by the same as Rom. 6.3 4. Col. 2.12 1 Pet. 3.21 Act. 2.38 〈…〉 None of all which can be expected in an Infant Eightly Because the subject of Baptisme is to be passive but an Infant is no way passive as that ordinance requires 〈…〉 I meane a passive subject threefold 1. a thing uncapable and thus is a stone 2. a thing forced and thus is an Infant who opposeth its Baptisme to the utmost of its abilitie so farre is it from being passive in the same 3. A thing is passive by a subjecting power producing the same in the subject by bringing it to a free and voluntary subjection and thus is the true subject of Baptisme None can be passive to receive grace but by grace because it consists of selfe-deniall And lastly this doctrine of Infants Baptisme opposes directly the expresse word of God by teaching that Infants are in the covenant of grace being borne of beleeving parents and so an holy seed by vertue of which they have right to Baptisme as a priviledge of grace Against which the holy Ghost affirmes that all are conceived in sinne brought forth in iniquitie and so by nature children of wrath and under the curse and except they be borne againe from above they cannot see the Kingdome of God Psal 51.5 Eph. 2.1 2 3. Rom. 3 9. Gal. 3 10.13 14. Job 3.3.5 6. Job 1.12 13. Here man saith that Infants are cleane and holy in and from the wombe and so are subjects of grace and glory but God saith that all Infants as well one as another are first in sinne and unholy and so are subjects of wrath untill the second birth makes the difference as Joh. 3.5.6 And now which to beleeve let the upright heart to God judge But it is said that as the Covenant was made to the Jews and their seed under the old Testament so in the same manner doth the Apostle apply the said Covenant to beleevers and their seed in the new Testament as Act. 2.39 Ans The words are not unto your seed but unto your children wherein there is great difference For by seed in the Scripture is very often put for a naturall generation begotten and born after the flesh And by children a spirituall generation walking in the steps of the faith of such as have gone before them as Act. 3.25 Act. 13.26.33 and so Job 8.37.39 with Rim. 9.7 8. and so the words import as much which is to you and to your children and to all afarre off even as many as the Lord our God shall call So that the promise is onely to such as God shall call and to none else Again it s called the promise and not the Covenant and we know that every promise is not a covenant there being a large difference between a promise and a covenant And now let it be well considered what is here meant by the promise and that is Gods sending of the Messias or the seed in whom the Nations should be blessed and so the sending of a Saviour or Redeemer unto Israel as these Scriptures manifest compared together Isa 11.1 Jer. 23.5 6. with Luke 1.68.74 Act. 13.23 Act. 3.25.26 This was performed by Christs coming first in the flesh in which respect he came both of and to the Jews onely by promise as Joh 4.22 Rom. 9.5 Matth 10.5 6. Matth. 15.24 Joh. 1.11 Secondly in the preaching of the Gospel by which he was held forth as a Saviour to all that by faith laid hold upon him as the arm of Gods grace stretched out unto them And this way also Christ was first tendered to the Jews for a Saviour to save them from their fins Act. 4.12 and for to be their King as to save them so unto whose state and government they were to submit as Luk. 19.14.27 Act. 2.36 In which sense the Apostle speaks when he saith the promise is to you and to your children and to all farre and neer as God shall call that is the promise or promised Saviour is come and is now according to Gods promise tendered to you by the Gospel calling you and your children and all else where the word of grace shall come to beleeve and receive him by saith who is now come to save you and all that beleeve from their sins Act. 3.25 26. And therefore it s said as many as gladly received or beleeved this glad tidings the same was sealed or confirmed unto them by baptisme Act. 2.41 according to Joh. 1.11 12 13. By all which it is manifest that the promise Act. 2.39 is meant the sending of the Messias or a Saviour to the house of Israel to call them to repentance and to save such as beleeve from their sins as is clear also by these Scriptures Isa 59.20 Act. 13.23.26 32.38.39 And thus the promise is unto you and your children that is the promised Saviour is offered and
This way Satan in his instruments lies at all advantage to disable and prevent the Word for taking effect upon the hearts of men as Mat. 13.19 And this is the theft that the aforesaid theeves and robbers had not repented of and not Antichrists stealing of the Lords Baptisme out of his Church But it is thought by some that the gold and rich attire by which Antichrist is painted and the golden cup in the Gentlewomans hand are the ordinances of God as Rev. 17.4 As there is little matter in this to any purpose I shall answer in briefe to the same And first that this is a comparative speech with reference to that outward pompe and glorious state wherein shee sits triumphing as a Queene Rev. 18.7 And withall the same wisely and cunningly composed by humane policy under a generall forme of an outward profession of Religion yet opposing the truth and power thereof Cant. 5.7 Under a shew of humilitie and pretence of zeale by her forwardnesse in the executing of her power against all such that refuse subjection to her holy orders and to worship God according to that image and forme which shee hath set up Col. 2.8.18.20 21 22 23. Rev. 13.15 16. Thus by her policy shee draws forth her forme in some resemblance of truth so far as it suits with reason and humane wisdome and therefore it is that the greatest Politicians and artificers are of her side Rev. 18.23 and so carries out things with a strong hand against all that shall oppose her Rev. 13.4 and through her great wisdome art and policy shee is exalted and becomes famous and in great esteeme for the generalitie of men as Ezek. 2.8 Rev. 13.3 Rev. 18.18 19. And therefore such are best accepted of her that are the strongest for reason and the most skilfulst artificers to paint and to trim her up and to set her forth in her glory and beautie to the eyes of men And by this means shee as an harlot deceives the simple and bewitches the Nations as Pro. 7.16 17. Nabum 3 4. Gal. 3.1 Rev. 18 All which is to be understood in a spirituall sense and in matters of Religion and then her golden cup and all her rich attire will appeare to be onely of the Gentlewomans own devised painting and not any of the Lords ordinances as Jer. 51.7 Jer 2.33 with Jer. 4.30 Rev. 18.12 13.16 So that here the holy Ghost sets forth her state to be Babylon spiritually considered as Rev. 11.8 and her Ministers are set forth under the name of Merchants because they buy and sell trade for her in all the Merchandise of her Religion wherein all things are set at sale as much as the soules and bodies of men Rev. 18.13 that is the penall laws imposed to the forcing of their consciences such as are rich to escape for money or friends but such as are poore or conscious to abide the punishment as a Pet. 2.3 the Merchants are stiled or called The great men of the earth ver 23. that is great for humane learning arts and policy to keep up her state and trade and make out the same against all gaine-sayers and what they want in skill they have it in power and so able to beare downe all before them for they are the great men of the earth and who is able to make war with the beast The things they merchandise withall are all manner of precious stones and the like which holds forth the curious art of nature for the ordering and composing of all those things concurring for the making up of that state and forme in so neere a resemblance to truth All which is without substance for at length no man will buy their ware which causeth great lamentation among the Merchants Rev. 18.11 And so I shall now leave this subject to the wise godly Readers consideration to mind well the truth of such a practise that leave a church as false and Antichristian and yet approve of that Baptisme there administred by a false and an Antichristian power to be the true ordinance of God I must here conclude with Doctor Hall in his Apologie against the Brownists pag. 17 18.31 That either such must goe forward to baptisme or else turne backe againe from whence they came for there is no middle way nor the least light in the word of God to beare out the same but the contrary You shall not doe whatsoever is right in your owne eyes for you are not as yet come to your rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you Deut. 12.8 9. Arise and depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted Micah 2.10 I am come a light into the world that whosoever beleeveth on me should not abide in darknesse Joh. 12.46 And now why tarry yee arise and be baptized and wash away your Antichristian sinnes calling on the name of the Lord Act. 22.16 or submitting to the order and way of Christ They resisted the counsell of God against themselves being not baptized of him Luk. 7.30 Arise therefore and obey the Lord and thinke not within your selves we are baptized already and that by Antichrist for I tell you that you are never able to prove your selves to be under the Lords holy ordinance of Baptisme by all the light in Scripture and art in nature in that way you goe namely to deny the state as false and Antichristian and yet retaine your baptisme there administred by the same power as the Lords ordinance and assume a Church to yourselves upon the same baptisme I speake in subjection to better judgement I thinke the last Church is as much against the Rules of the new Testament as the former For certainly where there is a false state constituted by a false power all that stative ordinances essentiall to the same and constituted by the same power must be also of the same nature together with the rest which is all alike false therefore if you take hence a corner stone to lay in your foundation and build you a resting place upon the same know this that it will not lie firme but ever be rouling under you that you shall not rest long upon it therefore arise and depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted it will destroy you even with a sore destruction look betimes the higher you build the greater the fall will be if it be not right upon the true foundation I doe beleeve that God will cause his truth to shine forth with power both to cleare the darke clouds of ignorance off the hearts of men and beare downe that which stands in opposition to the same and if such hath been so hard put to it in the darke as it were that they are forced to leave the holy and blessed word of God and betake themselves to Antichrists power and testimony to prove them under Gods holy ordinance of baptisme though the whole body of the Scripture lies against