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bitual fins, think they have honoured God; No. The way The end of to reverence God by honouring his word is not bearing a to imagine, when we have been affected with a good fermon. fermon, that the great end of hearing is fulfilled : for we must apply thofe good inftructions and exhortations in such a manner as to enable us to conquer our most secret fins. Sins are the distempers of the foul, and God has prefcribed this as a means of its cure: therefore, as no patient can hope for the cure of his bodily infirmities by talking with, or only looking upon the phyfician and his prefcriptions and medicines; fo neither can any one hope to be releafed of his fins, that never applies God's word to enable him to efchew evil, and to do good. The main matter then of hearing a fermon is the putting ufeful inftructions into practice: for, when God enlightens our minds, it is our business to walk as children of light. We must never defpair of conquering our evil habits, nor be difcouraged in profecuting the convictions of our own confciences; for a mighty refolution, with the affiftance of God's grace, will overcome great difficulties. Let us therefore never measure our godliness by the number of fermons, which we are prefent at, as if that outward mark of reverence to God was any fure mark of a good christian : But let us estimate our obedience to God, and reformation of our manners, by the quantity of the good fruit, which the dew of God's grace has, through the miniftration of the word, enabled us to bring forth; without which difpofition of the heart, all our hearing will only draw the heavier judgments of God upon us; becaufe we hear and know our mafter's will, and do it not. But,

Honcur due

VII. Fifthly, The great mark of a chriftian's duty to God is the honouring him in his SACRAMENTS of to God in his baptifm and the Lord's fupper; which are outfacraments. ward vifible figns of inward and fpiritual grace ⚫ given unto us, ordained by Chrift himself, as a means whereby we receive the fame, and as a pledge to affure us thereof.' In which defcription we are taught that, to constitute a facrament, there must be, First, fome vifible fign of it, apparent to our fenfes. Secondly, this fign muft reprefent fome fpiritual grace and favour youch

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fafed us by God. Thirdly, that outward fign must be of Christ's own inftitution: and, Fourthly, it must be appointed by him as the means of conveying to us this inward grace, and as a feal and token of affurance, that he will bestow the one upon those who do worthily receive the other.* And we are not to doubt, but that in the right use of the outward figns of water, bread and wine, he will, by the power of his fpirit, though in a manner unknown, becaufe not neceffary to be revealed to us, convey, and confirm, in baptism, and in the Lord's fupper, to the worthy receivers thereof, the divine grace fignified, according to his own most true promise and engagement. And therefore we must confider both these facraments under those particular properties. And, firft, concerning baptifm.

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By the facrament of baptifm we are initiated into the profeffion of chriftianity, and admitted to the terms of the chriftian covenant. I fay, BAPTISM delivers us Of baptifm from the vengeance of God, by cleanfing us from and its bethe guilt and power of fin; by taking us into a nefits.. covenant of grace and favour with God; and by infufing a principle of new life into our fouls, to enable us to live according to God's laws, and to attain that everlasting happiness, which is the free gift of God in Chrift. Or, as our church-office explains it, Baptifm doth reprefent unto us ' our profeffion, which is to follow the example of our Sa'viour Christ, and to be made like unto him, that as he died, and rofe again for us, fo fhould we, who are baptifed, die from fin, and rife again unto righteoufnefs; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living.' Nevertheless we must not dare to take upon us to exclude The cafe of any from all hopes of God's mercy in extraordina- unbaptifed ry cafes, as the want of opportunity or capacity perfons. of receiving it. To pronounce pofitively of their falvation we have no warrant: because the promises of falvation, as the gospel declares them to us (and we have no promises of falvation but in the gofpel) are only made to thofe that believe in Jefus Chrift, and enter into his covenant by baptifm. E 4

See the 25th Article of Religion.

See the 27th Article of Religion.

On

On the other fide, to pronounce of their damnation seems very harsh and uncharitable: nor do I know that any in the fcripture are threatened with damnation, but fuch as reject the Gofpel after it is preached to them, or dishonour their profeffion, after they have embraced it, by a wicked unholy life; neither of which can be faid of those we are now fpeaking of. We ought therefore to leave them to the uncovenanted mercies of God, if I may fo fpeak. For this we are certain of, that the Judge of all the earth will do right: nor will he demand the tale of bricks where he hath allowed no straw to make them. But as the Jews were obliged, under the fevereft penalty, to be circumcifed, and keep the paffover; fo our guilt and danger will be proportionably great by not receiving baptism, when it is in our power; it being of the highest authority, and the distinguishing badge, as well as admiffion into our most excellent profeffion. And fince we are the offspring of Adam, and confequently fubject to death by his fall, How can we be made partakers of that redemption, which Chrift hath purchased for the children of God, if we do not enjoy the advantage of that method which is alone appointed by Chrift for us to become members of God's kingdom? For Jefus himself hath affured us, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. And therefore it was the conftant Its vous to cuftom of the primitive church to adminifter baptifm to infants for the remiffion of fins, by and under fuch conditions, vows, or obligations, to which they were to confent, and according to which they were to endeavour to regulate their conduct through this world in their way to heaven. And this practice was esteemed by the best tradition to be derived from the Apostles themselves; and is therefore still retained and injoined by our church, which obliges all perfons coming to be baptifed, either by themfelves or fureties, to promife and vow, That they will re'nounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities • of this wicked world, and all the finful lufts of the flesh; ' to believe all the articles of the christian faith; and to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the fame all the days of their life,'

renounce.

Where,

The devil.

His works.

Where, by the devil, we mean all the fallen angels, of which one is chief, prince, or head; that great enemy of Chrift and his church, who, having feduced our first parents, hath ever fince had, through God's permiffion, a great power in the world, and still feeketh our deftruction, by tempting us to fin, and then accufing us to God for it. And the works of the devil are all wickednesses and vices, but in particular all idolatry, witchcraft, fortune-telling, and dependence on the creatures: and especially the crimes of which the devil is principally guilty, and tempts men; fuch as pride, envy, murder in fact or in the heart, lying, deceiving, and misleading, especially in matters of religion. And when we renounce the devil and all his works, we reject and withstand that ufurped power and dominion, which he exercises in the world, we refift his perfonal temptations, and engage in no kind to be partakers of his crimes, as we would not share in his punishment.

The world.

By renouncing the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, we are to understand, not that the world, which God hath created, or any of its natural enjoyments, areevil: but that the things to be renounced are the evil cuftoms of the world, the vicious fashions, and the corrupt practices, that prevail in it; all methods of ambition and grandeur, inconfiftent with integrity and virtue; and all fuch forts of diverfions and entertainments, as plainly tend to corruptgood manners. And by the vanities of the world we are to understand riches unjustly gotten, or vainly and profufely fquandered away in riotous living, or pursued with insatiable covetoufnefs, which leads men into temptation and a fnare, and into many foolish and hurtful lufts, which drown men in deftruction and perdition. Thus chriftians abfolutely renounce the yielding themselves up to all excefs either in diet, fports, or apparel; and the setting their hearts upon wealth or greatnefs of the world, or on those customs and practices of worldly men, which are in themselves finful: and they fo far renounce the honours and riches of the world, as not to be ambitious of the former, nor covetous of the latter; and, in general, do hereby look upon themselves debarred from hav

ing

ing more to do, than what is neceffary, with any thing in the world, which may be like to prove an occafion of fin to them, or that may probably tend to turn them from God, and draw off their mind from the other world.

The flesh.

As to the finful lufts of the flesh, that are thus reckoned up; adultery, fornication, uncleannefs, lafciviousnefs, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, and variance, emulation, wrath, ftrife, fedition, herefies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and fuch-like: and confequently to renounce all the finful lufts of the flesh is to avoid adultery and fornication, rioting and drunkenness, and all that filthinefs of the flesh and fpirit, which is inconfiftent with chriftian purity, and will render us unclean in God's fight. Finally, christians in their baptifm abfolutely renounce all defires whatsoever, which fasten upon any forbidden, and therefore unlawful object; fo as never to give any indulgence, or confent to them, much lefs muft they follow, or be led by them to the commiffion of any finful act.

To believe

By the ARTICLES of the chriflian faith we are to underftand all those doctrines of religion, for which we the chrifti have the authority of Chrift and his apoftles; the an faith. fundamental points whereof are fummed up in that form of found words, which, because it contains the heads of the doctrine preached by the apoftles, and was compiled, for the most part, in or near their times, is called the apofiles creed: To which we are not only to affent; but we are also strictly obliged by our baptifmal vow to learn them, both as to the words and meaning of them. For the nature of that faith, which we are to give to the articles of our creed, is such an affent as must be fincerely from the heart; according to that saying in the viiith chapter of Acts, If thou believeft with all thine heart, thou mayeft be baptised: it must be active, and work by love, and stedfast without wavering; not only believing the great benefits and promifes of God to mankind, but gratefully accepting of the fame, by adutiful obedience and refignation to God through Christ: without this, it will little avail us to believe all the articles of the chriftian faith.

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