I begotten thee; that he is the Word which was in the beginning with God; and must be distinct from him with whom he was; and in the fulness of time was made flesh; which neither the Father nor the Spirit were ; and the fame facred writings will fatisfy you about the deity and personality, as well as the operations of the bleffed Spirit. If the doubt is about the doctrine of Election, read over the facred volumes, and there you will find, that this is an eternal and fovereign act of God the Father, which was made in Chrift before the foundation of the world; that it is to holiness here, and happinefs hereafter; that the means are fan&tification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth; that it is irrefpective of faith and good works, being before perfons had done either good or evil; that faith and holiness flow from it, and that grace and glory are fecured by it; Whom he did predeftinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom be justified, them he also glorified". If you have any hesitation about the doctrine of Original Sin, look into your Bible; there you will fee, that the first man finned, and all finned in him; that judgment, through his offence, came upon all men to condemnation; and that by bis difobedience many were made finners; that men are conceived in fin, and shapen in iniquity; that they are tranfgressors from the womb, go aftray from thence, speaking lyes, and are by nature children of wrath. If the matter in debate is the Satisfaction of our Lord Jefus Chrift, read over the epiftles of his holy apostles, and they will inform you, that he was made under the law, and became the fulfilling end of it, in the room of his people; that he yielded perfect obedience to it, and bore the penalty of it, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in them; that he was made fin for them, that they might be made the righteousness of God in him; and a curfe for them, that he might redeem them from the curfe of the law; that he offered himself a facrifice for them, in their room and stead to God, for a fweet-smelling favour ; that be fuffered, the just for the unjust, to bring them nigh to God; and died for their fins according to the fcriptures, and made reconciliation and atonement for them '. If you are at a lofs about the Extent of Chrift's Death, and know not what part to take in the controversy about general and particular Redemption, look to your way-marks, the fcriptures, and take your direction from thence; and there you will obferve, that those whom Chrift faves from their fins are his own people, Rom. ix. 11. b Pfal. ii. 7. • John i. 1, 14. and viii. 30. f Gal. iv.4. 1 Cor. xv. 3. a Ephes. i. 4. 2 Thefs. ii. 13. Ephes. ii.3. 1 Peter iii. 18. people, for whofe tranfgreffions he was ftricken; that he gave his life a ransom for many, for all forts of perfons, for all his elect, Jews and Gentiles; that they were his sheep he laid down his life for; that be loved the church, and gave himself for it; and that be tafted death for every one of his brethren, and of the children the Father gave him; that those that are redeemed by him, are redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation %. If the affair before you is the doctrine of Juftification, and the query is, whether it is by works of righteousness done by you, or by the righteousness of Chrift imputed to you, or about any thing relating to it, read over the facred pages, and especially the epistles of the apostle Paul; and you will eafily fee, that a man cannot be justified in the fight of God by the works of the law, or by his own obedience to the law of works; that, if righteousness comes by the law, Chrift is dead in vain; that men are justified by faith, without the works of the law; that is, by the righteousness of Christ, received by faith; that they are justified by the blood of Chrift, and made righteous by his obedience; that this is the righteousness which God approves of, accepts, and imputes to his people, without works; and which being looked to, apprehended and received by faith, is productive of much fpiritual peace and comfort in the foul". If the difpute is about Free-will or Free-grace, the power of the one, and the efficacy of the other, in a finner's regeneration and converfion; turn to your Bible, and from thence it will appear, that this work is not by the might, or power of man, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hofts; that men are born again, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, bis Spirit and grace; that it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that fhewetb mercy; that the work of faith is a work of power, of the operation of God, and is carried on by it, and is even according to the exceeding greatness of his power, who works in man both to will and to do of his own good pleasure'. If the demur is about the final Perseverance of the Saints, read over the gracious promises and declarations in the word of God, and they will ferve to confirm you in it; as that the righteous fhall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands fhall grow ftronger and stronger; that God will put his fear into the hearts of his people, and they fhall not depart from him; that they are preferved in Christ Jefus, and in his hands, out of whose hands none can pluck. them; who is able to keep them from falling, and will; and that they are, and shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation *. Matt. i, 21. and xx. 28. John x. 15. Ephes. v. 25. Heb. ii. 9-12. Rev. v. 9. To Ephes. i. 19. ■ Peter i. 5. To observe no more: if the doctrines of the Refurrection of the dead, and a future Judgment, fhould be called in question, read the divine oracles, and there you are told, that there will be a refurrection both of the juft and unjust; that the one shall come forth from their graves to the resurrection of life, and the other to the refurrection of damnation; that there is a judgment to come; that there is a righteous Judge appointed, and a day fet when juft judgment will be executed; and that all, small and great, good and bad, must appear before the judgment-feat of Christ, to receive for the things done in the body, whether they be good, or whether they be evil. 3dly, If the inquiry is about Worship, the fcriptures will direct you both as to the object and manner of it, and circumftances relating to it; they will inform you, that God only is to be worshipped, and not a creature; and that the Deity to be worshipped is not like to gold, or filver, or stone graven by art and man's device; that God is a fpirit, and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth: you will there find the rules for the feveral parts of worship, for prayer to him, finging his praife, preaching his word, and adminiftering his ordinances, and how every thing fhould be done decently, and in order'. 4thly, If the inquiry is about the nature of a Church, its government, officers, and difcipline; look into the ancient records of the fcripture, and there you will meet with a juft and true account of these things, the original of them, and rules concerning them; you will find that a church is a fociety of faints and faithful men in Chrift Jefus, that are joined together in holy fellowship; that are incorporated into a vifible church-ftate, and by agreement meet together in one place to carry on the worship of God, to glorify him, and edify one another; that it is not national, provincial, or parochial, but congregational; that its offices or officers are only these two plain ones, Bishops, or Overfeers or Elders, and Deacons ; where you will find nothing of the rabble of the Romish hierarchy; not a fyllable of archbishops, archdeacons, deans, prebends, priests, chantors, rectors, vicars, curates, &c. there you will obferve laws and rules of Chrift, the fole head of the church, his own appointing, for the better ordering and regulating affairs; rules about the reception and rejection of members, for the laying on or taking off cenfures, for admonitions and excommunications; all which are to be done by the joint fuffrage of the church. 5thly, If the inquiry is about the Ordinances of the Gospel, ftand in the ways and fee, and ask for the old paths, in which the faints formerly trod; if it is about the ordinance of the Lord's-fupper, the fcriptures will inform you of the original k Acs xxiv. 16. John v. 28, 29. Acts xvii. 31. Rev, xx. 12. 2 Cor. v. 10, ום Rom i. 25. A&ts xvii. 29. John iv. 24. 1 Cor. xiv. 40. n Phil. i. 1. original institution of this ordinance by Chrift, of the nature, use, and intent of it; that it is to fhew forth the death of Chrift till he come again; to commeinorate his fufferings and facrifice, to reprefent his body broken, and his blood shed for the fins of his people; and that if any one is defirous of partaking of it, he should firft examine himself whether he has true faith in Christ, and is capable of difcerning the Lord's body. If it is concerning the ordinance of baptifm, by confulting the facred oracles you will eafily perceive that this is of God, and not of man; that it is to be done in water; that the form of administration is in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghoft; that the fubjects of it are believers in Chrift, and the mode by immerfion; and that the whole is warranted by the commiffion and example of our Lord P. But, 1. If there is any doubt about the fubjects of this ordinance, whether they are infants or adult persons, ftand in the ways and fee, and ask for the old paths; not which fathers and councils have marked out, but which the fcriptures point unto, and in which John the Baptift, Chrift and his apostles, have trod. We do not decline looking into the three first centuries of christianity, commonly reckoned the pureft ages of it; we readily allow, that Infant-baptifm was talked of in the third century; it was then moved in the African churches; but that it was practifed is not proved. I will not fay it is improbable that any were then baptized; but this I affirm, it is not certain that any were; as yet, it has not been proved: and as for the writers of the two first centuries, not a word of it is mentioned by them. And had it, had any thing dropped from their pens that looked like it, and could by artifice be wire-drawn to the countenance of it, we should not think ourselves obliged to embrace it on that account; what if Hermas, or Barnabas, or Ignatius, or Polycarp, or the two Clements of Rome and Alexandria, or Irenæus, or Justin Martyr, or Tatian, or Theophilus of Antioch, or Athenagoras, or Minutius Felix declared it, any one or more of them, as their opinion, that infants ought to be baptized, (though none of them have) yet we should not think ourselves bound to receive it, any more than the many abfurdities, weak reasonings, and filly notions these men gave into; and even could it be proved, (as it cannot) that it is an inconteftable fact that Infant-baptifm was administered by one or more of them, it would only ferve to prove this fad truth, known by other inftances, how foon corruptions in faith and practice got into the chriftian churches, even presently after the times of the apostles; nay, the mystery of iniquity began to work in their days. Wherefore, in order to get fatisfaction in this point, • Matt. xxvi. 26-28. 1 Cor. xi. 24-29. P Matt. xxi. 25. and iii. 6, 11, 16. and xxviii. 19. Look Look over the accounts of the administration of the ordinance of baptism by John, the first adminiftrator of it, and see if you can find that any infants were baptized by him. We are told, that there went out to bim Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan; that is, the inhabitants of these places, great numbers of them; but furely these could not be infants, nor any among them, that went out to John to hear him preach, or be baptized by him: it is added, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confeffing their fins: these alfo could not be infants, but adult perfons, who being made truly fenfible of fin, and having true repentance for it, frankly and ingenuously confeffed it; which infants are not capable of. John preached the baptifm of repentance, and required repentance previous to it, and even fruits meet for it, and evidential of it; and when the Pharifees and Sadducees came to his baptifm, who also could not be infants, he objects to them, because not good men and penitent; and even though they were capable of pleading that they were the children of Abraham, and the feed of that great believer. And indeed the notion that is advanced in our day is a very idle one, that infants must be baptized, because the feed of believers. Are not all mankind the feed of believers? Has not God made of one man's blood all nations that are upon the face of the earth? Were not Adam and Eve believers in Chrift, to whom the first promife and declaration of a Meffiah were made? And do not all men fpring from them? Or come we lower to Noah, the father of the new world, who was a perfect man, and found grace in the fight of God; do not all men defcend from him? Turks, Jews, Pagans and Papists, are all the feed of believers, and at this rate ought to be baptized and as for immediate believers and unbelievers, their feed by birth are upon an equal foot, and are in no wife better one than another, or have any preference the one to the other, or have by birth any claim to a gospel privilege or bleffing the other has not; the truth of the matter is, that they are equally by nature children of wrath. Look farther into the account of baptifm as administered by Chrift, or rather by his orders, and see if you can find an infant there. John's difciples come to him, and fay, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold the fame baptizeth, and all men come to him. These also could not be infants that came to him and were baptized; and befides, who they were that were baptized by him, or by his orders, we are afterwards told, and their characters are given; Jefus made and baptized more disciples than John*: first he made them difciples, and then baptized them, or ordered them to be baptized, and a difciple of Chrift is one that has learnt him, and the way of falvation by him; who is taught to deny finful, civil and righteous felf for Chrift; and fuch were the perfons baptized in the times of Chrift, who must be adult ones; and with |