which is exhibited in or by the Sacraments rightly used is not conferred by any power in them neither doth the efficacy of a Sacrament depend upon the piety or intention of him that doth administer it but upon the work of the Spirit and the word of Institution which contains together with a Precept authorizing the use thereof a Promise of benefit to worthy receivers IV. There be onely two Sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel that is to say Baptism and the Lords Supper neither of which may be dispensed by any but by a Minister of the Word lawfully called V. The Sacraments of the Old Testament in regard of the spiritual things thereby signified and exhibited were for substance the same with those of the New CHAP. XXIX Of Baptism BAptism is a Sacrament of the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ to be unto the party baptized a sign and seal of the Covenant of Graee of his ingraffing into Christ of regeneration of remission of sins and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to walk in newnesse of life which Ordinance is by Christs own appointment to be continued in his Church untill the end of the world II. The outward Element to be used in this Ordinance is Water wherewith the party is to be baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost by a Minister of the Gospel lawfully called III. Dipping of the person into the water is not necessary but Baptism is rightly administred by pouring or sprinkling water upon the person IV. Not onely those that do actually professe faith in and obedience unto Christ but also the Infants of one or both believing Parents are to be baptized and those onely V. Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this Ordinance yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated VI The efficacy of Baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administred yet notwithstanding by the right use of this Ordinance the grace promised is not onely offered but really exhibited and conferred by the Holy Ghost to such whether of age or Infants as that grace belongeth unto according to the counsel of Gods own Will in his appointed time VII Baptism is but once to be administred to any person CHAP. XXX Of the Lords Supper Our Lord Jesus in the night wherein he was betrayed instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood called the Lords Supper to be observed in his Churches unto the end of the world for the perpetual remembrance and shewing forth of the Sacrifice of himself in his death the sealing of all benefits thereof unto true believers their spiritual nourishment and growth in him their further ingagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him and with each other II. In this Sacrament Christ is not offered up to his Father nor any reall Sacrifice made at all for remission of the sins of the quick or dead but onely a memorial of that one offering up of himself by himself upon the Crosse once for all and a spiritual Oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same so that the Popish Sacrifice of the Mass as they call it is most abominable injurious to Christs own onely Sacrifice the alone propitiation for all the sins of the Elect. III. The Lord Jesus hath in this Ordinance appointed his Ministers to pray and blesse the Elements of Bread and Wine and thereby to set them apart from a common to an holy use and to take and break the Bread to take the Cup and they communicating also themselves to give both to the Communicants but to none who are not then present in the Congregation IV. Private Masses or receiving the Sacrament by a Priest or any other alone as likewise the denial of the Cup to the people worshipping the Elements the lifting them up or carrying them about for adoration and the reserving them for any pretended religious use are all contrary to the nature of this Sacrament and to the Institution of Christ V. The outward Elements in this Sacrament duly set apart to the uses ordained by Christ have such relation to him Crucified as that truly yet Sacramentally onely they are sometimes called by the name of the things they represent to wit the Body and Blood of Christ albeit in substance and nature they still remain truly and onely Bread and Wine as they were before VI That Doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of Bread and Wine into the substance of Christs Body and Blood commonly called Transubstantiation by consecration of a Priest or by any other way is repugnant not to Scripture alone but even to common sense and reason overthroweth the nature of the Sacrament and hath been and is the cause of manifold Superstitions yea of gross Idolatries VII Worthy Receivers outwardly partaking of the visible Elements in this Sacrament do then also inwardly by Faith really and indeed yet not carnally and corporally but spiritually receive and feed upon Christ crucified and all benefits of his death the Body and Blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally in with or under the Bread or Wine yet as really but spiritually present to the Faith of Believers in that Ordinance as the Elements themselves are to their outward senses VIII All ignorant and ungodly persons as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Christ so are they unworthy of the Lords Table and cannot without great sin against him whilest they remain such partake of these holy Mysteries or be admitted thereunto yea whosoever shall receive unworthily are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord eating and drinking Judgement to themselves CHAP. XXXI Of the state of Man after Death and of the Resurrection of the Deaed THe Bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption but their Souls which neither die nor sleep having an immortal subsistence immediately return to God who gave them The Souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holinesse are received into the highest Heavens where they behold the face of God in light and glo y waiting for the full redemption of their bodies And the souls of the wicked are cast into Hell where they remain in torment and utter darknesse reserved to the Judgment of the Great Day Besides these two places for souls separated from their bodies the Scripture acknowledgeth none II. At the last day such as are found alive shall not die but be changed and all the dead shall be raised up with the self-same bodies and none other although with different qualities which shall be united again to their souls for ever III. The bodies of the unjust shall by the power of Christ be raised to dishonour the bodies of the just by
secret counsel and good pleasure of his Will hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting Glory out of his meer free Grace and Love without any sore-sight of Faith or good Works or perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the Creature as Conditions or Causes moving him thereunto and all to the praise of his glorious Grace VI As God hath appointed the Elect unto Glory so hath he by the eternal and most free purpose of his Will fore-ordained all the means thereunto Wherefore they who are elected being faln in Adam are redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto Faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season are justified adopted sanctified and kept by his power through Faith unto salvation Neither are any other redeemed by Christ or effectually called justified adopted sanctified and saved but the Elect onely VII The rest of mankind God was pleased according to the unsearchable Counsel of his own Will whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth for the glory of his soveraign power over his Creatures to passe by and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin to the praise of his glorious Justice VIII The Doctrine of this high mystery of Predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care that men attending the will of God revealed in his Word and yielding obedience thereunto may from the certainty of their effectual Vocation be assured of their eternal Election So shall this Doctrine afford matter of praise reverence and admiration of God and of humility diligence and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the Gospel CHAP. IV. Of Creation IT pleased God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal Power Wisdom and Goodness in the beginning to create or make of nothing the world and all things therein whether visible or invisible in the space of six dayes and all very good II. After God had made all other creatures he created Man male and female with reasonable and immortal Souls endued with knowledg righteousness and true holiness after his own Image having the Law of God written in their hearts and power to fulfill it and yet under a a possibility of transgressing being left to the liberty of their own Will which was subject unto change Besides this Law written in their hearts they received a command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil which whiles they kept they were happy in their communion with God and had dominion over the Creatures CHAP. V. Of Providence GOD the great Creator of all things doth uphold direct dispose and govern all creatures actions and things from the greatest even to the least by his most wise and holy Providence according unto his infallible fore-knowledge and the free and immutable counsel of his own Will to the praise of the glory of his Wisdom Power Justice Goodness and Mercy II. Although in relation to the fore-knowledge and decree of God the first Cause all things come to passe immutably and infallibly yet by the same Providence he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second Causes either necessarily freely or contingently III. God in his ordinary Providence maketh use of Means yet is free to work without above and against them at his pleasure IV. The almighty Power unsearchable Wisdom and infinite Goodness of God so far manifest themselves in his Providence in that his determinate Counsel extendeth it self even to the first Fall and all other sins of Angels and Men and that not by a bare permission which also he most wisely and powerfully boundeth and otherwise ordereth and governeth in a manifold Dispensation to his own most holy ends yet so as the sinfulnesse thereof proceedeth onely from the Creature and not from God who being most holy and righteous neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin V. The most wise righteous and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruption of their own hearts to chastise them for their former sins or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts that they may be humbled and to raise them to a more close and constant dependance for their support upon himself and to make them more watchfull against all future occasions of sin and for sandry other just and holy ends VI As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God as a righteous Judge for former sins doth blind and harden from them he not onely withholdeth his grace whereby they might have been inlightned in their understandings and wrought upon in their hearts but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasions of sin and withall gives them over to their own lusts the temptations of the woâ—ld and the power of Satan wheâ—eby it comes to passe that they harden themselves even under those means which God useth for the softning of others VII As the Providence of God doth in general each to all Creatures so after a most special manner it taketh care of his Church and disposeth all things to the good thereof CHAP. VI Of the fall of Man of Sin and of the Punishment thereof GOD having made a Covenant of Works and Life thereupon with our first Parents and all their posterity in them they being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan did wilfully transgress the Law of their Creation and break the Covenant in eating the forbidden fruit II. By this sin they and we in them fell from original righteousnesse and communion with God and so became dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body III. They being the Root and by Gods appointment standing in the room and stead of all mankind the guilt of this sin was imputed and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation IV. From this Original corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all good and wholly enclined to all evil do proceed all Actual transgressions V. This Corruption of nature during this life doth remain in those that are regenerated and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified yet both it self and all the motions thereof are truly and properly sin VI Every sin both original and actual being a transgression of the righteous Law of God and contrary thereunto doth in its own nature bring guilt upon the sinner whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God and curse of the Law and so made subject to death with all miseries spiritual temporal and eternal CHAP. VII Of Gods Covenant with Man THe distance between God and the Creature is so great that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator yet they could never have attained the reward of life but by some voluntary condescension on
served divers lusts and pleasures God in their effectual calling giveth them Repentance unto life II. Whereas there is none that doth good and sinneth not and the best of men may through the power and deceitfulness of their corruptions dwelling in them with the prevalency of temptation fall into great sins and provocations God hath in the Covenant of Grace mercifully provided that Believers so sinning and falling be renewed through repentance unto Salvation III. This saving Repentance is an Evangelical Grace whereby a person being by the holy Ghost made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin doth by Faith in Christ humble himself for it with godly sorrow detestation of it and self-abhorrency praying for pardon and strength of Grace with a purpose and endeavour by supplies of the spirit to walk before God unto all well-pleasing in all things IV. As Repentance is to be continued through the whole course of our lives upon the account of the body of death and the motions thereof so it is every mans duty to repent of his particular known sins particularly V. Such is the provision which God hath made through Christ in the covenant of Grace for the preservation of Believers unto salvation that although there is no sin so small but it deserves damnation yet here is no sin so great that it shall bring damnation on them who truly repent which makes the constant preaching of Repentance necessary CHAP. XVI Of good Works GOod works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy Word and not such as without the warrant thereof are devised by men our of blind zeal or upon any pretence of good intentions II. These good Works done in obedience to Gods commandments are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively Faith and by them Believers manifest their thankfulnesse strengthen their assurance edifie their Brethren adorn the profession of the Gospel stop the mouths of the adversaries and glorifie God whose workmanship they are created in in Christ Jesus thereunto that having their fruit unto holiness they may have the end eternal life III. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves but wholly from the Spirit of Christ And that they may be enabled thereunto besides the graces they have already received there is required an actual influence of the same holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them IV. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life are so far from being able to superogate and to do more then God requires as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do V. We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin or eternal life at the hand of God by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come and the infinite distance that is between us and God whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfie for the debt of our former sins but when we have done all we can we have done but our duty and are unprofitable servants and because as they are good they proceed from his Spirit and as they are wrought by us they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of Gods judgement VI Yet notwithstanding the persons of Believers being accepted through Christ their good works also are accepted in him not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreproveable in Gods sight but that he looking upon them in his Son is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections VII Works done by unregenerate men although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands and of good use both to themselves and to others yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by Faith nor are done in a right manner according to the Word nor to a right end the glory of God they are therefore sinful and cannot please God nor make a man meet to receive grace from God and yet their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto Cod. CHAP. XVII Of the Perseverance of the Saints THey whom God hath accepted in his beloved effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved II. This Perseverance of the Saints depends not upon their own free-will but upon the immutability of the Decree of Election from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with him the Oath of God the abiding of his Spirit and of the seed of God within them and the nature of the Covenant of Grace from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof III. And though they may through the temptation of Satan and of the world the prevalency of corruption remaining in them and the neglect of the means of their preservation fall into grievous sins and for a time continue therein whereby they incur Gods displeasure and grieve his holy Spirit come to have their graces and comforts impaired have their hearts hardned and their consciences wounded hurt and scandalize others and bring temporal Judgments upon themselves yet they are and shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation CHAP. XVIII Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation ALthough temporary believers and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God and state of salvation which hope of theirs shall perish yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love him in sincerity endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of Grace and may rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God which hope shall never make them ashamed II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable perswasion grounded upon a fallible hope but an infallible assurance of faith founded on the blood and righteousnesse of Christ revealed in the Gospel and also upon the inward evidence of those graces unto which Promises are made and on the immediate witnesse of the Spirit testifying our Adoption and as a fruit thereof leaving the heart more humble and holy III. This infallible Assurance doth not so belong to the essence of Faith but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it yet being inabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God he may
without extraordinary revelation in the right use of ordinary means attain thereunto And therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure that thereby his heart may be inlarged in peace and joy in the holy Ghost in love and thankfulnesse to God and in strength and chearfulnesse in the duties of obedience the proper fruits of this assurance so far is it from inclining men to loosenesse IV. True Believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers wayes shaken diminished and intermitted as by negligence in preserving of it by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit by some sudden or vehement temptation by Gods withdrawing the light of his countenance suffering even such as fear him to walk in darknesse and to have no light yet are they neither utterly destitute of that seed of God and life of Faith that love of Christ and the Brethren that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty out of which by the operation of the Spirit this assurance may in due time be revived and by the which in the mean time they are supported from utter despair CHAP. XIX Of the Law of God GOD gave to Adam a Law of universal obedience written in his heart and a particular Precept of not eating the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil as a Covenant of Works by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal entire exact and perpetual obedience promised life upon the fulfilling and threatned death upon the breach of it and indued him with power and ability to keep it II. This Law so written in the heart continued to be a perfect Rule of Righteousness after the fall of man and was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in Ten Commandments and written in two Tables the four first Commandments containing our duty towards God and the other six our duty to Man III. Beside this Law commonly called Moral God was pleased to give to the people of Israel Ceremonial Laws containing several Typical Ordinances partly of Worship prefiguring Christ his Graces Actions Sufferings and Benefits and partly holding forth divers Instructions oâ— Moral Duties All which Ceremonial Laws being appointed onely to the time of Reformation are by Jesus Christ the true Messiah and only Law-giver who was furnished with power from the Father for that end abrogated and taken away IV. To them also he gave sundry Judicial Laws which expired together with the State of that people not obliging any now by vertue of that Institution their general equity onely being still of moral use V. The Moral Law doth for ever bind all as well justified persons as others to the obedience thereof and that not onely in regard of the matter contained in it but also in respect of the Authority of God the Creator who gave it neither doth Christ in the Gospel any way dissolve but much strengthen this obligation VI Although true Believers be not under the Law as a Covenant of Works to be thereby justified or condemned yet it is of great use to them as well as to others in that as a rule of life inform ng them of the Will of God and their duty it directs and binds them to walk accordingly discovering also the sinful pollutions of their Nature Hearts Lives so as examining themselves thereby they may come to further conviction of humiliation for and hatred against sin together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ the perfection of his obedience It is likewise of use to the Regenerate to restrain their Corruptions in that it forbids sin and the threatnings of it serve to shew what even their sins deserve and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them although freed from the curse thereof threatned in the Law The promises of it in like manner shew them God's approbation of obedience and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof although not as due to them by the Law as a Covenant of Works so as a mans doing good and refraining from evil because the Law encourageth to the one and deterreth from the other is no evidence of his being under the Law and not under Grace VII Neither are the fore-mentioned uses of the Law contrary to the grace of the Gospel but do sweetly comply with it the Spirit of Christ subduing and inabling the Will of Man to do that freely and chearfully which the Will of God revealed in the Law required to be done CHAP. XXs Of the Gospel and of the extent of the Grace thereof THe Covenant of Works being broken by sin and made unprofitable unto life God was pleased to give unto the Elect the promise of Christ the Seed of the Woman as the means of calling them and begetting in them Faith and Repentance In this Promise the Gospel as to the substance of it was revealed and was therein effectual for the conversion and salvation of sinners II. This promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed onely in and by the Word of God neither do the works of Creation or Providence with the Light of Nature make discovery of Christ or of Grace by him so much as in a general or obscure way much less that men destitute of the revelation of him by the Promise or Gospel should be inabled thereby to attain saving Faith or Repentance III. The revelation of the Gospel unto sinners made in divers times and by sundry parts with the addition of Promises and Precepts for the obedience required therein as to the Nations and Persons to whom it is granted is meerly of the Soveraign will and good pleasure of God not being annexed by vertue of any promise to the due improvement of mens natural abilities by vertue of common light received without it which none ever did make or can so do And therefore in all ages the Preaching of the Gospel hath been granted unto persons and Nations as to the extent or straitning of it in great variety according to the counsel of the will of God IV. Although the Gospel be the onely outward means of revealing Christ and saving Grace and is as such abundantly sufficient thereunto yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again quickned or regenerated there is moreover necessary an effectual irresistible work of the Holy Ghost upon the whole soul for the producing in them a new spiritual life without which no other means are sufficient for their conversion unto God CHAP. XXI Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience THe Liberty which Christ hath purchased for Believers under the Gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin the condemning wrath of God the rigour and curse of the Law and in their being delivered from this present evil world bondage to Satan and dominion of sin from the evil of afflictions the fear and sting of death the victory of the grave and