-all ascribing some great blessing to the right reception of Baptism-the Church is not responsible.

In the second place, if our Services are Scriptural, they must pronounce that the baptized are, by their Baptism, regenerate; grafted into the body of Christ's Church, and made members of Christ. If we are to uphold the view of the efficacy of Baptism which is set forth in Holy Scripture, we must assert that Baptism effects now what it effected in Apostolic times-that they who have received it are in a different state with reference to God and Satan, Christ and Adam, the world and the Kingdom of God, from what they were before; that henceforth they are to be accounted as members of Christ, and are to be trained accordingly.

The Church delivers this judgment on the altered condition of the baptized, when she says by her minister, respecting each person baptized, "Seeing now, dearly beloved, that these persons are (or that this child is) regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make our prayers unto Him that they (or that this child) may lead the rest of their life according to this beginning."

Without this assertion, or something as plain and dogmatic, the Church would not be a faithful witness to the doctrine of Baptism contained in Holy Scripture. Her testimony would fall short at a most important point-the point of practical application,-for the Apostolic writers assert, or assume, that Christians have received in Baptism the great characteristic gift of the New Covenant, in order that ever after they may be under the most binding obligations to live holily.

To those who realise the mass of Scripture assertion,

and teaching grounded on it, which I have drawn out in the preceding pages, this statement of the Church needs no apology. The absence of such a statement would on Scripture grounds be indefensible.

In the third place. if our Baptismal Services are Scriptural, they must set forth the grace received in Baptism as one from which mon can fall; for the Scriptures (as I have shown in pages 69-72), so far from asserting the final perseverance of those once grafted into Christ, assume that they may fall from their Christian standing, and fall irretrievably.

Now here I desire the reader to bear in mind that we cannot look for many assertions of this sort in our Baptismal Services. The administration of Baptism is, of course, a matter of religious joy to any right-minded Christian, and it would be contrary to all right feeling to make "falling from God," or "coming short of His grace," the key-note of such a Service. If, then, we find the danger of falling from grace and not attaining to everlasting Salvation once or twice distinctly recognised, it is as much as can be required to vindicate our Services as Scriptural on this head.

In the first place, we have a prayer in both Services before the administration, in which we ask God that the person to be baptized may ever remain in the number of His faithful and elect children."

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Then immediately after his Baptism he is signed with the sign of the cross, in token that he "must continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant to his life's end."

Then after this, the congregation are called on to pray that he "may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning." And when, after being called upon, they do pray for him, they ask that being "buried with Christ in

His death, he may crucify the old man," and "that, as he is partaker of the death of God's Son, he may also be vartaker of His resurrection, so that FINALLY, with the residue of God's Holy Church, he may be an inheritor of His everlasting kingdom."

So also, in the Catechism, the child is made to say, "I pray unto God to give me His grace, that I may continue in the same (state of Salvation) unto my life's end."

So in the Order of Confirmation, the Bishop in laying his hands upon the person confirmed is directed to pray, "Defend, O Lord, this Thy servant, that he may continue Thine for ever."

So in the form of Solemnization of Matrimony. "It (Matrimony) was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body."

So, above all, in the Homily of Salvation or Justification (the statements in which, since it is referred to in the Eleventh Article, have more authority than those of any other homily), we read, "Our office is not to pass the time of this present life unfruitfully and idly, after that we are baptized or justified, not caring how few good works we do to the glory of God, and profit of our neighbours: much less is it our office, after that we be made Christ's members, to live contrary to the same, making ourselves members of the devil and not God."

In the last place, if our Services are to be Scriptural, they must give no countenance to the idea that there are two Churches-a visible and an invisible-to the former only of which we are supposed to be admitted at Baptism, whilst God has restricted saving grace to the latter.

Our Services recognise but one Church-the visiblo,

into which the person is admitted at Baptism; for, first of all, the congregation are besought to pray that the person or child may be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost, and "received into Christ's Holy Church, and be made a lively member of the same." Here we have, at the very outset, the great Scripture truth set forth in our Lord's parable of the "Vine and the branches," that the One Church has within its pale different characters; not that the "lively" members are an invisible Church by themselves.

Then the congregation do pray that he, "being delivered from God's wrath, may be received into the Ark of Christ's Church." Then when the priest signs him, he "receives him into the congregation of Christ's flock.'

After this the congregation are called on to thank God that the person is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church;" then they actually do thank God that the child or person is "incorporated into God's Holy Church."

There is, then, but one Church recognised in the Services, and it is described in terms which leave no room for any other, for it is called Christ's "Holy Church," the "Ark of Christ's Church," the "Congregation of Christ's flock."

In all this Scripture is adhered to, which knows of but one Church, but recognises that that Church is like a "net gathering of every kind," and like a vine, having fruit-bearing, barren, and decaying branches.

SECTION IV.

REGENERATION OF INFANTS IN BAPTISM.

I have now shown that the Baptismal Services of the Church of England are Scriptural, if to be "Scriptural " means to be in accordance with the books of the New Testament.

It will be needful now to consider a difficulty which, in these latter days, has been raised respecting the application of all this to Infant Baptism.

As a rule, we baptize infants who cannot exercise conscious Faith: and it is assumed that there is some peculiar difficulty respecting infant Baptism, or, at least, in pronouncing infants regenerate when they are baptized.

In order thoroughly to sift this matter, it will be needful to consider the relation between Faith and Baptism as it is set forth in Holy Scripture.

Faith is now considered as something antagonistic to Baptism. Men think to depress Baptism by exalting Faith; and vice versa-they who uphold the grace of Baptism are assumed, by the very fact of their so doing, to detract from the efficacy of Faith.

Now there is no antagonism between Faith and Baptism so much as hinted at in Scripture. So far from this, the two Epistles which ascribe most to Faith set forth, most unreservedly, the high position of Baptism in the Plan of Salvation.

The Epistle to the Romans is generally appealed to as upholding Justification by Faith; and in it we have

1 I say now, for it assuredly was not so considered by the leaders of the Reformation, either in England or Germany. See my extracts from Luther, Cranmer, Melancthon, and Jewel, in Avvendix B. of the "Second Adam and the New Birth."