LECTURE IV.

Queft. Doft thou not think that thou art bound to believe and to do as they have promised for thee?

Anf. Pes verily : and by God's help so I will. And I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this State of Salvation, through Jelus Chrift our Saviour. And I pray unto God to give me his Grace, that I may continue in the lame to my Life's end.

HIS Queftion is very proper, and feafonable, and neceffary to be put to all thofe that have been Baptiz'd, to remind them at once of their Obligations to Duty, and their Neglects of it. For tho' all are ready to.profefs that they are really bound to perform what their Sureties have promised for them, yet if we look into the Lives and Converfations of the generality of People; one would never imagine any fuch thing; fince the whole Courfe of their Lives is a plain Contradiction to fucha Profeffion, and their own Mouths ferve only to condemn them, in owning themfelves bound to that which they never intend to perform. But for the clearer understanding this Queftion and Answer, it will be convenient to divide it into Three general Parts, which I fhall treat of in order as they lie in the words.

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1. Here is a Profeffion that we are bound to perform what was promifed for us at our Baptifm, with a renewing of that Promife in our own Names.

2. Here is an Expreffion of our Gratitude to God for the Benefits of the Baptifmal Covenant. And,

3. Here is a Petition for Grace and Affistance, with a Refolution implied of Perfeverance in the fame to our Lives end.

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(1.) Here is a Profeffion of our being bound to perform what was promifed for us at our Baptifm, with

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a Renewal of that Promife in our own Names. For the Question being this [Doft thou not think thou art bound to believe and do as they have promifed for thee?] The Answer is [Tes verily, and by God's help fo I will.] Wherein,

I 1. We own our felves obliged to believe as they have promised for us. Now they Promifed. that we should believe all the Articles of the Chriftian Faith, and in particular that Summary of them which is commonly called the Apoftles Creed, of which hereafter. And as their Promife obliged them to take care that we fhould be duly inftructed in the Principles of the Chriftian Religion, and throughly acquainted with them; fo we are thereby oblig'd to own the fame, that being the Badge of our Profeffion, whereby we declare our felves to be Chriftians. So that we cannot deny any Article of the Creed, but at the fame time we muft deny the Word of God and the Chriftian Religion, and that is a thing which but few are willing to do. But,

2. We own our felves alfo obliged to do as they have promised for us. And indeed 'tis in vain to pretend to believe the Truths of Religion, if we do not practice accordingly. Now they promifed that we fhould keep God's Holy Will and Commandments, and walk in the fame all the days of our Life. Not that we are able perfectly to obferve and fulfil all the Commands of God, or indeed any one of them as we ought to do. But as their Promise engages them only to the ufe of the Means to bring us to the knowledge of the Truth, and press us to the practice of it; fo our Performance is to be underftood with Abatements for Humane Frailty, endeavouring, by God's Affiftance to do the beft we can, and being fincerely humbled for any Defects or Failure in.

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And this we are oblig'd to by the Promife made in our Names for this reafon: Becaufe, if a Promife made to Man (being lawful and good) does bind, then much more does a Promife made to God, which is in the na

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Le&t. IV. ture of a Vow, and the Scripture tells us that Vows are by all means to be performed. And if a Promife made in private does bind, much more does a Publick Vow made openly in the face of the Congregation, and the Prefence of God and his Holy Angels. And befides we not only own our felves bound to what was promifed for us in our Baptifm, but in this Anfwer we take it upon our felves, and renew the fame Promife in our own Names. And therefore, however fome may cavil, as if none could be bound by a Promife made for 'em without their confent, and when they were wholly ignorant of it; yet this can be no Excufe to thofe who have fo often promifed the fame thing themfelves, and therefore are all manner of ways oblig'd to the Performance of it.

(2.) Here is an Expreffion of our Gratitude to God for the Benefits of the Baptifmal Covenant, in these words [And I heartily thank our Heavenly Father, that he bath called me to this State of Salvation, through Fefus Chrift our Saviour.] Wherein we may take notice of two things. For,

We are faid to be brought into a [State of Salvation.] Which is not to be underflood, as if all that die Unbaptiz'd could not be faved, which would be very hard, when there is no Contempt or Negled of this Sacrament in the Parents, and when there can be none in the Children themfelves. But the meaning is, that by our Baptifm we are brought within the Pale of the Church, and have a right to all the Priviledges of it. By our Baptifm we are alfo admitted into Covenant with God, and upon our Performance of the Conditions of the Covenant, we need not fear but to reap the Benefits of it. And by this we are hrought into the way of Salvation, having thereby a right (in due time) to all the Ordinances of Chrift, which he has appointed as the means of our Salvation. And,

2. We are faid to be brought into this State of Salvation [through Jefus Chrift our Saviour,] becaufe it is he who has purchas'd this Salvation for us, by making Satisfaction

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tisfaction to God for our Sins, and bringing us into his Grace and Favour again after our Rebellion and Apoftacy from him: And it is be alfo that has Inftituted this Sacrament as an initiating Ordinance, whereby we are admitted into the Church, and obtain a Right to all the Priviledges of it.

Now this requires our highest Thankfulness to God, as will appear, if we confider how great a part of the World are utterly deftitute of the glorious Priviledges we enjoy, being Aliens from the Common wealth of Ifra el, and Strangers to the Covenant of Promife, without Hope, and without God in the World. We might have been born in thofe parts of the World where the Light of the Gospel never yet fhined: We might have been brought forth of fuch Parents as know nothing of God or Chrift, or the way of Salvation by him. What a Mercy then is it to be born of Chriftian Parents, and to have fo many engaged to inftruct us in the way of Life and Salvation! Yet we ought to confider withal that it will avail us nothing to be brought into the Baptifmal Covenant, unless we take care to perform the Conditions of it. It will be no State of Salvation to us, if we neg. lect our part of the Covenant, and render our felves uncapable of the Benefits of it. And therefore we ought daily to be working out our Salvation with fear and trembling, and to beg of God to work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And this brings me to the laft Particular.

(3.) Laftly, Here is a Petition to God for his Grace and Afiftance that we may continue in the fame to our Life's end. Which fhews that 'tis poffible we may not continue in it, and 'tis but too evident that the greatest part of the World do fall from it. And yet this continuance in well doing is abfolutely neceffary to our Salvation. For 'tis only fuch as endure to the end that Shall be faved, Mat. 10. 22. He that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh back is not fit for the Kingdom of God, Luke 9. 62. Nay, 'tis better never to have known

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the way of Righteoufnefs, then after knowledge to depart from it, 2 Pet. 2. 21. But tho' we ought to be conftant, immoveable, always abounding in the work of our Lord, if we expect that our Labour should not be in vain ; yet we are not to venture upon this in our own Strength, but to go to God for Grace and Affiftance, that we may be kept by his mighty power through Faith unto Salvation. Neither on the other fide are we to rely on the Grace of God without our own Endeavours. And therefore it will be but a mocking of God, to pretend to Pray for his Grace and Affiftance, unless we take care to improve the Means of Grace we daily enjoy; lamenting our frequent Backflidings and Breach of Covenant, and refolving upon new and better Obedience. for the time to come. And if we be careful to comply with the Grace of God in this great Work, we need not doubt but his Grace will concur with our Endeavours, and be effectual for our Salvation.