MarginaliaAn. 1557. Iune.stened in a fourtnight or iij. weekes after it was borne, and then the chiefest of the parish were fayne to fetch it out of your house agaynst your will. Wherefore you wrot rayling wordes agaynst the Priest and them for theyr good wyll: MarginaliaRichard Woodman falsely sclaundered for denying baptising of children.the which declareth that you allow not baptising of children. And if the child had dyed, it had bene damned, because it was not christened, & you should haue bene damned because you were the let thereof.

Wood. What abominable lyes haue you told? Be you not ashamed to speake such wordes as you haue done? First you sayd I christened myne owne childe, and by and by you sayd I denyed baptising of children, and that my child was a fourthnight or three weekes olde ere it were baptised. What abominable lyes be these? I neyther baptised my childe my selfe, neyther helde agaynst the baptising of it, but did most gladly allow it: for it was baptised as sone as it was borne, and I was glad thereof: therefore you be to blame to report so of me.

Lang. I pray you, who baptised it? some vnthrift of your prouiding.

Wood. MarginaliaWoodmans childe baptised by þ^e midwife.Nay surely, the midwife baptised it.

Lang. MarginaliaWoodman falsely belyed.But it was your mynde that it should be so.

Wood. Nay sure, I was not nigh home by almost xx. myles, nor heard that my wife was brought in bedde foure dayes after the childe was christened. For it was not like to liue: and therefore the midwife baptised it.

Lang. MarginaliaD. Langdale too curious an Inquisitour.Would you haue had it to church to haue bene christened, if it had not bene christened?

Wood. That is no matter what I would haue done. I am sure you can not deny but it is sufficiently done, if the midwife do it, and I hold not against the doyng of it, neyther did I it my selfe as you sayd I did.

Lang. Wherefore were you displeased with them that fet it to church?

Wood. Fyrst tell me whether the childe were not truely baptised by the midwyfe?

Lang. Yes, it was truely baptised, if she baptised it in the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the holy Ghost.

Wood. Yes that I am sure she did, and you graunt that was sufficient: MarginaliaWoodman troubled without iust cause.and the cause that I blamed them for, was because they did more to it then neede was, by your owne saying. Yea they fette it out of my house without my leaue: the which was not well done.

Lang. They had it to church to cōfirme þ^t was done.

Wood. Yea, but that was more thē needes. But God forgeue them if it be his wil. But let that matter passe. But I would you shoulde not say that I hold agaynst baptising of children, for I do not, I take God to record: but do allow it to be most necessary if it be truely vsed. But me thought you spake wordes euen now that were vncomely to be spoken: If a childe die and be not baptised, it is damned. How thynke you? be all damned that receiue not þ^e outward signe of baptisme?

Lang. MarginaliaAll children be damned by D. Langdale, which die without baptisme.Yea, that they be.

Wood. How proue you that?

Lang. Goe sayth Christ, and baptise in the name of the father, and of the sonne, and of the holy Ghost, and he that beleueth, and is baptised, shalbe saued: and he that beleueth not, shall be damned. These be þ^e wordes of Christ, which are my warrant.

Wood. Then by your saying baptising bringeth faith, and all that be baptised in þ^e water shall be saued: shall they? how say you?

Lang. MarginaliaAll children being baptised by D. Langdale, shall be saued.Yea, that they shal: if they die before they come to discretion they shal be saued euery one of them, and al that be not baptised shal be damned euery one of thē.

Wood. Then my spirite was moued with hym to reproue hym sharply, because I had manifest scriptures fresh in my mynde agaynst hys saying. Then sayd I.

O Lord God, how dare you speake such blasphemy agaynst God and hys word, as you doe? how dare you

for your lyfe is take vpon you to preach and teach the people, and vnderstand not what you say? MarginaliaRichard Woodmā chargeth Doctor Langdale with ignoraunce in the Scriptures.For I protest before God you vnderstand not the scriptures, but as farre as naturall reason can comprehend: For if you did, you would be ashamed to speake as you do.

Lang. Wherein haue I spoken amisse? take hede, you haue a toy in your head will make you dispayre. I dare say you can not tell what you say? Wherfore reproue you me as you do?

Wood. Because you blaspheme God: and as for dispayring, take heede to your selfe. For I can not see but you be out of your wit already: and as for me I prayse God, I can tell what I say, and what you haue sayd: the which shall turne to your shame, if you will talke the scriptures with me.

So, when he perceaued that I spake earnestly, and challenged him to talke by the word, his colour began to chaunge, and hys flesh began to tremble and quake. And I said.

Proue your sayinges true, if you cā: for I wil proue them false by Gods helpe. You sayd all children, or other that be not baptised with water, all shall be damned. I dare not say so for all the good in the world. And you brought in the saying of Christ for your warrant. In the xvi. of Marke it is written: MarginaliaMar. xvj.who so beleueth and is baptised, shall be saued, which wordes be very true: and who so beleueth not, shalbe damned, which wordes be very true also. He saith: he that beleueth not shall be damned. Yea S. Iohn sayth: he that beleueth not, is condemned already, because he beleueth not. But neyther of these two scriptures, nor no other scriptures in all the new testament sayth, that he that is not baptised shal be damned, or is dāned already. But if he beleue not, he shall be damned, & is damned already, as is aforesaid. Thē he would haue interrupted me, and would haue layed to my charge that I was an Anabaptist. But I would geue him no place to speake, but sayd:

Let me make an end, and then say what you can. You shall haue as much to do, by Gods helpe, with this matter, as euer you had to aunswere thing in your life. You know (I am sure) it is no manerto plucke a tale out of a mans mouth, nor it is not the order of reasoning, as you know that better then I can tell you. Thē Doct. Langdale bad me say on.

Wood. My saying was, that they that beleue not, shal be damned, and be damned already. MarginaliaFayth, not Baptisme saueth. MarginaliaNot lacke of baptisme, but lacke of fayth condemneth.But I dare not say for all the goodes vnder heauen, that all they that receaue no materiall baptisme by the water, shall be damned, as you haue sayd: yet I woulde you should not gather of these wordes, that I deny baptisme, as you were about to lay to my charge, or euer I had halfe tolde my tale. But I would not haue you, nor no man so rash in iudgement, to condemne the thing that they are not able to proue by the worde, and to make it seme to the simple, that the outward washing of the water were the cause of fayth.

Lang. Why? is it not so? will you deny it? How say you? Will you deny it? I say the child hath no fayth before it is baptised: MarginaliaBaptising of water is not þ^e cause of fayth. The Catholickes do hold the contrary.and therefore the baptising bringeth the fayth. How say ye to it? make me a playne aunswere to thys question.

Wood. Now I perceaue you go about nothing els, but to take vantage of my wordes. But by gods helpe, I will answere you so, that you shall well see your sayinges vntrue. And yet I will not speake mine owne wordes, but the wordes of the holy ghost, out of the mouth of the Prophetes and Apostles: and then aske them whether they will deny it. MarginaliaA Catholicke paradoxe.You sayde that fayth commeth by Baptisme, had by the vse of material water. I must be so bold to aske you where Iacob was baptised before he had fayth. S. Paule sayth in the ninth chap. to the Romanes, or euer the children were borne, or euer they had done eyther good or bad, MarginaliaThe purpose of Gods election standeth by grace, and not by reason of workes.that the purpose of God which is by election might stand, not by the reason of workes, but by the grace of the caller, the elder shall