Eph. 4.12 what Saints they were that were to be perfected and 5 3. what Saints they were that must not so much as name Coveteousness filthiness c. And 3.8 Paul professeth himself less then the least of all Saints But Paul never did nor would profess himself less then the least of Mr. Blakes Saints who are not as much as by profession in a state of salvation nor from under the curse and wrath of God He that pronounceth them accursed with Anathema Maranatha that loved not the Lord Jesus bids grace be with them that love him in sincerity 1 Cor. 16.22 Eph. 6.24 would not have pronounced himself less than the least of these excommunicate accursed ones And were I worthy to be heard I would advise my Reverend Brother to better consideration before he make such accursed Saints or Churches or Believers at least that are visibly so and that he would be cautelous of Canonizing those on whom Paul pronounceth Anathema Maranatha To proceed the Church of Philippi are called Saints True but what Saints such on whom Paul was confident that he which had begun a good work in them would perform it till the day of Jesus Christ to whom it was given on behalf of Christ not only to believe but to suffer for his sake who alwaies obeyed in presence absence for God wrought in them to will and to do they only communicated to Paul in giving receiving and they were such as bad cause alway to rejoyce Phil. 1.6 29. and 2.12 13. and 4.15 4. The Church of the Colossians are called Saints But what Saints such as had faith in Christ Jesus and love to all Saints and had hope laid up for them in heaven who were made meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light being delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of his dear Son that is the Church in whom they had redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins being reconciled by the body of his flesh through death to be presented holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight if they continued in the faith grounded and setled and were not moved away from the hope of the Gospel whose ardor and stedfastness of faith in Christ Paul beheld in the Spirit with joy who were buried with Christ in baptism and risen with him through faith and being before dead were quickened with him and had the forgiveness of all trespasses having put off the body of the sins of the flesh who were dead and their life was hid with Christ in God and who shall appear with Christ in Glory when he appeareth Col. 1. and 2. and 3. If it shall be replyed that Paul spake all this of them in the Judgement of Charity or denominated the whole from the better part and the Profession of the rest I say even so also it is that he calleth them all Saints the denomination is on the same ground as the description is I cannot imagine what reasonable evasion can be made from this evidence The Thessalonians are consequentially called Saints in being called a Church of Christ. And what a Church and what Saints such as had the work of Faith Labour of Love and patience of Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ whose Election Paul knew who turned to God from Idols to serve the true and living God and to wait for his Son from heaven who delivered them from the wrath to come they received the word as the word of God which effectually worked in them that believed who followed the Churches in suffering who were Pauls joy and glory in the presence of Christ at his coming whose faith and Charity was so reported to Paul that he tells them be liveth if they stand fast for God had not appointed them to wrath but to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 1 2. 3. 5. They were such Saints whom Christ would come at last to be glorified in and such Believers in whom he will then be admired even because the Gospel was believed among them therefore say not To believe the Gospel is a common thing short of saving Faith 2 Thess. 1. We see then what the Church and Saints at Thessalonica was The Hebrews to whom the Apostle wrote are called Saints Heb. 13.24 And he doth not groundlesly call them Saints for they were such as were made a gazing-stock by reproaches afflictions and became companions of them that were so used took joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing in themselves that they have in heaven a better and more enduring substance vid. ult Heb. 10.33 34 35. They were such indeed as he saw cause to exhort to perseverance and warn of the danger of Apostacie and the best have need of that But yet though he so spake he was perswaded better things of them and such as accompany salvation and he gives his reason of it Heb. 6.9 10 11. And having said so much of the several Churches under the name of Saints I shall proceed and shew you what they are as Churches though this will after fall in in another Argument because it will be fittesâ— for all to lie together and then I shall refer you hither when this afterward falls in You may see by what is said what Churches all these were that are already mentioned and consequently what a Church is in Scripture-sense not a society of men professing a faith short of justifying but a society of men professing true saving faith yea so far professing it as to induce the Apostles to denominate them such as supposing them such indeed For as they knew some were such so did they not know the contrary by any particulars except those whom they commanded them to cast out as none of them The Apostle Peter writes to the scattered Jews that professed Christianity And what kind of Christians or Believers did he take them for Why for such as were Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto Obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. And Mr. Blake cannot say that this was a common Election or common Sanctification and Obedience and Sprinkling of Christs blood For it is added that God of his abundant mercy had begotten them again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for them and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last times wherein they greatly reâ—oyced suffering the trial of their precious faith and having not seen Christ loved him and believeing in him rejoyced with joy unspeakable and full of glory receiving the end of their faith the salvation of their souls If all these people had not or professed and seemed not to have a saving faith I know not what words can express a saving faith nor
Prayer and Instruction before and after but none by receiving it self It is therefore little to his main purpose or cause that Mr. Blake sect 13. Prop. 11. pag. 200. attempts to prove that the Lords Supper with the word as appendant to it may be serviceable to bring up those of Covenant-Interest to the terms and Propositions of the Covenant may serve to work a man of Profession of faith unto faith saving and Justifying a man in the Name the Lord's to turn unfeignedly and sincerely to the Lord. For x. his half Professor is not in the mutual Covenant which its like he means by Covenant-Interest 2. The distinction between a Nominal Christian and a Sincere a Profession of Justifying faith and that faith it self leavs out the persons that he hath to defend that is The Professors of another species of Faith 3. It s one thing to prove that the Sacrament may convert the unconverted that is that its possible and that it is a thing that eventually hath come to pass and another thing to prove that it is commanded to the unconverted or allowed them to be used to that end The later is the thing that should be proved by him and not the former only But because his Proposition is somewhat more bashfull than some of the Arguments brought as to prove it which have the face to look further I shall briefly examine them Pag. 200.201 Argum. 1. Men of that interest saith he that Baptism receiveth as the intention of the work in order to salvation these the Lords Supper serves to carry on by sanctification to salvation But Baptism receives men of visible Profession only c. Answ. 1. I distinguish between the secret Intention of God de eventu when he Instituted his Ordinances 2. and the Appointed end or use of them and the Intention which he commandeth men And as to the last I distinguish between the Appointed end and use of them as to the Minister and as to the Receiver And so here are three distinct Questions before us Quest. 1. Whether God who appointed this Sacrament did intend that it should eventually be used to the Conversion of any souls To this I answer No man can tell but by the Event But I will not deny it that which a man sinfully doth may be the means of his Conversion If a professed Pagan may be admitted to the Lords Supper no man can be sure that this with the annexed word may not be the occasion or means of his Conversion The same I say of the Excommunicate yet must we not therefore admit such What God decreeth to do by his Ordinances is one thing and how and to what Ends we must use them is another The second Question is Whether the Minister may or must deliver the Sacrament to the unconverted with this Intention that he may be converted by it To this I answer that the unconverted are of two sorts 1. Such as profess not to be converted or savingly to repent and believe and to these he may not Administer it at all and therefore not to such Ends. 2 Such as do profess saving faith and Repentance and to these he may administer it with this disjunctive end that if the person be truly converted it may confirm him if not that if God so please it may be a means of his Conversion The third Question is Whether the unconverted may Demand and receive that Sacrament as a means of Conversion To which I answer flatly No whether it be a saving Faith or another sort of faith which he Professeth if he have not saving Faith it self he may not Demand or Receive the Sacrament at all and therefore not to any such ends Now to come closer to Mr. Blake's Argument 1. I grant the Major as far as through the Lanthorn of his dark ambiguous phrases I can discern the sense of it viz that we may admit those to the Lords Supper that are justly admitted to Baptism if naturally capable and have not since given cause to suspend them And here Mr. Blake shews that it is the lower species of Faith that entitles men in his judgement to the Lords Supper because he maintaineth that this lower species entitleth them to Baptism His Minor I grant of the Professors of saving Faith and deny it of all others that Profess only another faith nor hath he proved that such have a visible Interest or Profession it being not Christianity but only part of its essence which they Profess His 2. Argument is It is the mind of God they be admitted therefore to this end Answ. 1. It is not the mind of God that they should Demand and Receive it therefore not to this end 2. It may not be the admitters principal end but a secondary only on supposition that the Receiver be not what he seems to be and so be not a lawful demander of it 3. It is not the will of God that your Professor of another kind of faith only be admitted In the end he sums up his Argument thus Ministers must give the Sacrament so as it may be to edification and not certainly to destruction But they must give it to some not yet throughly sanctified therefore some not throughly sanctified may receive it to edification and not to destruction Answ. 1. Plus est in conclusione quà m in praemissis You should only have concluded therefore Ministers may give it c. and not therefore some may Receive it For 2. The word certainly which you put in the Major and leave out in the conclusion refers either to the Certainty of the Object or Gods subjective Certainty or the receivers subjective Certainty and in all these respects its false For if God or the Receiver were certain that it would prove destructive yet the Minister may give it if demanded but not if he be certain of it himself But 3. No Minister is required to be certain of the Demanders state or whether the Sacrament will prove to his edification or destruction nor whether the person intend rightly in it but he is bound to give it to a Professor of saving Faith that Demandeth it and to intend his good in it which yet he cannot effect if the Receiver be unmeet To the Minor I say its true but not of those that profess not true sanctification The conclusion as is said is aliene For though there can be no Giving without Receiving yet may there be lawful Giving when it is unlawfully Demanded and Received therefore from lawful giving upon an unlawful Demand to a lawful Receiving is no just consequence Ad hominem I would frame the like Argument on Mr. Blake's principles thus We must give the Sacrament to edification and not certainly to destruction But we must give it to some that have not a Dogmatical faith therefore some that have not a Dogmatical faith must receive it to edification c. The Major is his own The Minor he dare not deny on his grounds for we must
yet have their Disciples a form of Godliness And doubtless Reprobates concerning the faith if so known are not to be numbred with Christians Those from whom we are to be separated here and hereafter are stiled oft The Vngodly Psal. 1. And as in some places the distinction is between Believers and Vnbelievers so in others between the righteous and wicked or ungodly 1 Pet. 4.17 18. where all these are descriptions of the same men ungodly and sinners such as are not of the house of God men that know not God And it was the world of the Vngodly that God brought the Flood upon and to be an example to those that after should live ungodly was Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed 1 Pet. 2.5 6. And John tell us that in this the children of God are known from the children of the Devil he that doth wickedness is not of God Note well the description of these Jude 4. On one side they pretended to be Christians for they are said to be crept in among them to turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness they were spots in their Feasts clouds without water carried about of winds without fruit twice dead vers 12. It is apparent then that they were Baptized ones Yet the Apostle excludeth them from the very number of Christians calling them twice dead plucked up by the roots men that denyed the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ ver 4.12 And the Desciption of them is that they are ungodly Hereticks that taught and practised ungodliness as you may see ver 8 9 10 11 12 13 17 18. walking after their own ungodly lusts sensual having not the spirit of whom Enoch prophesied saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute Judgement on all and to convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed And the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who imprison the truth in unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 If Rom. 1 2. speak of Baptized persons turned Hereticks as some Expositors judge then they are put in as vile a character and as distant from Christians as Heathens are It is the world as distinct from the Church that lie in wickedness 1 Jo. 5.19 Psal. 50.16 To the wicked saith God What hast thou to do to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest Instruction and castest my word behind thee The Sacrifice of the wicked is an Abomination to the Lord Prov. 21.27 so then must his false promising in Baptism So Prov. 15.8 9.26 whatever they may say with their mouths for God and Christ and the Faith yet The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God bâ—fore his eâ—s Ps. 36.1 And David could see by the life of the fool that he saith in his heart There is no God even when they do evil and not good and hate the people of God and call not upon God Psa. 14. See Mal. 3.18 Church censures are as Tertul. speaks praejudiciuÌ„ futuri judicii and therefore must go on the grounds of Gods judgment which is to sever the wicked from the just Mat. 13.49 and that according to works not meer words as was said before Eccl. 3.17 Prov. 15.29 We are not to gather those into the Church whom we know to be far from God and he putteth away but such are wicked Psal. 119.119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross 155. ver Salvation is far from the wicked They are estranged from the womb Psal 58.3 Acts 3.23 every soul that wil not hear that prophet shal be destroyed froÌ„ among the people All these passages with multitudes more shew that the name of a Christian unworthily usurped maketh not a notorious ungodly man to be in any capacity of a better esteem with God or the Church or any good men therein than are openly professed Infidels especially that want the means which they enjoy For all this pretence of theirs can give us no probability of any more then a superficial Assent less then that of the Devils and this is but knowing their Masters will which prepareth these Rebels to be beaten with many stripes And should that which makes them the greater sinners give them right of admittance into the Church It is Agustines Argument lib de fide oper 3. The case is yet more clear that such are excommunicated ipso jure when we consider that it is far more usual for Gods Law to serve without a sentence then mans most of the matters of our lives are there determined to our hand and we must obey the Law whether there be any judgement of man to intervene or not God hath not left so much to the judicial Decision of man as humane Laws do It is a great doubt whether there be any power properly Decisive-judicial in the Church-Guides or not but doubtless it is more limitedly and imperfectly Decisive than is the power of Judges in the matters of the Commonwealth So that if all the Rulers in the Church should forbear to Censure Notorious Apostates Hereticks Ungodly ones yea if they all command us to hold communion with them because they call themselves Christians we are nevertheless bound to disobey them and to avoid such as to Religious communion For else we should obey man against God who hath directed many of these precepts to all Christians and not only to the Governours of the Church If the Guides will suffer the woman Jezabel to teach and seduce and the Nicolaitans to abide among them whom for their filthiness God did hate it is the peoples duty for all that to avoid them if they will be Guiltless Yea Cyprian tels the people that it belongs to them to forsake and to reject an unworthy Minister that is by others set over them or doth intrude I conclude therefore that as all Christians must beyond dispute use an open Infidel as such though it belong not to the Church to judge them that are without because the Law here serves turn without a judgement the case being past controversie so also a Notorious ungodly man though pretending to Christianity and entertained by the Church is to be avoided by every good Christian as being ipso jure excommunicated by God Most of the Objections that I have heard against this are from men that not understanding this phrase of Excommunication ipso jure through their unacquaintedness with Law-terms have supposed that we meant no more but de jure or that they merited Excommuication or it was their due But ipso jure means ex vi solius Legis sine sententia Judicis Its common for Legislators in several Cases either where Judges or other Officers are needless or cannot be had or may not be staid for to enable the subject to do execution without any more judgement And so we are bound to avoid such Notorious
profess the pure Religion and make it appear at least to the judgment of man that they are Godly in Christ Iesus this is an inseparable Mark of a true Church as we may see 1 Cor. 14.33 See further Mr Vines in his Treatise of the Sacrament p. 150 151. saith That the Separatists laid the foundation viz. That only Visible Saints are fit Communicants which is true as to the Churches Admission That real Saints only are worthy Communicants which is true too as to the inward Grace or Benefit And 151. There is a great difference between Christs real Members and Guests at this Table and as I may say the Visible Churches Members or Guests If he be a visible Professor of Faith unshipwrakt of capacity to discern the Lords Body of Life without Scandal he is a Guest of the Church And p. 205. Though I should rest in serious Professsion of Faith and Repentance which is not pulled down again by a wicked Life or scandalous Sin yet when a man lieth under the charge of our censure for some scandalous sin the case is otherwise c. Read the rest And p. 324 329. The Covenant of God with us is that all that believe in Christ that died and receive him for their Lord and Saviour shall have remission of sins c. Answerable to this act of God the Believer accepts of and submits to this Covenant and the Conditions of it viz. to believe and to have God for our God and thereof makes a solemn profession in this Sacrament giving up himself to Christ as Lord and Saviour restipulating and striking hands with him to be his and so binds himself and doth as it were seal a Counterpart to God again and not only so but comes into a claim of all the riches and legacies of the Will or Covenant because he hath accepted and here declares his acceptance of the Covenant The Seal is indeed properly of that which is Gods part of the Covenant to perform and give and is no more but offered until we subscribe and set our hands to it and then its compleat and the Benefits may be claimed as the benefit of any conditional promise may be when the condition is performed And lest you should stumble at that word I must let you know that the Will accepting and submitting to the Conditions is the performance of the Conditions required NB. And pag. 249 250 c. Though as to admittance which is the Churches part to the outward Ordinance he make Profession as I do sufficient yet to the question whether the Sacrament be a Converting Ordinance he concludes that It is not an Ordinance appointed for Conversion His Arguments are 1. Because no effect can be ascribed to this Ordinance which fals not under the signification of it c. as Vasquez 2. This Sacrament by the institution of it appears to praesuppose those that reap the sweet and benefit of it to be Converts and in grace namely to have faith in Christ and to be living members and if this be presupposed by this Ordinance then it is not first wrought by it 3. The Word is the only Instrument of God to beget Faith or work Conversion c. And he answereth the Objections of the contrary minded and to them that argue that the Lords Supper is a Converting Ordinance because its possible a man may be then converted he saith they may as well make Ordination or Marriage Converting Ordinances because by the words then uttered a man may be converted He citeth the words of learned Rich. Hooker Eccles. Pol. l. 5. pag. 5â—6 The grace which we have by it doth not begin but continue grace or life no man therefore receives this Sacrament before Baptism because no dead thing is capable of nourishment that which groweth must of necessity first live And for further Authority he addeth And to this purpose all our Learned Divines have given their suffrage And the Papists though they differ from us in denying remission of sins in this Sacrament in favour to their Sacrament of Penance yet they hold it to be an Ordinance of Nutrition and so do all their Schoolmen and so doth the Church of England The strengthening and refreshing of our souls c I need not number Authors or Churches It is so plain a case that I wonder they that have stood up in defence of it as a converting Ordinance have not taken notice of it There is an Army to a man against them and the antient Christian Churches are so clear in it So far Mr Vines Hooker in him Concerning the Distinction of Forum Dei Ecclesiae and its sense see that judicious Agreement of the Associated Ministers of Cumberlanâ— and Westmerland pag. 47. where they take notice of Mr. Blakes questioning it Since these Papers were in the Press I was told by a Reverend Brother that Mr Blake professeth to hold the Necessity of the Profession of a saving Faith as well as I and by one of his special acquaintance in the Ministry who heard me express my mind that Mr Blake's was the same I durst not omit the mention of this lest it should be injurious to him And yet how far the reporters are in the right and understand his meaning I am no further able to tell you but that they are credible persons For my part I defended my own Doctrine against the charge which in two Volumes he brought against it And I supposed he would not write so much of two Volumes against a Doctrine which he judged the same with his own And I medled only with his books and not his secret thoughts Whether I have been guilty of feigning an Adversary that took himself for none I am contented to stand to the judgment of any impartial man on earth that will read our books Surely I found it over each page that a Faith short of Iustifying entitleth to Baptism and I never met with any such explication in him as that by A faith short of Iustifying he meant A Profession of Iustifying faith And sure Faith and Profession be not all one nor Iustifying and Short of justifying all one Nor do others that read his books understand him any otherwise then I do so far as I can learn sure the Ministers that were Authors of the Propositions for Reformation of Parish Congregations Printed for the Norwich Bookseller understood him as I do p. 17. where they say thus Obj. 3. But a dogmatical Faith may entitle to Baptism as Mr Blake Treat on Con. speaks though there be no profession of a justifying faith repentance Answ. We cannot think so seeing the faith required to be professed before Baptism is such a Faith as hath salvation annexed to it Mar. 16.16 It is a Faith of the whole heart Acts 8.38 Repentance is also required to Baptism as well as Faith Acts 2.38 and the Church in the usual form of Baptism enjoyned the baptized person not only to profess the doctrine of Faith but
Of which I have spoken before Of Acts 10.47 hereafter The sense of the third Argument is that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper giveth us New food viz. the Flesh and Blood of Christ. Therefore it supposeth the new Birth and Life To this Mr. Blake saith 1. Metaphors are ill Materials to make up into Syllogisms Repl. 1. They are such as Christ used John 6. and frequently in Reasoning and therefore I am resolved to believe they are good Materials 2. We must use Metaphors or no words in some of the greatest Points in Divinity about God 3. We cannot easily find fitter terms here then New Bâ—rth Life and Food And if you had rather have many words then one change Food into special means of continuing or encreasing our New Life But this is a long term for a Syllogism 2. Saith Mr. Blake A difference may be put between ordinary and quickening food Repl. You should have told us your difference how it concerneth our case if you would have had us taken notice of it 3. He saith The word gives new Food and yet supposeth not new life 1 Pet. 1. â— Rep. The clean contrary is the scope of the Text you cite As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby The Word therefore as Food doth suppose new Birth and Life Christ as our first life is given in the Word to those that had not life before but Christ as our Food is given after both in the Word and Sacrament But you say There is a Sacramental work preceding our eating and there Christ is set forth to the aggravation of sin to carry on the work of Contrition and Compunction Rep. It s a sorry arguing that because there is that in the Sacrament which may benefit an ungodly man to see that therefore he hath right to receive it yea or is like to have benefit by it He that will not consent that Christ shall be his full Saviour may be moved to consent by seeing a Sacrament True though it is not appointed to such ends yet its possible But how should he be moved to consent by receiving it and so signaâ—ly Professing to consent when he doth not that is by lying The fourth Argument is from Rom 4.11 Circumcision was a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith therefore so is Baptism therefore so is the Lords Supper therefore it belongeth only to justified Believers To this Mr. Blake answereth 1. Then Ismael and each male were justified Rep. 1. He whom you answer spoke only of the Adult and then you should have said only then Ismael and all the males that had true right to Circumcision were either justified believers or the children of such or as to Church right of those that Professed themselves such And that is true 2 And it is lis sub judice yet whether the Synod of Dort Davenant c. or Mr. Gataker were in the right and so whether all the seed of justified persons have an Infant justification with them or not You add that Abrahams Circumcision there is not made a proof of hâ—s justification Repl. He that maketh it the Instituted Nature or use of Circumcision to be a Seal of a Righteousness of Faith which the person had before doth make his Circumcision a proof of his foregoing Righteousness of faith But so did Paul concerning Abraham therefore c. 2. Paul may give us a full proof of it though he spake those words to another intent The fifâ—h Argument is to the same purpose with the former as Mr. Blake reciteth it and therefore I shall say no more to it his answer requiring no more The sixth Argument he passeth by himself The 7. Argument is from the Necessity of a wedding garment I confess I do not think that it is the Sacrament only that is meant by thaâ— feast but it is Christ as offered in the Gospel with his benefits which in the Sacrament is specâ—ally represented and coming in is their coming into the visible Church by Profession and the scope of the Parable is to shew these two things 1. That he thaâ— invited them to come in did intend that they must come in that case and with that preparation as is answerable to the nature of the feast and is for the Honor of the Bridgegroom or Master of the Feast and therefore they should so have come 2. That because they so came not they shall only suffer as those that came not but also be cast out into a greater degree of misery that is because they come not with an upright penitent true believing heart disposed to Obedience Now the thing that Mr Blake should answer is whether it be not hence proved that men should have the Wedding garment of sincere faith before they come into the visible Church they or their Parents and much more before the Lords Supper God saith Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a Wedding garment But of this more anon Where Mr. Blake saiâ—h The world may lay as fair a claim to this wedding Feâ—st as the Supper I reply Neither one nor the other is it simply considered in it self but as a Church priviledge or a sign of our Church-membership And so the word of promise claimed or other parts and uses of it proper to Church-members are included with the Sacraments but not the word as preparing and common to those without The Lord of that Feast saith not Friend why wast thou invited hâ—ther for it was done by his own appointment but Friend how camest thou in hither that is I Invited thee not to come without the wedding garment to disgrace my house but to bring it with thee This therefore of Mr. Blakes is no answer The 8â—h Argument is That ordinance which is not appointed to work Faith is no coverting ordinance but c. Faith comes by hearing c. To which Mr. Blake answers that reading and seeing Miracles may also convert and so may Sacraments as not being opposite but subordinate I reply Hearing as the chiefest way of Reception is put for all the rest It is the word heard or read or some way received that is the appointed means of Conversion It s possible the Sacrament may be a means too but give us as good proof that it was appointed to that use or may be used to that end purposely by the unconverted as we shall prove the same of the Word and you shall carry the Cause The ninth Argument is That Ordinance which hath neither the promise of the grace of Conversion annexed to it or any example in the Word of God of any converted by it is no converting Ordinance But c. Ergo. To this 1. Mr. Blake answers ad homineÌ„ which is not worth repeating that examples will not satisfie his Adversary 2. That we have as many examples of mens conversion by the sacrament at we have of their receiving strength and nourishment Repl. A
wonderful confidence If Mr. Blake will bring as good proof of any converted by it as we can that the eleven Apostles that the Church at Jerusalem Acts 2. and 4. and the rest of the Churches were strengthened by it he will make good that Assertion 3. What he saith of our not having precedents by name is nothing to the purpose If he can prove it of any named or unnamed specially of Societies it will suffice 4. He tels us that The examples of Conversion by the word perhaps well examined would prove short of such Conversion as is here intended The Conversion in Gospel-Narratives is to a Christian profession Repl. 1. This is too unkind dealing for any Preacher of the Gospel to use with that Word which converted him and hath brought in so many thousands to Christ and which he himself preacheth for the conversion of others I should offend the patience of the Reader to stand to confute this by proving that the Word hath been a means of true saving Conversion yea the ordinary means I refer Mr. Blake to what I have said before of the state of the Churches that Paul wrote to Was there not one sort of Ground that received the seed in depth of earth and brought forth fruit Was not Paul sent by preaching to open mens eies and turn them from the power of Satan to God Act. 26 v. 18. Doth not Paul in all his Epistles speak of the Saints as converted savingly by the word of the Gospel What heaps of clear Testimonies might we bring out of his Epistles How contrary is this new Doctrine to the Word and all the ancient Churches and all approved Protestants Judgements I would we had such Evidence of true Conversion now among our Professors as the multitude of Converts gave Act. 2. and 4. and as the Jaylor gave Act. 1.6 and the Eunuch Act. 8. and as Lydia and many other 2. But what if the Word had not truly converted them its somewhat to be brought to an outward Profession of true faith which the rest were that were then Church-members But the Profession of your faith of another species is not the Profession of a Christian Faith though you call it so If you will give me but as good proof of any one baptized person that was brought but to the Profession of this lower Faith as I will give you of multitudes that were brought to true saving Faith by the Word and more to the Profession of it I will say that you have done that which never man did before you I pray make tryal for the proof of some one Well! But the main strength of the Argument which you had to answer was concerning the Promise To which you say 1. When the adversary shall bring a Promise made to the Sacrament for spiritual strength it will happily be found of equal force to the giving of a new life Repl. You next say Implicite Promises may serve Shew but one such You say Every Promise made to the Word is made to the Sacrament Repl. Prove that and take all Though we have no Promise particularly of converting this or that man by the Word yet we have that it shall convert many in general Shew where is a word of Promise that the Sacraments shall convert any one Sure if Paul had but had such a Promise of converting men by Baptizing them as he had of converting them by Preaching Act. 26.17 18. and elswhere he would never have said I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus c. for I am not sent to baptize but to Preach the Gospel 2. We find where in that Sacrament men have Communion of the Blood of Christ and of his Body and are partakers of the one Bread and have communion with one another and are helped by it in calling to Remembrance Christ death in hope of that coming all which are undoubtedly strengthening 1 Cor. 10 16 17. 11.25 26. Act. 2 c. But you cannot shew where ever any was either united first to Christ or his mystical Body by the Lords Supper or where it was appointed to be used to any such end or where ever any generaral or Implicite Promise of such a thing is made The tenth Argument was from the expresse danger of unworthy receiving 1 Cor. 11.17 The summ of the answer is That This Argument would take off every Ordinance from the honor of Conversion Repl. But I conceive that the strength of the Argument or that which ought to be its strength is wholly overlookt which is not from the Necessity of a Preparation in general but of a special Preparation or Worthiness which is not so pre-requisite to the fruitful use of converting Ordinances There is a saying by the superfluity of naughtiness malice c. requisite before a man can in reason expect that the Word should convert him and yet it may convert thousands that are not so far prepared by doing that and the rest But the Worthiness of a Partaker of the Lords Supper must be more than this For 1. That which the Church is Judge of must be that the Receiver be a Church-member professing true Faith and not contradicting that Profession by a scandalous life 2. Himself is required to examine himself for more that is whether he be sincerely what he Professeth and Christ be in him or else he is a Reprobate and not to take the childrens bread 2 Cor. 13.5 and also that he have a Particular Preparation according to the nature of the Ordinance It s expresly Necessary 1. That he discern the Lords Body 2. That he do this in remembrance of Christs death and with a hope of his coming and 3. For communion with Christ and his Church and to be partakers of the one bread 4. And with a Heart to take Christ and Eat that is to feed on him by Faith when he takes the bread But all this cannot be done by the unregenerate nor is this prerequisite before a man come to the Word that it may convert him That Preparation which is pre-requisite in a meet receiver of the Lords Supper it was not instituted to effect unless as it may do it when God sees good in an unworthy or prohibited use But true Faith and Repentance are Preparations pre-requisite Ergo c. You cannot say that to the hearing of the Word as a means of conversion true faith and Repentance is so requisite The text you mention 1 Pet. 2.1.2 I say again speaks of the confirming and edifying use of the word and not of the converting use The converted must bring true saith to the Word if they will expect encrease of it but the unconverted must not needs bring true faith if they will be brought to believe by it 3. Yet remember that we say not that men ought to forbear coming that are unconverted but that they ought to come but how To believe and repent and so to come and to do it in this order and no
be answerable to God if we should minister Baptism to a man whose works and words do manifestly declare him to be an unregenerated unconverted person And if we may not initiate such a one how shall we bring him to the Lords Table The fifteenth Argument is If Baptism even of the aged must Necessarily precede the Lords Supper then this is not a converting Ordinance But c. The reason of the consequence is because true Repentance and faith are professed and Remission of sin sealed in Baptism Mr. Blake denieth the consequence because all the Baptized are not Regenerate Rep. But all the Adult Baptized according to Christs Institution are Regenerate of Infants it s yet under debate And if any be not so it is they that erroneously seek that which they should not have sought The last Argument there mentioned by Mr. Blake is from the Parable of the Prodigal who returned before he had the Robe Ring Shoos Fatted-calf c. Mr. Blake answereth that All Ordinances are to bring a Prodigal to such a returning posture which is a meer begging the question and not answering the Text which Interpreters usually thus expound The next Argument is pag. 245. recited From the Directory where the Ignorant scandalous and prophane that live in any sin or offence against their conscience are warned not to presume to come nigh that holy table He answers it is meant of those that purposely resolve to hold their sin and doubtless that purpose standing here is no comfort to be put into their hands As Mat. 5.23 24. Sacraments will not be accepted from that hand where malice is seated in the heart and implacably continued but it follows nâ—t but that where the soul is startled and such resolutions for sin do not appear this may be a means c. Repl. 1. You add your own corrupting gloss to the Directory They say warn them to forbear that live in sin against conscience You add the meaning is if they resolve to continue in it And I pray you why will you turn us to mens resolutions which is a secret of their hearts for a discovery of those whom we must refuse Is there the vilest Murtherer or Adulterer that is not purposed to leave it before he dies 2. But what if he resolve not to continue it Is it not bad enough if he will not resolve to leave it Doubtles this shews Impenitency and the other can do no more 3 But yet you have here destroyed all your Cause in a word For you have here excluded all unregenerate men for all the unregenerate are habitually resolved in most heinous sin and that against conscience They all will confess that God is better then the world and yet they all esteem the world before God and love it better than God they are a habitually resolved to please their Flesh before God and look to their worldly felicity before his Glory I have your consent therefore on this ground to conclude that a Sacrament will not be accepted at their hands 4. But do you not contradict this when you add yet if such Resolutions do not appear c. What if they appear not I hats something to the Minister but that 's nothing to prove Gods acceptance or the mans Title to claim the Sacrament Should not secret sin deterr aswell as open God and himself know them though we do not The 18th Argument Mr. Blake overpassing answers the 19th which is It is not communicable to any but the penitent therefore not a converting Ordinance or That Ordinance that is not communicable to any but the penitent is not converting But c. Mr. Blake denieth the Major to be true unless limited and giveth an instance Reproof is for Conversion yet not to all all converting Ordinances are not promiscuously to be applyed to all Repl. An unanswerable Argument and a meer impertinent Answer Is it not a wonder how the Major could be denied without distinguishing of Penitence and saying that the Sacrament is communicable to the impenitent as to saving Repentance but not as to common Repentance and therefore may convert to saving Repentance But he answer as if the Major had been this That Ordâ—nance which is for conversion is for all when it 's contrarily That which is for the converted only is not to convert So that Mr. Blake saith nothing at all to the Argument when he pretendeth to deny the Major which taken of sound Repentance is as undeniable as that The Medicine that is only for the living is not to make the dead alive so the Ordinance which is only for the Penitents is not to convert men to repentance To which he answers by saying that Converting ordinances are not to be promiscuously applyed What 's that to the Major or Argument The Pope dwelleth not at Rome because the Turk dwelleth at Constantinople So much for these Arguments and their Answers the rest I shall pass over which Mr. Blake hath about Sacraments being converting Ordinances Only telling him that I confidently deny his great Assertion pag. 241. the unconverted have a fundamental proper right to the Lords Supper and yet do not find my self in any inextâ—icable snares nor will by difficulties be frighted to that opniion I shall only here add in a word what I yeild about the Sacrament being a converting Ordinaâ—ce viz. 1. Some that have no Right to partake of it may possibly be converted by looking on and hearing the adjoined word 2. It s not impossible that he that sinfully and without title comes to receive it may occasionally receive good by it There is that there declared that hath a tendency to do good 3. But whatever it may be a means of beyond Divine Appointment through his meer good pleasure yet it is not Appointed to be demanded or taken by any Impenitent unconverted man for his Conversion 4 Yet if a Minister know them not to be impenitent but yet suspecteth it as he must give it them upon their profession so he may desire in the managing of the work that it may be converting to them if they are not converted that is that God will bring that truth to the heart which the signs represent to the eyes and make it an occasion of good to them that are out of their way in demanding it 5. Yet it is rather the Hearing and Seeing than the Taking Eating and Drinking that we may with any encouragement pray for this Blessing on 6. I never know or heard of any converted by the Receiving of the Sacrament but divers I have know converted by the occasion of it As some that by other kind of Doctrine than Mr. Blakes having been brought to apprehend the danger of unworthy receiving have been awakened so in their preparations for fear of eating damnation to themselves that it was a means of their conversion And some that by after-fears least then did eat unworthily And perhaps some by the serious speeches of the Minister in
faith 2. But a proper right from promise or proper gift which may warrant them to claim or require the thing from God or man this I deny to any but true believers and their seed They may not lawfully require it though we must give it them if they do require it upon such a profession 3. But without a profession of saving faith they may neither require it nor we give it if they do require it whatever other short faith they have or profess 4. Thus also the Case was with the Jews allowing the difference made by the foresaid peculiar Promise to them ARGUMENT II. Mr Blake Those that are a People by Gods gracious dispensation nigh to 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 dispensations nigh unto God comparative to others this is plain in the whole visible Nation of the Jews as appears Deut. 4 7. Psal. 147.19 and 148.14 Those therefore that are short of Justifying faith have right in the sight of God to admission to this nearer relation ANSWER The Jews were nigher to God than other people 1. In that they had the offers of Grace which other people had not 2. And many great Deliverances and temporal priviledges which others had not Both these Infidels and Heathens may now have and therefore they prove no Right to Baptism 3. They were nigher by some promises peculiar to that Nation which is nothing to us 4. They were nigher by their Consent to the offers of Grace and the Covenant of the Lord which was proper in sincerity to the sanctified 5. And by their profession of Consent and external engaging themselves to the Lord whether they had inwardly faith or not Now to the Major I grant it but add that the three first sorts of Nearness give not right to Baptism All admission to near Relation comparatively to others is not by Circumcision or Baptism But it is only a Nearness in the two last senses that are questionable as to this And I have before shewd in what sense true Consent to the Covenant gives right and in what sense an outward profession of Consent gives right and that your common faith gives none in either sense Lastly if your conclusion were granted it s nothing to our question For as is said all admission to near relation is not by baptism One Infidel may be nearer God and the Kingdom of Heaven then another and yet 〈◊〉 be baptizable for all that ARGUMENT III. Mr. Blake Those that God ordinarily calls his People and owns as his openly avouching himself to be their God have right in the sight of God to the signs and cognizance of his People and are to have admission into the society and Fellowship of his People This is plaâ—n if God in Covenant will own servants then his stewards may open the door to them if he will own sheep his servants doubtless may mark them But God owns all in visible communion though short of faith that is Justifying as his People and openly avouches himself to be their God as in abundant places of Scriture is evident See Deut. 26.18 These have therefore right to the signs and cognizances of his people to admission into the Society and Fellowship of his People ANSWER 1. To the Major with the fore-mentioned distinction of Right applyed as before I grant it 2. To the Minor I say God owneth them as his people by internal consent and covenanting who indeed are so and he owneth them as his People by outward Covenanting or Expression or Profession of consent who are such But those that have neither of these but only profess some shorter faith or consent to some other Covenant or but part of this he will not own in either relation nor would have them taken into the Communion of his Church Nor do you prove any such thing for Deut. 26.18 is so much against you that I marvel you were not troubled at the citing of it For that Text alone is enough to confute all your pompous allegations out of the Old Testament from the Church state of the Jews The words are Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God and to walk in his waies and to keep his Statutes and his Commandments and his Judgements and to hearken to his voice And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people c. Do you think that they that in heart consent that the Lord be their God and to walk in his waies c. have not saving faith Then there was no such thing then on the earth And if they had such faith who sincerely consented then they Professed such faith that Professed such consent And the word avouching sheweth that it was present profession and not only a promise for some distant futurity This Argument therefore is but like the rest ARGUMENT IV. Mr. Blake Those whom the Spirit of God ordinarily calls by the name of Circumcision they had a right in Gods sight to Circumcision and those of like condition have like right to baptism This I think is clear the Spirit of God doth not mis-name doth not nick-name nor ordinarily at least give equivocal names But men short of Justifying faith are called by the Spirit of God by the name of Circumcision as needs no proof Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision Rom 15.8 And he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Those then of a faith short of that which is Justifying have right in the sight of God to Baptism ANSWER 1. I have no need to deny the Major but it is not sound for they are called the Circumcision i. e. the Circumcised because they were actually Circumcised and not because that all that were so had right to it 2. To the Minor I grant it but with this note that it is not because of their short faith that they were to be circumcised but upon the Parents or their own profession and sincere consent to the Covenant The Conclusion again containeth not your Thesis There 's nothing in it about giving title or any thing of necessary connexion ARGUMENT V. Mr. Blake Those that are the servant of God whom God owns as his servants have right in his sight to be received into his house and to be entitled to the Priviledges of his Church This we think should not be denyed and that God will take it ill if any shall deny it But men short of that faith which Justifies are owned of God as his servants as is clear Lev. 25.41 42. There every Israelite that was sold to any of the Children of Israel and his Children are called of God his servants and that as Israelites of which a great part were void of that faith which Justifies Therefore those that are short of faith
necessarily as the other And I would fain know of him how meer Dogmatical believers are sure that they have a Dogmaticall faith 1. Many of them know not what that faith is nor what the essentials of Christianity are nor know not those essentials themselves as I before said from sad experience They might therefore be sure that they have not a true Dogmatical faith but not that they have it and yet they are as confident they have it as other men 2. Many that believe the same truths as others believe them but side humanâ and not divinâ and therefore have no true Dogmatical faith 3. Many do but half believe them and think they may be true they may be false and cannot tell whether they may believe them or not but indeed do not their unbelief being more predominant and therefore from it must be denominated 4. Many true saving believers are sorely tempted about the Truth of the Gospel and troubled with doubts and their Dogmatical or Historical faith is but weak and mixed with much unbelief so that they cannot tell whether their belief or unbelief be predominant and consequently whether they believe or not And for my part I see no reason but that it should be as hard to a true Christian to know whether he truly believe the Dogmata Christiana the Articles of Faith the truth of the Gospel as to know whether he truly rest upon Christ or love God above all And I know many learned wise and godly men to all appearance that are in doubt and long have been of the truth of their assent to the Gospel and are troubled with no other doubtings of their sincerity in any great measure but only as the doubts of this doth cause them Some of the ablest men that ever I knew have groaned out many a complaint O I am afraid I am an Infidel I cannot believe the Word of God! I know not whether I believe it or not A Turk may have some thoughts or motions that it may be true but if he be more perswaded of the falsness than of the Truth he is not to be denominated a believer Now if Mr. Blake will but tell us plainly how he would deal with these that doubt of their very historical faith and what he would have them do then I will tell him the like by them that doubt of their saving faith 5. Nay see what a desperate plunge he puts his believers to He requireth them to perform impossibilities They must engage to believe savingly that is they must profess a consent so to do And this they must know that they do sincerely or else they cannot do it in faith as the Objection saith when as it is a thing that no unregenerate man can do sincerely If he engage to believe savingly he doth it not sincerely but ignorantly or dissemblingly At least few of them know that they do it sincerely as themselves will here confess what then must these do in such a case 6 At least let the heart and light of a godly man and an ungodly be compared and I will appeal to Mr. Blakes own judgement whether a Godly man be not as likely to know his sincerity in saving faith as an ungodly man to know that he haâ—h truly a Dogmatical faith and doth truly engage to believe savingly I could soon shew such disadvantages that a wicked man hath to know his own heart even in this point that me thinks might easily determine this Controversie if it were needfull to stand upon it 7. It is the duty of the godly to give God thanks for his saving Grace for converting them giving them the Holy Ghost Justifying Adopting them c. Must none perform this duty but they that have attained Assurance of their Conversion Justification Adoption c Then it is not many that must perform it But if others may and must do this on the same ground they may and must perform the other It is the duty of every child of God to pray and praise God in the relation of a child in a special sense and to call God Father in a special sense and to plead those Promises with him that are the proper portion of his Children And must all omit this that have no assurance or subjective Certainty It it the duty of each member of the mystical body of Christ to love the Saints and assist them as fellow-members Must none do this that is not certain of his own member-ship If I should instance in all the particulars of Christian Duty that this case extendeth to you would see that this your principle reduced to practice would make buâ— unhappy work in the Church and would do much to the extirpation of a very great part if not the far greatest of the service of God 8. In all such Cases our Actions must follow the smallest prevalent perswasions of our Judgement though far short of full Assurance If a true Believer do think himself to be such he may profess himself such When so far as he knoweth his own heart he doth believe and repent he may profess that he doth believe and repent implying or expressing that he speaketh according to the knowledge he hath of his own heart We are so strange to our selves that if only Certainty must move us to Action I think we should sleep out the most of our lives He speaks sincerely that speaks according to his perswasion and as he thinks though he be not certain 9. In such cases it condemneth not to act in doubting but the same man that doubteth may act in faith Indeed if the doubting be so predominant that a man is more perswaded that he doth not believe than that he doth whether dogmatically or savingly then he may not profess that he doth believe that is he may not think one thing and speak another and speak or do against his Conscience And also if it be in an indifferent thing as about meats or drinks or indifferent daies where he is certain to be innocent if he forbear and uncertain to be innocent if he act then he must take the safer side and therefore forbear And the Apostles words will reach no further than to these two points He that hath unbelief and therefore doubing may say Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief 10. The thing that is necessarily required to the Sacramental participation is not an Assurance that our faith is sincere and saving but that it be really that Faith which is sincere and saving whether we know it so to be or not Many a man knoweth that he hath that faith which is saving and yet knoweth not that it is saving And many one knoweth that he performeth the saving act but through vain scruples understandeth not whether he do it sincerely And many think or hope they are sincere that yet doubt of it I have met with many that have lived in deep distress for want of perceiving the truth of their faith that have cried out
Adultorum scilicet Infantium At cuique istorum generum competit una tantummodo ratio introeundi in communionem foederis illius omnium rerum quae ex foedere pendent Adultis scilicet fides per quam Christi promissiones amplectuntur Infantibus conditio nascendi ex parentibus fidelibus Thes. 11. pag. 51. Ad vitam spiritualem quod attinet adulti quidem non intrumittuntur in foederis Evangelici communionem sui nescii Intromittuntur enim per fidem Fides autem est actus quidam intellectûs tanto cum acriore sui sensu conjunctus quantò intellectus ipse facultas est praestantissima cum acerrimo sensu praeditus Thes. 12. Baptismus autem propriè in eum finem destinatus est ut vitam nobis esse indultam testificaretur Thes. 13. Vno verbo Baptismo in nobis obsignatur Adoptio nostra Thes. 15. Primarius ejus magìs proprius usus in eo consistit ut ipsius peccati destructionem abolitionem à Christo factam actu nobis communicari testetur Pag. 372. Thes. 45. Ideóque neque Sacramentum neque quodquam ejusmodi seu signum seu tessera seu pignus aut arrhabo ulli traditur nisi qui sese Verbo Promissioni fidem habere profiteretur which is their common description of saving Faith Pag. 78. Thes 37. Nec vero minùs ex eo constat cur Infidelium liberi non baptizentur Nam Evangelicum foedus quidem quatenus conditionatum est ad omnes omnino homines spectat est enim Christus omnium Redemptor modò credant At quatenus absolutum est pertinet ad solos actu fideles est enim eorum Christus Redemptor tantùm quia soli credidere Quod enim foedus conditionatum appellatur propterea quod ex praestatione Conditionis ejus executio pendet id praestitâ conditione evadit absolutum Jam verò quamdius foedus conditionatum est promissiones quae foedere continentur non pertinent actu ad eos qui Conditionem non praestiterunt Ideo eos aliter non alloquintur quam dicendo Si credideris salvus eris si non credideris manet ira Dei super te Quoniam igitur Baptismus institutus est tantùm atque comparatus obsignandis Dei promissionibus in iis ad quos pertinent nemo ex infidelibus baptizatur qui non profiteatur sese actu credere infidelitatem deposuisse Et pag. 79. Thes. 40. Quemadmodum enim qui credit actu jure baptizatur postquam baptizatus est jus habet indubitatum ad salutem Marc. 16.16 sic etiam qui nascitur ex parentibus fidelibus itidem jure baptismo tingitur postquam c. Thes. 38. Si deficiant illi ab Ecclesiâ aut vero ex eà ob vitam turpiter actam aut puritatem Religionis ejuratam atque adeo in eo malo pertinaciam invictam ejiciantur tum quia non censentur ampliùs esse fideles non potest quin eorum liberi eâ praerogativâ excidant Pet. Molinaeus of Tradition translat Engl. pag. 62. saith It is essential to the Sacrament to be taken for the Remission of sins as it was first instituted by the Lord Mr. Crook in his Guide to Godliness § 14 15. Page 54. and in his Direct to Happiness Sect. 14 15. pag. 13 14. shews himself of the same mind Mr. Liford of Admission to Sacr. saith pag. 30. that All carnal persons that are conscious to themselves of living in any known sin ought to keep themselves back from the partaking of the Sacrament and all that have not broken their league with their lusts nor yet fully resolved to part with their darling sins such persons are in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity they have no part nor lot in this matter because their heart is not right in the sight of God they only cover iniquity with an outside holy profession And p. 33. All that profess Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ should be admitted All that having been baptized and are able to examine themselves and discern the Lords Body cannot be charged to live scandalously in any sin contrary to their profession without giving further proof of real sanctification p. 43. The profession that he requires is That men must repent lead new lives and that themselves do so and intend to do so So others commonly Three of the most learned Godly Divines of Scotland I have in the following Disputations cited The 58. Mr. Galespie whose twenty Arguments Mr. Blake attempts a Confutation of and I have before vindicated them The 59. Mr. Rutherford whose words I have after cited at large The 60. Mr. James Wood Professor at Aberdene who declareth himself agreed with me in the Qualification necessary to Baptism as I have afterwards cited his words Any one that would have more may peruse our English Divines that purposely write of Preparation to the Lords Supper such as Bradshaw Hildersham Pemble Dike Bolton and abundance more and they shall soon see that it is true Repentance and Faith that they require as necessary to a lawful Receiving and the Profession of these to our Lawful Administring But I will weary the Reader no longer with Citations but only shall add a few words of Mr. Blakâ— himself and leave you to find out the sense Mr. Blake of Sacraments pag. 124. So that I conceit no Promise of these Ordinances made to such a Faith but an actual investiture of every such believer in them And if no Promise then no Right to them by Prâ—mise or any Moral Grant And if only actual investiture they can make no just claim to that investiture before hand for the actual investiture being not yet existent can give no right to it self nor doth that investiture justifie the seeking or demanding or possessing of it for all possession is not lawful Pag. 147. Seeing Mr. Baxter calls upon me to declare my self further in this thing I do believe and profess to hold that he that upon hearing the Gospel preacht and the truth of it published and opened shall professedly abjure all other opposite wayes whatsoever and choose the Christian way for salvation promising to follow the Rules of it is to be baptized and his seed Pag. 157. How comes I pray you that future in In obligationibus ubi nullus certus statuitur dies quovis die debetur There is no day overtaken but the Engagement is for present And he that professeth to consent to be a true believer at present or the next minute doth in sense profess himself a true believer at present Pag. 147. His two first Arguments drawn from Authority the first of the Assembly of Divines and others of a number of Fathers are brought to prove that the Profession of a justifying Faith is required to Baptism And what is that to me who never denyed it but in plain words have often affirmed it It is sufficiently implyed where I
Congregations which the Countrey knoweth to be such as you have done pag. 142 143. upon the credit of your false reporters If I have deserved such dealing from you the Christian Assemblies of Worcestershire have not Restrain your indignation to me and abuse not your Brethren that meddle not with you And what is it that is denyed unanimously by other Congregations Surely not the necessity of professing a faith that 's more than Dogmatical at least I know no such Congregations and I hope I shall never know such For all your frequent and confident intimations that yours is the common opinion of Divines and mine is singular If paper could blush abundance of such passages would confute themselves and prevent the delusion of your credulous reader who will believe you to save the labor of a tryal Pag. 185. The words of mine that are cited as against my self are these Vocation which is effectual only to bring men to an outward profession of faith is larger then Election and makes men such whom we are bound to baptize true How unhappy am I that must contradict my opinion in the very words which contain it But still will you perswade men that an outward professing of true saving faith is all one with another kind of faith no man I think knows what which you are busily promoting to be the Title to Sacraments I shall not stand to search Mr. Blake's book for more of my self-contradictions or trouble the Reader with a further vindication For in thus much he may see the face of the rest and discern the judiciousness and equity of the Charge But as Mr. Blake dealeth by me so doth he by the Authors whom he alledgeth for his opinions as pag. 152.153 154 155. and elswhere He sticks not to cite them as owning his cause who in the very words recited by him do condemn it For in those words they make the Church as visible to consist of professors as distinct from true believers and know no members but true Christians and Hypocrites who therefore pretend to that Faith which they have not or else how are they Hypocrites And what 's this to Mr. Blake's new visible members that profess only some other kind of faith or how will this warrant his new kind of Baptism which must be administred upon the Profession of another sort of Faith The Lord illuminate us and pardon all the wrong we have done to his Church and Truth through our darkness and self-conceitedness The third Disputation Quest. Whether the Infants of Notoriously-ungodly baptized Parents have Right to be Baptized Tertullian Apologet. cap. 16. Sed dices Etiam de nostris excedere quosdam à Regulâ Disciplinae Desunt tum Christiani haberi penès nos Philosophi verò illi cum talibus factis in nomine honore sapientiae perseverant Thes. Salmuriens Vol. 3. Pag. 59. Thes. 39. Sacramenta non conferuntur nisi iis qui vel fidem habent vel saltem eam prae se ferunt adeò ut nullis certis argumentis compertum esse possit eam esse ementitam Aaron's Rod Blossoming pag. 514. I believe No conscientious Minister would adventure to baptize one who hath manifest and infallible signs of Unregeneration Sure we cannot be answerable to God if we should minister Baptism to a man whose works and words do manifestly declare him to be an unregenerated unconverted person And if we may not Initiate such a one how shall we bring him to the Lords Table Rutherford Due Right of Presbyteries pag. 231. n. 2. But saith Robinson most of England are ignorant of the first Rudiments and Foundation of Religion and therefore cannot be a Church Answ. Such are materially not the visible Church and have not a Profession and are to be taught and if they wilfully remain in that darkness are to be cast out The third Disputation Quest. Whether the Infants of Notoriously ungodly Baptized Parents have Right to be Baptized THE Question is of the greater moment because about Matter of Practice and that in a Point wherein the Honor of God on one side and the Rights of mens Souls on the other are so much concerned It supposeth first that Baptism is Gods Ordinance of continued Use and that some are to be Baptized Secondly that it is a Benefit or else we could not in the sense now used be said to have Right to it Thirdly It supposeth that some Infants have Right to be Baptized This Question therefore is not to be disputed with the Anabaptists who deny the presupposed And they that are so indifferent in the former as to take it for an inconsiderable matter Whether Infants be baptized or not must needs judge this Question of the Infants of the Ungodly to be much more inconsiderable Fourthly Yet doth it not suppose that the Infants of any ungodly persons have this Right as if it were only the Right of Notorious ones that were disputable but the word Notorious is added to limit our present Dispute to that sort for several Reasons at this time passing by the other but not taking it for granted Fifthly Nor doth the Addition of the term Baptized to Parents take it for granted that no children of unbaptized Parents have such Right But it limits the Question to that sort only as fitter in several respects for our Dispute For the explication of the terms 1. By Infant we mean Children not yet come to the use of Reason so that as they are not sui Juris but at anothers dispose so they are uncapable naturally in any Contract to dispose of themselves being unfit to give consent through a natural defect of that understanding which is pre-requisite By a natural Defect I mean of nature in it self considered and not as corrupted by sin nor as neglected sinfully by our selves or others So that I see not but that Ideots are in the same condition as Infant children But of that let every one think as they see cause In Law homo primae aetatis is an Infant even after he can speak though as to the Etymologie he be called an Infant quia fari nescit i. e. loqui non potest ut Isidor lib. 11.2 2. By Parents we mean principally Natural Parents those who begat those Infants but secondarily also as I suppose those that have Adopted them or bought them or received them as given or delivered to them so that they any way become Their Own and they have the dispose of them and are enabled to enter them into Covenant so as to oblige them on the highest terms Though I know it is not properly that these are called Parents The word Parent is primarily applicable to the Mother only as not being à Parendo but à Pariendo and thence to the Father also because of the Relation between Gigno Pario and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometime used for Genero And though the word Parens be not usually applied to those that Adopt yet Pater is And not unfitly
For he doth by words or deeds or both profess that he will not be ruled by Christ that he will not be sanctified or released from his sin that he will not take God and Glory to come for his chief Good but the things of this life and will obey the flesh before God It it be in plain known sins which they can find no vain excuse for some of them will say words of equal force to these but though most will not do so yet their Actions openly profess it But because this is the thing that will be denyed I add further 1. Actions are capable of signifying a mans mind as well as words though not ordinarily so soon or easily yet some Actions do yea and much more certainly 2. God plainly tels us of some that profess that they know God yet in works they deny him so that works can speak as plain as words and deny God and unsay what a deceitful tongue hath said 3. If these persons in question do not thus deny Christ by their works or do not Profess to be no Christians then either it is because ungodliness is consistent with Christianity or doth not comprehend or imply Infidelity or else because the Notoriousness of this ungodliness is no Profession The first cannot be said For 1. As Godliness in a Christian sense comprehendeth Christianity and even the true acknowledgement of the God-head it self so ungodliness containeth the disowning of God and the refusing of all true Love of him or seeking him as our End and it comprizeth in it the refusal of Christ to bring us back to God and of the Spirit to conform our souls and lives to his Will As therefore God is the Ultimate End and Christ as Mediator but the means or way and as loving God is a more excellent duty than believing in Christ in it self considered so ungodliness which is contrary to the Love of God is a greater sin than unbelief in it self as to Jesus Christ the Mediator yea and ever containeth this unbelief as its second and lower part though it be denominated from the opposition to God as the greater part of the sin 2. However no man will deny but that they are concomitant and that every ungodly man is an unbeliever 3. Yea as ungodliness is contrary to our subjection to the Lord Redeemer it is a real part of Infidelity it self I may well conclude therefore that to be Notoriously ungodly is to be Notoriously no Christian but an Unbeliever 2. And that this Notoriousness is a certain profession is evident For 1. the mind is declared by it Christ himself telleth us that out of the heart come Murthers Adulteries c. and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh If you say men may do such and such things against their will I answer 1. Then they are not Notoriously ungodly if they do not Notoriously shew their wilfulness 2. The Will hath the command of the outward man 2. And as it declareth the mind so doth it certainly declare it For first else still it were not notorious ungodliness 2. Words may be easier counterfeited than Deeds especially the scope of a mans life 3. And hence it is that the Lord Jesus himself when he comes to Judgement will try more by Deeds than verbal Profession and will reject such Professions when they are contradicted by evil actions as Mat. 7. Not every one that saith unto one Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father Mat. 25. Christ will convince those by their not feeding cloathing c. his members that they were no true Believers who still go about to justifie themselves And they that shall say Lord have not we eat drunk c. Cast out Devils preacht in thy name shall be answered with a Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not Men shall all be judged according to their works It is clear then that Notorious ungodliness is a Profession or signification of the very mind and will yea and a profession most certain for it cannot be dissembled He that is notoriously ungodly is most certainly no true Christian But the profession which this contradicteth is not so certain nay it is most certainly false So that as God doth so man must take mens works and lives for a Discovery of their mind and judge them by it I have stood the larger on this because that profession of Christianity is the common title that is pleaded for such persons and therefore I have shewed that they are not to be reputed for credible Professors If it be not a probable sign it is not to be taken for a valid profession But words contradicted by the Notorious tenor of the life are no probable sign but these works are a certain sign of the contrary Ergo. If any man yet do think that any words though not probably signifying the mind are a valid profession and to be taken for a Title then it will follow that if a man should laugh in your face and foretel you that he will come and make a profession in scorn of Christ or if he tell you that though he speak such words it is not from his heart but through fear or to get some honour with men or if when he baptized his child in the name of Christ he tell you that he intendeth not that he shall serve him or if he say of himself he will baptized in tht name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and renounce the world flesh and Devil but he intendeth not to stand to it nor to do as he promiseth c. any of these must be taken for a Profession and this man for a Christian which no wise man I think will affirm If an affirmation presently contradicted by words as express and certain be not to be taken for a profession then much less is an affirmation more certainly contradicted by the tenor of the life yea and too oft by professed impenitency The sum is this We must not baptize him into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost or his children for his faith who we are sure doth not believe in the Father Son and Holy Ghost But such is every Notorious Ungodly man Ergo Or we must not baptize him or his child as a Christian that certainly decâ—areth himself to be none But so doth c Ergo. So much of the fourth Argument Arg. 5. We must not baptize those that certainly declare to us that they repent not nor any for their sakes But all notorious ungodly men do certainâ—y declare that they repent not unless equivocally Ergo. The Major is proved in that Repentance is a necessary condition in him that hath right to Baptism before â—od and the Profession of it necessary to him that we muâ—â— baptize The Apostles râ—quired it The Minor needeth no proof I think Arg. 6. We must not bapâ—ize him or any for his sakâ— that will
arguing why may not you say that the child of every Turk and Indian on earth hath Right for their Parents did no more divest them of it than these and their sins can no more be transmitted But though it be not necessary to be asserted to the upholding of the present Cause yet I must tell you that I believe that Parents transmit more of their sin than of their Graces to Posterity and I am somewhat confident that you say what you can never prove and deny a Guilt which it better beseemed you to acknowledge and lament Next to the proof of the Minor of the main Argument viz. that notoriously ungodly persons are excommunicated from the society of Christians as such ipso Jure or are to be pronounced no members of the Universal Church To be excommunicate ipso Jure is when the Law is so express and so fully applyeth it self to the case of the offending person that there may or must be an execution of it by the people though there do no sentence of the Judge intervene when the plainness of the Law and the notoriousness of the Case may warrant an execution without Judgement And that it is so here I prove thus The Case is supposed Notorious and the Law is plain and commandeth all men to execute it whether there be any Judgement or not Therefore such are ipso Jure excommunicate 1. In a lower sort of Excommunication the meer Law may require our execution without a sentence therefore much more in a grosser and plainer case We must not eat with the scandalous 1. Cor. 5.11 We must avoid them that cause Division Rom. 16.17 We must note such men as are disobedient and have no company with them that they may be ashamed yea we are flatly commanded in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that we withdraw our selves from every brother that walketh disorderly 2 Thes. 3.6 14. All this we must do though no Ecclesiastical Judge do sentence them when the case is notorious We must reject a known Heretick after the first and second admonition we must turn away from wicked Livers though they have a form of Godliness 2 Tim. 3 5. 2. Concerning those that are not Christians we are bid come out from among them and separate our selves and touch no unclean thing 2 Cor. 6.17 18 For what communion hath Light with darkness and Christ with Belial or a Believer with an Infidel ver 14. we have the estates of Infidels Apostates and ungodly men described to us and we must judge them to be as they undoubtedly appear to be and use them accordingly John bids a woman that If any come to them and bring not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed for he that bideth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds Here is an Excommunication ipso Jure for he doth not name the persons but leave them to discern them and execute according to evidence And these seem to be persons much in the case as now we have to do with such as professed themselves Christians in name and yet denied the fundamentals and lived wickedly v. 7.8 9. of Ep. 2. Mary deceivers are entered into the World who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh This is a very Deceiver and Antichrist whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God whether this was written to a Lady or a Church whether of the Gnosticks or other Sect it differs not much as to our case Also God calls all his people whom it did concern to come out of Babylon that they pertake not of her sins receive not of her plagues Rev. 18.4 But I need not prove I hope that we are not of the same body with known unbelievers and that unbelieving expresseth as small if not a smaller evil than ungodliness and is comprehended in it I have already manifested And it s known that we are to shun the company of a wicked man that will take on him the name of a Christian Brother more then of an unbeliever that pretendeth not to be one of us For with the later we may eat 1 Cor. 10 27. though we may not communicate with him in his false worship ver 16.17 18 20 21. but with the former we may not And whether the ungodly be any more of our Body or fit for our communion than Infidels that so profess themselves in words let Scripture judge When God separateth his own People from others it is not only as from unbelevers but he most freqently giveth the reason from their Pollutions so that it is from them as from the unclean Lev. 20 24. I am the Lord your God which have separated you from other People Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean c. which I have separated from you as unclean And ye shall be holy unto me for I the Lord am holy and have severed you from other People that ye should be mine So answerable hereunto all Gods People under the Gospel are called Saints as well as Believers and Paul tels all the Corinthians not only that they are changed from Infidelity to Faith but such were some of you that is wicked Livers but ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6 11. And he is blinde that seeth not how in all the ceremonial Institutions of Moses which were Types of Christs cleansing his Church the Lord doth most eminently declare his Purity and hatred of sin and the necessity of Holiness and Purity in his People as well as the necessity of pardon by Christ Answerable whereunto in the Gospel Christ is as eminently declared the sanctifier as the Pardoner of men He saveth his people from their sins themselves and washeth and sanctifieth and cleanseth his Church that he may present it spotless to God Lev. 15.31 12.2 3 5 c. Neh. 13.3 9.2 10.28 Ezr. 6.21 Exod. 33.16 Lev. 5.2 11. throughout 13. 14. Num. 19. Isa. 52.1 the Gospel-Church is accordingly described Put on thy beautiful Garments O Jerusalem the holy City for henceforth then shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and unclean Ezek. 22.26 Her Priests have violated my Law and profaned my holy things they have put no difference between the Holy and Profane neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean Ezek. 44.23 Jer. 15.19 If thou wilt take forth the pretious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth let them return to thee but return not thou to them Eph. 5.5 2 Cor. 12.21 Ezek. 36.29 I think it is clear that those whom Paul describeth 2 Tim. 3. are to be avoided by all Christians as not in the Christian body and he describeth them by their unholiness and particular vices and saith of their Teachers that they are Men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith
know that afterward when the Princes and Rulers were evil or negligent then the Church must needs be defiled and the Laws of God unexecuted And perhaps I may mis-interpret some texts of Scripture to a more gentle sense then others do or then is meet Of this let every man judge as he please it s no time now to call all such texts to account If any be offended at my charitable thoughts of the body of the Jews Gods only peculiar people on earth let them blot out these fore going considerations or take them as non dicta for I lay not the stress of my Cause upon them But the Principal thing which I would have observed is this That by Gods Political Law of this Common-wealth all Notorious ungodly persons were to be put to death yea and many far short of that degree I know it is a controversie among Divines what is meant by all those places that speak of Cutting off from his people Mr. Gilespie with others think it is meant of Excommunication Others think it is meant of the Magistrates punishing them with death or Gods doing it extraordinarily if the Magistrate should be negligent The main reason brought against this Exposition is that it seems too bloody But it must be considered how terrible the Law was and how God designed in it the manifestation of his Jealousie Holiness and hatred of sin If every man that did ought presumptuously might be cut off from the Church why not from the Living The Apostle in Acts 3.23 reciting that of Moses saith He that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from the People However let that phrase mean what it will we have proof enough beside that not only all notorious Ungodly ones but also many Godly ones that fell into gross sin were all to be put to death From whence I argue thus If it was the Law of God that all such persons should be presently put to death then was it not the will of God that their Infants should have Right to Circumcision for their sakes no nor on any other account But the Antecedent is true therefore the Consequent The Reason of the Consequence is this Either thâ—se mens children were born before the parents turned ungodly or after If before then were they circumcised the eighth day as the children of the Godly If after then it was against Gods Law that they should be born much less circumcised For if Gods Law had been fulfilled the parents had been put to death we speak of both parents and then how could they have had a child All the doubt then lying in the Antecedent I shall from Scripture put it is past doubt Let us look over all the Commandments and see whether Death were not to be inflicted for the gross breach of them except the last which is secret in the heart For the first Commandment see Deut. 13. If a Prophet wrought wonders to entice to worship strange Gods or if the nearest kinsman secretly enticed them to it to thrust them out of the way which the Lord commanded them to walk in ver 5. he must be put to death If a City be withdrawn by such they are all to be put to death Children Cattle and Goods were to be destroyed and consumed Deut. 20.18 They were not to save alive any person no not Infants of the Cities that God delivered them to dwell in Lest they teach them to do according to their abominations Exod. 22.20 He that sacrificeth to any God save the Lord only shall utterly be destroyed The breach of the second Commandment is punished with Death Exod. 32.26.27 28. The Priests of Baal are slain 1 Kin. 18.40 2 Kin. 10.21.22 to 29. 23.5 19 20. Yea in one word he that would not be Godly positively was put to death 2 Chron. 15.12 13. It is spoken in their commendations that they entered into a Covenant to seek the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and with all their soul that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death whether small or great whether man or woman Lev. 24.15 16. Whosoever blasphemeth the name of the Lord was to be put to death So ver 23. Every one that did any work on the sabbath or defiled it was to be put to death Exod. 31.14 15. 35.2 He that smitteth or curseth his Father or Mother must be put to death Exod 21.15 Murderers Man-stealers Incestuous Sodomites Adulteres Wizards were to be put to death Exod. 21. Lev. 20. yea and those that turn after Wizards Any Prophet that shall presume to speak a word in Gods name which he hath not commanded him to speak or that speaketh in the name of other Gods must die Deut. 13.20 In some cases Fornicators must die Deut. 22. Every man that forsook God and broke his Covenant was to be stoned to death Deut. 17.2 3 4 5 6. Many the like passages might be cited but I will conclude with two or three of chief note for this purpose Deut. 21.18 19 20 21. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son which will not obey the voyce of his father or the voyce of his mother and that when they have chastened him will not hearken unto them then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the Elders of his City and to the Gate of his place and they shall say unto the Elders of his City This our son is stubborn and rebellious he will not obey our voyce he is a Glutton and a Drunkard And all the men of his City shall stone him with stones that he die So shall you put away evil from among you and all Israel shall hear and fear Here I suppose it will be granted that it is the Parents duty to restrain their children from all ungodliness and that Gluttony and Drunkenness are but instanced in as part in stead of all the rest And if all children must be put to death that will not be ruled for good by their Parents then when they are dead they will beget no children who may claim Right to Circumcision for their sakes But if any say that this extendeth not to those that are from under their Parents tutorage or Government I answer First Sure the same sin deserveth the same punishment afterward from the Magistrate if they are obstinate against his pious precepts Secondly but to put the case out of doubt see Deut. 17.12 And the man that will do presumptuously and will not hearken unto the Priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God or unto the Judge even that man shall die and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel and all the people shall hear and fear and do no more pâ—esumptuously To these Deut. 29.19 20. From all which it is evident that as Impenitency or Obstinacy in sin is the great cause of Excommunication now so was it then to be punished with Death
first place to hold communion with any Christian Church or to be guided by the Ministers of Christ according to his Word while they refuse to perform these necessary parts of Christian duty after due admonition and give no tolerable reason of their refusal are groundedly to be presumed to be persons ungodly Object But I know some dissenting Brethren will say what a Labyrinth do you bring the Church into on your grounds while we must judge of mens sincerity we are left at uncertainty and who knows among al these difficulties whom to judge godly and whom ungodly Thus Ministers are made Lords of the Consciences of men or enabled to tyrannize Answ. 1. Where the case is most Notorious there needeth no Judge Where the Probabilities are such as require a Determiner it is the Ministers Office and a main part of his work of necessity to the Church and not to be called or accounted Tyranny 2. But it is an easie matter to cavil at large against almost any cause Destructive arguing is the easiest But incommodum non solvit Argumentum The thing I would see is a better way Do our Brethrens Grounds afford us any better footing Quest. 1. Will you take any verbal profession as a title or not If any whatsoever then if a man tell you I will come such a day and in scorn to Christ profess Christianity or if he tell you when he hath done I did but dissemble for fear or favour or if he deride while he doth it or contradict it in other words you will take it for good Or if a man come drunk to present his child in Baptism as they have done to me to require it Or if he fall a swearing and cursing at the Ordinance Or say I will never be ruled by Christ or Scripture If any profession must serve then these But I hope not so If not any whatever Then 1. Tell us how you will distinguish will you not reject all that is apparently lying How will you difference between Truth and a lye what cross evidence will you take for currant tell us that we may also know If only words than what if a man worship actively the Sun or Moon while verbally he makes the Christian profession will it not disable and discredit his profession with you what if he have for twenty years O that I had none such neer me been drunk once a week or fortnight and sometime thrice a week and still confess it and promise amendment Is his word to be taken 2. If you were to baptize an Aged man that comes new into Christianity would not you be the judges whether his profession seemed serious or not and proceed on meer probabilities as well as we 3. Do you not in admitting persons to the Lords Supper make your selves judges whether his profession be serious yea and take in his conversation for evidence and are you not put in all this upon the same uncertainties and to the use of probabilities as we 4. So you do I suppose in excommunication for impenitency Or at least in case of absolution of the penitent will not you be judges on probable grounds whether his Repentance seem serious and take a violent presumption as ground for some determinations Yet I hope in all this you are no tyrants There is a necessity of a standing Ministry to decide such matters and rule the Church therefore are such matters to be decided by them The fourth Disputation Whether any besides Regenerate Believers have a Right to the Sacraments given them by God and may thereupon require them and receive them WE take it for granted that the Right of Infants is upon the account of their Parents Faith and Dedication of themselves and theirs to God and that they are uncapable themselves of requiring the Sacraments And therefore we shall make but little mention of them in this Dispute but manage it with special respect to the Adult seeing the Case of Infants will be that way best resolved We mention Regenerate Believers to signifie those men who perform that Faith which is the condition of the Gospel-Promise commonly called justifying or saving Faith By Sacraments we mean Baptism or the Lords Supper The principal thing that needeth Explication is the word Right And it signifieth divers things according to the several Objects and Acts to which it is related 1. A man may give Right to a Benefit and another receive it divers waies Either by a Premiant Law if he be a Superiour in Rule or by a Testament Promise or other Donation or Deed of Gift or by Sale Exchange or other contract by way of commutation The last is nothing to our case as the Right is made over to us for we could not purchase it though the Right that Christ hath to convey it may be fitly said to be due in Commutative Justice as being purchased by him The Right which we have to Benefits from God is alwayes by free Donation for we are capable of no other and by a Donation that partaketh of the natuâ—e of a Law This Deed of Gift is called a Promise Testament Covenant c. in Scripture for the single promise of God is oft called a Covenant the Nature of this Right to Benefits consisteth in the Debitum habendi the Dueness of them to the person from another This Right is said to be Given because it is it self a Benefit as being Right to a Benefit and the Party is said to have it 2. Another kind of Right to Benefit is that which accidentally and indirectly ariseth from another mans Duty As e. g. the Physician of an Hospital commandeth his Apothecary to give so much of such a precious Cordial to every one of his Patienâ—s who fainteth or falls into a Lipothymie but not to the rest Some of the Patients that they may partake of the Cordial pretend to faint or swoun The Apothecary doth his best to discern whether they dissemble and cannot discern it Hereupon it is his duty to give it these as well as to others because he that commanded the Administration intended not that he should know the heart or be infallible but should proceed according to his best skill and judgement or else he must do nothing So that esse apparere non esse non apparere is all one to him The dissembling of the Patient doth accidentally occasion or cause it to be his duty to give him the Cordial And when it is become his duty to Give it the Patient may so far be said to have Right to it as that he may justifie his demand before any Physitians that are unacquainted with his dissimulation and the Apothecary had truly a Right or Power to give it and may justifie it before any Yet this is but improperly called A Right to the Cordial and properly it is but to be the Object of the Just Action of the Administer For though the Apothecary had warrant to administer it upon a claim though wrong
are for Excommunicating where others do but suspend though Mr. Prin can tell you that even that is in truth an actual Excommunication without any precedent citation articles legal proceeding hearing sentence c. Append will do more than they and not less according to this principle And if you will needs believe that you are not authorized to do it a ready way in this age to put off some troublesome work I hope you will seek to them that you think have Authority If it be in a meeting of Ministers make use of them If in a Bishop use him if you have one if not procure one For me thinks men that own the necessity of Discipline should do their best to procure the exercise of it And as for that Book of Mr. Prins which occasioned me to say the more to you on these passages though I highly honour the Author's name and disown the way of his Vicar A. against whose way he principally intendeth it yet I must say that his writing shews me as well as his Icon that All flesh is grass the best men vanity And what the Church and World must suffer if the best men had the ruling of it That all ministers who will not give the Sacraments to all their Parishioners legally qualified and desiring the same p. 4. should be used as he directeth viz. their Tithes withheld by the people themselves imprisoned and ejected I cannot wish especially if I consider what the legal qualification is and if I believe him here that no Ordinance can be made without the consent of King Lords and Commons and that the Ordinances wanting these are meer Nullities in Law These evils which I foresee go not down so easily with me as with that pious Author 1. That hereby the greatest part of the ablest godly Ministers in England as far as I am able to learn must be turned out and imprisoned 2. And then the Churches either left destitute or possessed by ignorant drunken scondalous men there being not worthy men of his judgement to supply them 3. And how many thousand souls may perish everlastingly 4. And Gods worship be abused and his name dishonoured through the Land 5. And the great hopes of godly people frustrate concerning the prosperity of the Church as to posterity and their joy turned into sorrow 6. And the enemies have their ends 7. And would be able to tell us that where the Bishops cast out one able Minister they have cast out many 8. That even the men whom Mr. Prin most intendeth should have so much to say for their former resistance and usage of such men as he as to say You see now what men these are and what desolating cruel works they would make if it had fallen to their Lot to govern 9. That even the multitude of sober Godly men should have such a temptation to rejoyce at that which once they lamented even that such as Mr. P. are kept from power and that they have escaped so great a calamity as he here designeth them 10. That indeed such a spirit of violence should be found in so good a man that hath tasted of so much persecution himself as to endeavour to imprison and eject all the Ministers in England that think the Law of God is stricter then the Laws of England standing as heretofore in point of Qualification of Receivers whom we must admit 11. That the Quakers who are now crying down Tithes should be so much furthered in their design as to have the people taught to detain them by Law and they that are crying down the Ministry should be so far directed to eject them 12. And that the multitude of obstinate rebellious people that will scorn to come to a Minister or hear him speak to them personally or will live in many notorious Vices which the Law enabled us not to use Discipline against or the ignorant that know not who Christ is God or man nor will be accountable to us of their understanding the Essentials of Religion but watch all advantages to defame their Ministers and hinder their doctrine and detain their maintenance and get them out I say that these should have now directions put into their hands for non-payment of Tithes and for imprisoning and ejecting them All these things I confess are grievous to me though I believe that the principal intention of the Author was to direct some better men that might be wronged by the overmuch rigor of some Minister that was guilty of unwarrantable separation But good meanings will not warrant such attempts Were I of Mr. Prin's Judgement against suspension from Sacraments I think yet I should rather choose to be suspended in another sort my self than be guilty of Imprisoning and Ejecting all the Ministers in England that gave not the Sacraments to all their Parishioners according to the Laws which never were repealed by the threefold consent of Kings Lords and Commons And herein I see what one bad opinion or principle in practicals will do even in the best and most experienced men and what actions must be expected from the best man if his Judgement be mistaken And I see also whether the Doctrine of Common Admission leadeth The fift Disputation De Nomine Whether Hypocrites and other Unregenerate persons be called Church-members Christians Believers Saints Adopted Iustified c. Univocally Analogically or Equivocally Luke 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not his own life he cannot be my Disciple And whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple Vers. 33. Whosoever he be that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple Gal. 5.24 And they that are Christs have Crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts. Rom. 8.9 Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his 1 Pet. 2.6 7 9 10. He that Believeth on him shall not be confounded unto you which Believe he is pretious Ye are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People that you should shew forth the Praises of him who hath called you out of Darkness into his marvelous light which in times past were not a people but are now the people of God Rom. 6.16 His Servants ye are to whom you Obey John 12.26 Where I am there shall also my Servant be Ephes. 5.23 24 25 26 27 29 30. Christ is the Head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the Body As the Church is subject to Christ so let Wives be to their own Husbands in every thing Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie it and cleanse it with the Washing of water by the Word that he might present it to himself a Glorious Church not having spot or wrinckle or any such thing but that it should be Holy and without blemish No man ever yet hated his own Flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord the
condemn men for coming into his Church or the communion of Saints without sincere faith and repentance then it is not the appointed use of Baptism to initiate those that profess not sincere faith and repentance But the former is plain in the text Ergo c. The 13th Argument is this We must Baptize none at age that profess not themselves Christians nor any Infants but on such a Profession of the Parents or Pro-parents but they that profess only a species of faith short of Justifying faith profess not themselves Christians Ergo. c. The Major is certain because it is the use of Baptism to be our solemn Listing sign into Christs Army our Initiating sign and the solemnization of our Marriage to Christ and Professing sign that we are Christians and we do in it dedicate and deliver up our selves to him in this relation as his own So that in Baptism we do not only promise to be Christians but profess that we are so already in heart and now would be solemnly admitted among the number of Christians The Minor I prove thus 1. No man is truly a Christian that is not truly a Disciple of Christ that 's plain Acts 11.26 No man is truly a Disciple of Christ that doth not profess a saving Faith and Repentance save the children of such therefore no man that doth not so profess is truly a Christian. The Minor I prove thus No man is truly a Disciple of Christ that doth not profess to forsake all contrary Masters or Teachers and to take Christ for his chief Teacher consenting to learn of him the way to salvation But no man maketh this Profession that professeth not saving Faith and Repentance therefore no man that professeth not saving Faith and Repentance is truly a Disciple of Christ. The Major is evident in the nature of the Relation The Minor is as evident in that it is an Act of saving Faith and Repentance to forsake other Teachers and take Christ for our sole or chief Teacher in order to salvation 2. No man is truely a Christian that professeth not to take Christ for his Lord and King forsaking his Enemies but no man doth this but the Professors of a saving faith Ergo. c. 3. No man is a true Christian that professeth not to Take Christ for his Redeemer who hath made propitiation for sin by his Blood and to esteem his blood as the ransom for sinners and to trust therein But none do this but the Professors of saving Faith therefore none else are Christians The Major of all these three Arguments is further proved thus No man is professedly a Christian that professeth not to Accept of Christ as Christ or to believe in Christ as Christ But no man doth profess to take Christ as Christ that professeth not to take or accept him as a Priest Teacher and King Ergo. c. The Major is plain in it self The Minor is as plain it being essential to Christ to be the Priest Prophet and King And from these essentials related to us and accepted by us doth our own denomination of Christians arise And that a bare Assent without Acceptance doth not make any one a Christian is past doubt and shall be further spoke to anon If Baptism then be commonly called our Christening and so be our entrance solemnly into the Christian state then it is not to be given to them that are not Christians so much as by Profession but that Mr. Blake's Professor of another species of Faith is no Christian so much as by Profession I doubt not is here proved And furthermore If a Faith defective in the Assenting part about the Essentials of its Object serve not to denominate a man justly a Christian then a faith defective in the Consenting or Accepting part about the Essentials of the Object serveth not to denominate a man a Christian But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the Consequent By Defective I mean not only in the matter of perfection of degree but that wanteth the very Act it self The Antecedent is proved because else the Turks are Christians because they believe so many and great things of Christ and else a man might be a Christian that denyed Christs death or resurrection or other Essentials of Christianity The Consequence is good For Christianity is as truly and necessarily in the will as in the understanding consent is as essential an Act of covenanting as any So that I may conclude that as he is no Christian that professeth not to believe that Christ is the Priest Prophet and King so he is no Christian that professeth not to consent and accept him for his Priest Prophet and King But so doth not Mr. Blake's Professor of another faith therefore he is no Christian nor to be baptized The 14 th Argument is this If we must baptize men that profess not saving faith and repentance then is it no aggravation of such mens sins that they either plaid the hypocrites in such Professions or fell from them or walkt contrary to them For no man can walk contrary to a Profession which was never made But the Consequent is false therefore so is the Antecedent Our Divines ordinarily charge wicked men with contradicting of Profession which they made with God either in Baptism or the Lords Supper And they expound many places of Scripture which the Arminians take as favouring their Cause to be meant according to the Profession of wicked men Now it seems to me that Mr. Blake by his Doctrine doth undertake to justifie all these wicked men from this aggravation of their sin and to take them off from repentance and humiliation for it For if they made no such Profession in baptism if at age or in the Lords Supper then it can be no aggravation of their sin that they walk contrary to it But I dare not undertake to secure them from the punishment Argum. 15. If all at age that are baptized and all that receive the Lords Supper must engage themselves to believe presently in the next instant yea or at any time hereafter with a saving faith then must they Profess at present a saving faith Or if we must baptize none that will not engage to believe savingly then must we baptize none that will not Profess a saving faith But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the Consequent The Antecedent is Mr. Blake's Doctrine who affirmeth that it is not necessary that they that come to baptism or the Lords Supper do Profess a present saving faith but its sufficient that they engage themselves to believe by such a faith The Consequence is proved thus 1. It is not the Beginning of saving faith which we are to engage our selves to in the Sacraments but the Continuance therefore the Beginning is presupposed in that Engagement and so we must no more baptize without a Profession of Faith in present than without an Engagement to believe hereafter The Antecedent is proved thus There is no one word in
Scripture either of Precept or example where any person in baptism or the Lords Supper doth engage or is required to engage to begin to believe with a saving faith or to believe with a faith which at the present he hath not Shew but one word of Scripture to prove this if you can if you cannot I may conclude that therefore we must not require that which we have no Scripture ground to require 2. This Engagement to believe savingly is either for a remote distant time or for the next instant â—ut no unbeliever as to that faith is called to promise in Baptism such a saving faith either at a distant time or the next instant therefore not at all 1. Not at a distant time For first that were to resolve to serve the Devil and be an unbeliever till that time 2. And no man is sure to live any longer time 2. Not at the next instant For first that instant cometh as soon as the word of Promise is out of his mouth even before Baptism and therefore by that Rule he must believe savingly before 2. We may as well stay one minute or instant to see whether he will perform his Promise as to baptize him upon that bare Promise of believing the next minute 3. It is a ridiculous unreasonable conceit that any man should say I believe not savingly yet but within a minute of an hour I will and that this should be required in baptism and the Lords Supper 3. God makes it not the condition or qualification of them that are to be admitted to Baptism or the Lords Supper that they should Promise to do that which they have no Moral Power to do I mean such as the seed or habit of Grace containeth as to the act But the unregenerate have no Moral Power to believe with a saving faith Ergo c. The Major is proved thus 1. To promise to believe savingly is to Profess that they are truly willing to believe savingly but no wicked men are truly willing so to believe therefore they are not called to promise it for that were to be called to profess an untruth and so to lye Unless as they are called to be really willing and promise both and that is but to be sincerely faithful and to promise to continue so 2. It is not found any where in Scripture that I know of that God doth call any wicked man to promise to be a godly man or true believer before he is so but only commandeth him to be so And if God never call such men to such a promise at all then is it not the condition or qualification of persons to be admitted to the Sacraments We still speak of the aged The Minor is proved from many Scriptures and is the common Doctrine of all Antipelagians at least We are dead in trespasses and sins and must we baptize and give the Lords Supper to such dead men upon a Promise that they will be alive Out of Christ we can do nothing Without faith it is impossible to please God It is God that giveth to will and to do of his good pleasure And no wicked man can tell whether God will give him the grace of saving faith therefore he cannot promise to have it But I shall speak more to this under the last Argument Argum. 16. If there can be no example given in Scripture of any one that was baptized without the Profession of a saving faith nor any Precept for so doing then must not we baptize any without it But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the Consequent What is pretended this way we shall examine anon among the Objections In the mean time let us review the Scripture examples of Baptism which might afford us so many several Arguments but that I shall put them together for brevity 1. I have already shewed that John required the Profession of true Repentance and that his Baptism was for Remission of sin 2. When Christ layeth down in the Apostolical Commission the Nature and Order of his Apostles work it is first to make Disciples and then to Baptize them into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And as it is a making Dâ—sciples which is first expressed in Matthew so Mark expoundeth who these Disciples are as to the aged by puâ—ting Believing before Baptism and that we may know that it is Justifying faith that he meaneth he annexeth first Baptism and then the Promise of salvation Matth. 28.19 Mar. 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved This is not like some occasional Historical mention of Baptism but it s the very Commission of Christ to his Apostles for Preaching and Baptism and purposely expresseth their several works in their several places and Order Their first task is by teaching to make Disciples which are by Mark called Believers The second work is to Baptize them whereto is annexed the Promise of their Salvation The third work is to teach them all other things which are afterward to be learnt in the School of Christ. To contemn this Order is to renounce all Rules of Order For where can we expect to find it if not here I profess my conscience is fully satisfied from this Text that it is one sort of faith even saving that must go before Baptism and the Profession whereof the Minister must expect Of which see what is before cited out of Calvin and Piscator That it was saving faith that was required of the Jews and professed by them Acts 2.38 41 42. is shewed already and is plain in the Text. Acts 8. The Samaritans believed and had great joy and were baptized into the name of Jesus Christ ver 8 12. Whereby it appeareth that it was both the understanding and will that were changed and that it was not a meer Dogmatical faith and that they had the Profession of a saving faith even Simon himself we shall shew anon when we answer their objections Acts 8.37 The condition on which the Eunuch must be baptized was if he believe with all his heart which he Professed to do and that was the Evidence that Philip did expect Paul was baptized after true conversion Act. 9.18 The Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles Acts 10.44 before they were baptized and they magnified God And this Holy Ghost was the like gift as was given to the Apostles who believed on the Lord Iesus and it was accompanied with Repentance unto life Act. 11.17 18. Acts 16.14.15 Lydia's heart was opened before she was baptized and she was one that the Apostles judged faithful to the Lord and offered to them the evidence of her faith Acts 16.30 31 33 34. The example of the Jaylor is very full to the resolution of the question in hand He first asketh what he should do to be saved The Apostle answereth him believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thy house so that it was a saving faith that here is mentioned He rejoyced and believed with all