The Plea for Infants and Elder People Concerning their Baptism, Title page – Preface
THE PLEA FOR INFANTS AND ELDER PEOPLE, concerning their Baptiſme. OR A PROCESSE OF THE PASSAGES between M. Iohn Smyth and Richard Clyfton: Wherein, firſt is proved, That the baptiſing of Infants of beleevers, is an ordinance of God. Secondly, That the rebaptiſing of ſuch, as have been formerly baptiſed in the Apoſtate Churches of Chriſtians, is utterly unlawful. Alſo, The reaſons and objections to the contrarie, anſwered. Divided into two principal heads.
I. Of the firſt Poſition, concerning the baptiſing of infants.
II. Of the ſecond Poſition, concerning the rebaptiſing of Elder people.
Mat. 7. 15. 16.
Beware of falſe Prophets which come to you in ſheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves, you ſhal know them by their fruits.
2 Pet. 2. 1. 2.
But there were falſe Prophets alſo among the people, even as there ſhall be falſe Teachers among you, which privily ſhal bring in dānable Hereſies, even denying the Lord that hath bought them, & bring upon themſelves ſwift damnation. And many ſhal follow their damnable wayes, by whom the way of truth ſhal be evil spoken of.
Printed at Amſterdam by Gyles Thorp. Anno 1610.
To all them which are called and ſanctified of God the Father, and returned to Ieſus Chriſt.
LEt it not ſeem strange (deare brethren) neyther cauſe any to diſtast the right wayes of the Lord, becauſe from amongst vsus ſome have departed from the fayth, and are turned after errors: For the holy Ghoſt hath foretold vsus▪ that even from amongst our ſelves, there ſhould mē ariſe ſpeaking perverſe things to draw Diſciples after thē, Act. 20. 30. And with ſuch, the primitiue Apostolike Churches were greatly molested, and that whylest the Apostles were living. Iohn doth alſo witneſse that in his tyme there were many Antichrists. they went (ſayth he) out from us. 1. Ioh. 2. 18. 19. meaning even out of the boſome of the Church. And our Saviour ſayth, many falſe Prophets ſhall ariſe and deceive many. Mat. 24. 11. And Peter ſaith, many ſhall follow their damnable wayes, 2 Pet. 2. 2. All which may teach vsus not to be offended when the like doth befall to the Churches in our times: Seing it is incident to Gods people, not onelyonly to be perſecuted by enemies without, but alſo greived with falſe brethren, that under pretence of more ſinceritie of religion, will ſeek to destroy the faith, being the very inſtruments of Satan, whom he ſubborneth to deceive the unſtable and to corrupt their minds from the ſimplicitie that is in Chriſt. 2. Cor. 11. 3. Theſe things being conſidered, it behoveth us to mind the exhortations and warnings given by the Apostles of Christ, that is, to ſtand faſt and keep the inſtructions which we have been taught. 2 Theſ. 2. 15. And not to beleeve every ſpirit, but to trie the ſpirits whether they be of God or no: for many falſe Prophets are gone into the world, 1 Ioh. 4. 1. And the rather it stands vsus the more upon to take heed to our ſelves and be admoniſhed by the word of the Lord, becauſe, as the Divil on the one hand, prevayleth in theſe our times, by worldly arguments, of profite, pleaſure and the like…, to keep many back from walking in the right wayes of God: So on the other hand, (under glorious ſhewes of pretended holynes) hath he deceaved many, and drawne them into damnable hereſies, labouring to poyſon the fountaines of wholſome doctrine, reveiled in theſe laſt dayes vntounto his Church: And wher… God in merciemercy hath preached vntounto vsus the Goſpel (that formerly he had …eached to Abraham our father, and by the Apoſtles vntounto both Iewes …d Gentiles) that a long time hath bene greatly obſcured through the …oggy miſts of popiſh doctrines, now ſeeketh to ſpoile the church of Chriſt …ereof altogether, by that deteſtable hereſie of Anabaptiſme, which as … hath overſpread many places, to the great annoyance of the people of God: So (as a leproſie) hath it at this preſent infected ſome of our owne …ntryemen, who are not onelyonly taynted therewith, but have revolted frō …e faith, and taken vponupon them the profeſsion thereof, and publiſhed their …reticall opinions in our owne language. For there is lately ſet forth …rtayne Treatiſe of theirs, intituled, The Character of the Beaſt, …c. A title as it is most blaſphemous (being understood of the baptiſing …f infants) ſo is the book it ſelf ful of many dangerous errours, wherwith …he ſimple may eaſily be deceaved. And ſeing the ſame book is ſent over …to our own country, and is ſpread abroad into the hands of many▪ I have thought good alſo, to give warning to all that loves the Lord Ieſus and …e carefull of their own ſalvation, to take heed therof. And for this …nd have publiſhed this Treatiſe following, contayning a Proceſſe of the Paſſages between Mr. Smyth (the author of that book) and me, wherin …l (whoſe eies it ſhal pleaſe God to open) may ſee the notable ſleights of Sa…han by this his inſtrument, who firſt, ſought to diſgrace the holy Scriptures tranſlated, and to cast them out of Gods worſhip, and now in his Charcter, to diſtroy the covenant of grace (which of old was given to Abraham including the children with the parents,) and to bring in a new Goſpel that excludes the children of the faythfull both frō the covenant and baptiſm the ſeale therof. I had no purpoſe of publiſhing theſe my writings, had not the occaſion bene offered by Mr. Smyth in printing our former private Paſſages: but ſo having done, I could …no leſſe, then to publiſh theſe my labours also, vnles I ſhould have bene iniurious to the truth. Seing I had received the copie of Mr Smythes book in written hand, which he purpoſely ſent vntounto me, as a reply to my former anſwer, to his two Anabaptiſtical Poſitions, whereunto I had almoſt finiſhed this my ſecond anſwer before his book was printed. Otherwiſe (if I had not bene ſo far intereſsed therein) I ſhould hauehave bene glad if this work had been taken in hand by others more ſufficient then my ſelf. But thus God having diſpoſed to imploy me in this part of his ſervice at this preſent: I ſhall deſire the godly Reader, to accept this my ſmall endeavours, proceeding from an hart, earneſtly ſtriving to mainteyne that faith, which was once given unto the Sainsts and to ſupply my weaknes with his better labours, as there ſhalbe cauſe. And withall to take notice, that I have here ſet downe the whol Paſsages (touching this controverſie) between Mr Smyth and me. Firſt, his Poſitions with the Reaſons annexed. 2. My anſwer therevnto written in private vntounto him, which (without my knowledge) he publiſhed together with his reply, committing that againſt me therein, which he condemneth in Mr Barnard against himſelf. Parallels in the epiſtle to the Reader. Thirdly, the Summe of his Reply. And laſtly, my Anſwer therevnto. So that the Reader may ſee how theſe thinges have (from the beginning) paſſed between vsus. The Lord give vsus to diſcerne the truth from falſehood, to look to our ſelves that we looſe not the things which we have done, but that we may receive a ful reward. And now unto him that is able to keep vsus that we fall not, & to preſent vsus faultleſſe before the preſence of his glorie with ioye: To God onelyonly our Saviour be glorie and Maieſtie, Dominion and power, both now and ever.
Amen. Richard Clifton.