690 The IJ.\..rafons of tl1e Cownm1t: Tl>e N.atHre of IJ311ptifm. ---·------------------------------------------------------------- ~· 12· DireCt. _2· When y~u thw xnderftand weU the Nature of the Covena11t, labour to uHdtrfta;ul.tbt fpe~:al Reafmu nJ. 11. The Reafons ef the M.:ztter o~ the C?vcnant you may fi:c in the fruits a 11 d be~ J1Chts now metHJom:d. .... But I now fp:ak of the Rea{an o~ Jt as a Covenant in gtncre, and jiuh a Cove~ n:znt in fPecie. J,ln General, God w1ll have man to rece1ve Life or De.Jtb as an Acctptrr and K P or a Ktfufcr o.r Break._rr of his Covenant, becaufe he will do ir not only as a Benefactor or Abl~e~ er, Loid, but alfo as a Gover.1tout, and will O?ake his ~oveoant.to be alfo his Law, and his' PromifCo~~r~ Benefits to promote obtdzenc.e. And becaufe he wdl deal wuh man as with a fru age;rt and with a·~rui.t that hath no cboofi.ng and rcfufing power, con~ucted by Reafon: Mans life and ~ol'tlr~ f11~H. b~1? h1s own hands, and lhll dcpe~d upon his ?wn Will, though God will fecure his own D<J– UllntOn, JntercJ.t and cn~s, and pu.t nothmg ou! of hJS ?wn power ?Y putting it into mans; nor have: . ever ~he lefs h1s otvn tvtll, b~ le~vmg man to ht~ oll'n wzl/. G~d w1ll at !afl as a,Righteous judge, d,– ~ermme all the world t~ thca final Joy or Pun111uncn.t, accordmg to their ?wn c.-1oice while r}:lcy were Jn chc firth, an~ accord1~g to what they have done m the Body whether Jt be good or evil, M:mb. 2 -. , T~1ererore he will deal with us on.Covenanr-terms. ) §· !3· 2· And he ha1h chofcn to Rule and Judge.men according to a Covenant of Grace, by a Re– deemer, and nor according to a rigorus Law. of works; that his Goodne~ and Mercy may b: rhe fullier m1nifdl-cd to the fans of men; and that it may be tafitr for man to Love him, when rhey have fo wonderful demon{\r~tions of his Love: And fo th~t thtir ftrvict here, and rheir wvrJt and h:tppi– nefs henafter, may conttlt of Love, to the Glory of hts Goodnefs, and the PJearure of his Love for ever. Dirtu. 3• ~· 14· Direct. 3· Ntxtunderftandrigbtly thtnaiHrt, u{< and end1 of Baptifm. B•pri(m is ro rhe muwal Cot•tnant between God and man, what the folemniz.ation of M:1rri11gt is w thrm rhat Co be~ fore Con{tnt; or what the Lifting a Souldier by giving him Colours, and wrjring his name, is ro one Se~ tbe R·- _ that Co11{tntrd before to be a Souldier. In my Vniverfal ConcOTd, P· 29, 30. I have thus dcfcribed it f~,,~~d~ yc~qg,~, [ BJptifin is a holy Sacr~mcnr i~llit~ted by C_hrill, in which a pcrf?n profeffin~ the Chrillian faith ta\~;;n;l Ba- ( or the In\antof fuc~) 1~ B~pt1zed m water mto the N~me o~ the Fat he~, the Son, and Holy Ghofi, pufm '~~bat? in fignificatwn and [olcrnmzatton of the holy Covenant, m whtch as a Pemtent ~elievcr (or the feed of [uch) he giverh up himlelf ( or is by the P•rent given up) to God the hther, Son and Holy Gholl, for[•king the Devil, the World and the flelh, and is fo!cmnly entered a vilible member of Chrill and his Church, a pudoned r~genermChild'of God, and an heir of Heavm J. §· I5· As the word [B.,pti[m] is caken for the meer Adrninijfration or external Ordinance, fo the , Internal Covenaming or j'.Jith and Rcpmtance of the (adulr) perfon to be baptized, is no dfential pare of it, nor rcquifi.re to the Sting of it; but only the Profeffionof fuch a f,;ith and Repent:znce, and rhe txttrn<~l entering of the Covenant : But as [ Baptifm] is taken for the Ordin.mce as performed in all its dfemial parts, according to the true intent ot Chrifi in his lnflitu.tion (that is, in the firfi: and ,proper meaning of the word ); fo the"Inttrn:d Covenanting of a Penitent ~nccre Believer is necelfary ·to the Being of it. And indeed the word [ Baptifm J is r.ken but eqmvocally or Analogically at .mofi, when it is taken for the meer £Xttrnal adminijlrlltion and allioJt : For God doth not infiitute wmfhip-ordinatlCt'S fOr bodily motion only : when he fpeaketh to man and rrquirerh 'Wor1hip of man, he fpeaketh to him M to aman, and requireth b~tnunt aCiions from him, even the work of the foul, and not the wcrds of a Parrot, or the motion of a Poppet. Therefore the word [ B1prifm J in .thefirft and proper fignification,doth take in the inward a[iionJ of the Hc·~rt, as well as the outward · C 1 B ~ Profeflian and ad:ions. And in this proper fcnfe [ Baptifm H the ntHtual Covenam brtwem G(}d the Faw pt7fu1~ ~~at 1 ther, Son and Holy Gl~oft, and a_Ptnittnt Believing finncr, .folemniztd by the wajhing "f _ W.Jter, in whfch it is? M a Sllcramtnt of hu HM appo1ntmcnt Goddotb tngage hrmfrlf to be the God and rtconcdcd Father, the Saviwur a11d tht San{iijitr of tbt Belitver, and tak_eth him fur hH reconciledChild in Cbrifl, and dclivcrtth to him by {olmm invejfiture, tbt pardon of all hH Ji~ts, and title to tht mercies of thi1 life and of tb<.~t whicb Hto come. J What I fay in this Dtlcription of a Prnitent Believer is alfo to be undcrftood of the Childrenof fuch that are dedicated by them in Bapri[m to God, who thereupon have their por– rion in the fame Covenant of G1'ace. ~· 1 6. The word [Baptifin J is taken in the firfi fenfe when Simon M.zgur is faid to be Bapdud, A[J. g, and when we ipeak of it only in the ecclcfi:Jjliclz ftnft , as ir is true Blptifrn in foro ecckfie: But it is taken in the later fenfe when it is fpokc:n of-as {he conipleat ordinance of God, in the fen it: of the Infiitution, and as refped:ing the proper wds of Baptifm, as pudon of fin and life eternal;. and ~~~ . ~· 17 . In this full and proper fenfe it is t•ken by Chrifl :when he f;ith, Mark.'"· r6. Ht •h•t be– litveth and is B 11 ptizedjhall bt faved; that 1~, Ht tb~t Belzrveth, and. u /;y Baptifn entered znto. tbt Coven.mt ,fGod: And in this fenfe the A11clents took 1t, when they affirmed that all rhat were Blptlzcd were Rcgenenred, pardoned and made the Children of God. A?d i~ this ~c:n~c it is mo!i ~r.ue1 Rtad thePro- rhat he rhat is Baptized ( that is, iJ "finccre Covmant(r) ~1all be favcd 1f he dte m that Cond1r10n pofitiomofthe that he is then in. All that the Minifitr warrantably Bapuzet~ are (acr.:zmcntaUy Reg.en~r.tte, and ar_e Synod in New i 1 t[oro tccltfi.t members of Chrill: and Children of God and HcJrS ot Heaven: Bur H JS only rholc ENzla~d and that are fincere~ delivered ttp in Covenant to God i1t C!Jrifl, that are [piritu.!IUJ and really Kegena.Jtt, and ~~~~~e~~efi of art fuch ~s Oull bt: ow~e.d for members ~f Chrill and Children of God in foro ccr/i• .. Tht:~efore .ic Mr. DavmpQrt, is not unfit that the Mmtfi.er call the Bapl'tzed, Rtgenerate and pardomd member I of Chrift~ and Chd– ~bout thefub~ dreH of God anel Heir! of Heaven, fuppofing that in fora eccleji£ they wen~ the ~ne fu~]ttiJ of .B.J- )t~ of Baptifm. But if the perfons be fuch as ought not to be Baptized, the fin then 1s nor m callmg B.Jptzzd ptlfm? ptrfous RegtJttrate, but in B11ptizing thofe that ought not to have been Blpt izcd, and to whom the feal of th(:Covenant was not due. · ~- 18.
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