II2 The HISTORY of the PuRITANS. VoL. II· K. Charles I. " after the way they call herefy fo worlhip we the God of our fa– ~ " ther~ ; difclaiming. all hereGes (rightly f~ called) becaufe they are agai.nfr ·« Chnfr; ·and deGnng to be fiedfafl: and anmoveable, always aboundmg '" in obedience to Chrifr, as knowing our labour fhall not be in vain in "' the Lord." Their cbaWhen Dr. Featly had read this confeffion he owned, they were neither heretics nor fchifmatics, but tender-hearted cbriflians, upon whom, through falfe fuggefrions, the hand of authority had fallen heavy whilfr the hierarchy flood. The advocates of this doctrine Wire, for the mofl: part, of the meanefi of the people; their preachers were generally illiterate, and went about the country making profelytes of all who would fubmit to immerjion, without a due regard to their acquaintance with the principles of religion, or their moral characters. The writers of thefe times reprefent them as tinCtured with a kind of enthufiafl:ick fury againfl: all that oppofed them, Baxter's Mr. Baxter fays, " there were but few of them that had not been the op– Lofe, P· 102 • '' pofers and troublers of faithful minifl:ers--That in this they fl:rength144' ' ,, ened the hands of the profane, and that in general, reproach of minif- " ters, JaClion, pride, and fcandalous praClices, were fomented in their " way." But fl:ill there were among them fome learned, and a great ma– r;y fober and devout chriflians, who difallowed of the imprudence of their country frie nds. The two mofl: learned divines that efpoufed their caufe were Mr. Francis Cornwall M. A. of Emanuel-College, and Mr. John 'Tombes B. D. educated in the univerfity of Oxford, a perfon of incom– parable parrs, well verfed in the greek and hebrew languages, and a mofl: excellent difputant. He wrote feveralletters to Mr. Se/den againfi infant baptifm, and publifhed a Iatin exercitation upon the fame fubjeCl-, containing feveral arguments, which he reprefented to the committee ap– pointed by the aifembly to put a ftop to the progrefs of this opinion. The excrcitation being tranflated into englijb, brought upon him a whole army of adverfaries, among whom were the reverend Dr. Hammo11d, Dr. Holmes, Mr. Marjbal, Fuller, Geree, Baxter, and others. The peo– ple of this perfwa!ion were more expofed to the public refentments, be– caufe they would hold communion with none but fuch as had been dipped. All mufl: pafs under this cloud before they could be received into their churches; and the fame narrow fpirit prevails too generally among them even at this day. '(heir f uffirBeGdes the above-mentioned writers, the mofl: eminent divines in the city of London, as Mr. Vims, Calamy, and others, preached ,vigoroufly againfl: thefe doctrines, which they had a right to do; though it was moll: unjufiifiable to fight them at the fame time with the [word of the civil magifl:rate, and fhut them up in prifon, as was the cafe of feveral in ·
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