ΒαπΤισμων Διδαχη OR The Doctrine OF BAPTISMS Reduced from its Ancient and Modern CORRUPTIONS and Restored to its Primitive SOUNDNESS and INTEGRITY According to The Word of TRUTH According to The Substance of FAITH According to The Nature of Christ's Kingdom By William Dell Minister of the Gospel and Master of Gonvil and Caius College in Cambridge Isa. 52. 15. That which hath not been told them they shall see and that which they have not heard they shall consider London Printed and Sold by T. Sowle next Door to the Meeting-House in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-Street and at the Bible in Leaden Hall-Street 1697. TO THE READER THE Doctrine of Baptisms hath been dark and obscure in the Church from the very Primitive Times and hath had more of Humane Notion than of Divine Truth in it and therefore Zuinglius Writing touching this Point speaks thus in the beginning of his Book Entituled De Baptis Tom. 2. f. 57. Illud mihi ingenuè circa libri initium dicendum est ferè omnes eos quotquot ab ipsis Apostolorum temporibus de Baptismo scribere instituerunt non in paucis quod pace omnium hominum dictum esse velim à scopo aberravisse That is In the beginning of my Book saith he I must ingeniously Profess that almost all those that have undertaken to write of Baptism even from the very times of the Apostles have which I desire may be spoken with the favour of all not in a few things erred from the scope And as he affirms that almost all before him had erred in many things touching Baptism so did he himself also err as well as they not in a few And it is as free for me or any Body else to differ from him and other late Writers as for them to differ from former Writers especially if that be true which Godly and Learned Chemnitius affirms out of Augustine that these things are not tanquam articuli fidei a quibus diversum sentire piaculum sit Anathemate dignum Chemnit Examen Concil T rident 1. de Bapt. And therefore Reader I acquaint thee before hand that in this Point I shall speak much otherwise than all former or later Writers whatever that I have met with And though I do not without some Fear and Trembling dissent from so many worthy and gracious Men that have been and are otherwise Minded yet it is the less grievous to me because I differ from them I can say it in truth before the Lord not out of any desire to be singular or for any Worldly or Carnal End whatever but only that I might cleave to the Clear and Evident Word of God alone even there where I see the very Faithful to leave it seeing I am rather to joyn to the Word without Men than to joyn to Men without the Word and where I find the Holiest Men in the World and the Word parting I am there to leave them and to go along with the Word And so in all Love and Meekness I tender this Discourse to thee desiring that if thou canst not at the present agree to what is there in contained yet that thou wouldst not rashly Judge and Reproach it seeing through God's Goodness it may come to pass that what thou knowest not now thou mayest know afterwards But because I see this present Generation so Rooted and Built up in the Doctrines of Men I have the less hope that this Truth will prevail with them and therefore I appeal to the next Generation which will be farther Removed from those Evils and will be brought nearer to the Word but especially to that People whom God hath and shall form by his Spirit for himself for these only will be able to make Just and Righteous Iudgment in this matter seeing they have the Anointing to be their Teacher and the Lamb to be their Light THE DOCTRINE OF Baptisms c. THE Lord fore-seeing how great an Evil it would be in the Church to leave Men either to their own or other Men's Opinions and Iudgment in the things of God did in the very beginning of the Gospel command and bind all the Faithful to hear Christ alone saying from Heaven that we might give absolute credit to his Voice This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him And the more the Faithful have kept to the Word of Christ the more they have been free from Error and the more they have left this and turned aside after the Doctrines of Men though Men in some measure Faithful and Holy the more have they been perverted and seduced insomuch that the true Church of God and the very faithful themselves have received held and maintained divers Errors and False Doctrines and Opinions even for many Ages and Generations yea and have not been altogether free from some from the very Apostles times And because many or most Godly Men in former Ages held such and such Opinions therefore the following Ages have taken them upon trust from them and have entertained them as sure and certain though not at all consulting in those points with the great Doctor and Apostle of the New Testament Iesus Christ. And thus have the very Elect themselves been drawn into much Error though they have still had Christ for their Foundation and were built on him so firmly by Faith that the Gates of Hell could not prevail against him Now to free the Faithful from the former mistake and consequently from all Error there is no other way than this wholly to forsake the Doctrines of Men and to lay by all those Opinions that we have sucked in from our very Cradles and which are now become even a Natural Religion to us I say utterly to lay by and wholly to forget all these things and to come immediately to the pure unerring Word of God and to the Voice of Iesus Christ himself by his Spirit wherein all things are true sincere and perfect and not bring Hearts to the Word that are prepossest with Doctrines and Opinions Learned of Men but to come thither with Hearts and Consciences free and uningaged and in all meekness uprightness and simplicity of Heart to hear what Iesus Christ the faithful and true Witness will say to his Spirit which also is the Spirit of Truth and to receive and believe that alone though never so differing from the Opinions and Doctrines of this present Age as well as of the former and though perhaps the whole Nation would be offended with it And this is the Course that I have observed to come to some clear and certain Knowledge in the Doctrine of Baptism For having Read much and Discoursed with many touching this Point and having seriously considered what they say as one that searched after the Truth for it self only and for the Satisfaction of my own Soul I do prosess I could not find any thing almost spoken for my Spirit boldly and safely to lean on as perceiving most of what they said to
Spirit and the Servant to the Son So that Christ's Baptism put an end to Iohn's Free-Baptism to Water-Baptism and Spirit-Baptism to Creature-Baptism For as all the Prophets were until Iohn so Iohn was until Christ and Iohn must no more exceed his bounds than Moses and the Prophets theirs but as the Prophets gave up to Iohn so Iohn must give up to Christ. Iohn's Temporary Ministry had a Temporary Baptism but the Everlasting Gospel which is that Word in our Flesh hath an Everlasting Baptism which is the pouring out of the Spirit So then Iohn being a Servant and Forerunner of Christ Christ was not to take up his Baptism but Iohn was to resign up his Baptism to Christ yea and as a Servant to deliver up all things into his hands as Heir and Lord And so Iohn's VVater-Baptism was to last but till Christ's Fire-Baptism should come in and then the Fire should lick up the VVater and as Spirit Baptism should increase VVater-Baptism should decrease So that Iohn's Baptism or VVater-Baptism which is all one belongs not to Christ's Kingdom which is a Kingdom not of the Letter but of the Spirit not of Signs and Shadows but of the Truth And therefore we leave it where we found it even without the bounds and reach of Christ's Kingdom For Iohn's Office and Baptism reached unto Christ's Kingdom but hath no place in it and to bring Signs and Ceremonies into the Kingdom of Truth is if rightly understood to act against Christ Glorified Object But some will say This is strange indeed that Water-Baptism should have no place in the Kingdom of Christ And therefore pray stay a little for we have many things to object against it Object 1. Why this would rob us of our Christendom I Answ. No For it was not Water but Spirit Baptism that makes us Christians and Water-Baptism hath been an unlawful blending or mixing of the Church and World together so that hitherto they could not be well differenced from each other to the great prejudice of the Congregations of Christ. Object 2. But have so many Ages erred that have used Water-Baptism Answ. For the Errors of former Ages and their great mistakes in many of the Truths of God I have nothing to say but that of the Apostle How unsearchable are his Iudgments and his Ways past finding out 3. Object But you are the first Men for ought we know that ever opposed it Answ. One single mean Man with the Word may very justly and lawfully Contradict the whole World without it Truth is not to be Judged by Multitudes or an Unity but by the Word 4. Object But Christ himself was Baptized with Water and surely that perpetuates it in the Church Answ. Christ's being Baptized with Water under Iohn no more perpetuates Water-Baptism in the Christian Church than his being Circumcised under Moses perpetuates Circumcision in the Christian Church or his submitting to other Mosaical Ceremonies perpetuates them Christ brings no Temporal or Carnal thing into his Everlasting or Spiritual Kingdom though himself submitted to them under their several Dispensations in the season of them 5. Object But Christ Iustifies and Commands Water-Baptism in John 3. Except a Man be born of Water c. And Mat. 28. Teach and Baptize Answ. I confess these are places that many have mistaken to justifie the practice of Water-Baptism but I shall shew you that they do indeed misunderstand them For that first place Iohn 3. 5. Except a Man be born 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God I confess many of the Ancients have by Water here understood Material Water and have interpreted the place of External Baptism which was Iohn's only And hereupon divers of them have exceedingly magnified Water and ascribed it to the Washing of Souls and the Regeneration of Christians in some measure they not considering in the mean time what Christ saith in the very next Verse That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit by which they might have learned that outward and corporal Water can do nothing but outward and corporal things and can contribute nothing to the cleansing of Souls and Consciences from Sin So that this place cannot be understood of Corporeal Water and I could produce the Testimonies of many Godly Men of good Note to this purpose but do forbear because I would not have our Faith built upon the Authorities of Men but the thing is evident from the Text it self for it saith Except a Man be born of VVater which shews the VVater he speaks of must be such as is able to give a new Birth and to make a Man a new that is a Spiritual Holy Heavenly Creature and no VVater can do this but the Spirit and therefore Christ adds to VVater the Spirit by way of explication as if he had said No Man can enter into the Kingdom of God except he be born again of Water but the Water I speak of is no Material VVater but the Spirit which is able to produce in us a Heavenly Nature through which only we can have an entrance into a Heavenly Kingdom seeing Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God so that the Water Christ means in this place is the Spirit And many other places give witness to this Iohn 4. 10. If thou didst know who it is that saith unto thee Give me to drink thou woudst have asked of him and he would have given thee Living Water And Verse 13 14. Iesus said unto her Whosoever drinks of this Water meaning the Water of the Well called Iacobs Well shall thirst again but whosoever shall drink of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of Water springing up unto Everlasting Life and John 7. 37 38. Iesus stood and cried saying If any Man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his Belly shall flow Rivers of Living Water but this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive Now by Water in all these places is not meant Material Water but the Spirit as Christ himself explicates and sure his Testimony alone is sufficient But again if in this place Except a Man be born of Water and Spirit you will needs understand Material Water why then upon the same ground you must needs understand that place in Matthew of Material Fire where it is said Mat. 3. 11. He shall Baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire which is absurd to very reason to think But Water and Fire in each place added to the Spirit shew only the Efficacy of the Spirit and so you may as well bring in the use of Material Fire in Baptism from the Text in Mat. as of Material Water from the Text in Iohn So that this place in Iohn
with it and no other-ways I say not by being dipt into the same Water but by receiving the same Spirit do we become one Body with the Church and it is not being of one Judgment or Opinion or Form or the like that makes Men one true Church or Body of Christ but the being of one Spirit and there are no more of that Church which is the Body of Christ than they that are Baptized with that one Spirit of Christ. 7. Spirit-Baptism it truly washes and cleanses from Sin What Water-Baptism doth in the Sign this doth in the Truth even cleanses from all Carnal and Spiritual Filthiness And no man is cleansed from Sin but by the washing of the Spirit the pouring forth of the Spirit on all Flesh is the killing of Sin in all Flesh 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. Neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor abusers of themselves with Mankind nor Theeves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God and such were some of you but ye are WASHED but ye are Sanctified in the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ by the SPIRIT of our God So that Spirit-Baptism cleanses from all Sin whatever it is and there is no man cleansed from Sin but through this Baptism And again Eph. 5. 26 27. Christ gave himself for the Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the Word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish and nothing doth thus purifie the Church till it be without spot wrinkle or blemish and till it be perfectly holy but the Baptism of the Spirit And therefore tho' the Baptism of Iohn was administred but once yet the Baptism of Christ is a continued Baptism for as long as Corruption is in the Flesh the Baptism of the Spirit is in use So that the Nature Life of a Christian are under a constant and continual Baptism God every day pouring forth his Spirit upon a Believer for the purifying and sanctifying of him and making him meet for the immediate presence of God whither no unclean thing comes nor the least uncleanness in any thing 8. Spirit-Baptism saves Whatever in us is washed with the Spirit is saved as well as sanctified and how much any one hath received of the Spirit so much is he already saved Tit. 3. 5. According to his mercy he hath saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit which he shed on us abundantly through Iesus Christ our Saviour Where the Apostle teaches us how God saves and that is not by Iohn's Baptism or Water-washing but by the Laver of Regeneration which is the renewing of the Holy Spirit poured on us abundantly through Christ so that he calls the Baptism of the Spirit the Laver of Regeneration such a Laver as renews the old Nature yea and begets a new One so that a man through this Baptism is wholly changed not in a few good Works but in his whole Nature and from his newness of Nature flows newness of Life so that he is no more as he was but is and lives and loves and thinks and speaks and acts otherways than he was wont and this cannot be the work of Water in any measure but wholly of the Spirit for where men are destitute of the Spirit tho' washed with Water a thousand times there is no change of Nature in them but the change of Nature wrought by Spirit-Baptism is so much present Salvation even in this present World There is another Scripture witnesses the same thing and it is 1 Pet. 3. 20 21. A few that is Eight Souls were saved by Water to to which figure Baptism answering doth now also save us not that whereby the filth of the Flesh is cast away but whereby a good Conscience answers well to God by the Resurrection of Iesus Christ. Peter having said that Baptism answers to the Flood and saves the Church now as the Flood did the Church then yea saith he but I mean not the outward Baptism or the washing away of the filth of the Body but the answer of a good Conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Iesus Christ Which place is difficult but I thus conceive it The efficacy of Christ's Resurrection is the gift of the Spirit and the Spirit of Christ in a Believer rectifies his Conscience and makes it good so that it can return a sweet answer to God upon every word of his for the work of the Spirit in the heart answers every word of Faith spoken from God particularly it can say to God I was indeed filthy and unclean throughout but I am now washed and justified and sanctified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of my God and this Spirit-Baptism is that that saves and not the Water which puts away the filth of the Flesh only but leaves the filth of the Spirit as much as ever So that in this place Peter puts an end to Baptism in the Flesh as Paul Rom. 2. 28. puts an end to Circumcision in the Flesh saying He is not a Iew which is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh but he is a Iew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose Praise is not of Men but of God That is saith Paul in the Kingdom of Christ where all things are Spiritual Circumcision in the Spirit puts an end to Circumcision in the Flesh And in the same Kingdom of Christ saith Peter Baptism in the Spirit puts an end to Baptism in the Flesh for he is not a Christian who is one outwardly neither is that Baptism which is outward in the Flesh but he is a Christian who is one inwardly and Baptism is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise also is not of Men but of God For under the Gospel which is the Ministration of the Spirit as ye have been oft minded we can find nothing among all outward things through the use and exercise whereof we may attain the cleanness and purity of Righteousness in our Natures and therefore Christ hath put an end to all outward carnal and earthly things of the first Testament by the Inward Spiritual Heavenly things of a second better Testament And by his own Death and Resurrection only not without us but within us through the power and efficacy of his Spirit all the Baptism of the New Testament is fully and perfectly performed And thus in all these particulars you see the infinite excellency and glory of the Spirit-Baptism above Water-Baptism and this only is sufficient in the Days of the Gospel as being the True and Proper Baptism of the New Testament For as Christ himself only is sufficient to the Faithful without Iohn tho' Iohn were of use in this season to point our Christ so the Baptism of Christ only is sufficient to the Faithful without the Baptism of Iohn tho' the Baptism of Iohn were of use in its season to point out the Baptism of Christ and the Baptist himself was of this Judgment who said to Christ I have need to be Baptised of thee which he means not of Water-Baptism for so Christ himself as you have heard did not Baptize but with the Baptism of the Spirit and so the Baptist himself who was never Baptized with Water neither by Christ nor the Apostles nor any Body else yet was Baptized with the Spirit and the Baptism of the Spirit was sufficient for the Baptist without any Water-Baptism and so Christ's Spirit-Baptism by the Word is sufficient for all the faithful now without Iohn's Water-Baptism for he that is truly washed from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit and hath the Holy Ghost in him to renew his nature and to conform him exactly to Christ's own Image and to work him in this present World into the true similitude of Heaven and to be in him a Fountain of Water springing up unto everlasting Life what need hath he of cold material Water to be poured on his Body under the pretence of any sign whatever either of Moses or Iohn when as he hath the Truth Substance and Heavenly thing it self Now this it may be may seem strange and dangerous to some of low and fleshly and customary Religion but let all such if it be possible consider that where the Substance comes the Shadow is at an end and the Ceremony were the Truth comes and the Creature where God comes And if they understand not this for the present I hope they may understand it afterwards for we speak not at uncertainties in this point but what we have in some measure seen and felt and handled of the Word of Life that we deliver to you that ye may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Iesus Christ through the Spirit FINIS