A most sure and strong defence of the baptism of children, against [the] pestiferous…A moste sure and strong defence of the baptisme of children, against [the] pestiferous…

SI. Therefore I do think ⟨image 44⟩ye infants ought not to be baptized, sith that Christ saith so expressly: Go thorough out all the whole world, & preach the gospel, whosoever shall believe & is baptized &c. Going forth, teach ye all nations.

SI. Therfore I do thinke ⟨image 44⟩ye infantes ought not to be baptized, syth yt Christ saith so expressely: Go thorough out al ye wholl world, & prech the gospel, whosoeuer shall beleue & is baptized &c. Going forth, teache ye all nations.

JO. This is the only refuge that ye always flee to, although Christ, had instituted baptism there, where as John & the apostles did both preach & baptise long afore, when Christ was yet a live:¹ There was a contention among the apostles, whether the gospel ought to be preached to the gentiles, or not. Which contention did rise partly of a false conclusion & conjecture, & partly of a likelihood. The false conclusion or conjecture was this: Christ is promised unto us, ergo he doth not pertain or belong to yt gentiles. Who is so without understanding, which doth not perceive, that this can follow by no mean? The messias is promised unto us that be Ives, ergo, he doth nothing pertain to gentiles. For it may be that he is also promised to the gentiles, which thing the scriptures do testify in many places. In the same self manner do ye gather your argument, but falsely: The writings of the apostles do testify & witness, that they did baptise them, that had both hard & believed the word: ergo, they did not ⟨image 44⟩baptise infants. For these .ii. sentences may both be true. The apostles did baptise them that believed: &: the Apostles did baptise infants. Ye do make an indefinite proposition, an exclusive or negative proposition, that is to say, ye do make of a sentence that affirmeth, a sentence ye utterly denieth. For both these are negatives: No man ought to be baptized, onlesse he doth believe, &: Infants ought not to be baptized. Ye were not hitherto able to prove any of them by the scriptures. The likelihood whereby the apostles were moved to think, that the gospel ought not to be preached, unto the gentiles, was this: In their first mission & sending, they were forbidden to go into yt way of the gentiles: which word might had caused them to contend & strive, and that stoutly, that Christ was minded to keep him self for the hebrews only. If ye had now any such word, O lord god, so ye would triumph against us. Mark thou therefore. These .ii. commandments (Go ye & teach all nations baptizing them: &: Go through out all the whole world, & preach the gospel) were a dispensation & an abolishing of this interdict or prohibition (ye shall not go into the way of the gentiles.) For they had