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with Abraham was the covenant of grace. This was proved by the comments of the New Testament upon the articles of that covenant, which show that the promise of a numerous seed related to believers in Christ of every nation; that the gospel was preached and Christ promised in that covenant; that God therein promised to be the everlasting God of those who kept it; that Christ and salvation were the substance of it; that believers under the New Testament are heirs of the promises made in that cove nant; that it was confirmed of God in Christ; and that it contained the righteousness of faith. Circumcision was the sign and seal of this covenant.. This sign and seal was, by divine appointment, put upon infants only eight days old; and therefore infants once had a right to the initiating seal of the covenant of grace, and had a visible standing in this covenant. Circumcision was abolished when Christ came, and baptism was instituted in its room, and therefore should be applied to the same subjects, unless God has taken away the right which he once gave. The New Testament gives us no evidence that God has taken away this right from infants, and therefore it still continues. Yea the New Testament, not only gives us no evidence that God has taken away the right of infants to be admitted to a visible standing in his church, but it contains positive evidence that he has continued this right.Christ said Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Peter urged as a reason why the Jews should be baptized, "The promise is unto you, and to your children." declared the infants of believers to be holy; and whole households were baptized. Infant baptism was practised without dispute throughout the christian church for many centuries after the apostles' days. And God has most signally blessed those who have practised infant baptism, and does still bless them. From these arguments we confidently draw the conclusion that children ought to be baptized. And in this faith, supported by such arguments, we will with joy bring our children to the Lord, put his seal upon them, devote them to him, and humbly plead the promise, that he will be the God of our seed as well as our God.-AMEN,

Paul

and

SERMON C.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR BAPTISM.

ACTS II. 38, 39.

Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

Agreeably to the promise of our divine Lord, the Holy Ghost was poured out upon his apostles, a few days after his ascension. This took place on the day of Pentecost, in the city of Jerusalem, where the apostles were assembled, waiting for the fulfilment of their Lord's promise. "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance;" Acts ii. 2, 3, 4.

The news of what had taken place, being noised abroad through Jerusalem, drew together a great multitude of Jews, who were at this time in Jerusalem, attending the feast from the different nations, whither they had been dispersed. When they heard the apostles address them each in his own language, some were amazed, and others mocking said, these men are full of new wine;" vers. 13. This charge, Peter, standing up with the rest of the apostles, denied, and told them that what they saw and heard, was the fulfilment of a prophecy long before delivered by the prophet Joel. He then spake to them of Christ, who had been approved of God among them, by the miracles which he wrought; charged them with his murder; declared that God had raised him from the dead, of which they were witnesses; and had exalted him to his right

hand; and that it was through his power that what they saw and heard had taken place. When they heard this discourse, they were pricked in their hearts, and anxiously asked what they should do? "Peter (in the words of our text) said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

The christian dispensation of the covenant of grace had now taken the place of the Jewish. Baptism had been appointed to be in the room of circumcision, the ordinance of admission into a visible standing in the church. Visible repentance was to be necessary to admit adults to this ordinance. Children, as formerly, were to have a visible standing in the church, and therefore were to be baptized; for the promise was unto them as well as to their parents. But repentance in the parents being necessary to their own admission, was of course necessary to the admission of their children, whose right was in virtue of their parents standing. And admission into the church was not now to be confined as it had formerly been to the Jewish nation, but was to be extended also to the Gentiles, or those afar off; and they and their children, were also on their repentance to be admitted to baptism. Waving other things of which the text might lead us to speak, the object of the ensuing discourse is to treat of the qualifications for baptism.

I. Let us attend to the qualifications requisite to entitle persons to receive baptism in adult years. The direction of our text with respect to such is, repent and be baptized. By the repentance here required is meant true, evangelical repentance; for it is that which is connected with remission of sins. 66 Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." This repentance is a gracious exercise, and he that has it, is a child of God. Hence we learn that the qualifications for baptism in adult years, in the sight of the church are, evidences of true religion. And ministers following the instructions of God's word, and the practice of the apostles, have no right to baptize any in adult years, but upon credible evidences that they possess

true religion. This appears, not only from our text, but from several other passages. Our Saviour commissioned his apostles: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved;" Mark xvi. 15, 16. Hence we learn that believing or faith, even that faith to which the promise of salvation is made, is to precede adult baptism.

In the chapter which contains our text we read, "they that gladly received his word were baptized;" ver. 41. The trait of character here given belongs to a gracious heart. Acts viii. 12, we read, "When they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women. Here again faith preceded baptism. In the same chapter, we have recorded, "As they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, see here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest; ver. 36, 37. The eunuch was. required to believe with all his heart, which certainly can signify nothing short of saving faith. So also Lydia before she was baptized, gave evidence of conversion; for the Lord had "opened her heart, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul," and immediately after her baptism, she said, "if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us ;" Acts xvi. 14, 15. So also the jailer was baptized on the same ground; for he was deeply convicted of his sins; and having anxiously enquired what he should do to be saved, was told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he should be saved; and having heard the word of the Lord preached to him, he was baptized, and rejoiced believing in God; Acts xvi.

From all these passages it is evident, that credible evidences of conversion, repentance, and faith, or true religion, are requisite to entitle unbaptized adults to be admitted to the ordinance of baptism. And this is the doctrine of our Catechism. “Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him." Herein we agree with those who deny the propriety of infant baptism. We hold with them the necessity of a credible profession of true repentance, faith, and obedience, to give an adult a right to be baptized?

II. We proceed to point out the requisite qualifications for infant baptism. These qualifications must be in the parent or offerer. Infants, unquestionably, have not the right merely because they are infants. The advocates for the greatest laxness in administering baptism to infants will not contend for this. They will all allow that something else is requisite to give a right to infants, than merely that they are infants. They must be the children of parents, or under the care of guardians, or masters, of a certain description. Under the Jewish dispensation, it was necessary that persons themselves should be circumcised, to have a right to put the seal of the covenant upon their children. The apostles evidently acted upon the same principle in the administration of baptism. Both Lydia and the jailer were first baptized themselves, and received into the christian church, before the ordinance was administered to their households. And those who in the present day are most lax in administering baptism to infants, will at least require, that the offerer should be a baptized person. These two things then are evident, and must be admitted, that all infants indiscriminately are not to be baptized, and that the qualifications are not in the infant but in the offerer.

What then are the requisite qualifications to entitle a person to offer a child in baptism?

I answer that the offerer ought to give credible evidences that he is truly pious, or a child of God. The correctness of this answer, I would now endeavour to establish?

1. From the qualifications requisite to dedicate a child aright in circumcision, under the Old Testament dispensation. It was shown in a former discourse that the covenant made with Abraham was the covenant of grace, and that circumcision was a seal of this covenant, and therefore a seal of the covenant of grace. The child in circumcision was passive. The acting person was the parent or offerer. As has been shown the child's right was not in itself, but derived from the relation of the parent or offerer to the covenant. The parent therefore by offering his child, evidently professed to be in the covenant, in virtue of which he claimed a right for his child; and, if in the covenant, to be under obligations to keep it. Circumcision was a seal of the righteousness of faith, therefore when

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