thy soul, that thou mayest live.” Jer. iv. 3, 4. “ For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings."

It appears from Gen. xvii. 7—14. quoted above, that the seed of Abraham, while they were infants, and no more than eight days old, were in covenant with God. He was their God, and promised to give them a portion in the resurrection, and in the city of the heavenly Jerusalem. It is expressly said, ver. 11. that their circumcision was a token of the covenant between God and them. It was a token of the whole covenant, both of the promise of eternal life, and of the land of Canaan. There is not the least hint given that circumcision was a token of both these promises to the adult, and only of the promise of Canaan to infants. As Abraham's posterity were, by virtue of this covenant, to have the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, provided they did not break covenant with God, and apostatize from him; (for if they did, he would banish them from thence, as at this day) so circumcised infants should certainly, by virtue of this covenant, have the Almighty for their God, and so be brought to heaven, provided they did not afterwards apostatize from God's covenant. And forasmuch as they were not capable of this apostasy, as long as they remained infants, it is certain

that, if they died in their infancy, they should be partakers of that blessed resurrection, and of all that eternal happiness of the future world, which are signified by that divine and comprehensive promise, "I will be their God."*

Baptism now, like circumcision of old, makes persons to become the seed of Abraham, and heirs to the promises of the covenant which God made with him. This it does to the utmost extent of its administration. Now, we have seen that it was administered to believers, and their houses. Evidently referring to this enlarged and comprehensive administration, the apostle says, "For ye are ALL the children of God by the faith in Christ Jesus. For AS MANY OF YOU AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise," Gal. iii. 26—29.

Nay, without Baptism, as the sign of the covenant of God, we are taught that no one can enter into the kingdom, or enjoy the salvation of God. It corresponds in this respect with what is said, Gen. xvii. 14. of circumcision of old. We mean not to assert that Baptism is absolutely indispensable to salvation. But certainly there is a meaning not to be despised in the two following passages, in which the ordinance, as

*Hallet's Scripture Doctrine of Circumcision and Baptism,' Section iii.

well as the blessing it confirms, is expressly mentioned. John iii. 5. " Except a man [ris any one] be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Mark xvi. 16. "He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned." From this text some infer, that a person must actually believe, else he cannot be baptized. With as much reason they might infer, that a person must actually believe, else he cannot be saved; especially as it is added, " He that believeth not shall be condemned." But, it is acknowledged, that infants shall not be condemned, because they do not believe. No objection can therefore be brought from this text against the Baptism of infants.

Precisely the same, then, is the meaning of Circumcision and the meaning of Baptism. But there never were two ordinances of the same signification, the observance of which was enjoined at the same time. When disciples were, under the gospel, baptized, with their houses, they were no longer to be taught, "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved," Acts xv. 1. In deciding on the question as to this doctrine, Peter expressly refers to the lesson he had received in the family of Cornelius, to baptize the Gentiles, as abolishing circumcision. Ver. 8, 9, 10. “ And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, PURIFYING THEIR HEARTS by faith. Now, therefore, why tempt ye

God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear ?" Nay, if after professing the faith of Christ, men should return to the ordinances of a prior dispensation, we are told they must forfeit the blessings of the gospel. Gal. v. 2-6. "Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." And this last sentence is expressed thus in chap. vi. 15. « For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature."

Since, then, the ordinance of circumcision is removed, and the meaning of it is found in the ordinance of baptism, the latter has evidently come in the room of the former, agreeably to the language of the apostles Peter and Paul. That the ordinances are different in matter and form, is no objection to our doctrine, but a confirmation of it. For where is the ordinance which has not been, in these respects, changed under the gospel dispensation? Instead of the name of Israelite, we have that of Christians. Instead of the seventh day, we have the first day, Sabbath. Instead of sacrifices, the memorials of sin, we have the Lord's Supper, the commemoration of

S

the one sacrifice by which we enjoy the remission of sin-both answering the same purpose, the confirming of our faith in that atonement, by which we draw near to God. In like manner, we have Baptism, the circumcision of Christ, instead of the circumcision which Moses gave unto the Jews, "not

that it is of Moses, but of the fathers," John vii. 22. And here also lies the difference between the Jewish and the Christian dispensations. It lies in the matter and form of the ordinances of worship, a difference suited to the times then present, and to the times now present; not in the nature of the work of God, not in the character, the privileges, the faith, or the hopes of his people. It is said by Antipædobaptists to be one of their chief objections to Infant Baptism, that it unites the church and the world. This is a very extraordinary view of the matter, and there must be a mistake in it; for we know that God appointed infant circumcision for the very purpose of separating the church from the world; and preserving it, in that separated state, from one generation to another. Infant Baptism must therefore have the same design, and through the blessing of God, the same effect.

We may now understand the reason of the scripture fact, that apostles and evangelists baptized believers and their houses. They considered Baptism as Christian circumcision: and therefore, in observing the ordinance, they observed the ancient extent of the administration. It is particularly worthy of remark, that, according to the Apostolic Epistles, the