The Virtue and Value of Baptism, To the reader – Title page 2
To the READER.
Courteous Reader,
THou canſt not be ſuch a ſtranger in our Iſrael, as to be ignorant of my ſufferings by the intruſion of John Simpſon into my Pulpit, and amongſt my People: I doubt not but thou mayeſt well with many other enquire the reaſon of my reſiſtance, the which is written in ſuch legible Characters, that juſt men and zealous Chriſtians cannot but Run and Read them; I have in a ſmall Book, called Right Re-entered, given the world ſome account, as to my own perſonal Reaſons, wherein had I been ſilent, can any that know John Simpſon, a man ſubject to ſuch windings and turnings, that he cannot to his own Proſelytes appear to be the ſame this year he was the laſt: A man under judicial*The Committee for Plundred Miniſters. Parliamentary cenſure for his Errors: a man by the moſt ſage grave and pious*London Teſtimony to the truth, &c. Miniſters of his City (the place of his Reſidence) branded as a Seducer from the Truth of Jeſus Chriſt; a man for Sedition (ſo owned by himſelf) impriſoned, baniſhed, and afflicted, as an evil doer; a man of ſuch violence, commotion, diviſion, confuſion, diſtraction, diſorder, that Biſhopſgate and Aldgate muſt needs lament the day of his being in the midſt of them. And yet enquire why ſhould Maſter Crofton ſo much withſtand John Simpſons preaching; but if he or all his Adherents were (as they never can be) able to acquit him from theſe Blots that muſt needs render him unfit for Goſpel-work: yet Maſter Crofton hath too too juſt cauſe to withſtand his Miniſtry, not only for his unjuſt intruſion, and diſ-ingenuous ſilence, under any propounded conveniencie for the people, and malitious exerciſe of his pretended Miniſtery, to the meer humoring of an envious, prophane Faction, purſuing nothing but Confuſion and Diſorder, not having any Aſſembly of his own to engage him to it. But for thoſe Falſhoods, that in the name of the Lord he doth utter to the decrying of Gods holy Ordinances, and danger of mens Salvation; herein he is frequent, and of which I ſhou…d (were it not that my weak people are apt to take boldneſs to ſit under his Miniſtry from my hearing him) make a full detection: Can any man think Miniſterial zeal, can in the leaſt admit an afternoons contradiction, of a forenoons Doctrine of Truth. I have before noted to the world, that he no ſooner violently entred my Church, and interrupted ſome of Gods Ordinances, but he preſently vilifying, thoſe he could not hinder, openly averred, that to learn a Catechiſm was not to worſhip God; you might as well take your children to the Market or Fair, and buy them Baubles, Rattles, and Hobby Horſes as Catechiſms. I well know that he did with moſt prophane impudence in the Pulpit at Great Al-hallows, and in my own Pulpit make a dreadfull appeal to God, Angels and Men, that he never Preached ſuch Doctrine; but I have offered, and do yet offer, if he will be convicted before any competent Judges, to convince him by ſome of his late Proſelytes, and many others that heard him ſpeak it, and after moſt wickedly deny that he ſpake it; he muſt not think but we know the Serpentine wiſdom of Seducers leads them to deny they ſpake the doctrine they divulge, if the time and other circumſtances will not defend them in it. And yet in the Sermon wherein he would deny this notion, he doth but Familiſtically Spiritualize, and runs into this aſſertion, which is yet Tantamount, That it is groſs ignorance to ſay, or think that the teaching of Catechitical heads of Religion is the way to bring any man to the knowledge of Chriſt. I confeſs this contempt of catechizing was in my ears, but a praeludium to the decrying of Infant Baptiſm, which engaged me to attend his Wedneſday Lectures for ſome few days, when he was from 1 Peter 3.21. Treating of Baptiſm, wherein I heard many abſurdities, falſe interpretations, and incongruous expreſſions uttered; but at length found him that pretends he had*His Book of Juſtification in the Epiſt. to the Reader. run over the bogs of Familiſm, yet not to have been ſwallowed up in them, to have fallen up to the arm holes, if not over head and ears; for not only did he deſpiſe Poedo-Baptiſm by the contemptible terms of Baby-ſprinkling, cozening Infants, and the like; but proclaimed Water-Baptiſm, the very Ordinance it ſelf, to be nothing worth; and the ſpirit inward Grace, the anſwer of a good conſcience, to be all in all, even unto communion with the Church viſible; and this he did in a full Diſcourſe, half an hour long, directed to his own Proſelytes, with many invectives againſt ſuch as would not admit Communion with the unbaptized in fleſh; theſe nullifying notions of Gods Ordinance, I could not bear, and reſolving they ſhould not corrupt on my ſtomack, or he have liberty to make a falſe appeal, to God, Angels and Men, in the denial of what he had delivered, or to complain, I dealt not fairly by him, publickly to render him erronious before I had charged him perſonally, I did on the day on which he preached it, being the 2. of September 1657. and aſſoon as Sermon was ended, repaire to my Study, and writ unto him this Letter following.
Mr. Simpſon,
I did this day with no little trouble hear your Diſcourſe, and pretermitting your incongruous, impertinent expreſſions, and miſapplication of Scripture, with many Ordinance-degrading and Church-confounding ſpeeches, you laid down this inference, That Baptiſme is not the ground of communion with the Church, but real grace the anſwer of a good conſcience, by the Reſurrection of Chriſt from the dead: and therefore you did declare, Though a man were altogether ignorant of the doctrin of Baptiſm, and had never paſſed under that outward Ordinance, you could own him as a member of the Church, and hold communion with him, and admit him to all the Ordinances of Jeſus Chriſt: and much to this purpoſe you delivered. Sir, When I conſider, the anſwer of a good conſcience is only known to God, I cannot believe God hath made it the Ground of communion with men, and outward Baptiſm to be the firſt Ordinance of God, to the Church and external Seal of the Covenant, and the very door of admiſſion into the Church erected by Jeſus Chriſt, and reckon'd by the Apoſtle among the foreign; and ſo in all Ages of the Church made the foundation of the Church Ordinances in foro Eccleſiae; I cannot conſerv… to communion with ſuch as are unbaptized, but muſt fear in this caſe, God may ſay to me as to them in Iſa. 44.7. For though outward baptiſm without inward Grace can carry no man to heaven, yet the Church cannot without palpable, profaneneſs admininiſter other Ordinances of Communion to the unbaptized; I pray you tell me whether you do not in vain preſs me to outward Baptiſm, when you tell me, I may live and die in Commmunion with the body of Chriſt all my dayes, and yet never know the Doctrine, nor paſſe under the Ordinance of water-Baptiſm? Is Baptiſm become an Adiaphoron? Theſe things I thus timely ſignifie to you to prevent miſtakes (deſiring your arguments for your poſition (for that your Cited Scripture. Rom. 15.7. doth not conclude it) but is farre wide) to which I promiſe you a ſpeedy anſwer, unleſs they be convincing to
Zath. Crofton. Sept. 2 1657.
Though this letter was by a meſſenger ſent of purpoſe, delivered into his hand, diſingenious be never returned anſwer to it, either in publick or privat, but ſuffered theſe contemptible notions to abide on the ſpirit of the people, as it they were Goſpel truths. Having obſerved his ſilence and reſolving to leave him without excuſe, I wrote unto him this ſecond Letter.
Sir, I did this day ſevenday ſignifie my diſſatisfaction in your Doctrine, and diſlike of that old Familiſtical no…ion you publiſhed, I demanded your reaſons but have received none. Sir, Think you not that it is your duty to convince gainſayers, or can I paſs in ſilence, Baptiſme-annilitating notions, I cannot, I will not. Sir, I once more demand your arguments, and that as you are a man of any ingenuity willi…g to give an account of your Doctrine.
Sept. 9. 1657. Zach. Crofton.
This alſo he received, but paſſed it in ſilence, and never to this day, gave any the leaſt anſwer to defend or retract his error: If therefore I find him obſtinate after the firſt and ſecond admonition, I hope I ſhall not be blamed for rejecting him as an Heretick, and withſtanding him from filling my Peoples Heads with low thoughts of Gods Ordinances, and the high Priviledges of Grace, whoſe tongues can already ſpeak too deſpicably of them: God having in his Providence brought me to the Section of Baptiſm in my courſe of Catechizing, and given me a little breathing ſpace from the violent perſecutions of his Abettors, I thought it to be my duty to dictate to my people, the dignity of Baptiſm, and knowing that many heard his Error, who would not hear the correction of it I have committed it to the Preſs, and ſent it into publique view, ſubmitting it and my oppoſition of the Seducer that occaſioned it, to thy Cenſure, deſiring thou mayeſt ſhake off prejudice, and read with ſeriouſneſs and ſobriety, whereby I doubt not but thou mayeſt finde profit; for which he prays, who ſeeth a Divine Stamp on every ourward Goſpel-Ordinance.
Zach. Crofton.
ERRATA.
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A SHORT CATECHISM, BRIEFLY Propounding, and plainly ſhewing the VERTUE AND Value of BAPTISM.
OR, The following TREATISE fitted to the weak capacity of ſuch People as deſire to be confirmed in the Nature and Neceſſity of BAPTISM, againſt the Contempt and Neglect thereof.
By Zachariah Crofton, Miniſter at Botolph Algate, London.
London, Printed by D.M. for J. Nuthal living in the Minories, 1658