Joseph John Gurney had he asked him | It may be advantageous if we point out some particulars in which we coincide with him, before we proceed to assign reasons for regarding his main theory as unscriptural. to explain it, but would unfold cheerfully to a youth who had been favoured in infancy with baptismal "registra"tion"? We do not believe that the frank and open-hearted author can mean this, though his words seem to us necessarily to imply as much. We suppose that though he has not expressed himself with sufficient exactness to preclude misapprehension, what he means is that baptism is a registration of those who are to be recognized as on probation for church fellowship, and to be instructed therefore in its obligations, privileges, and duties. We agree with Dr. Halley, in the first place, that every person who is baptized should be subsequently a disciple in the sense of a learner. Whether he know little or much before, he is pledged by his baptism to receive the instructions of the great Prophet of the church, and submit entirely to his guidance. He has professed to be a disciple; he has avowedly taken Christ's yoke upon him, and he is bound therefore to learn of Him, not only till he enters on the responsibilities and advantages of church fellowship, but to the very end of his course. Nay, we concede to Dr. Halley most cheerfully, if it be a concession, that baptism is the first duty of a believer, and that he is bound to attend to it, as his first duty, whether he is in a position which allows of his availing himself of the advantages of church fellowship or not. So convinced are we of the importance of making it evident that baptism and church fellowship are very distinct things, that it has been our uniform practice for more than twenty years, when conversing with an applicant for baptism, to say After you have been baptized I will Be this as it may, it is evident that Dr. Halley deliberately intends to teach that it may be right to baptize a man, woman, or child who has "no knowledge of the evangelical doctrine." The opinion he maintains "accounts," he tells us, "for the baptism of so very "ignorant a man as Simon Magus." He enlarges on the "extreme ignorance of the rudiments and first principles of the Christian religion" displayed by this impostor after his baptism. He says, "So great ignorance shows that he "had been subject, previous to his bap"tism, to no catechetical instruction. "After his baptism, not before it, he "would have had to learn his cate"chism, if he had to learn it at all. "Nor could Philip have made any in-talk with you about uniting with the "inquiry respecting his knowledge of "the gospel, without detecting his gross "ignorance of its elementary lessons." p. 16. "Philip would disciple Simon Magus by baptizing and teaching him, " and therefore baptized him in his ex"treme ignorance. So we," adds Dr. Halley, "would make disciples by baptizing and teaching all who will sub"mit to regular instruction." p. 17. 66 In maintaining this theory, Dr. Halley advances much from which we differ totally, and much, perhaps more than he thinks, with which we cordially agree. church; when I have baptized you, it will be my duty to teach you to observe all things whatsoever our Lord commanded.' If baptists contend, contrary to the opinion of our author, that some instruction should precede baptism, they also maintain, in accordance with him that instruction should follow it. The late Mr. Booth, referring to the two words teach and teaching, in Matt. xxviii. 19, expresses himself on the subject thus: "The teaching intended by pa0nrevoare [MATHETEUSATE] has for its object all nations, that designed by diddoKOVTES [DIDASKONTES] relates to baptized disciples, who are called out of the nations. The subject of the former is the doctrine of salvation by Jesus Christ that of the latter, is whatever he has commanded; or the institutions of his worship, and the laws of his kingdom. By the one disciples are made; by the other they are instructed to keep his commands. By that they are taught what they must believe; by this they are informed what they should practise in consequence of believing." The language of Booth would be received by Dr. Halley himself, with as much attention as that of Jerome; but as some who read these pages may not be in the habit of exercising equal candour towards modern baptists, it may not be amiss to subjoin the similar language of that ancient writer, who having observed that the order of words in the commission is excellent, illustrates it thus:-" He commands the apostles first to teach all nations; then to dip them with the sacrament of faith: and then to show them how they should behave themselves after their faith and baptism." Many worse things than this proceeded at different times from Jerome's pen. dividual. It is the prerogative of Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire to know the hearts of the children of men. The administrator is responsible for the correctness of the profession, but not for its sincerity. He implies, by his conduct, that he knows nothing to nullify it, but not that he can guarantee the vitality of that faith which is avowed. But, on this point, we have found it remarkably difficult to make ourselves understood by some of our pædobaptist brethren. They are so accustomed to regard baptism as an act performed on a passive object of Christian benevolence-one who takes no part in the business-who expresses no intentionwho is perfectly involuntary in the whole-who is acted upon instead of acting-that they can scarcely realize its meaning and implications in the case of one whose personal convictions have led him to the water, and who regards himself as performing a solemn act of worship. As it presents itself to their minds, in the general practice, the profession made must be the profession of other parties, not of the infant baptized. The parents may profess something : according to Dr. Halley, "the parents "in bringing their children to baptism, virtually profess their intention to "train their children in the nurture "and admonition of the Lord." p. 45. The administrator may profess something: Dr. Halley asks, "Is not the "pastor equally a party to the engagement, and is not the church, whose Again, we agree with Dr. Halley in this, that baptism is not a certificate of safety. We are as averse as he is to its being regarded as "an attestation or discrimination of true believers." If any persons whom we have baptized, have taken this as evidence that they were in a state of acceptance with God," minister he is, concerned to provide it has been in spite of our cautions, and declarations that we could give them no such assurance. We regard baptism as a profession of faith-that faith which none but the regenerate exercise -that faith which is invariably connected with final salvation-but the administrator is not responsible for the genuineness of that faith, and consequently for the true piety of the in "that his successor should undertake "the continuance of his pastoral en"gagements." p. 46. But the babe, the baptized one, professes nothing. Accustomed to this view of the case, our brethren cannot easily drop the thought that the profession made is the profession of others rather than of the neophyte. We have to do, on the other hand, with a voluntary agent, one who has expressed desire to be baptized, one who has assigned reasons for that desire; one who professes something,we are not now saying what; were it only, according to Dr. Halley's notion, a willingness to be instructed, there would still be a profession; the candidate is there by his own act, he has come of his own free will, for a purpose on which his own heart is set. This is the person who is making the profession;-not the minister, he is but an assistant in the performance of an act which the person baptized regards as his duty towards the Redeemer; which the minister is persuaded is the duty of all true believers, to which class he knows no evidence that this professed convert does not belong. Further, we agree with Dr. Halley that baptism does not entitle to membership in any particular church. We believe him to be perfectly right when he affirms that in our ecclesiastical polity "no principle is more sacred than "the right of the members to decide, upon their own responsibility, who ought, or ought not, to be received "into their fellowship;" that "by ad"ministering baptism, no teacher de"prives a church of its right, or exo"nerates it from its responsibility of deciding, as in the sight of the Lord "Jesus, upon the Christian character of every applicant for its communion;" and that "the sanction or interference "of a church in the administration of 'baptism is a gratuitous assumption, "for which there is not the slightest "shadow of scriptural authority." On this last point, we are aware that the practice of our churches is not uniform; some take the vote respecting the admission of a member before his baptism, and some afterwards; but our own opinion and practice for the last quarter of a century has been in accordance with the quotation just given. And let not Dr. Halley suppose that this is a pe VOL. XV.-FOURTH SERIES, culiarity of modern baptists. Dr. Gill, a man whose sentiments were regarded with as much deference by the baptists of his own age, as was ever yielded to an individual in modern times, describes in his last great work, what he calls "the orderly, regular, scriptural rule of proceeding," thus: "A person inclined to submit to baptism, and to join in communion with a church, should first apply to an administrator; and, upon giving him satisfaction, be baptized by him, and then should propose to the church for communion; when he would be able to answer all proper questions. If asked to give a reason of the hope that is in him, he is ready to do it; if a testimony of his life and conversation is required, if none present can give it, he can direct where it is to be had; and if a question is put to him, whether he is a baptized person or no, he can answer in the affirmative, and give proof of it, and so the way is clear for his admission into church fellowship." Gill's Body of Divinity, Vol. III. Book III. p. 288. Having thus shown wherein we agree with Dr. Halley in some topics incidentally brought into the discussionespecially in some which he seems to have regarded as stumbling-blockswe will now proceed to assign reasons for our entire repudiation of his main principle. The nine "considerations" which Dr. Halley brings forward to prove his doctrine do not seem to us to be very weighty. We cannot, consistently with the brevity which is requisite deal with them one by one, but we may make a few general remarks. Some of them represent the theory as accounting for habits and actions which are specified; but as we can account for these on our own system, we do not eagerly welcome it for this reason. The supposed difficulties do not press upon us; and therefore we require not the author's E interposition for their removal. Some things which he urges, it appears to us that he would not have adduced had he distinguished more carefully the peculiarities of the baptism which our Lord enjoined his apostles to administer after his ascension, from the characteristics of the baptism administered by the herald who had been sent previously to proclaim the near approach of his reign. But the argument which seems to us to be the most important is that which is founded on "the literal translation of our Lord's commission to administer baptism." He says, "That literal trans"lation is, 'Going, disciple all nations, "baptizing them in the name of the "Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, "teaching them to observe all things "whatsover I have commanded you.'' .... "It has been shown, as the words "imply, that we are to make disciples by baptizing and teaching, not to make disciples first and baptize them after"wards." Baptizing and teaching are, he contends, "the mode of making dis"ciples prescribed by the commission."" p. 17. But in what sense is the word "disciples" used in this case? To advert to his own distinction, is it "in the sense of learners," or of "converts?" Not of converts, as his whole argument is intended to prove, but of learners. "Our catechumens, recognized as learn"ers, and discipled by our baptizing and teaching them, if they continue in the "word of Christ will know the truth, be "made free by its purifying influence, and becoming disciples indeed, be ac"credited as spiritual (vevμarikoí) and perfect (ro) members of Christ's "visible church." p. 47. Now if this were the commission which Christ gave to his apostles, as Dr. Halley teaches, and his be the correct interpretation of it, there was nothing in it adapted to promote the salvation of the nations which they were directed to visit. It consisted of three clauses, the latter ones indicating the mode in which the former was to be brought about. The second and third of these clauses contain nothing tending to the production of that faith through which a sinner is justified. If the first clause has no effect independently of the second and third, but these describe the mode of making the disciples mentioned in the first, which of these latter clauses is it which brings about reconciliation with God and peace of conscience? Will the second clause bring them to exercise that faith through which men are justified, but which they had not, according to the theory, previously to their baptism? Is it by baptism that faith is to be produced? Or will the third clause be more effectual? Will teaching him to observe what Christ has commanded secure the conversion of an ignorant man? "So very ignorant a man," for example, "as Simon Magus”—a man of "extreme ignorance of the rudiments and first principles of the Christian religion?" Or, if those whom our Lord calls "disciples indeed" be meant,believers, genuine Christians,—the last two clauses of the commission do not show "the mode of making disciples ;" but that is done, we maintain, under the operation of the first clause. If it be not, it is not done at all. It is neither being baptized, nor obeying Christ's precepts generally, that justifies a sinner; it is faith in the exalted Redeemer. It is the doctrine of the cross, the gospel of Christ, that is "the power of God unto the salvation of every one that believeth." Lectures in his book entitled "Baptism, | referred to, was by praying and watchthe designation of the Catechumens," ing and making supplication for all saints, especially for Paul that utterance might be given to him that he might open his mouth boldly? One more question it is necessary to ask. How does Dr. Halley's view of the commission correspond with the recorded language and conduct of the men who received it, and must be presumed to understand its meaning? Did they appear to regard persons whom they baptized subsequently as mere inquirers, under a preparatory course of instruction, that they might be brought to believe and to enjoy the privileges to which the true children of God were entitled, or did they appear to consider them partakers of like precious faith with themselves, enjoying the same salvation? Did they address them merely as registered learners, or as converts-believers-men renewed in the spirit of their minds? It appears to us that they regarded baptism as the evidence and outward expression of an operative faith. It was not such &c. Speaking in this latter work respecting the imperative verb in the first clause of the commission, rendered in the common version "teach," and by most modern translators disciple, he says, "Let it mean what it may, the phraseology of its connexion proves "that it is to be accomplished by baptizing and teaching." p. 159. "I have, in my Lecture, assigned my reasons for maintaining that, accord"ing to the fair grammatical construc"tion of the several terms, the verb, "the noun, the participle, and the pronoun, the command is to disciple "all nations, baptizing them, or that "the participle, 'baptizing,' being so "connected with the verb 'disciple,' "must denote an act to be done, in "accomplishing the action expressed "by the verb; that is, we are to bap"tize in making disciples, and not after "the disciples are made." p. 160. But there are other cases in the New Testament of similar construction which we think Dr. Halley would not interpret on the same principle. Paul says to the Ephesians, v. 18, 19. "Be filled with the spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart unto the Lord." Here is an imperative verb followed by present participles, but would Dr. Halley main-fession of a living faith-a profession tain that the speaking, the singing, the that none would in those days make making melody, denote the mode in which lightly-they hesitated not to treat the they were to be filled with the Spirit? newly baptized convert as a believer, Further on, vi. 17, 18, the apostle says, and address to him language in refer"Take the helmet of salvation and the ence to future blessings which proceeded sword of the Spirit which is the word on the presumption that his faith of God, praying always with all prayer though recent was genuine. On the and supplication in the Spirit, and same principle they addressed the unwatching thereunto with all persever- baptized in language which implied ance," &c. Here again is an impera- that if they were baptized it would be tive verb followed by present participles; as believers, and that they would receive but will it be contended that the mode the advantages belonging to believers. of taking the helmet and the sword 'Repent and be baptized every one of evidence as rendered it certain that the heart of the individual was right in the sight of God, but such evidence as afforded a fair presumption that he had begun to deny himself, to take up his cross, and to follow the crucified but now risen and exalted Emmanuel. Regarding baptism as the appointed pro |