Who are Vifible Members of the (hurcb Uuiw,fal ~ 0Jject. But thi1 if not qu1rcnus R.cgenr. Anfw· If you fee him that. is Regmt, ·,and fee hi< LawI and Gofpel which are his Goveming infnn– mems, wguher with his Mmailers who are hts Officers, 1t ts enough to denominate his Kingdom vilible. 5· The Church might be fitly denominated Vifible [cmndZ<m quid, ifC/Jrijl himfelf wm i 11 vijib!e ; B..:caufe the Po/itick... Btdy IS vJi.Jbk, the d1fperfc:d Officer I, Affimblier and Lawt arc vifible. Bur fu 1 c:all theft: wgethcr may well fcrve for the denomination. ~ell:. 14· Wh.tt u it that maketh aVrfible Member of tl>e Uni'veif,1l Chnrcb ~ And who are to be accotmted jttch ? · M>tth. :s. 19 • •· B Apti{m maketh a Vilib'e member oftheUniverfal Church; and the Baptized, (as to entrance; &;[1 1 i.; 1 .s. HJ. 1.1nhfs theygo out again) are to be accounted fuch. 2. By B.zp1i{m we mean, open devotion or dedicariOn toGbd by the Baptifmal Covenant, iil Which the adult f~Jr thernfelves, and l?uents for their Infants; do Profds Confent to the Covenant ofGrace; wh!ch includcth a Belief of :all the Elfmtial Articles of the faith, :and a Rcfolution for fincere obedi– tnc~; and a Confent to the Rebtions between God and us, viz.. that he be our Reconciled Father, our S).~idur and our Sm6tificr. · 3• The Continuance of this Confent, i.s nccdfaty to the continuance of our vifible mernbcdhip. + I:I.e· that through ignorance, or incapacity for want of water, or a Nlinific:r, is not baptized, and yet is {plemnly, or notorioufly dedicated and d~voted to God the Father, Son and Holy 6hofi, in the fa me ~vmanr, though without the outwud·S1gn, and profdfeth openly the fAme Religion, is a vi– tibl< C)nil\ian, though ;10t by a cornpleat and regular vifibility; ~~· a Souldier not lified nor taking his -C91Qurs,_ or a Muriage not regularly folemnized, &c. t j1lr. . • 5•He that forfaketh his Covenant, by Apofiacy, or is totally and duly excommunicated, ceafeth to b,· _a vifiblc member of the Church. Q1e!l:. 1). H{/,ether befides tl;e Prof;llion of Chri!l:ianity, either Te!l:imo– ny or Evidence of Converiion, or Pratl:ical Godlinefs be necejfary ta pro)le a man a Member of tbe Univeifal Vifible Clmrc/1? Johr.t.;.6. 1• - A S the Mediator is the way to the Father, fent to recover us to God, fo Cbriftianity in1 Tun.;. t 6. ..fl.. cludcthGodlinfji; And he: profdfeth~ nOt Chrifiianity who profcffeth not Godlinc.fi. 1 P:.6,·_ ~·. 11• 2. He that profdfeth the Baptifmill Covenant, profeffcth.Chriftianity and Godlinefi, and true Con· vnfion. · And therefore cannot be rejected for want of a Profeffion of Converfion or Godlinefs. 3· But he that is jufily fufpected not to tmderftand hi• own profeffion, but to fpeak general words, without the fenfe, may and ought to be examined by him that is to baptize him : And therefore though the Apof\les among the Jews who had been bred up among the Oracles of God, did jufily prdume of fo much underilanding, as that they baptized men the fame day that they profdfed to belieVe in Chrift ; yet~when they baptized converted Gentiles, we have rcafon to think, that they firft received a particul:ar a.ccount of their Converts, that they under.ftood the three dfcntial Articles Qf the Covc:n~nt ; J, Be~au(e the C::ru:d is fitted to that ufe, and hath been ever ufed thereunto by the Churches, a<; by tradition from the Apofilcs praCtice. 2. Bc:caufe the Church in all ages, as far as Chu1ch Hii1ory leadcth uo upward, bath ufed catechifing before baptizing; yea, and to keep men as c.~,~chumens forne· time for prepa_ra~ion. 3· J?eci!u{e common experience telleth us, that multiti!Udes can fl y [he Creed, that underfi:arid it not. . 'If >ny yet urge the Apofiles example, I will grant that it obligeth us when the cafe is the like: ( Aod I will not riy to any conceit e( th~ir heart-fearching, or difceming mens fincerity.) When )'ou •bring us to a people that befOie·-wer~ the ViGble Church of God, and were all their life time trained up in the know.Iedge of God, of fin, of duty, of the prom5fed Meffiah, accordi~g to all the bw and Prophets, and want nothing, but to know the Son and the Holy Ghot1, that thi< Jt[tw i< 'he c;br~t., who will reconcile M to God, and give u1 the flmDifying SfWit, then we will alfo baptize mcnt !he f~me,day, [hat they px.ofcfs t,o.bclietJein Jefut Cbrijl, and in the Fatber as reconciled by him., and thCH)ly Gbojf at give 1 z by bim. But if we have thofe to def.l wilh who know ·not God, pt (In,· or mi}i:ry, or Scripture Propbcci~t., no nor natural veritiu, we know no proof that the Apoillcs ]o1 h'.;(lily baptized fuch. Cif th!s ! lu v<:_ bJgely fpokcn in my Treatife of Co~tjirm.Hion. ~· It
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=