cretly admonisheth carnall Gofpellers, that they reft not in their fecurity, but confult their own confciences, whether they find there the effect of their baptifm: fo that he neither faith, that infants may as well pass through the fire as through. the water, as you trifle; nor is this place any thing to the purpofe in this question of Infant-baptifm: fo that your following contufed Hypothefes are of no value or ufe, except to puzzle the Reader to find out what you mean, which he hardly fhall: Therefore when you exprefs your felf more orderly and clearly,we owe you an Answer. This (you fay) no more inferres a neceffity of Infants Baptifm,then the other words of Chrift inferre a neceffity : to give them the holy Communion, Nifi comederitis This is another argument of Anabaptists à pari: if in. fants (fay they) are to be baptized, they are alfo to be admitted to the Lords Supper. But in this agument there is a Sophifma elenchi: for firft it wants the condition du ws; if Pag. 229. we follow your fenfe concerning fpirituall infants, taking infants for fpirituall or regenerate perfons in the major, and for those who are literally infants in the minor and it wanreth allo ἐν τῷ ἀλῷ χρόνῳ. There is no queftion but that baptized infants have right to the holy Comunion, as they have to ftrong meat, but not a capacity as fuch, or while they are infants and God hath in express terms reftrained the Lords fupper to those who can actually apprehend,remember,&declare forth Chrifts death, 1 Cor.1 1.26. which because infants cannot do, we give them not the Communion. Secondly, God hath denounced a grievous curfe, or punishment against any that fhall prefume without due examination of himself, to eat of that bread & drink of that cup: but not fo concerning Baptism,it being the feal of our new-birth and reception into the vifible Church and Covenant, which hath no fuch condition annexed,as may juftly exclude Infants in respect of any prefent non-performance thereof. But the Lords Supper is the Seal of our growth in grace, and spirituall ftrength, inftituted for the confirmation of our admittance into, and our continuance in the Church of Chrift, whofe Se more here whose death and paffion for our redemption, we thereby fhew forth and commemorate, for our spirituall perfection, nourishment, and ftrengthening in faith and other graces of his Spirit, for our affurance, that God having once received of, Mr.Cobbet us into his favour, will continue his mercy to us in Chrift: explic. Luke 18.15. Page By these disparities the invalidity of the Pleaders Argument 121,122. Init. may appear. And if it were true which he further faith, that the wit of man is not able to fhew a disparity in the fan&tion, &c. yet the wifdom of God is able, and hath declared this difference in holy Scripture; and the fame can fhew more then the wit of man can difcern, and hath fhewed more then the learned Pleader doth, or will understand,who I conceive, doth not yet know all that the wit of man, or all the world can inform him of; but is it not better even for thofe who have been in the Mount with God, to caft the veil of modeft humility over thofe excellencies which they have received, and with which they fhine to others admiration, then to oftent them to the contempt of others? The Apostle of Christ was rap't up into the third Heaven, and yet profeffed we know in part, and we prophefie in 2 Cor.12.2. part, I Cor.13.9: Since the ancient Church did with an equall opinion of neceffity, give them the Communion,&c.] That which you said a little before, -They are as honeft and as reasonable that dos neither, to wit, baptize infants, or give them the Comunion, as thofe that understood the Obligation to be Parallel, we may very well believe and wifh, that either of them may prove honeft hereafter. But to that which you fay, That the ancient Church did with an equall opinion of neceffity give them the Communion, I answer, Id effe Domini- 1. with Tertullian, That is of the Lord and true, which was cum & verum firft delivered; but that is extraneous and false which is afquod fit prius terward received in. And with Cyprian, We ought not to traditum : id autem extraneum & falfum quod fit pofterius immiffum. Tertul. de Præfcript. c. 31. Non debemus attendere, quid aliquis ante nos faciendum putaverit; fed quid qui ante omnes eft Chriftus fecerit: neque enim hominis confuetudinem fequi oportet, fed Dei veritatem. Cypr. 1. 2. Ep. 3. heed c. 21. Quis co heed what fome before us have thought was to be done; but what Chrift did,who was before all: for we ought not to follow the custom of men, but the truth of God. 2 Your own rule muft binde you, (though it cannot others who confent not thereto) they who reject tradition when 'tis against them, must not pretend it at all for them, pag. 237. Numb. 25. 3 It is confiderable in that cuftome of the church,as fome other incoveniences, which Augustine faith, It is (faith he) one Aliud eft quod thing which we teach, and another which we endures one docemus, aliud thing which we are enjoyned to command, and another quod fuftinemus: aliud quod prathing which we are commanded to amend; and untill we cipere jubemur; amend, we are compelled to endure it. And again, who is aliud quod eeaten with the zeal of Gods houfe? why, he that endeavour- mendare pracieth and defireth to amend all that be fees amiffe; he refteth pimur, d donee not; if he cannot amend it, he endureth it,he figh's: the grain lerare compelliemendemus, tois not toffed out of the floor; it endures the chaff, that it mur. To. 6. may enter into the granary when the chaff is winnowed out. contr. Fauft. 4 We adhere not fo to tradition, that we univerfally receive Manich. 1.20. all that which was done or faid ofold: things delivered by meditur zelo defome, but not generally received by the Church, we esteem mus Dei? qui but fuperftructions of particular men, or fuperfeminations, omnia qua forte which poffibly may spread farre,as many pernicious opinions u bi vidit perhave done; yet no fober man ever took them for Apoftolicall, mendare, capit verta fatagit eor fo much as Ecclefiasticall traditions: we neither reject corrigere, non any tradition which appeareth to be Apoftolicall (if not pe- quiefcit,fi menculiar to their times, or fuited peculiarly to certain times, tolerat, gemit: dare non poteft, places, or perfons) nor do we rafhly receive any tradition for non excutitur fuch, except we are certain that the Scripture determineth de areâ granum: nothing against ic, or where ftrong confequence from thence fuftinet paleam, juftifieth it. We conceive Augustines rule herein to be at intret in horreum cum palea good: In those things (faith he) concerning which divine Scrifuerit feparata. pture determineth nothing certainly, the custome of Gods people, Aug. tract. 10. or inftitution of our ancestors are to be held for a law other in Joh. 2. wife, endleffe contention will arife-alfo we muft beware In his enim rebus de quibus that the calm of charity be not clouded by the ftorm of nihil certi ftacontention. 6 We will not rafhly diffent from reverend tuit Scriptura divina,mos populi Dei,vel inftituta majorum, pro lege temenda funt--erietur interminata luƐtatio--utique cavendum eft ne tempeftate contentionis ferenitas charitatis obnubilet. Aug. Cafulano ep. 86. F anti Ubi errorem fu um cognofcit, redeat ad me; ubi meum, re vocet me, &c. Aug. de trimit. 1. 1. c. 2. antiquity, wherein it diffenteth not from the truth: we love peace with all who hold that in fundamentalls at least, and therefore will follow Augustin's advice, in that he pioufly faith concerning his reader-where (faith he) he knows his errour, let him return to me; where mine, let him recall me: our rule being, that of the Apostle, I Cor. 11 1. be gee followers of me, even as I also am of Chrift: more no good man will require, nor render leffe to Ancestors. 7 Laftly we fay that the Scripture which you cite, Job.6.53.except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you; is not fpoken concerning a Sacramentall, but a fpiri* Bellarm. de tuall feeding; and although* fome of the fefuites and other facr. Euch.l.1. Papists contend against us herein, yet | fome of the most fo 6.5.7. ib. 1.2. ber of them acknowledge that thofe words are not to be unc.8.ib. 1.4.c.25. derftood concerning eating or receiving the Lords fuper; Cofter Enchirid. de Eucha- which ours generally maintain: you might do your felf right rift. Sacr. 7. to joyn with us, and not with the moft eager Jefuites conSuares. difp. cerning the fpirituall feeding of infants to eternall life by the merit of Chrift applyed to them for their Union with him, and falvation in and by him, we willingly accord: the manner of effecting by the fecret power of the holy Ghost, we enquire not after, because it is not revealed; but for the reafons alleaged, we give them not the communion. 2. 46. Sec.2. Joh. 6. Gabr. 179. C.4. Aquin. 33 q. 65. a.4. 2m. dicit illudeft Dift. 9. A. B. intelligendum de fpirituali manducatione. Sic Pet. Lombard. dift.8. D. Fanfenius concord. Evang. c.59. Dan. Chamier Panftrat. To.4.1.11.c.3.4. Next you fay-If Anabaptist shall be a name of difgrace, why fhall not fome other name be invented for them that deny to communicate infants, which shall be equally disgracefull, &c?] That would be a rare invention indeed: but if to call 4nabaptifts Anabaptifts, be juft, why find you fault with it ? if evill or unjuft, why confult you how to imitate it by way of revenge? is it not a fhame to be fuch,as we are or may well be ashamed to be called? truely we allow not any difgracefull name or reviling;but know that the name injureth not where the thing it felf is not difgraceful: fome name we must diftinguish them by: if you can invent a more true and proper one, we shall be beholding to you for an invention, and they for a new name. Next you fay, That That the difcourfe of S. Peter, which is pretended for the Pag. 233. intitling infants to the promise of the holy Ghost, and by conse Nam.19. quence to baptifme, which is fuppofed to be its inftrument and conveyance,is wholly a fancy, and hath in it nothing of certainty ordemonftration, and not much probability.] We answer: your words carry a dangerous fhew of blafphemy, but we defire to allow them the fairest interpretation which can be made of them, and fuppofe you meant not to fay (as the connexion of your words imports) that S. Feters difcourfe is wholly a fancy, &c. but either that the pretence from these words intitling infants to the promife of the holy Ghost,and fo by confequence to baptifme,or as you after affirme, that baptifme is not the meanes of conveying the holy Ghost, Pag. 234. fome of these you take to be wholly a fancy. To which we reply; that we neither affirme, nor conceive that these words of S. Peter had a promise for infants as fuch, to receive the extraordinary,and vifible gifts of the holy Ghoft which then flourished in the primitive Church, and which men of yeares commonly after baptifme then received; but that promife was for prefent addreffed to S. Peters hearers which were prickt in their hearts and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apoftles, men and brethren what shall we doe? and to whom Peter laid,repent and be baptifed every one of you, &c. to which he encourageth them by three arguments or motives: first from Gods abundant mercy in the remiffion of their fins, however grievous. Secondly from his gracious benificence, as well in giving, as forgiving,and ye shall receive the gifts,&c. for your confirmation. Thirdly from the extent of Gods federall promife; for the promise is to you and your children: that promise is recorded Gen. 17.7. I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, to be a God unto thee and thy feed after thee, &c. thele words S. Peter relateth to, when he perfwaded them to receive baptifme the feal of Gods new covenant with them in Chrift, a feal of the fame righteoufneffe of faith in Chrift; and he bringeth down Ron, 4. 11. infants right to the feal of the covenant with Abrahams carnall feed (that is, circumcifion) to their right to the seal of the covenant with his fpirituall feed under the gospel, that is baptifme F 2 |