Discovery of the Unscripturalness of Anabaptism, Title page – To the reader
A Brief and Plain DISCOVERY OF THE Falſeneſs and Unſcripturalneſs OF ANABAPTISM: As the ſame is now Practiſed by thoſe of that Perſwaſion: W…in are (plainly) Proved, from God's Word, the Five Particulars here Handled.
I. That God's Covenant with Abraham, Gen. 17.7. is the Covenant of Grace, whereby all God's Elect are Saved.
II. That Circumciſion was the Initiatory Seal of that Covenant to Abraham and his Church-Seed, during that Diſpenſation.
III. That, Water-Baptiſm is now (under the Goſpel) ſucceeded in the room thereof.
IV. That the Gentile Believers and their Infant-Seed, have as Real a Right to the ſame Covenant of Grace, and the Seal thereof, as had Abraham and his Infant-Seed.
V. That Sprinkling (or Pouring-out) Water, on the Subject of Baptiſm, is the (Undoubted) Right Way of Adminiſtring Baptiſm under the Goſpel.
By Ja. Barry, an Unworthy Miniſter of the Goſpel
LONDON, Printed for the Author, 1699.
TO THE Impartial and Unprejudiced READER, Who deſires to be Rightly Inform'd in the Nature and Deſign of God's Covenant with Abraham, (his Friend) in the behalf of Himſelf and all his Eccleſiaſtical (or Church) Seed, both among Jews and Gentiles; to the End of the World.
Courteous Reader,
IF the Spirit of Grace Reigns in thy Heart, thou wilt (I doubt not) readily believe me, (eſpecially when I moſt Solemnly Profeſs, as if I were (immediately) to be call'd to the Bar of the Great Judge) that no Prejudice ('or Hatred) againſt the Perſons of the People, who (without any Warrant from God's Word) Style themſelves Baptiſts, and Baptiz'd Churches of Chriſt, hath ſtirr'd me up to appear in Print, in Oppoſing thoſe Pernicious Principles, which the Men of that Perſwaſion do (with ſo much Violence and unſcriptural Zeal) Teach and Maintain. I ſincerely Bleſs God, that his good Spirit hath taught me to diſtinguiſh between Perſons, and the Errors which they hold and maintain. Their Perſons I love, and am really griev'd, that I love them no more than I do. And I hope neither they nor any others will be Angry with me for ſo doing: But their Errors (in Religion) I do from my Heart abominate and loath, becauſe hateful to God, and all good Men, who know and underſtand them ſo to be. And for thus doing, I neither fear a Frown from God, nor yet Blame from any Man, (truly-wiſe) who is able to diſtinguiſh Truth from Error.
That I ſhall be Cenſur'd and (uncharitably) Reflected on, for what I have done, in Printing this ſmall Tract, I am not Inſenſible: I am very ſure none will thus do, but ſuch as eitheir know not, or care not what they ſay.
Theſe kind of Blows I am taught to ward off with a Religious Scorn and a Holy Contempt; reſoluing (in Chriſt's Strength) to purſue and hold faſt the Truth of God, let who will Bark and Cavil againſt it. It was the ſaying of Valerius Maximus, Aequo Animo ferenda ſunt, Imperitorum Convitia, & ad Honeſta vadenti, Contemnendus eſt, Iſte Contemplus. The Reproaches (ſaith he) of the Ignorant and Unskilful are to be born with an even (or patient) Mind: And he that intends to advance towards Good and Honeſt things, muſt Contemn their Contempt. That ſomewhat will come out in anſwer hereto, I queſtion not, (if the Men of that Principle have not loſt their old Wont) but (my Comfort and Confidence being built on the Rock of Ages) I never fear a Confutation from any (nay all) of that Perſwaſion, who Breath on the Earth, until they procure (from Heaven) another Goſpel, which is (Diametrically) oppoſit to the Goſpel delivered by the Son of God, which I am ſure will never be.
I have made no Deviation from the good old Way chalkt out by Abraham's God, (wherein the Prophets and Apoſtles, with all the Primitive Churches, who are gon to Heaven, walkt in) that I know of: If I have, I do faithfully promiſe, that (upon the diſcovery of my Error) I will own my ſelf therein miſtaken.
I have been (for ſeveral Years paſt) importun'd by many Serious and Godly Chriſtians, to Print what now I expect to be Blam'd for, but never found my ſelf (thereto) inclin'd, till of late (not that I Queſtion any part of what I have Printed, being God's Truth; but (indeed) the variety of Tryals and ſharp Afflictions, which ha…e (Inceſſantly) followed me, ſince call'd to the Sacred Office, both in my Native City (Dublin) and alſo in England, have kept me back; together with my own great Averſion to appear in Print, in any Matters Controverſal. But obſerving (of late) how ſtrangely Anabaptiſm ſpreads both in City and Country; and being fully convinc'd, that Ignorance of (and Ʋnacquaintedneſs with) the Covenant of Grace, was (and ſtill is) that which hath given advantage to the Preachers of that Way, in drawing Proſelites after them, I have (in Conſcience of my Duty, both to God and Men) Improv'd my poor Talent, in Explaining and Opening up the Nature and Deſign of the Covenant of Grace, made with Abraham in Gen. 17.7. in hopes, that God will Bleſs the Plainneſs and Brevity therein us'd, to inform poor Ignorant (and Ʋnthinking) Souls, how wretchedly they are impoſed upon, by Preachers of that Perſwaſion, who have (themſelves) as great need to be Inſtructed and Taught, what the deep Myſteries of the Covenant of Grace be, as the poor (Tongue-ty'd) Bades, whom they (in vain) Labour to exclude and ſhut out from the Benefits and Seal of that Covenant, in the Viſible Churches of Chriſt. As their denying Abraham's Covenant, to be the Covenant of Grace, adminiſters juſt ground of ſuſpecting, whether they have any other than dark and confus'd Notions about the Doctrine of God's Free Grace, (ſo much ſpoken of in Pulpit and Print.)
So their Ʋnmercifulneſs and Hard-heartedneſs to the Infants of Believing Parents, in not allowing ſuch to be accounted of the number of God's Elect, meerly becauſe of the Incapacity of ſuch, to make an open Profeſſion of Faith and Repentance themſelves, adminiſters juſt ground of ſuſpecting whether they be Orthodox in the Doctrine of Election. I am very ſure the State of Infancy can neither null or make void the Electing Decree of God, nor yet render the Elect Infant any way uncapable of that Grace of God's Covenant, to which he is Elected, or of the Seal of that Covenant of Grace in the Church Viſible; for any to hold or ſay it doth, is to Reflect on the moſt High God, and to make him a mutable Agent, like to a Fickle Man, contrary to Mal. 3.6. Rom. 11.29. and (unavoidably) to ſend all Elect Infants to Hell, (who Die Infants) contrary to Mar. 10 14. Jo. 6.39. Rom. 11.7. All that I ſhall farther ſay, is only to …eg and Pray thee, for the Lord's ſake, for thy own Souls ſake, and for that Love and Tenderneſs, which the Law of Nature (eſpecially that of Grace) obliges thee to have for poor Infants, (if thou be a Parent) conſider well, and weigh Judiciouſly (in the Ballance of God's Sanctuary) the Arguments laid down in this ſmall Tract, to prove what I have (therein) undertaken. If God Bleſs the Reading thereof, to the keeping thee back from Eſpouſing the Errors herein decry'd; or if it ſhould prove the occaſion of thy Vomitting up (by ſound Repentance and hearty Reformation) the love and liking thou haſt had to thoſe Principles of Darkneſs, give God the Glory of his own Grace, and ſuffer thy ſelf no longer to be impos'd on by ſuch Preachers, who are not only Intruders into the Sacred Office, but alſo Heterodox and Unſound, in what they Teach concerning God's Covenant with Abraham, being a Covenant of Works, concerning Infants-Baptiſm, being but a Popiſh Invention, and a piece of Will-Worſhip; and what they Teach and confidently Affirm of Dipping, being the only right Mode of Baptizing Commanded by Chriſt, and Practiſed by John and all the firſt Baptizers: By which Principles they Raſe the very Foundation of Salvation to Grown Believers, as well as to their Infants: And diſown, that Chriſt hath any right Goſpel Churches but themſelves: From which Principles I ſhall ever ſay, and heartily pray, Good Lord Deliver me, and all the Families of thy Faithful People.