degree of Popish fuperftition, to look upon the facraments as fpells, or charms, which have fome effect independent of the exercife of faith in the receiver. The facraments, my brethren, are not grace, but the means of it; they are not faith, but are appointed for the confirmation and growth of it. They belong to believers alone. They are feals of God's covenant; but they cannot feal that which was never made. It is juft as if a man, who wanted to make a purchase from me, whofe terms I had utterly rejected, and refused to give him my poffeffion, fhould, notwithstanding, perfift in writing out his contract, and figning it. Would this be of any effect? A contract is a fure title to the bargain, where the confent of both parties is afcertained; but where one of these is wanting, it is abfolutely void, and of no effect. Infants cannot receive the facraments, by exercifing faith themselves; they have no right to receive the fign at all, but as they are the feed of believing parents by profeffion. Neither do they receive any real benefit from it, but when they are the feed of those who believe fincerely. If it be allowed, that an unbeliever, who receives the bread and wine at the Lord's table, receives no benefit to his own foul, how can it be imagined, or fuppofed, that an unbeliev-` ing parent, in baptifm, can firft receive, and then convey benefit to his new born child? His coming there at all, in fuch a state, is a prefumptuous profanation of a holy inftitution. Now, though I can conceive eafily, and do believe firmly, that many 'bleffings are conveyed to children by an act of duty in their parents, I can neither conceive nor believe,

that they can receive any advantage from an act of profanity and disobedience.

The children of wicked parents, then, can receive no benefit by baptism, but what they would have whether they were baptized or not, viz. that they are brought up among profeffing Chriftians, and by that means have some opportunities of knowing the truths of the gospel. And I cannot help thinking, it would, in the courfe of providence, be an inducement to them to attend more feriously to what they are taught, if they confidered themselves as no members of the visible church, till they understood the terms of admission, and desired it as their own choice. The cafe is very different with the children of real believers; they have a right to all the promises that are made to the feed of believers, as fuch, by that God who fheweth mercy to thousands of genera⚫tions of them that keep his commandments.' Some, I believe many, think that they are doing honour to the facrament of baptifm, by representing the rite itself as of so great neceffity; but it is precisely that fort of honour that the Papists do to it, by caufing midwives and physicians inftantly baptize the children that are in a weak state, or by running to the beds of the fick, with a little of the confecrated wafer, and putting it in the mouth of a person either wholly infenfible, or, perhaps, already dead. Our fathers, in the purer times of this church, whofe inftitutions and practice, the longer I live, I do the more esteem and revere, in the most abfolute manner, prohibited all private baptifm. Their great reafon for this was to prevent the very abuse I have⚫

been fpeaking of, viz. the fuperftitious notion of the neceffity of the outward rite to falvation, without a due attention to the manner of receiving it. And, indeed, it was their only reafon; for they, who were so great enemies to the confecration of places, and the holiness of stones or timber, could never think that baptism, adminiftred according to Chrift's appointment, was invalid for being done in a private house, and not in a church, or in the prefence of a fmall, rather than a numerous affembly.

These things, my brethren, which I have often mentioned occafionally, I have now repeated, and will add to them, that I think there is fomething very incongruous, at least unfuitable, in admitting any parent to prefent his child in baptifm, whatever be his character in other refpects, who has never afked admiffion to the Lord's table. Confider, that in the administration of baptifm, the parent is conftantly taken bound to command his children, fo foon as they come to years, to renew their baptismal engagement in their own perfons. Now, what confiftency is there, in allowing a man to pledge his faith folemnly to God and his church, that he will command his child to do that which he habitually neglects to do himself. The pretence of fear, and unpreparedness for the Lord's table, is a condemnation of those who offer it, because it fhews, that they fuppofe the one facrament requires a different character, or easier terms of admiffion, than the other. After all, the above prejudices feem to me fo deeply rooted with many, that they will not probably be foon destroyed; but I think it is the duty of every

minister, in that, and all fuch cafes, to fpeak his mind plainly, and, to the utmost of his power, to act confiftently and uniformly, though he should fuffer by the flanders both of the ignorant and profane.

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violent men.

3. The last difficulty which I shall mention, as lying in the way of ministers, is the oppofition of their enemies. No faithful minister can expect to be without enemies. In a private character, and retired of life, a man may, by very great prudence, and particularly by filence and forbearance, in a great measure, efcape the refentment or injuries of And to be as little embroiled with others as poffible, is both our intereft and our duty. If it be poffible, fays the Apoftle, and as much as in you lieth, live peaceably with all men.' 'But it is certain, from long and invariable experience, that there is fuch enmity and rancour in the hearts of wicked men against all who are in good carneft about religion, that they may lay their account with continual oppofition, and continual flander. This our Saviour teaches his difciples to expect, and fhews them, that it is the neceffary confequence of their relation to him, John xv. 18, 19, 20, 21. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me ⚫ before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the • world would love his own; but, because ye are not

of the world, but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remem⚫ber the word that I said unto you, The fervant is not greater than the Lord. If they have perfecut'ed me, they will alfo perfecute you. If they have kept my faying, they will keep yours alfo. But

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Ser. 9. all these things will they do unto you for my name's • fake, because they know not him that fent me.’— The apostle Paul alfo bears his testimony to the same truth, 2 Tim. iii. 12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Chrift Jefus, fhall fuffer perfecution.'

But, if wicked men are injurious to the children of God in general, their malice must be particularly whetted against a minifter, fo far as he does his duty. He is placed in a publick ftation, and is obliged to be active in his Mafter's caufe. Time-ferving or neutrality, as to the intereft of religion, is commendable in none, but it is unpardonable in him. He muft bear teftimony openly and refolutely against vice and wickednefs. And reproof, when adminiftred with feverity, is certain of making either a friend or an enemy. A faithful minifter will not fuffer Satan's kingdom to be at peace; and, therefore, it is no wonder, that, when they are gnawing their tongues with pain, they fhould pour out their venom against him, who gives them fo much disturbance. The effect of reproof, in kindling the rage and malice of the guilty, was never better defcribed than in the account of the trial and martyrdom of Stephen, particularly Acts vii. 54. When they heard thefe things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.'

There are many ways by which the enmity and oppofition of wicked men to the truth may prove a temptation to a minifter: a few of which I fhall mention, as I hope the distinct knowledge of them may be profitable to you in the way of caution: t, As one of their chief weapons is contempt and derifion, he