A47591:1313
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.
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.
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 Controversie.
For this is said, by the pedobaptists, viz. in the first age of the Church, or when baptism was first given forth Believers were Baptized, but where do you find, say they, that any Believer in all the New Testament that was baptized, did delay to Baptize his or her Child, until they come to a ripe Age.