Blake - Houston-Packer Collection BT155 .B53 1653

434 The Birth 1' rìviledge and Covenant - holine e Ch.47' then good fpeed, Ac`ls i 6. In baptizing the Jaylour and his houfhold , in cafe Jefus had let down an order of a preconfe- ; deration into a particular Church - fociety. Matter Bartlet in his model of the Congregational way faith, that thole particular in- fiances Which are produced by divers reverend Divines, o f the Eu- mach, C ntorions, ?aylours Baptifrne , though nat belonging to any particular Church againfl What We bave laid down are of little force and validity,ir regard that which was done to thofe perlonrWas by the hands ofextraordinary officers , that Were not tied to particu- lar Churches,us ordinary Paflours and Teachers mere then,and `íill are. But thefe perfons whom they thus baptized, were not perfons 'in any fuch extraordinary capacity and they muft come in, in.' a Gofpehway. This might have privilcdged the Leper cleanfed by Chrift, from offering his gift appointed by Mores, as well as . it could priviledge thefe new Converts from any Covenant -way appointed by Chrift ; and the Eunuch faith ,. What doth hinder rre to be baptized? without mention of any fpecial priviledge of an officer exthaordin'ary, in a way otherwife irregular. And the like we may obferve inthe fpeech of Teter, (z.)They fhould (hew us where,when,and by what authority.any ordinary Paftours and Teachers tied themfelves to fuch an order, to bring men into a Congregational Church-way, and to baptize into fuch particular Church Congregational, & not into the univerfal Church vifible. (3.) Mafter Bartlet ;Mafia- t irmin, and thole of th's judgement, may do well to give us their thoughts of their own Baptifine. They had no independant right all their right was in relation to their parents. Their parents were not (as we conceive) thus in any particular Church federation, perhaps they were no fit perfons in their judgement for admiffion, neither were they ba- ptized by the hands of extraordinary Officers. If their Baptifme was null , then.hey are yet to be baptized ; if valid, they had then title to,Báptifine; and others in their condition are enti- tled. (4.) Then it is in -the power of man at pleafure to keep parent and childe. from the priviledge of Ordinances, to have them; paffe as Heathens and Infidels, yea believing godly 'men and their cbilirenat their courtefie, rnuftbe reputed either ofthe l number of dogges or of children, this-.cannot be denied. The majority.of thefe have power at pleafure of admiffion of mem- bers, And to be no Church-member (with Mafter Firmin) is the

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