authority, must not therefore always be true. If the doctrine in the one sense be necessary to salvation, then they that hold the other must die in their sins, and be damned. But if the doctrine in neither sense be necessary to salvation, then all is well, except perhaps that they will call one another atheists, and fight about it. _J. D._ All the power, virtue, use, and efficacy, which he ascribeth to the holy sacraments, is to be _signs or commemorations_. As for any sealing, or confirming, or conferring of grace, he acknowledged! nothing. The same he saith particularly of baptism: upon which grounds a cardinal’s red hat, or a serjeant-at-arms his mace, may be called sacraments as well as baptism, or the holy eucharist, if they be only signs and commemorations of a benefit. If he except, that baptism and the eucharist are of Divine institution; but a cardinal’s red hat or a serjeant-at-arms his mace are not: he saith truly, but nothing to his advantage or purpose, seeing he deriveth all the authority of the word and sacraments, in respect of subjects, and all our obligation to them, from the authority of the sovereign magistrate, without which these words, _Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus_, are but counsel, no command. And so a serjeant-at-arms his mace, and baptism, proceed both from the same authority. And this he saith upon this silly ground, _that nothing is a command, the performance whereof tendeth to our own benefit_. He might as well deny the Ten Commandments to be commands, because they have an advantageous promise annexed to them, _Do this and thou shalt live_; and _cursed is every one that continueth not in all the words of this law to do them_.