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 I THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, | 
 
 
 Princeton, N. J. 
 
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 BV 812 .W87 
 Wood, James. 
 
 A familiar treatise on 
 
 Christian baptism 
 
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FAMILIAR TREATISE 
 
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 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED AVITH ENGRAVINGS, 
 
 DESIGNED FOR YOUNG CHRISTIANS AND BAPTIZED CHILDREN, 
 
 BY JAMES WOOD. D. D. 
 
 PROFESSOR IN NEW ALBANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINAKY, INI», 
 
 NEW ALBANY: 
 JOHN B. ANDERSON, PUBLISHER. 
 
 1850. 
 
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the Clerk's office of the 
 District Court of the United States, for the District of Indiana, bj 
 JAMES WOOD, D. D., in the year 1850. 
 
 KENT & NOR MAX, 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 
 
 The following treatise is not designed for the learn- 
 ed. The reader therefore need not expect to find 
 any attempt at learned criticism. The first part, ex- 
 cept a few additions now made, was published sev- 
 enteen years ago, and addressed to a young convert, 
 one of the author's pastoral charge, for whose spe- 
 cial benefit it was \ATitten. I prepared it, as I then 
 said in an introductory note, " not because there are 
 no works on the subject which I for the most part 
 approve, nor because I consider myself capable of 
 writing with greater, or even equal ability with many 
 whose \mtings are before the public ; but because 
 most of the works on this subject are either too 
 long, are written with too much acrimony, or are not 
 sufficiently simple for common readers." 
 
 I am induced to publish another edition of part 
 first, together witli a second part, of which I had 
 given some intimation in my introduction to Part L, 
 by a communication recently received from a val- 
 uable friend and a prominent, influential pastor, who 
 after requesting me to publish or allow him to pub- 
 lish a new edition of Part I., and also to publish Part 
 II., writes as follows : " There can be no doubt of 
 
your duty to bring out the whole of this matter, 
 Your Part I. is of more practical value to me than 
 any other treatise." Were I at liberty to mention 
 the name of the writer, it would add weight to the 
 opinion here expressed, and be regarded as a suffi- 
 cient reason why a request coming to me from such 
 a source, and urged by such a reason ought not to 
 be disregarded. I shall also add a 3d Part on the 
 importance of christian baptism. Besides the hope 
 that it may be useful to young converts who may 
 desire to peruse a brief and plain treatise on this 
 subject, it has occurred to me, especially while pre- 
 paring the second and third part, that it may per- 
 haps be used with advantage by christian parents in 
 instructing the youthful members of their families, 
 who ought to be made acquainted in early life with 
 the teachings of scripture in reference to this ordi- 
 nance, and particularly with the nature of their re- 
 lation to the chm*ch as baptized children, and the 
 solemn obligation thereby devolving upon them to de- 
 vote themselves to the service of Christ. 
 
 To every one who may be disposed to give it a 
 perusal, I would respectfully say let the scripture 
 proofs and the reasoning connected with them, be 
 examined with due attention and candor. And 
 whatever may be the conclusion at which you arrive, 
 do not indulge an uncharitable or censorious spirit 
 toward those who differ from jou. One of the 
 brightest ornaments of the christian is charity; which 
 though it is perfectly consistent with a firm adhe- 
 rence to what we deem to be truth, is nevertheless 
 
so expansive in its influence, that it overleaps the 
 boundaries of sectarian prejudice, and extends the 
 hand of fellowship to the whole family ol true dis- 
 ciples. 
 
PART I. 
 
 WHAT IS THE SCRIPTURAL MODE OF ADMINISTERING THE 
 ORDINANCE OF BAPTISM. 
 
 It is supposed by some that unless the ordinance 
 is administered in a particular way, it cannot be pro- 
 perly called baptism, or be regarded as valid ; and 
 that the person so receiving it is to be treated as 
 unbaptised, until it shall be administered to him by 
 that particular mode. Those who maintain this 
 ground practice immersion, which they consider es- 
 sential to the ordinance. 
 
 It is not our design to advocate any one mode to 
 the exclusion of every other. The validity of the 
 ordinance consists as we think in its being adminis- 
 tered by a person duly authorised, and in the name 
 of the Holy Trinity ; and not in any particular way 
 of applying the water. But while we regard the 
 ordinance as valid in whatever way it is administer- 
 ed, our examination of the scriptures has led us to a 
 very different conclusion in respect to the mode from 
 that which is practised by those first alluded to. 
 Instead of finding that the Bible establishes immer- 
 sion as the only mode, we think it furnishes much 
 more evidence in favor of sprinkling, than of immer- 
 sion. 
 
 I. The baptism of our Savior. 
 
 There is no occurrence referred to so frequently to 
 
8 
 
 prove that christians ought to be immersed as the 
 baptism of our Savior. It is often said to young 
 converts as well as to older christians, how can you 
 expect, to have much spiritual enjoyment, so long as 
 you neglect so plain and important a duty, as fol- 
 lowing Christ into the water, and being buried with 
 him by baptism? And such has been sometimes 
 the effect of this appeal upon the ignorant and un- 
 reflecting, that in one case, within our knowledge, a 
 man who had been previously baptised by sprink- 
 ling, was unwilhng to defer being immersed for a 
 single week, for fear, as he said, he should die before 
 he should have the opportunity of following his Lord 
 into the water. 
 
 On this subject we may remark: 
 
 1 . That it will appear from a consideration of the 
 design of Christ's baptism that it w^as not intended 
 as an example for us. What the design of it was 
 we shall see hereafter. At present it is sufficient to 
 observe that his command for us to be baptized, was 
 not given in connection with his own baptism; but 
 after his resurrection, and just before his ascension 
 into heaven. See Mat. 28 : 19. But 
 
 2. Inasmuch as Christ appointed baptism to be 
 an ordinance in his church, his own baptism, which 
 had taken place several years before, though it had 
 a different design from christian baptism, may be 
 supposed to furnish some evidence as to the proper 
 mode of admmistering it. 
 
 3. The evidence derived from Christ's baptism, so 
 far from proving immersion to be the exclusive mode, 
 is decidedly in favor of sprinkling. 
 
The proof of this is short and simple. It rests 
 upon two well established facts, viz : that the design 
 of his baptism was to introduce him into his official 
 work as the Mesiah ; particularly into the office of 
 Priest, which was the basis of the other two offices ; 
 and that the priests were required, as a part of their 
 consecration to their office, to be sprinkled with 
 water. These two facts taken together, shew beyond 
 an}' reasonable doubt, that the ordinance w^as ad- 
 ministered by sprinkling. 
 
 The design of Christ's baptism, w^e said, was to 
 introduce him in a regular way according to the es- 
 tablished usage of the Jewish Church into the office 
 of Priest. At first John not understanding his de- 
 sign was unwilling to baptize him; "saying, I have 
 need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" 
 But Jesus said unto him, " Thus it becometh us to 
 fulfil all righteousness." Mat. 3 : 15. The answer 
 was satisfactory to John, and he proceeded immedi- 
 ately to administer the ordinance. But what did Christ 
 mean by this reply : " Thus it becometh us to fulfil 
 all righteousness:" What righteousness ? He meant 
 the righteousness, i. e. the requirements of the law 
 of iMoses concerning the priesthood. As he had 
 now arrived at thirty years of age — the time at 
 which the priests were to enter upon their office ; and 
 as he was about to enter upon his official duties, it 
 was necessary that he should be consecrated accord- 
 ing to the Levitical law: so that when he should 
 begin to preach and perform other official acts, no 
 objection could be made against his ministry, from 
 his not being properly authorized. 
 
10 
 
 Do you inquire how we know this to have been 
 his meaning? We reply that when "the chief 
 priests and elders of the people came unto him as 
 he was teaching, and said, by what authority doest 
 thou these things ? and who gave thee this author- 
 ity ?" he referred them to his baptism by John. "And 
 Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask 
 you one thing, Vv^hich if ye tell me, I in likewise will 
 tell you by what authority I do these things. The 
 baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or of 
 men ?" By this he evidently designed to be under- 
 stood, that if they would allow John's baptism to be 
 from heaven, they must admit his, that is, Christ's 
 authority; because John baptized him in order to in- 
 troduce him into the Priest's office. And it is evi- 
 dent also that they did understand him in this man- 
 ner; and hence they durst not answer the question, 
 lest they should be compelled to acknowledge that 
 he was the Messiah. Mat. 21 : 23-27. 
 
 Another proof that his baptism was designed to 
 induct him into the Priest's office is derived from the 
 fact that that occurrence is identified in the scrip- 
 tures with his anointing to this office. Very soon 
 after that ordinance was administered to him he be- 
 gan to preach. "From that time Jesus began to 
 preach.'' Mat. 4: 17. And having read the follow- 
 ing passage in Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is 
 upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the 
 gospel,"' &c., he commenced his discourse by saying, 
 "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." 
 Luke 4: lG-21. We ask how was that scripture 
 
BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 
 
 I have in my possession a voiame with six ancient 
 engravings similar to this, the oldest of which bear? 
 date A. D. 401. See Taylor's Apostolic Baptism, 
 Christ is standing in the Jordan, and John the Bap- 
 tist is represented in one of these as applying water 
 with the hand, and in others with a perforated vessel, 
 through the holes of which the water is falling in 
 «mall streams on the Savior's head. 
 
 9 
 
18 
 
 then fulfilled? The connection clearly shows that \X 
 was fulfilled by his having been just anointed to 
 preach the gospel. He had been designated to this 
 office long before, even from everlasting. But he 
 was not set apart until now. And hence he never 
 appeared before the public as a teacher until this 
 time. And now he would not do it without first 
 fallowing to the people his authority ; lest they should 
 ^ay that he was assuming an office to which he had 
 not been regularly consecrated. Accordingly he in- 
 troduced himself by reading the prophecy concern- 
 ing the anointing of the Messiah, and by declaring 
 that that scripture was then fulfilled; that he had 
 been anointed to the work assigned him by his Fath- 
 er, and would therefore on that occasion commence 
 the discharge of his official duties. 
 
 But when did his anointing take place? Evident- 
 ]y at his baptism, which had occurred a little before 
 this time — when the Holy Spirit descended and sat 
 upon him in the form of a dove. This we believe is 
 not denied by any. But if proof is demanded, the 
 following is sufficient : " The word which God sent 
 unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus 
 Christ; (he is Lord of all;) that word I say, ye know, 
 which was published throughout all Judea, and be- 
 gan in Galilee, after the baptism which John preach- 
 ed; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the 
 Holy Ghost and with power." iVcts 10: 36-38. 
 Here John's baptism and Christ's anointing are re- 
 ferred to the same period. It is expressly said that 
 the w-ord declaring him to be anointed began <x£tei 
 
14 
 
 the commencement of John's baptism. And it is 
 clearly implied that the act itself of anointing him 
 to his office took place at that time ; because imme- 
 diately after his baptism by John and not before, he 
 began to work miracles; and his working of mira- 
 cles is associated with his anointing. "Anointed 
 with the Holy Ghost and with power." Now every 
 reader of the Bible knows that anointing was a part 
 of the consecration of the priests to their office. 
 Consequently the baptism of Christ and the descent 
 of the Holy Spirit upon him, must have been design- 
 ed to induct him into that office. 
 
 Since then the design of Christ's baptism was to 
 induct him into the Priest's office, w^e have only to 
 refer, in order to show how he w^as baptized, to 
 the consecration of the Priests, as we find it record- 
 ed in the Bible. "And thou shalt bring Aaron and 
 his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the con- 
 gregation and wash them with water. And thou 
 shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint 
 him and sanctify him that he may minister unto me 
 in the priest's office. And thou shalt bring his sons, 
 and clothe them with coats ; and thou shalt anoint 
 them as thou didst anoint their father that they may 
 minister unto me in the priest's office; for their 
 anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood 
 throughout their generations." Ex.40: 12-15. 
 
 Their anointing was to be performed as follows : 
 " Then shalt thou take the anointing oil and pour it 
 upon his head and anoint him." Ex. 29 : 7. This 
 we have already shown was done to our Savior by 
 
15 
 
 the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him immediate- 
 ly after he was baptized. " And lo the heavens were 
 opened unto him, and he [John] saw the Spirit of 
 God descending like a dove and lighting upon him." 
 Mat. 3: 16. 
 
 But the Priests were not only to be anointed with 
 oil, but washed with water. This was performed 
 upon our Savior by his baptism ; which correspond- 
 ed even in the order of time with the washing of the 
 priests. They were to be first washed, and then 
 anointed. So our Savior was first baptized, and 
 then the Holy Spirit descended and rested upon him ; 
 thus " anointing him" in a miraculous manner, " with 
 the oil of gladness above his fellows." 
 
 The only question now is, by what mode were the 
 priests to be washed ? We reply that in the conse- 
 cration of Aaron and his sons, all that is said by 
 which we can determine the mode, is that they were 
 to be washed with water contained in a laver or ba- 
 son that w^as placed at the door of the tabernacle, 
 and which was to stand there from day to day for the 
 priests to wash their hands and feet in when they 
 w^ere about to engage in their official duties. Ex. 
 40 : 30-32. This circumstance affords at least pro- 
 bable evidence that they were not immersed. But 
 tlie matter w^as not left here. The whole tribe of 
 Levi were to be consecrated to the service of the 
 sanctuary as well as Aaron and his sons. And in 
 the account which is left of the consecration of the 
 Levites, we have recorded in a specific and particu- 
 lar manner what in the case of the others was ex- 
 
16 
 
 pressed in general terms. In the one case it simply 
 says, " thou shalt wash them with water." But in 
 the other it informs us in what way this must be 
 done. " And thus shalt thou do unto them to cleanse 
 them: sprinkle water of purifying upon them." 
 Num. 8: 7. Thus the mode of applying the water 
 was settled by divine appointment; which, it is fair 
 to conclude, applied to the priests as well as to the 
 Levites ; since in the absence of scripture testimony, 
 no reason can be given why the latter were required 
 to be sprinkled and the former immersed. 
 
 Now who can hesitate for a moment, with this fact 
 before him, unless there is express testimony to the 
 contrary, to admit that Christ must have been bap- 
 tized by sprinkling ? Would he in his induction into 
 the Priest's office deviate from the order of his Fath- 
 er's house, when in every other respect he was so 
 exact in the observance of the Levitical law? The 
 supposition cannot be admitted. We repeat it then, 
 he must, as appears to us, have been baptized by 
 sprinkling. And consequently his baptism so far as 
 it affords any evidence on the subject, is decidedly 
 in favor of that mode. 
 
 Those texts which are relied on to prove his im- 
 mersion will be considered hereafter. We would 
 notice them now, if they affected the preceding ar- 
 gument; that by balancing the two together we 
 might estimate their comparative weight. But as 
 the above proof is entirely independent of those 
 texts, and as we think, not contradicted by them, we 
 shall defer the consideration of them, in order to take 
 
17 
 
 them up in connection with some others of a similar 
 character. The same course will also be pursued in 
 relation to the baptism of the Eunuch which we are 
 now to consider. 
 
 II. The Baptism of the Eunuch. 
 
 The account of the Eunuch's baptism is recorded 
 in the 8th chapter of the Acts, commencing at the 
 26th verse. By reading this account it will be per- 
 ceived that when Philip joined himself to the char- 
 iot, the Eunuch was reading a passage in the pro- 
 phecy of Isaiah; and that Philip "began at the same 
 scripture and preached unto him Jesus." The pas- 
 sage which he was reading is in the 53d chapter of 
 Isaiah, the 7th and 8th verses. But if you consult 
 the passage, you will perceive that he was then in 
 the very middle of the subject, which commenced at 
 the 13th verse of the preceding chapter, and extend- 
 ed to the end of the chapter which he was reading. 
 All these verses then may be justly considered as 
 forming the basis of Philip's discourse. As you read 
 them, recollect that the Bible was not then divided, 
 as it now is, into chapters and verses. 
 
 Now notice another fact, viz: that the proposal 
 for the Eunuch to be baptized came from the Eunuch 
 himself. "And as they went on their way they 
 came to a certain water : and the Eunuch said, see 
 here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" 
 Of course he must have known that baptism was an 
 ordinance of the Christian church. But where did 
 he obtain this knowledge ? He had just been up to 
 Jerusalem to worship ; but not with the disciples of 
 
18 
 
 Christ. Though a Gentile by birth, he was, as to 
 his rehgion, a Jew; and while at Jerusalem, he 
 would be likely to mingle exclusively with the Jews ; 
 who thought too meanly of the infant-church of 
 Christ, to give him any account of its organization. 
 It is reasonable to suppose that they would studious- 
 ly avoid giving him any information as to the exis- 
 tence of this new sect; lest by some means he might 
 become tinctured with their doctrines and carry the 
 knowledge of them to his own country. But if they 
 spoke at all, it would be to mention such circum- 
 stances as would be calculated to fix upon his mind 
 an invincible prejudice against the Savior and his 
 disciples. Christian baptism would not therefore 
 form any part of their conversation. 
 
 To us it seems quite clear that he could have re- 
 ceived this information from no other source than 
 from the preaching of Philip. And if not, then Phil- 
 ip in expounding the Prophecy of the Messiah which 
 the Eunuch was reading, must have preached bap- 
 tism. Now read the whole prophecy, beginning at 
 the 52d chapter and 13th verse, and tell us in what 
 part of it he found any thing which led him to speak 
 about baptism. He must have found it in the 15th 
 verse of the 52d chapter. " So shall he sprinkle 
 many nations." By analyzing this text we shall be 
 able to ascertain how the Eunuch was baptized. 
 
 1. The word "he," refers to the Messiah. "Of 
 whom spake the prophet this," said the Eunuch to 
 Philip, " of himself or some other man ? And PhiHp 
 began at the same scripture and preached unto him 
 Jesus." 
 
BAPTISM OF THR EUNUCH. 
 
 In several ancient cuts, candidates for baptism are 
 represented as kneeling and the administrator as 
 pouring water on the head with some kind of vessel. 
 
 2a 
 
21 
 
 2. The phrase "many nations" refers to the Gen- 
 tiles ; who, if they beUeved, were to receive the or- 
 dinance of baptism, and be admitted into the Chris- 
 tian church, no less than the Jews. This declara- 
 tion was probably made by Philip ; as we infer from 
 the request of the Eunuch, (who was a Gentile by 
 birth,) to be baptized — a request which would be 
 very natural after such a declaration from Philip. 
 " May the many Gentile nations be admitted as well 
 as the Jews, to the Messiah's kingdom, and is bap- 
 tism the initiatory ordinance? What doth hinder 
 me, who belong to one of those many nations, from 
 receiving the ordinance?" Then upon his declaring 
 that he believed, Philip proceeded to baptize him. 
 
 3. The word "sprinkle" needs no explanation. 
 The only question which can arise concerning it is, 
 whether it refers to water baptism or to spiritual 
 cleansing. Probably it refers to both. But as this 
 is not essential to our argument, we are not anxious 
 at present to decide. If Philip gave the Eunuch his 
 first ideas concerning Christian baptism by expound- 
 ing to him that text, it is clear that he would teach 
 him that mode of administering the ordinance which 
 corresponded with the language of the prophecy; 
 whether the ordinance itself was primarily referred 
 to, or that spiritual cleansing of which the ordinance 
 is a symbol. And it is equally clear (for consistency 
 required it,) that he must have practiced according 
 to the same mode; i. e. by sprinkhng. 
 
 On the supposition that he immersed him, he must 
 have addressed the Eunuch in language like the fol- 
 
22 
 
 lowing: "My Gentile brother, I have been telling 
 you of the effusion of the Holy Spirit upon the Gen- 
 tiles, which is to take place under the gospel, and 
 their introduction into the Christian church by bap- 
 tism ; agreeably to the prophecy, " So shall he sprin- 
 kle many nations." But 1 must inform you that we 
 do not in our practice adhere to the language of the 
 prophecy in every particular — we do not sprinkle, 
 but immerse." How improbable — nay, how absurd 
 is such a supposition as this ! We appeal then to 
 the candor of every reader, whether the evidence is 
 not strong, if not decisive, that the Eunuch was bap- 
 tized by sprinkling. 
 
 III. Other instances of Baptism recorded in the New 
 Testament. 
 
 Since w^e have established the fact that our Savior 
 and the Eunuch were baptized by sprinkling — which 
 are the only cases in the Bible in w^hich the persons 
 baptized are said to have gone into the water; it is 
 unnecessary to refer to any other examples. For if 
 those who went into the water in order to be bap- 
 tized, were sprinkled, we may safely conclude that 
 those were also sprinlded who do not appear to have 
 gone near any water ; but to have been baptized in 
 the house. Such was the case with those who were 
 converted on the day of Pentecost — Acts 2:2; with 
 Paul — Acts 9:18; with Cornelius and his friends — 
 Acts 10: 48; and with the jailor and his household 
 —Acts 16: 33. 
 
 The only exception to this, besides what has been 
 considered, is the baptism of Lydia, which it is pro- 
 
23 
 
 bable was performed " by a river side." Concerning 
 this the following remark, we think, will be in point, 
 viz : that in baptizing her there, the apostles pursued 
 what appears to have been their uniform course — 
 which was to baptize their converts on the very spot 
 where they were converted. We do not read of a 
 single instance of their leaving the place where they 
 happened to be when the individuals were converted, 
 in order to administer this ordinance. If they were 
 in the city of Jerusalem, as they were on the day of 
 Pentecost, the ordinance was administered there. 
 If they were in a private dwelling, as in the case of 
 Cornelius, it was attended to there. If they were in 
 a prison, as was the fact, when the jailor was con- 
 verted, baptism was performed in the outer court of 
 that building. "And brought them out" — Acts 16: 
 30 — i. e. from "the inner prison" — v. 24 — into the 
 outer court — or room for debtors and petty criminals. 
 And if they were beside a brook or river as in the 
 case of the Eunuch and of Lydia, this sacrament 
 was administered there. 
 
 The fact therefore that she was baptized " by a 
 river side," (admitting it to be so, though it is not 
 stated explicitly — see Acts 16: 13-15,) is just what 
 we should expect to hear — inasmuch as that was the 
 place of her conversion. This woman and certain 
 other devout Jews were accustomed to resort there 
 on the Sabbath for prayer; that in this pleasant and 
 retired place, without the walls of the city, they 
 might worship God, without being disturbed in their 
 3 
 
24 
 
 devotions by the idolatrous and persecuting inhabi- 
 tants of Philippi. To this place Paul resorted, as 
 was very natural, on the Sabbath after his arrival at 
 that city, and preached the gospel. He was ac- 
 quainted with the fact that his Jewish brethren who 
 resided in that city, were accustomed to assemble 
 there for worship; and he went there to worship 
 with them, and to make known the religion of Christ. 
 His was the first gospel sermon ever preached there, 
 and Lydia was the first Christian convert. Of course 
 he did not select the spot for the purpose of baptiz- 
 ing, as some profess to believe ; for it was not se- 
 lected by him at all. It had been selected before by 
 certain pious Jews — not for baptizing, but for prayer. 
 "Where prayer was wont to be made" — Acts 16: 
 13. Gr. " where there was wont to be a proseuchcE*' 
 —a Jewish place of prayer. Paul's presence there 
 was wholly providential. And his preaching having 
 been blessed to the conversion of Lydia, her bap- 
 tism, according to the rule just given, by which the 
 apostles were usually governed, would follow as a 
 matter of course, whether she had been in that place 
 or in any other. But as not a syllable is said about 
 the mode in which it was administered, we have 
 reason to believe, judging from the examples which 
 we have already considered, that it was performed 
 by sprinkling. There is, to say the least, no evi- 
 dence to the contrary. 
 
 IV. Evidence concerning the mode of Baptism, de- 
 rived from some Scripture facts in the history and cus- 
 toms of the Jews. 
 
BAPTISM OF THE ISRAELITES IN THE 
 CLOUD AND L\ THE SEA. 
 
 1 Cor. 10: 2. 
 
27 
 
 This evidence is two fold — first from the baptism 
 of the Israelites in the cloud and in the sea ; and 
 secondly from their religious purifications. The ac- 
 count of the former is found in 1st Cor. 10:2. "And 
 were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the 
 sea." 
 
 The analogy between this and Christian baptism 
 is the following, viz : that the Israelites are said to 
 have been initiated by baptism into the Jewish 
 church, in the same manner as the disciples of Christ 
 are into the Christian church. Compare the above 
 passage with Rom. 6 : 3, and Gal. 3 : 27. In these 
 texts Cliiistians are said to be baptized "into Christ" 
 — a phraseology exactly corresponding with that 
 which is used in regard to the Israelites. ^'Unto or 
 into Moses" — " into or unto Christ." In the Greek 
 the prepositions preceding Christ and Moses are one 
 and the same ; which is rendered either into or unto, 
 at pleasure. 
 
 This exact correspondence in the phraseolog}' em- 
 ployed in the two cases, shews that when the Apos- 
 tle used the term baptism in relation to the Israel- 
 ites, he had Christian baptism in his mind; and that 
 he considered the one as adapted to illustrate the 
 other. 
 
 But how were they baptized in the sea? Not by 
 immersion, for they went over on dry ground. Ex. 
 14: 22-29. It must have been by the sprinkling of 
 the spray from the water ; which was " a wall unto 
 them on their right hand and on their left." Nor 
 .could they have been immersed in the cloud. For 
 
28 
 
 the cloud was before and above them. " And the 
 Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a 
 cloud." Again, " He spread a cloud for a covering." 
 Ex. 13: 21. Ps. 105: 39. They could have been 
 baptized in no other way, as we can perceive, than 
 by the sprinkling of mist or rain from the cloud. So 
 far therefore as this example proves any thing on 
 the subject, it goes to establish the fact that sprink- 
 ling is the most proper mode of Christian baptism. 
 
 The other particular to whicii we referred under 
 this head was the Jewish purifications. These be- 
 ing of a religious nature, and the mode of perform- 
 ing them being of divine appointment, and being 
 also called baptisms in several places of scripture, 
 afford much proof as to the proper mode of admin- 
 istering that ordinance. 
 
 They are called baptisms in the following texts : 
 " And when they come from the market, except they 
 wash (Gr. baptize,) they eat not. And many other 
 things there be, which they have received to hold, as 
 the washings (Gr. baptisms,) of cups and pots and 
 brazen vessels and tables." Mark: 4. AlsoHeb.9: 
 10. "Which stood only in meats and drinks and divers 
 washings (Gr. baptisms;) and carnal ordinances." 
 These texts shew that Mark and Paul considered the 
 word baptism a fit term to employ in order to de- 
 scribe the Jewish purifications. Or in other words, 
 they prove that baptism was regarded by the ^vriters 
 of the 'New Testament as essentially the same thing 
 with the religious washings of the Jews. It is there- 
 fore proper for us in speaking on the subject to rea- 
 
29 
 
 son from the one to the other. Now it is well 
 known to those who have carefully read the scrip- 
 tures, that the Jewish purifications were performed 
 in most cases by sprinkling. See Lev. 14: 7, 16 
 27, 51. Num. 8 : 7, and 19 : 18, 19. The inference 
 then is that sprinkling is a scriptural mode of Chris- 
 tian baptism. 
 
 V. Evidence concerning the mode of Baptism derived 
 from the hlood of Christ, and the influences of the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 First, the blood of Christ. This is never called in 
 scripture the blood of dipping or immersion; but 
 the blood of sprinkling. " To Jesus the Mediator of 
 the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling.'' 
 Heb. 12: 24. "Unto obedience and sprinkling of 
 the blood of Christ." 1st Pet. 1 : 2. This has allu- 
 sion to the sprinkling of blood so often practised in 
 the Jewish sacrifices ; and it represents the purifica- 
 tion of the conscience through the application of 
 Christ's blood. In like manner baptism is designed 
 to represent something very similar, viz : the purifi- 
 cation of the heart. The fact therefore that the 
 former is denominated the blood of sprinkling, is a 
 proof that the latter ought to be administered in the 
 same way. 
 
 Secondly, the influences of the Holy Spirit are 
 likewise represented in scripture by sprinkling, or 
 pouring* — never by immersion. The following texts 
 
 * We have not before now used the term pouring, because the bible 
 does not use it we believe in relation to any of the points which we have 
 yet treatc'\ To d sc.ibe the inffuer.C3s of the Holy Spirit, this term ie 
 
30 
 
 among many others are in point. " I will pour out 
 my Spirit upon thy seed." Isa. 44 : 3. "I will pour 
 out my Spirit upon all flesh." Joel 2 : 28. " Then 
 will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be 
 clean." Ezek. 36: 25. In accordance with these 
 texts, Peter said on the day of Pentecost, " There- 
 fore being by the right hand of God exalted, and 
 having received of the Father the promise of the 
 Holy Ghost he hath shed forth" — mark, shed forth 
 "this which ye now see and hear." Acts 2: 33. 
 Now this shedding forth of the Holy Spirit is called 
 baptism. Acts 1: 5. "John truly baptized with 
 water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost 
 not many days hence." And immediately after three 
 thousand of them had been thus baptized; i. e. with 
 the Holy Ghost shed forth upon them ; they received 
 water baptism as the symbol of it. Of course if the 
 symbol corresponded with the manner of the Spirit's 
 descent, it must have been performed by sprinkling 
 or pouring. 
 
 Again, the design of baptism is to represent the 
 work of the Holy Spirit. This is evident from such 
 texts as the following: "For by one Spirit are we 
 all baptized into one body." 1st Cor. 12 : 13. "For 
 as many of you as have been baptized into Christ 
 have put on Christ." Gal. 3: 27. "Repent and be 
 baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus 
 Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive 
 
 used as well as sprinkling ; and we therefore introduce it. These two 
 modes however are essentially the same — both being performed by ap- 
 plying the water to the subject, and not the subject to the water, as in 
 the case of immersion. 
 
BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
 
 Acts 1 : 5, compared with chap. 2 : 33. 
 
 3a 
 
33 
 
 the gift of the Holy Ghost." " Arise and be bap- 
 tized, and wash away thy sins, caUing upon the 
 name of the Lord." Acts 2 : 38, and 22 : 16. " Ex- 
 cept a man be born of water and of the Spirit he 
 cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3 : 5. 
 In some of these texts the word baptize is used figu- 
 ratively and is evidently designed to represent the 
 work of the Holy Spirit. In the others it refers to 
 water baptism; but is used (as appears plain from 
 the connection,) as the external sign of the same in- 
 ternal work of the Spirit which is represented by the 
 word in its figurative sense — a coincidence that 
 shews this to be the design of the ordinance. But 
 the Spirit's influences as we have just seen are ex- 
 pressed in the scriptures by sprinkling or pouring ; 
 never by immersion. Since then baptism is an or- 
 dinance which is designed to represent those influ- 
 ences, it is manifest that the most appropriate mode 
 of administering it is by sprinkling or pouring. 
 
 VI. A consideration of the word Baptize. 
 
 We shall now proceed to consider those words and 
 phrases which are relied upon to prove immersion. 
 
 The word baptize is claimed as furnishing clear 
 proof in favor of immersion. Some are so confi- 
 dent that it signifies immerse, that in administering 
 the ordinance they say — at least one is known to 
 have said thus — " I immerse thee," instead of " I 
 baptize thee." But we think it will be found on ex- 
 amination, that the etymology of the word is by no 
 means decisive in favor of immersion. "While we 
 do not deny," says an able writer, " that this word 
 
34 
 
 often signifies to dip, we maintain, that it is also fre- 
 quently used with much greater latitude, and may 
 mean any apphcation of a body to a Uquid, by which 
 any portion of the liquid, however small, is imbibed. 
 In confirmation of this position, we appeal to all the 
 Greek lexicons of credit : in these the original word 
 is explained as meaning, not only to dip, but to 
 wash, to stain, to dye, &c. And we have fully satis- 
 fied ourselves, that the primary radical sense of this 
 word is, not to immerse but to dye ; that to dip is a 
 secondary signification, derived from the circum- 
 stance that dying was usually performed by immer- 
 sing the substance to be colored in a vat; that nev- 
 ertheless, the word is by no means confined to dying 
 by immersion, but with equal propriety signifies the 
 staining or coloring of a thing, in any other way, 
 even where the idea of dipping is out of the ques- 
 tion." We have introduced the above quotation 
 because those for whom we now write are not able 
 to appreciate critical remarks, but must depend for 
 information concerning the original word upon the 
 authority of the learned. 
 
 But though you may not be able to trace the ety- 
 mology of the word, there is another method of ar- 
 riving at its meaning, which you can understand as 
 well as those who are acquainted with the Greek. 
 It consists in comparing together those texts of scrip- 
 ture in which the word occurs, and ascertaining how 
 it is applied by the sacred writers. If the word 
 means primarily and uniformly to immerse, why do 
 we find it employed to represent the Jewish purifica- 
 
35 
 
 tions, which were usually performed by sprinkling? 
 and also to describe the influences of the Holy Spirit, 
 which are always expressed, where w^ater is alluded 
 to at all, by sprinkUng or pouring? 
 
 You are able also as well as the learned to reason 
 from the design of baptism. It is designed to sig- 
 nify, as has been showm, the work of the Holy Spirit. 
 This is so clear from the various uses of the word in 
 scripture that we wonder how any can entertain a 
 different opinion. But if the operations of the Holy 
 Spirit are designed to be represented by it, and these 
 operations are uniformly described where water is 
 referred to, by sprinkling or pouring ; then it cannot 
 be supposed that the sacred writers would have se- 
 lected a word to represent those operations which 
 uniformly signifies to immerse. 
 
 There are likewise some facts which have a bear- 
 ing on this point, and the force of which every reader 
 can appreciate. One is that there is strong evi- 
 dence that Christ was not immersed; and yet the 
 word baptize is employed to express the ordinance 
 by which he w^as inducted into his priestly office. 
 Another is that Christ employed the word in his last 
 commission to his disciples, " saying, go teach all 
 nations, baptizing them;" and yet but a few weeks 
 before this commission was given, he discountenan- 
 ced the practice of immersion in religious purifica- 
 tions. " He that is washed, said he to Peter, need- 
 eth not, save to wash his feet, but is clean every, 
 whit." John 13 : 9, 10. By reading this text in its 
 connection we shall perceive that so far from intro- 
 4 
 
36 
 
 ducing the practice of washing the body all over as 
 a religious rite, he discouraged it; by declaring it 
 unnecessary, and by refusing to gratify Peter who 
 wished to have water applied to him in a more pro- 
 fuse manner than our Savior was using it. 
 
 A third fact is that in the use of other words em- 
 ployed to express the same things which are repre- 
 sented by baptism, the sacred writers very seldom 
 make use of words that signify immersion, but very 
 frequently those that signify sprinkling or pouring. 
 The word immerse never occurs a single time in the 
 bible ; and the word dip is never used but in a single 
 instance where religious cleansing is referred to, ex- 
 cept for the purpose of sprinkling the blood or water 
 thus dipped up upon the person or thing to be clean- 
 sed. See Lev. 4: 6; and 14: 6, 7. Also, Num. 
 19: 18. 
 
 The single case referred to is that of Naaman, 
 who to be cured of the leprosy, dipped himself seven 
 times in Jordan. 2nd Kings, 5: 14. Besides this 
 there is not a single example in the bible of purifi- 
 cation being performed by dipping or immersing the 
 l^ody in water. And it is not clear that Naaman's 
 dipping himself consisted in immersing the whole 
 body. 
 
 On the other hand, words which represent a spar- 
 ing application of water are of very frequent occur- 
 rence. The term sprinkle, used either in a literal or 
 tigurative sense, and in reference either to blood or 
 water; the term pour, referring generally to the in- 
 iiuences of the Holy Spirit; and other similar terms, 
 
37 
 
 such a? drop^ distil^ shed, &c. occur, taken all togeth- 
 er, more than thirty tunes; including in the enume- 
 ration only those texts which throw light on the sub- 
 ject of baptism. There are many other passages 
 where some of these words occur, w^iich are not 
 embraced in this statement. Now is it probable that 
 the inspired writers would adopt a word to express 
 the ordinance of baptism which, on the supposition 
 that it signifies nothing but immerse, bears so little 
 analogy to the common phraseology of the bible? 
 If not, (and if the other facts mentioned are allowed 
 to have any weight.) then we may conclude that the 
 use of the word baptize, to say the least, is not de- 
 cisive in favor of immersion; but that it is perfectly 
 consistent with the adoption of a different mode. 
 
 A""!!. A considcTaiion of the phrases " went down into 
 the welter^ — " Because there was much water thercT ^c. 
 
 The phrases " went down into the water," and 
 "come up out of the water" occur no where in the 
 bible in connection with this subject except in the 
 account of the baptism of our Savior and of the 
 Eunuch. They will therefore after what has been 
 said concerning those cases require but a i^w re- 
 marks. 
 
 1 . It is capable of being shown by a critical ex- 
 amination of the original text, that these phrases do 
 not necessarily imply that the persons referred to, ac- 
 tually went into the water at all, but might have been 
 baptized standing or kneeling by the side of it. But 
 without insisting upon this, since it can only be 
 understood by the Greek scholar, we observe, 
 
88 
 
 2. That allowing them all the force which they 
 have as they read in our English bibles, they cannot 
 be supposed even by the advocates of immersion, to 
 furnish any thing more than the evidence of proba- 
 bility. It is not pretended by any body that " going 
 into the water" is baptism: for the administrators 
 themselves went into the water, as well as the per- 
 sons baptized. All that can be said is, that as they 
 went into the water, it is probable they were immer- 
 sed — for if they were not immersed why did they go 
 into the water at all? This is the whole strength of 
 the argument. But can no reason be assigned why 
 they did this, except for the purpose of immersion? 
 In the case of the Eunuch, an obvious and probable 
 reason was that he was travelling in a desert, and 
 it may be presumed, had no vessel to dip up the 
 water and bring it to the chariot. And the reason 
 for our Savior's doing it may be found in close con- 
 nection with that which might be given for John's 
 preaching in the open air. The latter was done 
 from necessity on account of the great multitudes 
 who attended on his ministry. And in the selection 
 of a spot for this purpose, he would naturally select 
 one that would be the most convenient for his hear- 
 ers, viz: near that noble river — the only one in the 
 land — which rendered the country around it produc- 
 tive, the atmosphere salubrious, and would contri^ 
 bute otherwise to the convenience of the people. 
 And being assembled on that spot, it was more na- 
 tural for them, considering the manners and customs 
 in the east at that time, to descend the bank of the 
 
39 
 
 river to receive baptism than to have the water 
 brought to them. This they probably did; and our 
 Savior in conformity with their example pursued the 
 same course. But, 
 
 3. If no satisfactory reason could be given why 
 they went down into the water, the evidence from 
 this fact in favor of immersion does not amount 
 even to probability, when it is recollected that we 
 have proved from other sources that both Christ and 
 the Eunuch were baptized by sprinkling. The cir- 
 cumstance of their going into the water weighs 
 nothing in our estimation against the proof which 
 has already been adduced. The same may be s^id 
 concerning the phrase "in Jordan." Jesus "was 
 baptized of John in Jordan ;" (Mark 1:9;) and yet 
 he was sprinkled. If then the multitudes whom 
 John baptized " in Jordan " followed the example of 
 their Savior in every particular, they were sprinkled 
 too. 
 
 . Nor does John's " baptizing in Enon because there 
 was much water there," prove that he immersed. 
 There were other reasons besides immersion which 
 might have induced him to select that spot — parti- 
 cularly the accommodation of the multitude who re» 
 sorted to him and who would need "much water" 
 to wash and cook with and for themselves and cam- 
 els to drink. And again ; whatever might have been 
 the reason for taking his stand there, we may infer 
 that it was not for the purpose of immersion^ from 
 the fact that at the very time when he was baptizing 
 in Enon "because there was much water there," 
 4a 
 
40 
 
 Christ and his disciples were baptizing greater num- 
 bers than he was, in another part of the land, viz : 
 in Judea, where large streams did not exist, and 
 where it does not appear from the account that they 
 were beside any stream at all. Compare John 3 : 
 22, 23, with John 4:1. 
 
 We admit however, that the mention of " much 
 water in Enon" seems to imply that John occupied 
 a peculiarly favorable spot for his ministry. If the 
 use of water for ordinary purposes is not deemed by 
 all a sufficient reason for his selecting that place, we 
 will add another which may divest the subject of any 
 remaining difficulty. Besides the use of water for 
 ordinary purposes, it is highly probable that it was 
 used as a prcjmration for the ordinance of baptism. 
 The Jews in case of bodily disease or other ceremonial 
 defilement, were required in order to their purifica- 
 tion, to bathe themselves in water as a preparation 
 for the sprinkling of water or blood, which succeed- 
 ed or accompanied the other. See Lev. 14: 8-14, 
 and Num. 19: 19, 20. The strictly religious part of 
 the ceremony was performed by sprinkling. With- 
 out this the previous preparatory bathing passed for * 
 nothing. See again Num. 19: 20. The object in 
 lequiring them to bathe their flesh appears to have 
 been to make them physically clean, because the per- 
 formance of the rite of sprinklingwhile their persons 
 were dirty and defiled, would indicate a state of 
 mind, which was dishonorable to God. For this rea- 
 Bon they were likewise required to wash or change 
 their garments as a preparation for any solemn act 
 
41 
 
 of devotion. See Gen. 35: 2; Ex. 19: 10, 11, 14. 
 If the people who attended John's ministry conform- 
 ed in this respect to Jewish usage under similar cir- 
 cumstances, " much water" would be a great con- 
 venience for bathing their persons and washing their 
 garments as preliminary to the ordinance of baptism. 
 In the volume already referred to (Taylor's Apos- 
 tolic Daptism,) there are found twelve engravings 
 taken from different churches in the east, some of 
 them bearing date as early as A. D. 401 and 454; 
 which represent our blessed Savior, the Emperor 
 Constantine, and others in the act of receiving bap- 
 tism. From these cuts it appears that the candidate 
 for baptism first bathed himself in water, and then 
 baptism was administered by pouring or sprinkling. 
 In several of them the person receiving the ordi- 
 nance is represented as standing in a vase up to the 
 waste in water, (Christ is standing in the Jordan,) 
 and the administrator is sprinkling or pouring water 
 on the head. In one of them the candidate has left 
 the vase in which he seems to have bathed himself, 
 and is kneeling near it receiving upon his head the 
 baptismal water. Where did the christians of those 
 times obtain this idea? May they not have received 
 it from the Apostles? If so, and if the Apostles 
 conformed in this respect to John the Baptist, and 
 John conformed to the Mosaic ritual with regard to 
 ceremonial cleansing; most of those words and phra- 
 ses which appear to favor immersion, can be easily 
 explained by referring them to this preparatory bath- 
 ing. Though it is not certain that even that was 
 
42 
 
 performed by immersing the whole body, it was an 
 approximation to it, and hence it might become the 
 basis of some allusions in the sacred writings con- 
 nected with the ordinance of baptism which appear 
 to favor immersion. 
 
 It may also give us a clue to the manner in which 
 immersion began to be practiced in administering 
 the ordinance of baptism. This preparatory bath- 
 ing was confounded with the ordinance itself, and 
 substituted for it, and the sprinkling or pouring of 
 water which succeeded the other was laid aside. 
 And yet if we reason from the analogy of the case, 
 that which was thus laid aside is essential to the or- 
 dinance, without which the bathing of the flesh or 
 the immersion of the body (supposing this to have 
 been the mode of performing it,) is to be accounted 
 as nothing. We do not affirm that immersion is 
 invalid ; and yet we would much sooner undertake 
 to prove it than to prove sprinkUng or pouring to 
 be so. 
 
 The phrase " one Lord, one faith, one baptism," 
 may require one or two remarks. The first is that 
 if the mode of baptism is referred to, as some sup- 
 pose, then I should be inclined to the opinion that 
 sprinkling and not immersion is the onl}^ proper way 
 of administering that ordinance. I consider the evi- 
 dence contained in the bible in favor of sprinkling 
 to be ten fold stronger than for any other mode. 
 But secondly, it is clear from another text of scrip- 
 ture that no reference is had to the mode. It is de- 
 clared in Heb. 9: 10, that there were divers modes 
 
43 
 
 of baptism : " which stood only in meats and drinks 
 and divers washings" — Gr. divers baptisms. This 
 shows that the ordinance may be properly adminis- 
 tered in more ways than one ; which could not be 
 the case if the passage under consideration referred 
 to the mode. The meaning of the passage is suffi- 
 ciently explained by another penned by the same 
 Apostle. "Now this I say that every one of you 
 saith I am of Paul; and I of Appollos; and I of 
 Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was 
 Paul crucified for you ; or were ye baptised in the 
 name of Paul?" Surely not — "There is one Lord, 
 one faith, one baptism." Paul never baptized in his 
 own name; nor did Apolios or Peter — but in the 
 name of Christ. \Yhat room was there then for 
 division? The apostles had not certainly given oc- 
 casion for it — because their preaching and their ad- 
 ministration of the ordinances, pointed invariably 
 not to themselves, but to Christ, who is all 9-nd in 
 alL Compare Eph, 4: 3-5, with 1 Cor, 1 : 12, 13, 
 
 Again, the phrase " having our bodies washed 
 with pure water," should not be unnoticed. " Hav- 
 ing our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and 
 our bodies washed with pure water." Heb. 10 : 22. 
 Upon this we remark ; 
 
 1st. That the term " icashcd^'' is very general, and 
 is consistent with any mode of applying the water. 
 But in the present instance the preceding clause ap- 
 pears to fix its meaning: "Having our hearts sprin- 
 kled, &c," This requires us on the principle of 
 analogy to understand the washing of the body ia 
 the last clause to be by sprinkling. 
 
44 
 
 2d. The use of the word ^^bodics^^ forms no valid 
 objection to this interpretation. By a common 
 fi;^ure of speech called synecdoche, the whole of a 
 thing is often emplojxd to express a part and a part 
 is taken for the whole; according to which, the body 
 may be said to be washed when water has been ap- 
 plied only to some part of it. As an example of 
 this see Mat. 2G : 7-12, and Mark 14 : 3-8. A wo- 
 man brought an alabaster box of precious ointment 
 and poured it on Christ's head. The Savior com- 
 mended her for this pious act, and said " She is 
 come before hand to anoint my body to the burying." 
 Notice, she poured it on Christ's head; but he said it 
 was poured on his bodi/, because the head is the prin- 
 cipal part of the body. For this reason the fore- 
 head is the most appropriate place to sprinkle or 
 pour the water in the administration of baptism. 
 Perhaps this is the foundation of those allusions in 
 Rev. 14 : 1 and 22 : 4 ; where the one hundred and 
 forty-four thousand ^vhom John saw on Mount Zion 
 in company with the Lamb, had "his Fathers name 
 vvritten in their foreheads." Again : we may employ 
 the word " bodies," without a figure, and still under- 
 stand ^' u^ashed " in the sense of sprinkle. Water 
 Bprinklcd or poured on the head, if done profusely, 
 will flow down upon the body ; in which case the 
 body may be said to be washed as truly in a reli- 
 gious sense as though it were performed by immer- 
 sion. Thus it was in the anointing of the Jewish 
 high priest, allusion to which is made by the Psalm- 
 ist, to illustrate the delightful duty of brotherly love: 
 
45 
 
 '' It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that 
 ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that 
 went down to the skirts of his garments." Psalm 
 133: 2. 
 
 VIII. A consideration of the phrase " Buried with 
 him by baptism. 
 
 The phrase " buried with him by baptism " occurs 
 in two places, viz : Rom. 6 : 4, and Col. 2 : 12 ; and 
 is very often referred to to prove the necessity of 
 immersion. 
 
 1. It is supposed by some to show that Christ was 
 immersed ; and that therefore we cannot be properly 
 baptized in any other mode. But so far from prov- 
 ing that Christ was baptized by immersion, his bap- 
 tism is not the subject of discourse, but their bap- 
 tism into Christ. Nor is Christ's baptism referred to 
 even by way of allusion. The imagery employed 
 does not lead us to the river Jordan, but to Mount 
 Calvary. Christ's death on the cross and his burial 
 in the grave, together with his resurrection from the 
 dead, and not his baptism, are the circumstances 
 alluded to by the apostle ; and from these circum- 
 stances the whole figure is borrowed. This is man- 
 ifest from a moment's examination of the passage 
 with its connection. But if it should be insisted that 
 Christ's baptism in some sense of the word must be 
 referred to, we observe that his sufferings and death 
 are denominated baptism. " I have a baptism said 
 he to be baptized with ; and how am I straitened till 
 it be accomplished ?" Luke 12 : 50. See also Mark 
 10 : 38, 39. In these texts his sufferings in the gar- 
 
46 
 
 den and on the cross are evidently referred to ; and 
 they confirm the opinion which we have advanced ; 
 since they show that if the word baptism in the 
 phrase under consideration refers to Christ at all, it 
 is used in a figurative sense, and alludes to the ago- 
 nies both of body and soul which he endured in his 
 last moments. All that we intend in the preceding 
 remarks is that no allusion is made to his baptism 
 by water. This is indeed acknowledged by some, 
 who nevertheless rely upon the passage to prove im- 
 mersion. By such it is supposed, 
 
 2. To furnish evidence concerning the design of 
 baptism ; which is, say they, to exhibit the burial and 
 resurrection of Jesus Christ; audit ought therefore, 
 in order to be analogous to the thing signified, to be 
 performed by immersion. But if baptism is design- 
 ed to exhibit Christ's burial and resurrection, there 
 was in the church a standing memorial of those 
 events for several years before they took place ; 
 which, unless baptism was a type, would have been 
 absurd. And if it was a type, then what was the 
 propriety of continuing it, after the occurring of the 
 events which it typified ? And farther ; if that was 
 the design of it, then baptism and the Lord's supper 
 signify nearl}^ the same thing; and the practice of 
 both of them at the same time is therefore superflu- 
 ous. The idea is likewise refuted by the general 
 language of scripture, which does not favor such a 
 sentiment, but gives an entirely difierent view of the 
 design of baptism. But again, 
 
 3. This phrase is supposed to prove that the Ro- 
 
CHRIST'S CRUCIFIXION. 
 
49 
 
 man and Colossian Christians were baptized by im- 
 mersion ; and if so, then this must have been the 
 primitive mode. Suppose we admit that im- 
 mersion was practiced in primitive times, and allow 
 this text to afford proof of it, it would not follow that 
 immersion was the only mode practiced in those 
 times; and of course this text cannot be adduced to 
 prove that immersion is the only and exclusive mode, 
 which it is proper to use at the present time. 
 
 But what if it should appear that the apostle has 
 no reference to the mode ? The connection as it 
 stands in Romans is as follows : " Know ye not that 
 so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ 
 were baptized into his death? 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. For if we have been planted together in the 
 likeness of his death, we shall be also in the like- 
 ness of his resurrection. Knowing this that our old 
 man is crucified with him, that the body of sin 
 might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not 
 serve sin." A careful perusal of this passage will 
 show that we are not to look to it for the mode of 
 administering the ordinance of baptism, but for the 
 solemn obligations which it imposes upon those who 
 receive it to be dead to sin and alive unto God. 
 The apostle's design in referring to their baptism at 
 all, was to furnish a strong dissuasive against their 
 living in sin ; which would lead him to speak not of 
 the mode of baptism but of its nature and import. 
 
^0 
 
 This fact alone ivill account for the character of the 
 figure here used, and assist us to understand it. If 
 he had intended to refer to the mode, we can hardly 
 suppose tliat he would have drawn his figure from 
 Christ's sufTeiings and burial. What resemblance 
 has any mode of baptism by water, to the exquisite 
 agony and death of our Savior on the cross? But 
 if the nature and obligations of baptism were the 
 theme of discourse, the figure was well chosen and 
 highly striking. Nor can we conceive how the mode 
 of baptism could be urged as a motive to induce be- 
 lievers to forsake sin. But a reference to its spiritu- 
 al import was exactly in point. 
 
 The language here employed seems to denote that 
 water baptism administered in any form is not the 
 chief thing referred to, but the baptism of the Holy 
 Spirit. The baptism here spoken of is represented 
 as resulting in the destruction of the body of sin and 
 their walking in newness of life — in the crucifixion 
 and burial (called here ''planting,") of the old man, 
 and the resurrection or renewal of the soul to a spir- 
 itual and holy life. ]Now such a baptism it is evi- 
 dent cannot be water baptism solely; for this pos- 
 sesses no such efficacy. It is however consistent 
 with the usual language of scripture to include both; 
 the one expressing the work of the Holy Spirit upon 
 their hearts in their conversion and partial sanctifi- 
 cation, and the other their solemn duty and engage- 
 ment to be entirely devoted to the Lord. In each of 
 these senses, the manner in which the subject is 
 treated, was calculated to produce a powerful eflect 
 upon their minds. 
 
CHRIST'S BURIAL. 
 
 5a 
 
S3 
 
 4. A very few remarks will now be sufficient to 
 shew the import and propriety of the phrase under 
 consideration. To the death of Christ succeeded his 
 burial. It was perfectly natural therefore for the 
 apostle, after having spoken of the former to advert 
 to the latter — which wa? a continuation of the figure 
 that he had begun; and necessary in order to com- 
 plete it. " Know ye not that so many of us as were 
 baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his 
 death ? Therefore we are buried with him by bap- 
 tism into death.'''' The latter is mentioned as a con- 
 sequence of the former. " Therefore," i. e. because 
 we were baptized into his death — were brought by 
 our baptism under the most solemn obligations to 
 die unto sin, in the same manner as he died for it; 
 "therefore" we are to be considered henceforth by 
 profession and engagement, as completely crucified 
 to the world with its affections and lusts, as though 
 we had been buried with Christ in the grave. Burial 
 is a token that the person is considered to be really 
 dead. The apostle therefore alludes to it in order to 
 give additional strength to the figure, asserting there- 
 by that unless their profession of religion was hypo- 
 critical they were in fact as well as by engagement 
 "dead to sin." 
 
 And farther; as Christ's burial was succeeded by 
 his resurrection to a holy and exalted life in heaven, 
 BO they were baptized into his death and burial, that 
 the old man of sin being destroyed, they might live 
 a new life of holiness. " Let not sin therefore reign 
 
54 
 
 in your mortal body, that ye sliould obey it in the 
 lusts thereof. How shall we that are dead to sin 
 live any longer therein ?" — v. 1 and 12. Such, if we 
 understand it, is the import of the Apostle's reason- 
 ing. And what more forcible exhortation could he 
 have given to influence those whom he addressed to 
 live holy lives? Christian professor, will you not 
 consider the exhortation as addressed to j'Ou; and 
 strive every day of your lile to put it into practice. 
 To conclude this part of the subject, we remark 
 that the preceding discussion shows how^ little rea- 
 son those who advocate immersion as the exclusive 
 mode of baptism, have for that confidence which 
 they generally manifest on this subject; as though 
 it was perfectly plain that they are right and every 
 body else is wrong. In order to substantiate their 
 sentiments, they must prove not merely that immer- 
 sion was sometimes or even generally practiced in 
 primitive times ; but always without a single excep- 
 tion — not merely that the scriptures favor immersion 
 more than any other mode ; but that they teach that 
 mode alone, while they furnish no support for any 
 other — not merely that immersion is to be preferred 
 and therefore practiced rather than any other mode ; 
 but that it is essential to the validity of the ordi- 
 nance — and consequently that those who have been 
 baptized in any other way are to be considered and 
 treated as unbaptized persons until they are immer- 
 sed. If it can be proved that a single person was 
 ever sprinkled by the apostles, their system is de- 
 
55 
 
 stroyed. If it can be shown from the general Ian- * 
 guage of scripture that any other mode is valid, 
 even though no example of baptism by any such 
 mode could be adduced, this would also be sufficient 
 to destroy their scheme. And has not such evidence 
 been adduced? We do not profess to have answer- 
 ed every question which may be asked in relation to 
 this subject — nor to have solved every difficulty that 
 may arise in the mind of the reader. This was im- 
 practicable, unless we had extended our remarks be- 
 yond the limits which we prescribed for ourselves. 
 But the prominent things have been stated on both 
 sides ; and we are persuaded that enough has been 
 said to satisfy every unprejudiced reader that those 
 who have adopted the practice of sprinkling or pour- 
 ing in preference to immersion, have not done so 
 without some. reason. There U at least sufficient 
 proof in favor of sprinlding, to warrant us in de- 
 manding of the advocates of exclusive immersion, 
 to manifest a little less confidence in their own sen- 
 timents, and a little more respect for the opinion of 
 others. As long as so much evidence exists in favor 
 of sprinkling we cannot but think it a little arrogant 
 in them to consider themselves as the only church 
 that is established agreeably to " gospel order," and 
 to treat all others, though they may acknowledge 
 them to be associations of true believers, as being 
 nevertheless without the pale of the visible church, 
 and not entitled to the privilege of christian com- 
 munion. 
 
56 
 
 So far indeed are the scriptures from proving im- 
 mersion to be the exclusive mode, that in our opinion 
 it cannot be positively proved from the bible, that 
 baptism was ever administered in that way. This 
 w^e think will appear by a recurrence to those texts 
 which are relied upon to prove immersion, and which 
 we have considered in the preceding pages. Those 
 therefore who generally practice sprinkling have as 
 much reason to adopt this as the only proper mode, 
 and to exclude from their communion all who prac- 
 tice immersion, as the latter have to exclude the for- 
 mer. 
 
 But we would rather conciliate than censure those 
 with whom we differ on this subject. Though in this 
 particular we consider them as being in an error, we 
 nevertheless regard them as Christians; and we will 
 cherish towards them those kind and fraternal feel- 
 ings which ought ever to exist between members of 
 the same family. If they reciprocate these feehngs 
 we shall rejoice. But if it shall be otherwise, we 
 will remember that they belong to the same brother- 
 hood of Christ with ourselves, and will still love 
 them and co-operate with them, so far as it is prac- 
 ticable, in the advancement of his kingdom — believ- 
 ing that in proportion as we become holy and in- 
 crease in the knowledge of God, we shall approx- 
 imate towards each other in christian fellowship, 
 until in heaven, if not before, "the middle wall of 
 partition between us" will be completely broken 
 down, an J we shall stand together in the "holy 
 
57 
 
 place" of the celestial temple, offer our sacrifices of 
 praise upon the same altar, eat of the same "peace 
 offerings," and emulate each other in nothing else 
 but in devout adoration before the throne of God 
 and the Lamb. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 [This note should have been inserted on the 9th page, in connection 
 with the statement of the argument witii regard to the design of Chiist's 
 baptism.] 
 
 "In the relation of his offices to one another," says Dr. Dick, "the 
 priestly office must be considered as the foundaiion ot the other two. If 
 Christ had not been a piiest, he would not iiave been a prophet and a 
 king; it being evident that, unless salvation hiid been obtained ibr us, 
 it could not be revealed and applied. All his acts towards sinners for 
 their deliverance from sin, and their restoration to the favor of God, 
 pre-suppose an atonement by which Divine Justice was satisfied. It 
 was necessary that, as a priest, he should fulfil the condition of the new 
 covenant, before he could administer it as a prophet and a king, for the 
 communication of its blessii gs.'' Such being the relation of his offices 
 to each other, there was no necessity of his receiving a distinct and sep- 
 arate consecration to all of them, because his induction into the priest's 
 office virtually introduced him also to the other two. Indeed the unc- 
 ticn which he received from the Holy Spirit was equally adapted to his 
 three offices ; for kings and prophets as well as priests were among the 
 Jews sometimes anointed with oil. So it was predicted of Chiist that he 
 Bhould, by one and the same act of the Holy Ghost, be anointed to all 
 these offices. See Ps. 45: 7, Isa 61: 1, and Dan. 9: 14. But his baptism 
 which formed a part of his consecration to his official work as the 
 Mesiah, has no cou7iler-pan in the Old Testament, except as it is found 
 in the ceremony ol consecration to the office of priest. 
 
PART II. 
 
 ARE THE CHILDREN OF BELIEVING PARENTS PROPER SUB- 
 JECTS OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 We are often told by those who do not practice 
 infant baptism, " Show us a thus saith the Lord for 
 it, point us to the chapter and veree where it is said 
 ' let infants be baptized,' and we will believe in the 
 doctrine ; but until you do this, you must not blame 
 us for rejecting it." 
 
 Now, though we cannot find a passage in which 
 the duty of baptizing infants is enjoined by express 
 positive precept, we can arrive at this conclu- 
 sion by a process which indicates as clearly the will 
 of God as though it were expressed in the form of 
 a positive law. It is not said in so many words that 
 we ought to observe the first day of the week as the 
 christian sabbath, and yet nearly all who profess to 
 receive the Ijible as a revelation from God, agree 
 that his will with regard to this point is taught with 
 sufficient clearness to render the observance of that 
 day obligatory on all mankind. Why should we be 
 less willing to abide by the same method of ascer- 
 taining his will in the former case than in the latter? 
 The question with us ought to be, what are the 
 teachings of God's word? without presuming to pre- 
 scribe to him in what terms he shall communicate 
 
 his will. It w^as for him alone and not for us to de- 
 6 
 
60 
 
 cide the form and manner of revealing the doctrines 
 and duties recorded in the sacred scriptures; it is 
 ours to study reverently and diligently what his 
 Spirit has indited, and by whatever method those 
 doctrines and duties are found to be taught, whether 
 in direct positive language, or by plain, necessary 
 inference, we are bound to receive them. To feel 
 and act otherwise is as unreasonable as the conduct 
 of Thomas, who declared that he would not be con- 
 vinced unless he could see with his own eyes the 
 print of the nails in his Savior's hands and thrust 
 his hand into his side. Fair and legitimate infer- 
 ence is as valid and conclusive in its teachings, and 
 hence as obligatory upon us as any other mode of 
 instruction. But this is only one aspect of the sub- 
 ject. Though we claim that inferential evidence is 
 sufficient to establish this or any other article of 
 faith or practice, yet as our Baptist brethren call 
 for a positive command, we are willing to meet them 
 on their own ground, as to the foundation principle 
 on which the ordinance of infant baptism rests. In 
 iavor of the doctrine of infant church membership, 
 we have a thus saith the Lord ; we can point to the 
 chapter and verse ; and until they can adduce some 
 other passage of scripture affording either positive 
 or clear inferential proof that this kind of member- 
 ship has been abolished, they must not think it 
 strange if we adhere to the doctrine, attach impor- 
 tance to it, and insist upon having it carried out in 
 practice, by that sacramental sign or seal of mem- 
 bership which Christ instituted for the church under 
 
61 
 
 the gospel dispensation. We proceed to adduce, 
 
 I. Evidence in favor of infant baptism from the identi- 
 ty of the old and new testament cluirch, and the ac- 
 knowledged membership of infants in the former. 
 
 We prove the identity of the church under the old 
 and new testament dispensation, 
 
 1st. From the fact that the Scriptures uniformly 
 speak of the church in the singular number, except 
 when referring to particular local organizations; and 
 when mention is made of those local churches it is 
 in such language as distinctly conveys the idea that 
 they are different parts of " one body, the church." 
 The same is true with regard to successive periods 
 of time. Though the word church does not occur 
 we believe in the English version of the Old Testa- 
 ment, it is found in the ISew where the Old Testa- 
 ment church is referred to, and without the slightest 
 intimation that a different ecclesiastical body was 
 meant from that of which the Apostles and primitive 
 Chi'istians were themselves members. Thus the 
 Pentecostal church " to which the Lord added daily 
 such as should be saved" (Acts 2: 47) was a contin- 
 uation of the same body w^hich is called (Acts 7: 38) 
 "the church in the wilderness." 
 
 2d. From the nature and perpetuity of the Abra- 
 Ijamic covenant under which the Old Testament 
 church was constituted. — See Gen. 17: 7-10. This 
 covenant was called by God an everlasting cove- 
 nant; was designed to have its chief fulfilment in 
 gospel times and was essentially the same in its 
 character as that which binds together professing 
 
62 
 
 Christians now. It was moreover neither abrogated 
 by the law of Moses nor by the Gospel dispensation, 
 and consequently is in force at the present day. 
 
 We do not maintain that God had no church in 
 the world prior to the covenant made with Abraham,* 
 but only that that covenant bound together the faith- 
 ful few who had been called out to separate them- 
 selves from an idolatrous world by firmer and more 
 sacred ties ; and brought them and their households 
 into a new and more solemn ecclesiastical relation 
 than had ever existed before; which arrangement 
 was designed to be permanent and to connect the 
 ancient vrith the Christian church in a way that had 
 never been done by any previous transaction. In 
 accordance with this statement we find Peter (Acts 
 3: 13-25-2G) and Stephen (Acts 7: 2-8) commenc- 
 ing their recital of the former history of God's people 
 with the name of Abraham, and connecting it and 
 also the covenant above referred to with the advent 
 of the jNIesiah, and with those extraordinary events 
 which were occurring on and after the day of Pen- 
 tecost. 
 
 The Abrahamic covenant was a bond not of civil 
 or national but ecclesiastical union. This is ren- 
 dered certain by the fact that for several hundred 
 years afler it was made, the seed of Abraham did 
 not exist as a nation. It was just such a bond as 
 unites together the members of the visible church 
 under the Christian dispensation. Its essence con- 
 
 * We suppose it commenced in the family of Adam. 
 
ABRAHAM ENTERING INTO COVENANT 
 \YITII GOD. 
 
 Gen. 17: I-IO. 
 
 6a 
 
65 
 
 sisted in requiring of all adults who came under it a 
 profession of the true faith, with a gracious and in- 
 valuable promise on the part of God corresponding 
 with this their profession ; which two things form the 
 substance of what is required and promised in the 
 New Testament church. "And he (Abraham) re- 
 ceived the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteous- 
 ness of the faith which he had yet being uncircum- 
 cised." Rom. 4: 11. Here was Abraham's profes- 
 sion of faith, corresponding with which was God's 
 promise "to be a God to him and his seed after 
 him." Gen. 17: 7. Take now an example from 
 the New Testament. " See here is water," said the 
 Eunuch to Philip, "what doth hinder me to be bap- 
 tized? And Philip said. If thou helicvest with all thine 
 heart thou jnaycstP Acts 8 : 36-37. Here baptism 
 is manifestly the seal of the same faith which was 
 sealed by circumcision in the case of Abraham. We 
 find also in the New Testament the same promise 
 as that which was made to the father of the faithful. 
 " This is the covenant that I will make," — saith the 
 Lord — " I will be to them a God and they shall be 
 to me a people." Heb. 8: 10. This language is 
 precisely the same as that used in the Abrahamic 
 covenant, and is intended to carry out its provisions; 
 that covenant having been designed to secure the 
 perpetuity of the church either among the Jews or 
 Gentiles, or both together, till the end of time. 
 
 That the Abrahamic covenant was a distinct cov- 
 enant from that made at Sinai of which Moses was 
 the mediator, and was not affected either by the giv- 
 
66 
 
 ing or the abrogation of the latter, is evident from 
 the fact that the gospel covenant mentioned in the 
 text just quoted (Heb. 8: 10) is contrasted with the 
 Sinai or national covenant (see verse 9th) and not 
 with the covenant made with Abraham ; concerning 
 which Paul says (Gal. 3 : 17) "that the covenant, 
 that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, 
 which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot 
 disannid that it should make the promise of none ef- 
 fect." The national or Sinai covenant with which 
 were connected their priesthood, and their numerous 
 ceremonial observances, was temporary, to be done 
 away when the New Testament dispensation should 
 be introduced; but the Abrahamic covenant was de- 
 clared at the time of its being made to be '■Everlast- 
 ing ;^^ it possessed in its very nature the elements of 
 permanency and could not be abrogated by the 
 shadowy and evanescent ritual of Moses. 
 
 Since then the ceremonial law did not affect it so 
 as to make the two stand or fall together ; neither 
 was it annulled by the gospel. If, as we have seen, 
 it so resembled the gospel as to be essential^ the 
 same with it in its requirements and promises, how 
 could the one have been annulled by the other? 
 We might say that the one succeeded the other, but 
 what would this amount to ? It would be like de- 
 claring that two men entered into covenant many 
 years ago and that they have now made a new one 
 which is essentially the same as the former. Who 
 would not say in such a case that the latter is in 
 reality the former covenant re-enacted? Precisely 
 
i 
 
ABRAHAM REJOICING TO SEE CHRIST'S 
 
 DAYar. 
 
 John 8: 56. 
 
69 
 
 of this kind is the relation between the New Testa- 
 ment covenant and that made with Abraham. "Ye 
 are," said Peter (Acts 3: 25-26,) "the children of the 
 covenant which God made with our fathers, saying 
 unto Abraham, 'And in thy seed shall all the kin- 
 dreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God 
 having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless 
 you," &c. In the passage just quoted from Gala- 
 tians that covenant is said to have been " confirmed 
 of God i?i Christ;'^ in this we are told that God's 
 " Son Jesus" in whom it was confirmed was sent to 
 the children of the covenant to carry into effect its 
 main provisions, viz : "to bless them, in turning away 
 every one from his iniquities." How was this done 
 except by those redeeming and saving mercies 
 which are contained in the Gospel ? The gospel 
 dispensation then is merely the carrying forward to 
 its completion the great and ultimate design of the 
 Abrahamic covenant. Accordingly Paul says (Gal. 
 3 : 8-9) that " the Scripture, foreseeing that God 
 w^ould justify the heathen through faith, preached be- 
 fore tlie gospel unto Abraham, saying * In thee shall 
 all nations be blessed.' So then they which be of 
 faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Again, 
 (verse 29,) "If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's 
 seed and heirs according to the promise." This ex- 
 plains and illustrates those words of Christ, (John 8: 
 56,) "Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and 
 was glad." 
 
 3d. If farther proof is demanded, we find it in the 
 i'act that when Christ disowned the Jews as a peo- 
 
70 
 
 pie and excommunicated them from their church 
 privileges because they rejected him, he did not tell 
 them that he would form another and a different 
 church, but that the Gentiles would be introduced 
 into the same kingdom from which they [the Jews] 
 should be excluded. "The kingdom of God shall 
 be taken from you and given to a nation bringing 
 forth the fruits thereof." Mat. 21: 43. In like man- 
 ner Paul (Rom. 11th chap.) teaches with great clear- 
 ness under the figure of an olive tree that the natu- 
 ral branches [the Jews] were broken off and branch- 
 es wild by nature [the Gentiles] were graffed into 
 the same olive tree [i. e. the same church] from 
 which the former had been excluded. " Some of the 
 branches he says were broken off." Of course some 
 were not broken off. Those Jews who believed in 
 Christ retained their standing in the church and the 
 believing Gentiles were incorporated with them, — 
 ^^ groffcd in among thcm^ to partake of the root and 
 fatness of the olive tree;" (verse 17,) which with re- 
 ference to the Jews is called (verse 24) " their own 
 olive tree;" i. e. the church of which their ancestors 
 from Abraham to Christ had been the favored mem- 
 bers. Into this same church he also says that those 
 unbelieving Jews who were now under the sentence 
 ol' excommunication shall be restored, when they re- 
 pent of their wickedness and embrace their long re- 
 jected Messiah. "And they also, (verse 23) if they 
 abide not in unbelief, shall be graffed in, for God is 
 able to graff them in again." What can be plainer 
 than this ? To my own mind the identity of the Old 
 
71 
 
 and New Testament church is here taught with the 
 clearness of a sunbeam. 
 
 The argument derived from this identity of the 
 chm'ch in favor of infant baptism may now be very 
 soon disposed of. It is admitted by all that infant 
 membership was universally recognized in the Old 
 Testament church, and that circumcision which was 
 the appointed sign and seal ot membership was 
 strictly enjoined, with a severe penalty annexed in 
 case of neglect. It must then be shown that either 
 Christ or his Apostles have excluded infants from 
 the church, which cannot be done, or it follows as a 
 necessary consequence, that they are as truly mem- 
 bers now as they were in the time of Abraham and 
 Moses, and that being such, they are entitled to be 
 so recognized, by the administration of baptism, 
 which is the acknowledged initiatory ordinance of 
 admission into the church under the Christian dis- 
 pensation. 
 
 II. Evidence in favor of infant baptism from 
 Christ's treatment of little children. 
 
 The record of what we refer to is found in Mat. 
 19: 14, Mark 10: 14, and Luke 18:15-16. In Mat- 
 thew it reads, " Then were brought unto him little 
 children that he should put his hands on them and 
 pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus 
 said, suffer little children and forbid them not to 
 come unto me ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 
 And he laid his hands on them." Mark adds, " and 
 blessed them." Before stating the argument it is 
 
 necessary to observe that this application to Christ 
 
 7 
 
72 
 
 for his benediction upon these children was not made 
 by them but by others in their behalf. They " were 
 brought."' It is not said how old they were, but 
 .Alark calls them " 3'oung children" and Luke " in- 
 I'ants," which shows that they were small. Mark 
 also says that Christ " took them up in his arms," 
 which is a farther indication of their early age. It 
 might appear from Matthew that they were old 
 enough to be rebuked; "the disciples rebuked them." 
 By the word them however he does not mean the 
 children, but those who brought them. In Mark it 
 is fully expressed : '' His disciples rebuked those that 
 brought them." It is clear therefore that they were 
 quite young : and that they were presented to Christ 
 not by themselves but by their parents, guardians or 
 other friends. 
 
 Concerning these little children Christ declared, 
 " Of such is the kingdom of heaven ;" in Mark and 
 Luke the reading is " the kingdom of God ;" by 
 which we understand him to mean that the christian 
 church which was soon to be commenced, and in 
 which his disciples then present would officiate as 
 ministers, would be composed in part of young chil- 
 dren; and the argument is that as they are mem- 
 bers of his church, they are entitled to the ordinance 
 of baptism, which is the visible sign and seal of 
 membership prescribed by him. One thing only 
 needs to be settled. If this interpretation of Christ's 
 words, "of such is the kingdom of heaven," be the 
 true one, then the argument is conclusive. Is this 
 the sense of the phrase? We answer in the affirm- 
 ative, because 
 
73 
 
 1. The christian or gospel dispensation of the 
 church is predicted in the Old Testament under the 
 name of a kingdom. See Dan. 2: 44. "In the days 
 of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a king- 
 dom," &c. This is without doubt a prophecy of the 
 erection of Christ's kingdom or church on earth at 
 the beginning of the gospel dispensation, as distin- 
 guished from the dispensation of the church under 
 the Old Testament. 
 
 2. Our blessed Lord speaking of the Old Testa- 
 ment church denominates it "the kingdom of God,'' 
 and by what he says in connexion with it he also 
 virtually applies the same name to the New Testa- 
 ment church. " Therefore say I unto you [unbeliev- 
 ing Jews] the kingdom of God \jo\xY church privileges] 
 shall be taken from you and given to a nation [be- 
 lieving Gentiles] bringing forth the fruits thereof." 
 Of course the appelation kingdom of God which the 
 Jewish church formerly enjoyed, was transferred to 
 believing Gentiles along with its privileges. The 
 Jewish church which was designated by this honor- 
 able distinction and other similar ones, such as " a 
 kingdom of priests," &:c., would be disinherited and 
 these names would be appropriated to the christian 
 church. See 1 Ret. 2; 9-10. Compare now this 
 appellation, "kingdom of God," which was given by 
 Christ to his church, with what he said concerning 
 little children : " Of such is the kingdom of God." 
 See Mark 10: 14, and Luke 18:16. Is it not mani- 
 fest that he refers in both cases to the same rehgious 
 community. 
 
74 
 
 3. John the Baptist and soon afterwards Christ 
 himself commenced their pubUc ministry by the an- 
 nouncement, *' Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is 
 at hand." See Mat. 3: 2, and 4: 17. By this king- 
 dom it is very obvious they meant the spiritual reign 
 of the Messiah on earth; or which is the same thing, 
 a new dispensation of the visible church, which was 
 about to be introduced under the ministry of Christ 
 and his Apostles. Let this again be collated with 
 the language employed by Christ concerning little 
 children: "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." Mat. 
 19: 14. Is it in the smallest degree probable that 
 Christ alludes in these two examples to different 
 things? If not then it follows that in that kingdom 
 of heaven, the gospel church, vrhich he said in his 
 preaching was then at hand, little children would be 
 recognized as members. 
 
 May not the reason why Christ was displeased 
 with his disciples for rebuking those who brought to 
 him these children, have been, because they evinced 
 by their conduct that they entertained erroneous and 
 unworthy views concerning the design of his mission 
 into our world; regarding him as a temporal king to 
 whom the office of blessing the people did not be- 
 long. Mark says, " he was much displeased." The 
 object in bringing them to him was to obtain his 
 blessing — " that he should put his hands on them 
 and pray." Mat. 19: 13. The disciples appear to 
 have thought that their Master ought not to be trou- 
 bled with applications of this kind, because being a 
 civil ruler and not a priest, matters of a different 
 
75 
 
 character would require his attention, and because 
 there were among them priests and levites, a part 
 of whose official duty was to bless the people. See 
 Deut. 10: 8, and 21: 4; also Num. G: 22-27. Christ's 
 reply to them and his treatment of the children, 
 were adapted to correct their mistake. He in effect 
 told them that his errand on earth was not to ad- 
 minister civil government, but to establish his 
 church, which was an object immeasurably greater; 
 and that his official work being sacred and not civil, 
 it was highly proper for the people to come to him 
 with their children and receive his benediction. Ac- 
 cordingly "he took them up in his arms, put his 
 hands upon them, and blessed them." Mark 10: 16, 
 This act of benediction was under the circumstances 
 and taken in connexion with the reason assigned — 
 " for of such is the kingdom of heaven," — a dis:^inct 
 recognition of their church membership. Their 
 right to the privilege of receiving his blessing is pre- 
 dicated upon their relation to his kingdom: "for [be- 
 cause] of such is the kingdom of heaven." In the 
 Jewish church the official benediction pronounced 
 by the high-priest was upon the whole congregation 
 of Israel, old and young, parents and children : it 
 was a public act, all classes of persons being pres- 
 ent; and hence the reason assigned for blessing 
 these infants was a virtual admission that if little 
 children were not to sustain the same relation to the 
 church under the gospel dispensation which they 
 had done under the old ; in other words, if it were 
 his purpose to exclude them from " the congregation 
 7a 
 
76 
 
 of Israel," [i. e. from the christian church,] they 
 would not be entitled to his benediction in the sense 
 here intended; and that those who brought them to 
 him for this purpose were justly rebuked by his dis- 
 ciples. Our Savior's blessing them was therefore 
 under the circumstances a distinct acknowledge- 
 ment of their church membership. 
 
 But by the phrase '^ kingdom of heaven" some un- 
 derstand the kingdom of glory. Though for the rea- 
 sons above given we do not adopt this opinion, yet 
 on the supposition that this is the true interpretation, 
 it furnishes a strong argument for infant church 
 membership. If it teaches infant salvation, which is 
 a doctrine we fully believe, would it not be incredi- 
 ble that Chrirft should admit a class of persons into 
 his kingdom of glory to whom he refuses a name and 
 a place among his people on earth? We are thus 
 brought to the same result as before. Either infant 
 church members are such, and are to continue such 
 without baptism, or they are to be baptized as the 
 initiatory, visible seal of their membership. Which 
 of these alternatives is the more probable? Let the 
 analogy furnished by the history of the old testament 
 church, in which the infant Savior himself condscen- 
 (led to receive the appointed seal of membership, 
 furnish an answer. See Luke 2: 21. Why do not 
 those who are so strenuous in pleading Christ's ex- 
 ample as an argument for going into the water, see 
 the propriety and force of his example while an in- 
 fant? After he was grown up did he ever rebuke 
 his parents for subjecting him to the rite of circum- 
 
79 
 
 cision? or intimated that they had performed a use- 
 less and unnecessary act? 
 
 III. A consideration of cur Savior's last commis- 
 sion to his Apostles, compared with the manner in 
 which they taught and practiced under it. 
 
 Those who deny the scriptural authority for bap- 
 tizing infants, maintain that they are excluded by 
 the Apostolic commission, which they say requires 
 faith in order to baptism ; and since infants cannot 
 believe they must not be baptized. " He that be- 
 lieveth and is baptized shall be saved." Mark 
 16: 16. 
 
 If these words admit of no other interpretation 
 than the one here assumed, viz : that faith is essen- 
 tial in all cases without exception, in order to entitle a 
 person to receive baptism, the above inference is 
 valid, and the practice of infant baptism must be 
 given up as unauthorized by our Savior. But do 
 they teach that faith is essential to baptism in all 
 cases? infants as well as adults? In order to make 
 the argument good, the premises must be as broad 
 as the conclusion. But as nothing is said in the 
 commission about infants ; by what rule of reason- 
 ing can the proposition be made to extend to them? 
 All wliich is taught by the passage is that unconver- 
 ted adults must not be baptized before they believe. 
 The utmost that can be inferred concerning infants 
 is that because they are not mentioned, therefore 
 this commission cannot be appealed to in favor of 
 infant baptism. But is not the same inference as 
 applicable to botli s.ides of the question as it is to 
 
80 « 
 
 one? If Christ's omission to say anything about in 
 fants prevents the use of it as a proof text in favor 
 of infant baptism, it also prevents its use for the 
 same reason as a proof text ogainst the baptism of 
 infants. TIius far therefore both parties stand on a 
 level. We must then resort to the circumstances of 
 the case; and if it can be shown that these were of 
 such a character that the omission of infants when 
 he sent out the Apostles to preach and baptize, can 
 be accounted for in no other way than by supposing 
 he designed to exclude them from the ordinance of 
 baptism, this again will settle the question against 
 the practice. But can this be shown ? On the con- 
 trary that omission can be accounted for, not only 
 without assuming that Christ intended to exclude in- 
 fants from this ordinance, but the inference from it 
 is decidedly the other way, viz : that they w^ere not 
 mentioned because he designed to make no change 
 in their former relation to the church, and hence 
 there was no necessity of giving any particular di- 
 rections on the subject. 
 
 1. The Apostles were by birth and education 
 Jews, and had always been accustomed to the rite 
 of infant circumcision, and they attached to it great 
 importance. 
 
 2. They were familiar with the baptism of prose- 
 lytes from the Gentiles, who as is well authenticated 
 by ancient history were received into the Jewish 
 church by circumcision and baptism — the males 
 both parents and children being circumcised and 
 baptized and the females baptized. The commis- 
 
*« 
 
 81 
 
 sion to preach and baptize (as its language clearly 
 shows) had particular reference to the Gentiles. 
 They needed no special instructions to preach to the 
 Jews. This they were commissioned to do at the 
 commencement of Christ's public ministry. But in 
 that first commission he told them not to go in the 
 way of the Gentiles, "but only to the lost sheep of 
 the house of Israel." Now he said : " Go teach all 
 nations, baptizing them," &c. Mat. 18: 19-20. The 
 word teach, in our English version, occurs twice in 
 this passage. " Go teach all nations," &c.; "teaching 
 them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you." 
 But in the Greek they are not the same words. In 
 the second instance it signifies to teach in the com- 
 mon acceptation of the term, viz: to instruct; but in 
 the first it would be more accurately translated by 
 the term disciple: "Go make disciples of all na- 
 tions;" which conveys a sense analogous to prose- 
 lyte : " Go make proselytes of them, baptizing them," 
 &c. — a direction which differed in no important re- 
 spect from what they had often seen carried into 
 practice, except that now they were to be made pro- 
 selytes not to Judaism but Christianity; and they 
 were not as formerly to wait for the Gentiles to 
 come and knock at their door for admittance, but go 
 out and offer them the blessings of the gospel. 
 
 3. Though the Gentiles were especially intended 
 in this commission, the Jews were not to be over- 
 looked. They were required to " preach in his name 
 among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." And 
 the recollection was still fresh in their minds, that 
 
82 
 
 Christ was much displeased with them for rebuking 
 some of their Jewish brethren because they brought 
 to him Uttle children to receive his benediction, and 
 that he had said concerning them " Of such is the 
 kingdom of heaven." 
 
 From these circumstances it appears to me to be 
 a fair conclusion that if Christ had designed not to 
 have his Apostles baptize infants, he would have ex- 
 pressly excepted them in the commission; and on 
 the other hand, that if he expected them to do it, he 
 would say nothing particularly on the subject; but 
 merely authorize and require them, as he has done, 
 in general terms, to extend to all the world those 
 precious privileges which had hitherto been enjoyed 
 for the most part by the Jewish nation alone. 
 
 We will now inquire how the Apostles proceeded 
 to teach and act under their commission. As to 
 their teaching, there are two instances on record 
 which bear on this point. One is the discourse of 
 Peter to a Jewish audience on the day of Pentecost, 
 and the other an epistle of Paul to a church of be- 
 lieving Gentiles. Peter's language was "Repent 
 and be baptized," &c., " for the promise is unto you 
 and to your children, and to all that are afar off, 
 even to as many as the Lord our God shall call." 
 Acts 2 : 38-39. 
 
 By the promise immediate reference was had to 
 the prophecy of Joel quoted by him at the com- 
 mencement of his discourse (v. 16-17;) in which was 
 predicted the effusion of the Holy Spirit. But there 
 was a farther reference to the promise contained in 
 
83 
 
 the Abrahamic covenant. This we think is proved 
 from the fact that in his next discourse (Acts 3 : 25, 
 26) he expressly connects with that covenant the ex- 
 traordinary events which were then transpiring. 
 " Ye are the children of the prophets and of the cov- 
 enant which God made with our fathers, saying unto 
 Abraliam; 'And in thy seed shall all the kindreds 
 of the earth be blessed.' Unto you first God having 
 raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you," &;c. 
 It is also proved from the reference made to that 
 covenant by Paul, who mentions the specific bless- 
 ing w^hich was enjoyed at the Pentecost, viz : the 
 Spirit as flowing from it : " That the blessing of 
 Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus 
 Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit 
 through faith. Gal. 3: 14. 
 
 This being settled we find no difficulty in under- 
 standing who were meant by ^^ children. '^^ The prom- 
 ise to Abraham is found first in Gen. 12th chap- 
 ter; it was repeated substantially in chapter 15th, 
 and renewed again with the seal of circumcision in 
 chapter 1 7th. In the 12th chapter no mention is 
 made of a covenant. In the 15th it is said God 
 made a covenant wiih Abraham ; but the words quo- 
 ted by Peter are not found in that chapter. By 
 comparing Acts 3: 25, with Gen. 12: 3, and 17: 7, it 
 will be seen that the quotation in Peter's second ser- 
 mon is taken partly from both chapters, but that a 
 particular reference w^as had to the 17th. This ap- 
 pears from the fact that the words are quoted as 
 forming a part of a " covenant^^ of which (as we have 
 8 
 
84 
 
 paid) no mention is made in the V2Xh chapter; and 
 that the word " seed " is introduced hy him, which it* 
 also wanting in chapter 12th. Both of these terms 
 are contained in the 17th chapter, which shows that 
 the Apostle designed to direct the minds of his hear- 
 ers especially to that. Now compare the words 
 "the promise is unto you and to your children,'^ 
 (Acts 2: 38-30) with that recorded in Gen. 17: 7. 
 which furnishes a key to the interpretation of Peter's 
 language: "I will establish my covenant between 
 me and thee and thy seed after thee," &c., "to be a 
 God unto thee and thy seed after thee." Whatever 
 is meant by ^^seed^^ in the one case, is to be under- 
 stood by ^'- children^^ in the other. We do not main- 
 tain that it signifies in either, little children exclu- 
 sively, or children of any age, as distinguished from 
 adults. But the connexion in which the word seed 
 stands in Genesis clearly shows that children of all 
 ages down to the infant of eight days old were in- 
 cluded. And if so would not Peter be understood 
 by his Jewish hearers as using the word children in 
 the same sense? It was as though he had said 
 '•Repent" and by the ordinance of baptism incor- 
 porate yourselves with the disciples of Christ; in 
 doing which your church privileges will not be 
 abridged, for the promise made to Abraham, " to be 
 a God unto him and to his seed after him," is to be 
 carried out under the christian dispensation — " the 
 promise is unto you and to your c/iddrcn, and to them 
 that are afar off, even to as many as the Lord our 
 God shall call." Some interpret these last words of 
 
85 
 
 those Jews who were not present at that scene ; but 
 it appears to me to accord better with the import of 
 the phrase " afar off" as found elsewhere to refer it 
 to the Gentiles, who are described by Paul as " afar 
 off;" (Eph. 2: 13-17,) and this sense is apposite to 
 our present purpose. Not only were Abraham's na- 
 tural seed according to that covenant to be blessed 
 through the Messiah, but " all the families of the 
 earth;" which last promise Peter refers to in these 
 words ; teaching thereby that " as many as the Lord 
 our God should call," to whatever nation they might 
 belong, would become partakers equally with the 
 believing Jews, of the privileges contained in that 
 covenant. As the promise belonged to the former 
 and their children so also to the latter and their chil- 
 dren. "Now we, brethren, [believing Gentiles] as 
 Isaac was are the children of promise." Gal. 4: 28. 
 The other case is recorded in 1 Cor. 7:14. " The 
 unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and 
 the unbeheving wife is sanctified by the husband: 
 else were your children unclean, but now are they 
 holy." It appears from the context that the design 
 of this passage was to solve an important practical 
 difficulty. It would often happen that the husband 
 would be converted from paganism to Christianity 
 while the wife remained a heathen; or the wife be 
 converted while the husband continued an idolater. 
 What course ought the believing party to pursue to- 
 wards the unbelieving? Must the former separate 
 from the latter? or would it be consistent with a 
 profession of Christianity for them to remain togeth- 
 
80 
 
 er ? and if so what relation would their children sus- 
 tain to the christian church ? The Apostle replied 
 that if the unbeliever choose to depart, let him de- 
 part ; but that the believing party must not be the 
 first to propose it. Oq the contrary, if the pagan 
 husband or w^ife w^as willing to remain with his chris- 
 tian partner, the latter must remain ; "for the unbe- 
 lieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the 
 unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband:" i. e. 
 the heathen husband or wife is so far separated from 
 paganism by the christian profession of the other, 
 that the latter could enjoy the privilege of dedicating 
 their cliildrcn to God. "Else were your children W7i- 
 dcan^'' ; i. e. unfit to be devoted to God, because their 
 parents \vere idolaters, and therefore wholly disqual- 
 ified to ofier them. "But now are they holy'^ ; i. e. 
 they are proper persons to be dedicated to Jehovah ; 
 because one of their parents being a christian, some 
 security would be given for the training up of their 
 children in the christian faith. Accordingly their 
 household must be regarded and treated as a chris- 
 tian family — it being implied of course that the hea- 
 then party if he chose to continue with the convert- 
 ed one, must consent to this change in the ecclesias- 
 tical relation of their children. Thus the believing 
 parent w^ould feel that one serious difficulty to his 
 continuing to live w4th a heathen partner was remo- 
 ved — a difficulty w^hich would be insuperable provi- 
 ded their children as was the case among the hea- 
 then, were to be devoted from their birth to some 
 idol. 
 
87 
 
 The above interpetration of the terms unclean and 
 holy, is abundantly sanctioned by the word of God. 
 They occur often in the ceremonial law and occa- 
 sionally in other parts of the scripture. As examples 
 we refer the reader to Gen. 7, 2, and 8, 20: Ex. 28, 
 38 : Lev. 10, 16, and 27, 30 : Num. 18, 17. From 
 a perusal of those texts it will be evident that the 
 term unclean, is used with reference to what was not 
 allowed to be offered in sacrifice to God, and holy^ 
 with reference to what might be offered. This sense 
 of the words was familiar to the Apostle ; it was 
 their common meaning in the Old Testament, and 
 hence there can be no reasonable doubt that he so 
 used them in this passage. But how were persons 
 accustomed in Paul's time, to be devoted to God ? 
 They were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, 
 and Holy Ghost. And if (as he taught the Corinth- 
 ians) the children of such as thus devoted themselves, 
 were also ''■holy^'' i. e. were proper persons to be de- 
 voted to him, w^hat else could be meant than that 
 they likewise should receive the same ordinance, 
 which was the Divinely instituted sign of this dedi- 
 cation. 
 
 We should not perhaps leave wholly unnoticed a 
 different interpetration given by some to the words 
 "unclean" and "holy." By unclean they understand 
 illegitimate, and by holy, legitimate. "Else were 
 your children unclean," [illegitimate] "but now are 
 they holy," [legitimate]. If this is the import of the 
 words, it follows that a profession of piety in one of 
 the parents is necessary in order to make their mar- 
 8a 
 
88 
 
 riage lawful, and their offspring legitimate— a con- 
 clusion which needs only to be mentioned in order to 
 show that an exposition which leads to it as a nec- 
 essary consequence, is not entitled to serious con- 
 sideration. 
 
 In noticing the practice of the Apostles, we will ad- 
 duce two examples which correspond to the two 
 cases of teaching just considered, viz : one among 
 the Jews, the other among the Gentiles. The for- 
 mer is the baptism of Lydia and her household, Acts 
 16: 13-16. If, as is probable, Lydia was not a Jew- 
 ess by birth she was a proselyte to the Jewish reli- 
 gion, — and was engaged in worship with a Jewish 
 congregation at the time of her conversion to the 
 christian faith. She was in a place of prayer (v. 
 13) on the sabbath day; and she worshipped God 
 (v. 16) which is a description of the Jewish and not 
 of Pagan religion. She was therefore well acquain- 
 ted with the Jewish rites and with their mode of re- 
 ceiving proselytes into the church. What Peter said 
 on the day of Pentecost — "the promise is unto you 
 and to your children," she had often seen exempli- 
 fied in the baptism of households, including parents 
 and their children, wdien the former became prose- 
 lytes to the Jewish religion. Luke was also familiar 
 vrith the same practice ; and hence when her heart 
 was opened to attend to the things spoken by Paul, 
 and she embraced the Lord Jesus Christ as her Sa- 
 viour, the record of her reception into the christian 
 church, was just such as would naturally have been 
 made, if Peter or Paul had preached to her before 
 
LYDIA AND HER HOUSEHOLD BAPTIZED. 
 
 Acts 16: 13-15. 
 
91 
 
 Christ's advent, while she was yet a heathen, and 
 had admitted her into the Jewish church. "She w^as 
 baptized and her household." Suppose the design 
 of the record had been to give the history of her re- 
 ception into the Jewish church, as a convert from 
 paganism ; could there be any doubt as to its im- 
 port ? The term household is equivalent to family ; 
 and the idea necessarily conveyed would have been, 
 that she having been converted and baptized, her 
 family received this ordinance upon her faith. This 
 was the method invariably employed at that time in 
 admitting Gentile proselytes into the Jewish church. 
 It is therefore a probable inference that the same 
 thing was done in receiving her into the christian 
 church ; and this probability is greatly strengthened 
 if not rendered entirely certain, by her own language 
 addressed to Paul and Luke immediately afterwards. 
 "And when she was baptized and her household, she 
 besought us, saying, if ye have judged 7nc to be 
 faithful to the Lord, come into my house," &c. — 
 Mark, she urges her request not on the ground of the 
 faith of her household, but of her own. 
 
 The other case is recorded in the same chapter, 
 and describes the conversion of a Gentile, a jailor 
 at Phillippi; of whom it is said that he "was bapti- 
 zed, he and all his." Acts 16: 33. It is not denied 
 by any so far as we know, that by "all his," we are 
 to understand all his family or household. The only 
 question in dispute is whether they were all believ- 
 ers? or w^hether he only believed? In the former case 
 each would be baptized on his own faith ; in the lat- 
 
92 
 
 ter, on the faith of the jailor, who as the head of his 
 family brouglit the members thereof by baptism un- 
 der the bond of God's covenant with his people. 
 The words "they spake unto him the word of the 
 Lord, and to all that were in his house," show that 
 some of his family and perhaps all of them were 
 old enough to receive religious instruction ; and this 
 would render it probable, if nothing else were said 
 on the subject, that they embraced Christ and were 
 baptized on their own faith. But this is not all that 
 is said, and hence this alone cannot settle the ques- 
 tion. Children may and often do in some churches, 
 receive christian baptism on their parents' faith, who 
 are of sufficient age to receive it on their own, pro- 
 vided they possessed the requisite qualifications. 
 But not possessing those qualifications, they are pre- 
 sented to God in this ordinance by their parents, 
 when the latter are converted to Christ and connect 
 themselves with his church. This we believe was 
 done by the jailor. One of our reasons for this 
 opinion is found in the answer of Paul and Silas to 
 the question "what must I do to be saved?" They 
 replied, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou 
 shalt be saved and thy house.-'' Thy house, i. e. thy 
 family shall be saved. This surely cannot mean 
 that if he believed, tJiey would be saved solely on the 
 ground of liis faith, icithout exercising faith themselves. 
 Such a sentiment does not accord with other parts of 
 Scripture. And yet their salvation is manifestly 
 connected in some way with his faith. Again, it 
 cannot mean that they would be saved, provided 
 
93 
 
 they should exercise faith. Though this would be 
 true, it is a truism which in this connexion, is devoid 
 of force. If they should believe in Christ, they would 
 be saved, whether the jailor believed in him or not. 
 But as we said before, the promise as here made, 
 has a special relation to the faith of the jailor. In 
 what sense then would his family be saved as the 
 result of liis faith in the Redeemer ? Only one an- 
 swer, so far as we can perceive, can be consistently 
 given to this question. They would be saved in the 
 sense of those words of Christ concerning Zaccheus, 
 Luke 19 : 9 — "this day is salvation come to this 
 house." Zaccheus though a Jew^, had by his infa- 
 mous conduct, forfeited his church privileges, and 
 was counted as a heathen. His family were of 
 course in the same condemnation. But Christ now 
 restored him to his former covenant relation and re- 
 quired him to be regarded and treated as "a son of 
 Abraham." His family must also be owned as one 
 of the families of Israel. The channels of saving 
 mercy which their father by his former conduct had 
 closed against them, Christ now opened for their 
 benefit. The father's restoration to the Divine fa- 
 vor, encircled his "house," with the rainbow of God's 
 covenant. It brought the means of grace and sal- 
 vation to his outcast "publican" family. So it was 
 with the "house" of the jailor. His faith in Christ 
 so changed the relation of his family with regard to 
 religion, that instead of the streams of pagan pol- 
 lution which had before defiled their hearts, they 
 were now blessed with those pure waters of life 
 
94 
 
 which are enjo3'ed by christian famiUes through the 
 ordinances of the church. If this is what Paul and 
 Silas meant by the jailor's "house" being saved, it 
 amounts to a declaration that his family would 
 through his faith be numbered among Christ's visible 
 people, and hence that they would be entitled to 
 christian baptism as the sign or token of their new 
 relation. 
 
 But we have another and stronger reason for our 
 opinion. It is founded on v. 34, where it is said that 
 the jailor "rejoiced, believing in God with all his 
 house." The participle "believing" it is obvious, 
 agrees with jailor. In the Greek, it is in the singu- 
 lar number, and can agree with nothing else. The 
 jailor believed in God. Thus far there can be no 
 doubt. But Luke adds to this phrase, (as it stands 
 in the English) "with all his house." We say he 
 adds this phrase to the word '■'■believing ,^'' as though it 
 belonged to that; but in the Greek the phrase "with 
 all his house" stands before believing, and is con- 
 nected grammatically with "rejoiced." "He rejoiced 
 wdth all his house, believing [i. e. he believing] in 
 God." Our translators changed the order of the 
 words it is probable, because in English, the partici- 
 ple believing is either singular or plural, and hence 
 it would be doubtful if placed in the order of the 
 original, whether it referred to the jailor or to his 
 house or to both ; and hence they placed it before 
 the phrase, "with all his house," so as to avoid this 
 obscurity, and show what is very clear in the Greek, 
 that the jailor is referred to in the word believing, 
 
It* 
 
 95 
 
 and not his family. But in avoiding one obscu- 
 rity, they created another. As it now stands the En- 
 ghsh reader is still liable to connect the phrase "with 
 all his house," with "believing," and thus receive the 
 erroneous impression that not only the jailor but all 
 his house believed in God ; which is not said at all, 
 but the contrary is distinctly taught. He alone and 
 not they, "believed in God." Gr. "He rejoiced with 
 all his house, [himself] believing in God." This 
 places the question, according to my judgment, be- 
 yond reasonable doubt. 
 
 Connect now our previous remarks with reference 
 to the jailor's house being saved, with what is here 
 affirmed concerning his rejoicing with all his house, and 
 the whole is satisfactorily explained. The joy is 
 predicated chiefly of him; but as it seems to be im- 
 plied that his family participated with him in his 
 joy, this circumstance creates no difficulty, but is 
 just what we should expect. Some of them as we 
 have seen, if not all were old enough to be instruct- 
 ed, and would feel happy at seeing their once heathen 
 but now christian father rejoicing in hope of future 
 glory. 
 
 There is one other case of household baptism re- 
 corded in the New Testament, but as no circum- 
 stance is mentioned in connection with it, which 
 throws any additional light on the subject, we shall 
 not give it a particular consideration. See 1 Cor. 1: 
 16. Is it asked why no more examples are found 
 provided they were common in those days ? We 
 
 might as well inquire why no more frequent mention 
 9 
 
96 
 
 is made of the sabbath and public worship? which 
 occurred upwards of fifty times every year, and yet 
 but few allusions, comparatively speaking, are made 
 to either, in the New Testament. If a single case 
 of household baptism can be adduced it is sufficient 
 to establish the doctrine. One clear Apostolic ex- 
 ample outweighs all the presumptive, negative proof 
 ^ which can be brought against it. But the two cases 
 which have been adduced, are not opposed either by 
 contrary prineiples or conflicting facts. They illus- 
 trate and confirm principles which the sacred writers 
 frequently taught on this subject, and they are cor- 
 roborated by historical circumstances recorded in 
 the bible and in other ancient writings. The most 
 important of those principles we have considered in 
 the preceding pages. Some of the facts to which 
 we allude we shall now proceed to notice. 
 
 IV. Evidence in favor of infant baptism from the 
 history of proselyte baptism among the Jews, com- 
 pared with its early history in the christian church- 
 
 We have alluded several times to the practice 
 among the Jews of baptizing proselytes from the 
 Gentiles. No fact is better attested by Jewish wri- 
 ters than this. At what time it was introduced is 
 not so clear. But we have undoubted proof from 
 the scriptures that it was practiced before the chris- 
 tian era, and some probable evidence is also furnish- 
 ed as to its origin. 
 
 1 . The induction of the priests and levites into 
 their official stations was performed in part by wash- 
 ing them with water. Ex. 40: 30-32, and Num. 8 : 
 
97 
 
 7. The people also in their solemn approaches to 
 God were accustomed to bathe or sprinkle them- 
 selves with water and to wash their garments as a 
 preparation for those solemn acts. Num. 19 : 19. 
 20. To these examples we may add that the whole 
 congregation of Israel were initiated into the JNIo- 
 saic ritual by passing "under the cloud and thi'ough 
 the sea:" which is called by Paul their being "bap- 
 tized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." It 
 appears therefore that from an early period of their 
 history they were familiar with the use of water in 
 their religious ceremonies and solemnities. And it 
 continued to be so in later times as may be inferred 
 from the fact that the allusions which were made to 
 water in the figurative language of the prophets 
 well accord with this general usage, and possess 
 much less force and beauty" on the supposition that 
 no such practice existed. See Isa. 44, 3, Ez. 36, 25. 
 
 2. The baptism of John was not regarded by the 
 people as a novelty. When they asked him (John 
 1, 25) "why baptizest thou then?" their inquiry did 
 not imply the introduction of a new rite, but only a 
 doubt as to his authority to administer it. 
 
 3. The dispute which arose between some of 
 John's disciples and the Jews about purifying, (John 
 3 : 23, 25, 26) was apparently a controversy about 
 the comparative claims of John and Christ to make 
 proselytes. 
 
 4. The Pharisees evidently regarded the baptism 
 both of Christ and John the Baptist, as a mode of 
 making proselytes. John 4, 1. 
 
98 
 
 5. When Peter on the day of Pentecost, addres- 
 sed the multitudes who were assembled at Jerusalem 
 out of every nation under heaven, saying "repent 
 and be baptized ;" they were not taken by surprise 
 as though he was introducing a new ordinance. 
 They appeared to be acquainted with its existence 
 and to understand that it was connected with repent- 
 ance. 
 
 6. Josephus the Jewish historian speaking of the 
 baptism of John the Baptist (Antiq. 18, 5,2,) alludes 
 to it in such language as to show that he did not re- 
 gard John as its author, but as practicing what was 
 in use before. 
 
 7. Dr. Wall in his history of Infant Baptism, 
 quotes largely from the Jewish Talmud and from 
 Maimonides a learned Jew and the great interpreter 
 of the Jewish law, giving specific information as to 
 the practice and opinions of the Jews on this sub- 
 ject. Some of these we will transcribe : 
 
 "When an ethnic [a Gentile] is willing to enter 
 into the covenant, and gather himself under the 
 wings of the majesty of God, and take upon him 
 the yoke of the law, he must be circumcised, and 
 baptized, and bring a sacrifice ; or if it be a woman, 
 be baptized and bring a sacrifice." 
 
 "A stranger that is circumcised and not baptized, 
 or baptized and not circumcised, he is not a prose- 
 lyte till he be both circumcised and baptized," &c. 
 
 "Even as they circumcise and baptize strangers ; 
 so do they circumcise and baptize servants that are 
 received from heathens," &;c. 
 
99 
 
 "If with a proselyte his sons and daughters be 
 made proselytes ; that which is done by their father, 
 [i. e. to proselyte them by circumcising and bapti- 
 zing them] redounds to their good." Again 
 
 "They are wont to baptize such a proselyte in in- 
 fancy upon the profession of the house of judgment 
 (the court). For this is for his good." * * * * 
 
 "'Any male child of such a proselyte, that was un- 
 der the age of thirteen years and a day, and females 
 that were under twelve years and a day, they bapti- 
 zed as infants at the request and by the assent of 
 the father, or the authority of the court; because 
 such an one was not yet the son of assent [i. e. not 
 capable to give assent for himself] but the thing is 
 for his good. If they were above that age they as- 
 sented for themselves." Again 
 
 "An Israelite that takes a little heathen child, or 
 that finds an heathen infant, and baptizes him for a 
 proselyte; behold he is a proselj'te." * * * * 
 
 "Behold, one finds an infant cast out, and baptizes 
 him in the name of a servant. Do thou also circum^ 
 cise him in the name of a servant. But if thou bap- 
 tize him in the name of a freeman; do thou also cir- 
 cumcise him in the name of a freeman." 
 
 The origin of this practice is given in the same 
 author, thus : "By three things did Israel enter into 
 covenant, by circumcision, and baptism, and sacri- 
 fice." Circumcision was in Egypt, as it is written 
 "No uncircumcised person shall eat thereof," i. e. of 
 the Passover. (Ex. 12: 48.) Baptism as in the wil- 
 derness just before the giving of the law ; as it is 
 9a 
 
100 
 
 written, sanctify them to-day and to-morrow and let 
 them wash their clothes. Ex. 19: 10. And sacrifice, 
 as it is said, "And he set young men of the children 
 of Israel which offered bm-nt offerings," &c. Exod. 
 24; 5. And so in all ages when an ethnic [a Gen- 
 tile] is willing to enter into covenant, &c. — "he must 
 be circumcised and bring a sacrifice." Again 
 
 "Israel does not enter into covenant but by these 
 three things, by circumcision, baptism, and peace- 
 offering ; and the proselytes in like manner." 
 Again 
 
 "As you are, so shall the stranger be. Num. 15: 
 15. As you are, that is, as was done to your fathers. 
 And what was done to them? Your fathers did not 
 enter into covenant but by circumcision, and bap- 
 tism and sprinkling of blood. So neither do prose- 
 lytes enter into covenant but by circumcision, and 
 baptism and sprinkling of blood." 
 
 Gregory Nazianzen who lived A. D. S60, saj's (as 
 quoted by Dr. Wall) "Mcses gave a baptism, but 
 that was with water only. And before that they 
 were baptized in the cloud and in the sea. But these 
 were but a type (or figure) of ours ; as Paul also un- 
 derstands it." 1 Cor. 10 : 1, 2. Again 
 
 The learned Mr. Selden, with whom also agrees 
 Dr. Hammond, "observes that the saying of St. Paul 
 (1 Cor. 10:1, 2,) All our fathers were baptized unto 
 Moses in the cloud and in the sea, would have been 
 difficult for those to whom St. Paul wrote, to make 
 any sense of; had it not been a thing well known 
 at that time when the apostle wrote, that the Jews 
 
101 
 
 looked upon themselves as having been entered into 
 covenant by baptism ; and that St. Paul spoke as 
 alluding to that." See Wall's History of Infant Bap- 
 tism, Vol. 1st. 
 
 The baptism of the Israelites unto Moses in the 
 cloud and in the sea, (which seems to have been de- 
 signed for a type of this ordinance and was proba- 
 bly the origin of the idea which they had of it) in- 
 cluded the whole congregation, old and young. So 
 also the command "sanctify," "wash," &:c., (Ex. 19: 
 10) which was interpreted by the Jewish rabbles, as 
 referring to baptism, was to be performed by the 
 people collectively and of course embraced children 
 as well as parents. And growing out of one or 
 both of those events, there arose the practice of bap- 
 tizing proselytes from the heathen, together with 
 their families ; the number of which in process of 
 time became so great, according to Josephus, (see 
 Antiq. Book 13, Chap. 9 and 11,) that at the period 
 of our Saviour's incarnation, infant baptism must 
 have been as well known among the Jews, as it is 
 now in America or Great Britain. Our argument 
 from all this in favor of infant baptism as an ordi- 
 nance in the christian church is the following : 
 
 1. It renders it probable that John the Baptist and 
 Christ himself baptized infants as well as adults. 
 It appears from John 1 : 25, that the Jews expected 
 that when the Messiah should come and introduce a 
 new dispensation, this ordinance would be adminis- 
 tered as an expression of their faith in the promised 
 Redeemer. And from John 4:1, and Acts 19:4 
 
102 
 
 we learn that Christ and John the Baptist did so ad- 
 minister it. The inference is highly probable that 
 they baptized the same classes of persons, as had 
 been accustomed to receive this ordinance when 
 proselyted from the Gentiles, i. e. children as well as 
 parents.* 
 
 2. It shows what . interpetration the Apostles 
 would put on the commission of their risen Saviour, 
 
 *VVe have gone no farther than to say it is very probable that they bap- 
 tized infants. The only circumstance which renders this at all doubtful 
 is that the christian dispensation was not yet commenced and therefore 
 the ordinance as administered by them was not initiatory as in the case 
 of Gentile proselytes — it being administered by them to Jews only, who 
 with their children were already members of the Old Testament church. 
 Yet as their ministry was designed to "prepare" the people for the re- 
 ception of the Messiah, and as their baptism was a sign or pledge on 
 the part of those who received it that they would embrace him as their 
 Saviour ; it is reasonable to conclude that they conformed to the usual 
 practice of their ancestors when the latter at different times entered into 
 covenant with God, viz: to act for their families as well as themselves ; 
 and if so, that after giving their pledge to embrace Christ, not only they 
 but their children received the rite of baptism which was the sign or to- 
 ken of this pledge. If as our Baptist brethren maintain, John's bap- 
 tism was christian baptism, this argument which is only probable ac- 
 cording to the preceding view, becomes conclusive. By making the or- 
 dinance as administered by him initiatory, the analogy between that and 
 Gentile proselyte baptism is complete, and it is rendered quite certain 
 that he baptized infants ; and also that Christ and his disciples who 
 were baptizing at the same time did so likewise. But we are disposed 
 to place the argument on the former ground, though its strength is there- 
 by somewhat diminished ; because the Jewish ritual continued in full 
 force till Christ's death ; and hence John's ministry as well as Christ's 
 own ministry on earth belonged to the Old Testament dispensation. 
 Their ministry it is true brought that dispensation to a close, but was 
 still performed under it. The new commenced with the completion of 
 Christ's mediatorial work on earth and the descent of the Holy Spirit ; 
 which dispensation is accordingly called by Paul "the ministration of 
 the Spirit." 
 
103 
 
 ''Go teach all nations baptizing them," &c. Being 
 already familiar with the ordinance as administered 
 to proselytes, they would unavoidably (without spe- 
 cial instructions to the contrary) understand their 
 commission, as authorizing and requiring them to 
 baptize the children and servants of those house- 
 holds, the heads of which should be converted to 
 Christ. 
 
 3. It proves when taken in connexion with facts 
 recorded in the New Testament, that baptism occu- 
 pies the same place in the christian church that cir- 
 cumcision had done before among the Jews ; or rath- 
 er perhaps the same place that circumcision and 
 baptism together, had done among Gentile prose- 
 lytes. As Christ did not institute baptism as a new 
 rite, but adopted an ordinance already in existence, 
 and as this ordinance had always before this been 
 connected with circumcision, it w^ould be natural to 
 infer that the two sustained an intimate relation to 
 each other; and that if the one was dropped and the 
 other retained, the part retained w^ould be as exten- 
 sive in its application as it had been before the other 
 part was laid aside. Circumcision was not contin- 
 ued under the christian dispensation for much the 
 same reason that animal sacrifices were discontinued 
 as a part of religious worship ; and that the lamb 
 which had been used in celebrating the Passover, was 
 not made a part of the sacrament of the Lord's sup- 
 per. Prayer and praise were employed by the pious 
 under the Old Testament as well as the New ; with 
 which under the Old they connected the offering of 
 
104 
 
 sacrifices. Tliis was laid aside after the death of 
 Christ, as being inappropriate to the christian dis- 
 pensation, while prayer and praise were retained as 
 permanent acts of devotion. Bread and wine were 
 used in the Passover as well as the lamb ; but when 
 our blessed Lord instituted the supper, he made no 
 use of the lamb, because that would not be adapted 
 to the ordinance, after the Lamb of God should be 
 oflered up once for all ; but he retained the bread 
 and wine as standing memorials of his death. In 
 like manner circumcision was not included in our 
 Saviour's commission to "teach and baptize," be- 
 cause it was unsuitable to perpetuate in the christian 
 church a rite which could not be performed without 
 the shedding of blood ; and because water alone was 
 a more appropriate emblem of the ministration of 
 the Holy Spirit which was introduced when our Sa- 
 viour ascended to heaven. But the part which he 
 retained, viz : baptism, was continued on the same 
 principle, (as to the persons entitled to receive the 
 rite) that it would have been if circumcision had 
 been perpetuated along with it. This will be mani- 
 fest when we notice attentively two or three facts re- 
 corded in the Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 Certain Jewish converts from Judea produced un- 
 easiness in the minds of the members of the Gentile 
 church in Antioch because they did not practice cir- 
 cumcision. Acts 15: 1, 5. Paul and Barnabas 
 were sent to Jerusalem to consult the Apostles and 
 elders on the subject ; and after much discussion, a 
 decree was issued to the effect that this was not re- 
 
105 
 
 quired of the churches gathered from among the 
 Gentiles. Acts 15: 6-29. Not long afterwards Paul 
 being again at Jerusalem was informed by James 
 and others that the Jewish believers in that city were 
 suspicious of him, because they heard that he had 
 "taught all the Jews which were among the Gentiles 
 to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to cir- 
 cumcise their childi'en;" (fee, which was not true ; 
 and to counteract the injurious effect of this false 
 rumor in diminishing his influence among them and 
 to regain their confidence in him as a preacher and 
 an Apostle, he by the advice of James and the eld- 
 ers, purified himself according to the Mosaic law ; 
 designing thereby to show that though circumcision 
 was no longer obligatory and must not be enforced 
 on the Gentile churches, he did not forbid the Jews 
 to practice it; and that "all might know that those 
 things, whereof they were informed concerning him, 
 were nothing," he performed the ceremony of puri- 
 fication publicly in the temple. Acts 21 : 21-26. 
 
 From these passages of scripture it appears that 
 the Gentile converts omitted circumcision and that 
 the Jewish converts continued to practice it- — both 
 of them with the approbation of the Apostles. See 
 farther proof of the same thing in Acts 16: 3, 4; 
 where Paul circumcised Timothy because of the 
 Jews, but delivered to the Gentile churches which he 
 visited, the decrees of the Apostles and elders at 
 Jerusalem, which have just been referred to, exoner- 
 ating them from the observance of this rite. Both 
 of these I'acts, though opposite in their character, 
 
106 
 
 bear in favor of infant baptism. Among the 
 Gentile converts infant baptism must have been 
 in general use ; otherwise their Jewish breth- 
 ren who complained because they did not prac- 
 tice circumcision would have complained of this also. 
 Why did they think circumcision obligatory on Gen- 
 tile believers? Upon no other conceivable ground, 
 than because they regarded the law concerning pros- 
 elytes as being binding upon them. But they were 
 as particular in requiring proselytes to be baptized 
 as to be circumcised ; and as these rites in the case 
 of proselytes were always performed upon their 
 children as w^ell as upon themselves, the silence of 
 the Jews with regard to baptism, affords strong proof 
 not only that baptism w^as practiced among them, 
 which all admit, but that it was administered in such 
 a way as to be acceptable to the Jews, who were as 
 tenacious in having the children of proselytes bapti- 
 zed as their parents, and w^ho w^ould most certainly 
 have complained, if the former had been neglected. 
 With regard to Jew ish believers, whatever may be 
 thought concerning their practice of infant baptism 
 at that time, one thing is certain, that whether they 
 administered baptism to their children or not, they 
 continued to practice infant circumcision. "They'* 
 [the believing Jews] says James to Paul, "are inform- 
 ed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are 
 among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying, that 
 they ought not to circumcise their childi'en," &c., * 
 
 * * "Do therefore this that we say to thee" * * 
 
 * * "and all may know that those things, w^hereof 
 
107 
 
 they were informed concerning thee, are nothing/' 
 Acts 21 : 21, 23, 24. From this it is manifest that 
 the Apostles gave their sanction to the circumcision 
 of children among the believing Jews ; which proves 
 conclusively that they recognized the doctrine of in- 
 fant membership in the christian church. The old 
 testament dispensation was passing away — it had 
 already passed away so far as to be no longer obli- 
 gatory. The New Testament church was fully or- 
 ganized. The Jewish believers had been baptized 
 into the faith of Jesus Christ; or as it is expressed 
 by the sacred historian, "in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus," thereby declaring themselves to be subjects 
 of the Messiah's kingdom. But the design of cir- 
 cumcision must have been the same in their minds 
 as formerly. If it was ever the seal of church mem- 
 bership it was so then, and yet the Apostles permit- 
 ted them to affix this seal to their children ; by which 
 permission they virtually said, "your children sustain 
 the same relation to the church that they did before 
 the christian dispensation was introduced." Circum- 
 cision was allowed (as we may reasonably believe) 
 on account of the strong partialities of the Jews to 
 this ancient rite and their unwillingness at once to 
 surrender it. But as they obtained from 3"ear to 
 year additional light with reference to the New Tes- 
 tament dispensation, they at length saw tlie propriety 
 of its discontinuance, and hence in due time nothing 
 more is heard about it. Baptism having entirely 
 superseded it and taken its place, must have been 
 
 administered to the same classes of persons as had 
 10 
 
108 
 
 previously received the ordinance of circumcision, i. 
 e. to children as well as adults. This supposition is 
 the only one w^hich enables us to account in a satis- 
 factory way for the silent manner in which the former 
 rite fell into disuse. They were strongly attached 
 to the ordinance itself, and consented to give it up 
 only by degrees. But they valued still more highly 
 that relation to the church of which circumcision was 
 the seal ; and if the surrender of that particular 
 seal involved also the exclusion of their children 
 from the ecclesiastical relation which they so highly 
 prized, some doubt would certainly have been ex- 
 j)ressed, some inquiries made, some remonstrance 
 offered. But as there is not a word of either, we 
 cannot doubt that baptism was understood by them 
 to occupy the same position in the christian church 
 \vhich circumcision had done in former times; and 
 hence that while they ceased to circumcise their 
 children, they only laid aside one seal to employ an- 
 other better adapted to the gospel dispensation. 
 
 The history contained in the Acts of the Apostles 
 reaches down to more then half of the first century, 
 and the Apostle John lived till about the close of it. 
 During that time entire harmony appears to have 
 prevailed both among Jewish and Gentile christians 
 on the subject of baptism. After the controversy 
 between the Jews and Gentiles concerning circum- 
 cision was settled, there seems to have been no far- 
 ther disagreement concerning the ordinances of the 
 church. And as the Gentile churches were compo- 
 sed of "prcselytcs" from the heathen, and the Jew- 
 
109 
 
 isli churches of the descendants of Abraham, we 
 need be at no loss to determine after what has been 
 said, on what principles they harmonized. 
 
 About forty years after the death of the Apostle 
 John, hved Justin Martyr, (A. D. 140) who though 
 he discourses on the subject of baptism gives no inti- 
 mation that there was any controversy among chris- 
 tians on this subject. He alludes however to Col. 2: 
 11, in such terms as to show that he understood the 
 phrase "circumcision of Christ," to mean christian 
 baptism, and that this came in the place of circum- 
 cision ; which is the view generally taken of the pas- 
 sage by those who practice infant baptism, and is 
 regarded by them as a proof text in favor •^f the 
 doctrine. 
 
 Less than thirty years from the time of Justin 
 Martyr was Jreneus; (A. D. 167) whose testimony 
 is very explicit as to the practice of the church in his 
 days: "He [i. e. Christ] came to save all persons 
 by himself: all, I mean, who by him are regenerated 
 [baptized] unto God: infants and little ones, and 
 children, and youths, and elder persons." Dr. Wall 
 quotes several passages from Clemens Alexandrinus, 
 then a cotemporary of Ireneus, in which occur the 
 words "regenerate" and "baptize" i. e. the Greek 
 words which are so translated; in which passages 
 they are evidently used as synonymous ; thus ren- 
 dering it very probable, if not certain that Ireneus 
 in the quotation given above, employed the word re- 
 generate in the same sense.* 
 
 *The writers of the second century as is shown by Dr. Dodridge, em- 
 
110 
 
 Between thirty and forty years later (A. D. 200) 
 lived Tertulian and Origen. The former recom- 
 mended the delay of baptism till the child was grown 
 up ; but the reason assigned is not that in his judg- 
 ment infant baptism was unauthorized by the scrip- 
 tures, concerning which he says nothing; but that it 
 is more profitable for children to receive the ordi- 
 nance after they have been instructed. Origen says 
 ^•that the church had from the Apostles a tradition 
 [or ordei'] to give baptism even to infants." And as- 
 suming infant baptism to be the acknowledged doc- 
 trine of the church he discusses the question con- 
 cerning its efficacy in removing the pollution of ori- 
 ginal sin. 
 
 Fifty years afterwards flourished Cyprian, who 
 presided at the council of Carthage ; (held A. D. 
 253) before which bod}" was brought a question con- 
 cerning infant baptism. But the inquiry did not re- 
 late to the scriptural authority for baptizing infants. 
 It assumed this as granted. The question discussed 
 was whether christians, in administering baptism, 
 ought to conform to the Jewish law concerning cir- 
 
 ployed the word regenerate for baptize, not because they believed in the 
 doctrine of baptismal regeneration, in the same sense as is now held by 
 some, but because baptism being the outward sign of that invisible 
 grace which was denoted by regeneration, and being administered imme- 
 diately after a person professed to be regenerated, was so nearly simul* 
 taneous with the other in point of time, as to give occasion to its being 
 expressed by the term which more truly and scripturally belonged to the 
 change which preceded it ; though not, (he thinks) ''so universally as 
 some have concluded." ''Clemens Alexandrinus"hesays ''plainly uses 
 tlie word regenerate, (Strom, lib. ii, page 42,')) for a change of character 
 bi/ true repentance.''' See Preface to Dodridge's Sermons on Regenera- 
 tion, wliere this subject is discussed at some length. 
 
Ill 
 
 cumcision ; which was to circumcise the child when 
 it was eight days old; or whether it was lawful to 
 baptize an infant at an earUer age. 
 
 Thus for one hundi'ed and fifty years subsequent 
 to the decease of the last Apostle, which was 253 
 years after Christ, we have an unbroken chain of 
 evidence, proving in the clearest manner that infant 
 baptism was generally practiced in the church du- 
 ring all that period, and that it was regarded by its 
 advocates as having been handed down from the 
 Apostles. Proof stronger than this cannot as we 
 think be reasonably expected or desired. We might 
 extend the history through many centuries after- 
 wards with the same results but we deem it unnec- 
 essary. 
 
 In conclusion, it may be useful to recapitulate, in 
 as brief a manner as possible, the main arguments 
 which have been adduced. 
 
 1 . The christian church is essentially the sa me as 
 that which was constituted by God in the time of 
 Abraham; in which infant membership was distinctly 
 recognized and circumcision administered as its sign 
 and seal. Therefore the children of behevers now 
 are members of the christian church, and ought to 
 receive the seal of membership; which under the 
 New Testament dispensation is baptism. 
 
 2. Christ expressly taught by the words ''of such 
 is the kingdom of heaven," that little children would 
 compose a part of his visible church. Therefore 
 they are to receive baptism which was appointed by 
 him to be the seal of membership. 
 
 10a 
 
112 
 
 3. Peter also taught the doctrine of infant mem- 
 bership, by saying that the promise contained in the 
 Abrahamic covenant "to be a God to him and his 
 seed," was in force to his posterity and their child- 
 ren on the day of Pentecost ; and since he urged 
 them by this consideration to be baptized into the 
 christian faith, it is strongly implied that their child- 
 ren would be entitled to this ordinance as well as 
 their parents. 
 
 4. Paul asserted that the children of heathen pa- 
 rents one of whom was a convert to the christian 
 religion, were accounted "/^o/z/," i. e. proper persons 
 to be dedicated to God; and hence we infer that 
 baptism which was the prescribed ordinance of ded- 
 ication to God at that time ought to be administered 
 to them. 
 
 5. When the commission of our blessed Lord to 
 his Apostles was given them to baptize the nations, 
 the practice of baptizing Gentile proselytes, h-ad been 
 long in use, and in all such cases the children of 
 proselytes were baptized as well as their parents. 
 Hence the Apostles must have understood their com- 
 mission as having now the same latitude of meaning, 
 and have practiced accordingly, unless expressly told 
 to the contrary, of which there is no intimation. 
 
 6. In conformity with the above view of this com- 
 mission, there are on record several instances of 
 household baptism — a record made in just such lan- 
 guage, as if made now by a missionary to the hea- 
 then, would convey the idea that the children of 
 
113 
 
 their converts were baptized on the faith of their 
 parents. 
 
 7. For sometime after circumcision was laid aside 
 by Gentile believers, it continued to be practiced by 
 those churches which were composed of believing 
 Jews ; and in the latter (as is distinctly taught) they 
 circumcised their children ; thereby claiming under 
 an Apostolic sanction, the church membership of 
 their offspring. Hence we infer that the Gentile 
 churches held the same doctrine, and that having 
 laid aside circumcision they practiced infant baptism. 
 And farther that the Jewish believers, who for a 
 while employed the old testament seal, but in due 
 time, when they saw the propriety of substituting 
 baptism in its place, ceased to use the rite of cir- 
 cumcision, would as a matter of course, unless for- 
 bidden, apply the ordinance of baptism to their 
 children. 
 
 8. Accordingly after the close of the record of the 
 first planting of the churches, as contained in the 
 Acts of the Apostles, no difference of opinion ap- 
 pears to have existed for several centuries concern- 
 ing the scriptural authority for infant baptism, and 
 the practice which was universal in the church, with 
 a single exception, was regarded by all as having 
 the sanction of Apostolic example. 
 
 To invalidate these arguments, it is not sufficient 
 to refer to those texts of Scripture which teach be- 
 lievers baptism ; because these passages are under- 
 stood in the same way by poedo-baptists (i. e. by 
 those who baptize children) as by their baptist breth- 
 
114 
 
 ren. Neither is it sufficient to adduce examples of 
 believers' baptism, because these are admitted by 
 those who notwithstanding baptize infants. The 
 eunuch for instance beUeved and was baptized. The 
 record is as consistent with a beUef in household 
 baptism as with its opposite. He was on a jour- 
 ney, and for aught that appears, had no attendants 
 except the driver of his chariot. Of course there 
 could have been no record of a household baptism, 
 because he had no household to be baptized. 
 
 Before the force of these arguments can be de- 
 stroyed, it must be shown that God having once ad- 
 mitted the children of believing parents to member- 
 ship in his church, deprived them at some subse- 
 quent time of this privilege; or that the christian 
 church is a totally different body and constituted on 
 a different basis from the church in the time of Abra- 
 ham, and that we cannot properly reason from one 
 to the other; that circumcision was not a seal of 
 church membership, but though instituted in a sin- 
 gle family four hundred years before the descendants 
 of Abraham became a nation, was nevertheless a 
 mark of national distinction, and that baptism did 
 not come in its place ; that notwithstanding the un- 
 doubted fact of the existence among the Jews of 
 proselyte baptism, including children as well as 
 adults, the Apostles did not interpret their commis- 
 sion "to teach and baptize," agreeably to this com- 
 mon and well known practice, but understood it as 
 authorizing them to baptize believers only ; that 
 when Christ said concerning little children who were 
 
115 
 
 brought to him, "of such is the kingdom of heaven," 
 he did not mean Httle children in age, but those who 
 possessed the temper of httle children ; or if he did, 
 that he had no reference to their membership in the 
 christian church or even to their future happiness in 
 heaven; that the households of L^^dia and the jailor 
 had no children in them, or if they contained child- 
 ren, that these were baptized on their own profession 
 of faith and not on th ", faith of those pious house- 
 holders; that Jewish bt 'ievers who were so tenacious 
 in practicing infant circL mcision, as to ) e permitted 
 by the Apostles to continue it for some ti. le after the 
 commencement of the christian dispensation, not 
 only abandoned this rite in due time, but also the 
 doctrine of infant membership of which it was the 
 seal, and consented without remonstrance or objec- 
 tion of any kind, to have their children excluded 
 from the visible church and to stand in the same re- 
 lation (being neither circumcised nor baptized) as 
 that which hath hitherto been sustained by the un- 
 circumcised Gentiles; and finally, that as soon as 
 the last of the Apostles had left the world, christians 
 began immediately and universally to mistake their 
 teaching and their practice, and to fall into the error 
 of baptizing the children of believing parents, and 
 also to think, contrary to the truth, that in doing 
 thus, they were imitating the example of inspired 
 men. Until all this can be made to appear, we shall 
 maintain our belief in the doctrine of infant bap- 
 tism, and regard the ordinance both as a duty and a 
 privilege. 
 
116 
 
 We repeat however what we said in substance, at 
 the close of the first part. Towards the respectable 
 body of christians from whom we differ on this sub- 
 ject, we entertain kind feelings and extend to them 
 the hand of christian charity. In our judgment they 
 would find it greatly to their advantage, could they 
 change their view s and their practice in this particu- 
 lar. But as they think otherwise, it is not our pur- 
 pose to engage in angry controversy with them, or 
 indulge in severe remarks concerning what we deem 
 to be their error. 
 
 To those for whose special benefit this little vol- 
 ume is designed, we may be allowed to speak with 
 freedom. Though j'ou should not be indifi^erent to 
 truth, nor undervalue its importance, but on the con- 
 trary, "buy the truth and sell it not," and "contend 
 earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints;'' 
 yet you must not forget the Divine injunction to 
 "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." 
 Exercise christian forbearance and com'tesy towards 
 those who differ frem you and strive rather to extend 
 the boundaries of Christ's kingdom among uncon- 
 verted men, than to gain over proselytes from 
 other evangelical christian churches. The field for 
 christian exertion is sufficiently ample for all to op- 
 erate in without sectarian jealousy ; and love for 
 souls is a motive which ought to be sufficiently strong 
 to kindle and keep alive jour zeal, without the ex- 
 citement of unhallowed, partizan emulation. 
 
 We have only to add in this place that if you have 
 been satisfied with our views thus far, do not lav 
 
117 
 
 aside the book till you shall have perused what fol- 
 lows ; in which it will be our purpose to consider in 
 a brief manner the importance of this ordinance. 
 As that is a point of great practical utilitj^ we be- 
 speak for it your serious attention. 
 
PART III. 
 
 BIPORTANCE OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 That baptism is important may be assmned ; be- 
 cause our blessed Lord would not have perpetuated 
 a useless ceremony as a standing ordinance of the 
 christian chui'ch. To attempt a proof therefore of 
 this simple proposition would be superfluous. Hence 
 our object will be not to prove, but illustrate; to 
 show wherein its importance consists ; who may ex- 
 pect to be benefitted by it; how God makes use of 
 it as the medium of bestowing his covenant mercies; 
 what duties it involves, and the incentives which it 
 furnishes for the faithful discharge of these duties. 
 Questions embracing these and other kindred points, 
 ought not to be treated with indifference by any who 
 have immortal souls, or to w^hom God has committed 
 the responsibility of caring for the souls of others. 
 
 I. Baptism not a saving ordinance. 
 
 The importance of baptism does not lie in its be- 
 ing as some maintain, the invariable channel for the 
 communication of saving grace. The doctrine of 
 baptismal regeneration has assumed two aspects — 
 one respecting adults, the other infants. Those who 
 hold the former rely mainly upon the following texts: 
 "Born of water;" (John 3: 5.) "Washing of regen- 
 eration;" (Titus 3; 5.) "Repent and be baptized ev- 
 il 
 
120 
 
 ery one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the 
 remission of sins." (Acts 2: 38.) 
 
 With regard to the first two phrases, though there 
 is an allusion to water baptism, it is merely an allu- 
 sion. The ordinance is referred to only as the basis 
 of a figure to describe the work ot the Holy Spirit 
 on the heart, of which baptism is a sign or emblem. 
 This is evident from the fact that in both passages 
 the Holy Spirit's work is immediately mentioned as 
 explanatory of the preceding allusions; thereby 
 showing that the former are to be interpreted figu- 
 ratively and not literally, thus : "Born of water and 
 of the Spirit." "Washing of regeneration and re- 
 newing of the Holy Ghost." The connecting copu- 
 lative "and," as the best critics admit, may be trans- 
 lated "even;" which rendering shows more clearly 
 than is now done in the English version, that the lat- 
 ter clause is exegetical of the former. The context, 
 particularly in John 3 : 5, proves the same thing. In 
 the following verses our Saviour makes no farther 
 reference to water, but predicates his reasoning alto- 
 gether on the other clause, viz : being born of the 
 Spirit. The consequences of such an exposition 
 are likewise sufficient to prove it incorrect. If water 
 baptism be meant except by way of allusion as 
 above explained, it would follow that baptism is es- 
 sential to salvation ; which few we presume, are wil- 
 ling to maintain. 
 
 In the other passage "Repent and be baptized, 
 &c., for the remission of sins," the Apostle Peter, by 
 a figure of speech which often occurs in Scripture, 
 
121 
 
 called metonymy, employed the sign for the thing 
 signified by it; i. e. he used the term baptism in- 
 stead of faith, because to be baptized in the name 
 of Christ was a profession of their faith in him as 
 the Son of God and the Saviour of men, whose blood 
 was the foundation of the remission of sins, and 
 without the shedding of which, remission could not 
 be bestowed. See Mat. 26 : 28, and Heb. 9 : 22. In 
 Acts 5: 31, remission of sins is connected with re- 
 pentance, and in Chap. 13 : 38, 39, with faith in 
 Christ, without the mention of baptism at all. Will 
 any one pretend that there are two ways of obtain- 
 ing remission ? one by means of these graces and 
 the other by baptism? If not then it is obvious that 
 baptism is mentioned in connexion with remission, 
 az being a sign of these graces, through which in- 
 strumentally, we become interested in the benefits 
 of Christ's death, which is the meritorious and pro- 
 curing cause of our forgiveness. 
 
 The doctrine which maintains the saving efiicacy 
 of water baptism is disproved — 
 
 1 . By the circumstance that faith in Christ is re- 
 quired in order to entitle an adult to receive this or- 
 dinance. "See here is water" said the eunuch to 
 Philip, (Acts 8: 36, 37.) "what doth hinder me to be 
 baptized?" And Philip said, "If thou believest with 
 all thy heart thou mayest." 
 
 2. By the analogy between baptism and circum- 
 cision. "He [Abraham] received the sign of circum- 
 cision a seal of the righteousness of the faith w^hich 
 he had yet being uncircumcised." Rom. 4: 11. 
 
122 
 
 Compare this with Gal. 3 : 2G-29, where baptism is 
 spoken of in very similar language. 
 
 3. If baptism is a saving ordinance the Apostle 
 Paul instead of thanking God that he had baptized 
 only Crispus, and Gains, and the household of Ste- 
 phanas, (see 1st Cor. : 14, 10.) would have endeav- 
 ored to baptize all he possibly could. And farther, 
 he could not have said in truth as he does (v. 17) that 
 ''Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach the 
 gospel." Christ sent him to endeavor "by all means" 
 in his power to save men; (1st Cor. 9 : 19-22) and 
 hence if their being baptized would save them he 
 was under the most solemn obligations to adminis- 
 ter the ordinance to as many as he could persuade 
 to receive it. 
 
 4. Simon Magus was baptized by Philip on a 
 profession of his faith. Acts 8: 13. Though it ap- 
 pears from what followed, that he was not a sincere 
 believer, it is obvious from the narrative that he did 
 not receive the ordinance in order to make him a be- 
 liever, but because he had previously declared him- 
 self to be one. Again, if this had been the object, 
 the ordinance failed in his case to produce the de- 
 signed effect. Soon after his baptism Peter told him 
 that his "heart was not right in the sight of God; 
 yea that he was in the gall of bitterness and in the 
 bond of iniquity." And farther still, when the Apos- 
 tle declared him to be in that sinful and perilous 
 condition, he did not exhort him to be re-baptized in 
 order to his obtaining forgiveness, as he would have 
 done if the ordinance were efficacions to this end; 
 
123 
 
 but to "repent of his wickedness and pray to God." 
 Acts 8: 21-23. 
 
 Concerning- the baptismal regeneration of infants, 
 the question is not whether the word regenerate has 
 ever been employed by theological writers, in a gen- 
 eral ecclesiastical sense, answering to the word bap- 
 tize ; but whether the change described in the bible 
 b}' the term regeneration, conveys the idea of no 
 greater change in the heart of a child, than what 
 the ordinance of baptism is capable of producing ? 
 than what it does in fact produce, when the ordinance 
 is administered by a duly authorized person? On 
 this point we remark — 
 
 1. That if the claim set up consists in this, viz : 
 that saving grace is conferred through this ordinance 
 J)y the official authority of the administrator, it is 
 sufficient to reply that the Scriptures give no such 
 authority to any mere man, and they connect no 
 such efficacy with any rehgious ordinance. Christ 
 had power on earth to forgive sins, but He alone. 
 But even He never employed the ordinance of bap- 
 tism as the medium of communicating forgiveness, 
 much less did He impart such a virtue to the ordi- 
 nance in the hands of any other person. It is a 
 sign and seal of remission of sins ; but we look in 
 vain for any Scripture which teaches that the ordi- 
 nance itself conveys this blessing or that the admin- 
 istrator conveys it by his official authority by means 
 of this ordinance as a channel of communication. 
 
 2. If the ground assumed be that baptism is the 
 channel through which the Holy Spirit communicates 
 
 lU 
 
124 
 
 saving grace to the heart of the child, we admit that 
 this inay be the case and sometimes it doubtless is. 
 We believe farther that this would occur more fre- 
 quently if parents in presenting their children to 
 God through this ordinance exercised stronger faith 
 in that covenant of which baptism is the seal. But 
 we deny that saving grace is so connected with the 
 ordinance that the renewing and sanctifying influ- 
 ences of the Holy Spirit invariably accompany 
 its administration. The bible teaches no such doc- 
 trine and there are several considerations which 
 prove it to be false. (1.) We have seen that the sa- 
 ving influences of the Holy Spirit do not always 
 accompany the baptism of adults ; and if not, by 
 what rule will children form an exception? (2.) On 
 this principle it is incredible that infant baptism 
 should be confined to the children of believers. Such 
 is the benevolence of the gospel, that if the ordi- 
 nance properly administered is always saving in its 
 efiects, the first preachers of Christianity would have 
 been commissioned to baptize indiscriminately all 
 the little children and infants who might fall in their 
 way. (3.) If baptism possessed invariably a saving 
 eflicacy, the result would be that all baptized child- 
 ren will, immediately after their baptism or as soon 
 as they are capable of doing so. exhibit evidences of 
 being born again, or in other words, of possessing 
 new hearts. This result would follow wherever the 
 virtue might be supposed to lie, whether in the in- 
 trinsic power of the ordinance, the official authority 
 of the administrator, or the agency of the Holy 
 
125 
 
 Spirit. But it is well known that the history of 
 the ordinance brings us to a different conclusion. 
 The inference is that a theory which leads to such 
 a consequence must be erroneous. 
 
 II. The baptism of believers a seal of a public 
 profession of religion. 
 
 In introducing converts into the church from fam- 
 ilies not professing religion, baptism was appointed 
 by Christ as a sign of their being united to him by 
 faith through the agency of the Holy Spirit, and as 
 a seal of their solemn engagement or covenant to 
 live to his glory. The first of these is implied in 
 the language of Peter at the house of Cornelius : 
 "Can any man forbid water, that these should not 
 be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as 
 well as we." Acts 10 : 47. And the second, in the 
 language of Paul to the Galatians : "As many of 
 you as have been baptized into Christ have put on 
 Christ." Gal. 3 : 27. Here in one passage the 
 work of the Holy Spirit ih their hearts of which bap- 
 tism is an emblem, was assigned as a reason for ad- 
 ministering the ordinance ; and in the other the re- 
 ception of baptism is declared to be a solemn pro- 
 fession of "putting on Christ; i. e. of being known 
 as his disciples and as pledged to promote the honor 
 of his name. Viewed in this light baptism is iden- 
 tical with a public profession of religion ; and hence 
 whatever importance is attached to the latter be 
 longs to the former. Though in itself considered 
 it is not essential to salvation, it becomes so 
 whenever its neglect arises from our being asha- 
 
126 
 
 4 
 
 mod of Christ. "With the heart man beheveth 
 unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession 
 is made unto salvation." Rom. 10: 9, 10. "Who- 
 soever therefore shall confess me before men, him 
 will 1 confess also before my Father which is in hea- 
 ven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, 
 him will I also deny before my Father which is in 
 heaven." Again, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of 
 me and my word in this adulterous and sinful gene- 
 ration, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed 
 when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the 
 holy angels." Mat. 10: 32, 33. Mark 8 : 38. Luke 
 9: 20. 
 
 But besides being a public declaration of disciple- 
 ship, it is when properly understood an assent to the 
 great cardinal doctrines of Christianity ; particularly 
 the doctrine of the Holy Trinity into whose name 
 the candidate is baptized; (Mat. 28: 19,) the vica- 
 rious death and atonement of Jesus Christ a belief 
 in which baptism alwaj^s implies, (Rom. 6 : 3,) and 
 regeneration through the operations of the Holy 
 ♦Spirit on the heart, creating us anew in Christ Jesus 
 unto good works; which change is especially refer- 
 red to and set forth in adult baptism. Rom. 6 : 4-6. 
 
 And further— as it is tantamount to a solemn cov- 
 enant to be the Lord's, it operates as a powerful i?i- 
 ecntivc to a holy life. To all the motives connected 
 with the consideration of God's love to us, we by our 
 baptism superadd another, consisting in our volun- 
 tary, personal consecration to his worship and ser- 
 vice. What a man freely and religiously binds 
 
127 
 
 himself to do, ratifying his engagement by an ordi- 
 nance so sacred as this, he will feel under particular 
 obligations to perform. Accordingly om' baptism, y 
 becomes a means of making us watchful and praj'er- 
 ful, and thus of increasing our spiritual strength and 
 promoting our growth in grace. A pious German 
 lady, concerning whom we read some years ago, 
 when tempted to evil, effectually resisted the tempt- 
 ation, by responding, "I cannot sin, for I have been 
 baptized." 
 
 III. Benefits of infant baptism. 
 
 Infant baptism is beneficial — 
 
 1. From its connexion with that gracious cove- 
 nant which God entered into with believing parents 
 and their children. That such a covenant was made 
 we shall here assume, because the proof has been 
 already adduced. We shall also for the same rea- 
 son take for granted that baptism is the seal of that 
 covenant. To be baptized is therefore to enter into 
 covenant with God. The adult subject of baptism 
 does this for himself alone. In infant baptism the 
 same is done in behalf of the child by the parent or 
 guardian who acts as its sponsor. The question now 
 is, what benefit accrues to the child from its being 
 thus brought into covenant with God ? — the act be- 
 ing performed by another, and the child being alto- . 
 gether unconscious of the transaction? The igno- 
 rance of the child is the chief objection implied in 
 this interrogatory. But will any one maintain that 
 a child cannot be spiritually benefitted until it is old 
 enough to act for itself? and of course old enough 
 
128 
 
 m 
 to act intelligently and understandingly ? If so, he 
 must reject the doctrine of infant salvation, and thus 
 rob the mourning parent of that precious solace felt 
 b}' him in his bereavement, which is derived from a 
 belief that his deceased babe is happy. If infants 
 are capable of being prepared for heaven, they are 
 capable of being benefitted by those means which 
 are adapted to this end ; one of which is their pious 
 dedication to God. Though they cannot themselves 
 act intelligently and understandingly, their parents 
 can ; and if they perform a duty in behalf of their 
 ofispring which God approves and enjoins, it accords 
 Avith the plainest dictates of reason and common 
 sense to conclude, that the children of such parents 
 will be more likely to enjoy the Divine blessing than 
 they would be if no such act of parental piety had 
 been performed. Once settle in the affirmative the 
 question of duty, and the inquiry what good will it 
 do, is out of place. It is not "a vain thing to serve 
 God." He knows what he has promised in his cov- 
 enant as well as what he has required; and he is 
 able and faithful to fulfil his promises, though the 
 persons with respect to whom they were made, may 
 be too young to offer him their devotion. The bap- 
 tism of a child is a recognition by the parent of 
 God's covenant; it implies an appreciation of its 
 blessings ; it is an act of worship and involves a de- 
 vout and earnest prayer that the benefits of the cov- 
 enant may be bestowed upon the child. Admitting 
 now that the child is ignorant of the transaction ; 
 that he is too young to know anything about it; still 
 
^5^ 129 
 
 if the transaction itself (as has been shown) is an 
 act performed in accordance with Scripture and not 
 an unauthorized ceremony, and if the duty is attend- 
 ed to with such views and feeUngs on the part of the 
 parent as God approves, it will seldom fail to be 
 beneficial sooner or later. Read the history of Sam- 
 uel, and tell me whether it was of no benefit to him 
 that his pious mother "lent" him to the Lord in his 
 early childhood. See 1st Sam. 1 : 24-28, and chap. 
 3 : 1-10. When he was yet a little child God called 
 him in an extraordinary manner by his grace, made 
 him subsequently a prophet and a judge in Israel, 
 and honored him with other distinguished tokens of 
 his favour. Who is willing to say that these gifts 
 and graces would have been conferred upon him if 
 he had been born of an irreligious mother? or if she 
 though religious, had neglected her duty to him in 
 this respect ? She with a pious heart devoted him 
 to God ;the offering was accepted ; and a rich train 
 of blessings quickly followed. 
 
 2. Infant baptism is beneficial from its tendency 
 to secure to the child early religious instruction. 
 This is promised by the parents either expressly or 
 impliedly when the ordinance is administered, and 
 hence its tendency. Parents we admit, can instruct 
 their children faithfully in the doctrines and duties 
 of religion without having previously devoted them 
 to God by baptism. But the question is not whether 
 they can, but whether they icill? i. e. whether they 
 will be as likely to do it ? Will they probably feel 
 as strongly their obligations ? and attend to their 
 
130 
 
 duty as diligently in the one case as in the other? 
 If a parent is a believer in this covenant and regards 
 himself as being solemnly pledged by the act of ded- 
 icating his child to God in baptism, to "train it up 
 in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;" this 
 pledge, it is obvious, is adapted to stimulate him to 
 the faithful discharge of the duties expressed or im- 
 plied in it ; and hence just so far as infant baptism 
 produces this effect, it is beneficial. The Jews were 
 so diligent in teaching their children the word of 
 God that Josephus says, "Every one of our people 
 being asked concerning the laws, rehearseth them 
 more easily than his own name." What an im- 
 mense benefit was this to that nation ! And yet no 
 one it is presumed, will deny that this result was se- 
 cured in a great degree by the relation they sustain- 
 ed to God as his covenant people — he enjoining 
 upon them and they virtually promising thus to train 
 up their families. See Deut. 4: 10, and 6: 6, 7. 
 
 3. Infant baptism is beneficial in that it brings 
 the child into an important relation to the church, 
 and secures to it several valuable church privileges. 
 The standards of the Presbyterian church maintain 
 that "all baptized children are members of the 
 church, are under its care, and subject to its govern- 
 ment and discipline ; and when they have arrived at 
 years of discretion, they are bound to perform all 
 the duties of church members." In our church rec- 
 ords they are not placed on our list of members nor 
 reported as such, until they become communicants ; 
 yet they are as ixally members before as afterwards; 
 
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 
 
 12 
 
133 
 
 though not precisely in the same sense. To illus- 
 trate this difference, we will adduce a familiar ex- 
 ample. Our little children are citizens of the United 
 States as truly as their parents, and they derive im- 
 portant benefits from their citizenship. Yet while 
 they are in their^ minority, there are some duties 
 which they are not qualified to perform, and some 
 privileges which they are not entitled to enjoy. So 
 though baptized children are members of the church, 
 they are ecclesiastically as well as naturally, in a 
 state of minority; and the duties which they are 
 competent to perform and the privileges they can 
 enjoy, are such only as belong to minors. The con- 
 tinuance of their ecclesiastical minority does not 
 however depend on the same conditions as their po- 
 litical. Whenever they possess sufficient knowledge 
 to "discern the Lord's body," in the true Scriptural 
 sense of this phrase, (1 Cor. 11 : 29,) whatever may 
 be their ages, they have a right to all the privileges 
 of church members, and not before; and so far as 
 their age and qualifications in other respects may 
 justify, they are then expected to discharge all the 
 duties incumbent on members of the church in full 
 communion. Before this no less than afterwards, 
 they are under the "care, government and disci- 
 pline" of the church, similar to those exercised over 
 children in their father's house. As the instructions 
 and restraints of the family are a great privilege to 
 the child, so are those of the church. In neither case 
 are they always esteemed to be a privilege. Re- 
 fractory, ungovernable children, are impatient of pa- 
 
134 
 
 rental control. But in their riper years they often 
 bless God for having given them such parents. In 
 like manner, they sometimes feel restive and unhappy 
 as church members, under the corrective appliances 
 of religion ; but when they come (as they frequently 
 do) to appreciate their value, they will remember 
 them with approbation and gratitude, as having been 
 the means under God of checking them in their 
 downward course of sin, and placing them in the 
 path of life. 
 
 As the onl\^ two sacraments authorized by the 
 New Testament, viz : baptism and the Lord's supper, 
 sustain an intimate relation to each other, this may- 
 be a suitable place to notice what that relation is, 
 and in what sense infant baptism is beneficial as a 
 preparation for the other christian sacrament. Both 
 of these sacraments are signs and seals of the cov- 
 enant of grace. Their institution was designed to 
 be on God's part, a visible token of his grace and 
 mercy to men through the Lord Jesus Christ; and 
 their reception by us is an outward sign of our sol- 
 emn recognition of his covenant and our reliance 
 upon it for pardon and salvation. They difler from 
 each other in that baptism is our formal reception 
 of God's covenant and of that Saviour who is the 
 sum and substance of it; and the Lord's supper is 
 our grateful recognition and remembrance of its 
 blessings and comforts, after having previously in 
 cur baptism assented to and embraced it. Baptism 
 is to be administered but once, because it marks our 
 induction into the visible church, and having once 
 
135 
 
 entered it we are to continue there till the end of 
 life, and have no necessity for being initiated a sec- 
 ond time. A repetition of our baptism would be a 
 virtual admission that the taking of our oath of alle- 
 giance to God once, was insufficient to bind us and 
 needed renewing, or that his fidelity to us as ratified 
 by the ordinance, might be called in question and 
 needed additional confirmation. The Lord's supper 
 is different. It is designed as a memorial of those 
 blessings which were purchased by the death of 
 Christ. And since it is highly useful and important 
 for us to keep alive in our hearts a grateful remem- 
 brance of those blessings, the frequent administra- 
 tion of the ordinance is adapted to this end; and 
 hence our Savior provided for its repetition by his 
 followers at no distant intervals as long as they 
 live. 
 
 With regard to infants, baptism when administer- 
 ed to them is just as truly a seal of the covenant of 
 grace as it is to adults. The principal difference is 
 that in adult baptism the candidate expresses his as- 
 sent to the covenant and his reliance upon it for his 
 own salvation; whereas in infant baptism this as- 
 sent is given not by the child itself but by his pa- 
 rents in his behalf— they professing their belief in 
 the same truths as they would in their own baptism, 
 and promising to endeavor by God's assistance, to 
 make their child acquainted with them and to em- 
 brace them cordially for himself. Here Ues the ben- 
 efit of infant baptism as it stands related to the 
 Lord's supper. The former from its being the ap- 
 12a 
 
136 
 
 pointed visible sign of church membership, would 
 t^eem to give all baptized persons an ecclesiastical 
 right to the latter, irrespective of their age or other 
 qualifications. This however does not follow ; be- 
 cause the inspired record expressly enjoins upon 
 communicants self examination: "Let a man exam- 
 ine himself and so let him eat of that bread and 
 drink of that cup." This implies that he has "arri- 
 ved at the years of discretion," and that he must 
 possess certain moral or rather spiritual qualifica- 
 tions in order to make him a worthy communicant; 
 concerning the existence of which in his own heart 
 he is required to make diligent search. These qual- 
 ifications are described by the phrase "knowledge to 
 discern the Lord's body"; which include a competent 
 theoretical knowledge of God's method of saving 
 ^^inners through Jesus Christ, and that knowledge of 
 .1 higher kind produced by the Holy Spirit, by which 
 the recipient of the ordinance is enabled to behold 
 with an eye of faith the excellency and glory of 
 Christ as the Saviour of sinners and to choose him 
 as the only portion of his soul.* 
 
 *it has been atlirmed that the intant children ot Jewish parents were 
 church members in full communion, and were admitted at an early age 
 to the Passover irrespective of any moral qualifications; and hence that 
 on the principles assumed in this treatise, baptized children ought to be 
 admitted now in the same way to the Lord's supper. But we think the 
 ground taken above with regard to Jewish children catinot be sustained 
 by facts. The most approved commentators agree that the age at which 
 our Saviour came to the Passover viz : at twelve years, which is said 
 (Luke 2: 42) to have been "after the custom of the feast,*' was the ear- 
 liest time at which this was pertnitted according to Jewish usage; and 
 tiiat even then they were not admitted without regard to their moral 
 and religious characters. In proof of this, we might adduce the opin- 
 
137 
 
 Though infant baptism does not with certainty 
 and in all cases secure this fitness for the Lord's sup- 
 per, it does secure in some good degree, in addition 
 to the prayers and religious instruction of pious pa- 
 rents, that "care, government and discipline" of the 
 church, which when faithfully and kindly carried out, 
 according to the requirements of Christ and his 
 Apostles, are eminently adapted to bring those within 
 her inclosure, to seek at the Saviour's cross that 
 peace of conscience which can be found no where 
 else, and at the Lord's table that communion with 
 him and his people which is an antepast of heaven. 
 We doubt not that many while partaking of the 
 Lord's supper and feasting by faith upon the heav- 
 enly manna of which it may be regarded as in some 
 sense an emblem, have blessed God in their hearts and 
 said, "Had it not been for our early initiation by 
 baptism into the school of Christ, where we were 
 taught to seek his grace and fear his name, we 
 should not have been here to-day enjoying such to- 
 kens of his favor." 
 
 Says the distinguished commentator Matthew 
 Henry, "I cannot but take occasion to express my 
 
 ions of Calvin, Patrick, Poole, RosenmuUer, Kuinoel, and Bloomfield. 
 But we deem it sufficient to quote a passage from Dr. Gill an eminent 
 Baptist commentator. ''According to the maxims of the Jews," says 
 he, "persons were not obliged to the duties of the law, or subject to the 
 penalties of it in case of non-performance, until they were, a female, at 
 the age of twelve years and one day, and a male, at the age of thirteen 
 years and one day^ "They were not reckoned adult members till then : 
 nor then either, unless worthy persons ;" for so it is said, "iJe that is 
 v-orthy is called, at thirteen years of age, a son of the congregation of Is- 
 rael, that is, a member of the church.'''' 
 
138 
 
 gratitude to God for my infant baptism : not only as 
 it was an early admission into the visible body of 
 Christ, but as it furnished my parents with a good 
 argument and I trust through grace, a prevailing ar- 
 gument for an early dedication of myself to God in 
 my early childhood. If God has ever wrought any 
 good work upon my soul, I desire with humble thank- 
 iulncss, to acknowledge the influence of my infant 
 baptism upon it." See liis Life Vol. 1st of his Com- 
 mentary. 
 
 4. Infant baptism beneficial to parents, to the 
 church, and through her to mankind. 
 
 Its beneficial tendency upon parents may be seen 
 from the fact already adduced — that it makes them 
 more faithful in seeking the spiritual welfare of their 
 cliildren. Parental faithfulness not only benefits the 
 children but the parents also. Intercessory prayer 
 is as valuable to him who offers it as to those in 
 whose behalf it is offered; and so of any other kind 
 of scriptural effort for the salvation of our house- 
 holds. 
 
 Again, if infant baptism is a duty, its performance 
 is well pleasing to God, and cannot fail to benefit 
 those who with proper views comply with the Divine 
 injunction. "In his favor is life." To the honor of 
 Enoch it is recorded that "he pleased God" ; and of 
 Zachariah and Elizabeth that "they walked in all 
 the commandments and ordinances of the Lord 
 blameless." 
 
 And farther, infant baptism is beneficial to parents, 
 by leading them to serious reflections concerning their 
 
139 
 
 own spiritual condition. It involves a renewal of 
 their covenant vows, which cannot be done by a 
 pious parent without profitable reflections. But it is 
 particularly beneficial in this view of the case to a 
 certain class of parents. Sometimes those who have 
 been baptized in their infancy and have families of 
 their own, desire to present their children to God in 
 baptism, though they have not made a public pro- 
 fession of religion and received the sacrament of the 
 Lord's supper. A request of this kind affords a fa- 
 vourable opportunity to the pastor, to instruct such 
 parents concerning the nature of the ordinance, the 
 solemn vows they virtually make in having it ad- 
 ministered to their children, and the qualifications 
 requisite to enable them to make and perform these 
 vows in such a manner as will be acceptable to God. 
 If thc}^ are told (as they should be) that the same 
 frame of mind is requsite for the proper discharge of 
 this duty, as in coming to the Lord's table; that if 
 they are unfit for the one, they are also for the other; 
 that the ordinance is not a mere form, for the pur- 
 pose of giving the child a christian name, but an act 
 of religious worship, in which the parents solemnly 
 profess their faith in the triune God; and that though 
 it is both their dut}" and privilege to have their child- 
 ren baptized, it is likewise their duty and privilege to 
 come to the Lord's table ; but that in neither case 
 can they do it acceptably without regenerated hearts; 
 such instructions as these, given under circumstan- 
 ces of so much interest to the parents, are adapted 
 in a high degree to produce upon their minds a salu- 
 
140 
 
 tary impression. They may be in a state of anx- 
 ious inquiry, which may by this course, be ripened 
 into christian experience. Or they may have met 
 with a change of heart, but are prevented by vari- 
 ous reasons from performing many of the duties and 
 enjoying the comforts of reUgion. An occasion of 
 this kind may be blessed of God to revive their gra- 
 ces, dissipate their darkness, and influence them to 
 come with joyful obedience and present both their 
 children and themselves to the Lord. Or if as may 
 sometimes happen, they are careless about their 
 aouls, will not a faithful and affectionate conversa- 
 tion of this kind be well calculated to awaken, con- 
 vict and convert them ? The question, what course 
 ought to be pursued with regard to complying with 
 the request of such parents, is answered differently 
 
 in the preceding remarks, are applicable in either 
 case, whether the request be granted or denied. But 
 a^ the question has been raised, we will say con- 
 cerning it, that where such parents give evidence of 
 piety and consent with cordiality to the obligations 
 implied in the ordinance, they ought, in our judg- 
 ment, to be allowed the privilege of baptism for their 
 children, though they may not see their way clear to 
 come to the Lord's table ; but where they do not 
 give this evidence, the ordinance should be postponed 
 — not refused but postponed — and the opportunity 
 thus afforded, should be improved with promptness 
 and fidelity, to bring them to that state of mind 
 which will render it proper at length to gratify their 
 
141 
 
 wishes. If they continue thoughtless, and appear 
 to have no reverence for God, and manifest no dis- 
 position to perform devotional and other religious 
 duties, and especially if they are immoral in their 
 conduct, it will be no blessing either to them or their 
 children to have the ordinance of infant baptism ad- 
 ministered. They have moreover no right to claim 
 it ; and hence they should be refused, unless some 
 pious relative or friend who is so situated as to be 
 able to carry out what he promises, will with the con- 
 sent of the parents, become the child's sponsor, and 
 engage to train it up "in the nurture and admonition 
 of the Lord." 
 
 Infant baptism is beneficial to the church, by exci- 
 ting in the minds of her members a lively and prac- 
 tical interest in the spiritual welfare of those who 
 are thus committed to her special care. Let our 
 adult church members feel as they ought, that the 
 hundreds of young children thus solemnly introdu- 
 ced to their notice, are by this act entrusted to them, 
 to be prayed for, instructed and watched over; and 
 it requires no unusual discernment to perceive that 
 a church composed of such members, will possess a 
 vigorous, active piety; that she will abound in good 
 works, be fervent in praj'er and have additions made 
 to her communion from time to time, "of such as 
 shall be saved." But besides its tendency to this 
 end arising from the faith and zeal of the church, it 
 is beneficial to her, and through her to mankind, from 
 its relation to that covenant which secures the per- 
 petuity and enlargement of Christ's kingdom on 
 
142 
 
 earth. Every instance of infant baptism is a recog- 
 nition of that covenant promise, on the fulfilment of 
 which are suspended the continuance and universal 
 extension of the means of grace. " What advantage 
 hath the Jew, and what profit is there of circumcis- 
 ion ? Much every way ; chiefly because that unto 
 them were committed the oracles of God." Rom. 
 3:1,2. See also chap. 9: 4. While all the sur- 
 rounding nations were enveloped in Pagan darkness, 
 that people, by virtue of the covenant which God 
 made with Abraham, of which circumcision was the 
 seal, enjoyed for many hundred years the means of 
 grace, and in multitudes of instances, grace itself, as 
 the fruit of those means. It was likewise on the 
 ground of that covenant that the inspired psalmist 
 prayed for the extension of the church among the 
 Gentiles. "Have respect unto the covenant; for the 
 dark places of the earth are full of the habitations 
 of cruelty." Ps. 74: 20. The covenant promised 
 that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in 
 Abraham and his seed; (see Gen. 12 : 3, and 17 : 4,) 
 and that prayer of the psalmist was a plea for the 
 fulfilment of the promise contained in the covenant. 
 We are the descendants of some of those for whom 
 the psalmist then prayed. We enjoy our rehgious 
 privileges by virtue of that covenant, and in answer 
 to that prayer. We are now by adoption the child- 
 ren of the covenant; and our adherence to it, as 
 manifested by afiixing its seal to our children, and 
 performing its requirements in other respects, must 
 be regarded as one of the means by which the priv- 
 
143 
 
 ileges we enjoy are to be perpetuated through suc- 
 ceeding generations. It is likewise a plea for the 
 conversion of the heathen, which we may now urge 
 as appropriately as was done at any former period. 
 "Have respect to the covenant ; for the dark places 
 of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." 
 The practice of infant baptism is a continued repe- 
 tition of this prayer. It is virtually saying to God, 
 "O Lord, after we are dead, let the church live and 
 flourish in the persons of our children and children's 
 children ; ai\d by means of us and them let it be en- 
 larged and extended so as to embrace within its 
 pale all the families of the earth." True we could 
 offer this prayer at any time ; but its connexion with 
 the ordinance of christian baptism gives it peculiar 
 force. If such a prayer is implied in the ordinance, 
 there is also implied in it a Divine promise that the 
 prayer will be heard and answered. In thus enter- 
 ing into covenant with believers, God not only 
 exacted a duty from them, but made a promise to 
 them. Baptism is as much a seal of th^ covenant 
 on his part as on theirs. By his direction they affix 
 the seal, and the solemn contract between them is 
 thereby confirmed. They pledge fidelity to him ; 
 and he, on the basis of the covenant as originally 
 made, secures the perpetuity and enlargement of his 
 church, and makes to them individually a conditional 
 promise, that if they fulfil their covenant vows, the 
 church shall be perpetuated in their families and de- 
 scendants. See Gen. 18 : 19. In this view of the 
 
 case, it is impossible to estimate the extent of the 
 13 
 
144 
 
 benefits resulting from infant baptism. They are 
 as wide as the world, and as perpetual as the course 
 of time. 
 
 IV. The time and manner in which infant baptism 
 should be attended to, and the duties growing oat of 
 it. 
 
 As to the tlme^ it should be performed without un- 
 necessary delay. Under the old testament dispen- 
 sation, circumcision was required to be on the eighth 
 day. Before that time the child was reckoned unclean, 
 and could not therefore be presented to God in that 
 ordinance. See Lev. 12: 2, 3. For the same rea- 
 son animals were not permitted to be offered in sa- 
 crifice till they were eight days old. Lev. 22 : 27. 
 This circumstance is regarded by Christians as cere- 
 monial, and not to be observed now in the baptism 
 of infants. This was the question which came be- 
 fore the council of Carthage in the time of Cyprian 
 in the third century. See pages 110 and 111 of this 
 volume. An important principle is however involv- 
 ed in that requirement. As the eighth day was the 
 earliest time in which it could be lawfully performed, 
 so that day was definitely fixed, and could not be 
 postponed in ordinary circumstances, without incur- 
 ring guilt. A remarkable instance of this is record- 
 ed in Exodus 4 : 24-26. A son of Moses for some 
 reason which is not stated, was permitted to continue 
 uncircumcised after the time prescribed for the per- 
 formance of this rite. The Lord was displeased with 
 Moses on account of this neglect. "And it came to 
 pass by the way in the inn, the Lord met him and 
 
145 
 
 sought to kill him." Whether we are to understand 
 some visible appearance of the Almight}?", or the in- 
 fliction of some sudden and violent disease, by 
 which Moses' life was threatened, it is not necessary 
 for us to inquire. The cause of this visitation was 
 well understood by the parents of the child, and the 
 rite was immediately performed ; after which the 
 the Lord's chastening hand was at once withdrawn. 
 This teaches us that unnecessary delay is sinful. It 
 indicates a reluctance to compl}' with the divine in- 
 junction, which cannot be otherwise than displeasing 
 to God. Our children should therefore be presented 
 to the Lord in baptism at as early a day after the 
 their birth as circumstances will permit. A prompt 
 discharge of this dut}' shews a idlling heart ; a just 
 appreciation of the ordinance as a christian privi- 
 lege ; and not as being in our view a small matter, a 
 mere outward ceremon}^ which it is immaterial 
 whether we attend to or not.* 
 
 * It has been inferred by some from 2ncl Chron. 31 : 14, that the long- 
 est time at which circumcision could be delayed with impunity was till 
 the child was three years old. That was the time of weaning him, and 
 he was then brought to the house of the Lord and liis name registered 
 in the genealogy of tlie family to which he belonged. Compare the text 
 just referred to with 1 Sam. 1: 22-54. If the child had not been circum- 
 cised, he lost his place in the genealogy. This (as some understand it) 
 is what is meant by "cutting off the uncircimicised man child from 
 among the people." See Gen. 17 : 14. By this act he was excluded 
 from having any part in the peculiar privileges of an Israelite. He might 
 however, as is generally supposed, be circumcised voluntarily at any 
 time afterwards, when old enough to act for himself, and so be restored 
 to his forfeitec' privileges ; and it is also argued by some from Gen. IT, 
 27, that the parents might obtain his restoration by having him circum- 
 cised, if not over thirteen years of age, but that if he was older than 
 
M6 
 
 With regcrd to the manner, it should be attended 
 to piously, i.e., with a praycrfuL devout spirit, and a 
 lively faith in God. The frame of mind indicated by 
 these terms, imphes that the duty be performed in 
 obedience to Divine authority, and not merely be- 
 cause it is the practice of the church of which we 
 are members, or for the purpose of giving the child 
 a name ; that it be engaged in as an act of religious 
 dedication of the child to God and his service, with 
 an earnest petition for its speedy conversion and fu- 
 ture usefuhiess ; and that banishing all distrust of 
 God's faithfulness, strong confidence be exercised in 
 him as a covenant keeping God, who according to 
 his promise, will ''shew mercy unto thousands [of 
 generations] of them that love him and keep his 
 commandments." 
 
 The duties growing out of the ordinance relate 
 both to parents and children, and also to the Church. 
 Upon parents it imposes the duty of bringing up 
 their ff^miiUes "in the nuture and admonition of the 
 Lord." This implies daily prayer with and for 
 tlieui ; watching over them and restraining them from 
 vice and temptation; and faithful and repeated re- 
 ligious instruction ; particularly the frequent reading 
 to them and by them of God's holy word. "I know 
 him [Abi'aham] that he will command his children 
 and his household after him, and they shall keep the 
 
 tills he could not receive the ordinance on the faith of }ii.-« parents, but 
 only by his own free choice. This may serve as a j^uide to parents now 
 as to the age above which it id unsiiiiable to liave their cliildren bapiii:- 
 e<l, except on their own profession oi faith. 
 
13a 
 
FAMILY WORSHIP. 
 
149 
 
 wa}" of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that 
 the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he 
 hath spoken of him." Gen. 18: 19. "And these 
 words which I command thee this day shall be in 
 thy heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto 
 thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou 
 sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest b}^ the 
 way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest 
 up." Deut. 6 : 6, 7. "Correct thy son and he shall 
 give thee rest; yea he shall give delight to thy soul." 
 Prov. 29 : 17. "Pour out thy fury". . . ."upon the fam- 
 ilies that call not on thy name." Jer. 8: 25. See 
 also Ex. 20: 5, 6; Ps. 79: 1-4,6, 7; Prov. 22: 6. 
 These several passages strongly inculcate the duties 
 of family devotion, instruction, and restraint; and 
 they teach that these duties must be performed by 
 heads of families if they expect their children and 
 households to be blessed. No more manifestly did 
 the Divine favor rest on the house of Obededom, on 
 account of his pious care of the ark, (2 Sam. 6. 12.) 
 than it does in every age, on those houseliolds from 
 whose altars the incense of devout worship ascends 
 up daily " as a memorial before God." No more 
 sure were the beneficial eifects of pious instruction 
 and restraint on the family of Abraham, (Gen. 18. 
 19.) or of Joshua, (Josh. 24. 15.) than they are now 
 on those families where the parents or others who 
 are placed over them, imitate the examples of those 
 holy men. Eli neglected those duties, particularly 
 the latter. " His sons made themselves vile and he 
 restrained them not;" in consequence of which the 
 
150 
 
 Lord caused judgments to be denounced upon his 
 house forever. 1 Sam. 3: 13. The same conse- 
 quences may be expected to follow similar neglects 
 at the present day. " The Lord God is a jealous 
 God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the 
 children, unto the third and fourth generat ion of 
 them that hate him." What encouraging motives 
 are here presented to excite christian parents to 
 fidelity in the discharge of parental duties ! And 
 how fearful are the evils of neglect ! 
 
 The duties devolving on baptized children with 
 reference to this ordinance, are such as the following : 
 They ought in early life to devote themselves in a 
 devout manner to that triune God in whose name 
 they have been baptized ; to endeavor to become 
 qualified for and to seek a place at the Lord's table, 
 to which privilege their baptism gives them in the 
 sense already described, an ecclesiastical right; and 
 to carry out in their lives that practical integrity, 
 sound morality and true godliness, which are enjoin- 
 ed in the scriptures upon all men, but are especially 
 obligatory upon those who stand thus related to the 
 church. 
 
 Mr. Philip Henry, father of the celebrated com- 
 mentator. Matthew Henry, prepared and taught to 
 his children the following baptismal covenant : 
 
 " I take God the Father to be my chiefest good 
 and highest end. 
 
 1 take God the Son to be my Prince and Saviour. 
 
 I take God the II0I3' Ghost to be my sanctifierj 
 teacher, guide and comforter. 
 
151 
 
 I take the word of God to be my rule in all my 
 actions. 
 
 And the people of God to be my people in all 
 conditions. 
 
 I do likewise devote and dedicate unto the Lord, 
 my whole self, all I am, all I have, and all I can do. 
 
 And this I do deliberately, sincerely, freely and 
 forever." 
 
 Each of his children w^as required to repeat this 
 covenant every Lord's dav, the father putting his 
 amen to it, and sometimes adding, " So say, and so 
 do, and you are made forever." 
 
 Let all baptized children adopt this covenant as 
 their own. Let them renew it in a solemn and de- 
 vout manner at short intervals. We can assure them 
 that if they " so say and so do, they are made forever." 
 
 The church has likevvise important duties to per- 
 form with reference to this ordinance. The proper 
 ecclesiastical authorities should see that the members 
 do not neglect or unneccessarily postpone the ordi- 
 nance; that parents are faithful in fulfilling their 
 covenant engagements to their children, entered into 
 at their baptism; that baptized children are properly 
 cared for, instructed and catechized, encouraged to 
 attend the house of God, Sabbath Schools, &c., and 
 if orphans, be provided with suitable homes where 
 their religious education will be secured. The "care, 
 government and discipline " of the church, as exer- 
 cised over them, should be parental rather than ju- 
 dicial ; consisting of kind, christian counsels, admo- 
 nitions and reproofs; not of charges officially pre- 
 
152 
 
 fered, and succeeded by the usual forms of legal 
 process. Should such results as are desired and 
 hoped for not be realized, a sound discretion must 
 be exercised as to what farther steps may in due 
 time be required under the circumstances of the case. 
 But if, as we have seen, the minority of a child in 
 his father's house, furnishes a suitable illustration of 
 the relation of baptized children to the church ; the 
 proper treatment of a child by his father for neglect 
 of duty, will serve to illustrate the appropriate dis- 
 cipline of the church in such an event. A parent 
 will bear long with an undutiful son, and endeavor 
 by assiduous and protracted efforts to reclaim him 
 from his sinful course, before he proceeds to disown 
 him ; and when he feels constrained to adopt so se- 
 vere a measure, his purpose is carried into effect not 
 by a formal, much less a public exclusion from the 
 family circle ; but by a silent withdrawal of paren- 
 tal favor. AVith a forbearance and tenderness simi- 
 lar to this, according to our opinion, should be the 
 treatment of baptized children. 
 
 Again, this class of church members ought to re- 
 ceive the special attention of their pastor. When 
 Moses had written the law he delivered it to the 
 priests, the sons of Levi, and commanded them, say- 
 ing, " Gather the people together on the year of re- 
 lease, men women and children, and read the law 
 unto them, that they may hear, and that they may 
 learn, and fear the Lord," &c. Deut. 31 : 9-13. So 
 it should be now. In the injunction of our Saviour 
 to Peter, "Feed my sheep, feed my lambs," we are 
 
153 
 
 taught that under the new testament dispensation, 
 the spiritual supervision of children, as well as others, 
 is committed to ministers of the gospel, as a part of 
 their official work. In addition to the opportunities 
 for doing them good which occur almost daily, and 
 always every Sabbath, they may with great advan- 
 tage have stated seasons, (say previous to each com- 
 munion,) to assemble them together, and address 
 them particularly concerning their privileges, obhga- 
 tions and duties. The regular and faithful catechis- 
 ing of children depends also in a great degree upon 
 the importance attached to it and the interest mani- 
 fested in it by pastors. The duty of imparting this 
 form of instruction primarily belongs to parents ; and 
 where circumstances are such as to render it expe- 
 dient, teachers in Sabbath Schools, as well as other 
 schools, may properly engage in it. But it is very 
 apt to be neglected or attended to irregularly, even 
 in the family, unless parents are occasionally re- 
 minded of their duty from the pulpit; and it affords 
 them much encouragement to punctuality and fidel- 
 ity, as well as exerts a favorable influence on the 
 minds of the children, to have their pastors at stated 
 periods and as often as practicable, engage person- 
 ally in the work of catechizing; so far, at least, as 
 to learn what proficiency has been rpade, and to se- 
 cure among the people, old and young, a lively and 
 continued interest in the exercise. All the reformed 
 churches had their catechisms. In the preface of 
 one of those penned by Luther,* he says, " The du- 
 *Luther wrote two — a larger and shorter. 
 
154 
 
 ty of the faithful and watchful father demands, that 
 once a week in the least, he should make trial by exa- 
 mination of his children and family, and discover 
 what they understand or have learnt; solemnly con- 
 straining them, in case of ignorance, to learn these 
 things thoroughly." To ministers he says, "I there- 
 fore beseech and conjure all you, who are pastors 
 and preachers, that you solemnly discharge your 
 duty, and take care of the people committed to you 
 by God. And this you will best do, by joining us in 
 inculcating this catechism every where, and espe- 
 cially on the youngy Calvin's catechism was exten- 
 eively circulated, both on the continent and in Eng- 
 land and Scotland. In France it was publicly ex- 
 pounded by order of the national Synod. His own 
 estimate of the importance of this mode of instruc- 
 tion is expressed in the following most decided lan- 
 guage: "The church of God cannot be without a 
 catechism; for therein the true seed of doctrine is 
 to be contained, from which at length the pure and 
 seasonable harvest will be matm^d, and from this 
 the seed may be multiplied abundantly." Before 
 the close of that century a catechism was penned 
 with scripture proofs, by a committee appointed for 
 this purpose, by the General Assembly of the church 
 of Scotland, which was ordered to be used in fami- 
 lies and schools ; and pastors were especially charged 
 with the duty of placing it in the hands of the people, 
 and also of examining, prior to each communion, as 
 to their proficiency. At a later period, (A. D. 1639) 
 they were enjoined to have catechising in some 
 
155 
 
 part of the parish every week. This was four years 
 before the meeting of that famous assembly of Di- 
 vines at Westminster, one of the fruits of which was 
 tlie production of a catechism, which for accuracy 
 and precision, simpUcity and perspicuity, stands un- 
 rivaled among all similar productions in any age of 
 the world. Let it have a place in every family and 
 be treasured up in the memories of all our children. 
 Next to the study of the bible, scarcely any thing 
 will be found more valuable. 
 
 Once more; the private members of the church 
 ought to take a special interest in these lambs of the 
 flock. Their baptism was a particular introduction 
 to the friendly and christian attention of the Lord's 
 people. It was a virtual request for their prayers 
 and counsels. Above all, it was a solemn injunction 
 addressed to each of the members of the church by 
 the Lord of the covenant, in whose name the ordi- 
 nance was administered, saying, " Give ear, O my 
 people" — hide not from these children whom I here- 
 by commit to thee, what you "have heard and 
 known" — "showing to the generation to come the 
 praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his won- 
 derful works that he hath done" — "that the genera 
 tions to come may know them, even the children 
 which shall be born; who shall arise and declare 
 them to their children, that they may set their hope 
 in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his 
 commandments." See Ps. 78: 1-7; and Home's 
 commentary on the same. As is taught in that pas- 
 sage, it is by the use of means such as these, em- 
 14 
 
156 
 
 ployed not only by parents, but also by the members 
 of the church, with reference to the rising genera- 
 tion, and particularly with those youth and children 
 whom God, by their baptism, has brought into so 
 near relation to us, that the church is to be enlarged 
 and perpetuated. The faithful "christian nurture" 
 of the present generation, will secure, as a general 
 rule, according to the Divine arrangement, the pro- 
 per training of the next, and so on in successive 
 ages, till the arrival of that happy period when " they 
 shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every 
 man his brother, saying know the Lord : for all 
 shall know him, from the least to the greatest." 
 
 Christian reader ! allow me to offer a few words 
 of exhortation. Are you a parent? do not neglect 
 the religious instruction of 3'our children. You ma- 
 nifest an ardent desire for their temporal prosperity; 
 why not for their eternal ? In their infancy you 
 dandle them on the knee of parental fondness, and 
 watch over their welfare by day and by night; but 
 how many prayers are recorded in heaven which 3'ou 
 have offered up in their behalf? In their early child- 
 hood, you teach them to lisp the endearing names 
 of father and mother, and notice with intense inte- 
 rest their growth, both of body and mind ; but how 
 much have you taught them concerning their Father 
 in heaven, and the importance of giving their hearts 
 to him ? In their youth, all your tender anxieties 
 are called into action for their intellectual improve- 
 ment and theu* elevation in society; but how many 
 earnest longings have you felt for theu' improvement 
 
157 
 
 in Divine knowledge and tlieir elevation to God's 
 right hand? Which in your estimation is the more 
 important ? that your children should become learn- 
 ed and honorable in this world? or that they should 
 become pious? that they acquire large estates and 
 luxuriate in the abundance and splendor of w^ealth? 
 or become heirs of the kingdom of God ? If the 
 latter, then act accordingly. Feel as strongly, and 
 act as constantly and efficiently for the promotion of 
 their spiritual good as most parents do for their tem- 
 poral w'elfare, and we are authorized to assure you 
 God will bless and save them. Adopt the opposite 
 course, and though they may even then be converted, 
 you will have much reason to fear a different result, 
 and that in the day of final account their blood will 
 be required at your hands. 
 
 Are you an officer or a private member of the 
 church? or a minister of the gospel? Remember 
 that the youth and children of the present genera- 
 tion are the germs of the future church; and that 
 the character and even the existence of the church 
 in time to come, will therefore depend upon the faith- 
 ful and successful employment of the means which 
 God has appointed for the conversion of those now^ 
 entering upon the stage of life. Next to parents, 
 you are responsible to God for the part you take in 
 forming their religious characters. The church is, 
 in an important sense, a school; baptized children 
 are "disciples" or learners in this school; and you, 
 in your appropriate places, are to perform the office 
 of instructors ; " teaching them to observe all things 
 
158 
 
 whatsoever Christ has commanded you." Fulfil 
 your trust with fidelity, and " your labor will not be 
 in vain in the Lord." 
 
 Baptized children ! Endeavor, I beseech you, to 
 appreciate and improve the privilege you enjoy of 
 being members of the church of Christ. Though 
 this relation was formed, not by your own act, but 
 by that of your parents, it should be prized no less 
 on this account. You had no agency in your being 
 born rational beings, and not brutes ; yet you regard 
 this as a circumstance demanding your warmest 
 gratitude. You became citizens of the United 
 States of America, without your agency; and yet 
 you rejoice in that good Providence, which has thus 
 distinguished you from millions of mankind, born 
 under despotic civil governments, or what is far 
 worse, in countries unblessed by the glorious gospel. 
 So it was a great favor to you, that as soon as you 
 began to live in this sinful world — yourselves being 
 sinners — your parents besought, in your behalf, the 
 grace of God to deliver you from sin, and caused 
 you by your baptism, to be encircled as it were, with 
 the bow of his holy covenant. 
 
 Take heed that you despise not yowv birth-right. 
 By this course Esau lost his fathers dying benedic- 
 tion; and by a similar course many a 3'outh since 
 has lost a much greater blessing, viz : the saving 
 grace of God, and the eveilasting inheritance of his 
 redeemed people. What a bitter lamentation did 
 Esau send up into his father's ears, when he discov- 
 ered his foil v ! but it was too late. "He found no 
 
159 
 
 place for repentance," [no disposition in his father 
 to change his purpose,] "though he sought it care- 
 fully with tears." Such will be your doom ere long, 
 if you "neglect this great salvation." Be not asham- 
 ed of your relation to the church, nor unmindful of 
 the obHgations which are thereby devolved upon you. 
 Remember that you " are bound to perform all the 
 duties of church members." To this end, secure 
 without delay the renewal of your hearts ; which 
 w^as the primar}^ object desired and hoped for as the 
 result of your infant membership. Having by Di- 
 vine grace obtained this, all other rehgious and mo- 
 ral duties which are required of you, will be per- 
 formed cheerfully, nay, with the greatest delight. 
 God will bless and honor you on earth, and receive 
 you after death, to a more glorious membership in 
 the "church of the first born, which are written in 
 heaven." 
 
 14a 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Two forms, extending from the 59th to the 82d 
 page, passed through the press in the author's ab- 
 sence, in consequence of which more typographical 
 errors appear there than in other portions of the book. 
 Three of the most glaring the reader will please cor- 
 rect, viz: Erase the lettej " S " in the word " days " 
 over the cut, page 68, and the letter " d " in the word 
 " intimated " at the top of page 79, and change " R " 
 into " P " in the word " Ret. " towards the bottom of 
 page 73. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 OF THE SE\TERAL PARTS; 
 
 TOGETHER WITH aUESTIONS FOR THE USE OF PARENTS IX 
 
 INSTRUCTING THEIR CHILDREN. FOR THE ANSWERS, 
 
 REFERENCE IS 3IADE TO THE PAGES WHERE 
 
 THEY MAY BE FOUND. 
 
 PAGE, 
 
 PART I. The Scriptural mode of administering Baptism. 7 
 
 What is essential to the valid administration of Christian baptism? 7 
 
 Is any particular mode of applying water essential to its validity? 7 
 
 What are the two modes in use among christians? 7 
 
 Which of them is the more scriptural? 7 
 
 1. Baptism of Christ. 7 
 Was Christ's baptism intended as an example for us? 8 
 May not his baptism furnish some evidence as to the proper 
 
 mode of administering it? 8 
 
 Wliat mode does it favor most ; immersion or sprinkling? , 8 
 
 Can you state the argument in favor of sprinkling founded on 
 
 Christ's baptism? 9 
 
 Will you give more at length the scripture proof that this argu- 
 ment is sound and conclusive? 9-16 
 First adduce the proof that Christ's baptism was a part of the 
 ceremony by which he was inducted into his piiestly office ; 
 page 10, and note page 57 ; and secondly that the priests were 
 sprinkled with water, as a part of their induction into office. 14-'' 'i 
 Do these facts render it highly probable if not certain that 
 
 Christ was baptized by sprinkling? 16 
 
 Is the argument weakened by the fact of his going down into 
 
 the water? 16 
 
 How is his baptism represented in ancient engravings? 11 
 
 How early is the date of the oldest engraving of this kind which 
 
 is known to be extant? 11 
 
 2. Baptism of the Eunuch. 
 
 Where is the eunuch's baptism recorded? 17 
 
162 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 What portion of scripture was he reading when Philip entered 
 
 liis chariot? 1"^ 
 
 What is said as to the manner in which Philip expounded that 
 
 prophecy to him? 17-18 
 
 What proof is there that he said anything in his discourse 
 
 about baptism? 18 
 
 What part of the prophecy from which he was speaking would 
 
 furnish a suitable text for him to discourse on this subject? 18 
 
 What is the import of those words, " So shall he sprinkle many 
 
 nations? " 21 
 
 What do they prove concerning the mode in which Philip bap- 
 tized the eunuch? 21-22 
 
 3. Other instances of Baptism recorded in Scripture. 22 
 
 Where were the three thousand who were converted on the day 
 
 of Pentecost? 22 
 
 Did they leave the house where they were assembled in order 
 
 to receive baptism? ' 23 
 
 Was not Paul also baptized in the house? 22 
 
 How was it with Cornelius and his friends? 22 
 
 Wliere were the jailor and his household baptized? 22 
 
 If they were all baptized in the house, is it at all probable that 
 
 they were immersed? 22 
 
 Do we read of a single instance in which the converts left the 
 
 place where they were converted in order to receive baptism? 23 
 
 What does this prove concerning the mode? 23 
 
 In baptising Lydia and her household did not the candidates go 
 
 to a river side in order to have the ordinance administered? 
 
 or were they not there already previous to and at the time of 
 
 L3'dia's conversion? 23-24 
 
 For what purpose did the Jews resort to that place? 23-24 
 
 What is the import of the phrase, " where prayer is wont to be 
 
 made? '' 24 
 
 Does the circumstance of their being baptized there afford any 
 
 evidence in favor of immersion? 2-4 
 
 4. Evidence derived from Scrijitu re facts and customs. 24 
 
 Where were the Israelites baptized unto Moses? 27 
 
 What analogy is there between that and chrisiian baptism? 27 
 
 How does it appear that we can with propriety use the one to 
 
 illustrate the other? 27 
 
 By what mode were the Israelites baptized in the cloud and in 
 
 the sea? 27-28 
 
163 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Are the Jewish purifications called baptisms? 28 
 
 Were they performed by Divine appointment? 28 
 
 By what mode were they generally performed? 29 
 
 5. Evidence from the blood of Christ and the influences of the 
 
 Holy Spirit. 29 
 
 What is Christ's blood called ? 29 
 What is the origin of this phraseology ? 29 
 What does it represent ? 29 
 Does baptism represent the same thing ? 29 
 What proof does this furnish in favor of sprinkling ? 29 
 How are the influences of the Holy Spirit represented in Scrip- 
 ture ? 29 
 Does the term pour, which sometimes occurs with reference to 
 those influences, differ materially in sense from the word 
 sprinkle ? Note, 29 
 Are both words employed to describe the influences of the Ho- 
 ly Spirit ? 30 
 Are these influences called baptism, with reference to the de- 
 scent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost ? 30 
 How then is it probable that this ordinance which was the sym- 
 bol of those influences, was administesed at that time ? 30 
 What is the design of baptism ? 30 
 Can you adduce proof of this from the Scriptures ? 30-33 
 What, argument is derived from this in favor oi" sprinkling or 
 pouring ? 33 
 
 6. The word Baptize considered. 33 
 
 What is the primary, radical sense of the word baptize ? 34 
 
 From what circumstance did it come to be used in the sense of 
 
 dip or im.merse ? 34 
 
 May it be used with equal propriety where dipping is out of the 
 
 question ? 34 
 
 What other way is there of ascertaining its meaning besides 
 
 the etymology of the word ? 34 
 
 If it m.eans uniformly to immerse, could it with propriety have 
 
 been employed to represent the Jewish purifications? or to 
 
 describe the influences of the Holy Spirit ? 34, 35 
 
 How were the Jewish purifications generally performed ? 34 
 
 Are not the influences of the Holy Spirit always described by 
 
 terms which denote pouring or sprinkling ? and never by 
 
 those which signify immersion ? 35 
 
164 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 What evidence does Christ's baptism afford as to the import of 
 
 the word baptize ? 35 
 
 Did Christ sanction the practice of immersion in religious puri- 
 fications ? 35, 36 
 How does this bear on the meaning of the word baptize ? 35, 36 
 In using other words to express the same things which are rep- 
 resented by baptism, do the sacred writers use those which 
 signify immerse ? 36 
 Does the word immerse ever occur in the bible ? 36 
 Does the word dip ever occur ? 36 
 In what way is it employed where the word is found ? 36 
 Is there an exception to this ? 36 
 In the case of Naaman, which is the only exception, is it clear 
 
 that he immersed his whole body ? 36 
 
 How often do the words sprinkle, pour, drop, distil, shed, &c., 
 occur in the bible, in passages having a bearing on this sub- 
 ject ? 36, 37 
 What do these facts prove as to the meaning of the word bap- 
 tize ? 37 
 
 /. The plirases went down into the water, S,-c. 37 
 
 Do not learned men say that the words translated into and out of, 
 are consistent with the idea that the persons baptized receiv- 
 ed the ordinance by the side of the water ? 37 
 
 Allowing the words all the force given them by the English 
 words into and out of, is the evidence for immersion regarded 
 even by ihimersionists themselves as amounting to anything 
 more than probability ? 33 
 
 Can no good reason be given why Philip and the Eunich went 
 down into the water without supposing that the eunich was 
 immersed ? 88 
 
 May not a sufficient reason be assigned why Christ went into 
 the Jordan except to be immersed ? 33 
 
 Suppose we could show no reason, would this weigh anything 
 against the proof already adduced that Christ and the eunich 
 were baptized by sprinkling ? 39 
 
 Is the phrase "in Jordan" any stronger in favor of immersion 
 than into and out of ? 39 
 
 If Christ was baptized "in Jordan," and yet was sprinkled; is 
 it not probable that the multitudes whom John baptized in 
 Jordan, followed their Saviour's example in this respect, and 
 were sprinkled too ? 39 
 
165 
 
 PAGE, 
 
 Does John's baptizing in Enon because there was much water 
 there prove that he immersed ? 39 
 
 For what purpose was much water needed unless for immer- 
 sion ? 39 
 
 At the time John was baptizing in Enon, where were Christ 
 and his disciples baptizing ? 40 
 
 Did they baptize great numbers ? 40 
 
 Is there any proof that there was much water in the place 
 where they baptized ? 40 
 
 Admitting however the special convenience of much water, and 
 even its close connexion with the ordinance of baptism, was 
 there nothing in the religious purifications of the Jews, going 
 to shew that a free use was probably made of water as a 
 preparation for the ordinance of baptism ? 40 
 
 In the Jewish purifications and in their solemn approaches to 
 
 God what were they required to do ? 40 
 
 Why was this previous bathing required ? and also the washing 
 or changing of their garments ? 40 
 
 Was this previous bathing a part of the religious purification 
 
 which succeeded, or only a preparation for it ? 40 
 
 Was the sprinkling which followed essential, without which 
 the other passed for nothing ? 40 
 
 What does this shew concerning the use of much water in 
 John's baptism, and how does it bear on the subject of sprink- 
 ling ? 41 
 
 How far is this view of the subject confirmed by the represen- 
 tations of christian baptism found in ancient engravings ? 41 
 
 Wliat clue does it give, as to the manner in which baptism by 
 immersion was probably introduced into the church ? 42 
 
 Does the phrase, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, refer to the 
 mode of administering baptism ? 42 
 
 Suppose reference be had to the mode, would it prove that im- 
 mersion is the only proper mode ? or would it not rather prove 
 that sprinkling is ? 42 
 
 What is the true meaning of the passage ? 43 
 
 In the phrase " having our bodies washed with pure water, " 
 does the word vashed^ decide any thing as to the mode ? 43 
 
 Is it as consistent with sprinkling or pouring, as immersion ? 43 
 
 Wliat light is thrown upon its meaning in this place by the pre- 
 ceding clause, "having our hearts sprinkled from an evil con- 
 science ? 43 
 
166 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 How will you explain the word bodies consistently with the idea 
 
 of sprinkling ? 44 
 
 Can you give an example in scripture where the body is said to 
 
 be annointed though this had been done to the head only ? 44 
 
 Why is the head by a figure of speech spoken of as the body ? 44 
 
 What does this show as to the proper place oi applying the wa- 
 ter in baptism ? 44 
 
 Suppose the term bodies be taken in the widest sense, may not 
 water poured on the head be said in strict propriety of speech 
 to wash the body, by its flowing down upon it ? especially 
 when a religious and not a physical washing is intended ? 44 
 
 Give an example in Scripture analogous to this. 44 
 
 8. A consideration of the phrase ''^buried with him by baptism.'''' 45 
 
 Does this shew that Christ was immersed ? 45 
 
 Is Christ's baptism referred to at all in these words ? 45 
 
 Is the imagery here employed derived from the Jordan, or from 
 Christ's cross and sepulchre ? 45 
 
 Are Christ's sufferings at the close of his life sometimes called 
 
 a baptism ? 45 
 
 May not the words furnish some evidence as to the design of 
 baptism ? and so prove immersion by the analogy of the case ? 46 
 
 If baptism was designed to represent Chrifs burial and resur- 
 rection, what propriety was there of their practicing the rite, 
 as was done, for several years, before the events typified by it 
 had taken place ? or of continuing the type as a standing or- 
 dinance in the Church, after the occurrence of those events ? 46 
 
 If it was a mere memorial of those events, how does it difTer 
 from the Lord's Supper which was instituted for this express 
 purpose ? 46 
 
 Does this phrase prove that the Roman and Colossian christians 
 were baptized by immersion ? and if it does, will it shew that 
 this was the only primitive mode ? 49 
 
 Is it not probable that no particular mode of baptism is referred 
 to, but only its nature and import ? 49 
 
 How can this be made to appear ? 49, 50 
 
 What resemblance has any mode of baptism to Christ's agony 
 
 and death ? 50 
 
 Does any mode of baptism resemble in a good degree the an- 
 cient mode of burial among the Jews ? 50 
 
 What other terms are employed going to prove that no refer- 
 ence is had to the mode ? 50 
 
167 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Suppose the nature of the obligations of baptism be referred to 
 and not the mode, are the allusions to Clirists biuial and re- 
 surrection appropriate and forcible? 53-54 
 
 What is necessary to be proved by our Baptist brethren before 
 they can justify the exclusive ground they have assumed? 54 
 
 What amount of proof is sufficient to sustain the ground of those 
 who prefer and practice sprinkling as being a more scriptural 
 mode? 54-55 
 
 Suppose it were necessary to assume the position that only one 
 mode is valid ; for which mode have we the more proof from 
 scripture, sprinkling or immersion? 56 
 
 How ought we to feel and act towards those who differ from us 
 on this subject? 56 
 
 PART 11. Infant Baptism. 59 
 
 Is it necessary in order to f rove this doctrine conclusively that 
 it should be enjoined by an express positive precept? 59 
 
 Is not a duty as binding if taught by necessary inference as by 
 positive law? 59 
 
 By which of these modes do we ascertain the Divine will with 
 respect to the observance of the first day of the week as the 
 christian Sabbath? 59 
 
 Is not this kind of evidence, as it relates to the Sabbath, regard- 
 ed as satisfactory by christians in general? 59 
 
 Is the proof for infant baptis-m positive or inferential? 59-60 
 
 What is the foundation principle on which the doctrine of in- 
 fant baptism rests? Ans. Infant church-membership. 60 
 
 Have we not positive precept for infant church membership? 60 
 
 Does not infant baptism clearly follow from this? 60 
 
 1. Infant Baptism proved from the identity of the Old and 
 New Testaineut Churchy and the Membership of Infants ifi 
 the former. CI 
 
 How do the scriptures uniformly speak of the church? in the 
 singular number or plural? Gl 
 
 Do they not use this language when speaking of the church in 
 different ages of the world? and in such a manner as to con- 
 vey the idea that they are always speaking of the same body? Gl 
 
 At what time was the church commenced? Note. 62 
 
 When did it assume a form which in one peculiar feature relat- 
 ing to households, God designed should be perpetual? 61-62 
 
 Who were embraced in the covenant which God made with 
 Abraham? 62 
 
 15 
 
168 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Was that covenant the same kind of bond as that which unites 
 
 together the christian church? G2 
 
 How do you prove that the Abrahamic covenant was a bond of 
 
 ecclesiastical and not of political or civil union? 62 
 
 ilow many years had the covenant been made when the descen- 
 dants of Abraham became a nation? 62 
 Did not the covenant require of adults who entered into it the 
 same profession of faith as is required of an adult now when 
 he unites with the christian church? 65 
 Was not the promise contained in that covenant substantially 
 
 the same as that which is found in the new testament? 65 
 
 Was the Abrahamic covenant done away by the national cove- 
 nant made at Sinai? 65-66 
 How did the latter differ from the former? 66 
 How did the introduction of the gospel dispensation afiect the 
 covenant made with Abraham? A71S. It was a fulfilment 
 and confirmation of it. 66-69 
 Did not the covenant have respect toChriot? Ans. It was con- 
 firmed in Christ — it was the gospel of Christ preached to 
 Abraham—and by faith in its promise he saw Christ's day 
 and was glad. 69 
 When Christ expelled the Jews as a people from the church, did 
 he tell them that he would form another and a different 
 church, to be composed of believing Gentiles? or did he not 
 say that the sairie kingdom, the privileges of which they then 
 enjoyed, should be given to the Gentiles? 69-70 
 Under what figure does Paul speak of the church in the 11th 
 
 chapter of Romans? 70 
 
 Who were represented by the natural branches? 70 
 
 Who by those wild by nature? 70 
 
 Were all of the natural branches broken off', or only some of 
 
 them? 70 
 
 What continued to be the standing of those branches, i. e. those 
 believing Jews, who were not broken off? Did they not re- 
 tain their place in the same church of which they were mem- 
 bers before Christ's advent? 70 
 When the Jews who are now unbelievers shall be converted to 
 Christ, will they not be graffed into the same olive tree with 
 the believing Jews who had not been broken off? 70 
 When the Jews who are now unbelievers shall be converted to 
 Christ, will they not be graffed into the same olive tree from 
 
1G9 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 which they were formerly broken ofi7 70 
 
 What do all these facts prove concerning the old and new tes- 
 tament church? 70-71 
 How does the identity of the church under the old and new tes- 
 tament dispensation prove the doctrine of infant baptism? 71 
 
 2. Infant Baptism proved from ChrisVs treatment of little 
 children. 71 
 
 Is it certain that those children who were brought to Christ 
 were very young? 71-72 
 
 What are the words which teach the right of such children to 
 receive baptism? 72 
 
 What is meant by the words kingdom of heaven and kingdom 
 of God, as here used? 72 
 
 What proof can you adduce that Christ meant by this phrase 
 the visible church under the gospel dispensation? Three ar- 
 guments are given — let them be all noticed. 73-7-t 
 
 Did not Christ say then, in effect, that little children would be 
 members of the christian church? and if members have they 
 not a right to receive baptism? 74 
 
 Was not Christ's blessing them a farther recognition of their 
 church membership? and consequently of their right to chris- 
 tian baptism? 74-75 
 
 Suppose the words "of such is the kingdom of heaven " be re- 
 garded as referring to the kingdom of glory ; do they not still 
 furnish a good argument in favor of infant baptism? 7G 
 
 3. Infant Baptism proved from our Saviour'' s last commission 
 and the teaching and practice of the Apostles in acting un- 
 der it. 79 
 
 Does the last commission of Christ to his Apostles say anything 
 
 about infants? or does it not refer to adults only? 79 
 
 Can the words of the commission when taken by themselves 
 be properly adduced either for or against infant baptism? 79-80 
 
 Does it follow because adults are required to believe previous to 
 their baptism, that this is also required of infants before they 
 are entitled to this ordinance? 79 
 
 Does the circumstance that Christ omitted to mention infants 
 in the commission prove anything against their baptism? 80 
 
 Can any good reason be assigned for Christ's omitting to men- 
 tion them except one which decidedly favors infant bap- 
 tism? SO 
 
 Was it necessary to mention infants in that commission in or- 
 
170 
 
 PAGE, 
 
 dcr to authorize their baptism? 80 
 
 Can you give any reasons for believing that tlie Apostles would 
 understand Christ's omitting to mention infants as a virtual 
 command to baptize them? Three reasons are given for 
 this — let none of them be overlooked. 80-81 
 
 Is it not fair to conclude that if Christ had designed io exclude 
 infants from baptism he would have expressly excepted them 
 in that commission? 82 
 
 When Peter, acting um'cr that commission, exhorted the peo- 
 ple on the day of Pentecost to repent and be baptized, what 
 reason did he urge? S2 
 
 Did not the promise quoted from the prophet Joel have a further 
 reference to the promise contained in the Abrahamic cove- 
 nant? If so, how is it proved? 82-83 
 
 What if meant by the word children^ as here used? 83-84 
 
 If Peter meant the same by children as was meant by the word 
 seed in the Abrahamic covenant, would not the people under- 
 stand him to teach that under the gospel dispensation their 
 church privileges would not be abridged? but would be the 
 same with respect to their families as they were under the old 
 testament dispensation? i. e. that upon their believing in 
 Christ their children as well as themselves would be entitled 
 to baptism? 84 
 
 Do not the words "afar off," immediately following, corrobo- 
 rate this view of the subject? if so, can you explain how? 84-85 
 
 \\ hen Paul wrote to the Corinthian church concerning the pro- 
 priety of a husband and wife's continuing to live together, 
 one of them being a christian and the other a heathen, what 
 reason did he give why they should do it? 85-86 
 
 What did he mean by the terms unclean and hohj, as applied to 
 
 their children? 86 
 
 Can you adduce scripture proofs to show that this is the sense 
 of the words? 87 
 
 If the word unclean means some thing which could not be de- 
 voted to God, and the word holy^ that which might be devot- 
 ed, how docs this show that Paul intended to teach from it the 
 privilege of christian parents to present their children to God 
 iu baptism? 87 
 
 Was not baptism designed in part as a symbol of dedication to 
 God? 87 
 
171 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 What different interpretation has been given by some to these 
 words? 87 
 
 Can you show this to be incorrect? 87-88 
 
 In carrying into practice our Saviour's last commission to bap- 
 tize, how did Paul proceed in the case of Lydia? 88 
 
 Who was Lydia? a native Jewess or a proselyte? 88 
 
 In introducing proselytes into the Jewish church were not chil- 
 dren baptized on the faith of their parents? 88 
 
 Suppose the record of the baptism of Lydia and her household 
 had been designed to narrate their reception as proselytes into 
 the Jewish church, could there be any doubt of the baptism 
 of the children or domestics upon her faith? 91 
 
 Does not the word me, in the words addressed by Lydia to Paul, 
 show that she alone believed, and that her household were 
 baptized, not on their own faith, but hers? 91 
 
 What is the record of the Apostle's proceeding in the baptism of 
 
 the jailor and his household? 91 
 
 Were not some, if not all, of the members of his family old 
 enough to receive religious instruction? 92 
 
 Does this prove that they were baptized on their own profession 
 of faith? or is it not sufficiently evident from the circumstan- 
 ces that they received baptism on the faith of the jailor? 92 
 
 What are the circumstances which go to establish this? There 
 
 are two, let them be particularly noticed. 92-95 
 
 Does it weaken the evidence in favor of household baptism that 
 the examples of it recorded in scripture are so few? 95-9G 
 
 Are the cases on record opposed bj'^ any principles or facts of an 
 opposite character? S'6 
 
 Do not these examples illustrate the principles which have 
 been established.^ and are tliey not corroborated by other his- 
 torical facts alluded to in the bible and in ecclesiastical his- 
 tory? 96 
 4, Infant Baptism proved from the history of proselyte baptism 
 among the Jews, and'ilie early history of baptism in thechristiaii 
 church. ^& 
 
 Was baptism practiced before the christian era? if so, at how 
 early a period? This question is answered in several partic- 
 ulars, which see. 96-98 
 Was infant baptism practiced prior to Christ's advent? if so, 
 under what circumstances? For an answer to this see No. 7 
 of the particulars just referred to. 9S-101 
 15a 
 
172 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 What is the argument from this in favor of infant baptism now? 
 This is answered in three particulars, to all which we invite 
 special attention. 101-103 
 
 In the case of proselyte baptism, was circumcision practiced 
 also at the same time in connexion with it? 103 
 
 Was not circumcision laid aside by Gentile believers after the 
 coming of Christ and baptism alone continued without the 
 former? if so, why? 103-104 
 
 Did not the believino; Jews after they embraced Chrtst continue 
 to practice infant circumcision for some time under the sanc- 
 tion of the Apostles? if so, why was this permitted? 101-10.5 
 
 What do these facts prove with regard to the practice of infant 
 baptism in the Gentile churches; and also with regard to the 
 doctrine of infant membership in the churches composed of 
 Jews? 106 
 
 In the controversy between Jewish and Gentile believers about 
 circumcision, did the question in dispute relate to the church 
 membership of children, or only to the disuse of that particu- 
 lar rite? li>G 
 
 If the Gentile churches had not maintained the doctrine of in- 
 fant membership by baptizing their children, would not their 
 Jewish brethren most certainly have called them to account? lOG-107 
 
 From the record found in the Acts of the Aposdes does there 
 not appear to have existed perfect harmony of sentiment be- 
 tween the Jewish and Gentile churches on this point? 108-109 
 
 How can you account for Jewish believers gradually laying 
 aside circumcision and practicing baptism except on the sup- 
 position that they came at length to see that baptism took, 
 the place of circumcision, and was to be administered as the 
 other had been ; i. e. to children as well as adults? It cannot 
 be accounted for in any other way. lOS-109 
 
 After the death of the Apostles, do we learn from ecclesiasti- 
 cal history that infant baptism was practiced? and that those 
 who practiced it regarded themselves as acting in accordance 
 with Apostolic example? lOf-lll 
 
 What testnnonies are recorded in favor of it by eminent chris- 
 tian fathers during the first three centuries? 109-110 
 
 Have we any proof that a single individual of any note opposed 
 
 it during that period? if so, on what ground? 110 
 
 Can you now recapitulate in a brief manner the arguments 
 
 which have been adduced in favor of infant bajitism? 111-113 
 
 In order to invalidate these arguments, is it sufficient to quote 
 
173 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 those texts of scripture which relate to believer's bap- 
 tism? 113 
 
 Do not pedo-baptists, i. e. those who baptize children, hold to 
 
 believer's baptism as well as their baptist brethren? 113-111 
 
 What must be proved by those who are opposed to infant bap- 
 tism before tliey can overthrow it? 111-115 
 
 Ought we not to treat with respect and kindness those v/ho dif- 
 fer from us on this subject? 116 
 
 Should our christian charity be manifested by attaching small 
 importance to this doctrine? or acting as though it were a 
 matter of indifference? if not, how? 316 
 
 PART III. Importance of Christian Baptism liy 
 
 What are the principal points which it is proposed to discuss in 
 this part? 319 
 
 1. Baptism not a saving ordinance. 119 
 What passages of scripture are chiefly relied upon as proof- 
 texts by those who hold that baptism when rightly adminis- 
 tered always conveys grace to the person baptized? 119 
 
 Do those texts prove this doctrine? 120-131 
 
 What is the true exposition of those passages? 120-121 
 
 By what considerations can you disprove the doctrine that wa- 
 ter baptism is always saving? The four arguments first given 
 aie designed to refute the doctrine with regard to adults. Let 
 these arguments be duly considered. 121-122 
 
 What is the real question at issue when we speak of the bap- 
 tismal regeneration oi infants? 123 
 
 Do the scriptures any where give authority to anymore man to 
 impart grace to an infant by virtue oi his office as a minister 
 of the Gospel? 123 
 
 Do they teach that the saving influences of the Holy Spirit are 
 invariably communicated through this ordinance? 123-12i 
 
 May not this sometimes occur? and would it not occur more 
 frequently if parents in presenting their children to God exer- 
 cised stronger faith? 124 
 
 What reasons can you assign why it does not occur always? 
 
 Three reasons are given, to all of which we invite attention. 124 
 
 2. The baptism of believers a seal of a public profession of 
 religion. 123 
 
 What evidence can you give from the scriptures that adult bap- 
 tism involves in it a public prufession of faith in Chiist? 125 
 Is it a duty tor believers to make a public profession of religion? 125 
 Suppose a person refuses to perform this duty through shame 
 
174 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 to acknowledge Christ before men ; can he reasonably expect 
 
 to reach heaven? 125-12G 
 
 Suppose then he refuses to be baptized for the same reason ; in 
 what light docs this view of the case present the importance 
 of baptism as connected with our salvation? 125-126 
 
 Does baptism imply an assent to the cardinal doctrines of the 
 bible? 126 
 
 What doctrines in particular do we express our belief in when 
 we receive christian baptism? 126 
 
 Ho.v does baptism operate as an incentive to a holy life? 126-127 
 
 3. Benefits of Infant Baptism. 127 
 
 How does baptism benefit a little child who, it may be, is so 
 young when it is administered that he is unconscious of the 
 transaction? Three answers are given, which we commend 
 to the candid and serious consideration of the reader. 127-130 
 
 If the ignorance of the child prevents his receiving benefit from 
 the transaction, will it not follow that infants cannot be 
 saved? 12S 
 
 If infants are capable of being saved, are they not capable of 
 
 deriving benefit from the means of salvation? 123 
 
 Is not one of these means their solemn dedication to God by 
 
 pious parents? 123 
 
 Though infants cannot act intelligently and understandingly, 
 cannot their parents act thus? 123 
 
 If infant baptism is an ordinance of God, is it not pleasing to 
 
 him when parents attend to it? 128 
 
 Is it ever a useless or vain thing for us to serve God? 123 
 
 Will not God be more likely to bless those children whose pa- 
 rents devoutly and prayerfully recognize his holy covenant in 
 such a way as pleases him, than he will if their parents ma- 
 nifest a different spirit and pursue a different course? 128 
 
 Did not Samuel receive benefit from his early dedication to 
 God? 129 
 
 Will you give some account of Samuel's character and life? 129 
 
 After the child becomes old enough to be instructed, does not the 
 promise made by his parents at his baptism, operate as a 
 strong motive to make them faithful in instructing him? 129 
 
 Did not the covenant relation of the Jews to God influence 
 them to diligence in teaching their children the holy scrip- 
 tures? 130 
 
 Is it not beneficial to children to be brought into a close and 
 tender relation to the church? 130 
 
PAGE. 
 
 What is the relation which baptized children sustains to the 
 church? 130 
 
 Are they members of the church in the same sense as they 
 will be when they become pious and take upon themselves 
 those covenant vows made by their parents in their behalf? 130-133 
 
 How can you illustrate this difference? 133 
 
 Of what benefit is this kind of membership to them? 133-13-i 
 
 What is the connection between baptism and the Lord's Sup- 
 per? 134 
 
 Of what are both of them the signs or seals? ■ 134 
 
 How do they differ from each other? 134 
 
 Is it proper to administer baptism more than once? if not, 
 why? 134 
 
 Why is it otherwise with the Lord's Supper? 135 
 
 Is baptism a seal of the covenant of grace to infants as well as 
 
 adults? 133 
 
 What is the difference in this respect between infant and adult 
 baptism? 135 
 
 Wherein lies the benefit of infant baptism as it stands related 
 to the Lord's Supper? 135-136 
 
 Is it not the duty of baptized children to come to the Lord's 
 
 table? 136 
 
 Does it follow from this that children have a right to the Lord's 
 Supper merely because they have been baptized, without re- 
 gard to other qualifications? 136 
 
 Did the Jews admit children to the Passover without regard to 
 their character? Note. 136-137 
 
 V/hat qualifications are requisite to a worthy partaking of the 
 Lord's Supper? 136 
 
 Ought not these qualifications to be diligently sought by bap- 
 tized children? 136 
 
 Does infant baptism in all cases secure such a fitness as is re- 
 quired for the worthy partaking of the Lord's Supper? if not, 
 what is its tendency to produce this result? 137 
 
 What is the testimony of the distinguished commentator, Mat- 
 thew Henry, as to the beneficial efiect of his infant baptism 
 on himself? 137-133 
 
 In what respects has infant baptism a beneficial efiect on pa- 
 rents? This is answered in two particulars, the latter of which 
 is somewhat enlarged upon. We bespeak for them the care- 
 ful and serious attention of parents. 138-141 
 
 How does infant baptism benefit the church? 141 
 
176 
 
 i 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Does infant baptism benefit mankind at large? if so, in what 
 way? 112-113 
 
 4. The time and manner in which Infant Baptism should he 
 atteiided to^ and the Duties growing out of it. 144 
 
 At how early an age was circumcision to be performed amon^ 
 the Jews? 144 
 
 Why no earlier than this? 144 
 
 Could it be delayed beyond that time in ordinary circumstances 
 without sin? 144 
 
 How did God punish Moses for his neglect in this matter? 144-145 
 
 What was the punishment threatened in the Abrahamic cove- 
 nant for omitting circumcision? ISote. 145 
 
 What is supposed to be meant by the phrase cut off' from among 
 
 the people? Note. 145 
 
 At what age was this done if circumcision was delayed till 
 
 that time? Note. 145 
 
 Might the expelled person be restored again? Note. 145 
 
 Could a child be circumcised on his parent's faith after a cer- 
 tain age? if not, how old might the child be? Note. 141) 
 
 May not this be a suitable rule for parents now in case of bap- 
 tism? Note. Ii6 
 
 What principle is involved in the requirement to circumcise 
 Jewish children on the eighth day? 144 
 
 Is not prompt obedience to God in discharging this duty more 
 acceptable to him than an obedience which is tardy and re- 
 luctant? 145 
 
 Does not needless delay indicate a lack of appreciating the or- 
 dinance as a privilege? 145 
 
 In what manner should the ordinance be attended to? 14(i 
 
 What duties are imposed by this ordinance upon parents? 140-141) 
 
 Can you give some examples of parental fidelity, and their be- 
 neficial effect on their families? 149 
 
 What did God pronounce upon Eli for his neglect of duty to- 
 wards his sons? 149-150 
 
 What are some of the duties devolving on baptized children 
 with reference to this ordinance? 150 
 
 Can you repeat the covenant prepared by I\Ir. Philip Henry, fa- 
 ther of the commentator, for the use of his children? 150-151 
 
 What did he tell them woidd be the benefit of this covenant to 
 them if they would adopt it as their own? 151 
 
 Will not the same course be as likely to benefit children now 
 
177 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 as it was then? 151 
 
 What duties are incumbent upon the officers of the church 
 towards baptized children? 151 
 
 What kind of " care, government and discipline " should they 
 exercise over this class of members, judicial or only paren- 
 tal? 151-152 
 
 Are pastors especially charged with the care of baptized chil- 
 dren? 152 
 
 In what particular ways should he seek to promote their spirit- 
 ual good? 153 
 
 Does the catechising of children belong primarily to parents or 
 to pastors? 153 
 
 May not pastors render great assistance to parents in this work, 
 by manifesting an interest in it? 153 
 
 In what respect is catechetical instruction important to tjie 
 
 church? 153 
 
 In what estimate was it held by the reformers? 153-154 
 
 Which of them penned catechisms for the instruction of the 
 people, and especially of the young? 153-154 
 
 What mode was adopted in Scotland to secure the regular and 
 faithful catechising of children? 154 
 
 What catechism is the best now extant? and when and by 
 whom was it formed? 155 
 
 Next to the bible will not the study of this catechism be likely 
 to prove more beneficial to our children than almost anything 
 else? 155 
 
 What obligations rest on the private members of the church to 
 seek the spiritual good of baptized children? 155 
 
 What may we expect to follow as the happy result, if these ob- 
 ligations are faithfully met, by all the members of the church? 156 
 
 Which is the more important, that our children become rich 
 and great, or that they become pious? 156-157 
 
 Ought not parents to feel more anxious about this matter than 
 
 they do? 156-157 
 
 What may they do to secure the salvation of their children? 157 
 
 Ought baptized children to regard their baptism as a great pri- 
 vilege? 153 
 
 Suppose they neglect to improve this privilege, what will be 
 the consequence? 15S-159 
 
INDEX. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Adam, the church commenced with him, - - - • - 62 
 
 Abraham, covenant with, 61, 62, 65 
 
 Do. beholding Christ's day, 69 
 
 Do. his fathfulness to his tamily, . . - . 146, 149 
 Aaron and his sons, how consecrated to their office, - • - 15 
 Adult baptism not to be administered except to believers, - 79, 113 
 Do. do. seal of a public profession of religion, - - 125 
 Apostles, their commission to preach and baptize, - - - 79 
 Do. their teaching and practice under it, - - 82, 85, 88, 91 
 Assembly at Westminster, the excellent catechism prepared by 
 
 them, 155 
 
 Babes, salvation of those dying in infancy, - - - - 76 
 Baptize, import of the word, ...-.- 33, 34 
 
 Baptism, what is essential to its validity, 7 
 
 Do. not a saving ordinance, 119 
 
 Do. design of, 30, 35 
 
 Do. by sprinkling a proper mode, 7 
 
 Do. infants proper subjects, 59, 60 
 
 Do. to be administered once only and why, - - 134, 135 
 
 Baptist, John probably baptized infants, 101 
 
 Do. do. did not probably immerse, 39 
 
 Baptists demand positive proof, ~ - 59 
 
 This can be furnished with regard to infant membership which 
 
 is the foundation of infant baptism, 60 
 
 Baptized children, their relation to the church, ... 130 
 Do. do. duties and privileges of, - - - - 150 
 Do. do. duties of parents, ministers and churches to- 
 wards them, 146, 151, 152 
 
 Bathing in water required of the Jews as a preparation for the 
 lite of sprinkling, and also for any solemn act of religious 
 
 worship, why, 40 
 
 This may serve to explain some allusions in the new testament 
 relating to baptism, ... . . . -.41 
 
 And also how immersion ever came to be practiced, - - 42 
 Believer''s baptism held to and practiced by pedo -baptists as 
 
 well as by their baptist brethren, 113,114 
 
 Benefits of infant baptism, 127 
 
 Bible, duty of reading and teaching it to our children, - 146, 149 
 Blessings, Christ's bless'ng little children, what it denoted, - 75, 76 
 16 
 
180 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Blood of Christ called the blood of sprinkling, - - - - 29 
 bodies washed with pure water, the meaning of, - - - 43, 44 
 
 Dorn of water, what meant by it, 120 
 
 Branches, the natural broken off and those wild by nature grafi- 
 
 ed into the good olive tree, 70 
 
 Buried with Christ by baptism, 45 
 
 Catechetical instruction, duty of, 153, 154- 
 
 Calvin, his views concerning catechising, .... 154 
 Carthage, council of relating to infant baptism, ... no 
 Ceremonial law did not annul the Abrahamic covenant, - 65, 66 
 Ceremonial cleansing, how usually performed, ... 28,29 
 Charity to be exercised towards those who dili'er from us, - 4, 5, 56, 57 
 
 Christ, circumcised in his infancy, 76 
 
 Do. never afterwards intimated that it was useless, - 76, 79 
 Do. theretbre baptism not useless to infants now, - - - 76 
 
 Do. the design of his baptism, 8, 9 
 
 Do. not intended as an example to us yet may aid us in de- 
 termining the proi>er mode, - 8 
 
 Children, litttle children brought to Christ, - - - - 71, 72 
 meaning of the term children as used by Peter in his 
 
 discourse on the day of Pentecost, - - - - 83 
 baptized children members of the church, ... 130 
 Church, old and new testament church the same, - - - 61 
 duty of the church to baptized children, ... 151 
 Christian dispensation, did not abrogate the Abrahamic cove- 
 nant, -- 66, 69 
 
 Christian baptism, the rite not first instituted by Christ, but 
 adopted and perpetuated by him from the old testament dis- 
 pensation, 103 
 
 Circumcision, when instituted, 61 
 
 J)o. what a sign and seal of, 65 
 
 Do at what age to be performed, .... 144 
 Do. sinfulness of unnecessary delay, - - 144, 145 
 Do. why not continued under the new testament dis- 
 pensation, - 103 
 
 Do. gradually superseded and displaced by baptism; - 107 
 
 Clemens x\lexandrinus, and other christian fathers on baptismal 
 
 regeneration, (Note p. 109, 110,) 109 
 
 Colossians, 'no evidence of their being immersed, - - 48, 49 
 
 Coming up out of the water, s 37 
 
 Commission of the Apostles, import of, ----- 79 
 Congregation of Israel, to be cut off' from, (Note,) - - 145 
 
 Conscience, sprinkled from an evil one, 43 
 
 Covenant, Abraham entering into covenant, - - - - 63 
 Do. a bond not of civil but ecclesiastical union, ever- 
 lasting, 62 
 
 Cuts illustrating christian baptism, - - - 11, 19, 25, 32, 90 
 Cyprian, council in his time concerning the baptism of infants 
 
 prior to the eighth day after their birth, .... HO 
 
 Death, baptized into Christ's death, .-..-. 49 
 Disciple, as used in the Apostolic commission [Gr.] nearly sy- 
 nonymous with proselyte, - - - - - - - 81 
 
 Dispensation, gospel dispensation did not nuUil'y the Abrahamic 
 covenant, ... -- ... --66 
 
181 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Dodridge, baptismal regeneration, (Note,) - ™ . 109, no 
 Duties arising from baptism, -..-... 241 
 Eighth day, why circumcision was to be performed on that day, - 144 
 Do. how long it might be delayed with impunity, (Note) 143 
 
 Do. whatpunishment was threatened for neglect, (Note) 145 
 
 Do. judgmentsent upon Moses, .... 144,143 
 Do. after what age a child could not be circumcised on 
 
 the faith of his parents, (Note,) - - - 145 
 Do. how far this should be an example to us with refe- 
 rence to baptism, (Note,) 146 
 
 Eli, consequences of not restraining his sons, - - - 149, 130 
 
 Enon, John baptizing in, - - 39 
 
 Engravings, ancient ones illustrating the mode of baptism, 11, 19,25, 32 
 
 Eunuch, baptized by sprinkling, 21 
 
 Examples of household baptism, 88, 91 
 
 Faith, circumcision a sign and seal of, ----- 65 
 Do. baptism a sign and seal of the same, - - - - 65 
 
 Family worship, duties of, 146, 149 
 
 Fidelity, parental rewarded ..--... 249 
 Do. the want of it followed by Divine judgments, - - 150 
 French churches taught and expounded Calvin's catechism, - 154 
 Garments, the Jews required to wash or change them as a pre- 
 paration to approach God, why, 40 
 
 Gentile proselytes, circumcised and baptized, - - - 98, 99 
 Circumcision laid aside and baptism continued after Christ's 
 
 death, - 103 
 
 Gill, Dr. his views concerning the Jewish Passover, (Note,) - 137 
 God, Abraham entering into covenant with - - - 61, 63 
 
 Going down into the water, 37 
 
 Gospel preached to Abraham, 69 
 
 Gospel dispensation, the carrying to their completion the pro- 
 mises of the Abrahamic covenant, - 69 
 Do. do. how its ordinances differ from those of 
 
 the old testament, - - - 103, 104 
 Gregory Nazianzen, his testimony concerning proselyte baptism, 100 
 Greek, we can arrive at tne meaning of the word baptize without 
 
 a knowledge of Greek, 34, 35 
 
 Hammond, Dr. his views and those of Selden concerning the 
 
 origin of proselyte baptism, 100 
 
 Heathen, their conversion prayed for on the ground of the pro- 
 mise contained in God's covenant, 143 
 
 Henry, Philip, his manner of instrucjting his children, - - 150 
 Do. Matthew, his testimony concerning the benefits of his 
 
 infant baptism, 137 
 
 History of Proselyte baptism, 98 
 
 Holy, import of the term when it relates to Jewish ordinances, - 87 
 
 Do. used in the same sense by Paul, 87 
 
 Holy Spirit, baptism of 30, 31 
 
 Household baptism, instances of 88, 91, 95 
 
 Husband, unbelieving sanctified by the believing wife, - - 85 
 Identity of the old and new testament church, - - - - 61 
 Immersion, the word not found in the bible, - - - - 36 
 Do. cannot be proved to have been practiced during the 
 
182 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Apostolic a£;e, -------56 
 
 Do. if it could be this would not establish immersion as 
 
 the only proper and valid mode, - - - - 54 
 
 Do. how the practice of immersion was probably intro- 
 duced, 42 
 
 Importance of baptism, -119 
 
 Intant church-membership proved, - - - 61,72,111 
 
 Infant baptism, proof oi', 59 
 
 Christ and John Baptist baptized infants, - 101, 102 
 
 Do. do. importance of, 119 
 
 Do. do. with what frame of mind it ought to be per- 
 formed, - - ..... 146 
 Do. do. should be attended to promptly, ... 145 
 
 Infant salvation, our belief in 76 
 
 Do. do. its bearing on the doctrine of infant baptism, 76, 128 
 Inferential proof sufficient to establish any doctrine or duty, - 60 
 Do. do. regarded by christians as conclusive when ap- 
 
 plied to the ciiristian Sabbath, - - - 59 
 Ireneus, his testimony concerning infant baptism, ... 109 
 Isaiah, prophecy of explained by Philip, - - - 17, 18, 19 
 Israelites, baptism of in the cloud and in the sea, - - - 25 
 
 Jailor, baptism of and his household, 91 
 
 Do. he only was a believer, 92-95 
 
 Jews, their familiar acquaintance with the holy scriptures, - 130 
 Jewish purifications usually performed by sprinkling, - - 28, 29 
 Jewish christians practiced circumcision by the sanction of the 
 
 Apostles, 105 
 
 but Gentile believers were excused from it, - 105 
 the bearing of these facts on the subject of in- 
 fant baptism. 106 
 
 Jerusalem, council at with reference to circumcision among 
 
 Gentile believers, 104 
 
 Joel, prophecy of quoted by Peter, 82 
 
 John the Baptist, how he baptized, 39 
 
 Do. do. his baptism not introduced as a new thing, - 97 
 Di). do. probably baptized infants, .... joi 
 Do. do. but not christian baptism, (Note,) ... 102 
 
 Jordan, baptizing in 39 
 
 Josephus, his testimony concerning baptism among the ancient 
 
 Jews, 93 
 
 the practice very common among them before Christ's 
 
 advent, 97, 98 
 
 Justin Martyr, concerning circumcision and baptism, - - 109 
 Kingdonr of heaven and kingdom of God, meaning of - 73, 74 
 Kingdom taken from the Jews and given to the Gentiles, - - 73 
 Little children, those brought to Christ were small, ... 72 
 Do. do. for wliat purpose brought to him, - - - 74 
 
 Lord's supper, qualifications for, 136 
 
 Luther, his views concerning catechising, ... 153^ 154 
 
 Lydia and her household baptized, 88 
 
 she alone had faith, - 91 
 
 IMaiinonides. a learned Jew, quoted by Dr. Wall with regard to 
 proselyte baptism, 98 
 
133 
 
 183 
 
 Many nations, Christ's sprinkling them, . • - . . 2 1 
 Ministers of the Gospel, their duty to baptized children, - 152 133 
 Minors, baptized cliildren are such with regard to church privi- ' 
 
 leges, 
 
 and also to church discipline, which is to be parental 
 
 rather than judicial, 151 150 
 
 Mode of baptism, sprinkling or pouring more scriptural than ' 
 
 immersion, - 
 
 Moses, baptism of the Israelites to him'in the cloud and sea, -" 27 
 Much water, why resorted to by John for baptizing, - - - 39 
 Naaman dipping himself seven times in Jordan, - - - 36 
 
 Obligations involved in our baptism, 125 
 
 Officers of the church, their duty to baptized children, - 151, 152 
 ^,. , 1 , ^"^ ^^ christian parents, - ' 151 
 
 Ulive tree, the church represented under the figure of - - 70 
 Do. do Jews cut off and believing Gentiles graffed in, - 70 
 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, - - - - - 42 
 
 Ordinances of the new testament, only two, and how they stand 
 
 related to each other, 134 135 
 
 Origen, his testimony concerning infant baptism, - - - ' 110 
 1 arents, their duty to their children both with regard to their 
 
 baptism and religious training, - - . 144-147 
 parents who have been baptized but have not come to 
 the Lord's supper, how to be treated if they request 
 baptism for their children, .... 139-141 
 Passover, what qualifications were requisite in order to partake 
 
 of it, (Note,) 136 
 
 how old persons were required to be, - - - 137 
 
 what character must be possessed, .... 137 
 
 Pastors, their care for the lambs of the flock, - - - 152 
 
 Paul was baptized in the house, 22 
 
 how he taught and practiced with regard to the baptism of 
 
 children, 85 91 
 
 Pentecost, baptism of three thousand, '22 
 
 Peter, what language he employed concemingchildren, - - 82 
 Pharisees, baptism not regarded by them as a new thing in our 
 
 baviour's time, gj 
 
 Philip preaching to the eunuch, and baptizing him by sprinklinfy, - 17 
 Phrases relating to baptism, explanation of - . 37,°39, 42, 45 
 
 Pouring a proper mode of baptism, 29 
 
 Practice of the Apostles, 88, 108 
 
 and of the church immediately afterwards, - I09', 110 
 
 Prayer, duty of for baptized children, 146 
 
 Priests, how set apart to their office, 14,15 
 
 Prison, the jailor baptized in the outer court of - - - ' 23 
 
 Profession of religion, the duty of, and baptism a seal of, 125, 126 
 
 Promise of Abrahamic covenant confirmed in christ, - - 69 
 
 fulfilled in part by the introduction of the gospel dis- 
 
 ensation, 61 
 
 made to believers and their children, - ... 84 
 Proof posinve for infant church membership, .... 60 
 
 Prophecy of Isaiah explained by Philip, 17 
 
 Do. of Joel referred to by Peter, 82 
 
184 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Proselytes, history of proselyte baptism, 96 
 
 Proseuche a place of prayer, Paul preached there to Lydia and 
 o'hers, 24, 88 
 
 Purilications, Jewish performed by sprinkling, - - - 28, 29 
 Recapitulation of the arguments for infant baptism, - - 111 
 
 what must be proved in order to overthrow them, - - 114 
 Regeneration, baptismal not scriptural, .... 119-124 
 
 Religious instruction, duty of - - 129 
 
 Remission of sins, not conferred by baptism, - - - 121,122 
 Repentance and faith connected with forgiveness of sins, - 121 
 Ressurrection of Christ, how associated with our baptism into 
 
 his death, • - - 53 
 
 Righteousness, what righteousness Christ fulfilled by his bap- 
 tism, - - - 9 
 
 River side, why Paul went there to preach, - - - 23, 24 
 Roman ciiristians, no proof of their being immersed, - 46, 49 
 fcjabbath christian, the authority of established conclusively by 
 
 inferrcntiul reasoning, 59 
 
 Samuel, his early dedication to God and its benefits, - - 129 
 
 having ordinance, no external ordinance saving in itself, - 123 
 
 how rendered saving, .... 137 
 
 Saviour, baptism of not by immersion but sprinkling, - - 8 
 
 Do. design of his baptism, - - .... 9 
 Scriptures, duty of reading them to our families, ... 146 
 Scotland, church of her care in catechising the children of the 
 
 church, ..... 154 
 
 Sea, baptism of the Israelites in, 25 
 
 Seal and sign, what are the sacraments signs and seals of, - 134 
 Seed, meaning of the term in the Abrahamic covenant, - 84 
 the same is meant by children in Peter's sermon, - 83, 84 
 Selden, see Hammond, their views concerning the origin of 
 
 among the Jews, - - 100 
 
 Simon Magus baptized without becoming a true christian, - 122 
 Sinai covenant, did not abrogate the covenant made with Abra- 
 
 ^ ham, - ' 65, 66 
 
 Shorter catechism, study of 155 
 
 Spirit H')ly, effusion of 30 
 
 Do. do. baptism of, 31 
 
 Sprinkling, a proper mode of baptism, 7 
 
 Do. the usual mode ol performing religious purifications 
 
 among the Jews, ------ 29 
 
 Subjects, infants proper subjects of baptism, - - - - 59 
 
 Supper, duty of baptized persons lo partake of the Lord's supper, - 150 
 yet they are not to come without previous preparation, 136 
 Talmud, Jewish concerning proselyte baptism, - - - 98 
 Teach, meaning of in the Apostolic commission where two 
 
 Greek words are so rendered, 81 
 
 Unclean, meanina: of tl:e term as used in scripture, - - 67 
 
 V/all, Dr. his History of Infant Baptism, - - - - 98 
 
 Washing ot regeneration, import of 120 
 
 Water, bodies washed with, what meant by it, - - - 43, 44 
 
 Went down into the water, 37 
 
 Wife, unbelieving sanctified by believing husband, - - 85 
 
185 
 
 Worship, (liUy of family worship, - 149 
 
 Young children belong to Christ's kingdom, - - - - 71 
 Do. do. training up in the nurture and admonition of 
 
 the Lord, - - . . ... J45 
 Zaccheus and his household restored by Christ to their former 
 church privileges, - - - -- - --93 
 
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