Calebs Inheritance in Canaan, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. His third head of Eſſentialls concerning the name into which perſons are Baptized.
VVEE are come now to examine and look into this third Eſſentiall (by him ſo call'd) of dipping into the name of the Father &c. as 'tis by him opened page 14. 15. 16. and 24. in which hee tels us a perſon cannot be rightly Baptized into the name, except he be able to give a diſtinct Accompt of the Trinitie of perſons in their ſeverall operations. Let us therefore review thoſe primitive and 'Apoſtolicall examples.
Anſw: The Baptiſm of Iohn, none will denie, but his Baptiſm and Miniſterie was from God, and ſo a Goſpell-Baptizm: did the perſons he Baptized give this Account? the contrarie is moſt evident, and that they claimed a right to that ordinance as being Abrahams ſeed to whom the covenant was made: therefore when the Phariſees came to be Baptized, who lived not as Abrahams Children, hee turns them back with a reproof, think not to ſay within your ſelves you have Abraham to your Father: for you are a generation of Vipers. Had not the reſt been receaved upon that conſideration as Abrahams ſeed; the reproof had not been ſuitable: but no mention is made of their diſtinct knowledg in the myſtery of the Trinitie.
Secondly had this been an eſſentiall, then was Iohns Baptizm quite null, and the Apoſtles alſo before Chriſts death: for the third perſon was not ſo eminently known nor ſent, becauſe Chriſt was not then glorified, yea Iohns diſciples never heard whether there were any holy Ghoſt, therefore how could they beleeve in him (and ſo confeſs, him) ſo diſtinctly and eminently? Rom. 10.14.
This further appears by conſidering the commiſſion it ſelfe, and the practice of the diſciples thereupon: the words of the Commiſſion are, goe teach all nations &c. teaching them to obſerve whatever I command you. In which ſomething is to be taught before, ſomthing after Baptiſm, now that which is to be taught before is ſo much as capacifies them to be diſciples, for ſo our oppoſits give the Rendition of the words, goe diſciple all nations. As a Child then may be a diſciple when he firſt begins to learne his A. B. C. ſo may a Chriſtian bee a diſciple of Chriſt without ſuch a high pitch of Knowledg into the myſtery of the Trinitie. For without all peradventure, the Apoſtles themſelves were ignorant thereof though Baptized, when Chriſt firſt called them, and were afterwards taught further by degrees: for the Scripture tells us they were diſciples before they knew how to pray Luke. 11.1.2.
Fourthly, That this is no Eſſentiall, further appears, if we view the practice of the Apoſtles after Chriſts aſcenſion; as for inſtance, that place Acts 2. where ſo many thouſands were Baptized together, can any reaſonable man think that they all gave ſuch a diſtinct Accompt of their faith into the perſons of the Trinitie, and that in one day. The like alſo in the Eunuch Acts the 8. what Accompts did he give, but onelyonly I beleeve that Ieſus Chriſt is the ſonn of God, and ſurely had there been more needfull, when he asked that queſtion, what hinders? Philip would not have Baptized him before he had given a fuller accompt into all the perſons of the Trinitie, For to what purpoſe had it been, when his Baptiſm had been null for want thereof; the like inſtance alſo is that of Simon Magus Acts, 8. then Simon himſelfe beleeved alſo and was Baptized, and yet afterwards hee appeared to be ſoe Ignorant of the holy Ghoſt, that he would have bought the gifts thereof with money, yea were this to be decided by the Anabaptiſts themſelves there would not be one in twentie rightly Baptized, ſuppoſing (though not granted) their practice to be true, For how …ew amongſt them are able to give ſuch an account of the Trinitie of perſons, when as alſo many of them, to my knowledg, and that not of the meaneſt, denie the perſonalitie of the holy Ghoſt at all? we may therefore ſee what new doctrines are intruded upon the conſciences of weake Chriſtians, by men that doe not underſtand what an Eſſentiall is, yet I would not be ſo underſtood as that I ſhould deny the forme of words, to all within the Covenant, when the ordinance is adminiſtred, or that I plead againſt a prepoſition or confeſſion of faith, from ſuch as are converted and not Baptized, which yet may be, as hath been here proved, though there may be much ignorance of ſo high a miſterie; thus alſo having examined this head, we find that the name into which B…leevers with their ſeed are Baptized is, not ſo to be applyed, as that a perſon ought not to be baptized, unleſs he can ſo diſtinctly anſwer to this Doctors new Catechiſme, Ergo ſuch a kind of knowledg, is no Eſſentiall.