Stipulation is legally his So that they leave him obliged to perform what in his Name is promifed; which, if he performs, eternal Life will be his Reward if not, eternal Death. They lay this Engagement upon the Child (as Parents, and those deputed by Parents, may do) leaving it to him to fulfill the Covenant, or to tranfgrefs it at his own Peril.

And thus, I hope, I have, to all sober and rational Perfons, made it fufficiently clear, that Infant Baptifm is lawfully used in the Church of Chrift; and that those Things which are objected against it, are but of fmall Moment, being grounded either upon Mistakes or Falfhoods.

Thirdly, Let us therefore proceed to the Third General propounded, which was to shew you the various Ends and Uses of Baptifm. Its Ufe is Threefold:

Firft, It is a folemn Way of entering into the Fellowship of the Church: For whofoever are Partakers of it are reckoned vifible Members of the Church, and have an Interest in all the Prayers of the Saints for their Brethren on Earth. And this ought, by every fober Christian, to be esteemed a great Benefit, that his Children, by their being baptized, are wrapt up in the Prayers of all the Saints throughout the World, and fo daily pre

fented

fented to God, tho' to them unknown. Baptism is the folemn enrolling our Names in the Register-Book of the Church visible, where we ftand lifted under Christ the Captain of our Salvation; engaging our felves to maintain a truceless War against all the Enemies of his Glory and our Happiness.

Secondly, Another Use of this Ordinance is to be a Seal added by God to confirm to us the Fidelity of his Covenant of Grace; that as Circumcifion was a Seal of the Covenant to the Jews, fo Baptifm is to Christians: For in this Holy Inftitution God gives us a visible Sign and Pledge of the Truth of his Promise, that he will as certainly fave us if we believe, as our Bodies have been fprinkled with Baptifmal Water.

Thirdly, Another Use of it is to be a Sign and a Representation. And thus it reprefents divers Things.

First, The Original Filth and Pollution of our Natures; for Washing doth denote Defilement. We all came into the World with fowl and unclean Natures, the Sinks of all Manner of Filth and Pollution. Parents convey a fad and neceffary Patrimony of Original Sin unto all their Pofterity; yea, tho' they themselves be fanctified and cleanfed, yet their Offspring

is born with this Native Taint, as a circumcifed Father begat an uncircumcifed Son, and as pure Grain fown in the Earth produceth Grain wrapt up in Husks and Chaff. And therefore, as they fhould rejoice that God hath given them to see of the Fruit of their Bodies, fo they should mourn to think that they have brought into the World a Creature defpoil'd of the Image of God, and thereby wofully inclined to all Manner of Vice and Wickedness; a Child of Wrath, and an Heir of Hell

Secondly, It fignifies to us the purifying and cleaning Virtue of the Blood of Chrift, which is reprefented unto us by the Baptifmal Water: For as that cleanfeth the Body, fo the Sprinkling of the Blood of Chrift cleanfeth from all Sin, 1 John 1. 7. and purgeth the Confcience from dead Works, Hebr. 9. 14.

Thirdly, It fignifies to us the Nature of fanctifying and renewing Grace; which, as Water washes away bodily Filth, fo this doth the Defilements, the Vices, and evil Habits of the Soul.: And therefore Sanctification is often fet forth by the Similitude of Washing. Isaiah 1.16,17. Wash je, make you clean, ceafe to do Evil, learn to do Well. And, Ezek. 36. 25. Then will I Sprinkle clean Water upon you, and yon fball

be

be clean from all your Filthiness. And thus in many other Places.

Now, tho' these Significations cannot be of Use for the prefent to the Infant, because it wants the Ufe of Reason to reflect upon them, yet they may have very great Influence hereafter, when he is grown up to more mature Age: Yea, and to us who are prefent, and Spectators of this Holy Ordinance, the very Sight of the Sacramental Action fhould lively fuggeft to our Minds thefe Spiritual Things that are fignified thereby, how that we who have been baptized into Chrift were buried with him by Baptifm; that like as Chrift was raised from Death, fo we alfo Should walk in Newness of Life, as the Apostle Speaks, Rom. 6. 3, 4.

Let us not therefore entertain any flight Thoughts of this great and holy Ordinance. Indeed, 'tis too feldom that we seriously confider what an obliging Covenant we have entred into in our Baptifm; but, as if all the Promises of forfaking the Devil and his Works, of renouncing the Inticements of our own Lufts, and the Allurements of the World, were all written on the Water that sprinkled us, and wiped off together with it, we have lived not only careless of, but even contrary to our Baptifmal Vows and

En

Engagement. And to conclude this, whenfoever we attend this Holy Ordinance, the Administration of this Sacrament, we ought to renew our Covenant with God; and again, to give up our felves unto him with more unconquerable Refolutions of being his, and wholly devoted to his Service, than formerly. So that though the Seal be not applied to us, yet to us may be confirmed the Benefits of the Covenant by Vertue of that Seal, which in our Infancy was applied to our Body, and is now, by our Faith, applied to our Souls.

Having thus at large confirmed to you the Lawfulness of Infant Baptifm, and removed those Prejudices and Cavils that lay against it; I fhall now return more narrowly to confider the Text, wherein we have (as I formerly told you) two Propofitions: The One is, That the End of Chrift's giving himself for the Church, was to fanctify and cleanfe it. And, Secondly, That the Means to fanctify and cleanse the Church, is by the Washing of the Water and the Word.

It is the latter of these I shall infist on. Wherein Two Things only require a brief Explication: