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Rome obferves; and when he recovered, and got to be made a prefbyter, all the clergy and many of the people, judged it was not lawful, that fuch an one, who was baptized in that manner, fhould be admitted among the clergy; nor could fuch an one be a prefbyter, according to the 10th canon of the council of Neocæfarea. An innovation with respect to the fubjects began to be made in the third century, in the African churches, and prevailed much in the fourth, through the zeal of Austin in favour of original fin, and for the falvation of infants, which he thought could not be faved without it. This ufe of chrism, exorcifm, figning with the fign of the crofs, and other corruptions early introduced, have been obferved in fome former treatifes of mine. Thus we fee that the principal things of which the popish hierarchy confifts, and the chief principles and practices which are now reckoned popish ones, were held and maintained before the popes of Rome arrived to the full power they had long been aiming at; and which together make up what we call POPERY.

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FROM all this is, That fince it can be no objection to the doctrine of invocation of angels and faints departed, being called a popish doctrine; nor to the prohibition of marriage, and abftaining from meats, and keeping divers fafts and festivals, being called parts of popery; nor to the doctrines of purgatory and tranfubftantiation being popish ones, though they were feverally broached and embraced ages before the pope of Rome was declared univerfal Bishop; it can be no objection to INFANT BAPTISM being called a part and branch of popery, though it was introduced into the churches in the third and fourth centu ries, and fo before the Roman antichrift arrived to his highest pitch of grandeur; it being a tenet held by the Papifts, as founded upon the tradition of the church; and being no more agreeable to the word of God, than the other above tenets held by them are. Truth indeed is most ancient; but error follows closely at its heels, and is nearly as antient; fo that high pretenfions to antiquity in matters of faith and worship, are no otherwife to be regarded, but as they have the concurrent evidence and teftimony of the facred fcriptures; they only can be trufted to with fafety.

Apud Eufeb. ut fupra, c. 43.

• The argument from apoftolical tradition, &c. and Infant-baptifm a part and pillar of Popery.

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THE ufe our Lord makes of the doctrine of death, is, Matt. xxiv. 44. Therefore be ye alfo ready, for in fuch hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh Either to judgment, or by death: and happy they, who, with the wise virgins, are ready to go in to the marriage-chamber, and partake of the marriage-supper, Matt. xxv. 10. and it is one great business of the gospel ministry, under the influence of the Spirit and grace of God, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, Luke i. 17. that is, the elect of God, whom he has referved for himself. But the great question is, wherein lies this readiness and preparation for death and eternity? and this may be confidered,

FIRST, Negatively, what it is not. Many and fatal are the mistakes of perfons about it; fome placing it in one thing, and fome in another.

(1.) Some think it is a well-fpent life; and that if a man can look back on fuch a life, he is ready for death, come when it may. But let us confider what this well-spent life is. The life of the apostle Paul was undoubtedly a life as wellfpent, as, perhaps, any that can be mentioned among men. Before converfion, his life was irreproachable; as to external morality, he lived in all good confcience before men; after converfion, his life was devoted to the fervice of Christ and his gofpel; his gladnefs and ambition were, to spend and be spent, wherever he came, for the good of immortal fouls; he travelled much, endured great hardships, and laboured more than the reft of the apoftles; which he imputes not to his own goodness, induftry and power, but to the grace of God. And when the time of his departure was at hand, as it was when he wrote his 4 F

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epiftle to the Philippians, being then a prifoner at Rome; what did he feek after, or judge to be his readiness for another world? not his well-fpent life: no; he defired to be found in CHRIST, not having his own righteousness; in which must be included his well-fpent life, and which indeed was the main of it; but the righteousness which is of God by faith, even the righteoufnefs of Chrift. He forgot the things which were behind; his labours, fervices and fufferings for Chrift, all his attainments and usefulness; and prefled forward, not in a view of his well-fpent life, but having his eye on the mark, Chrift and his righteousnefs, for the prize of the high calling of God in him, Phil. iii. 9-13, 14. The life of a common believer is a well-fpent life, in comparifon of others; he lives by faith on Chrift, and gives him the glory of his falvation; and, from a principle of love to him, walks in all his commandments and ordinances, and is very defirous of living a life of holiness, and of spiritual and heavenly-mindednefs, and does fo live in fome meafure. But when the believer comes to look back on his paft life of faith and holinefs, what deficiencies and imperfections in his faith! what unbelief in him, at such and fuch a time will he obferve what tarnishes in his life and walk! and how few the minutes were in which he was fpiritual and heavenly-minded! and how frequently and long was fuch a frame interrupted with carnal and fenfual lufts! The faint, before his converfion, is as other men, being born in fin, and living in it: after converfion, prone to backfliding; even in all things he offends, and fins in his most folemn and religious fervices. He must therefore betray great ignorance of himself, who flatters himfelf, or fuffers himself to be flattered, with a reflection on a wellspent life, as his readiness and preparation for death and another world.

(2.) Others imagine, because they have done no injury to any man's perfon and property, nay, have done juftice between man and man, and have paid every man his own, they are ready for death come when it may. These are all very good things, and ought to be done; for it is written, owe no man any thing; but then they are no other than what fuch a man would chufe to have done to himself, and which he ought to do to others; and are no other than what honour, confcience, and the laws of God and man oblige to; and where is the merit of all this? And what obligation does this lay upon God? As Elibu atgues, Job xxxv. 7, 8. If thou be righteous, what givest thou bim? or what receiveth be of thine hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a man, as thou art, by injur ing his perfon or property; and thy righteousness may profit the Son of man, by fair trade and paying juft debts; but what profit is this to God? And, perhaps, after all, fuch a man has never thought about the payment of his debts to God, and how THEY must be paid, when he owes ten thousand talents, and has nothing to pay, nor to make a compofition with. How can he think of appearing

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before his great creditor, with fuch a charge and load of debts upon him? may he not justly fear, that he will order him to prifon, there to lie, until the uttermoft farthing is paid? The great concern fhould be, to know whether Chrift is his furety, and has paid his debts for him, cancelled the bond, and blotted out the hand-writing against him, and fo his account with God ftands clear and fair. This is the best preparation for death and eternity.

(3.) Others think, that by giving alms to the poor, they get a readiness for death: To do good and to communicate, to do acts of beneficence from a right principle, are facrifices with which God is well pleased; but thefe may be done only to be feen of men, and get applaufe from men; and fuch have their reward in this world, but not in another. A man may give all his goods to the poor, and yet not have charity, or true grace, and fo be unfit to die. And very prepofterous and monftrously abfurd it is, in fome perfons, who choose to give little away in their lifetime, and leave large eftates for charitable ufes after their death, as if what was to be done after death could be a preparation for it: than which nothing can be more ridiculous.

(4.) Some place readiness for death in the mercy of God; imploring that in their last moments: and yet they cannot be fure they fhall have time even to fay, “Lord have mercy on us." There is mercy with God, and it is a ground of hope; but then it must be applied for by fuch who are fenfible of their fins, confess them, forfake them, and turn to the Lord; fuch find mercy. And befides, mercy is only had through Chrift. God, out of Chrift, is a confuming fire; a finner fhould go to God through Chrift for mercy, faying, as the publican did, God be merciful, or propitious, to me a finner; that is, through the propitiatory facrifice of his Son, Luke xviii. 13.

(5.) Others flatter themselves that they have made their peace with God, and fo are prepared for death whenever it comes. And yet thefe perfons, perhaps, never saw the flaming fword of juftice brandifhed against fin, nor the heavens opened, and wrath of God revealed from thence against all ungodliness of men; nor never heard the vollies of curfes from a righteous law, which pronounces every man curfed, that continues not in all things written in it do them; and were never truly acquainted with what is required to be done in order to make peace, as fatisfying juftice by fulfilling the law, through obeying its precepts and bearing its penalty, with their own inability to do these things: they imagine, that their own humiliation, repentance, and imperfect obedience, are to make peace for them. They fhould know, that Chrift ONLY is the peace-maker; and their concern fhould be to know that he HAS made peace for them by the blood of his cross, and to lay hold upon him as fuch, Ifai. xxvii. 5.

(6.) Others make their readiness for death to lie in a little negative holiness, and thank God, as the Pharifee did, that they are not as other men are; not 4 F 2

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guilty of fuch grofs and flagitious crimes as fome are; they have not been guilty of murder, adultery, theft, and fuch like fins as others have. But this is a very slender preparation for death; publicans and harlots, repenting and believing, go into the kingdom of heaven before fuch.

(7.) Others, with greater plaufibility, please themselves with a profeffion of religion they have made and held. They have conftantly attended on hearing the word, have fubmitted to baptifm, fat down at the Lord's table, and obferved every duty of religion. But all this a man may do, and not be ready. He may have a form of godliness, without the power of it. Some who have heard Christ preach, or his ministers, have eat and drank in his prefence, will be bid to depart from him, as not known by him. In short,

(8.) Not any external righteousness whatever makes a man ready for death and eternity. For by it he is not justified before God, and by it he is not faved. Except he has a BETTER righteousness, he will never enter into the kingdom of heaven. And it fhould be our concern, with the apostle, to be found in Chrift, and in his righteoufnefs, and not in our own, which will leave us short of heaven and happiness.

SECONDLY, Pofitively, what that is, which conftitutes a readiness and preparation for death; that which is certain, conftant, and abiding, let a man's frames and circumstances be what they may; lies in the following things:

(1.) In regeneration. Without this, a man cannot fee, nor enter into, the kingdom of heaven. It is by the washing of regeneration God faves men; and the life with which a man is then quickened, is connected with eternal life. The grace then implanted is a well of living water, springing up into a life that never dies. As foon as a man is born again, he is prepared for death, be his regeneration fooner or later, and from that moment always continues fo.

(2.) In fanelification, or a work of grace and holiness, which takes place immediately upon regeneration; and without which no man fhall fee the Lord; but where this is begun, it fhall be carried on, and be performed, until the day of Chrift; and fo furnishes us with a readiness for that day. This is that oil of grace, which the wife virgins had in the veffels of their hearts, befides lamps of profeffion; and fo were ready when the bridegroom came.

(3.) The righteousness of Christ imputed, is a conftant readiness for death and eternity. The church is said to make berfelf ready; which was done, by putting on the fine linen clean and white, the righteoufnefs of Chrift, which made her ready to meet him. Were it poffible for a man to get into heaven, the marriage-chamber, without the nuptial robe, as it is not; he would be turned out, as unready and unfit, with, friend, how cameft thou in bither, not having a wed

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