"In

"that your sins may be blotted out." Christ," saith St. Paul, "we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace "."

Q. Are all Christians equally entitled to hope that their sins will be forgiven on repentance?

4. Assuredly; for the benefits of Christ's death extend to all mankind. All equally may be saved, if all equally take the steps which our Saviour has promised shall lead thereto.

Q. In what sense do you use the word salvation here?

A. In the above passage we understand thereby ultimate salvation.

Q. Will all equally attain to this ultimate salvation?

A. Alas! no. Many, we have reason to fear, will fall away, and be numbered with the transgressors.

Q. How then can the benefits of Christ's death be said to extend equally to all mankind, if all will not equally attain thereby ultimate salvation?

A. All may attain thereby ultimate salvation? it is placed equally within the reach of all. And if any fail, and have their portion with the

wicked at the last day, the fault will be wholly theirs ".

1

Q. If the death of Christ is available to the salvation of all mankind, what necessity is there for baptism?

A. Salvation is offered to all conditionally; without the performance of which conditions, the death of Christ, though available to salvation, will not avail them. The power to attain, and the actual attainment, are very different things.

Now to Christians salvation is offered on the conditions of faith and obedience; faith in, and obedience to, whatsoever Christ and his Disciples taught and instituted.

We say, therefore, that baptism is necessary to salvation, because it was taught and instituted by Christ and his Disciples. Our Saviour just before his ascension expressly instituted the Rite of baptism, saying to his Disciples, "Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Again he said, "He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved." And

h Heb. V. 9. 1 Tim. ii. 4. Ως ο ηλιος ομοιως κατ' ενεργειαν

τοις πασι προσβαλλων, ουχ ομοίως υπο πάντων χωρεῖται, ουτως Ο Λογος κατ' ουσίαν τοις πασι παρων, ουχ ομοίως τοις αλλοις και τῳ ναῳ τῳ οικειο Tapeσr. Justin. Martyr. Exposit. Fid. p. 389.

παρεστιν.

Matt. xxviii. 19.

Mark xvi. 16...

again, “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, 'except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God'." Thus Ananias said to Saul, "Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord ""

Q. What is baptism?

A. It is the rite or ceremony by which Christians are admitted into the holy Catholic Church. Q. Is it a mere ceremony?

A. It is much more. Baptism makes us the children of God, and heirs of all the promises of the Gospel; whereby we obtain the remission of sins, and the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit".

Q. Does the remission of sins attend upon baptism?

A. It does so; as we are taught to believe by the promises of the Gospel. John the Baptist

1 John iii. 5.

n

Acts xxii. 16.

Baptismus peccatori diluvium est, consecratio est fideli. St. Ambrose. v. 43. K.

Ώσπερ πληγης προχωρησασης εν τῳ σωματι, καν θεραπεια γενηται τις, όμως η ουλη μενει. Ουτω και η αμαρτια πλησσει την ψυχήν, και το σωμα, και μενουσι οι τυποι των ηλων εν πασι. περιαιρούνται δε μονον από των λαμβανοντων το λουτρον. Τα μεν ουν παρελθοντα ψυχης και σώματος τραύματα θεραπεύει Θεός δια του βαπτισματος. St. Cyril. Catech. xviii. § x. Eusebius. Hist. Eccles. lib. vii. cap. St. Barnab. Ep. cap. xi. Tertull. de Paptismo. § 1. Clement. Alexand. ex Script. Prophet. Eclog. 6 and 7.

viii.

"Did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance, for the remission of sins°. St. Peter said to the first Christian converts, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins P."

Q. Why then are infants baptized, who have never sinned?

A. Their first parent Adam sinned, and thereby entailed the curse of sin upon them and all his posterity. To free mankind from this curse our Saviour died, and ordained that all who were desirous of reaping the full benefit of the atoning sacrifice of his death, should be baptized

Q. When adult persons are baptized, does the performance of the rite entitle them to the forgiveness of sins they may have previously committed?

A. Before answering this question in the affirmative, we must explain that faith and repentance, sincere, earnest, constant, pure, and zealous, are required of the adult person, previous to baptism. With these, the proper qualifications and attendants on baptism, we believe that persons baptized will receive the remission of sins at their baptism".

• Mark i. 4.

P Acts ii. 38.

Matt. xxviii. 19. 'Baptismatis munus contra originale peccatum donatum est,

Q. Here you say that baptism entitles men to the forgiveness of sins; but a few pages before, you attributed the forgiveness of sins to repentance and amendment of life. How do you reconcile these two positions?

A. A few pages before we were mentioning the case of ourselves and other Christians; of persons already belonging to the flock of Christ. The sins of such persons, we remarked, were forgiven on repentance.

Here we are speaking of persons not yet mem

ut quod generatione attractum est, regeneratione detrahatur ; et tamen activa quoque peccata quæcumque corde, ore, opere, commissa invenerit, tollit. St. Augustin. tom. iii. Enchir. ad Laurent. cap. Ixiv.

"We must not however imagine," says Lord Chancellor King, (chap. vii. p. 372.)" that the fathers of our Church apprehended baptism of itself, without any regard to the qualification of its subject, to be sufficient and effectual for the blotting out of sin, and the pardoning of iniquity; but their meaning was, that whosoever was evangelically prepared for that ordinance by a sincere repentance and an unfeigned faith, unto him, and him alone, was baptism efficacious to the remitting and washing away of his sins and crimes: according to that of our Saviour," He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." And that of St. Peter," Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins." In which texts faith and repentance are made necessary ingredients of effectual and saving baptism. Thus Justin Martyr, Dial. cum. Tryph. p. 231. and St. Cyril. Catech. iii. § xi.