ful to the serious Christian, in this part of religion, than all other helps whatever. Above all, the LORD'S PRAYER, well understood and digested, will teach him what the confidence and leading desire of his heart in every prayer should be; what are the blessings especially to be sought for; and with what moderation and submission he should ask for temporal mercies, compared with the forgiveness of his sins, and deliverance from temptation and the tempter, from evil and the evil one, that, in approaching the throne of grace, he may "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;" assured, that" all other things will be added unto him." ESSAY XXIV. On baptism and the Lord's supper: AMONG the ordinances, which the Lord hath appointed in his church, as means of grace and acts of solemn worship, some have, from the earliest times, been distinguished by the name of sacraments. The word sacrament originally signified the military oath, which the commanders of the Roman armies required from their soldiers; and these institutions were considered, as solemn engagements to be faithful and obedient to Christ, under whose banner all Christians have enlisted. In process of time sacraments were multiplied, which gave rise to immense superstition and absurdity; and as human nature continually verges to extremes, so it may be doubted, whether numbers have not lately been induced too much to disregard all distinctions of this kind. The word however is not scriptural; and the nature of the two solemn ordinances, which protes tants consider the only sacraments under the Christian dispensation, seems in general to be this. "In them di"vine truths are exhibited to our senses, and illustrated ❝to our minds, by outward emblems; and the recep ❝tion of spiritual blessings is represented by significant "actions. Thus observances, in themselves indifferent, by divine appointment become a part of religious wor"ship, honourable to God, and profitable to us; and "positive duties arise, where none before subsisted by "moral obligation." Baptism is the initiatory ordinance of Christianity z as circumcision under the old dispensation, from Abraham to the ascension of Christ, was the door of admission into the visible church. It consists in the application of water to the baptized person," in the name of the "Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Water is the universal purifier of our persons, garments, houses, streets, and cities; it is essential to the beauty and fertility of the earth; and it is the original element, from which every liquor, that quenches our thirst, or exhilarates our spirits, is derived. It is therefore the constant and most expressive scriptural emblem of the pure and satisfying blessings, conveyed to us by the gospel; especially of the purifying, enlivening, fructifying, and consolatory influences of the Holy Ghost; and many ceremonies of the law, as well as the introductory baptism of John, exhibited these benefits by the use of it. The whole of that happy change, which the * The design of this compendious publication renders it wholly improper to treat of this subject in a controversial manner. After a long and patient investigation, and mature reflection, the writer is a Pædo Baptist; and his discussions will consequently be most applicable to those, who coincide with him in sentiment and practice. But he considers all as brethren, who "love the "Lord Jesus in sincerity;" and would not willingly offend any man, who conscientiously differs from him in such matters; he therefore reasonably hopes for similar candour from his readers. The disputes about the mode and subjects of baptism seem to have too long occupied a disproportionate degree of attention; whilst numbers remain ignorant of the nature and obligations of the ordinance itself. Mr. Henry's observation seems well grounded; If infant-baptism were more conscientiously improved, it would "be less disputed." 66 apostle describes, may be denoted by the baptismal water; "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, "but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, "and by the Spirit of our God.”* This accords with "Then will I the Lord's promises by his prophet. "sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; "from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will "I cleanse you ;" and with various other passages in the sacred oracles.t Yet baptism seems more immediately to represent the purifying of the judgment and af fections from the pollution of sin, by the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. The beginning of this work is therefore, described with reverence to the outward emblem, as being "born of water and of the Spirit;" it is called "the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Ho"ly Ghost, which God our Saviour pours upon us " abundantly;" and it is especially, though not exclusively, meant by " the baptism of the Holy Ghost." The appointment of this emblem, in the initiatory ordinance of Christianity, emphatically testifies the doctrine of original sin, and the necessity of regeneration; for it declares every man, as "born of the flesh," to be so polluted, that unless he be washed with purifying water, he cannot be received even into the outward church of God; and unless he be inwardly cleansed by the Holy Spirit, he cannot be a member of the true church. In this, it coincides with circumcision, which implied, that without the mortification of the corrupt nature, derived by generation from fallen Adam, and the removal of that obstacle to the love and service of God, no man could be admitted into covenant with him.§ And like that ordinance, it is "the seal of the " righteousness of faith;" for he, and he alone, who possesses the inward and spiritual grace, which both circumcision and baptism outwardly denoted, has a divine attestation to the sincerity of his faith, and tỏ 1 Cor. vi. 9-11. Zeck. xii. 1. John, xiii. 8. 6. Rev. i. 5. vii. 14. 5, 6. § Deut. xxx. 6. Ps. li. 2, 7. 1 John, v. Tit. iii, † Ezek. xxxvi. 25-27. the reality of his justification in the righteousness of the Redeemer. The form of baptism, 66 in," or into, "the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the "Holy Ghost," contains an unanswerable argument for the doctrine of the Trinity, and constitutes a perpetual profession of it; it implies also that the baptized person is the avowed worshipper and servant of God," the "Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost," who is become the salvation and portion of his people. When the apostles went forth "to teach," or disciple, "all nations," to baptize them in this name, and afterwards to teach them more fully all things, that Christ had commanded, that they might observe them ;* the converts, whether made from among the Jews or Gentiles, were baptized on an intelligent profession of repentance and faith. When the Jews made proselytes to their religion, they circumcised the adult males on such a profession, according to the nature of their dispensation; and Pædo baptists, in similar circumstances, would adopt the same conduct But we maintain (for reasons that have been repeatedly assigned,) that as the Jews circumcised likewise all the males in the families of the proselytes, who were incapable of personally rejecting the Jewish religion; so the apostles baptized the households of their converts; including the females, and only excluding such, as, being able to answer for themselves, gave evidence, by word or deed, that they did. not obey the truth. Nay, we are of opinion, that those children, who had one believing parent, though the other continued an unbeliever, were thus admitted, as relatively holy, into the visible church of Christ.f The adult convert, by receiving baptism, acknowledged, according to the obvious meaning of the ordinance, that he was a sinner by nature and practice; that he repented of his sins, and believed in Christ for the forgiveness of them; that he renounced idolatry, and all other objects or forms of worship, " to serve the one "living and true God," in whose name he was baptiz mitted into the visible church, and trained up as her children; and the aggravated guilt of deliberately rejecting the salvation and service of God, from pride of heart and carnal affections; cr even of neglecting the means of appropriating these advantages, and complying with those engagements, which their parents, or senior friends, had entered into in their name, and for their benefit. Thus an additional avenue is opened to the consciences of young persons, and and an additional restraint imposed on their passions. Ministers also may employ these topics with great advantage, in addressing both the parents and the children, and even such as wish to have their offspring baptized; and if this was done frequently and generally, both in public and private; if baptism was administered solemnly before the congregation, and proper reference made to it in the sermon; and if some discouraging barriers to these things were removed, the most diffusive good might be expected. But even as matters now stand, the administration of infant-baptism has great influence, in giving vast multitudes some ideas of the gospel, especially of original sin, regeneration, and the Trinity; and whilst all, who act profanely, deceitfully, or formally, in this matter, must answer for their own crimes; if good be done, either to parents, children, or others, and if the name of God be in any measure glorified; the end of the institution is so far answered, even though no special benefit should be thought to accrue to the baptized person. The pious parent may therefore rest satisfied with performing what he considers his duty. If the child live, the transaction may be useful, by way of subsequent improvement; nay, we must allow, that the Holy Spirit may in some cases regenerate the infant, in answer to the prayers of believing friends, even at the time of baptism; without confounding the outward sign with the thing signified, or supposing the sacrament to produce the effect by its own inherent energy. Many other things connected with this subject must be waved, for the sake of brevity; but these hints may perhaps assist some plain Christians to understand the nature of baptism, and their duties and obligations respecting it. The outward sign doubtless will not profit those, who live and die |