Second Reply to Baxter, Part 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Mr. Allen justly reproved for his Groundless Complaint, and Mr. B. for abetting the same.
Mr. Baxters 9th. Chapter ushers in what he calls Mr. Allens Vindication for a supposed injury done him by my self, in affirming, That he and another were gone back to Infants-Baptism; which in their writings they had owned to be Will-worship and Idolatry: Which Mr. Allen takes to be so unjust a thing, that he conceives himself ingaged to tell the world thereof, having (as he saith) not so much as mentioned either of those Expressions as said by me: (viz, Will-worship or Idolatry;) Nor is he conscious (as he saith) to himself of ever being so absurd as once to think that (viz. Infants-Baptism) to be Idolatry, which I most untruly say he calls so, and that that cause is little beholding to such an advocate as thinks to reconcile men to it by abusing dissenters. But what cause he hath for this complaint, is now to be Examined.
It is true, I do remember that Mr. Allen did after my first Impression tell me in a Book-sellers shop, that I had charged him to say what I could not make good, and that therefore he desired some publick satisfaction from me. To which I replyd as he may remember, that if I could not produce the very words, yet if I could shew him wherein he had exprest the sense of them, he had no cause of complaint; and no more Injury done him, then the holy Spirit hath done the Prophets, in telling us, that they say so, and so in several quotations out of them in the New Testament, when the sense only, and not the very words and syllables are there to be found; And that if I could make it appear that he had call'd Infants-Baptism False-wrrship, or Vain-worship, he had thereby called it will-worship or Idolatry, or else our Protestants, as he knew had much mistaken themselves in that their definition: which I had hoped might have sa…isfyed him; but he told me that would not serve my turn; and therefore it seems hath betaken himself to this course (Ingaging Mr B. in his quarrel …lso) for better satisfaction: Therefore in the next place, we shall give you a brief account of the substance of what Mr Allen tells us in his Writings upon that subject, and then leave the Reader to judge where the injustice lyes, viz.
Mr. A's Arguments against Infant-Baptism.In that his book called Baptismal abuses, mentioned by me (in my Treatise; 1st Edition. p. 53. post-script) you will finde he expresseth himself very largely conceraing Infants-Baptism.
First, telling us, in the Premonition, or Preface to this propose, That it hath been a miserable snare to millions of souls who have blessed themselves to be Christians, 1 Preface.and in a salvable condition thereby without faith and repentance, (viz. by that Christning) when no such thing.
2ly, That it hath been the root and off-spring of the National Churches, yea, of the Popedome it self, and to that degree, that it is, sine-qua-non, that without which neither the one nor the other, would have been.
3ly, That it is guilty of rending and tearing, and indeed diss…lving the true Churches of Christ in the world.
4ly, Th…t it is like to prove such leav…n to the Congregati nal Churches, that it necess…rily returns them in an age or two into N…tional Churches again.
5ly, That it is such a Doctrine af Ʋngodlyness, such a root of bitterness, that it is the duty of all those that love and honour Jesus Christ, and the prosperity of his affairs, both in the Churches and in the world, (both which have suffered so deeply by it) to endeavour with all their might (in a Christian way) the extirpation of so evil a custom.
6ly, That it is such a vain Imagination in those that would found Infants Church-Membership under the Gospel, because such in the law, that they might as well affirm, that the Gospel ministration was carnal, weak, beggarly and unprofitable, because that of the Law was such: Heb. 7.18. And that because the natural seed of Abraham, were then taken in, and the Ignorant and unbelievers, and persons guilty of morall pollutions, viz. Extortion, railing, covetousness, &c. were not cast out, if they did but keep the ceremonial Law, which according to the Apostle, stood only in meats and drinks, and carnal Ordinances; Heb. 9.9, 10. That therefore the Gospel Church might consist of such also; contrary to Gal. 3.7.26.29. Rom. 9.8. 1 Cor. 5.2. and 15.34.
2. In the Body of the Book.And Secondly, in the body of the book further tells us;
1st. That such a practice of baptizing Infants was neither administred by John nor Christ, to p. 12. by diverse Arguments.
2ly, Nor could possibly answer any of the ends of Baptism Enumerating diverse, to p. 30.
3ly, How utterly disagreeable it was to the Evangelical administration though very agreeable to the Legal, to p. 38.
4ly, How dissonant that practise was to Reason and truth, to p. 50.
5ly, Therefore, truly and Rationally concludes, p. 64.
1st, That it was none of Gods Baptism; viz. of his ordering and appointing, but a device of mans own heart. Therefore 2ly, to be compared to Jeroboams feast: 1 Kings 12.32.33. who placed Priests in the high places, sacrifised to the calves that he had made in the monethmonth he devised of his own heart, [and which the Reader may take notice of, was no less then worshipping of devils, as the spirit tells us, 2 Chron. 11.15.] 3ly, A plant therefore as not of Gods planting to be rooted up, Math. 15.13. 4ly, a vain-worship taught by the precepts of men, Math. 15.9. [And in p. 68. of his Answer to Mr Goodwins 40. Queries, writ at the same time, and upon the same Arguments. (And as in mine but one book joyn'd and bound together) that it ought therefore to be rejected as will-worship and the serving of God according to the precepts of men, Col. 2.18.23. Isa. 29.13.] 5ly, That it was a meer nullity, because that was wanting in it which was essential to Baptism, viz. there being neither the right subject, nor true external form to be found in it; And that if matter and form be wanting, be it in Baptism or any thing else, there must needs be a nullity: For how is it possible to define Baptism or any thing else without matter and form. And that therefore they who build upon it, have nothing but Air and Vanity for their foundation. 6ly, That it is sinfull in Parents to order it, in Ministers to give it, and in the partyes themselves afterwards, when they come to understanding, to own and stand by it. Proving amply, in his Answer to the Queries, bearing the same date, that it is as little to be made out by antiquity as Scripture, and the vain Imagination of those that go about to found it upon Analogy to Circumcision and the Jewish Church. And to be as much abandoned as any of the Antichristian superstitions; whereof this of Infants-Baptism is none of the least. Thus I have given you some slender brief account of what is largly and fully treated in above 200. pages in Quarto, worthy the serious perusall of any that doubt or desire their better Information therein:The charge justifyed. now all this being put together, what can be said worse of it, and more fully to prove what I affirm he charges upon it? And in the which we have also one of the very terms he so positively denies, viz. Will-worship, and surely if we finde Infants-baptism to be charged with Will-worship, & Vain-worship to be a nullity and Vanity, we cannot miss of Idolatry: Our Protestant writers so fully agreeing, that not only the worship of false Gods is an Idolatry forbidden in the 2d. Commandement, but the worshipping of the true God in a false manner is Idolatry also. Not only as Ainsworth saith, (upon it) forbidding all feigned false Gods, but all feigned service of the true God, The word Elilim, Idols, signifying not-i…g-Lyes, Vanity, and Mr. Allen calling Infants-Baptism a Nullity, Air, Vanity, what doth he otherwise call it in plain English, but an Id…l? And if as he tells us, it be the foundation of the Antichristian Idolatrous Church and the sine qua non of the Idolatrous Popedom it self; and to be compared to Jeroboams feast, surely he makes it Idolatay not of the lea…t magnitude? Wilson in his Thesaurus tells us, as one definition of Idolatry, that it is an humane Invention, thrust into Divine service: and Mr. B. in his Defence of the Principles of Love, par. 2. p. 3. tells us to this purpose, that false worship or Idolatry is either the worship of the false God, or the true God falsly, & which is done by devising w…rship Ordinances, and falsly saying they are the Ordinances of God, &c. as M. A. has so largly proved concerning Infants baptism: Idolatry being also, as the Scripture informs us, an inordinate loving the creature, our selves, or the true God falsly, Col. 3.5. Phi. 3.19. Eph. 5.5. therefore what cause Mr. Allen had for his complaint, or Mr. Baxter upon his account, is submitted to the Reader.
But Mr. B. tells us that Mr. A. hath upon substantial Grounds altered his Judgment; intimating, that he has given divers Arguments for Infants-Baptism in his Book called, a Perswasive to Ʋnity, and against seperation, in a Book called, the Retractation of Seperation, and which Mr. Baxter insinuates are so strong, that none of the seperatists can confute, or stand before them; And which Mr. Allen himself calls upon us for some Answer to.
To which I say,Why the Perswasive unanswerdd. that one reason why that book for Infants-Baptism, viz. the Perswasive, hath been the less regarded, is because it was not known to be Mr Allens; he having set his name to those books that so firmly oppose it, but not to that which maintains it; the Author whereof till now having not been publickly known: and another reason why no more notice hath been taken of what is sayd about Infants-Baptism in that Book is, because it seems to be only a collection of some of those trite Arguments, in Mr B's writings, which Mr Tombs and others, nay Mr Allen himself hath so substantially refuted and baffled: The main Argument urged therein for its inforcement; is from their supposed mistake (as he saith) who conclude Infants-Baptism a nullity, as neither being Church Members nor included in Christs Commission, both which by quirks of wit, and by some Hypothetical Syllogismes he endeavors to make good; and by 4. Arguments from the Analogy, that Circumcision hath to Baptism in some of the ends thereof, forgetting that he had before answered them all by such sound Arguments and Scripture-Authority, and not at all telling us, how we must reconcile what now he sayth, to avoyd the nullity, to what he before tells us for it: when he could neither finde matter or form in it, and which when he doth, we may hav… something to say to him; and therefore for the refreshing of his memory, I have by a Letter refer'd him to some of his own pages in those Writings for his better Information; Recommending Mr Allen the Paedobaptist, to Mr Allen the Anabaptist, for his conviction: which he may reade with shame enough: And withall to prevent his boasting; have sent him an Answer from Mr Tombes to both his Books, viz. that of his Retraction of separation, and this of his Perswasive; the first intended to himself, the other to Dr Connant supposing him the Author of the latter; so far was the world from imagining it to be Mr Allens: Not doubting but Arguments from Mr Tombes who so much agrees with him in other things, may be more acceptable, then if they had come from some rigid Anabaptist.
Mr B's further plea for M. Allen.As to what his Advocate Mr B. pleads on his behalf to undeceive some as he sayth, who are apt to put an ill-construction upon M. Allens changing of his minde, as though he had turned with the times, and upon some worldly sinister account, to render thereby his example the less imitable, and his endeavours to draw off others the less succesfull, he witnesseth for him, that the alteration he made was the year before the King came in, &c.
To the which I say,Answered. how far carnal fear and worldly honour and Interest might influence that change, I shall not determine; but leave the matter to him that knows the secrets of hearts, and will judge righteously: only I must upon this occasion remember Mr Allen of a passage of his; in his Epistle to Mr Goodwin, before his Baptismal abuses (the Book we have been speaking of) treating so amply against Infants & for believers Baptism: applys to him in these following words, telling him, viz. The Nature of the subjects being such, as tends to perswade men to embrace that despised way which is generally every where spoken against. And which is apt to bring the assertors of it into disesteem and contempt among men, if not to expose them to sufferings of a worse Nature, the light whereunto, necessitates either to hazard much of our outward honour, peace and prosperity in the world, in following that light, or their inward peace and tranquillity in not obeying it. And as to the time (mentioned by Mr B.) it is well known that he had but half an eye who could not see such tryals were then coming upon us, to try our sincerity of that kinde. And some have been apt to fear that Mr B. himself was not without temptations of that kinde, in writing in that year so largly not only for a Lyturgy, but for so many of the most desputable Ceremonies (as Dr. P. tells him) of the Church of England.
And as to Mr A's purgation in telling us what peace he has had in that his alteration upon a sick bed, I say for my own part I shall not wonder that he who has stifled so much light, and cut the throat of such a witness he has so famously born for Christ against Antichrist; should be left in judgment to such a calm (I say not, and the Lord grant it be not a hardned) Conscience under it. And may not (doth not Mr A. think) many eminent professors who have turned Papists, Quakers, Athiests, give us in the same experience? and will not that amount to as good a Vindication as his; which is submitted to the all-seeing God, and the word that must Judge us to determine.
And for a conclusion to this matter, we shall end with Mr Allens most solemn words to Mr Goodwin in that remarkable Epistle before mentioned, viz. The day is now hastening apace wherein the mighty God will reckon with the Babylonish Whore for corrupting the Earth with her deceits, and then the eye of Jesus Christ will be upon those who have throughly pleaded his cause, wholly followed him, and faithfully born witness to his truth, against all hir unsound and corrupt wayes, To keep them from the hour of Temptation that shall come upon all the World to try them; whereas those that have been partakers with her in her corruptions must then be partakers with her in her suffrings, though otherwise they be the people of God themselves, unless they have before that time obeyed that voyce which sayth, come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. And therefore upon the whole, let the Reader judge, whether I deserved to have such a complaint made against me for saying, these following words, the passage reflected upon hereby, in the Postscript of 1. Ed. Treat. of Baptism, viz.
And which Books, (viz. Mr Allens, and Mr Lambs Treat. for believers, and against Infants-Baptism) are done with that Judgment, strength of Argument and Authority of Scripture, that notwithstanding they have both of them personally declined those truths, so zealously and understandingly pleaded for by them, and are gone back to that they therein call (or if that like not discover to be) humane Tradition, will-worship and Idolatry, fulfilling Dan. 11.35. Prov. 8.4. Gal. 2.18. 2 Pet. 2.21.22. Yet will their books not only live as a witness for God and his reproached truth, but as a living Testimony against themselves, in their unreasonable, and unrighteous departure from the same (without repentance) to all generations.