A47535:243
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.
Chapter 7: Proving Believers to be the only true Subjects of Baptism, from the Apostles Doctrine,…
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.
But to proceed, Acts 8. we find Philip, being by the Providence of God cast into Samaria, he preaches Jesus Christ to them, and when they believed Philip,1 preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both Men and Women: not till they were Disciples, and did believe, were any baptized: [Men and Women,] not Children, not them and their little Babes; if Philip had so done, he had acted contrary to his Master's Commission. In the same Chapter we find he preached Christ to the Eunuch also,2 And they came to a certain Water; and the Eunuch said, See, here is Water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? ver. 37. And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine Heart, thou mayst. And the Eunuch answered, and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God: And they both went down into the Water, both Philip and the Eunuch, and he baptized him. There must be Faith or no Baptism, thou mayst or thou oughtest, 'tis lawful, or according to Christ's Law,3 i. e. his Commission. A Verbal Profession is not sufficient, say our late Annotators on this place. Philip in God's Name requires a Faith as with all the Heart, and not such as Simon Magus had, who is said to believe, and be baptized, vers. 13. this was (say they) the only thing necessary, either then or now if rightly understood.
- 1Act. 8. 12.
- 2Act. 8. 36, 37.
- 3Pools Annotat. on. Act. 8. 37.