A Christian Plea, Treatise 3 · Chapter 9
CHAPTER IX. Touching the miniſtration of the Sacraments to all perſons generally.
VVHether the Sacraments should be miniſtred to ſuch as ſtand obſtinate in knowen iniquitie, until they repent: either†Mat. 3, 5, 6, 7, 8. and 28, 18, 19, 20. Luke 7, 29, 30. Act. 2, 37, 38, 39. Gen. 17, 1, 7, 9, 12, 23. Rom. 4, 11. 1 Cor 7, 14. Ezra 6, 21, 22. Jer. 9, 26. Ezech. 16, 59 — 63. and 32, 29. and 44, 6, 7, 8, 9. Hoſ. 2, 1, 2, 4, 16, 17. Hag. 2, 14, 15. Mal. 1, 7, 12. and 2.17. Rev. 14.9 — 12. & 17, 1, 2. & 18.4. &c. Baptiſme, or the*Mat. 26.26.27.28.29. Acts 2.41.42.46. 1 Cor. 10.16.17.18. and 11.20— 34. and 12.12.13. compared vvith Exod. 12.15.43 — 48. and 20.7. Lev. 7.20.21. and 13.45.46. and 22.25. and 24.5.6.7. Numb. 5, 2, 3. and 9, 7, 14. & 19, 22. 2 Chro. 29, and 30, and 34, and 35 ch. vvith 1 Cor. 5, 6 — 13. 2 Cor. 6, 14 — 18. Lords Supper.
1. Seeing they are the ſeales of Gods everlaſting covenant of grace made vvith the faithfull and their ſeed, and pledges of the righteouſnes and ſalvation which is by fayth in Ieſus Chriſt. For which, ſee the Scriptures here before alledged.
2. Our Sacraments are anſvverable to theirs in Iſraell. And neyther the ſtraungers uncircumciſed might eat of the Paſſeover; nor the Iſraelites in apoſtaſie, til they repented; nor the uncleane, til they were cleanſed. Exod. 12, 43, 45, 48. Lev. 7, 20, 21. and 22, 25. 2 Chron. 29. and 30, 5. &c. and 34, and 35. with 1 Cor. 5, 6, 7. 2 Cor. 6, 14 — 18.
3. Els the Table of the Lord and his holy things should not be regarded, as they ought to be. Mal. 1, 7, 12. 1 Cor. 10, 16, 21. and 5, 6 — 13. Lev. 22, 25. and 24, 6, 7.
4. And the giving of the ſeales of Gods grace and righteouſnes, to the knovven open vvicked, being ſtill unrepentant, might thus far forth become a juſtifying of them, and promiſing life unto them in their eſtate, & an hardening of their hearts and ſtrengthning of their hands the more in their evill vvaies: beſides the defiling of our ſelues and the holy things of God, that might alſo come thereby. Prov. 17, 15. and 24, 24. Eſa. 5, 23. Ezec. 13, 22. Mal. 2, 17. Hag 2, 14, 15. Numb. 5, 2, 3. and 19, 22. Deut. 24, 8, 9. Ioſh. 7, 1, 2 — 13. and 22, 20. 1 Cor. 5, 6 — 13. 2 Cor. 6, 14 — 18.
5. As touching the children, that are baptized by the church, they are thus all members thereof, and ought accordingly to be eſteemed, and (vvhat in us is) should be brought up, as an holy ſeed, in the awe and information of the Lord. Gen. 17, 1, 7, 9, 12, 23. with chap. 18, 18, 19. 1 Cor. 7, 14. and 12, 12, 13. Pſal. 22, 30, 31. Prov. 22, 6. and 30, 1, 26, 28. Matth. 28, 18, 19, 20. Mar. 10, 13 — 16. Epheſ. 6, 4. 2 Ioh. ver. 4.
If it be ſaid here, that all Iſraell was circumciſed, euen the Apoſtate Iſraelites of the ten tribes: I graunt both that it was ſo: and that they did wel in that they reteyned circumciſion, as they did alſo*1 Kin. 21 3. 2 King. 7, 3. Hoſ. 2 11. Amo… 8, 5, 10. other of the ordinances preſcribed by God: yet notwithſtanding they ſinned greatly vvithall, in that they adulterated thoſe ordinances of God, and corrupted themſelues with Idolatries and ſuperſtitions, &c. Such as novv alſo is the eſtate of the church of Rome and other the like apoſtate churches, who doe vvell in reteyning of Baptiſme and other ordinances of the Lord, vvhichwhich they doe notwithſtanding otherwiſe very ſinfully corrupt and adulterate, &c. Of vvhichwhich ſee here before in the firſt Treatiſe, ch. 3. p. 27. &c.
Here alſo let us ſearch, whether it was lawfull for the tribe of Iudah & ſuch of the Iewes as walked faithfully vvith God, to circumciſe the children of the apoſtate Iſraelites or the like, and then to leaue them to their idolatrous parents to be brought up: when their parents would not cō municate in the Paſſeover, and leaue their idolatrie, &c. Hoſ. 11.12. And hereabout ſee the hiſtories of Hezekiah and Ioſiah Kings of Iudah, who firſt purged the Temple, and removed publike Idolatrie, and then aftervvard celebrated the Paſſeover. 2 Chron. 29. and 30. and 34. and 36 ch. 2 King. 23 ch. And conſider herewithall the lavv touching the Proſelytes, Exo. 12, …8, &c.
But on the other hand alſo (for the better finding out of the truth) let us obſerue, whether the children of thoſe that were uncleane in Iſraell, Lepers or others, vvere not to be circumciſed the eight day, notwithſtanding the parents uncleannes, aſwell as other children among them. Gen. 17, 12, 14. Lev. 12, 2, 3. Joh. 7, 22, 23. with 2 King 5, 27. 2 Chron. 26, 21. Lev. 13, 3. and 15, 2. Numb. 5, 2, 3, 4. and 19, 11. Deut. 24, 8, 9. And whether the fact of Chriſt receiving and bleſſing the litle children, which were brought unto him that he might put his hands upon them, and pray: will not alſo warrant us to receiue and baptiſe the litle children of Chriſtians, that are brought unto us, to be baptiſed, and to be prayed for, or bleſſed: Specially conſidering that Chriſt was diſpleaſed at his diſciples, vvho would hauehave hindered it, and ſaid unto them: Suffer litle children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of ſuch is the kingdome of God. Where that ſpeciall reaſon alledged by Chriſt, and ground whereupon he did it, is in like ſort wel to be obſerved. Mat. 19, 13, 14, 15. Mar. 10, 13 — 16. Luke 18, 15, 16. Of vvhichwhich alſo, upon other occaſion, I hauehave ſpoken here before, in the firſt Treatiſe, chap. 1. pag. 22, 23.