A39697:291
Vindiciæ legis & fœderis
Vindiciæ legis & fœderis: or, A reply to Mr. Philip Cary's Solemn call Wherein he pretends to answer all the arguments of Mr. Allen, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Sydenham, Mr. Sedgwick, Mr. Roberts, and Dr. Burthogge, for the right of believers infants to baptism, by proving the law at Sinai, and the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, were the very same with Adam's covenant of works, and that because the gospel-covenant is absolute. By John Flavel minister of the gospel in Dartmouth
London: printed for M. Wolton, 1690
A REPLY TO Mr. Philip Cary's Solemn Call. › Section 3 › Argument 5: Argument V.
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.
Reply. All that I shall return to this, is only to relate a short Story out of Plutarch, in the Life of Alexander; where ⟨p. 138⟩he tells us, That whilst he was warring in the Indies, one Taxiles an Indian King came with his Company to meet him, and saluting Alexander, said, What need you and I to fight and war one upon another? if thou comest not to take away our Water, and the necessaries of Life from us, for which we must needs fight: As for other Goods, if I am richer than thee, I am ready to give thee of mine; and if I have less, I will not think scorn to thank thee for thine. Alexander highly pleased with his Words, made him this Reply, Thinkest thou that this meeting of ours can be without fighting? no, no; thou hast won nothing by all thy fair words; for I will fight and contend with thee in Honesty and Courtesy, and thou shalt not exceed me in Bounty and Liberality.
Reply. All that I shall return to this, is only to relate a short Story out of Plutarch, in the Life of Alexander; where ⟨p. 138⟩he tells us, That whilst he was warring in the Indies, one Taxiles an Indian King came with his Company to meet him, and saluting Alexander, said, What need you and I to fight and war one upon another? if thou comest not to take away our Water, and the necessaries of Life from us, for which we must needs fight: As for other Goods, if I am richer than thee, I am ready to give thee of mine; and if I have less, I will not think scorn to thank thee for thine. Alexander highly pleased with his Words, made him this Reply, Thinkest thou that this meeting of ours can be without fighting? no, no; thou hast won nothing by all thy fair words; for I will fight and contend with thee in Honesty and Courtesie, and thou shalt not exceed me in Bounty and Liberality.
I say with Taxiles, I had never armed against you, had you not come to take away our Water, and the necessaries of Life, I mean, the Covenant of God with Abraham, which contains the rich Charter of the Gentile Believers Children, and make it an abolished Adam's Covenant, and told us, that we must come up to the Primitive Purity in these things, that is, in renouncing it as a Covenant of Grace, and relinquishing Infants Baptism, as grounded thereon.