The Doctrine of Infant Baptism as Taught in the Scriptures and Practised in the

Excerpt from The Doctrine of Infant Baptism as Taught in the Scriptures and Practised in the Church

Every circumstance in the life of our Saviour deserves devout attention, and is full of instruction; and this is especially true with respect to those significant acts, by which he fulfilled the Law, and sanctioned the usages of the Jewish Church. That Ch 1rch was in all important things the same as the Christian and althoutrh its outward rites were different, in doctrine and order there rs a perfect atrrecmcnt and we are taught to look upon the. Ancient congregation Of the Lord, as the parent stock, upon which has been g alted Christ 5 Holy, Catholic and Apos tolic Church. By all the feasts and ceremonies of the Law, were shadowed forth the richer promises and purer services Of the Gospel and it is worthy Of rerrrark, that the Church which was established by the Law of Moses, like that which is now built upon the Apostles and Prophets, had its sacrament of admission, and its sacrament of cornmcnior'ation - the Circumci sion and the Passover to both of which especial blessings were promised. And which continued to be signs and seals of God's covenant with man until our blessed Saviour, having fulfilled the Law, ordained nr their stead the more spiritual sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; by the means of which the Christian is born to God and strengthened and refreshed through every period of his life - mthe first, like Circumcision, admitting him into the covenant and the second, like the Passover, continually reminding him of his privileges and his responsibility, But, we are called by the text to confine our present notice to the sacred rite of Circumcision, and to its corresponding ordi nance in the Christian Church.

To rightly understand the mystery of the Circumcision to which our infant Saviour submitted, it is necessary to state to you its origin and its epoch. The first mention oi it is in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis, when God revealed it to Abra ham, and recorded it for us And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an rzvrznmsrrno covenant to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after As a token and seal of the covenant, God gave him this sacred rite, and commanded that on the eighth day, every male child should be circumcised; and the neglect of this outward sign was declared to be a violation of the covenant anu a forfeiture of its blessings. And the uncircum cised man. Child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from the people; he hath broken my covenant. 'i' So we learn that the origin of Circumcision was the sovereign will of (ion, and its effect was to bring the chosen people into covenant with Him. As such it was observed by all who valued their electron, and exercised their faith in the promises of God - as such it was sanctioned and received, vlren the eight days were accomplished for the circnnrcising of the child, and they called ifs name jesus - as such it must still be considered by us for although the sign is changed, the sigui fication remains - although we no longer circumcise our children, our children enter into covenant with God. St. Paul, discours ing upon the subject, calls the sign of circumcision the seal of the righteousness which is by jirith and he points out, with wonderful precision, its nature as a sacrament it was an entrance into covenant wirlr God, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given to them; it w as not merely a mark to distinguish them from the heathen - it was the mystical cutting ofi'of sin - the mystical adoption into the family of God. The Lord, thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayest So we see, it was not a mere ceremony, once. To be performed and then to be forever forgotten - it was to remove si...