appears from this, that when God commanded his church to be gathered together, he did not suffer their "little ones, and those that fucked the breasts to be absent," Deut. xxix. 10, 11. Joel ii. 16. and protests that "they were born unto him,” Ezek. avi. 20.

XVI. Sixthly, We argue from this, that baptifm has fucceeded in the room of circumcifion. The apoftle declares this, Col. ii. 11, 12. where he proves the abrogation of the ceremo nial law, and efpecially of circumcifion with refpect to believers of the New Teftament, from this confideration, that the fpiritual thing formerly fignified and fealed by circumcifion, is now fignified and fealed by baptifm; intimating, that what circumcifion was to the Old Teftament-church, the fame now is baptifm to the New, and indeed in a far more eminent and perfect manner, because baptifm is an introduction at once into the liberty and grace of the New Teftament, whereas circumcifion contained the profeffion of a bondage and yoke. But it is evident, that circumcifion was administered to infants; it therefore follows, that we are to have the fame fentiment concerning baptifm. And indeed nothing can be advanced against the baptifm of infants, which may not equally militate against their circumcifion.

XLVII. Here certainly appears the extraordinary love of our God, in that as foon as we are born, and juft as we come from our mother, he hath commanded us to be folemnly brought from her bofom, as it were into his own arms, that he fhould beftow upon us, in the very cradle, the tokens of our dignity and future kingdom; that he fhould put that fong in our mouth, "thou didst make me hope, when I was upon my mother's breaft: I was caft upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly," Pfal xxii. 9, 10. that, in a word, he thould join us to himself in the most folemn covenant from our moft tender years: the remembrance of which, as it is glorious and full of confolation to us, fo in like manner it tends to promote Chriftian virtues, and the strictest holinefs, through the whole courfe of our lives.

XLVIII. Nothing ought to be dearer to us than to keep facred and inviolable that covenant of our youth, that first and moft folemn engagement, that was made to God in our name. Nor is it any objection, that we were firft bound in that covenant without our knowledge. For, no adult perfon, when he is informed of the excellency of that holy facrament, which was beftowed in infancy, can be offended, that, according to the will of God, he was devoted fo early by his pious parents to the fupreme being; unlefs, at the fame time, he is refolved

to renounce entirely the name of a Christian, and all his hopes of eternal falvation.

XLIX. It cannot alfo fail to be very delightful to godly parents, to prefent to God and his Chrift, their dearett pledges juít began to enjoy the light, and confecrated in the water of the myftical font, or as Dionyfius the Pfeudareopagite elegantly expreffed it, in the divine fymbols of a divine birth, and recommended to the grace of God by the prayer of the whole church. Let this be the first care of their piety. Gregory Nazianzen, Orat. 40. in fan&tum baptifma, speaks as follows: "haft thou a child? give not time to vice to gain upon him: let him be fanctified from a child, and confecrated to the Spirit from his tender years." And certainly, if no other benefit accrued from infant-baptifm, every prudent perfon will own it to be very great, that it lays the moft inviolable neceflity on parents, carefully to train up their children, which they have fo early devoted to God, in the myfteries of the Christian religion, and the practice of true piety, both by inftruction, admonition and good example. They incur the guilt of an impious robber or thief, as Bucer has gravely obferved, de Regno Chrifti, Lib. 2. c. 9. " who are not at the greatest pains to bring up and form thofe they have confecrated by baptifm, to the Lord Christ, to the obedience of Chrift. For, by this neglect, as much as in them lies, they again rob God of the children they gave up to him, betray and enflave them to the devil." See what we have more fully written on Infant-baptifm in a par

ticular differtation.

L. And therefore it was a very laudable practice of the Bohemian brethren, who were wont to prefent their children at about twelve years old, in the church to the paftor, in order to make a public profeffion of their faith, and to fhew, whether the parents had done their duty in inftructing them, to which they had bound themfelves at the baptifm of their children, as Lafitius relates, de Moribus & inftitutis Fratrum Bohemorum, c. 12. §. 28, 29. Which, with the folemnity they ufually performed this, is related at large, in Ratione difciplinæ Ordin. Trat. Bohem. p. 46 Calvin. Inftit. Lib. 4. c. 19. §. 4. has hinted that a like practice obtained in the ancient church, and that from hence, in atter times, arofe the imaginary facrament of Confirmation. And Durel, in Vindiciis Ecclefie Anglicana, obferves, that the like cuftom is ftill retained in the church of England.

T

CHAP. XVII.

Of the Lord's Supper.

I. THE other facrament of the New Teftament is the holy fupper of the Lord; which the Lord Jefus inftituted immediately after his laft paffover, becaufeit was to fucceed the paflover, from which he transferred alfo to this moft of the rites and phrafes, ufed by the ancient Jews in their paffover. As this has long ago been obferved by the learned, fo it will appear from the brief explication, we are now to give of this facred fymbol.

II. This facrament is called AENNON the fupper, 1 Cor. xi. 20. not because its celebration is neceffarily confined to the evening or night. For, though in the ancient church this was frequently done; yet that was owing not fo much to the religion of Chriftians, as to the cruelty of perfecutors, who by their tyranny, obliged believers to meet altogether privately, and in the night time: but because the Lord inftituted this feast after the paffover, which was to be flain between the two evenings, and eaten in the night. It was likewife instituted in the "very night in which he was betrayed," 1 Cor. xi. 23. and which was the laft before his death; hence this most facred feaft was conftantly called the Supper. Befides moft fumptuous entertainments among the ancients, efpecially in the Jewish nation, at least their nuptial feafts were generally in the evening as appears from the parable of the ten virgins, Mat. XXV. And therefore it was proper, that that feaft, which represents the unspeakable dainties of heaven, and is an earnest of the "marriage-fupper of the Lamb," Rev. xix. 9. fhould be held forth to us under the name and emblem of a fupper. Nor is it for nothing, that Paul obferves, that Chrift gave the fupper to the church, in that night in which he was betrayed. For, befides that, we have in this an illuftrious difplay of Christ's infinite love to men, in that he fhould vouchfafe to have fuch an anxious concern for us, efpecially at that time, when his mind was otherwise fo much taken up, and diftreffed with the horror of his approaching fufferings: but what, above all, ought to make it facred to us, and very highly valuable, is, that it was inftituted by our Lord, just as he was preparing himself to die.

III. Again, it is called KYPIAKON davor the Lord's Supper, I Cor. xi. 20. both because the Lord was the author of it, and because the whole of it agrees to the Lord, and to the re

membrance

membrance of him; fo that the Lord himself, in the right use of it, is exhibited to believers: and lastly, because it ought to be celebrated by us, according to the will and prescription of the Lord.

IV. But the Lord's Supper, to pass on from the name to the thing, is the facrament of education, or nourishment, in the New Testament church, wherein by the fymbols of bread broken, and wine poured out, the dreadful fufferings of Chrift are reprefented to believers; and the promises of the New Teftament and enlivening communion with Chrift, made perfect by fufferings, both in grace and glory are fignified and fealed unto them.

V. For the illuftration of this defcription, it will be useful we first diftinctly confider the external figns; then the thing fignified by them. The figns are either the *fymbols themselves, or certain actions about the fymbols. The Symbol is twofold, bread and wine; and both of them are joined together, to fignify the superabundant fulness we have in Chrift. Here we are to adore the divine providence, which hath given to his church things fo fimple and eafily obtained, as pledges of things heavenly and several reasons may be affigned. tft, That this facrament might, in all places, even to the end of the world, be in perpetual ufe among the faithful, it was fuitable fuch fymbols fhould be inftituted, as might, in all places and at all times, be ready at hand for the church's ufe. 2dly, It is more confiftent with the fpiritual economy of the New Teftament, to be led by fome plain and ordinary fymbol, which fhould neither detain the eye nor the mind, presently to behold, meditate on, receive the thing fignified, than to be fo dazzled by fome illuftrious and miraculous fign, like what was granted to the Ifraelites in the wilderness, as to be made to give lefs attention to the mystical fignification. 3dly, And then, the danger of fuperftition, which can fcarcely be altogether avoided in the cafe of bread and wine, would have been far greater in that of a more illuftrious fign. 4thly, Nor is it from the purpose, that Chrift has not again given us the flesh of flain animals, nor bloody meals, fuch as the fathers formerly eat in their facred feafts; but has furnished out his table with plain bread and wine. For Chrift's blood, by which allour debts are cancelled, and the fire of divine wrath is quenched, being once fhed, it became a crime any longer to shed any blood in the facred rites of Chriftians.

VI

* These are frequently called with us, the Sacramental elements and the Sacramental actions.

VI. Common and ordinary bread is to be made use of, as Chrift ufed that which lay before him, Mat. xxvi. 26. But it was an old fubject of debate between the Greek and Latin churches, whether it ought to be leavened or unleavened, both of them appealing to the example of our Lord. The Latins infift that Chrift ufed unleavened bread, becaufe immediately after the pafchal feaft he inftituted the fupper; at which time it was altogether unlawful for any leaven to be feen among the Ifraelites. The Greeks, on the other hand, contend, that Chrift eat the pafchal lamb, the day before the Jews celebrated their pailover; from which they infer, that the days of unleavened bread were not yet come, when our Lord celebrated the first fupper, and therefore it is moft probable, that our Lord used leavened bread, which, before the days of unleavened bread came, was most commonly made ufe of. And indeed, as to Chrift's example, we make no manner of doubt, but the Latins have the better of the Greeks in this argument. For, whether our Lord celebrated the paffover on the fame, or on a different day from the other Jews: what was the day of the paffover to him, was alfo to him the day of unleavened bread: which the Evangelifts exprefsly affirm, Mat. xxvi. 17. Mark xiv. 12. Luke xxii. 7. Nor is it fo certain, that Chrift celebrated the paffover before the Jews, as Gerard Voffius imagines with the Greeks. The difputes of the celebrated John Cloppenburg`and Lud. Capellus have already laid before the learned world, what probably may be faid on both fides of the queftion. Nay, the oppofite opinion feems to be much better founded, as Bochart, whom we have already fo often quoted, has made out by cogent aruments, who seems to have taken off all the difficulty of this queftion, Hierozoic. Lib. 2. c. 1. However, we agree not with the Latins, who would have the example of Chrift, in fo flender a circumstance, to retain the force of a perpetual law. For as this is no part of the effence of the facrament, fo the use of either fort of bread at this facred feaft, as occafion fhall offer, is indifferent and arbitrary; fince Chrift, without any decision of this question on either fide, ufed that bread which was then at hand. Wherefore it is a matter both of aftonishment and grief, that the Greek and Latin churches fhould have difputed, with fo much eagernefs and warmth, now for above five hundred years about fuch a trifling matter. Du Plefis de Euchariftia, Lib. 2. c. 5. may be confulted on this fubject.

VII. But we can by no means approve of the fmall round things, made of meal, commonly called hefts or wafers, fuch as now the Romish church is pleafed to make ufe of. 1st, Because they are most difagreeable to the inftitution and practice

of