proaching him, say not so my blessed Lord ;this is not what you mean-you undervalue the influence of your blessed word and spirit, by making your institutions of such importance; your commands and institutions, and what your apostles said and did, must give way, that your grace may be magnified, and that you may give glory to yourself in another way, by sanctifying the soulThis baptism is too insignificant a thing-Our zeal for your honor and glory would have it to take a lower place in the Gospel system; we would have it instead of the seal to be the ceremonythe sign of membership, and not the instrument by which men are made members."

This if I understand it, is the reasoning of the gentleman, when reduced to plain language. But what is this but remonstrating with Christ; saying we know better about the business than you;We have found out a better way to organize the system of Grace, than the one communicated to us in your word-One which will more directly redound to your glory, and will better promote your cause among men !

Still Sir, although my Rev. Brother has fallen into this mode of reasoning, I am not about to impeach his motives-I am satisfied they are good.

This mistake arises from the goodness of his heart, His faith directs him to spiritual things-to the Church triumphant. This he views with such zeal as to make him too indifferent, in reference to the institution of the Church militant.

The Rev. gentleman fully accords with us in the definition of the visible Church of Christ. He fully agrees, that it was organized by God himself; and if he would carry his ideas a step further, he would see that he should as sacredly regard the commands and institutions of his Saviour, in one respect as another-that a requisition in regard to a visible practicable duty, is as obligatory as to a spiritual exercise of soul.

God hath erected a visible kingdom in the world, which he styles his Church. This Church is a part of that system of Grace, in which he has provided for man's salvation. As we are social beings, he hath accommodated this part of his blessed system to our natures. This church is his visible school; to the members of which he grants his word and spirit, to enlighten their benighted minds; to the members of which he affords his heavenly impulse, to controul their wills, to warm and exalt their affections, and to sanctify their corrupt natures, that when he has done with them

here below, they may be capable of being received. by him above.--The Church is in this way, termed the school of Christ-a school in which immortal beings, defective in their nature, may be renewed, and educated for eternity. This school is Christ's. He founded and supports it. Being visible, he has seen fit to appoint a visible way of admission unto it; and declares, as we have seen, that there is not nor shall be any other way. Now let this way be ever so plain, ever so simple, it is Christ's way, it is the apostolic way, it is the way by which all the primitive Christians entered.-And shall we presume to be wiser in this matter than apostles and martyrs ?-wiser than Christ himself?-Surely this would be an ungodly way of magnifying the grace of God!

No Sir, let us give proper reverence and honour to the visible institutions of Christ, and be contented to do what he commands. The great mistake on this subject appears to be this. Some men take the internal qualification of a good member of Christ's Church, to constitute membership in the visible community; when this is in no sense true, any more than that the good disposition of the heart of man, constitutes the man.

In order to be a Christian, a man must enter the

school of Christ by baptism; and in order to be a good Christian, he must obey not only this one command, of entering the school, but he must obey all the commands, and be regulated by all the maxims of the Gospel-He must live by faith, be moved by the spirit, and live a life of piety.

cr surely the gen

My Brother Presbyter says, tleman will not go so far as to say, the want of baptism will exclude from final salvation." "And if it exclude not from the kingdom triumphant, it is a mystery to me why it should from the kingdom militant." To which I answer that we say no such thing. On this subject I say what I said in reference to the visible Church;-that I think, and I delight in the thought, that thousands of pious persons never baptised, will on account of their piety, be received into a happy immortality that honest error will be forgiven: that although they can in no sense be said to belong to the visible Church of Christ, because they have not been subjects of that only ordinance which Christ hath instituted to admit them; and although they have no convenant promise of salvation-still, that God is not bound by his promises, although we are, if acquainted with them; and that he may, as

we find he constantly does, dispense his favours to those without his covenant.

I have Sir, farther to remark upon what my Rev. Brother said respecting the opinion of some of our best writers on this subject, (viz.) that they supported the position, that baptism did not constitute membership. I must confess I was sorry to hear the remark, inasmuch as, although a few men have supported this position, still the standards of almost every Church in Christendom testify to the contrary. Even the standards of his own church use a language in express contradiction to the doctrine he contends for. Our Confession of Faith, p. 25, speaking of the sacraments, says they" put a visible difference between those who belong unto the church, and the rest of the world." And p. 128, it says Baptism is a sacrament of the New-Testament, ordained by Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptised into the visible Church, but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the "covenant of Grace, of his ingrafting into Christ," &c.

The catechism of the Protestant Episcopal Church speaks in equally strong terms. The answer to the second question is, " my sponsors in baptism, wherein I was made a member of Christ”