to the End of the World Those therefore that run before they are sent and incroach upon this holy Ordinance without a Call let them remember the sin of Corah Dathan and Abiram and also their Punishment for incroaching upon the Priests Office And as he must be rightly Called so he should be rightly Qualified for the work that he may not only know but also Teach the People the Nature End Use and Benefit of this Sacrament that he bring not forth a dumb Idol which neither he nor the People know nor Understand The Subject Recipient ought also to be rightly Qualified if he be of Years of Discretion he should know the Principles of Religion the Nature End and Use of the Sacrament He should profess Faith in and submission to Christ And if they are Infants the Parents should be thus Qualified The Church they have their Duties too 'T is their Duty not only to be Spectators but to joyn Hand and Heart in the Work that they beg of God for the Party Baptized that not only the Sign and Seal but the Grace of the Covenant may be conferred and that a Seed may be sown in this Ordinance that in time may spring forth 'T is necessary also that a right Element be used viz. water true Natural water without any Sophistication mixture or Composition for this is agreeable to the will of Christ and the Papists Addition of Salt Spittle and Cream is a Humane Invention and no wise pleasing to God We find Christ was Baptized with water and the Apostles used no other The River Jordan Salem and other places were frequented to this End Thus the Eunuch thus Cornelius were Baptized and this is most suitable to the End for which it was Ordained and best Answers the Type and Shadow of it in the time of the Law and serves best to signifie and Represent the blood of Christ for as water is of a mundifying Nature so is the Blood of Christ unto the Soul and this also is agreeable unto Antiquity water being always used in the Primitive Time Niciphorus Reports when a Minister for want of Water used Sand in Baptizing a Man that Baptism was by the Church accounted a Nullity and the Man was after Baptized with water And it must also be done in a Lawful and due manner Form the External Form consists in the Ministers words and Actions For words 't is not Lawful for him to use what words he pleaseth but the words of Institution he must Baptize in the Name of the Father the Son and of the Holy Ghost And his Actions should be agreeable to his Words and so he must either dip or dive the Baptized Party into the water or pour or sprinkle water upon him 'T is conceived in the Primitive Time in those Hot Countreys dipping in the water was most used which in some places especially in those cold Countreys the Church hath altered for God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice and the Scripture seems to hold forth many favourable Instances for washing or sprinkling Heb. 9.10.19.20,21 Acts 2.42 16.33 Mark 7.4 It is not like that all these were dipped the word in the Original signifies washing whether by Diving into the water or by pouring water upon Eph. 5.26 Titus 3.5 For as Circumcision applyed to one part of the Body did suffice so Baptism though the water be not applyed to the whole may yet signifie the blood of Christ applyed to the Soul and the Conscience is said to be sprinkled with this Blood for as a little Bread and a little Wine signifies whole Christ so a little water signifies his Blood and serve to seal the Covenant as well as more 6. Direct When thou hast solemnly entered thus into Covenant with the Lord and his Vows are upon thee and accepted the Offered Sacrament and set to thy Seal and obliged thy self to the performance know then 't is thy Duty to perform thy Vows unto the Almighty remember with whom thou Covenantest 'T is with one that cannot be deceived and that will not be mocked and one that is well able to avenge the Quarrel of his Covenant and that will avenge it if thou perform it not It was wise Solomon's Counsel Eccl. 5.4,5 When thou vowest a Vow unto God defer not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in Fools pay that which thou hast vowed Better it is that thou shouldest not Vow than to Vow and not perform Thou hast in thy Baptism Dedicated thy self up to God and bound over thy self to his Obedience thou hast taken Press-mony from him and engaged thy self to fight his Battles and to be an Enemy to his Enemies And canst thou without horrid Treachery fight the Devils Battles against him Thou hast vowed thy self against Sin the World and the Devil and wilt thou take part with them against God It is Death for a Souldier to leave his Colours and side with the Enemy and is it nothing to leave God when we have taken Press-money and Pay from him and joyn with the Devil against him What benefit canst thou then expect by thy Baptism or what good is it like to do thee Simon Magus was Baptized but had little benefit by his Baptism he was still in the gaul of Bitterness and in the bonds of Iniquity and had no part or lot in the benefits of the Covenant If Herod made Conscience of a rash and unlawful Oath how much more should Christians of so serious so solemn so Beneficial a Covenant The keeping whereof would make them everlastingly Happy and the breach thereof will make them eternally Miserable What horrid Treachery is it for thee to vow Service unto God and to perform it to the Devil and the World To carry God's Mark in thy Fore-head and the Devils Brand in thy Heart To call thy self a Christian and Live the Life of an Heathen or Infidel What is this but to put a Sheeps skin upon a Wolves back Or the Kings stamp upon counterfeit Coin Consider if thou do thus Baptism will be so far from saving thee that it will condemn thee and the Baptismal water that was cast upon thee will prove like the water of Jealousie unto the defiled Woman Num. 5.27 it will be attended with a visible judgment and prove a Curse and not a Blessing What benefit dost thou intend to receive by it Dost expect the Benefit of the Covenant Dost imagine that God is engaged to thee and not thee to him Thou art much deceived if thou break with him thou dis-ingagest him God indeed Offers Christ if thou wilt receive him and promises upon that Condition to be a reconciled Father to thee to give thee Remission of sin Regeneration Adoption and Glory for ever and hereunto he puts this Seal to the Covenant And thou promisest upon thy part to accept of Christ upon the offered terms vowedst Obedience to him and Dedicatest thy self to his Service and thereupon acceptest the offered Sacrament and settest thy Seal to the
Church and Listed into his Company his School and Family and have all the Blessings and Benefits of the New Covenant Christ and all his Righteousness Merits and Graces Pardon of Sin Regeneration Adoption Sanctification and Glorification Sealed up to them for the Water as it is of a cleansing Nature signifies the Blood of Christ which cleanseth us from all Sin In this Sacrament there is a mutual Covenant made and ratified between Christ and the Soul the Soul gives up it self to Christ promising Obedience to his known Will and that he will Worship no other god but Father Son and Holy Ghost And God for his part promises Christ and his Benefits upon Condition that Man prove Faithful in his Covenant and no doubt God will not fail in his part if Man perform which that thou mayst do take these Directions 1. Direct Because some Scruples do arise about Baptism it seems necessary to speak something to them for those that Question the Ordinance it self are not like to use the Directions The very Essence of Water-Baptism is denyed by some and questioned by others whether it be a standing Ordinance in the Church but that which some question and others deny I think need not be questioned and cannot be denyed and for their Confutation I need say no more but search the Scriptures for he that reads the Scripture and believes what he reads cannot be Ignorant Baptism was given in Commission by Christ to his Disciples Mat. 28.19,20 and that it was to be done with Water see it in their Practice you find Philip Baptizing the Eunuch with Water Acts 8.38 And Peter Baptized Cornelius thus and his Family in both places Water is mentioned and they were both immediately Directed to do it by the Holy Ghost But the greatest Controversie lies elsewhere between us and the Anabaptists who it be that are Subjects capable of this Ordinance this therefore shall fall next under consideration I need not step so far out of my way as to tell you they ought to be rational Creatures such as are capable of being in Covenant and to have the Graces and Benefits of the Covenant bestowed upon them and so stand to reprove the foolish ridiculous Custom of the Papists in Baptizing Bells c. Neither need I tell you it must be a Living Creature and not one that is dead and so reprove the Custom of those which seemed to be Baptized for the dead or in their stead or in their Name a Custom which seemed to be crept into the Church in the Apostles days 1 Cor. 15.29 which Custom Ambrose and Tertullian speak of But to come nearer the Question in Controversie you may assure your selves that those and those only that are Members of the visible Church are to partake of this Ordinance Those that are in Covenant should partake of the Sign and Seal of the Covenant Gen. 17.11 Rom. 4.11 Now these are the Godly and their Seed Acts. 2.39 The Promise is unto you and to your Children The seed of Faithful Abraham are either those that are of Riper Years or of Infants Those that are of Riper Years are such as being Converted to the Faith hold fast the Foundation and manifest Repentance for sins past and profess Obedience for the time to come and of those I think is no scruple made by any that own the Ordinance if there be see Mark 16.15,16 Acts 37.38 Now Infants that are within the Covenant are such as have one or both Believing Parents that is such as profess Faith in Christ and Obedience to him and Live accordingly that the Children of those are in the Covenant and have right to the Seal by a Birth-priviledge many able Divines have largely proved both by Scriptures and Arguments the Scriptures they make use of are such as these Gen. 17.7.9 1 Cor. 7.14 Gal. 3.9.14 Col. 2.11,12 Acts 2.38,39 Rom. 4.11,12 Mat. 28.19 Mark 10.13 c. Luke 18.15,16 Rom. 11.16 and many others Now you must know that Godly Parents are under a two-fold Consideration as they are Men and the sinful Off-spring of Adam so their Children are the Children of wrath by Nature but as they are Believers and the Sons of Faithful Abraham and ingraffed into Christ the second Adam so they and their Children also are in Covenant This might be Evidenced by Arguments but my Discourse being practical and not polemical I shall refer you to those that have purposely Treated of it Yet lest any should be at a loss consider Children of Believers in the Time of the Law were Members of the Visible Church and in Covenant with their Fathers and received the Seal and Sign of the Covenant for such was Circumcision Gen. 17.11 Rom. 4.11 and that by God's own Command Deut. 29.10,11,12,13 c. And I conceive it will not be proved where they were ever taken out of Covenant or lost this their Birth-priviledge or what they have in lieu of it or that our Priviledges are straitned by Christ's coming and therefore we conceive they are still in Covenant and therefore being every way as capable of the seal of the Covenant Baptism as the Jews Children were of Circumcision it ought to be Administred besides it was for unbelief the Jews were broken off Rom. 11.20 and that both Root and Branch How then came the Believing Jews to lose this priviledge for their Children Yea the Promise is made to them that Believe and to their seed Acts 2.39 And Believers Children have been long in Possession let their Enemies disprove their Right 2. Direct I 'le take it for granted at present that Infants of one or both Believing Parents are within the Covenant and Members of the Visible Church upon their Parents Account It is their Birth-priviledge and therefore 't is requisite that they receive the sign and seal of the Covenant which is Baptism that being the initiating sign whereby Members are Orderly entred into the Church Souldiers are Listed into Christ's Company and Scholars into his School and therefore 't is the Parents Duty to present them and to Enter them into the Covenant and bring them timely unto this Ordinance and Dedicate them unto the Lord even in their Infancy as Hannah did Samuel even when he was a Child But because the Child claims this not as he is an Infant but as he is the Child of such Parents 'T is necessary that the Parents one or both be rightly qualified they should be such as own God in sincerity For though a serious Profession not contradicted by a vicious life may and must satisfie the Church who cannot search the Heart yet it will not satifie God who tryeth the Reins and the Heart 'T is necessary also that they have a competent measure of Knowledge as well as Faith and the other Graces of the Spirit that so they may perform the Duties required 'T is requisite they should know in what condition their Children are in by Nature that they are born the Children of Wrath as well as