tists, that they bring for their purpose, and shew how weak and slender reasons they be, and how far disagreeing from the Scriptures; that no man should be overcome and brought in an error or heresy by such reasons, that be of no weightiness, and without Scripture, yea, contrary to holy Scripture.

They say, that those that should be christened, must first believe, and then be christened. Children, they say, cannot believe, for "faith is gotten by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." So children cannot have faith, say these Anabaptists: wherefore they say, that children should not be christened. To this reason I answer and say, that children may have faith, although they have it not by hearing, yet they have faith by infusion of the Holy Ghost, as the holy prophets had, and many holy men in the old law had. Also, faith is the gift of God and the work of the Holy Ghost. Who should let God to give his gifts where he will, seeing faith is the gift of God? (Eph. ii. Phil. i.) He may give faith as well to children, as to old men. Faith also is the work of God (John, vi.), and not of man, of man's will, or reason. Who shall let God to work, where he list? Therefore it is not impossible for children to have faith, as these Anabaptists falsely suppose.

Also, God regardeth no persons, but giveth his gifts, without all regard of persons; a child or old man be counted as persons in Scripture: wherefore it followeth plainly, that God giveth not faith to an old man, or denieth faith to a child, because he is a child; for then God should regard persons, which he doth not.

And where they say that they must express their faith, before they be christened; what will they do with deaf and dumb men, that get not faith by hearing, nor cannot express their faith by words? Will they exclude them from baptism, and condemn thẹn to hell-pit ?

And also some aged, peradventure, will dissemble and say, they have faith, when they have not faith; and if they will christen none without they be certain of their faith, then shall they christen none, neither young nor old; seeing that old may dissemble and say, they have faith, when they have not faith.

And where they say there is no example in Scripture by expressed words, that children should be christened to this I answer, that it is enough, that it may be justly gathered of the holy Scriptures, truly understood, as of the Scriptures, I have shewed before, and of many more: as that the Apostles christened whole households, that they christened some children. I suppose the Scripture doth not bring forth example of children christened, not because there were no children christened of the Apostles, but because the Scripture doth not much speak of women nor of children, but understands them in the men. For I suppose there were many more women christened of the Apostles than is mention made of in the Scripture. Women and children are understood in men of the masculine kind,as Rom. v. saith, "sin came upon all men by Adam, and by Christ were all men justified;" that is, all men, all women, all children, were dead by the sin of Adam; and all men, all women, all children, made righteous and justified by Christ. Although it is spoken after the Greek tongue in the masculine gender, and no mention made of the feminine gender, nor of children, but they be both understood in the masculine gender; even as well as if mention were made of them both, and women and children be as well redeemed by Christ, and washed from sins by Christ, as men. So, I think that Scripture doth not speak of children, when it commandeth baptism, but includeth all men of the masculine gender, all women, and children,

to be christened, when it commandeth that all creatures should be christened; children are to be counted amongst creatures and people of God.

These things I have spoken as touching the baptism of young children, whose baptism the Scriptures do approve and allow, and condemn the erroneous opinion of the Anabaptists which be fallen into an error and an heresy, and have brought others to their error, by reasons of no strength nor weight, but foolish and contrary to the Scriptures; which at the first have, peradventure, seemed apparent to the ignorant in the Scriptures, but to them that be learned in the Scriptures, they be of no pith nor effect, nor prove the thing they go about, therefore let every man beware of these Anabaptists, and flee their errors, heresies, and deceivable doctrine, that bringeth to death; and let them receive the true doctrine of Christ that bringeth to life. Now, I will return again to St. Paul.

Ver. 28-30. So ought men also to love their wives even as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man yet ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord doth also the congregation, for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

The Apostle here sheweth how the man should love his wife, even as his own body. For the man and the wife be one body, coupled together by matrimony, a knot not to be loosed at man's pleasure. Who hath ever been so mad, of so little wit, that hath hated his own body, were it never so deformed, or out of fashion, so weak, so lean, so sickly, so filthy, and so full of naughtiness; but hath ever cherished and nourished his own body, and hid the faults of it, and was ready to amend it? So should 'a man be affected towards his wife, as towards his own body, yea, even as Christ hath loved his church;

which hath not put it away when it was polluted with filthiness and sins, but hath taken it to him, and hath purged it, and made it clean, holy, and gay, and hath dissembled many things in it, and at the last, healed all her sores and diseases, and washed clean away her spots and sins.

After the example of Christ towards his church, let the husband do to the wife, and ever have before eyes, what thing he would should be done to his own body, and the same thing let him do to his

his

wife.

This place reproveth those husbands, that love not their wives, that contemn and despise their wives, when they are sick, not providing for them necessaries, not comforting them with all comfort they can; yea, this place checketh all them, that will not cover and hide the faults of their wives, if they be notable crimes, and do not study to reform and amend their wives, and to make them good, virtuous, and holy.

For we are members of one body; he sheweth why he called the wife the flesh of the man. It was, because the woman was made of the man, of a rib, taken out of the side of Adam, and the woman's bone was made of a bone of Adam, as it is written Gen. ii. to the which place, St. Paul doth allude here. For this cause, that the man should not contemn the woman, as a creature, made of a viler matter than he was of, and to certify the man, that he should not contemn his wife, except he should contemn himself, and his own flesh. This thing he sheweth, that there should be more love between the man and the wife; no strife, no contention, no debate, no contemning one another.

Ver. 31-33. For this cause, shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great secret; I speak of Christ and the congregation. Nevertheless, do ye

so, that every one of you love his wife, even as himself; but let the wife fear her husband.'

Here the Apostle willeth, that there should be more love between the husband and the wife, than between the children and the parents; he willeth, that the son shall prefer the love to his wife, above the love to father and mother..

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The Apostle speaketh here only of the love, that should be between the man and the wife. Of the other duties of the man to the wife, is spoken in other places of Scripture, as Peter (1 Pet. iii.) sheweth, that it is the office of the man, to do well with his wife, to entreat her after knowledge, and to live together as perpetual fellows of good and evil, for all their lifetime, in peace, concord, unity, love, and due obedience, according to God's law, providing together necessaries, that they might live holily and godly, and bring up their children virtuously, in the knowledge of God, in love and fear of God, to order and rule their families according to God's will, giving them example of all goodness to follow.

Peter addeth, after knowledge; that is, that the man should order his wife after knowledge and wisdom, which be more in men than in women. For men must bear the infirmities of women, and have many things to pardon in them, and oversee, and wink at, and dissemble, as if they had not knowledge: or else there shall be little agreement between the man and his wife; and sometimes to exhort gently, to rebuke sharply, and sometimes, clearly to remit the matter, as he for his wisdom, shall see more expedient to entreat her, always endeavouring to make his wife gentle, lowly, obedient, loving, honest, good, holy, and virtuous.

In man it is, to supply that which lacketh in woman; to have more wit, wisdom, reason, prudence, counsel, learning, ways to provide necessaries for