Familiar Letters on Sacraments: Addressed to the People of His Charge

Familiar Letters On Sacraments: Addressed To The People Of His Charge by Jesse Fonda. This book is a 19th-century theological collection presented as a series of pastoral letters to a congregation, examining the doctrine and administration of the sacraments, with a focus on Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The work outlines a covenantal interpretation of baptism, the Abrahamic covenant, and the replacement of circumcision and Passover with Christian rites, arguing for infant baptism and the continuity of the visible church under the gospel dispensation. It includes discussions on the proper mode of baptism (sprinkling versus immersion), the subjects of baptism (adults and infants born to believers), and the discipline and governance of the church, including engagements of parents. The text also treats the Lord's Supper as a standing ordinance, its commemorative nature, and its intended effects on faith, charity, and fellowship among believers. The work is anchored in Reformed doctrinal standards and theological debates of its era, including reflections on the Canons of Dort and related confessional writings.