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A46336
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A sermon preached in the year of our Lord 1650, January 9, at the baptizing of Theophilus (then Lord Hastings) now Earl of Huntington by John Joynes.
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Joynes, John.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing J1161; ESTC R28958
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24,411
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60
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right hand of God It is sufficient to believe that the Phoenomenon or extraordinary Apparition of light that was then beheld by the spectators did appear or shew it self to them as if the Heavens had really opened But beside this there appeared another wonder which was 2. The Holy Ghost like a Dove descending and lighting upon him The Heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a Dove upon him Waving all frivolous Questions about this matter As Whether this was a Dove really or in appearance onely Whether seen by our Saviour and the Baptist alone or by the Company also with some others more bold and extravagant then these As Whether or no this Dove was assum'd by the Holy Ghost into the unity of the same Suppositum as the Schooles use to speak It will be sufficient for us to take notice that God at this time was pleased to honour the solemnity of his Sons baptisme by so glorious and visible a Miracle which though it was a sufficient Attestation that our Saviour was a Divine and extraordinary Person yet was it not an infallible conviction or Demonstration that he was the Son of God And therefore as a full testimony of that this visible was succeeded by an audible but in all respects as great a Miracle and that was 3. Miraculous effect 3. A voice from Heaven pronouncing him to be the Son of God And there came a voice from Heaven which said Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Certainly this was the greatest solemnity that ever happened upon Earth where the mysterious Cabinet as a late Author speakes of the sacred Trinity was opened and exposed to the view of Mortalls God the Son in person of a Man God the Holy Ghost in the likeness of a Dove And though no shape of God the Father was seen yet was his voice heard audibly attesting the Divinity of our Saviour This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased There remaines onely now the third and last Particular which the Text proposes as observable in this story of our Saviours baptisme And that is The means whereby these Miracles were procured And that is here said to be The Prayer of our Saviour Now it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized and praying the Heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a Dove upon Him and a voice came from Heaven which said Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Concerning which it will be as proper to speak in the Review or Application of this Text unto the present occasion unto which I shall now address my self The Review When I consider how our Saviour was baptized not for himself but for us and how he did submit himself to this Rite that by his Example as well as Precept and Institution he might consigne the use of this holy Sacrament unto his Church to the end of the world I doubt not at all to affirme that one main End of the happening of these great Miracles and Ostents at this time was That they might serve as so many Predictions and Significations of the spiritual Effects and Influences that in all future Ages should accompany the use of this Sacrament in the Church especially it being assented to as an undoubted verity by all Christians That there is nothing ritually prescribed or supernaturally happenning in Scripture but relates either to something of duty or something of benefit in the Church Insomuch that St. Paul speaks of the Baptism of the Israelites under Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea 1 Cor. 10 1. as referring to Christ nay he sayes that the Rock that followed them was Christ v. 4. An expression to be understood like that of Gen. 41.26 where 't is said The seven Kine are i. per figure seven years as the Rock being struck yielded them water so Christ percussus ad mortem Spiritum Sanctum suis obtinuit being struck to death purchased the gifts of the Holy Spirit for his Church And as the Rock in effect that is the water that came out of the Rock followed them in all their Journeys so Christ by his Spirit accompanies his Church to the end of the world That Rock was Christ 1. was a lively figure of Him But I return to the matter in hand this being only a short Digression in order to my present Design which is to shew that the same Spirit which did accompany Christ in his Baptism does still accompany the Baptism of Christ and that in the right use of that Sacrament Christ is by his holy Spirit according to his promise stil present with his Church and will be so to the end of the world And that the same miraculous effects that were performed when he was Baptiz'd are still perform'd in the due Administration of the Sacrament of Baptism though not in a visible yet in a real manner That therein or thereby Heaven is opened That therein the Holy Ghost is conferr'd and lastly that as Christ in his was proclaim'd to be the Son so Christians in their Baptism are receiv'd admitted and taken into the number Roll or List of the Children of God 1. Of the opening of Heaven Ir It is a known passage in the Song of St. Ambrose commonly called the Te Deum where speaking of Christ he sayes When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers Without looking after Limbus Patrum which some pretend to find in this passage the sense of it is very obvious to any that shall consider it thus That though it was our Saviours business in his life time to make known the will of his Father to his Disciples and to let the whole Nation of the Jews understand that the Kingdom of Heaven was come among them Luk. 17.21 yet the fuller Revelation of the mysteries thereof was reserved till after his death Then it was that he did expound the Scriptures unto his Disciples concerning himself Luk. 24.27 and opened their understandings so as sully to make them perceive the drift and meaning of what was written both in Moses and the Prophets concerning Him v. 45. For forty dayes together after his Resurrection Act. 1.3 speaking unto them of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God Then it was that he instituted the Sacrament of Baptism as a Dore of Admission and Entrance into that Kingdom Mat. 28.19 20. commanding them to baptize all Nations in the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost and to teach them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded Thus when he had overcome the sharpness of death he did open the Kingdom of heaven to all believers But that you may be more fully satisfied how Baptism is said to open the Kingdom of heaven you must understand that the Kingdom of heaven in the New Testament is taken in