them for that Holy Ordinance Also in Acts 11.26 The Disciples are called Christians And ver 20 21. it 's said how the same Persons came to be Disciples The Lord Jesus was first preached to them upon this a great Number believed and turned to the Lord. And thus they were made Disciples according to Christ's Commission Besides in Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved This place is parallel in Time with Mat. 28.19 And whereas in Matthew is required Discipling there is required in Mark Believing and both before Baptism It 's therefore plain they must be believing Disciples And Faith comes by hearing and therefore the Apostles were 1. To preach to them as in Mark 16.15 Preach the Gospel to every Creature 2. By their Preaching to make them Disciples 3. Being so made to baptize them This is the genuine Sense of our Lord's Commission Mat. 28.19 Say some they own they must first be made Disciples and afterwards baptized But then they ask this Question How do we know that little Infants are not made Disciples by some secret Teaching of God And supposing this to be true of those who are born of believing Parents they conclude they may be baptized I answer For Argument's sake I will for once appose with them that not only the Infants of Belevers but all Infants so soon as they are born into the World are made Disciples by some secret Teaching of God but how we shall prove either of our Suppositions I know not Nevertheless I deny that they are therefore to be baptized by virtue of this Commission And low any mortal Man can know of this secret Work upon their Souls without Revelation I can't imagine But pray consider a few things and it will set the Truth âe contend for in a clear Light As 1. it was Christ the Son of God who gave this Commission And Jesus came and spake 2. Who did he give it unto Not to his Father to make Disciples of little Infants by some secret Teaching of his but to his Apostles that were Men to make Disciples by their Ministry He spake unto them The Conclusion is natural which I shall form into this short Syllogism If little Infants are not capable to be made Disciples by the Ministry of Men Then they cannot possibly be the Subjects of Baptism intended in this Commission But little Infants are not capable to be made Disciples by the Ministry of Men Ergo They cannot possibly be the Subjects of Baptism intended in this Commission The Major is undeniable the Minor I thus prove If little Infants have no knowledg to discern between Good and Evil then they are not capable to be made Disciples by the Ministry of Men. But they have no knowledg to discern between Good and Evil Ergo They are not capable to be made Disciples by the Ministry of Men. The Minor only is questionable which I prove by Divine Authority Deut. 1.39 Moreover your little Ones and your Children which in that Day had no knowledg between Good and Evil. So that the first Argument is made good viz. That little Infants cannot possibly be the Subjects of Baptism intended in this Commission Whereas some of our Antagonists say the word them relates to all Nations As they confute themselves by refusing to baptize Turks and Jews before they own Christ so that they cannot extend it universally Even so it appears the word them hath no reference unto all Nations if they will but mind the Grammar of the Text. For ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã them is of the Masculine Gender but ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã all Nations is of the Neuter and agrees with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Disciples and must have reference to them as the only Persons fitted for Holy Baptism But to proceed 3ly I shall shew you who it was practised upon by the Apostles and first Ministers of Christ pursuant to the grand Commission We find all along in the History of the Acts of the Apostles that Baptism was practised upon grown Persons that there Disciples of Christ having gladly received their ââeaching repented of their Sins and believed the Goââel which Infants are not capable to perform Acts 2.38 Repent and he baptized Ver. 41. Then they ãâã gladly received his Word were baptized Ver. 44. And ãâã that believed were together Acts 8.12 When they believed Philip preaching the things ââurning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ ãâã were baptized both Men and Women not little Infants ãâã ver 36. After Philip had preached Jesus to the Eunuch according to Christ's Commission they came unto a certain Water and he asked Philip What did hinder him to be baptized Philip answers If thou believest wirh all thine heart ãâã mayest And he answered I believe that Jesus Christ is ãâã Son of God And upon that Profession of his Faith he ãâã immediately baptized So that we may learn hence ââat Faith is a pre-requisite of Baptism for Philip reââes Faith of the Eunuch before he would baptize ãâã So in the Jaylor's Case Acts 16.31 Paul requires of ãâã to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ And in ver 33 34. is said he was baptized believing in God c. Acts 18.8 Crispus believed on the Lord and many of the ââinthians hearing believed and were baptized If these testimonies are not sufficient I know not what will I could in this place produce divers Testimonies from ãâã learned were it needful to prove that no Infants âere baptized for about two hundred Years from Christ ãâã Dr. Barlow's Testimony There is saith he no just Evidence of Infant-Baptism till about two hundred Years after Christ The Learned Curcellaeus affirms That the Custom of baptizing Infants was brought in without the Commandment of Christ and did not begin before the third Century Grotius on Mat. 19.13 gives this Account That according to the Rule of Scripture and agreeing with Reason it self the most part of the Greeks in all Ages even unto this Day retain a Custom of delaying Infant-Baptism till they themselves can give a Confession of their Faith And it is certain that Nazianzen though the Son of a Christian Bishop who lived about the fourth Century and was bred up in the Christian Religion was not baptized till he was about thirty Years of Age. The same is also true of Chrysostom Hierom Ambrose Augustine and others And as the Learned Dr. Dia. Veil observes it does manifestly appear That the wisest of our Fathers in Christ did not come to Baptism until they were come to a strong and confirmed Age and Wit So that it's plain they were not baptized in their Infancy Yea further he saith I could never read of so much as one of the Antient Fathers for six hundred Years after Christ that was baptized in his Infancy Ludovicus Vives affirms in his Treatise de Civitate Dei Lib. 1. cap. 27. Neminem olim consuevisse baptizari nisi adulta aetate qui per se
overwhelming the Person in Water II. That true penitent Believers are the right Subject of Baptism III. That the Ordinance of Baptism is now in being and is to continue to the End of this World I. I shall shew that Baptism must be administred by Dipping c. if we consider these four things 1. The Etymology or Signification of the Word the Holy Spirit uses to express it by 2. Those Metaphors used in Holy Scripture to represent it to our Understanding 3. From the Practice of the first Baptizers 4. From the grand Commission of our Saviour Mat. 28.19 1. From the Etymology or Signification of the Word The word Baptism is from the Greek ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to dipt Baptisma a Dipping from ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Bapto to dip plunge or drown It implieth the washing of the whole Body ãâã even such a washing as is used in Bucks where Linen iâ plunged and dipt For the native and proper signification of it is to dip into Water or to plunge under Water see Leigh's Critica Sacra It is a Metaphor taken from the use of the Dyers Vat ãâã and is such a Dipping by which the Cloth put into it is dyed and not a bare washing only from whence cometh Baptism Zepperus de Sacramentis saith ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Baptism ãâã vocis notationem attendere velimus vocabulum Baptismi mersionem significat in aquam c. If we will attend to the Notation of the word Baptism it signifies to dip into Water ãâã or the Act it self of Dipping and Washing From hence therefore and from the Etymology of the Word it self iâ doth appear what was the Custom of administring Baptism from the beginning Whereas now saith he we ââââther use Rantism viz. Sprinkling in the stead of Baptism which is Dipping Alstedius in his Lexicon Theologicum printed Anno 1612. ãâã 310. saith thus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Tingere lavare inficere unde deductum aliud verââââ ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã intingere immergere maximè quidem aquâ ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã tantum significat immergere non lavare nisi ãâã unsequenti From whence it may plainly be seen that this Learned ââââhor doth assert That Baptism is to dip plunge or ãâã whelm the Person baptized in Water And that its ââââper signification is to dip or dye and not to wash but âââây by Consequence For which he cites for his Authoââââ both Plutarch and Nazianzen as may be seen at large ãâã the Book it self Besides this is so well known that every School-boy in ãâã Greek-Grammar can tell you that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã bapto is ââââre rendred mergo immergo to dip to plunge or overwhelm âlso in a Greek Lexicon published and recommended to ãâã for the encrease of Knowledg by Joseph Caryll George Cokayne Ralph Vening William Dell Matthew Barker William Adderly Matthew Mead and Henry Jessey ââey tell us that the signification of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is to dip ââââge or drown And in the Passive Voice ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to be plunged or overwhelmed And that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to plunge to overwhelm to baptize to dip And in ãâã Passive Voice ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to be plunged to be baptized or dipped In Clavis Graecae Linguae printed at London Anno 1640. ãâã is thus rendred ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã mergo tingo to dip ãâã dye ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Idem the same ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã mersio to drown and thereââââ ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is often rendred to dip into to drown ãâã from thence the Latins use mersus à mergo drowned ââââered or over whelmed with Water And therefore it âââsed in the New Testament for that Holy Ordinance of Baptism it being performed by dipping the whole Body of the Person baptized under Water The Learned Robertson my singular good Friend in his Thesaurus Graecae Linguae saith Baptizo mergo ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Intingo mergo to dye to dip plunge c. Hence saith he is Baptizo which signifies the same As also Baptismos Baptisma c. But the Greek word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Rantizo he saith is aspergo to sprinkle ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Rontismos Aspersio Sprinkling So that you may eaââly ãâ¦ã is as much difference betwint these two Greek ãâ¦ã Baptismos and Rantismos in Greek as there is betwixt these ãâã words Dipping and Sprinkling in English and therefore surely not to be conceived to be syâââimous so as to signity the same thing I now presume from what hath been said that if the word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and its Derivatives are used in all places in the New Testament where this Ordinance of Baptism is spoken of Then it will follow by an unavoidable Consequence that Dipping is the right manner of Baptizing and that Sprinkling is not Baptizing That it is so will evidently appear from an Enumeration of Particulars I will instance in some of the principal when I come to shew you what was the Practice of the first Baptizers But of that in its proper place I now come to treat of the second Particular under this Head viz. Dipping the Persons baptized into Water appears to be the right way of administring this Ordinance if we consider the Metaphors used in Holy Scripture ãâã express it by There are two I shall chiefly insist upon 1. A Burial 2. A Resurrection We are to consider that our Lord Jesus Christ hath noâ burdened us under the Gospel with a multitude of Ceremonies as it was in that Oeconomy of the Jews under the Legal Dispensation But only with some few and those very significant this being a more spiritual Dispensation As therefore the Holy Supper of our Lord in the breaking of the Bread signifies the breaking of his Body and the pouring out of the Wine the shedding of his most precious Blood and both of these in conjunction his Death 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as you eat this Bread and drive this Cup ye do shew forth the Lord's Death till he come Even so Holy Baptism doth shew forth his Burial and direction Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him baptism into Death that like as Christ was raised up from Dead to the Glory of the Father even so we also should walk âââess of Life âow consider the Metaphor when Men are dead we ãâã them by covering the whole Body under Ground ãâã not by scattering or sprinkling a little Dust or Earth ãâã their Faces only âprinkling you know hath no resemblance to Buâââ but dipping or plunging the whole Body under Waâââ is a most express and lively representation thereof But perhaps Humane Testimonies will please you and ãâã Pastor better than Divine And therefore I shall ãâã you the Opinion of some Learned Bishops to corroborate what I say who may be supposed to understand ãâã Original as well as Mr. James The late
the Apostles and first âââisters of Christ pursuant to that Commission And ãâã these in their Order 1st Therefore let us examine who they were that John ãâã admit to his Baptism The first Syllable we read of its being practised is in ãâã 3. by John the Dipper so called by the Evangelist ãâã Eminentiae as being the Beginner of that Holy Ordinance where we have an Account in Ver. 2. what Doâââne he preached before he baptized Repent ye for the ââââdom of Heaven is at hand And in ver 5. Then went out ãâã Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Region round aâââ Jordan Ver. 6. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã were plunged of him into Jordan confessing their Sins ãâã Hebrew word also is Vaitabelu and were dipped c. Upon this I shall observe some things and so pass it 1. That those he baptized were Adult Persons and ãâã Infants for they went out to him 2. That they were penitent Persons such that confesâââ their Sins 3. That no others were admitted to his Baptism For in ver 7. it 's said But when he saw many of the Pâârisees and Sadduces come to his Baptism he said unto theâ ãâã Generation of Vipers who hath warned you to flee from ãâã Wrath to come Bring forth therefore Fruits meet for Repent 4. That no Birth-Privileges will entitle any Person ãâã that Holy Ordinance without Repentance For the Baptist tells them in ver 9. Think not to ãâã within your selves We have Abraham to our Father ãâã in ver 10. now also the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trââ therefore every Tree i. e. every Person which bringeth ãâã forth good Fruit is hewen down and cast into the Fire And to inform them more fully of the Nature of ãâã Commission and the Qualifications of the Subjects ãâã further saith I indeed baptize you with Water unto or ãâã the Original hath it upon Repentance Which agrees most exactly with the Design of Joââ Ministry he being to make ready a People prepared ãâã the Lord Repentance being a necessary Qualification without which they could not be admitted thereunto But some may query How I prove they were to believe as well as repent I answer in the words of the Apostle Paul Acts 19. ââ John verily did baptize with the Baptism of Repentance sayââ unto the People That they should believe on him which shoâââ come after him that is on Christ Jesus From all which it appears beyond dispute That ãâã little Infants were the Subjects of John's Baptism For 1. They could not come from Jerusalem to the Riverââ Jordan and desire to be baptized 2. Nor could they confess their Sins 3. Nor yet be able to understand his Preaching with ãâã Nature and Design of his Baptism 4. Nor lastly could they be expected to bring foâââ Fruits worthy amendment of Life All which agrees only to Adult Persons they can ââpent they can believe in Christ they can confess thââ sinful Deeds and come to tender themselves for Baptism as all those did whom John baptized which things ââtle Infants are not capable to perform Therefore Petent Believers and not Infants were the right and oâ proper Subject of John's Baptism 2ly I shall consider the grand Commission of our Lord Mat. 28.18 19 20. And Jesus came and spake unto them ââing All Power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Go ãâã therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of ãâã Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching ãâã to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you âââo I am with you alway even unto the End of the World ââem That the Gospel of Matthew was written in Hebrew ãâã I have touched above I find it to be the Opinion of âââers Men eminently Learned And among others Hieâââ in the Life of this Evangelist saith Mâtthaeus qui ãâã Levi ex publicano Apostolos primus in Judaea propter eos qui ãâã Circumcisione credidernt Evangelium Christi Hebraicis literis âââbisque composuit And further notes In quo animadvertenâââ quod ubicumque Evangelista sive ex persona sua sive ex ââââona Domini Salvatoris veteris Scripturae testimoniis utitur ãâã sequatur Septuaginta translatorum autoritatem sed Hebraicis Here you see he tells us That the Gospel of Christ ãâã Matthew for the sake of those of the Circumcision ãâã believed was written in Hebrew Words and Hebrew âââters And that he every-where in his Quotations out ãâã the Old Testament followed the Hebrew and not the âââpâuagint Translation In Mr. William Robertson's Hebrew New Testament I ãâã these words between the 18th and 19th Verses which do not find in any Greek Copy ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã And as my Father hath sent me even so also I send you Go ãâã therefore c. I pray observe in what a solemn manner our Saviour beââââs this Commission 1. By declaring his own Authority All Power in Heaven ãâã Earth is given to me 2. The Fulness of that Authority he gave to his Apoâââes As the Father hath sent me even so also I send you He then comes to give forth the Commission it self as in ãâã 19th and 20th Verses The first thing in this Commission is this Christ commands them to make Disciples by their Ministry The Word that is translated Teach is in the Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Velamedu it signifies to make Disciples by teaching for the Root is Lamad he learned And from thence is formed the Heemantique Noun Talmid a Scholar or Disciple one that hath learned The plain meaning therefore is That they were first to make Disciples by their Ministry and after that to baptize them If we also examine the Greek Copy we shall find it to agree with the Hebrew ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã That word upon which the whole Stress of the Argument depends is Matheteusate which signifies to make Disciples The Learned render Mathetes a Scholar a Disciple and Matheteuo to be a Scholar or Disciple And upon this word in this place the Greek Lexicon renders it to make Disciples But if Mr. James will not believe our Lexicographers I can give him the Opinion of all the Translators of the New Testament for it who have rendred it so in a multitude of Places and so far as I have found in every place where the word is used except only in this Commission and here for some Reason best known to themselves instead of Disciples they have only rendred it Teach And that which is most remarkable they have five times in this Chapter rendred it Disciples till they came to the 19th Verse and there only it must be rendred teach as in ver 7 8 9 13 and 16. And in John 4.1 2. Jesus made and baptized more Disciples than John but his Disciples in both which the same word is used And I pray observe the Order of the words They were first made Disciples and afterwards baptized as a prerequisite to fit
peteret baptisnum intelligeret quid sit baptizari None of old Time were wont to be baptized but in a grown Age and who desired it themselves and understood what it was to be baptized Erasmus in his Annotations on the Eâistle to the Romans affirms That baptizing of Children was not in use in Paul's Time And Dr. Field in his learned Treatise of the Church pag. 729. affirms That many very antiently who were born of Christian Parents put off their Baptism a long Time insomuch as some were elected Bishops before they were baptized As we read saith he of Aââbrose c. The Learned Bossuet speaking of the manner of administring Baptism saith We never read in the Scripture that any were baptized otherwise than by Immersion And we are able to prove from the Acts of Councils and antient Rituals that every-where in the whole Church throughout the World for the space of 1300 Years Baptism was never administred but by Dipping except only in Cases of Necessity And Bellarmine saith Infant-Baptism is called an Apostolical Tradition not written because it is not found written in any Apostolical Book Tom. 1. lib. 4. cap. 2. Where by the way I shall note That if a Man of his Parts and Learning could not find it there I believe others will have as little Success in their search after it And it had been his Interest to have proved it from Scripture as much as any because ãâã say a greater stress upon ãâã than ãâã and these of his Religion for they assert it to be necessary ãâã ââation Let Mr. Jaââ know we do not bring the Testimonies of Hurâ he Writers because we think the Holy Scriptures ãâã to justify our Cause For I may say with Tertullian Lib. contra Hermogenem Adoro Scripturae pleâitudiââ c. I adore the Fuluess of the Scripture let âââgexes shew that it is written But to satisfy the World that we are not singular in our Judgments about these Matters as also to obviate an Objection of your Pastor who tells us in his last Trease Pag. 20 That at the rate some Baptists write and ãâã report the Words of the Learned they would perâââ swade silly People all the Learned Men were almost ãâã Anabaptists and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã self-condemned being ãâã as they are in Opinion though of a contrary Practice I answer That although they are of a contrary Practice I hope that can be no Bar to us from reciting their words in favour of our Opinion For Firmum est ãâã prohationis quod ab ipso adversario sumitur ut veritas ãâã ipsis inimicis veritatis probetur It is a forcible kind of Proof which is taken from the Adversary himself when âe Truth is proved from them that oppose the Truth ând I have herein followed the Counsel of Lactantius ãâã 1. c. 6. Eos suorum Testimouiââ revincere c. To convince âhem by their own Testimonies which is the strongest Conviction that may be As it is truly said by Chrysostom Tunc illos maxime revinââus cum suorum in eos dicta retorquemus We do most ârcibly convince them when we can retort their own âyings against them And therefore as Lactantius de vera sapientia cap. 12. faith Satis firmum Testimonium ad probandum veritatem quod ab ipsis perhibetur inimieis That is a sound Argument for the proving of the Truth which is setched from the Enemies of the Truth Yea suppose it were but weak in it self yet it hath great weight against him that brings it For as the Roman Orator observes in the like Case Tuum Testimonium quod in alienare leve est in tua quoniam contra te est gravissinum esse debet Thy Testimony which is but light and frivolous in another Man's Cause yet is weighty in thine own when it is against thy self Now I fancy that the Reason why Mr. James would not have us urge the Testimonies of the Learned for fear of shewing how contradictory some of their Opinions have been to their Practices is lest in so doing he also should be found to be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã condemned of himself and that in many places of his Book particularly when he brings a Poet to prove that Christ was not baptized by Dipping And in Pag. 20. he saith I would fain know who can prove our Lord Jesus Christ was dipped or plunged in his Baptism or any of those baptized Ones spoken of in the New Testament were so dipped or plunged I will give you the Opinion of some Learned Men upon it in this very Place altho I have said sufficient to it elsewhere and then shew you how Mr. James is condemned by his own Pen. Now if any one saith Maldonate ask why the Evangelists use the Word of Ascending c. It was because Christ ascended or went up out of the Water in the which he had been dipt or drowned Lucas Brugensis saith upon the Place Matth. 3.16 Christ descended into the River after the manner oâ others that were baptized as deep as his Thighs oâ his Navel for the rest of his Body was dipt by Johâ and not sprinkled only with Water And the Learned Cajetan tells us upon the Place Christ ascended out of the Water therefore Christ was baptized by John not by Sprinkling nor by pouring Wateâ upon him but by Immersion that is by dipping oâ plunging in the Water Many more Testimonies might be brought from Men ãâã use Rantism instead of Baptism but that I have alââ exceeded my first Intention But I shall now shew ãâã that Mr. James like the rest of those I have quoââ hath contradicted himself For in the same 20th ãâã of his Book where he vapours so mightily and âenges us to prove that Christ or any others were ââized by Dipping as you have seen above yet preâây he tells us That Baptism was oft performed by âping I gainsay not And in the very next Page he ãâã I do not produce these Testimonies as tho I would ââtain that our Lord Jesus was not dipped It seems ãâã Conscience began to check him whilst he was writâââ And again in Pag. 25. Who speaks against the Antiâity of Dipping I thought Mr. James had But he goes ãâã Dipping there might be in Christ's Time and that the ãâã way of Baptizing Very well then it seems we praââââ the most Antient and the best Way of Baptizing Mr. James's Acknowledgment And himself doth praââââ the contrary and therefore must needs be self-conââed as practising the worst Way especially if he ãâã consider That there is neither Precept nor Precedent ãâã Infant-Sprinkling in all the Word of God But to close this Head I am upon If this be true that ãâã of the Apostles nor first Ministers of the Gospel ãâã ever practise the Sprinkling of Infants there must ãâã some good Reason why they did it not And the best ãâã think of is because Christ had not commanded them ãâã do But on the contrary