More Proofs of Infants Church Membership and Right to Baptism, Title page – Preface
More PROOFS OF INFANTS Church-memberſhip AND Conſequently their Right to BAPTISM: Or a SECOND DEFENCE of our Infant Rights and Mercies.
In Three Parts.
The Firſt is, The plain Proof of Gods Statute, or Covenant for Infants Church-memberſhip from the Creation, and the Continuance of it till the Inſtitution of Baptiſm; with the Defence of that Proof againſt the Frivolous Exceptions of Mr. Tombes.
And a Confutation of Mr. Tombes his Arguments againſt Infants Church-memberſhip.
The Second is, A Confutation of the Strange Forgeries of Mr. H. Danvers againſt the Antiquity of Infant-baptiſm, And of his many Calumnies againſt my Self and Writings.
With a Catalogue of fifty ſix New Commandments and Doctrines, which He, and the Sectaries who joyn with Him in thoſe Calumnies ſeem to own.
The Third Part is, Animadverſions on Mr. Danvers's Reply to Mr. Willes.
Extorted by their unquiet Importunity from an earneſt Deſirer of the Love and Peace of all True Chriſtians.
By Richard Baxter.
London, Printed for N. Simmons at the Princes Arms, and J. Robinſon at the Golden-Lyon in St. Paul's Church-yard. 1675.
The PREFACE.
Reader,
THe firſt year of my Miniſtry I fell into a doubt about Infant-Baptiſm; and I was ſo ignorant as not to underſtand the nature of that ſolemn Covenant and Inveſtiture, and the Parents duty of entring the Child into the Covenant with God, and what the Vow was which then was made: when time, and light had ſatisfied me, I retained as charitable thoughts of the Anabaptiſts, as of almoſt any that I differed from. About 1646, 1647, 1648. they made more ſtir among us than before: Mr. Tombes living near me, we continued in peace, not talking of our difference; For I purpoſely avoided it in publick and private, unleſs any asked my opinion. At laſt his Converts came to me, and told me that if I would not anſwer him in writing, they muſt take it as an encouragement to them to be Baptized; and confeſſed that he ſent them, or that they came by his conſent: To avoid long writings, one dayes diſpute was thought a ſhorter way. That diſpute with many additions I was neceſſitated to publiſh; with ſome returns to ſome after arguings of Mr. T.'s. He wrote what he thought meet on the other ſide. I thought I had done with that work for ever: But in 1655 he ſent to me again, and drew from me the Letters here recited. Theſe without my conſent he publiſhed with an anſwer in the midſt of a great Book: I left his anſwer theſe nineteen years, or thereabouts, without any Reply; as alſo the reſt of his books againſt me. I thought it not lawful for me to waſte my precious time on things ſo little neceſſary: A man may find words at length to ſay for almoſt any cauſe. I partly know what can be ſaid againſt this, and every book that I have written. And I know what I can Reply. And I partly foreknow what they can ſay to that Reply, and what I can further ſay in the defence of it; and ſo talk on till we have wrangled away our Charity and our Time: and muſt all this be printed, to enſnare poor readers? But at laſt Mr. Danvers hath laid a neceſſity upon me: I had ſilently paſt over all his vain Reaſonings, and all his accuſations of my writings, and all his falſifications of Authors, had he not called me ſo loud to repent of ſlandering ſome for being Baptized naked: And when I found it my duty to ſpeak to that, I thought it fit to ſay ſomewhat of the reſt, paſſing by what Mr. Wills. hath done more fully in an anſwer to his book.
There are two ſorts of men called Anabaptiſts among us: The one ſort are ſober Godly Chriſtians, who when they are rebaptized to ſatisfie their Conſciences, live among us in Chriſtian Love and peace; and I ſhall be aſhamed if I Love not them as heartily, and own them not as peaceably, as any of them ſhall do either me or better men than I that differ from them. The other ſort hold it unlawful to hold Communion with ſuch as are not of their mind and way, and are ſchiſmatically troubleſome and unquiet, in labouring to increaſe their Party. Theſe are they that offend me, and other lovers of peace. And if God would perſwade them but ſeriouſly to think of theſe obvious queſtions, it might ſomewhat ſtop them. Qu. 1. How inconſiderable a part of the univerſal Church they hold communion with? And unchurch almoſt all the Churches on Earth? Qu. 2. Whether they can poſſibly hope that ever the Church on Earth will Unite upon their terms, of rejecting all their Infants from the viſible Church, and renouncing all our Infant Rights and Benefits conferred by the Baptiſmal Covenant of grace? Qu. 3. And whether if they continue to the worlds end, to ſeparate from almoſt all the Churches and unchurch them, their employment will not be ſtill to ſerve the great enemy of Love and Concord, againſt the Lord of Love and Peace, and againſt the proſperity of faith, and godlineſs, and againſt the welfare of the Church and ſouls, and to the ſcandal and hardening of the ungodly?