lotio, ablutio, ipfe immergendi, item lavandi, feu abluendi actus, “plunging, wash❝ing, ablution, the act itself of plunging, alfo of washing or ablution." In all which he makes dipping, or plunging, to be the first and preferable sense of the words.

Stephens gives the fame fenfe of the words, and fo Schrevelius, who renders Barlile, by baptizo, mergo, lavo, "baptize, plunge, wafh." Pafor only renders it baptizo, baptize, without determining its fenfe. And Leigh, in his Critica Sacra, obferves, that "the nature and proper fignification of it, is to dip "into water, or to plunge under water;" and refers to John iii. 22, 23. Mait. iii. 16. As viii. 38. And cites Cafaubon, Bucanus, Bullinger, and Zanchy, as agreeing and teftifying to this fenfe of it; and baptifma, he fays, is "dipping "into water, or washing with water." And these are the Lexicographers and Critics our author refers us to: To which I may add the Lexicon compiled by Budæus, Conftantine, and others, who render the word Ball, by immergo, mergo, intingo, lavacro tingo, abluo, madefacio, lavo, mundo; " plunge, plunge "into, dip into, dip in a laver, wafh off, make wet, wash, cleanfe:" And Berliou, they say, is tingendi, hoc eft mergendi actio, in quo fignificatu tin&tura dicitur; "the action of tinging, that is, of plunging; in which fignification it " is called a tincture, or dying;" and another by Hadrian Junius, who renders Barla, by immergo, "to plunge into;" and Barou, by immerfio, lotio, baptifmus, "immerfion, washing, baptifm."

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As for other critics on the Greek language, who affert, that the proper fignification of the word baptizo, is to dip, or plunge; they are fo numerous, that it would be tedious to reckon them up: I fhall only mention a few of them, and their words. Calvin fays, " Ipfum baptizandi verbum mergere fignificat, & "mergendi ritum veteri ecclefiæ obfervatum fuiffe conftat ;" the word baptize, fig"nifies to plunge; and, it is plain, that the rite of plunging was observed.in "the ancient church." Beza, who must be allowed to be a learned critic in the Greek language, fays, on Mark vii. 4. "Neque vero to banner, fignificat το βαπτίζειν, "lavare nifi a confequenti, nam proprie declarat tingendi caufa immergere; "nei"ther does the word baptizo, fignify to wash, unless confequentially; for it "properly fignifies, to plunge into, for the fake of tinging, or dying," and on Matt. iii. 11. he fays, "fignificat autem To Balev, tingere quum UEK TO BATTHY,. દ "dicatur, & quum tingenda mergantur; "the word baptizo, fignifies to dip "(as Dyers in the vatt) feeing it comes from bapto, to dip, and feeing things, "that are to be dyed, are dipped." Cafaubon, another great critic on the Greek language, has these words on Matt. iii. 6. " Hic enim fuit baptizandi ritus "ut in aquas immergerentur, quod vel ipfo vox Barlier, declarat fatis-unde intelligimus

a Inftitut. L. IV. c. 15. §. 19.

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«ligimus non effe ab re, quod jam pridem non nulli disputarant de toto corpore immergendo in ceremonia baptifmi; vocem enim Barlier, urgebant;" for this was the "rite of baptizing, that persons should be plunged into water, which the word baptizo, fufficiently declares. Hence, we understand, that it was not foreign from the matter, which fome fome time ago difputed, concerning plunging the whole body in the ceremony of baptifm; for they urged the fignification of the word baptizo." And, that this is the proper fignification. of the word, he obferves, in his notes on As i. 5. and ii. 4. To which, I fhall only add one more critic, and that is Grotius; who, on Matthew iii. 6. thus writes; " Merfatione autem non perfufione agi folitum bunc ritum indicat & vocis proprietas, & loca ad eum ritum delecta, John iii. 23. Acts viii. 38. & allufiones "multe apoftolorum quæ ad afperfionem referri non poffunt, Rom. vi. 3. Col. ii. 12. "that this rite ufed to be performed by plunging, and not by pouring, both the propriety of the word, and the places chofen for this rite, fhew, John iii. 23. "Acts viii. 38. and the many allufions of the apostles, which cannot be referred "to Sprinkling, Rom. vi. 3, 4. Col. ii. 12" I might have here fubjoined, fome inftances of the ufe of the word in Greek authors, by which it appears to have the fenfe of dipping and plunging, and not of pouring, or fprinkling; but this has been largely done by Dr Gale, and others. I fhall, therefore, proceed,

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Secondly, To confider the use of the words, baptize and baptifm, in the New Teftament; which our author fays, do not, from their fignification, make dipping or plunging, the neceffary mode of adminiftering the ordinance of baptifm: And the places enumerated by him, in which they are ufed, are as follow.

1. The descent of the holy Ghost on the apoftles, and on Cornelius, and his company, is called baptizing, Acts i. 5. and xi. 16. where he observes, it cannot be pretended that there was the least allufion to, or resemblance of dipping, or plunging, in this ufe of the word. But the learned Cafaubon, a very great critic in the Greek tongue, before-mentioned and referred to, does pretend, that there is fuch an allusion and resemblance, his words on As i. 5. are these, "etfi "non improbo, &c. although I do not difapprove of the word baptized, being "retained here, that the antithefis may be full; yet, I am of opinion, that "regard is had, in this place, to its proper fignification; for Barner, is to immerfe, fo as to tinge or dip: And, in this fenfe, the apoftles are truly faid. "to be baptized; for the house, in which this was done, was filled with the holy Ghost: So that the apoftles seemed to be plunged into it, as into some pool." And the extraordinary descent of the fpirit in thofe inftances, is much more strongly expreffed by a word, which fignifies plunging, than if it had been expreffed by a word, that fignifies bare perfufion, and ftill lefs by fprinkling.

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VOL. II.

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2. "Chrift's

2. "Chrift's crucifixion is called a baptifm, Mark x. 38. but, being buffeted, "fpit upon, and lifted up upon the cross, fays our author, bear no refemblance, "nor can have any allufion to dipping, or plunging. But, it is eafy to ob"ferve, that the fufferings of our Lord, which are compared to a baptifm, in "the place referred to, and in Luke xii. 50. because of the greatness and abun"dance of them, are, fometimes, expreffed by deep waters, and floods of wa"ters; and he is reprefented as plunged into them, and covered and over"whelmed with them;" For fo he fays himself; The waters are come into my foul; I fink in deep mire, where is no ftanding; I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me, Pfalm lxix. 1, 2. And, therefore, a word fignifying immerfion, and a covering of the whole body in water, is a very apt one to exprefs the multitude of Chrift's fufferings, and the overwhelming nature of them; and must, more fitly, exprefs the fame, than a word, which only fignifies pouring, or fprinkling a few drops of water.

3. The text in Mark vii. 4. is next mentioned; which speaks of the Jews, when come from the market, not eating, except they wash (baptizoontai); and of the washing (baptifmous) of cups and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables, or beds, as the word fignifies. And this, our author thinks, is an unexceptionable instance of these words fignifying washing, without dipping, or plunging; fince it can hardly be fuppofed, that they dipped themselves under water, every time they came from market, or, that they dipped their beds, every time they fat, or lay upon them. But, in answer to this, it should be observed, that our Lord is here fpeaking of the fuperftition of the Pharifees, who, when they came from market, or any court of judicature, if they touched any common persons, or their clothes, reckoned themselves unclean; and, according to the traditions of the elders, were to immerse themselves in water, and did: So that a moft proper word is here made ufe of, to exprefs their fuperftition. And, as for cups, pots and brazen veffels, what other way of washing them is there, than by dipping, or putting them into water? And, in this way, unclean veffels were to be washed, according to the law, Lev. xi. 32. as well as all that were reckoned fo by the traditions of the elders; and even beds, pillows and bolsters, when they were unclean in a ceremonial fenfe, and not, as this author puts it, every time they lay, or fat upon them, were to be washed by immerfion, or dipping them in water; as I have proved from the Jews oral law, which our Lord has respect to, in my Expofition of this place; to which, I refer the reader. Wherefore, the words are here used in their primary fenfe, as fignifying dipping; and, if they did not fo fignify, they would not truly represent the fuperftition, they are defigned to do.

I

4. The next paffage produced, is 1 Cor. x. 1, 2. which fpeaks of the Jewish fathers, being baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea. Upon which, this writer obferves, that he thinks, he need not seriously undertake to convince his friend, he is debating with; "that the fathers were not dipped in the cloud, "but that the rain from the cloud bore a much greater refemblance to sprinkling, or affufion, than to dipping." But let us a little examine this matter, and fee wherein the agreement lay, between baptifm and the Ifraelites paffage under the cloud, and through the fea. Which may be confidered, either together, or separately: If together, the agreement between it and baptifm, lay in this; the Ifraelites, when they paffed through the Red fea, had the waters on each side of them, which stood up, as a wall, higher than they, and the cloud over them; so that they were, as perfons immersed in, and covered with water; and, in this view, it is easy to fee, that the refemblance is much greater to immersion, than to fprinkling, or affufion or this may be confidered. feparately, as baptized in the cloud, and as baptized in the fea; in the cloud, when, as Gataker', a Pædobaptift writer, thinks, it paffed from before the face of the Ifraelites, and stood behind them, and was between the two camps, to keep off the Egyptians; and which, when it paffed over them, let down a plentiful rain upon them, whereby they were in fuch a condition, as if they had been dipped all over in water; or, when under the cloud they were all over covered with it, as a perfon, when baptized by immerfion, is all over covered with water; and they might be faid to be baptized in the fea, when, as they paffed through it, the waters standing up above their heads, they seemed, as if they were immerfed. The refemblance to plunging, therefore, confidered in either way, must be nearer, than to pouring, or sprinkling a small quantity of water. To which may be added, that the defcent of the Ifraelites into the fea, when they seemed as though they were buried in the waters of it; and their afcent out of it again on the fhore, have a very great agreement with baptifm, as administered by immerfion; in which, the perfon baptized, goes down into the water, is buried with Chrift therein; and comes up out of it, as out of a grave, or as the children of Ifrael out of the Red sea.

5. The laft text mentioned, where the word baptifm is used, is Heb. ix. 10. where our author obferves, "the apostle, speaking of the ceremonial difpenfa"tion, tells us, that it ftood only in meats, and drinks, and divers washings (bap

tismous) and carnal ordinances; and the principal of these washings, he ex"emplifies to us, ver. 13. to be the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer, Sprinkling the unclean: Here, therefore, the word cannot, with any appearance of modefty, be explained in favour of immerfion." To which, I

• Adverfar. Mifcellan. p. 30.

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reply,

reply, that the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, were so far from being the principal part of the Jewish washings or baptifins, that it was no part at all; nor is this mentioned by the apoftle, as any exemplification of them, who understood these things better. Sprinkling the afhes of the heifer, and the washing, or bathing of the perfon in water, which was by immersion, are spoken of, as diftinct and feparate things, in the ceremony referred to, Numb. xix. 19. and indeed, washing by sprinkling, is not reconcileable to good fenfe, to the propriety of language, and to the univerfal custom of nations. However, certain it is, that the priests, Levites, Ifraelites, veffels, garments, &c. which were enjoined washing by the ceremonial law, and which washings, or baptisms, are here referred to, were done, by putting them into water, and not by pouring, or sprinkling water upon them. It is a rule with the Jews, that, "where"foever, in the law, washing of the flesh, or of the clothes is mentioned, it "means nothing elfe, than pan baba Tebileth Col hagoph, the dipping of "the whole body in a laver for if any man dips himself all over, except the tip "of his little finger, he is still in his uncleannefs." From the whole, it appears, that the words, baptize and baptism, in all the places mentioned, do, from their fignification, make dipping, or plunging, the neceffary mode of adminiftering the ordinance of baptifm. I now go on,

Thirdly, To vindicate thofe texts of fcripture, which afford inftances of the mode of adminiftering baptifm by immerfion, from the exceptions of this writer, who confidently affirms, "that none of those texts will neceffarily prove "that any one perfon was baptized by dipping, by John Baptift, our bleffed "Saviour, or his apoftles." P. 34. And,

1. The first text brought into the debate, and excepted to, is Matthew iii. 6. And were baptized by him in Jordan, confeffing their fins. But we do not argue on this place, from those perfons being baptized, to their being dipped, as this writer makes his neighbour to do, but from their being baptized in the river Jordan; for why should John chuse the river Jordan to baptize in, and baptize in that river, if he did not adminifter the ordinance by immerfion? Dr Hammond, a Pædobaptift, thought that these words afford an argument for dipping in baptifm, though our author will not allow it: His paraphrafe of them is; "And he received them by baptifm, or immersion in the water of Jordan, pro"mifing them pardon upon the fincerity of their converfion and amendment, "or reformation of their lives." And in his note on Matthew iii. 1. having respect to this place, fays, "John preaching repentance to the Jews in the de"fert, received all that came unto him as new profelytes, forfaking their old "relations, that is, their fins, and in token of their refolved change, put them

Maimon. Hilchot. Mikvaot. c. 1. §. 2.

" inta