The Covenant Sealed, Preface
The PREFACE.
GOds Covenant is the ground of all our comfort; it is (as I may call it) the Grand Charter, by which all our Chriſtian rights and priviledges are conveyed unto us. Then (ſaith the Lord) will I remember my Covenant with Jacob, and alſo my Covenant with Iſaac, and alſo my Covenant with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the Land, Levit. 26.41. Remember, break not thy Covenant with us, ſay the people of God unto him, Jer. 14.21. O Iſrael, fear not, ſaith he; why? Thou art mine, Iſai. 43.1. How? I entred into Covenant with thee, and thou becameſt mine, Ezek. 16.8. I am thine, ſave me, ſaith David unto him, Pſal. 119.94. building his confidence upon this, that he was in Covenant with God, and was his by Covenant. I am the Lord thy God, ſaith he, viz. *Gen. 17.7. Jer. 31.33.by Covenant; what then? Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it, Pſal. 81.10. As if he ſhould ſay, Seeing thou haſt ſuch Covenant-intereſt in me, enlarge thy deſires as much as thou canſt, and I will ſatisfie them. As Chriſt ſaid to his Diſciples, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what you will, and it ſhall be done unto you, Joh. 15.7. Hereupon Jehoſhaphat pleaded with God in his diſtreſſe, ſaying, Art not thou, our God? 2 Chron. 20.7. O our God, wilt not thou judge them? for we have no might againſt this great multitude, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee, verſe 12. So likewiſe Aſa cryed unto the Lord his God, ſaying, Help us, O Lord our God, &c. 2 Chron. 14.11. This was the ground of the everlaſting happineſſe of Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, that God was in Covenant with them, and was their God by Covenant. Thence Chriſt inferred, that they were not ſo dead, but that their ſoules did ſtill live, and that their b…dies alſo at laſt ſhould be raiſed up, and both ſoules and bodies live for ever, Matth. 22.32. Gods Covenant is an everlaſting Covenant, ordered in all things, and ſure, 2 Sam. 23.5. He is a God that keepeth Covenant, Neh. 1.5. He will ever be mindful of his Covenant, Pſal. 111.5. He is Elohe, Amen, the God of truth, Iſai. 65.16. foreign, God that cannot lie, Tit. 1.2. He hath given his Son to be a Medaitour of the new Covenant, Heb. 12.24. In him all the Promiſes are Yea, and in him Amen, 2 Cor. 1.20. And to confirm the Covenant the more unto us, God hath ſo condeſcended to our weakneſſe, as to vouchſafe us not onelyonly his Word, but alſo his Sacraments, as ſignes and ſeales of his Covenant. The word Sacrament Chriſtians have borrowed from Heathens. Plinie the younger, a heathen Author, uſeth the word with reference unto Chriſtians, yet with no respect (I ſuppoſe) to either of the Sacraments, but onelyonly according to the uſual (though here metaphorical) acception of the word among the heathens.Se que Sacramento non in ſcelus al…quod obſtringere, ſed ne furta, ne latrocinia, ne adulteria committerent, &c. Pl n. Epiſt. 97. ad Trajan. He ſaith, That Chriſtians aſſembling together did uſe to bind themſelves by Sacrament, (or oath, did ſolemnly and religiouſly bind themſelves, as Souldiers were wont to bind themſelves to their General) not to any wickedneſſe, but againſt the committing of any theft, or robbery, or adultery, &c. Tertullian doth frequently uſe the word, but whether at any time in that ſtrict notion, as it is now uſed, I cannot eaſily ſay. Sometimes he uſeth it in alluſion to that Military oath which the Heathens called Sacramentum. Credimuſne humanum Sacramentum Divino ſuperinduci licere et in alium Dominum reſpondere poſt Chriſtum? T…rt. de Cor. Mil. cap. 11. Commun…catio pacis, et appellatio fraternitat…s, et conteſſeratio hoſpitalitatis; quae jura non al…a ratio regit, quam ejuſdem Sacramenti traditio. De Praeſcr. c. 20.Do we think (ſaith he) that after a divine Sacrament it is lawful to ſuperinduce one that is humane, and after Chriſt to acknowledge another Lord? And again, The Communication of peace, and the appellation of brotherhood, and the conteſſeration of hoſpitality, are rights, which no other reaſon doth rule, but the tradition of the ſame Sacrament. Rectè hîc Macereus Sacramentum vertit Gallicè juramentum. Alludit enim ad juſjurandum, quo tanquam Sacramento militari in Baptiſmo nos obſtringimus. Pamel. in Annot.Ʋpon which place Pamelius ſaith, that Macereus did rightly render Sacramentum an oath; for that Tertullian did allude to the oath, (the ſolemn obligation he meaneth) by which as by a military Sacrament (or oath) we bind our ſelves in Baptiſme. Sometimes by Sacrament in Tertullian is meant Faith, or Doctrine, as when he ſaith of Hereſies,Nullo modo Apoſtol…cae ob diverſitatem Sacramenti, De Praeſcript. cap. 22. that they are no way Apoſtolical, becauſe of the diverſity of the Sacrament; that is, as Pamelius doth well expound it, the diverſity of Faith: for otherwiſe Hereticks may have the ſame Sacraments with the Catholiques. Sometimes Tertullian speaking of Sacraments, doth inſtance indeed in Baptiſme and the Lords Supper;Ipſas quoque res Sacramentorum Divinorum in idolorum myſteriis emulatur, nempe Diabolu…. Tingit et ipſe, &c. —Habet et Virgines, habet et Continentes. De Praeſcript. cap. 40. but ſo alſo in divers other things, ſome whereof the Romaniſts themſelves do not reckon among Sacraments, as Virginity and continency, which Pamelius takes no notice of, when he pretends to find all their ſeven Sacraments, except Extream Ʋnction, there aſſerted by Tertullian. An ancient Biſhop, though after Tertullian, viz. Firmilianus, Nulla quippe d…fferentia eſt inter Pſeudoprophetam, & Haereticum. Nam ut ille in nomine Dei, aut Chriſti, ita iſte in Sacramento Bapriſmi fallit. Epiſt. 7…. inter Epiſtolas Cypriani. Circa celebrandos dies Paſchae, & circa multa alia divinae rei Sacramenta, &c. Ibid.in an Epiſtle to Cyprian doth ſometimes mention the Sacrament of Baptiſme; but whether he doth take the word ſtrictly, or largely, may be a queſtion, becauſe in the ſame Epiſtle he speaketh of many Sacraments, and nameth the Celebration of Eaſter as one of them. That Treatiſe de Cardinalibus Chriſti Operibus, one part whereof is de Baptiſmo Chriſti, wherein Baptiſme is called a Sacrament, that Treatiſe is found to be none of Cyprians: Pamel. in Annotat. Bellar. de Scriptor.and though Pamelius and Bellarmine ſuppoſe that the Author was ancient, and of the ſame time with Cyprian, becauſe the title speaks it as if it had been directed to Cornelius, who was Biſhop of Rome in Cyprian's time, yet B. Uſher obſerves, that in old Manuſcripts,B. Ʋſher in the Catalogue of Authours, cited in his Anſwer to the Jeſuites Challenge. Arnoldus Carnotenſis Abbas Bonevallis, who was many hundred years after Cyprian, viz. in the year 1160. is mentioned as the Authour. Hilarie about 100 years after Cyprian, Quàm autem in eo per Sacramentum communicate carnis & ſanguinis ſimus, &c. Hilar. de Trin. lib. 8.speaks of the Sacrament of Chriſts body and blood. Ambroſe about the ſame time with Hilary, or but a little after, hath written ſix Books De Sacramentis; and, which is obſervable, he treateth therein onelyonly of Baptiſme,Accedit verbum ad elementum, & fit Sacramentum, etiam ipſum tanquam viſibile verbum, Aug. in Joh. Tract. 80. and the Lords Supper. Auſtine writing not much after Ambroſe, (by whom he came to the knowledge of the truth) often uſeth the word, and that in the moſt ſtrict acception. The Word (ſaith he) being added to the Element, there is made a Sacrament; which is alſo it ſelf as it were a viſible Word. And again,Quid ſunt aliud quaeque corporalia Sacramenta, niſi quaedam quaſi verba viſib…lia? Contra Fauſt. l. 19. c. 16. What elſe are all corporal Sacraments, but as it were certain viſible words? And having ſaid, that Chriſt did inſtitute Sacraments, in number very few, for obſervation very eaſie,Chriſtus Sacramentis numero pauciſſimis, obſervatione facillimis, ſignificatione praeſtantiſſimis, ſocietatem novi populi colligavit, ſicut eſt Bapt…ſmus, et Communicatio corporis et ſanguinis ipſius, etſi quid aliud in Scripturis Canonicis commendatur. Epiſt. ad Jan. 118. cap. 1. and for ſignification moſt excellent, he expreſly ſaith, that theſe Sacraments are Baptiſme and the Lords Supper; adding indeed, and if there be any other commended in the Canonical Scriptures. But that there is any other Sacrament beſides Baptiſme and the Lords Supper, commended in the Scripture,Hoc tempore poſteaquam reſurrectione Domini noſtri Jeſu Chriſti manifeſtiſſimum indic…um libertatis noſtrae illuxit, nec corum quidem ſignorum, quae jam intelligimus, operatione gravi onerati ſumus, ſed quaedam pauca pro multis, eadam que factu facillima, et intellectu auguſtiſſima, et obſervatione caſtiſſima, ipſe Dominus, et Apoſtolica tradidit diſcipl na; ſicuti eſt Baptiſmi Sacramentum, et Celebratio corporis, et ſanguinis Domini. De doct. Christ. l. 3. c. 9. he doth not affirm. Yea, in another place having uſed the like words concerning the Sacraments of the New Teſtaments he mentioneth theſe two onelyonly, leaving no ſuspition at all, as if there were any other. Beſides, when he affirmeth the Sacraments to be as it were viſible words, (as in the places before cited) he plainly enough excludeth thoſe Popiſh Sacraments, Penance and Matrimony.Satis eſt ad Sacramenti naturam quatenus ſignum eſt ſenſibile, ut al…quo ſenſu percipiatur, nec debet excludi ſenſus audiendi, &c. Bellar. de Sacr. in gen. l. 1. c. 14. Bellarmine would have it ſuffice, if the outward ſign be any way ſenſible, though it be perceived onelyonly by the ſenſe of Hearing. But (as Chamier well obſerves) Auſtine needed not to have mollified his ſpeeches with as it were, if he had not taken the word viſible properly, and as diſtinct from that which is perceived by any other ſenſe then that of Seeing.Si de Sacramentis ſecundum aliquas conditiones, quas haeretici requirunt, loqueremur, neque nos diceremus eſſe tam multa, quam ponimus. Greg. de Valent. apud Cham. tom. 4. lib. 4. cap. 6. Gregorius de Valentia (as Chamier cites him) granteth, That Sacraments being conſidered in reſpect of ſome conditions, which Proteſtants (whom he, as their manner is, termeth Hereticks) require, ſo there are not ſo many, as otherwiſe they hold there are. So though Bellarmine (in the place above cited) will not admit Sacraments to be ſeals,Fatemur Sacramenta novae Legis eſſe ſigna, ſeu ſigilla quodammodo promiſſionis divinae. And again, Sacramenta vetera fuerunt velut ſigilla quaedam, quibus eſt obſignata, et firmata apud homines Divina promiſſio. Greg. de Valent. apud Cham. tom. 4. lib. 2. cap. 9. yet this other Jeſuite Valentia is not ſo ſtraitlac'd, but doth acknowledge, that they are after a ſort ſeales of Gods promiſe, whereby it is confirmed unto us. So the Councel of Trents Catechiſme doth make this one reaſon why Sacraments were ordained,Altera verò cauſa eſt, quod animus noſter haud facilè commovetur ad ea, quae nobis promittuntur, credenda.— Quemadmodum igitur in Veteri Teſtamento Deus fecerat, ut magni alicujus promiſſi conſtantiam ſ…gnis teſtificaretur: Ita etiam in novâ lege Chriſtus Salvator noſter, cum nobis peccatorum veniam, coeleſtem gratiam, Spiritus Sancti communicationem pollicitus eſt, quaedam ſigna oculis, et ſenſibus ſubjecta inſtituit, quibus quaſi pignoribus obligatum haberemus, at que ita fidelem in promiſſis futurum dubitare nunquam poſſemus. Catech. Trid. de Sacram. viz. becauſe we are ſlow to believe, and therefore Sacraments are not onelyonly ſignes, but as pledges to aſſure us of thoſe things which are promiſed unto us. And as the Apoſtle calls Circumciſion a ſeal, Rom. 4.11. So Abrabaneel, a famous late Rabbine among the Jews, in his Commentary on Eſay 52.13, &c. speaking of Circumciſion, doth call it, chotham berith, that is, the ſeal of the Covenant. It is true, he speaks of it onelyonly as a ſeal, whereby Abraham did aſſure himſelf unto God, to be his, whereas the Apoſtle speakes of it as a ſeal, whereby God did confirm his Covenant unto Abraham. But the Covenant being mutual, wherein God doth engage himſelf unto man, and man doth ingage himſelf unto God, the Sacraments as ſeales of the Covenant, ſerve to confirm both the one and the other ingagement. Now the Sacraments thus having reſpect unto the Covenant, and ſtanding in a ſubſerviency unto it, this reverend Author (Mr. Blake) having by Divine aſſiſtance compoſed and publiſhed a Treatiſe of the Covenant, which deſervedly hath found good acceptance, by the good hand of his God ſtill upon him doth now offer to publick view a Treatiſe of the Sacraments, which (I preſume) will be no leſſe accepted. The Authours former Works do ſufficiently speak his worth; he needs not my Elogie, neither can it adde any thing unto him. Yet having been more then ordinarily acquainted with him above 20 years, (though more then half of this time the great diſtance, whereat Providence hath ſet us, hath much hindered the improvement of our acquaintance) this I cannot but ſay, that I alwaies held him one, whoſe judgment in any matter of Divinity is very much to be eſteemed. What Caſaubon ſaid of Perſius, may truly be ſaid of him,Fatemur erudiſſimum Poëtam eruditionem ubique oſtendere, uſquam oſtentare negamus. Caſau…. Prol…g. in Pe…ſ. as this Treatiſe, and his other Writings doth ſhew, He is one that doth rather ſhew Learning, then make a ſhew of it. They that in ſome things diſſent from him, I think will do him ſo much right, as to acknowledge, that he is no Theologaſter, no Smatterer in Divinity, no ſuperficiary, or unſtudied Divine. Neither is he raſh and forward to vent his notions; or one that doth affect novelty and ſingularity in opinion, which is the garbe of many wanton Wits in theſe times. It is very rare, if he decline that which is generally, received; yet doth he not relie upon the authority of others neither, but*Diſceptatione ſi potes, vince, vince ratione. Cyprian. ad Demetrian. reaſons and argumenes are the things, which ſway with him. Where he doth a little ſtep aſide out of the road, he doth it not out of any humour of contradiction, not with any uncivil cenſure, or petulant expreſſion, but as with ſome rational plea, ſo with much modeſt deportment. As here in this Treatiſe, where he holds, that the Sacraments as appendants to the Word, may be profitable to the unregenerate, and inſtrumentall to Converſion. And yet he doth withall largely and learnedly impugne the Phyſical operation of Sacraments, which doth no more follow upon the other (as ſome perhaps may imagine) then the Phyſicall operation of the Word, which all explode, and yet confeſſe that the Word is an inſtrument, or means of regeneration. And ſo (me thinks) this learned and judicious Author hath here competently evinced, that the Sacraments may be, not ſolely by themſelves, but as accompanied with the Word, and as being after a ſort viſible words, holding out that to the eye, which the Word doth to the ear, and ſetting forth both Law and Goſpel to thoſe that underſtand the meaning of them. Some one or other particular there is beſides, wherein this Author is apt to meet with either Oppoſers, or Diſſenters: but as he is not unfurniſhed with grounds and reaſons to ſupport his opinion, ſo neither is he deſirous to impoſe upon any further then ſtrength of argument ſhall prevail. Some Digreſſions he hath, but they are not heterogoneal to the ſubject in hand, and he was moreover enforced to them, as alſo to thoſe Diſputes in the Poſcript. Before Mr. Baxters Apologie came forth, hearing of his intentions, he expreſſed in a letter to me how much it troubled him, that he ſhould have him Antagoniſt, whom in diverſe respects he did ſo love and honour. And ſurely his Book of the Covenant doth ſufficiently declare how unwilling he was to appear in a way of oppoſition to that worthy man.foreign Ariſt. Ethic. ad Nicom. lib. 1. cap. 6. But the ſaying of Ariſtotle (though not in thoſe words, yet to that effect) is well known and no leſſe approved, Though Socrates be a friend, and Plato a friend, yet Truth is ſo much more. If in this Conteſt he ſometimes ſhew ſome acrimonie which is not uſual with him, it is not to be conſidered how he was provoked. Aſſoon as I peruſed his Treatiſe of the Covenant, being not unacquainted with Mr. Baxters Aphoriſmes, I could not but obſerve how he doth ſcarce ever name Mr. Baxter (though he name him often) but where he doth approve and commend him: when he doth diſſent from him, and oppoſe him (as he doth many times) it is ſtill ſo (excepting onelyonly, I think, where he ſpeaks of the mannee how the Sacraments do ſeal; and there he could not but alter his courſe) at to conceal his name, and to deal meerly with his opinion. Whereas Mr. Baxter on the other ſide in his Apology foreign, as they ſay, with open face doth fall upon Mr. Blake, and that alſo oftentimes in ſuch ſort, that ſome, favourably enough affected to Mr. Baxter, and his Writings, have to my knowledge expreſſed no ſmall diſlike of him for it. He that will ſpeak his pleaſure, Qui quod vult, loquitur, quod non vult audiet.(they ſay) muſt look to hear ſomething to his diſpleaſure. I hope Mr. Baxter will not interpret me ſo, as if I spake thus to exaſperate him, or to heighten the difference betwixt him and Mr. Blake; Thas is far from my thoughts: I deſire onelyonly to apologize (if need be) for my ancient friend, ſo far as the juſtneſſe of the cauſe doth require. Ʋpon this account I ſhall makt bold to advertiſe the Reader, that peradventure now and then (though very ſeldome, I dare ſay) he may meet with ſome circumſtantial miſtake, which as it is nothing at all to the main, ſo neither is it any more then that which is incident to the beſt Writers. Thus, page 581. that is aſcribed to Granatenſis, — Non ego paucis Offendar maculis, quas aut incuria fudit, Aut humana parùm cavit natura. Horat. de Art. Poët.which belongs not indeed to him, but to another, namely, Michael ab Iſſelt, who doth preface to that piece of Granatenſis, which is intituled Dux Peccatorum. I might ſay more concerning this Authour, and the Treatiſe here ſet forth, but I would not be over-tedious. I ſhall therefore take off, onelyonly praying that the Lord will be pleaſed to make both this Work profitable, and alſo the Authour ſtill more and more ſerviceable to Himſelf, and to his people. Amen.
Chriſtopher Cartwright.