Him by experience, whereupon Chrift is moft precious to you; and through this faith you are established on Christ, so that nothing from earth or hell can remove you.

This is your bleffedness from the Lord; and the world and the devil fhall never be able to make it void; and therefore go and eat your bread with chearfulnefs, and lie down and rise and live in fafety under the fhadow of the Almighty, though in this world, and in this place, you dwell among bears and lions, and have your conversation in the midst of scorpions; for Christ himself hath bleffed you in himself, and you fhall be bleffed for ever; blessed is be whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Bb3

OR, THE

DOCTRINE

O F

BAPTISM S,

Reduced from its Ancient and Modern CORRUPTIONS;

AND

Restored to its Primitive SOUNDNESS and INTEGRITY,

According to the Word of Truth, the Substance of Faith, and the Nature of Chrift's Kingdom.

ISAIAH LII. 15.

That which hath not been told them, they fhall fee; and that which they have not heard, they fhall confider.

TO THE

REA DE R.

THE

HE doctrine of Baptifms hath been dark and obfcure in the church, from the very primitive imes, and hath had more of human notion than of diine truth in it; and therefore Zuinglius, writing, touchng this point, speaks thus in the beginning of his book; llud mibi ingenue circa libri initium dicendum eft, fere omnes os, quotquot ab ipfis apoftolorum temporibus, de baptifmo fcribere inftituerunt, non in paucis (quod pace omnium hominum, li&tum effe velim) a scopo aberravisse (a): that is, " In the beginning of my book, faith he, I must ingenuously profefs, that almost all thofe that have undertaken to write of baptifm, even from the very times of the apostles, have (which I defire may be spoken with the favour of all) not in a few things erred from the scope." And as he affirms, that almoft all before him had erred n many things touching baptifm, fo did he himself alfo err as well as they, not in a few: And it is as free for me, or any body elfe, to differ from him and other late writers, as for them to differ from former writers; especially if that be true, which godly and learned Chemnitius affirms out of Auguftiue, that these things are not tanquam articuli fidei, a quibus diverfum fentire piaculum fit anathemate. dignum (b).

And therefore, reader, I acquaint thee beforehand, that in this point I shall speak much otherwise, than all former or later writers whatever that I have met with: And though I do not without fome fear and trembling, diffent

(a) Zuingl. libel. de Baptif. tom. 2. f. 57.

(b) Chemnit. Examen Concil. Trident. 1. de Bapt.