body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ : buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the ope- ration of God, who hath raised him from the dead1."
Now in Baptism we have,
1. A seal of our privileges —
[When Christianity was first preached, the ordinance was principally administered to adults, because they alone were capable of that instruction which the Apostles were sent to convey. To them the baptismal rite was administered after they had believed in Christ, and after " their faith had been imputed to them for righteousness :" and to them it was, pre- cisely what circumcision had been to Abraham, " a seal of the righteousness which they had being yet unbaptized." It assured them, that they were "accepted in the Beloved;" that, " they had redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins ; " that " grace and glory should be given them ; " and that while the inheritance of heaven was kept for them, they also should by the mighty power of God be preserved for itk. But to their infant offspring the ordinance of baptism assured nothing more than an external right to these blessings, and a certainty of possessing them as soon as they believed. It was of the unbelieving and impenitent Jews that St. Paul said, " Theirs is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the pro- mises1." This therefore must be understood of the title to these things which they enjoyed by means of their admission into covenant with God. The actual enjoyment of these things they could not have, till they became obedient to the com- mands of God. It is exactly in the same manner that our Church instructs children to say, that in their baptism they were made " members of Christ, children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven." They have a title to these privileges, as a woman has to the estate of her deceased husband, which yet she cannot legally possess, till she take out administration : so these cannot attain the actual enjoyment of their privileges, till they sue them out by believing.]
2. A memorial of our engagements —
[The effects of the baptismal water are not indeed long visible upon the body ; but the name given to us at our bap- tism (emphatically called our Christian name) continues with us until death : and the name of the society into which we are introduced (that of Christians) is an indelible badge of our
i Col. ii. 11, 12. k 1 Pet. i. 4, 5. J Rom. ix. 4.