Last Legacy in Select Admonitions and Directions, Treatise · Section 19 – Section 20
Of the Croſs in Baptiſm.
Of all our Ceremonies,P. 418. there is none that I have more ſuſpected to be ſimply unlawful than the Croſs in Baptiſm, yet I dare not peremptorily ſay, that the Croſs in Baptiſm is unlawful; nor will I condemn Ancients or Moderns that uſe it; nor will I make any diſturbance in the Church about it, more than my own forbearance will make. I preſume not to cenſure them that judge it lawful, but only give the Reaſons that make me doubt, and rather think it to be unlawful, though ſtill with a ſuſpicion of my own Underſtanding.
P. 123. of Chriſt. Direct. Q. 49. May one offer his Child to be baptized with the ſign of the Croſs, the uſe of Criſme, and the white Garment, Milk and Honey, or Exorciſm, as in the Lutheran Churches.
Anſw. 4. When he cannot lawfully have better, he may and muſt offer his Child to them that will ſo baptize him, rather than not at all, becauſe Baptiſm is God's Ordinance, and the Sin is the Miniſters, and not his. Another Man's ſinful mode will not juſtifie the neglect of our Duty, elſe we might not joyn in Prayer or Sacrament in which the Miniſter modally ſinneth (i. e.) in none.
Mr. B. grants p. 161. of Chriſt. Direct. Edit. 2. That it is not unlawful to make an Image to be objectum vel medium excitans ad Cultum Dei, an object of our Conſideration, exciting our Minds to worſhip God as a Death's-head or Crucifix, to ſtir up in us a worſhipping Affection; and that it is lawful by the ſight of a Crucifix to be provoked to worſhip God.
I durſt not to have reproved any of the ancient Chriſtians that uſed the Sign of the Croſs meerly as a Profeſſing Sign, to ſhew the Heathen and Jews that they believed in a Crucified Chriſt, and were not aſhamed of his Croſs. Of Church Government, p. 404.
Mr. Baxter's Judgment concerning Confirmation agreeable to the practice of the Church of England, Confirmation, p. 207, 220, 230.may be ſeen in a particular Treatiſe on that Subject.
Of Conventicles.
Q. 172. Are all religious and private Meetings forbidden by Rulers, Chriſt. Direct. p. 916.unlawful Conventicles? Anſw. 1. It is more to the Honour of the Church, and of Religion, and of God, and more to our Safety and Edification, to have God's Worſhip performed ſolemnly, publickly, and in great Aſſemblies, than in a corner, ſecretly and with few. 2. It is a great mercy, where Rulers allow the Church ſuch Publick Worſhip. 3. Caeteris paribus, all Chriſtians. ſhould prefer ſuch Publick Worſhip before Private, and no private Meetings ſhould be kept up, which are oppoſite, or prejudicial to ſuch publick Meetings. And therefore if ſuch Meetings, (or any that are unneceſſary, to the ends of the Miniſtry, the Service of God, and good of Souls) be forbidden by lawful Rulers, they muſt be forborn. And it muſt be remembred, that Rulers, that are Infidels, Papiſts, Hereticks, or Perſecutors, that reſtrain Church-Meetings, to the injury of Men's Souls, muſt be diſtinguiſhed from pious Princes, that only reſtrain Hereticks, and real Schiſmaticks, for the Churches good. 2. And that times of Hereſie and Schiſm may make private Meetings more dangerous, than quiet times. And ſo even the Scottiſh Church forbad private Meetings, in the Separatiſts days of late. And when they do more hurt than good, and are juſtly forbidden, no doubt, in that caſe, it is a duty to obey, and to forbear them.
P. 117. of the firſt Plea. If the generality of the Miniſtry obtain their Liberty by ſome ſmall tolerable Sin or Errour, and the ſounder part be few and unneceſſary in that Country, Prudence bindeth them to go to ſome other place that needeth them, and never to exerciſe their Miniſtry in that place, where in true Reaſon it is like to do more hurt than good.
Holy Common-wealth, Theſis 240. It is neceſſary to the Churches Peace, that no private Congregations may be gathered, or Anti-Churches erected, without approbation or Toleration from the Magiſtrate. If private Aſſemblies be permitted promiſcuouſly and unlimitedly, it will then be impoſſible to reſtrain Hereſie and Impiety; yea, they may meet to plot againſt the Magiſtrate. And no Aſſemblies whatſoever, beſides the Pariſh Churches, are to be allowed by the Magiſtrate.
It is a dangerous thing,Chriſt. Direct. p. 49. to be enſnared in a Sect; it will, before you are aware, poſſeſs you with a feaveriſh, ſinful Zeal for the Opinions and Intereſt of that Sect; it will make you bold, in bitter Invectives and Cenſures, againſt thoſe that differ from you; it will corrupt your Church-communion, and fill your very Prayers with Partiality, and Human Paſſions; it will ſecretly bring Malice, under the name of Zeal, into your minds and words. In a word, it is a ſecret, but deadly Enemy to Chriſtian Love and Peace. Let them that are wiſer, and more Orthodox, and godly than others, ſhew (as the Holy Ghoſt directeth them, James 3. 13, 14, &c.) out of a good converſation their works with meekneſs of wiſdom: But if ye have bitter envying (or zeal) and ſtrife in your hearts, Glory not, and lye not against the truth. This wiſdom deſcendeth not from above, but is earthly, ſenſual, devilliſh.
P. 36. of the Defence. The intereſt of the Proteſtant Religion muſt be much kept up, by keeping up as much of Truth, Piety, and Reputation, as is poſſible, in the Pariſh Churches.
Sacril. Deſertion, p. 92. In Pariſh-Churches, where all may hear the Pariſh Miniſter, I would not have you, without neceſſity, to preach the ſame hour of the day, but at ſome middle time, that you may not ſeem to vye with him for Auditors, nor to draw the People from him; but let them go with you to hear him, and after come to hear you.
Saints Reſt, p. 518. Do not meet together in oppoſition to the Publick Meeting, nor yet to make a groundleſs Schiſm, or to ſeparate from the Church whereof you are a Member; nor to deſtroy the old, that you may gather a new Church out of its ruines, as long as it hath the Eſſentials, and there is hope of reforming it. The great advantages that Satan hath got upon the Church, through the Sin of the Paſtors in theſe days, is by Diviſion; by this he hath promoted all the reſt of his Deſigns. Our Diviſions gratifie the Papiſts greatly, hazard the Proteſtant Religion more than moſt of you ſeem to regard or believe; it advantageth Profaneneſs, and greatly hinders the Succeſs of the Miniſters; it pleaſeth Satan, and builds up his Kingdom.
Preface to Confeſſion. The hand of God is apparently gone out againſt the Separatiſts, you ſee you do but prepare for a further progreſs: Seekers, Ranters, Quakers, and too many profeſſed Infidels, do ſpring up from among you, as if this were the Journeys end, and perfection of your Revolt. By ſuch fearful Diſſertions did God formerly witneſs his deteſtation of thoſe that withdrew from the Unity of the Church. Parties will ariſe in the Separate Churches, and ſeparate again from them, till they are diſſolved. I beſeech you (my Brethren) to open their Eyes ſo far as to regard Experience; How few ſeparated Churches do now Exiſt that were in being 100 years ago? Can you name any? and would you have all the Churches of Chriſt diſſolved?