the Gospel.

One day, a Dissenter called to pay a burial fee for the funeral of his
child, which he had purposely omitted paying at the proper time because
he wished to tell me a piece of his mind. I was absent on the occasion
on some architectural or archaeological business, which was to me all
important. "I know," he said, "why you went away and would not bury my
child." "Do you?" I asked. "Yes; it was because I am a Dissenter." "Oh!"
I said, "I would bury you all to-morrow if I could; for you are no good,
and can do none either."

This went round the parish like wildfire, and did not advance my
popularity or do my cause any good.

Seriously at this time I thought that separation from the Church of
England was a most deadly sin--it was schism. Idolatry and murder were
sins against the Mosaic law; but this was a sin against the Church. I
little dreamt then that many of the people with whom I thus contended,
and whom I grieved so much, were real spiritual members of Christ, and
had only ceased to be members of the Church of England because I did not
preach the Gospel; that, in fact, I was the cause of their leaving the
services; that I was the schismatic, for I was separated from Christ:
they only, and that for a good reason, had separated from the communion
of the Church of England, which I misrepresented.

The Church of England's teaching since the Reformation, like that of the
primitive Church, is based not on baptism, but conversion. Baptism was
intended according to the Lord's commandment (Matt 28:19), for the
purpose of making disciples*--that is, to graft members into the body of
Christ's Church outwardly. Whatever special grace is given to infants