A47591:1311
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.
2. Besides 'tis evident, that our Saviour did not enter upon his Ministry until he was baptized, to show that no Gospel Minister should undertake to preach the Gospel, or become a pastor of a Church, that is, an unbaptized Person; and the Holy Ghost mentioning the Age of our Saviour when he was baptized, doth no doubt show us, that the proper Subjects of Baptism, are only adult Persons, so far 'tis our rule as an Example.
2. Besides 'tis evident, that our Saviour did not enter upon his Ministry until he was baptized, to shew that no Gospel Minister should undertake to preach the Gospel, or become a pastor of a Church, that is, an unbaptized Person; and the Holy Ghost mentioning the Age of our Saviour when he was baptized, doth no doubt shew us, that the proper Subjects of Baptism, are only adult Persons, so far 'tis our rule as an Example.
But say you, many Actions of Christ are for our instruction, which are not to be imitated, and such was his Baptism, when he was thirty Years of Age, he being willing to bear Witness to the Ministry of John, who began to baptize a little before, as his Example of taking the Ministry upon him, when he was thirty years of Age, and not before, bindeth not all others to follow him, so is his Example of being baptized in the same Year, no rule to all others.
Ans. I answer, though we grant that many Actions of Christ are for our instruction, which are not ⟨p. 234⟩to be imitated by us, yet we say in contradiction to you, in this we are so far to imitate him, as not to admit any to Baptism, until they come to a competent degree of understanding; for had not Christ designed so far as to leave us an Example in this matter, no doubt, his Age when baptized, had not been left upon Record; nay, and had Infants been the proper subjects of Gospel Baptism, we may be sure Christ (as I said before) had been Baptized as well as he was Circumcised, when an Infant; but he being God as well as Man, foreseeing how this Ordinance in after times would be corrupted, and the proper subjects thereof changed, even from Believers, or adult Persons to Infants, thought it necessary no doubt to leave upon record the very time of his Age, when baptized, to all Generations, to put an end to this Controversy.