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

Argum. 15. If all (at age) that are baptized (and all that receive the Lords Supper) must engage themselves to believe presently (in the next instant) yea or at any time hereafter, with a saving faith, then must they Profess at present a saving faith. Or, if we must baptize none that will not engage to believe savingly, then must we baptize none that will not Profess a saving faith. But the Antecedent is true: therefore so is the Consequent.

The Antecedent is Mr. Blake's Doctrine, who affirmeth that it is not necessary that they that come to baptism or the Lords Supper, do Profess a present saving faith, but its sufficient that they engage themselves to believe by such a faith. The Consequence is proved thus.

1. It is not the Beginning of saving faith which we are to engage our selves to in the Sacraments, but the Continuance: therefore the Beginning is presupposed in that Engagement: and so we must no more baptize without a Profession of Faith in present, than without an Engagement to believe hereafter. The Antecedent is proved thus: There is no one word in Scripture, ⟨p. 148⟩either of Precept or example, where any person in baptism or the Lords Supper doth engage, or is required to engage▪ to begin to believe with a saving faith, or to believe with a faith which at the present he hath not: Show but one word of Scripture to prove this, if you can; if you cannot, I may conclude that therefore we must not require that which we have no Scripture ground to require.

1. It is not the Beginning of saving faith which we are to engage our selves to in the Sacraments, but the Continuance: therefore the Beginning is presupposed in that Engagement: and so we must no more baptize without a Profession of Faith in present, than without an Engagement to believe hereafter. The Antecedent is proved thus: There is no one word in Scripture,