The t4pfi ingof the Et reuch'. What lhoùld a Chrillian tending topartakethat holymyllery examínehimfelfc about rather, thenabout this, whether he heirsshefasthoreon How is itpofíïble p Cor,, z.e, bee ihouidbe a meetand a worthyreceiuer ifhe want this grace.And thus I haue elected thegeneral' groundofchit dodrint.Now I cometo thelimitation there. d.Touchingwhich this 1 fayAhatin theSacramentofthe LerdsSupper it holds' 11m thatnone'ought to be admittedto it,but filch asare ableto gistcuidcscc for themfelues,thatthey arebeleeuers, but in theSacramentof 13aptifine the cafe is nor like. For wemull not hold that theSacrament ofBapeifine canlawfully be giuen to none,but to filch as are able (beingurged) to giuc teflimonyof their Faith becaufeeuen theinfants ofbeleeuing parentshave aright to that Sacra. ment,albeit as yet, becaufe oftheirprefent eflate,they Cannot (in (traitfpetkingy . be find to beleeue,not yetareableto anfwerademand concerning Faith; fo that Thepoint touching Faith neceiraryto the Sacrament of Baptifrnerate) bewider. flood onlyofthofe,whichare admitted to it beingofyeeres. Asforexample, if aTurk,or lew,or Fagan,fl'tould come among(l vs,and lhould delire Baptiime,it were itecellaryhe thouldbe firit intlrudcd in the doctrineofFaith,yea andcxa. fnined,anddealt with, and caufed togivepublike teflimonycf lita beleeuing;but' 'weemull not firetch thisrule fo, as that we lhould excludefrom the Sacrament. 'the-childrenofbeleeurrs.lndeed eheAnabaptifls,whodifputewith thevtmoll of theirskill again(' theBaptifmeof infants,doe muchvrge thepractice ofthe andthis'ourtext amongothers, namely, that theyare not read tehaue baptized any,butitch who byage,wereable to hecountable fortheir'faith;and' -from thencetheywould draw a generali conclufron, that wherethereis nocapa. blencfie offaith, there ought ro benoBaptifine.Hereunto diuerfethings might bereplied, but thefe briefly.That it is not limplyan improperfpeech to callthe infantof beleeuing parents, a beleeuer,becaufe although hedonotnow aáìually, belëeve, yet partly,-beceufe for hisparentsfake, he is within the compatieofthe eotienant,partiybecaufeofthat which maywell be hoped forhereafter, asitwere l zedtoterm'ehim aninfidel1,foit were notharfh tocall hima beleeuer: Andwhy 'slot abeleeunc, aswell as a reafonable creature ? though yetthere is inhim no %'fc ofreafbn,ttorany certainty ofability hereafter toeuioy it: And befides, by 'theancient and moll received doctrineof the Church, the infants ofbeleeuers, aretepbtedtohaue a kindofintereftintotheirparentsfaith, who byfaith'appre. "bend the promifeofeternal( lifeas appertaining to their children, asfatforth as tothemfelues. And whatmore inconuenienceto tormefuch,beleeuers,ihrefpéd oftheirparents, then to terme them holy through them,as Pauldoth n? 2. The q t Coe,y,te argument isnaughtfrom theApoftles practice;forthat courfe which they tooke 'Withonecertaúae ageofperfons,cannot be (lretchedout to allwithoutexcepti. on. 'As when theApoflle deliuereth a law, thathe which doebnos labourlhallnot `rste,wcreit not a'notoribusabfurdity, yea &awickednes,to keep meatfromin. fantsvnder a pretence that theydonotwork? Andwhy?becaufe euery mancó. ceiucth that thelaw belongethcnely to thofe whichareofage and abilityto la, böur,andyetnegicf'it.The fame may be Paidofthe Apo(lles proceeding inbap. Cluing; that it extrndsoaelytothofe thatbe ofyeetes tó rabic& infants to the 'famecondition with themwerevareafonable. InAbrahams perfon ,the know.' ledgeofthenatureofthe Satrames*, Oda yeeldinghimfelfetoline wilder the lordsobedience,wenrbefore thereceiving offìrcumcifion,yetin ifereit wasnot fo, hewascircurncifed firlf,&inflrudedafter. It wasneceliaryinAbraham that a profeffrwt offaith thould gobeforecircumcifion, it wasnot necetfáry in l feat, ehedifferencein theirages alteredthecafeofthe 3.Asconcerningthe Apoftles pralliceitfelfe, there is no -certainty forit, that theybaptized nonebut fuch -asevere ableto makeacknowledgement oftheir Faith. There ismoreproba- bíliry onthecontrary, that theybaptized euen force infants, as (namely) when they baptized wholefamilies,as-Ljdiaand tierho fholdrttheleplaesrsvithsllthatbe f 5bb,t6.r8ti c 3 tonged
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