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Dearly beloved, repent your sins, that is, be sorry for that which is past; believe in God's mercy for pardon, how deeply soever you have sinned, and both purpose and earnestly pursue a new life, bringing forth worthy and true fruits of repentance. As you have given over your members from sin to sin, to serve the devil, your tongues to swear, to lie, to flatter, to scold, to jest, to scoff, to lewd talk, to vain jangling, to boasting, &c.; your hands to picking, groping, idleness, fighting, &c.; your feet to skipping, going to evil, to dancing, &c.; your ears to hear fables, lies, vanities, and evil things, &c.; so now give over your members to godliness, your tongues to speak, your ears to hear, your eyes to see, your mouths to taste, your hands to work, your feet to go about such things as may make to God's glory, sobriety of life, and love to your brethren, and that daily more and more diligently; for you cannot stand still, you are either better or worse to-day than you were yesterday. But better I trust you are, and will be, if you mark well my theme, that is, REPENT YOU; which I have humbly besought you to do, and yet once more I do again beseech you, and that for the tender mercies of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, "REPENT YOU, REPENT YOU, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" (that is, a kingdom full of all riches, pleasures, joy, beauty, sweetness, and eternal felicity,) "IS AT HAND." The eye hath not seen the like, the ear hath not heard the like, the heart of man cannot conceive the treasures and pleasures of his kingdom, which is now at hand, to such as repent, that is, to such as are sorry for their sins, believe God's mercy through Christ, and earnestly purpose to lead a new life. The God of mercy, through Christ his Son, grant us his Holy Spirit, and work in our hearts this sorrow, faith, and new life, which through his grace I have spoken of, both now and for ever. Amen.

A LETTER

OF JOHN PHILPOT TO A FRIEND OF HIS,

PRISONER THE SAME TIME IN NEWGATE: WHEREIN IS DEBATED AND DISCUSSED THE MATTER OR QUESTION OF INFANTS TO BE BAPTIZED.

THE God of all light and understanding lighten your hearts with all true knowledge of his word, and make you perfect to the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereunto you are now called, through the mighty operation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

I received yesternight from you (dear brother and fellow-prisoner for the truth of Christ's gospel) a letter wherein you gently require my judgment concerning the baptism of infants, what is the effect thereof. And before I do shew you what I have learned out of God's word and of his true and infallible church touching the same, I think it is not out of the matter first to declare what vision I had the same night whilst musing on your letter I fell asleep, knowing that God doth not without cause reveal to his people, who have their minds fixed on him, special and spiritual revelation to their comfort, as a taste of their joy and kingdom to come, which flesh and blood cannot comprehend.

Being in the midst of my sweet rest, it seemed to me to see a great beautiful city all of the colour of azure and white, four square in a marvellous beau

tiful composition in the midst of the sky, the sight whereof so inwardly comforted me, that I am not able to express the consolation I had thereof; yea, the remembrance thereof causeth as yet my heart to leap for joy and as charity is no churl, but would others to be partakers of his delight, so, methought, I called to others (I cannot tell whom), and whilst they came, and we together beheld the same, by and by, to my great grief, it fadeth away.

This dream I think not to have come of the illusion of the senses, because it brought with it so much spiritual joy, and I take it to be of the working of God's Spirit, for the contentation of your request, as he wrought in Peter to satisfy Cornelius. Therefore I interpret this beautiful city to be the glorious church of Christ, and the appearance of it in the sky, signifieth the heavenly state thereof, whose conversation is in heaven, and that according to the primitive church which is now in heaven, men ought to measure and judge the church of Christ now in earth. For as the prophet David saith, "The foundations thereof be in the holy hills, and glorious things be spoken of the city of God." And the marvellous quadrature of the same, I take to signify the universal agreement in the same, and that all the church here militant ought to consent to the primitive church throughout the four parts of the world, as the prophet affirmeth, saying, " God maketh us to dwell after one manner in one house."

And that I conceived so wonderful joy at the contemplation thereof, I understand the unspeakable joy which they have that be at unity with Christ's primitive church: for there is joy in the Holy Ghost, and peace, which passeth all understanding, as it is written in the Psalms; "As of joyful persons is the dwelling of all them that be in thee." And that I called others to the fruition of this vision, and to behold this wonderful city, I construe by the will of

God this vision to have come upon me, musing on your letter, to the end, that under this figure I might have occasion to move you, with many others, to behold the primitive church in all your opinions concerning faith, and to conform yourself in all points' to the same, which is the pillar and establishment of truth, and teacheth the true use of the sacraments; and having with a greater fulness than we have now, the first fruits of the Holy Ghost, did declare the true interpretation of the Scriptures according to all verity, even as our Saviour promised to send them another Comforter, which should teach them all truth.

And since all truth was taught and revealed to the primitive church, which is our mother, let us all that be obedient children of God submit ourselves to the judgment of the church, for the better understanding of the articles of our faith, and of the doubtful sentences of the Scripture. Let us not go about to shew in us, by following any private man's interpretation upon the word, another spirit than they of the primitive church had, lest we deceive ourselves. For there is but one faith and one spirit, which is not contrary to himself, neither otherwise now teacheth us than he did them. Therefore let us believe as they have taught us of the Scriptures, and be at peace with them, according as the true catholic church is at this day; and the God of peace assuredly will be with us, and deliver us out of all our worldly troubles and miseries, and make us partakers of all their joy and bliss, through our obedience to faith with them.

Therefore God commandeth us in Job to ask of the elder generation, and to search diligently the memory of the fathers. For we are but yesterday's children, and be ignorant, and our days are like a shadow, and they shall teach thee (saith the Lord) and speak to thee, and shall utter words from their hearts. And by Solomon we are commanded not to

reject the direction of our mother. The Lord grant you to direct your steps in all things after her, and to abhor contention with her. For, as St. Paul writeth, "If any man be contentious, neither we, neither the church of God, hath any such custom."

Hitherto I have shewed you (good brother S.) my judgment generally of that you stand in doubt, and dissent from others, to the which I wish you as my own heart to be conformable, and then doubtless you cannot err, but boldly may be glad in your troubles, and triumph at the hour of your death, that you shall die in the church of God a faithful martyr, and receive the crown of eternal glory. And thus much have I written upon the occasion of a vision before God unfeigned. But that you may not think that I go about to satisfy you with uncertain visions only, and not after God's word, I will take the ground of your letter, and speedily answer to the same by the Scriptures, and by infallible reasons deduced out of the same, and prove the baptism of infants to be lawful, commendable, and necessary, whereof you seem to stand in doubt.

Indeed if you look upon the papistical synagogue only, which hath corrupted God's word by false interpretations, and hath perverted the true use of Christ's sacrament, you might seem to have good handfast of your opinion against the baptism of infants. But forasmuch as it is of more antiquity, and hath its beginning from God's word, and from the use of the primitive church, it must not in respect of the abuse in the popish church be neglected, or thought not expedient to be used in Christ's church.

Aurentius, one of the Arian's sect, with his adherents, was one of the first that denied the baptism of children, and next after him Pelagius the heretic; and some others there were in St. Bernard's time, as it doth appear by his writings, and in our days the

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