The Badges of Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 10
Chap. 10. Of the second inward part of a Sacrament.
HItherto of the first in ward part: aThe second part of a Sament is the holy ….the second part of a sacrament is the holy spirit, as Math. 3. Hee shall baptize you bMath 3. 11.with the holy ghest and fire. So in Christes Baptisme, when he was baptized and prayed, the cLuc. 3. 22.holy-ghost discended in a visible shape like a Doue vppon him. And By d1. Cor. 12 13one spirit we are al baptizd into one body, whether we be Iewes or greacians, whether we bee bond or free, and hauehave bene all made to drinke into one spirit And the Apostle layeth down the circumcision of the hart by the spirit: He is a Iew which is one within, and the circumcision is of the heart in the spirit. So the same A postle Tit. 3. 5. 6, According to the mercy of God he saued vsus by the washing of the new birth, and the renewing eTit. 3 5. …of the Holy-ghost which he shed on vsus aboundantly through Iesus Christ our sauiour. Nothing can be fruitfull and profitable without his gratious worke in vsus, he worketh and setteth the word of promise in our hearts, and therefore we must necessarily hold the blessed spirit to an inward part of the Sacrament.
Now let vsus proceed to the vses of this point, being the second inward part. Is the spirit of God the sealer vp of the Vse. 7. 1promises after that we beleeue according to the doctrine of the Apostle. After that ye beleeued, fEph. 1. 13.ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise? then as often as we heare the promise vttered by the Minister, it confirmeth vsus that the father by his spirit woorketh the same in our harts. The Water in baptisme, cannot by any force and vertue inherent in it, wash our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God, as it hath power to wash away the filth and corruption of our bodies. The bread and wine in the Lords supper hauehave no inherent strength to nourish the soule to eternall life, as they hauehave to strengthen the body: they are instruments of the Holy-ghost, who worketh by them to the great comfort of the faithfull. Grace is not contained and shut vp in them, as water in a vessell, or as a medicine in a boxe: the spirit helpeth our infirmities, sealing vppe to our consciences the fruite of the word that is heard and of the Sacrament all signes that are seene.
Againe, is the spirit of God an inward part of the Sacramentes? Vse 2then we must learne and remember, that wee can neuer heare the worde or receiue the sacraments with fruite and comfort, without the speciall assistance and inward operation of the spirit of God. Therefore the Prophet ioyneth the spirit & word together. I will make this my couenant with thee (saith the Lord) gEsa. 59 21.my spirit that is vponupon thee, and my words which I hauehave put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of the seed of thy seed from henceforth and for euer.
A man indeed hath power to heare the word and to receiue the sacramentes, his will is free in these outwarde workes: but he hath no power or strength to do them with profitte and comfott, except it be giuen him from aboue. Though we heare neuer somuch, though wee communicate neuer so osten, the spirit must open our hearts, as he opened the hart of Lydia. So 1 Ioh. 2. that … h which ye receiued of him dwelleth in you, and ye neede not that any man …. Ioh. 2. 27.teach you, but as that same annointing teacheth you of all thinges, and it is true and is not lying. Likewise Act 10. Peter preached the Gospell to Cornelius and his houshold, and while he yet spake to them, The iact. 10. 44.Holy-ghost fell on them all which heard the word. So also the Apost. being sent out with their commission, and commanded to preach the Gospell to eueryevery kMar. 16. 20.creature, it is noted that they went forth, and preached eueryevery where, and the Lord wrought with them, and confirmed the worde with signes that followed. And Ioh. 14. The lIoh. 14. 26.comforter, which is the Holy-ghost, whom the father wil send in my name, he shal teach you all thinges and bring all thinges to your remembrance which I hauehave told you. Pharaoh often heard Moses and Aaron, but he harkened not, but hardned his heart, because there was no inward touching or teaching of the spirit.
The Israelites had hearde and seene the wonderfull things of God, yet they profited not in faith, in repentance, in regeneration: and the reason is rendered, …. 29. Yee hauehave seene all mDeut. 29. 2. 3. 4.that the Lord did before your eies in the Lands of Egypt vntounto Pharoah and vntounto all his seruants and vntounto al his Land, the great tentations which thine cies hauehave seene, those great mycacles and wonders: yet the Lord hath not giuen you an hart to perceiue, and eyes to see, and eares to heare vntounto this day. When we come to heare the word, which is a word of power, of life, and of saluation, when wee come to receiue the sacramentes, which are signes of Gods graces, and seales of his promises, we see many returne as ignorant, peruers, corrupt, froward, rebellious, hard-harted, and disobedient as they came to these ordinances of God: and whence commeth this? How falleth it out? And what may be the reason heereof? Surely it is not in him that nLuc. 13. 24. Rom. 9. 16.willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that sheweth mercy, who giueth eies to see, eares to heare, and heart to vnderstand, to whom he thinketh good in heauenly pleasure. Wherefore our duty is, seeing the naturall man perceiueth not the things that are of the spirit of God, to pray vntounto him to giuegive vsus wisedome to see our corruptions, blindnes, ignorance, and hardnesse of hart.
Thirdly, doth the spirit worke in vsus by the word? Are Vse. 3.the word and spirit ioyned together? And doth he teach vsus by means of the word and Sacra. then we must not separate the spirit from the worde and Sacraments, as the Anabaptistes do, oAgainst ana baptists depending on reuelations.which depend vponupon reuelations, and inward inspirations, vponupon priuate motions and diuine illuminations without the word. They will not be taught by the word, they will not be strengthned by the Sacramentes: but take away the vse of both, following their owne foolish fansies and deuilish dreames. They boast of the spirit of God, and are led by the spirit of the deuill. Wee must for our direction and practise learne, that as to rest vponupon the spirit without the word is phantasticall and heriticall, and the mother of all errors: so the word and sacraments without the spirit are no … then a dead carcasse without life, an empty sound without substance, a naked shew without truth, an empty casket without the … and there sore we must knit them together, and assure our selues that the spirite speaketh euidently in the scriptures, the spirit worketh effectually by the Sacramentes, and the spirit helpeth our … to profit by them.