A47535:462
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 11: Wherein many other pretended Scripture-Poofs and Arguments for the baptizing of Infants…
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 answer, That the same sort of Holiness which is ascribed to the Children, is to be understood in reference to the unbelieving Husband, or the unbelieving Wife, who are both said to be sanctified by their respective Yoke-fellows; which cannot be meant of a federal or a Covenant-holiness, but that which is matrimonial: For if we must understand it of a Covenant-holiness, then it will follow, that the unbelieving Wife, or unbelieving Husband may, upon the same ground lay claim to Baptism as well as their Children, which yet your selves will not grant. Besides, it is evident from the words themselves, in which the Term Husband and Wife are twice used, which shows, that the Holiness is from the conjugal Relation, and cannot be meant of any other than Legitimation. And the term Unbeliever is also twice used, and said to be Sanctified, which can have no other sense but this, that the unbelieving Yoke-fellow is sanctified, or made meet in respect of conjugal use, to his or her Yoke-fellow: And so though the one be an Unbeliever, yet they might comfortably enough live together in lawful Wedlock. See our ⟨p. 136⟩[…] ⟨p. 137⟩[…] ⟨p. 138⟩late Annotators;1 I rather think (say they) it signifies brought into a State that the Believer, without Offence to the Law of God, may continue in a married Estate with such a Yoke-fellow; for else, saith the Apostle, your Children were unclean, that is, would be accounted illegitimate. But now this being determined, that the Husband is thus sanctified to the Wife, and the Wife to the Husband, though the one be an Unbeliever, hence it follows, that your Children are holy; that is, lawfully begotten, which is the only sense opposite to the Determination, ver. 12, 13. It was, 'tis plain, about this matter those Saints at Corinth wrote to the Apostle, and therefore according to the scope of the place it cannot intend any thing else. And as for the use of the word Holy for Legitimate, that it is in this sense used else-where in the Scripture is evident from Mal. 2. 15. where a Seed of God, or a Godly Seed, can be understood in no other sense than that of a lawful Seed, in opposition to those born by Polygamy.