A Survey of the Sum of Church Discipline, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Whether Baptisme doth give formality or make a member of a visible Church.
Answer Negative.
Reason. 1.
IF there be a Church, and so members before Baptisme: then Baptisme cannot give the formality. Because forma is causall, and so is in nature before formatum.
But the Church now considered as totum essentiale, is before Baptisme.
For Ministers are before baptisme: else Baptisme may be administred lawfully by such, who are not Rulers, Pastors or Teachers which is denied by all Orthodox Divines, and I question not, but by M.R. And there must be a Church of beleevers to choose a Minister lawfully. For none but a Church can give him a call, and without a Call he cannot administer.
To this M.R. answers. l. 2. p. 219.
It is false that the Church ministeriall, which only can baptize, is before the Officers for they should then be before themselves, which is absurd.
To which the reply is easy.
That we speak not now of the Church, as Ministeriall, or as totum Organicum, but as totum essentiale, which is before Organicum. therefore the argument is wholly untouched: nor doth the answer reach the reason at all, it secretly confutes it self and confirms the cause. For, If Baptisme cannot be before a Ministeriall Church, nor that before a Church congregationall, which must make choice of a ministery, then such a Church is much before Baptisme.
Beside let it be supposed that at the coming of some godly zealous Christian and schollar into the country, and a company of Pagans (many) are converted to the faith, I ask whether these may not joyn in a Church-fellowship, and choose that man Pastor, and whether that choice was not lawfull according to God? Therefore here is a Church before a Minister, and so before Baptisme.
2. Reason.
If Baptisme give the form to visible membership, then while that remains valid the party is a visible member. for where the form is, the formatum must needs be, if the principles of reason may take place.
But there is true Baptisme resting in the party, who hath no visible membership: as in an excommunicate, in him that renounceth the fellowship of the Church, or when the Church is utterly dissolved then all Church-membership ceaseth. for Relata mutuo se ponunt & tollunt. And yet Baptisme is valid.
M. R. Answer. p. 220.
This is against yourselves and doth as well prove that baptisme is not a seal of the covenant of grace, For an excommunicate person may remain externally without the visible Church, when baptisme remaineth a seal, and may be a seal of grace or priviledge, which is interrupted or removed in act, but remaineth in habit. As to be the eldest son of a King, may be a seal of the sons heirship, and yet he may for a fault be disinherited and cast out.
Reply.
The first part of the Answer is no whit satisfactory, nor doth remove the force of the Argument. For let it be granted that an excommunicate person may remain externally without the covenant to the judgement of the visible Church, and yet Baptisme be a seal of it, because Baptisme is but a separable adjunct unto the Covenant whose efficacy may be hindered (and therefore the spirituall good) by the unworthinesse of the receiver, though in its own nature, its the end of baptisme to do that, and as much as in it lieth, doth and would doe it, but the act of it is hindered by the wickednesse and unworthinesse of the receiver.
But the reason is far otherwise, when Baptisme is made the form of membership, and therefore the inference will be far other, namely,
Though a separable adjunct may be severed from his subiect; or the effect thereof (which often is) may be hindered: yet its never heard that the form of a thing could be and remain in its full vigour, and the formatum not to be. If to be the eldest son of a King, had given the formality of the possessing of his inheritance, that could never have been taken away: but he should have stood possessed thereof. But so it is not in case some notorious fault disinherit him, onelyonly that makes him capax subiectum remotè, but that which gives the formality of possession, is an heir well-deserving.
2. M. R. adds.
"The Church and Church-membership are relata secundum esse, not secundum dici, or relata, foreign.
But baptisme and Church-membership are not so perfect relates, but baptisme doth remain, and Church-membership may be dissolved. The Burgesse ticket, whereby a man hath right to all the City-priviledges, may remain, when the man for some crime committed against the City, hath lost all his City-priviledges, and is not now a free citizen: in which case his Burgesse-ticket sealeth nothing to him.
The Reply is.
This answer which should maintain the cause doth fully yeeld it, For if Church and Church-membership be relata secundum esse, and yet baptisme comes not within that compasse, then certainly it gives not the formality to Church-membership; and that upon a double proof.
1. If Church and Church-membership be perfect relata, without baptisme, then are they mutuall causes one of the other, and receive no constitution, or essentiall causes elsewhere. For, Relata constant ex mutuâ affectione.
2. If Baptisme give the formale to membership, it then stands in the same kinde of relation, as Church-membership doth, as giving the specificall and proper being to membership.
But that you say it doth not, and therefore it cannot lend the formality to it.
Lastly, Let it be yeelded that Baptisme and Church-membership are not so perfect relatives, for that we question not, but that (which is granted) it is forma, and then forma & formatum mutuò se ponunt & tollunt.
That of the Burgesse ticket, if it seal nothing of his city-priviledges to him, it remains a writing, but no Authoritative means of freedome, and therefore not a formale of his freedome. For if it had given him his Burgesse-ship, the corporation would have provided for the taking away of that at the first, as well as the taking away of his liberty. As the King sends for the broad Seal, when he will out the Lord Keeper, of his power and place.
Further the grant that Baptisme sealeth other things, and is valid to that end, but sealeth not membership, This, I say, destroys the cause, which it is brought to defend, to wit, That it cannot be the form, for the form remaining, the formatum will certainly continue.
Reason. 3.
This tenet doth of necessity evidence the Church of Rome, to be a true Church, which is thus gathered.
Where all the members are true members, there the Church is a true Church.
But all the members in the Congregations in Rome are true members.
Assumption proved.
They who have the true form of a Church member, they are true members.
But all the members of the Church of Rome have received true Baptisme, and so the formality of true members. Therefore,
Therefore the Church is a true Church.
But this last is false, therefore the first also.
Reason. 4.
That which is a Seal of the Covenant and our incorporation into the Church visible, that cannot be the form of it.
At primum verum, Ergo.
The Proposition is proved, because the seal comes after the thing s…aled in nature: but the form goeth before it.
M. R. l. 2. p. 213. 214. 215. 216. is very large to lay forth the nature and efficacy of Seale and Sacraments, and his dispute is to good purpose, and to edifie the Reader, in that point, unto which I willingly yeeld in all the severals thereof, for the sum and substance of the expressions. Namely, That the Sacraments are signs and seals, and exhibitive instruments of the increase of grace. Nor do I know any of ours that ever spake or writ otherwise.
And what he grants in this, gives in testimony to the truth of the Argument and confirms it strongly, only let the right sense of some words be weighed, as they should, and not racked beyond the inrendment of the Authours minde,
For when it is said that Sacraments are not appointed to make a thing that was not, but to confirm and establish a thing that was.
This is the easy and ordinary sense of such phrases, to wit, A Sacrament doth not give grace, where it was not, but confirms grace where it was. It begins not grace in such as have it not, but increaseth and confirmeth it in such as hav… it, which is the same he bestoweth …o many pages, and so much pains to prove, which is confessed without any further trouble, and so all that labour might have been spared, And we crave no more, then what is thus acknowledged on all hands.
For if the Seals do not work grace, where it was not, but suppose the first grace wrought, then the Sacrament sealing our incorporation into the Church, It presupposeth this covenant first made, only it adds a further confirmation thereunto.
Argument. 5.
The Church was visible when there was no seal, neither circumcision nor Baptisme.
Therefore these do not constitute it or any member of it. Gen. 17.10.11.