Letters that passed between Mr. Baxter and Mr. Tombs concerning the disputeLetters that passed between Mr. Baxter and Mr. Tombes concerning the dispute

To my Reverend and very much valued Friend and Brother, Mr. Richard Baxter, Preacher at Kidderminster, these present.

TO prevent unnecessary altercations, I return only this to your last Letter. There were some of my Neighbours and Auditors that doubting whether by their Infant-baptism they did the duty of being baptized into the name of Christ, came to me for resolution; and because of your known justifying paedo-baptism, your parts, and integrity, they judged it meet before they were baptized, to know your grounds for Paedo-baptism, lest they should be judged rash; whereupon being informed by me that my exception against Paedo-baptism is, that it is Will-worship for want of divine institution, the only way to satisfy them was to prove a divine institution of Paedo-baptism, which might be best done by a few Syllogisms in writing; which if you please to gratify them in, they will examine it thankfully; if not, they will take it as if it were granted that you can say no more then others have done in print for Paedobaptism, which will be taken to be sufficiently answered till it be showed wherein the answers to them are defective. And this is propounded for the shortest way we can devise to come to resolution. I am very sorry that you are so vexed with mens frowardness upon your writing: it was my folly that in my own case I laid their opposition to me so much to heart: If I may do any thing to assist you for your ease in what we agree, I shall be ready as my time and business will permit. In the mean time leaving you and your ways to the Almighty's guidance, I remain