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desuetude they are treated with indifference and neglect? And thus these admirable formularies become little more than a dead letter, a rule without practice, a system without observance, a privilege without enjoyment. And can it be the subject of wonder to a reflecting mind, that a course of education, Christian in name and heathen in effect, should produce its proper fruits; that a defective principle should issue in a defective practice, and that among all ranks of our people, and all the great moral executive of the country-the Cabinet, the Legislature, the Bar, the Magistracy, and the Pulpit—and in that perhaps chief organ of moral influence, the domestic circle, where first principles are usually formed into practice-the neglect of a sound pious education, provided by our truly Christian Church, should be visited by the state of society we behold-decency substituted for piety, form for substance, ordinances for devotion, and where the rottenness of heathen corruption seeks in vain for concealment under the nail-deep film of a Christian profession and a Christian name.

From this self-inflicted state of moral debasement to raise our still blessed country by the application of that system of education provided by a Church which she still upholds and venerates, is the design of the following hints. I profess myself hopeless of the revival of sound Christianity in our Church, but by a recurrence to the primitive principle on which she is founded,

salvation by grace through faith in the Redeemer. This, I apprehend, to be the great prevailing principle of our Baptismal Service, and its kindred formularies. It is the free promise of mercy to the children of believing Parents, which at once encourages the Parent to present his infant for incorporation into "the Communion of the saints "-the child to holy effort, and holy perseverance in his Christian course-the Sponsors to undertake and to persist in their tutelary work with any hope of success-and the Church to extend her interest to every such incorporated little one, as a nascent believer, growing up under her prayers and affectionate communion, a sound member of that body of which Christ is the Head, and thus privileged to be a child of God, and an heir of glory.

LETTER II.

THE PARENT.

If we ask then, how are the benefits of infant baptism to be secured, so as to answer the ends of a holy education? we answer, from faith in the general promises made to believing Parents in behalf of their Children, and particularly in the promise made at the celebration of this Sacrament to all who partake of it in faith. And these relate to the PARENTS-the SPONSORS-the INFANT baptised-and the CHURCH.

It is surely no small consolation to Christian Parents and to those who belong to the communion of our Church, in common with others who have entered into the married state, " reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God," "that they may see their Children christianly and virtuously brought up" to the "praise and honour" of God. According to the doctrine of our Church, founded on the word of God, the

loveliest Child living is "by nature born in sin, and the Child of wrath,"-" forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and none can enter into the kingdom of God except he be regenerate and born anew of water and the Holy Ghost." It must therefore be the leading desire of these Parents' hearts that their Children should be partakers of covenant mercies, and should be interested in all the blessings connected with that name, than which there is none other given "under heaven whereby we must be saved." (Acts iv. 12.) And as Baptism has ever been considered by the Church of Christ as that initiating Sacrament, by which the Child receives the solemn investiture of his privileges as a believer in Christ; and as it is eminently so considered by that portion of the Church to which they belong; while they will hope for no blessing upon their Child but as faith draws it from the promise of a gracious God, so they will be desirous that every blessing of the promise should be sealed to him by that Sacrament which is its sign and pledge.

It might be expected, that, as our Church takes for granted, that all the Infants of her members will be presented for the sign and seal of their Church-membership, in the initiatory Sacrament of Baptism, any formal mention of the grounds of Infant-baptism might be spared, and that nothing more was necessary than to insist on the privileges and duties of this Sacrament, and to

encourage all within the pale of the Church to enjoy the one and to discharge the other. Our Church assumes that all who are engaged in the ordinance, are "persuaded of the good-will of our heavenly Father towards this Infant, declared by his Son Jesus Christ: and" are "nothing doubting but that he favourably alloweth this charitable work of ours, in bringing this Infant to his holy Baptism." It assumes, therefore, that all such are convinced of the excellence of the rite, and of the propriety of its institution. And to such all further mention of the grounds of Infant-baptism might seem superfluous. But so low is the general estimate of Baptism among us, that it is to be feared, that few have taken pains to inform themselves of the grounds on which the Baptism of Infants rests. The introduction, therefore, of the more obvious reasons for the administration of Baptism to Infants seems indispensable. I say "the more obvious reasons," for it would be quite inconsistent with the plan of this letter, as well as unjust to the subject itself, to attempt any thing like a complete statement of all the grounds that may be adduced in favour of InfantBaptism, within the short compass proposed. What I shall offer, by the blessing of God, are such as are conclusive in deciding my own mind o the subject; and if they should appear to be insufficient to any who may favour them with a perusal, I must refer such to the authors who have written professedly on the question.

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