A57976:486
A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbytery in Scotland, or, A modest and…A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbyterie in Scotland, or, A modest and…
A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbytery in Scotland, or, A modest and brotherly dispute of the government of the Church of Scotland wherein our discipline is demonstrated to be the true apostolic way of divine truth, and the arguments on the contrary are friendly dissolved, the grounds of separation and the independency [sic] of particular congregations, in defence of ecclesiastical presbyteries, synods, and assemblies, are examined and tried / by Samuel Rutherfurd ...A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbyterie in Scotland, or, A modest and brotherly dispute of the government of the Church of Scotland wherein our discipline is demonstrated to be the true apostolick way of divine truth, and the arguments on the contrary are friendly dissolved, the grounds of separation and the indepencie [sic] of particular congregations, in defence of ecclesiasticall presbyteries, synods, and assemblies, are examined and tryed / by Samuell Rutherfurd ...
London: printed for John Bartlet, 1642London: printed for Iohn Bartlet, 1642
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. But they mistake the word (unbelieving) for by (unbelieving) in that place (as the Professors of Leiden do well observe) is meant Infidel Gentiles that are without the Church,1 and profess not Christ, as is clear from the Text: For where the husband that believed was married on a Pagan-wife; 2or a Jew he thought being converted to the Christian faith, he behooved to sunder with his Pagan-wife; and the wife converted to the Christian faith married to a heathen and Pagan-husband thought she behoved to divorce, and that the marriage could not be sanctified. The Apostle answereth this case of conscience: Suppose the Father be a Pagan, if the Mother be a believer, that is, a professor of Christianity (for a Believer is here opposed to a Pagan) yet the children are holy by the Mothers or Fathers profession of Christianity. Hence the Argument is strong for us, Profession of Christianity opposed to Paganism maketh the children clean and holy before God by the holiness of the Covenant; therefore Infants borne of parents professing Christian Religion are to be baptized: For that this troubled many converted, that they were married to heathen, and bondmen to them, and in such and such callings as they thought inconsistible with Christian Religion is clear ⟨p. 179⟩from verse 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.3 And Beza on that place saith, it was never heard in the ancient Church that every Infidel child was to be baptized. And Pareus saith,4 the children of Christian parents are holy before Baptism by a Covenant and external holiness, jure, by Gods right being borne of Christian parents; And after Baptism they are holy, de facto, formally and actually.5 So say Melanchthon and Keckerman. But I fear that these who will have none baptized but the children of believing parents,6 aim at this, That the faith of the father is imputed to the children, which indeed reverend Beza doth maintain: