LAID VIOLENT HANDS UPON THEMSELVES.

enormous crimes, or are guilty of felo de fe. For thus fhe inftructs her members, and thus fhe directs her minifters: It is certain by God's word, that children which are baptized, dying before they commit actual fin, are undoubtedly faved--Here it is to be NOTED, that the office ensuing [i. e. the burial office] is not to be used for any that die UNBAPTIZED, or EXCOMMUNICATE, OR HAVE ” Nay, fo confident is our National Church of these things being agreeable to the word of God, that the boldly pronounces the following fentence on all who dare to call them in question: Whofoever fhall hereafter affirm, that the form of God's worfhip contained in the book of Common Prayer, and administration of the facraments, containeth any thing in it that is repugnant to the fcriptures, let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and not reftored but by the bishop of the place, or archbifhop, after his repentance and public revocation of fuch his wicked errors.'t Thus our National Church teaches, and thus her clergy profess, most folemnly profefs to believe. Confequently, were we really chargeable with reprefenting baptifm as a faving ordinance, our brethren of the Establish

* Order for Confirmation, Rubric, at the conclufion of the office for Public Baptifm of Infants, and Rubric prefixed to Order for Burial of the Dead.

+ Conftitutions and Canons, No. IV. While hearing the thunder of this Canon Ecclefiaftical, I am reminded of that anathematizing decree established by the Council of Trent; Si quis dixerit baptifmum liberum effe, hoc eft non neceffa rium ad falutem, anathema fit. Seff. VII. Can. V. That is, If any one fhall affert, that baptifm is free, or not necessary to falvation, let him be accurfed.

ment could not, confiftently, lodge a complaint against us on that account.

If we confult the writings of the most eminent preachers among the Methodifts, we fhall find, that their fentiments harmonize with the doctrine of the National Church, in regard to the efficacy and abfolute neceffity of baptifm. The late pious and extenfively useful Mr. George Whitefield thus expreffes his views of the fubject before us:--'Does not this verfe [John iii. 5.] urge the abfolute neceffity of water baptifm? Yes, when it may be had; but how God will deal with perfons unbaptized we cannot tell. What have we to do to judge those that are without.'*-Our miniftering brethren of the l'abernacle have fometimes taken the liberty of making reflections upon us, as if our opinion relating to baptifm greatly intrenched on the offices and honour of Jefus Christ. Had they met with language and fentiments like thefe in any of our publications, especially in thofe of the late Dr. Gill, they would, undoubtedly, have thought themselves fully warranted in ufing their utmost efforts to expofe the dangerous error, and to guard their hearers against us, as making a faviour of baptifm. But while fome of them, being Conformifts, have folemnly profeffed their cordial confent to the various articles contained in the book of Common Prayer and administration of the facraments, and while they all unite in revering the character of the late Mr. Whitefield, they could not be either candid or confiftent in condemning us, were we really chargeable with reprefenting baptifm as neceffary to falvation. What, then, muft we think of their conduct, when there

* Works, Vol. iv. p. 355, 356.

is no proof, nor the leaft fhadow of proof, that we have ever done any fuch thing?-As I have a fincere and high regard for many who preach the gofpel and unite in public worship at the Tabernacle, and as it is my earnest prayer that a divine bleffing may attend them; fo it would give me real pleasure to find, that they who fill the pulpit in that place, are more cautious in cenfuring the Baptifts, and more confiftent with their loud profeffions of candour and a catholic fpirit; left, through a mistake, they be still culpable of bearing false witness against their brethren.

Mr. John Wesley, enumerating the benefits we receive by being baptized, fpeaks in the following language: By baptifm we enter into covenant with God, into that everlasting covenant, which he hath commanded forever. By baptifm we are admitted into the church, and confequently made members of Chrift, its head.-By baptism we, who were by nature children of wrath, are made the children of God. And this regeneration is more than barely being admitted into the church.--By water, then, as a means, the water of baptifm, we are regenerated or born again. Baptifm doth now fave us, if we live anfwerable thereto; if we rerent, believe, and obey the gofpel. Suppofing this, as it admits us into the church here, fo into glory hereafter.--If infants are guilty of original fin, in the ordinary way, they cannot be faved, unless this be washed away by baptifm.' ** So Mr. Wefley teaches; fo, fays a learned cardinal, the church has always believed it and the Council of Trent con

* Preservative, p. 146-150.

Semper Ecclefia credidit, infantes perire, fi abfque Baptifmo de hac vita recedant. Bellarm. apud Amefium, Bell Enervat. Tom. III. p. 67.

firms the whole. In the firm perfuafion of this doctrine, Mr. Wefley is alfo defirous of fettling the members of his very numerous focieties. For thefe pofitions are contained in a book, profeffedly intended to preserve the reader from unfet tled notions in religion. Now, as I cannot fuppofe this author imagines, with' Dodwell, that infants who die without baptifm, are not immortal; I know not whether he choofes to lodge them in the limbus puerorum of the Papifts ;* or whether, with Austin, he configns them over to eternal damnation; though the one or the other must be the cafe. For, that millions die without baptism, is an undoubted fact; and that God in favour of fuch, fhould be frequently departing from the ordinary method of his divine procedure, much oftener departing from, than acting according to it, is hard to conceive; is abfolutely incredible, as it involves a contradiction. Yet, on Mr. Wesley's principles, it must be fo, if the generality of thofe that have died, fince baptifm was inflituted, be not excluded the kingdom of heaven.

For he who confiders what multitudes of Jews and Heathens have peopled the earth, ever fince the Chriftian difpenfation commenced; what an extenfive fpread Mahomet's imposture has had for more than eleven hundred years; and what numbers of infants die without baptifm, even in Christian countries, cannot but conclude, even admitting Pædobaptifm to have been practifed by the apoftles, that a vast majority of deceafed infants have left the world without being baptized. Now who

* Forbefii Inftruct. Hift. Theolog. p. 493.

+ Mr. Wesley, it is well known, is a very warm defender of general redemption. He muft, confequently, believe, that

could fuppofe an author and a preacher, that afferts the efficacy and exalts the importance of baptifm at this extravagant rate, fhould charge the Baptifts with placing an unlawful dependence on that ordinance? Yet, that he has frequently done fo, in his pulpit difcourses, if not in his numerous publications, is beyond a doubt; is known to thousands. Where, then, are his confistency, his candour, his catholic spirit?

Nor are we confcious of attributing any degree of importance to Baptifm, which our Pædobaptift Diffenting brethren do not allow, and for which they do not plead. Do we confider it as a divine appointment, as an institution of Chrift, the administration and ufe of which are to continue to the end of the world? So do they. Do they confider it as an ordinance which, when once rightly administered to a proper subject, is never to be repeated? So do we. Do we look upon it as indif penfably neceffary to communion at the Lord's table? So do they. Do we actually refuse communion to fuch whom we confider as unbaptized? So do they. No man, I prefume, if confidered by them as not baptized, would be admitted to break bread at the Lord's table, in any of their churches;

thofe infants who die without baptifm, were as really redeemed by the death of Christ, as those that have the ordinance administered to them. In regard, therefore, to all that perifh for want of baptism, it should feem, on his principles, as if our divine Lord were lefs careful to provide an adminiftrater to confer an ordinance, than to offer a propitiatory facrifice; and more sparing of a little water, than of his own blad ; even though he knew the latter would be of no avail, in millions of inftances, without the former. But whether fuch fentiments be agreeable to the scriptures, or honourable to our Lord's atonement, the reader will be at no lofs to determine.

B