The font-guard routed, or, A brief answer to a book written by Thomas Hall superscribed with this title, The font guarded with 20 arguments therein endeavouring to prove the lawfulness of infant baptism wherein his arguments are examined and being weighed in the ballance of the sanctuary are found too light : the most considerble of Mr. Baxters arguments for infant-baptism being produced by Tho. Hall are here answered likewise / written by Tho. Collier ; to which is added A word of reply to Tho. Halls word to Collier and another to John Feriby's [ap]pendix called The pulpit-guard relieved ; with An answer to Richard Sanders's pretended Balm to heal religious wounds, in answer to The pulpit-guard routed : with an humble representation of some few proposals to the honorable committee appointed by the Parliament for propagation of the Gospel.

His first Error.

That the life of Ministers and Schollers educated in Schools of Learn∣ing, is an idle life.

Ans. 1. There are no such words in my book; neither is there any truth in what you say: but that which I say, is, that God hath always in all ages made use of men of Callings to be the Ministers of his mind unto the people; and I desired you to produce any example in the Scripture, that God made choice of any to be the Ministers of his mind unto the people, who were bred up idly all dayes of their life without a Calling.

I do not say that the life of the Ministers of Christ is an idle life; no, I know the contrary: but that which I say, is, that you can pro∣duce no example of any that were bred up idly without a Calling, called to be Ministers: yet you will have Idlers, and none but them by your wils; and God must have them, or else he must have none at all. You say, o confirm this, he sayes, A Calling is that in and by which men in the sweat of their face get their living.

You answer, O brave definition of a Calling, &c.

Ans. I wonder you had not fallen foul with the Scripture, and have blamed him that commanded it; but you are so wise and honest as to leave out the Scriptures that I grounded my definition upon. Gen 3. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the dust.

Query. Doth the Lord here intend, that some men must eat bread in the sweat of their faces, and others must live idle?

The other Scripture, is Eph. 4. 28. But you Answer. 1. Is every thing a man doth get a living by, a lawfull calling; then he that sweats by robbing and stealing, lives by a lawfull calling, &c.

Answ. It seems you have a minde to quarrell against the Truth; be∣cause the word (lawfull) is not put in, you will conclude Robbery is lawful do not you discover ignorance or wilfulness, quarrelling against the very plain words of the Scripture, which saith, In the sweat of thy face, thou shalt eat thy bread, &c. he doth not say, in the lawfull sweat of thy face; but that is implyed in the words; so when I say in the sweat of mens face they should get their bread, its intended lawfully; not by robbing and stealing; and truly you manifest your self to be no friend to Truth in drawing such a conclusion from such clear and undeniable premises: I am confident never a Robber in this Nation durst to have drawn such a conclusion from such undoubted truth and Scripture.

2. You say, Is there no lawfull Calling but that whereby a man gets his living in the sweat of his face? what will you say then of Magi∣strates, Justices of the Peace &c.

Answ. They are not bred up Justices of the Peace, but are, or should be bred up in some Calling: I am sure the Scripture allows of idleness in none, though there may be a difference in labour; yet I suppose that less then this should not be in the breeding of the great∣est mens children in the Nation, to be able to do things of Husbandry, that so they may be able to manage their estates the better, and know themselves when their business is well done.

And so they may be the better fitted for their Calling, as Magistrates, Justices of the Peace, &c.

You say, Will he call the Parliament Idlers, &c.

Alas man! he knows the Parliament is a particular Calling while it continues, the Members of it being called and sent up by the Coun∣try, and they being faithfull in it serve the Country.

As for Physitians, I question not their Calling; that relates unto the body; but there is a difference between a Physitian of the body and of the Soul; the one is natural, therefore needs time of study to finde out the natural Causes and Remedies: and I question not the lawfulness of breeding to School till men are fit for those Callings to which they are appointed; but the Calling of the Minister is not a na∣tural Calling, but a Spiritual; and only God fits and enables to it; therefore for men to live out of a Calling to fit themselves for the Ministry, is a very corrupt and dangerous thing; for in conclusion they must be Ministers right or wrong; they were bred up unto it; they expect a maintenance from it, &c. Whereas the Ministers of Christ have ever been chosen upon another account; viz. God gives gifts, and the Church chooses, and they are called from one Calling to ano∣ther, yet may lawfully live in the use of both.

Then you say, Taylors, Button-makers, Seamsters, &c. because they do not sweat at it, especially in the Winter, are not lawfull Cal∣lings.

Alas man! blindness with a witness; if you quarrell so much with the word, sweat, why do you not quarrell against him who first com∣manded it? But do you not know, first, that there is no Calling, but that sometimes those implyed in it may, nay, do sweat. 2. That the word, sweat, primarily relates to a mans diligence in his Calling, be∣ing imployed about something that may administer to his necessity, ac∣cording to the Scripture, so not living idly;

3. You say, Is it so, that none live in a lawfull Calling, but he that works with his hands? what think you of Paul, 1 Cor. 9. 6. have not we power to forbear working, &c.

Answ. 1. I did not, nor do not affirm that those who are the Mi∣nisters of Christ, lawfully called, &c. may not forbear working; but that they ought not to be bred up idle, till they are called; and that God always maketh choice of men of particular Callings. 2. That Paul might forbear work, not that he must do it; for he did work, His hands ministred to his necessities, for the Gospels sake. I wonder when we shall finde any of you Ministers of the Nation in that temper?

4. You say, Is there no laboriousness and pains taking in the imploy∣ment of the Ministry, &c.

Answ. I know there is; and notwithstanding you say, that it appears by his book, he is not acquainted with the labour of the minde in getting

down to the bottom of things. Sir, I have through grace gone so to the bottom of things, as hath and will root up all your Religion, root and branch, Ministry, Church, Ordinances and all; therefore for∣bear complaining of the want of going to the bottom of things; and I doubt not but that I shall go to the bottom of your Book too, be∣fore I have ended.

But you say he adds, Breeding to School is proper to children when they cannot labour, to fit them for some Calling.

You pretend, That Infants are able to labour almost assoon as they are able to go to School, &c.

Answ. 1. If you were not ignorant at best, or envious, you might understand that Infants are not able to labour in their Callings assoon as able to go to School; and I dare affirm, that there is time enough for children to get Learning to fit them for any Calling in this Nation, before they have ability of body to perform it. I do not judge children sufficiently capable in body for a Calling untill 14. years of Age, and here is time enough for children to get Learning; as for Universities, we read of none in Scripture; and Simson in his History of the Church saith that Clemens Alexandrinus, and Pantenus were the Authors of Universities and Colledges, p. 259.

2. I say, That children may be fit for some Callings before they be for others; and according as the Calling is unto which they are inten∣ded, may their Parents give the time of breeding them, some more, and some less, untill fit and able to manage that Calling unto which they are appointed; yet all this makes nothing at all for the breeding up of Ministers, unless you will make a Trade of it; which I perceive is the great Work you are about. When men are thus bred up and fit∣ted for, and imployed in some lawfull Calling, if God now mani∣fest his Son to and in such a one, inabling him to the Work of the Lord in his own heart, and in the judgement of the Church, he may lawfully, nay he ought to submit unto the Call of God, be he high or low; from the Speaker of the House, or President of the Counsell of State, unto the Hewer of wood and Drawer of water; and this is a true Call, when thus called of God: therefore all you say to this, is but an idle fancy; you have no ground for it.