The Corporate Blessings of the Sacrament

 By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms:

How God's People Benefit From Other People's Baptisms

Howdy!

As we Continue to talk some more about the sign and sacrament of baptism the Westminster Directory of Public Worship over the next few weeks is going to flesh out some of the ways in which the instructions of the minister are to help those gathered understand what is taking place. It is important for all in the service to benefit from the event. The nature of a corporate blessing is that while one person is receiving the water all are receivers of the means of grace offered in the preacher’s baptizing work, though obviously in different ways. As we go through the first half of the suggestion this morning it is our purpose to show how this is the case. We often miss out on the point when we make it only about the one under the spotlight, and that goes for a lot of other things in the worship of God’s people, not just baptism. The more we comprehend the unity of the body of Christ in everything that happens on a Lord’s Day morning and evening we can’t then but grow in our love for one another and for our Savior and Redeemer.

Here's the initial part we will read through:

Before baptism, the minister is to use some words of instruction, touching the institution, nature, use, and ends of this sacrament, shewing:

“That it is instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ: That it is a seal of the covenant of grace, of our ingrafting into Christ, and of our union with him, of remission of sins, regeneration, adoption, and life eternal: That the water, in baptism, representeth and signifieth both the blood of Christ, which taketh away all guilt of sin, original and actual; and the sanctifying virtue of the Spirit of Christ against the dominion of sin, and the corruption of our sinful nature: That baptizing, or sprinkling and washing with water, signifieth the cleansing from sin by the blood and for the merit of Christ, together with the mortification of sin, and rising from sin to newness of life, by virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ: That the promise is made to believers and their seed; and that the seed and posterity of the faithful, born within the church, have, by their birth, interest in the covenant, and right to the seal of it, and to the outward privileges of the church.

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