Truth and Falsehood, Book · Chapter 11
Of the Sacrament of Baptiſme. CHAP. 11.
THE PROTESTANTS
WE acknowlege Baptiſm to be, as it were a Gods-peny, and earneſt of our entrance into Chriſtes family. Wherein wee are both fully aſſured, that (by the blood of Chriſt, which is figured by that water) our ſinnes are ſo waſhed away, that they ſhall not bee imputed vntounto vsus: and alſo the promiſe of that ſpirite of regeneration whereby wee growe to be new men, is ſealed vp in our hearts, ſo that therein the faithfull are ingraffed into Chriſt, to be made partakers of al his treaſures, and namely, that hee may bee vntounto vsus ſanctification and redemption. 1. Cor. 1.30.And as therin our faith is thus noriſhed, ſo is it alſo a publike teſtification and witneſsing of our profeſsion, ſo that wee doe, not only beleeue with our heart vntounto righteouſneſſe, but alſo ſhew that wee are not aſhamed of the goſpel of Chriſt, & for that cauſe wee weare that badge of our profeſsion, and cogniſance of our religion.
THE PAPISTS
BVt the Church of Rome, leſt we ſhould (constantly beleeuing the promiſes, and vſing the Sacraments according to Christs inſtitution) take ſure hold of Ieſus chriſt, and to acknowledge our ſaluation to bee by him onelyonly, in whome the word and Sacraments ſend vsus to ſeeke it: teacheth vsus, that the very Sacrament of it ſelfe hath ſuch force and vertue, as that it doth extinguiſh and quite aboliſh,Andrad. Orthod. Explic. lib. 3. not onelyonly the daunger and condemnation (the rewarde due to ſinne,) but alſo the verie corruption of the ſame. And on the contrarie, that the verie infants that die before they bee baptiſed,Bellarmine de purgat. lib. 2. cap. 6 hauehave their place of torment appointed vntounto them, where they muſt bee purged. So that as they giuegive the power of killing ſinne in vsus vntounto the Sacrament, which onelyonly belongeth vntounto Chriſt;Rom. 6. ſo in this latter point they doe in a manner make Chriſt ſcant able for to ſaue without the ſacrament, and teach ſinne by other meanes than by Chriſt only to be purged.
De ſacr. baptiſm. li. 1. ca. 4Now, the firſt reaſon whereby Bellarmine wil proo… , that the Sacrament of it ſelfe hath ſuch force, of th… … doth worke in vsus holineſſe, and aboliſh ſinne, and therefore, that without it no man or woman can be ſaued, is that place of ſaint Iohn, Ioh 3.5Vnleſſe a man be borne againe of Water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdome of God. And for the better credite of his aſſertion, he telleth vsus,De peccatorum merit. & remiſſ. lib. 1. cap. 30. that ſaint Auguſtine in his firſt booke of the merites of ſinnes, and the forgiueneſſe thereof, the thirtieth chapter, doth ſhew, that theſe wordes are not a commandement, but declare the means of ſaluation: as though ſaint Auguſtine would make the Sacrament as neceſſary to ſaluation, as meate for our life, or phyſicke for recouery of health, for theſe are the examples alledged afterwardes by Bellarmine. But he belieth that learned father, for hee hath not any ſuch thing in that place, although indeede hee handle that place of ſcripture largely there.
But firſt before I enter any further into the conſideration of this point, leſt I ſhould bee miſtaken, as though I accounted the Sacrament of no neceſſitie, I affirme it to bee ſo neceſſarie, that if it may bee had according vntounto Chriſtes inſtitution, and any man or woman ſhall wilfully refuſe the ſame, by this their contempt they doe wilfully cut off themſelues from the body of Chriſt, and ſo make themſelues vncapable of ſuch graces as God in Chriſt beſtoweth vponupon his. But if otherwiſe any man, woman, or childe, being deſirous to enter into the felowſhip of the holy couenant, and to be incorporated by that Sacrament into the preſence of Chriſt, ſhall die or depart out of this life, before they can attaine thereto: God forbid that we ſhould thinke either ſo vncharitably of them, as to iudge them vnworthy of Gods mercy: or ſo hardly of God, as that hee would alter his eternall councell, for want of this external ſacrament: or ſo ſlenderly of the vertue of Chriſt his blood, as that without this water it can not waſh vsus from ſinne. No doubt many died in the wilderneſſe, before the Iſraelites came to the land of promiſe, that had not the ſacramēt of circumciſion, and alſo afterwards, by all likelihoode, in Babylon. The thiefe vponupon the croſſe, of whoſe ſaluation we make no doubt, was not baptiſed. Yea, the order that God vſeth in ſauing vsus, doeth teach vsus, that without the Sacraments we may be ſaued,Rom. 8.30 Epheſ. 1.4 becauſe that election or predeſtination goeth before calling, whether it be internall by the ſpirit, or externall by the word and Sacraments. Therefore wee muſt either imagine Gods election not to be certaine, which is blaſphemous, or elſe, that all that are elect are ſaued, although they hauehave not oportunity to receiue that externall ſeale of Gods couenant. Therefore I ſay, that Baptiſme is very neceſſary, and in any wiſe to be vſed and receiued of them, that may according to Chriſtes inſtitution hauehave the ſame. But we deteſt that doctrine of the Papiſts, that teacheth it to be ſo neceſſary, that whoſoeuer is not baptized, can not be ſaued: whereupon they permit lay men, yea women to baptiſe, whereas the virgin Mary might not baptize, as Epiphanius noteth, haereſ. 97. and ſo prophane that holy ſacrament in altering Chriſtes inſtitution. But rather we ſay with Tertullian de paenitentia, Wee are not waſhed, that wee may ceaſe to ſinne, but becauſe we hauehave ceaſed to ſinne, ſeeing in heart wee are waſhed. Which words, becauſe Bellarmine lib. 2 de effect. ſacrament. cap. 10. can not anſwere, he full wiſely maketh as if hee neuer ſawe them, and ſaieth nothing vntounto them.
And nowe to returne to the Obiection. Howſoeuer ſaint Auguſtine eſteemeth of the neceſſitie of Baptiſme, he teacheth with vsus the true vſe of Baptiſme, againſt the Papiſts, euen in the booke alleaged by Bellarmine, ſpeaking of the infants hee ſaieth thus:Lib. 1. ca. 26. They ſtand in neede of thoſe benefites of the Mediatour, That they beeing offered by the Sacrament and charitie of the faithfull, and ſo beeing incorporate into the body of Chriſt which is the Church, may be reconciled vntounto God: that they may bee made in him liuing, ſafe, deliuered, redeemed, and lightened. Marke that Saint Auguſtine moſt plainly aſcribeth vntounto the ſacrament, to offer and incorporate vsus into the church, but to God (not to the ſacrament) to quicken, ſaue, deliuer redeeme, and lighten vsus. And ſeeing we ſee, that S. Auguſtine in the place alleged by Bellarmine, maketh nothing for him, but in the ſame booke in an other place maketh much againſt him: let vsus ſee what other of the ancient Fathers doe gather out of that place of ſaint Iohn, whether they reaſon out of it as Bellarmine doeth. Chryſoſtome out of this place ſheweth,Homil. 24 in Ioh. that in that water ſpoken of there is repreſented vntounto vsus our Buriall, Mortification, Reſurrection, life, and addeth: As it is an eaſie thing for vsus to bee dipped in, and being pulled out to breathe againe, euen ſo is it for God to burie our old man, & to put on vsus the new man. And hereby thou mayeſt vnderſtand, that the vertue of the Father, the Sonne, and of the holy Ghoſt fulfilleth all theſe things. What can be more plaine than theſe words of Chryſoſtom, to teach vsus, that this working vertue is aſcribed vntounto God, and nothing at all to the Sacrament,Theophilact. in Ioh. 3. as the Papiſts teach vsus. And yet Theophilact is more plaine, Euen as in this bodily ſeede Gods grace worketh all: euen ſo in Baptiſme the Water is but an vnderling, and it is the Spirite that worketh all. So that I cannot ſee how this ancient Father, if he had directly ſpoken againſt this popiſh doctrine, whereby they aſcribe ſo much vertue vntounto the Sacrament, coulde hauehave vſed (if hee had liued in our time) more effectuall wordes to reprooue the ſame. If then wee graunt that that place ſpeaketh of Baptiſme, as many of the Fathers hauehave thought, yet that which the Papiſtes inferre thereupon followeth not, for wee ſee, the working of grace is onelyonly attributed to the ſpirite of God, contrary to that they doe teach.Bellarm de Sacrament. lib. 2. cap. 3 For they will needes hauehave vsus to beleeue, that the Sacrament it ſelfe by receiuing of it, giueth grace. But good reaſons may be yeelded, why by water in that place, the water of Baptiſme can not be meant. Firſt, becauſe our ſauiour Chriſt ſpake there to Nicodemus, who knew nothing of the principles of religion, and therefore Chriſt teacheth him, that we hauehave not in our ſelues any thing to worke our ſaluation, but wee muſt be borne anew. It is vnlikely that our ſauiour Chriſt would inſtruct him of the neceſſitie of baptiſme, who as yet neuer knewe the promiſes, which in baptiſme are ſealed vp vntounto vsus. Secondly,Verſe 6. Chriſt going about afterwardes to explane his meaning, in the next verſe maketh mention of the ſpirite onelyonly, and not of the water, whereas if he had ſpoken of baptiſme, and had made it of ſuch abſolute neceſſitie, that in no caſe a man might be ſaued without it, hee would not hauehave left it out in that place, eſpecially where hee ſheweth how we are borne anew. Thirdly, that which is done in the ſacramentall water, may very well be perceiued both of them that feele it, and of them that ſee it, or heare it: but this new birth that is ſpoken of in that place, how it is wrought a man can not perceiue, as our ſauiour Chriſt telleth vsus: Therefore by likelihoode,Verſe 8. not the water of baptiſme is there ſpoken of, but that water which God promiſeth by his Prophet Ezechiel, and is called,Ezec. 36.24. the cleane water, becauſe of that notable cleanſing and holineſſe, which no materiall water, be it neuer ſo excellent can worke, but onelyonly Gods cleanſing ſpirit, that is, The cleane water there ſpoken of. And this is the onelyonly argument out of the ſcriptures which Bellarmine hath for the neceſſitie of Baptiſme. But in his ſecond booke, where he ſpeaketh of the ſacraments in generally what force they hauehave, hee alleageth ſome moe,Lib. 2. cap. … de Sacram. as that of ſaint Iohn the Baptiſt.
Hee (ſpeaking of Chriſt) baptizeth with the holie Ghoſt, and with fire. Matth. 3.11His reaſon is ſufficiently anſwered, by gathering it into an argument. Chriſt baptizeth with the holy Ghoſt: therefore baptiſme of it ſelfe giueth grace. For the queſtion among vsus is, what vertue is in the Sacrament it ſelfe: and he telleth vsus what Chriſt can do in it. As if he ſhould ſay, Chriſt, when hee healed him that was borne blind, made clay of ſpittle, and bade him go waſh in Siloam,Ioh. 9 therefore the clay put vponupon the eies, and the water of Siloam, by their vertue made him to ſee.
Mar. 16.16Againe, He that beleeueth, and is baptized, ſhal be ſaued. By this wee may as well conclude, that faith ſaueth, (which in any wiſe the papiſts like not of) as that baptiſme ſaueth, for it is ſaid of both indifferently. But let vsus marke his argument againe, that we may ſee how hee prooueth his aſſertion. Hee that is baptized, ſhall be ſaued, therefore the ſacrament of baptiſme hath of it ſelfe that vertue to ſaue. For this is it that hee muſt prooue. But ſee how weakely hee performeth it. Firſt, whereas Chriſt promiſeth ſaluation to them that beleeue, and are baptized, Bellarmine draweth theſe words, to declare how this ſaluation is wrought in vsus: which is not here handled. Secondly, Chriſt ſpeaketh here of beleeuing or faith, which directeth vsus vntounto him, in whome our ſaluation that is promiſed in the word, apprehended by faith, and ſealed vp in the ſacraments, is performed and perfected, that is, Chriſt Ieſus. And how doth this prooue the vertue of the ſacrament in it ſelfe? The like is to be ſaide of that place that he bringeth out of the Actes,Actes 2.38 Amend your liues, and bee baptized eueryevery one of you, in the name of Ieſus Chriſt, for the remiſsion of ſinnes. As for his laſt place out of the ſcriptures, which is out of Peter, marke (I pray you) how he ſeeketh to hide the trueth: ſaint Peter ſaith, Baptiſme ſaueth vsus by the reſurrection of Chriſt. 1. Pet. 3.21.which maketh nothing againſt vsus. But Bellarmine to make his argument ſeeme ſtronger, alleadgeth onelyonly the former wordes, Baptiſme ſaueth vsus, as though it did ſo by it owne vertue: and neuer maketh mention of the latter wordes, Through the reſurrection of Chriſt, for that is againſt him, and ſheweth from whence baptiſme hath her vertue and efficacie. And this being well conſidered, it wil perchance not be hard to anſwere vntounto much of that which they can ſay for this their dangerous doctrine, That the Sacrament of it ſelfe, euen by the very receiuing of it, giueth grace to the receiuer. And for the neceſſitie thereof, I hauehave ſaide before in this chapter, in the anſwere to the firſt reaſon, ſo much as (I truſt) may ſatiſfie the godly Reader.