cases, that it is understood, or implied, that the parents take upon themselves the responsibility, though not under the name of sponsors.

Others again make a difference in children; they make their qualification for induction into this heavenly family to depend upon the faith of their parents. Some of these, instead of sprinkling, pour water upon their infants, but only on such whose parents they denominate believers. Yet, although there is this difference among my clients, the majority of them allow each other a claim under the Will.

Gentlemen, my clients do not bring forward this cause, because they feel any doubt of their claim. They are satisfied that they are the true heirs; they therefore do not wish to have their minds disturbed. They are neither envious nor jealous; on the contrary, they seek your verdict to confirm their claim, in order to convince their misguided opponents that they take a wrong view of the Will; that they do not understand its requirements; and, consequently, that their claims are not legitimate. We wish it as a means of opening their eyes; as a means of showing them that they are in the wrong path; in order that they may retrace their steps, and return into the bosom of mother church, or into that of some of her daughters, whose views of the Testator's ordinance are much alike, although their form of worship differs; any of which, I think I may with safety say, would receive them back with open arms; asking few or no questions, either why they had dissented from them, or why they saw good to return to them. Now what can be more liberal than the conduct of my clients, especially as they are by far the most numerous, the most intelligent, the most learned, and the most respectable party? Indeed I might say that we are almost the only party, for our opponents are little more than "as the small dust of the balance."

You may then ask, Why moot the question, seeing our adversaries are so very few as to be scarcely worthy of notice? I will inform you, Gentlemen; few as they are, they are a troublesome sect, the general disturbers of our

peace and quiet. If they would enjoy their own opinions, without obtruding them upon others, and let us take our own way, all would be well; but this they will not do. They, as I before observed, are continually contradicting our statements, and thus their doctrines obtain publicity, which occasionally coming to the ears of some of my weak and hypochondriacal clients, excite such an enquiry as this'Ah, if I should not be right, what will become of me?' It is true their fears generally subside with the return of their good spirits; yet if we should be able to set this question at rest, it will be a consummation which we devoutly desire; and I make no doubt that your verdict will accomplish this great and good work.

I am sure there has been enough said and written on this subject to convince any body of people, who could be convinced at all, that they are in error; but our opponents are an opinionated, and, generally speaking, an illiterate party. Few of them know any language except their mother tongue, and many of them scarcely that; yet they have the vanity to think that they have arrived at a better comprehension of the true meaning of the Testator than all the great and learned men of the nation. Nothing more, then, can be done with such an obstinate sect; to reason with them is next to useless; and we have little expectation that even the decision of this court will produce any effect upon their understanding. Yet, Gentlemen, your verdict in our favour will answer three good purposes. In the first place, it will lull to rest and peace the doubts and fears of our weaker brethren, who have incautiously listened to their ensnaring counsels. In the second place, it will prevent others from being led away in a similar manner. And in the third place, it will be a means of enabling us to pass the remainder of our days in tranquillity.

This trial, strictly speaking, is only upon the two forementioned clauses; yet the whole of the Will is of such vast importance, that in the course of the proceedings other clauses, bearing upon this question, will be brought more or less under your consideration. I wish you, however, to keep

your attention principally fixed upon these two. The Will has been so generally published, that almost every one in this country, who is desirous, may be made acquainted with its provisions. Yet it has been doubted by some, whether it would be wise to let the unlearned form their own opinions of the nature of its contents. Others think it the better plan, that they should receive instruction through those who have made it the particular study of their lives; and they argue that it is not possible that the illiterate can understand that which but few men of the greatest learning have yet attained unto. I myself have heard a great deal on the subject of this Will, and have often looked into it; but I must confess that I do not clearly understand it; and though I believe I have an equal interest therein with others, I have hitherto, in a great measure, submitted my judgment to those whose peculiar business it is to intruct me. Indeed I feel very thankful that I am under the care of that church, which makes members of all indiscriminately who are brought unto it in their infancy; and as their power to do this is shown to rest upon the best authority, I have no anxiety on my own part upon this subject.

Many of my clients do not confine themselves to the Will alone as a directory for their conduct, they look also to the manner in which it was acted upon by those who immediately followed the companions and personal adherents of the Testator. And for further instruction, they take the opinions and practices of succeeding generations, which have been carefully handed down even to the present time. In this, I think they manifest their wisdom, as well as their modesty; and I am sure you will agree with me, that this is the best mode that could be adopted, and more likely to conduce to a correct judgment in the case, than by pursuing the opposite principle, that of rejecting all human authority, and confining themselves entirely to the Will, seeing that it was published nearly eighteen hundred years ago, and that in a language now nowhere spoken by any people. My witnesses will, in the course of the trial, point out to you several little words, apparently of trifling signification,

but which they have found to be of the first importance; for by giving them a different construction from that in which they now stand in the text, and to which they are naturally convertible, several passages connected with these two clauses obtain a meaning very different from that which is generally put upon them by the ignorant. They will also shew, that even the word "baptize" itself has no precise significant meaning when applied to the ordinance in question, but may with the greatest propriety be substituted for other words of the same language, conveying a very different sense. Thus, when my clients sprinkle a child, though the Greek language supplies them with a word that expresses the act with the utmost precision, they still use the word baptize, because it is the word employed by the Testator: but it will appear evident to you all, Gentlemen, by what shall further be advanced, that the meaning of this word cannot be determined from the Will itself; and this, as I before hinted, proves their wisdom. The terms of the Will, then, being given in ambiguous language, the only way that we can arrive at a certain knowledge of its true bearing is by an appeal to antiquity, in order to ascertain how it was understood and acted upon in those early times; and to do this, I am happy to say we are prepared. Besides, we have a very striking fact for our guidance; which is, that we can prove to a certainty, that, nearly four thousand years ago, Jewish infants were circumcised, by the command of God, when they were eight days old, and thus brought into covenant with him; and that all that were proselyted to their religion were also circumcised. Now it appears, from ancient history, that the Jews made additions to the command, purely of their own invention; and to the ceremony of circumcising their proselytes, they added that of baptism, or they washed them, sprinkled, or poured water upon them history does not particularly specify which: but it appears that when the great Testator came into the world, he saw good to abrogate the Jewish rite of circumcision, which was observed by the command of God, and to retain that use of water which the Jews observed upon

mere human authority; thus graciously accommodating the laws and institutions of the new kingdom which he came to establish to the predilections of the people among whom he came. For he was well aware, from the obstinacy which they had always shown, that if he had attempted to establish any new order of things he should not succeed with them even in this case. Hence many of our wise and learned men call baptism only a borrowed rite, and say, that as the Testator took up and continued that rite which the Jews had established without any direction or command; so they, in like manner, may attach that meaning to the word baptize which may best suit the prevailing customs and tastes of the several countries of the world, thus adapting it to the tempers of all mankind.

This being the case, Gentlemen, my clients contend that 'as regards institutions and ceremonies of order, the' Will proclaims its own insufficiency. The apostle enjoins upon the brethren to submit themselves to the rulers, which would be worse than useless, if the rulers had no lawful authority to command any thing beyond the letter of the Scripture.The reason and mercy of this are obvious, in a religion which was designed to extend to the north and the south, to the east and the west; a religion which was to gather its converts from the most cultivated, and the most barbarous of human tribes, and assemble its congregations in every varying latitude, from the burning sands of Guyana and Peru to the icebergs on the coast of Norway.

'It follows, then, that the' Will' was never designed to be a sufficient guide in all the details of management in the church of Christ. It is all-sufficient in principle. It invests the church rulers with true authority to enter into details, and it binds the members of the church to yield submission to the details so prescribed, though they be not written in the' Will.-'Therefore general orders are indispensable as the ground-work of delegated authority. To THIS INFIRMITY OF HUMAN MANAGEMENT THE LORD HAS CONDESCENDED, IN THE HISTORY OF HIS CHURCH. He has employed the instrumentality of human rulers.—General