Common Places, Letters · Letter 44
An Epiſtle to the Engliſh Church. 46.
MY déere beloued brethren in Chriſt, albeit wee doe maruelouſlie louelove your Church, and doe iuſtly and worthilie make great account thereof, yet are wee verie loath to determine of ſuch nice queſtions as doe bring none or in verie déede ſmall edification. For ſince there are among you two ſorts, of the which one affirmeth and the other denieth: it might eaſilie bee, that they which cannot abide ye doctrine ſet foorth, had rather rent in ſunder the Church, than change their opinion. Therefore ſince wee be moſt deſirous of the vnitie of ye church, we would maruelouſlie wiſhe, that the controuerſie which is ſprong vppe amongeſt you ſhould be pacified, which wee ſuppoſe might bee doone, if yée will deliuer your children heereafter to be baptiſed vntounto thoſe churches, with whome ye agrée in faith and doctrine. For if it could be doone after this manner, Baptiſme muſt be receiued of none but ſuch as be of a right faith.aſwell they which thinke this kinde of baptiſme, whereof we diſpute to be vnlawefull, would greatlie reioyſe to hauehave their conſcience ſatiſfied, & they on the other ſide which thinke the ſame to bee right and allowed, would not for that cauſe defile their faith or conſcience in anie point. Beſide this in doubtfull cauſes it moſt of all becommeth godlie men to imbrace thoſe thinges which they may doe with moſt ſafetie. The matter which ye propounde we reade not to be defined by the worde of God extant and pronounced in plaine and expreſſe wordes: Wherefore wee muſt diſpute thereof according to that which we may cōiecture by that which we gather out of the holie ſcriptures. Which proofes and concluſions when all men admit not, thereof commeth a difficult and dangerous handling of theſe thinges. Howbeit foraſmuch as you hauing aſked our opinion, we cannot kéepe ſecret our iudgement as touching the queſtion propounded: we wil alleage in fewe wordes thoſe thinges which for the preſent time ſéeme moſt fit. And if they like you, you ſhall take it thankefully: But if they doe not, Chriſtianitie being kept ſafe and inuiolate, embrace yée thoſe thinges which yée ſhall elſe where finde better.
Wherefore it ſéemeth good firſt of all that all faithfull men ſhould be warned, That Baptiſme muſt not be reiterate.that they doe not renewe the baptiſme which is receiued by the Lutherans, euen as wee doe not reiterate that which the Papiſtes hauehave miniſtred vntounto vsus. But whereas afterwarde you demaunde whether it be lawefull for men that profeſſe the goſpell, to receiue baptiſme of the Lutherans, we ſay, that this can not be doone of them without fault. Not in verie déede that wee denie their churches to be any churches at all, neither doe we thinke that baptiſme it ſelfe is to be denied, becauſe of the crueltie which their miniſters exerciſe againſt vsus, but wee thus thinke for other cauſes and thoſe as it ſéemeth moſt iuſt. Firſt we affirme that Baptiſme is a certaine ſealing of the faith of him that is baptiſed: or elſe if for want of age hee be not yet indued with faith, we vnderſtande that faith to bee ſealed, which the offerers of the partie to be baptiſed doe profeſſe. Inſomuch then as there is a difference betwéene our faith and the faith of the Lutherans, we cannot deliuer our faith to be ſealed of them, ſéeing they doe verie much deteſt the ſame: ſo farre is it off that they will ſéeme to allowe it by the ſigne of baptiſme. Wherefore in doing of this, wée ſhall ſéeme rather to conſent vntounto their faith, and that we hauehave nowe changed our minde and opinion vntounto their Church and faith. Moreouer we thinke not that the Church of N. doth baptiſe into anie other faith than into that which flouriſheth and is taught in the ſame. But that baptiſme is a ſealing of the faith, Rom. 4. 3. & 9. Ib. ver. 11.Paule ſheweth when he ſaith vntounto the Romans that Abraham firſt beleeued, and that was imputed vntounto him for righteouſnes. Afterwarde he receiued the ſeale of the righteouſneſſe of faith, that is circumciſion. Neither can the faithfull doubt but that our baptiſme ſuccéeded circumciſion. Yea and the Iewes would not for anie other cauſe hauehave circumciſed a ſtranger, vnleſſe hee being become firſt a proſelite had profeſſed their religion and faith. And they of our religion did not baptiſe men of perfect age, vnleſſe they had inſtructed them fourtie daies before. But perhappes ye thinke that the controuerſie about the Euchariſt is a certaine ſmal diſſent, which is not ſo, ſéeing in it there is ſtrife about the principall pointes of religion. Further if the thing be of ſmall importance, why do wée ſo eagerlie contende for the ſame? why doe wee not hide the ſmalneſſe of the difference? But if it be (as we teach it to be) of verie great weight: why doe wee not auoide the ſhewe of a ſilent conſenting with thoſe churches which we knowe for certainetie to be in an ill opinion? Why doe we not rather imitate the Lutheran miniſters, which would not commit their children to be baptiſed of our miniſters? Moreouer if in deliuering of your children to bee baptiſed, you ſhould teſtifie vntounto thoſe miniſters, that you would hauehave them to be baptiſed in that faith concerning the Euchariſt which yee retaine and profeſſe, they vndoubtedly woulde not baptiſe them. Alſo the godlie Iewes in olde time, would not hauehave giuen their children to be circumciſed of Ieroboams prieſts, which worſhipped the golden calues together with Iehoua. Alſo we are not a litle mooued by the examples of our forefathers. For that ſame great Theodoſius as Socrates wrote in the 5. booke the 6. chapter, when hee beganne to waxe gréeuouſlie ſicke at Theſſalonica, and would be made partaker of baptiſme called vntounto him the biſhoppe of the Citie, aſking him firſt of all what faith that church profeſſed, whether the Arrian or the right catholike faith: and when hee harde that it confeſſed Chriſt to be one ſubſtance with his father, and that it was contrarie to the Arrians, then he with a chéerefull and glad minde required himſelfe to be baptiſed. Yea and Valentinian the yonger when he might hauehave béene baptiſed in Fraunce, yet for the ſuſpicions of hereſies wherewith the churches were then infected, hee went to Millaine that hee might be there baptiſed by Ambroſe, which Church he knewe did followe the ſincere and true profeſſed faith. To theſe I will adde Satyrus the brother of the ſelfe ſame Ambroſe, who when hee hadde eſcaped a moſt dangerous ſhipwracke, and would not differ baptiſme any longer moſt carefully ſhunning the churches of the Arrians, repaired with all ſpéede to the catholike Church where hee might be baptiſed: why would famous men ſo greatlie hauehave vſed this caution, if it had béene all one matter to bee baptiſed of them which were of a right opinion, and of them yt erred in the chiefeſt pointes of faith. Moreouer they that be baptiſed with ye ſigne of baptiſme, are ſaide to be viſiblie ingraffed into the church, and eſpeciallie into that Church in wich the ſacramēt of baptiſme is diſpenſed vntounto them. Therfore ſince ye wil not and that rightlie in verie déede conſent with the Church N. why ſhoulde you offer vntounto it your children to be baptiſed? And herein further my déere brethren (in my iudgement) you are much deceiued, that you thinke thoſe miniſters to agrée with you as touching the ſacrament of baptiſme. Verelie it is farre otherwiſe: The opiniō of the Lutherans as touching Baptiſme.for they attribute vntounto the ſacramentes a great deale more than is requiſite, and tie the grace of God vntounto baptiſme interpreting amiſſe that ſaying which is in Iohn: Iohn. 3. 3.Except a man be borne againe of water and of the ſpirite he ſhall not enter into the kingdome of heauen: Mar. 16. 16.Againe, Hee that ſhall beleeue and be baptiſed ſhall be ſaued. Moreouer we heereby gather that they attribute more than is méete vntounto baptiſme, for that we comming vntounto them, they would not giuegive vsus the Euchariſt, whereas notwithſtanding they dare not denie baptiſme vntounto your young children, becauſe they diſpaire that thoſe can hauehave ſaluation without it. Further they beléeue that young children be indued with faith, which neither you nor we doe beléeue: who thinke it to be ſufficient vntounto their ſaluation that they be indued with the ſpirite of Chriſt, who is the roote and originall of faith; and who at ſuch time as hee ſhall thinke good, will ſtirre vp the ſame in them. Wherefore ſince there is no agréement betwéene them and vsus in anie of both ſacramentes we knowe not why you ſhould from thence take baptiſme vntounto your children. Beſides this we thinke good to recken what an offence or ſtumbling blocke [will be giuen] to the weake ones of your Church when it procéedeth not of impietie or pride or too much obſtinacie, but of a great deſire of the purer religion, and it hath verie good reaſons to prooue paſtors and elders as much as they can muſt indeuour to auoid the ſame. What commoditie I beſéech you or ſpirituall edification is had at the length by baptiſme miniſtred of the Lutherans? vndoubtedlie your infantes are not in ioperdie of ſaluation, if they die without baptiſme: forſomuch as neither the grace of Chriſt, nor the effects of predeſtination muſt bee tied to outwarde things and ſacraments. Aſſuredly we are not to beléeue yt the children of ye Hebrues which for the ſpace of fortie yeares died vncircumciſed, did al for that cauſe ſuſtaine the condemnation of eternall puniſhment: for yt had bin verie ſtraunge from the league & couenant made with the fathers, and alſo from the goodneſſe of God and his promiſes. Neither ſhall the …iſſing of the Lutheran Baptiſme be anie dammage vntounto the parentes, ſince it happeneth not vppon a contempt of the Sacrament, but onelyonly in regarde of the conſcience and faith. Wherefore wee exhort you my moſt déere brethren in Chriſt that ye, at the leaſtwiſe for a while will abſtaine from this kinde of baptiſme, till yee hauehave taught your weake ones as you call them that it is lawfull to receiue the Sacrament of the Lutherans. For that is either forbidden, or is neceſſarie to ſaluation or elſe it is a thing indifferent. Neceſſarie to ſaluation it is not, ſeeing the grace of God is not tyed vntounto the ſacramentes. But if it be forbidden of God to be doone as we thinke it is, ſo much the rather muſt yée abſtaine from it. Finallie, if it be a thing indifferent as you may ſéeme to affirme, if we ſhoulde graunt you euen this, yet yee ought not to vſe it with offēce of the weake; ſéeing Paul in theſe thinges indifferent, woulde hauehave the conſciences of the weake ones to be prouided for and that at the leaſt wiſe for a time vntill the matter as we doe wiſhe maie bee made more manifeſt vntounto them. Neither muſt we be vnmindefull of the rule of Paul, wherein hee ſpake of all this matter: All thinges are lawfull for mee, but all thinges are not expedient. 1. Cor. 6. 12Conſider (I beſéech you) with your ſelues, although that the baptiſme of the Lutherans ſhoulde be lawfull, yet ſhoulde it not bee expedient at this time, and for your brethren. Neither doeth it ſéeme to be a part of Chriſtian godlineſſe, onlie to heare and to be willing to followe, as much as maie be lawfull by the lawes: For otherwhile it behooueth for our brethrēs ſake to omit ſomewhat of yt which is lawful to bee doone, eſpecallie in thoſe thinges which be accounted indifferent. But in the meane time you ſaie, that the diſcorde betwéene vsus and the Lutherans is more & more increaſed. And perhappes it is: but yet it chaunceth not through our fault, for wee doe louelove them, and manie times would hauehave accounted them for our brethren: which they not onelie hauehave refuſed, but alſo hauehave euerie where in a manner condemned vsus, and doe indeuour by all meanes to caſt vsus out of the Church. Neither can it be thought that the diſcorde will bee therefore diminiſhed, becauſe you ſéeke to baptiſe your children in their miniſterie. Yea and perhappes your ſort will not hereafter through this communion of the ſacrament aduenture ſo valiantlie and conſtantlie to defende that trueth about the article of the Sacrament, as they hauehave heretofore with great praiſe & vertue maintained it. For vnconſtant is the nature of man, and is not for anie other cauſe ſooner reconciled with them that hauehave ill opinions than by vſurpation of their Sacramentes. Theſe things my brethren did I thinke good at this time to write vntounto you as touching this matter, the which take yee in good part, and pray you earneſtlie for our Churches euen as we doe inſtantly pray for you.