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XI.

CHAP. he had been "born again?" "Regenerated you mean, I suppose," said the old man. "Certainly," was the reply. "Why," exclaimed the old man, in astonishment, "to be sure, was not I regenerated in my baptism?" I explained to him the error on which he was risking his soul. He replied, "The priest told me so." I rejoined, that he must look to the Bible and not mind what priests said! His final reply was, "What are they for then !” and he turned away, as from a heretic. This is the legitimate effect of protestant episcopal podobaptism. I rejoice to know that numbers of excellent, devotedly pious men, ministers of episcopal churches on both sides of the Atlantic, devote themselves to prevent this grievous mischief; but I know, too, (with deep regret I say it,) that there are yet more who foster and encourage it.

Is John Calvin's institution of infant baptism wholly free from this injurious influence? Certainly not. The state of the Scotch church evinces this. There thousands who never profess to have been converted, or to have experienced any change of heart, are fully members of the church and partake of its solemn communion. Many respectable gentlemen of that church, who were in the constant practice of communing in Scotland, in compliance with what is there deemed necessary to good standing in society, are happy when they land on these shores to escape the necessity of such a profanation. In other instances, the minds of individuals, well disposed, remain years in a state of doubt, as to their regeneration, in consequence of the confusion of their ideas, resulting from their baptism in infancy, and their consequent supposed relation to Christ and his church. I sincerely sympathize with them, and pray the Lord, by his Word and Spirit, to relieve them from the mists with which the traditions of men have surrounded them.

SECTION III.

MORAL INFLUENCE OF BAPTISM ON THE CHURCH.

III.

1. BELIEVERS' baptism requires and admits of no SECT. other authority than the Scriptures. According to the very best podobaptist authorities themselves, infant Believers' baptism enbaptism requires the reception of tradition to sustain it. courages a reliance on It has been fully proved, indeed, that even tradition does the Scripnot sustain it. But the very fact of appealing to tradi- tures; infant baption, exercises a baneful influence on the church; and tism leans on tradition. especially on the ministry of the church; for the people at large having no adequate knowledge of ecclesiastical history, the sad influence of party spirit has, through the existence of infant baptism, effectuated a deviation from moral rectitude in the presentation of the history relating to tradition, to which, for the sake of the feelings of my brethren, I shall not at present further allude.

tism returns

2. The practice of believers' baptism sustains the Believers' baptism exprinciple that Christ is the legislator of his church; and alts the authat the ordinances and government of the Christian thority of Christ; inchurch are to be derived from the New Testament fant bapalone. Infant baptism, on the contrary, has inter- to Judaism. mingled Judaism and Christianity, and that to a most pernicious extent. The doctrine of the New Testament is, that Christ is the High Priest, and that every Christian is a “king and priest" unto God. But as we have seen, the defence of infant baptism has led even Dr. Woods to connect the Christian ministry with the Levitical priesthood! The mass follows, of course; for what is the use of a priesthood, without a sacrifice to be offered?

of Chris

tianity.

СНАР. 3. Believers' baptism harmonizes with the whole XI. genius of Christianity: it is both spiritual and personal. Believers Why should that harmony be violated in a solitary baptism harmonizes case? The Jewish economy, indeed, was replete with with, infant vicariousness; the priest and the offering-the incessant baptism contradicts round of vicarious rites, were typical of the one Great the genius Substitute," the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world." But in the Christian dispensation Christ is the only vicarious priest and the only vicarious sacrifice. Infant baptism, as still generally practised, violates these great principles of Christianity; and attributes a greater work of substitution to the sponsor than even to Christ; for Christ has not repented and believed in our stead, but the sponsor is represented as performing these acts for the child. In other cases the parents' faith avails the child; that we have seen Calvin strenuously maintain. The declaration of Paul is, that we become children of God by our individual faith in Christ; and this is the only method of union with Christ indicated in the apostolic writings. It is a great moral evil that results from infant baptism, that it adds to the Word of God, and even contradicts it in so important a matter.

tism unites

Its

Believers' 4. The baptism of believers constitutes a strong line baptism se. of demarcation between the church and the world. parates, infant bapmoral influence both on the church and the world, is in the church this respect as potent as it is wholesome. Every true Christian knows of how deep importance it is that none of the landmarks which Christ has set up should be defaced, much less removed. Here begins to appear the most lamentable moral influence of infant baptism; it

and the

world.

b The third kind of baptism, (that of the Reformers,) has but few adherents, when compared with the numerous advocates of the second, (that of the Fathers,) in the Roman, Greek, Eastern, and Episcopal churches.

III.

has the very contrary effect to that for which baptism was SECT. designed by its Founder. Instead of separating the church and the world, it actually unites them. Of this every one who will take a view of the podobaptist national churches now existing must be at once convinced. Are not the Roman, Greek, Lutheran, Reformed, Episcopal, and Presbyterian national churches, all podobaptist? and how wretchedly is the world and the church mixed together in them all!

state pœdobaptist

churches in

Europe.

Did the limits of this work admit, I might dwell upon Spiritual the fact, that the infant membership plan, throughout all be of poethe podobaptist churches of the continent, did not pre. vent them from losing, almost entirely, evangelical doctrine and vital piety; and proceed to the investigation of the moral philosophy of the fact, that while the congregationalist bodies, baptist and podobaptist, retained the purity of their faith, the presbyterian body, though decidedly Calvinistic in sentiment in the seventeenth century, fell off, both in England and on the Continent, first into Arianism, and then into Socinianism. I apprehend such an investigation would prove satisfactorily that the formalizing tendency of infant church membership had a potent influence in allowing the enemy of souls to "steal away the kernel" of truth. I invite the attention of my esteemed relative, the author of Ancient Christianity, to this subject. Let him probe the Reformed as he has the Ancient church.

rian church of America.

The unhappy and paralysing contests which have for Presbyteyears pervaded the presbyterian church of America, and which have at length rent it asunder, may reasonably be traced, in great measure, to the inevitable tendency of infant membership to introduce individuals into the ministry of the gospel, as well as to church-membership, their parents' faith. Such persons must ever have

upon

CHAP. more relish for contests respecting forms and creeds, than XI. delight in the promotion of " love, peace and joy," which, flowing as they do from the influence of the Holy Spirit, not only promote the prosperity of the church, but form the true safeguards of its doctrinal purity.

tism creates

Believers' 5. The baptism of believers clearly tends to organize baptism is opposed to, a "kingdom not of this world." It renders a national esinfant bap- tablishment all but impossible; its tendency is wholly adverse to any intermixture of church and state. Infant tional esta- baptism, on the contrary, lies at the very foundation of blishments. national establishments. Dr. Wall justly asserts that

and sus

tains, na

Infant bap

tism did not become

Constantine

united

church and state.

all national churches have practised infant baptism. Nothing can be plainer than that where infant baptism is universally practised, national churches, with all their evils, must necessarily exist; because the nation is brought into the church in its infancy. The power Dr. Miller would assert over children and youth, is greater than that of the civil authority, and constitutes the very "imperium in imperio," out of which popery

arose.

Accordingly we find it indelibly inscribed on the page of history, that the practice of baptizing infants did not general till spread extensively till after Christianity became the state religion of the Roman empire; and when an empire has a religion, that religion must have a head. Thus two organic bodies are constituted-the state and the church. While the papacy had undivided sway, the national churches had, at least professedly, a spiritual head, the bishop of Rome, claiming the entire control of the religious affairs of all Christian nations, leaving to kings their temporal affairs, provided, however, they managed them to his satisfaction, otherwise a bull of excommunication would explain the superiority of the spiritual to the temporal dominion. Henry VIII.

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