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with the order given them, that the greatest part both of the people and fubftance of Amalek was deftroyed; but he ftopped fhort, and knowingly left unfinished what had been enjoined him by the fame authority.'*

When a Pædobaptift applies for, communion with Baptifts, he acts upon a perfuafion that he has been rightly and truly baptized for there is reason to believe, that the generality of our Pædobaptift brethren would start at the thought of partaking at the Lord's table, while they confider themselves as unbaptized. Confequently, when our opponents admit one of them to communion, they confirm him in what they confider as a falfe preiumption, and practically approve of what, at other times, they boldly pronounce a human invention, a tradition of men, and will-worship; for fuch infant fprinkling must be, if not a divine appointment. Nor can they exculpate themselves, in this.refpect, unless they were profefedly to receive him, as unbaptized. Because he confiders hirafclf as baptized, he defires communion as baptized; nor has he any idea of fitting down at the Lord's table, as unbaptized; well knowing, that fuch an attempt would be contrary to the apoftolic pattern, and to the fenfe of the Chriftian church in general.

That circumcifion was, by divine command, an indifpenfable qualification, in every male, for a participation of the Jewish paffover, and communion in the fanctuary worship, is generally allowed. And though I am far from thinking that baptifm came in the place of circumcifion, as many of our Pædobaptist brethren suppose; yet that the

336.

Dr. Witherspoon's Practical Difcourses, Vol. I. p. 375,

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former is equally neceffary to communion at the Lord's table, under the Chriftian economy, as the latter was to every male, in order to partake of the pafchal feaft, and to unite in the tabernacle fervice, I am fully perfuaded. Nor is my opinion fingular. It has been the fenfe of the Chriftian church in every age; and, excepting those Baptifts who plead for free communion, it is the voice of the Chriftian world in general at this day.-I do not find that the neceffity of circumcifion, for the purposes just mentioned, was ever controverted, either by the ancient or modern Jews. will fuppofe, however, for the fake of argument, that it was difputed in the Jewith church; and that, amidst a great variety of interefting intelligence, which the Rabbinical writers pretend to give, concerning ancient customs and ancient difputes, they are found to speak as follows: In the days of our mafter, Mofes, difputes arofe about the nature and neceffity of circumcifion: that is, whether the ancient rite was to be performed on the forefkin, or on a finger; and, whether it was an indifpenfably requifite qualification, in every male, for a feat at the pafchal feaft, and admiffion to the fanctuary worship. The generality of our fathers maintained, that no male, though a son of Abraham; that no Gentile, though he might acknowledge and ferve Abraham's God; had any claim to communion in thofe joyful and folemn services, if he was not circumcifed according to the divine command. Others contended with no lefs affurance, that circumcifion being only an outward fign of what is internal and spiritual; every male, whether a descendant from the loins of our father Abraham, or one of the Gentile race,

who knew and feared the God of Ifrael, had an undeniable claim to fellowship, though it were not the foreskin of his flesh, but a finger that was circumcifed. The latter afferted, with great confidence, that the holy bleffed God having accepted fuch, (as plainly appeared by their having the internal and spiritual circumcifion) it would be abfurd and uncharitable to refute them communion. And when difputing with their opponents, they would with an air of fuperior confidence demand; Will you reject from fellowship thofe whom God has received?-Absolutely reject those who have the thing fignified, barely because, in your opinion, they want the external fign ?—Thofe who poffefs the fubflance, perhaps, to a much greater degree than yourselves, merely because they want the Shadow? What, will you refuse communion to a brother Ifraelite, or a pious Gentile, in the tabernacle here below, with whom you hope to enjoy everlasting fellowship in the temple above? Strange attachment to the manner of performing an external rite! Befides, great allowances must be made for the prejudices of education. These our brethren whom you reject, as if they were heathens, as if they were abfolutely unclean; have been educated in the strongest prejudices against what we think the true circumcifion. They have been taught from their earliest infancy, that though our fathers, for a few centuries after the rite was establifhed, generally circumcifed the forefkin; yet that the part on which the ceremony was first per formed, is by no means effential to the ordinance. And, therefore, as various inconveniencies were found to attend the mode of administration then generally practifed; inftead of cutting off the pre

putium, many began to circumcife a finger; which has been the cuftom in fome of our tribes ever fince, and which, they ftrenuously plead, is not forbidden by any divine revelation. This, we readily acknowledge, is a miftake; nor dare we, on any account, imitate their proceedings in that refpect because, with us, there is no doubt, that the God of our fathers ordained it otherwife. But yet, as all have not the fame opportunities of information, nor an equal measure of light; and as our brethren are verily perfuaded that they have been circumcifed according to the divine command; (for if they were not, they would readily comply with our mode of proceeding) it is our indispensable duty to receive them in love, and not harass their minds with "doubtful difputations" about a matter that is not effential. For we all worship the fame God; and, fo far as his moral worship is concerned, in the fame way; though we happen to differ about an external rite, that is by no means effential, either to fpiritual worship here, or to the falvation of our fouls hereafter. Befides, though it be admitted that the divinely appointed mode of administering the facred rite is of fome importance; yet it must be admitted, that the edification of fuch as truly fear God is of infinitely greater importance. But, if you exclude them from the folemn fanctuary worship, you debar them from a capital mean of their fpiritual benefit. You fhould alfo confider, who is to be the judge of what is, or is not, the true circumcifion. Every man, most certainly, must judge for himself, and not one for another; elfe you destroy the right of private judgment; you invade the facred prerogative of contcience; and

tacitly advance a claim to infallibility. If your brethren, who circumcife a finger instead of the part appointed, be fatisfied in their own minds, they are circumcifed to themselves; and while the anfwer of a good confcience attends it, God will and does own them in it, to all the ends defigned by it; fo that while they confider it as laying them under the fame obligations to holiness of heart and life, as we confider our circumcision to do us, why fhould you not have fellowship with them?Nor are you fufficiently aware, how much you injure the cause of real religion, and promote the baneful interefts of infidelity, by being fo ftrict and rigid. Were you to be more candid and charitable, in re. gard to this matter, it might be expected that numbers of our brethren, who, it must be allowed, administer this rite in a very improper manner; would cordially unite with us, and, in time, utterly renounce their mistake. We fhould alfo have reafon to hope, that many of our Gentile neighbours, who deteft circumcifion, as performed by us, might become profelytes to the Jewish religion, and worship the most high God in fellowship with us. But fo long as you infist, not only on the rite itfelf for that we ourselves are not willing to give up entirely) but on that mode of adminiftration which is fo obnoxious to them as indifpenfably neceffary to communion with you; it will be, not only a wall of partition between us and them, but a bone of contention among the chofen tribes themfelves. Confequently it must impede, greatly im pede, the exercise of that love to God, and that affection for man, which are of much greater importance than the most accurate performance of a merely external rite.'

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