A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

§. Sect. 4 Secondly, as it is the Sacrament of our new-birth.

Secondly, Baptism doth enable us unto the duties of a godly life, as it is the Sacrament of our Regeneration and new-birth, not only signifying, but sealing and assuring, yea powerfully conveying to the worthy receiver (by the inward operation of Gods Spirit, which powerfully worketh together with his holy ordinances) the spiritual life of grace, potentially to the elect Infants, as they potentially have faith, and by Gods Decree are ordained to believe, and actually to those who by faith apply unto themselves Christ and all his benefits. By which spiritual life and quickening power, they are enabled, according unto their age and growth in Christ, to move and work in the duties of holiness; even as the child which is new-borne moveth as soon as it liveth, first more weakly, and afterwards more strongly, as it increaseth in age and growth, in strength and stature. Neither is the virtue of Baptism thus quickening us to newness of life, to be limited and restrained to the time past, or to the present act of administration, as though it did no more but purge and cleanse us from the guilt and punishment of our sins past, and mortify our original sin in which we were borne, or raise us who were dead in trespasses and sins, unto the first beginnings of spiritual life and motion, bringing us (as it were) to the birth, and then utterly leaving us to be nursed and nourished by other means; but the power and vigour of it continueth and extendeth it self to the whole course of our lives; and is an effectual means, being recalled to our minds, and afresh applied by faith, both to assure us of the pardon of all our sins, as it is the seal of the Covenant, whose virtue continueth not only at the first act of sealing, but as long as the term specified in the writing, and therefore must continue in full virtue for ever, to our use, seeing it is a seal affixed to an everlasting Covenant; and also with no less efficacy to mortify daily more and more, all our sinful corruptions, and to quicken us unto holiness and new obedience, when upon any occasion we apply unto us the death and Resurrection of Christ, signed and sealed unto us, and for our perpetual use in our Baptism;