alone but to you also that the prophecy and promise of Ioel foremētioned ℣ 16.17.18 is to be accommodated yea to all who ever God shall call but with this difference by these degrees that it is first to you which are Iewes which are night then though you may wonder at it to the gentiles also which are afarre of and that you see in the event prooved a wonder for it is said Acts 10.45 that they of the circumcision vvhich beleeved vvere astonished as many as came vvith Peter because that on the Gentiles also vvere povvred out the giftes of the holy Ghost Now these gentiles are called afarre of suitable to the expression of Ephes 2.13 Yee that is the gentiles vvho sometimes vvere farre of are made night by the blood of Christ where the same expressions of nigh farre of are used that are here now hee makes mention particularly of their children under which also he intends the childrē of the gentiles when by calling they should be made nigh to accommodate to them more fully the mentioned place of Ioel as if he should say those are the last dayes when this promise vers 16.17.18 is to be fullfilled both to Iew and gentile as a consequence of their faith in the Messiah that they shall receive that eminent gift of the holy Ghost as a badge of their profession the glory of God by which they shall be able to doe such thinges as wee have done but with this difference that according to what is foretold the spirit will accommodate and vent it self proportionable to their states and capacity some things are proper to old mē they shall dreame dreames others to young men they shall see visions and according to the manner of their revelatiō shall their gift be and the venting of it by prophecy But all you and your childrē shall receive gifts of the holy Ghost and so be made partakers of that illustrious promise here therefore ye have that which might first and especially comfort them the remission of their sinnes so as no man can object against Peter for comforting them onely with giftes Secondly as a consequence of this and as Christ elsewhere saith a signe of them that beleeve they shall have the same gift of the holy Ghost both Iewes Gentiles in their order that the Apostles had this should be just accommodated according to the prophecy of Ioel to fathers and children to young men old according to their proportions and capacities for prophecy Now that by the gift of the holy Ghost and so consequently the promise of Ioel is meant abillity of speaking tongues prophecies as it is cleare by the context in it self so according to the judgement of Calvin who sayes clearly that this ought not to be understood of the grace of sanctification but of those primitive gifts vvhich though vve novv receive not yet vve have something analogicall and proportionable to them Now as the gift was not the grace of sanctification so neither the promise by which it is made ours for all gifts are ours by promise this is the generall judgement of expositers Protestant and others and is most cleare by Acts 10.45.46 where sayes hee they of the circumcision vvhich beleeved vvere astonished because that on the gentiles also vvas povvred out the gift of the holy Ghost for they heard them speake vvith tongues c. where the gift of the holy Ghost the same words used that is here is discribed by speaking with tongues Peter therefore calleth them that were pricked at their hearts were weary and heavy laden to repentance and Baptisme in the name of the Lord Iesus that they might receive and have sealed up to them the remission of sinnes which was the great thing they desired as a symbole and signe of which they should partake also of the effect of that illustrious promise made in Ioel and mentioned formerly that they should receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost so as nothing could be spoken more to the harts of distressed men then this nor nothing could more incourage them to repentance and Baptisme then the remission of sins sealed to them in that ordinance and yet more further signified and sealed by that famous promise of extraordinary gifts of the holy Ghost which for that time Christ himself made a signe and effect of beleeving to them that were nigh and farre of that is both to Iewes and Gentiles and so you see the Iewes incouraged to repentance and Baptisme upon great and noble and most considerable grounds with this distinction difference that the offer of all those great things according to the way of God and the Gospel comes first to them and after to them which are afarre of that is to the gentiles who indeed were afarre of being aliens and in the estimation of Peter so farre that God was forced to give him a particular vision as you shall heare Acts 10. to persuade him to looke upon them as those nigh And thus wee have what the Iew as a naturall sonne of Abraham may pretend to Baptisme and new Testament ordinances to wit a priority in respect of the offer whereby the way wee have taken occasion to cleare that place that some have indeavored to bring to prove infant Baptisme by then which truely nothing seemes to be lesse properly raised out of it The next considerable thing is where the stop lyes where the Iewes goe equall with others Now for that wee will consider that place of Matt. 3. chap. ℣ s 7.8.9 VVhen hee savv many of the Pharisees and Sadduces come to his baptisme hee sayd unto them O generation of vipers vvho hath vvarned you to flee from the vvrath to come Bring forth therefore fruites meete for repentance And thinke not to say vvithin your selves vve have Abraham to our father for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham The Pharisees and Sadduces men especially the Pharisees strict in their religion come many of them to Iohns Baptisme upon this pretence and clayme that they were descended from Abraham and were his children that they come in this confidence and pretence was manifest by what Iohn said unto them Luke hath it Luk. 3.8 Begin not to say vvithin your selves that is doe not take this subterfuge to oppose to repentance change of heart which onely qualifies for Baptisme that you have Abraham to your father Matthew sayes thinke not to say vvithin your selves which notes a persuasion of a prerogative of carnall generation that you have Abraham to your father such carnall and birth prerogatives stand you in no steed in this covenant for of these stones God can raise up children to Abraham that as when Isaack was borne who was the sonne of promise Abrahams body and Saraas wombe were dead as a stone so those which are now to be accounted the sonnes of Abraham God can raise from nothing evē from stones from the
OF BAPTISME The heads and order of such things as are especially insisted on you will find in the table of chapters Printed in the Yeare 1646. THE PREFACE THE Authour of these follovving thoughts professeth that hee vvas necessitated to them partly in duty to himself that he might discover vvhat vvas the good thing of that ordinance vvhich the Scripture magnifyes so greatly and himself understood so little but particularly by reason of a controversall scruple vvhich a providence of God put him to conflict vvith and all the present light hee had could not manadge to satisfaction to vvhich also may be added as another just reason that the desires of a fevv friends vvho have a reall interest in him ingaged his indeavours also in their respect and contributed to the production of these meditations vvhich last reason vvas necessary to be knovvne in regard that they vvhose desires vvere accessary to the dravving forth of this discourse have bene principall in the publishing of it and have offered a kind of violence partly by importunityes and partly by venturing upon the community and liberty of friendship to make it publike vvithout any order obtain'd from the Author to that purpose vvho needs no fuller vvitnesse then God his ovvne conscience and a fevv friends vvith vvhom hee hath more particularly convers'd hovv little hee hath delighted to ingage his thoughts in the controversall parts of truths and hovv in a constant tenour his meditations have form'd othervvise But since it is done certainly vvith no ill vvill to the publike The Authour findes good to accompany these papers vvith these good vvishes That they may by no meanes be the occasion to any of angry or quarrelsome disputes that blood vvhich vvas shed for us and vvhich this ordinance exhibites as a fountayne to bath in should qualify our heates and correct that Chagrin distemper vvhich often manifests it self in the agitating of things diversly apprehended Particularly that they may escape the unhappinesse of the censures of idle men vvho because they say nothing publike enough for an ansvver thinke they may say any thing and having found an easie vvay to religion to vvit the suffrage of learned men and the practise of the most judge them vayne and impertinent that take a greater boute To vvhich hee adds also this vvish that they may be delivered from such vvho triumph in discovering some lesser mistakes and place a great part of their abilityes in critisizing upon a vvord or phrase not so vvell plac'd or pertinently exprest such not to mention their charity as their talent is commonly very little so that vvhich is seemes fitted not so much for argueing as vvrangling vvith vvhich he vvould have nothing to doe and is levissimus fructus ingenij vvhich you may english The froth or scumme of witt And lastly hee desires that any vvho shall examine them more seriously and particularly and shall not in every thing be of the same minde for light is not administred to all by the same measure vvould be content that men should injoy their judgement since nothing is more our ovvne till cause be given to alter them vvould in the meane time be so friendly to him vvho professes to be greatly a friend to truth in order to the truth Iesus Christ that in the difference of opinions there might be a just simphathy and unanimity of the Opiners These escapes the Reader is desired to correct before he read the ensueing discourse Page Lyne Error Correct 11 4 us as 30 14 offense offence 31 3 terrifie can terrifie 33 4 blot out after the word death  17 discarge discharge 50 14 obliging obligeinge 56 14 or our 58 14 proceeding preceading 87 9 or as 88 17 which with 98 12 hnit hint 101 14 opposite apposite 113 19 Christ Christ's 128 13 put out That  133 8 chaine clayme 135 11 forner former 144 15 recte una 156 13 host hast 171 16 anquietnes an acutenesse 177 15 to two 181 18 rationall nationall 185 14 infaithfullnesse unfaithfullnesse 186 16 oath each  19 rationallity nationallity 187 9 blot out the at sinne 189 1 yooke yoake 195 11 a beginning our beginning 198 3 gave have 210 3 antientnes ancientnes  12 we workers coeworkers 224 4 come came 226 6 Iohn Iohn 1. 240 5 typising typifieing 274 20 pole pale 293 17 wo woe 324 6 â—â—ite â—int 328 10 differring deferring 329 10 differring deferring 348 16 provooke provoake 369 3 bewtifull beautifull The table of chapters the Reader will find at the end of the booke OF BAPTISME CHAP. I. Wherein of the first and great end of that ordinance the sealing up of our union with Christ and more particularly of the most illustrious tipe of Baptismeall sealing in the Baptisme of Christ THE Scripture holds forth no point with more glory and certainty then the onenes which we have with Iesus Christ which union is the rise and ground of all that is good and happy in us this therefore is the first and great thing that is made ours by Baptisme wee are baptized into the name of Christ for wee though wee be baptized into the name of the Father and Holy Ghost likewise and have an union with them yet the Fathers love is made good to us through Christ and the Spirits efficacy is derived through and for Christ who is the Mediatour the middle person the bond betweene God and us so Rom. 6.3 Ye are baptized into Iesus Christ And Gal. 3.27 For as many of us as have beene baptized into Christ This therefore is the great ordinance assuring and sealing up If God had kept his minde to himself touching our eternall estate there had beene a surenesse in it but there had not beene a sealing to us but when he tells us his heart and his minde and bids us beleeve it doubting nothing when hee shall yet speake more sensible to us to our sight and to our touch and ingage almost all our sences when hee shall marke us with sensible signes and seales and speake visible words also this must needs assure and of all assurances there is none so great as this first peece of our union to have this sealed and signed to be baptized into Christ to be ingrafted into and made one with him how great a matter is it Now God is not wanting to our faith in the truth of the representation betweene the signe and the thing signed betweene the seale and the thing sealed therefore Abraham in his beleeving received the signe of circumcision a seale of the righteousnes of his faith Rom. 4.11 that is the righteousnes which he had by faith the acceptation hee had was sealed up to him by the signe of CircumcisioÌ„ by that marke now what Abraham had by circumcision that the Saints have by Baptisme for so the Apostle intimates in Coloss 2.11.12 which place wee shall have occasion to open hereafter where hee shewes the use of Circumcision which was a
the hands of the Holy Spirit for edification and salvation the word is a dead letter without the Spirit and so also is Baptisme it speakes no more then it is bid the blessed Angels that are so farre above sinne and corruption have no quickning vertue in themselves the flesh of Christ hath no vertu but from his Godhead Now if there be no vertue in the flesh of Christ but by the personall union how shall bodily actions about bodily elements confer grace but by the mediation of the Spirit Thirdly they agree in the principall matter for the same Christ with all his benefits is offered and confirmed to us in the word and Sacraments the same union the same communion in the death the resurrection of Christ and they which looke for more in the Sacraments then the word promises and holds out makes an Idoll of them Fourthly they agree in the end for God by them builds up and edifies his Church till it come to be perfect Fifthly they agree in the instrument which renders both profitable to us both word and Sacrament are ineffectuall without faith 3. Iohn 36. Hee that beleeveth on the Sonne hath everlasting life Sixthly they agree in the effects They are the savour of life unto life or the savour of death unto death c. So He that beleeveth is baptized shall be saved From the first you learne coroll 1 not to depart from the institution but as to preach the Gospel according to the analogie of faith so to administer the Sacraments according to Gospel institutions for it is alike sinne to transgresse in the administratiō of the one as in the preaching of the other since they both hold of the same Lord institutor and as hee which in preaching the Gospel shall add workes to faith in the point of justification perverts the word and preaches another Gospel and therefore is accursed Gal. 1.1 So he that shall alter in the administration of the Sacraments but in a ceremony since the ordinance lyes in a ceremony and shall be bold to inlarge the subject of this ordinance or contract it will be found a breaker of Gods boūds be found guilty of the cursse that is the portion of such as add or detract so as what wee doe herein is of great moment and consideration coroll 2 From the second to exspect successe from the Spirit to be in the Spirit that you may receive it Secondly the Sacraments worke not Phisically From the third coroll 3 to be lead by all administrations into the knowledge of Christ to judge them best that hold out most of Christ and most purely Secondly to magnify Christ the head and end of all institutions coroll 4 From the fourth to be comforted and confirmed in this way of salvation wherein wee are for wee have enough till wee come to God and need no more coroll 5 From the fifth not to rest in the worke done to thinke it enough when you have heard or communicated if it be not mingled with faith it profits not vvithout faith it is impossible to please God coroll 6 From the sixth then play not with these tooles it is a great matter you have in hand when you meddle with the ordinances of Christ and when you are under them it cannot be without much good or hurt to you it is a blessing or a cursse to the persons upon whom it falleth even the greatest light meanes are the greatest agravations of sinnes Heb. 2.1.2.3 Wee come now to the difference of these ordinances which will contribute more of light to what wee have proposed They differ first in the manner of the administratiō of the same Gospel The one is an audible word the other is a visible word the word signifies according to such expressions as men have given a vallue unto to signify thinges by but the Sacraments represents by such similitudes and proportions as the signes have with the things signified therefore we read the word and heare the word but we see feele the Sacraments In a word they are Hierogliphicks it was the custome of the Egyptians to teach by visible representations which signify such and such things these are of that nature that whereas the word strikes the eare onely which is the usuall and ordinary sence of discipline those signes and visible elements affect the sences outward and inward the sences conveigh the object to the understanding there the Holy Ghost takes them and brings us into the present enjoyment of things as if we saw Christ with our eyes toucht him with our hands felt him by our tast and injoyed him with our whole man all this in a rationall and discoursive way raysing an analogy proportion betweene the signe and the thing signified Secondly they differ in the measure of their signification the word especially teacheth the Sacraments especially seale and confirme the word indeed signifies and applyes spirituall things but the Sacraments more efficatiously represent apply Thirdly the word is simply necessary to actuall beleevers and so to the salvation of beleevers and sufficient as in Cornelius for faith is by hearing and hearing by the vvord of God but the Sacraments are not absolutely necessary to all nor without the word are they sufficient to salvation for to what purpose are seales without the writing Fourthly for I will not trouble you with many the word belongs to all mankind the Sacraments belong onely to beleevers therefore for preaching ye have preach the Gospell to every creature under heaven But for the Sacraments teach them saith Christ that is disciple them and hee that beleeves and is baptized shall be saved so for the other Sacrament let a man examine himself and so let him eate and drinke and the people vvere baptized in Iordan confessing their sinnes of vvhich they repented and after the Eunuch was taught there was faith required before hee was baptized if thou beleevest vvith all thy heart thou mayest and no Baptisme or Sacrament find we administred otherwayes in the new Testament the reason is evident because the word begets faith the Sacraments confirmes it the word is the writing the Sacraments is the seale for it carries this with it and speakes this language as certainly as thou usest this ceremony and eates this bread so assuredly Christ dwells in thee and as thou entrest this water and art therein buried so assuredly thou art made one with Christ planted into his death thou art buried with Christ and thou risest with Christ as thou risest out of the water every thing speakes this thou art Christ and Christ is thine and therefore supposes faith which is the tye and the union on our part and you see how curious Paul is Rom. 4. to proove that Abraham vvas justified by faith before hee received the signe of circumcision which was to him a seale of his faith his righteousnes thereby ℣ 10.11 Hovv vvas it reckoned vvhen hee vvas in circumcision or in uncircumcision Not
gentiles which you despise and for their hardnes and distance not in place but in the knowledge of God are as stones of such can God raise children to Abraham for the ordinances I pretend to are not bottomed upon carnall generation or priviledges but thinges of another nature namely true holynes which is seene and manifested by the fruit it brings forth Bring forth therefore fruit meete for repentance The next place considerable to this purpose is that Iohn where hee shewes that this excellēt person the sonne of God that came to bring life light was rejected by the world and after by his owne not onely the vvorld vvhich hee had made and in which he had shewed great sufficient evidences of himself knevv him not by which the miserable blindnes of corrupt nature appeares they can doe nothing spirituall but by a light of another kind then theirs is to wit spirituall and divine But vvhen he came to his ovvne they received him not The people of the Iewes were his peculiar hee vvas in the vvorld but hee came to them that is first hee presented himself to them they received him not that is though he were offered and shewed they tooke him not to them which shewes a great deale of mallice joyned to blindnesse by which they resisted the holy Spirit offering to inlighten them by words and miracles But least Christ should suffer as a person generally neglected and slighted he tells you Christ came not in vayne there were those that received him and made much of him As many as received him for now the hedge was pulled up the partition wall brokē down those he magnifies wonderfully they had this povver that is this dignity this priviledge as in the margent given them to become the sonnes of God that is though they were strangers and afarre of naturally yet the honour of adoption was given them to be made be the sonnes of God If you aske now but what was this receiving or how came this about Hee tells you this was effected by faith by beleeving in his name But now whereas the fashion of this world in adopting children is to respect either the greatnes of their birth or the excellency of their parts or some glory of their actions he tells you nothing of all this mooved God but his meere grace and will which provoked him to doe this great good to the vyldest and unworthiest for sayes hee those vvere borne not of bloods The Iewes pretended the dignity of their race that they were the seede of Abraham because they drew their originall from Abraham by a series of many successions so they were more noble by their antiquity therefore he sayes bloods this blood saith he did them no good and by consequence the carnall generation from godly and just parents will doe no good simply considered to intitle us to become the sonnes of God or consequently to the ordināces which seale up that sonneship therefore they vvere borne not of bloods nor of the vvill of flesh nor of man that is no free-will no resolutions no morall indeavours though they should ingage never so much can effect this birth Nor the vvill of man no heroïcall workes no excellency or dignity can effect this adoption this title but onely God this proceeds onely from the will of God Iames 1.18 Of his ovvne vvill bégate he us by the vvord of truth which by the way should cause us to love God who finding nothing in us hath so freely loved us Here you see in the second place that in respect of adoption and sonneship to God of which baptisme is especially in the first place a seale the birth of bloods the descending of such parents whether Iewes or gentiles saving for the order of the offer as before doth no good but wee all in that matter lye open exposed to the free will and grace of God so as whē a Iew comes to baptisme he must come even as wee and bring other characters with them then of having Abraham to his father if hee will pretend to this or any new Testament ordinance The equality in this respect will appeare by that place also of Acts 10.34.35 Then Peter opened his mouth and said Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons But in every nation hee that feareth him and vvorketh righteousnesse is accepted vvith him God seemed formerly to have bene a respecter of persons some men as some meates were borne cleane insomuch as circumcision other ordinances were their due as a birth-right those which were Iewes by nature were holy and those that were gentiles that is by birth were accounted sinners now this acception of persons was not a vice in God contrary to distributive justice because God was not obliged to dispense his ordinances as in any certain manner so nor to any certain men or to all in generall because no man had right to them or could merit them at his hands but hee is free as a rich man at a doale to give to whom he will or a King to his subjects so as the acceptance of persons in this sence was once just and according to the will and pleasure of God But now Peter was taught by God by the meanes of the vision hee had seene to admit men to ordinances upon other considerations then legall denominations of cleane or uncleane namely upon fearing of God and vvorking righteousnes and no other which is a thing not generated and conveighed by birth but by the new birth and the spirit of the living God Now this Peter expresses I perceive of a truth the word signifies to gather or collect by reasōs signes and conjectures as Calvin expounds it to wit the signes hee saw before viz. that of the vessell vers 11. Now then you see new qualifications to denominate a man accepted of God qualified for ordinances this in this covenant and way of worship was common to both without any difference for so you have it Acts 15.9 And put no difference betvveene us and them purifying their harts by faith the purity is not by birth as formerly Thus you see the Iewes come to Baptisme and be called the sonnes of God not by their pretention to Abraham for their father nor for the honour and advantage of their descent and blood And the Gentiles they were admitted without any consideration of persons or personall prerogatives in respect of their birth but upon their fearing God working righteousnes and having their hearts purified by faith therefore the old way advantage of birthright and in that respect of accepting of persons is ceased long agoe on both sides alike To conclude in a word all birth priviledge is by the title of Abrahams covenāt if therefore the naturall seede of Abraham could not at all pretend to new Testament ordinances a right by that title much lesse the adopted seede by any such way of naturall generation but if you speake of
publike cognisance upō persons qualified by publike authority for the administration of it Next we consider in this discourse primitive practise and example for according to this power commission you will find it runne in the example The first Baptizer who introduced that ordinance from thence drew his name Iohn the Baptist to be sure had commission for that and all other parts of his ministry according to the prophecies went on him in Esay and Malachy Hee came in the spirit and povver of Elias vvas the great restorer of Israel this no man will deny Then Christ in the 4. of Iohn is said to baptize but by his Disciples who received commission for that administration from his person presence himself either intending to the greater workes of miracles or teaching or else might abstaine purposely that those baptized by him might not vaunt of a greater priviledge then others In like manner it is probable Peter the Apostle communicated of his authority to those who were with him for the baptizing of Cornelius and his family for it is sayd vers 48. of Acts 10. He commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord unles it were either that of those brethrē there were inferiour officers or that by commanding is ment the warrant he gave to Cornelius his companie for Baptisme of which notwithstanding hee himself might be the Minister Of the Apostles commission you have heard already you may find it in the execution in divers passages For others who baptized saving those who drew their commission from Church power of whom wee shall speake afterward wee read of Philip and Ananias the one to wit Philip was an Euangelist an order as it is taken of a publike authority and commission as the Apostles were Besides he had an especiall authority and provocation from the spirit at that time for the ministry hee had to performe about the Eunuch by which spirit also he was miraculously taken away after the worke done as you may read Acts the 8. And for Ananias of whom wee read in the 9. of the Acts that he baptized Paul he was also deputed in an extraordinary manner to that ministery by the Lord who spoke to him in a vision And such extraordinary and peculiar manner of workings where the ministery of conversion lay in a miracle and the Ministers were men acted to it as appeares by divine revelation must not be drawn into ordinary examples and here we find also particular commission but thus farre in the example it makes cleare for what wee say that the administration of Baptisme is a thing of publike cognisance commission That it hath bene since the Apostolicall times so is as cleare out of all story of which the notion of the Catechuminists will give an assured witnes Christians in the Church were antiently distinguisht by three degrees Catechumini Fideles and Poenitentes the Catechumeni or such as were principled in the Christian religion the faithfull the penitents the faithfull were such as being past the forme of Catechists were admitted to all ordinances the penitents were such as had fallen into some scandall were under censure The Catechumeni were such as Origen cont Cels lib. 3. sayes vvho vvere nevvly admitted into some degree of communion but not yet baptized of these mention is made in the most ancient writers Ireneus Clemens Alexand. Tertullian Of these Clemens saith Sine catechismo nulli datur credere vvithout catechising no body can beleeve Of this number some as I have formerly had occasion to speake were called Audientes some Competentes The Audientes were such as submitted themselves to teaching by the hearing of the word and being instructed in the principles of religion which by their submission and pretence to farther ordinances got the name of Catechists for otherwise neither Iew nor Gentile nor any were excluded from hearing the word Conc. 4. Carth. Can. 84. The competentes or competitors were such as being well instructed in the Christian religion desired Baptisme and gave up their names of these Austin sayes Post sermonem fit missa Catechumenis manebant fideles Ser. de Temp. 137. After the sermon the Catechumini were dismist the faithfull remayned to partake of the Supper other ordinances which partained to full membership Out of all this besides the purpose for which I especially bring it two things may be observed by the way First that of old men were not lightly admitted to the communion and fellowship of the Church but after due instruction and examination Secondly that it was usuall of old to stand as competitor for Baptisme as a Candidate as we call them to seeke and desire it before they had it But the end for which I especially bring this here is to shew that in all times of the Church Baptisme hath bene a thing of publike cognisance and the commission for the administration of it hath rested since the times of the Apostles no where but in Church power nor hath bene no where else sought nor never by any otherwise pretended to it I know saving of late yeares by those upon whom the name of Anabaptists was primitively and properly fixt who erring greatly in many other things of as great consequence might easily be mistaken in this These two things in a word I suppose out of this discourse is evinced which will directly point out the Minister of Baptisme First that Baptisme is a thing of publike cognisance commission Secondly that as of old since the Apostles times so now and alwayes till Christ come the Church is the dispenser of such commissions and administrations That which remaynes now therefore is to find out what a Church is wherein I hope wee are not to seeke A Church in a word may be said to be an assembly of saints knit together to a fellowship with Christ their head I intend not here a discourse of this subject it is enough to my purpose that this be considered and allowed that beleeving and saintship gives a qualification for Church fellowship and Church fellowship for acts of power that Baptisme doth no more enter the definition of a church as if a church state could not be without Baptisme then the communion of the Lords Supper doth or officers Pastors Elders and Deacons All these are but certain acts by which they make good their fellowship with Christ and one another are church ordinances and church dues thinges they have power for may justly pretend to Though it will ordinarily be that a church will consist of baptized persons for what should hinder them who have assembled for the injoying of ordinances and who have power for all ordinances from administring to themselves in a way of order that ordinance which is as it were the gate of the rest and as wee may call it for ought I know according to the old name the ordinance of initiation since it is the first of church ordinances the Church covenant