apostle fays, 1 Cor. xi. 23. I have received of the Lord, that which alfo I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jefus, the fame night in which he was betrayed, took bread, &c. 3. The parts of it; an external fign, the cutting off of the forefkin; an invisible grace, the righteoufnefs of faith. 4. The uses and ends of it: It was appointed to be a fign and a feal too, not nakedly fignifying, but exhibiting and applying fpiritual bleffings. Lastly, The fubject of it; a believer, one to whom the righteousnefs of faith belonged. Such a perfon was Abraham, and fuch are all who truly believe in Chrift. The doctrine of this text is, DOCT. "A facrament is an holy ordinance, infti"tuted by Chrift, wherein, by fenfible figns, Chrift, " and the benefits of the new covenant, are reprefent"ed, fealed, and applied to believers." Here we are to confider, I. The word facrament. II. The author of the facrament. IV. Shew what is the facramental union of these parts, or wherein it lies. V. Who are the fubjects of the facraments, for whom they are appointed of God. VI. What are the general ufes and ends of the fa craments. VII. Deduce fome inferences. I. Let us confider the word facrament. Of which two things are to be noted. (1.) That it properly fignifies a military oath, an oath taken by foldiers, whereby they bound themselves folemnly to their prince or general, to obey orders, and not to defert their cotioned Gen. xvii, 4.-8. (2.) Because he was the head, and fo the moft noble part, of that one people embodied with him, in the cove◄ grace, for whom he received the promises." nant of VOL. III. Y Y lours. And fome fay this oath was mutual. (2.) That it is not a fcripture-word; not being used in any of the two languages in which the fcripture was written, but a Latin word originally. But the church has made use of it to fignify thofe ordinances, which are the signs and feals of the covenant of grace; and that warrantably, becaufe the things thereby fignified are found in fcripture, though not the word itself. For by the facraments we are obliged to the fpiritual warfare under the conduct of Jefus Chrift, the Captain of our falvation, to whom we engage ourselves by them, and he also engages himself to us for our falvation. . II. The Author of the facraments is the Lord Jefus Christ, as King and Head of his church. Man neither made nor can make a facrament, but the Lord only. For, (1.) He only is the Author of the word of promife, and of the covenant: who then but he can make the feals thereof? (2.) The facraments are a part of religious worship, which belongs only to God to appoint, Matth. xv. 8. The Lord Jefus is the Author of them, by his inftituting of them. They are inftituted by himself, Matth. xxviii. 19. 20. Go ye and teach all nations, fays he to his difciples, 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. 1 Cor. xi. 23. I have received of the Lord, that which alfo I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jefus, the fame night in which he was betrayed, took bread, &c. It is the word of institution that makes the facrament, which confifts of a command to ufe the rite, and a promife of grace annexed to the right use of it. III. Let us confider the parts of a facrament. These are two. 1. An outward and fenfible fign ufed according to Christ's own appointment, which is something that we can fee with our eyes, or perceive by our bodily fenfes. These are of two forts. (1.) Signifying things. Such are the water in baptifm, and the bread and wine in the Lord's fupper. (2.) Signifying actions; for the facramental actions, being fignificant, as well as the things, are figns, and fenfible figns which we may fee with our eyes. Such are the fprinkling of the water in baptifm, and the breaking, giving, and receiving of the bread and wine in the Lord's fupper. I fay, ufed according to Chrift's appointment; and therefore thefe fame things and actions are not facramental, when otherwife ufed, as when water is fprinkled or bread broken, without those other circumftances appointed by Jefus Chrift in these ordinances, For where there is no divine inftitution, there is no fa crament. 2. An inward and fpiritual grace thereby fignified, Matth. iii. 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me, is mightier than I, whofe fhoes I am not worthy to bear: he fall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. 1 Pet. iii. 21. The like figure whereunto, even baptifm, doth also now fave us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the anfwer of a good confcience towards God), by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift. Rom. ii. 28. 29. For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcifion, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcifion is that of the heart, in the fpirit, and not in the letter, whofe praise is not of men, but of God. The figns are earthly, to be perceived with the bodily eyes; the thing fignified heavenly, to be perceived only by faith. The former tends to the body, the latter to the foul, The one is received corporally, the other fpiritually. The thing fignified by the facramental figns is Jefus Chrift himself, with all his faving benefits, Rom. vi. 3. 1 Cor. xi. 24. This is my body, &c. Not Chritt's benefits without himfelf; for as there is no wafhing with water, without application of the water itfelf, and no nourishment by bread and wine without eating and drinking of it; fo there can be no partaking of Chrift's benefits without partaking of himself, Heb. iii. 14. Rom. viii. 32. So unbelievers can have no faving benefit by the facraments. Not Chrift himself without his faving benefits; for Chrift himself is the kernel of the facraments; and where-ever he comes, he brings all faving benefits along with him, Rom. viii. 32. even the purchase of his death. The fum of these faving benefits ye have in that word, I Cor. i. 30. Of him ye are in Chrift Jefus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and fanctification, and redemption: which comprehends all that is neceffary for the cure of the cafe of any poor finner. IV. I proceed to fhew what is the facramental union of these parts, or wherein it doth lie. There is an union of the parts of the facraments, and without it they could not be accounted parts of the facraments. It is by virtue of the union betwixt the figns and the the fignified, that the one gets the name of the other, Gen. xvii. 10. 1 Cor. xi. 24. 25. This is my body, This cup is the new teflament in my blood; yea and the effects of the one are afcribed to the other, Tit. iii. 5. Not by works of righteoufnefs which we have done, but according to his mercy he faved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Now this is not a natural or local union; for in refpect of place they are as far diftant as heaven and earth: but it is a relative union, confifting in that fpiritual relation that is between the fign and the thing fignified, made by virtue of Chrift inftitution, whereby the figns fignify or reprefent, feal, and exhibit to worthy receivers the thing fignified. V. I come to fhew who are the fubjects of the facraments, for whom they are appointed of God. They are thofe and thofe only who are within the covenant, Rom. xv. 8. Jefus Christ was a minister of the circumci fion for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made un to the fathers. Exod. xii. 48. When a stranger fhall fojourn with thee, and will keep the paffover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcifed, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcifed perfon fhall eat thereof. For the feals of the covenant can belong to none but those who are in it. So they have a right to them before God who are favingly within the covenant, and those a right before the church who are in it by a credible profeffion. Believers and their feed have a right to baptifm but only Chriftians come to years, have a right to the Lord's fupper, 1 Cor. xi. 28. But let a man examine himself, &c. I VI. Lastly, I come to fhew what are the general ufes and ends of the facraments. The principal uses and ends are threefold. 1. To be holy figns to fignify and represent Chrift and his benefits to the believer, to be discerned by faith, Rom. iv. II. There is a fitnefs in them for this end, there being a plain refemblance betwixt the figns and the thing fignified; whereby the figns do bring into their minds, and do clearly reprefent to a fpiritual difcerner, the thing fignified. And thus they strengthen faith, and all other graces in a believer; as feeing helps believing. 2. To be heaven's public feals to feal the covenant, Rom. iv. 11. It is by them that God folemnly ratifies and confirms the covenant with believers. The covenant is held out in the word to be embraced by all to whom it comes: by believing we enter into the covenant; by the facraments God declares it to be a bargain, as one does by fubfcribing a contract, and fealing it. And thus alfo they ftrengthen faith and all other graces; and oblige the believer to obedience, as one in covenant with God, Rom. vi. 3. 3. To be means of applying and exhibiting Chrift and his benefits to the believer, 1 Cor. xi. 24. So that with the facramental figns, in the right use of |