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climbed up some other way, I feel myself completely under his protection, and can go in and out and find pasture; enjoying "the earnest of my inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."*

* Eph. i. 14.

THE JUDGE.

GENTLEMEN OF THE JURY,

As one of the Judges of the realm, it has fallen to me to sit here during the pleadings in this important cause — a cause involving not a subject of a temporal nature, but one of infinite moment-the eternal state of all the human race, to whom the Testator, in his great goodness and mercy, has sent his Will. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear;"* and according as we hear the "sayings" of the Testator, and do them, or do them not, so we shall be rendered eternally happy, or eternally miserable. + This consideration should solemnize our minds, and operate as a check upon any thing bordering on levity; which, I am sorry to say, has been occasionally manifested during the trial.

Gentlemen, as becometh my responsible station while sitting upon this bench, I have attended to all that has been advanced on both sides of the question; and, as far as I know my own mind, without partiality or prejudice as affecting either party. And I am persuaded that you have listened with the same attention, and with minds as free from bias as my own.

On the one side you have heard the subject argued by many of the most distinguished men of our own country, and also by one of a distant people, highly esteemed among us; men celebrated for their great learning, profound judgment, acuteness, and deep research-who have left no object unexplored that could throw light upon the cause; and who, wherever they have found a passage in the Will which in their judgment was obscure, ambiguous, or uncertain, have endeavoured to elucidate it by an appeal to authorities of ancient date, and enquiries into the manners

* Matt. xi. 15.

+ See Matt. vii. 24–27.

and customs of times long past. They contend that this is the only true way of arriving at a satisfactory conclusion in all cases of difficulty; and that the light thus thrown upon ancient practice may be safely followed by Christians of the present day. It must be evident to you, Gentlemen, and to every one in this Court, that the Plaintiffs' Witnesses have manifested the greatest ingenuity and acumen, laying hold of every incident that appeared in their favour; and that, on this side of the question, nothing new, more convincing, or more conclusive, can be expected or elicited—that, in fact, the subject has been completely exhausted.

Their

On the other side, the Defendants acknowledge that they are unlettered men; that with respect to human learning, and deep research into the works of ancient authors, they do not stand upon such high ground as the Plaintiffs; and we have had convincing proof that what little they know of these subjects, they have not thought proper to bring forward in support of their cause, contenting themselves with appealing exclusively to the Will; contending that the "way of salvation" is therein pointed out in characters so "plain" and intelligible, "that he may run that readeth it."* arguments and statements have all been drawn from it alone; and they contend that it ought to be studied now as if it had only been the publication of yesterday;-that it is as easy to be understood by the people of the present time, as it was by those to whom it was first preached;—that it is sufficient of itself to "shew" unto every man "the path of life," to furnish him with all the knowledge which is needful for him, and which, if sought for in a spirit of humility, with fervent prayer, and a firm reliance upon the promises it contains, will assuredly lead him to the mansions of eternal glory.

"He that rejecteth me (says the Testator), and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day."+ Hence it must be manifest to you all, Gentlemen, that his "word" overrules my authority, and consequently renders my judg

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ment and your verdict unnecessary.

It must also be manifest to every considerate person who has heard, or who may hereafter read a report of this trial; that however just your verdict and our judgment might be, it cannot exonerate any individual from examining the provisions of the Will with the same diligence as if this trial had never taken place; he must still judge for himself; for no profitable knowledge can be obtained but by deep searching into, close examination of, and diligent application to, the divine testimony, taking nothing upon the credit or authority of any man or set of men. By a careful observance of the rules laid down, he must make all the knowledge it contains his own.

*

Seeing, then, that this cause is of such tremendous moment, and that it must of necessity be brought before a higher tribunal, where "every one of us shall give an account of himself to God," the GREAT JUDGE, who will himself "set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left;" I shall, with the permission of the parties interested, dismiss the court, without giving judgment, or calling for your verdict, beseeching every individual to ask himself this important question, Have I searched the Will as for hid treasures, and am 1, through faith in, and humble dependence upon, its Divine Author, accompanied by a sincere, meek, and lowly walking in his ways, and a strict observance of his precepts, laws, and ordinances, PREPARED TO STAND BEFORE "THE SON OF MAN," WHEN HE SHALL "SIT UPON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY?"

Rom. xiv. 12.

+ Matt. xxv. 33.

Matt. xxv. 31.

INDEX.

Abraham-his blood of no advantage, 42; individuals considered his seed by
baptism, 198; the covenant made with him and the Christian covenant the
same, 247.

Adam and Christ contrasted, 208.

Adults-none born of christian parents baptized, 157; first subjects of baptism, 475.
Enon, John baptizing in, 24, 189, 232, 474, 511.

Ark and baptism type and antitype, 55; and baptism like figure, 577; and bap-
tism compared, 196.

Bar-meaning of the word, 3, 92, 136, 162, 287, 288, 295, 296, 319, 335, 528,
529; shown by literary authorities, 569; by the represented sense of the whole
body of the realm, 570; by the plaintiff's witnesses, 571; from the connexion
in which it stands, 572; not properly analysed, 175; substituted for pop, 176;
Scripture sense of it considered, 231; to baptize or sprinkle, 237.

Baptized into the death of Christ, 29, 98, 160; for the dead, 31; both men and
women, 50; into Christ, 49; into the cloud and sea, 54, 134, 230, 478; the
same as regenerated, 81; perish if not born again, 170; not to be reproached
as pagans, 201; into Moses, 292, 445; unto Moses, 38.
Baptism-added to circumcision, 8; a borrowed rite, 9; of infants, when first

practised, 12; spoken against by the Waldenses, 14; in what form admi-
nistered, 19; that of John by plunging, 20, 473; to iterate, awful, 26; of the
Spirit does not supersede that in water, 28; buried by, 29, 79, 99, 142, 159,
183, 193, 236, 281, 296, 453, 527; the contempt of, damns, 42; of John and
Christ the same, 43, 369; if denied to infants, they are worse off than Jews,
44; of John, infants capable of, 46; of Christ, 58, 141; of proselytes, 63;
adopted by Christ, 64, 480; by it made Christians, 66, 480, 484; public mi-
nistration of, 67, 324, 484; private ministration of, 68, 484; of those of riper
years, 69, 328, 484; by it made heirs of salvation,78; maintained by Quakers to
be figurative, 80; without regeneration, an empty shell, 82; Austin's remarks
on, 83; Hooker's remarks on, 83; controversy concerning it, 89, 496; not MUCH
troubled about it, 90, 487; privilege of parent, 90; not invalid if previous to
believing, 94, 489; why omitted in second clause, 94; contempt of it condemns,
100; a condition absolutely necessary, 111; not an instrument of salvation, 115;
original corruption taught by, 118; many ignorant of, 118; who are the subjects
of, 119; of infants, no example of in Scripture, 120; lawful, only by God's rules,
123, 495, 497; of infants, in what view indefensible, 123; infants proper sub-
jects of, 124; of infants practised by early christians, 132; subjects of, shown,
133; how it ought to be administered, 135; according to Scripture, is affusion,
139; no where declared to be immersion, 143, 499; an unexamined point,
144; of infants, New Testament not silent upon, 150; of households, 151;
of families no extraordinary occurrence, 154, 191; of infants, is it or is it not

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