DISCOURSE II.

JOHN iii. 5.

Jefus anfwer'd, Verily, Verily, I fay unto thee, Except a Man be born again of Water and the Spi rit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

I

N the first Queflicn of the Catechifm, touching the Doctrine of the Sacraments, I obferv'd thefe three things;

1. The Inftitution and Ufe of the Holy Sacraments, which are faid to be ordain'd by Chrift in his Church.

2. The Number of them, which are here declar'd to be two only, that is to fay, Baptifm and the Supper of our Lord. 3. The general Neceffity of them to Salvation: for so they are here faid to be unto all Perfons.

The two first were handled in the last Exercife; wherein I fhew'd the exprefs Precepts of Chrift, ordaining thefe for the Ufe of his Church, and the little reafon of adding and multiplying more. I proceed now to the

Third, which fhews us the general Neceffity of these two Sacraments, in order to the Salvation of Mankind. To evince which, I fhall begin,

First, with the Sacrament of Baptifm, the Neceffity whereof is here plainly fet forth by our Bleffed Saviour: Verily, Verily, I fay unto you, Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of . God. The words are part of a Conference held between Nicodemus, a Ruler of the Jews, and our Bleffed Saviour. The Fame of Chrift's Doctrine and Miracles had brought him to him for Satisfaction. He came by night for fear of the Jews; and being come, told our Saviour, that he took him for a Teacher come from God, for none could do thofe Miracles which he did, except God were with him, ver. 2. Our Saviour lik'd his Confeffion, but withal told him, that that of itfelf was not fufficient, but he must be born again before he could fee the Kingdom of God, ver. 3. Nicodemus tartled at this, asks the Queftion, How a Man can be born

again when he is old, or enter the fecond time into his Mother's Womb, and be born? To which our Saviour replies in the Words of the Text, Verily, Verily I fay unto thee, except a Man be born again of Water, &c. meaning that he fpake not of a natural, but fpiritual Regeneration. The word Verily, Verily, betokens not only the certain Truth, but the exceeding great Weight and Importance of what comes after it; and the following Words befpeak no less the indifpenfible Neceffity of it: Except a Man be born again of Water and the Spirit, &c.

To be born again fuppofes a former Birth, and that is our first coming into the World, in which we were born dead in Trefpaffes and Sins, the Children of Wrath, and Heirs of Damnation; whereas to be born again, is our being receiv'd into the Church, by which we are recover'd from that spiritual Death to a new Life, and thereby made the Children of God, and Heirs of his heavenly Kingdom. To be born again of Water, can be meant only of our being baptiz'd, which is the only New Birth we are capable of by that Element: and the wafhing away the Guilt of Sin, reprefented in that Sacrament by the outward Washing of Water, is in Scripture often ftyl'd a New Birth, or being born again to a lively Hope. 'Tis fo ftyl'd, because the plunging of the Body under Water, us'd in the beginning of Christianity, fignify'd our being dead and bury'd with Chrift in Baptism; fo the rifing out of it betoken'd the reviving again, and rifing to a newness of Life. This admitting Profelytes by washing, was us'd likewife among the Jews; and he that was fo admitted, was faid to be recens natus, new born: which washing is by the Apoftle call'd the Laver of Regeneration, Tit. 3. 5. And they that are fo receiv'd into the Church, are faid to be born a-new of Water.

To be born again of Water and the Spirit, fignifies the Communication of that Spirit of Chrift, in fome measure, that defcended on the Apoftles, and thereby deriving fpiritual Life and Strength to the baptiz'd Party. For as in the first Creation, the Spirit of God mov'd upon the Face of the Waters, and thereby quicken'd the rude indigefted matter of the World into an orderly and beautiful Frame; even fo in the New Creation or Regeneration of a Chriftian, the Spirit of Chrift moveth upon the Waters of Baptifm, and thereby gives a new and fpiritual Life, bringing Light out of Darkness, and Order out of Confufion.

Part III. And as the Angels ftirr'd the Waters in the Pool of Bethes da, before they became healing and medicinal to the Body; fo the Spirit's moving and acting upon the Waters of Baptifm, makes them falutary and healthful to the Soul. This is the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, that was added by our Saviour to John's Baptifm by Water: I indeed baptize you with Water (faith he) but there cometh one after me, that is mightier than I; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire. And this he did firft in that plentiful Effufion of the Holy Ghoft on the Apoftles and others on the Day of Pentecoft; and this he ftill continues to do, by giving his Holy Spirit in fome measure to all Chriftians at their Reception into the Church. This is the reason that Water and the Spirit are fo often mention'd together in Scripture, because they go together in Baptifm: our Saviour here joins them in our Text, and the Apoftle in his Epiftle to Titus hath put together the Washing of Regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, the two memorable Acts of Baptifm, in which the former receives all its Efficacy and Virtue from the latter.

By entring into the Kingdom of God, we are to underftand here our Admiffion into Chrift's Church, which is his Kingdom of Grace, in order to our future Entrance and Reception into his Kingdom of Glory. And lastly,

Our Saviour's Saying, Except a Man be born again of Water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, plainly fhews, that we must be admitted into the former, before we can have any hopes of Entrance and Ad

miffion into the latter.

And because Baptifm is the Door that leads to both, here is evidently held forth the Neceffity of that Sacrament in order to our Salvation; which Leffon we are likewife taught in fundry other places of the New Teftament. The Apoftles exhorted all their Converts to be baptiz'd in the Name of our Lord Jefus, that they might receive Salvation from him, as we read at large in the Acts of the Apostles. St. Paul tells us, That Chrift loved his Church, and deliver'd himself for it, that he might fanctify it, purging it with the washing of Water, Eph. 5. 26. meaning, that Baptifm purgeth away the Guilt and Defilement of fin, without which they both lie upon us, and leave us in the Gall of Bitternefs, and the Bond of Iniquity. And fuch (faith he to the Corinthians) were fome of you, till ye were wash'd in the Waters of Baptifm, juftify'd in the Name of the Lord, and Sanctify'd

Which

fanctify'd by the Spirit of our God, 1 Cor. 6. 11. great Bleffings are first and chiefly deriv'd and bestow'd on us in our Baptifm; and therefore St. Peter tells us, that Baptifm doth now fave us, not fo much by the outward washing away the Filth of the Flesh, as by the inward purifying of the Heart, and the Anfwer of a good Confcience; 1 Pet. 3. 21. And elsewhere we read, that not by Works of Righteouf ness, which we have done, but by his Mercy be faved us, by the washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Ghost; Tit. 3. 5, 6. which words plainly fet forth not only the Benefits, but Neceffity of Baptifm; without which, our Saviour here tells us, that we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, either his Kingdom of Grace here, or Glory hereafter: both which are entail'd only on his Difciples, who by Faith and Baptifm follow him in the Regeneration, as we read, Mat. 19. 28. and elsewhere, He that believeth and is bap tiz'd fhall be faved, but he that believeth not shall be damned, Mark 16. 16.

But here it may be ask'd, If Baptifm be fo neceffary to Salvation, what then will become of thofe that die unbaptiz'd; the Number of which, by reafon of the Negligence of fome, and the Ignorance of others, is not a few? And must all thefe be excluded from the Kingdom of Hea

ven?

In answer to this, I fay,

1. That tho Baptifm is neceffary to Salvation, yet we may not affirm it to be fo abfolutely and indifpenfibly neceffary to that end, as that without it 'tis utterly impoffible to be faved. For tho God hath appointed this and other Ordinances in his Church, to convey Mercy and Bleffings to us, yet he hath not fo far ty'd up himself to them, as not to be able to fave without them. His Power is infinite, and his Mercy is over all his Works: He preferv'd the Bodies of the Ifraelites in the Wildernefs without the Staff of Bread, the common Support of them; and fav'd their Souls without the Sacrament of Circumcifion, the Seal of the Covenant to that end: which fhews that he is not fo confin'd to Means, but that he can and does fometimes fave as well without as with them, tho they are of his own appointing. But yet,

2.

We must diftinguish between the ordinary Methods of Divine Providence, and Cafes extraordinary: The former are to be the Rule and Direction of our Duty, tho the latter may not be always defpair'd of or depended up

on.

Part III. on. It would be a vain Prefumption for any to refufe his daily Bread, becaufe God can and hath fupported fome without it; neither would the Folly and Danger be less to neglect the Waters of Baptifm, becaufe God is able to save as well without as with them. Again,

3. We must distinguish between an unavoidable or involuntary Omiffion of Baptifm, and a wilful Neglect or Contempt of it: the former may confist well enough with Salvation, tho the latter cannot.

There may be fome Times and Cafes when Baptifm may not be had, in which cafes the Defire of Baptifm may qualify for Mercy, and be fufficient to Salvation, where there is no Opportunity: but where this Ordinance is adminif ter'd, and Men are call'd upon to come to it, if they thro' Careleffnefs, Error, or Obftinacy allow themselves in the Neglect of it, there the Cafe is extremely fad and dangefor Baptifm being the Gate of Entrance into the Church, out of which ordinarily there is no Salvation, They that enter not by it, can have no Right to the Mercies and Privileges of the Covenant, and confequently can never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. By which we see the general Neceffity of this Sacrament, and the Danger of defpifing it, where it may be had.

rous;

But whence doth this Neceffity of Baptifm proceed, or upon what is it grounded? Why,

(1.) This proceeds from the exprefs Precept and Command of Chrift, which the Schools call Neceffitas Præcepti, or a Neceffity arifing not fo much from the Nature of the thing, as by virtue of a Divine Precept that calls all Chriftians to it. The Commiffion given to the Apoftles, and in them to all the fucceeding Minifters of the Gofpel, was to go teach all Nations, baptizing them, &c. fignifying, that Difciples are to be receiv'd into the Church by the Waters of Baptifm. Accordingly we find all the Profelytes and Converts to Chriftianity, mention'd in the Acts of the Apostles, were admitted into it by this Ceremony: Repent and be baptiz'd (faith St. Peter to the three thoufand Converts) Acts 2. 38. Arife, why tarrieft thou? and be bap tiz'd (faith Ananias to Saul upon his Converfion to Chritianity) Acts 22. 16. Lydia and her Houfe was admitted into the Church this way, and fo was the Jailor and his Family, and fo have all Chriftians been ever fince.

(2.) But befide this Neceffity proceeding from the Divine Precept, Baptifm is farther neceffary, Neceffitate Medii,

as