in ignorance being so far knowing Christians SECT IX The seventh Proposition enlarged AS for those that are of years Admission of men of years examined though we are not much concerned scarce one unbaptized Person in an age being tendred to us yet it is not meet wholly to omit it when any in the Primitive times upon the Preaching of the Apostles was ready to professe and willing to engage in a way of Christianity he was streight according to the order of Christ to be admitted by Baptisme the Commission it self speaks thus much Disciple all Nations baptizing them is the charge being discipled there needs no further enquiry and accordingly was the practice the Eunuch upon profession of faith and water at hand was presently baptized by Philip Act. 8. and the Jaylour the self same hour that he was converted was baptized by Paul and Silas Act. 16. Those that limit Baptisme to years of discretion appear to be wholly of this mind Mr. Tombes Examen Pag. 159. is clear that profession of faith and holinesse is sufficient warrant to baptize And for their practice let their Proselytes wheresoever they prevail speak when such as we see are admitted we may well conclude that in their judgement none are to be refused There are others that set up a new Church-door having discipled any in their way they do not as Christ enjoyned concerning unbaptized Heathens or as others concerning baptized Christians baptize them but they tender a Covenant of Church-fellowship unto them and that is their way of Church entrance when yet their infants keep the old rode of Baptisme These at least some of them are exceeding strict and will have none admitted but those that the quickest sighthed Admission unto a Church-Covenant and membership looked into Eagle-eyed Christians judge so farre as they are able to apprehend to have both name and thing of Christianity And to add honour to this way the world must be born in hand and that with attestation of no mean ones that the conversion of the Gentiles and Jewes in that infinite number as we read in the Acts of the Apostles was all in reality and that the whole Church of Hierusalem consisting at least of eight thousand members was an homogeneal body under the same light conscience and tendernesse Of a more noble homogeneity and more pure constitution sure then ever came into Christs thoughts to see his Kingdom attain unto upon earth He compares it to a field made up of a mixture of Tares and Wheat Matth. 13.24 to a Draw-net cast into the Sea which taketh fishes of all kinds both good and bad Matth. 13.47 And in the close o◠two other Parables inferres that many are called but few are chosen Matth. 20.16 Matth. 22.14 This he spake in the ears of his Disciples and we may wonder if they should live to see it contradicted He tells his hearers Luk. 9.27 Matth. 16.18 There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Kingdom of God And can we think that he understood a Kingdom in that resplendent glory which he had ever denyed when he made it his business to decipher and hold it forth unto them When they heare of it they hear of a field with tares and wheat of a draw-net with fish of all sorts They live to see flourishing fields of pure wheat full nets of fishes that are onely good being told that many are called but few chosen they yet see myriads of thousands called and all chosen Yea Paul after he had seen the contrary and gained fellowship according to these men in such an homogeneal pure body still symbolizes in like Parables of a great house that had vessels some to honour and some to dishonour 2 Tim. 2.20 applying it to the Elect and Reprobate in the Church of God We are told that the complexion of a visible Church under the Gospel is conversion the constituted matter converted ones and that this soul-complexion is the same in the whole body members having received the same Spirit of Adoption owning and experiencing the same grace of God But it is plain that Christ did neither see nor foresee any such purity of complexion nor can they that look upon Primitive Churches in the glasse of Scriptures see any more then Christ did discover Those words of Luke Act. 15.3 And being brought on their way by the Church they passed through Phenice and Samaria declaring the conversion of the Gentiles and they caused great joy unto all the brethren is made a fundamental ground-work of this building of such glory as though all conversion by the Word were attended by the changing work of the Spirit which happy glosse in case it would hold would turne all the grounds in the parable into good ground and a cōnvert or proselyte in an historical narrative would ever be the same with elect or regenerate But the words going before and following these if they may be but taken in will serve to spoil all this supposed glory and purity A sect riseth up and teacheth the Brethren that except they be circumcised after the manner of Moses they cannot be saved and what manner of men they were and how their Doctrine took we may read in Pauls Epistles to the Philippians Colossians and especially in that to the Churches of Galatia it almost wrought to the apostatizing of those Churches from the faith of Christ to another Gospel If ever these were one homogeneal body respective to soul complexion an abundant proof is given in against the Saints perseverance and for their falling from grace Paul was not so enamoured with their beauty when he tells them that he is afraid of them and travells again in birth of them And whether he had such high thoughts of the Corinthians let sundry passages in his Epistles to them witnesse Great complexion spots may be seen 1 Cor. Chap. 3.3 Chap. 6.8 Chap. 11.18 19 21. Chap. 15.12 34. 2 Cor. 12.20 21. So that it is plain that in primitive times Jewes and Pagans being wrought upon by the Word heard and miracles seen to make profession of and engage to a Christian faith and life were upon that account received of which as some had hearts sincere towards Christ so many were otherwise Through the whole Scripture there is no demurre put to the Baptisme of any who made profession of the Name of Christ save Saul concerning whom Ananias being warned of God to go to him and conferre sight upon him being struck blind objects the evil that he had done to the Saints at Hierusalem and that he had at present authority from the Chief Priests to bind all that called on the Name of Christ Acts 9.13 14. And when he afterwards assayed to joyn himself to the disciples that were at Hierusalem they were all upon that account afraid of him Neither Ananias at Damascus nor the Church at Hierusalem did put his sincerity in grace to the question upon that account they might
of further operation Instruments of meer reception and further operation distinguished that which is objected holds of instruments wholly operative not of those that are meerly receptive A man receives a gift with his hand as the lame man was ready to do when he expected something from Peter and John Act. 3.5 and he earnes his living with his hand as Paul did when in some exigents his hands ministred to his necessities Act. 20.34 In the former mans hand concurres to his enriching but he enriches not himself as in the later The denomination is from the fountaine whence all flowes not from the hand that accepts or the cistern that doth receive There is added In my judgement this doctrine should not be made part of our Religion nor much stresse laid on it if it were true because it is so obscure It seems then that not I but our Religion is the author of this so high a contradiction so that I cannot defend Religion but I am put upon it to assert such contradictions and who layes greatest stresse upon that which is not obscure and dark I leave to the Reader of Mr. Baxters Aphorismes and Apology to determine It followes That man concurres as a ready agent who doubts but doth that prove him or his faith the efficient cause of his own pardon and justification Do I or doth our Religion make man or faith the efficient cause of his own pardon and justification Quote some words of mine or some Article of faith in any of the Protestant Confessions that affirmes it were some others in my stead they would highly rhetoricate and tell the world what would be said when they are dead But this is my comfort when I am dead Religion will stand up for its own defence that the concurrence of a ready agent hath somewhat of efficiency in it I think none can deny and that such concurrence that I have mentioned can rise to be the efficient I think Faith is the instrument both of God and man in the work of justification very few will affirm And to bring my self into that which he before hand charges to be so absurd I said And because it is the instrument of man in a work of this nature it is also the instrument of God As some have observed a communication of titles between Christ and his Church the Church being called by his name so there is a communication of actions in these relative works Christ dwells in our hearts by faith Ephes 3.17 We believe and not Christ and yet faith there is Christs instrument whereby he takes up his abode God purifies the hearts of the Gentiles by faith Act. 15.17 They believed and not God yet faith is Gods instrument in the work of their purification So on the other side the Spirit is Gods work yet we by the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8.13 Here Mr. Baxter first takes in hand the thing that I assert and when he hath done falls upon the proof which is first to quarrel with the conclusion and then to take the premises into consideration 1. It is said If this be indeed true God and man are not coordinate causes in Justification that it is mans instrument of justification and Gods both then both God and man are causae principales partiales by coordination making up one principall cause This he thinks I will not affirm and this indeed I do deny upon the reasons afore laid down it is mans instrument for concurrence in it but not of principall efficiency to produce it In case I had affirmed he gives in his reason of denyal of it in a Similitude of an absolute donor in which I grant the conclusion and therefore shall not trouble the Reader with it As to the proof that I bring he first excepts against that which I say others have observed and say This communication of titles 1. is very rare 2. uncertain whether ever and goeth about to take off that text 1. Cor. 12.12 But this being Heterogeneous to the work in hand I shall let his exceptions alone only pointing him out one another text with which if he please he may take like pains Jer. 23.6 Jer. 33.16 Compared After much ado to find out my meaning he resolves But it is like you intended to have said that there is a common or mutuall attribution of each others actions or one is intitled to the actions of the other and so mean only a communication of the name quoad modum producendi and not of the actions themselves And who but he that would seek a knot in a Bul-rush could have thought of any other but as the titles of one are observed by some to be attributed to another so the actions proper to one are attributed to the other Then a Dilemma is brought against me either this is in an improper figurative way of speech or it is proper and grounded in the nature of the thing and either of both is excepted against I say the action of one is said interpretative to be the action of the other because he makes use of it to do his own work or bring about his own purpose To the instance that I gave that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith he saies there is not a word to prove that there is a relative indwelling But Mr. Br. very well knowes that I did not oppose relative in this place to reall as intending to hold forth any effect wrought by Christs indwelling but the opposition is so absolute as I exprest my self I do not say that justification is directly spoke to in that place yet there is a proof I think sufficient that Christ makes use of our act to effect his own work which is as much as I intended elsewhere Mr. Br. is so free as to yield that faith is an instrument to receive Christ How Christ is said to dwell in us by faith but here he stickles hard to deny it but let us take notice of his concessions Christ saith he is said to dwell in us by faith 1. Formaliter Faith being the principal part of that grace which dwelleth in us And so we might say he dwells by Love Hope Meeknesse Patience which I think no Scripture or Orthodox Writer sayes 2. Conditionaliter Faith being a condition of our right to the Spirit abode But it is so a condition as it is withall an instrumentall condition It is not barely said if you believe I will give you my Spirit which might imply barely a condition as it is said turn at my reproof and I will pour out my Spirit upon you but it is said we receive the promise of the Spirit by faith 3. Efficienter As the act of faith doth directly cause the encrease and so the abode of the habit And is it may we think a principal or is it an instrumental efficient If an instrumental I have what I desire and I am sure he will not say it is
for life and power and so the life that we live in the flesh is by faith in Christ Jesus So that faith I suppose may be fitly defined to be A firm assent of mind to the whole truth of God in the way that he doth reveal it with an acceptation of all that good which God confers by Christ in the way that he doth tender it I know this grace is diversly held out and is so comprehensive that the full nature of it is not easily laid open A common definition of it is that it is A resting upon Christ alone for salvation purposely given to correct their mistake that have made assurance or a full perswasion that what Christ hath done I shall enjoy in particular to be of the nature and essence of faith But though this may vertually comprize all that is required in this grace yet it is no full and explicite definition of it for unlesse the understanding give its assent that salvation is alone by Christ the will cannot rest upon him for it This assent in that definition is presupposed But it is convenient that it should be expert Other things besides salvation are received by faith from Christ but salvation is the most eminent and principall and all other as by consequent depend upon it This that I have delivered is more explicitely full not onely virtually but expresly holds out all that faith compriseth And as all of those are here as we have heard convinced of unbelief that know not those necessary truths that God hath made known and upon that account can give no assent together with those that believe even in necessary and fundamentall doctrines otherwise then God hath revealed that pick and choose in doctrines of faith assenting or denying assent at pleasure So also all those that give other things the preheminence above Christ or at least take them in in coordination with him When Christ is offered in the Gospel to the soul and men are urged by his Ministers to receive him for life and happinesse the things of the world are still ready to make tender of themselves The lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh the pride of life that is profits pleasures honours When these are hugged prosecuted and followed Christ is refused and slighted A covetous man will make sail of Christ for a piece of silver he will lay out more strength of affection to compasse earth in the way of a calling then to compasse Christ in Ordinances The man of pleasures will sell Christ for his cups for his sports for his wantonnesse the like we may say of the man of honours He that for the cause of Christ can forsake and abjure all is the onely man in whom Christ by faith makes his residence The necessary nourishment of faith Thus we have seen the two first wayes for the tryal of faith the third followes which is The means appointed for the nourishment and strength of it It cannot live unlesse in the use of means it be kept up Declensions are apt to appear in soul as well as in body He observes little about his spiritual estate that does not see his faith oftentimes apt to languish as well as his health And though we be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation yet it is in the use of means and not otherwise He therefore that lives in faith is careful in the use of means to keep faith alive The means appointed of God for this end are especially the Word Sacraments and Prayer The Word 1. The Word is food as well as seed as it plants so it waters as it begins so it perfects the work of grace When Paul left the Ephesians whom he had begotten to the faith through the Gospel he leaves them this Legacy Act. 20.32 We are born again of the immortal seed of the Word 1 Pet. 1.23 and as new born babes we must desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 No man ever knew a child live without the breast or other suitable means for nourishment Nor men of strength without answerable sustenance no more can a man in grace live without the Word of grace Our imaginations and carnal reasonings will be stirring and working and faith hath not a more deadly enemie The Word which is the sword of the Spirit must beat those down and hold them under 2 Cor. 10.5 The word of promise underproppes our faith and must be frequently heard diligently heeded or else it cannot be upheld Those therefore that prize the Word as a child the dug esteeming it with Job as their ordinary food Job 23.12 and to this end to keep life in their souls faith in their hearts here is a sign both of life and growth but when it is with men as with Israel in the wildernesse their soul loatheth this heavenly Manna as light bread having their appetite far better pleased with other things their ear being of the temper of Jeremies hearers The Word of the Lord is a reproach to them they have no delight in it Jer. 6.10 these never had faith in the power and life And all they that lose in their love to the Word lose also in their faith Many here might be convinced to be wanting in this righteousnesse upon their want of faith to intrest themselves in it 1. Those that take themselves to be above any necessity of hearing having learnt as they think so much that they may now well lay aside their teachers God vouchsafing of grace those gifts for the perfecting of the Saints having gained as they think perfection they matter no more intermedling with them If these could shew us any Scripture-Saint that ever reached to this height or ever set upon any such resolution or if they could give such experience to all that know them that they might know that they want nothing of the highest top of perfection then they said something But when the highest of Saints that we read of in the Word highly prized the Word and the more high they were the more high prize they put upon it and these that upon this pretence reject it proclaime to the vvorld many vvants in their souls even in that vvhich lyeth at the very bottome of faith and is of greatest necessity to the being of it their knovvledge being but in part in most of these very lovv and little or nothing vvhere most should be knovvn vve may vvell conclude that all this talke of perfection is vain Take tvvo persons the one of them talking and boasting of vvealth the other labouring hard in tillage or trade to gain vvealth and if you can tell whether of these the talker or the labourer is like to encrease in substance then you have determined the question whether these unruly talkers that boast of faith or those that diligently attend on Ordinances for gaining of it are more richly stored with it 2. Those that neglect to hear or
by a wonder of providence was advanc'd In this honour of his and low ebbe of theirs it came into his heart to visite his brethren the children of Israel Act. 7.23 He could not drink wine in bowls and anoint himself with the chiefest oyntments and not grieve for the afflictions of Joseph and see the the Comment that the Apostle makes upon it Heb. 11.24 25 26. By faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures in Egypt David in the Wildernesse of Judea was persecuted by Saul all his honours at Court were lost yea all livelihood and way of subsistence gone yet penning a Psalm in the midst of those exigents none of these are named on that day that he speaks of the fruition of Christ in Ordinances as Psal 63. may be seen Paul Phil. 3.5 6. layes open the rich priviledges that according to the flesh could be looked after and such that sometimes he himself did admire but these things that were gain to him he counted lesse for Christ yea he professeth himself to account them but dung when they stood in competition with Christ Compare the greatest of things that can be in thy desire and dung together and these will certainly stand in a great disproportion yet such is the disproportion between Christ and the greatest priviledges upon earth in a believers thoughts When the world hath a low and despicable opinion of Christ and men of the world are ready to say He hath no form nor comelinesse and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him All that is spoke of him in Gospel-Ordinances with them is dull and flat as was said of Sion This is Sion which no man looketh after So it may be said of the King of Sion Men of faith are of another opinion He is to them the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 and stands in their thoughts above all comparison As the apple-tree among the trees of the Wood so is my beloved among the sons saith the Spouse Cant. 2.3 If men would now look into their hearts whether Christ and the great things of Christ or the world and the great things of the world have this esteem they might thence draw a strong conjecture whether they be in the Faith or whether their hearts are void of it which estimate of their Judgments may appear in their care and pains to compasse as also in their trouble upon the losse that accrues unto them If their care to compasse the world be great so that they rise up early and eat the bread of carefulnesse the world having all command of their affections to scrue them up to it self and put them on to improve their diligence to the utmost and in the mean time Ordinances are in low esteem and every way that Christ is compassed of mean regard businesses jusling out prayers and the week-dayeâ— employment in servile labours taking up the Sabbath-dayes duties when worldly affaires are followed with eagernesse and holy undertakings are done with earthly thoughts wearisomly as against the hair here is a cause of suspition Troubles in and about losses may be as great a discovery as cares to compasse If they were in Lots Wives case to run away from all and for Christ to leave it to fire plunder confiscation would not they then with a wishly eye look after them and have sad parting thoughts about them instead of joyfully suffering the spoyl of them And upon apprehensions that things go ill upon any emergent occasions at once to the hazard of outward things and the endangering of Ordinances in case they are sensible of the former and are as men senslesse of the latter having more wishes that taxes were taken off then that the Gospel should flourish here 's a true Gadarene that would part with Christ rather then his swine The world and not Christ in Ordinances is the Pearl for which they will make sale of all As to the fruit or effect that Faith produceth in the affections 2. In the Affections take these rules 1. Faith is against all whatsoever that is against Christ As it sets Christ in the highest room so it opposeth all that opposeth him and will not suffer the most desired lust that divides from him As the covetous mans lust carries him to his gold the wantons lust to his Dalilah the drunkards to his cups and breaks through all opposition in their way of fruition of them so a believers Faith carries him to his Christ and will not abide any temptation or lust in his way of interest in him Acts 15.9 We may see that Jewes and Gentiles are either of both of unclean hearts and that it is onely God that cleanseth and purifieth as he makes the heart soft so he makes it clean and saith is the instrument wherewith it is thus cleansed Lust defiles 1 Pet. 2.4 and saith purifies It is Lust that divides from Christ They that are Christ's crucifie the flesh with the lusts thereof Gal. 5.24 and that upon account of eternal fruition of him She that is married careth how she may please her husband 1 Cor. 7.34 she is not to go in any manner of attiâ—e or dresse to please her self but in that which may please him That which he dislikes she must cast off The believer is betrothed to Christ his care then is to walk in all well-pleasing and to cast off all that doth displease him If men can do that for Christ which the Galatians were ready to do for Paul even to pluck out their eyes for his sake rather then lose him then all is well but if they look into their thoughts and see that there is any thing dear unto them which is abhorrent to Christ any thing which they love that he loatheth whether it be inward filthinesse as pride vain-glory earthly-mindednesse c. or outward uncleannesse as drunkennesse whoredomes c. this evidences a total want of grace in their soules A believing drunkard a believing adulterer a believing extorting oppressor as to assent to the doctrine of faith and profession of it may well stand together and reading the Scriptures and looking among Christian professours we may find too many such believers but as to the grace of faith they stand in full opposition to it and in this sense we may justly say there is not a believing drunkard or covetous worldling upon the earth As our Saviour said concerning those devils that had held their haunt in the young man from infancy that his disciples could not cast them out because of their unbelief so I may say of all that cast not out these lusts It was weaknesse in the disciples faith that disabled them that they could not cast devils out of others It is want of faith that disableth
black to their eye whatsoever John knew in case they had been called in and heard some could have said somewhat against these Publicanes and harlots and yet even these were admitted As to that which followes Then Sir though you know the same abominations afterwards and your members testifie it witnesses come in you must not cast him out unlesse he will professe it Though he is pleased to say that this argument will cost me more then two lines before it be answered yet a few words will shew that it is a meer non sequitur If a man make it his request upon the fame that he hath heard and the good that he hath seen in Mr. Firmins Family to be admitted to serve him in it confessing his wayes to have been bad but now professes that he is resolved upon a new way and in order to it desires to be received into such a Society where godlinesse may be learnt may not he now admit him and may he not afterwards upon breach of this engagement dismisse him I will averre my similitude to be fit yet I confesse it is not full for when Mr. Firmin hath dismissed this servant and put him out of doores he hath now no more relation to him But when a man upon profession to be for God is once in Covenant though his wickednesse deserves that the priviledges of the family should be denyed yet he is still in Covenant though under breach of Covenant and stands related to the Church of God in title otherwise upon his repentance he must have a new admission by Baptisme The Church I say may receive a man upon engagement of amendment which must be done in baptisme to be baptized and upon his return to wickednesse Excommunicate him His profession gives him right to Baptisme and his sin deserves excommunication He tells us Though we read not that Philip required repentance yet others did But did they so require it as in reality to precede baptisme Or were they satisfied with a profession of it If they so required it as in reality to precede they then must give a day over to give evidence of it and whether this was the manner in Johns baptisme in Philips or the Apostles let adversaries be Judges I cannot tell what should move Mr. F. when he had given me thanks pag. 54. for my courteous handling of him without scorn to adde in the next page Sir I thought Christianity had taken in the heart and outward conversation as well as the head a real Christian is one united to Christ sound in the doctrine concerning Christ and walking as Christ did we suppose an old Adam Let him who is a nominal Christian appear like one though he be not real And I do think that it is little below a scorn to bear the world in hand that I think otherwise what have I said for him to Sir me in this particular perhaps because I somewhere speak of a profession of faith not mentioning repentance so he may challenge Philip to be defective who when the Eunuch demanded What doth hinder me to be baptized answered If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest Act. 8.37 And Paul and Silas likewise who when the Jaylour ask'd What shall I do to be saved answered as we know Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thine houshold Nay will not the same charge fall upon the head of our Saviour himself who in his Commission to the Apostles saith He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved None of these mention repentance what can be said for them will excuse me I am so far from being against repentance in a Christian that I expect some will think that I have said too much for the necessity of it and put too high an honour upon it He proceeds farther and saith Let us view the Scripture in administration of Baptisme Mar. 4. Baptisme of Repentance that is more then Faith More explicitely but no more implicitely Faith takes Christ to give repentance as well as a Saviour to give remission of sins They confessed their sins saith he 1. Some will have it to imply no verbal confession but virtual coming for baptisme for remission of sins it was an acknowledgment that they were guilty which glosse carries strong probability with it in regard of the multitude that in so short a space were baptized 2. I require more an engagement to leave sin which their taking upon them the Name of Christ doth imply 2 Tim. 2.19 Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity He goes on Acts 2.37 38. First Jewes so had knowledge not so ignorant as ours I believe The Reader may believe the contrary till he see some proof Secondly having a legal work by the power of the Word They that had crucified Christ as a blasphemer deceiver must needs have some work upon them before they would take him professedly for a Saviour Thirdly Receiving the Word That implies no more then giving credit to what the Apostle spake that Jesus whom they had crucified was Lord and Christ Fourthly Repenting they are baptized this is more still And more then is exprest in the Text. Baptisme in his Name doth indeed imply that now they repented that they had crucified him otherwise we read not of their repentance Acts 8. saith he though there is not mention made of the Samaritans repentance who were apostatized from the Jewes but laid claim to the Patriarchs Joh. 4.20 expected Christ verse 25. worshipped God Ezra 4.2 yet that Philip should know them to be so abominable in conversation and yet baptize them that is to be proved since that others required repentance He may adde to these Elogies of the Samaritanes that they worshipped they knew not what Joh 4.22 and that they bore that good will to the people of the Jewes that when they perceived Christ with his Disciples to be for Hierusalem at the time of the Passeover they would not let them have meat for money Luk. 9.51 52. And I confesse as much of repentance in them as was required in any to the acceptation of Baptisme namely a renuntiation of their false way and a professed acceptation of the tender of the Gospel There yet followes If this be not a giving of holy things to dogs which Tertullian and Austin give warning of even in baptizing I know not what is Let a man be a notorious Ranter Sodomite Scoffer at godlinesse drunkard no matter what this is known and proved yet a Christian nomine tenus therefore you must baptize him Where I pray do I speak of baptizing any that is nomine tenus a Christian My opinion is that such that have the name Christian are baptized already I hope such contradictions seldom come from my pen. That these are no words of mine my adversary will acknowledge and that any such consequence can be gathered from any thing that I have said that I must baptize persons of this quality already
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
Cor. 7.14 There is in most of them if not in all some graces that are reall either common or saving and a Covenant doth not wait till the terms be kept and the conditions made good before it hath the being of a Covenant And whether these be every way sincere or any way dissembling yet as Mr. Baxter acknowledges they really oblige themselves And God howsoever dissembles not but is bound by himself upon his own terms which they professedly accept to confer all that the Covenant holds forth So that wheresoever man is obliged there a compleat Covenant is made up For Gods tender goes before and man is the last party and compleats the Covenant Propos 4 4. Sincerity and integrity of heart or full reality in a mans intentions to stand to the whole of a Covenant is not of the essence and being of it Both parties stand engaged upon their respective terms though one part should have unsincere intentions A wife is a wife and the marriage is compleat when both parties have publiquely express'd consent though she hold a resolution to be stubborn refractory profuse c. A man consenting to serve whether in bare words or taking earnest as is most usual or by hand and seal as in the case of apprentices is a servant although he intend with Onesimus to purloyn or take his opportunity to be gone Mr. Baxter thinks it makes for his advantage to say that unregenerate men are unsincere in Covenant but that is a concession that utterly destroyes him If they be unsincere or as the Psalmist speaks not stedfast in Covenant then they are in Covenant A Propositione secundi adjacentis ad propositionem primi adjacentis valet argumentum If it be true that Catiline is a seditious man then it is true that he is a man that Peribomius is a vicious man then he is a man that Judas is treacherous and perfidious in Covenant then he is in Covenant A mans conviction that he is an unjust steward or an unfaithfull servant doth not conclude him to be no servant or no steward but the contrary And whereas pag. 66. he saith The differences Mr. Bl. must take notice of between humane Covenants and ours with God or else he will marre all Men know not one anothers hearts and therefore make not Lawes for hearts nor impose conditions on hearts and therefore if both parties do confesse consent though dissembledly they are both obliged and the Covenant is mutual But God offers to consent onely on condition that our hearts consent to his terms and therefore if we professe consent and do not consent God consenteth not nor is as it were obliged This were somewhat to purpose in case he could make it appear that Scripture denyes all being of a Covenant where the all-seeing eye of God sees not all integrity and sincerity But Scripture-language which is the safest for us to follow being as we have heard far otherwise there is nothing marr'd in non-observance of any such supposed difference For which we shall presently hear again and again Mr. Baxters own confession 5. There is a reall and serious purpose in many unregenerate persons Propos 5 to serve the Lord and to come up to as much as they think he in Covenant requires though with Austin they have a great mind to delay and often to put off the thought of their more exact and serious service and too ordinarily think that they keep Covenant when they break it Having not as yet any right knowledge either of their own hearts or Gods commands And in this posture in which they thus stand before they come up any higher yea though they never come higher they reach unto graces in themselves reall true and good and also do the works which God commands and this sometimes is Mr. Baxters own thoughts When his businesse is to inform his Hearers or Readers and not to make opposition against others then he can use the word reall and forbear the word equivocall as appears in his Saints everlasting rest Part 3. Sect. 6. There is a common grace which is not saving yet reall and so true and good and so true grace as well as special grace which is saving Which may be a fair answer to that which himself hath said pag. 68. of this Treatise Mr. Bl. in his explication of this Dogmaticall faith addeth by way of exclusion though not affecting the heart to a full choyce of Christ where he seems to imply though he expresse it not that the faith that he meaneth doth affect the heart to a choyce of Christ which is not full But if so then 1. It is much more then assent or a meer Historical Dogmatical Faith 2. But is the choyce which he intimateth real as to the act and suited to the object That is the reall choyce of such a Christ as is offered and on such terms If so it is justifying faith If not either it is counterfeit as to the act or but nominal as to the object and is indeed no choosing of Christ That which is reall and true is neither counterfeit nor merely nominall so far as they know either Christ or their own hearts they undissembledly choose and take to him as expecting to be happy in him rather then any other object though too often it is upon mis-information and when they come to a right understanding of the terms they are in danger to quit the way in which they might enjoy him He further sayes Mr. Bl. thinks that there may be an undissembled profession which yet may not be of a saving faith and addes But then I conceive it is not an entire profession of the whole essential object of Christian faith viz. of assent and consent In which it doth but cast dust in his Readers eyes in confounding the entirenesse of the object and the integrity of the subject There may be an entire profession of the whole essentiall object of faith where the will is brought in to make no more full choyce or consent then hath been said There is added It will be an hard saying to many honest Christians to say that a man not justified may believe every fundamental article and withall truly professe repentance of all his sins and to take God for his Soveraign to rule him and his chief good to be enjoyed to his happinesse and to take Christ for his Lord and onely Saviour and his Word for his Law and Rule and the Holy Ghost for his guide and sanctifier and the rest which is essentiall to Christianity I think it will be nothing hard for any honest Christian to say that a man not justified may believe every fundamentall article as to assent and that he may be convinc'd of the necessity of such repentance and accordingly to make profession of it as Johns converts were baptiz'd into it That such an one may freely yield that God hath right of Soveraignty and rule and that he is the chief good to be enjoyed for
That may be easily said but I think hardly proved It is no empty sign if in the right use of it it may prove serviceable to it I am sure the Jew outwardly had right to the Oracles of God and yet no immediate certain right to their end which is to be the power of God to salvation It will be an hard task to prove the certainty of all their salvation that in the right of God stand entitled to any Ordinance of his the reason will hold of all as well as one they are not empty and vain The Jewes had right to Circumcision in the flesh and none that was a Jew outwardly might neglect it and yet were void of Circumcision of the heart or forgiveness of sin The conclusion is That it will be no hard matter to prove that it is some special grace that is the end of Baptisme at least remission of sin And so upon the right use of common grace God should be in Covenant obliged to give them special grace which is taken for Pelagianisme It will far rather follow from that opinion that a common and special grace differ onely gradually not specifically According to that promise of our Saviour Matth. 13.12 To him that hath shall be given which our Divines have still understood of graces of the same and not of a different kind he that hath common graces and improves them shall have a larger measure of those graces and he that hath spiritual graces and improves them shall have a more large measure of spiritual gifts And if they be both of one kind then Christs promise holds from the one to the other It will be an hard matter I think to prove that all that have right in Ordinances though they make no right use shall attain to the end of them Argument 5. vindicated My fifth Argument was An enquiry into Simon Maegus his Baptisme That faith upon which Simon Magus was in the Primitive times baptized is that which admitteth to Baptisme Simon himself believed and was baptized Acts 8.13 But Simons faith fell short of saving and justifying To which a sudden answer is given Concedo totum sed desideratur Conclusic He is certainly much to seek both in Syllogismes and Common reason that could not infer and could not know that I left the Reader to infer that Ergo a faith that is short of justifying entitles to Baptisme And so I have the whole in question yielded and that which was once said would make foul work in the Church if once granted But as soon as it is yielded me a Means is unkindly used to take it away from me And it is further answered That may be said to admit to Baptisme which so qualifieth the person as that we are bound to baptize him as being one that seemeth sound in believing as Simon did If such liberty of interpretation be yielded who may not easily elude the sense of any Scripture-Text the Text saith that Simon believed and was baptized Is it now enough for us to say he seemed to believe and therefore those whom he thus deceived were bound to baptize him Let the whole Text be viewed and the former Verse taken in and then let us see whether such a Glosse be fair When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdome of God and the Name of Jesus Christ they were baptized both men and women Then Simon himself believed also That faith upon which all the other Samaritans were admitted to Baptisme Simon was admitted upon also But it was not a seeming to believe but a believing that admitted the other Samaritans Therefore it was believing not a seeming to believe that admitted Simon When the Holy Ghost saith Simon believed as he saith other Samaritans believed and his faith satisfied Philip full of the Holy Ghost to give him admittance How may we that stand at this distance dare to call it into question If the Seal were put to a meer blank paper why is not all reversed upon discovery of a Misprision in proceeding So any man would do that had put a Seal where no name was written Why was not all ipso facto made null what reason could be given but that Peter had he been of that mind should have said Repent of this thy wickednesse that upon testimony given of thine integrity thou mayest yet be baptized But when the Text sayes he did believe and Philip upon that account thus proceeded and no retractation upon such discovery was made I believe no such Glosse is to be suffered My sixth and last Argument was In case onely justifying faith give admission to Baptisme then none is able to baptize seeing this by none is discerned To which Mr. Baxter sayes very little but onely refers to what he hath said to Mr. Tombs and I having had occasion before and may have occasion hereafter to speak of it shall here make no further defence of it Additional Arguments that a faith short of that which justifies gives title to Baptisme SEeing these Arguments have given Mr. Baxter so little satisfaction I shall endeavour to make some addition onely premising this That Baptisme is our door of Entrance or way of admission into the Church visible which I shall take for granted seeing Mr. T. pag. 54. of his Apology as Mr. Baxter observes hath yielded it and Mr. Baxter to my hand Treatise of Infant-Baptisme pag. 24. by Arguments hath proved it If then I shall prove that such are to be received into the Church I shall take the Conclusion to be the same as if they said they were to be baptized and proving their right to be taken into the Church I prove their right to be baptized 1. They that have right in the sight of God to many and Arg. 1 great Priviledges of his gift have right in his sight to the first and leading priviledge this I think cannot be denyed Having a right to those that follow they have right to those that lead If any had in the time of the Law right to the Passeover they had right to Circumcision and if any now have right to the Lords Supper they have right to Baptisme But those of a faith that is short of that which justifies have right to many and great priviledges in the sight of God This is clear from the Apostle Rom. 3.1 The Jew outwardly where Circumcision of heart was wanting had every way much profit and advantage he had therefore right to Circumcision and those with him that are short of a faith that justifies have right in the sight of God to Baptisme 2. Those that are a people by Gods gracious dispensations Arg. 2 nigh unto God comparative to others have right in the sight of God to visible admittance to this more near relation This I think is clear Men have right to be admitted to their right But those that come short of justifying faith are a people by Gods gracious dispensation nigh unto God comparative to others this is
and the bruised reed broke There have not been a few hungry sad souls that I have known that have born the terror of the Lord separate themselves for this reason But it will be replyed by those that give this warning that they mean not these they are not at all intended in their speech these they would tender and with all endeared affection of love encourage as those that have most need and are most fit to receive food for their strength But all of this helps not when this Proposition is laid down That no man in whom justifying faith and a new life by the Spirit is not wrought may dare otherwise then on the peril of his soul to draw nigh hither will not such a soul necessarily assume A new life through the Spirit is not wrought in my soul I am conscious to my self that I am carnal whatsoever endeavours I have used to believe yet how far am I from faith in strength and truth I find my self all over doubts and fears and plunged in unbelief And though I have made it my businesse to keep off from sin yet how far am I from a true change by repentance I find my heart hard obdurate even as an adamant yea the poor deserted soul will take to it self the state of Cain the condition of Judas If there be any other high in wickednesse they have matched yea they have exceeded them They are to put it to the question whether they are in grace or no whether they have a new life wrought or as yet are short of it This they must either determine in the affirmative that they are in grace at least there are those hopeful signs in present that they cannot but conclude it and then they safely may come upon sight of this they may with cheerfulnesse make their addresse or else they must carrie it in the negative all that is yet wrought is not life is not grace is not faith in its power is not repentance in truth as they can do no other that walk in darknesse and see no light that say God hath forgotten to be gracious and so they must keep off from the Ordinance and debar themselves from those cordials those apples those flagons that are there tendered and sick of love yet dare not intermeddle with the Lords tokens that are tendered to them or in the third place suspend and so sit down in doubtful fears whether they have grace or no and then that of the Apostle Rom. 14.23 He that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of faith for whatsoever is not of faith is sin will soon come into their thoughts and so all that are short of fulnesse of assurance must in dreadful horror separate themselves Secondly This Sacrament in that it is a Sacrament hath the name and nature of a seal as we see in the text and God willing shall be shewn a visible seal intrusted in the hands of man and therefore must needs be of a more different latitude and large extent then that seal which God reserves in his own keeping the seal of the Spirit The Lord knowes them that are his 2 Tim. 2.19 But man is to seek who are the Lords God knowes how to put to his seal to his own man who hath not this knowledg must needs be here allowed a greater latitude either men entrusted with it must have the knowledge of God as to this particular who they are in whom a new life is and grace wrought or else they must be allowed a greater latitude to take in men that make profession of God and as members in Church-Communion may be edified by it I know this argument is carried another way and that we conclude the contrary upon a double account 1. These seales of God outward and inward should answer each to other Those that have the outward seal they are to have the inward those that take into their hand the seal of the Sacrament should have the impresse of the Spirit on their soules To which I answer That the writing of the Word with Inke and Paper in the Bible and the writing in the heart by the Spirit should answer each the other that is every Christian should make it his businesse to hide that Word in his heart that by the Ministery sounds in his ears and yet Christians are not warned not to take a Bible into their hands till the impresse of that which is there is put on their hearts The Word is delivered in a greater latitude and so also must the Sacrament 2. Some say this Sacrament seales Gospel-promises onely they therefore that can claime the promise and have their interest in it can claime the seal otherwise the seal is put to a blank there is a seal where there is no Covenant-promise 1. I answer this argument thus carried speaks sadly to the hearts of all dispensers of the Sacraments they must see there is a Covenant-promise or else they must not dare to put to a seal To put any mans seal to a blank paper where nothing is written is a vain use of that seal It stands there as a cypher Now to put Gods seal to a blank where nothing is written doubtlesse is as vain and an high taking of Gods Name in vain according to these the Covenant is written in non-legible and invisible characters This inward work is that white stone with a new name written which no man knoweth save he that receives it Revel 2.17 and so the dispensers too often against convictions of conscience allwayes at hap-hazard must deliver them any thing written or not written whether a blank or filled up they cannot tells but are all at uncertainties 2. I answer as is the seal so is the Covenant both of them external and one must answer to the other Now these in question as hath been demonstrated at large are in Covenant An outward Covenant is by few questioned and so the seal is put to no blank but given to one interested in Covenant It seals the grace of the Covenant and mercy tendred in the promise on Gods termes and propositions So that the different latitude of the seal of the Spirit and of the seal of the Sacrament do conclude that men of no more then visible Church-interest may partake of it 3. The Church de facto hath injoyed it in this latitude not to instance in some ages following the times of the Apostles in which the Pastors called all their people to daily Sacraments and the use of it in Austins time when wicked ones in the Church were so numerous that they durst not deal with Church-censures but look into the Scripture though we are kept much in the dark concerning their practice little mention being made of the administration after the institution yet we know that this Sacrament was the priviledge of visible members then in being and it is clear enough how far many even then were short of sincerity If that of 1 Cor. 11. be
heart so in the Sacrament he preacheth to the eye and by the eye conveyeth himself into the heart And therefore it is well called a visible Sermon What can be more plain then this to set the out the power of the Sacrament to soul contrition true humiliation and mortification Too many that professe Faith have their hearts lift up and live not by faith Here is a way to bring them down when they see sin to be of such a provoking nature that onely the sufferings of the Sonne of God are able to satisfie that their demerit doth put him upon a necessity of all these woes These are certainly heart melting considerations If it be yet objected that the Provincial Assembly at London speak to their own communicants whom they suppose to be in grace To this I reply that in case that should fail and some at least should have their predominant lusts lurking and treachery against the Covenant as in Judas against Christ harboured it can be of no danger to say that here is a means to work them on to humiliation and brokennesse of spirit 2. If any yet say that their thoughts are otherwise of this Sacrament I answer their words best speak their thoughts and we see what they say The very breaking of the bread say they understandingly looked upon is a forcible Argument to break your hearts and the breaking of the bread may be looked upon understandingly by an unsanctified man if there be truth in their Propositions as I doubt not but they are most true then my Conclusion is true likewise We may make up if you please this part of the Argument thus A sin aggravating ordinance is an heart breaking and soul humbling ordinance But the Sacrament of the Lords supper is a sinne aggravating ordinance Therefore it is an heart breaking and soul humbling ordinance For the other branch of the Assumption that this ordinance is the holding out of the pardon of sin needs no proof This is my blood in the New Testament shed for you and for many for the remission of sinne Matth. 26. Fifthly That which is annext to the Word to second it in that very thing which works the soul unto conversion to good may bring the person of Covenant interest up to the termes of the Covenant may work one of profession of faith onely unto faith saving and justifying This none can deny being added to the Word as it 's second in such a work it well may have an hand in the working of it But the Sacrament is annext to the Word to second it in that very thing which works the soul unto conversion to God The Assumption is manifest If we consider what the Word does for conversion and the whole in which the energy and power of it as an Ordinance is exercised then we shall soon see that this Sacrament is added as a second in that work The Word converts in holding out sin in its defilements and danger in the discovery of the loathsome nature of it and the cursed effects that follow upon it together with Christ in the promises to save from it I know no other way that the Word hath to bring a soul in sin to God but in setting forth the lost and undone condition of it and so to bring to conviction compunction and enquiry what to do and then to make tender of Christ In this method souls as we find on record have been brought home to God of which there might be frequent instances Now that this Sacrament is added to the Word for further discovery of sin in the defilement and danger to hold out Christ in his death taking away sin need not to be proved It is true that the first detection of sin is by the rule of the Law and therefore the Apostle sayes By the Law is the knowledge of sin In case the question be put whether this or that act be sin then neither the tender of Christ in the Gospel nor yet the Sacrament can have any hand in the determination of it but they both serve for the aggravation of sin to lay it open in the dimensions and danger of it Sin is no where so seen in its height as in the sorrowes and sufferings of Christ as is by all affirmed and these sufferings we know the Word holds out for conversion from sin And the visible Word of the Sacrament seconds the Word in this very thing to set out Christs death to lay before our eyes Christ broken for us both for the aggravation of sin and for the pardon of it Thus if you please you may put the argument If the Sacrament doth the same thing as the Word doth in conversion then the Sacrament cannot be denyed to have an hand in conversion But the Sacrament as we see does the same thing as the Word it serves to the heightning of sin and the setting out of the pardon of sin Therefore it followes that the Sacrament may have an hand in conversion Sixthly That which by frequent experience we see the Sacrament works toward and for ought we are able to judge works unto that we may well conclude it is designed and appointed of God to work This cannot fairly be denyed yet if any think that this of it self is not of full strength seeing our experience may deceive us we may conceive what is not Let these then joyn to it what hath been already said This experience added to so much evidence of reason I doubt not but will be found to have strength in it And I put it for their sakes that say Let any give instance of any man or woman that hath at any time been converted by the Sacrament And that there are frequent experiences of the Sacraments working towards this thing is plain How frequent is it with men to have affrightings soul-shakings tremblings strong present resolutions against sin upon their approach to this Ordinance being convinced of it to be a duty that they ought to go to it How mightily are their spirits often affected in it If we make that an argument of the power of the Word towards wicked men in the affrighting and astonishment of them in the terrifying and amazement stopping for present their full swinge in sin and wickednesse as we know it is ordinarily with those that set out the power of the Word see Dr. Reynolds on Psal 110. pag. 150. why then should we not make the same effects that we see ordinarily produced by the Sacrament to be evidences of the like power in the Sacrament And as we read of an Ahab a Felix a Zedekiah an Herod thus startled by the Word so we may see and know such as these alike startled and affected at the Sacrament Superstition perhaps works it in some But we find the work in others in whom such superstition hath no place It can be no other then the Majestie of the Ordinance the high aggravation of sin and the glory of Christ set out in it All this
jurisdiction can here apply this distinction seeing it overthrowes that which they apply hither Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Many that are admitted ma want acceptance in heaven but having their right and putting in no visible barre their confessed Ecclesiastical right concludes that their admission is with acceptance of heaven and my great businesse hath been for their comfort and encouragement that give admittance that their benefiting is possible that are thus admitted And here I might take into consideration the opinion of those that would have a promiscuous admittance and indeed I had it in my thoughts to have given a brief answer to Mr. Humphrey's Scriptures and Reasons so much by some applauded and so strongly bottomed Because all Communicants must drink of the Cup therefore all must communicate with some limits which being yielded as I have proved they must will draw the limit necessarily yet somewhat more narrow But this is by one hand already done and I have lately had the happinesse to see a second learned Piece fitted for the Presse dealing largely in it which I doubt not may both satisfie the Adversary and the Reader so that my pains may well be spared onely I cannot but take notice of his fourth Reason for a promiscuous admission which he faith will arise from the vanity formality impossibility of selecting people to this Ordinance Look to the heart of all these separations they come to nothing For put the case you will have a gathered company I pray who do you account indeed to be fit and worthy receivers If not all that make profession as we do mixtly then those onely that have an interest in Christ and are true believers Well but how will you be able to know them The heart of man is deceitfull above all things who can know it And if we can hardly discover our own hearts how shall we discern others so that all will come but to these that have the fairest shew those that seem such and you cannot be secured but there may and will be some hypocrites and so this true partaking as all one body and one blood in such an unmixt communion as you pretend vanishes and there can be no such matter But now if men stand here upon a formal purity and will have the outward purest Church they can they go to separating again and never leave separating and separating as we have daily testimony till they are quite separated one from another Even as in the peeling of an Onion where you may peel and peel till you have brought all to nothing unlesse to a few tears perchance with which the eyes of good men must needs run over in the doing To this I answer If the rule to take in this gathered company be interest in Christ to take in those of a saving interest and refuse all others if regenerate then he shall be admitted in case unregenerate then he shall be refused then I shall yield his conclusion I shall leave that distinction to him that knowes what is in man I should fear many a man of non-interest might be let in and many a man of true interest refused a glozing tongue may here carry it further then an upright heart And for his next of a formal purity to get the Church as pure as we can though this ought to be our endeavour to get the Church as pure not formally but really as possible yet I make it no rule But following the Apostles rule to do as all things else so this to edification though it be a matter of much care and prudence yet not vain and impossible in a good measure to determine it upon this rule I pitch till I hear something that may take me off it SECT XVI An enquiry into the power authorized to judge of mens meetnesse for the Lords Supper THe adaequate subject of Sacraments being found out and some discovery made of those that according to Scripture principles stand in a present aptitude for actual admission A great question yet remains Who must judge of this fitnesse Who are to judge of mens present aptitude so as to approve of men as such and Authoritarively to refuse or passe by others in which we may seem to be much in the dark finding no one expressely set up for that work nor any Scripture-precedent of any that have taken upon themselves such power And herein men have been very different in their thoughts The various claimes that are made to this power The Church of England heretofore hath vested the Minister in sole power as appears in Canon 26. which provides That no Minister shall in any wise admit to the receiving of the holy communion of his cure or flock which be openly known to live in sin notorious without repentance nor any who have maliciously and openly contended with their neighbours untiil they shall be reconciled As also the Rubrick to the same purpose It is true that those that made it their businesse to scrue up Episcopal power to that height that it could not bear did interpret this of such notorious offenders that by the Ordinary had been so adjudged and under present censure expressely contrary to the very words of Canon 27. requiring every Minister so repelling any such upon complaint or being required by the Ordinary to signifie the cause unto him and therein obey his direction In case of such a preceding censure upon the person thus refused he had beforehand his direction and complaint is then supposed to be made onely for his obedience in refusing those that according to command given were to be denied The Schoolmen generally go this way putting the sole power into the hands of a Minister not so much disputing it so farre as I have read as taking it for granted Suarez putting it to the question a Utrum teneantur Ministri hujus Sacramenti non dare illud homini existenti in pâ—câ—ato mortali Whether the Ministers of this Sacrament are bound not to give it to a man in mortal sinne answers b respondetur certum esse habere Ministros hujus Sacramenti hanc obligationem simpliciter absolute loquendo That they are simply and absolutely under such an obligation mentioning none that are over them or assistent to them in it And in his first reason he saith That c Ex quibus sequitur primo hanc obligationem oriri ex ipsa lege naturali ac divina supposita tali Sacramenti institutione potestate ac munere commisso Sacerdotibus this obligation doth arise from natural and divine Law an institution of the Sacrament being supposed and such commission given to the Ministers so that he doth no more question the Ministers authority in this thing then he doth the institution of the Sacrament it self Suarez in tertiam partem Thomae quaest 89. disput 67. sect 1. And Thomas puts the question
sed etiam fidem conversionemque cordis si forte ad celebrandum mysterium baptismi in angustiis temporum sufficere non potest Neque enim latro ille pro nomine Christi crucifixus est sed pro meritis facinorum suorum nec quia credidit passus est sed dum patitur credit quantum it aque valeat etiam sine visibili Sacramento baptismi quod ait Apostolus Rom. 10.10 Corde creditur ad justitiam ore autem fit confessio ad salutem in illo latrone declaratum est sed tunc impletur invisibiliter cum mysterium baptismi non contemptus Religionis sed articulus necessitatis excludit Again and again considering I find that not onely suffering for the Name of Christ may supply what is wanting in Baptisme but also faith and conversion of the heart if peradventure streights of time will not permit the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptisme But to hold the Reader no longer in this controversy in avoiding the Popish necessity of Sacraments for a more distinct understanding of this necessity of Sacraments I shall lay down some rules SECT II. Rules for a right understanding of the necessity of Sacraments Rules for a right understanding of the necessity of Sacraments 1. Sacraments are standing Ordinances FIrst that Sacraments both of the Old and New Testament are standing Ordinances to be observed of the people of God not barely in the generation in which they were set up but in all successive generations so that there is an abiding and lasting necessity in them This is in that punctuall way set down in Scriptures respective to each Sacrament as though the Spirit of God would let us know that he did foresee a generation ready to arise to throw them off and live above them or else to vilifie them as unnecessary indifferent and arbitrary For circumcision see Gen. 17.12 13. He that is eight dayes old shall be circumcised among you every man-child in your generations he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger which is not of thy seed he that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money must needs be circumcised and my Covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting Covenant God layes there a necessity upon it a lasting necessity in all succeeding generations of that people to be observed and when Moses several generations afterwards did as we have heard omit it upon what reason we have nothing but conjecture We see Exod. 4.24 how much God was displeased at it And for the Passeover Exod. 12.13 we find a like lasting injunction This day shall be unto you for a memoriall and you shall keep it a feast unto the Lord thorowout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an Ordinance for ever repeated again ver 17. It was an Ordinance that no Jew in any generation might antiquate or put a period unto It must last as long as they remained a distinct generation unto God even till Christ in whose hands are times and seasons in whom there is neither Jew nor Greek should be the end of it As to New Testament-Sacraments the Scripture is as clear when Christ gave commission for discipling Nations and baptizing them for their encouragement in the work he promises his presence unto the end of the world The work is to continue as long as Christs presence in the work continues But Christs presence according to promise is to continue with them in discipling of Nations and baptizing them being discipled unto the end of the world I am not ignorant of the Critical observation that is made of the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saeculi by reason of the various acceptation of it in Scriptures endeavouring to have it to be understood of the end of that age in which those lived to whom Christ spake But neither the parallel use of the word by Matthew nor the context will bear that evasion For the parallel use of the phrase by Matthew four places may be instanced in three in one Chapter Matth. 13.39 The harvest is the end of the world vers 40. As therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world vers 49. So shall it be at the end of the world the Angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just Matth. 24.3 Tell us when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of the coming and of the end of the world In all places the phrase is the same and the words can be understood in none of them with that limitation And that the context will not bear it enough may be gathered from that which I have said Treatise of the Covenant pag. 117. For a more clear discovery of the words we know that there is a double period of ages or generations in Scripture One at Christs first coming when an end was put to Circumcision and the Passeover of this the Apostle speaks Heb. 9.26 But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself at the end of that world Christ dyed The other is at his second coming and this is the end of the world here mentioned and upon this account Dr. Reynolds in this Sermons upon Hos 14. interprets that of Christ concerning the sin against the Holy Ghost that it shall never be forgiven in this life nor in the life to come Matth. 12.32 of the age in which Christ lived and now near to an end and the age that should follow from his death till his second coming neither under the Old nor New Testament or Covenant can that sin find remission Till Christs second return a Ministery and Baptisme must still remain For the Lords Supper Scripture-testimony is as clear 1 Cor. 11.26 As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew forth the Lords death till he come If we can believe a coming of Christ for a temporal Reign before the time of his coming to the general Judgment I shall believe that may be called the consummation end or finishing of this generation and then a period may be put to these and other Ordinances But howsoever that will answer or fail mens expectations certain it is that it is the mind of Christ that they shall stand till the time that he doth come and then his mind will be further known The practice of the Church hath hitherto answered these testimonies All ages of the Church as we know held up Circumcision till Christs time and in Christs time it was in use as Christ testifies Joh. 7.22 and he submits to it in his own person Luk. 2. and so we may say of the Passeover notwithstanding some disuse the godly ever knew it to be in force or else as piety broke forth they had not still reassumed it And Christ dying as we have heard at the end of that world
c. But if any list to say that Sacraments absolutely seal upon conditions as it seems Mr. Baxter chooses to speak and some of his friends have said is more proper though I do not see it yet I will not contend about it He tells me that he confesses that neither promise nor seal bind absolutely till the condition be performed pag. 140. and this is the whole that I desire I am there taken up for saying That the conditional promise is not any absolute undoubted truth but upon supposal of the condition put If the Reader compare the context either in the precedent or subsequent words he may easily see truth there should have been tye and I think he could scarce have missed the sight of it had my sentence been fully quoted The close of my speech in these words so both promise and seal absolutely bind is left out yet the words as they stand though they carry no congruity might have received a fair Interpretation It was no absolute truth that the Jaylour should be saved but upon condition of his believing I shall not trouble the Reader with that which to him would be tedious and from which he can receive slender benefit I shall onely take notice of some passages which Mr. Baxter is pleased to put into his Index seeing many will perhaps look there that will go no further The Minor being sealed the Conclusion is not eo nomine sealed as Mr. Bl. affirmeth and refers to Sect. 65. p. 123. but his charge is p. 124. It is new Logick to my understanding that the Minor being sealed the Conclusion eo many is sealed The Minor of many an argument may be true and the Conclusion false And therefore when the case so falls out that both Minor and Conclusion are true or sealed it is not eo nomine because the Minor is true that the Conclusion is so or is sealed eo nomine because the Minor is so but because both Major and Minor are so and not then neither but upon supposition the syllogism be sound It should first have been made to appear that I vent such Logick and then I might more fairly have been charged with new Logick I spake not of syllogismes in general but of the syllogism I had in hand and such a one where the Major is taken for granted as I say it is in that syllogism The Major in that syllogism is laid down in these words If God give me Christ he will give me justification and salvation by Christ which is clearly laid down by the Apostle Rom. 8 32. The Minor is expressed in these words as supposed to be the words of God in the tender of the Sacrament Here I give thee Christ upon which the Conclusion followes Therefore I give thee justification and salvation The Major in this I said pag. 41. is supposed not sealed The Minor is there sealed giving in my reason which is not opposed and the Minor being sealed I say the Conclusion is eo nomine sealed This is confessed upon supposition that the Syllogism is found to be sound and the Syllogism is not yet under any charge and therefore what I say by his own confession is true There is further put into the Index Mr. Bl 's doctrine untrue that if the conclusion be not sealed then no proposition is sealed referring to Sect. 68. pag. 126. My words quarrelled at are these pag. 42. If the Proposition serves directly to prove the conclusion then that which directly confirmes any Proposition in a rightly framed syllogism confirms the conclusion If the conclusion is not sealed then no Proposition is sealed or else the syllogism is ill framed The answer returned me is this This is too new doctrine to be received without one word of proof Doth he that sealeth the Major of this following syllogism seal the conclusion All that truely receive Christ are the sons of God and shall be saved Judas did truely receive Christ Therefore Judas was the son of God and shall be saved I think both premises must be true before the conclusion will thence be proved true And it is not sealed by God when it is false I confesse I stand amazed at this picking of quarrels and high strains of wit to find out matter for animadversions If the Minor Proposition here expressed directly serve to prove the conclusion then Judas is saved for if it serve directly to that purpose it is neither in matter nor form defective If any should wickedly say R. B. shall not be saved and to make it good shal affirm that he is a pure Pagan wholly ignorant of Jesus Christ will any say that this directly proves it when the proof contains such an abominable falsehood And such is the proof here that Judas is the son of God and shall be saved change Judas into Peter and then you speak my thoughts He is pleased further to put into his Index Whether it be virtually written in Scripture that Mr. Bl. is justified I confesse I did not without trembling of spirit read nor without tears think upon this thus put to the question together with that which followes Whether it be de fide that Mr. Bl. is justified Who would not believe that I had directly asserted it or made some unsavory vaunts about it I must therefore give the Reader an account that Mr. Baxter himself Appen pag. 66. had framed this syllogism in order to the finding out of the way of Sacraments sealing He that believeth and is justified shall be saved But I believe Therefore I am justified and shall be saved affirming that this conclusion I shall be saved is no where written to which I answered Treat of the Covenant pag. 42. It is written vertually though not expressely making it clear by an other instance it is no where written that I shall rise in judgement yet it is on faith that I shall arise seeing it is written that all men shall arise and when I have concluded faith in my heart as well as reason in my soul knowing my self to be a believer as I know my self to be a man I may as well conclude that I shall arise to life as that I shall arise to judgement After some exceptions taken by him at the word vertually to prove if he could that my syllogism is tautologicall he adds Yet I confesse that some conclusions may be said to be Interpretative vel secundum locutionem moralem in Scripture when but one of the premises is there but that is when the other is presupposed as being certain And do not I presuppose the Minor here to be certain in saying When I have concluded faith in my heart as well as reason in my soul I speak not to it but upon this supposition that it is concluded And therefor the conclusion may be Interpretative in Scripture according to Mr. Baxter though not virtualiter and that shall serve my turn And I think there is as much of tautology in the one as in the other
For my conclusion in that instance of arising again it is said that It is by faith and natural knowledge mixed that I shall rise again and I am further told Thoâ—gh in strict sense it be thus mixed In our ordinary discourse we must denominate it from one of the premises and usually from the more notable alwayes from the more debile Scripture saith that all men shall rise reason saith that you are a man Though the conclusion here partake of both yet it is most fitly said to be de fide both because Scripture intended each particular man in the universal and because it is supposed as known to all that they are men and therefore the other part is it that resolves the doubt and is the more notable and more debile part To which I onely say that of two premises the debilior should be the more notable or that a Proposition which is laid down terminis terminantibus of God himself should be more weak then that which reason concludes I am to learn I am further told that it is an undoubted truth with me that conclusio sequitur debiliorem partem That it followes deteriorem partem I long since learnt so that if one of the premises be false the conclusion cannot be true but that it must have its denomination à debiliori in the sense here spoken to I never yet heard nor could I have once thought that upon the account of the weaknesse of that Proposition of faith All men should rise it should be yeelded to be of faith that I should rise and not otherwise And here I am put to it to answer whether I have a fuller evidence that I am a sincere believer then I have that all sincere believers are justified And am told It seemes by your following words that you have or suppose others to have I wonder what words of mine those are that speak such madnesse Can I be more sure that I see the Sun than I am that there is a Sun to be seen I am yet told If you have as evidently concluded that faith is in your heart saving faith as that reason is in your soul and know your self to be a believer as evidently as you know your self to be a man then your conclusion may be denominated to be de fide as a parte debiliori But what if any man have concluded though not with that evidence and full strength of light how it is hindred but that still it may be a conclusion de fide I confesse I am to seek in this new learning to enquire into premises whether is debilior whether fortior and so to give the conclusion denomination à debiliori what if I cannot tell in which of them most strength lyes as it seems Mr. Baxter himself is sometimes to seek then I shall be at a stand whether the conclusion is to be denominated of faith or of sense or reason I take it to be de fide when I have warrant from the Word of God for it and it leads me to believe it Mr. Baxter had said in his Appendix Otherwise that is as I understand him if this proposition I shall be saved be sealed in the Sacrament every man rightly receiving the seales shall be justified and saved To this I have answered I see no danger in yielding this conclusion Every man rightly receiving and improving the seales must be saved and justified He that rightly receives the seales receives Christ in the seales and receiving Christ receives salvation In his reply he first explains himself and then retorts upon me He saies by rightly I meant having right to it and that onely in foro Ecclesiae and not rectè and confesses he should plainlier have expressed his meaning Let him then bear with others if their words do not alwaies speak their meaning so plainly as he would desire I think my meaning was never so in the cloudes as his is here He then retorts upon me in these words Whether you here contradict not your doctrine of Baptismal faith where you suppose justifying faith to be the thing promised by us in Baptisme and therefore not prerequisite in it I leave you to judge and resolve as by your explication I have busied my head not a little to find out where any colour of contradiction lyes If it be in this that I yield that every man that rightly receives the Sacrament shall be saved and yet affirm that men that are not in a state of salvation have right to Sacraments then it is a contradiction to say that any man may have true right to any thing that doth not rightly use it which indeed is a contradiction much like to some others with which I am charged and might with as good reason have found a place in an Index Having yielded to Mr. Baxter That Papists have great advantage given them by those that mistaking the nature of justifying faith think it consists in a belief of the pardon of my own sinnes Yet to make it good that the conclusion that my sins are pardoned or I shall be saved may be de fide when the soul hath a right proceeded in the premises I say As it is an error to hold that to believe my sinnes are forgiven is of the nature or essence of faith as though none did believe but those that had attained such assurance true faith hath assurance in pursuit onely sometimes and not alwaies in possession so on the other hand it is a mistake to say that it is no work of faith The Apostle calls it the full assurance of faith Heb. 10.22 and describeth faith to be the substance of things hoped for faith realizeth salvation which we have in hope to the soul A description of faith saith Dr. Amesius out of a Schoolman by one of the most eminent acts that it produceth therefore I take that to be a good answer that is here charged with error that when it is written he that believeth is justified it is equivalent as though it were such or such a man is justified in case with assured grounds and infallible demonstrations he can make it good to his own self that he believeth Upon this he comes in not with a few animadversions the two first are to conclude from my own mouth that assurance is not faith in that I say it is not of the nature and essence of faith and hath it sometimes onely in pursuit and not in possession In which he seems to take for granted that I had affirmed that assurance is faith when I can produce witnesses that almost 30. years ago I have opposed it and I still persist in the denyal of it 3. He saies I know none that deny assurance to be a work of faith which Mr. Bl. saith here is a mistake to say love and obedience are works of faith but not faith it self A work I mean as my words import attainable by faith and if faith by Scripture-promises is able to conclude it then the
conclusion with me is de fide when it is concluded 4. He saies I must have better proof before I can believe that it is assurance of our own sincerity or actual justification which the Apostle calls the full assurance of faith Heb. 10.22 And I think he is the first man amongst orthodox Divines that hath doubted that assurance of acceptance is meant in that place Faith is that grace say the last Annotations whereby we either do or may approach unto God with full assurance of acceptance Is not that boldnesse in our addresses mentioned ver 19. an evident symptome of it And is not sincerity fet forth in those words having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water as the basis or bottome of it not of our acceptance but of our assurance I must hear somewhat more before I can question it There followes 5. And as hardly can I discern assurance of our sincerity in the description of faith Heb. 11.1 unlesse you mean that hope is part of faith and assurance the same with hope both which need more proof Hope may be without assurance and when it is joyned with it yet is not the same thing onely such assurance is a singular help to the exercise of hope And can you not discern a double encomium of faith in those words The first with respect to things past and present as well as things to come where it is said to be The evidence of things not seen Faith makes that evident which otherwise would not be known The other respective to things to come and that not evil but onely good not things feared but hoped expressed in these words Faith is the substance of things hoped for both of them rather expressing what faith does then what faith is and I know not why that speech of hope should be brought in here when it is onely said that the good things hoped for are that which faith realizes to the soul It is said further 6. It is true that faith may be said as you speak to realize salvation to the soul that is when the soul doubteth whether there be indeed such a glory and salvation to be expected and enjoyed by believers as Christ hath promised ere faith apprehendeth it as real or certain and so resolves the doubt And is this all that faith can possibly do and for which this high praise is here given unto it Against this I say First This was expressed in the former branch the evidence of things not seen faith believes a heaven as well as a creation Secondly a faith short of justifying may do this an historical faith assents to the highest dogmatical truthes Thirdly will you have the full assurance of hope Heb. 6.11 to be no other then to get assurance that there is a heaven though we shall never come to heaven which would be a contradiction for hope hath possession in expectation Fourthly doth not our hope enter into that within the vail whither our forerunner is gone before us Heb. 6.19 and are we not saved by hope Rom. 8.24 Faith then being said to be the substance of things hoped for it doth not barely tell us that there is a heaven that is too lank and lean a commendation of it but the office of it is to realize the possession of it to us It followes But when the doubt is whether I be a true believer saith resolves it not Faith hath its hand in the resolving of this doubt in believing from the Scriptures what are the Symptomes or cognizances of true believing and gathering them up by reflex upon it self It followes And when the doubt is whether this certain glory and salvation shall be mine faith onely cooperateth to the resolve of it by affording us one of the propositions but not both and not wholly the conclusion If faith affords us one of the propositions and findes the other in the Scriptures that is to me sufficient It followes 7. I am of Dr. Amesius his mind that it is one of faiths most eminent acts by which it is there described But undoubtedly you were not so in your sixth animadversion when you left it so low as we have heard and made it no more then the faith of wicked men may reach There is added But so think not they that tell us that is none of the instrumental justifying act which is there described But doubtlesse they may very well think so This here mentioned is a more eminent work of faith then that of justifying as a child on a Giants head is further removed from the earth and nearer the clouds then the Giant himself Faith that gives assurance presupposeth the justifying act already done by it self and addes more to it when a man believes savingly there is Certitudo objecti he that believes shall be saved but this here mentioned is Certitudo subjecti when the good hoped for is assured to the soul If there be any other promise made of God for good this work of faith I confesse takes it in and I do not believe that the Apostle doth limit this work of faith to the hope of salvation but I am sure he doth not exclude it that being the chiefest thing in our hope that is undoubtedly chiefly intended and might well by me be mentioned It followes 8. This which you took to be a good answer is that great mistake which hath so hardened the Papists against us and were it not for this point I should not have desired much to have said any thing to you of the rest about conditional sealing as being confident that we mean the same thing in the main If that be that great mistake I am still in the mistake and you are the first man that ever went about to rectifie it but you herein fail that you shew not wherein the mistake lies Those Divines that deny faith to be assurance that were as much as to define a man by such excellencies that are to be found in few men and so to exclude the common pitch of men from the species of mankind do not yet deny but that faith may attain to assurance It followes 9. You forsake them that use to give this answer when you confine it to those onely that with assured grounds and infallible demonstrations can make it good to themselves that they believe i. e. savingly I think that they as well as I confine it to those that you here mention It followes I doubt that answer then will hold but to very few if you mean by assured grounds c. such as they are actually assured are good and demonstrative I believe that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that find it There are not many we may fear that do savingly believe and many of those are not yet assured that they do believe and to this Mr. Baxter hath spoke abundantly sufficient in his Saints rest It followes 10. Demonstrations
of faith in the baptized to obtain it and baptisme to them as Circumcision to Abraham is onely a sign and seal of it and doth not otherwise effect it The like I may say of impenitence that according to them it is a barre to the working of Sacraments Sacraments onely work in penitent persons repentance then is a qualification in them that obtain a pardon and Sacraments by way of seal assure penitent oneâ— of it Eighthly 8. The most eminent of the adverse opinion produce Scriptures clearly opposite to their assertions The most eminent that ever have appeared for this power in Sacraments to confer grace on the receivers either utterly deny or at least very doubtfully affirm that Baptisme works in Infants any real change but onely that which is relative that it conferres any habits or any thing more then priviledges on Infants baptized when yet the Scriptures that they bring for proof of this baptismal work almost all speak to such a change that is reall not relative of habits and not of priviledges When this is made good it will appear to any impartial eye that the Scripture-Texts alledged come far short of proof of any such baptismal power to confer grace on all baptized Infants This as it seems Reverend Dr. Ward suspected asserting the certainty of salvation of all baptized Infants dying in infancy he saith That o Quae est nostrae Ecclesiae totius antiquitatis indubitata sententia ut ego reor ipsius Scripturae it is the undoubted opinion of all antiquity of our Church and as he thinks of the Scripture it self For the former part of this assertion that the most eminent that have appeared on this party have held as before let Reverend B. Davenant in his Epistle speak Asserting by Arguments that which he sayes he had often affirmed that the argument borrowed from Infants which Arminians Papists and some of our own use to maintain the apostasie of Saints or believers is not onely invalid but altogether impertinent as to that controversie His third Proposition to make good this assertion is p Pontificii non agnoscunt pro fidei dogmate habitus fidei aut charitatis infundi parvulis in baptismo neque tanquam de fide docent effici uâ—los justos formaliter inhaesione habitualis justitiae aut Sanctitatis That Papists do not receive it for a point of faith that the habits of faith or charity are infused into Infants in Baptisme neither do they deliver it as of faith that are thereby made formally just by any inherent habituall righteousnesse or holinesse To make this good Bonaventure Aquinas Gerson among the more ancient Schoolmen are brought in and of the more modern Writers Soto affirming that habits infused into Infants are not so known as is the Catholique faith and that Estius doth ingenuously acknowledge that this infusion of inherent righteousnesse is problematically disputed the Master of the sentences inclining to the negative And whereas some later Papists affirm that this opinion of infused habits in Infants is now otherwise ratified then heretofore by the authority of the Trent Councel he first answers that that Councel hath no such authority as to make that an article of faith which for so many hundred years hath not been such and afterwards peremptorily denyes that that Councel did ever so determine concluding that it is resolved upon by Papists that all baptized Infants are some way rendred acceptable to God but that this is done by any such infused habits or by any inherent quality created of God is as he sayes as yet doubted among them His fourth Proposition is that q Protestantes non concedunt fidem justificantem aut charitatem Deo unientem aut gratiam regeneratricem quae reparat omnes animae faâ—â—tates in ipso Baptismi momento infundi insantibus Protestants do not yield that justifying faith or charity that unites us to God or regenerating grace that repaires all the faculties of the soul is infused into Infants in the very moment of Baptisme quoting Calvin Beza and Peter Martyr speaking fully to it r Nec quenquam scio nostris Theologis qui regenerationem illam quae sita est in spiritualium qualitatum creatione quam nos sanctificationem Pontificii formalem justificationem in digitant in ipso momento Baptismi productam definiant Cumigitur nec Arminiani nec Pontificii nec Protestantes agnoscant parvulos in ipsa Baptismi susceptione fieri participes illorum habitualium donorum aut Spiritualium qualitatum quae propriè dicuntur constituere hominem justum et inhaerenter sanctum nemo eorum potest amissionem fidei aut justitiae aut sanctorum Apostasiam argumento ab infantibus sumpto demonstrare Adding that he does not know that any of our Divines determine that that regeneration which consists in the creation of spirituall qualities which we call Sanctification and Papists formal Justification is infused in the instant of Baptisme And he brings in also Mountague in his appeal vouching it out of these Belgick and French Confessions and then concludes when neither Arminians Papists nor Protestants acknowledge that Infants in their participation of Baptisme are made partakers of those habitual gifts and spiritual qualities which properly make a man just and inherently holy none of them can demonstrate the losse of Faith or righteousnesse or Apostasie of the Saints by an argument drawn from Infants His fifth Proposition is That Å¿ Patres nec actualem nec habitualem fidem aut charitatem parvulis in baptismo donatam agnoscunt conversionem etiam sive novi cordis creationem quae propriè regeneratio dicenda est non nisi cum ad aetatem rationis capacem pervenerint in iis produci docent the Fathers do not acknowledge that either actual or habituall Faith or charity is given to Infants in Baptisme and that they teach that conversion or creation of a new heart which is properly regeneration is not wrought in them but onely when they come to yeares and are capable of reason For this Austin is quoted and frequent places out of him are produced and with him Hierome Nazianzen Justin Martyr and Bernard making all up with the testimony of Whitaker t Patres ne somniasse quidem de habituali Papistarum fide quam illi volunt in Baptismo ex opere operato infusam esse parvulis that the Fathers did not so much as dream of the habitual faith which Papists say is infused by the work done in Baptisme inferring this as the result of all that in five several propositions he had delivered that u Hinc quivis perspiciat quam invalida sit haec concludeni ratio Multi ex infantibus baptizatis postea pereunt in infidelitate et impoenitentia Ergo fides charitas reli quaeque Spirituales qualitates in renatis Spiritus virtute productae aliquando amittuntur from thence any man may see how invalid this argument is Many baptized Infants
adds The like figure whereunto Baptisme doth now save us by the resurrection of Christ The Arke did save those that entered into it Baptisme doth save those that are received into the Church by it And whereas an objection is obvious that Noahs Arke and New-Testament Baptisme doth much differ and that in the very thing in which the similitude is brought few entered the Arke and were saved by it but myriads of thousands are baptized This the Apostle answers in the Parenthesis there interposed that the parallel lies not between the Arke and the outward act of Baptisme as by man administred and there called the putting away the filth of the flesh so there is a vast disproportion the outward act as administred by man saves not but between the Arke and the inward work which is The answer of a good conscience towards God That of Tertullian which Beza sayes may serve as a Comment upon these words is elegant The soul is established by answering and not by washing And further to clear this text we must know that the Covenant hath a Proposition in it to which all in Covenant must give assent He that believes and repents shall be saved This assent is presupposed in all those that make actual improvement of the Sacraments Faith and Repentance being the terms of the Covenant And this Divines in their Treatises of Conscience call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now in case we have the benefit of salvation by Sacraments conscience must answer and a good conscience onely can answer But I believe I repent This Divines call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then and not otherwise Sacraments save Dr. Slater on Rom. 2.25 hath these words Here I think the observation is easie out of the body of the text that the work done in Sacraments availes not to righteousnesse or salvation except the condition of the Covenant be performed by those that partake them first the condition then the Antithesis shewes it if thou be a breaker of the Law thy circumcision is made uncircumcision that is all one to thee as if thou hadst never been circumcised yea a gentile wanting the Sacrament having obedience is nearer heaven then thou that hast the Sacrament and neglectest obedience and weigh well that the Lord in promising or sealing binds not himself to performance but conditionally that we perform our restipulation and whence Sacraments should have their efficacy but from the promise and grace of God I see not Circumcision in the flesh engaged the receivers to circumcision in the heart Deut. 10.16 where these did concurre there was a man in Covenant and upright in Covenant And Jer. 9.25 wrath is denounced of God against several Nations and the circumcised and the uncircumcised in the threat are put in equipage together equally and alike to suffer And to take off all scruple or offence that might be taken there is a distinction brought of Circumcision in the flesh and Circumcision in heart Judah had Circumcision in the flesh to plead but remained uncircumcised in heart and therefore fares no better then those that were uncircumcised in flesh Jer. 4.4 The Prophet commands Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the foreskin of your heart ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem lest my fury come forth like fire and burn that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings On these terms the fury of the Lord is prevented Those Israelites that passed out of Egypt into the wildernesse for Canaan had the Cloud and the Sea of the same use as Baptisme And Manna and the Rock of the same use as the Lords Supper The two former are called by the name of Baptisme and the two latter Spiritual meat Spiritual drink All were baptized in the one and all did eat and drink of the other yet sayes the text with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wildernesse If you would know who suffered thus under Gods displeasure the text tells you Lusters after evil things v. 6. Idolaters v. 7. Fornicators v. 8. Tempters of Christ v. 9. Murmurers v. 10. And Heb. 3.17 The Apostle demanding But with whom was God grieued fourty years answers Was it not with them which had sinned whose carcases fell in the wilderness Further demanding to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not These wanting the answer of a good conscience fell short of the Sacramental engagements and also came short of true happinesse Arguments evincing it 1. This might be further evinced with arguments 1. In this case where the soul answers not to Sacramental engagements Sacraments are but as outward shadowes and bare empty signs and set out by the Spirit of God in Scripture with all their Rites and Ceremonies as other Ordinances of like nature in the most low despicable and undervaluing words that is possible Baptisme in the letter is no better with the Apostle then putting away the filth of the flesh the cleansing of the hands the feet or face from dirt or filth is the same with it The Pharisees washing of hands yea their washing of cups platters as low as it is laid by our Saviour was as efficacious and as acceptable Circumcision also when it led not to but from Christ is called by the Apostle by the name of Concision Phil. 3.2 Any gash made in the flesh or rent in the garment as well pleaseth The Apostle therefore Rom. 2.25 saith Circumcision verily profiteth if thou keep the Law but if thou be a breaker of the Law thy circumcision is made uncircumcision If you understand the Apostle speaking the sense of the carnal Jewes with whom he had to deal then you must understand the keeping of the Law in its full perfection for to this Circumcision lookt upon as a leading Law-Ceremony did engage He that is circumcised is a debtor to the while Law if we understand him speaking of it as a seal of the righteousnesse of faith then sincerity is intended If this be wanting Circumcision is uncircumcision where that of the heart is there Circumcision in Gods account is and where it is not there Circumcision is not Rom. 2.28 29. We are the Circumcision saith the Apostle that worship God in Spirit and truth when the cutting of the foreskin in those false teachers was no better then Concision the worship of God in Spirit in whomsoever it was was Circumcision Arg. 1 2. Sacraments in this case are onely aggravations of sin and heightning of judgements In case of uncircumcision in the time of the Law and Non-baptisme in these times sins were no more then transgressions of the Law but now they are breaches of Covenant Then they would have been meerly rebellion against Soveraignty but now they are Apostasie and treacherie In Sacraments we close with God and take his Name upon us as his servants in sin we depart from him and refuse to serve him Thus our bond
I desire Mr. Baxter to take into consideration that Text of the Apostle Rom. 8.3 What the Law could not do in that it was weakned through the flesh c. And whether he understand it respective to sanctification which is not agreed upon among Interpreters to give his Reader satisfaction Quomodo patitur Lex in hac debilitatione Quid patitur ut fi at impotens et inefficax Quomodo haec impotentia inefficacia fuit in carne utrum eminenter an formaliter Quomodo agit Caro in hoc influxu debilitativo in legem And I doubt not but I may as easily answer his Queries in order to the vindication of my assertion as he may mine in vindication of that which the Apostle delivers Answering the last all is indeed answered Caro agit injiciendo obices remoras Quo minus Lex operatur in corde hominis Spiritus agit per fidem ut causa removens impedimentum E medio tollens obices remoras istas Incitando potenter inclinando animam in amplexum promissionis divinae I desire also his full Comment on the Apostles words 2 Cor. 3.6 Who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life with a satisfying answer to all like Quaeries that thence may be made I suppose he will grant that they are able Ministers of the New Testament no otherwise then in preaching the Gospel and when the bare Scripture as Tremelius reads it is of power onely to kill we may demand how the Gospel suffers in receiving any such quickening power from the Spirit And indeed the Gospel suffers not but the soul in receiving power to answer the Gospels call whether to Justification oâ— sanctification And that the Spirit makes use of faith in this quickening power I think will not be denyed seeing the Apostle tells us The life that I live in the flesh is by faith in the Son of God Faith therefore hath its hand in the Spirits quickening work and he addes Sure you do not take the foregoing words for proof adding What though onely believers are justified by the Covenant doth it follow that faith gives efficacy and power to the Covenant to justifie then either there are no conditions or causae sine quibus non or else they are all efficients and give efficacy and power to other efficients I confesse those words taken by themselves in that sense as he may fancy and the words in themselves may bear will not come up to a full proof Justification may be restrained onely to believers and yet faith have no hand in it but seeing other Scriptures give an efficiency to faith in this work some of them speaking of it as Gods instrument Rom. 3.30 most of them as mans we may well then know that Scripture holds it not out as any such naked condition To others the Gospel-grant lyes dead to these through faith it is effectuall There is added Your terms of faiths giving power through the Spirit tell me that sure you still look at the wrong act of the Gospel not at its moral act of conveyance or donation but at its reall operation on mans heart I do look at the act of the Gospel as its real operation on mans heart and yet I look at the right act of it The Gospel is an instrument to justifie by the intervening act of faith according to Protestants and by the intervening work of sanctification according to Papists and according to both there is a real work on the soul necessary to put into a posture for Justification All know that Divines distinguish between redemption wrought by Christ and the application of it Redemption is the proper work of the Son but Application they ascribe to the Spirit a Hinc Pater Filius mittere dicuntur Spiritum ad applicationem istam perficiendam The Father and the Son are said saith Amesius to send the Spirit to perfect this application Medull Theol. Cap. 24. Sect. 5. And whereas I am told that neither Scripture nor Divines use to say that the Gospel remitteth sin or justifieth by the Spirit nor doth the Spirit otherwise do it then by inditing the Gospel c. Though I own not this phrase that is here put upon me and I might expect so much priviledge as to be Master of my own words yet I would have it taken into further consideration whether Divines use his language or mine or whether they judge not that tâ—â—e the right act of the Gospel for pardon of sin which I mention The Leyden Divines having spoke of the application of the righteousnesse of Christ Disp 33. Sect. 21. have these words Sect 24. b Haec applicatio in nobis fit à Spiritu sancto 1 Cor. 6.11 dono scilicet fidei Ipse enim eam per Ministerium Evangelii Quod Ministerium Spiritûs dicitur 2 Cor. 3.8 ingenerat ac verbo suo ac Sacramentis confirmat auget Phil. 1.29 Gal. 5.5 Unde Spiritus fidei dicitur 2 Cor. 4.13 quâ Deum ut gratiosum Christum ut redemptorem ejusque justitiam ex eâ vitam aeternam apprehendimus Joan. 1.12 Rom. 9.30 This application in us is made by the holy Spirit 1 Cor. 6.11 viz. by the gift of faith For he works it by the Ministery of the Gospel which is called the Ministery of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 and encreases it by his Word and Sacraments Phil. 1.29 Gal. 5 5. From whence it is called the Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4.13 whereby we apprehend God as gracious Christ as Redeemer and his righteousnesse and from it everlasting life Joh. 1.12 Rom. 9.30 And Sect. 25. This application on our part is made by faith Rom. 5.1 Acts 26.18 A parte nostrâ fide Rom. 5.2 Actor 26.18 ex fide per fidem Ro. 3.30 Justistficamur justificat nos Deus By faith and through faith Rom. 3.30 We are justified and God justified us with much more to that purpose And Ravanellus in verbum justificatio speaking of the instrument of justification saith it is either outward or inward c Causa instrumentalis externa verbum Dei Sâ—cramenta ut patet ex Rom. 4.11 ubi circumcisio appellatur s gillum justitiae fidei nam verbum Dei Sacramenta sunt organa per quae Deus nos vocat per quae operatur conservat ac auget in nobis fidem obsignatque in cordibus nostris gratiam justificationis atque adeo Ministri Ecclesiae alii qui docent nos viam salutis Dan. 12.3 The outward instrumental cause he saith is the Word of God and the Sacraments as appears from Rom. 4.11 where circumcision is called the seal of the righteousnesse of faith for saith he the Word of God and Sacraments are instruments by which God doth call and by which he works preserves and encreases faith in us and seals in
there are many who scarce ever questioned but that they do believe yet when they come to the test are nothing TEKEL may be written upon them Thou art weighed in the balance and art found wanting Dan. 5.27 What the Wiseman saith of riches is true being applyed to faith Prov. 13.7 Some boast themselves of the strength of their faith that they thank God they have ever believed when as their faith is a meer fancy These boasters are but a crack like a banquerupts vapour Others complain of their unbelief yet ready to renounce all for Christ their complaint is not out of want of faith no more then the covetous worldlings is out of want of wealth but because they cannot give themselves satisfaction in believing Fifthly In case upon a due search and tryal thou find but a Mot. 5 shadow of faith and no substance Howsoever the case is not forlorn and remedilesse a meer resemblance of justifying faith and not the faith that doth justifie yet it is not so remedilessely gone but that it may be holpen not so deplored but that a cure may be had The most barren ground may be made fruitfull and the heart that is most obdurate may be made fleshy God out of the number of unbelieving ones and out of the number of meer pretenders to the faith chooseth to himself those that are truly faithful When the evidences of a mans lands are faulty and the fault past help men are willing to shuffle all over and rub out as well as they can but go with many sick thoughts about it but if there may be any way found they will not be wanting in their endeavours neither will they spare any cost to settle and establish it Deal so with thy faith bring thy evidences to Councel and what is amisse let be amended SECT VII Helps for the discovery of the truth of our Faith FOr our help in this discovery we must consider First The soyl where faith growes Every ground will not bear all grain and every heart is not capable of true faith Secondly The proper and true kind and nature of it Every plant that doth grow up like it is not it Thirdly The means that is to be used for preservation of it It will not live and grow without nourishment Fourthly The fruit that it bears or effect that it produceth True faith is not idle dead or barren Some of these or all of these will lay open thy faith to thee The humbled soul the proper soyl for faith 1. The soyl where it growes is the humble or rather the humbled soul The heart rent torn broken and nothing in its own eyes is the proper seat of it You may as soon find a fair rich garden or a fruitful corn-field upon an hard rock or in ground where no plough hath toucht as you can find faith in an heart not cast down but lift up in it self This we may see in the opposition put by the Prophet Hab. 2.4 His soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith The heart is sometimes said to be lift up for God high in resolutions and actings in his obedience 2 Chron. 17.6 This is not done but by the strength of faith The unbelieving soul in the wayes of heaven is low and dastardly but the lift-up heart in this place of the Prophet is an heart high in it self never yet brought down to the sight of its own defiled and deplored condition and this is put in opposition to the believing heart This soul little heeds a threat as little regards a promise sees no necessity of reliance upon Christ and hath no strength for obedience The opposite to this is the believing soul and that is the humbled soul brought down in sense and sight of its own condition Humiliation as the word bears is a bringing down laying low and rendring base and contemptible and this is the most proper acceptation and in Scripture variously used 1. As the act of God upon man or any society of men as Deut. 8.2 3. 1 Sam. 2.7 2 Cor. 12.21 2. The act of man upon man one man upon another and this either to make sinfully vile filthily low so the defiling of a woman is called humbling her Levit. 21.14 Ezek. 22.10 11. or to make outwardly low and mean so Nebuchadnezzar took an oath of Zedekiah and brought him under homage to make the Kingdome base Ezek. 17.14 3. As the act of man upon himself and this also either to make sinfully vile as the sons of Eli made themselves vile 1 Sam. 3.13 or outwardly vile and so the Lord Christ for our sakes humbled himself Phil. 2.8 And as the word is used to make low or render vile so also to esteem repute and account as low and vile Sin brings a man lower then the dunghill then the dungeon and man hath made himself so by sin When we see our selves in this low estate and are brought to a sense and acknowledgment of it then we are humble then we humble our selves and the soul that is brought into this frame is the soyl in which faith takes and kindly growes Such a soul sees nothing but want and therefore is glad of supplyes sees nothing but danger and therefore is glad of support and deliverance As the lift-up heart will not come to Christ that it may have life being under no sense of death so these cannot be kept from Christ The soul which is naturally high and lofty is not in Gods ordinary way wrought into this frame without some sensible work upon it being so foul and yet in its own eyes clean so wretched and yet in its own thoughts happy it must be brought to conviction in order to conversion it must by the Law be brought to see sin before it will be washt from it or will seek a pardon of it There must be John Baptists to make way for Christ some soul-shakings before the sweet and still voyce of Gospel-comforts Something indeed may be said as to those that with Timothy have been trained up from childhood in the knowledge of Scriptures and with John Baptist sanctified in the womb for the abatement of this soul-humbling and shaking work as to the degree of it though not to the total exclusion They were not capable to make observation of the pollution of sin till they were in their measure by the Spirit cleansed nor to know the danger of sin till they were justified and acquitted yet even in those there is so much of the reliques of sin and remainders of corruption that upon discovery of their inconformity in such a measure to the will of God they cannot want some workings of Spirit But as to those that live all their dayes and never apprehend any thought of fear by reason of sin nor ever called the state of their soul into question but have alwaies carried it in the same plight Among all the questions that they have
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
bigger then the Earth that â—e may call an opinion That which by reason we can certainly conclude we may call knowlege but that which we believe upon the credit of him that speaks it that is faith or belief This is so of the being of faith that without it there is no faith neither humane nor divine The Nobleman of Israel 2 Kings 7.1 Zachary the father of John Baptist Luk 1.18 Martha John 11.39 40. were all of them herein faulty This Truth of God was above their reason and therefore they suspended their faith in it We believe not what man saith when we do not assent to the truth of that which he speaks and we believe not what God speaks further then we assent to the truth of his Word Thus far the devills go having sufficient experience of the Truth of God and thus far and further we must go if we be in the faith Now this assent hath these two properties first It is Firm secondly Vnlimitted absolute 1. Firm. and full First firm Not alwaies free from assaults and doubtings Satan and our own hearts will muster up objections but such that yeilds not but withstands and overcomes doubtings holds firm to truth when all means are used to wrest from it Herein Eve failed God had said The day that ye eat ye shall surely die Satan brought such objections that upon his word she believed that she should procure good to her self 2. Absolute and unlimited and not incur evil by eating and so yielded to unbelief upon Satans reasonings As our assent must be firm so also absolute and unlimitted to the whole of all that God speaks such was the faith of Paul Acts 24.14 Believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets and Christ blames the two Disciples that their faith was not such Luk 24.25 How little honour do we give to man when sometimes we give credit and belief to that which he saies because we see reason and probability of truth in his words and at other times call all to question that he speaks such is the honour that many give to God when they pick and choose in believing as they do in obeying Promises must be believed in the way of Gods tender of them with limit to the conditions annexed to them Threatnings must be believed upon those grounds that they are menaced commands must be believed that is Gods soveraignty in them the justice and equity of them and a necessity of our yielding to them As it must be an assent to the whole Word of God So it must be an assent to it in that sense as God propounds it The Word in that sense that it gives of it self is the Word of God and not otherwise when we put our sense upon it we make it our word not Gods Where we must not condemn all for unbelief that are any waies subject to mistakes or that through weaknesse of judgment do not apprehend every thing as it is Willing and wilfull wrestings of the Word are here spoke against when carnall reasonings out of singularity vain-glory carnall contentment hope of gain and admiration of men are set up against the Truth of God if we should go no further in our scrutiny how many would be found unsound in the faith Have we not those that are so far from any close adherence to truth tendred that every wind tosseth them to and fro and drives them up and down that hold no longer in an opinion then a mimick gallant keeps in a fashion and change their faith as these do their dresse Have we not those that believe where they list and that is where it may serve for their advantage or repute but where they list not they can deny all faith to any truth that God speaks deny it they wil where they see it tends to their danger No swearer no drunkard no adulterer no extorting oppressor c. can believe the truth of God in his Word but he must with it believe his own condemnation 2. In the will with the affections But faith is a work of the whole soul and implyes the will with the affections as well as the understanding Faith is exprest in Scripture by our coming to Christ Joh. 6.35 And that is a work of the will and not of the mind of the judgement and not of the affections It is called a receiving of Christ Joh. 1.12 this is also done by the will and affections Consideration and deliberation are works of the understanding but choise and imbracing are works of the will when the woman of Samaria Joh. 4.29 saith Is not this the Messiah There was matter of consideration and deliberation there was work for the understanding to be imployed in whether he were to be acknowledged indeed the Messiah But now to leave all and follow Christ to forsake all and cleave to him This is matter of choise and work for the will and affections whose work it is to take or refuse Therefore as faith is set out in Scripture by words implying knowledge and assent so likewise by words implying affiance trust rolling casting a mans self on the Lord. Faith then takes Christ and cleaves to him in all of those relations in which a Christian stands to Christ takes Christ and lookes for no other delight or comfort takes Christ and will not indure any other Lord or commander takes Christ and lookes for no other helper takes Christ and lookes for no other Saviour takes Christ as a Saviour and trusts in him takes Christ as an husband and delights in him takes Christ as a Lord and obeyes him Thus according to the several offices that Christ does there are several actings of faith for to answer The great work of Christ was to give his soul an offering for sin to shed his blood to take away our guilt there faith answers and it is not alone said that they that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses which might imply no more then a qualification of the person to be justified but it is further said that Christ is set forth a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 which plainly denotes the instrument whereby we have our interest When there are many acts of faith that which respects his blood alone doth justifie Christ is set up as a King and hath all things put in subjection under him Here faith yields up all to him and consents as to be saved so to be ruled by him Christ in his Kingly power protects as well as commands as he holds out a Scepter so he is a shield Faith flyes unto him for shelter and so receives and quenches all Satans darts Christ is given as an head to his body the Chuch not onely for command but for quickning and enlivening power to supply with vitall energies every part and member Here faith answers and takes in from Christ the Spirit by the promises
these that they cannot cast them out of themselves 2. Faith makes that resolute choyce of Christ that it suffers all manner of afflictions rather than to be driven and divided from him After ye were illuminated saith the Apostle to the believing Hebrewes ye suffered a great fight of afflictions Heb. 10.32 To save the labour of turning over large Volumes of Martyrologies read over that little book of Martyrs as some have called Heb. 11. especially ver 35 36 37 38. Faith kindles that flame that many waters cannot quench Christ upon earth was a man of sorrowes and acquainted with griefs yet he had those disciples that never left him till he came to the Crosse and then sollicitously enquired after him Where Christ dwells by faith there the Spirit strengthens for sufferings Ephes 3.16 17. If men now look into their hearts and see themselves willing to follow Christ in fair weather and to own his cause whilest it costs them nothing but in worldly respects rather gain by the bargain but when trouble ariseth they are gone These may look into the Parable of the sower whether this be not an evidence of a rocky and stony heart A strong wind is the tryal of the root of the tree of the foundation of the house an hot scorching fire of the truth of the mettal It is true that self-ends sometimes put a man upon sufferings But it is alwayes true that self-ends onely put a man upon profession when he will not stand out in sufferings They whose Religion is the States Religion the Times Religion will not lose an hair by any profession they make Self and not Faith carries on that profession 3. As faith carries the soul up to Christ to be one with him so also it carries it on in every affection and office of love to his brethren In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Gal. 5.6 It is not to be of this opinion or of that which men call their faith nor of this Nation nor of that which too oft prescribes all that men in their way of faith believe But to be possest of that faith which works by love which commends us unto God A man may be of this or that faith according to pleasure and yet his faith utterly destitute of that grace Faith carries a man not any further at all towards Christ then his love carries him on towards his brethren An idle faith is a dead faith and a dead faith never reacheth righteousnesse to Justification and life James never disputed against Paul's assertion of Justification by faith onely Writing after him as is generally confest he did not write to contradict any doctrine or correct any errours delivered by him When Paul concludes Justification by faith James concludes that it is by a working faith Where it works not it doth not then justifie and where it works to acceptation it works by love CHAP. XIII SECT I. Of the number of Sacraments AS a result from all that hath been said of the nature and use of Sacraments we may conclude the definite and distinct number of them So many Ordinances that we can find in Old or New Testament-Scriptures that are signs and seales of this nature as here hath been set out from the Apostles words so many Sacraments there are truly so called equally worthy of that honour of Sacraments with this of Circumcision being every way of the same nature and use they are deservedly to have the same esteem But falling short of such they are to have esteem as they are and their dignity may challenge but not to be put into this number The way to find out the number of Sacraments And I know no other way then this to find out the set and definite number of them Those trifling arguments made use of by some that the matter of New Testament-Sacraments viz. Water and Blood came out of the side of Christ and that blood and water as John affirms bear witnesse on earth are not worthy to be mentioned save onely that they are used by some of eminent name And upon diligent search we shall find onely two stated standing Ordinances in Old Testament-Scriptures and onely two in New Testament-Scriptures that are to be thus received We have not indeed any distinct Text in either of both Testaments expresly testifying that there are two and two onely Sacraments as we find it ordinarily in Catechismes Neither is there any distinct Text in the Law or Prophets that as we would that men should do to us so we should do to them Yet our Saviour Matth. 7.12 tells us that that rule is both in the Law and in the Prophets being a clear result from that which the Law and the Prophets have delivered The like may we say concerning the number of Sacraments It is as clear a result from that which is delivered to us both from Old and New Testament-Scriptures so that the conclusion is twofold drawn by way of deduction of this nature 1. Two onely standing Ordinances in the Old Testament of the nature of Sacraments Two onely Sacraments in the New Testament There were in Old Testament-times onely two standing Ordinances of the nature of Sacraments viz. Circumcision and the Passeover 2. There are in New Testament-times onely two Sacraments viz. Baptisme and the Lords Supper We shall begin with Old Testament-times and here our way of discovery is First To find out all those Signes or Ordinances that are set up in competition as Sacraments Secondly To enquire into the nature and use of them Thirdly To find out how nigh they come to the nature of Sacraments and what agreement they have with them Fourthly where it is that they are defective and fall short of Sacraments truly so called SECT II. Rainbowe no Sacrament THe first that offers it self is the Rainbowe of which we might speak First as it is in nature for discovery of the physical being of it Secondly as a sign appointed of God But the first consideration of it is not my businesse but the work of Philosophers who out of Aristotle have defined it to be A Bowe of many colours seated in an hollow and duskish cloud The definition of a Rainbow appearing upon the reflection of the Sun in opposition against it He that pleaseth may read further in Magirus physiol peripat lib. 4. cap. 5. Keckerman Syst Phys lib. 6. ad finem Zanch. de oper Dei lib. 3. cap. 3. Valesius de Sacrâ Philosoph cap. 9. So that the efficient cause is the Sun The subject in which it appeares is a cloud standing in Diametrical opposition The thing it self is the reflex of the Sun The form and shape is a bowe of variety of colours Whereupon it is generally concluded that there were bowes of this nature before the flood the Sun being then in equal vigour to produce it and clouds in which the reflex might be apparent And the cause being then as
proper conditionall Covenant THE next in order in which I am spoken unto is that which Sect. 55. Pag. 108. you fall upon Entituling it Whether Faith and Repentance be Gods works Where having repeated words of mine out of Chap. 15. Pag. 101. of the Treatise of the Covenant somewhat largely but very brokenly you are pleased to say Mr. Bls. businesse here is to refute the answer that I gave to that objection The objection was thus put by one that excepted against your Aphorismes How make you Faith and Repentance to be the conditions of the Covenant on our part seeing the bestowing of them is part of the condition on Gods part Can they be Gods conditions and ours too To which I answered which in part you transcribe In case these two cannot stand together that they should be conditions both Gods and ours we may answer by way of retortion And am I sure we have the better end of the staffe that they are our conditions they are conditions on our part therefore they cannot be Gods That they are ours is made known of God as by the beame of the Sun in his word And I shall not stand to distinguish of an absolute and conditionall Covenant and so making the whole in the absolute Covenant to be Gods and in the conditionall this part to be ours which I know not whether exactly understood the Scripture will bear but in plain termes deny them to be the Gods conditions and affirme them to be ours In all which I can confidently speak that I never had it in my thoughts to oppose you yea I assuredly expected that how many adversaries soever I should find yet I should have had you here on my party Grounds on which the Author was confident that Mr. Br. herein was on his party My confidence herein was upon these grounds 1. In that you have shewed your self so well pleased with that which I had spoke in my answer to Mr. Tombs for explanation of that text of Jeremiah after quoted as may be seen Pag. 224. of your Treatise of Infant-Baptisme and I am sure there is nothing here to crosse any thing that I had spoken there Shewing your self then so far my friend I could not imagine that persisting in the same I should have had you to be my Adversary 2. In that you had plainly enough to my understanding declared your self against any such thing as absolute promises Aphor. Pag. 8 9. in these words Those promises of taking the hard heart out of us and giving us hearts of flesh c. are generally taken to be absolute promises and after some more words you infer Therefore these absolute promises are but meere gratious predictions what God will do for his Elect the comfort whereof can be received by no man till the benefit be received and they be to him fulfilled Therefore as all meer predictions so also these promises do fall under the will of purpose and not of precept And Commenting on those 〈◊〉 words of the Prophet as applyed by the Apostle Heb. 8. you sâ—y Appen Pag. 42. Whether the Apostle mention it as an absolute promise is a great doubt and having yeelded so far as to say I think you may call it an absolute promise you caution this freedome of calling it so very largely Pag. 43. And then you make all up in these words So that I conclude that it is most properly but a propheâ—ie what God will do de eventuâ— as it hath reference to the parties on whom it shall be fulfilled and so is the revealing part of Gods purposing will and belongeth not at all to his preceptive or legislative will by which he doth govern and will judge the world And that Gods Covenant and promises properly so called belong to his preceptive and legislative will whereby he governes the world and not to his purposing will according to you is manifest 3. You have appeared at large with much zeal for the conditionality of the Covenant on mans part and that it is not made alone with Christ but Christians with conditions imposâ—d on them but not on him And how this can be when those are Gods conditions and not m ns I cannot see If Faith and Repentance be Gods conditions and not mans Where is there any conditions on mans part remaining 4. Summing up your answer to your Querists 6. and 7. question you say Now I hope you can hence answer to both your own demands To the seaventh You see there is a Covenant absolute and a Covenant conditionall but the last is the proper Gospel-Covenant To the sixth You see that in the absolute Covenant or prophâ—câ—e he promiseth Faith and Repentance in promimising his Spirit and a new heart to the Elect who are we know not who And in the conditionall proper Covenant he requireth the same Faith and Repentance of us if we will be saved So that they are Gods part which he hath discovered that he will performe in one Covenant and they are made our conditions in another And you very well know that I speak of the conditionall proper Covenant or else why do I contend for conditions in it and in this Covenant of which we speak you say they are required of us and are our conditions And for the other Covenant where you say that they are Gods part which he hath discovered that he will performe see how full I come up to you Chap. 9. Pag. 64. of my Treatise where I say I suppose they may be more fitly called the declaration or indication of Gods work in the conditions to which he ingageth and of the necessary concurrence of the power of his grace in that which he requireth So that had you had no more mind to have been upon contradiction of me then I of you we had here shaken hands together and not lift up oâ—r hands one against the other You say Section 38. pag. 37. that you are uncertain whether my 33. Chapt. be against you because I recite no words of yours though it be indeed full against your opinion Here I think I recite no words of yours neither did I as I thought oppose any opinion of yours Yet you say my business is to confute your answer You say A brief reply may satisfie this confutation And I say No r ply would have been more fit for no confutation You acquaint me how you explain'd your self plainly shewing that the thing called God's condition was not precisely the same with that called ours Ours was Believing and repenting God is The bestowing of these as the question expressed Answ I think you should have made the difference far more wide Oâ—r conditions in this conditional proper Covenant are faith and repentance to these we are called as you say if we will be justified and saved God's conditions in this conditionall proper Covenant are those to which he engages himself viz. rewards in case of Covenant-keeping and punishments in case of Covenant-breaking One he promises the
same Page 25 Disciple D. A Title in Scripture not alwayes proper to the justified Page 149 Discipline Church-discipline asserted Page 266 c. Objections answered Page 268 Dogmaticall Faith Is a true Faith Page 176 Entitles to Baptisme Page 103 The Authors Arguments proving That a Dogmaticall Faith or a Faith short of justifying entitles to Baptisme uindicated Page 120 121 c 17. Arguments added for the proof of it Page 161 Arguments from humane authorities against a Dogmaticall Faith examined Page 147 Dogs Dogs and Swine what they mean Page 260 E. Eldership ALlegations for the power of an Eldership in admission to the Sacrament Page 252 These taken into consideration Page 253 Ruling Elders uindicated Page 270 c. Grotius his testimony concerning them Page 171 Election And the Couenant of grace not commensurate Page 124 Elect. Restriction of the Couenant to the the Elect regenerate confounds the Couenant the and conditions of it Page 134 Exceptions against it answsred Page 135 136 Restraint of Couenant to the regenerate denies any breach of Couenaut Page 138 Exception against it examined ibid c. Elements No continuall holiness in Sacramentall Elements Page 324 Their touch or abode makes not holy Page 325 Engagement Answer to Sacramentall engagements necessary to Saluation Page 387 Arguments euincing it Page 389 Sacraments without spirituall profit to those that liued in breach of Couenant Page 18 Sacraments are meer shadowes and empty signes where conscience answers not to the engagements Page 389 c. Sacraments are aggrauations of sin and hightnings of judgements when conscience answers not to Sacramentall engagements Page 390 When conscience answers not to Sacramentall engagements men subscribe to the equity of their own condemnation Page 391 When it is that conscience answers to Sacramentall engagements Page 392 Equivocall Men of a uisible profession really and not equiuocally in Couenant with God Page 128 Gods Couenant with his people no equiuocall Couenant Page 80 Scripture language not equiuocall Page 140. 150 Equivocation What it is Page 139 Errors Reformers uindicated from a charge of four supposed great errors Page 438 Protestants uindicated from four supposed great errors Page 452 Erroneous Persons in an incapacity to receive any benefit from the Lords Supper Page 236 c. Evidence Men in grace often want assuring evidence of grace Page 190 Grounds laid down Page 190 191 c Eunuch His Baptism enquired into Page 176 F. Faith THe alone grace that interests us in the righteousness of the Covenant Page 432 All forein reformers make not faith a full persuasion Page 439 c. Whether the act or habit of faith doth justifie Page 442 These phrases to be justified by faith and faith justifies are one and the same Page 444 Faiths instrumentality in justification asserted by Scriptures ibid. The unanimous consent of Protestant writers in it Page 445 c. There is somewhat of efficiency in mans faith for justification Page 447 How Christ dwels in our hearts by faith Page 450 Faith doth more then qualifie the subject to be a fit patient to be justified Page 460 More then a bare presence of faith is required to justification Page 468 In what sense the Gospell through faith is efficacious for justification Page 481 Christians must bring their faith to triall Page 492 The absolute necessity of faith ibid. Manifold benefits of it Page 494. c. The humbled soul the proper seat of faith Page 498 c. Faith hath its seat in the will as well as in the understanding Page 504 It is hold out in words in Scripture implying affiance trust c. ibid. Faith defined Page 505 Faith far under-values all earthly things respective to Christ Page 510 Faith is against all whatsoever is against Christ Page 512 It suffers no lust to divide from Christ ibid. Faith in Christ quâ Lord is not the justifying act Page 554 The distinction of fides quae and fides quâ asserted Page 565 566 Protestant writers guilty of no cheat in it ibid. Arguments evincing that faith in the bloud of Christ onely justifies Page 566. c. Faith dogmaticall See dogmaticall Faith justifying See justification Faiths instrumentality See instrument Fathers And Councils often too rigorous in their Rules respective to Church discipline Page 112 Queres put touching the authority of the Fathers in Controversies Page 653 c. Mr. Firmin His Appendix as to the latitude of Infant-Baptisme examined Page 94 c. The Authhor vindicated Page 95 96 His Appendix as to admission of men of yeers examined Page 104 c. Advertisments given to Mr. Br. touching his undertakings for him Page 180 Their disagreement Page 180 c. Food Ordinary and quickening food differenced Page 218 The word as well as the Sacrament is food ibid. Forum Dei Mr. Brs. distinction of Forum Dei and Forum Ecclesiae examined Page 141 Form A precise form of words not of the essence of Sacraments Page 59 G. Gesture NO one Gesture of necessary observation in receiving of the Sacrament Page 310 God His great goodness in condescension to mans weakness in institution of Sacraments Page 52 c. He is the Author of all Sacraments and Sacramentall rites Page 63 He is to prescribe in his own worship Page 65 He alone must distinguish his servants in relation from others Page 65 66 He onely gives efficacy to Sacraments Page 66 He onely can seale his promise Page 66 67 His great goodness and the tender care of Christ in condescension to our weakness Page 349 His compassion to us should move us to compassionate our selves Page 551 Gospell Sacraments lead us unto Christ in his Priestly Office Page 567 Grace Papists speak doubtfully of any work of inherent grace infused in Baptisme Page 377 Protestants deny any such infusion of grace in Baptisme Page 378 The Fathers acknowledge no such infusion of grace in Baptisme ibid. Common grace is reall Page 132 H. Heresie IN the Parent divests not the Child from Church-privileges Page 99 Holiness Covenant-holiness must not be confounded with inward holiness Page 148 149 The doctrine of Covenant-holiness more antient then Zuinglius Page 117 Calvin and Beza not the inventers though the promoters of it Page 118 Mr. Humphreys His Treatise of a free admission to the Lords Supper Page 247 I. NAtural Idiots uncapable of benefit by the Lords Supper Page 229 Ignorance Ignorant In Covenant Parents divests not the Child of Church-privileges Page 99 Grossely ignorant ones in an incapacity of benefit by the Lords Supper Page 230 Ignorance distinguished ibid. Image An Image less like the Pattern is an Image Page 612 Impenitence And unbelief in professed Christians are violations of the Covenant of grace Page 622 Arguments evincing it Page 624 c. Infants Of confederate Parents put no bar to their Baptisme Page 95 They are uncapable of benefit by the Lords Supper Page 226 The different practice of Antiquity ibid. Schoolemen divided about it ibid. The present practice of the Church of
our heart the grace of justification and so also the Ministers of the Church and others which teach us the way of salvation Dan. 12.3 Gomarus Matth 5.4 pag. 46. denying any affections or work of man preceding faith to be the procuring cause of justification and affirming that faith it self is no such cause but an instrument onely gives this reason e Nullae hominum affectiones ac praeparationes nullaque opera fidem antecedentia justificationis causae nedum proreantes esse possunt imo nec fides ipsa causa illius est procreans cum ealaus soli gratiae Dei ac merito Christi efficaciae Spiritus sancti comperat Rom. 3.24 28. Ephes 2 8. sed tantum instrumentalis That honour belongs onely to the grace of God and merit of Christ and efficacy of the holy Ghost so far are these Divines from excluding the Spirit from having any hand in this work such a Gospel instrumeâ—â—ality as that it should do nothing at all on the souls of men I have not before read or heard of As it tenders conditions so it is employed to work the conditions that it tenders It makes known the mind of God that men believing have right to Christ and in him to justification and it works faith for justification onely believers saved by it and it is the power of God and not nudè signùm voluntatis divinae to salvation And as the Simile brought by Mr. Baxter of a Fathers bequeathing by his testament an hundred pound a peece to each of his sons To one on condition he will aske it of his elder Brother and thanke him for it to a second and third upon conditions at pleasure with this demand upon it Do any of these conditions give power to the testament No yet the testament doth not efficaciter agere till they are performed why is that saith he because all such instruments work morally onely by expressing ut signa the will of the agent and therefore they work both when and how he will and it is his will that they shall not work till such a time and but upon such termes c. He might easily see how little this serves to our present purpose 1. That which he speaks of is a bare testament and no more but the Gospel as elsewhere I have shewed is a Covenant truly so called and not barely a testament 2. Those Legacies are such gifts that each son would be apt to imbrace being ready to put a sufficiently high estimate upon them But this Gospel-gift if nothing further be done will for ever lye contemned and neglected 3. The will is a meer instrument of donation leaving the Legatee to himself to accept or refuse The Gospel is the instrument of Gods power by the Spirit to change the heart and work upon the will for acceptance 4. These testament-legacies presuppose the condition not yet performed and so the Legatee without all right upon Testament-termes But Mr. Baxters Gospel-donation supposes the conditions already done and the soul upon that account in full possession before this Gospel-donation comes It conveyes right to a believer and if he be a believer as hath been abundantly shewed he is in present possest of Christ his righteousnesse and justification by him And whether or no I have acquit my self from the double charge brought against me I shall leave to the Readers consideration 1. If there be an instrumental efficiency ascribed to faith in Scripture in a work in which there is as much of God and as little of man seen as in the work of justification then there is no reason but that faith also hath an instrumental efficacy in the work of justification This is clear The reason given why faith should have no instrumental efficacy is because this takes from God who alone is the efficient and ascribes to man who is justified and doth not justifie himself But an instrumental efficiency is ascribed in Scripture to faith in a work on which there is as much of God and as little of man as in the work of justification This is clear in miraculous cures wrought upon diseased persons The work upon them was Gods not mans They were cured and did not cure themselves yet an instrumentall efficiency is ascribed to their faith If those words spoke to the two blind men Matth. 9.29 According to your faith be it unto you nor that of Paul concerning the creeple at Lystra That he had faith to be healed Act. 14.9 nor yet that of Christ to the Canaanitish woman Matth. 15.28 O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou wilt will not hold it out which yet seem to speak very much this way other graces were qualifications yet none but this is taken notice of yet that to the woman with the bloody issue is full Matth. 9.22 Mark 5.34 Thy faith hath made thee whole not onely made whole by faith which is an exception against faiths justifying but faith made her whole Quemadmodum fidei ascribit Christus quod mulier soluta est à morbo corporis ita certum est fide nos consequi remissionem peccatorum adoptionem filiorum Dei juxta doctrinam Evangelii words speaking as much of instrumental efficacy as may be The conclusion then followes That faith hath its instrumental efficiency in justification likewise Pareus his notes upon the words are worthy observation As Christ ascribes it to faith that the woman is healed of the disease of her body so it is certain that by faith we obtain remission of sins and adoption of children of God according to the doctrine of the Gospel 2. If there be an instrumental efficiency ascribed to faith in Scripture respective to salvation then there is an instrumental efficacy ascribed to faith respective to justification This is plain nothing can instrumentally work to salvation that takes not in justification But an instrumental efficacy is ascribed to faith respective to salvation Luk. 7.59 He said to the woman Thy faith hath saved thee In the context there is a full proof of the Major The great priviledge which she of grace received there is the forgivenesse of her many sins and this is acribed to her faith The Minor is fully proved Her great love is mentioned as a consequent of this grace received But it is ascribed to her faith as that which had its alone efficacy Thy faith hath saved thee As we are saved by faith or through faith Ephes 2.8 so faith saves The conclusion then followes that faith hath its instrumental efficacy in justification 3. That which puts a man into possession of that from which justification necessarily and inevitably followes that is either a principal efficient or an instrument in justification This cannot be denyed He that puts me into a place to which a plentiful livelihood is necessarily annexed is either the efficient or an instrument of my livelihood But faith puts into possession of Christ from whom justification necessarily followes