But much more miserable do I find myself, for want of more love to the blessed God, who is love itself. O happy exchange! did I part with all the pleasures of the world, for one flame, one spark more of the love of God! I hate not myself for my ignorance in the common arts and sciences; but my God knoweth, that I even abhor and loathe myself, because I love and delight in him no more! O what a hell is this dead and disaffected heart! O what a foretaste of heaven would it be, could I but feel the fervours of Divine love! Well may that be called the firstfruits of heaven, and the Divine nature and life, which so uniteth souls to God, and causeth them to live in the pleasures of his goodness. I dare not beg hard for more common knowledge: but my soul melteth with grief for want of love; and forceth out tears, and sighs, and cries; O when will heaven take acquaintance with my heart, and shine into it, and warm and revive it, that I may truly experience the delightful life of holy love! I cannot think them loathsome and unlovely, that are unlearned, and want the ornaments of art. But I abhor and curse those hateful sins, which have raised the clouds, and shut the windows, and hindered me from the more lively knowledge, and love of God. Would God but number me with his zealous lovers, I would presume to say, that he had made me wise, and initially happy. But, alas! such high and excellent things will not be gotten with a lazy wish, nor will holy love dwell with iniquity in unholy and defiled souls.

But if wisdom were justified of none but her children, how confidently durst I call myself a son of wisdom? For all my reason is fully satisfied, that the learned, ungodly doctors are mere fools, and the lovers of God are only wise: and O that my lot may be with such, however I be esteemed by the dreaming world!

CHAP. VI.

Inference 2. To abate our Censures and Contempt of the less learned Christians and Churches upon Earth.

I MUST Confess that ignorance is the great enemy of holiness in the world; and the prince of darkness, in his king

:

dom of darkness, oppugneth the light, and promoteth the works of darkness by it: and it is found that where vision ceaseth, the people perish, even for lack of knowledge and the most ignorant countries are the most ungodly. But I must recant some former apprehensions: I have thought the Armenians, the Syrians, the Georgians, the Coptics, the Abassines, the Greeks, more miserable for want of polite literature, than now I judge them. Though I contemn it not as the Turks do, and the Muscovites; yet I perceive that had men but the knowledge of the holy Scriptures, yea, of the summaries of true religion, they might be good and happy men, without much more. If there be but some few among them, skilled in all the learning of the world, and expert in using the adversaries' weapons against themselves, as champions of the truth, the rest might do well with the bare knowledge of God, and a crucified Christ. It is the malice of assaulting enemies, that maketh all other learning needful in some for our defence. But the new creature liveth not on such food, but on the bread of life, and living waters, and the sincere milk of the sacred Word.

The old Albigenses and Waldenses in Piedmont, and other countries, did many ages keep up the life and comfort of true religion, even through murders and unparalleled cruelties of the worldly learned church; when they had little of the arts and common sciences. But necessary knowledge was propagated by the industry of parents and pastors: their children could say over their catechisms, and could give account of the principles of religion, and recite many practical parts of Scripture: and they had much love and righteousness, and little division or contention among them; which made the moderate emperor Maximilian profess to Crato, that he thought the Picards of all men on earth were most like the apostolic, primitive churches.

And Brocardus, who dwelt among them in Judea, tells us that the Christians there that by the Papists are accounted heretics, (as Nestorians or Eutychians,) were indeed good, harmless, simple men, and lived in piety, and mortifying austerities, even beyond the very religious sort (the monks and friars) of the church of Rome, and shamed the wickedness of our learned part of the world.

And though there be sad mixtures of such superstitions and traditions, as ignorance useth to breed and cherish, yet

the great devotion and strictness of many of the Abassines, Armenians, and other of those ruder sort of Christians, is predicated by many historians and travellers. And who knoweth but there may be among their vulgar, more love to God and heaven, and holiness, than among the contentious, learned nations, where the pastors strive who shall be the greatest, and preach up that doctrine and practice which is conformable to their own wills and worldly interests; and where the people, by the oppositions of their leaders, are drawn into several sides and factions, which, as armies, militate against each other. Is not the love of God like to be least, where contentions and controversies divert the people's minds from God and necessary saving truths? and where men least love one another; and where mutual hatred, cruelty and persecution proclaim them much void of that love which is the Christian badge?

I will not cease praying for the further illumination and reformation of those churches: but I will repent of my hard thoughts of the providence of God, as if he had cast them almost off, and had few holy souls among them. For ought I know they may be better than most of Europe.

And the like I say of many unlearned Christians among ourselves. We know not what love to God and goodness doth dwell in many that we have a very mean esteem of. The breathings of poor souls towards God by Christ, and their desires after greater holiness, is known to God that kindleth it in them, but not to us.

CHAP. VII.

Inference 3. By what Measures to judge of the Knowledge necessary to Church Communion.

I KNOW that there are some that would make Christ two churches; one political and congregate, as they phrase it, and the other regenerate or one visible and the other invisible: and accordingly they say, that professed faith is the qualification of a member of the church-congregate; and obedience to the Pope, say the Papists, and real love is the qualification of the church-regenerate.

But as there is but one catholic church of Christ, so is there but one faith, and one baptism, by which men are stated as members in that church. But as heart-consent and tongue-consent are two things, but the latter required only as the expression and profession of the former: so heartconsenters and tongue consenters should be the same men; as body and soul make not two men, but one. But if the tongue speak that consent which is not in the heart, that person is an hypocrite; and is but analogically or equivocally called a Christian or member of Christ and such among the sincere are not a distinct church or society, (if they were, they should be called the hypocritical church, and not the political or congregate church.) But they are as traitors in an army, or as stricken ears in a corn-field. But the true church being one, is considered as consenting with the heart and with the tongue: as a corn-field hath straw, chaff and grain; and as a man hath soul and body. So that it is the same church that is visible by baptism and profession, and invisible by heart-consent or sincerity.

But it is the same thing, and not divers, that is in the hearts of the sincere, and that is to be professed by the tongue: even that voluntary practical faith which is described in baptism, and no other. The same faith which is accepted to salvation in the sincere and invisible members of the church, as they are called, must be professed by all that will, at age, be visible members.

And the knowledge and belief required in baptism is so much as prevaileth with the person to give up himself to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, as his reconciled Creator, his Saviour and Sanctifier. And he that hath so much knowledge as will do this, hath as much as is necessary to his reception into the church.

Doubtless he that is capable of baptism, is capable of church-membership; and he that is capable of church-membership, is capable de jure,' as to right, of so much church communion as he is capable of by real aptitude: An infant is not naturally capable of the actions of the adult; nor halfwitted persons of the receptions and performances of the judicious; some cannot understand a sermon, or prayer, or praise, the twentieth part so well as others can do, and so cannot receive and do beyond their understanding. Some

may not so well understand the nature of the Lord's-supper, as to be really fit at present to receive it: and some may be unfit through some extraordinary doubts, opinions, or lapses; but still de jure' a church member hath right to so much church communion as their real qualifications make them capable of. For that right is part of the definition of a church member; and to be made a church member is the work of baptism.

And here we must consider of the reason why God would have baptism to be the profession of that faith which maketh us Christians: Sometimes we are called believers, and said to be justified by faith, as if it were faith alone that were our Christianity; and yet when it cometh to church-entrance, and to the solemn profession of our faith, and reception of a sealed and delivered pardon, we must do more than profess that we believe with the understanding; we must give up ourselves absolutely by a vow and covenant, to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, renouncing the flesh, the world, and the devil; which is the act of a resolved will: and to will is rationally to love and choose. By which Christ telleth us, that (as words of knowledge in Scripture usually imply affection, so) the faith that he means and requireth to our justification, is not a mere assent or act of intellection; but it is also the will's consent, and a practical affiance: as a man believing the skill and fidelity of a physician, doth desire, will or choose him for his physician, and practically trust him, or cast himself upon his fidelity and care for cure. Therefore Christ joineth both together, "He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved;" (Mark xvi. 16;) not principally intending the washing of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience, as Peter expoundeth it: that is, he that so believeth as by hearty consent to devote and give up himself openly and absolutely, and presently to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, shall be saved.

And so the apostle saith, (Eph. iv. 4, 5.) There is one baptism, as part of the uniting bond of Christians: That is, there is one solemn covenant between God and man, in which we profess our faith, and give up ourselves to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and are stated in a gracious relation to shim and one another.

And thus it is that baptism is reckoned, (Heb. vi,) among the principles; and that the ancient doctors unanimously con