maids Go and get ye Gowns made with lead in the lower end of the skirt thereof and shift ye and then come again to us and we will baptize every one of you 3. How could it be possible that so few as the Apostles were not exceeding Twelve in number if they were all there should be able to trip and dip three thousand men women and maids according to their Principle and practice in so short a time as but part of a day 2. I shall prove Baptism to be by Sprinkling c. from the Levitical Law and not by Immersion of Dipping 1. Negatively If there is nothing to be done in Gospel-Worship and Ordinances but what there must be an Example or Shadow from that Pattern which God shewed unto Moses in the Mount with all its Appendix that were then in force c. then baptism cannot be by dipping But nothing ought to be done in Gospel-Worship and Ordinances but what there must be an Example or Shadow for from that Pattern which God shewed unto Moses in the Mount with all its Appendix that were then in force such as Circumcision and Sacrifices which were then in being and long before the Ceremonial Law Therefore baptism cannot be by immersion or dipping under water because there is no manner of shadow or Example for that way of baptizing in all the Ceremonial Law nor its Appendix thereunto belonging Now for proof of which let us address our selves to the Scriptures gradually as we go along 1. In Heb. 10. For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things Pray mind the Law was but a shadow of good things to come and what these good things are I shall have occasion to declare by and by 2. I shall prove that baptism ought to be by sprinkling and pouring water on the subjects baptized 1. Thus If there be an Example or Shadow for sprinkling in baptism from that Pattern which God shewed unto Moses in the Mount then baptism is by sprinkling c. But there is an Example or Shadow of sprinkling c. from that Pattern which God shewed unto Moses in the Mount Therefore baptism is by sprinkling Now for the Proof of this I shall call in many Scriptures to testifie the truth of it and the first shall be that 1. In Heb. 8. For if he were on earth he should not be a priest seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle For see saith he that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mouâ—t Pray observe these all things that were then to be made according to the pattern shewn in the Mount were the Example and Shadow of the Heavenly thingâ— which is the same with that afore-mentioned Text A shadow of gâ—…d things to 〈◊〉 namely the Gospel-Ordinances and Worship which must be according to the pattern shewn by God to Moses in the Mount 2. The Apostle reproved the Hebrews that were reconciled to the Christian Religion for cleaving to and hankering after the abolished Ceremonial Law for he told them in effect that they robbed Christ of the Honour and Glory of his priestly Office for saith he unto them If he that was Christ were on earth he should not be a priest seeing there are priests that offer gifts according to the Law and then he proceeds to tell them that the Law was but an Example and Shadow of the Gospel-Ordinances and Worship those heavenly things and a shadow of good things to come not the very Image or Substance of the things 3. If there were no Example or Type for dipping in baptism then there can be no Antitype Therefore it cannot be baptism for there was nothing among all the Examples and Shadows of the Heavenly things that was any thing like dipping in baptism 4. But fourthly I will produce you a Cloud of Witnesses which all center in a Type for sprinkling in baptism 1. In Exod. 24. And Moses took the bloud and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the bloud of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you Now was not this a lively Type or Seal of the Covenant namely Baptism for it signifieth the same thing as Baptism doth viz. Regeneration Sanctification and renewing Grace which cost Christ the price of his precious blood which is the blood of the covenant for he was given for a covenant to the people and therefore Moses said Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you and yet that blood in it self was but the blood of a beast 2. In Exod. 29. And thou shalt stay the ram and thou shalt take his blood and sprinkle it round about upon the altar 3. In Levit. 1. And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord and the priests Aarons sons shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 4. In Ezek. 36. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Here is God's Promise to the Jews the Race of his old covenanted peculiar People predicted which is to be renewed and fulfilled in this latter day of the Gospel as in verses 6 7 8 9 10 11. compared with Rom. 11.25 26 27. First here in Ezek. is their baptism predicted viz. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you for as they were a baptized Church under the Law so they shall be again under the Gospel 1 Cor. 10.2 3 4. And that was also by sprinkling Secondly here is their Calling and Conversion predicted and promised viz. A new heart also will I give you c. 4. And lastly Pray mind these Scriptures for they are all for sprinkling Levit. 9.9 18. ch 4.6 17 18. ch 5.9 13. ch 8.11 24. ch 14. 7 8 9 16 51. Numb 19.18 19 20 21. â—2 Chroâ— 29.22 ch 30.16 Now what could all these sprinklings and pourings of blood and water be an Example and Shadow of if not of baptism Therefore I demand Two Things of our Opponents 1. If sprinkling in baptism be not the Antitype of all these sprinklings and pourings aforesaid Then I challenge them to find out and discover unto us some other Gospel-Ordinances wherein the subjects are all passive as those were of these Sprinklings under the Law that is more apposite to it than sprinkling in baptism is to the Examples and Shadows of the Heavenly things which were the good things that were come 2. Let them produce us a Type under the
was Gods Covenant with Abraham some years before Circumcision 5. In Gen. 13.16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth then shall thy seed also be numbred 6. In Gen. 15.5 And he brought him forth abroad and said look now toward heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to number them And he said unto him So shall thy seed be God did not make any such peculiar promise unto Melchizedec or Job c. 7. The blessing of Abraham was to come upon the Gentiles Gal. 3.14 God made Abraham a publick blessing both to Jew and Gentile 8. It was said of Abraham In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed Acts 3.25 In thy seed that is in Christ Gal. 3.16 9. My Ninth and last Reason why Abraham and his Seed were circumcised and not those holy men was because our Saviour Christ was to be born of the Seed of Abraham and therefore it is said In Abraham 's seed shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed for our Saviour Christ was not to come out of the Loyns or any one of these Worthies but from the Lineage of Abraham Mat. 1.1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ the son of David the son of Abraham Not the Son of Melchizedec nor the Son of Job c. but the Son of Abraham Therefore because he was to come from his Loyns both Abraham and his Seed must wear the Badge or Token of his Incarnation and Crucifiction which were both prefigurated in Circumcision which was then a Badge of Honour as Baptism now is and centered in the Covenant of Grace as Baptism now doth And for these Reasons aforesaid God was pleased to give unto Abraham and his Seed a Token of his Covenant-Love and Grace in that distinguishing way and manner above all other Saints contemporary with them who were also in the same Covenant with them for God had not Two Covenants of Grace one peculiar to Abraham and his Seed and another for the rest of his Saints but give me leave to tell ye that all those Worthies aforesaid though they were not circumcised in the flesh yet they were all circumcised in heart with the Circumcision made without hands for what though God was pleased to deny them the Token or thing signified at that time for Reasons best known to his holy Wisdom yet they had the thing signified which was infinitely better Ishmael had the Token of the Covenant which was but the shell and not the kernel but all those holy men which Mr. D. spoke of had the kernel though they had not the shell they were in the same Covenant with Abraham and his Seed though they had not that Token of the Covenant as they had Now let us hear what a Gentleman of New-England said in his History of Baptism in pag. 8. 1. A promise to Adam 's believing in this declaring A promise of the Messiahâ—s That he will be his God and the God of his seed in their Generations keeping Covenant or Command revealed to them for when this promise was made to Abraham it is 〈◊〉 to be supposed a new thing not in use before but it was renewed to him with a peculiar respect to his seed when the Gentiles were cast off for sinning against this promise as the Jews now are And there is no doubt but that the Family of Adam who was the first Believer and of Noah and his seed were the Church of God because God exercised Excommunication on the apostate Members and there is no Church-hood but to such as are under the promise Those who cannot say God is their God and the God of their seed in their generations keeping covenant have little to say for their Church-hood 2. Let us hear what that eminent Servant of the Lord Reverend Mr. Samuel Pomfret said to this which Mr. D. writ about Melchizedec Lot and Job c. when he saw it in his Book which is as followeth Touching Mr. D 's doubt about these holy men Melchizedec Job Elihu and Lot c. why they are not mentioned as well as Abraham concerning the Token of the Covenant viz. Circumcision his judicious Heart and Head might quickly have perceived if he please but to consider the lineal descent The God of all Grace was pleased to call out Abraham as the Father of the faithful through all ages to the end of the World both down the Gospel as well as the Old Testament Dispensation as he may know in the Epistle to the Galatians is clear especially the third chapter where it is said the blessing of Abraham is devolved upon the Gentiles 3. Let us hear what Mr. Cobbet of New-England saith also to this 1. Saith he Let us address our selves a while to consider of the external and Church right of little ones to the initiating Seal and Church right which follows thence for the initiating Seal follows the Covenant We speak not of an extraordinary time of the Church when either it hath no particular express initiating Seal distinct from another sealing Ordinance as before that solemn covenanting of God in reference to the Church in Isaac 's Race Gen. 17.7 8 9. with the 19. so there is some peculiar state of the time not applicable to the ordinary time and way of a visible politick Church and its Administrations as then also were Family Churches as that in Melchizedec's and Job 's Families which being not successively to continue were not so immediately eyed in point of solemn Institution and Church Laws as was this of Abraham Isaac and Jacob 's Race wherein the visible Church was to be continued Such extraordinary times and cases are very impertinently urged by some to infringe thâ— force of ordinary Rules and principles they know a extraordinary case of eating shew-bread by such as were not priests and of plucking ears of corn on the sabbath day of a private disciples baptizing Acts 9. and Zipporah 's circumcising of her son And these doâ—â— nullifie or invalidate ordinary rules and principles touching Circumcision or Baptism or the sanctifying the sabbath In ordinary times and cases respecting the political visible Church and its administratiâ—â— such little ones as are of parents in such visible Châ—â— estate they have external right unto the injoyned â—â—tiatory visible seal of which they are outwardly â—â—pable and ought not to be denyed the use and benâ—â— thereof Ordinary times then and not extraordinaâ—â— are here considered Let none object then Childâ— of Members of an ordinary political visible Church 〈◊〉 here considered Let none object an extraordinary 〈◊〉 of Job's or Melchizedec 's Families a visible 〈◊〉 enjoyned not a case wherein actually any such sedâ— not enjoyned is here also considered or at least â— view at the present making of the covenant with thâ— reference as in the case Gen. 17.7 8 9. And 〈◊〉 none object Adam and Noah 's time and cases
Ceremonial Law for immersion or dipping in baptism otherwise let them cease from such an unwarrantable practice 2. In the Second place Let us observe how excellently the Apostles have conjoined and applyed those Heavenly things in the Gospel new Dispensation their proper center 1. In Heb. 9. For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heiser sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh Here is Sprinkling and Sanctification joined together 2. In Heb. 10. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Here is Sprinkling and Washing joined together 3. In Heb. 11. Through faith he kept the passever and sprinkling of blood Here is the Passover and Sprinkling of blood joined together the one a Type or Pattern of the Lords-supper and the other of Baptism the two Seals of the Covenant and both pointing to the Death and Sufferings of Jesus Christ the Essential Covenant and also Regeneration and Sanctification as Baptism and the Lords-supper most compatibly do 4. In Heb. 12. And to Jesus the mediatour of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling Here the Covenant of Grace under the new Dispensation of the Gospel and Sprinkling are joined together namely Baptism the Seal or Token thereof 5. And lastly Here is the Foundation of all these Sprinklings clearly explained by the Apostle St. Peter in these Words in 1 Pet. 1.2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ Here is the Covenant and Sprinkling the blood of the Covenant joined together namely the blood of Christ And what God hath joined together let not proud carnal Reason part asunder Thus you see I have clearly proved from the Ceremonial Law That baptism is by sprinkling and pouring water on the subjects baptized for nothing can be the Antitype of all these Sprinklings but this Heavenly Thing namely the Sacrament of Water-baptism Therefore baptism cannot be by dipping because there is no Example or Pattern for it among all the Ceremonies for if it had been one of the Heavenly Things then there must have been a Pattern for it but there is none as I know of unless it be those two which are not of the Heavenly Things here mentioned but a Dispensation of Wrath from Heaven namely the drowning the old ungodly World and proud Pharaoh and all his Host they were all immersed or dipped and drowned Therefore dipping in baptism is of the Earth and but a humane Invention Now to bring things nearer home still Whaâ— did all these Sprinklings with blood and water signifie under the Mosaick Dispensation which are brought down into the New Testament and applied by the Apostle 1. As they were Examples and Patterns of Water-baptism so they pointed unto the same things as Water-baptism doth viz. Regeneration and Sanctification both which we have in John 3. Jesus answered Verily verily I say unto thee Excepâ— a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannâ—â— enter into the kingdom of God 2. Sprinkling under the Ceremonial Law is baptism under the Gospel for they both point at one and the same thing namely the Death and Sufferings of Jesus Christ without which there had been no Regeneration or Sanctification for without shedding of blood there could have been no Remission of sins 1. Sprinklings under the Law pointed forward to the Death of Christ to shew that he was to come and suffer 2. Baptism under the Gospel points upward to shew that Christ is come and hath suffered and is ascended though baptism was instituted before Christ's Sufferings just as things are spoken in the present Tense for the future as concerning Christ's birth and nativity in Isa 9.6 For unto us a child is born Christ came by water and blood 1 John 5.6 For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5.7 Therefore Christ called his own Sufferings his baptism That is calling the thing it self by the name of that which represents it And Christ was really circumcised and also baptized both which pourtrayed his Death and Sufferings Col. 2.13 14. Thus you see how the Ceremonial Law and the new Dispensation of the Gospel were related one to the other the Ceremonial Law was a Shadow of the Image of Christ in his Ordinances And in the Gospel-Ordinances those Heavenly Things the Image of Christ himself is held forth unto us Heb. 10. For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things 5. Those that are baptized by the Holy Ghost are not said to be dipped into the Holy Ghost but the Graces of the holy Spirit are poured out upon them and shed abroad in their Hearts Isa 44.3 Joel 2.28 Acts 2.18 Thus you may see that I have proved from the Ceremonial Law that baptism is by sprinkling and not by dipping 6. And lastly I shall add one Scripture more to corroborate that which hath been said touching the mode of baptism which is that famous Text in 1 Pet. 3. When once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was a preparing wherein few that is eight souls were saved by water The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ Here are several things of great note in this Text of Scripture 1. Here is the twofold patience of God first he waited patiently on the old ungodly World for their Repentance 2. His patience in waiting on Noah until he had prepared the Ark for the saving himself and his Houshold 3. Here is the fewness of the Number of these which were saved among the many Thousands of Families of the Earth viz. but eight persons and they were saved by water that which was a most dreadful dispensation of Gods Wrath to the old ungodly World was a dispensation of distinguishing Love and Grace unto Noah and his Family for the Text telleth us they were saved by water the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us 4. Here are two things enveloped in these words First As Noah's temporal preservation and deliverance in and by the Ark was typical of eternal Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ the Ark of Gods Covenant so is baptism also 5. None are eternally saved by nor for their being baptized no more than all were saved eternally that were in the Ark for if it were so then all would be saved that were are or shall be baptized for external holiness will not give them a Right to eternal Salvation nor foederal holiness neither though inherent holiness doth Pray mind the Apostles Words for saith he The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us not the putting away