- * | A - | - |SCRIPTURE-MANUAL: | O R, - A PLAIN REPRESENTATION */ O F T H E ORDINANCE of BAPTISM. Deſigned for the Uſe of all, who would anſwer a good Con ſcience towards Go o; and give a Reaſon of their Faith and Pradice with Meekneſs and Fear. -- - Search the scriptura. John v. 39. By s A M U E L w I L S O N. . . Reviſed by J O H N R I P P O N. T H E N I N T H E D I T I o N. L O N D O N : Pinted by T. w I LK1Ns, No. 45, cow-lane, Snow-hi". (Price ONE PENNY, or 7s. 6d. per Hundred.)
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E3E3E3E3E3E3E3E3 T H E P R E F A C E. H E very extraordinary zeal, which has lately been ex preffed from the pulpit, and the prefs, for Infant-baptiſm, as an ordinance of God, or of unqueſtionable and divine authority, put me on reviewing the evidence, by which I was formerly convinced of the contrary. . And as I don't remember to have met with any thing on the Jubjeći exaćily in this form; if it has no other advantage, it | may point out a method of enquiry to thoſe who make the word. / God the rule of their faith and praćiice. - - There are fame few hints taken from modern authors; but the main is the judgment I formed of thoſe things at the time referred to. I have only to add, I am not confeicus of a wilful miſinter pretation of any text, but have faithfully given what I appre hended to be the real fenfe of the Holy Ghost; to whoſe influence and bleffing I humbly recommend it. - ---s. w.
t s J *y A SCRIPTURE-MANUAL, &c. / by the generality of thoſe who call themſelves Christians., That it is of standing uſe in the church of God, appears from the § nature of the inſtitution when rightly underſtood, aạd the promiſe of the great Head of the church to his minister in the adminiſtration of it; lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world. - * , And as this ordinance is distinguiſhed from others, in its li mitation to a fîngle administration, without repetition ; great' care ſhould be taken, that we aƐt agreeable to the mind of Chriſt in it : what is to be done but once in the Christian's life: ought to be done well. A I ť 3 'd THAT Baptiſm is an erdinance of Jeſus Christ, is admittea * § A folemn acknowledgement of the divine glories, and a profeſſed (aljestio to the authority of Father, Son, and Spirit, with a thankful recognition of the' burial and reſurrećtion of our Lord Jefus Christ ; in the view of which we defiri , to die unto fin, and live unto holineſs. 2. |
( 6 ) It is certain, men are apt to run into extremes; fome may postibly make too much of Baptium, ſuppoſing it to be a regenė rating, or justifing ordinance ; that it waſhes away the guilt of original fin, and is accompanied with the conveyance of la CC. Others may think as meanly of it, as a mere circum ritual, or test of obedience to a poſitive precept, with little, if any ſpiritual meaning. - Nor are men, good and learned men, leſs divided about the fibjeći, and mode of this facred inſtitution. If this aroſe from the obſcurity or ambiguity of the terms in which it is revealed, it might carry the appearance of ſome reflection on the wiſdom of the law-giver; it being a duty of common concern, in which the plainet Christian is as deeply intereſted, as men of the gre teſt capacity or literature : but if it appears, that God has not been wanting in this matter, and that the ſcripture account of it is in terms of a determinate meaning, and eaſy to be un derstood; whatever darkneſs may attend our minds, we have no room to quarrel with revelation. It is now near thirty years, ſince I firſt examined this matter : and I am fure no one could enter into the inquiry, with more earneſt defire to find it on the fide of the common pračlice; all my converſåtion and proſpeĉts leaning strongly that way. - The method I took was, I hope in a dependence on God, whoſe dire8tion I earnestly implored, to colle&t the whole cvi dence from ſcripture, to conſider carefully every part ſeparately, that I might know what was his good and acceptable will*in, this ſervice. a’ And whether I ſhould happily attain the defireable end or not, I remember I found great peace in the integrity of the de termination. Accordingly looking up to heaven, I ſet myſelf to ſearch the ſcriptures, . - The questions me were, - - Whether believers, or perſons profeſſing faith and repentance onl - 3: believers and their natural offspring, or infants in common were the proper ſubjects of baptiſm ? And whether the manner of administration was by immerfiọn | or plunging,, or by ſprinkling or pouring; or whether either | might be uſed indifferently ? Confidering
– - || ( 7 ) Confidering that Baptiſm was an ordinance peculiar to the I thought it moſt natural, to expect an ac count of it in the New Testament. Accordingly I began with the goſpel of St. Matthew, and in the third chapter met with the fol lowing deſcription of 7ohn's baptiſm. - In thoſe days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderneſs of Judea; and faying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That, then went out to him Jeruſalem, and all Jưdea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jor dan, confeffing their fins.–And that when he faw many of the Pha riſees and Sadducees come to his Baptifm, he faid unto them, . O generation of vipers, who hath warned you, &c. Bring forth therefore . fruits meet for repentance, and think not to fay within yourſelves, we have Abraham to our father, &c. - Here I found that 7ohn had a ſpecial commiſſion given him, ºf and baptize. hat the ſubstance of his miniſtry, was the doctrine of repent ance, in the view of the near approach of the Meſfiah ; repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That his ſucceſs was very extraordinary, multitudes flocking : after him, to hear him preach, and be baptized of him, Jerufa lem, and all 7udea, and the region round about, &c. * *~ That the place of his preaching, was the wilderneſs; and of his baptizing, the river 7ordan. That the aĉtion was baptizing · And that the diſpoſition of mind required in the ſubjects was repentance; and fuch repentance as ſhould be productive of good fruits: and where this was wanting, a relation to Abraham as their father did not entitle them to his baptiſm. - This appeared to me to be the fum of the account; and I could not help obſerving, - There is no intimation of children being brought by their pa- rents to 7ohn. Not a word of his baptizing them. No recommendation of this to their parents, as a duty to be afterwards performed by them, in conſequence of their being proſelyted to his doƐtrine. No hint of pouring or ſprinkling; but that 7ohn baptized the people in the river 7ordan, and that he did this on their repentance or profeſſion of it. , Thus far the evidenae being for adult baptiſm, I proceeded to - · A conſider |
( 8 ) confider the baptiſm of our Lord, as deſcribed in the fame chap. verſes 13, 14, 15, 16. Then cometh Jeſus from Galilee to Jordan, to John to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, /aying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? And Jeſus anfwering, faid unto him, fufer it- to be fo now : for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufngß. Then he fuffered him. And Jeſus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, &c. - Here I obſerved our Lord did not fend to 7ohn to come and baptize him, but went himſelf from Galilee to Fordan, the place where 7ohn was baptizing; offered himſelf as a ſubject.–– 7ohn, apprehenſive of his ſuperior glory, modestly refuſes. Our Lord infifts on it, as a part of righteoufneſs it became him to fulfil. 7ohn baptized him, and às * Mark expreſsly fays, in the river Fordan; and from the expreſſion of his coming out of the water, I concluded it was by immerſion. 1 I took notice of a difference between this, and the former account. Here was no preaching on 7ohn's part; no repent ance required of, or confeſſed by our Lord Jeſus previous to baptiſm; theſe the dignity and purity of his perſon rendered un neceſſary. . He had the richeſt unction of the Holy Spirit, and was holy, harmleſs, and undefiled.–However he appeared with great zeal to engage in the duty; and I thought he ſpoke as the head of the church, and example of his people, when he faid, Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufneſs, - The next place I conſulted, was Matt. xix. 13, 14. compared with Mark x. 13. and Luke xviii. 15. Then were there brought unto him little children, that he fhould put his hands on them and pray : and the diſciples rebuked them But jefus 'aid, fuffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me: for of uch is the kingdom of heaven. This I often heard quoted in favor of infant-Baptiſm, and herefore though I did not find the word baptize in the text, I hought it deſerved a particular confideration. And the firſt thing which came before me, was the destre of he parents or f , of thoſe children, or what they aimed at n bringing them to Chriſt; and the evangeliſt Matthew fays, it was that he ſhould put his hands on them and pray. - Mark and Luke ay, that he might touch them ; neither of them give the leaſt hints ° tº any defire or requeſt that they might be baptized. * Mark i, 9. *
( 9 ) I then confidered the conduct of our Lord on this occaſion, and the text fays, he took them up in his arms, put his hands on them, and blefed them. This, and no more, our Lord did at this time, as I could find, by comparing the evangeliſts - This led me to conſider the reluĉtance of the diſciples, that theſe children ſhould be brought, and our Lord's diſpleaſure fig nified by his check of them, fuffer little children to come unto me, fo, of fuch is the kingdom of heaven. What the diſciples reaſon was for oppofing them, is not recorded : I thought it could not be from an unwillingnefs that infants ſhould be baptized, had that been the praćtice of 7ohn, or the known will of their Master. This they could hardly be guilty of; nor does our Lord take the leaft notice of it in his reproof: it is likely they were uneaſy he ſhould be interrupted from attending to matters, they judged of greater importance : but however this was, I found they ſtood reproved and the rea, fon given was, ! For offuch is the kingdom of heaven. - * Here I confidered the kingdom of heaven muſt intend the king dom of grace, or of glory. , And first, I began with the kingdom of grace, and preſentl faw, that muſt either be the inviſible church or general aſſembl. of the firit-born whoſe names are written in heaven, or particu lar churches constituted in goſpel-order: for I could have n notion of a national church, under the New Teſtament-diſper fation. Accordingly I brought infants to each of theſe, ende: vouring to come at the truth. As to the inviſible church, cor fifting only, as I could fee, of the election of grace, I thougl whether all, or who among infants are a part of it, could only t known to God; and this being a matter wholly unrevealed, could not fee how it could give them a right to Baptiſin. As to particular churches, it did not appear that infants we claimed or treated as members; nor could I understand their c pacity for memberſhip, which feemed to be founded in the Ne Teſtament, on a declared agreement of the faints in principles a\ experience. |- É I then conſidered the kingdom of glory, confisting in ti beatific viſion, and enjoyment of God. And here I p. A 5 teni; *e
( 1o ) »reſently found, my wiſhes out-run revelation ; and in the fue was obliged to leave infants to the fovereign mercy of him, who is the Judge of the earth, and will do nothing but what is right. Nor could I fee, on the ſuppoſition of their being all admitted to that kingdom, of which I could find no fcripture affurance, that their right to baptiſm was evinced, with out a fpecial order from the Law giver of the church, or fome neceffary connection between that ordinance and eternal life. Mufing on theſe things, I looked a little faither, and foon found the difficulty removed, and the expreſſion cleared up, of fuch is the kingdom of heaven; that is, as our Lord adds, verily, I fay unto you, whoſoever fhall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he fhall not enter therein, or as Luke has it, in nº zwife enter therein. - It now appeared, that our Lord was ſpeaking of the temper, and not merely of the perſons of children ; and what greatly confirmed me, was a parallel paſſage, Matt. xviii. 2, 3. Jeſus called a little child and fet him in the midfi of them, and jaid, verily I fay unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye fhall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. And adds, whofever therefore fhall humble himſelf ás this little child, the fame is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whofo fhall receive one fuch little child in my name, receiveth me: and whoſever fhall offend one of theſe little ones zuhich believe in me, it were better for him, that a milstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth ºf the fɛa. - Here I compared the expreſſions of receiving Christ, and receiving one of theſe little ones, making profeſſion of his name, and the little ones, believing in him, with the dreadful nature of the threatning in óffending them ; and I could not fee how theſe could be applicable to , mere infants, but were all well adapted to younger or weaker Chriſtians. » - Upon the whole, after the striĉtest ſearch, I could find in thele texts nothing relating to Baptiſm. Nor could I help
a ( 11 ) * er fome diſcourſe about it, on occaſions which ſeemed fo natu rally to lead him to it. Failing of my hoped for diſcovery of Infant-Baptiſm here, I haſtened to the - - Commiſſion recorded Matt. xxviii. 18, 19, 2o, compared with Mark xvi. 15, 16. All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all natuons, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to obſerve all things, whatſoever I have comman fed you : and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. - Struck with the ſupreme authority of a rifen Jeſus, I concluded from tħe folemnity of the introduction, it mult be a very heinous afront, to add, alter, or take away from the facred commandment. And with a mind I truſt, poſ feffed with reverence of his Majeſty, I entered into a me ditation on the precept. Here I found the perſons charged with the commiſſion were the apostles; who, notwithſtanding the eminence of their character, and peculiars of their after urićtion, were not to make, but publiſh and explain the laws of Chriſt, That, and only that which they received of the Lord, were they to declare to the church. And from the nature of the duty enjoined, and the reach of the promiſe even to the end of the world, I judged all goſpel-miniſters to be included in the commiſſion, * - - The duty enjoined, or ſervice to be performed, was to teach and baptize. ~ | Or as I understood it, to make diſciples by teaching (for I could not think of any other way) and then to baptize them. The ſubjects of instruction and baptiſm, were all nations, or as Mark has it, all the world, and every creature, Gentiles, as well as Feas; not every individual, for the , abſurdity i of that was moſt glaring; but fuch as were capable of re ceiving the doctrine, and making a profeſſion of it, in order to ' Baptiſm. - - - | The time of baptizing, according to the evangeliſt Mark, feemed to be when they believed; or as Matthew , has it, { when they were taught or made diſciples. . And the mai
( 12 ) · mon and natural ſenſe of the word Baptiſin, with the uſe of it in 7ohn's baptiſm, appeared to me to be by immerſion ; and I was the more confirmed in this, from 7ohn's chufing : place to baptize in, where there was much water, John iii. 23. I and tried again, to bring in infants under the general term of all nations; but, Mark's believeth and is baptized, with Matthew's teaching them to obſerve whatſoever I have commanded you, obliged me to conclude it muſt be confined to the adult. - Thus far the ballance ſeemed to be on the fide of the - Antipædobaptiſts; but having determined when I fet out, to examine the whole evidence, I purſued the enquiry, and being thoroughly fatisfied that the apostles could not mistake their maſter; I thought if I was mistaken in my apprehenfion of his will, in the commiffion, I ſhould be fet right by their conduct. I began with Peter's fermon, Aćis ii. - - The point the apostle aimed at, I found in verſe 37. Therefore let all the houſe of Iſrael know affuredly, that God hath made that fame 7efus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. In this he afferts the glory of the perſon crucified, he was Lord of all, and charges them directly with his murder; they had crucified, or with wicked hands had flain him. The effeƐt was, They were pricked in the heart, and cried out, Men and brethren what fhall we do? Upon which Peter faid unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jeſus Christ, for the remifion of fins, and ye fhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promife is unto you, and to your chil dren, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our. God fhall call. It is added, ver. 41. , Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the fame day there were added unto them, about three thoufand fouls. And they continued in the apofiles doctrine and fello u ſhip, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And ver 44. All that believed were together, and had all things common, &c. - Here I obſerved how Peter underſtood his commiſſion ; he began with preaching or teaching–waiting for the ſucceſs of his labour. Nor did I find a word of Baptiſm, till they were pricked in their hearts; then indeed, and not before, he
( 13 ) * } he fays, repent and be baptized, in the name of the Lord 7 fus: whic I understood after this manner: If you are indeed grieve« s and afhamed of your condućt towards this Jeſus whom yo have crucified : If you are convinced by the Spirit of God, h is the promiſed Meſfiah, the great Redeemer, and King of h church, and have a fiducial dependance on him for falvátior then you are to be baptized in his name, and may hope for comfortable evidence in your Baptiſm, of the remiſſion of you fins, and that you ſhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghoſ And for their encouragement he adds, for the promife is to y and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as t. Lord our God fhall call. - Now I thought the evidence of children's right to Baptif began to open, eſpecially as I had often heard this verſe me tioned as an inconteſtible proof of it But being willing to f with my own eyes, I conſidered what this promiſe might b the text indeed I found, if not wholly filent, yet not direct expreſſive; but on cloſe reflection, I thought it must be eith The great promiſe of the Meſſiah, as the feed of Abraham, whom all nations ſhould be bleſſed; or Of the remiſſion of fins for his fake : or of the gift of t Holy Ghoſt. - Accordingly I brought infants to each of theſe; and pi fently faw as to the the great honour which was done the Jews and their offspring, that Christ ſhould be allied them according to the fleſh ; but found no reaſon to conclui that all Abraham's natural children, were the children of t promiſe as to the ſpiritual part of it; nor could I fee how general promife of the Melfiah, as the feed of Abraham, co give them a right to Baptiſm, if impenitent and uncalled, i more than the Gentiles, or thoſe afar off. * . ; As to the promile of the remiſſion of fins, I ſaw not how f could be claimed, but by believers. And as to the gift of Holy Ghoſt, if it was of the fame kind with what had b' lately poured out upon the Apostles, the thing ſpoke for itſ there was no room to expect it in a llate of infancy. ! By Children, then, I apprehend must be meant their offspł when called; and then I could eaſily apply the promife to th in any or all the foregoing ſenſes. - } / I:
( 14 ) | Upon the whole I found, Peter preach'd, | ‘I he people repented, and gladly received the word–wese baptized, - added to the church. and walked in fellowſhip; and encouragement was given to their offspring, that with the fame experience, or when called, they might look for the fame privileges. - I could not but think, had the Apostle intended to expreſs their right as infants to Baptiſm, it was strange, very strange, that no notice ſhould be taken, either then or afterwards, of the adminiſtration of it. The next account of Baptiſm I met with, was Afis viii. 12, But when they believeá Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of 7 fus, they were baptized both men and women. Here I found the Evangelist agree with the Apoſtle, and both keeping cloſe to the commiſſion. Philip begins with preaching | he Goſpel, or things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name f Christ. ‘i he people believed; and when they did fo, and not before, he baptized them–And they are faid to be men and vomen; the phraſe I took to be expreſiive of the extent, and írnitation of the ordinance ; not men only, but men and women ; tot men, women and children, but men and women only. And indeed, I thought it could not be otherwiſe ifa perſonal aith, and a profeſſion of it were pre-requſite to Baptiſm. And cfe I found were inſisted on by this Evangelist, in the caſe of he eunuch, recorded in the fame chapter: The account of rhich stands thus: - |- - Verſes 26, 27, 28, &c. The angel of the Lord fþake unto Philip, faying, arif and go to ard the futh, &c. and ha aroſe and tent, and behold a man of thiopia, an eunuch, &c. who had come to 7eruſalem for to worſhip, as returning, and fitting in his chariot, and read Efaias the prophet. hen the fpirit faid unto . Philip, go near and join thyfelf to this tariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the pro iet Eſaias, and faid, understandest thou what theu readeſt ? And he iid; how can l, except fome man fhould guide me; and he defired hilip that he would come up and fit with him. The place of the ' ***re which he read was this, he was led as a fheep to the flaughter, - C»
( 15 ) &c. The eunuch anstvered Philip, and faid, Ipray thee of whom ſpeaketh the prophet this, &c. Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the fame fcripture, and preached unto him 7 fus; and as they went on their way, they came to a certain water ; and the eunuch faid, fee here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized ? And Philip faid, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he anfwered and faid, I believe that 7efus Christ is the fon of God.–And he commanded the chariot to stand still : And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him; and when they were come up out of the water, the fpirit of the Lord caught away Philip, aud the eunuch faw him no more : and he went on his way 7 jouang. - a - This appeared to me to be a plain and expreſſive account of the fubjećis and mode of Baptiſm; Philip begins with teach ing, or preaching Christ as a Saviour, and Sovereign : The eu nuch defires to be baptized : Philip infists on a confestion of his faith: The eunuch gives him fatisfaƐtion : They both go out of the chariot, and Philip baptizes him : And I could not help ob ferving the peculiarity of the phraſes; they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and when they were come up out of the water, &c. which strongly impreſſed my mind, that the baptiſm of the eunuch was by imme fion: and must be deſigned to deſcribe ſomething more than barely going to the fide or brink of the water. - The next inſtance of baptiſm was that of Cornelius, recorded Acts xth. And of him, it is faid, verſe the fecond, he was a devout man, and one that feared God with all his houſe. Which I understood not of mere babes, if he had any ; but of thoſe who were in ſome meaſure grown up, capable under a divine influence of forming fome apprehenſions of the glory of God, and their obligations to revere and ferve him. - By the direction of an angel he fends for Peter–Peter begins with preaching: God owns his miniftry: The Holy Ghoſt falls on all thoſe which heard the word; and Peter afks, Can any man
N ( 16 ) all his houſe, ver. 2. and their receiving the like gift with thoſe who Believed in the Lord 7efus, mentioned chap. xi. ver. 17. I ſaw no reaſon to ſuppoſe that infants were of that number. This led me to confider the converſion and baptiſm of Lydia, , , of whom we read, Ačis xvi. 14. that ſhe was a feller of purple of the city of Thyatira, who worſhipped God, and heard the Apòstle ; whoſe heart the Lord opened, and fie attended unto the things which were ſpoken of Paul: and was baptized, and all her houfhold. As to Lydia, I thought there could be no diſpute, whether ſhe believed before ſhe was baptized; the textafferting that ſhe wor fhipped God and that the Lord opened her heart. As to her houſehold, what it confiſted of is not faid; nor is any notice taken of her huſband, if ſhe had any; all that ap peared to me, from a careful examination of the account was, that ſhe was not at home, or in the place ofher common reſidence; that ſhe came to fell her purple, had a houſe for that purpoſe and probably fervants to afiſt her in her trade; nor could I fee it altogether confistent with prudence, to bring a family of young children, if ſhe had any, into the hurries of buſineis. - , Upon the whole, I thought it might be fuch a houſe as Corne lius had; who if they did not fear å a before, were converted by a bleffing on the Apoſtle's ministry, and baptized with their mistreſs. And what greatly tended to confirm me in this, was, that the perſons the Apoſtle found in Lydia's houſe when he entered into it, are called brethren, and were comforted by him ; which cannot be faid of infants; as alſo the account of the con verfion of the jaylor and his family contained in the fame chap ter, ver. 25, 26, 27, &c. which is as follows. - At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, &c. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, &c. The keeper of the prifon would have killed him jelf. Paul cried with a loud voice, faying, do thyfelf no harm. The keeper called for a light, and fþrang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and faid, firs, What must I do to be faved ? and they faid, believe on the Lord 7efus Christ, and thou fhalt be faved, and thy houfe. And they ſpoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his houſe. And he took them the fame hour of the night, and waſhed their stripes,
( 17 ) - The faćt here I thought ſtood thus–The jailor under the ower of ſtrong convictions cries out, what must I do to be aved ? The apoſtle anſwers, believe on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and thou ſhalt be faved, and thine houſe : that is as I underſtood it, if they believe alſo: upon which they ſpake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his houfe. And God bleſſing his word to the jailor and his family, they believed, were baptized and rejoiced. - / - : This led me to confider what is faid of Criſpus and the Corin thians. AƐts xviii. 8. . . - . And Criſpus the chief ruler of the ſynagogue believed on the Lord with all his houſe : and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed, and were baptized. - Here I found the master and the family believers, and that the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized–And as hear ing and believing are mentioned previous to the baptizing of the Corinthians; I concluded it was equally fo, in the inſtance of Criſpus and his houſe. The laſt instance I met with, was in i Cor. i. 14, 15, 16, which ſpeaks of the baptizing the houſhold of Stephanas. I thank God I baptized none of you, but Criſpus and Gaius: lest any Jhould fay, that I had baptized in my own name; and I baptized affo the houſehold of Stephanás, &c. , What this houſhold was I gathered from the 16th chap. and 15th verſe, where the apostle fays, I beſeech you brethren, ye knoto the houſe of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that y have addicted themſelves to the ministry of the faints. . Whence I thought they could not be infants, but believers in Chriſt, converted and baptized by the apostle: or they could hardly be and be faid to addict themſelves to the miniſtry ºf the faints whether we understand it of their relieving their Wants or preaching the everlasting goſpel. - Having thus gone through the hiſtòry of baptiſm, as admi nistered by the apoſtles, I proceeded to conſider the account they gave of the meaning or ſpiritual deſign of it : and with
( 18 ) kave been planted togethèr in the likeneß of his death, we hall be ah3 in the likenefs of his reſurrection, knowing that our old man is crucified, &c. And in Coloffians I found the fame metaphor kept up ; Bu ried with him in bapti/m, wherein alſo ye are rifen with him thro' the faith of the operation of God. - In forming a judgment of the defign of the Holy Ghost in theſe paſſages, I thought it neceſſary to confider firſt the deſcrip tion, or character of the perſons baptized; and they are faid, ver. I 1th, to be circumciſed with the circumciſion made without hands : which I knew not how to interpret fo well of any thing, as the renewing influences of the Holy Ghost : agreeably to which they are further repreſented as the fubjects of that faith whick is of the operation of God: or as it is elſewhere called * precious faith, and the faith of God's elećt. The metaphor came next under confideration. They were buried with Christ in baptiſm: This feemed much better to an fwer to immerſion than ſprinkling or pouring-and ſuppofing that the faith mentioned might refer to their being buried as well as rifing; this I thought might be the meaning of their being planted in the likenef of Christ's death : That as in the ordinance of the ſupper, there is a believing memorial of Chriſt's love in his ſufferings and death ; ſo in baptiſm, the faint, by an eye of faith, is called to attend to his condefcenſion when implifoned in the grave, and his glory as a conquero in breaking the bands . of death: 'in each of which he the chan acter of the furety of the covenant and head of the body.–And as the ac tions of breaking the bread and pouring out the wine, are ex preſſive of his agony and death ; the immerſion, and rifing of the perſon baptized, might refer to his burial and reſurrection. I then proceeded to examine i Cor. vii. 14 a text I had often heard quoted as proving, if not in direct terms, yet by juſt con fequence, the right of infants to baptiſm. The words are, For the unbelieving huſband is fantified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is fanctified by the huſband : elfe were your children unclean, but now .they are holy. |- - I began with the occaſion of the words, and could find no *hin ơ relatin er to ha nr: fr- : n * - e -n- t = v + A -- - T - : -- --- - - ---- 1- - --
( 19 ) del. This I thought was the point in view. And it ſtands de termined, that the wife is not to depart, nor the huſband to put her away; unleſs ſome other circumſtances ſhould render it neceſſary and warrantable, - - And to remove the ſcruple of a tender ſpirit, it is added, that the unbeliever is fan&tified by the believer; by which I could not underſtand an internal ſpiritual purity of mind, this being the work of the Divine Spirit: But as every thing elfe, ſo the marriage relation is fanƐtified to the believer, by the word of God and prayer. The ignorance or enmity of the infidel, would not render the faint's conſcientious and faithful diſcharge of his duty leſs neceſſary or acceptable. - And to inforce his determination of their continuing toge ther, the Apostle adds, elſe were your Children unclean, but now they are holy. Here I conſidered, how children may be faid to be unclean ; and I thought they are all fo by nature, being fhºpen in iniquity, and conceived in fin. The guilt and pollution of which, can only be removed by the blood of Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghoſt. As to this I could fee no difference between the feed of believer, and others; all are concluded under fin, and by nature children of wrath. I then remember to have heard, that all out of the pale of the Jewiſh church were unclean, as oppoſed to that holineſs which is attributed to the whole congregation of Iſrael, and that fuch uncleanneſs attends the children of unconverted Gentiles now : . But conſidering Peter's vifion, in which he is forbid to call that common which Ğod hath cleanád: That the middle wall of partition is broken down: That in regeneration, or, the new man, there is neither Greek, nor Jew, circumciſion, nor uncircumciſion, Barbarian Scythian, bond norfree, but Christ is all and in all-Remembering the peculiars of the Jewiſh church, as hereditary and national, are now utterly fet afide, I could fee no more uncleanneſs in one infant than in another. Upon the whole, I thought the affair fettled by the apostle wholly matrimonial : it was highly probable, the holintfs and uncleanneſs were of the fame kind: or related to apparent legiti
- ( 2o. ) * to conclude its right to baptiſm without a ſpecial direction front the lawgiver of the church *. - This led me to confider the apostle's account of Abraham, Rom; iv. 1 I, , 12, 13; As the father of all them that believe though they be not circumciſed; and that the promiſe is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end it might le fure to all the feed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that alſo which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father ofus all. And that he received the fign of circum ciston, a fal of the righteoufneſs of faith, which he had jet being un circumciſed, &c. This I fouńd commonly infisted on to prove that Abraham's covenant was the covenant of grace–That a part of his feed : were the believing. Gentiles, and their offspring: and that as : Abraham's children were circumciſed, the children of believers fhould be baptized. f To come at a certainty in this matter, I thought it might be proper, carefully to enquire what the covenant was which God 's made with Abraham: the duties required, and privileges to be enjoyed under it; perſons in it and manner of con veying and fignifying that intereſt. The covenant I found at large in the 17th of Genests, and it appeared to me to be of culiar kind; ſome things belonging to Abraham in his perſonal cha racter, as that he ſhould have a numerous poſterity ; that kings fhould deſcend from him; the making over the land of Canaan to him; and the particular honour of being the father of the Meſfiah according to the fleſh. This part of the covenant I thought distinguiſhable from the covenant of grace: for I could not but ſee he might have all theſe, without any ſpecial rela: tion to God as a child–But when God promiſes to be his God, to bloß him, and that in his fred all the families of the carth fhould be blaffed; I looked upon theſe to be promiſes as expreſſive of privileges of another, and more valuable kind than any of the former. And as the covenant appeared thus to be of a mixt nature, and the bleſſings distinét; fo I found this feed to be deſcribed very dif ferently in ſcripture : fometimes intending all his natural children ; fometimes the perfon of Christ only: and here, and in other Places, all his firitual offspring, whether Jews or Gentiles.
( 21 ) \ As to his children, who are only ſo after the fleſh, they had their outward advantages : but not as I could ſee the bleſfings of the covenant of grace. As to Christ, it did not appearany blefſing was derived from .Abraham to him; but on the contrary, Abraham received the bleffing in, and from the Meſfiah, his root as well as offspring. And as to his ſpiritual feed, they were all, whether 7ews or Gentiles, partakers with him of the fame faith and falvation. Circumciſion I thought to be a ſign or badge of ſeparation to the 7ew, in çommon, as distinguiſhed from the Gentiles, and perhaps of regeneration to his ſpiritual feed: but conveyed, as I could fee no ſpiritual bleffing to either. And I thought if the baptiſm of infants under the goſpel was to be argued from cir , cumciſion; the Apostle would certainly have given ſome hint of it; whereas his diſcourſe is confined to believers, withọut a word of their children. That circumciſion was a ſeal of the righteoufneſs of faith to . Abraham, is indeed afferted; but that it was, to his natural feed, I could form no idea of: at least till they had by faith, a view · of the fame righteouſneſs, by which Abraham their father was justified. And the apoſtle ſeems to explain the whole matter, Rom. ix. 5, 6, 7, 8, . They are not all Iſrael, which are of Iſrael, neither be eaufe they are of the feed of Abraham, are they all children; that is they which are the children of the fleſh, theſe are not the children of
( 22 ) was as no glory, if compared with the glory, which excelleth. But if hat which was done away was glorious, much more that which remain th is glorious.–That is, as I underſtood it, all the carnal part of Jewiſh glory was ſwallowed up, and utterly fet afide by the fim plicity, ſpirituality, and liberty of the goſpel-diſpenſation ; and as it was formerly, All were not Iſrael, which were of Iſrael ; ſo now he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that circum :ifon, which is outwardly in the fleſh ; but he is a Jew, which is ɔne inwardly, and circumciſion is that of the heart, in the fpirit, and not in the letter, whofe praife is not of men, but of God. Rom. ii. vcr. 28, 2q: I then reeded to confider the excifion of the 7ews, and the taking in of the Gentiles, recorded, Rom. xi. 15, 16. in which, though there is no expreſs mention of Baptiſm or of the baptiſin of infants, yet I found commonly produced as de clarative of a federal holineſs, conveyed from parents to chil dren in confequence of which they might, yea ought to be Baptized. * . – - The words of the text are. - If the first-fruit be holy, the lump is alſo holy : and if the root be are the branches; and if fome of the branches be broken off, ind thou being a wild olive-tree wert grafted in among them, and with hem partakest of the root and fatneſs of the olive tree, &c. ' . - T hat converted Gentiles ſtand on a level with believing 7ezờs I had already feen. That the peculiar form of the Jewiſh church was aboliſh'd at the death of Christ, I found generally acknow edged; that being the ministration which was to be done away, to nake room for that which was to remain : ſo that I could not tell row to conceive of the Goſpel-church incorporated with the Íewiſh, they being always repreſented as diſtinct, or diſtin uiſhable the one from the other. · · · - By the root then I uñderstood Abraham-By the branches his atural offspring–By the wild olive the Gentiles in a natural ate i who upon receiving the grace of God became the ſpi itual branches of Abraham the father of the faithful : and wêre
a * ( 23 ) The next reference to Baptiſm I found, 1 cor. X 1, 2. I would not that you fhould be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea, and were all baptized un to Moſes, in the cloud, and in the fea. To understand this I thought it proper to enquire into the Jači, as recorded by Moſes, which I thought would give fight to the alluſion. - And in Exod. xiv. 19. we are told the pillar of cloud went from before the face of the Iſraelites, and stood behind them; that it ca me be tween the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Iſrael, and it was a tloud and darkneſs to the one, and gave light by night to the other. And that the Lord cauſed the fa to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the fea dry land: and the children of Iſrael went into the midfi ef the fea upen dry ground, and the waters were a wall ünto them, on the right hand and left. * Here I found that part of the cloud which was next to the Jfraelites was bright, clear, and comfortable; nor the least inti mation of rain falling upon them. The fea was made dr ground, and the waters were a wallunto them, on the right hand, and on the left; ſo that I concluded, the term baptized must re. fer to their fituation in the midst of the fea, encompaſſed by theſe walls, and attended with the cloud, rather than to any water coming out of the one, or ſprinkling daſhings from the other; which must have been very troublefome, to fuch a body of people in their march ; and as I thought inconfistent with the account of their standing in, and coming out of the ſea on dry ground. - - * * - This brought me to the laſt place of ſcripture, which fpeaks directly to the nature and meaning of the ordinance of Baptiſm 1 Pet. iii. 2o, 21; The long-fufering of God waited in the day
/ ( 24 ) was a large hollow veffel, in which Noah and his family, and the creatures with him, were for a time as it were buried; and eſpecially this was the caſe, when the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opered, and they in the midst of that deluge, which deſtroyed all the world. This appeared to me to anſwer to immerfion in Baptiſm ; and I could not think the Holy Ghoſt. would refer us to the water of a flood, as a type of a little quantity of that element, made uſe of when poured or ſprinkled on the face of an infant. And as Noah his family were faved by water; the believer is ſaved by Baptiſm, not efficaciouſly or meritoriouſly, but declaratively and instrumentally. In the profeſſion of his faith, he declares his entrance into Chriſt as the ark of falva tion; and his Baptiſm is a lively repreſentation of the burial and reſurrection of him, who died for his offences, and roſe again for his juſtification. - And as Noah built the ark, and entered into it in obedience to the command of God; the believer is baptized from á prin :iple of confcience towards God ; yea a good, that is, as I thought, an enlightened, renewed conſcience. Having thus gone through the ſcripture account of the ordi hance of Baptiſm, I found myſelf obliged to conclude the bal ance was greatly on the fide of adult believers, as the only de :lared ſubjects; and of plunging or immerſion, as the only mode ɔf that ſacred inſtitution. - I well knew that many godly and learned perſons thought ɔtherwife; but not daring to call any man maſter on earth, and emembering the account I muſt ſhortly give to him, who faid, hus it begometh us to fulfil righteoufneſs; I determined to com: »ly with my duty; and on the cloſeſt reflection, have ſeen no eaſon to repent of it. - * F I N I S. z- |- 4 tỷ. The Baptist Catechiſm, printed very neatly and on a fine aper, with the ſcripture prcofs, at large at 1 5s. per hundred, without the proofs at s. 6d. per hundred as allo Mr. Bed 'ome's Scriptural expoſition of the Cateçhiſm, price is. bound in anvas, 14 d. in ſheep, and 18d. in calf, may be had of T. Eveni,