What do you saye then, or wherefore contende you? no man euer denied prea∣ching to be very conuenient. But the Authours of the Admonition saye: That in the olde tyme the worde was preached before the sacramentes were ministred, nowe it is supposed to be sufficient, if it be read. To what purpose be these woordes spoken, except their meaning be to haue the worde preached at all times, when the Sacramentes be ministred? so that you would séeme to saye something in their defense, & when you haue done, you make a doubt of the matter, and begin to halte, saying that you wil not precisely saye. &c.
This saying of yours, that the life of the sacramentes dependeth of the preaching of the* 1.1 worde of God. &c. is moste vntrue: and in mine opinion a foule error, for the lyfe of the Sacramentes depende vpon Gods promises expressed in his worde, and neither vpon preaching nor vpon reading. If this doctrine of yours be true, then be the sacramites dead sacramentes, and without effect, except the worde be preached when they be mi∣nistred. And so in déede do some of your adherentes in playne termes affirme, saying that they are seales without writing, and playne blankes. Whiche doctrine sauou∣reth very strongly of Anabaptisme, and doth depriue those of the effectes and fruites of the Sacramentes, which haue bene partakers of them without the worde preached when they were ministred, and so consequently euen your selfe, for it is not like that there was a sermon at your Christening. And therefore this doctrine must of neces∣sitie* 1.2 bring in both rebaptisation, and condemne the baptisme of infantes, which is flat Anabaptisticall. For if that baptisme be without life, at the which the woorde of God is not preached, then can it not regenerate or be effectuall to those that were therwith baptised? And therefore must of necessitie be iterated, that it may be liuely.
Againe isbaptisme be dead, at the which the word of God is not preached, then can it do no good to such as haue no vnderstanding of the worde of God preached, that is, to infantes. For if the preaching of the worde be so necessarily ioyned with the ad∣ministration of the Sacramentes, it is in the respect of those that are to receiue the sa∣craments, & then must it needes folowe ye the saramēts may be ministred to none, but to such as be able to heare the word of God: whereby infantes must be secluded from baptisme. And in déede this is one of the strongest arguments that the Anabaptistes vse against the baptising of infantes, as shal hereafter apeare. For of this the Reader shall vnderstand more, by yt which straightway I will set down out of Zuinglius.