heap piled together, with no cohesion among then selves; or, a mass of steel-filings cleaving separately to a magnet, but not to each other. Baptism proclaims a church-humanity joined in Christ to God. Do not say that the separating work of baptism, drawing a distinction between the church and the world, negatives this. Do not say that, because the church is separated from the world, therefore the world are not God's children. Rather that very separation proves it. You baptize a separate body in order to realize that which is true of the collective race, as in this text "There is neither Jew nor Greek." In all things it is the same. If you would sanctify all time, you set apart a sabbath,-not to show that other days are not intended to be sacred, but for the very pur pose of making them sacred. If you would have a "nation of priests," you set apart a priesthood; not as if the priestly functions of instruction and assisting to approach God were exclusively in that body, but in order, by concentration, to bring out to greater perfection the priestly character which is shared by the whole, and then thereby make the whole more truly "priests to God to offer spiritual sacrifices." In the same way, if God would baptize humanity, He baptizes a separate church, in order that that church may bap tize the race. The church is God's ideal of humanity

realized.

Lastly, this doctrine of baptism sanctifies materialism. The Romanist was feeling his way to a great fact, when he said that there are other things of sacramental efficacy besides these two-baptism and the supper. The things of earth are pledges and sacra ments of things in heaven. It is not for nothing that

God has selected for His sacrament the commonest of all acts, a meal, and the most abundant of all materials,water. Think you that He means to say that only through two channels His spirit streams into the soul? Or is it not much more in unison with his dealings to say, that these two are set apart to signify to us the sacramental character of all nature?-just as a miracle was intended not to reveal God working there, at that death-bed and in that storm, but to call attention to His presence in every death and every storm. Go out at this spring season of the year, see the mighty preparations for life that Nature is making, feel the swelling sense of gratefulness, and the pervasive expanding consciousness of love for all Being, and then say whether this whole Form, which we call Nature, is not the great Sacrament of God, the revela tion of His existence, and the channel of His communications to the spirit!

V.

[Preached March 17, 1850.]

BAPTISM.

1 PETER iii. 21. - "The like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also

LAST Sunday we considered the subject of baptism in reference to the Romish and modern Calvinistic views. The truth seemed to lie not in a middle course between the two extremes, but in a truth deeper than either of them. For there are various modifications of the Romish view which soften down its repulsive features. There are some who hold that the guilt of original sin is pardoned, but the tendencies of an evil nature remain. Others, who attribute a milder mean. ing to "Regeneration," understanding by it a change of state instead of a change of nature. Others, who acknowledge a certain mysterious benefit imparted by baptism, but decline determining how much grace is given, or what the exact nature of the blessing is. Others, who acknowledge that it is, in certain cases, the moment when regeneration takes place, but hold that it is conditional, occurring sometimes, not always, and following upon the condition of what they call "prevenient grace." We do not touch upon these views. They are simply modifications of the Romish

view, and, as such, more offensive than the view itself; for they contain that which is in it most objectionable, and special evils of their own besides.

We are

We admitted the merits of the two views. grateful to the Romanist for the testimony which he bears to the truth of the extent of Christ's salvation; for the privilege which he gives of calling all the bap tized children of God; for the protest which his doo trine makes against all party monopoly of God; for the protest against ultra-spiritualism, in acknowledging that material things are the types and channels of the Almighty Presence.

We are grateful to the Calvinist for his strong protest against formalism; for his assertion of the neces sity of an inward change; for the distinction which he has drawn between being in the state of sons and hav ing the nature of sons of God.

The error in these two systems, contrary as they are, appeared to us to be identically one and the same,

that of pretending to create a fact instead of wit nessing to it. The Calvinist maintains, that on a certain day and hour, under the ministry of the Word, under preaching of some one who "proclaims the Gospel," he was born again, and God became his Father; and the Romanist declares, that on a certain day, at a certain moment by an earthly clock, by the hands of a priest apostolically ordained, the evil nature was expelled from him, and a new fact in the world was created: he attained the right of calling God his Father.

Now, if baptism makes God our Father, baptism is incantation; if faith makes him so, faith rests upon a falsehood.

For the Romanist does no more than the red Indian and the black negro pretend to do-exorcise the devil, and infuse God. The only question then becomes, Which is the true enchanter, and which is the impostor? for the juggler does, by the power of imagination, often cure the sick man; but the mysterious effects of baptism never are visible, and never can be tested in this world.

On the other hand, faith would rest upon a false. hood; for, if faith is to give the right of calling God a Father, how can you believe that which is not true the very moment before belief? God is not your Father. If you believe He is, your belief is false.

The truth which underlies these two views, on which all that is true in them rests, and in which all that is false is absorbed, is the Paternity of God. This is the Revelation of the Redeemer. This is authoritatively declared by baptism, appropriated personally by faith; but a truth independent both of baptism and faith, which would still be true if there were neither a baptism nor a faith in the world. They are the witnesses of the fact, not the creators of it.

Here, however, two difficulties arise. If this be so, do we not make light of original sin? And do we not reduce baptism into a superfluous ceremony?

Before we enter upon these questions, I must vindicate myself from the appearance of presumption. Where the wisest and holiest have held opposite views, it seems immodest to speak with unfaltering certainty and decisive tone. Hesitation, guarded statements, caution, it would seem, would be far more in place. Now, to speak decidedly is not necessarily o speak presumptuously. There are questions involv