3. That the bleffed Effects conveyed in them, or by them, or, in other Words, with which the Holy Spirit is pleafed to accompany the right Ufe of them; that, I fay, thefe Effects are not wrought abfolutely or mechanically by any fuppofed Virtue in the Signs or Acts themselves, but folely by the good Will and Pleasure of our bleffed Lord, who is pleased to convey them only upon this Condition, that the Receiver be worthy of them.

The two first of these will guard us against the Extreme of Profaneness, in thinking too meanly, irreverently, or contemptibly of these Divine Institutions; and the last will guard us against the contrary Extreme of Superstition, in afcribing their Effects to the Elements themfelves, or the mere Act of partaking of them, (as the Church of Rome, and the alone, does) and will direct all our Devotion and Piety where it can never be too high, or ill applied, I mean, to the Divine Author of them, our Lord Jefus Chrift.

Firft then, it is to be remembered concerning the Sacraments of the Christian Church, that they are not mere Ceremonies, but inftituted Representations or Signs of more than is expreffed by them. Thus in the Sacrament of Baptifm, the Water reprefents or points out the Holy Spirit, or the Graces of the Holy Spirit, who purifies and cleanses the Soul from

all Guilt and Sin, as Water does the Body from external Pollutions.-The Act of Dipping the Perfon all over in the Water of Baptism reprefents the Burial of our Lord in the Heart of the Earth, and the baptized Perfon's being buried with him, or being dead with refpect to his paft Sins; and the raifing the baptized Perfon out of the Water again represents our Lord's Refurrection from the Grave, and the new Chriftian's being raised in this Sacrament to Newness of Life.-And that the Element of Water, and the Act of Baptizing, are not only in themselves proper Representations of thofe Divine Things, but were defigned and appointed by our bleffed Lord fo to represent them, feems very plain from his own Language on other Occafions, and from the exprefs Declaration of St. Paul on this very Subject.-Our bleffed Lord calls the Graces of the Holy Spirit living Water.-He that believeth in me, fays he to the Jews, out of his Belly fhall flow Rivers of living Water; which, the Evangelift obferves, he spake of the Spirit, which they who believe in him fhould receive, John vii. 39.-And he makes both the Water representing, and the Spirit reprefented, to be neceffary, when he tells Nicodemus, that Unlefs a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit, be cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.-And as to the Act of baptizing, St. Paul exprefly tells us, that every one who is baptized into Jefus Chrift is buried WITH HIM into Death,

(Rom.

(Rom. vi. 8, 9.) and is not only buried with him in Baptifm, but is likewife therein alfo raifed WITH HIM, through the Faith of the Operation of God, who raifed him from the Dead, (Col. ii. 22.)-But how can our bleffed Lord be faid to be either buried or raised in the Baptifm of every Chriftian, otherwise than in Representation, as his Death and Refurrection are pointed out by it ?—Or how could the Apostle affert, that he is fo buried and raised in every Celebration of this Sacrament; unless it were intended by himself, and instituted to be a conftant and perpetual Refemblance or Representation of his own Burial and Refurrection from the Grave?-And as to the other Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, that the Bread broken, and the Wine poured out in that Sacrament, do not only properly and fignificantly point out to us our Lord's Body broken, and Blood shed on the Cross, but were actually defigned and appointed by himself to do fo; this is fo very plain from the Words of the Inftitution, that the Socinians themselves, who labour to derogate as much as poffible from the Dignity both of his Person and his Inftitutions, are forced to confefs it.-So that the Sacramental Rites or Ceremonies differ in this from all other Acts of the like Kind, that they are not only in themselves proper and fignificant Signs or Representations of other things, but are inftituted and appointed by God himself to be fo; and are thereby intend

I

ed

ed to carry our Thoughts and Views, in the Celebration of them, beyond the outward Act or Element, to the Spiritual Things which they are appointed to reprefent to us.-And hence it is, that it has been the conftant Language of the Chriftian Church not to call thefe Sacraments barely Rites, or Forms, or Ceremonies, as other Acts of the like kind are, which have no fuch Divine Author or Defign; but to call the Elements Symbols, or The Sacraments, and the Celebration of them Symbclical or Sacramental Rites and Holy Myfteries, in Allufion both to the Author and the Defign of them; and as importing, that they are not barely Figures, or Types, or Metaphorical, or Figurative Acts or Refemblances, fuch as are in common Use in all Languages; but are facred Ordinances, defigned for the most holy Purposes, and left by our dear Redeemer with his mystical Body the Church, as Pledges of his Love; becaufe not only as Signs and Representations of the most invaluable Bleffings, but as the effectual and certain Means of conveying thofe Bleffings to us.-Which brings me to the fecond thing before mentioned as neceffary to be remembered of the Chriftian Sacraments, if we would entertain right Notions of them, and have a due Veneration for them, namely,

2. That as they are not mere Ceremonies, fo neither are they mere Signs or Reprefentations,

but

but do actually affure and convey to the worthy Receiver the Benefits derived from those things which are represented by them. The things reprefented by them (as has been obferved) are our Lord's Sufferings and Refurrection, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit; and the Benefits derived from these things are Peace with God, Remiffion of Sins, and fanctifying Graces here, and a Title to endless Joy and Glory hereafter.-And that the holy Sacraments do really and truly convey the one, as well as properly and fignificantly point out the other, is the exprefs Language of the Holy Scriptures, and has ever been the Doctrine of the Church of Christ.-Ananias, by God's exprefs Appointment, directs St. Paul (Acts xxii. 16.) to be baptized, as a Means whereby to WASH AWAY HIS SINS; which Baptism could not do, if it did not actually convey the Remiffion of them, as well as represent our Purification from them.-St. Peter directs the Jews not only to repent, but likewife to be baptized every one of them in the Name of the Lord Jefus, FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS, (Acts ii. 38.) which furely an infpired Apoftle would not have done, if Baptism had not been fomething more than the Sign of that Remiffion, or indeed any thing less than the Conveyance of it; and to this he adds, that they should likewife receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost thereby.-Agreeably to St. Paul, who fpeaks of the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, VOL. II.

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