I. SERM. the meer Ordinance of Baptifm fignifies nothing, either to yourselves, or to your Children, with out the Anfwer of a good Confcience towards God Without this its only profaned, and therefore your Improvement of the Doctrine must be a Refolution never to engage in it without a hearty Concern about this great End for which it is appointed; that you will not be indifferent how it's done, provided it's done at all, but defire to have it in that way that will be pleafing to God, and moft ufeful to yourselves: That it fhall not be enough for you to walk in all the Statutes and Ordinances of the Lord, but to walk in them blameless: That you will use your Feet in going to the Houfe of God, and keep your Feet when you come there: Not be content with meer offering a Sacrifice, which may be no more than the Sacrifice of Fools, whe confider not that they do evil: That they do evil in their very Devotions. This text, therefore, I believe you will think a very good Foundation for the Part that is af figned to me in the great Subject before us. am to give you DIRECTIONS how to manage the Ordinance of Baptifm, that you may be bleffed in your Deed, and your Labour not be in vain in the Lord. In this it will be apparent to all, that I have no Controverfy with any about the Subjects or the Modes of Baptifm. Our Brethren that do not adminifter this Solemnity to Infants, will not be angry at the Seriousness of thofe that do. Though they may think that the Ordinance is mifapplied, yet it will grieve them worfe to have it profaned by a want of Reverence in the Temper of fuch as go about it. And therefore, I am fure, they wish well to thofe Inftructions that are only practical, and which are as much directed to them as others; for whether Perfons are tranfacting for their ས་ I. Children or themfelves, whether it is to be done SERM. But though I may have no Controversy with thefe People, yet God knows my Part has put me into a greater War, than any of the reft; my Debate is with the Lufts of Men, with their Formality in Religion, their Careleffnefs and Indolence about the Things of God, which are only a more covert Sort of Atheism. I should not be very triumphant to hear that any Profelytes are made by the Arguments that have been delivered on this Subject, nor will it give me any Uneafinefs to be told that there are none; but this is a Lamentation, and shall be for a Lamentation, that after all the Warmth of Perfuafion, Men will go on in their ftupid, heedlefs, lifelefs Way It will be enough for them to wash away the Filth of the Flefb, and they will expect in vain the Salvation from that which only comes from the Answer of a good Confcience towards God. Here you obferve in thefe Words, thefe three Things. First, The Faculty engaged in this Ordinance, and that is your Confcience. Secondly, The Benefit that arifes from this Solemnity, and that is the Anfwer of a good Confcience; and Thirdly, In this you have very little Concern with Men, but it's all towards God. You do it to please him, and no other Approbation than bis will be of any avail to you. First, You fee that being baptized, either offering up yourselves or Children to God in B 4 that 1 SERM. that Ordinance, is a Work of Confcience, which I. is that Faculty that affirms a Judgment about your Duty, and therefore if all you have to fay for doing it, is, "that it's a Family Practice, "that you tread in the Steps of your Fathers, . it is the Cuftom of the Place where you live; "People will think it ftrange if you neglect it; you will have the Reproach of being fingular." In fhort, if these are your best Reasons for it, though the Thing itfelf is an Act of Religion, yet in you, it's no more than a Conformity to the World: And I fear it may be faid of many a one even in the Duties of Worship, that he only fafbions bimfelf according to his Luft in the Days of his Ignorance. Confcience has no Part in the Splutter that fome People make about their Devotions, they do not pretend to give you Reafons for it from the Word of God: If they plead the Authority of the Church it's as high as they will go, but that is a great. Way fhort of the Sacred Rule, Your Duty arifes purely from a Divine Command. If it is with a Senfe of this that you offer up either, yourselves or Children to God, you Begin well, but if your Reasons for ferving him are fetched any lower than from himself, your Baptifm will be no more, than that of Simon Magus. No manner of Doubt of it, it was valid, according to the wretched Senfe that's put on the Word, in this Difpute. By the Validity of your Baptifm they mean that which every ferious Perfon ought to defpife; whether it's performed by one who had Authority for it, certainly there can be no Question but the Apoftle Peter had that: But I can tell them, that this Baptifm was not valid, to any good Purpose; it paffed for nothing in the Soul of the Man who received it; 21. bis Heart was not right in the Sight of God. SER M. And inftead of being indulged by the Talk of I. vain Men in our Day that he had got the Baptifmal Regeneration, he is bid to repent of his Wick- Acts viii. ednefs, if perhaps the Thought of his Heart might be forgiven, for he had no Lot or Portion in this Matter; he was in the Gall of Bitterness and the Bond of Iniquity, notwithstanding his being baptized by a Perfon of undoubted Authority. Secondly, You fee further, that the Benefit which arifes from this Ordinance is owing to the Anfwer of a GOOD Confcience. The Word Teglna fignifies a Question as well as an Answer. A good Confcience is first one that's well inftructed about the things of God, it must have a Correfpondence with his Word. As to the Unbelievers, their Mind and Confciences are defiled. Secondly, It fignifies the Grace of God in that Faculty, that there is a Love of the Truth, a Delight in the Law of the Lord after the inward Man, that it endeavours to make Perfons blamelefs and barmless as the Sons of God. Now the Anfwer of this good Confcience may be taken two Ways, according to the different Senfe that's given of the Word. 1. For the Profeffion that it makes; Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Truly I am thy Servant. Thou art he whose I am, and whom I would ferve. I am not my own, but bought with a Price. 2. It may be understood of the Demand, or Plea, that arifes from a good Confcience. This is an act of Faith in the Covenant; and each of thefe belong to the Improvement of Baptism; for as in that we confefs our Dedication by which we are the Lord's; fo, at the fame Time, we lay hold on the Relation by which he is ours. I will be to them a God, and they fhall be to me a People, Tit. i. 15. I. SERM. is the Subftance of that Covenant, to which both Parties fet their Seal in the Solemnity of Baptifm. The Ordinance itfelf, without this, is a Thing of Nought; but they that fay, and do fuch things, declare plainly that they feek a City, which Heb. xi. is an heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. As to others he fhuns the Title, it is as it were forced upon him, but thefe he owns with Pleasure: And the Importance of this Answer of a good Confcience will appear from 16. Thirdly, The Concern it has with God: It is towards him. Our relation to Churches, or particular Profeffors, is of a lower Nature. Religion is firft of all an individual Thing, what I have in myself and not another: I am the Lord's and his only: Not my own, and much less theirs who can have no Share in my Salvation. For which Reason, I wifh fome good and learned Men had not fallen in fo much as they have done with the Popish Cant, of living within the Pale of the Church. It is plain, this Phrafe is ufed in a very felfish Way, and feldom means any more than the Reputation of a Party; Therefore I was grieved to find this Remark in an useful Annotator upon the Story of Noah's Ark, That there is no Salvation but in the Church, If by the Church they mean in Chrift, the change of the Word is fcandalous; and if they mean any thing elfe, the Doctrine is falfe. To fay that by being in the Church our Derivations are from it, is, both Foolish and Wicked: And if by being in the Church, we understand our Communion with it, there must be Salvation antecedent to That: A Man is fuppofed to be in Christ, and therefore a New Creature before he is admitted into the Fellowfhip of the Gofpel; And if he never does complete his Profeffion, |