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Show IChrijh frllit in. OrdiiWlceJ ,f'A?ett tD It ·bcli ev erJ ttljl-e. 1. 1 fay they are SigH!, The Pfalmilt (in the Churche's name) {i 'th wee foe net ot~r Stgni. The Ordtnances of God are Ggns; a~d ;hat in divers Notion>. Signs are of fevera\ forts, fome are Prefigurative, fame. are lndicativt, fome ar~ Commemoratwe, Come are ()bjignativt, fome are Natttr.l, fome Inftr!ttted, &c. when I fay rhe Ordinances of God arc Stgn', I mean not na- tural Signi, thus the ·rednefi of tbt t/ry is a Sign of fatr weather, , Matb. r6. 2. But Ordinancu are inlfituted Stgn~: _They are fa.cred A a;.,, or Adminijlrationi which God hath appomted for St;;ns. Some Signs are forma\ which reprtfent the thmg whtcb they fig•ify; fome arc Mauri~/ which declJre it, but do not repref'nt tt. ; · The Ordinances of God under the Law were prtfiguratrve 'Sig~1. i.e. God appointed them w this .eod to prefigure fome other Spiritual tlung; fuch was Cmumct{toll, fuch was the PaJf over &c;. J dare not fay that no Ordinances ol'the Go!pd are m any 'thing prefigurative. I do know wh:it fome fay_: 7bat our fittillg togrther at t!Je table cf_tht Lerd, is (by Chn~ htmfelf, ) made pretigurativc of our fitttng together 111 the Kmgdom of (Jod, and do think that there is too much in thatText,Lu.2 2;3 o.(co_m· -pared with fomc verfcs bcforr, ) for _any ll~Ay to deny tt. I thmk the Ordinance of the Sabbath is pretigurattv_e of that i.efi whtch God hath prepared for his People; and if there be any fuch pr~liguration it mu{( needs make thefe Ordmances fweet to ~ Gract· ous heart, as the meditation of Heaven and that Rell whtch God hath prepared for his people, mull needs be fwret to every honea heart. But 2. Some Signs are Commemor;tivc and Ob{igHative ;. and fuch for the mo{( part arc the Ordinances ot the Gofpcl, t-<""~-''""T,.J 8c g'e!f.'l''"""- The great Ordinances of the Gofpel, vrz. Prr.ch. i11g and Adminiffratim of tbe Sacraments, They are memonals of the death ofChriO: The latter arc formal Srgns. The Sacraments repr.jtl<t to us the death ofChrW being inltituted to_ that end; The tirll is a mmrial Stgn ofzt,for we preach Chrijl Crucified,_ 1 Cor. x. 2 3, And both of them arc commemorJtive; a_nd call to mtnd the death and pallion of our bldfed Lo~d and Savwur; yea_and obfig· native , or confirming of the Doar~ne o/th' Gofpel; whtch way fo ever you look upon them, they mull needs b~ [ weet unto the believing Sou). The cafe is other wife; for cructlixes and fuch ~awhles as men devife to call to remembrance thefe facred thtngs. , Ch;ifi hath appointed his Ordinances for Signs, the or her ar_e but humane lnvcntiqvs. . Thtrdly, thrijh fruit inOrdinancu,fweet to 4 helieverJ tafte. Tlli"rdly, fame Signs are Indicative, declaring a thing to be ; Ehyficians in their Art call theft Sig•.a h«[Y.,<~<•'- And thus again the Ordinances of C.hriO are Signs, i.e. Toi(;n,,of what? of Gods Favour to a people, and his dwrUi11g in the midi! amongfl them; SheUI, and nameJ cfOrdinan:es arc not fo; but the pure adminifira-tion of Ordinances is fo : Chrifi is de[cribed under the notion of him who walketh, in the midjl of the {even Goldm. Candleftici<f. Goci is prefent with his people when his Ordinances are purely ad mini - fired, and his worfhip purely perfonmed; fo many degrees of Cor-ruption as are in any Church crept into the Ordinances,and wor· lhip, fo many ilcps is God departed from any people. Esr.e~itlfao/ the Glory of the Lord in the temple at 'ferHjalms, Eze k. 8. 4· But if you read that Chapter you will find Corruption in Gods worfhip was crept in,and the next time Eze~id faw the Glory of the Lord, Ezei(, 9· 3· 1:J.e glory of tht Lord from the Chm,b, and goneto tht tbre}llold of the haufr. · There are the names of Ordinances in the Popifh Synagogue, but there is nothing of the prefence of God; humane lnvent.ions and Corruptions,have buried divine Inflituti-ons-: Death u in their put,and therefore we juflly refufe their me.rt and their broth too. Now look as the prefence of God is -infinite;. ly fweet and pleafant to every gracious heart; fo in reafon muft mull thofc things be which are declarative open Signs of-the con-tinuance of Gods prefence with them, . But fecondly, 'Ibe Ordin~nm ofCbrift; muft needi be fwnt unto Reafoa2 •. graciour heartt iftheybt c011jidered a1Sacred llt/lrumentt.Chrills -Or-dinances are Signs;but they are not only Signs, they are inllruments alfo: The Prophet calls them Wells of Salvatio>t.It is true, they are not God1, they can do nothing alone : I call them but lnfttuments, God can work without them,-but he ordinarily worketh by and with. them, Exod. 20. 24. In aU places whert I record my·>tamt, there will I come Jlnlo tbu, and bltfi thu. It is true under the Ju-daical pr.edagogy; God appointed a certain place, Chrifi hath taught us that under the Gofpel we fhould ,tvery-whert worfhip the Father, no place is !~lOre holy than another: But where-ever two · or three are met togethe. i11 hw 11ame, he ,.,;y be in the midjl amo>t
