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and tyrannical Princes, who hated the Simplicity of our Worship, and the Liberty of our Principles, hath he defeated! what Storms of Perfecution and Divifion too hath he calmed! He fupported this Church while toffed by thofe furious Tempefts, and purfied with the unrelenting Malice and Perfidy of Apoftates and Deferters, and at length, when on the Brink of Ruin, he brought us to the defired Haven.

If it had not been the Lord who was on our Side,when Men rofe p againft us: Then they had fwallowed us up quick, when their Wrath was kindled against us. Then the Waters had overwhelmed us; the Stream had gone over our Soul. Bleffed be the Lord. who hath not given us a Prey to their Teeth. Now what can we render to the Lord for all his Benefits, that will prove fo accepta ble a Sacrifice to him, as a high Value, zealous Love, and ftedfaft Adherence to thefe precious Truths of our Reformation, together with a conftant Care to adorn our Profeffion of them by the Beau ties of Holinefs.

There are alfo the fame Truths, that were with fo much Bra very and Conftancy maintained in the Reign of Blood and Perfecu tion that many now living once groned under, which many gave a Teftimony to by their Sufferings and by their Deaths, and were not prevail'd upon to abandon by the Allurements and Terrors of this World: Seeing therefore we are compaffed with fo great a Cloud of Witneffes, let us run the fame Race with as much Patience and Conftancy.

Among all polite Nations, the great Actions of their Progenitors were accounted a powerful Motive with Pofterity to purfue the fame Paths of Glory, and to be invigorated by their Example : The imagines Majorum were a Source of Courage and Intrepidity to the Roman Touth, and prefented to them, in the ftrongeft Light, both Arguments to perfwade and inflame them, and Encouragements to animate and fupport them. Let us in the fame Manner improve the Zeal and Fortitude of fo many Saints and Martyrs, who held faft the Profeffion of their Faith without wavering, and continued faithful to the Death: When the Goodnefs of our merciful God hath placed this Church in fo happy Circumftances, and hath delivered it from its Enemies, we fhould now be the more adive and diligent, to get our Souls impreffed with the Love of Truth; to make Advances in the Knowledge of Chriftianity; to attain a fpiritual Sight of the divine Beauties and Excellencies of our holy Faith, that may charm all our Affections; and to have the Rays of Truth daily enlightning our Minds, and warming our Hearts, and thus we fhall both make a wife Ufe of our prefent Felicity, and arm our felves with Fidelity, Courage and Conftancy, it ever divine Providence fhould fuffer thefe Storms and Clouds gather, which were fo wonderfully scattered by the late glorious and happy Revolution.

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And in the last place, with the Example of our Fathers, let us call to mind the peculiar Obligations this Church is under to remain ftedfaft in this Doctrine; fince the Westminster Confeffion con

tains the fame Truths Confefion, to which this Nahich were profeffed in our Reformation folemnly bound by their Oath to God in the National Covenant, that glorious Tranfaction, which however it may be derided and vilified, will always be reckoned the diftinguishing Honour of our Country, by all those who know that true Religion is the greatest Bleffing to a People, and that it is their Glory to make Profeffion of it, which Glory is heightened and becomes more illuftrious, in proportion to the Solemnity, the Extent, and the Zeal of fuch a Profeflion.

a

Neverth we believe, was there a Kingdom fince that of the Jews, that much Solemnity did in a publick national Capacity, King Lords and Commons, &c. confenting, own their Belief of the Truth as it is in Jefus, and engage to a fteady unmoveable Adhe rence to its Interefts; as our Church did by the National Covenant, when it did, before the World, Angels and Men, avouch the Lord for its God, and devote it felf to his Service: So that to us, in fo far, what is faid of Ifrael may be applied beyond other Countries, Thou art a boly People unto the LORD thy GOD. The LORD thy GOD bath chofen thee to be a special People to himself, above all People that are upon the Face of the Earth (a): And in the Day that our Fathers fwore as in that Covenant to God, (and the fame Thing will hold with refpect unto us, while we continue in the fame Doarine, and approve of their Choice) this Church might have been addreffed in the Words of Mofes to Ifrael, Deut. 26. 17. Thou haft arouched the LORD this Day to be thy GOD, and to walk in his Ways, and to his Statutes and bis Commandments Fudgments: And to bearken into bia Veice, and the Lord bath arouched thee this Day i his peculiar People; and being thus dignified with the Advantages of the Jewish Church, we may expect the promifed Bleflings, or fear the threatned Ruin, according as we remain ftedtaft in the Ways of Truth and Holinefs. All that hath been fpoken will aggravate the Shame and Sin of our Apoftacy, and heighten the Punith ment due to perfidious or cowardly Deferters: But if we remai faithful in the Covenant of God, retain the uncorrupted Doctrine according to Godlinefs,and both believe and obey it, we have Reafon to hope that it may ever be faid of this Church, Happy art thon, O ISRAEL: Who is like unto thee, O People faved by the LORD, the Shield of thy Help, and ruko is the Sword of thy Excellency and thine Enemies fhall be found Liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their bigh Places (b).

THE laft Ufe of Confeftons, was that they might be fubfervient to the Hiftory of the Church, by tranfmitting unto Pofterity an authentick and impartial Account of the Doctrine embraced by the feveral Churches. The Saxon Churches, in the Preface to their Confeffion, give this Reafon for their publishing it. 365 Nacelle eft nos etiam ad pofteros relinquere publica teftimonia, digna fide, oppofita

C...x. (a) Dent. 7. 6. (b) Deut. 33, 29.

falks

falfis criminationibus, ne pofteritas de nobis judicet: & ut aliqui bis nofris testimonis commonefacti, veritatem inquirant, & in veris fententiis confirmentur, How ufeful and necellary Confeffions, and particularly our own, are for this Purpofe, hath been fufficiently mani felted in the first Part of this Work, when we fhewed that it is by fuch Compofures alone, that we can be enabled to form the jufteft and molt impartial Notions of the Doctrine, Worthip and Govern ment of any Church.

THAT

HAT we may put an End to this Preface, it remains now only that we return a very fhort Anfwer to two particular Objections, which are brought against our Church with relation to her Confeffion, and in the Mouths of fome Perfons make a great Deal of Noife.

The First arifes from the Ufe, which, it is alledged, the Church of Scotland makes of her Confeffion in the Adminiftration of the Sacrament of Baptifm. It may feem almoft needlefs to take Notice of the Expreffions of an Author formerly mentioned, becaufe what is there faid, will appear at firft View plainly ridiculous to any Body, who is tolerably acquainted with our Practice or Principles; which tis certain every Man ought to be, who pretends to condemn and expofe them. The Thing hinted at, is Sir Richard Steil's Dedication to the Pope of the Account of the State of the Romih Religion, published by him, where fpeaking of Scotland, Page 12 he lays Infants are baptized there, not only into the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft; but into the pure Doarine profelfed and fettled by the Church of Scotland." Were either the Practice of our Church, or what is meant by being baptized in the Name of the Father, &c. understood, there would have been no Place found for this Reflection, nor is there any thing with us as to this Matter in general, but what is a necellary Confequence of the Thing it felf, and the conftant Practice of Chriftians. Before a Perfon be received into the Church by Baptifm, it is a Maxim of common Senfe, that he fhould make a Profeffion of the Chrifan Faith or in the Cafe of Infants that the Parent fhould do it, and engage to educate them in the Knowledge of that Religion. A Profeffion of Faith and Repentance was always made at Baptifm, thus it is faid of John, That the People were baptized of him in Jordan, CONFESSING THEIR SINS (a); our Saviour when he gives that folemn Commiffion to his Apoftles, Matth. 28, 19. To b baptize all Nations in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghoff, adds, Teaching them to ob erve all Things whatfe eve I have commanded you, and is it to be doubted, but the Perfon to be baptized was to profefs his Obedience to all thefe Things? We have a remarkable Illuftration of this Matter in the Inftance of the Ethiopian Eunuch, where Philip required an Acknowledgment of his Faith, as a neceffary Condition of his being baptized, and

(a) Matth. 3. 6.

the

the Eunuch gave it accordingly. And the Eunneb Said, See, here is Water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip faid, If thou believeft with all thine Heart, thou may. And he answered, I believe that Jefus Chrift is the Son of GOD (a). And 'tis well known how plain and full the Practice of the primitive Chriftians was in this Matter.

The only plaufible Objection then is, That our Church too much confines the Terms of Chriftian Communion, and encroaches upon the Liberties of the People; That all have a Right to Baptifm who maintain the Fundamentals of Religion, which many do who differ from us in feveral Articles of Faith, That therefore, to oblige Parents who prefent their Children to be baptized, either to profefs their own Belief of all the Articles of our Confeffion, or to educate their Children in the Faith of them, is to establish other Bounds of Chriftian Communion than the great Author of our Religion hath done, and to exclude many from the Church who may be his fincere Followers, and ought to be received into it.

In Anfwer to this, we fhall juft mention these three Things. First, That, in fo far as is known to us, there is no Act of Affembly, nor even of any inferior Church-Judicature, eftablishing the Confeffion of Faith a Term of Chriftian-Communion, and appointing Minifters to require an Affent thereto from Chriftian Parents, in order to their being admitted to all the Privileges of Church-Communion, and particularly the Baptifm of their Children: And therefore there does not feem to be Place for the Foundation of the Objection.

It is true, that, according to the Principles laid down and main tained in this Treatife, a plain and direct Acknowledgment of the effential Doctrines of Chriftianity, may be juftly required by any Church of all that would lay claim to Baptifm, and the Fellowship of Chriftians. But our Church hath acted fo wife and cautious a Part, as never to have pretended to condefcend upon thefe precife Articles, which should be declared fundamental and necellary Maxims of our Religion, and to pitch upon all thefe Doctrines, the Belief of which is indifpenfably neceflary in a fincere Chriftian, and without which a Man cannot poffibly be a Member of the Body of Chrift: Since that were an Attempt of great Difficulty, and might be liable to much greater Inconveniencies than the lea ving it uneflayed.

2dly, It muft indeed be acknowledged, That, according to the general Practice which hath prevailed in the Church, when the Sacrament of Baptifm is adminiftred, the Parent, or the Sponfor whoever he be, is engaged to educate the Child in the Principles of the true reformed Chriftian Religion, as contain'd in the Holy Scriptures; whereof, as is told them, there is an excellent Summary in our Confeffion of Faith and Catechifms. Nor fhall we deny, but that this may be conftructed an Obligation on the Parent, to train

· (4) A&ts 8. 36, 37,

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up his Child in the Doctrines of the Westminster Confeffion, and con fequently a Declaration that he believes thefe Doctrines hims felf: But, we hope, this can't be called the fmalleft Impofition upon a Perfen who heartily embraces all thefe Doctrines, and not only is free from any Scruple as to the Articles of our Standard, but defires to embrace that Opportunity of publickly owning before all the Church, his firm Beliet, and cordial Acceptation of these Articles as the Truths of Jefus, and the Doctrines of that pure Faith which he receives with his Heart, and acknowledges with the Mouth. Surely it were a very unreafonable Hardship, to retufe that Perfon an Opportunity every way fo fit for it, of making a Profeflion of the Faith of the Gofpel, as it appears to him in its greateft Light and Purity: Now it is very juftly fuppofed, that all Perfons who know the common Practice of the Church, and yet move no Objections, are of this Difpofition, and have thefe Incli nations.d

In the third place, as there is no eftablished Rule, nor any A of Affembly, confining the Benefits of Baptifm to the Belief of the feveral Articles of our Confeffion; and excluding from a Partici pation of this Ordinance, all Perfons who may in fome Things differ from us: So there was no Ground in Fact ever given to a Perfon, to complain of an arbitrary Impofition upon him in this Refpect, nor can any Man, fo far as we know, alledge that he ac quainted a Minifter that he had Scruples as to fome Articles of our Confeffion, or was of a contrary Opinion to them, and therefore that he could neither profefs his own Belief of them, nor engage to educate his Child in them, and was thereupon denied Accefs to this Sacrament. On the other hand, there have been feveral Iaftances of Perfons, who, upon their Defire, were gratified in this Particular; while none had ever Reafon to complain of a Refufal: From which Confideration, 'tis hoped, the Groundlefnefs of the Clamour raifed by our Enemies will evidently appear.

HERE is only one Thing farther to be noticed; and truly

merit, no

Adverfaries with a great deal of Confidence boalt of it: Namely, the flat Contradiction which, they alledge, there is betwixt the Principles which we now fall in with concerning Civil Govern ment, together with the Conduct of this Church fince the Revolu tion, and thefe Words of 23 Chap. of the Confeffion of Faith, Of the Crail Magiftrate, Section 4. Infidelity or Difference in Religion doth not make yoid the Magiftrate's juft and legal Authority, nor free the People from their due Obedience to him."

This indeed hath been the Principle of our, and, I believe, of all other Churches: Nor could they maintain the contrary, without unhinging all Government in Heathen, Mahometan and Popish Countries, which were very abfurd, and without denying the Submiffion and Obedience to the Roman Cefars, which Chrift and his Apoftles paid them. But this can never, in the fmalleft Degree, be inconfiftent with our having difclaimed all Allegiance, &