whether within or for want of time and growth of Grace and Knowledge were then waiting on the Ministry of the Gospel for farther Light without the Pale of the Visible Church and therefore the Apostle might properly say that so many of us viz. of all those Saints in general as were gathered into a Church-state and baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his Death Ver. 4 5. viz. into the likeness of his Death by Water-baptism and thus the Word many may be taken in its most proper Sence without the least implication that unbaptized Christians were admitted to full Communion with the Church at the Lords Table V. Object The Church in the Wilderness received Members the way which was not prescribed but directly against the revealed Mind of God yet stood a true Church and their Members true Members For this Church had Circumcision for their entring Ordinance Gen. 17.13 14. Exo. 12. and the uncircumcised were utterly forbidden to eat the Passover yet this Church received Members without and otherwise than by this entring Ordinance they also admitted them to the Passover so long as forty Years without it Answer It is expresly said That all the People viz. the Males that came out of Egypt were Circumcised Josh 5.4 to 8. Exod. 14.10 11 12. but all the People that were born in the Wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt them they had not circumcised because they had not circumcised them by the way From whence I observe that seeing the Children of Israel were not Circumcised by the way and yet that all were Circumcised that came out of Egypt it must needs follow that they were Circumcised in Egypt as the Lord commanded Moses Exod. 12.48 to 52. which tho' it is there rehearsed after the account of the Destruction of the first-born of Egypt c. yet Circumcision was commanded before as appeareth by the two last verses of that Chapter Gen. 17.9 10. And so it was from its first Institution to Abraham again renewed by Moses as an entring Ordinance into a Visible Church-state and the Priviledges thereof but the occasion of the disuse of this Ordinance afterwards in the Wilderness not being expressed as I can find in any part of the Scriptures we must conclude that as God never approved of the Wilful neglect of the least of his Commandments and seeing he again commanded Israel to be Circumcised when they were entring in to possess the promised Land of Canaan we have not the least incouragement from Israels Example of Disobedience in the Wilderness which is so much in general 1 Cor. 10. Heb. 3.8 c. as well as in some particulars complained of in the Holy Scriptures nor from Gods renewing his Command to Israel for Circumcision to Countenance the neglect of any Gospel Ordinance but contrariwise in Case of any Declension among Believers to stir up one another to a Reformation according to the Institutions of Christ and the Primitive Pattern of Gods spiritual House on Sacred Record VI. Object It is farther said that Aaron let the offering for Sin be burnt Lev. 10. Ch. 6.26 that should have indeed been eaten yet because he could not do it to his Edification Moses was Content Answer Moses was content not simply because Aaron had done contrary to the Commandment but because Aaron had such things befallen him that day as that it would not have been accepted of God for him to eat the Offering as we find by Aarons Answer to Moses Lev. 10.19 And this being on the extraordinary occasion of Aarons loosing his two Sons Lev. 10.1 Nadab and Abihu who died before the Lord for Offering of strange Fire it is most likely either this Sin of his House or thereby was occasioned some unholiness or some other uncleanness happened to Aaron tho' it is not particularly expressed as did by Law prevent him from eating of the Holy Sacrifice Lev. 6.18 27. And so it is under the Administration of the Gospel that in case of Sin or any Uncleanness prohibited the Communion of the Church by the Laws of Christ the Offender until there be Repentance to take it off ought not to partake of the Holy Supper tho' it be commanded as a Gospel-Ordinance yea a whole Church may suspend it for a season rather then to partake of it with such evils as are prohibited their Communion by the Laws of Christ and who will say that such a Suspension of the Ordinance will be charged as her Sin if she be necessitated thereunto for want of a Person or Ministring Brother gifted and qualified for that Service And therefore from what hath been here said we may conclude that the aforesaid Old Testament Cases have no. Example in them as shadows to justifie any Believers admittance into Church-Communion without Water-Baptism but that those and all other Scriptures must be expounded so as to preserve the Concord of Sacred Writ with the plain and positive Institutions of Christ and his Apostles and their Examples with the Primitive Churches who clearly witness to the Ordinance of Water-Baptism preceeding Church-Communion Against Excess in Apparel THat Ornaments of Apparel in a Scripture Sence may be allowed so far as they suit and rather tend to the Credit and Reputation of the Gospel and that a difference in Apparel is not unlawful according to the State and Circumstances of the Saints is not denyed But yet whatever Ornaments are inconsistent with Modesty Gravity and Sobriety and are a scandal to Religion ought to be cast off as being a defilement to Believers and an Abominaton in the sight of God Isa 3.16 Zeph. 1.8 who reproved and brought his Scourge upon the Daughters of Zion for the Bravery Haughtiness and Pride of their Attire and by the Prophet hath said he would punish all such as were cloathed with strange Apparel And the Apostle saith I will therefore that Women adorn themselves in modest Apparel 1 Tim. 2.8 9. with Shame-facedness and Sobriety not with Broidered Hair or Gold or Pearls or costly Array but which becometh Women professing Godliness with good works And whos 's adorning 1 Pet. 3.3 4 5. let it not be the outward adorning of Plating the Hair and of Wearing of Gold or of putting on of Apparel but the Ornantent of a meek and quiet Spirit which is in the sight of God of great Price For after this manner in the old time the Holy Women also who trusted in God adorned themselves And doth not even Nature it self teach you 1 Cor. 11.14 that if a Man have long Hair it is a shame unto him And we are not to be conformed to this World Rom. 12.2 17. 2 Cor. 8.21 1 Pet. 1.14 but we are commanded to provide things honest in the sight of all Men and as obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the former Lusts in your Ignorance But as he which hath called you is Holy so be ye Holy in all
Math. 18 15 c. tho' they more particularly respect corrupt Manners or immoral Wrongs and offences of Brethren against Brethren comprehending a Prohibition of lesser as well as grosser Evils as appears from the Authority of other Scriptures Exod. 23.1 Thou shalt not raise a false report put not thine hand with the Wicked to be an unrighteous Witness Psal 15.2 3. And David shews us who shall abide in the Lords Tabernacle and who shall dwell in his Holy Hill He that walketh uprightly he that backbiteth not with his Tongue nor doeth evil to his Neighbour nor taketh up a reproach against his Neighbour c. And Psalm 101.5 Whoso privily slandereth his Neighbour him will I cut off And the Apostle saith Rom. 3.8 And not rather as we be slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say let us do evil that good may come whose Damnation is Just And in 2 Thes 3.11 to 15. we are commanded to have no company with such as through Idleness eat not their own Bread but are busie Bodies And 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new Lump as ye are unleavened For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us Therefore let us keep the Feast not with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness And ver 11. He saith I have written unto you not to keep Company if any man that is called a Brother be a fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one not to eat And in Gal. 5.19 20 21. See also 1 Cor. 6.9 10. 1 Tim. 1.9 10. Col. 3.9 Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these Adultery fornication uneleanness laseiviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders drunkenness revellings and such like as all lyars Rev. 21.8 of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And then surely none of those evils tho' of the lesser sort of them when known to us should be suffered in the Communion of a Gospel Church And in Math. 7.12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets So that whatsoever wrong is done to any contrary to this general precept it is a breach of the Moral Law Math. 19.19 Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And therefore such Offenders should not without Repentance for their Sin be suffered in our Holy Communion at the Lords Table But some may think that all those particular evils in Gal. 5.19 20 21. come not under the Cognizance and Judgment of the Church for excluding of those who are guilty of them from Communion To which I shall briefly say That tho' there may be some kind of immoral Variance Emulation Wrath and Strife that may not arise to so high an offence if they be only suddain passions that are soon over yet where there is a sixed Variance between Brethren that shews it self to proceed from immorality Or Emulation from a striving to exceed in Envy or Disdain or in Wrong to another or malicious anger without a cause there we have ground for Exclusion from Communion as our Saviour saith Mat. 5.22 to 25. Whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment Therefore if thou bring thy Gift to the altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy Gift before the altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy Gift These Words notwithstanding there are some old Testament Terms used were spoken for Direction to us under the Gospel for Christ in this Sermon was Gospelizing the Law And therefore I gather from them that in Case a Person trespasseth against his Brother he should not offer his spiritual Gift in publick Church Worship till he hath reconciled himself to him and then it consequently follows that the same trespass which debars him from offering his Gift upon the Altar whatever is meant by it does also debar him from his full Communion at the Lords Table And seeing from this Scripture he ought of himself to forbear his Communion till he be reconciled there is likewise Reason for the offended Brother or the Church if the Case be known to it to forbear his Communion with him or withdraw it from him till he giveth satisfaction by Repentance for the same immoral Trespass which forfeits his present Priviledge to Minister in publick Church Worship does also forfeit his Priviledge of Commuion with it at the Lords Table Moreover it is worth our Observation that the Word Therefore if thou bring thy Gift to the Altar refers the Reason of this Exclusion from Communion to the Evils in the foregoing Verse as the cause thereof which is for being Angry with a Brother without a cause for saying to his Brother Raca that is dull blockish See Dutch Annot. or vain or thou fool in disdain reproach and envy So that as on the one hand we are forbidden on forfeiture of our Church Communion to cast contempt reproach and scorn upon any Brother for his weakness in the Faith or for his natural Infirmities and to bear a sixed anger without a cause So on the other side nothing is here intended by our Saviour to forbid an intelligible expressing of our Detestation and Abhorrence of that which is Evil as we are commanded Rom. 12.9 2 Cor. 7.11 Ch. 10.6 and as also we are allowed to use a holy Indignation and Revenge against all disobedience yet so as to consist with Love and Pity to Mens Persons 3. Under this Head of Diseourse concerning corrupt Manners or evil Actions we may bring many other particular Cases for which Offenders ought to be withdrawn from and without Repentance for their Sin they should not be suffered in the Communion of the Visible Church of Christ As 1. For breaking the Christian Sabbath in disobedience to the Fourth Commandment and the Example of Christs Apostles and the Primitive Churches 2. Eph. 6.1 2 5. For being disobedient to Parents and Masters in Lawful and Reasonable things 3. For a Rebellious breaking Covenant with a Church of Christ when it is not in Case of Conscience of Moral Necessity nor of real Expediency 4. For taking the Holy Name of the Lord our God in vain Gal. 5.19 21. 2 Tim. 3.2 to 6. 5. For Lasciviousness mentioned before which is Lecherousness or Wantonness in Behaviour and for many other Sins some of which are particularly expressed and others are included under the general Head of Trespasses against the Moral Law Secondly It is the Duty of Christians to withdraw their Communion in Church Fellowship from all those that hold erroneous Doctrine in or
signifiing not only Doctrine delivered Math. 15.2 3. but also a Command Ordinance or Institution as before 2 Thes 2.15 plainly makes out that they were not only to withdraw from Persons of disorderly Conversation or defective in Morals but also from such as were corrupt in Doctrine or disorderly in their Gospel Administrations that being as great a Violation of Gospel Order and as pernitious to Christians as Immorality Which must be granted or else there is no Authority given to the Church to deal with Members of corrupt Principles c. Now this Command saith he being general includes all disorders of any kind in Manners Doctrine or Practice and is a sufficient warrant were there no more for our Obedience to exclude such as disorderly practise the Ordinance of Baptism from our immediate Communion at the Lords Table tho' not from our Love and Affections Having hitherto been discovering the Scripture Grounds of Separation from Church Communion with all disorderly Persons in Manners Doctrine false Worship or irregular Administrations of Gospel Ordinances I shall now proceed as followeth 1. To Answer the chiefest Objections I find against such Gospel Separation 2. To give a particular Instance of some confused Matter about Communion already Printed amongst us with several Queries thereupon 3. I shall present my humble Advice to some of our Baptized Churches And 4. I shall leave some few things to the serious Consideration of those that have received a Gracious Discovery of the Love and Favour of God unto their Souls or that have good Hope thro' Grace of Eternal Life and yet are walking at large out of the Communion of a Gospel Church As also an Exhortation in another Case concerning Gospel Communion Lastly in a Postscript I have shewed that it is the Duty of all true Believers in Order to Church Communion to subject themselves to the Ordinance of Water Baptism and have also discoursed against excess of apparel and then made a general Conclusion of this Treatise Objections Answered I. Object Rev. Chap. 2. Chap. 3. None of the seven Churches of Asia in the Epistles to them were commanded to withdraw their Communion or separate themselves from any of those Persons among them which the Holy Ghost charged with Evil. And therefore neither Churches from any of their Members nor any Members from their Churches should separate themselves from one anothers full Communion at the Lords Table unless it be for gross and scandalous Evils Answer If this Argument holdeth good and warrantable for Persons and Churches to keep their Communion at the Lords Table under the Guilt and Non-repentance of lesser Evils it will also justifie such Communion with those that are guilty of grosser Sins For the Church of Pergamos had them that held the Doctrine of Balaam Ch. 2.14 who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the Children of Israel to eat things sacrificed unto Idols and to commit Fornication And this was also the Sin of the Church in Thyatira Ver. 24 25. to whom it s said That unto the rest in Thyatira as many as have not this Doctrine and which have not known the depths of Stan as they speak I will put upon you none other burthen But that which you have already hold fast till I come And therefore seeing the Church of Thyratira suffered that Woman Jezebel to seduce the Servants of Christ Ver. 20. to commit Fornication and to eat things sacrificed to Idols which must be meant in honour to them 1 Cor. 8.9 10. Ch. 10.27 28 29. for otherwise Meats sacrificed to Idols were not unlawful to eat tho' sometimes not expedient for the sake of weak Brethren then surely the rest that escaped those Pollutions and had no other burthen put upon them than to hold fast that they had already cannot rationally be thought then to be in the same Communion with those Idolaters and Fornicators Gal. 5.19 20 21. for such have no Inheritance in the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 5.2 4 5. Besides we have an Instance of a Fornicator that was separated from the Church or delivered up unto Satan So that tho' there is no express command in the Epistles to those seven Churches of Asia for withdrawing their Communion from any evils mentioned therein yet doubtless it was their Duty from other Precepts then written to cast out those that were guilty of such notorious Sins as were in some of those Churches And those Christians of Thyatira which the Holy Ghost commended that were in the same City with those that were reproved and perhaps originally in full Communion together in one Body it is rational to believe were separated from their Communion for Dr. Hammond in his Margin reads in Ver. 24. thus But unto you I say the rest in Thyatira c. for the Kings M. S. reads it so * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See also the Bibles Printed by the Deputies of Chris Barker 1599. and by Robert Barker 1607. Ch. 2.2 which imports another distinct Church or People in that City And the Reason why Christ threatned those defiled Christians which were the Church to whom the Epistle was primarily directed was because they suffered those evils when they should have purged out such Offenders as the Church of Ephesus did for what else can be meant by those Words I know thy Works how thou canst not bear them which are Evil and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them liars who were therefore doubtless rejected from their Communion But if any say that these Words thou canst not bear them which are evil have only respect to the following Words And thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars I have this to Answer 1. That if it were so yet it shews that this Church did not bear with such Lyars in their Communion otherwise they could not be properly commended for not bearing with them 2. The Word and thou hast tryed them c. implieth a particular different thing or other Persons to those preceding Words in general And how thou canst not bear them which are evil like as we find in the same Verse that the Word and thy Labour and thy Patience denoteth different things to each other and particulars of the general Word I know thy Works So that the Text does clearly demonstrate that the Church of Ephesus did neither bear those that were Evil nor those false Apostles in their Communion which Exposition is confirmed by the Dutch Annotations on those Words and how thou canst not bear them which are evil that is say they such as are scandalous in Life and Doctrine Thus their Zealis commended here in the Evercise of Ecclesiastical Discipline So that the aforesaid Objection That none of the seven Churches of Asia were commanded in their Epistles to separate themselves from any of those Persons which the Holy Ghost charged with evil is invalid And
considering also that his silence may be improved if we give ear to such a groundless Argument for holding Communion with grosser as well as lesser Sins we have Reason to believe that some of those Churches and Christians that were concerned in those Epistles from the Authority of some other part of the Holy Scriptures did separate themselves from those offenders that by the Laws of Christ they were not to bear in their Communion And that those Churches who suffered themselves to be polluted through the neglect of their Duty in bearing with those evils they should have purged out did thereby bring themselves under the anger and displeasure of God for it as appears in their Epistles II. Object Is from Phil. 3.15 16. Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you Nevertheless whereto we have already attained let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same Thing That these Words give no allowance for any to hold a corrupt Communion is very plain because the Apostle is not here arguing to prove the Resurrection of the Dead or any fundamental Article of our Faith or on any essential part of Divine Worship or of such practical Obedience as that the failure thereof is to be noted as disorderly walking But he is Treating in the preceding Verses that he had not attained but was following after the Resurrection-state of Perfection and of his pressing towards the Mark for the Prize of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus and then it follows Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you As if he should fay Let us therefore as many as be perfect that is 1 Cor. 3.1 1 Joh. 2.14 Heb. 5.12 13 14. 1 Cor. 2.6 as are not babes in Christ that have need of Milk but are strong Men of full Age skilful in the Word of Righteousness who by Reason of use have their Senses exercised to discern both good and evil Perfect 2 Tim. 3.17 Col. 4.12 Jam. 3.2 Eph. 3.18 19. throughly surnished unto all good Works Perfect and compleat in all the Will of God To be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the Love of Christ which passeth Knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God Now consider that as we cannot know that which passeth Knowledge but as the Apostle saith we know in part 1 Cor. 13.12 and as none but Christ was ever filled with all the fulness of the Perfection of God but of the Knowledge of his Will and Love to us in all its parts necessary to a Holy Life of Faith the true Worship of God and Eternal Life So if any came short of this kind of Perfection the Apostle told them God should reveal even this unto them And therefore the Text does not any ways prohibit a Separation from such aforesaid Errours that are noted in Holy Writ as disorders in Manners Doctrine or Worship But it containeth a comfortable Promise to those that are rather free from them that tho' they are weak in Faith and Babes in the Knowledge of Christ yet sincerely minding the some things which according to Rule they have attained to and labouring to grow in Grace 2 Pet. 3.18 and in the Knowledge of Christ they shall have in due Season a more full discovery of that perfect Love 1 Joh. 4.12 18. which casteth out fear and of the Will of God in the Revelation of the Gospel and shall be built up in their most Holy Faith from a babe-like-state to a perfect Man in Christ Jesus in some Scripture Sense So that there is nothing in the Text that implieth a Prohibition of Separation in the aforesaid Cases of corrupt Manners Erroneous Doctrine false Worship or irregular Administrations of Gospel Ordinances III. Object Is from 1 Pet. 4.8 and Math. 18.21 22. And above all things have fervent Charity among your selves for Charity shall cover a Multitude of Sins And Peter said Lord How oft shall my Brother Sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus said unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven from which Scriptures some may think that Christians should bear with Sins in Communion with one another and cover them all in Love Answer Our Lord himself shews plainly us what is meant by those Scriptures Luke 17.3 Take heed to your selves If thy Brother trespass against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him From whence it appears 1. That we are to rebuke our Brother for his Trespass 2. To forgive him but mind it well it must be if he return and repenteth he must turn again as well as say he repenteth and so tho' Charity should cover a multitude of Sins that are turned from and repented of yet it should cover none from the Church which ought to come under her Cognizance for our Charity should consist with our Obedience to the Procepts of Christ IV. Object It is said Rebuke not an Elder and therefore there should be a difference between dealing with an Elder of a Church and a private Member for Sin Answer 1 Tim. 4.12 The Apostle Paul in this Epistle to Timothy saith Let no Man despise thy Youth And in Chap. 5.1 2. he exhorteth him saying Rebuke not an Elder but intreat him as a Father and the younger Men as Brethren the Elder Women as Mothers the younger as Sisters with all Purity And Chap. 3.14 15. These things write I unto thee that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God In these Scriptures the Apostle instructed Timothy that young Servant of Christ and in him others how they should behave themselves in reproving not only Elders but younger Brethren and Sisters that as an Elder Bishop or Pastour which is the same in Office Tir. 1.7 should not be soon angry so Timothy and others should not in an angry Spirit rebuke either Elders or younger Brethren and Sisters but rather reprove them by intreaties It 's true it 's also said Let the Elders that Rule well be counted worthy of double Honour But yet by Sin they may lose and justly forfeit their double and single Honour too Ver. 19.20 21. for it s said Against an Elder receive not an Accusation but before or as it is in our Margin under two or three witnesses Them that Sin rebuke before all that others also may fear I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality
3. he also saith We shall therefore direct this Discourse to our dissenting Brethren of the baptized way only And in page 13 14. he argueth saying If unbaptized Persons may be admitted to all Church Priviledges does not such a Practice plainly suppose that it is unnecessary The Baptists if once such a Belief prevails would be easily tempted to lay aside that reproachful Practice And challenge their Church Communion by Vertue of their Faith only and such as baptize Infants would be satisfied to discontinue the Practice when once they are perswaded that their Children may be regular Church-members without it and by consequence be in a likely condition to loose one of the Sacraments which would easily make way for the loss of the other both having an equal sanction in Scripture and the Arguments that disanul the one will destroy the other and consequently all Ordinances and Modes of Worship and lastly Religion it self And in page 118. In answer to an Objection he saith This Objection supposes things very dangerous As that holiness without Baptism invests a right to other Ghurch-Ordinances which is not to be supposed for Christ the Lamb of God was holy in the highest degree and in him was found no sin yet he was baptized before he entred upon his publick Ministry which is a most illustrious Example and the Pattern which the Saints followed for in a word the great Apostle Paul and all those primitive Saints recorded by the Spirit to be Believers and therefore holy were nevertheless Baptized which might have been forborn but that it was an indispensable Duty And Secondly It seemeth strange to me that any professing Obedience to Gospel-Ordinances should so far countenance others in the neglect of a positive Institution of Christ as to plead for Church-Communion with Christians without Baptism when our Lord hath plainly commanded his Apostles and Ministers to the end of the World saying Go ye therefore and teach all Nations Math. 28.19 20. Baptizing them teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you And 〈◊〉 I am with you alway even unto the end of the World For seeing the Disciples of Christ were commanded to Baptize as well as to Preach and to teach others successively to do the same It is undeniably clear if Scripture and Reason may take Place that the Gospel Ministers ought to Baptize those that obey their Doctrine Acts a. 38 41. as Peter said Repent and be baptized every one of you then they that gladly received his Word were Baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand Souls And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayer Here we find those new Converts were commanded every of one them to be Baptized and this way they were added to the Primitive Church of Christ at Jerusalem which was the Pattern for all Gospel-Churches to follow in after Ages For there were the twelve Apostles who were endowed with the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Spirit to shew us the perfect pattern of Gods House And this was the Church that said It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost Acts 15.22 28. and to us to lay upon you no greater Burthen then these necessary things and from this Pattern given as it were in the Mount of God we find Baptism was commanded as the entring Ordinance into Church Communion or upon Confession of Faith before it for baptized Believers tho' the true visible matter of a Gospel-Church were not always immediately formed into a Gospel-Church Order for this was sometimes a work of time as we have an Instance how Paul baptized the twelve Disciples at Ephesus and went into the Synagogue Acts 19.1 to 10. and spake boldly for the space of three Months before he separated the Disciples from the Multitude Moreover we have several other Precepts and Examples that do confirm the Ordinance of Baptism immediately to follow Conversion and Faith in Christ Acts 8.35 to 39. As when Philip Preached unto the Eunuch and he believed he was immediately Baptized And when Cornelius and his Friends were Converted Act. 10.44 48. Act. 16.14 15 32 33. Ch. 18.8 Peter commanded them to be Baptized And so we find Lydia and her Houshold and the Jaylor and his Houshold were Baptized immediately after their Conversion And all these instances plainly shew that Water-Baptism was administred to Converted Believers before they were in Church-Order to receive the Ordinance of the Lords Supper and 't is called a putting on Christ viz. by a visible Profession and signifieth our dying unto Sin Gal. 3.27 Col. 2.12 Rom. 6.3 to 7. Joh. 3 3.5 Mark 16.15 16. and living in newness of Life unto God As also our being born of the Spirit and all these denote Baptism to be the first visible Sign of a Believer in Christ and it is appointed to accompany the Preaching of the Gospel as a Christian Badge on all that shall believe And it was called a Foundation-Principle viz. of a visible Church-state Act. 2.38 41. Ch. 8.12 Ch. 18.8 the matter whereof was and still should be baptized Believers And there being not the least instance in the New Testament of any one Person that was ever added to a Gospel-Church without Water-Baptism nor that any Gospel-Church was ever gathered but of baptized Believers to exclude it as no entring Ordinance into Church-Communion against so many clear Commands and Examples on Sacred Record which shews it is immediately to follow believing in Christ will lay a Foundation to deny all Gospel-Ordinances and the Holy Scriptures themselves to be of use to us to discover the Truth of Gospel-Worship and Obedience I. Object Is from Rom. 14.1 Him that is weak in the Faith receive you Answer To this Scripture Mr. Will. Kiffin in his aforesaid Sober Discourse saith The weakness spoken of in the Text hath Relation only to those Mistakes that did attend some of them touching a Liberty of eating or not eating of Meats or the keeping or not keeping of Days which were things in themselves of an indifferent Nature the doing or not doing of which was not Sin as the Apostle in that Chapter plainly shews and hath no Relation to the Order of Worship prescribed by Christ much less to the Practice or not Practice of Ordinances for then the meaning of the Apostle should be if they did Practice or not Practice it was all one there was no Sin in the Matter But to bring this Text to prove a lawfulness of receiving any that are Christians altho' never so ignorant of the Ordinances and instituted Worship of Christ and the Order prescribed by him is to wring Blood out of it and not that precious Truth that is manifested by it II. Object Is from 1 Cor. 12.13 For by one Spirit are we all Baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be Bond or Free and have been all made to drink