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REserving all due Honour to the Church of England, so far as she holds the Truth in the Thirty Nine Articles, and as she is a good Fortress against much Popish Superstition and Idolatry; we shall humbly make our Objections in three Particulars,
From all which we think we may safely argue thus:
It is lawful, just, and needful, to maintain a prudent and friendly Separation from such a Church, as does be∣lieve, hold, and maintain such Things, as are evi∣dently and actually destructive of that Christian Liberty, wherewith Christ hath made his Churches free; and of that sacred Baptism, and holy Discipline, which Christ ordained to continue in all Churches to the end of the World.
But the Church of England does believe, hold, and maintain such Things, as are evidently and actually destructive of that Christian Liberty, wherewith Christ hath made his Churches free, and of that sacred Baptism, and holy Discipline, which Christ ordained to continue in all Churches, to the end of the World.
Ergo, It is lawful, just, and needful to maintain a pru∣dent and friendly Separation from the Church of Eng∣land in her present Parochial Constitution.
Supposing the Major is not to be denied by any Christian, we shall endeavour to make good the Minor.
To begin with Sacred Baptism. It is evident from the Scrip∣ture, and partly from the Confession of the Church of England, that the Things prerequisite to Baptism, on the part of every one who is to be joined with the Church Militant, or to be baptized, are these: 1. They ought to have the Gospel preached, or some way made known to them. 2. To believe the Gospel. 3. To repent of Sin. And, 4. Willingly to put on Christ in Baptism. Or to express it in short: They are, first, to be dead with Christ; and then, secondly, to be buried with Christ by Baptism.
Now that the Church of England does hold such Things as are evidently and actually destructive of this Baptism, may in our Judgment be thus proved:
1. She believes, holds, and does teach others to hold, That all, or the very most of her Church-Members are regenerate, with∣out hearing the Word of God, without Faith, without Repen∣tance, or any Knowledg of God; and so believes what neither
we, nor any Body else can understand to be true, and errs in Faith.
2. Yet she does not believe that her Members are regenerate at all, till she cross or sprinkle them with Water; neither does she know (because she has no ground to believe) that Infants are thereby made anew, so as to become the Children of God, and Heirs of Heaven; and believing this without possibility (ordi∣narily) to know it to be true, she errs in Faith.
3. She believes, and maintains, that those ought to be baptized, whom she knows do not, cannot believe, nor repent, nor in any measure know God, nor any Duty of Religion; and herein she errs (as we conceive) concerning the Faith.
4. She believes and maintains, that Sponsors do believe and re∣pent for Infants, or that Infants do perform Faith and Repentance by their Sponsors; and believing these things, and teaching her Youth to believe them, without any ground from the Word of God, she believes amiss, or errs in Faith.
5. She holds, that Persons may lawfully be baptized when they are asleep, and does actually pretend to baptize Infants when they are asleep, which we think verily must needs be a very great Error both in Faith and Practice.
6. She believes, holds, and maintains, that Crossing or Sprink∣ling is a lawful way of Baptizing, when indeed it is no Baptizing at all. Insomuch as those that use that Mode, dare not speak as they act, saying, I sprinkle thee in the Name, &c. their Conscience bearing them witness, that the sacred Act of baptizing in the Name, &c. cannot be expressed by the word, Sprinkling: They therefore believing what they know is not true in this matter, must needs err in Faith, as well as in their Practice. And this Error has in a manner destroyed the way of Baptizing used by John Baptist, Christ and his Apostles.
7. Thus tho we grant, that the Church of England is no less zealous for the Doctrine of Baptism than our selves, yet it is ap∣parent to us, that she hath accidentally lost this holy Ordinance, both in respect of the Subject and Manner of it, and in the due Use and End of it, which was not appointed (nor fitted) to re∣ceive new-boru Infants into the Church Militant. And by this unwarrantable Change she has defaced the State, and lost the Praise of a true Church, 1 Cor. 11. 2. because she has not kept this Or∣dinance, as it was delivered by Christ and his Apostles; but hath
rather suppressed it, and much oppressed those that labour to re∣store it to its due Use and Practice in all Churches, which is a great Aggravation of all these her Errors in Faith and Practice, con∣cerning Sacred Baptism.