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stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with money must needs be circumcised, and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man-child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He hath broken my covenant." Gen. xvii. 10-14.

Children of believing parents are entitled to the same privilege from the general commands which our Lord gave in respect to baptism, without any limitation or exception as to age or sex. From the gospel we infer that the God of all grace grants the same privilege of baptism to such children as to their parents; and on this ground the Apostle Paul draws this conclusion in regard to them, "else were your children unholy, but now are they clean." It is certain that young children are capable of being admitted into covenant with their God. They were directly included in the covenants made with Adam, with Noah, and with Abraham, and virtually in the new covenant grace was promised to all from the greatest to the least. As death entered by Adam's offence and reached to those who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, so the

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benefits of Christ's redemption were designed for all, "for as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." The promise which God gave after the fall, was to the woman and her seed. The covenant made with Noah expressly comprized all children descended from him. God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, "I, behold, I establish my covenant with you and with your seed after you." God when he entered into covenant with Abraham the father of the faithful, declared that in his "seed should all the families of the earth be made blessed." And God said unto Abraham, "Thou shalt keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee, in their generations; this is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee; every man-child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you." God himself declares that the act of circumcision was to be a token of the covenant between himself and the people of Israel. And

the Apostle says that Abraham received the sign of circumcision, "a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, being yet uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham, which he had, being yet uncircumcised. For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." The act of circumcision was expressly enjoined by God himself on the children of Israel, and the eighth day after birth, was fixed on for this purpose. We may therefore infer that if children were not to be admitted into the new covenant, by baptism, which is now appointed the sign and seal of the righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ, there would have been a prohibition to that effect from Christ himself. But no such exclusion or exception has been made by him; so far from it he gave one general command without any limitation or exception as to age, to his Apostles, to "go and (i. e. to make disciples of all na

tions,) teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you;" and he shewed the most marked attention and regard to the case of infant babes and young children, saying, "except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." "They brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them; but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him and said "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God, as a little child, shall not enter therein;"" and he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."

The tender affection and regard of Christ towards these babes and sucklings is here manifested, and it is evident from this act, that they were the special objects of his grace and blessing, and therefore we infer that the children of believing or Christian parents are not only fit objects of his grace and blessing, but may be admitted to Christian baptism. It has been accordingly the

universal custom of the Catholic church from the primitive times to consecrate them to God. Many of the early fathers refer to it. Clemens Romanus and Justyn Martyr speak of the necessity of it, from the fallen and corrupt state of man, by the first birth. Irenæus, also, refers to infants, little children, and boys, as well as young men and old, as being born again in baptism. Tertullian refers to their baptism as a general custom. For a striking case relating to infant baptism, which was referred to, the council of Carthage in the third century, the question was not, whether young children might be baptized at all, but whether, if need required, as soon as they were born, or not till the eighth day, as in the case of circumcision. By this council, consisting of sixty-six bishops, it was unanimously agreed, that the grace and mercy of God was not to be denied to such infants, who partaking of corruption by the first Adam, need to have it washed away by the second Adam, who died for all.1 Origen, who lived about the same time, expressly asserts that the church had from the Apostles a tradition to grant baptism to little children. And St. Austin

1 Quantum vero ad causam infantium pertinet, &c.

CYPRIAN AD FIDEM.

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