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Mr. Locke, in his excellent treatife, of the reason• ableness of the chriftian religion, &c.has fhewn that...." the one fingle propofition, which Chrift "and his Apostles made effential to being a Chriftian, is, "that Jefus is the Chrift, otherwife called the Meffiah, "the Son of God, or Saviour of men. Whoever, upon "attending to the evidence, was convinced of this truth, acknowledged the belief of it, and took upon him the "profeffion of this faith by baptifm, was fuppofed fuffici

ently to have acknowledged Chrift's authority, and "thereupon to be intitled to communion with any "church, or Chriftian, upon the face of the earth. He "had a title to all the privileges of being within the pale, " and was looked upon as one that belonged to that one "flock and one fold, which are united under Chrift Je"fus their common head and Lord." And then he adds ftill further;

But it is fundamental to the falvation of every man, that he be a fincere, honeft, upright man, and that he inquire, and readily receive whatever he finds to be true, whether by reafon or revelation. In acknowledging Jefus to be the Chrift, he in effect takes him for • Head and Lord, and thereby lays himself under obliga⚫tion to receive whatever truths he can find that Chrift has any way revealed, as well as to practise every duty which he has injoined. And it would be fo far renouncing his allegiance to Chrift, and difowning his divine miffion and authority, to reject any doctrine or precept, that is ftamped with Chrift's authority. For that would, in all just construction, be to deny him to be the Chrift, ❝ or a prophet and teacher fent from God.'

This is very juftly expreffed, and I heartily wifh Mr. Benson, and all his Pædobaptift brethren, would for their own fakes uniformly act according to this fentiment of his, that we might no longer have occafion to retort their own words upon them, as a juft rebuke for their not shewing that fame regard and readiness to obey Chrift's authority in the great duty of baptifm, which they fo forcibly prefs upon their hearers and readers upon many other occafions and which they can scarcely avoid giving room for, in almost every fermon they preach, and every book they

Mr. Benfon's Reasonableness of the Chriftian Religion, p. 84. 3 ibid. p. 85.

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they publish, either in defence of Chriftianity in general, or the feveral doctrines thereof in particular, against the various abufes and corruptions of them. And can they ever think, how juftly their own arguments may be turned against them, and then ferioufly confider, Rom. ii. 1, 2, 3, 11, 17,-21. Matt. xv. 3, 6, 9. and Mark vii. 7, 8, 9, 13. without fecretly wifhing, with fome concern, that we had no room, nor any occation given for it. For are they not in this particular the very perfons Mr. BenJon fpeaks of? 4 Who, overlooking the evidences already afforded, are always cavilling and demanding new, or other fort of evidence: they catch at every fpecious ap pearance of an argument, or objection, to make themfelves eafy in rejecting truths of fuch importance; but are afraid of examining things to the bottom, left they 'fhould be thereby condemned. Such are the reasons, which our Saviour has affigned, of mens want of faith in him and his gofpel. Or, s As the Oxford young Gentleman expreffes himself, Can you not discern a manifeft difference between the behaviour of one fon who accepts, and readily executes his father's commands, conveyed to him by the inftruments usual in fuch cases, and from which he can have no more than a moral cer· tainty; and another who would believe neither his fer" vant, nor his own hand-writing, unless he came to him himself in perfon to acquaint him with his will and pleafure. The difference is vifible; and the reason of it is this. One cafe fhews a will to obey; the other, a difpofition to catch hold of every handle to excufe himself; which is the true effential diftinction between a moral and an immoral man.' And as Dr. Doddridge obferves, "There ⚫ might indeed be a third fort of perfons, whofe ftate was a medium between that of these, and of the scorners "we mentioned before: I mean, fuch as were indolent about the matter; neither pofitively perfuaded that Chriftianity' [and if applied to many Chriftians; that adult baptifm] was falfe, nor quite convinced that it " was true, nor folicitous to bring their doubts to an iffue; but concluding, that whether it were true or falfe, they might find out a path to happinefs without it. This ⚫ was probably the cafe of many [ formerly], as it undoubt⚫edly is the cafe of many in our days. Now fuch as these ' were not to be looked upon as fair enquirers, but as C • triflers

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+ Mr. Benfon's Reasonableness, &c. p. 9. Second Letter, p. 19, 20

5 page 60.

triflers in the most serious of all affairs; and as acting the most abfurd and inconfiftent part: for as Chriftianity pretended to be a matter of the utmost importance,' [and promifes the pardon of fin, with the gift of the Holy Ghoft, to the adult fubjects of baptifm. Mark xvi. 16. Acts ii. 38. and xxii 16] in neglecting it they acted as if it were affuredly falfe, while yet they confeffed they knew not but it might be true. A conduct, which was rendered especially inexcufable by that grand apparatus, with which providence interpofed to introduce it, which if it proved any thing at all concerning it, muft prove it to be of infinite moment.'

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For, It is not reasonable, Jays Mr. Mole, 7 to think, that God will oblige any man to be refolved, when he knows him to be deftitute of the neceflary means; but if a man provided with thofe means, which an honeft ufe of is fufficient to bring him to a clear determination, and he shall poftpone all examination in a case, where the importance of the matter is inviting, and the authority requiring it is competent; and go on fluctuating in doubt all his days: what reafon can we have to think hardly of God, if condemnation be the confequence of fuch a conduct, and the man was before informed of it as a motive of diffuafion'?

And in this view therefore, his defcription of the nature of true faith is worthy to be here introduced. • Having confidered, fays he, the causes, I proceed to • confider the nature of faith. And by faith I mean fuch < a belief of the miffion and doctrine of Jefus Chrift, as • ftands connected in a way of moral operation, with the exercife of repentance, and the fubfequent practice of fincere virtue; and leads into a compliance with · every qualification, which Chrift required for remiffion and falvation.' [Mark xvi. 16. As ii. 38. and ch. ix. 17-20 compared with ch. xxii. 14-16.] Repentance and virtue [or obedience] were the great leffons, which he 6 was fent to be a teacher of, and which faith was required as preparatory to their learning; and for this reason, that it was, and so far forth as it was, the moral cause or inftrument of leading men to the practice of those duties, was it in God's appointment made the condition of his bestowing the bleffings of remiffion and falvation 6 on them. A faith, which is no way connected with • thefe

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7 Grounds of the Chriftian Faith rational, p. 73.

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Ibid.

P. 15, 16.

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these things,' [viz. Such a faith as Infants are supposed to derive from their parents, or to have in their fponfors; or that federal holiness which many of our Pædobaptifts think neceffary for their being fprinkled.] When the use and ex'cellence of that, which is required, confifts in its being a mean of them, it can be of no fervice to any to have, or detriment to be without, and is not indeed worth difputing about;' [and therefore I hope Infant-fprinkling, falfly called baptifm, will no longer be contended for by them.] But true faith is that principle, in virtue of which men enter into the practice of every moral duty, and into a right of inheritance to eternal felicity.' [See fupplement, p. 67, 68.] That faith stands thus connected, with virtue [or obedience] appears from almost every thing, that is faid of it in the fcriptures. It is fometimes called the holy faith, Jude xx. At other times we read of the obedience, and righteoufnefs of faith; Rom. xvi. 26. and ch. iv. 13. and alfo of faith being reckoned for righteoufnefs, Rom. C iv. 5. And that it bares this relation to eternal life, our • Saviour declares: John vi. 47. iii. 36. Verily, verily, I Say unto you, he, who believeth in me, hath everlasting life.'

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I will leave this fubject to my readers most serious confideration in the very words, with which Mr. Benfon concludes his foregoing paffage. 9 Lefs evidence would do, in many cafes, if truth was more grateful. But, when men diflike the things to be proved, they are very unwilling to attend to, or allow the force of those arguments which are to convince them. It is evident mens wills, appetites, paffions and inclinations, have great influence upon their faith. However, men ought to remember that things are obftinate, and will not alter with their wishes. And every wife man fees that the right way is cooly and carefully to confider what is propofed, however it may affect him; and to receive the truth according to the importance and evidence of it. These are the things, which are previous to the affent of the mind, and are included in the fcriptural notion • of faith.'

My own fhort notes or explanations, in two of these paffages, are diftinguifhed by Italic, placed in hooks [...]. And as feveral other quotations from thefe answers may have occafion for fome fuch fhort additions, or amendments; fo by the like marks, without any other notice, C 2

my

9 Page 10.

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my readers may know, when I have added to, or altered
any words in them. But to return:

This opinion, that perfons unbaptized may be admitted
to christian communion, appears to me quite contrary to
the nature of the Chriftian inftitution, which was to ga-
ther a church out of the world, John xv. 9, and to all the
rules of fociety, as well as the known practice of the
primitive church, in the pureft ages of it; and would of
course be deftructive of all discipline, an inlet to disorder
and confufion, and fome encouragement to licentiousness.
And herein I think Mr. Benfon fully agrees with me, for
he must believe in the perpetuity of baptifm, and that it
was defigned for every Chriftian, in order to his becom-
ing a member of Chrift's vifible church; or I know not
what he can mean, where he says, But, befides the mo-

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ral duties, which are of eternal, unchangeable obliga-
tion, the pofitive ordinances of the chriftian religion
were inftituted as means and affiftances to preserve men
ftedfaft in the practice of thofe moral duties, which are
unquestionably the weightier matters of the Law; and,
even thefe pofitive inftitutions are fo free from all ap-
pearance of fuperftition and vanity, and fo wifely fitted
to the end for which they were deligned, that no man
can juftly, or with any reason, object against the things
themselves, tho' AGAINST THE CORRUPTIONS

AND ABUSES OF THEM THERE HAS BEEN A

"BUNDANT REASON TO OBJECT. For what con-
fiderate and thinking man can pretend to fay, that it is
any way unreafonable or fuperftitious, for every
member of any particular fociety, to be folemnly ad-
mitted into that fociety, by a plain and fignificant
rite, intitling him to all the privileges, and charging
him with all the obligations, which belong to the mem-
<bers of that fociety, as fuch; which is the defign of one
of the chriftian facraments? Or that it is unreasonable
and fuperftitious, frequently and with thankfulness to
commemorate the love of their greateft benefactor,
• who condefcended even to lay down his life for them;
and thereupon humbly and folemnly to renew their
obligations to him; which is the defign of the other."
I have formerly fhewn in my fupplement, p. 67, 68,
what the true nature, ufe and defign of baptifm is; and
having therein fet forth the advantages, which Pædobap-
tift Proteftants give the Papifts, by departing from the
fcripture

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Ibid. p. 25, 26.

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