rianism. Those who possess most of this spirit, will be most friendly to this system. But just in proportion as that spirit declines, Presbyterian doctrines will be thought too rigid; Presbyterian worship will appear too simple and naked; and Presbyterian discipline will be regarded as too unaccommodating and austere. Let Presbyterians, then, learn a lesson of wisdom from this consideration. Let them remember that their system will never appear so well, or work so well, as in the midst of simple, primitive, and devoted piety. This is its genial soil. As long as such a soil is furnished, it will grow. When such a soil is not furnished, it will still live, and do better than any other system, on the whole; but its highest glory will have departed, and something else will begin to be thought desirable by the votaries of worldly indulgence, and worldly splendour. The friends of our beloved Church ought to know, and lay to heart, that their happiness and their strength consist in cordial and diligent adherence to that vital principle, the language of which is, "None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." THE END. SCRIPTURAL AND REASONABLE: AND BAPTISM BY SPRINKLING OR AFFUSION, THE MOST SUITABLE AND EDIFYING MODE By SAMUEL MILLER, D.D. PROFESSOR OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY AND CHURCH GOVERNMENT IN THE PHILADELPHIA: PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION. على ADVERTISEMENT. The substance of the following discourses was delivered, in two sermons, in the church in Freehold, Monmouth county, New Jersey, on the 29th of September, 1834. A desire for their publication having been expressed by some who heard them, I have thought proper to revise and enlarge the whole, and present it in the present form. The subject is one which has given rise to much warm discussion, and it would seem, at first view, to be a work of supererogation, if not of still more unfavourable character, to trouble the Christian community with another treatise upon it. But our Antipodobaptist brethren appear to be resolved that it shall never cease to be agitated; and as, indeed, the constant stirring of this controversy seems to furnish no small share of the very aliment on which they depend for subsistence as a denomination, they cannot be expected to let it rest. The great importance of the subject, in my estimation; and the hope that this little volume may reach and benefit some, who are in danger of being drawn into the toils of error, and have no opportunity of perusing larger works, have induced me to undergo the labour of preparing it for the press. My object is not to write for the learned, but to present the subject in that brief, plain, popular manner which is adapted to the case of those who read but little. I have, therefore, designedly avoided the introduction of much matter which properly belongs to the subject, and which is to be found in larger treatises; and have especially refrained from entering further into the field of philo logical discussion, than was absolutely necessary for the accomplishment of my plan. If I know my own heart, my purpose is, not to wound the feelings of a human being; not to stir up strife; but to provide a little manual, better adapted than any of this class that I have seen, for the use of those Presbyterians who are continually assaulted, and sometimes perplexed, by their Baptist neighbours. May the Divine benediction rest upon the humble offering! S. M. Princeton, July, 1834. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1835, by Dr. A. W. Mitchell, in the office of the Clerk of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 686 Pres. M651jer INFANT BAPTISM. DISCOURSE I. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us say ing, if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into mine house and abide there.-Acts xvi. 15. As MAN has a body as well as a soul, it has pleased infinite wisdom to appoint something in religion adapted to both parts of our nature. Something to strike the senses, as well as to impress the conscience and the heart; or rather, something which might through the medium of the senses, reach and benefit the spiritual part of our constitution. For, as our bodies in this world of sin and death, often become sources of moral mischief and pain, so, by the grace of God, they are made inlets to the most refined moral pleasures, and means of advancement in the divine life. But while the outward senses are to be consulted in religion, they are not to be invested with unlimited dominion. Accordingly the external rites and ceremonies of Christianity are few and simple, but exceedingly appropriate and significant. We have but two sacraments, the one emblematical of that spiritual cleansing, and the other of that spiritual nourishment, which we need both for enjoyment and for duty. To one of these sacramental ordinances there is a pointed reference in the original commission given by their Master to the apostles: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature,-baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. xxviii. 19, 20.) And, accordingly, wherever the Gospel was received, we find holy baptism reverently administered as a sign and seal of membership in the family of Christ. Thus on the occasion to which our text refers, "a certain woman,' we are told, "named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, heard Paul and Silas preach in the city of Philippi; and the Lord opened her heart, so that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into mine house and abide there.' be I propose, my friends, from these words, to address you on the subject of Christian Baptism. You are sensible that this is a subject on which much controversy has existed, in modern times, among professing Christians. It shall my endeavour, by the grace of God, with all candour and impartiality, to inquire what the Scriptures teach concerning this ordinance, and what appears to have been the practice in regard to it in the purest and best ages of the Christian church, as well as in later times. May I be enabled to speak, and you to hear as becomes those who expect in a little while, to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. There are two questions concerning baptism to which I request your special attention at this time, viz: Who are the proper subjects of this ordinance ? And in what manner ought it to be administered? To the first of these questions our attention will be directed in the present, and the ensuing discourse. I. Who are to be considered as the proper subjects of Christian Baptism? That baptism ought to be adminstered to all adult persons, who profess faith in Christ, and obedience to him, and who have not been baptized in their infancy, is not doubted by any. In this all who consider baptism as an ordinance at present obligatory are agreed. But it is well known that there is a large and respectable body of professing Christians among us who believe, and confidently assert, that baptism ought to be confined to adults; who insist, that when professing Christians bring their infant offspring, and dedicate them to God, and receive for them the washing of sacramental water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, they entirely pervert and misapply an important Christian ordinance. We highly respect the sincerity and piety of many who entertain these opinions; but we are perfectly persuaded that they are in error, nay in great and mischievous error; in error which cannot fail of exerting a most unhappy influence on the best interests of the Church of God. We have no doubt that the visible church is made up, not only of those who personally profess the true religion, but also of their children; and that we are bound not only to confess Christ before men for ourselves, but also to bring our infant seed in the arms of faith and love, and present them before the Lord, in that ordinance which is at once a seal of God's covenant with his people, and an emblem of |