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 Theâ— 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
Guilt and Danger to be really apprehensive both of their Folly and Desperate Condition both of their want of a Saviour and Misery without him this will soon make the Sinner cry out with David I have Sinned I acknowledge my Faults and my Sin is ever before me Psal 51. 2. And this Sense of his Condition will Encourage him to call for relief to ask Counsel how to get out of such a dreadful Condition to cry out in good earnest What shall we do to be Saved Again We see farther the good Nature and Faithfulness of the Apostle who as soon as they had discovered the extraordinariness of their Concern and Misery does not in the least delay or dispute their Cure He does not put them upon any Costly and Troublesome thing to Atone their Sin neither does he Upbraid them for their mighty Cruetly to the Blessed Jesus nor reflect any more on what is past their long Neglect or Carelesness but looks forward helps them in Earnest tells them the only and that an easie and reasonable Remedy comforts therefore their Hearts directly keeps them no longer in Suspence hides not their Cure but says Repent and be Baptized every one of you c. You see how proper this Subject is for our present Discourse having just now receiv'd Persons into the Pale of the Church who formerly were trained in Errors and by the Authority of Relations kept from this happy Call And since by their Earnest desire they have now Enjoyed this blessed Sacrament that as soon as conveniently can be they may be admitted to the other let one word first be permised concerning the holy Sacraments and their Number Sacraments are the outward means whereby God does Represent Exhibit and Seal to us our Redemption And they are called Signs and Seals and Badges and Pledges As Signs they represent the great performances of Christ for us under Visible Elements Water represents his washing away our Sins the Bread Broken and Wine poured out represent his Body Crucified and his Blood Shed for us Thus are they Tokens and Monuments of his Love truly Signs of Heavenly things By them Grace is exhibited and conveyed to the faithful Pardon ensured and Favour and Reconciliation obtained They are the Marks and Badges of our Profession they are our Lords Livery by which all we his Servants are known and discover'd to belong to him they proclaim us to be his Right and Property so that all the World may see and know what a Master we have in whose Service we are Engaged and whose Favour and Protection we shall be sure always to Enjoy And they are Pledges also or Pawns of his Care and Mercy they are our Security of Heaven and the ground of our Hopes and Confidence in God For there is an holy Contract betwixt God and us Obedience is our part Salvation is his and by the Holy Sacraments as by Deeds and Indentures is our Happiness conveyed made over Seal'd and Deliver'd to us If we would be Saved then it must be by these means and if we refuse these means the Pledges of his Love the Badges of our Profession the Securities of our Happiness we Rob our Souls of Heaven we exclude our selves from Salvation Not that God cannot save without them For his hand is not shortned but they are the ordinary Means and appointed Instruments by which he has promised to convey the Merits of Christ to us and commanded us this way to receive them Willfully then to Neglect them or to Want them when they may be had is perfectly to despise God and cast aside his Ordinances As for their Number they are but two tho' the Church of Rome has Established more yet the Ancients never acknowledged anymore Nay one of the greatest amongst the Romanists confesses it in these Words 'T is a common receiv'd saying amongst us Catholicks That all the Sacraments did flow out of the Side of the Lord but thence only Issued out Water and Blood Water as the matter of Baptism and Blood of the Eucharist and thence concludes that properly there is no more Thus Cardinal Richlieu True it is that the Sacraments strictly and properly taken for Seals and Badges of our Profession they are and the Church never acknowledged anymore than two and those of our Lords own Ordaining The first Baptism from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies to Wash Dip Dive or Sprinkle The second The Supper of the Lord because ordain'd at or after his last Supper And these two he only institutes some have guessed that the Gospel Sacraments might correspond with those two old ones of the Law Circumcision and the Passover But rather because these two are sufficient Nothing is required to make any one a true Master of any Profession than these two things 1. To be legally Enter'd fairly admitted into it and then 2 To be consummate in it to be fully possessed of the Priviledges and Immunities of it To Illustrate this by what you all know very well In order to become a free Denison and worthy Member of this Honourable City or of any Society therein this is required 1. That the Person be Lawfully Admitted you call it Bound By which he is obliged to learn the Art or Mystery of his Profession is Engaged to the Rules thereof and at the same time is become the Care and under the Patronage of the Governours of the City And having behav'd himself well in that Station his appointed time he is then 2. Made Free has Title to the Priviledges and Immunities both of the City and his own Society to exercise his Function without Controul and in his Course to perform the Noble Duties enjoy the Offices and receive the worthy Honours of the same And as it is in these outward Worldly Societies so is it in our best most Holy and Religious one as we are Christians Members of Christ Sons of Heaven and Heirs of Salvation For 1. By Baptism we are Bound bound to the great Father and Master of all the World made Servants to the most high God one of his so glorious a Family Members of Christ and under the Guidance Instruction and Conduct of the Holy Ghost And our Employment under that our Master and in his Houshold is to learn the Art of being and doing Good the great Mystery of the Christian Religion And in that High and Honourable Imployment in that Valuable Service we are under the Care Government and Protection the Tuition and Instruction of God the Son from whom we receive all the Rules of our Office the Laws and Statutes of our Calling And in order to our most Faithful Service and absolute Obedience we are Assisted Comforted Eased Relieved and Sanctified by God the Holy Ghost And then 2. In this Station behaving our selves Faithfully and Honestly till we understand our Business know well our Duty and are fit to set up for the Practice of Piety willing to Devote our selves to that Imployment we are admitted then to our
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
Reign for ever And since it is plain that this Jesus this Son of David did not sit upon his Fathers Throne he must therefore mean some other Kingdom and Throne and he does express it to be such an one too as shall have no End Now he could not sit on this Eternal Throne he could not Reign in this his Everlasting Kingdom if after having once submitted to Death he had not come to Life again He therefore is risen from Death to Life on purpose to enter upon this his Government to sit upon this glorious Seat the Seat of the Eternal Father the Lord both of Heaven and Earth And all this David himself spoke of and what he said so long ago is now come to pass This same Jesus Dyed You Crucifyed him and he lay some time in the Grave but did not Putrefie there making good all the Prophecies of him For he rose again to take his Government to enter upon his Kingdom And we are Witnesses of all this we saw him have Eat Drank and Convers'd with him since his Resurrection and we are not we cannot be Deceiv'd in him we knew him well in Person and Voice and besides we saw and felt his wounded Hands and Side and many others also can testifie the same who saw and heard him as well as we And this very same Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a Tree thus raised up by the Power of God we also saw ascend into Heaven And he having promised to send to us the Holy Ghost from thence has now performed that too which you cannot but own by this evidence which you now see and hear those several Languages we now speak which before we knew nothing at all of we never were bred up in By all this it is very plain That this same Jesus is advanced to His Kingdom is now Lord over all is the very Messias promised in the Prophets whom ye look for and who will most certainly one day take Vengeance of all his Enemies This surprizing Relation carrying with it such Demonstration and Evidence touch'd them to the quick who had consented to the thing and who had acted in the Crucifying of Him being fearful therefore now and apprehensive of their great danger and that they were soon to be brought under His Foot-stool they cry out for help they intreat the Apostles to relieve them they have no Patience but begg as for Life Men and Brethren what shall we do The Apostle is as quick has a Remedy at hand for them Repent and be Baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ There are some excellent Lessons in this Sacred History which before we proceed I shall but just mention The Apostle here charges the whole body of the Jews and especially all the City of Jerusalem with that barbarous Murder of their King Ye men of Israel says he both High and Low Great and Small 't is you that by wicked hands have Crucified and Slain the Holy One. He could not but know that the Soldiers mostly were the Executioners But the whole Nation being Guilty he charges all in general with it those who Consented to it as well as the Actors and those who with mighty Clamours cry'd out Crucify Him Crucify Him We have indeed a Record of one not to be forgotten a Good Man and a Just who did not consent to the counsel and deed of them St. Luke 23. 51. 't was Joseph of Arimathea who took worthy care of the Corps also whose Humanity therefore is Honourably noted But for the body of the Jews they were all Guilty as well as the poor Heathen Soldiers St. Peter then teaches us That in Preaching the Gospel of Christ the first thing must be to Convince Men of their Sins to charge them home with them and bring them to a general acknowledgment thereof For as no Physitian knows well what to do with that sick Patient who conceals or dissembles his Distemper so nor can Christ profit any who will not be brought to a true sence of their Sins For which reason Christ calls himself a Physitian and says That He came to Heal the Sick and again Not for the Just but to call Sinners to Repentance And the Office of the Holy Ghost He says is to Convince and to Accuse the World of Sin And in his last words to his Disciples when he commands them to Preach Repentance to Encourage them he immediately joyns thereto Remission of Sins St. Luke 24. 47. Nor does the Apostle seem to charge the Mobb only the common Rout of Crucifiers but their Captains too You say he who by wicked and unjust hands have slain c. Judas in the first place once the Disciple and Apostle of Christ but now their Leader and who deliver'd him to them so the High Priest and all the Colledges of Scribes and Pharisees who corrupted Judas and gave him Mony for his part in the Fact Pilate too who sat in the Emperours Seat and gave the unjust Sentence against Him to gratify the importunity of the People Herod also in whose power it was to let him go who instead thereof Mock'd Him and sent Him back to Pilate All these tho never so Great who were guilty as well as those common People who cryed out His Blood be upon us and on our Children the Apostle boldly charges notwithstanding their Grandeur and Authority Tho' by some it might have been esteem'd no less than Treason to charge the Government with Unrighteousness and Injustice in their Sentence yet he plainly does it without that wretched Fear and those fawning Hopes which too oft Tempts Men even in good things to Prevaricate And this is the Duty of every one who comes from God for a Minister is a publick Person an Ambassador and that from the Almighty and his Business is to tell his Masters Mind to deliver his Errands discover his Truths and Pleasure only and not to sew Pillows under the Peoples Arms not to bolster them up in any of their Errors And tho' thus to do is somewhat Irksome as the Prophet Jeremiah complains Wo is me that thou hast made me a Contentious Man and a Man that striveth with the whole Earth c. Jer. 15. 10. Tho' it appears uneasie and troublous to thwart the Inclinations of Men and discharge them of their own Humours yet we find it plainly intimated in their Commission so the aforesaid prophet Jer. c. 1. v. 28. For behold I have made thee a Defenced City and an Iron Pillar and Walls of Brass against the whole Land against the Kings against the Princes against the Priests and against all the People of the Land In the next place this Honestly and plain Dealing in the Apostle had very good effect upon those Jews they were Pricked at the Heart they were sensible how ill they had done they own'd their Evil Condition and looked out for help This is the beginning of true Reformation to be deeply impressed with their
Piety and we always will Endeavour to grow in Grace and in the Knowledge and Love of our Saviour Jesus Christ that we will keep true and undaunted to the end and Fight our good Fight and Finish our Course and keep the Faith knowing that all this Labour will not be in Vain but that we shall receive an Ample and most Glorious Reward in the Final and Compleat Salvation of our Immortal Souls And this leads to the Last particular the Consideration of those glorious Benefits of Baptism By this it is that we assure our Salvation we enter into Covenant with the Lord of Life who has engaged himself we performing our parts to make us easie and happy here and glorious hereafter to afford us his Grace and Favour his Mercy and Love in this Life then to receive us to himself to partake of Eternal Glory in the Life to come By this we become Sons of God Heirs of Heaven and Members of Christ By this we have our Pardon Sealed and it is at our own Will and Pleasure afterwards whether we will be happy or not whether we will be Saved or Ruined By this we have the Favour and Grace of God Ascertain'd and in this we enter upon all those Glorious Fruits of our Blessed Lords Death and Passion of his Glorious Resurrection and Ascension And who can esteem these poor and mean things Who of any Sense and Thought can count them Indifferent Who but must highly Value and with all his Powers attempt to obtain them Happy most certainly are all they who are thought worthy of them Happy indeed all we who are capable of them who by the Care of our Parents in our Early Adoption and good Education may be properly said to be Born Heirs to them Happy our Nation that Enjoys the best of Churches and happy all those People who are brought up in the most Excellent Discipline of it Happy all we who had Christian and Conscientious Parents and were early Instructed in these Noble Principles thrice happy we who have so great and so many Encouragements to our Duty and may perceive so much Ease and Pleasure so much Joy and Satisfaction in the Discharge of it Happy are all they who square their Lives according to these Rules and makes it their Business to follow the Captain of their Salvation Happy all they who when denied and refused these Blessednesses by the Misfortune of Education or the Force and Violence of Commanding Relations do at last by the Grace of God and the Power of his Righteousness in their Hearts or by the Conviction of their own Sins and Misery in the want of a Saviour as the Men of Israel in the Text and these Persons here present do Heartily desire and in this Sacrament espouse Jesus Christ and Him Crucifyed Happy all those who omit no opportunities of securing all this Happiness Improving all these Glorious Priviledges Happy indeed the People that are in such a Case truly Blessed all they who thus have the Lord for their God I have still the Application to press to us all on these two Accounts both as we have obtained and as we have very Early and Long-ago obtained this Happiness To you first who now have obtained this Happiness this Christian Fraternity as you are now admitted into the Church of God and made Members of Christ suffer this Word of Advice You see how Glorious is your Imployment how great the Reward of it how Sacred the Profession is which you have now undertaken how serious and earnest are all the Rules and Laws of it You see how good is your security of reward from your Heavenly Father how necessary therefore is it for you not to be behind-hand but to make good your part You see that all the conditions are absolutely in Favour of you and that if you keep faithful to the end you 'll obtain such glory as does pass all understanding You see that you have enter'd upon an Holy Employment a Serious and Sacred Conversation you see what you have now Promised and Engaged even to put off and Renounce your former Natural Habits and Sinful Inclinations Nay you Solemnly have Vowed before God and good Witnesses a great Number of Christians in this Congregation that you would do your best so to do following the Commands of God and walking from henceforth in Newness of Life Lastly you see what you lose if you forfeit this your Trust and Break your Obligations and what you 'll gain You lose then no less than God and Heaven Joys Vnspeakable and full of Glory and you 'll gain only Disappointments and Vexations Torments and Trouble Vneasiness and the Gripes of Conscience while you 're on Earth and afterwards anguish of Soul Judgment with Despair all the Treasures of Hell even Eternal Desolations Be assured then that this is no Jest 't is no less than your Interest than your best Interest the Interest of your Souls And you will find that your Duty will require your utmost Care Baptism indeed begins an Happy Life but yet a Life not free from Trouble and Temptation the Devil is always very busie with New-beginners as soon as our Lord himself was Baptiz'd he had the Impudence to Attack and Tempt Him But he who overcame him will also guard you if you keep true to him and will take Care that you shall not be Tempted above what in will Enable you to bear and God grant that you may so Consider all these things as to answer the great end of this your Noble and so Glorious Call Lastly To all us who have been so long Engaged in this mighty Covenant let one Word be added We were early admitted into the Church with all the Ease and Satisfaction Imaginable with the Comfort of Friends the Joy of Neighbours the Assistance of Relations and all manner of Encouragement We have frequently repeated this Holy Contract Solemnly renewed it in the other Sacrament that of our Dear Lords Blessed Body and Blood Let us all remember and most earnestly Consider the Sacredness of our Obligation the necessity of our Obedience and the wonderful Indulgence of our Lord and Master who tho' we have been so long Bound and frequently have forfeited our Condition of the Contract and added many great Voluntary Obstinate and Vngrateful Violations of that most Holy Covenant yet is pleased not to take the Advantage of us but rather Forgive us and wait still for us is still open and ready to receive us willing and desirous to be Fully Reconciled to us And therefore we see the Reason for that Fatherly admonition we lately received from our Right Reverend careful Diocesan that that holy Sacrament be administred here in Gods own House at the place and times appointed by the Church not only to keep up the Honour of that Holy Sacrament of our Lord of late sunk to a most dreadful Disesteem by many but also that we our selves might there be Reminded of our own Promises our own former Vows and Obligations and brought thereby to a speedier Examination how we have answered those our Vows Let us all then who by this opportunity are refreshed with the Remembrance of our Duties let us take Care speedily to Return to our Lord Humble our selves before him truly Repent us of all our forfeitures and carelesness and apply our selves more diligently in our Masters Service for the future So shall we obtain Mercy and Ease Relief and Comfort Joy and Satisfaction while we continue amongst Men and when we shall have done with this World we shall receive a Welcome into the other ev'n to God Almighty our Eternal Father to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ who was Baptiz'd himself who Died and Rose again for us and to the Blessed Comforter who preserves and directs us To which most Glorious Trinity but one Only God let there be ascribed by all Men and Angels and created Brings all Honour Power and Glory Might Majesty and Dominion both now and Evermore Amen FINIS