with this his practice agrees the commiffion he gave in Matthew xxvii. 19. where he orders teaching before baptizing; and fuch teaching as iffues in believing, with which compare Mark xvi. 16. True indeed, he fays, fuffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; but they were admitted to come to him, not to be baptized by him, of which there is not one fyllable, nor the leaft intimation, but to lay his hands on them and pray, or be touched by him, very probably to heal them of difeafes that might attend them. However, it feems reasonable to conclude, that the apoftles knew nothing of any fuch practice as Infant-baptifm, enjoined, practifed, or countenanced by Chrift, or they would never have forbid the bringing of infants to him; and our Lord faying nothing of it when fuch a fair opportunity offered, looks very darkly upon it. Once more; look over the accounts of the adminiftration of Baptifm by the apostles of Christ, and obferve who they were that were baptized by them. We read indeed of houfholds baptized by them; but inasmuch as there are many families that have no infants in them, nothing can be concluded from hence in favour of Infant-baptifm; it should be first proved that there were infants in thefe houfholds, before any fuch confequence can be drawn from them and befides, it will appear upon a review of them, that not infants but adult perfons in the feveral instances are intended. Lydia's houfhold consisted of brethren, whom the apoftles comforted; who could not be infants, but adult perfons; we have no account of any other, no other are named; if any other can, let them be named. The Jailor's houfhold were fuch, to whom the word of God was fpoken, who believed in God, and rejoiced with him. Stephanas's houfhold, which is the only other that is mentioned, is thought by fome to be the fame with the Jailor's; but, if not, it is certain that it confifted of adult perfons, fuch who addicted themselves to the miniftry of the faints". It will be easy to observe, that the first persons that were baptized after our Lord's refurrection and afcenfion, were fuch as were pricked to the heart, repented of their fins, and gladly received the gofpel; fuch were the three thousand who were baptized, and added to the church in one day. The Samaritans, hearing Philip preach the things concerning the kingdom of God, were baptized, both men and women. The inftance of the Eunuch is notorious; this man was a Jewish proselyte, a serious and devout man, was reading in the prophecy of Ifaiah when Philip joined his chariot; who, after converfation with him, defired baptifm of him, to whom Philip replied, that if he believed with all his heart he might be baptized; intimating, that if he did not, notwithstanding his profeffion of religion, and external seriousness and devotion, he had no right to that ordinance; and upon profeffing his faith in Chrift he was baptized. VOL. II. 3 R Cornelius Matt. xix. 14. ■ As xvi. 15, 32-34, 40. 1 Cor. i. 16, and xvi. 15. h Cornelius and his family, and thofe in his house, to whom Peter preached, and on whom the holy Ghost fell, were ordered by him to be baptized, having received the holy Ghost, and for that reafon. And the Corinthians, hearing the apostle Paul, and believing in Chrift he preached, were baptized": from all which inftances it appears, that not infants but adult perfons were the only ones baptized by the apoftles of Chrift. Now, though we might justly demand a precept or command of Chrift to be fhewn, exprefsly enjoining the baptifm of infants, before we can go into fuch a practice, fince it is ufed as a part of religious worship; for which we ought to have a thus faith the Lord: yet if but one fingle precedent could be given us, one inftance produced; or if it could be proved that any one infant was ever baptized by John the Baptift, by Chrift, or by his orders, or by his apoftles, we fhould think ourselves ob liged to follow fuch an example; let this be fhewn us, and we have done; we Strange! that in the space of will fhut up the controverfy, and fay no more. fixty or feventy years, for fuch a course of time ran out from the first adminiflra tion of baptifm to the close of the canon of the fcripture, that in all the accounts of baptism in it, not a fingle inftance of Infant-baptifin can be given! upon the whole, we must be allowed to fay, and if not, we muft and will take the liberty to fay, that Infant-baptism is an unfcriptural practice; and that there is neither precept nor precedent for it in all the word of God. 2. If the doubt is concerning the Mode of Baptifm, whether it is to be performed by immersion of the whole body, or by fprinkling or pouring a little water on the face; take the fame course as before, afk for the old paths; inquire how this ordinance was antiently adminiftered in the times of John, Chrift, and his apoftles. I fhall not appeal unto, nor fend you to inquire the fignification of the Greek word; though all men of learning and sense have acknowledged, that the primary meaning of the word is to dip or plunge; but this ordinance was appointed not for men of learning only, but for men and women also of the meaneft capacities, and of the most plain and fimple understandings: wherefore let all inquiring perfons confult The fcriptural inftances of Baptifm; read over the accounts of baptifm as administered by John, and you will find that he baptized in Jordan: ask yourselves why a river was chofe, when a bafon of water would have done, had it been per formed by fprinkling or pouring; try if you can bring yourfelves to believe that John was not in the river Jordan, only on the banks of it, from whence he took water, and poured or fprinkled it; and if you can feriously and in good earnest conclude (with a grave divine) that if he was in the river, he had in his hand a fcoop, or fome fuch inftrument, and with it threw the water over the people * Acts ii. 37, 4', 42. and viii. 12, 37, 38. and x. 47. and xviii. 8, as as they stood on the banks of the river on both fides of him, and so baptized them in fhoals. Look over the baptifm of Chrift by John, and fee if you can perfuade yourselves that Chrift went ancle deep, or a little more, into the river Jordan, and John ftood upon a bank and poured a little water on his head, as meffieurs painter and engraver have defcribed them; or whether the most easy and natural fenfe of the whole is not this, that they both went into the river Fordan, and John baptized our Lord by immersion; which when done, he straightway came up out of the water, which fuppofes him to have been in it; and then the Spirit defcended on him as a dove, and a voice was heard from his Father, faying, This is my beloved Son. Carefully read over those words of the evangelift, and John alfo was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there, and try if you can make much water to signify little; or many waters, as the words may be literally rendered, only a little rill, or fome fmall rivulets of water, not fufficient to cover a man's body; though the phrafe is used even of the waters of the great fea; and perfuade yourselves, if you can, that the reafon of the choice of this place, because of much water in it, was not for baptifin, as fays the text, but for the convenience of men, their camels and affes on which they came to hear John; of which it fays not one word. To which add the inftance of the eunuch's baptifm, in which we are told, that both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water; and that when baptifm was administered, they came up out of the water: now try whether you can really believe that this great man, who left his chariot, went down with Philip into the water, ancle or knee deep, only to have a little water fprinkled and poured upon him, and then came out of it, when in this way the ordinance might as well have been administered in his chariot; or whether it is not most reasonable to believe, from the bare narrative, from the very letter of the text, that their going down into the water was in order that the ordinance might be administered by immersion; and that when Philip had baptized the Eunuch this way, they both came up out of the water as for that poor weak criticism, that this is to be understood of going to and from the water-fide; it may be asked what they fhould go thither for, what reason was there for it, if done by fprinkling? Befides, it is entirely destroyed by the obfervation the hiftorian makes before this, that they came unto a certain water ; to the water-fide; and therefore when they went down, it must be into the water itself; it could not with any propriety be faid, that when they were come to the water-fide, after that they went to the water-fide. But to proceed, up Confider the figurative or metaphorical Baptifms mentioned in fcripture. Baptifm is faid to be a like figure to Noah's ark, in which eight fouls were faved by water; there is a likenefs, an agreement between the one and the other; now fee if you can make out any likeness between the ark upon the waters and baptifm, as performed by fprinkling; whereas it foon appears as performed by immersion, in which perfons are covered in water, as Noab and his family in the ark were, when the fountains of the great deep were broke under them, and the windows of heaven were opened above them: think with yourselves, whether fprinkling or immersion beft agrees with this, that baptifm fhould be called the antitype to it; to which may be added, that Noah and his family, when shut up in the ark, were, as it were, buried there; and baptifm by immersion is a reprefentation of a burial. The paffage of the Ifraelites through the Red fea is called a being baptized in the cloud and in the fea; but why should it be fo called? what is there in that account that looks like fprinkling? There is that refembles immerfion; for when the waters of the fea stood up on both fides of them, as a wall, and a cloud covered them, they were as people immersed in water; and befides, their going down into the fea, and paffing through it, and coming up out of it on the other fide; if it may not be litterally called an immerfion, it was very much like an immersion into water, and an enerfion out of it; and both that and baptifm reprefent a burial and refurrection. The fufferings of our Lord, are called a baptifm; you would. do well to confider whether only fprinkling a few drops of water on the face, or an immersion into it, beft reprefents the abundance and greatness of our Lord's forrows and fufferings, for which reafon they are called a baptifm; and the rather, fince they are fignified by the waters coming into his foul, and by his coming into deep waters, where the floods overflowed him. Once more, the extraordinary donation of the holy Ghoft on the day of Pentecoft is called a baptifm, or a being baptized with the holy Ghost, and with fire; which was done when the house in which the apoftles were, was filled with a mighty wind, and cloven tongues, as of fire, fat upon them: it deserves your confideration, whether this wonderful affair, and this large abundance of the Spirit, is not better expreffed by baptifm, as administered in a large quantity of water, than with a little. To add no more; Confider the nature, ufe, and end of Baptifm; it is a burial; and the ufe and end of it are, to reprefent the burial and refurrection of our Lord Jefus Chrift; hence the phrase of being buried with him in baptifm: fee if you can make any thing like a burial when this ordinance is administered by sprinkling; 1 Pet. iii. 20, 21. 1 Cor. x. 1, 2. f Matt. iii. 11. Acts i. 5. and ii. 1, 2, 3. Luke xii. 50. Pfalm Ixix. 1, 2. can n can you perfuade yourselves, that a corps is properly buried, when only a little duft is fprinkled on its face? on the other hand, you will eafily perceive a lively reprefentation of a burial, when the ordinance is performed by immerfion; a perfon is then covered with water, and when he comes out of it, it clearly represents our Lord's refurrection, and the believer's rifing again to newness of life. Upon the whole, having afked for the good old paths, and found them, walk herein, abide by this ancient practice of baptifm by immerfion; a practice which continued for the fpace of thirteen hundred years at least, without any exception, unless a few bed-ridden people in the times of Cyprian, who received baptifm on their fick and death-beds, fancying there was no atonement for fins after baptifm, and therefore deferred it till fuch time. But after all, let me advife you in the words of our text to inquire where is the good way, or the better way; for though the ordinance of baptifm, and every other, is a good way, there is a better way. This is a way of duty, but not of life and falvation; it is a command of Chrift, to be obeyed by all believers in him, but not to be trufted in and depended on; it is effential to church-communion, but not to falvation; it is indeed no indifferent thing whether it is performed or no; this ought not to be faid or thought of any ordinance of Chrift; or whether in this or the other manner, or administered to this or the other fubject. It ought to be done as Chrift has directed it fhould; but when it is beft done, it is no faving ordinance: this. I the rather mention, to remove from us a wicked and a foolish imputation, that we make an idol of this ordinance, and place our confidence and dependence on it, and put it in the room of the Saviour. I call it wicked, because false; and foolish, because contrary to an avowed and well-known principle on which we proceed,, namely, that faith in Chrift alone for falvation is a prerequifite to baptism: can any man in his fenfes think that we depend on this ordinance for falvation,. when we require that a perfon fhould believe in Chrift, and profefs that he believes in Chrift alone for falvation, before he is baptized; or otherwife we judge he is not a fit fubject? but on the other hand, thofe that infinuate fuch a notion as this, would do well to confider, if their own conduct does not bespeak fomething of this kind; or otherwife what means the ftir and bustle that is made, when a child is ill, and not yet fprinkled? what means fuch language as this, "run, fetch the minister to baptize the child, the child's a dying?" Does it not look as if this was thought to be a faving business, or as if a child could not be faved unless it is fprinkled; and which, when done, they are quite eafy and fatisfied about its state? But to leave this, and as A Clinici. 1 the.: |