Puslapio vaizdai
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A Prayer for the ROGATION DAYS.

a Matth. 6. 33. b Praying in the Litany. When they are to be gathered, and when we have need of them. d By Chrift's giving and preserving to our ufe the fruits of the earth, (Eph. 3.9.) and for his fake. Ch. 1. 7. (See the Creed, 44, 53 Q.) Heb.9. 24.

O God heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jefus Chrift, has promised to all them that feek thy kingdom, and the righteoufnefs thereof, all things neceffary to their bodily fuftenance a; I beseech thee to hear us b, that it may please thee to give and preferve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth, fo as in due time c we may enjoy them, through Jefus Christ our Lord d. Amen.c.

In the three Rogation days of Fafting, not days of feafting or drinking, as they are abus'd contrary to the Order of the Church, confider what need we have to faft and pray for a Bleffing upon the fruits of the earth, and for their preservation to our ufe. Therefore comply not with the evil cultom: but faft as well as thou canft the three days; and pray Humbly and Earneftly for thefe Mercies.

Grace before meat.

a Thanked. Matth.

15. 36. Acts 27. 35.
b By Chrift's giving us
this grace, and for his
God be bleffed

fake.

a The

Thanked.

God be bleffed a. for his

gifts; and give me [us] grace to use them foberly, through Jefus Chrift our Lordb. Amen.c. for his gifts; and give &c.

Grace after meat.

For what I [we] have re

Lord.ceiv'd the Lord's Name a be praised b. Amen.

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The SACRAMENTS.

I. Question, H Christ ordained in his Church? Ho OW many Sacraments bath

A. Two only, as generally The Laying on of neceffary to Salvation, that is

hands in Confirmation

is a natural accustomed ceremony, used in bleffing or praying for par

to fay, Baptifm, and the Supper of the Lord.

ticular perfons; (Gen. 48. 14, 15, 16.7 Matth. 19. 13, 15) as lifting up the hands in bleffing many together, (Levit. 9. 22. Luke 24 50) and as kneeling in other prayer. And fo the one is no more a Sacrament than the other. For Confirmation is a Praying: It is a folemn Praying for a Bounteous Increase of the Grace of the Holy Spirit, promifed to be given by that Prayer. II. Q. How are the Sacraments generally neceffary to Salvation?

A. None can be fav'd that neglect to fit themfelves for them, and to receive them when they are fit for them, and may have them.

III. Q. Why are the Sacraments fo neceffary?

17. ch.

Matth. 28. 19. ch. A. Because Chrift has com26. 27. 1 Cor. 10. 11. 24, 25, 36. manded all to receive them. IV. Q. What meanest thou by this word Sacrament?

A. I mean an outward and vifible fign of an inward and fpiritual grace given to us, ordained by Chrift himself, as a means whereby we receive the fame, and a pledge to affure us thereof.

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V. Q. What is an outward and visible fign of an inward and fpiritual grace?

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A. A

A A fign that we fee, of a mercy that we do not fee, given to our fouls.

VI. Q. How many parts are there in a Sacrament?

A. Two; the outward vifible fign, and the inward fpiritual grace.

I. Question.

BAPTISM.

THAT is the outward visible

W fignor form in Baptifm?

a John 3. 5. As 8. 36, 38. b Matth.

28. 19.

II. Q. What is the Father, and Ghoft?

A. Water a; wherein the perfon is Baptized, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghoft b. to be Baptiz'd, In the Name of of the Son, and of the Holy

A. After prayer for the inwash'd b in token of our forward fpiritual grace a, to be faking fin c by the grace of the Holy Spirit d; and fo be given up to believe and obey the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

a Matth. 7. 7. John 4. 1, 10. b Eph. 5. 26. Tit. 3. 5. Mattb. 3. 11. Mark 1. 4. Acts 2. 38. 1 Pet. 3. 21. d John 3.5, 6. Tit. 3. 5. e Acts 19. 4. 1 Cor. 1.. 12, 13. ch. 10. 2. To be Baptiz'd in the name of Paul, is by Baptifm to be given up to the belief and obedience of Paul before any other Apoftle. And the Ifraelites being Baptiz'd unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea, fignifies that they were by that cloud, and that paffage through the fea, affur'd that they must believe and obey Mofes as fent from God. So to be Baptiz'd in the Name of the Father, and

of

of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, is, By Baptifm to be given up to believe and obey the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. So John the Baptift Baptiz'd in the Name of Christ, by commanding thofe he Baptiz'd to believe on, that is, to believe and obey Chrift.

Now by Baptifm we are given up to believe and obey the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft: because by Baptifm we forfake all fin; which we must do before we can be their difciples: (Luke 14. 26, 27, 33) and because we are wafh'd in token of our forfaking both the fins of doing evil, and the fins of neglecting duty; and fo by that token we are given up to forfake all the evil which they forbid, and to do all the duty which they command; which is the fame with being given up to believe and obey them.

We are by Baptifm given up to believe and obey the Word of the Father in the Old Teftament, (Acts 3. 13. Heb. 1. 1) and the Word of the Son in the Gospels, (Heb. 1. 2) and the Word of the Holy Ghoft, who came down upon the Apoftles, in their Speeches and Epiftles. John 14. 16. ch. 16. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 12.

We are alfo by Baptifm given up to believe and obey the whole Scripture, as the Word both of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. For the whole Scripture is gi ven and reveal'd by the Holy Ghoft (1 Cor. 2. 10, 11. 2 Tim. 3. 16) fent from the Father and the Son. John 15. 26. ch. 16. 15. All Three fpake by the Manhood of Christ, (Jobn 2. 34) and by all the Prophets. Heb. 1. 1. 1 Pet. I. II. III. Q. How is the perfon to be Baptized to be wash'd?

a For the words Baptize and Baptifm fignifie any kind of washing: and there are good grounds in the Scripture for the feve.

A. It is left to discretion a whether the whole body be wafh'd b; or water be only pour'd c or sprinkl'd on the head or face d.

ral ways of washing in Baptifm.

As to the words Baptize and Baptifm their fignifying any kind of washing: Heb. 9. 10, diverse washings are in the Original tapes BaTTious, different Baptifms. Mark 7. 4, except they wafh their hands, is in the Original ἐὰν μὴ βαπτίσωνται, except they be baptized. And the fame is Luke 11. 38. And this was done either by dipping the hands, or by pouring wa ter on them. See Walker of Baptifm, ch. 5. 2, 3,.5.

The

The grounds in the Scripture for the feveral ways of wafhing in Baptifm, are these that follow.

b Dipping the whole body, as it were burying it in the water, together with the death and burial unto fin fignified thereby, and raifing it again out of the water, with the rifing again, or being born again unto righteoufnefs, that it fignifies, are meant Rom. 6. 4, and Coll. 2. 12. But this dipping we mult fuppofe to be done only when it could be done Safely and Decently. Matth. 12. 7. 1 Cor. 14. 40.

e Matth. 3. 11, John the Baptift fays, I Baptize you with water; but he that cometh after me shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. And the fame comparifon is Ats 1. 5, us'd by Chrift; and (ch. 11. 15, 16 applied by St. Peter to the Holy Ghoft falling on the Apoftles, and the company of Cornelius. Therefore as Christ's Baptizing with the Holy Ghost was by his pouring him upon them, (ch. 2. 17, 18, 33) and by the Holy Ghoft falling on them: (ch. 11. 15) fo we may believe that fuch as in winter, or for weakness could not bear dipping, and thofe whom modefty forbad to be dipped by a man, were by John the Baptift, and by the Apoftles (whatever was done in after times) baptiz'd by having water pour'd on their heads or faces, to fignify Chrift's pouring his Spirit upon them:

d Except when the Apoftles fprinkl'd water upon them, to fignify the fprinkling of the blood of Chrift, 1 Pet. 1. 2. Which Sprinkling of the blood of Chrift is certainly done in Baptifm. For it is God's giving us the pardon and grace obtained by the Blood, that is by the Death of Chrift, and his engaging us to the obedience of the Gospel, by the fame Blood fhed for us upon condition of our obedience. And fo by the Sprinkling of the blood of Christ in Baptifm, is Seal'd to us the New Covenant of the Gofpel: (Heb. 12. 24) as Exod. 24. 8. we read how by the fprinkling of the Type of Chrift's Blood (Heb. 9. 15 to 21) upon the people, was Sealed the Old Covenant of the Law. For sprinkling of water in Baptism, see Heb. 10. 22. Ezek. 36. 25, 26, 27.

Here it is to be noted, that the fprinkling of the blood of the Old Covenant, Exod. 24. 8, the Type of the sprinkling of the Blood of Chrift, and, the Commands for the purifications by fprinkling Levit. 14. 6, 7, 51, and Numb. 19. 18, 19, Types alfo of the fprinkling of the blood of Chrift, (Heb. 9. 13, 14) do exprefs no more than the fprinkling fome part of the perfons or things that were to be cleanfed.

And if we confider how feverely Chrift commands us Matth. 5. 28, 29, 30, to cut off, and pluck away all occafions of unclean thoughts, we may conclude that any kind of washing

the

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