A30138:43
Differences in judgment about water-baptism, no bar to communion, or, To communicate with saints,…Differences in judgment about vvater-baptism, no bar to communion, or, To communicate with saints,…
Differences in judgment about water-baptism, no bar to communion, or, To communicate with saints, as saints, proved lawful in answer to a book written by the Baptists, and published by Mr. T.P. and Mr. W.K. entitled, Some serious reflections on that part of Mr. Bunyan's confession of faith, touching church-communion with unbaptized believers : wherein, their objections and arguments are answered, and the doctrine of communion still asserted and vindicated : here is also Mr. Henry's Jesse's judgment in the case, fully declaring the doctrine I have asserted / by John Bunyan.Differences in judgment about vvater-baptism, no bar to communion, or, To communicate with saints, as saints, proved lawful in answer to a book written by the Baptists, and published by Mr. T.P. and Mr. W.K. entituled, Some serious reflections on that part of Mr. Bunyan's confession of faith, touching church-communion with unbaptized believers : wherein, their objections and arguments are answered, and the doctrine of communion still asserted and vindicated : here is also Mr. Henry's Jesse's judgment in the case, fully declaring the doctrine I have asserted / by John Bunyan.
London: printed for John Wilkins, 1673
Differences in Judgment about Water-Baptism no Bar to Communion.
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.
You might have stopped at [and nothing else] you need not in particular have rejected Faith: your first Error was bad enough, what? NOTHING else but Consent? What? not so much as a respect to the matter or end? Why then are not all the Communities of all the High-way-men in the Land, truly Constituted Churches of Christ; unless you can prove that they hold together, but not by consent.
What? Consent and nothing else? But why do YOU throw out FAITH? why, I throw out Baptism; which because you cannot as to the case in hand fetch in again, therefore OUT must Faith go too. Your action is much like that Harlots, that stood to1 be judged by Solomon, who because her own Child was dead, would have her Neighbours ⟨p. 12⟩killed also. Faith (Sir) both in the Profession and Confession of it, is of immediate and also absolute concern, even in the very act of the Churches reception, of this or another Member. Throw out Faith, and there is no such thing as a Christian, neither visible nor invisible: You ought to receive no man, but upon a comfortable satisfaction to the Church, that you are now receiving a Believer. Faith, whether it be savingly there or no, is the great Argument with the Church in receiving any: we receive not men as men, but the man immediately under that supposition; He hath Faith, he is a Christian. Sir, Consent, simply without Faith, makes no man a Member of the Church of God; because then would a Church not cease to be a Church, whoever they received among them. Yea, by this Assertion you have justified the Church of Rome it self, to be to this day both good, and godly, unless you can prove that they did at first, and do now receive their unbelieving Members, without their own Consent.