CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Baptism and the Lord's
Supper are Signs of the Inward and
Spiritual Things
But some may say
of baptism, and the Supper, that these are the signs of inward and
spiritual things, but it does not follow, that these are the spiritual things.
Typical Signs and Figures Showed
Christ Yet To Come While Gospel Signs Do confirm and Ratify that
He has Already Come.
Beloved, here
lies the ground of this great mistake, the lack of distinguishing
between these figures that type out Christ to come, and these sacramental signs
that do confirm and ratify His being already come. Those typical signs and
figures then, which typed out Christ to come, did properly belong to that
typical seed, the body of Israel, which typed out the spiritual seed to
come.
Gospel Signs Show that Christ Already
Dwells in the Heart By Faith
But now these
signs, I say, these sacramental signs that have been instituted since
Christ came, for the confirming that He is come, these belong only to
the spiritual seed, in whom Christ is already dwelling in their hearts by
faith. Therefore, as Christ is a spiritual and substantial Mediator of a
substantial and spiritual covenant, so these spiritual administrations
of the spiritual covenant belong only to those who are in Christ and in His
New Covenant by faith and who have Christ dwelling in them, as has been
before manifested in the former part of my discourse.
Baptism Belongs Only To
Professed Believers
In the New
Testament, faith and repentance are required of them who are to be baptized,
"Here is water what letteth? If thou believest with all thy heart it is lawful,"
Acts 8:38, implying it was unlawful to baptize any who did not believe
with all their heart, at least in profession. So when Christ dispensed the
Supper, He commands it to be received by His disciples, Matt.
26. He says to
His disciples, "Drink ye all of this," and Paul says, "Examine
yourselves and so eat of this bread, and drink of this Cup."
If you will not
shut your eyes against the light, there is nothing more plain than this,
that those administrations under the old covenant, did not require such
qualifications, as are essentially requisite to be found in the persons who must
partake of these substantial signs of the New Covenant.
Believing Was not Necessary For the
Subject of Circumcision
As for
Circumcision, it was not necessary for all who were circumcised, to believe and
repent, or to have faith in Christ, or to be converted and made disciples by
preaching, as necessary qualifications to partake of the Ordinances. But
the institution in Gen. 17:13 says, "All born in thy house, or bought with
thy money," though never so ignorant, carnal, or have never so wicked parents
or parentage, yet such ought to be circumcised, this institution
running upon that family.
Baptism Is a Confirmationof the
Believer's Regeneration
Already Wrought in Him
But baptism is a
confirmation of our regeneration already wrought in us, our new birth, and
our union with Jesus Christ by faith. Therefore, it belongs only to those who
are born again of water and of the Spirit.
The Passover and the Lord's Supper
Contrasted
The Passover was
to be partaken of by the carnal Israelite after the flesh, viz. the captive,
the slave bought with money, Heathen, Black Moor, or of the Canaanites.
But the Lord's Supper only belongs to Disciples able to discern the
Lord's body by faith. Without faith they bring judgment upon themselves and
make themselves guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, except they are
able to examine themselves, "Let a man examine himself, and
so let him eat of
that Bread, and drink of that Cup." So that which the Apostle drives at
in this chapter is this principally, that as the temporal Israel, the
Church of God then privileged in that temporal Covenant upon their falls and
sins, were visited by God and corrected to show to all the world that He
would not countenance sin in them without sad reproof, so He concludes in this
also that the Gospel-church professing the Covenant of Grace, and
enjoying the privileges thereof, should not escape if they turn aside from God
and sin against Him without checks, reproofs and sad admonitions from
Him. Here lies the scope; and the rather might such caution be given to
Gospel-Churches, because they were in a Covenant of Grace only by a visible
profession and therefore, may possibly receive the greater danger by sin if
their profession should not be right and saving.
Objection
But some may
object, That there were some precious Saints then in the Old Testament, and do
you think that they did not perform the Ordinances with spiritual hearts?
Answer
No question such
did, as it is said of Abel, By faith he offered a more excellent
sacrifice than Cain.Duties relating merely to the Covenant of Works performed
from faith with an eye to Christ were then acceptable when so performed,
though ceremoniously.
Faith Made Not Israelites Capable of
Performing the Ceremonies of the Law.
I would have you
to observe that the carnal Israelite who was without faith, was as capable to
perform every ceremonial Law required by the old covenant according to the
express tenor thereof, as truly as the believer was.
Catechism in the Common Prayer Book
Conforms This Doctrine
So, in no wise
can this also be said of the duties relating to the New Covenant, either
then or now, as repentance, spiritual prayer, thanksgiving, and diverse other
duties perpetually at all times, and universal to all Saints. I deny
that the carnal Jews were capable of the true performance of these, I mean as
to answer the rules or institutions given. For if you look to the Catechism
in the Common Prayer Book, you shall find that it was a
maxim received by
all who own that liturgy, that no less than a profession of faith and
repentance, was required of those who were baptized. Whence observe, they
thereby confirm the doctrine that I have been pleading for, that none but
such as have faith and repentance in their hearts, and do profess the same
should be baptized.
Objection
But some may say,
Did not some bring their friends to Christ to be healed, and Christ,
seeing the faith of those which brought them, healed them? And if they believed
for others, to the healing of their bodies, why not also then for the
saving of their souls?
Answer
This is directly
the Papists' argument with which some do close rather than part with their
Idol. But to speak to this more particularly, there is nothing more
plain than that God did give gifts of healing to many, as that the faith of one
contributed to the healing of the body of another, as their servants and
children, as in the case of the Centurion, in Matt. 8:7-9, and
Jairus the ruler
over the synagogue. But this is no way proves that one man should come to
have union with Christ, and so to have justification and eternal life by
the faith of another.
For in this case
the Prophet says, "The just shall live by his faith," Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17.
"He that believes not is condemned already," that is, every individual who
believes not shall be condemned, and he who believes shall b saved. But some
do bring in that text in the 7th chapter of the Hebrews, that Levi paid
tithes in Abraham. Therefore, why should not souls believe and repent in
their believing parents, as well as Levi paid tithes in his believing Father
Abraham?
Abraham Paid Tithes to Melchisedec
As a Public Person
It seems to me
that this Act of Abraham was performed as a public person, in his paying tithes
to Melchisedec. Herein he represented his posterity; but not so in all the
rest of his Acts. It does not follow that he believed and repented for all
his posterity, for this were a notable ground indeed for Papists'
implicit faith.
The Sin and Fall of Adam as a
Public Person
We know that
Adam, in his fall, did act sin as a public person. By this, all mankind are said
to sin, Rom. 5. But it does not follow that all the future acts that Adam
committed, he did perform as a public person. For if all the posterity of a
believing person so many generations to come, as Levi from Abraham, did
believe and repent in their believing parents, then there is no ground to oppose,
that all the world at this day are believers. They were all in the line
of believing Noah, he being the father from whence all the world did proceed
that are now living this day.
Again observe,
that if the Covenant of Life belongs to all believer's seed then we need not
lack for Church-members because all the world are the children and
off-spring of believing Noah. This argument carries the right of Covenant to
all the world, being the children of a believer, viz. Noah.