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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44168	A sermon preached in the parish church of St. Magnus the Martyr, by London-Bridge, on Sunday February 11th, 1699/700 at the baptizing of some persons of riper years, brought up by Quakers and anabaptists, but now conform'd to the Church of England / by Richard Holland ...	Holland, Richard, 1679-1706.	1700 (1700)	Wing H2436A; ESTC R804	17,510	35

Masters Table to Eat and Drink of those his Holy Viands in the other Sacrament of the Eucharist and there Enjoy in that Feast of Souls the Lord of all Glory by which we are Fed and Nourished even to Eternal Life And thus you see how your Earthly does exhibit and represent to you the Glory of your Heavenly Imployment and that if you would be Masters enjoy Liberty even the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God you must first be Bound must be admitted into the Family regularly and fairly as he has Ordain'd you must be Baptized every one of you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and then proceed from one Degree of Grace unto another so you will obtain what St. Peter's Congregation here aim'd at viz. To be Everlastingly Saved For this reason it is that the Font stands at the lower-end but at our Enterance into the Church where having been received and admitted into the Congregation and afterwards Instructed in our several Duties till we are well prepared for the Nobler Mysteries of our Profession the higher Cordials of the Gospel we then come to be advanced to the Lords Table that Holy Christian Altar at the Upper-end of all the most Honourable Place in Gods House that Royal Seat and Throne of the Blessed Jesus Where Injoying him in those his appointed Elements in their Season during the Course of our Lives with Honest Faithful and Repenting Hearts we shall perceive the constant refreshings of a good Conscience and Joyous Heart and at last be Translated to the Everlasting Arms of our Blessed Saviour and Enjoy Him in the highest Heavens But the first of those Holy Sacraments is our Province now In Discoursing upon which we shall a little more particularly consider 1. The Nature 2. The Necessity of it 3. The Qualifications for it 4. The several Duties we are Engaged in by it 5. The extraordinary Benefits and Advantages of it 1. For the Nature of Baptism It was always a Custom amongst the Jews that when any Proselyte was Receiv'd Enter'd and Admitted into the Church they were wont to use several Washings thereby denoting their Leaving off Forsaking or Washing away all their former Pollutions their old Prophane and Heathen Practises Nay the Jewish Authors say that not only Proselytes and those newly Converted from Heathenism but also the Natural Jews themselves were mitiated by these three things Circumcision Baptism and Sacrifices As this was the custom amongst the Jews so it pleas'd the Lord of Life the Author and Finisher of our Faith to appoint That whosoever should at any time be receiv'd into His Family admitted into His House and Fellowship shall be receiv'd by this very same Ceremony and Element of Water and the Holy Ghost has order'd this Form of words I Baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Baptism then is the Door by which we enter into the visible Church of Christ and it is administred to Beginners in Christianity who are Initiated by Water This is done by Dipping or Sprinkling for the word signifies both and our Church makes the Action Indifferent leaving it to Discretion and to be regulated by Charity Dipping was first in use in hot Countries and when the greatest part were well grown People But when the Gospel was spread into colder Climates as ours Sprinkling only was thought sufficient And so does the wisdom of our Church conclude That if a Spoonful of Wine in the other Sacrament be as significative of the whole Mass of Christ's Blood as a greater quantity then a few Drops of Water may be a representative of Washing as well as a River And this Sprinkling perhaps the Apostles themselves used even in those hot Countries since we Read of them calling sometimes for Water in Houses to Baptize new Converts Acts 10. 47. 'T is to be done in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Intimating That what the Minister does is not of himself or on his own head but in the Name and Power by the Command and Commission of the whole Trinity God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost And this Obliging the Person Baptized to own 1. The Glorious Trinity of Persons and consequently the whole Creed in the words of the Church Catechism to Believe in God the Father who made him and all the World 2. In God the Son who Redeem'd him and all Mankind That is who was pleased to undergo the Wrath of His Heavenly Father and all those Scourges due to our Sins that we might be free from Sin and Sorrow the power and danger of Death and Satan 3. In God the Holy Ghost who Sanctifies him and all the Elect People of God That is who Guides and Directs him and who Comforts and Refreshes him in the ways of Godliness As he thus owns and acknowledges the Holy Trinity so 2dly He yields himself an absolute Proselyte to the Faith of it excluding all other Gods or any other Authors and Patrons of Religion The● 3dly He devotes himself to follow the Rules and obey the Comands of this his new Master is always ready to be Govern'd and Guided by him and by all cheerful dispatch of Religious Duties demonstrates himself a very willing Disciple of this Blessed Trinity Now this Water and these Words is called the Form or the Outward part of Baptism And they have a great meaning in them which is called the Inward being a Death to Sin and a new Birth to Righteousness By Dying to Sin is only meant leaving it off washing away all Pollutions getting clear of them out of the Power and Dominion of them The Apostle also calls it A Quickening of us who were dead in Trespasses and Sins And St. John calls it Overcoming of the World For nothing makes a Man more a Slave than Sin nothing betrays Men more to Servitude then living in Sin nothing else but Sin can Domineer He then that overcomes it is a brave Commander is truly Master of himself and Enjoys the best Liberty And now very plain appears the meaning of a New Birth to Righteousness and being Born of God mention'd so frequently in Scripture which is only our Lords Enabling of us to Live Religiously and Act Honestly To have our Conversation here in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity and to keep our Consciences void of Offence both towards God and Man So we prove our selves Members of Christ and he will plentifully bestow upon us the Provisions of his Grace and Favour that is Mercy and Peace and Pardon of Sins here and Eternal Life Glory hereafter I come now to the Second thing To Consider the Necessity of Baptism The Word is here Be Baptized every one of you and this is if you have a mind to be Saved Besides which in St. John's Gospel c. 3. v. 5. Jesus himself says Except a Man be Born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot Enter into the Kingdom of

God That is except a Man be Born again by the effectual working of Gods Spirit as by the Author of this New Birth and in the ordinary course of Gods Proceedings in his Church by the Water of Baptism as the Sign appointed by God in the Sacrament of our Regeneration he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Therefore he says again v. 7. Let not this seem so strange a thing Marvel not that I said unto you You must thus be Born again And I think that Christs own words with such a Condition that without it they shall not obtain Heaven is enough to urge the Necessity of this Holy Sacrament What then do they do What have they to answer who with hardned Confidence and willful Obstinacy and scornful Ignorance keep themselves and their Children out of the Pale of the Church refuse and slight this Great Grace and shut themselves out of Heavens Gate They are indeed in a most dreadful Condition who tho' Light be come into the World will Love Darkness rather than Light and bereave both themselves and off-spring of that Happiness and those mighty favours of God What Value have these Men for Gods Command to take the Sign and Seal of his Covenant of Grace to his People and their Seed throughout all Generations What Value have they for Jesus Christ confirming the same when he sent forth his Apostles and appointed them to make all the Nations Disciples and to Baptize them all in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Which they did thro' all the World where they came But more dreadfull still is it that the Men of this Perswasion are generally so Stubborn and Resolute as to be in Danger of never Repenting and Returning to the Church Some indeed by the blessing of God and a good Disposition have led the way may the rest of them Speedily follow and let not that Fate and Doom of a Reprobate which is to be of strong Delusion and to Believe a Lye the worst of all Judgments let not that or its Imputation any longer rest upon them I am thirdly to speak to the qualification for this Holy Sacrament which is Repentance Repent and be Baptized Repentance is that that re-enstates us in Gods Favour assures our Happiness and makes Joy in Heaven We all know our selves to be Fools and Vile Sinners and when ever we shall be brought to our Senses to acknowledge our Sin and Folly we shall Act like Men and make our selves of the Number of those that God will accept that Christ came to Save and Dyed for and most certainly will Receive into his Everlasting Arms when he shall come again to make up his Jewels But our Repentance must be made up of these Parts 1. There must be a Sense of Sin 2. An Hearty Sorrow for it 3. A free Acknowledgement and Confession of it 4. An utter Abhorrence and forsaking of it 1. There must be a Sense of Sin if we would Heartily Repent of it That it is Abominable the Bratt of the Devil that that God Hates the thing that he never can or will Endure to behold with the least Approbation That it really grieves the blessed Spirit that it Crucifies the Lord of Life afresh and puts Him to an open Shame and that it made Him who is the same Yesterday to Day and for ever to alter his Decrees concerning Man and Cancel that Covenant of Uninterrupted Happiness Of so Mischievous Nature it is that it turn'd Angels into Devils Men into Beasts and Tumbled them down from Life to the Grave from a Throne to a Prison from Heaven and a Title to never-ceasing Joys to Hell and the assurance of Eternal Torments This is Sin and thus we must acknowledge it to be exceeding Sinful And then 2. We must proceed to Godly Sorrow for it We must Heartily bewail it express sensibly our Dissatisfaction in and Dislike of it and that from a true Apprehension of its own Vileness and that most wretched Folly that betray'd us into it And this Sorrow must be not only because we have brought our selves into great Danger contracted Guilt and wrought our own Ruin But because also we have dealt so Unkindly and Ungratefully with so good a God Because we have provoked so Compassionate a Father slighted so Gracious a Redeemer and quench'd the Motions of and grieved so Blessed a Sanctifier Thus should we abound in Holy Sorrow with respect both to our God and our selves for our God that we have thus Basely Treacherously and Ungratefully done as much as in us lay to the very Dethroning of Him as well as for our selves whom this filthy Sin has sunk into so wretched a Condition 3. If we would perfect our Repentance we must truly acknowledge and confess our Sins not Hide them not Palliate and Excuse them not Stifle and Endeavour to put them out of our Minds but to own them and our selves for Sinners When ever we desire to enter the Temple when ever we prepare to return to our Fathers House and there hope to be Receiv'd and Wellcom'd we cannot do better then take to our selves the Words of the old repenting Prodigal and say Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called Thy Son St. Luke 15. 21. Thus freely should we expose our Vileness acknowledge our Transgressions and that we have worthily deserv'd Gods Wrath that we have added Sin to Sin Treasured our Vices and Aggravated them with the most heightening Circumstances And who knows then but at our Meeting as the tender Father in the Gospel receiv'd his Rebellious Son so our Heavenly Father will receive us also forgive us and Enthrone us in his Kingdom And here that I be not Misunderstood let me hint to you the Excellency of our Church in this particular We are not obliged to an exact Discovery of every Secret of our Hearts to Men of Cunning and Art and yet of like Passions with our selves which is the Arbitrary management of other Churches and Sects by which the poor People are lyable to be Ruin'd on Earth their Secrets being extorted and they thereby exposed to the shock and prey of Cruel and Unreasonable Men. But our Church requires General Confessions only such as she has provided as We have Erred and Strayed from thy ways like lost Sheep we have followed two much the Devices and Desires of our own Hearts we have offended against thy Holy Laws c. Save in the matter of Scruples and then also it is order'd with that Ease and Security for the quieting of the Conscience and relieving the troubled Mind as to Demonstrate the Divinity of the Constitution and that Holy Spirit which conferr'd the Directions All this I have said is of our Church and Publick Confessions but for our Private ones those in our Closets we must be sure there to ransack every corner of our Hearts to Confess and Bewail every Particular of our Sins to our God so