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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE
INFANTS
Advocate. Of Circumci&s;ion
<HI>and</HI>
Bapti&s;me on <LIST>
<ITEM>Jewi&s;h</ITEM>
<ITEM>Chri&s;tian</ITEM>
</LIST>Children,</P>
<BIBL>DEUT. 29. 11, 12.</BIBL>
<Q>Your little ones&mdash;&s;hall
enter into Covenant with the Lord thy
God.</Q>
<BIBL>Origen. lib. 5. ad Rom. c. 6.</BIBL>
<Q>Eccle&s;ia ab Apo|&s;tolis
traditionem accepit parvulis dare Bapti&s;|mum,
quia e&s;&s;ent in omnibus genuinae &s;ordes pec|cati.</Q>
<P>By THOMAS FULLER, B. D.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by <HI>R. Norton,</HI> for <HI>J. Williams,</HI> at
the Crown in S. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church|yard.
<HI>M.DC.LIII.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable,
JAMES
EARL of CARLILE,
my mo&s;t Bountiful Patron.
AND
To the Right Honourable,
LIONEL
EARL of MIDLESEX,
my Noble Pari&s;hioner.</HEAD>
<P>_I Shall be cen&s;ured
for a Soleci&s;me,
in Dedicating
this my <HI>Infants
Advocate</HI> unto
your Honours, not only for
<PB REF="3">
the meanne&s;&s;e of the Pre&s;ent,
but becau&s;e the one of you
being hitherto <HI>Childle&s;s,</HI> and
the other not as <HI>yet Married,</HI>
&s;eem not &s;o proper per&s;ons to
be pre&s;ented with &s;uch a &s;ub|ject.</P>
<P>But give me leave to ac|quaint
your Honours, that this
my Treati&s;e, <HI>Janus-like,</HI> looks
<HI>backwards,</HI> and <HI>forwards; back|wards</HI>
to vindicate and a&s;&s;ert
the lawfulne&s;&s;e of their Ba|pti&s;m
which (now arrived at
Maturity) were in their In|fancy
Baptized; and in this
capacity your Honours have
<PB REF="3">
an equal concernment in this
&s;ubject with any others.</P>
<P><HI>Forwards,</HI> to ju&s;tifie and a|vouch
the acts of tho&s;e Pa|rents
who hereafter &s;hall fix
the Sacrament on their In|fant
Children: Your Honors
in Gods due time, may for
the future be intere&s;ted here|in,
a favour the more fervent|ly
to be de&s;ired from Heaven,
both of you being the &s;ole &s;ur|viving
Males of your Fami|lies;
and the &s;ingle threds
whereon all the hopes of your
Noble hou&s;es do depend.</P>
<P>Give me Leave therefore
<PB REF="4">
who here am the Advocate
to plead for the Baptizing of
others, to be al&s;o the Orator
to pray for the Birth of your
Children, till which time,
may the ble&s;sings of the right
and left hand plentifully fall,
and peaceably re&s;t on you
both, which is the daily de|&s;ire
of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honours mo&s;t obli|ged
and humble &s;ervant
THO. FULLER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>To the Right Wor&s;hipfull,
Edward Palmer, Henry
Wolla&s;ton, and Matthew
Gilly, E&s;quires; John Vava|&s;or,
Francis Bointon, Gent.
with all the re&s;t of my Lo|ving
Pari&s;hioners in Wal|tham
Holy-Cro&s;s.</HEAD>
<P>_WHen I con&s;ider the
many worthy works
which had their fir&s;t
being within the
bounds of this our Pari&s;h, I may
ju&s;tly be a&s;hamed, that my weak
<PB REF="5">
endeavours &s;hould be borne in
the &s;ame place.</P>
<P>For fir&s;t, the book of <HI>Mr.
Cranmer</HI> (afterwards Arch-Bi&s;hop
of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> and
Martyr) containing the Rea|&s;ons
again&s;t King <HI>Henry</HI> the <HI>8^t^h</HI>
his Marriage with <HI>Queen Ka|tharine
Dowager,</HI> was
compiled in our<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Fox</HI> Acts and Monu|ments, page 1860.</NOTE> Pa|ri&s;h,
while&s;t the &s;aid
<HI>Cranmer</HI> retired hither (in the
time of a Plague at <HI>Cam|bridge</HI>)
to teach his Pupils.
Thus did <HI>Waltham</HI> give Rome
the fir&s;t deadly blow in <HI>En|gland,</HI>
occa&s;ioning the Popes
<PB REF="5">
primacy to totter therein, till it
tumbled down at la&s;t.</P>
<P>The large and learned works
of the no le&s;&s;e Religious then In|du&s;trious
<HI>Mr. Fox</HI> in his book
of Martyrs was penned here,
leaving his po&s;terity a con&s;ider|able
e&s;tate at this day po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed
by them in this Pari&s;h.</P>
<P>What &s;hall I &s;peak of the no
le&s;&s;e plea&s;ant then profitable
pains of Reverend Bi&s;hop <HI>Hall</HI>
(predece&s;&s;or in my place) the
main body of who&s;e Books bears
date from <HI>Waltham.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;hall my unworthy pam|phlet
pre&s;ume to follow &s;uch able
<PB REF="6">
works from the &s;ame place?
However &s;eeing my publike pro|mi&s;e
is &s;olemnly pa&s;t to you, to
Print the &s;ame (hoping &s;ome
profit may thence ari&s;e to you
and others) let it as a Page at
due di&s;tance wait upon the works
of tho&s;e mo&s;t eminent Authors.</P>
<P>Some will &s;ay this your <HI>In|fants
Advocate</HI> hath almo&s;t
been as long in the breeding, and
birth, as Infants u&s;e to lye in
their Mothers womb; &s;o many
moneths hath pa&s;t betwixt the
promi&s;e and performance there|of.
But let none grudge the
time if it appear at la&s;t in its
<PB REF="6">
<HI>perfect &s;hape,</HI> coming forth
&s;oon enough for tho&s;e who will
reap benefit thereby; Too &s;oon
for &s;uch who will take cau&s;le&s;s
offence thereat.</P>
<P>Some perchance will take ex|ception
at the plainne&s;s thereof
which by me was purpo&s;ely af|fected
herein. It is a good le&s;lon
which may be learned from the
mouth of a bad ma&s;ter, even
Rayling<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">2 Kings 18. 27.</NOTE> <HI>Rab&s;hakeh,</HI>
not to deliver a me&s;&s;age
of publick concernment, in a
language which a few Courtiers
only do under&s;tand, but in a
tongue whereby all the <HI>people
<PB REF="7">
on the wall</HI> may partake there|of.
And &s;eeing the generali|ty
of our oppo&s;ers are unlearned,
I conceived it my duty to decline
all difficult words and phra&s;es,
that all might more ea&s;ily and
perfectly perceive the truth ther|in.</P>
<P>Some perchance might expect
a confutation of their practice
which are Re-baptized; a task
needle&s;s for me to perform. For
&s;uch repetition of Bapti&s;m will
follow of cour&s;e to be vain, if not
wicked, unneedful if not unlaw|ful;
where the lawfulne&s;s and
needfulne&s;s of Infants Bapti&s;m
<PB REF="7">
hath formerly been proved. Bap|ti&s;m
<HI>once wel done</HI> on Infants,
I may &s;ay, is <HI>twice done,</HI> which
<HI>twice done is once ill done,</HI>
namely when it is iterated the &s;e|cond
time without any ju&s;t rea|&s;on
for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>What remains (dear Pari|&s;hioners)
but that I pray that
my weak Preaching may be
powerful and profitable unto
you, that you may <HI>do and &s;uf|fer</HI>
cheerfully according to the
will of God; Remember the ad|dition
of the name of your Pa|ri&s;h,
<HI>HOLY CROSSE:</HI> It mat|ters
not though <HI>Cro&s;&s;e</HI> be the
<PB REF="8">
&s;ur-name, if <HI>Holy</HI> be the <HI>Chri|&s;tian</HI>
name of our &s;ufferings:
while&s;t that God who &s;endeth
them &s;anctifieth them unto us,
which is the daily prayer of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your unworthy Pa&s;tor
in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,
THO. FULLER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="8">
<HEAD>TO THE
CHRISTIAN READER.</HEAD>
<P>_AMong&s;t the many <HI>Lying
Miracles</HI> reported by
impudent, believed by
ignorant Papi&s;ts, in
their Leaden <HI>Golden Legend;</HI> it is
not the la&s;t, and lea&s;t what they
tell of one<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">See <HI>Cam|dens</HI> Brit|tania, in <HI>Northamp|ton</HI> &s;hire.</NOTE> <HI>Rumball</HI>
(Son to an Engli&s;h
King) who&s;e Saint-&s;hip
in tho&s;e dark days was
&s;uper&s;titiou&s;ly adored
<PB REF="9">
at <HI>Brackley</HI> in <HI>Northampton &s;hire:</HI>
Of him they report that <HI>he &s;pake
as &s;oon as ever he was born, and pro|fe&s;&s;ing
him&s;elf to be a Chri&s;tian alrea|dy
in his heart, reque&s;ted (or rather
required) that he might be Bapti|zed,
which done, he in&s;tantly ended
his life.</HI></P>
<P>I know not whether to call this
a <HI>Childs fable</HI> from the <HI>&s;ubject,</HI> or
in the<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 7.</NOTE> Apo&s;tles lan|guage,
<HI>an old wives fa|ble</HI>
from the <HI>inventors</HI>
thereof: Otherwi&s;e, were this
true, and all children like him,
this our <HI>Infants Advocate</HI> were ut|terly
u&s;ele&s;s, and our pains for the
pre&s;ent altogether &s;uperfluous,
which now we believe and hope
may be profitable for tho&s;e who
cannot plead for them&s;elves. For
<PB REF="9">
though I cannot with
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Job 29. 15</NOTE> <HI>Job be eyes to the blind,</HI>
and <HI>feet to the lame;</HI> that is, re|lieve
their poverty, out of a plen|tiful
e&s;tate; yet I will endeavour
to be a <HI>tongue to the dumb,</HI> and
plead as well as I may, in their be|half.</P>
<P>True it is, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e with
that good<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Jer. 1. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Prophet,</HI> not
in re&s;pect of my age (be|ing
pa&s;t the vertical point there|of)
but of my other infirmities,
<HI>behold I cannot &s;peak for I am a child,</HI>
and if a <HI>child</HI> be <HI>advocate</HI> for <HI>chil|dren,</HI>
the cau&s;e is likely to be poor|ly
pleaded: However I will en|deavour
to &s;upply in integrity,
what I want in ability; and &s;ome|times
a <HI>cordial coun&s;el,</HI> who zea|lou&s;ly
engageth for his client, is
<PB REF="10">
to be accepted for his hearty in|tentions
and affections, though
falling &s;hort of others in his per|formances.</P>
<P>Indeed <HI>great is the multitude of
pleaders,</HI> who have undertook
this cau&s;e, and truly the more
the better, &s;uch the worth there|of
to de&s;erve, the weight thereof
to require, many defenders again&s;t
the fiercene&s;&s;e and multitude of
modern oppo&s;ers. But here give
me leave to bemoan a &s;ad acci|dent,
that the <HI>councel</HI> cannot agree
among&s;t them&s;elves how to ma|nage
their <HI>clients</HI> cau&s;e. Some
found it on a Jewi&s;h ceremony of
wa&s;hing; others fa&s;ten it only on
the ancient practice of the Primi|tive
Church; others graft it on
the Analogie of Circumci&s;ion;
<PB REF="10">
others bottom it on an implicite
precept; others on expre&s;&s;e argu|ments
in the New Te&s;tament.
And which is the wor&s;e, many of
the&s;e are not content alone to pre|fer,
and advance their own opi|nion,
except al&s;o they decry,
and de&s;troy, confute, and con|found
the arguments of others, by
which di&s;cords, our adver&s;aries
in this point gain to them&s;elves
no &s;mall advantage.</P>
<P>I am confident tho&s;e our adver|&s;aries
long &s;ince had wanted wea|pons,
had not our friends furni&s;h|ed
them with all manner of muni|tion
out of our own magazins.
Yet dare I not challenge &s;uch
pleaders for Infants Bapti&s;m of
<HI>di&s;loyaltie,</HI> as if they wilfully be|trayed
their tru&s;t herein; though
<PB REF="11">
I cannot excu&s;e them for <HI>indi&s;cre|tion,</HI>
whereby they have prejudi|ced
that cau&s;e, they endeavoured
to defend.</P>
<P>It would be well therefore for
the time to come, if the a&s;&s;ertors
of Pedo-Bapti&s;m, on what bot|tom
&s;oever they builded, (<HI>&s;tore in
this kind is no &s;ore, and the firmer it is
that &s;tands on &s;o many foundations</HI>)
rai&s;e their own Rea&s;ons without
oppo&s;ing the arguments of others
who agree with them in judge|ment,
though going by different
ways to the end of the &s;ame place.</P>
<P>It is &s;aid of every Locu&s;t, that
marched in Gods Army
<HI>they &s;hall</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Joel 2. 8.</NOTE> <HI>not thru&s;t one
another, they &s;hall walk every one in
his path,</HI> on Gods ble&s;&s;ing; let the
a&s;&s;ertors of Childrens Bapti&s;m
<PB REF="11">
(what way &s;oever they imbrace
for the proof thereof) proceed
fairly and friendly in their own
tract, and leave off ju&s;tling tho&s;e
who go next to them in another
path. Thus de&s;iring, Reader, Gods
ble&s;&s;ing on thy peru&s;ing my weak
pains, I remain,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,
THO. FULLER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<HEAD><PB REF="12">
<PB N="1" REF="12">
THE
Infants Advocate.</HEAD>
<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. I. Of Circumci&s;ion.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>What it was, on whom, by whom,
and when to be admini&s;tred. The
Penalty of wilful Recu&s;ants there
in.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_CIRCUMCISION was the cutting
off of a &s;kin, in tho&s;e parts
which nature hath covered
with &s;hame, which might
be &s;pared without danger of
life, hinderance of generation, or vi&s;ible
deformity.</P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="13">
The &s;olemn In&s;titution hereof we find
<HI>Gen.</HI> 17. where it was commanded to
<HI>Abraham</HI> and his &s;eed; before which time
(though allowing &s;omething Sacramental
in the <HI>Tree of Life, Ark, &amp;c.</HI>) the Church
of God had (<HI>Sacrifices</HI> but) no con&s;tant
and continuing <HI>Sacrament.</HI></P>
<P>This Circumci&s;ion is &s;ubject to many
carnal objections, which corrupt Nature
may urge again&s;t it. Fir&s;t, &s;ome accu&s;e
it as an immode&s;t Ceremony; whereas in|deed
no &s;uch wantons as &s;uch, who pre|tend
to more mode&s;ty then God com|mands.
If a &s;trict enquiry &s;hould be made
into their lives, it is more then &s;u&s;picious,
<HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 12. <HI>It would be a &s;hame to &s;peak of
tho&s;e things which are done by them in &s;e|cret.</HI></P>
<P>Others are offended at &s;uch Cruelty
therein exerci&s;ed on a &s;mall Infant, as pro|bably
with the pain thereof, might drive
it into a Feavour.</P>
<P>It is an&s;wered, that was cruelty indeed
which wil-wor&s;hip commanded &s;uper|&s;titious
Parents to afford to their Idols,
when 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 17. 31. <HI>They burnt their
children in fire to the gods of Sephar Va|im:</HI>
<PB N="3" REF="13">
Call not Circumci&s;ion Cruelty, but
what indeed it was, Mercy, Pity, and
Compa&s;&s;ion; that &s;uch who by nature
were <HI>children of wrath,</HI> and de&s;erved dam|nation,
had by Gods mercy, their &s;uffer|ings
commuted into the &s;hort pain of <HI>Cir|cumci&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides, we are bound to believe that
God doubled the guard of his providence,
to pre&s;erve &s;uch infants as were ordered
according to his command. Indeed if the
<HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> of <HI>Baal, who with knives, and lan|ces
cut them&s;elves till the bloud gu&s;hed out,</HI>
1 <HI>Kings</HI> 18. 28. I &s;ay, if &s;uch &s;uper&s;titious
<HI>Bedlams,</HI> &s;hould have their wounds fe&s;ter
and <HI>gangreen,</HI> they dyed <HI>felons de &s;e,</HI> and
the Devils Martyrs; &s;eeing God never re|quired
it at their hands. But if any infant
mi&s;carried under <HI>Circumci&s;ion,</HI> (the prece|dents
whereof we conceive very rare) be|ing
a divine ordinance and injunction; the
Parents might comfortably pre&s;ume of
the final good e&s;tate thereof; who ren|dred
his &s;oul in &s;ervice to Gods com|mand.</P>
<P>Come we now to con&s;ider on whom
<HI>Circumci&s;ion</HI> was to be admini&s;tred. The&s;e
<PB N="4" REF="14">
were <HI>all the males,</HI> and <HI>only the males</HI> of
<HI>Abrahams</HI> family, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17. 13.</P>
<P>All the Males
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Born in his hou&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Bought for money.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>In the latter ob&s;erve a miraculous pro|vidence:
How many of the&s;e per&s;ons be|ing
taken pri&s;oners, and &s;old, like <HI>bea&s;ts</HI>
in the <HI>&s;lave-market,</HI> accounted them&s;elves
utterly undone for the lo&s;&s;e of (<HI>the life of
their Life</HI>) their Liberty? What &s;ighing,
what &s;obbing, what grieving, what groa|ning
for their forlorn condition? But
oh! Let them not &s;orrow that they are
&s;old, but rejoyce that <HI>Abraham</HI> hath
bought them; How had they been <HI>un|done,</HI>
if they had not been <HI>undone? Sold
under &s;in</HI> for ever, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. 14. if not &s;old
unto <HI>Abraham.</HI> See here in &s;ome ca&s;es it
is better to be a good mans <HI>&s;lave,</HI> then a
great mans <HI>Son.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Only Males.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> How cometh it to pa&s;&s;e that &s;o
many as amount to the <HI>halfe</HI> of <HI>rea&s;onable
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ouls</HI> were excluded the Sacrament. If
<PB N="5" REF="14">
the <HI>Grecians</HI> Acts 6. 1. murmured again&s;t
the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> becau&s;e their widows were
neglected in the <HI>mini&s;tration</HI> of <HI>Almes,</HI>
had not the <HI>weaker &s;ex</HI> cau&s;e to grieve and
grudge at men that neither their widows,
wives, nor virgins, were included in the
admini&s;tration of <HI>Circumci&s;ion?</HI> Be&s;ides,
no <HI>Sacrament,</HI> no <HI>Salvation.</HI> Their not
partaking of the <HI>&s;ign,</HI> might cau&s;e them
to &s;u&s;pect the <HI>&s;ub&s;tance,</HI> and que&s;tion their
<HI>title</HI> to <HI>Heaven</HI> and <HI>happine&s;s.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Before we come to the parti|cular
an&s;wer hereof, be it premi&s;ed, that
had God created at the fir&s;t two di&s;tinct,
and ab&s;olute, (as to the mutual depen|dance
each on other) principles of mans
being, the one <HI>male,</HI> the other <HI>female;</HI>
and had they both, wilfully forfeited
their integrity, then &s;ome nece&s;&s;ity might
have been pretended that to <HI>Re-covenant</HI>
them both, both <HI>Sexes</HI> &s;hould have been
&s;igned with <HI>Circumci&s;ion.</HI> But Divine
providence otherwi&s;e ordered the matter,
only making man at the fir&s;t, and woman
of the man.</P>
<P>This laid down, we an&s;wer to the Ob|jection;
<PB N="6" REF="15">
though women were not for|mally,
they were vertually <HI>circumci&s;ed</HI> in
the <HI>males.</HI> What is done to the head none
will deny done to the body; The <HI>man</HI>
therefore being the <HI>head of the woman,</HI>
1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. &s;uch females as died in their
<HI>virginity</HI> were circumci&s;ed in their <HI>Fa|thers;</HI>
&s;uch as &s;urvived to be <HI>married</HI> were
<HI>circumci&s;ed</HI> in their <HI>husbands;</HI> Their nea|rer
relation (<HI>one fle&s;h</HI>) &s;wallowing up that,
which was more remote in their Father.
And thus all, though not directly, redu|ctively
<HI>Circumci&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>It follows, <HI>by whom it was admini&s;tred;</HI>
this generally was the <HI>ma&s;ter of the family,
Abraham Circumci&s;ed I&s;aac,</HI> Gen. 21. 4.
As for <HI>Zipporahs</HI> Circumci&s;ing her &s;ons,
<HI>Exod,</HI> 4. 25. in a ca&s;e of extremity, and
her hu&s;bands indi&s;po&s;ition, it was an ir|regular
act, not to be drawn into prece|dent&punc;
but to be recounted among&s;t tho&s;e,
which when performed are valid, but
ought not to be performed.</P>
<P>Come we now to the time, <HI>When;
eighth day</HI> Here I will not &s;earch with
&s;ome for a &s;ecret &s;anctity in the Number
of <HI>eight,</HI> (as con&s;i&s;ting of <HI>&s;even,</HI> the Em|bleme
<PB N="7" REF="15">
of <HI>Perfection,</HI> with the Addition of
<HI>one,</HI> that is Intirene&s;&s;e) le&s;t our Curio&s;i|ty
reap what Gods wi&s;dom never &s;owed
therein. The plain rea&s;on is this. Before
the <HI>eighth day,</HI> a child was not conceived
to be <HI>con&s;olidated fle&s;h,</HI> but till then in the
bloud of the mother. And for the &s;ame
cau&s;e, <HI>when a bullock, &s;heep, or goat was
brought forth,</HI> Levit. 22. 27. <HI>Then it &s;hall
be &s;even dayes under the dam, and from the
eighth day and thenceforth, it &s;hall be ac|cepted
for an offering made by fire unto the
Lord.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Quest.</HI> What became of the &s;ouls of
&s;uch <HI>infants,</HI> who died before the eighth
day, and &s;o wanted <HI>Circumci&s;ion?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> They wanted not <HI>Circumci&s;ion.</HI>
For want is the ab&s;ence of that which
ought to be had; now there was no ne|ce&s;&s;ity
of, (becau&s;e no command for)
their <HI>Circumci&s;ion,</HI> before that time; God
the <HI>Grand Law-giver,</HI> though <HI>tying</HI> others,
is not <HI>tyed</HI> him&s;elf to his <HI>Law:</HI> But can,
and no doubt did, give &s;piritual <HI>grace</HI> to
many <HI>infants,</HI> (chiefly if children of be|lieving
<PB N="8" REF="16">
<HI>Parents</HI>) dying in their <HI>non-age,</HI>
of <HI>their non-age,</HI> (before the <HI>eighth
day</HI>) and incapacity of the <HI>&s;ign</HI> of <HI>Circum|ci&s;ion.</HI>
He who, <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. 17. <HI>calleth things
which are not as if they were,</HI> can call chil|dren,
which are, but are not <HI>circumci&s;ed,
as if they were</HI> circumci&s;ed. And although
properly, among&s;t men, they were not
named till the <HI>eighth day,</HI> Luke 2. 21. Yet
&s;uch infants, <HI>namele&s;s on earth,</HI> might <HI>Phil.</HI>
4. 3. <HI>have their names writte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> in the book
of life.</HI></P>
<P>An <HI>in&s;tance</HI> we have hereof plain and
pregnant to &s;uch, who read the place
without prejudice in <HI>Davids</HI> child, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI>
12. 18. <HI>And it came to pa&s;s, on the &s;eventh
day that the child died:</HI> That is, <HI>&s;eventh
day &agrave; nativitate,</HI> from the birth thereof,
as <HI>Tremelius</HI> expoundeth it; the more
probably becau&s;e no mention is made of
any <HI>name</HI> impo&s;ed upon it. This child,
be&s;ides the natural &s;tain of original corru|ption,
had al&s;o the per&s;onal blemi&s;h of
<HI>adulterous extraction;</HI> And yet how con|fident
<HI>David</HI> was of the final happine&s;&s;e
thereof, appears by this expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>ver&s;.</HI>
22. <HI>I &s;hall go to him, but he &s;hall not return
to me.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="9" REF="16">
Let none &s;trangle the life of &s;o com|fortable
a pa&s;&s;age, with too narrow an
<HI>interpretation</HI> thereof, as if nothing there|in
were imported more then that <HI>David</HI>
&s;hould die as well as his child. This had
been but cold comfort unto him, and
would never have invited him to &s;uch
<HI>cheerfulne&s;s</HI> of <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> &s;o freely to have re|fre&s;hed
him&s;elf: Who&s;e joy was found|ed
on the comfortable a&s;&s;urance of his
childs final happine&s;&s;e, and that one day
they &s;hould both meet in Heaven toge|ther.</P>
<P>It remaineth that we treat of the <HI>puni&s;h|ment</HI>
on the <HI>refu&s;ers</HI> of <HI>Circumci&s;ion,</HI> ex|pre&s;&s;ed
in the&s;e words, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17. 14. <HI>That
&s;oul &s;hall be cut off from his people, he hath
broken my covenant.</HI> A threatning capa|ble
of three &s;everal &s;ences.</P>
<LIST>
<LABEL>1. Severe.</LABEL>
<ITEM>That is, by the <HI>&s;word of Eccle&s;ia&s;tical
cen&s;ures;</HI> They &s;hall be <HI>cut off</HI> from the
vi&s;ible congregation; they &s;hall mo&s;t ju&s;t|ly
(as the <HI>blind man</HI> was injuriou&s;ly, <HI>John</HI>
9. 33.) be ca&s;t out of the <HI>Synagogue,</HI> not
<PB N="10" REF="17">
to be re&s;tored unto it without their &s;o|lemn
and &s;incere repentance. Parallel
to S. <HI>Pauls</HI> expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 12. <HI>I would
they were even cut off that trouble you:</HI>
Though both phra&s;es by &s;ome Divines
be expounded in a &s;ence.</ITEM>
<LABEL>2. Severer.</LABEL>
<ITEM>That is, the Magi&s;trate &s;hall <HI>cut them
off</HI> with the &s;word of Ju&s;tice, and as <HI>Ca|pital</HI>
offenders they &s;hall be put to <HI>Death.</HI>
In this &s;ence, God had la&s;t u&s;ed the
&s;ame words, <HI>Gen.</HI> 9. 11. <HI>neither &s;hall all
fle&s;h be cut off any more;</HI> that is, their lives
&s;hall no more be taken away, by an uni|ver&s;al
de&s;truction.</ITEM>
<LABEL>3. Severe&s;t.</LABEL>
<ITEM>That is, they &s;hall be <HI>cut off</HI> from the
<HI>congregation</HI> of the <HI>righteous,</HI> by a final
<HI>perdition</HI> of <HI>&s;oul</HI> and <HI>body</HI> in <HI>Hell-fire.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The&s;e three interpretations do not
cro&s;&s;e but crown one another, being no
contradiction unto, but a gradation one
above another. The <HI>Refu&s;er of Circum|ci&s;ion,</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="17">
fir&s;t &s;hall be <HI>cut off</HI> by <HI>excommuni|cation:</HI>
that not cau&s;ing his amendment,
&s;hall be <HI>cut off</HI> by the <HI>Magi&s;trate,</HI> and the
pain and &s;hame of <HI>temporal death</HI> not re|claiming
him, he &s;hall be <HI>cut off</HI> with <HI>Eter|nal
Damnation.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Here is a heavy <HI>puni&s;hment</HI> indeed;
But who is the per&s;on, on whom it is to be
inflicted? It was the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> que&s;tion to
our <HI>Saviour,</HI> John 9. 2. <HI>Who did &s;in, this
man or his parents, that he was born blind?</HI>
But here the que&s;tion will be, <HI>who &s;hall be
puni&s;hed, this child or his parents?</HI> &s;eeing
betwixt both Circumci&s;ion is neglected?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t negatively, &s;urely not the
child, for it is &s;aid, <HI>He hath broken my Co|venant.</HI>
The <HI>Covenant</HI> may be &s;aid to be
broken <HI>on him,</HI> but not <HI>by him,</HI> being pure|ly
pa&s;&s;ive therein. Were the child &s;en&s;ible
of the benefit, by the having, dammage
by the loo&s;ing thereof, and might it but
borrow a tongue of the &s;tanders by, never
was <HI>Rachel</HI> more impatient for <HI>children</HI>
then this child would be importunate for
<HI>Circumci&s;ion; Give me Circumci&s;ion or el&s;e
<PB N="12" REF="18">
I dye.</HI> Now po&s;itively that the Penalty
fals not on the <HI>child,</HI> but on the parent,
plainly appears by Gods proceedings,
<HI>Exod.</HI> 4. 24. When he &s;ought to kill <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI>
and not his <HI>children</HI> for being <HI>uncircumci|&s;ed.</HI>
However if a child left <HI>uncircumci|&s;ed</HI>
by his Parents neglect, afterwards
arrive at mans e&s;tate, and pertinaciou&s;ly
per&s;i&s;t in the contempt of <HI>Circumci&s;ion,</HI> he
equally entitleth him&s;elf to the fault, and
is al&s;o liable to the <HI>puni&s;hment</HI> in my text.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Seeing &s;o &s;harp and &s;evere the
penalty, how came that &s;u&s;pen&s;ion of <HI>Cir|cumci&s;ion
full forty years in the wilderne&s;s,
Jo&s;h.</HI> 5. 7 to be connived at, God not on|ly
not puni&s;hing, but, (for ought appears
in <HI>Scripture</HI>) not &s;o much as reproving the
&s;ame?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> In the fir&s;t place I
cannot approve the an&s;wer of
S.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">About the end of his fir&s;t Book on the Galati|ans, <HI>The|odoret. 2. Que&s;t. on</HI> Jo&s;hua.</NOTE> <HI>Hierom</HI> and others, affirm|ing
that Circumci&s;ion was gi|ven
to difference and di&s;tin|gui&s;h
the Jews from other
Nations; and &s;eeing no Na|tions
<PB N="13" REF="18">
were near them during their travel
in the de&s;olate wilderne&s;&s;e, Circumci&s;ion
was therefore purpo&s;ely omitted. For
(be&s;ide that &s;undry people, and particu|larly
the <HI>Amalekites,</HI> dwelt in the de&s;art)
Circumci&s;ion was principally ordained,
(not to be a badge of di&s;tinction, but) a
Seal of the con&s;ecration of the Jews unto
God. More probable therefore it is,
that becau&s;e the Jews during that fourty
years were alwayes (though not actually
moving) di&s;po&s;ed to move at a minutes
warning, when ever they <HI>received orders</HI>
from the removing of the <HI>Pillar,</HI> God the
Lawgiver di&s;pen&s;ed with them to defer
Circumci&s;ion, till they were fixed in a &s;et|led
condition, affording conveniencies
for the curing of that &s;orene&s;&s;e, which
otherwi&s;e by con&s;tant journeying would
be chafed, and inflamed.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="14" REF="19">
<HEAD>CHAP. II. Circumci&s;ion con&s;idered as a Seal of
the Go&s;pel Covenant; and what
&s;piritual Graces were conveyed
and confirmed thereby.</HEAD>
<P>MAny behold Circumci&s;ion with a
flighting and neglectful eye; as a
meer legal Ceremony, an outward Type
and &s;hadow; having nothing Evangelical
therein. But on &s;erious Enquiry it will
appear, to have a Go&s;pel ground-work
under a Ceremonial varni&s;h.</P>
<P>The clearing hereof is of great con&s;e|quence
to our Pre&s;ent Controver&s;ie: For
if the Covenant of God made with <HI>Abra|ham</HI>
at <HI>Circumci&s;ion</HI> was meerly typical,
then it died at Chri&s;ts death with the re&s;t
of the Ceremonies; But if it were a Go|&s;pel
Covenant, then it de&s;cendeth at this
day to all the faithful. It is our pre&s;ent
endeavour to evince, this Covenant of <HI>A|braham</HI>
was Evangelical, eternal, and
<PB N="15" REF="19">
hereditary to all the Faithful.</P>
<P>For proof hereof take notice that God
never made but two grand and &s;piritual
<HI>Covenants:</HI> Though the latter hath been
manife&s;ted by different degrees, and di|&s;pen&s;ations
thereof.</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>The old Covenant.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. Made with <HI>Adam</HI>
and <HI>Eve,</HI> and (in
them, as repre&s;en|tatives)
with all
mankind.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In Paradice, whil&s;t
as yet they per|&s;i&s;ted
in their ori|ginal
innocence.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. On the condition,
that they &s;hould
ob&s;erve Gods law
in refraining from
the forbidden
fruit.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Promi&s;ing to the
ob&s;ervers thereof
a perpetuity only
<PB N="16" REF="20">
in Paradi&s;e. Indeed
&s;ome Divines &s;ay,
(but they only &s;ay
it) that <HI>Adam</HI> on
his good behaviour
&s;hould have been
tran&s;lated from <HI>Pa|radi&s;e</HI>
to <HI>Heaven,</HI>
but this is more
then can be demon&s;trated from Scripture.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<PB N="15" REF="19">
<HEAD>The New Covenant.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. Made with <HI>Adam</HI>
and <HI>Eve,</HI> and &s;uch
only as &s;hould
&s;ucceed them in
the vi&s;ible church</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In Paradi&s;e, after
their fall, when
the <HI>&s;eed</HI> of the <HI>wo|man</HI>
was promi|&s;ed
to <HI>break the
Serpents head.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. On the conditi|on,
that with a
lively faith they
&s;hould believe
in the promi&s;ed
&s;eed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Putting believers
<PB N="16" REF="20">
into po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of
a comfortable
&s;ub&s;i&s;tance here,
and the rever&s;ion
of heaven&punc; and
happine&s;&s;e here|after.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>This &s;econd, or New Covenant is the
&s;ole &s;ubject of our pre&s;ent di&s;cour&s;e, which
God made fir&s;t with <HI>Adam</HI> without a &s;eal,
and now renewed it with <HI>Abraham,</HI> with
a &s;eal, when the &s;ign of Circumci&s;ion was
affixed thereunto.</P>
<P>Here we mu&s;t be cautious not to mi|&s;take
the &s;everal declarations of this New
Covenant to &s;undry per&s;on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">, to be &s;o ma|ny
new di&s;tinct Covenants. For, after|wards
the &s;ame was repeated to <HI>I&s;aac, Ja|cob,
Mo&s;es,</HI> the whole body of the Jews at
mount <HI>Sinai, Jo&s;hua, (I wil never leave thee,
nor for&s;ake thee,</HI> a promi&s;e applied by
the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13. 5. to all Chri&s;tians)
<HI>David,</HI> and others. Yea, &s;carce any of
<PB N="17" REF="20">
the Prophets wherein this new Covenant
is not reinforced. Now, &s;uppo&s;e a man
cau&s;eth his will (formerly roughly drawn
up in paper) to be afterwards ingro&s;&s;ed
in parchment, then fairly to be tran&s;cri|bed
in vellome, afterwards to be &s;everal|ly
written in Roman, Secretary, Court,
and Text-hands, &s;o long as the &s;ame and
no other <HI>legacies,</HI> are on the &s;ame termes
bequeathed to the &s;ame, and no other
<HI>legatees,</HI> all will acknowledge the&s;e no
di&s;tinct Wils, but the &s;ame in &s;ub&s;tance,
and effect. As here the &s;ame new Cove|nant,
at &s;undrie times, and in divers
places was made to the Fathers, by the
Prophets, and at la&s;t mo&s;t plainly by
Chri&s;t him&s;elf.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 1. If this were a new, or Go|&s;pel
Covenant made with <HI>Abraham</HI> at
Circumci&s;ion, then was there a third, and
newer then this made afterwards to the
Jews. For, &s;o &s;aith the Prophet, <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.
31. <HI>Behold the days come &s;aith the Lord,
that I will make a new Covenant with the
hou&s;e of</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>and with the hou&s;e of</HI> Ju|dah.</P>
<P><PB N="18" REF="21">
<HI>An&s;w.</HI> Nothing more u&s;ual, and ob|vious
in Scripture then to call that new,
which is renewed; e&s;pecially if what was
but dark and ob&s;cure before, hath the old
impre&s;&s;ion &s;et forth in a new and fairer
edition thereof, <HI>John</HI> 13. 34. <HI>A new com|mandment
I give unto you, that ye love one
another;</HI> and yet this <HI>new commandment</HI>
was from the beginning, <HI>John</HI> 2. 5. though
lately almo&s;t antiquated, and obliterated
by mans vindicativene&s;s Chri&s;t <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.
20. con&s;ecrated for us <HI>a new and living
way,</HI> yet is it the &s;ame with the Prophets
<HI>old path, Jer.</HI> 6. 16. traced with the feet
of <HI>Adam,</HI> and <HI>Eve,</HI> and thorow which
alone all the Patriarchs made their pa&s;&s;age
into heaven, yet termed <HI>a new way</HI> (as a
new Covenant) becau&s;e after Chri&s;ts
coming, more cleared, explained, and en|larged
then before.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 2. It is improbable that this
covenant with <HI>Abraham</HI> at Circumci&s;ion,
&s;hould be, a <HI>Grace-Go&s;pel-new-Covenant,</HI>
becau&s;e God four hundred years after,
(namely <HI>Exod.</HI> 20. at Mount <HI>Sinai</HI>) gave
the <HI>Law,</HI> or <HI>Covenant of Works,</HI> to the
<PB N="19" REF="21">
Jews the children of <HI>Abraham.</HI> Now
Gods mercy ob&s;erveth a progre&s;&s;ive mo|tion,
it doth, not (with the Sun on <HI>Ahaz</HI> his
<HI>Dial</HI>) go backwards; but with the ma&s;ter
of the fea&s;t, <HI>John</HI> 2. 10. <HI>He keepeth the be&s;t
wine unto the la&s;t:</HI> They therefore in a
manner <HI>degrade</HI> Gods goodne&s;&s;e, &s;et it re|trograde,
who make his covenant with
<HI>Abraham</HI> a new-covenant of Grace, when
He gave an old covenant of Works &s;o ma|ny
years after it.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> They are much mi&s;taken who
account the Law given to the Jews, a meer
<HI>Covenant of works,</HI> though indeed there
was very much of <HI>worki&s;h-ne&s;s</HI> mingled
therewith. The <HI>face</HI> of the <HI>new covenant</HI>
at the giving of the <HI>Law,</HI> is <HI>dre&s;&s;ed,</HI> I con|fe&s;&s;e,
in old <HI>clothes;</HI> many <HI>old forms</HI> are
u&s;ed therein, alluding to the covenant of
Works made with <HI>Adam.</HI> Yea, the er|roneous
Jews (partly through their own
Ignorance, partly thorow their Rabbins,
and Phari&s;ees fal&s;e glo&s;&s;es thereon) mi|&s;took
it for a direct, down-right covenant
of works, re&s;ting in the <HI>Rinde,</HI> or outward
<HI>Bark</HI> thereof, and depending on the per|formance
<PB N="20" REF="22">
of it for their Salvation.</P>
<P>But let not this Covenant be denomi|nated
for the mo&s;t, but the be&s;t part there|of,
let it be expounded, (not as the blind
Jews mi&s;interpreted it, but) as God
graciou&s;ly intended, and the good Patri|archs
and Prophets wi&s;ely accepted it, for
a <HI>covenant of grace,</HI> wherein Me&s;&s;iah
(though ob&s;curely) was tendered to &s;uch,
who could not perform what the rigour
of the Law required. There is one
word in the &s;econd Commandment, which
demon&s;trateth this <HI>Law,</HI> to have <HI>Go|&s;pel</HI>
in the bowels thereof, namely the
word Mercy, <HI>Exod</HI> 20. 6. <HI>&s;hewing Mercy un|to
thou&s;ands of them that love me and keep
my commandments.</HI> Now Mercy is a <HI>Shi|boleth</HI>
which a covenant of works can ne|ver
pronounce, as utterly de&s;tructive to
the very nature thereof, and <HI>keeping com|mandments</HI>
there mu&s;t be taken, for &s;uch
as de&s;ire and endeavour to <HI>keep them,</HI>
though falling &s;hort of legal exactne&s;&s;e</P>
<P>But we leave the farther pro&s;ecution
of this point to tho&s;e learned Divines, who
have written ju&s;t Treati&s;es thereof; con|ceiving
it more proper for our pre&s;ent
<PB N="21" REF="22">
purpo&s;e, to prove this covenant with <HI>A|braham</HI>
a new-Go&s;pel-covenant; and
the &s;erious peru&s;al of one ver&s;e, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17. 7.
will afford us three arguments for the e|vincing
thereof.</P>
<P>And I will e&s;tabli&s;h my covenant be|tween
me and thee, and thy &s;eed after
thee, in their generations, for an ever|la&s;ting
covenant, to be a God unto thee,
and to thy &s;eed after thee.</P>
<P>Hence we collect it a Go&s;pel-Cove|nant.</P>
<P>From
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The language, and ex|pre&s;&s;ion of it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The continuance, and
duration of it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The ble&s;&s;ings, and benefits con|veyed
by it.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>For the language, and expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>the
voice is the voice of</HI> Jacob. <HI>The &s;peech agreeth
thereunto</HI> (not to betray it as it did <HI>Peter</HI>
to his &s;hame, and &s;orrow, but) to di&s;co|ver
this covenant to its honour, and our
comfort, to be an Evangelical Covenant.
That very phra&s;e, <HI>to be a God unto thee,</HI> is
a Go&s;pel-phra&s;e. Otherwi&s;e, how com|eth
<PB N="22" REF="23">
he, who upon the breach of the cove|nant
of works, was left our enemy, our
inraged judge, to be a God unto us? I &s;ee
here <HI>Matthew</HI> in <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the New couched
in the Old Te&s;tament. Parallel is the ex|pre&s;&s;ion,
<HI>Mat.</HI> 1. 23. <HI>And they &s;hall call his
name</HI> Emanuel, <HI>which (being interpreted)
is God with us. God with us, and to be a
God unto us,</HI> differ &s;omething in &s;ound,
nothing in &s;ence.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>for the continuance and dura|tion
of it.</HI> An <HI>Everla&s;ting Covenant,</HI> that
with <HI>Adam</HI> was but a <HI>&s;hort-la&s;ting cove|nant.</HI>
Some conceive <HI>Adam</HI> never <HI>naturally</HI>
&s;lept in his Innocency, (accounting that
<HI>cau&s;ed deep &s;leep, Gen.</HI> 2. 21. before <HI>Eve</HI>
her creation, &s;upernatural) but forfeited
his Innocency before night. As there be
&s;ome kind of <HI>in&s;ects,</HI> (called <GAP DESC="foreign">)
which, Naturali&s;ts &s;ay, &s;urvive but a day;
&s;o &s;ome conceive <HI>Adams</HI> integrity of no
longer duration And, though we dare
not certainly clo&s;e with their opinion (the
Scripture not acquainting us with the date
of <HI>Adams</HI> per&s;everance in paradi&s;e) we
may be confident, that covenant of works
was of no long continuance before it was
broken.</P>
<P><PB N="23" REF="23">
This &s;hort-liv'd covenant thus expi|red,
it was never reviv'd again on the &s;ame
conditions, but utterly extingui&s;hed. Yea,
herein God magnified his mercy, that up|on
any termes he would treat with man|kind,
whom he might have condemned as
incapable of any future contract, for once
breaking of Covenant. Yet now he draw|eth
up a &s;econd agreement with them,
being a <HI>covenant</HI> of <HI>grace,</HI> and that <HI>everla&s;t|ing;</HI>
&s;uch his goodne&s;&s;e, that, though we
(if &s;trictly examined) break it with him,
he will not break it with us. I confe&s;&s;e
<HI>everla&s;ting</HI> in Scripture is &s;ometimes taken
for <HI>long-la&s;ting</HI> (in which &s;en&s;e the Hebrew
tongue accepteth of an <HI>ever</HI> after an <HI>ever</HI>)
but here it is taken truly for eternity, &s;ee|ing,
<HI>whom God loveth he loveth to the end,</HI>
without end.</P>
<P>The third argument to prove the evan|gelical
nature of Gods covenant with <HI>A|braham,</HI>
is drawn from the ble&s;&s;ings, and
benefits conveyed thereby; who&s;e &s;ize
and mea&s;ure is &s;o great, they are only of
a Go&s;pel proportion, <HI>to be a God unto thee.</HI>
Could le&s;&s;e be &s;aid then this, &s;o &s;hort the
words? yet could more be &s;aid then this,
<PB N="24" REF="24">
&s;o large the matter? All things herein are
comprized, a promi&s;e to give repentance,
faith, hope, and charity; patience in af|flictions,
pre&s;ervation from, or in them,
competency of outward maintenance, per|&s;everance
unto the end; in a word, grace,
and holine&s;&s;e here, glory and happine&s;&s;e
hereafter. How tedious are the in&s;tru|ments
of our age (a &s;pan of ground being
&s;carcely pa&s;&s;ed under a &s;pan of parchment)
in compari&s;on of the conci&s;e Grants of our
ancient Kings, &s;ome of who&s;e Charters
contain not &s;o many words, as they con|vey
Manours therein. Yet even tho&s;e
Patents are prolix, if compared with
Gods Covenant in my text, <HI>to be a God
unto thee,</HI> promi&s;ing therein more, then
what man can a&s;k, or de&s;ire. God hath
&s;et us a pattern, <HI>therefore let thy words be
few,</HI> Eccle&s;. 5. 2. not to be <HI>babling</HI> to him,
in our <HI>prayers,</HI> &s;eeing he is &s;o plain, and
pithy to us in his <HI>promi&s;es,</HI> couching all
things in &s;o &s;hort an expre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>To put all out of doubt, this Cove|nant
of Circcumci&s;ion made with <HI>Abra|ham</HI>
and his &s;eed, appears to be a Go&s;pel
Covenant, becau&s;e S <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o expoundeth
<PB N="25" REF="24">
it. If any &s;cruple ari&s;e about the &s;ence of
a Law, to whom &s;hould people repair for
&s;atisfaction, but to the makers thereof, if a|live.
Thus on the emergency of doubts, a|bout
the nature of this Covenant, we may
and mu&s;t have recour&s;e unto the Author
thereof. Now the &s;ame &s;pirit, who in|dited
<HI>Gene&s;is</HI> by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> indited the Epi&s;tle
to the <HI>Romans</HI> by S. <HI>Paul,</HI> who plainly af|firmeth,
<HI>Rom.</HI> 4. 11. that <HI>Abraham recei|ved
the &s;ign of Circumci&s;ion, the &s;eal of righ|teou&s;ne&s;s
by faith.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> It is &s;trange to conceive how
in that age there could be a Covenant of
faith, the word faith appearing proper|ly
but once, <HI>Habac.</HI> 2. 4. in all the old
Te&s;tament, (and once afterwards with
a negation before it in reference to the
Jews) <HI>Deut.</HI> 32. 20. <HI>Children, in whom is
no faith:</HI> Seeing therefore &s;uch &s;ilence of
<HI>faith</HI> in the Old Te&s;tament, (&s;o frequently
re&s;ounded in the New) this Covenant
with <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;eemeth &s;u&s;picious, to be
an old Covenant of Works, and to have
nothing of Go&s;pel therein.</P>
<P><PB N="26" REF="25">
<HI>An&s;w.</HI> The <HI>word Faith</HI> only, not the
<HI>thing</HI> &s;ignified thereby is wanting in the
old Te&s;tament. What Chri&s;t and his A|po&s;tles
call <HI>faith</HI> and <HI>believing,</HI> that the
Prophets and pen-men of the old Te&s;ta|ment
expre&s;&s;e by <HI>Tru&s;ting.</HI> The Religi|on
and Creed of the Ancient Patriarchs is
briefly drawn up by <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 22. 4.
<HI>Our Fathers tru&s;ted in thee, they tru&s;ted and
thou did&s;t deliver them; they cried unto thee,
and were delivered, they tru&s;ted in thee and
were not confounded.</HI> I will not &s;ay the
Triplication of the word <HI>Tru&s;t,</HI> denotes
their belief in the Trinity, Father, Son,
and holy Spirit; but here it plainly ap|pears,
they had their confidence in, and
dependence on God; (though then not
&s;o clearly revealed unto them) which
&s;heweth the &s;amene&s;s in &s;ub&s;tance of their
belief with ours.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> This &s;erveth to confute &s;uch
who account the Jews a meer hu&s;k, &s;hell,
and &s;hadow of Gods people; as if all the
promi&s;es made unto them, meerly termi|nated
in temporal happine&s;&s;es. Thus they
feed the Jews bodies with <HI>milk,</HI> and fill
<PB N="27" REF="25">
their bellies with <HI>hony</HI> (even to a &s;urfeit)
flowing from the fruitfulne&s;&s;e of the land
of <HI>Canaan;</HI> while&s;t in the mean time they
&s;tarve and fami&s;h their &s;ouls, excluding
them as incapable of heavenly, and &s;piri|tual
ble&s;&s;ings.</P>
<P>Their uncharitable errour is ground|ed
on this argument; becau&s;e when their
ble&s;&s;ings are reckoned up, <HI>Deut.</HI> 28. 3. it
extendeth only to the <HI>city, field, fruit of
their bodie, ground, cattle, kine, &s;heep, &amp;c.</HI>
but no mention of their eternal beatitude
hereafter in heaven. Yea, when <HI>I&s;aac</HI>
cordially ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Jacob,</HI> de&s;iring no doubt
to make the &s;ame as compleat, as he could
be&s;tow, and <HI>Jacob</HI> receive, his expre&s;&s;ions,
<HI>Gen.</HI> 27. 28. amount no higher then to <HI>the
dew of heaven, the fatne&s;s of the earth, and
plenty of corn and wine.</HI> On the other &s;ide,
when the Jews cur&s;es are &s;olemnly pro|nounced,
<HI>Deut.</HI> 28. 16. they are confined
to <HI>city, field, basket &s;tore, fruit of the body,
land, kine, &s;heep, &amp;c.</HI> Here a deep &s;ilence
of hell, and damnation, &s;o that the &s;miles
or frowns of God to the Jews, &s;eem to
reach no farther then to their well or ill
being in this life.</P>
<P><PB N="28" REF="26">
To this it is an&s;wered, fir&s;t in general;
by the &s;ame argument one may conclude,
that under the Go&s;pel no temporal, or
outward happine&s;&s;e is promi&s;ed to tho&s;e
that fear, and &s;erve God,; becau&s;e no <HI>ex|pre&s;&s;es</HI>
thereof (de&s;cending to the like par|ticularities
as in <HI>the old</HI>) are found in all
the <HI>new Te&s;tament.</HI> I meet but with one
in that nature (tendering an exact <HI>Inven|tory</HI>
of earthly wealth) namely, <HI>Mark</HI> 10.
30. And the &s;ame hath bitterne&s;&s;e as well
as &s;weetne&s;&s;e therein; &s;ave that the clo&s;e
thereof maketh recompence for all the
re&s;t. <HI>But he &s;hal receive an hundred fold now
in this time, hou&s;es, and brethren, and &s;i&s;ters
and mothers, and children, and lands with
per&s;ecution, and in the world to come eternal
life.</HI></P>
<P>To come clo&s;er to their argument.
Though generally temporal ble&s;&s;ings are
only expre&s;&s;ed in the Old Te&s;tament, yet
in and under them, is &s;piritual happine&s;&s;e
contained. Thus when in the fifth com|mandment,
<HI>long life in the land which God
&s;hall give them,</HI> is promi&s;ed to dutiful
children, eternity in heaven is included;
and &s;o did the judicious among&s;t the Jews
<PB N="29" REF="26">
alwayes accept, and expound the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Mo&s;t true therefore is S. <HI>Pauls</HI> po&s;iti|on,
1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 8. <HI>Godline&s;s hath the promi&s;e
of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come.</HI> But where hath it the promi&s;e of
this life? Chiefly in the old Te&s;tament,
where temporal good is largely, and clear|ly;
&s;piritual, briefly, and dimly pro|pounded.
Where hath it the promi&s;e of
the life to come? Principally in the new
Te&s;tament, where &s;piritual ble&s;&s;ings are
fairly and fully; temporal, &s;hortly, and
&s;lenderly pre&s;ented. Stock thy &s;elf with
the one out of the Law, with the other
out of the Go&s;pel, with both out of the
Bible.</P>
<P>So much for the Covenant made as
inherent in <HI>Abrahams</HI> per&s;on; come we
now to con&s;ider it as hereditary, and de|&s;cending
on his po&s;terity. I could name
the Ca&s;tle, and rich Manour in <HI>England,</HI>
which was &s;etled by Patent from Queen
<HI>Elizabeth</HI> on one of her Courtiers. But,
when the Grant came to be examined un|der
King <HI>James,</HI> tho&s;e operative words,
<HI>to him and his heirs,</HI> were found omitted
in that emphatical place of the Patent,
<PB N="30" REF="27">
where the e&s;tate therein &s;hould have been
effectually conveyed. Whereupon the
Grant was interpreted meerly per&s;onal,
and forfeited to the Crown on the attain|ture
of the fore&s;aid Courtier.</P>
<P>God maketh &s;ure work in his Cove|nant
of Circumci&s;ion. To prevent all
mi&s;carriages, and to intail the &s;ame on
<HI>Abrahams</HI> po&s;terity, how often doth he
in&s;ert, and repeat <HI>him and his &s;eed,</HI> Gen.
17? twice in the 7^t^h ver&s;e, once in the 9^t^h
ver&s;e, once in the 10^t^h ver&s;e, again, in the
12^t^h ver&s;e, <HI>and thy &s;eed after thee.</HI> If in
after-ages a wicked &s;on chance to de&s;cend
from-<HI>Abraham,</HI> and the &s;ame prove a &s;pi|ritual
unthrift, yet God hath put it pa&s;t
his power to alienate the &s;piritual inheri|tance
of the Covenant from his children,
they &s;hall not &s;uffer for their fathers de|fault;
the &s;ame being made over to <HI>Abra|ham
and his &s;eed;</HI> and now we come to
&s;how what per&s;ons are included within
the compa&s;&s;e of that relation.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="31" REF="27">
<HEAD>CHAP. III. Of the &s;everal Acceptations of the
Seed of Abraham in Scripture.</HEAD>
<P><HI>THe &s;eed of Abraham</HI> as it occurs often
in Scripture, &s;o &s;everall are the &s;ences
thereof, and all of them worthy of our
e&s;pecial notice: But before and above all
other Acceptions, know fir&s;t it is taken
eminently and tran&s;cendently for Je&s;us
Chri&s;t, in whom all Nations &s;hould be
ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Even this &s;eed of <HI>Abraham</HI> was Cir|cumci&s;ed,
<HI>Luke</HI> 2. 21. Meerly out of con|formity,
that Chri&s;t might &s;hew him&s;elf
<HI>born under the Law,</HI> as &s;ent not to <HI>de&s;troy,</HI>
but <HI>fulfil it.</HI> Indeed tho&s;e few drops of
bloud, pre&s;umed &s;hed by our Saviour at
his Circumci&s;ion, might both in their
own Preciou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and Gods Apprecia|tion
of them, have been &s;atisfactory for
the &s;ins of al mankind. But a <HI>Te&s;tament</HI> was
intended, by Divine Providence; and
that could not be made without the Te|&s;tatours
<PB N="32" REF="28">
Death, and therefore the very
heart Bloud of Chri&s;t, on the Cro&s;&s;e, was
adjudged nece&s;&s;ary for mans &s;alvation.</P>
<P>So much for <HI>Abrahams</HI> extraordinary,
come we to his ordinary &s;eed. This ei|ther
was <HI>immediately,</HI> or <HI>mediately</HI> begot|ten
by him. We find eight &s;ons of the
fir&s;t &s;ort, namely, <HI>I&s;mael</HI> begotten of <HI>Ha|gar,
I&s;aac</HI> of <HI>Sarah,</HI> and &s;ix more, (&s;ee
their names, <HI>Gen.</HI> 25. 2.) of <HI>Keturah.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> How cometh it then to pa&s;&s;e
that the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> Gal. 4. 22. &s;aith,
<HI>Abraham</HI> had two &s;ons, the one by a <HI>Bond-maid,</HI>
the other by a <HI>Free-woman,</HI> omitting
all the re&s;t, as if no &s;uch per&s;ons in Na|ture.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The&s;e two are mentioned <HI>emi|nently,</HI>
but not <HI>exclu&s;ively</HI> of others. I
will not &s;ay, becau&s;e <HI>Keturah</HI> (though
&s;ometimes called the wife) is el&s;ewhere,
1 <HI>Chro.</HI> 1. 32. &s;tiled but <HI>Abrahams concubine;</HI>
therefore his <HI>I&s;&s;ue</HI> by her is left out by the
<HI>Apostle;</HI> but becau&s;e (though there was
<HI>Hi&s;tory</HI> of more, yet) there was <HI>My&s;terie</HI>
but in the&s;e two &s;ons of <HI>Abraham,</HI> who&s;e
<PB N="33" REF="28">
two Mothers repre&s;ented the two Te&s;ta|ments.
Had <HI>Abraham</HI> afterwards begot|ten
an hundred &s;ons, they <HI>all</HI> had not a|mounted
to the making of <HI>one Te&s;tament,</HI>
(but were all reducible to one of the for|mer
Te&s;taments, compleated in <HI>I&s;mael,</HI>
and <HI>I&s;aac.</HI>)</P>
<P>As for <HI>I&s;mael,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">In his Co~|ment on Ge|ne&s;is, chap. 17.</NOTE> <HI>Luther</HI> is
peremptory and po&s;itive, that,
(though the type of a carnal
people) yet, in truth, his own
per&s;on was &s;aved; grounding
his charitable opinion on that expre&s;&s;ion,
becau&s;e it is &s;aid of him, <HI>Gen.</HI> 25. 17. After
death that <HI>he was gathered to his Fathers.</HI>
A phra&s;e in the &s;ame chapter &s;poken of
<HI>Abraham,</HI> and not applied in Scripture
to wicked men; though it is &s;aid of <HI>Ahab,</HI>
2 <HI>Kings</HI> 22. 40. (which amounts to the &s;ame
effect) that he <HI>&s;lept with his Fathers.</HI> I will
interpo&s;e nothing to the contrary, but had
been more confident of <HI>I&s;maels</HI> final hap|pine&s;&s;e,
had it been &s;aid of him that he
was <HI>gathered to his father Abrahams</HI> bo|&s;ome
being a noted place, <HI>Luke</HI> 12. for
ble&s;&s;ed repo&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Abrahams</HI> immediate &s;eed were either
<PB N="34" REF="29">
&s;uch as were begotten, by him,</P>
<P>1. In his life, or</P>
<P>2. After his death.</P>
<P>Of the former were <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI>
both of them, being 15. years old, while&s;t
<HI>Abraham</HI> was yet &s;urviving, as may be de|mon&s;trated
by the following Computa|tion.</P>
<P>1. <HI>Abraham</HI> was an <HI>hundred</HI> years <HI>old</HI>
when <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was <HI>born,</HI> Gen. 21. 5.</P>
<P>2. <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was <HI>fourty</HI> years old, when
he took <HI>Rebeccah</HI> to <HI>wife,</HI> Gen. 25. 20.</P>
<P>3. <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was <HI>three&s;core</HI> years old, when
<HI>E&s;au</HI> and <HI>Jacob</HI> were born, <HI>Gen.</HI> 25. 26.</P>
<P>4. All which years ca&s;t up together,
amount to an hundred and three&s;core
years.</P>
<P>5. <HI>Abraham,</HI> when he died, was
an hundred three&s;core and fifteen years
old;</P>
<P>6. Ergo, <HI>E&s;au</HI> and <HI>Jacob</HI> were fifteen
years old before <HI>Abrahams</HI> death; an Age
capable of In&s;truction. Therefore when
God &s;aith of <HI>Abraham,</HI> Gen. 18. 19. <HI>I know
that he will command his children,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>to
keep the way of the Lord. E&s;au</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI>
his <HI>Grand-children</HI> were literally intend|ed:
<PB N="35" REF="29">
The latter, no doubt, being as wil|ling
to learn, as his Grand-father <HI>Abra|ham</HI>
was able and indu&s;trious to in&s;truct
him.</P>
<P><HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;eed mediately begotten
from him after his death, were either</P>
<P>1. Literally and &s;piritually, as the <HI>be|lieving
Jews.</HI></P>
<P>2. Literally, and not &s;piritually, as the
<HI>unbelieving Jews,</HI> of who&s;e <HI>foederal
right,</HI> largely in the next chapter.</P>
<P>3. Spiritually, and not literally, as
<HI>Pro&s;elytes,</HI> and believing Gentiles.</P>
<P><HI>Pro&s;elytes,</HI> or <HI>Advenae,</HI> were <HI>Aliens</HI> by
extraction, and <HI>Jewes</HI> by profe&s;&s;ion;
and the&s;e again were either the <HI>Primi|tive
Pro&s;elytes,</HI> or their &s;ucce&s;&s;ours in all
Ages.</P>
<P>By Primitive Pro&s;elytes I under&s;tand,
tho&s;e of <HI>Abrahams</HI> family when <HI>Circum|ci&s;ion</HI>
was fir&s;t in&s;tituted therein. The&s;e
I may call the <HI>Founders</HI> of that <HI>Order,</HI> and
the fir&s;t &s;tock wherewith that <HI>Society</HI> be|gan.</P>
<P>Among&s;t the <HI>&s;ucceeding Pro&s;elytes,</HI> we
may take notice of two mo&s;t memorable
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nd con&s;picuous acce&s;&s;ions to their com|pany.
<PB N="36" REF="30">
The one, when <HI>I&s;rael</HI> came out
of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and Gods miraculous hand made
many <HI>Converts</HI> to their Religion; when
be&s;ides the <HI>&s;ix hundred thou&s;and I&s;raelites,</HI>
and <HI>their children,</HI> Exod. 12. 38. <HI>and a mix|ed
multitude,</HI> went up al&s;o with them, and
although this mixed multitude, Numb. 11.
4. <HI>afterwards fell a lu&s;ting,</HI> infecting al&s;o the
<HI>I&s;raelites</HI> therewith; and probably many
of them then peri&s;hed; yet certainly a com|petent
Repre&s;entation of Pious pro&s;elytes
&s;til continued in the congregation of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>The other remarkable Addition of
Pro&s;elytes was <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> 9. 27. When the
<HI>Gibeonites</HI> were condemned by <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> to
the &s;ervile work of the <HI>Temple, hewing of
wood,</HI> and <HI>drawing of water;</HI> Whereby no
doubt, thou&s;ands of them got the know|ledge
of the true God; and were there|fore
called <HI>Nethinims,</HI> people given over
to <HI>divine &s;ervice.</HI> Yea, what an e&s;timate
God &s;et upon them, plainly appears, by
his careful counting them, after their Re|turn
from the <HI>Captivity</HI> of <HI>Babylon,</HI> Ezra
2. 43. (with the children of <HI>Solomons &s;er|vants</HI>)
in all <HI>three hundred ninety two.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides the&s;e two grand and con&s;picu|ous
<PB N="37" REF="30">
Additions of <HI>Pro&s;elytes,</HI> there was
&s;carce any Country confining on <HI>Canaan,</HI>
(as &s;ome, a good way di&s;tanced thence)
but now and then did drop in a <HI>Pro&s;elyte</HI>
into the congregation of <HI>I&s;rael; Rahab,</HI>
the <HI>Hittite, Ruth,</HI> the <HI>Moabite, Naaman,</HI> the
<HI>A&s;&s;yrian,</HI> &amp;c. And, (to &s;how God &s;tands
as little on the difference of <HI>colours</HI> as <HI>Coun|tries)
Ebed-Melech</HI> the <HI>Black-more,</HI> the
<HI>Trea&s;urer</HI> of the Queen <HI>Candace</HI> the <HI>Ethio|pian.</HI></P>
<P>Indeed the&s;e Pro&s;elytes among&s;t the
Jews, were divided into two &s;orts; &s;ome
<HI>Pro&s;elytes of the gates,</HI> admitted only into
civil &s;ociety, and cohabitation with them:
others call'd <HI>Pro&s;elytes of Ju&s;tice,</HI> who did
profe&s;&s;e, and undertake all the Law, and
the&s;e only we account the <HI>&s;eed of Abra|ham.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, believing Chri&s;tians are the
&s;piritual &s;eed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and are &s;o
generally reputed in the Scripture.
The&s;e to be true born on both &s;ides, mu&s;t
have,</P>
<P>1. <HI>Abraham</HI> to their Father.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Sarah</HI> to their Mother.</P>
<P>When we &s;ee a child like unto his fa|ther
<PB N="38" REF="31">
we u&s;e to &s;ay of him, <HI>Thy father will
never be dead while&s;t thou art alive:</HI> &s;o
<HI>Abraham</HI> &s;urviveth, and <HI>Sarah</HI> is &s;till alive
in tho&s;e, which <HI>John</HI> 8. 39. <HI>do the works of
Abraham.</HI> What the&s;e <HI>works</HI> are, mu&s;t
be collected out of <HI>Abrahams</HI> life, who
was, faithful to God, loving to his wife,
tender to his children, equal to his &s;er|vants,
kind to his nephew, courteous to
his neighbours the children of <HI>Heth,</HI> ju&s;t in
his bargains, valiant to his enemies; in a
word, worthy in all his relations. <HI>Sarah</HI>
likewi&s;e is exemplary for her duty to her
husband and other feminine vertues, and
all tho&s;e are <HI>her daughters,</HI> 1 <HI>Peter</HI> 3. 6.
which imitate the &s;ame.</P>
<P>I need not be longer in &s;o plain and preg|nant
a point; that believing Gentiles are
Spiritually <HI>Abrahams Seed,</HI> &s;o frequently
inculcated by the Apo&s;tle in his Epi&s;tles to
the Romans and Galatians, who were as
meer Gentiles as we Engli&s;h-men are.
Come we now to &s;how, how far the Seed
of <HI>Abraham</HI> Naturally, though not Spiri|tually,
participate of the covenant in Cir|cumci&s;ion,
conceiving the clearing there|of,
of concernment to our pre&s;ent contro|ver&s;ie.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="39" REF="31">
<HEAD>CHAP. IV. That all vi&s;ible Members of the Jew|i&s;h
Church had a foederal Right to
the Sacraments.</HEAD>
<P>WE mu&s;t carefully din&s;tigui&s;h be|twixt
the <HI>reaping of &s;piritual Bene|fit
by,</HI> and the <HI>having of a temporal Right to</HI>
the Sacraments. It is confe&s;&s;ed that the for|mer
belong'd wholly and &s;olely to the
true <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God; but in the latter the
wor&s;t and wickede&s;t Jew equally &s;hared
with the be&s;t and holie&s;t of that Nation,
as all alike corporally de&s;cended from <HI>A|braham.</HI></P>
<P>For the proof whereof, in the fir&s;t
place it is worth the ob&s;erving, how our
Saviour in the &s;ame chapter, and di&s;|cour&s;e,
namely <HI>John</HI> the 8^t^h&punc; affirmeth and
denieth the wicked Phari&s;ees to be, and
not to be the Seed of <HI>Abraham.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="40" REF="32">To be, ver&s;e 37.</P>
<Q>I know that you are Abrahams &s;eed, but
you &s;eek to kill me, becau&s;e my word hath no
place in you.</Q>
<P>Not to be, ver&s;e 44.</P>
<Q>Ye are of the Devil, and the lu&s;ts of your
father you will do.</Q>
<P>Here is no contradiction, but a con&s;ent,
if the &s;everal re&s;pects be con&s;idered: By
Pedegree they were; by Practice they
were not; by Linage they were; by life,
they were not; by extraction they were,
by conver&s;ation they were not the chil|dren
of <HI>Abraham.</HI></P>
<P>Now to look only on the Jews in the
fir&s;t capacity, <HI>who are I&s;raelites according
to the fle&s;h;</HI> we find S. <HI>Paul,</HI> Rom. 9. 4.
giving in an Inventory of their Priviledges
which amount to eight particulars; and
it were high inju&s;tice in any Chri&s;tian to
deny the lea&s;t branch thereof. Theirs
were<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The adoption.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The Glory.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The Covenants.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The giving of the Law.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. The &s;ervice of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. The promi&s;es.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. The fathers.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. Chri&s;t conceiv'd in the fle&s;h.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P><PB N="41" REF="32">
Herein the Apo&s;tle intendeth not onely
the elect Jewes, but the diffu&s;ive body
of that Nation. Yea, in this pre&s;ent point,
with heavine&s;&s;e of heart, he &s;adly &s;ingleth
out &s;uch Apo&s;tate Jewes, for whom ver&s;e
3. he de&s;ired in exchange to be accur&s;ed,
and yet even to tho&s;e did this &s;urvey of
priviledges belong.</P>
<P>This is farther cleared by the acknow|ledgement
of the &s;ame Apo&s;tle, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.
2, 3, 4. affirming that all the Fathers were
<HI>baptized into Mo&s;es, all ate and drank of
the &s;ame &s;piritual meat, and drink,</HI> yet
adding afterward, that <HI>with many of them
God was not well plea&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>La&s;tly, it is evidenced by tho&s;e frequent
phra&s;es in Scripture, wherein the di&s;obe|dient
Jewes are threatned to be <HI>cut off
from his people,</HI> and <HI>from Gods pre&s;ence.
Levit.</HI> 22. 3. Such could not be <HI>cut off</HI>
from &s;pirituall holine&s;&s;e, or happine&s;&s;e,
wherein they were never truly planted,
and whereof never really po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, but
onely from being outward members of
that Church, which intitled them to a
true right of the aforementioned prero|gatives.</P>
<P><PB N="42" REF="33">
Indeed one rea&s;on, which makes many
men loth to entertain this truth, to allow a
foederall right to the wor&s;t of the Jewes,
is a &s;u&s;pition, that the holding hereof will
betray them to the dangerous opinion of
<HI>falling off from grace,</HI> if that &s;uch who
once were actually e&s;tated in &s;uch a Co|venant-right,
&s;hould afterwards make a
finall defection from the &s;ame. Now, as
I cannot blame them to be <HI>jealous with
a godly jealou&s;ie,</HI> and to decline what is
introductory of &s;o comfortle&s;s an errour,
as maintaining the <HI>apo&s;ta&s;ie of Saints:</HI> &s;o
I mu&s;t condemn their over caution here|in,
<HI>to fear where no fear is.</HI> For, this foe|derall
right which the wicked Jewes had,
never &s;tamped upon them any character
of &s;aving grace, but was onely a <HI>right
of capacity,</HI> putting them into an actuall
po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the means, and a po&s;&s;ibili|ty
of &s;alvation it &s;elf, if not fru&s;trated
thereof by their own wilfull default.</P>
<P>Suppo&s;e now there &s;hould happen a
Conte&s;t betwixt the wor&s;t of Jewes, and
the be&s;t of Heathens, about their &s;piritu|all
condition, &s;hould the Pagan bee &s;o
pre&s;umptuous as to affirm him&s;elf equal|ly
<PB N="43" REF="33">
advantaged to a capability of happi|ne&s;&s;e
with the Jew, the other might ju&s;t|ly
confute his impudent bragging therein,
alledging that his extraction intailed on
him, a right to Circumci&s;ion, with the
Covenant therein, and all the promi&s;es
thereto belonging.</P>
<P>All will allow a reall difference be|twixt
an U&s;urper, and a Tyrant (though
both be bad) the former, invading what
is none of his own, the latter abu&s;ing
what is truely his. Now, &s;hould a Pagan,
<HI>qu&agrave; Pagan,</HI> pretend to the Covenant of
Circumci&s;ion, he were guilty of notori|ous
u&s;urpation; whereas the wicked Jew
too often tyrannically abu&s;ed that Ordi|nance,
having a right unto it, but making
no right u&s;e of it. And, although &s;ome
civil Pagans did out&s;trip many impious
Jewes in Morall performances, the Jews
might thank their own lazine&s;&s;e, falling
&s;o far &s;hort of the <HI>Mark,</HI> having &s;uch
advantage at the <HI>&s;tarting,</HI> as a true right,
and title to all Gods Ordinances.</P>
<P>This <HI>foederall right</HI> therefore mu&s;t not
be denied to the wor&s;t of men, within the
Pale of the <HI>Church,</HI> le&s;t the godly receive
<PB N="44" REF="34">
prejudice thereby. The Story is &s;uffici|ently
known of a landed <HI>Innocent,</HI> who&s;e
<HI>E&s;tate</HI> &s;ome Courtier begged, on pretence
that he was unable to mannage the &s;ame.
The Innocent being brought for triall into
the Princes pre&s;ence, &amp; que&s;tioned about
his ability, returned this an&s;wer; <HI>My fa|ther
being a wi&s;e man, begat me who am a
fool, and why may not I who am a fool, beget a
&s;onne, who may prove a wi&s;e man?</HI></P>
<P>To apply this &s;tory: Many now adayes
&s;eek to di&s;inherit wicked men of their
Covenant-right in the Church, alledging
their prophane&s;&s;e to be &s;uch, as doth di&s;|franchi&s;e
them of tho&s;e Priviledges. May
not &s;uch wicked men, (<HI>fools</HI> in <HI>Solomons</HI>
phra&s;e) plead for them&s;elves; My father
being a <HI>Saint</HI> begat me a wicked wretch,
and why may not I beget a <HI>&s;onne</HI> that may
prove a <HI>&s;aint?</HI></P>
<P>See we this in <HI>Ahaaz,</HI> the po&s;ture of
who&s;e generation was &s;uch, that he was
fixed in the middle betwixt <HI>Jotham</HI> his
godly <HI>father,</HI> and <HI>Hezekiah</HI> his gracious
<HI>&s;onne;</HI> hee him&s;elfe being the wor&s;t of
men, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 28. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">2. Who in the time of
<HI>his di&s;tre&s;&s;e did tre&s;pa&s;&s;e yet more and more
<PB N="45" REF="34">
again&s;t the Lord,</HI> mending for afflictions
as a Re&s;ty-hor&s;e with beating, onely the
more untoward for the &s;ame. Yet this
<HI>Ahaaz</HI> by his <HI>foederall-right,</HI> &s;erved to re|ceive
a true title to <HI>Circumci&s;ion</HI> from <HI>Jo|tham</HI>
his <HI>father,</HI> and to reach the &s;ame
to <HI>Hezekiah</HI> his <HI>&s;onne;</HI> though enjoying
in him&s;elf no &s;pirituall benefit thereby.</P>
<P>And thus having concluded the whole
Body of the Jewi&s;h Nation, comprehen|ded
within the compa&s;&s;e of the Cove|nant
of Circumci&s;ion, I proceed to &s;hew
how the Jewi&s;h children at eight dayes
old, were capable to covenant: A Point
having more verity, then evidence
therein.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="46" REF="35">
<HEAD>CHAP. V. The Grand Objection an&s;wered,
drawn from the Incapacity of
Jewi&s;h Infants to Covenant at
eight dayes old.</HEAD>
<P>THE <HI>Goliath-Objection,</HI> generally
brought again&s;t the Jewi&s;h chil|dren
bing Covenanters, is taken
from their &s;eeming inability to perform
the <HI>&s;tipulation,</HI> or <HI>counterpart</HI> of a <HI>Cove|nant.</HI>
Is not a childe called <GAP DESC="foreign"> in Greek,
from <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>not a word</HI> in his mouth, and
<HI>Infants</HI> in the &s;ame &s;ence from a negative
<HI>in</HI> and <HI>fando &s;peaking?</HI> Yea, &s;o much as
a childe can &s;peak, and &s;o much as may
be conjectured by his outward carriage,
he maketh u&s;e of his <HI>negative voyce,</HI> and
remon&s;trates again&s;t the Covenant, as un|willing
to receive the &s;ame, &s;eeing every
Infant may probably be pre&s;umed to cry
as forced from him by the pain of Cir|cumci&s;ion.</P>
<P><PB N="47" REF="35">
In an&s;wer hereunto, fir&s;t in generall;
It is enough to &s;atisfie a &s;ober &s;oul, and
content a mode&s;t minde herein, that God
hath appointed &s;uch children at eight
dayes old to be Covenanters, and that al|&s;o
<HI>nomine poenae</HI> in ca&s;e the &s;ame be omit|ted.
That God, who never calls any to
any employment, but ever inables them
for the &s;ame, at lea&s;twi&s;e with &s;uch a de|gree
of &s;ufficiencie which he is plea&s;ed to
accept. Such as que&s;tion the truth hereof,
do tacitly, and interpretatively, charge
God with want of wi&s;dome in his pro|ceedings.
Let them whi&s;per no longer,
but plainly &s;peak out, that He lacks di&s;|cretion
to manage his matters, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 40. 13.
<HI>Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord,
or being his coun&s;eller, hath taught him?</HI>
The proud objecters might well give him
their advi&s;e, hereafter to choo&s;e wi&s;er
parties with whom to make a Covenant,
then children of eight dayes old.</P>
<P>What Charter hath this whole World
to &s;hew for its being, other then Gods
bare <HI>fiat, Let it be. I have ble&s;&s;ed him,</HI>
(&s;aith <HI>I&s;aac</HI> of <HI>Jacob, Gen.</HI> 27. 33.) <HI>yea, and
bee &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI> God hath made eight-dayes-old-children
<PB N="48" REF="36">
Covenanters, and they
&s;hall be Covenanters.</P>
<P>More particularly, to come to the Ob|jection:
I conceive the &s;oul of an Infant
may fitly be compared to the cloud which
went before the I&s;raelites, <HI>Exod.</HI> 14. 20.
dark on the one &s;ide, but light on the re|ver&s;e
thereof. That part of the Infants
&s;oul expo&s;ed to humane eyes, is dark and
ob&s;cure, no abilities at all di&s;covera|ble
therein; while&s;t the bright &s;ide of
Infants &s;ouls is objected to Gods eye, be|holding
in them what wee cannot per|ceive.</P>
<P>No wonder if men be <HI>non-plu&s;t</HI> about
the actions of Infants &s;ouls, when every
Infant is an heap of riddles ca&s;t together,
whereof the lea&s;t and lowe&s;t is too great,
and high for man to under&s;tand. <HI>David</HI>
ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;eth, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 139. 6. that he
was <HI>fearfully and wonderfully made.</HI> The
fa&s;hioning of the members of his body
being &s;o &s;trange a work in nature, that
the <HI>knowledge thereof was too wonderfull
for him, and &s;o high that he could not at|tain
unto it.</HI> If he was po&s;ed with the
ca&s;k, the ca&s;e, and the &s;hell, the admira|ble
<PB N="49" REF="36">
&s;tructure of a babes body, let it not
&s;eem &s;trange to us to be puzled with the
operations of an Infants &s;oul, how the
&s;ame is able to covenant with God.</P>
<P>It pa&s;&s;eth the &s;kill of the greate&s;t Di|vine,
to clear and evidence the entrance
of Originall &s;inne into an Infants &s;oul:
Who&s;e &s;pirit, coming immediatly from
God, mu&s;t needs be pure, and perfect
like the maker thereof. Nor can this
&s;oul, thus pure in it &s;elf, be infected from
the body, which being but a livele&s;&s;e lump
of fle&s;h is incapable of &s;in, e&s;pecially &s;o
as to make an active impre&s;&s;ion on the
&s;oul. Soul, and bodie of Infants, thus
being &s;everally &s;inle&s;&s;e, who can conceive
that the union of two clean things, can
produce one unclean? I mean, originall
corruption. Yet we all &s;ee by wofull ex|perience,
that Infants from their concepti|on
are infected therewith: That it is there
we know, but how it came thither, God
knowes.</P>
<P>If we cannot perceive the manner of
&s;ins poi&s;on, no wonder if we cannot con|ceive
the method of graces antidote in
Infants &s;ouls. Let us allow heaven to be
<PB N="50" REF="37">
as incomprehen&s;ibly miraculous in heal|ing,
as hell hath been in&s;en&s;ibly &s;ubtile in
hurting the &s;ame. And, &s;eeing God hath
expre&s;&s;ed thus much, that Infants are cal|led
by him to be Covenanters, let us with
humility, and mode&s;ty beleeve them, to
be enabled with a proportion of grace, to
di&s;charge their covenant in relation,
though it tran&s;cend our capacity to clear
all doubts, and difficulties, which may be
multiplied about the manner thereof.</P>
<P>In further clearing this Objection, know,
that be&s;ides &s;uch graces which wee are
bound to beleeve in Infants hearts, they
have three things el&s;e which a&s;&s;i&s;t them in
this Covenant.</P>
<P>1. Their Parents faith tendring them
to God.</P>
<P>2. Gods goodne&s;&s;e accepting the ten|der.</P>
<P>3. Their own actuall performance of
the Covenant, if living to years of di&s;|cretion.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, their Parents faith in tendering
them. Appliable to this purpo&s;e is that
expre&s;&s;ion recorded by three of the E|vangeli&s;ts,
<HI>brought in a bed by four,</HI> who
<PB N="51" REF="37">
finding no door in the &s;ide (&s;uch the pre&s;&s;e
of people) made one in the roof of the
hou&s;e, and let him down by cords into
the room where our Saviour was. <HI>Je&s;us
&s;eeing their faith,</HI> Matth. 9. 2. <HI>When Je&s;us
&s;aw their faith,</HI> Mark 2. 5. <HI>And when hee
&s;aw their faith,</HI> Luke 5. 20.</P>
<P>Two things herein are con&s;iderable;
fir&s;t, that the faith of the bearers was
a motive, and inducement to our Saviour
the more &s;peedily with favour to reflect
on this &s;ick man. Secondly that the words
<HI>their faith,</HI> are taken inclu&s;ively, taking
in a <HI>fift faith</HI> to the former <HI>four,</HI> namely
the faith of Him, who lay &s;ick on the Bed.
However, here we &s;ee that the behe&s;te of
friends, concurred to the expediting of
his <HI>Cure,</HI> and (though let down but by
<HI>four cords</HI>) he was lifted up into Chri&s;ts
favour with a <HI>five-fold Cable</HI> of faith, <HI>which
cannot be broken.</HI></P>
<P>Nearer is the Relation betwixt Parent
and childe, then friend and friend. When
therefore a pious Father, Mother, or
(be&s;t then, when) both, &s;hall with the
armes of their faith, offer an Infant (who
indeed is a part of them&s;elves) to God
<PB N="52" REF="38">
in Circumci&s;ion, this mu&s;t needs bee a
main Motive (through Gods mercy, and
no otherwi&s;e) to induce Him graciou&s;ly
to behold the <HI>Pre&s;ent</HI> tendred unto Him.</P>
<P>Thus the faith of <HI>Abraham</HI> and <HI>Sarah</HI>
advantageth <HI>I&s;aac</HI> into Gods love, the
faith of <HI>I&s;aac</HI> and <HI>Rebeccah</HI> recommen|ded
and preferred <HI>Jacob</HI> at his Circumci|&s;ion
into Gods favour.</P>
<P>Secondly, at Circumci&s;ion the childes
weakne&s;&s;e to covenant is a&s;&s;i&s;ted by Gods
acceptance thereof. <HI>That is well &s;poken,
which is well taken.</HI> How &s;imple and &s;len|der
&s;oever a childs performance is at Cir|cumci&s;ion,
how low and little &s;oever his
faith is, God &s;toops (&s;uch his gracious
conde&s;cen&s;ion) to take it up; He makes,
(as I may &s;ay) a <HI>long arm,</HI> to reach a <HI>&s;hort
one,</HI> and &s;o both meet together.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, this &s;trengtheneth the Covenant
then made by the childe, that afterwards,
if arriving at years of di&s;cretion, he pub|likely
ratifieth, and confirmeth the &s;ame
with his own actuall faith, evidenced to
others in his pious conver&s;ation. Men
u&s;ed to &s;ay of <HI>Plato</HI> his Scholers, That
<HI>their Masters Precepts, did freez in them,
<PB N="53" REF="38">
till they were about fifty yeers old, and then
began to thaw in them, till the day of their
death,</HI> meaning that the good coun&s;els he
gave them made no vi&s;ible impre&s;&s;ion on
the amendment of their manners, till the
heat of their youth was overpa&s;t, and
they come to their reduced age. Cir|cumci&s;ion,
may be &s;aid to freez in Infants,
as to any eminent outward effect thereof,
during their Minority, the vigor and ver|tue
thereof is <HI>dormant,</HI> and &s;eeming|ly
<HI>dead</HI> in them, but when come to the
v&s;e of Rea&s;on, then it rai&s;eth and rouzeth
it &s;elf, namely when the Party <HI>makes good</HI>
the <HI>Covenant, made</HI> by him before, and
then the &s;trength of that Sacrament had
a powerfull influence on their &s;ouls all
the dayes of their lives. And although
there ought to be no <HI>iteration</HI> of outward
Circumci&s;ion, which done <HI>once,</HI> is done
for <HI>ever,</HI> yet inwardly to circumci&s;e their
&s;ouls, was the dayly ta&s;k of all devout
Jews, and ought to be our con&s;tant im|ployment,
and a word or two briefly of
the nature thereof.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="54" REF="39">
<HEAD>CHAP. VI. Circumci&s;ion con&s;idered as a &s;igne,
and what My&s;teries were &s;ignified
therein.</HEAD>
<P>THe Principal My&s;teries couched un|der
Circumci&s;ion, as a &s;igne, are re|ducible
to &s;even particulars, 1. That our
carnall corruption may be &s;pared. 2. Can|not
be cured. 3. Mu&s;t not be covered.
4. Mu&s;t be cut off. 5. This cutting off
mu&s;t be timely. 6. Mu&s;t be totall. 7. Will
be painfull.</P>
<P>1. <HI>May be &s;pared.</HI> Li&s;ten not to the
&s;ugge&s;tions of Satan, per&s;wading us, that
&s;inne, by long cu&s;tome, is grown &s;o e&s;&s;en|tiall
to our &s;ouls, as if our mindes &s;hould
be maimed, and faculties thereof be crip|led,
&s;hould corruption be taken from us;
Wherefore <HI>laying a&s;ide</HI> (&s;aith <HI>James</HI> 1. 21.)
<HI>all filthine&s;&s;e and &s;uperfluity of naughtine&s;s,</HI>
not that we may &s;till retain in our hearts
&s;o much wickedne&s;&s;e, as &s;hall fill them,
(onely parting with that which <HI>runneth
<PB N="55" REF="39">
over</HI>) but <HI>all</HI> naturall <HI>filthine&s;&s;e</HI> is <HI>&s;uper|fluity,
it may be &s;pared.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>It cannot be curred.</HI> What is capa|ble
of Cure, mu&s;t have &s;ome &s;oundne&s;&s;e
(though more &s;ickne&s;&s;e) therein; for
Nature di&s;tre&s;&s;ed, but not wholly de|&s;troyed,
is the &s;ubject of Art, which mu&s;t
have a &s;ound bottom, or foundation to
work upon. If therefore there were any
thing good in our naturall corruption,
there were &s;ome hopes of amendment in
the re&s;t. But what &s;aith S. <HI>Paul, Rom.</HI> 7. 18.
<HI>For I know that in me, (that is in my fle&s;h)
dwelleth no good thing. It cannot be cured.</HI></P>
<P>3. <HI>It mu&s;t not be covered.</HI> The onely
way to make God hide his face from our
&s;ins, is for us to open, and not to hide our
&s;ins from him.</P>
<P>4. <HI>Mu&s;t be cut off.</HI> Dream not of cu|ring
a <HI>gangrean</HI> with a <HI>lenitive plai&s;ter.
Hophni</HI> and <HI>Phinehas</HI> are too incorrigible
to be amended with a few fair words.
Say not to thy corruption, as <HI>Eli</HI> to them,
1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 2. 23. <HI>Why do&s;t thou &s;uch things?
Nay my corruption, it is no good report I
hear of thee, &amp;c.</HI> All this is u&s;ele&s;&s;e, no
way but one, cut it off.</P>
<P><PB N="56" REF="40">
5. <HI>The cutting off mu&s;t bee timely&punc;
Abels</HI> &s;acrifice had 3. excellent qualities;
Of what was <HI>fir&s;t,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Gen. 4. 4.</NOTE> <HI>fat,</HI> and
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 4.</NOTE> <HI>faithfull.</HI> Our &s;ervice of
God ought to be early; deferre it not a|bove
<HI>eight dayes,</HI> that is, do it as &s;oon as it is
do-able without danger. Indeed the long|er
<HI>Circumci&s;ion</HI> is delayed, the greater will
be the pain thereof. Witne&s;&s;e the <HI>Sheche|mites,
circumci&s;ed in their full &s;trength,
Gen.</HI> 24. 25. And di&s;abled by the Arrears
of their pain, to defend them&s;elves
though three dayes after.</P>
<P>Too blame they, who put off the <HI>cir|cumci&s;ion</HI>
of their <HI>hearts,</HI> and on frivo|lous
pretences deferre their Repentance.
We read of<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Harpsfield</HI> in his Eccl. Hi&s;t. &s;aec. dec. 5. p. 625</NOTE> <HI>Thomas Bour|chier,</HI>
Arch-Bi&s;hop of <HI>Canter|bury,</HI>
that the <HI>Pope</HI> di&s;pen&s;ed
with him by rea&s;on of his
&s;tate Avocations, and other impediments,
to performe his prayers (which ought to
be in the morning) in the afternoon, on
condition they were done before night.
But many men through their lazine&s;&s;e,
give liberty to them&s;elves to put off their
&s;etentance, which ought to be in their
<PB N="57" REF="40">
youth, to their declining Age, conceiving
all will be well, if it be but done before
their Death. Whereas indeed &s;oul-<HI>Cir|cumci&s;ion
ought to be timely.</HI></P>
<P>6. <HI>Mu&s;t be totall.</HI> Jewi&s;h <HI>Circumci&s;i|on,</HI>
&s;ay the <HI>Rabbins,</HI> con&s;i&s;ted of two prin|cipall
parts.</P>
<P><LIST>
<ITEM>1. <GAP DESC="foreign">. The cutting off</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <GAP DESC="foreign">. The ca&s;ting away</ITEM>
</LIST>of the forekin.</P>
<P>The ruines of the latter Cu&s;tome, re|main
in <HI>Zipporahs</HI> behaviour, <HI>Exod.</HI> 4. 25.
though di&s;tempered with pa&s;&s;ion, &s;hee
might over act her part, when <HI>ca&s;ting
her &s;ons foreskins at her husbands feet,</HI>
and both are &s;piritually united in our Sa|viours
Precept, <HI>Matth.</HI> 5. 30. <HI>If thy right
hand offend thee, cut it off, and ca&s;t it from
thee.</HI></P>
<P>7. <HI>Will be painfull.</HI> Such therefore
as indulgently hope of them&s;elves, that
they have circumci&s;ed their &s;ouls, and
yet can never remember that they offer|ed
any violence to their own Nature, ne|ver
put their &s;elves to any pain in curbing
their corruption, may ju&s;tly &s;u&s;pect their
&s;pirituall condition. Had ever any a Tooth
drawn, and was in&s;en&s;ible thereof? Surely
<PB N="58" REF="41">
&s;uch Inci&s;ions into our &s;ouls, with the lan|cers
of true repentance, leave an indele|ble
impre&s;&s;ion behind them, and that pain
too probably, was never at all indured,
which &s;o &s;oon is wholly forgotten. It is
to be feared rather; the pain will prove
in&s;upportable unto us, &s;ome coun&s;ell
therfore wil be good to mitigate the &s;ame.
Surgeons, when forced to cut off a limb,
generally u&s;e two wayes to ea&s;e their Pa|tient.
One by ca&s;ting him into a &s;leep,
lately di&s;u&s;ed becau&s;e dangerous, <HI>&s;leep</HI> be|ing
&s;o <HI>immediate a donative</HI> of God him|&s;elf,
(<HI>P&s;al.</HI> 127. 2. <HI>For &s;o he giveth his be|loved
&s;leep</HI>) that humane receipts for the
&s;ame, either under, or over-do the work.
The other by &s;tupifying, and mortifying
by degrees the part to be cut off, &s;o to
render the party le&s;&s;e &s;en&s;ible thereof.
The &s;ame way is pre&s;cribed us by the A|po&s;tle,
<HI>Col.</HI> 3. 5. <HI>Mortifie therefore your
members which are upon the earth, forni|cation,
&amp;c.</HI> The torture will be intolera|ble
to have our &s;ouls circumci&s;ed, and
corruptions cut from us while&s;t we are in
the full feeling thereof, and therefore
ought it to be our endeavour by dayly
<PB N="59" REF="41">
mortification to dull our &s;en&s;e of the
&s;ame.</P>
<P>So much of Circumci&s;ion; and now
let us briefly recollect with the Reader,
what progre&s;&s;e we have made in the pre|&s;ent
controver&s;ie; and by what degrees
we have proceeded. Fir&s;t, we have pro|ved
the Covenant made with <HI>Abraham</HI> at
Circumci&s;ion and Evangelical Covenant.
Secondly, that the &s;ame de&s;cendeth on all
the children of <HI>Abraham.</HI> Thirdly, that
all believing Gentiles are <HI>Abrahams</HI> chil|dren.
Fourthly, <HI>That eight-dayes-old-Jew|i&s;h-children</HI>
were accepted of God as capa|ble
to covenant. Come we now to &s;hew
that Bapti&s;m with Chri&s;tians, is what
Circumci&s;ion was to the Jews; whence
this will naturally and nece&s;&s;arily follow,
that Chri&s;tian children at the &s;ame age,
have as much right to the one, as Jewi&s;h
infants had to the other.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="60" REF="42">
<HEAD>CHAP. VII. That Bapti&s;m &s;ucceeds to all the E&s;|&s;entials
of Circumci&s;ion.</HEAD>
<P>A Succe&s;&s;our mu&s;t be, as after in time,
&s;o really di&s;tinct from that, which
precedes it; otherwi&s;e it is not the &s;ucce&s;|&s;our,
but the &s;ame. Tho&s;e, therefore,
who indeavour to di&s;prove Bapti&s;m's &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion
to Circumci&s;ion, by alledging ma|ny
differences betwixt them, do our
Work in de&s;iring to de&s;troy it, while&s;t
the &s;ame differences are but accidental be|twixt
them.</P>
<P>We &s;hall fir&s;t ob&s;erve what &s;uch acci|dental
differences are betwixt Circumci|&s;ion
and Bapti&s;m, and they will appear
&s;uch as do not di&s;-e&s;&s;ential the one from
the other.</P>
<P>It is remarkable that all the differen|ces
betwixt <HI>Circumci&s;ion</HI> and <HI>Bapti&s;m,</HI> are
on the <HI>gaining &s;ide</HI> for us Chri&s;tians, who&s;e
e&s;tate is not impaired, but improved
thereby, <HI>Bapti&s;m</HI> being milder in the &s;ign,
<PB N="61" REF="42">
freer in the time, larger in the &s;ubject.</P>
<P>1. <HI>Milder in the &s;ign;</HI> the Law &s;aith,
<HI>cut off, and be clean,</HI> which is Painful; the
Go&s;pel &s;aith, <HI>wa&s;h and be clean,</HI> which is
ea&s;ie. At Bapti&s;m no violent Impre&s;&s;ion is
made on the <HI>Infant,</HI> only a little water
powred on his <HI>Face.</HI> Wa&s;hing is &s;o far
from doing wrong even to a new born In|fant,
that his natural wel-being cannot be
without it, Ezek. 16. 4. <HI>When thou wa&s;t new
Born, thy navel was not cut, thou wa&s;t not
wa&s;hed in water to &s;often thee.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>Freer in the time; Circumci&s;ion</HI> was
confined to the eighth day, and tho&s;e e|qually
guilty who anticipated or protract|ed
the &s;ame. God, in the <HI>Go&s;pel</HI> hath left
<HI>Bapti&s;m</HI> to the di&s;cretion of Chri&s;tians, to
accelerate or retard it, as they are advi&s;ed
by the childs &s;trength, and their own con|veniency:
He hath given Parents as much
liberty herein, as kind <HI>Elkanah</HI> allowed
<HI>Hannah</HI> his loving wife, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 1. 23. <HI>Do
what &s;ee meth good unto thee.</HI> Pre&s;ume we
here that pious <HI>Parents</HI> will not create
needle&s;&s;e delayes to <HI>Bapti&s;e their children,
Ne quod differatur, auferatur,</HI> Le&s;t God,
in the <HI>interim,</HI> take their child away from
<PB N="62" REF="43">
them. In which ca&s;e, as I will not be the
<HI>Judge</HI> to condemn the <HI>Child;</HI> &s;o &s;hould I
be <HI>one</HI> of the <HI>Jury,</HI> I would not acquit the
Father.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Larger in the &s;ubject;</HI> Circumci&s;ion
left out, a ju&s;t half, or full <HI>moiety</HI> of Man|kinde,
confin'd <HI>only</HI> to the <HI>Males;</HI> where|as
Bapti&s;m takes in the <HI>weaker &s;ex.</HI> Indeed
we have but one <HI>woman, &s;ignally</HI> named,
whom we find <HI>baptized;</HI> namely <HI>Lydia,</HI>
Acts 16. 15. the <HI>&s;eller of Purple,</HI> in <HI>Thyatira;</HI>
But the precedents of more: And let the
en&s;uing parallel in the &s;ame Chapter be
ob&s;erved.</P>
<BIBL>Acts 8. 3.</BIBL>
<Q>Saul made havock, and haling men
and women committed them to pri|&s;on.</Q>
<BIBL>Acts 8. 12.</BIBL>
<Q>Philip preached concerning the king|dom
of God, and they were baptized
both men and women.</Q>
<P>See here the weaker &s;ex joyntly par|take
in per&s;ecutions, and (which was but
equal) did al&s;o communicate in the com|forts.
It was ju&s;t that tho&s;e, who with
men had drunk their &s;hare in the cup of
<PB N="63" REF="43">
bitter affliction, &s;hould al&s;o have their part
in the cup of Sacramental con&s;olation.</P>
<P>Let none be troubled that only two
places expre&s;ly mention the baptizing of
Women. For Scripture proofs are not to
be taken by their number, but weighed in
the ballance; One witne&s;&s;e from an in|fallible
mouth is as valid as one thou&s;and.
Yea, one te&s;timony of Scripture, coming
from the Spirit which is 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. 28. <HI>all in
all,</HI> is as much as if <HI>all</HI> the <HI>Scripture,</HI> and
every ver&s;e therein had avouched the
&s;ame.</P>
<P>Here let the weaker &s;ex enlarge their
gratitude to God, on this very account,
that he hath cleared their title to this Sa|crament
in the Go&s;pel; who&s;e right to
Circumci&s;ion under the Law was incum|bred
with &s;ome difficulty. For, &s;uppo&s;e
a Jewi&s;h woman di&s;tre&s;&s;ed in con&s;cience,
and complaining that &s;he was excluded
the Sacrament of Circumci&s;ion, becau&s;e
not actually &s;igned with it; and, &s;uppo&s;e
a Rabbin, or Levite, endeavouring to &s;ati&s;|fie
her by the an&s;wers Chapter 1. for|merly
alledged, (<HI>viz.</HI> that &s;he was vertu|ally,
or reductively circumci&s;ed in her fa|ther,
<PB N="64" REF="44">
or hu&s;band) po&s;&s;ibly all this might
not pacifie her minde; and, though &s;uch
a &s;cruple be but a <HI>mote</HI> in it &s;elf, yet might
it prove painful in &s;o tender a place, as
con&s;cience, the eye of the &s;oul, is How
thankful therefore ought Chri&s;tian wo|men
to be to Gods goodne&s;&s;e, expre&s;ly
admitting them to Bapti&s;m, and having
equal right with men in that Sacrament.</P>
<P>The&s;e three forenamed circum&s;tantial
differences between Circumci&s;ion, and
Bapti&s;m, are not of &s;uch con&s;equence,
as to di&s;e&s;&s;ential them, or to make them
di&s;tinct Sacraments; both remaining the
&s;ame in effect, tho&s;e accidental variations
notwith&s;tanding.</P>
<P>For the like may be ob&s;erved between
the Pa&s;&s;eover, and the Lords Supper, and
tho&s;e alterations al&s;o for the benefit, and
behoof of Chri&s;tians, the later being both
cheaper in price, and freer in time then the
former.</P>
<P>In the Pa&s;&s;eover, a lamb was offered;
which, many Chri&s;tians (&s;uch is their po|verty)
cannot provide for them&s;elves;
and rich men (&s;uch is their covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e)
will not provide for others. It is there|fore
<PB N="65" REF="44">
commuted in the Lords Supper, into
a bit of bread, and &s;ip of wine, which on
ea&s;ier rates may be obtained.</P>
<P><HI>Freer in time;</HI> The Pa&s;&s;eover was but
once a year, <HI>Exod.</HI> 12. 6. <HI>on the fourteenth
day of the first moneth;</HI> In the Lords Sup|per
we are left at large, &s;tinted to no time,
1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 25. <HI>Do ye this as oft as ye drink it;</HI>
we may take it for food, or for phy&s;ick;
when ill, to remove; when well, to prevent
di&s;ea&s;es; once a moneth, once a week if
we wil; always provided, that the frequent
repetition of it hinder not the &s;olemn
preparation for it. <HI>But to return to Bapti&s;m,
that it &s;uccee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters"> to all e&s;&s;entials of Circumci&s;i|on,
is proved by the&s;e Arguments.</HI></P>
<LIST TYPE="syllogism">
<ITEM>Either Bapti&s;m &s;ucceeds to the Sacrament
of Circumci&s;ion, or el&s;e &s;ome other Or|dinance
doth &s;ucceed, or el&s;e nothing at
all remains in lieu thereof: But that
Sacrament root and branch totally ex|tingui&s;hed
in Gods Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>But nothing el&s;e &s;ucceeds Circumci&s;ion;
and that Sacrament is not aboli&s;hed,
but &s;till vertually extant.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Therefore Bapti&s;m &s;ucceeds in the place of
Circumci&s;ion.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><PB N="66" REF="45">
<HI>The Major</HI> we pre&s;ume of unque&s;tiona|ble
truth, where the di&s;tribution is unca|pable
of any other member therein.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t part of the <HI>Minor,</HI> if
any other heir (be&s;ides Bapti&s;m) can be
found out, let our Adver&s;aries in this con|trover&s;ie
a&s;&s;ign it: <HI>What is the name, or the
&s;ons name thereof, if they can tell?</HI> &s;urely
no &s;uch &s;ucce&s;&s;or to Circumci&s;ion can be
produced.</P>
<P>Now to maintain that Circumci&s;ion
died i&s;&s;uele&s;s, and left no ordinance be|hind
it of Divine in&s;titution, to inherit the
power and place thereof in the Church,
is what none ever defende<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters"> For &s;eeing
Sacraments are the Pillars of the Church,
&s;upporting the whole fabrick thereof;
how much would it weaken the &s;tructure
totally to take away one pillar, without
&s;ub&s;tituting another in the place thereof?</P>
<P><HI>We proceed to a &s;econd Argument after
this manner.</HI></P>
<LIST TYPE="syllogism">
<ITEM>If all &s;uch graces confer'd on Gods chil|dren
in Circumci&s;ion formerly, are now
be&s;towed on them in Bapti&s;m: Then (not|with&s;tanding
<PB N="67" REF="45">
&s;ome accidental differen|ces)
Bapti&s;m &s;ucceeds to the e&s;&s;entials of
Circumci&s;ion.</ITEM>
<ITEM>But all graces formerly confer'd in Circum|on,
are now be&s;towed in Bapti&s;m: </ITEM>
<ITEM>There|fore
Bapti&s;m &s;ucceeds the e&s;&s;entials of
Circumci&s;ion.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The <HI>minor,</HI> which (alone is que&s;tiona|ble)
may ea&s;ily be proved: Graces in
Circumci&s;ion are compri&s;ed in that ex|pre&s;&s;ion,
<HI>Gen.</HI> 17. 7. <HI>To be a God unto thee,</HI>
whereof largely before; and the &s;ame is
performed in Bapti&s;m; whein God &s;o|lemnly
contracts with his &s;ervants to re|ceive
them into his Covenant, and con|veyeth
unto them Grace nece&s;&s;ary for
their Salvation.</P>
<P><HI>But what need we more Rea&s;ons, when
the very words of S.</HI> Paul, Col. 2. 11, 12.
<HI>atte&s;t the &s;ame?</HI> In whom al&s;o ye are Cir|cumci&s;ed
with the circumci&s;ion made with|out
hands, in putting off the body of the &s;ins
of the fle&s;h, by the Circumci&s;ion of Chri&s;t; bu|ried
with him in Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P>Chri&s;tians are here &s;aid by Bapti&s;m to be
&s;piritually Circumci&s;ed; and by the &s;ame
proportion, the believing Jews may be &s;aid
<PB N="68" REF="46">
by Circumci&s;ion to be &s;piritually Bapti|zed;
&s;uch the affinity or rather the e&s;&s;en|tial
&s;amene&s;&s;e betwixt the&s;e two Sacra|ments:
Thus <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 1. 4.
<HI>One generation pa&s;&s;eth away, and another ge|neration
cometh, but the earth remaineth for
ever:</HI> So one Sacrament of Initiation
[Circumci&s;ion] pa&s;&s;eth away, and ano|ther
[Bapti&s;m] cometh; One Sacrament
of Confirmation [the Pa&s;&s;eover] pa&s;&s;eth
away, and another Sacrament [the Lords
Supper] cometh; <HI>But the Church remaineth
for ever.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> Bapti&s;m cannot &s;ucceed to Circumci|&s;ion,
becau&s;e what &s;ucceedeth mu&s;t come
after in time, when its predece&s;&s;or is de|parted:
But Bapti&s;m for &s;ome years went
<HI>abrea&s;t</HI> with Circumci&s;ion, both were &s;et
a foot together in Church practice. For
Bapti&s;m was in&s;tituted in our Saviours life
time, u&s;ed by his Di&s;ciples, <HI>John</HI> 4. 2. to
the Jews, and enjoyned immediately af|ter
Chri&s;ts A&s;cen&s;ion, <HI>Mat.</HI> 28. 19. to be
practi&s;ed upon all Nations: Now Cir|cumci&s;ion
held in force many years after,
&s;ee in <HI>Timothy</HI> (a Jew by the half bloud)
<HI>Acts</HI> 16. 3. was Circumci&s;ed by <HI>Paul</HI> him|&s;elf.
<PB N="69" REF="46">
Wherefore Bapti&s;m contemporary
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">th Circumci&s;ion, could not be &s;ucce&s;&s;our
unto it.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is confe&s;t, that for &s;ome years
Circumci&s;ion remained in the Church af|ter
Bapti&s;m was ordained. Have we not
often &s;een the Moon &s;hining in Heaven
even after the Sun &s;ome hours hath been
ri&s;en therein; But then &s;he &s;hines dully
and dimly, with a faint and feeble light as
con&s;cious to her &s;elf of u&s;urpation, and
guilty of intru&s;ion to the territories and
dominion of the Sun; the Moon being
only made <HI>to rule the night.</HI> So may I &s;ay
there was a weak and wan appearance of
Circumci&s;ion in the Chri&s;tian Church af|ter
Bapti&s;m was ordained, and that for
the&s;e two rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It was continued &s;ome time in
the Church for the more decent expiring
thereof. God would not have that Sa|crament,
which had lived &s;o long in lu|&s;tre,
dye in &s;hame: And therefore it was
thought fit, that Circumci&s;ion, as it began
on a good man, &s;o it &s;hould expire on
a gratious Saint: <HI>Abraham</HI> being the
fir&s;t, and <HI>Timothy</HI> the la&s;t; whom we
<PB N="70" REF="47">
find Circumci&s;ed in Scripture.</P>
<P>Secondly, God fore&s;eeing what an
advantage Satan might take, if his Church
were left <HI>Sacramentle&s;s,</HI> to a&s;&s;ault the &s;ame
in the interval of the going out of the one,
and coming in of the other (as <HI>Ahab</HI> was
wounded, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 22. 34. in the naked
place <HI>betwixt the joynts of his harne&s;s</HI>)
would have his Sacraments (rather then
they &s;hould fall &s;hort) one lap, and fold
over the other, that both &s;hould be in be|ing
at once. Probably, had another go|vernment
of the Church been prepared,
and fitted; yea, and &s;et up (rather two
together then none at all) before the old
one was demoli&s;hed, profanene&s;&s;e, and
damnable here&s;ies, which we now behold,
and bemoan, had not made their progre&s;s
&s;o fa&s;t, and &s;o far into the Engli&s;h Nati|on.</P>
<P>The re&s;ult of all is this: Though <HI>Cir|cumci&s;ion</HI>
did for &s;ome time rather <HI>langui&s;h</HI>
then <HI>live</HI> after the in&s;titution of <HI>Bapti&s;m;</HI>
and for the Rea&s;ons afore&s;aid, was con|tinued
in the Church (u&s;ed on <HI>Timothy</HI> not
&s;o much to &s;anctifie him, as to &s;atisfie his
<HI>half-Countrey-men</HI> the <HI>Jews</HI>) yet &s;oon af|ter
<PB N="71" REF="47">
it decently expired, leaving Bapti&s;m
to &s;ucceed in the Church to all the e&s;&s;enti|als
thereof; among&s;t which, this was one
of main importance, That as Children
were admitted to Circumci&s;ion, &s;o they
&s;hould al&s;o participate of Bapti&s;m; <HI>Which
by rea&s;ons out of Scripture,</HI> God willing,
&s;hall plainly appear.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="8" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. VIII. What it is to rea&s;on out of the Scri|ptures;
and what credit is due to
deductions from Gods word.</HEAD>
<P>WE do freely confe&s;&s;e, that there is
neither expre&s;&s;e Precept nor Pre|cedent
in the New Te&s;tament for the Ba|ptizing
of Infants; and yet are confident,
by nece&s;&s;ary and undeniable con&s;equence
from Scripture it will be made appear
to be founded thereon. Let us here pre|mi&s;e
and explain a practice of the Apo&s;tle
<HI>Paul,</HI> as much conducible to our purpo&s;e.
<PB N="72" REF="48">
He coming to <HI>The&s;&s;alonica,</HI> Acts 17. 2.
Rea&s;oned <HI>with the Jews</HI> out of Scripture.</P>
<P>Three things herein are con&s;iderable.
Fir&s;t, being to prove, that <HI>this Je&s;us whom
he preached was Chri&s;t,</HI> he neither did nor
could produce a po&s;itive text of Scripture,
wherein the &s;ame was affirmed <HI>&s;yllabical|ly,</HI>
or in &s;o many very words.</P>
<P>Secondly, in proof hereof he did
not bring bare rea&s;on, which would
be but ineffectual; e&s;pecially to prove
that which was meerly an article of Faith.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in his <HI>di&s;puting</HI> he made a
wi&s;e compo&s;ure of both, joyning Scri|pture
and rea&s;on together. Scripture was
the <HI>Well,</HI> Rea&s;on was the <HI>Bucket,</HI> S. <HI>Paul</HI>
was the <HI>Drawer.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Pauls</HI> precedent ought to be followed
by our practice herein. <HI>Scriptura non &s;cri|bitur,
otio&s;is: The Scripture was not writ for
the idle, but the indu&s;trious.</HI> Yea, to what
intent hath God be&s;towed rea&s;on upon
us, improved in &s;ome with Learning and
Education, together with the promi&s;e of
his Spirit to conduct us into all nece&s;&s;ary
truth; but that we &s;hould improve the
&s;ame in the &s;erious &s;earching of the Scri|pture?</P>
<P><PB N="73" REF="48">
One main motive which induced <HI>Co|lumbus</HI>
to believe the other &s;ide of this
Globe to be peopled with rea&s;onable
&s;ouls, and invited him to undertake the
di&s;covery thereof, was a firm apprehen|&s;ion,
and belief, that God would not create
&s;o glorious a creature as the Sun to &s;hine to
Sea and Fi&s;hes alone; but that &s;urely &s;ome
men did partake of the benefit thereof. Is it
probable that God would light the three|fold
lamp of rea&s;on, learning, and grace in
mens &s;ouls, for no other purpo&s;e, or high|er
de&s;ign, but meerly that men &s;hould
make u&s;e thereof in peru&s;ing of pam|phlets,
and reading the works of hu|mane
writers; chiefly in examining the
word of God, with &s;uch con&s;equences,
which naturally may be extracted from
the &s;ame?</P>
<P>Some things are, in <HI>Scripture,</HI> as gra&s;&s;e
on the ground, which on the &s;urface there|of,
is apparent to every beholder; other
things are, in <HI>Scripture,</HI> as mines, and mi|nerals
in the bowels thereof, no le&s;&s;e the
product of the earth then the former,
though more indu&s;try mu&s;t be u&s;ed for
the eduction thereof. <HI>Circumci&s;ion</HI> is
<PB N="74" REF="49">
of the fir&s;t <HI>&s;ort,</HI> obvious to a childe that
can read the 17^t^h of <HI>Gene&s;is;</HI> But
he mu&s;t be a<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 14. 20.</NOTE> <HI>man of under&s;tand|ing,</HI>
(which we all ought to be)
to whom <HI>Bapti&s;m</HI> is vi&s;ible by deduction
from Scripture.</P>
<P>See we here not only the u&s;efulne&s;&s;e
and conveniency, but even the ab&s;olute
nece&s;&s;ity of the profe&s;&s;ion of Mini&s;ters;
not only for the admini&s;tration of Sacra|ments,
but for the clearing tho&s;e nece&s;&s;a|ry
con&s;equences from Scripture, which at
the fir&s;t view are not apparent to every
ordinary capacity.</P>
<P>S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12. 6. <HI>Let us pro|phe&s;ie
according to the proportion of Faith.</HI>
Now I believe it will generally be granted
that by <HI>Prophe&s;ie</HI> here is meant the preach|ing
of the word. Know then that the
<HI>proportion of Faith,</HI> con&s;i&s;ts not in one, or
&s;ome, or many, but is the re&s;ult of all
places of Scripture; the univer&s;al <HI>Symme|trie</HI>
of them all, concerning &s;uch a point
which is treated of. Here then is the of|fice
of the Mini&s;ter, to pre&s;ent to his peo|ple
(in any matter nece&s;&s;ary to be belie|ved
or practi&s;ed) the <HI>&s;ence</HI> of the Old and
<PB N="75" REF="49">
New Te&s;tament; This is &s;ometimes
not con&s;picuous in any one place, as
being the <HI>collective,</HI> and <HI>con&s;tructive Analo|gie,</HI>
amounting from many particular pla|ces
compared together.</P>
<P>Here, I &s;ay, the Mini&s;ters office is called
upon; (in whom <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> is or ought to be
cleared and &s;trengthned by his learning)
to manife&s;t and evidence to the people of
his flock, the ri&s;e and re&s;ult of &s;uch dedu|ctions,
how naturally and nece&s;&s;arily they
flow from Scripture. This done, &s;uch
of his flock, who of them&s;elves could not
&s;ee, will &s;ee when &s;hown; who of them|&s;elves
could not go, will go when led; en|abled
by Gods ble&s;&s;ing on his help, will
both ea&s;ily apprehend in them&s;elves, and
communicate to &s;uch in their family, &s;uch
<HI>Scipture-con&s;equences,</HI> which their &s;impli|city
could never fir&s;t have found out by
them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Then will it fare with &s;uch people as
with the <HI>Samaritanes,</HI> John 4. 42. who
came to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> at the womans <HI>invitation,</HI>
but <HI>believed</HI> on him, not becau&s;e of her
&s;aying, <HI>but becau&s;e they heard him them|&s;elves.</HI>
Unlearned people receive not &s;uch
<PB N="76" REF="50">
con&s;equences for truths, on the credit of
the Learning and Religion of their Mini|&s;ter,
(though by his direction fir&s;t ac|quainted
therewith) but becau&s;e that
&s;ince they have been convinced in their
own judgements and con&s;ciences of the
truth thereof, as no doubt the <HI>The&s;&s;aloni|ans</HI>
were, when S. <HI>Paul</HI> (as is afore&s;aid)
<HI>rea&s;oned with</HI> them <HI>out of Scripture.</HI></P>
<P>But a greater then <HI>Paul</HI> is here to avouch
this practice, even our Saviour him&s;elf;
Who, being to confute the <HI>Sadduces,</HI> who
not only denied the re&s;urrection of the
dead, but al&s;o that there was neither An|gel
nor Spirit, <HI>Acts</HI> 23. 8. (exi&s;ting &s;epa|rate
from the body) &s;o that at death the
&s;ouls of men expired, and were utterly
extingui&s;hed. In refutation of which er|rour,
our Saviour <HI>rea&s;oned out of Scripture,</HI>
Mat. 22. 31. 32. <HI>But as touching the re&s;ur|rection
of the dead, have ye not read that
which was &s;poken unto you by God, &s;aying, I
am the God of Abraham, and the God of I&s;a|ac,
and the God of Jacob? God is not the
God of the dead, but of the living. God is
not the God of the dead,</HI> that is, he is not
God to that which is annihilated, and null
in nature, but that thing mu&s;t have an ab|&s;olute
being in it &s;elf, before it can be &s;o
<PB N="77" REF="50">
related that God becomes a God unto it.</P>
<P>This text in it &s;elf &s;eems at <HI>great di|&s;tance</HI>
to prove the Re&s;urrection, and
never likely to <HI>meet</HI> the matter in contro|ver&s;ie;
unle&s;&s;e <HI>Rea&s;on intercede</HI> to joyn
them both together. The argumentation
being thus framed, and that to which God
pronounceth him&s;elf a God&punc; hath a true &amp;
real exi&s;tence. But God pronounceth him|&s;elf
God to <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> &s;ome
hundreds of years after their death; Ther|fore
<HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> &amp; <HI>Jacob,</HI> had &s;til a true
and real exi&s;tence. And thus an argument,
which formerly was vertually in the text,
is by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> actually ex|tracted
thence, and effectually applied to
the pre&s;et purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Say not, Chri&s;t might have cho&s;e in the
old Te&s;tament, more pregnant and perti|nent
places then this by him cited to prove
the re&s;urrection; as that <HI>Job</HI> 19. 26. <HI>And
though after my skin, worms de&s;troy this bo|dy,
yet in my fle&s;h &s;hal I &s;ee God:</HI> For, fir&s;t it is
pre&s;umption for any to teach Chri&s;t;
which <HI>&s;tone out of the brook</HI> to chu&s;e (as the
&s;moothe&s;t, and fitte&s;t) when he is to en|counter
the <HI>Goliath</HI> of any errour. Se|condly,
the Sadduces only allowing the
<PB N="78" REF="51">
<HI>Pentateuch,</HI> or five books of <HI>Mo&s;es;</HI> Chri&s;t
wor&s;ted them at their own weapons out
of that Scripture, which they acknow|ledged
for Canonical; &s;etting us an ex|ample
by rea&s;on out of the Word, to
prove tho&s;e points which are not expre&s;ly
contained therein.</P>
<P>To conclude this point; when <HI>Eve</HI> was
brought to <HI>Adam</HI> newly awaked out of
his deep &s;leep, <HI>Gen.</HI> 2. 23. he gazed not on
her as a &s;tranger, but welcomed and en|tertained
her with this cheerful and cour|teous
expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>This is now bone of my
bone, and fle&s;h of my fle&s;h; &s;he &s;hall be called
woman, becau&s;e &s;he was taken out of man.</HI>
So &s;hould <HI>Scripture</HI> behold tho&s;e legiti|mate
<HI>deductions,</HI> which by right rea&s;on,
and lawful rules of Logick, are thence
drawn, and derived, it would in&s;tantly
own and acknowledge them for its un|doubted
i&s;&s;ue and off-&s;pring; command|ing
them to be called <HI>Derivative Scripture,</HI>
becau&s;e taken out of the body and bow|els
thereof.</P>
<P>Here I pleade not for &s;uch violent and
forced con&s;equences, (<HI>ba&s;tards</HI> of mens
brains) which &s;ome unju&s;tly <HI>father</HI> on
<PB N="79" REF="51">
the Scripture, <HI>wre&s;ting</HI> it, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 16.
and not <HI>rea&s;oning,</HI> but <HI>wrangling</HI> from it.
Natural and nece&s;&s;ary <HI>deductions,</HI> are by
me alone intended; by which we pro|ceed
to prove, that Bapti&s;m is bottomed
on <HI>Rea&s;ons out of Scripture.</HI></P>
<P>Here make we this <HI>motion</HI> to the Rea|der,
and may he re&s;ent it according to
the equity thereof. Though we pro|pound,
and he peru&s;e the&s;e our <HI>rea&s;ons out
of Scripture</HI> &s;everally, our de&s;ire is they
&s;hould all be compounded together, and
joyntly pre&s;ented to his judgement. This
de&s;ire proceeds not from any <HI>jealou&s;ie</HI> and
<HI>&s;u&s;pition</HI> we have of their invalidity, as ta|ken
&s;ingle, but out of a <HI>confidence,</HI> that
though they may be cavilled at (and en|deavoured
to be broken) as <HI>&s;ingle arrows,</HI>
they will be unbreakable to him who here
may have his <HI>Quiver full of them.</HI> For as
in a <HI>regular Fort,</HI> though &s;ingle <HI>flankers</HI>
thereof may be a&s;&s;aulted, yet the whole
will be impregnable; wherein each part
receiveth &s;trength from, and returneth
&s;trength to another; &s;o we conceiv though
each rea&s;on &s;everally may be &s;ubject to
captious exceptions again&s;t it, yet the to|tal
<PB N="80" REF="52">
&s;um of them all (be&s;ides many more
which Godly Divines have and may adde
unto them) amount to the convincing of
&s;uch as do not wilfully boult their eyes
again&s;t the beams of truth.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="9" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. IX. The fir&s;t Rea&s;on for the Baptizing of
Infants, taken from the Analogie
of Circumci&s;ion.</HEAD>
<P><HI>THe fir&s;t Rea&s;on for Infants Bapti&s;m
is grounded on proportion of Cir|cumci&s;ion
in this manner.</HI> If that the chil|dren
of Jews were admitted to Circumci&s;ion,
and thereby made members of the Church;
the children of Chri&s;tians ought to be admit|ted
to Bapti&s;m, and thereby be made mem|bers
of the &s;ame. But the children of the Jews
were admitted to Circumci&s;ion, &amp;c. there|fore
the children of Chri&s;tians ought to be ad|mitted
to Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P>Herein the <HI>Major</HI> which alone is &s;ubject
<PB N="81" REF="52">
to doubt and debate, may be proved by
what formerly was explained, in Bapti&s;ms
&s;ucceeding to all e&s;&s;entials of Circumci&s;i|on.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> To this your arguing from pro|portion
of Circumci&s;ion is of no validity;
yea, and of very dangerous con&s;equence:
For on the &s;ame account you may extend
the Analogie to the reviving of all the
Jewi&s;h Ceremonies, long &s;ince dead and
rotten in the grave of our Saviour; Such
<HI>Necromancy</HI> in Conjuring up the Gho&s;ts
of dead Judai&s;m, is unlawful of it &s;elf, and
prejudicial to Chri&s;tian liberty; &s;hould
we be put under the Go&s;pel to &s;uch &s;lavi&s;h
conformity, as to practice &s;omething pa|rallel
to each Ceremony in the old Te&s;ta|ment.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> We confe&s;&s;e this exception true
and ju&s;t, had Circumci&s;ion been but a
bare Ceremony and no more; But Cir|cumci&s;ion
had in it more of what was <HI>Sa|cramental</HI>
then <HI>Ceremonious.</HI> The <HI>Cere|monious</HI>
part thereof is utterly extinct,
and dyed <HI>I&s;&s;uele&s;s.</HI> But the Sacramental or
<PB N="82" REF="53">
Go&s;pel part thereof, as it contained an
everla&s;ting Covenant made with <HI>Abra|hams</HI>
&s;eed; that is, all true believers, may
be &s;aid to &s;urvive, in Bapti&s;m the true
heir thereof; <HI>Sacramenta non moriuntur,
Sacraments die not,</HI> (while&s;t the Church
Militant is alive) nor is there any <HI>inter|vals</HI>
betwixt them; Bapti&s;m immediate|ly
&s;ucceeding Circumci&s;ion, as is before
declared.</P>
<P><HI>Proceed we to prove the former Argu|ment
with a new Syllogi&s;m;</HI> They who
once in Circumci&s;ion were made members of
the Church, and never &s;ince were &s;olemnly
outed of the &s;ame, remain &s;till in the &s;tate of
their member&s;hip: But Circumci&s;ed Chil|dren
under the Jews were made members of
the Church, and never &s;ince were &s;olemnly
outed of that condition; Therefore they &s;till
remain members.</P>
<P>Here the <HI>Minor</HI> alone is expo&s;ed to &s;u&s;pi|tion
of fal&s;hood; and that only in the la|ter
part thereof: Now let the denyers of
it a&s;&s;ign the time, place, manner, and per|&s;ons,
when, where, how, and by whom
<PB N="83" REF="53">
they were ca&s;t out of that member&s;hip.
Sure I am, &s;eeing the old Te&s;tament leaves
them in <HI>peaceable po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion</HI> thereof; And
no <HI>firm ejection</HI> of them appears in the
new Te&s;tament; it mu&s;t needs be &s;ome
<HI>Apocrypha writing,</HI> or <HI>forged deed,</HI> which
depriveth them of their true <HI>title</HI> there|unto,
and <HI>tenure</HI> thereof.</P>
<P><HI>For the further clearing hereof, Let us
&s;uppo&s;e, a</HI> Jew <HI>about the time of S.</HI> Paul
<HI>converted into a</HI> Chri&s;tian, <HI>and &s;oon after
made</HI> father <HI>to a</HI> &s;on. <HI>If this</HI> child <HI>in his
infancy may not be admitted to Bapti&s;m,
what cau&s;e had it no le&s;&s;e ju&s;tly then
Grievou&s;ly to complain? Might it but
borrow a tongue from the &s;tanders by,
how pathetically would it expo&s;tulate his
condition?</HI> Alas, how &s;ad is my e&s;tate?
My father being but a Jew, was at eight days
old made a member of the Church by Circum|ci&s;ion:
His infancy was no bar and ob&s;tacle
unto him, to render him uncapable of the
Covenant. I had thought now my Father
is turned Chri&s;tian, that the Child &s;hould not
be impaired becau&s;e his father is improved?
Is a Chri&s;tians &s;on found in a wor&s;e ca&s;e then
<PB N="84" REF="54">
a Jews &s;on was left? I thought the alteration
of our condition by Chri&s;ts coming was to per|fect
not dimini&s;h what we had before? Chri|&s;tianity
may be a good Religion for men to
die in, but Judai&s;m was better for Children
to be born in: We Infants who &s;ignified &s;ome.
thing under the Law, are made cyphers under
the Go&s;pel, no notice being taken of us, until
we are arrived unto years of di&s;cretion.</P>
<P>This complaint might be largely pro|&s;ecuted
with more earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, but a
word is enough, the rather if we con&s;ider
what S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Heb. 8. 6. But now hath he
obtained a more excellent mini&s;try, by how
much al&s;o he is a mediator of a better cove|nant,
which was e&s;tabli&s;hed upon better pro|mi&s;es.</HI>
What a Scale of <HI>melioration</HI> have
we here, <HI>better,</HI> and better, <HI>excellent,</HI> and
more <HI>excellent.</HI> But if Children &s;ince
Chri&s;ts coming are excluded the Cove|nant,
which were admitted unto it before,
his is a <HI>le&s;s excellent Mini&s;try,</HI> &amp; he the Me|diator
of a <HI>wor&s;e</HI> Covenant upon <HI>wor&s;e</HI> pro|mi&s;es,
&s;eeing the &s;ame is not extended now
as formerly, to all ages, Sexes and condi|tions
of people, (children, included under
the Law) being omitted therein?</P>
<P><PB N="85" REF="54">
Now though many Infants of <HI>Bethle|hem,</HI>
and the coa&s;ts thereabouts, <HI>Mat.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">.
&s;uffered for him, &s;urely none &s;uffered by
him. But he continued their condition as
good, yea, and bettered the &s;ame by his
Incarnation. He who him&s;elf was a childe,
as well as a man, and a childe before he
was a man, did tender and improve the
condition of children as wel as of men; and
leaving this we now proceed to a &s;econd
<HI>Rea&s;on out of Scripture.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="10" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. X. The Second Rea&s;on, drawn from the
birth-holine&s;&s;e of Chri&s;tian In|fants.</HEAD>
<P><HI>OUr Second</HI> Rea&s;on out of Scripture,
<HI>is bottomed on S.</HI> Pauls <HI>expre&s;&s;ion,
1 Cor.</HI> 7. 14. for the unbelieving husband
is &s;anctified by the wife, and the unbelieving
wife is &s;anctified by the husband, el&s;e were
your children unclean, but now are they holy.
<HI>Now becau&s;e there is &s;ome difficulty a|bout
<PB N="86" REF="55">
the meaning of the words, we will
be the larger in explaining the &s;ame.</HI></P>
<P>It appears by the fir&s;t ver&s;e in this cha|pter,
that the Corinthians by letter had
reque&s;ted from S. <HI>Paul,</HI> &s;olution and &s;atis|faction
to &s;undry <HI>Queries</HI> by them pro|pounded:
Wonder not that they, who
1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 5. were commended by S. <HI>Paul</HI>
to be <HI>enriched in all knowledge,</HI> &s;hould now
de&s;ire further in&s;truction. For fir&s;t, they
had all <HI>knowledge,</HI> but not all the degrees
of knowledge. Secondly, they had all
knowledge, in <HI>fundamental nece&s;&s;aries to
&s;alvation,</HI> not in all ca&s;es of <HI>occa&s;ional e|mergency,</HI>
&s;uch as their que&s;tions were.
Thirdly, grant that even in the&s;e, they had
<HI>information</HI> before, they now &s;ue for fur|ther
<HI>confirmation</HI> from the infallible &s;pirit
of the Apo&s;tle.</P>
<P>Alas, will &s;ome &s;ay for the lo&s;&s;e of this
<HI>letter</HI> of the Corinthians to S. <HI>Paul:</HI> Pitty
it was that providence did not tran&s;mit the
&s;ame to po&s;terity; How u&s;eful had it been
for us if it had come into our hands? Let
&s;uch know, fir&s;t, this their <HI>letter</HI> was
no part of Canonical Scripture, pen'd by
a fallible Spirit. Secondly, we have &s;till
<PB N="87" REF="55">
this <HI>letter</HI> in effect, becau&s;e we have Saint
<HI>Pauls</HI> an&s;wers to the que&s;tions therein.
Thirdly, men generally are more curious
to enquire about tho&s;e parts of Scripture
which they &s;u&s;pect to have mi&s;carried,
then careful to improve tho&s;e which re|main,
and are &s;ufficient for our &s;alvati|on.</P>
<P>Among&s;t the&s;e Que&s;tions, this was not
the ea&s;ie&s;t, whether a believing hu&s;band
or wife were to continue in wedlock with
an unbelieving wife or hu&s;band, if by pro|vidence
it &s;o came to pa&s;&s;e that one was an
Infidel, the other a Chri&s;tian. The Ne|gative
no doubt &s;eem'd probable to &s;ome,
and on this account, <HI>that if he who is joyn|ed
to an Harlot is one body,</HI> then by the
&s;ame con&s;equence, Idolatry being &s;piritu|all
whoredom, Copulation with an infidel
is unlawful, and infectious.</P>
<P>But S. <HI>Paul</HI> in the foregoing ver&s;e de|termines
the contrary; That in ca&s;e the
<HI>Infidel</HI> is plea&s;ed to dwel with the <HI>belie|ver,</HI>
they ought &s;o to continue; rendring
a rea&s;on thereof in the words afore alledg|ed
<HI>for the believing husband, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="88" REF="56">The words contain
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. A Propo&s;ition.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The proof thereof.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The <HI>Propo&s;ition</HI> is <HI>reciprocal,</HI> it turneth
and windeth backwards and forwards,
<HI>the unbelieving husband is &s;anctified by the
wife, and the unbelieving wife is &s;anctified
by the husband;</HI> the proof thereof is in the
en&s;uing words&punc; <HI>el&s;e were your children
unclean, but now are they holy.</HI> In the pro|po&s;ition
the <HI>Cardinal</HI> word <HI>Sanctifie,</HI> (as
being the main <HI>Hinge</HI> whereon the &s;ame
<HI>turneth</HI>) de&s;erves our &s;erious examinati|on.</P>
<P><HI>Sanctified</HI> here is not taken, <HI>quoad per|&s;onam,</HI>
to <HI>enholy</HI> the party &s;o, as to pro|cure
his or her eternal &s;alvation. If the
holy <HI>Triumvirate</HI> of <HI>Noah, Daniel,</HI> and <HI>Job,
Ezek.</HI> 14. 20. could &s;ave <HI>neither &s;on nor
daughter,</HI> but their &s;ole <HI>&s;elves</HI> from a tem|poral
de&s;truction, much le&s;&s;e can the
&s;anctity of a Chri&s;tian hu&s;band or wife,
operate &s;o effectually on his, or her <HI>Pagan
Partner</HI> as to e&s;tate them in a &s;aving condi|tion.
Indeed the wives holy <HI>conver&s;a|tion</HI>
may be in&s;trumental to her hu&s;bands
<HI>conver&s;ion,</HI> 1 Pet. 3. 1. But it is God alone
<PB N="89" REF="56">
who <HI>&s;anctifies,</HI> in this high acception there|of.</P>
<P><HI>Sanctified</HI> then here is taken <HI>quoad u&s;um,</HI>
that is <HI>eou&s;&abque;,</HI> they are made holy &s;o far in
relation to Marriage, that the chri&s;tian
may have a lawful, and comfortable con|ver&s;e,
and cohabitation in <HI>bed</HI> and <HI>board</HI>
with the <HI>counter-Pagan.</HI> Thus all meats
(though &s;ome of them formerly forbid|den
as unlawful by the Levitical Law)
1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 5. are <HI>&s;anctified by the word of
God and prayer;</HI> that is, the u&s;e of them
is legitimated, and they made healthful
to the bodies, and lawful to the &s;ouls
of &s;uch praying Chri&s;tians as feed upon
them.</P>
<P>See we here fir&s;t, <HI>Grace where it came,
did not always take one and all in a family;</HI>
God in di&s;pen&s;ing thereof, dealeth as <HI>Ja|cob</HI>
did in ble&s;&s;ing <HI>Ephraim</HI> and <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh,
Gen. 48. 14. He cro&s;&s;eth his hands witting|ly,</HI>
taking <HI>a husband out of one</HI> hou&s;e, a <HI>wife</HI>
out of another; a <HI>wife</HI> out of one <HI>hou&s;e,</HI> a
<HI>husband</HI> out of another. The rea&s;on here|of,
<HI>Mat. 11. 26. even &s;o father, becau&s;e it
plea&s;eth thee,</HI> John 3. 8. <HI>the Spirit blow|eth
where it li&s;teth.</HI> Thus <HI>Amos</HI> 4. 7. the
<PB N="90" REF="57">
earth is often <HI>chequered</HI> with moi&s;ture,
and drought, with barrenne&s;&s;e, and fruit|fulne&s;&s;e,
the effects thereof; <HI>I cau&s;e it to
rain upon one city and not upon another.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Hence we may learn, that
<HI>Dominion is not founded in Grace:</HI> Had it
been &s;o, then the believing wives to un|believing
hu&s;bands, had a ju&s;t title to de|ny
any obedience, pleading that their
hu&s;bands by their Pagani&s;m had forfeited
all power over them; yet the Apo&s;tle,
1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 1. enjoyneth &s;ubjection, even
to &s;uch hu&s;bands who did not <HI>obey the
word,</HI> and who as yet were <HI>without the
word.</HI></P>
<P>La&s;tly, and chiefly hence we ob&s;erve,
<HI>Mixt mariages made again&s;t Gods will, do
defile the Religious, but continued according
to Gods will, do &s;anctifie the profane per&s;on.
Solomon</HI> may be a proof of the fir&s;t, 1 <HI>Kin.</HI>
11. 4. not <HI>converting</HI> his Idolatrous wives,
but <HI>perverted</HI> by them. Namely, becau&s;e
he cro&s;&s;ed Gods commandment, <HI>Deut. 7. 3.
Neither &s;halt thou make Mariages with them;</HI>
and the rea&s;on is added, <HI>for they will turn
thee away from following me. And although
the husband was doubly</HI> advantaged, both
<PB N="91" REF="57">
with his <HI>marital authority,</HI> and a <HI>good cau&s;e</HI>
on his &s;ide, rather to <HI>prevail</HI> on his wife
then to be <HI>impo&s;ed on</HI> by her; yet becau&s;e
there was <HI>Lae&s;um principium,</HI> a fault in his
fir&s;t Match, the <HI>edge</HI> was taken off from
all his arguments to her, and added to her
arguments again&s;t him&punc; making them by
Gods ju&s;t judgement, twice more <HI>pier|cing</HI>
and <HI>powerful</HI> to &s;educe him.</P>
<P>Should then a Chri&s;tian Man wilfully
take a Heathen wife, he could not pretend
that his <HI>Chri&s;tianity</HI> &s;hould <HI>&s;anctifie</HI> her
<HI>Infidelity,</HI> &s;o far as to make <HI>his bed and
board</HI> comfortable and lawful unto him,
becau&s;e he cro&s;t a po&s;itive precept, which
enjoyns the believing party if at liberty,
1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 39. to Marry <HI>only in the Lord:</HI>
The Phy&s;itians ob&s;erve, that <HI>faults com|mitted
in the fir&s;t concoction, are &s;eldom a|mended
in the &s;econd:</HI> &s;uch men had &s;mall
hopes to better their condition by con|verting
their wives after Marriage, who
before Marriage ran &s;o de&s;perate a hazard
again&s;t Gods will in his word.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, when <HI>mixt Marriages
are continued according to Gods will,</HI> they
do &s;anctifie the profane per&s;on: I mean
<PB N="92" REF="58">
when both parties at Marriage were ori|ginally
Pagan, and one of them after|wards
converted to Chri&s;tianity. In &s;uch
a ca&s;e a <HI>&s;eparation</HI> is not to be made, (as
was done, <HI>Nehemiah</HI> 13. 30. when he <HI>clean|&s;ed</HI>
the Jews from all their <HI>&s;trange wives</HI>)
but the Chri&s;tian may continue in wed|lock,
with the Pagan, without fear of in|fection,
and with a double comfort.</P>
<P>1. That hereafter his, or her Pagan
partner probably may be made Chri|&s;tian,
<HI>ver&s;e</HI> 16. <HI>for what knowest thou
O wife, whether thou &s;halt &s;ave thy
husband, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>2. That for the pre&s;ent the Pagan com|pany
is &s;o &s;anctified unto him, or her,
that all <HI>conjugal acts qua-conjugal</HI>
may be performed betwixt them,
without the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of &s;inful|ne&s;&s;e
therein.</P>
<P>Come we now to the proof of the pro|po&s;ition:
<HI>el&s;e were your children unclean,
but now are they holy:</HI> Not to &s;peak of na|tural
uncleanne&s;&s;e (as alien from the pur|po&s;e:)
We will principally in&s;i&s;t upon a
threefold <HI>uncleanne&s;s</HI> mentioned in Scri|pture,
with a holine&s;&s;e parallel thereunto.</P>
<P><PB N="93" REF="58"><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL>1. A <HI>Ceremonial un|cleanne&s;s.
Common
or unclean,</HI> Act. 10.
14. Such unclean|ne&s;&s;e
was now
quite grown out
of fa&s;hion under
the Go&s;pel.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Ceremonial holine&s;s,</HI>
whereby things
were legally pu|rified
from pol|lution,
which ho|line&s;&s;e
was quite
<HI>out of date</HI> with
the Jews, and ne|ver
<HI>in date</HI> with
the Gentiles when S. <HI>Paul</HI> wrote this
Epi&s;tle.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<P>Such as under&s;tand, <HI>uncleanne&s;s</HI> or
<HI>holine&s;s</HI> in the Text, in this <HI>low</HI> acception
of the word, <HI>under-&s;hoot</HI> by much the true
meaning thereof.</P>
<P><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL>2. A <HI>Spiritual</HI> un|cleanne&s;s
putting
the per&s;on into
Gods di&s;plea&s;ure,
and a damnable
condition.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Spiritual</HI> holine&s;&s;e,
which mounteth
a man into the fa|vour
of God, and
&s;etleth him in the
&s;tate of &s;alvation.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<P>Now we have <HI>over-&s;hot</HI> the mark, and
are as much above the meaning of the
Text. For no good parents can make
<PB N="94" REF="59">
their children thus holy, many of them
being&punc; humbled in Scripture, (as <HI>Eli</HI>
and <HI>Samuel</HI>) with a profane i&s;&s;ue which li|ved
and died impenitent: It is an impu|dent
&s;lander, wherewith the <HI>Rhemi&s;ts</HI>
(in their notes on this text) charge us to
maintain, that from the&s;e words we col|lect,
the children of pious parents, <HI>to be &s;o
holy, as that they need no Bapti&s;m.</HI> Where|as
indeed hence we gather, &s;uch children
to be &s;o <HI>holy, that they have a lawful right
to Bapti&s;m.</HI> Which hath brought us to the
third and la&s;t acception of the word.</P>
<P><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL>3. <HI>Sacramental</HI> un|cleanne&s;s
render|ing
the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> per&s;on
unfit to partake
thereof, and re|ceive
any benefit
thereby.</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Sacramental</HI> holine&s;s
which entitles a
childe to a true
right, to partici|pate
of tho&s;e Ini|tiating
Ordinan|ces
of God, wher|by
he is made a
member of the Church, and ad|mitted
to the means of Salvation.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<P>Now are we ju&s;t level, and even to
the &s;ence of the words, and conceive our
<PB N="95" REF="59">
&s;elves, to have hit the mark, or meaning
thereof: And thus it is expounded by all
our Prote&s;tant Divines. <HI>Mu&s;culus</HI> alone
excepted, who (though otherwi&s;e a &s;tiff
Champion for Infants Bapti&s;m) accounts
the argument drawn from the&s;e words
not <HI>cogent</HI> thereunto.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> If you call this Sacramental <HI>ho|line&s;s,</HI>
why do you confine the effect
thereof to Bapti&s;m alone, &amp; why are
not the children of pious parents ad|mitted
al&s;o on their parents account
without any further examination to
the Lords &s;upper, by the vertue of
this (which you terme) Sacramental
holine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is the method of the Church,
not to intru&s;t a member therein with
this &s;econd Sacrament, of <HI>confirma|tion,</HI>
until fir&s;t he hath given te&s;ti|mony
of his good improving of his
fir&s;t Sacrament of <HI>Initiation.</HI> Be|&s;ides,
a child, while a child, is more
properly a part of the parent, and
may be &s;aid to <HI>trade under him.</HI>
<PB N="96" REF="60">
Whereas when grown a man <HI>he &s;ets up
for him&s;elf,</HI> and takes up a <HI>new &s;tock,</HI>
on his own account; This Sacra|mental
holine&s;&s;e therefore e&s;tates a
childe in a real right to Bapti&s;m, and
only in a capability of the Lords Sup|per
in due time, except excluded
thence by his own wilful unworthi|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Thus among&s;t the Jews every childe&punc;
de&s;cended from <HI>Abraham,</HI> might chal|lenge
Circumci&s;ion as due unto him, but
could not &s;o lay claim to the Pa&s;&s;eover
(of which &s;ome of his own intervening
uncleanne&s;&s;e might make him uncapable)
except he was adjudged fit by &s;uch, who&s;e
place was to &s;earch into peoples purity,
who were to partake of the &s;ame.</P>
<P><HI>The main ob&s;ervation is this,</HI> Such as
are chri&s;tianly extracted, though but by the
half bloud, have a whole right to the Sacra|ment
of Bapti&s;m, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 16. If the Root
be holy &s;o are the Branches. <HI>Say not in &s;uch</HI>
mungrel matches, <HI>the</HI> root <HI>is but</HI> half holy,
<HI>and therefore but</HI> &s;emi-&s;anctity, <HI>is as much
as comes to the &s;hare of the</HI> branches
<HI>thereof.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="97" REF="60">
For herein the mercy of God is mag|nified,
that whereas he might have
made the childe, as the <HI>conclu&s;ion</HI> to fol|low
what was wor&s;t in the premi&s;es of
either Parent, his mercy interpreteth all
according to the better part thereof.
What re&s;ult could be expected from the
joyning of <HI>hot</HI> and <HI>cold</HI> but <HI>lukewarm?</HI>
What product from the blending of <HI>white</HI>
and <HI>black</HI> but a <HI>motley?</HI> What amounts
from the mixture of <HI>light</HI> and <HI>darkne&s;s</HI> but
<HI>twy-light?</HI> but &s;uch is Gods goodne&s;s to
<HI>pa&s;s over</HI> and take no notice of the Paga|ni&s;m
in one parent, whiles the child &s;hall
&s;olely &s;ucceed to the purity in the other.
Now if Chri&s;tian children by the <HI>half-bloud</HI>
be <HI>holy</HI>&punc; how clear is tho&s;e Infants ti|tle
Religiou&s;ly de&s;cended on both &s;ides?
when <HI>Deus e&s;t in utro&abque; parente,</HI> Let none
be &s;o cruel as to que&s;tion their title to the
Sacrament.</P>
<P>IF any then a&s;k, <HI>what advantage then
hath a Chri&s;tian, and what profit is there of
pious parentage?</HI> We an&s;wer, <HI>much every
way;</HI> chiefly becau&s;e extraction from
them entitles to the Sacrament of Ba|pti&s;m.
They have al&s;o the benefit of their
<PB N="98" REF="61">
parents <HI>dry</HI> and <HI>wet</HI> prayers, (even before
their conception) petitioning to God im|portunately,
to make them be in&s;tru|ments
not to <HI>People Hell,</HI> but <HI>Plant Heaven.</HI>
When growing up, capable to learn, they
have advantage of <HI>precepts (Abraham</HI> will
teach his children) of good <HI>precedents,</HI>
whiles the children of wicked parents &s;ee
daily what they &s;hould <HI>flie,</HI> the&s;e &s;ee what
they &s;hould <HI>follow;</HI> the advantage of <HI>cor|rection</HI>
moderately and &s;ea&s;onably u&s;ed.
All the&s;e are the <HI>&s;ap</HI> which the <HI>root</HI> of holy
parentage &s;ends up into the <HI>branches</HI>
thereof, though all of them too often
prove ineffectual, and God (who finally
&s;aveth not <HI>children</HI> for their <HI>parents</HI> &s;ake,
but <HI>parents</HI> and <HI>children</HI> for <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> &s;ake)
ju&s;tly condemneth many children of good
parents, for neglecting all the&s;e precious
advantages to &s;alvation.</P>
<P>To conclude. In the <HI>Low Countries,</HI> the
elde&s;t &s;on of a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion Captain,</HI> being
born there while&s;t his father is in the &s;er|vice
of the State, is by <HI>the courte&s;ie of the
camp,</HI> enrolled in the &s;ouldiers li&s;t on his
birth-day, and by the allowance of the
State, receives pay from the time of his
<PB N="99" REF="61">
nativity. In the Chri&s;tian warfare, though
Chri&s;t alone be our Captain, every com|mon
&s;ouldier (male or female) enli&s;ted
under him, derives this priviledge to all
his children; that from their very births
they are thus far entred into the <HI>mu&s;ter|roll</HI>
of the Church, as to receive pay; I
mean the right, and title to the Sacrament
of Bapti&s;m, as being by their very extra|ction,
not <HI>unclean,</HI> but <HI>Sacramently holy.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="11" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. XI. The third Rea&s;on, taken from the
Holy Spirit, which is given to
little Infants.</HEAD>
<P>THe Third <HI>Rea&s;on out of Scripture,</HI> is
thus framed: Such who receive the
Spirit of God may and ought to be Bapti|zed;
but infants receive the Spirit of
God, therefore they may and ought to be
Baptized.</P>
<P>The Major hereof is in effect the words
<PB N="100" REF="62">
of the Text; <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Acts</HI> 10. 47. <HI>Can any
man forbid water that the&s;e &s;hould not be Ba|ptized,
which have received the holy Ghost as
wel as we?</HI> Can he? that is, can he ju&s;tly? can
he lawfully? can he &s;o do it, as to avouch
it to God and man, when he hath done it?
Though I confe&s;&s;e too many <HI>de facto,</HI> do
it now adayes. <HI>Can any man? we can do
nothing,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>against the
Truth but for the Truth,</HI> 2 Cor. 13. 8. It is
not &s;trength, but weakne&s;&s;e; for one to
be able to do that which he ought not to
do. <HI>Can any man?</HI> Be he an Apo&s;tle, or
even <HI>Peter</HI> him&s;elf, MAN. He mu&s;t be
either wor&s;e then a man for his <HI>Envy,</HI> or
le&s;&s;e then a man by his <HI>Ignorance.</HI></P>
<P>The Minor remains to be proved, that
Infants receive the Spirit of God, whereof
we have two pregnant proofs, one in the
old Te&s;tament, <HI>Jer.</HI> 1. 5. <HI>Before I formed
thee in the womb I knew thee, and before
thou came&s;t out of the womb I &s;anctified thee,
and ordained thee to be a Prophet unto the
Nations.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> This &s;anctification of <HI>Jeremy,</HI>
intends not &s;uch as accompanieth the &s;al|vation
of the &s;oul, but meerly importeth
<PB N="101" REF="62">
a de&s;ignation of him to the Prophetical
function, with qualification for the di&s;|charge
thereof. It is therefore impertinent|ly
alledged to prove, that Infants have the
&s;aving Spirit of God.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>Jeremy</HI> his
de&s;tination to be a Prophet, was a princi|pal
part of his <HI>&s;anctifying</HI> here mentioned.
Yet was it not the total thereof, as being
but a &s;prig and branch of the &s;ame, which
extended to Gods forming him according
to his <HI>knowledge</HI> of <HI>approbation</HI> and <HI>hallow|ing</HI>
him as yet unborn, to be his Saint and
&s;ervant.</P>
<P>The &s;econd in&s;tance in the new Te&s;ta|ment
is that of <HI>John</HI> the Bapti&s;t, <HI>Luke</HI> 1. 41.
<HI>Leaping in his mothers womb at the &s;aluta|tion
of the virgin Mary.</HI> Not that (as
&s;ome have mi&s;taken it) that <HI>then his Mo|ther
was first &s;en&s;ible that &s;he quickned of
him,</HI> &s;eeing it was &s;aid before, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 36.
<HI>This is the &s;ixth moneth with her which was
called barren;</HI> but as it is <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 44. the
babe <HI>leaped in my womb for joy,</HI> knowing
and acknowledging Chri&s;t the Saviour of
mankind, and tran&s;ported with tran&s;cen|dent
gladne&s;&s;e for the &s;ame.</P>
<P><PB N="102" REF="63">
<HI>Object.</HI> But <HI>Jeremy and John the Ba|pti&s;t,</HI>
were <HI>Jeremy and John the Baptist,</HI> I
mean, &s;ignal per&s;ons of extraordinary &s;ta|ture
of grace, above the &s;ize of common
Chri&s;tians. Your Logick is but bad, if
from the induction of two in&s;tances, you
infer a general conclu&s;ion: As &s;oundly
you might prove, that all <HI>Davids wor|thies</HI>
were equal in valour and atchive|ments,
2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 23. 19. <HI>unto the first three,</HI>
as that al infants of Gods children may for
their abilities be matched with <HI>the&s;e two</HI>
by you alledged.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I grant no le&s;&s;e, That the&s;e two
in&s;tances were extraordinary: However
thus much advantage we gain thereby,
that they plainly prove <HI>the &s;tate of Infancy</HI>
to be <HI>receptive</HI> of grace, and of ability to
entertain the &s;ame. Let none look on In|fants
as &s;o <HI>indi&s;po&s;ed</HI> and <HI>unorganized</HI> by
rea&s;on of their weakne&s;&s;e, but that the
lowne&s;&s;e of their age is capable of the <HI>ele|vation</HI>
to &s;anctity.</P>
<P>Secondly, though we acknowledge
&s;uch <HI>redundancy</HI> of the Spirit in the extra|ordinary
and miraculous proportion
<PB N="103" REF="63">
thereof confined to a few per&s;ons, in
Chri&s;ts and the Apo&s;tles time, yet we may
no le&s;&s;e truly then confidently maintain,
that a <HI>&s;ufficiency</HI> thereof as to &s;alvation, is
conferr'd on all Gods &s;ervants now adays,
as well as before; Nor is Gods Spirit
<HI>&s;uper-annuated</HI> with aged <HI>Naomy,</HI> Ruth,
1. 11. or grown &s;o <HI>barren,</HI> or <HI>effete,</HI> but
that it is &s;till procreative, and produceth
the effects thereof in Gods &s;ervants now,
as vigorou&s;ly as ever before.</P>
<P>Otherwi&s;e, mo&s;t doleful, yea, indeed
de&s;perate were the conditions of Gods
&s;ervants now adays, if devoid of the Spirit
of God, <HI>as to the e&s;&s;entials thereof,</HI> having
now a <HI>fiercer foe and wor&s;e weapons</HI> to en|counter
him, then the Chri&s;tians had in
former ages: <HI>A fiercer foe,</HI> Satan him&s;elf
growing &s;ubtiler, with the addition of
fifteen hundred years experience; and
crueller, <HI>Rev.</HI> 12. 12. becau&s;e the &s;horter
his reign, the &s;harper his rage: <HI>Wor&s;e
weapons</HI> if we be left altogether naked of
the offencive and defencive armor of the
Spirit of God.</P>
<P>And here I cannot but admire at the
practice of &s;ome per&s;ons now adayes,
<PB N="104" REF="64">
boa&s;ting of &s;trange mea&s;ures of the Spirit
be&s;towed upon them (and we mu&s;t needs
believe them, <HI>for they &s;ay &s;o them&s;elves;</HI>)
yea, &s;uch prodigious proportions there|of,
whereby <HI>per &s;altum,</HI> they conceive
them&s;elves enabled for &s;uch offices, for
which they were never fitted by their
education. And yet the &s;elf-&s;ame per|&s;ons
who are thus prodigal in the prai&s;e of
their own perfections, a&s;&s;uming &s;o much
of the Spirit to them&s;elves, are mo&s;t mi|&s;erably
nigardly to others, and e&s;pecialy
to Infants denying the lea&s;t degree of the
Spirit unto them.</P>
<P>Whereas let matters be beheld with an
unpartial eye, and it will appear, that it is
more probable children &s;hould partake
of the company of the Spirit, then men
now adayes: May it not ju&s;tly be &s;u&s;pect|ed,
that the &s;piritual pride, uncharitable|ne&s;&s;e,
&s;elf-intere&s;t, &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pects, cru|elty,
and oppre&s;&s;ion of many men do
<HI>fright</HI> away <HI>the &s;pirit</HI> from them, how
highly &s;oever pretending to holine&s;&s;e:
whereas the mildne&s;&s;e, meekne&s;&s;e, &s;ilence,
humility and patience of a childe, may
invite the &s;ociety of the &s;pirit the &s;ooner
<PB N="105" REF="64">
unto it, and the <HI>Dove</HI> conver&s;e rather <HI>with
Doves</HI> then with <HI>Vultures.</HI></P>
<P>To put all out of doubt, we can plain|ly
demon&s;trate the fruits of Gods Spirit
and Sanctification in Infants, dying Infants,
and therefore the root therof mu&s;t be
granted to be in their hearts, which we
thus prove.</P>
<LIST TYPE="syllogism">
<ITEM><HI>What&s;oever is</HI> &s;aved <HI>is fully</HI> &s;anctified,
<HI>for</HI> Ephe&s;. 5. 5. no unclean per&s;on
hath any inheritance in the kingdom of
Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>But many children (e&s;pecially of God|ly
parents) dying children are &s;a|ved.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Therefore they are fully &s;anctified.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>He wants judgement that denies the
Major or former part of the &s;yllogi&s;m;
And he lacks as much charity who que&s;ti|ons
the Minor hereof; otherwi&s;e <HI>Herod</HI>
the cruel Tyrant, who killed only the bo|dies
of the babes in and about <HI>Bethlehem,</HI>
was <HI>all mercy</HI> to &s;uch Bloudy Mon&s;ters,
who (&s;o much as lieth in their power) by
this their Murdering opinion, Ma&s;&s;acre
the &s;ouls of &s;o many Infants, depriving
them thereby of &s;alvation.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="12" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="106" REF="65">
<HEAD>CHAP. XII. The fourth Rea&s;on drawn from &s;ome
degrees of Faith, conferred on lit|tle
Infants.</HEAD>
<P>THe Fourth <HI>Rea&s;on out of Scripture</HI> is
thus formed; They that have &s;ome
degree of Faith, may and ought to be
Baptized; But Infants have &s;ome degree
of faith;</P>
<P>Therefore they may and ought to be
Baptized.</P>
<P>The Major is the very &s;ame with the
words of the Scripture: The Eunuch
a&s;kt of <HI>Philip,</HI> Acts 8. 36. <HI>See here is water,
what doth hinder me to be baptized?</HI> Philip
an&s;wered, <HI>if thou believest with all thy heart
thou maye&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Al the difficulty is in the proof of the Mi|nor;
For our Adver&s;aries wil &s;ay, if the In|fant
could rejoyne with the Eunuch in
the &s;ame place, <HI>I believe that Je&s;us Christ is
the Son of God,</HI> then the [now mo&s;t zea|lous]
oppo&s;ers would be the mo&s;t earne&s;t
<PB N="107" REF="65">
advancers of their Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P>For the proof then of Infants faith,
let us bring another Rea&s;on, but &s;till out
of Scripture.</P>
<LIST TYPE="syllogism">
<ITEM><HI>Without faith it is impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e
God,</HI> Heb. 11. 6. </ITEM>
<ITEM>But Infants plea&s;e
God;</ITEM>
<ITEM>Therefore they have Faith.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Herein the Minor alone is <HI>dubitable,</HI>
and may manife&s;tly be evinced. All men
I know are ready to pretend that they
plea&s;e God; And Hypocrites them&s;elves
mo&s;t (odious unto him) as forward as any
to claim this priviledge to them&s;elves. To
put this therefore out of que&s;tion, it mat|ters
not what men &s;ay, but what God &s;ays
herein: We appeal to him (who be&s;t
knows his own mind) and he hath <HI>judged</HI>
this ca&s;e already, <HI>That Infants plea&s;e him.</HI></P>
<P>Say not if &s;o &s;mal then, were they in|&s;en&s;ible
of any benefit by the ble&s;&s;ing?
not conceiving the meaning of our Savi|our
therein.</P>
<P>This appears by Chri&s;ts carriage to|wards
the <HI>little children</HI> brought unto him
in the Go&s;pel; Concerning who&s;e years
<PB N="108" REF="66">
be this premi&s;ed, that though we have not
the <HI>Register books</HI> of their &s;everal ages, yet
we may conclude (at lea&s;t &s;ome of) them
no bigger then Babes. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e
called <GAP DESC="foreign"> by S. <HI>Mark</HI> 10. and judiciou&s;|ly
rendred by our Tran&s;lators, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 13.
<HI>young children,</HI> ver&s;e 14. <HI>little children;</HI>
The diminution in the Original word,
being equally appliable either to their
age or &s;tature. The &s;ame are termed by
S. <HI>Luke</HI> 18. 15. <GAP DESC="foreign">, and tran&s;lated <HI>In|fants,</HI>
alwayes u&s;ed in Scripture for &s;uch
as &s;uck on their mothers brea&s;t. Secondly,
they are &s;aid to be <HI>brought</HI> by their parents,
as unable to bring them&s;elves. Third|ly,
Chri&s;t took them up in his arms, as not
big enough to <HI>kneel down</HI> and be ble&s;&s;ed,
which otherwi&s;e was the po&s;ture of &s;trip|lings
upon the &s;ame occa&s;ion.</P>
<P>That the&s;e little children plea&s;ed Chri&s;t,
is proved by his <HI>expre&s;&s;ions</HI> (the be&s;t in|terpreters
of love or hatred in that heart
which could not di&s;&s;emble) concerning
them, <HI>Mark</HI> 10. 14. <HI>Suffer little children to
come unto me, and forbid them not, for of
&s;uch is the kingdom of God.</HI> Of Such, that
is not only of tho&s;e who are like unto
<PB N="109" REF="66">
the&s;e, (in which &s;en&s;e our Saviour might
as &s;ignificatively have &s;aid the &s;ame of
<HI>Doves</HI> or <HI>Lambs,</HI> that the kingdom of hea|ven
con&s;i&s;ts of &s;uch who are like unto
them) but of the&s;e, and al&s;o of tho&s;e who
imitate them in their innocential qualities.
Such make &s;trange interpretation of the
words, who exclude the <HI>Original,</HI> and
only admit the <HI>Copy;</HI> let in &s;uch as are
like to children, and &s;hut out children
them&s;elves from the kingdom of hea|ven.</P>
<P>Secondly, The <HI>complacency</HI> Chri&s;t took
in the&s;e little children appears by his acti|ons
unto them, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 16. <HI>he took them up
in his arms, laid his hands on them, and
ble&s;&s;ed them;</HI> See wee &s;uch Infants were in
a <HI>ble&s;&s;ible condition.</HI></P>
<P>Here we di&s;tingui&s;h between childrens
<HI>being &s;en&s;ible of the meaning,</HI> and their
<HI>being capable of the benefit,</HI> by a ble&s;&s;ing.
Probably &s;ome of the &s;malle&s;t children
here pre&s;ented unto Chri&s;t, under&s;tood
not our Saviours language, nor the mean|ing
of his ge&s;tures, until their parents af|terwards
interpreted the &s;ame unto them
as they grew up in years. And yet &s;uch
<PB N="110" REF="67">
Infants might effectually partake of the
vigour, and vertue of Chri&s;ts benedi|ction.
Thus as many though by natural
defect they never had, or by &s;ickne&s;&s;e have
lo&s;t their <HI>Ta&s;te,</HI> and by their pallat cannot
di&s;tingui&s;h betixt <HI>&s;weet, bitter, &s;harp, &s;owre,</HI>
&amp;c. (and con&s;equently take no plea&s;ure
or delight in what they eat or drink) yet
by the receiving thereof, may have their
hunger and thir&s;t &s;atisfied, and their
&s;trength daily increa&s;ed; So the&s;e Infants
purely pa&s;&s;ive in our Saviours Arms,
<HI>brought thither</HI> without their <HI>knowledge,</HI>
and <HI>blest there</HI> above their <HI>under&s;tanding,</HI>
did neverthele&s;s (&s;ome of them no doubt)
really participate of the &s;piritual comfort
which the emphatical ble&s;&s;ing of Chri&s;t
impre&s;&s;ed upon them.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="13" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="111" REF="67">
<HEAD>CHAP. XIII. The Fift Rea&s;on drawn from the Ma|lady
of Original Corruption.</HEAD>
<P>THe Fift <HI>Rea&s;on out of Scripture</HI> may
thus be contrived; They who are
&s;ubject to the malady of &s;in, ought
to partake of the remedy again&s;t it; But
Infants are &s;ubject to the malady of &s;in;
therfore they ought to partake of bapti&s;m
the remedy again&s;t it. For the proof of the
<HI>major</HI> or fir&s;t part thereof, I appeal a|mong&s;t
Chri&s;tians, only to the married;
among&s;t the married, only to the parents
of children. The&s;e cannot deny it, but
that again&s;t their wills, as the unhappy in|&s;truments,
they have derived corruption
to their infants, as conveyed in the &s;ame
charter of their being unto them.</P>
<P>If any &s;hould be &s;o &s;en&s;le&s;s as to deny In|fants
infected with Original Corruption,
the contrary will be &s;adly demon&s;trated
by tho&s;e &s;everal di&s;ea&s;es, and death it &s;elf,
to which they are &s;ubject, before they
<PB N="112" REF="68">
have or can commit actual &s;in. All will
confe&s;&s;e no &s;uffering can follow but
where &s;in hath gone before, and that In|fants
deeply &s;hare in &s;ufferings, daily ex|perience
approveth. Some of them
while&s;t they lie in the Cradle, how lie
they on the rack? Such &s;ighes, &s;uch &s;obs,
&s;uch gripes, &s;uch groans, &s;uch convul&s;ions,
&s;uch di&s;tortions, enough almo&s;t to kill the
hearts of the beholders, relating unto
them, if all pitty be not dead in them
before: Nor can all the rending of the
fathers hair, abate the aching of the childs
head, nor all the rain of the mothers
tears, allay the wind in the babes body.
<HI>Quid teneri infantes in te committere tan|tum?
quid pueri potuere.</HI> But the&s;e little
Lambs wherein have they offended? Their
hands did never hurt others, which could
not help them&s;elves: Their tongues did
never lie, &s;wear, &amp;c. which cannot &s;peak;
Their feet were never &s;wift to &s;hed bloud
which cannot go. All the&s;e mi&s;eries, and
death at la&s;t, fals often, on Infants un|capable
of actual &s;in, becau&s;e of the cor|ruption
of their nature wherein they were
born and conceived.</P>
<P><PB N="113" REF="68">
Seeing therefore Infants are &s;ubject to
the malady of &s;in, what a cruelty were it
for parents to leave them in this pittiful
ca&s;e neglecting the remedy for the &s;ame?
By the Levitical Law, <HI>Exod.</HI> 21. 33. <HI>If a
man &s;hall open a pit, and not cover it,</HI> he
was to pay the owner for the lo&s;&s;e of tho&s;e
his cattel which fell into it: Parents ha|ving
opened a pit of original corruption
by the &s;infulne&s;&s;e of their nature, if they
labour not to cover it again, as much as in
them lies, by u&s;ing the ordinance God
hath appointed for the &s;ame, &s;hall not the
&s;ouls of their children, if finally falling in|to
that <HI>pit,</HI> be heavily required at their
hands? Yea, &s;hall man be carele&s;&s;e and
cruel, where God hath been &s;o kind and
careful in his in&s;tituting of Bapti&s;m? <HI>Rom.</HI>
6. 3. <HI>That we may be Baptized into Je&s;us
Chri&s;t his death,</HI> as it followeth <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 6.
<HI>that the body of &s;in may be de&s;troyed,</HI> To
conclude, <HI>Infants</HI> having the body of
&s;in as well as <HI>adult per&s;ons,</HI> and Bapti&s;m
being appointed for the de&s;truction there|of,
&s;uch parents are wanting to their own
duty, undervalue Gods ordinance, and
are cruel to the &s;ouls of the fle&s;h of their
<PB N="114" REF="69">
body that deny Bapti&s;m unto Infants.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="14" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. XIV. The Sixth Rea&s;on, drawn from the
con&s;tant Practice of Chri&s;tian
Churches in all Ages; what cre|dit
is to be given to a Primitive
Cu&s;tome.</HEAD>
<P>I Shall now be challenged by &s;uch, who
herein di&s;&s;ent in judgement from me,
for breach of promi&s;e, &s;tarting from
my own principles; that having promi|&s;ed
<HI>Rea&s;ons out of Scripture,</HI> I flie now to
Church-Practice, and Ancient Tradition.
Wherefore to vindicate my &s;elf, &amp; (which
is far more con&s;iderable) the Truth here|in,
I will fir&s;t prove by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance, by
<HI>Rea&s;on out of Scripture,</HI> that the Practice of
the Catholique Church, in all Places, and
at all Times, (e&s;pecially in &s;uch matters,
wherein nothing appears contrary in
Gods Word) obligeth all con&s;cientious
<PB N="115" REF="69">
Chri&s;tians to the ob&s;ervation thereof.
And in the next Chapter we wil &s;hew, that
the Baptizing of Infants hath been the un|interrupted
Cu&s;tome of the Church.</P>
<P>Be it premi&s;ed, that if we look on <HI>Cu|&s;tomes</HI>
&s;imply in them&s;elves, we &s;hall find
them generally, like the men of <HI>Sodom,</HI>
not <HI>ten good ones,</HI> among&s;t the many thou|&s;ands
of them. For what is <HI>Cu&s;tome,</HI> but
the practice of mo&s;t men time out of
mind. Now &s;eeing mo&s;t men, yea, all
men by Nature, <HI>Gen.</HI> 6. 5. <HI>have the ima|ginations
of their hearts evil,</HI> and that not
for a day, week, or year; but, as the Text
&s;aith, <HI>continually;</HI> no wonder if Cu&s;tomes
be commonly wicked. Yea, &s;uch errours,
and vices, which at the fir&s;t are &s;oft, and
&s;upple, pliable to Reproof, and &s;en&s;ible
of Refutation, contract an hardne&s;&s;e, by
cu&s;tome, in continuance of time; yea,
get an incru&s;tation, and &s;uch &s;cales over
them, that they become impenetrable to
Scripture and Rea&s;on brought again&s;t
them. And as <HI>Lahan</HI> deceived plain|dealing
<HI>Jacob,</HI> in his Marriage, <HI>Gen.</HI> 29. 26.
by pleading the <HI>cu&s;tome of the Country,</HI>
&s;o it is confe&s;&s;ed, that too many in all A|ges,
<PB N="116" REF="70">
in matters both of faith and fact, have
alledged Cu&s;tome to Patronize their er|roneous
opinions, and injurious practi|&s;es.</P>
<P>But all this ought not to beget in us a
neglect of &s;uch Cu&s;tomes, which like
<HI>Melchi&s;edec,</HI> are <HI>Heb.</HI> 7. 3. <HI>without father,
without mother, without di&s;cent;</HI> who&s;e
fir&s;t <HI>original</HI> cannot be found out; <HI>as pra|cti&s;ed
in the Church, time out of mind;</HI> no
remembrance, or <HI>record</HI> extant to the con|trary.
Now as <HI>Melchi&s;edec,</HI> in the &s;ame
place, is &s;aid to have <HI>neither beginning of
dayes,</HI> and what nece&s;&s;arily followeth
thence, <HI>nor end of life;</HI> &s;o it is but ju&s;t and
equal that &s;uch <HI>Ancient Cu&s;tomes</HI> in the
<HI>Church,</HI> which never had memorable <HI>Ri&s;e,</HI>
&s;hould never have <HI>Fall</HI> therein; but that
&s;uch which probably began at the <HI>fir&s;t,</HI>
&s;hould con&s;tantly be continued till the
<HI>la&s;t coming</HI> of our <HI>Saviour.</HI></P>
<P>Here I plead not for &s;uch <HI>mi&s;-&s;hapen
Cu&s;tomes,</HI> which either run up all in <HI>length,
narrow,</HI> and <HI>&s;lender,</HI> which (though long
in u&s;e) never extended to any <HI>widene&s;s</HI> in
the Chri&s;tian World; or el&s;e &s;o <HI>low,</HI> and
<HI>thick,</HI> they only <HI>&s;pread</HI> in <HI>bredth,</HI> (as ma|ny
<PB N="117" REF="70">
<HI>Popi&s;h Cu&s;tomes,</HI> generally, but not an|ciently
u&s;ed) but never &s;hot up to the
ju&s;t &s;tature of <HI>Primitive Antiquity.</HI> We
only defend &s;uch <HI>wel-grown Cu&s;tomes</HI>
which I call <HI>&s;quare</HI> ones, (the form of firm|ne&s;s
and &s;tability) who&s;e <HI>height</HI> and <HI>bredth</HI>
are well proportioned, put in ure by
Chri&s;tians at all times, and in all places;
conceiving we can demon&s;trate it, <HI>by rea|&s;on
from Scripture,</HI> that &s;uch Cu&s;tomes
mu&s;t be pre&s;umed, grounded on the <HI>word</HI>
and <HI>will of God.</HI></P>
<P>For proof whereof we produce Gods
promi&s;e, and <HI>Lo I am with you always unto
the end of the world, Amen.</HI> Mat. 28. 20.
Every operative word herein de&s;erves
our &s;erious con&s;ideration</P>
<P>I am with you unto the end: I am, <HI>A</HI>
verb <HI>of the</HI> pre&s;ent, <HI>joyned with words
of the</HI> future ten&s;e; <HI>to &s;hew Gods</HI> In&s;tan|taneous
a&s;&s;i&s;tance <HI>in every moment of</HI> ex|tremity,
P&s;al. 46. 1. God is our &s;trength and
refuge a very pre&s;ent help in trouble.</P>
<P><HI>With you:</HI> This cannot be meant only
of the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> per&s;onally, none of them
living to the <HI>end of the world,</HI> &s;eeing <HI>John</HI>
him&s;elf, (the &s;urviver of the <HI>whole Jury</HI>)
<PB N="118" REF="71">
died about the <HI>year</HI> of <HI>our Lord&punc;</HI> 102. It is
therefore meant exten&s;ively of the <HI>Di|&s;ciples,</HI>
as they were an <HI>immortal corpora|tion.
With you:</HI> Selves, and &s;ucce&s;&s;ours,
per&s;ons, and po&s;terity. As <HI>Chri&s;t: John</HI> 17.
20. Did not <HI>pray for the&s;e alone,</HI> &s;o here he
did not promi&s;e to the&s;e alone; <HI>but to
them al&s;o which &s;hould believe on him
through their word.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words, <HI>To be with you,</HI> import
not only a promi&s;e of protecting them
from all dangers, but al&s;o of directing
them in all doctrines, nece&s;&s;ary to be be|lieved
and practi&s;ed for their <HI>&s;alvation.</HI>
And this promi&s;e being made not &s;o much
to the particular per&s;ons, as to the colle|ctive
body of the Church, is not &s;o effe|ctually
performed to every individual
Chri&s;tian, as to the Univer&s;al Church,
which amounteth from them all.</P>
<P>We confe&s;&s;e that notwith&s;tanding the
fore&s;aid promi&s;e of protection and dire|ction,
many good men have been guilty
of great errours, and have al&s;o fallen by
Gods permi&s;&s;ion, and ju&s;t puni&s;hment of
their &s;ins into grievous dangers. How|ever
Divine goodne&s;&s;e &s;o <HI>doubleth his Files</HI>
<PB N="119" REF="71">
about his Church in general, that he will
not &s;uffer the &s;ame to be univer&s;ally in|fected
in all Ages with any one dangerous
Errour. And therefore <HI>a Church Cu&s;tome
in all times and places,</HI> mu&s;t be pre&s;umed
conformable to the will of God, becau&s;e
were it erroneous, it were utterly incon|&s;i&s;tent
with that &s;olemn promi&s;e which
God hath pa&s;&s;ed to his Church, to <HI>be with
them unto the worlds end.</HI></P>
<P>Such who on the contrary &s;ide are high|ly
opinioned of their private Judgements,
and will not confide in the Univer&s;al Cu|&s;tomes
of the Church: I know not whe|ther
therein they do &s;hew more want of
Charity in condemning &s;o many Chri&s;ti|ans
at once, or plenty of pride in over|prizing
their own judgements; or &s;tore
of profanene&s;&s;e in doubting, yea, deny|ing
the performance of Gods promi&s;e &s;o
&s;olemnly made of his protecting pre&s;ence
in the Church, who &s;urely will di&s;patch
and de&s;troy an errour therein, before it
grow up to be &s;o long liv'd as to become
a Cu&s;tome.</P>
<P><HI>What a high valuation S.</HI> Paul <HI>&s;et on
Church Cu&s;tomes, appears by his ex|pre&s;&s;ion,</HI>
<PB N="120" REF="72">
1 Cor. 11. 16. But if any man &s;eem to
be contentious, we have no &s;uch cu&s;tome, nei|ther
the Churches of God: <HI>For the better
under&s;tanding whereof, know that the
Corinthians were guilty of an</HI> innovation&punc;
<HI>wherein they were an</HI> exception <HI>from the</HI>
rule <HI>of the general practice in all Chri&s;tian
Churches: The Innovation was this, that
their women u&s;ed to pray</HI> uncovered, <HI>the
men</HI> covered; <HI>that is, as it is generally in|terpreted,
the women with &s;hort, the men
with long hair. This ill fa&s;hion S.</HI> Paul
<HI>confutes with &s;everal rea&s;ons drawn from
the power of man over his wife, appeal|ing
al&s;o to natural decencie therein.
And at la&s;t concludes all with this clo&s;e;</HI>
But if any &s;eem to be contentious, we have no
&s;uch Cu&s;tome, nor yet the Churches of God.
<HI>As if he had &s;aid,</HI> could you Corinthians
pre&s;cribe any cu&s;tome, that in Gods Churches
grave and godly men and women have pray|ed
as you do, the former covered the latter
uncovered. Then &s;hould you alledge much
in your own ju&s;tification. But I am confi|dent
on the contrary, that no &s;uch cu&s;tome
can be produced, and therefore your &s;ingu|larity,
is condemned by the joynt practice of
<PB N="121" REF="72">
all Gods Churches again&s;t them.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The&s;e words, <HI>But if any man
&s;eem to be contentious, we have no &s;uch cu|&s;tome,
neither the Churches of God;</HI> Im|port
only, that Gods Churches have no
cu&s;tome to be contentious: Chri&s;tians
ought to be of a quiet and peaceable
mind, and not to delight in vain janglings
and di&s;&s;entions.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> This cannot be the meaning
of the words: For was ever man &s;o &s;illy
as to &s;uppo&s;e and conceive that Gods
Churches &s;hould be &s;o irrational as to
have a ridiculous <HI>cu&s;tome of being conten|tious?</HI>
The Church is &s;o far from having
&s;uch cu&s;tome (which is a habit re&s;ulting
from many acts) that it condemneth each
&s;ingle act of cau&s;ele&s;&s;e contention as wick|ed
and ungodly. Yea, no civilized
e&s;tate, though con&s;i&s;ting of meer Pagans,
ever had any <HI>cu&s;tome to be contentious,</HI> or
did ever delight in <HI>Barrettors:</HI> More then
mu&s;t be meant herein, that Gods Chur|ches
had never any &s;uch Cu&s;tome for the
two Sexes &s;o to pray as the Corinthians
did, who herein <HI>ran counter</HI> to the Uni|ver&s;al
practice of Chri&s;tianity; the Apo|&s;tle
<PB N="122" REF="73">
naming <HI>Churches</HI> in the Plural, which
are the <HI>&s;ingle in&s;truments</HI> (as the whole
Church is the <HI>con&s;ort</HI>) all of them <HI>harmo|niou&s;ly
agreeing</HI> in this cu&s;tome, &s;ave only
the jarring Corinthians, who are <HI>out of
tune</HI> by them&s;elves.</P>
<P>If a Church cu&s;tome carried weight
with it in S. <HI>Pauls</HI> time, when among&s;t
Chri&s;tians it could not be above <HI>fourty
years &s;tanding;</HI> what a reverence is due to
tho&s;e cu&s;tomes which have continued in
Gods Church above &s;ixteen hundred
years, among&s;t which the Baptizing of
Infants is a principal; and if S. <HI>Pauls</HI> ar|gument
followed negatively, <HI>women ought
not pray uncovered, becau&s;e the Church hath
no &s;uch cu&s;tome;</HI> the con&s;equence is no
le&s;&s;e &s;trong from the affirmative, <HI>Children
ought to be Baptized, becau&s;e the Church in
all ages hath had &s;uch a Custome;</HI> The pro|ving
whereof is the &s;ubject of the en|&s;uing
Chapter.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="15" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="123" REF="73">
<HEAD>CHAP. XV. The Antiquity and generallity of Ba|ptizing
of Infants, proved by the
confe&s;&s;ion of Pelagius.</HEAD>
<P>DIvers Learned and Godly Divines,
have undertaken, and performed
this ta&s;k, to prove the con&s;tant
practice of Infants Bapti&s;m in the Primi|tive
Church, by the induction of the Au|thorities
of &s;everal Fathers to that pur|po&s;e.
And as the Angels in <HI>Jacobs</HI> Lad|der,
<HI>Gen.</HI> 28. 12. Some a&s;cended, others
de&s;cended upon it; &s;o in this <HI>&s;cale of au|thorities,</HI>
&s;ome have deduced the practice
downwards from Chri&s;ts time to our
dayes; others by an inverted method
have rai&s;ed it upwards from our days to
Chri&s;ts time, both by different motions
meeting in the &s;ame point.</P>
<P>It is our hap, like <HI>Ahimaaz,</HI> to be &s;ent
la&s;t on the &s;ame errand: the proof of this
point. And although far be &s;uch arro|gance
<PB N="124" REF="74">
from me as to hope with him to
come fir&s;t to our journeys end (and to do
<HI>better</HI> then my <HI>betters</HI> have done before
me) yet thus far wil I follow the example
of <HI>Ahimaaz,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 18. 23. <HI>To run by the way
of the plain.</HI> Having to deal with people
who generally are unlearned, &amp; therefore
the heaping of Quotations in unknown
tongues, were probable to offend, and in|cen&s;e,
rather then to edifie and inform
them, we will imbrace the plaine&s;t way
to make the Baptizing of Infants appear
an Antient and general Church Cu&s;tome
unto them.</P>
<P>This will be proved by the confe&s;&s;ion of
<HI>Pelagius,</HI> when fir&s;t we have given an ac|count
to the Reader what he was, when,
and where he lived, and what opinions he
maintained.</P>
<P>He was a <HI>Britan</HI> by birth, flouri&s;hing a|bout
the year of our Lord <HI>four hundred &amp;
ten;</HI> a man of great learning, and greater
parts, had the &s;ame been &s;anctified unto
him.</P>
<P>In the time of this <HI>Pelagius,</HI> only three
parts of the world were known, <HI>Europe,
A&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Africa;</HI> all which were traced
<PB N="125" REF="74">
with the feet of <HI>Pelagius,</HI> who though born
in a <HI>corner</HI> of the World, quickly quitted
his native &s;oyl, and enriched him&s;elf with
the experience of <HI>Church-practice</HI> in all
parts.</P>
<P>In
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Europe</HI> where he was born in
<HI>Britain,</HI> and where he lived a
long time in<NOTE N="&Verbar;" PLACE="marg"><HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> Epi&s;t. 95.</NOTE> <HI>Rome</HI> it &s;elf, gain|ing
there great acquaintance
with <HI>Ruffinus</HI>) which may pa&s;&s;e
for the <HI>Epitome</HI> of the then <HI>Chri|&s;tian
world.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>A&s;ia,</HI> where in the I&s;land of
<HI>Rhodes,</HI> or thereabouts, he fir&s;t
&s;cattered his dangerous Do|ctrine.
Afterwards he went to
<NOTE N="&Verbar;" PLACE="marg"><HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> Epi&s;t. 92.</NOTE> <HI>Hieru&s;alem.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Africa,</HI> where for &s;ome times
he continued in <HI>Egypt,</HI> working
him&s;elf into the familiarity of
the learned men therein.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Yea, it is laid to the charge of <HI>Pelagius,</HI>
that to di&s;per&s;e his poy&s;onous opinions
with the more advantage, <HI>&s;aepius mutavit
loca,</HI> he often purpo&s;ely changed the place
of his habitation.</P>
<P>Among&s;t the many dangerous doctrines
<PB N="126" REF="75">
which <HI>Pelagius</HI> maintained, we will in&s;i&s;t
on that alone; the confutation whereof,
makes mainly for our pre&s;ent purpo&s;e.
He defended that Infants were conceived
and born without original &s;in, which came
unto them (when growing in years) not
from an inward <HI>principal of corruption,</HI>
but from their <HI>imitation of outward</HI> ill ex|amples
pre&s;ented unto them. S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI>
undertakes his confutation, and among&s;t
many other &s;olid Arguments to that pur|po&s;e,
principally in&s;i&s;teth upon this, that
it <HI>was the cu&s;tome of the Church in all ages
to Baptize Infants;</HI> which plainly proves
that they were conceived in original &s;in.
<HI>For that which is clean needs not to be wa&s;h|ed.</HI></P>
<P>This Argument is often inculcated by
S. <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> in &s;everal places, as namely in
his 150 Epi&s;tle unto <HI>Sixtus.</HI></P>
<P>Likewi&s;e in his &s;econd book of <HI>Mar|riage
and concupi&s;cence,</HI> in the eighteenth
chapter.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e in his four books to <HI>Bonifa|cius,</HI>
and every where in his &s;ix books a|gain&s;t
<HI>Julian,</HI> one of <HI>Pelagius</HI> his &s;chollers.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e in his fir&s;t book of <HI>imperfect
<PB N="127" REF="75">
work</HI> again&s;t the &s;ame, chapter 48. 54. and
115.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, in his &s;econd book of <HI>imperfect
work,</HI> chapter 120. and 180. To &s;pare
making more in&s;tances, the matter being
notoriou&s;ly known to any, who have the
lea&s;t &s;kill in the works of that worthy Fa|ther.</P>
<P><HI>Now how ea&s;ie had it been for</HI> Pelagi|us
<HI>to an&s;wer this argument, by denying
childrens Bapti&s;m to be a Church cu|&s;tome,
had not his con&s;cience been con|vinced
of the truth thereof: How might
he have rejoyned,</HI> Original &s;in cannot be
proved from the Baptizing of Infants, <HI>which
is</HI> but a modern cu&s;tome, &amp; an innovation in
the Church of God. What the Sodomites &s;aid
of <HI>Lot,</HI> Gen. 19. 9. <HI>This one fellow came
in to &s;ojourn and will he needs be a judg?
may be &s;aid of</HI> Infants Bapti&s;m: This cu|&s;tome
is new and novel, lately crept into the
Chuch (as yet rather a &s;ojourner, then an in|habitant
therein) and mu&s;t this regulate
matters in a judicial way, &s;o that arguments
mu&s;t be deduced from the &s;ame? Be&s;ides, I
have been a Traveller, and have conver&s;ed
with mo&s;t Churches in Christendome, being
<PB N="128" REF="76">
born in <HI>Britaine</HI> (a little world by it &s;elf;)
I have been in the great world abroad: Jew
and Gentile, Ea&s;t and We&s;tern Churches
have I ob&s;erved: <HI>Hieru&s;alem</HI> that was, and
<HI>Rome</HI> which is, &s;o eminent for Religion, are
places wherein I am well acquainted. <HI>This
I know &s;ome Churches ob&s;erve, others
neglect, &s;ome u&s;e,</HI> others &s;light the Bapti|&s;ing
of Infants. <HI>Nor</HI> can it be accounted a ge|neral
cu&s;tom of the Church which is but local,
and partial, in a word, both <HI>NEW</HI> and <HI>NAR|ROW,</HI>
as neither coming down from Christ,
nor extended over all Chri&s;tendome.</P>
<P>But <HI>Pelagius</HI> endeavoured to evade
S. <HI>Austins</HI> argument by another device;
namely, by pleading that Bapti&s;m was
admitted to Infants, <HI>not to wa&s;h away their
Original &s;in, but to bring them to the king|dome
of heaven.</HI> A fancy which he was
the fir&s;t, and (he and his) the la&s;t to main|tain
it.</P>
<P>The re&s;ult of all is this; Seeing <HI>Pela|gius</HI>
was &s;o great a &s;chollar, knowing full
well how to manage a bad cau&s;e to its
be&s;t advantage; and &s;eeing he was &s;o
great a Traveller, who had not <HI>eat his bread
all in one place,</HI> but had roved up and
<PB N="129" REF="76">
down to know the cu&s;tomes of the
Church, and yet feeing by his &s;ilence (ur|ging
nothing again&s;t it) and by his &s;hift|ing
(&s;eeking otherwi&s;e to evade it) he ac|knowledgeth
the truth of Infants Ba|pti&s;m;
we conclude the &s;ame in his days
received for an Ancient and Univer&s;al
practice of the Church. For why &s;hould
he adventure the breaking of his bones,
(or at lea&s;twi&s;e the brui&s;ing of his fle&s;h) by
leaping out of the <HI>window,</HI> who hath a
<HI>wide door</HI> &s;et open unto him? Why &s;hould
he make &s;o poor and pittiful, &s;o ba&s;e and
beggerly an e&s;cape, to avoid S. <HI>Au&s;tins</HI> ar|gument
again&s;t him (by forming a frivo|lous
fancy of his own) who had a ful, free,
and fair pa&s;&s;age at plea&s;ure to go forth,
dur&s;t he but have denied the Baptizing of
Infants to have been a general Church cu|&s;tome
in his time?</P>
<P><HI>To conclude this point, the argu|ment
of</HI> Jephthah <HI>to the King of</HI> Ammon,
<HI>carrieth great weight therewith,</HI> Judg. 11.
26. <HI>proving</HI> I&s;raels <HI>right to the Land
which they po&s;&s;e&s;t, and the</HI> Ammonites
<HI>pretended unto:</HI> When I&s;rael dwelt in
He&s;hbon, and her towns, and in Aroer and
<PB N="130" REF="77">
her towns, and in all the cities that be along
by the coa&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">s of A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">on three hundred years,
why there fore did ye not recover them within
that time?</P>
<P>In like manner may we urge it again&s;t
the adver&s;aries of childrens Bapti&s;m. If
the Ancient Church conceived the Bapti|zing
of Infants an u&s;urpation, and in|croachment,
injurious and unlawful, why
did not the Church of God in &s;o long a
time ca&s;t out the cu&s;tome which made &s;o
unju&s;t an inva&s;ion therein? For S. <HI>Au|&s;tin</HI>
lived about the fift Century after
Chri&s;t&punc; when Pedo-bapti&s;m was in a
<HI>peaceable pa&s;&s;i&s;&s;ion</HI> of Church practice, and
<HI>Pelagius</HI> him&s;elf (&s;ufficiently impudent)
was &s;o mode&s;t and ingenious not to deny
the &s;ame, though &s;uch a denial had con|duced
much to his own advantage.</P>
<P>I have done, when I have told the Rea|der
that S. <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> brought the <HI>Baptizing of
Infants</HI> as an argument to prove <HI>Original
&s;in;</HI> and in our age (wherein <HI>Original &s;in</HI>
is on ought to be granted by all) we al|ledge
the &s;ame as a rea&s;on to prove the ne|ce&s;&s;ity
of <HI>Infants Bapti&s;m;</HI> and &s;urely &s;o
&s;olid is the argument <HI>reciprocally,</HI> that
<PB N="131" REF="77">
both may be firmly grounded on the
&s;ame.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="16" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. XVI. The Grand Objection, drawn from
the &s;ilence of Scripture herein,
An&s;wered.</HEAD>
<P>OUr Adver&s;aries in this point, gain
not a greater advantage again&s;t us
among&s;t common people, then by urging
of that, which indeed we confe&s;&s;e, no li|teral
precept or practice for Pedo-bapti&s;m
in Scripture. By popular improving of
which argument, they not only gain to
them&s;elves the reputation of a &s;trict ad|herence
to the Word, and will of God,
but al&s;o a&s;per&s;e us with the dangerous
imputation of wil-wor&s;hip, and Popi&s;h
inclinations.</P>
<P><HI>Yea, which is more, they threaten us
with a cur&s;e pronounced,</HI> Rev. 22. 18.
If any man &s;hall adde unto the&s;e things, God
<PB N="132" REF="78">
&s;hall adde unto him the plagues that are writ|ten
in this book.</P>
<P>In An&s;wer whereunto; In the fir&s;t
place we reque&s;t our Adver&s;aries to re|member,
that this place by them cited
out of the <HI>Revelation,</HI> like a two edged
&s;word, cuts on both &s;ides; for it follow|eth
immediatly, <HI>And if any &s;hall take away
from the words of the book of this prophe&s;ie,
God &s;hall take away his part out of the book
of life.</HI> See here a cur&s;e incurr'd, as well
by the defect, as the exce&s;&s;e. And be it
reported to our oppo&s;ites in this point,
whether denying &s;uch con&s;equences,
which infallibly flow from Scripture,
be not taking away from the words, as
well as mutilating, or ab&s;tracting the nu|merical
words from the &s;ame.</P>
<P>More particularly I an&s;wer; Bapti|zing
of Infants appears not to &s;uch who
only <HI>read the Scripture,</HI> but is plainly vi&s;i|ble
to tho&s;e who al&s;o <HI>&s;earch the Scriptures,</HI>
(which <HI>John</HI> 5. 39. is the duty of all judi|cious
Chri&s;tians) as by <HI>rea&s;ons out of Scri|pture</HI>
we have made it to appear.</P>
<P>Here will it not be ami&s;&s;e to mind our
adver&s;aries in this point, that they account
<PB N="133" REF="78">
them&s;elves concerned in con&s;cience to be|lieve
and practice many things as nece&s;&s;a|ry
to &s;alvation, which notwith&s;tanding
are built on the &s;ame foundation with the
<HI>Bapti&s;m of Infants,</HI> namely not on the ex|pre&s;&s;e
letter of Scripture, but undeniable
con&s;equences ari&s;ing from the &s;ame.</P>
<P>But I conceive &s;uch in&s;tancing, though
lawful yet not expedient, in this unhappy
juncture of time, <HI>le&s;t Satan get an advan|tage
over us, for we are not ignorant of his
devices;</HI> and le&s;t &s;uch in&s;tancing, though
intentionally good in us, prove occa&s;io|nally
evil to others, by ca&s;ting &s;cruples
into mens con&s;ciences who are quiet,
for the pre&s;ent. There needs more allay|ing
of old, then rai&s;ing of new jealou&s;ies
in divinity, more needful to &s;ettle, then
&s;catter mens belief, in our dayes, wherein
&s;o many deniers, and more doubters, in
mo&s;t Articles of Faith.</P>
<P><HI>Indeed the</HI> words of the wi&s;e, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 12.
11. are as goads or as nailes fa&s;tened by the
masters of the a&s;&s;emblies; <HI>But &s;uch buil|ders
mu&s;t be wary, le&s;t while&s;t they</HI> fa&s;ten
<HI>one</HI> nail <HI>they do not</HI> loo&s;en <HI>another.</HI></P>
<P>However to prove this point, I will
<PB N="134" REF="79">
embrace a way, as &s;ure to clear the mat|ter,
and more &s;afe, not having any dan|gerous
influence on the times. This may
be done by removing the in&s;tance, from
our age; and fixing the &s;ame in the time
of Gods Church among&s;t the Jews&punc; Now
none will deny but that <HI>wil-wor&s;hip,</HI> or ad|ding
to Gods Word, and his Service, was
as utterly unlawful among&s;t them, as
among&s;t us Chri&s;tians; Yet the mo&s;t re|ligious
among&s;t them, u&s;ed that as their
bounden duty, and nece&s;&s;ary to Gods &s;er|vice
which hath no original expre&s;ly in
the word of God.</P>
<P>For proof hereof, we &s;hall offer three
things to the readers con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>1. Repairing to <HI>Synagogues</HI> among&s;t the
<HI>Jews,</HI> was a nece&s;&s;ary part of Gods
&s;ervice.</P>
<P>2. The &s;ame was not grounded on any
expre&s;&s;e of Scripture.</P>
<P>3. But con&s;equentially on &s;everal pla|ces,
prudentially joyned together.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, It plainly appeareth by
Chri&s;ts con&s;tant practice, <HI>Luke</HI> 4. 16. <HI>And
as his cu&s;tome was, he went into the &s;yna|gogue
on the &s;abbath day.</HI> As &s;ure as a <HI>&s;e|venth
<PB N="135" REF="79">
day</HI> return'd every <HI>week,</HI> &s;o certain|ly
did our <HI>Saviour</HI> vi&s;it the <HI>&s;ynagogue.</HI> It is
al&s;o evident by the continual cu&s;tome of
all pious <HI>Jews,</HI> Acts 15. 21. <HI>For Mo&s;es of
old time hath in every city them that preach
him, being read in the &s;ynagogues every &s;ab|bath
day.</HI> To de&s;troy the&s;e <HI>&s;ynagogues</HI> was
accounted a wicked work, witne&s;&s;e Gods
&s;ervants their pa&s;&s;ionate complaint,
<HI>P&s;al.</HI> 74. 8.</P>
<P>And again, to erect them was an ac|ceptible
act, alledged by the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> as
an argument to endeer the <HI>Centurion</HI> unto
our <HI>Saviour,</HI> Mat. 8. <HI>he loveth our nation
and hath built us a &s;ynagogue.</HI> La&s;tly, it was
e&s;teemed a heavy puni&s;hment, equiva|lent
to our <HI>excommunication,</HI> John 9. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">.
<HI>to be put out of the &s;ynagogue.</HI></P>
<P>Yet <HI>repairing</HI> to <HI>&s;ynagogues,</HI> or the
<HI>erecting</HI> of them was not founded on any
po&s;itive precept in Gods word. Indeed
the <HI>Tabernacle,</HI> and afterward the <HI>Temple,</HI>
were of Divine <HI>in&s;titution</HI> where all <HI>males</HI>
were commanded to pre&s;ent them&s;elves
<HI>thrice</HI> a year; namely at the <HI>Pa&s;&s;eover,</HI> the
<HI>fea&s;t of Trumpets,</HI> and <HI>Tabernaclos.</HI> But
the&s;e <HI>&s;ynagogues</HI> (which I may terme <HI>Chap|pels
<PB N="136" REF="80">
of ea&s;e,</HI> to the <HI>mother-Temple</HI>) no writ|ten
law obliged men either to the foun|ding
or frequenting of them.</P>
<P>Yet that the &s;ame was grounded on
rational <HI>deductions</HI> from <HI>Scripture,</HI> may
infallibly be evinced. The text &s;aith,
<HI>Exod.</HI> 20. <HI>Remember thou keep holy the &s;ab|bath
day.</HI> And rea&s;on dictated unto them;
Fir&s;t, that peoples pre&s;ence at publick
&s;ervice was a principal part of &s;anctifying
the <HI>&s;abbath.</HI> Secondly, that it was im|po&s;&s;ible
for them to repair to the Tem|ple,
and return to their hou&s;es, &s;uch
their di&s;tance betwixt them. Thirdly,
therefore it was nece&s;&s;ary &s;ome <HI>room of
receipt</HI> &s;hould be provided, &s;eque&s;tred
from common u&s;es, wherein people
&s;hould meet together. La&s;tly, another
text affirming, <HI>That the Priests lips &s;hould
pre&s;erve knowledge.</HI> It was proper for
them, and the <HI>Levites</HI> di&s;per&s;ed in all <HI>I&s;|rael,</HI>
on the <HI>&s;abbath,</HI> in the <HI>&s;ynagogue,</HI> to
read <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to the people. Thus we
find the fir&s;t <HI>foundation</HI> of <HI>&s;ynagagues,</HI> not
on the floating <HI>&s;ands</HI> of humane fancy, but
<HI>firm rock</HI> of Gods <HI>Word;</HI> Though not di|rectly,
yet by con&s;equence collected from
the &s;ame.</P>
<P><PB N="137" REF="80">
In a word, as chambers and hou&s;es
were for mens per&s;onal &amp; family devoti|ons,
every day, or as oft as they plea&s;ed, &amp;
as the Temple was for the national &s;ervice
of the <HI>Jews, thrice</HI> every year, &s;o Syna|gogues
were interpo&s;ed in the middle be|twixt
both; for Towns and Cities to
&s;erve God on the Sabbath day: the whole
nation meeting thrice a year, every City
once a week, as private per&s;ons every
day, and as oft as they plea&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>Suppo&s;e now that a</HI> Prie&s;t <HI>among&s;t the</HI>
Jews, <HI>&s;hould pre&s;&s;e an ob&s;tinate</HI> Jew <HI>to
repair to the</HI> Synagogue, <HI>how might he
have returned this an&s;wer according to
the</HI> Principles <HI>of our</HI> Anti-pedo-bapti&s;ts?
I will go up to the Temple thrice every year,
and there I will not appear empty-handed:
But I will not on the &s;abbath pre&s;ent my &s;elf
in the Synagogue, which meeting is not <HI>JURE
DIVINO,</HI> a meer civil in&s;titution, ground|le&s;s
on Gods word; &s;hew me a place of Scri|pture
injoyning my attendance in a Syna|gogue,
and I will become your convert; Till
which time I will not only my &s;elf refrain my
appearance there, but wil al&s;o account it wil|wor&s;hip,
in all &s;uch as there a&s;&s;emble them|&s;elves.</P>
<P><PB N="138" REF="81">
I believe not one of our <HI>Adver&s;aries,</HI>
in our pre&s;ent <HI>Controver&s;ie,</HI> which are in|genuous,
but will condemn &s;uch a <HI>recu|&s;ant,</HI>
among&s;t the <HI>Jews,</HI> for <HI>refractory</HI> and
<HI>ob&s;tinate:</HI> Yea, they will conceive him,
if per&s;i&s;ting herein, to de&s;erve <HI>Church-cen&s;ure,</HI>
for his &s;chi&s;matical <HI>&s;ingularity.</HI>
Yet give me leave with love, grief, and
anger to &s;ay unto him, as once <HI>Nathan</HI> to
<HI>David, thou art the man,</HI> in denying In|fants
Bapti&s;m, which (though not in &s;o
many words expre&s;&s;ed) is by nece&s;&s;ary
con&s;equence infallibly founded on Gods
Word.</P>
<P>Now although I freely confe&s;&s;e, no
litteral precedent of <HI>Pedo-bapti&s;m</HI> in Scri|pture,
yet &s;uch an one therein is pre&s;ent|ed
unto us, which although it will not
confute our oppo&s;ites, it will confirm us
in our judgements; and though it be not
able, <HI>Titus</HI> 1. 9. to <HI>convince the gain&s;ayers,</HI>
yet it will &s;trengthen us in the <HI>Truth:</HI>
When the <HI>principal</HI> is known of him &s;elf to
be &s;ufficient, any <HI>&s;ecurity</HI> with him will
be accepted, and the following in&s;tance
may be ca&s;t in, as <HI>over-weight,</HI> to &s;uch
minds, who already have their full mea|&s;ure
<PB N="139" REF="81">
of per&s;wa&s;ion in this point.</P>
<P><HI>Namely, when it is &s;aid,</HI> Acts 16. 15.
Lydia was Baptized and her hou&s;hold: <HI>And
again,</HI> Acts 16. 33. <HI>of the Jaylor,</HI> was ba|ptized,
he, and all his, &s;traight way. <HI>Al&s;o</HI>
1 Cor. 1. 16. I baptized al&s;o the hou&s;hold
of Stephanas.</P>
<P>For the <HI>Jaylor;</HI> That Children (if he
had any) were compri&s;ed under the ex|pre&s;&s;ion,
of <HI>all his,</HI> is &s;ufficiently known
by <HI>Satans</HI> interpretation, <HI>Job.</HI> 1. 12. of Gods
commi&s;&s;ion, <HI>Behold all that he hath is in
thy power;</HI> and Gods con&s;enting thereun|to,
when permitting him by vertue there|of,
to de&s;troy all <HI>Jobs children.</HI> And
whereas in the other two in&s;tances, the
baptizing of whole <HI>hou&s;holds</HI> are expre&s;t,
we mu&s;t rationally conceive that &s;ome in|fants
were among&s;t them.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I can tell the time,
when there were three hou&s;holds of
young folk in the world (and then but
three hou&s;holds of young folk in the
world) namely, the three &s;ons of <HI>Noah,</HI>
and his daughters in law in the <HI>Ark,</HI> and
yet not one <HI>Infant</HI> betwixt them all. But
this was a rare and my&s;tical accident:
<PB N="140" REF="82">
Again to hold the ballance even, I can
tell the time when in a large Country
every famil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> offered a <HI>first-born,</HI> namely
in <HI>Egypt,</HI> Exod. 12. 3. <HI>There was not a
hou&s;e where there was not one dead.</HI> Which
S. <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> accounts miraculous, God pur|po&s;ely
making every family fruitful, that
it might yield a fit object for his own ju|&s;tice.</P>
<P>But to wave the&s;e in&s;tances of extra|ordinary
di&s;pen&s;ation; take three hou&s;es
together, indifferently numerous, &s;uch
as tho&s;e of <HI>Lydia,</HI> the <HI>Jaylor,</HI> and <HI>Stepha|nas</HI>
mu&s;t be pre&s;umed to be, (con&s;idering
the garbe of that age, wherein mo&s;t of
mens moveable wealth con&s;i&s;ted in men
and maid &s;ervants, with the children be|gotten
by them) and it is utterly impro|bable
but &s;ome infants will be among&s;t
them. For a great family is like unto an
Orenge tree, which at the &s;ame time hath
buds and blo&s;&s;oms and knobs, and green
and half ripe, and full ripe Orenges on it
all together. I mean, infants, children,
&s;triplings, youths, men of perfect, redu|ced,
decayed ages.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="17" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="141" REF="82">
<HEAD>CHAP. XVII. An Objection An&s;wered, drawn from
the inability of Infants to repent
and believe.</HEAD>
<P>ALthough we conceive this formerly
&s;atisfied, yet finding it to recur in
our proceedings, we will repeat &s;ome|thing
in our larger An&s;wer thereunto.
We perceive many men infidels in the
point of infants faith, and do not believe
that they do or can believe; who&s;e di|&s;tru&s;t
is principally grounded on the&s;e
two cau&s;es; partly becau&s;e infants can|not
evidence their believing to others,
partly becau&s;e men cannot conceive the
manner of infants belief.</P>
<P>To the fir&s;t of the&s;e we &s;ay, it is inju|rious
to conclude infants incapable of be|lieving,
becau&s;e they cannot manife&s;t it
to others. On the &s;ame account, and
with as much truth and right, one might
deny rea&s;onable &s;ouls to infants, becau&s;e
<PB N="142" REF="83">
they neither do nor can make any expre&s;|&s;ion
thereof.</P>
<P>Let matters be mea&s;ured by outward
appearance, and the young ones of bruit
bea&s;ts, &s;eem more rational, (though in|deed
it be but <HI>natural in&s;tinct</HI> in them)
then any childe what&s;oever. A Lamb
new wean'd, and Chicken new hatch'd,
know their Dam, can &s;tand, go, do many
things in order to their &s;elf-pre&s;ervation
better then a new-born infant, and yet no
wi&s;e man will pronounce them more rea|&s;onable
then a childe.</P>
<P>Yea, give me leave a little here to make
an u&s;eful digre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>There is no one mi&s;take w^c^h hath betray|ed
mens judgements to more ab&s;urdities,
in the points of <HI>Circumci&s;ion</HI> and <HI>Bapti&s;m,</HI>
then a mi&s;apprehen&s;ion in making the bo|dy
the &s;tandard of the <HI>&s;oul,</HI> and mea&s;u|ring
the &s;ame by the proportion thereof.
I am afraid there be too many, who con|ceive
&s;ouls like the pipes in an Organ,
&s;ome longer, &s;ome &s;horter, &s;ome le&s;&s;er,
&s;ome larger; and fancy degrees of their
dimen&s;ions, variable with their ages. So
that a new-born infant &s;hould have a &s;mal
<PB N="143" REF="83">
&s;oul, a weaned childe a &s;oul &s;omewhat
greater, and &s;o &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, that the &s;ouls
of boyes, youths&punc; &s;triplings, men, &s;hould
gradually exceed one another in great|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Yea, I am afraid, that &s;ome do farther
extend this their fal&s;e apprehen&s;ion, even
to imagine, that at the la&s;t day of Judge|ment,
the &s;ouls of &s;uch who died in their
infancy &s;hall appear before Gods Tribu|nal,
little <HI>diminutive Spirits.</HI> This con|ceit
makes men behold infants with di&s;|dainful
eyes, accounting them but <HI>Cy|phers,</HI>
which &s;ignifie but little in nature,
and nothing in Religion. To rectifie their
erroneous judgements, let them know,
that all rea&s;onable &s;ouls as created by
God, and fir&s;t infu&s;ed into bodies, are e|qual
in their e&s;&s;ence; and that &s;omething
extrin&s;ical and adventitious, cau&s;eth that
grand di&s;parity betwixt &s;ouls in their
natural, moral, and &s;upernatural opera|tions.</P>
<P>1. In their <HI>natural,</HI> as the wi&s;e man,
and the fool are equal in their death,
<HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 2. 16. &s;o al&s;o in their birth, not
only in the manner thereof&punc; but in this re|&s;pect
<PB N="144" REF="84">
of an adequation of all the e&s;&s;enti|als
of their &s;ouls. The different tempers
of their brains, and more or le&s;&s;e perfect
fabrick of their bodies, differenceth them
in their <HI>actions,</HI> who in their <HI>beings</HI> are a|like.</P>
<P>2. In their <HI>moral.</HI> That which makes
the difference betwixt them is this&punc; Fir&s;t,
<HI>education</HI> be&s;towed on one more then a|nother,
whereby he arrives at a perfecti|on
above his equals. Secondly, Habits
of vertues or vices, which one hath ac|quired
more or le&s;&s;e then the other.</P>
<P>3. In their <HI>&s;upernatural.</HI> Only the di|&s;tinction
ari&s;eth from infu&s;ed graces,
more plentifully conferred on one then
another, and from the holy improve|ment
thereof, which one, frugal in good|ne&s;&s;e,
makes above him which is an un|thrift
therein.</P>
<P>Thus the <HI>&s;pecies,</HI> or <HI>kind</HI> with all &s;pe|cifical
perfections, are not partial to one
<HI>individuum,</HI> to make that a <HI>favourite</HI> more
then another, but all indifferently partake
thereof: And as among&s;t the I&s;raelites,
<HI>Exod. 16. 18. all had their ju&s;t omer of
manna;</HI> &s;o the man, yea the giant, hath
<PB N="145" REF="84">
no more of the rea&s;onable &s;oul then the
Dwarfe or the Infant, all &s;hare alike in the
e&s;&s;ence thereof.</P>
<P>The &s;ame may be &s;aid of the &s;ouls of
<HI>Children and men.</HI> The e&s;&s;entials of a childs
&s;oul are as large and ample to all purpo&s;es
and intents, as that of a man. The <HI>hou&s;e|keeper</HI>
is the &s;ame, though pent for rooms
he cannot make the like entertainment.</P>
<P>Indeed we read, <HI>Rev. 20. 12. I &s;aw the
dead, great and &s;mall, &s;tand before God:
and the books were open, &amp;c.</HI> But the <HI>in|equality</HI>
there, relates not unto their <HI>&s;ouls</HI>
and the e&s;&s;ences thereof, but to their
conditions wherein they were e&s;tated
when alive, <HI>P&s;al. 49. 2. Low and high,
rich and poor together.</HI></P>
<P>What matters it then, though Chil|dren
cannot di&s;cover, and though men
cannot perceive their belief? It follows
not but that God may &s;ee, what a child is
not &s;en&s;ible of in it &s;elf nor others in it.
God judgeth not as man judgeth, nor
doth he &s;ee as man &s;eeth. Man only be|holdeth
the out-&s;ide of childrens opera|tions,
loaden with defects ari&s;ing from
their bodily indi&s;po&s;ition; Gods &s;ees the
<PB N="146" REF="85">
heart, and (what mainly moveth therein)
the &s;oul, and (age being meetly <HI>circum|&s;tantial</HI>
and <HI>accidental</HI> thereunto) it ma|keth
no odds at all in Gods di&s;covery
therein, who can &s;ee in them that <HI>beliefe,</HI>
which we cannot behold.</P>
<P>But &s;uppo&s;e the wor&s;t that Infants nei|ther
do nor can believe, yet this cannot
be a bar to their Covenanting in Bapti&s;m,
no more then it was to the Jewi&s;h children
in Circumci&s;ion. Their tender age knew
not what a Covenant with God meant.
Nor had they feeling how thereby they
were engaged to keep the Law; Nor un|der&s;tood
what did belong to the inward
Circumci&s;ion of the heart, yet were
vouch&s;afed to be <HI>foederati cum Deo;</HI> So it
can be no bar to the children of Chri&s;tian
parents to receive a &s;eal of covenant&s;hip
with Chri&s;t, albeit they at that time want
rea&s;on to know the nature of a Covenant,
nor how they put on Chri&s;t, nor what it is
to believe, and to be wa&s;hed clean from
&s;in. There is no more ab&s;urdity or incon|&s;equence
upon one then the other.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="18" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="147" REF="85">
<HEAD>CHAP. XVIII. Other Objections An&s;wered.</HEAD>
<P>THe Grand Objections thus cleared,
&s;uch as remain will be ea&s;ily &s;atisfied,
as followeth.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> It is pride and pre&s;umption
for any to account them&s;elves fitter and
forwarder for Bapti&s;m, then Chri&s;t him|&s;elf
was. Now Chri&s;t him&s;elf was not
Baptized, <HI>Luke 3. 23. till he began to be a|bout
thirty years of Age,</HI> none ought there|fore
to prevent that date of time in their
Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Though <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was not <HI>bapti|zed</HI>
till <HI>thirty</HI> years of Age, remember he
was <HI>circumci&s;ed,</HI> Luke 2. 21. on the eighth
day. Secondly, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was not Bapti|zed
out of nece&s;&s;ity, (needing no &s;oul-phy&s;ick,
who had no &s;oul-&s;ickne&s;&s;e) but a
voluntary de&s;ign to <HI>Baptize bapti&s;m,</HI> and to
give a &s;overaign vertue thereunto. Third|ly,
Many of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> actions were for our
in&s;truction, not imitation. Chri&s;t pre|&s;ently
<PB N="148" REF="86">
after his <HI>Bapti&s;m</HI> fa&s;ted fourty days,
and fourty nights, which the urgers of this
argument will not pretend unto.</P>
<P>Di&s;cover we here a corruption too
rife in all our hearts: Such is the froward|ne&s;&s;e
of our cro&s;&s;e-grain'd nature, that
we lazily &s;tand &s;till and admire &s;uch acti|ons
of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> which we ought to follow,
and vainly &s;trive to follow tho&s;e his acti|ons
which we ought to admire. Oh that
we all would learn of him, <HI>Mat. 11. 29.
to be meek and lowly of heart,</HI> to think
more humbly of our &s;elves, and more
charitably of others; I &s;ay would we
could <HI>learn this thing of Chri&s;t,</HI> and leave
&s;uch things to Chri&s;t, which were per&s;o|nal
in him, and not precedential to us.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Had <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in his judgement, al|lowed,
and approved the <HI>baptizing</HI> of <HI>In|fants,</HI>
&s;urely he would have baptized &s;uch
children, which, <HI>Mark</HI> 10. were brought
unto him, whereas his omi&s;&s;ion thereof,
plainly argues <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> disaffection to the
&s;ame.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w. Chri&s;t</HI> in his own per&s;on Bapti|zed
<PB N="149" REF="86">
none at all, as we read, <HI>John</HI> 4. 2. an
office improper for him to perform. How
unfit had it been for our Saviour thus to
Baptize tho&s;e Infants, <HI>I Je&s;us Baptize this
Infant into the Name of Je&s;us?</HI> If S. <HI>Paul</HI> ac|counted
it beneath his <HI>place</HI> to <HI>Baptize,
1 Cor. 1. 17. For Chri&s;t &s;ent me not to Ba|ptize,
but to preach the Go&s;pel:</HI> How much
was the <HI>mini&s;tration</HI> thereof too <HI>mean</HI> for
our <HI>Saviour?</HI> Indeed <HI>Christ</HI> came in all
humility, to be a pattern of patience unto
us, and conde&s;cended to mean imploy|ments,
as (<HI>John</HI> 13. 5.) <HI>the wa&s;hing of his
Di&s;ciples feet;</HI> yet alwayes he ob&s;erved,
(though not <HI>&s;tate</HI>) decency in all his acti|ons,
and &s;tood much, though not on the
pomp, on the propriety of what he per|formed;
as here in his declining to Baptize
any. When a <HI>Lord</HI> hath <HI>&s;igned</HI> a <HI>Letter</HI>
with his <HI>own hand,</HI> it is u&s;ual with him to
con&s;ign the &s;ealing thereof to his <HI>Secretary</HI>
or &s;ome other &s;ervant; &s;o when Chri&s;t
had in&s;tituted Bapti&s;m, and with his own
hand confirmed the &s;overaign vertue of
that Sacrament, it well befitted his digni|ty
to command, and his di&s;ciples duty to
perform the admini&s;tration thereof.</P>
<P><PB N="150" REF="87">
<HI>Object.</HI> Grant that Chri&s;t, for the rea|&s;ons
by you alledged, concluded it unfit|ting
for him&s;elf to Baptize tho&s;e Infants,
yet had he approved <HI>Pedo-bapti&s;m</HI> in his
own judgement, he would have de&s;igned
&s;ome of his Di&s;ciples for the doing there|of.
This not done, we may infallibly in|fer
his di&s;like of the &s;ame.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> A negative argument of this na|ture
is of no validity. <HI>No mention is made
of the&s;e Infants Baptizing.</HI> Ergo, <HI>they were
not Baptized:</HI> we may ob&s;erve a grada|tion
in the Evangeli&s;ts relating this &s;tory,
<HI>Luke</HI> 18. 17. mentioneth their ble&s;&s;ing
only without any manner of ge&s;ture at all
u&s;ed by our Saviour unto them. <HI>Mat.</HI> 19.
15. only takes notice that Chri&s;t <HI>laid his
hands on them, and departed thence,</HI> Mark
10. 16. regi&s;treth all three remarkable
actions, <HI>He took them up in his arms, laid
his hands on them, and ble&s;&s;ed them;</HI> Saint
<HI>John</HI> addeth, <HI>chap.</HI> 21. 21. And there are
al&s;o many other things which Je&s;us did,
<HI>which are not written,</HI> among&s;t which for
ought appears to the contrary, the Bapti|zing
of the&s;e infants might be one of them.
<PB N="151" REF="87">
However grant they were not formally
and &s;olemnly Baptized, yet we may ob|&s;erve
Bapti&s;m con&s;i&s;teth of two parts, the
<HI>application of water,</HI> which we may call
the <HI>body,</HI> and <HI>the impre&s;&s;ion of the ble&s;&s;ing,</HI>
which we may terme the <HI>&s;oul</HI> of Bapti&s;m.
The later which indeed was the principal,
was here conferr'd on babes, which &s;hews
them capable of the other, as being the
le&s;&s;e Spiritual part of the Sacrament.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Sacraments ought not to be
pro&s;tituted to profane per&s;ons, <HI>Mat. 7. 6.
ca&s;t not pearls before &s;wine;</HI> But many In|fants
are impious and profane, therefore
they ought not to be Baptized.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> This Objection may with e|qual
advantage, be al&s;o enforced again&s;t
the Baptizing of men arrived at years of
di&s;cretion, many of them are profane in
their hearts, though they cunningly di&s;|&s;emble
the &s;ame. Hypocrites will never
be kept out of the Church; Be the doors
thereof barr'd and bolted never &s;o clo&s;e,
they will creep in at the windows; yea,
through the chinks and creve&s;&s;es thereof:
<PB N="152" REF="88">
As for Infants, Bapti&s;m ought to be deny|ed
unto them if they manife&s;ted any pro|fanene&s;&s;e:
Till which time charity com|mands
us to believe them not <HI>Swine,</HI> but
Lambs, and capable of the Sacrament.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Children are unable to di&s;charge
an e&s;&s;ential requi&s;ite to Bapti&s;m: Seeing
what equipage Bapti&s;m is martialled by
Chri&s;ts own Commi&s;&s;ion, <HI>Mat.</HI> 28. 19,
20.</P>
<Q><P>1. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations.</P>
<P>2. Baptizing in the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the
holy Gho&s;t, &amp;c.</P>
<P>3. Teaching them to ob&s;erve all things
what&s;oever I have commanded you.</P></Q>
<P>Here we have the &s;afe and &s;ure po&s;i|tion
of Bapti&s;m as God him&s;elf ordered it:
It is placed in the middle betwixt adou|ble
<HI>teaching,</HI> one in the <HI>front,</HI> and ano|ther
in the <HI>rear</HI> thereof; a <HI>precedent teach|ing</HI>
mu&s;t u&s;her in Bapti&s;m, and the <HI>&s;ub&s;e|quent
teaching</HI> mu&s;t afterwards wait upon
it; Children therefore being incapable
of this praevious and preparative teaching
are incapable al&s;o of Bapti&s;m which de|pendeth
thereupon.</P>
<P><PB N="153" REF="88">
<HI>An&s;w.</HI> The method pre&s;cribed here
by Chri&s;t to his Apo&s;tles, was only to be
u&s;ed by them in their preaching to pure
Pagans grown up to be men, and this
their commi&s;&s;ion properly extended unto
the Gentiles, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Going therefare,</HI> that is in
due time leaving this land of <HI>Pale|&s;tine,</HI>
(wherein you live for the pre|&s;ent)
when you &s;hall be accompli&s;h|ed
with the Spirit, make your pro|gre&s;&s;e
into far di&s;tant parts, and there
<HI>teach.</HI></P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>All Nations,</HI> the word pro|perly
importing Heathens formerly
unacquainted with God &amp; his word.
Such people mu&s;t fir&s;t be taught be|fore
they may be Baptized.</P>
<P>This text therefore may ju&s;tly be char|ged
again&s;t the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> in <HI>America,</HI> where
thou&s;ands of Natives were cruelly driven
with whips to the Font to be baptized,
before they were ever Catechized in any
rudiments of Chri&s;tian Religion, but
cannot at all be objected again&s;t the ba|ptizing
of infants, the children of Chri|&s;tian
<PB N="154" REF="89">
parents; the teaching of Heathen
(and tho&s;e of full age) being only intend|ed
in this command.</P>
<P>Thus have we given the true and genu|ine
&s;ence of the&s;e words, <HI>Go ye therefore
and teach all Nations baptizing them, &amp;c.</HI>
However we will not omit another in|terpretation
which godly Divines give
thereof, con&s;onant to Scripture phra&s;e.
They render the word <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>make
di&s;ciples,</HI> in which &s;ence they maintaine
that infants are capable of <HI>di&s;ciple-&s;hip,</HI>
and may be inli&s;ted therein. For
proof hereof they produce <HI>Acts 15. 10.
why tempt ye God, to put a yoak upon the
neck of the di&s;ciples.</HI> Now this <HI>yoak</HI> was
Circumci&s;ion, which &s;ome &s;tickled &s;o zea|lou&s;ly
for, and the&s;e <HI>di&s;ciples</HI> were in|fants
eight days old on whom that Sacra|ment
was fa&s;tened. In this &s;ence children
may be <HI>taught,</HI> that is, <HI>di&s;cipled</HI> before
bapti&s;m, and &s;o the text nothing favour|ing
the purpo&s;e of the objectors, though
I rather adhere to the former an&s;wer, as
mo&s;t proper to the text.</P>
<P>Here will it be &s;ea&s;onable to interpo&s;e
an admonition to parents. You &s;ee in
<PB N="155" REF="89">
<HI>Chri&s;ts commi&s;&s;ion</HI> to his Di&s;ciples, the
Divine method in di&s;pen&s;ation of ordi|nances
to Ethnicks: 1. Teach. 2. Baptize.
3. And Teach. But towards the children
of Chri&s;tian parents, it is, 1. Baptize.
2. Teach and teach. What is wanting in
the <HI>precedent,</HI> Teach, let it be &s;upplied
over and above in the <HI>con&s;equent Teach,</HI>
to make amends for the <HI>preparatory Teach,</HI>
before bapti&s;m (whereof infants age is
incapable) let there be a <HI>duplicate,</HI> dou|ble
your endeavours in the <HI>confirming
Teach,</HI> &s;o &s;oon as they &s;hal be able to learn.
Line upon line, Precept upon precept&punc; here
a little, and there a little, dropping in in|&s;truction
as the ve&s;&s;el is able to receive.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign"> in Scripture, (as we have formerly
ob&s;erved (always &s;ignifieth a &s;ucking child:
Now it is &s;aid of <HI>Timothy,</HI> 2 Tim. 3. 15.
that <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>from a childe</HI> he had known
the holy Scriptures&punc; Not <HI>when a childe,</HI>
but from a child. Infancy was the <HI>termi|nus
&agrave; quo,</HI> from whence his learning of
Scripture bears date: How timely did he
&s;tart in the race of Religion, by the dire|ction
of his devout parents, who herein
may be exemplary unto all others.</P>
<P><PB N="156" REF="90">
Now let parents think to ca&s;t off their
care on tho&s;e who are <HI>Spon&s;ores</HI> or <HI>Su&s;ce|ptores,</HI>
Godfathers to their children: as
I deny not an ancient and u&s;eful in&s;titution
of them in the Primitive times, &s;o can I
not but bemoan, that our age hath turned
the &s;ame into a formality or Chri&s;tian
complement: <HI>Judah</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Simeon,</HI> Judg.
1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>Come up with me into my lot, and I
likewi&s;e will go up with thee into thy lot;</HI> So
men exchange and barter this office be|twixt
them, <HI>an&s;wer thou for my child to day,
and I on like occa&s;ion will an&s;wer for thine,</HI>
the <HI>civility</HI> is di&s;charged by both, when the
<HI>chri&s;tianity</HI> too oft is performed by nei|ther:
I look therfore on Godfathers gene|rally,
as on bra&s;&s;e Andirons, &s;tanding more
for &s;ight then &s;ervice, ornament, then u&s;e,
whiles the main weight and &s;tre&s;&s;e in per|forming
the promi&s;e, mu&s;t lie on the pa|rents
them&s;elves do di&s;charge, in <HI>teaching</HI>
and <HI>teaching</HI> their Baptized Infants.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The deaf and dumb are not
to be admitted to Bapti&s;m, though adult
and full grown, becau&s;e of their inability
to give an account of their faith: But chil|dren
<PB N="157" REF="90">
are ranked in the &s;ame form with the
deaf and dumb, therefore they ought not
to be admitted unto Bapti&s;m: This is the
thirty &s;ixth&punc; and la&s;t argument, (among&s;t
many frivolous ones) alledged by the
Tran&s;ilvanian Anabapti&s;ts, again&s;t the
baptizing of infants, placing, belike, much
confidence therein, to <HI>hem</HI> and conclude
all the re&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Both propo&s;itions are fal&s;e:
Fir&s;t, If the dumb and deaf can with &s;igns
and ge&s;tures (which nature hath made in
them marvelou&s;ly expre&s;&s;ive) evidence
and te&s;tifie their faith, they mu&s;t be ad|mitted
to Bapti&s;m, as the third Councel
of <HI>Carthage</HI> did decide. Secondly, Chil|dren
are not in the &s;ame, but a better con|dition:
Tho&s;e <HI>Mutes</HI> after maturity, can
never recover their hearing and &s;peech
but by miracle, whereas Infants naturally
are capable of both in due &s;ea&s;on.</P>
<P>We read <HI>Mark</HI> 7. 32. that they brought
one to our Saviour that was deaf, and <HI>had
an impediment in his &s;peech,</HI> not that he
was only troubled with a li&s;ping, or &s;ta|mering,
but that he was directly dumb,
<PB N="158" REF="91">
as appears by the peoples acclamations,
<HI>ver&s;.</HI> 37. when the miracle was wrought
upon him, <HI>he maketh both the deaf to hear,
and the dumb to &s;peak;</HI> and generally tho&s;e
infirmities are twins, going both together;
yet Chri&s;t di&s;covered in him a &s;ufficiency
of faith, &s;uch as he was plea&s;ed to accept
for his bodily cure.</P>
<P>How more comfortably then may
Chri&s;tian parents pre&s;ume that God will
graciou&s;ly behold their Infants, who
though deaf (that is not hearing to under|&s;tand)
and dumb, not able to &s;peak, may in
proce&s;&s;e of time arrive to the u&s;e of both.
That God I &s;ay, who when with a favou|rable
eye he looks for goodne&s;&s;e in any
heart, findeth and fixeth it there by his
favourable looking for it.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, &s;uch per&s;ons defective in their
&s;en&s;es, (though full in age) may, <HI>ponere
obicem,</HI> by their <HI>prave di&s;po&s;itions</HI> put a
<HI>bar</HI> or <HI>ob&s;tacle,</HI> wilfully to defeat the ef|fect
of Bapti&s;m, and their right thereun|to.</P>
<P>This cannot be done by infants; their
very wor&s;t enemies who deny them <HI>actu|al</HI>
faith, yea, any <HI>di&s;po&s;itive degree</HI> there|unto,
<PB N="159" REF="91">
dare not charge them with what I
may terme <HI>po&s;itive infidelity.</HI> As for ori|ginal
&s;in, that can be no bar, becau&s;e Ba|pti&s;m
was de&s;igned by God for the wa&s;h|ing
away thereof.</P>
<P>God is no Mountebank, his <HI>receipts</HI> do
the deed for which they were pre&s;cribed:
Indeed if the <HI>patient,</HI> (be&s;ides that di&s;ea&s;e
for the cure whereof Gods <HI>receipt</HI> is given
him) &s;hall by his own intemperance wil|fully
contract a new malady, no wonder
if this Phy&s;ick fall &s;hort of the cure for
which it was intended; But infants, not
being able to draw on them&s;elves any
other &s;in, we cannot but in charity be|lieve
their undoubted right unto, and be|nefit
by bapti&s;m.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="19" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="160" REF="92">
<HEAD>CHAP. XIX. Whether the Children of Profane Pa|rents,
Ba&s;tards, Expo&s;ed Children,
and the Captive Infants of Pa|gans
are to be Baptized.</HEAD>
<P>SOme maintain that <HI>infancy</HI> alone, is
the <HI>requi&s;ite</HI> to qualifie <HI>Infants</HI> to be
Baptized: Others upon ju&s;t grounds
conceive a choice mu&s;t be made of the
infants admitted thereunto, and tho&s;e
mo&s;t &s;crupled at, fall under the following
<HI>Quaternion.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t are the Children of <HI>Profane
Parents,</HI> living within the pale of the
Church, &s;uch as I may &s;orrowfully terme
<HI>Pagan Chri&s;tians;</HI> Chri&s;tians by their pro|fe&s;&s;ion;
<HI>Pagans</HI> by their notorious vi&s;ible
debauched conver&s;ation: Otherwi&s;e I
confe&s;&s;e the words <HI>pious</HI> and <HI>profane</HI> in our
modern <HI>Religious Canting,</HI> made by ma|ny
words of <HI>party</HI> and <HI>intere&s;t,</HI> to cry up
or decry &s;uch who in <HI>private opinions,</HI> or
<PB N="161" REF="92">
<HI>civil concernments</HI> agree with, or di&s;&s;ent
from them; The que&s;tion is if &s;uch pro|fane
Parents <HI>alone</HI> tender their children
to bapti&s;m, and de&s;ire the &s;ame, whether
or no ought they to be admitted there|unto?
I &s;ay <HI>alone,</HI> for if a good Grand|father
or Grand-mother (the mediate
Parent) &s;urvive, conjoyn with them in
&s;uch a <HI>tender,</HI> the ca&s;e is &s;ufficiently clear,
that Bapti&s;m cannot be denied unto it.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer. If any one, related as kin|red
or friend to this childe, will under|take
conditionally (<HI>viz.</HI> if he him&s;elf live,
and God ble&s;&s;e his endeavours, farther
then which, parents them&s;elves ought
not to promi&s;e and cannot perform) for
the education thereof, as <HI>Judah</HI> in another
ca&s;e, for the <HI>bringing up</HI> of his brother
<HI>Benjamin</HI> out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> Gen. 43. 9. <HI>I will
be &s;urety for him, at my hands &s;halt thou re|quire
him,</HI> bapti&s;m ought not to be denied
unto it.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But &s;uppo&s;e &s;uch an under|taker
cannot be found, &s;eeing <HI>he who ha|teth</HI>
[e&s;pecially Spiritual] <HI>&s;ureti&s;hip is
&s;ure,</HI> Prov. 11. 15. and one may ju&s;tly
<PB N="162" REF="93">
&s;u&s;pect according to the proverb, <HI>Ezek.</HI>
16. 44. <HI>As is the mother, &s;o is the daughter;</HI>
that &s;uch a childe will follow the vicious
examples and di&s;po&s;itions of his parents.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Here I de&s;ire the Reader to call
to mind (to &s;pare my repetition thereof)
what formerly Chap. 4. we have written
of wicked mens &s;haring in the <HI>foederal
right</HI> to Circumci&s;ion. Let him al&s;o con|&s;ider
the Apo&s;tles words, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 16.
<HI>If the root be holy &s;o are the branches.</HI> Now
the <HI>root</HI> we know is <HI>under ground,</HI> and <HI>un|&s;een;</HI>
and, although the immediate pa|rents
be bad, yet charity commands us to
believe, that, &s;ome generations removed,
the ance&s;tors of this child (whom Divine
Providence <HI>appointing the bounds of habi|tation,
Acts</HI> 17. 26. would have born
within the <HI>pale</HI> of the Church) might be
holy and religious. We have a &s;aying,
<HI>Every beggar is de&s;cended from &s;ome King,
and every King is de&s;cended from &s;ome beg|gar.</HI>
Truer it is, that (if the pedegrees
of people were &s;trictly examined) <HI>every
pious per&s;on is extracted from &s;ome profane,
and every profane from &s;ome pious ance&s;tor;</HI>
<PB N="163" REF="93">
a motive in my opinion not to deny ba|pti&s;m
to the childe of bad parents if de|&s;iring
the &s;ame. Pa&s;&s;e we from them to
<HI>Ba&s;tards,</HI> again&s;t who&s;e baptizing &s;ome
object.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Ba&s;tards among&s;t the Jews
were not to be Circumci&s;ed, which may
thus be proved: It was fa&s;hionable for
the mother at her purification, to pre&s;ent
her Circumci&s;ed &s;on in the Temple to the
Lord, as may appear by the example of
the Virgin <HI>Mary</HI> Luke 2. 22. But Ba&s;tards,
<HI>Deut.</HI> 23. 2. were forbidden entrance in|to
the congregation, unto the tenth gene|ration:
Therefore they were not Circum|ci&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> By the <HI>not entring into the con|gregation
of the Lord,</HI> is meant, <HI>munus pub|licum
in populo Dei ne gerito; let him not
bear office in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> people of God.</HI> Indeed
<HI>Jephthah,</HI> though the <HI>&s;on of an harlot,
Judg.</HI> 11. 2. was cho&s;en a <HI>General,</HI> becau&s;e
nece&s;&s;ity con&s;trained it; and Military of|fices;
(where valour alone was a &s;uffici|ent
qualification) were not confined to
<PB N="164" REF="94">
the regularity requi&s;ite to religious em|ployments:
Otherwi&s;e certain it is, fir&s;t,
that wantonne&s;&s;e in this kinde was too
frequent among&s;t the Jews; our com|mon
expre&s;&s;ion to <HI>commit folly</HI> with a
woman, being borrowed from <HI>Thamars</HI>
words to <HI>Amnon,</HI> 2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 13. 12. <HI>do not
thou this folly.</HI> Secondly, that ba&s;tards
&s;o begotten, were excluded Circumci&s;i|on,
is what no wi&s;e or learned author
dur&s;t ever affirm.</P>
<P>More particularly: If the parents of
ba&s;tards publickly profe&s;&s;e their peni|tence
to the congregation, they are re|mitted
to the &s;ame e&s;tate they were in
before the fault committed, and their
children to be held as of un&s;tain'd ex|traction.
Far be it from me to &s;catter
any thing, which may occa&s;ion the lea&s;t
countenance to wantonne&s;&s;e in any. What
&s;aid the re&s;t of the I&s;raelites, to the Reu|benites?
<HI>Jo&s;h.</HI> 22. 17. <HI>Is the iniquity of
Peor too little for us, from which we are not
clean&s;ed until this day?</HI> that they &s;hould
contract (as they &s;u&s;pected) the guilt of a
new idolatry. Is <HI>original</HI> &s;in too little to
condemn a child, but that parents mu&s;t
<PB N="165" REF="94">
<HI>double-hatch</HI> their children with guilt of
their adulterous nativity? However, for
the comfort of the penitent, know that
only <HI>four females</HI> are mentioned in our
Saviours pedegree, and all of them <HI>&s;tig|matized.</HI>
1. <HI>Thamar</HI> ince&s;tuous. 2. <HI>Ra|hab</HI>
an harlot. 3. <HI>Ruth</HI> a Moabite&s;&s;e (and
therefore a dog, no &s;heep of <HI>I&s;rael:</HI>) And
4^l^y the wife of <HI>&V;riah,</HI> certainly an adulte|re&s;&s;e,
and too probably privy to the mur|der
of her hu&s;band. Thus Chri&s;t came, as
for &s;inners, &s;o from &s;inners, &amp; tho&s;e noted
ones, for uncleanne&s;&s;e, who&s;e children
notwith&s;tanding were undoubtedly Cir|cumci&s;ed.
As no <HI>bar of ba&s;tardy</HI> can bolt
out an infants right to the Sacrament,
nor his benefit, by it if God will have it en|ter
therein. Proceed we from the&s;e, to
<HI>expo&s;ed children,</HI> left on bulkes and ben|ches
by their parents de&s;erting them,
who&s;e title to bapti&s;m &s;eems doubtful,
and difficult to many on this account.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The Children of tho&s;e who
are wor&s;e then infidels may not be bapti|zed.
But the parents of the&s;e children are
wor&s;e then infidels, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 8. becau&s;e,
<PB N="166" REF="95">
<HI>not providing for them of their own hou&s;e.</HI>
Therefore they ought not to be bapti|zed.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Such who out of carele&s;ne&s;&s;e
or cruelty, wilfully refu&s;e to maintain
their own, are in this particular act mo|rally
wor&s;e then infidels (of whom many
high Chri&s;tians fall &s;hort in civil perfor|mances;)
yea, wor&s;e then birds, and
bea&s;ts, which hatch, and &s;uckle their own
young ones. Yet they are not in a &s;piri|tual
capacity wor&s;e then infidels, as if
thereby they had forfeited their Sacra|mental
right for them, and theirs. Be|&s;ides,
charity herein commands us to pre|&s;ume
the be&s;t. That the&s;e parents are
not with the <HI>O&s;trich, hardned again&s;t their
young ones, as though they were not theirs;</HI>
but that there being a long combate be|twixt
their indu&s;try, and poverty, the
latter at la&s;t got the conque&s;t; and they
thereby forced to leave their children to
a general providence. An act which may
rather be in &s;ome &s;ort excu&s;ed, then de|fended;
yea, the cau&s;e thereof rather pit|tied,
then the deed it &s;elf in any &s;ort ex|cu&s;ed.</P>
<P><PB N="167" REF="95">
Say not, &s;uch poor parents, over|burthened
with charge of children,
ought to complain to the officers of
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="3 letters"> Church, who (no doubt) on the
di&s;covery of their &s;ad condition, would
order their relief. Yea, it is &s;u&s;pici|ous
the cau&s;e of their poverty is not
excu&s;able, who&s;e pride is &s;o damna|ble,
that they would not &s;ea&s;onably
confe&s;&s;e the &s;ame to &s;uch, who might,
and ought to be helpful unto them.
All this is confe&s;&s;ed, with many more
<HI>grains of guilt,</HI> which might be ca&s;t
into the <HI>&s;cale</HI> of the parents; but of
no weight on the other &s;ide, again&s;t
the children, and therefore ought not
to hinder their bapti&s;m, I mean con|ditionally,
in ca&s;e they were former|ly
<HI>baptized.</HI> Here I will not in&s;tance
in <HI>expo&s;ed children,</HI> who afterwards
have proved eminent in&s;truments of
Gods glory in the Church and Com|mon-wealth;
&s;o that, <HI>P&s;al. 27. 10.
when their father and mother for&s;ook
them, then the Lord took them up;</HI>
yea, advanced them to high prefer|ment:
<PB N="168" REF="96">
I &s;ay, I purpo&s;ely forbear
&s;uch in&s;tancing, le&s;t the remembrance
of the meanne&s;&s;e of their original,
&s;hould any whit abate our de&s;erved
re&s;pect unto their memories.</P>
<P>It is fa&s;hionable in &s;uch ca&s;es (e|&s;pecially
in popular places) for the
whole pari&s;h to be <HI>loco parentis,</HI> and
to be interpreted as the parent, for the
education of &s;uch expo&s;ed children.
For my own part I had rather bring
oyl to, then ca&s;t water on any chari|table
de&s;ign. Yet give me leave, on|ly
to admoni&s;h &s;uch to take heed, that
that be not neglected of all, which is
expected of many. It is the argument
urged by <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> again&s;t <HI>Plato</HI>'s fancy,
that all children &s;hould be brought up
by the care, and at the co&s;t general of
all alike, that what is every mans work
is no mans work; and it is to be fear|ed,
the catechizing, and in&s;tructing
&s;uch children, will not effectually be
done by any, where all are equally
engaged unto it, except &s;ome be emi|nently
and particularly de&s;igned for
the &s;ame.</P>
<P><PB N="169" REF="96">
Children of Pagans <HI>remain, taken
from them when infants: What the o|pinion
of the Ancients was herein, we
may learn from</HI> Fulgentius, De Veritate
praede&s;t. lib. 1. <HI>who &s;aith,</HI> Parvulum paren|tibus
infidelibus violenter ablatum, aut
furto &s;urreptum, &s;i ad &s;anctum bapti&s;|mum
quorumlibet Sanctorum pia chari|tate
producatur, &amp; mox ut baptizatus
fuerit de hac vita di&s;cedat, factum e&s;&s;e
haeredem Dei, &amp; cohaeredem Chri&s;ti.
That a little child violently taken, or &s;e|cretly
&s;tolen from infidel parents; if by
the pious charity of any Saints, it be
brought to holy bapti&s;m, and by and by
&s;o &s;oon as it hath been baptized depart
this life, is made the heir of God, and co|heir
of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>However, becau&s;e &s;ome may think
this goes too far, and that a difference
ought to be made betwixt children
of Chri&s;tian parents, who have (as
<HI>Tertullian</HI> phra&s;eth it) <HI>Seminis praeroga|tivam,
The priviledge of the &s;eed whence
they &s;pring;</HI> and tho&s;e of meer Hea|thens:
And becau&s;e all things ought
<PB N="170" REF="97">
to be done in the Church, <HI>decently and
in order;</HI> it is fitte&s;t and &s;afe&s;t, that the
baptizing of &s;uch infants be deferred,
till they be able in their own per&s;ons to
give an account of their faith. Such
cautious deferring of the Sacrament,
offereth no injury, nor occa&s;ioneth
any danger unto them, but will tend
at la&s;t to their greater advantage.</P>
<P>When Mr <HI>Cranmer,</HI> (after Arch-Bi&s;hop
of <HI>Canterbury</HI> and Martyr) was
appointed in <HI>Cambridge, Po&s;er extra|ordinary</HI>
of the &s;ufficiency of &s;uch who
Commenced in Divinity; he denyed
many their Degrees for want of com|petent
ability for the &s;ame: Some of
the&s;e, compelled by their repul&s;e to
an harder &s;tudy of the Scriptures, ar|rived
at eminency afterwards (and by
name Mr <HI>Barret</HI> of <HI>Norwich</HI>) and would
commend<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Fox</HI> Marty|rol. p. 1860.</NOTE> and extoll
Dr <HI>Cranmer,</HI> who by
putting them back, put
them forward to attain a better degree
of knowledge, and perfection. If the
Church be&s;tows her <HI>negative voice</HI> on
<PB N="171" REF="97">
&s;uch children of Pagans, refu&s;ing to
baptize them till re&s;pon&s;ible for them|&s;elves;
they will have cau&s;e hereafter
to ble&s;&s;e God, and thank the Church
for the &s;ame, when the principles of
Religion &s;hall be more firmly fa&s;ten|ed,
and the practice thereof more
kindly ripened in them by &s;uch for|bearance
of Bapti&s;m.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="20" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="172" REF="98">
<HEAD>CHAP. XX. Two hi&s;torical Ob&s;ervations, on
the Adver&s;aries of Infants
Bapti&s;m.</HEAD>
<P>IT is worth our ob&s;ervation to con|&s;ider,
who was the <HI>author</HI> from
whom, and what the <HI>company</HI> with
whom this oppo&s;ition of Infants Ba|pti&s;m
began</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t; I find one <HI>Baltha&s;ar
Pacimontanus,</HI> about the year of our
Lord, 1527. fir&s;t &s;preading this do|ctrine:
pretending, belike, that he
fetcht the fir&s;t principles thereof out
of <HI>Luthers</HI> works, which gave <HI>Luther</HI>
the occa&s;ion to writ again&s;t him,
ju&s;tly to a&s;&s;ert him&s;elf herein. This
<HI>Baltha&s;ar</HI> was afterward burnt at <HI>Vien|na</HI>
for an Heretick.</P>
<P><PB N="173" REF="98">
I cannot learn what heretical opi|nions
this man maintained, that the
demerit of them &s;hould de&s;erve death.
If it were only for denying infants ba|pti&s;m,
I conceive all the &s;pectators at
his &s;uffering bound to have endeavour|ed
by their tears to have quenched the
fire. Indeed I would have all of his
opinion <HI>burnt;</HI> but how? as <HI>Luther</HI>
&s;aith, <HI>Igne charitatis:</HI> and as <HI>Solomon</HI>
&s;aid long before him&punc; <HI>Prov. 25. 22. By
heaping coals of fire on their heads,</HI> of
meekne&s;&s;e, and moderation, if in any
competent time they might be re|claimed.
Po&s;&s;ibly <HI>Vienna,</HI> being the
Emperours Court, where the Roman
faction managed all at their plea&s;ure,
&s;ome mixture of Prote&s;tant Doctrine
in his opinions might &s;harpen the rage
of Papi&s;ts again&s;t him.</P>
<P>But it is more then &s;u&s;picious, that
not this, but the complication of other
pernicious tenents cau&s;ed his executi|on.
The rather becau&s;e we find, that
the Tran&s;ylvanian Mini&s;ters, <HI>Anno</HI>
1567. &s;et forth two books, one again&s;t
<PB N="174" REF="99">
the <HI>Trinity,</HI> the other again&s;t the <HI>In|carnation
of Chri&s;t;</HI> and at the end of
both added their <HI>thirty &s;ix arguments</HI>
again&s;t the baptizing of infants.</P>
<P>Men who are dark, and conceal'd
in them&s;elves, lying at a clo&s;e guard,
are be&s;t di&s;covered by their &s;ociety;
<HI>Company</HI> is the cleare&s;t comment on
the text of a re&s;erved per&s;on. True, this
held not in our Saviour, being piety
it &s;elf, though conver&s;ing with Pub|licans
and &s;inners, for who&s;e conver|&s;ion
he was &s;ent, and ordained. But
generally it fails not but that men con|jecture,
and conclude the inclinations
of per&s;ons, from tho&s;e with whom
they con&s;tantly a&s;&s;ociate. Would it
not therefore make any con&s;cientious
Chri&s;tians, ju&s;tly wary to entertain
the doctrine of Anti-pedo-bapti&s;m,
when he &s;ees it u&s;hered into the world,
with two &s;uch hideous and helli&s;h He|re&s;ies
going before it?</P>
<P>Some will &s;ay, there was no
affinity in kindred, or familiarity
in acquaintance, nor dependency
of intere&s;t, but a meer ca&s;ual co|incidency
<PB N="175" REF="99">
betwixt the&s;e <HI>three Treati&s;es.</HI>
Who knows not, but an hone&s;t man
may on the road accidentally travel
with &s;trangers, who&s;e faces he never
&s;aw before, without any <HI>privity</HI> to
their bad de&s;igns? For my own part
I was never bred in the <HI>&s;chool of Tyran|nus,</HI>
and am loath to load the doctrine
of <HI>Anti-pedo-bapti&s;m,</HI> with the bur|den
of more badne&s;&s;e then it hath of it
&s;elf; yet give me leave to &s;ay, it may &amp;
ought be <HI>taken on &s;u&s;picion,</HI> becau&s;e
coming in the company of two &s;uch
Bla&s;phemous books from the &s;ame
Authors; yea, let it be <HI>confined,</HI> and
<HI>kept in durance,</HI> until it hath cleared
its own innocency, which mu&s;t be
done by &s;hewing better <HI>te&s;timonials</HI>
for the truth thereof, then any
which hitherto it hath produced.</P>
<P>My prayers &s;hall be, that what is
&s;aid of <HI>Jeconiah, Jer. 22. 30. write ye
this man childle&s;s.</HI> So this error in de|nying
bapti&s;m to infants, may not be
<HI>procreative</HI> of any other in the main|tainers
thereof. May he, who binds
<PB N="176" REF="100">
the Sea in a <HI>girdle of &s;and,</HI> and &s;aith to
the waves thereof, <HI>Job 38. 11. Hitherto
&s;halt thou come, and no farther;</HI> erect
&s;trong rampiers to bound and bank
the defenders hereof, that here they
may &s;top&punc; &s;tay, &s;tand &s;till, without
making their progre&s;&s;e into wor&s;e,
and more dangerous errours. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="21" TYPE="chapter">
<PB REF="100">
<HEAD>The Infants Advocate. CHAP. XXI. How we ought to behave our &s;elves to tho&s;e
of a different judgment herein, in
order to reclame them.</HEAD>
<OPENER><DATELINE>Preacht in a Sermon at Mercers Chappel.
<DATE>Febr. 6. 1652.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Phil. 3. 15.</BIBL>
<Q>And if in any thing, ye be otherwi&s;e minded,
God &s;hall reveal even this unto you.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>1. _IT is no le&s;s plea&s;ant than pro|fitable
for a Chri&s;tian &s;oul
&s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider the ad|mirable
unity and comforta|ble
concord which was betwixt the Saints
and Servants of God in the infancy of the
Church, after <HI>Christs</HI> a&s;cen&s;ion, <HI>Acts 1. 14.
The&s;e all continued with one accord.</HI> Acts 2. 1.
<PB N="2" REF="101">
They were all with one accord in one place. 2. 46
Continuing daily with one accord in the
Temple. <HI>So again,</HI> Acts 4 24. Lift up their
voice to God with one accord. <HI>And again,</HI>
Acts 5. 12. All with one accord in <HI>Solomons</HI>
porch.</P>
<P>2. Some perchance may impute this
their unity to the paucity and fewne&s;s of the
Profe&s;&s;ours of the Go&s;pel in that age. It is
no wonder (will they &s;ay) if an handfull of
men did agree, which is impo&s;&s;ible now a|days
in the numero&s;ity of &s;o many Chri&s;ti|ans.
But know, that even then there were
enough, even among&s;t the <HI>three thou&s;and</HI>
Converts made by S. <HI>Peters</HI> Sermon, to
furni&s;h out (allowing a <HI>Leader,</HI> and <HI>Follower</HI>
to each Faction) <HI>fifteen hundred</HI> &s;everal <HI>Di|vi&s;ions.</HI>
No, it was not their &s;mall number,
but the vigorous acting of the Spirit of
unity on their Hearts which kept them in
&s;uch agreement. God fore&s;eeing, <HI>Rents</HI>
would quickly ruine his Infant Church,
bound them together the fa&s;ter in the <HI>hand</HI>
of <HI>Peace.</HI></P>
<P>3. But alas, this unity was too fine ware
<PB N="3" REF="101">
to have much mea&s;ure thereof. The virgi|nity
of it was fir&s;t lo&s;t, <HI>Acts</HI> 6. 1. about a
money-matter, (and money we know parteth
the deare&s;t friends, many differences ari&s;ing
about the que&s;tion, what &s;hould be <HI>jure di|vino,</HI>
and what <HI>jure humano,</HI> but more about
<HI>meum</HI> and <HI>tuum</HI>) the unequal [conceived]
di&s;tribution of the <HI>collection-money</HI> for the
Poor. The Heathen Philo&s;opher bitterly in|veighed
again&s;t the <HI>Schi&s;matical Number</HI> of
<HI>Two,</HI> which dur&s;t make the fir&s;t defection,
and departure from the intirene&s;s of <HI>One.</HI>
But we have too ju&s;t cau&s;e to bemoan this
unhappy difference, which fir&s;t <HI>brake the
Ranks,</HI> made the fir&s;t jarring in the mu&s;ick
of the Primitive Church.</P>
<P>4. The &s;econd &s;ad difference was, <HI>Acts</HI>
15. 1. about the un&s;ea&s;onable and unrea&s;on|able
pre&s;&s;ing of <HI>Circumci&s;ion,</HI> by &s;ome as
ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to &s;alvation, <HI>Except ye
be circumci&s;ed after the manner of</HI> Mo&s;es, <HI>ye
cannot be &s;aved.</HI></P>
<P>5. The third dolefull falling out, we
finde in the &s;ame Chapter, <HI>v.</HI> 39. being &s;o
much the &s;adder than either of the former,
<PB N="4" REF="102">
becau&s;e happening not btwixt infirm and
ignorant (though pious) people, but tho&s;e,
who for grace and knowledg were mo&s;t emi|nent,
and formerly had been familiar and
intimate bo&s;om-friends, <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas.</HI>
Then the Devil endeavoured to deal with
Gods Church, as <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> &s;erved the Tem|ple
of <HI>Dagon, Judg.</HI> 16. 29. <HI>He took hold of
the two middle pillars, upon which the hou&s;e
&s;tood, and on which it was born up,</HI> and no
doubt by &s;haking and cla&s;hing them toge|ther,
had &s;hattered the whole Fabrick, had
not divine providence prevented it, &s;anctify|ing
their <HI>divi&s;ion</HI> into the <HI>multiplication</HI> of
the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>6. It is enough to &s;atisfie, (if not to &s;ur|fet)
us, to in&s;i&s;t onely on this <HI>first three,</HI>
the&s;e <HI>original</HI> di&s;&s;entions in the Primitive
Church, which ever &s;ince have too truly
been copied out. As lately in the <HI>Acts of
the Apostles,</HI> we often met, <HI>with one accord,
with one accord,</HI> with one accord; &s;o look|ing
into their <HI>Acts,</HI> who (though no Apo|&s;tles)
are <HI>Christians&punc;</HI> we more frequently finde,
<HI>with many di&s;cords, with many di&s;cords, with
many di&s;cords,</HI> &s;uch their di&s;&s;enting in opini|ons,
<PB N="5" REF="102">
and di&s;agreeing in affections. It will
therefore be a &s;ea&s;onable &s;ubject for us to
treat of, how we ought to behave our &s;elves
to &s;uch Brethren as for the pre&s;ent di&s;&s;ent
from us in judgment, and what hope we may
ju&s;tly conceive of their future agreement
with us. Hearken herein to my Text, out
of which we may extract, not onely coun&s;el
what to do, but al&s;o comfort what to hope
in this kinde. <HI>And if in any thing, ye be o|therwi&s;e
minded, God &s;hall reveal even this
unto you.</HI></P>
<P>7. The words, (though &s;hort in them|&s;elves)
contain the <HI>Uuhappine&s;s,</HI> and the
happine&s;s, of the Servants of God. And
know to your comfort, the Unhappine&s;s is
fir&s;t, and the Happine&s;s comes after, to clo&s;e
and conclude all; and <HI>and all is well, that ends
well,</HI> yea the unhappine&s;s is but <HI>&s;uppo&s;itive,</HI>
what <HI>may be;</HI> the happine&s;s <HI>po&s;itive,</HI> what
<HI>&s;hall be.</HI> The unhappine&s;s, is this, a po&s;&s;ibili|ty
of good men in matters of religion, to be
otherwi&s;e minded one from another. The
Happine&s;s is a gracious Promi&s;e, that &s;uch
who erroniou&s;ly di&s;&s;ent, from their Brethren,
&s;hall in due time agree when the Truth &s;hall
be revealed to them.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="103">In the &s;uppo&s;ition the <HI>Em|pha&s;is</HI>
of two words
mu&s;t be examined.
<LIST>
<ITEM>And if in
<HI>ANY</HI> thing.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>YE.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>8. <HI>Ye,</HI> that is, literally, <HI>ye Philippians</HI> in
the pale of Gods Church. However let us
give this <HI>Ye</HI> the true dimen&s;ions thereof.
Let us not extend it too far as to include Pa|gans
or &s;uch pretended Chri&s;tians, as wil|lingly
overturn all the foundations of Reli|gion.
Nor let us contract this <HI>Ye</HI> too &s;mall,
as to confine it to the <HI>Philippians</HI> alone,
which reacheth all Chri&s;tians, though di&s;|&s;enting
in the &s;uper&s;tructures, con&s;enting
in the Fundamentalls of Religion. If there
be a Ye or a Your in all this Epi&s;tle, to the
<HI>Philippians</HI> (as Chap 4. 5. <HI>Let your moderation
be made known to all men</HI>) which enjoyneth
any precept, certainly all Chri&s;tians, as well
as the <HI>Philippians,</HI> are obliged and engaged
to the performance of it; at their own pain
and perill of the neglect thereof. Where|fore
by the &s;ame rule of proportion, Every
Chri&s;tian may ju&s;tly claim a right and in|tere&s;t
in all promi&s;es made to the <HI>Philip|pians,</HI>
and this among the re&s;t the Revela|tion
hereafter of truths unto them, hitherto
concealed from them.</P>
<P><PB N="7" REF="103">
9. <HI>And if in any thing.</HI> Any thing. Far
be it from us to &s;hrink a larg Text with a
narrow comment S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayeth <HI>any thing,</HI>
let not us &s;ay <HI>&s;omthing,</HI> Be they <HI>otherwi&s;e
minded,</HI> in matter of <HI>Fact,</HI> or of <HI>Faith,</HI> or
of <HI>Doctrine,</HI> or of <HI>Di&s;cipline,</HI> what ever it
be, (for it needs mu&s;t be <HI>nothing,</HI> which
comes not with the reach or compa&s;s
of <HI>any thing</HI>) God will reveal it unto them.
Here let us take notice, what was the la&s;t
matter, which immediately moved S. <HI>Paul</HI>
to fall on this expre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>In the foregoing <HI>ver&s;es</HI> S. <HI>Paul</HI> had pro|pounded
a Riddle or &s;eeming contradicti|on
to fle&s;h and bloud; for he had &s;aid.</P>
<BIBL>Ver&s;. 12.</BIBL>
<Q>Not as though I were already
perfect, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></Q>
<BIBL>Ver&s;. 15.</BIBL>
<Q>Let us therefore as many as be
perfect, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></Q>
<P>That perfection which fir&s;t he denyed in
him&s;elf, pre&s;ently he avoweth both in him|&s;elf
and many others. This Riddle it &s;eems
it would not &s;ink into the Heads of &s;ome
of the weaker <HI>Philippians,</HI> how the &s;ame
Per&s;on at the &s;ame time &s;hould be imper|fect
in deed, execution, performance, yet
<PB N="8" REF="104">
perfect in de&s;ire, intention, endeavour. But
well it is for us, that &s;ome among&s;t the
<HI>Philippians,</HI> through ignorance were other|wi&s;e
minded, who&s;e error herein gave the
happy occa&s;ion to S. <HI>Paul,</HI> from Gods
mouth to pronounce this comfortable pro|mi&s;e,
both to them and us and all di&s;&s;enters,
that <HI>if any be otherwi&s;e minded, God will re|veal
even this unto them.</HI></P>
<P>10. DOCT. <HI>Godly men as long as they
live in this world will di&s;&s;ent in many mat|ters
of religion.</HI> The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e none
know either <HI>Perfectly</HI> or <HI>Equally,</HI> in this
life. Not perfectly, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 12. <HI>Now we
know in part.</HI> Not equally; for though men
under&s;tood <HI>imperfectly</HI> in this life, yet if all
under&s;tood <HI>equally imperfectly,</HI> upon the
&s;uppo&s;ition of equal <HI>ingenuou&s;ne&s;s</HI> to their
<HI>Ingenuity</HI> (that is, that they would readily
embrace what appears true unto them) all
would be of the &s;ame judgment. <HI>But alas,</HI> as
none &s;ees clearly, &s;o &s;carce any two &s;ee equal|ly
&s;ome are <HI>thick-&s;ighted,</HI> &s;ome <HI>&s;hort-&s;ighted,</HI>
&s;ome <HI>pur-blind,</HI> &s;ome <HI>&s;and-blind,</HI> &s;ome <HI>half-blind,</HI>
and the wor&s;t of them (ble&s;&s;ed be
God) better then <HI>&s;tark-blind.</HI> The&s;e diffe|rent
<PB N="9" REF="104">
degrees of &s;ight, cau&s;e the difference
of judgment among&s;t Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>11. A &s;ad in&s;tance, hereof, we have, in
the differences about the Sacraments of
<HI>Bapti&s;m</HI> and the <HI>Lords Supper.</HI> What by
divine goodne&s;s was intended and in|&s;tituted
to unite and conjoyn Chri&s;tians,
hath by mans frailty, and Satans &s;ub|tilty
been abu&s;ed to make many Rents
and divi&s;ions. About the time when, the
Parties on whom, the manner how,
Bapti&s;m is to be admini&s;tred. But where
Bapti&s;m hath divided her <HI>Thou&s;ands,</HI> the
Lords Supper hath divided her <HI>Ten Thou|&s;ands.</HI></P>
<P>12. Among&s;t all the ordinary pot-herbs
which grow in Gardens none more whole&s;om
than &s;age, (e&s;pecially at &s;ome times of the
year,) who&s;e Latine name <HI>Salvia,</HI> carrieth
much of <HI>health</HI> therein. Whereupon it is, that
the envious <HI>Toad</HI> commonly ne&s;leth it &s;elf
under the roots thereof. Spitefully to im|poi&s;on
that which otherwi&s;e is &s;o u&s;efull
for mankinde. Satan being &s;en&s;ible of the
great good which generally may redound
<PB N="10" REF="105">
to men by the charitable receaving of the
Lords Supper, hath imbittered it with di&s;|cords
and di&s;&s;ention, betwixt Papi&s;ts and
Prote&s;tants about Tran&s;ub&s;tantiation; <HI>Lu|therans,</HI>
and <HI>Calvini&s;ts</HI> about Con&s;ub&s;tan|tiation;
<HI>Calvini&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Calvini&s;ts</HI> about the
ge&s;ture of genu&s;lection and Per&s;ons to be
admitted to the Sacrament. And thus mens
di&s;&s;enting in judgments being too plainly
proved, ari&s;ing from their prone&s;s to err,
come we now to the gracious promi&s;e of
their information in the truth, <HI>God will
reveal even this unto you.</HI></P>
<P>13. See here S. <HI>Pauls</HI> charity. He &s;ay|eth
not, let him be <HI>Anathema Maranatha,</HI>
or let him be <HI>cast out of the Synagogne,</HI> or
<HI>let him be to you as a heathen or a Publican</HI>
but onely <HI>God will reveal even this unto him.</HI>
Here take notice of S. <HI>Pauls</HI> different pro|ceedings
with three &s;orts of people. Fir&s;t,
with thee <HI>otherwi&s;e minded</HI> in my Text,
&s;uch, who though not <HI>Orthodox,</HI> are peace|able
in <HI>I&s;rael&punc;</HI> and err onely in the le&s;&s;er
and ligher points of Religion. For the&s;e, no
puni&s;hment capital, or corporal, no penal|ty
of pain, or &s;hame in pur&s;e or per&s;on, but
<PB N="11" REF="105">
onely a patient expectation of their amend|ment,
with a comfortable promi&s;e of the
&s;ame.</P>
<P>14. Secondly with &s;uch as <HI>make &s;hip|wrack
of faith and a good con&s;cience,</HI> under|&s;tand
it onely in relation to their own <HI>ad|venture</HI>
therein, maintaining Doctrine de|&s;tructive
to Salvation. Of the&s;e were <HI>Hy|meneus</HI>
and <HI>Alexander,</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 20. <HI>Whom
he delivered unto Satan,</HI> that is (as it is ge|nerally
expounded) by Church Cen&s;ures
cut off from <HI>God</HI> in the <HI>vi&s;ible Church</HI> and
then being cut off from him, we know to
who&s;e &s;hare they do fall.</P>
<P>15. Thirdly, to &s;uch, as not content to
confine their damnable errours to their own
bo&s;om, are active to infect others therewith:
of the&s;e he &s;peaketh, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 12. <HI>I would they
were even cut off that trouble you.</HI> In which
phra&s;e &s;urely more is imported than a bare
Excommunication. For that &s;piritual Artil|lery
S. <HI>Paul</HI> ever carried about him: why
then &s;hould he <HI>wi&s;h</HI> what he could <HI>work?
de&s;ire</HI> what he could <HI>do?</HI> if &s;o plea&s;ed. It is
probable therefore that he could have wi&s;ht
them cut off with temporal death.</P>
<P><PB N="12" REF="106">
16. Here we &s;ay nothing of &s;uch Doctrines
as bear <HI>Here&s;ie</HI> and <HI>trea&s;on</HI> impaledtogether,
pregnant with Sedition to rai&s;e tumults in a
State. The&s;e we leave to the cognizance and
cen&s;ure of the civil Authority; and &s;hall
proceed on the promi&s;e of the Revelation of
truth to the fir&s;t &s;ort of di&s;&s;enting brethren.</P>
<P>17. <HI>Quest.</HI> What, more Revelation
&s;till? When &s;hall Chri&s;tians come to an
end? When &s;hall we &s;ay, <HI>It is fini&s;hed?</HI>
When &s;hall they certainly know the full
mea&s;ure of all which they are to believe and
practice as nece&s;&s;ary to &s;alvation?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Here be it premi&s;ed, that the <HI>Phi|lippians</HI>
at this time wherein S. <HI>Paul</HI> wrote
unto them might expect extraordinary Re|velations,
(and tho&s;e <HI>additional</HI> to the Scri|pture
then in being) on an account more
probable to receive them, than any now a|days
can expect the &s;ame. For when S. <HI>Paul</HI>
wrote this Epi&s;tle, &s;ome of the Go&s;pels
(and particularly that of S. <HI>Johns</HI>) were
not yet penned, which though placed before
the Epi&s;tles (as containing the Hi&s;tory of
our Saviours life which was fir&s;t in time)
yet were written afterwards. But &s;eeing long
<PB N="13" REF="106">
&s;ince the Canon of the Scripture is com|pleated,
yea, <HI>&s;igned</HI> and <HI>&s;ealed</HI> by God, and
delivered to mankinde, it is not onely vain,
but wicked for men to look for more Reve|lations,
of &s;uch things which men ought to
know and believe to their &s;alvation. But to
an&s;wer the que&s;tion more particularly.</P>
<P>18. There are two &s;orts of Revelations.<LIST>
<ITEM>One doth <HI>revelare credenda,</HI> reveal
tho&s;e things which we are to be|lieve.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The other doth make us <HI>credere reve|latis,</HI>
more quickly and firmly a&s;|&s;ent
to what hath formerly been
delivered in the Scripture.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The fir&s;t &s;ort of Revelations are cea&s;ed in
this Age. As for the &s;econd &s;ort we may
look for them, pray for them, and labour
them, as which God hath promi&s;ed to be|&s;tow,
and which the godly dayly receive.
Such Revelations our Saviour gave to the
two Di&s;ciples travelling to <HI>Emaus, Luke</HI> 24.
27. <HI>When he expounded unto them all the
Scriptures.</HI> And in the &s;ame Chapter, <HI>v.</HI> 45.
to the re&s;t of the Di&s;ciples, <HI>When he opened
their under&s;tanding, that they might under|&s;tand
<PB N="14" REF="107">
the Scriptures.</HI> He made not the Scri|ptures
<HI>more&punc;</HI> but more plain unto them; not
larger, but clearer unto them. Such a Re|velation
is intended in the text, to make er|roneous
per&s;ons more clearly to apprehend,
and more firmly to adhere to the truth in
Gods word.</P>
<P>19. But <HI>quando, when,</HI> and <HI>quou&s;que&punc; how
long Lord holy and true,</HI> how long &s;hall thy
&s;ervants go on in their errours and igno|rance?
When &s;hall they without fail re|ceive
this promi&s;ed Revelation, to have the
truth manife&s;ted unto them. I an&s;wer, my
text (beloved) hath not told the time, and
therefore I cannot tell it you. You will &s;ay,
If the text had told the time, you could
have told it me. Be it &s;o, and now both you
and I mu&s;t contentedly be ignorant thereof.
Yet, not to &s;atisfie the curious, but the con|&s;ciencious
&s;o far as I may, I will more than
conjecture that the punctual time, when this
Revelation &s;hall be made.</P>
<P>20. Of all the years of thy life, in that
year, moneth, week, day, hour, minute, and
(if any will be &s;o hypocritical as to &s;ubdi|vide
<PB N="15" REF="107">
minutes) in that moment wherein the
hid providence of Heaven &s;hall di&s;cover to
be mo&s;t for Gods glory, and for thy good.
Thou can&s;t not wi&s;ely wi&s;h it to be any whit
before that time, and I do confidently a&s;&s;ure
thee, it &s;hall not be any whit after it.</P>
<P>21. And yet I dare not be over confident
to promi&s;e thee, that &s;uch Revelation of the
truth &s;hall certainly happen to thee in this
life. Many of Gods good &s;ervants have
gone to the grave with grievous errours
which they have maintained. Yea, it is no
ab&s;urdity to maintain, that the ble&s;&s;ed in
Heaven are as yet ignorant of many truths,
and that there &s;hall be an acce&s;&s;ion unto
them, as of glory, &s;o of knowledg in the
Day of Judgment. Yea, many things of
Gods proceedings &s;hall not be revealed un|to
them, untill <HI>Rom.</HI> 2. 5. the day of the
Revelation of the righteous judgment of
God.</P>
<P>22. <HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But &s;uppo&s;e it be never at all
revealed unto a man, what is to be conceived
of his final condition who liveth and dieth a
&s;tiff defender of a <HI>damnable doctrine?</HI></P>
<P><PB N="16" REF="108">
<HI>An&s;w.</HI> Give me leave in the fir&s;t place to
di&s;tingui&s;h of <HI>damnable doctrines,</HI> a phra&s;e ac|ceptive
of two &s;en&s;es. If <HI>damnable</HI> be taken
<HI>pa&s;sively,</HI> for that which ought to be <HI>damned</HI>
or <HI>condemned,</HI> then every errour is in it &s;elf a
<HI>damnable</HI> errour. Di&s;cretion advi&s;eth us to
refu&s;e not onely poy&s;on, but unwhole&s;om
food; and we ought to condemn a fal&s;hood
<HI>quatenus</HI> a fal&s;hood, though it may be con|&s;i&s;tent
with &s;alvation. But if <HI>damnable</HI> be
taken <HI>actively</HI> (in which &s;en&s;e it is u&s;ed,
2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 1. <HI>Who privily &s;hall bring in damn|able
Here&s;ies, even denying the Lord that
bought them</HI>) for that which <HI>damneth</HI> or
condemneth the maintainer thereof, then
onely <HI>fundamental</HI> errours in Religion are
<HI>damnable doctrines.</HI> This premi&s;ed, we an|&s;wer
to the que&s;tion, Gods goodne&s;s &s;o
keepeth his &s;ervants, that he will not &s;uffer
them to fall into damnable errours in
the la&s;t and wor&s;t acception thereof. As for
&s;maller errours, which de&s;erve to be con|demned,
but are not &s;o pe&s;tilent as to de|&s;troy
the maintainers thereof, they are par|doned
through the mercy of God and me|rits
of <HI>Christ,</HI> on the death-bed of &s;uch as
defend them.</P>
<P><PB N="17" REF="108">
23. All good Chri&s;tians pray with <HI>Da|vid,</HI>
if not in the &s;ame words, to the &s;ame
&s;en&s;e, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19. 12. <HI>Clean&s;e me from my &s;ecret
&s;ins.</HI> Whereby is meant, not onely &s;uch &s;ins,
as we de&s;ire and endeavour to hide and keep
&s;ecret from men, but al&s;o &s;uch as are hidden
and kept &s;ecret from us, &s;uch our <HI>ignorance</HI>
as not to <HI>know,</HI> or <HI>&s;elf-love,</HI> as not to <HI>ac|knowledg</HI>
them to be &s;ins. Now all &s;uch er|rours
con&s;i&s;tent with &s;alvation are remitted
unto the maintainers thereof, under the
ma&s;s, bulk, and heap of <HI>&s;ecret &s;ins,</HI> though
they be not, and indeed cannot be particu|larly
repented of, becau&s;e concealed from
him; who committeth them.</P>
<P>24. Come we now to &s;hew how men
ought to prepare their own hearts for the
more &s;peedy receiving, and &s;ure retaining of
&s;uch <HI>Revelations.</HI> Say not, all &s;uch prepara|tions
are u&s;ele&s;s. The Dove of the Spirit
will not build in a Ne&s;t of this making, but
in one of her own providing. For &s;uch pre|vious
di&s;po&s;ing of our &s;elves is acceptable
to God, and will expedite the coming of
Revelations unto us. Indeed in the fir&s;t act
of Conver&s;ion we are purely pa&s;&s;ive, and
<PB N="18" REF="109">
can in no degree prepare our &s;elves being
<HI>dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins.</HI> But being once
freed by grace, we are free; and may, and
mu&s;t by lawfull means move Gods Spirit to
move us, according to S. <HI>Pauls</HI> coun&s;el,
2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 6. <HI>Stir up the grace of God that is in
thee.</HI></P>
<P>25. Fir&s;t, dive&s;t thy &s;elf of <HI>Pride.</HI> What
&s;aith <HI>Solomon: Prov.</HI> 13. 10. <HI>Onely by
pride cometh contention. Onely by pride,</HI> as if
&s;uch were the <HI>pride</HI> of <HI>pride,</HI> that it &s;corneth
and di&s;daineth to admit a <HI>partner,</HI> or <HI>fellow|cau&s;e</HI>
with it &s;elf to cau&s;e contention. And
although <HI>pride</HI> &s;ometimes be plea&s;ed out of
&s;tate, to accept of other vices in rai&s;ing of
Di&s;cords, yet &s;till &s;he pre&s;erveth her &s;elf
Paramont, making u&s;e of all the re&s;t onely
as &s;ub&s;ervient unto her.</P>
<P>26. Now proud men create to them|&s;elves
two needle&s;s fears, which make them
&s;o ob&s;tinately embrace their errours. The
fir&s;t is, that if they alter their opinions,
they mu&s;t confe&s;s that formerly they have
erred, which confe&s;&s;ion &s;tabbeth Pride, (and
Pride is dextrous in &s;tabbing others) under
<PB N="19" REF="109">
<HI>the fifth rib.</HI> For all men by nature de&s;ire to
be, and to be accounted <HI>petty Popes,</HI> having
the <HI>&s;pirit of infallibility</HI> fa&s;tened unto their
<HI>chairs,</HI> &s;o that their opinions &s;hall pa&s;s for
oracle of undeniable truth.</P>
<P>27. The other is, that they &s;hall be brand|ed
by men for levity and incon&s;tancy, if once
they offer to change their judgments. This
makes many of them to &s;ay &s;ullenly and
&s;urlily with <HI>Pilate, John</HI> 19. 22. <HI>What I
have written I have written.</HI> What I have
&s;aid, I have &s;aid; what I have done, I have
done; what I have defended, I have defend|ed;
I will not abate an ace, remit a tittle,
recede an hair from my former opinions.
While&s;t others turn as fa&s;t as the Weather|cock,
I will &s;tand as firm as the Steeple, the
rather becau&s;e otherwi&s;e I &s;hall incur the in|famy
of incon&s;tancy.</P>
<P>28. Whereas let it be but &s;eriou&s;ly con|&s;idered,
and the renouncing of an errour
which we formerly maintained, argueth not
frailne&s;s but firmne&s;s, not levity but con|&s;tancy
in us. For this is or ought to be the
grand and general re&s;olution of all Chri&s;ti|ans
<PB N="20" REF="110">
to imbrace any truth, which appeareth
unto them out of the Word of God.
Wherefore when a Chri&s;tian renounceth a
particular errour, this is not incon&s;tancy;
becau&s;e cro&s;&s;ing the late and le&s;&s;er boughs,
but it is con&s;tancy; becau&s;e concurring with
the fir&s;t and faire&s;t Root of his Re&s;olution,
namely, always to tho&s;e with the revealed
truth.</P>
<P>29. This hath been the practi&s;e of pious
people in all ages. The hand of S. <HI>Augu|&s;tine</HI>
never &s;eemed &s;o fair and &s;o hand&s;om,
as when he wrot backward, I mean, when
he wrot his <HI>Retractations.</HI> Pale faces, which
otherwi&s;e are well proportioned, never look
&s;o lovely, as when they are ca&s;ually betray|ed
to a blu&s;h, which &s;upplies that colour in
their cheeks which was wanting before.
Good men who once maintained an errour,
never appear more amiable in the eys of
God and the godly, as when blu&s;hing with
&s;hame (not to be a&s;hamed for) at the remem|brance
of their former faults, which maketh
them more thankfull to God, more humble
in, more carefull over them&s;elves, and more
charitable to others.</P>
<P><PB N="21" REF="110">
30. Well in the fir&s;t place deve&s;t thy
&s;elf of pride, and know that <HI>David</HI> tels us,
how all tho&s;e ought to be qualified, whom
God intendeth to teach, <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 25. 9. <HI>The
meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek
will he teach in his way.</HI> The proud are
improper to be Gods Scholars, who con|ceive
them&s;elves able to be his Teacher&punc;
and wi&s;e enough to in&s;truct him.</P>
<P>31. Secondly deve&s;t thy &s;elf of Pa&s;&s;ion,
than which nothing more prejudicial to the
judgment. Fire is accounted an hurtfull
object to the eye, as water is e&s;teemed an
helper thereof to look upon it, comforting
and uniting (as the other &s;cattereth) the
vi&s;ive beams. What then when the be|holder
is all fire, I mean all pa&s;&s;ion and
choller, is it probable that during this tem|per,
the &s;pirit will de&s;cend upon him?
Ob&s;erve the carriage of <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> 2 <HI>K.</HI> 3. 15.
(being in an high rapture of anger with
<HI>Joram.</HI> King of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> for his &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive
applications unto him in his di&s;tre&s;s when
he and three Armies were likely to die of
thir&s;t) and now &s;aith he, bring me a Min|&s;trel
namely, by Mu&s;ick to pacifie him&s;elf
<PB N="22" REF="111">
and to di&s;po&s;e his &s;oul for the regular re|ception
and &s;olemn entertainment of the
&s;pirit&punc; which accordingly came to pa&s;s
<HI>when the Min&s;trel played the hand of the
Lord came upon him.</HI></P>
<P>32. See we here in the fir&s;t place, that
it is lawfull to u&s;e all good means to invite
the Spirit to de&s;cend upon us. <HI>The Spirit
of the Prophets,</HI> was never <HI>&s;o &s;ubject to the
Prophets,</HI> as to come at their call and com|mand.
Secondly though <HI>E&s;hi&s;hah</HI> in anger for
the man was holy anger (ju&s;tly offended with
King <HI>Joram,</HI> for making Idolatrous Prie&s;ts
his <HI>choi&s;e</HI> in pro&s;perity, and Gods Prophet
his <HI>refuge</HI> in adver&s;ity) yet he was &s;en&s;ible
to him&s;elf, that he was di&s;turbed and di&s;|compo&s;ed
therewith. And though the
cau&s;e of his anger was ju&s;t, and <HI>matter</HI> of
his anger commendable, yet po&s;&s;ibly the
<HI>mea&s;ure thereof,</HI> might be faulty, (<HI>Eli&s;ha</HI>
being like <HI>Eliah,</HI> and <HI>Eliah a man &s;ubject
to like pas&s;ions as we are,</HI> James 5. 17. And
He might &s;ee in him&s;elf (what others &s;aw
not in him) that he was too much tran&s;|ported
with pa&s;&s;ion, and perchance did too
much in&s;ult on the pre&s;ent perplexity and
<PB N="23" REF="111">
extremity of King <HI>Jehoram.</HI> Wherefore
conceiving that He in <HI>the &s;till voice,</HI> would
not come to one in &s;o loud a <HI>pas&s;ion,</HI> he
calls for a Min&s;trel, &s;o to reduce, pacate,
and compo&s;e his Soul, that it might return
to a quiet temper: Whence it plainly ap|pears,
what an enemy Pa&s;&s;ion is generally
to the receiving of Gods Spirit, and that
all tho&s;e which de&s;ire a Revelation of the
truth unto them, mu&s;t labour to deve&s;t
them&s;elves thereof.</P>
<P>33. Thirdly deve&s;t thy &s;elf of Cove|tuou&s;ne&s;s.
Here take notice, how ea&s;ily men
are per&s;waded to embrace tho&s;e opinions
(though never &s;o erroneous,) which bring
in profit unto them: for in&s;tance; One with
weak &s;innews of <HI>Logick,</HI> &amp; wor&s;e colours of
<HI>Rhetorick</HI> will quickly per&s;wade a Country|man
to be a convert in this point, that he
is not bound to pay Tithes to his Mini&s;ter.</P>
<P>34. On the other &s;ide it is hard to wean
men from &s;ucking on tho&s;e Opinions
which are &s;weetned unto them by commo|dity.
<HI>For by this craft we get our gain,</HI> Acts
19. 25. No wonder if the Pope zealou&s;ly
<PB N="24" REF="112">
maintaineth Purgatory, &s;eeing that Purga|tory
&s;o plentifully maintaineth the Pope.
The &s;ame may be &s;aid of other lucrative
errours in their Religion, Pilgrimages, Par|dons,
Prayers to the Saints, Prayers for the
dead, <HI>&amp;c. Scylla omnes &s;uos divitiis implevit,</HI>
it was the policy of that cunning Senatour
to enrich all of his party tyed by their
pur&s;e-&s;trings the fa&s;ter unto him; whereas
the Antifaction of the <HI>Marians</HI> being no|thing
&s;o well monied by their Patron
cleaved not &s;o &s;tedfa&s;tly unto him. Gain|full
errors &s;oon gain and long keep &s;uch as
de&s;ire them; whereas &s;peculative opinions
which terminate onely in the brains having
little influence on mens practi&s;e and le&s;s
on their profit are nothing &s;o taking of men,
and men nothing &s;o tenacious of them.</P>
<P>35. As for the errour of &s;uch as deny
the Bapti&s;ing of Infants, we have cau&s;e to
conceive the greater hopes of their return|ing
to the truth, becau&s;e that their Opini|on
can not make them a <HI>thred,</HI> or a <HI>&s;hoo|latchet</HI>
the richer by the maintaining there|of.
<HI>Tully</HI> &s;aith of our <HI>Brittainy</HI> in his time,
(when <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> rather di&s;covered than con|quered
<PB N="25" REF="112">
it) that it had naturally, <HI>Ne micam
auri aut argenti,</HI> not <HI>a crum of gold or &s;ilver,</HI>
as within the bowels of the earth thereof.
So may I &s;ay of the Doctrine of <HI>Anti|poedo-bapti&s;m,</HI>
it is a bare and poor opinion,
<HI>Gold and Silver it hath none,</HI> and therefore,
(alone of it &s;elf) is never probable to en|rich
the patrons and defenders thereof.</P>
<P>36. And yet as <HI>Tully:</HI> went a little too
far, in condemning <HI>Brittain,</HI> as utterly de|void
of Silver oar, and is di&s;proved by the
indu&s;try of our Age, which &s;ome years
&s;ince hath di&s;covered Silver mines in <HI>Wales,</HI>
&s;o po&s;&s;ibly this opinion may be more advan|tagious
to the defenders thereof, than is ob|vious
to the eye of every common beholder.
It may be it may make them more capable
of preferment, and that either they are or
conceive them&s;elves to be in a better proxi|mity
to advancement by maintaining there|of
as more favourably reflected on than
others; as if this opinion gave the mo&s;t re|al
te&s;timony of their good affections to the
pre&s;ent government, whereby they appre|hend
them&s;elves: the next <HI>rever&s;ions</HI> to
preferment I believe they mi&s;take them|&s;elves
<PB N="26" REF="113">
therein, and that no &s;uch partiality
is in the pre&s;ent &s;tate. However let them
examine their own &s;ouls and deve&s;t them|&s;elves,
of covetou&s;ne&s;s in ca&s;e they be con|&s;cious
to them&s;elves that expectation of
profit inclines them to this opinion.</P>
<P>37. Come we now to Po&s;itive coun&s;els,
what we ought to perform. And here I am a|fraid
&s;ome will be offended at the &s;implicity
&amp; plainne&s;s of them. There is a book entitu|led,
<HI>De medecinis facil&egrave; parabilibus, of me|dicines
which may ea&s;ily be procured,</HI> and very
good for &s;uch w^c^h take Phy&s;ick <HI>in forma pau|peris.</HI>
Yea generally it is conceived nothing
&s;o much detracteth from the worth of tho&s;e
medicines, as the cheapne&s;s and common|ne&s;s
thereof, &s;o that if we did but fetch
from the <HI>Ea&s;t Indies,</HI> what now groweth in our
gardens, it would then be accounted a preci|ous
Drug which now we e&s;teem a common
Potherb. In like manner I fear that the&s;e our
coun&s;els, &s;hall be undervalued for the u&s;u|alne&s;s
and obviou&s;ne&s;s of them. If a Soul-Mount-abank,
&s;hould pre&s;cribe &s;uch new fangled
means, which was never heard of
before, he &s;hould get more patients than all
<PB N="27" REF="113">
the grave Phy&s;icians of the City. How|ever
we will adventure to pre&s;cribe the&s;e
plain means which God hath pre&s;cribed un|to
us.</P>
<P>38. Fir&s;t, pray to God, that he that o|peneth
and no man &s;hutteth, and &s;hut|teth
and no man openeth, would be plea|&s;ed
in his own due time to reveal all nece&s;|&s;ary
truths unto thee. Secondly, be dili|gent
in reading Gods Word. <HI>Luther</HI> did
profe&s;s that when he fir&s;t began to write
again&s;t the Pope, many fancies were put in|to
his head, plau&s;ible to fle&s;h and bloud, but
groundle&s;s on Scripture, which made him
daily to pray, <HI>Domine in verbo, Domine in
verbo,</HI> Lord teach me in thy Word.</P>
<P>39. Thirdly, be carefull in keeping the Lords
day, not with any &s;uper&s;titious but godly
ob&s;ervation thereof. On what day did
God reveal the <HI>Revelation</HI> to S. <HI>John?</HI> On
the Lords day, <HI>Rev.</HI> 1. 10. Thus Princes u&s;e
to be&s;tow their Boons, and confer their fa|vors
chiefly on tho&s;e days, which more pro|perly
are called their days; as on the Anniver|&s;aries
of their Births or Coronations. Fourthy,
<PB N="28" REF="114">
Repair to the place of Gods Publick Ser|vice.
Fifthly, as the Magi&s;trate bears not
the <HI>Sword</HI> in vain, the Mini&s;ter bears not
the <HI>Word</HI> in vain. But lea&s;t we Mini&s;ters
&s;hould &s;eem to plead our own cau&s;e herein
we leave this to God to plead for us.</P>
<P>39. <HI>Object.</HI> But &s;ome erroneous per|&s;ons
will be ready to &s;ay unto me, as the
young man did to our Saviour in the Go|&s;pel,
<HI>All the&s;e things&punc; have I done from my
youth.</HI> I have con&s;tantly prayed, and care|fully
read, and con&s;cienciou&s;ly kept the
Lords day, and diligently repaired to the
publick Mini&s;tery, and have endeavoured to
deve&s;t my &s;elf of pride, pa&s;&s;ion, and co|vetou&s;ne&s;s,
and yet no errour is revealed to
me, which I formerly maintained. Hereup|on
I conclude my &s;elf to be in the right.
Our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Proverb, as it hath much of
rudene&s;s, &s;o it hath no le&s;s of truth therein,
<HI>One is not bound to &s;ee more than he can.</HI>
And I conceive I am in no errour, becau&s;e I
follow my pre&s;ent light, and all the means
of your pre&s;cription have made no alterati|on
on my under&s;tanding.</P>
<P><PB N="29" REF="114">
40. <HI>An&s;w.</HI> Give me leave to be jea|lous
over the&s;e Objectors, with a godly jea|lou&s;ie.
I ex&s;pect not the validity of my Re|ceits
pre&s;cribed, but &s;u&s;pect their effectual
application thereof, whether or no they
have &s;incerely practi&s;ed the &s;ame; this I
am &s;ure, as <HI>men</HI> can &s;carcely (for the main)
give <HI>other,</HI> &s;o <HI>Angels</HI> can give no <HI>better.</HI></P>
<P>41. And here I &s;hall deceive their ex|pectation,
who conceive that on the ill &s;uc|ce&s;s
of the former Receipts, I &s;hould pro|ceed
to pre&s;cribe other means, whereby a
brother di&s;&s;enting from the truth, &s;hall be
reclamed unto it. Onely I remember a pa&s;|&s;age
of <HI>Eliah,</HI> 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 18. 34. when accord|ing
to his command, they had once poured
water upon the Altar, <HI>And he &s;aid, Do it
again, and they did &s;o the &s;econd time; and
he &s;aid, Do it the third time, and they did it
the third time al&s;o.</HI> The next &s;even years,
(if thou live&s;t &s;o long) pray, reade, keep
the Lords day, attend on Gods publick Or|dinance,
and in ca&s;e the truth be not then
revealed unto thee, the next &s;even years (if
thou live&s;t &s;o long) do the like. I have no
alteration, but a meer repetition, of what
<PB N="30" REF="115">
already hath been pre&s;cribed: and there|fore
we proceed to give in&s;tructions to &s;uch
who by the benefit of the&s;e means are actu|ally
reclamed from their errours A word
or two how they &s;hould behave them|&s;elves.</P>
<P>42. Fir&s;t, practi&s;e our Saviours precept
to S. <HI>Peter, Luke</HI> 22. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>When thou art con|verted
&s;trengthen thy brethren.</HI> Never con|ceive
thy &s;elf in the <HI>peaceable po&s;&s;e&s;sion</HI> of a
truth, untill &s;uch time as thou ha&s;t impart|ed
it to others: the rather becau&s;e it is
more than probable, that by thy example,
(if of any eminency) thou ha&s;t invited
others to, or confirmed others in their er|rours&punc;
and therefore in civility and Chri&s;ti|anity
thou &s;tand'&s;t obliged to undeceive
them.</P>
<P>43. In <HI>Hungaria</HI> they have a cu&s;tome,
that a Gentleman wears &s;o many Feathers
as he hath killed <HI>Turks</HI> And truly, a <HI>Fea|ther</HI>
may pa&s;s for the lively Emblem of the
glory of this world, wagged with the winde,
and lighter than vanity it &s;elf: Alas, what
a toy is a Feather? It is real happine&s;s in|deed,
<PB N="31" REF="115">
<HI>Dan.</HI> 12. 3. <HI>They that turn many to
righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall &s;hine as the &s;tars for ever
and ever.</HI></P>
<P>44. But O how glorious in Heaven will
S. <HI>Peter</HI> appear? who at the preaching of
one Sermon gained <HI>Acts</HI> 2. 4. <HI>three thou&s;and
&s;ouls.</HI> What a Con&s;tellation, what a Firma|ment
of &s;tars will he alone be?</P>
<P>45. <HI>See the</HI> pathetical expo&s;tulation, <HI>and
the</HI> ingenuous <HI>confe&s;&s;ion of S.</HI> Paul <HI>before
King</HI> Agrippa, Acts 26. 8. <HI>His</HI> pathetical ex|po&s;tulation,
Why &s;hould it be thought a thing
incredible with you, that God &s;hould rai&s;e the
dead? His ingenious confe&s;sion&punc; I verily
thought with my &s;elf that I ought to do many
things <HI>contrary,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>How freely and fully
doth he acknowledg his fault, labouring to
le&s;&s;en the errours of others by the alleadg|ing
the example of his own former infir|mities.</HI></P>
<P>46. This wrought &s;o far with <HI>Agrippa,</HI>
that it made him a <HI>Demi, Almo&s;t a Chri&s;tian.
Paul</HI> did both in his own and <HI>Apollos</HI> part
<HI>to plant</HI> and <HI>water,</HI> but God was not
plea&s;ed.</P>
<P><PB N="32" REF="116">
47. Who knoweth what may come to
pa&s;s? Happy Mu&s;ick if in like manner we
might but live to hear &s;ome of our; yet di&s;|&s;enting
brethren, after their returning to the
truth, to argue the ca&s;e thus with tho&s;e
which as yet remain in their errours. How
ought they to coun&s;el others to the truth,
and <HI>Paul</HI>-like, to comfort them with their
own Precedent, that &s;uch as err may &s;ea&s;on|bly
be reclamed.</P>
<P>48. Come we to &s;hew how the &s;tanders
by, and all other <HI>orthodox</HI> Chri&s;tians ought
to contribute their a&s;&s;i&s;tance to the recla|ming
of their erroneous brethren to the
truth. <HI>Hippocrates</HI> &s;peaking of Cures, &s;aith,
that all parties concerned mu&s;t lend their
a&s;&s;i&s;tance, as the <HI>Phy&s;ician, Patient,</HI> and <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<HI>tho&s;e that are pre&s;ent,</HI> (conceived re|lated
to the &s;ick man) mu&s;t all lend their a&s;|&s;i&s;ting
hand to the work. So in &s;piritual
Cures, even the &s;pectators (idle ones Chri|&s;tianity
allows none) are parties, and mu&s;t
contribute their help in &s;o good an imploy|ment.
For whom the&s;e councels are pro|per.</P>
<P><PB N="33" REF="116">
49. Fir&s;t&punc; load them not with opprobri|ous
Language, of <HI>Hereticks,</HI> and the like.
Be more charitable in thy words to them,
and thoughts of them. Though they &s;hould
account us <HI>Dogs,</HI> let us account them <HI>Sheep,</HI>
but what <HI>Sheep? wandring Sheep.</HI> Though
they e&s;teem us <HI>Ba&s;tards,</HI> we will e&s;teem
them <HI>children,</HI> but what <HI>children? prodigal
children.</HI> We will think better of them than
they think of us, (though not &s;o well as
they think of them&s;elves) and no di&s;creet
per&s;on will conclude, our faith the wor&s;e, be|cau&s;e
our charity is the more.</P>
<P>50. Secondly, widen not the wound be|twixt
us, to make it wor&s;e than it is. And if
thou ha&s;t occa&s;ion to &s;tate the controver&s;ie
betwixt us and them, deal fairly in the mat|ter.
Do not paint them of a blacker com|plexion
than they be, neither repre&s;ent their
opinions partially to their di&s;advantage.</P>
<P>51. Here under favour I conceive, that it
is fit at a Di&s;putation in the Schools, to
charge them home, with all the dangerous
or ab&s;urd Con&s;equences, which re&s;ult na|turally
from their erroneous opinions. We
<PB N="34" REF="117">
may bring a ju&s;t <HI>action</HI> again&s;t them, and at
the <HI>&s;uit</HI> of <HI>Logick</HI> arre&s;t them for maintain|ing
&s;uch abominable Con&s;equences: we
may lay the ugly <HI>Brats</HI> at their fathers
doors, that they may have the &s;hame and
pain in getting them, the co&s;t and charge to
provide for them. As <HI>is the Mother, &s;o is the
Daughter.</HI></P>
<P>52. But in ca&s;e our <HI>di&s;&s;enting brethren</HI>
&s;hall di&s;clame &s;uch Con&s;equences, and &s;in|cerely
from their hearts dete&s;t and abhor
&s;uch damnable Deductions which notwith|&s;tanding
naturally and inevitably flow from
their own erroneous principles, conceive
that, though they may be pre&s;t with &s;uch
con&s;equences in the Schools they may not
be charged with them <HI>in foro con&s;cientiae.</HI>
But that onely they are an&s;werable to God
for the primitive errour, and not for &s;uch
derivative ones, which notwith&s;tanding are
the undoubted off-&s;pring thereof.</P>
<P>53. La&s;tly, when they &s;hall recant their
errours willingly, chearfully, greedily, give
unto them <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 9. <HI>the right hand of fellow|&s;hip.</HI>
Indeed the <HI>left hand</HI> by <HI>vulgar tradi|tion</HI>
<PB N="35" REF="117">
(not to &s;ay <HI>mi&s;take</HI>) is pre&s;umed nearer
to the <HI>heart,</HI> but the <HI>right hand</HI> if not by na|ture
(by cu&s;tome) is the &s;tronger and firm|er.
Say not, I mu&s;t make &s;ome difference
betwixt tho&s;e, that never left, and tho&s;e
who lately returned to the truth. My <HI>right
hand</HI> I mu&s;t re&s;erve for &s;uch who never wan|dred
from the right way, my <HI>left hand</HI> &s;hall
&s;erve tho&s;e who were brought back unto it.
O no, love both alike, and though the af|fection
of thy heart be equal to both, if
there be any odds in thy behaviour, expre&s;s
mo&s;t love to tho&s;e <HI>Reverts,</HI> &s;o to invite
more to come over to the truth.</P>
<P>54. Do any hear my Sermon this day
who di&s;&s;ent from me, and many other, (and
indeed from all the practi&s;e of the ancient
Primitive Church) in the point of baptiz|ing
of Infants. O let &s;uch con&s;ider what
hath been &s;aid by us in this point, and God
give them under&s;tanding, and on the ap|pearing
of truth unto them, let them inge|niou&s;ly
renounce their own erroneous opi|nions.</P>
<P>55. Never be a&s;hamed to do that, which
<PB N="36" REF="118">
wil bring &s;afety to your &s;elves, glory to God,
joy to Angels, grief to none but &s;uch as re|joyce
at your de&s;truction. We may ob&s;erve
in Hor&s;es, that after a &s;tumble, for &s;ome paces
they go better and quicker than before. Some
impute this to their fear, to be beaten, and
de&s;ire to avoid it; others to their genero&s;ity,
to make amends for their former fault, with
double diligence.</P>
<P>56. <HI>Be not like the Hor&s;e and Mule which
hath no understanding, P&s;alm</HI> 32. 9. that is,
do not imitate them in their bruti&s;h head|&s;trongne&s;s.
Yet be like the Hor&s;e and Mule
in their commendable conditions, (as crea|tures
far above Pi&s;mires, and Lillies) imi|tate
tho&s;e generous principles which the in|&s;tinct
of Nature hath put into them. Re|cover
what is pa&s;t in your &s;tumbling by
your future activity; in going the fa&s;ter in
the path of truth and righteou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>57. To conclude, there is for the pre&s;ent
a great Gulph and di&s;tance betwixt you and
us in our opinions. Indeed though we &s;hould
de&s;ire it, we dare not approach nearer unto
you in point of judgment. S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith
<PB N="37" REF="118">
even of his brother S. <HI>Peter, Gal.</HI> 2. 5. <HI>To whom
we gave place, no not for an hour, that the
truth of the Go&s;pel might continue with you.</HI>
We may not yield to you, no, not a hairs
breadth. We have already <HI>in &s;tating the
Controver&s;ie</HI> betwixt us, drawn as near as we
can without betraying the truth, prejudicing
Gods cau&s;e, and our own con&s;ciences. And
having gone to the very marches and out|bounds
of the truth, we there &s;tand on tip|toes
ready to embrace you if you come to
us, and no otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>58. But as for difference in <HI>affection,</HI> &s;eeing
we conceive your error not &s;uch as intrench|eth
on &s;alvation, (becau&s;e not denying but
deferring Bapti&s;m) and onely in the out limbs
(not vitals of) Religion, wherein a latitude
may and mu&s;t be allowed <HI>to di&s;&s;enting bre|thren,</HI>
we de&s;ire that herein the mea&s;ure of
our love may be without mea&s;ure unto you.
Lightning often works wonders when it
breaketh the Sword, it doth not &s;o much as
brui&s;e the Scabbard; Charity is a more hea|venly
fire, and therefore may be more mira|culous
in its operations. You &s;hall &s;ee that
our love to you, as it doth dete&s;t and de&s;ires
<PB N="38" REF="119">
to de&s;troy your errours, &s;o it will at the &s;ame
time, it will &s;afely keep, and pre&s;erve your
erroneous per&s;ons.</P>
<P>59. For mine own particular, becau&s;e I
have been challenged (how ju&s;tly God and
my own con&s;cience knoweth) for &s;ome mo|ro&s;enes
in my behaviour towards &s;ome <HI>di&s;|&s;enting
brethren,</HI> in my Pari&s;h, this I do pro|mi&s;e,
and God giving me grace I will per|form
it. Suppo&s;e there be one <HI>hundred</HI> pa|ces
betwixt me and them in point of affecti|on,
I will go <HI>ninety nine</HI> of them, on condi|tion
they will &s;tir the <HI>one odd</HI> pace, to give
them an amicable meeting. But if the Legs
of their Souls be &s;o lame, or lazy, or &s;ullen,
as not to move that one pace towards our
mutual love, we then mu&s;t come to new
<HI>propo&s;itions.</HI> Let them but promi&s;e to &s;tand
&s;till and make good their &s;tation, let them
not go backward, and be more imbitter'd
again&s;t me than they have been, and of the
<HI>hundred paces,</HI> in point of affection, God
willing, Ile go <HI>twice fifty</HI> to meet them. As
for matter of judgment I &s;hall patiently
and hopefully expect the performance of
Gods promi&s;e in my Text, when to tho&s;e
<PB N="39" REF="119">
which are otherwi&s;e minded in the matter of
<HI>Infants Bapti&s;me,</HI> God will reveal even this
unto them. Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="120">
<PB REF="120">
<P>PERFECTION
AND
PEACE:
Delivered in a SERMON
preached in the Chappel of
the Right Wor&s;hipful
Sir ROBERT COOK at
DYRDANS. By <HI>THO. F&V;LLER</HI> B. D.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON</HI>
Printed by <HI>Roger Norton</HI> for <HI>Iohn Williams</HI> at the
Crown in S. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, 1653.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="121">
<PB REF="121">
<HEAD>TO
The Hono^b^l^e and truly Religious
GEORGE BERKELEY&punc;
Sole Son and Heir to the Right
Honourable GEORGE Lord
BERKELEY, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WHen I look on the
<HI>Cre&s;t</HI> of your ancient
<HI>Arms, (A Mitre
powdered w^t^h Cro&s;|&s;es</HI>)
I read therein an abridgment
<PB REF="122">
of the <HI>Devotion</HI> of tho&s;e darker
dayes: the <HI>Mitre</HI> &s;hewing your
Ance&s;tors <HI>actions</HI> in <HI>Peace;</HI> the
<HI>Cro&s;s,</HI> their <HI>atchievements</HI> in the
<HI>Holy War:</HI> the <HI>Mitre,</HI> their
doings at home; the <HI>Cro&s;s,</HI> their
darings abroad.</P>
<P>Yea I fancie to my &s;elf each an|cient
Lord <HI>Berkly,</HI> like one of the
<HI>I&s;raelites</HI> at the <HI>walling</HI> of <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI>
Neh. 4. 17. <HI>With a Trowel
in one hand, and a Sword in the
other.</HI> We alwayes find him ei|ther
fighting or founding, either in
a Battel or at the building of &s;ome
<HI>Religious Fabrick,</HI> as (be&s;ides
others) the intire <HI>Abbey</HI> at <HI>Bri|&s;tol,</HI>
(afterwards converted into a
<PB REF="122">
<HI>Cathedral</HI>) was &s;olely founded by
one of that <HI>Family.</HI></P>
<P>This was the Devotion of tho&s;e
dayes, wherein the world knew no
better, and &s;carce any other. Since
the Reformation, your <HI>Noble
Hou&s;e</HI> hath not had le&s;s heat for
having more light. Your Charity
hath not been extingui&s;hed, but re|gulated,
not drained dry, but de|rived
in righter channels; and
flowing with a clearer &s;tream free
from the <HI>mud</HI> of <HI>&s;uper&s;tition.</HI></P>
<P>As for your particular, that
your ancient <HI>Cre&s;t</HI> is worthily born
by you, the <HI>Mitre</HI> &s;peaking you a
<HI>Patron</HI> of Learning; the <HI>Cro&s;&s;es,</HI>
a <HI>Practicer</HI> of Religion. Qualities
<PB REF="123">
which encouraged me to pre&s;ent
this &s;mall Treati&s;e unto you.</P>
<P>Acceptance is more then it can ex|pect,
pardon being as much as it doth
de&s;erve, being &s;o long in coming,
&s;o &s;hort when come. But becau&s;e
it had its fir&s;t <HI>Being</HI> by your Com|mand,
it hopes to have its <HI>well-being</HI>
by your Countenance.</P>
<P>Should I de&s;ire &s;o many <HI>Lords</HI>
of your <HI>Family</HI> hereafter, as here|tofore
have flouri&s;hed in a direct
line, by de&s;iring a particular Hap|pine&s;s
to your Hou&s;e, I &s;hould wi&s;h
a general mi&s;chief to mankind&punc; that
men &s;hould live &s;o many years in
<HI>&s;in</HI> &amp; <HI>&s;orrow</HI> before the coming of
the nece&s;&s;ary and comfortable day
<PB REF="123">
of <HI>Judgment.</HI> My prayer there|fore
&s;hall be, That the lu&s;tre of your
<HI>Hou&s;e</HI> may continue with the <HI>la&s;t|ing</HI>
of the World, (&s;o long as God
will permit the badne&s;s thereof) in
that honourable Equipage of your
Ance&s;tors: May Perfection here,
and Peace hereafter light on you,
your vertuous Lady, and hopeful
i&s;&s;ue; which is the daily de&s;ire of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honours
mo&s;t bounden Servant
THO. FULLER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="124">
<PB N="1" REF="124">
<HEAD>PERFECTION
AND
PEACE.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>PSAL. 37. 37.</BIBL>
<Q>Mark the Perfect, behold the
&V;pright; for the end of that
man is Peace.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THIS and the 73. <HI>P&s;alm</HI> are of
the &s;ame &s;ubject, wherein
<HI>David</HI> endeavours to cure
an Epidemical di&s;ea&s;e, with
which the be&s;t Saints and
&s;ervants of God are often
di&s;tempered: Ob&s;erve in this <HI>Di&s;ea&s;e,</HI> the
<HI>nature, danger, cau&s;e</HI> and <HI>cure</HI> thereof.</P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="125">
The <HI>Nature,</HI> namely fretting fits of the
&s;oul, at the con&s;ideration of the con&s;tant
peace, plenty and pro&s;perity of wicked men.</P>
<P>The <HI>Danger</HI> thereof, It cau&s;eth the Con|&s;umption
of the &s;pirit, and is de&s;tructive to
the health of the &s;oul. Yea, when this di&s;ea&s;e
comes to the <HI>Paroxi&s;m,</HI> the height and heat
thereof, it becometh di&s;honourable to God;
a&s;per&s;ing and be-libelling him, as if he wanted
Goodne&s;s, and would not; or Power, and
could not; or Ju&s;tice, and doth not order
matters better then they are.</P>
<P>The <HI>Cau&s;e</HI> thereof it proceedeth from a
double defect in men:</P>
<P>1 Want of <HI>Faith</HI> to tru&s;t in God.</P>
<P>2 Want of <HI>Patience</HI> to wait on God.</P>
<P>This is the rea&s;on why the practice of the&s;e
two graces is &s;o often inculcated by <HI>David</HI> in
this P&s;alm.</P>
<P>The <HI>Cure</HI> thereof: <HI>David</HI> applyes many
Cordials, (for le&s;s then Cordials will not do
the deed) &s;eeing by his own confe&s;&s;ion, <HI>P&s;.</HI>
73. 21. <HI>His heart was grieved</HI> with his fretting
fits. We will onely in&s;tance on the two
la&s;t.</P>
<P>One is a &s;erious con&s;ideration, <HI>ver.</HI> 35 of the
&s;hort plea&s;ure and certain pain of the wicked.
It was a good prayer of a <HI>good man, Lord keep
me from a temporal heaven here, and an eternal
<PB N="3" REF="125">
hell hereafter.</HI> True it is, <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 73. 4. that to
the wicked, <HI>there are no bands in their death:</HI>
and no wonder, when they have all bands af|ter
death.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is a &s;tudious ob&s;ervation of the
<HI>perfect Mans</HI> condition, who though meeting
with many <HI>intermediate</HI> broils and brunts,
and bickerings in this life: yet all at la&s;t winds
up with him in a comfortable clo&s;e, and hap|py
conclu&s;ion, <HI>Mark the Perfect, behold the
&V;pright, for the end of that man is peace.</HI></P>
<P>Ob&s;erve in the words two general parts:</P>
<P>1 <HI>The</HI> de&s;cription of the Dead.</P>
<P>2 <HI>The</HI> direction to the Living.</P>
<P>In the <HI>de&s;cription of the Dead,</HI> we have two
particulars:</P>
<P>1 What he was. A practicer of Perfection
and Uprightne&s;s.</P>
<P>2 What he is. A po&s;&s;e&s;&s;our of a peaceable
end.</P>
<P>In the <HI>direction to the Living</HI> we have an
invitation, or rather an injunction to mark
and behold.</P>
<P>1 What was done by the man, when
living: his Holine&s;s.</P>
<P>2 What was done to the man, when dead:
his Happine&s;s.</P>
<P>This our Sermon being now preached in
the juncture of the old and new Year: What
<PB N="4" REF="126">
better &s;ubject to end the old, then to &s;peak
of the de&s;cription of the dead? What fitter
matter to begin the new, then to treat of the
direction to the living? <HI>Mark the Perfect, be|hold
the &V;pright: for the end of that man is
peace.</HI></P>
<P>Before we enter on the words, it will be a
charitable work to reconcile the &s;eeming va|riance
betwixt the two Tran&s;lations: I mean
that which is commonly prefixed at the be|ginning,
and what is con&s;tantly in&s;erted in
the middle of our Bibles.</P>
<P>The Old Tran&s;lation.</P>
<Q>Keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing
that is right, for that &s;hall bring a man peace
at the la&s;t.</Q>
<P>The New Tran&s;lation.</P>
<Q>Mark the Perfect man, and behold the &V;pright,
for the end of that man is peace.</Q>
<P>See here a va&s;t difference betwixt the di|vers
rendring of the words: <HI>If the Trumpet,</HI>
1 Cor. 14. 8. <HI>give an uncertain &s;ound, who &s;hall
be prepared for the battel?</HI> But where &s;hall the
unlearned, though hone&s;t hearted Reader,
<PB N="5" REF="126">
di&s;po&s;e of his belief and practice, when
there be &s;uch irreconcileable differences in
the <HI>Tran&s;lation</HI> of Gods Word.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, the &s;eeming difference ari&s;eth
from the latitude of the <HI>Hebrew</HI> words, &s;o
exten&s;ive in their &s;ignification: for <HI>Shemor</HI>
which in my text is tran&s;lated, <HI>Mark,</HI> accord|ing
to the fir&s;t and mo&s;t frequent acception
thereof: &s;ignifieth al&s;o in a &s;econdary &s;en&s;e,
to <HI>Keep, &s;eeing tho&s;e things which we mark, we
al&s;o keep, at the lea&s;t for &s;ome &s;hort time in our
memorie.</HI> The &s;ame may be &s;aid, that the
word <HI>Behold,</HI> in my Text, is rendered in the
<HI>Old Tran&s;lation, take heed,</HI> &s;eeing the <HI>Hebrew</HI> wil
bear both: <HI>Tham</HI> and <HI>Ja&s;char,</HI> mo&s;t commonly
and con&s;tantly denote the <HI>Concrete, Perfect, &V;p|right,
Righteous,</HI> and <HI>Innocent:</HI> But &s;ometimes
&s;ignifieth the ab&s;tract al&s;o, Perfection, Up|rightne&s;s,
Innocencie. Let not therefore the
two Tran&s;lations fall out, for they are <HI>Bre|thren,</HI>
and both the <HI>&s;ons</HI> of the &s;ame <HI>Parent,</HI>
the <HI>Original:</HI> Though give me leave to &s;ay
the younge&s;t <HI>child</HI> is mo&s;t like the <HI>father,</HI> and
the newe&s;t <HI>Tran&s;lation</HI> herein, mo&s;t naturally
expre&s;&s;eth the &s;en&s;e of the <HI>Hebrew.</HI></P>
<P>Let none cavil that &s;uch laxity in the <HI>He|brew</HI>
words occa&s;ions uncertainty in the
meaning of the <HI>Scripture:</HI> For God on pur|po&s;e
u&s;es &s;uch words importing &s;everal &s;en|&s;es;
<PB N="6" REF="127">
not to di&s;tract our heads, but dilate
our hearts, and to make us <HI>Rechoboh, Room</HI> for
our practice in the full extent thereof, <HI>P&s;al.</HI>
119. 92. <HI>Thy commandement is exceeding broad,</HI>
and is penned in words and phra&s;es, accep|tive
of &s;everal &s;en&s;es, but all excellent for us
to practice: So that both Tran&s;lations may
be happily compounded in our endeavours,
<HI>Mark the perfect, keep innocency, and behold the
upright, and take heed to the thing that is right;
for the end of that man is peace:</HI> and that &s;hall
bring a man peace at the la&s;t.</P>
<P>Begin we with the de&s;cription of the dead,
<HI>Perfect,</HI> and what is a good Comment there|on,
<HI>&V;pright.</HI></P>
<P>Object. <HI>It is impo&s;&s;ible this world &s;hould
afford a</HI> perfect man. <HI>What &s;aith</HI> David, <HI>P&s;al.</HI>
14. 2. The Lord looked down from Heaven upon
the children of men, to &s;ee if there were any that
did understand and &s;eek after God. They are all
gone a&s;ide, they are altogether become filthy, there
is none that doth good, no not one. <HI>But what
&s;aith</HI> Solomon, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 2. 12. For what can the
man do, who commeth after the King, even that
which hath been done already. <HI>But what &s;hall he
do that cometh after the</HI> King of Heaven? <HI>can</HI>
Subjects <HI>hope that their di&s;coveries will be
clearer then their</HI> Soveraigns? <HI>&s;hall man</HI> living
<HI>on</HI> earth <HI>&s;ee more then God</HI> looking <HI>from</HI> hea|ven?
<PB N="7" REF="127">
<HI>he could not meet with</HI> one good, <HI>where
then &s;hall we mark a</HI> perfect man?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w. David</HI> in the place alledged, de|&s;cribes
the general corruption <HI>ad prae varicatio|nem</HI>
of all mankind by nature; in the latitude
whereof we confe&s;s the perfect man in my
Text was involved. As all Metals when they
are fir&s;t taken out of the earth, have much
dro&s;s and oar, but by art and indu&s;trie may
afterwards be refined: &s;o the man in my text
was equally evil with all others by nature, till
defecated by grace, and by Gods goodne&s;s re|fined
to &s;uch a height of puritie as in &s;ome de|gree
will endure the touch, and become <HI>per|fect.</HI></P>
<P>In a fourfold re&s;pect may a &s;ervant of God
be pronounced Perfect in this life.</P>
<P>1 <HI>Comparatively,</HI> in reference to wicked
men, who have not the lea&s;t degree or de&s;ire
of goodne&s;s in them. Mea&s;ure a &s;ervant of
God by &s;uch a dwarf, and he will &s;eem a pro|per
per&s;on, yea, comparatively perfect.</P>
<P>2 <HI>Intentionally:</HI> The drift, &s;cope, and pur|po&s;e
of &s;uch a mans life, is to de&s;ire perfecti|on,
which his de&s;ires are &s;econded with all the
&s;trength of his weak endeavours: He draw|eth
his bow with all his might, and Perfecti|on
is the mark he aimeth at, though too of|ten
his hand &s;hakes, his bow &s;tarts, and his
arrow mi&s;&s;es.</P>
<P><PB N="8" REF="128">
3 <HI>Incho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">tively:</HI> We have here the <HI>begin|ing</HI>
and the <HI>earne&s;t</HI> as of the Spirit, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 22.
So of all &s;piritual graces, expecting the full
(not <HI>payment,</HI> becau&s;e a meer <HI>gift,</HI> but) <HI>re|ceipt</HI>
of the re&s;t hereafter. In this world we
are a <HI>perfecting,</HI> and in the next, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 23.
<HI>we &s;hall come to the &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made per|fect.</HI></P>
<P>But blame me not, Beloved, if I be brief in
the&s;e three kinds of Perfections, rather touch|ing
then landing at them, in our di&s;cour&s;e;
&s;eeing I am partly affraid, partly a&s;hamed to
lay too much &s;tre&s;s and weight on &s;uch &s;light
and &s;lender foundations. I ha&s;ten with all
convenient &s;peed to the fourth, which one is
worth all the re&s;t. A &s;ervant of God in this
life is perfect.</P>
<P>4 <HI>Imputatively:</HI> Chri&s;ts perfections through
Gods mercy being imputed unto him. If I be
wor&s;ted in my <HI>front,</HI> and beaten in my <HI>main
Battel,</HI> I am &s;ure I can &s;afely <HI>retreat</HI> to this my
invincible <HI>Reer:</HI> In the agonie of temptation
we mu&s;t quit <HI>comparative perfection.</HI></P>
<P>Ala&s;s, Relation is rather a <HI>&s;hadow</HI> then a <HI>&s;ub|&s;tance:</HI>
quit <HI>intentional perfection,</HI> being con|&s;cious
to our &s;elves how oft our actions cro&s;s
our intentions. Quit <HI>inchoative perfection;</HI> for
while&s;t a &s;ervant of God compareth the little
<PB N="9" REF="128">
goodne&s;s he hath with that great proportion
which by Gods law he ought to have, he con|ceiveth
thereof as the pious Jews did of the
Foundation of the &s;econd Temple, <HI>Haggai</HI> 2.
3. <HI>Is it not in your eyes in compari&s;on of it as no|thing?</HI>
But &s;tick we may and mu&s;t to <HI>impu|tative
perfection,</HI> which indeed is Gods act,
cloathing us with the <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;s of Je&s;us
Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>This is the rea&s;on the Saints are unwilling
to own any other <HI>perfection:</HI> for though God
<HI>Job</HI> 1. 1. is plea&s;ed to &s;tile <HI>Job</HI> a <HI>perfect man,</HI>
yet &s;ee what he &s;aith of him&s;elf, <HI>Iob</HI> 9. 20. <HI>If I
&s;ay that I am perfect, it &s;hall al&s;o prove me per ver&s;e.</HI>
God might &s;ay it, <HI>Iob</HI> dur&s;t not for fear of
pride and pre&s;umption. Indeed <HI>Noah</HI> is the fir&s;t
per&s;on, who is pronounced <HI>perfect</HI> in <HI>Scripture,
Gen.</HI> 6. 9. But mark I pray what went in the
ver&s;e before: <HI>But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord.</HI> Not that his <HI>finding grace</HI> is to be
confined to his particular pre&s;ervation from
the Deluge, (which was but one branch or
&s;prig of Gods grace unto him.) But his whole
per&s;on was by Gods goodne&s;s accepted of,
<HI>Noahs</HI> perfection more con&s;i&s;ting in that ac|ceptance
then his own amiablene&s;s, approved
not &s;o much becau&s;e God found goodne&s;s in
<HI>Noah,</HI> but becau&s;e <HI>Noah</HI> found grace in
God.</P>
<P><PB N="10" REF="129">
Come we now in the de&s;cription of the
Dead, to <HI>what he is, The end of that man is
peace.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Some will object that daily expe|rience
confutes the truth of this Doctrine,
what more u&s;ual then to &s;ee Gods &s;ervants
to&s;&s;ed, tumbled, tortured, tormented, often
ending their painful lives with &s;hameful
deaths. <HI>Cu&s;hi</HI> being demanded by <HI>David</HI> to
give an account of <HI>Ab&s;aloms</HI> condition, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI>
18. 32. made this mannerly and politique re|turn:
<HI>The enemies of my Lord the King, and all
that ri&s;e up again&s;t thee to do thee hurt, be as that
young man is.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;ome will &s;ay, if this be a <HI>peaceable
end,</HI> to lead an afflicted life, and have an
ignominious death, may the enemies of God
and all goodne&s;s, the infringers of our Laws
and Liberties, the haters of Learning and Re|ligion,
the de&s;troyers of Unity and Order,
have their &s;ouls &s;ur&s;et of &s;uch a <HI>peaceable
end.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Re&s;p.</HI> In an&s;wer hereunto we mu&s;t make
u&s;e of our Saviours di&s;tinction, the &s;ame for
&s;ub&s;tance and effect, though in words there
be variation thereof. Being taxed by <HI>Pilate</HI>
for trea&s;on again&s;t <HI>Cae&s;ar;</HI> he pleaded for him|&s;elf,
<HI>Ioh.</HI> 18. 36. <HI>My kingdom is not of this world:</HI>
So &s;ay we, to &s;alve all objections, our <HI>peace,</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="129">
that is the <HI>peace</HI> in our Text, (and God make
it <HI>ours,</HI> not only to treat and hear, but partake
thereof,) <HI>is not of this world,</HI> con&s;i&s;teth not in
temporal or corporal pro&s;perity; but is of
a more high and heavenly nature. Indeed this
<HI>peace</HI> is <HI>in</HI> this world, but not <HI>of</HI> this world;
begun here in the calm of a clear and quiet
con&s;cience, and fini&s;hed hereafter in the Ha|ven
of endle&s;s happine&s;s. When the <HI>man</HI> in
my Text, becomes perfectly <HI>perfect,</HI> he &s;hall
then become <HI>perfectly peaceable.</HI></P>
<P>However we may &s;ee that &s;ometimes (I
&s;ay not alwayes) God &s;ets a &s;ignal character
of his favour on &s;ome of his &s;ervants, enjoy|ing
at their end a generall calm, and univer|&s;al
tranquillity towards all to whom they are
related. Among&s;t the many priviledges of
Saints reckoned up <HI>Job</HI> 5. none more remark|able
then that ver&s;e 23. <HI>For the Stones of the
field &s;hall be at league with thee, and the bea&s;ts
of the field &s;hall be at peace with thee.</HI> Have we
here a <HI>Dichotomy</HI> of all wicked men, or a
&s;orting of them all into two &s;ides.</P>
<P>Some are <HI>Stones,</HI> like <HI>Nabal</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 25. 37.
&s;tupid, &s;otti&s;h, &s;en&s;ele&s;s; no Rhetorick
with its expanded hand, no Logick with
its contracted fi&s;t, no Scripture, no rea&s;on,
no practice, no precedent can make any im|pre&s;&s;ion
upon them, &s;o that the be&s;t of men
<PB N="12" REF="130">
may even de&s;pair to get their good will. Well
the way to do it, and procure a perfect peace
with them, is to plea&s;e God.</P>
<P>Others are <HI>bea&s;ts</HI> like the <HI>Cretians, Tit.</HI> 1.
12. <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;o fierce, &s;o furious, &s;o craf|ty,
&s;o cruel, no medling with them without
danger. As the former could not conceive,
&s;o the&s;e will not abide any rational debate
with them. The former were too low and
&s;illy, too much beneath: the&s;e high and
haughty, too much above per&s;wa&s;ion to
peace; mention but the name thereof, and
they <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 112. <HI>prepare them&s;elves to bat|tel.</HI></P>
<P>The art then to make the&s;e friends with a
man, is only this, to endeavour to plea&s;e the
high God of heaven; and then <HI>Solomons</HI>
words will come to pa&s;s, <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 7. <HI>When a
mans wayes plea&s;e the Lord, he maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him.</HI></P>
<P>It once came to pa&s;s in <HI>England</HI> (and but
<HI>once</HI> it came to pa&s;s in <HI>England</HI>) namely, when
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">See his life lately printed.</NOTE> Sir <HI>Thomas Moor</HI> was <HI>Lord Chan|cellor,</HI>
that the <HI>Cryer</HI> in <HI>Chancery</HI>
being commanded to call the next
<HI>cau&s;e,</HI> returned this an&s;wer, <HI>there were no more
cau&s;es to be heard.</HI> Not that there was no
more on the <HI>file</HI> for that day (which is ordi|nary
and u&s;ual) but, which is &s;trange, that
<PB N="13" REF="130">
then there was no more <HI>&s;utes</HI> depending in
the whole Court of <HI>Chancery,</HI> but that all
ripened for Trial, were decided. Then was
<HI>Janus</HI> his Temple &s;hut clean throughout
<HI>England,</HI> in Ca&s;es betwixt <HI>Plaintiff</HI> and <HI>De|fendant,</HI>
relating to equity and con&s;cience.
Whether this proceeded from the peacea|blene&s;s
of people in that age, not &s;o quarrel|&s;ome
and litigious as in ours: or from the
goodne&s;s of the Judge, either, happy, pri|vately
to compound differences without any
&s;ute; or dextrous, publickly to decide them
with all expedition.</P>
<P>But when &s;ome good man hath lyen on
his <HI>death bed,</HI> though having many &s;utes in
his life, all then are ended and compo&s;ed.
Call the <HI>&s;ute</HI> betwixt this man and his <HI>God,</HI>
long &s;ince it is attoned, and both made friends
in <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> Cal the <HI>&s;ute</HI> betwixt this man and his
<HI>con&s;cience,</HI> it is compremi&s;ed, and both of them
fully agreed. Cal the <HI>&s;ute</HI> betwixt this man and
his <HI>enemies, Stones</HI> and <HI>Bea&s;ts,</HI> it is compound|ed,
and they at peace with him. Call the
<HI>&s;ute</HI> betwixt this man and all other Creatures,
it is taken up, and he and they fully reconci|led.
Thus I &s;ay &s;ometimes, not alwayes,
God graceth &s;ome of his &s;ervants that they
depart in an <HI>univer&s;al peace,</HI> a per&s;onal fa|vour
indulged to &s;ome &s;elect Saints. But ge|nerally
<PB N="14" REF="131">
and univer&s;ally all the true &s;ervants of
God, whatever their outward condition be,
go from <HI>peace</HI> to <HI>peace;</HI> from the fir&s;t fruits
of peace in their con&s;cience, to the full fruiti|on
thereof in heaven. <HI>Mark the perfect, be|hold
the upright: for the end of that man is
peace.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Come we now to the</HI> direction of the Li|ving:
Mark the Perfect, behold the &V;p|right.</P>
<P>It is not &s;aid, Gaze on the <HI>Perfect,</HI> Stare on
the <HI>&V;pright,</HI> this men of them&s;elves are too
<HI>prone</HI> to do without any bidding: nay, con|trary
to Gods po&s;itive command, <HI>Heb,</HI> 10. 33.
<HI>While&s;t ye were made a gazing &s;tock by re|proaches
and afflictions.</HI> And <HI>David</HI> in the
per&s;on of Chri&s;t complains, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 22. 17. <HI>they
look and &s;tare upon me:</HI> partly with eyes of
wonder, as on &s;o many Mon&s;ters and Prodi|gies,
1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. 4. <HI>Wherein they think it &s;trange
that you run not with them to the &s;ame exce&s;s of
Riot:</HI> partly with the eyes of &s;corn, as on &s;o
many mi&s;erable wretches. Indeed God and
wicked men agree in this point, <HI>that good men
are not worthy to live here.</HI> But upon different,
yea, contrary accounts, God e&s;teems them
<HI>too good to live here, Heb.</HI> 11. 38. <HI>Of whom the
world was not worthy.</HI> Wicked men conceive
them <HI>too bad to live here, Act.</HI> 22. 22. <HI>Away
<PB N="15" REF="131">
with &s;uch a fellow from off the earth, for it is not
fit that he &s;hould live.</HI> Which makes them to
<HI>behold the perfect and upright,</HI> with &s;corn and
contempt.</P>
<P>However <HI>mark the Ju&s;t, behold the &V;pright,</HI>
do it &s;olemnly, do it &s;eriou&s;ly, not with a cur|&s;ory
look, fix thy &s;ight, and for &s;ome time;
let it dwell on &s;o eminent an Object. <HI>Mark
the perfect,</HI> as a Schollar marks his copie to
write after it. Then will it come to pa&s;s with
thee as with <HI>Mo&s;es, Exod.</HI> 34. 29. He &s;o long
had &s;een the back-parts or Suburbs of Gods
glory, that the <HI>skin of his face &s;hone,</HI> guilded
with the reflexion thereof. So tho&s;e who
<HI>mark the Perfect and behold the &V;pright,</HI> not
only with a <HI>fore-ca&s;t,</HI> but chiefly with a <HI>reflex|ed
look,</HI> cannot but be gainers thereby. For
the godly, who, as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2. 15.
<HI>&s;hine as lights among a crooked and perver&s;e Na|tion
in the world,</HI> will make &s;uch as effectual|ly
mark them, become like unto them, and
&s;hine accordingly. We &s;ee that &s;uch who
look on <HI>Bleer-eyes,</HI> have their own &s;ight in|fected
therewith; and tho&s;e who diligently
<HI>mark,</HI> and &s;tedfa&s;tly fa&s;ten the eyes of their
&s;ouls, on the <HI>perfect</HI> and <HI>upright man,</HI> will in
proce&s;s of time, partake of their <HI>perfection.</HI></P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> 1. It &s;erveth to confute &s;uch, who,
though living long in this world, and conver|&s;ing
<PB N="16" REF="132">
with varietie of per&s;ons, yet mark and
ob&s;erve nothing at all. If a privy in&s;pection
might be made into the Diaries and Journals
of &s;uch mens lives, how would they be found
filled with empty cyphers, who&s;e total &s;um
amounts to ju&s;t <HI>nothing.</HI> When Me&s;&s;engers
and Trumpeters come into the Ca&s;tles and
Garri&s;ons of their enemies, commonly they
are brought <HI>blindfolded,</HI> that they may
make no dangerous di&s;coveries to report to
their Party at their return. What out of Po|licie
is done to them, that many out of idle|ne&s;s
and ignoranc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> do to them&s;elves, mask
and hood wink their &s;ouls, do take notice of
nothing in their pa&s;&s;age through this world.</P>
<P>Others mark but only &s;uch things which
are not remarkable. <HI>Dina</HI> marks, but what?
<HI>Gen.</HI> 34. 1. <HI>The fancie-ful fa&s;hions of the daugh|ters
of Canaan:</HI> and we may generally ob&s;erve,
that all ob&s;ervations follow the humour of
the Ob&s;ervers, &s;o that what vice or vertue in
him is predominant, plainly appears in their
di&s;coveries. The Covetous man marks, but
whom? tho&s;e who are rich and wealthy. The
ambitious man, but whom? tho&s;e that are
high and honourable. The la&s;civious man
marks, but whom? &s;uch as are beautiful and
wanton: few there be of <HI>Davids</HI> devout di&s;|po&s;ition,
who <HI>mark the Perfect, behold
<PB N="17" REF="132">
the &V;pright; for the end of that man is peace.</HI></P>
<P>2 <HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Let all who de&s;ire this peaceable
end, labour while&s;t living to li&s;t them&s;elves
in the number of tho&s;e who are <HI>perfect</HI> and
<HI>upright.</HI></P>
<P>King <HI>Ahaaz</HI> coming to <HI>Dama&s;cus,</HI> was &s;o
highly affected with an Idolatrous <HI>Altar</HI> which
he there beheld, that he needs would have
that Original Copyed out, 2 <HI>King.</HI> 16. 10.
And the like made at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> according to
<HI>the fa&s;hion of it, and all the workman&s;hip there|of.</HI>
Fool, to preferre the pattern of the infer|nal
pit, before the pattern in the Mount. But
this his prophane action will afford us a pious
application.</P>
<P>You that have marked the Ju&s;t and beheld
the Upright, ought to be affected with the
piety of his life, cannot but be contented with
the peaceablene&s;s of his <HI>end.</HI> This therefore
do; Such who are plea&s;ed with the pattern
of his <HI>perfection</HI> and <HI>uprightne&s;s,</HI> go home, and
rai&s;e the like fabrick, erect the like &s;tructure
for all con&s;iderable particulars in your own
&s;oul.</P>
<P>Vain and wicked was the wi&s;h of <HI>Balaam,
Numb.</HI> 23. 10. <HI>Let me dye the death of the righ|teous,
and let my la&s;t end be like his.</HI> He would
<HI>commence per &s;altum,</HI> take the Degree of Hap|pine&s;s,
without that of Holine&s;s; like tho&s;e
<PB N="18" REF="133">
who will live <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> that they may <HI>&s;in</HI> the
more freely; and dye <HI>Prote&s;tants,</HI> that they
may be <HI>&s;aved</HI> the more certainly. But know
that it is an impo&s;&s;ibility to graft a peaceable
death upon any other &s;tock, but that of a pi|ous
life.</P>
<P>3. <HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Let it retrench our cen&s;uring of the
final e&s;tate of tho&s;e whom we know led god|ly
lives, and we &s;ee had &s;hameful deaths. Let
us expound what &s;eems doubtful at their
death, by what was clear in their life. A true
conclu&s;ion may &s;ometimes be inferred from
fal&s;e premi&s;es: but from true premi&s;es the
conclu&s;ion mu&s;t ever be true. Po&s;&s;ibly a
good life in the next world, may follow a bad
one in this; namely, where (though late) &s;in|cere
repentance interpo&s;eth. But mo&s;t certain
and nece&s;&s;ary it is, that a good life here mu&s;t
be crowned with a good condition hereafter.
What then though. <HI>John Bapti&s;t</HI> lo&s;t his head
by <HI>Herods</HI> cruelty, he &s;till <HI>held his head</HI> in the
<HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> phra&s;e, <HI>Col.</HI> 2. 19. By a lively faith con|tinuing
his dependance on, and deriving life
and comfort from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in which re|&s;pect
he may be &s;aid to have dyed in peace.</P>
<P>There is a &s;harp and bitter pa&s;&s;age in <HI>Scrip|ture,
Luk.</HI> 9. 23. And yet if the &s;ame be &s;weet|ned
with a word or two in my Text, it may
not only ea&s;ily be &s;wallowed, but al&s;o will
<PB N="19" REF="133">
certainly be dige&s;ted into whol&s;ome nouri&s;h|ment:
the words are the&s;e, <HI>and let him take
up his Cro&s;s daily and follow me.</HI> His Cro&s;s; &s;ome
will &s;ay, I could comfortably comport my
&s;elf to carry &s;uch a mans Cro&s;s, his is a &s;light,
a light, and ea&s;ie; mine a high, a huge and
heavy Cro&s;s. Oh but children mu&s;t not be
choo&s;ers of that rod where with they are to be
corrected; that is to be let alone unto the
di&s;cretion of their father. Men may fit cloaths,
but God doth fit Cro&s;&s;es for our backs: no
Cro&s;s will plea&s;e him for thee to take up, but
<HI>thy Cro&s;s,</HI> only that which his providence hath
made thee the proprietarie thereof. Well
take it up, on this a&s;&s;urance, that the <HI>end there|of
&s;hall be peace.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Take up thy Cro&s;s.</HI> Is it not enough that I be
pa&s;&s;ive, and patiently carry it when it is laid
upon me? What a Tyranny is this for me to
<HI>cro&s;s my &s;elf</HI> by <HI>taking up my own cro&s;s?</HI> But
God will have it &s;o, thou <HI>mu&s;t take it up:</HI> that
is, Fir&s;t thou mu&s;t freely confe&s;s that nothing
hath befaln thee by chance or fortune, but by
Gods all-ordering Providence. Secondly,
Thou mu&s;t acknowledge that all afflictions
impo&s;ed upon thee, are the ju&s;t puni&s;hment
of thy &s;ins de&s;erved by thee; if inflicted more
heavily, &s;eeing all things is mercy which is on
this &s;ide of hel fire. This it is to <HI>take up thy cro&s;s</HI>
<PB N="20" REF="134">
do it willingly, <HI>for it will be peace at the la&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>The la&s;t is the wor&s;t word, <HI>Daily.</HI> Not
that God every day &s;ends us a new affliction,
but he requires that every day we &s;hould put
on a habit of <HI>patience,</HI> to undergo what&s;oever
cro&s;s is laid upon us. This I conceive to be <HI>Da|vids</HI>
meaning, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 73. 14. <HI>and cha&s;tened eve|ry
morning. Daily,</HI> &s;uper&s;titious Fryers never
e&s;teem them&s;elves ready till they have put on
their Crucifix, and religious Prote&s;tants mu&s;t
never accompt them&s;elves ready till they
have put on their cro&s;s.</P>
<P>The Papi&s;ts have be&s;prinkled their Calen|dar
with many <HI>fe&s;tivals,</HI> having no foundati|on
in <HI>Scripture,</HI> or ancient Church Hi&s;tory.
One day they call the <HI>Exaltation of the Cro&s;s,</HI>
which is <HI>May</HI> 3. another the <HI>Invention of the
Cro&s;s,</HI> which is <HI>September</HI> 14. But we mu&s;t
know there is one day of the <HI>Cro&s;s</HI> more, <HI>Day</HI>
which continueth from the beginning to the
end of the year, namely, the <HI>A&s;&s;umption of the
Cro&s;s;</HI> every one mu&s;t take it up daily, do it, &amp;
do it willingly, for the <HI>end thereof wil be peace.</HI></P>
<P>And yet there is a fourth thing remaining
in the Text, when we have took up our Cro&s;s
we mu&s;t follow Chri&s;t; it is not enough to take
it up, and then &s;tand &s;till, as if &s;uffering gave
us a <HI>&s;uper&s;edeas</HI> for doing; but God at the
&s;ame time will have our <HI>hands, back,</HI> and <HI>feet</HI>
<PB N="21" REF="134">
of our <HI>&s;oul</HI> exerci&s;ed; <HI>hands</HI> to take up, <HI>back</HI>
to bear our <HI>Cro&s;s,</HI> and <HI>feet</HI> to follow him; and
happy it is for us, though we cannot go the
&s;ame pace, if we go the &s;ame <HI>path</HI> with our
<HI>Saviour;</HI> for the end thereof will be peace.</P>
<P>O the amiablene&s;s of the word <HI>Peace!</HI> oh
the exten&s;ivene&s;s of the word <HI>End! Peace?</HI>
what can be finer <HI>ware? End?</HI> what can be
larger <HI>mea&s;ure?</HI></P>
<P>The amiablene&s;s of Peace, e&s;pecially to us,
who &s;o long have prayed for it, and payed for
it, and &s;ought for it, and fought for it, and yet
as yet in <HI>England</HI> have not attained it. For the
<HI>Tragoedy</HI> of our war is not ended, but the
<HI>&s;cene</HI> thereof removed, and the Element only
altered from <HI>earth</HI> unto <HI>water.</HI> Surely had we
practi&s;ed <HI>Davids</HI> precept, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 34. 14. <HI>E&s;chew
evil and do good. &s;eek peace and en&s;ue it,</HI> before
this time we had obtained our de&s;ire. It is to
be feared we have been too earne&s;t pro&s;ecu|tors
of the la&s;t, and too &s;low performers of
the fir&s;t part of the ver&s;e: great have been
our de&s;ires, but &s;mall our deeds for peace.
Had we <HI>e&s;chewed evil and done good,</HI> God ere
this time, would have crowned our wi&s;hes
with the fruition of peace.</P>
<P>The Marriners <HI>Act.</HI> 27. 30. (men skilful to
&s;hift for them&s;elves at Sea) had a private pro|ject
for their own &s;afety, namely, to quit their
<PB N="22" REF="135">
crazie &s;hip, (with the &s;ouldiers and pa&s;&s;engers
therein,) and &s;ecretly to convey them&s;elves
into the boat. But their de&s;ign mi&s;carried be|ing
di&s;covered by S. <HI>Paul</HI> to the &s;ouldiers, <HI>who
cut the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.</HI></P>
<P>All men ought to have a publick &s;pirit for the
general good of our Nation, the &s;ucce&s;s where
of we leave to the al-managing providence of
the God of heaven and earth. But I hope it wil
be no trea&s;on again&s;t our State, and I am &s;ure it
wil be &s;afe for us, who are but private per&s;ons
to provide for the &s;ecuring of our &s;ouls, and
to build a little Cock-boat, or &s;mal Ve&s;&s;el of a
<HI>quiet con&s;cience</HI> in our own <HI>hearts,</HI> thereby
to e&s;cape to the Haven of our own Happine&s;s?
We wi&s;h well to the great <HI>Ship</HI> of our whole
Nation, and will never de&s;ert it &s;o, but that
our be&s;t prayers and de&s;ires &s;hall go with it.
But however providence &s;hall di&s;po&s;e thereof
we will &s;tick to the petty Pinnace of Peace in
our own con&s;ciences. Sure I am, no &s;ouldiers
&s;hall be able to cut the <HI>Cables,</HI> I mean no for|cible
impre&s;&s;ion from <HI>without,</HI> &s;hall di&s;turb
or di&s;compo&s;e the peace which is within us.</P>
<P>O the exten&s;ivene&s;s of the word <HI>End!</HI> It is
like the widows oyl, 2 <HI>King.</HI> 4. 6. Which mul|tiplyed
to fill the number and bigne&s;s of all
Ve&s;&s;els brought unto it, &s;o here bring dayes
weeks, months, years, myriads, millions of
<PB N="23" REF="135">
years end will fill them all, yet it &s;elf is never
filled, as being the endle&s;s end of eternity.</P>
<P>We will conclude all with a pa&s;&s;age of <HI>Co|lumbus,</HI>
when he fir&s;t went to make di&s;cove|rie
of the new world. Long time had he &s;ail|ed
and &s;een nothing but Sea, in&s;omuch as the
men and Marriners with him begun to muti|ny
re&s;olving to go no further, but return
home again. Here <HI>Columbus</HI> with good words
and fair language pacified them for the pre|&s;ent,
per&s;wading them to &s;ail forward for one
month more. That month elap&s;ed, he over|intreated
them to hold out but 3 weeks lon|ger:
that three weeks expired, he humbly
and heartily &s;ued unto them, that for his &s;ake
they would &s;ail on but 3 dayes more, promi|&s;ing
to comply with the Re&s;olutions of re|turning,
in ca&s;e that within tho&s;e 3 dayes, no
encouragement to their contrary was di&s;co|vered.
Before the ending whereof they de|&s;cryed
<HI>fire,</HI> which was to them a demon&s;tra|tion
that it was not &s;ubjected on water, and
w^c^h invited them for the finding out of tho&s;e
<HI>I&s;lands,</HI> whereby others afterwards di&s;cover|ed
the whole <HI>Continent.</HI></P>
<P>While&s;t we live here below in our bodies,
and &s;ail towards another world in our &s;ouls
and de&s;ires, we mu&s;t expect to meet with
much di&s;turbance in our di&s;tempered pa&s;&s;i|ons:
<PB N="24" REF="136" MS="y">
yea, &s;uch as &s;ometimes in the hour of
<HI>temptation</HI> will amount to a <HI>mutiny;</HI> and much
di&s;hearten us when <HI>to&s;t</HI> with the <HI>tempe&s;t</HI> of
afflictions we can <HI>make no land,</HI> di&s;cover no
hope of <HI>happine&s;s.</HI> It mu&s;t then be our work
to &s;till and <HI>calm</HI> our <HI>pa&s;&s;ions,</HI> per&s;wading them
to per&s;evere, and patiently to proceed, though
little hope appear for the pre&s;ent. Not that
with <HI>Columbus</HI> we &s;hould indent with our
&s;ouls to expect any &s;et-time of years, months
or dayes, (this were <HI>unlawful,</HI> and with the
wicked, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 78. 41. <HI>To limit the Holy One of
I&s;rael</HI>) but <HI>indefinitely</HI> without any notation
of time: Let us till on our &s;ouls by degrees,
a <HI>while,</HI> a <HI>little while,</HI> yet a <HI>very little while</HI> to
depend on God, and go on in goodne&s;s. Then
at la&s;t a <HI>pillar of fire,</HI> a comfortable light of a
con&s;cience cleared through the blood and
merits of Chri&s;t will appear unto us, not only
contenting us for the pre&s;ent, but directing us
for the future to that bli&s;s and happine&s;s en|joyed
by the Subject of my Text, <HI>Mark the
Perfect, behold the &V;pright; for the end of that
man is Peace.</HI> AMEN.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<P>PAg. 7. l. 4. for <HI>ad praevaricationem</HI> r. and prevarication, p. 12.
l. 5. for <GAP DESC="foreign">, r. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</GROUP>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
