perish if we look unto the order in which he stands in respect of God that predestinates See the suffrage of the Divines of great Brittain art 5. part 2. thes 3 4 5 6. Davenants Epist prop. ult Burges on Justification pag. 240. The Assemblies confession of faith Position 3 3. Sins of this nature in an unregenerate man bring him under Gods wrath and present displeasure though they do not work him into a state of wrath or utter losse of his justified state They cause him to bear his Fathers frown though he shall not dye as a Malefactor He shall not enter into condemnation yet he is not taken out of the hands of discipline see Isai 57.17 18. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heal him I will lead him also and restore comforts to him and to his mourners These of whom the Prophet here speaks were a people of Gods everlasting love being those whom he heals and to whom he restores comforts They were yet overmuch carried out to covetousnesse and pursuit of creature contentments Gods wrath was upon them for this miscarriage of theirs he was moved here upon to appear in displeasure against them he smites them in his wrath and hides his face in displeasure from them having his eye open to their sin but his face withdrawn from their consolation Num. 20.13 we may find Moses and Aarons sin and the Psalmists observation upon it Psal 106.32 33. They angred him also at the waters of strife so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes because they provoked his spirit so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips Moses suffers from God for his sin when he suffered the people to provoke him to sin This Moses seems never to have done with Deut. 1.37 3.26 4.21 so that God punishes for sin and in anger punishes for it If love and wrath cannot consist as some would have it then Moses was none of Gods beloved 2 Sam. 11. we find Davids sin set out at length and how it took with God we find in the end of the chapter The thing that David did displeased the Lord and that it was no otherwise in New-Testament-times is clear As the onenesse and samenesse of the Covenant which we and they were under doth evince it so also Gods dealings with the Corinthians upon their prophanation of the Lords Supper is a proof of it 4. Sin thus committed is such an obstruction in the way of blisse Position 4 and salvation that there lyes a necessity on the soul to come in by repentance and by prayer to make application to the throne of grace in order to pardon and forgivenesse This is Gods way to bring his into the wayes of salvation and life when they have stept aside into the wayes of death To this end God keeps up Discipline with his own hand as we may see 1 Cor. 11.31 32. The Apostle having there reproved these Corinthians in a tart way for prophanation of the Lords Supper and disswaded them from it by the deadly nature of the crime they were herein guilty of the body and blood of the Lord and the danger they incurred eating and drinking judgement to themselves he farther sets before them present experiments of Gods hand For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep In this place he lets them know how they might avoid this judgement If we would judge our selves we should not be judged Our examination and sentence might avert the examination and sentence of heaven And then acquaints them with Gods end in this visit of his to correct as a Father and not condemn as a Judge But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world The application here is easie They are the Elect of God and of saving Gospel interest that are kept from condemnation A way in sin would have brought them as others in the world into condemnation If they might have been saved in sin when the world was damned for sin this correction for that end did not need To avoid condemnation therefore for sin God by his judgements lashes them out of it By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin So that the tendency of sin even in a child of God is to bring to condemnation and the care of God is by afflictions to take him off from sin that he might not be condemned To this end Church-discipline is also set up of God 1. Cor. 5.3 4 5. For I verily as absent in body but present in spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus How farre that sentence of giving up to Satan did reach I shall not stand to determine whether barely to cast him out of the Church and put him among those over whom Satan reigned or as consequent of it horrors and terrors from Satan by Gods just permission when the Church leaves him off from their communion God casts him off from his protection and consolation which as is said ordinarily followed upon this sentence in Primitive times The end is plain the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus If this mans former justification would have brought him on in his sin without step to salvation all this had not needed that his spirit might be saved See further 2 Cor. 7.9 the Apostles severe dealings with these Corinthians concerning this incestuous member had cast them down with grief and this grief raised the Apostles spirit with joy not that they had grieved but that their grief had so happy an issue Now I rejoyce not saith he that ye were made sorry but that ye sorrowed to repentance adding ver 10. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of They were stepping therefore out of the salvation-way repentance brings them back This in reason is plain If new sins thus committed occasion no such obstruction as to bring a necessity of repentance as some would have it then the free grace of God gives a man full liberty to sin opens a gap to all ungodlinesse this will then follow which some have prophanely inferred from some Gospel-principles Live as I list and shall be saved What shall hinder if no way in sin either hath any tendency to condemnation or is any obstruction in the way of salvation Some I know to avoid this speak of that holy filial ingenuous disposition in a
neglected There is strength in that argument from the gift to the use Arguments evincing the necessity of Sacraments from the fruition of any thing from the hand of God as the servant the talent from his Master to the improvement of it These are instituted of God for his people and therefore for the use of his people That which the Apostle speaks respective to Gospel ordinances in general may be applyed to any one in particular We beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain 2 Cor. 6.1 Secondly Frequent explicite commands are added as we have seen in the Scripture proofs respective to either of the Sacraments and though no other reason could be rendred yet the Soveraignty of heaven must be obeyed When the young Prophet that came from Judah 1 Kings 13. did eat bread upon his return expressely contrary to the command of God we know the judgement that followed when the like command is broke in refusal to eat there is the like danger God hath power in positives as well as negatives in commanding of eating as he hath in forbidding Thirdly As it is a duty so also a priviledg we obey a command when we receive a Sacrament and also take a gift And the sleighting of Gods favours equals the evil of disobedience to his commands What sin suffers more then theirs that upon call refuse to come to the wedding supper The gift is annexed to the duty Take eat this is my body they that do not eat have not the promise Fourthly Our necessity calls us to it we have proved the Supper to be an heart-breaking ordinance and there is none that deny it to be a soule strengthening ordinance Hunger will make haste to run to meat guilt to pardon and pain to ease and sorrow to comfort were we as sensible of our hunger or guilt we should make equal haste to Christ in each ordinance in this ordinance Those that are agreed about the necessity of Sacraments are yet at difference about the degree or kind of their necessity That distinction of necessity by precept or command of God and necessity as a means whereby salvation is gained is well known a Adversarii fatentur Sacramenta esse necessaria quia praecepta et etiam necessaira ut media utilia non tamen agnoscunt ullum Sacramentum necessarium simpliciter ut medium Bellarmine saies we yield to them the former that there is the necessity of a divine command upon them And they also yield to us that no other Sacraments of theirs are any otherwise necessary except Baptisme and repentance And we further yield that repentance is of necessity in the most absolute sense being understood of the change of the heart or conversion to God But not under any notion of a Sacrament As to their Sacramental repentance standing in confession in the eares of a Priest taking pennance and receiving absolution from him we do not so much as acknowledg any command of God concerning them All the dispute then is about Baptisme In which also we cannot grant that there is a command given of God concerning it but we must yield that it is necessary as a means whereby God in his ordinary way carries us on by his grace to salvation onely we deny such an absolute necessity of it as that no salvation can be obtained without it They yet yield that desire of Baptisme doth supply the want of it and we yield that those of years that neither have it nor desire it cannot be excluded from contempt of it This growing out of error as in Socinians The kind or degree of necessity in Sacraments and others we say it is dangerous but do not presently conclude it damnable But the want of it where there can be no desire of it as in infants they make damnable in which we wholly are dissenters and cannot yield a necessity of that height in it We have our reasons First Salvation was not tied to Sacraments in the Old Testament not to circumcision in room of which we have baptisme and is by the Apostle called by the name of Baptisme Col. 2.11 This is clear by the delay of it according to Gods command to the eighth day If those perished that died in the mean space which was the case of Davids child their parents obedience of Gods command brought them to perdition And salvation being not tied to Sacraments but attainable without them in the daies of the Old Testament there is no cause to believe that in the New Testament there should be restraint The promulgation of the Gospel did not streighten grace or make the way lesse passeable to life and glory Secondly They that are in Covenant with God are upon that account in capacity of Salvation This is plain what advantage is gained by Covenant if salvation be denyed But such are in Covenant many such that never were baptized This is as clear I will be thy God and the God of thy seed assoone as Abraham had a child he had a child in Covenant which howsoever Jesuits and after them Anabaptists would understand of the spiritual seed yet God as we see through the Old Testament ownes them as his in a greater latitude Those to whom he gave the land of Canaan are his seed there mentioned But he gave not the Land of Canaan to the spiritual seed onely Therefore they onely are not the seed there mentioned The New Testament holds it out in as great latitude as I have abundantly shewed Thirdly As Abraham the Father of the faithful came into a state of justification and salvation so others may attain to it in like sort This is evident of it self But Abraham was in a state of justification without application of any Sacrament in his state of uncircumcision and not of Circumcision as the Apostle argues by computing the time when it was said of him that he believed the Lord and it was accounted unto him for righteousnesse Rom. 4.9 10. Fourthly If Baptisme be of this absolute necessity that regeneration is affixt to it and none can be saved without it then it is in mans power to save and destroy as is said of Nebuchadnezzar whom he would he slew and whom he would he kept alive Dan. 5.19 which was the highest pitch of prerogative in regard of the outward man so it may be said of man respective to eternity of blisse or misery according to them the meanest midwife may Baptize them ready to give up the Ghost and save them neglect them and damne them The Infant set out in type Ezek. 16. And Moses in the flags lay sadly at mans mercy for this fading life but thousands of infants are alike at mercy according to this tenent for eternity Joh. 3.5 vindicated The great objection which is made on the contrary and that onely which is worthy of consideration is drawn from Christs words in conference with Nicodemus Joh. 3.5 Except a man be born of water and of
the mercies of the Covenant No opinion that they hold party that they take name that they think they have got supposed interest that they have in Christ can acquit them They may be denominated unsanctified or unholy men having not obtained that which the Apostle sought in prayer in behalf of the Thessalonians that they might be sanctified throughout in spirit soul and body sanctification purifies all the unclean and heales all the diseased parts And no unclean person can inherit the Kingdome of God Eph. 5.5 They are truely styled impenitent ones Repentance is a return to God in the same latitude as our departure by sin was from him In every sin of all these and of the like kind we depart from God In repentance therefore we are to return from every sin to God The Prophet tells us upon what terms our souls may be freed from ruine by sin Ezek. 18.30 Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine and unlesse we repent we shall all perish Luk. 13.3 5. They are justly pronounced to be void of grace there being that contrariety between grace and sin that they cannot rest in the same subject or lodge continually in the same heart without opposiition Where grace is prevalent sin falls and where sin prevails grace is excluded and it is the grace of God that brings salvation Tit. 2.11 They are void of the Spirit of regeneration As our birth-corruption hath in it the spawn of all sin so regeneration hath the seed of all grace And Except we be born again we cannot see the Kingdome of God John 3.3 These are the men which by their claime of Baptisme The uselessenesse of Sacraments to these persons and offer of themselves to the Lords Table subscribe the equity of their own condemnation and justifie the sentence of death pronounced against themselves They accept the Covenant on those terms on which it is tendered in the Gospel and upon these terms they are under the wrath of God and lyable to the sentence of eternal death Yet not remedilessely helplessely hopelessely as it is with those oftentimes that upon forfeitures of Covenant fall into the hands of man the forfeiture being once made advantages are taken by many to the uttermost The prodigal is an instance of the Fathers readinesse to receive to mercy those that have gone away from him in wayes of sin And the Prophet tells us Ezek. 18.21 22. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not dye All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him in his righteousnesse that he hath done he shall live And though it be a wickednesse that reaches to the highest violation of Covenant yet this shall not hinder Jer. 3.1 They say If a man put away his wife and she go from him and become another mans shall he return unto her again Shall not that land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet returne again to me saith the Lord. He that hath hitherto come in the highest degree of unworthinesse to the Lords Table as oft as he hath come to it yet casting that off which was his unworthinesse and coming up to Gods terms he is now received and accepted SECT VII A further Corollary from the former Doctrine THen let all take heed that they look for no more from Sacraments then God hath put into them We are to look for no more from Sacraments then God hath put into them and promised to do by them and hath promised to work by them least looking unto them and waiting for them as the troops of Tema and companies of Sheba for the stream of Brooks which vanish when they wax warm and are consumed out of their place they be confounded and coming thither be ashamed And this caveat is no more then needs seeing men in all times have been wonderfully apt to delude themselves upon account of their fruition of outward Church-priviledges Mens aptnesse to delude themselves in Sacramental priviledges and in particular Sacrament-priviledges And to this they are induced by divers reasons 1. Because Sacraments are an honour which God hath vouchsaf'd to his people and denyed to others that stand not in that relation and they cannot think that it is in vain that such an honour is conferred upon them 2. There are great promises annext to them and made to those that make right improvement of them The bread is the Communion of the body and the wine in the Lords Supper the Communion of the blood of Christ 1 Cor 10.16 It is the New Testament in Christs blood shed for many for the remission of sins Matth. 26.28 Baptisme saves through the resurrection of Christ 1 Pet. 3.21 As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 Insomuch that we have been taught that in Baptisme we are made children of God members of Christ and inheriters of the Kingdom of heaven These promises are streight applied without any eye had to the terms and Propositions annext to them like unto men that look at dignities in offices and never regard the burthens 3. Interest in Sacraments is not onely a priviledge but a duty not onely an honour but a work of obedience in them that partake of them To be baptized with water and to eat of the Bread and drink of the Cup in the Lords Supper is a duty as it was to be circumcised in the flesh of the foreskin and to eat the Paschal Lambe at the time appointed and there is danger in neglect of these This gives some ease and speaks some peace to the conscience that they have done the Command of the Lord. 4. They are yet matters of ease especially New-Testament-Sacraments Here is no mortification of the members no crucifying of the flesh no cutting off the right hand or plucking out the right eye and therefore no marvel that men could wish that all Religion were in them and hope that salvation may be gained by them Lastly Those of these conceits have alwayes met with teachers to sooth them up in them In all Ages some have over-highly advanced Sacramental priviledges and carry on their delusion How high was Circumcision set up in the Apostles times as in regard of the necessity of it Acts 15.1 Certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved So also in regard of the power and efficacy of it and therefore the Apostle was put to it to warn men in that way of the delusion and to give that undervaluing term of concision to it Phil. 3.2 After-age produced Schoolmen and Popish Writers to magnifie them affixing and limiting salvation except in some cases extraordinary to the water in Baptisme and
To make all men see what is the fellowship of the Sacrament Eph. 3.9 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this Sacrament among the Gentiles Col. 1.27 Great is the Sacrament of godlinesse 1 Tim. 3.16 The Sacrament of the seven starres Rev. 1.20 I will tell thee the Sacrament of the woman and the beast that carries her Rev. 17.7 And Tertullian speaking of Christianity calls it k Religionis Christianae Sacramentum The Sacrament of Christian Religion and Jerom saith l Sacramenta Dei sunt praedicare benedicere confirmare communionem reddere visitare infirmos orare Refert Gerardus de Sacram. cap. 1. The Sacraments of God are to preach to blesse to strengthen and establish to hold communion to visit the sick and pray Allegorical interpretations of Scripture also are called by the Ancients by the name of Sacraments Sometimes every outward sign of any thing that is holy is called by the name of Sacrament And as they began to borrow rites from the Jews in Baptisme they called them by the name of Sacraments Their Ointments and Chrismes yea the Crosse it self which the Church of Rome makes no more then a ceremony in Sacraments are called by the name of Sacraments But these acceptations of the word are grown obsolete and are so far from holding out the nature of those Ordinances which now passe under the name of Sacraments that men cannot be brought to any mistake in reading of them The word Sacrament is ordinarily now taken in that sense as Austine doth define it An outward visible sign of an inward spiritual grace that is a sign instituted of God to hold out and seal saving grace to the soul as afterward God willing may be more largely held forth Now in every Ordinance of this nature there is first an outward sign open to the senses secondly there is a spiritual grace thirdly an order established and declared between the sign and the thing signified and some of these still give the denomination Sometimes the outward sign is taken for the Sacrament and therefore the distinction is ordinary between Sacramentum and rem Sacramenti And it can be no more than a bare sign when the thing signified is apart considered and put in opposition to it Sometimes the outward sign and the thing signified considered joyntly are called by the name of a Sacrament and this Gerard sayes is the most proper and most usual acceptation Sometimes the order or analogy that is betwixt the sign and the thing signified is called by the name of Sacrament and therefore Keckerman defines a Sacrament to be m Sacramentum est ordo sanctus inter rem externam in sensus incurrentem et visus imprimis objectum tanquam â—â—gnum et inter rem spiritualem tanquam signatum à Christo Mediatore institutus ad obsignandam fidelibus redemptionis certitudinem et simul beneficia quae ex redemptione fluunt tum significanda tum confirmanda an holy order between the outward element obvious to the sense especially to the sight and the spirituall grace as the thing signified instituted of Christ the Mediatour to seal to Believers the assurance of redemption and with it all benefits that flow from redemption So that he makes neither the outward sign nor yet the thing signified apart considered to be the Sacrament in that definition nor yet the outward sign and thing signified joyntly considered but the order or analogy that is held between them Lastly the word Sacrament is taken for the outward sign with relation had to the thing signified leading to it and by way of seal confirming it and in this sense it is taken by Divines when they treat exactly about it And in that sense the Apostle takes circumcision when he defines it to be A sign and seal of the righteousnesse of Faith Rom. 4.11 The use and office of the cutting off the foreskin of the flesh as by way of sign and seal it stands in relation to the righteousnesse of faith is there held forth This therefore we may well judge to be the most proper acceptation of it Keckerman therefore as soon as he had defined a Sacrament as before presently tells us that n Sacramenti vox per se concreta est et significat rem sive subjectum cum modo rei id est cum rel tione rei additâ interim tamen potest etiam usurpari pro Ipso abstracto id est pro relatione ut nos quidem in definitione usurpavimus the word of it self is a concrete and signifies the thing or subject with the manner of it that is saith he with the relation added to it yet it may be taken for the abstract that is for the relation as saith he we have put into the definition But seeing the word of it self by our Authors confession is no abstract but a concrete and the Apostle in his definition doth so consider it we have just reason in that sense to speak to it and so in this whole Treatise I shall take it And before I proceed in any further Enquiry the Reader may justly expect such a definition as may serve as a thred through the whole Discourse But my intention being to enquire something into the nature of Sacraments in mans integrity that so the Work may answer the Title A Treatise of the Sacraments but mainly to insist on those that are appointed by God for his people in the Covenant of Grace I am necessitated to put off the enquiry after such a definition that may give satisfaction till I come to that which I intend as my principal Subject Yet that by the way he may not be wholly left unsatisfied I shall here offer such a definition that may comprehend all Sacraments as well in the Covenant of Works as in the Covenant of Grace intreating him to forbear any strict enquiry into the reasons of it untill he come into the full Body of the Discourse where by the definition which God willing shall be given of Sacraments in the Covenant of Grace and from Scripture at large confirmed he may easily judge of the definition of Sacraments in general and thus I suppose it may be held out A Sacrament is a sign instituted of God for the use of his people in Covenant to signifie and seal his Promises upon Terms and Propositions by himself prescribed and appointed CHAP. II. Sect. I. Of Sacraments in mans state of integrity I shall leave the word which is of least moment being not of divine original and come to enquire after the thing which must be distinguished before it can be defined either in the general what a Sacrament is or what this or that Sacrament viz. Baptisme or the Supper of the Lord is in particular Now Sacraments being instituted of God for the use of men in tendency towards their happinesse must be considered according to the several states of man and dispensations in which God hath
his reason seeing by baptisme grace is given If any one be rightly disposed to receive the effect of baptisme in the instant that he receives perfect Baptisme he shall receive grace therefore he receives the Sacrament with sufficient dignity and sanctity further adding Seeing this is a Sacrament of the dead grace is not praerequired for the receiving of it being ordained to confer grace that disposition is sufficient upon which the Sacrament confers such an effect Suarez in tertiam partem Thom. Tom. 3. Q. 68. Dis 24. art 4. Sec. 2. p. 250. Our opinion being otherwise of the work of baptisme it is otherwise concerning admission to baptisme when men are willing to be received into the number of Christians and will engage for Christian wayes which necessarily implies a profession of repentance of all unchristian practices we judge them to have right of admission Thirdly How far rules laid down by some Fathers and Councils for the way of discipline did exceed in rigour hath been the complaint of many not admitting those that had been overtaken by temptation to Church-fellowship notwithstanding any evidence of repentance till after many years space of humiliation In which time how much advantage might be given to Satan let men of experience judge Mr. F. himself dislikes their long deferring of their Catechumeni from baptisme and may not others have liberty to manifest their dislike as well as he Fourthly Let it be taken into due consideration whether such rigour in holding converts off so long a space and requiring such an height in preparatory graces were not a great remora to the progresse of the Gospel and gaining in men to Christian profession How speedy a progresse the Gospel made in the Apostles times we may see in the Acts of the Apostles and Ecclesiastical Story Dr. Andrewes in his Preface to his Work on the Commandements quotes a testimony of Egesippus That by the diligent instructing of the Church there was no known Common-Wealth of any part of the world inhabited but within 40 years after Christs Passion received a great shaking off of heathenish Religion But how slowly it proceeded after some time is over-plain May not the difference of their way that thus swerved from the Apostles and men in Apostolique times be assigned as a great reason We find them facile in admission but in the mean time exceeding plain in making known what was required of them in order to the end of their professed faith their everlasting salvation that were admitted Fifthly If it may be granted which according to Scripture rules can never be denied that men wrought off from Turcisme Paganisme Judaisme and brought to a profession of Christianity and a professed engagement to Christian wayes have their right and stand in title to baptisme If then upon observation of inconveniences arising as jealousies conceived that they may offer themselves out of design to work themselves into a fairer opportunity of persecution as was suspected in Paul the Church in Prudence for some space shall delay their admission I shall not contend Onely I assert their right and justifie their practice that proceed accordingly and unlesse some great cause appear to the Churches prejudice tendring themselves they are actually to be received A Digression for Vindication of Chap. 32. of the Treatise of the Covenant from Mr. Baxters Exceptions touching the Faith that entitles to Baptisme HEre I am put upon it to take into consideration The occasion of this Digression that which Learned Mr. Baxter in his Apology hath been pleased to oppose against me Though he be large I shall make it my businesse if it may be to be more brief I entitled the two and thirtieth Chapter of my Treatise of the Covenant in this manner A dogmatical Faith entitles to Baptisme being a Corollary naturally as I yet think inferred from the Doctrine that I had before delivered of the latitude of the Covenant explaining my self that I meant such a faith that assents to Gospel-truths though not affecting the heart to a full choyce of Christ and therefore short of that Faith which is justifying and saving ratifying it with several arguments In which I might well have thought that I should have found my ancient friend my Second rather then an Adversary considering what he had delivered pag. 224. of his Treatise of Infants Church-Membership This opinion Mr. Baxters concession that the Covenant of grace which Baptisme sealeth is onely to the Elect and is not conditional is one of the two master pillars in the Antinomian fabrick and afterwards If any shall think that this affirming that Christ hath brought the reprobate also into a Covenant of grace conditional be any part of the Arminian errors as the whole scope of Scriptures is against them so Mr. Blake hath said enough to satisfy He that will deny reprobates to be so farre within the Covenant of grace must not onely denye infant Baptisme but all Sacraments till he be able infallibly to discern a man to be Elect. I did never rise so high in words for my opinion as the Reader may here see my adversary hath done for me and I shall have more occasion to observe his concessions in this thing But how to reconcile all with that which pag 327. of the same Treatise he delivers I know not If men be taught once that it is a Faith short of justifying and saving faith which admitteth men to Baptisme as having true right in foro Dei it will make foul work in the Church This he asserts with five several arguments to which in the Chapter quoted I gave a brief answer not once naming the Author that if it might be such contests with a man that I so much honour might not have been observed and yet the truth not deserted Before he enters upon any refutation of my arguments or vindication of his own he is pleased to spend nine full pages to shew how farre he takes unregenerate men to be in Covenant and to discover as he saies my mind in this point Neere to the close of that discourse he saies that what I mean by Covenanting he despairs to know which surely will be the Readers wonder that knowes what he hath said pag. 224. before mentioned I speak impartially according to my judgement I think there is more true worth in those two or three leaves of Mr. Blakes book in opening of the Covenant then in all c. And as he despaires to know my meaning so I as much despair ever to make it known to him He quotes very many expressions of mine and knowes my meaning in none of them and some that I borrow from others as Dr. Preston and Pareus and he knowes neither my meaning nor theirs in them And in case I should make attempt if it might be to make it further clear he hath still an art to render it obscure He observes that I say that which I think all say that the accepting of the word preacht
he calls the great question between him and me is no question at all It were madnesse to affirm that which with these limits he thus denyes Yet still I say that the Covenant which Baptisme seales is made with the unregenerate as well as regenerate persons which as we have heard he makes Mr. Tombe's error to deny And because the Covenant belongs to them Baptisme in like sort belongs to them and as upon that account we must baptize them so in foro Dei according to the mind of Jesus Christ they have right to Baptisme Which in case Mr. Baxter shall deny I shall desire him to reflect upon the afore-cited passages of his own together with that which pag. 65 of this Treatise he delivers If it be the whole matter of Christianity that is professed but dissembledly then as he is equivocally or analogically a believer or Christian so I yield he is a member of the Church visible And Church-membership is one of his own mediums to prove a right to Church-entrance by Baptisme and here is a Faith not above dogmatical At least short of that which is justifying and yet such a faith as is real having reall fruits and effects and sometimes reall miracles If the argument hold when it is thus enfeebled how much more when it is put in its full strength Such an one is univocally in Covenant whose dissimulation is no other then necessarily attends an unregenerate estate in case there be any thing in Scripture above equivocation They remembred that God is their Rock the high God their Redeemer Psal 78.34 And whereas I stand charg'd in this discourse by Mr. Baxter with several uncouth if not wild opinions and assertions about the Covenant and Mr. Baxter despairs as we have heard of understanding of my meaning I shall here endeavour as to vindicate so to explain my self in like manner that the Reader if not Mr. Baxter may be brought to a right understanding avoiding as much as may be both nicety and multiplicity 1. It is said that I suppose certain Promises to go before the great Law of Grace Those that suppose such saith he are of two sorts 1. The Arminians and Jesuites 2. Such as Mr. Bl. about Church-Ordinances And having spent many lines upon the Arminians to shew his dissent and assent so that the Reader may well have forgotten both me and my charge he saith 2. The Author vindicated from a fiction imposed The second part of promises before the great Covenant of Grace is feigned by Mr. Bl. and if there be any other that go that way as some do and that with some difference amongst themselves and that is a promise of Church-priviledges upon condition of a faith not justifying nor saving One that Mr. Baxter will not deny to be eminently learned and I think as well vers'd in his Writings and mine as any man alive Far better I believe then he in mine or I in his upon observation of this passage replyed as by addresse to him You rather feign this of Mr. Bl. then find it in him And I professe I know no man whose brain ever either hatch'd or vented such a crotchet Neither do I know how this mistake was ever entertained for I believe it was a mistake unlesse it be that taking for granted that there is no Covenant of grace entred with any out of the state of grace and finding that I assert that Church-Ordinances appertain to unregenerate Christians and those that are short of faith that is justifying he here fancies a promise of these made to a faith of this kind Whereas that which I say is That every acceptation of a Gospel-tender which tenders a man a Christian outwardly actually vests him in right to these Ordinances as it did the Jew outwardly Rom. 3.1 And that these Ordinances are necessarily requisite to bring men up to the fruition of those happy priviledges of Pardon Justification Adoption Glorification So that I conceit no promise of these Ordinances made to such a faith but an actual investiture of every such believer in them Neither do I know any promises preceding the Covenant of Grace Such must be made to meer Heathens or those that are in a parallel estate aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel Unlesse perhaps some such promise to some such upon some particular account may be found Yet if he can work me to be of his mind that Election Regeneration and the Covenant of Grace are commensurate so that no non-elect man is in Covenant then shall I say that there are Promises made before the Covenant The Apostle speaking of the Jews that for the generality of them were neither elect nor regenerate saith To them appertained the Covenants I may therefore charge it upon him with better reason then he upon me Those stand vested in promises that he sayes are out of Covenant The Promise is said to belong to those Jews Rom. 9.4 on whom yet the Word took no saving effect verse 6. Hence by opposition to the Gentiles they were those that were not strangers to the Church but of it They were not strangers to the Covenant of Promise but in the same Eph. 2.11 12. Hence God saith he maketh his Covenant with them all Deut. 29.10 12 13 14 15. speaking there of that solemn renewal of the Covenant of Grace as Deut. 30.6 10 12 13 14. compared with Rom. 10.6 7 8. evinceth So Ezek. 16.8 he made a Covenant with that Church and people many whereof proved very base as that Chapter sheweth Cobbet just vindicat pag. 46. Where much more to this purpose from many Texts of Scripture may be seen The Authour further vindicated I am farther charged that my common phrase is That they namely unregenerate men are in the outward Covenant with this note upon it what that is I cannot tell Who would not now think but that here were a phrase peculiarly mine Upon which the same learned hand as before expresseth himself in these words I do not see that that phrase is common with Mr. Bl. He rather useth it as from others which any may evidently see if they consult pag. 189 190. of my Treatise of the Covenant But of this I have spoke before and therefore his guesses upon it that he believes that it is called outward by reason of outward blessings annexed to it might have been spared They that use it expresse their own meaning The Covenant they say is but one and the same but all are not in the Covenant after one and the same manner Some are onely in it by outward profession to the present participation of outward priviledges but some by cordial acceptance to the enjoyment of saving benefits by means of these priviledges He sayes in the place quoted I should have thought it but reasonable for Mr. Bl. 1. To have told us what those outward blessings are that this Covenant promiseth But what need I to tell him when pag. 61. he hath told me that it is a
promise of Church-priviledges and I now tell him that these stand actually possest of these priviledges and have all the Promises together with these priviledges that the Gospel contains And that these priviledges are appointed of God to bring them in Gods way to the possession of them 2. Saith he That he would have it proved out of Scripture that God hath such a Covenant distinct from the Covenant of grace which promiseth Justification and Salvation and having other conditions on our part To this I know not what to say but that when Mr. Baxter hath proved that there are not onely mountains of earth in his West side of England viz. Wreakin Mawbourn Clee but also mountnins of Gold I will endeavour the proof of this if I can tell how for he hath had as many thoughts of such golden Chimaera's as I have had of any such Covenant distinct from the Covenant of Grace which in my name he here imagineth Having vindicated my self from these imposed fancies that never entred into my thoughts I shall now endeavour if it may be further to clear my own meaning in these following Propositions Propositions tending to cleer the Authors meaning 1. Those that take upon themselves a Christian profession being separate for God calling him by the name of Lord that have Ordinances of God as their inheritance that acknowledge a Deity and no other but the true Deity a necessity of worship and none but the Christian worship these with me are in Covenant with God as was Propos 1 the whole state of the Church of the Jewes and the whole face of the visible Church of the Gentiles that were engraffed in their stead This to me is plain in that they are the Church or Churches of God Acts 7.8 Gal. 1.2 The called of God Mat. 22.14 The people of God Isa 1.2 Psal 90.7 They that sacrific'd to the true God Psal 50.7 Are the sons of God Gen. 6.1 Deut. 14.1 Rom. 9.4 Are a people nigh unto the Lord Deut. 4.7 Psal 148. ult God professing himself to be their God Psal 90.7 Are Children of the Covenant Acts 3.35 Saints Psal 90.5 Act. 26.10 1 Cor. 14.33 Believers Act. 8.12 13. Act. 21.20 Luke 8.13 Disciples Matth. 10.1 4. Acts 9.1 15.10 Christians Act. 11.26 That all of these imply a Covenant-state and that unregenerate men have in Scripture all this honour is clear These therefore with me are in Covenant I know that as to all of these elogies it is answered in a word that they are equivocal An answer that I can scarce take into my thoughts without horrour As though Gods oracles were all over from one end of the Bible to the other like those of Apollo and there were no reality either in their separation for God or gifts that they receive from God which as to illumination conviction faith as well ordinary as extraordinary oftentimes are many or priviledges that they enjoy But this we shall have further occasion to consider and when there can be no plain denial that all of this here mentioned argues Covenant-state a quarrel seems to be pickt rather then any direct answer given For as I say pag. 189 of my Treatise That in Old-Testament-times the Covenant was made with Israel in the uttermost latitude of it with all those that bore the name of Israel making proof at large from Deut. 29. as the Reader may see Mr. Baxter quoting the place takes notice of no more then that it was made with all Israel and infers pag. 65. So that it seems he takes all to be in Covenant that bear the name Christian And then questions What Though they know not what Christ or Christianity is Is taking a name entring into Covenant The poor Indians that by thousands are forced by the Spaniard to be baptized are said to know so little what they do that some of them forget the name of a Christian which they assumed And do's not he think that a man may take as plausible exceptions against his word where he saith The rule is That a serious professour of the faith is to be taken for a true Believer If he would travel as far as India for it as he doth here against Gods Word Do not we know that force may make these poor Indians to appear serious in their profession And it is wonder that it should be so strange with him that taking a name should be entring Covenant or at least that it should imply a Covenant-state Let him consult Isa 4.1 and those manifold Scripture-Texts which expresse the relation of Gods Covenant-people to him in these words A people called by his Name or on whom the Name of God is called And distinction should be put between children of the Covenant by descent from parents in Covenant whether Jewes or Christians who continue their Covenant relation till they professedly cast it off notwithstanding their ignorance and such that of meer aliens are to be received having no other title then their own present qualification This ought to be voluntary as well in renouncing their old false way as embracing the present as we see it was in those converts through the Acts of the Apostles And it is not to be without some competency of knowledge discerning the evill of their former course and the happinesse attainable in the present And I am easily induced to believe that more knowledg by the industry of teachers is now required then was in the primitive times seeing there is not so much of God by miracle to perswade and as it were to overrule So that it is not a naked taking of a name that is intended but that which still attends upon it As a wife is called by her husbands name and withall makes her abode in his house so it is with a Covenant-people and was with Israel They bore the name of God and they made abode in the Church of God enjoying his Ordinannances as their inheritance Mr. Baxter saies For the Word of God God oft bestowes it on infidels and in England there aremen that deride the truth of Scripture and esteem it afliction and yet for credit of men come ordinarily to the Congregation These have the Word given and so have other unregenerate men but not by Covenant that I know of That God doth bestow his Word on infidells to me is strange it is true that he often tenders it to them but in case they remain infidells they put it away from them and bestowing implies not onely a tender but an acceptance It is the great advantage of Israel above other Nations that to them was committed the oracles of God when others had not that honour And to speak of Gods giving his Word by Covenant is a most improper speech seeing it is the very Covenant droughts as though we should say he gives his Word by his Word And these sure are no open deriders that for the credit of men make such a publique profession this would work restraint on
happinesse and that he ought to take Christ for his Lord and Saviour c. and that this may be done truly not onely as to reality of assent but as to reality of purpose to make this choyce so far as the man knowes his own heart or the mind of God in this work though there be not that integrity to yield up himself wholly which yet by the power of Ordinances through the Spirit in Gods time may be done and through grace perfected Lastly God setting up a visible Church upon earth in order to that Propos 6 which is invisible will have those admitted that give assent to Scripture-doctrine and accordingly make profession And this of it self in foro Dei brings them into Covenant-right and visible Church-membership And therefore according to the mind of God and as Apollonius speaks jure Dei in this estate are to be received Though they shall hit or misse of the mercy of the Covenant accordingly as by grace they come up to or by sin fall short of the Propositions contained in it A Scholar saâ—th Mr. Hudson that is admitted into a School is not admitted because he is doctus but ut sit doctus and if he will submit to the rules of the School and apply himself to learn it is enough for his admission The like may be said of the Church visible which is Christs School Vindicat. p. 248. To which Mr. Baxter himself if I understand him hath given his assent in his Treatise of everlasting rest Part 4. Sect. 3. The door of the visible Church is incomparably wider then the door of heaven and Christ is so tender so bountiful and forward to convey his grace and the Gospel so free an offer and invitation to all that surely Christ will keep no man off if they will come quite over in spirit to Christ they shall be welcome if they will come but onely to a visible profession he will not deny them admittance This seems to speak the mind of Jesus Christ for their admittance and that in foro Dei as well as in foro Ecclesiae they stand in Covenant-relation and have title to Church-membership Thus Mr. Baxter and the Reader may see my thoughts in this thing and though I doubt not but that he will question much that I have said yet now at last I hope both he and others may know my meaning Argument 2. vindicated Argument vindicated 2 My second Argument is All the obsurdities following the restraint of the Covenant to the Elect or men of a saving Faith follow upon this restraint of interest in baptism Mr. Baxter answers What absurdities follow such restraint of it to sound believers as I have asserted I should be willing to know though with some labour I have searched for it Bear with me therefore whilest I examine what you referre me to It is pag. 109. where you charge those absurdities I wonder that all this labour for search should need when as he saies he hath a reference and the Reader I think may see enough from Mr. Baxters own hand in the places already mentioned one part of the first absurdity which I have pressed Mr. Baxter is pleased to repeat This restriction of the Covenant to shut out all the non-regenerate makes an utter confusion betwixt the Covenant it self and the conditions of it The restriction of the Covenant to the regenerate confounds the Covenant and conditions together or if the expression do not please the Covenant it self and the duties required in it between our entrance into covenant and our observation of it or walking up in faithfulnesse to it All know that a bargain for a Summe of money and the payment of that Summe the covenant with a servant for labour and the labour according to this covenant are different things Faithfull men that make a bargain keep it enter covenant and stand to it But the making and keeping the entring and observing are not the same and according to this opinion Regeneration is our entrance into Covenant and regeneration is our keeping of Covenant before regeneration we make no Covenant after regeneration we break no Covenant there is no such thing as Covenant-breaking All this makes an utter confusion in the Covenant After a charge big enough he saies I cannot give my judgement of the intolerablenesse and great danger of your mistake here manifested without unmannerlinesse I will therefore say but this It is in a very weighty point near the foundation wherein to erre cannot be safe To which I onely say I wish he had spoken fully out that the intolerablenesse and supposed great danger of my mistake might have been seen and I earnestly desire all my friends that in case I erre in this manner as I stand charged that they would afford me their help to discover my error but I trust I shall make it good that my error at the highest is but equivocal He addes In my Aphorisms pag. 265. I gave my reasons for the contrary we must therefore see first what is said there where he thus bespeakes his Reader Here let me mind you of one useful observation more The Covenanting on our parts is a principal part of the conditions of the Covenant though this may seem strange that a covenanting and performing conditions should be almost all one And indeed I think all intelligent Readers will judge it to be farre more strange than true though we are to hear of that which is more strange presently we are told of reasons in this page but I find no piece of a reason in it but onely I say instead of a reason And I know not where any thing towards a proof of this position may be found unlesse it be in the Poets Hyperbole Dimidium facti qui bene coepit habet He that hath well begun hath half done yet half is not almost all He goes on It is a truth so farre beyond all doubt that our own Covenanting is a principal part of the condition of the Covenant of grace as that it is in other terms a great part of the substance of the Gospel Here are mysterious words Is our covenanting a part of the condition or is the condition a part of the Covenant The condition is here made the integrum and our Covenanting one part of the condition This is above my reason And for the other part I say if our covenanting be a great part of the substance of the Gospel then the Jew outwardly did make a better progresse in Gospel-waies then we are yet aware of or the Apostle understood when he spake so much as we read Rom. 2. concerning him for he was in Covenant otherwise he had been no Jew at all but a Pagan or Heathen Having told us I cannot guesse to what end that the same act is called our conditions as the performers and Gods conditions as the imposer and promiser giving his blessings onely on these imposed conditions he addes Most properly they are called the
the inward Essence and the other according to the outward manner of Existence Yet this must be taken further into Consideration seeing from this distribution of the Church Mr. Baxter hath got up an Argument to prove visible Churches to be no Churches which is his nineteenth Argument of his 26. and is thus framed If the distribution of the Church into visible and invisible be but of the subject into divers adjuncts and not of a Genus into its Species then that part or those Members which are meerly visible are indeed no part of the Members of the Church so distributed but are onely Equivocally called a Church Church-Members c. The Antecedent must be yielded him the Consequence he saith is undeniable in that adjuncts are no part of the Essence much lesse the form or the whole Essence and therefore cannot denominate but aequivocally instead of the essence To this I answer the consequence might as fairly have been that these members which are invisible are no parts or members of the Church so distributed seeing invisibility or invisible as is confest is an adjunct as well as visibility or visible There may be a distribution of man by hundreds of adjuncts either corpulent or leane high or low black or fair old or young rich or poor learned or unlearned c. If one of these so denominated be a true man shall the other then be onely aequivocally a man If a corpulent man be a true man is a leane man no man If a tall black or old man be a true man shall then a low fair or young man be no man This must needs follow as well as the other The reason given that adjuncts are no part of the Essence is not at all to the purpose seeing the subject that is denominated by such adjuncts hath its Essence though blacknesse be not of the essence of a man yet the man that is black hath his essence and though visibility be not of the essence of the Church yet the Church which is denominated visible hath its essence And whereas we are warned to note that visibile is not the same with visum so I can give warning that invisibile is not the same with non visum though I know not to what purpose Secondly I answer the Church being an integrum and that per aggregationem and onely one in exact propriety of speech it cannot be capable of any such distribution so there must be one Church of one denomination and another of another but it is a distribution of Church-members which serve as parts to make up the whole some of which are onely visible that is all their honour to make a visible profession and to enjoy the glory of Ordinances and the Divine protection of God over his vineyard upon which account they are nigh when others are a far off The other are invisible members As they have all the visible honour before mentioned so they have an addition of a far greater glory of invisible graces The former I take to be the Church most properly though I know others are of another opinion for two reasons 1. When the Church is an integrum as Mr. Hudson hath largely proved it the visible Church containes the whole for the invisible part is also visible invisible respective to graces but visible respective to profession and outward priviledges The invisible is onely one part and so not the Church in its most proper signification 2. The Scripture almost wheresoever it speakes of a Church takes it in this acception and that which is the ordinary and common language of the holy Ghost which he uses most often almost alwayes is that which is most proper Some have said that the word Church is not more then once taken for the Church invisible which is Heb. 12.23 The Church of the first born If it should be granted that there is two or three places more which will bear that acceptation of it which is as much as can be pretended yet I dare say there is not one for twenty where the Church is taken for the Church visible And is the language of Scripture still all over aequivocal When Christ sayes The Kingdome of heaven is like to a man that sowed good seed in his field is like to a draw-net shall we say the Kingdome of heaven aequivocally taken Stephen sayes This was he that was in the Church in the wildernesse must we understand it of the Church aequivocal And when Paul gave Timothy a directory how to behave himself in the house of God which he sayes is the Church of the living God must we understand it of a Church aequivocal Such a one would be but a weak ground or pillar of the truth we may say the same of abundant other places If all these aequivocals be granted it will shortly be questioned whether there be any reality in Scripture language The Author vindicated from Arminianisme As the authority of our Divines is produced against the Papists so also their authority against the Arminians is brought forth Our Divines against the Arminians saith he do suppose the first act of believing to be the first time that God is as it were engaged to man in the Covenant of grace and that it is dangerous to make God to be in actual Covenant with men in the state of nature though the conditional Covenant may be made to them and though he hath revealed his decree for the sanctifying his elect That God is then first engaged for the graces of the Covenant I easily yeeld for then the grand condition by the help of grace is put in by the soul But let us here take up that which he is pleased to yield and compare it with that which he hath put into the Index of his Treatise of Infant-Baptisme where he notes this as Mr. T. his Error That the Covenant whereof Baptisme is the seal is onely the absolute Covenant made onely to the Elect which pag. 223. he confutes And if men in the state of nature be in that Covenant that Baptisme seales viz the conditional Covenant then men in the state of nature and short of justifying faith have right to Baptisme It follows In my opinion the transition is very easie from Mr. Blakes opinion to Arminianisme if not unavoidable save by retreat or by not seeing the connexion of the consequence to the antecedent When this was charged upon me by another hand I was acquitted by Mr. Br. and he testified for me that I had acquitted Mr. M. from any such charge I marvel therefore that now it should be fastened upon me But let us hear his reason For grant once that common faith doth coram Deo give right to Baptisme and it is very easie to prove that it gives right to the end of Baptisme God having not instituted it to be an empty sign to those that have true right to it What is it that we hear will it give immediate right to the end of Baptisme
it therefore follow that hearing can receive no help from but must exclude seeing Did the Bereans when they had heard the Apostles yet nothing towards faith by their search of the Scriptures Act. 17.11.12 or did they not make use of their eyes in the search that they made When Christ had Preached to the Jewes not yet in the faith and commended to them the search of the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 can we think that this search could be no step in their way of believing Why were miracles wrought if they were of no use to the work of faith f What comment shall we make on those words Joh. 2.23 Many believed in his Name when they saw the miracles that were done If the Word do work faith it will by no means follow but that it may take in assistance by miracles and Sacraments by signes extraordinary and ordinary That consequence if by the Word then not by the Sacrament will never hold till the VVord and Sacrament are proved to be opposite and not subordinate Ninthly That Ordinance which hath neither the promise of the grace of conversion annext unto it or any example in the Word of God of any converted by it is no converting Ordinance But the Sacrament of the Lords Supper hath no such promise of the grace of conversion neither is there such an example Ergo. Answ For Examples though we could give instances of men being converted by receiving of the Lords Supper yet it would still be denyed to have any possible influence towards conversion as the last Argument is an evident witnesse We bring Examples of men that have been brought to the faith by seeing and yet it is still denyed that fight can be any help towards it And though we could bring a promise of such grace annext yet we should have little hopes to be heard or heeded seeing we can bring a Promise of blessednesse to reading which is by sight as to hearing Rev. 3. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this Prophecy 2. We have as many examples of mens conversion by the Sacrament as we have of their receiving strength and nourishment If one may be asserted without an example then then other likewise 3. We have no particular precedents by name except at first institution of any that were Communicants and therefore we cannot expect examples of conversion or receiving of strength by communicating 4. The examples of conversion by the Word perhaps well examined would prove short of such conversion as here is intended The conversion in Gospel narratives is to a Christian profession A man may evince calling thence but not elctdion and this is the work of the Word without the Sacrament seeing it must precede the receiving of the Sacrament As to that of no promise made to it 1. When the adversary shall bring a promise made to the Sacrament for Spiritual strength it will happily be found of an equal force to the giving of a new life 2. Though we have no promise explicite and expresse yet we have promises implicite and virtual Every promise made to the Word is made to the Sacrament The Sacrament being not opposite but subordinate to it an appendant that receives strength from it Tenthly That Ordinance whereof Christ would have no unworthy person to partake is not a converting Ordinance But the Lords Supper is an Ordinance whereof Christ would have no unworthy person to partake Ergo. The Minor is proved 1 Cor. 11.27 Answ This Argument well followed will take off every Ordinance from that honour of conversion as well as this of the Lords Supper seeing many Texts may be produced equally calling for qualifications for them as for this equally shewing the danger of unworthy addresses As to this for hearing the Word see 1 Pet. 2.1 2. Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evill speakings as new-burn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby Jam. 1.21 Wherefore lay apart all filthinesse and superfluity of naughtinesse and receive with meeknesse the engraffed Word which is able to save your soules Is not the Word a favour of death unto death to such 2 Cor. 2.14 15 16. Shall i. not be more tolerable for Tyre and Zidon then for them Matth. 11.24 For prayer to God see James 1.6 7. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the wind and tossed for let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord 1 Tim. 2.8 I will therefore that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting Good will never be had by such mens prayers Esay 1.15 And when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you when ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood Zach. 7.13 Therefore it is come to passe that he cryed and they would not hear so they cryed and I would not hear saith the Lord of Hosts Shall we now say that neither Word nor prayer is a converting Ordinance But perhaps it will be said Men unworthy must hear must pray to be made worthy must come in unconversion to be converted But they must bring worthinesse hither or else this can have no hand in making worthy they must bring conversion or else this cannot convert This is a begging of the question And as to prayer there is no more ground or colour to make it a converting Ordinance then the Supper we must pray in faith before we can pray with acceptance of our persons and so must the Word be mixt with faith when we hear it Heb. 4.2 Eleventhly That Ordinance which is eucharisticall and consolatory supposeth such that partake of it to have part and portion in that thing for which thanks is given and are such as are fit to be comforted But the Lords Supper is an Ordinance eucharisticall and consolatory Ergo. Answ And might not the Assumption as well have been That the Word and Prayer are Ordinances eucharistical and consolatory I hope none will deny the Gospel our good tydings to be eucharistical and consolatory nor yet thanksgiving which is a branch of prayer And then in case the Proposition be of universal truth both Word Prayer and Lords Supper are excluded from any power of conversion The Proposition then must be understood with limit and restriction That Ordinance which in whole and in part is eucharistical and consolatory can have no hand in conversion and then though perhaps exception might be taken at it it had colour in it But then the Assumption That this Ordinance is in whole and in part eucharisticall and consolatory must be denyed It is for humbling heart-breaking as it is comforting There we shew forth Christs death and see him broken for sin and it is no matter of consolation but humiliation and horrour to see our soules under that guilt that brought upon Christ a
visible people of God and those that are strangers to him work no otherwise as to vitall and saving grace than hath been spoke let us take heed lest these dissimilitudes do not draw us to imbrace a cloud instead of Juno when it shall appear that they have not so much of elegancy but are answered with equal incongruity If they be such marks as these instances seem to hold out to us how are they then conditional means to communicate these blessings Upon what condition I marvel was it that Moses knew that God was in the bush Or the Inhabitants of Jerusalem that the Angel was in the water Or the Apostles that the Spirit was come down upon them These were undoubtedly to be lookt upon as unconditionate communications of the respective presence of God his Angel and his Spirit And how this stands with that which presently after we find in our Authour I know not unlesse many grains be allowed to abate the height of them that Sacraments are not Physical but moral instruments of salvation duties of service and worship which unlesse we perform as the Authour of grace requireth they are unprofitable For all receive not the grace of God which receive the Sacraments of his grace Moses undoubtedly did enjoy the presence of the Angel and the Apostles the presence of the Holy Ghost Let us then learn to use them as the Authour of grace requireth and that is as signs and seales as his chosen vessel to convey his grace here teaches I shall onely adde in this place If Sacraments work as signes and seales then they must be allowed to have that whole work on all that are Communicants which as signes and seales they can possibly effect either for the bettering of their understanding or farther engagements in wayes of godlinesse and that by the help of the Word they may help the understanding even of unregenerate persons and make discovery of strong engagements to wayes of godlinesse can scarce be questioned If the Word can teach the unregenerate by hearing then the Sacraments being appointed for visible teaching-signes by the help of the Word may also teach them by seeing and unregenerate men making profession of their relation to God may here see further engagements and provocations to godlinesse This effect cannot be denyed to be possible in Sacraments as signs at least upon some persons in unregeneration and when they further see all the glorious priviledges of the Covenant upon the terms propounded of God to be attainable may they not be of singular use as seales to put them on and stirre them up in all consciencious use of means to rise up to the answer of conscience And so as the Word as an instrument in Gods hand by instructions motives exhortations and other provocations is a means for conversion so may the Sacraments as appendents to the Word and by the help of it be herein serviceable likewise which is the whole that I do or ever did attribute to Sacraments so much as in a possible way of conversion CHAP. XII SECT I. The thing signified and sealed in Sacraments THe whole use and office of Sacraments we have seen Sacraments are suitable to Covenants which is to seal the gift and grant of God in Covenant as well as to signifie The thing sealed in them here comes to be spoken to which is the righteousnesse of faith There being a double Covenant given of God to man one in mans integrity whilest he was in spiritual life for preservation in life the other in mans fallen condition when dead for restitution to life There is a double righteousnesse answering to this double Covenant The one inherent in man to be wrought by himself and called our own righteousnesse The other wrought by a Mediatour in our stead and made ours by Faith and therefore called the righteousnesse of faith and sometimes the righteousnesse of God being wrought by Christ who is God And answerably to this double Covenant and double righteousnesse Sacraments of a double kind were instituted The first without respect had to any Mediatour confirming Gods engagements on the terms of perfect obedience The other with respect to a Mediatour and Faith in him confirming happinesse to believers The Sacraments of the Covenant of grace are of this latter sort They are signs and seales as were the trees of life and of the knowledge of good and evil and seales of righteousnesse as they were also but of righteousnesse of another kind The former were seales of the righteousnesse of works These are seales of the righteousnesse of faith Those were seales to assure a reward to our own righteousnesse These are seales to assure us of anothers righteousnesse made ours by faith From hence these two Observations follow one implyed the other in the words exprest The first which is implyed in the words is The righteousnesse of Faith is the great Promise of the Covenant of Grace The Apostle tells us of blindnesse that in part happened to Israel Rom. 11.25 and the blindnesse was this that they would not be brought to an acknowledgment of this righteousnesse But in an high zeal made it their businesse to establish their own righteousnesse Rom. 10.2 3. It do's not appear that they wholly denyed the concurrence of all grace for the work of this righteousnesse in which they confided The Pharisee who is brought in to personate those of this opinion saith God I thank thee I am not like other men He therefore did acknowledge some kind of discriminating grace But it was his own act thorow grace a righteousnesse inherent and not through grace imputed wrought by himself and not by another in his stead in which he confided This observation might have been pertinently and properly spoken to in this place being that on which the Sacraments are bottomed A flaw here must needs be the undoing of all The Jew mistaking here was at losse of all his pains in sacrifices Sacraments and all other personal performances When he had carried on this with the greatest vigour and alacrity he was still too short and this held him back that he look't not after any other righteousnesse and so perished without any such righteousnesse as was able to justifie I should not therefore have wholly past this by but that a long expected and greatly desir'd Treatise on this subject is sent to the Presse and will for a good space of time prevent this piece where the Reader I doubt not will find full satisfaction I shall therefore wholly passe it by and come to the Observation which the words expresly hold out The righteousnesse of faith is sealed in the Sacraments of the Covenant of grace This enters we see the definition a Sacra-ment Propositions holding forth this righteousnesse and is expressely laid down in the text of the Apostle and for a right understanding of this great priviledge here sealed some Positions or explicatory Propositions must be laid Proposition 1 down 1. This is called the
reconciliation applyable to man by faith which is the means or instrument whereby we receive the mercy of God So also Gal. 2.16 is very full Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by faith in Christ Jesus The Apostle there first in the negative shewes where our justification is not and in the next place tells us in the affirmative where it is so that all works of all kinds are by him excluded and faith onely is acknowledged Whereas one saith that Paul doth either in expresse words or in the sense and scope of his speech exclude onely the works of the Law that is the fulfilling of the condition of the Law our selves but never the fulfilling of the Gospel-conditions that we may have part in Christ It is fully against the Apostle if by fulfilling the Gospel-condition any thing but faith be understood All works are excluded and faith as in opposition to works is acknowledged and we have our part or interest in Christ in or by fulfilling of no other Gospel-condition then that of faith whereby we receive Christ and Christ dwells in us John 1.12 Eph. 3.17 The same Authour teaches us to distinguish betwixt our first possession of Justification which is upon our contract with Christ or meer faith and the confirmation continuation and accomplishment of it whose condition is also sincere obedience and perseverance But being first possest of justification we are justified and of this Paul still speaks and there is no intercision of it nor any other way in progresse of time to be interested in it Being justified we enter upon are reconciled state which is never lost and held up onely by Christ upon the interest of our faith Obedience and Perseverance are both of necessity to obtain the end of our Faith the salvation of our soules but not to give us this interest in Christ Sin in the elect-regenerate may work a man as hath been said under present wrath but renders him not a child of wrath brings upon him an inaptitude for glory but makes him not simply liable to condemnation for eternity This accomplishment of Justification in the sense spoken to is no other then glorification and these two are distinct links in Paul's golden chain as it is called Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them also he called and whom he called them also he justified and whom he justified them he also glorified As Predestination differs from vocation and justification so Justification also from glorification when our first possession of Justification is acknowledged to be of meer faith Paul's justification is confessed to be of meer faith likewise The same Authour saith Paul doth by the word faith especially direct your thoughts to Christ believed in for to be justified by Christ and to be justified by receiving Christ is with him all one and I am sure faith alone receives Christ and no Evangelical work either of obedience or perseverance therefore Faith alone justifies There is added And when he doth mention faith as the condition he alwayes implyeth obedience to Christ therefore believing and obeying the Gospel are put for the two summaries of the whole conditions But Faith as an instrument receiving Christ is the condition when the Evangelist complains that He came to his own and his own received him not Joh. 1.11 he points out their neglect of the condition required They were his in Covenant or else they had not been called his own and in not receiving him they failed in the condition required of them and in the words following the Evangelist speaks of those of his own in Covenant that did make good the condition of it and that is no otherwise then by believing But as many as received him to them he gave power to be the Sons of God even to them that believe on his Name And this faith implyes onely acceptation though it be an act of the soul that yeelds obedience It is further said Our full justification and our everlasting salvation have the same conditions on our part But sincere Obedience is without all doubt a condition of our salvation Therefore also of our justification Here is either a manifest tautology or an errour For either full justification and salvation are both one and so here is a tautology or else if they differ it is an errour The same are not conditions of both strictly taken onely Faith gives title to Christ for Justification Works qualifie as a condition in order to salvation And whereas it is further said It would be as derogatory to Christs righteousnesse if we be saved by works as if we be justified by them Either of both is doubtlesse derogatory to it and therefore still disclaimed in Scriptures and alwayes expresly denyed except in that one Text of James Jam. 2. which speakes to Justification and must admit of another interpretation then our Authour would put upon it otherwise he can neither be reconciled to himself nor to the whole current of the Gospel Works may be causa sine quâ non of salvation or a qualification of those that are saved as Heb. 5.9 He became the Authour of eternal salvation to all them that obey him But this is not to be saved by works which the Apostle denyes Eph. 2.9 Not of works lest any man should boast And works of this efficiency wrought through grace will raise a man to boastings as appears in the Pharisees God I thank thee But seeing there are several new questions started Whether Faith be an instrument in Justification Whether works do not justifie Whether the new Covenant have any condition Whether Faith be not the alone condition And how Repentance can be a condition of the Covenant and not of Justification And Mr. Ball is almost on every hand appealed to I suppose it will not be ungrateful to the Reader if in this place I commend to him the words of that Reverend Authour though it be in a larger way then quotations are ordinarily brought in which we have not barely his authority which I do not offer to put in the balance with any but the Points in question with singular strength debated and spoken to Treating of the Covenant of Grace pag. 18. he saith Repentance is called for in this Covenant as it setteth forth the subject capable of salvation by faith Luke 13.5 Acts 11.18 2 Cor. 7.10 Ezek. 18.27 but is it self onely an acknowledgment of sin no healing of our wound or cause of our acquittance The feeling of pain and sicknesse causeth a man to desire and seek remedy but it is no remedy it self Hunger and thirst make a man desire and seek for food but a man is not fed by being hungry By repentance we know our selves we feel our sicknesse we hunger and thirst after grace but the hand which we stretch forth to receive it is faith alone without which repentance is nothing but darknesse and despair Repentance is the condition of faith and the qualification of
put in their lives about their health their estates the nature of their grounds or how to carry on their Trades besides those multiplyed ones of meer vanity and inconsiderable concernment they never had it in their thoughts to move a question of any concernment to their soules The young mans question the Jaylours question Peters hearers question never came into their heads I have seen little evidence of good in these and I see little ground to believe any thing of faith in their soules You may speak of some of these as of men of good dispositions of a fair nature and harmlesse life and course these may grow up in nature moralized and regulated when yet faith is far from them they may grow up high in profession but growing in the blade or leaf onely and not in the root they may justly be suspected Every tree that bears a fair leaf doth not bear good fruit and every apple of a fair colour is not to be desired for food Such fruit as this may take where faith will not grow The Prophets words then should be heeded Break up your fallow ground and sowe not amongst thornes this way must be taken for soul-humbling that men may be brought to believing The nature of faith wherein it consists A necessary prerequisite in faith 2. The next way of discovery is to take notice of the proper and true kind the genuine nature of this grace And here I hope the Christian Reader may reape a double advantage First to understand what faith is and the requisites in it Secondly helps for proof of themselves whether they be in the faith And here we may observe First a necessary prerequisite of faith Secondly the essential parts of it The prerequisite to it is knowledge which some indeed make a part of faith but faith I suppose rather presupposeth it then is made up of it The essential parts are either in the understanding or in the will or affections for faith is an act of the soul and the whole soul is implyed in it First then of that which I make a prerequisite Knowledge is in that way required to the making up of faith that is often put for faith as Isai 53.11 And when God works to faith he is said to open the eyes or to work to knowledge or light Heb. 10.32 Act. 26.18 We come to faith by hearing we must therefore hear and know before we can believe Knowledge is the first act or work of the soul that conducerh towards faith in the heart Now knowledge is threefold First of sense we know what we see Thomas knew Christ that is the person of Christ when he had seen his wounds and put his finger into them This knowledg is not necessarily required in faith Christ there saith Blessed is he that seeth not and believeth John 20.23 And the Apostle saith that faith is the evidence of things not seen Secondly of reason we know those things which our reason is able to reach This knowledge runs through all sciences in which we attain knowledge by discourse and the clearer head the better Artist and the more of knowledge This we do not require to the being of faith though faith be not alwaies against yet it is oft above all our reasonings yea our reasonings and hammering out conclusions are oftentimes against faith The word of faith beats down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledg of God and brings into captivity every thought 2. Cor. 10.5 Our Notionalists are indeed men of sublimated understandings in case they can alwaies reach unto that which according to the Gospell they are to believe Thirdly of authority we judge our selves to know a thing which men worthy of credit do make known and if we receive the witnesse of men saith the Apostle the witnesse of God is greater 1. John 5.9 The testimony of man gives a morall certainty and such that we will not question The multiplication of witnesses renders our knowledge grounded on such authority more firm and therefore the proverb in a well qualified sense is at least near to truth Vox populi vox Dei The voice of the peopâ—â— unanimously witnessing is as the voice of God We do no mâ—re doubt that there was a massacre of Protestants in Ireland about the year 41. then we do that there was one resolved upon at Shushan in the reign of Ahashuerus Esth 3. The testimony of God is alwaies of infallible truth as to the substance so to every circumstance of it many passages about that massacre we may justly question so we must not any thing which divine verity hath made known This knowledge we require in faith and know it to be necessary to the being of faith we must know that God hath revealed in his Word a Trinity of Persons or else we shall believe no such thing as three distinct subsistences in God that the holy Ghost is God that Christ is God and man in one person or else we shall believe no such doctrine We must know the creation from the Scriptures or else we shall not believe a creation but run into that opinion that all things have ever been as they are We must know the offices of Christ or else we shall not believe that any such office was undertaken by him The same we may say of every doctrine of faith perhaps without Scripture we might have known somewhat confusedly of some of them as that there is a God and that the world had a beginning but we should have known nothing at all of many of them and nothing distinctly of any of them These we must know and from the Scriptures of God know or else we cannot believe we may as easily see where nothing is to be seen as believe where that is not known which is to be believed Ignorant persons therefore that know not the right hand from the left in religion and are to seek in the very first principles of the Oracles of God in the very beginnings of the doctrine of Christ that either come not to hear that they may learn or that learn nothing at all by hearing ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth are in an incapacity of faith Men weak in knowledg can hardly make proof of their faith they do not well know the nature or lively workings of it so want the comfort but not the thing Men without knowledge are without faith have not gone the first step towards it The essential parts of faith The essentiall parts of it are as we have said in the understanding will and affections In the understanding there is an assent to that which is revealed upon the authority of him that doth reveal it 1. In the understanding An assent When we believe any thing upon that account that we suppose we see a reason of it as that the middle region of the ayr is coldest or that the Sun is in many degrees
life in the Sacrament either of thy initiation or confirmation either in Baptisme or the Lords Supper is it in the Sacrament it self or is it in Christ that thou shouldest seek and look after in the Sacrament If thou lookest for it from Sacraments thou Idolizest them and deceivest thy own soul Bread and Wine never were nor ever can be saviours Our Fathers ate Manna in the Wildernesse and are dead Joh. 6. We may eat bread at the Lords Table and eternally dye All Israel in the wildernesse did eat of Manna and drank of the Rock which the Apostle calls Spiritual meat Spiritual drink being Sacramentally such yet with many of them God was not well pleased but they were overthrown in the Wildernesse 1 Cor. 10.5 If thou sayest thou lookest for life in Christ I desire to know where thou findest that men in unbelief have life in Christ The Apostle saith I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and presently adds The life that I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God Gal. 2.20 And the same we may say of repentance Christ with his own mouth denounceth death and destruction to the impenitent I tell you Nay except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Luk. 13. Where he gives life he gives repentaace to life Act. 11.18 I have said that the Sacrament may be improved with the help of the Word towards conversion But if there be no such change already wrought in thy soul nor any such thing in thy endeavour then this great Orinance is sadly prophaned thou pretendest to Christ when indeed thou treadest under foot the blood of Christ seemingly wouldst have thy interest in his blood and dost become guilty of his blood Here Christs death is set out his sufferings for sin called to remembrance Art not thou now affected with delight in his death when thou art affected with delight in thy sin when thou seest a man murthered and sportest with the murtherers with those whom thou knowest to have had the alone hand in the murther how then dost not thou be come an accessory This is the case of the man that comes to the Sacrament and will keep his sin He looks not upon Christ Sacramentally broke to the breaking of his heart but he looks upon him to his hearts rejoycing Look upon all that hath been said of the danger of unworthy receiving by all that have written practically upon this subject all is thy danger that art in sin and resolvest not to relinquish thou art admitted into the Church by Baptisme and upon that account art of that number and reckonest thy self among those that are called Christians and here perhaps thou hast hopes highly prizest this priviledge as sometimes the Jews did circumcision in order to the favour of God and assurance of eternal life And doubtlesse rightly understood it is to be prized otherwise God would not have given it it is an honorarium or token of love to his people Nor would the Apostle Peter have said that Baptisme saves 1 Pet. 3.21 But our building of hopes upon Scripture-words without Scripture-Comment doth undo us When the Jewes took themselves to be secure against all the judgements that the Prophets could denounce by reason of sin upon the priviledge of circumcision Jeremy undervalues not circumcision at all but helps them to a right understanding of it will have them to have it full and compleat reckoning up many Nations by name he saith They are uncircumcised they were wholly destitute of it and mentioning the house of Israel saith that they are uncircumcised in heart Jer. 9.26 They want the best and choisest part of it and so are in the same condition with uncircumcised ones and the Apostle after him beating down the vain confidence of the Jewes in their outward title called Jewes and circumcision which was a badge of their relation to God as a people in Covenant tells them that he is not a Jew that is one outwardly that was not enough to give a full and true denomination but he is a Jew that is one inwardly who is for God in soul as well as in name and circumcision is that of the heart Rom. 2.28 and he beats down the carnal opinion of the Jewes in circumcision by a definition given of the circumcised We are of the circumcision that worship God in Spirit and in truth Phil. 3.3 And baptisme of the flesh can neither be nor do more then circumcision in the flesh The Apostle therefore telling us that Baptisme saves is as willing to undeceive us as the Prophet was to undeceive the Jewes and tells us that he doth not mean the outward putting away of the filth of the flesh the application of water is but the outside of Baptisme but the answer of a good conscience towards God when conscience answers to that which this washing signifies and to which it engages then Baptisme saves not of it self but seales Salvation through the Resurrection of Christ when conscience fails in its duty Baptisme fails in its efficacy then it brings not Salvation but is an aggravation of condemnation as after may appear Thou art admitted to the Supper of the Lord upon that account that through knowledge gained and profession made thou art in a capacity for improvement of it for eternity But if thou stay here and thy remembrance of Christ broken for sin do not work thee to brokennesse of heart under sin canst drink of this Cup and gulf in wickednesse here is no pardon sealed but condemnation heightened I know on the other hand to discourage men from endeavour some say that there is no acting for life but from life what can be gained by sin and all actions done in unregeneration are no other but sin I marvel then what that Counsel of our Saviour means Joh. 6.27 To labour for the meat that endures to everlasting life The context acquaints us with the unregeneration of those to whom this Counsel is given As also what that complaint of our Saviour means Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life These works in unregenerate men are acts of obedience and not as is objected sins onely by accidental pollution they are sinful such subtleties are above the Logick that we read in Scriptures which gives duties in charge in reference to their respective ends without consideration of the state of the subject under command whether in nature or grace Actions we know work to habits and in case that rule hold that Habitus infusi infunduntur more acquisitorum which Dr. Wilkin sayes is a golden rule in Divinity Treatise of the gift of prayer pag. 8. this is above controversie I yeeld to that of Austin that as a wheel is not made round by turning but turnes because it is round so a man is not made good by doing good but is good through grace and then does good as the tree is first good and then brings forth good fruit But it is not
Gods way to infuse grace into the soul unfitted for it no more then it is to infuse life into the body unorganized A new being is put of God into the soul when reason appears to it of closing with it The Word Prayer Sacraments may all have a hand in it And all are in vain to the soul Word Prayer and Sacraments with all other Ordinances and endeavours unlesse they lead the soul to it make it thy businesse to come up to the Covenant or else it is without fruit that thou comest to the Sacrament CHAP. VIII SECT I. Of the necessity of Sacraments THe next Observation that the words offer is Sacraments are not arbitrary but necessary That Sacraments are not arbitrary but necessary the Covenant-people of God not onely may but must partake of them As God appointed so Abraham received this sign of circumcision And as he received it so all in confederation with him received it likewise Gen. 17.23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all that were born in his house and all that were bought with his money every male among the men of Abrahams house and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the self-same day as God had said unto him And the stated time for circumcision of those children who were born of parents in Covenant being the eighth day the text tells us That Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight dayes old as God Commanded him Gen. 21.4 And when Moses had a son born in his exile and had neglected this duty The Lord met him in his way from Midian to Egypt and sought to kill him Exrd. 4.24 he appeared in some formidable way of death to him in that way as many do conjecture that he appeared to Balaam on his way Numb 22.23 Not that God really intended his death whom he now employed in that great work to deliver his people out of Egypt but he appeared in this posture to let him know what his sin deserved and by these terrors to bring him and his wife to take the course after mentioned for prevention of it And though there have been some that have gone about to assign other causes of Gods anger against hith and this apparition in such terror yet no other in the text appearing and God departing from him upon the childs circumcision the neglect of that Command was undoubtedly the cause of it Whatsoever reason moved Moses to this neglect whether the fear of displeasing his father in law or his wife which Rivet judges to be most probable certain it is from the Lords displeasure against him that it was his sin This was after given in charge by Moses to the people of God Levit. 12.3 speaking of the birth of a man-child he saith The eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised This the Israelites except the intermission of it in the wildernesse exactly followed when the eighth day happened on the Sabbath that work was yet observed as Christ notes Joh. 7.23 On the Sabbath day they received circumcision that the Law of Moses might not be broken John Baptist therefore on the eighth day was circumcised Luk. 1.59 and Christ himself on that day was circumcised Luk. 2.21 as also Paul Philip. 3.5 That of the Passeover was appointed 400. years at the least after circumcision It had its first institution in Egypt Exod. 12.3 4. c. to be observed as a feast to the Lord throughout their generations to be kept as an Ordinance for ever ver 14. It was again commanded by Moses and inserted into the body of the Law Levit. 23.4 Numb 28.16 This was carefully observed by the Israelites in their generations though at some times when Idolatry prevailed sinfully neglected We read of many famous Passeovers observed viz. In Joshua's time in Hezekiah's in Josiah's dayes also by Ezra upon the return of Gods people out of the captivity of Babylon Ezra 6.19 It is observed of the Lord Christ that he kept four Passeovers after the time that he publickly appeared as the Messiah The last was the evening before his death concerning which he said With a desire have I desired to eat this Passeover with you before I dye Luk. 22.15 With extreme earnest affection he was carried towards it and then he put a period to it and did institute his Supper in the place and room of it That heavy menace so frequently threatened in the Law of being cut off from among their people is given out against the neglect of both of these Sacraments Gen 17.14 The uncircumcised manchild whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised that soul shall be cut off from his people he hath broken my Covenant Num. 9.13 The man that is clean and is not in a journey and forbeareth to keep the Passeover even the same soul shall be cut off from his people because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season that man shall bear his sin which commination however we do interpret it whether of the more immediate hand of God as dying childlesse The case of Jeconiah Jer. 22.30 or being cut off by untimely death The case of Er and Onan Gen. 38.1.9 and of Nadab and Abihu Levit. 10.2 or perishing everlastingly The case of all presumtuous and inpenitent siners 1 Cor. 6.9 or whether the execution be committed to man and that either the temporal Magistrate which was the case of Achan Josh 7. and of Shelomiths son Levit. 24.14 or by Ecclesiastical censure which was the case of the incestuous Corinthian 1 Cor. 5.13 As there be that appear for each of these which way soever it is understood it sufficiently proves a necessity of these Ordinances For the Sacraments of the New Testament when John baptised and the Pharisees did refuse to submit to his Baptisme the text saith They rejected the Counsel of God against themselves Luk. 7.30 and the Commission given to the Apostles to disciple all Nations baptizing them Matth. 28.19 implyes a necessity of all discipled ones to submit to Baptisme Mar. 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Faith is of absolute necessity in all that hear the tender of the Gospel and therefore it followes He that believeth not shall be damned and Baptisme is the ordinary way set up of God that leads to it Peter counsels his converts when he had them in an hopeful way Repent and be Baptized Act. 2.28 And Ananias counsels Paul Arise why tarriest thou and be baptized Act. 22.16 For the Lord Supper we find it under a precept 1 Cor. 11.24 25. Luk. 22.19 Do this in remembrance of me 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup implies as a preparation for it so also a necessity that we eat and drink of it so that every Sacrament hath its injunction upon it First The institution of it is a sufficient proof of the necessity God did never institute it to have it
as signum voluntatis divinae being a manifestation of Gods pleasure concerning the justification of a sinner is sufficient So farre I shall willingly grant That which is to be asserted is 1. That this manifestation of Gods pleasure or signum voluntatis divinae before mentioned is the first ground work on which the whole work of justification is bottomed and goes before those graces but now mentioned which Mr. Baxter makes antecedent to justification This is plain The termes on which God will justifie must be understood before men can be brought to accept and come up to them 2. This manifestation of Gods will thus made knowne and by the power of the Spirit applyed to the soul in an unjustified condition works to humiliation regeneration faith and by faith to justification 3. This manifestation of Gods pleasure being applyed to a man already humbled regenerate and in faith finds him as we have heard before in a justified posture Though Faith in nature goes before justification as the cause before the effect yet they are in that manner simul tempore that none can conceive a believing man in an unjustified condition that so there should any intervall or time passe for conveyance of right by Gospel-grant to justification 4. This Gospel-grant or manifestation of Gods mind being thus tendred as before to a regenerate believing soul serves for ratification and confirmation of his justified condition to make good to such a believing son or daughter that their sinnes are forgiven To apply these assertions to our present purpose This manifestation of Gods pleasure Gospel-grant or signum voluntatis divinae or whatsoever else we call it in the first consideration justifies not Going before that which is antecedent to Justification as we see it does it cannot justify In the second consideration it works indeed to justification But if we yield this to Mr. Baxter he will not accept of it for he saies he does not thus speak of it and in this consideration it justifies not without faith but works faith in order to Justification By this man is preached forgivenesse of sins and by him all that believe are justified In the third consideration it justifies not seeing it finds the work done to its hands and onely serves for the work of assurance as in the last place is asserted So that all that can be said of this Gospel-grant donation or conveyance of right so often by Mr. Baxter mentioned in this work is 1. To make known Gods mind on what termes justification may be attained 2 By the power of the Spirit through faith to work it and finally to assure ratify and confirm it I shall the refore close this dispute if I may be allowed so to stile it in the words of Chemnitius in his Common place de justificat mihi pag. 797. octavo Having spoken to the causes of justification he saith It is altogether necessary that there be application made of these causes to the person to be justified Omnino verò necesse est fieri applicationem harum causarum ad personam justificandam Nam quotquot receperunt eum his fecit potestatem filios Dei fieri Joan. 1.12 3.33 Et Modus seu medium applicationis seu apprehensionis docendi gratiâ vocatur causa instrumentalis Duplex autem est causa instrumentalis 1. Docens Patefaciens Offerens et Exhibens beneficia justificationis per quam Deus nobis communicat illa bona et haec est vox Evangelii et usus sacramentorum vel sicut veteres loquntur verbum vocale et visibile For as many as received him to them he gave power to be made the Sons of God John 1.12 and 3. v. 33. And this manner or medium of application or apprehension speaking to mens capacity is called a cause instrumental And this instrumentall cause is twofold 1. Teaching Opening Offering and Exibiting the benefits of justification by which God doth communicate unto us those gifts And this is the Word of the Gospel and use of Sacraments or as the Ancients speak the Word vocal and visible 2. Receiving or apprehending 2. Recipiens seu apprehendens quâ nobis applicamus illa bona quae in Evangelio offeruntur ita ut eorum participes reddamur Est igitur quasi manus Dei traders et hominis manus suscipiens id quod traditur Supra autem testimonia et annotata et explicata sunt solam fidem non ulias alias vel qualitates vel opera in nobis esse medium applicationis whereby we apply those gifts to our selves which are offered in the Gospel that we may be made partakers of them There is therefore the hand of God as it were delivering and the hand of man receiving that which is delivered And testimonies are both observed and above explained that onely faith sand no other qualities or works in us is the medium of application SECT VI. A fourth Corollary from the former Doctrine AS Christians must see that they be aright principled in this Gospel-doctrine of the righteousnesse of faith Christians must get assurance that they do act according to these principles so also they must get assurance that they act according to these principles which I might urge respective to all that which is required of a man of Gospel-righteousnesse But having already spoke to that purpose in pressing the necessity of the answer of conscience unto Sacramental engagements I shall here onely urge it respectively to that grace which immediately interests us in this righteousnesse which is the grace of faith as we see in the Text which is confest to be the grace that receives Christ even by those that deny the instrumentality of it in our Justification If this righteousnesse which is our Justification be the righteousnesse of Faith then those that are void of faith must needs be wanting in this righteousnesse and Christ being the end of the Law for righteousnesse to those that believe those that persist in unbelief never attain to this end And howsoever zealous they may otherwise appear yet they come short of righteousnesse for life and salvation Giving assent to all Gospel-truths perhaps upon the principles of their education they may not onely have the repute but also enjoy all outward priviledges of believers yet wanting that work upon their will or if you please in their affections to receive Christ and close with him they yet have not Christ nor life in him and therefore upon this account there is all reason to hearken to that of the Apostle Especially to see to their faith 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates In which words we see the Apostles exhortation and his reason annext The exhortation calls us to self-examination to a self-tryal an inquisitive experimental tryal The question to be put or thing to be proved or brought to upon
tryal is our faith not barely the doctrine of faith as some would have it whereby we may conclude that we are of such a Church in which Christ is visibly resident in Ordinances but the grace of faith whereby he makes his abode in our soules The reason annexed is put by way of interrogation or question Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates which doth not imply that all are Reprobates that know not in present that Christ is in them but this is all that is implyed or can be gathered that Jesus Christ is in all that are not reprobates where reprobate is not yet opposed to the Elect as though all such were everlastingly cast-awayes in whom Christ is not in present But as the word is used Jer. 6.30 reprobate silver that is unfit for use or service so it is here taken such in present are not in a saving but in a lost condition and therefore it much concerns us to put this upon the tryal Motives to perswade to get assurance of this grace 1. Necessity of Faith For Motives to put men upon this work consider First the necessity of this grace and that upon a several account 1. Without Faith as you have heard we are without this righteousnesse None in unbelief can say of Christ Jehovah our righteousnesse All the good that Christ does unbelief loses so much good that Christ can do thee of so much unbelief strips thee The Apostle tells us of unsearchable riches in Christ Ephes 3.8 Such that none can summe up nor he that is highest in skill in Arithmetique calculate Christ is the Fathers Store-house Magazine or rich Exchequer The Father hath not a gift for any of his but he layes it up in Christ and a faith receives it from Christ Noah by faith was heir of this righteousnesse Heb. 11.7 The rest of the world wanting this grace went without this inheritance The rest of Canaan was lost by unbelief Heb. 3.18 The rest of heaven will be thus lost in like manner God hath chosen the poor of this world rich in faith heires of the Kingdome which he hath prepared for those that love him Jam. 2.5 The rich of this world destitute of this Faith make forfeiture of this Kingdome Is Christ a gift Faith receives him and unbelief is wanting Is Christ food Faith feeds upon him and unbelief is hunger-starved Is Christ rayment Faith puts him on and unbelief is naked Is Christ a Medicine Faith applyes him and unbelief languisheth Is Christ a laver Faith drencheth and douzeth it self in him and unbelief is filthy and defiled Is Christ a pardon Faith sues it out and unbelief lyeth under guilt Is Christ satisfaction Faith makes the plea and attains a discharge and unbelief remains indebted 2. Without Faith the soul is under the wrath of God and his ireful displeasure This is a necessary result from the former The man of unbelief wants that which might be interposed as an atonement and might stand as a skreen or shield for his guard And it is also fully laid down in Christ's words Joh. 3.36 He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him What Zophar saith of the wicked man Job 20.29 This is his portion from God and the heritage appointed him of God that Christ sayes of unbelievers so long as they remain in unbelief so long wrath abides on them All by nature are the children of wrath having no other inheritance and the man of unbelief never gets from under wrath to attain any other portion This is an aggregate of all miseries when all is reckoned up that can be named to make miserable wrath comprizeth it all to the uttermost to infinitenesse As is the man so is his strength say Zeba and Zalmunna Judg. 8.21 As is God so is his wrath with this motive the Psalmist presseth to faith Psal 2.12 Thy sin hath merit enough to damne and thou hast not any interest in Christ to save or deliver He that is void of Faith and yet under no such feares it is not because there is no cause of feares but that such a soul is not awakened to see his fearful deplored and desperate condition If the rich glutton had seen Hell gaping for him and the Devil ready to hale and drag him he could not then have had any list to his every-dayes Gorgeous apparrel nor yet any appetite to his delicate fare That is the condition of secure sensual ones till Hell-fire flame about them they think they are sure of heaven 3. Without faith there is no benefit to be had or good to be found in any Ordinances No Ordinance is useful but either as it is improved by Faith already seated in the soul or as it is serviceable to the plantation of it No duty of any kind works to acceptance from an unbelievers hand Abel's sacrifice was accepted when Cain's could not gain acceptance Gen. 4.4 5. The Apostle shews us the reason of this difference Heb. 11.4 By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice then Cain The Parable of the sower tells us how few profitable hearers of the Word there can be found and the Apostle gives the reason Heb. 4.2 The Word is not mixt with faith in those that hear it It is effectual alone in believers 1 Thess 2.13 and no more have audience in prayer then those that profit in hearing and there is one and the same reason of both Jam. 1.6 7. And that man is doubtlesse under an heavy Judgment that never gets good when he hears from God nor obtains his request when he seeks to God At the Lords Table they eat bread but feed not on Christ they take the Cup but have no interest in the blood of the new Covenant 4. Without faith nothing is done that God accepts The man and the work both displease Heb. 11.6 There must be a concurrence of all requisites to render a work good and acceptable But in an unbelievers work the matter of the work excepted all requisites are wanting The rise is from a fountain that is unclean and the unbelieving soul cannot go so high as to make the glory of God the end And the rule is above him in the work to look after 5. Without Faith the whole of man head breast and bowels are all open to Satan Faith is a Christians shield Ephes 6.16 and a shield is the defence not of one part but the guard of the whole A man without faith is a Souldier without armes and destitute of all power to make any manner of resistance Satan leads such an one at pleasure There is nothing of Christ nothing of grace nothing of the Spirit to stand up in opposition Some devils are not resisted without strength of faith Mark 9.29 No devil without faith can be vanquished or overcome Mot. 2 Secondly Consider the benefits of faith the glory that doth accompany it The benefits that