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cifed, Gen. xxxiv. 24; where, if it had been at all neceffary for profelytes, we might reasonably have expected the mention of it: fo that our Pædobaptift brethren have not the leaft fhadow of evidence, either in the Old or New Teftament, to fupport this Jewish fable, on which they build fo much. But, on the contrary, every thing we meet with there relating either to circumcifion, or baptifm, is clearly and plainly against them; and all the proofs, which they have yet been able to produce for Jewish profelyte baptifm, before and in our Saviour's time, and for feveral hundred years afterwards, are no better than Dr. Benson's fuppofition from Nicodemus's anfwer to Chrift; where the manner of expreffion, the circumftances of things. compared with the pofitive and clear expreffions of the Jewish Rabbins, in that and fome following ages, are a fufficient and evident proof of the di rect contrary that they never had any fuch initiatory baptifm, as is pretended, amongst them, and therefore if the doctor had ever thoroughly fearched into these things, it may be prefumed, that he would never have endeavoured to propagate, amongst his readers, the belief of Jewish profelyte baptifm, before and in our Saviour's time. But I have given a more full and particular account of this Jewish fable, in my fupplement, and in my answer to Mr. Emlyn's previous queftion, from the writings of the learned Dr. Gale, who was as able to fearch into, as careful to find out the truth, and to know the foundation of this groundlefs conceit as any man, and whofe teftimonies and arguments upon that head were never yet confuted. To them I refer my readers, and fhall only add here, that for any thing, which has ever yet appeared, notwithstanding all the labour and pains taken by our Pædobaptift brethren to establish this notion of Jewish profelyte baptifm, it ftands upon the bare authority of talmudical books, not compofed till feveral hundred years after Chrift, and

ftuffed

ftuffed with blafphemies, full of ftupid infatuation, and wild romance; and upon whofe credit, if it was not invalidated by what has been already publifhed, no man, who wishes not to be impofed upon, would ever rely. And are thefe principles, from which to deduce duties of religion; on which to found pofitive inftitutions of God? If Jewish legends are to be the ground work of chriftian duties the whole face o the gospel may in time be fo mangled, and disfigured, as to bare nothing at all of the alpect of primitive, and unadulterate Christianity.'

All that is between the hooks from [How Chriftians can think p. 103. to, it is remarkable that] p 104. Ana alfo from [More over all fuch perfons, p. 106 to, divine difpleature] p. 108 was not in the original letters. The paffages from the apoitolical conftitutions, and Juftin Martyr, interted in the latter addition, witne s to the truth and juitness of my own reafoning; whereby the reader may fee, I have the beit antiquity on my fide, a thing not to be de pifed by any wife or confiderate man, when correfponding with the fcriptures themselves.

I have to edded the word vifible in fome places, and an expretion, or two befides, more clearly to determine my fenfe, and prevent any mifco.itruction of my words. And if any reader fhou'd think my arguments in fome places bare too hard upon fuch co umunicants, as are unbaptized; or on thofe, who communite with others, whom they know and believe to be fo; or upon any other denomination of Chriftians, who are not of the Baptist Cerfuafion; I hope his candour will acquit me of uncharibenefs, when he confiders my caution, in retraining my arguments to the state of the christian church here on earth. And I am periuaded my charity is as great for thofe, who differ in opinion from me, as any Chriftian's is, or ought to be; tho' I cannot be to complaifant to any, as to give up the interest of truth; and countenance them in a corruption, or neglect of any one of my Lord's commands or inftitutions. And I doubt not, but they would readily acknowledge this; if I fhould ever publish, what I wrote many years ago, upon the unlawfulness of impofing human articles, creeds, or explanations of fcripture, or of feparation for mere difference in opinion; and therefore all I have here faid ought wholly to be imputed to a laudable zeal in me for the canfe of truth; which God grant I may never be ashamed or afraid to appear in, according to my ability. And if I am but fo happy, as to be any ways fer viccable thereto; and at the fame time retain the favourable fentiments of my readers, agreeable to what I bespoke, in my first letter, of the reverend minister, at whose request it was written, it is all I defire. CONTENTS.

CONTENTS.

Part the First.

Remarks on the feveral Answers to the Pamphlet, in-
titled Christianity not founded on Argument.

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The Neceffity of Baptifm, in order to Church Member-
fhip, and Chriftian Communion,

P. 97

ERRAT A.

PAGE 23, line 28, for them any, read, the many;
p. 86. 1. 10, read, religion; that; p. 88, 1. 13,

read endued; p. 111, 1, 30, for there, read, their.

REMARKS

On the Several

ANSWERS

To the Pamphlet, intitled

Christianity not founded on Argument.

T

INTRODUCTION.

HE pofitive duties of our holy religion are equally facred, and demand from us, if we are from conviction Chriftians, and, in decency of character, if we are only c) nominal, nay, if we are hypocritical, and 3 merely mercenary Chriftians, the fame outward regard and ftrict obfervation, as thofe which are. moral and unchangeable. Tho' they are not of the fame importance and intrinfic dignity, they are, and must be, equally inviolable, because there is but one enacting au

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thority with refpect to the laws both of nature and revelation and tho' the former may be received as fit rules of conduct, they can never be obeyed as laws of government, but upon the very fame foundation and ground of authority. For nature cannot be fuperior to God, because it is the constitution and creature of God; it can therefore have no pretence to controul his will fupernaturally revealed for in both cafes the wifdom is the fame, and the right of governing the fame. A Chriftian therefore muft yield exact obedience to the pofitive inftitutions of the chriftian doctrine on the felf-fame principle, on which he thinks it his duty to conform from motives of religion, or acknowledgment and fuitable veneration of the fupreme Deity, to the eternal and univerfal rules of virtue. and morality.

When therefore any of us, acknowledging the authority of Chrift, and the divinity and truth of his religion, live in the omiffion of any pofitive duty, which he, in the name of God, and as invefted with his fupreme authority, has enjoined upon us, we act in fuch a manner, as is not only abfolutely inconfiftent with the character we affume, and fhould think it our honour to bear, of being his difciples, but in a way that is a contradiction to itself, and to all the natural principles of reafon. For there is no one clearer and more certain principle of everlasting and unalterable right within the whole extent and scope of moral duty, than this, that the omnipotent creator and fovereign ruler, whofe dominion is unlimited, and who is perfect in wisdom, and in all moral excellence, should be reverenced, honoured, and obeyed in all his laws, in all the discoveries and declarations of his will, whether by the voice of nature, or by extraordinary methods of revelation. And in no one point can there be the least juft ground to object, without fuppofing that he is a capricious, arbitrary, tyrannical being, who is not in the abftract propriety and truth of things fit to be obeyed, nor, confequently, without entirely diffolving, together with every inftituted tie, the religion of nature and reafon itfelf. Nor ought the bafe and flavifh principle of public fhame, or a fordid fecular intereft, to have any influence in an affair of fuch vaft importance, as that of preferving an uncorrupted probity of mind, and approving our fidelity to God. They fhould neither fufpend, nor controul and limit, the free fcope of our enquiries, nor prevent our renouncing error, however popular and long establish

ed,

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