Christ for deliverance. We cannot allow for less meaning in those words, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad."8

He was one of those who "died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and was persuaded of them, and embraced them."

The Christian Church has no broader and no other basis than this one Abrahamic article. We have expansion and divisions of it, and varied statements, and some things added to it in our local creeds for denominational and other purposes; but, for substance of doctrine, we confess in our Church-membership to the same that the father of believers confessed to in his Church-membership.

8 John viii. 56.

CHAPTER V.

WHO WERE ADMITTED TO THE ORIGINAL CHURCH

OF GOD?

HEN a father who is an alien comes into the

WE

rights of citizenship, his children under age are included in the privileges and duties of that citizenship: so ordinarily, in important domestic, social, and civil compacts, the little children are reckoned with the parents. This is natural and reasonable. The constitution of the family is such that they must be reckoned as an inseparable part of it, and bound to the head in any good or ill of any parental compact. This alone satisfies the parental heart, that involuntarily binds up the child in its own expected good or ill.

Hence God in his ancient covenants invariably included the children. The children of Adam were so included, and suffer through his sin. God said to Noah, "With thee will I establish my covenant; and so Noah, "moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." When the angels would deliver Lot they said, "Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters," and "escape for thy life." So God enjoined obedience on his ancient people, "that it may be well with thee, and with thy children after

thee." Of the children of disobedient parents he says, "In the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away." Thus has it ever been that God has regarded the household as a unit.

In view of this fact of a oneness in the family constitution, and in view of this practice of God to couple and bind up the children with the parents in any parental covenant with him, what should we. expect if God should gather a Church of adult membership? Would there probably be any specific and encouraging recognition of the children of the members? On this point the history of the formation of the Church is explicit and plain. "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee." "He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised." For God's covenant constituting the Church required that Abraham should receive "the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.” 1 So "Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised them in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him."2 This embraced all those to whom the believing head of the family sustained the responsible relation of a father or a guardian.

So afterward, when a proselyte from the Gentiles came into the faith and Church of God's people, he "and all his " received this seal. The law regulating

this run thus, "When a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover of the Lord, let all his males be circumcised; and then let him come near and keep it. And he shall be as one that is born in the land." 3 This dedication of the household was a pre-requisite to the celebration of the passover. No one came to the communion in that ancient Church who did not at the same time publicly dedicate and make over his family to God.

The females of the household were included without any ceremonial dedication, according to that patriarchial and Oriental usage which included the females of the family, without specification, in covenants and contracts made to embrace the males. The spirit and practice of those times left woman comparatively unmentioned; yet in all civic, social, and religious combinations, and organic actions, she was most sacredly embraced and bound up by implication and silent consent.

8 Ex. xii. 48.

CHAPTER VI.

THE DOUBLE BASIS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD.

WE

E have now unfolded the two fundamental elements in the divine constitution of the Church of God. One is faith in the Messiah: the other is household dedication. The adult, entering into membership, must believe in a Redeemer for salvation; and if he have little children he must dedicate them to God in the Church; indeed, he is presumed to include them in and with himself, when he makes his own dedication.

In comparison with these two, all other principles were inferior. They guided to the entrance and bore up the portal to the spiritual house of God. If any one will study the formation and history of the Church through the Old Testament, he will be surprised to see how these two features mark the body in its inception and development. They lift themselves up as do the two continents of the world, what land is left being but islands. This ought not to surprise any one; since the doctrine of redemption is the natural and germinant centre of true religion, and its application most fitly begins with those nearest to us. Moreover, a due inculcation of household religion binds one over by proper influence and obligation,