SERM. the Sons of God. They are Strangers to the VIII. Covenant of Promife, to them it does not ap

18.

pertain, and therefore they have no Hope, and are no better than People without a God in the World. Tis only from the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, and the Afcenfion of a glorious Redeemer, that we have any Hope towards God. Hence it is faid, that we flee for a Refuge to lay Heb. vi. hold on the Hope that, is fet before us. Though the Holy Spirit gives us the Power of looking and waiting for the great Adoption, yet it is with an Eye to the Merits and Empire of him who was dead, and is alive, and lives for evermore. 1 Pet. i. z. We are begotten again to a lively Hope through the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the Dead. After this Refurrection he appointed Baptifm, and therefore in that Day declares that we are Pet. iii. Prifoners of Hope. And it is thus, that Baptifm

1 Theff.

iv. 13.

does now fave us, not the washing away the Filth of the Flesh, but the Answer of a good Confcience towards God by the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift who is gone into Heaven; Angels, Principalities, and Powers, being made fubject to him.

(4.) This Hope is peculiar to Chriftians. They who have not that Name upon them cannot fo much as pretend to it, and they that have only the Name can do no. more than pretend. When the Heathen mourn over their Dead, they forrow as thofe that have no Hope. All their Imaginations of future Bleffednefs are only a random-thought, an Expectation at a Venture. Our Comforts arife out of Things they never heard of; that is, we believe that Jefus died and rofe again, and fo thofe that fleep in Jefus will God bring with him. To baptize a Perfon who knows nothing of Chrift's abolishing Death and bringing Life and Immortality to Light, is only mocking God

and

and deceiving Men. The very Ordinance fup- SER M. pofes that he's inftructed about that better Hope VIII. by which we draw nigh to God. And when we comply with it, either for ourfelves or our Chil- Heb. vii, dren, it is no less than giving the Reafon of the Hope that is in us.

2. Of this Hope there is a PROFESSION made when the Body is washed with pure Water. The Word is dooyia, and you not feparate the following Particulars from it without garbling the Solemnity of Baptifm, and making it good for nothing.

1. 'Tis fuppofed that for this Hope we have certain Grounds in the Book of God."

2. That of this our Souls are filled with an inward Perfuafion.

3. That the Reasons within us we declare Abroad for the Conviction and Establishment of others.

4. That we do this in Union with all the People of God. Ouoneyía is a fpeaking together. 5. That therefore Chriftians know the Minds of one another in this common Faith.

6. That there are fome wholfome Words to which they confent.

7. That this uniting Profeffion was made at their Baptifm. There is but one Faith in Jefus, and but one Baptifm to declare it.

(1.) If we are to profefs our Hope of an eternal Life with God, 'tis fuppofed there are cere tain Grounds for it, and thefe can be no other than what the Scripture has revealed. To fay that God is merciful, is true; but no Comfort arifes from any Schemes which Men talk of without Book. Thoufands are damned eternally who depended

M 4

19.

1

15.

Pet. iii.

Heb. ii.

II.

xiii. 20.

SERM. depended on the divine Goodnefs, and yet it's VIII. infinitely above what we can fay or think. 'Tis by making the Captain of our Salvation perfect through Sufferings, that the Plan is laid for bringing many Sons and Daughters to Glory. 'Tis the Blood of the everlasting Covenant that has opened the way for the great Shepherd of the Sheep to arise himself; and fecure the whole Train of those that follow him: By his Obedience to the Law, Death is difarmed of an awful Sting, and the Grave prevented of a total Victory. By his Deity he is able to fave, for our Salvation is of God. By his Death he is worthy to redeem, by his Grace he is fure of Succefs. If he was not the Prince of Life, he would not be a Saviour to give Repentance to Ifrael and Remiffion of Sins.

A&ts v. 21.

14.

These are the Reasons of the Hope that is in Heb. x. us, that by one Offering he has for ever put away Sin, and by that one Offering he will for ever perfect them that are fanctified. Our Baptism is a Declaration of the Confidence we have in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; in him by whom we are elected, in him who has made the Purchafe, and in him who has wrought the Change. Pf. lxviii. This our God is the God of Salvation, and to him belong the Iffues from Death.

20.

They that don't own him in this Distinction of Perfons and Union of Nature, are baptized in a Name they know nothing of. They are given up to an unknown God, and though they make If. xlviii. mention of the Lord, 'tis not in Truth and Righteousness. They compafs him about with Lyes and Deceit, and as their Profeffion is Vanity, fo Vanity fhall be their Recompence. They know not him, and he will profefs that he knows not them. They have prepared lying Words, if

I.

Hof. xl.

12.

Job xv.

31.

they

they use any Form of their own, or they have SERM, perverted the Words of the living God.

VIII.

(2.) 'Tis fuppofed that we have an inward Perfuafion of thefe Grounds upon which a Believer's Hope is built. He that believes on the Son of God has the Witness in himself. We 1 -must be rooted and fettled in the Faith, and not Col. i. 23. moved away from the Hope of the Gospel.

10.

John v.

The Man that brings his Child to Baptifm has the fame Obligations as if he offered himfelf. He ought to know in whom he has believed, and examine his Confidence towards God. He is to prove his own Work. Faith and Hope are perfonal Things, that he may have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. He Gal. vi, 4. fhould be always ready to give an Anfwer to every Man that asks a Reason of the Hope that is in him; and this can never be, unless he fearches the Scriptures, because in them alone we have eternal Life.

In this Senfe ours is a rational Faith. What we have Reason and Argument to carry us through. Suffer me to diftinguish upon that Word. Religion may be fuppofed rational thefe two Ways.

ift, If we take Reason for that Principle, that is now corrupt, and vitiated with all the other Facultics of human Nature, we may say that the Doctrines of Chriftianity are not rational; that is, as the Apostle tells us plainly, the natural Man does not receive them, they are Foolishness 1 Cor. ii. to him; the World, by all their Wifdom, is 14. not able to know the only living and true God. Their Reafons are to be fanctified and fubdued as well as their Wills. Thus it was with as learned ah Infidel as ever lived; he thought that Acts xxvi. he ought to do many Things contrary to the 9.

Name

SERM. Name of Jefus of Nazareth. He was guided VIII. by his Reafon in all the Blafphemy and Perfecu

tion of thefe evil Days. His Enquiry and Freethinking, his polite Attainments carried him in full Career againft Chrift and his Gospel. 'Tis in that Senfe and no other, that we ever afferted that the Principles of Revelation were contrary to Reafon, not only incomprehenfible, but appofite. But, if you do not like the Phrafe, that they are against Reason, we will change it, and fay Reafon is against them; of which we have Acknowledgments in those that are converted, and notorious Evidence in those that are not.

2dly, By Reason we oftentimes mean a Ground of Perfuafion; the Argument that gives a Biafs to our way of thinking. And in this Senfe the 1 John v. Chriftian Religion is the most rational Thing in

10.

the World, because it goes upon the Record of a God that cannot lye. Such a rational Religion we are for, and defire to keep it fo; and I may take this Opportunity to affirm, that to look for Salvation from a depending or a created God, to truft in any one who is not Almighty, to believe in a God who is not a Perfon, has nothing rational in it.

(3.) At Baptifm there is a Profeffion; that is, we declare abroad the Reafons of the Hope within us. It is a publick Ordinance, and that Rom. i. 8. can never be without a publiok Sound of Faith. Silent Meetings are fit for none but those who are neither Believers nor baptized; who turn the Form of the Ordinance into Spirit, and the Spirit of it into nothing. You may be Partakers of Chrift without ever being baptized at all; but Chrift has called you to this Ordinance, that others may know what you think that your Light be not fmothered in a Bufhel, but blaze out to the Conviction of all Men,