Christianismus redivivus Christndom both un-christ'ned and new-christ'ned, or, that good old way of dipping and in-churching of men and women after faith and repentance professed, commonly (but not properly) called Anabaptism, vindicated ... : in five or six several systems containing a general answer ... : not onely a publick disputation for infant baptism managed by many ministers before thousands of people against this author ... : but also Mr. Baxters Scripture proofs are proved Scriptureless ... / by Samuel Fisher ...

Re-Review.

Hoop Sirs! what pretty, cutted stuff is here? as if you did not know well enough, but that, for advantage sake to your crooked cause, you rather chuse here to seem ignorant of it, that reaching and learning is not onely for the further bring∣ing forth of habits that are in us into their acts, and perfecting of them in their de∣grees, but also for the begetting of some habits in us that never were before viz. not natural and innate habits, as the faculty of reason and understanding, for in∣struction is not for the engendring, but improving of these in us, but all such kind of habits as faith is viz. acquired habits; teaching tends not onely, to the perfe∣cting of such a posteriori after they are once begun, but a priori also to the very being, and begetting of these, whether they be habits about matters of this life,

or that to come, tis true therefore learning is to be continued for the perfecting of habits begun, and begotten in a man, otherwise indeed (as you say) one of 24 years, having once received the faith, need be taught no more, but it is to be also for the beginning and begetting of faith in him, otherwise to one at 24 years of age having not yet received it, the faith is preacht by you in vain that he may receive it.

There is a teaching to beget grace and faith where it is not, and a teaching to increase it where it is, Mat. 28.18.19. a teaching before, and a teaching after faith and baptism, and if you ask a reason of both these, the one is to beget faith into both the habit, and the act, the other to build it up into higher degrees, the second teaching indeed supposes a being of it in men, the first teaching no being of it as yet when you begin first to preach to them, for your preaching speaks to them as to unbelievers: whereupon this argument holds good, that if ever they had faith in their infancy, they have lost it now, for why else are they taught the element of it? why taught in order to the receiving it? for reason in this objection must be understood as speaking suppositively onely i. e. in case persons had faith in in∣fancy its now lost, why else are they taught to this end that they might have it? but not so positively as your expressions represent it, as if reason did really assert that infants do lose any faith they had in infancy, for howbeit reason acknow∣ledges that such in whom faith is, may lose it if they look not to it, yet reason knows well enough that those can never be said to lose faith, in whom faith never was at all.