A47535:408
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.
Answ. To this we reply, that we do not doubt but that our Privileges, in respect of the Covenant of Grace, and all Spiritual Blessings are as great and comfortable as theirs were; but the Covenant of Grace, the Blessings and Divine Privileges thereof, were neither made to the Jews natural Posterity, nor to ours; and although Circumcision was a Privilege in some respect to the Jews above what the Heathens had,1 yet it is termed by the Apostle an intolerable Yoke; Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a Yoke upon the Necks of the Disciples, which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear? Their Children were not circumcised as Children of Believers, and so sealed with a new Covenant-Seal, as being made new Covenant-Children thereby; Circumcision did not confer Grace, nor make them Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, it was therefore no more than an external Privilege to the natural Lineage and Seed of Abraham, as a typical and shadowy thing, whereby his Posterity was to be marked, to distinguish them from all the Nations of the Earth, and to keep that Line clear, from whence Christ according to the Flesh was to come, and to be a Sign in their Flesh to put them in ⟨p. 120⟩mind that God would perform the Promise of the Messiah made to Abraham, and also to oblige them to keep the Law; for he that was circumcised was a Debtor to keep the whole Law.
Answ. To this we reply, that we do not doubt but that our Priviledges, in respect of the Covenant of Grace, and all Spiritual Blessings are as great and comfortable as theirs were; but the Covenant of Grace, the Blessings and Divine Priviledges thereof, were neither made to the Jews natural Posterity, nor to ours; and although Circumcision was a Priviledg in some respect to the Jews above what the Heathens had,1 yet it is termed by the Apostle an intolerable Yoke; Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a Yoke upon the Necks of the Disciples, which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear? Their Children were not circumcised as Children of Believers, and so sealed with a new Covenant-Seal, as being made new Covenant-Children thereby; Circumcision did not confer Grace, nor make them Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, it was therefore no more than an external Priviledg to the natural Lineage and Seed of Abraham, as a typical and shadowy thing, whereby his Posterity was to be mark'd, to distinguish them from all the Nations of the Earth, and to keep that Line clear, from whence Christ according to the Flesh was to come, and to be a Sign in their Flesh to put them in