Believers Baptism from Heaven, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Contains an Epitome of this Book, in a Compariſon of Believers-Baptiſm and Infant-Baptiſm together.
Believers-Baptiſm.
GOd hath promiſed in the Text, That all who believe, and are Baptized, ſhall be ſaved, Mark 16.16.
There is a lively Similitude between Chriſt's Death, Burial, Reſurrection, and Believers being buried in Baptiſm, Rom. 6.4.
Believers Baptized, are converted, and ſhall never come into Condemnation, John 5.24.
Believers Baptized, love God, and keep his Commandments, John 14.15.
It's Chriſt's Command, that Teaching, Repenting, and Believing, ſhould precede and go before Baptiſm, Matth. 28.18, 19.
Thoſe who baptize Believers, baptize Chriſtians.
In Believers Baptiſm, there are no Contradictions attend the practice of it.
Believers Baptized come lawfully and immediately to the Lord's Supper, Acts 2.41, 42.
Believers Baptiſm is a ſign of Regeneration unto them, Tit. 3.5.
Believers Baptiſm hath a Command, Mat. 28.18, 19.
Believers Baptiſm confirms unto them Juſtification, Remiſſion, and Salvation, Acts 2. Chap. 22.16. Mark 16.16.
We have many Examples for Believers Baptiſm, Acts 8. Chap. 10. Ch. 16.18.
Chriſt was faithful in all his Houſe; and St. Paul delivered the whole Counſel of God, and ſo Believers Baptiſm is a part of God's Counſel, Luke 7.
Believers Baptiſm hath been gloriouſly ſealed in the Holy Ghoſt's coming upon Chriſt in the likeneſs of a Dove, when he was coming up out of the Water, Mat. 3.16.
In Believers Baptiſm the Perſon baptized acts Faith, Acts 8.37.
In Believers Baptiſm, the Subject baptized hath the Anſwer of a good Conſcience, 1 Pet. 3.16.
A Man might comfortably die, as many have done in Mentz, Holland, Germany, and the Palatinate, for aſſerting Believers Baptiſm, becauſe it hath God's Word for its Foundation.
The Publicans glorified God, in being baptized with John's Baptiſm, becauſe it was the Counſel of God, Luke 7.
The Phariſees and Lawyers rejected the Counſel of God againſt themſelves, in not being baptized with the Baptiſm of John, Luke 3.
In Believers Baptiſm there is a glorious Harmony with the Commiſſion, Mar. 16.16.
Believers Baptiſm requireth much Water, as according to God's Word, John 3.
It's without all doubt, Believers were Baptized.
To baptize Believers, is to keep the Ordinances as they were delivered, 1 Cor. 11.2.
To baptize Belielievers, is no change of God's Ordinance.
Such as are baptized on their own Faith, ſhall never periſh, John 10.28.
Believers are baptized as an Act of their Judgment, Choice, Will and Affection; ſo worſhip God in Spirit and Truth, John 4.24.
All thoſe who baptize Infants, do confeſs Believers were baptized.
Believers know and remember when they were baptized.
All Believers baptized, are in the Covenant of Grace.
Believers Baptiſm is from Heaven, and the Counſel of God, Mat. 21.25.
Believers baptized are not the Children of Wrath, John 3.36.
To baptize Believers, is to act according to the Pattern and Command of Chriſt.
All Believers baptized, receive Remiſſion of Sins, Acts 2.
In Believers Baptiſm, the Perſon ſubjects in Acts of Obedience.
Believers Baptiſm hath no Abſurdities attending it.
Believers rejoice and ſhew their full Conſent when they are baptized, Acts 8.
Believers Baptiſm hath the plain Word of God.
All the World may affirm, Believers were baptized by the Apoſtles.
All Believers baptized, are ſpiritual believing Stones, fit to be laid in God's Houſe, 1 Pet. 2.5.
Believers baptized may repel Satan, as Chriſt did, ſaying, It is written, Luke 4.
God will not ſay unto Believers baptized, Who hath required theſe things at your Hands? becauſe it is his own Command.
Believers Baptiſm muſt ſtand as long as God's Word doth ſtand, Mat. 5.18.
To baptize Believers, is to have reſpect unto God's Command, the only way not to be aſhamed, Pſal. 119.6.
The moſt Holy, the moſt Wiſe, the moſt Learned Perſon that ever was in the World, ſubmitted unto Believers-Baptiſm, Mat. 3.13, 14, 15, 16, 17.
Perſons baptized, believe, repent, examine themſelves, make Judgment of things, love one another, take up Chriſt's Croſs, Watch and Pray, and have the ſame care of each others Souls; theſe are fit Members of a Goſpel-Church.
Believers Baptiſm hath Antiquity to plead, being as old as John Baptiſt, Chriſt, and his Apoſtles.
Believers ought to be baptized, who have an inherent Holineſs wrought by the Holy Spirit.
Believers Baptiſm hath many glorious Promiſes annexed unto it, Acts 2.38, 39.
In Believers Baptiſm all the holy Ends of it are preſerved, as to be a ſign of preſent Regeneration, dying to Sin, burying, riſing with Chriſt, Anſwer of a good Conſcience; a mutual Stipulation and Contract between God and the Party.
In Believers Baptiſm, by Dipping, the Manner and true Adminiſtration is preſerved, the Uſage of the Primitive Times retained, and the Ends of it manifeſt.
Believers Baptiſm introduceth no Error nor falſe Doctrine into the World.
Believers baptized are taught of God, and made his Diſciples, Matth. 28.18. Acts 15.10.
If none ought to forbid the Baptiſm of Water unto thoſe who had been baptized with the Holy Ghoſt, Acts 10.44, 45, 46, 47, 48.
Chriſt ſubmitted unto Water-Baptiſm, and ate the Supper with his Diſciples, who had the Holy Spirit without meaſure.
Water-Baptiſm is to continue unto the End of the World, and the Sacrament of the Supper unto the ſecond coming of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 11.26. Mat. 28.19, 20.
If Chriſt will have Glory in the Churches throughout all Ages, World without end, then he muſt have a Church and Ordinances adminiſtred, which is the Eſſence of a Church-Conſtitution, and ſo cannot want Adminiſtrators, becauſe Chriſt hath given Apoſtles, Prophets, Evangeliſts, Paſtors, Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the Work of the Miniſtry, edifying of the Body of Chriſt: How long? till we all come to the Unity of the Faith, and of the Knowledg of the Son of God, unto a perfect Man, unto the meaſure of the Stature of the Fulneſs of God, Epheſ. 3.21. Chap. 4.11, 12.
Infant-Baptiſm.
GOD hath not promiſed all Infants that are Baptized, ſhall be ſaved.
But there is no Similitude between Chriſt's Death, Burial, Reſurrection, and Infants ſprinkled on the Face.
But Infants Baptized are not converted, and may come into Condemnation.
But Infants Baptized, do not love God, and keep his Commandments.
Therefore Infant-Baptiſm muſt be of Men, becauſe it's before Teaching, Repenting, and Believing.
But thoſe who baptize Infants, baptize Heathens; becauſe all are Children of Wrath by Nature before born again, Epheſ. 3.2.
But Infant-Baptiſm hath manifold Contradictions, by aſſerting that Baptiſm is a Symbol of preſent Regeneration, yet apply it to an ignorant Infant: Alſo that it figures out Chriſt's Death, Burial, and Reſurrection, yet do nothing but ſprinkle, or pour Water on the Face; They ſeparate from Rome as the falſe Church, yet own their Baptiſm, the Foundation-Stone; They own the Doctrine of Perſeverance in Grace, and no falling from it, baptizing the Children of Believers as in the Covenant of Grace, yet afterwards teach their Converſion, and in caſe of Ʋnbelief, reject them as Reprobates.
But Infants Baptized, come not to the Lord's Supper immediately nor lawfully.
But the Baptiſm of Infants cannot be a ſign of Regeneration to them.
Infant-Baptiſm hath no Command.
But Infants have none of thoſe confirmed to them in their Baptiſm.
But we have not one Example for the baptizing an Infant.
But Infant-Baptiſm is no part of God's Counſel, appears, becauſe Chriſt nor his Apoſtles never delivered any ſuch thing.
Infant Baptiſm never was ſealed by God.
But in Infant-Baptiſm the Infant acts no Faith.
But Infants have no anſwer of a good Conſcience in Baptiſm.
But how can any die for Infant-Baptiſm, when it wants the Broad Seal of God's Word for the Authority?
But God is not glorified in Infants Baptiſm, becauſe none of God's Counſel.
But to reject Infant-Baptiſm, cannot be againſt any Perſon, becauſe it is none of the Counſel of God.
But there is no harmony with the Commiſſion in Infant-Baptiſm, nor with their own Profeſſion, which is, that Faith and Repentance is required in Perſons to be baptized, yet confeſs that Children, unto whom they apply it, have neither. Again, that it is a demonſtration of a Spiritual Marriage between God and the Believer, yet aſſign it unto Subjects as uncapable of it, as a Stock or Stone. Moreover, that the Baptiſmal Covenant enters into the Viſible Church, yet deny Church-Members the Lord's Supper.
But Infant-Baptiſm needs but a little, therefore it is not according to God's Word.
But the baptizing Infants at the beſt is doubtful.
But it was never delivered as an Ordinance of Chriſt to ſprinkle Infants.
But to baptize Infants, is to change God's Ordinance in the Subject and Manner.
But ſuch as are baptized on anothers Faith, may periſh.
Infants cannot worſhip God in that Act, in Spirit and Truth, becauſe not an Act of Judgment and Choice, Will and Affection.
But all who baptize Believers, do deny that Infants were baptized.
Infants know not, remember not any thing of their Baptiſm.
All Infants baptized, are not in the Covenant of Grace.
Infants Baptiſm is from Earth, and the Counſel of Men.
But Infants baptized may be Children of Wrath.
But to baptize Infants, is to act without a Pattern or Command.
But all Infants baptized, do not receive Remiſſion of Sins.
But in Infants Baptiſm, the Infant puts forth no Act of Obedience.
But Infants Baptiſm hath many, namely, that Perſons may have Regeneration & Grace before Vocation; and that Perſons may be viſible Church-Members before Converſion. Moreover, that Perſons may be baptized by another's Faith. Alſo making a National Goſpel-Church inſtead of a Congregational; and bringing in a carnal fleſhly Seed into Chriſt's Church, in the room of a Spiritual Seed.
But Infants weep when baptized, as if they did diſſent.
Infant-Baptiſm hath nothing but humane Conſequence.
But all the World cannot affirm any Infants were baptized by the Apoſtles.
But all Infants baptized, are not living Stones fit for God's Houſe.
But you cannot repel Satan, ſaying, It is written, Infants were baptized, for it is not written.
But God may ſay to thoſe who baptize Infants, Who hath required theſe things at your Hands? becauſe God commanded it not.
But Infant-Baptiſm muſt fall, becauſe it hath not the Word of God to ſupport it.
But to baptize Infants, without a Divine Command, is the way to be made aſhamed, becauſe no reſpect to God's Command.
But the moſt Holy, the moſt Wiſe, the moſt Learned, never was ſubjected unto Infant-Baptiſm.
But Infants baptized, cannot repent or believe, examine themſelves, make no Judgment of things, nor take up Chriſt's Croſs, Watch nor Pray, love not, nor watch not over one another, cannot be Members of a Goſpel-Church.
Infant-Baptiſm hath ſtarted up ſeveral hundred Years ſince Chriſt and his Apoſtles.
But Infants ought not to be baptized, who are only legitimately Holy, as all born in Wedlock are; and is the Holineſs mentioned 1 Cor. 7.14.
Infant-Baptiſm hath not one Promiſe.
But in Infant-Baptiſm all theſe are fruſtrated, and being applied to an Infant, are but Mock-ſhows, and altogether inſignificant.
But Infant-Sprinkling, is an inverting the Order and Manner, and contrary to the Ʋſage of the Apoſtolick Times, and End of the Ordinance; and is a telling a Lie in the Name of the Lord, ſaying, I Baptize, when he doth but Rantize.
But Infant-Baptiſme doth introduce many Errors, in that it was to take away Original Sin, work Grace and Regeneration, effect Salvation by the Work done; that it was an Apoſtolical Tradition; that Children have Faith, and are Diſciples of Chriſt; that all Children of Believers are in the Covenant, defiling and polluting the Church with falſe Matter, and confounding the Church and the World together; introducing many hainous Traditions and Inventions of Antichriſt together with it, as Goſſips or Sureties, Biſhoping or Confirmation, Chriſm, Exorciſm, Conſignation. Laſtly, It hath made a great deal of Contention in the Church of Chriſt, and ſtirred up much Hatred.
Infants baptized are not taught of God, nor made Diſciples of Chriſt.
Then ſuch are greatly Heterodox and unſound, who ſlight and contemn Water-Baptiſm, under pretence of being baptized with the Holy Ghoſt.
Then that Argument is of Fleſh, and not Spirit, of Man, and not God, that rejects Water-Baptiſm, and the Supper, as carnal, under an ungrounded imagination of the Baptiſm of the Spirit.
Then for any to neglect thoſe Ordinances under an imagination thoſe Commands ceaſed at the end of the Apoſtles Age, are under a deluſion.
If ſo, then the Church-State did not end with the Apoſtles, neither can Ordinances ceaſe for want of Adminiſtrators.