SERM. was the Name that the Church of old always VII. gave to the most high God, and to no other. O, thou the Hope of Ifrael, or the Hope of our Jer. xvii. Fathers. To this Hope, faith the Apostle, our twelve Tribes expected to come; and he means the fame in that Profeffion, for the Hope of Ifrael xxviii. 20. am I bound with this Chain.

13.

Acts xxvi.

7.

Tit. ii. 13.

19.

Sometimes this Name is given to the Joys and Immortality that fhall be brought to Light. We look for that bleffed Hope, and the glorious Appearing of our great God and Saviour: Nay, 'tis the Title of the happy Difpenfation we are Heb. vii. now under; the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better Hope did, by which Hope we now draw nigh unto God: Or it comes to the fame Thing, if you understand it of what the Difpenfation contains and reveals, the Perfon or Righteousness of Chrift, the Affurance of Salvation; thus we flee for a Refuge to lay hold on the Hope fet before us, which Hope we have as an Anchor fure and ftedfaft, and enters into that within the Vail, whither Jefus our Forerunner is for us entered.

Several Times, Faith and Hope are Names of that Doctrine that we fhould make known Abroad. Thus we read of continuing stedfast in Col.i. 22. the Faith. We are to be eftablished and ftedfaft in the Faith, and not moved away from the Hope of the Gofpel. We contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints; your Faith is fpoke of throughout the World, i. e. not only your believing, but the Thing believed; for it would have made a ridiculous Story through the World, to have People fpoke of as Believers, and no. Mortal to know what they believed.

Col. i. 5.

So we read of the Hope laid up for us in Hea-ven, which brings forth Fruit in those who receive it; and accordingly, we must be always

I

read y

15.

ready to give a Reafon of the Hope that is in us. SERM. In these two Verfes he speaks of Faith and Hope VII. as what should be known by the Boldness that we have through the Blood of Jefus. As to 1 Pet. iii. Faith, there is a wλnpoopía, a full-bearing; an Affurance. 'Tis completely laden, it carries as much as it can hold in drawing near to God. There's Boldness, Access, and Confidence, thro' the Faith of Jefus. As to hope there's a ponoría, a fpeaking together, a Profeffion that it Eph. iii. makes in common with others. The former of 12. thefe we are to have without doubting, the latter to hold faft without wavering. So that the Subject I am upon confifts of two Parts.

1. Here's a needful Duty recommended to us, and that is a steddy, couragious, uniform, and perpetual Adherence to the Doctrine of three equal Perfons in one undivided Nature; hold faft the Profeffion of your Faith without wavering.

2. Here's an Argument for it, drawn from the Inftitution of Chrift, that we have complied with, having our Bodies washed with pure Water.

But I rather choose to take these Particulars in the order that our Text has given them; and fhall proceed to a diftinct Confideration of two Things.

1. That which has been the Practice and Privilege of God's People, to be given up to him. in Baptifm, their Bodies are washed in pure Water.

2. Their unavoidable Obligation to hold faft the Doctrine they owned in Baptifm, that there is but one Name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, that was called upon them.

I

SERM.

VII.

38.

I begin with the first of these,

Having our Bodies washed with pure Water, I don't fee that any thing is to be concluded from thefe Words about the manner of Baptifm. I fhould think that Man's reasoning very weak, who would pretend to prove sprinkling from the former Claufe, your Hearts fprinkled from an evil Confcience. This is meer jingling upon Words. And indeed I think the Argument no better, if any should attempt to demonftrate, that washing fignifies dipping, your Concern and mine from thofe Words, and in this Ordinance, is about greater Things. 'Tis the Doctrine engraven and exposed upon our Baptifm, that we are to contend earnestly for. It fignifies nothing with what Quantity of Water that Man was baptized, who either denies or conceals the Trinity of Perfons in the Unity of the Godhead. If he was fprinkled, he carries a Lye in his Forehead, if he was plunged it had as good have been in the Ditch, for his Cloaths will abhor him.

The Word washing denotes no particular way of making clean; it may be done by sprinkling as well as dipping. It was a common Thing in thofe Ages and Countries to wash the Feet of Luke vii. Strangers; and I am fure this was once done by Sprinkling, when the poor Woman did it with Tears. But I don't love ftriving about Words to no Profit. Let us join in this, that according to the Revelation God has made of his Will to ús, we speak the fame thing, that is, about the great Defign of this Ordinance.

It will never lead me into any Quarrel, if they who call themselves baptized Believers take Care to approve themselves believing Baptists, that we may know what is within them by the acknowPhilem. 6. ledging of every good Thing. That they may not

be

be like that Generation who are pure in their SERM. own Eyes, and yet are not washed from their VII. Filthinefs. Washing an Infidel is but like washing an Ethiopian. However, the Phrase in which the Holy Ghost has fpoke of Baptifm, may lead us into feveral Things that are defigned by it.

1. 'Tis a Pledge of our Juftification. Hence we read of the Baptifm of Repentance for Remif- Mark i. fion of Sins. This is fometimes conveyed to us 4. under the Similitude of Water. Wafb me tho- Pf. li. 2. roughly, faith David, from mine Iniquity, and cleanfe me from my Sins; and thus runs the Promife, though your Sins be as Scarlet they fhall be white as Snow, though they be red like Crim- Isa. i. 18. fon, they fhall be as wool. Thus I choose to take the Metaphor as our Saviour uses it to Peter, when he went to wash his Feet; he tells him, it was an Emblem of fomething that he should know hereafter; and explains himself thus, if I Joh. xiii. wash thee not, thou haft no Part with me. That 8. which makes me apply this to his Juftification is what he adds, he that is washed needs not fave to wash his Feet, but is clean every whit; this can hardly be understood of their Sanctification. Thus he told them in the Days of old, I will pour clean Water upon you, and ye fhall be clean, Ezek. from all your Filthinefs and all your Idols I xxxvi. 25. will cleanse you; i. e. from the Guilt of them; 1 Joh. i. 7. for we know that the Blood of Chrift cleanfes from all Sin. Thus does Ananias fpeak of the Ordinance to Saul, why tarrieft thou? Arife Acts xxii. and be baptized, and wash away thy Sins, calling 16. on the Name of the Lord.

iii. 5.

2. 'Tis an Emblem of our Sanctification. We are faved by the washing of Regeneration, and 2 Tit. the renewing of the Holy Ghoft. To call Baptifm the Laver of Regeneration is dangerous, falfe,

and

SER M. and foolish. That 'tis a Token, a Sign, or a VII. Representation of it, is true; but to fay that it is the Means or the Efficient of a thorough Change is wrong, and only ferves to make People truft in a Lye. However, the external Action is spoke of in the fame way with the Influ1 Cor. vi. ence of the Holy Spirit. Ye are wafhed, ye are juftified, ye are fanctified in the Name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God.

II.

3. It fignifies our Growth in Religion. Tho' the Ordinance is administered but once, yet the Obligation arifing from it to a Dependance upon Chrift, and erivation from the Holy Spirit, continue all along. We are to be fanctified throughout in our whole Spirit, Soul, and Body. These Words, in my Opinion, carry in them no Difcovery of three Parts in us, but rather only of two. For the Prayer of the Apostle is, that our whole Spirit ολόκληρον τό πνεῦμα, our entire Frame, which is called Spirit in honour to the Change that is wrought upon us, and the glorious Author of it, who is the Spirit (as the Believer is called a fpiritual Man) This is to be preserved. And he diftributes what he means by this general Word Spirit into two Particulars, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τό σῶμα, Tó oua, both your Soul and even your Body. Thefe are to be fanctified every Day.

4. It fignifies our Devotedness to the Lord. 'Tis the Badge, the Mark, the Signature of our Subjection to him. By Baptifm we declared ourfelves to be entered into his Service, and into his Family.

5. It engages us to a continual Attendance upon the Means of Grace: Because he that fanctifies us through the washing of Water, does it Eph. v. by the Word. Baptifm is the Figure of our being faved; now we are faved by Faith, and Faith comes by hearing. themselves being fenfual,

26.

They that feparate and having not the

Spirit,