Notes Upon Texts of Scripture and Popish Errors, Missing chapter 2
Of the Sacraments.
[This ſhould have followed Chap. XXI.]
That the Sacraments do confer Grace, ex opere operato, by the Work done. Council of Trent. Seſſ. 7. Can. 8.
THE Sacraments are Seals of the Covenant and Promiſe of God on his part made with Men, which they confirm to us, upon our ſuſception or receiving of them, and the performance of the Condition which on our part is required, and which we enter into a ſolemn Engagement to do, and do make a viſible profeſſion of in them. And it being a Covenant of free Grace, which God makes with Man, and by which he really intends to procure our Salvation; it muſt needs be ſuppoſed, by virtue of this Covenant, that God is before-hand with Men with ſuch meaſures of his Grace (without which in this corrupt and fallen State we could do nothing) by which now we may be enabled to do what on our part is required. And upon our ſolemn engagement of our ſelves to God in this Holy Covenant on our part, it is not to be doubted but the Spirit of Grace ſhall be given to us, to enable us to perform all the Duties and Conditions of the Covenant neceſſary to Salvation. But the Grace which is given, is the effect of the Spirit, and is given by virtue of the Covenant and Promiſe. The Sacraments do no otherwiſe exhibit it to us, than as they confirm the Covenant on God's part, by which it is given; and aſſure this Gift to us, upon our performance of our part.
The Holy Ghoſt doth call the Sacraments, Signs and Seals of the Grace of God; as, Gen. 17. 11. Ye ſhall circumciſe the Fleſh of the Fore-skin, and it ſhall be a Token or Sign of the Covenant between me and you. And, Rom. 4. 11. He, that is, Abraham, received the Sign of Circumciſion, a Seal of the Righteouſneſs of Faith. But it cannot be any where found, that the Sacraments are called Veſſels, containing the Grace of God. And it was a Seal of the Promiſes made to the Righteouſneſs of the Faith which he had, yet being uncircumciſed. So that Abraham's Faith went before the Sacrament of Circumciſion, and was not wrought by it. And, Verſ. 9, 10. This Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteouſneſs; not in Circumciſion, but in Ʋncircumciſion. That ſo (verſ. 11. believing before Circumciſion) he might be the Father of all them that believe, though they be not Circumciſed; but who alſo walk in the ſteps of that Faith of our Father Abraham, which he had being yet Ʋncircumciſed.
And as Abraham believed and was juſtified before Circumciſion, and therefore his Faith and Juſtification was not wrought by the Sacrament of Circumciſion; ſo Cornelius and his Company received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized. As i… plain from the words of St. Peter, Acts 10. 47. Can any Man forbid Water, that theſe ſhould not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghoſt as well as we? Which teacheth us, that God doth neither tie his Grace to the outward Circumciſion, nor yet to the Water of Baptiſm. The uſe of theſe Sacraments was not to work that Grace which they had before, but to be a ſolemn Engagement to them to perform their part of the Covenant, and to confirm the Promiſe of God to them. And therefore we find alſo Faith required, before Baptiſm can be adminiſtred: Acts 8. 36, 37. What doth hinder me (ſays the Eunuch) to be baptized? And Philip ſaid, If thou believeſt with all thine Heart, thou mayeſt. Faith is pre-required before Baptiſm, and therefore is not wrought by the Sacrament of Baptiſm.
We find indeed, that upon the ſolemn profeſſion of their Faith, by their admiſſion of the Sacrament of Baptiſm, there were ſometimes greater meaſures of the Spirit poured out upon ſome, Acts 19. 5, 6. But it was in conſideration of their Faith, which went before Baptiſm, that theſe Meaſures of the Spirit were given to them. Their Baptiſm was only a teſtification of their Faith; Epheſ. 1. 13. After ye believed, ye were ſealed with the Holy Spirit of Promiſe.
So when Baptiſm is called the Baptiſm of Repentance, it is not becauſe Repentance was wrought by it; but becauſe it was a Sign and Teſtification of it, and farther engaged to it.
We therefore alſo find, that Juſtification and Salvation are every-where in the Scripture aſcribed to Mens Faith and Repentance; and not to the Sacraments, as they would be, if the Sacraments were the proper and immediate Cauſes of that Grace, by which we are juſtified and ſaved. Thus, Rom. 1. 17. The Juſt ſhall live by Faith. And ſo, Gal. 2. 20. I live by the Faith of the Son of God. And this Faith, and ſo all Grace and Holineſs is wrought by the Spirit, by means of the Word. Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God: And, John 3. 8. As the Wind bloweth where it liſteth, and thou heareſt the ſound thereof, but canſt not tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth; ſo is every one that is born of the Spirit. God oftentimes in an imperceptible manner conferring his Grace, and not confining it to the Sacraments: So that the Sacraments do not give, but only ſeal to us the Promiſe of Grace and Life.
1 Pet. 3. 20, 21. In the Ark of Noah, a few, that is, eight Perſons, were ſaved by Water. The like Figure whereunto even Baptiſm doth now ſave us. But by Baptiſm, I mean, not the putting away the filth of the Fleſh; or that the outward Act of waſhing the Body ſerveth to this Salvation, which God doth not lay on any outward Ceremony, otherwiſe than as it is an Act or Exerciſe of our Faith and Obedience. But the Anſwer of a good Conſcience towards God, in the Covenant of Baptiſm, when a Perſon being ask'd, doth really and faithfully engage and promiſe to believe in, and give up himſelf to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt, and to renounce the World, the Fleſh, and the Devil. Baptiſm is but the celebration of this ſaving Covenant; and it is covenanting ſincerely, that is the Condition of Salvation, and waſhing is but the Sign.
As, Rom. 2. 25. Circumciſion verily profiteth, if thou keepeſt the Law; but if thou be a breaker of the Law, thy Circumciſion is made Ʋncircumciſion. So it may be ſaid of Baptiſm, with reſpect to the Goſpel. It is not any Sacrament in it ſelf, that gives Grace or Juſtification, or acceptance with God; but thereby the Benefits promiſed are ſealed to them that perform the Conditions. Thus, verſ. 28, 29. He is not a Jew, whom God will accept and juſtify, who is one outwardly, only in the Ceremony; Neither is that Circumciſion acceptable, which is only outward in the Fleſh, and therefore 'tis not the external Sacrament which gives the Grace; but he is a Jew, juſtified and accepted of God, that is one inwardly; and Circumciſion is that of the Heart in the Spirit, and not in the Letter or Ceremony, whoſe Praiſe is not of Men, but of God. The like may be ſaid of the Chriſtian and his Baptiſm. So, Gal. 5. 6. For in Chriſt Jeſus, neither Circumciſion availeth any thing, nor Ʋncircumciſion, nor the outward waſhing of Baptiſm neither, but Faith which worketh by Love. 'Tis this, and nothing elſe that avails to the Chriſtian's Salvation. But if the Sacraments themſelves did work Saving-Grace, the ſame might be as well affirmed of them.
It is ſaid indeed, Rom. 6. 4. We are buried with him by Baptiſm into Death, that like as Chriſt was raiſed up from the Dead, by the Glory of the Father, even ſo we ſhould alſo walk in Newneſs of Life. The meaning of which is this, that we by our Baptiſm enter into a Profeſſion, Engagement, or Undertaking, to give over all Sin, and to live a new regenerate Life, in conformity to the Death and Life of Chriſt. This Profeſſion was repreſented and ſignified by their going down into the Water, and being, as it were, buried in it, and then riſing out of it again. It is not Baptiſm which works this Grace of Mortification, but that proceeds from our believing, Reception, and hearty ſubmitting our ſelves to the form of Doctrine delivered to us by the Spirit of Grace in the Goſpel, verſ. 17. And it is by the Spirit that we are enabled to mortify the Deed of the Body, Rom. 8. But Baptiſm teſtifies and repreſents our Profeſſion and Engagement to do it.
It is ſaid alſo, Gal. 3. 27. As many of you as have been baptized into Chriſt, have put on Chriſt, his Spirit and Nature, and are become his Members. There, being baptized into Chriſt, ſignifies thoſe that have ſincerely conſented to that baptiſmal Covenant, of which the outward Baptiſm was a Badg and Profeſſion. It was not by virtue of their Baptiſm, but by … of their Faith which they profeſſed in their Baptiſm, that they became Members of Chriſt. Verſ. 26. Ye are all the Children of God, by Faith in Chriſt Jeſus. According to John 1. 12. To as many as received him, to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believed in his Name.
So, John 3. 5. Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit, &c. It is the Spirit's Regeneration which is aſſerted, and which is only mentioned, verſ. 8. But this ſpiritual Regeneration was repreſented by the Water of Baptiſm.
So, Tit. 3 5. The waſhing of Regeneration, that is, Regeneration ſignified and ſealed in Baptiſm; or, which is to the Soul, as a laver or waſhing is to the Body to cleanſe it from Sin.
So, Epheſ. 5. 25, 26. Chriſt loved the Church, and gave himſelf for it, that he might ſanctif… it, and cleanſe it, with the waſhing of Water by the Word. It is the Regeneration it ſelf which is there intended by the waſhing of Water, which is ſaid to be wrought by the Word; becauſe by the means of the Word we are cleanſed from the filth of Sin, as the filth of the Body is cleanſed by the waſhing of Water. But yet this Regeneration is ſignified and repreſented in Baptiſm, and there all do make a profeſſion of it.
ERRATA.
PAge 52. line 5. read, Judiciouſly.
P. 67. l. 19. r. is directly.
P. 81. l. 3. r. what words.
P. 84. l. 3. r. beneficial.
P. 104. l. 30. r. God is ſaid.
P. 118. l. 20. r. yet He.
P. 123. l. 9. r. with them.
P. 140. l. 24. r. in, to the underſtanding.
P. 145. l. 23. r. from theſe words.
P. 147. l. 21. r. rite.
P. 152. l. 16. r. even after.
P. 168. l. 32. r. throw on.
Advertiſement of ſome Books lately printed againſt Popery.
1. A Modeſt Enquiry, Whether St. Peter were ever at Rome, and Biſhop of that Church?
2. The Fallibility of the Roman Church, demonſtrated from the manifeſt Error of the Second Nicene and Trent Councils, which aſſert, That the Veneration and honorary Worſhip of Images, is a Tradition Primitive and Apoſtolical.
3. A Demonſtration that the Church of Rome, and her Councils have erred: by ſhewing, that the Councils of Conſtance, Baſil, and Trent, have in all their Decrees touching Communion in one kind, contradicted the received Doctrine of the Church of Chriſt.
4. A Treatiſe of Traditions. Wherein is proved, That we have Evidence ſufficient from Tradition; 1. That the Scriptures are the Word of God. 2. That the Church of England owns the true Canon of the Books of the Old Teſtament. 3. That the Copies of the Scripture have not been corrupted. 4. That the Romaniſts have no ſuch Evidence for their Traditions. 5. That the Teſtimony of the preſent Church of Rome can be no ſure Evidence of Apoſtolical Tradition. 6. What Traditions may ſecurely be relied upon, and what not. The Second Part.
End of the text · Charles Drelincourt, Notes Upon Texts of Scripture and Popish Errors (1688)