What then is the scriptural connexion between baptism and salvation? I conceive baptism to be chiefly a symbol and evidence.

It is symbolical. "The mystical water," on the part of God, who appointed its use, is " an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace;" and on the part of man, the participation of it is a significative promise, which may or may not be sincere. Like the ark of Noah (to refer again to St. Peter's illustration,) it is a figure, the outward washing being a representation of inward cleansing, the effect of which inward renewal is the stipulation of a good conscience toward God. The salvation of Noah and his family in the material ark, the figure to which the Apostle compares baptism, might or might not be, according to the spiritual state of those who were therein figuratively saved, accompanied and followed by spiritual and everlasting salvation. The case is the same with respect to persons baptized. "The

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water is sanctified or set apart to the mystical washing away of sin." Its effect is symbolical or mystical." I cannot conceive of any other virtue given to the water in baptism (or to the bread and wine in the other sacrament) than that of a symbol, nor of any other necessary effect following its application than that which is also symbolical. It represents to the eye the way of salvation, while it also affords evidence to the

penitent believer of his interest in that salvation. "To administer a sacrament is, by the outward word and element, to preach to the receiver the inward and spiritual grace of God.”1 And preaching may or may not be effectual to those to whom it is addressed.

Baptism is designed also to be an evidence. On the part of God, it is an evidence to assure us of his favour, if we possess the necessary prerequisites to Baptism, repentance, whereby we forsake sin, and faith, whereby we stedfastly believe the promises of God made to us in that sacrament.' It is a pledge,' as our catechism terms it, added to the charter of life. But it is, as every thing external in the dealings of God with man must be, conditional. This is implied in the texts just quoted, and particularly in that from the 1st Epistle of St. Peter, where the Apostle, to prevent any mistake, expressly says, that the washing with water, without the stipulation of a good conscience towards God, that is, in the words of our catechism, without faith and repentance, avails nothing. To believe in the non-conditionality of the Baptismal covenant on the part of God, is to carry the doctrine of grace far beyond its usual bounds of demarcation.

What was the object of our Lord's own sub

1 Homily of Common Prayer and Sacraments.

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mission to this ordinance? Not to obtain regene rating grace; he needed it not: but to afford evidence of his Messiahship by the visible descent of the Holy Spirit and the voice from heaven. He before possessed that Spirit; he was before God's beloved Son; but his baptism was for the of manifestation, as ours also is.

purpose

It is an evidence also on the part of the sinner who receives it, as it is a pledge given by him to his profession of faith and repentance, and to his solemn promises and vows of self-dedication to the service of God. But if this pledge be insincerely given, if no verification of it appear, who will say that any other effect has followed from the solemn engagement than an increase of guilt and condemnation?

Our Lord's parables justify the view which has been taken in these remarks. The visible church is compared to a field, in which tares and wheat grow together. The tares were not originally wheat and afterwards deteriorated in quality; but are, as they grow up, what they were when first planted. The tares, though growing in the field of the visible church, were sown therein by the devil, and are styled, in our Lord's explanation of the parable, the children of the wicked one. The Gospel-net brings to shore fish good and bad, distinguished in quality from each other by the eye of Omniscience from the time of their being caught. The guest

without the wedding garment has not soiled or destroyed one which he formerly wore, but never was duly clothed for the marriage-feast. The branches of the mystic vine which bring forth no fruit, have not lost a previous fruitful quality, but were from the first unfruitful.

Is it probable, that, if baptism were the only and certain channel of regenerating grace, of that grace whereby we die to sin, and are new born to righteousness, there should not be one passage found from which this can be inferred, throughout the history of the Acts, or in any one of the Epistles? Might we not have expected to have found the doctrine, expressed or implied, not in an insulated passage of Scripture, not in a few passages only, but interwoven with every history of the plantation of a church, however short, and with every epistle addressed to the churches so planted? I should have expected to have found the members of the church continually described by the attribute of their baptism, if it were equivalent to regeneration. But, on the contrary, though I find the terms, "born of God, children and sons of God, saints, believers, &c," I nowhere find them characterized by that which would comprehend all in one word-their baptism.

To establish this point more clearly, let us bring together into one view every passage of Scripture which can be at all considered as bearing on the

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question, taking first those which speak of baptism, and then those which speak of regeneration, under the several notions which the Scripture has adopted on the subject. We shall thus be enabled to determine, by comparing spiritual things with spiritual," what sense the terms bear, and whether that connexion subsist between them for which some contend. This will be at least a fair mode of procedure, and will afford my young friend an opportunity of judging for himself on the subject. I cannot engage to omit no passages which may apply, or be supposed to apply, to the point at issue; but I will intentionally omit none which appear to me to do so.

BAPTISM.

MATT. iii. 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but He that cometh after me.... shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

MATT. xxviii. 19. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

MARK XVI. 15, 16. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

1 Marg. read, Make disciples, or Christians, of all nations. According to this reading, they were first to be made Christians, and then baptized.