far the two Sacraments agree; yet
there is this important difference in their use,--that Baptism is but
_once_ administered, but the Lord's Supper is to be received
_continually_. Our Lord Christ told the Apostles to baptize _at the
time_ that they made men His disciples. Baptism _admitted_ them to His
favour once for all; but the Lord's Supper _keeps_ us and secures us in
His favour day by day. He said, "This do, _as often as_ ye drink it,
in _remembrance_ of Me."

Here, then, a Question at once arises, which it is important to
consider:--_At what time_ in our life are we to be baptized, or made
disciples of Christ? The first Christians of course were baptized when
they were come to a full age, because then the Gospel was for the first
time preached to them; they had no means of being baptized when young.
But the case is different with those who are born of Christian parents;
so the question now is, at what age are the sons of Christians to be
baptized?

Now, for fifteen hundred years there was no dispute or difficulty in
answering this question all over the Christian world; none who
acknowledged the duty of baptizing at all, but administered the rite to
infants, as we do at present. But about three hundred years ago
strange opinions were set afloat, and sects arose, doing every thing
which had not been done before, and undoing every thing that had been
done before, and all this (as they professed) on the principle that it
was every one's duty to judge and act for himself; and among these new
sects there was one which maintained that Infant Baptism was a mistake,
and that, mainly upon this short argument,--that it was nowhere
commanded in Scripture.

Let us, then, consider this subject: and first, it is but fair and
right to acknowledge at once that Scripture does _not_ bid us baptize
children. This, however, is no very serious admission; for Scripture
does not name any time at all for Baptism; yet it orders us to be
baptized at some age or other. It is plain, then, whatever age we fix
upon, we shall be going beyond the letter of Scripture. This may or
may not be a difficulty, but it cannot be avoided: it is not a
difficulty of _our_ making. God has so willed it. He has kept
silence, and doubtless with good reason; and surely we must try to do
our part and to find out what He would have us do, according to the
light, be it greater or less, which He has vouchsafed to us.

Is it any new thing that it shoul