d take time and thought to find out
accurately what our duty is? Is it a new thing that the full and
perfect truth should not lie on the very surface of things, in the bare
letter of Scripture? Far from it. Those who _strive_ to enter into
life, these alone find the strait gate which leads thereto. It is no
proof even that it is a matter of indifference what age is proper for
Baptism, that Scripture is not clear about it, but hides its real
meaning; not commanding but hinting what we should do. For consider
how many things in this life are difficult to attain, yet, far from
being matters of indifference, are necessary for our comfort or even
well-being. Nay, it often happens that the more valuable any gift is,
the more difficult it is to gain it. Take, for instance, the art of
medicine. Is there an art more important for our life and comfort?
Yet how difficult and uncertain is the science of it! what time it
takes to be well versed and practised in it! What would be thought of
a person who considered that it mattered little whether a sick man took
this course or that, on the ground that men were not physicians by
nature, and that if the Creator had meant medicine to be for our good.
He would have told us at once, and every one of us, the science and the
practice of it? In the same way it does not at all follow, even if it
_were_ difficult to find out at what age Baptism should be
administered, that therefore one time is as good as another.
Difficulty is the very attendant upon great blessings, not on things
indifferent.

But a man may say that Scripture is given us for the very purpose of
making the knowledge of our duty easy to us;--what is meant by a
revelation, if it does not reveal?--and that we have no revelation to
tell us what medicines are good or bad for the body, but that a
revelation _has_ been made in order to tell us what is good or bad for
the soul:--if, then, a thing _were_ important for our soul's benefit,
Scripture would have plainly declared it. I answer, who told us all
this? Doubtless, Scripture _was_ given to make our duty _easier than
before_; but how do we know that it was intended to take away _all_
difficulty of every kind? So says not Christ, when He bids us seek and
strive and so find; to knock, to watch, and to pray. No; Scripture has
not undertaken to _tell_ us every thing, but merely to give us the
means of _finding_ every thing; and thus much we can conclude on the
subject b