infants to the Church of God, because there are such in Glory. For to hold that they may be given up to God with a view of their obtaining the grace of the covenant, and yet be debarred from the means of the Covenant, without any personal forfeiture, is absurd! Nor can it be maintained, with any shew of reason, that our Lord's words, 'suffer them to come unto me and forbid them not,' are the same in meaning as, 'Do not hinder parents to pray for their children;' for this neither the Disciples, nor any other person who would permit a parent to pray at all, would once think to forbid. If then infants have a title to Church-membership, and if Baptism be the only regular way and manner of solemn admission into the Church, it will be time enough to prove the certain connexion between Church-membership and Baptism, when the Antipædobaptists enter their protest against it."

To conclude the children brought to Christ were audibly blessed of Him; and the same salvation was declared by Him to be the privilege of all such. Therefore, neither have they lost any mercy, nor their parents any comfort, (as respects them,) by his not being present in the Church bodily. They are still called to Him, and therefore they can be brought to Him, and receive His Salvation with as much certainty as at the first. By what means? By Baptism.

For Baptism was instituted to *convey Salva tion visibly, in order to remove all uncertainty and doubt as to the return of Prayers, and to strengthen the faith, and increase the comfort of the Church, and to put it, in all ages, upon a with those who saw the Lord. 3. Joh. iii. 5.

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"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."

+Calvin was the first who yielded this text to the opponents of Infant Baptism, against the judgment of all former Divines and of nearly all of his own age. And though I do not think with

*I Pet. iii. 20, 21. Act. ii. 38, 39. Eph. v. 25, 26.

It is to be remarked, that Calvin brings forward but one reason for his new interpretation: his words are, 'I am by no means persuaded to believe that Christ is here speaking of Baptism; for this would be unseasonable.' To which Lightfoot replies; (a) But why unseasonable? Is it so, because Christ is recommending newness of life? But this is not the principal subject treated of. The subject of consideration is the mean whereby a person was to enjoy a state of happiness under the Messiah, from whom the whole Jewish nation promised itself such great things. The Saviour answers him, that he was egregiously mistaken, if he supposed, that in this kingdom he could have a share at once, and without any preparation. By no means. Before he could attain to it, he must not depend on the privilege of his birth, or on legal righteousness, or on ceremonial and carnal worship; he must take up new opinions and his whole man must be brought into a new condition by a new birth. Now those who deny that Baptism is meant here, must confess, that Christ taught that persons were to be introduced

Wall, that "He has done very great prejudice to the cause by withdrawing (as far as in him lay) the strength of this text of Scripture;" because the proof of Infant Baptism rests not upon one or two texts, and Calvin himself was a zealous pædobaptist; yet he hindered the progress of truth by his metaphorical interpretation of a Text, which, in its literal sense, lays down an infant's title to Baptism in as strong terms as its warmest advocates wish. For he set an example which has been generally followed by those who have adopted all or some of his peculiar sentiments. But whatever respect I have for him as a strenuous Reformer, and a learned Expositor of holy

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into this new profession by Baptism. And if the enquiry really was about the mean of introduction, then they cannot properly deny, that Baptism is intended and treated of here.' He had said before; 1. This answer was designed to clear up what Nicodemus felt obscure before.' But if water and the spirit' mean the same thing, Christ attempted to solve one difficulty by the proposal of another. 2. In this Chapter, at the 22nd verse, we find that Christ baptized. Now did He not explain the doctrine of Baptism, before He baptized? 3. Many are of opinion, that the Apostle refers to this Text, when he speaks of 'the washing of the new birth. 4. It must be allowed, that the operation of the Spirit is pointed out by water, but as cooling, cleansing, and refreshing the soul. Yet to be born of water' is an expression so different from this, that it would be too hard to understand that the Spirit is meant by water in places where cooling, cleansing, and refreshing, are not spoken of, especially when the Spirit and water are mentioned together.

writ, I must confess, that I have a much higher respect for the unanimous consent of the Fathers, and the almost unanimous consent of the Reformers, and of Divines succeeding the Reformation who were little, if at all inferior to Calvin in judgment and learning. From the latter I shall select Usher, Hooker, Jeremy Taylor, Hammond, and Wall, whose integrity none will venture to impeach.

USHER observes; *"Baptism is a high ordinance of God, and means which He appoints to convey Christ and His Benefits to our souls, and therefore not to be neglected, or slightly esteemed, but used with all reverence and thankful devotion, when it may be had; yet when God denies it either in regard of the shortness of infants' lives, or by any other unavoidable necessity, there comes no danger from the want of the sacrament, but only from the contempt of it.

HOOKER is more to the point; He observes; "The true necessity of Baptism a few propositions considered will soon decide: all things, which either are known causes, or set means whereby any great good is usually procured, or men delivered from grievous evil, the same we must needs confess necessary. And if Regenera

* Body of Divinity. p. 419.

Eccl. Polity, Vol. 2. p. 245-255.

tion were not in this very sense a thing necessary to eternal life, would Christ himself have taught Nicodemus, that to see the Kingdom of God is impossible, saving only for those which are born from above? His words following in the next sentence are a proof sufficient, that to our Regeneration His Spirit is no less necessary, than Regeneration itself is necessary unto life. Thirdly, unless, as the Spirit is a necessary inward cause, so water were a necessary outward mean to our Regeneration, what construction should we give unto those words wherein we are said to be new born, and that 'dáros' even of water?' Why are we taught, that with water God doth purify and cleanse his Church? Wherefore do the Apostles of Christ term Baptism a 'bath of Regeneration?' What purpose had they in giving men advice to receive outward Baptism, and in persuading them, it did avail to the remission of sins'? If outward Baptism were a cause in itself possessed of that power, either natural, or supernatural, without the present operation whereof no such effect could possibly grow, it must then follow, that seeing effects do never prevent the necessary causes, out of which they spring, no man could ever receive grace before Baptism; which being apparently both known and also confessed to be otherwise in many particulars, although in the rest we make not Baptism