A47535:404
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 10: Wherein the great Arguments, and pretended Scripture-Proofs for Infant-Baptism, concern…
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.
So that thus they were broken off by Unbelief, and thou and thine, O Gentile Believer, stand by Faith, mark it, thou standest by Faith; not by virtue of any Birth-Privilege whatsoever, but by Faith, thy standing is by Faith; yet not thy Seed by thy Faith, but thou thy self by thine, and they by their own; Faith is that by which (thou standing and not thy Seed) hast right to stand in the Church, and not they; but if thy Seed have Faith, and thou hast none, they have right in the Church, and thou shalt be excluded.
So that thus they were broken off by Unbelief, and thou and thine, O Gentile Believer, stand by Faith, mark it, thou standest by Faith; not by virtue of any Birth-Priviledg whatsoever, but by Faith, thy standing is by Faith; yet not thy Seed by thy Faith, but thou thy self by thine, and they by their own; Faith is that by which (thou standing and not thy Seed) hast right to stand in the Church, and not they; but if thy Seed have Faith, and thou hast none, they have right in the Church, and thou shalt be excluded.
Most certain it is, that under the Law the natural Seed or Progeny of Abraham, were all holy with an External, Ceremonial, or Typical Holiness, and consequently they were then all admitted to an external Participation of Church-Privileges. ⟨p. 117⟩But remarkable to this purpose is that Passage of the Apostle, 2 Cor. 5. 16. Wherefore henceforth know we no Man after the Flesh; it seems then, that heretofore there had been a knowledge taken of Persons after the Flesh; and 'tis as plain there was, that because the Jews were of the natural or fleshly Seed of Abraham, they were therefore all of them admitted to the Privilege of an external Church-membership, while others were exempted. But we see the Apostle resolves henceforth to disclaim any such cognizance of them, or any others upon the account of a mere fleshly Descent: And to this very purpose immediately subjoins in the following Verse, Therefore if any Man be in Christ, he is a new Creature: old things are past away, all things are become new; the old Church, and old Church-membership, Rites, Ordinances and Privileges, and a new Church-state, new Ordinances, a new Seed, and new way of Introduction unto the Participation of the Privilege of Church-membership now under this new and more glorious Dispensation, viz. the Gospel: Nothing but a new Creature will serve the turn; for God expects that they that worship him, do now worship him in Spirit and is Truth; the Privilege of being admitted into God's House, and to stand before his Presence in the actual Celebration of Gospel-Ordinances, being now entailed only upon the Spiritual Seed, even such who as lively Stones are built up a spiritual House, a holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ;