nant of works, and fo attained not the thing promifed) but it fealeth it conditionally, If thou believe, thou shalt be faved, and fo the affumption must be made out by the search of the confcience, before the conclufion receive any confirmation by the facrament; yet by ftrengthning the major propofition, Such as believe, fhall be faved; it ftrengtheneth the conclu fion alfo For if that were not true, my having faith, or flying to Chrift, were no great comfort; and fo confequent ly it has influence on the believers comfort in the conclufion as God's oath and seal did confirm the promise made to Abraham, and also strengthened his faith in believing it should be made to him, Rom. iv. 11.

Again, it is to be confidered that the facrament fealeth particularly not only as it fayeth, All that believe fhall be faved, But alfo, as it fays, Thou, if thou wilt believe, fhalt be faved; and the feal is fo appended to that conditional offer; that the covenant ftandeth not only fure in general to all believers, but to me particularly upon my clofing with it, as if God were particularly fingling me out to make the offer unto me, and to make my engagement, and to put the seal in my hand, by which faith is more particularly helped and ftrengthned than by the word alone; there is great use therefore of the facraments, in that thereby we get faith quieted in the believing of this, that God lay by his controverfy, and keep his covenant, and make forth-coming his promises to thofe who fly for refuge to Jefus Chrift, according to his oath and feal: Thus he fealeth the major fimply, the minor conditionally, but particularly; or we may fuppofe God fpeaking to us from the covenant thus, He to whom I offer Chrift, he may receive him; and all that believe and receive the offer, shall obtain the bleffing offered: But I offer Chrift to thee: Therefore, thou mayeft and fhouldst receive him; and if thou accept the offer, thou fhalt obtain the bleffing offered, and fhalt be faved: Thus the major and minor are fimply fealed, but the conclufion conditionally : Or the facrament fealeth the offer fimply; but the promise as it is applied to fuch a particular perfon conditionally, if he receive the offer; fo that none needeth to question God's offer, nor Chrift's performance on our acceptation. And thus the facraments may be called teftimonies, of God's grace to us, because particularly they feal that offer of his grace unto us, namely Chrift, and falvation by him, and his being content to give him upon condition of our believing..

The third end and ufe of the facraments; is, to exhibit and apply Christ or his benefits to believers; hence in the facraments we put on Chrift, and eat him: which is not done

by

by any phyfical union of Chrift or bis benefits with the figns, but as in the word Chrift communicateth himself, when the Spirit goeth along with the promises, and hearers bring not only their ears, but their hearts and faith to that ordinance: So here, by the facraments Chrift is communicated to us, when we come not only with ears, eyes, tafte, &c. but with faith exercifed on Chrift in the facrament, with refpect to his inftitution And he cometh by his Spirit with the ele ments, and word, whereby the union with Chrift is so much the more near and fenfible, as it hath upon the one fide fo many and great external helps in the means appointed by God; and on the other fide a proportional bleffing promifed to go along with his ordinance by the operation of his Spirit. Hence it is, that all this communion is fpiritual, conferred by the fpirit, and received by faith; yet it is most real, and having a real ground and caufe, and real effects following, not by virtue of the facraments in themfelves, more than by the word or prayer confidered in themselves; but by the virtue of the promife laid hold on by faith. And now word and facraments being joined together, they concur the more effectually for bringing forth thofe ends intended in the covenant.

4thly, There is a fourth end which refulteth from these, and that is, a believer's confolation, Heb. i. 6, 8. which by the ftrengthning of faith, and beholding of Chrift in that or dinance, and being confirmed in the hope of his coming again, &c. proveth very fweet, and coroborateth the foul fo much the more, as that therein he tryfteth often with the believer, and by it communicateth himfelf to his fenfes and fpiritual feeling.

5thly, The facraments holds forth a mutual engaging betwixt God and his people; God holdeth out the contract, the covenant and offer; we, by our partaking do declare our acceptance of that offer on thofe terms, and engage ac cordingly, that we shall make use of that righteoufnefs therein held forth for our juftification, and of that wisdom and ftrength therein offered for our direction and fanctification, In this refpect our taking of the feal, is called our covenanting; and Gen. xvii he was to be punished that wanted the feal of God's covenant: Thus our accepting and receiving looketh to the word, holding forth the terms, and God fealeth and confirmeth on these terms the particular promifes of righteoufnefs and ftrength to the ends before mentioned, that our faith may be ftrengthened in making us of them.

Thefe are the main and principle ends of the facraments,

though

though they ferve alfo for outward diftinguishing of God's people from all other focieties and perfo.

In fum, The word offereth Chrift and his benefits, the hearer accepteth him, on the terms on which he is offered; and confenteth; both thefe are fuppofed to preceede the fa craments, though, (as we may fee in the Jailor, Acts xvi. and others) it may be but for a very fhort time, yet in the order of nature at least, they are prior, and then come the facraments, which have in them, 1. A clear view of the bargain, that we may close distinctly, and know what we attain, 2. A folemn confirmation, on God's fide of the covenant, and the particular offer he therein maketh. 3. A furthering of us in part, and helping us to believe, and a conferring of fomething offered. 4. A comforting of those upon whom the bleffings are conferred. 5. The receivers folemn and public engaging to God, that he fhall obferve and make ufe of all thefe; the fifth may be looked upon as the fecond in order.

We may come now to confider the faults we are guilty of, in reference to the facraments. And first in general, then more particularly in reference to baptifm and the Lord's fupper: We fhall not fpeak to thefe faults common to Papifts and others, which are inore doctrinal, fuch as errors about the perfons who may adminifter them, as that women may adminifter baptifm, &c. But we fhall fpeak to those that are incident to us in our practice.

And firft, in general we fail, either when too much weight is laid on them, or when too little. First, when too much, as, 1. When there is an abfolute neceffity fuppofed to be of them in order to falvation. 2. When they are thought to confer grace of themfelves by the very partaking of the outward elements, although without faith. 3. When they are rested on in the outward receiving; as if that made us fome way acceptable to God. 4. When there is a fuperftitious blind preferring of them, and with, the prejudice of all other ora dinances, fo that one will neglect preaching and praying long, but must have baptifm the communion. 5. When there is a preferring of the outward ordinance to Chrift and the thing fignified, that is, When men feek more to have the baptifm of water than the baptifm of the Spirit, and the external communion more than the inward; in which any heaven that is to be found in the ordinances, lieth: And when men are more commoved for wanting the facrament once, than for wanting Chrift often and long. . 6. Coming unto, and going from, the external ordinances, neglecting him, and without dependance upon him who giveth the blefling

bleffing, and thinking that then all is well enough, feeing they were prefen at the ordinance. 7. Going far off for the partaking of a facrament to the prejudice of neceffary moral duties called for at that time. 8. Placing more in them

than in works of mercy and charity, or doting on them, to the neglect of thofe. 9. When they are accounted fo holy, as if they might not be given, where Chrift alloweth them to be given or as if that wronged them, when they are not adminiftrated in fome confecrate place, as if one place were now under the gofpel more holy than another. 10. Adding to Chrift's inftitution, in the way of adminiftration; as if what he hath appointed, becaufe it is common and ordinary were bafe and too low for them.

Again, they get too little efteem, 1. When people use them as bare and empty figns, without refpect to their due ends. 2. When there is not that reverence given to God in them, as ought to be, according to his command, when we are about fo holy and fo folemn pieces of worship. 3. When men carnally and without preparation, and obfervation, can hazard on them as common things. 4. When God's grace and goodness in condefcending in them to us, is not admired and bleffed. 5. When they are not pondered and studied, that we may know them, and be affected in receiving them, and when there is not meditation on them. 6. Want of delight in them. 7. Carelesness of them whether we have them or want them. 8. Corrupting the Lord's inftitution in our manner of going about them, ei. ther adding to it, or diminishing from it, or changing it, as if men might do fo. 9. Little zeal to keep them pure. 10. Neglecting the occafions of them, when we may have them with fome little pains. 11. Accounting them better, when adminiftred by one minifter, than when by another; or e fteeming little of them, because dispensed by some men, (though lawful minifters) as if men added any worth to the ordinance of God. 12. Never actually laying weight on a ny of them, or drawing comfort from them, or less than fhould have been done. 13. Not withing and praying that others may have good of them. 14 Not fearing the wronging of them by multitudes who partake of them, and not endeavouring to have abuses of that kind helped, but making them common to all indifferently and promifcuously. 15. When folk fear not the breaking of their engagements in them. 16. When men hang the fruit of them on the adminifterer's intention, or on the grace of them that are joint. partakers with them. 17. When there is little zeal against the errors that wrong them, as when they are denied by Anabaptifts, and when they are corrupted, as in the Mafs.

To

To come particularly to baptifm; we may confider 1." The fins of those who seek it for their children. 2. The fios of those who adminifter it. 3. The fins of on-lookers, efpecially those who are called to be witneffes. 4. The fins of those who are baptized.

The parents or prefenters of children to baptifm fail before, in the time, and after the administration of this ordinance; firft, before, 1. By not serious minding that which is to be done. 2. Not confidering the child's condition as needing Chrift in that ordinance. Nor 3. The end of that ordinance. 4. Mifkenning Chrift, and not going first to him, for conferring the things and bleffings fignified. 5.1 Not praying for the child, for the minifter and for a bleffing on the ordinance. 6. Not bleffing God that there is a covenant of grace that taketh in our children; nor offering them to be engaged and received in it. 7. Not minding the moft fimple and edifying way of going about it, but walking by other rules. 8. Needlefs delaying of it for carnal ends. 9. Being more defirous of the fign than of the thing fignified.

2dly, When we come to it we fin. 1. Not seeking to have our own covenant with God (by which we have this priviledge of bringing our children to baptifm) renewed and made fure. 2. Not confidering by what right we claim it to our children. 3. Not repenting of our own breaches of covenant, nor wondering that God keepeth with us, who have often broken to him. 4. Not coming with the exer cife of fear and reverence. 5. Waiting on it oft-times without attention or minding our duty in what is fpoken. 6. Promifing for the fashion when we engage for the childrens education, and without either judgment or refolute purpose to perform. 7. Being ignorant of what is faid or done. 8. Not concurring in prayer for the bleffing. 9 Not undertaking in Chrift's ftrength to perform the duties called for.

3dly, After the administration of baptifm, we fail, 1. In forgetting all our engagements. 2 In growing careless to maintain any fuitable frame, and falling carnal in our mirth on fuch occafions. 3. Not being much in prayer for the children, nor infifting or continuing in prayer for the bleffing. 4. Not being faithful according to our engagements, in educating them. 1. In knowledge, that they may be fo trained up as to know what God is. 2. In the fear of God preffing it upon them by frequent exhortations. 3 In giv ing them good example. 4. In giving them feasonable cor rection (but rather fparing them though to their hurt) when there is cause of correction. 5. Being alfo unfaithful in not

Q2

feriously