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POTTER, ARCHBISHOP.-of Church Government, chap. i.

P. 14.

Whoever wilfully neglects to be made a member of the Christian Church, does, by necessary consequence, deprive himself of all the privileges which belong to it; just as in any civil corporation they who are not members of it can plead no right to any of its privileges. This has already been shown to be the sense of CHRIST, and the same is constantly affirmed by the Christian writers of all ages. They who do not come into the Church [saith Irenæus] do not partake of the SPIRIT, but deprive themselves of life." For where the Church is, there is the SPIRIT of GOD. And in St. Cyprian's opinion, he cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his Mother.

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Hence the privileges of the Christian Church, such as Remission of Sins, the Grace of the HOLY SPIRIT, and Eternal Life, are commonly said to be annexed to Baptism, this being the constant rite of initiation into the Church. Thus, in Ananias's exhortation to St. Paul, "Arise, and be baptized," &c. . . . . St. Barnabas expressly affirms, that "Baptism procures remission of sins;" and proves, from the Scriptures, that they who are baptized, are received into God's favour, whereas all the rest of mankind lie under His displeasure. Peter thus exhorts his new converts: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you," &c. ..... Our blessed SAVIOUR joins Faith and Baptism together, as necessary conditions of salvation: "Except a man be born of water and of the SPIRIT," &c. . . . . . And in another place, "He that believes, and is baptized, shall be saved." From these, and like passages of Scripture, the Primitive Church constantly inferred, that where the Gospel had been sufficiently propounded, no man could be saved, without Baptism actually obtained, or earnestly desired. Whence Tertullian calls it the "happy sacrament of water, whereby we are washed from the sins of our former blindness, and delivered into eternal life." And Cyprian gives this reason, why the Baptism of infants should not be delayed so long as the eighth day after their birth, that

.....

(since it is said in the Gospel, that "the Son of Man came not to destroy men's souls, but to save them") it is our duty, as far as in us lies, to take care that no soul shall be destroyed.

NELSON, CONFESSOR.-Festivals and Fasts, p. 115.

By this means [by Baptism] the children of believers are entered into covenant with GOD under the Gospel, as they were under the Law by circumcision; and that infants are capable of this federal relation, is plainly declared by Moses; (Deut. xxix. 11.) and since they are the offspring of Adam, and consequently obnoxious to death by his fall, how can they be made partakers of that redemption which CHRIST hath purchased for the children of GoD, if they do not enjoy the advantage of that method which is alone appointed by CHRIST for them to become members of GOD's kingdom? For JESUS himself has assured us, "Except one be born of water," &c. . . .... And therefore it was the constant custom of the Primitive Church to administer Baptism to infants for the remission of sins. And this practice was esteemed, by the best tradition, to be derived from the Apostles themselves.

WATERLAND, PRESBYTER.-On Regeneration. 2.

The second is the case of infants. Their innocence and incapacity are to them, instead of repentance, which they do not need, and of actual faith, which they cannot have. They are capable of being savingly born of water and the SPIRIT, and of being adopted into sonship with what depends thereupon; because, though they bring no virtues with them, no positive righteousness, yet they bring no obstacle, no impediment. They stipulate, they enter into contract, by their sureties, upon a presumptive and interpretative consent: they become consecrated in solemn form to FATHER, SON, and HOLY GHOST ; pardon, mercy, and other covenant privileges are made over to them; and the HOLY SPIRIT translates them out of their state of nature (to which a curse belongs) to a state of grace, favour, and blessing; this is their regeneration.

KETTLEWELL, PRESBYTER AND CONFESSOR.-On the CreedArticle, Forgiveness of Sins, p. 685.

Ques.

For whose sake doth ALMIGHTY GOD allow us all this benefit of forgiveness?

Ans. For JESUS CHRIST, who, as you have seen, died for our sins, and gave His blood a ransom, to purchase for us this pardon of them." He is set forth a propitiation," &c. (Rom. iii. 25.) And thus we shall receive all this mercy for His sake, when, with the disposition before expressed, we devoutly pray to God for it in His name.

Ques. By the promises of the Gospel, I see that this forgiveness is assured to all Christians upon the terms which you have described. But is it in any signs and tokens outwardly dispensed to them?

Ans.-Yes; both in the Holy Sacraments and in the sacerdotal Absolution. Which ways of ministering this forgiveness, as well as the forgiveness itself, are noted in some ancient Creeds: this article being thus professed in St. Cyprian's Form at Baptism: "I believe the Remission of Sins by the Church."

Ques. Is this forgiveness dispensed to us in the Sacrament of Baptism?

Ans.-Yes; and that most amply, the water of Baptism washing off the stain of all former sins. "Be baptized, and wash away thy sins," said Ananias to Saul; "Repent, and be baptized for the Remission of Sins," said St. Peter to the Jews; and "He hath saved us by the Laver of Regeneration;" i. e. the Water of Baptism, and the renewing of the HOLY GHOST. (Tit. iii. 5.) So that whatever pollutions men had upon them, if they come to Baptism with true faith and repentance, they are thereby made clean again.

HICKES, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.-Christian Priesthood.

It belonged to the Apostles and Presbyters, by virtue of their sacerdotal office and ministry, to be advocates and intercessors with GOD.... I need not insist upon their power of baptizing for the remission of sins with fasting and prayer, which was a

most solemn act of expiation for washing away all the past sins

of the baptized.

JOHNSON, PRESBYTER.-Unbloody Sacrifice.-Vol. i. ch. ii.

sect. 1. p. 165.

I think the only immediate effect of the SPIRIT in Baptism, is the remission of all sin, and removing our natural disability to the worship and service of GoD, and the sentence of condemnation under which we were all born: (Rom. v. 16.) and that other graces are wrought in us by that HOLY SPIRIT, which by Baptism receives us under its protection, gradually, and according to the capacity of the recipient: and this doctrine I learned from those words of St. Barnabas, in his Epistle, cap. vi. : "After, therefore, that CHRIST had renewed us by the remission of our sins, he made us [in] another shape, so as to have an infant-like soul, even as he himself reformed us:" where he plainly makes renovation to consist in forgiving sins; and makes the new moulding, or reformation of our minds, to be not performed at the same time with the other, or all at once, but to be consequent upon the former renovation: and CHRIST is always thus reforming us, from our Baptism to our death. And I look on these words of St. Barnabas to be a better explication of the renovation, or regeneration of Christians by Baptism, than whole volumes of modern writers upon the same subject. And I may here very reasonably observe, that as the HOLY SPIRIT is present in our Baptism, to seal the remission of sins, and to infuse the beginnings of Christian Life; for He is present in confirmation, to shed further influences on them that receive it, for the further suscitation of the gift of God bestowed in Baptism and in the Eucharist, as will hereafter appear at large for our further progress and increase in grace.

LESLIE, PRESBYTER AND CONFESSOR.-On Water Baptism, § 5.

The end of CHRIST'S Baptism was, to instate us into all the unconceivable glories, and high eternal prerogatives which belong to the members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones, (Eph. v. 30.) that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Gal. iv. 5.)

Henceforth no more servants, but sons of GOD, and heirs of heaven! These are ends so far transcendent above the ends of all former Baptisms, that, in comparison, other Baptisms are not only less, but none at all; like the glory of the stars in presence of the sun, they not only are a lesser light, but when he appears they become altogether invisible.

And as a pledge or foretaste of these future and boundless joys, the gift of the HOLY GHOST is given upon earth, and is promised as an effect of the Baptism of CHRIST: as Peter preached (Acts ii. 38), "Repent, and be baptized," &c. And (Gal. iii. 27.) "As many of you as have been baptized into CHRIST, have put on CHRIST."

This of the gift of the HOLY GHOST was not added to any Baptism before CHRIST's, and does remarkably distinguish it from all others.

WILSON, BISHOP, CONFESSOR, AND DOCTOR.-Maxims of Piety, Vol. i. p. 310.

The HOLY SPIRIT at Baptism takes possession of us, and keeps possession, till men grieve Him; then He forsakes us, and an evil spirit succeeds.

By Baptism we contract and oblige ourselves, all our life long, to complete and perfect the image of JESUS CHRIST in ourselves. The blessings and excellencies of Baptism :-It separates us from Adam, and engrafts us into CHRIST.-It is a resurrection from sin to grace.—It discharges us from the debt owing to the justice of God, by our sins, now fully satisfied by faith in the suffering and death of CHRIST.-It cancels the law of death and malediction which was against us.-In Baptism our sins did indeed die, and were buried; but the seed and root remain in us. These we are to mortify all our lives long.

BINGHAM, PRESBYTER.-On Lay Baptism, part ii. ch. vi.

.... What it [indelible character] was taken to signify in Baptism? For an indelible character was always supposed to be imprinted as much in Baptism as in ordination; though I do not remember that any ancient Council expressly used that term about VOL. III. -76.

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