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<DATE>2013-01-07</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A PERSUASIVE TO FULL <HI>Communion,</HI> WITH THE Churches of Chri&s;t IN ALL GOSPEL-ORDINANCES AND PRIVILEDGES.</P>
<P>Containing An E&s;&s;ay for the Conviction and Reformation of &s;uch Adult, or grown Per&s;ons who live in the &s;inful neglect of Bapti&s;m and the Supper of the Lord.</P>
<P>Together with An Account of the Manner of the Tran&s;ition of Church-Members from their Infant to their A|dult-&s;tate, and regular Admi&s;&s;ion to full Com|munion.</P>
<P>Written, For the help of &s;uch as need In&s;truction in the&s;e &s;piritual Concerns, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.13. <HI>For by one Spirit are we all Baptized into one Body, whether we be</HI> Jews <HI>or</HI> Gentiles, <HI>whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>By the Late Reverend Mr. <HI>George Day,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel in <HI>London-&s;treet</HI> in <HI>Ratcliff,</HI> 1697.</P>
<P><HI>London:</HI> Printed for <HI>Tho. Parkhur&s;t</HI> at the <HI>Bible</HI> and <HI>Three Crowns</HI> in <HI>Cheap&s;ide,</HI> 1698.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>The PREFACE.</HEAD>
<P>THERE are &s;ome Circum|&s;tances, that attend the Pub|lication of the En&s;uing Trea|ti&s;e, which may render this &s;hort Preface, not only Excu&s;able; but, al|&s;o in &s;ome re&s;pects Nece&s;&s;ary, That the Readers may be acquainted with two Things. <HI>1.</HI> Touching the Author, and the Coming forth, of this &s;mall Piece. <HI>2.</HI> Touching the Subject-matter handled in it. <HI>1.</HI> As for the Author, the Late Reverend Mr. <HI>George Day,</HI> He was a well accompli&s;hed, and approved Mi|ni&s;ter of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, very Exemplary in his Holy Conver&s;ation, and abun|dant in his Mini&s;terial Labours, in which his Study, Diligence, and Fide|lity were the more Con&s;pieuous, in re|gard of tho&s;e painful and weakening bo|dily Di&s;tempers, by which it plea&s;ed God, to Try, and Exerci&s;e him for many Years la&s;t pa&s;t. As to the Publi|cation of this Di&s;cour&s;e, which is now &s;ent abroad into the World, it was Compo&s;ed, and fitted for the Pre&s;s, by
<PB REF="3">him&s;elf, That very Copy, which he de|livered to the Book-&s;eller, was &s;ent by him to &s;everal Mini&s;ters to be peru&s;ed. Among others, we who&s;e Names are &s;ub&s;cribed to this Preface, had it in our Hands about a Year ago, and upon a deliberate In&s;pection into the Matter, Method, and Manner of handling his Subject; have thought, it might be of good &V;&s;e and Benefit to many, if it were made Publick, and certified him of our Opinion touching it. After this, it lay in his hands as Dormant. But about the End of <HI>November</HI> la&s;t, this Good Man finding him&s;elf to decline very &s;en&s;ibly, delivered his Copy to that Book-&s;eller, who had been &s;o long In|&s;trumental, in divulging exceeding many Learned, Pious, Practical, Ex|cellent Books. It was not long after committed to the Pre&s;s, but before one quarter of it was Printed, it plea&s;ed the Lord to remove the Author out of this World, and to receive him into his Cele&s;tial Re&s;t and Glory, to the great Grief; undoubtedly, to the great Lo&s;s of
<PB REF="3">that Congregation, in which the Provi|dence of God had &s;et him to Labour, in the Word and Doctrine of the Go|&s;pel. <HI>2.</HI> Touching the little Book it &s;elf. It hath &s;everal Properties, which may greatly recommend it to the peru&s;al of all, into who&s;e hands the Providence of God &s;hall bring it. For, it is very &s;hort, and will not much Exerci&s;e the Patience of the Reader. It is very plain adapted to the Capacity of the Meane&s;t &V;nder&s;tandings. The Di&s;cour&s;e is ma|naged in a very &s;ound, &s;erious and pro|fitable Manner. The Arguments made u&s;e of are clear, &s;trong, and nervous, and enforced with all the advantages of Zeal and Charity. The Per&s;ons concern|ed to attend unto this Per&s;ua&s;ive, are exceeding numerous. The &s;ub&s;erviency of it toward the promoting of the Glo|ry of God, the Intere&s;t of Religion, and the welfare of Souls, is evident to eve|ry con&s;iderate, &s;erious Per&s;on.</P>
<P>In this little Book, there is nothing that may di&s;courage the Reader: No profound Speculations to amu&s;e him:
<PB REF="4">Nor doubtful Di&s;putations to perplex him: But a &s;erious Per&s;ua&s;ive to in|cline him, to comply with the Command of Chri&s;t, in the performance of two plain, weighty and nece&s;&s;ary Duties. To which no Parties among Chri&s;tians are obliged, by their Principles, to make any Oppo&s;ition.</P>
<P N="1"><HI>1.</HI> He per&s;uades the Adult, who are unbaptized to fit them&s;elves for, and then to &s;eek after Bapti&s;m. It is true indeed, that the Author (in the Intro|duction) tells us, that the People cal|led <HI>Quakers,</HI> do wholly reject both Bap|ti&s;m and the Lords Supper, as u&s;ele&s;s Ceremonies; and di&s;pute again&s;t them. But all they who acknowledge them to be Go&s;pel-Ordinances, mu&s;t, according to their declared Principles, concur with our Author, to pre&s;s all Adult, un|baptized Per&s;ons to be Baptized. They who go under the Denomination of <HI>A|nabapti&s;ts,</HI> may po&s;&s;ibly, except again&s;t the Baptizing of Infants which he a&s;|&s;erts. But they are as zealous as any o|ther, to per&s;uade the Adult, who were
<PB REF="4">not Baptized in their Infancy, to ha&s;t|en to that Ordinance.</P>
<P N="2"><HI>2.</HI> He per&s;uades Baptized grown Per|&s;ons to labour to be fit for, and then to communicate in the Lords Supper. This is acknowledged by all, to be their un|que&s;tionable Duty. So that in this Point, he can have no Adver&s;aries, whatever different Sentiments &s;ome may have a|bout the due Qualifications of tho&s;e who are to approach to the Lord's Table.</P>
<P>Having given this account of the Author and his little Book, we have an&s;wered the De&s;ign of this Preface. And &s;hall only add our Prayers, that the Lord would afford his Ble&s;&s;ing, that the Book may attain the End, which the Author propounded to him&s;elf in his Writing of it.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM><HI>William Bates,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Hamond.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>To be Corrected, <HI>Page</HI> 46. <HI>line</HI> 22. for <HI>Bercele|rius,</HI> read <HI>Bertelerius.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>Books Printed for <HI>Tho. Parkhur&s;t</HI> at the <HI>Bible</HI> and <HI>Three Crowns</HI> in <HI>Cheap&s;ide.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THere is Publi&s;ht of Mr. <HI>George Days,</HI> The Communicants In&s;tructor, or a Sacramental Catechi&s;m.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Days</HI> Funeral Sermon, Preached by the Reverend Mr. <HI>Sam. Slater;</HI> Prin|ted for <HI>John Lawrence</HI> at the <HI>Angel</HI> in the <HI>Poultrey.</HI></P>
<P>There is now Publi&s;hed Two &s;carce Books, The Fountain of Life Opened; or a Di&s;play of Chri&s;t in his E&s;&s;ential and Mediatorial Glory: Containing Forty Two <HI>Sermons</HI> on various Texts. And al&s;o a Treati&s;e of the Soul of Man. Both in 4to. By the late Reverend and Learn|ed Mr. <HI>J. Flavel,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel at <HI>Dartmouth.</HI></P>
<P>There is likewi&s;e newly Publi&s;hed, A <HI>Sermon</HI> Preached on the Late Day of Thank&s;giving, <HI>Decemb.</HI> 2. 1697. By Mr. <HI>J. Howe,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel. To which is Prefix'd, Dr. <HI>Bates</HI> Congratula|tory Speech to the King, <HI>Novemb.</HI> 22. 1697. In the Name of the Di&s;&s;enting Mi|ni&s;ters in and about <HI>London.</HI></P>
<P>A Body of Practical Divinity in 176 Sermons, on the le&s;&s;er Catechi&s;m of the A&s;&s;embly of Divines at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter.</HI> By <HI>Tho. Wat&s;on,</HI> formerly Mini&s;ter at St. <HI>Stephens-Wallbrook, London.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="introduction">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>THE INTRODUCTION.</HEAD>
<P>IT is a Truth, which no &s;ober Chri|&s;tian will deny, that Omi&s;&s;ions, or Neglects of commanded Duties are as truly breaches of the Law of God; as Commi&s;&s;ions of Sins forbidden, and &s;o as certainly de&s;tructive to the Souls of Men; and therefore all &s;uch as would plea&s;e God, and e&s;cape De&s;tru|ction; ought as con&s;cientio&s;ly to per|form Duties, as to forbear Iniquities, and to have Re&s;pect to all Gods Com|mandments, as well as to hate every fal&s;e Way.</P>
<P>Now, among&s;t the many Sins of O|mi&s;&s;ion, of which Per&s;ons under the Chri&s;tian Name are guilty in this Age, and for which God hath a Controver&s;ie with us at this Day: The neglect of tho&s;e Sacred Ordinances of Chri&s;t, Bap|ti&s;m, and the Lord's Supper is one, and not the lea&s;t, it being notoriou&s;ly evi|dent,
<PB N="2" REF="6">that many of Twenty or Thirty Years Old, and &s;ome more, have never been Baptized, and the&s;e (with Thou|&s;ands more of Adult or grown Per&s;ons) live al&s;o in the neglect of the Lord's Sup|per: The Cau&s;e of which neglect, in &s;ome is the Ignorance, and Error of their Parents, who (if they were <HI>Quaker's</HI>) wholly reject the&s;e Ordinances, as u&s;e|le&s;s Ceremonies, and Di&s;pute again&s;t them; or (if <HI>Anabapti&s;t's</HI>) neglect to bring their Children to Bapti&s;m in their Infancy, and many of them being bred up in Ignorance, are carele&s;s of their own Souls concerns; and &s;o Live, and Dye without the Participation of the&s;e Ordinances. <HI>Now</HI> though I dare not Judge &s;uch as to their Eternal State, for to their own Ma&s;ter they &s;tand or fall; I freely acknowledge, the Grace of God is not bound to external Ordinances, and God doth nothing by them, but what he can do without them, (if he plea&s;e) yet I know we are bound to the U&s;e of Ordinances, (when we may have them) by the expre&s;s Command of God, be|cau&s;e they are his In&s;titutions, by which he doth u&s;ually work Grace in us; And to neglect known Duties, yea, or to live in Ignorance of Duties, under the
<PB N="3" REF="6">means of Knowledge, are Soul-damning Sins; which I earne&s;tly de&s;ire all that are thus, guilty, &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider. Upon the Ob&s;ervation of the&s;e &s;inful O|mi&s;&s;ions, I cannot but conclude it to be the unque&s;tionable Duty of all the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t that would be found faithful to him, and to the precious Souls of Men, not only to ob&s;erve, mourn over, and reprove the&s;e Sins, but to do their ut|mo&s;t al&s;o in their proper Stations, and Relations, for Reformation in this Parti|cular: The Sen&s;e of this Duty, hath been &s;o deeply impre&s;&s;ed on my Spirit, as to put me upon this well-meant (though mean) endeavour, to contribute &s;ome|thing, toward this needful and de&s;irable Work.</P>
<P>I am too Con&s;cious of my own weak|ne&s;s to dictate to my Reverend Brethren, acknowledging that I rather need, and therefore de&s;ire their Light and Help herein; yet hope I may (without give|ing Ju&s;t Cau&s;e of Offence to any) take leave to Confe&s;s, that many of us, have been very defective in our Duties here|in; and in this Confe&s;&s;ion, I ca&s;t the fir&s;t Stone at my Self. The Good Lord Pardon us, that we have manife&s;ted no greater concern of Spirit for the Holy
<PB N="4" REF="7">In&s;titutions of our Lord-Redeemer, and help us, that while we Reprehend our People, for their &s;inful Omi&s;&s;ions, we may be duly humbled for our own; and make it more vi&s;ible in our Pra|ctice, that we teach our Selves, as well as Others.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>A PERSUASIVE TO FULL <HI>Communion,</HI> OF Baptizing Adult, or Grown Per&s;ons.</HEAD>
<P>I Shall then fir&s;t apply my Self, to &s;uch Adult or grown Per&s;ons, who, though they go under the Chri&s;tian Name, yet were never Baptized. If this Paper comes to the Hands of any &s;uch, I would propo&s;e &s;ome Con&s;iderations, to convince you of your Sin, and (if the Lord &s;hall ble&s;s them) bring you to Repentance;
<PB N="6" REF="8">and then give you &s;ome Councels, or Directions, for a right performance of your Duty.</P>
<P>In Order to your Conviction, be per|&s;waded &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider the&s;e &s;even Things.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Con&s;ider, That Bapti&s;m, is as much an Ordinance of Chri&s;t, as Preach|ing the Go&s;pel is; and to continue in u&s;e in the Chri&s;tian Church, as long as that, (as appears by Chri&s;t's own Com|mand, <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.18, 19. <HI>(viz.)</HI> to the End of the World; and &s;o it is as much the Duty of all profe&s;&s;ed Chri&s;tians, to receive the Ordinance of Bapti&s;m) as to attend on the Ordinance of Preach|ing. For the &s;ame Authority that en|joyns the one, enjoyns the other, There|fore the neglect of it mu&s;t be &s;inful. And how dare you Live in any known Sin?</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Con&s;ider, That it is both the Duty of Chri&s;tian Parents, to bring their Children unto Chri&s;t, and the Right and Priviledge of &s;uch Children, to be &s;o brought, to receive his Ble&s;&s;ing; <HI>Mark</HI> 10.13, 14, 15, 16. And this Seal of the Covenant of Grace, under which they are as well as their Parents, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.7. And &s;o mu&s;t have a Go&s;pel-right to this Ordinance, as have been &s;ufficiently prov|ed,
<PB N="7" REF="8">by many Judicious Pens, (to which I mu&s;t refer you for more Light in this Point, if you need it, becau&s;e of my in|tended Brevity.)</P>
<P>And if &s;o, it mu&s;t be the Sin of your Parents, that they brought you not to this Ordinance in your Infancy; and by Con&s;equence, your Sin and lo&s;s to neg|lect it, ever &s;ince you came to Years of Di&s;cretion, and a Capacity to Covenant with God, and pre&s;ent your &s;elves to Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Con&s;ider, That your Parents &s;inful neglect of their Duty, is no ju&s;t Plea, or Excu&s;e for your neglect of this Ordinance, &s;ince you came to Years of Under&s;tanding; for then it became your Duty, both to acquaint your &s;elves with the Covenant of Grace, and give your own Under&s;tanding, and Hearty Con&s;ent to it, and to te&s;tifie the &s;ame, by receiv|ing this Ordinance.</P>
<P>For <HI>Jews,</HI> or <HI>Heathens,</HI> (when in&s;tru|cted in the Chri&s;tian Religion) if they make a &s;erious Profe&s;&s;ion, of Faith in Chri&s;t, and Obedience to him, ought to be Baptized; much more may the Adult Children of Chri&s;tians, when they make the like Profe&s;&s;ion, <HI>Acts</HI> 8.36, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider, That it looks as if you
<PB N="8" REF="9">were a&s;hamed to own Chri&s;t, and Chri|&s;tianity; that you do not &s;o much as wear the vi&s;ible Badge of his Di&s;ciples, and Followers, <HI>i. e.</HI> Bapti&s;m. For by this Ordinance, Chri&s;tians are di&s;tin|gui&s;hed from all the re&s;t of Mankind, and while&s;t you want this mark of Di|&s;tinction, and yet profe&s;s Chri&s;tianity, you de&s;erve to be called <HI>Heathen</HI>-Chri|&s;tians, or Chri&s;tian-<HI>Heathens,</HI> owning only the Name of Chri&s;ts Followers, but &s;eeming a&s;hamed of his Livery. And if you are indeed a&s;hamed to own Chri&s;t, or his Ordinances here before Men, he will be a&s;hamed to own you before his Father, and the Angels hereafter, <HI>Mat.</HI> 8.35. And how &s;ad will their Conditi|on be, whom Chri&s;t will not own in the great Day! Are you not loath to be found among&s;t &s;uch at la&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> Con&s;ider, That though the neglect of Bapti&s;m, may &s;eem a &s;mall fault, (if any) to ignorant and incon&s;i|derate Per&s;ons, yet it is indeed a great, and hainous Sin; being down-right di&s;|obedience to the Command of Chri&s;t, and a virtual &s;lighting and practical re|fu&s;ing of the Covenant of Grace, of which this is the vi&s;ible Sign and Seal; therefore it mu&s;t be very provoking in
<PB N="9" REF="9">the Eyes of God. We find God threat|ned that Parent, who did not Circumci&s;e his Son, to cut him off from his People; that is, either to exclude him from the Church of God, and all the Priviledges, Promi&s;es, and Ble&s;&s;ings, belonging to it, or to cut him off, by an untimely and vi|olent Death, for &s;o the Learned under|&s;tand that Text, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.14. Compa|red with <HI>Exod.</HI> 31.14. So that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> him&s;elf, was like to have been made an Example, for this Omi&s;&s;ion. as <HI>Exod.</HI> 4.24.</P>
<P>Here its worthy our &s;erious Ob&s;erva|tion, lea&s;t any &s;hould think the Puni&s;h|ment threatned, to be greater than the Sin de&s;erved; God was plea&s;ed to give the Rea&s;on of it, in the formentioned, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.14. <HI>He hath broken my Cove|nant;</HI> God calls a Rejection and Con|tempt, of the Seal of the Covenant, a breach of the Covenant it &s;elf.</P>
<P>Now if Bapti&s;m, come in the room of Circumci&s;ion, (as Prote&s;tants generally conclude from <HI>Col.</HI> 2.11, 12.) And if God was &s;o angry with his Servant <HI>Mo|&s;es,</HI> for neglecting to Circumci&s;e his Son, that he met him, and &s;ought to kill him: Judge you, whether tho&s;e Parents that neglect to Baptize their Children, have
<PB N="10" REF="10">not cau&s;e to fear that God is angry with them al&s;o, though he doth not pre&s;ent|ly manife&s;t it in his Providence, nor can we &s;uppo&s;e him, to be well-plea&s;ed with the Children of &s;uch carele&s;s, or erronious Parents, who imitate them in Sin, when grown up, by Living in the neglect of this Ordinance.</P>
<P><HI>Sixthly,</HI> Con&s;ider, That &s;uch as &s;light and neglect the outward Bapti&s;m of Wa|ter, may ju&s;tly fear, they were never yet Partakers of the inward Bapti&s;m of the Holy-Gho&s;t, which is &s;ignified there|by, and that they are &s;till un&s;anctified, or unholy Souls; for where the Spirit of God comes with Power, he convinceth of Sin; <HI>John</HI> 16.8. and the neglect of any Ordinance of Chri&s;t, is one Sin of which the Spirit, will certainly Convince &s;uch as are guilty, whenever he Works &s;avingly on them, and if you have not had the Convincing-work of the Spirit upon you; &s;urely you know no|thing of its Converting, Renewing, and Sanctifying-work; and if &s;o, &s;hould you Dye in this Condition; you have no Ground (that I know) to hope, for the Witne&s;&s;ing and Comforting-work of the Spirit in Death, nor for Eternal Life after it; for none but Holy Souls,
<PB N="11" REF="10">have a Promi&s;e of the&s;e Ble&s;&s;ings.</P>
<P>It's true, God can &s;anctifie the Soul by his Spirit, though the Body be not wa&s;hed with Water; therefore, I do not &s;ay, that none are &s;anctified by the Spirit, that are not Baptized with Wa|ter for (doubtle&s;s) there are many In|&s;tances of the contrary, as Elect Infants that Dye before Bapti&s;m, and others.</P>
<P>But this I do affirm, that &s;eeing God hath been plea&s;ed to &s;et up Ordinances in his Church, to be the Means of Grace, made it our Duty to u&s;e them, and doth u&s;ually Work Grace in and by them; it is a Sin to neglect the&s;e Ordinances, where they may be had, and &s;uch as do &s;o, have Cau&s;e enough to fear they never yet received any &s;aving Benefit by them: For that would make them to prize Or|dinances highly, and continue in the di|ligent u&s;e of them. Now con&s;ider, Can you be Content, to Live without &s;ancti|fying Grace, and Dye without Comfort, and well-grounded Hope of Heaven at la&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>Seventhly,</HI> Con&s;ider, That the &s;inful neglect of one Ordinance, provokes God to withhold his Ble&s;&s;ing from other Or|dinances, as a ju&s;t and &s;uitable Puni&s;h|ment of that Sin; and I fear, this is one
<PB N="12" REF="11">Rea&s;on, why &s;o many unbaptized Per|&s;ons profit little by Reading and Hear|ing the Word. God &s;ometimes Threat|ens a People, that though they hear the Word, they &s;hall not under&s;tand; and though they &s;ee, they &s;hall not perceive, that their Hearts &s;hall be made Fat, their Ears heavy, and their Eyes &s;hut; lea&s;t they &s;hould &s;ee with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and under|&s;tand with their Hearts, and Convert and be Healed, as <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 6.9, 10. Should God &s;ay thus concerning &s;uch as you, how mi&s;erable would your Condition be? You have Cau&s;e to fear it, for your Sin provokes him to it.</P>
<P><HI>Suppo&s;ing</HI> now, that the&s;e Con&s;iderati|ons duly weighed, may be &s;ufficient to convince you of the &s;infulne&s;s, of your neglecting Bapti&s;m, (and they will be &s;o, if the Holy Spirit of God &s;ets in with them, for which I Pray. (In the next Place, let me give you &s;ome plain Councels and Directions, for the perfor|mance of your Duty.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Be deeply humbled before the Lord, for your &s;inful neglect of this Or|dinance hitherto; acknowledge it to God, with Shame and Sorrow of Heart; beg Pardon of it, in the Name of Chri&s;t,
<PB N="13" REF="11">and re&s;olve to u&s;e all good endeavour, duly to prepare for the Participation of it, and &s;et pre&s;ently upon the Work, as remembring Time is &s;hort, Life un|certain, and delays in Soul-matters mo&s;t dangerous.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Get a Competent Knowledge of the Principal or Foundation-Truths, of the Chri&s;tian-Religion, which the <HI>A&s;&s;emblies Catechi&s;ms,</HI> both Shorter and Larger, well Read and Con&s;idered will help you to, (if you have not already attained it) e&s;pecially acquaint your &s;elves well, with the Nature of the Co|venant of Grace, and the Go&s;pel-&s;eals of it, Bapti&s;m, and the Lords-Supper, which the Sacramental Catechi&s;m opens to you.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> For your better Help in this great Concern, apply your &s;elves to &s;ome able, and faithful Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t, (e&s;pecially to &s;uch, under who&s;e Mini&s;try you do ordinarily &s;it,) and open your Souls Ca&s;e to him, propound your Doubts or Scruples, (if you have any) ask his &s;piritual Coun&s;el, or In&s;truction and de&s;ire his Prayers to God in your behalf.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> Beg earne&s;tly of God, that you may have compleat Bapti&s;m, or be
<PB N="14" REF="12">baptized not only outward with Water, but inwardly by the Holy Gho&s;t, as <HI>John</HI> 3.5. And have not only the wa&s;h|ing of Regeneration, but the Renewing of the Holy Gho&s;t; as <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.5. Pray, that you may be meritoriou&s;ly wa&s;hed, from the guilt of Sin, by the Blood of Chri&s;t, and efficaciou&s;ly wa&s;hed from the filth and Power of Sin, by the Spirit of Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.7. <HI>Rev.</HI> 1.5. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.11.</P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> Give your Under&s;tanding, and hearty Con&s;ent to the Covenant of Grace, and humbly, and thankfully ac|cept and chu&s;e JEHOVAH, the only Living and True God, to be your God; and give up your &s;elves to him as his Covenant Servants, as <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 44.5. and <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 56.4, 5. When this is done, you may humbly Claim the Ordinance of Bapti&s;m, as your Right and Priviledge, being a Seal to confirm the Covenant, between God and your Souls.</P>
<P>Now, as for the Manner of Admini|&s;tration, that is to be left to the Pru|dence of the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, who are to be the Di&s;pen&s;ers of this, and all other Go&s;pel-Ordinances; I pretend not to pre&s;cribe to any: But hope I &s;hall offend none by giving an account of my
<PB N="15" REF="12">own Practice, which I &s;ubmit to the Cen&s;ure, of more mature Judgments.</P>
<P>When by Conference with, and In|&s;truction of the Per&s;on &s;eeking Bapti&s;m, I apprehend Him, or Her to have a Go|&s;pel-right to, and fitne&s;s for it: At the Time of Admini&s;tration, I fir&s;t &s;peak &s;omething touching the Nature, U&s;e, and Ends of this Ordinance, and the Covenant of Grace, to which it doth be|long: And then &s;eek the Lord by Pray|er, for his Ble&s;&s;ing on it.</P>
<P>Then I propo&s;e the&s;e following Que|&s;tions to the Adult Per&s;on that is to be Baptized, and receive his An&s;wers.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Were You never yet Baptized, as far as you do under&s;tand?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> No.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Are you willing, and de&s;irous to be Baptized?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Yes, it is my earne&s;t, and hearty De&s;ire.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Why do you de&s;ire to be Baptized?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I de&s;ire for the&s;e two Rea&s;ons.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Becau&s;e by receiving this Ordi|nance, I would profe&s;s and te&s;tifie my Con&s;ent to the Covenant of Grace, with God the Father, Son, and Holy Gho&s;t, Bapti&s;m being one of the Signs, and Seals thereof.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="13">
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Becau&s;e I would hereby be ingrafted, into the My&s;tical Body, of Chri&s;t his Church, and be owned as a Member thereof, this being the Ordi|nance of Admi&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Seeing none have a Go&s;pel-right to Bapti&s;m, but profe&s;&s;ed Believers, and their Seed, do you profe&s;s Faith, in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and Obedience to him, according to the Go&s;pel?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do &s;olemnly, and &s;incerely pro|fe&s;s the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What be the Chief Articles of the Chri&s;tian Faith, which you profe&s;s to Be|lieve?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Tho&s;e which are contained in the <HI>Creed,</HI> commonly Called the Apo&s;tles <HI>Creed, <HI>I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth,</HI></HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Do you know what E&s;tate you were Born in?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Yes, I have Learned by the Word of God, that I, and all Mankind, are Born in a State of Sin, and Mi&s;ery.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>How came Mankind into this &s;inful and mi&s;erable E&s;tate?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Mankind fell into this E&s;tate, by the fir&s;t Sin of our fir&s;t Parents, <HI>Adam,</HI> and <HI>Eve,</HI> or by their Eating the forbid|den Fruit.</P>
<PB N="17" REF="13">
<P>Q. <HI>Did all Mankind then fall in</HI> A|dam<HI>'s fir&s;t Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Yes, The Covenant of Works be|ing made with <HI>Adam,</HI> not only for him|&s;elf but for his Po&s;terity, all Mankind de&s;cending from him by ordinary Gene|ration, &s;inned in him, and fell with him in his fir&s;t Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What is the &s;infulne&s;s of that E&s;tate whereinto Man fell?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> The &s;infulne&s;s of that E&s;tate where|into Man fell, con&s;i&s;ts in the guilt of <HI>A|dam</HI>'s fir&s;t Sin, the want of Original Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and the Corruption of his whole Nature, (which is commonly called Original Sin) together with all actual Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions which proceed from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What is the Mi&s;ery of that E&s;tate whereinto Man fell?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> All Mankind by their Fall, lo&s;t Communion with God; are under his Wrath, and Cur&s;e, and &s;o made liable to all Mi&s;eries in this Life, to Death it &s;elf, and to the Pains of Hell for ever.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Did God leave all Mankind to pe|i&s;h in the E&s;tate of Sin and Mi&s;ery?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> No, God having out of his meer <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ood Plea&s;ure from all Eternity, elected <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ome to Everla&s;ting Life, did enter into
<PB N="18" REF="14">a Covenant of Grace, to deliver them out of the State of Sin, and Mi&s;ery, and to bring them into a State of Salvation by a Redeemer.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Who is the Redeemer of Gods Elect?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> The only Redeemer of Gods E|lect is the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who being the Eternal Son of God, became Man, and &s;o was, and continueth to be God and Man, in two di&s;tinct Natures and one Per&s;on for ever.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>How may we be made Partakers of the Redemption purcha&s;ed by Chri&s;t?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> We may be made Partakers of the Redemption purcha&s;ed by Chri&s;t, by the Effectual Application of it to us by his Holy Spirit.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>How doth the Spirit apply to us the Redemption purcha&s;ed by Christ?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> The Spirit applies to us the Re|demption purcha&s;ed by Chri&s;t, by work|ing Faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Chri&s;t in our Effectual Calling.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What is Effectual Calling?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Effectual Calling is the Work o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> God's Spirit, whereby convincing us of our Sin and Mi&s;ery, inlightening our Minds in the Knowledge of Chri&s;t, and renewing our Wills, he doth per&s;wade and enable us to embrace Je&s;us Chri&s;t as
<PB N="19" REF="14">he is freely offered to us in the Go|&s;pel.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What doth every Sin de&s;erve?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Every Sin de&s;erves God's Wrath and Cur&s;e, both in this Life, and that which is to come.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What doth God require of us to e&s;cape his Wrath and Cur&s;e, due to us for Sin?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> To e&s;cape the Wrath and Cur&s;e of God due to us for Sin, God requireth of us Faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Repentance unto Life, with a diligent u&s;e of all out|ward means, whereby Chri&s;t communi|cates to us the Benefits of Redemption.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What is Faith in Je&s;us Christ?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t is a &s;aving Grace, whereby we receive, and re&s;t up|on him alone for Salvation, as he is of|fered to us in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What is Repentance unto Life?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Repentance unto Life is a &s;aving Grace, whereby a Sinner out of a true Sen&s;e of his Sin, and Apprehen&s;ion of the Mercy of God in Chri&s;t, doth, with grief and hatred of his Sin, turn from it unto God, with Purpo&s;e of, and endea|vours after new Obedience.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What are the Outward, and Ordinary means whereby Chri&s;t communicateth to us the Benefits of Redemption?</HI></P>
<PB N="20" REF="15">
<P><HI>A.</HI> The Outward, and Ordinary Means whereby Chri&s;t communicateth to us the Benefits of Redemption, are his Ordinances; e&s;pecially the Word, Sa|craments, and Prayers, all which are made Effectual to the Elect for Salvati|on.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>Which be the Sacraments of the New Te&s;tament?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> The Sacraments of the New Te|&s;tament are Bapti&s;m, and the Lords Sup|per.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What is Bapti&s;m?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Bapti&s;m is an Holy Ordinance, in|&s;tituted by Chri&s;t, wherein the wa&s;hing with Water, in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy-Gho&s;t, doth Signifie and Seal our ingrafting into Chri&s;t, our Par|taking of the Benefits of the New Cove|nant, and our Engagement to be the Lords.</P>
<P>Q. <HI>What is the New-Covenant, of which Bapti&s;m is a Sign and Seal?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> The New-Covenant, or Covenant of Grace, is an Holy Contract, or A|greement between God, and his Elect in Chri&s;t; wherein, for the &s;ake of Chri&s;t, he promi&s;eth them Pardon and Life upon their Repenting of Sin, and believing in Chri&s;t the Saviour.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="15">
<P>Q. <HI>Do you heartily Con&s;ent to this Cove|nant of Grace with the Living and True God?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I Hope through Grace I do, and therefore I do here (as in the Pre&s;ence of God, and before this Congregation) &s;eriou&s;ly profe&s;s to Repent of my Sins again&s;t God, to renounce the World, the Fle&s;h, and the Devil; and to take the only Living and True God, Father, Son, and Spirit, for my only God and chief Good, my Father, Redeemer, and Sanctifier; and do give up my whole Self, Soul, and Body to be Gods Cove|nant Servant for ever.</P>
<P>When the&s;e Que&s;tions are thus AN|&s;wered, I apply my Self to the An&s;werer in the&s;e or the like Words.</P>
<P>Upon this credible Profe&s;&s;ion of the Chri&s;tian Faith, which you have now made, and your &s;olemn entering into Covenant with God; I as a Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t, do receive you in his Name, and &s;hall admini&s;ter this Holy Ordinance of Bapti&s;m to you; Exhorting, and Com|manding you to hold fa&s;t this Chri&s;tian Faith, and be faithful and &s;tedfa&s;t in keeping Covenant with God, yielding him chearful Obedience all your Days; that the Ble&s;&s;ings promi&s;ed in the Cove|nant
<PB N="22" REF="16">may be your Portion in Time and Eternity.</P>
<P>Then I admini&s;ter the Ordinance, by Dipping the Face of the Per&s;on in the Water, and &s;o clo&s;e the Action with Prayer, and the Ble&s;&s;ing.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of the Tran&s;ition, or pa&s;&s;ing of Church-Members from their Infant to their Adult|&s;tate, and of their Admi&s;&s;ion to the Lords-Supper, and full Communion with the Church.</HEAD>
<P>As it is the comfortable Priviledge of Chri&s;tian Parents, to bring their Chil|dren unto Chri&s;t in their Infancy, and to &s;ee them owned as in the &s;ame Cove|nant with God, together with them|&s;elves; by receiving Bapti&s;m, the Sign and Seal thereof; &s;o it is their unque&s;ti|onable Duty to in&s;truct them (as &s;oon as they are capable to Learn) in the Knowledge of God, and of the Covenant &s;olemnized in Bapti&s;m, the Nature, U&s;e, and Ends of it, and the Seals thereof; and to acquaint them (when grown up to Years of Under&s;tanding, and compe|tently in&s;tructed in the Chri&s;tian Religi|on) that it is their Duty, and will be their Intere&s;t to give their own actual,
<PB N="23" REF="16">and hearty Con&s;ent to their Bapti&s;mal-Covenant (&s;eeing the Con&s;ent of Parents in their behalf, will &s;erve them no long|er then until they are capable to Con&s;ent for them&s;elves) which if they refu&s;e or neglect to do, they forfeit the Benefits, and Ble&s;&s;ings of the Covenant. And that they ought to de&s;ire, and prepare for the Renewing of their Covenant with God, by receiving the Lords-Supper, that being the other confirming Seal thereof.</P>
<P>But alas! The Generality of Parents &s;infully, and &s;hamefully neglect the Souls of their Children, (and their own Souls too) at this Day; breeding them up in gro&s;s Ignorance of the very Foundation-Truths of Chri&s;tianity, by which means the mo&s;t of our Youth, either regard not Religion at all, or only content them|&s;elves to be now and then pre&s;ent in our Publick Religious A&s;&s;emblies, (to which they are led more by Cu&s;tom, and Ex|ample, then by any Sen&s;e of Religion, or Con&s;cience toward God) little mind|ing what is &s;aid, or done there, becau&s;e indeed they under&s;tand little of it, and &s;o are little the wi&s;er, or better for what they hear; Continue Strangers to the Life and Power of Godline&s;s, lie open to
<PB N="24" REF="17">Temptations, and are ea&s;ily carried a|way to Error, or Prophanene&s;s.</P>
<P>The Lord convince &s;uch Carele&s;s, and Cruel Parents of this crying Sin, give them Repentance, and quicken them to their neglected Duty toward the Souls of their Children, or el&s;e I fear the next Age will degenerate into down-right Heatheni&s;m, and Athei&s;m.</P>
<P>If any of them &s;hall ca&s;t their Eyes on this Paper, I intreat them to &s;pend one hour in the &s;erious Con&s;ideration of the&s;e few Particulars.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Con&s;ider the preciou&s;ne&s;s of your Childrens Souls, they are Heaven-born, Immortal Spirits, capable to know, fear, love and &s;erve the God that made them here, and to &s;ee and injoy him for ever hereafter: And &s;o are more worthy of your Love, and care than their Bodies; yea, one Soul is of greater value than the whole World; and &s;hould you not be much more concern'd for their pre&s;ent, and future Welfare and Happine&s;s? What? Will you &s;uffer &s;o precious a Thing as the Soul of a Child, to be lo&s;t for ever, through your &s;loth and care|le&s;ne&s;s? when your Love to them will make you ready to hazzard your own Lives, to &s;ave their Bodies from a Threat|ning Danger?</P>
<PB N="25" REF="17">
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Con&s;ider the need they have of In&s;truction, for they come into the World &s;piritually Blind, and Ignorant of God and Chri&s;t, yea of them&s;elves too; they know not their &s;inful, mi&s;erable, and dangerous State by Nature; the need they have of a Saviour, nor what they mu&s;t do to be &s;aved: The future Happine&s;s of Saints in Heaven, nor the dreadful Puni&s;hment of Sinners in Hell; and that which yet makes their Condition the more deplorable, is, that u&s;ually they de&s;ire not the Knowledge of the&s;e Things, but are rather unwilling to be In&s;tructed, and Love Darkne&s;s rather than Light.</P>
<P>Now one would think, you that have the Bowels of Parents, &s;hould Pity the Blind, Compa&s;&s;ionate your Ignorant Children, and do what you can for their Cure; though you were under no other Law, but that of Nature to do it.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Con&s;ider, God hath made it your indi&s;pen&s;ible Duty by his Po&s;itive, and expre&s;s Command to Teach your Children, his Revealed Mind and Will, with the greate&s;t Care, Con&s;tancy, and Diligence. Read, and weigh tho&s;e Scrip|tures, <HI>Deut.</HI> 6.6, 7. <HI>Prov.</HI> 22.6. <HI>Eph.</HI> 6.4. So that it is no Arbitrary Thing, nor
<PB N="26" REF="18">left to your Plea&s;ure to do it or not; your neglect of it is a direct Di&s;obedience to the Law of God, and how will you be able to An&s;wer it to God in the Day of your Account?</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> Con&s;ider, God hath intru&s;t|ed you with Authority over your Chil|dren, to Command them to Learn the Knowledge of God, and of his Will, and to obey it; and hath commanded your Chil|dren to Honour and Obey you herein, and expects you &s;hould u&s;e your Autho|rity over them; e&s;pecially to this End, and Godly Parents have &s;o done, and are commended in Scripture for it. Read and Con&s;ider, <HI>Eph.</HI> 6.1, 2, 3. 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 28.9. <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.19.</P>
<P>You U&s;e this Power over them for your &s;elves, in requiring them to Obey your Wills; and will you not al&s;o u&s;e it for your God, who gave it, and for the good of your dear Childrens Souls?</P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> Con&s;ider, if your Children Live and Dye in Ignorance of Soul-&s;a|ving Truths, they will peri&s;h for ever; and if they do &s;o through your default, or neglect of In&s;tructing them, their Sin will hereby become yours; and God will require their Blood at your Hands. See <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 26.11. 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 1.7, 8, 9.</P>
<PB N="27" REF="18">
<P>Now, do you not cry out of tho&s;e, as Mon&s;ters in Nature, Wolves, and Tygers in humane Shape; yea wor&s;e than Bea&s;ts, who Murder their own Children, and imbrue their Hands in their own tender Infants Blood? How much greater Mon&s;ters are tho&s;e Parents, who &s;tarve the Souls of their Children, by with-holding &s;piritual Food from them, and &s;o help them forward to|ward Eternal De&s;truction: And are you willing to be found in the number of &s;uch bloody Parents at the la&s;t Day, and to have your Portion with them for ever?</P>
<P>If the&s;e Con&s;iderations have convin|ced you, how &s;inful your neglects of in&s;tructing your Children and Families have been, and impre&s;&s;ed your Souls with &s;uch a Sen&s;e of your Duty, that you re&s;olve upon it in the Strength of Chri&s;t for the Time to come? This will prepare you to accept of, and hearken to a Word of Coun&s;el, which I will of|fer you al&s;o in a few Particulars.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> See that you are well acquainted with the Knowledge of God and Chri&s;t, his Will and Wor&s;hip, your &s;elves, that you may be capable of Teaching your Children; Remember God requires Pa|rents
<PB N="28" REF="19">fir&s;t to get his Word into their own Hearts, and then to <HI>Teach them di|ligently to their Children,</HI> Deut. 6.6. 'Tis impo&s;&s;ible for you to in&s;truct others in that, which you have not learnt your &s;elves.</P>
<P>It's very &s;ad to ob&s;erve, that many Parents are but Children in Under&s;tan|ding, and that when for the Time they have lived under the Means of Know|ledge, they might have been &s;uch good Proficients, or Schollars in the School of Chri&s;t, as to be able to Teach their Fa|milies, they them&s;elves need to be taught the fir&s;t Principles of the Oracles of God, as <HI>Heb.</HI> 5.12.</P>
<P>I am per&s;waded this is the Grand (though not the only) Rea&s;on, why Family-duties are &s;o generally di&s;u&s;ed at this Day, 'tis not &s;o much out of a di&s;|like of, or a Malignity again&s;t the work it &s;elf in many; as for want of Ability to perform it, and this Impediment can be no ways removed, but by the Ble&s;&s;ing of God on a diligent u&s;e of due Means for the obtaining &s;uch an Ability. There|fore, if you are indeed too Ignorant of the Will of God, be a&s;hamed of your Ig|norance and Sloth, but not a&s;hamed to Learn, though Late, yet better late then never.</P>
<PB N="29" REF="19">
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Having got a competent Mea|&s;ure of Knowledge your &s;elves, begin your Work of Teaching your Children betimes; be dropping and in&s;tilling, &s;ome of the plaine&s;t, ea&s;ie&s;t and mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary Truths into them, as &s;oon as you find them capable to Learn, and to remember. Be frequent at it, to Im|pre&s;s them the more firmly on their Me|mories; when they can Read, put Cate|chi&s;ms into their Hands, and require them to Learn them, to Read the Holy Scriptures daily, Hear Sermons, and take Account of them, what they Remem|ber; and Di&s;cour&s;e with them about the Truths heard, to help them to a clearer Under&s;tanding of them; and labour to affect their Hearts with tho&s;e Truths that chiefly concern them; and Charge them e&s;pecially to commit &s;uch to their Memo|ries, encouraging the Diligent, by your Commendations and Rewards, and quic|kening the Negligent, by Reproofs and moderate Corrections.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Be much in Prayer to God, both for and with your Children, beg|ging a Ble&s;&s;ing on your In&s;tructions; Pray your &s;elves, and teach them to Pray, that God would &s;econd your en|deavours, and &s;ucceed all the Means u&s;ed
<PB N="30" REF="20">for their In&s;tructions by the Inward and Effectual Teaching of his Holy Spirit, to open their Under&s;tanding, &s;trengthen and &s;anctifie their Memories, <HI>Write his Law in their Hearts, and put his Truth in|to their Inward Parts;</HI> that they may un|der&s;tand &s;piritual Truths &s;piritually, and be made wi&s;e to Salvation.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> Set before your Children a good Example of Sobriety, Righteou&s;|ne&s;s and Holine&s;s in your own Lives; &s;econd your Godly In&s;tructions with a Godly Conver&s;ation; let them &s;ee by your own Obedience to the Will of God, that you believe the Truths which you teach them; and pre&s;s no other Duties on them, than what you make Con&s;cience to per|form your &s;elves: Then will your In&s;tru|ctions be mo&s;t like to prove Effectual, for your Children are naturally prone to imi|tate you in their Practice; more apt to be led by the Eye then by the Ear, and more inclinable to do as you do, than as you &s;ay, or Command.</P>
<P>Could you be per&s;waded to follow the&s;e plain and nece&s;&s;ary Coun&s;els, your Children would have the Benefit, you would have the Comfort, the Church would be Enlarged, and God would be Glorified: And what &s;hould you not be
<PB N="31" REF="20">willing to do within your Power for &s;uch de&s;irable Ends as the&s;e?</P>
<P>But if any Chri&s;tian Parents remain yet unper&s;wadable by the&s;e Arguments, to &s;et about this Duty, their &s;inful neg|lect will become the more inexcu&s;able, and them&s;elves the more unworthy of that Honourable Name by which they are called.</P>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed be God, there are yet &s;ome Pious Parents left among us, who have a Sen&s;e of their Duty; and endeavour to bring up their Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord; and I hope the late unanimous Labours of the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t in and about this Ci|ty, pre&s;&s;ing their re&s;pective Congregati|ons to the Revival of Family-wor&s;hip, have been &s;ignally Ble&s;&s;ed for the In|crea&s;e of the Number of &s;uch, and that this is one good pre&s;age of Gods conti|nuing his Candle&s;tick in the mid&s;t of us. For Religious Families are the Seed-Plots of Piety, and the Nur&s;eries of the Church, &s;o that if the&s;e flouri&s;h (which God grant) the Church will from them be &s;upplied and enlarged.</P>
<P>There are al&s;o &s;ome Adult Per&s;ons whom (though their Parents wretch|edly neglected their Souls in their Mino|rity,
<PB N="32" REF="21">yet) God is plea&s;ed to awaken and Inlighten, Convince and Convert by the Publick Mini&s;try, and &s;o are brought into Chri&s;t, and joyn them&s;elves for full Communion with the Particular Churches of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Though alas! the Number of Con|verts in our Days is &s;mall in Compari&s;on with what hath been in former Ages; as Go&s;pel-Mini&s;ters generally ob&s;erve to their Grief, and this proves us to be up|on the decaying Hand.</P>
<P>And though it be the certain Duty of all Adult Per&s;ons, that make a &s;erious Profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;tianity to joyn them|&s;elves to &s;ome Particular Church in Or|der to a Participation of all Go&s;pel-Or|dinances, and Church-Priviledges, yet the far greater Number live in the &s;hame|ful neglect hereof, &s;ome to thirty, for|ty, yea fifty Years of Age, and yet never received the Lords-Supper.</P>
<P>The&s;e may properly be call'd Chri&s;ti|ans at large, or loo&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors, if not for the Loo&s;ene&s;s, and Immoralities of their Lives, yet for &s;itting &s;o loo&s;e from the &s;tricter Rules of Religion, and for their backwardne&s;s to come wholly un|der the Yoke of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, though it be really a far ea&s;ier Yoke than that of Sin.
<PB N="33" REF="21">To &s;uch as the&s;e I would in the next Place make an Addre&s;s, attempting to Convince them of, and di&s;&s;uade them from their Sin, and to in&s;truct them in, and per&s;uade them to their Duty.</P>
<P>For your Conviction, I offer you the&s;e following Con&s;iderations.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Con&s;ider, until you are Joyned to &s;ome Particular Church of Chri&s;t, you come not under the &s;pecial Care, Guidance and Over&s;ight of any Pa&s;tor, and &s;o lo&s;e the Spiritual Benefit of that Relation, which may be a greater Dam|mage to your Souls, then you are aware of; for in divers Ca&s;es you will need their &s;pecial help by Way of Councel, In&s;truction, Support, or Comfort, to An&s;wer your Doubts, Encourage you a|gain&s;t your Fears, Succour you under Temptations, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> The want of a skilful and faithful Soul-friend in &s;uch Ca&s;es would be greatly Prejudicial to you.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Con&s;ider, until you are thus Joyned, you neglect one of the Holy Or|dinances of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t his Supper, the la&s;t that he In&s;tituted, left as a &s;tanding Monument of his Matchle&s;s Love to his Church in Dying for it, and as a means to Perpetuate the Memory thereof in all Future Ages, and as ano|ther
<PB N="32" REF="22">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="33" REF="22">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="34" REF="23">Sign and Seal of the Covenant of Grace. An Ordinance, wherein he pro|po&s;eth him&s;elf as the &s;piritual Food of Believers, to refre&s;h and &s;atisfie their Souls, increa&s;e their Grace, and nouri&s;h them to Life Eternal; &s;o that by the neg|lect of this Ordinance,</P>
<P N="1">1. You Contract the guilt of great Sin upon your Souls, for it is a direct Di&s;|obedience to the expre&s;s Command of Chri&s;t, who &s;aith, <HI>Take, Eat,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Drink ye all of it, and Do this in Remembrance of me.</HI> Therefore to neglect it, is practi|cally to forget Chri&s;t, and if you forget him, how can you Hope he will remem|ber you?</P>
<P N="2">2. You lo&s;e the Spiritual Benefit and Comfort of this Ordinance, the nouri&s;h|ment and &s;trengthening of your Souls in Grace, which you need as well as others, and hereby give God ju&s;t Cau&s;e to with|hold his Ble&s;&s;ing from other Ordinances; And is this a lo&s;s that you can ea&s;ily bear? Is it much at one with you, whether you Profit by the Means of Grace, or no? If &s;o, you are (doubtle&s;s) yet &s;trangers to Chri&s;t and Grace, and in a wretched State.</P>
<P N="3">3. You Grieve and Di&s;courage, the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t in their Work, and
<PB N="35" REF="23">give them occa&s;ion to fear that all their Labours are lo&s;t upon you; That you be|lieve not their true Reports of the Will of God, nor make due Application of the Word they Preach, to your own Hearts, and Lives, and &s;o receive this Grace of God in Vain. This mu&s;t needs &s;adden the Hearts, and weaken the Hands of the Servants of Chri&s;t in their Work.</P>
<P N="4">4. You Scandalize other Chri&s;tians, and Tempt them to think that you are but Formali&s;ts, and Hypocrites, taking up only with an empty Name, and Pro|fe&s;&s;ion of Religion, but ignorant of the Life and Power of Godline&s;s. To be &s;ure if you have Grace, the neglect of this Ordinance, (which is appointed as a Principal Means to &s;trengthen and in|crea&s;e it) is a plain Evidence, that your Grace is but &s;mall, and weak, and rather on the decaying than growing Hand.</P>
<P N="5">5. You &s;et an ill Example before Young|er Per&s;ons, and Tempt them to live in the neglect of this Ordinance al&s;o, (for they are more apt to follow Evil Exam|ples than Good) they will be ready (through Ignorance) to Conclude, that it is no Sin, becau&s;e they &s;ee you, their Elders and Betters do &s;o; and that Par|taking of this Ordinance is no nece&s;&s;ary
<PB N="36" REF="24">Duty, but a meer Arbitrary Thing, that may be done, or not done at Plea|&s;ure; And would you be guilty of lead|ing Young Ones into &s;uch an Error? Do you not &s;ee the malignant Influence of bad Examples on the mo&s;t of Mankind, e&s;pecially on Youth? And do you not know that you Contract the guilt of all the Sins of others, into which they are drawn by your Example? And have you not Sins enough of your own? O there|fore beware of partaking with other Mens Sins, keep your &s;elves Pure, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5.22. And do not Live in the neglect of this Ordinance any longer for others Sakes, as well as for your own.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Con&s;ider, until you are Joyn|ed to &s;ome Particular Church of Chri&s;t, you loo&s;e the Benefit al&s;o of divers other Church Priviledges, &s;uch as Communion with the Choice&s;t, and mo&s;t Experien|ced Chri&s;tians, an Intere&s;t in their &s;pe|cial Love, their Watchfulne&s;s over you, and Helpfulne&s;s to you by In&s;tructions, Admonitions, Exhortations, Sympathy in your Afflictions, Con&s;olations, Com|munication of Experiences, Prayers, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And no wi&s;e Per&s;on would &s;light &s;uch Priviledges, and &s;piritual Helps as the&s;e that knows how needful and u&s;eful they
<PB N="37" REF="24">may be to him in this imperfect State.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> Con&s;ider, until you are Joyn|ed to &s;ome Particular Church of Chri&s;t, you lye more open to Temptations from your Souls Enemies, and will be more ea&s;ily overcome by them, for the Sen&s;e and Con&s;ideration of tho&s;e &s;olemn and &s;acred Bonds, which you have laid upon your Souls, by a Publick owning your Bapti&s;mal Covenant, and actual Renew|ing of it in Receiving the Lord's Supper; will be apt mightily to awe your Con|&s;ciences, keep you clo&s;er to your Duties, and make you more watchful, and re&s;o|lute again&s;t Temptations, and ready to cry out, when a&s;&s;aulted, <HI>How &s;hall I do this great Wickedne&s;s, and Sin again&s;t that God,</HI> whom I have cho&s;en, and to whom I have given up my Self, to Love, Fear, Obey, and Serve him in an Holy Cove|nant for ever?</P>
<P>Let the&s;e, and &s;uch like Things be &s;e|riou&s;ly Con&s;idered, until you are Con|vinced of the &s;infulne&s;s of your Neglects, and humbled for them, and convinced al&s;o of your Duty, and made willing to &s;et upon it, <HI>I &s;ay Willing;</HI> for I think it very &s;inful to force Per&s;ons into Church|es, or frighten them into that Partici|pation of Sacraments by Threatning Pe|nal
<PB N="38" REF="25">Laws, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Seeing I find not, that Chri&s;t the Head of the Church, hath en|tru&s;ted any Man, or Society of Men with &s;uch a Coercive Power, or that he would have any pre&s;t into his Service. Cer|tainly he accepts of none but Volunteers, and though none are &s;uch by Nature, he makes all tho&s;e &s;uch by efficacious Grace, whom he receives. 'Tis true, Chri&s;t Commanded his Servants, Go&s;pel-Mini|&s;ters, to Compel Men to come in to his &s;piritual Fea&s;t, <HI>Luke</HI> 14.23. But &s;urely he means not, that they &s;hould u&s;e any outward Violence to their Per&s;ons, or drive them in by Staves, Whips, or Swords. No, nor with Pecuniary Mulcts, or Fines, for the u&s;e of the&s;e belong only to the Civil Magi&s;trate. Chri&s;t com|mitted no Civil Power to his Mini&s;ters; Their Bu&s;ine&s;s was with Mens Souls, which they were to deal with in a Way agreeable to their Rational Nature; pro|po&s;ing to them weighty Arguments to invite, and per&s;wade them to accept of the Kindne&s;s offered, and though the&s;e alone are not &s;ufficient to prevail upon the depraved Wills of Men; yet God, Joyning the Inward Powerful Workings of his Holy Spirit, to the outward Mini|&s;try of the Word, makes them effectual|ly
<PB N="39" REF="25">per&s;ua&s;ive to all his Elect, and of un|willing, makes them Willing <HI>in the Day of his Power,</HI> as <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 110.3. For the Will of Man is not to be forced. Indeed the Compul&s;ion there &s;poken of, &s;ignifies no more than a Loving Invitation, or Bidding; and &s;o 'tis expre&s;s'd by another Evangeli&s;t, <HI>Mat.</HI> 22.3. Chri&s;t &s;ent forth his Servants to call them that were bid|den to the Wedding, and they would not come; Chri&s;t doth not &s;ay, Then force them again&s;t their Wills to Come, or Puni&s;h, Fine, Excommunicate, or Im|pri&s;on them for their Refu&s;al; he will him&s;elf call Men to an account for &s;light|ing his Invitation in his own Time, and therefore I think they ought to be left to him.</P>
<P>In the mean while, I mu&s;t profe&s;s I cannot find any warrant in Scripture for Admi&s;&s;ion of all Per&s;ons though never &s;o Ignorant, or Prophane to the Lord's Table: Surely the Mini&s;ters of the Go|&s;pel [whom Chri&s;t hath intru&s;ted with the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven] &s;hould not &s;uffer the Lords Table to be made [like the Table of a Common Or|dinary] Free for all Comers, nor ca&s;t Chri&s;t's Holy Things, to known Dogs and Swine. Who ever dares to do &s;o,
<PB N="40" REF="26">mu&s;t be accountable to Chri&s;t for it, who is Jealous for his own Name, and will not hold them guiltle&s;s that either pollute or prophane his &s;acred In&s;tituti|ons, or permit others to do it, when it is in their Power to prevent it.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall leave &s;uch, to An&s;wer for the&s;e Crimes at his Righteous Bar, who will have no re&s;pect to Per&s;ons in Judg|ment. And &s;hould now proceed to the next Thing intended, which is to In|&s;truct &s;uch as by the forementioned Con|&s;iderations, are Convinced of their &s;inful Neglects of this Holy Ordinance, and to &s;hew them their Duty; But that I meet with divers Objections, which &s;ome make again&s;t their Approaching this Ho|ly Supper, which mu&s;t be an&s;wer'd, be|cau&s;e they lie as Stumbling-blocks in their Way, and are &s;ometimes pleaded as Excu&s;es for their Sin. They are &s;uch as the&s;e,</P>
<P>Obj. 1. <HI>Some &s;ay, we think our &s;elves unworthy to Partake of this Holy Ordinance, therefore we come not to it.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. If you mean by unworthine&s;s that you de&s;erve it not, this &s;hould not keep you from it; for all that are Parta|kers of it, are thus unworthy. We are all unworthy of our common Food for our
<PB N="41" REF="26">Bodies, much more unworthy of this Ho|ly Food for our Souls; and the deeper Sen&s;e you have of this unworthine&s;s, the more Worthy you are in Gods account.</P>
<P N="2">2. If you have a Go&s;pel-right to this Ordinance, and a Go&s;pel-&s;itne&s;s, or Pre|paredne&s;s for it, you are worthy in a Go|&s;pel-&s;en&s;e to be Partakers of it. See then that you are thus qualified, and come.</P>
<P>Obj. 2. <HI>But we fear we are not fitted, or prepared enough to approach this Holy Ta|ble, and this keeps us off.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. It may be you do not rightly under&s;tand what that Fitne&s;s, or Prepa|redne&s;s is, that you ought to have, and &s;o your Ignorance may occa&s;ion your fears: If &s;o, your next Duty is, to get the Knowledge thereof, and then Exa|mine your &s;elves, whether you have it or no.</P>
<P>The <HI>Sacramental Catechi&s;m</HI> will in&s;truct you herein.</P>
<P N="2">2. Your Unfitne&s;s, and Unpreparedne&s;s is your Sin, becau&s;e you ought to be fit, and have &s;ufficient means to make you &s;o; therefore to Plead this for your for|bearance of this Ordinance, is to excu&s;e one Sin by another, which is a Plea that God will not allow of.</P>
<P N="3">3. It may be &s;ome that make this Ob|jection,
<PB N="42" REF="27">are better prepared then they take them&s;elves to be. For there are ma|ny &s;incere Chri&s;tians, who being natu|rally of a Melancholly Temper, or of a Timerous Spirit; and having mean Thoughts of them&s;elves, are full of Jea|lou&s;ies, and Fears, concerning their own Sincerity, and afraid of being found Hy|pocrites at la&s;t. Whereas this is one good Sign of their Sincerity, that they are Self-&s;u&s;picious, and &s;uch (though they come Trembling to this Ordinance) are more fit, and worthy; and &s;o like to be more Welcome Gue&s;ts at the Lords-Ta|ble, than many of tho&s;e who approach it with great Confidence; but over-looking or not clearly di&s;cerning the Grace of God in them&s;elves, they want the Com|fort, and &s;o give not God the Glory of his Grace. Now &s;uch as the&s;e &s;hould not re&s;t &s;atisfied, in their own Judgment of the State of their Souls, but &s;eek to &s;ome Judicious Mini&s;ter for &s;piritual Coun&s;el, and help herein.</P>
<P N="4">4. If you are not yet fit, when will you be &s;o? Hath not God given you ma|ny Years to prepare for this Ordinance? And are you not &s;till as unfit as ever? Yea more unfit now then you have for|merly been? Whereas in a few Days,
<PB N="43" REF="27">well improved, you might have gotten a Go&s;pel-fitne&s;s.</P>
<P N="5">5. If you are not prepared for this Ordinance, doubtle&s;s, you are not pre|pared for Death, and how dare you live unprepared for that, one Day or Hour; &s;eeing you know you mu&s;t Dye e're long, and you may dye &s;oon, even this Day or Hour; and &s;hould you dye in an un|prepared State, mu&s;t you not be mi&s;era|ble for ever? O let the &s;erious Con&s;ide|ration of this Danger, quicken you to prepare for Death, and then you will be prepared for this Ordinance al&s;o.</P>
<P N="6">6. What hath hitherto hindred your Preparation? Hath it not been want of a Sen&s;e of your Duty, to wait on God in the U&s;e of this, as well as of other Ordinances? And of your need of it for &s;piritual Ends? Your worldly Cares, and Incumbrances, your Love to &s;ome Sin, or other, and loathne&s;s to leave it, or your Sloath and Carele&s;sne&s;s about your Souls Concerns? Doubtle&s;s the&s;e have been the Ob&s;tructions that have kept you back from your Duty, and the&s;e are Sins, and mu&s;t be repented of, and turn|ed from, if ever you be &s;aved: There|fore &s;et upon this Work pre&s;ently.</P>
<P>Obj. 3. <HI>But (others &s;ay) &s;ome Mini|&s;ters,
<PB N="44" REF="28">will not admit us to this Ordinance, without a &s;trict Examination of us; they require we &s;hould have a great deal of Knowledge, and we fear they will ask us &s;uch Que&s;tions, as we &s;hall not be able to An&s;wer, and then we &s;hall be turned away with Shame.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1, The Mini&s;ters, or Pa&s;tors of Churches are (under Chri&s;t) your &s;pi|ritual Guides, and Over&s;eers, and &s;o|lemnly Charged to take heed both to Them&s;elves, and to their Re&s;pective Flocks, as <HI>Acts</HI> 20.28. And <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.17. They are entru&s;ted by Chri&s;t, the Chief-&s;hepherd with the Care of your Souls, and mu&s;t give an account to him of them in the Great Day.</P>
<P>He hath Empower'd them to teach and Rule his Church under him, and by his Laws, and will you not allow them to do their Duty? And inquire into the State of your Souls, and take heed whom they admit to meddle with the&s;e Holy Things? Would it not be great unfaith|fulne&s;s both to your Souls and their own too, if they neglect their Duty?</P>
<P N="2">2. No Prudent Mini&s;ter will ask you any Que&s;tions, but &s;uch as you &s;hould be able to An&s;wer. If you are Adult, or grown Per&s;ons, and Educated under the
<PB N="45" REF="28">Mini&s;try of the Go&s;pel, and &s;uch as re|late to Things nece&s;&s;ary to be known, to make you Wi&s;e unto Salvation. They only inquire, whether you under&s;tand, in &s;ome Competent Mea&s;ure, the Religi|on you profe&s;s, and Soul-&s;aving Truth; de&s;iring to know what need you have of their Help by Way of In&s;truction, and have you any Rea&s;on to be again&s;t this? Surely, did you well under&s;tand your own Intere&s;t, and Wants; you would be&s;eech the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t to give you their A&s;&s;i&s;tance in your Souls-con|cerns, and thankfully accept it when of|fered to you.</P>
<P N="3">3 Inquire of tho&s;e that have been with Mini&s;ters on this Occa&s;ion, and have been Examined, and In&s;tructed by them, and &s;o admitted when duly qualified; and hear what they &s;ay concerning this Mat|ter, and whether they Repent of their Applications to them, and Conver&s;es with them? Or whether they have found &s;piritual Benefit thereby; If &s;o, let that encourage you to go, and do likewi&s;e, and &s;uffer not Mini&s;ters to be Mi&s;repre|&s;ented, and your Selves abu&s;ed, and pre|judiced again&s;t them by flying, and fal&s;e Reports, or your own evil Surmi&s;es.</P>
<P N="4">4. Suppo&s;e the wor&s;t, that Mini&s;ters
<PB N="46" REF="29">upon Conver&s;ing with you, &s;hould not find you duly qualified for this Ordi|nance, will it do you any hurt, to be brought to a better Knowledge, of the State of your own Souls, and to be coun|&s;elled, and directed by tho&s;e that are wi&s;er than your Selves what to do, that you may get due Qualifications? And this is the wor&s;t Treatment, you are like to find at Mini&s;ters Hands.</P>
<P N="5">5. Con&s;ider this &s;eriou&s;ly, if any Pro|phane, or Unworthy Per&s;ons &s;hould be admitted to this Holy Ordinance, thro' the neglect of Mini&s;ters, their Propha|nation of it would be ju&s;tly chargeable on &s;uch Mini&s;ters; and therefore Love to their own Souls, as well as to the Souls of others, &s;hould make them care|ful in this Matter. This made Holy <HI>Calvin,</HI> that Ble&s;&s;ed In&s;trument of the Reformation, deny the Lords-Supper to one <HI>Bartherius</HI> and other <HI>Servetians,</HI> who were mo&s;t unworthy of it, tho &s;ome (called Prote&s;tants) ro&s;e up again&s;t him for it, &s;o that he was ready (if not al|together forced) to leave <HI>Geneva</HI> for a Time, yet bearing up his Chri&s;tian Cou|rage, he &s;aid, I (like <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI>) will rather &s;uffer Death, than that this Hand of mine &s;hould give the Holy Things of
<PB N="47" REF="29">the Lord (that is the Lords-Supper) to the adjudged Contemners of God. [<HI>Melch. Adam</HI> in the Life of <HI>Calvin:</HI>] Now &s;hould not every faithful Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t be as careful to keep this Ordi|nance of Chri&s;t from Prophanation, and their own Souls from Participation of o|ther Mens Sins as he? Doubtle&s;s they &s;hould.</P>
<P N="6">6. You do not forbear to Con&s;ult a Lawyer about your E&s;tates, or a Phy&s;i|cian about your Bodies, (when occa&s;ion requires it) for fear they will ask you &s;uch Que&s;tions as you cannot an&s;wer. But you willingly &s;ubmit to their Inqui|ries, becau&s;e you know it is nece&s;&s;ary that they &s;hould under&s;tand your Ca&s;e, that they may give you proper and a|greeable Coun&s;el, and Advice; and &s;hould you not be as willing to &s;ubmit to the Inquiries of Go&s;pel-Mini&s;ters, (the Coun&s;ellors, and Phy&s;icians of your Souls) that they may know your Spiri|tual State, and give you &s;uch Coun&s;el as is &s;uitable to it?</P>
<P>Obj. 4. <HI>But we are a&s;hamed to come be|fore Mini&s;ters, and have not Confidence e|nough to Di&s;cour&s;e with them, nor are we a|ble to expre&s;s our Minds to them, or give an account to them of our Knowledge.</HI></P>
<PB N="48" REF="30">
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. You &s;hould be a&s;hamed of no|thing, but Sin: To be a&s;hamed of Duty, or of what is good, is a &s;inful Shame, and you have Rea&s;on to be a&s;hamed of &s;uch a Shame, and Repent of it, and Pray a|gain&s;t it, until you are Cured of it. Yet,</P>
<P N="2">2. It mu&s;t be granted, there is a natu|ral Ba&s;hfulne&s;s, in &s;ome (e&s;pecially in tho&s;e of the weaker Sex, and in Youth) that is not ea&s;ily Conquered; this Mini|&s;ters do well Under&s;tand, and therefore Prudence will direct them to Treat &s;uch, with the greater Tenderne&s;s and Mild|ne&s;s.</P>
<P N="3">3. Mini&s;ters will not expect that &s;uch &s;hould expre&s;s the Sen&s;e of their Minds with that readine&s;s, that others of a bolder Spirit may, but will wi&s;ely con|&s;ider their Weakne&s;s, and di&s;cern Since|rity under Imperfection.</P>
<P>Obj. 5. <HI>But (others &s;ay) we are a|fraid to come to this Holy Ordinance, lea&s;t we &s;hould</HI> Eat and Drink unworthily, <HI>for we &s;hould thereby become</HI> Guilty of the Bo|dy and Blood of the Lord, and Eat, and Drink Damnation to our &s;elves, <HI>as the Apo&s;tle &s;ays,</HI> 1 Cor. 11.27, 29. <HI>And we dare not run &s;uch an Hazzard as this.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. It mu&s;t be granted, that it is
<PB N="49" REF="30">very hazardous for all wicked and grace|le&s;s Per&s;ons to meddle with this Holy Or|dinance, for they cannot but abu&s;e and Prophane it, and &s;o bring them&s;elves under great Guilt, and become liable to great Puni&s;hment for it; therefore none &s;uch &s;hould dare to Approach this Or|dinance, until they Repent of their Sins, and are Converted; this Ordinance be|ing appointed, not to work Grace, where it is wanting, but to Increa&s;e and Strengthen it where it is already wrought; 'tis Childrens Bread, and not to be giv|en unto Dogs. Yet know,</P>
<P N="2">2. If you are yet in a gracele&s;s State, you are already in danger of Damnati|on for your other Sins, though you keep from the guilt of this; and &s;o &s;hould as much fear it, as tho&s;e that are guilty of this Sin. Nor is this Sin unpardonable, but upon true Repentance, both hath been, and may be forgiven.</P>
<P N="3">3. The Sin of Eating, and Drinking unworthily lies in a Per&s;ons not di&s;cern|ing the Lords Body; that is, in not di|&s;tingui&s;hing, or not putting a difference between Ordinary, and Common Bread, and this Sacramental and Holy Bread, by which the Body of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t is &s;ignified and repre&s;ented, and
<PB N="50" REF="31">in u&s;ing this Bread with as little Prepa|ration, Care, Regard, and Reverence as he doth the other.</P>
<P>Now gracious Souls know, there is a great difference between Common Bread and this Holy Bread, and therefore will take due care to u&s;e it in an Holy and Re|verent Manner; and &s;o keep from the guilt of unworthy Partaking, though they are not altogether free from &s;inful Weakne&s;&s;es and Infirmities in this, as well as in other Duties, which yet &s;hould not keep them off from this Ordinance; becau&s;e, upon their Repentance, they are Pardoned to them for Chri&s;ts &s;ake.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Threatning mentioned in the Text, of Damnation, or Judgment, is not de&s;igned by the Apo&s;tle to affrighten Chri&s;tians from this Ordinance, but to Caution them again&s;t the Prophanation of it.</P>
<P N="5">5. Con&s;ider, that the neglect of a known Duty, and turning your backs up|on an Ordinance of Chri&s;t, is a Sin, and makes liable to Damnation, or Judg|ment, as well as the ill performance of a Duty, or the Partaking of an Ordinance unworthily; and you ought to fear the one, as well as the other. It is well worth your Con&s;ideration, what Chri&s;t inti|mates
<PB N="51" REF="31">to us in that Parable of the Mar|riage-Fea&s;t of the Kings Son, <HI>Mat.</HI> 22. That tho&s;e who made Light of the Gra|cious Invitation, and refu&s;ed to come, were at la&s;t as blame-worthy as tho&s;e who came without a Wedding Garment; and therefore as he was Puni&s;hed for his Defect, &s;o were they for their Di&s;obedi|ence; And mo&s;t de&s;ervedly, for of the two, they were the greater Sinners, it being a greater Sign of Contempt wholly to neglect an Ordinance of Chri&s;t, than to Partake of it without &s;ome due Qua|lifications (as one well Ob&s;erves) &s;o that the only way to avoid the Danger on both Hands, is to examine your &s;elves carefully concerning your Right to, and fitne&s;s for this Ordinance, and when you have an Evidence of the&s;e, &s;o Eat of this Bread, and Drink of this Cup with Ho|ly Care and Reverence.</P>
<P>Obj. 6. <HI>But we fear to come to this Ho|ly Ordinance, le&s;t we &s;hould Sin again af|ter it, and then what will become of us?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. It mu&s;t be acknowledged you have Cau&s;e enough to fear &s;inning after this Ordinance, as well as before, while you are liable to Temptations from with|out, and have Corruption remaining within you, inclining you to clo&s;e with
<PB N="52" REF="32">them. The Sen&s;e of your danger &s;hould make you to watch again&s;t Temptations, and Occa&s;ions of Sin, and nouri&s;h in you a fear of Caution. Such a fear (while it keeps within its due Bounds) is your Duty, and of great u&s;e to prevent Sin. But it is immoderate and &s;inful, if it makes you neglect another known Duty (as Receiving the Lords-Supper is) and no better than being guilty of one Sin to avoid another.</P>
<P N="2">2. There is not a Child of God on Earth, that is perfectly free from the danger of &s;inning, while he is in this im|perfect, tempted State, and you may not expect to be freed from it any more than others; &s;o that if none &s;hould come to this Ordinance, but &s;uch as live without Sin, we mu&s;t all lay a&s;ide the U&s;e of it, for there are no &s;uch Per&s;ons on this &s;ide Heaven, <HI>Eccl.</HI> 7.20. 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.8. <HI>James</HI> 3.2.</P>
<P N="3">3. Know that the right U&s;e of this Ordinance, is a good mean to keep you from &s;inning, being a &s;olemn renewing your Covenant with God, and a new Bond laid on your Souls to love and &s;erve the Lord, and walk the more Circum|&s;pectly, and a means to &s;trengthen Grace in you.</P>
<P N="4"><PB N="53" REF="32">4. If you do Sin after your Partaking of this Ordinance, you have no Rea&s;on to de&s;pair of Mercy, as if this did render your Sin unpardonable; but your Duty is to renew your Repentance for it, to pray for Pardon of it, and Power again&s;t it, and to &s;tand more &s;trictly on your Guard for Time to come. Then you have Scripture ground to hope for Par|don, 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.1, 2. <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 32.5, 6. <HI>Jer.</HI> 3.22. Read and Con&s;ider tho&s;e Scriptures well.</P>
<P N="5">5. Beware, that it be not a &s;ecret Love to &s;ome Sin, or other, and loth|ne&s;s to part with it, that keeps you from this Ordinance, what ever el&s;e may be pretended. Be very Jealous of your own Heart, <HI>for the Heart of Man is deceitful above all Things;</HI> Examine your &s;elves therefore very &s;trictly, lea&s;t this &s;hould lye at the bottom; but if you find you are indeed willing to part with every Sin, and to obey every Command of Chri&s;t, though you cannot live a &s;inle&s;s Life, yet you have no ju&s;t Cau&s;e to fear coming to this Ordinance.</P>
<P>Obj. 7. <HI>But there are &s;o many different Opinions, and Sects among Profe&s;&s;ors of Re|ligion, &s;ome &s;aying their Church is the True Church, and others &s;aying theirs is &s;o, that
<PB N="54" REF="33">we are at a lo&s;s, and know not which to Joyn our &s;elves to.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. It is greatly to be lamented, that there are &s;uch Differences and Divi|&s;ions in Matters of Religion among us, and Woe be to the Cau&s;ers and Fomen|ters of them: They will never be able to An&s;wer it to our Lord Je&s;us in the Great Day; for they lay a <HI>&s;tumbling-block before the Blind,</HI> as <HI>Lev.</HI> 19.14. Making them to wander out of the Way, and thereby bring them&s;elves under a Cur&s;e, as <HI>Deut.</HI> 27.18. Its to be feared, that the&s;e Differences may hinder &s;ome Per|&s;ons from Joyning them&s;elves with any particular Church in full Communion, though this be the Fruit of their Igno|rance, Weakne&s;s, or Prejudice; The&s;e Differences being no ju&s;t Cau&s;e of, nor Plea for the neglect of their Duty.</P>
<P>For though there be &s;uch Divi&s;ions a|mong us, yet it is certain that &s;ome of the&s;e Societies of Chri&s;tians (at lea&s;t) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">ue Churches of Chri&s;t, tho' &s;ome may be more Reformed, Pure, and Sound than others; and its the Duty of every Private Chri&s;tian to Joyn him&s;elf to &s;ome Particular Church, and (where they have Liberty of Choice) to tho&s;e who are ju&s;tly e&s;teemed, by Per&s;ons ca|pable
<PB N="55" REF="33">to Judge <HI>(viz.)</HI> by wi&s;e and Ju|dicious Chri&s;tians, the pure&s;t and be&s;t, or &s;uch as keep neare&s;t to the Go&s;pel-Rule, both in Doctrine, Wor&s;hip, and Di&s;cipline.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, for Per&s;ons to refu&s;e, or neglect Joyning with any Church, under pretence of fearing, lea&s;t they &s;hould not Joyn to a True Church; this is to be Guilty of a certain Sin, to avoid an uncertain One, and therefore no Wi&s;e, and Good Man would do thus.</P>
<P N="3">3. In what &s;oever Society of Chri&s;ti|ans the e&s;&s;ential Marks of a true Go&s;pel-Church are to be found, <HI>(viz.)</HI> The Pure Preaching of the Word of God, and the due Admini&s;tration of the Sa|craments by a Mini&s;ter Called, Qualifi|ed, and &s;et a part, according to the Rule of the Go&s;pel: That Society &s;hould be accounted a true Go&s;pel-Church, and will be owned by Chri&s;t as &s;uch: Though it may differ from other Particular Church|es in &s;ome Circum&s;tantial, and le&s;&s;er Things: And Private Chri&s;tians ought not to refu&s;e Joyning them&s;elves to any &s;uch Society, &s;eeing Chri&s;t hath received them.</P>
<P N="4">4. It is evident to every Under&s;tand|ing, and Impartial Eye, That tho&s;e of
<PB N="56" REF="34">the moderate Epi&s;copal, Presbyterian, and Congregational Per&s;ua&s;ions, have the E&s;&s;ence of true Go&s;pel-Churches, and own the &s;ame Doctrinal Articles of the Chri&s;tian Faith, though they differ in Di&s;cipline, and Modes of Wor&s;hip: Therefore Private Chri&s;tians may &s;afely Joyn them&s;elves to either of them, ac|cording as they are per&s;uaded in their own Minds.</P>
<P>And (&s;uppo&s;ing you have heard the Mini&s;ters of each of the&s;e Per&s;ua&s;ions) where you have found the mo&s;t &s;piritual Benefit: There it is mo&s;t advi&s;able for you to Joyn, if it may be.</P>
<P>Obj. 8. <HI>But (&s;ays another) I am Poor, and Low in the World, and have nothing to give toward the Maintenance of a Mini|&s;ter, and &s;hould I &s;eek to Joyn my Self to a Church, they may be ready to think I do it only in hopes of a &s;hare in their Charity, and Reject me, for fear I &s;hould be burden|&s;om to them; this keeps me off.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. This Objection &s;avours of Pride, and Uncharitablene&s;s, which be|come not any Chri&s;tians, e&s;pecially the poorer &s;ort, Humility, and Charity, or Love would teach you to think the be&s;t, and to e&s;teem others better than your &s;elves; and to hope that Mini&s;ters,
<PB N="57" REF="34">and Chri&s;tians do better under&s;tand the Will of Chri&s;t, and their own Duties, than to be guilty of refu&s;ing Admi&s;&s;ion of any Per&s;on into their Communion, meerly for their Poverty; and you ought to think thus of them, until you find the contrary.</P>
<P N="2">2. Were you &s;ure before-hand, that they would refu&s;e you, yet it is your Duty to offer your &s;elf and &s;eek Admi&s;|&s;ion; and then if they unju&s;tly refu&s;e you, the Sin will lye at their Doors, and you will be Free: But their Omi&s;&s;i|on of their Duty, will be no good ex|cu&s;e for your neglecting your own Duty.</P>
<P N="3">3. No faithful Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t dares to refu&s;e the poore&s;t Chri&s;tian, becau&s;e he is Poor; provided it appears to him that he hath a Go&s;pel-Right to, and fit|ne&s;s for Admi&s;&s;ion to this Ordinance; &s;eeing he could not An&s;wer it to our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who refu&s;eth none that come to Him, but inviteth all, whe|ther Rich or Poor; as <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.28. and <HI>John</HI> 6.37. And requires his Mini&s;ters to do the &s;ame, <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.19, and <HI>Mark</HI> 16.15, 16. <HI>Mat.</HI> 22.9, 10.</P>
<P>They know, that <HI>not many Mighty, not many Noble are called;</HI> but that <HI>God hath cho&s;en the Poor of this World, Rich in
<PB N="58" REF="35">Faith, and Heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promi&s;ed to them that Love him,</HI> as 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.26. and <HI>James</HI> 2.5. And whom God hath cho&s;en, and called, they will not knowingly Refu&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. You ought rather to be Jealous of your own Heart, then Su&s;picious of o|thers; and &s;ee that you aim at higher and better Ends in &s;eeking to Joyn your &s;elf to any Church of Chri&s;t, than to ob|tain &s;ome worldly Support, as knowing tho&s;e that followed Chri&s;t only for the Loaves, were ju&s;tly blamed by Him, <HI>John</HI> 6.26. If your Ends be Right, and Good, leave God to take care of your E&s;teem in the Hearts of other Chri&s;ti|ans.</P>
<P>Obj. 9. <HI>But (&s;ay others) we hope we may go to Heaven, though we never Re|ceive the Lords Supper; God forbid, that all who Dye without this Ordinance &s;hould peri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. Far be it from me to &s;ay, or think that none go to Heaven but the Receivers of this Ordinance, for I believe the contrary: Yea, I know that &s;ome of tho&s;e who are Partakers of it will pe|ri&s;h, for want of a Saving Change upon their Hearts, as <HI>Luke</HI> 13.26, 27.</P>
<P>I freely grant that neither the Partici|pation
<PB N="59" REF="35">of this, nor any other Ordinance is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to Salvation; &s;ee|ing God doth nothing by Ordinances, but what he can do without them, if he plea&s;e. Yet,</P>
<P N="2">2. I &s;ay, it is nece&s;&s;ary that we &s;hould u&s;e the Means appointed by Chri&s;t in Order to our Salvation, and this is one of them: If we would obtain the End, we mu&s;t u&s;e the Means; it being no bet|ter then a Tempting of God, to expect the one without the other.</P>
<P N="3">3. The neglect of this Ordinance is a Sin, being a Di&s;obedience to a plain Command of Chri&s;t; who &s;ays, <HI>Do this in Remembrance of me;</HI> and unle&s;s God grant Repentance to tho&s;e that are guilty of it, it will prove damnable: Now while Men continue in this neg|lect, they do not truly repent of it, for there is no true Repentance without Re|formation.</P>
<P N="4">4. God hath no where promi&s;ed Sal|vation to &s;uch as Live, and Dye in the known and wilful neglect of this, or any other Ordinance, or Duty; but threat|ens the contrary, and who would ha|zard his Salvation by &s;uch a neglect?</P>
<P>Obj. 10. <HI>But (&s;ay others) we have heard of &s;uch ill things of &s;ome Church-Mem|bers,
<PB N="60" REF="36">that we think it a di&s;grace to us to Joyn with them, though they make Holy Profe&s;&s;ions, yet their Practices are unholy, and prophane, and &s;candalous, and this keeps us off from their Communion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. It may be the Report you have heard is fal&s;e, and only rai&s;ed by &s;ome Enemy to Religion, and the Pro|fe&s;&s;ors of it; if &s;o, you wrong both your &s;elves, and the Per&s;ons concerned in be|lieving of it, before you have throughly examined the Truth of it; it is &s;inful to <HI>Take up a Reproach again&s;t our Neighbour,</HI> as <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 15.3.</P>
<P N="2">2. Suppo&s;e the Report appear to be true, yet their Church-Member&s;hip is not the cau&s;e of tho&s;e Immoralities, but the Corruption of their own Hearts, or the want of that Grace which they pre|tend to have.</P>
<P N="3">3. Their Sin is to them&s;elves, and &s;hall not be charged on tho&s;e that hold Church-Fellow&s;hip with them; if they do their Duty in Admoni&s;hing and Re|proving them for it, and do no way Partake with them therein. Such a Re|proof Prudently, and privately given by a Fellow-Member, may be Ble&s;&s;ed of God, to the Conviction and Reformation of a di&s;orderly Walker, being a Means of
<PB N="61" REF="36">Chri&s;ts own Appointment to this End: If not, the Reprovers ought to acquaint the Church with it, that they may u&s;e Church-Di&s;cipline upon them; which if they neglect, the Reproving Members will have this to &s;atisfie them, that they have di&s;charged their Duty, and delive|red their own Souls, as <HI>Mat.</HI> 18.15, 16.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Participation of all Go&s;pel-Ordinances, being the Priviledge, as well as the Duty, of all true Believers, to be kept from any of them, mu&s;t be a Lo&s;s and Puni&s;hment; &s;o that if you are &s;uch, and yet keep your &s;elves off from any Ordinance of Chri&s;t, becau&s;e &s;ome of tho&s;e that Partake of them are guilty of &s;candalous, or di&s;orderly Walking, you puni&s;h your &s;elves for the Faults of others, which is Inju&s;tice.</P>
<P N="5">5. To keep off from any Ordinance of Chri&s;t, meerly becau&s;e &s;ome unwor|thy Per&s;ons partake of it; is to make their Sin in one kind, an occa&s;ion of your &s;inning in another kind: Their Sin being a Sin of Commi&s;&s;ion, yours a Sin of Omi&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P N="6">6. If all that truly fear God, &s;hould keep off from Joyning with this, or that Particular Church, becau&s;e there are &s;ome Members in it that are di&s;orderly Walk|ers;
<PB N="62" REF="37">either all &s;uch Churches mu&s;t be di&s;|&s;olved, or el&s;e they mu&s;t be made up on|ly of &s;uch di&s;orderly Walkers: But I &s;uppo&s;e no Wi&s;e and Good Man will &s;ay, that either of the&s;e ought to be. You mu&s;t know, the Vi&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t on Earth hath Hypocrites in it as well as &s;incere Chri&s;tians, and when the Hypo|cri&s;ie of any Member appears by their o|pen and &s;candalous Sins, that Particular Church to which they belong, ought to u&s;e Church-Di&s;cipline upon them, to bring them to Repentance and Reforma|tion; and to keep them&s;elves free from a &s;hare in their Guilt. But no Chri&s;tian ought to keep from Joyning with a Par|ticular Church, becau&s;e there are &s;ome &s;uch Peccant Members in it.</P>
<P>Obj. 11. <HI>But if this Ordinance is to be u&s;ed only in Remembrance of Chri&s;t (&s;ay &s;ome) we can remember him well enough without it; we think of him every Day; the Reading, and Hearing of the Word, puts us frequently in Mind of Him: How can any Chri&s;tian forget him that hath done, and &s;uffered &s;o much for them? Therefore we &s;ee no &s;uch need of this Ordinance for this End.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. This Objection &s;avours rankly of Ignorance, and Pride, which are ve|ry
<PB N="63" REF="37">Provoking Sins in the Eyes of God; did you well under&s;tand the Nature, U&s;e, and Ends of this Holy Ordinance, and the &s;piritual Benefit of a right Par|ticipation of it, you would not think it a needle&s;s Thing.</P>
<P>And were you not puffed up with Pride, you would not account your &s;elves wi&s;er than Chri&s;t him&s;elf, who In&s;titu|ted this Ordinance; which he had never done, had he not intended it for the Spiritual Good of the Receivers. Did Chri&s;t judge it needful, and dare you &s;ay it is needle&s;s? Doth it become &s;in|ful Du&s;t, contemptible Worms to &s;light an Ordinance of their Lord and Savi|our?</P>
<P N="2">2. Though the Reading, and Hearing of the Word are u&s;eful to put us in Mind of Chri&s;t, yet the u&s;e of this Holy Sup|per may do it more Effectually: For &s;ome Truths do more powerfully affect our Hearts, when they are conveyed to us by the Eye, than by the Ear: The Sight of the Execution of a Man u&s;ually makes deeper Impre&s;&s;ions on our Spirits, and moves our Affections, more than a bare hearing of it doth.</P>
<P>Now in this Ordinance, Chri&s;t is re|pre&s;ented as Crucified before our Eyes,
<PB N="64" REF="38">as <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.1. And our dull and dead Hearts need the mo&s;t Heart-affecting, and quick|ning Means and Ordinances.</P>
<P N="3">3. Know, that this Ordinance is In|&s;tituted for other Holy Ends be&s;ides that of remembring Chri&s;t; as to be a Seal of the Covenant of Grace: To be a means to nouri&s;h and &s;trengthen Grace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> (as you have heard before) and &s;o is needful, and to be u&s;ed for tho&s;e Ends, as well as for that.</P>
<P N="4">4. Gracious Souls have &s;ometimes met with &s;ome peculiar Manife&s;tations of Chri&s;t, and of his Love in this Ordi|nance, and &s;uch Spiritual, Refre&s;hment, Strength, and Comfort, as they found not in Reading, or Hearing the Word. For Chri&s;t will not be wanting to ble&s;s his own Ordinances to their proper Ends; and their Experiences &s;hould be Argu|ments, encouraging others to u&s;e this Ordinance in hopes of the like Bene|fits.</P>
<P>Obj. 12. <HI>But (&s;ay others) we are &s;o Incumbred, and Di&s;tracted with the Cares and Troubles of this World, that we cannot be enough Compo&s;ed in our Spirits to approach this Holy Ordinance; could we once get well through them, we would then endeavour to prepare for it, and come to it.</HI></P>
<PB N="65" REF="38">
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> This is no Ju&s;t Plea, or Excu&s;e for your neglect of this Ordinance, for Con&s;ider</P>
<P N="1">1. God allows you &s;ufficient Time for nece&s;&s;ary Cares about your Worldly Matters, and appoints you proper time al&s;o for the care of your &s;piritual Con|cerns; and it is your Duty to &s;ee that e|very Thing be minded in its due Time and Place. Spiritual Things &s;hould be minded in the fir&s;t Place, as <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.33. And therefore, if you put them off till la&s;t, you are guilty of Inverting or Changing the Order which Chri&s;t hath commanded you to ob&s;erve, and that is &s;inful.</P>
<P N="2">2. No more Worldly Cares are law|ful, and allowable to you, but what are con&s;i&s;tent with the more weighty Care of Religion and your Souls; while they are moderate, and keep within due bounds, they hinder not the other; but the exce&s;s of them is &s;inful, which there|fore you ought to Watch and Pray a|gain&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. You may get through the World, as &s;oon as get through your Worldly Cares and Troubles; for they u&s;ually accompany us, more or le&s;s, all our Days; as &s;oon as one Trouble is over
<PB N="66" REF="39">another &s;ucceeds, one begets another, as Wave begets Wave; &s;o that if you &s;tay from this Ordinance until you are wholly freed from them, you are never like to Partake of it.</P>
<P N="4">4. Many of your Worldly Troubles and Afflictions, are procured to you by your own Sins; or &s;ent of God to cor|rect you for them, drive you from them unto God, and make you more mindful of Religion, and your Souls concerns; &s;o that you make a quite Contrary u&s;e of them, if they drive you farther from God, and make you the more to neglect the Care of better Things.</P>
<P>Obj. 13. <HI>But when you have &s;aid all that you can for this Ordinance (&s;ay o|thers) this is but a Ceremony, that you Plead &s;o much for; and to neglect a Cere|mony we hope can be no great Offence, but will be ea&s;ily forgiven while we mind the more &s;ub&s;tantial Duties of Religion?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1. Though it be but a Ceremo|ny, it is commanded to be u&s;ed by the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf, and &s;o of Di|vine Authority; &s;o that the neglect of it is Di&s;obedience to God, and that is no &s;mall Offence.</P>
<P N="2">2. Though it be a Ceremony, yet it is a very &s;ignificant, and honourable Ce|remony,
<PB N="67" REF="39">being appointed by Chri&s;t to &s;ignifie and repre&s;ent his Death and Suf|ferings for our &s;akes, in which his matchle&s;s Love to Sinners was di&s;played, and therefore to &s;light and neglect it, mu&s;t be no le&s;s than a &s;light put upon his Love, and a Practical forgetfulne&s;s of him, &s;eeing he requires us to u&s;e this Ordinance in Remembrance of Him; and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s this nothing in your Eyes?</P>
<P N="3">3. The &s;maller the Thing, or the ea|&s;ier the Duty is that Chri&s;t Commands, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he greater is the Sin of &s;uch as Di&s;obey <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t. Had he commanded far greater Things, &s;hould you not Obey? how much more when he injoyns you &s;o &s;mall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> Thing as this? What will you deny <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o do an ea&s;ie Duty at the Command of Chri&s;t, who refu&s;ed not both to do and &s;uffer the greate&s;t Things for you? Is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">his your Love and Thankfulne&s;s to Chri&s;t?</P>
<P N="4">4. Know, That the abu&s;e or neglect of a Ceremony that is of Divine In&s;ti|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ution, may be very di&s;plea&s;ing unto God, and Dangerous to our Selves; was not the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil a Ceremony? Yet by our fir&s;t Pa|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ents abu&s;e of it, in Eating the Fruit <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hereof contrary to Gods Law, the
<PB N="68" REF="40">Wrath of God was brought on them and all their Po&s;terity, <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.17.</P>
<P>Was not Circumci&s;ion a Ceremony? yet <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his neglect to Circumcize his Son was like to co&s;t him his Life, as <HI>Exod.</HI> 6.24.</P>
<P>And as &s;light as you may make of this Ceremony of the Lords-Supper, yet for the abu&s;ing of it, &s;ome of the <HI>Corinthi|ans</HI> were &s;mitten with Sickne&s;s, and Weakne&s;s, and others with Death; as 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.30. Now if God puni&s;heth Men for the abu&s;e of this Ordinance, can it be rationally Thought that he will &s;uffer the Neglecters and De&s;pi&s;ers of it to go unpuni&s;hed?</P>
<P>Obj. 14. <HI>But (&s;ay &s;ome) the Lords-Supper was but a Temporary Ordinance, or to be u&s;ed in the Chri&s;tian Church only for a Time, that is, till Chri&s;ts coming; as</HI> 1 Cor. 11.26. For as oft as ye Eat this Bread, and Drink this Cup, ye do &s;hew forth the Lords Death till he come. <HI>Now (&s;ay</HI> Quakers, <HI>for this is their Obje|ction) Chri&s;t is come to us in Spirit: Therefore we u&s;e not this Ordinance.</HI></P>
<P>This indeed is the mo&s;t &s;inful, and dangerous Objection of all; becau&s;e it &s;trikes at the very being of this Ordi|nance, and &s;eeks the De&s;truction, and
<PB N="69" REF="40">Cutting it off from the Churches of Chri&s;t; and therefore mu&s;t be the more warily, and vigorou&s;ly oppo&s;ed.</P>
<P>For the Confutation of it, I &s;hall pro|po&s;e the&s;e following Con&s;iderations:</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Con&s;ider, Though it mu&s;t be granted, Chri&s;t doth indeed &s;peak of a|nother Coming to his Church before his Coming to Judge the World; as <HI>John</HI> 14.18. <HI>I will not leave you Comfortle&s;s, I will come to you;</HI> and this Coming may be called his Coming in, or rather by the Spirit, which he promi&s;ed to &s;end in his Name, to Teach, Sanctifie, and Com|fort his Church; as <HI>John</HI> 15.26.</P>
<P>So that in re&s;pect of this his Spiritual Coming, he promi&s;ed to be with it al|ways, <HI>even to the End of the World;</HI> as <HI>Mat.</HI> 28. <HI>la&s;t.</HI> Yet I &s;ay, The Apo&s;tle is not to be under&s;tood in that Scrip|ture, to &s;peak of Chri&s;ts Coming in Spi|rit, but of his Coming in Per&s;on: For,</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Con&s;ider, Chri&s;t was come in Spirit to his Church before that E|pi&s;tle to the <HI>Corinthians</HI> was written; whether we under&s;tand it of that extra|ordinary, and miraculous Coming of the Spirit on the Apo&s;tles, mentioned, <HI>Acts</HI> 2.1, to 5. or of the ordinary Coming of the Spirit, as the Teacher, Sanctifi|er,
<PB N="70" REF="41">or, Leader, and Comforter of the Church, Ble&s;&s;ing his Ordinances to the&s;e Ends.</P>
<P>Every true Believer hath Chri&s;t thus come into his Soul at his Regeneration, or Conver&s;ion; and to be fine the Ho|ly Apo&s;tles experimentally knew this Coming of Chri&s;t by his Spirit unto their Souls, before the In&s;titution of his Ho|ly Supper; and &s;o did the &s;incere Mem|bers of tho&s;e Primitive Churches at <HI>Co|rinth, Ephe&s;us, Philippi,</HI> &amp;c. who yet kept up the U&s;e of this Ordinance a|mong them.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Con&s;ider, the whole Current of Learned Expo&s;itors in all former A|ges of the Chri&s;tian Church to this very Day, under&s;tand by that Coming of Chri&s;t mentioned, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.26. to be meant his Coming to Judgment, [as I could ea&s;ily &s;hew, but that the Quotati|ons of them would take up too much Room here] nor have I found any Chri|&s;tian otherwi&s;e Minded, until the <HI>Qun|kers</HI> Invented this New Sen&s;e of tho&s;e Words, to Countenance their Rejection of this Holy Ordinance; Now can any wi&s;e Man Imagine, that Chri&s;t would have &s;uffered his Church to erre in this Point for &s;o many pa&s;t Ages; and ne|ver
<PB N="71" REF="41">have di&s;covered the true Sen&s;e of that Text; till of Late, to this &s;ort of Men who are guilty of rejecting other Ordinances of Chri&s;t, as well as this; as Bapti&s;m, Singing of P&s;alms, the Ob|&s;ervation of the Lords-Day, and the Go&s;pel-Mini&s;try?</P>
<P>Believe it he that can.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> Con&s;ider, if this Opinion were true, that when Chri&s;t is come in or by his Spirit to Men, they &s;hould no longer Partake of the Lords-Supper; Then none &s;hould Partake of it, but &s;uch to whom Chri&s;t is not thus come, that is, Gracele&s;s Per&s;ons; But this is a gro&s;s Error, for the&s;e ought not to meddle with this Holy Ordinance, until they are Converted.</P>
<P>None are fit Gue&s;ts for this Holy Ta|ble of the Lord, but tho&s;e that are true|ly Gracious, becau&s;e they mu&s;t Exerci&s;e Grace at this Ordinance; as Faith, Re|pentance, Love, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> which nece&s;&s;arily Implies, that they mu&s;t have it before they come. All un&s;anctified Per&s;ons that Partake of it, do but prophane, and pollute it, <HI>and Eat and Drink Judgment to them&s;elves.</HI> So that if gracele&s;s Per|&s;ons ought not to approach this Ordi|nance, becau&s;e they are gracele&s;s (as we
<PB N="72" REF="42">&s;ay) and if Gracious Per&s;ons ought not to u&s;e it, becau&s;e they are Gracious (as the <HI>Quakers</HI> &s;ay) then none at all mu&s;t u&s;e it; and &s;o this Ordinance would be wholly laid a&s;ide as u&s;ele&s;s.</P>
<P>But can any Man of tollerable Sen&s;e be of this Opinion? What would this be le&s;s than to accu&s;e Chri&s;t (who is Wi&s;|dom it &s;elf) of Folly, in &s;etting up a u&s;ele&s;s and needle&s;s Ordinance in his Church? And do fooli&s;h Worms think they &s;hall be able to make good this Charge again&s;t him in the great Day?</P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> Suppo&s;e that Text in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.26. Were to be under&s;tood of Chri&s;ts Coming in Spirit (as they hold) yet I think it worth ob&s;erving; that, though the Apo&s;tle approves of the U&s;e of this Ordinance till then, he doth not &s;ay, then it is to be laid a&s;ide, and u&s;ed no more by &s;uch.</P>
<P>Nor will his Words admit of that Sen&s;e any more than the like Phra&s;e u|&s;ed by him, as 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.13. <HI>Till I come, give attendance to Reading, to Exhor|tation, to Doctrine.</HI> Did the Apo&s;tle mean (think you) that young <HI>Timothy</HI> &s;hould Study, and Preach the Word only until he came to him, and ever after lay both a&s;ide? Surely no, I judge this Expre&s;&s;i|on
<PB N="73" REF="42">in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.26. Frees Chri&s;tians no more from their Obligation to con|tinue the U&s;e of the Lords-Supper, than the like Expre&s;&s;ion in 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.13. Freed <HI>Timothy</HI> from his Obligation to conti|nue his Mini&s;try.</P>
<P><HI>Sixthly,</HI> The Rea&s;ons and Ends for which Chri&s;t In&s;tituted this Ordinance, will continue as long as Chri&s;t hath a Church in the World, and that will be till his coming to Judgment; therefore this Ordinance ought to continue &s;o long al&s;o. For as none but Chri&s;t hath Right and Power to &s;et up, alter, or remove an Ordinance in his Church (he being the only Head and Law-giver of it) &s;o he never makes any &s;uch Alteration, but when there is ju&s;t Cau&s;e for it.</P>
<P>Thus we find the Ordinance of Cir|cumci&s;ion continued in the <HI>Je&s;ish</HI> Church, until the Time of Chri&s;ts Coming in the Fle&s;h, when it plea&s;ed him to In&s;titute Bapti&s;m to be of the &s;ame U&s;e in the Chri&s;tian Church: So the Pa&s;&s;over con|tinued until Chri&s;t appointed the Lords-Supper (an Ordinance of like Signifi|cation and U&s;e) to &s;ucceed it.</P>
<P>And this (doubtle&s;s) mu&s;t continue until it &s;hall plea&s;e him to &s;et up ano|ther in the room of it (which is not to
<PB N="74" REF="43">be expected, the&s;e being the la&s;t Ages of the World) and while the Church hath need of it for its Spiritual U&s;es and Ends, that is for the pre&s;erving the Me|mory of Chri&s;ts Death, the Confirmati|on of the Covenant of Grace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and the&s;e Ends will continue till Chri&s;ts coming to Judgment.</P>
<P>To this purpo&s;e is the Note of a Ju|dicious Divine on 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.26. Becau&s;e (&s;aith he) we &s;hall always want &s;uch an help as long as we remain in this World, St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ignifies, this Remembrance of Chri&s;t is recommended to us, until he appears to Judgment; for &s;eeing he is not conver&s;ant among us in a Vi&s;ible Form, it is nece&s;&s;ary that there &s;hould be &s;ome Sign of his Spiritual Pre&s;ence with which our Minds may Exerci&s;e them&s;elves.</P>
<P>The&s;e Things duly and impartially con&s;idered, may be (I hope) &s;ufficient to convince all &s;ober minded Per&s;ons, that this Ordinance is not Antiquated, or grown out of Date, but ought &s;till to be Reverently u&s;ed by Chri&s;tians to the End of the World.</P>
<P>Having thus endeavoured to An&s;wer all the Objections I have met with, or could think of; by which Per&s;ons are,
<PB N="75" REF="43">or may be kept off from this Ordinance, and &s;o cleared my Way, and (I hope) theirs too, by removing Ob&s;tructions: I &s;hall now In&s;truct &s;uch as are convin|ced of their &s;inful Neglects, and are made in &s;ome Mea&s;ure willing and de|firous of Reformation in this Matter.</P>
<P N="1">1. Go to God and humbly acknow|ledge your faults with Shame and Sor|row of Heart, begging pardoning Grace for the &s;ake of Chri&s;t, and re&s;olve in his Strength to continue in this Sin no long|er; but u&s;e all good Means to get the Knowledge of your Duty, and &s;et about it; To which end,</P>
<P N="2">2. Examine your Selves, Whether you be in the Faith, or whether you have a Go&s;pel-right to, and fitne&s;s for this Ho|ly Ordinance of the Lords-Supper? If you need any help herein, the <HI>Sacra|mental Catechi&s;m</HI> may be u&s;eful to you as to this. But for your better A&s;&s;i&s;tance,</P>
<P N="3">3. Apply your &s;elves to &s;ome able Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, e&s;pecially to him to who&s;e Spiritual Over&s;ight and Conduct you intend to commit your Souls; de&s;ire his A&s;&s;i&s;tance, &s;ubmit to his Inquiry into the State of your Souls, and Intreat his Impartial Thoughts or Judgment of it. Propo&s;e your Doubts,
<PB N="76" REF="44">and Scruples to him (if you have any) in order to Satisfaction, and ask his Spi|ritual Coun&s;el and Direction in the Way of your Duty.</P>
<P N="4">4. Get the Knowledge of the Way and Manner of Tran&s;ition, or Pa&s;&s;age of Church-Members from their Infant-&s;tate to that of Adult, or grown Per&s;ons; and the Terms of their Admi&s;&s;ion to full Communion with a Particular Church, that you may under&s;tand what will be required of you, and con&s;ider well, whether you can freely, and hear|tily Comply with the Terms propo&s;ed? If you find in them any Matter of Doubt, or Scruple, &s;ignifie it to the Pa&s;tor, and &s;eek Satisfaction of him; and when you are &s;atisfy'd, make it al&s;o known to him, with your De&s;ires of Admi&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Indeed the Method of Admi&s;&s;ion is not the &s;ame in all Particular Churches: Though I acknowledge an Uniformity in this Thing (as well as others of Common Concern) is much to be de&s;i|red and endeavoured, as what would be greatly Conducive to Unity, Love, and Peace among&s;t Chri&s;tians, and the Edifi|cation and Enlargement of the Kingdom of Chri&s;t in the World.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not pretend to give you an ac|count
<PB N="77" REF="44">of the various Methods of &s;everal Churches here: But only add the&s;e Two Things more,</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> I &s;hall acquaint you with the Pra|ctice of the Primitive Church in this Mat|ter; and</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Give you an account of my own Judgment and Practice herein, Humbly &s;ubmitting it to the free Cen&s;ure of the more Judicious.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Then as to the Tran&s;ition, or pa&s;&s;ing of Church-Members from their Infant-State to the State of the Adult, and Admi&s;&s;ion to full Communion with a Particular Church of Chri&s;t; know, that in the Church, or Hou&s;hold of Faith, there are Members of &s;everal Sizes or Statures, &s;ome are but new-born Babes; as 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.2. Some little Children, o|thers; Young-Men, and others called Fa|thers; as 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.12, 13, 14.</P>
<P>In Chri&s;ts Fold &s;ome are Lambs others Sheep; as <HI>John</HI> 21.15, 16. Being thus di&s;tingui&s;hed according to the different Time of their &s;tanding in the Church; or the different Mea&s;ure of Knowledge and Grace they have obtained; and re|gard ought to be had to each according|ly in Feeding and Ruling of them, that Milk be given to Babes, even <HI>the &s;incere
<PB N="78" REF="45">Milk of the Word;</HI> i. e. Such Truths as are Plain, and ea&s;ie to be under&s;tood by them who are unskilful in the Word of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and &s;trong Meat to &s;uch as are of full (or perfect) Age, <HI>i. e.</HI> Such Truths as are more My&s;terious, Sublime and Spiritual; they being Per|&s;ons who by Rea&s;on of U&s;e, have their Sen&s;es exerci&s;ed to di&s;cern both Good and Evil, as <HI>Heb.</HI> 5.12, 13, 14. Some Chri&s;tians are in their Infant-&s;tate, and &s;o to be admitted only to a Participati|on of tho&s;e Priviledges and Ordinances that belong to it: Others are in their Adult-&s;tate, and &s;o have a Right to Partake of the highe&s;t Priviledges and Ordinances in the Church; Church-Hi|&s;tory informs us, that in the Primitive Times there were &s;everal Ranks of Pro|fe&s;&s;ed Chri&s;tians; the lowe&s;t were cal|led <HI>Catechumens,</HI> Catechized Per&s;ons of which there were two Sorts.</P>
<P N="1">1. Such as were Sinners of the <HI>Gen|tiles,</HI> or <HI>Heathens</HI> by Birth; but upon the Preaching the Go&s;pel to them, in|clined to, and began to embrace the Chri&s;tian Faith, and were thereupon in|&s;tructed in the Principles of it, or in the Doctrine of Chri&s;t. The&s;e were on|ly in the Church-Porch.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="79" REF="45">2. Such as were the Children of Be|lieving, or Chri&s;tian Parents; who by their Birth-right, being Members of the Vi&s;ible Church, and under the &s;ame Co|venant of Grace with their Parents, re|ceived Bapti&s;m in their Infancy as a Seal of the Covenant; and were to be brought up by their Parents, <HI>in the Nur|ture and Admonition of the Lord,</HI> as <HI>Eph.</HI> 6.4.</P>
<P>Both the&s;e Sorts of <HI>Catechumens</HI> were In&s;tructed in the Chri&s;tan Religion by a Catechi&s;t, or Mini&s;ter; who&s;e main Bu&s;ine&s;s was to feed the&s;e Lambs of Chri&s;t, and to train them up in the Way they &s;hould go, and take care of the&s;e Young Plants, as being the Nur|&s;eries of the Church.</P>
<P>When the former Sort were &s;uffici|ently In&s;tructed, they de&s;ired to be Bap|tized, and then were called Competent; <HI>i. e.</HI> Per&s;ons de&s;iring Bapti&s;m, upon which they gave in their Names, and came under a &s;trict, even a &s;even-fold Examination, and &s;o were admitted to Bapti&s;m: Then were called, <HI>Batptizati, &amp; Illuminati,</HI> i. e. Baptized and Inlight|ned Per&s;ons, and no longer accounted to be in the Porch, but got over the Thre&s;hold into the Church; owned as
<PB N="80" REF="46">Fellow-Citizens and Deni&s;ons with the Saints and of the Hou&s;hold of God, and had their Names inrolled among the Servants of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Being thus initiated, or entred into the Church, they obtained &s;ome Privi|ledges, which they had not before, of which this was one: That the My&s;te|ries of the Sacraments (of which, they were ignorant while <HI>Catechumens,</HI> or knew but little of them) were more clearly revealed to them. For the Church then thought fit to conceal the knowledge of them till after Bapti&s;m, both becau&s;e they were &s;uch high My&s;te|ries, and lea&s;t the knowledge of them &s;hould bring them into Contempt, and that they might be &s;tirred up to &s;trong|er De&s;ires after them (&s;ay &s;ome) yet were they accounted but incompleat Chri&s;tians; and might not be admitted to all the Priviledges of Church-Mem|bers, as being yet but in their Infant-State, or Minority, until they received Confirmation al&s;o, which was perform|ed by the Impo&s;ition, or laying on them the Hands of the Mini&s;ter, or Pa&s;tor of the Church, and Prayer unto God for his Holy Spirit, Increa&s;e of Grace, and their Confirmation or E&s;tabli&s;hment in
<PB N="81" REF="46">the Faith of Chri&s;t, which they had pro|fe&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>This Religious Rite of Confirmation both the forementioned &s;orts of <HI>Catechu|mens</HI> were obliged to receive; and &s;o by it were pa&s;&s;ed from their Infant-&s;tate, to the State of the Adult, and then admit|ted to the Participation of all the Privi|ledges of Church-Members, even to the Lords-Supper it &s;elf, the highe&s;t My&s;te|ry of Chri&s;tianity; and &s;o became, and were declared to be compleat and per|fect Chri&s;tians, therefore they were cal|led, <GAP DESC="foreign">. Perfect, as <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.15. Not as if they had attained a &s;inle&s;s Perfection in Grace and Holine&s;s: But becau&s;e now they had all things needful to the Perfecting of their Church-&s;tate.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e that were not Baptized till A|dult, or grown Per&s;ons, received Con|firmation, by Impo&s;ition of Hands (or|dinarily) in a &s;hort Time after their Bapti&s;m, to make them compleat Church-Members. But &s;uch as being the Chil|dren of Believers, were Baptized in their Infancy, were not Confirmed till they were grown up to Years of Di&s;cre|tion, and well In&s;tructed in the Princi|ples of the Chri&s;tan Religion by their Parents, and by the Catechi&s;ts, and &s;o
<PB N="82" REF="47">capable to give an account of their Knowledge and Faith; nor were any judged meet for Admi&s;&s;ion to the Lords-Table, until they had &s;ome con&s;iderable Time before given Proof of their Man|ners and Godline&s;s. But when they were Confirmed, and had received that Ordinance, they were then arrived at the highe&s;t Form in the School of Chri&s;t, his Church, and then were called <HI>Fide|les.</HI> The Faithful.</P>
<P>That this was the Practice of the Pri|mitive Church is plainly and fully prov|ed by divers Learned Pens, and among&s;t our own, e&s;pecially by Mr. <HI>Hanmer,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Baxter;</HI> to who&s;e Writings, I refer &s;uch who de&s;ire more clear Light, and fuller Satisfaction in this Point.</P>
<P>All that I &s;hall further ob&s;erve at pre|&s;ent, as to Confirmation is; That this (as well as other Go&s;pel-Ordinances) was in after-Ages Corrupted and Abu|&s;ed, by the Addition of Chry&s;m, or Unction; that is, Anointing with Oyl; and by admitting tho&s;e to it, who were not the meet Objects of it, as Per&s;ons gro&s;ly Ignorant and Propane, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The ju&s;t Re&s;entment and Abhorrence of the&s;e Corruptions, hath occa&s;ioned a fault on the other hand in many of the
<PB N="83" REF="47">Churches of Chri&s;t <HI>(viz.)</HI> the Total Rejection or di&s;u&s;e of this Pious Rite, of which (I fear) they will be able to give no good account to our Lord Je&s;us in the Great Day; our Duty (doubtle&s;s) lyes between the&s;e two Extreams, to Reform the Abu&s;es, and rea&s;&s;ume the Primitive right U&s;e of Confirmation; a thing greatly to be de&s;ired, and zealou&s;|ly to be endeavoured by the Reformed Churches, for the Glory that might hence Redound to God, and the Bene|fits that would accrue to the Church of Chri&s;t by it. As the forementioned Au|thors have excellently demon&s;trated, and therefore with Nervous Arguments per&s;wade to the Revival of it.</P>
<P>May there be new Effu&s;ions of Gods Holy Spirit on tho&s;e who are principally concerned, <HI>i. e.</HI> Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters, to put them on the vigo|rous U&s;e of their Authority and Inte|re&s;t, for a more perfect and thorow Re|formation in this, and &s;ome other Points that call for it, at this Day; that all remaining Corruptions may be &s;wept out of Gods Hou&s;e, and Chri&s;tian Pra|ctice at length reduced to, and regula|ted by, the Go&s;pel-rule in all things.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Mean while I &s;hall next (as
<PB N="84" REF="48">I promi&s;ed) humbly propo&s;e this fol|lowing Method, for the Pa&s;&s;age of Church-Members from their Infant-&s;tate to the State of the Adult, and Admi&s;|&s;ion to full Communion; being what is already practiced in &s;ome, and ea&s;ily practicable in other Churches of Chri&s;t, if their re&s;pective Pa&s;tors would come to a mutual Agreement herein; which I humbly conceive, might without much difficulty be obtained, If attempted by prudent, and proper Hands, to who&s;e Thought, this well-meant-Motion is heartily Recommended, in hopes that it might prove in Time, a <HI>good Expedient</HI> to re&s;tore <HI>Confirmation</HI> to its Primitive U&s;e, and for the pre&s;ent be an equivalent.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Seeing the Title-Condition of Infants Church-Member&s;hip is not the &s;ame with that of the Adult (as the Learned <HI>Baxter</HI> hath plainly proved) that of Infants being this, That they be the Children of Believing Parents, and Dedicated to God by them in their Bapti&s;m; That of the Adult being this that they be actual Believers, and De|dicate them&s;elves to God in Bapti&s;m, I think it requi&s;ite, that when any Per&s;on &s;ignifies his De&s;ires of Admi&s;&s;ion to full Communion, the Pa&s;tor of the Church
<PB N="85" REF="48">&s;hould Inquire, which of the&s;e Titles he pretends to, and deal with him accord|ingly: if the former, Then to acquaint him with the Manner of Tran&s;ition from the Infant to the Adult-&s;tate, by renew|ing his Bapti&s;mal Covenant, and Profe&s;|&s;ion of the Chri&s;tian Faith, and Exhort him to it. If the latter, to enquire in|to the Sincerity, and Credibility of his Profe&s;&s;ion (as far as may be) and to admit, or refu&s;e him, according to the Satisfaction, or Di&s;&s;atisfaction he &s;hall receive herein.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Seeing many of tho&s;e who were Baptized in their Infancy, are bred up in Ignorance of the very Principles of Religion, others Corrupted with Error, others Immoral, and Prophane in their Lives, it is al&s;o nece&s;&s;ary that the Pa&s;tor inquire both into the Knowledge, Faith, and Life of him that &s;eeks Admi&s;&s;ion. I &s;ay,</P>
<P N="1">1. Into his Knowledge, Whether he be competently acquainted (at lea&s;t) with the Fundamental and nece&s;&s;ary Truths of Chri&s;tianity, and if he be found gro&s;ly and culpably Ignorant; the Pa&s;tor may endeavour in a prudent and loving Way, to make him &s;en&s;ible of the greatne&s;s of this Sin of Ignorance,
<PB N="86" REF="49">in tho&s;e that enjoy &s;uch excellent and plentiful Means of Knowledge as we; of the nece&s;&s;ity, excellency, and u&s;eful|ne&s;s of &s;piritual Knowledge, in order to the plea&s;ing of God, and &s;aving his own Soul; of the danger of living and dying in Ignorance, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And &s;eriou&s;ly pre&s;s him to a more careful U&s;e, and improve|ment of the means of Knowledge, for Time to come; &s;uch as Reading the Holy Scriptures and other good Books, Hearing of, and Conferring with Mini|&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, and Praying for the Teachings of Gods Holy Spirit.</P>
<P>And that his Knowledge may be the more Methodical and Di&s;tinct, advi&s;e him fir&s;t to take &s;ome good Catechi&s;m in Hand, [e&s;pecially that of the A&s;&s;em|bly of Divines, and the Explications of it, the <HI>Communicants In&s;tructor,</HI> or <HI>Sa|cramental Catechi&s;m,</HI> &amp;c.] and per&s;uade him to familiarize the precious Truths contained in them, and make them his own, getting them (if po&s;&s;ible) into his Memory, which a little Pains, and a willing Mind might &s;oon obtain in the mo&s;t.</P>
<P>I have known &s;ome of Forty, Fifty, yea &s;ixty Years of Age, who in a few Months Time have by this means got
<PB N="87" REF="49">more Under&s;tanding in the Things of God (as they have freely Confe&s;&s;ed) than ever they had in their whole Life before. And though I know it is no ea&s;ie Matter to per&s;wade &s;ome grown Per&s;ons to this, who being Proud, and Idle, as well as Ignorant, account it a Di&s;grace to be put (like Children) to a Catechi&s;m; yet every one that is &s;o far awaken'd, and inlighten'd as to &s;ee his own Ignorance and need of Know|ledge, and to have a &s;incere Love to, and De&s;ire after it, will readily follow the &s;piritual Coun&s;el of &s;uch as are Wi|&s;er than them&s;elves, in Order to the at|taining of it. And as many as have a ju&s;t and deep Concern for the Eternal Sal|vation of their own Souls, will think no Pains too much to take for the further|ing and &s;ecuring thereof.</P>
<P>It may (po&s;&s;ibly) be a little difficult at fir&s;t, but when they have been Inured to it for &s;ome time, their De&s;ires after Knowledge, and the &s;weetne&s;s of it, will facilitate, or make it ea&s;ie to them. Could we prevail on tho&s;e Adult Per|&s;ons among&s;t us that need it, to take this faithful Advice, their Minds would be much more inlightned in the Know|ledge of Chri&s;t, and the better prepa|red
<PB N="88" REF="50">for profiting by Reading and Hear|ing the Word. Were &s;uch a Form of &s;ound Words well learnt, and thereby the Foundation of Chri&s;tianity well laid in the Minds of Men, the &s;uper&s;tructure of Knowledge would be carried on with greater facility, firmne&s;s, and &s;ucce&s;s; but until this be done, Mini&s;ters have lit|tle Rea&s;on to wonder, that they Work at the Labour-in-Vain in Preaching; though they may be In&s;tant in Sea&s;on, and out of Sea&s;on, if Milk be not given to Babes in Chri&s;t, as well as &s;trong Meat to grown Chri&s;tians, the Younger may &s;tarve while the Elder thrive and flouri&s;h. O that all the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, would &s;eriou&s;ly think of this, and take due Care to feed Chri&s;ts Lambs, as well as his Sheep, (but this by the Way.)</P>
<P>Yet in in&s;pecting the Knowledge of Per&s;ons, due regard mu&s;t be had to their different Capacities, the Means and Helps they have had to get Knowledge, the Time they have enjoyed them, their different Abilities to expre&s;s them&s;elves, their Ba&s;hfulne&s;s, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> That no &s;incere, though weak Chri&s;tian be di&s;couraged, and that &s;uch as have arrived but at a tolerable degree of the Knowledge of,
<PB N="89" REF="50">and belief in God, the Father, Son and Spirit, of their Bapti&s;mal-Covenant with God, and other Points of ab&s;olute Ne|ce&s;&s;ity to Salvation (though their Ap|prehen&s;ions in &s;ome Things are but rude and imperfect) be not Rejected, but Treated with all Tenderne&s;s, Love, and Prudence; and helped forward in the Ways of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But if the Pa&s;tor find the Candidate furni&s;hed with a competent Mea&s;ure of Knowledge, he &s;hould next inquire,</P>
<P N="2">2. Into his Faith, whether he be &s;ound in the Faith of Chri&s;t, or believes the fundamental Articles of the Chri&s;tian Religion; that if the Pa&s;tor find him un|der any Error, he may endeavour by better In&s;truction to Cure him of it be|fore his Admi&s;&s;ion; lea&s;t he &s;hould In|fect others therewith, and occa&s;ion a Schi&s;m in the Church. When the Pa|&s;tor is fatisfied as to this Particular, he &s;hould further Inquire:</P>
<P N="3">3. Into his Life and Conver&s;ation, whether it be agreeable to his Holy Pro|fe&s;&s;ion, and &s;uch as becometh the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t; of this Neighbouring Chri&s;ti|ans &s;hould be the Ob&s;ervers and Wit|ne&s;&s;es, for the better Satisfaction of the Pa&s;tor, and the whole Church. Great
<PB N="90" REF="51">Care &s;hould be taken al&s;o in this Mat|ter, lea&s;t &s;uch as are &s;candalous in their Lives be admitted, and thereby this Ho|ly Ordinance be prophaned, the Godly offended and grieved, the Mouth of the Wicked opened to &s;peak Evil of the Ways and Servants of Chri&s;t, and God di&s;honoured, and provoked to inflict &s;ome Judgment upon them.</P>
<P N="4">4. Seeing the Lords-Supper is appoin|ted for the increa&s;e and &s;trengthening of Grace where it is, and not for the work|ing of Grace where it is not, and &s;o tho&s;e that approach it &s;hould be only Gracious Per&s;ons, if they would receive Benefit thereby; [for we mu&s;t fir&s;t live &s;piritually (as well as naturally) before we Eat and Drink] therefore it is need|ful that the Pa&s;tor inquire al&s;o into the State of the Candidates Soul: What ex|perience he hath had of the workings of Gods Word and Spirit upon him? What Rea&s;on he can give of the hope of Salvation, that is in him? What E|vidences he hath of a &s;aving change, or work of Grace upon his Heart, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.15.</P>
<P>And for the better di&s;covery of his Souls Condition, direct him in that need|ful and u&s;eful Duty of Self-examination,
<PB N="91" REF="51">and Exhort him to a diligent perfor|mance of it, and to an Holy Jealou&s;ie over his own Heart, lea&s;t he &s;hould be deceived by it in a Matter of &s;o great Importance, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.28, 29. The <HI>Sa|cramental Catechi&s;m</HI> may be very helpful to him in this Work, in which he will find the Marks, or Signs of &s;aving Grace, and thereby may the better Judge of his own Ca&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. When the Pa&s;tor hath received Sa|tisfaction in the&s;e Points, and in the Judgment of Charity, believes him to have a Go&s;pel-right to and fitne&s;s for this Ordinance; it &s;eems nece&s;&s;ary (at lea&s;t on a prudential account, and for the fuller Satisfaction of the Church) that the Per&s;on be propounded to the Church, when met together, by Name, and Place of Habitation, and held as an Expectant for &s;ome convenient Time, [at lea&s;t from the Time of his Propo&s;al to the next Sacrament-day] That the Members may have liberty and oppor|tunity to Inquire, whether he be well reported of, and unblameable in his Con|ver&s;ation. And that they fir&s;t give the Pa&s;tor an Account of what they hear, more Privately, that if any thing be ob|jected, he may further inform him&s;elf as
<PB N="92" REF="52">to the Truth of it, and the Per&s;on be kept off until the Objection &s;hall be re|moved, and all concerned receive Sati&s;|faction.</P>
<P N="5">5. When the Expectant is actually to be admitted, and come before the Church: The Pa&s;tor may &s;ignifie him to be the Per&s;on formerly propounded to them, de&s;iring to be joyned to them, and admitted to full Communion with them, requiring that if any Member re|main yet un&s;atisfied, he would <HI>Now &s;peak,</HI> or by their &s;ilence [lifting up the Hand, or other Signal] te&s;tifie their unani|mous Con&s;ent to his Admi&s;&s;ion, which being done, the Pa&s;tor may next de&s;ire him to make Profe&s;&s;ion of his Faith, and own his Bapti&s;mal-Covenant, addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf to him in the&s;e, or &s;uch like Words.</P>
<P>Seeing you de&s;ire to be admitted into full Communion with this Church of Chri&s;t, to walk with it in all Go&s;pel-Ordinances and Duties, and to partake with it in all Church-Priviledges, and it being fit the Church &s;hould &s;atisfied that every Per&s;on admitted a Member thereof do own and profe&s;s the &s;ame Principles of the Chri&s;tian Faith which the Church profe&s;&s;eth. In Order to
<PB N="93" REF="52">this Satisfaction, you are de&s;ired to make true An&s;wer to the&s;e following Que&s;ti|ons.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 1. Do you believe there is but one only Living, and True God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Gho&s;t, which are Three di&s;tinct Per&s;ons, and each of them God, and yet all of them but One God, Infinite, Eternal and Unchangea|ble in his Being, Wi&s;dom, Power, Ho|line&s;s, Ju&s;tice, Goodne&s;s and Truth?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 2. Do you believe that this God from all Eternity, ordained what&s;oever comes to pa&s;s in Time; and that in the beginning of Time, he Created and made the whole World, and all Things therein out of nothing, by the Word of his Power in the &s;pace of &s;ix Days, and all very Good, and that he doth &s;till uphold, pre&s;erve, and govern it accord|ing to his own Will, and for his own Glory?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 3. Do you believe that God made Man upright, after his own Image, in Knowledge, Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Holi|ne&s;s, with Dominion over the Creatures here below, and that he entred into a Covenant of Life with him, upon Con|dition
<PB N="94" REF="53">of Perfect Obedience, forbidding him to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil upon Pain of Death?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 4. Do you believe that our fir&s;t Parents, being left to the Freedom of their own Wills, and hearkening to the Temptation of Satan, Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed the Commandment of God, by Eating the forbidden Fruit; and &s;o brake their Co|venant with God, and thereby brought them&s;elves, and all their Po&s;terity, de|&s;cending from them by ordinary Gene|ration, into an E&s;tate of Sin and Mi&s;ery?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 5. Do you believe that Man thus fallen, was not able to recover him&s;elf, and that God, having out of his meer good Plea&s;ure elected &s;ome to Everla&s;t|ing Life, did enter into a Covenant of Grace, to deliver them out of that E|&s;tate of Sin and Mi&s;ery, and to bring them into an E&s;tate of Salvation by Chri&s;t as a Redeemer?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 6. Do you believe that the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, being the Eternal and on|ly begotten Son of God, became Man al&s;o in the fulne&s;s of Time, by taking to him&s;elf a true Body, and a rea&s;onable
<PB N="95" REF="53">Soul, being Conceived by the Power of the Holy Gho&s;t in the Womb of the Virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> of her Humane Sub&s;tance, and born of her, yet without Sin, both in his Nature, and Life; and that &s;o he was, and continueth &s;till to be both God and Man in Two di&s;tinct Natures, and one Per&s;on for ever?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 7. Do you believe that this Re|deemer of God Elect, as a Prophet doth Teach his Church by his Word and Spirit, the Will of God for their Salva|tion: And as a Prie&s;t hath &s;atisfied Di|vine Ju&s;tice for their Sins, and reconci|led them to God by his once Offering up him&s;elf as a Sacrifice unto God, in Suffering the Cur&s;ed Death of the Cro&s;s, and now continually interceeds for them in Heaven; and as a King, &s;ubdues the Elect unto him&s;elf, Ruleth and Defend|eth them, and Re&s;trains and Conquers all his and their Enemies?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 8. Do you believe that though this Je&s;us Chri&s;t was put to Death and Bu|ried, yet he ro&s;e again from the Dead on the Third Day, &s;hewed him&s;elf to his Di&s;ciples, and Conver&s;ed with them a|live, and afterward in the &s;ight of di|vers
<PB N="96" REF="54">of them, a&s;cended into Heaven; where he &s;till remaineth &s;itting at the Right Hand of God the Father, from whence he &s;hall come at the Day appoin|ted by God to Judge the World in Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 9. Do you believe that God the Holy Gho&s;t, proceeding from the Father and the Son, hath fully, and &s;ufficiently Revealed the Will of God in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Te&s;ta|ment, to be the perfect, perpetual, and only Rule of our Faith and Obedience: And that the &s;ame Holy Spirit doth Effectually apply the Redemption pur|cha&s;ed by Chri&s;t, with all the &s;aving Be|nefits of his Mediation, Death and Me|rits, to the Elect, by working Faith in them, and thereby uniting them to Chri&s;t in their Effectual Calling?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 10. Do you believe that this Ho|ly Spirit of God dwelleth and worketh in all that are Effectually Called, and drawn to Chri&s;t: And that all Gods Elect, being united unto Chri&s;t, as to their Common Head, make up one Ca|tholick Church, or My&s;tical Body of Chri&s;t, the Members whereof having
<PB N="97" REF="54">Fellow&s;hip with God the Father, Son and Spirit by Faith, and one with one ano|ther by Love, do in this Life partake of Ju&s;tification, Adoption and Sanctificati|on, with all the Benefits that do accom|pany or flow from them. And that their Souls at Death are made perfect in Holi|ne&s;s, and do immediately pa&s;s into Glo|ry, but their Bodies being &s;till united to Chri&s;t, do re&s;t in their Graves till the Re&s;urrection?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 11. Do you believe that the&s;e pre|cious Benefits, purcha&s;ed by Chri&s;t, are di&s;pen&s;ed to the Elect by the Holy Spirit of God, in the U&s;e of his Sacred Ordi|nances, the Word, Sacraments and Pray|er, as being the means appointed by God, for the Working, Increa&s;ing, and Perfe|cting of Grace in their Hearts, and that therefore the&s;e Ordinances are duly and reverently to be u&s;ed, and carefully im|proved by Chri&s;tians to the&s;e &s;piritual Ends, until Chri&s;ts &s;econd Coming?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 12. Do you believe that in the ge|neral Re&s;urrection at the la&s;t Day, all the Righteous &s;hall be rai&s;ed up in Glo|ry, by Vertue of their Union unto Chri&s;t their Head, and &s;hall be openly acknow|ledged
<PB N="98" REF="55">and acquitted by him their Judge, and &s;o made perfectly Ble&s;&s;ed in the Full and Eternal Enjoyment of God in Heaven, whereas the Wicked al&s;o &s;hall be rai&s;ed by the Power of Chri&s;t; but &s;hall be condemned by him, and &s;ent in|to Everla&s;ting Puni&s;hment in Hell?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do believe this.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 1. Do you al&s;o own and heartily Con&s;ent unto your Covenant with God in Bapti&s;m; that is, repenting of your Sins again&s;t God, and renouncing the World, the Fle&s;h and the Devil: Do you take the only Living and True God for your only God, and Chief Good; God the Father to be your God, and Father; God the Son to be your Redeemer, and Saviour; and God the Holy Gho&s;t to be your Sanctifier, Guide, and Comforter: And do you &s;incerely give up your whole Self, Soul and Body to this one God, as his Covenant-Servant to Believe, Love, and Obey him con&s;tantly, and faithfully according to his Word, and that unto the Death.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do this &s;incerely, as far as I know my own Heart.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 2. Are you de&s;irous to partake of the Holy Ordinance of the Lords-Supper, as being a Seal of the Covenant of Grace:
<PB N="99" REF="55">That thereby this Covenant between God and you may be Renewed, and Confirm|ed, and that you may thereby keep in thankful Memory the Death of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> This is my unfeigned De&s;ire.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 3. Do you truly Con&s;ent and Pro|mi&s;e to &s;ubmit to the Holy Di&s;cipline and Government, which the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the only Head and Law-giver of his Church, hath ordained for his own Glo|ry, and his Churches good, and in par|ticular to &s;ubmit to the &s;piritual Guidance, and over-&s;ight of the Pa&s;tor of this Church, according to the Mind of Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I do truly Con&s;ent and Promi&s;e &s;o to do.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 4. Will you al&s;o patiently &s;ubmit to the Chri&s;tian Admonitions, and Re|proofs of your Fellow-Members in this Church, and con&s;cientiou&s;ly perform the &s;ame Duty towards them (if occa&s;ion &s;o require) according to Chri&s;ts own com|mand for Church Order?</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I will do &s;o, the Lord enabling me.</P>
<P>The&s;e Que&s;tions thus Propo&s;ed, and An&s;wered: The Pa&s;tor may apply him|&s;elf to the Per&s;on concerned, in the&s;e, or &s;uch like Expre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<PB N="100" REF="56">
<P>Upon this &s;erious and credible Profe&s;|&s;ion of the Chri&s;tian Faith, which you have now made before God, and this Church; the Renewing of your Cove|nant with God, and the Satisfaction I have had concerning the &s;uitablene&s;s of your Conver&s;ation
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Here I hum|bly conceive the Impo&s;ition of the Pa&s;tors Hands may properly take Place.</NOTE>. I Re|ceive and admit you into full Communion with this Church of Chri&s;t, to walk with it in all Go&s;pel-Ordinances and Duties, and to partake with it in all Go&s;pel-Privi|ledges. And I, as the Pa|&s;tor thereof Exhort and Be&s;eech you; yea, I Charge and Command you in the Name of the Chief Sheppard, our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: That you hold fa&s;t this Chri&s;tian Faith which you have now pro|fe&s;&s;ed, and be faithful and &s;tedfa&s;t in that Covenant with God, which you have now Renewed.</P>
<P>And that denying all Ungodline&s;s, and Worldly Lu&s;ts, you live Soberly, Righ|teou&s;ly and Godlily in this pre&s;ent World, that you may al&s;o be received by Chri&s;t, and owned by him in the great Day, as a living Member of his My&s;tical Body, and God in Covenant may be your God and Portion for ever.</P>
<PB N="101" REF="56">
<P>When Impo&s;ition of Hands &s;hall be u|&s;ed, it &s;eems proper to joyn a &s;hort Pray|er with it at the clo&s;e of this Exhortati|on, for Chri&s;ts gracious Reception of the Per&s;on thus admitted, Gods favourable Acceptance of him through Chri&s;t, the Confirming of his Covenant with him, and be&s;towing the Grace of the Cove|nant upon him, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Mean while the Pa|&s;tor may put up &s;uch Petitions for him in his Prayer, before the Celebration of this Ordinance.</P>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><L>&mdash; <HI>Si quid novi&s;ti rectius i&s;tis,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Candidus imperti: Si non, His utere mecum.</HI></L></Q>
<Q><L>If thou know'&s;t what doth more with Rule agree,</L>
<L>Kindly impart it: Or u&s;e this with me.</L></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<PB REF="57">
<HEAD>BOOKS Printed for <HI>Tho. Parkhur&s;t</HI> at the <HI>Bi|ble</HI> and <HI>Three Crowns</HI> in <HI>Cheap&s;ide.</HI></HEAD>
<P>A Treati&s;e of the In&s;titution, right Admini|&s;tration and receiving of the Sacrament of the Lord's upper, By Mr. <HI>Richard Vines.</HI></P>
<P>A True Touch-&s;tone of Grace and Nature, or a Di&s;cour&s;e concerning Self-examination, with Medi|tations relating to the Lord's Supper. By Mr. <HI>N. Vincent,</HI> late Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>A Communicant In&s;tructed, or Practical Dire|ctions for worthy receiving of the Lord's Supper. By <HI>Fran. Roberts,</HI> M. A.</P>
<P><HI>Convivium Caele&s;te,</HI> or a Di&s;cour&s;e concerning the Lord's Supper, &s;hewing at once the Nature of that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">acrament, as al&s;o the right Way of preparing our &s;elVes for the receiving of it, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> by the Right Re|verend Father in God, <HI>Richard</HI> Lord Bi&s;hop of <HI>Bath</HI> and <HI>Wells.</HI></P>
<P>Sacramental Di&s;cour&s;es on &s;everal Texts before, and after the Lord's Supper. By <HI>John Shower.</HI></P>
<PB REF="57">
<P>Sacramental Di&s;cour&s;es upon &s;everal Subjects, to which is added a Di&s;cour&s;e of the Life of Faith. By <HI>Christopher Amirant</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel in <HI>Norfolk.</HI></P>
<P>The Welcome Communicant, or a Brief Di&s;|cour&s;e, directing the weake&s;t Chri&s;tian (proceed|ing from Grace to Grace) how he may come with cheerfulne&s;s to the Lord's Table.</P>
<P>The Worthy Communicant, or a Treati&s;e, &s;hew|ing the due Order of receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. By <HI>Jeremiah Dyke.</HI></P>
<P>The Fountain of Life opened: Or a di&s;play of Chri&s;t in his E&s;&s;ential and Mediatorial Glory, con|taining Forty Sermons on various Texts. 4^t^o^.</P>
<P><HI>Pneumatologia.</HI> Or a Treati&s;e of the Soul of Man. 4^t^o^. Both by Mr. <HI>John Flavel</HI> Late Mini&s;ter in <HI>Dartmouth.</HI></P>
<P>Scripture-Light about the Go&s;pel-Ordinance of Bapti&s;m, in a Letter to &s;ome Scrupulous Friends.</P>
<P>A Treati&s;e of the Lord's Sufferings. By <HI>Tho. Doolittle,</HI> M. A.</P>
<P>Monthly Preparations for the Holy Communi|on. By <HI>R. B.</HI> To which is added, &s;uitable Medi|tations before, in, and after, Receiving; with Di|vine Hymns in Common Tunes.</P>
<P>A Treati&s;e on the Sacrament. By <HI>Tho. Wat&s;on.</HI></P>
<P>The Poor Mans Melp, and Young Man's Guide.</P>
<P>An Argumentative and Practical Di&s;cour&s;e of In|fant-Bapti&s;m. The&s;e two by <HI>W. Burkitt</HI> Rector of <HI>Dedham</HI> in <HI>E&s;&s;ex.</HI></P>
<P>An Allarm to unconverted Sinners. By <HI>Jo&s;. Al|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">.</HI></P>
<P>Di&s;cour&s;es concerning the Rich Man and <HI>La|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">arus.</HI> By <HI>Tim. Cru&s;o,</HI> Late Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n <HI>London.</HI></P>
<P>The Golden Snuffers, a Sermon Preached to the Society for Reformation of Manners. By <HI>Dan- <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">urge&s;s.</HI></P>
<PB REF="58">
<P>Proofs of God's Being, and of the Scriptures Divine Original, with Twenty Directions for the profitable Reading of them. By <HI>D. Burge&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Holy Confidence well improved by <HI>Nehemiah</HI> and the <HI>Jews,</HI> who&s;e Faith and Spirit were con&s;ider'd and applied to the Societies for Reformation o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Manners: In a Sermon at <HI>Salters</HI> Hall in <HI>London. Aug.</HI> 16. 2697. By <HI>Mat. Sylve&s;ter.</HI></P>
<P>A Looking-Gla&s;s for the Unmarried, wherein they may &s;ee the&s;e five Things, <HI>viz.</HI> (1.) Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Benefits, Helps, and Comforts of Marriage. (2.) How they may proceed regularly in Order to Marriage. (3.) How to make a Happy Choice. (4.) How to demean them&s;elves to each other in Order to Family Peace and Concord. (5.) The Relative Duty of Hu&s;band and Wife.</P>
<P>The Righteou&s;ne&s;s of God revealed in the Go|&s;pel: Or an impartial Enquiry into the genuine Doctrine of St. <HI>Paul,</HI> in the great but much con|troverted Article of Ju&s;tification; to which are prefixed the Epi&s;tles of the Right Reverend the Bi&s;hops of <HI>Ely, Worce&s;ter,</HI> and <HI>Che&s;ter.</HI> By Mr. <HI>John Humfrey.</HI></P>
<P>Mr. <HI>John Humfrey</HI>'s Friendly Interpo&s;er between the Authors of tho&s;e Papers, the one called. <HI>A Re|port;</HI> the other, <HI>A Rebuke of that Report,</HI> in Order to a &s;ound Reconciliation between the <HI>Presbyterian</HI> and the <HI>Independents</HI> in Doctrinals, by preparing a Third Way, when both of them are out in the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> own Way.</P>
<P>The Swearers Doom, or a Di&s;cour&s;e again&s;t Vain<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and Ra&s;h Swearing. By <HI>John Rost,</HI> A. M. Recto<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of <HI>Offwel,</HI> and <HI>Gitti&s;ham</HI> in <HI>Devon.</HI></P>
<P>A Body of Practical Divinity, containing a hun|dred &s;eventy &s;ix Sermons upon the <HI>A&s;&s;emblies</HI> &s;horte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Catechi&s;m. By <HI>Tho. Wat&s;on.</HI> Folio.</P>
<P>An Account of the Life and Death of Mr. <HI>Phi|lip Henry</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel near <HI>Whit-church</HI> in <HI>Shrop&s;hire.</HI></P>
<PB REF="58">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
