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tulliam condemns Infant-Bap tifm as unwarrantable and irrational. Thus you bring in Mr. Daile and Mr. Danvers for the fame purpose; but those that confult Hiftory and Tertullian's Contemporaries, will find that it began to grow into a Cuftom to baptize the Children of Heathens, which therefore Tertullian oppos'd: befides he was otherwise erroneous, and was for deferring the Baptifm of Virgins and Widows till they were married; 'twas in the beginning of the third Century. But by the by, all thefe are Arguments for Infant-Baptifm; for that could not be oppos'd, which had not a being.

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POSTSCRIPT.

ND now, Gentlemen, upon the whole, the Weight of the Dispute lies in this: You ask for a Divine Command for Infant-Baptifm; we ask for a Divine Repeal of the Rights that Children once had to the Covenant.

To gratify our Demand, you brought us two Texts (as above) the one of 'em we have fhewn does only fignify a Change of the Covenants, but not the Subjects of the Covenants; the other (we have prov'd) cannot concern Children, but the Confequence will be Damnation to all the Children that ever have or fhall be born.

To gratify your Demand, we have fhewn that Children once were in the Covenant, that the Jews did baptize, profelyting Men, Women, and Children

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into their Religion; that our Saviour continu'd the Custom, and by his Authority made it of Divine Inftitution: and that it being a general Custom, a general Commiffion was nough, viz. Disciple all Nations, c. which the Apoftle St. Peter (Acts 2. 29.) and the first Fathers of the Primitive Church took in a general sense; that we have frequent mention of it in Irenaus, Clemens, Juftin Martyr, Origen, Cyprian, Fidus, &c. And now after all, to avoid eternal Controverfies, we'll cut the work fhort with you, and give you up the Caufe, if you can do thefe three things:

1. Prove the Repealing of the Privileges that Children once had with their Parents.

2. Or, A Confutation of the Authorities we have brought for Infant Baptifm.

3. Or lafly, To give us an Inftance among the first Fathers of the Primitive Church, where Infant-Baptifmis but once mention'd as Inorthodox, before many Instances that we have brought wherein it is mention'd as Orthodox.

If you are able to undertake the Propofals, do it; if not, we defire you would give a publick Satisfaction to thofe you may have mifled, by acknowledging your Errors: but we defire to be freed from the Impertinencies of one of your Party, who has hitherto been fo difingenuous to make a noife, and run away with our Arguments, without thinking what they were brought for; and then to fay, They do not conclude fo, fo, which we never intended they fhould: fuch a Perfon we

think not fit to to difpute withYou fhall, if there be occafion; hear from us every nine weeks in the twelve Numbers; fix of the nine we'll allow you

Queft. Wherefore are we more timorous and fearful in the dark, and in the night (especially if we are alone) than in the day-time and in the light?

Anfw. Some do attribute this to the danger may be apprehended by Knocks and Blows, when we cannot fee from whence they come. But the prefent Question is of another kind of Fear than the danger aforefaid: that is, of fuch a Fear that doth happen even when we are in a good Bed, and flir not. The true reafon of this then is, that the great Enemy of Human Kind, being the Prince and Lover of Darknefs (as the Pfalmift faith) walks in the darkness (who is then more dreadful to us by being a Spirit, and of a nature more powerful and firong than ours.) And that it is fo, there is fcarce any one that hath not fome time or other experimented, going alone in the Night, that in certain places where very often there is the lefs apprehenfion of danger, in an inftant fome fudden Fear poffeffeth. And the reafon hereof (in our opinion) may be, that there is fome evil Spirit that we dread, without feeing of it. Even as the Animals; the moft feeble are afraid when the Lion approaches, tho' they fee it not. Yet we will not deny but the Night may augment every fort of Fear, because of

to make good your Party: but be fo ingenuous for the future, as not to fay we have not anfwer'd fuch and fuch Queries, when we had never feen em.

the Enterprizes and Surprizes that may then more commodioufly be made upon us; but that other Fear, natural to Men, may be very frquent,, even then when they are in a place of the greatest affurance, as well to the most courageous as timorous For in truth we have feen very Brave, Generous, and Magnanimous Perfons to be extremely afraid of Spirits in the night-time; and have alfo feen fuch as have had but a bafe and low Courage march on with very much Confidence. Ulyffes (in Homer) durft not walk alone in the night, but had Diomedes for his Companion, the most valiant next to Achilles of all the Greeks. However, we will yet attribute all forts of Fears, either to the Force of the Imagination, or to the Want of Faith; for both one and the other doth make us apprehend a thousand Terrours: But he who placeth his Confidence in God, and that dwells (as the Pfalmift faith) under the wings of the most High, and under his protection, is no way mov'd; the Arrow that flieth by day, and the evil Spirits that walk in the night, nor the Terrours of the Night, fhall not be able to make him afraid.

Queft. How comes it to pass, that certain Perfons do die with Foy; as thofe Roman Women, one of which believing (as he had been told) that her Son was flain

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at the Battle of Thrafymene, where the Romans had been defeated by Hannibal, for whom she griev'd much; and in the middle of her Lamentations, her fuppos'd flain Son came unto her; and feeing of him lufty and well, the immediately died with Joy. And the other being gone forth from the City, on purpofe to make enquiry after her Son, from fuch as came from the Defeat of Canne; and at length perceiving her Son among the reft, fell down dead with fud den Joy?

Anfw. Because that even as Oil, being moderately put into a Lamp, entertaineth and conferveth the flame thereof; which being pour'd in all at once, doth ftifle and put it out: even fo moderated Joy doth brisk and chear the vital Spirits; but when it is altogether exceffive, extreme, and fudden, it fuffocates and fmothers them. Or else perhaps the reason may also be, that even as the Natural Heat doth retire with the Blood to the inward parts of the Body, by an exceffive Fright; even fo, by an exceffive Joy, it abandons the more noble and interiour Parts, that it may fuddenly run to the exterior: by which fometimes follows the Diffolution and Separation of the Soul from the Body.

Queft. Wherefore do not little Children (that have more Judgment and Ufe of Reason than their Age can ordinarily permit or promife) live fo long; or if they do live to full Age, that they then become Sots and Dunces?

Anfw. Cato the Cenfor faid very well, That we cannot but

expect the hafty Death of Chif dren that have fo hafty Judgement. And the reason is taken from hence, that 'tis a certain Argument that such Children have dry Brains beyond meafure, and above the temperament of their Age: For the too much Moistness that is commonly in all Children, doth hinder as a Cloud, that their interior Senfes fhould not feem fo clear and open, nor their Functions extend themfelves fo far as those of riper Age.

And the unmeafur'd Drynefs that is extraordinary in fome, is the cause that in a little time (the Body drying always more and more with Age) the Organs of their Senfes, yea, even the whole Body doth diffolve, and Death follow; or at least, that their Senfes are fo ill affected, that the Soul cannot worthily and perfectly exercise its Functions, no more or less than an excellent Artist can finish a chief piece of Work with ill Tools, or Inftruments of his Art.

Queft. Which of the two is more conftant in Love, Man or Woman?

Anfw. Virgil and other Poets have accus'd Women of a great Lightness and Inconftancy; nevertheless we are of opinion, that Reafon and Experience are Champions for them. Reafon, forafmuch as they are more cold than Men; and the nature of Cold is to be tenacious: but the nature of Heat, on the contrary, (abounding more in Men than Women) doth relax, diffipate, and diffolve. Experience confirmeth the Reason aforefaid, because it is ordina

rily feen, that there are more Women deceiv'd by Men, than Men by Women.

Quelt. Wherefore do Sparrows live fo little time?

Anfw. Because they are extreme falacious and lafcivious ; for in little more than an hour, the Male treads the Female about twenty times: And for the fame reafon, lecherous and luftful Men live lefs time than others; and do become enervated before their Age. A luxurious Youth, faith Cato, doth deliver a Body without Vigour unto Age,

Queft. What makes the Cock to crow every three hours, and even precifely at Midnight?

Anfw. We may ordinarily experiment (notwithstanding Pliny faith to the contrary) that he doth not crow every three hours; but for his crowing about Midnight, divers Reafons are given for it. Some hold that the Cock is altogether a Solar Creature, and therefore the Antients did confecrate it to Efculapius, the Son of the Sun; who about Midnight perceiving the predominant Planet over his Nature to rife on our Horizon, awakes, rejoices, and fings for joy. Others do attribute it to his venereal Defire; this Creature being very lafcivious: But when he hath his Hens about him, he is accuftom'd rather to fing after than before his Treading; therefore this Reason doth seem to us no ways probable. Democritus (as Cicero relates) did hold that the Cock, weary of fleeping, after he had perfected his Digeftion (as he hath

in him much natural Heat quickly to do it) doth awake brisk and galliard, caufing his fhrill Voice to refound and ring again. The great Julius Scaliger would refolve nothing on this Question; yet we dare fay, that there is fome appearance in the firft Opinion, but more in the laft of Democritus.

Quelt. Whether Vision be made by the Emiffion of the Rays of our Eyes, or by the Reception of the Species, or Images of the Objects of the Sight into our Eyes? For example, when I fee a House, a Man, or Horfe, is it that the Rays of my Eyes, caft on those Objects, do bring back unto me the Image of them to my fight? Or is it, that their Images diffus'd thro' the Air (and fometimes thro' the Water) which is the Medium between my Eyes and the Object, are receiv'd into my fight?

Anf. This hath been antiently a very great dispute, and is fo at this day among fuch as are felf-conceited; and we will not trouble the Reader of this Book with the long Difputes of the one fide and the other; But in answer to the Question propos'd, we do conclude, that fince Vifion is made in an inftant, of the Objects the most remote, it is impoffible that it can be made by the Emiffion of the Rays of our Eyes; because they cannot inftantly reach unto the Objects.. As for example, they cannot reach unto the Stars, and from thence in an instant bear back the Images to the Sight: therefore it muft neceffarily be fuppos'd, that all Vifion is made by the Reception

of

of the Species or Images of Objects; the which are reprefented in the Space or Medium which is between the Object and our Eyes, if fome opacous and obfcure Body intervene

not.

Queft. Wherefore do we not fee well, going out of Darkness, and coming into Light: or, on the contrary, going out of Light, and coming into Darkness?

Anfw. 'Tis by going out of one Extremity into the other, that the Sight is troubled at first dafh, by an Object contrary to the precedent or a better reafon may be given, viz. That darkness caufing our vifual Spirits to retire, and fink into the Optick Nerves; the which coming afterward to the Light, our Sight is dazled by the fudden and glittering Luftre of the Light. And on the contrary, when we come from the Light, fuppofe of the Sun, into a Place or Chamber which is darken'd, the Eyes (being not then affifted by this eftrang'd Light) do not fee fuddenly and at once fo clearly and plainly.

Queft. I verily believe the Divinity of our Bleffed Saviour, but yet must confefs, I have met with feveral Objections against it, which I wish I could fee clearly anfwer'd. The Principal are thefe following: 1. That 'tis not fo much as pretended to have been believ'd, any more than the Trinity, by the Jews or Heathens. 2. That all the Texts which are brought to prove it out of the Scriptures, are given up by one Writer or other, as ineffectual for that end. 3. That Polytheifm is not objected against the antient

Chriftians by their Adverfaries, which they would not have omitted, had they worshipp'd our Saviour. Nor 4. they fay, is there any thing to be found relating to his Divinity in the first Chriftian Writers, Clement and the reft; which, in the 5th place, they conclude was introduc'd into the Church from the Schools of Plato, when the Chriftians began to be infected with his vain Philofophy, about the time of the Nicene Council. If you please to folve these Difficulties, I believe you may do fervice to Religion, and oblige many others as well as yours, &c.

Anfw. The Divinity of our Bleffed Saviour, and confequently his Eternity, are fo plainly afferted in the Scriptures both of Old and New Teftament, that we know not how any that really believes them to be the Word of God, and given by Infpiration, can poffibly deny it, or doubt of it. Tho' for thofe who only think 'em the Writings of honest well-meaning Men, who were oftentimes mistaken as well as other Folks, 'tis not so great a wonder that they are not convinc'd by them; and while we have there fo many and fo clear Proofs of this Fundamental · Truth (fome of which we shall produce hereafter) we ought not to let our Faith be fhock'd by any Objections, tho' ever fo plaufible, that may be rais'd against it. Not the first here offer'd, becaufe, tho' we could not prove that our Saviour's Divinity, or that of the second Perfon in the Trinity, was generally known or believ'd by the Jews and Heathens, what

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