words I will only add Hooker's comment. "We are plainly taught of God, that the seed of Faithful Parentage is holy from the very birth.” 1

Indeed God looks upon the Children of the Church as his own Children, as is evident from the following affecting expostulation of God with his people, during their captivity in Babylon." Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them [idols] to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, that thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?” 2

"3

Encouraged by these repeated promises of mercy and love to his Children, all of which the believing Parent will apply to himself and his Child by faith; he will find yet larger encouragement in that act of condescending love, when the Saviour confirmed these promises of mercy in his acceptance of the "Infants," that were brought to him, and in bestowing his blessing upon them. Will these Parents form a false judgment of our Church's intention in selecting this one passage from the scripture, as the ground of Baptismal blessing, without mentioning one of the above promises;

1 See Ec. Pol. B. v. c. 60. See also this text amply discussed by Wall. "Hist. of Infant Baptism," i. 123. 3 Luke xviii. 15.

2 Ezek. xvi. 20, 21.

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if they should infer, that she conceives the virtue of all the promises to the Children of believers, to be concentrated in this one act of our Lord, when he received Infants into his arms and blessed them? In this act is something beyond promise; it is not a promise given, but a promise acted out; not a word of mercy spoken, but an act of mercy accomplished. "Ye perceive," says the Church," how by his outward gesture and deed he declared his good will toward them, for "-he did not give a promise; but he ratified every promise heretofore given to the Children of believers, by his authentic act and deed ;"he embraced them in his arms, he laid his hands upon them, and blessed them." this accomplishment of promise she encourages the faith of the believer; "Wherefore we being thus persuaded of the good will of our heavenly Father towards this infant, declared by his son Jesus Christ, and nothing doubting," &c: and in the address to the Sponsors, shortly after, she adds, " ye have heard also that our Lord Jesus Christ hath promised in his Gospel, to grant all these things that ye have prayed for: which promise he for his part will most surely keep and perform." In the first sentence the congregation is reminded of "the good will of our heavenly Father" towards "infants," first the subject of promise, that promise afterwards practically" declared by his Son Jesus Christ,” in his loving acceptance of them and in the

second sentence the Sponsors are encouraged by the general promise" ask and ye shall have,' to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will grant all these things that ye have prayed for." Here then are great and abundant promises, promises ratified by the practical kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the days of his flesh, full of encouragement and peace and the benefit of these promises, these faithful Parents will apply to themselves and their offspring.

Nor will they stop here: they will on so important a question, as that of the favor of God towards their Child, not rest merely on the general assurance of the mercy of God towards him in the promise, they will ask further for some particular token, sign, seal and pledge of this mercy in a Sacrament especially appointed for this purpose. If the Child, according to the promise, be a gracious Child, as the offspring of the believer, he belongs to the family of grace; and there must surely be some visible mode appointed by God for his admission into that family, a mode by which the Church shall testify the reception of the Child into her bosom, and afford the Parents and Sponsors, and the Child himself, when he arrives at an age to comprehend his own privileges, a pledge to assure them that such Child does really belong to the family of Christ.

And on looking into the page of scripture, and observing the general practice of the Church

throughout all ages, from the early covenant of God with Abraham and all his faithful posterity, both Jew and Gentile, he will to his inexpressible satisfaction learn, that as God has given a promise of grace to believers and their Children after them, so he has uniformly afforded them the richest assurance of the blessing, by appointing a particular Sacrament for the initiatory ingrafting of such Children into his Church, as the means of actually conveying the blessing, and as a sign, and seal, and pledge to assure every believer of the same.

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While these believing Parents contemplate their Child as born in sin, and therefore the Child of wrath, it must be their most anxious

1 St. Stephen states this idea most concisely and impressively, and in a manner encouraging to every Christian Parent. "And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and intreat them evil four hundred years. And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place." Here is the promise. Next we have the seal of it;"" and he gave him the covenant of circumcision." Thus assured, Abraham acted on this assurance—“ and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day :' and the Patriarchs acted with the same faith: " and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve Patriarchs." The Christian Parent and all his posterity have the same warrant. First the promise; next the assurance and pledge of the promise "the covenant" of Baptism; let him only act with the same faith, and all the blessings of the Covenant shall be to him and his Children.

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inquiry, how can this Child stand before God without the imputation of sin, and be assured of restoration to his favour? And they will see, that God has done this, for the comfort of believers, by the Sacrament of Circumcision under the Law, and by the Sacrament of Baptism under the Gospel; and that while the seal of ratification has been altered from the blood of Circumcision to the more merciful water of Baptism, the blessing has equally been conferred by pro-mise, and not by any mere act or observance of law, whether under the Law or under the Gospel.

And as Circumcision, as preparatory to Baptism, appears to be the hinge on which the question mainly turns, it seems to deserve our more particular attention. Let us consider it first then in its institution. "As for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram; but thy name shall be Abraham, for a Father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee; and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant; to be a God unto thee, and thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan for an everlast