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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57955	A vindication of the baptized churches from the calumnies of Mr. Michael Harrison, of Potters Pury in Northampton-shire. Being an answer to his two books, intituled, Infant baptism God's ordinance. By William Russel, M.D. A lover of primitive Christianity.	Russel, William, d. 1702.	1697 (1697)	Wing R2360A; ESTC R218555	79,105	138

same hour of the Night or straightway Crispus the chief Ruler of the Synagogue believed on the Lord with all his House and many of the Corinthians bearing believed and were baptized Acts 18.8 Philip in Acts 8.37 is determining the Question and giveth this in as the decision If thou believest with all thy heart thou mayest And to say that this is but De bene esse meaning that it includes not the Negative otherwise thou may'st not is to make Philip to have deluded and not decided or resolved In a word I know not of one Word in Scripture that giveth us the least Intimation that ever Man was baptized without the Profession of a saving Faith He also affirms positively That we must not baptize any without the profession of true Repentance which he thus proves Argu. 1. If John Baptist required the profession of true Repentance before he would baptize them then so must we but John did so therefore the Consequence is clear The Antecedent I prove saith he from mark 1.3 4. he preached the Baptism of Repentance unto remission of Sins and doubtless that Repentance which is to remission of Sins is true special Repentance Argu. 2. If Jesus Christ hath by Scripture Precept and Example directed us to baptize those that profess true Repentance and no other then we must baptize them and no other but the Antecedent is true so therefore is the consequent which is fully made good from Mat. 4.17 Mark 1.15 16. Acts 17.30 Luke 24.47 when Christs himself did and sent forth his Disciples also to preach Repentance to prepare them for Baptism which afterwards followed as Mat. 3.11 Mark 1.8 Luke 3.16 Acts 2.37 38 41. And in page 156. if according to the Institution the Answer of a good Conscience must be joyned with Baptism for the attaining of its end then we must admit of none that profess not the answer of a good Conscience But the former is certain from the Text for Baptism is said to save that is its appointed use yet not the external washing but the answer of a good Conscience doth it therefore this is of a necessary injunction and without it Baptism cannot attain its End But it is to be administred and received only in order to the Attainment of its end and therefore never in a way by which the End is apparently not attainable Paul calleth all the Baptized Church of Corinth justisied none that profess not justifying Faith are called justified therefore none such should be baptized I confess saith he t is sad that good Men should be so unfaithful to the Truth which is so preclous and is not their own and which they should do nothing against but all they can for it Divers other Testimonies might be added besides these already recited but these shall suffice at this time And Sir If these do not plainly prove our practice of baptizing Persons upon profession of Faith and also that Infants cannot be the Subjects of Holy Baptism as not being capable of performing the necessary pre-requisites thereto I have no Skill in Polemicks I proceed therefore to what you say Part 1. page 44. Objection The baptizing Persons before they know occasions much gross Ignorance To which you answer Christ is the Occasion of the Ruine and Damnation of thousands I reply Dear Sir Altho' you make bold to abuse the Baptists and throw very Reproachful Scandals and Calumnies upon them Methinks you might have spared their Lord and Master and not have laid the Ruine and Damnation of thousands at his Door Who came not into the World to condemn the World but that the World through him might be saved But I need not wonder at this in you when divers of your party have charged Christ with being the greatest Sinner in the World notwithstanding he did no sin neither was Guile found in his Mouth Sir These are unsavoury Expressions unbecoming the Pen of one who would fain be esteemed a Minister of Jesus Christ And now Dear Sir as a Close I have some few things to speak to your self by way of Caution and Advice which I wish may be received by you as candidly as they are imparted by me In all your Discourses about Polemical Divinity that you would observe these few short Rules which may be of use to your self and others 1. Be careful to avoid all invective Calumnies Wrath Bitterness and Reviling against the Party with whom you contend For that is so far from being a means to convince them that it rather begets a Prejudice in them against what you shall say I know every Person is naturally a Friend to what he supposeth to be a Truth and wisheth that others were of his Mind and it 's both lawful and commendable to promote it in a sober and judicious way But surely it is an Excess to propagate Truth a thing divine by the Methods of Hell as Anger Biterness Fraud Reviling Reproaches and throwing out Scandalous and Vile Invectives against your Antagonists Sir You have more Reason to believe your Adversaries are in the right than your self For that they have both Precept and Precedent for their Practice in the Holy Scripture but you have neither for your own What need was there therefore of all those bitter Revilings you have poured out against us Sir We could use the Liberty of Lex talionis if we were minded to recriminate in such instances against your Party that would blacken you with a Witness of which you could never acquit them by all the Artifices you could use But we do not think it comports with Charity to exasperate your Enemies against you and make you vile in their Eyes notwithstanding you have so unchristianly dealt by us 2. When any of your Christian Neighbours labour to convince you of some Truth you are yet ignorant of do not scorn their Advice nor trample upon the Truth for their sakes because they are but mean in the Worlds Esteem but remember that Apollo altho' he was a Man mighty in the Scriptures did not disdain that Aquila and Priscila should expound unto him the way of God more perfectly Acts 18.26 A Cardinal could once say upon the Words of a Shepherd Unlearned Men take Heaven by force whilst we with all our Learning are thrust down to Hell 3. Let me entreat you to search the Scriptures and see whether the things I have said be so or no give your self to Fasting and Prayer cry mightily to God to give you his Spirit to open your Understanding that you may understand the Scriptures Lastly Give me leave to tell you That it 's not likely your People should think you in earnest when in the Pulpit you Press them to Meekness and Charity when they find so much Railing and Reviling in your Books Truly Sir If Ministers Books of Disputation were as full of Charity as they require their People to be in their Sermons our Disputes and Writings would be Excellent Expedients of improving Knowledge and discovering Truth

them For as it 's another word so it hath a different respect and signification Matheteusate in Mat. 28.19 importing that the Apostles should teach and instruct the Gentiles who were Strangers and Aliens in the Faith and Doctrine of the Gospel that they might believe it and become Disciples of Christ But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ver 20. Teaching them vero docere significat eos qui jam discipuli redditi sunt Magisterio nostro jam addicti By which it 's plain that you have no reason to imagine that Infants can possibly be here intended qua talis because the first word intends such as were to be made Disciples by their Ministry and the latter respects their being instructed in all those other Duties this new Master of theirs the Lord Jesus required of them after they were first made Disciples and believed and were baptized that they might be made perfect and compleat in all the will of God How false therefore and incougruous is that rendring of the Words Matheteusate panta ta ethne Discipulize all Nations as you have done to say Go disciple me all Nations teaching them when the plain meaning is That they were first by their Ministry to be made Disciples of Christ and then to be baptized as it follows in the Text. And not as you say That when the Parents being taught believe they are discipled and their Infants with them For if that be the meaning of the Word Matheteusate that such who are so taught as to believe are discipled their Infants not being capable to be so taught by the Ministry of the Apostles as to believe they cannot be Disciples in your own Understanding from any meaning can be put upon these Words by you recited Mat. 28.19 But further here is an express Command to baptize some Persons That they were Believers we affirm because it 's said in that Parallel Text Mark 16.15 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved That any Infants can be intended by it you must deny because you say there is no express Command to baptize them For in Part 1. page 41. you put this Objection But we have no express Command in the New Testament to baptize Infants Your Answer is I have shewn there needed none And in page 37. you bring in this Objection If it be God's will Infants should be baptized why is there no Command for it as there was for their Circumcision Your answer is There was no need of any particular mentioning of them And further say It had been absurd to have given a New Command for Children and your saying that the general Command includes Children and yet never tells us what it is or where to be found is a covering too narrow for you to escape this consequence For if there be an express Command in Mat. 28.19 given by Christ to his Apostles to baptize fome Persons or other and there be no express Command by your own Confession in the New Testament to baptize Infants then Infants are not at all intended in this great Commission And I pray Sir tell me how it is then an Ordinance of God if it be no where commanded by him in his Word For baptism is a part of instituted Worship And you ought to shew the Institution or else forbear practising it any more I will now shew you what Grounds we have from Scripture for baptizing penitent Believers that are adult Persons able to give an account of their Faith And because Mr. Richard Baxter is an Author you so much esteem I shall give you his Arguments from Scripture for proof thereof in his Book called The second Disputation of Right to Sacraments p. 149 150. in these words upon this very Text Mat. 28.19 20. This is not like some occasional mention of Baptism but it is the very Commission it self of Christ to his Disciples for Preaching and Baptizing and purposely expresseth their several works in their several Places and Orders Their first Task is to make Disciples which are by Mark called Believers The Second Work is to baptize them whereto is annex'd the promise of their Salvation The Third Work is to teach them all other things which are after to be learned in the School of Christ To contemn this Order is to contemn all Rules of Order for where can we expect to find it if not here I profess my Conscience is fully satisfied from this Text that it is one sort of Faith even saving that must go before Baptism the profession whereof the Minister must expect Of which see what is to this purpose before cited by Calvin and Piscator which Words are mentioned by him p. 85. and are as follows Calvin upon Mat. 3.6 saith Therefore that Men may rightly offer themselves to Baptism Confession of Sins is required othewise the whole Action would be nothing else but Sport And Piscator upon Mark 1.4 saith It is called the Baptism of Repentance for Remission of Sins because John preached the Remission of Sins to the Penitent Believers Mr. Baxter further saith p. 149. If there can be no Example given in Scripture of any one that was baptized without the profession of a saving Faith nor any Precept for so doing then must we not baptize any without it But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the Consequence To prove this Assertion he produces the several Examples in Scripture which he saith might afford us so many several Arguments but I shall put them together viz. First John as I have shewed you required the prosession of true Repentance and that his Baptism was for the Remission of Sin Secondly When Christ layeth down the Apostolical Commission the Nature and Order of the Apostles work is first to make them Disciples and then to baptize them That it was saving Faith that was required of the Jews and professed by them Acts 2.38 is plain in the Text. The Samaritans believed and had great Joy and were baptized into the Name of Jesus Christ Acts 8.12 whereby it appeareth that the Understanding and Will were both changed And they had the profession of saving Faith yea even Simon himself ver 37. The Condition upon which the Eunnch must be baptized was If he believed with all his Heart which he professed to do and that was the Evidence Philip expected Paul was baptized after true Conversion Acts 9.18 The Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles before they were baptized Acts 10.44 Lydia's Heart was opened before she was baptized and she was one the Apostles judged faithful to the Lord and offered to them the evidence of her Faith Acts 16.30 The Example also of the Jaylor is very full to the resolution of the Question in hand He first asketh What he shall do to be saved The Apostle answereth him Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thy House So that it was a saving Faith that is here mentioned He rejoiced and believed with all his House and was baptized the