IV.

[Preached March 10, 1850.1

BAPTISM.

GAL. iii. 26–29. —“ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

WHEREVER opposite views are held with warmth by religious-minded men, we may take for granted that there is some higher truth which embraces both. All high truth is the union of two contradictories. Thus predestination and free will are opposites; and the truth does not lie between these two, but in a higher reconciling truth, which leaves both true. So with the opposing views of baptism. Men of equal spirituality are ready to sacrifice all to assert, and to deny, the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. And the truth, I believe, will be found, not in some middle, moderate, timid doctrine, which skilfully avoids extremes; but in a truth larger than either of these opposite views, which is the basis of both, and which really is that for which each party tenaciously clings to its own view as to a matter of life and death.

The present occasion-the decision of the Privy Council only requires us to examine three views.

I. That of Rome.

II. That of modern Calvinism.

III. That of (as I believe) Scripture and the Church of England.

1. The doctrine of Rome respecting baptism. We will take her own authorities.

1. "If any one say that the sin of Adam

is taken away, either by the powers of human nature, or by any other remedy than the merit of the One Mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ . . . . or denies that the merit of Jesus Christ, duly conferred by the sacra ment of baptism in the church form, is applied to adults as well as to children- let him be accursed." Sess. v. 4.

"If any one deny that the imputation of original sin is remitted by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ which is conferred in baptism, or even asserts that the whole of that which has the true and proper character of sin is not taken away, but only not imputed - let him be accursed."

"If any one says that grace is not given by sacraments of this kind always and to all, so far as God's part is concerned, but only at times, and to some, although they be duly received let him be accursed."

"If any one say that by the sacraments of the New Covenant themselves grace is not conferred by the efficacy of the rite (opus operatum), but that faith alone is sufficient for obtaining grace-let him be accursed."

If any one say that in three sacraments—that

is, baptism, confirmation, and orders-a character is not impressed upon the soul- that is, a certain spiritual and indelible mark (for which reason they can not be repeated)-let him be accursed." Sess. vii., cap. 7-9.

"By baptism, putting on Christ, we are made a new creation in Him, obtaining plenary and entire remission of all sins."

It is scarcely possible to misrepresent the doctrine 20 plainly propounded. Christ's merits are instru mentally applied by baptism; original sin is removed by a change of nature; a new character is imparted to the soul; a germinal principle or seed of life is miraculously given; and all this, in virtue not of any condition in the recipient, nor of any condition except that of the due performance of the rite.

This view is held with varieties, and modifications of many kinds, by an increasingly large number of the members of the Church of England; but we do not concern ourselves with these timid modifications, which painfully attempt to draw some subtle hair breadth distinction between themselves and the above doctrine. The true, honest, and only honest representation of this view is that put forward undisguisedly by Rome.

When it is objected to the Romanist that there is no evidence in the life of the baptized child different from that given by the unbaptized, sufficient to make credible a change so enormous, he replies, as in the case of the other sacrament, The miracle is invisi ble. You cannot see the bread and wine become flesh and blood; but the flesh and blood are there, whether you see them or not. You cannot see the effects of

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regeneration; but they are there, hidden, whether visi blo to you or not. In other words, Christ has declared that it is with every one born of the Spirit as with the wind-"Thou hearest the sound thereof." But the Ro manist distinctly holds that you cannot hear the sound; that the wind hath blown, but there is no sound; that the Spirit hath descended, and there are no fruits whereby the tree is known.

In examining this view, at the outset, we deprecate those vituperative and ferocious expressions which are used so commonly against the church of Rome;unbecoming in private conversation, disgraceful on the platform, they are still more unpardonable in the pulpit. I am not advocating that feeble softness of mind which cannot speak strongly because it cannot feel strongly. I know the value, and, in their place, the need of strong words. I know that the Redeemer used them: stronger and keener never fell from the lips of man. I am aware that our Reformers used coarse and vehement language; but we do not im bibe the Reformers' spirit by the mere adoption of the Reformers' language,-nay, paradoxical as it may seem, the use of their language even proves a degeneracy from their spirit. You will find harsh and gross ex pressions enough in the Homilies; but remember that when they spoke thus Rome was in the ascendency She had the power of fire and sword; and the men who spoke so were candidates for martyrdom, by the expressions that they used. Every one might be called upon by fire and steel to prove the quality of what was in him, and account for the high pretensions of his words. I grant the grossness. But when they spoke of the harlotries of Rome, and spoke of her adulteries,

and fornications, and lies, which she had put in full cup to the lips of nations, it was the sublime defi ance of free-hearted men against oppression in high places, and falsehood dominant. But now, when Rome is no longer dominant, and the only persecutions that we hear of are the petty persecutions of Protestants among themselves, to use language such as this is not the spirit of a daring Reformer, but only the pusillanimous shriek of cruel cowardice, which keeps down the enemy whose rising it is afraid of.

We will do justice to this doctrine of Rome. It has this merit, at least, that it recognizes the character· of a church; it admits it to be a society, and not an association. An association is an arbitrary union. Men form associations for temporary reasons; and, arbitrarily made, they can be arbitrarily dissolved. Society, on the contrary, is made not by will, but facts. Brotherhood, sonship, families, nations, are nature's work-real facts. Rome acknowledges this. It permits no arbitrary drawing of the lines of that which calls itself the church. A large, broad, mighty field, the Christian world; all baptized; nay, expressly, even those who are baptized by heretics. It shares the spirit, instead of monopolizing it.

Practically, therefore, in the matter of education, we should teach children on the basis on which Rome works. We say as Rome says, You are the child of God; baptism declares you such. Rome says as Paul says, "As many of you as are baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Consequently, we distinguish between this doctrine as held by spiritual and as held by unspiritual men. Spirituality often neutralizes error in views. Men are