Hear the Church, Query 7
| Papiſt Query 7. | Baptiſt Anti-query 7. |
| Whether you have really this Mark? that is, whether you can fetch out of all Ages, and Nations, Profeſſors of your Religion; in particular you are deſired to name but one, or two in the firſt ſix hundred years after Chriſt of your Profeſſion; for example, ſuch as held the ſole ſufficiency of Scripture for the deciding Controverſies, and denied the Lawfulneſs and Ʋſefulneſs of Infant-Baptiſm? | Whether any man can ſhew this Mark, as it is here called for, without the help of Human Hiſtory? and whether Human Hiſtory be infallibly true, ſo as to be a ground for Divine Faith? and whether thoſe Human Records which concerned Chriſtian Religion for the firſt three hundred years after Chriſt were not the moſt of them burnt by the Perſecutors of Chriſtians? and whether thoſe which remain have not been much altered? and whether they are not in many things contradictory? Alſo, whether Infant-Baptiſm was ſo much as heard of in the firſt Century, and then how ſhould any be named which denied the uſefulneſs of it in this Age? And whether the firſt clear mention of it be not from Tertullian? and whether the Learned do not confeſs that he oppoſed it in the third Century as an irrational and unwarrantable Cuſtom? Alſo, whether that Church, whoſe manner of admitting Perſons into her Communion, her Conſtitution and Government, are according to the Scriptures, Mat. 28. 19, 20. Heb. 6. 1, 2, &c. be not the true Church of Chriſt? |
And whether the Baptized Churches (commonly called Anabaptiſts) do not excel in theſe Particulars, all other Churches whatſoever?
Of all the Marks of the Church, ſo much ſtood upon by the Papiſts, this of Antiquity leads, and indeed it is of that importance, that if they fail of this Mark they are like to miſs all the reſt, and that they muſt fail of the beſt Antiquity, in the caſe of their Baptiſm (without which they can have no true Church) will with much eaſe be made evident.
1. Becauſe by their own Confeſſion Infant-Baptiſm (which is the Baptiſm of the preſent Roman-Church) is not grounded upon the Scripture. Here they fail of Scripture-Antiquity, which is the beſt.
2. Becauſe they have not one Credible Witneſs for Infant-Baptiſm▪ in the firſt Century after Chriſt▪
3. Becauſe it is acknowledged by themſelves, that they have changed the manner of the Adminiſtration of Baptiſm from Dipping to a little Sprinkling, which indeed is no Baptiſm.
Whereas on the contrary, the beſt Antiquity is as clear for our Baptiſm [i. e. Believers Baptiſm] as the light of the Sun, many thouſands of Believers being Baptized by John Baptiſt, and more by Chriſt (or his appointment) John 3. 23. & 4. 1. three thouſand Believers Baptized in one day, Act. 2. 40. And multitudes of Believers being Baptized in every Age ſince the Inſtitution of Baptiſm, yea all the Antient Fathers for the firſt three hundred years, (if not for the firſt ſix hundred years) after Chriſt were Baptized Believers, ſo that I ſhould think the Gates of Hell cannot prevail againſt our Church in the Caſe of Baptiſm, whether we conſider the Subject, Manner, End and Uſe of Holy Baptiſm, Whereas,
The only Witneſs which is pretended by my Learned Adverſary for the firſt Century is Dionyſius the Areopagite, mentioned, Acts. 17. 34. Who is ſaid to ſpeak thus, in a Book entituled Eccleſ. Hierarch. cult. The Cuſtom of our Mother the Church in Baptizing Children is not to be contemned, nor to be judged ſuperfluous, nor indeed to be credited, if it were not an Apoſtolical Tradition.
Truly this Author ſpeaks not like a Man that was ſatisfied in this Point of Infant Baptiſm, and ſuch is the faintneſs of his Evidence, that methinks he ſhould leave a ſuſpicion upon every man that reads him, that he did not know what to ſay, nor whereof to affirm, but leaving every man to think of the Words as he pleaſes, we will hear what the Learned have ſaid concerning this Book Eccleſ. Hirarch.
Firſt, They put it down in the Catalogue of Forged Writings, and Cajetan a Papiſt denys that Work to be written by Dionyſius: Their Reaſons are,
1. Becauſe he never makes mention of St. Paul in that Book, who was the happy Inſtrument by whom Dionyſius was converted: and yet he extolls Hierotheus as his Maſter.
2. Becauſe he writes of many Orders, of Popes, Prieſts, and Monks, of which the firſt Age had none.
3. Euſebius and Jerome in their Catalogues never make mention of this Book. And Gregory the Great doth ſay it was not written by Dionyſius.
4. Illiricus hath ten very conſiderable Reaſons, why this Book was written long after the Death of Dionyſius, one is this, The Author talks often of the Diſtinction of the Quire, and the Church: whereas (ſaith he) the Chriſtians had no ſuch Churches an hundred years after Dionyſi…s's time. This Author therefore will never bear ſo great a weight▪ as to prove Infant Baptiſm to have been either taught or practiſed by the Apoſtles.
Being thus found deſtitute of all Antiquity in the firſt Age, let us hear what one of their own Chronographers tells us concerning both the beginning of Infant-Baptiſm and the want of any Evidence for Infant-Baptiſm, in this Nation till more then three hundred years after Chriſt.
Robert Fabian, a Papiſt, in his Chron. part 5. c. 118. fol. 105. tells us, the Faith had endured in Brittain from the time of Lucius (the firſt Chriſtian King in Britain) near upon the ſeaſon of four hundred years, and odd, and then in the nextThe preſent Baptized Believers only do hold to the old Religion at leaſt in the Point of Sacred Baptiſm Chapter he gives account of Auguſtin▪ the Monk coming into England, and how he prevailed with ſome Biſhops to obſerve his Orders. And in Fol. 107. he ſaith, But for all this there were of them that ſaid, that they might not leave the Cuſtom which they ſo long had con…inued, without the Aſſent of all ſuch as uſed the ſame. Then Auſtin gathered a Synod, to the which came ſeven Biſhops of Brittains, with the wiſeſt men of the famous Abby of Bangor. But firſt they took Counſel of an Holy Man, whether they ſhould be obedient to Auſtin or not. And he ſaid, if you find him humble and meek, as to Chriſt's Diſciple belongeth, that then they ſhould aſſent to him, which meekneſs they ſhould perceive in him, if he at their coming into the Synod, or Council, aroſe againſt them. When the ſaid Biſhops entred the ſaid Synod, Auguſtine ſate ſtill in the Chair and removed not, wherefore they were wroth and diſdained him, and would not obey to his requeſts. Then he ſaid to them, Since ye will not aſſent to my Heſts generally, aſſent to me eſpecially, in three things.
The firſt is, That you keep Eaſter Day in due Form and Time, as it is Ordained.
The Second, That ye give Chriſtendom to Children.
And the Third is, That ye Preach unto the Angliſh the Word of God as I afore-time have exhorted you: and all the other Deale I will ſuffer you to amend, and reform among your ſelves. But they would not thereof.
From this Paſſage it is very evident, that Infant-Baptiſm came not into this Nation till about four hundred years after the Goſpel was firſt Received here; and therefore the Papiſts muſt needs fail of Antiquity here, and muſt, (if they will do us right) give place to the Baptized Believers, not only in the Caſe of Believers-Baptiſm, but alſo in reſpect of the denial of Baptiſm to Infants, ſeeing theſe ſeven Biſhops, and the wiſeſt Men of Bangor withſtood Auguſtine the Monk, in that point then, as we withſtand the Papiſts in that point now.
And as we have ſuffered many hard things, even to the burning of our Bodies in Smithfield, for bearing witneſs to the Ancient and True Baptiſm of Chriſt, even ſo it fared very ill with thoſe that withſtood Infant-Baptiſm, &c. in the Days of Auſtin; for Fabian relates how they were many hundreds of them murdered; and Mr. Fox ſeems to lay the Fault upon Auſtin. I conclude with theſe two ſhort Arguments,
1. The preſent Church of Rome cannot poſſibly prove her ſelf to be the true Church of Chriſt; Ergo, the preſent Church of Rome is not the true Church of Chriſt.
2. The preſent Church of Rome hath no true Baptiſm; Ergo, She is no▪ the true Church of Chriſt. Let the Papiſts defend their preſent Church againſt theſe Arguments [the Grounds whereof are delivered truly in the precedent Diſcourſes] without which, all they can ſay, will ſignifie little; for what Power ſoever the Church hath, it is little to them, unleſs they make good proof that they are the true Church of Jeſus Chriſt.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Grantham, Hear the Church (1687)