Questions of Religion, Commonplaces · Commonplace 10
The tenth Common place. Of Baptisme.
The. xxxix. Question.
Whether they beleeue that infants ought to be baptized? and whether they thinke the firste baptisme sufficient, or that men oughte to be baptized againe, when they come to hauehave the vse of reason?
The Answere.
IT appeareth by this Question,Of the Anabaptistes. they minde to make some proofe of vsus, what we do thinke of ye Anabaptists. Wherfore we answere, that euen you which are the vpholders & maintainers of the Popish kingdom, & the hinderers of the preaching of the gospel, doe most wickedly offende, and that the faulte is cheefely in you, why that many are first seduced by the Anabaptistes, and then secondly for lacke of teaching, do perish in that erroure. For if yée would suffer the pure preaching of the Gospell to hauehave his frée passage, then coulde not this heresie, nor any other so mightely preuaile and take place, to the deceiuing of simple and vnlearned menne, which thinke what so euer is taughte them, is straight wayes the doctrine of the gospel. Neither go we about to defende the Anabaptist, from whom we discent very muche, as in all oure bookes we doe plainely declare. But many of them are very simple menne, and otherwyse of an honest nature, who hauehave skarce heard any thing of the gospell, or if they hauehave, yet bicause they sée so little amēdment of life among those yt professe the same, & are called Gospellers, yéelding to the subtile persuasiōs of the Anabaptists, thinke they shuld greatly offend if they baptise their infants, take an othe, or come vntounto those churches, in which as they say, sinners do yet remain. Yea, that no minister which receiueth any stipende for his ministerie, or dothe not him selfe all those things which he teacheth others to doe, can teache the true doctrine: and that there is no congregation a true churche, in which the order of Prophesying and excommunication is not according to that forme which S. Paule hathe prescribed. 1. Corrin. 14. Therfore, as these their errors are not to be suffred, so yet must they be frendly instructed by the woorde of God, and so broughte home againe, as S. Paule teacheth. Rom. 14. But if they be contentious and stubberne, they muste not yet therfore straight wayes be cast off, but hope better of them, taking héede in the meane time, least they infecte any other with these their obscure opinions, whilest we looke for their amendment: And if they be not conuerted, yet must we alwayes deale soberly, vertuoussy, and holily with them, hauing a consideration of the matter and person, in correcting and punishing of them.
Other some of them are not of a simple and honest nature, but malitious, troublesome, enuious, couetous, which all their life time hauehave bene vnquiet and obstinate, euer louing contention, and so falling into that error, doe amongste themselues, raise vp broiles, stirre mē against their Magistrates and Preachers, against othes, against iudgement and punishment, against taxes, rentes, and tiches, and many other things: furthermore they stirre vp contention betwene man and wife: and yet notwithstanding, they cloke and smoothe themselues with a certaine glorious & hipocritical kinde of spéeche, to the end they might séeme to be farre honester men, than they are in very déede. For what they would doe, if they might hauehave frée libertie, we hauehave good experience in the Monkishe Anabaptistes. If therefore these menne which are so malitious, might be fréely suffred, & no punishmēt done vntounto them, the common wealthe would quite be ouerthrowne, as experience dothe teache vsus. And these men being the heades of this faction, abusing the simple sort, do in like manner stirre them vp to be contentious and raise tumultes. Wherupon being thus instructed, although they be manifestly ouerthrowne by the truthe, yet leaue they not their erroure, nor will receiue any godly instruction, but despise the gentlenesse and mercy of the Magistrate, neuer kéeping touche, though they promisse and sweare neuer so muche, hauing no regard to honestie, neuer cease to molest and trouble the congregatiōs with their rash and seditious dealings. And touching these menne, what bothe Gods lawe and mannes, dothe decrée of them, it is manifestly knowne: wherefore, we doe not goe about to excuse any suche, neither hauehave we any felowship with them, or with their teachers, nor yet by Gods grace minde we to hauehave. Touching the baptisme of infantes, itBaptisme of infantes. hathe his aucthoritie from the scripture. For bicause we all confesse that Baptisme is, a signe of the couenaunte and people of God: and that it cannot be denyed that infants are in the couenaunt of God, and are numbred with his people: therfore baptisme which is ye signe heereof, cannot be denyed vntounto them. Againe, S. Peter in the Actes teacheth,Actes. 10. that they oughte to be baptized, which hauehave the holy Ghost: But if the infants of the faithfull had not the holy Ghost, then should they not belong vntounto God, neither should they be holy, nor hauehave the kingdome of God: But they are belonging to God. Rom. 8. they are holy. 1. Corinth. 7. and to them belongeth theAnabaptism kingdome of heauen. Mar. 10. Therfore they ought to be baptized. But there is no néede we should be baptized againe, when we come to the vse of reason, being once in our infancie baptized in the name of the father, the sonne, and of the holy ghost. For if we should be baptized againe, yet could we hauehave no more than we had before, only this wold remain, that heereby we should deface our former baptisme, to the great displeasing of God, the breache of lawes, and the incurring into the daunger and punishment thereof.