agreeably to which I conceive it to be the opinion of the generality of the national clergy, that by that facrament we are made Christians, and are born anew of water and of the Holy Spirit or that I may exprefs myfelf in the words of the late apoftolical Bishop Wilfon, that "Regeneration or New-Birth is that fpi"ritual change, which is wrought by the Holy "Spirit upon any person in the use of bap"tifm; whereby he is tranflated out of his "natural state, as a defcendant of Adam, to a

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fpiritual ftate in Chrift; that is, to a ftate of "falvation; in which, if it is not his own "fault, he will be faved." This doctrine however is virtually at leaft, if not actually, denied by fome minifters of our Church and it is denied in terms, which charge the maintainers of it with blindness and ignorance; with innovating on evangelical truth; with being oppofers of the doctrines of the Gospel, and patrons of a heathenish fuperftition.

As it may be important to prove, beyond the poffibility of a fufpicion to the contrary, that the accufation, which is to be made the fubject of our prefent inquiry, implicates the Church of England as well as the generality of her minifters, I fhall venture to show by the adduction of feveral paffages in her Liturgy,

• Works, vol. iv. p. 411. 8vo.

which it might be otherwife fuperfluous to specify before fuch an affembly as the prefent, that the doctrine of regeneration by baptifm is moft clearly afferted by her: or, in other words, that "the supposes in ftrict conformity "with the Scriptures," not merely "that ❝ all real Christians are regenerate by God's Holy Spirit," by which I understand all thofe, who live a Chriftian life; but that those alfo are fo regenerated, to whom baptifm is rightly adminiftered, notwithstanding by their future conduct they may forfeit the privileges of their new birth.

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The office with which I begin is the ministration of public baptifm to infants, which the priest, having ascertained that the child has not been baptized, is directed to commence in this form: "Dearly beloved; forasmuch as "all men are conceived and born in fin, and "that our Saviour Chrift faith, none can enter "into the kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of water and of the Holy Ghoft; I befeech you to call upon "God the Father through our Lord Jefus "Chrift, that of his bounteous mercy he will

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grant unto this child that thing which by "nature he cannot have, that he may be bap"tized with water and the Holy Ghoft, and

f See Overton's True Churchmen, &c. p. 109.

"be received into Chrift's holy Church, and "be made a lively member of the fame." I give the addrefs at length, because it is placed at the very opening of the miniftration of baptism, and is designed to draw the attention of the hearers to the purpose, for which baptism is administered. It confifts of two parts; an admonition to the people to pray, and a reason for the admonition: what they are to pray for, partly is, that "the child may be baptized "with water and the Holy Ghoft :" the reafon for their being called on fo to pray, is “foraf"much as Chrift faith, none can enter into "the kingdom of God, except he be regene" rate and born anew of water and of the "Holy Ghost." Putting these paffages together, what else is the prayer that the child may be baptized with water and the Holy Ghoft, than a prayer that by baptifm he may be born anew?

Proceeding to the prayers, I do not rest on that general expreffion in the firft, where we pray God "to wash and fanctify the child with "the Holy Ghoft:" but going forward to the fecond, I beg your attention to that paffage, wherein the priest is directed to fay, "Al

mighty God, we call upon thee for this in"fant; that he, coming to thy holy baptifm,

may receive remiffion of his fins by fpiritual regeneration." The paffage needs no com

ment it will only be recollected that the quef tion is, what does the Church of England understand by our Saviour's expreffion of being born of water and of the Spirit? Nor is it neceffary to make any other comment on the following extracts, while I point to that prayer, where we intreat Almighty God to "give his Holy Spirit to the infant about to be bap"tized, that he may be born again:" to the prayer of confecration, where we intreat him, to "fanctify the water to the mystical washing

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away of fin, and to grant that the child, now "to be baptized therein, may receive the ful"nefs of his grace, and ever remain in the "number of his faithful and elect children :" to the addrefs immediately following the baptismal rite, wherein the priest calls on the congregation to give thanks to Almighty God, exprefsly for this caufe "feeing that the child " is regenerate ;" and to the thanksgiving that follows, wherein we are inftructed to " yield "thee hearty thanks, moft merciful Father, "that it hath pleased thee to regenerate the "infant with thy Holy Spirit, and to receive

him for thine own child by adoption." These words must be left to fpeak for themfelves. They admit of no illuftration or explanation. Language cannot be plainer.

Let us proceed to the ministration of private baptifm of children, where, it may be firft re

marked, that the prayers being the fame as in the public baptism, the fame expreffions of course occur, as thofe already noticed. But when the child, that has been privately baptized, is admitted into the public congregation, the doctrine is repeated under feveral new forms of expreffion. The child, being born in original fin, is said to "be now by the laver "of regeneration in baptifm received into the "number of the children of God:" a prayer is offered to Almighty God to "give his Holy Spirit to the infant," not, as in the former office, that he may be born again, but that he

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being born again may continue God's fer"vant:" the congregation is required to give thanks to Almighty God, for that the child "is by baptifm regenerate:" and in the fame form of prayer as before, thanks are yielded to our most merciful Father, for "having pleased "to regenerate the infant with his Holy Spi-. "rit, and to receive him for his own child by

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adoption." This great variety of expreffions, wherein the fame doctrine is fo repeatedly conveyed, proves to my mind moft fatisfactorily, how tenacious the Church of England is of the doctrine of baptifmal regeneration, and how anxious fhe is to imprefs it upon her

members.

This variety we trace ftill farther exemplified in the miniftration of baptism to such as