felves, but be content to leave them to their merciful creator, well knowing that we are far fhort, than that we should love God's creature more than he who made it. But though fuch as never heard are not required to believe, nor those who cannot know expected to practise, I fay nothing in behalf of such as being grown capable of both, caufelessly delay their own baptifm; they are to be looked on as neglecters and despisers of what God has appointed, to their own mafter they must stand or fall!'

It has been argued with great appearance of truth, that in the last charge concerning baptifm recorded by St. Matthew, the word Manleurale fhould be rendered profelyte or difciple; nor does it feem unreasonable to fuppofe that baptifm was to be, in refpect to children, the initiating right or token of their being brought into the church of Chrift, that they might be educated in his doctrine and in obedience to his laws: but Mr. Barker does not admit of fuch an interpretation. What he fays upon it is as follows:

Matth. xxviii. 19, 20. (Mabneurals) Convert all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; teaching them to obferve all things whatsoever I have commanded you.

Some would tranflate panevrale difciple all nations, as if it referred to what follows, making them difciples by baptizing; but on comparing the ufe of the words, it appears that able never means any difcipling but what comes by teaching, yet is fomething farther than teaching, that is to perfuade and convince by it. Manns alfo whence it is derived means one taught, either an immediate follower of Jefus, or one who by what he heard and faw was convinced that he was the Chrift; yet men were called fo on lefs belief before Chrift's refurrection than afterward.'

In the fourth chapter, the Author recites the qualifications for baptifm; from which we fhall give the following extract:

1 John ii. 12, 13. I write unto you children (TEXvia) becaufe your fins are forgiven you. I write unto you children (waidia) becaufe ye have known the Father. (παιδιά)

The fins of children as opposed to fathers, being here faid to be forgiven, probably they were baptized before manhood; and fo far as this text goes, which is not exprefs, it is againft those who delay it till full age or even longer, as too many of the antipædobaptifts do; but the age they were baptized at does not appear. Those here mentioned had understanding, else his writing to them were useless; the word (TEXva) alone fixes no time, being used of perfons of whatever age, as opposed to their ancestors whether immediate or remote; the perfons in thefe

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two verses are fons as opposed to fathers, and children to young men; yet all were of fome confiderable age, the children (waidia) as opposed to young men, being faid to have known the father.

Rom. xi. 16. If the firft fruit be holy fo is the lump, and if the root be holy fo are the branches.

I Cor. vii. 14. The unbelieving hufband is fanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is fanctified by the husband; elfe were your children unclean but now are they holy.

• Mr. Emlyn, in his previous question, quotes these texts to fhew that chriftian children need no baptifm; and they are, I think, the best he can produce, as feeming to speak of a race purified by defcent from a pure ftock; yet I think by no means fufficient to fet afide a practice conftantly ufed from the first. Nor indeed is that in Romans spoken of baptifm at all, but as the context proves, to fhew that the Jews, though rejected for a time, were not utterly caft off. Dr. Wall, on the contrary, quotes that in Corinthians to prove that they then baptized the infant children of chriftians: but we may observe, that the unbelieving party is faid (ayasa) to be made holy, in the fame manner as it is faid the children (aya sv) are holy, which muft not therefore be interpreted inconfiftently. Now I think none will fay, either that the unbelieving party needs no baptifm, or that the believing party's faith fits him for it; that therefore muft not be faid of the child fo born.-But the meaning of the text feems to me to be this; Paul, in this chapter, tells the Corinthians, that they should marry only in the Lord; and elsewhere, Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; but he here explains himself, that he does not mean those who were married before converfion fhould part; in that case he advifes the believer not to part in hopes of converting the other, for that there was nothing unlawful in the union, nor were their children ever the worse, but might probably be brought up chriftians, either by the converfion of the unbeliever, or at leaft by their own care and inftruction; chriftianity being fo much more reasonable, agreeable to unprejudiced minds, and favoured of God, than heathenifm.'

Thus our Author rejects thefe texts as to any favourable afpect they may wear refpecting infant baptifm; but there is nevertheless reafon to think that they have (at least the latter of them) fome confiderable importance and weight in the argument. It is well known, from feveral paffages of fcripture which have been produced and compared in this view, that the word holy, as applied to perfons, fignifies thofe who might be admitted to partake of the diftinguifhing rites of God's people: and as to the fuppofition that, because the unbelieving party is

here

here faid to be fan&ified by the believing wife or husband, that party continuing in unbelief might still be admitted to baptifm upon the fame plea as is drawn in behalf of infants; is not this ftraining the meaning of the text beyond its evident defign? For does not the plain import of it feem to be this; that though one of the married parties remained an unbeliever or a heathen, yet that party might be fo far regarded as holy by the connection with a believer, as not to render the chil dren unclean, or deprive them of any benefits they might derive from chriftian parents? This obfervation happened to prefent itself while we were confidering what is here faid, and therefore we have given it a place, though we do not by any means take upon us to enter much into the controverfy.

One chapter, in this part of the work, which investigates the fubject according to the accounts given of it in the New Teftament, is entitled, Of the feveral ceremonies of baptifm; and here we meet with fome conclufions which we fhould not have expected from this Writer. From fome places in fcripture, in which chriftians are fpoken of as being fealed and anointed, as receiving the spirit of adoption whereby they cry, Abba father, in which they are admonifhed to keep their garments undefiled, or faid to be cloathed in white, he infers, that baptized perfons were anointed with oil or ointment, to reprefent the gift of the fpirit they were to receive; that in token of their adoption by baptifm, they immediately, on receiving it, called on God as their father by repeating the Lord's prayer, and that they received white garments with a charge to keep them pure. Is not this building too much upon conjecture? and is it not a manner of reasoning from the fcriptures which has fomething of a dangerous tendency? It is indeed well known that ceremonies of this nature did pretty early prevail in the chriftian church, and at length degenerated into deep fuperftition: and fuch practices they endeavoured to fupport by fcripture, or rather by its mifinterpretation but there does not appear any ground to believe that these, or other ceremonies, were authorized by any precept or practice of Chrift or his apoftles.

After having confidered what the fcriptures offer upon this fubject, our Author, regarding the practice of the church in or near the Apoftles time, as a good comment on them, proceeds to fearch out, in order of time and place, the opinion of all the early christian writers: but for particulars, we must refer our readers to the book itfelf. One thing farther we must mention, as generally applicable to thofe writers who are unfavorable to the baptifm of infants, which is, that they do not feem fufficiently to diftinguish between the converts to chriftianity from judaifm and heathenifm, and the children of chriftians. With regard to the former, a declaration of faith and repentance

repentance was certainly requifite to baptifm; as to the latter, it appears natural to conclude that they fhould be baptized upon the faith of their parents, as a teftimony of their coming into the world under a merciful and gracious difpenfation, and being brought into the church of Chrift. However it must be acknowledged, as evident to all thinking perfons, that there are fome things in the adminiftration of baptifm, and other parts of the fervice of our church of England, which loudly call to be reconfidered and amended. They afford fome matter of triumph to infidels and fcoffers, while ferious and upright perfons regard them with concern. It is greatly to be wifhed, that those who have it in their power would make an attempt for an alteration, fo far at leaft as to leave fome things indifferent and difcretionary, and not fuffer the people or the clergy to be forcibly tied down to any expreffions or practices which it is hard to reconcile with religion or common sense.

ART. III. Difcourfes on the Parables of our Bleffed Saviour, and the Miracles of his holy Gofpel. With occafional Illuftrations. In four Volumes. By Charles Bulkley. Vol. I. 8vo. 5 s. fewed. Horsfield, &c.

TH

1771.

HE parables of Chrift form a very important and edifying part of the facred writings. An ingenious and learned writer, already known to the world by former publications, has here undertaken to illuftrate them, and to apply and enforce their practical defign.

This volume contains fourteen fermons, the first of which confiders the nature and defign of parables. The fubjects of the others are as follow:-the parables of the fower, of the tares, of the muftard-feed; the forgiven debtor, the two fons, the vineyard, the marriage feaft, the ten virgins, and the talents. The difcourfes on thefe topics are very rational, tending to fix the principles of religious truth and virtue in the heart, and also to excite us to a fuitable practice.

The first fermon is founded on the reply which our Lord gave to the enquiry of his difciples, why he spake to the people in parables? He answered and faid unto them, because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to them it is not given. For whofoever has, to him shall be given, and he fhall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him fhall be taken away even that he hath.' The meaning of which declaration, obferves our Author, I apprehend to be this; to you who have made fo much better improvement of your former advantages, and retain an ingenuous candour and docility of temper, I can fometimes exprefs myself in more direct and explicit terms concerning the principles of my religion and the defign of my prophetic miffion: whereas to

thofe

those who, notwithstanding their having enjoyed the fame advantages with you, are most dreadfully depraved in temper and blinded in understanding, there is the higheft poffible neceffity that I fhould deliver my inftructions in fuch a gradual, infinuating and imperceptible manner, as may be moft effectual for bringing them to a knowledge of the truth :- Therefore speak I to them in parables; because they seeing fee not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand:' that is, whilft I speak to them in this manner, though they immediately difcern, and cannot but acknowledge the propriety of the parabolical representation, yet they do not fo immediately and directly fee or perceive it to be intended as a representation of the malignity of their own characters, and of the abfolute neceffity of a reformation and amendment to be made in them. Our Saviour adds, and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Efaias; which fays, by hearing ye fhall hear, and fhall not understand and feeing ye fhall fee, and fhall not perceive; for this people's heart is waxed grofs, their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have clofed.' In which words is more directly and immediately expreffed that abfolute neceffity there was of addreffing them in the manner now hinted at, arifing from their long habit of indifpofition to religious inftruction, and thofe prejudices which would be inceffantly arifing in their minds against whatever fhould, upon the firft afpect, appear to have a moral view or meaning in it: and the good effects which such a method of inftruction might poffibly produce in the case of such perfons, are expreffed in the laft clause of the text; left, or, as the original word made use of both by the evangelist St. Matthew, and in the feptuagint version of the paffage in the prophecy of Ifaiah here referred to, fometimes fignifies, if peradventure, by being thus infenfibly and unawares led to a more ferious and deliberate attention to religious truths, and to a fuller and more ingenuous conviction of the depravity of their own hearts, than could be expected from any other method of inftruction; they should fee with their eyes and hear with their ears, and be converted, and I fhould heal them.' Or, in other words, if poffibly they may at length, and in the happy refult and iffue, be fo clearly convinced of the truth, importance and excellency of my doctrine, as to be by it reclaimed from the irregularities of their lives, and be firmly established in the love and practice of religion. In the second chapter of St. Paul's epiftle to Timothy, the twenty-fifth and twenty-fixth verfes, he gives him this advice, that he fhould inftruct in meeknefs those who oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth." Where the particle tranflated, if peradventure, is the very fame with that which in our text is rendered left, and by which ren