Certain disputations of right to sacraments, and the true nature of visible Christianity defending…

The next Text we shall cite is Act. 22.16: [Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.] Though the Papists vainly would hence gather, that Baptism doth wash away sin ex opere operato; yet we may well gather, ⟨p. 83⟩1. That it washeth it away by Confirmation and Obsignation. 2. And this is the instituted use of Baptism, and not to signify what may or will be done hereafter. Calvin on this Text saith, [non dubium est, quin fideliter rudimentis Pietatis Paulum imbuerit Ananias: neque enim verae fidei expertem baptizasset.] After he shows, that it was a confirmation of the pardon that Paul had before.

The next Text we shall cite is Act. 22.16: [Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.] Though the Papists vainly would hence gather, that Baptism doth wash away sin ex opere operato; yet we may well gather, ⟨p. 83⟩1. That it washeth it away by Confirmation and Obsignation. 2. And this is the instituted use of Baptism, and not to signifie what may or will be done hereafter. Calvin on this Text saith, [non dubium est, quin fideliter rudimentis Pietatis Paulum imbuerit Ananias: neque enim verae fidei expertem baptizasset.] After he shews, that it was a confirmation of the pardon that Paul had before.

Joh. 3.5 Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of God. Though we are agreed against the Papists, that Christ intendeth not here to place the same necessity in Baptism, as there is in or of the New birth by the spirit; yet it is by most acknowledged, that Christ doth here speak of the New Birth, as signified by Baptism; and so hath respect to Baptism as the ordinary confirming sign. And so the text fully showeth us, that Baptism is instituted to be the sign of our present Regeneration; Or else it could not be said, that we must be born [of water and the spirit.] And that Remission of sin is here included, I have said somewhat to prove in a Treat. against infidelity, Part. 4. initio. Calvin saith, most are of Chrysostoms mind, who took it to be meant of Baptism. (And so did the generality of ancient Expositors) And though himself and some more think otherwise; yet as long as they take it to be a Metonymical expression, the sign being put for the thing Signified, it doth as well acquaint us with the use of Baptism, as if it were a proper speech.