undertaken to perform and to work in the Creature as further appears in Ezekiel 16. latter end For thus saith the Lord God I will even deal with thee as thou hast done which hast dispised the oath in breaking the Covenant Notwithstanding I will remember my covenant with thee in the day of thy youth and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant and as he saith afterward not by thy covenant but by my covenant so that which he calls thy covenant was that which they broke and therein dispised the Oath as he saith plainly holding forth that it was a covenant of works answerable to that in Nehemiah 10.29 They clave to their Brethren the Nobles and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in Gods Law which was given by Moses the servant of God In which case you may discern here was two covenants the one that God calls his covenant and another that was their covenant a covenant of works which they broke And likewise you have further the covenant of eternal life opened in Ezekiel 36.25 26 27. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthiness and from your Idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the Stony heart out of your flesh and will give you a heart of flesh and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and you shall keep my Judgements and do them Where you have as I said before this New covenant wholly lying on Gods part that he would first cleanse them from all their Idols and iniquities that he undertakes to give a new heart to take away the heart of Stone and to give them hearts of flesh And that he will give the soul his own Spirit and thereby came these to walk in his ways whom he calls to the obedience of his truth If they sin he binds himself to pardon their sins and to remember their sins and transgressions no more so that it is impossible that this covenant should be broke or that a soul shall ever miscarry that is once in this covenant as in respect of his everlasting estate And to this purpose David very eminently speaks in 2 Sam. 23. and 5. verse Although my house he not so with God yet he hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow Where you have David setting out the Covenant of Grace and the mercies in it to be in all points perfect and sure And to this purpose the Prophet in the 55. of Isaiah and the third verse inviting souls and perswading them to come to Christ saith Incline your ear and come unto me Hear and and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David that is he will give a Soul those New Covenant mercies which are most sure no way depending upon any condition to be performed in the Creature but wholly upon the Lord as appears in Psalm 89.28 to the 37. ver My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my Covenant shall stand fast with him his seed also will I make to endure for ever and his throne as the days of Heaven If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my Judgements If they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their transgressions with the Rod and their iniquities with Stripes Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing which is gone out of my lips Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not ly unto David His seed shall endure for ever His Throne as the â—un before me It shall be established for ever as the Moon and as a faithful Witness in Heaven Selah Now in these words you have the Covenant of eternal life made with Christ and his spiritual seed which David and his seed were types of which Covenant is a sure Covenant to all those to whom it is once made and to this doth the Author to the Hebrews allude when he saith in chap. 6.17 18. Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his Counsel confirmed by an oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to ly we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Now in this Covenant before spoken to you have both the promise and oath here spoken of and here in this Covenant must needs be discovered the immutability of his Counsel because this is as David saith a covenant that is in all points perfect and sure and James in his Epistle alluding to these New covenant blessings or gifts saith Every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning and that he doth here speak of the New covenant gifts doth appear in the next words he saith Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his Creatures Now consider well that in this covenant there is nothing that he requires but he ingageth himself to enable us to accomplish If he command to pray he promiseth to give his Spirit to help our infirmities If he command to walk in all his waies as you have heard he promiseth that he will put his Spirit in them to cause them to walk in his waies But some may object and say That we find the Gospel is held out upon Condition of Faith and Repentance Answer It is true Why though the Covenant of Grace be absolute yet the promises are held forth under a condition the promise of salvation and remission of Sin is held out with a condition to the world because it is Gods free mercy to work that condition in the hearts of his Elect by means of preaching and tendering of the Gospel and in them only But we are not to think that this grace of Faith and Repentance are any Qualifications that persons are to attain by their own abilities unto which the Gospel is tendred But in the new covenant the Lord undertakes to work the condition and to give the salvation tendred upon that condition also for saith he I will be unto you a God and you shall be unto me a people and in particular he saith He will put his Law in their hearts and in their minds will he write them and he will teach them to know him Now doubtless the Law of Faith and Repentance are here included according to those Scriptures Ephes 2.8 For by grace are you saved through Faith and
is grounded upon an error and a mistake taking for granted that a man may be a believer and in a state of grace and yet void of spiritual power to perform obedience to the Commands of God and that a man that is a Christian may know such a thing to be a Command of God and yet left without ability to perform obedience to the same I judge this is a dangerous error and contrary to Scripture For God doth at the very first conversion put his Law in the heart of his child as in Heb. 8.10 and as in Ezek. 36.26 27. God is said to put his Spirit in them to that end to cause them to walk in his waies therefore in some measure doubtless God doth give his people power to obey him as in Ezekiel 11.19 20. I will give them one heart and I will put a new Spirit within them and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh that they may walk in my Statutes and keep my Ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God Whence you may observe That Gods main drift in making his Covenant and giving his Spirit into the hearts of his people is that they may keep his Ordinances and be able to walk in his waies Therefore at the first Conversion of Paul God puts in him a disposition to obedience for saith he Lord what wouldst thou have me to do in Acts 9. and so in Acts 2.37 when they through the belief of Peters Sermon were pricked at the heart they cryed out Men and Brethren what shall we do So you see there was a disposition of heart in their first Conversion to be doing what God should command and teach them to be his will So we find God gives them power to submit as soon as his will was revealed for if not so we should lay an aspersion upon God that he should enter into a covenant with a Soul by way of engagement and yet neglect to make good his promise which is to put his Spirit in him and to cause him to walk in his waies And again further God gives to every believer the power of believing by virtue of which he is enabled to fetch virtue from Christ his head to strengthen him to duty and to resist sin therefore the Apostle thus reasons in the 2 Cor. 7.1 â— Dearly Beloved seeing you have these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and perfecting holiness in the fear of God Whence observe the Apostle takes for granted the soul having great and precious promises and faith to draw virtue from them should thereby oppose sin and perfect holiness in the fear of God For though it is true God works to will and to do of his good pleasure yet it is constantly and unfailingly his good pleasure thus to work more or less in a soul that is in him thus by faith And a believer by faith ought to look at himself in a capacity to draw Water out of those Wells of salvation for else what difference between a child of God and a wicked man the form of godliness and the power if a child of God must be forced to live in a course of disobedience to the solemn worship of God for want of power to obey And by the same rule we must take for granted that a child of God may be in a state of Grace and want power to resist sin and upon this ground plead excuse for drunkenness and covetousness and theft or uncleanness and say though he is a believer yet he wants power to resist and conquer these sins Beloved thus for any to plead would be very absurd and contrary to the truth and the nature of a Christian in a state of grace And further observe the deceit lying in this objection Hath not God given thy soul power to hear the word of God and to read and to meditate and to pray and that some times earnestly and fervently to God and is it likely that there wants power to perform obedience to this Ordinance of baptism any more than thou doest perform prayer or other duties which require the same spiritual power upon due examination what enabling power is required in the one more than in the other Again consider thou dost in this walk by sense and not by faith contrary to the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. who saith We walk by faith not by sight it is a very childish thing in a Christian to walk by sense only when he feels strength and power sensibly then he thinks himself able to perform duty and resist sin but when he feels not ability and power then to neglect it Whereas contrary to this Christ saith to Paul in the 2 Cor. 12. My power shall be made perfect in your weakness my grace shall be sufficient for you and as after Paul expresseth himself When I am weak then am I strong When Paul was made most sensible of his own weakness in himself then was the time for Paul to be made most strong by Faith in the strength of another Therefore in Isaiah 45.24 In thee Lord have I righteousness and strength In him shall they boast And the Psalmist saith in Psalm 73 â—4 Though my heart fail and flesh fail yet God will never fail he is the strength of my life and my portion for ever So that when in a mans own sense his heart fails his flesh fails then is the only time for God strength to appear in his weakness this is the way of living by faith and the way which Gods believing children have been carryed therefore we find Jonah when in his own sense he was cast out of Gods sight then he resolved to look towards Gods holy Temple and cryed to God out of the belly of Hell as in Jonah 2. therefore surely this objection hath no weight in it Object But some other soul may say I grant the practice of baptism to be an Ordinance of God and the way of such Churches that walk under the baptism of believers to be that only justifiable practice in the Gospel and could willingly walk with them and be baptized were it not for their rigidness in that they will have no Communion with any though godly that are not baptized Answ To this I answer by way of distinction between Church-union and Communion and personal Union and Communion Now if we find a soul not baptized nor joined to any Church and happily ignorant of baptism yet if I have ground in my own heart to judge that soul to be godly and not an enemy to the truth and Gospel of Christ but a soul willing to hear and learn what truth God shall further reveal unto him and so having ground to judge such a soul to have union and personal communion with the Lord in such a case I ought to immitate the Lord in owning a Communion with such a Christian in
When Paul had received the holy Ghost Annanias saith And now Paul why tarriest thou Arise and be baptized for the washing away of thy sins calling upon the name of the Lord. Observe that Annanias had an immediate extraordinary commission from Christ by vision to come with the message to Paul and Christ in a vision bids Paul go to Annanias and he should tell him what he should do and Annanias according to that Commission of Christ upon his being filled with the holy Ghost commands him to be baptized And this agrees with the Covenant of grace in Ezekiel 36.27 where the Lord saith I will put my Spirit in them and cause them to walk in my way and Ezek. 11.19 I will give them one heart and will put my Spirit within them and will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh that they may walk in my Statutes and keep mine Ordinances to do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God Where you may see that God is so far from giving his Spirit to the end that souls should plead thereby freedom from the practice of those commanded Ordinances of Christ that on the contrary it is the end why God gives his Spirit to enable and to cause them to walk in his way and in his Ordinances and in particular baptism And observe the Apostles have not left us a bare example only that they did baptize after that Christ powred out the Holy Ghost and that by the authority received from heaven but doth command it as you have heard to all that repent and believe and to all that receive the holy Ghost to submit to it But again the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire that John foretold of it is clear was extraordinarily given upon an especial ground and reason fulfilled in Act. 2. The Holy Ghost falling down in fiery Cloven tongues in the sight and view of the bodily eyes which was that outward sign and that clear light and fervent zeal and love they had in uttering the wonderful things of God in variety of strange tongues was the inward thing signified So that herein the baptism of the Holy Ghost was an outward sign and an inward thing signified but there is now no man in the world hath this baptism only it is true that the Spirit in the saving gifts of faith repentance and the like is held to be essential to the Ordinance of Baptism of water and must be joined together with it without which it cannot be said to be an Ordinance of God there must be the inward grace as well as the outward sign This Baptism that the Apostle according to Christs Commission hath left a standing Command for cannot be Johns baptism his holding forth Christ to come baptizing them in that doctrine But in this we baptize persons in Christ already come and fully exhibited And though it may be objected that the Apostles practiced some things that were abolished as the circumcising of Timothy and the like We also say that as they practised it among the Jews so the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles saith if they be circumcised Christ should profit them nothing but they were faln from grace and we never find that circumcision was practised among the Gentiles that were void of all Religion before they taught them It is evident in the new Tastament that Circumcision is abolished as part of the Mosaical Covenant and yoke of bondage Gal. 5.1 2 3. but the case in baptism is clean otherwise Whereas you hear the Apostle did press Cornelius his family to be baptized who was a Gentile never acquainted with Johns baptism nor wedded to such a doctrine as that whereby we should think that Peter did baptize them to condiscend to that error or weakness in their minds Again he doth not only simply baptize them as a Liberty that might be done or not done but commands them to be baptized and so doth as you heard before he did in Acts 2. and it cannot be said that the Apostles commanded any duty to be done with a promise of blessing to the right performance of the same after the Holy Ghost came down upon them but it must needs be a solemn standing Ordinance of God that every soul upon pain of the guilt and rebellion against Christ his head and King ought to be subject unto But this of Baptism hath as aforesaid many standing Laws left in holy Record speaking to all that believe and repent promising remission of sins and salvation to the right performance of the same which proves it to be a standing Ordinance of the new Testament And truly with the same reason Souls may affirm that Christ ceaseth to be a Mediator as to hold the Law of dipping believers ceaseth so much and no less is affirmed by the Soul that saith the Ordinance of baptism is an expired Ordinance he may as well say Christ is expired and abolished as a a fleshly form as some have had the confidence to say For as in the time of Moses Ministration till there was a change of the Priesthood there could not be a change of the Law no more now except there be another Christ and Saviour come or another Priesthood instead of this Priest and Minister of the New Testament assure your selves there can be no change of this Law as in Heb. 7.12 18. Therefore such as pretend to profess Christ to be their Saviour that came of the seed of David and the same persons deny and slight this fundamental Ordinance of Baptism they do therein testify that they reject Christ in their heart as abolished and have got some pretended fancy-Christ instead of him It is utterly inconsistent with the Faith of the Gospel and with true Religion to hold baptism and the Supper two solemn Ordinances and Symboles of the new Covenant to be abolished for in Ephes 4. the Apostle pressing there a visible Church-union layes down the main things wherein that union consists called saith he by one hope of their calling one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptism this one Baptism cannot be meant the Spirit because the Spirit is mentioned distinct but baptism here must needs be meant that standing solemn Ordinance of God commanded to every one that believes Now the Apostle pressing here a Church Union doth mention these particulars that are essential to a visi lâ— Church-union without which they could not walk together if not in these things agreed and where a people in all these particulars are one no other thing coming should make a breach of their union Object But some other souls will object and say That Believers baptism is an Ordinance of God and he thinks they do well that are drawn out to practise it by a power from God But saith the soul I want a divine power upon my heart drawing me out to the practice of the same and that is the let and hinderance in me Answ This objection
THE Doctrine of Baptism And the Distinction of the COVENANTS OR A Plain Treatise wherein the four Essentials of BAPTISM Viz. 1. Who is a Lawfull Minister thereof 2. What is the true Form thereof 3. Into whose name it is to be administred 4. Who is a fit Subject thereof Are diligently handled As also the business of the two Covenants wherein is proved that the Covenant of life is not made to the seed of Believers as coming out of their Loins and therefore that the baptism of Infants is drawn from thence by a false Consequence By THOMAS PATIENT a Laborer in the Church of Christ at DUBLIN Acts 22 16. And now why tarriest thou Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling one the name of the Lord. Ephes 2.12 Being aliens from the Common wealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenants of promise John 3.5.6 Jesus answered verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God For that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit London Printed by Henry Hills and are to be sold at his house at Sir John Old Castles in Py-corner 1654. The Epistle to the Christian Reader to whom the Author wisheth all grace and peace from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. THere being but a small moment of time from the Lord alotted to men in this life to run that Christian race set before them And considering what Christ saith That whilest it is day we ought to work for the night commeth when no man can work And further considering that Christ Jesus is gone to fetch a Kingdom and to return having left his Servants several Talents to be accounted for at his comming when every mans reward or punishment shall be according to his works which ought to provoke and stir up every Christian to a consciencious and carefull improvement of his strength for Gods glory and the service of his generation in this pilgrimage These among many other motives prevailed with me to present this Treatise to thy view being also pressed thereunto by many of Gods People formerly in England and of late in Ireland who have heard me upon the same Subject deliver the substance of what is herein conteined both in England and in Ireland Beloved Reader I know the World is filled with many Books stuffed with very much of mans wisdome which though the Apostle saith is enmity against God yet we find such discourses most pleasing to the carnal hearts of men in our age Therefore if that be the thing that thy itching ears do thirst after thou maiest spare thy self that labour for thou wilt finde that with as much simplicity and plainness as possibly I could I have herein given out by clear Scripture-evidence what the Lord hath made known to me For the clearing of this weighty point which God by his mighty power hath subjected my heart to believe the which formerly by reason of my ignorance and error I was much averse unto For after it pleased God to reveal his Son in me and to work a change in my heart the great and weighty thing that God presented to me was to make my calling and election sure which I found to be a work filled with many difficulties considering how far Hypocrites might attain in the profession of godliness and that they might come to have the counterfeit of all the Grace in the Child of God And this the rather appeared more difficult because I found my own heart so desperately wicked and full of deceit as Jerem. 17.9 and also found the wiles and subtilties of the Devil to be various and I constantly under several temptations and deep desertions when God though for a little season withdrew himself and the light of his countenance from me At which time I judged it my onely thing necessary to prove whether CHRIST were in me and my faith right as also my sincerity to the Lord. At which time I found but little settled rest or peace till the Lord had put that great question out of doubt in giving me a sure and well grounded confidence of my interest in him till which time I found little disposition to search narrowly into other truths which I then thought to be too remote for me to exercise my self in having received so much spiritual benefit in communing with God and mine own heart and searching out the difference betwixt the speaking of Gods Spirit my own spirit and the spitit of Satan But when I came to some good measure of settlement in my confident and well grounded hopes that I was the Lords then presently was I tempted touching the main and material fundamental points in Religion Which temptations as they were a great cause of trouble and restlesness in my soul so they occasioned me with great eagerness night and day in use of the best means God presented to me to seek satisfaction in the same at which time the Lord did carry on my soul with much vehemency after him so with much unweariedness For usually as one case and weighty question was answered to my satisfaction and comfort another was stated in my soul too hard for me in which experiences I for many years was exercised with all in which time I was ignorant of the true way which Christ would have his people to walk in But presently being convinced of the unwarrantableness of the Government of the Lordly Prelates and the Liturgy in the Church of England and the mixed Communions in the Parish Assemblies I was resolved God willing to examine all Religion as well in worship and the order of Gods house as I had done in other points But I at this time being by the divine power of God converted from the Church of England though with a great deal of difficulty being well furnished with arguments from Pulpit and Print and divers able Disputants for the defence of that false way but God breaking in by the power of his Spirit with clear Scripture-light subjected my heart to the obedience of the truth so that I found my heart closing with those truths in the love thereof At this time many godly Christians going to New England and being come up in my judgment to the way of New England in Faith and order went over thither being not convinced of my error and great darkness in sprinkling the carnal seed of Believers But verily I thought I had good warrant for that practise having then in substance the same grounds for the defence thereof that generally to this day is urged for the same Yet having in my heart so clear a light discovering how shamefully in many things I had been deluded and that by those which I could not but have charity to think were the Lords own Servants and finding the danger of receiving truths by Tradition was resolved to examine that point of Baptism And so I
constantly resorted to the meetings of the people in New England desiring to have good satisfaction in them and their doctrine and practice before I joined in Communion In order thereunto I constantly attended the preaching of the word where hearing many often preaching for baptizing of children of believing parents I began to examine the grounds thereof and the weight of their arguments and genuine scope and drift of the Scriptures alleged by them to prove that point and finding that the Scriptures 〈◊〉 generally 〈…〉 contrary to 〈…〉 and proper driâ—â—â—â—â—â—cope Also finding 〈…〉 thâ—sâ—â—â—â—tion Argument by 〈…〉 â—o exceeding contrary to several 〈◊〉 of Râ—â—igioâ— which both theâ— and I did believâ— These things being hinted into 〈◊〉 soul I wâ—â— resolved to examine the 〈◊〉 I 〈◊〉 formerly 〈◊〉 great profit 〈…〉 several other â—â—nts of Reliâ—â—â— Bâ—◠〈◊〉 this Resolution temptations came in 〈◊〉 my 〈◊〉 that I was but weak â—â—nd 〈◊〉 caâ—â— it were not a 〈◊〉 did I think 〈◊〉 â—any â—â—â—nent 〈◊〉 for Religion Piety Gifts and 〈◊〉 should not discover 〈◊〉 sooner 〈◊〉 I therefore it 〈◊〉 purpose 〈◊〉 â—â—me to trouâ—â—â— my self 〈◊〉 whiâ—â— I had this answer in 〈◊〉 soul that I had been too â—â—ng mislead already o◠〈◊〉 grouâ—◠〈…〉 and 〈…〉 〈…〉 â—n th◠〈…〉 cam◠〈…〉 peopâ—◠〈…〉 Not â—it 〈…〉 th◠〈…〉 choice 〈…〉 â—â—ching their flocks by Night In the first place this eminent truth was delivered and revealed to them when all the learned and eminent men in Israel had no knowledge thereof And finding the poor Theef on the Cross to have a sounder Judgement than the General Synod or Council of Learned Men at Jerusalem and also the Speech of Christ to this purpose in Matthew 11.25 where Christ thanks his Father for hiding these things from the wise and prudent and revealing them to Babes and sucklings out of his good pleasure the spirit being like the wind which bloweth when and where it listeth And also finding some of Christs Disciples bearing testimony of Christ in Luke 19.38 39 40. The Pharisees desired Christ to rebuke them But Christ answered and said I tell you if these should hold their peace the stones woulâ— immediately â—â—y out Where I observed Christ to descâ—â—â— and not to ascend he doth not say â—f his simple and weak discipâ—â— should neglect â—â—eir testimony th◠〈◊〉 Pharisees would cry out but if his disciples neglect the stones should which manifests that God loves to choose the most simple and foolish things to reveal his will by And then again I found God had not so much ingaged by promise to reveal himself to men considered of such outward and excellent parts but in Psalm 25.14 The Secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant And Christ saith in John 15.15 You are my Friends if you do whatsoever I command you henceforth I call you not Servants for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you Friends for all things that I have heard of the Father I have made knoâ—â— you And David saith Thou hast made me wiser than my teachers because I have kept thy Commandments Where the Lord promises tâ—aching principally to such as fear him and conscienciously keep his Commandments guiding them in Judgement and in the way that he should choose Notwithstanding I found further Objections in my heart that though it was not men of parts and outward Learning but babâ— and sucâ—â—ings having their hearts bowed to obediâ—â—â— and to the holy fear of God That God would teach yet I was sensible of so much evil in my heart that I questioned whether I might not be mislead upon which I was put upon humble and fervent prayers to the Lord to guide and teach me and to reveal his mind to me having again resolutions to seek the mind of God in this truth and great incouragements to believe that God would satisfy me and the rather from my former experience of his goodness having satisfyed me in many weighty points that I was every way as much unsettled in Upon which this Temptation came in afresh upon me what need I trouble my self in a point so Disputable for if by my search and tryall in that matter I should come to see grounds swaying in conscience against childrens baptism that then I should be generally dispised and slighted of all the godly in that Countrie and not only be frustrated of Communion and Fellowship with them but must expâ—â—â— to suffer imprisonment confiscation of goods it banishment at least which would be my ruin not knowing where to go but in the woods amongst Iulians and wild beasts Under this Temptation I had a sore conflict my evil and treacherous heart resisting the blessed motions of the Spirit of God but considering that the ground of these discouraging arguments did arise from the flesh and the Devil as Peter when he said Pity thy self Master this thing shall not be to thee My Resolution was as Christ saith Get thee behind me Satan thou savourest not the things of God Which put me in no small agony or conflict for some good space together but it pleased the Lord to set that Scripture home upon my heart Buy the truth and sell it not buy the truth at any rate but sell it at no rate if truth cost me my life I must buy it though I might have all the favour and friendship in the world I must not sell it this wrought in mâ— a grounded and settled resolution that I would seek after the mind of God as well in suffering truths as other because Christ saith He that keeps the word of my patience I will keep him in the hour of Temptation apprehending that to be the words of Christs patience he embracing and practizing whereof would bring the crosse that is contempt and hatred from all sorts of men I found Christ said for this cause he was born and came into the World to bear witness to the truth these things satisfyed me and that from the Lord that I ought to make diligent search what his mind was in this point Hereupon I found the special presence of God with me carrying out my heart to the Lord by Faith and earnest Prayer to be instructed and guided all which time I was not acquainted with any that opposed Christening children and conversed onely with such as were for that practice Finding my carnal part to desire satisfaction in Infant-baptism but the more I conferred with or heard any preach for it the more was I convinced of the folly and ignorance of that judgment and practice having heard one man preach fifteen Sermons upon this subject urging that in substance which many considerable Authors had wrote I also searched many Authors who wrote thereof night and day with much attention weighing and examining the grounds they urged many times breaking my sleep by watching in the night season at the last it pleased the Lord to reveal his mind to me so that
over into the River or water to hold forth That now he must resolve to take up the Cross of Christ and suffer and not only so but this being raised and delivered out of the water again by the hands of the Minister doth hold forth that so shall such believing souls be saved and delivered from all their afflictions as in Psal 34.17 Many are the Afflictions of the righteous but God shall deliver them out of all And that this doth sign or signify our salvation appears in 1 Pet. 3.21 the like figure wherunto Baptism doth now save us and Mark 16.16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved So that Baptism is to sign and confirm signally our Sufferings and Afflictions with Christ so Salvation or Deliverance from them all the one in dipping and plunging him in Water the other in Raising him out again Into whose name Baptism is administred The third thing that is essential in this Ordinance of Baptism which I shall speak to will be what is meant by name of Father Son and Holy Ghost The Command is That the Mininister must dip them into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost the which the Lord Jesus commanding must be therefore essential to this Ordinance I shall therefore endeavour to shew you what is meant by name here That by which Father Son and Spirit are made known as a man is by his Name that is hereto be understood by the name Father Son and Holy Ghost we know the Gospel doth hold forth one God yet distinquished into Father Son and Holy Ghost the name here is to be understood that Gospel that doth so set forth God and describe him as the Subject Matter of our Faith Acts 9.15 But the Lord said unto Ananias Go thy way for he is a chosen Vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and Children of Israel for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my names sake Now Name in this place and in the Commission is to be understood that heavenly mystery of the Gospel in which God is discovered and made known as a man by his name One part of the Gospel mystery consists of a Discovery of the name of the Father by which he is distinquishably made known from the Son and Spirit and that in these particulars First In ordaining the Son 1 Pet. 1.18 in choosing and electing the Son Isaiah 28.16 with 1 Pet. 2.5 in sending the Son Gal. 4.4 John 3.16 17 in sealing the Son John 6.27 in promising the Son Isaiah 9.6 in bruising the Son and putting him to grief Isaiah 53. and laying all our iniquities upon the Son and to justify and freely accept such as believe in the Son This I understand is the Name of the Father And by the Sons Name is to be understood that by which he makes known himself to the Sons and Daughters of men as to take Flesh Heb. 2.14 Rom. 9.5 1.3 He kept the Law in order to dy As that just one or as a Lamb without spot and his making his Soul an offering for sin as a perfect offering for the sins and transgressions of his people Heb. 10.12 14. Isa 53. and that he did not only dy for our Sins but rose again for our Justification Rom. 4.25 and ascended into Heaven and makes intercession for us Heb. 2.25 And pours down the Spirit and gives gifts unto men Zach. 12.10 Ephes 4.10 11 12. all this the Son makes himself known by as by a name distinguishably from the Father and the Spirit And in the last place the Spirit is made known in the Gospel as that which in the first place convinceth the world of sin John 16.8 and pricks men in their hearts with a sense of sin and the wrath of God due for sin Acts 2.37 29. And the work of the Spirit by which that is made known Is the revealing of the Father and the Son and those great Mysteries unto the soul of a poor convicted Sinner for as Christ saith the Spirit of God shall lead you into all truth it shall take of mine and shew it to you John 16. and so no man doth understand the things of a man but the Spirit of a man that is within him So none shall or can understand the things of God but by the Spirit of God for the Spirit of God searcheth out all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.9 10. The Spirit doth not only discover mans misery and his lost estate by reason of sin but discovers a remedy which lies in the great love of God in Christ as before mentioned and worketh in the heart true faith and repentance disposing the heart to obedience This is the proper work or office of the Spirit by which he is distinguishably known from the Father and the Son And now when the Soul shall come to the Preacher and make known to him that the Spirit hath experimentally made known unto him his lost and damnable estate by sin and that he same Spirit hath discovered unto him the great love of God the Father in the gift of Christ to be a propitiation for sin as one dying for the chief of Sinners and that the Spirit of God hath made known all this to him and hath wrought faith in his heart to believe it and hath changed his heart from a Course of sin to renewed obedience for no soul can declare to a Minister the true work of Conversion but he must in so doing discover his knowledge of the work of the Father Son and Spirit and into this doth the Minister baptize him as in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And thus much for these three particulars In the fourth place The subâ—ect of Baptism we shall now come to the Subject that must be baptized and that as you have heard is one that is taught Teach all Nations baptizing them and as my Text saith Repent and be baptized every one of you which doth hold forth the person baptized to be a taught and repentant person But seeing the main thing in question hath alwaies seemed to be the Subject of Baptism who it is that is to be baptized this I shall therefore most insist upon wherein I shall endeavour to make plain to you first as I say that he is to be a believer a penitent person as appears Mark 16.16 Go preach the Gospel to every Creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved where observe That believing the Gospel is to go before baptizing and Matthew 28.19 Teach all Nations Faith and Repentance go before baptism baptizing or dipping them What them them that are taught or made Disciples by teaching and in my Text you find that Peter after Christ had poured down the Spirit upon them doth by that authority received from heaven when he had converted those Jews command every one of them to be baptized or dipped Repent and be baptized
unbelieving Jews the true fleshly seed of Abraham that the Apostle Paul affirms the contrary Acts 19.9 But when divers were hardened and believed not but spake evil of that way before the multitude he departed from them and Acts 13.45 46. But when the Jews saw the multitude they were filled with envy and spake against those things that were spoken by Paul contradicting and blaspheming then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life Lo we turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us and v 50. the Iews stirred up the devout and honorable women and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas but they shook off the dust of their feet against them and therefore Paul is plain in Rom. 11. saying That God had a certain number that were of the eternal election among the Iews those obtained right to the remission of sins and the rest were blinded and hardened but it should seem to be the general understanding of those that urge this Text for a covenant in the flesh That if they were the seed of the Jews though they were not called nor did not believe but were hardned in their continuance in unbelief yet this promise of remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost belongs to them and this interpretation that this Text must have to defend a covenant in the flesh which I leave to any intelligent man to consider how greatly erroneous it is to affirm that the promise of the remission of sins belongs to the unbelieving and hardened children of the Iews that God hath nor nor doth call So that you may clearly see that the truth lyes in this text that the promise is to no more of Fathers nor children nor those afar off but such as God by his especial grace doth call to be the Sons of of God by faith An answer to that text 1 Cor. 7.14 Another Scripture made use of or rather abused and wrested to defend this error is 1 Cor. 7.14 The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctifyed by the believing husband else were your children unclean but now are they holy whence is gathered by those of that opinion that this holiness is as they call it a federal holiness of a covenant holiness that is to say God having taken the believing parent with the child into covenant with himself the child is in this sense holy that is covenant-holy Now for the better understanding this Text I pray consider how and in what sense God takes persons into Covenant with himself and that as you have heard is two waies either he takes souls to himself in a typical covenant so he took Israel to himself in that covenant and in that sense they may be said to be separated from the rest of the World which separation of them from the rest of the World to himself is a holiness that the carnal Iew was only partaker of such a typical and legal holiness that people being separated from all other nations in the world to God in this covenant now the word holy signifies so much as separating or setting apart and in this sense the Vessels of the Temple were holy as also the Priests being by Law set apart from the rest of Israel to offer the bread of their God Now in the 2d. place there is also a new covenant or a covenant of life that God takes a people to himself which is to write his Law in their hearts in their minds to sanctify thē to justify them Now this internal holiness which God as an effect of that Covenant infuseth into the heart is only this new Covenant-holiness for there is no other holiness that relates to the new Covenant when the heart and the inward man shall be purified through faith And when the whole heart and affections are by the powerful work of Gods grace separated from sin and those vanities below to heaven and heavenly things this is the only holiness that the covenant of eternal life conveys to souls The Hypocrite may have this in appearance but the elect and chosen have this only in truth he puts no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith and he hath by one offering for ever perfected them that are sanctified Heb. 10. this sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth goes alwaies together 2 Thes 2.13 Therefore it is impossible that this should be the meaning of the Text that all believers carnal seed are in a covenant of eternal life and so have their hearts purified and sanctified through the work of the Spirit and faith before they are born and in this sense are born holy I know no other sanctification the Scripture speaks of belonging to a covenant of grace and eternal life and for that external or typical holyness in an outward covenant it cannot be because that was abolished through Christs death as appears in Heb. 8.9 chapters therefore far be it from the Apostle to intend here the countenancing of any such erronious opinion as that every believers Child was by virtue of his first birth internally holy with that holiness of truth as the Apostle calls it Ephes 4.24 If you please therefore hearken to the true meaning of this text which is to this effect The Corinthians having sent several doubts and questions to the Apostle to resolve and answer as appears in the first verse of this chapter he answereth them particularly and it seems among the rest they had a Jewish question started grounded as we suppose upon Ezra 9. Deut. 7.2 where you find it was unlawful for a Jew to marry with a stranger therefore Ezra caused all those men that had taken them strange wives to put them away as not lawfully married because contrary and against the Law given to them therefore they were to put them away and the children born of them as illegitimate and unclean in an unlawful fellowship These Corinthians it seems did propound in writing to the Apostle this question whether such of them as had unbelieving husbands and wives yet reimaining in idolatry might lawfully abide with them in that fellowship in the marriage-bed and whether that fellowship were not unclean and unlawfull as in Ezra's time Unto this question the Apostle answers verse 12. To the rest speak I not the Lord. If any Brother hath a Wife that believeth not and she be pleased to dwell with thim let him not put her away and the woman which hath a husband which believeth not and if he be pleased to dwell with her let her not leave him But also might they say why is not our marriage fellowship unclean Therefore in ver 14. saith he The unbelieving wife is sanctifyed as the Geneva Translation hath it to the believing Husband or else were your children