BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE.
CAESAR H. A. Malan, D.D., was born at Geneva in 1787. “He owed his first lucid and definite apprehension of salvation by grace alone to the venerable Robert Haldane,” whom he met for the first time in the autumn of 1816, but he appears to have undergone the great, that is, saving change shortly before falling in with Mr. Haldane. Not very long after he came under the influence of Mr. Haldane, he was forbidden to preach in the pulpits of the National Church of Geneva, because he would not consent to be silent concerning the deity of Jesus Christ, concerning original sin, concerning irresistible grace, and concerning the eternal election of God’s true people. He visited Scotland repeatedly. One remarkable fruit of his labours in this country when, in 1826, he visited it for the first time, was the conversion of Dr. John Duncan. We learn from his biography that at one time of his life Dr. Malan had so far felt the force of the argument in favour of the baptism of believers only, that he was on the verge of asking that he should himself be rebaptised. Before, however, going actually over to the Baptist position, on the subject now referred to, he resolved to investigate the matter more fully, with the result that he again became quite convinced of the scripturalness of infant baptism. This singular experience led him, in 1824, to publish a volume of 200 pages, entitled, “God ordains that children in the Church of Christ should be consecrated to Him by the Seal of Baptism.” In 1835, he published his “Recherche sur la condition des infants dans l’église Chretienne,” which is practically a re-affirmation of the thesis maintained on the subject of baptism in the volume published in 1824. The treatise, of date 1835, we mean to translate, and to give, in instalments or chapters, month by month, for some time to come, in this Magazine. We need scarcely say that we have no aim or purpose in this translation save to establish the understanding and conscience of our own people, and especially of our youth, in what we believe to be the scriptural view of baptism. Dr. Malan occasionally expresses himself in a way which we think open to misunderstanding, and, on this and other accounts, we may now and again have occasion to add some notes of our own which will be initialed. Dr. Malan died at Geneva on the 8th of May, 1864.
J. R. M.
PREFATORY NOTE BY DR. MALAN.
THERE was lately published a Dialogue against the baptism of the infant children of Christians. In this Dialogue Samuel and James are interlocutors, and the former, who is opposed to infant baptism, assigns for his opinion the following reasons:—
I.—The danger of baptism received in infancy, inasmuch as, in most cases, it becomes an obstacle to the conversion of the children so baptised.
II.—Inasmuch as the children of Christians are not placed otherwise than as those of Pagans in the sight of God, baptism by water, in the case of the former, does not confer any grace.
III.—Christian baptism has not come in the place of Jewish circumcision.
IV.—Water baptism, which is the outward sign of the baptism of fire or of the Holy Ghost, belongs only to the spiritual Church, that is to say, only to believers.
The above arguments, presented on the part of Samuel with calmness and piety, receive only feeble answers on the part of James, and thus the reader of the Dialogue will in all likelihood conclude that Samuel is right, seeing that the other has so little to say by way of reply. The following Dialogue has for its aim the supplying of that which was lacking in James’s knowledge, or, possibly, James was only unwilling to speak out his mind to his friend, Samuel. Samuel’s reasons are now to be examined, and that will take us much more time than it took him to state them. For it is the case with certain opinions as with some strong and penetrating odours—they cannot be removed from one’s clothes without much ado. Thus Saint Paul found it necessary to write a long epistle in order to repel what were only a few errors on the part of certain Christians from among the Hebrews. Be that as it may, our present subject is a weighty one, for it connects with the fundamental principles of our faith. It is a subject, therefore, that demands attention and study on the part of every disciple of the truth. But, besides, it is one of those questions that unhappily cause a separation among those who were redeemed by one and the same Saviour. It behoves us, therefore, to treat it with prudence and charity, lest controversy, taking the place of discussion, prove more hurtful to peace than helpful to faith.
CHAPTER I.—THE CONSECRATED INFANT.
SAMUEL, after having, as he thought, demonstrated that the children of Christians have no advantage over those of Pagans, and that therefore they ought not to be sealed with the name of Jehovah, quitted his friend, James. James, who was simple of heart and full of piety, but himself as yet only a babe in Christ, opposed to the decisions of Samuel only a few weak obser- vations, and the latter, becoming thus all the stronger in the truth of his own opinion, bade the former good-bye, at the same time praying God to reveal to his friend the whole truth of His Word. But may not one suppose that here possibly that Scripture will be verified—”He that is first in his own cause seemeth just, but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.” Is it too much to make an application to Samuel of that which ensues, and which, for that matter, is not fiction?* Samuel then found it necessary to proceed on a journey, and among the children of God whom he visited he met with one of his friends, a man of considerable education, and the father of a large family. This friend lived in the country, and Samuel, being desirous of having a somewhat lengthy conversation with this brother, arrived at his house early of a morning. “Here now,” said Samuel, as he approached his Christian friend’s dwelling, “here is one of the houses in which Jesus is loved. May peace from the Prince of Peace be multiplied unto it, and may that peace rest on every child of peace that has its dwelling here.” Then, filled with this sweet sentiment, he advanced towards the house, on the walls and doors of which he could read the same kind of desires as were forming in his own heart; for several passages of Scripture in several places were thereon written, and on the principal door could be read the words: “As for me and my house, we shall serve Jehovah” (Joshua xxiv. 15). Samuel stopped before that inscription, which he read more than once, laying special emphasis on the words, “and my house.” Then he knocked, in order that his brother might open the door to him. It was a young girl who came to receive him. “Papa and mama,” said she, “have gone out for a walk, but they will shortly return.” “I will wait them, then,” said Samuel, “and meantime, if you please, I shall go on reading all the beautiful passages of God’s Word which are written on the walls of your house.” “It was our good papa,” said the little girl to him, as she accompanied him all the time, “who himself wrote them, and as we were all—my brothers and my sisters and myself—about him as he did it, he prayed our God to write them on our hearts by His Holy Spirit.” “And do you think that He has already wrought this for you?” asked Samuel, as he stopped to converse with the little girl. The little girl.—”At least we hope that He will do it; for our God is also our good Father, and He has already, indeed, blessed all the older ones of the family.” Samuel.—”Do you believe, then, that He is your God, my dear child?”
* Dr. Malan was fond of the dialogue as a mode of setting forth his views of truth. In this case we may well believe that he gives the substance of conversations or debates carried on by him with others on the subject of baptism.—J. R. M.
The little girl, with surprise.—“Ah! without doubt, sir. Is not God the God of papa and of mama? He is then our God also.” This reply touched Samuel, for the child had made it with her whole heart, and the tone of her voice showed the most profound conviction. Besides, although that declaration on the part of the young girl did not accord with Samuel’s own view, he did not dare to combat it. The child inspired him with respect, and he felt that even to attempt to deprive her of her persuasion would be tantamount to a kind of seduction, and therefore something very blameworthy. It became, in fact, impossible for him to repeat to the young girl what he had said to his friend, James, with so much assurance—that the children of Christians were before God as those of Pagans. His conscience seemed to tell him that that was not absolutely true—certainly not in the family in which he now, as a matter of fact, found himself, and the other replies of the child only made this conviction all the stronger. Samuel.—“How old are you, my child?” The little girl.—“A little more than ten years. I have two brothers and three sisters older than myself and I have besides two brothers and two sisters who are younger than myself. My dear little sister is not yet a year old.” Samuel.—“And think you that God is the God of that little sister also?” The little girl.—“Oh, surely, sir, for our family is not like those of the poor heathen, whom missionaries visit. They are only idolaters, and their children are consecrated to their false gods. But papa and mama are Christians, and we have been consecrated to the Lord Jesus. For you know, don’t you, that the Lord Jesus loves little children, and that He blesses them. Mama says that we are His lambs, and that by and by we shall be His sheep when we become bigger, and that then we shall know Him better.” Samuel was turning more and more reflective. The simple and sweet trust of the little girl interested him profoundly, and he was unwilling to make any reply to her words, which were so innocent and of such a tender piety. Also he thought his questions should be prompted more with a desire to find out whether the persuasion of the young disciple who was speaking to him should lead her. Samuel.—“Nevertheless, dear child, your little sister does not yet know that there is a God, or that He has come even to us. How then say you that Jehovah is her God?” The little girl, with a kind of pity.—“But, sir, don’t you know that ‘every good and perfect gift cometh from above, from the Father of lights’ (James i. 17)? It is Saint James who says it, sir, and it is therefore very sure. You see, then, that it was God who, in His great goodness, Himself became our God. It wasn’t we who created ourselves into a country where was His Holy Bible, neither was it we that searched first for God, but it was He Himself who made us to be papa’s and mama’s children, and they are His children. He Himself, then, made Himself our God. Besides, when my little sister grows older she will know all this as well as I do.” Samuel.—“But think you, now, that God knows you, and that He takes care of you as of one of His own children?” The little girl.—”Ah! it is very certain. Papa showed me in the Holy Bible that God was calling the sons and daughters of the Israelites His children (Ezekiel xvi. 20, 21),* and you understand that we are in no worse plight than were the Jewish children.” Samuel.—”But, dear child, you know that the Jews were unto God a peculiar and consecrated people.” The little girl.—”And so are we also. We have been consecrated to God, for we all have, as you know, His great name upon us. We have all been baptised into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and very often has papa reminded us of it at the morning prayer, as also often during the day has mama exhorted us to think of it, in order that we might be wise.” Samuel.—”And how so, my dear child?” The little girl.—”Ah! it means that since we were consecrated to God by His great name, which was put on us, we ought to be mindful thereof, and to hold His name in reverence. For example, the other day I had had the unhappiness of falling out with my little brother. Well then, mama, who made me come to her, asked me if the gardener was at liberty to make use of the silver chalice (which papa had got gilded), in order to draw water with it from the drain whensoever he watered his vegetables. I told mama, No, because that chalice was too precious for that purpose, and besides, it had papa’s name engraven on it, along with a passage of the Bible. Then mama asked me if I, who was sealed with the name of Jehovah, and who was therefore to Him as a consecrated vessel, if I was at liberty to be filled with the dirty and stinking water of pride and of anger. And I assure you, sir, that I quite well understood how mama wished me to answer; and that, if it please God, I shall never again throw myself into such a state of irritation.” Samuel thereupon became still more pensive. The last words of the child had penetrated even to his heart, in which there was rising something like a voice in favour of that which he had just seen and heard, and he longed for the return of the parents of the little girl, in order to put to them questions, and demand of them answers, such as he was unwilling to pose a child with. (To be continued.)
* Commenting on this passage, Calvin says, “We may remark that there is a twofold election of God, since, speaking generally, He chose the whole family of Abraham. For circumcision was common to all. . . . This was one kind of adoption or election. But the other was secret, because God took to Himself out of that multitude those whom He wished. . . . And so Paul says that the children of the faithful are holy, since baptism does not lose its efficacy, and the adoption of God remains fixed (1 Cor. vii. 14). Yet the greater part is without the covenant through their own unbelief.”—J. R. M.