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of God, or in any fuch degree thereof, as he feels a want of any part of neceffary faving knowledge, let him, as he loves his foul, and would rescue it from eternal death, seek out for inftruction, first, by the means of catechifing, and then he fhall profit thro' God's grace by the word preached.

III. Preaching is a publishing of God's mercy, favour, bleffings, grace, and promises to those who love him and keep his commandments, and a declaration of Of preaching. thofe threats and punishments recorded in the word of God against the obftinate and evil doer.

It's ufe is to put us in mind of our duty, and to exhort and affift us to withstand those lufts and temptations, which fet us at enmity with God. Confequently, fermons. we honour God by attending to his holy word,

The use of

read and preached to us, with a refolution of mind to perform what we shall be convinced is our duty; with fuch a fubmiffion of our understanding, as is due to the oracles of God; and with a particular application of general inftructions to the state of our own minds, that we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift.

How to be

heard.

To whom

unprofitable.

In order to this, we fhould give our attention with great reverence, and take heed how we hear, left our negligence be interpreted as a contempt of that authority, which speaks to us. From whence we may eafily account for the few, which are influenced thereby to reform their lives: because, so many yield to the strength of vicious habits, which blind their understandings, fo as not to apprehend the force of fuch arguments which are urged to expofe the folly of fin, and the mischievous confequence of a wicked life. Where mens affections are engaged, their judgments are ftrangely perverted; this makes them ftifle the checks of their confciences, and quench thofe fparks of piety, which were kindled in their youth.

When, at any time curiofity engages them to hear a fermon, they fix their attention upon the ornaments of the difcourfe, and find fault with the manner of the compofition, when their thoughts never dwell upon the main fubject recommended,

Thefe

These hearers, while at church, place their public worship, not in their hearts and knees, but in lolling, gazing, and unfeemly gestures: and employ their ears; the chanel by which faith is conveyed into our fouls, not to hear their duty, but to find some unreasonable fault with their teacher. For, inftead of improving the word of God preached for their inftruction, when they return home, their whole discourse turns upon the man and not his fermon. And, fuch hearers never want fubject of complaint against the preacher, that they may in fome measure skreen their own neglect of duty to God, their neighbour, and themselves. Thus at one time, they find fault with his memory because too fhort; or with his fentences because too long: if he be young, they defpife his youth, and fay that he does but prate; if he is aged, they feldom fcruple to term his zeal for their fouls, and good inftructions, the dictates of one in his dotage, that knows not what he fays. Again, if he preaches in a plain style fuitable to weak capacities, they call him a floven, a bad master of language; if he is folid, then he preaches flat: but if he be not plain, then he is too witty; and if not folid, he is certainly accufed of levity, and ridiculing the word of God: if he be unlearned, they justly fay he is not worthy of fo great a calling; and if he be endued with the qualifications ofa good paftor and teacher, he is immediately proclaimed unfit for fo plain and ignorant a people. In fine, when the fermon must be confeffed to be very excellent; then they fay he preaches for gain; and if it be but ordinary, they cry, they can read as good at home.

of fuch hear

ers.

What can be thought to be the end of such men The danger who have long refifted the follicitations of God's ministers? he may juftly give them up to a reprobate fenfe, and withdraw that grace which they have abused; and then 'tis no wonder they turn the most serious things into ridicule, and hear the terrors of the Lord without the leaft fenfe of their own guilt. Pray God this may not be the cafe of many, who stay from church under a pretence that they cannot benefit under fuch and fuch a minifter! And let not thofe, who conftantly attend on stated days, to hear God's word preached, and ftill continue in their ha

The way

The end of

hearing a

good fer

bitual fins, think they have honoured God; no. to reverence God by honouring his word, is not to imagine that, when they have been affected with a fermon, that the great end of hearing is fulfilled. Alas! the main matter, is their putting ufeful in- mon. ftructions into practice, for when God enlightens our minds, it is our business to walk as children of light. They must not fuffer the cares and pleasures of this world to deftroy the good feed that is fown in their hearts; nor apply their minds fo immediately to other objects, that even the memory of those good impreffions is erafed: they must never defpair of conquering their evil habits; nor be difcouraged in profecuting the convictions of their own confciences; for a mighty resolution with the affiftance of God's grace, will overcome great difficulties; and it is a good fign God will enable us to perform our duty, when he fo earneftly follicits us to undertake it in the use of all thofe means, which he hath established for the making their calling and election fure by faith in Christ.

Let us therefore never measure our godliness by the number of fermons which we are present at, as if that outward mark of reverence to God was any fure mark of a good chriftian. But estimate your obedience to God, and reformation of your manners, by the quantity of 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, because we hear and know our mafter's will, and do it not.

But,

God muft

be honoured

in his facra

ments.

IV. The great mark of a christian's duty to God, is the honouring him in his facraments of baptifm and the Lord's fupper; when we esteem them for their author, and benefit to mankind; and use them for thofe purposes, for which they were ordained by Chrift: because they are outward visible signs of inward and fpiritual grace; given unto us, ed by Chrift himself, as a means whereby we receive the fame, and as a pledge to affure us thereof. Where we are taught that to constitute a facrament, there must be, first, some vifible fign of it, apparent to our fenfes.

ordain

A facra

ment, what.

Secondly,

Secondly, this fign must represent some spiritual grace and favour vouchfafed us by God. Thirdly, that outward fign must be of Chrift's own inftitution; and, fourthly, appointed by him as the means of conveying to us this inward grace, and as a feal and token of affurance, that he will beftow the one, upon those, who do worthily receive the other.

Why inftituted.

Although facramental figns were ordained by God in gracious condefcenfion to our infirmities, thereby to inform our understandings, to refresh our memories, and to excite our affections; yet their farther virtue is not owing to any power in the outward figns of water, words, bread, or wine, but to the bleffing of Christ upon his own inftitutions and appointments: and we are not to doubt, but that, in the right use of the outward figns, he will, by the power of his Spirit, though in a manner unknown, becaufe not neceffary to be revealed to us, convey, and confirm, in baptifm, and convey, and confirm, 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 baptism.

Baptifm.

V. And, forafmuch as cleanfing is one known property of water, it is evidently a fit and vifible fign to denote our being washed from fin, by virtue of the blood of Christ. For, as in our natural state we are corrupted and defiled with fin; and being fo, are under the anger, and liable to the vengeance of God: fo baptifm delivers us

ted.

from that unhappy condition, by cleanfing us from Why inftitu- the guilt and power of fin; by taking us into a covenant of grace and favour with God; and by infusing 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 Christ. Or, as our church-office explains it, baptifm doth represent unto us our profeffion, which is to follow the example of our Saviour Chrift, and to be made like unto him, that as he died, and rofe again for us, fo fhould we who are baptized, die from fin, and rise again unto righteoufnefs;

What it re

prefents.

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oufnefs; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living.

Yet we muft not dare to take upon us to exclude any from all hope of God's mercy in extraordinary cafes, as Is neceЛlary the want of opportunity, or capacity of receiving

it: 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 baptifin, 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. For, the facrament of baptifm, is called by St Paul, the circumcifion of Chrift, whereby the children of chriftian parents are made members of Chrift, and obliged to obferve the laws of the gofpel; as the circumcifed infant by that rite became a debtor to obferve the whole law of Mofes. By this means, I fay, the children of believers are entered into covenant with God under the gofpel, as they were under the law by circumcifion. And that infants are capable of this relation with God, is plainly declared by Mofes; and fince they are the off-fpring of Adam, and confequently fubject to death by his fall, how can they be made partakers of that redemption, which Christ hath purchased for the children of God, if they do not enjoy the advantage of that method, which is alone appointed by Chrift for them 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

For chil

dren.

Its vows, to

renounce

It was the conftant cuftom of the primitive church to administer 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 thro this world in their way to heaven. And this practice was efteemed by the best tradition to be derived from the apoftles themselves, and is therefore ftill retained and enjoined by our church, which obliges all perfons to be baptized, either by themselves or fureties to promife and vow, that they will re

nounce

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