A47591:1296
Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient…Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient…
Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient Britons [sic] being an answer to a book, intituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient Britains [sic] being an answer to a book, iutituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by William Marshall, 1696
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.
Answer. 1. I answer, this seems strange, when Christ in the Affirmative declares, who he would have baptized; doth it not follow that in the Negative, none else ought to be baptized. In other cases you would not argue thus, as for Example, when God commanded Abraham to Circumcise his Male Infants, doth he not implicitly forbid the Circumcising of his Female Children, and when he commanded him to Circumcise his Male Infants on the eighth day, doth he not implicitly forbid him to circumcise them on the seventh or ninth day, and when Paul saith, let a Man examine himself, and so let him eat, doth he not forbid Infants to partake thereof, and all to come to the Lord's Supper, that do not so examine themselves, or who do not discern the Lord's Body. Moreover,
Answer. 1. I answer, this seems strange, when Christ in the Affirmative declares, who he would have baptized; doth it not follow that in the Negative, none else ought to be baptized. In other cases you would not argue thus, as for Example, when God commanded Abraham to Circumcise his Male Infants, doth he not implicitly forbid the Circumcising of his Female Children, and when he commanded him to Circumcise his Male Infants on the eighth day, doth he not implictly forbid him to circumcise them on the seventh or ninth day, and when Paul saith, let a Man examine himself, and so let him eat, doth he not forbid Infants to partake thereof, and all to come to the Lord's Supper, that do not so examine themselves, or who do not discern the Lord's Body. Moreover,
2. Are not all those Persons that a testator in his last Will and Testament leaveth out, or expresseth not, excluded from having any Legacy in the said Will; now the great Commission, Mat. 28. Mark 16. is also Christs last Will and Testament, about the right of Baptism, viz. who are right subjects, and they are expressed by their qualifications, viz. Disciples, or ⟨p. 230⟩Persons Taught, or such that believe, are not therefore all unbelievers, all Pagans, and ungodly persons, and ignorant Babes, that are not capable to believe, excluded from Baptism, according to Christ last Will and Testament; it signifies nothing to find Infants right to Circumcision under the Law, nor other the external privileges of the Seed of the Faithful then, for that was a Legacy given in the Old Will and Testament, which is abolished by Christ, making his New and last Will and Testament; in which the Infant Seed of Believers, are left out as touching any right they have now in Gospel times to be Members of the Gospel Church or to Baptism, &c.