Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

3

vifible

Difference

3

that we have given up our Names to him, to be wholly his, and only for him: And therefore will fight under his Banner, and, all our Life long, profefs the Faith, and adhere to the Doctrine and Worship of one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. VI. It is Sixthly and Laftly, God hath appointed Baptifm in his Church, that by this a vifible Diffebetwixt rence may be put betwixt his People and the reft the People of the World. They are not of the World, but chofen out of it, and by many Things they are diftinguifhed from it; particularly, that they have the Oracles of God committed to them, and folemn fealing Ordinances, whereof they are Partakers, fixed among them, Gen. xvii. 11. Gen. xxxiv. 14. Matth. xxviii. 19. John iv. 1.

of God

and others.

Condefcenfion.

[ocr errors]

Inferences And from this, of the Ends and Ufes of Bapfrom this. tifm, we may learn, First, The Lord's great Condefcenfion to our Weaknefs and Infirmity. We, 1. God's while in this State of Mortality and Imperfection, are much led by Senfe and it hath pleafed him, in Condefcenfion to the 'Condition and Frailty of human Nature, to appoint visible Signs and Pledges of that which is invifible; and by our, Senfes, to give all the Affurance they are capable to convey unto our Minds, that all the Promifes of all fpiritual faving Bleffings, fhall as cer tainly be fulfilled to us, as the outward Signs are applied to and duly received by us. O! what a grateful and Heart-warming Confideration of this Thould Gofpel Ministers, Chriftian Parents, and all concerned have.

lone be

II The Secondly, That it is not Men, but God alone, Lord a- who beftows and feals Covenant Bleffings: For ftows and here, the Covenant and Bleffings thereof are only teals Co- his; he alone gives Authority to fuch external Things and Actions, as conftitutes them in the Bleflings. Nature of true Signs and real Seals; and then it is God only who appoints them for fuch great

venant

Ends

Ends and high Ufes, as have been already men tioned. Surely, in all Approaches we make of this Kind, we are humbly to acknowledge God, with Reverence to behold him, and, in an holy and fincere Manner, to place our Confidence and Hope only in him.

Thirdly, That Baptifm is an Ordinance of III. It is great Concern and Importance to the Sons of of great ImporMen; feeing it is of the greatest Ufe, and for tance to the highest Ends as to them; all the Bleffings of the Sons the New Covenant, and their eyerlafting Salva- of Men. tion and Happiness, being by this Ordinance fignified, applied and fealed. And for this Reafon it is not to be flighted, caufelefly delayed, or carelefly and with Indifference performed, Acts ii. 38, 41. Acts viii. 37, 38. Acts xvi. 33. Sealing and confirming a Perfon's Title to an Earthly Eftate has been always reckoned an Affair of very great Moment, not to be trifled in, but carefully and timeously gone about: How much more fhould that which is a divinely appointed Sign and Seal of our everlasting Inheritance?

Chould

Fourthly, We may hence further learn, what IV. What it is that Chriftian Parents fhould have in their Parents Eye, and propose to themselves, when they bring propofe their Children to Baptifm. They are not to ask to themthis Ordinance for their Infants, only because it felves. is Cuftom, and fashionable; nor merely, that they may be admitted to Vifible Church Communion and Membership; nor only to have a Name given them; nor, as fome ignorantly speak, that they may be made Chriftians; tho' alas! these are the only Defigns that many Profeffors, to the great Scandal and Dishonour of our holy Religi on, have, in bringing their Children to this Ordinance. But hither they are to carry them, that they may be prefented before the Lord as now upon a Throne of Grace, and devoted to him, have all the Bleffings of the well-ordered

Covenant

Covenant of Grace made over and fealed to them, be folemnly and publickly declared Members of the Vifible Body of Chrift, and in the most inviolable Manner, for ever bound over to his Service.

V. The Fifthly, From the Ends and Ufes of Baptism, Unity of the True We may be alfo inftructed in the Unity of the Church. true Church of God: For this is appointed, that

[ocr errors]

we may all be baptifed into one Body, Gal. iii. 27. and into one Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 13. and fo, we all have one Lord and one Baptism, Eph. iv. 5. How then should baptifed Perfons look upon one another as Brethren, as Children of the fame Family, Heirs of the fame Inheritance, and engaged in the fame Service; fincerely using their united Endeavours to preferve the fame divine Truths, keep pure the fame divine Worfhip, and promote the

Lord: Not Stumblinterefts of their common

but Edifying, not Oppref fing but Encouraging, and not falling out by the Way, but forbearing and forgiving one another in the Lord.790

VI. The Sixthly, We may learn, That there is a Neof our be. ceffity that we the Sons of Adam be brought uning obli- der fpecial and folemn Obligations, to the Per ged to ho-formance of holy, religious and Chriftian Duties: ly Duties. For, here we may obferve, That an infinitely

wife God, who in all his Inftitutions never pro poses any Defigns but what are most just and most neceffary, hath appointed Baptifm for this End amongst others; that thereby we may, in the moft folemn Manner, be bound over and engaged to the constant, univerfal, and fincere Discharge of all the commanded Duties of a covenanted, People. And indeed, the Neceffity of Holiness, in Order to our future Happinefs, our natural and ftrong Corruptions, with our many, and violent: Temptations, call for this.

Seventhly,

Seventhly, We may here be informed, how VII.How frightfully Papists abufe this holy and folemn Papists 2bufe it. Ordinance; while they ufe this, which is appointed of God for holy and fpiritual Defigns, to fuperftitious and political Purposes; fuch as, Healing of Cattle, Confecrating of Bells, and Inftruments of War, Sc. Of which more in its proper Place.

SE CT. VI.

Of the Confequent refulting from all thefe; or,
Our Engagement to be the LORD's.

Το

O Difcourfe fully of this, would require more Room than can be well allowed here: I fhall therefore, but very briefly point at fome Things which are more efpecially to be observed.

ment to

And First, We may obferve what is included What our in our Engagement to be the LORD's, as this Engageis here circumftantiated. And ift, This is evi- be the dently implied in it, That being now baptifed, Lord's inthe Lord hath a Title to, a Covenant fealed cludes. Right and Intereft in us That we are now in a very fpecial Manner his; his People, his Inheritance, his Subjects and Servants; his in all that we are, Body, Soul and Spirit; and in all we enjoy, whether these be Gifts, Graces, or external and worldly Poffeffions, Jer. xxxi. 33. 1 Cor. vi. 19, 25. 2dly, That we are now in the most folemn Manner to be only his, and not another's, Hofeab iii. 2, 3. We are no more Satans, 'for we are bought and redeemed from him, and our Liberation publickly avouched, declared and feal

ed,

ed, Acts xxvi. 18. 1 John iii. 8. No more the World's, for we are chofen, and to look upon our felves as redeemed out of the World, John xvii. 14, 16. Nor are we any more to be the Servants of Sin; for our old Man is crucified with Chrift, and buried with him in Baptifm, Rom. vi. 4, 6. Wherefore, as in the Primitive Times, thofe who were come to Age, did at their Baptifm, pub-` lickly and perfonally declare their renouncing the Devil and his Slavery, the World and its Vanity, and Sin and its Drudgery; fo upon the Matter, and according to the Nature of this Ordinance, do every baptifed Perfon to this Day. And 3dly, This includes our coming under the moft fpecial Obligations to perform, through his Grace, all thefe Duties, that we, as his peculiar People, owe to him as our now covenanted Lord. As ift, Hereby we are engaged to be like him, or holy as he is holy, Matth xi. 28, 29, 30. 1 Pet. i. 14, 15, 16. dly, To be for him; for his Interefts and Concerns in the World. Thefe we are continually to own, adhere to and contend for, Rom. xiv. 8, 2. Cor. v. 15. 3dly, To obey him, and with the whole Heart, by Faith in himself, to keep all his Commandments, Deut. xxvi. 18. Rom. vi. 4. Rom. vi. 11. Gal. ii. 20. Phil. iv. 13. 4thly, To truft only in him, and depend entirely and conftantly upon him for all Things, Pfal: Ixii. 8. Pfal. 1v. 22. Song viii. 5. 1 Pet. v. 7. 5thly, T8 be at his Difpofal, as to our Life, our Lot, and all our Circumftances in a World, 2 Sam. xv. 26. Heb. xii. 9. For we are his, and there is the beft Reason for it, that he difpofe of his own as feems good unto him. 6thly, Hereby we become engaged, fo foon as we fhall be capable, explicitely, by our own perfonal and voluntary Act, to accept of the Lord Jesus Christ, as our compleat and only Redeemer; and, in Christ, of JEHOVAH's Covenant of Promifes,

and

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »