The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

Where note that Baptism hath two parts: The Covenant there made and openly declared between God and Man: And the Sacramental, obsigning and investing sign; which is the washing in water. The Profession it self, or open covenanting with God, is the thing statedly necessary to the being of Visible ⟨p. 52⟩Christianity: And the washing with water, is necessary as a duty where it may be had, and as a means to the orderly and regular entrance; by which the Church is commonly to judge who are its admitted members and who not. As inward consent and outward profession of consent, and public solemnization, are the necessaries to a state of marriage; the first being as the soul, the second as the body, and the third as the wedding garments; so is it in this case. So that in short, if you take Baptism aright for the Covenant and the Sign, there is no other entrance into the Visible Church, nor any other condition necessary to a title to its communion. But if you take Baptism improperly, for the was•ing alone, there is no title to such washing necessary but Professed faith and Covenanting. So that if you require more, or invent and impose any further conditions, and deny baptized professors of Christianity to be visible members of the Church, you are superstitious devisers of a way of your own, and makers of will-worship, and not obedient submitters to the way of God.

Where note that Baptism hath two parts: The Covenant there made and openly declared between God and Man: And the Sacramental, obsigning and investing sign; which is the washing in water. The Profession it self, or open covenanting with God, is the thing statedly necessary to the being of Visible ⟨p. 52⟩Christianity: And the washing with water, is necessary as a duty where it may be had, and as a means to the orderly and regular entrance; by which the Church is commonly to judge who are its admitted members and who not. As inward consent and outward profession of consent, and publike solemnization, are the necessaries to a state of marriage; the first being as the soul, the second as the body, and the third as the wedding garments; so is it in this case. So that in short, if you take Baptism aright for the Covenant and the Sign, there is no other entrance into the Visible Church, nor any other condition necessary to a title to its communion. But if you take Baptism improperly, for the wasing alone, there is no title to such washing necessary but Professed faith and Covenanting. So that if you require more, or invent and impose any further conditions, and deny baptized professors of Christianity to be visible members of the Church, you are superstitious devisers of a way of your own, and makers of will-worship, and not obedient submitters to the way of God.