A47591:1457
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.
Do you know they are all Elect Persons, and so such that God will in time call, give grace to, and so change their evil and depraved Natures? if not, do you not heap up a multitude of evils upon them, and hereby make their condition worse, or aggravate their Sin and misery for ever.
I know not whether you be of this Pedo-baptists mind, or not, but I think 1this Doctrine does not fit a Christian Catechism? If God had required Infants to enter into such Covenant, some reason he might have thus to speak; But since neither he nor you can prove it; This to me seems a daring boldness in a Minister of the Gospel to assert, (who I hope is a good Man) God (I grant) expects, that all true believers should perform their Baptismal Covenant, but then know, they are required of God actually to enter into it, & they freely of their own choice enter into it; also they are such God hath given habitual Grace to perform it; And he hath promised them also a farther supply of Grace to enable them so to do; but nothing of this you can prove in Infants Covenanting in their Baptism, (but more of this by and by) nor will their Sureties help the matter; for if they cannot perform those things they promise for themselves, how should they be able to do it for others? besides 'tis an humane Invention, and not appointed of God.
- 1Mr. Williams Worthy of blame as well as Mr. Burkit.
But truly Mr. Williams's Doctrine afflicts my Mind: Strange! is this Sin the damning Sin? I thought the damning Sin (by way of eminency) had been the Sin of unbelief. Suppose your own Child should not believe, he is bound by virtue of that Baptismal Covenant you brought him into, but when grown up, disowns that (you call) Baptism, &c. for his not believing 'tis a Truth of Christ, must he be damned?