Baby-baptism meer babism, or, An answer to nobody in five words to every-body who finds himself concern'd in't by Samuel Fisher.

Reply.

A very fit phrase for it: for 'twas inforced by you indeed, yet more by strength of resolution than reason, that 'twas yielded to by my self is as true; yet I must profess it was because the Disposition of your wills did put me as (as we say) to Hobsons Choise, for I saw you so desirous to draw your necks out of the coller, and to make any thing in excuse to break off the Discourse, that I must choose either that way, or none, and therefore rather than the work of that day should fall (as it must have done altogether else for you) to the total failing of the expectation, and hindering the edification of the people, I could not but give way to your desires: Nevertheless your many reasons (which were but two, and those as reasonless too as if you had said nothing) were counter-mand with as many more, and those also of so much weight, that because you began to feel them sit heavy upon your Scholastick skirts, you would have obstructed my delivery of them to the people: for what great matters did you alledge whereby at that time and place to prove the expediency of such a form? First, that 'twas given out (as my desire to them is it never may be again) by them of our party, that I was a Scholar, and durst meet with Scholars in discourse, and therefore seeing I now was before Scholars, it was expected that I should dispute in the way that's most usual among them. Se∣condly, That the way of Dispute by Syllogisms (for which some of you had little need to dispute, considering their illogicall, and un-syllogisticall doings that day, wherein they were all-to-be-puzzled in their matter by fumbling so much about that form) was the clearest, and most compendious to the proving of things, and the preventing of extrravagancies, and disorder; much what in such a manner did you utter your selves, in order to inforcing your Proposition, to which the re∣ply was to this purpose, Namely, First, that though I had been in the Universi∣ty, and a Graduate there, yet I pretended to no great Scholarship, yea, that I was a Dunce, and a fool, which very terms, and no other, I repeated again in my Position, and was contented to be counted for no other, as to that kind of learning of much of which I was willingly forgetful, that I might know more of Christ, and the plainness of his Gospel. Secondly, that I came not thither to dispute, (nor did I (the Lord is my witness) in that formal way you stood upon) but in plainness to give an account before all, to as many as should ask it, accor∣ding to my ability, and what liberty you should allot me thereunto, (which yet was well nigh none at all) of the way you call Heresie, after which I, and many o∣thers did worship. Thirdly, that these Syllogisticall wayes of arguing, and the foolish feigned forms of the Scribes and Disputers of this world, which men might dispute in about the things of Nature, and the world, were utterly unsuita∣ble to the seriousness of the things of Christ, and the Gospel, which were most effectually delievered, for so Paul chose to hold them out, in all plainness of speech, and most commonly hid from people by the Logicall terms, and Me∣thods of mans invention; and that the wise and prudent men after the flesh, Do∣ctors, Schoolmen and Casuists had clouded the truth from the world, for ages and generations together, by these their artificiall composures, Fourthly, that Christ and his Apostles, the most of which were unlearned, and ignorant men, though they were scarce ever out of disputes about the Gospell, did yet never dispute by the way of Syllogisms.

Fifthly, That this way was fitter for the Schooles, and very unfit for that Au∣ditory, where the people, for whose sake we were chiefly come together to dis∣course,

knew not what belonged to mood and figure. Sixthly, that we our selves were now countrisied by our long non-residence in the University, and so might very well be to seek on a sudden, and so I found some of you were, to Syl∣logize so handsomely as we should do: these were the heads, though 'tis like not the very words and order of that, which with mighty much a do, I had leave to return to your proposall: Notwithstanding, all which you standing still so stifly, to have either your own way, or none, I said I would not decline it, and so it was agreed to proceed in't. Howbeit, give me leave to tell you now, as then I did not, sith you deem it such a wise way of Disputation to keep to the Rules of the Aca∣demies, that for men of gravity, in conference of matters of such eternall con∣cernment, it's a most Pedantick, toyish and boyish peece of business to stand fa∣bling about moods and figures, which are but the A. B. C. or first rudiments to a Scholar, and as inferiour to judicious discourse indeed, as spelling with the finger is to reading in full perfection, and that which is as fit for a wise man to forget, as it is for a fresh man to remember: besides, it's the next way round about to the discerning the whole of any matter; for all you then said for your way in Syllo∣gisms, which in substance was no more than this, viz. That infants have the Spirit, faith, holiness, many commendations in Scripture, are such of whom to doubt their having the spirit is a breach of Christian charity, whom to deny baptism to, makes the Covenant of the Gospel worse than that under the law; de∣stroyes all the hope that parents can have of their salvation, crosses the practise of the universall Church, which one would think you should be ashamed to make a book of; might have been expos'd to the consideration of your Respondent, in much less than half the half quarter, and given out plainly enough in a few positi∣ons for him to have replied to with your leave and silence: but time was so spin'd out by your long productions, and his Repetitions of your Syllogisms, that there was but a very long-little, in comparison of what else might have been delivered; and Sirs, I assure you of this one thing, I beseech you to lay it to heart in time, the generation of you Disputers is rejected by the Lord, and a sort of plain Eng∣lish men raised up, who notwithstanding the curiosity of your cudgel-play, and those fine forms of your Fencing-schools, whereby you shield your selves from the truth, will by their upright down-right dealings with you, and the word, be im∣powered to beat your cudgels to your heads; and though you seek to lap up the nakednes of your waies, from the sight of the people for a time, in a pair of Lo∣gick breeches, yet these are wearing out a pace, so that you shall see within a while, what now you will not, that all your Syllogisticall forms, will not secure your Sylli-popicall matters.