The Divine Institution of Congregational Churches, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of Ordinances of Special Communion.
Kinds of Ordinances of Special Communion: A Seal what it doth; and ſignifies: New Testament Seals but Two: What Baptiſm is: What the Lord's Supper is: What is to be obſerved in its Adminiſtration.
§. 1. HAVING ſhewed what are Chriſt's Ordinances in a Viſible Church of General or more common Communion; we come in the next place to ſpeak of Ordinances of Special Communion, peculiar only to ſuch as are Church-Members; and theſe are ſuch Appointments of Chriſt as concern the Adminiſtration of the Seals, or ſuch as concern the Adminiſtration of the Keys.
§. 2. A Seal of the Covenant under the New Teſtament is a viſible and ſenſible Ratification thereof, wherein Chriſt our High Prieſt doth eminently ſhew forth unto us the glory of his Prieſtly Office, in makeing himſelf a Sacrifice for Sin, bearing the Charge and Curſe of Sin, ſatisfying God's Juſtice, reconciling us to God, and procuring Eternal Salvation to us a1 Pet. 2.9. Heb. 9.26. Col. 1.21, 22. Heb. 9.12., who as ſuch is the great Condition of the Covenant of Grace bIſa. 42.6., i. e. of Abraham's Covenant cRo. 4.13. Gal. 3.17., whereby we have upon Profeſſion, right to claim all Church-Priviledges Myſtical and Viſible, in the State of Grace, and that of Glory hereafter dGal. 3.9.28, 29.. In all the Old Teſtament Seals, and in the New eſpecially, Chriſt in the Covenant of Grace is in a moſt lively manner repreſented, and ſhewed forth in the Church e1 Cor. 11 24, 25, 26. Col. 2.11, 12., as to Condition and Promiſes; he being not only the great Condition, but the Yea and Amen of all the Promiſes f2 Cor. 1.20., which are therein Applied and Sealed at leaſt Miniſterially gGen. 17.7, 10. Rom. 4.11 12. Gal. 3.27..
§. 3. The Seals of the New Teſtament are Two and no more, Baptiſm and the Lord's Supper, which are the only Inſtituted Rites or Ceremonies in a Church that are ordained by Chriſt to continue till he come aMatt. 28.19, 20. 1 Cor. 11.23, &c.. All Jewiſh Ceremonies are vaniſht as Shadows and aboliſhed bHeb. 8.5.13. 2 Cor. 3.14., as all Ceremonies attending the beſtowing Miraculous Gifts are alſo ceaſed c1 Cor. 13.8., ſuch as Impoſition of Hands on well or ſick, Ʋnction, waſhing of Feet, this being but a didactical Ceremony uſed by Chriſt to teach the Apoſtles Humility, and not to Lord it over his Churches, and was never intended for a ſtanding Ordinance. And as none of theſe (which many are fond of, and even Idolize, ſome one, and ſome another, and upon as good Grounds all, as any for each one) had any Sanction for continuance, ſo their ſignificancy ceaſing, the Sign alſo comes to nought.
§. 4. Baptiſm is a Sign and Seal of the Righteouſneſs of Faith, wherein Waſhing with Water into the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt aMat. 28.19., doth repreſent and ſhew forth, at leaſt Miniſterially, a Sinners waſhing from his Sins in the Bloud of Chriſt bRev. 1.6 Act 2.38., his New Birth and Renovation by the Spirit of Chriſt cTitus 3.5, and his Covenant Obligation to be the Lords dGal. 3.27, 28. eib. 3.9.26. The Subjects of this Seal are all thoſe who by Profeſſion of Faith in Chriſt eib. 3.9.26, which is Abraham's Faith, are become Covenant-Members accordingly of a Viſible Church, and their immediate Infant-Seed fAct. 2.39; they being bleſſed with faithful Abraham gGal. 3.7, 8, 14., and having all eſſential Church-Bleſſings come upon them: And therefore the Bleſſing of Memberſhip to the profeſſing Body of Chriſt hRom. 15.8, 9. ch. 4.11, 12, and Goſpel Church Priviledges, as they belong to one or other reſpectively, are Miniſterially to be applied; of which Baptiſm is none of the leaſt, being the Ordinance of Chriſt, in which only a Believer can bring his Infant-Seed to Chriſt, and he cannot bring it to Chriſt out of an Ordinance; therefore it being his Duty to bring it to Chriſt, it muſt be in this Ordinance, to be bleſſed with Abraham's Bleſſing ſpiritually, as he and his Seed are Eccleſiaſtically; the reaſon that Chriſt gives for his Command of bringing Infants to him iMatt. 19.14, 15. Mark 10.14, 16. Luk. 18.16is, That they are Church Members, of ſuch is the Kingdom of Heaven; and it's known that Chriſt means his viſible Church in the days of the Goſpel by the Kingdom of Heaven; and he took them in his Arms, received them viſibly; laid his Hands upon them, which is more than for any Miniſters to Baptize them; and bleſſed them, And doth Chriſt Bleſs with any Bleſſing beſides the Bleſſing of Abraham that comes on the Gentiles?
§. 5. The Lord's Supper is a ſpecial Ordinance of Church Communion a1 Cor. 10.16., inſtituted and continued by Jeſus Chriſt b1 Cor. 11 26., wherein by the Giving and Receiving the outward Elements of Bread and Wine cMat. 26.26. Mar. 14.23. Luke 22.19 1 Cor. 11.23., the Death, Satisfaction and Merits of Chriſt are in a lively manner ſhewed forth; and he who through Chriſt is a worthy Receiver, doth ſpiritually and really by Faith, partake of his Body and Bloud, with all the high Benefits thereof, and not Miniſterially only, as he doth who is only an outſide profeſſed Member. It is called the Lord's Supper d1 Cor. 11 20., becauſe it is of the Lord's Inſtitution, and for this end, to ſhew forth his Death e1 Cor. 11 26., and becauſe he firſt Celebrated it the Evening before his Death fib. v. 23..
§. 6. This being inſtituted for ſo ſpiritual and ſolemn Ends and Purpoſes a1 Cor. 11 24, 25, 26, 27. Luk. 22.19, cannot be adminiſtred or attended upon for any other Purpoſes, ſuch as to qualifie Men upon a ſecular account, without great Prophanation thereof bMal. 1.11, 12. John 6.26, 27. Ex. 20.4, 7 Rev. 13.16, 17..
§. 7. In the Adminiſtration of this Ordinance, theſe things according to the Primitive Inſtitution, ſeem neceſſary to be obſerved.
1. That it be adminiſtred to the whole Church met together a1 Cor. 11 20.in one place, and not to particular Perſons, or to the Church in diſtinct parts, it being an Ordinance of Communion of a Body of Chriſt bib. 10.16.
2. That it be not diſpenſed to Members that are not capable to diſcern the Lord's Body, or to Examine themſelves c1 Cor. 11 28, 29..
3. That each Element be diſtinctly bleſſed, and apart by it ſelf, by calling upon God in Chriſt for a Bleſſing d1 Cor. 11 24, 25..
4. That after Conſecration, the Bread broken is to be delivered with the Words of Diſtribution, directed to the whole Church eMat. 26.26, 27.at once, and by them divided among themſelves, and not carried up and down from Party to Party, or from Seat to ſeat. After the pouring out the Wine and bleſſing it, it ought to be diſpenſed with the words of diſtribution in like manner to the whole Church fIbid., and not carried up and down as aforeſaid, which practiſes came from the Church of Rome, and not from Chriſt or his Apoſtles.
5. The Poſture of Receiving is ſitting gMat. 26.20., as Chriſt and his Diſciples, not kneeling or ſtanding, becauſe its a Feaſt, and ſignifies our eating and drinking Spiritually with joy and gladneſs, and though Prayer accompany it, wherein may be Praying Geſtures, as in other Ordinances, yet Giving and Receiving here is a diſtinct Ordinance from Prayer.
6. The Paſtor of the congregation, hMat. 26.26.is to adminiſter and not the Paſtor of another, who hath no adminiſtring Power out of his own Congregation; neither hath Chriſt ordained any Adminiſtrators General to his Churches. For the Paſtor alſo to take in a Partner in Adminiſtration is Will-Worſhip and Humane.
7. When the Elements are bleſſed by the Church, the People ought not to betake themſelves to their ſecret Prayers, as if the Table had not bin bleſſed already; none doth ſo at their ordinary Feſtivals.
§. 8. Chriſt hath not in either of theſe Seals preciſely determined the quantity of either Element to be made uſe of, neither what quantity of Bread and Wine each ſhould take; or how much Water ſhould be uſed in Baptiſm; for our eating and drinking in the Lord's Supper, is not to ſatisfie our natural Hunger and Thirſt a1 Cor. 11 21, 22.; nor is the Waſhing with Water in Baptiſm, to put away the outward filth of the fleſh b1 Pet. 3.21.. But our Saviour having told us what is ſpiritually intended and ſignified, it is ſufficiently manifeſt, that ſo much of each Element in both Seals, as doth hold forth to us the thing ſignified, is enough, tho never ſo little; for Chriſt hath not brought his Churches in the New Teſtament under a Moſaick Tutorſhip, ſo as to bind them up to ſuch quantities and qualities of externals, in manner as he did the Church of Old.
§. 9. The Adminiſtration of the Seals belongs not to any but Teaching Elders, being moſt appropriate to the Paſtoral Office to feed the Flock in this peculiar manner; for Chriſt when a Paſtor on Earth adminiſtred it, and therefore other Paſtors whom he ſubſtitutes when aſcended, ought to do it. Hence no private Member may be occaſionally called thereto by the Church; if ſo, it renders Chriſt's Office needleſs and precarious. Nor no Paſtor of another Church may; for the Paſtor to one Church is no Paſtor to another; nay he hath no power to Vote, and therefore not ſo much as a private Brother to Adminiſter.