66 and next by teaching them the observance of the commandments of Christ, which is the end and aim of it. Thus they baptized and taught all that professed a belief in Christ, together with their families, whether children or servants, as being part and parcel of themselves, and subject to their faith: such as Lydia, and her household;"" the Jailer and all his,"-" the household of Stephanas," and "Lois, Eunice, and Timothy, grandmother, mother, and child!-Yes, the child Timothy, for a child he must have been; for St. Paul speaks of his youth 20 years after his christening. His family were discipled, A. D. 46– and in A. D. 66, St. Paul writes to him thus: "Let no man despise thy youth." Consult, I beseech you, Brethren, (and consult carefully,) the texts here referred to concerning Timothy, and compare the dates by looking at the margin of your Bibles, Acts, 14 chap. 6, 21, 22, v. 16 chap. 1, v. 1 Tim. 4 chap. 12, v. 2 Tim. 1 chap. 5, v. "Paul and Barnabas, being used despitefully in Iconium, fled to Lystra, and there they preached the gospel, early in the 46th year of our blessed Lord-they then went to Derbe and preached the gospel to that city, when they returned again to Lystra the same year, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith. In the beginning of the year 46 Timothy was christened, and in the year 66 he was but a youth: now must not Timothy have been a child, in the year 46? And now let us examine, and see whom John himself baptizedhe baptized all the people: "Now when all the people were baptized. it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized," &c. Luke, 3 chap. 21, v. It was John that baptized them, if you look at the preceding verse. What does "all the people," according to Scripture, mean? Shall I show you by a parallel text? Then turn to Joshua, 5 chap 8, v. and it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their camp, till they were whole." Were children included in the term, "all the people," or were they not? They were: wherefore children must be considered part and parcel of all the people," when John baptized, as well as when Joshua circumcised and they were: but here again the Baptists "put asunder what God hath joined together." We have, moreover, the testimony of some of the Fathers: for Ambrose speaks of infants. baptized by John the Baptist; and so does Augustin. Your church, therefore, rightly and duly baptizes all the children of her members, not of course unto John's baptism, for as said St. Paul, "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus;" Acts 19 chap. 4 v. but she baptizes unto Christ's Baptism, to wit, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and prays that "ye, being thus regenerate, and made the children of God by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by His Holy Spirit through our Lord Jesus Christ." Col. for Christmas Day. How then can I help expressing deep regret that there are some of your children now growing up, who are uncovenanted, disprivileged, and excommunicate, not having been baptized; who are aliens from the common-wealth of Israel, and excluded from the advantages of the freedom of the city of our Zion? "The soul of the uncircumcised man-child shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant," said God to Abraham, Gen. 17 chap. 14, v. Again "saith the Lord God; no. stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary." Ez. 44 chap. 9, v. "For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus:" Phil. 3 chap. 3 v. "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in Baptism," Col. 2 chap. 11. 12, v. "Therefore we are buried with Him by Baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Rom, 6 chap. 4, v. So that, I repeat it, they disprivilege and excommunicate their children -cut them off from their own people, thereby keep them out of God's sanctuary-hinder them from becoming "the circumcision, made without hands-i. e. the Baptism, by which its subjects are bound to walk in newness of life!"Let me here specify some of the temporal disadvantages of the unbaptized, young and old; for such, it concerns me to think, there are among us, tho' born of Christian parents. As the soul of the uncircumcised man-child was to be cut off from his people; he had broken God's covenant: Gen. 17 chap. 14, v. so the soul of the unbaptized child ought to be cut off from his people; he hath broken God's covenant. As the Jews said of old, "we cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: Gen. 34 chap. 15, v. so ought Christians now to say, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is unbaptized; for that were a reproach unto us. Also, 1 Cor. 7 chap. 39, v. She is to be married only in the Lord." 66 As to the ordinance of the Passover; "the Lord commanded, saying, no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof:" Exod. 12 chap. 48 v. so with regard to the Lord's supper; no unbaptised person must eat thereof; only the disciples. The unbaptized, like the uncircumcised, cannot hearken to the word of the Lord with any pleasure; they are disgusted at it. To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it." Jer. 6 chap. 10, v, And, lastly, should any die unbaptized, they are not entitled to Christian burial-they shall not be joined with us in their graves. "Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised, and thou shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised.” Ez. 28 chap. 10, v. 3 chap. 18 v. 3. They cannot see the nature of Christ's Church, or the Lord's Vineyard; in which "neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God, that giveth the increase:" tho' when He looketh for grapes, He may be disappointed: "He looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes!" Because they cannot always insure a good harvest, they exclude their own children, and fain would exclude those of their neighbours, from their lawful inheritance,-from their being set as young plants, and watered in hope and faith. Like the Sadducees, they "do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God." "For we are saved by hope." Rom. 8 chap. 24 v. "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." Gal. 5 chap. 5 v. Not seeing this, they cannot baptize their children in the name of the Holy Trinity, and trust that God will bring to pass His intentions regarding them by His Spirit through the merits of Christ, in His own appointed way: but they must first satisfy themselves that their children are fit to be baptized, though God Himself deems them holy by virtue of the faith of either parent: 1 Cor. 7 chap. 14, v. Yet they cannot deny that the benefit of this Sacrament is but too frequently for-. feited as well by those, who are baptized when adults after their own fashion, as by those, who are baptized when infants by the Church-by the former backsliding, and the latter not growing in grace; and that salvation is to be secured to the subjects of it only by their own future walk of faith. How writes St. Paul to the Galatians? "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Their is neither Jew, nor Greek, their is neither bond nor free, their is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." 3 chap. 27, 28, 29, v. (Now "the scripture hath concluded all under sin ;" therefore children;) "For what if some do not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid! yea, let God be true, but every man a liar." Rom. 3 chap. 3, v. Or what if even "they hold the truth in unrighteousness?"? shall their unrighteousness make the faith of God without effect? No: for "the wrath of God is revealed against all such." Rom. 2 chap. 18, v. But if ye prove yourselves to be Christ's, then are ye the true children of Abraham, the heirs apparent of the heavenly inheritance, given unto Abraham by promise. Happy they, who are B |