Excerpt from The Validity of Baptism by Sprinkling, and the Right of Infants to That Ordinance: Supported and Defended in Two Discources Delivered at Malden, in the Beginning of the Year 1804

While Peter was preaching the gol'pel falvation to Cornelius and his aitembled friends, the Holy Ghofl fell upon the hearers in a manner To vifible and firiking, as nearly to refemble what had before happened to the apoi'des themfelves on the day of Pentecofi. Obferving this, Peter im mediately propofes, in the words now read, the ad million of thefe new converts 'to a regular {landing in the chriftian church, by the ordinance initituted for that purpoi'e. As they had already been bap tized by the Holy Ghofi, the water baptifm, which they Were now to receive, was intended as an out ward feal or token of what theyhad inwardly ex perienced. The one was the immediate gift of God, producing a real change in the heart, purg ing it from fin and dead works, and bringing it to z/je' answer of a good conscience toward God the oz/jer was to be the work of man, and, of itfelf, could avail to nothing more than we purifying, of zbefies/o. As a divine infiitution, however; render ed fignificant by the command of God, its obferv f ance becomes indifpenfably incumbent.(4) From the beginning, it hath pleafed God, that they who acknowledge him, and embrace the true religion, fhould, by fome vifible mark or token, be Ieparated and diilinguilhed from the refi ofman. Kind. When he admitted the patriarch Abra iram and his family into a covenant relation to himfelf, and gave him that emphatical and com prehenfive promife, to bea God to 132m, and 10 bis and after aim, choofing them for his peculiar peo ple he condefcended to confirm the engagement by an ordinance, which was to continue a {landing memorial of his promife to them, and of their ipecial obligations to him. He was pleafed to fay, 17 bis is my covenant, or the fenfible fign of it, every: man obi/d among you snail be dream. Fired - 4nd it sball be a token of the covenant betwix't me'and you.' By this fignificant rite, they were dedicated to God, and diitinguiihed from the reit of the world, as his church and people. At the fame time that it ferved as apledge of the faith. Fulnels of God in fulfilling his promifes to them, it tended to remind them of their duty to him, of their obligations to purity of heart and life, and to perfeverance in a courie ofholy obedience to his will. During the continuance of the old-teilament dif penfation thele purpofes were anfwered by circum cilion. But, on the publication of the gofpel and the introduelion of the Gentiles into the church it plear ed God to lay afide this bloody rite, and fubfiitute baptifm as an initiatory feal of his covenant. Go ye, and disciple all nations, baptizz'ng tbezn, -was(5)

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