Mistake and demands some place of Scripture to prove this Notion of a Sacraments being a Sign from us to God See Admon p. 180. I shall endeavour herein to give him all reasonable satisfaction And this Account of Sacraments I shall particularly prove in reference to Baptism which is the Sacrament in dispute That Baptism is a Sign from us to God of our Obligation to the Duties of his Covenant as well as a Sign from God to us of the Truth of his Promises is evident from the Apostle Peter's excellent Description of that Internal and Saving Baptism which the External Washing is the Sign of viz. 1 Pet. 3.25 That 't is not the putting away the filth of the Flesh i. e. Baptism is not meerly or principally that but the Answer of a good Conscience towards God Which words manifestly allude to the Covenant-Transaction that passes between the great God and the Adult Person baptiz'd for of such the Apostle here speaks and to the Questions that were to that end propos'd to such as receiv'd this Seal of God's Covenant They were ask't If they believ'd in the Lord Jesus with all their heart See 8 Acts 37. or as some ancient Christian Writers propose the Question If they recounc'd the Devil and his Angels the World and its Pomps If they believ'd in If they devoted themselves to the Father Son and Holy Ghost c. And their sincere Profession and Promise of doing so which in Baptism they ratified by this External Rite of Washing with Water is that which the Apostle here calls the Answer of a good Conscience towards God So that the Apostle was so far from supposing that Baptism was not a Sign from us to God that he rather defines it by this part of its end and use viz. To be a Solemn Rite whereby we profess to engage our Hearts to the Duties of his Covenant And indeed since Baptism is the Solemnizing a mutual Covenant between the Blessed God on the one part and our Selves or our Seed on the other it is first a Sign from us to God of our Consent to the proposed Terms of his Covenant before it can be a Sign from him to us of our or our Childrens interest in those Benefits of his Covenant that presuppose our consent as the Condition thereof 'T is the Baptism of Repentance for the Remission of Sins 1 Mark 4. and is therefore first a Sign of our Repentance towards God before it can be a Sign from him of the Remission of Sins And so 't is propos'd by the Apostle Peter at the first time we read of its Administration to his Adult Converts 2 Acts 38 39. Repent and be Baptized every one of you in the Name of Christ for the Remission of Sins for the Promise is unto you and your Children Where they were by Baptism first to profess their Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus and then receive the promised Benefit Remission of Sins Nay Christ's own Command to his Apostles first to Disciple or Proselyte all Nations and then to Baptize 'em plainly implys that one great use of Baptism was to be a solemn Bond upon 'em to the Duties of that Christian Profession they had embrac'd and the Baptizing 'em in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit has been always suppos'd to imply a Solemn Dedication of 'em by this Sacred Rite to the Faith Worship and Service of that Blessed Trinity into whose Name they are Baptized There is in that Institution a Seal set to the Covenant of God on our part as well as on his To which 't is not improbable that those words of the Apostle Paul refer 2 Tim. 2.19 Nevertheless the Foundation or as some reader the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tabula contractus the Covenant of God stands sure having this Seal on God's part The Lord knows them that are his and this Seal on our part Let him that names the Name of Christ depart from iniquity As the Covenant is mutual so the External Rite is intended to ratifie our Restipulation as well as God's Promise and accordingly our breach of the Baptismal Covenant by Apostasie or Infidelity is Perjury and therefore so often in the Scripture Language represented by the breach of the Conjugal Vow that the Adulteress is guilty of And this Notion of Baptism as an obliging Sign from God to us is the more unreasonably deny'd by the Bishop if we consider that 't is this very use of Baptism that chiefly occasion'd the Name of a Sacrament being given to it because Baptism was reckon'd like the Military Oath of the Roman Soldiers as a solemn Listing the Person Baptiz'd into the Service and Warfare of Christ against the World the Flesh and the Devil So that the Bishop has excluded that from the nature and notion of a Sacrament which was the chief if not the only ground of this Rite of the Christian Religion being called one And it were as easie to shew the same concerning the other Institutions that are call'd Sacraments Thus as Circumcision was a Token of the Covenant between God and Abraham and his Seed in their Generations so 't was an obliging Sign on their part as well as on God's part It oblig'd them to receive and obey the Revelations of the Divine Will to ' em And hence after the delivery of the Law of Moses Circumcision was an External Bond on those that receiv'd it to observe that Law as the Apostle Paul plainly intimates to us 5 Gal. 3. He that was Circumcis'd made himself a Debtor to the Law to do it i. e. brought himself under a solemn Tye thereto by this External Rite That the Feasts upon Sacrifices under the Law were Foederal Rites in allusion to the general Custom of those Eastern Nations to Confirm mutual Covenants by Eating and Drinking together See 26 Gen. 30 31.31 Gen. 44 45 46. 9 Jos 14.41 Psal 9.5 Lam. 6. Obad. 7. v. is so largely prov'd by the Learned Dr. Cudworth in his excellent Treatise on the Lord's Supper and Feast upon a Sacrifice that I shall refer the Reader to it for fuller satisfaction And that one passage in the 50 Psalm v. 5. is sufficient to put it out of doubt Gather my Saints together those that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice Now the Covenant was made and celebrated not meerly by Offering it up but chiefly by their Religious Feast upon it And as the Lord's Supper succeeds in the place and stead of those Jewish Feasts upon Sacrifices so 't is evidently design'd as such a Foederal Rite whereby we renew our League of Peace with God upon the Memorials of the Attoning Sacrifice of his own Son by our renewed Consent to the Terms of his Covenant And hence the Apostle Paul warns his Corinthian Converts against the Idolatrous Practice of Feasting in the Temples of the Heathen Idols as inconsistent with the Obligations which their Feasting at the Lord's Table had laid upon
from the Parent a solemn Promise to bring up his Child in the knowledge of the Grounds of the Christian Religion and in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. For this implys his owning himself the Christian Religion besides that his being a known Professor of it is presuppos'd to his Childrens Admission to that Ordinance Nor does the Directory hinder the Minister from requiring a more express Profession from the Parent of the Christian Faith where it is doubtful whether he own it or no. And I am sure the Form of Baptism drawn up by the N. C. Divines at the Savoy-Conference in their Proposals for Accommodation does expresly require it and I have observ'd it ordinarily requir'd at least in general terms For the third and fourth Defects of the Directory That there is no solemn Recognition of the Vow of Baptism requir'd of Persons Baptiz'd in Infancy when they come to understand their Duty as there is in the Confirmation practis'd in the establisht Church and that the express words of the Covenant are not prescribed out of the Word of God Tho' I take this to be an Omission and therefore have both my self practis'd and known many others practise that Confirmation recommended in the Reformed Liturgy drawn up by the N. C. Divines at the Savoy-Conference according to which no Person Baptiz'd is admitted to the Lord's Supper till at years of discretion not only understand the Baptismal Covenant but with his own mouth and with his own consent openly before the Church ratifie and confirm it and promise his faithful observance of it to the end In which Liturgy there is also an excellent Form of the Baptismal Covenant drawn up as agreeable to the Scripture as any I have yet seen yet I think this Omission of the Directory far more excusable than what the Common-Prayer-Book imposes in reference to Confirmation of which they have both made something too like a Sacrament and also turn'd a very useful practice and agreeable to the general Rules of Scripture into a Childish Formality as I had occasion to shew in the Remarks 'T is easier to supply such Defects than to remove such unreasonable Impositions I shall conclude this Head with observing that the Bishop has of all Men the least reason to blame the Directory for these Defects For unless he could produce express Scriptural Precepts or Pattern for these things which he saith the Directory has omitted as I think no Man can do it he must according to his former Principles censure 'em for Human Inventions and rather commend the Directory for omitting them For the Bishop's Charge against the Directory for requiring Additional Conditions contrary to Scripture Presidents of which he gives us only one Instance viz. It s ordering that Baptism be not Administred in private Places Admon p. 174. but in the place of Publick Worship and in the face of the Congregation I suppose the Bishop will grant that it should ordinarily be Administred in Publick and if these words of the Directory were intended in the strictest sense they are capable of I am sure the generality of Dissenters have receded from the rigour of this Rule II. The Bishop comes to shew that my Argument against the Cross is of no force Of this he only gives us this short Account Admon p. 175. His great Objection against it is That we make a new Human Sacrament and then it must be a Human Invention And upon this the Bishop proceeds to give us a new Account of his own concerning the Nature of a Sacrament and endeavours to shew that the Cross is not made a Sacrament by 'em according to that Account Now tho' I should have thought it fairer to have propos'd the Argument in the same manner I had done yet in order to the bringing this Debate to some issue I shall do these two things 1. I shall set the Argument I had propos'd against the Cross in Baptism in its due light by giving as distinct and clear an Account as I can of the Nature of those Parts of Positive Worship which we call Sacraments and applying it to the Subject in dispute 2. I shall shew the insufficiency of the Bishop's Answer to this Argument 1. I shall set the Argument I had propos'd against the Cross in Baptism in its due light by giving a distinct and clear Account of the Nature of those Parts of Positive Worship which we call Sacraments and applying it to the Subject in dispute And this is the more necessary not only because the uncertain signification of the word Sacrament has involv'd this Subject in great obscurity and confusion but especially because the Account which the Bishop gives of it when he supposes us ill-instructed in it and proposes to inform us better seems to me not only indistinct but also very lame and defective omitting several considerable uses of Sacraments which were the chief strength of this Argument against the Cross There are two Ordinances of Positive Worship prescrib'd in the New Testament viz. Baptism and the Lord's-Supper There have been two Names invented and frequently us'd among Christian Writers to signifie the common nature of these two Institutions that of Mysteries in the Greek Church and that of Sacraments in the Latin a word probably borrow'd from the Military Oath which Soldiers took with certain Rites appointed for that end and which was call'd the Military Sacrament But 't is the thing it self we are concern'd to enquire into Now if we can fix upon the true general Notion wherein these two Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's-Supper agree we may thence easily infer what a Divine Sacrament is For of that I am now speaking And if we attentively consider this Matter we may soon observe that those two Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper agree in this that they are Foederal Rites or Sacred Ceremonies instituted by God for Publick Solemnizing the Covenant between him and us And on the other hand in this they differ that the former is the Sacred Rite whereby that Covenant is first publickly Enter'd into the latter is that whereby 't is Renew'd And accordingly these Positive Institutions under the Gospel succeed in the place of two parallel Ordinances or foederal Rites under the Old Testament viz. Circumcision and the Feasts upon Sacrifices By the former the Israelites were initiated into that Covenant made with Abraham and his Seed By the latter their League of Amity and Peace with God was upon the Attonement made by Sacrifices renew'd by these Feasts upon ' em Of which more may occur anon Now these Sacred Rites that are appointed by God both in our first publick Entrance into the Covenant and our publick Renewal of it at the Lord's Table are design'd for several uses and principally for the three following 1. As representing signs for Instruction 2. As obliging signs to Confirm and Ratifie the Covenant Enter'd into 3. As distinguishing Signs or Badges of our Profession and the Relations
we thereby are invested in All these uses of 'em must be carefully and distinctly consider'd 1. These Sacred Rites are us'd in these two Ordinances as Representing Signs for Instruction The infinitely wise God condescending herein to our infirmity and weakness Thus washing with Water which is the Rite appointed in Baptism is by its resemblance instructive to us both concerning the Priviledges and Duties of the Covenant we enter into Concerning the Priviledges Thus 't is design'd to represent our Natural pollution and defilement and the necessity of the Regenerating and Purifying Vertue of the Holy Spirit And hence we are said to be born of Water and the Holy Spirit 3 John 5. i. e. formed to a new and divine Life by that sanctifying efficacy of the Holy Spirit which is compar'd to the purifying Vertue of Water And elsewhere in allusion to this Baptismal Rite we are said to be Saved by the Laver of Regeneration and the Renewing of the Holy Ghost 3 Tit. 5. Nay this Rite seems also design'd to instruct us concerning our Guilt as well as Pollution and of the necessity of our being Cleans'd from it by the Laver of our Mediatour's Blood For the most judicious Expositors understand those words of Ananias concerning the Remission of Sins when he saith to Saul upon his Conversion Arise and be Baptized and wash away thy Sins or be thou washt from thy Sins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus 22 Acts 16. And accordingly such a cleansing virtue is ascrib'd to the Redeemer's blood and that Expression of his Washing us from our Sins in it seems to carry an Allusion to this Sacred Baptismal Rite See 1 John 1.7 1 Rev. 5. The same Sacred Rite is designed to represent our Duty to us viz. To renounce the Defilements of Sin and of the World and to consecrate our selves to a Life of Holiness as Christ's purified peculiar People And this use of it the Bishop omits in his Account To this Rite those Expressions seem to refer Such were some of you but ye are washed ye are sanctified 1 Cor. 6.11 And thus the Apostle supposes in our Baptism that there is a Resemblance of our Dying with Christ and our Rising with him that should instruct us in our Duty to Dye to Sin and Live to Righteousness 6 Rom. 3 4 5. 2 Col. 12. For our Dying to Sin and Walking in newness of Life is not signified in Baptism as the Benefit confer'd by God as the Bishop seems to suppose but rather as the Duty requir'd from us tho' the renewing and purifying efficacy of the Holy Spirit whereby we are enabled to do so is signify'd as a Benefit which we receive from God The same I might observe concerning that other Institution of the Lord's Supper in whose Sacred Rites there is not only a Commemorative Representation of the Death of Christ but also an Instructive Representation of our Spiritual Communion with him in his Body and Blood viz. in the precious Fruits of his Sacrifice and of those Duties or Exercises of our Faith and Devotion to him by which we are said to Eat his Flesh and Drink his Blood 6 John 53 54. I might observe the same concerning those two paralel Institutions under the Old Testament Circumcision and Religious Feasts upon Sacrifices But this use of Sacraments being so obvious I shall not insist any farther upon it but only add That tho' I suppose all Sacramental Signs to be Representing ones and to carry such an Instructive Resemblance and Allusion yet I do not suppose all barely instructive Signs to be Sacramental or Foederal ones For there seems to be more requisite to such 2. The Sacred Rites in Baptism and the Lord's Supper are intended also as obliging Signs to Confirm and Ratifie that Covenant that is then Enter'd into or Renew'd between God and us 'T is evidently so in Baptism for the Sacred Rite there us'd is both 1. An obliging Sign on God's part whereby he confirms and ratifies the Promises of his Covenant to all that are interessed therein even that grand comprehensive Promise of being the God of the Faithful and of their Seed and particularly that eminent Promise of the Remission of Sins See 17 Gen. 7 11. and compare it with 2 Acts 38 39. Repent and be Baptiz'd every one of you for the Remission of Sins and ye shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost for the Promise is to you and your Children c. And our being Baptiz'd into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit implys his engagement to be a reconcil'd Father Redeemer and Sanctifier to all that sincerely devote themselves to him So in that other Foederal Rite of the Lord's Supper 22 Luke 20. 't is said of the Cup That 't is the New Testament in the Blood of Christ i. e. This Sacred Memorial of his Blood is like an Authentick Seal set to the New Testament wherein so many precious Legacies are convey'd to us as the Fruits of his Death and Sacrifice And the same may also be observ'd concerning Circumcision both in the place fore-quoted 17 Gen. 7 11 and in its being call'd by the Apostle Paul the Seal of the Righteousness of Faith viz. of that right to impunity and life which Abraham was as a Believer entitled to thro' the Merits of that Redeemer who was his promised Seed 4 Rom. 11. So in their Religious Feasts upon Sacrifices God's admitting the Offerers or Guests to his Table was a solemn Ratification of the League of Amity and Peace renew'd between em thro' the virtue of that future attoning Sacrifice of Christ of which the Legal ones were only Types and Figures 2. This Sacred Rite of washing with Water in Baptism is no less an obliging Sign from us to God whereby we bind our selves to the Duties of his Covenant Now this important use of a Sacrament the Bishop not only omits in his Description of it but plainly Denies that it belongs to its nature For Admon p. 180. he asserts it to me a Mistake concerning Sacraments to suppose That they are Signs from us to God whereas he affirms 'em to be wholly for only Signs from God to us I confess this seems very surpriâ—ing because if this be a Mistake 't is such a Mistake as he himself has run into in his Discourse For there p. 4. he gives this reason Why the Celebration of the Sacraments is a part of Outward Worship viz. because in them we not only express our dependence on God for his grace but likewise oblige and bind our selves to serve him Now how this can be true without making the Sacramental Rite a Sign from us to God of that obligation to his Service I cannot comprehend So that his Lordship seems to me in this Particular inconsistent with himself and speaks more accurately of these Matters where his Partiality to his Cause does not mislead his Judgment But since he now asserts this to be a
'em to be the Worshippers of the only true God who was too jealous of his own Honor to admit of any Rival in it See 1 Cor. 10 ch from the fourteenth to the twenty third verse 3. These Foederal Rites of Baptism and the Lord's Supper must be consider'd as intended also to be distinguishing Signs of our Christian Profession and the Relations which we are thereby invested in Thus our Baptism is the honourable Badge of our Discipleship whereby we are discriminated from the Infidel World We do hereby put on the Livery of Christ as those words of the Apostle Paul imply 3 Gal. 27. For a many of you as have been Baptized into Christ have put on Christ. And therefore he adds they were no more to be distinguish'd into Jew or Greek c. but all were one in Christ Jesus This one Livery was to be the common Sign of their belonging to him as their one Lord and Master And accordingly our partaking of one External Baptism is made a Mark and Character of those that belong'd to that one visible Body or Church of which Christ is the Lord and Head as our partaking of one Internal Baptism is the certain Mark of our belonging to the one invisible Church or mystical Body of Christ See 1 Eph. 4 5 6. To the same purpose we read elsewhere that we are by one Spirit baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit The latter words of being made to drink into one Spirit according to the general consent of the best Expositers refer to the Lord's Supper as the former do to Baptism And the words plainly imply that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the Symbol and the Bond of our External Communion as Members of the visible Church as by partaking of the sanctifying Operations of the same Holy Spirit we become Members of one mystical Body of Christ So that by our Baptism we are incorporated into the Christian Community and thereby discriminated in our right to its External Priviledges from them that are without who are yet Aliens and Foreigners And so by the Lord's Supper we are as partakers of Christ's Holy Table distinguish'd from them that partake of the Table of Devils and are in fellowship or Communion with them 1 Cor. 10.20 21. Thus was Circumcision the discriminating Mark of these that embrac'd the Faith of Abraham from such as were Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and Strangers to the Covenants of Promise Circumcised and Vncircumcised was equivalent to one that did or did not own the Jewish Religion Having thus far clear'd the general Nature and Vses of these two Institutions in the Christian Religion which we call Sacraments for all the particular uses of each of 'em I am not now concern'd to consider I come to apply this Account to the Matter in Debate And accordingly 't is obvious to any that shall consider the foregoing Account that there is one Vse of these Foederal or Sacramental Rites that does necessarily presuppose Divine Institution viz. Their being obliging signs on God's part to ratifie his Promises For it were too absurd for any to imagine that God will oblige himself by signs he never appointed for that end And therefore the Papists themselves pretend their new Sacraments to be Divine ones by feigning God's Institution for ' em When therefore I speak of a Human Sacrament I mean no more by it than an External Rite set up by meer Human Authority without any pretence of Divine Institution for several Sacramental Uses such as conconstitute it as truly a part of Religious Worship as Baptism and the Lord's Supper are So that it wants nothing but God's Instituting it to be a Seal to his part of the Covenant as Men have made it a Seal to their part to render it as proper a Sacrament as either of the two former And 't is only in this sense that I suppose the Cross to be made a Human Sacrament by the establisht Church 'T is made by 'em a Sacrament as far as Men can make one of a Religious Rite that they can pretend no Divine Authority for And this is sufficient to prove it a sinful Human Invention as I shall now show in prosecuting the Particulars here suggested I. The Cross is set up for several Sacramental Uses even the like Vses as Baptism and the Lord's Supper are appointed for For according to the foregoing Account of these Foederal or Sacramental Rites 1. 'T is set up as a Representing or Instructive sign And that both in the Duties and the Benefits of the New Covenant 'T is set up as Instructive in the Duties of it And this the Bishop grants when he owns Admon p. 178. That the Cross is us'd to signifie the Return we ought to make to God for the Benefits receiv'd in Baptism And indeed the words of the Service-Book put this out of doubt We sign this Child c. in token that he shall not be ashamed to Confess the Faith of Christ crucified c. 'T is set up as Instructive in the Benefits of the New Covenant This indeed the Bishop denys in the place last quoted and tells us The Cross is not us'd by 'em to signifie any Grace or Benefit communicated from God But I think there is just ground to conclude the contrary from the Reason which the Convocation alledges for Retaining the use of the Sign of the Cross viz. That the Holy Ghost by the Mouth of the Apostles did honour the name of the Cross so far that under it he comprehended not only Christ crucified but the force effect and merit of his Death and Passion with all the comforts fruits and promises we receive or expect thereby See the Thirtieth Canon of the Church of England Now I would gladly know what this Reason can signifie to vindicate their retaining the use of the Cross unless they supposed it a fit external Sign to signifie the same things which the Holy Ghost had honour'd the Name of the Cross to signifie And this Inference seems the more just from the account they give of this Ceremony of Crossing as practis'd by the Primitive Christians viz. That they signed their Children with the Sign of the Cross when they were Christen'd to dedicate 'em by that Badge to his Service whose Benefits bestow'd on 'em in Baptism the name of the Cross did represent And consequently the Sign of it is design'd to represent too But 2. Which is more considerable The Cross is made by the establisht Church an obliging and ratifying sign on our part to bind us to the Duties of God's Covenant even to the same which Baptism is appointed to oblige us to viz. To confess boldly the Faith of Christ crucified To fight manfully under his Banner against the Flesh the World and the Devil and to continue Christ's faithful Soldiers and Servants to our lives end And I may still renew
the Question propos'd in the Remarks What more peculiar Duties of the New Covenant could Baptism oblige us to And to put the matter if possible out of doubt the Infant is expresly said in the Canon to be by this Badge dedicated to the Service of Christ See Coll. of Cases 2d Edit p. 377 378. I know indeed the ingenious Author of the Case relating to the Cross in Baptism distinguishes here between and immediate and proper and an improper and declarative Dedication and accordingly would perswade us that the Convocation only designed the latter partly because they refer to the words us'd in the Service Book when the Child is cross't partly because they suppose the Child dedicated by Baptism before and suppose Baptism compleat without the sign of the Cross But I see not that either of these Reasons warrant us to take the words of the Convocation in so very strain'd and improper a sense as this is viz. That when they affirm the Cross to be a lawful outward Ceremony and honourable Badge whereby the Infant is dedicated to the Service of him that died on the Cross they should mean no more than that 't is a lawful outward Ceremony and honourable Badge to declare that the Infant has been dedicated to Christ by another outward Ceremony and honourable Badge before For 't is evident that the words us'd when the Child is sign'd with the sign of the Cross do as fully and directly express a proper immediate Dedication as the words us'd when 't is Baptiz'd and therefore we have no reason from them to apply so unusual and odd a sense to the words of the Canon and the Convocations supposing Baptism compleat without the sign of the Cross does no way Argue that they design'd not a proper renew'd Dedication by the Cross for tho' we are dedicated by Baptism yet we properly renew that Dedication as oft as we attend the Lord's Table And the Romish Church does in their Ritual See Rit Rom. Paris 1635. p. 7. suppose no more necessary by Divine Right to this Sacrament than we do and speak of their Ceremonies as only pertaining to the Solemnity of that Sacrament yet they use several other Rites for proper immediate Dedication besides that of washing with water 3. The Cross is made a distinguishing sign of our Christian Profession and the Relations we are thereby invested in For this evidently follows from its being made the Honourable Badge of our Dedication to the Service of a crucified Saviour So that by being cross't we do truly according to the establisht Church wear the Livery of Christ as by being Baptiz'd And this former Paternal sign is as effectually made the common Symbol and Tessera of our Discipleship the mark of our belonging to him as our Lord and Master as the latter can be II. Now from hence I farther infer That the Cross is made as much a Sacrament as Men can make any sign of their own for which they can produce no Divine Institution 'T is set up for most of the same uses as Baptism nay for such uses as do constitute it a proper part of positive Worship that has no stamp of Divine Authority and consequently 't is made a sinful Human Invention For if as the Bishop himself supposes all ways of Worship are displeasing to God that are not expresly contained in the Holy Scriptures nor warranted by the Examples of Holy Man therein or as he now adds that cannot be by parity of Reason deduc'd thence much more are all parts of Worship truly displeasing to him and such as our Saviour justly censures for vain Worship that are no way Instituted And yet that all those Rites in Religious Worship whereby we oblige and bind our selves to serve God or which is the same Dedicate our selves to his Service are a proper part of Positive Worship is evident from the Bishop's own confession who p. 4. of his Discourse does therefore make the Sacraments to be a part of outward Worship not only on the account of our expressing therein our dependance on the grace of God but likewise on the account of obliging and binding our selves by 'em to serve him And doubtless it does as properly belong to God alone to appoint the Religious Rites whereby we bind our selves to his Service as to the Supreme Magistrate to appoint the Ceremonies us'd in our taking the Oath of Fidelity and Allegiance Nay it belongs to him alone to appoint the Honourable Badge of our Discipleship who receives us into his Holy Covenant and no inferiour Pastors are any more authoriz'd to superadd any other Rite for this use to that he has Instituted already than the Servant of any great Prince is warranted of his own Head to prescribe to his Fellow-servants the wearing of a new Livery as an Honourable Badge of their belonging to such a Master besides that which he has appointed of his own choosing To set up External Rites for such Sacramental uses as these viz. not only to instruct us in the Priviledges and Duties of the New Covenant but to oblige and bind us to 'em and to be the Honourable Badge of our Christian Profession when God has already instituted other Rites for these very ends is a piece of Presumption we dare not be guilty of 'T is an offering him a part of Worship which has no stamp of his Authority which therefore we have no reason to hope he will accept nay which there is no shadow of Reason for if his own Foederal Rites be sufficient for all the ends they are appointed for Having thus stared my Argument I come II. To shew the insufficiency of the Bishop's Answer to this Argument All that I can find he has directly reply'd to my Argument is only this That the whole force of it seems to proceed from two Mistakes concerning the nature of Sacraments First As if they were signs from us to God and not wholly from God to us Secondly As if we were to learn the true Nature of Sacraments from the Schools and partial Definitions of interessed Disputants and not from the Holy Scriptures Hence saith the Bishop he has not given us one place of Scripture to prove his imperfect Account of a Sacrament As to this Answer to the Argument I need do no more for the Refutation of it than refer the Reader to the foregoing Account of a Sacrament wherein I fully prov'd concerning Sacraments in general and particularly that of Baptism that they are as truly and properly signs from us to God as from God to us nay that they cannot be the latter without being the former And this I have prov'd not from the Dictates of the Schools but from the Oracles of God having quoted no other Human Authority but his own and I hope he will not reckon himself one of those Partial and Interessed Disputants he speaks of So that 't is not the force of my Argument but of his Answer that proceeds from a