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GEORGE BICK, Chairman, JOHN AIRLIE, Secretary, JAMES MOORE, JAMES BURNS, STEPHEN STRATTON, Bobcaygeon, Nov. 2Gth, 1S63, JOHN RITCHIE, JAMES DYKES, ALEXANDER ORR, SAMUEL McCLELLAND, DEAR FRIENDS, According to your request, I will with pleasure give my Sermon on " Baptism" foi the press ; and I sincerely thank you for your liberality in raising the necessary funds for its publica- tion. When I prepared it for delivery, I had no thought whatever that it would be printed. Earnestly desiring the blessing of God, and hoping that the Sermon, however imperfect it may be, will not elicit from any one uncharitable remarks, I am yours humbly, In the bonds of Christian love and respect. ALEXANDER HARDIE. Bobcaygeon, Nov. 26lh, 1863. 4 T IN DEX. No Immersion in the Old Dispensations ^ « ^o immersion in the New Testament J Cxreek prepositions en, apo, eis, amd ek .' * t John's Baptism ^ Buried by Baptism,-Rom. vi^.'V, V/aid ColVii.VlV.V.V.V** o How was Christ buried ? ..... ' .^ Our Saviour's Baptism by John .*.*.'.*.*.'!!.'.'!.*.'.* JS do do do do with the Holy Ghost.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'].'' .'*ij on the Cross ""** *12 Into what death was Christ baptized r , » How are we « buried with him by baptism" ?..*.';.; }o llie Greek words bapto, bapti - " ^ tizo. &c. Whatis baptism?....?..:: ' ^^ God's mode of baptizing with the* Hdy* Ghos't !.*.*.* \l Impracticability of Immersion ^ }? When God baptizes with water He sprinkles. \\\ i« Comment on 1 Cor. x., 1,2 /"»«tie» jg Infan f s are proper subjects for' baptism .* 1? whef' Tt ""T T^"^" ^9' ^«' -n;ide;;d ;;;;:; l\ When and by whom have infants been denied bL mism '> II Christ baptized " little children " with the Holy & 2 The Abrahamic covenant and circumcision !! Baptism and circumcision compared ?..?r; !f The circumstances under which the apostlVs* w;m *om"t; F.n,-f' P ^ ''^ "^*^°^^" by baptism...... ....T. * """^ %. Family baptisms. 1st. Family of Lydia ... S Hi^c^glves its tesS^inJt S °f St^^^ Infant baptism no relic of Pooerv oapiism 30 Quotation from Watson ....,' ^^ Testimony of Irenseus ...*.*..*!!!!] ^^ TertuIIian's character \[ ^* Testimony of Origen !.**.*,*.*.' ^^ Ambrose ^^ St. Chrysostom \\] ^^ St. Austin * ^^ Th.A ■ ■ F^l^gius and Celes'tius !.*.'!.*.*.* f f W w.t??:^^f .l^^!^''i^bishops to 34 C( (( "Xi^to^S^'---™- in the £ R A A X A • The following are some of the mistakes which have inad- vertantly been made : — Pase 4, 19th line from the top, for "heretical" read Levitical. * for " hopano" read potamo. for " potomou" read potamou. for " Agustus" read Augustus. for " Nazereth" read Nazareth. 4, 36th 5, loth "• 6, 34th « 11,37th a u (I (( u (C S K 11 M N ON INFANT UAPTISM. nad- Lcal. ). lOU. stus. ireth. '' Go yo into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that Ijoiicveth, and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that beiieveth not, shall be damuud." — Mark xvi. lu, IC. Baptism is a divine institution. This is clearly taught by the express command of Christ, and the practice of his disciples. Our Lord says to the apostles (Matt, xxviii. 19), " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Our text in an infer- ential manner expresses the same command. On the day of Pentecost (Acts ii., 38, 39), " Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins ; and ye shall receive the gift of ♦'^e Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children.' In Acts X., 47, 48, Peter says, " Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." Therefore, from the injunctions of our Blessed Saviour and the examples of His apostles, we are under the necessity of coming to the conclusion, that baptism is a divine institution. Baptism itself having been established upon the authority of the Sacred Scriptures, it remains to ascertain the mode in which this baptism shall be administered and the fit subject of this divine ordinance. First, we will consider the mode, and in doing this, let us enquire, I. Was immersion enjoined by God as a sacred rite in the Patriarchal or Mosaic dispensation? HKUMON ON Whennvcr u intin was u, be cloansod of leprosy the priest sprinkled hirii Nov.m limes and commanded him to wash iiis clothes and hitns,.|r. When a house was cleansed, the priest sprmkled it with hlood and water.* When a priest was cons(«. crated, he wa« washed at the door of the tabernacle, his h.-ad was anointed, and Im; was sprinkled with water and blood. f In nno,th.' " v.^hncIh of the ministry," "the tabernacle," "the 'pj • II '. ^'^^' ""'' " ''"' 1«''^1''<'N" were dedicated by sprinkling. Ihis laul alhrtns in lleb. ix., 19,21 : "For when Moses had spoken every pn-c-cpi. to all the people according to tlie law, he took the blood o| cidves smd of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, mid sprinkled both the book, and all the people. Mtnciover Ik; sprinkled likewise with blood both the tabernacle, ami all the vessels of the ministry." Thus we see that all the purifications, consecrations, and initiatory cere- monies, were! performed by anointing, pouring, washing, or sprmkling ; and in no case whatever was immersion enjoined. But IminersioniHlsf triay say, it is only spending time to examine the hentical law, since we have nothing whatever to do with the mode of its ctiremonics, Paul did not think thus ; for in Heb. X., 1, and jn Col. ii., 17, he speaks of the " law as a shadow of good thmgs to come;." Now, since the old dispensation was a shadow of the now, and since all its shadowy rites and cere- monies were p(!rformed without immersion, it is a decided departure fr()m the plain path to say, that one of the principal rites of the Gospel Is immersion, which has neither precedent, shadow, nor type?, in tin; Mosaic Law. But, II. Is immersion to be found in the New Testament which Paul and St. Peter call " the blood of sprinkling" ? 1st. ImmersionistH way, John was baptizing "in Jordan,"^ and therefore it was by immersion. In this passage the Greek particle en is userl. In th(; New Testament, this Greek prepo- sition IS more than a hundred times rendered, at, and in about one hundred and (ifty places it is translated by with. En chresi, in one's hands ; m Troie, at Troy ; en ouresi, on the mountains ; en hopano, by the river; and en hippois, on the horses; are common Greek (ixpressions. These quotatations with many *Lev.xiv.,7,l.'5,lC,27,2!),r.I, tNum. viii., 5-7: Exodus xxix., 4,7,12,16,20,21,35. lit is an assuinptiiin on tho part of Immersionists to call themselves Baptists: for •we are all liiiptmtH ; nnd it is un undue concession on the part of other denomina- tions to call them \h\,ViHiH. They should be called Anabaptists (rebaptizers), Immersionista, or Antipinihjbaptista (those against infant baptism). We are called Pipdobftptists fmfaiit !)apti7,ors), §Matt. iii,, (i. i + INPANT nAPTIS.M. I Others »hat mijG;lil be produced, plainly show tliat the (Jreck en sif?ni(ies on, up07i, by, in, at, &e. ; and, theefore, uitli perfect consistency, it could be translated, " nd. Some time must be deducted for travelling. Ihe different places mentioned as the scenes of John's labors plainly s ionv that he travelled a great deal, and at least spent four weeks in his journeys. 3rd. John could not prosecute his ^bors in foul weather, because he preached in the open air Now, as en months have been granted, that time would neces- sarily include a great part, if not all, of the cold, rainy seasons, during which the people could not attend John's iliinistry. Con^ sidcnng these circumstances, five weeks at least must be granted for fou ^veathcr. 4th According to the Jewish observance of the Sabbath, John could not baptize on that day.§ Therefore bearing in mind the former deductions, we will only a ke five weeks and a half for the Sabbaths during the tel months A dding tog ether ^hese four deductions, we have four months; llia!k-;"'";f,"^^' TTV:? ^"'°- "•'•' ^'^^> ^^' -^^^ -^ Uohn in., 30, TMark 1., 14, U. §St-e Dr.Hibbard's volume on "Infant Baptism," part ii. page 23. I 9 It th be n, is or e. s, of di P- ^f p- rs g J, le a le It n >» n u o •r V h P d 8 SERMON ON which, when subtracted from the ten, leaves six months, or about one hundred and eighty-two days, during which John baptized. 2nd. How many were baptized by John ? Before answering this question, we must ascertain, as nearly as possible, the population of Palestine at this time. There were in the time of David no less than 1,300,000 '' valiant men that drew sword. "f In this numbering Levi and Benjamin were left out.| When it is remembered that those under Twenty, the inefficient, the aged, the female population, and Levi and Ben- jamin, formed no part of the above f.numeration ; it will not appear extravagant to say, that the 1,300,000 valiant men were only one-fifth part of the entire inhabitants. According to this, the population of the Holy Land in David's time was not less than 6,500,000. Undoubtedly, with all safety, it may be affirmed that the population at the time of John, was fully equal to, if not greater than, that of David's time ; especially when we bear in mind the strong love which the Jews have ever cherished for their promised Canaan, and the fact that 1,100,000 perished when Jerusalem was taken by Titus, A.D. 73. We are now ready for the question. How many of the 6,500,000 were baptized by John ? The evanrelist Matthew answers this question by saying (iii,, 5, 6), "There went out unto Him Jeru- salem and all Judea^ and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins," Mark says (i., 5), " And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river Jordan confessing their sins." Luke states (iii., 21), " Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized," &c. Our Lord confirms these statements by saying, concerning John, (John v., 35), " He was a burning and a shining light : and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light," to comply with his requirements. These statements of the apostles and of our Lord prove that with one voice and one consent the great mass of the Jewish nation flocked to John's baptism. At this time the Jews were looking with anxious hope for the advent of some great personage ; and when the news' of John's preaching was noised abroad, " oW JMdea" on the south, ^^ all the region round about Jordan" on the north, and Jerusalem in the centre, attended *2 Sam. xxiv., 9. In 1 Chron. xxi., 5., 1,570,009 is given aa the number of valiant mon ; but we take the lesser enumeration, fl Chron. xxi., 6. I INFANT UAPTISM. 9 John's ministry, " and were all baptized of him at Jordan " It would not be consistent to use the above inclusive language with reference to les:s than half the people. Therefore it mus7be granted that at least 3,000,000 received the baptism of John and, as has been shown, were all baptized within six months ' Now, supposing tliese 3,000,000 to be arranged in single file marchmg order, and allowing c.-ach the space of three fbet, this marching Ime will be 9 000,000 feet long ; and dividing th s by 0,000, which IS nearly the number of feet in a mile, we have for the result 1,800 miles, which is the length of this inaichii^line But, bearing m mind that John baptized only during six months according to Immertionists he would be under the necessiVv of immersmg no less than three hundred miles of this line each month oral. ttle over /mmt7e.e day. How absurd to sup- pose that John the Baptist immersed day after day a line o{ pi^oplo ten miles in length. Dr. Hibbard very reasonably sup- poses hat John vyas engaged in the act of baptizing for six hou?s of each day during the six months. There are fn six months taking only six hours of each day, 3,942,000 seconds DviS this number by 3,000,000, the number of 'persons to be immersed we find that John, to accomplish his work, would need to immerse no less than lorty-fire individuals each minute. Just imSe a Single man undertaking (about the first of January?) to immerse 3,000,000. Would not Immersionists themselves regard such an undertaking as utterly impossible and wildly preposterous. The question now arises, " How did John baptize the people ?» We have every reason to believe he did it in the same manner in which Moses consecrated* all the people; namely, hi Tok a bunch of hyssop, or something else that answered^he pumose H"oLsamh '" ^''^''' ''"'^ ^''''" sprinkled the people by IV. The expression, "Buried with Christ by baptism into death," IS regarded by some as an insurmounfable^pro^f ?br immersion. This prool is taken from Romans vi., 3 4-" Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into j'esus ChrisT were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried S 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 shouM Tame /^La"""" "' ''"" '" ""'''' '''^ ''^ ^^^ expt^s^s ^he We will con sider these pass'a ges under the following heads :- ♦Heb. ix., 1 9. " ~ 10 SERMON ON J. Hovv was Christ buried? 2. The baptisms of Christ 3. Into what death was Christ baptised ? 4. How are we buried with Him by baptism? uuut-u 1. How was Christ buried? hJ!iTfv!°"'''',u'f7' "^^ Christ was buried in a qrave in "the heart of the earth, so we must be buried in water by baptism. 1 he Jews, especially the rich, buried their dead, not in graves, but in sepulchres, which in many respects resembled the vaults ol modern times. In the side of a hill, huge roelc, or moumain whirhn'l'''"''"'"'r ^", ''''/•^^ ^"^ '^' ^^^^ ^ ^^^P»'-»^re or room which had a perpendicular door at its entrance. To go into onJ of these supulchres was like entering a house. Matthew and Mark make particular mention of Christ's sepulchre. Matthew Sii^TH' ^^^~f^' "^^^'■^ '^"^^ ^ rich man, and laid I h.lnri. ^l'" ^i!' ?''''' "^'^ ^°"'^' ^^hich he had hewn out in the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of th- sepulchre Size of this tomb by saymg, "Mary Magdelene, and Mary the the mother of James, and Salome, entering into the supulchre saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted." The stone spoken of was not rolled on the door; but up against, or " to the door." These passages plamly show that Christ was not buried accord- mg to the modern mode of putting the body into a grave and covenng it with earth. The tomb or sepulchre in which our Lord was buried was " hewn out in the rock," and had a "door" through which they "entered," and was large enough to contain Mary Magdelene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and " an angel," ol whom they were "affrighted," who sat on the right side ot the place where the Saviour's body was laid. Thus we see that the tomb of Christ was large enough to contain three women standing upright, one angel of whom they were affrighted and room for a dead body. How unlike our modern graves, six leet long, two feet wide, and five feet deep ! These facts entirely overthrow the assertion, As Christ was buried in a grave " in the heart of the earth," so we must be buried in the water of baptism. Having considered the mode of our Lord's burial, we will, 2. Notice his baptisms. (a) His baptism by John comes first in order. Although Christ was baptized by John, it is evident He was not baptized by John's baptism, for it was a baptism " unto repentance" : ,c,nd, as our Saviour was mfinitcly pure and holy, it would be exceedingly sin- ful lor us to say He submitted to such a baptism. Again, John INFANT BAPTISM. 11 (Ik) nol baptize Christ with the Gospel baptism ; because, first it woukl be alxsurd to baptize him in his own name ; and secondW ur Saviour not having entered upon his ministry, tlie Gospel ban vn^.'''^%".f "°'^"', V'''' statements are e^nfirmed by thl nactice of the apostle Paul, who rebaptized some* that had^been n hiXt T ^f 'nanee nor was ,he Gospel baptism known n his time. Therefore our Lord was neither baptized by John'«. b Si>e"d r^Vl ""''''' ''P^^" ^ ^^''^^ 'aptism Va: He (St K?uc^«^'T 'Pf^'^'^"- "^ '^^« «^n baptism says \r:f\'A\ ^-^ ?^"^^' '^ ^"^ be so now ; lor thus it becometh u^ 1 .V u n^/- \'Shteoum€Ssy In another place (Matt, v., 17) He ^a>s "Ihink not that I am come to destroy the law or the submin'w t '"'■ "''' '°-'"' '° ^"'^'^-^ ' ^^^ '"'-f^'^fi^'' Christ had ^^ubmifted to circumcision, the initiatory rile of the Abrahamic covenant ; and now, to -fulfd all righteousness" and « no^ o desroy the' Levitical "law," He submits to baptism as the nitiatory ordinance into his office of " High Priest forever after he order of Melchisedec." Those of the? priestly oSer'wtn .no n. '7''',/'^ •f^'^' i""^"'" '"^^^^^•^^^ '"t" '^'^''' offi'^e by being anoin ed with oil and sprinkled with water and blood./ Sincf Christ was baptized " to fulfil all righteousness," and neither by John's baptism nor the Gospel baptism ; it follows that He was baptized according to the Levitical law, and therefore hvslrlnk. hng Our Lord was baptized by John, because he was of the Levitical orderj and was the highest human authority at that time upon earth ;§ and being the forerunner of Christ, to him i naturally belonged to initiate our Saviour into his office by baptism, and to cry, " Behold the Lamb of God". " To fulfil ail righteousness " John baptized Christ according to the Levitica hrTlr. ^- if I enjoined sprinkling. Wherefore John baptized the Messiah by sprinkling on the banks of the Jordan. (b) Our Saviour, after being baptized with water by John i«5 baptized with the Holy Ghost by God. John (i., 32) says « I iZ^ ^^'"''u- ^» ^^ ?^r^"ding from Heaven lik^ a d;ve, 'and Jt abode upon him." Luke says in Acts x., 38, " God anointed Jesus of Nazereth with the Holy Ghost." anoimea Christ has been sprinkled by John and anointed by God • but s>o far there is no immersion. We will now examine (c) His third baptism. •Acta xix., 2-7. §Matt. xi., 11. tNum. viii., 5-7 ; Exodua xxix., 21. 2* tLuke i., 6. 12 T SKRMON ON rJ^- PJ-cf^q^ling and .succeeding context of Ro.n. vi., 3, L and "burial ' ; '"h^T""^''? "^''^ ^"^."^^'^ "baptism," mentions a burial, a death," a « resurrection," a beinff " crueihed » and ?u filZn ' T', 'Y^""'^ T^^^"^'>^ ^^^^^« "^^° Calvary for a iulfilment. Indeed, it is thitherward the Redeemer easts his eyes, when, but a few days* before his crucifixion, He says, " I have a baptism to be baptized with ; and how am I straitened till tnlT.T"'^!'^"'^- '7 , ^' '^^^ ^'^^^ ■^^^^'^'d before, priests were anointed and sprinkled with water and the blood of beasts. wth theTofv'ph 'I" r^'i^ ^"'" ^^^^°"^' ^"^ '-^"^i^^^d Him w h fW u I- ''"'?•' u^"' '''^'^'^ '^^^ ^^ ^^aptized with blood, with that baptism which caused Him to be '^ straitened'^'' Let us turn our eyes to the cross on which hangs the bleedin^ Saviour and there we behold a glorious fulfilment^,f all. See^naHeS to hL^''"'''A''vf',.'\" ff"^^ °' ^^^ ^r«^^"«^l ^vith a crown of iThi'.' b^j'^Jd/he blood coming forth unon his sacred person rom his wounded feet, and hands and side, aud from the punc- tures made by the crown of thorns. According to the Levitical -V r h7hr^^^"? '""^^ "'" ^'^^fi''" Firsts" were sprin led ^itn the blood of beasts; but Christ, being the Great Hi-h Priest who hath purchased eternal redemption for man and " hath ThTlu T 7 t own blood," is not splinkled or baptized wi tlhiT ""^ ^'''^'' ^5^*' '^P^^^^"^ "P°" '^^ ^^"«'^' ^« baptized cilw t -"^^ """'' Pf^r ^ b'°°d- Where, in the' baptisms of Christ IS imrnersion ? Was it by John ? No, for the law said Nazereh with the Holy Ghost." Was it at his crucifixion? J>o, lor He was baptized with his own most precious blood which came out of his five bleeding wounds' and from the punctn -es made by the crown of thorns. » There are tE that bear witness m earth, the spirit, and the water and the blood and these three agree m one" ;t and in the three baptisms of ou; messed Lord, unanimously give their testimony against immer- 3. Into what death was Christ baptized ? Let it be observed that Christ died in two senses.^ First as a martyred "Apostle," He died for the truth and Witnessed a tT.lr"f°"u^'^'''''u^^"^^"" P^^^^^- Secondly, He died ns nf .^l°T"^i ^""S?^' V^.^ ?^'^^"' °f the world, as" the Redeemer ^^mankmd. To which of th^se deaths does Paul refer ? Cer- .rvv,' /^"^^^ ^"'-^ 31, 33. tLukexii., 50. U John v.~8. , Jt°'^,''^^* " expressed at large in able article on Rom. vi., 3, 4, and Col ii 1-, by mo Rev. (?) J. S, Evans. ''?**> "^^^ ^oi. n., I INI'ANT HAl'TISM. 13 t ainly t(, the one we can imitate; f„r lie says, "Know vc not l.al so many of us as were baptised inJo Je us Ch Is/ were baptized mo his death?" Neither man nor angel ,'nmTtao Christ's death as an atoning Lamb ; but we can im^t t" his death as a martyr for the truth. The meaning of the pa te is this: Know ye not that so many of ns as were bapt&ifthe name o Jesus Ch; st, took upon ourselves the vow to bl martyrs ra her than deny the truth, and like as Jesus Christ was bTpti/ed >nto death, that is, died while being baptised with his own b ood upon the cross; so we, if necessary, are willing to Lai our baptismal vow with a martyr's blood. Therefore we are baptized dieV: m^;;';'/"^" ^ ^"" ''' ''''' '^^'^^y' '^' necessary 'as ghrlst The Saviour never died to sin, nor did he ever die any sniritual lus baptism upon the cross with his own blood, during which as a man He died, and in which death we ean imitate our liedeemer 4. How are we "buried with Him by baptism"? In the first and second verses of the chapter (Rom. vi ) the apostle affirms they should not continue in sin- and as an argument, he says, "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death > There! ^re we are buried with Him by baptism." The " apostk's meaning is simply this : Do not 'contiliue in sin • because bv your baptism you took a vow to renounce heat'henism and ido atry, and if necessary to give your bodies to perse cuLs as Christ gave lus body to be crucified and buried As for your salvation Christ actually died and was buried at his bapS rbv blood ; so you, for your own salvation and the glory of you Wd by baptism declared that you were willing to have yoiu bapt£ followed by death and burial. Therefore with Christ if necessar^ we are baptized into death and buried with Him by baptTsm ^ iJ^^ fT '''''"'* ""^ "^""'^y'^ ^^^"^ as witnesses to this inteore- tation of the passage. Thus we see that these passagesTRom VI., 3, 4, and Col. ,1 12), addressed to persons whofad lateTv' been converted and baptised out of heathenism into ehr^stiSv suTa mod" """"""" ' '"^ '""^^'^^ ^'^-^-^ evrdete agaSt baJtisIs^lZ'7niT''^] *"^''''' ^'"^-^'"''^ ''"*«^''^' ^"^ baptismosz thTJrJT T ""'^'''' T "^^^^^- 't ^a« been asserted that h! th? xvn.7-''''' "''""'-" '^'' ^^^^" ""^ '^^^^"^i^^ immersion, and he R bl? . 'TTu' "^^"^^''•«'«"' &c., should have been put in the Bible instead of baptize, baptism, &c. As the Scriptures 14 SERMdN ON 1 npu . ^ mi-M. urceiv words I '• The meaning of 5ff;,/o. i («) Turn lo Exodus \-ii 90. «a 1 . hyssoj), and dip (baptize) it' in ihoh?. f?. '''^'^ ^''''*^ ''^ ^^"»i=i' of ! --trjke the lintel and tl^Vvw" n ^ ^^^' ^' ^" *''^' l^a.on, and ; ''i^-' bason." No';i-„ :/:;; f4P-^;y!tV''^'^ ; dips only the end' of it in tl- coTor tc^ 1^' '-V'^'Vf '^"'"^ ' '^»' i hyssop was taken in the hand nS ?, ? ^''^"'''- ^^"' ^unch of ' the bason was the col rU fitter and ?U %^'""^''' ^'" ^'"^^ '" posts were the objects to hp nif.' T ^*'. ^'"^^^ ^"^ two side that a thing is bap Led when bu n v ""' ^""T^' '^'^us we see wet with the baptizing eTemen^"' '^ '"''^' P^^^ "^ ^^ has been (b) Lev, xiv., 16- " Anri *u^ nghrfmgerint4oil\hatrsinhi8^S^ S^^P^^^^^) bis ?f the oil with his finger seven time! h'^^f^.^''^^" ■^P'-'«'^I« immersions of the right fin JerJnT -!''''' ^^''' ^"'^^•" Seven of the left hand woufd be ^p^^s^^^L "^^ ^n the palm dipped only the tip of his rS fi„i • ^7*''' V"'^'^ ^''^ P^'^^-^^ 1^ called a baptism of the finfer. ^'' '" '''" ^'' ' ^"> ^'^^n this ^ we '^^;U^;';j^f ti^^'^f S.i^'^'SJ^^^^^^^r's) was i ence there is between beinjTbanS • 1 J^^^^ ^ ^^^^t differ- ! being plunged or immerseS^i„^Xerf ^.f the gentle rfeu, and of times, during those seven yeaTs wL nT^'^!: ^''^ hundreds Jed with the dew; but " the 1« w f ^^buchadnezzar sprink- ^^Sh^iy^pnnkHniaZptil" ^'^ ""^ ^^e testimony" call this dipped fb'^apiizedj^ln blom/'J^'"^^ was elothed with a vesture " Word of Ld," go"nS, ns '^ ."'^^"^ ''^holds Christ, Ze vesture baptized iTh^S BuTt!^ '""^'"^^"••' «^«^hed'in a baptized with blood ? When a wnrH ^'' ''^r^^''^' ^^••"^^nts and thick array and with the weTi" ^T'' ^is foe in close enomy, then from the woundTf th J''''"^ ''l''^'' ^^^"^ ^°^^ his blood which sprinkles thTgarment ofTh"^"''^*^^' ^^"^^hes forth need not rest upon this alone for .n 1 ^^"^"^ror. But we I^'^aiah (Ixiii., 3) gives a espon^e " ^ 'he inspired wmepress alone," and Iheir^blood shn I k"''^ ^'?, '^^^^^" ^he prments." John says the vpsh \ mmkled upon my Isaiah says it was IprinklT^^u u^'^ ^"f'''^ with blood! a^honty of Inspiratio^ ^o"^ ^Z^^lJ^^^^^^on the' 2. The meaning of i?a;,#i^o. ] t s tl (I 01 id INKANl' BaJ'TIS.M. 15 17 to > lO h e 1 P-'Jon surely ,, ,,„„j„ 7,^ „, ™ j "f '^ J^^a led a b,-„„i.|„ ,„■ „™ „,(*) Mall, iii I,. „,, , ^P"™ ""hf individual GJiosl and will,' fie" -V".*''^" baptize y„u ,ri„, ,,,„ ,,', was utiered bv J l,„ ,1, « Propbecy eom-ernin" L s ■ " «;l'en "cloven longuef like as «??'" ^^ ""^ ""l^ gE ••and "f -hem •.. This S.nou„.tro"a'dtS.Si„r" """""" °' -"'> braxen ve«sks/and of Ses"^" ^^^^^""-^^ ^^ ^"P^ and pots ou d 1 1^ '' ^f ,P»^^"fi«atio„. awoujd t ?^" "^ '''''■"'^'^'^ "If ''°'''^^"' ^" ^"i^n^rse theTe"abr rf '"'''^'^^^abJo, nor J. The meaning of Embaplo ''^''' '^''y ™^'al4 («) Matt, xxvj 03 . u IT ,', when Christ used thesewords t fe t '^'^f^^^P^^^ were do nl" (6) Mark xiv,, 20- "ft ;■. fSeo tho Bev. J. narr^ii'. ',■ , «ec Dr. ,. CM. „- i^:^:^'" «* •. W«,e,a„ B„,.,„ ,, ^.^^ ^^ 16 SKRMON ON " the law and the testimony," say no ; for Nubuchadnezzar was sprinkled with the gentle dew, yet he was baptized; for Christ's vesture was sprinkled with blood, yet it was baptized ; for Christ breathed upon his disciples, yet they were baptized with the Holy Ghost ; for cloven tongues of fire sat upon their heads, yet they were baptized with fire. Therefore we see that these Greek words tail to establish the doctrine of immersion. VI. The question now arises, What is baptism ? Baptism is an " outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace." The application of water to the body is a type or emblem of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the soul.* But a type or emblem invariably conforms, as far as possible, to the thing typified. Then, if it can be established by Scripture authority that tiie baptism of the Holy Ghost is expressed by the words anoini, pour, sprinkle, and not immerse ; does it not amount to an incon- testable demonstration that the type or emblem of this must like- wise have been performed by anointing, pouring, sprinkling, and not by immersion? Let us now endeavour to ascertain the mode by which the Almighty baptizes with the Holy Ghost. 1. Ezekiel xxxvi., 25, 26 : " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your fihiiiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you." 2. Hosea x., 12 : " For it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you." 3. Hosea xiv., 5 : " J will be as the deiv unto Israel." 4. Psalms Ixxii., 6 : " He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass ; as showers that water the earth." 5. Joel ii., 28, 29 : "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. In those days will I pour out my Spirit." 6. John XX., 22 : " He breathed on them and saith unto them. Receive ye the Holy Ghost." 7. John i., 32 : "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him." 8. Acts X., 38: "God anointed Jesus of Nazereth with the Holy Ghost." 9. Acts X., 44 : " The Holy Ghost fell on all th(?m which heard the word." • .. *Luko iii,, 16 ; Acts xi., 10 ; Matt. 11 ; Acts i., 5. INFANT RAITISM. 17 10. Acts X 45: "They of the circumcision were astonished because on the Gentiles was ponred out the a\{i of the Holv trhost, •' 11. Titus abundantl."''"-' '' ' ' " '''" *^"''' ^^'^"«^-whieh He shed on us wid.''th7S^r.P^f "'^'''"''' -"'^^ J^'f'«vah's mode of baptizing mH nn hu in^ ' '' [7 anointing,* pouring, and sprinkling, and no by immersing On this point it behooves erring man k frou'rlL ;nd''^"'''M-' '"' ^°^ ^'''° **^^ -^^'"^^^^"^^ anointing ouring, and spnnkhng, as proper modes of baptism ; but who has n.e given the sanction of iiis example or authori y to sneh a mode as immersion. ^ VII. The impracticability of immersion. The apostles were commanded by Christ to preach the fiosnpl to "all nations" and " to every creature." ThSo re the Gosoe Th rc.n b^'' "''rf' ^^"^'^^ and hstdlnattrJ such as can be complied with by " every creaturp " U ma« endeavors to enforce, as a ehristian^ordinanL anTr te which ^an" no be complied w.th by "every creature "'in t^irfourTuarters of the earth ; such an ordinance, according to reason and Scripture IS of man and not of God. Can " every Lature," durin.. all sea- sons, in" all nations," receive the ordinance of immersionr We look with tender sympathy upon the ghastly countenance of a dying friend in whom life's spark is^lmost extinct and with eagerness we fulfil every request. With a faltering voice the dying one asks at the hands of fellow man, as the las token of love, to be baptixed in the name of the Holy Trinity WouM It be consistent with the merciful Gospel of pLce and" the mUd dispensation of our lov,n. Saviour, to plunge in water this d W one whose distressed body can scarce' bea? to Te touched/anf whose diseased limbs cry out with pain when moved > Indeed there have been cases m which death has been the direct resnU of immersion]. Therefore immersion is not for " every creature/' "As Humboldt and others have traced the isothermal lines not less than eight millions of human beings inhabitX S and frozen regions^ where the winter lasts during he grSer aTibt ^Lv^pher^^^'r '^^^^ "^ '^ ^^^^^ ^ thus^descriLdt; w!! n.!^^K^Li'.:*'!l^i'^°":(^ m;^ of anohUin.. ff^ee Dr. Hibbard on "Infant Baptism," 3 Pmt II. 18 "I.K.Mo.N o\ r.l\n I:""""';'"'"'' ''"Pl^in.l, Mnd tl.P eoltl.sf countries of this r -y.on, hrumly nu,l u.-rnny lre.3.(.. during the winter. Durin-^ Th. M'liole inside of a hul, or si up, J.S - together in suiuli litiis. . usually liM,.d ^^i,|, iei,, i„r,ned from the vapour ol" breath • Siberu stop the openuigs of their house" with ice, and use i instead ol g ass. If the eold air suddenly enter , he house, the vapours iu 1 .„ ,, nhower ol snow. Every part of the body m s t be covered .n goutg out, or it is instant]/ frozen. The air Mdien breathed seeu.s t<. ph-ree, and even rend the lungs. The cup often ireezen to the lips, if it be touched in drying. The provisions must bu cut with hatchets and saws. Trees%nd the beams of houses ,.n> split by th,- frost, r.nd rocks aie em wi th a notse l.ke that ol lir,- ar.us.- The 'Laplander, Sibe ian, and G eenlander, for two thirds of the year, see nothing 'save the moun- t9 icy barnerH, and the white mantle of snow which co^^ers the dreary, barren waste. The lakes are sometimes frozen to e botom; the rivers cease their rolling onward to the sea and le coas '2aX' ^1'^"'^'"" /-'"^ "^P'""-" "P- ^hose ice bound coasts, and the sea ttjono supplies man with food, raiment and °s ilSle"?/''''' ;^^".'- f--^^ positively dein'onstrTte that it IS impossible to practKT immersion during all seasons in "all nations" and e|„n.,s. Indeed, our own country with its ice covered lakes and rivers, and Arctic like snows^nd breeze. caSted"^''''' "■' "'^""''^'"^ ''"^"^^«^' ^hat immersion not calculated for every season " in all nations.'' "aYSnnlT" «»'»|"^'very creature,- during all seasons, in ail nations,' cannot comply with this ordinance, we must of TdTofbyTi''''' '"' ''"'"'"'°" '^"' ^''^^ ^^^^^ "^^ ^y '"^» VIII. Has God ever baptized with water? We have seen that neither the Old nor the New Testament furnishes a single ense of immersion ; nor have our ImmerSS crTtiel '''v^""'"f '• u solitary case that stood the touch of nHm?iw' 1 i' ' . "■ ''^''^' *'^''' "^" baptism by sprinkling. 'm^ii'l^^''' '^'"^•"•'"" """K^'^Phy, p. H5. seventh edit! Pr. Hibbard on, AB quoted hj Jftt Bf'liold, tlir Israclilos IMAM' l!\l'ri>\l. iinmhcriiig alu)iit 10 thi rr iriillions. ' I I'-i'i ........" I. iij^ .iwwiii Kill I- iiiiMiDris rnon, women, nnd cliildrcn, sianditii,' upon tlu- sliorc of flie Rrd Sea Miaraoh fome^ up with his (thariots and horsemen. Israel's Ill-art 18 laint and they mnrmur. But God s;iid to Moso « I iff up thy rod and stretch thine hand over the sea, and divide it • and the chihJrcn of Israel shall -o on dn/ ground IhrouRh the midst of the sea." "And the Lord made the sea dry land » And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea uuon the dry groun< ." " But the children of Israel walked upon dry Uindm the midst ol the s(.a."* Paul comments on these passages as follows (Cor. x., I, 2) : " Moreover, brethren, I would Sot hai ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under tUc cK.'id, and all passed through the sea ; And were all baptized nnio Moses m the cloud and in the sea." This bai)tism was perlormed by Jehovah upon 'Vny ground.:' As the fathers mothers, and infant children, passed through the sea upon rfrw ground, they were all baptized unto Moses." We in the christian age are baptized unto Christ, unto an obedience to the laws and commands of our Lord the Great Law-giver of the Gospel dispensation, of whom Moses was a type : the Israelites were baptized unto Moses," unto an obedience to his laws and commands as the lawgiver of the Mosaic dispensation. Thev were a 1 baptized in the cloud and in the sea." While thev walked through " the midst of the sea on dry ground:' thev were baptized by the gentle rain which descended from the cloud above, and by the spray which came upon them like dew irom the agitated sea. Immersionists endeavour to evade this prool by saying, that the whole passage is figurative. Paul did not think he was writing meaningless, figurative language to the Connth-ans when he said, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant "-ignorant of what ? of the plain lact— how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Evidently, the first verse is not hgurati ve ; for it simply mentions a well known circumstance 1 he meaning of verse 3rd, "And they did all eat of the same spiritual meat "IS this : While in the wilderness God miracul- ously provided the Israelites with manna for food. This manna having been a lively type of the spiritual manna of the soul, which comes through the blood of Christ, is called spiritual meat. A paraphrase of the verse would be. And they did all eat of the same manna which God provided, and that meat was a type of •Exodua xiv., 16, 21, 22, 29. 3* 20 «ERM(»W 'n i 'h T; A "f TT "1''i 7""' '" """'^ ^'"'°»'»-»^ <^hrisf. Verse 4ih, And ml drfli.k' of th,' same spiritual dijrk.— "In Ilord) : Moses smote the rock .nd out oi it came water tc, (juench ho thirst ol penshmg Israel. This uas typical of the scene upon le cross TJ.ere we behold Crist " wounded for our transL^re-sions " and from h.ss,de comes forth the water of salvation /or the perishing mdlions of mankind. If was called " spiritual drink •" because jt was emblematical of the water of life. The parenll,- etica part o th.s verse, "(for they drank of that spiritud IWk diat follovved them and that Rock\vas Christ)," in'terpretl itsS" lbs confirms the mtcrprelation of the former part of the verse and shows us that the rock smitten by Moses was a type of thJ Rock of Ages vvho was then, and is now, round and about his Israel to protect and deliver. He, the spiritual Rock, followed tVs'ir" 1 'hL Is'^'leV^''"""'"''"'^ ,vater gushed forlh from the rock In -his one sentence Paul refers to the crossing of the Red Sea by k lel, to the cloud that directed them in their wanderings, to the ...anna which God gave them in the wilderness, lothe water whu n Christ brought forth from the rock, and to tMeir many sins and murmurings against God ; and, in addition to these circum'- s ances which are all recorded in the Old Testament, he states upon the authority of inspiration, another fact: namely, diey "were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the seaf" Iherelore it is doing violence to the passage to cast it aside as mystical. Here Paul gives us the mode by which the Almighty baptized the millions of Israel, and it was upon dry irround, so ought we, following the example of God, to baptize upon "dry ground." This sMtles the point and shows us that when God baptizes with water, He does if by sprinkling. Imrnersionists in endeavouring to propagate their doctrines, have in some instances changed the authorized version of the! Bible by substituting for baptize the word immerse. How absurd It would be to say, they were immersed upon " dry ground '" What violence it would do to reason to say, Nebuchadnezzar was immersed in de-u ! How contrary to the express declarations will immerse you in the Holy Ghost ! HJblo to suit their views, they plainly ' "■ ul J.hei; ,josition, and show that their of Scripture to say, When persons alter t acknowledge the we* k candour has stiven wa We will say no more nf.'.HL he mode of ' aptism ; but pray that Clurist may " breathe " upon us the spirit of brotherly love, and that God through the " blood of sprifikUug," may " pouf om " INFANT HAPTIS.M ^1 " .. p<.n all 1,18 Holy Spirit, may - .prinkl,> " us (Baptists and Imrrsionm.) with the " clean water" <,f his sanctifying, grae., inay " ano.nt ' us vvah th.- Holy Ghost, and may - haptt.'> us witii hre, with a " liv coal from oil" the holy "altar," which when npi.lied to our lips, will cleanse our hearts. .nh?'^ ,""Vi"''* ^" '.'"' '''■""'' '""• '^"'''' important part of tho subj. .M. To know the manner in which this sacrament should be ran";;'."' n' ' " 'T-'T '' ^^"* '^'*^ ''"^«^"'"' ^''^^''^ '"f^nts W. ?' 1 .1 ■ ." '"''' "*.^'.'''' '".portanco to every christian parem. We hod, that every adult who has not been baptized and who in meekness of spirit and sinc-erity of heart, presents himself, and ^Jt'l^i'^S ^''"T''[ ^^-''^-'^^^'^^ P^^^-'H'S is a proper sub' e ]„ iu.nn "T"'- -'^^ •""•■'" '^ "'• '''^P"^*' ^^t>out the right of adults o this divine mst.tution, nothing will be said upon that iSts l" blnod "' "P"" '"^^'^^ foundation the'right of 0(1' ^y",'^i""f'''^."'«s^P^^«ages (our text and Matt, xxviii., 19 20) wh^oh Anabaptists adduce as proofs against infant baptisrn.' 1. Our text, Anabaptists say, "He that belie veth and is bap- tzed shal be saved;" infants cannot believe, therefore thJv should not be baptised. Let us read the whole 'passage : "He that bo heveth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that beheveth not shall be damned." Be it remembered that f om Genesis to Revelation there is no passage which says, He that cannot believe is not to be baptized ; n"or is there an^ passago which can with any degree of truth, be construed into such a meaning. This passage evidently refers not to infants, but to adults only. If Anabaptists make this passago refer to infant " they, since the Bible does say, " He that believeth not sSl be damr .d," do thorel,y teach the unknown dogma of universal win hf '";":j'r- ^^T^^^^ ^^^ ■''"^ ^^^^ ^^^ Anabaptist bretS Trgumen? ''^' P'''^=' ^'^'^ "°'^^"S ^^ ^« ^^^^'^ ^ho 2. It is said in Matt, xxviii., 19, 20, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizin.^ them in the name of the Father ami of he Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe a oS .n'^^f'^P'''''. T' ^'^"^ ^'^^'^t commanded his disciples totach all nations and then baptize ; but infants cannot be taught and therefore ought not to be baptized. It will be observed by he reader that the verb fe«cA is used in the nineteenth verse and oXl?l ■'"f'-^ '-'^ ■'" 'r--'- -''' *^-n.lation is taiUo- logical and is pot a correct rendering of the words which the apostle 22 ^KHMns ()\ i I Matthew wrole fn flm which convey two dislLSl^ , ''T T" ')^" '^^"^-nt words Greek word m«//.e/ei..a/e is used . .M "'"^/eenth verse the have didaskontes given ilf^^5 of Son, and of the UoU Qh2i JZf- ^ ""' ^^^''"^' '''"^ "^ ^^e The disciples were romn^nded h^S '''■^'" -"^ "'^^'^^'^•^ ^''^ things '' ^" "^««iple all nations to SJ;,!',/"^''"'"'"^ "^^ «^ bapn-sni, W'^'i God. As Abraham be in^ ^ n^"'^ \"'" ^ ^«^'^^"^«"t relation "s young son Ishmael, anrafiZ^, ,"'"V''^"''^°^''^S«w^"'h house with their male infants were n'?' ^^ale servant "of his a covenant relationf with God hv • "^ '•''.'"'' ^^>^ brought into were commanded tLn to go bevKeT'''^T '• ^" ^'^^^ ^P^'^^'^^ to discple, or bring info a covennnt ^'^^'^^^n^anes of fsrael and the heathen, Gentife world Wd In ITi?"''' "^"^ ^^ ^^P^'«»' les were to "disciple all naUon?'' '^ u '"'.''""'"^^"^' the apos- haptism, and then to '' /mc/" t Z ' 11 T ^^ ^'/^""^«^«ion, but by commanded you." Tlmf t ! '''"^'' ^^''^^tsoever I (fJhrisf) infants to be di.eipled by baptLn:?' T'^''''''' '''' ^'S'^'^ « into a covenant relation wiihTod llint '^''' '^'^" ^" ^' ''^^'^^'^d receiving an initiatory rite and of hi n t ^^^^^^.^^^P^ble now of wnh the Almighty, i th y w/^c S/ thf * T •\^"^^««"' Mosaic dispensations. Therefore the^o Patnarchial and ' ?red give ground for the co Husjon df^Ml''' '^^T ''^^''^y ''^^ liscipled the aged Abraham. ^ u^. ''P^''^^^-" by baptism Jnfant Isaacs. ^^^ahams, the youthful Ishmaels, and he Wher re IS the command for infant whII";\aLrbV'l;^rm P;;?r'f^ '■ !'" ^^^'^^ ^l"^«tion is, when over deny the^"'"C7n the old'r'""' '^^^^'^"^ '^ ^^^^ Goci the baptism of infaa s by L - '''?'"'""' ^"^' ^^"^tioned through the midsi of ,le sea uL^™'''"- ,^^ ^''"^^^ " P'^^^^od the strong warrior and ^ont'dTiad '^iT"l'' ^'"^ ''^^^' ^^^''^-' 6a6es, "were all baptised "h'!,^' """ ''.^'•^ ^^"<^ ^f'^^ir infan fc.ous infants were Sklej " '''l'"' '^"n^reds of uncon Israel passed throu,W, htrn dl' IT ^'^''"''^ ^-^ '^^'^ovah Ts AM did in the old di.nen.T, ^''"^ ''^^- ^^^^t the Great f ha. established in'r^rbrsW^it^^^^ —^ — _ _ "> saying (Acts n., 39) ut-i,„ ..nj i.)...,,L, on the saniedaj were circumcisec]. "^ ''•' IM'A.N'T RAI'TISAI. 23 promise is unto you and to your children " ni.l r. • . deny infants baptism- \'n \dT\ '' ,."'^f*- . ,iJ'« Christ, ever to bring little cl, Idicn to lUn x7 ^ 'li? '^''"■'^'''"^ ^^^^"'^^^ P^^«""* little children to cle ,, ' ;'l'Tr^v1''i '^■'■•' '^-'^)' "S»fler the Kingdom of ho'^r'^.'.L "mS. ' ' ^-\r^'"jt"'^ '' Jn his arms, and nnf },iJ i T ^ ' '^^ ^^^ '"o*^' them up HereChriJtel is, ^''^''^ ^^"'' ''J«^««cl them." the "Kingdom oft atn^ ^/"''''-^^ " ^^'^ ^t for of Christ,"" little childr;.n " "rl" ^'"".^''^ ^''" ^'^ ^^^""^"g merits the glorious Sc^don .. '. ""' ^''' '^'""^""^ of heaven, are Therefore fit iorri''T-''/'f^' ^'^^^'^^ ^^g^^^ l'«"d, ihe^ but being fiUbr le nln ^.^ '"'? the visible church upon earth- earth, thfy Le 01 nteess^v fi rt'^^ ^''\'^'' visible^chu.ch on as th^ inititory o dina ;/^ '"'"'^'^ ^''^^"^^ ^PPO'^ted militant upon earth ^"^ entrance into the church uplSl^^li^ " 'i;"^' " ^^^^^ " '^'^^^ ^^"Wren " that " He took baptizithrwith vaterT^'ir^^f"'' " ^^^ ^^^ Christ not neier baptized whvv^fer eiiLr M ^' remembered that Christ performed that S '^, 'u c?v ''' ^i^T '* '^"^ ^'^« ^^«^'Pl-« with water, but whh the Ho^v nZT ^'^T^'^^ ^^ baptize,Siot imparted the spirit nf)i«^ '°' i -mcl when iJe blessed. Pie HoTy Ghost Set el-li,M^f.r^;l":'^P^'^- «^^'- Christ, were baptised wrthe'lioV'SsT ""^^^^T'^ ^^ are proper subjects fra tl,„ i,„,,- ', , '*'''"'' '' iniants children to be brou« t to our iorcK^I ' *"=" t^ ''""^'«> «'"<' " much diaplemed.'' ''''"' "''™ f^" ""^^ ". was God ordained tba, „fe„, 'b» ;Siv °d IT"""'"' '"■^P"""'"'"" Him by an initiatory rite • and bv » ll i ™™nant relation with as .he outward U"nC' 1" 'XTn^/ r'^"-"™" -'^i '"« opening oi the liospei *Joha iv., 2. liospei 24 SERMON 0\ Him rescinding the law c nine, the Lord appeared to AbrT T "T'^ >""»■" "I'' °"d Almighty God ; W^Sk S°e me'rilf tl^'prfeol'™ ' ''" '"^ .ho„, and thy .seed^a^r^£T hei'^neS?"" T,!!""'"'''^' covenant which ve shnll kp«,^ Ko* ft'-nerdn.ans. This js my after thee : Eve^y^ mt'hi d'^am^^^ ff -^ ^'^^ -ed And ye shall circumcise the flesh of vnZ T^\^'.^ circumcised, be a token of the covenan beUv it L ancl vc'u "^^^ T^ ^?^^" eight days old shall be circumcised^mon! IT '^"'^ ^^ '^'^'^ '^'^ ;n your generations." " And7n thvTeed^ sCll Z'T^I' '""'K the earth be blessed "+ Rnt a«1k . • . * '^^' families of nothing to do with he Lvhicaltw tnd ^ '^'^'. "^^ ^^^^ to mention the Abrahamic covenant l^^'^ ^^^'^^^'^'. '^ ^^ needless remark is well calcu at^d tn ^?f i <^»-cumcision . Such a that the AbrahaSrcoveintwih'^ '^ ""?^^ ^« be observed circumcision, vvTdeSed nearlv fi'''".'''"'!'^^' ^"^"^^°^3^ ^^^^' syllable of the LeviticaUaw w?JJn '• ''""/'''"^ ^^^^-'^ before a The Leviticallari, as^^? li^et lZTl?'?K^ 'u ^"^^^ ^" ^inai. il is from the No^h c covenant W?^h M ^.^^^^amic covenant as of the whole human fami^^God mrde' SlSi'sr'P"""^^^^? and said tohiiti coni-pmi;;^ ,wZu 7 " , '^nissfing covenant," of the covenan""! To hf, d^v t"^;! ra.nbow , this is " the Mm of the everlasti gtovenant "twit Vr T " " """''''''"' " "'^''•' Noah as the repr^sentire .hit'' Ml^^.^thallT^^t h"'""*" •hrongh Abraham as.heg,:Spr::lttl'uv;^°oL\Teras3 'Genesis xii.. 1-2 ; Genesis xvii ? !9 ^r- tG'enesis ix., 8-17, INFANT BAPTISM. 25 and more glorious covenant. This covenant Uto *i, r an " everlasting covenant " nnH oe«i t ^ • ^'^^ ^^^ former s "the bow," wa'l Tborof safefv '^^,,fr'l*^,'^■^^^^^ "^"'^^^" ha.nic covenant with i?s ''/S u'"^- "'' ^'"''^. ^ ^° '" the Abra- of the earth are L Ld '' Go 1 '"^"1^°"''' '' ^'^" ^^^ Abraham through Sh Joh who wf^ ? '^'' /°^'^"^"^ ^^^^h mediatorial blood of Cn-.t nn ° ''^"'^ ' ^"'' ^^'^'''out the guilty man. NW sunce Me"shh7'"* '^^"''^ ^"^ '^^'^« ^vith not abolished ; bm by his bbod m" '^'''!.r"'"' ^'"^ ^^^'^"^"^ is had failed (utt'erly iXotbt)t^L j[: t^^,,;^ J^^e Redeemer this covenant would have f- II .n /» .i ^ Deceiver, then void; but since the " sCx If God'' 11.1. ^'"""^ 'f ""'^ «"d victorious over death, hell anifhegrafhT^^^^^^^^^^ and risen IS confirmed and established upon the Roc k of A "" '''^'"'"' even the Gentile world is reioi?inl n !i of Ages ; and now covenant which promised awS. to ui.r'^^^^^^ ^^ that That this covenL wasnnw^ spiritual meaning waltheopin on orSt^P^ur^r^''' T' ^^^ '' arguments by saying (Gal. iii 7 ?nd 2q^ w^ ' '' ^'° confirms these they which are of fai h the s'lm; ^1 t^^' ^^^^^^ ^'^^'"^^"'"'^ that "And if ye be ClS then^rl Au "^"'^'"^ «^" Abraham." ifwehavelivingSrandareC S ^^^^™« 'hat and "seed" of Abraham and ''he r !' ", ^'"^ '"'" '^'" "children" according to the covenant whicr^UruT'';?^ '^/^^ "promise," of the ea?th be blessed."* ^ ' ^" ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ f^»milies duS^orihtShrc'rov^tnft/'^ initiatory rite, circumcision. ' "^'^^ "°^ ^'^"^i^er its a covenant can be chan-ed to .n t?' '""'^'"''y »'«. or " ,eal," of the covenant itself Tuie lea " 'w ""^^ ^^"^'-'^ting have many different fomVa^^^^^ an imtiatory rite may to-day are -heirs accor^int 1 th" ^"^''^".'" '^^ «^me end. We Abrah'amic covenant w^f.^'^l P^"- according to the we are brought into this covenambv .?^''"''^"g covenant," and which was the ancient inratorvrtPJ'""',""! ^^'"^^^""^«i«ion by apostolic authority ^Top^in:: oTthetot 7^^^'-|if-^ -— . -— Ljir'' "-' '^ospci when Christ xne expression new covenant or testamonf Z 7~rr~ tical law and not to the Abrahamic covenant "' ""^^ ''^''"''' ^^^ ^^^ Levi- 26 SERMON ON instituted baptism as the initiatory rite into this covenant which He had ratified with his own blood. Circumcision was performed upon the unconscious infant ; so ought baptism, because, as we will endeavour to show by the following reasons, it has succeeded circumcision : — 1. They both belong to the same covenant, because the Abra- hamic covenant is " everlasting." 2. As soon as baptism is instituted. Inspiration commands that they circumcise not, 3. They are both outward signs of an internal operation of the Spirit of God. In proof of this Paul says (s, " He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." Thus we learn that the cutting off of the foreskin was typical of the operation of tlje Spirit of God in taking away the fleshly lusts of the carnal mind. Baptism is an outward sign of receiving in place of the carnal mind the humble spirit that was in Christ. Each of these rites suits well its dispensation ; the former preparing the way for the latter. This well accords with the conclusion, Baptism has succeeded circumcision. 4. They have both been, and Baptism still is, initiatory rites into a covenant relation with God. 5. They answer the same ends. Formerly, the distingishing rnark between the seed of Abraham and the heathen world, was circumcision. At present, the distinguishing mark between the " seed of Abraham" and the heathen world, is baptism. God in his all wise providence saw fit to accompany the Abrahamic with the initiatory rite, circumcision, which served as a distinguishing mark in the flesh, which well accorded with the bloody institutions of the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensa- tions, and which, beins; a severe and humiliating " yoke," served as a wall of partition between the Lord's chosen seed and the Gentile nations with whom God did not wish Israel to mingle. But when the fulness of time had come, the Almighty says,* " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female :* for ye are all one in *Gal. iii., 28. INFANT BAPTISM. 27 \ Christ Jesus;" and He takes away the middle wall of partition and rends the veil in twain. Therefore, of necessity, circurn- » cision which was not consistent with the mild Gospel of peace > and which could be performed only on the males, is done away t and baptism, which can be complied with by Jew and Gentile' rnale and female, is ordained in its place by divine authority! . Circumcision was performed when the child was eight days ( old. Before the coming of Christ, there was a definite law for i almost every christian duty— rich and poor must give a tenth to the Lord. Now, each must give cheerfully "as'the Lord hath <► prospered him "—and it is the duty of every christian parent to I have his child baptized as soon as circumstances will permit. \ The foregoing facts fully demonstrate that baptism has sue- * ceeded circumcision : but by God's command the unconscious f miant was circumcised ; therefore ought the unconscious infant ) to be baptized. IV. Let us notice the circumstances under which the apostles * went out to " disciple all nations " by baptism. Sometimes the Jews received proselytes to their religion When a heathen wished to leave idolatry 'and be initiated into * Judaism, he and all his male children even to the infant eight days old, were circumcised ; then parents and children of every * age, male and female, were all baptized ;* and, finally, an ' offering was presented to the Lord. That infants were bap'ii/ed at proselyte baptism was undoubtedly well known to the apostles who, being Jews, Avere accustomed to see infants brought into a e covenant relation with God by circumcision which no doubt • from -ts sacred antiquity had deeply rooted in their minds the ' idea that infants had a right to an initiatory ordinance. Under ' such circumstances the apostles went out to ''disciple all nations " * and the plain conclusion is, that, if not expressly forbidden (which they never were), they did undoubtedly baptize children with ^ their parents. t Let us suppose that her Majesty the Queen were to abdicate the [ throne m favour of her son, the Heir Apparent, and that he upon I his ascension, were to command a census of the British Empire i tobe taken. The persons taking this census would most cer- j tamly include infants without any express command ; because it > has always been done. To all objectors saying, you ought not > to include infants, they are not expressly mentioned in the *See Dr. A. Clarke's Commentary, end of ?t. Mark's Gospel. » 4* 28 SERMOiN ON command ; they would answer, during the reign of the Queen children were always included, and if we exclude them we do it without authority, since it has not been done by the King ; we dare not do what the King hath not done, we must include children. Under the old economy when God took a census of his people, infants were included ; under the Gospel the Son and Heir of all things hath sent forth his servants to take bv baptism the number of his Israel, If those servants who have been sent out to '"disciple all nations" by baptism, exclude infants, they do it without authority ; for it hath not been done by the " King of Kings and Lord of Lords." When God has given a law it is nian's duly to walk by that law and not to make a law for himself. Anciently, God gave a law commanding children to be brought into a covenant relation with Himself. That law has never been rescinded and according to it the servants of the Lord should baptize infants and thus follow the example of the apostles who baptized. V. Families. 1. The family of Lydia. It is written in Acts xvi., 14, 15, "And a certain woman named Lydia, a sel ler of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us : whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us." All agree that every adult when baptized must possess faith for himself, and that no adult can be biptized upon the faith of another. Bearing this in mind, we examine these verses and find mentioned the faith of none, but of Lydia, of whom it is said, " She worshipped God," " Her heart was opened," " She attended to the things spoken of Paul," " She constrained us" and said, " If ye have judged me to be faithful, come into my house, and abide there." Such language very strongly favours the idea, that Lydia's family, or household, consisted not of hired servants, but of little children whom the apostle baptized upon her faith as the parent. This conclusion is supported by the original which has oikos^ family : and not oikia, household. This family baptism, performed by the apostle, is a precedent for ministers to baptize infants upon the faith of the parent. 2. The baptism of the Philippian jailer and all his. t INFANT BAPTISM. 29 . Acts XVI., 31-34 : " And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he look them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes ; and was baptized, he and all his straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and i oiced, believing in God with all his house." It is worthy of remark that the salvation of the oikos, house, or family, of the Philippian jailer, is promised upon his faith. As the salvation of children is promised to those parents only, who "tram up their children in the way in which they should go" and "m the nurture and admonition of the Lord ;" it is evident that those to be saved upon the father's failh, were not able to believe lor themselves, but were children who, if their father performed his duty, would walk '-in the way in which ihey should go" and would eternally be saved. Yet "he and all his'' his little children, who could not believe, were baptized by the apostle. Anabap- tists say, "He spake to him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house ;" and no man speaks to infants : therefore those baptized were adults. Observe, it does not say, All to whom the apostle spake wore baptized ; but it is said, " He and all his were baptized." The pronoun his (hoi autou, those of himself could not refer to the servants, since a master's servants are not his in a spiritual sense ; but a parent's children before they come to the years of accountibility, are his in a spiritual sense ; and, if the parents are ungodlv, the children are unholy and " unclean ;" but if one or both of 'the parents are godly, the children are "holy."* In religious matters, a servant acts for himsell and is his own, while a child, not being able to judge for itself, is not its own, but is directed by the parent and is his. Again, Anabaptists say, "He rejoiced, believing in God with all his house"— his house believed with him, ihey must have been adults. The Greek reads thus : Kai egalHasato panoiki pepis- teiikos to Theo,f which is literally translated by saying " Believing in God he rejoiced in all his house." How natural for the newly converted man to love more dearly than ever his little children and to rejoice that God in his mercy, upon his faith as the parent, had, not only promised him his own salva- tion, but also had promised the salvation of his oikos, house, or iamily ! Well might he rejoice in all his house, when he heard Paul say, " Thou shalt be saved and thy house." The evident conclusion derived from these passages is, the Philippian jailer's I e 1 t r ) f •See 1 Cor. vii., 14. tSee any Greek Testament. 30 SERMON ON family consisted of little children which were baptized bv the apostle on the faith of their father. 3. The baptism of the family of Ftophanus. 1 Cor. i,, IG : " I ('Paul) baptized also the household (oikos family) of Stephan- us." The language used in relating these family baptisms, and the general scope of the passages, substantiate the doctrine of infant baptism and give it apostolic authority. VI. History gives its testimony in favour of infant baptism. Infant baptism has been practised by such men as Knox and Whitefield, Clarke and Wesley, Calvin and Luther and their fel- low reformers. Some Anabaptists go so far as to assert that infant baptism is a production of papistical Rome ar.d a relic of Popery. This assertion is evidently false, since the apostolic reformers never charged Rome with this crime. Undoubtedly, if mfant baptism had been a corruption, Luther, Calvin, and the other reiormers, who staked their lives for the truth, would have exposed and condemned this error, and ceased to practise infant baptism. These holy men with a martvr's courage lifted up their voices against the dogmas of degraded Rome ; but Ihey themselves baptized infants, which proves that infant baptism is not a papistical corruption. Consequently, the practice of the Romish and Reformed churches is a two-fold, standing evidence to tlie fact, that infant baptism was never a corruption, but has descended from Christ and his apostles. We will insert the following paragraph, taken from Watson's " Theological Institutes/' page 640 : — " 5. The last argument may be drawn from the antiquity of the practice of infant baptism. " If the baptism of the infant children of believers was not practised by the apostles and by the primitive churches, when and where did the practice commence ? To this question the Baptist writers can give no answer. It is an innovation, accord- ing to them, not upon the circumstances of a sacrament, but upon its essential principle ; and yet its introduction produced no strug- gle ; was never noticed by any general or provincial council ; and excited no controversy ! This itself is strong presumptive proof of its early antiquity. On the other hand, we can point out the only ancient writer who opposed infant baptism. This was Tertullian, who lived late in the second century ; but his very opposition to the practice proves that that practice was more T JNFANT BAPTISM- SI ! ( • ancient than himself; and the principles on which he impugns it, further show that it was so. He regarded this sacrament supcr.stitiously ; he appended to it tiie trine immersion in the name of each of the persons of the Trinity; he gives it gravely as a reason why inlanis sliould not be baptized, that Christ ^^ays, ' Sufler lill'e children to come unto nic,' therefore they must slay until they are able to come, that is, till they are grown up ; and he would prohibit the unmarried, and all in a widowed state, from baptism, because of the temptations to w!:ich they may be liable. The whole of this is solved by adverting to that notion of the efficacy of this sacrament in taking away all previous sins, which then began to prevail, so that an inducement was held out for delaying baptism as long as possible, till at length, in many cases it was postponed to the article of death, under the belief that the dying who received this sacrament were the more secrrc of salvation. TertuUian, accordingly, with all his zeal, allowed that infants ought to be baptized if their lives be in dan- ger, and thus evidently shows that his opposition to the baptism of infants in ordinary, rested upon a very different principle from that of the inodern Antipa^dobaptists. Amidst all his arguments against this practice, TertuUian, iiowever, never ventures upon one which would have been most to his purpose, and which might most forcibly have been urged had not baptism been ad- ministered to infants by the apostles and their immediate suc- cessors. That argument would have been the novelty of the practice, which he never asserts, and which, as he lived so early, he might have proved, had he had any ground for it. On the contrary, Justin Martyr and Jrena?us in the second century, and Origen in the beginning of the third, expressly mention infant baptism as the practice of their times, and, by the latter, this is assigned to apostolic injunction." The following testimonies in favour of infant baptism have been collected by Dr. Hibbard, from whose work on "Infant Baptism," we quote them : — * 1. "Irentrus was bishop of Lyons (in France) about A. D. 178, and consequently flourished about seventy years after the death of the apostle John. The passage we quote from him is the following : — " ' For he (Christ) came to save all persons by himself: all, I say, qui per eum Renascuntur in Deum ; infantes, et parvulos, et pueros, et juvenes, et seniores ; who by him are regenerated )3 iti Vo ke ia ye le le ill nt er 1) w rn le I. •% ■*• ). »f It f a 1 s s *Se6 1 Part, p. 181, Historical Argument. 32 •RRMON ON (that is baptized) to Go(J, infants, and little ones, and children and youth, and nUlvr p(;rHon«."t ^""oren, anLlo7"''""'"" <'""'''-l"'d "bout one hundred years after the Hu. iii.«, . . , was a man of very irregular and contra d.e,ory ,,r.ne,p|...H a„d habits, possessing a^sour.^rrlona'rc.rpir t and ,s described by Jerome as " a man of eLger and vblen uX Lr^' '"' "''''""•" '" '^^^" P°^--^''l >he usua vie of Th . S Z'T'"~'"'''"^''"^"^- '^''^^'-^"^^ ^« •he eharaete 01 tiis wrinngs; they (;ontam some irregular eloquence much eonfidenee o asnertion, and a mixture of good whh very T'd Adopted ^he^nr-"'"'^' '/'T 1'"''' «^^'"' ^-^^'-^ -^ tl ' adopted Ik opinions of the least rational of all heretics the Montamss," so called from one Montanus, who gave himself out to be the Paraclete or Comforter, promised by o^ur Saviour standinl. nf T . Inn- "V '/"'' "'"^^ ^""^ ^^e reader's better under- standing of Icrtullian's character, and for his better aoureciation lertulhan imbibed an error, which now began more than ever ^prevail m he church, and which gave a peculiar turn to Ms notions on infant baptism. The error which I refer to was that baptism removed all previous guilt, and hence, as th^'e vly to be Sent T !V ^"P''''" "°'^^ ^"^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^h grew m-acticP l^'rlull'on was a strenuous advocate of this il 1 V ' • : """ y^*' with characteristic inconsistencv he elsewhere as vehemently urges baptism without delay." ^' lin.'nf ?h^'?- "^^^ '""■" ^' ^- ^^^- "« descended from a long D 202 when' n •''"'''''■^' u"^ ^'''^ ^^^her suffered martyrdom A^ D. 202, when Origen was but seventeen years old. . He says, ^ v:L?\f\t?rf *''iH Covidence of original sin), let it be considered ^vPn ?nr f " that whereas the baptism of the church is given for forgivencHH of sins, secundum ecclesiae observantiam eham parvuhs haptumum dari, infants also, accordTnTtoZ Ststnt' '^^'-'ft^r.^'^Pii^^d: when, if there were nothing in infants that wanted lorgiveness and mercy, the grace of baptfsrn would be super/luouM to them."* 5 v.c- ux uapusm they'd iviH[S^7?V''f ^r"*" '" ^«"' A. D. 338;" and speaking of the dividing of Jordan « waters by ^:iijah, he says that it "sjani- fied the sacrament of the laver of salvation, which was aftemard ^Second Book agftiast Uemm. tEigbthHomily on Leviticus! " tlSFAiVT BAPTISM. 33 to be institute i ; per quae in primordia naturae snae (jui baptizati fuerint, parvuli a riiaHtia reformantur, by which those infants tvho are baptized have been reformed from (tlieir) perverseness to the primitive state of their nature."* 5. " St. Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople, born about A. D. 354, as quoted by St. Austin, says Dia touto kai ta paidia baptidzomen kaitoi umartemata me echonta^ for this reason we baptize infants also, although they have no (actual) sins." 6. " Austin, or Augustin, lived three hundred years after the apostles. . . . St. Austin gives the general opinion of the baptism. He says, Nullus Christianorum, No Christians will church. All believed in the utility and necessity of infant call infant baptism useless. All who believe in any water baptism at all (and there were a few who denied all baptism) held to infant baptism." . . . This father further says, " Vet the custom of our mother, the church, in baptizing infanta^ is by no means to be disregarded, nor be accounted needless, nor be believed to be other than a tradition of the apostles.'^f 7. Pelagius in a letter written, A. D. 417, to Innocent, bishop of Rome, complains of his opponents and says, — " That he never heard even an impious heretic who would affirm this concerning infants ; (namely, that they were not to be baptized )" 8. Celestius as quoted by St. Austin, says, — " But we acknowledge infants ought to be baptized for the remission of sins, according to the rule of the univehsai. CHURCH, AND ACCORDING TO THE SENTENCE OF THE GosPEL " &C. 9. We take this from Watson's " Theological Institute " o 640 :— => > f " Fidus, an African bi?hop, applied to Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, to know, not whether infants were to be baptized, but whether their baptism might take place before the eighth day after their birth, that being the day on which circumcision waa performed by the law of Moses. This question was considered an an African synod, held A. D. 254, at which sixty-six bishopa were present, and 'it was unanimously decreed, that it waa not necessary to defer baptism to that day ; and that the grace of God, or baptism, should be given to all, and especially to infants.' " r j •Ambrose concerning the patriarch Abraham. Genesis. fSt. Austin's tenth book oa M hERMON ON The foregoing {|Uolation8 are so unquestionably definite and so much to the point, that it would be spending time to make any comment. VII. Without infant baptism, there would be a deficiency in Ihe Gospel dispensation. If parents had no initiatory rite by which to dedicate their children to the Lord, well might a pious father say : Like Solomon of old who with all Israel dedicated the temple at Jerusalem to the Lord of Hosts, I, also, can dedicate a sanctuary, a tem[)le made of wood, earth, and stone; but I am not allowed to dedicate, publicly, to God the flesh of my (lesh and the bone of my bone, the temple of an immortal soul which is inconceivably more valuable than earth, than all the stupendous orbs that roll in the immensity of space. Under the rellected light of the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations, the parent could dedicate his infant Isaac to the Lord by performing upon him the " token of the covenant ;" but now when the faint star light of the patriarchal age ind the moon-like, borrowed splendour of ttie Mosaic dispen- sation have been lost in the glorious refulgence of the Sun of righteousness who, like the luminous orb of day, hath arisen to dispel the night of spiritual darkness which broods over the thousands of Jacob and the millions of the Gentile world, — I am denied the boon of infant consecration to God, which was enjoyed by the ancient people of the Lord. Within the narrow precincts of Judaism, there was ample room for the infant eight days old ; but now when " the fullness of lime has come," when " there is neither Jew nor Gentile, bond nor free, male nor female ; but all are one in Christ," my infant babe is cast out of the pale of a covenant relation with God and numbered with the idolatrous heathen. Who can "render a reason ?" Rejoice, thy child is not cast out ; thou canst dedicate by baptism the infant temple of flesh and blood in which dwells an immortal soul; thy child is "holy" and by baptism it is separated from the benighted heathen. Hadst thou have brought thine infant babe to Luther, he would have baptized it in the name of the Holy Trinity. Hadst thou have been converted under Paul and Silas, they would have baptized thee and thine : thy infant children who could not believe for themselves, would have been baptized upon thy faith. While our Blessed Saviour was upon earth, hadst thou have brought thy " little children" to Him, who never baptized with water, but always with the Holy Spirif) He would have taken " them up in his arms" and bap- INFANT BAITI8M. 36 tized them with the Holy Ghost which is the most exalted and glorious baptism a human being can receive. Huniblv hoping that all has been said in the christian spirit of brother y love, we now close our remarks on infant baptism ; and earnestly entreat that no one rest his soul's salvation upon water baptism, for baptism administered by an apostle would not bo suthcient to save us. If we have not been baptized with the Holv Spirit, we, notwithstanding, our sacramental relations to God, are, like Simon Magus, "in ihe gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." May God in His mercy baptize us all with the Holy Ghost as he did the " little children" which were " brought unto llim." f / n aw ff ^a ^ Printed at the Peterborough Review Office. m i 'I '^^ //sy S^5 A