663 both these have their outward vifible Signs to reprefent an inward fpiritual Grace, and fo have the two firft Requifites of a Sacrament. 3. 'Tis farther requir'd to a Sacrament, that it be given to us; that is, that it be duly adminiftred and apply'd to us. To the due Administration of it, 'tis neceffary that it be done by proper Officers, that is, by Perfons duly qualify'd and authoriz'd thereunto; without which, 'tis utterly void and of none effect: and therefore all Baptizing by Women or Perfons that have no Commiffion, is no better than ordinary Bathing; and the Lord's Supper, when administer'd by fuch, is no better than a common Meal. Again, to make thefe effectual, they must be duly apply'd, as well as adminifter'd to us; for as the best Medicine is of no use, unless it be apply'd, fo neither can a Sacrament be of any avail without a right Ufe and Application of it. 4. 'Tis neceffary to a Sacrament, that it be ordain'd by Christ himself; for tho it may be adminifter'd and apply'd by others by his Authority, yet the Inftitution of it must be from Chrift himfelf: for Chrift being the fole Head and Governour of his Church, he hath the fole Power of prefcribing the Word and Sacraments that are to be us'd and adminifter'd in it. Befide, tho the outward vifible Sign te by his Command adminifter'd to us by Men like ourselves, yet the conferring of the inward and spiritual Grace, which gives all the Efficacy, belongs only to Chrift himself and therefore a Sacrament must not be of Man's devifing, but of God's appointing; it must be no human Invention, but of divine Inflitution: fo that an outward Sign of inward Grace is not fufficient of itfelf to make a Sacrament, unless it be ordain'd of Chrift, who alone can annex the fpiritual Grace, and bestow it upon the Ufe of it. Accordingly we find the two Sacraments of the Old Teftament, Circumcifion and the Paffover, were of Divine Inftitution, Gen. 17. 11. and Exod. 12. : And the fame hath been fhew'd of the two Sacraments of the New Teftament, Baptifm and the Supper of the Lord; both which were inftituted by Chrift himself, and by him order'd to be continu'd in his Church till his fecond Coming, as we may read Mat. 28. 19. 1 Cor. 10. 5. Another Requifite of a Sacrament is, that it be not only ordain'd by Chrift, but that it be ordain'd as a Means to convey Grace, and a neceffary Condition of Salvation. And this diftinguishes the Sacraments from other Ecclefiaf Xx 4 tical tical Rites and Ceremonies; for thefe are not requir'd as Means of Grace, and neceffary to Salvation, but only as Rules of external Order and Decency; not to beget Faith, but to preferve Unity: whereas the Sacraments are inftituted to beget and increafe Grace in us. The one enters us into a State of Salvation, and the other helps to continue us in it; for by Baptifm we receive the Holy Ghost for the renewing our Natures; and by the Lord's Supper we receive fresh Supplies of Grace from it, for the reforming our Lives: by both we are built up in our Holy Faith, and kept by the Power of God thro' Faith unto Salvation. So that thefe Sacraments are appointed by God as the Means of Grace, and the Inftruments of our Happiness, to convey to us the Waters of Life, and to feed our Souls with the Food of Immortality. The Sacraments of the Old Law were ordain'd to admit thofe that receiv'd them into Covenant with God, and intitled them to all the Mercy and Benefit of the Legal Sacrifices; and the Sacraments of the Gospel serve to the like or better Purposes, vis. to enter us into Chrift's Church, and intereft us in all the Merits of his Death and Interceffion. Lastly, 'Tis requir'd to a Sacrament, not only that it be appointed as a Means of Grace, but that it be ordain'd as a Pledge to affure us thereof. This is requifite to confirm our Faith, and encourage our Obedience, both which are too apt to fail without fome token of Affurance to support them; and therefore our Saviour ordain'd the Holy Sacraments, not only as the Means of Grace, but as Props to our Faith, and Pledges to affure us of the Truth of his Promifes for which reafon they are fometimes ftyl'd the First Fruits, fometimes the Earnest of our purchas'd Poffeffion. For as the First Fruits ferve to afcertain the after Harveft, and an Earnest is given to confirm a Bargain; fo the Holy Sacraments are appointed to convey and work Grace in us, as the First Fruits and Pledges of our future Glory: by thefe we tafte and fee that the Lord is gracious, and have our Hopes in him fupported by vifible and fenfible Representations: He has fealed us (fays the Apoftle) and given unto us the Earneft of his Spirit, 2 Cor. 1. 22. This he doth by giving us the Holy Sacraments as the Pledges and Affurances of his Love, which are the Signs and Seals of the New Covenant, to confirm us in the Truth of his Promifes, and the Immutability of his Counfels. Thus Thus we fee the Nature of a Sacrament, and what is imply'd in the Notion of it. From whence we may learn, 1. To magnify and meditate upon the great Love of God, in condefcending thus to inftruct us by vifible Signs and Tokens: he knew how backward we are to learn, and how apt to forget; and therefore he vouchfafes to teach us, not only by the hearing of the Ear, but by the fight of the Eye, prefenting to our view fome lively Symbols and Reprefentations, the better to imprint his Truths on our Mind, and to preferve the Memory of his Goodnefs. The Holy Sacraments are visible ways of Inftruction to help the flowness of our Understanding, and to enable us to receive and retain the Knowledge of God. Herein he is pleas'd graciously to comply with our Weaknefs, and by the most likely and lively means to inftil his Grace and Truth into us; appointing Water to purify us in Baptifm, and Wine to remember him in the Lord's Supper. This is an Act of his fatherly Care and Tenderness of us, and fhews how willing he is that we should know and remember the things which belong our Peace; which therefore ought to be thankfully acknowledg'd and accepted by us. 2. From what has been faid of the Nature, we may fatisfy our felves in the Number of the Sacraments; for all the foremention'd Requifites of a Sacrament are to be found in those two of Baptifm and the Lord's Supper, and in no other: and therefore there can be no Reafon of multiplying or adding more to them, as fome have done; for Matrimony, Orders, Penance, and the like, are not requir'd of all, nor are they generally neceffary as Means of Salvation, or as Pledges to affure us thereof; and therefore want many Requifites to denominate them truly and properly Sacraments. Much less may the Rights and Ceremonies of the Church be ftyl'd by that Name (as others have vainly objected) for these are neither ordain'd by Chrift, nor do they convey Grace, nor are they us'd as any Pledges or Affurances of it; but are only human Inftitutions appointed for the Decency and Solemnity of Divine Worship. Indeed, this word Sacrament is no where to be found in Holy Scripture, and therefore we cannot derive the Sense or Notion of it from Divine Authority; 'tis a Term taken up and us'd by the Church, to exprefs fome peculiar Signs and Inftitutions, which we find appointed by God as the Means of Grace, and an Earneft to affure us of it. This then being the Senfe which the Church hath put upon this Word, Word, nothing is to be reckon'd of a Sacramental Nature, that wants any of thofe Qualifications: and this will not only confine the Notion of a Sacrament to thofe two mention'd in the Catechifm, but cut off all the fupernumerary Sacraments added by the Church of Rome: and likewife vindicate our Church from the falfe Imputation of Sectaries, as if fhe took the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church into that Number. Laftly, From what has been faid concerning the meaning of this word Sacrament, we may learn to preferve a due Reverence and pious Efteem of the two Sacraments of the New Teftament, receiving them as Pledges of the Divine Love, and the Earneft of our future Happiness. Let us beware of denying or delaying of Baptifm, which enters us into Chrift's Church; nor let us neglect the Lord's Supper, which leads us on to his Holy Table: but being both ordain'd by Chrift himself, let us live in a due Obfervance and Eftimation of them; and thus by ufing them as the Means of Grace now, they will ere long bring us to Glory. kkkkkkkk sk sk DISCOURSE V. MAT. xxviii. 19. Go ye and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. Have, according to the Direction of the Catechism, and the Commiffion of the Text, taught you the Nature, the Neceffity, and the Number of the Holy Sacraments; and fhew'd what is requir'd to the making and receiving of them as fuch. The next Question is, How many Parts be there in a Sacrament? To which the Anfwer is, Two; the outward Visible Sign, and the inward Spiritual Grace. Both which being explain'd in the foregoing Difcourfe, will need no farther Explication: And therefore having fpoken of the Sacraments in general, and the Parts of them, I proceed now to difcourfe more particularly of each of them. To To which end, the next thing ask'd in the Catechifm is, What is the outward vifible Sign or Form in Baptifm? The Anfwer whereunto is, Water, wherein the Perfon is baptiz'd in the Name of the Father,the Son,and the Holy Ghost. Here we are directed to begin with Baptifm, which being the Sacrament of Admiffion into the Church, must be firft taught and learnt by us. In order to which, 'tis enquir'd, First, What is the outward vifible Sign in Baptifm? and that is, Water. And, Secondly, What is the Form us'd in it? and that is, In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Of both which I fhall treat from these words of our Saviour, Go, teach all Nations, baptizing them, &c. Where, baptizing being a washing with Water, fignifies to us, That the outward vifible Sign of this Sacrament, is the Element of Water, which is by Christ ordain'd and confecrated to this purpose. Indeed, Water hath fuch a natural Faculty of cleanfing, as renders it a fit Symbol of Purification; and has accordingly been us'd in all Ages and Countries to that end: hence we read of several kinds of Washings in ufe among the Jews, Heb. 9. 36. They never admitted any Profelytes without this Ceremony: The Priefts and Levites were not to enter upon their Office, till they were fanctify'd by the washing with Water, Exod. 29. 4. If any Uncleannefs had come upon a Man under the Law, either by touching a dead Corps, or by Leprofy, or any other way, he was commanded to wash in pure Water, and was thereby judged clean. The Ifraelites were faid to be baptiz'd in the Sea, 1 Cor. 10. Naaman the Syrian was bid to go and wash in Fordan, to be cleansed of his Leprofy: And the blind Man was order'd to wash in the Pool of Siloam, that he might be healed. Water then, by reafon of its natural property of Cleanfing, is an Emblem of Purity, and hath been ever ufed by all Nations in the Rites of their Religion: Our Saviour therefore, who never affected any needlefs Innovations, thought fit to continue this as the Rite of Initiation into his Church. cordingly we find John the Baptift, in compliance with this antient Practice, baptized with Water in the River Fordan, where Chrift himself came to his Baptifm, and thereby left an Example of his own Inftitution. By all which it plainly appears, how fitly our Church declares Water to be the outward vifible Sign in this Sacrament. Ac But how is Water to be us'd in the celebrating of this Sacrament? This must be fpoken to, because we find 2 some |