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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	apostle_n	apostolical_a	church_n	2,422	5	4.5288	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68467	A treatise of the sacraments according to the doctrin of the Church of England touching that argument Collected out of the articles of religion, the publique catechism, the liturgie, and the book of homilies. With a sermon preached in the publique lecture, appointed for Saint Pauls Crosse, on the feast of Saint Iohn Baptist, Iune 24. 1638. / By T.B. Pr. Pl.	Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653.	1638 (1638)	STC 1789; ESTC S113179	66,854	266

full nature of a Sacrament which serveth not only to represent but instrumentally to convey Christ and all his benefits So that well may the Church determine that verely and indeed Christ is present and consequently verely and indeed taken yet after an heavenly manner and received of the faithfull in the Sacrament Verily tho not carnally Really tho not corporally but spiritually in in the Sacrament that is in the exercise of that sacred action not otherwise Provided also that we understand this efficacy of the Sacraments to have place in them only qui sibi non ponunt obicem as the School speaketh which do not barr themselvs or to speak more plainly in the phrase of the Church only in the faithfull But of this herafter viz. cap. 11. CHAP. VII The speciall End of either Sacrament THE speciall end of Baptism is to communicate unto us the blood of Christ for washing the soul from the guilt of sinn and consequently our Admission into the Covenant of Grace The speciall end of the Lords Supper to communicate the body and blood of Christ for feeding and nourishing the soul unto eternall life and consequently our Confirmation in grace and holiness Hence we have the ground of that choice of Elements which our blessed Saviour made viz. not meerly the analogy which is betwixt the sign and the signified but also the excellency and exquisitness of that analogy and proportion In Baptism water is used and none other liquor because none other so proper for washing none other doth wash so clean as doth water and therfore none other so fit to signifie the blood of Christ which cleanseth the soul from all sinn In the Lords Supper bread and wine is used to represent the body and blood of Christ and see I pray you the excellent proportion that is betwixt them specially in the effects bread and wine nourish the body nothing better the body and blood of Christ nourish the soul nothing better yea nothing else So also in the manner of their preparation The bread is made a food for the body of many grains of corn bruised and baked the wine of Grapes trodden and pressed So the Body and blood of Christ became our spirituall food by being bruised and broken upon the Crosse Add this bread and wine do no good nay much harm except the stomack be prepared to digest them nor doth this spirituall food profit the soul nay it doth much hurt to the soul except the soul be worthily prepared BAPTISM is the Sacrament of our Admission nor is there any other ceremony or rite of admitting any into the Covenant of grace but only by Baptism The Church of Israel was admitted by Circumcision But since the time of Christ which we call the time of the new Testament all that will be admitted must be baptised hence that of our Saviour to Nicodemus Except a man be born of water and the spirit c. that is except by submitting himself to Baptism he do receiv the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of heaven for which cause when he sent forth his Apostles he gave them charge to joyn Baptism with their teaching Goe teach and baptise Matt. 28. The Persons that have right of admission are as of old Beleevers and their children The Ceremony of Admission is altered but still as the Covenant is the same so the parties are the same beleevers and their children this is plain Act. 2.39 You and your children By beleevers we understand such as are converted to the faith Converts and Proselites these have right of Admission because faith is the condition of the new Covenant Mar. 16.16 and Iohn 3.16 You will happily say to me that if they beleev they are already in the Covenant partakers of it by faith and therfore need no further admission yes they are not compleatly within the Covenant till baptised Faith giveth them title and interest but the Sacrament admission Add this that it is one part of their faith to beleev the necessity of the Sacrament as a means to give them full possession of Christ And this doth cause them to seek for it in the Sacrament Children of Beleevers also have a right of Admission becaus they are part of their Parents and heirs of the promise due to their Fathers The faith of the parent intitleth the child unto the Covenant so much the more unjustly do the Anabaptists deal with beleevers and their children in shutting Infants out from Baptism thus questioning that ancient and long approved custome of the Church in all ages ever since Christ and his Apostles Traditions Apostolicall are authenticall and not to be refused because not written if found to be Apostolicall Apostolicall customs mentioned in the Scripture have a more unquestioned certainty than traditions but not greater authority Neither is this to set up Tradition as do the Papists to the prejudice of the Scripture because we admit none as Apostolicall which either are contrarie to the customes mentioned in the Scripture or which may not be confirmed as reasonable from the Scripture And such is the custome of baptising Infants which thus we confirm against the fore-mentioned Sectaries The infants of Christians are as capable of present Incorporation into Christ and Admission into the Covenant of grace as were the Infants of the Jews and if so which we prov out of Cor. 7.14 who shall barr them whom God hath not barred If not then hath not grace abounded in the new Testament but is rather shortned in comparison of the old as being restrained only to the Parent wheras before Infants also were comprehended and admitted The strength of this argument will appear more fully by taking away the cavills which they make against it Object 1. That text of Cor. 7.14 sheweth indeed that children are holy but how As the wife not otherwise viz. as she is sanctified to the use of her husband so the children to the use of their Parents Thus they but they falsifie the text for the text saith not of the children as it doth of the wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sanctified but they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holy which is more emphaticall neither doth the text speaking of the wife say she is sanctified to the husband but in or by the husband Nor is the text to be understood of the legitimation but of the sanctification of the bedd namely of federall sanctification or the holiness of the Covenant for it appeareth that the pretence of them that repudiated their wives was a fear lest the infidelity of the wife should deprive the husband of the covenant of grace which he had imbraced Saint Paul denyeth this and sheweth that rather the faith of the Beleevers should so farr prevail as to draw the other after a sort within the Covenant his reason is because the children of such are holy that is heirs of the Covenant Now I pray you mark well

new they had two so had we one for admission the other for preservation so have we circumcision was for infants so is Baptism the Pass-over and Lords Supper for men grown circumcision once administred the Pass-over often and so Baptism once and the Lords Supper often add to this that the same reason holds in the Sacraments of either Testament for the frequencie of administration for why Circumcision but once and the Pass-over often but because one birth-day is enough not one day of feeding so here once baptised because it sufficeth to be once admitted into the Covenant of grace but often do we receiv the Lords Supper becaus we do often merit expulsion and so need a frequent confirmation Baptism doth seal to us the remission of originall guilt which is but once contracted and so once remitted The Lords Supper doth seal to us the remission of actuall transgressions which being often committed must be repented and so often remitted Baptism is the Sacrament of our Regeneration when the seed of grace is conferred upon our souls this needeth to be done but once The Lords Supper is the Sacrament of our confirmation whence those seeds of grace are to receiv increas of growth by the dews of heaven and this is necessary to be done more than once often therfore do we come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Now if any demand how often we ought to approach to the Lords Table it must be answered the Church hath power to stint the smallest number but only mans conscience can direct him in the multiplication of that number Fewer times than thrice a year may no good Christian in the Church of England receiv the Lords Supper because it is so ordained by the Church but how oftner is left to the direction of his own conscience and the advice of his spirituall Physitian So much the more to blame are they that neither by the Law of the Church nor by the necessity of their own souls are perswaded to frequent the Table of the Lord but rest themselvs within the customary compasse of once a year It may be objected that once a year was as much as Israel did eat the Pass-over nor would God doubtless have neglected to command expressly the more frequent receiving of it were it necessary But for answer herunto what authority have we to inquire or to assign a reason why God did not command this or that His Laws and Ordinances are to us a light of direction not his Omissions God appointed to the Church of Israel no Sacrament for the spirituall incorporation of femals no more publike and generall fasting dayes but one in the year no Ember-weeks at all that is no time of solemn fasting and prayer before the Ordination of their Priests doth it therfore follow that we must have none or shall we say that such things are not needfull ought not we in the new Testament having received greater grace than they super-abound and goe beyond them in the practise of Piety Apply it thus to the objection passing by the reasons of policie which might be assigned why the Pass-over was celebrated but once a year let us say that inasmuch as it is plain that the Sacrament is the Ordinance of God for the preservation of us in the state of grace and the way to strengthen and refresh our souls wherof we have continuall and daily need therfore it is a point of Christian wisdome to be as frequent in the receiving as possibly we can the oftner the better As on the other side since Baptism is administred but once in the life time a point so firmly beleeved and acknowledged by all that even the Anabaptists whom we tax for re-baptising those whom our Church hath baptised since that learned Beza and others after him have wrung from them that Text of Act. 19.4.6 will rather deny our Baptism to be a Sacrament than grant a necessity of rebaptising Since I say Baptism is done but once how much doth it concern them who are imployed in that sacred service to see that all things be done according to the rules of the holy Spirits direction Lest what is not then done peradventure hereafter be never done at all and so the guilt of this carelesness press the soul down to hell What is required of the Receiver is handled in the next chapter In the Minister honesty is commended but authority is required Some question there is touching his intention that is whether the action be not Sacramentall except the Minister intend it so to be Doubtlesse in this as in Prayer and Preaching his roving thoughts and distempered passions may defile them to himself and not make them ineffectuall to others A second Corollary deducible from the former premisses is the Necessity of the Sacraments concerning which the Doctrin of the Church is that the two legitimate and true born Sacraments are generally necessary to salvation This is plain out of the first question answered touching the number of the Sacraments How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church Two only as generally necessary to salvation which words as they do intimate at least do seem to intimate a superduality of Sacraments in some certain sence see this explained at full in the Book of Homilies so do they fully deliver the Doctrin of the Church touching the necessity of the Sacraments viz. that as I said they are generally necessary to salvation this all grant but all agree not in the manner of their necessity explicate it thus First they are necessary ex praecepto as being appointed and commanded by God the author of them Secondly because this is not enough we say that they are necessary ex naturâ rei even in respect of that nature which God hath put upon them being appointed as means and instruments to transferre and convey that grace without which no salvation and indeed this kind of necessity is the ground of the other for therfore are they commanded to be used because they are ordained to be as means wherby we receiv grace Thirdly add this also that they are necessary as means without which that grace is not ordinarily conferred Thus understand those texts of Scripture which are alleadged for this purpose viz. Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God And except yee eat the flesh of the Sonn of man and drink his blood you have no life in you Thus may we understand that phrase of the Catechism generally necessary that is commonly and in ordinary So that if the Spirit who being an Omnipotent Agent is not tyed to any means being a spirituall Agent is not tyed to externall means if he I say do convey grace to any without the use of the Sacraments this is to be accounted extraordinary Hitherto referr the cases of un-avoidable extremity in which doubtless the spirit worketh without these means But generally and in ordinary

empty signs but reall instruments to conferr grace Now that barr which alone hindereth is impenitency and infidelity Who so doth not profess repentance and faith may not be admitted who so with his profession doth not joyn reall performance ordinarily doth not receiv the benefit of the Sacrament much less they who profess and practise the clean contrary Note that all this is spoken only De Adultis The case of infants followeth in the next Chapter CHAP. XV. A Digression handling the case of Infants Baptism THis that hath been delivered touching the necessity of Faith and Repentance by the way of qualification is willingly received by the Anabaptists and the authority of our Church in this particular is by our infected Country-men alledged against our practise of infants Baptism the lawfulness of which custome we proved cap. 7. and satisfied their objections made against our Arguments It remaineth that we now examin their arguments and see what strength they have to prov that Infants ought not to be baptised Say they there is no warrant for it in Scripture They have not faith Ergo they ought not to be baptised Insist we a little upon them both The Anabaptists first Argument THe Testament of Christ say they is so perfect and he so faithfull that nothing ought to be practised of Christians which is not there warranted But no warrant therein for the baptising of Infants neither Precept nor President Ergo it ought not to be done This is the triumphing Argument of all Schismaticks which mislike the Ceremonies of the Church whether Nationall or Catholick Note the Answer First To the Major flourished over with that text of Saint Paul Heb. 3.2.6 Christ was faithfull so was Moses he as a sonn Moses as a servant his testament is therefore as perfect as that of Moses True but know we not that the faithfulness of a man in his office is to be measured according to the Intent and Scope of his office imposed in which if he fail he is unfaithfull if he fail not in that then is he not unfaithfull tho he look not to other things The Minister may be faithfull tho he meddle not with the sword of Justice The Magistrate tho he fight not with the sword of the Spirit So then what was the office of Moses of Christ of the Apostles The office of Moses was to plant a Nationall Church in the Common-wealth of Israel The office of the Apostles to propagate the Church and to make it Catholick throughout the world The office of Christ was to work the Redemption of mankind See the particulars in Dan. 9.24.27 If any of them fail in these then are they unfaithfull else not hence it was Moses office to set down particular orders for that Nationall Church Contrarily the office of the Apostles to appoint generall Rules and Orders for the Catholick Church Christ by himself did neither of these but both these and whatsoever else was necessary for the welfare of Church and Common-wealth by his Magistrates and Ministers in severall ages But by himself in his own person he established the Covenant of grace and salvation gave the Word of life ordained the Seals and instituted a Ministery and so was faithfull in his house as a Sonn and worthy of more honours than either Moses or the Apostles Thus we give answer to the Major 2. To the Minor thus We grant that neither Precept nor Pattern formall and explicite is to be found for infants baptising but both Precept and Pattern virtuall and implicite which if found is not to be neglected That both may be found in the new Testament comes thus to be proved First PRECEPT VIRTUALL and IMPLICITE The precept of God to Abraham and Israel for the incorporation of their Infants by a Sacrament was not repealed by Christ but rather confirmed and consequently tho not expressly written by the Evangelists yet nevertheless delivered by Christ the Ceremony indeed of Initiation is altered but the duty it self doth stand still for what was not repealed ought to remain Again this is to be marked that God by Moses establishing a nationall Church hath drawn a perfect pattern and modell therof to our hands Now therefore as no better laws for the Common-wealth than those which from Moses may be transferred So no better Orders for the Church than such as may from thence justly and without wrong to the time of truth and grace in the new Testament be translated Some judiciall Laws were peculiar to that Nation at least to that age of the world some Ecclesiasticall rites were also peculiar to that age of the Church and may not now be allowed but others there were more morall and so more perpetuall And indeed no better directions than what may be fetcht from amongst these Our Saviour hath gone before us and given us an example All grant that the spirituall Courts the Censures of the Church the proceeding in the Censures are by our Saviour fetcht from the Church of the Jews Mat. 18. from thence doth Saint Paul argue for the maintenance of the Ministery Cor. 9.13.14 Laws touching the libertie of womens partaking of the Lords Supper are thence enacted Times places persons consecrated to the service of God are and were ordained by the Church in the Imitation of Israel and so also do we conclude the perpetuation of incorporating Infants into the Church of God which in that Church having been enacted was not repealed in respect of the substance of the duty tho the Circumstance and Ceremony be altered for we read in Act. 1.3 that our Saviour in his 40. dayes conversation taught the Apostles things pertaining to the kingdome of God and Matt. 28. he bid them teach all Nations to observ all things that he had commanded them It being therefore manifest by tradition that Pedo-baptism hath ever since been practised in the Church of God doubtless it had not been admitted had not the Apostles by this Commandement of Christ appointed the observation of it Thus we find a precept virtuall and implicite 2 PATTERN VIRTUALL and IMPLICITE is in the baptising of whole families as of Lydia Crispus Gaius Stephanus and others in which who doubteth but there were Infants also What say we to those three thousand souls mentioned Act. 2. Is it probable that they were all present at Saint Peters Sermon it being in a private house is it not rather probable that the men being present and converted they brought also their families to be baptised so that the totall summ of men women and children might be 3000 souls And here doubtless the proceeding of the Converts was answerable to that in Gen. 17. no sooner is the Covenant made with Abraham but all the males in his house were circumcised young and old So doubtless no sooner was the Covenant of grace ratified betwixt God and the Parents by Baptism but the Infants also of the family were accounted holy and so baptised Doubtless what Saint Peter said to them in Act. 2.