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with many other words did he testify and exhort, faying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." When he TESTIFIED, he declared the extent of his creed; and left a teftimony against the dreadful evils of that untoward generation: And that teftimony was received by the multitude which was added to the Church. This was the bafis of their communion; otherways, they could not be faid to have continued in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Another instance is, the erection of the Church of Samaria. When the Evangelift Philip preached Chrift unto them, they believed concerning the kingdom of God, and in the name of Jefus Chrift; and, upon their profeffion of this faith to him, they were bap tized by him. Though it is prefumeable, that many of them believed unto the faving of the foul ; yet it is plain, that the faith mentioned cannot be confined unto this fpecies: For Simon Magus BELIEVED; but the fequel proved the infufficiency of his faith unto falvation. The truth is, neither the Apoftles nor Evangelifts, when admitting perfons into the Gospel Church, acted according to their extraordinary gifts-difcerning the fpirits; but they acted as ordinary officers-fatisfying themfelves with a judgment of charity, without a judgment of certainty as to the internal state of the perfons received; and this part of their conduct affords a rule of procedure in every fucceeding

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admitted to special fellowflip in these focieties. II. The Solemnities they used to teftify their acceptance of thefe terms.-III. Then enquire If thefe engagements, on particular occafions, were renewed by the members of the Apoftolic Churches, and that with divine approbation.

FIRST, I fall attend unto the TERMS on which perfons were admitted into the Apostolic Churches; and, as far as we know, they

were,

1. A PROFESSION of faith in the Apoftolic doctrine. How many articles were explicitly profeffed is not eafily afcertained; yet we may eafily form a judgment of them from fuch particular inftances as are to be found in the facred hiftory. The first time the Church exercifed this power was on the day of Pentecoft; but the terms of their affent are not recorded at length. The facred hiftorian only obferves, in the general, that young converts "received the word, and that they continued in the apoftles DOCTRINE:" But it is probable they laid the foundation in doctrines concerning the perfon of Chrift; faith in him; converfion to God through him; baptifm with water, as the fign of internal baptifin with the Holy Ghoft: For the facred hiftorian affures us, that Peter preached on thefe fubjects unto the people; "and

with many other words did he testify and exhort, faying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." When he TESTIFIED, he declared the extent of his creed; and left a teftimony against the dreadful evils of that untoward generation: And that teftimony was received by the multitude which was added to the Church. This was the bafis of their communion; otherways, they could not be faid to have continued in the apoftles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Another inftance is, the erection of the Church of Samaria. When the Evangelift Philip preached Chrift unto them, they believed concerning the kingdom of God, and in the name of Jefus Chrift; and, upon their profeffion of this faith to him, they were baptized by him. Though it is prefumeable, that many of them believed unto the faving of the foul; yet it is plain, that the faith mentioned cannot be confined unto this fpecies: For Simon Magus BELIEVED; but the fequel proved the infufficiency of his faith unto falvation. The truth is, neither the Apoftles nor Evangelifts, when admitting perfons into the Gospel Church, acted according to their extraordinary gifts-difcerning the fpirits; but they acted as ordinary officers-fatisfying themfelves with a judgment of charity, without a judgment of certainty as to the internal state of the perfons received; and this part of their conduct affords a rule of procedure in every fucAaaa 2 ceeding

ceeding age.The cafe of the Ethiopian Eunuch likeways, ought by no means to be omitted. Prior to his admiffion to the facrament of baptifm, Philip demanded a confeffion of his faith: He complied with that demand, -he confeffed that special article for which Christ died a martyr; and this was no other than that of his Sonfhip. The Jewish Church accounted that doctrine blafphemy; and the high-prieft rent his clothes, in token of deteftation, when Jefus Chrift made a confeffion of it, This oppofition to that doctrine made it the WORD OF CHRIST'S PATIENCE, and the PR ESENT TRUTH. Hence, the officers of the Church demanded an explicit confeffion of this, and other truths of the fame kind; and an implicit confeffion of all other truths included in them: For there is an inviolable connection between every part of the facred system,

2 THOSE Who were ftewards of the mysteries of God, required alfo a profeffion of Repentance, in order unto membership in the Gofpel Church. While perfons were in an outcast flate, they were drenched in wickedness, as well as mifled by error: Hence, it became them to renounce the former as well as the latter; as a pure heart and practice are of equal importance in facred fociety with a found mind. Thus, Peter exhorted the converts, on the day of Pentecoft, to REPENT and be baptized; and, on another occafion, to REPENT and be converted,

converted. And thefe commandments were exemplified in the Church of Ephefus: "And many that believed came and confeffed, and fhewed their deeds. Many alfo of them who ufed curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of filver."

3. ANOTHER qualification of membership in the Gofpel Church was the obfervation of all Chrift's Inftitutions. When Chrift authorized his difciples to receive members into the Church of the New Teftament, he prefcribed this condition; and the mandate runs in the following terms: "Go ye, therefore, into all the world, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to obferve ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMAND

ED, and lo I am with you always to the end of the world. Amen." What these things are has been declared in the foregoing Differtation.

SECONDLY, I fhall now confider the SoLEMNITIES by which perfons confirmed their engagements to obferve thefe terms.

1. THEY were confirmed by folemn declarations, responses, and promises. From the facred history, already referred to, it is plain, hat adult candidates for baptifm were examined

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