However at present this Observation may suffice to shew that even pursuant to these Philosophical Notions themselves and the influence they might have had on the minds of the Primitive Christians no Perfection can be pleaded such as may excuse from the use of the Sacraments § XV And further 6. It has also appeared that the great design of pleading this Spiritual way of worship of the supreme Being to the neglect of external Ritual-Observances was indeed to excuse themselves from paying him any external worship at all And indeed seems very rational on that Hypothesis which was then commonly received concerning the natural Philosophical reason of the worship of their ordinary Daemons Vid. Oracula aliaque Plutarchi Porphyrii Testimonia apud Euseb. L.5 Praep. Eu. c. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. For they conceived that the Daemons commonly worshipped were not purely Spiritual but at least cloathed with vehicles more or less gross according to the several degrees of their respective excellencies And hence they inferred that the Daemons themselves were sensibly delighted and nourished either with the Souls or nidor of the Sacrifices offered to them And that this was the true reason why the different Daemons were pleased with different sorts of Sacrifices and different sorts of Trees in their Groves and peculiar places and ceremonies of worship that their vehicles were of as great diversity of complexions as mens Bodies are and therefore inclined them to as great a diversity of desires because that the same thing which was grateful to the vehicle of one Daemon would either not affect the vehicle of another or would prove ungrateful to it And as they thought these vehicles to be material so they thought them subject to the same influences to which the matters were subject whereof they consisted And accordingly as all matter was supposed to be under the dominion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so they conceived these vehicles to be also and that they were by this means subject to the fatal influences of the Stars and even to the influences of Sublunary Bodies also as herbs and stones and the steams of Animals that were offered in Sacrifice to them This seems to have been the true Philosophical reason of all the Judicial Astrology and Magick which were then in so good esteem with the Persons I am speaking of § XVI Now on these Principles it is very true that no Bodily worship is suitable to the nature of the supreme Being that is there is no Bodily Being that is capable of affecting a Nature so perfectly abstract from matter as God's is with any sensible pleasure or advantage In this regard himself expressly disowns such a way of Worship and that even in such a time when he was otherwise pleased to accept of bloody Sacrifices Thinkest thou that I will eat Bulls flesh and drink the blood of Goats Psal. i. 13 And in that regard he immediately requires a more Spiritual kind of Worship For so it follows Offer unto God thanksgiving Ver. 14. and pay thy vows unto the most Highest But as this whole design of excusing themselves from the publick solemn Worship of the supreme Deity was a thing directly contrary to the fundamental Principles of the Christian Religion nay indeed it seems to be the principal design of this Religion to restore the publick solemn Worship of the chief God which had before been taken from him and given only to inferiour Daemons and this seems to have been the principal Dispute between the Christians and the Philosophers so our Adversaries will have reason when they reflect on the great unlawfulness of the design to distrust the Principles by which they defended it And therefore when they shall perceive that the tendency of this way of arguing from the Spiritual Nature of that Worship which must be suitable to the supreme Being to the neglect of the external Observances of his solemn Worship in publick Assemblies aims at the overthrow of the fundamental Principles of the whole Christian Religion and was designed so by them who first made use of it They cannot chuse but have a great unkindness for this way of arguing if they have any kindness for the Christian Religion which is so plainly undermined by it And that this account of their design and Principles is true I might refer to Porphyries account of Sacrifices De Abstinent ab esu Animal which he gives in the name of the Pythagoreans whose cause he principally undertakes to defend but which withall seems generally to have been received into the elective Philosophy which then prevailed § XVII But besides the reason of this Argument will by no means hold in those exteriors which are observed by the Christian Institution The Sacraments are not pretended to have any natural influence on God but only to be means of conveying his Graces to us And how can it be against the Nature or decorum of a Spirit in dealing with Beings which are not Spiritual to use means suitable to the capacities of those Beings with whom he deals If we conceive any commerce at all between Spiritual and Corporal Beings this is certainly the most likely way we can think of how such a commerce should be maintained Corporeal Beings are not able to converse by means wholly Spiritual and therefore it is absolutely necessary that if God would be pleased to have any dealings with them he should maintain them by Corporeal significations This moral use of the Sacraments as Solemnities of transacting the New Covenant does rather derogate from the Perfection of God not from that Perfection which a Corporeal Being is capable as it is Corporeal If further in the Symbols of the Heathen Mysteries there might have been fancied something that in its own Nature might influence the vehicle of the Soul and more easily dispose it for receiving Spiritual influences which dispositions such Souls as are already perfect might not be supposed to need if this is not the Case in our Christian Mysteries The Symbols here used are such as are familiar among us and therefore if they had any such natural virtue must exert it as well out of the Sacraments as in them So that all their influence must be wholly ascribed to the Divine appointment And why then should any Soul which is not so perfect but that it needs the Divine Assistance be yet thought so perfect as not to need those means which he has been pleased to appoint for the conveyance of those Assistances § XVIII And indeed I know not whether the Author to the Hebrews did not allude to some such fancy of some who mysticised Baptism possibly to the disparagement of the Literal Baptism For having exhorted those to whom he wrote to draw nigh to Christ with a true heart in full assurance of faith having their hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. x. 22 as if he had been afraid that they should understand him of this Mystical Baptism he after adds Ver. 23. and having our Bodies sprinkled with pure water
with them as may prevail with them for the actual performance of their Duty because the neglect of their Duty has a more immediate ill influence on the Publick than that of private Persons as they are for the actual performance of those who are under them and there are not more efficacious means for prevailing even on them for the performance of their Duty than these Solemnities which are made use of for the Obligation of private Christians and they who undervalue their Baptismal Obligations at their undertaking of Christianity cannot in any likelyhood be much awed by those which are used ordinarily at the susception of Government For no particular employments whatsoever for Gods Service can with any reason prevail with him who is not already effectually perswaded to be diligent in serving God in general seeing all particular obligations are only this general one reduced to practice in particulars and therefore can have no further force than what is derived from it But the actual performance of Duty by particular private Persons is a thing fit to be regarded by God as a Governour as well as that of Governours both as it is the primary end of all Government whatsoever that Duty should be performed and only a secondary one to make them satisfy the Publick for their neglect of it by their punishment And as none desires a secondary end but upon frustration of his hopes of that which is primary so it is much for the reputation of a Prudent Person to lay his designs so as that he may not frequently fail of his primary end or frequently be driven to make amends for its loss by that which is only secondary And as the Publick good is not possible to be promoted but by the good of the generality of particulars seeing the Publick is indeed nothing else but a complex of particulars And as indeed the principal Duties required from particular Persons by the Precepts of Christianity are likely to prove eminently serviceable for the good of others For indeed the great design of Christianity seems to be to animate us all with publick and Heroick Spirits nor are those indeed its principally-designed Duties which are commonly mistaken for such by Melancholy devout Persons the restraining of our Selves from all kind of Sin or the recollection and fervor of Spirit which is gotten by assiduity in Prayer and Meditation and the like exercises of Devotion no nor indeed any Personal accomplishment whatsoever any farther than that may make us useful for the Service of God and the good of others And accordingly our Saviour represents our Tryal at the day of Judgment Not to be how little mischief we have done but how much good Not how Zealous and Devout we were nay or how Sincere too but how charitable Not how good we have been our Selves but how good we have been to others Not whether we have prayed or fasted or addicted our Selves to Penitential exercises and mortifications but whether we have given meat to the hungry or drinks to the thirsty whether we have cloathed the naked or received Strangers into our houses whether we have visited the Sick and the Prisoners St. Matth. xxv 35 And the acceptable Fast described in Isaiah is not for a man to afflict his Soul for a day to bow down his head as a bulrush to spread sackcloath and ashes under him but to loose the bands of wickedness to undo the heavy burdens to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoak Is. lviii 6.7 to deal our bread to the hungry to bring the poor into our houses to cover the naked and not to hide our Selves from our own Flesh. And how innocent soever we may be yet if we do no good we may justly fear that sentence which shall be pronounced not only against the wicked and the evil St. Matth. xxv 26.30 but the idle and unprofitable Servant not only against him who had embezelled his Talent but against him also who had not improved it And therefore Daniel advises Nabuchadnezzar to break off his Sins by Righteousness Dan. iv 27 and his Iniquities not barely by forbearing them for the future but by shewing mercy to the poor and our Saviour tells us that if we give alms all things shall be pure unto us and that our Friends of the unrighteous Mammon are they who shall receive us into everlasting habitations St. Luk. xvi 9 Mic. vi 8 St. Jam. i. 27 This it is that God requires from us to do Justice and to love mercy to Men as well as to walk humbly with Him And this St. James makes the sum of pure and undefiled Religion to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction as well as to keep himself unspotted from the World § XVIII VERY many more proofs hereof might have been produced from the Old Testament but the New does principally abound with them Here it is that we are required not that every one should mind his own good Philip. ii 4 Rom. xii 15 but the good of one another that we must bear each others infirmities and sympathize in each others successes that we rejoyce with them that rejoyce and mourn with them that mourn And the Analogy betwixt the mistical Body of Christ and a natural humane Body is paralleled in this as in many other instances that as every Member in the natural Body is sensible of every thing that befalls the whole and it is an Argument that it does not partake of the common vital influence if it be not so so in the Body Mistical if one Member suffer that all the Members must suffer with it 1 Cor. xii 26 and if one be honoured all the others must rejoyce with it And it is a great part of the design of the first Epistle of St. John to ground all our comfort or discomfort on this one Trial of our Love to the Brethren 1 St. Joh. iv 20 So he that loves not his Brother whom he hath seen cannot love God whom he has not seen and he who does not relieve his Brother when he is able to do so cannot have the Love of God dwelling in him 1 St. Joh. iii. 17 And on the contrary it is an Argument with him that we are in a good condition not that we behave our Selves innocently or are frequent at Sermons or feel transports in our Devotions but that we love the Brethren 1 St. Joh. iii. 14 Ver. 19. and are ready to lay down our Lives for them Hereby it is that we know that we are passed from Death to Life that we are in the Truth and may assure our hearts before God Very much more might have been produced to this purpose but I should not have been willing at present to have said so much if I had not conceived it conveient to take this present occasion of recommending this Tryal of our Consciences rather by our usefullness in our generation than by
Practice be worth taking notice of and because it is by our Saviour himself expounded of his sending the Holy Ghost on his Disciples on Pentecost Act. i. 5 where at least the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them is called a Baptism though it was without material Water § XI THIS I take to be the uttermost that can be said for this Exposition And yet how little is this uttermost I confess the name of fire may be given to the Holy Ghost both for the reason here mentioned and for others which I have mentioned elsewhere Joh. iii. 5 But why must it be meant of the Holy Ghost here where it is expresly joyned with him by a Copulative as a thing distinct from him Is it because the substantive joyned with a Copulative may be resolved by an Hendiadis into an Adjective as pateris libamus auro in Virgil for pateris aureis This will indeed shew it possible that the words may bear such a sence where the connexion requires that they should do so But how does that prove that that is their sense here It is certainly no very natural sense to understand them in and there should be the same exigency proved from the coherence as there in Virgil before Virgil's instance can be made a Precedent But they will appear plainly distinct if we refer them to our Saviours own exposition of them in the Acts. Act. i. 5 There we plainly find the Fire mentioned to have been distinct from the Holy Ghost and to have been no Mystical but a material one 2.3 4. such as spectators were able to discern And why then should not the Water which is here joyned with the Holy Ghost be material too And what other material Water is there of which we can so conveniently understand it as of that of which we are now discoursing § XII BUT if their meaning be to confine our Saviours meaning only to the descent of the Holy Ghost in Pentecost in opposition to his ordinary descent in the ordinary administration of Baptism with material Water that is certainly a confinement very far from our Saviours mind Act. xix 2 3 4 5. St. Paul who undoubtedly knew his mind incomparably better than we do does plainly expound these words of St. John the Baptist of the Holy Ghost which was to be expected in our Saviour's ordinary Baptism And the same way St. Peter understood them in the Case of Cornelius Act. x. 44 45 46 47. when from their having the Baptism of the Holy Ghost he presently infers their Title to our Saviour's ordinary Baptism by material Water And in this latter Case they of the Circumcision were amazed to see the Holy Ghost poured out upon them before their Baptism by material Water Ver. 45. a sign that it was a very rare Case and such as had never been observed in all the Baptisms they had hitherto been acquainted with and yet those had been at several times and of several Thousands And I am apt to think that their ordinary Baptisms were as much by Fire as the Holy Ghost in regard to the lightsome Shechinah which overshadowed the Persons then baptized as that was of the Apostles themselves at Pentecost My reasons I have else where mentioned and shall not now repeat them § XIII BUT what if this very instance of their Baptism by the Holy Ghost on Pentecost be therefore only called a Baptism because it was only a consummation of that Baptism which they had formerly received at their first admission into their Discipleship to our Saviour by material Water Then certainly the consequence will not hold either that the infusion of the Holy Ghost is alone called Baptism but only to imply that it had relation to the water Baptism formerly received by them and much less that it is called water in regard of that Mystical Analogy which it has to water And that this was really the Case it is very reasonable to believe Where-ever the Water Baptism is mentioned elsewhere in conjunction with the Spirit it is never so mentioned as to exclude material water but plainly to include it and that even where this Mystical quality it self is also mentioned So in the Epistle to the Hebrew Heb. x. 22 23. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and our Bodies washed with clean water So in St. Peter 1 Pet. iii. 21 The like figure whereunto Baptism also now saveth us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience towards God So in the Epistle to the Ephesians Eph. v. 26 That he might sanctifie it the Church purifying it with the washing of water in the word § XIV AND there was a particular reason why this part of the Apostles Baptism should be deferred to this Assembly of theirs on Pentecost because the Holy Ghost was not to be given till our Saviours Resurrection So our Saviour himself expressly tells us It is expedient for you that I go away If I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I go away Joh. xvi 7 I will send him unto you And when he had else-where said Joh. vii 38 He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water The Evangelist does thereupon remark This spake he of the Spirit which they that believe should receive for the Holy Spirit was not yet given v. 39 because Jesus was not glorified Possibly the reason why he was deferred till then might be because the Spirit was to succeed Christ in his Office of a Master as I have elsewhere discoursed which could not so properly be done according to the Laws of Succession in Schools then obteining till the Chair was empty by the removal or decease of the former Master And if the Holy Ghost was not given them on their believing before then their having it at Pentecost was absolutely necessary for compleating their Baptism according to the Notion of our Saviours Baptism whose Property it was to give the Holy Ghost And then even that Baptism it self adequately taken did include the Baptism with material water if not when the Holy Ghost was given yet before which amounts to the same purpose § XV AND that this maybe thought the less strange it is very observable that not only in this Case which did particularly require it for the reason now mentioned but also in several others the Holy Ghost it self was given at some distance after Baptism Act. viii 12 So in the conversion of the Samaritans by St. Philip he himself baptized them who had converted them But St. Peter and St. John were afterwards sent to them to pray for them v. 14 15 16 17. and to lay their hands upon them that they might receive the Holy Ghost And the reason is expressly given Ver.
contrived the matter that none of them were driven to this exigence Only Judas died within that period and he had forfeited the interest which his Baptism by water had given him in this Promise of his Spirit by his misdemeanours after his Baptism However the matter was it is certain that their Case was not so advantagious to them then as it was after they had received the Spirit when our Saviour tells them that it was expedient for them that he should go away from them St. Joh. xvi 7 thereby implying plainly how more advantagious the Spirit should be which they were to receive upon his departure than his own presence it self and besides was singular and such as cannot be made a Precedent by our present Brethren They cannot pretend any such resolution of our Saviour not to give the Spirit constantly with his Baptism which might oblige him to make other provisions for those who receive his Baptism when their failing of it is not imputable to any neglect on their part but to his own resolution Nor can they pretend any such supplement of it as the presence of our Saviour was which when it was withdrawn our Saviour himself then thought it necessary immediately to fulfil the Promise he had made to them offending the Spirit to them Our Brethren live at present under actual and settled establishments and where they can come by them by any diligence or unsinful condescensions on their own part they have reason to expect either to stand or fall by them § XXVIII THE second Grace of our Saviours Baptism is forgiveness of sins And this is also frequently ascribed to it in the Scripture So Annanias to St. Paul Arise and be baptized Act. xxii 16 and wash away thy sins 1 Cor. vi 11 So St. Paul himself to the Corinthians after having mentioned several sins he adds Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified So St. Peter Repent Act. ii 38 and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Ver. 37. of that sin particularly for which they had been pricked to the heart Ver. 23 36. Eph. v. 26 27. their crucifying of our Saviour So Christ is said to sanctifie and cleanse his Church with the washing of water by the word That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish So in the forementioned passage to the Hebrews both those effects of Baptism are joyned together Heb. x. 22 the sprinkling of our hearts from an evil conscience that is from a consciousness of sin as well as that of washing our bodies with pure water § XXIX NOW for applying this Argument I suppose it will not be doubted but that he who lies under the guilt of his sins is in an unsalvable condition and therefore that this Grace is such as is absolutely necessary for Salvation and consequently that all those means must be also necessary without which this Grace cannot be obtained For the Scripture plainly supposes that all have sinned Rom. iii. 23.iv.6 7. and fallen short of the glory of God And therefore there can be no hopes at present of recovering that glory by innocence but by forgiveness of those sins of which the Scripture supposes us all guilty If therefore it may appear that all Persons unbaptised are under the guilt of sin till they be baptised it will plainly follow that they are relievable from that guilt by any other means but Baptism For if there were any other means antecedent to Baptism whereby sin might be remitted then such Persons as might make use of those means might be freed from their sins antecedently to Baptism and so could not when they come to be baptized be supposed under any such guilt This will bring the proof home to the Negative for which I am at present principally concerned For my design at present is not hereby to prove that Baptism is a means of obtaining forgiveness of sins but that it is the only ordinary means of obtaining that forgiveness For from hence alone it will clearly follow that it will be necessary for every one to be baptized who desires that forgiveness § XXX AND this will also prevent those Objections which our dissenting Brethren are apt to make from those Scriptures which ascribe our washing from our sins either to the blood of Christ or to the Spiritual Mystical part of the Sacrament I do not at present doubt but that it is the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sins 1 Joh. i. 7 1 Pet. iii. 21 and that it is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience which saves us Our present concernment is only to know whether the merit of this blood be not applied by Baptism or whether this Mystical influence of Baptism on the Spirit be not ordinarily confined to this external Baptism by water If this be the truth in both Cases then it will plainly follow that he who continues unbaptized cannot whilest he continues so expect any relief either from the blood of Christ or from this Spiritual Mystical part of Baptism that may encourage them to defer this Baptism by water Though indeed the ill consequence of the contrary suppositions to the destroying all rational obligation to Baptism were enough to convince our Brethren who would throughly and impartially consider it of the falshood of these Suppositions For if on the only moral Duties of faith and repentance the blood of Christ might be expected to wash us from our sins what need could there be of Baptism For with these they suppose the blood of Christ will do it alone without Baptism And without them Baptism it self will never do it And the same consequence will follow from the other supposition For who would ever desire the Baptism of water if without it he might be secured of this Mystical Baptism of the Spirit § XXXI NOW that this is so that is that unbaptized Persons cannot be supposed to have received the benefit of this washing of the blood of Christ or of this Mystical Baptism will appear from these two Considerations that all who would be Christians are obliged to receive even the Baptism of water and that all who come to this Baptism are supposed under the guilt of sin From both these put together it will plainly appear that no unbaptized Persons can be supposed to have had their sins remitted to them by any other provision antecedent to Baptism That all that would be Christians are obliged to receive this Baptism even by water may appear from hence that it is indeed by this that they are made Christians as the name Christian signifies any thing of priviledg that it is by this that they are admitted to the Covenant of Christ that it is by this they become Disciples