A26911:165
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter…
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter of their nonconformity against Mr. J. Cheney's answer called The conforming nonconformist, and The nonconforming conformist : to which is added the second part in answer to Mr. Cheney's Five undertakings / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Benjamin Alsop, 1680
A DEFENCE OF THE NON-CONFORMIST'S Plea for Peace, AGAINST Mr. J. CH… › Chapter 18
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§ 7. The second Commandment forbade not all private use of Images, either a Civil, or mere Memorative or Monitory private (yea, or public) use. As it forbade not Jacob to pitch a stone of remembrance, or the Israelites to make a Memorative and Monitory Altar, and yet forbade such an Altar for Worship to be erected without God's Order. But it was external symbolizing with Idolaters by Images, which the second Commandment forbade; that is, either worshipping them, or God by them; or by setting them up in the place of Worship, seeming so to do. So it is not all use of a Cross that breaketh the second Commandment. When you have proved lifting up the hand, or laying it on the Book, &c. to be Sacraments, I shall further answer you: Or if the second Commandment oblige us not to use Christ's Sacraments (as it is now one of Christ's Commandments) then I shall confess that it forbiddeth not us to devise the like.
§ 7. The second Commandment forbad not all private use of Images, either a Civil, or meer Memorative or Monitory private (yea, or publick) use. As it forbad not Iacob to pitch a stone of remembrance, or the Israelites to make a Memorative and Monitory Altar, and yet forbad such an Altar for Worship to be erected without God's Order. But it was external symbolizing with Idolaters by Images, which the second Commandment forbad; that is, either worshiping them, or God by them; or by setting them up in the place of Worship, seeming so to do. So it is not all use of a Cross that breaketh the second Commandment. When you have proved lifting up the hand, or laying it on the Book, &c. to be Sacraments, I shall further answer you: Or if the second Commandment oblige us not to use Christ's Sacraments (as it is now one of Christ's Commandments) then I shall confess that it forbiddeth not us to devise the like.
§ 8. You say, [If it be a Sacrament, it would be universally unlawful. If Baptism had not been ⟨p. 46⟩ordained by Christ, it would have been traitorous and sinful to use it as a Sacrament.] Ans. You grant us enough; I durst not have used the word traitorous so boldly, lest I should anger the Conformists. But when did you prove that every professing sign is used to the same use in specie, as the covenanting dedicating Symbol of the Cross is? This was a supposition not so easily to have been begged.