made sensible of it. They are, indeed, sensible of nothing but the occasional cravings of hunger and thirst, or of bodily pain or pleasure; and, therefore, if the outward form in baptism be only a sign or seal of the inward part or thing signified, and that thing be faith excited by hearing or reading the word of God, to infants it is the sign or seal of nothing; and all who hold this opinion, ought unquestionably to join the communion of the Antipado-Baptists. Of the salvation of infants, whether baptized or not, some of them speak and write very doubtfully, and no wonder; for if a new-born infant be nothing else than a mass of sin and moral corruption, which seems to be the general opinion of our brethren, he cannot possibly be saved on their principles. Some of them, not very consistently, do indeed admit, that even to infants the period of baptism may occasionally be the time of mercy; whilst others confidently affirm, that at baptism infants receive only the sign of profession; and that those only are spiritually regenerated, whom God hath chosen out of mankind, according to his eternal purpose, and grace given unto them in Christ Jesus before the world began.

**

* When the present Bishop of Winchester, in the year 1799, published his valuable Elements of Christian Theology, the Evangelical and Calvinistic party were dreadfully alarmed, as, indeed, they had great cause to be, for their system never received a shock that so nearly overturned it from the very foundation. They published, however, as speedily as possible, many answers to his Lordship's doctrines, and what

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That the word regeneration, wherever it is mentioned in the New Testament, is generally coupled with water baptism, or has always some allusion to baptism, you may satisfy yourself by reference to the texts enumerated at the bottom of the page;

*

they called vindications of their own; and among their champions, Mr Overton, in his True Churchmen ascertained, seems to have taken the lead, though he was soon followed by an anonymous Presbyter of the Church of England, commonly believed to be the well known Dr Haweis. Both these gentlemen talk doubtfully of the salvability of any infant, whilst the Presbyter teaches such doctrine as, if true, renders the salvability of infants impossible.

“ If,” says he, “ there be no other name under Heaven given among men than that of Jesus of Nazareth, whereby we must be saved, and that believing is necessary to salvation, how are men in Scripture (said in Scripture to be) saved by that name? without having heard it? without faith? without the grace of his Spirit? where? in what passage of Scripture does it appear that such salvation is promised? or that any man ever believed in him of whom they (he) had never heard? or that they who are without Christ, and strangers to the covenant of promise, were not without hope?”—The Church of England vindicated from misrepresentation, with a particular reference to the Elements of Christian Theology, by the Bishop of Lincoln. Mawman, 1801.

Now, as it is certain that infants eight days old have not heard of Christ; that they neither do, nor can believe in him, nor in any thing else; and that they are strangers to the covenant of promise, it follows undeniably, that, in the opinion of this author, they must inevitably be damned; and, indeed, he says expressly, that he is led to conclude, that " he who believeth not in him (of whom he never heard,) shall be damned !" * John, iii. 5; Acts, xxii. 16; Titus, iii. 5.

but let us now inquire what is the doctrine of the Church on this subject.

We are taught in the catechism that baptism is one of the two sacraments ordained by Christ himself as generally necessary to salvation; that each sacrament consists of two parts-an outward and visible sign, and an inward or spiritual grace; that the outward and visible sign in baptism is water, wherein the person is baptized" in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" that this outward and visible sign is ordained by Christ himself, as a means, whereby we receive the inward and spiritual grace, and as a pledge to assure us of that grace; and that the inward and spiritual grace itself is a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness. If this be not an express declaration of the Church, that our regeneration or new birth takes place at our baptism, and that water is instrumentally essential to it, I confess myself unable to discover any meaning in that part of the catechism, which treats of baptism. But let us turn to the forms by which that sacrament is administered, as well to children as to those who are of riper years. In the second of the two preliminary prayers in both offices, the priest, addressing the " Almighty and immortal God," says, "we call upon thee for this infant, or these persons, that he or they coming to thy holy baptism, may receive remission of his or their sins by spiritual regeneration;" and in the prayer which follows the Gospel, the priest says, " Give thy Holy Spirit

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to this infant, or these persons, that he or they may be born again, and be made heirs of everlasting salvation," &c. and to both these prayers the congregation present says Amen. By the church, therefore, the persons for whom these prayers are offered up, cannot be supposed to be then regenerated or born again, however sound and orthodox may be their own faith-if adults, or the faith of their parents or godfathers and godmothers-if children; for it would be impious to pray that what we know from Holy Scripture to be already done, may be done again, as if it were yet undone. The case, however, becomes very different, when the candidates for baptism-whether children or adults-have been actually baptized with water in the name of the Holy Trinity; for after the baptism of children, the priest then says, "We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it has pleased thee to regenerate this infant with thy Holy Spirit, and to receive him for thine own child by adoption." In the office for the baptism of such as are of riper years, the priest, after giving thanks in nearly the same words as for the baptism of infants, says,→→ "Give thy Holy Spirit to these persons, that, being now born again, and made heirs of everlasting salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, they may continue thy servants," &c.; and to all these prayers the congregation is enjoined to say Amen.

On the whole, then, the doctrine of the church appears to be that we are regenerated at the same time that we are justified and grafted into the body

of Christ's church; the promises of the forgiveness of our sins, and of our adoption to be the sons of God, are then visibly signed and sealed; in adults faith is confirmed and grace increased, by virtue of prayer unto God, as hath been well illustrated in the Bishop of Winchester's exposition of the thirty-nine articles of religion. Some of our evangelical brethren have asked, like Nicodemus, how all this can be; and the answer given to the Rabbi ought surely to satisfy them-" The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." *

But though we cannot tell how the spirit operates on the minds of infants, or even of full grown men, nor how the baptism by water contributes to that operation, yet it is evident from Scripture, that we are regenerated as well as justified by God the Father, considered as principal or first mover; and by God the Son voluntarily taking upon him our nature, and giving his life a sacrifice for the sins of the world; and by God the Holy Ghost, as, to use the words of Dr Waterland, the immediate efficient; and by baptism as the ordinary instrument of conveyance; and lastly, in the case of adults, by repentance and faith, as the terms on which alone they can be either regenerated or justified. Infants have been guilty of no sin, of which they can repent; they are, as I have observed, incapable of faith; and it would be as absurd to impute to them *St John, iii. 9.