Household Salvation (sermon 1019)

If you are expecting this to be a polemical blast against infant sprinkling, think again. Of course, Spurgeon remains throughout an unembarrassed Baptist, but his concern is primarily positive: to allure and to encourage us to long for and to labour for true family religion. In five points, Spurgeon walks through his text, showing a whole family hearing, believing, baptised, serving, and rejoicing. He closes with earnest pleas to all who have any family responsibility to plead with and pray for those over whom the Lord has given them authority and influence. He paints a beautiful picture of the rapid rush of gospel faith through that little community of the household, and urges us to hope for it and to pursue it. We acknowledge that, even among Reformed or Particular Baptists, there are some slight differences of emphasis in this matter, such as the point at which one might baptise a believing child, but Spurgeon gives us a good reminder that—far from disparaging or denying family religion—Baptists ought to be at the forefront of promoting and pursuing it. This sermon offers a delightful spur to that end.