QUESTION II1. 69 15. Thus -I have given a particular account of those three things that join to make up the credibility of our profession, in order to be regularly admitted to the communion of a christian church. SECT. V.Objection. But why must there be so many things required to make a profession Of Christianity credible in our day, beyond what was required in the primitive times ? Then they only confessed Christ to be the Messiah, the Son of God, or that he was raised from the dead in order to baptism and admission into the church. So it was when many thousands were added to the church in one day; so the eunuch when Philip baptized him ; Acts viii. 37. So the jailor and Lydia; Acts xvi. 15, 35. and many others ; or at most, their present works were thought sufficient to confirm their confessions; Acts xix. '18. Many that believed Caine, and confessed, and shewed their deeds, without long enquiries into the whole of their faith, or the course of their conversation. ANSWER I. The account that the scripture gives of these transactions is very short, yet sufficient to inform us that there was more discourse on both sides, in order to the baptizing their converts, than is expresslywritten down ; for even the con. fessions that Lydia and the jailor made are not written, but it is said in general, they believed; therefore we are not to take it for granted there was nothing else required, because the scripturein those places mentions no more than a word or two of short con"- fession. ANSWER H. In several places where such transactions are recorded in scripture, there is no mention of their works or conversation at all ; and surely no minister or church in our day would imagine, that a mere confession, Mat Jesus is the Christ, without any further enquiry either after knowledge, faith, or works, is sufficient ground for admission to sacred ordinances ; for then 'we must take in almost whole nations. - Besides, ifa man didmake such a profession, that Christ was the Son of God, and his conversationwere blameless to outward appearance; yet who ofour ministers, or which of our churches would receive hint without some further enquiry into his knowledge ofGod and Christ, and the gospel ? Therefore it is sufficiently plain, by the acknowledgment and practice of those who make this objection, that they themselves do not think it necessary to confiné their en- quiries only to such a single sentence ofprofession as the scrip- ture-history expresses, and seek no further. ANSWER III. It is sufficiently evident to me, that the fnn- damental or necessary articles of religion are not the same in all ages and places ; but more or less knowledge is necessary, in order to salvation, according to the degrees of diviiìe revels- Lion in several nations or ages. The belief of the erucifixióu E3
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