and other things abfolutely neceffary to it, which are omitted; and indeed the whole administration of it,has nothing in it agreeable to the inftitution of Chrift, unless it be the bare form of words made ufe of, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, &c. 1. The fign of the cross used in baptism is entirely unscriptural, an human invention, a rite and ceremony which the Papifts are very fond of, and afcribe much unto; and indeed the church of England makes a kind of a facrament of it, fince the minifter when he does it fays, that it is done "in token, that hereafter he (the perfon baptized) fhall not be ashamed to confefs the faith of Chrift eru"cified, and manfully to fight under his banner against fin, the world, and "the devil, and to continue Chrift's faithful foldier unto his life's end :” this is fuch an human addition to a divine ordinance, as by no means to be admitted. 2. The introduction of fponfors and fureties, or godfathers and godmothers, is without any foundation from the word of God; it is a device of men, and no ways requifite to the adminiftration of the ordinance: befides, they are obliged to promise that for the child, which they cannot do for themselves, nor any creature under heaven; as "to renounce the devil and all his works, "the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous defires of the same, "and the carnal defires of the flesh, so as not to follow or be led by them; and "conftantly believe God's holy word, and obediently keep God's holy will and "commandments, and walk in the fame all the days of his life." 3. The prayers before and after baptifm may well be objected to, fuggesting that remiffion of fins and regeneration are obtained this way; and that fuch as are baptized are regenerated and undoubtedly faved: in the prayer before baptifm are these words; "We call upon thee for this infant, that he coming to "thy holy baptifm, may receive remiffion of his fins by fpiritual regenera"tion;" and when the ceremony is performed, the minister declares, “that "this child is regenerate, and grafted in the body of Chrift's church ;" and in the prayer after it, he fays, "We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Fa"ther, that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this infant with thy holy Spirit :" and in the rubric are thefe words; "It is certain by God's word, that children "which are baptized, dying before they commit actual fin, are undoubtedly "faved;" yea in the Catechifm, the perfon catechized is instructed to say, that in his baptifm he was made a member of Chrift, the child of God, and an "inheritor of the kingdom of heaven :" which feems greatly to favour the popish notion, that the facraments confer grace ex opere operato, upon the deed done. These are things which give difguft to many Diffenters, that are for in fant fant-baptism; but fome of us have greater reasons than these against the adminiftration of baptifm in the church of England; for, 4. The fubjects to which it is administered are not the proper ones, namely infants; we do not find in all the word of God, that infants were commanded to be baptized, or that ever any were baptized by John, the first administrator of that ordinance, nor by Chrift, nor by his apoftes, nor in any of the primitive churches: the perfons we read of, that were baptized in those early times, were fuch as were fenfible of fin, had repentance for it, and had faith in Chrift, or profeffed to have it; all which cannot be said of infants: nor can we fee, that any argument in favour of infant-baptism can be drawn from Abraham's covenant, from circumcifion, from the baptifm of houfholds, or from any paffage either in the Old or New Teftament. Moreover, 5. We cannot look upon baptism as administered in the church of England, to be valid, or true chriftian baptifm; because not administered in a right way, that is, by immerfion, but either by sprinkling or pouring water, which the rubric allows of in cafe of weakness; nor do we understand, that it is ever performed in any other way, at least, very rarely; whereas we have abundant reafon to believe, that the mode of immerfion was always used by John the baptift, and by the apostles of Chrift, and by the churches of Chrift for many ages. Secondly, There are many things in the administration of the Lord's fupper, which we think we have reason to object unto, and which shew it to be an undue one: and not to take notice of the bread being ready cut with a knife, and not broken by the minifter, whereas it is exprefsly faid, that Chrift brake the bread, and did it in token of his broken body; nor of the time of administering it, at noon, which makes it look more like a dinner, or rather like a breakfast, being taken fafting, than a fupper; whereas to administer it in the evening best agrees with its name, and the time of its first inftitution and celebration; but not to infift on these things. 1. Kneeling at the receiving of it is made a neceffary requifite to it, which looks like an adoration of the elements, and seems to favour the doctrine of the real prefence; and certain it is, that it was brought in by pope Honorius, and that for the fake of tranfubftantiation and the real prefence, which his predeceffor Innocent the III. had introduced; and though the church of England disavows any fuch adoration of the elements, and of Chrift's corporal prefence in them; yet inafmuch as it is notorious that this has been abused, and still is, to idolatry, it ought to be laid afide; and the rather fitting should be used, fince it is a table-gesture, and more fuitable to a feaft; and was what was used by Christ and his apoftles, and by the primitive churches, until tranfubftantiation obtained; or however, fince kneeling at most is but an indifferent rite, it ought ought not to be impofed as neceffary, but should be left to the liberty of per fons to use it or not. 2. The ordinance is adminiftered to all that defire it, whether qualified for it or not; and to many of vicious lives and converfations; yea the minister, when he intends to celebrate it, in the exhortation, which in the book of Common Prayer he is directed to ufe, fays; "unto which, in God's behalf, "I bid you, all that are here prefent, and beseech you for the Lord Jesus Christ's "fake, that ye will not refuse to come thereto." Whereas it cannot be thought, that all prefent, every one in a public congregation, or in a parish, are fit and proper communicants; and there are many perfons defcribed in the word of God, we are not to eat with, 1 Cor. v. 11. Yet the rubric enjoins, "that every parishioner fhall communicate, at the leaft, three times in the year;" and directs," that new-married perfons fhould receive the holy communion at the "time of their marriage, or at the first opportunity after it; " though none furely will fay, that all married perfons are qualified for it. 3. This facred ordinance is most horridly prostituted, and most dreadfully profaned, by allowing and even obliging perfons, and these oftentimes fome of the worst of characters, to come and partake of it as a civil Teft, to qualify them for places of profit and truft; whereas the defign of this ordinance is to commemorate the fufferings and death of Chrift, and his love therein; to ftrengthen the faith of chriftians, and increase their love to Chrift and one another, and to maintain communion and fellowship with him and among themselves. 4. This ordinance is fometimes administered in a private house, which took its rife from faying of private mafs; and to fick perfons, to whom it seems to be given as a viaticum, or a provifion for the foul in its way to heaven; and to two or three perfons only, and even in fome cafes to a fingle perfon; whereas it is a church-ordinance, and ought to be adminiftered only in the church, and to the members of it. VI. As the church of England has neither the form nor matter of a true church, nor is the word of God purely preached, and the ordinances of the gofpel duly administered in it; fo neither is it a truly organized church, it having fuch ecclefiaftical officers and offices in it, which are not to be found in the word of God; and which is another reafon why we feparate from it. The fcripture knows nothing of Archbishops and Diocefan Bishops, of Archdeacons and Deans, of Prebends, Chantors, Parfons, Vicars, Curates, &c. The only two officers in a chriftian church are Bishops and Deacons; the one has the care of the spiritual, the other of the temporal affairs of the church; the former is the fame with Paftors, Elders, and Overseers; and fuch men ought to be of found found principles, and exemplary lives and converfations; and moreover ought to be chosen by the people; nor fhould any be impofed upon them contrary to their will this is an hardship, and what we cannot fubmit to and it is a reafon of our feparation, becaufe we are not allowed to choose our own pastors. VII. The church of England has for its head a temporal one, whereas the church of Chrift has no other head but Chrift himself. That our lawful and rightful fovereign King GEORGE is head of the Church of England, we deny not; he is fo by Act of Parliament, and as fuch to be acknowledged; but then that church can never be the true church of Chrift, that has any other head but Chrift; we therefore are obliged to diftinguish between the church of England and the church of Christ. A woman may be, and has been head of the church of England, but a woman may not be head of a church of Chrift; fince he is not allowed to speak or teach there, or do any thing that fhews authority over the man 2. VIII. The want of difcipline in the church of England, is another reason of our diffent from it. In a regular and well-ordered church of Chrift, care is taken that none be admitted into it but fuch as are judged truly gracious perfons, and of whom teftimony is given of their becoming converfations; and when they are in it, they are watched over, that their walk is according to the laws and rules of Chrift's houfe; fuch as fin, are rebuked either privately or publicly, as the nature of the offence is; diforderly perfons are cenfured and withdrawn from; profane men are put out of communion, and heretics, after the first and fecond admonition, are rejected: but no fuch difcipline as this is maintained in the church of England. She herself acknowledges a want of godly dif cipline, and wishes for a restoration of it; which is done every Lent feafon, and yet no flep taken for the bringing of it in: what difcipline there is, is not exercifed by a minifter of a parish, and his own congregation, though the offender is of them, but in the Bishop's Court indeed, yet by laymen; the admonition is by a fet of men called Apparitors, and the fentence of excommunication and the whole process leading to it by Lawyers, and not Minifters of the word. IX. The Rites and Ceremonies ufed in the church of England, are another reafon of our feparation from it. Some of them are manifeftly of pagan original; fome favour of Judaifm, and are no other than abolished Jewish rites revived; and most, if not all of them, are retained by the papifts; and have been, and still are, abused to idolatry and fuperftition. Bowing to the eaft, was an idolatrous practice of the heathens, and is condemned in fcripture as an abominable thing. Bowing to the altar, is a relic of popery, ufed by way of adoration of the elements, and in favour and for the fupport of tranfubftantiation, and the VOL. II. 3 C 11 Cor. xiv. 34, 35. 1 Tim. ii. 11, 12. Ezek. viii. 15, 16. .real real prefence; and therefore by no means to be ufed by thofe that difbelievethat doctrine, and must be an hardening of fuch that have faith in it. Bowing, when the name of JESUS is mentioned, is a piece of fuperftition and will-worfhip, and has no countenance from Phil. ii. 10. The words fhould be rendered in, and not at the name of Jefus; nor is it in the name Jefus, but in the name of Jefus, and fo defigns fome other name, and not Jefus; and a name given him after his refurrection, and not before, as the name of Jefus was at his birth; and befides fome are obliged to bow in it, who have no knees in a literal fenfe to bow with, and therefore bowing of the knee cannot be meant in any fuch. fenfe. And as for fuch ceremonies which in their own nature are neither good nor bad, but indifferent, they ought to be left as fuch, and not impofed as neceffary; the impofition of things indifferent in divine fervice as neceffary, as if without which it could not be rightly performed, is a fufficient reason why they ought not to be fubmitted to: fuch and fuch particular garments worn by perfons in facred office, confidered as indifferent things, may be used or not used; but if the use of thefe is infifted on, as being holy and neceffary, and without which divine worship cannot rightly be performed, then they ought to be reject ed as abominable. Nor can we like the furplice ever the better for being brought in by pope Adrian, A. D. 796. The crofs in baptifm, and kneeling at the Lord's-fupper, have been taken notice of before. X. The book of Common Prayer, fet forth as a rule and directory of divine worship and service, we have many things to object to. 1. Inasmuch as it prescribes certain ftinted fet forms of prayer, and ties men up to the use of them: we do not find that the apoftles of Chrift and the first churches used any fuch forms, nor chriftians for many ages; and of whatever use it can be thought to be unto persons of weak capacities, furely such that have fpiritual gifts, or the gift of preaching the gofpel, can ftand in no need of it, and who must have the gift of prayer; and to be bound to fuch precompofed forms, as it agrees not with the promise of the Spirit of grace and fupplication, so not with the different cafes, circumstances, and frames that christians are fometimes in; wherefore not to take notice of the defectiveness of these prayers, and of the incoherence and obfcurity of fome of the petitions in them; the frequent tautologies and repetitions, especially in the Litany, fo contrary to Chrift's precept in Matt. vi. 7. are fufficient to give us a distaste of them. 2. Though we are not against reading the fcriptures in private and in public, yet we cannot approve of the manner the Liturgy directs unto; namely, the reading it by piece-meals, by bits and fcraps, fo mangled and curtailed as the Gofpels and Epiftles are: we fee not why any part of fcripture should be omit ted; |