Of Anabaptifts toleration: And bapti:<;ing 1vith the Crofs, &c. ~ell. 4-8. May Anabapti{h, that lm"Ve no other error, be permitted i11 Clmrc/ 1 , C011l1llJI)Ii01l ? Anfa:. yE;: And tolerated in their own pra~icc al.fo; For J. They agree with us in all poinrs • abfolutely nccdfuy to communion. 2• The anticnt ChriHians.had liberty ~it her to baptize? or to let them flay till age, as they thought bell : And therefore 1ertttllu n and Nazzanz en fpeak agamfi lufle : And A1tgujfine and many children of Chrifiian Parents were baptized at age. 3· The Controvcrfie is of fo great diffi..:ulry, that if in all fuch ,afcs none that differ be rol-:--– rated, we may not live together in the wodd or Chu~ch, bm cndllfly excommunicitC or p~rfecurc ,one anothtr. 4· Such fober Amip.edvbJplilli will confenr, t~ profcfs ope~ly, that they do dev'ote their children to.God according to all the po~er or dut~ whteh they can hnd commumc.ucd or laid upon them in theWord ofGod; And that tf they behevcd that God would acctpt them into his Covenant upon their dedication, they would willingly do ir. And that aCTually they do otfc:r them to God according to their power, and promife fo bring them up in his w•y. And who c.:~.n force mens rriUr to choo[e aright for ~hemfdvcs or others ? ~ell:. 49: M~y one offer his ("ild to be baptizsd, 1vith the Sign of th: (rof, or the tife of <-hryfme, the W!Jlte- Garmmt, Mtlk and Bony, or Exorcifme, as among the Lutherans, 1vho taketh tJ,e[e to bt tmlmvful things ? • Arfw. I Am not now to meddle with the queftion) \Vhecher they be lawful: But to this qud1ion I anfwer, I· He that judgctl1 them unlawful , mufi firfi do his befi to be 1<rtJi11 whether they be fa or not. 2· If fo, he muft never tJpprovt of them, or confent to them. 3. He mull not otTer his child to be fu baptized, whm uteri! p.Jribm, he mJy have it done. in a bccrcr manner on lawful term-:. 4· But when he cannot l.trrjuU'y bt.~vr: betur, he may and mull olfrr his child, to them that will fo b:.ptize him, rather tlv.n to wnr[t, or not at all: Bcc.iufe b;prifm is Gods Ordinance and his privilt:dge, and the fin is the Minijleti and not biJ. Another mans finfl.ll Mode will not jufiillc 1hc negkfr of our duty ; Elfc we migh~ not joyn in any Prayer or Slcramcnt in which the MiniHer modally (i 11 • neth: th.at is, with none. 5·The Milk., and Honry 1 TYbite G1zrrmm andCbrJfme, are fo antient ( called by Epipbt:mitu and others theTradition/ and Cujlomes of the Vniverf'l Church) 'that the original of tht.m ts not known. And he that thtn would not be fo baptiled, mull nor have been b11ptized at all. 6. ~nt in thi~ cafe he that br'mge.th hischild to ~iptifm, £hould make kt:own 1 that it is b.zpti.{n nnly :fh:tf he de:ilrcth ; and that he d1fowncth and dtfalloweth the manner whtch he accounteth finful: And 'ttrrn he is 1to coufcnter to it. · 7 . But wlw eLaw, fc.:~.ndal, or ~re:ltcr inconveniencics forbid .him, he isnot to I?akc this profi:flion openly in the Congre~ation, but m. rlu t pruden~ m~~mcr wh1c~1 bef~..:emcth a foblr peaceable per– fan; whether to the MiniHer in pnv~te,. or t~ h1s ne1~hbours m con.vc:rfe: lr being eafic a 1 hong neighbours to make kno\vn a mans ddfent, wtthout a dtforderly troublmg of the Church, or violating the Laws of Obedie-nce, Civility and Peace. g. But he mull not; J, Either otfer his child to btptifm, where the Ordinance is rffcntiabj cor· r:~prerl, or wotfo tb.m 1wnr. 2· Or where he cannot be admitred without an aGu.1t fin of bM arru ; As by f.:~.lfe profcffions, fubfcriprions, &c. I"or we mufi nor rlo evil tor good e1~ds. Qcn.
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