Rich. Baxters apology against the modest exceptions of Mr. T. Blake and the digression…

Mr. Bl. Object. 2. When he saith, He that Believeth and is baptized shall be saved, here Faith goes before Baptism; and that not a common, but a saving Faith; for here is but one Faith spoken of, and that is before Baptism. Answ. 1. This is the weakest of all Arguments, to reason for a precedency of one before another, from the order in which they are placed in Scripture. So we may say, John Baptized before he preached the Baptism of repentance, for his baptizing is mentioned before preaching of Baptism, Mar. 1.4. So we may say, We must have glory first, and Virtue after; for so they are placed by the Apostle, 2 Pet. 1.3. All that can be collected, is, that we must in Gods ordinary way of conferring salvation, have both Faith and Baptism; though there be not the like absolute necessity of Baptism as of Faith: Baptism being necessary, necessitate praecepti, Jesus Christ having Instituted and commanded it; but Faith necessary both necessitate medii & praecepti, seeing Christ not only commanded it, but salvation can at no hand be obtained (by men in capacity of it) without it: And it hath been well observed, that in the words following, the like stress is not laid on Baptism as on Faith: not [he that is not baptized] but [he that believeth not] shall be damned.

Mr. Bl. OBject. 2. When he saith, He that Believeth and is baptized shall be saved, here Faith goes before Baptism; and that not a common, but a saving Faith; for here is but one Faith spoken of, and that is before Baptism. Answ. 1. This is the weakest of all Arguments, to reason for a precedency of one before another, from the order in which they are placed in Scripture. So we may say, John Baptized before he preached the Baptism of repentance, for his baptizing is mentioned before preaching of Baptism,