But yet I think my sentiments, as I have expressed them, are as exactly agreeable to what he lays down as if I had been his pupil. Nor do I at all go beyond what Dr. Doddridge plainly shows to be his sentiments, in his Rise and Progress of Religion, his Sermons on Regeneration, and his Paraphrase and Notes on the New Testament. Nor indeed, sir, when I consider the sentiments you have expressed in your letters to Major Pomroy and Mr. Billing, can I perceive but that they come exactly to the same thing that I maintain. You suppose the sacraments are not converting ordinances: but that, ‘as seals of the covenant, they presuppose conversion, especially in the adult; and that it is visible saintship, or, in other words, a credible profession of faith and repentance, a solemn consent to the gospel covenant, joined with a good conversation, and competent measure of Christian knowledge, is what gives a gospel right to all sacred ordinances: but that it is necessary to those that come to these ordinances, and in those that profess a consent to the gospel covenant, that they are sincere in their profession,’ or at least should think themselves so.—
The great thing which I have scrupled in the established method of this church’s proceeding, and which I dare no longer go on in, is their publicly assenting to the form of words rehearsed on occasion of their admission to the communion, without pretending thereby to mean any such thing as any hearty consent to the terms of the gospel covenant, or to mean any such faith or repentance as belong to the covenant of grace, and are the grand conditions of that covenant: it being, at the same time that the words are used, their known and established principle which they openly profess and proceed upon, that men may and ought to use these words and mean no such thing, but something else of a nature far inferior; which I think they have no distinct, determinate notion of; but something consistent with their knowing that they do not choose God as their chief good, but love the world more than him, and that they do not give themselves up entirely to God, but make reserves; and in short, knowing that they do not heartily consent to the gospel covenant, but live still under the reigning power of the love of the world, and enmity to God and Christ.
So that the words of their public profession, according to their openly established use, cease to be of the nature of any profession of gospel faith and repentance, or any proper compliance with the covenant: for ’tis their profession, that the words, as used, mean no such thing. The words used under these circumstances, do at least fail of being a credible profession of these things. I can conceive of no such virtue in a certain set of words, that it is proper, merely on the making of these sounds, to admit persons to Christian sacraments, without any regard to any pretended meaning of these sounds: nor can I think that any institution of Christ has established any such terms of admission into the Christian church.
It does not belong to the controversy
between me and my people, how particular or large the profession should be that
is required. I should not choose to be confined to exact limits as to that
matter; but rather than contend, I should content myself with a few words,
briefly expressing the cardinal virtues or acts implied in hearty compliance
with the covenant, made (as should appear by inquiry into the person’s
doctrinal knowledge) understandingly; if there were an external conversation
agreeable thereto: yea, I should think, that such a person, solemnly making
such a profession, had a right to be received as the object of a public
charity, however, he himself might scruple his own conversion, on account of his
not remembering the time, not knowing the method of his conversion, or finding
so much remaining sin, &c. And (if his own scruples did not hinder his
coming to the Lord’s table) I should think the minister or church had no right
to debar such a professor, though he should say he did not think himself
converted; for I call that a profession of godliness, which is a profession of
the great things wherein godliness consists, and not a profession of his own
opinion of his good estate.”
