A47448:104
A counter-antidote, to purge out the malignant effects of a late counterfeit, prepared by…
A counter-antidote, to purge out the malignant effects of a late counterfeit, prepared by Mr. Giles Shute ... being an answer to his vindication of his pretended Antidote to prevent the prevalency of Anabaptism, showing that Mr. Hercules Collins's reply to the said author remains unanswered : wherein the baptism of believers is evinced to be God's ordinance, and the baptized congregations proved true churches of Jesus Christ : with a further detection of the error of pedo-baptism : to which is added, An answer to Mr. Shute's reply to Mr. Collins's half-sheet / by Benjamin Keach.A counter-antidote, to purge out the malignant effects of a late counterfeit, prepared by Mr. Gyles Shute ... being an answer to his vindication of his pretended Antidote to prevent the prevalency of Anabaptism, shewing that Mr. Hercules Collins's reply to the said author remains unanswered : wherein the baptism of believers is evinced to be God's ordinance, and the baptized congregations proved true churches of Jesus Christ : with a further detection of the error of pedo-baptism : to which is added, An answer to Mr. Shute's reply to Mr. Collins's half-sheet / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed for H. Bernard, 1694
Chapter 2: Wherein Mr. Shutes Reply to Mr. Hercules Collins Answer about habitual Faith is conside…
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.
3. The controversy or difference between us and you lies not how dying Elect Infants are Sanctified, &c. whether by the habit of Faith or by some other way, by which God may apply Christs Merits to them, &c. But whether the Infants of Believers as such have the habit of Faith, or Faith in any sense, by which they come to have right to that ordinance, what have we to do with dying Infants? did you Baptise no Infants but such that dye and were sure that all the dying Infants of Believers were elected, it might seem some what to the purpose; tho' not so much neither as you may Imagine; for, I do affirm you have as much ground to give them the Lords Supper as you have to Baptise them, because such who are the proper subjects of Baptism, have an immediate right according to the order of the Gospel to the Lords Supper.
3. The controversie or difference between us and you lies not how dying Elect Infants are Sanctified, &c. whether by the habit of Faith or by some other way, by which God may apply Christs Merits to them, &c. But whether the Infants of Believers as such have the habit of Faith, or Faith in any sense, by which they come to have right to that ordinance, what have we to do with dying Infants? did you Baptise no Infants but such that dye and were sure that all the dying Infants of Believers were elected, it might seem some what to the purpose; tho' not so much neither as you may Imagin; for, I do affirm you have as much ground to give them the Lords Supper as you have to Baptise them, because such who are the proper subjects of Baptism, have an immediate right according to the order of the Gospel to the Lords Supper.
You must have a command or Authority from Christs word to Baptise them, or you ought not to do it; but you have no such command nor Authority.
4. The habit of Faith without the Act gives not a right to that Sacred ordinance, for Faith and a confession of Faith is required: But I must confess I see not how there can be the habit and not the Act; for tho' the habit may be Antecedent to the Act in order of nature, yet not in order of time in any Believer: Prove, if you can, any person that was a Believer, had the habit of Faith, and yet not the Act of Faith at the same time: For as all learned Men generally agree, as soon as life is infused into a dead sinner, there is Heat, Motion, Activity, &c. the habit of grace is a Vital Principle, and as they say, 'tis naturally active, it is a Spring of perpetual motion, as Mr. Charnock shows.