in suffering sin to enter into the world, prefer the grace of the first covenant to that of the second, and, in effect, say that God's dispensation is not suitable to his design.

II. The more sin is aggravated by its circumstances, the more is free grace exalted in pardoning it, the more illustrious is the virtue of Christ's blood; for the deeper the stain is, the harder is it to wash out but by this dispensation, whereby sin is left in the regenerate for a while, free grace hath the glory of pardoning sins more heinous than those committed in the state of ignorance and unbelief. Ergo, Is not the offence of a spouse, child, friend, &c., more grievous than the offence given by a stranger? Friends' wounds pierce most deeply: "for it was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne it," &c. Psal. lv. 12. The godly lie under far more accessary bonds and obligations to duty than others; and it is certain, the more obligations a man lies under to duty, the sin is the greater. Adultery and murder committed by a David, are more heinous in the sight of God, than the same sins committed by a wicked man. This is so manifest, that I need not insist to enumerate those aggravating circumstances that are to be found in the sins of the godly, which by no means can be in those of the wicked. And does not the pardoning of these deep-dyed sins exalt free grace wonderfully? Let men but consult their own experience, and they shall have a clear proof of this. The pardon of any sin does much affect a godly heart with admiration of the riches of grace; but when a man, after a recovery from some sin, after vows and resolutions against it, &c. doth relapse into the same, and yet has his backslidings healed, this augments the admiration of it. Of all sinners backsliders have the greatest difficulty to believe; and upon a received pardon, as they indeed are, so they seem to be, greatest debtors to grace.

III. The more deeply sin appears to be rooted in our natures, the more is the grace of God magnified in rooting it up; the more inveterate the disease seems to be, the more is the cure of it to the honour of the physician : "Since the world began, was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind," John ix. 32. If a tree were plucked up in an instant, beholders could never so clearly see how fast rooted it was, as when it abides many pulls of a strong hand. Who could have imagined the strength of sin to have been so great in David as afterwards it appeared, when he had been so often bruised and troubled in spirit, and had arrived at so great mortification? The experience of believers affords to us an example of the same. Many times, after great wrestlings, they seem to themselves to have got great victory over a particular cor

ruption, so that they are ready to think with themselves, that it will never be able to molest them as before; but at length it gets out again, renews the assault, and makes them see how it is, like Nebuchadnezzar's tree,* fastened in the earth of the heart with a band of iron and brass. Now, it is manifest, that were sin rooted out at the first dash, the fixedness of it in man's nature could never so much appear to beholders, as it may and doth in the way of this dispensation. Ergo,

IV. That which discovers, to the view of all, the creature's emptiness most, doth undeniably exalt grace most; but the emptiness of the creature, and its continual need of supply, is most discovered to the view of all this way: Ergo, I think, the angels themselves, who desire to pry into the mystery of grace, could not but learn a lesson of the creature's frailty and nothingness by Adam's fall, and of the riches of free grace in the way of his recovery; and the daily slips of the saints on the earth may be to them speaking testimonies of the creature's weakness; for we see the apostle thinks it not below their dignity, that they go to school in the church to learn "the manifold wisdom of God," Eph. iii. 10. Suppose a weak child be held up on his feet by his father's hands, so that he cannot fall; whether doth his weakness appear so as when he is left to feel his own weight, and so gets several falls? The spirits of just men made perfect, who are now above the clouds, and the confirmed angels, are still creatures; and therefore live and act by a continued dependance on God: but the emptiness of the creature appears not so clearly in their case, as in the state of the saints on earth; whose weakness we not only know, but see with our eyes, while they get so many falls, and give so many ocular demonstrations of their need of grace, and of their own emptiness. So that if the nothingness of the creature proclaim the riches of grace, free grace is most exalted this way.

V. The more cowardly, faint-hearted, and feckless the soldiers are that get the victory over a potent enemy, the more is the valour of the captain discovered, the greater glory redounds to him; but such are the saints in their Christian warfare: Ergo, When David attempted to take the strong hold of Zion,† the Jebusites boasting of the strength of the castle, looking on it as an impregnable fort, told him, that except he took away the blind and the lame, he could not get in there; meaning, that such was the strength of the fort, that the very blind and lame were sufficient to defend it against David and all his men, though others should sit by, looking

Dan. iv. 15.

VOL. VI.

I

† 2 Sam. v. 6.

on and doing nothing: which did mightily commend the stronghold. They are potent enemies, expert, and subtle, whom the Christian is called to encounter with: "For he wrestles not [only] against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."* In the meantime he is a weak creature, weak naturally as a man, in comparison of them, but yet weaker as a sinful man; but he is nevertheless more than conqueror: which surely doth more advance the glory of the great Captain of our salvation, than if he had stronger and more expert soldiers. O what riches of grace appears here, which otherwise would have been in great measure smothered! And seeing the Scripture so frequently calls the Christian course "" a warfare," let me also add this, That when an enemy beseigeth a town, wherein he hath a multitude of friends ready on all occasions to betray the same into his hand, yet the town holds out, and he is repulsed; what a shameful repulse is that? Is not the glory of the governor far greater in this case, than if he had forced the enemy to raise the seige, while he had plenty of his friends within the walls? The application is easy.

Finally, to shut up all; it is plain, that the more difficulties the work of man's salvation is carried through, the free grace of God is the more exalted; our Lord Jesus, the author of eternal salvation, hath the greater glory: but in this way it is carried on over the belly of more difficulties, than it would have been, if by the first grace the Christian had been made perfect. Ergo, And seeing (cæteris paribus) none can prize rest so much as they who have been sore toiled, and have come out of the greatest tribulations, I think I may be allowed to say, that a child of God having come to his journey's end after many ups and downs, falls and risings; having win through the troublesome sea of this world, and being set safe ashore, after many dangers of shipwreck, in a longsome voyage, will have the praises of free grace in his mouth sounding more loudly, and will sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb in a more elevated strain and higher notes, than if he had never been in danger through the whole of his course.

From all which it appears, that this dispensation is most suitable to the grand design of the gospel, the exalting of the riches of free grace in Christ. And what lover of Christ will not say, Amen!

* Eph. vi. 12.

QUEST. VI.

WHO HAVE RIGHT TO BAPTISM, AND ARE TO BE BAPTIZED ?

THE right of infants to baptism hath been denied and violently opposed by the Anabaptists, so called from re-baptizing of those that were in their infancy baptized; so that, according to them, adult persons only have right to this ordinance, the whole species of infants being excluded. Against this spiritual robbery much hath been written by learned men, and infants' right to baptism asserted and solidly instructed from the Scriptures of truth. In which point I am fully satisfied, not doubting but as God is the believer's God, so he is the God of his seed; and therefore none can forbid water: wherefore I am not to meddle with this point. As the Anabaptists, denying infant baptism, have been faulty in making the subject lawfully receptive of baptism too narrow; so it is a question to me, Whether or not others have made the same wider than the word of God will allow? There may be a fault both ways; in excess as well as in defect. That some infants, born within the visible church, may be baptized, I doubt not; but that all such ought to be admitted to this holy ordinance, I find I cannot subscribe unto, unless I be more satisfied in that point than hitherto I am. This being a matter of practice, is worthy of consideration: and my doubts in that point have obliged me to this inquiry, if possibly I may find any thing in this matter wherein I may rest. In answer to the question proposed, somewhat must be said touching the right of adult persons to this ordinance, as well as of infants. But in regard that it is very rare to hear of an adult person baptized amongst us, I shall say but little upon that head; and possibly I might have waived it altogether, were it not that it may contribute something to the clearing of that wherein my difficulty lies, viz., the right of infants born of Christian parents who are a reproach to their profession.

That we may the better succeed in this inquiry, there is one distinction that must be taken notice of; and that is, There is a twofold right to church privileges; there is a right in foro Dei, or before the Lord; and there is a right in foro ecclesice, or in the judgment of the church. Where these two are confounded, men multiply words to no purpose. A person may have a right to church privileges before the Lord, who hath no right thereto before the church; and contrariwise, one may have a right before the church to church privileges, that hath no right thereto before the Lord: for the being of

a thing is sufficient in foro Dei, but the appearing of it to be so, is necessary in foro ecclesiæ; seeing as to us de non apparentibus et non existentibus eadem est ratio et idem judicium. So these are two distinct questions, Who ought to be baptized? and, Who ought to seek baptism? The first respects a right to baptism before the church; the second a right thereto before God. Which being premised, we lay down these following conclusions.

CONCLUSION I. None have a right to baptism before the Lord, but those who have actually a saving interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. ARGUMENT I. The Scripture plainly holds forth, that the having of the Spirit and faith are necessarily pre-requisite to baptism: Acts viii. 36, 37. "Here is water," says the eunuch, "what doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip answereth, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." He saith not only, "If thou believest;" but, "If thou believest with all thine heart;" which plainly denotes faith unfeigned, as the apostle speaks; hence then, as Ursin infers,† Ergo, si non credas, non licet; "If thou believest not, thou mayest not;" which is necessarily to be understood with respect to the judgment of God; for none can say, that sincere faith is necessary to a right to the ordinance before the church. And so Philip baptizeth him on a credible profession of faith; but withal tells him, that it is no less than the truth of faith that can warrant him before the Lord to seek baptism to himself. Acts x. 47. "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we ?" importing, that if they had not received the Holy Ghost, they had no true right to baptism; but they had received the Holy Ghost, as well as (Greek, kathos, even as) the apostle himself, and the believing Jews, who received the same as a spirit of saving grace, as well as of extraordinary gifts; not only (says Piscator) the gift of tongues, but of Christian faith. Whence he observes, that adult persons, concerning whom it appears from probable arguments that they believe in Christ, are to be received into the church by baptism. What though this receiving of the Holy Ghost have an immediate respect to extraordinary gifts, it is no otherwise made a ground whereupon they have right to baptism, but as it is an evidence of their having the Spirit of sanctification. They heard them speak with tongues; therefore says Peter, "Can any man forbid water, seeing these have received the gift of the Holy Ghost;" which, according to that Acts ii. 38, 39. did pre-suppose repentance, at least in appearance;

Urs. Exp. cat. p. 471.

Expl. cat. p. 564.