Rom. 10. 10. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Confession is here joined to believing, as necessary to salvation. This I conceive to be the meaning of those places which hold forth the necessity of Baptism, He that believes and is baptized,1 shall be saved. Augustine in one of his Sermons De Tempore, sayes, We cannot be saved, except we profess our faith outwardly for the salvation of others. And Christ, Mar. 8. 38. says, Whosoever shall be ashamed of him and of his words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with his holy Angels. And it is observable, 2that they follow upon those words, What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and loose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? As if Christ should say, If you would not lose your souls eternally, look to this, make profession of the truth, as you are called to it; 3though you live in a wicked and an adulterous generation, yet be not ashamed of me before them; for if you be, your souls may go for it eternally.
Rom. 10. 10. With the heart man believeth unto righteousnesse, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Confession is here joyned to believing, as necessary to salvation. This I conceive to be the meaning of those places which hold forth the necessity of Baptisme, He that believes and is baptized,1 shall be saved. Augustine in one of his Sermons De Tempore, sayes, Wee cannot be saved, except wee professe our faith outwardly for the salvation of others. And Christ, Mar. 8. 38. sayes, Whosoever shall be ashamed of him and of his words, in this adulterous and sinfull generation, of him shall the Sonne of Man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with his holy Angels. And it is observable, 2that they follow upon those words, What shall it profit a man if he shall gaine the whole world, and loose his owne soule? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soule? As if Christ should say, If you would not lose your soules eternally, look to this, make profession of the truth, as you are called to it; 3though you live in a wicked and an adulterous generation, yet be not ashamed of me before them; for if you be, your souls may goe for it eternally.
- 1Salvi esse non possumus nisi ad salutem proximorum, etiam ore profiteamur fidem. Aug de temp. 181.
- 2Ad Aras Jovis aut Veneris adorare, ac sub Antichristo fidem occultare. Zuingl ep 3.
- 3Non perfecte credunt, qui quod cre••nt nolunt loqui. Aug. in Psalm 115.
