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perfion of infants to be Christian baptifm, without rendering themselves obnoxious to the charge of Anabaptifm. A fentiment fo peculiar, and a conduct fo uncommon as their's are, in regard to this inftitution, require to be well fupported by the teftimony of the Holy Ghoft. For were all the Chriftian churches now in the world asked, except those few that plead for free communion, whether they thought it lawful to admit unbaptized believers to fellowship at the Lord's table; there is reason to conclude they would readily unite in that declaration of Paul; "We have no fuch custom, neither the churches of God" that were before us. Yes, confidering the novelty of their sentiment and conduct, and what a contradiction they are to the faith and order of the whole Chriftian church ;confidering that it never was difputed, so far as I can learn, prior to the fixteenth century, by orthodox or heterodox, by Papifts or Proteftants, whether unbaptized believers fhould be admitted to the Lord's table; they all agreeing in the contrary practice, however much they differed in matters of equal importance; it may be reasonably expected, and is by us juftly demanded, that the truth of their fentiment, and the rectitude of their conduct, fhould be proved, really proved from the records of infpiration. A man may eafily fhew his fondness for novelty, and the deference he pays to his own understanding, by boldly controver:ing the opinions, and refolutely oppofing the practice, of the wifeft and the best of men in every age; but, if he would avoid the imputation of arrogance, he must demonstrate, that the things he oppofes are vulgar errors, which have nothing to recommend them but great antiquity and general custom.

Our perfuafion, therefore, concerning the neceffity of baptifm as a term of communion, having had the fanction of universal belief and univerfal practice for almost fixteen hundred years, it lies on our brethren to prove that it is falfe and unfcriptural; and to fhew, from the New Teftament, that their's has the stamp of divine authority.

But is it not strange, ftrange to aftonishment, if the fcriptures contain their fentiment, and vindicate their conduct, that it never was discovered by any who acknowledge the proper Deity, the eternal dominion, and the complete fatisfaction of Jefus Chrift, till the latter end of the last century? feeing, long before then, almost every principle of the Chriftian faith, almost every branch of Chri tian worship, had been the fubject, either of learned, or unlearned controverfy, among fuch as thought themfelves the difciples of Jefus Chrift. The Quakers arofe, it is well known, about the time when this new fentiment was first adopted in England; and they entirely renounced baptifm, as well as the Lord's fupper. But, fo far as ap pears, the people of that denomination never fuppofed, that they who thought it their duty to cel ebrate the facred fupper, were at liberty to do it before they were baptized.--Here I cannot but reinark, with how little affection and reverence the pofitive inftitutions and the authority of Christ were treated, in this ifland, in the last century. The ingenious author of the Pilgrim's Progress was one of the first, in this kingdom, who dared to affert, that the want of baptifm is no bar to communion, and acted accordingly. The Quakers arifing a little before him, proceeded a step further, and entirely cafhiered both baptifm and the fupper of our Lord;

looking upon them as low, carnal, temporary appointments. Much refpect, I allow, is due to thecharacter of Bunyan. He was an eminent fervant of Jefus Chrift, and patiently fuffered in his Mafter's caufe. Many of his writings have been greatly useful to the church of God, and fome of them, it is probable, will transmit his name with honour, to future ages. But yet I cannot perfuade myself, that either his judgment or his piety appeared in this bold innovation. The difciples of George Fox, though lefs conformable to the word of God, acted more confiftently with their own principles, than did the juftly celebrated Dreamer then, or our brethren who practise free communion now.

But I forgot myself. The laft century was the grand era of improvement in this nation; of prodigious improvement in light and liberty. In light; as well divine, as philofophical. In real philofophical science, by the labours of a Bacon, a Boyle, and a Newton. In pretended theological knowledge, by thofe of a Jeffy and a Bunyan. Did the former, by deep researches into the system of nature, furprise and inftruct the world by dif coveries, of which mankind had never before conceived? The latter, penetrating into the gofpel fyftem, amused mankind, by cafting new light on the pofitive inftitutions of Jefus Chrift, and by placing baptifm among things of little importance in the Chriftian religion; of which no ancient theologue had ever dreamed--none, we have reason to think, that loved the Lord Redeemer. In liberty; not lefs religious than civil; in the church as well as the ftate. Did the ftruggles of real patriotifm, and the abdication of a Popifh Prince,

make way for true liberty in the latter? The repealing of Chrift's positive laws by Fox and Barclay, and the practical claim of a dispensing power by Jeffy and Bunyan, made way for the inglorious liberty of treating pofitive institutions in the houfe of God juft as profeffors please.

Some of the Popifh miffionaries among the Indians have been charged, by refpectable authorities, with concealing the doctrine of the cross from their hearers, left they fhould be tempted to despise the great Founder of the Christian religion, because he made his exit on a gibbet; and with making it their principal aim, to perfuade the poor ignorant creatures to be baptized; imagining that they would be fufficiently chriftianized, by a fubmiffion to that ordinance. As if being baptized, and converfion to Jefus Chrift, were one and the fame thing! What a destructive delufion this! What an impious exaltation of a pofitive inftitution, into the place of redeeming blood, and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit !-But were one of our miniftering brethren, who plead for free communion, to be fent as a miffionary into those parts of the world; he, I prefume, would not be in the leaft danger of thus over-rating baptifm, and of depreciating its great Inftitutor. No; he would boldly preach a crucified and rifen Jefus, as the only foundation of hope for his hearers; and, if the energy of God attended his labours with confiderable fuccefs, he would think it his duty to lay before fuch as believed in Chrift, what he had learned from the New Testament, relating to a gospel church-its nature and ordinances, its privileges, duties and great utility. In doing of which, he could hardly forbear to mention baptism, as an ap

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pointment of his divine. Mafter: but though he might mention it, yet, on his hypothefis, he could not require a fubmiflion to it, as previously neceffa-ry to their incorporating as a church, and their having communion together at the Lord's table. He might, indeed, recommend it to his young converts, as having fomething agreeable in it; but if they did not fee its propriety; or if, on any other ac count unknown to him, they did not choose to comply, and yet were defirous of being formed into a church ftate, and of having communion at the Lord's table; he could not refufe, though not one of them was, or would be baptized. For if it be lawful to admit one believer to communion, purely as a believer, and without baptifm; it cannot be criminal to admit all such, if they defire it that which is proper and right for one, being fo to a million, if they be in the fame circumftances. Thus he would gather a church in perfect contraft with those formed by his fellow miffionaries. For, while they put baptifm in the place of the Saviour, he would reject his command, and lay the ordi. nance entirely afide: they make it all and he make it nothing. And were a narrative of fuch proceedings to fall into the hands of a Pedobaptift, who had never heard of any that practifed, or pleaded, for free communion, what a fingular figure it would make in his view! A minifter of Jefus Chrift, he would fay, gathering a church among the Indians, and adminiftering the facred fupper,. yet all his communicants baptized! Strange, indeed!-A Chriftian minifter, called a Baptift, entirely omitting that very ordinance from which he takes his denomination! This is ftranger ftill! For the Baptifs, of all men, are faid to love water,

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