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salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. The candidates are themselves next reminded how the congregation have prayed for them, of Christ's promises to grant the blessings they have prayed for, and of his faithfulness in keeping his promises. And after engaging by promise on their part, in the presence of the whole congregation and of their chosen witnesses, to renounce the devil and all his works, to believe God's holy word, and obediently to keep his commandments, they are baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. After baptism, the language of prayer is changed into that of praise and thanksgiving. The congregation are no more called upon to pray that these persons, who are now baptised, may be born again, and received into Christ's holy Church; but they are addressed in these terms: "Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that these persons are regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make our prayers unto him, that they may lead the rest of their life according to this beginning." And she accordingly supplies them with the following form of praise: "We yield thee humble thanks, O heavenly Father, that thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of thy grace and faith in thee; increase this knowledge and confirm this faith in us evermore. Give thy Holy Spirit to these persons, that being now born again, and made heirs of everlasting salvation, through our

Lord Jesus Christ, they may continue thy servants, and attain thy promises."

It is clear, therefore, from this service, that the Church, in requiring repentance and faith of those who come to baptism, does not believe that this sacrament conveys grace ex opere operato; but while she discards this tenet of the Romish Church, as it is generally understood by Protestants, she differs from the view which commonly prevails respecting it in the following particulars. Repentance and faith, according to the prevalent notion, are of themselves sufficient to salvation; but according to the view of the Church, they are insufficient for that purpose," where baptism may be had."* According

* "Quod autem nostri μwpooópol, hoc est, novi illi spiritus, superciliose admodum fabulantur, fidem solam esse, quæ salvos faciat, opera vero et res externas ad salutem consequendam, nihil præstare aut facere. Respondeo: Sane in nobis nihil aliud facere aut operari salutem, quam fidem, qua de re mox infra latius. Atqui hoc cæcorum duces videre nolunt, fidei aliquid habendum esse, quod credat, hoc est cui innitatur, et qua re suffulta persistat. Ita jam fides aquæ adhæret, creditque baptismum esse, in quo mera beatitudo et vita est, non aquæ virtute (ut abunde dictum est), sed per hoc quod baptismus verbo Dei unitus et ordine confirmatus est, et ejus nomine nobilitatus. Jam hæc credens quid aliud quam in Deo credo, ut in eum qui suum verbum baptismo indidit et inseruit, ac nobis externas res proponit, in quibus tantarum rerum thesaurum queamus comprehendere."-LUTHER, Oper. Vitebergæ, tom. v. p. 637.

"De baptismo docent, quod necessarius sit ad salutem, tanquam ceremonia a Christo instituta. Et quod per baptismum offeratur gratia Dei."-MELANCTHON, Opera, Viteberg. tom. i. p. 40.

"Jam nostri veoσópot, aut potius spermologoi, spiritus usque adeo vecordes sunt et nullius judicii, ut disjungere non vereantur fidem

to the common view, an individual is pardoned, regenerated, and entitled to eternal life, the moment he repents and believes; according to that of the Church, he is not until baptised also.* Baptism, according to the one, is the seal to assure the baptised person of the blessings previously conferred upon him on his repenting and believing; but according to the other view, it is the sacramental means of conveying to such as repent and believe the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and a title to eternal life.† In the one case, repentance and faith are believed to impart to the sacrament its efficacy; in the other, the sacrament is

et rem cui fides adhærescit et alligata est, tametsi externa sit.— Jam hic verbum Dei in promptu habemus: 'Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit.' Quorsum ista verba alias quam de baptismo dicta sunt, hoc est, de aqua divino ordine fundata et confirmata? Ex hoc sequitur, ut is qui baptismum contemnit et rejicit, verbum Dei, fidem et Christum quoque rejiciat, eo nos ducentem et baptismo alligantem."-LUTHER, Opera, tom. v. p. 637.

"De adultis vero docemus, quod ita consequuntur per baptismum remissionem peccatorum et gratiam, si baptizandi attulerint pœnitentiam veram, confessionem articulorum fidei, et credant vere ipsis ibi donari remissionem peccatorum, et justificationem propter Christum, sicut Petrus ait in Actis: Pœnitentiam agite, et baptizetur unusquisque vestrum in nomine Jesu Christi in remissionem peccatorum, et accipietis donum Spiritus Sancti."—Articulus de Baptismo, vide p. 68.

+"Sat enim habet negotii ut credat firmiter, quæcunque baptismo promittuntur et offeruntur: victoriam mortis ac diaboli, peccatorum remissionem, Dei gratiam, Christum cum omnibus suis operibus, et Spiritum Sanctum cum omnibus suis dotibus. Breviter, ista omnia quæ

believed to derive its virtue from "Christ's institution and promise."*

II. The Efficacy of Infant Baptism.

Every candid reader of the services for the public and private administration of baptism to infants will, it is presumed, readily admit that the same blessings are therein ascribed to the baptism of infants, as in the service for those of riper years to the baptism of adult believers, with the exception of the remission

baptismus secum adportat, omnem humanam cogitationem exuperant, ita ut imbecilla natura animo repeteret, non injuria in dubiam veniret, num vera esse possint."-LUTHER, Oper. tom. v. p. 638.

"Ad hunc ergo modum ita discerne, longe aliam rem esse baptismum, atque omnes alias aquas, non naturalis essentiæ gratia, sed quod huic aliquid præstantioris rei adjungitur. Ipse enim Deus baptismum suo honestat nomine, suaque virtute confirmat. Eam ob rem non tantum naturalis aqua, sed etiam divina, cœlestis, sancta, et salutifera aqua habenda et dicenda est. Et si quo alio laudis titulo nobilitari potest, non nisi verbi gratia, quod cœleste ac sanctum verbum est, neque a quoquam satis ampliter, digne, et cumulate laudari potest. Siquidem omnem Dei virtutem et potentiam in se habet comprehensam, inde quoque baptismus suam accipit essentiam, ut sacramenti appellationem mereatur, quemadmodum sanctus etiam docet Augustinus. Accedat, inquit, verbum ad elementum, et fit sacramentum, hoc est res sancta atque divina.”—Cathechismus Major MART. LUTHERI.

"Hoc quidem aliquanto est acutius, veruntamen in totum versatur, quod dixi baptismum nihil aliud esse, quam aquam et verbum Dei simul juncta. Hoc est, accedente aquæ verbo, baptismus rectus habendus est, etiam non accedente fide. Neque enim fides mea facit baptismum, sed baptismum percipit et apprehendit.”—Id.

of actual sins, of which infants cannot be guilty; and that these blessings are ascribed to it not by virtue of the right of infants to baptism, but by virtue of "Christ's institution and promise.

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But as baptism conveys no spiritual blessings to adults without repentance and faith, and as infants are by reason of their tender age incapable of performing them; what foundation is there for the opinion, that the beneficial operation of infant baptism depends upon the repentance and faith of the sponsors ? To this we may with certainty answer, none whatever for in the service for the administration of baptism in private, where there are no sponsors, the infant is regarded as much a partaker of the benefits of baptism, as in the public administration of that sacrament, where the promises of repentance and faith are made in the child's name by its spon

"Et docent quod infantes sint baptizandi; et quod infantes per baptismum Deo commendati, recipiantur in gratiam Dei, et fiant filii Dei; sicut Christus testatur, loquens de parvulis in Ecclesia, Matthæi xviii. Non est voluntas Patris vestri qui in cœlis est, ut pereat unus ex parvulis istis.""-MELANCTH. Opera, tom. i. p. 40.

"Retinemus et infantium baptismum: quia certissimum est, promissionem gratiæ ad infantes etiam pertinere, et ad eos tantum qui ecclesiæ inseruntur. Quia de his dictum est, Matth. xix. 'Sinite parvulos ad me venire, quia talium est regnum cœlorum.' Et Origines scribit in 6 capite ad Romanos, Ecclesiam ab apostolis accepisse morem baptizandi infantes. Nec judicamus hunc morem tantum otiosam ceremoniam esse, sed vere tunc a Deo recipi et sanctificari infantes. Quia tunc inseruntur ecclesiæ, ac ad tales promissio pertinet. Extant autem de hac re multa scripta in nostris Ecclesiis edita, quibus refutantur Anabaptistæ."-Id. p. 133.

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