SERMON XV.
IIERE are two modes of praying" mentioned in Scripturc; thc oue is 1)rayer af set rimes and places, and in set forms; the other is what the text speaks of,—continual or habitual prayer. The former of these is whaç is commonly called prayer, whether it be publie or l)rivate. The other kind of praying may also l»e called holding" communit, n with God, or living in God's sight, and this may be donc all through the day, wherever we are, and is cOlnlnanded us as the duty, or rather the characteristie, of those who are really servants and fi-iends of Jesus Christ. These two kinds of praying" are also natural duties. I mean, we should iu a way be bouud to attend to them, even if we were born in a heathen country and had never heard of the ]3ib'.e. For out eonscienee and reason would lead us fo practise them, if we did but attend to these diviuely-given informants. I shall here confine
l«zta! Pr«o,c: 205 aayself fo the eonsideration of the latte1" of the two, habitual or inward prayer, whieh is enjoined in the text, with the view of showing" what if is, and how we are fo lraetise if; and I shall speak of i., firs, as natural duy, and then as the eharaeteristie of. Christian. 1. Af first sig, i may be diflleult to some persons fo understand what is meant by praying".qlways. Now eonsidev if.s. natural duty, tha is,, duty taug us by natnval reasou and religous feeling and you will soon sec what i eonsists in. What does nature teaeh us.q.bout ourselves, even before opening" the ]ible?—thalz we are ereatures of he Gre.t (od, the ]Iaker of heaven and earth; and that, as tIis ereaures, we are bound fo serve IIim and gve IIim oto" hearts; in s word, to be religous being. And next., wh.t is religon bulz habit? and wh.t is s habit but s st.te of mind whieh is always upon us, as a sort of ordinary dress or insepar.ble grment of the sottl? A man eannot really be reliious one hour, and hot religotts the next. We migt as well say he eould be in state of good health one hour, and in bad health the next. A man who is reli.ious, is religous morning,, noon, and nigt; his religion is. certain eharaeter, a. mottld in whieh his thougts, words, and actions are ast, all formingparts of one and the saine whole. He sees Goal in all thing; eve U course of action he directs towards those spiritual objeets whieh God bas revealed o him; every occurrence of the day, every even, ever- person met with, ail news which he hears, he measures by flae sta.ndard of God's will. And person who does flis may be said ahnost literally fo pray without eeasin; for, knowing himself tobe in God's presenee, he is eonfinually led o ddress Him reverenfly, whom he sers always befi»re him, in he inward lanuae of prayer and praise, of humble confession and joyful trust. Ail flfis, I say, any thougtful man aeknowledges ff'oto mere natural reason. o be religious is, in ofler words, fo ha.ve the habi of prayer, or flo pray always. ais is whafi 8eripfiure means by doing all things fo God's g'lory; thafi is, so plaeing God's presenee and will bcfore us, and so consisntly acfing with a re[rence fo Him, thafi all we do beeomes one body and course of obedienee, witnessing withoufi eeasing fo Him who ruade us, and whose servants we are; and in ifs separate parts promoting more or!ess directly His g'lory, aeeording as eaeh particular thing we happen fio be doing admits more or less of religious eharaeter. OEhus religious obedienee is, as i were, a spiri dwelling in us, extending ifs influence fo every motion of the soul; and jusg as healfly men and strong men show their health and srengfih in ail they do (nofl indeed equally in all things, bu in sone things more than in others, beeause all actions do hot require or betoken the presenee of ha health and srengh, and ye even in their sp, and heir voiee, and heh- gesures and their contenance, show- ing in due measure their vig'our of body), so they who have the truc healh and srength of the soul, a elear, sol)er, ana deep fifigh in Him in whom they have their bein, will in all they do, lmy (as St. Paul says), even whether they "eag or drink , '' be living" in God's sig'hI., or, in the words of the saine Apostle in the text, lire in ecaseless prayer. If if be snid that no man on earth does thus contimmlly,and perfcetly glorify and worship God, this we nll know too well; this is only saying" thnt noue of us has renehed perfection. We know, Mas! that in many things all of us ollbnd. But I ara speaking hot of what we do, but of what we otT]t to do, and must aire at doing,—of or d«@; and, for the sake of impressing out duty on out hearts, if is of use to draw the picture of a man perfeetly obedient, as a pattern for us fo aim af.. In proportion as we g'row in 8'race and in thc knowledze of out Saviour, so slmll we approximate fo tIim in obedienee, who is our reat examplc, aud who alone of all the sons of Admn lived in the perfection of uneeasing prayer. Thus tlle meaning" and reasonableness of the command in the text is shown by considering it as a natural duty, religion being" no accident whieh cornes and goes by fits and starts, but a certain spirit or lire. g. Now, seeondly, I will state all this in the lanmg'e of Scripture; that is, I will eonfirm this view of out i Cr. x. 31.
o8 3[cntal duty, whieh natural reason miht sugest, by that other and far elcarer voiec of God, IIis inspired word. IIaw is religious obedience deseribed in Seripture? Surcly as a certain kind of lire. We know what lire of the body is; itis a state o thc body: the puise beats; all things are in motion. The hiddcn prineiple of lire, though wc know hot how or what if is, is seen in these outward sizns of if.. And so of thc lire of the soul. The soal, indeed, was not possessed of this lire of Goal when tîrst born iuto thc world. We are born with dcad souls; tha.t is, dcad as reards rcligious obedienee. If left fo ourscl-es we shonld grm" up haters of God, and tend nearer and ncarçr, the longer we had existence, fo utter spirituM death, that inward tire of hell torments, maturing in evil through a long" eternity. Sueh is thc course we are l»eginninz fo nm when born into thc world; and were it hot for the gospel promise, what a rniserable event would the birth of ehildren be! eould take plcasure af the sig'ht of sueh poor beings, unconseious as yet of their vretehedness, but containin in their hearts thEt fcarful foot of sin whieh is sure in the event of rei'ning and triumphing" unto everlastin woe? But God has gin-en us all, even the little children, a good promise through Christ; and out prospeets are chang'ed. And He has given hot only a promise of future happiness, lmt through His Holv Spirit Ho implants here and at once a new prineiple within us, a new spiritual lire, a lift of the soul, as it is called. St. Paul tells us, that "Goal hath quickened us," ruade us lice, "toether vith Christ,... and hath raised us up together" from the death of sin, "and ruade us sit toçether in heavenly places in Christ.esus. '' Nov how God quickens out souls we do hot now; as little as how IIe quickens out bodies. Out spiritual "liçe" (as St. Pml snys) "is id with Christ in God ." But as our bodily liçe discovers itself by its activity, so is the prescnce of the l Ioly Spirit in us discovered by a spiritual activity; and this activity is the spirit of continual prnyer. Prayer is fo spiritual lie what tire beating of the lmlse and the drawiu of tire breafl are to the liçe of the body. It would be as absurd to suppose that liçe eould last when the body was cold and motionless ami senscless, as to call a soul alive which does hot pray. The state or habit of spiritual lire exerts itself, consists, in the continual activity of prayer. Do you ask, where does Scripture say this? Where? In all if tells us of the connexion between the new birth and faith; for what is prayer but the expression, the voice, of faith? For instance, St. Parti says fo the Galatians, "The lfe which I now lire in the flesh" (i. e. the new and spiritual liçe), "I lire by thefail o£ the Sou of God, who loved me ." For what., I say, is faith, but the looHng to God and thinking of Him continual135 holding habitual fellowship with Him, that Eph. ii. 5, 6. Col. iii. 3. Gal. ii. 20. [VIII P is, speakin. fo Him in our b_ears ail hruh the day, prin without eenin? ARerwards, i the saine Epistle, he tells us tiret that nothing" avails but faith workingby love; bug soon af ter, he ealls this saine availin prineiple a new ereature: so thag the new birth and a livin, faith are inseparable. Neveu,, indeed, nmst it be supposed, as we are indolently apt fo suppose, tlmt the gift. of gaee whieh we reeeive af baptism is a mere ouward privileg-e, a mere outward pardon, in whieh the hearg is hot eoneorned; or as if ig were some mere mark pn on the soul, distinnishing if indeed ri'oto souls unregnerate, as if by a eolour or seal, bu hot eonneeted with t.he thoug'hts, lnind, and heart of a Christian. This would be a gross and false view of the nature of God's merey iven us in Christ. l%r the new birth of the Holy Spirit sers the soul in motion in a heavenly way: ig ives us good thoug-hts and desires, enlightens and purifies us, and prompts us to seek God. In a word (as I bave said), if gives a spiritual lire; ig opens the eyes of ont mind, so that we beg'in fo see God in all '", tatns by faith, and hold eontinual intereourse with Him by prayer; and if xve eherish these g'raeious influences, we shall beeome holier and wiser and more heavenly, year by year, our hearts being ever ixx a course of change from darkness fo light, from the ways and works of Satan fo the lerfeegion of Divine obedienee. hese eonsiderations may serve fo impress upon oto"
minds the meanin of tlm precept in the text, and others like it which are round in St. Paul's Epistles.:For instance, he enjoins the Ephesians to "pray always with all praycr and supplication in tlm Spirit." To thc Philippians he says, "Be careful for nothin; but in cvery thin by prayer and supplication let requests be nmde known unto God ." To the Colossians, "Continue in praycr, and watch in the saine with thanksgiving." To thc Romans, "Continue instant in prayer Thus the true Christian pierces through thc veil of this world and sees tlm next. He holds intercourse with it; he addrcsses God, as a child might address his parent, with as clear a view of Him, and with as unmixed a confidence in Hi,n; with deep revcrence indeed, and godly fear and awe, but still with certainty and exactness: as St. Paul says, "I knov whom I have believed ," with the prospect of judgment to corne fo sober him, and thc assurance of present grace to cheer him. If what I have said is true, surely itis well worth thinking about, h[ost men indeed, I fear, neither pray af fixed rimes, nor do they cultivate an habitual communion with Almighty Goal. Indeed, if is too plain how most mon pray. They pray now and then, when they feel 1)articular need of God's assistance; when they Eph. ri. 18. Phi]. iv. 6. Col. iv. 2. Rom. xii. 1. 2 Tire. i. 12.
are in trouble or iu apprehension of danger; or wheR their fcclin.s are uuusuallx cxcted. They do hot know what it is either tobe habitually rcligious, or to devote a certain lmmbcr of millUtCS aç fixed rimes fo the thought of God. Nay, the vcry best Christian, how lamcutably defieient is he iu thc spirit of prayer! Let any man compare in his mind how many tilnes he has prayed when iu trouble, with how seldom he has returned /]mnks whcn his lrayel-S have ])eCll granted; or the earncstness with whieh he prays aainst expeeted suflbrin, with the languor and uneoneern of his lhanks- ivins afterwards, aud ho will soon see how little he has of the rem habit of prayer, aud how mueh his religion depends on aecidental cxeitement, whieh is no test of a religious heart. Or supposing he has lo repeat the saine prayer for a month or two, the cause of USilI it eontinuing, let him compare the earnestuess with whieh he fil'St said if, and tried fo en%r into if, with the eoldness with whieh he at leng'th uscs if. Vlly is this, execpt that his lerecption ot" the unseen world is hot the true view whieh tititll g'ives (else if would last as that world itself lasts), but a lllel'e drcam, whieh endures for a night, and is suceecdcd by a hard worldly joy in the moruing? Is God llabitually in out thoughts? Do wc think of IIim, alld of His Son out Saviour, through the day? When we eat and driuk, do we thank Him, hot as a mere lnatter of form, but in spirit? lVhen we do things in themselves rigll, do we lift up out minds fo Hm, and desirc fo promotc Ilis glory? Vhcn we are in the exercise of out callings, do we still think of Him, acting- cvcr conscicntiously, desirhg" fo lnow His will more exactly than wc do at prcsent, and aiming af fulfilling if more comlflctcly and abundtmtly? Do we vait on Hs grace to enlig'h[cn, renew, strengthcn us? I do hot ask 'hether wc use mauy words about religion. Therc is no nccd to do this: nay, we should avoid a boastful disll:y o[' «»ur bcttcr fccling's and practices, silcntly scrvng' God without human praisc, and hiding our conscicnti«,usncss eXCCl,t when it would dishonour God fo do so. Therc are rimes, iudeed, when, in thc prcscnce of a lmly man, fo confess is a benefit, and there are rimes when, in thc prcscnce o[" worldly men, fo confess becomes a duty; but thcse scasons, whethcr of lrvilcgc or of duty, arc comparativcly rare.:Bu we are alwavs with oursclvcs and our God; and that silent inward confession in His l,rcsence nmy be sustained and continual, aud will end in durable fruit.:But if thosc pcrsons comc short of their duty who nake rcligi(;n,-t mattèr of impulse and mere feeling, 'hat shall be said to those ho have no feeling or thought of religion at all? Vhat shall be said of the multitude of young" pcoplc who ridicule seriousness, and dcliberatcl givc thcmselves up to vain thoughts? Alas! my brethren, you do not evcn observe or recog-,,[ze the foolish empty thoughts which pass through your rninds; you are not distressed even at those of them you recollcct; but wha.t will you say at the last day, when, instead of the Irue and holy visions in which consists Divine communion, you tlnd recordcd against you in God's book m innumerable multitude of the idlest, sillicst imaginings, nay, of the wiekedest, whieh ever disgraced au immortal being? V(hat will you say, Men heaven and hcll are bctbre you, and the books are opcncd, and thercin you tind thc sure total of your 'outhful dcsircs and dre:ms, your passionatc wishes for things of this world, your loxv-minded, grovelling fastes, your secret eontempt and aversion for serious subjects and persons, your efforts fo attract thc looks of sinners and to plcasc those who displease God; your hankerings after worldly galeries:md luxuries, 'our admiration of the rieh or titled, your indulgence of impure thoughts» your self-eoneeit and pitiful vanity? Ah, I may seem to 'ou fo use harsh words; but be sure I do hot use terres near so severe as:}'ou will use against yourselvcs in that day. Then those mon, whom:}ou now think gloomy and over-strict, will seem to you truly wise; and the adviee fo pray without eeasing, whieh once you laughed a as fit only for the dull, the formal, the sour, the poor-spirited, or the aged, will be approved by your own experienee, as if is even now by your reason and conscience. Oh, that you eould be brought to give one serious hour fco religion, in anticipation of that long eternity where:}-ou.»ztsl be serious! True, you may laugh now, buL there is no vain merriment on the other side of the g'rave. The devils, flough they repenL hot, tremble. /-o xvill be among those unwilling" serious ones then, if you are mad enough fo be g'ay and eareless now; if you are lnad enoug'h fo laugh, jest, and seoff your poor lnoment now on earth, which is short enouh to prepare for eternity in, wit.hout your making" if shorter by vasting yo,,r youth iu sin. Cou!d Sou but sec 'ho if is that suggests to you ail yo,r lighter thoughfs, xvhieh you puf instead of Divine communion, the shock would mal{e you serious, cven if if did not male }'ou reli,ious. Could you see, whaL God secs, those snares and p{tfalls which lhe devil is p]aeing about your path; eould you sec that all your idle thoughts which you cherish, xvhich seem so bright and pleasant, so ranch pleasanter than religious thoughts, are inspired by that Ancient Seducer of Man]ind, the Author of:Evil, xvho stands aL yor side -hi|c you dcride religion, serious indeed himself while he makes you ]aug'h, hot able fo laugh aL his on jests, vhile he carries you dancing forward fo perdition,—doubtless you vould tremble, even as le does vhile he tempts you.:But this you eannoL possibly sec, you caunoL break your delusion, exeepL by first taking God's word in this lnatter Oll trust. You eannot see the mseen xvorld aL once. They who ever speal: ith God in their hearts, are in turn taugllt by Him in all knovcledge; but they who refltse to aet upon the hg'at, nhieh God gave them by nature, af leng'th corne fo lose it altogether, and are given up fo a. reprobate mind. May God savc us all from such wilful sin, old as well as young', and cn|i'lRcn us ont and ail in IIis saving" knowlcdge, and give us the will and Che lowcr o serve Him!
Jon iii. 5. "'.'xee_pt a man be born of water and of the Sph'il, he eannot enter into the.Kïn.qdom of God.'"
ONE can be savcd, unless the blood of Christ, the hnmaculate Lamb of God, 1,e imputed fo him; and it is His gracious will that it should be imputed fo us, one 1)y one, 1)y means of outward and visible signs, or what are called Sacraments. These visible rites represent to us the heavenly truth, and convey what they represent. The baptismal washing" betokens lhe cleansing of the soul ti'om sin; thc elements of bread and wine are figures of what is prescrit hut hot seen, «the body and bloo:l of Christ, whieh are verily and indeed taken and reeeived bv the faithfifl in the Lord's Supper." So fir the two Saeraments agree; yet there is this important differcnee in tleir use,—that ]3aptism is but onee administered, but the Lord's Supper is to be reeeived eonli«t«[ly. Our Lord Christ told the Apostles to baptize at lhe li:e that tley ruade men His disciples.
]3aptism a(l»ilted theln fo His favour once for ail; but file Lord's Snpper X'ee.lJs us.'lnd seeures us in His favour day by day. He said, "This do, as od"te» as ye drink if, in 'e»w»,braee of Me." IIerc, Lhen, a question af once arises, whieh if is important to eonsider:—Al wa! ti»,e in out life are we to be baptizcd, or ruade disciples of Christ? The first Christians of course were baptized when they were eolne fo a flfll age, beeause then the G ospel was for the firs thnc preaehed to them they had no means of being baptized when yonnë. ]3ut the case is different with those who are born of Christian parents; so the qnestion now is, af wha age are the sons of Christians to be baptized? Now, for fifteen hundred years flwre was no dispute or diffieulty in answering this question all over the Christian world; none who aeknowledged the duty of baptizillg af all, but adnlinistered the rite to infimts, as we do af 1)resent. ]3ut about three hundred years ago strange opinions were set afloat, and seets arose, doing every thing whieh had hot been donc before, and undoing every thillg tha lmd been donc befol'e, and all this (as they professed) on the principle that if was every one's duty fo judge and aet for himselÇ; and amon these new seets there was one whieh maintained tllat Infan ]3aptism was a mistake, and that, mainly upon flfis shor argument,—that i was nowhcre eommanded in Seripture.
Let us, then, eonsider flis sul»ject: and first, if is but fait and rght to acknowlcdge ai once that Scriæture does ot bid us baptize children. This, howcver, is no very serious admission; for Scripture ¢loes hot naine «y rime at all for Baptism; yet if omets us fo be baptized at some age or other. Itis plain, then, whatever age we fix upon, we shall bc going beyond the letter of Scripture. This may or may hOt be a difficulty, but it cannot be avoided: if is hOt a dittïculy o" o«r maldug. Goal has so willed if. He has 1;el)t silence, and doubtless with good reason; and snrely we must try to do our part and to final out what He would have us do, aceording" to the light, be if greater or less, which He has vouchsafed fo us. Is it any new thing that it should talle thne and thought to find out accurately what out duty is? Is if a new thing that the full and perbct truth should hot lie on the very surface of things, in the bare letter of Scripture? Far flore it. Those who slrire to enter into lire, these alone final the strait gare whieh leads thereto. If is no proof even that if is a marrer of indifferenee what age is proper for:Baptism, theot Scripture is not elear about if, but hides ifs real meaning; hot eommanding but hinting what we should do. For eonsider how many things in this lit"e are dihïeult to attain, yet, far flore being matters of indifferenee, are neeessary for our conl'ort or even well-being. Nay, it often hapl»ens that the lno'e valuable any gift is, the more difficult if is te gain it. Takc, for instance, the art of mcdicine. Is thcre an art more important for our lire,and eomfort? Yet how diffieult and uneertain is the science if if! what rime if takcs te bc wcll vcrsed and practised in it[ Wha would be thought of u person who considercd that it nmttcred littlc whether a sick man took this course or that, on the ground that mcn were net physicians by nature, and that if thc Crcator had rotant mcdicinc te bc for our good, IIe would have t»ld ns af once, and cver- ont of us, thc science and the practice of it? Iu the samc way if does net af all tbllow, cvcn if" if were diflïcult te find out af what agc ]3aptism should be administcrcd, that thcrefore onc rime is as good as another. Difficulty is thc very attendant upon g'reat blcssings, net on thing's indifferent. But a man may say hat Scripture is g'iven us for the very purpose of making" thc knowledge of our duty easy te us;—what is mcant by u revelation, if it does net rcveal?and that wc havc no revclation te tcll us what medicines arc good or bad fi»r thc bedy, but that a revclation h«s becn ruade in ordcr te tell us what is g'ood or bad fi)r the seul:—if, then, a thing" were important for our soul's benefit, Scripturc would havc plainly dcclared it. I answcr, who told us all this? Doubtlcss, Scripturc was given te makc our duty easier [haut belote; but how de we know that if was intended te take away ail difficulty of every kind? Se says net Christ, when He bids us scek and strive and se find; te knock, te watch, and fo pray. No; Seripture has hot undertaken to tell us every thing, but lnerely to g'ive us thc mcans of 't«lin every thing'; and thus mueh we ean eonelude on the sulicct belote us, thaL iç iL is important, fherc are eans of determining if; but wc cmmot infcr, either that if must aetuall- be co»»«n«le«l iu the lettcr of Scripture, or that it can bc found out by every individual.for (zu«l b hi»se(f. Bu it lna.y bc said, Scripturc savs that thc rimes of fle Gospcl shall be rimes of ffrcat lig'ht: "All thy children shall be tatghL of the Lord, and g'reat shall be the peace of thy children ." This is true: but whosc children? The Church's. Surcly if is a rime of light, if we corne to thc Clmrch for information; fi»r she has ever spoken most eldarly on thc subjeet. She has evcr baptized infimts and cnjoined thc practice; she bas ever answered fo the prophecy as bein "a word behind us, sa.yin, This is the way; wall¢ ye in if." Her teaehers surely (according" to thc Drolhccy) have never been removed into a corner. But if we will hot accept this supernatural mercy, then I say if is hot ummtural that we should find ourselves in thc saine kind of doubt in which we comlnonly are involved in matrs of this world. God has promised us light and knowledffe in the Gospel, but in IIis way, hOt in ottr way. But after all, in the present instance, surely there is no reat difficulty in findin out what God would bave Isa. liv. 13.
us fo do, though He bas hOt told us in Seripture in the llainest way. I say if is hOt difficult fo see, as the Church has ever been led fo sec, that God would bave us baptize young ehildrên, and that fo de.lay ]3aptisrn is fo dt.lay a great benefit, and is hazarding, a ehild's salration, q'here is no dittleulty, if men are hot resolved fo rnake one. 1. Let us eonsider, first, what is ]3aptisrn? If is a rneans and pledge of God's rnerey, pardon, aeeeptanee of us for Christ's sake; if gives us g'raee fo change our natures. Now, surely infants, as being born in sin, have most abundant ee(l of God's rnerey and graee: this eannot be doubted. Even af first sight, then, if appears desi'able (to say the least) that they should be baptize(. Baptisrn is just suited fo their neéd: if contains a promise of the very blessings whieh they want, and whieh without God's free bount.y they eannot bave. If, in(leed, Baptisrn were rnerely or prineipally oz«" aet, then perhaps the case would be altered. But if is hOt an aet of ou-s so rnteh as of God's; a pledg-e frorn Hirn. And, I repeat, infants, as being by nature under God's wra.th, having no elements of spiritual lire in thern, being eorrupt and sinful, are surel3; in a sing'ular rnanner, objeets of Baptisrn as far as the questiot of desirableness is eoneerned. Let us refer fo our Saviour's words fo Nieodemus in the text. Out Lord tells hirn noue eau enter into the kingdom of God who is hot born of water and the Spirit.
And why? _l?eea,«se (Ho goes on to sa.y) "that whieh is born of the flesh is fleshl." We need a new birth, beeause out first birth is a birth unto sin. Who does hOt sec that tis reason is equa|ly eog'cnt for Baptism as for Baptism af all? Baptism by water and the Spirit is neeessary for salvation (He says), beeanse man's na[t«re is eorrupt; Iherefore lut°anis must need this reg'eneration too. If, indeed, sin were hOt planted deep in man's very hearI,—if if were merely an aeeidental evil into whieh some fcll while others eseaped it,nay, cven if, though (as a faet) all men aetually f'all into sin, yet Llis g-eneral depravity aïose merely from bad example, hOt from natural bias, then indeed I3aptism of water and the Spirit would hOt be neeessary exeept for those who, having" corne to years of understanding, had actual sin to answer for: but if, as our Saviour implies, cven a child's hcart, belote he begins fo think and acf, is under:Divine wrath, and contains the sure and miserable promise of future sin as the ehild grows up, eau wc do otherwise than thankNlly aeeept the pledge and means whieh He bas given us of a new birth unto holiness and sinee, by hot telling us the time for Baptism, Ho bas in a way left if to ourselves to deeide upon it., shall we hot apply the medieine given us when we are sure of the disease? "Can any man forid water," fo use St. Peter's words under different circumstanees, "that" children "should hot be baptized?" The burden of
John iii.
proof, as if is eallcd, is with those who withhold the Sacramcnt. Vill i be said that infimts arc hot propcrly for Bapfism? IIow is this an objcction?, Consider tle tex."Except ont bc born of watcr and the Spirit," says out Lord, "he cauuot entcr into the kingdom of God.'" Therc is nothing" said about qualifications or conditions herc which mig'ht cxclude inhnts from Bapfism,nothiug abou the neeessity of previous fifith, or 1,rcvious good works, i ordcr fo fit us for the mercy of God. Nor indced could any thing be said. Christ knew that, without IIis race, man's nature could hot bear any @ood fruit, tbr ff'oto above is every @ood giff. Far from if. Any such notion of man's unassisd strenffth is wholly de,stable, eontrary fo the very first prineiples of all true religion, whethcr Jewish, Christian, or even Pa@an. We are miserably fallen creatures, we are by nature eorrupt,we date hot talk even of ehildren bein naturally plcasing in God's sight. And if we wait till children are in a condition fo brin@ something fo God, in payment (so to say) of IIis merey fo them, till they have fidth and repentanee, they never will be baptized for they will never attain fo tiret condition. To defer Baptism till persons actually lmve repentanee aml faith, is refusinff fo give medieine till a patien begins fo get well. It would be hard indeed, if Satan be allowed fo bave aceess fo the soul ff-oto infimey, as soon as begins fo think» and we reMse fo do what 'e ean, or what promises well, towards gaining f,»r it the proteciion of God against t.he Teml)ter. On this first view of the case then, fi'om the original corrul)tion of our nalure, fl'om thc need which ail men are undcr fi'om their birth of pardon and help from God, from Bap/ism being a promise of mercy just suited to our need, and ri'oto/he impossibility of any one (let him be allowed to live unl»aptizêd ever so long) brinffing any self-provided recommendation of himself fo God's f«tvour; on ail thcse aecounts, I say, since God has given us no particulat" directions in the matter, but has left it fo onrsêlves, it seems, on the first view of the case, most fit.ring and right to give children the privilege of Baptism.. 2. But, in fact, ve are not, strictly speaking, left without positive encouragemeut fo bring infants near to Ilim. We are not merely left to infer generally the propriety of Infimt Baptism; Christ has shown us Ilis t++illb+gness to receive children. Some men bave said (indeed most of us perhaps in seasons of unbelief bave been tempted in our hearts fo ask), " What good Baptism do senseless children? you mig'ht as well baptize thins without lire; they sleep or even strugle during the ceremony, and interrupt it; it is a mere superstition." This, my brethren, is the lanuage of the worhl, whoever uses it. It is putting sight aginst faith. If we are assured that ]3aptism has been blessed by Christ, as the rite of admittanee intÇ His Church, we have nothing to do with those outward appearances, which, though fley might prove something perhaps, had He not spokcn, now that tIe has spoken lose all force. To such objections, I would re:ply by citing our Saviour's "own word and deed." Wc find that infants were brougt to Christ; and His disci:p]es seem to bave doubted, in the saine spirit of unbclief, what could be the good of bringing he]pless and senscless children fo the Saviour of mon. They doubtlcss thought that t[is rime would be bettcr cml)loycd in teaching the», than in attending to children; that it was interfering with His usefu]ncss. "" But whcn Jcsus saw it, ]te was much disple,sed 1.,, Thcse are remarkable woMs: "much displeasex],"—lhat is, He .as nneasy, indignant, angry (as the Grcek word may be more litcrally translated); and we are told, "' IIe took flmm up in tIis arms,:put IIis hands npon them, and blessed t/tet." Christ, then, can bless infants, in spire of their 1)eing fo ail appearance as yet incapable of thought or feeling'. He can, and did, bless them; and, in the very sense in which they then were blcsscd, we believe they are ca:pab]e of a blessing" in ]3aptism. 3. And we may add this consideration. It is certain that children oug'ht to be instructed in relig'ious truth, as they can bear it, from the very first dawn of reason; clearly, they are not to be left without a Christian training till they arrive at years of maturity.:Nov, let 1:Mark x. lg.
If azt atisJ. 7 if be observed, Christ seems distinefly fo eonneet teaehing- with Baptism, as if IIe intended fo eonvey through if a blessing upon teaelling',—" Go ye raid teaeh all he nations, baptizing them." If ehildren, then, are fo be eonsidered as under teachin, as learners in the sehool of Christ, surely they should be admitted into that sehool by Baptisln. These are the reasons for Infim Baptism which st.rike the mind, evcn on thc first considcration of the subjeet; and in the absence of express information from Seripturc, they arc (as far as they go) satisfactory. A what age should we be baptied? I answer, in ehildhood; beeausc all ehildren reqttire Divine pardon and graee (as our Saviour IIimseff implics), all are eaTable of IIis blessiug (as Ilis action shows), ail are ivited to lIis blessing, and Baptism is a pledge from Him of IIis favour, as His Apostles fl'equently deelare. Since infants are fo be brought to Christ, we must have invented a rite, if Baptism did hot answer the purpose of a dedication. Again, I say, in ehildhood; beeause all children need Christian instruction, and Baptism is a badge and mark of a seholar in Christ's sehool. And moreover, I will add, beeause St. Paul speaks of the ehildren of Christian parents as being "holy," in a favoured state, state of unmerited blessing; and beeause he seems fo have baptized af once whole families, where the head of the family was eonverted fo the faith of the Gospel 1 Cor. vil. 14. Acts xv. 15. 33.
To concludc. Let me beg of ail who hear me, and who wish to serve God, to remcmbcr, in their ordinary prayers, their ha.bitual thoughts, the daily business of lire, tha.t thcy xvere once baptized. If Baptism be merely a ceremony, fo be obscrved indeed, but then af once forgotten,—a deeent forln, vhich if would neither be creditable, nor for temporal reasons expedient to neg'lcct, —if is most surcly no subjcct for a Christian minister fo sl)eak of; Christ's religion has no tbllowship with bare forms, and nowhcre encourages mere outward observances. If, indeed, there be any who degrade Baptism into a mere ceremony, which bas in it no spiritual promise, let such men look to if for themselves, and defend thcir practice of bapt.izing infants as they can. But for me, my brethren, I would put it belote)'ou as a true a.nd plfin pledge, without reserve, of God's grace glven to the souls of those who receive it; hot a mere tbrm, but u real means and instrument of blessing verily and indeed received; and, as being such, I warn you to remember what a talent bas been committed to you. Therc arc vcry many pcrsons who do hOt think of Baptism in this religious point of view; who are in no sense in the habit of blessing God for it, and prnying Him for ttis further grace to profit by the privileges given them in it; who, when even they pray for grace, do hot ground their hope of being" heard and answered, on the promise of blessing in Baptisra ruade to them; above al1, who do hot fear. to sin after Baptism. This is of course an omission; in many cases iL is a s;n. Let us sel ourselves right in this respect. Nothin wil! remind us more forcihly both of out advantagcs and of out duties; for ri'oto thc vcry nature of our minds outwat-d signs are especially calculated (if rightly used) to strile, to atTect, fo subdue, to chanze them. Blessed is he who maltes the most of thc privilcg'es given him, who talcs them for a light to his feet and a lanthorn fo his path. We have had thc Sign of the Cross set on us ill infancy,—shall we evcr fol'gct it? If is our pl'oi°cssion. We had the water poured on us,—it xvas lile the hlood on the door-posts, when the destroying Ang'el passed over. Let us fear fo sin after grace given, lest a worse thing comc upon us. Let us aire aL learning these tvo great truths:—tha.t we can do nothing good without God's grace, yet that we can sin against that grace; and thus that the great gift may be ruade the cause, on the one hand, of our gaining eternal lffe, and the occasion to us, on the other, ot eternal miser3-.