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of God concerning us. Has he not bid us do SERM. it? Have we not received it of the Lord Jefus ?

The Argument drawn from this for human Ceremonies is of no Weight at all. We may justly contend against any Subjection to the Will of Man, upon Reasons that are never to be used against an Inftitution of our great Law-giver. The Question is not whether there are Shadows, Ceremonies, and outward Signs in his Worship, but who has the Right to appoint them.

I.

He begun with Figures of Religion in Paradife, making the Tree of Knowledge to be the Teft of Adam's Duty, and the Tree of Life the Pledge of his Acceptance. He was worshipped by Sacrifices from the firft Revelation of a Meffiah: Righteous Abel brought a Lamb of the Flock; no doubt of it, by divine Appointment, this was a Type of God's Defign, and a Token of Abel's Faith in the Lamb, who takes away the Sins of the World. He gave Circumcifion to Abraham, and the Paffover to Mofes, and the Soul who neglected either of them was to be cut off from among his People. These were each of them carnal Ordinances in their Nature, as afterwards they Heb. ix. are called in Contempt; things outward in the 1. Flefb, bodily Exercifes: Nevertheless, as none but a God could appoint them, none but a God could diffolve them, and fet up others. Now, he that had all Power both in Heaven and Earth, from a divine Authority, from a Fulness of Godhead, fent forth his Servants to difciple all Nations, baptizing them into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft.

That this is to be done by Water appears from all that the Scripture has told us, both before the Inftitution that Chrift gave, and afterwards. John was called the Baptift, from that which was to be the chief Part of his Miniftry; he fent me, faith

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I.

SERM. faith he, to baptize with Water. The Apostles I. acted in the fame Way. Though there is a Spi

ritual Baptifm, and the other fignifies nothing Johni. 31. where that is not; yet, if this was all that our Lord defigned, if there was no outward Action, there had been no Occafion for the Eunuch to stop his Chariot, and for him and Philip to get out of it when they faw Water.

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I have no Inclination to draw out this Matter any farther; because all this while, I am held back from my chief Defign. But, as my Friends, I ought to warn you, that the main Debate in a little Time will be, not how much Water fhould be used, but whether any at all. They who deny the Doctrine of the Trinity are so uneasy at the Form of Words, that our Saviour has made effential to Baptism, that they have a great Mind to lay afide the Ordinance, as Socinus did in Poland. They write and argue that it is not neceffary, by which if they mean any thing that's worth our heeding, it must be, that it's not commanded. For though we dare not say that it's neceffary to God's Grace, yet the Question is whether he has not made it fo to our Duty. And when they ask you whether a Man may not be faved without it, do you ask them, whether he is obedient without it, whether he ftands compleat in all the Will of God, whether he fulfils all Righteousness; or whether he neglects to do, what the Scripture told him he ought to do.

I would therefore hope that by Baptifm, you understand the washing with Water. I do not determine whether this Water fhould be applied to the Body, or the Body to it; let every one be fully perfuaded in his own Mind; happy is the Man who condemns not himself in the Thing that he allows, nor condems others in the Thing that they allow. But that 'tis an external Ordinance,

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nance, a bodily Action, that we should never SERM. have regarded without a divine Appointment, is very plain.

2. He opens out the Meaning of his own Inftitution; 'tis to be in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. So that, though the pouring of a little Water, or plunging the whole Body into a greater Quantity, is no more than a washing away the Filth of the Flesh, yet the Explication Chrift has given us of it, makes it the greatest Affair we can ever engage in. You fee,

1. That Baptism is in, or into a Name.

2. This Name is no lefs, than that of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; these are the two Propofitions that I defire to confider.

1. I would fhow you what it is to be baptized into a Name; and

2. What the great and glorious Name is that Believers and their Children are baptized into, that of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

1. What is the meaning of the Expreffion, when we say that our Baptism is into the Name of God? This is what we fhould enquire into with Reverence and a godly Fear; and it calls us to mind what the generality of Profeffors feldom think of, that perhaps it's the greatest Solemnity of your Lives. I have been amazed to fee how little of a serious Temper has appeared at a Baptifm, among thofe who would be afhamed to use no more at the Lord's Supper. Far be it from me, to make any Comparifon between them but I fhould think, that if either Ordinance required a greater Care and Preparation, it is that of Baptifm; as it is what we do no more than

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once,

I.

I.

SERM. once, either for ourselves, or the particular Child, who is then given up. And therefore to hurry it over, as if it was only complying with a Fashion, or an Introduction to Revellings and Banquettings, is an Argument that though those People remember the Water, yet they forget the Name in which it is applied.

The Ordinance, you know, is the firft of thofe in which you give up either yourselves or Your Children to be the Lord's: Now, what do you mean in doing fo? Or rather, what has the Scripture told us was the Defign of Chrift in directing the Practice? That you do it in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is true. We have no Authority to change the very Form of thofe Words, but what do they impart? I anfwer, there are no less than these ten Particulars comprehended in being baptized into the Name of our God.

1. That we confefs his Authority.

2. That we are devoted to his Command.
3. That we adore his Perfections.

4. That we profefs our Homage to him alone before all the World.

5. That we depend upon his Acceptance and Favour.

6. That from him we are to have the particuJar Bleffings of this Ordinance.

7. That we would be conformed to his Image. 8. That we do it with a Hope of his Mercy to eternal Life.

9. That we are fatisfied he can give us all this.

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10. That we join with the whole Number of his devoted People. Thefe are Duties comprehended in Baptifm, or Felicities revealed by it: And if our Souls are not employed upon them,

we

we do but take the Name of the Lord our God SERM. in vain.

I.

1. They who are baptized in the Name of God do in that very Action confess his Autbority: That he is the only Law-giver who is able to fave and to deftroy. This was ever the Senfe of a divine Institution; what God meant by it, and what Men ought to obferve in it. Circumcifion was an act of Homage paid to the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob: Any of their Pofterity who neglected That neglected Him: They difown'd his Authority over them. On the other Hand, they who fubmitted to it, whether of their own Nation or of Strangers, did in that very Action declare themselves to be the People Pf. xlvii. of the God of Abraham.

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And to the fame Purpose are we baptized that it may appear we are among them, who ferve and call on the Name of the Lord Jefus Chrift in 1 Cor. i every Place, both theirs and ours.

2.

As many fay, they will not have this Man to rule over them, fo we fay we will, that one is our Mafter, Matt. even Chrift. Abraham did not receive the Order xxiii. 10. of Circumcifion from Melchizedeck, but from the moft high God himself: And by the fame Authority are we called to Baptifm. None but He who had all Power in Heaven and Earth, was able to iffue the Commiffion you find in my Text, 'tis the Declaration of God himfelf; behold, I create new Heavens and a new Earth, Ifa. lxv. and the former fhall not be remembered, nor come 17. into Mind. And yet it's the Work of Chrift; for, he that fat upon the Throne, said, behold, Rev. xxi. I make all Things new.

I know, it is faid, that the Jews had a Method of baptizing among them, and that our Saviour only fixed it with his Difciples as he

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found

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