Rom. 5.12.

3.16. Gen.

Quest. Do you remain stedfast in the covenant which you made in Baptism yourself?

Answ. Repenting of my sins, I do renounce the flesh, the devil, and the world, and I give up myself to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, my Creator and reconciled Father, my Redeemer and my Sanctifier.]

Quest. Do you present and dedicate this child unto God, to be baptized into this faith, and solemnly engaged in this covenant unto God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, against the flesh, the devil, and the world?

Answ. It is my desire, (or) I do present, and dedicate him for this end.

Quest. Do you here solemnly promise, that if God continue it with you till it be capable of instructions, you will faithfully endeavour to acquaint this child with the covenant in which he was here by you engaged, and to instruct and exhort him to perform this covenant, as ever he looks for the blessings of it, or to escape the curses and wrath of God; that is, that he renounce the flesh, the world, and the devil: and live not after them: and that he believe in this one God, in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, his Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. That he resign himself to him as his absolute owner, and obey him as his Supreme Governor, and love him as his most gracious Father, hoping to enjoy him as his felicity in endless glory? Answ. I will faithfully endeavour it.

Quest. Will you to this end faithfully endeavour to cause him to learn the articles of the Christian faith, the Lord's-prayer, and the ten Commandments, and to read or hear the holy Scriptures, and to attend on the public preaching of God's word? Will you endeavour by your own teaching and example, and restraint, to keep him from wickedness, and train him up in a holy life?

Answ. I will faithfully endeavour it by the help of God.

Then let the Minister pray thus, or to this sense.

MOST merciful Father, by the first Adam sin enEph. 2. 3. John tered into the world, and death by sin, and we are all by nature children of wrath; but thou hast given thy only Son, to be the Seed of the woman, the Saviour of the world, the Captain of our salvation, to

3.15. John4.42. Heb. 9. 26. Rev. 1. 15.

Tit. 3. 5. Rom.

16. 10. Heb. 8.

20,37. Rom 6.

9.8. Acts 2. 39.

put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and to wash Rom. 5 10. us in his blood, and reconcile.us unto thee, and to renew us by the Holy Ghost, and to bruise Satan 6. Matt. 28. 19, under our feet in him thou hast established the 20. Gen. 17. covenant of grace, and hast appointed this holy 10, 11. Ezek. sacrament of Baptism for our solemn entrance into 3, 4. Tit. 3. 5. the bonds of the covenant, and stating us in the 1 Cor. 12. 12. blessings of it, which thou extendest to the faithful Gen. 17. Rom. and their seed. We dedicate and offer this child to Matt. 23 37. thee, to be received into thy covenant and church. Deut. 30. 10,11, We beseech thee to accept him as a member of thy Son, and wash him in his blood from the guilt of 12, 13. Rev. 1. sin, as the flesh is washed by this water. Be recon- 5. Eph. 5. 26. ciled to him, and take him for thy child, renew him Job 11, 52. Heb. 2.13. Eph. to the image of thy Son, make him a fellow citizen 2. 19; 3. 15. with the saints, and one of thy household. Protect Zech. 9. 11. 15, him and provide for him as thy own, and finally pre- 16. 1 Pet. 5.7. serve him to thy heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Then the Minister shall ask of the Parent the name of the
Child to be baptized, and naming him, shall either dip
him under the water, or else pour the water upon his
face, if he cannot be safely or conveniently dipt, and
shall use these words without alteration.

I Baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

And he shall thus declare.

THIS child is now received by Christ's appointment into his Church, and solemnly entered into the holy covenant, and engaged, if he lives to the use of reason, to rise with Christ to newness of life, as being buried with him by baptism, and to bear his cross, and confess Christ crucified, and faithfully to fight under his banner against the flesh, the devil, and the world, and to continue his faithful soldier and servant to the death, that he may receive the crown of life.

Then he shall give thanks and pray.

12. Matt. 10-13, 14. 1 Cor. 12.

2 Tim. 4. 18.

Gal. 3. 13.

WE E thank thee, most merciful Father, that when Rom. 5. 12. 18. we had broken the law, and were condemned by it, 1 John 5. 11. thou hadst given us a Saviour, and life in him, and Acts 2. 39. hast extended thy covenant of grace to believers, and 1 Cor. 12.12,13. to their seed, and hast now received this child into 2 Cor. 8.5. thy covenant and church, as a member of Christ by Psal. 119. 94.

Psal. 44. 3. 4.

Eph. 5. 24.

Matt. 22. 37.

Deut. 10. 20,

this sacrament of regeneration. We beseech thee, let him grow up in holiness; and when he comes to 21;11.22-30. years of discretion, let thy Spirit reveal unto him Psal. 16.5; 27. the mysteries of the Gospel, and the riches of thy 4. Tit. 1. 2; 2. love in Jesus Christ; and cause him to renew and 1 John 2.5,6.17. perform the covenant that he hath now made, and to

13; 3.7.

Gal. 5. 14.
Matt. 6. 13.

Psal. 81. 12.
James 1. 14.
Luke 1. 71.

1 John 1.7.

2 Cor. 6. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 2. John 9.31. Luke 9.23. Heb. 2. 10. Rev, 2.10.

resign himself, and all that he hath, entirely unto thee his Lord, to be subject and obedient to thee his Governor and to love thee his Father with all his heart, and soul, and might, and adhere unto thee, 1 Cor. 10. 16. and delight in thee as the portion of his soul, desiring and hoping to enjoy thee in everlasting glory. Save him from the lusts and allurements of the flesh, the temptations of the devil, and the baits of pleasure, profit and honour of the world, and from all the corruptions of his own heart, and all the hurtful violence of his enemies. Keep him in communion with the saints, in the love and use of thy word and worship. Let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Christ the Captain of his salvation, and be faithful unto the death, and then receive the crown of life, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Eph. 6.4.

Prov. 22. 6.

Then use this Exhortation or the like to the Parents.

You that have devoted this child to God, and engaged it in covenant to him, must be thankful for so great a mercy to the child, and must be faithful in performing what you have promised on your parts, in instructing and educating this child in the faith and fear of God, that he may own and perform the covenant now made, and receive all the blessings which God hath promised. Hear what God hath made your duty," Fathers provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to Deut. 6. 5, 6, 7. shame." Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might; and these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in the house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Joshua saith, " As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." And Paul saith

Prov. 29. 15.

Josh. 24. 15.

66

of Timothy, "From a child thou hast known the 2 Tim. S. 15. holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Then say to the People thus, or to this sense.

You have heard beloved, how great a dignity we were advanced to in our baptism, to how great duty we are all engaged. O search and try, whether you have kept or broken the covenant which you made, and have lived according to the dignity of your calling. And if any of you be atheists, unbelievers, or ungodly, and love not God above all, and neglect Christ and his salvation, and are yet unsanctified, and live after the flesh, the devil, and the world; which you here renounced; as you love your souls, bewail your perfidious covenant-breaking with God. Trust not the water of baptism alone: if you are Job 3.5, 6. not "born again of the Spirit also, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Baptism will not save 1 Pet. 3. 21. you, if you have not the answer of a good conscience unto God. "If any man have not the Spirit of Rom. 8. 9. Christ, the same is none of his." Much less those wretches that hate sanctification, and despise and scorn a holy life, when they were by baptism engaged to the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier; can you think to be saved by the covenant which you keep not? O no! Your perfidiousness aggravateth your sin and misery. "When thou vowest a vow to God, defer not to pay Eccl. 5, 4, 5. it, for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed; better it is that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay." O bless the Lord, that it is a covenant of such grace which is tendered to you. That upon true repentance and conversion, even your covenant< breaking shall be forgiven; and therefore penitently cast down yourselves before the Lord, and believ ingly cast yourselves on Christ, and yield to the teachings, and sanctifying operations of the Holy Ghost. Yet know the day of your visitation, and forsake the flesh, the devil, and the world, and turn to God with all your hearts, and give up yourselves entirely to your Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, and he will have mercy upon you, and will abundantly pardon you. But if you still live after the flesh, you shall die: and if you continue to neglect this great salvation, there remaineth no more sacri

fice for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fire, which shall devour the adversaries.

Let no children be privately baptized, nor any Minister forced to baptize them any where, besides in the public assembly, unless upon some special weighty cause. If there be occasion for baptizing the adult, let the Minister accordingly suit his expressions.

Of Catechising, and the Approbation of those that are to be admitted to the Lord's Supper.

SEEING none can be saved at years of discretion, that do not actually believe, and personally give up themselves in covenant to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; therefore as parents must do their parts, so Ministers must catechise the ignorant, and diligently labour to cause them both to learn the form of wholesome words, (even the Lord's-prayer and the ten Commandments, and some brief, yet full and sound catechism,) and to understand the meaning of them, and to engage their hearts into the love of God, and a holy obedience to his laws.

To this end, let the Minister, either every Lord'sday, before the Evening Prayers, or at some convenient hour, or on some other day of the week, as oft as he can, examine publicly such as are not admitted to the Lord's-supper, and take an acconnt of their learning, and understanding the Creed, the ten Commandments, the Lord's-prayer and the Catechism. And let him by questioning and explication, help them to understand them; and let such of the several families of the parish come in their turns, when they are called by the Minister to be thus catechised. Also let the Minister either go to their houses, or rather appoint the persons aforesaid in their courses at a certain hour and place, (in the church or any other fit place,) to come to him for personal instructions, where he may confer with those that are unmeet to be catechised publicly, or unwilling to submit to it, and there with humble, prudent, serious instruction and exhortation, let him endeavour to acquaint them with the substance of Christian faith and duty, and to help them to make sure their calling and election, and to pre