Parochial and Plain Sermons

rriHEE/E are two modes of praying mentioned in Scripture; the one is prayer at set times and places, and in set forms; the other is what the text speaks of, — continual or habitual prayer. The former of these is whal is commonly called prayer, whether it be public oj private. The other kind of praying* may also be calle*; holding communion with God, or living in God's sight and this may be done all through the day, wherever w are, and is commanded us as the duty, or rather th characteristic, of those who are really servants an friends of Jesus Christ.

These two kinds of praying are also natural dutif I mean, we should in a way be bound to attend to then even if we were bom in a heathen country and hn never heard of the Bible. For our conscience and re; son would lead us to practise them, if we did but attei to these divinely-given informants. I shall here confii

u\ self to the consideration of the latter of the two, labitual or inward prayer, which is enjoined in the text,,^•ith the view of stowing what it is, and how we are to oractise it; and I shall speak of it, first, as a natural iuty, and then as the characteristic of a Christian.

1. At first sight, it may be difficult to some persons to understand what is meant by praying always. Now consider it as a natural duty, that is, a duty taught us by natural reason and religious feeling, and you will soon see what it consists in.

"VMiat does nature teach us about ourselves, even before opening the Bible? — that we are creatures of the Great God, the Maker of heaven and earth; and that, as His creatures, we are bound to serve Him and give Him our hearts; in a word, to be religious beings. And next, what is religion but a habit? and what is a habit but a state of mind which is always upon us, as a sort of ordinary dress or inseparable garment of the soul? A man cannot really be religious one hour, and not religious the next. We might as well say he could be in a state of good health one hour, and in bad health the next. A man who is religious, is religious morning, noon, and night; his religion is a certain character, a mould ill which his thoughts, words, and actions are cast, all forming parts of one and the same whole. He sees God in all things; every course of action he directs towards those spiritual objects which God has revealed to him; every occurrence of the day, every event, every

person met with, all news which he hears, he measm-es by the standard of God's will. And a person who does this may be said almost literally to pray without ceasing; for, knowing himself to be in God's presence, he is continually led to address Him reverently, whom he sets always before him, in the inward language of prayer and praise, of humble confession and joyful trust.

All this, I say, any thoughtful man acknowledges from mere natural reason. To be religious is, in other words, to have the habit of prayer, or to pray always. This is what Scripture means by doing all things to God's glory; that is, so placing God's presence and will before us, and so consistently acting with a reference to Him, that all Ave do becomes one body and course of obedience, witnessing without ceasing to Him who made us, and whose servants we are; and in its separate parts promoting more or less directly His glory, according as each particular thing we happen to be doing admits' more or less of a religious character. Thus religious obedience is, as it were, a spirit dwelling in us, extend-i ing its influence to every motion of the soul; and just as healthy men and strong men show their health and' strength in all they do (not indeed equally in all things.'] but in some things more than in others, because allj actions do not require or betoken the presence of that health and strength, and yet even in their step, and theii voice, and their gestures, and their countenance, show- ng- in due measure their vigour of body), so tliey who jiave the true health and strength of the soul, a clear, iober, and deep faith in Him in whom they have their peing", will in all they do, nay (as St. Paul says), even.vhether they " eat or drink '," be living in God^s sight, >r, in the words of the same Apostle in the text, live in 3easeless prayer.

If it be said that no man on earth does thus continually and perfectly glorify and worship God, this we all know too well; this is only saying that none of us has reached perfection. We know, alas! that in many things all of us offend. But I am speaking not of what we do, but of what we ought to do, and must aim at doing, — of our duty; and, for the sake of impressing our duty on our hearts, it is of use to draw the picture of a man perfectly obedient, as a pattern for us to aim at. In proportion as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Saviour, so shall we approximate to Him in obedience, who is our great example, and who alone of all the sons of Adam lived in the perfection of unceasing prayer.

Thus the meaning and reasonableness of the command in the text is shown by considering it as a natural duty, religion being no accident which comes and goes by fits and starts, but a certain spirit or life.

2. Now, secondly, I will state all this in the language of Scripture; that is, I will confirm this view of our J 1 Cor. X. 31.

dut}', which natural reason might suggest, by thai other and far clearer voice of God, His inspired word.

How is religious obedience described in Scripture 1 Surely as a certain kind of life. We know what life ol the body is; it is a state of the body: the pulse beatall things are in motion. The hidden principle of life though we know not how or what it is, is seen in these outward signs of it. And so of the life of the soul, The soul, indeed, was not possessed of this life of God when first born into the world. We are born with dead souls; that is, dead as regards religious obedience. li left to ourselves we should grow np haters of God, and tend nearer and nearer, the longer we had existence, tc utter spiritual death, that inward fire of hell torments! maturing in evil through a long eternity. Such is th( course we are beginning to run when born into tlic world; and were it not for the gospel promise, what: miserable event would the birth of children be! Wh( could take pleasure at the sight of such poor beings, unconscious as yet of their wretchedness, but containin<" in their hearts that fearful root of sin which is sure i, the event of reigning and triumphing unto everlastin woe? But God has given us all, even the littl' children, a good promise through Christ; and ou prospects are changed. And He has given not only promise of future happiness, but through His Hoi' Spirit He implants here and at once a new princip'j within us, a new spiritual life, a life of the soul, as it

:alled. St. Paul tells us, that " God hath quickened us/' made us live, "together with Christ,... and 4iath raised us up together" from the death of sin, ■'and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus \^' Now how God quickens our souls we do not know; as little as how He quickens our bodies. Our spiritual "life" (as St. Paul says) "is liicl with Christ in God^" But as our bodily life discovers itself by its activity, so is the presence of the Holy Spirit in us discovered by a spiritual activity; and this activity is the spirit of continual prayer. Prayer is to spiritual life what the beating of the pulse and the drawing of the breath are to the life of the body. It would be as absurd to suppose that life could last when the body was cold and motionless and senseless, as to call a soul aUve which does not pray. The state or habit of spiritual life exerts itself, consists, in the continual activity of prayer.

Do you ask, where does Scripture say this? Where? In all it 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. Paul says to the Galatians, " The Ufe which I now live in the flesh" (i.e. the new and spiritual life), "I live by \}iXQ faith of the Son of God, who loved me ^" For what, I say, is faith, but the looking to God and thinking of Him continually, holding habitual fellowship with Him, that is, speakinn^ to Him in our hearts all through the day praying without ceasing? Afterwards, in the sam( Epistle, he tells us first that nothing avails but fait! working by love; but soon after, he calls this sam( availing principle a new creatui'c: so that the new birtl and a living faith are inseparable. Never, indeed, musi it be supposed, as we are indolently apt to suppose that the gift of grace which we receive at baptisn is a mere outward privilege, a mere outward pardon in which the heart is not concerned; or as if it wer< some mere mark put on the soul, distinguishing i indeed from souls unregenerate, as if by a colour or seal but not connected with the thoughts, mind, and hear of a Christian. This would be a gross and false viev of the nature of God's mercy given us in Christ. Fo the new bii-th of the Holy Spirit sets the soul in motioi in a heavenly way: it gives us good thoughts andesires, enlightens and purifies us, and prompts us t seek God. In a word (as I have said), it gives a spirj tual life; it opens the eyes of our mind, so that w begin to see God in all things by faith, and hoi' continual intercourse with Him by prayer; and if v cherish these gracious influences, we shall become holi and wiser and more heavenly, year by year, our hear being ever in a course of change from darkness to ligl from the ways and works of Satan to the perfection | Divine obedience.

These considerations may serve to impress upon minds the meaning of the precept in the text, and others like it which are found in St. PauFs Epistles.

Fm- instance, he enjoins the Ephesians to "pray always

with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit/^ To

ithe Philippians he says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication let your

) requests be made known unto God*/' To the Colos-

: sians, " Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with

: thanksgiving/' To the Romans, " Continue instant in

Thus the true Christian pierces through the veil of this world and sees the next. He holds intercourse

■ with it; he addresses God, as a child might address his

. parent, with as clear a view of Him, and with as unmixed a confidence in Him; with deep reverence indeed, and godly fear and awe, but still with certainty and exactness: as St. Paul says, " I know whom I have believed ^^' with the prospect of judgment to come to

, sober him, and the assurance of present grace to cheer

If what I have said is true, surely it is well worth thinking about. Most men indeed, I fear, neither pray at fixed times, nor do they cultivate an habitual communion with Almighty God. Indeed, it is too plain how most men pray. They pray now and then, when they feel particular need of God's assistance; when they are in trouble or in apprehension of danger; or when their feeling-s are unusually excited. They do not know what it is either to be habitually relig-ious, or to devote a certain number of minutes at fixed times to tht thought of God. Nay, the very best Christian, how lamentably deficient is he in the spirit of prayer! Lei any man compare in his mind how many times he has prayed when in trouble, with how seldom he has returned thanks when his prayers have been granted; oi the earnestness Avith which he prays against expectetl suffering, with the languor and unconcern of his thanksgivings afterwards, and he will soon see how little he has of the real habit of prayer, and how much his religion depends on accidental excitement, which is no test of a religious heart. Or supposing he has to repeat the same prayer for a month or tw^o, the cause of using i continuing, let him compare the earnestness with whi< he first said it, and tried to enter into it, with the cold ness with which he at length uses it. Why is thi except that his perception of the unseen world is n( the true view which faith gives (else it would last; that world itself lasts), but a mere dream, which endui( for a night, and is succeeded by a hard worldly joy the morning? Is God habitually in our thoughts? we think of Him, and of His Son our Saviour, throu| the day? When we eat and drink, do we thank Hi not as a mere matter of form, but in spirit? When do things in themselves right, do we lift up our mil to Him, and desire to promote His glory? "When we are in the exercise of our calling's, do we still think of Him, acting- ever conscientiously, desiring to know His will more exactly than we do at present, and aiming at (fulfilling it more completely and abundantly? Do we fivait on His grace to enlighten, renew, strengthen us?

I do not ask whether we use many words about reli- ■ gion. There is no need to do this: nay, we should avoid a boastful display of our better feelings and practices, silently serving God without human praise, and hiding our conscientiousness except when it would dishonour God to do so. There are times, indeed, when, in the presence of a holy man, to confess is a benefit, and there are times when, in the presence of worldly men, to confess becomes a duty; but these seasons, whether of privilege or of duty, are comparatively rare. But we are always with ourselves and our God; and that silent inward confession in His presence may be sustained and continual, and will end in durable fruit.

But if those persons come short of their duty who make religion a matter of impulse and mere feeling, what shall be said to those who have no feeling or thought of religion at all? What shall be said of the multitude of young people who ridicule seriousness, and deliberately give themselves up to vain thoughts? Alas! my brethren, you do not even observe or recognize the foolish empty thoughts which pass through your minds; you are not distressed even at those of them } uu recollect; but what will you say at the last day, when, instead of the true and holy visions in which consists Divine communion, you find recorded against you in God's book an innumerable multitude of the idlest, silliest imagining-s, nay, of the w-ickedest, which ever disgraced an immortal being? What will you say, when heaven and hell are before you, and the books are opened, and therein you find the sum total of your youthful desires and dreams, your passionate wishes for things of this world, your low-minded, grovelling tastes, your secret contempt and aversion for serious subjects and persons, your eflForts to attract the looks of sinners and to please those who displease God; your hankerings after worldly gaieties and luxuries, your admiration of the rich or titled, your indulgence of impure thoughts, your self-conceit and pitiful vanity? Ah, I may seem to you to use harsh words; but be sure I do not use; terms near so severe as you will use against yourselves < in that day. Then those men, whom you now think ■ gloomy and over-strict, will seem to you truly wise; \ and the advice to pray without ceasing, which once aou i laughed at as fit only for the dull, the formal, the s^our, 'i the poor-spirited, or the aged, will be approved by your j own experience, as it is even now by your reason and conscience. Oh, that you could be brought to give onej serious hour to religion, in anticipation of that lon| eternity where you must be serious! True, you maj

■h now, but there is no vain merriment on the other e of the grave. The devils, though they repent not, ble. You will be among those unwilling serious s then, if you are mad enough to be gay and careless; if you are mad enough to laugh, jest, and scoff r poor moment now on earth, which is short enough prepare for eternity in, without your making it shorter wasting your youth in sin. Could you but see who is that suggests to you all your lighter thoughts, ich you put instead of Divine communion, the shock would make you serious, even if it did not make you religious. Could you see, what God sees, those snares and pitfalls which the devil is placing about your path; could you see that all your idle thoughts which you cherish, which seem so bright and pleasant, so much pleasanter than religious thoughts, are inspired by that Ancient Seducer of Mankind, the Author of Evil, who stands at your side while you deride religion, serious indeed himself while he makes you laugh, not able to laugh at his own jests, while he carries you dancing forward to perdition, — doubtless you would tremble, even as he does while he tempts you. But this you cannot possibly see, you cannot break your delusiou,; except by first taking God^s word in this matter on trust. You cannot see the unseen world at once. They who ever speak with God in their hearts, are in turn [ taught by Him in all knowledge; but they who refuse [ to act upon the light, which God gave them by nature, at length come to lose it altogether, and are given up to a reprobate mind.

May God save us all from such wilful sin, old as well as young, and enlighten us one and all in His saving knowledge, and give us the will and the power to serve Him!

Except a man he horn of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."

'ONE can be saved, unless the blood of Christ, the Immaculate Lamb of God, be imputed to him; and it is His gracious will that it should be imputed to us, one by one, by 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 the cleansing of the soul from sin; the elements of bread and wine are figures of what is present but not seen, '^the body and blood of Christ, which are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper.'■' So far the two Sacraments agree; yet there is this important difference in their use, — that Baptism is but 07ice administered, but the Lord's Supper is to be received continually. Our Lord Christ told the Apostles to baptize at the time that they made men His disciples.

Baptism admitted them to His favour once for all; Lut the Lord's Supper keej^s us and secures us in His favour day by day. He said, " This do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me."

Here, then, a question at once arises, which it is important to consider: — At what time in our life are we to be baptized, or made disciples of Christ? The first Christians of course were baptized when they were come to a full age, because then the Gospel was for the first time preached to them; they had no means of being baptized Avhen young. But the case is different with those who are born of Christian parents; so the question now is, at what age are the sons of Christians to be baptized?

Now, for fifteen hundred years there was no dispute or difficulty in answering -this question all over the Christian world; none who acknowledged the duty of baptizing at all, but administered the rite to infants, as we do at present. But about three hundred years, ago strange opinions were set afloat, and sects arose^ doing every thing which had not been done before, and undoing every thing that had been done before, and all this (as they professed) on the principle that it was every one's duty to judge and act for himself; and among these new sects there was one which maintained that Infant Baptism was a mistake, and that, mainly upon this short argument, — that it was nowhere com«i manded in Scripture.

Let us, then, consider this subject: and first, it is but Mr and right to acknowledge at once that Scripture does not bid us baptize children. This, however, is no very serious admission; for Scripture does not name any time at all for Baptism; yet it orders us to be baptized at some age or other. It is plain, then, whatever age we fix upon, we shall be going beyond the letter of Scripture, This may or may not be a difficulty, but it cannot be avoided: it is not a difficulty of our making. God has so willed it. He has kept silence, and doubtless with good reason; and siirely we must try to do our part and to find out what He would have us do, according to the light, be it greater or less, which He has vouchsafed to us.

Is it any new thing that it should take time and thought to find out accurately what our duty is? Is it a new thing that the full and perfect truth should not lie on the very surface of things, in the bare letter of Scripture? Far from it. Those who strive to enter into life, these alone find the strait gate which leads thereto. It is no proof even that it is a matter of indifference what age is proper for Baptism, that Scripture is not clear about it, but hides its real meaning; not commanding but hinting what we should do. For consider how many things in this life are difficult to attain, yet, far from being matters of indifference, are necessary for our comfort or even well-being. Nay, it often happens that the more valuable any gift is, the more difficult it is to gain it. Take, for instance, the art of medicine. Is there an art more impoi'tant for our life and comfort? Yet how difficult and uncertain is the science of it! what time it takes to be well versed and practised in it! What would be thought of a person who considered that it mattered little whether a sick man took this course or that, on the ground that men were not physicians by nature, and that if the Creator had meant medicine to be for our good, He would have told us at once, and every one of us, the science and the practice of it? In the same way it does not at all follow, even if it were diflScult to find out at what age Baptism should be administered, that therefore one time; is as good as another." Difficulty is the very attendant! upon great blessings, not on things indifferent. j

But a man may say that Scripture is given us for tliel very purpose of making the knowledge of our duty easy to us; — what is meant by a revelation, if it does not reveal? — and that we have no revelation to tell us what medicines are good or bad for the body, but that a revelation has been made in order to tell us what is good oi bad for the soul: — if, then, a thing were important foi our soul's benefit. Scripture would have plainly declare( it. I answer, who told us all this? Doubtless, Scrij ture was given to make our duty easier than before; bi how do we know that it was intended to take away a\ difficulty of every kind? So says not Christ, when bids us seek and strive and so find; to knock, to watcl and to pray. No; Scripture has not undertaken to fell us every thing-, but merely to give us the means of finding every thing; and thus much we can conclude on the subject before us, that if it is important, there are mea7is of determining it; but we cannot infer, either that it must actually be commanded in the letter of Scripture, or that it can be found out by every individual/or and hy Jiimself.

But it may be said. Scripture says that the times of the Gospel shall be times of great light: " All thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children \" This is true: but whose children? The Church's, Surely it is a time of light, if we come to the Church for information; for she has ever spoken most clearly on the subject. She has ever baptized infants and enjoined the practice; she has ever answered to the prophecy as being " a word behind us, sapng. This is the way; walk ye in it." Her teachers surely (according to the prophecy) have never been removed into a corner. But if we will not accept this supernatural mercy, then I say it is not unnatural that we should find ourselves in the same kind of doubt in; which we commonly are involved in matters of this world. God has promised us light and knowledge in the Gospel, but in His way, not in our way.

But after all, in the present instance, surely there is no great difiiculty in finding out what God would have 1 Isa. Uv. 13.

us to do^ though He has not told us in Scripture in the plainest way. I say it is not difficult to see, as th( Church has ever been led to see, that God would hav< us baptize young* children, and that to delay Baptism ii to delay a great benefit, and is hazarding a child's salvation. There is no difficulty, if men are not resolvec to make one.

1. Let us consider, first, what is Baptism? It is £ means and pledge of God's mercy, pardon, acceptanc< of us for Christ's sake; it gives us grace to change oui natures. Now, surely infants, as being born in sin have most abundant need of God's mercy and grace this cannot be doubted. Even at first sight, then, il appears desirable (to say the least) that they should b< baptized. Baptism is just suited to their need: it coiu tains a promise of the veiy blessings which they wani and which without God's free bounty they cannot havi If, indeed. Baptism were merely or principally our ae then perhaps the case would be altered. But it is n( an act of ours so much as of God's; a pledge from Hin And, I repeat, infants, as being by nature under Gocj wrath, having no elements of spiritual life in th^ being corrupt and sinful, are surely, in a singul manner, objects of Baptism as far as the question desirableness is concerned.

Let us refer to our Saviour's words to Nicodemus f the text. Our Lord tells him none can enter into tJ kingdom of God who is not bom of water and the Spirj

And why? Because (He goes on to say) " that which is born of the flesh is flesh \'^ We need a new birth, because our first birth is a birth unto sin. Who does not see that this reason is equally cogent for infant Baptism as for Baptism at all? Baptism by water and the Spirit is necessary for salvation (He says), because man's nature is corrupt; therefore infants must need this regeneration too. If, indeed, sin were not planted deep in man's very heart, — if it were merely an accidental evil into which some fell while others escaped it, — nay, even if, though (as a fact) all men actually fall into sin, yet this general depravity arose merely from bad example, not from natural bias, then indeed Baptism of water and the Spirit would not be necessary except for those who, having come to years of understanding, had actual sin to answer for: but if, as our Saviour implies, even a child's heart, before he begins to think and act, is under Divine wrath, and contains the sure and miserable promise of future sin as the child grows up, can we do otherwise than thankfulh'- accept the pledge and means which He has given us of a new birth unto holiness; and since, by not telling us the time for Baptism, He has in a way left it to ourselves to decide upon it, shall we not apply the medicine given us when we are sure of the disease? " Can any man forbid water," to use St. Peter's words under different circumstances, "that" children "should not be baptized?" The burden of * John iii. 6.

Will it be said that infants are not properly qualijiec for Baptism? How is this an objection? Consider th( text. — "Except one be born of water and the Spirit/ says our Lord, "he cannot enter into the kingdom o: God."*^ There is nothing said about qualifications oi conditions here which might exclude infants from Baptism,— nothing about the necessity of previous faith, oi previous good works, in order to fit us for the mercy o\ God. Nor indeed could any thing be said. Christ knevs that, without His grace, man's nature could not beai any good fruit, for from above is every good gift. Fai from it. Any such notion of man's unassisted strengtl: is wholly detestable, contrary to the very first principle; of all true religion, whether Jewish, Christian, or ever Pagan. We are miserably fallen creatures, we are b;j nature corrupt, — we dare not talk even of children beinn naturally pleasing in God's sight. And if we wait ti children are in a condition to bring something to Goc in payment (so to say) of His mercy to them, till th€ have faith and repentance, they never will be baptizes for they will never attain to that condition. To defl Baptism till persons actually have repentance and faiii is refusing to give medicine till a patient begins to g well. It would be hard indeed, if Satan be allowed have access to the soul from infancy, as soon as begins to think, and we refuse to do what we can, what promises well, towards gaining for it the protection of God against the Tempter.

On this first view of the ease then, from the original; corruption of our nature, from the need which all men are under from their birth of pardon and help from God, from Baptism being a promise of mercy just suited to our need, and from the impossibility of any one (let him, be allowed to live unbaptized ever so long) bringing I any self-provided recommendation of himself to God's! favour; on all these accounts, I say, since God has given us no particular directions in the matter, but has left it r to ourselves, it seems, on the first view of the case, most I fitting and right to give children the privilege of Baptism.; 2. But, in fact, we are not, strictly speaking, left I without positive encouragement to bring infants near to \ Him. We are not merely left to infer generally the s propriety of Infant Baptism; Christ has shown us His willingness to receive children. Some men have said (indeed most of us perhaps in seasons of unbelief have been tempted in our hearts to ask), "What good can Baptism do senseless children? you might as well bap- I tize things without life; they sleep or even struggle during the ceremony, and interrupt it; it is a mere superstition.^' This, my brethren, is the language of the world, whoever uses it. It is putting sight against faith. If we are assured that Baptism has been blessed by Christ, as the rite of admittance into His Church, we [vii] Q have nothing to do with those outward appearances, which, though they might prove something perhaps, had He not spoken, now that He has spoken lose all force. To such objections, I would reply by citing our Saviour's " own word and deed/' We find that infants were brought to Christ; and His disciples seem to have doubted, in the same spirit of unbelief, what conld be the good of bringing helpless and senseless children to the Saviour of men. They doubtless thought that His time would be better employed in teaching them, than in attending to children; that it was interfering with His usefulness. " But when Jesus saw it^ He was much displeased '.'' These are remarkable words: " much displeased,''' — that is. He was uneasy, indignant, angry (as the Greek word may be more literally translated); and we are told, " He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them." Christ, thei can bless infants, in spite of their being to all appea3 ance as yet incapable of thought or feeling. He ca: and did, bless them; and, in the very sense in whic they then were blessed, we believe they are capable of blessing in Baptism.

3. And we may add this consideration. It is certaB that children ought to be instructed in religious truth as they can bear it, from the very first dawn of reason clearly, they are not to be left without a Christiai training till they arrive at years of maturity. Now, Ifl » Mark x. 14.

it be observed, Christ seems distinctly to connect teaching with Baptism, as if He intended to convey through it a blessing upon teaching, — " Go ye and teach all the nations, baptizing them/^ If children, then, are to be considered as under teaching, as learners in the school of

These are the reasons for Infant Baptism which strike the mind, even on the first consideration of the subject; and in the absence of express information from Scripture, they are (as far as they go) satisfactory. At what age should we be baptized? I answer, in childhood; because all children require Divine pardon and grace (as our Saviour Himself implies), all are capable of His blessing (as His action shows), all are invited to His blessing, and Baptism is a pledge from Him of His favour, as His Apostles frequently declare. Since infants are to be brought to Christ, we must have invented a rite, if Baptism did not answer the purpose of a dedi- f cation. Again, I say, in childhood; because all children need Christian instruction, and Baptism is a badge and mark of a scholar in Christ's school. And moreover,

I I will add, because St. Paul speaks of the children of Christian parents as being " holy,''' in a favoured state, a state of unmerited blessing; and because he seems to have baptized at once whole families, where the head of

I the family was converted to the faith of the Gospel '. 1 1 Cor. vii. 14. Acts xvi. 15. 33.

To conclude. Let me beg of all who hear me, and who wish to serve God, to remember, in their ordinaryprayers, their habitual thoughts, the daily business of life, that they were once baptized. If Baptism be merely a ceremony, to be observed indeed, but then at once forgotten, — a decent form, which it would neither be creditable, nor for temporal reasons expedient to neglect, —it is most surely no subject for a Christian minister to speak of; Christ's religion has no fellowship with bare forms, and nowhere encourages mere outward observances. If, indeed, there be any who degrade Baptism into a mere ceremony, which has in it no spiritual promise, let such men look to it for themselves, and defend their practice of baptizing infants as they can. But for me, my brethren, I would put it before you as a true and plain pledge, without reserve, of God's grace given to the souls of those who receive it; not a mere] form, but a real means and instrument of blessing verily and indeed received; and, as being such, I warn you to remember what a talent has been committed to you.! There are very many persons who do not think of Baptism in this religious point of view; who are in no sense in the habit of blessing God for it, and praying Him fa His further grace to profit by the privileges given thel in it; who, when even they pray for grace, do not ground their hope of being heard and answered, on tl promise of blessing in Baptism made to them; aboi all, who do not fear to sin after Baptism. This is course an omission; in many cases it is a sin. Let us set ourselves rig-ht in this respect. Nothing will remind us more forcibly both of our advantages and of our duties; for from the very nature of our minds outward signs are especially calculated (if rightly used) to strike, to aifect, to subdue, to change them.

Blessed is he who makes the most of the privileges given him, who takes them for a light to his feet and a lanthorn to his path. We have had the Sign of the Cross set on us in infancy, — shall we ever forget it? It is our profession. We had the water poured on us, — it was like the blood on the door-posts, when the destroying Angel passed over. Let us fear to sin after grace given, lest a worse thing come upon us. Let us aim at learning these two great truths: — that 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 made the cause, on the one hand, of our gaining eternal hfe, and the occasion to us, on the other, of eternal misery.