Several Works, Floating text 1
A brief Narrative of the diſcourſe between Dr. Harding, and Dr. Worth, and my ſelf, and the occaſion thereof.
FOrmerly. Dr. Worth and ſome others, had a conference with Dr. Harding and ſome others touching infants Baptiſm, and being not ſatisfied herewith, Dr. Harding did provoke Dr. Worth to a further debate about it. And to omit many other paſſages not worth the mentioning, Ʋpon Thurſday, May' 19. after my Sermon at Peters, Dr. Harding publikely produced a Queſtion, (which before he had ſent to Dr. Worth) and bore the people in hand; he was willing to diſpute it with Dr. Worth, and that Dr. Worth was unwilling; though indeed the Queſtion was ſuch a confuſed heap, that it is no wonder if neither Dr. Worth, nor any other rational man would undertake it: viz. Whether the practiſe of Dr. Worth and other pretended Miniſters of Jeſus Chriſt in England, Scotland and Ireland, in ſprinkling of Infants, were according to the mind of Chriſt, and ſo be proved and approved by the Primitive Churches; or to this purpoſe I am ſure for all the ſubſtantials of it. If Dr. Worth undertake this, then every rational man ſees; what confuſion he is involved in; if not, then the people muſt believe he declines diſputing with him. It is doubtful Dr. Harding did not much matter which way it had gone, he had his ends either way. I conceive Dr. Worth declined his Queſtion as ſtated by himſelf, and offered to diſpute upon either of theſe two: viz. 1. Whether any Infants ought to be baptized, holding the Affirmative. 2. Whether perſons duly baptized in infancy, ought to be rebaptized, when adult, holding the Negative. Dr. Harding refuſed both, and nothing would ſerve him but his confuſed heap of Queſtions in one; A known fallacy. After much conteſt Pro and Con: I was grieved to ſee ſo little Candor, as I conceived in Dr. Harding, and took the boldneſs to requeſt of him to ſatisfie the Congregation; that to the firſt of the two, he would ſay I or no. When Dr. Worth preſt him to it many times, he would not anſwer, no ſooner had I ſpoken, but he ſaid, To Mr. Murcot he would ſay No, that is, That no infants were to be baptized; And to ſatisfie the Congregation, would maintain it againſt me▪ though not againſt him. This much troubled me, it being ſo beſide my intention, and againſt my reſolution, to turn aſide from the main work to any thing of this nature; And indeed it did, I doubt, (through the ſubtilty of the wicked one) put that Sermon put of the Peoples minds, and prevent them of another the next week; I did long refuſe it, telling him, He did but now challenge all men, and why not undertake Dr. Worth as well as me, except he fought for Victory more then Truth? but at laſt I yielded to undertake it, with Dr. Worth, though I muſt be the Forlorn▪ The next Thurſday, that is, May 26. as I remember, was ſet for it, the Queſtion was agreed upon then a week before, and the manner of managing it, by way of Syllogiſm, not long diſcourſes, which lead people into a maze. The time came, and yet (notwithſtanding former agreements in the face of the Congregation) there was ſo little candor ſhewed, as that two hours I am confident were ſpent before I could bring him to agree to the Queſtion and manner of diſco…rſing it; A ſad Omen what the iſſue was like to be! All that he urged for the Negative (which according to promiſe, at laſt I prevailed with him to defend) was, That there was no Command or Example; or thus, No Inſtitution, Warrant nor Example for it in the Goſpel; ergo, It was anſwered, There was expreſs warrant for Baptiſm in the Goſpel, and conſequential warrant for the circumſtance of time, the age of the ſubject. After a cavil (rather then an Arg… ment) that for the time, it muſt be in the womb, or after Birth, and then before the eighth day, or upon it, or after it, which were as eaſily anſwered as ſaid; the reſult was, he denyed my conſequential Goſpel-Warrant for the time, and truly this was all he had to ſay againſt us there.
Now I was put to prove a conſequential Warrant for Infants Baptiſm from the Goſpel, I firſt laid down, Mat. 28. 19. to argue from a Scripture, & argued that from thence there was warrant to baptize all Diſciples whatſoever, and Infants were Diſciples. Ergo. I put not the Arguments in form in this Narrative: much cavilling there was about Diſcipling; He would have it only ſuch Diſciples as could learn, and that Infants were not made Diſciples according to Mat. 28. Dr. Worth urged according to that before, if the word there foreign, ſignifie all Diſciples whatſoever, then Infants are ſuch as are there intended, but the former is true; Ergo. Here Mr. Hacket unadviſedly tore a piece of the paper upon which the Arguments were written, thinking he had torn off only a Syllogiſm of his own which he had written, not willing to appear in the diſpute in writing; it ſeems ſome little of Dr. Hardings writing was on the other ſide, or of mine, which Mr. Hacket ſaw not, elſe I believe he would not have torn it. At this the Dr. takes occaſion to break off, crying out of Perfidiouſneſs, which the Lord knows, was nothing but an Ignorance; I am ſure to me it was ſo.
He knew the beſt time to give over, even before we came to the pitch of the Controverſie, ſo the people went away as much unſatiſfied as they came, except it were of the want of ingenuity in carrying of it on. I am ſure, I was not a little troubled we ſhould tire our ſelves and the people in ſix hours diſcourſe to ſo little purpoſe; I hope it will be a warning to me for the future. The Dr. being full at ſtomack, the laſt Lords day in the morning at Peters names a Text, Heb. 6. beginning, laies it aſide, inſtead of a Sermon, calls for ink and paper, writes down the following 13. Arguments for Infants Baptiſm, profeſsing (I ſuppoſe, elſe I know not to what end he took that pains) to maintain the Negative againſt all theſe grounds; thus he entertained the Congregation he had, to the wearying of ſome of them, and ſent the paper, either to Dr. Worth, or in his abſence to me, but with no intimation to what end, as I remember, the Arguments are as followeth.
Paedobaptiſ. Aſſert.
1. Circumciſi ſunt baptizandi.
At—gò
2. Diſcipuli (foreign) &c.
At—gò
3. foreign *Oritic. S. 5.baptizandi.
At—gò
4. Familiae—
At—gò
5. Sancti.
At—gò
6. Foederati.
At—gò
7. Sanctificati.
At—gò
8. Filii Dei.
At—gò
9. Chriſtiani.
At—gò
10. Haeredes Regni.
At—gò
11. Privilegiati, ſeu privilegio peculiari ſupra caeteros; the next word I cannot read.
At—gò
12. Traditio ſeu conſuetudo.
At—gò
13. Promiſſum (foreign.)
At—gò
Theſe I received about half an hour before I went to preach in the afternoon, which (though ſome di…traction to my thoughts) I reſolved to ſay nothing to, but to mind that I prepared for the peoples greater edification; only by way of Preface, I let the people know I had received ſuch a paper of Arguments for Infants Baptiſm; ſome whereof. I owned, and ſome not, but in the General I ſaid what was ſaid of Bellarmine, That he had brought more arguments againſt himſelf then he could-anſwer, ſo I thought of theſe; and c…utioned the people to beware what Doctrine they did embrace, and gave ſome other ſuitable counſel to them. And ſo I fell upon my intended Sermon. This is the true ſtate of the matter for the ſubſtance, which I thought good to ſend, conceiving there might be occaſion for it there.
J. M.
The allotted time of his continuance at Cork being expired, he returned to Dublin, to the great rejoycing of thoſe, whoſe very hearts were glued to him, and whoſe thirſty ſouls longed after him. A friend asking him in what meaſure the Lord had bleſſed his labours as to converſion-work, and the gaining in of ſouls to God; he anſwered, That at his firſt coming to Cork, he to his joy knew ſome, and heard of others, whoſe faces were ſet towards Sion…, and began to enquire after the Lord, till the bone of diſ…ntion was caſt in, with which the people were wholly taken up, and then with a ſorrowful countenance, and with eyes and hands lifted up to heaven, ſaid, The Lord pardon me that ever I yielded to that wrangling diſpute.
Though Cork hath not his perſonal preſence, yet hath it a large ſhare in his affections, ſupplications and endeavours for its good, which he manifeſted by procuring an Order for the repairing of Chriſt-Church, and ſetling Mr. Eyres in it.
The ſickneſs beginning to break forth afreſh at Dublin, the Commiſſioners of Parliament ſend to the ſeveral Churches to humble themſelves before the Lord, and to return to them an Account of what lay upon their ſpirits as the provoking and procuring cauſe of this ſmart expreſſion of rekindled diſpleaſure. The ſociety Mr. Murcot was related to, drew up their digeſted thoughts in certain Queries; the moſt remarkable are here annexed.
1. Whether denying, neglecting, flighting, and countenancing of …ghters of Mini…ters of the publike Ordinances of God, be not an Achan? Exod. 4. 24. 5. 3. Lev. 26. 15, 25.
2. Whether endeavouring to ſupplant the Miniſtry under pretence of all the Congregation of the Lords people being holy, every one of them, Numb. 1. 6. 2, 3. 5. 21, 22. (in oppoſition whereunto, Aar…n is called the Saint of the Lord, Pſal. 106. 16. ſo Deut. 33. 11.) and abuſing the Miniſtry, be not a means to bring wrath without remedy, 2 Chron 36. 15. which abuſes are declared in the defence of the Worceſterſhire Petition, eſpecially in the Preface thereof: And whether if Magiſtrates keep ſilence, they do not thereby make the ſin their own? 1 Sam. 3. 13.
Mr. Murcot is choſen with others humbly to preſent this Repreſentation; Courage.which he did with a reſolved, and clear confidenee, as knowing the cauſe was Gods, and truth worth the owning.
Shortly after, the Church at Dublin (the Lord being ſought unto by ſolemn faſting and prayer) with extraordinary chearfulneſs, and unanimity, nemine contradicente, choſe him to be their Teacher; which being propoſed to him, he at firſt expreſſed his loathneſs to bow with his back to ſo great a burden; yet took time to conſider of the matter, which he ſpent in private Faſting, Prayer, and clearing up his Call by an impartial preponderation of all conſiderable circumſtances: an account whereof under his own hand you have here annexed.