thofe who only fprinkle muft fall materially fhort, and have fcarcely the fhadow of the ordinance. To fuppofe that fprinkling, pouring, or immerfion, are all indifferent, is in fact to fuppofe that nothing is commanded; or at least no more than fprinkling. When perfóns believe this, there is an end to immerfion: for men are not generally fond of doing more than is required. This, Sir, your practice demonftrates.. You believe either way answers the inftitution; but you, with other Pædobaptifts in general, choose sprinkling; I think it probable that I thould do the fame, could I be convinced that your views were right. It is alfo probable, that John the Baptift, Chrift and his apoftles, Philip, and the ancient Chriftians, had they viewed the matter in the fame light which you do, would have invariably adminiftered it by fprinkling for there could have 'been no poffible occafion which would have required immerfion, in cafe the other way would equally well 'exprefs the defign. From a careful retrofpection of the arguments made 'ufe of in the courfe of this lengthy Section, the candid will be able to judge, whether we are unreasonable, in faying that immerfion is effential to the right adminiftration of the ordinance. That I have not exaggerated fober fact, will be made evident by a quotation which I fhall now fubjoin. Dr. Wall, who has before been mentioned, was fo highly efteemed by the English cler"gy for his learning and zeal in defending infant baptifm, that in a general convocation, Feb. 9, 1706, they paffed the following vote; "Ordered, that the thanks of this house be given to Mr. Wall, Vicar of Shoreham in Kent, for the learned and excellent book he hath lately The three terms in difpute are all used in Lev. ix. 6, 7, in the following manner: "And the priest fhall (bapfei) dip his finger in the blood, and (profiranei) sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord; and fhall (ekchecit) pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar." That these rites were not the fame and to be used indifferently, the following familiar tranfpofition will abundantly fhow: And the prioft fhall pour his finger in the blood, and fhall dip of the blood seven times before the Lord; and shall sprinkle all the blood at the bottom of the altar. † Septuaginta in loc, per written concerning infant baptifm." Yet notwithstanding this gentleman's profound learning, and all the advantages he had derived from his painful refearches into the remoteft depths of antiquity, to procure materials. of defence,—he was obliged to acknowledge, that Dr. Gale had drawn him into a difpute upon the mode of baptifm, "wherein (faith he) he knew, that the examples of fcripture and other antiquity, and the full fuafion of that people, and of all the Eastern church to this day, is on his fide; and I had the difadvantage to plead for a way of baptifm, of which the beft I could fay, was, that it was fufficient for the effence of baptifm; but could not deny the other (except in the cafe of danger of health) to be the fitteft." It must be acknowledged, that Dr. Wall was under most painful difadvantages in vindicating his cause : for he had not only to oppofe the learned Dr. Gale, but the full conviction of his own mind, that fcripture example, and the whole current of antiquity, were against him. Upon the whole, this much is certain, that there is neither exprefs command, nor example, either in the law of Mofes, or in the gospel of Jefus Christ, to sprinkle water upon new-born infants as an initiating feal of any covenant whatever.+ Therefore, we may fay with Dr. Whitby, whofe words fhrall clofe this Section--" The argument is always good: We read of no fuch doctrine in the fcripture; therefore it neither is, nor can be, any article of faith, because we have no other rule of faith befides the holy fcriptures."‡ * Defence of the hiftory of infant baptifm, p. 404. The male children of the Jews were to be circumcifed on the eighth day, by divine appointment; but paft the middle of the third century, the honest Bishop Fidus wrote to Cyprian of Carthage, to know whether children might be baptized before they were eight days old; for by his Bible he could not tell. Nor could Cyprian tell, without firft confulting a Council upon the fubject. A prefumptive evidence that the bufinefs was new. Primit. Chrift. p. 193. and Robinson's history, p. 284. Annot. on Matt. vi. 9. SECTION V. The Mode of Baptifm farther illustrated, from the Practice of the primitive Chriftians; and the Manner in which it was reduced from Immerfion to Sprinkling, briefly point ed out. MUCH has been already faid upon the mode of baptifm; but as it is evidently a conftituent part in the prefent difpute, it appears neceflary to fet it in the cleareft light. Hence we fhall proceed to confider the practice of the ancient Chriftians. The primitive Chriftians not only understood the word in the fenfe for which we plead, but they practifed accordingly. This has been touched upon already, but will be more fully illuftrated in what follows. Dr. Cave, who wrote about a hundred and twenty years ago, (not particularly as a difputant, but as a hiftorian) in defcribing the religion of the fathers, after mentioning feveral things which they connected with baptifm, he faith; "The action having proceeded thus far, the party to be baptized was wholly immefi er put under water, which was the almost univerfal custom of thofe times, whereby they did more notably and fignificantly exprefs the three great ends and effects of baptifm; for as in immerfion there are in a manner three feveral acts, the putting the perfon into the water, his abiding there for a little time, and his rifing again; fo by these were reprefented Chriff's death, burial, and refurrection to a new courfe of life. By the perfon's being put into the water, was lively reprefented the putting off the body of the fins of the flesh; by his abode under it, which was a kind of burial in the water, his entering upon a ftate of death or mortification; like as Chrift remained for fome time under the state or power of death ; therefore as many as are baptized into Christ, are faid to be baptized into his death, and to be buried with him by baptifin into death, that the old man being crucified with him, the body of fin might be destroyed, that henceforth he might not ferve fin; for he that is dead is freed from fin, as the apoftle clearly explains the meaning of this rite. And then, by his emerfion, or rifing up out of the water, was fignified his entering upon a new courfe of life." The words of Mr. Locke are very fimilar to the above; "We Chriftians (faith he) who by baptifm were admitted into all the kingdom and church of Christ, were baptized into a fimilitude of his death; we did own fome kind of death by being BURIED UNDER WATER; which being buried with him, i. e. in conformity to his burial, as a confeffion of our being dead, was to fignify, that as Chrift was raifed up from the dead into a glorious life with his Father, even fo we, being raised from our typical death and burial in baptifin, fhould lead a new fort of life, wholly different from our former, in fome approaches towards that heavenly life that Chrift is rifen to."+ Mr. Burkit alfo, fully acknowledges this to be the practice of the ancient church, when he fays, "The apostle no doubt alludes to the ancient manner and way of baptizing perfons in thofe hot countries, which was by immersion, or putting them under water for a time, and then raising them up again out of the water; which rite had alfo a myftical fignification, reprefenting the burial of our old man fin in us, and our refurrection to newnefs of life." Mr. Poole's words are nearly verbatim.§ But, Sir, you are fenfible that very few expofitors have written concerning the practice of the first Chriftian church, who have not acknowledged, that it was the almost univerfal cuftom of thofe times to baptize by immerfion. This fact will manifeft itself as we pro ceed. You will undoubtedly recollect, that the first inftances to be met with in ancient hiftory, wherein they pretended to baptize otherwife than by immerfion, were in cafes of fuppofed neceffity; and confidered Primitive Chriftianity, Part I. chap. x. p. 203, 204. Edit. 7. Expository Notes on Rom. vi. 4. $ Poole in loc. even in those cafes as not fully answering the inftitu tion. The baptizing of fick or dying perfons by affufion, originated in the third century* (a period fruitful of religious inventions) and had its foundation in error. Several things united in bringing it into existence : 25, 1. Mifconftruing that paffage of the apoftle where it is faid, If they who have once been enlightened, (which at this time, by many, was understood of baptifm) fhall fall away, it is impoffible to renew them again to repentance. This led Conftantine, and many other ferious perfons, to delay their baptifm until near the clofe of life. 2. Another fentiment equally erroneous arofe, from a misapplication of the words of Chrift-Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Thus on the one hand, they fearing a fatal relapfe after baptifin, and on the other, (as Dr. Cave obferves)" Not daring to pafs into another world without this badge of their initiation into Chrift, they prefently fignified their earneft defire to be baptized, which was accordingly done, as well as the circumftances of a fick bed would permit. Thefe were called Clinici, (of whom there is frequent mention in the ancient writers of the church) because baptized as they lay along in their beds." "This (continues the Doctor) was accounted a lefs folemn and perfect kind of baptifm; partly becaufe it was done not by immersion, but by Sprinkling, partly because perfons were fuppofed at fuch a time to defire it chiefly out of fear of death."+ This kind of baptifm was confidered fo imperfect, that if the perfons recovered, they were by the Neocæfarean Council, rendered ordinarily incapable of being admitted to the degree of prefbyters in the church. We have a fair fpecimen of this in the inftance of Novatus, the Greek philofopher ‡ According to Eufebius," he fell into a grievous diftemper, and it being fuppofed that he would die immediately, he received baptifm (being befprinkled with water) on the bed where * Robinfon's history, p. 449. + Primitive Christianity, Part I. c. 10. p. 196. |