A47535:13
Gold refined, or, Baptism in its primitive purity proving baptism in water an holy…Gold refin'd, or, Baptism in its primitive purity proving baptism in water an holy…
Gold refined, or, Baptism in its primitive purity proving baptism in water an holy institution of Jesus Christ ... : wherein it is clearly evinced that baptism ... is immersion, or dipping the whole body, &c : also that believers are only the true subjects (and not infants) of that holy sacrament : likewise Mr. Smithies arguments for infant-baptism in his late book entitled, The non-communicant ... fully answered / by Benj. Keach ...Gold refin'd, or, Baptism in its primitive purity proving baptism in water an holy institution of Jesus Christ ... : wherein it is clearly evinced that baptism ... is immersion, or dipping the whole body, &c : also that believers are only the true subjects (and not infants) of that holy sacrament : likewise Mr. Smythies arguments for infant-baptism in his late book entitled, The non-communicant ... fully answered / by Benj. Keach ...
London : Printed for the author, and are to be sold by Nathaniel Crouch ..., 1689
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Dedication: THE EPISTLE To all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity.
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.
Ainsworth upon Lev. 15. 5. says, to baptize, or wash his Flesh, as is expressed ver. 13, 16. meaneth his whole Body; likewise (saith a great Author) the Hebrews affirm in every place, where it is said in the Law of bathing the Flesh, and washing the Clothes of the Unclean, it is not meant but of baptizing the whole Body, &c. but if the Greek word would bear sprinkling or pouring, yet that will not justify Men thus to baptize, because not according to the Usage of the Primitive Church; nor doth it answer or reach the Signification of this Ordinance, which is the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, together with our Death to Sin, and rising with him to walk in newness of Life; to represent which great Mystery, it was ordained, as you will find if you read this Treatise. I have been the larger upon this, because if Baptism is nothing less, nor more, nor any other Act than Immersion, or total dipping the whole Body, &c. than abundance of godly Christians must seek after true Baptism; neither can Infants, it appears from hence, be the Subjects of it, sith their tender Bodies can't bear it in these cold Climates, without palpable danger of their Lives, as our Opposites confess, and formerly, by woeful Experience, found to be so. Jesus Christ never appointed an ⟨image 4⟩••••nance to destroy the Lives of any of his Creatures. •ut why will not our Brethren keep to the great Institution, and exact Rule of the Primitive Church? Must we content our selves with that Light which the Church had in respect of this and other Gospel-Truths at the beginning of the Reformation,—since God hath brought forth greater (to the praise of his own rich Grace) in our Days? And why should a Tradition of the Antichristian State, be so zealously defended? The Church will never certainly appear in its Primitive Glory, till this Rubbish be removed; which is nothing less than to take a Stone of Babylon, and lay it in Zion for a Foundation. Besides, it doth not a little reflect upon the Honour of the Lord Jesus, thus to derogate from his holy Law, who is appointed Heir of both Worlds; who hath settled in his Church that Religion, and every Ordinance thereof, which must remain unalterable to the end of Time, or Consummation of all things. He (as our Annotators well say) is the Builder of God's House, propagating a holy (not a fleshly) Seed for himself;