Matt. iii.6.

sentation of the cleanfing, and purifying the Soul from Sin, and in this Men of all Nations and of all Religions seem to have been agreed. For nothing was more frequent among the Heathens than their Washings and Purificati ons; and tho' they attributed a great deal too much to them, yet the fuperftitious Opinion which they had of thefe outward Cleanfings, could never have fo univerfally prevail'd, if there had not been fome Foundation for the ufe of them in the Nature of Things, and that is the great fitness which is in these outward Washings to excite us to purity of Mind, and to represent the great Duty which lies upon us, to keep our Confciences undefiled, which only can render us accepted with God.

And as these Washings and Purifications were common in other Religions, fo the Jewifh Church was wont to receive Profelytes or Converts by Baptism; for which Custom they alledge the command of God to Mofes, (i) Hebr. Exod. xix. 1o. but (ż) Dr. Lightfoot fets it Talmud higher, and thinks it was begun by Jacob, Exercit.on Gen. xxxv. 2. And our Saviour, who both in his Words and Actions throughout the whole Gofpel condefcended to a compliance with the Customs in ufe among the Jews fo far as they might be ferviceable to the ends of the Gofpel, was pleafed to make choice of Baptifm for the Admiffion of Perfons to the Profeffion of his Religion, as the Jews used it for the Admiffion of their Profelytes.

Baptifm

Baptism is very agreeable to the Nature of the Christian Religion, being a plain and easie Rite, and having a Natural fignificancy of that Purity of Heart which it is the defign of the Gospel to promote and establish in the World; and it is fitted to represent to us the cleansing of our Souls by the Blood of Christ, and the Grace of Purity and Holiness, which is conveyed in this Sacrament, and the Spirit of Regeneration which is conferred by it, John iii. 5. Tit. iii. 5. And it being in ufe both amongst Jews and Gentiles,it was fo much the more proper, because both had already an Opinion of the expediency of it. Chrift came to abolish the Ceremonies of the Jewish Law, and the vain and idolatrous fuperftitions of the Heathen Worship, and yet fome outward Rite of Worship was neceffary to be made use of, to dedicate the Body as well as the Soul to God's Honour and Service, to be a Pledge of the Refurrection of the Body, as well as of the Immortality of the Soul, to put Men in mind of that Integrity and Purity of Life which the Gospel requires, and to be a means of conveying it, and to admit them as vifible Members into the Church. And as Baptifm was very expedient to be Instituted upon all these Accounts; fo it had this peculiar advantage beyond any other Rite, that it was already in great use and esteem, and could seem strange neither to Jews nor Gentiles; but it had been a very strange thing to both, and very un

fuitable

fuitable to the Nature of Man, if the most Spiritual and Heavenly Religion, that can be, on this fide Heaven, had been inftituted without any external Rite for the Admiffion into it ; this had been to fuppofe the Church to confift of Angels and not of Men, who have need of Affiftance from outward Objects in their highest Acts of Religion, it had been to make Men to suspect that the Body (as fome Hereticks imagined) was little regarded of God,if no notice had been taken of it,at our Reception into Covenant with him; and it befides had been to contradict the Notion which Mankind have ever had of Religion, and to give the highest scandal both to Jews and Gentiles.

every

2. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is fo often the subject of Sermons, and of good Chriftians Meditation, that very little needs to be here faid of it. For it is evident that the Elements of Bread and Wine have a peculiar fuitableness to bring to our remem brance the Body and Blood of Christ offer'd upon the Crofs for us, to make us Partakers of them, and to be Pledges of all the Benefits which we receive thereby. And as the Eucharist was appointed by Chrift in the room of the Pafchal Supper, fo Bread and Wine were in ufe among all Nations in their Religious Worship, and nothing can more fitly exprefs our Communion with God and with one another, than to be entertained together at God's Table.

So

So that fince there must be Sacraments or External Rites and Ordinances, they could neither be fewer, nor more suitable to the fimplicity of the Gospel, and to the Wants of Christians, than the Sacraments of Baptifm, and of the Lord's Supper are.

I

CHA P. XXIV.

Of the Bleffed TRINITY.

Am not here to prove the Doctrine of the Trinity from the Scriptures, but to fuppofe this to be the Doctrine which the Scriptures teach, and to fhew that no reafonable Objection can be brought against the Chriftian Religion upon that Account. And indeed this was fuppofed to be the Doctrine of the Scriptures, and objected against by (k) Heathens long before the Council of (1) Lucian Nice. Which is a strong proof for the Truth Philopatr and Antiquity of this Doctrine, when it was fo well known even to the Heathens, that they upbraided the Chriftians with it in the fecond Century, and in all probability from the very beginning; for we find it then mentioned as a known and common Reproach. Suppofing then this to be the Doctrine of the Scriptures, that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are but one God, I will fhew,

I. That

I. That there is no Contradiction in this Mystery of our Religion.

II. That other things are and muft be-believed by us, which we as little understand.

III. That the Belief of this Doctrine doth mightily tend to the advancement of Vertue and Holiness, and hath a great influence upon the Lives and Converfations of Men.

1. There is no Contradiction in this Doctrine, We are ignorant of the Effences of Created Beings, which are known to us only by their Causes, and Effects, and by their Operations and Qualities; and our Reason and Senfes and Paffions being continually converfant about these, our Notions are formed upon the Ideas which we frame to our felves concerning the Creatures, and this makes us the lefs capable of understanding the Divine Effence, befides the infinite Difproportion be tween the Nature of God, and Humane Faculties. When we fay, that God is an Infinite and Incomprehenfible Being, we speak the general sense of Mankind, and no Man cavils at it; but because the Scriptures represent this Incomprehenfible Being to us under the Notion of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, that is Matter of Cavil and Difpute. Whereas God being effentially Holy and True, we must believe him to be what he declares himself to be in the Scriptures, and he being Incomprehenfible, we may not be able to comprehend it. If God be infallibly True, why do we

not