CHAP.3.5. Cí1Commen1arie zpostthe ¢ 2 they faue, drown and damne a number , which will not (land with their deuife ofopruoperarrm. 2Noah was found righteous before he entred into the Arke,cap.y. r, and thereforeboth children and men of yeares, may be fan6lified before baptifine: whence will follow, that children of beleeuers , dyingbefore baptifine, haue right both to the kingdome of heanen , and Chri(lian burial! vpon earth. 3. Ir is laid, Hebr. r r. 7. By faithNoahprepared the eA'rke,not which isued , butte the facing of him- felf'e and his hotr,/hold: and that by faith ,hewas made licite of righteouf. neffe; without which faith, neither the waters , nor the Arlie had done him any good;and therefore neither without faith do the waters of bap- tifine faue or regenerate. Lallly,a poore reafon it is of a Cardinal , that becaufe Mofes or Noah is faced out of the waters, therefore the waters face him. A third inflance is in the waters ofIordan,which (faithhe) truly hea- a.x;ng,r, ledNaaman,and was no fcaleofthe promife : and euen fo the waters of baptifine truly confer grace. But the truth is, that water had no fuck power ofhealing of& in it felfe,but only at that time, in that int1 tuti6, and from the word ofGod; which appeared) cuco in Naamans indigna- tion,whoneuer knew any more verrue or power in it then in Arbanah or Pharphar.Againe,Naaman beeing heaied,acknowiedged not the venue from the water,but fromGod ; and therefore profeffed that he would henceforth neuer worfhip any other then the God ofIfrael : and ifit be lawfuIlfor any Sophifter from euery refemblance to concludewhat he pleafeth; why concludethhe not ( for he may alwell) that we muli be baptifed feauen times ouer, for Naamanmuli wafh fcauen times ere he be deane.In aword, the very fcope of this waflaing in Iordan direEtly concludeth again(i that Popifh colleelion ofhis:for why Both the Lord command him to goe and wafh in Iordan , rather then(as he expeEìed) that the Prophet fhould lay his hand vpon him,or by a word healehim? Surely,no (Ironger reafon can be giuen then this, that he fhould not ar- tribute anypower or vertueofthe cure to the Prophets hand, body, or perfon; but Peeing hemurî doc that inwhich there is no luch power at all,but is fovnlikely a meanes ofcure,as Naamanalmol fcornefully re- ieeled;the whole glory oftheworke might returne to the God of Ifrael. As vnlikely, yeamore, that water fhould wafh the leprofie of hone from the confcience,as the outward leprofie from thebody of Naaman : and indeed the worke in both is from the fpirit ofthe Lord. The likemay be Paidofthe pooleofSiloam, wherein the blind man r.,n9.4 mucfi wafh :and for that place in the 5.of lohn , concerning thepoole of Bethofda,which healedall manner ofdifeafes,the text faithplainly, that it was theAngels airriugof the water;& without it nothingwas done, and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=