nimity on this point is conclusive evidence, not only how the practice stood in their time, but what it ever had been; for it is hardly possible that the memory of so great an innovation should have been so soon and so completely lost. The only exception to these early authorities noticed by the writer, is Tertullian; of whose opinion he gives us the following account : "This father entertained some very strange ideas on various subjects of divinity; he asserted that a famous heretic of the name of Montanus, was the Comforter, or the Holy Ghost, whom our Lord had promised to send; and he held many singular notions on other subjects, particularly on baptism; advising, contrary to the universal custom, not only to delay the baptizing of infants, but also to defer the ordinance in all cases, till they arrived at that period of life, when it might be supposed there would be few or no temptations to sin, and when the strength of corruption would be so reduced by age, that it might be fairly presumed the individual was placed beyond the reach of danger; and this sentiment was a dopted by various of his followers, and at different periods of the Church was again revived. But you perceive that this was one of the first efforts that was made to set aside infant baptism, and to change what was admitted to be the constant practice of the Church; for if it had not been the custom to baptize infants, why did Tertullian, about the hundredth year after the Apostles, attempt to dissuade them from the practice? His objection, therefore, incontrovertibly establishes that practice; for there would have been no room for the one without the other. Then, again, observe the principle on which he grounds his objection. It was not, that infant baptism was an innovation, perfectly unknown in the first and purest age of the Church, which he most assuredly would have shown, if it had been an innovation; and this argument would have been so direct and so decisive as to have overthrown the contrary system, without the necessity of having recourse to any other-he says not, however, one word about this; but contends that infants could have no sins to wash away; that sins after baptism were peculiarly dangerous, and that it should be performed at a period when further sinning became almost impossible : now, by leaving out the very argument by which alone the least plausibility could be given to his sentiments, he has tacitly acknowledged that no such argument could be adduced, and therefore his testimony is most decisive in support of the practice which I have been so long advocating. p. 87-89. But, it may be said, that one single objector ought to have great weight, if he withstood the innovation, and asserted the original apostolical institution. True; but is this the case with Tertullian? By no means. In the whole of his Treatise on Baptism, he never once asserts that it is an innovation; he never` challenges them to any appeal to apostolical order he never charges them with introducing a custom, with which their fathers were unacquainted, nor calls them back to primitive usage; nor asks, "Where is the precept or example" for this novel practice? but,on perfectly different ground, he reasons on the expediency of the rite, with regard to children, and not to them alone, but to all, who are apparently within reach of temptation to sin: he proposes to alter the customary practice, on the false assumption that children can have no sins to wash away by baptism, and wishes to establish a new order of things, founded on notions, to which every Baptist would probably as strenuously object as ourselves. Let, however, those who approve of his reasoning adopt his practice; but let his FACTS be restored to the right scale in the balance; for, so far is the objection of Tertullian to the baptizing of infants a proof that this practice was an innovation, that it proves the direct contrary; and he ought to be adduced as the first instance of an anti-pædopaptist!" p. 133-134. Conversation fourth opens with a discussion on the mode of administration, on which so much stress is laid by the dissenters from the common practice; and we think if the advocates of immersion exclusively would candidly weigh the arguments and illustrations brought forward by the author, they would see the propriety of some abatement of their zeal in dissenting from a Church, which administers baptism in both ways, at the option of the candidate. We per suade ourselves that no one who reads the following extract, will think the position tenable, that Bari, to baptize, invariably signifies immersion, since the word was used with such a latitude by the inspired writers. "Minister.—Is it any where said, that any one was baptized by immersion? or does it necessarily follow, that because men and women were baptized in Jordan, or Enon, they were plunged in the river? Parishioner. This, probably, cannot be proved; but it seems, I think, the natural conclusion, which any one would draw from the fact; for why otherwise should John have selected Jordan as the place for baptizing the multitudes who came to him? A sufficient quantity of water might have been any where obtained for the mere sprinkling of his converts. Min. Are you quite sure of this? Was water as abundant in Judea, as in this country? and could a sufficient quantity any where be found for pouring it on "Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan?" But supposing that all these were baptized in rivers, because it was cus tomary to do so, will this prove that they were all immersed? Might they not stand on the edge of the river, and the water be poured upon them? and is not this supposition the more probable, as it would have been next to impossible, that so many tens of thousands, who came to John's baptism, could have been furnished with proper vestments for the purpose of went into the water in their ordinary immersion? To suppose that they clothes, or without any garments, is dence and decency. The case too, equally repugnant to common pruof the three thousand, who were converted at the first discourse of St. Peter, seems to forbid our supposing that so large a number could be furnished with change of raiment, or short space of a few hours; for it is even be baptized by immersion, in the expressly said "they were baptized, them about three thousand souls." and the same day were added unto to do, that there may be some diffi"Par. Admitting, as I am ready culty in accounting for all the circum stances which must have occurred in the public immersion of such vast multitudes, of both men and women, yet does not the word, by which we describe this Christian rite, of itself denote the mode? I have heard it contended, that the word baptism invariably signifies immersion. Min. You shall judge for yourself as to the accuracy of this assertion. The Jews thought it a part of reli gion to wash their hands before dinner, and they blame Christ's disciples for eating "with unwashen hands:" in the passage in St. Mark, where this charge occurs (vii. 5,) the word is the common expression for washing hands; but in the collateral passage in St. Luke (xi. 38,) in the original it runs thus: "They marvelled that he had not fisrt baptized before dinner;" whence you perceive that the mere washing of hands was called baptism-not a baptism of the hands, for that might imply immersion but generally, baptism, "they marvelled that he had not baptized before dinner ;" from which it appears, that a very partial application of water to a small part of the body was denominated baptism; and if this conclusion be correct, it cannot be pretended that baptism neces sarily signifies immersion. Again, when St. Mark informs us, that "when they return from the market, unless they baptize (for so it is in the Greek,) they do not take meat;" do you suppose that every individual in a family, who had been in the market, immersed his whole body in water, before he sat down to dinner! The fact. is, as we read in St. John's Gospel, that water-pots were placed at the entrance of their houses for the purposes of purification; and these purifications were performed by guests as they approached the room appointed for dining, and could consist in nothing more than the mere dippings of the fingers or hands into the water. We are also informed, by the same Evangelist, that the Jews had "baptisms of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and of beds or couches." Now do you suppose, that the ceremony of baptizing their beds or couches was performed by immersing? or not rather by sprinkling them with water? St. Paul tells us, that the Jews had "divers baptisms" (Heb. ix. 10 ;) alluding, no doubt, partly to the cerenies, of which we have been speaking, and partly to other legal purifications; and if you consult the 19th chapter of Numbers, you will find that these baptisms relate both to bathing and sprinkling, but more frequently to the latter; a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, &c. and the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, 66 and bathe himself in water” (ver. 18, 19:) see also Numbers, viii. 7.— Surely these passages make it most evident that the word baptism by no means necessarily signifies immersion, but comprehends all the variety of uses, which were made of water in sprinkling, washing and bathing. I readily grant, indeed, that the common, though, by no means, universal acceptation of the word baptism, in profane authors, is immersion, and the established rules of interpretation require us to take it in this sense, unless the word be evidently applied, in Scripture language, in a different way; and that it has a more general application in the Sacred Writings, I conceive is plain, from the examples I have just adduced. Since, therefore, in ordinary cases, it sometimes signifies immersion, at others, washing, and sometimes also sprinkling, the question is, in which of these senses it is to be applied to the Christian ordinance, to which the term is now entirely restricted. To say that it must be limited to the first, is to beg the question in dispute, and to disregard those circumstances in the instances of baptism already alluded to, which seem to require a different interpretation of the word." p. 101 -105. The transactions alluded to in page 102, would seem to justify us in not allowing so readily that baptism was even generally performed by immersion in the early ages; and it is hardly to be supposed, that St. Paul at Phillippi, a much higher latitude than Jerusalem, with his lacerated body, went down into a river at midnight with the jailor and his family, consisting probably of females and children, and baptized them by immersion. How do the Moravian missionaries baptize their converts in frozen Greenland? How shall the rite be administered in cases of extreme sickness, where immersion would be followed by certain death? For it cannot be denied but that cases of real penitence sometimes occur on a sick bed, when no enlightened minister would feel justified in withholding the rite. "Only let it be granted that sprinkling, in any case, is real baptism, and every thing is admitted which the Church of England has any interest in maintaining." The principles of the American Episcopal Church are the same on this point. Consulting the scruples of those who prefer what they might think the most primitive mode, she authorizes her ministers to dip the the candidate in water, or pour water upon him; and in every rubrick referring to the mode of administration, she allows either alternative of sprinkling or immersion. In view of the authorities produced in this little volume, it is really impossible to see what valid objection can lie against our Church in her use of this initiatory ordinance. For while she administers the rite to such as have grown up to years of discretion apart from the fold of Christ, thus making provision for the scruples or negligence of one party, she embraces with the arms of parental tenderness, that interesting class of beings, which attracted the peculiar regard of our Saviour. With regard to the mode of administration, her charity is equally extensive; and all that she requires from her opponents in this particular, is, that when she pours water on her candidates, or immerses them in the laver of regeneration," in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, they may not consider her as doing any thing expressly or constructively forbidden in Scripture, or annihilating the validity of the ordinance by human in ventions. We should be glad to follow the author through the remainder of the volume, which is occupied in vindicating the connection of the Church with the State-its specific enumeration of articles of faith-its prescri bed formularies of worship-and its internal government and discipline; but we have hardly room for discussing these points in the Churchman's Magazine. Whatever may be our opinions on this side of the Atlantic with regard to national establishments, their expediency, when applied to England, cannot, we think, be doubted by sober, reflecting, and well informed men. The Christian world has probably been more deeply indebted to the enlightened defenders of our common faith, who, from Cranmer down to Horsley, have been reared up within the walls of the English establishment, than will be adequately known, till the day when all things shall be revealed. And should the time ever arrive, when the preachers of another Gospel, to whose awful mutilations of the Word of God, the corruptions of Popery are as nothing, shall gain an ascendancy in that island, we trust other Horsleys and Magees will not be wanting to defend the citadel of God. We cannot take leave of the work before us, without expressing our admiration of the tolerant and christian spirit with which the argument is conducted; and we can safely assure every Baptist into whose hands it may chance to fall, that he will find much less in it calculated to wound his feelings, than to disturb his opinions on this article of his faith. To religious discussion, when conducted in this amicable manner, we have no sort of objection; believing it to be the sur est way of eliciting truth. Connecticut Seabury Professorship. SOME allusion was made in our last No. to the contemplated endowment of a Professorship in the Theological Seminary, by the Church in this diocess; and we are happy to state that its prospects of success are highly flattering. If the same spirit shall be manifested by the Church at large, that has appeared in the few indivi duals to whom application has already been made, we conceive there will be no difficulty whatever in raising the requisite fund, in the course of the ensuing year. We proceed to lay before our readers the Articles of Subscription, with the assurance, that every Episcopalian in the diocess will soon have an opportunity of contributing towards an object so desirable. The gentlemen appointed to receive the subscriptions, aware of the importance of small contributions, where large ones cannot be expected, will carry their papers to every man's door, and solicit their aid in the common cause. While animated exertions are making in various parts of the Church, in favour of the School, particularly in the Southern States, we are confident the members of our own diocess will not be wanting in zeal towards an Institution, in which the hopes of our Church are centered. Whereas it is deemed expedient to found a Connecticut Professorship in the Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States, recently established by the General Convention in New-Haven, agreeably to the 3d section of the 5th article of the plan of the said Institution :— WE the subscribers, therefore, for the purpose of carrying this laudable object into effect, hereby severally agree to pay to Charles Denison, Esq. or to his successor, as the Treasurer of the said Seminary, the sums affixed to our respective names, in three equal annual instalments, to wit: One third part thereof, on the 1st day of September, 1821-one third, on the 1st of September, 1822 -and the remaining third part, on the 1st of September, 1823: Provided, that the sums so subscribed and paid, shall be vested by the Trustees of the Seminary, in bank stock, or some other secure and productive funds, and the annual income there The Rev. Mr. Baldwin, of Stratford, the Rev. Mr. Burhans, of Newtown, the Rev. Mr. Noble, of Middletown, and the Rev. Mr. Wheaton, of Hartford, having been appointed by the Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Theological Seminary, as general agents for collecting subscriptions for founding a Connecticut Professorship in the Seminary, agreeCommittee beg leave to appoint you ably to the enclosed proposals-the of the above named gentlemen as may a special agent to aid and assist such visit your parish, in this important and laudable object. The pamphlets with which they will furnish you, will sufficiently explain the nature of the Institution, and the plan of the proposed foundation. By order of the Committee, From the Episcopal Magazine. On Wednesday, the 25th of October, Trinity Church, Easton, Pennsylvania, was consecrated to the ser vice of Almighty God, by the Right Rev. Bishop White, the Rev. Messrs. Kemper and Dupuy attending and assisting him. The service on this |