beth and Charles I. were desirous of a further reformation of the Church. Many prelates, and thousands of Episcopalians and Presbyterians, were included in that class. Modern usage has confined the term to the Independents or Congregationalists, the followers of Brown and Robinson. They were, therefore, often called Brownists. According to them the visible Church consists of the regenerate ; and it is the duty and the prerogative of the Church to sit in judgment on the question whether the applicant for admission to the sacraments is truly born of God. Hence in New England, there was a broad distinction made between the Church and the parish. The former consisted of the body of communicants ; the latter of those who, though not communi- cants, frequented the same place of worship and contributed to the support of the minister and to other congregational expenses. " To join the Church," thus came to mean joining the number of those who were admitted to the Lord's Supper. This of course implies, that communicants only are in the Church. This view has gained ascendancy in this country even, to a great extent, among Presbyterians.
The Common Protestant Theory. According to our standards the visible Church consists of all those who profess the true religion together with their children. The common Protestant theory of the Church agrees with that of the Puritans in the following points. (1.) That the true or invisible Church as a whole consists of the elect. This is the Church which Christ loved, for which He gave Himself, that He might sanctify it, and present it to Himself a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. (Eph. v. 25-27.) (2.) That the true or invisible Church on earth consists of all true believers. (3.) That the profession of faith made by those who are bap- tized, or come to the table of the Lord, is a profession of true faith. That is, those baptized profess to be Christians. The point of difference between the theories concerns the duty and prerogative of the Church in the matter. According to the one view the Church is bound to be satisfied in its judgment that the applicant is truly regenerate ; according to the other, no such judgment is expressed or implied in receiving any one into the fellowship of the Church. As Christ has not given his people the power to search the heart, He has not imposed upon them the duty which implies the possession of any such power. Both parties require a credible profession of faith on the part of the
vol. in. 35
546 PART m. Ch. XX. — THE MEANS OF GRACE.
applicant for membership. But the one means by credible, that which constrains belief ; the other, that which may be believed, i. e.9 that against which no tangible evidence can be adduced. If such applicant be a heretie, or if his manner of life contradicts his profession, he ought not to be received ; and if already in the Church, he ought, as the Apostle says, to be rejected. The com- mon Protestant doctrine is that nothing authorizes us to refuse a man admission to the Church, which would not justify his exclu- sion if already a member of it. If guilty of any " offence " or " scandal," he ought to be excluded ; and if chargeable with any such " offence " or " scandal," he ought not to be admitted to membership, no matter what his profession or detail of experience may be. The late Dr. John M. Mason clearly and forcibly ex- presses the common doctrine on this subject, when he says : " A credible profession of Christianity, is all that she [the Church] may require in order to communion. She may be deceived ; her utmost caution may be, and often has been, ineffectual to keep bad men from her sanctuary. And this, too, without her fault, as she is not omniscient. But she has no right to suspect sin- cerity, to refuse privilege, or inflict censure, where she can put her finger upon nothing repugnant to the love or the laws of God." 1 And on the following page he says : " A profession of faith in Christ, and of obedience to Him, not discredited by other traits of character, entitles an adult to the privileges of his Church."
This is not the place for the discussion of the question concern- ing the nature of the Church. These theories are simply men- tioned here because of their bearing on the subject of adult bap- tism. According to all these theories believing adults are, by the command of Christ, entitled to Christian baptism. Much more difficulty attends the question concerning
§ 10. Infant Baptism. The difficulty on this subject is that baptism from its very nature involves a profession of faith ; it is the way in which by the ordinance of Christ, He is to be confessed before men ; but infants are incapable of making such confession ; therefore they are not the proper subjects of baptism. Or, to state the matter in another form : the sacraments belong to the members of the Church; but the Church is the company of believers; infants
1 Essays on the Church of God, by John M. Mason, D. D., New York, 1&43, Essay in. p. 57.