With these particulars it was necessary the converts should be made acquainted; because, without the belief of them, they could not come to baptism on reasonable ground, nor be fully sensible of the benefits they were to obtain by it. They could have no reason to trust to him for salvation, unless they believed him to be able to save them. No creature could give assurance of his ability to save. The belief of the divinity of Christ was, therefore, necessary to give confidence to their hopes. The belief of Christ's humanity was also necessary, to make it credible that he did die; and that he did die in their nature, and thereby made atonement for it; of which atonement they could have had no assurance, had he died in any other nature.* As to the benefits of baptism, they are remission of sins; regeneration or adoption into the family of God; the presence of the Holy Spirit; the resurrection of the body; and everlasting life. That these benefits are annexed to baptism, the holy scriptures give ample testimony. Repent,' said St. Peter to the multitude inquiring what they should do, ' and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.'† In the same language, Ananias addressed Saul, ' And now why tarriest thou ? Arise, and be baptised, and wash away thy sins. That we are regenerate and born, or adopted into the family or church of God by baptism, Christ declared to Nicodemus when he said, 'Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.'s The kingdom of God is the church of God- the same church both in this world and the next (for God has but one church, the body of Christ.) By baptism we are made members of this church; and, if we continue faithful members till death, shall in it obtain a happy resurrection, and everlasting life-shall continue members of it to all eternity. * Heb. ii. 14, &c. VOL. I. † Acts ii. 38. + Chap. xxii. 16. § John iii. 5. 1 V. I come now to the fifth consideration which the text presents to us, namely, The subsequent instructions which were to be given to those who were baptised, and thereby adopted into the family or church of God. This is expressed by Christ in these words, 'Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." The necessity of this instruction arises from this circumstance; That converts having been, upon their repentance and faith, admitted into the church of God, by baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and having thereby obtained remission of all past sin, original and actual, and a right to all the privileges of that society; their continuance in that blessed company depends on their doing what Christ has commanded. For being admitted into his family, and made members of his body, they must govern themselves by the laws of the family into which they are adopted, and obey the directions of the head of that body, to which they are united. This is, indeed, the very end of their admission into the church of Christ; that, being delivered from the evil world, they might learn his will, and be enabled to do it, and thereby obtain the blessings of his redemption. What Christ had commanded, his apostles were to teach them: and, that human infirmity might be no bar to the full execution of Christ's order, the Holy Spirit was given, to lead them into all truth, and to bring to their remembrance whatsoever Christ had said to them. With the present ministers of the gospel the case is somewhat different. Instead of the immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have the inspired writings of the evangelists, who have recorded the commandments and discourses of Christ, as far as is necessary for our information, from which to draw their instruction for the people committed to their charge. They have also the history of the acts of the apostles, and their writings, to serve as a rule of conduct to them, in teaching and explaining the commands of Christ. Their duty, therefore, requires them to teach the people, out of the writings of the evangelists, as they are explained and enforced by the writings and practice of the holy apostles: and so far they can proceed on authority. But, as the writings and practice of the apostles help to explain and ascertain the records of the evangelists; so the traditions and practice of the primitive church help to explain the writings and practice of the apostles, and to shew in what sense they understood the commands and directions of Christ. A faithful and prudent minister will not fail to draw information for his flock from this source, though he will not deliver it as of divine authority. VI. There now remains only the last particular presented to us by the text to be considered; the continuance of the commission given by Christ to his apostles to teach and baptise all nations. Was this commission temporary; or, was it to continue as long as Christ's church should continue. Christ has determined this point, in the most precise manner: 'Lo,' said he, ' I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' To the end of the world, therefore, is this commission to continue. To the end of the world, the gospel is to be preached to all nations; and they, who become converts to it, are to be baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and taught to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded. To the end of the world, then, men will be obliged to submit to this baptism, and hear and do all the commandments of Christ. DISCOURSE IV. OF INFANT BAPTISM. MARK X. 13, 14, 15, 16. They brought young children to him, that he should touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God, as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. THE general subject of baptism having been consid ered, in the foregoing discourse; and the meaning of baptising all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, explained; I come now to consider a question that has risen on the subject, namely, whether infants were included in Christ's order to baptise all nations; and, of course, whether they have a right to christian baptism. I never heard it made a question, whether infants were a part of the nation to which they belonged, any more than a part of the family into which they are born. God considered them as a part of the nation of the Ninevites, and assigns their helpless state and innocence as one reason why he did not execute the sentence of destruction, which he had denounced by his prophet.* They, also, attended as part of the nation of Israel, when God entered into a covenant with that people, in the land of Moab; for thus is that assembly described by Moses: ' Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, &c. that thou mayest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God,' &c.+ Infants, therefore, are in the estimation of God, part of the nation to which they belong, and are of course included in that commission which Christ gave to his apostles, 'to make christians of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost + That infants are capable of entering into covenant with God appears, not only from the above passage in Deuteronomy, where they are represented as actually entering into covenant with him, equally with the adults of their nation; but also, from the positive command of God himself, who, in the covenant which he made with Abraham, directed every male child of his descendants to be circumcised at eight days old, as a sign and seal of their being under that covenant. And that covenant, of which circumcision was the sign and seal, was the same covenant, in its fundamental principle, with that of the christian church, of which baptism is the sign and seal, namely, the covenant of righteousness by faith. Therefore, if infants were capable of entering into one of these covenants, they are capable of entering into the other. If, then, infants are capable of entering into covenant with God, and did actually do so by his positive command, by circumcision, and in conjunction with the adult Israelites in the land of Moab--- If they are included in the general commission of Christ to baptise... If they are not excluded either by Christ or his apostles, from the sacrament of regeneration---What monstrous presumption in any mortal, to make that unlawful, which God hath commanded !---to shut the door of Christ's church against in • Jonah iv. 2. Hebrews iv. 2. † Deut. xxix. 10, 11, 12. + Matthew xxviii. 19. |