Scriptural Views Of Holy Baptism (1839) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. ON THE MEANING OF BAPTISMAL REGENERATION, AND THE PASSAGES OF HOLY SCRIPTURE WHICH SPEAK OF OR IMPLY THE GREATNESS OF BAPTISM. The passages of Holy Scripture, which refer to Baptism, may naturally be divided under two heads; those which directly connect regeneration with it (John iii. 5. Titus iii. 5), and those which speak of its privileges, in high indeed and glorious terms, but without the same precision and defmiteness. Each class, in a different way, strengthens our faith; the one telling us what our privilege is, the other raising or illustrating our notions of that privilege, by speaking of its accompaniments or results. Before entering upon the consideration of these passages, however, some may wish to know the meaning here attached to the Scripture words " regeneration," or " new birth," and " birth " from above." This were easy for practical purposes, by way of description, so as to set before ourselves the greatness of the gift by Baptism bestowed on us; but it is not so easy by way of a technical definition. This arises from the very nature of the subject; for we can only accurately define that which we understand, not in its effects only but its cause. Things divine, even by describing, we are apt to circumscribe; much more, if we attempt strictly to define them: the depth of things divine cannot be contained within the shallowness of human words. The more carefully we express ourselves in the one way, the more escapes us in another. Thus, in the doctrine of justification by faith, a mind which should mainly fix itself on our being " ac- " counted righteous," would by degrees lose sight of that other portion of it, the " having righteousness actually imparted, the " being made righteous;" as on the other hand one' who recently 1 Knoz's Rema...