Star.
London, England, 1829-12-05 00:00:00

ADULT BAPPISIIL

On Thursday evening the ordinance of baptism was
administered at Dr. Cox's Chapel, Mare-street, Huck-
ney, to fifteen persons, four males and eleven females.
The ceremony was preceded by a senuon from the Doc-
tor, (who is Librarian to the London University,) in
which he showed that the example of the Say toe a,
and the words which he addressed to Jon w, when
he hesitated to administer the rite, (" Suffer it
to be so now ; for thus it beconieth us to fulfil all
righteousness,") rendered it obligatory on all who pro-
fessed to be followers of CHRIST to be " baptized into
his death." He also adverted to the love which CHRIST
evinced for children, and inferred that if it had been in
his view to admit infants to the baptismal rite, we
should surely have heard of his administering it in such
cases, at a time which, as he had himself just sub.
mitted to it, and was surrounded by a great multitude
which must have comprised many children, was of
all others recorded in his history the most favour:
able to each a purpose. The eennon ended, the can-
didates retired to prepare themselves, and, in a few
minutes, re-entered the chapel and arrayed themselves in
a line between the pulpit and the baptistry ; the
females attired neatly in white, and the men covered
with a black stuff robe. The officiating minister,
the Reverend Isatan BIRT, a venerable white-haired
man of some rev_wy years, standing on the edge
of the baptistry, add: eased a few sentences to the congre-
gation in justification of the practice. He said they
claimed for the rite of baptism preci iely the same charac-
ter as for the Lo HD'S Sapper, and asked if any pa3dobaptist
would think of presenting a child at the communion table.
Then he took by tl e hand the nearest of the females; and,
both descending at once into the water, he repeated
a formula—to the effect, that at her desire, and on her
profession of repentance towards Gov, and faith in
Cl' R IST, he baptized her in the name of the Trinity,—and
gently immersed her in the water. She was then re-
ceived by the attendants, and, covered with a cloth cloak,
retired. The same form was repeated in each of the
other cases, the minister all the while standing in
the water, and filling the intervals of the cere-
mony by quotations from scripture appropriate to the
occasion. The females were cf various ages, from per-
haps 50 to 18, and the men, with one exception, were
young. The case of the candidate baptized last was
peculiar, and Mr. BIRT received him by observing, that
he was born to move in higher circles than the Bap-
tists moved in ; but, since he was convinced that it
was his duty thus to identify himself with them, he
commended him for acting according to his conscience,
and exhorted him earnestly to make its diet rtes and the
word of GOD his constant and his only guide. When
both had retired, Dr. Cox explained from the pulpit that
the candidate just baptized was a near relative of Earl
BATHURST and the Bishop of Noawicn, who had been
convinced by the preaching of Mr. BIRT, and
having been received by baptism into their church, in-
tended, notwithstanding the opposition of his friends, to
sacrifice all his hopes of ecclesiastical preferment in the
Established Church by becoming a Baptist preacher.
The ceremony lasted twenty minutes, and was witnessed
by a numerous, respectable, and quiet congregation.

In consequence of the numerous and daring robberies
lately committed in Chesterfield, locks, bars, and sheet
iron, are in great requisition.