"a mind in which God's laws were put, and a heart in which they were written," (Heb. viii. 10.) and not the Baptism which was the sign and seal and pledge and means of it.

Let us advance a little further in the history of the infant Church, and trace the illustration of our principle as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles in preaching and baptising their new converts. "Then Philip went down to Samaria, and preached Christ unto them." "And when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." Here was a simple repetition of the usual process laid down by our Lord's institution: first "Philip preached Christ unto them;" then "they believed Philip preaching," &c. And in confirmation of their faith, and of the blessings it conveyed, they received the seal," they were baptized."

And the case of Simon recorded in this portion of Scripture affords an instance of the mode in which the candidates were admitted to Baptism; it was on their professing their faith in Christ Jesus. "Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip," &c. Philip could not look into his heart; he must therefore in a judgment of charity have given him credit for that faith which he professed to have, as John must have done to the assembled multitudes at his Baptism; he must have baptised them on their "confessing their sins, and professing

their faith in that Saviour to whom he referred them, and "who was to come after him: " he assumed their profession to be sincere. As Peter must also have done towards the three thousand he baptised on the day of Pentecost; he had neither time nor ability to enter into the special examination of each candidate any more than John had; he did therefore as we now do, assumed the sincerity of their profession, and gave them the seal of the promise, concluding in a judgment of charity, that they had that faith to apply the promise which they professed to have; and there might in all these companies have been more than one Simon, more than one hypocrite or insincere professor, to whom credit was unduly given for the profession of that faith which he had not; and who set his seal to an instrument, of the blessings of which he was either ignorant, or presumptuously pretended to when in insincerity and unbelief. These evils, as in the present corrupt state of our nature, can only be partially corrected at best by the discipline of the Church, while the tares are yet growing up with the wheat; and can only be effectually remedied when every Simon shall be assigned "to his own place" at the day of final distribution. Heaven alone is the place where nothing that defiles or offends can enter; they only can inherit it, who have" obtained a good report" by a genuine faith. Its pure atmosphere is breathed by "the Spirits of just men made perfect" only. Heb. xii. 23.

The same chapter contains the interesting con

firmation of our principle in the instance of the Eunuch, when Philip "preached unto him Jesus," and the Eunuch professed, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God," and Philip gave him the seal of that faith he professed to have, "and he baptized him.”

In all these instances, and in every other, as we may see hereafter, it was on the charitable assumption, that the faith professed in the promise was sincere that the Apostles affixed the seal of Baptism to the applicant; nor am I aware, that one instance can be adduced from Scripture to the contrary, or rebut the assertion made by Scripture and our Scriptural Church, that Sacraments are the seals of that faith which men are assumed to have, before the Church proceeds to affix her public seal to their right of admission to her blessings.

But here we must pause to inquire, or rather to answer the inquiry, how can these blessings be made applicable to infants, that they should receive Baptism as the sign and seal of these spiritual blessings also? The answer is, that the faith of the Church applies them to infants in virtue of the promise made to Abraham and his posterity under the Law, and renewed to all the family of faithful Abraham, both Jew and Gentile, under the Gospel. Not only "the baptism" of her adult members, but that of "young children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ under either covenant;" the whole Church, young and

old, being equally the children of promise and free grace, and "the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed," Art. XXVII. to the one as well as the other.

God "promised to our forefathers," in the Church, "Abraham and his seed for ever." “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee," and he confirmed the same under the legal dispensation by the Sacrament of Circumcision. "He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations." Gen. xvii. On the faith of this promise, thus specifically made not to Abraham only but to his seed, the Church under the Law, through all her generations consistently gave to every male child Circumcision as the seal of this promise; giving credit to the divine mercy and truth that it would be faithful to its word, as St. Stephen describes it from the fountain throughout the several generations of the Church, "and he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs," who in like manner circumcised their children in faith of the promise. And in faith of this promise made to Abraham and his seed the faithful Jew brought his child for the seal of Circumcision from generation to generation, in right. of the promise, practically applying the encourag

ing declaration to himself and family-"For the Lord is gracious; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth (his fidelity to his promise) endureth from generation to generation." Psalm c. 4.

And in the first sermon preached by St. Peter, when the Evangelical kingdom was "fully come," Acts ii. 1. this promise was renewed to the Church and to her children. Then 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 Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children" in common with you," and to all that are afar off," whether in place, in time, or in character, "even as many as the Lord our God shall call." The promise is as truly the right of the child of the Church as it is that of the Church itself, for the covenant is as truly made with Abraham's seed as it is with Abraham himself: and here it is as truly renewed with the child of the Church, as it is with the Believer who is here under Peter's sermon "pricked to the heart," who "repents and is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." In both instances the promise of eternal life is equally free, and all the blessings of the covenant of grace are as truly made over by promise to the children of the Believer as to the Believer himself: and if the blessings of the covenant belong with equal freeness to the child as to the Parent, and are equally the child's by promise, the child has as true a claim to the seal of the promise, Baptism, as the Parent; and it is for the