Of Regeneration and Baptism, Title page – To the reader
OF REGENERATION AND BAPTISM, HEBREW & CHRISTIAN; With their Rites, &c. Diſquiſitions.
By CHRISTOPHER ELDERFIELD Deceaſed, Maſter of Arts, and late Rector of Burton in Suſſex.
Publiſhed ſince his death by his Executors.
London, Printed by Tho. Newcomb, dwelling in Thames ſtreet, over againſt Baynards Caſtle. 1653.
To the grand Nurſery of Piety and Learning, the Univerſity of OXFORD; The happy Mother of the learned Author deceaſed.
YOU may juſtly wonder at this rude ſalute from an unpoliſh'd Pen: for I wonder at my ſelf. What, am I creeping out of the duſt of Obſcurity, to appear amongſt the Starres of the morning? But I come not hither without invitation; the ſenſe of my Duty, & brightneſs of your glory invite me to you. The ingenious Author of theſe Diſquiſitions by his laſt will and Teſtament, ſadly ingaged me (as Co-executor with his deareſt Brother) to preſent with a learned Legacy, the Hiſtory of Tobit in Hebrew, Clemens Romanus, Lyra on the Pſalms, with Rodolphus Poſtils Manuſcript. Be pleaſed to accept them as a teſtimony of his filial Reſpects, whoſe great abilities were an Honor to you while he lived, and do ſtill ſurvive in his Labours now he is dead. He was a man of a ſingle life, only wedded to his Book, and ſo had none but a Spiritual iſſue to keep up his name. He was both father and mother to two elaborate Treatiſes. And ſome conceive the pains and travell about bringing forth the yonger (though more ſpiritual) Man-child, might coſt him his life. Since then he breath'd forth his laſt ſpirits into this Treatiſe; ſurely this infant Treatiſe, this poſthumous Orphan will be welcom to its Grandmother even in its ſwadling clouts, to ſuckle it, take it into her arms, and be a Foſter-mother to it. I intreat and hope you will not miſ-interpret this pious boldneſs of
Your moſt devoted Orator, T.H.
To the Right Worſhipfull, Sir William Goring, Baronet.
Noble Sir,
THe Author of this Treatiſe lived as deep in your affections, as you lived high in his devotions. His great ſtudie was to advance you in Spirituals, yet he was willing to return ſome conſiderable Retributions to you, ſo far as he was intruſted by you, in Secular affairs. You are now pleaſed to lay that weighty imployment upon me alone, in which I ever found him a prudent and faithfull Aſsiſtant. And I ſhall pray that your many undeſerved Favours, and the honour of ſo high a Truſt, may be in ſome gratefull proportion anſwered, by the happy ſucceſs of that duty and ſervice which I owe to ſo Noble a Family, and ſo great a Charge.
Sir, this Book will teach this corrupt Age the neceſsity of Regeneration, by which whoſoever is entred into the kingdom of Grace, hath the truth of his firſt Baptiſm by Water effectually ſealed unto him, and needs no ſecond Water-Baptiſm to tranſmit him into the Kingdom of Glory. They who are baptized by the Spirit of Chriſt unto Regeneration, and by His blood to Juſtification, ſhall by the help of the ſame Spirit be more and more baptized unto further degrees of Sanctification. That You and Your dear Relations may know and feel the power of theſe Myſterious Truths, (with as much ſweetneſs and comfort as I wiſh to my ſelf and mine) is and ſhall be the prayer of;
Sir, The faithfulleſt of your Servants, T.H.
To the READER.
CHRISTIAM, Beloved and much Reverenced,
HAving not long ſince offered to the publike & thy view, ſome account of endeavors for the preſervation of the Goſpel of Peace in this Nation (for that was my aim) in the received and accuſtomed way of ſuſtentation of the Miniſtry, ſervice and ſervants thereof, by due and ſtated Tythes: (Which Diſcourſe was, and ought to have been, for the general thereof, chiefly Political) That I may not ſeem to have been altogether foreign, a trewant at home, and in juſt and neceſſary redemption of my reputation, to have looked ſometimes to mine own, I have adventured on what follows more ſutable both with expectation from my calling,1 Cor. 15.10. He that loveth his brother, abideth in light, and there is none …ffence ſeen in him or from him, 1 John 2.10. Do all things to the glory of God, be without offence to any, Jew or Gentile, or the Church of God, even as I alſo in al things pleaſe all men, 1 Cor. 10.32. He that loveth &c. Though all be pure, yet it is evil to him that eateth his meat with offence of another. It is good not to eat, nor drink, nor any thing, whereby a brother is offended, Rom. 14.19, 20, 21. Take heed your due power become not an offence, 1 Cor. 8.9. If my victuals offend him I will not eat while I live, to prevent his diſpleaſure, ver. 13. For all is not expedient, that is lawful, 1 Cor. 6. Wo to the world, becauſe of offence: If thy hand or foot be occaſion of giving any, rather cut it off, and caſt it from thee; it is good for thee to enter lame or maimed into life, rather then having two hands, or two feet, to be caſt into fire everlaſting, which it ſeems muſt follow of offence, Mat. 18.18. and ſee Mark 9.5.29. Mat. 9.47. In his example where a tribute was asked, not due, yet rather then offend he wrought a miracle, that the collectors might not be diſappointed, Mat. 17.26. The ſervants of the Lord muſt not ſtrive, 2 Tim. 2.24. and the courſe of my Profeſſion, which is, the ſtudy of Divine matters; whereof I am (by the grace of GOD I am what I am) an unworthy Miniſter. In both equally have I endeavored to ſerve my God in the Goſpel of his dear Son: In the former, by ſetting my ſhoulder to uphold his Houſe, which is like to ſhake as to the viſible outward ſuſtentation thereof: in this later, by illuſtrating one of the firſt and chief myſteries that lets into it: but with the fate of foreign, fore ſpoken in the Goſpel, The firſt laſt, the last firſt; for this was compoſed before that was thought on, when the things (not yet fully determined of) were under diſcuſſion, and thou wilt perhaps gueſs no leſs, by the complexion of the whole, and the aſpect of ſundry parts heeded. Hoped it is, that it will diſpleaſe or offend none, which is a part of my Religion, either of thoſe were ſo earneſt for keeping what they had, or that have ſucceeded in a partial Reformation: The one may ſee fome of his choice tendred to his view perhaps in a more rational way, then he had obſerved before, deeper founded, and ſerved up to his affections by the natural way of his judgement: The other, hath his very Reformation pleaded for, (calmly enough both) to a degree of improvement, not hitherto much mentioned, and that in the heart and inſide of an unqueſtioned Divine Myſterie, the form that gives life to the thing. And if Scripture be Rule, and we reſolved to do only we know what, is it not like (upon the conſiderations propoſed, & alſo digeſted) In the Name will proceed any further, but all muſt now, what ſome pious and learned have done long ſince, come over to Baptize INTO.
I cannot be ignorant, ſince the firſt compoſition, what ſtirs and tumults have been raiſed all over, from Dan to Beerſheba, from one end of our Land to the other, both by Baptiſts and Ana-baptiſts (to ſay nothing of Sebaptiſts, Kata-baptiſts, No-baptiſts, &c). (To whoſe ſtubborn and violent oppoſitions, unto the calm and proſperous receptions of former quiet times, God give a better iſſue then they had in Germany, where a combined oppoſition of Tythes, that ſhould have ſupported a Miniſtry to further peace and order through all) and Paedobaptiſm, the uſual way of entring into the profeſſion of the Goſpel: Theſe at firſt, as in Sc. Hiſtory, proved but a flattering prologue (Populo ut placerent) to many a dire and diſmal Tragedy) whoſe ſatisfaction therefore it might be expected, I ſhould have taken the occaſion given (and as the Argument led me) to attempt: but conſidering the nature of thoſe conſults, fit enough to ſtand off aloof by themſelves: the compaſs of their Controverſies, wide enough to take up the labours of the parties intereſſed; The multitudes that have liſted themſelves already into that War, (it might ſavor of foreign to put my ſickle into their harveſts) but above all, the ſmall increaſe my dulneſs hath been able to make of Diſputation-meeting, conference, ſtudy, or any impreſsion tending toward clear light, or immoveable firm certainty in the buſineſs; I have therefore thought good, to let things go as they were at firſt, and are (Poſtſcript and all, with but ſome ſmall alterations) leaving it to others to work out (if here be any thing may ſerve them that way, tending that way) what their active inquires can take occaſion of from hence, to the removing of all ſcruple and doubtfulneſs, in a matter that yet ſeems as dark (though confidence be bold enough to the contrary on both ſides) as was the Rite it ſelf, delivered firſt among Clouds and Tempeſts, upon the top of Mount Horeb in the Wilderneſs.
Nor may I fear of having overſtaid my tyde, if I have any thing might have been ſeaſonable, for the times are yet thirſty of truth, ſenſible of miſtakes, gaſping for reformation (the ſubject of all good mens prayers and tears) and times of peace and quiet order have been wont to be looked upon as affording better opportunity, calmly and kindely to ripen to Perfection and Maturity, all endeavors tending this way, then when inter arma ſilent leges religio obmuteſcit, ſana ratio exulat, vi geretur res, The ſtrong man goes away with all, Soveraign Power is alone Maſter at top, and looks, and muſt, and will be obeyed, in deſpite of whatſoever ſpeaks Reaſon, Order, Equity or Piety.
Where I have either ventured for any new Diſcoveries, or made bold to recede or oppoſe what hath been generally received, I had much incouragement from ONE (worth ten Thouſands) whoſe great Learning and Piety the World knows, and whoſe Candour and Chriſtian condeſcention, To make himſelf equal with thoſe of the lower ſort, I can never ſufficiently magnifie, whoſe Grace both cheriſhed my conjectures as probable, and might lead to Truth, if they proved not ſo, and ſtabliſhed my baſhful confidence, by that he himſelf was not now to begin to baptize INTO. So that I ſtand not altogether alone: or if alone, in the way of Truth, or neareſt probability, the inconvenience of ſolitarineſs will eaſily have amends in freedom from Errour; As he ſpake in the Oratour, He had rather be the firſt of his noble Family, then the laſt, though many had went before: So it being more happy and ſafe to be one in the right, then of a Multitude, hand joyned to hand, as SOLOMON ſpake, to go or doe evil.
If by any thing thou here receive any benefit, Give GOD the praiſe, for I am a ſinner: Or, if thou diſſent, remember thou was't baptized; Thou didſt then promiſe to forſake the Devil and all his works, Envy, Wrath, Malice, and all ſuch rancorous and bitter paſſions are notoriouſly ſuch, and undeniably, (the Spawn of that infernal fiend, generated in the corrupt carnal hearts of men (Whence Saint Paul, Be angry, but ſinne not, retain it not till night (to part enemies) nor give place to the Devil, Eph. 4.27.) and then I dare truſt my ſelf with thy rudeſt affections, deal with me as thou wilt, as thou dareſt. Thou wilt not turn Apoſtate, forget thy vow, cancel the Oath of GOD, renounce thy renunciation, and re-imbrace the forſaken Serpent: This granted, I am ſecure of thy bitter and venemous paſſions.
As to the Treatiſe formerly mentioned, one word more I would crave, to reflect on what is there in Chap-29. pa. 229. which hath been ſo interpreted by many, as if I did wiſh ill to the Divine Right of Tythes, contrary to my promiſe, page 7. not to meddle with it, and my repeated profeſſions and proteſtations. There is no ſuch thing: I diſavow it: I diſclaim it. The Words heeded have no ſuch matter, taken with due circumſtance of Antecedents and Conſequents. They might have been plainer, by ſparing four ſyllables more, which may be well, if muſt not be neceſſarily underſtood, by inſertion, thus: Equal in this too that Levi's part is as good as the beſt, and if we had any better or higher (FOR OTHER) this would no doubt come out with the higheſt: But we have (FOR THEM) none; Our Tribes pretend not to a partition from heaven any of them, and therefore Levi, &c. which is that I meant, and the words (darkly) have it, and no more nor other. What ſenſe had been elſe of bringing in after Levies part by it ſelf in inference, if the cenſure had not there been onelyonly of Joſeph's, Benjamin's, and thoſe that were Lay, upon which preſtruction, and a Divine Right granted to be for Them none, it will then rationally follow, as it does, And THEREFORE Levi, (not hitherto declared of) ſhould not take it amiſs, if HE (as they) were not preferred (if it ſhould prove ſo, for this neceſſary dubitation to the ſenſe is alſo inſerted) to a right of another ſort, above other his brethren, but be content he had as good as the beſt. (This is the fourth time I make uniform Proteſtation this way) If all will not ſatisfie, foreign, He that will wrong himſelf, his judgement, his friend,Apoc. 21.11. the truth, nothing can hinder but he may continue to do ſo: Let him wrong ſtill.