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

2. Where you say, A professor of Faith may engage to a lively working Faith; you mean, either a Professor of that lively faith, or a Professor of a dead, not working Faith. If the first, it is a contradiction to say, He professeth to have a lively Faith; and He only engageth so to believe hereafter. For if he profess to have it already, then he can engage only to the Continuation, and not the Inception of it. If you mean the latter, then I shall show you anon, that a man professing a Dead, not-working Faith, is not in Scripture called to Covenant with God in Baptism, to believe lively for the future, (incepivè) and to believe for the future with a working Faith. In the mean time, this should be proved, which yet I never saw. You suppose then, such a professor as this, coming to Baptism, saying, Lord I believe that Thou art God alone▪ and Christ the only Redeemer, and the Holy-Ghost, the Guide and Sanctifier of thy people; and that the World, Flesh, and Devil is to be renounced for thee: but at present these are so dear to me, that I will not forsake them for thee; I will not take Thee for my God, to Rule me, or be my Happiness, nor will I take Christ to Govern me, and Save me in His way, nor will I be Guided or Sanctified by the Holy-Ghost; but hereafter I will, & therefore I come to be Baptized.

2. Where you say, A professor of Faith may engage to a lively working Faith; you mean, either a Professor of that lively faith, or a Professor of a dead, not working Faith. If the first, it is a contradiction to say, He professeth to have a lively Faith; and He only engageth so to believe hereafter. For if he profess to have it already, then he can engage only to the Continuation, and not the Inception of it. If you mean the latter, then I shall shew you anon, that a man professing a Dead, not-working Faith, is not in Scripture called to Covenant with God in Baptism, to believe lively for the future, (incepivè) and to believe for the future with a working Faith. In the mean time, this should be proved, which yet I never saw. You suppose then, such a professor as this, coming to Baptism, saying, Lord I believe that Thou art God alone▪ and Christ the only Redeemer, and the Holy-Ghost, the Guide and Sanctifier of thy people; and that the World, Flesh, and Devil is to be renounced for thee: but at present these are so dear to me, that I will not forsake them for thee; I will not take Thee for my God, to Rule me, or be my Happiness, nor will I take Christ to Govern me, and Save me in His way, nor will I be Guided or Sanctified by the Holy-Ghost; but hereafter I will, & therefore I come to be Baptized.