[1] SERMON I Of that Belief which is neceffary to Baptism. KINTET St MARK Xvi. 16. He that believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved; But he that believeth not, fhall be damned. T HESE Words, together with SER M. a little before his Departure from them and Afcenfion into Heaven: He VOL. IV. B faid SER M. faid unto them, Go ye into all the World, and preach the Gospel to every creature: He that believeth and is baptized, fall be faved; But he that believeth not, fhall be damned. And that they are nothing more than fuch a brief Summary or Abridgment of his Difcourfe, is evident, both from the whole Tenor of the Gofpels in general, wherein almoft All his Difcourfes are recorded after This manner, in Onc more briefly, in Another more at large; and particularly from comparing the Account the feveral Gospels give us, of this very particular, FOR St Matthew in His Gofpel, has left us upon record fome other parts of The fame Difcourfe, ch. xxviii. 18, All Power, fays our Lord, is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth: Go Go ye therefore and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to obferve all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the World. The Words, Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, SER M. how that even This alfo, is but ano- I. ther short Abridgment of the fame Dif course. St Luke, in His Gofpel, gives us a ftill more particular Account, how our Lord appeared to his Difciples in the way to Emmaus, and beginning at Mofes and all the Prophets, expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself, himself, ch. xxiv. 27. And afterwards at another Appearance before his Afcending, ver. 45, Then opened be their Understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures: And faid unto them; Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; And that Repentance and Remission of Sins fhould be preached in his Name among all Nations, beginning at Jerufalem; And ye are Witnefjes of thefe things. St John adds feveral other Circumstances; of his particularly convincing St Thomas; of his appearing at feveral other times to his Apoftles; and of his B 2 ufing m SERM. ufing the following Words to them in I. his last Instructions, ch. xx. 21, As my Father bath fent me, even fo fend I you; Whofefoever Sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; ye retain, they are and whofefoever Sins retained. That is ; whofoever receiveth the Doctrine I fend you to preach, for the Remiffion of Sins, and complieth with the Terms thereof, his Sins fhall be forgiven: Or, as the fame Senfe is expreffed by other Words in the Text, He that beliveth, and is baptized, shall be faved. But whofoever rejecteth your Doctrine, and complieth not with the Conditions therein offered him from God; his Sins fhall be retained, and he muft confequently perish: In the Phrafe of the Text; he that believeth not, shall be damned. St Luke, in his Hiftory of the Acts, tells us yet further, that our Lord was seen of his Difciples after his Paffion for forty days together, Acts i. 3; and that That time was fpent in inftructing them in the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. FROM FROM these several Paffages compared S ER M. together, 'tis evident, that St Mark did not intend the Words, of the Text should be taken to be the very Words, and the whole of the Words, which our Saviour fpoke; but on the contrary, that they hould be understood only as an Abridgement of his laft Inftructions to his Dif ciples; and fo not be taken in their bare literal Signification, but as well known by common Use, in a fhort and abbreviate manner of fpeaking, to comprehend more than they might otherwise seem at first fight to exprefs. In order to understand therefore their full meaning, we ought to take Notice, that to the Words Believe and be Baptized, St Luke, in relating our Saviour's giving these very fame Inftructions to his Apoftles, adds Repentance for the Remif fion of Sins: And St Matthew adds further, Obferving all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And thence it will appear, that, by believing and being baptized, St Mark plainly means, Believing, Repenting, and Obeying the Gospel. All B 3 which, I. |