A47535:602
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 14: Proving Baptism a great and glorious Ordinance, and that 'tis initiating or an In-let i…
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. Did the whole Church of the Romans reckon themselves, think you, to be dead to Sin, and bound to live no longer therein? If so, then Baptism, which was a Symbol of those things, belonging to them all; As many as are baptized into Christ, were baptized into his Death, &c. i. e. in token of it: And that they all should become New Creatures, it is as if he should reason thus;
As many of us as are baptized, must know this, that we were baptized into Christ's Death, and therefore must die to Sin, and live a new Life. But we have all been baptized or buried with Christ in Baptism into his Death; therefore we must all die to Sin, and live a new Life.
Did the Apostle intend hereby, do you think, to press them all to die to Sin, and live to God? if so, that Argument he uses (you may assure your selves) reached them all, which it could not do if they had not all been baptized.
Sixthly, Baptism is an initiating Ordinance, appears, because the way of inchurching Disciples, or Men and Women, was one and the same in all the Churches of the Saints; if some were not received till Baptized, there were no unbaptized Persons ever received at all. But some were not received till baptized, Ergo. The Reason is not only, because the way and order of the Administration of that Ordinance were one and the same in every Church, and so Confusion avoided; but also because there is the like parity of Reason, why all should and ought to be baptized,