The Character of the Beast, Debate 2 · Richard Clifton 1 – Richard Clifton 2
Mr. Rich Clifton.
AN ANSWERE TO TWO ANABAPTISTICAL opinions: viz.
1. That Infants are not to be baptiſed.
2. That Antichriſtians converted are to be admitted into the true Church by baptiſme.
ALthough with great ſorrow I am forced to vndertake this buſines againſt him that was deere vntounto me: yet being therevnto provoked by the ſending to me theſe two poſitions with certayne reaſons annexed vnderunder the Authors owne hand: I thought it my part (although the vnableſt of many) to contend for the maintenance of the faith which was once given to the Saints. Iud. 3. And by the help of God to put a brieffe anſwere to theſe opinions, which by the Churches in al ages have bene & are condemned for heretical: the practiſe whereof I could wil he might never have be…allen to any of myne owne country, eſpecially to them that were partakers with me of the afflictions of Chriſt for the witneſſing of his truth. And ch…efly vntounto him, to whoſe charge both I & divers others had once purpoſed to have committed our ſoules had he not beſydes theſe broached ſome former opinions, both erronious & offenſive, whereby the truth (for which we ſuffer) is like to be the more blaſphemed of the wicked & many hindered in our owne country, that shall heare thereof, of whom wee had great hope that they would have walked in the ſame fayth with vsus. Not withſtanding for as much as I am informed, that the author hath promiſed vponupon the ſight of his errors to confeſſe the ſame, I do the more willingly take vponupon me this labour, praying the Lord to give a good iſſue, to his glory, for hi… mercyes ſake Amen. Now I wil come to anſwere the poſitions with the reaſons thereof, & firſt concerning the former, which is this.
Iohn. Smyth.
A REPLY MADE IN DEFENCE OF TWO truths, viz:
1. That infants are not to be baptiſed.
2. That Antichriſtians cōverted are to be admitted into the true church by baptiſme.
Theſe two truthes are by you, Sir; in your anſwer intituled Anabaptiſtical, which reproach I do no more account of thē you doe of the imputatiō of Browniſme, nor then Paul did of Hereſy: but rather as Paul profeſſed himſelf joyful in ſuſteyning that blaſphemy for the truth, & you rejoyce in that you for the truthes you profeſſe, are calumniated with ſuch vndeſerved imputations: even ſo doe I bleſſe God that I am accounted worthy to ſuffer rebuke for Chriſt his truth: but know you, Si…, for your humiliation that your reproach shal light vppon your owne head, & that Chriſt & his truth are by you evil ſpoken of.
In your preface you avouch that you are provoked to write, I mervayle you should ſo ſpeak: ſeing your conſcience telleth you, that you did make the firſt requeſt or motion to Mrs. By water: & I could doe no leſſe then I did, for if I had refuſed the motion, it would have bene thought that I diſtruſted the cauſe: & whereas you alledg, Iud. 3. for juſtifying your courſe in anſwering, I ſay you pervert the Scripture: for although you are to contend for the mayntenance of the faith which was once given to the Saynts, yet you are neyther to plead for Baal, but to lett him plead for himſelf, neyther are you to contend for defence of Antichriſtian errors, but rather as you have in a very good degree raſed the Temple of Antichriſt, even ſo you should now proceed to vndermine the very foundation, & to blow it wholly vp at once: which is done by entertayning the baptiſme of Chriſt to be adminiſtred vppon perſons confeſſing their ſinnes, & confeſſing their faith: neyther will it help you to ſay that theſe two truths have bene condemned for hereſy by the churches in al ages, for if the Apoſtles age aford contrary to the ſucceeding ages, I ſay that which is moſt auncient is the truth: & you know that many of your truths wherto you are come, have bene condemned for heriticall in as many ages as theſe truths which I defend.
Againe, whereas you affirme that by the broaching of theſe opinions & ſome former erroneous & offenſive, the truth is like more to be blaſphemed, & therfore you could wish that wee your comtrymen & frends had never fallen into them: I anſwer, that although I shal not rejoyce that any truth be evil ſpoken of, yet if it shall fal out by occaſion of publishing the truth that wicked men blaſpheme, let them know that Chriſt is a rock of offence, & a ſtone to ſtumble at: & if any be hindered from the truth by publishing the truth, it wilbe their corruption & ſin, & the truth or the publishing of the truth is not in fault: but if you feare hereby that your Antichriſtian Church wil fal to the ground, I ſay, it is that which is appointed to perdition, & to perdition let it goe: I wil never vſe meanes to ſupport it. Finally although I have profeſſed my readines publiquely & privately, to forſake my errors vppon their diſcovery. (& as I have already practiſed for the which I am reproached among your brethren) yet I never profeſſed my readines to bee perverted from the truth, which you cal hereſy: & therfore if you did vndertake to write vppon this ground, you might wel have ſpared your paynes, & ſaved your ſelf from ſo greevous a ſinne as you are fallen into by pleading for Antichriſtian corruptions, & by praying the Lord to overthrow his own truth, by bleſſing your labours in opugning at: & this breefly shal ſuffice for your preface general.
Mr. Rich. Clifton.
1. That infants are not to bee Baptiſed. Anſwere.
Touching this firſt poſition, that Infants are not to be baptiſed, I read that Auxentius one of the Arrians ſect with his adherents was one of the firſt that denyed the baptiſme of Infants, & next after him Pelagius the heretike, againſt whom Auguſtine & others of the auncient Fathers have oppoſed & condemned for hereſy, & that according to the Scriptures, which by Gods grace we shal together with them alſo f…rther manifeſt, & prove by ſound reaſons out of the word the lawfulnes of baptiſing infants, which firſt I will vndertake, & then anſwere the reaſons to the contrary.
Gen. 17.20. God made his covenant to Abraham & to his ſeed: from whence I reaſon thus.
2. That covenant which God made with Abraham he commaunded to bee ſealed to him & to al his ſeede, yea even to infants.
But the covenant that we vnderunder the goſpel doe receive is the very ſame that was made to Abraham, &c.
Therefor that is commaunded to be fealed to vsus &c to our ſeede, yea even to our infants, for ſo was that to Abrahams.
The Major can not be denyed, ſee Gen. 17.10.11.12.
The Minor is likewiſe as true, for the Apoſtle ſpeaking of this covenant, Act. 2.39 ſayth, the promiſe is made to you & to your children, & to al that are a farre of, as many as the Lord our God shal cal. In which words it plainly appeareth that this is the very ſame covenant & promiſſe that was made to Abraham, which they that were a far of, that is the Gentiles beleeving, doe receive & were baptiſed into. And therefor is Abraham called the Father of many nations, Gen. 17.4. alſo Gal. 3.13.4. Chriſt is ſaid to redemne vsus from the curſe of the Law, that the bleſſing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Ieſ. Chr. that wee might receive the promiſe of the Spirit, ſee verſ. 8.9. Now then if wee bee partakers of the ſame covenant (for otherwiſe Abrahams covenant should not be an everlaſting covenant, Gen. 17.7. ſeing his poſterity after the flesh is cut of for a tyme, Rom. 11, 15.17.20.) it muſt follow that the ſame muſt be ſealed to vsus, & to our infants, (els is it not the ſame) & that by the commaundement of God. For the abolishing of circumciſion, & the bringing in of baptiſme vnderunder the goſpel, doth not abrogate or diſanulle the commaundement of ſealing the covenant to the beleeving parents with their infants, which was once commaunded to Abraham, but onelyonly sheweth a changing of the outward ſigne. And therefore as the covenant belongs to the Gentiles beleeving ſo doth the ſeal thereof to them & to their ſeede, as that did to Abraham & to his ſeede: The outward ceremonie onelyonly changed.