as if anything could, in itself, give weight to what we know to be Scripture truth, but because the agreement of the early Church is of important use in ascertaining what is truth. In the fathers, also, persons may see the character of Baptismal regeneration, and its relation to other truths of the Gospel, apart from the difficulties with which they cannot but approach any subject of modern controversy,—apart, namely, from the views, characters, or opinions, with which it may, in some cases, be, or be thought to be, combined.
Scripture truth, thus seen in its Catholic character, as universally held in the antient Church, detaches itself from the modes of thought, inadequate apprehensions, peculiarities, or errors, with which, in individual cases, it may be blended: it retains the character of Divine authority, in that He taught it to His whole Church; while the exercise of our faith is rendered more easy by the vividness with which we see His truth, when thus realized in action. Yet the ultimate authority and source of proof is, of course, Scripture; and, although we might often be at a loss to interpret Scripture, without the aid of the fathers, still this does not diminish our sense of its supremacy.
It is, then, to the Scriptural views of Baptism, that our more earnest attention is mainly called: it is a more thoughtful and teachable pondering of those truths, that I would urge—not endeavouring to square them to our preconceived theories, but obediently following them. Their Author, the place which they hold at the entrance of the Christian life, their greatness, all demand this at our hands. As deduced, then, above from Holy Scripture, they are these. By Baptism, our Blessed Saviour tells us, we are born again: Baptism is, God tells us by His Apostle, the washing of regeneration, and of the renewal by the Holy Ghost: through it, we are incorporated into Christ, made members of His body, engraffed into Him, made partakers of His death, burial, and resurrection: by it, through His merits, the original taint of our nature was forgiven, and our old man crucified. We ourselves have put on Christ, and so become partakers of the Sonship of the Ever-blessed Son of God. "By it we are saved:" i.e., for the time actually saved (as one may
