Q. 8. What is their fit\h superadded sacrament ?
A. Extreme unction, or anointing the sick, near death, with con- secrated oil, grounded on Mark vi. 13. And anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And James v. 14. Is any sick among you ? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. Which are neither sacramental rites, nor of ordinary standing use in the church, but extraordinary and temporary for that age.
Q. 9. What learn we hence ?
A. Hence we learn, how apt men are to corrupt God'*s ordinances, by their superstitious additions ; Mat. xv. 9. Teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Q. 10. What is the second instruction hence .^
A. How just and necessary our separation from Rome is, who have grossly corrupted God's ordinances, and left men no other remedy; Rev. xiii. 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
AN EXPOSITION OF THE ASSEMBLV's CATECHISM. 281
blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in hea- ven.
Q. 11. What is the third instruction.?
A. That the reformation of religion is an invaluable mercy, a ^reat deliverance from spiritual bondage; Rev. xi. 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his tem- ple the ark of his testament : and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Q. 12. What is the fourth instruction.'^
A. That Rome shall certainly fall, and all her adherents, for the horrid injury done by them to Christ, and the souls of men ; Rev. xviiL 20, 21. Rejoice over her thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great milstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Quest. 94. \t HAT is baptism ?
A. Baptism is a sacrament^ wherein the washing with water, in the navie of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking rrf the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's.
Q. 1. AVhat is the external part of baptism ?
A. It is pure unmixed water ; Hex. x. 22. And our bodies wash- ed with pure water. And therefore it is a vile practice of Papists, to add oil, salt, and spittle, to water in baptism.
Q. 2. What doth water in baptism signify ?
A. It signifies the blood of Christ ; Rev. i. 5. Unto him that lov- ed us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.
Q. 3. What is the first resemblance it hath to Christ's blood ?
A. In the freeness of it to all, it represents the unpurchased blood of Christ ; Isa. Iv. 1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters ; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money, and without price.
Q. 4. What is the second resemblance to Christ's blood ?
A. It resembles it in its refreshing quality ; water refresheth the thirsty, so doth Christ's blood ; John vi. 35. He that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Q. 5. What is the third resemblance it hath to Christ's blood ?
A. The cleansing property of water shews the purifying virtue of Christ's blood ; Heb. ix. 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God.?
Q. 6. What is the fourth resemblance it hath to Christ's blood ?
A. It resembles it in the necessity of it : For as the body cannot live without water, so neither can the Soul without Christ's blood ; Heb. ix. 23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Q. 7. What is the fifth resemblance of water to the blood of Christ ?
A. As water neither refresheth nor purifies the body without ap- plication ; so neither doth Christ's blood refresh or purify the soul till applied ; 1 Cor. i. 30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
Q. 8. Is it necessary to plunge the whole body under water, in baptizing every person ?
A. The Vvord [baptize] signifying as Avell to wash, as to plunge; a person may be truly baptized, that is not plunged. And we cannot think by the circumstance of time and place, that the jailor, in the night, was carried to a river out of the city ; Acts xvi. 33. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was baptized, he and all his straightway.
Q. 9. But it is not said, John iii. 23. That John also was bap- tizing in Enon, near to Salim, because there was much water there : and they came and were baptized ?
A, The word signifies many waters, that is, springs of waters there; whicli are known by travellers to be small, not capable of plunging into. » Q. 10. What are the benefits accruing to us by baptism ?
A. The benefits are twofold : some external, called the fatness of the olive-tree ; i. e. ordinances, and visible membership ; Rom. xi. 17. And thou being a wild olive-tree, wert graffed in amongst them, and with them partakers of the root and fatness of the olive-tree. And some spiritual and saving ; 1 Pet. iii. 21. The like figure where- unto, even baptism, doth also now save us, (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards* God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Q. 11. What engagements are laid on the baptized .^
A. They are engaged to be the Lord"*s people, and to walk suitably to that engagement ; Rom. vi. 4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death : that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in new- ness of life.
Q. 12i Is baptism to be reiterated, as the Lord's supper.^
A. No ; for the Lord's supper is a sacrament for nourishing, but
this tor implantation ; Rom. vi. 4, 5. Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death : that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in new-
AN EXPOSITION or THE ASSEMBLY'S CATECHISM, 28S
ness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we should be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
Q. IS. Doth baptism regenerate men, and confer saving grace ?
A. No, it doth not, in its own virtue, convey grace, no more than the Lord's supper ; but the Spirit of God is the author of grace, and works it as he pleases, before or after baptism.
Of the Subjects of Baptism.
Quest. 95. X O whom is baptism to be administered ?
A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible churchy till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him. ; but the infants of such as are members of the visible church are to be baptized.