What

that he shall obtain it, according to a revelation from heaven, made to him in a dream or vision, &c. counsellor in his senses would undertake such a cause? How ridiculous would both appear before judge and jury? Yet not a whit better is the title to the heavenly inheritance of the persons mentioned above. But very different is the case of the man who, having seen, and read, and diligently examined the will, and being perfectly certain that he is the person described therein, feels an inexpressible joy and gladness of heart, and an earnest desire of possessing it. Sensible, however, that he may be mistaken in his judgment, and to prevent disappointment, he applies to a counsellor to examine and compare his credentials with the characteristics mentioned in the will, and to give him his opinion. No counsellor would be surprised at such an application, nor refuse to comply. And, having attended to the business, and found the man's opinion correct, he would congratulate him and say, "my friend, I have examined your credentials, and find them answerable to the will, and I have now the pleasure to bear witness with your spirit (mind, judgment, or conscience) that you are the rightful heir of the inheritance." This man now departs in peace. And, while his joy is increased with the confirmation of his title, he feels a proportioned increase of love and gratitude to the testator for having made him, who had been his sworn enemy, and whom he might have brought to condign punishment, his sole heir of a rich and beautiful inheritance.

Take this latter case, my beloved brethren, as an illustration of the Scriptural way to obtain true assurance for God has not only revealed that he had prepared a kingdom from the foundation of the world, and that our blessed Lord has gone to heaven to prepare

mansions; but he has also clearly and fully described, in the sacred Scriptures, the will of the testator, the characteristics of the heirs of that kingdom. By these characteristics, therefore, we must diligently compare ourselves, and if we find both to agree, we have then reason to rejoice in the hope of glory. Yet, to make our hope sure, we ought to apply, by frequent prayer and earnest supplications, to the Holy Spirit for his aid, counsel, and witness; and when his testimony agrees with ours, we may then rejoice in the full assurance of hope to the inheritance of the saints in light.

Hence saith the learned Witsius: "In what manner do believers attain the assurance of their election? Who has ascended up into heaven? or who, with a prying eye, has perused the volume of God's decrees and secrets? Who has looked into the heart of God? We are here, indeed, to guard against rash presumption. But what God has from eternity determined about the salvation of his people, he declares to them in time by signs that cannot deceive them. He has given them two books, from which they may gather what is sufficient to know, that they are written in the book of life: namely, the book of Scripture and the book of conscience. In the book of Scripture the distinguishing marks of election, as effectual calling by the Word and Spirit of God, Rom. 8: 30, faith in God and Christ, 2 Thess. 2: 13, hatred and eschewing of evil, 2 Tim. 2: 19, the sincere and constant study of holiness, Eph. 1: 4; 2 Thess. 2: 13, are drawn out with great exactness. In the book of conscience every one may read, if he give that proper diligence which a matter of such importance requires, whether these marks be within him." On the Covenant.

Now, although a child of God may possess the cha

mands. And if this authority be not the authority of God, the worship performed in obedience unto it is not the worship of God, but of him or them whose commands and authority are the reason and cause of it. God would never allow that the will and wisdom of any of his creatures should be the rise, rule, or measure of his worship, or any part of it, or anything that belongs unto it. This honour he has reserved unto himself; neither will he part with it unto any other. Hence the Scripture abounds with severe interdictions and comminations against those who shall presume to do or appoint anything in his worship, besides or beyond his own institution. Divine institution alone is that which renders anything acceptable unto God. All divine service or worship must be resolved into divine ordination or institution. A worship not ordained of God, is not accepted of God. Adam lost himself and us all by his failure therein." 5; and 9: 8.

On the Heb., ch. 1: 6; 8:

"All our worship," saith the pious Mr. Hall, "must be regulated by gospel institution, that it may be performed according to the appointment of Christ, as king of the church. Who is the daring, insolent worm that will presume to dispute the authority or change the ordinances of him who is given to be the head over all things to the church. It is most dangerous and presumptuous to add any ceremony or to join any service, on any pretence, unto heaven's appointment. This is the most criminal rashness." Gospel Worship, vol. 1. See Booth Ped. Ex., vol. 1, p. 29.

Upon what divine authority, then, my dear brother, do you rest your hope of having obeyed Christ's command by being sprinkled when an infant, seeing there is neither precept nor example for it in the sacred Scripture;

but rather as much prohibition for administering this sacred ordinance to an infant as to a heathen, Mahometan, or unbelieving Jew? for the law of the institution requires that the subject should be first taught, should repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, which an infant is not capable of doing; and for another to do it for the child is as absurd as to imagine that the food eaten by the parents is a sufficient nourishment for their offspring. Besides, even if it could be proved, which never can be done, that infants are proper subjects for this ordinance, still the act of sprinkling instead of dipping or immersing differs as much from the law of the institution as if Abraham had circumcised the thumb of the right hand of every male, instead of the member required by the law of the institution.

Arise, then, my brother, repent and be baptized or immersed, in obedience to the command of your Saviour God. What has been stated is equally applicable to those who have been sprinkled as adults after their conversion to God. For, though they were proper subjects, yet the act of sprinkling was without Scripture precept or example, as has been fully shown in Essay IV. The pious and indefatigable Mr. Booth, after giving us more than eighty quotations from the most learned Pedobaptist divines, makes the following observation: "If we examine the present prevailing practice of pouring or sprinkling upon those principles, rules, and reasonings which the most eminent Pedobaptists have laid before us in the preceding quotations, we must conclude that neither sprinkling nor pouring is warranted by the word baptism. Pedob. Ex., vol. 1, p. 79.

Having already exceeded my limits in the former part of this Essay, I am compelled to curtail my address to you, my beloved brethren, but not without hope that, by

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the blessing of God on what has been advanced, you may be led to see and renounce error, and follow the example of our blessed Lord and Saviour through evil as well as good report. Yea, firmly believing that truth will and must prevail, I cannot close the subject without expressing my firm and sure belief that the time is not far off when the sacred and solemn ordinance of baptism will no more be administered to infants than the Lord's supper; and when it will be no longer said, "sprinkling is as good as immersion, and one drop is as good as an ocean," than the partaking of the bread only is considered as good as the partaking of both the elements.

Nor needs it the spirit of a prophet or son of a prophet to foretell the way or manner of bringing about this great and desirable change. As the order of God's house and the purity of his worship have been deformed, corrupted, and polluted by ignorant, superstitious, and wicked priests, so in like manner must these abominations be removed, and order and purity restored, by the propagation of the truth as it is in the bible, from the lips or pens of enlightened, pious, and faithful ministers of Christ, the watchmen on the walls of Zion. May the Lord of the harvest increase and multiply the number of such labourers, and to his name be the glory. Amen.

ESSAY VII.

Christ's Church a Baptist Church.

My object in this additional Essay is, to show that the church of Christ was originally composed of converted Jews, who were all Baptists, and that ultimately the