A27050:98
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort…
A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiors, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort of diocesan churches, prelacy and government, which casteth out the primitive church-species, episcopacy, ministry and discipline and confoundeth the Christian world by corruption, usurpation, schism and persecution : meditated in the year 1640, when the et cætera oath was imposed : written 1671 and cast by : published 1680 by the importunity of our superiours, who demand the reasons of our nonconformity / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1681
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.
2. Particularly note, 1. that the Minister hath in England no power to Judge whom to Baptize, and whom not, but must Baptize all that are ⟨p. 10⟩offered, though the Children of Jews, Infidels, Turks, Apostates.
2. That he hath no power to hinder the admission of any so baptized, into the state of adult Members by the Bishops Confirmation. For though it be said Children shall bring his Certificate, that they can say the Catechism, yet 1. those Children may go without it, and do ordinarily: When I was confirmed my self, none was required, nor did I ever see any given. 2. And if it were, the poor Children seldom understand any thing that they say, or much. 3. There is not one of multitudes in our Churches that ever sought or minded such Confirmation, because of its abuse.
3. That he hath no power to hinder any confirmed, or adult persons from the Sacraments, on the account of the grossest ignorance or infidelity: when multitudes among us know not what the Sacrament is, nor know the essentials of the Christian Faith.