Whether in your consciences you can affirm such things of baptism ; and. Whether, if you cannot, the new birth must not be a thing very different from baptism ? I will even abide by the testimony which every individual must give of himself: you have all been baptized : but have you all overcome the world ? Are you all in such a state that you cannot knowingly and habitually commit sin ? And have you so kept yourselves, that the wicked one does not touch you ? Was there ever such a period in your lives ? If there was, when was it ? How long did it last ? Why did you not continue it ? Why are you not panting after it, and labouring for it again ? But you know in your own hearts that there are millions of baptized persons of whom these things are not true, nor ever were true ; and that conse- quently the new birth must be a very different thing from baptism.
Now then let us inquire also what is said of bap- tism. It is said, " Our Lord baptized no man." — But was he not the means of any being born to God ? It is said by Paul, that " God did not send him to bap- tize, but to preach the Gospel :" but was he not sent to beget souls to God through the Gospel ? He goes further, and says, " I thank God I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gains." But would he have accounted it a proper ground of thanksgiving, if he had been instrumental to the conversion of no more than these ? He tells us of many whom he had begotten by the Gospel, and who were his sons in the faith : and therefore we are sure, that there is a birth effected by the Word and Spirit of God, that is totally distinct from baptism.
How can we account for it, that men, in the face of all this evidence, should maintain, as they do, this fatal error ? In some cases it is to be feared, that, being averse to seek the spiritual change of which the Scriptures speak, they are glad to lay hold on any error that shall lull their consciences asleep, and sanction their continuance in an unconverted state. But with some we hope, that there is really an error
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of judgment arising from the strong things which are spoken of baptism in the Holy Scriptures. They do not consider, that, when it is said, " Repent, and be baptized for the remission of sins ;" those words were addressed to adults, who had just been informed, that Jesus was the Christ, and that, if they believed in him, and became his disciples, their sins should be blotted out. Expressions of this kind were highly proper as addressed to adults ; but afford no ground for the idea, that the rite of baptism is the new birth. We are no more disposed to detract from the honour of that sacred ordinance than our adversaries them- selves : we admit, and beg you to bear in mind our admission, that great, exceeding great, benefit accrues to the soul from baptism. In many instances, where the ordinance is really attended upon in faith, and prayer is offered up to God in faith, we do believe that God bestows a peculiar blessing on the child : and, though we cannot ascertain that he does so but by the fruits that are afterwards produced, yet are we warranted from Scripture to believe, that the effectual fervent prayer of righteous people shall not go forth in vain ; and that '' whatsoever we ask, believing, we shall receive." But even from the ordinance itself we may consider great good as arising to the soul ; since, as in the case of circumcision, the person is thereby brought into covenant with God. The Israelites, as a nation in covenant with God, were highly privi- leged : for " to them," as the Apostle says, " belonged the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises \" The same, I doubt not, may be justly said of all that are baptized : indeed, we doubt not, but that our Reformers had that very passage of Scripture in their eye, when in our baptismal ser- vice they instructed us to thank God for having regenerated the baptized person by his Holy Spirit ; and, in our Catechism, to speak of children as by the ordinance of baptism made members of Christ, chil- dren of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven.