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leaft a tacit declaration to all men, that in their esteem it is an indifferent thing. But can it be reasonably thought, the Son of God, the Lord of life and glory, would inftitute an ordinance of fo trifling and infignificant a naturę, that any man may be obedient to it, or let it alone, as he pleafes; and yet be received to membership in his church, and alfo partake of his holy fupper; notwithstanding his exprefs words, that Except a man be born again of water and of the fpirit, he cannot fee the kingdom of God, or enter into his church, John iii. 3. 5. And whether the guilt of fuch a profanation by unbaptized communicants may not be laid to their charge in the awful day of account, is what, in my opinion, they ought to weigh maturely, and confider with the utmoft ferioufnefs. This is certain, that there can be no neceffity for admitting fuch perfons, and it is undoubtedly most fafe to avoid any hazard of the divine displeasure.]

And if an unbaptized believer, who has once communicated, ought not then to have come to the Lord's table; because he had not been planted into the church of Christ by baptifm, in obedience to our Lord's command; hẹ ought alfo to confider, whether every time he communicates at the Lord's table, whilft he remains unbaptized, is any thing else but a repetition of the firft profanation ? For if it was at firft unlawful or unfit for him to partake of the Lord's-fupper, because he was not baptized; it must and will be unlawful and unfit for him to partake thereof at any time, fo long as he remains unbaptized. For a perfon's once doing a thing, which he had no right to do, can never give him a right to do the fame thing again. And tho' perhaps fuch a faulty and unlawful communicating at the Lord's table, when arifing from the powerful influence of a wrong education, and done by a believer in the integrity of his heart, knowing no better than that he might lawfully, nay, fuppofing perhaps, that it was his duty to partake of that fupper, may be fo far from being laid to his charge as a fin, that the integrity of his heart and the fincerity of his intentions, tho' not the actual partaking, may be acceptable to God: yet after he comes to know, and to be convinced, that no man ought to come to the Lord's table, till he has first been baptized; his own partaking there again, without fubmitting to the ordinance of baptifm, may be to his condemnation. From the guilt of which, and all other fins, an affured promise is made over to the fincere believer, upon his obedience to

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the pofitive inftitution of baptifm, Acts ii. 38. and xxii, 16. Mark xvi. 16. a bleffing, not fo certainly to be depended upon by any unbaptized believer in the performance of any other chriftian duty whatfoever, whilft he lives in the wilful neglect of this. And therefore let them who live in the wilful neglect of baptifm, well confider, what the fervants of Naaman faid to their mafter; If the prophet bad bid thee do fome great thing, wouldeft thou not bave done it? How much rather then, when he faith to thee, wash and be clean? And as the Syrian had no promife of a cure any other way, than by dipping himself in Jordan, and could not therefore have the leaft ground to hope for his ever being cleanfed from his leprofy, if he wilfully neglected to do this, according to the direction given him, 2 Kings v. 10: fo it behoves all unbaptized perfons to confider, whether they can have fo good grounds to hope for the remiffion of fin in the neglect of that ordinance, to which it is annexed, as if they are fincerely obedient to it, according to the appointment of God.

I make no doubt but your candour will overlook the common errors of a writer; and that you will not account me uncharitable in my zeal for maintaining to the ordinance of baptifm the ufe and end, for which it was defigned; altho I cannot allow thofe Chriftians to be members of the true vifible church of Chrift, who have never yet put on Chrift by baptifm, or been planted together in the likeness of his death by being baptized into Chrift: fince I am convinced, that he has not appointed any other way, for believers in him to be initiated into, or made members of, his church here on earth. And I am very far from carrying what I have here said any further. But am,

Dear Sir, your affectionate, fincere Friend,

Norwich, April

and very bumble Servant,

18, 1740.

GRANTHAM KILLINGWORTH.

The

The Second Letter.

REVEREND SIR,

HE conceit, which you mentioned to me in our

Taft converfation, that all persons become members of

the church of Chrift, as foon as they believe in Chrift, or are perfuaded in their minds, that the chriftian revelation is from God; tho' they never were obedient to any inftitution of Chrift, hath fomething in it fo very wild and romantic, that, upon this fuppofition, baptifm would foon be laid afide; and it must be impoffible for the church of Chrift to maintain any order or difcipline, or indeed to know who are, or who are not related to them, in the gofpel of Chrift. For, if there is no initiatory rite to beobferved, whereby believers are to be conftituted members of his vifible church, can they be at all accountable to any church for their converfation? Or is it poffible, even for grofs immoralities, to caft those out of the church, who have never been received into it by any rite? At this rate, tho' a man walks ever fo diforderly, yet if he fays he believes the chriftian inftitution, he may ftill think himself a member of the vifible church of Chrift, whether others will own him, or not, and who then can pretend to fay he is not? This notion therefore, as it gives fome encouragement to licentioufnefs, it feems alfo to be an inlet to disorder and confufion, and would render it almoft impoffible to defcribe, what a vifible church of Chrift is.

But as we were both agreed, that baptifm is an introductory ordinance, I thought my arguments from John iii.5. fufficient to take off the force of your objection. Nor did I imagine, that by your giving up the very foundation of your own objection, I fhould have any further occafion to fhew, that baptifm is the initiating ordinance, by which believers are to be taken into the church of Chrift: but that it is fo, I think, is evident enough from the following fcriptures.

Acts

As ii. 41. Then they that gladly received his word, were baptized: and the fame day there were added unto them, the church confifting of an, hundred and twenty men and women] about three thousand fouls. Is it not the plain, obvious fenfe of this place, that thofe three thoufand believers, who gladly received the gofpel preached by St. Peter, were thereupon initiated into the church by baptifm; and being by this ordinance conftituted mem bers of the church of Chrift, were admitted to all the privileges and benefits of the fame? For it is faid, ver. 42. They continued ftedfaftly in the apoftles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. After which we read, that the Lord wrought fo powerfully upon the hearts of the people, by the wonders and figns-done by the apoftles, and by their daily preaching in the temple, that there were added to the church daily fuch as fhould be faved. ver. 43, 47. And how this was done, we are fully informed in the 41ft verfe, as hath been obferved.

We have also a like expreffion with this, Acts v. 14. And believers were the more added to the Lord, [or to the church, which is his body] multitudes both of men and women. I obferve here, that those perfons were believers, before they were added to the church; and because they were believers, fomething was done, whereby they were added to the Lord. And that this was baptifm is fufficiently plain, from A&ts ii. 38, 41. But if a bare believing in Chrift, or a declaration, that they believed the christian religion was from God, added them to his vifible church; or was fufficient of itself to conftitute them members thereof, without there being baptized, St. Luke would hardly have expreffed himself in fuch terms, as plainly fhew, that believing, and being added to the church,were two diftinct things; fo that the former was only a qualification for the latter. The context in this place likewise plainly fhews, according to Grotius and Beza, as Dr. Whitby obferves, that there were many believers, who magnified the apostles, but durft not join themselves to, or affociate with them as members, because they were not yet of the church.

I mentioned to you what the apoftle fays, Rom. vi. 5. of Chriftians in his time being planted together in the likenefs of Chrift's death; thereby alluding to baptifm, as the way by which they were conftituted members of his vifible church. Nor can any thing lefs be understood by their being baptized into Jesus Christ, ver. 3, or into the church,

which is his body. But a word to the wife is fufficient; and therefore I will only add, that the remarkable paffage of the fame apoftle, which informs us, that the way, by which a believer puts on Chrift, or takes upon him the profeffion of his religion, is by being BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Chrift Jefus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Chrift, have put on Chrift, Gal. iii. 26, 27. And I can affure you, it would be the greateft rejoicing to me, and many other members of the true vifible church of Chrift, to fee or hear this of you; but it would be more abundantly to your own joy and comfort, which that you may experience, as the Eunuch did, Acts viii. 39. is the fervent prayer of,

Norwich, May 29, 1740.

Dear SIR, &c.

The END.

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