the doors of the church open, I entered into the venerable building, and determined for a few minutes to dwell among the dead-meditating in silence upon the triumphs of the king of terrors. My attention was arrested to a certain part of the church, from which proceeded a noise as of two persons in close and earnest conversation. I moved softly on towards the place from whence the noise proceeded; and without being discovered, to my great surprise, heard the Font and the Tub warmly disputing on the subject of baptism. Thinking that the conversation would prove interesting, I seated myself in a pew close by, and listened attentively to the following dialogue :

FONT.-I am surprised that the vicar has introduced such a new-fangled thing as you into this holy building, and that the sexton should have the temerity to place you so near me.

TUB.-I pray thee not to be angry, and I will endeavour to explain to you the cause of my introduction, and

FONT.-I want not to hear of it: but I suppose you thought yourself of great importance yesterday, when the vicar employed you as a vessel, in which he dipped an individual in the presence of such a vast number of people, and called that the scriptural mode of administering the holy ordinance of baptism.

TUB.-Indeed I did feel that a very great honour was conferred upon me, and greatly rejoice that the learned vicar employed me in a work so important, and that by my assistance he was enabled to administer the ordi

nance of believers' baptism almost according to the scripture pattern.

FONT.-Baptism in a tub indeed! What nonsense! TUB.-You may jeer, neighbour font, but I can assure you that I come nearer the right way than your superstitious practice of sprinkling.

FONT.-Superstitious! Is it come to this, that such an unsightly thing as you are dare to insult me to my face, and call the ancient practice of the church superstitious?

TUB. Not at all intimidated by the fierceness of your anger, I again assert that your superstitious practices of sprinkling and pouring are the inventions of men, and that dipping or immersion is the only proper and scriptural mode of administering the ordinance of baptism.

FONT. And are you so vain and conceited as to suppose, that supported as I am by the traditions of our fathers, and by the voice of the church, that you can so easily displace me? I have stood here undisturbed for almost 200 years.

TUB. You have too long practised imposition upon the people: "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." You are a relic of popery, and—

FONT.-Thou liest; I am no relic of popery, but am an adopted child of the Protestant Church.

TUB.-Moderate your anger and calmly listen to me, while I tell you that the mind of our vicar has of late been greatly enlightened upon the subject of baptism; he, reads in the original, that baptizo is to dip all over; and he reads also in the bible, that baptism

was administered by the disciples of our Lord by dipping or plunging, and that in no one instance did they administer it by sprinkling or pouring.

FONT.-Hold there! The true sons of the church, and many learned men among the dissenters, believe that the apostles sprinkled many hundreds of persons.

TUB.-It matters not what they may believe. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. viii. 20. But I can tell you that the candid agree, both churchmen and dissenters, that baptizo signifies to dip. And all lexicons of any note give the same meaning to the word.

FONT. The church acknowledges no such meaning of the word in her articles.

TUB.-Nay, thou art wrong; from our common Prayer Book will I convince thee that thou art in an error. Do not the directions run thus "Then the priest shall warily dip the person?" &c.

FONT. Then I who have stood here for ages, and have administered the holy ordinance of baptism to thousands by sprinkling, am to be set aside, while such an unconsecrated thing as you are is to be employed! Why, I tell you to your face, you look more like a coffin than a baptistry.

TUB.-If so much like a coffin, then every time that I am employed, I shall serve to illustrate the language of the apostle," Buried with him in baptism." Rom. vi. 4. And as to the idea of setting you aside, why you should not grumble, for you yourself are an innovator. All bap

tistries were formerly erected in or near the places of worship, and continued in use till the sixth century: but when dipping was changed for pouring, the baptistry gave place to the font; and since pouring has been succeeded by sprinkling, the font has in its turn made way for the basin.

FONT. And I suppose you mean to say that I and the basin must now give place to the tub.

TUB.-Exactly so; and I have no objection to add, and the tub give place to the baptistry, and the baptistry to that good old scriptural place—the river.

FONT.-The Common Prayer Book says nothing about administering the holy ordinance of baptism in a river?

TUB. Granted; but the New Testament does; and Bede, the ecclesiastical historian, gives an account of Paulinus baptizing king Edwin at York, in the year 627, and afterwards of his baptizing the king's son and many of the nobles and other persons at different times, in the rivers Glenn, Swale, and Trent.

FONT.-As much as I respect the vicar, it would have been better had he continued in the good old way of the Church, and not have introduced within this venerable building the practice of Schismatics and Separatists.

TUB.-Not the practice of Separatists and Schismatics, but of Christ and his apostles: I hope, however, he will not stop here, but go on to shew that the sprinkling of babes is unscriptural, and has no foundation for its support but the traditions of men.

FONT.-What! you heretic, you schismatic, would you have him deny the holy water of baptism to the new

born infant, whereby it is regenerated, and made a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven?

TUB.-Yes, I would; for I verily believe that he speaks against his own better judgment, and the teachings of the Holy Spirit, when he affirms in your presence, neighbour Font, that by this ordinance a child is regenerated.

FONT. -Are the little ones then to perish in their sins, to be kept without the pale of the Church, and at death to go without christian burial?

TUB.-Baptism will not save them, nor wash away their sins; by the precious blood of Christ, and by that alone, are they cleansed from sin.

FONT.-But did not the Saviour say, "Suffer the little children to come unto me?"

TUB.-Yes, he did; not that he might baptize them, but that he might bless them.

FONT. But were there not households baptized by the apostles; and will you. 1.be so bold as to assert that there were no children in any of those households?

TUB.-If there were, it is evident, from the word of God, they were not baptized. I will direct your attention to those places of scripture which speak of the baptism of households. See Act xvi. 13, and Acts xvi. 25 -34. 1 Cor. i. 16; now could the babes of those households, if there were any, repent, believe, and rejoice? FONT. But does not baptism put the child into the covenant? I suppose you are aware that some divines affirm that it does?