the father of the sonne and of the Holy ghost the inward clensing of the sonle by the blood of Christ is represented This description of baptisme is to be opened and farther expounded vnto vs wherein fiue pointes are to be considered of vs. First it is called the first Sacrament both in respect of the other Sacrament of the Lords supper and because when the nations were conuerted to the saith and beleeued in the name of Christ they were immediatly baptized as we see the practise of the church Act. 2. 4. and Chap. 10. 47. and Ch 8 12. Where after embracing the faith we see the partaking of baptisme and the sealing vp of their conuersion Againe it is said there must be an outward washing of the body with water because the Apostle declareth therby the nature of a sacrament of baptism Eph 5. Calling it the washing of water through the Word and it hath a iust proportion or relation to the spirituall washing of our newe birth Tit. 3 5. being also called the baptisme of repentance and amendment of life for remission of sins Dipping into the water is not necessary to the being of a sacrament sprinkling of water is not necessary to the being of a Sacrament but wetting and washing with water is necessary to the being of a Sacrament Now whether the whole body should be washed or the face only and whether it should be done once or thrice is not greatly materiall but left indifferent to the church to decree and determine what shal be thought fittest to be receiued and practised Thirdly it is added in the former description that baptisme is once onely to be administred For as in naturall generation man is once onely borne so it is in spirituall regeneration And as circumcision was once only receiued in the flesh whereby the fore-skin was circumcised so is Baptisme once onely to be administred not oftentimes to be repeated Wherefore the Apostle Eph. 4. saith There is one baptisme one faith Againe Christ willed the Apostles to minister Baptisme not Baptismes Lastly in baptisme the death of Christ is represented and he died but once so that as his death was not to be repeated no more is baptisme to be reiterated Fourthly the forme and manner of doing is said to be Into the name of the father and of the sonne and of the Holy-ghost Wherby is ment that we haue fellowship with God in three persons as a wife hath with her husband who passeth into her husbands name to be subiect to him to obey him to acknowledge and call vpon him to worship no other god but the true Iehoua This therfore is not to be vnderstood onely of vsing the name of the Trinity in baptizing but by it also is ment that the persons baptized are receiued into the grace and fellowship of God to become his people and to be pertakers of his couenant to their spirituall comfort Lastly in the description before remembred it is affirmed that the outward washing of the body Representeth the inward clensing of the soule by the blood of Iesus Christ. This appeareth expresly Gal. 3. All that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ. And Titus 3. 5. 6. According to his mercy he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy-ghost which he shed on vs aboundaintly through Iesus Christ our sauiour So also the same Apostle We are 〈◊〉 with him by baptisme into his death These testimonies out of the word of truth do euidently teach that this is the principall scope and end of Baptisme to assure our consciences by externall washing of the inward clensing of our soules by the blood of Christ for remission of sins This being the discription of baptisme let vs see what good vses may be made therof and euery part in order as they haue beene laid before vs. And first touching the first point mentioned before in the description that Baptisme is the first Sacrament This teacheth that such as are gained to the faith children of such as are in the profession are immediately to he baptized So was the Eunuch when he was instructed so was Paule when he was conuerted so were the Iewes when they repented And indeede this is a true saying that men cannot be incorporate into any religion whether it be true or false vnlesse they be combined together by some communion and fellowship of visible Sacraments Again Is baptisme the first Sacrament of the new Testament Then it followeth that he which is not baptized is not to be admitted to the Lords table he that hath not receiued the first Sacrament is not to bee made partaker of the second As in the old testament circumcision was the Sacrament of entrance and admission and none was admitted to eate the Passouer but such as wer circumcised as we see Exod. so none hath this right and priuiledge to come to the supper of the Lord vnlesse first they be entred and the doore opened to them by baptisme For a man must be knowne to belong to our family and houshold before he presume to eat of the childrens bread that belongeth not to strangers Touching the vse of the 2. point to wit that there must be washing with waters we learne that washing with water is of the necessity of baptisme Indeed ther may be a washing without baptisme but ther can be no baptisme without washing The washing of water through the word So that this washing is necessary because of the fit similitude that is between it and our regeneration or new-birth The water is apt to clense vs leaueth no silah behind so is our iustification 〈◊〉 sanctification repressented by the blood of christ as shal be cōsidered Therfore such as vsed sand or blood or such like matter not fit for washing did not indeed baptize but horribly prophane the Sacra of baptisme The third point in the description is that baptisme is once onely to be administred which affordeth vnto vs these three vses First it sheweth a difference between it and the Lords supper The Apostle Paule speaking of the supper of the Lord saith As oft as ye shal eat this bread and drinke of this cup and Christ our sauiour Do this as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me therfore it must be often receiued of the church But baptisme once ministred is not againe to be repeated As we are once onely borne into the world but after our birth are dayly nourished so we are but once baptized but there is continuall vse of the Lords supper where at we are fed to eternall life Secondly this teacheth that all rebaptizing is vnlawful as we see by the examples of the Apostles who baptized not the beleeuers and members of the church the second time For Act. 2. it is noted that such as beleeued the gospel continued in the apostles doctrine in fellowship in breaking of bread prayer but not
declare the couenaut of God to pray for his blessing promised vpon his owne ordinance to giue thankes for the blessed worke of our redemption to offer giue and deliuer a right the creatures so sanctified in baptisme to sprinkle with water and washe the body to be baptized and in the Lords Supper to deliuer the bread to be eaten and the wine to be drunke to the spirituall nourishment of the Church So then the minister ought not to refuse to baptize such as are brought vnto him Shall the seruant refuse to do the worke of his maister Or if the Lord keeper of the kings broad seale should proudly and presumpteously disdame to set the seale to the Princes letters patents were he not well worthy to be displaced and remoued So if the minister through enuy or hatred or any other sinister affection shall refuse to put the seale to the Lords Couenant and hinder little children from comming to Christ he deserueth iustly to be displaced and to beare office no longer in the citty of God but to be remoued for his contempt as Salomon put downe Abiathar Secondly is it a necessary point of the Sacrament that it be ministred by a minister Then it condemneth 〈◊〉 those that put these seales into a wrong hand and all 〈◊〉 persons that violently rush vpon this calling and take vp on them to meddle with the administration of the Sacraments with vnwashen hands seeing the dispensation of the word and Sacraments is so linked annexed and ioyned together by God that a deniall of licence to do the one is a deniall to do the other and contrary wise the license to one is license to the other Christ neuer gaue to priuate persons any such commaundement he neuer committed to them any such ossice hee neuer commended to their care these holy actions he neuer called them to this honor he neuer laid vpon them this charge and therefore they haue no parte nor fellowship in this businesse If notwithstanding these restrainings of authority from them they wil runne and rush forward where they should hang backward their sinne lieth at the doore their punishment hastneth and their iudgement sleepeth not Lastly if the minister be an outward part of the Sacrament we must beware and take heed we ascribe not to the minister that which is proper to Christ and so rob him of the honour due vnto his name The minister may offer the signe he cannot bestow the thing signified he may baptize the body he cannot clense the soule he may deliuer the bread and wine he cannot giue the body and blood of Christ Iohn may wash with water he cannot giue the spirit Man indeede pronounceth the word but God sealeth vp his grace in the heart man sprinkleth the body with water but God maketh cleane the soule by the blood of Christ man may take away the filth of the flesh but Christ must purge the conscience from dead workes who is that blessed lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world For as Paule planteth and Apollos watereth but God 〈◊〉 the increase so the minister offereth the element and outward signe but God giueth the heauenly grace It belongeth to the minister to handle the external part it belongeth as a peculiar dignity to Christ to bestow grace to giue saith regeneration and forgiuenesse of sinnes and to baptize with the Holy-ghost This truth Iohn 〈◊〉 I baptize with water but one commeth after me who is mightier then I he shall baptize you with the Holy-ghost Where we see he maketh a flat opposition betweene himselfe and Christ betweene his baptisme and the baptisme of Christ. As on the one side we must take heede of the contempt of him that teacheth and ministreth the Sacramentes because the contempt of the word and Sacraments doth necessarily follow the contempt of his person so we must beware we attribute or giue not to him more then his right least the power of the word and force of the Sacramentes be attributed to his person wherby men spoile themselues of the fruite of them both This was it wherein the Corinthians offended when they said I am Pauls I am Apollos I am Cephas I am Christs Wherefore to keepe a golden meane between too much and too little we must do as if a prince should send vs some present by one of the meanest messengers of his house we would receiue him fauorably and entertaine him honorably for the gifts sake which he bringeth vnto vs but the guift it selfe we would receiue for the kings sake from whom it was sent So it becommeth euery one of vs to do God hath committed to his messengers and ministers the word of reconciliation we must haue them in singular loue for their workes sake that labour among vs but the word and Sacramentes we must receiue for the Lords sake from whom they come Thus much of the first outward part to wit theminister Chap. 5. Of the second outward part of a sacrament THe second outward part of a Sacrament is the word necessarily required to the substance of a Sacrament for the word is added and ioyned to the element and there is made a Sacrament This sacramentall word is the word of institution which God in each Sacrament hath after a speciall manner set downe consisting partly of a commaundement by which Christ appointeth the administration of Sacramēts and partly of a promise annexed whereby God ordaineth that the outward elements shal be instruments and seales of his graces As for example when Christ saith Go teach al nations baptize them there is a commaundement to warrant the vse and practise of Baptisme the promise likewise is in the next words Into the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy-ghost So touching the other Sacrament of his supper when he saith Take ye eate ye drinke ye do this in remembrance of me Ioe there is the commaundement cōmaunding the continual vse therof vntil the second comming of christ the promise is this is my body which is giuē for you this is my blood of the new Testament shed for you for many for remission of sins Whatsoeuer signs of holy things god gaue to strengthen the faith of his childrē we may see and descern that god alwaies added the worde to the seale the voice to the signe and doctrine to the sight so that when the signe was seene the word was heard When one of the Seraphims beating an hot coale in his hand which he had taken from the alter touched the mouth of the prophet he said Lo this hath touched thy lips and thine iniquity shall be taken away and thy sinnes shall be purged Now we know a coale hath not power and force to take away sinne but the word vttered by the Angell did assure him that he should be purged by the holy ghost which was signified by the 〈◊〉 Againe when Christ gaue to his disciples
Gospell exclude no man vnlesse we exclude our selues Infidelity doubtfulnes and despaire are very grieuous sinnes and strike at the very hart of God We must vnder hope beleeue aboue hope with faithfull Abraham The mercies of God and the merits of Christs obedience are infinite higher then the heauens deeper then the earth broader then the sea stronger then the lawe mightier then the Deuill and greater then all the sinnes of the world Besides God doth measure the obedience due to him rather by the affection then by the action rather by the desire to obey then by the outwarde performance of it Moreouer when one sinne is forgiuen all the rest are likewise forgiuen euen as 〈◊〉 of one sinne bringeth with it repentance of all knowne sinnes For the giftes and calling of God are without repontance Last of al we admonish them to consider that grace and faith howsoeuer they may be smothered are neuer wholly taken away by sinnes of infirmity but thereby are manifested and magnified Touching their families we say vnto them call them before you exhort them to cleaue vnto god with full purpose of heart to loue him to walke before him in feare and reuerence and to serue him in righteousnes all the daies of their life gyue them charge to learne beleeue and obey the true religion and doctrine of saluation set downe in the writinges of the Prophets and Apostles God commended Abraham for this sayinge I knowe him that he will commaund his sonnes and houshold after him that they keepe the way of the Lorde to doe righteousnes and iudgement that the Lord may bring vpon Abraham that he hath spoken vnto him Dauid gaue Salomon his sonne a notable and right noble charge before he died speaking thus to him standing before him and before the princes and peeres of the kingdome Thou Salomon my sonne know thou the God of thy fathers and serue him with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth al harts and 〈◊〉 al the imaginations of boughts if thou seeke him he will be found of thee but if thou for 〈◊〉 him he will cast thee off for euer I each them that child-hoode and youth are vanity teach them to remember 〈◊〉 creator in the daies of their youth teach them to read the scripture and to practile in their liues and conuersations what they haue read and learned Instruct them to auoide idlenes to eschew euill company to giue themselues to prayer and hearing the preaching of the word Warne thy children to loue God to reuerence their mother and to loue one another Warn them to speake euill of no man and beware of taking Gods name in vaine Put them in minde that God is their father their creator their preseruer their redeemer their sanctiher yea their iudge that shall come to iudge the quick and the dead and reward euery man according to his workes We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ that euery one may receiue the things which are done in his bodye whether good or euill Put them in remembraunce not to oppresse or defraud any man for the Lorde is an auenger of all such thinges who will not blesse euil-gotten goodes but send his cursse vpon them and they shall not prosper Admonish them to shew forth their faith by good workes and to shew mercy accordinge to their powers Lastly to honour their princes parents maisters and all superiors Thus we instruct men to liue and to die that dying they may liue with God in his kingdome Thus we annoint the sicke with precious balme that shall not breake their head and with the inward and inuisible oyle of Gods grace and mercy Thus we warne them to prepare the oyle of faith in their lampes and to keepe a good conscience toward God and man that they may with ioy and comfort depart in peace render vp their soules into the hands of god cheerefullie meeting the bride-groome and entring with him into his kingdome So then the people loose nothing by 〈◊〉 of the materiall oyle the want thereof being supplyed with exhortations admonitions reproofes consolations prayers and supplications more desired of the sicke and more auaileable for the sicke And thus much of extream vnction and the other forged Sacraments whereof some wanting the outward signe some the spirituall grace signified some the word of institution some the promise annexed and all of them the commandement of Christ and testimony of the scripture we cannot admit them for any Sacramentes and so we conclude that there are only two Sacraments of the Church vnder the Gospell which are Baptisme and the Supper of the Lorde The ende of the first Booke THE SECOND BOOKE of the Sacrament of baptilme being an honorable Badge of our Dedication to Christ containing the true doctrine therof overthrowing the errots of the church of Rome and deliuering the comfortable vse of this Sacrament to all the people of GOD. CHAP. 1. Of the Word Baptisme and what it is HItherto we haue spoken of the Sacraments in General togither with the partes vses and number of them now we come to the first sacrament which is Baptisme being an Honourable badge whereby we are dedicated vnto Iesus Christ This word in Scripture hath many significations First in the natiue and proper signification it signifieth to dippe to diue and plunge vnder water as Mat. 3 16. Iohn 3 22 23 Act 8. 38 39. Secondly to cleanse and wash any thing with water euen when this sacrament is not administred as Mark. 7 wher it is said the Pharisies did not eat except first they washed So Heb. 9 x the old tabernacle did consist in washings Thirdly it signifi th the Crosse afflictions myseries persecutions and inward vexations of the spirite as Luk 12 50. where Christ saith I must be baptized and how am I grieued 〈◊〉 I be baptized And 〈◊〉 12. 22. Are ye able to drinke of the cuppe that I must drinke of and be baptized with the baptisme that I shal be baptized withall Fourthly it is taken for a liberall and plentifull distribution of the graces and gifts of God as Act. 1 5. Iohn baptized with water but ye shal be baptized with the Holy-ghost within these few dates that is ye shall receiue a greater measure of the gifts of God then ye haue done before Fiftly the word is taken for the doctrine of Iohn which he deliuered before he administred the Sacrament of baptisme as Act. 18. 25. Where Apollos is said to be an eloquent man and mighty in the scripture knowing nothing but the baptisme of Iohn Lastly it is taken for the whole worke and action of the sacrament of baptisme as Math 28 19. Go vnto all nations teach and baptize them and in this last sence we are now to speake of it Let vs therefore see what this Sacrament is Baptisme is the first Sacrament whereby by the outward 〈◊〉 of the body with water once into the name of
other If then any should baptize otherwise then in the name of the Trinity or should name the sonne to be vnequall to the father or should deny the proceeding of the Holy-ghost or should baptize in the name of the Virgin Mary and the Saints this cannot be the Sacrament of baptisme instituted by Christ but a Ceremony made voide and frustrate by our owne inuentions Chap. 5. Of the third outward part of baptisme THe third outward part of baptisme is the element of water which is the matter whereof baptisme consisteth This truth is taught in diuerse places of the new testament Indeeds I baptize with water And Ioh. 1 because he should bee declared to Israell therefore am I come baptizing with water Knew him not but he that sent me to baptize with water he saide vnto me vpon whom thou shalt see the spirit come 〈◊〉 and tarrie still on him that is he which baptizeth with the Holy-ghost So Act. 8 36. As they went on their way they came vnto a 〈◊〉 ater and the Enuruch said See heere is water what doth let me to be baptized then he commaunded the chariot to stand stil and they went downe both vnto the water both Phillip and the Eunuch and he baptized him And chap. 10. Can anie man forbidde water that these should not be baptized which haue receiued the Holy-ghost as well as we Nothing is so apt to set sorth the blood of christ and his merits as water which is sit to clense and wash and leaueth no filth behind vpon the body by which outwarde worke Christ would haue vs feele the inward purging and purifying of the soule The vse of this outward part is three-fold First it teacheth that the minister may not baptize with any other liquor and element then with naturall common and ordinarie water whereunto answere the flood the red sea and the Iewish purifyings vnder the law The curious questions whether wanting water we may baptise with sande or water distilled and compounded came at the first from the dangerous and bloody opinion that they are damned which die vnbaptised If any demaund whether sweet waters and distilled may be taken and vsed or mingled with common water especially when children of such as are in high place are to be baptised sealed into the couenant therby to note a difference betweene person and person forasmuch as god hath listed vp the head of one aboue another I answere all power is indeede of god and we with hart and tongue do giue honour to whome honour pertaineth and feare to whome feare belongeth Notwithstanding all mixture of the water is mans inuention and an human tradition which in GODS woorshippe is not to be admitted Whatsoeuer is mingled with common Water is a corruption whatsoeuer the partie be that is baptised The Apostle teacheth that the church hath all one baptisme not one manner of baptizinge the poore and another of baptizing the rich Besides why might wee not allowe mixture of water with Wine in the Lordes supper as well as the mixture of compound water with common water in the sacrament of baptisme Furthermore if there might lawfully bee admitted a different manner of baptising the children of rich-men and the children of poore men then in the other Sacrament the like distinction might be receiued and so a finer kinde of breade be prouided for the richer sort by themselues and a courser sort for the poore by themselues which seperation the Apostle reproueth in the church of 〈◊〉 and calleth it a despising of the Church and a shaming of the poore For in the exercises of religion there ought to be no difference of persons for all are one in Christ Iesus and therefore the Noble Eunuch mentioned Act 8. was baptised by Phillip with ordinary water Now if no composition may be mingled then much lesse may any other signe be vsed and so the element clean chaunged and the ordinance of God altred for the church of God hath no liberty to bring any other signe in place of water If a man were baptised with sande with bloude with wine with milke with snowe with oyle and such lickor it is no baptisme at all but a meere voide and ydle action such a person must afterwarde be sprinkled or washed with water not that any should be rebaptized but because all persons should be once baptised the former action being meerely frustrate Although the forme of words be retained in the administration which our sauiour commandeth and the body be washed in the name of the three persons the father the sonne and the Holy-ghost yet if such an errour be committed in the matter that the signe be changed and another foysted in contrary to the precept of Christ and practise of the Apostles ther is a nullitie of the whole work the partie be-sanded or be-bloodied or oyled is erroneously and vnlawfully not truely and effectuallye baptised Nadab and Abihu are smitten with lightning from heauen for bringing strange fire into the tabernacle whereas they should haue taken of that fire which GOD had appointed though other fire would as well haue consumed the offering And are not all other elementes as strange fire that are brought into this sacrament beside water Or haue we greater liberty to change Gods ordinaunces in the gospell then the Iewes had vnder the Law When GOD appointed the burnt offering to be offered and commanded the people to bring either bullocks out of the heard either Sheepe or Goates out of the folde either Turtle-doues or young Pigeons from amonge the birds being thus limited and restrained might they bring an Asse or an Elephant or a Camell unto him might they cut osf a dogges necke or offer swines flesh before the Lord So whereas God hath ordained the sacrament of baptisme to be administred and hath willed it to bee done with water most common most vsuall most plentifull most fit most significant shall we take sand or saw-dust oyle or other element then god hath allowed The Lorde likewise threatning a generall dearth of Corne Wine and Oyle of which things many of their offeringes and oblations consisted sheweth that the priestes shoulde Weepe and waile because the Meat-offerings and Drinke-offeringes should cease But what neede was there either that the priests shoulde haue lamented or the offeringes haue ceased if they might haue vsed other elementes other signes or other matter then GOD approoued If they might haue taken water in steed of wine or Milke in stead of oyle Or if they might haue taken vncleane beastes in stead of cleane Or the Fishes of the Sea in steade of the Beastes of the fielde Or creeping thinges for their Offerings in steed of such as chewe the cudde and diuide the hoofe Nowe howe can it bee better Warraunted to vs to take oyle for Water then it was for them to take Water for oyle Againe heereby all Popish corruptions and mixtures brought into this
According to his mercy he saued vs by washing of the new-birth and the renewing of the holy-ghost which he shedde on vs aboundantly through Iesus Christ our sauiour All these testimonies teach vs that the Holy spirit of God is a necessary inward part of this sacrament and that the baptisme of the spirit ioyned to the word giueth force vnto it who worketh in our soules that which water doth in our bodies so that without the spirit it is nothing From hence we learne that it is not the dipping of vs into or the sprinkling of vs with water by the Minister that maketh vs partakers of Christ but it commeth from the vertue of the spirit who in time performeth what is represented by outwarde signes and promised by the worde Againe we learne heereby that the spirit is true God equall with the father and the sonne For who is able to make the worde and Sacramentes auaileable but onely God Seeing then this is the proper worke of the Holy-ghost to open the heart to teach the conscience to seale vppe to the daye of redemption and to helpe our infirmities in heating in praying and receiuing the Sacraments he must needs be acknowledged to bee true God the giuer of these graces So we see that in the forme of the administration of this sacrament the blessed spirit is named and rehearsed and hath his order togither with the father and the sonne This therefore is a principle of our faith to be learned confessed and beleeued Thirdly we are heerby to take heed and beware that we giue not to the word that which is proper to the spirit he ingrafteth vs into Christ he keepeth vs that we fal not from Christ he maketh the word and promise of the institution profitable vnto vs without whome it shoulde be vnto vs as sounding brasse or a tinckeling Cymball Wherefore as GOD the father in mercy maketh the promise so his spirite must assure it to the Consciences of all the faithfull Lastly let vs learne whensoeuer we come to the Worde or sacramentes to craue the gracious assistance of the blessed spirit to guide direct and regenerate vs to eternal life to sanctifie vs and to assure vs of gods endlesse fauour in Christs Iesus as 1 Ioh 5. There be three which beare witnesse in heauen the father the word and the holy spirit and these three are one The Holy-ghost by his grace and vertue worketh in vs steadfastly to beleeue the truth of Gods worde and the gratious promises of saluation as he is the author beginner and begetter of faith in vs so he increaseth it and maketh vs fit to receiue Christ and to apply him with all his gifts vnto our selues and sendeth vs into the full fruition and possession of Christ. He is our comforter to certifie vs of our reconciliation to god and to make vs reioyce vnder the crosse knowing that tribulation bringeth foorth patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of god is shed abroade in our harts by the holy-ghost which is giuen vnto vs. He is the earnest and seale of our inheritance by whom we are sealed vp to euerlasting life Thus we see that howsoeuer the increase and 〈◊〉 of faith is assigned to the sacramentes yet this grace proceedeth from the holy-ghost who is vnto our faith as marow vnto the bones as moysture vnto the tree and as a comfortable raine vnto the fruites of the earth If this inward maister and teacher be wanting the sacraments can worke no more in our mindes then if the bright Sunne should shine to the blind eies or a loud voice sound in deafe eares or fruitefull corne fall into the barren wildernesse Wherefore least the word of saluation should sound in our eares in vaine and Sacraments ioyned to the word should be present before our eies in vaine the spirit worketh in vs whensoeuer we come vnto them aright he mollifieth the hardnesse of our heartes he frameth vs to new obedience and assureth vs that God offereth to vs his owne sonne for our iustification and saluation For euen as the seede that falleth into a barren soile dyeth and rotteth yet if it be so wen in fruiteful grownd wel tilled manured it bringeth 〈◊〉 good increase with gain aduantage so likewise the word and the sacramentes if they hit vpon an heard neck and fall into a barren heart bcome vnprofitable and vnfruiteful but if the effectual work of the spirit accompanieth the hearing of the one and receiuing of the other they are profitable auaileable and comfortable Thus much of the second part Chap 10. Of the third inward part of Baptisme THe third inward part of baptisme is Christ represented and signified by the water For as the A postle teacheth That the blood of bulles and calues cannot take away sinne so the water in baptisme cannot wash away sinnes It toucheth the body washeth it clenseth and purgeth it but it can proceed no further For this cause the beleeuers are said to be baptized in the name of Christ as Act 2 38. He baptized euery one of you in the name of christ So chap. 19 5 They were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus Not meaning heerby the forme and manner of baptizing but the fruite foundation and end of baptisme Likewise the Apostle sheweth the same 1 Pet 3 21. Baptisme answering to the figure of the Arke saueth vs by the resurrection of Iesus Christ. There is no more force in outward baptisme to saue the whole vertue and force floweth from the streame of Christs blood as the true materiall cause thereof wherein the power of in ward baptisme doth consist The truth being euident that the pouring out of the blood of CHRIST is one of the inward partes of Baptisme let vs see the vses The vse of this part teacheth diuerse pointes First that the outward washing with water is not the washing away of sins for then whosoeuer were dipped in it should receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes repentance from dead workes and sanctification of the spirit whether he beleeued or not which is otherwise as we see Act. 8 22. Also they should not and could not be Christians and eternally saued which are not outwardly washed but departing this life without baptisme they should perish in the next world without redresse or redemption and so our condicion were worse then the Iewes their condition in times past and the grace of God more restrained vnder the Gospell then it was vnder the law Moyses offering more mercy then Christ himselfe So then the washing with water serueth to ratifie the shedding of Christs blood for the remission of our sinnes and the imputation of his righteousnesse to our instification as 1 Ioh. 1 7. The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne doth clense vs from all sinne So Reuel 1 5. He hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood and
testament and the new they had sundry significant signes and Ceremonies whose interpretation was not easily knowne vnto them Thirdly seeing God hath giuen vnto vs two signes and added two seals to his word and writings we ought to haue the stronger faith in his mircyfull promises For wherefore hath he doubled the signes but that wee should encrease in faith and as it were double our assurance of his graces Lastly this number of two ouerthroweth the number of seauen sacramentes maintained in the church of Rome which iust number was first broched by Peter Lumbard afterwarde ratysied in the Counsell of Florence and lastlye established in the Counsell of Trent and is now become the common doctrine of that counterfect church For besides baptisme and the Lords supper which wee receiue they haue instaled into the number of sacraments Confirmation Penance Matrimony Orders and extreame Vnction contrary to the doctrine of the scriptures contrary to the nature of Sacramentes and contrary to the euidence of sundry reasons And firist of all confirmation cannot bee lifted vppe into the seate of the Sacramentes or sit downe in this Chaire of honour because it wanteth the institution of Christ it wanteth an outward signe it hath no word to warrant it or promise of blessing for howsoeuer the Apostles by imposition of hands gaue the holy ghost those miraculous gifts are now withdrawne from the church of God Lastly they haue aduanced it aboue baptisme they administer it in a strange tongue and halow the greazy oyle to purifie soule and body Secondly their popish penance instituted by bodily chastisements to make satisfaction for sinne to God is no sacrament of the new testament nor any sacred thing being thus vnderstood For we acknowledge no other satifaction for sinne wherein God delighteth and the conscience of man 〈◊〉 but only the death and obedience of christ Besides true repentance hath beene preached and practised from the beginning of the world after that sinne entred into the world Furthermore their penance hath no visible signe as baptisme and the supper of the Lord haue Thirdly matrimony albeit it be a diuine ordinance honourable among all estates yet can be no Sacrament of the church of christ because it was instituted before the law it is ratified among the infidels which are no members of the church it hath no promise of grace and saluation ioyned to it and albeit it be honorable in all yet it is not necessary in all Lastly the Roman church esteemeth it as an vnclean thing a prophanation of holy orders a liuing in the flesh so that as with one hand they aduance it to a great dignity with the other hand they cast it downe with great disgrace and contempt as vnworthy of the high and holy priesthood Fourthly orders come in the next place which are the offices and ministry of the church but no sacrament or sacraments of the church For then according to the number of orders we should multiply the number of sacraments Neither haue they any outward element and visible signe Lastly we are come to extream vnction which we suffer not to maske vnder the name of sacraments but pul off the vizard thereof because the church had the vse of anoynting so long as it retained the miraculous gift of healing Besides it hath no word ofinstitution to warrant the continual practise of it vntill the second comming of christ Wherefore seeing the word of God teacheth the number of two sacraments onely and the church of Rome instructeth her children in the number of 7. sacraments neither moe nor lesse they must pardon vs if we harken rather to the scriptures then to their traditions rather to God then to man rather to the truth then to the spirit of error Hitherto we haue spoken of the Sacramentes in generall of their parts their vses their number now we come to speake of them in particular first of baptisme then of the Lords supper And howsoeuer baptisme hath sundry significations yet as it signifieth that washing with water which serueth to seale the couenant of the new testament it is the first sacrament wherein by the outward washing of the body with water once in the name of the father of the son and of the holy ghost the inward clensing of the soule by the blood of christ is represented This descrption teacheth that such as are not yet baptized are not to be admitted to the lords table that albeit dipping be not necessary to the being of baptisme yet washing with water is of the essence of this sacrament that such as are once baptized are not to be rebaptized albeit they haue beene baptized by heretickes and that whosoeuer is baptized hath made a solemne couenant to professe the Christian religion Now q wee are to consider in Baptisme as wee did before generally in a Sacrament these two thinges his partes and his vses The partes of baptisme are outward and inward The outward partes are these foure The first outward part is the Minister as the Messenger of God For baptisme is a part of the Minystry and God hath ioyned the ministry of the word sacraments togither Wherfore the minister must be carefull and not carelesse in the execution of his osfice who is to sanctifie the Water and to wash the party Moreouer the people are directed to whom to resort when they haue children to be baptized Lastly the Church of Rome prophane baptisme when they appoint mid-wiues and priuate persons to baptize children The second outward part is the word of institution which is as the forme of this sacrament The third part is the element of water which is the matter whereof baptisme consisteth Whosoeuer therefore baptiseth with any other liquorthen with water as with blood with sand with snow with milk or such like matter doth frustrate Baptisme and maketh it an idell ceremony Againe all Popish corruptions added and annexed to this sacrament contrary to the simplicity of the gospel as creame crosses censors tapers spettle salt and such like vnsauory trumpery are 〈◊〉 hauing also a superstitious opinion of holinesse and worship ioyned with them Also if water be an outward part the want of washing with water cannot hinder the saluation of such as dye without baptisme All perished not vnder the law that died without circumcision God is not more rigorous vnder the Gospell This therefore is a bloody and discomfortable doctrine to be abandoned and abiured of all parents of all childeren of all Christians The fourth outward parte of baptisme is the body that is washed Novv such as are to be baptized must be within the Couenant these are eyther men and Women of riper yeares or else the infantes of such vvho haue interest in Baptisme as vvell as their parentes This condemneth the Romyshe practise of baptizing bels and serueth to set forth the great loue of God to all
10 hee sealeth vp the promise maketh it eff 〈◊〉 Christ Iesus chap. 1 who is the truth and 〈◊〉 of all sacraments the faithful receiuer c. xii 〈◊〉 christ apylieth him to himselfe the Vses see this letterb. the vses of a sacrament are three to strengthen and confirme faith chap. 13 〈◊〉 God is true in his promises Many of the faithfull first beleeued before they didde partake the sacraments to be a seale of the 〈◊〉 chap. 14 these are the articles of agreement between God who promiseth Forgiuenesse of sinnes Adoption of son nes Possession of Heauen Man 〈◊〉 hoe promiseth to beleeue the promises to loue his Brethren Enimies to performe Obedsence to be badges of our christian profession chap. 15 the number of them See the letter a that Baptisme and the Lords supper are the two onely sacramentes of the New testament chap. 16 that 〈◊〉 is no sacrament chap 17 that popish pennance is no sacrament chap. 18 that Matrimony is no sacrament chap 19 that Orders are no sacrament chap 20 that extreame unction is no sacrament chap 21 A Table of the contents of the Second Booke Baptism is the first sacramēt wherin by outward washing of the bodie once in the name of the father the son and of the holy ghost the inward cleansing of the soule is represented chap. 1 In Baptisme consider the partes are twofold chap. 3 Outwarde partes Minister chap. 3 whose dutie it is to Sanctifie the water Wash the party Word of institution Baptise in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost chapt 4 Element of water chap 5 Receiuers are all such as are in the couenant chap. 6. Men and women in yeares that are in the faith Infantes of them chap 7 Inward partes God the father chap 8. who Offereth the bloud of his sonne Giueth Christ to the beleeuers Holy spirit chap 9 who perfourmeth that which is promised in the word Christ Iesus chap 10 ratifieng our Regeneration Remission of sinnes Soule clensed represented by the body washed cha 11 The vses of baptisme are these 3 To shew our planting and ingrafting into the body of christ cha 12 to assure vs of the remission of sinnes cha 13 Original Actual to teach to die to sinne and liue to righteousnesse cha 14. A Table of the principall points contained in the last Booke The Lordes supper called by 〈◊〉 names ch 1 is the second sacrament wherein by visible receiuing of bread and wine is represented 〈◊〉 spiritual communion 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 ch 2 In this sacra obserue the work it selfe where in obserue the parts Outward Minist chap. 3 whose duty is To take the bread and mine into his hands to blesse and 〈◊〉 the words of institution to breake the bread and poure out then ine to distribute the bread and Wine The word of institution and promise contained therein chap. 4 The outward signes chap. 5 which are Bread Wine The cōmunicāts chap 6. whose actions are to take the bread and cupinto their handes to eate the bread drink the wine Inwarde God the father ch 8 who offereth christ to al commers Giueth christ for the redemtion of the fat Spirit who assureth vs of the truth of Gods promises ch 9 the body and bloud of christ prepared to be the liuely food of our soules ch x the faithfull receiuer chap. 1 〈◊〉 hose duties are to apprehend receiue christ his benefits to appropriate and apply him to the soule the Vses see this letter c to shew forth with thankesgiuing the sufferings of christ chap 12 to teach our communion and growth in christ chap. 13 to declare our communion and growth with our brethren chap. 14 Preparation to the worke See the letter d The necessitie in respect of Gods presence with whom we haue to do and to deale Our owne profit being rightlie prepared Our owne practise in preparing and taking our ordinarie meates The sacrament it selfe defiled by vnreuerent receiuing the punishment procured by want of this care the partes the knowledg of God and our selues especially of the whole doctrine of the sacraments chap 16 Faith in Christ seeing euerie one receiueth so mnch as he beleeueth he receiueth chap. 17 Repentance from dead workes daily renewed for daily sinnes Reconciliation to our brethren chap 19. THE FIRST BOOKE of the Sacraments in generall containing the true Doctrine therof ouerthrowing the errors of the Church of Rome and deliuering the comfortable vse ofthem to all the people of GOD. CHAP. I. Of the agreement and difference betweene the word and Sacraments GOD euen from the beginning added vnto the preaching of the word his Sacramentes in the Church as the Scripture teacheth outwardly representing vifiblie offering to our sight those things that inwardly hee performeth to vs as the tree oflife and the tree of the knowledge of good and euill in the Garden After mans fall when a new necessity was added in regard of mans want and weaknesse he testified his loue and ratified his Couenant by sacrifices and Ceremonies to our first Parents He gaue the Arke to Noah and his sonnes to confirm them in the promise which he made to them that they should not be drowned with the rest of the world He added to Abraham the signe of Circumcision as a seale of the 〈◊〉 of faith and to the Israelites he gaue the Passeouer Manna oblations purifications the brazen Serpent the Rock and such like spirituall tipes whereby he assured them of the promise that God for the onely sacrifice of Christ vvrought vpon the Crosse would giue to all that beleeue forgiuenesse of sinnes and euerlasting life Now the world of God may fitly be resembled to writtings and euidences and the Sacraments to seales which the Lord alone setteth to his owne letters They are as a visible Sermon preaching vnto vs most liuely the promises of God that as the vvord we hear doth edifie and instruct the minde by the outward eares so doth the Sacraments by the eyes other senses First then that we may vnderstand the doctrine and nature os the Sacraments we are to consider what the word Sacraments haue in common and how they agree one with another then what they haue peculiar and proper each to other and how they differ one from an other The agreement betweene them standeth in these points First both are ofGod and instruments which the holy ghost vseth to this end to make vs more and more one with Christ and partakers of saluation 〈◊〉 that God needeth them or that he is tyed vnto them for as he can nourish without meate and drinke so he can saue without word or Sacraments but because we neede them he vseth them when he will and as often as it pleaseth him The same which is published and promised by the word of God is signified and sealed by the Sacraments For they are not a deliuering of new promises and
is the end of thē where it is added Whereby Christ all his sauing graces by certain outward rites are signified exhibited sealed vp to us This is proued directly the cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the cōmunion of the blood of christ The bread which we break is it not the cōmunion of the body of christ So the of the other Sacrament Amend your liues and be baptized euerie one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sins and ve shall receiue the gifts of the Holy-ghost And all yee that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ. Our soules are washed in the blood of Christ his 〈◊〉 his resurrection his sanctification his wisdome his righteousnes his redemption is made ours all his benefits are ours as Christ is ours Let vs make vse of this point and apply it to our selues First is Christ the sum and substance of all Sacramentes Then the Church of Rome is heere condemned that say we make the Sacraments bare and naked signes God forbid that we shold say so or make them to be so they are the sure seales of Gods promises heauenly tokens spirituall sigues vnd autentike pledges of the grace and righteousnes of Christ giuen and imputed vnto vs. The Sacraments and sacrifices of the olde testament were not bare signes Circumcision was not a bare signe as Rom. 2. This is not circumcision which is outwarde in the flesh but the circumcision of the hart And in Christ ye are circumcised with circumcision made without hands by putting off the sinfull bodie of the flesh through the circumcision of Christ. Euen so Baptisme is no bare signe it were great blasphemy so to speake it were verie great iniquity so to thinke The grace of God doth worke with his Sacraments and therefore the signes are neuer receiued in vaine of the faithfull and worthy receiuer The water washeth not from sinne the bread and wine feed not to eternall life but it is the precious blood of Christ that doth clense vs from all sin purchaseth for vs all grace which is the life and the truth of the outward signes Againe is Christ Iesus offered by God the Father in the right vse of the Sacraments then God doth not deceiue or delude those that come vnto them If anye that come to the Sacraments depart without grace without Christ without fruite the cause is in themselues the fault is not in God for hee offereth Christ to all euen to the vnfaithfull but they haue not hands to receiue him If a Prince should offer a rich present and he to whom it is offered haue no hand to receiue it he goeth away empty When the Sunne giueth light vpon the earth if men shut their eies and be wilfully blinde they receiue no profit by it When God offereth himselfe his graces to vs by his word and Gospell it we stop our eares and harden our harts it turneth to be the sauour of death to death so is it in the Sacramentes when we come to them God doth not feede our eies with naked vaine idle shewes but ioyneth 〈◊〉 truth with the outward token and giueth the grace signified with the signe If we bring the hand of faith with vs which openeth the gate of the kingdome of heauen for vs Christ is both offered and giuen to vs. But howsoeuer the signe be alwaie inseperably ioyned with the grace that is signified in respect of God yet hence it followeth not that both of them are of all receiued For the outward signe is offered to the hand to the senses and instruments of the body which because all bring with them all are partakers of the outward parts But Christ who is signified by the signe is offered to the soule and faith of the receiuer which bycause many want they lose the fruit of their worke Thirdly if the right receiuers receiue Christ and with him all sauing graces needefull to eternall life then the presence of vngodly men that come to the same Sacram. with vs and meete vs at the same Table cannot hinder and hurt vs in our worthy receiuing The vnbeleeuers and vnrepentant persons come indeede into the assembly of the faithfull to heare the word of God read preached and expounded and as they come without faith so they depart without fruite yet their company defileth not the sauing hearer So is it in the Sacraments I confesse it were to be wished that the church were pure without spot and perfect without blemish and they euen cut off that trouble the same yet sometimes it wanteth that good and Godly seuerity which is required to seperate such as may infect with the leauen of their life and doctrine Againe as the faith of the wise and worthy receiuer cannot sanctifie the conscience of the Hypocrite and offensiue 〈◊〉 so the infidelity or iniquity of another shall not bar the faithfull soule from fruitfull receiuing to his saluation according to that saying Thorighteousnes of the righteous shall be vpon him and the wickednes of the wicked shall be vpon himselfe Euery one is to prooue and examine himselfe not to enter into the consciences and conuersations of other men we shall giue an account to our owne waies and workes not of the deformities of others which we cannot reforme and redresse Furthermore as in an Army euery man hath his standing so in the Church euery man hath his calling it is not in the power of priuate persons but of the Gouernors of the Church to draw out the censures of the Church against notorious offendors and therefore in their slacking and negligence the people must tolerate that which they cannot amend or make a seperation or rent in the church as the maner of some is disturbing the peace and quietuesse thereof Fourthly if Christ be offered giuen and sealed vp to vs in the Sacraments then the Sacraments must be holden of vs in great price and estimation for their profites sake not lightly to be regarded but reuerently to be esteemed They that respect Christ in whom the tresures of algraces are laid vp must regard the Sacramentes of Christ and such as reiect them reiect christ with all his benefites which who so doth sinneth against his own soule Lastly if they be signes and seales of grace offered then the Sacraments make not a christian no more then the seal giueth the purchase or possession The faithfull and the children of the faithful are true christians differing from Pagans and Heathen before they be baptized And whosoeuer is not a christian before hereceiue baptisme baptisme can make him none which is only the seale of the graces of God and his priuiledges before receiued The word of god and the Sacraments of god are both of one nature but the word is not able to confer grace but only to declare and publish what god will confer inasmuch as to some it is
the sauor of death to death therfore also the Sacraments of themselus do not confer and bestow grace hauing it tyed vnto them or shut vp in them For if the Sacraments did actually and effectually giue grace by inherent power and vertue in themselues it would follow from hence that euery person baptized is certainely saued and hath his sinnes remitted or else that his sinnes remitted may returne and remaine and be againe imputed But when God gratiously pardoneth sin he remembreth it no more Againe we see Abraham was not iustified by his circumcision he was iustified by his faith for Abraham beleeued god and it was imputed to him for righteousnes and afterward he receiued circumcision to be the signe and seale of his iustification Not withstanding the Sacraments may be saide to confer the grace of regeneration and remission of sins as they are instrumentes vsed of God and as they are pledges and tokens to vs. They are means to offer and exhibit to the beleeuer Christ with all his benefits wherby the conscience is assured of comfort and saluation as the Princes letters are said to saue the life of a malefactor wheras they only signifie to him and others that it is the princes pleasure to shew fauor Again they may not fitly be said to giue vs grace because the signe exhibiteth the thing signified the outward washing of the body is a pledg token of the grace of god so that whosoeuer vseth the sign aright shall receiue forgiuenes and life euerlasting Chap. 3. That the parts of a Sacrament are partly outward and partly inward WE haue seene what a Sacrament is nowe wee are to consider in it two things first his parts then his vses for in handlinge these two pointes wee shall see what is the nature of a sacrament The partes of sacrament 〈◊〉 are of two sortes some outwarde open sencible earthly visible and signifying some are inward hidden spirituall heauenly inuisible and signified For the nature of a Sacrament is partely earthly and partly heauenly If we had been wholly a spirit without body he would giue vs his gifts 〈◊〉 without a body but seeing we are soule and body he giueth v his Sacraments that so we may apprehend 〈◊〉 gifts by sensible things The outward part is one thing 〈◊〉 the inward part is another thing the outward is applyed to the body the inward is applyed to the soule conscience This diuision and 〈◊〉 on of parts appeareth plainely He is not a Iew which is one outward neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Iew which is one within and the circumcision is of the hart in the spirit not in the letter where we see he maketh circumcision to stand of 2. parts part in the flesh and part in the heart partly in the spirit and partly in the letter Heereunto commeth that saying 〈◊〉 are circumcised with circumcision made without hands so that there is a circumcision without and there is an other within by the virtue of Christ. The same we may say of Baptisme there is a baptizing of the body and there is a baptizing of the soule the body is washed with water the soule is clensed by the precious blood of our sauiour Christ which is the hidden and misticall part of the Sacrament This appeareth by many examples recorded in Scripture Simon the sorcerer though 〈◊〉 were baptized with water yet his hart was not right in the sight of God he remained in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity so that albeit hee were baptized yet he was not regenerated The 〈◊〉 were 〈◊〉 of the outward signes not of the 〈◊〉 grace They were all baptized vnto Moyses in that cloud and in that sea they did 〈◊〉 the same spirituall meate they all drank the same spirituall drinke yet with many of them God was not pleased The 〈◊〉 may be saide of Iudas one of the 〈◊〉 he did eate the Paschall lambe as well as the rest of the Apostles but he did not eate Christ who is the 〈◊〉 filed and without spot is the other did This is that also which Iohn the Baptist teacheth Indeede I baptize you with water to amendment of life but he that commeth after me is mightier then I whoseshooes I am not worthy to beare he shall baptize you with the holy ghost and with fire where as the 〈◊〉 maketh two baptizers himfelfe and Christ so he 〈◊〉 their actions his own to wash with water and the action of Christ to wash with the holy ghost Neither neede we to seeke farre for reason to perswade any to beleeue this truth that the nature of a sacrament is neither wholly outward nor wholly inward but taketh part of 〈◊〉 seeing nothing can be a signe of itselfe but a signe is a signe of an other thing and seeing they are mysteries they haue an hidden meaning and spirituall vnderstanding If the 〈◊〉 in Baptisme had not grace annexed vnto it it could not be a mistery We see the signe we see not the grace which is inuisible Now let vs come to the vses These parts though distinguished really one 〈◊〉 another that the outward parts cannot be the inward the earthly cannot be the heauenly the seale cannot be the thing sealed the token cannot be the thing betokened nor contrarywise for this were to alter nature and to mingle heauen and earth together yet in respect of the propoition betweene the signe and the thing signified and of the coniunction of them to the faithful which receiu both the one thother one part is affirmed of the other For we must vnderstand that the Scriptur in regard of this vnion speketh of the Sacraments two waies to wit properly and figuratiuely Properly 〈◊〉 that which belongeth to the signe is given to the signe and when the thinge 〈◊〉 is giuen and applyed to the thing itselfe and thus each part hath his owne as Circumcision is called the signe of the couenant And the blood of the lambe is called a signe these are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proper speaches and without figure Againe vvhen 〈◊〉 saith My body which is giuen for you my blood 〈◊〉 which is shed for many for remission of sinnes vve must vnderstand the words literally as they lye figuratiuely vvhen the signe is giuen to the thing signified and called by the name of it as Christ is called the Passeouer and the lambe of God his flesh is also saide to be meate indeede and his blood drinke indeede the holy spirit is called water or else the name of the thing signified is giuen to the signe as bread is called the body of Christ the cup is called the new Testament These speaches must be taken figuratiuely and vnderstood by a chang of name according to the intention and meaning of the Holy-ghost so that wee must beware that we do not take or mistake
the Holy-ghost he breathed on them and said Receiue the Holy-ghost The corporal blast and breathing was not the Holy-ghost but he added his word and promise with the outward signe to assure them that with the breathing he bestowed a blessing Thus wee see that the Sacramentes haue the word alwaies ioyned with them and without the word whereby their institution and vse is declared they are as a dead body without life as a dumbe shew without voice as an empty cloud without water and as a barren tree without fruit Let vs apply this doctrine to our selues First it teacheth that they partake not the Sacraments aright that haue not the knowledge of the word that are ignorant both of the ordinance and institution of God and of the promise annexed to the institution of god of which sort there are many in the world that neuer labour to know what he hath appointed and commaunded them to do If they do as others of the church do therein they rest and seeke no further to be able to warrant their owne worke If they heare the word spoken if they see the body washed the bread broken and the wine poured out and receiue the outward signes they regatd no more they go no higher they imagine they haue done enough they neuer desire to vnderstand the meaning of the words which are necessary to be knowne comfortable to be vnderstood and profitable to be marked If a man haue goods befallen or legacies bequeathed vnto him by any wil or Testament wil he not resort to his learned counsel to be careful to vnderstand the Testament and know the meaning of the Testator Christ Iesus before his death made his wil he hath made his children heires of his promise he promiseth to them forgiuenesse of sinnes in this life and eternall life in the world to come Doth it not now behooue euery faithfull Christian to search into it and know what is promised and bequeathed vnto him Men of this world for the most part make their eldest and first borne heire of all and leaue little to the other but euery child of God is as the eldest and as the first borne most deare to him he shal receiue his double portion the second shal haue no lesse then the first nor the third lesse then the second nor the younger then the elder the first shall be as the last and the last as the first for he may do with his owne as he list Againe if a man doe leaue all his sonnes heyres and rich inheritors for the most part lesse is 〈◊〉 on the daughters but all the childrē of God both his sonnes and daughters shal be heyres euen the Heires of God and heyres annexed with Christ Iesus their share shal be as great as the portion of sonnes Moreouer when a man hath passed all the daies of his life in carke and care what can he giue to his pofterity but earthly riches transitory possession a fading inheritance leauing them inheritours as well of his sorrow as of his substance It is not so with the children of God Christ by his last wil and Testament hath promised to make his people sound in faith rich in hope blessed in the pardon of their sinnes and heires of the kingdome which hee hath promised to them that loue him This is a great and vnspeakable comfort to al Gods children whether high or low whether rich or poore So then we ought to be much more careful and earnest to know throughly and vnderstand perfectly the will of Christ then any naturall child is to search the meaning of the will of his naturall father And if men were not wholly carnall they would be thus farre fpiritually minded Againe is the word an outward part of the Sacrament Then the Sacraments must neuer be separated and set a part from the word They are not dombe shewes and idle signes but haue alwaies the doctrine of God adioyning vnto them to shew the end vse profit of them and the purpose of God in them This appeareth in all places wher God gaue signes to confirme and assure the truth of his promises When he gaue in mercy to Noah and all his posterity the Rain-bow imediately after the flood as a signe of his couenant he addeth his word vnto the signe My couenant will I establish with you that from hencefoorth all flesh shall not bee rooted out by the waters of the flood neither shall there be a floode to destroy the earth any more This is it the Apostle meaneth 1. cor 11. Ye shew the Lords death till he come Where he teacheth that the Lordes Supper cannot be truely deliuered and rightly administred vnlesse there be a declaration shewing forth of the death of christ Wherefore it is no sacrament except the word and doctrine be ioyned vnto it by way of explication and exposition of the outward signe Lastly those Sacraments are proued heereby to bee no Sacraments which are foisted and brought in without the warrant of the word For take away the word and what is the outward Element but a bare signe What is the water in baptisme but common water What is the bread in the Lords Supper but common bred What is the wine but common wine such as men vse and all men may take at their ordinary tables Seeing therfore such signs Sacraments as haue not Gods commandement for their institution nor promise of grace and saluation annexed vnto the vsing of them are voide and nothing worth heerby the imagined deuised Sacraments of the church of Rome are condemned which deliuereth that it hath not receiued of the Lord and imposeth that to be beleeued which it neuer learned in the word Heereby the last anoyling or extream vnction is excluded wanting the word to warrant the continuall practise of it Also their confirmation hath neither word to institut the practise nor elemēt to assure any grace nor promise to approue any vse True it is they haue words to administer it but they are words of men not of God vnwriten not written of tradition not of scripture The like might be saide of mariage though we confesse and acknowledge it to be an holy ordinance and honourable institution of God yet was it made no Sacrament hauing no word of institution no promise of sanctification and saluation annexed vnto all the faithfull vsers thereof neither is it an instrument whereby God applyeth Christ and his sauing benefits to the comfort and consolation of his children Wherefore to conclude this point we affirme that neither the sonnes of Romulus at Rome nor of Remus at Rhemes shall euer be able to shew and proue that they are to be acknowledged and receiued as Sacraments of the church which haue no warrant of the word to commaund them nor promise annexed to assure the sauing graces of Christ to the worthy receiuers But such are their fiue pretended Sacraments of confirmation penance orders
matrimony and extreame vnction wanting either the word or promise or both and therefor we cannot receiue we cannot acknowledge we cannot beleeue them Thus much of the second outward parte namely the word of institution Chap. 6. Of the third outward part of a sacrament THe third outward part of a Sacrament is the element or outwarde signe For whersoeuer there is a Sacrament there must of necessity bee a signe such as water is in Baptisme and bread and Wine in the Lordes Supper not of their owne nature but by the ordinance of God which are sanctified by the especiall worde and praier Therefore Iohn the baptist baptized with water and Christ when he instituted his last Supper tooke bread and brake it and gaue it to his Disciples Likewise hee tooke the cup wherein was the fruit of the Vine as appeareth when he said I will drinke no more of the fruit of the Vine vntill that day that I drinke it newe in the kingdome of God Seeing then it is cleare there must in euery Sacrament be a visible sign that may be seen handled let vs see how we may profitably apply this to our instruction First seeing the signes and Sacramentall rites are outwarde partes we must take heede wee ascribe not too much to the outward signe and so commit idolatry to the creature For the Water in Baptisme hath not power in it selfe and force to wash away sin but by the ordinance of God it is made a signe and seale of regeneration Euen as the Water of Iordan where Iohn baptized was no better then the waters of other places and countries neither had any strengthe and vertue to clense the Lepers that washed in it yet by the bleising of God Naaman the Syrian washing himselfe 7. times therein according to the direction of the Prophet was clensed and healed of his leprocie so the water vsed in the Sacrament of Baptisme is in nature and substance the same with ordinary and common Water neither hath it vig our and vertue to clense the soule yet by the institution of God it is appointed to seale vp the asturance of remission of sinnes Not with standing this confidence in the outward signe which in it selfe is as nothing hath since the fall of man rested and remained in his corrupt nature flattering himselfe and deceiuing his owne soule This fond and salse opinion was in Adam immediately after his transgression hee did attribute too much to the tree of life which hadde in it selfe no more life then the rest of the trees in the garden and therefore God would thrust him out of the garden least he should beguile himselfe with that conceite and immagination Thus did the Israelites trust too much in the Arke a signe of Gods comfortable presence and protection attributing saluation thereunto sayeinge It maye saue vs out of the handes of our Enemyes therefore God ouerthrew them and gaue them into the hands of the Philistims Againe we are taught heereby that the Sacraments that haue no signe no seale no element to signisie to strengthen and to seale vp the promises of saluation For as we shewed before that euery Sacrament must haue gods word to warrant it so must it haue an outward signe to approue the receiuing of it and to signifie the spirituall grace offered by it Herby we learn what to hold of transubstantiation a doctrin teching that the bread and wine is turned into the very body blood of Christ namely that it is a very fable to mock fooles withal For whatsoeuer ouerthroweth the nature and vse of a sacrament is not to be admitted but omitted neither to be receiued but reiected But transubstantiation ouerthroweth and ouerturneth both the nature and vse of a sacrament and therefore not to be admitted and receiued into the Church For touching the nature of a Sacrament it is confessed that it consisteth of two parts the one earthly and the other heauenly but if after the words of consecration the bread and wine are transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ then the signe is taken away the element is ouerthrowne the materiall part is abolished and consequently the nature of a Sacrament is ouerturned And touching the vse of a Sacrament there must be an analogy and propoition betweene the signe and the thing signified As in Baptisme the element of water washeth and purgeth the body so the Holy-ghost through the blood of Christ clenseth and sanctifieth the soule Like wise in the Lords Supper as the substance of bread wine receiued strengthneth and comforteth the body so Christ receiued by faith norisheth feedeth the soule The very true principall vse of this sacrament is to coÌ„firme our faith that as surely as those earthly creatures taken and aplyed feed our bodies to a bodily life so the body and blood of Christ receiued and applyed by saith feede our souls to eternal life And do not al the faithful seel a swect comfort so often as they come to the Lords table by this similitude and agreement to coÌ„sider and know assuredly that as the substance of bread serueth to nourish and doth feed our bodies so Christ doth feede our soules But if we must beleeue that the substance of bread and Wine is changed and cleane gone that nothing remaineth but accidents where is this comfort and consolation How can we be assured and strengthned that as our bodies are nourished with the materiall elements so in like manner our soules by feeding on Christ Wherefore while they take away the substance of bread which should nourish the body the nature and vse of the Sacrament is destroyed and we are spoyled of the comfort of our hearts and strengthning of our faith which we should haue by this notable comparison and resemblance of the partes So then if wee woulde receiue comfort in comming to this Communion we must retaine the substance of the sign as a staffe to stay vp our faith that it do no faile And thus much of the third outward part to wit the signe Chap. 7. Of the outward part of a sacrament THe last outward part of a sacrament is the receiuer which is as needfull as the outward sign We vnderstand and take heere a receiuer in generall for euery one that commeth to the Sacrament whether good or euâ—ll godly or vngodly faithfull or vnfaithfull Such a receiuer is likewise a necessary part of the Sacrament For no signe hath the substance and essence of a Sacrament vnlesse it be receiued Though ther be a minister to administer it a word to warrant it a signe to represent it yet vnlosse there be a fit person to receiue it ther can be no Sacrament If the minister should sprinkle water and alledge the words of institution wher ther is no party to be baptized this were a prophaning not a solemnizing of Baptisme or if he should take bread and Wine with prayer and thanksgiuing where none
are present to communicate and receiue this were to commit sacriledge not to deliuer a Sacrament Wherefore vnlesse there be a body to be washed except there be communicants to partake the Supper there can be no Sacrament This appeareth by the words of God to Abraham giuing vnto him circumcision saying Euery male-child of eight daies old shall be circumcised This also appeareth in the words of Christ speaking of baptisme and charging the Apostles to baptize the nations in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy-ghost Where he teacheth that it is not sufficient to take water but there must be a washing So. when he speaketh of his supper he saith Take ye eate ye drinke ye so that there must not only be bread but giuing taking and eating there must not onely bee wine but giuing taking and drinking thereof This truth being euidently deliuered let vs see how it may be profitably applied First of all must the Sacraments necessarily be receiued Then it teacheth that the Sacraments without their lawfull vse are no sacraments at all they are no signes of grace if they be not vsed This condemneth the keeping reseruing holding vp and carying about with pompe and ostentation the Lords supper offering vp kneeling downe vnto and adoring a piece of bread all which are horrible prophanations of that comfortable Sacrament whereby the people isrobbed and depriued of a precious part of their peace in Christ. The bread feedeth not the body reuiueth not the spirits strengthneth not the heart by looking and gazing vpon it by touching and handling it but by eating digesting and feeding vpon it so doth the sacrament strengthen faith not by reseruing and keeping it but by vsing and receiuing of it For sacramentes are actions not dumbe shewes Christ saide not Heare ye see ye gaze re on but baptize ye eate ye drinke ye doe ye this in remembrance of me Secondly are the receiuers an outward part of the Sacrament Then the persons that are to receiue must know that diuers duties are to bee done and performed of them The persons then that are to receiue must ioyne with the Minister in prayer in quickning their faith in the couenant and promises ofGod beholding the former works of the Minister blessing breaking pouring out and distributing ratifieng them in their harts and lastly by receiuing and applying to themselues the visible signes For as we haue shewed if the words of baptisme should be rehearsed ouer the water and no person to be present to be baptized it is no baptisme so if the words of institution in the supper should be spoken and repeated without eating without drinking without receiuing it were no Sacrament Wherefore we must all learne to detest the absurd opinion of Bellarmine and other procters of the Romish religion which teache that the breade and Wine being once consecrate whither they be receiued or reserued whither they bee distributed to be eaten and drunke or whether they be kept in boxes and vessels of the Church for daies moneths and long times and carried solemnly in procession are notwithstanding still the Sacrament of the body and bloode of Christ. Against which dotage wee spake in the former vse and shall speake more in the third booke following Lastly if the receiuing be an outward part then we are not to rest in the outward participation for so farre went Iudas in the Passeouer so farre went Simon that sorcerer in baptisme and so farre went the Israelites as the Apostle sheweth They were all baptized vnto Moses in the cloud and in the sea they did all eat the same spirituall meat and did al drink the same spirituall drinke c yet with many of them was not god pleased but they were ouerthrowne in the Wildernesse And therefore Iohn Baptist said to the Pharisees and Saduces when he saw them come to his baptisme O generation of vipers who hath forewarned you to flee from the anger to come bring foorthe therefore fruit worthy amendment of life Now our righteousnes must exceede the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharisees if wee woulde enter into the kingdome of heauen Let vs all therefore haue this profitable meditatiō so often as we deale with the Sacraments and come vnto them we must looke further then to the outward sight we must consider more then the externall signe otherwise as we approch without preparation so we depart without edification And thus much of the foure outward parts of a Sacrament to wit the minister the word the signe and the receiuer Chap. 8. Of consecration BEfore we proceede to the inward parts of a Sacrament answerable to the outward by a fit proportition it shall not be amisse in this place to speake somewhat of the Consecration of a sacrament First wee must consider what it is for the truth being knowne it will cast downe errour as the light scattereth the darknesse To consecrate then is to take a thing from the ordinary and common vse and to appoint it to some holy vse This therefore is Consecration sanctification and dedication of the outward signes to apply them to an holy purpose This is done partly by the minister partly by the people and partly by them both The minister taketh the water in Baptisme which signifieth the blood of Christ and he poureth it on the person of the baptized he taketh the bread in the Lords supper and breaketh it he taketh the wine and poureth it out he deliuereth them both the people take and receiue they eate and drinke in remembrance of Christ and both minister and people ioynein praier and thanksgiuing vnto God the father for the mistery of our redemption accomplished by Christ our sauiour so that the sacrament is consecrated by the whole action of the minister and people together This maketh the difference betweene common water and the water in Baptisme this maketh the difference betweene that bread and wine of the Supper and the bread and wine which is vsed for ordinary meate and drinke True it is in nature in essence in substance there is none but in the ende and vse Common water we vse for the washing of our bodies but the water in Baptisme is sanctified by prayer to an other vse to be a signe of the clonsing of the soule Bread and wine at mens tables in their houses are set before them for the nourishment of their bodies but at the Lords l'able they are ordained of God to an higher and holier vse euen to be signes of the bodye and blood of Christ. This is noted by the Euangelistes and by the Apostle Paule that the Lord Iesus before he brake the bread and gaue it he blessed and gaue thankes to his father that he had appointed him to be the redeemer of the world and giuen him authority to institute this Sacrament in remembrance of his death and passion For wheras the Euangelist Mathew saith he blessed the other by way
Corinthians to beware of idolatry not to slatter themselues or to think themselues the members of christ and therefore should escape the iudgment of God because they had the sacraments for the church of the Israelites had as great priuiledges as they they had the same sacramentes 〈◊〉 the same baptisme the same supper in substaunce and effect yet God was not pleased with them but ouerthrew them in the wildernes If then the Corinthians had any moe then these two they might haue iustly replied we grant indeed in respect of these they are equall with vs but we haue other which they had not wherein they are inferiour to vs and we superiour to them and therefore are preferred before them If then the Apostles reason conclude strongly we may hence gather directly that there are onely two and no other Sacraments because the Apostle mentioneth no moe where hee purposeth to set forth the priuiledges of the Iewes and to make them equall with the Gentiles Wherefore we must receyue two Sacraments onely or else the Apostle hath reasoned weakely Furthermore the same Apostle 1 Corinthians 12. purposinge to shewe that manie members of the church are one bodie in CHRIST coupled by him as by ioyntes prooueth this pointe by a full enumeration of the sacramentes being pledges of our settinge into the body of CHRIST and continuall nourishment in the same when he saieth As by one spirit we are all baptized into one body whether Iewes or Gentiles so we haue al 〈◊〉 made to drink into one spirit Where the Apostle sheweth that al the faithfull by the effectuall woorking of the Holy-ghoast are made one body in Christ which hee confirmeth by the two Sacraments of baptisme and the Lords supper without mention of any moe Moreouer another reason may be framed by comparing the Church of the Iewes with the churches of the christians in regard of their ordinary sacraments There are no mo sacraments deliuered in the Gospel then were prefigured vnder the law for their sacraments were types answering to our sacramenst as 1. Pet. 3. Our baptisme answereth the figure of the waters representing the same that our baptisme doth True it is the sacramentes of the olde Testament were not figures of the sacraments of the new Testament for then their sacraments should be the sign and ours shuld be the thing signified and so there should be sacraments of Sacraments which were foolish and absurd Againe the Iewish Sacramentes should be signes of things altogither vnknowne vnto them and not giuen them of God for they were vtterly ignorant of Baptisme and the Lordes Supper Besides that auncient people should be saued by beleeuing baptisme and the lords supper to come for doubtlesse they were saued by beleeuing that which their sacraments did signifie but they were not saued by beleeuing baptisme and the Lords supper but by beleeuing in Christ to come Lastly the old sacramentes should haue one signification and the new another for the old should signifie the new and the new shold signifie christ and his benefits Notwithstanding the sacraments of the new testament succeede in the room of those of the old and signifie the same thinges that they doe baptisme came in place of circumcision and the Lords supper is come in place of the Paschall lamb as appeareth in that it was administred presently after it to declare the abrogating of the one and establishing of the other As then ther was the same faith and the same way of saluation by christ who was the lambe slame from the beginning of the worlde he was yesterday and to day and the same for euer so had the Iewish rites respect to Christ and all of them are reduced to our two Sacraments Wherefore as the Iewes had onely two ordinary Sacramentes circumcision and the Passeouer as appeareth If a straunger dwell with thee and will obseiue the Passeouer of the Lord let him circumcise all the males that belong vnto him so the ordinary sacramentes of Christes church are baptisme and the Lords supper agreeing to the same Now the 5. other sacraments newly inuented were not prefigured in the Law they succeed not in the place of their ceremonies they are not an swerable to any types of Iewish rudiments therefore they are no sacraments Fiftly these two sacraments baptisme and the Lords supper are altogither perfect and sufficient not onely to enter and plant a Christian into the church but also to retaine him in it and therefore all other are friuolous vaine and superstitious as superfluous braunches to be pared away Now that they are sufficient to these purposes appeareth by the effects and vses of them What other grace can we haue then to be borne againe in Christ to haue iustification forgiuenes of sinnes and all priuiledges of eternall life and then afterward to be norished and kept continually in him Al these are fullie represented and sealed vp to vs in these two wherup on it followeth that christ who ordained the fewest and best sacramentes vnder the gospell appointed these and no moe Thus then we may gather that by the institution of christ by the argument of the Apostle by comparison of the Iewish ceremonies and by the sufficiency of the two sacraments of baptisme and the Lords supper that these are the onely two sacraments the rest are forged and counterfait sacraments they seale not vppe christ they neuer flowed out of his side from whence yssued onely water and bloud Lastly this number of 2. sacraments appeareth not only by the testimony of ancient fathers but by the confession of the aduersaries For howsoeuer in many other controuersies their wordes are many and their argumentes probable and very specious yet for the auouching of 7. Sacramentes they are dumbe and silent and are not able to produce the reuerent witnesses of the elder time Bellarmine proueth the word Sacrament sometimes to be giuen to al the 〈◊〉 but this is when the word is taken in a large and generall signification for any misticall signe and token which may signifie some other thing and may more properly be called a signe then a Sacrament as the couering of the head in the woman was a signe of subiection laying on of hands in ordination of the ministry is a signe of 〈◊〉 separation to that worke and of gods presence to assist them with his grace and blessing the Saboth day was a signe of the heauenly rest In this sense Augustine calleth the mistery of the Trinity a Sacrament and fire a Sacrament because by the heat light and shining brightnesse thereof the Trinity may be shadowed out Besids the late Warn-word Pag. 91. handling this controuersie of the number of Sacraments doth not proue the number of 7. Sacraments out of the Scripture neither goeth about it neither is able to deriue it further then the counsell of Florence holden in the yeare 1440. and from Peter Lumbard who was indeede the father
of washing away sins were found in the element of water Baptisme therfore is not the washing away of sins onely the bloud of Christ clenseth vs from al sin 1. Iohn 1 7. Againe this declareth the perpetuall vse of it in the church seeing it hath this effect to assure remission and forgiuenes of sins vnto this let vs bring our children of this let vs make them partakers from this let vs by no means keepe them and in this let vs continually renew our couenant with God Chap 2. That the parts of Baptisme are partly outward and partly inward Hitherto wee haue shewed how baptisme is taken and what it is In baptism we are to consider 2 things his parts and his vses For as in the former book when we spake of the Sacraments in generall hauing shewed what a Sacrament is we discended to his parts and vses wherein the perfect knowledge thereof consisteth so wee wiil obserue the same in handling the doctrine of the sacraments in particular The parts of baptisme are first to be opened the vses are to be reserued to their proper place The parts are 2. the outward and the inward parts This appeareth 1 Pet 3 Where of the baptisme that now is answereth that figure which is not a putting away of the filth of the flesh but a confident demanding which a good conscience maketh to God and saueth vs by the resurrection of Iesus Christ. Where the A postle teacheth that sinne cannot be washed awaye by that outwarde water but by Christs inward working which the outward baptisme doth shaddow In like manner Mar. 1. Truth it is I haue baptized you ' with Water but hee will baptize you with the Holy-ghost where the baptise sheweth that hee baptized outwardly but the force of it proceedeth from Christ who baptizeth inwardly So Act 2 Peter saide vnto them Amend your liues and be baptized euerie one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receiue the gift of the Holy-ghost Where the A postle declareth that in such as repent and beleeue the vertue of the Holy-ghost is ioyned with outwarde baptisme The outwarde partes therefore are one thinge and the inwarde partes are another that which is seene is one thing and that which is vnderstood is another thing This diuision of the partes of Baptisme affoordeth diuers good vses and putteth vs in minde of sundrye holy duties And first of all are there outwarde and inwarde partes of baptisme then we learne hereby that the outwarde partes are no vaine ceremonies no fruitlesse rites no vnprofitable actions that may be neglected or contemned but auaileable signes and effectuall seales of the sprinkling of Christs blood for the forgiuenes of all our sinnes Againe seeing there is such an vnion of the partes betweene themselues we must not contemue or dispise or deferre baptisme Wherefore the faithfull all delaies reasons and pretences set aparte haue speedily prepared themselues to do that which God commaundeth Wee haue a worthy example in Abraham when god required him to circumcise himselfe his sonne and all the males of his house and thereby to vncouer all their shames hee doth not inquire why God required this at his hands hee doth not complaine or consult with flesh and blood ouer all doubts faith got the victory and subdued reason vnder her and caused him with diligence readines and expedition to submit himselfe to fulfill the Lords will and performe it the same day that he commaunded it Of this duty likewise we see Paule was admonished by Ananias immediately after his conuersion Act. 22. saying Why tariest thou Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes in calling on the name of the Lord. Whereby he sheweth that this tarying and delay in the matters of God maketh vs culpable in his sight True it is it is not the want of Baptisme simply that is demnable as is shewed afterward but the contempt of the Sacraments is dangerous and without repentance damnable as it appeareth The Pharisies and expounders of the law despised the counsell of God against themselues and were not baptized of him We know all neglect and contempt in heauenly duties is euill and bringeth with it a certain curse as the prophet saith Cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently We see in humaine and wordly thinges wise-men will not deferre the sealing of their writings and calling of witnesses when they haue giuen a promise to other or made a bargaine with other knowing that vnnecessary delay may breede vnrecouerable danger as wee see by the example of Ieremy when he had bought a field of his vncles sonne presently he weighed him the siluer enrolled it in a booke of remembrance hee signed it he tooke witnesses and left it written in roles or records hauing an instrument or euidence fairely drawne and sealed with the common seale if any thing should be called in question in time to come 〈◊〉 he like we see in Abraham long before when he had bought a possession of the Hittites for the buriall of his dead he weighed out and paied 〈◊〉 money among Marchants so the field and the caue that was 〈◊〉 withal the trees and appurteuances that were therin was made sure to him for a possession As these men when they had made the purchase would not delay the taking of assurance and security the like delaying and vnnecessary putting off the time from Sabboath to Saboath from meeting to meeting ought to be fhunned of vs otherwise thogh we should be free from contempt we cannot excuse ourselues of the neglect of au high and holy duty to God and our children Indeede we are not pricisely tyed to a certaine day in Baptisme as the Iewes were to the 8. day in their circumcision but that which the 8. day was to them a conuenient and orderly time is to vs. Now what time can be more conuenient more comely more fitte then the Sabboath day following when the Church is assembled That so it may be administred rightly reuerently religiously and conueniently in the publike meetings of the faithfull Againe the needelesse and carelesse deferring of this worke hath a grieuous threatning annexed of assured punishment and iudgement as it is set down The vncircumcised male in whose flesh the foreskin is not circumcised euen that person snalbe cut off from his people because he hath broken my couenant Whereby we see that whosoeuer shal neglect circumcision not fuffer himself be circumcised or shal approue the negligence committed by his parents shall bee none of the peop'e of God but shall be shut out from the society and barred from the fellowship of the faithful both in this world and in the world to come vnlesse hee repent of this sin And that the neglect of Gods ordinance draweth his wrath appeareth in the example of Moyses The Lord met him and would haue killed him because his son was not
the administration of baptisme and truely performe that which is out-wardly figured and represented Heere heauen was open which for our sinnes was shut against vs heere the spirit descended in the visible forme of a doue vpon Christ to signifie vnto vs that being deliuered from the terrors of sin and iudgement we are at peace with God the voice of the father is heard from heauen saying This is my sonne in whom I am well pleased All these things note out the speciall force and dignity of this Sacrament It is not therefore to bee administred in a corner of the Church with three or foure persons present to witnesse the baptisme the rest of the body of the congregation being departed but in the face and open view thereof forasmuch as God to deliuer it from contempt hath giuen it visible markes of greater honor The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 12 Our vncomelie partes haue more comlinesse on for our comely partes neede it not but God hath tempered the body together and hath giuen more honor to that part which lacked As God hath delt with our bodies so hath he done in this sacrament That which is most subiect to contempt dishonour and disgrace God hath lifted vp with sundry excelent preheminences and prerogatiues as we haue seene in Christs baptisme And albeit there be a difference in the person baptized yet there is none in the substance of the baptisme Seeing then god so highly esteemeth of this ordinance it serueth to conuince to accuse and to condemne their carelesnesse and negligence that refuse to be present at baptisme or if they vouchsafe to bee present for a while departe before the end of the whole action and rushe out of the church before the name of God be praysed and the whole worke finished and concluded with prayer as it was Luk. 3. It came to passe as all the people were baptized and that Iesus was baptized and did pray the heauen was opened And Act. 22 Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes in calling on the name of the Lord. Wherefore we are not to departe before god hath be ene prayed vnto and praysed for his benefits The Apostle chargeth that all things in the church be done in order and comelinesse Now what can be more comely and conuenient then that the Churches begin the exercises of their holy religion together and end them together Forasmuch as nothing is done in the assembly which tendeth not to the edification of the whole body Lastly if in euery true baptisme there be outward and inward parts vnited each to other then the baptisme of lohn and of Christ are in nature and substance all one Contrary to the doctrine of the Trent-councel that teacheth If any shal say that the baptisme of Iohn hath the same force with Christs baptisme let him be accursed Although it be no matter of faith nor greatly necessary in theâ—e daies to despute of Iohns baptisme seeing no man or woman is now baptized the rewith yet we will shew the truth of this point out of the Scriptures that they are al one in substance and effect not of any other kind nature For first Iohn preached the baptisme of repentance to remission of sins they haue therfore the same doctrine the same word the same promise the same repentance the same forgiuenesle of sinnes as they had the same outward element of water And the Apostle teacheth that there is One body one spirit one hopeof the calling one Lord one father one faith and one baptisme 2. The baptisme of Iohn was consecrated and sanctified in the person of christ for christ was baptised with the baptisme of Iohn 3. It may appeare as we wil proue Ch. 4 that Iohn 〈◊〉 in the name of the blessed trinity Fourthly neither Christ nor his Ap. rebaptized any that wer baptized by the ministry of Iohn Apollos did know onely the baptisme of Iohn he is taken instructed farder in the faith and waies of the Lord but we read not that he was baptized again 5 if Iohns baptisme were not the same with our baptisme it would follow that CHRIST was baptized with another baptisme then we are and that our baptisme was not sanctified in the person of CHRIST which taketh away our comfort and consolation that we which are the members of CHRIST haue one and the same baptisme with our head Sixtly if the baptisme of Iohn were not one with the baptisme of Christ heere by the errour of the Anabaptistes should be confirmed for such as were baptized of Iohn should be rebaptized Seuenthly the Apostles themselues should not be truely baptized for they no doubt were baptized of Iohn some of them being first his Disciples otherwise they should be vnbaptized For Christ with his owne hands baptized none as ap peareth Ioh. 4 1 2 and it is not likely that one of them baptized another yea they should baptize other into another baptisme then themselus had receiued Last of all Christ himselfe testi fieth that the baptisme ministred by Iohn pertained to the fulfilling of righteousnesse Math. 3 15 and Luke testifieth that the publicans and people being baptized of him iustified god but the Pharises dispised the counsell of god against themselues were not baptised Wherfore seeing Iohn bpatised with water in the name of the Trinity to remission of sins and that the blessed Trinity was present thereat we conclude his baptisme was the same with ours onely heerin lyeth the difference in the circumstance of time Iohn baptised in christ that should suffer death and rise againe we baptise in the name of Christ already dead and risen againe to life Against this euident truth directly confirmed Bellarmine the Iesuite taketh diuers exceptions and maketh many obiections all which stumbling blocks lying in the way wherat many stumble are to be remoued before we conclude this chapter For he reasoneth thus The baptisme of Iohn was instituted by Iohn himselfe not by Christ he was not the minister onely but the author thereof therefore it was no Sacrament at all especially of the new Testament and consequently not the same with the baptisme of christ I answer we must consider in this reason the base and vile account that the Iesuites make of Iohns baptisme they make it an idle and vaine Ceremony without fruite or force and no Sacrament or seale of heauenly grace Againe if Iohns baptisme were no Sacrament then CHRIST which receiued no other outward Baptisme receiued no Sacrament and we should be baptised with an other 〈◊〉 then Christ was Furthermore shal we heare with patience and hold our peace when these Iesuites or 〈◊〉 Iebusites 〈◊〉 enemies of the people of God belch out their 〈◊〉 and blot Iohns baptisme out of the 〈◊〉 of sacraments and admit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 false and 〈◊〉 Sacraments of 〈◊〉 Penance Orders Matrimony and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lastly what intolerable boldnes or blindenesse is there in these bayards
that make Iohn and not God to be the appointer author and ordainer of his baptisme contrary to expresse euidence of holy 〈◊〉 For seeing no man taketh this honor vpon him but he that is called of God as Aaron was shall we thinke hee would vsurp this office without gods word warrant And doth not christ himfelfe propound the question to the 〈◊〉 priests and elders of the people touching Iohns Baptisme and teach that he baptized and preached by the authority and commaundement of God Besides do not the Euangelists say he was sent of god Ioh. 1 6 and that the word of God came to Iohn in the wildernesse and he came into all the coastes about Iordan preaching and baptizing Luk 3 2 3. yea Iohn himselfe testifieth that he was sent to baptize Ioh. 1. 33 I knew him not but he that sent me to baptize with water said vnto me vpon whom thou shalt see that spirit come 〈◊〉 and tarry still vpon him that is he which baptizeth with the Holy-ghost Where by appeareth that Iohns baptisme was 〈◊〉 of God no of Iohn and Iohn was not the author but onely the minister thereof Againe he obiecteth and allegeth Math. 3 11 where Iohn himselfe saith I baptize with water but Christ shall baptize with the Holy-ghost whence he gathereth that Christs baptisme gaue the Holy-ghost Iohns baptisme gaue not the holy ghost therefore their baptismes are not all one I answer these words were spoken to inform the people that he was not that christ Luk. 3 15 16. so that they make a difference not betweene the Baptisme of CHRIST and of Iohn but between the persons of Christ and of Iohn betweene the minister of the Sacrament and the 〈◊〉 thereof For this is true of all the Ministers of Baptisme to the end of the world that baptize in the name of the holy Trinity they poure on the water they can do no more they can go no further Christ must giue the grace of regeneration and sanctification Moreouer another obiection he taketh out of Act. 19 4 5. where Luke speaketh of certaine disciples at Ephesus to whom Paule said Haue ye receiued the Holy-ghost since ye beleeued And they saide vnto him we haue not so much as heard whether there be an holy ghost And he said vnto them vnto what were ye then baptized And they said vnto Iohns Baptisme Then Paule saide Iohn verily baptized with the baptisme of repentance saying vnto the people that they should beleeu in him which shal come after him that is in Christ Iesus And when they heard it they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus So Paule laid his hands on them and the Holy-ghost came on him and they spake the tongues and prophesied and all the men were about twelue In these words it should seeme at the first sight that Paule baptized the Disciples of Ephesus with the baptisme of Christ which had before receiued the baptisme of Iohn If then he baptized them againe in the name of Christ whom Iohn baptized it followeth necessarily that the baptisme of Iohn was one and the baptisme of christ another otherwise it should bee a needelesse and fruitelesse repetition Besides this the place seemeth to fauour rebaptization and is alleaged by dangerous heretikes to that purpose Wherefore the place being difficult the doubts diuers and the errors many that are gathered and sucked from hence let vs assay by the assistance of God to open the true and naturall meaning thereof If we shall weigh and consider the wordes aright according to the true interpretation thereof agreeable to the drift of the place to the circumstances of the text to the propriety of the words to other testimonies of Scriptures to the proportion of faith we shal see they fauour and further neither rebaptization maintained by the Anabaptistes neither reall difference betweenee Iohns baptisme and Christs defended by the Papists True it is ther is in this scripture a double History and narration inserted intermingled and 〈◊〉 the one within the other which causeth some doubt and 〈◊〉 but may easily be clcered and 〈◊〉 For first of all the wordes verse 5 And they which heard it were baptized are not the wordes of Luke the writer but of Paule the speaker continuing his speach of Iohns Disciples and hearers and are not to be vnderstood of the 12 〈◊〉 as appeareth by the two Greeke coniunctions which are vsed by the maiders of that tongue to ioyne and to disioyne hauing relation one to the other and knitting together the parts of the sentence answering fitly each to other as may be seene in many places wherefore Luke speaketh not heere of Paules baptisme but Paule speaketh of Iohns baptisme He setteth downe the office of Iohn verse 3 then he prose cuteth both the partes of it mentioning his preaching verse 4. his baptizing verse 5. Again these 12. abiding at Ephesus dwelling far from the land of Iudea wher Iohn preached and baptized 〈◊〉 liuing about 30. or 40 years after the death of Iohn could not hear his doctrin from his own mouth or receiue baptisme at his hands Now whereas they are said to be baptized to Iohns baptisme the meaning is they embraced professed the same doctrin which Iohn preached by word sealed with his baptisme Thirdly we haue a like example touching the Samaritans baptized by Phillip The holyghost was yet come down vpon none of them but they were onely baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus then laid they their hands on them and they receiued the holy hgost Heer we are to obseiue this order Phillip preached the people beleeued and were baptized afterward the Apostles hands were imposed and so the holy ghost is receiued They gaue the gifts of the holy ghost by laying on of hands without baptisme Act. 8 17 neither do we read that laying on of hands was vsed in baptisme neither were these baptized againe but onely confirmed and strengthened by imposition of the Apostles hands So in this place the twelue Ephesian Disciples had embraced and receiued the doctrine that Iohn preached and were baptized in the name of christ then the apostle layeth his hands vpon them and they receiue the Holy-ghost they are no more rebaptized then wer the disciples at Samaria Fourthly if the 4 5 verses were to be sundred and dismembred contrary to the vse of the Greeke particles which serue to comoyne the whole and to 〈◊〉 the partes of the sentence as though the one were spoken of Paule the other of Luke why doth Luke afterward verse 6 repeate and assume the name of Paule What neede was there to make mentiō of him again Doth not this shew that in the 〈◊〉 speach before he had spoken of Iohn and his hearers that heard him preaching in the wildernes Furthermore the Apostle neither accuseth nor condemneth the baptisme of these Ephesians neither enquireth whether they were baptized or no
sword in vaine Was it not that Phinehas was stirred vp and called of God to do execution but Ioah was stirred vp by the Diuel to see and to seeke his owne reuenge Was it not that Peter was a priuate man to whome God had saide Thou shalt not kill but the Magistrate is ordained of god to whom he hath saide Thine eye shall not pitty him whom I haue appointed to die Wherfore there is more to be marked of vs then the deede that is done seeing the same deed performed by a person that hath a calling is liked and lawfull the which done without a calling is vngodly and vnlawful This truth is so plaine and apparent that the Heathen poet doth acknowledge it Duo cumidem faciunt saepe vt possis dicere Hoc licet impune facere huic illi non licet Non quod dissimilis res sit sed is qui facit That is Though two an act attempt in substance one as doth befal Yet one we oft as lawfull like th' other vnlawfull call Not that the deed is differing the doer is all in all So then to say that a woman may minister baptisme in cases of necessity is all one as if a man should say that if ther be no iudge or magistrate at hande that will do his duty in executing iustice against murtherers and malefactors that then a priuate man may take vpon him to draw the sword out of the sheath to strike osfendors But as a priuate man flaying a murtherer hath himselfe committed murther and not executed iudgement because he had no calling or commission thereunto so such as without any warrant haue taken in hande to baptise haue made a prophane washing and not administred any Sacrament of the Lord. Lastly if it be not materiall who baptise then if the friends or neighbours meeting together after the birth of a child should carry the childe to the church ro be baptised and solemnely dedicated to Christ that died on the crosse if a priuate person preuenting their purpose cast water on the infant and with all vse the wordes of institution the childe should by this imagination be baptised and be carried no further to the minister Or if no man of purpose poure on water but it dash at vnwares vpon the face of the child or if a shower of raine fall from Heauen and a priuate person speake the words of institution it should likewise be baptisme Nay which is more vnreasonable and absurd if it were ministred by a boy playing and in sport if it were ministred by a foole or a mad man if it were ministred by one that were not himselfe baptized if it were by a Turke or infidell that is a sworne Enimy by profession to baptisme and to them that are baptised yea if it were ministred by an Athiest that holdeth there is no God yet it should be by this opinion a good lawfull and perfect baptisme But seeing this cannot be so we are not onely to obserue what is the deed done but to consider who is the doer and to prouide it be done by the minister warranted by the church and called of God thereunto Before we come to the vses heereof we will answere an obiection from the example of Zipporah the Wife of Moses who in case of necessity circumcised her sonne and God departed from pursuinge her husbande to the death for omitting thereof To this we may answer that we must liue by lawes not by examples which haue no warrant The question is not of the fact but of the lawfulnes of the fact Againe there is a difference betweene circumcision and baptisme For this falling out before the law was more lawfull when circumcision was left more at liberty yea vnder the law there was no speciall commaundement giuen to the priestes to circumcise which should tye it to the priesthood But Christ in the gospell hath apointed the same persons to be preachers of the gospell and Ministers of the sacramentes Moreouer inasmuch as shee did it not in the absence but in the presence of her husband and inasmuch as her hart was not vpright but filled with Anger against GOD with indignation against her husband with murmaringe and frettinge againste the institution of circumcision castinge the fore-skin with great disdaine vpon the earth regarding nothing lesse then to performe a good duty to God railing vpon and reuiling Moses the act cannot be lawfull or aproued Furthermore it doth not appeare out of the scripture that Moses was sick as some pretend but it is most probaple and likely that Zipporah wanting discretion but not presumption through her boldnes and hastines preuented Moses and aduentured on the worke before the prophet coulde prepare himselfe vnto it Neither may we by the sequell and successe conclude the lawfulnes of her deed as Bellarmine doth because the Angell ceased from vexing him that therefore god was pacified pleased and appealed towarde him For the Heathen man condemneth such as measure actions by the euent as by a false rule and deceitfull measure We see oftentimes euill workes prosper and euill workes speede well in this world The Assyrians that halted in the worship of God and mingled his honor with Idols were deliuered frow the lyons that deuoured them yet their corrupt and consused religion pleased not God Wherefore we conclude that whereas this Woman administred circumcision her example must not be drawn into imitation Now as the truth is plaine and euident so the vse is profitable and comfortable First if the minister be one outward part of Baptisme then he must be ready and carefull to performe his duty which is to wash the vncleane body with water in the name of the father of the sonne and of the Holy-ghost to call vpon God and to follow the institution of Christ as it is left in the scripture for his direction For if there be the outward sign of baptisme as the matter of the Sacrament if ther be a party to be baptized which is the receiuer and if there he a minister to administer it yet vnlesse he performe his duty there can be no baptisme So then we must knowe that the actions of the minister are dubble first there is required of him a sanctifying of the water Sccondly a washing of the partie The sanctifying of the water is the seperation and appointing of it by the word and praier to this vse to signifie the bloud of Christ. The outward washing is a certaine pledge vnto vs of our inward washing by the blood and spirit of christ Secondly if it be the ossice of the minister to baptize then this giueth direction and instruction to the people to whom to repaire and resorte when they haue any children to be baptized It is required of them to haue recourse to the ministers as to the officers of god We see in the asfiairs of the common-wealth and in passing conueyances of houses of lands and of
inhritances how carefull and circumspect men are to passe them where they ought to be passed and in such courts and vnder such officers as are authorised for such purpose that there may be no error committed in the conueiance For whatsoeuer is done and passed before him that hath not his patent to warrant his practise is held to be void and frustrate by maisters of that profession In like manner it standeth vs all vppon when a matter of an higher nature and of greater importance is in hand then the sealing and assuring of temporall possessions to looke carefully to the diligent performance of this speciall duty that the signing of our infants and sealing them in the couenant be made by the hands of such officers as are appointed by God for that purpose and by no other Thirdly this condemneth the abuse and prophanation of the Sactament of baptisme in the church of Rome where women midwiues and priuate persons without any commaundement of God nay contrary to his word take vpon them this part of the ministers office to baptize children which they haue receiued from the 〈◊〉 Marcion who gaue women power to baptize which Epiphanius teacheth the holy mother of Christ was not permitted to do Such then as vsurp this calling and approue thereof neuer knew the force of our adoption in Christ nor the strength of the couenant nor that the elect are saued by the good pleasure and will of God Therfore there is not that absolute necessity of baptisme to saluation which many suppose that for this supposed necessity the ordinance of God should be broken and prophaned And a man may maruell why at such times they did not rather commit the mater to priuate men to baptize then to woman whose sexe is surther remoued from execution of this office not onely because they be vncalled and priuate men but euen because they' are women and thereby are wholly vncapable though otherwise qualified of any publike charge or function in the church they are commaunded to sit stil and to be quiet Besides if in time of this extreamety and necessity which is imagened it be permitted them to minister baptisme why should it not be suffered in like necessity and danger of death that they minister the Lords Supper and preach the Gospell in case they be able and men vnable or vnwilling the dignity of the one Sacrament being no lesse then the other and the excellency of the word being as great as of them both If then women may iustly be condemned when they shal presume to sit down in the chaire of Moses or to minister the Supper of the Lord they cannot be iustified if they vsurp to minister baptisme For shall we make a shamefull and double diuorcement of those things that God hath coupled betweene the word and sacraments and likewise betweene the one Sacrament and the other This is to great contumely and contempt offered to baptisme to allow it in those that may neither publikely preach nor lawfully minister the Lords Supper seeing their warrant to practise the one is no greater then to do the other Wherefore let all priuate persous and midwiues consider with the mselues the fearefull examples recorded in the Scipture of such as haue rashly presumed to prophane the holy offices of the church and how God hath often visited this great sin with grieuous iudgments sometimes with fire from heauen sometimes the earth opening her mouth sometimes with suddaine death and sometimes with the most filthy disease of the Leprosie whereby as by his voice from heauen he thundered downe vpon mens disobedience and so ratifieth this law of the necessity of a vocation 〈◊〉 calling for euer Corah Dathan and Abiram taking vpon them the priest-hood without a calling fire from heauen came downe consuming Corah and his company the earth also opened and couered Dathan and Abiram that they were swallowed vp aliue none of them died the common visitation of other men but God wroght a strange worke vpon them and altered the course of nature which ought to be a parpetuall instruction and direction vnto vs to teach vs not to peruert or euert that order which God hath established to continue in his church Hitherto belongeth that which is writen of Vzzah who was smitten with suddaine and vnexpected death only for that beyond the bounds of his calling he put forth his hand to hold vp the Arke which did shake and was ready to fal which was lawfull for the Leuites onely to meddle withal although his intent and purpose wer neuer so good so that if the vnlawful intruders vpon baptisme pretend cases of necessity heere seemed as great a necessity yea his mind and meaning was as good as theirs yet it displeased god because it was done without his word and warrant So Azariah was striken with Leprosie that he was a Leaper to the day of his death for that not being content with his kingly office he would take vpon him the priests office to burn incense vnto the Lord. These worthy examples of gods most feuere iudgements executed vpon the breakers of this ordinance ought to strike such a fear into our harts that we suffer not the sacred functions and offices of the church to be prophaned and to teach vs that euery one meddle only with the approued duties of his own calling And although God do not now thus execute iudgement from heauen and work strange things in the earth in extraordinary manner when his ordinances are broken yet the sin is not therby lessened nor the punishmēt mitagated nor the hand of God shortned but stretched out still though iudgement according to desert be deferred my rather the greater wrath is reserued for his aduersaries to the great day of account when al flesh shal appear before the throne of his glorious presence For if the prophaners of the sign 〈◊〉 sacraments of the old testament did not escape but were thus sharpely and seuerely punished our sacraments established by the lord Iesus are not of lesse value 〈◊〉 worthines so that the contempt of thē shal be visited with sorer iudgments And if god did strike with his reuenging hand priuatemen when they sinned in a abusing the sacramentes and spared not kings in the pride of their hearts how should women standing a degree 〈◊〉 off and barred from the office by a stronger bolt enter into the house at a window and not be accounted as theeues and robbers So that we conclude that the necessity of a calling is as great as the necessity of baptisme And thus much of the first outward part of baptisme namely the minister Chap. 4. Of the second outward part of baptisme THe second outward part of baptisme is the word of institution which is as the forme of the Sacrament as Eph. 2 26. Christ loued the church and gaue himselfe for it that he might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water through the word
confession of the aduersaries which is strong against themselues to whome we may say as Christ sometimes did to that sloathfull person Thou euill seruaunt out of thine own mouth wil I iudge thee These make three sorts of baptisme of water of blood of the spirit whereby they consesle that the want of baptising with water is not damnable in all seeing that want may be supplyed either with shedding of their blood for the testimony of the truth or by spiritual regeneration and ingrafting into the body of christ To conclude do we desire the custome and practise of the church It is well knowne that in Thessalia the sacrament of baptisme was celebrated but once in the yeare namely at Easter In other places thrice in the yeare and sometimes not vntill the houre of their death when they were going the way of al slesh Constantine the great was the first christian Emperour yet was he not baptised till the time of his death And Valentinianus a christian Emperor died without baptism yet doth Ambrose giue him his due commendation and doubted nothing of his saluation Shal we do these good men these worthy Emperors these godly christians this wronge as to thinke they were damned who were the chiefe pillers and protectors of the Catholick religion Or if the churches aboue mentioned had holden this hard opinion that the want of baptisme was a signe of reprobation would they haue deferred it in the houre of death whereby sometimes they were 〈◊〉 or administred it at certaine times onely of the yeare True it is that custome is not to be followed neither the negligence of those byshops to be allowed but it teacheth thus much that in de ferring baptism they differed in iudgement from the new church of Rome and concurred in opinion with the reformed churches for which causes their practise is aledged The reasons vsed to maintain the absolute necessity of this sacrament to saluation are weak and not worth the answering First they obiect the threatning annexed to circumcision The vncircumcised male shall be cut off from his people To this I answere first God commandeth infants to be circumcised the eight day before which time they were forbidden to circumcise Wherfore infants that dy before the 8. day were not bound and obliged by this law And seeing there can be no transgression where there is no law they are not damnd because they are vncircumcifed seeing god calleth many out of this life before they were capable of this sacrament Againe the commination and threatning is not to be vnderstoode generally of all but of such as are growne vp not of children but of men as appeareth by the reason For he hath broke my couenant This cannot be applied to infantes who albeit they haue not actuall faith yet cannot be said to contemne grace to refuse the couenant to reiect the promises or to lie in infidelity hardnes of hart Wherfore it belongeth vnto those onely that being grown vp and come to yeares shall approue the negligence of their parents and will not suffer themselues to be circumcised Now as to Peter saiyng Thou shalt neuer wash my feet Christ answered If I wash thee not thou hast no part in me so to the Israelite that should haue said I will neuer be circumcised this threatning might fitly be applyed If thou wilt not be circumcised thou hast no part in God no portion in his blessing no assurance of his promises in this life or of his kingdome in the life to come Lastly to be cut off from the people doth not signifie to be condemned for euen the negligence and contempt of the Sacrament is pardonable wher repentance followeth as we see of such as cam vnuerently and vnworthily to the Lordes supper among the Corinthians who were punished with diseases and death it selfe yet the soule no doubt was saued in the day of the Lord. Sometime therefore that phrase of speaking signifieth temporall iudgements of God on men and their families for their wickednes Sometimes it signifieth the magistrates iustice inflicted on malefactors who beareth not the sword in vain which is expounded afterward Thou shalt surely kill him Sometimes it signifyeth to bee cut off from the bosome of the church which is done by the high and dreadfull censure or excommunication Whosoeuer eateth leauened bread from the first day vntill the seuenth day that person shal be out off from Israell the interpretation of which wordes is added verse 19. That person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israell So the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 5. Hee which hath done this thing should be put from among you that is from your company and fellowship as verse 13. Put away from among your selues that wicked man Thus we are to vnderstande the threatning in this place that such as contemne circumcision either themselues or allow the same contempt and negligence of others shall no longer be reckoned and reputed among the people of God but be seperated from them Againe they obiect Iohn 3. Vnlesse a man be borne of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God therefore say they it is necessary to saluation to be baptized This is the reason of Bellarmine and of others I answere first it is not necessary in this place by water to vnderstande materiall water but the grace of Christ purging and clensinge as water doth which interpretation may be gathred by conference of a like place Math 3 11. He shall baptise with the holy-ghost and with fire that is by the spirit of God which is as it were fire lightning our hearts with the knowledge of God inflaming them with his loue and purging them from euill affections So when we are said to be borne againe by water and the spirit he meaneth by the spirit shewing forth in vs the force power and property of Water as if hee should say we are borne of water which is the spirit as Ioh. 7 38 39. Again if it were ment of water in baptisme it must be vnderstood according to alike sentence Ioh. 6. Vnlesse you eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood ye shall not haue life in you which must be vnderstood of such as are of yeares and growne in age And thus Innocentius the 3. in the decrees expoundeth it so doth Peter Lumbard maister of the 〈◊〉 So then if they will be tryed either by their owne Pope which is their holy father or by Peter Lumbard which is their grand-maister this place cannot be enforced against infants that die before they bee baptised but must be referred to men of greater yeares We reason not thus farre to iustifie and alow the sluggishnesse and neglect of carelesse parents vnder colour and pretence of this that the saluation of the child dependeth not vpon the participation of the Sacrament but to shew that if it cannot be obtained
cirumcision why should we not holde the same of baptisme being instituted for vs in steed of circumcision there being the same promises in both and there being the same ends of both If then the couenant made with Abraham remaine stable and stedfast it dooth no lesse belong to the children of Christians at this day then it did appertaine to the children of the Iewes vnder the old Testament vnlesse peraduenture wee will say that our sauiour Christ by his comming hath restraind or diminished the grace and loue of his father which were detestable blasphemy against the father and an horrible reproach against the sonne of God From hence then we reason thus if the infantes of the Iewes were circumcised then the children of christians are to be baptized but the infantes of the Iewes were circumcised therefore also the children of christians are to be baptized Against this reason sundry exceptions are taken by the aduersaries of this doctrin which are not vnworthy the consideration They say circumcision was a signe of mortification it was tyed to be administred the eight day and that women ought not to be baptised if baptisme were like to circumcision in asmuch as they were not circumcised I answere these obiections will easily appeare to be verye cauils and meere dreames of idle and addle braines if we diligently obserue both wherein circumcision and baptism agree and in what points they differ They agree first in one author of them both that is God himselfe who firste appointed the Minister of circumcision which was Abraham and Iohn the Minister of baptisme whereof hee was called the baptist Secondly in the chiefe and principall ends for which they were instituted namely to seale vp the promises of grace by Christ. Thirdly by both of them is wrought our visible receiuing into the church the Iewes were receiued by circumcision the christians are entred by baptisme Lastly by both of them our mortification regeneration newnes of life and iustification are signified So then they fullie agree in the ends which they respect and in the things which they signifie to wit in the substance and nature of the things themselues Againe circumcision and baptisme differ onely in certaine circumstances first in the forme and maner of doing as circumcision was administred by cutting awaye of the foreskinne and effusiou of blood but baptisme by washing and sprinkling with water Secondly in the outwarde signe which is different in both Thirdly in the circumstaunce of time for circumcision promised from God grace and mercy in the Messias to come baptisme in the Messias already exhibited Fourthly in the subiects or persons that are partakers of them circumcision belongeth onely to the male children but baptisme is common to male and female Notwithstanding howsoeuer the bodies of the men children alone were imprinted yet through them the women were after a sort made partakers and companions of circumcision so that albeit God commanded onely the males to haue this signe in their flesh yet the females were not excluded from being members of the church nor accounted straungers from the Couenants of promise For as the man is the head of the Woman so they were accounted as circumcised in the man yea they were reckoned and numbred with the men namely the vnmarried with their father and the married with their husbands Now their circumcision was thus comprehended in the men so that it was vnto them in stead of circumcision to be borne of the circumcised may be gathered by many places as Luke 13 Where the woman which Christ healed of a spirit of infirmity bounde togither is called the daughter of Abraham to signifie that the priuiledge of his posterity belonged no lesse to her and all women that were faithfull then to the males and that she was as well his daughter as they his sonnes Likewise Gen. 34 the sonnes of Iacob communing with Hamor after their sister was humbled and abused said vnto them We cannot do this thing to giue our sister to an vncircumcised man for that were a reproofe vnto vs but in this we will consent vnto you if ye will be as we are that euery man-child among you be circumcised then we will giue our daughters to you c. where these two are set as contrary one to another our sister and the vncircumsed which teacheth that they were accounted as circumcised in the males so that it was enough to them to be borne of parents that were circumcised Fiftly they differ in the setled time which is limitted for circumcision being precisely and necessarily tied to the 8. day but in baptisme it is not so there is greater liberty left to the church yet the Sabbaoth following would not without vrgent cause be omitted Sixtly circumcision was instituted for the Israelites that were the seede of Abraham but Baptisme was instituted for all Nations that are willinge to ioyne themselues to the fellowshippe of the churches of Christ that professe his name of whatsoeuer Lande and language they be Lastly circumcision was to endure onely till the comming of the Messias but the body being come the figure must cease whereas baptisme is to continue vnto the end of the world as our sauiour teacheth Math 28 Teach and baptise and loe I am with you vntill the end of the world Wherefore the circumcision of the Turkes which liue in infidelity and of the Moores which professe Christianitye vsed at this day is nothing worth albeit they retaine the outward sign and ceremonie because the institution of it was onely to indure the blessed times of the Gospell Thus we see that notwithstanding the differences betweene circumcision and baptism in circumstances of time and maner of doing yet being in substance and effect the same the Argument standeth strōg and inuinsible prouing the baptizing of infants in the time of the Gospell from the commaundement of circumcising infantes in the time of the Law Againe let vs consider the practise of the Apostles and ages succeeding in this point For albeit it be not expressed that any infant was baptized by the hands of the Apostles yet we find in diuers places that whole families and housholds haue bin baptized in which no doubt were many infants and sucklings as Act. 16. 15. Lidia being conuerted to the faith was baptized and all her houshold And againe Verse 33 of the same chapter the Iaylor was baptised and all that were with him So was Crispus the chiefe ruler of the Synagogue and his houshold baptised and the houshold of Stephanas Furthermore when Peter commaunded the Iewes newly conuerted to the faith of Christ and hungring after saluation in him whome before they had crucified to be baptised he addeth this as a reason For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all that are a farre off euen as many as the LORDE our GOD shall call Neuerthelesse will some say we read not directly that any infants were
Christ Iesus shed his blood for them he dyed for all the children of God he redeemed them whether they be old or young smal or great as Ioh. 11. He must die not for that nation onely but should gather together in one the children of God which are scattered And the same Apostle Reuel 12. saith I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of those things written in those bookes according to their workes Wherefore when children shall come to yeares of discretion and vnderstanding they must heereby be pricked forward to an earnest care and indeuour to walke in the feare of God and to serue him in holynesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life by whom they were receiued for sonnes and adopted for his children by a solemne pledge of their adoption before they were able through their age to know and acknowledge him for their father Let them giue the first fruites of their life to God let them learne to beare the yoake of obedyence from their youth let them redresse and reforme their waies by taking heede to the word of truth and seeing God hath remembred them in their baptisme let them also remember their creator in the daies of their youth and begin to be wise betimes least death come suddainely and cut them off as the sluggard that for-sloweth the seasons of plowing and reaping wisheth for them in vaine at another time of the yeare Thus we haue shewed the baptisme of children the certaine truth thereof hath beene euidently proued the obiections against this truth aledged haue been susficiently answered and the vses of it to the great comfort of all faithfull parentes and Children haue beene particularly remembred Chap. 8. Of the first inward part of baptisme HItherto we haue handled al the outward parts of baptisme now we are orderly to proceede to the inwarde partes The inward parts of baptisme are such as are represented by the outward Those are foure in number first God the father secondly the spirit thirdly Christ fourthly the soule clensed as we see Math. 28 19. Teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy-ghost he that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued Heer we see these foure inward parts are named and expressed This is also euidently proued Math 3 in the baptisme of Christ where the Trinity of persons was manifested These inward parts do directly and fitly answeare to the outward The father is represented by the Minister the spirit worketh by the worde Christ is sealed by the water and the soule clensed is signified by the body that is washed Now there is a notable agreement a singular vnion and fit proportion betweene these partes where the minister hath relation and reference to the father the word to the spirit the water to Christ and the body dipped to the faithfull clensed For euen as the minister by the word of institution taketh and applyeth the water to the washing of the bodye so God the father through the working of the spirite offereth and applyeth the blood of Christ to the clensing of the faithfull Hauing seene the proportion of the parts between themselues let vs consider of them particularly and in order The first inward part is God the father represented by the minister The minister calling vpon the name of God vseth the water to wash and washeth the party baptized with the element of water which sealeth vp gods incorporating and ingrafting of the baptized into Christ and our spirituall regeneration Hence it is that when Iohn baptized the father was present as president of the worke when loe his voice came from heauen saying This is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased Now let vs come to the vses This 〈◊〉 first of all to strengthen our faith in the remission of our fins in imputation of Christs righteousnes in mortification of sinne by the force of Christs death and in sanctification through Christs resurrection Wherefore although the Minister doth nothing touching or towarde the clensing of the soule yet in regard of Gods ordinance and our benefit the ministery of man is somewhat which whosoeuer despiseth doth despise God the author of it For whensoeuer the eye of the body seeth the minister powring on the water and washing the body we must behold by saith god the father offering the blood of his own son to be water of life to our soules And let vs all make this vse of the Churches baptism to the comfort of our own harts so often as we see it administred let vs not rest in it as in a work done to another and nothing concerning our selues but euermore helpe our inward affection by the outwarde action and alwaies as the eye of the body beholdeth the Minister let the eye of the faith be fastned firmely vppon the Father who maketh the Sacramentall rites auaileable which are openly done before vs for our edification Again it teacheth that we must not rest in the outward washing nor in the externall actions of the Minister but euer consider what is offered to our considerations therin and when the father offereth to vs his sonne let vs not refuse him For he that satisfieth himselfe with the outwarde work is as he that catcheth after the shadow and regardeth not the substance or as one that maketh much of the garments but respecteth little the body it self which ought to be had in greatest price and estimation Lastly is God the father an inward part of baptism then we must take heed we giue not that to the Minister which is proper to god the father whereby hee is robbed of the honor and glory due to his great name The Minister may wash the body and clense the flesh but can goe no further he medleth not with sanctification of the conscience from dead workes which is not in the power of mortall man to do so that god giueth the thing and men giue the signe yea while the Minister offereth the one God the father giueth the other Chap. 9 Of the second inward part of Baptisme THe second inwarde part of baptisme is the spirit of God hauing relation to the word and promise of God This appeareth Math 3 11 He baptizeth with the holy-ghost and with fire And verse 16 When Christ was baptized the heauens were opened vnto him and he saw the spirit discending like a doue and lighting vpon him So the apostle 1 Cor 6 saith ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are iustified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God And chap. 12 of the same Epistle By oke spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be Iewes or Graecians whether we be bonde or free and haue beene all made to drinke into one spirit And Tit 3.
made vs Kings and Priestes vnto GOD euen his father And Col. 1 14 the A postle saith In him wee haue redemption by his bloode that is forgiuenesse of sinnes Againe when wee see with our bodily eyes the Water poured vpon the body of the baptized we must behold and consider with the eyes of faith the blotting out of all our sinnes as well originall as actuall as well after baptisme as before baptisme by the pretious blood of Christ that wee may assure our selues it is no idle action For wee must not behold the Sacramentall rites as certaine dombe gestures or stage-like shewes without substance and signification but wee must make them serue to further our faith and edification Lastly it teacheth vs not to be led by the outward senses to measure the truth or to iudge of the substance of baptilme by the outward signe and visible partes but to haue our faith fixed on Christ crucified on the Crosse and signified in baptisme The infidell seeing children solemnely baptized in the name of the father of the sonne and of the Holy-ghost will rashly and ignorantly coniesture nothing to bee there but naked rites and bare Water but the faithfull and true Christian doth beholde the washing of the soule and clensing of the heart by the dearest blood of Christ. So in the Lordes Supper to the vnbeleeuer appeareth nothing but Bread and Wine because we see with our eies wee receiue 〈◊〉 our handes wee tast with our mouth no more but the beleeuer knoweth that together with these signes GOD the father offereth the body and blood of his Sonne to bee spiritually receiued and digested Euen as he that is vnlettered and vnlearned if hee looke vpon the face of a booke beholdeth onely blacke coulours and spottes vppon the Paper seeth certaine figures and charusters of Letters differing each from other but cannot read the writing or comprehende the meaning but hee that hath learned his Letters and is able to reade them reapeth greate profit and instruction thereby So is it in the 〈◊〉 Hee that resteth in the outward signe deceiueth himselfe but hee that respecteth the thinge signified receiueth the profit and aduantage The Crosse of CHRIST and preaching of the Gospell are a stumbling blocke to the Iewes and foolishnesse to the Gracians For the infidell hearing that christ was crucified and nailed vpon the crosse is offended at him accounting it a foolish weak means to saue mankind that life should spring out of death glory come out of shame power proceed out of weakenesse and triumphant victory arise out of his contemptible sufferings but the faithfull soule acknowledgeth in this mystery of Godlinesle the high hand and vnsearchable wisedome of God It may seeme ridiculous vnto some men that God should require circumcision of Abraham and of his houshold young and old bond and free maister and seruants to vncouer all their shames and to open the hidden partes of nature yet Abraham submitttd himselfe to the ordinance of God Naamaen the Syrian thought it a toyish precept prescript when he was bidden to wash himselfe 7. times in Iordin hauing many riuers in his owne countrey as good as that yet by obeying the prophet he was clensed of his Leprosie The inhabitants of Iericho scorned Ioshua and the men of Israell when they saw them compasse their Citty strong and walled and to blow with their Rammes hornes yet by this weake meanes the wall fel downe the enemies were destroyed the citty was sacked and the people of God 〈◊〉 Christ seeing a blinde man and willing to heale him he spat on the ground and made clay of spittle and annoynted the eies of the blinde with the clay and said vnto him Go wash in the poole of Siloam he obeyed he went he washed he returned seeing Thus doth God by simple base and weake things oftentimes confound the mighty strong and wise of the world that no flesh should reioyce in his presence and crosseth all the high conceites and proud imaginations of mans wil and wit Wherefore we must not follow our owne vnderstanding nor measure the matters of God by the crooked rule of our carnall reason Whosoeuer will yeald obedience to God must deny himselfe and renounce his own wisedome and become a foole that he may be wise in God as 1 cor 3 Let no man deceiue himselfe if any man among you seeme to bec wise in this world let him be a foole that he may be wise for the wisedome of this world is foolishnesse with God Thus we see that in the Sacramentes we must vnderstand more then we see and beleeue more then we can behold Such 〈◊〉 are without knowledge and faith 〈◊〉 no more of baptisme then the bodily eie directeth them vnto but the faithfull conceiue the blood of Christ to be offered to 〈◊〉 the soule and conscience from all sinn as the riuer watered the garden of Eden Chap. 11. Of the foruth inward part of baptisme THe last inward part of baptisme is the soule clensed most liuely represented by the body that is washed For as the outward receiuer giueth his body to be washed so the saithfull receiuer doth consecrate himselfe to God with ioy and forsake the flesh the world and the diuill and feeleth the inward washing of the spirit as Tit. 3 5 According to his mercy he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy-ghost And the same Apostle Eph. 5. Christ gaue himselfe for the church that he might sanctifie it and clense it by washing of water through the word that he might make it vnto himselfe a glorious church not hauing spot or wrinkle Wherefore this outward washing of the body commaunded by Christ fignifieth vnto me that I am no lesse assuredly clensed in his blood by the working of his spirit from the spottes of my soule that is from all my sinnes then I am outwardlie washed by water whereby the staines of the body vse to be washed away and it bindeth vs that we ought euer afterward by our workes and deeds to declare newnes of life and fruites of repentance Let vs now come to the vses of this last part of baptisme Doth the washing of the body represent the clensing of the soule And doth the soking vp of the filthines of the flesh signifie the remouing of the remnants of rebellion Then we are all by nature vnwise vncleane 〈◊〉 vnregerate vnholy disobedient disordered deceiuing and being deceiued we are the vessels of wrath the children of death the bond-slaues of Sathan the heires of damnation we haue our part and portion in the offence of Adam as Rom. 5. By one man sinne entred into the world and ch 7. I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading me captiue vnto the law of sinne which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of
this death Heereunto also commeth that which the Euangelist setteth downe in the conference betweene Christ and Nicodemes Ioh. 3 That which is borne of flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit marueil not that I said vnto thee ye must be borne againe For this cause are infants baptized because they are conceiued in sinne and borne in iniquity and cannot become spirituall but by a new birth wrought by the spirit which is sealed vp by the water in baptisme Againe this serueth to strengthen our faith when we behold the outward washing pouring out of the water and baptizing of the body it assureth the inward clensing of the soule by the blood of Christ offered to all and receiued of those that are elected to eternall saluation This then is the right and holy vse of baptisme Doest thou feele inwardly in thine heart that through the corruption of thy nature and strength of concupiscence thou art moued tempted and prouoked to commit sinne And doest thou feele thy selfe ready to yeald to Satan and so to fall from God into euill Beginne to haue some holy meditation of that solemne vow which thou madest to God in baptisme when thou didest consecrate and giue vp thy selfe wholly to his seruice and didest renounce obedience to the suggestions of Satan to the allurements of the world and to the corruptions of the flesh For baptisme is the Christian mans ensigne giuen of God to vs that we should fight as it were vnder it against all the enemies of our saluation and ouercome It is the badge and bannerofour captaine that wee shrouding our selues vnder his colours should not cowardly turne our back in the skirmish but coragiously looke the enemy in the face nay tread him vnder our feete for euer Moreouer hast thou through weakenes and infinnity 〈◊〉 once or twice into some sin to the dishonour of thy god to the wounding of thine own conscience to the slander of the gospel or to the scandal offence of thy weak brother haue recourse to thy baptisme as vnto a board after shipwracke as vnto a medicine after sicknesse as vnto a plaister after wounding or as vnto a staffe after falling that thou maiest receiue strength courage and comfort to thy soule For albeit baptisme be once only administred for the reasons before alleged chap 1. of this present booke yet it being once deliuered and receiued testifieth that all our sinnes past present and to come are washed away and shal be forgiuen The fruite or efficacy of the Sacraments is not to be restrained and tyed to the present time of receiuing but extendeth it selfe to the whole course of our life afterward And thus much of the fourth part of baptisme Chap. 12. Of the first vse of baptisme HItherto we haue handled the parts of baptisme both outward and inward now let vs proceed to the vses the last point to be obserued in this Sacrament The vses of baptisme are in number three first to shew our planting ingrafting and incorporating into the body of christ secondly to seale vp the remission and forgiuenesse of all our sinnes thirdly to teach vs to dye vnto sinne and liue vnto righteousnesse and true sanctification These endes appeare euidently by the wordes of the Apostle Rom. 6. Know ye not that al we which haue been baptized into IESVS CHRIST haue beene baptized into his death We are buried then with him by baptisme into his death that like as CHRIST was raised vppe from the dead to the glory of the father so wee also should walke in newnesse of life For if we be planted with him to the similitude of his death euen so shall wee be to the similitude of his resurrection knowing this that our olde Man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serue sinne In this place the Apostle setteth before vs the former ends of baptisme expressely Touching the first vse he sheweth that by it is signified and sealed our vniting setting and inserting into the body of Christ to remaine in him soreuer as braunches in the vine as 1 Cor 12. By one spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be bonde or free where he teacheth that by baptisme wee become one body with Christ. And Gal. 3 All ye that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ. This coniunction with Christ is not bodily or naturall it is not by bāds in the flesh it is not by neernes of blood sor such as we see may be seprated as the father from the son the husband from the wife the brother from the sister but this is wholy mysticall and spirituall aboue reason and aboue sence because it is wrought not by natural waies as by ioynts sinnews arteries ligamentes and such like but by spirituall meanes to wit by the power of the spirit and by vertue of faith he sendeth downe his spirit we send vp our faith First he must send downe his spirit because all goodnes is of him Indeed we loue him but it is because he loued vs first giuing vs the spirit of adoption to cry Abba father Indeed we come vnto Christ to be eased and refreshed as he commandeth but it is because the father draweth vs. Indeed we perseuer in faith and loue but this is because he perseuereth in louing of us Indeed we repent and turn vnto God but this is because he taketh away our stonye hart and giueth vnto vs an hart of flesh Secondly as he putteth his spirit within vs so the faith mounteth vp to the heauens and apprehendeth Christ sitting at the right hand of the father And thus his spirit discending our faith ascending and both of them ioyninge the members to the heade the braunches to the vine vs to Christ being once engrafted wee are neuer sepetated as Ioh. 15. He that abideth in mee and I in him the same bringeth foorth much fruite for without me ye can doe nothing If a man abide not in mee he is cast foorth as a braunch and withereth and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they burne No man can be partaker of Christs benefits to saluation which is not made one with him As a Woman cannot be partaker of the riches and honor of some great man and haue interest in his person except she be ioyned to him in mariage that they become one body and one flesh and as the members cannot draw life from the head except they be ioyned with it so there is no partaking of Christ except thete be an vnion and communion with him as himselfe teacheth vs Ioh. 6. Verily verily I say vnto you except ye eat the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood ye haue no life in you If Christ be present to vs life and all things accompanying saluation are present to vs. If christ be absent from vs death is present wrathlyeth
at the doore life and saluation are absent so that we are neuer partakers of his graces except webe as neerly coupled to his humanity as meat and drink are coupled with our body which of al other is a most neer vnion and inward coniunction Thus we see we are seuered from the world to haue fellowshippe with CHRIST and are set once in him for euer because he that commeth to CHRIST once he casteth him not away hee shall neuer hunger he shall neuer thirst he shall not be lost but hue for euer as the Apostle saith If they had been of vs doubtles they had continued with vs And paule to this purpose saith Rom. 8 Who shal lay any thing to the charg of GODS chosen it is GOD that instifieth who shall condemne Who shal seperate vs from the loue of CHRIST shal tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perill or sword in all the se we are more then conquerours through him that loued vs for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor thinges to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of GOD which is in CHRIST IESVS our LORDE If once wee bee ioyned to him in spirituall Marriage notwithstanding the difference and disparagement between him and vs nothing shall bee able to worke our deuorcement from him True it is God 〈◊〉 vs wallowing in our owne filthines polluted in our owne bloode defiled by our owne vncleannes he hath made an eternall couenant with vs he hath spoken peace vnto oursoules saying Thou shalt liue euen when wee were sunke downe in sinne to death hee saide vnto vs Thou shalt liue so that he will neuer turne from vs to do vs good but we shall be his people and he will be our God he will giue vs one hart and one way that wee may feare him for euer and that it may be well with vs and with our children This made the Apostle to write Ephe. 5. 30. 32. Wee are members of his bodie of his flesh and of his bones this is a great misterie but I speake concerning christ and concerning the church Where he seemeth to allude to the first creation of the Woman made of one of the ribs of the man shadowing and 〈◊〉 our knitting and coniunction with Christe which we haue by faith not by nature by vertue of the spirit not of the flesh Now as we haue shewed that this coniunction made by Gods spirit and by our faith which he hath giuen so the meanes and instruments to worke it are the word and sacraments This is a dignity peculiar and proper to the elect to haue perpetuall fellowshippe with Christ and to growe vp into one body with him as he teacheth Iohn 17 20. 21. I pray for all them which shall beleeue in me through theyr word that they all may be one as thou O father art in me and I in thee euen that they may be one with vs that the world may beleeue that thou hast sent me If then there be not an vnion betweene Christ and vs we haue no accesse to God the father being quite cutte off from all hope of life and sa'uation As then all the substaunce and nourishment of the tree commeth from the roote and all the vitall powers of a true naturall body come from the head so it is betweene the sonne of God and vs we haue not so much as one drop of the heauenly life in vs of our selves CHRIST is the waye the truth and the life no man commeth vnto the father but by him To conclude this first vse seeing such as come to this sacrament must be christians before it appeareth to be a very corrupt custome of the people when they require Baptisme of the pastor for their children to say God hath giuen me a Pagan I desire you to make him a Christian. For Baptisme cannot make a Christian but signifie the Sacraments cannot make that which is not but assure that which is already made as seales do not giue the right but confirme it Thus much of the first vse of Baptisme the second followeth Chap. 13. Of the second vse of baptisme BEing made one with Christ we are partakers of the 〈◊〉 of his death to wit of forgiuenes of sinnes and of regeneration or new birth So then the second vse of Baptisme is to assure vs of the remission and pardon of our sinnes that we may be vnblamable and acceptable to god This is signified by the outward ceremony of washing and sprinkling to wit the sprinkling of our soules with the blood of Christ for the forgiuenes of all sinnes as appeareth Act. 2 38 Then Peter said vnto them Amend your liues and be baptized euerie one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for remission of sins And Act. 22 Ananias said vnto Paul immediately after his conuersion Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes in calling on the name of the Lorde So the Euangelist witnesses Marke 1 4. that Iohn did baptize in the wildernesse and preach the Baptisme of amendment of life for the remission of sinnes And the Apostle maketh this vse col 2 12 13. Ye are buried with him through Baptisme in whome ye are also raised vppe together through the faith of the operation of GOD which raised him vp from the dead and you which are deade in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath hee quickned together with him forgiuing you all your trespasses The meaning of these places is not that baptisme bestoweth or giueth forgiuenesse but onely signeth sealeth and assureth our pardon euen as remistion of sins and the righte ousnesse of faith were not in the old Testament by circumcision conferred but confirmed vnto the faithfull The grace of pardon and forgiuenesse of sinnes is not attained but by faith in Christ so that the worke of baptisme will not effect it Moreouer we haue proued that it is not lawfull to baptize such as are in yeares vnlesse they make open profession of their faith in Christ and repentance from the workes of the olde man wherefore they obtaine them not by the outward washing with water in baptisme So then we are no lesse assuredly washed by the blood of Christ from the spots of our soules then outwardly we are washed with water from the filth of the body For the force of his death hath that effectuall working in clensing our soules from the corruption and filthines of sinne which naturall water hath in washing our bodies By the merit of his death we haue full forgiueneste of all our sinnes not onely originall but actuall not onely past but present and to come whose blood is neuer drawne dry but is euer fresh and full of efficacy Therefore the wordes deliuered by the minister in baptisme at the commaundement of christ namely I baptize thee in the
name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost should alwaies be in our eares euen vntill the last gasp and by them we ought to be assured of the ful forgiuensse of our offences against God For the blood of Christ by which we are once washed can neuer be drawne dry but is euer fresh full of force and strength to the continuall clensing of our filthinesse and iniquities so that they neuer come into the sight of God neither are imputed vnto vs. Wherefore it is like vnto a sealed charter whereby is confirmed that all our sinnes are blotted out We are all taught by our baptisme that none of the enemies of our saluation shall be able to lay any sinne to our charge Art thou tempted to thinke that Christs blood was not shed for thee That thy transgressions are not pardoned That thou shalt be brought to iudgement for them Doth Sathan 〈◊〉 thy tender conscience with them thou maist as well doubt that thou wast not baptized and washed with Water as doubt thy sinnes are not blotted out thou maist as well surnize thou perishedst in the water as suppose thou shalt perish in thy wickednesse the floods where of howsoeuer they go ouer thy head yet shall not be able to preuaile against thee sully and ouercome thee sinally This ouer throweth the false doctrin of the false church of Rome the Mother of abhominations which teacheth that by the grace of Christ receiued in baptisme all our sins going before it are rased and blotted out and leaueth nothing in the party baptized that hath the name and nature of sinne But albeit our sinnes be freely and fully forgiuen for Christs sake pardoned and not imputed coucred and remembred no more yet the stain blot and remnants of sinne remaine though not raigne in our flesh so long as we liue in this world which in the end of our daies togither with the mortality and corruptions of our bodies shall be taken away and abolished Indeede the scripture teacheth that Christs blood clenseth washeth and taketh away sinne Ioh. 1. 29. Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sin of the world but this is not by an actuall purging of vs from all corruption but in freely acquiting and truely discharing vs from the guilt offence and punishment before God as Psal. 32 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sins are lightned blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne I herefore though they be forgiuen yet they remaine as appeareth If we say 〈◊〉 haue no fin we deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. And Solomon in his worthy prayer saith If any sinne against thee for there is no man that sinneth not So the Apostle teacheth toucheth this truth by his owne experience Rom. 7 I see another lawe in my members rebelling against the Law of my minde and leading me captiue vnto the Law of sinne which is in my members We are all as a filthy cloth the fsesh rebelleth against the spirit and in nothing we can do the things we woulde so that if God enter into iudgement with vs we 〈◊〉 stand in his sight And if Originall sinne were extinguished and vtrerly abolished in baptisme then they which are baptized shoulde sin no more but we see they sin again after their baptism To conclude baptisme is auailable not only for sins before but it is a seale for confirmation of faith touching the remission of those sinnes that are committed after baptisme as well as done before as our 〈◊〉 sauiour teacheth Mark 16 16. He that shall beleeue and be baptized shall be saued but he that will not beleeue shal be damnd Faith then beleeueth the forgiuenes of all sins past and to come inasmuch as the bood of Christ clenseth from al sins And the Apostle accordeth heereunto Titus 3 5 7. According to his mercie hee saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the 〈◊〉 of the holy ghost that we being iustified by his grace should be made heirs according to the hope of euerlasting life Where we see that the promise of iustification 〈◊〉 generall against all sins Thus much of the second vse Chap 14. Of the third vse of Baptisme THe third vse of baptisme is to kill and bury our naturall corruption by the power of Christs death and buriall and to raise vs againe to sanctification of our nature and newnes of life by his resurrection Hence it is that sin hath his deaths wounde and is stricken to the hatt so that it cannot liue and raigne in the children of God Hence it is that baptisme is often called the sacrament of repentance 〈◊〉 Luke 3 Iohn came into all the parts and coasts about Iordan preaching the Baptisme of repentance for the remission of sinnes So likewise Marke 1 4. Iohn did baptise in the Wildernes and preach the baptisme of amendment of life And the Apostle affirmeth as much col 2 xii xiii declaring that the one end of baptism is the death and burial of the old man by the almighty power of God This also was taught in those liuely types answering our baptisme to wit the flood that drownd the old world while Noah and his family were preserued in the Arke Also the red sea in which Pharaoh and his host perished but the people of God were deliuered For as God destroyed in the waters and as it were buried in the flood the world but saued a remnant of grace so doth God through christ mortifie the old man raise againe the new man and seale them both in our baptisme Likewise as GOD deliuered his people out of the hands of Pharaoh and opened them a way through the red sea and drowned their enimies that they saw them no more aliue so by baptisme he assureth our deliuerance from the thral dome and bondage of sinne which bringeth greater slauery and captiuity then any slaue is in vnder his earthly maister and the destruction of the flesh that it shall not hurt or condemn vs. We are al born in sins and trespasses we haue need of repentance and regeneration We see then what vse we are to make of our baptisme euen labor to attaine to the efficacy and fruit of it that it may not be a bare and barren signe Moses and the Prophets earnestly exhort the people of Israell to shewe forth the force and effect of their circumcision to cut away the fore-skin of their harts and harden their necks no more as we see Deut 10. 16. The Lorde did set his delight in thy fathers to loue them and did chuse their seed after them euen you aboue all people Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your hearts and harden your neckes no more And in another place The Lord thy GOD will circumcise thine heart and the hearte of thy seede that thou maiest loue the LORD thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou maiest liue
So the Prophet Ieremy saith Breake vppe your fallowe grounde and sowe not among thornes be circumcised to the Lorde and take away the fore-skinnes of yonr heartes ye men of Iudah and inhabitantes of Hierusalem least my wrath come foorthe like fire and burne but none can quench it because of the wickednes of your inuentions Circumcision was the thing wherin they bosted aboue althings it was their glory wheros they bragged to be a cirpeople peculiar to God Now the Prophets recall and reclaime them from trusting in outwarde signes and lying words that shall not profit and stirre them vp to confider the power and effect therof not to rest in cutting off a thin peece of skinne but to cut off quite and cleane their lusts and corruptions which rebell against the spirit This the Apostle teacheth euidently He is not a Iew which is one outward neither is that circumcision vvhich is outvvard in the flesh but he is a Ievv vvhich is one vvithin and the circumciston is of the hart in the spirit not in the Letter vvhose praise is not of men but of God The outward Letter is of no moment with God it must be the circumcision of the heart otherwise the circumcising of the flesh is nothing So if we woulde haue God to take vs for his people and heritage we must be all baptized in our hearts and our soules What will some say baptized in soule and in heart What is that Or how can this be Can the water wash the soule Surely the Water cast vppon our bodies is nothing if we haue not the truth of it As then the apostle Paule maketh a difference between inward circumcision of the spirit and outward circumcision of the letter insomuch that if they would haue the true circumcision indeed they must haue that which is within so is there a great difference between the baptism of the spirit and of the letter between that of the soul and the other of the body betweene that which is outwarde and that which is inward Whosoeuer would haue the true baptism indeed he must be clensed within repent of his Wickednesse mortifie his imaginations deny himselfe renounce his affections and offer vp his soule and body in sacrifice to God that he may renew and regenerate vs otherwise it is a certaine thinge we were neuer indeede and in truth baptized For as the Iewes were charged to be vncircumcised though the fore-skin of the flesh were cut off and so they were circumcised in body so we may in like maner be charged to be vnbaptized albeit we haue bin outwardly washed with water The Iewes chosen aboue all Nations to be the people of God were oftentimes condemned of forgery and fasehood for breaking the couenant of God and not answering to the truth thereof and were 〈◊〉 with the vncircumcisednesse of their heartes that they were worse then the heathen themselues a bastard broode witches children and vnworthy to be accounted Abrahams seede to the end they should bragge no more of their circumcision as Act. 7. Stephen a faithfull witnesse of God obiecteth against them Ye stiffe-necked and of vncircumcised heartes and eares ye haue alwaies resisted the Holy ghost as your fathers did so do you they shew the prophets which shewed before of the comming of that iust of whom ye are now the betrayers and murtherers where we see he discouereth their hypocrysie and setteth their sinnes before their faces telling them that as their fathers rebelled against god so the children followed their fathers footesteppes Do not these things concerne vs Though we haue not circumcision in action and practise belong they not to vs now a daies Yes euen to vs For we shall bee condemned for our vnclensed and vnsanctified heartes not answering to the truth of our baptisme For so much we profit by baptisme as we profit in mortification If then we be once baptized and washed with water we shall pay dearely for our desiling that sacred water which God hath appointed to so holy an vse True it is the water of it selfe is as nothing no other in substance and nature then that wherewith wee washe our hands but when once it is ioyned to the word and applyed to an holy end it is as it were an authenticall seale which God hath engrauen in it Now he that counterfaiteth the seale of a Prince shall hee not bee punished Behold baptisme is the seale of GOD which serueth not to seale conueyances of earthly possessions as house and landes but to assure vs that wee are called to the heauenly life and bringeth good assurance and warrant with it that we be washed from our sinnes by the blood of our Lorde I esus christ and borne again by his holy spirit Shall we break al and escape punished Let vs not then boast of our baptisme and Christianity to say oh we are baptized wee are christened we weare the badge of God these things these things I say will cost vs deere if we make not our baptisme auaileable to our selues and our owne soules by killing our corruptions for thereby we shew our selues like vnto the foole that maketh a vow and immediately after breaketh it Now although we professe the Gospell yet you shall finde a great number that knowe not this vse of baptisme neither wherto it auaileth nor to what endes it was ordained They cal it indeed their christend ome but are altogether ignorant of the nature therof are vnacquainted with the effect of it This will cost them decrely for abusing such a pledge-token at Gods hands seeing it is a meanes whereby we are vnited to our Lord Iesus christ and ingrafted into his death and resurrection Wherefore whereas many haue receiued baptisme in their infancy and haue liued 40. or 50. yeares in the world without knowing to what end they were baptized it had been better for them that they had beene borne dead or perished in their mothers wombe as as vntimely fruite then to haue vnhalowed so holy and precious a thing Thus of the third and last vse of baptisme as also of the parts thereof and generally touching this whole Sacrament The end of the second Booke THE THIRDE BOOKE of the lords Supper being Christs farwel-token to his church and a sweet pledge of his woonderfull kindnesse toward mankinde where in the truth of this Sacrament is manifested the parts are deliuered the vses are shewed the doctrine of the reformed Churches is cleered the errors of the church of Rome are euidently conuinced and the meanes set downe how euery one is to be prepared to the worthy receiuing thereof with fruite and comfort CHAP. 1. of the names and titles of this Sacrament together with the reasons and vses thereof IN the former Booke we haue spoken of baptisme the first sacrament of the church together with the partes and vses thereof Now we are to set downe the doctrine of the Lordes supper which is the second sacrament For after that God
couenant it self but a sign and token of the couenant as also it is afterward expounded It shall be a signe of the couenant betweene me and you The aduersaries cannot denie a figure in this speech Now what difference is there betweene these two speeches This is my couenant and this is my body are they not alike and in like manner to be vnderstood So Exodus 12. 11 It is the Lordes passeouer properly the lambe was not the passeouer but serued to put them in remembrance of that benefit and it is expounded aster the blood shall be a token for you vpon the houses where ye are this day shall be vnto vou a remembrance Likewise the Apostle sayeth 1 Cor. 10. That rocke was Christ whereas properly the rocke was not Christ but the water flowing from it did represent him Thus then we must vnderstand the words plainely truely and briefely as if Christ had saide in this manner This bread which ye haue seene me take breake deliuer and distribute and which I bid you take and cate is a signe or sacrament of my true body signifying and sealing vp vnto you that my body shal be broken crushed and crucified for you to purchase to you eternal life let these sacramental rites and actions now performed by me and you be heerafter put in practise by you and all faithfull ministers and professors for the strengthning of your faith by the remembrance of my death and by the applying of the benefit thereof euery one to your owne selues Likewise hauing finished his supper when he did eate the passeouer with his Disciples hauing taken the cup and giuen thanks he gaue it being filied with wine to his Disciples and saide drinke ye al of this for this wine in this cup is a signe and sacrament of my blood by the shedding whereof togither with my death following the full forgiuenes of sins and perfect saluation which I by my vnchangable wil decree do giue vnto you and al that beleeue in me are assured to you and all beleeuers Thus hauing opened and cleared the interpretation of the words we shal heerafter need to spend the lesse time in confuting the contrary doctrin darkenes shal flie before the light error before truth cloudy mists before the sun-shine of the day Again seeing the words of institution are variably and diuersly set down by the Euangelists and the Apostle Paul we learne that euery change of the words where the sence is nothing altered or diminished is not to be condemned as 〈◊〉 or vnlawfull so that the alteration being in the forme and frame of words not in the substance and sence of the matter the sacrament is not destroyed For if it had bene an heinous sinne to haue made any change or alteration or to haue missed of the tearmes or sillables of the institution no doubt the Euangelists would haue consented in the words and not haue swarued one from another as we see they haue done We see how the Apostles in the allegation of sundry places of Scripture borrowed out of the olde Testament do not euermore strictly binde themselues to the very wordes as Mathew 26. Hebrewes 10. 5. and in sundry other but onely to the sence and therefore sometimes they adde as Mathew 4 10. sometimes they leaue out as occasion serueth True it is to alter any substantiall part or to wrest the wordes to a wrong and contrary meaning or not at all to expresse the sence of the wordes maketh the Sacrament voide but an alteration onely of certaine circumstaunces as of number or person of Letters or sillables cannot make frustrate the whole sacrament albeit we allow not any priuate and particular man to make any chaunge of his owne heade in such circumstaunces or to bring in a new frame of wordes So in baptisme the Greeke church saith Let the seruant of CHRIST be baptized in this Water c. and heereby nothing is detracted from the truth of the sacrament because Christ Iesus hath not precisely appointed how many wordes the Apostles and pastours of the Church shoulde vse in the execution of their Ministry Not withstanding the obseruation of the words I baptize thee obserued in our churches seemeth to drawe neerer to the commaundement of Christ and to confirme more fitly and fully the faith of the baptized and to answere vnto the words of Iohn the baptist I baptize with Water Likewise in the Lordes supper whereas Christ saide Take ye eate ye doe ye this as speaking to many the sacrament is not destroyed when the words are particularly rehearsed and specially applyed in our churches saying take thou eat thou drinke thou Lastly seeing the wordes of institution are an outwarde part of the Sacrament necessary to be knowne read marked and vnderstood wherein the substance and comfortatable vse of the Lordes Supper consisteth it followeth that they are to be published and pronounced openly distinctly plainely not in a strange language but in a knowne tongue that the church of 〈◊〉 and people of God may be edified For wherefore serueth the commaundement and promise set foorth in the supper if they be not vnderstood Whether we doe read the Scriptures sing Psalmes poure out supplications receiue the sacraments or whatsoeuer 〈◊〉 we performe to God that he may be 〈◊〉 and the congregation instructed we must doe all in a knowne tongue to be vnderstood This God commandeth this the Apostle prescribeth this the true church of God practiseth this reason teacheth this the Heathen acknowledgeth 〈◊〉 the sinagogue of Rome that it might take away all fruit and comfort from the faithfull and that it might broch horrible errors 〈◊〉 and securely and not be 〈◊〉 hath not onely commanded to pronounce the words of consecration closely and 〈◊〉 but forbidden to vse the common mother tongue of all the people The people of God must not be like Parrots or 〈◊〉 or Rauens or such birds that chatter with voice record mens words and sounde a sentence but vnderstande not the meaning thereof As Plmy maketh mention of a certaine 〈◊〉 that had learnd to say Aue Caesar imperator All haile or good morrow Emperor Caesar saluting 〈◊〉 and the two young princes 〈◊〉 and Drusus And Celius Rhodiginus writeth that Cardinall Ascanius had a Popiniay that coulde pronounce distinctly and 〈◊〉 all the Articles of the Creede Such birds or rather beasts woulde they haue Christian men to be that would haue them 〈◊〉 and not vnderstand what they pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reading of the scriptures but not know what is reade 〈◊〉 the sacraments but not know the meaning of the institution Things without life which giue a sounde whether pipe or 〈◊〉 except they make a distinction in the soundes howe shall it bee knowne what is piped or harped Or if the 〈◊〉 pet giue an 〈◊〉 sound who shall prepare himselfe to battell All things in the church must tend to the instruct on 〈◊〉 edification
of all the partes and people but reading and praying in a strange tongue doe not edifie and profit the hearers as 1 Cor. 14 26 Let allthings be done to edisieng and verse 14. I speake languages more then ye all yet had I rather in the Church to speake fiue words with mine vnderstanding that I might also instruct others then ten thousand words in a strange tongue for how then should he that occupieth the roome of the vnlearned say Amen at thy giuing of thankes seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest Wherfore except we know the meaning of the words we shall be to him that speaketh Barbarians and 〈◊〉 that speaketh shall be a Barbarian vnto vs. Euen the learned languages of Greeke and Latine not in themselues but in regard of the hearers that vnderstand them not are barbarous For the Apostle doth not heere like an Orator distinguish the tongues and shew which are 〈◊〉 and rhetoricall in themselues and which rude but holdeth euery tongue barbarous 〈◊〉 Syriack Caldy Arabick 〈◊〉 and Latine to him that knoweth not the force and signification thereof And this to be most true the Scriptures teath the fathers auouch the 〈◊〉 writers warrant the very Poets declare yea their owne doctors do determine Wherfore to conclude it is the ordinance of God it is the doctrine of the Apostles it is the duty of all christians when the word is red or preached when supplycations are offered when the sacramentes are administred to vse a knowne tongue vnderstood of all and without this the scriptures are vaine the prayers are barbarous the sacraments are fruitlesse to such as know not what is read what is asked what is promised what is receiued And 〈◊〉 far of the second outward part of the Lordes Supper to wit the worde of institution for a Sacrament without the word is as a picture without sence or an image without life Chap. 5 Of the third outward part of the Lords Supper THe third outward part of the Lords supper followeth which are the elementes of bread and wine fittest signes for this purpose to signifie the spirituall nourishment of the soule by eating the body and drinking the blood of christ That these are appoynted as the substance and matter of the supper it appeareth by the wordes of Christ and his Apostles deliuering this sacrament For the Euangelists expresse that Christ tooke bread gaue it and said Takeye and eate ye So like wise it is said of the church newly planted by the Apostles that such as gladly receiued the word and were baptized Continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread And chap. 20 it is recorded That the first day of the weeke the Disciples came together to breake bread And Paule saith 1 Cor. 10. the bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ And in the chapter following the same Apostle often mentioneth and remembreth the bread of this sacrament In like manner Christ tooke the cup wherein was the fruite of the vine By these Christ is truely exhibited vnto vs he is truely offered vnto all he is effectually giuen to the faithfull as hath beene oftentimes remembred vnto vs. This being the plaine and euident truth let vs see the vses first such as concerne both the signes ioyntly and in generall then such as belong to each of them in seueral and in particular To begin we learne from hence to acknowledge a difference between baptisme and the Lords supper in baptisme we haue one signe as the materiall part in the supper we haue two signes partly to note out our whole ful and perfect nourishment in Christ hauing whatsocuer is requisite for our saluation and partly to shew a fuller remembrance of his death for the wine which is a figure of his blood doth as it were present it and represent it before our eyes So then albeit the same participation of Christ and the same washing away of sinnes by his blood are sealed vp in baptisme and in the supper yet the manner of sealing them in each is diuerse Againe baptisme is a signe of our entrance into Gods Couenant the Supper is a signe of our abiding and continuing in that couenant Touching baptisme it is sufficient for infants if they bee borne in the church in the supper the condicion of examȳning our selues and remembring the Lords death is required They differ also in often celebration of them baptisme is to be receiued but once onely in all our life because the promise once made is alwaies firme and forcible to such as beleeue and repent but the supper is oftentimes to be receiued because an often renewing of that Couenant and calling it to our remembrance is necessary to increase and strengthen faith They differ also in the order which is to be obserued in the vse of them for baptisme is to be giuen before the Supper and the supper may not be giuen to any except to such as haue beene first baptized or reputed so to be As first a child is borne before he bee fed so must Baptisme go before whereby our new-birth is sealed then the supper must follow after whereby our dayly nourishment is declared and confirmed Lastly they differ in the signes there is onely one signe in baptisme which is the Water but there are two signes in the Lords Supper to wit the bread and the wine The second general vse is that if Christ tooke gaue and deliuered the substance of bread and wine then they must needes retain their former nature their proper substance as well as their qualities as fight tast smell bignesse whitenesse sweetenesse rednesle roundnesse and such like properties But the Papistes turne all thinges vpside downe matter into forme substance into accidents creatures into shewes and subiects into things adioyned they bring in new shifts and fables against all diuinity phylosophy reason sense and experience setting vp their own inuentions and building castles in the aire Let them proue the annihilation and remouing of the substance of bread wine away and the consisting of accidents without subiect which they are neuer able to doe For as the water in baptisme remaineth in his nature and substance so do the bread wine in the Lords supper And albeit in both the sacraments the signs be chāged to a special vse yet are they corrupted into shewes and turned into shadowes The heauens shal be changed at the end of the world yet hence it followeth not that they shall bee cleane abolished and consumed to nothing All young schollers are taught in the schooles that an accident hath no being without a subiect yet heere these sophisters against all the rules of Logick and groundes of reason 〈◊〉 haue accidents and shewes of bread and wine to be in no subiect Thus whereas in all places of learning we are taught that accidents may 〈◊〉 not the
substance of things they 〈◊〉 haue the matter and substance to perish not the 〈◊〉 We see whitenes roundnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we cast the sweetnes we touch al these qualuies 〈◊〉 behold a popish wonder where at marueil and be 〈◊〉 these these I say are not in the bread and wine because they are gone neither in the body of christ because it is not white or black roūd or red So we shall haue a 〈◊〉 thing yet nothing white a round thing yet nothing round a smel yet nothing that smelleth a tast of bread yet nothing that tasteth a breaking and yet nothing that is broken so that heere we haue some what made of nothing and nothing made of somewhat For if any should aske them what round or white thing is this shewing the bread Or what sweete thing is that pointing out the wine in the cup They cannot say it is bread and wine for they hold that none are lest they are not able to shape any answer for they will not say the body of Christ is white round sweete red or such like Wherefore these accidents of bread and Wine rouing without subiects are shewes of reason without substance colours without truth and fancies without settled iudgement and as well might they imagine walking without feete an house without a foundation a vessell without bortom or a body without space or place Againe what is it that 〈◊〉 nourish What is it that doth 〈◊〉 and refresh For wee feele our bodyes strengthned by the creatures taken and receiued And we read in their owne Histories that king Lewes the Gentle for the space of 40. daies did eate nothing else What is it then whereby we feele our selues to be fed Can their accidents do it hanging in the aire by miraculous Geometry Can whitnesse or rednes or roundnesse nourish vs where no substance is to be found or felt Can drinesse or moysture can smelling or seeing nourish without some materiall body They cannot It must be substance that is turned into our substance for neuer was it heard that accidents were turned into substance But whereas we haue beene taught that accidents are in their subiect now we must hold for our new learning that substances are in their accedents Wherefore let vs leaue these doubtfull and deceitfull builders that go about to build without ground or foundation which cannot stand The third generall vse arising from both the signes is this if Christ deliuered his last Supper in bread and wine then these signes may not be altered but must be retained for the perpetual vse and comfort of the church And howsoeuer it be left to the choyse and liberty of the church what bread or what wine they will vse yet that it ought necessarily as I take it to be bread and the fruite of the vine may appeare by diuerse good considerations I will propound the reasons that draw me to this opinion let the Church iudge of them seeing the spirits of the prophets are subiect to the prophets First the institution of the supper and the example of Christ himselfe whom the Church is to imitate and follow who said Do this in remembrance of me He said not doe the like or do what pleaseth you and swarue from my example where you will but do this which ye haue seene me do Whosoeuer therefore change either the bread or wine do not that which Christ commaundeth but another thing then he appointeth Againe no other signes are so significant effectual as these are for this purpose to strengthen and to comfort them that are in trouble and almost in the present estate of death as Psal. 104. He bringeth forth bread out of the earth and wine that maketh glad the heart of man and oyle to make the face to shine and bread that strengthneth mans heart Likewise the wise-man saith Pro. 31. Giue ye strong drinke vnto him that is ready to perish and 〈◊〉 to them that haue griefe of heart So that we are heerby effectually and significantly put in mind to haue a most sweet feeling of christ to seeke strength in him and that it is he which aboundantly cleereth our hearts Thirdly the matter and forme of euery thing are holden to be of the nature of it and to constitute the essence so it is in the sacramentes where the signes are the matter and the words of institution are the forme True it is circumstances may vary and be changed as time place sitting standing kneeling and such like but the essentiall parts may not be changed If 〈◊〉 both of them be of the essence of the sacrament such 〈◊〉 take either of them away destroy the sacrament and bring in a nullity therof Wherfore if the signs which are the matter might be changed then the words also of institution which are the forme might be altered and a new word brought into the Church but a new word cannot be brought in therfore no new outward signe or matter Fourthly if the bread wine in the supper might be changed and yet the sacrament in substance remaine then in like manner water in baptisme might be changed yet be 〈◊〉 baptisme for of things that are like there is a like respect and like conclusion to be inferred But this cannot be as we haue shewed before in 2. booke chap. 5. where we haue proued that the minister cannot baptize with any other liquor or element then with water as the matter of that Sacrament Neither let any obiect the case of necessity for no necessity can make that lawfull which simply and in it selfe is vnlawfull Fiftly if we admit and grant a 〈◊〉 in the signes at the pleasure of men why may we not also change other parts of the Sacrament Why may we not in stead of the minister appoynted of God and called 〈◊〉 the Church admit pryuate persons and receiue other 〈◊〉 inforced vpon the church by the papistes Do we not heereby open a gappe for them to 〈◊〉 in all their trash and trumpery besides the written and reueiled worde of God Sixtly we haue shewed in the 〈◊〉 booke that Nadab and Abihu the two sonnes Aaron were smitten by the immediate hand of God for offering the oblation with strange fire But all signes brought into the sacraments beside the scripture are strange signes and consequently procure strange iudgements And we see how the prophet Ioell threatning from God a dearth of corne and wine and of oyle declareth also that the offerings shall cease where he saith The field is wasted the corne is destroyed the oyle is 〈◊〉 the new wine is dryed vp the meate offering and the drinke offering is cut off from the house of the Lord the priestes the Lords Ministers shall mourne shewing heereby that they were restrayned from changing the out ward signes If any pretend greater freedome and liberty in the time of the gospell let them shew their 〈◊〉 and wee will beleeue them Lastly it is confessed on
except they meane this bread is the body of CHRIST this wine is his blood wherefore bread and wine remaine their nature is not changed and altered Fiftly these wordes This is my body must be vnderstood as the words following This cup is the new testament but the cup is not turned into the new testament nor into the blood of Christ therefore the other wordes must be figuratiuely vnderstood not 〈◊〉 for there is one respect of them both neither can any reason be rendred why a figure should be admitted in the one part rather then in the other The sixt reason Christ is said to giue to his Disciples that which he saide was his body If then this be properly taken we shall thereby make a proper Christ and make him a Monster of two bodies as they also make the church a Monster of two heads For so there must be one body which gaue and another body which was giuen But it is most absurde that he should giue and be giuen hold himselfe and beholden offer and be offered which differeth litle from the heresie of the Helcesaits who held ther were sundry Christs two at the least one dwelling in heauen aboue the other in the world heere beneath so these make Christ to haue a double body visible and inuisible a visible body sitting at the table and an 〈◊〉 body made of the substance of bread which as the papists hold 〈◊〉 giuen to the disciples as likewise they teach of the headship of the church that one head is inuisible to vs m the heauens another visible to vs vpon the earth The 7. reason it destroyeth the nature of a sacrament which standeth of an earthly heauenly part one out ward the other inward one seene the other vnderstood one a signe the other a thing signified of which we haue spoken before book 1. chap 3. But if there be an actuall transubstantiation then the outward part is abolished and disanulled The 8. reason in baptisme the substance of water remaineth though it haue words of consecration and be made a sacrament of our regeneration and therefore in the Lords supper the bread and wine are not changed and don away vtterly The scripture speaketh as highly of the one as of the other The ninth reason if bread be really turned into the body of Christ and the wine into his blood then the body and blood of Christ are really 〈◊〉 for the words are seuerally pronounced first of the bread then of the wine yea the soule of Christ should be separated from his body for the bread is turned onely into his body and not into his soule But his soule his body and his blood are not really separated The 10. reason if the bread be turned into his body indeede by force of a few words vttered by a priest then the priest should be the maker of his maker and so euery Masse-monger should be preferred before Christ as much as the creitor hath 〈◊〉 honnour then the creature the builder then 〈◊〉 house the work-man then the worke But they are not 〈◊〉 to publish it in their owne words and writings that the priest is the creator of his creator He that created you hath giuen you power to create him he that hath created you without your selues is created by you by the meanes of you These are the speeches of their wise-men if they be not ashamed of their owne words The 11. reason the bread in the Sacrament after the words of consecration is subiect to as many changes and chances as it was before the bread may mould putrifie and breede Wormes and was accustomably in many places burned the wine may being immoderately taken make drunken it may wax sharpe and turne into vineger yea both of them may be boyled and made hot both of them may be vomited vp as certaine lepers did both of them may be mingled with rank poyson as a certaine Monk gaue the poysoned host to Henry the 7. a noble Emperour of famous memory which when he had taken he dyed The like may be said of Victor the 3. a Pope of Rome who was poysoned after the same manner in the chalice as the Emperor was in the bread But the precious body and blood of Christ cannot be mingled with poyson but is an excellent counterpoison against the biting of the old Serpent and all infection ofsinne whatsoeuer the body cannot mould or putrifie the blood of Christ cannot become sharp or sowre as the outward signes may therefore the substance of bread and wine remaineth The 12. reason there is something in the sacrament materiall and substantiall which goeth the way of all meates according to that saying of our sauiour Perceiue ye not yet that what soeuer entreth into the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught But none of the accidents as shape colour quality tast such like are auoyded because they are altered in the stomacke before they come to the place of auoydance and it were blasphemy to thinke that the body of Christ either entreth into the mouth or goeth downe into the belly or is cast out into the draught howsomany of them haue also maintained this monstrous impiety Therefore the substance of the bread and the wine remaine in their owne nature in the sacrament The 13. 〈◊〉 If there were a miraculous conuersion of the bread and wine it would appeare to the outward senses as Ioh. 6 The multitude saw his Miracles There was neuer Miracle wrought by any bodyly creature but sense iudged it to be so but seeing our eyes see and our tast discerneth that it is bread we cannot imagine there is any miracle The Miracles that Moyses did in Egypt when he turned water into blood and his rod into a Serpent The miracles that Christ did when he turned water into wine the eye saw the tast discerned heere was no deceit no fraud no collusion And thus euery hedge-priest should be a worker of Miracles that onely can read his portuise and say ouer his pater noster with an Aue mary This is an honor that may be chalenged but cannot be granted vnto them The 14 reason if there were any transubstantiation there shold be an actuall conuersion of the bread into the body of Christ but this cannot stand For when one thing is changed into another the matter remainetin the forme is altered but heere they make the forme to abide and the matter to be changed A strange Metamorphosis and fitting the fable of this counterfeit turning Now the matter of 〈◊〉 is not in the body of Christ because it is perfect in it selfe and so glorified that it can receiue no accesse Besides nothing can be conuerted or changed into a thing before being and pre-existing which was really before the change or conuersion as Christ turned the water into that wine which was not before Moses turned his rod into that
and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. Where he giueth a double commaundement first to appeare reuerently then to receiue worthily Now al that must proue and try themselues are commaunded not only to eate bread but to drink of the cup but al must try and examine themselues therfore al are commanded both to eat and drink at the lords table If this be a commaundement to examine then the wordes following of eating and drinking are likewise commandements There is no halting in these let them admit both or let them deny both Eightly if the faithfull take not the cup in the supper of the lord the condicion of Christians vnder the Gospel shal be worse then of the Isralites vnder the law For the people of Israell in the wildernesse hauing the same sacrament in effect with vs Did all drinke of the spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ as the Apostle affirmeth But out condicion is not worser and weaker then theirs therefore all the faithful are to drink of the cup of the lord Bellarmine the Souldan of the Romish Synagogue answereth thus They drunke not water out of the rock when they did eate of the spirituall meate but in another place and at an other time But this is an answearlesse answer which cannot satisfie For albeit the sacraments of the Isralites as figures and types did represent the same graces that our Sacraments do yet it is not necessary they should in all pointes answer each other and in all respectes agree together Besides the Church of Rome at no time aloweth the people to drinke of the Wine a seale of the blood of Christ they keepe them from the cup of the Lord both when they giue them the bread and at all other times and thereby make their estate worse then the estate of the Iewes Indeed if they did at any time permit al the people to drink of the cup they might pretend this example of the Israelites but inasmuch as they vtterly deny them this part of the cup they ouerthrow themselues in their malice and yet in their blindnes they do not see it Lastly many of the fathers did both eate Manna and 〈◊〉 water out of the rock if not in the same place yet at one the same time inasmuch as they gathered thereof euery morning and it ceased not vntill they entred the frontiers and confines of the land of promise But they neuer alow without a toleration and dispensation the people in any place at any time vpon any occasion and in any respect to tast of the cup in the Lords supper Ninthly if the cup of the new testament may be taken from the Lordes people in like manner the water in baptisme may be taken away froÌ„ them For the blood of christ whereby remission of sins is purchased and procured is represented by the wine of the Lordes Supper as well as by the water in baptisme But the water in baptisme without great sacriledge cannot be omitted or neglected wherefore then should the cup be taken away Lastly if any part of the supper might be taken away from the people then like wise the word of God may be taken from them for in this point there is the same reason and respect of them both A Sacrament is nothing else but a visible word and a sealing vp of the word and the offence semeth to be the same whether a man break the seale or rent the writing But the word cannot be withdrawen froÌ„ Christian people it being the instrument of faith and the life of the Church Wherefore it is the greatest wrong and iniury done to the people of God to take from them the cup of saluation The answer to this reason must be to confesse the parts and yeeld the conclusion forasmuch as by forbidding the people the reading of the Scriptures they haue robbed them of the word of God and taken from them the key of knowledge neither entring themselues into the kingdom of heauen nor suffering those that would enter No marueile then if they take the cup of blessing from the people who haue taken from them the free vse of the word of God To conclude these reasons it is Antichrist who contrary to the doctrine of christ contrary to the institution of the supper contrary to the practise of the Apostles and contrary to the vse of the former churches hath excluded the people languishing and thâ—â—sting after the blood of christ as the dry earth for the sweete shewers of raine from taking the cup of the lord and left them a dry coÌ„munion to eat the bread of the sacrament alone Hauing considered the truth of God by sundry reasons grounded in the scripture that the people haue good interest and title in the cup denied vnto them let vs answer the obiections of the aduersaries made against the former doctrine First they pretend that christ administred it to the apostles only and not to any of the people consequently the institution for taking the cup can be no general coÌ„maundement for al men thus the Rhemistes reason I answer first it may be doubted and disputed whether onely the Apostles were present at his last Supper For seeing diuerse were added vnto the church and professed the faith of christ seeing he had other disciples beside the twelue seeing many Godly men and women followed him to see his miracles and to hear the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth why should we think that none of them were admiâ—ted to his table who had often heard his preaching and depended vpon him in their liuing Again the passeouer was celebrated in that house of a faithful man as may be collected by sundry circumstances now theÌ„ either the lord Iesus annexed that famely vnto his as the law in one case appointed or else we shall haue two passe-ouers at one time in one house which hath no warrant of scripture no colour of truth no probability of reason We read in the institution celebration of the passe-ouer of ioyning house to house and taking his neighbor next vnto him in case of the insufficiency of one houshold to eate the lambe but we neuer read of killing two lambes and keeping two passeouers vnder one roofe Besides the smal remnant of the faithful among the Iewes would no-doubt rightly and religiously obserue the passe-ouer after the example of their lord and maister rather according to the precept of Moses ' then aceording to the practise of the Iewes in imitation of christ rather then according to the tradition of the elders Furthermore we are to consider that in eating the passeouer they sorted theÌ„selues together according to the number of the persons able to eate vp the lambe for they commanded to take A lambe without blemish a male of a yeare old if the houshold be to little for the lambe he shal take his neighbour which is next vnto
chew not the cud they should haue sinned because it was not sanctified and therefore albeit they had prayed for a blessing all the day longe and giuen thankes neuer so much yet could it not make their practise lawfull which the word of God had made vnlawfull Or if they had offered a cleane and holy sacrifice and not made humble and earnest prayers to God to accept them and their oblations it could not haue due effect but the worde of God had beene hindred by their vnworthynesse So in the administration of the Lordes sacred Supper we vse the word of God which warranteth vs to take the bread and Wine out of this word wee alledge the promises of God to the true beleeuer and heerevnto wee ioyne prayers and thankesgiuing that God would 〈◊〉 vs and 〈◊〉 vs in the participation of his owne ordinance Thus albeit we haue no forged transubstantiation wee haue a true consecration if the word of God and prayer of the church can worke it which are the meanes left vnto vs for this purpose if wee be any way deceiued it is the Scripture which hath deceiued vs. It remaineth now to marke the vses of this point for our farther instruction If by vsing the whole 〈◊〉 of Christ according to his commaundement we confesse a change and conuersion wrought in the vse of the signes then we are falsely charged and slandered to haue no consecration We pronounce the same wordes of consecration that christ pronounced we obserue the same thinges that christ obserued and charged vs to do we shew forth plainly the death of Christ as it he were described in our sight and among vs crucified we speak openly in a known tongue and the people vnderstand vs we pray vnto God to accept vs and render him thankes for the worke of our redemption lastly we take the outward elementes and ioyne the word vnto them and thus they are made to vs a sacrament Nay if to offer vp to God our selues our soules our bodies our almes for the poore our prayers and thanksgiuinges vnto God the father for our redemption be an oblatiou and a sacrifice We haue both a Sacrament and a sacrifice in our Churchés though we offer not vp Christs body to be a propitiatory sacrifice for the quicke and dead vnto his father We offer vp as much as Christ commaunded vs to offer but that sacrifice was once offered vp vpon the Crosse he wasthe priest hee was the altar he was the sacrifice there is no other sacrifice left to be offered for sinne and he which presumeth to offer him againe is an enemy to the Crosse of Christ treadeth the sonne of God vnder his foote counteth the blood of the new Testament vnholy and hath renounced saluation by Iesus Christ. Now if we cleaning precisely to the institution of Christ doe not consecrate what may be thought of the Popish priestes who whisper their wordes closely that no man heareth vse a strange tongue that no man vnderstandeth bring in pryuate Masses whereat none communicate deliuer dry Communions wherein no man drinketh exhorte no man speake to no man and if they doe consecrate they consecrate onelye for themselues and not for others Wherefore we detest the opprobrious and blasphemous speaches of the prophane pistes who in the spirit of Shemei and of Kahshaketh raile falsely vilely and slanderously against our communions affirming that they are no other then common bread and wine without grace without vertue without sanctification bare signes of Christ absent no better then our common breakfasts dinners and suppers Thus they speak basely proudly and scornefully of our communions but all the world knoweth they speake vntruely We hold an effectuall consecration in both the sacramentes though we deny a reall conuersion into the body and blood of Christ the water in baptisme is no more common water it is not void of a spirituall effect it is not without grace and sanctification So the bread and wine are changed not from one substance into another but from one vse to another not in themselues but to vs not in their owne nature but in their end and thus they are not the same they were before Againe are these signes sanctified and consecrated that are deliuered and receiued then heereby wee learne what is to be thought of the remnants and leauings remaining after the Lordes Supper For who seeth not heereby that the bread and wine of the holy vse and lawfull participation appointed are not a Sacrament They differ nothing from common bread and wine sold in other places and taken in our houses Therfore among diuerse the remainder was accustomably vsed to be burned among some it was giuen to little children that were in the schooles among others they did eate in the common assembly at their feastes of loue so that out of the sacred vse of the Sacrament they did eate it as common bread they did drinke it as common wine We see in baptisme the water remaining and not vsed is no part of the Sacrament but may be applyed to common vses So it is in the Lords Supper for the Sacramentes of the new testament are alike and of the same worthinesse no more is consecrated then is receiued and applied This also is euident by the rock in the wildernesse where the waters flowing from thence represented the blood of Christ to the Isralites that dranke thereof not to the beastes and cattell that were 〈◊〉 by it So much was consecrated water as they receiued not all the rest So when Iohn baptized in Iordan not all the Rvuer but all that which was applyed was sanctified So when he baptized in Enon because there was much water 〈◊〉 not the whole streame was hallowed but so much as he vsed Wherefore whatsoeuer remaineth after the celebration of the sacraments may be 〈◊〉 lawful y to common and ordinary vses Moreouer if the sanctification of euery creature whether in the sacraments or out of the sacramentes be by the word and prayer as appeareth by the Apostle it teacheth a profitable instruction namely that no creature of God is to be receiued no gift to be vsed no blessing to be enioyed tending to the health of the body or comfort of the soule without this duty of prayer and thankesgiuing to the Lord. Indeede euery creature of God in it seife is good and euery gift is holy yet if we partake them without praysing the name of the giuer and creator to vs they become vnholy vncleane and vnpure Now if this be needefull in vsing the common creatures and guiftes of God much more is it necessary in receiuing these pledges and 〈◊〉 of feeding our soules to eternall life Beholde heere the cause that moued Christ when he had taken the bread to giue thanks to his father wherin he sheweth what belongeth to the duty of the minister and of the communicantes to wit that we ought to lift vp our hearts to God
toucheth the bodie and bloode of Christ signified by them Euen as if a man shoulde rent disgrace deface spit vppon tread and trample vnder his feet and villanouslie abuse the image seale and letters patents of a Prince he should be adiudged guilty of a grieuous crime against the person of the Prince himselfe not which hee receiueth but despiteth so such as come vnthankefully and vnworthily to this supper are guilty of his body not which they haue eaten but which they haue refused and reiected being offered vnto them and therefore are guilty of their owne death inasmuch as God with the signes offereth his owne sonne Wherefore seeing the presence of God moueth seeing our owne profit perswadeth seeing our owne practise furthereth seeing the defiling of the Sacrament and the danger of vnworthy receiving teacheth and lastly seeing our owne iudgement in humane affaires when the daunger is not so great nor the losse so certaine cryeth out for this necessary preparation it standeth vs vpon before we enter into this holy worke whereunto of our selues wee are more vnfit and vnto warde and which in it owne nature is most profitable to set our selus before the Lord who shal examine and iudge the quicke and the dead to search into our owne wayes and to keepe a sessions in our own soules to looke into our secret and hidden corruptions how wee haue gone forward or backward in golinesse to try whether we haue a knowledge feeling and disliking of our sinnes and whether we haue any feare of Gods iudgments or faith in his promises or hope in his mercie to iudge our selues that we may not be iudged of the Lord to labour to find out our speciall sinnes striuing against them by earnest praier to God and condemning them for euer in our selues If we would thus iudge our selues wee should not be condemned with the world Let vs be grieued for our naturall blindnes Let vs acknoledge confusion of faces to be due vnto vs. Let vs deepely imprint in our owne harts the horror of our sins past and present The more wee perceiue and discerne our own vnworthinesse the greater shal be our fitnes to come to this Sacrament and the lesse we espy our owne imperfections the more we incuire the danger of Gods iudgements So then to touch vs with true 〈◊〉 and to break our stony hearts in pieces with remembrance of our daily offences let vs often meditate on the death and passion of Christ who was forsaken scorned buffeted and crucified for vs he was led as a lambe to the slaughter and shunned not the shame of the Crosse then the powers of heauen 〈◊〉 wer moued Iudea was darkned the earth quaked the stones claue in sunder the the graues opened the Sunne was in the ful-moone eclipsed the vaile of the temple was rent the dead were raysed the theese repented the centurion glorified God and the whole order of nature was changed All these thinges 〈◊〉 set before vs the he inousnesse of our sins and the greatnesse of gods wrath which could not be appeased but by crucifieng of the body and by shedding of the blood of Christ which is represented to vs as in a glasse in this Supper Thus wee haue shewed by testimonies and effectuall reasons that as in the passe-ouer they were commanded to chuse them a lambe on the tenth day but to kill him on the fourteenth so that they had 4. daies liberty betweene the separating and the killing of him for preparation and sanctification of themselues in like manner in the supper which is the same to vs that the passe-ouer was to the 〈◊〉 the spirit of God chargeth this duty vpon vs that we prepare our harts reuerently thereunto Now as we haue seene the necessity of this examination let vs consider what vses are to be made thereof Is it required of all communicants that come to the Lords table 〈◊〉 to examine themselues Then from hence it follo weth that all men are bound to know the word of God and to be skilfull in the scripture that thereby they 〈◊〉 be able to try their owne hearts and examine themselues by that rule But if the rule be vnknowne the tryall spoken off cannot be made the examination commaunded cannot be practised Especially there is required of vs the knowledge in the doctrine of the law not onely to be able to rchearse the words but to know the end and mcaning of them the speciall branches of them what are the duties commaunded what are the sinnes condemned for by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne and the Apostle had not knowne sinne but by the law for hee had not knowne last except the law had sayd thou shait not lust As then he that will try Golde from copper must haue his touch stone so he that will rightly examine his obedience must familiarly be acquainted with the Canon of the scriptures This our Sauiour teacheth Ioh. 5. Search the scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternalllife and they are they which testisie of me 〈◊〉 then we search them they will giue vs light to search our 〈◊〉 And the Apostle requireth the Colossians to haue the word of God dwell plentifully in them in al wisedome Wherefore he that said examine your selues ment we should also know the scriptures and especially the law of God which must be the glasse of our liues to behold our offences and the very ground-worke of this examination Againe we are charged to try out our waies and examine our selues Then we learne from hence to acknowledge a difference between baptisme and the lords supper For baptisme is due to the whole church and euery member thereof whether old or young to all infants who are the children of faithful parents that haue giuen their names to Christ and are entred into the profession of the Gospell And howsoeuer confession of faith fruits of repentance are required of the elder sorte as wee haue shewed yet touching infants it is susficiēt if they be born in the church of such as are members of the church But the Supper of the Lord belongeth only to such as are able to examine themselues to try their owne harts and to remember his death which things cannot agree with children As we see in the passe-ouer not all the children of the faithfull were admitted thereunto but onely such as could enquire and require a reason thereof and did desire to be instructed of their parents and such as had learned to make the law a frontlet before their eies and a signe vpon their hands that so the doctrine of God might not depait out of their mouths Besides if we consider the outward workes in both the Sacraments aright we shall plainely see the truth of this diuersity For in Baptisme the action of the minister is to wash the body with water which requireth not discretion in him that is to be baptized fo rasmuch as we
vnworthinesse in receiuing the Supper Chap. 16. Of the knowledge of God the first part of examination AS we haue waighed the necessity of preparing and examining our selues so let vs consider the manner how it is to be performed Such as will in an holy manner prepare themselues to celebrate the Lords Supper to the glory of God and comfort of their owne soules must diligently acquaint themselues with these 4. pointes with knowledge faith repentance and reconciliation to those whom they haue offended It is required of all persons that come to this Sacrament to know the grounds of religion and vnderstande the doctrine of the sacramentes Secondly to beleeue in christ and to looke for saluation in him alone inasmuch as there is no other name vnder heauen by which we must be saued So then we must come with faith which is the hand to apprehend christ Thirdly to abhorre and detest our sins to hate them with an vnfained hatred as our deadly and most dangerous enemies and to haue godly sorrow for them which may cause repentance not to be repented off Lastly to loue our bretheren truely and sincerly yea euen our enemies If we find not these things in our selues we must carefully vse al holy meanes appointed for this purpose to begin them in vs otherwise our estate will proue to be fearefull and dangerous We must with al sincerity conscience and zcale vse prayer the word read and preached conference meditation and such like helpes as may further them in vs. If we do find them in vs though feeble and in great want and weakenesse we are not to abstaine from the sacrment but to come thereunto to seeke strength of faith encrease of obedience Wherfore our sauiour calleth such vnto him come to me all ye that are weary and sore laden and I will ease you take my yoke on you and ye shall find rest vpon your soules for my yoake is easie and my burden is light And Chap 12. A brused reede shall he not breake and smoking flaxe shall he not quench till he bring forth iudgment vnto victory Touching the first we are to obserue that such as wil come aright to the lords Supper must haue the knowledge of Gods word which is the foundation and ground-work of faith We must know what to beleeue and must learne the doctrine of saluation out of the Scripture Our Sauiour Christ in that heauenly prayer which he made a little before his passion vseth these words to his father This is eternall life to know thee to be the onely very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. We must know how miserable all men are of themselues that we are seperated from God the children of wrath by nature as wel as others and the very firebrands of hel They that want this knoledge cannot iudge aright of the partes and vses of this Sacrament nor desire this heavenly meate which nourisheth to eternall life So then knowledge must necessarily go before faith for it is the nature of faith to beleeue that which it knoweth and therefore where there is small knowledge there is a little faith and where there is no knowledg ther can be no faith according to the doctrine of the Apostle Roman 10. Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God The knowledge required of vs when we approach to this Sacrament standeth in these two pointes first in the knowledge of God Secondly in the knowledge of our selues In these two braunches standeth the first part of examinarion And these two pointes are so neerely ioyned and knit together that no man can throroughly know God vnlesse he know himselfe and no man can haue the perfect knowledge of himselfe except he know God in whom he liueth moueth and hath his being Vnder these two heads many particular points are containd necessary to be known of those that offer themselues to bee partakers of this sacrament First that there is onely one God that hath made himselfe knowne in three persons the Father the sonne and the Holy-ghost Secondly that God made man and all other creatures good and gouerneth all thinges well Thirdly man did fall through the entisement of the Deuill and his own wilful disobedience in breaking the commandements of God Fourthly there are ten commaundements diuided into two tables where of the foure first commaundements concern our duties to God the sixe last our dutyes toward our neighbour Fiftly we cannot keepe these commandements nor any one of them but we breake them daily in motion in thought in worde and in deede the breache where of deserueth the cursse of God that is all miseries in this life death in the ende of this life and Hell fire after this life Sixtly there is no meanes or remedy in ourselues or in any creature but onely in Iesus Christ the eternal son of god who is god man God that he might ouercom death and man that he might die for our sins He hath pacified gods wrath fulfild the righteousnes of that law sanctified our nature adopted vs to be the children of god and maketh our duties though weake acceptable to his father Seuenthly all haue not deliuerance by him but onely such as beleue in Christ whose obedience and righteousnes is made ours by a liuely faith whereby we are perswaded that through him our sinnes are forgiuen and wee made the children of God Eightly faith is a gifte of God applying Christ and al his merits particularly to our selues and teaching that he is a Sauiour vnto vs. Ninthly beeing saued by christ thrugh faith we may not liue as we list this vnspeakeable mercy teacheth vs to deny all vngodlinesse and all worldly and sinfulllusts to to liue soberly righteously and godly in this present euill world and to walk in newnes of life because no vnrighteous person shal enter into the kingdome of heauen Tenthly this faith which bringeth forth a reformed life is wrought in our heartes by the Holy-ghoaste through the preaching of the word being truely expounded and profitably applyed with doctrin confutation exhortation correction reformation and consolation and it is encreased besides by reading praying and receiuing of the sacraments Eleuenthly touching prayer we haue a perfect platforme left vs by Christ in the Gospell which containeth sixe petitions the three firste concerning the glorie of God and the three last concerning the necessities of our owne bodies and soules 12. the sacraments are another help to strengthen and increase faith which are outward signes and seales ordained of God to assure vs that Christ all his sauing graces are giuen vnto vs. These are two in number Baptisme the Sacrament of our regeneration and new birth assureth vs by the washing of water that our sins are for giuen by the blood of Christ and wee borne a new to god The Lords supper assureth vs that by bread and wine giuen and receiued according to gods ordinance
beleeuers who vouchsafeth to be their God the god of their seed Hence likewise it appeareth that infants are to be baptized For baptisme succeedeth in place of circumcision the Apostles baptized whole houses Christ calleth infants and sucklings vnto himselfe and 〈◊〉 that to such belongeth the kingdome of Heauen they are Christ sheepe and members of his body Hence we learne that the baptisme of infantes is no vnwritten tradition but a written and diuine institution taught in the Scriptures Consider also heereby the difference betweene baptisme and the Lords Supper and that all are conceiued in originall sinne Acknowledge also a difference between them and the children os Infidels and let parents be incoraged to bring vp their children in the instruction and reformation of the Lord. Hitherto of the outward parts now follow the inward parts which also are four in number First god the father represented by the Mi. wherby our faith is gretly strengthned For whensoeuer the eie seeth the minister 〈◊〉 water on the body faith beholdeth god the father clensing the soule with the precious blood of his sonne Christ. The seconde part is the spirit of God hauing relation to the word and promise of God and therefore whensoeuer wee come to heare the word or to receiue the sacramentes we must craue the assistance of the spirit to open our harts as he opened the hart of Lydia If this in ward teacher be wanting the eare heareth and the hand handleth but the hart is hardned The third in ward part of baptism is Christrepresented by the water This serueth greatly to confirme our faith to consider with our selues when we behold with our bodily eies the water poured vpon the bodie baptizd the blotting out of all our sinnes by the blood of Christ Iesus The 4. inward part is the soul clensed P most liuely and effectualy represented by the body washed For the washing of the body representeth the clensing of the soul. This teacheth that by nature we are corrupt and abhominable so that God must worke in vs both the will and the deede These are the foure in ward parts of baptisme The agreement betweene these outward and inward parts is very euident For as the Minister by the word of institution applyeth Water to the washing of the body so the father through the working of the spirit applyeth the bloode of Christ to the clensing of the soule Thus farre of the parts of Baptisme both the outward and the inward parts now we come to the vses thereof which are principally three First to shew our placing and planting into the blood of Christ to remaine in him for euer This coniunction with Christ is not bodily or naturall but misticall and marueilous in our eyes for we are made one with Christ by the same spirit dwelling in Christ and in all the members of Christ. So then the saints triumphing in heauen and al the beleeuers fighting vpon earth as souldiers in warfar haue one and the same spirit of christ dwelling in them and therfore are one with him Secondly to assure vs of the remission of our fins that we may bee able to stand in the presence of God hauing put on the garments of Christ as Iacob receiued the blessing clad in the garments of his elder brother This ouerthroweth the doctrin or rather doting of the church of Rome which teacheth that baptism abolisheth al sins going before it and leaueth nothing that hath the name or nature of sinne If this were a truth of god not a dreame of men it is not only decent but greatly to be desired to haue baptisme deferred vntil old age nay vnto the hower of death that so we may depart hence in peace with greater assurance of Gods fauor in the pardon of our sins Thirdly to slay the old man and to kil our natural corruption by the power of the death and burial of christ besides to raise vs vp againeto holines and newnes of life by his resurection Hence it is that the Euangelists call it the Sacrament of Repentance admonishing euery one of vs to expresse the strength and power of baptisme as the Prophets of tentimes exhort the lews to circumcise the forskin of their harts and to harden their necks no more So we ought not to content our selus to be baptized in body but must labour to be baptized in soul by a daily proceeding in regeneration by bringing foorth the fruites of sanctification and applying Christ Iesus to our full iustification Thus much of baptisme the honourable badge of our profession and dedication to Christ that dyed vppon the Crosse what it is what are the 〈◊〉 and vses thereof Now wee come to the Sacrament of the body and bloode of CHRIST e which is called by sundrye names in the new testament Sometimes it is called the Communion teaching that we are one body coupled togither in Christ shewing that it is to bee receiued of many togither and admonishing vs of vnity and concorde among our selues Sometimes it is called the Lords Supper hence we see who is the author of it no man no Angell but the Lord Iesus leauing it for a fare-well token of his loue toward vs. We must also come with an earnest desire hungring after Christ that we may be satisfied with his righteousnesse Sometimes it is called the breaking of breade this sheweth that the substance of breaderemayneth after the wordes of consecration that figuratiue speeches are vsed in the Sacrament and that this externall rite of breaking the bread vsed by Christ practised by the Apostles obserued by the pastors of the church ought not to be omitted and ouerpassed Sometimes it is called the table of the Lord this teacheth that christ and his Apostles at the celebration of it vsed a table not an altar that it is a Sacrament not a sacrifice and that we ought to draw neere vnto it with all regard aud reuerence Lastly it is called the new testament or Will of Christ. This title teacheth that there is a double couenant betweene God and man the one old the other new the one of the law the other of the Gospell the firste of Workes the seconde of grace Againe it serueth to condemne the cursed sacriledge of the church of Rome which addeth and detracteth altereth and mangleth this sacrament at her own pleasure and mingleth it with the leauen of her owne inuentions This is a great comfort to all Gods children to consider that all faithfull christians are the heires of Christ to whom he hath promised saluation of their soules and forgiuenesse of their sinnes As we haue seene the seueral names of this sacrament which shew the nature there of vnto vs so now we will set downe what the lords supper is The supper of the lord is the second sacrament wherein by visible receiuing of bread and wine is represented our spirituall
the prayer A It signifieth So be it Deut 27 xv xvi Q what vse is there of it A It sheweth both our feruent desire to obtaine and an assuraunce to our hearts that we shall obtaine that which wee aske 2. Cor. 1. 20. Q what is a Sacrament A It is a visible signe and seale that Christ and all his benefits are giuen vnto vs. Rom 4 xi Q what is to be considered in a Sacrament A Two things his parts and his vses Math. 3 xi Q what are the parts of a Sacrament A Two the outward parts and the inward Rom. 4. xi xii Gen 17 xi 1 cor x 1 2 3 Q How many are the outward parts A Foure the Minister the word the signe and the receiuer Math. 26 26 27. Q How many are the inward parts A Foure God the father the spirit Christ and the faithfull Math. 3s15 16 Q what proportion is there betweene these parts A Euen as the Minister by the worde offereth and applyeth visibly the element vnto the body of the receiuer so the father by the spirit offereth and applyeth Iesus Christ inuisibly vnto the faithfull receiuer Act. 1 36. 37 Q What be the vses of a Sacrament A Three first to norish faith Rom. 49. x xi Secondly to be a seale of the couenant between god and vs Gen 17 Thirdly to be a badge of our christian profession Eph ii xi xii xiii A How many Sacraments are there A Two Baptisme and the Lords Supper 1 cor xii xiii and chap x 1 2 3. 4 Q what is baptisme A Baptisme is the first sacrament wherein by the outwarde Washing of the body with water once in the name of the father of the sonne andof the holy-ghost the inward clensing of the soule by the blood of Christ is represented Math 28 29 Q What is to be cosidered in Baptisme A Two things his parts and his vses Q What are the parts of baptisme A Outward and inward parts Act 2 38 Q How many are the outward parts of baptisme A Foure the Minister the word of institution the element of water and the body washed Math. 28 19 Q How many are the inward parts A Foure God the father the holy spirit Christ and the soule clensed Math 3. 15 16 Mar 16 16 Q What is the proportion betweene these parts A Euen as the minister by the word of institution applyeth the water to the washing of the bodye so the 〈◊〉 through the working of the spirit applyeth the blood of Christ to the clensing of the soule Luk 3 16 Ioh 1 33 Q What are the vses of baptisme A Three first to seale vp the remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes act xxii 16 Secondly to shew our setting and engrafting into the body of christ Gal. 3 27 Thirdly to teach vs to dy to sin and rise againe to righte ousnes Rom. 6. 1 2 3 4 Q What is the Lords Supper A The Lords supper is the second sacrament wherein by visible receiuing of the bread and Wine is represented our spirituall communion with the body and bloode of Christ 1 Cor. 10. 16 17 Q What things are to be be considered in the Lords Supper A Two things his parts and his vses Math 26. xxvi xxvii xxviii Q What are the parts of the lords Supper A Two outward and inward 1 Cor x xvi Q How many are the outward parts A Foure the minister the word of institution bread and wine and the communicant Luk xxii 19 xx Q How many are the inward parts A Foure the father the spirit the body and blood of christ and the saithfull i cor xii xiii Ioh. 6 xxvii Q What is the proportion betweene these parts A Euen as the minister by the word of institution offereth bread and wine vnto the communicants to feede thereupou bodily and corporally so the father by the spirit offereth giueth the body and blood of christ vnto the soule of the faithfull to feede vpon them spiritually i cor xi xxiii xxiiii xxv xxvi c. Q What be the vses of the Lords supper A three first to shew forth the death and sufferinges of christ with all thanks giuing i cor xi xxvi Luk. xxii xix Secondly to teach vs our communion and groweth in Christ 1 Cor x 16 Thirdly to declare our communion and agreement with our bretheren 1 cor x. 17 c. ch xii 13. Q How may wee come aright to the lords table A By preparing and examining ourselues i cor xi 28 Q What is the right manner of preparing our selues A First we must haue a knowledge of God of mans fall and his restoring againe into the couenant by Christ. Ioh xvii iii. Secondly true faith in christ ii cor xiii 5. Thirdly repentance from al dead workes daily renued for our daily sinnes Psal. xxvi 6. Lastly reconciliation to our brethren yea euen our enemies Math 5 23 xxiiii Now to him that is able to keepe you that ye fall not and to present you faultlesse before the presence of his glory with you to God onelie wise our sauior be glorie and Maiestie and Dominion and power both now and for euer Amen Iude verse 24 25 Gentle Reader I am to desire thee to amende these escapes with thy pen either altering the sence or hindering the vnderstanding The rest I remit to thy fauourable construction and correction page 6. line 13. read is heere full P. 18. l 17. and not make p. 19 l. xxi vnfitly p 37. l 3. that they are no. p. 83. l. 36. a connterfect word is fit enough for a counterfect sacrament p 88 l 7. and not accepted p. 〈◊〉 l 33 dele which is good p 136. l xv and euil workers speed p 148 l 6 by the practise and xiijj but reach eth not p 155 l 32 to baptisme P 163 lin 〈◊〉 they were admitted P 165. l. 1 accesse p 170 l xxi are not able p 179. l 22 an assurance P 201 l 1 escape vnpunished and xxii as an and 13 thus much P 209l 4 naming the P 238 l 29 and 31 change P 240 l 29 yet was he 250 l. iii inhumane P 253 l 4. all the. P. 228 l 24 in the cup. P 285 l. 22. out of the holy vse p 290 l. 4. consecration a 2 Thes 2 b Luke x 1 c Ephe 4 `8 d Ro. 1 16 e 〈◊〉 18 f Titus 1 1 g Mat 13 25 h 〈◊〉 pet 5 2 i Plutar. in vita 〈◊〉 k 1 cor 3 〈◊〉 l Ezeck 33 m 〈◊〉 4 17 Gen 28 o Psa. 138 Iuuenal li. 3. Saty. 2 p 1 sam 2 Senecade remed for 〈◊〉 Senec. de Benef. lib 3 cap 1 Cicero de offic lib. 3 Persi sati 1 1 tim 4 8 Act. xx 32 a the number of them c Vses are three d preparation to the worke consisting in Examination of our selues chap. 15 wher in weigh two things a God alway gaue his sacraments to his Church b Gen. 2 9. c Gen. 6 14. d Gen. 17. 11. e Rom. 4 11 b
4. 5 r Ezek. 16 8 Hos. 2. 19. 20 f Such as haue beene baptized by heretikes are not to be rebaptized t act 19. 5 u Ioh 13. 8 Rom. 11 29 a 2 Tim 2 19 20 b Psal. 51 10 〈◊〉 c 1. Ioh. 2. 〈◊〉 d 1 Ioh. 3. 9 e The vse of the fourth part of the description of baptisme t 〈◊〉 20. 16 g The vse of the last parte of the description of baptisme a In batism 2 things are to be considered his parts and his vses b 1 Pet. 3 21 Mar 1 1 Act. 2 38 Vse 1. c Gen. 17 23 〈◊〉 d act 22. 16 18. 8 e Bernard epist. 77 f Luk. 7 30 g 〈◊〉 48. 10 h 〈◊〉 32. 9. 10 Gen. 23. 16. 17. 18 i Baptisme not pricisely tyed to a certaine day k Gen. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l Exod 4. 〈◊〉 m 1 Tim. 3 5 Vse 3. n Gen. 17 12 13 27 o 1 Cor. 7 22 p Exod. 12 3 q 〈◊〉 11. 21. 23. r Gal. 3. 〈◊〉 Col. 3. 11 Vse 4. s They are to be reproued that depart out of the church before baptisme be solemnized t Luk. 1. 58. 59. u 1 Cor. 11. 〈◊〉 a 1 cor 5. 4. b Reasons rendred why the 〈◊〉 should remaine altogether 〈◊〉 Baptisme be 〈◊〉 c christ is after a sort preached in 〈◊〉 d Gen. 4 5 compared with Heb. 〈◊〉 4 Iudg. 13 20. 1 King 18. 〈◊〉 2 chr 7 〈◊〉 e math 3. 16. 17. f 1 cor 12. 23 g Luk. 3. 〈◊〉 Act. 22. 16 h 1 COI 1426 40. i Ezek. 46. 10 k Concil Trid. sess 7. can 1. l The baptisme of Iohn and of Christ are in substance one the same m Mar. 1 4 n Eph 4. 5. 6 o Act 18. 25 16 p Ioh. 4. 1 1 q Math. 3 15 Luk. 7 29 r Difference betweene Iohns baptisme and christs wherin s Obiections answered t Bellar. lib. 1 de Bapt. cap. 20 u Heb 5 4 a Math. 21 25 b Ioh. 1 6 c Math. 3 11 d bellar lib. 1 〈◊〉 bapt cap. 21 e Luk 3 15. 16 f Bellar. lib. 1. de bapt c. 22. g Act. 19 2 3 4 5 6 7 h august de doct christ i Men de k Math. 3 11 Mar. 1 8. 9 Act. 1. 5. 6 l act 18 25 Math. 21 25 Mar. 1 4 m act 8 14 15 16 17 n act 1. 6 Math. 20 28 Luk. 22 24 a act 8 17 18 19 10 44 45 47 and 19 6. b Ioh 1. 32. 33. q 1 cor 1 13. 14. 15 r 1 cor 16. 8. s 2 Pet. 3 16 t The sum of this chapt 18 set downe a Foure outward parts of baptisme b Lu. 3 15. 16. c act 2 38. 8 12 38 10 47. 48. 16 32 33 22 16 d 1 Cor. 1 17 Math. 7. 22 23 Math 10. 1. 2. 3 Math 23 1 2 3 Ioh 4 i ii f Reasons rendred why the Minister onely may baptize g Mat 28 xix Heb 5 4 Math xix 6 h i cor xiiii 34 35. tim 2 xi xii i Reuel 〈◊〉 k Iudg. 4 4 1. Sam. 2. 2 2 King 2 2 xiiii act xxi 9. l act 22 3 m Heb 7 7 n 1 Pet. 3 7 Eccle. 7. 29. 30 o 1 Tim 2. 13 14 Gen. 3. 6 p The people cannot with comfort assure themselues to 〈◊〉 Sacrament at the hands of priuate persons q Beza lib de Quest. in sacre 〈◊〉 140 141. r 2 Sam. 3 27 and 20 10 1 King 2 5 s Numb 625 7. 8 Math 26. 51. 52 Rom. 13 4 a Exod. 20. 13 b Deut. 13 8 c Terent. in Adesp ast 5. sce. 3 d calu lib Epistot Pag. 85 e Exod. 4. 24. 25 26. f Bellar. de sacra bap cap 7. g Ouid. Etist 2 careat successibus opto quisquis ab euentu fact a notanda putat h 2 King 17. 25. Vse 1. i What are the actions of the Minister Vse 2. vse 3. i Epiph here 42 k Epiph. cont her 〈◊〉 l 1 Tim. 2 xi 12 1 cor xiiii 34 m Num. 16 9 〈◊〉 106 17 18. n 2 Sam. 6. 7 o 2 king 15. 5 p Nah. 1 2 Eccl. 8 11 12 13. q Ioh. 10 10 a Word of institution is the forme of baptisme b Eph. 2 26 Math. 28 19 c Gen. 48 19 Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Obiection Answer d 1 cor 11 23 e act 10 47 and 19. 2 f Math. 28 19 a Water another outward part of bapt b Math. 3 xi Vse 1. Obiection c Rom 13 1 7 Answere d Eph 4. 5 e 1 Cor 11. 21 22 f Gal. 3 28 g No other signe ought to be vsed in baptism then water h Lent x. i. 2 i Leuit i. 3 x xiiii k Iocl i. 9 vse 2 l Act 10 47 m 2 cor 10 4 Eph 6 12. n Hosii confes de ritib. bapt cap. 37 o Al perished not vnder the law that died before circumcision p Ezek. 18 23 q Iosh. 5 5 r Leuit. 12 2 3 Gen. 17. 12. 21. 4 s 2 Sam. 12. 18 19 20. 〈◊〉 23 t 2 Tim. 2. 15 u Rom. 9. 11. 13 Mal 1. 2 a act 10 〈◊〉 b Luk. 23 43 c Luk. 19 22 d Socra lib. 5 cap. 22 Bellar. de sacra bap c. 26 e Tripart hist lib 3 cap. 12 f Orat. de obit 〈◊〉 g Cen. 17 14 Obiection Answere h Rom 5 13 i caletan 〈◊〉 cap. 7 genes k Iohn xiii 〈◊〉 l 1 Cor 11. 30 31. m Psa 55 24 n Deut. 13. 5 9 o Exod. 12 15 19 p 1 cor 5 2 〈◊〉 q Ioh 3 5 Obiect 2. r Bellar. lib 1 de bapt c. 4 s Hosij Confess cap. 35 Answere t Ioh. 3 11 u Ioh. 7 38 36 4 11 a Ioh. 6. 53 b Decret Gregor lib. 3. tit 42. c. 3 c Lumb sent lib. 4. dist 4 d Let none obiect the opinion of Augustine for he thought it necessary to saluation that children should receiue the Lords Supper as well as baptisme De peccator mer't lib. cap. 24. e Gen. 17 7 f Mar 16 16. a The last outvvard part of bapt is the body washed b Who are in the couenant c Rom 14. 4 d Heb. 2. 4 Rom. i xvii Gal. 3 xi Heb. x 38 e Ionah 4. xi f act 8 36 g 1 cor 7. 14 h We must hope well of the seed osthe faithfull and therefore we batize them i Rom. xi 16 Gen 17. 7 k act 16 30 31 l Luk. 19. 9 m act 16 14 3 15 1 Cor. 1 16 Ioh. 4 53 2 Ioh verse 1 n Psal. 133 2. Vse 1. o act 8 36 22. 16 Vse 2. p church of Rome propha neth bapt by baptizing bellcs q Bellar. de sacra bapt lib. 1 cap. 27 r Durand lib. 1 Enchirid cap. 4 s Math. 17 2 Eph. 6 13 14 xv xvi Vse 3. t Gcn. 17 1 2 7 Vse 4. a Deut. 1 39 Luk. 1. 15. 44 Iohn 4 11 b Reasons waranting the baptizing of children c Gen 17 12 Leuit 12 3 Phil. 3 5 d col 2. 11 Obiect 〈◊〉 e Wherein
in baptizing againe or being baptized againe And ch 19. 4. 5. the disciples which were baptized and had not receiued the gifts of the Holy-ghost Paule instructed further in the doctrine of Christ and doth not rebaptize them but laieth his hands vpon them and they receiue the visible gifts of the holy ghost The reason is plain against rebaptization because it signifieth and sealeth vp our once being born again our once setting and setling into the body of christ and our spiritual mariage once with him who is the spirituall husband of his Church Wherby we see that such as haue beene baptized by heretikers or other wicked ministers are not to be rebaptized It came in place of circumcision but none wer twice circumcised therfore none to be twice baptized Again it is a Sacra that representeth our spiritual incorporatiō into the church but it is sufficiēt once to be ingrasted cōsequently sufficient haue it once administred This error of rebaptizing arose vpon a corrupt vnderstanding and interpretation of the place Act. 19. When they heard it they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus The difficulty of this place is taken away if wee consider they be the words of Paule continuing his speech of Iohns baptisme not of Luke declaring what Paule did But of this place we shall haue better and fitter occasion to speake farther in the chapter following where it is at large expounded Furthermore if baptisme be administred once for euer it sheweth that he which commeth to Christ once truely and indeed shall neuer be cast away whom Christ Iesus loueth once he loueth for euer because his graces and giftes are without repentance What shall seperate vs from Christ when we are by his working adioyned vnto him Wherefore this outwarde washing being not often repeated but once onely vsed doth effectually seale vp our once ioyning to God who hath made an euer lasting couenant with vs he shall neuer turne away from vs to do vs good we shall bee his people and he will be our God for euer Indeede if we could cleane fall away from the grace of God we shoulde haue another regeneration and another baptizing to be the seale thereof but because we are built vpon the brazen pillar of Gods election the gates of hell shall not preualle against vs for this foundation remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his This appeareth in Dauid Psal. 51. He desireth to haue a cleane hart be prayeth that the holy spirit be not taken from him thereby declaring that the spirit was within him and that hee had a sensible feeling thereof howsoeuer the flesh for a season had gotten the vpperhande Heere then is a great comfort sealed to all Christians in all tentations against al the tetrours and feares of conscience where with they are ready to be swalowed vp and ouerwhelmed This must strengthen and stay vs vp that although we may fall greevously yet we shall not fall finally from the state of grace He that is once a sound and liuely member of Christ can neuer be wholly cut off True it is sinne may lesson our coniunction and weaken our comunion with christ but if we be truely in him the band shall neuer be dissolued we shall neuer be wholly seuered and fall from him as 1 10. 2. They went out from vs but they wer not of vs for if they had bin of vs they should haue continued with vs but this commeth to passe that it might appeare that they are not all of vs. Now if any man by falling into sinne were totally seperated from Christ for a time surely in his recouery and rising from sinne he were to be baptized the second time for baptisme is the Sacrament initiation and ingrafting into Christ and an vniuersall falling would require a new ingrafting But it were most absurd to say we should be as often baptized as we fall into sin and therefore howsoeuer Satan may buffet molest tempt and wound vs greeuously yet he can neuer ouermaister vs wholy and ouercome vs finally as the Apostle declareth 1 Ioh. 3. Whosoeuer is borne of God committeth not sinne for his seed remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God This assurance of our standing for euer in the couenant is the roote of all courage and comfort in trials and tentations it helpeth vs to fight manfully against sinne it preserueth vs from securitie it nourisheth vs in good works it increaseth in vs a care to please god and lastly it confuteth the popish fancie of the forged sacrament of penance wherby they say a Christian being cleane fallen from grace is restored finding no comfort in his baptisme wheras the true beleeuer neuer falleth finally from faith neither needeth an outwarde seale to assure his pertaining to Gods fauour and loue Indeed euery christian that is fallen through infirmity must rise vp repent vnfainedly and shew foorth the fruites thereof yet the force and strength of his baptism is not lost the fruit and comfort thereof remaineth for euer and is extended as well to the time to come as to the time that is past So many therefore as asfirme that the faithfull in thoir falles haue remedie in penance but no comfort by their baptism do set vp themselues magnifieng their owne dreames and deuises aboue the holy ordinances of God The fourth part of the former description of Baptisme is the forme of baptizing into the name of the father of the son and of the Holi-ghost This teacheth that whosoeuer is baptized hath made a solemn promise to confesse and professe the Christian religion to be the seruaunt of Christ to fight his battelles vnder his banner against all the enemies of his faith and saluation against sinne against Satan against the world he hath vowed to renounce the workes of the flesh and to serue the true God So often then as we are present at the administration thereof we must consider the couenant into which wee are entred which we made in the presence of men and Angels which we are bound to keepe for euer Wherefore let vs learne daily to die vnto sin and follow a new life by the grace of sanctification Secondly this form of administration teacheth vs to assure our own harts of God protection and defence as a wife doth of her husbands tuition and preseruation of her from al daungers Let vs looke for life saluation gouernment and nourishment from him alone in Christ For as he calleth vs from the fellowship of Satan of sin and of the worldto haue felowship with himselfe so he promiseth to be our aide and defence in time of neede on whom we are in euery estate and condition to depend The last part of the description sheweth The inward clensing of the soule by the blood of Christ. This teacheth that they abuse baptism that in the outward work seeke remission of sins as though the force