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<DATE>2013-07-23</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A DECLARATION AGAINST Anabapti&s;ts: To &s;top the Pro&s;ecution fo their Errours, fal&s;ly pretended to be a Vindication of the Royall Commi&s;sion of KING JESUS, as they call it.</P>
<P>Briefly and fully an&s;wering all their Allegations, and clearly proving the Anabapti&s;ticall Doctrine to be again&s;t the glo|ry of God, the honour of Chri&s;t and his Church, again&s;t the Covenant of grace, and again&s;t the word of God, and the priviledges of the Church made over to them by promi&s;e; And al&s;o again&s;t the Solemne League and Covenant of the three Kingdomes.</P>
<P>In An&s;wer to a book, by <HI>Francis Cornwall</HI> pre&s;ented to the hou&s;e of Commons, on <HI>Friday</HI> la&s;t, for which he is committed.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ephe&s;. 4.4, 5.</BIBL>
<P>There is one Body, one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your Calling, One Lord, one Faith, one Bapti&s;me.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Rom. 16.17, 18.</BIBL>
<P>Now I be&s;eech you brethren, marke them which cau&s;e divi&s;ions, and offences, contrary to the doctrine which yee have learned, and avoid them. For they that are &s;uch &s;erve not our Lord Je&s;us, but their own belly, and by good words, and faire &s;peeches, deceive the hearts of the &s;imple.</P></Q>
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<P>Imprimatur,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Ja: Cranford.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<P><ADD>Octob. 9^t^h</ADD> London Printed for <HI>R. W.</HI> 1644.</P>
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<HEAD>A DECLARATION again&s;t <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> to &s;top the pro&s;ecuti|tion of their errours, fal&s;ly pretended to be a vindication of the Royall Com|mi&s;sion of KING JESUS, as they call it.</HEAD>
<P>I Shall neither &s;pend much time, nor wa&s;t much Paper, in the an&s;wering of a Ca&s;e &s;o plaine: I &s;hall pa&s;&s;e by the circum&s;tances, and only gather what you, Ma&s;ter <HI>Francis Cornwall</HI> doth &s;ay for your &s;elfe, and an&s;wer that breefly and fully.</P>
<P>I. You Argue thus: <HI>That which God hath joyned together no man ought to &s;eperate: But Faith and Bapti&s;me (or more properly dipping) God hath joyned together: Therefore faith and Bapti&s;me (or dipping, as the ori|ginall renders it) no man ought to &s;eperate.</HI></P>
<P>The Major is true Sir, but that helps you nothing, for I &s;hall prove your Minor, and your Argument to be both fal&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. That God hath not in&s;eperably joyned Faith, and Bapti&s;me toge|ther is very evident, and there is proofe enough for it, the Apo&s;tles were &s;ent to teach and Baptize all Nations, <HI>Matth.</HI> 28.19. but many have after fallen away and peri&s;hed in unbeliefe. And on the contrary, many have gone to heaven that were never baptized, <HI>for we are all the Children of God by faith in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> Gal. 3.26. And though a man be baptized, yet <HI>he that believeth not &s;hall be damned,</HI> Mar. 16.16. All Chri&s;tians are not Saints, and no doubt there are many Saints that were never made Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="2" REF="3"> 2. So that now you &s;ee this proves no Argument, and moreover were this granted, then by the &s;ame Argument none ought to be baptized untill they were able to ca&s;t out Devils, and &s;peake with new tongues, for tho&s;e were the &s;ignes which Chri&s;t declared &s;hould follow them that believe, <HI>Mar.</HI> 16.17. And if they object and &s;ay that the working of miracles are cea&s;ed: then may I very well an&s;wer, that for mens &s;pirits to di&s;cerne, and know who are believers, and who not, that is al&s;o cea&s;ed.</P>
<P>In the next place, you quote the decree of Pope <HI>Innocentius</HI> the third, and the decree of <HI>Gregory, Lib.</HI> 3. <HI>Tit.</HI> 42. <HI>C.</HI> 3. out of Doctor <HI>Willets Synop&s;is,</HI> brought in by him to prove the lawfulne&s;&s;e of the baptizing of Infants now, as well as circumci&s;ing Infants under the Judaicall Law, which you reprove and call the Doctrine of Antichri&s;t.</P>
<P>But let me tel you doctor <HI>Willet</HI> doth alledge better te&s;timony then that, in the very &s;ame place; namely that children of beleevers are to be bapti|zed. 1. Becau&s;e they belong unto the Covenant, as it is, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.7. I will be thy God, and the God of thy &s;eed. 2. Becau&s;e they are called holy. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.14. Againe 3. Becau&s;e they are redeemed by the blood of Chri&s;t, who died for all the children of God. <HI>John</HI> 11.52. And to them belong the Kingdom of God, <HI>Mar.</HI> 10.4. And 4. La&s;tly it is proved by the practi&s;e of the Apo&s;tles, who baptized whole families, with all per&s;ons that there|unto belonged, <HI>Act.</HI> 16.33. and children are of the family, to this is added the te&s;timony of divers learned men, be&s;ides the forementioned, as <HI>Au|gu&s;tine, Lib.</HI> 5. <HI>Cont. Pelag. Hypogno&s;tic. Gregory Nazianzen, Orat.</HI> 3. <HI>in &s;anct. lavac.</HI> The confe&s;&s;ion of <HI>Helvetia, Sect.</HI> 13. <HI>pag.</HI> 397. confe&s;&s;ion of <HI>Bohemia, pag.</HI> 399. And in the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> confe&s;&s;ion Article 9. <HI>pag.</HI> 402. <HI>No not babes are not to be re&s;trained</HI> (from Bapti&s;me) <HI>becau&s;e they pertaine to the people of God.</HI></P>
<P>Now for the Covenant in re&s;pect of the &s;eales of circumci&s;ion, and of Bapti&s;me, you and the re&s;t of your opinions are mi&s;taken in the maine thing of all, for the Covenant which was made to <HI>Abraham,</HI> of which the circumci&s;ing of the fle&s;h was an outward Seale: its an everla&s;ting Cove|nant. <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.13. and circumci&s;ion being taken away, becau&s;e Chri&s;t is come him&s;elf (the grace of God being the inward &s;eale, as <HI>Calvin</HI> &s;aith) and bapti&s;me a perpetuall &s;upply thereof: <HI>Chri&s;i&s;tom, hom.</HI> 39. in <HI>Gen.</HI></P>
<P>But in regard of the Prote&s;tation you have taken, you &s;ay you oppo&s;e the baptizing of infants; and your fir&s;t rea&s;on is, <HI>becau&s;e there was a precept from God to enjoyne circumci&s;ion.</HI> Gen 17.11. <HI>and an example, Gen.</HI> 24.4. <HI>But neither precept nor example in Scripture, for baptizing of Infants.</HI></P>
<P>To an&s;wer this in the fir&s;t place, I will give you a precept out of the Scripture where all both young and old are to bee baptized, and that is
<PB N="3" REF="3"><HI>Act.</HI> 2.38, 39. <HI>Be baptized every one of you</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Peter</HI> there) and let it be done <HI>in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> old and young, all were to be baptized, and if they did repent and were baptized, then (&s;aith he) <HI>they &s;hall receive the gift of the holy Gho&s;t,</HI> and to encourage them (and in them us al&s;o) to baptize infants; he tells them, <HI>the promi&s;e is unto you, and to your children;</HI> yea, <HI>and to the children of tho&s;e that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God &s;hall call:</HI> And for that which you &s;peake of dipping, or &s;prink|ling it much matters not, &s;o there be the external element, which is water, <HI>Acts</HI> 10.47. And there is likewi&s;e an example, <HI>Acts</HI> 2. In the infancy of the Church, there were added to the Church in one day three thou&s;and &s;ouls, which received the outward Seale of Bapti&s;me, <HI>ver.</HI> 41. and all that believed were together, and had all things common, <HI>ver.</HI> 44. which was af|ter that the Apo&s;tle had declared to them, that the promi&s;e was to them, and their children, <HI>ver.</HI> 39. and therefore we mu&s;t needs thinke that the children pertooke of the &s;ame priviledges with them.</P>
<P>Your &s;econd rea&s;on is becau&s;e that there was <HI>a prefixt day for circum|ci&s;ion, to wit the eight,</HI> Gen. 17.12. but no day appointed when it &s;hall be dipped (or &s;prinkled.)</P>
<P>To which I an&s;wer; That the place you mention, Gen. 17.12. is a command, that <HI>every &s;on of eight dayes old &s;hall be circumci&s;ed,</HI> not that the command is ab&s;olute for the eight day: For <HI>all the people that were borne in the wilderne&s;&s;e, by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumci&s;ed,</HI> untill afterwards, Jo&s;h. 5.5. when nece&s;&s;ity urged Circumci&s;ion mu&s;t be deferred, as the eating of the Pa&s;&s;eover might bee put off, Numb. 9.10.</P>
<P>But thirdly, you &s;ay, That <HI>there was a penalty impo&s;ed</HI> on the uncircum|ci&s;ed man-childe, Gen. 17.14. <HI>but not on tho&s;e that are not baptized, be|cau&s;e Election, and not Bapti&s;me,</HI> &s;aveth the infant, Rom. 9.11.12.</P>
<P>To which I an&s;wer; That for the eight day there &s;poken of, it is u&s;ed onely in the Septuagint, it is not in the Hebrew: and for the re&s;t, the words are, <HI>Qui non circumciderit,</HI> he which &s;hall not circumci&s;e, &amp;c. So reades the Originall, the Calde Paraphra&s;t, <HI>Junius,</HI> &amp;c. which &s;hew|eth, that it mu&s;t be under&s;tood of them that are <HI>adulti,</HI> of yeares of di&s;|cretion, not of infants. And for the puni&s;hment, What is it? Some take it for corporall death, &s;ome for the extraordinary &s;hortening of their dayes, &s;ome for excommunication; and la&s;tly, others take it for the cut|ting off from the &s;ociety of Gods people now, and the fellow&s;hip of the Saints hereafter, for contemning Gods Ordinance of Circumci&s;ion: And thus the Fathers of the Hebrews, having exhorted them to faith and a good con&s;cience, and to be baptized, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.22. he told them, that if <HI>he that de&s;pi&s;ed Mo&s;es Law, died without mercy&mdash;of how much &s;orer puni&s;h|ment
<PB N="4" REF="4">&s;hall he then be thought worthy of,</HI> who contemning the Ordinance of God, whether Bapti&s;me, or other, <HI>hath troden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing, and hath done de&s;pight unto the Spirit of Grace?</HI> I would have you that contemne Bap|ti&s;me to con&s;ider this well: And as for infants, if they be not baptized, (as formerly tho&s;e that were not circumci&s;ed) it is the parents fault for omitting it, not the infants, except the childe be come to di&s;cretion, as may appeare in the example of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> whom the Lord puni&s;hed, and not the childe, for the neglecting of the Sacrament, <HI>Exod.</HI> 4.24.</P>
<P>II. To proceed: You argue thus: <HI>That which is not of faith is a &s;in to the Church that doth it. But the baptizing of the infants of beleevers (as it is u&s;ed) is not of faith. Ergo a &s;in.</HI></P>
<P>Now the Clau&s;e which you bring in <HI>(as it is now u&s;ed)</HI> you might have told us what circum&s;tances you meane: I doubt not, but &s;omething will appeare &s;uper&s;titious in it, as the Cro&s;&s;e in Bapti&s;me, which is now al|mo&s;t left; and &s;ome other Ceremonies may be excepted again&s;t; &s;o that I &s;hall onely prove the baptizing of beleevers children to be of faith, in an|&s;wer to this Argument; as may appear by that in the 19. of the <HI>Act.</HI> where <HI>Paul</HI> tells the Di&s;ciples which he found at Ephe&s;us, <HI>That John Baptized, &s;aying to the people, that they &s;hould beleeve on him that &s;hould come after him, that is on Chri&s;t Je&s;us, Acts</HI> 19.4. This was a command which he gave to them; and when they were baptized, they were very ignorant, for they had not learned to know whether there were an holy Gho&s;t or not, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 2. though afterwards <HI>Paul</HI> laid his hands on them, to declare, that they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Je&s;us, and they recei|ved the holy Gho&s;t, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 6. And the children of beleeving parents are cleane by being &s;o; and being of the holy &s;eed, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.14. have right to (Bapti&s;me) the Ordinance of God thereby, <HI>Acts</HI> 16.33.</P>
<P>But to an&s;wer your Rea&s;ons, as you call them, which are very unrea&s;o|nable ones, wherein I will be very briefe.</P>
<P N="1">1. You &s;ay, That <HI>Bapti&s;me of infants of beleevers, puts them into a &s;ta e of grace, and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins before calling,</HI> when as your owne te|&s;timony is again&s;t you, and proves that Bapti&s;me hath no &s;uch preroga|tive, for it is the Election of <HI>Gods owne purpo&s;e and grace before the world began, that puts us into a &s;tate of Grace,</HI> which is manife&s;ted unto, and conferred upon &s;ome before Bapti&s;me, <HI>Act.</HI> 8.36, 37. and upon others af|ter Bapti&s;me, <HI>Act.</HI> 19.4. Bapti&s;me being the onely outward &s;eale of the Church, and the Grace of Gods Spirit the inward &s;eal, as is before proved.</P>
<P N="2">2. That it con&s;titutes them vi&s;ible members of the Congregation, is true, and tho&s;e places alledged, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.9. <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.6, 7. and 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.2. do not keep out the unbeleeving husbands of beleeving wives, nor the unbe|leeving
<PB N="5" REF="4">wives of beleeving husbands, nor their children from the Sacra|ments; for if they did, tho&s;e children would be uncleane indeed; but now are they holy, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.14.</P>
<P N="3.4.">3.4. Your third Rea&s;on is an&s;wered in the fir&s;t, becau&s;e Bapti&s;me is but the outward &s;eale; and your fourth Rea&s;on is very ab&s;urd: for I for my part doubt not, but there will be care taken for the liberty of tender con&s;ciences, &s;o far as Gods word will beare and a&s;&s;i&s;t; that to be without order, is again&s;t <HI>Pauls</HI> rule; and where the powers ordained by God, appoint orders according to Gods word, I am &s;ure that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, to re|&s;i&s;t &s;uch power, is to re&s;i&s;t the Ordinance of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.1, 2.</P>
<P N="5">5. Your next Rea&s;on is an&s;wered by what hath been &s;aid already: Namely, that the Covenant of grace is the inward &s;eale of Gods Elect, Bapti&s;me the outward &s;eale of the vi&s;ible Church, who&s;e members are not all elected, nor &s;hall all be &s;aved; for many fall away, and make a mock of Chri&s;t, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.6. But tho&s;e who have the inward &s;eale, that are baptized into Chri&s;t, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, they are heires of heaven, according to the promi&s;e, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.27, 28, 29.</P>
<P N="6.7.8.">6.7.8. For your next Rea&s;on, it doth not at all follow; for none is &s;o unwi&s;e to think that grace is entailed to generation, but regeneration; nei|ther doth it follow that all that are baptized are &s;aved, the contrary being already proved. And God is able as well to give to infants an habit of faith, &s;o far as to make them capable of a&s;cending to heaven if they die, as well as men and women: Therefore Chri&s;t tells us, that <HI>to &s;uch belong the Kingdome of God, Mat.</HI> 19.14.</P>
<P N="9.10.">9.10. Your former Rea&s;ons proving thus fal&s;e; you &s;ee your di&s;covery is nothing, but I have di&s;covered your folly in the&s;e pretences: I have al&s;o proved that baptizing of infants is not again&s;t the Commi&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, and how members of the Church, as di&s;cipled in Bapti&s;me, I &s;hal &s;hew by and by.</P>
<P N="11.12.13.14.">11.12.13.14. Your next rea&s;on is all one with the &s;ixt, and your twelfth with the tenth, &s;o that I pa&s;&s;e to your thirteenth rea&s;on, where you fal&s;ly draw the&s;e conclu&s;ions: either fir&s;t, that all baptized per&s;ons are &s;aved, or Secondly, that &s;ome being in the &s;tate of grace, may fall away afterwards, neither of which follow, becau&s;e bapti&s;me doth not conferre grace, as is al|ready proved, which is your fourteenth conclu&s;ion.</P>
<P N="15">15. That you &s;ay baptizing of infants oppo&s;eth the Kingly, and pro|pheticall office of Chri&s;t in faith and order, and to prove that, you alledge, <HI>Matth.</HI> 16.15. to make good that you &s;ay, that Chri&s;t requireth that every per&s;on that is baptized be a beleever: I an&s;wer, it is true Chri&s;t requires it, and before God the unbelievers have no right to tho&s;e Ordinances, nor is it effectuall to them while&s;t they are &s;o, yet becau&s;e men cannot di&s;tin|gui&s;h
<PB REF="5">believers from unbelievers, therefore as <HI>Matthew</HI> hath it, <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.19. Je&s;us &s;ent his Apo&s;tles, and bade them, <HI>go ye</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>and teach all nations,</HI> or as you quoting the place, render <HI>di&s;ciple the nations,</HI> or <HI>make di&s;ciples;</HI> and how mu&s;t that be done? baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Gho&s;t: well, and when they are made, what mu&s;t be done then? teach them, &amp;c. here is no oppo&s;ition of this order you &s;ee.</P>
<P>III. In the next place you Argue thus: <HI>That con&s;equence which is up|held by the traditions of men, is de&s;tructive to the Nationall Covenant of</HI> England, <HI>and</HI> Scotland, <HI>rai&s;ed by an Ordinance of Parliament. But bapti|zing of Infants is &s;o held, Ergo di&s;tructive to the Nationall Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>As you have abu&s;ed the Scripture to your one interpretation contrary to all judicious men; &s;o do you go about to abu&s;e the Covenant of the three Kingdoms: fir&s;t, the Covenant bindes to joyne with the Scots in the bap|tizing of infants, which you would not have done: 2. It bindes to joyne in reforming what is ami&s;&s;e in the manner of baptizing, you would take the Ordinance quite away: 3. It bindes to extirpate Schi&s;me, and what&s;oever is contrary to &s;ound doctrine, which you would bring in: 4. You are bound to pre&s;erve the liberties of the Kingdom; you would have the holy &s;eed ca&s;t out and loo&s;e tho&s;e priviledges, which Chri&s;t hath purcha&s;ed for them. 5. You are bound to di&s;cover &s;uch as are ill in&s;truments, by hindring the reformation of Religion, or making faction, and to bring them to publique tryall to receive condigne puni&s;hment, and you your &s;elf are &s;uch a one: 6. You are bound in your calling to labour for the peace of the Kingdom, and you go about to di&s;turb it, and give occa&s;ion to hone&s;t men, that de&s;ire &s;ome liberty of con&s;cience in lawfull things to be wor&s;e thought on for you, and &s;o whereas you &s;hould be a help to them, you are an hurt and a &s;candall: and therefore examine your &s;elf well, and try your &s;elf by the Scripture, and by the Covenant, and Con it over, and over again, till you know what it is to make &s;uch a Covenant in the pre&s;ence of Almighty God the &s;earcher of all hearts, prote&s;ting that you did it with a true intention to performe the &s;ame, as you &s;hal an&s;wer at that great day, when the &s;ecrets of all hearts &s;hall bee di&s;clo&s;ed; oh how dangerous a thing it is to make a &s;eame, and a rent in the Church of Chri&s;t, when the worke is a doing by &s;uch wi&s;e ma&s;ter builders, and pray to God again, and again, mo&s;t humbly be&s;eeching the Lord to &s;trengthen us by his holy &s;pirit to do all things to his glorie, and to ble&s;&s;e their de&s;ires, and proceedings with &s;uch &s;ucce&s;&s;e as may be deliverance and &s;afety to his people, and incouragement to other Chri&s;tian Churches, groaning under, or in danger of the yoke of Antichri&s;tian Tyranny, to joyne in the &s;ame, or like A&s;&s;ociation and Cove|nant, to the glory of God, the inlargement of the Kingdom of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the peace and tranquility of Chri&s;tian Kingdoms, and Common wealths.</P>
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