infatuated and had no ears to hear his plain word They of this opinion do defend the contrary to what purpose should any man seek the conversion of any of Believers children whether formerly of the nation of the Jews or now the nations of the believing Gentiles seeing they are born heirs of a covenant of eternal life and so are in as good a state without conversion and believing and being born again as any other soul by believing and by new birth can be brought into This doctrine tends to justify the Rebellious Jews against John Baptist and against Christ the Sadduces and Pharisees came to Johns Baptism Matthew 3. Saith John O ye Generation of Vipers who hath forwarned you to fly from the wrath to come bring for 〈◊〉 fruits meet for repentance and think not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our Father John you see would have this people to be converted to intitle them to this covenant of Grace and so to baptism which is an Ordinance of the same covenant and not so much as think so erroneously as if being children to Abraham according to the flesh should intitle them to the same therefore saith he think not within your selves we have Abraham to our Father and we are his children according to the flesh and therefore we need not a work of conversion or true Repentance to intitle us to the privileges of the covenant such as was baptism And also in John 8.31 and forwards saith Christ unto some Jews unto whom he spake If you abide in my words then are you my Disciples indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free and then you shall be free indeed They answered him We be Abrahams children and never were in bondage to any How sayest thou then We shall be made free Where you may observe these wicked obstinate Jews were of the same opinion that they were in a state of happiness good enough by generation by being Abrahams seed according to the flesh Jesus answereth Who so committeth sin is the servant of sin and the Servant abideth not in the house for ever We find Christ afterwards tells these Sons of Abraham that they were so far from being the adopted sons of God in a covenant of life that they were of their Father the Devil and these same persons Christ speaks to in verse the 24. telling them Except they believed Christ was he they should dy in their sins Christ was far from this opinion as to think that covenant of Circumcision to be a covenant of life but he doth throughly reprehend them for this groundless confidence which error was the main obstacle that hindered the Jews from faith and repentance because they thought it intituled them to happiness enough to be of the stock of Abraham and to be born heirs of the covenant of Circumcision This very rotten opinion was to them one of the Devils sleights to lull them asleep in a carnal and unconverted condition they thought that needed not which thought of theirs had been true enough provided all the children of Abraham had by generation interest in the covenant of life which other men could have no interest in without regeneration But Christ you see presseth a necessity of conversion to these children of Abraham that at the present were as fully interessed in the covenant of Circumcision as Abraham himself even to Nicodemus which was a Ruler of the Jews Christ presseth a necessity thereof to him and also labours by a parable in Luke 16. to convince those sottish Jews that one might be the seed of Abraham according to the flesh and yet be irrecoverably damned and therefore he brings in the rich man in Hell speaking thus Father Abraham I pray thee send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue And Abraham is brought in owning him to be his Son speaking thus My Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things Where you may observe That the man in Hell irrecoverably damned owns Abraham to be his Father and Abraham also doth acknowledge him to be his Son My Son saith Abraham where you clearly see man may be a Son of Abraham and yet damned thou hadst thy good things in this life but Lazarus his evil things Ezekiel 18.9 10. where a just man is presupposed to beget a son that is a Robber and a Shedder of blood and that goes out in all manner of wickedness and that in Israel Wherein observe Abraham owns no other privilege belonged to the rich man by virtue of being the Son of Abraham but what was in this life or in this world Hell was his best portion in the world to come which if he had been born heir to the covenant of life how then could Abrahams affirmation have been true Beloved Let all ingenuous Spirits that are not willing to walk blind-fold consider how contrary to the whole tenor of the Gospel this opinion is and how destructive to this fundamental principle of the Gospel the necessity of Christ of Regeneration and destroys all sense of the necessity of conversion and helps to harden men to destruction as it did the blind Jews who as it appears were fully blinded in the receipt of that opinion that being Abrahams seed according to the flesh interessed them in happiness and eternal life Fourthly This opinion destroys the doctrine of the new covenant and the nature of it and the manner of Gods making of it with the soul for to make a new covenant with the soul is to write the Law of God in a mans heart and in his mind and to infuse saving knowledge and faith by which God unites the soul to himself and so pardons all his sins and without any condition considered in the creature binds over himself to be their God freely in Christ and binds over himself to own them to be his people And only thus and no otherwise is God said to make his new covenant with a poor soul Whereas this dream would seem to bear you in hand that a whole nation may be in a new covenant and have it made with them and yet have none of all this work wrought in their hearts Fifthly This opinion destroys the doctrine of Justification by faith in Christ only seeing that it doth hold out another way than by faith to come to Justification which is by carnal birth of beleeving parents for if a soul be admitted into a Covenant of life I hope you are not ignorant that Justification is a great privilege in the new covenant and really the portion of all that are in that covenant Sixthly This opinion destroys the Doctrine and foundation of all Gospel Churches where it is held which will appear by two things First It destroys the matter of the Church you know that this is a fundamental truth that the matter of the Church ought now under the Gospel to be Saints by calling 1 Cor. 1.2 Spiritual
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
I was enlightened in my understanding to see answers to whatsoever I had heard the Lord breaking in with not onely a clear light in me as to the matter in question but three daies one after another coming into my soul with sealing manifestations of his Love and that with such Scriptures so pertinent and sutable to my condition There being a Warrant at this time issued out to apprehend and bring me before the General Court in New England which was no trouble to me being filled with unspeakable joy as I walked up and down in the Woods in that Wilderness about my businesse and this discovery from God did much settle me in that truth which in substance thou wilt find in this Treatise Upon which God wrought in me a true Repentance and sorrow of heart that I had so long both in opinion and practice gone in so sinfull a way as I found that to be I have not in this Treatise gone about to undertake a confutation of any one man but upon my long experience in this Subject matter have taken up the main Argument which is the foundation that all the rest are grounded upon and have bent my understanding in answer to that which being overthrown all other Arguments fall with it Christian Reader I judge the clear evidence of Scripture light which I do hear give out to confirm the Dipping Believers will be sufficient to reprove all that darkness generally asserted in many large Discourses about this point of christening of children But further That which I have had much in observation hath been a great deal of malice and contempt discovered from the devil against this truth First In that the Devil did by his subtilties and fair pretences in the first apostacy sow this error in the minds of people that this Ordinance was of use to regenerate and convey grace and then who should be thought unfit to receive it it had been a great unmercifulnesse to let children or any be without the same Thus that subtle enemy the Devil destroys Gods Ordinances and sets up another of his own in the room thereof which still remains upon the Papists and generally all our carnal Protestants both Preists and people concluding the dangerous estate of that child that dies unbaptized therfore Midwives on this ground were tolerated to baptize if a child were like to dy putting such a value theron as if it had conveyed grace But many good men have renounced this though the devil hath shewed his malice in blinding them still to practice the same evil though upon another ground lately found out and that is the subject this book opposeth Others see the darkness and error of Christening carnal children upon any ground but the Devil shewes his rage against that Ordinance in them that rather than they will imbrace it as from the Lord contradict and oppose the same saying There is no Ordinance or Church to be found in the world His malice also appears in such as boast of their being above Ordinances saying That Christ and Ordinances are at end that dispensation being for that time or age but now they have Christ in Spirit the substance being come the shadows vanish Thus the Devil strangely appears like himself as if he had forgot his language in the Papist and carnal Protestant that this Ordinance regenerated in the very work done and that the salvation or damnation depended upon it when now in others what is washing or dipping in a little water but a low or legal thing So that if the Devils delusions and inventions are not closed withal then Christs Ordinances are vilified and contemned And further Satan manifests his malice in throwing contempt upon the obedient and upright practisers of the same to raise prejudices from a story of what strange Creatures were of that opinion at Munster in Germany and stirs up others to pry into the dark side of the Saints I mean their personal frailties As the Egyptians in the Red Sea to their own destructions the Cloud was darkness to them but gave light to the Israelites Exo. 14.20 the Egyptians eys were only on the black or dark side of the Cloud therfore they stumbled and fell but the Israelites had the light part therof for their safety which is compared to the conversation of the Saints Heb. 12.1 where there is a light part their graces and virtues but their dark part is their failings which malice or prejudice will not suffer many men to see beyond For a man that hates his brother walks in darkness as John saith the tempter accused Job That he did not serve God for nought he was hedged about God had prefer'd him to honour and riches and place of authority in the world as appears in Job 29. which malice he now adaies manifesteth against the prosperity of his Saints desiring to stain their holy obedience with improbrious language of self seeking and preferment When the professors of this truth have been the persons ordinarily stoned and suffering the violence of the multitudes where they have not been protected by godly Magistrates Christian Friend do not read this book with a heart prejudiced against the same for the sake of the Instrument or plainess of the stile it was not intended to please men but in faithfulness to discharge a duty to God from whom I received what I have laid before thee And to answer the call of many Christians which have been for some years past neglected through my indisposedness to this work However if thou shalt by this my weak endeavour reap any satisfaction or edification in the truth let God the Author of every good and perfect gift have the praise which is only due to him and not to his Unworthy Servant THOMAS PATIENT A Table of the principal things contained in this Book THe occasion of the words in the text Act. 2.37 38. laid open pag. 1. The reasons why the holy Ghost descended in an extraordinary manner upon the Apostles p. 3. The contents of Peters Sermon to the Jews upon the descent of the Holy Ghost ib. The benefit of preaching the Gospel p. 4. What is the beginning of true Conversion ib. How they that begin to receive the saving light are affected both towards it and them that hold it forth ib. Obedience accompanieth true conversion ib. All called to repentance by the Gospel p. 5. Whoever believes and repents ought to be baptized ib. The Ordinance of baptism explained ib. The four essentials of baptism p. 6. Who a lawful Minister of baptism ib. The true form of baptism p. 8. Into whose name baptism is administred pag. 14. The subject of baptism p. 17. Faith and Repentance go before baptism ib. Believers should offer themselvs to be baptized p. 20. Lydia and her Houshold together converted p. 21. The Gaoler and his Houshold together converted ib. Stephanus and his Houshold together converted ib. The Ordinance of baptism long neglected and an idol set in its room p. 23. The
hear and lest they should not understand who he meant he tells them in the verse before my Text That it was that same Jesus which they had crucified that God had made Lord and Christ Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall we do The benefit of preaching the Gospel Whence observe from the text That preaching and hearing the Gospel preached is a special means to convert Souls as appears when Peter preached and cleerly held forth that he whom they had crucified and slain was now to be Lord and Judge and exalted to that Dignity by God the Father When they heard this they were pricked in their Hearts What is the beginning of true Conversion In the second place We may observe from hence that true conversion begins with a prick in the heart Thirdly They when wrought upon and pricked in their hearts said to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall we do How they that begin to receive the saving light are affected both towards it them that hold it forth Whence in the third place observe That it is the disposition of such that have the beginning of saving light to desire more and that from them whom God hath spoken to their Souls by Obedience accompanieth true conversion Fourthly That which they do earnestly enquire after is what shall we do which respects obedience they believing Christ to be a Lord as well as a Saviour know that he must be submitted to therefore said they What shall we do Whence we observe That a true converted soul is an obedient Soul In verse 38. the answer of Peter to them is in these words Repent and be baptized every one of you from whence we do observe further All called to Repentance by the Gospel that where the Gospel is preached all men are called to repent Lastly Whosoever believes and repents ought to be baptized That it is the duty of every man that believes and repents to be baptized Now this last observation of the text is that which I shall at present speak to for the satisfaction of such Souls that may at present be doubtfull of this truth and for the confirming such souls as do already believe it Now for the better and more clear speaking to this point in hand I shall explain what this Ordinance of Baptism is And that in four things The Ordinance of Baptism explained which will more cleerly appear if we examine the Commission that Christ gives his Disciples in Mat. 28.19 20. where we find v. 16. that the eleven Disciples were sent by Christ who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him v. 18. v. 19. Christ saith Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you From whence you may observe four things contained in this Commission essential to this Ordinance of Baptism Here is first the Ministery The four Essentials of Baptism secondly the Form thirdly the Name into which and fourthly the Subjects First The Ministers that must dispense this Ordinance and that is preaching Disciples and so in the 16. verse are the eleven denominated then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee and Jesus in verse 18. came and spake unto them saying All power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them Who a lawful Minister of Baptism Whence you may observe that the persons bid to go are Disciples enabled to teach the doctrine of the Gospel for the conversion of souls to faith and repentance for it is clear That they that are bid to teach are bid to baptize also so that from this Commission I gather that a disciple enabled to bring down God to a soul and to bring a soul again up to God is a lawful Minister of Baptism for that is the tenour of the New Covenant Heb. 8.10 I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people and I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Canticles c. 3. so that as God in Christ is to be opened and that in all the fundamental Doctrines of faith for mans salvation so is the souls conformity to God to be preached as the souls duty to God again so that where God hath furnished a Minister with abilities from himself to declare the Doctrine of Faith and Repentance to conversion and having converted that soul is furnished with the knowledge of God to teach to this soul all the fundamental Ordinances according to the Commission which saith Teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you It is without doubt that this is a justifiable Minister sent from the Lord according to the Commission But though a man should be able to preach the doctrine of Faith and that ably for the conversion of souls unto that faith yet being destitute of the true knowledge of the doctrine of Baptism and how it ought to be dispensed to be sure this man is not a justifiable Minister according to the Commission because he is ignorant of his Commission that when he hath converted souls to the faith neither knows how to discover to these men the fundamental Ordinances of God neither can discover to them the evil of those superstitious practices which they have been nursed up in by the Traditions of their Fathers Yet notwithstanding I dare not say but so far as they have a gift they are warranted to administer the same from the first of Peter 4 10. who saith Let every one as he hath received the gift Minister and so it was lawful for any Christian man in that sense to administer such gifts which God hath bestowed on them But sure it is That these that are utterly unacquainted how to dispense the Ordinance of Baptism were never sent of God to dispense it That instead of dipping do sprinkle and instead of the true subject A Beleever dispense it upon a carnal ignorant child and instead of doing it into the Name of Father Son and Holy-Ghost do sprinkle them at the naming of so many words only The true form of Baptism In the second place the true form of Baptism is commanded of the Lord Jesus by way of dipping and as it were by drowning overwhelming or burying in Water and not by sprinkling with water as appears many waies First In that although there be frequent mention made of that appointment of Christ in his last Will and Testament yet it is never expressed in the word that may be rendred Rantism or Sprinkling but by the word that is rendred Baptism or Dipping Secondly In that the word by which it is so frequently expressed doth in proper English signify to Dip to plunge under water and as it were to drown them so
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
verse to the 14. the covenant of Circumcision in the flesh the new covenant is expressed in the third verse where he saith As for me my covenant shall be with thee and thou shalt be a Father of many nations or of a multitude of nations and thy name shall be no more called Abram but Abraham for a Father of a multitude of nations have I made thee this is by the Apostle Paul in Rom. 4.17 18. held out to be the Covenant of life which he doth clearly hold distinct and different from the covenant of Circumcision in that place denying that Abraham or his spiritual seed had their justification in the covenant of Circumcision but bringing in this that Abraham should be a Father of many nations and so shall thy seed be as that in which Abraham and his spiritual seed whether of Jews or Gentiles were and should be justified And this promise or covenant is made with Abraham in Gen. 18.18 In thee shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed So long as Christ was according to the flesh in Abrahams loyns the promise runs thus In thee meaning that through Christ which then was in him should all nations of the earth be blessed But assoon as Isaac was come out of Abrahams loins as in Gen. 22.18 then saith he In thy seed shall all the nations of the Earth be blessed whereby seed most strictly is to be understood Christ as the Apostle Paul intimates in Gal. 3.16 where he expounds this word seed to be not seeds as of many but seed as of one which is Christ So this blessedness in the seed Christ is here expounded to be Gods confirming his Covenant in Christ and note that this blessedness which David holds out to be the Covenant confirmed of God in Christ it was not entailed upon the flesh of Abraham and his fleshly seed but made in Abraham as a Father of all the spiritual seed in all nations and confirmed in the seed Christ to all nations Here the Jews after the flesh have no more interest than any other nation except it be by faith for faith only unites to this seed and gives an in-being in the same This blessedness is expounded by David in Psalm 32. last ver To ly in remission of sins and purgation of the heart from guile and expounded by the Apostle in Acts 3. last ver To be a turning every one from his iniquities for so there Peter expounds this blessedness confirmed in Abraham and his seed And though Christ did fulfill this covenant to the Elect of the Jews yet the rest were hardned and were never in this sense blest either in the point of Justification or purgation from sin because they were never in Christ the true seed by faith nor never were thereby the spiritual seed of Abraham walking in the steps of his faith as all his spiritual seed did Rom. 4.12 and Gal. 3.29 If you be in Christ then are you Abrahams seed and heirs according to the promise Thus I have given you from clear light of Scripture that there were two covenants a covenant of Grace and a covenant of Works the covenant of Grace belonging to Abraham and his spiritual seed in Christ and all along from Adam to all the spiritual seed of the Woman that were born of promise as the Apostle describes the spiritual seed in Rom. 9.8 for he saith such are accounted the seed that are so born of promise And so at this day all nations both Jews and Gentiles that are born again they are the seed and children that only have an Interest in the promise of salvation And so much for this first head Circumcision proved to be no covenant of eternal Life but a typical and carnal covenant Now I come in the next place to prove that the covenant of Circumcision is no covenant of eternal life but a typical covenant yea a covenant of works which is also called by the Lord a Covenant in the flesh Gen. 17.13 and therefore to be sure no covenant of eternal life But for the better clearing of the truth of this I shall first expound some words in the covenant How the word Eve lasting is taken in the Law and that is the word Everlasting Covenant that word seems to some to hold it forth a covenant of life because it is said to be everlasting wheras the word everlasting used in this Covenant is to be understood only for the Ever of the Law for the time of the Jewish State as alwaies the word is to be understood when applyed to the Jews in their generation As for example In the 16. of Leviticus it is said the Priest should make an attonement for the holy Sanctuary an attonement for the Tabernacle of the Congregation and for the Altar and he shall make an attonement for the Priests and for all the people of the Congregation and this shall be an everlasting Statute to you to make an attonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year which everlasting here must needs be understood but till Christ came and so in Numb 25.13 He shall have it and his seed after him even the Covenant of an Everlasting Priesthood because he was zealous for his God and made an attonement for the Children of Israel speaking here only of a Ceremonial Priesthood typing out Jesus Christ the substance that was to put an end to it And so this covenant of Circumcision is to be understood as everlasting as Canaan and the possession thereof which was until Christs comming who was the substance thereof this being a Maxim That wheresoever the word Everlasting or Ever hath this joined with it to you or to your seed in their generations that then it is to be understood only for the Ever of the Law and the time and period of that Ministration till Christ come and no longer Exod. 40.15 Thou shalt annoint them as thou didst annoint their Fathers that they may minister unto me in the Priests office for their annointing shall surely be an everlasting Priesthood throughout their generations And so you have it in Exod. 30.20 21. Moses saying When they go into the Tabernacle of the Congregation they shall wash with water that they dy not and when they come near the altar to minister to burn offerings made by fire unto the Lord so they shall wash their hands and their feet that they dy not and it shall be a Statute for ever to them even to him and to his seed throughout their generations The next word that I would speak to is I will be to thee a God and to thy seed after thee which to some seems to hold forth a covenant of grace in that he gives himself as a God in this covenant To which I answer That God either gives and makes himself over in a covenant of works which is upon a condition of works done in the creature or else he gives himself in an absolute covenant of
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
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