8. We are, in the name and behalf of our infants, (they being parts of ourselves, as was fhewed before) to confent to the gracious offers and terms of the covenant of grace, and that they will be the Lord's wholly, and only his. And for this end to teach them (when they come to understanding) the knowledge of God, and the way of falvation through Chrift, according to his word; and to instruct them in the duties of the covenant, particularly the neceflity of faith, repentance, and new obedience. And because children are more ready to be influenced by our examples than our precepts, we are to engage to fhow them the copy of a holy life, family-worthip, and fecret prayer, in our own converfation. Thus Abraham, the father of the faithful, entered into covenant with God for himself and his feed after him, Gen. xvii. 7. 9. And according to that covenant," he commanded his children and houfhold after him, to keep the way of the Lord," Gen. xviii. 19. And fo believing parents under the gospel, being under the fame covenant with faithful Abraham, "ought to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Eph. vi. 4.

Q. What are the duties incumbent upon the congregation, er thofe that are witnesses to the administration of the facrament of baptifm?

And

A. 1. Patiently to attend, and wait till it be done; for, to remove before the adminiftration of baptifm, as many do, argues both a contempt of Chrift's folemn ordinance, which he hath instituted for his church's good; and want of charity to those who are to be baptifed, in that they decline to ftay and pray for them, and receive them into the communion of the vifible church. likewife it fhows, that they have little regard to their own fouls, when they turn their backs upon fuch an excellent mean of edification, as this is. Let fuch confider, whether it had been juft and becoming for the whole congregation to have dealt fo with respect to them when they were baptifed, as they deal now in reference to others. Stay ftill, and pray for the members to be ingrafted, as others did for you.

2. To witness the administration of it with a holy awe and becoming reverence to the great Author of it, H 2

and

and myftery reprefented by it. Remember that it derives its authority and inftitution, not from man, but from the exalted Lord of angels and faints. Had this ordinance been of man, it had been vilipended and come to nought many years ago; but being of divine original, it hath kept its authority throughout the whole Chriftian world, for the fpace of thefe 1700 years. Wherefore it becomes us all to pay a dutiful regard to the adminiftration of it.

3. Admire the wonderful kindness of God to fallen man, that he pitied us when wallowing in our blood and pollution, and provided a fuitable remedy for us. Though he might in juftice have fuffered fuch wretches to drop into the devil's arms and hell's flames from the very womb; yet, behold! he ftretches out his merciful and fatherly arms to embrace us, as foon as we enter into the world; Suffer little children (faith he) to come unto me, to me their Friend and Saviour.

4. Blefs God that hath ordered your lot to be born within the pale of Chrift's church, of Chriftian parents who early prefented and dedicated you in fuch manner to God, whereby you got a fealed right to gofpel-ordi nances and privileges, nay, to Chrift and all the benefits of the new covenant, upon the condition of your faith; fo that now you have encouragement to come and claim your right. Efpecially you, whofe happiness it is to be born of godly and believing parents, blefs God for this mercy, plead your intereft in the covenant, for your claim is certainly better than others; you may go to God as your father's God, and therefore plead he is your's too; for when God entered into covenant with your fathers, he made it both for them, and for you their feed And how pleasant is it to fing with Mofes at the Red fea, Exod. xv. "He is my God, I will pre pare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him." But beware of thinking that your being of fuch parents, neceffarily entitles you to the faving bleflings of the covenant, though you should do nothing yourselves; nay, if you put not in your claim when you come to age, you forfeit your right. Yet queftionless, your birth ftill entitles you to many external privileges

and

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and mercies; upon which account, it is faid, 1 Pet. iii. "The like figure unto Noah's baptifm doth now fave us ;" i. e. as the ark (which was a type of baptifm) wrought a temporal falvation for all Noah's family; fo baptifm entitles the families of believers to many temporal privileges and bleffings. But though all Noah's family was admitted into the ark, this did not entitle them to admiffion into heaven; fo neither will our outward baptifm fave us from the deluge of God's wrath, and bring us to heaven: and therefore the Apostle adds for explication in the forecited verce, "Not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good confcience towards God;" i. e. not the outward washing of the body with water; but the faithful answer of a refolved foul, accepting of and adhering to the covenant fealed in baptifm: For at the firft planting of Christianity, people were generally grown up when baptifed, and made anfwer publicly for themfelves, making profeffion of their faith and obedience to the holy Trinity, and their renouncing the devil, the world, and the flesh.

5. Biefs God that you are born under the New Teltament times, when the fountain for cleanfing finners is fo fully opened in the word and facraments, that the ftreams of it are daily so near you, and you invited to wash therein. Our access to the fountain is now plain and easy. It is not lock'd up, covered with leaves, or obfcured with types and figures, as under the law: we have now an open view of it: There is a wide vent made to its streams, by Christ's death and wounds up on the crofs; and excellent channels framed for conveying it to us, viz. the preaching of the gospel with its facraments. O how inexcufable will we be for ever! if after all this we contemn the water of life, and die in our pollution.

6. Be concerned for the precious fouls of thofe that are to be baptifed; pray fervently for them, that God may come and blefs his own ordinance to them; give the inward grace with the outward feal: applying Christ's blood to the foul, as water is fprinkled upon the body, that he may regenerate them by his Spirit,

ftamp them with his image, make them inftruments of his glory that they may rife up, and do God better fervice in their generation, than, alas, we have done in

ours.

7. When you fee and hear parents folemnly engaging for their children at their baptifm; let fuch as are parents, that have come under the like engagements, confider how they have performed them. Do ye make confcience of praying for your children, teaching them the principles of religion, admonifhing them of their duty, warning them against fin, and learning them to read and pray? When took you them afide to tell them of the vows you took on at baptism in their name, and prefs them to renew perfonally their baptifmal covenant? O have you not caufe on this occafion to be humbled for your neglect and fhortcomings, in performing your folemn engagemeuts, and feek forgivenefs through the blood of fprinkling! O negligent parents remember what a fearful meeting will be betwixt you and your graceless children one day at Chrift's tribunal, when they will come with accufations and curfes in their mouths against you for your unfaithfulness in performing your folemn engagements, with refpect to their precious fouls.

8. Let every one upon fuch an occafion call to mind his own baptifm, how he was thus once prefented, dedicated and sprinkled in like manner; and ftudy by all means to improve his own baptifm, which is a most needful, though much neglected duty.

Q. How is it that we ought to improve our baptifm?

A. 1. Be fenfible of the greatnefs of the privilege and dignity conferred upon you, in being baptifed in the name of Chrift, and facramentally fprinkled with his blood for the remiffion of fin; and think much upon it. Alas, there are many who never think on Christ, or his blood, and put no value upon their baptifm. Í have read of Lucian, a fcoffing Atheist, when he apoftatized from the profeffion of Christianity, he mocked at his baptism, faying He got nothing by it, but a fyllable to his name; he was Lucius, before, and at baptifm was called Lucianus. And what do many get by their baptifm,

baptifm, but a name! Why, they undervalue their baptifm, never think on it, nor ftudy any way to improve it.

2. You ought perfonally and explicitly to renew your covenant and folemn dedication to God fealed at baptifm. It is not enough that you are Chriftians by your parents dedication, but you must be fo by your own aifo, by ratifying your parents deed, when you are of age; otherwife your baptifm will profit you nothing; nay, instead of profiting you, it will be a witnefs against you, if you do not perfonally tranfact with God in Chrift, and give away yourselves to the Lord in truth and fincerity.

3. Improve your baptifm, by labouring to fecure and clear up your intereft in the pardon of fin, adoption, fanctifying grace, and other bleffings fealed to you in that facrament. Remember, that these bleffings were only fealed to you conditionally, upon your believing in Chrift; and that they are not actually conferred, till you be fenfible of fin, and clofe with Chrift and his righteoufnefs. Go, then, O penitent finner, apply to the blood of Christ, by faith, which was facramentally applied to you at baptifm, and plead with Ged for pardon of fin; make ufe of your baptifm as a ftrong argument for it, fay, "Lord, have I thy feal, as well as thy promife, for my pardon? Got I not a pledge of it from thee, at my baptifm? Behold thy ring and thy bracelets, are they not thine? Lord, make good thy word, thy fealed promife;" I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.

4. Prefs alfo for the joyful fenfe of this benefit of pardon fealed to you in baptism; the having whereof is the most comfortable thing in the world. We fee the Eunuch, when he had got this feal of baptifm, went on his way rejoicing. "O now (thought he) my cafe is bleffed, I am a pardoned man, God hath received me into his family, and taken me into covenant with himself, and implanted me a member of his mystical body: I that was a plant of a ftrange vine, am now ingrafted into a noble ftock; and fhall I not be glad and rejoice in his falvation?" Thus, O believer, im