A47535:477
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.
Secondly, But why do you say Children must be Believers, or else they can't be saved? who told you so?1 Because Faith in Adult Persons is required as necessary in them, if they are saved. Can't God save poor Infants without they also do believe? has God told you he cannot, or will not save them except they believe? I must confess I wonder at your Ignorance and daring Boldness: God,2 as Dr. Taylor observes, may have many ways to magnify his Grace through Jesus Christ to them which we know not of; and what have you to do with the Secrets of God? who made you one of his Privy-Council? you may as well say, unless they repent they cannot be saved from Christ's words, Luk 13. 3, 5. and that they must be obedient and take up the Cross, for these things are required of Adult Persons that would be saved as well as believing.
- 1Faith nor Baptism is not required of Infants, yet they may be saved.
- 2Dr. Taylor, p. 230.
Thirdly, Prove that God has given Children the Denomination of Believers; or if it was granted he hath, would it therefore •ollow they may be baptized? certainly no, for we read of many who were said to believe*, they had some kind of Faith, and so in some sense had the denomination of […], and yet had no right ⟨p. 144⟩to Baptism, for such ought to have […] Faith, or to believe with all their Hearts, […] Philip said to the Eunuch, Act. 8. who are fit Subjects of that Ordinance, or have a sufficient Title to it: and would not that believing (in any sense) you speak of, that entitles them to Salvation, give them as good a right to the Lord's-Supper as to Baptism? Come, Sir, you can't infer a right to an Ordinance from what grounds you please. Baptism depends wholly, I say again, upon the Authority of a positive Law, and express words of Institution