M1NI.STERS COMl'A:RED .TO _BUILDERS. Book IV. M E T A P If0 R. P A ·R A L L E L. 1. The Lor<l Jefus hath pofitively enjoined R~entance, Faith, and Baptifm, to be taught as the firfl: Principles of his facred Dochine, and as Fundamentals of Church– Communion and Fellowfhip. See.Jldatt. xxviii. 19, 20. l-Jeb. vi. 1, 2. , 2. This al!o was the Door the holy Apoflles, thofe wife Mafier-Builders, direfted Perfons to, and opened for Entrance in the primitive Time:, Repent, and be baptized, e·very one ofyou, &c. 'Ihen they that gladly received the Word, were baptized: And the fmiie Day there was added unto them about tbree tboufand Souls, Ails ii. 40, 41. Compa1e this with Ails viii. 4~- and xvi. 33· Gal. iii . 7P.nd hence it is fotid, By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body, or to be of one Body. Moreover, as it is in the above-cited Treatde proved, upon an Examination of the Records of the next Aoe after the Apoflks, it is evident, the fame Order was retained and kept up, as appea~s by Juflin j\1artj'Y, in his Apology to Antoninus PittS, the Roman Emperor. ' This ' Food, faid he, we call the Eucharift, to which no Man is admitted, but only he that 'bclieveth in the Timh of the DoEtr'ine, being wafhed in the Laver of Regeneration, ' io he called lhptifm, for the Retniffion of Sins, and that fo Jiveth as Chrifi hath ' taught' 'Iertullian and Cyprian pofi:ively affirm the fame, and divers others of the ancient Fathers; as Bajil, Nazianzen, Optatus, Atbanatus, Epipbanius, l-Jilarius, Am– brofe, ]eromt , Sozomen, Atha1wjius, Auguflin, &c. as is largely !hewed by the. Divines of JV!agdeburg, in their Hiflory of the Church, printed at JJajil, 1624. Alfo all our modern Divines fully agree with the Ancients in this great Point, viz. that l:laptifm is abfolutely an initiating Ordinance, anrl that no unbaptizcrl Per!on ought to be ad– mitted into the Church, nor to the Lord's Supper; tho11gh it i< co.1felfed, that fome do not fay, that Baptifm alone is the Door into the Church, bm Baptifm, and lmpofl– tion of Hands. ' There are two Doors to be paffed through, as faith a learned \Nri– ' ter, before we can come, adi111s, & intima Ecclejid! pemtralia, viz. Baptifm, and ' L aying on of Hands; whereof the latter properly and immediately gives Admittance.' Mr. Hanmors ci(eS fome ancient Chriftians ipeaking (hus, Confirmatio, jive mamtu;n im· po)itio, protinus dat jus communicandi in Sacramenta corporis as fanguinis Chrifli: That is, ' Confirmation, or. lmpofition of Hands, forthwith giveth f11ll Authority and Riohr of ' Communion in the Body ami Blood of Chri!i.' And in another Place faith thtJiune Perfon, ' He that was not confirmed, was not admitted to the Eucharifl.' X. A Mafler-Builder goes on X. So a true faithful Minifl:er, when he fees th<: with his Work, when the Foun- Work of God's Houfe going on, every one la– dation is laid; the Scaffolds are boring diligently every Oay to be more and more not taken d~wn , till the ll11ilding holy, and preffing on towards Perfetlion: Not be finifl<ed , but rather railed la)'ing again the Foundation, &c. let us go en to Per– higher and higher, as the Fabric feilion , and fog-row up unto him in all Things, who goes up ; l1e rtiolves every Day's is tbe Head, Heb. vi. r, 2. Gofpei-Builders are for \ Vork !hall add lome further Beauty the perfelling of the Saints, for the Work of the Mi– to ir, in order to the final perfettc ni;1r)', for the -edifying of the Body of Chrifl, till u·e ing of it. all come into the Unity of the Faith, and Kuow!cdge of . Jhe Son of Go~, unto a perfec7 Man, &c. Eph. i\'. 5· MET A ·P H 0 R. D l S PAR IT Y. E A R T H L Y Huilders; build BUT the fpiritual Builders build the Hou!e of with ordinary Wood, Stones, God with precinus Stone.s, not earthiy bvt _ Brick, &c. lifelefs and dead Mateheavenly, not dead but living: Ye a!fo, p_s lively rials : Alfo thev build ]-]oufes for Stones, are built up a fpirituallloufe, and not for Men, or mort;! Creatures only, Jl1an, but an lloufe or Habitation for God, tiwough which may be foon defl:royed by the Spirit; a Houfe that the Gates of Htll flull an Enemy. never prevail againfl:. Divers Difparities are alfo here omitted, and left to be enlarged by the fl:udious Reader. I N F E R E N C ·E S. 1. THIS may inform all that look upon themfelves to be fpiritual Builders, to take heed they do not refufe the chief Corner-fl:onc,. as the Jewifll Httilders did : R emember the Foundation is laid, which is the Lord J efus C hrifl:. IL It may caution them to take heed they build with fi t Materials, not with Vlood, .Hay, and Smbble, but Gold, Silver, and ptcecious Stonts. 3 . lll. It
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