Very scarce Puritan work by prominent divine, Thomas Hall [1610-1655]. Hall was a faithful divine, plundered and imprisoned five times during the English Civil War, and refusing promotion and preferment when Cromwell obtained power. Along with Richard Baxter, he opposed John Toombs and the Baptists in general [as here]. He was ejected and left destitute at the Act of Uniformity [1662] and died just three years later.
The present work is against profligate baptism and in favor of guarding the ordinance of covenantal Baptism of the young against the Baptists who "pretend" to see converted those who were already plainly Christians, and minimize the ordinance to a sectarian wedge, etc., Also includes attacks on the reputation of the Anabaptists.
Contains two appendices, one against the General Baptist, Thomas Collier, and a second against influential Baptist divine, John Toombs [1603-1666]
Hall, Thomas. The Font Guarded with XX Arguments. Containing a Compendium of that Great Controversie of Infant-Baptism, Proving the Lawfulness thereof; as Being Grounded on the Word of God, Agreeable to the Practice of All Reformed Churches; Together with with the Concurrent Consent of a Whole Jury of Judicious and Pious Divines. Occasioned Partly by a Dispute at Bely in Worcestershire, Aug. 13, 1651. Against Joseph Paget, Dyer. Walter Rose, and John Rose. Butchers of Bromesgrove. John Evans a Scribe, yet Antiscripturist. Francis Loxly, Sho-Maker. Here you Have the Question Fully Stated, with an Answer to all the Scriptures, Scruples, Arguments and Objections (of Any Weight) which are Brought Against Infant-Baptism: the Quintessence and Marrow of Most of Our Modern Divines (in Reference to This Controversie) Collected, with References to Such Authors as Clear any Doubt More Fully, and Many Incident Cases Resolved. With a Word to One Collier, and Another to Mr. Tombs in the End of the Book. London. Printed by R. W. for Thomas Simmons. 1652. 136pp.
A good + copy, bound in wraps, generally solid, with light to moderate foxing, handled pages, and subtle period underlinings. Removed from a larger sammelband at some point, but textually complete.
