of the baptismal service which strongly rebut your accusation. No sooner has the church pronounced the infant regenerate, than she asks the prayers of the people, that "this child may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning "-evidently intimating her belief, that, though regenerate, the child may possibly not go on to that renewal of nature, which alone can secure godly living. And what are we to say of the appointment of sponsors,

vows in the name of the child, and to whom she commits the instruction of the child, if not that the church feels, that, whatever the benefits conferred by baptism, they remove not the necessity for the use of all those means, by which sinners may be brought nigh to God, and upheld in a state of acceptance? The church then holds that baptism regenerates: but the church does not hold that all who are thus regenerate, can never need any further moral change in order to fitness for heaven.

ture to think, have been disputed, had not men been anxious to remain in her communion, and yet to make her formularies square with their own private notions. The words put into the mouth of the officiating minister, immediately after every baptism, "Seeing now, dearly beloved, that this child is regenerate," seem too distinct to be explained away, and too general for any of those limitations by which some would restrict them. You may tell me that the church speaks only in the judg-parties from whom the church requires ment of charity, on the supposition that there has been genuine faith in those who have brought the infant to the font. But, even on this modified view, the church holds baptismal regeneration she holds, that, if not invariably, yet under certain circumstances, infants are regenerate, only because baptized. We cannot, however, admit that the language is only the language of that charity which "hopeth all things." Had the church not designed to go further than this, she might have said, "Seeing that we may charitably believe," or, Seeing that we may charitably hope that this child is regenerate:" she could never have ventured on the broad unqualified declaration, a declaration to be made whensoever the sacrament of baptism has been administered, "Seeing that this child is regenerate;" and then have gone on to require of the congregation to express their gratitude in such words as these,"We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this infant with thy Holy Spirit." We really think that no fair, no straightforward dealing can get rid of the conclusion, that the church holds what is called baptismal regeneration. You may dislike the doctrine you may wish it expunged from the prayer-book; but so long as I subscribe to that prayer-book, and so long as I officiate according to the forms of that prayer-book, I do not see how I can be commonly honest, and yet deny that every baptized person is, on that account, regenerate.

But then, if you charge on the church, that because she holds this, she holds that every baptized person has so undergone, that he must retain, all the moral change necessary for admission into heaven, you overlook other parts

And we freely own that we know not how, consistently with Scripture, the church could do otherwise than maintain, that what is called the second birth is effected at baptism. Our Lord's words are very explicit, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." It can hardly be disputed that the being ter" refers to baptism-any other interpretation must be so strained, that to mention would be to refute it. But if we are "born of water" in baptism, do you mean to say that it is at some other time that we are "born of the Spirit?" Then there is a third birth, as well as a second; and of this I do not think we read in any part of Scripture. The water and the Spirit seem compared to two agents which meet in order to the production of a new creature. The birth spoken of is not from the water by itself, neither is it from the Spirit by itself: the simile would hardly have been drawn from a birth, had there not been agencies which might be said to combine, and which might therefore be likened to parents. Hence, if it be in baptism that we are "born of water," it must also be in baptism that we are "born of the

Let us pause for a moment, and endeavor to explain how it comes to pass that there is so little of visible efficacy in the sacrament of baptism. We would illustrate from the account of the restoration of the daughter of Jairus: Christ raised her from the dead by miracle; but immediately commanded that means should be used for sus-ed as the infant advances to maturity. taining the life thus supernaturally communicated. "And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway; and he commanded to give her meat." We can gather the history of the unconverted amongst you from this simple narrative. Whilst they were yet young, too young to feel or act for themselves, their parents were conscious that they

they address their children, as though they were heathens, in place of admonishing them, as members of Christ, to take heed how they let slip the grace they have received. And as to irreligious parents, who are not careful of their own souls, but live in neglect of those means through which is to be maintained the membership with Christ which baptism procures-what can we expect from them, but that they will suffer the principle of life to languish in their children, so that we shall have a multitude with no signs of moral animation, although they have been "born again of water and of the Spirit?" When, therefore, we are told, that, notwithstanding the use of the sacrament of baptism, the great mass of men have evidently undergone no renewal of nature; and when it is argued from this, that there cannot necessarily be any regeneration in baptism; our answer is simply, that God works by means as well as miracle; that means are to sustain what miracle implants; and that, therefore, the same appearance will be finally presented, if means be neglected, as if miracle were not wrought.

formed into the likeness of God as to be sure of a place in that city into which shall enter nothing that defileth. We have only maintained, that, by the operation of the Holy Spirit in and through baptism, the child is brought into such a relation to God, so purged from the guilt of original sin, so gathered within the covenant of forgiveness, so consigned to all the blessings of adoption, that it may be declared impregnated with the elements of spiritual life, elements which, if not wilfully crushed, shall shoot into efflorescence and vigor beneath the creative word of the Gospel of Christ. Thus the parallel is perfect-there being only this difference, that inanimate matter, prepared by the Spirit, was sure to of fer no resistance, but to resolve itself, at divine bidding, into the appointed forms; whereas the human soul, though similarly prepared, may withstand the quickening word, and refuse to bring forth the fruits of righteousness. But this is the only difference, a difference which necessarily follows on that between matter and mind. For as the rude and undigested chaos, unapt for vegetation, untraversed by life, became, But, to recur to our text: if we have beneath the broodings of the Spirit on rightly expounded the church's views the overspread waters, enabled for ferwith reference to baptism, we may well tility, and pregnant with vitality, so agree with the ancient fathers, who that yet wilder and more unshapen found the waters of baptism in those thing, a fallen man, passing through waters which covered the solid matter these mystic waters on which the Hoof this earth, and on which the Spirit ly Ghost moves, is made a fit subject of God moved, or brooded, with vivi- for the renewing word of the Gospel, fying energy. You are not told, that that word which clothes with moral by this moving or brooding on the beauty, and nerves with moral strength. waters, the Spirit actually produced He may resist the word which comthis present globe, wrought it into the mands that the earth bring forth the structure, and clothed it with the orna- green herb, and that land and water ments, which fitted it for the residence teem with proof that the voice of the of man. All that seems to have been Lord has been heard. Nevertheless, he done, was the infusing such properties has been put at baptism into such a into matter, or the bringing it into condition, there has been communicatsuch a condition, that it stood ready ed such an aptness for hearkening to for the various processes of vegeta- the word, and obeying its injunctions, tion and life, but still waited the word that the very globe, with its fields and of the Almighty ere the trees sprang forests, and varied tenantry, shall witforth and animated tribes moved re- ness against him at the judgment, provjoicingly on its surface. And what is ing itself less senseless and obdurate, this but a most accurate representation seeing that it arose from its baptism, of what we suppose effected in bap- ready, at God's command, to be enatism? We have not so described to melled with verdure and crowned with you the virtues of this sacrament, as to animation. And, on the other hand, lead you to believe that the child, on when we see an individual growing up emerging from the waters, is so trans-"in the nurture and admonition of

the Lord," steadily acting out the vows, | alludes when he speaks of the deep claiming the privileges, and exhibiting waters as having come in, even unto the benefits of baptism; so that life his soul. And when these waters are is, from the first, a progress towards poured upon the christian, how often spiritual perfection; we think it not may it be said that the earth is "withstrange if he cannot tell us the day of out form and void," and that darkness his conversion, if he can only describe is "upon the face of the deep." All an acquaintance with God, and a love seems a blank: on every side there is to his name, which have been deepen- gloom. But is not God's Spirit upon ing as long as he can recollect; we the waters? Surely, if it be true that should indeed marvel that a fallen crea- the believer in Christ comes forth puriture could thus seem set apart, from fied by affliction, stronger in the graces his very infancy, to holiness, as though of the Gospel, and more disposed to he had been born a child of God and the yielding those fruits which are to not of wrath, if we did not remember, the glory of God, it is also true that that, whilst the earth was yet "with the Spirit, who is emphatically styled out form and void," waters had suffused the Comforter, has moved upon the it, and that on the face of those waters waters, exerting through them a myshad moved the Spirit of God. terious influence on the disordered faculties; so that there hath at length emerged, as from the surges of the early deep, a fairer creation, with more of the impress of Deity and the earnest of heaven. And if sorrows may be likened unto waters, certainly death may, which cometh in as a deluge, and overwhelms the generations of men. This is a flood beneath which the earth becomes literally "without form and void." The body, fashioned out of the dust, is reduced to its elements: all that was comely, and strong, and excellent, departs; and a darkness, fearfully oppressive, is on "the face of the deep." But the Spirit of the living God is moving on the flood. These our bodies, like the globe from which they have been taken, and into which they must be resolved, are to pass from an inferior to a nobler condition; they are to be broken into a chaos, only that they may be reconstructed in finer symmetry, and with loftier powers. And when I find it declared that "he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you"the resurrection being thus attributed to the Spirit-I feel indeed that it may again be said, that the Spirit of God moves "on the face of the waters;" it moves as the guardian and vivifier of every particle submerged in the dark flood of death; and its agency shall be attested, attested as magnificently as by new heavens and a new earth springing from the wreck of the old, when this mortal shall put on immortality, this corruptible incorruption.

These then are the two great senses in which, as we think, our text should be understood; the one literal, the other allegorical. In ordinary cases we object to the giving a typical meaning to an historical statement, unless on the express warrant of other parts of Scripture. But though in this case we have no such warrant, yet, forasmuch as the work of the Holy Spirit upon man is described as the extracting a new creation from the ruins of the old-the very work attributed to this agent in our text-we can hardly think that we deal fancifully with Scripture, if, in imitation of early writers, we suppose a designed parallel between the natural and spiritual operations. And though we will not say that what we have, in conclusion, to advance, may be equally defended by just laws of interpretation, it is perhaps only such an application of the text as may be pardoned for the sake of its practical worth.

On the waters of the chaos brooded the Spirit, in order that from the undigested mass might spring a noble world. On the waters of baptism still broods that same Spirit, in order that from the midst of a fallen race may rise the church of the living God. But there are other waters, of which Scripture speaks; and it is most comforting to remember that on these too may God's Spirit rest. There are the waters of affliction, waters to which reference is made in the promise, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;" and to which the Psalmist

SERMON IX.

THE PROPORTION OF GRACE TO TRIAL.

"And as thy days, so shall thy strength be."-Deuteronomy, 33: 25.