often a divinely appointed medium of impressing important truths upon the minds both of the prophets and people. Thus, (Isa. xx. 1, 2) Isaiah was commanded to loose his slackcloth, and put off his shoe, as a sign of the captivity and wretchedness of Egypt and Ethiopia. Jeremiah, also, (chap. xiii. 1-10) by a marred girdle, was to show the humiliation of Judah. (See also Ezek, iv. 5, 12.) Baptisms were part of the ceremonial law, a means of purification. From these two circumstances the institution of the ordinance in question, as a symbolical representation of christians' regeneration, was very natural and appropriate.

That this is its intent, appears, we think, from the New Testament. "Buried," the apostle says, "with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." The most obvious and reasonable meaning of this passage is, that, in baptism, we are represented as dead to sin, and raised to holiness. It has, however, in connection with the last clause of verse 11, been brought by Mr. Watson to support the idea that baptism is put in the place of circumcision. This writer, Instit., vol. 3, says that the "circumcision of Christ" (ver. 11) is our baptism, and that the following clause, "Buried," &c., is added "exegetically." Therefore, "baptism takes the place of the Abrahamic circumcision, and fulfils the same office of introducing believing men into God's covenant, and entitling them to the enjoyment of spiritual blessings." That this is a misinterpretation of the last clause of the eleventh verse, and therefore the conclusion from it erroneous, are, I think, evident. If the "circumcision of Christ" be our baptism with water, it is the process of regeneration; for we put off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. But this cannot be, for we are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God. This "circumcision," then, is not baptism, but the "circumcision of the heart,” “made without hands," of which the apostle speaks in the first clause of the verse, which consists in the sanctifying operation of the Holy Ghost, through faith in Christ. Nor has the clause, "Buried with," &c., the appearance of being "added exegetically." It has a colon before it, and forms part of a compact sentence in the twelfth verse. The apostle obviously means that, as the burial and resurrection of Christ showed forth his death and new life, so our burial in water, and coming up out of water, represent our death unto sin, and new life unto righteousness. Our position also has support from Rom. vi. 3-5, "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death," &c. Although baptism here means union to Christ, yet, from the circumstances of burying, raising, and planting, being mentioned, there is an undoubted allusion to the ordinance. A most celebrated commentator makes the following observations on this passage. "As his (Christ's) burial was a manifestation that he was really dead, and was followed by his immediate resurrection, so baptism was a professed manifestation of death to sin and all carnal pursuits and affections, and of being led to walk in newness of life, not only as to outward acts, but as to inward principles. Baptism teaches us the necessity of dying to sin, and being, as it were, buried from all ungodly and unholy pursuits, and of rising to walk with God in newness of life. Unholy professors belie and renounce their baptism." In Heb. x. 22, 23, we are exhorted to "draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. To hold fast the pro

fession of our faith without wavering." This passage, alluding to the sprinkling of blood by the high priest, and the ceremonial washings of the Jews, metaphorically represents our spiritual purification by faith in the atonement of Christ, and baptism. As, too, the exhortation, "Let us hold fast the profession," &c., immediately follows, "Having our bodies washed," &c., it is a fair presumption that this washing was the act of professing faith. "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ;" or, to which salvation by water baptism, being an antitype, now doth save us, (not the putting away, &c.) The sincere candidate, in being baptized, has a good conscience, through faith in a risen Saviour, which is improved by baptism as an act of obedience and of profession. In Acts xxii. 16, St. Paul tells the Jews that Ananias said to him, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,” &c. There cannot be meant here cleansing away spiritual defilement. "The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin." The Saviour is "a propitiation through faith in his blood." We are to believe before we are baptized. This ordinance, therefore, does not literally "wash away sin." It is, then, a sensible representation of a spiritual washing.

The addresses of John the Baptist to those who came to his baptism are a complete refutation of the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, and in some measure sustain our proposition. "John preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin.' Saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." This repentance was to be manifested in forsaking sin. "Bring forth, therefore," said he, fruits meet for repentance." In answer to the people, &c., he commanded them to be benevolent, just, merciful, true, contented. Doing these, and believing, their sins were remitted; and not until this was their case, (as his addresses show,) were they proper subjects for baptism. John knew the importance which the Jews attached to their relation to Abraham, and the moral efficacy they connected with their baptisms. To convince them, therefore, that the former did not qualify them in the least for his baptism, and that his immersing them in water would effect no change in their hearts, he said, "Think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father, &c. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." The candidates, then, for John's baptism, being required to repent and believe, these acts being inseparable from "remission of sin," it is certain that this ordinance had nothing to do with the process of regeneration. It is probable it was the act by which there was merely a symbolic representation of this process.

Indeed, the circumstances of this ordinance seem to argue that this is its design. It is a burial in water; i. e., in the element of corporeal cleansing. Here are the element and act by which the Jews were ceremonially cleansed. It is performed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Now, what is the idea most fully and forcibly presented by the whole? I know it may suggest the resurrection of Christ; yea, and to a mind having a vigorous power of suggestion, a score other things; but I humbly conceive that the idea in it most palpable is cleansing. It is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh; it cannot be spiritual cleansing;

it seems, then, to be a representation of the latter. Here are brought most emphatically before us the process of our regeneration, and the threefold divine agency by whom it is accomplished. Indeed, although but little is often said upon the design of baptism, its very circumstances have given to the popular mind that notion of its intention which the writer entertains. This may be seen in the severe reflections cast upon those who have proved to have been ungodly persons when they were baptized.

I fear wearying the patience, Sir, of your readers, and shall, therefore, be general in my concluding remarks. Granting what we have maintained to have been the design of baptism, it was worthy of the wisdom of its Author. Rightly explained to the candidate, it is a bulwark to the purity of the Church. It exhibits to him, stepping into the sacred precincts of "God's household," in the most vivid manner, what he ought to be in joining the saints. It is natural that such queries as the following should be started in his mind. Do I, by this act, represent my regeneration, and profess that I have been regenerated? Then, am I "renewed in the spirit of my mind? Have I put off the old man, with his deeds; and, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, am I walking in newness of life?" If I am not, shall I pretend to these? Awful hypocrisy ! God forbid! But am I born again; then let me be careful to maintain the credit of my profession. It is, also, the most emphatic mode of profession. Actions speak louder than words. They are a mode of profession suited to the modesty of those who cannot publicly speak; and, be it observed, it is necessary that there should be an emphatically professed distinction between the disciples of Christ and the wicked. Come out from the wicked, and be separate." "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess," &c. In our view of baptism, nothing, so far as profession goes, can make a more emphatic distinction than it does between the Church and the world. If this be its design, how calculated is its administration to awaken the ungodly to a sense of their polluted and dangerous state. Here sinners may, if they will, see and feel that they "must be born again." In this solemn act the declaration of our Lord to Nicodemus is most powerfully enforced through the medium of the senses. "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Again, how evident, from the design of baptism, it is, that immersion only is baptism, and believers only its proper subjects. Can sprinkling or pouring bury us with Christ, or represent our complete regeneration? Is not the kingdom of heaven as leaven hid in meal till the whole was leavened? And can any sprinkling, or pouring upon, or immersing infants, show that they have been cleansed from sin. No, indeed; no more than such processes could show such a change to have passed upon the most unconscious substance.

Finally, how important that ministers should show to all candidates the design of baptism, and that the candidate closely examine himself as to his qualifications for this ordinance. The Church is infested with spurious converts. Every means should, therefore, be used to keep others from coming in. Many, it is to be feared, are self-deceived as to their qualifications for baptism. Let every means be used to prevent delusion, and formality, and hypocrisy. R. STANION.

DOVER STREET CHURCH.

SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY.

Being the substance of an Address delivered to the Members thereof, on Lord's-day, April 2nd, 1843.

DEAR BRETHREN,-It is seventeen years this day since, at your request, I came amongst you to administer the Word of life. Great changes have happened to many of us since that time; and the major part of the members now present have been added to the Church. I have thought, on their account, that it might not be uninteresting or useless to give a brief sketch of the history of this Church from its commencement.

Those of you who came from the Church in Friar Lane, and who were present at the meeting held in a small room in an adjoining street, when it was determined to attempt the establishment of a new interest in this town, will remember with what feelings of tenderness, of fear and solicitude, you entered on your work. I know not how many were at that meeting, but of the forty-four who were formed into a Church by Mr. Barnes, of Austrey, Nov. 26th, 1823, there are not more than ten or twelve present amongst us at this day. So great are the changes that time and circumstances produce on a christian Church! After much deliberation and prayer, the site of our present house of prayer was purchased, and a neat small chapel, 51 feet by 28, was erected, which was opened for public worship in March 1824. For two years you were without a settled minister, and you were kindly and cheerfully supplied by most of the ministers residing in the district.

When I came among you, in 1826, the number of members was sixty; and in 1827, though the chapel was not crowded, yet as there was very insufficient accommodation for the Sunday-school, and no room for much permanent addition to the congregation, it was determined to rebuild the chapel, and to provide room for a much larger school, and accommodation for a congregation more than twice the size of that which we usually collected. This was a bold proceeding; especially if we consider our numbers, for we had not more than eighty members; and our circumstances, for we had but little wealth, and were at least £550 in debt. However, we ventured, and by the liberality and zeal of our friends, we completed our effort in 1828, at an expense of about £700. Our congregations did not rapidly increase, but our progress was so far encouraging, that in 1829 I received, and thought it my duty to accept, a unanimous invitation to assume the pastoral office. In 1830 we reported more than one hundred and twenty members.

In 1827, some of our members, in conjunction with myself, commenced preaching at the village of Whetstone, where we rented a small place of worship. This place has been improved, and we have supplied it with preaching ever since. Here our labours have not been in vain. We have upwards of forty members in this village, and are now about to erect a chapel, with school room, capable of containing more than two hundred persons. From 1830 unto 1840 we passed through vicissitudes common to the Church militant-we had trials and mercies. By death, disaffection, &c., several were removed from us, but the good cause acquired strength, and the state of the congregations justified a further enlargement of our place of worship, which was effected by the erection of entire new galleries, at an expense of near £500, and on that year our numbers reported were two

hundred and forty-four. The present number of our members is about two hundred and eighty.

We are now painfully straitened for room for our Sabbath-school, and it has already been determined, that new and commodious school-rooms shall be erected in the course of a short time, a resolution which we ardently hope will be efficiently accomplished.

Our various efforts have called for zeal and liberality; and in addition to all that has been done, they have entailed on us a considerable pecuniary burden; but by union, resolution, and perseverance, with the blessing of God, we trust we shall succeed. Surely we may now say, "Hitherto the Lord hath helped us."

In reviewing the past I may just remark, that since April 1826, we have baptized and added to the Church two hundred and eighty-eight persons, and we have received fifty-eight from sister Churches. We have dismissed to other Churches twenty-seven; we have lost by exclusions twenty-four, (eight or ten of whom have been restored); and by withdrawments, emigration, &c., about forty; and forty-two have been taken away from us by death. Of the latter, one or two may be particularly mentioned. One of the first deacons, Mr. W. Meadows; our first sexton, Mr. J. Brown; and the widow of the late Rev. John Deacon, are of this class. Some of those who have been obliged by circumstances to remove from us, were persons on whose piety and zeal we placed considerable dependence, and one of them is now a pastor, (Rev. F. Chamberlain, of Cradeley,) and another a deacon, (Mr. F. Deacon, of Quorndon,) of a sister Church.

I do not purpose to indulge in many reflections on the facts now related to you. In these you can profitably exercise yourselves at your leisure; but there are a few observations intimately connected with a review of the past, which I will offer before I close this short and imperfect address:

1. Though our progress has never been rapid, we have passed through times in which there has been a considerable variation in our prosperity. At some seasons the work of conversion has appeared to be, as it were, suspended, and the attendance both of members and hearers on the means of grace has declined. Though we feel bound reverently to acknowledge, that while one plants and another waters, it is God's prerogative to give the increase; yet it has not escaped my notice, that the seasons of the greatest prosperity have been those when the members of the Church have been the most active, united and prayerful, and in the greatest degree solicitous for the out-pouring of the Spirit, and the conversion of sinners; and that when disaffection or disunion, from any cause, have been allowed at all to obtain amongst us, the course of our prosperity has been checked, and the spirit of grace has withdrawn his sacred presence and influence. Let us then ever strive and "pray for the peace of Jerusalem," saying, "peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces." Let us "stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel." Let every one feel there is something for him to do in advancing the interests of religion, the conversion of sinners, and the glory of God.

2. A very considerable number of those who have been added to us, and are now honourable and useful members, professed conversion when they were comparatively young. Some of them were from the midst of our families, and many from the Sabbath-school. Let us then be especially attentive to the young. Let the Sabbath-school have an increased measure