A47535:259
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.
Object. I know 'tis objected Baptism was administered only to Believers in the Apostles time, but that was the Infancy of the Church.
Object. I know 'tis objected Baptism was administred only to Believers in the Apostles time, but that was the Infancy of the Church.
Answ. I am not a little troubled to hear any Man to argue after this manner; for though it be granted in the Apostles days the Church ⟨p. 75⟩was newly constituted, and so might be said to be new born; yet to say that was the Infancy of the Church, (as Infancy imports in our common Acceptation, Weakness or Imperfection) is a false and foolish Assertion.
1. Because that was in truth the time of the Churches greatest Glory, Perfection and Beauty, and very soon after the Apostles fell asleep, the Church, though she grew older, yet she decayed, and Corruptions crept in; the Church might in that respect be compared to a glorious Flower, that as soon as ever it is blown and quite put forth it is in its Glory, and let it stand a while and it soon fades, and loses much of its Lustre and Beauty; even so did the Church of God:1 and it was foretold also by the Apostles, it would so after their departure come to pass, by the entering in of grievous Wolves who should not spare the Flock, i. e. the Church;2 nay, the Spirit of Antichrist, (Paul saith,) or Mystery of Iniquity, did even then work in the Apostles days.3