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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	person_n	scripture_n	trinity_n	3,376	5	9.9610	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28214	The god-father's advice to his son shewing the necessity of performing the baptismal vow and the danger of neglecting it : with general instructions to young persons to lead a religious life and prepare them for their confirmation and worthy receiving of the blessed sacrament : very necessary for parents, &c. to give their children or others committed to their care / by John Birket ...	Birket, John.	1700 (1700)	Wing B2975; ESTC R16106	33,239	50

be spiritually affected toward their Children And how far soever many are now a days from being so it 's not to be doubted but that they were much more tenderly affected toward them in antient times For names are usually given at first according to the nature of things and therefore it is not reasonable that any of us should be so averse both to the name and the office because some are so very careless in the performance of what they do undertake It is our duty rather conscientiously to undertake and discharge this office which we may do if we will to the glory of God the spiritual advantage of one anothers Children and the comfort of our own Souls Let no one therefore deceive you and make you believe that there is any thing of Popish superstition in the use of Sureties for it is certain from the antient Histories of the Church that there were God-fathers in the Christian Church many years before there was any such thing as Popery known in the world And such Sureties are at this day retained not only here in England but in those Churches beyond the Seas who never did embrace the Popish Religion Thus having shew'd you what is meant by God-fathers c. I shall in the 2d place show you what reason our Church has to justifie the use of them for it being matter only of Ecclesiastical discipline I do not suppose that there is any necessity of an express command or example in Scripture for it It may suffice us therefore that it be go runded upon good reason and so I suppose it is For if we will allow that Children should be baptiz'd as we very well may and not doubt but that God will also allow the same we must by consequence allow them the benefit of having others to Covenant with God for them and who may be obliged afterward to see them instructed in the principles of the Christian Religion And that it 's no new or impossible thing for Children to covenant with God by others we may learn from Deut. 29. 10 11 12. for there we find that not only the elder Persons who could understand and speak for themselves but even their little ones were brought to covenant with God which they could not do but by others and yet those Children were as much obliged to stand to that Covenant as the elder persons who were of age and understanding to Covenant for themselves as appears by those and the following verses in the fore-mentioned Ch. of Deut. Besides this is no more than what is daily practic'd in behalf of Children in worldly matters for when Parents dye and leave Estates and Portions for their young Children they leave some Friends in trust with them and these persons contract and make bargains in their names and if those be fair and advantageous the Children in whose names they are made are obliged to stand to them and make them good when they come of age And that we have no reason to doubt of God's accepting the Faith of Sureties in behalf of Children may appear not only from Gods acceptance of Abraham's Faith for circumcising his Son but from Christs ready acceptance of the woman of Canaans faith for the cure of her Daughter Mat. 15. 22. as also from his accepting the charitable intention of those that brought the man sick of the Palsey to be cured by him Mark 2. 5. Thus having shew'd you that the Churches use of Baptismal Sureties is grounded upon good reason and therefore has been so long approved of through all parts of the world where the Gospel has been preacht from the Apostles times or very near them to this day one would think there should not be so much dispute among Christians about this matter but because there are many Objections made against this order of our Church therefore I shall now proceed to give as satisfactory answers as I can to those Objections which I have met with Obj. 1. Therefore say some we find no such thing commanded in Scripture as God-fathers and God-mothers nor example of any such matter nor so much as any such words therein mentioned and therefore we cannot think fit to make use of them Answ In answer whereunto it is to be considered that God has no where in his holy word ty'd us up so strictly in matters of Church discipline that we must do nothing but just what is expresly commanded or what we have an example for for what Sect of Christians is there who do not for love and orders sake observe some things for which they have neither a particular precept no● example It may be sufficient that such things are agreeable to the general rule of the Apostle 1. Cor. 14. 40. that all things be done decently and in order and tending to edification v. 26. This rule supposes that the particular matters of Church Discipline should be left to Church Governours and to the custom of the Church not contrary to the rule of Scripture and no way derogating from the Glory of God So that this having been the constant custom of the Church in the purest times of the Gospel after the Apostles days to require Sureties for Children at their Baptism why may not the Churches custom justifie our practice especially in this case wherein there is nothing of indecency but what may very much tend to edification and the Glory of God if it be rightly observ'd As to your finding no mention made of the words in Scripture that 's no argument against the things for neither do we find the word Trinity nor the word Sacrament in Scripture and yet we think fit to make use of those words the one being most proper to express the three persons in the Godhead and the other to signify the two great ordinances of the Gospel viz. Baptism and the Lords Supper But 2. It is not good say some to undertake this office nor to desire others to do it because there are none that discharge their duty in this matter To this I answer that some have discharged their duty is most certain and I could give you some instances to prove that to the pious care of Baptismal Sureties in instructing some of your Royal Princes in the Principles of sound Religion we owe in a great measure the enjoyment of the Protestant Religion in this Nation And that all others do not discharge ●heir duty is not because there is any impossibility in the nature of the thing for cannot any of us use our best endeavours to see that a Child be taught so ●oon as he shall be able to learn what a solemn Vow Promise and Profession he has made by his Sureties cannot they take care that he may learn the Church Catechism which contains in it all the fundamental truths which a Christian ought to know and believe to his Souls health cannot they call upon him to hear Sermons unless they happen to be removed at too great a distance from each other

take delight in bearing a part with your brethren in making the Responses singing Psalms and in all other parts of Divine service And this you will certainly do when once you have got your heart sincerely affected with a sense of Gods infinite love and mercy toward you For so we find King David speaking of himself and telling us that the great experience which he had of Gods love to him influenced him so much that he could not refrain from singing praises to him Ps 63. because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee again v. 5. my Soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness when my mouth praiseth thee with joyful lips Nor did that pious King desire to be singular in this matter for in Ps 95. v. 1. he encourages all others to the like practice saying O come let us sing unto the Lord let us heartily rejoyce in the strength of our Salvation In the next place as you are to reverence God by opening your lips that your mouth may shew forth his praise so you are to reverence him by your actions and gestures as by lifting up your hands and eyes in prayer to God standing up at the recital of the Creed Hymns and Gospel by kneeling or at least standing up in time of Prayer and keeping your head uncovered all the time of divine service and while the Minister is preaching I say that you are to kneel or at least to stand up in time of prayer because both are allowed to be agreeable to the word of God and the practice of good men but I must needs say that kneeling is much more commendable and a better way of expressing your humility than standing up is when you pray to God In some cases it 's true standing up in time of prayer is not to be blamed as in the case of some natural infirmity when a man cannot kneel without very great pain and uneasiness or when a Congregation is so much crowded that it would be very inconvenient or impossible to do it or when the rules of the Church require it as it does of the Minister for very good reasons in some parts of divine service even when the people are required to kneel In these I say and perhaps there may be some other the like cases to pray standing is not reproveable But then in such cases you should take care to give some other demonstrations of your humility faith and reverence as by lifting up your hands and eyes to Heaven by smitting your breast and the like For to stand up all the time of prayer when you are required to kneel down and may do it without any inconvenience to your self to others and never so much as open your lips or move your hands and eyes in honour to God is a shrewd sign that there 's but very little true devotion in your heart But for sitting still all the time of Prayer as too many do this my Son I must needs tell you is not only the greatest irreverence but a most rude and unmannerly behaviour in the more especial presence of God and his holy Angels And how much soever those people who won't be disswaded from it may pretend to honour God in their hearts yet 't is certain they dishonour him before men which I am sure is a very great provocation for the Lord hath said them that honour me I will honour but they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed I will not pretend to judge the secrets of such mens hearts but let them ask their own consciences what the reason is that they kneel down to prayer in their own houses and yet fit down all the time of Prayer in the House of God and then tell me whether the true reason of their irreverence in the Church dos not proceed from their want of a true love and respect for the publick service and if so where 's their sincerity For as it may reasonably be suspected that that pretended invisible piety which is not attended with visible purity is a false or rather no piety at all and that those persons who make no conscience of serving God publickly take little or no care to serve him privately so it may without breach of charity be supposed that those persons who refuse to give unto God the outward reverence of their Bodies in the publick congregation where he is more especially to be honoured have but very little reverence toward him in the heart For if they kneel down to prayer in their own Houses out of a hearty reverence to God they are certainly much more obliged to do it in the house of prayer because in so doing they give a more publick Testimony of that honour and reverence which is due to the Almighty It is very observable that in the Prophet Malachy's days as we read Ch. 1. 7. the People were come to that degree of Profaneness that they thought any thing was good enough to be offered up in sacrifice to the Lord and yet still they would be thought to have a mighty reverence for him and his worship but see how God resented their irreverent behaviour toward him a Son says he honoureth his Father and a Servant his Master If I then be a Father where is my honour and if I be a Master where is my fear And yet notwithstanding the contempt of the Lord and his Ordinances they would be still ready to vindicate themselves and say wherein have we despised thy name and wherein have we polluted thee And therefore the Lord tells them plainly that they had dishonoured him in thinking that it was no great matter what it was that they offer'd in Sacrifice any thing as they thought was good enough to be killed So that the Lord would have them consider whether an earthly Prince would be pleased with a Subject that should behave himself toward him in such a manner if ye offer the blind for Sacrifice is it not evil and if ye offer the lame and the sick is it not evil offer it now unto thy Governor will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person Here you see that however some people may pretend to an inward reverence of God while they give no outward Testimony of it in their words and actions yet the Lord is not satisfied with it he does not think himself to be honoured by those ways which our superiours take to be a dishonour to them For should these persons behave themselves in the presence of an earthly King or of an inferiour Magistrate as they do in the presence of the King of Heaven and Earth they would be lookt upon to be very rude and unmannerly and it cannot reasonably be supposed but that the Almighty God will in like manner resent the behaviour of those who act directly contrary to that rule prescribed in his holy words of doing all things in his worship decently and in order most certain it is that all the holy men