PRINCETON, N. J. Presented by Mr. Samuel Agnew of Philadelphia, Pa. Agnezv Coll. on Baptism, No. ^iO'6 THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST, GOSPEL ORDINANCE: BXIMO ALTOGETHER INWARD AND SPIRITUAL: Not, like John's, into Water; but, according to the real nature of the Gofpel, into the very name, life, and power of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Shewing that the Apoftles' ufe of Water Baptifm was by no means as an Ordinance of Christ, but as the Baptifm of John ; and that all who are baptizedintoCaRisT, have put on Christ, not only profeffionally but lubftantially — that is, have put him on as the whole Armour of Light, and walk in him in newnefs of Life. ^Y J O B ' S C O T T. PROVIDENCE, PRINTED: L O N D O N, RsfRINTED BY JaMES PhILLIPS, GeORGE-YaRD, Lombard-Strsit* '794. PRE F A C E. v^, THIS little treatife, reader, is written chiefly for the help and iaformation of fuch as are in a ftate ofhoneft enquiry, and who have not yet feen clearly beyond fome of thofc former obfervances, which at the very belt were buc preparatory, and pointing, to him, and his work on the foul, in whom they all end, and are done away forever; but j5artly for the con- firmation and eftablifhment of fuch as have been already convinced of the unfhadowy difpenfation of the gofpel. I HAVE long feen with forrow, that many fin- cere fouls are much detained from the fubftance, by undue attachm.ents to the fign. I have once known and groaned under this bondage and en- tanglement myfelf ; for though I was never a partaker in any of thofe outvvard ordinances, yet I was divers years blinded in my underftanding, through the vail that was over me, in reading the accounts of baptifm in the New Teftamenr. I could not underlland why the Apoftles ufed water, efpecially after Chrift's refurreflion, if it ■was not Chrift's baptifm 5 nor how men could poITibly baptize with the Holy Ghoft •, and there- fore finding men commanded to baptize, and that they did baptize with water, I concluded, very ignorantly, that water was commanded by Chrift. —This conclufion, I have fince feen, was the natural refult of inexperience, in an anxious in- A 2 veftigation iv PREFACE. veftigation of things not known by mere human wifdom, or creaturely abilities, but only fpirit- ually difcerned; and as my mind was fincerely engaged to fee for myfelf, and avoid all decep- tion, it pleafed him who has the key of David, (after I had pafled feveral years of doubt and he- fitation, fometimes concluding I fhould before long be baptized in water, and then ftruck with an inward and feeling convidtion of its utter in- fufficiency towards effeding the renovation and cleanfing which my foul at times longed for) to open my underftanding, chiefly by his own inter- nal operations and illuminations in my enquiring mind, without much of any inftrumental means, either reading or hearing; fo that I faw clearly, (which 1 had too long been very dull in believ- ing, and fearful in receiving) that Chriil himfelf in fpirit had long time been driving with me, moving in me, wooing, calling, knocking, check- ing, reftraining, conftraining, and powerfully im- prefling my mind i but 1 knew him not, and in that inward and immediate way fought not after him. When, alas ! had I but known the gift of God, and who it was that inwardly talked with me, I might have afked of him, and received the living water of his heavenly kingdom ; as after- wards I did, to the full fatisfaiftion of my thirfty foul. And when this became my joyful experi- ence, wherein thebelovcd of my foul met with me, as with many others, in the garden, faying "eat, O friends — drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved," Cant. v. i, I became perfedly fatisfied, that outward bread, wine and water, were no part of the baptifm or fupper of the Lord, nor any way neceflary to his anointed, in things pertain- ing to falvation. It was not very long after this, before PREFACF. V before I not only believed, but knew, by moft confolatory experience, that men, even in our day, though helplels of themfelves, are through divine afliftance enabled iuftrumentally, in a very powerful and heart-watering manner, to baptize with the Holy Ghoft. For being now engaged to feel after God, if happily I might from time to time renewedly find him, he was not only pleafed in thcfe my filent approaches, in religious meet- ings, and more retired waitings, to arife in me im- mediately, with the brighrnefs of a morning with- out clouds, and powerfully to manifcft himfeif ro me and in me, as a fountain of living waters j but was alfo gracioufly pleafed to fend among us, of his fervants, fuch as were well qualified to do the work of evangeliilis, and who being largely ac- quainted with the foul-faving baptifm of Chrift in themfelves, werefo filled with the Holy Ghoft, and fpake fo demonftratively, in the life, evidence, and divine virtue and vigour of it, that it was like the oil poured on Aaron's head, which ran down to the very fkirts of his garment — it even reached, overflowed, and filled my poor foul. Much I could write refpe6ting thefe blelTed days of my efpoufals, but enlargement here may be improper J I fhall therefore juft fay, that had I not felt living defires that others may come to a, full participation of the fame bleffed experience, and that none may be longer unprofitably amufed and detained, by lifelefs figns and fymbols, from the all-fufRcient fubftance, thou, reader, had ne- ver heard from me in this way. — I know many find their interefl in keeping up a (how in thefc things, and reprefenting them of exceeding great importance. — I have no doubt many very fincerely A 3 urge vi PREFACE. urge them upon their friends and acquaintance, as believing them injun6lions of the gofpel ; but I am alfo fadJy fenfible that too many " feek their gain from their quarter," and obtain it, by keeping up a lifelefs round of prayers, preaching, finging, eating, drinking, dipping, fprinkling, &c, and am convinced beyond fcruple, that the mam- mon of unrighteoufnefs, this way increafed, is a powerful obftrucflion to the coming of the king- dom of our Lord, in life and power, unclouded and uneclipfed by the retention of vailing and darkening obfervances. — Babylon is not yet fo fallen, as to rife no more : flie is ftill lu'-king in a myftery. — She is Hill myftery Babylon the great, and fcill the mother of many harlots — thoufands are enfnared among fome or other of her daugh- ters, and are not aware of her cup. — May the Lord gracioufly preferve the honeft-hearted, of every denomination, from the harmful influences of all her many and artful forceries, and keep alive their hunger and third after true righteoufnefs. — 1 have no doubt but that, if 1 am finally fo happy as to reign in life by Jefus Chrifl, my only hope and Saviour, 1 Ihall be there accompanied by thou- fands, who have through their whole lives lived under the vail, as to outward ordinances; but who, having in great fincerity done what they be- lieved was their duty, in finglenefs as unto God, and not unco men, are and finally will be well accepted of him, who feeth not as man feeth, but looks through all outfide things to the heart. And yet, on the contrary, I do firmly believe many, who have bes;an and ran well for a feafon, have been by degrees, as outward things have become more and more confiderable with them, 'Irawn more and more from the true hun^rer, and beeoj PREFACE. vii been more and more eafy and fatisfied with little or nothing of the true bread, water and wine, of the kingdom, till at length they have centered in formality, and fat down in a rellfhort of the foul's falvation. — That thou mayefl (hun this dangerous rock, dear reader, and be preferved living and growing in the holy root of divine life, to the end of thy flay here, and finally admitted to the joys of the blelTed, forever to adore and blefs the God of all grace and true confolation, is the prayer of thy fincere friend, and willing fervant in the la- bour and travail of the gofpel. The Author. A4 The Baptifm of Christ, a Gofpel Ordinance, &c. CHAP. I. Of the regular order and Juccejjion of divine difpenfa- tions. Signs and figures pointed at life and Jub- fiance. Hence Chrift deferred his gofpel minijlry, tilljohn^s courfein a baptiftn, hut figurative of his own, was fulfilled. John's baptifm and Chrift* s me type and antitype. Chrift fent his difciples to baptize with his own baptifm. So breathes on them the Holy Ghoft. Great wifdom even in the timing our Lord's baptifm by John, alfo in his an- fwer to "John. John preached the kingdom but at hand. In its nature and fulnefs, it is after, not before, nor joined with the type. John prepared the way. Some took the kingdom by force. All types end in^ the antitype. Chrift* s baptifm cleanjes thoroughly, as John's was total itnmerjion. A picture, as truly a man, as water baptifm Chrift' s, A fingle eye full of light, and then thefhadowis be- hind us. Chrift was baptized in water, not to con- tinue , but fulfil that decreafing Jign ; and fo to make way for the \ncre2iCmg fubftance. He alfo ate, and thus fulfilled the paffover. IT is very obfervable, that our Lord Jefus Chrift deferred the open and exprefs promul- gation of the gofpel of the kingdom till John the Baptift, his immediate forerunner, had fulfilled hiscourfe; and that not before, but after John had finifhed his prepatarory miniftration, ceafed the [ 2 ] the voice crying in the wildernefs, prepare, &c. quite ended his own decreafing work iii that out- ward elementary baptifm, which as a figii was to precede and prepare the way for Chrift's, and was Hiut up in prifofi; he, the Lord of life and glory, the end and ender of ail typical difpenfations, im- mediately entered upon the publication of the gofpel word ; the new, tlu increafing and ever continuing difpenfation of life, fubftance and faU vation, — For we read. Mat. iv. 12, " now when Jefus had heard that John was caft into prifon, he departed into Galilee." And verfe 17, *' from that time Jefus began to preach, and to fay, repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This kingdom, now fo near at hand, and which John had juft before proclaimed to be fo, was and is inward and fpiritual i for our Lord himfelf de- clares, "the kingdom of God is within you," Luke xvii. 21. And it is clear that he waited for John's courfe to be firft fulfilled, before he ever began publicly to preach it. See alfo Mark i. 14. 15. " Now after that John was put in prifon, Jefus came into Galilee, preaching the gofpel of the kingdom of Godj and faying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand ; repent ye, and believe the gofpel." The gofpel is not fign or figure, but life and fubftance, the « power of God to falvation," free from all types and fhadows, being the laft and lading difpenfa- tion J and which was not to commence in its ge- neral fulnefs, till after all others. Chrift is often fpoken of as coming after John ; and John, as going, or coming, or being fent before Chrift: and therefore as John's courfe in the very lafl of the fhadows, water baptifm, was now com- pleted, the great miniftcr of the fanftuary very pertinently, t 3 ] pertinently, at the very beginning of his own gof-r pel preaching, proclaimed, the rime is fulfilled. I know not what words he could have ufed more proper and fignificant to introduce the glorious gofpel, and teach mankind that all figns were to end in the lubftance. And from a fincere wifh for the real good and folid Jr),formation of mankind, I defire this one word, fulfilled, in this and divers other places, may be fpecially noticed, and deeply confidered. It is of vaft importance. And why did Jefus wait till John's courfe wa« fulfilled? why, then, immediately on hearing of his imprifonmenr, did he begin to preach the gof- pel of the kingdom as then juft at hand ? and why was he fo careful, at his very entrance on this great work, to make this fpecial declaration, " the time is fulfilled ? There is deep inftrudlion in it all. He knew the times and feafons, though many who could difcern the face of the Iky, and had underftanding in the forebodings of change in regard to the weather, were and are igno- rant of the figns of the times ; and through this ignorance many did, and many Hill do, retain the fliadow out of all proper feafon. But Chrift, as he knew, fo he carefully obferved the right time. He would have all things pertaining to his kingdom, efpecialiy his own immediate tranf- aclions, take place in their proper feafons. He •would not haften his firft great miracle in Cana, of turning water into wine, even though his own mother folicitoufiy prompted him to that glori- ous exertion of his divinity. — -He would not go up to the feall, till the right time. So neither would he begi'n his own public miniftration (which was for the ending of all ill ado ws, the abolition mi [ 4 ] and blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances) till John's (which was much in the ftiadow) was fulfilled. " The law and the prophets prophefied untiljohn." John was hirnfelf both a prophet and under the law, yet he and his miniilration were until Chrift. His coming after the reft of the prophets, being fent immediately before the face of the Lord, and to prepare his way, in no wife hindered his being a prophet himfelf. Chrift tef- tifies, aaiong them that are born of women, there hath not rifen a greater, Mat. xi. 1 1. He alfo fays. Mat. V. 17, 18, " think not that I am come to deftroy the law or the prophets ; I am not come to deftroy, but to fulfil j for verily I fay unto you, till heaven and earth pafs, onejotorone tittle ftiall in no wife pafs from the law, till all be fulfilled." Here we fee he came to fulfil both the law, and the prediflions of the prophets. Ac- cordinglv we read of divers things laid to be done, that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophets, or fpoken aforetime. Hence, though John came after the others, and as it were reach- ed from them to Chrift, yet he too came under the law, and was one among the prophets, which Chrift came not to deftroy, but whofe predic- tions and forerunning difpenfations he came to fulfil. John's prophetic declaration was eminently pertinent, in regard to the great work of Chrift in gofpel baptifm, the fanctification of fouls; and fo •was his figurative immerfion : and Chrift, in his faving baptifm, amply fulfils both the prophecy and the fign. Chrift was '* made under the law" himfelf. Gal. iv. 4; then furely fo was John. And feeing John's watery miniftration was to prepare Chrift's way, and lea.l to his faving bap- tifm i Chrift having thus carefully deferred his own r 5 ] own public miniftration till John's was fulfilled, as foon as this was done, and John call into prifon, the right tinne being now exadlly arrived, he went forthwith, on hearing of John's imprifon- ment, into Galilee; and there and "from that tinne began to preach," and proclaim the word and gofpel of that iinfhadowy difpenfation and kingdom, which ends and fulfils all mere figns and figures and is to increafe and remain of per- petual continuance. Hence Peter declares the word*' waspublifhed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptifm which John preached," Adls x. 37; and may we not fafely conclude, from Peter's fo particularly mentioning this, as being after John's baptifm, and from the cvangelifb's mentioning it as after his imprifon- ment, that they had heard our Lord exprefs his acting on fpecial principle in thus deferring his- own public m.iniltry, till his forerunner's, in that forerunning baptifm, was fulfilled; and efpecially as his going into Galilee, to begin his faid public minillry, is exprefsly faid to be, " that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by Efaias the pro- phet ?'* Mat. iv. 14. Thus itfeems he afledwith fpecial defign, both as to the place where and the time when he began the open publication of the glorious gofpel. It was therefore with divine pertinency, that as he began this gracious publication, hefirftof all an- nounced ** the time is fulfilled." His hour was now come. For well knowing when it was and when it " was not yet come," he had now waited till John had firft preached, according to Paul's tcftimony, " the baptifm ofrepentanceto all the people oflfrael 5" andfo had ** fulfilled his courfe." Sec t 6 ] See A(fts xiii. 24, 25. All this tends forcibly and beautifully to open both the neceflity of his being baptized of John juft then when he was, and the meaning of his anfwer, when John forbade him. John knew his own baptifm was not faving, was not Chrifl's j but was to decreafe and end in Chrift's, being only defigned for our Lord's mani- feftation to Ilrael, and to prepare the people for his faving baptifm. — And knowing this, John plainly and honeftly teftifies, that he fhould be made manifeft to Ifrael, " therefore am I come baptizing with water," John i. 31. This plain and full teftimony, from the mouth of John him- felf, at once evinces that his baptifm, being but with water, was far different from Chrift's, and inferior to it ; and that it was to introduce, or as a fign to aflift in turning the minds of the people to look for, receive and fubmit to the burning, purifying baptifm of the gofpel. — In fhort, water baptiim and Chrift's are plainly type and antitype .* and accordingly Peter, fpeaking of the baptifm which now faves, ufes the Greek word antitypon, 1 Pet. iii. 21. Peter doubtlefs knew the type or figure could not fave. It is " the ingrafted word which is able to fave" the foul, James i, 21. Chrift fanc- tifies and cleanfes the church " with the waftiing of water by the word." Eph. v. 26. This " in- grafted word," this fandifying " wafhing of water by the word," is all inward and fpiritual. It is the antitype of the divers wafhings under Mofes, and equally fo of water baptifm, in every form. This cleanfes the foul, as outward water does the body, and puts away the filth of the fpirit, as that docs the filth of the fiefti. Hence, and hence only. [ 7 ] Ohly, It is faving: herein is the alone propriety of Peter's words, " baptifm doth alfo now fave us." As Chrift came to fulfil the law of com- mandments, contained in outward ordinances, and to end every difpenfation of figns and Ihadows, he had many things to fubmit to, on purpofe to fulfil the typical righteoufnefs of thofe difpenfations. Hence he was circumcifed, kept the law, celebrated the paflbver, &c. On the fame ground, it behoved him to be baptized in water, the lalt lively typical reprcfentation of his own great work of fandtification, that is, the laft in the courfe of time preceding his beginning the publication of the gofpel word from Galilee. But when lie came to John to be baptized of him, John not knowing his defign in it, nor why it mud be fo, forbade him, faying, " I have need to bfe baptized of thee^ and Cornell thou to mei"* Mat^ iii. 14. It iS not at all ftrange that John forbade him-, for he knew his own baptifm, being out- ward, typical, and preparatory, was to decreafe and give place to Chrift's. It was *' unto repent- ance j" by a total outfide immerfion, it pointed out the neceffity of the removal of all fin, and bringing "forth fruits meet for repentance." Ic was ufed for his manifeftation to Ifrael, whofe fiery baptifm alone could effedt this inward cleanfing from all fin. Chrift was neither ignorant of him- felf, nor guilty of fin. Hence he could not receive John's figurative immerfion upon the fame grounds as others did, neither in order to repentance and remifilon of fin, nor in order to be made manifeft to himfelf. John doubtlefs marvelled, therefore, to fee him come to his baptifm. For though it feems he did not, before this, fo fully know him to be the Chrift as he did afterwards, yet on his now coming [ 8 1 coming to him, it feems he had fome fenfe and knowledge of it, and marvelled at his coming. But our Lordgracioufly condefcended to fhow on what grounds it was now neceffary : that it was neither in order to repentance in him, nor to a manifeflation of him to himfelf, nor yet to perpe- tuateafymbolical inftitution under the gofpelj but, on the contrary, to fulfil it. Chrift knew the fign muft precede the fubltance. He knew the many fymbols of the law were but " a Ihadow of things to come," Col. ii. 17 j that the law, with all its figurative offerings, cleanfings, and divers walh- ings, was a fchool-mafter for a feafon, to lead to himfelf, the fubftance ; fee Gal. iii. 24. He knew '* the baptifm which John preached" was the pe- culiar fign or reprefentation of his own, and was ufed to prepare the people's minds for it, and thereby prepare in their hearts the way of the Lord, and lead forward to his faving manifeflation to Ifrael. Therefore had he began the publication of the gofpel of that fpiritual kingdom, which is without figns and fhadows, and cometh not with outward obfervation, before John, the adminiftra- tor of a baptifm figurative thereof, had firft ful- filled his courle in that figurative adminiftration, it would by no means fo fully, ftrikingly and inftruftively have anfwered and illuftrated the de- figns of eternal wifdom, as his deferring it till afterwards ; for, how then could John's work have been ftridly according to God's defign in fending him ? that is, to prepare the way of the Lord — to go before him — and make ready a people prepared for himj fee Luke i. 17. Hence it was neceffary, that in the courfe of God's divine Providence, and divers difpenfa- tions. [ 9 1 t'lons, he who has to go before 6'iir' Loirj ii^-jtRp power and fpirit of Elias, thus to prepare his, way, fhould be fent feafonably to begin and " fulfil his jcourfe/* in that miniflration and. baptifiri which was in' order to the manifeftation of the. great: gofpel baptizer, before the publication of that word which began from Galilee, after his bap- tifm. Hence alfo it was neceflary that Jefus fhould be baptized in the figure, and thus ^Cr connplifh what he had to do outwardly in .thp fulfilment of water baptifm, previoufly to that wonderful defcent of the Holy Ghoft upon him. For as he was to be " anointed to preach the gofpel" (fee Luke iv. 18.) and as this anointing was by the Spirit of the Lord that was upon him, and not by his baptifm in water, therefore, as the time drew near that he muft enter, thus anointed^ upon his public miniftry, it behoved him firfl: to fubmit to John's baptifm, that all things might be done in proper feafon, and follow in regular fucceflion, one after another. The Almighty had given John beforehand to underftand, that he on whom he fliould fee the Holy Ghoft not only defcending, but alio re- maining on him^ " the fame is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghoft/' John i. 33. Thus was the defcent and abiding of the Holy Ghoft, even on our Lord himfelf, pointed out as that which alon^ could qualify to baptize others with it j and it will hold good of all his difciples and ,miniftcrs to th« world's end. Therefore they have his promife to be with them by his Spirit, the Holy Ghoft, in the execution of his great commiftlon, to baptize into the divine name and power of Father, Son^ &c. And as all fent by him to baptize with the B Holy t «o ] HolyGhoft muft be firfl: fo baptized themfelveSj he fat the glorious example. And when he canfie afterwards to fend thenn forth in the great work of baptizing, he declared with divine propriety, *' as my Father hath fent me, even fo fend I you/* And (hewing plainly how that was, he" breathed on them, and faith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghoft," John xx. 21, 22. See how exaftly he fent them to baptize, &c. as his Father fent him. His Father, fending him to baptize with the Holy Ghoft, breathed it, or caufed it to defcend and abide upon him. This proved and proclaimed him to be the baptizer with it; he fending his fervants to baptize with the fame baptifm, breathed on them, that they might receive a meafure of the qualification as he re- ceived of his Father. And this was truly neceffary — the fame work requires the fame qualification^ — *' he that believeth on me," (fays thrift) " the works that I do, Ihall he do alfo," John xiv. He was not baptized with water, to qualify him fo to baptize others j for he baptized none in water; the v/ork which he did in baptifm, was in- ward, and with the Holy Ghoft — ^the fpiritual purifying fire of the Lord. He did not breathe on his difciples, and baptize them with the Holy Ghoft, to qualify them to baptize others in water j that had not been fending them, as his Father fent him : it had not been fending them, nor enabling them to do the fame work, and baptize with the fame baptifm, as he did. Had he, after breathing on them, fent them, qualified with the Holy Ghoft, to baptize with a mere element, it had been very different from hii Father's fending him in the [ tl ] the power and baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, to baptize others with the fame. And as their qua-; lification toiadminifter his Ipiritual bapti|rin.wa,s. that of the'-Holy Ghoft coming upon theofij lo,v in his own cafe, the defcent and abiding thereoiT upon him was the very thing made ufe of by the wifdom of God, whereby to manifeil; him monef clearly unto John, as the gofpel baptizer. Seeing, therefore, this his qualification for baptizing with his own great gofpel baptifm, which is after aQ(^. fuperior to all figns, mult be received from Oftf high, before he began that glorious gofpel mini- ftry, which is alfo without figns, it was, as befor^; noted, neceflary for him previoufly to fub- mit to that baptifm, which being but a fign, was to decreafe and end in the fubftance, which the fign pointed to. — Hence the necefTity of his waiting till John had firft baptized many of the people, borne teftimony to one coming after him, and turned their minds to the neceffity of his more fpiritual and refining baptifm. — And hence alfo the neceOity of his receiving that baptifm which was only in the fign, and to vanilh as the fubftance was experienced j not after, but before he received that defcent and abiding of the Holy Ghoft upon him, which pointed, him , out as, the great adminiftrator of that baptifm whiqli, ia the very order of things, is after that whlcfi. is but a ftiadow of the good things to come!' Thus the type was kept in its time and place i before, not after, the antitype. But had. not Chrift's baptifm in the type, to fulfil it, as a thing endmg in the antitype, been prepof-?' terous, had it been after his glorious antitypfcal, baptifm and anointing, by the defc.ent arid abiding' of the Holy, Ghoft upon him? — This being the cafe, there is evidently a very beautiful difplay of . B 2 wlfdotn [ " ] wifiioW; and- propriety in our Lord's anfwcr to John, vvhen John forbade him. Indeed every part of it to me, feems full of divine infl;ru<5ticn. It fatisfi«d John, and removed all his fcfuples •, for though he did not at firft know that Jcfus mud be baptized as well ascircumcifed, in the figure, and fubmit to the other figurative inftitutions of thelaW, in order to fulfil all the figurative or ty- pical righteoufnefs of the feveral difpenfations preceeding the gofpel •, yet he feems well to have known that his baptifm mufi: vanifh and decreafe, as being in its nature outward, and in its defign but preparatory to Chrift's. Hence, fays he, *' he mufl: increafe, but I muft decreafe," John iii.30. " I indeed baptize you with water, but he fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghoft," verfe ii. And thus knowing the preparatory, decreafing and terminating nature and defign of water bap- tifm, what further he wanted to know, to induce him to baptize our Lord, was, that in order pro- perly to decreafe and fulfil what he already knew muft decreafe and be fulfilled, the Lord of life and glory muft ftoop to it himfelf -, and therefore, as foon as the blefled Jefus had convinced him of this, he readily, without more ado, baptized him. •—And of this our Lord's anfwer at once con- vinced him, it being full to the purpofe. Let us trace it. The very firft word is inftruftive. "Suffer it to be fo," Mat. iii. 15, as if be had faid-^I in- deed have no need of it, no fin to repent of — nor do 1 wifii it done tomanifeft me tomyfelf j it is not at all of necefllty to me in this fenfej thou, John, art therefore rather to fufFcr it, than ad- minifter it as thou doft to others, to teach them their [ 13 ] their neccflity of a thorough cleanfing, and turn their minds to me and my baptifm, which alone can cffed; it. — It is true, as thou art fenfible, this is not my baptifm, nor any part <)f my gofpel difpenfation : mine, all have need of: thou art right in faying thou thyfclf haft need to be bap- tized of me. And as mine is the alone gofpel bap- tifm, it is not ftrange that thou admired at my fubmitting to that of water; for truly it would be highly contrary to the purity and fimplicity of my gofpel, to perpetuate any ceremonial ob- fervances under the full funfhine thereof; but this is by no means my intention, but direftly the reverfe; I doit onpurpofe tofulfil outfide things, ana make way for me to introduce, and publifli to the world, that gofpel which is after, and to end all types and fhadows: and which, for that very reafon, I cannot properly even begin the publication of before ; but muft, in order to a regular procedure, defer, till after I have fubmit- ted to this figurative baptifm which thou preached. By which thou mayeft clearly fee, that in baptizing me in the figure, a thing fo dif- ferent from my unfigurative baptifm and gofpel, thou art properly fpeaking, to fufi'er it to be fo. —Next the word now is ftrikingly fignificant. ** Suffer it to be fo now." This important word is not ufed here without fpecitd propriety and de- fign— it is the didlate of eternal wifdom ; for now was the very junfture of time, now the pure un- fhadowy gofpel difpenfation was but at hand, not yet brought in. Chrift had not yet fuffered ; nay, he had not yet even began publicly to promul- gate the gofpel of that kmgdom, the baptifm of which is only fpiritual ; and therefore he might now properly partake of that which only pointed to iti and was to end in it. And further, now ' ' B 3 was [ H ] Hvas the exa6t period for him to do what 'he had to do outwardly in fulfilling it; becaufe John had now preached the baptifm of repentance to many, if not literally, as Paul fays, to all the people of Ifrael, Adsxiii. 24, perhaps to nearly, or quite all, in thofe parts. — At leall:, according to Mat. iii. 5, we may conclude, they of [erufalem, and all Juflea, and all the region round about Jordan, had now been baptized of John, and Chrift was now foon to begin his own gofpel miniftry, and therein to preach the kingdom of heaven, as an internal unfigurative difpenfation, to the fouls of men. Now therefore was the very time, in the courfc and order of things, for him to be baptized in outward water; the acceptable moment for John to fufFer it to be fo. John had, as he baptized the people, diligently preached the kingdom at hand, not yet fully come, and taught them to look beyond his outward, to Chrift*s inward and faving baptifm. — This he powerfully and pofitively declared Ihould be ef- fedled by one then among them, though they knew him not. So near was the kingdom now cat hand, and fall approaching. This greatly railed their expedlations. Indeed the fire of Chrift's baptifm began to kindle in fome of their hearts •, for Chrift declares he came to fend fire on the earth j "and what will 1" (fays he) ** if it be already kindled ?" Luke xii. 49. It truly was fo in fome degree in many minds, even that very fire whereby his baptifm thoroughly cheanfes, in its complete operation, the whole fioor of the heart. Therefore it was now time for him foon to; begin his public gofpel teftimony, which in ttridV propriety ought to, and in fa6t did, fuc- ceeid, not precede, the baptifm of water, which •'^6 Joihin^i-i-. and bywhich, and theprfcaching at- '•'^^'.v - tending; t 15 1 tending it, John had thus prepared the people for Chrill's according to the exprefs defign of his inidion; which was, as noted before, *' to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." John's preaching, baptifm, and fingular life, being in the defert till the time of his fhewing unto Ifrael, then wearing a leathern girdle, and coat of camels hair, neither eating fleOi nor drink- ing wine, but eating locuftsand wild honey, &c. wrought greatly on the minds of many. They mufed much of John; and were anxious to know, whether he were the Chrid or not. John decla- red honeftly he was not; but that he was vaftly unworthy, in comparifon of him — that his bap- tifm was but with water, a very inferior thing, compared with Chrift's — defigned to prepare for it, and juft ferving in order to his manifeflation to Ifrael, and then to decreafe and give place to him and his baptifm, which is to increafe, and of the increafe whereof there is no end. — John was truly modeft, and fought not to defraud Chrift of any of his glory ; but honeftly and openly both confefTed his own inferiority, and turned the people's attention from himfelf to his Lord, fay- ing, " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the fin of the world," John i. 29. — Thus the time haftened — the ftate of things ripened, — Indeed the " kingdom of heaven futfered vio- lence." And the minds of fome, under the pref- fure of what they felt working in them, rulhed into it as it were by force; that is, before the full time for its more glorious and ample difplay and eftablifhment, which was not to be till Chrift had fuffered. — Hence, fays Jefus, Mat. xi. 12, " from the days of John the Baptift, until now, the king-; dom of heaven fuffereth Violence, and the vio-'* B 4 hnt E 16 ] lent take it by force." Their hearts werefo en- gaged, and the working of the feed or leaven of the kingdom was fo prevalent in them, that, as it were by a kind of violent anticipation, they took, or obtained, fome real poflefTion and enjoy- ment of the pure antitypical life, liberty, power and fubftance of the fpiritual kingdom of God; before that more glorious out-breaking, and more general eftablifliment and exaltation thereof among the people, which took place after Chrift had fuffered, and had fulfilled all the fymbolical righteoufnefsoffigns and fhadows, and triumphed over them all, nailing them to his crofs ? thus afcending upon high, leading captivity captive, and bountifully giving gifts unto men. And why is the kingdom faid to fuffer this kind of violence from the days of John the Bap- tift, but becaufe the power of his miniftry, his living teftimony concerning Chrift, and his bap- tifm had greatly wrought upon their hearts? John's preaching and defcription of Chrift's bap- tifm was very awakening— he ftruck againft aU falfe dependencies — nothing would do fliort of fruits worthy of a ftate of real unfeigned repent-? ance ; no claims of outward defcent from Abraham -—nor any mere plungings in water, no partial cleanfings or half-way reformations -, not one or two only, but every corrupt tree of the whole heart muft be hewn down, and caft into the fire. Thus the axe >vas now laid to the very root of the tree J lopping the branches only would not do-^ it mud come to thorough work, even to burning up all the chaiF, and gacliering the wheat, winno.ved therefrom, into the garner of the Lord, — This dodrine was fo forcibly promulgated by Jc^p^ ai>4,'ted..fuch 9^at outward performance, they were divert- ed from Chrift — and this is juft as true of water baptifm, and every other outward fym- bol. — I fuppofenhany may readily drink it down, that fo certainly as a man is outwardly cir- cumcifed, he can have no benefit at all from Chrifi:, who yet think ontward baptifm an or- dinance of his gofpel : but what found reafoa can be given, why one outward ordinance, once abfolurely commanded of God, but now ceafed in point of obligation, to give place to the fubftance once fignified by it, iliould fo much more effe6lually prevent our being pro- fited by Chrifi, than another outward ordinance, in like manner once commandcd^of God, but long fmce as fully ceafed in point of obliga- tion, and for the fame reafon, to give place to the fubftance ? The truth is, every outward obfervation, what- ever, fo far as it diverts the mihd from inward attention to the work of Chrifb, fo far it pre- vents effc(5tually our being profited by him. And I am forry to perceive fuch numbers of profefling Chriftians ftriving fo hard, as I think they do, to make thefe things ferve as a fubflitute for that which is faving. They evidently fubflitute warer baptifm inftead of Chrifl's ; for they do not fcruple to call it the one baptifm of the gofpel. Theyexprefsly maintain it to be Chriil's, and apply to it m.any texts which evidently fpeak of fiir deeper matters J as baptifm into Chrifi, into his death, &c. and that which fpeaks of the baptifm which nov/ faves us, althouo;h the text itfelf declares it is not the putting away the filth of the flefh (the proper work of water) yet they infifl it is water •, and fo make it out, if they fub- C ftantially [ 26 ] ftantially make out any thing by it, that a figure Taves us. Let none therefore marvel that Chrifl was fo careful to be baptized in vvater^ in order to fulfil it, before he would go forth publicly into that work, wherein he was to be the baptizer of fouls to falvation ; for fince we find that even his fo doing is laid hold of, in dire6l contradiction to the whole fcope and defign of it, and urged as a proof of its conti- nuance, how much greater would have been the influence of his example, towards conti- nuing a figure in preference to the fubftancc, had he firft publifl:ied his own everlafting gofpel and baptifm, and after that been baptized himfelf in water, dnd fo baptized others ? But as it feems he intended not to baptize others in water, doubtlefs to guard againft the force of example i fo neither would he be fo baptized himfelf, after he had once began his own pub^ lie and foul-baptizing minifbry ; but very care-, fully did what he had to do in outward fulfilment of that type, both before he began his faid miniflry, and before he had gathered any difciples, yet fo as to be after the reft of the people in thofe parts of the country had been baptized j for it would not have fi^emed fo proper for him to fubmit to an ordinance that was figurative of his own baptifm, for the fpccial purpofe of fulfilling it, before its adminiftrator had, for fome little time at leaft, practifed it -, but nov/ John having baptized many, and raifed tiieir hopes of a more fpiritual and foul-faving baptifm, or, as Luke has it, " when all the people'* (mean- ing doubtlefs there about Jordan) " were bap- tized, it came to pafs that Jefus alfo being bap- tized,'" [ 27 ] tized," &c. and we do not read oi John's ever baptizing another perfon there after- wards. Now therefore, as already evinced, was the fuitable time for Jefus to be baptized. And though this was done, as before urged, not to perpetuate that fign, but exprefsly to fulfil it, that i'o all that kind of cerennonial righteouf- nefs might be fulfilled, and not a jot or tittle of it pafs any otherwife away; yet this hinder- ed not the propriety of John's continuing his preaching and fervice in that fign, in other places, a v/hile longer, in order to Chrift's ma^ nifeftation, and the preparation of his way be- fore him, there alfo, until nearly the time that Chrift began to publilh the word openly in and from Galilee: though before Chrifl would do this, John had, as already proved, finifhed his courfe in that figurative difpenfation, and our Lord had particularly heard of his im- prifonment. After which, going into Galilee, he foon entered upon the publication of that fpiritually baptizing word and gofpel miniftra- tion, which, as before obferved, began from thence, after the baptifm which John preached, in the figure. Whent John proclaimed, " Behold the Lamb of God," two of John's own difciples immedi- ately " followed Jefus," John i. 2^* 37> as did fev^ral others foon after; for John's preaching, &c. had now in good degree prepared their minds to follow him, as foon as they knew him. But the difciples of John do not appear to have gone from him to Jefus, as from one outward bap- C 2 tizer t 28 ] tizer to another. We have no account of their receiving baptifm in water, after they be- came followers of Jefus. As that was not his, but John's, there was no need of repeating it upon thofe who had been John's difciples. But had that of water been Chrift's, and yet diftin<5t from John's, they would doubtlefs have received it. — John's preaching and baptifm in water do not .ppear to have prepared the way of the Lord, by preparing people for a fecond bap- tifm in water ? but by preparing them for that of the Holy Ghoft, and purifying fire. For this were fome hearts at leaft, if not many, now prepared. Now therefore cometh Jefus to be baptized of John in Jordan; for it was now time thofe knew him, who were thus prepared for him, that they might receive him. His thus coming to John, and being firft baptized in the type, and then in the antitype, the Holy Ghoft from heaven, con- firmed John's knowledge of him, and gave a fair occafion for him to point him our, and pro- claim him as the baprizer and Saviour of fouls to the people j thus opening their way to ad- vance from the (ign to the fubftance; from the decreafing miniftration of himfelf, the fervant and forerunner, to the increafmg one of the Son and Saviour. John could not with full con- fidence point him out to them, till he knew him Tiiat could not in proper feafon and fuc- ceflion take place, by which he certainly knew him to be the great gofpel Baptizcr, till he had firit baptized him in the figure, feeing the figures are the (hadows of good things to come alter them. Had [ 29 ] Had Jefus received water baptifm much fooner, it had b'een out of leafon, and before his way was prepared by his forerunner. Had he de- ferred it much longer, it had deferred their knowledge and reception of him, whofe hearts were now prepared for him. — And, moreover, had he deferred it till John was call into prifon, v/hence he never came out, he could not have publicly received it by John ; by which recep- tion of it from him, and thus rightly timed, he at once confirmed it, as having been a fign of his own; fulfilled it, as of no real ufe where his own is livingly known; and gave John fair opportunity clearly to know him, and proclaim him the Lamb of God, that taketh away the fins of the world. Thus John teftified of him in due time, agree- ably to Paul's expreflion, i Tim. ii. 6, *' who gave himfelf a ranlom for all, to be tellified in due time." Having feen that ChrilVs baptifm in the figure could be only fufFcred; feeing the figures precede, point to, but belong not to the gofpel, and that now, before the figurative dif- penfation was abolifhed, was the only proper and acceptable time for it. Let us obferve, who were the only proper perfons to fulfil that one peculiar fign and figure of faving baptifm — -" fuffer it to be fo now, for thus it becomech us." John, as the ordained adminiftrator of water baptifm, and asfuch, and peculiarly therein, the forerunner of Chrift, and Chrift, as the end and ender of all types and fhadows, were the identical perfons to unite in fulfilling this dccreafing and termina- ting difpenfation. Hence the divine propriety of the word us : " thus it becoaieth us." But C 3 . what [ 30 ] vhat to do? noteftablKh and perpetuate the old Mofaic inlHtutions, in a round of figns and cere- monies, nor any other new or fomewhat varied obfervations in things ouiward arid lymbolical j for all thefe are but rudiments, and equally weaic and unappertaining to the pure gofpel (tate. What then? why, the exa6t reverfe of all this. *< It becometh us to fulfil j" fulfil what? "all righteoufnefs." None of the great and folemn ordinances of God were fo outward as to be un- worthy of fulfilment. All pointed to Ghrift, and to his work and kingdom : but this of water bap- tifm, as now ufed by John, and by him repeat- edly contrafted with Chrifh's, or the two placed by him very pointedly, as type and antitype, required our Lord's fpecial notice and fulfilment, previoufly to his own public gofpel minillration. And though, as then ufed, it was introduced the lall in courfe of the great (liadows peculiarly reprefentative ofCiirift's great work in men j yet was it almoft, if not quite, the firft fpecialiy fulfilled by him. John's minillration in the fliadow, began too near the meridian fplendour of Chrift, the gofpel fun, to have any long continuance previous to his 2;lorious manifeftation to Ifrael. — Even out- wardly, as the fun advances nearer to its meridian altitude, the length of the fhadow decreafes. And right under the fun's full blaze, the fun be- igg in its zenith point, fliiningon all fides equal- ly, the (hadow vanifhes, or at lead is under toot. And I believe it has inwardly, even in refpecb of baptifm, vaniflied quite out of eftimation and notice in the minds of foitie, as the fpiritual fun has gradually arifen upon them; and who yet have fiave afterwards, through the n€gle<5t of a fingle eye to the light, gradually receded therefrom, till (as in the afternoon outwardly) towards night, in proportion as the fun's warming and enliven- ing influence is leflened, the length and unfub- ftantial importance of the empty fhadow has greatly increafed with them — they have eagerly grafped at the Ihadow, which in itfelf is nothing but a likenefs of the fubftance. — We ail know a ihadow outwardly is nothing — and in fpirituals alfo this is fo ftritlly true, that Paul fays, " cir- cumcifion is nothing, and uncircumcifion is nothing," i Cor. vii. 19 j and it holds equally in outward baptifm, and the fupper. — If one fliadpw were any thing in the gofpel, another might as well be lomething. — Circumcifion would be as much fomething as baptifm. — The gofpel excludes them ail. Let not therefore him who Is outwardly bap- tized fuppofe he has therein fomething that be- longs to the gofpel; neither let him who rejeds it, either Quaker or other, think he therefore has fomething J for outward baptifm is nothing evangelical, and the mere reje6tion of it is no- thing. — " the new creature," the living faith of the operation of Godj v/orking by love, is all in all, is the very fubftance of things hoped for, *' the evidence of things not feen,'* Ileb. xi. i. Thus neceffary was it for all thefe old things to pafs away, be fhaken and fulfilled, that the new and living fubftance, which cannot be fhaken, may remain, — And as John was tlie forerunner of Chrift, and the adminiftrator of water baptifm^ it belonged to him and Jcfus ; they were the usj to whofe allotment it properly fell to fulfil it. — . Chrift had the typical righteoufncfs of divers C 4 other [ J^ ] other figures to fulfil; hence, afterwards he cere- brated the pafTover, and plainly pointed his dif- ciples to the antitype of it. They mud eat his. flefh, and drink his blood, or have no life in them. And this he afTures them is fpiritual, "it is the fpirit that quickeneth, the flclh proftteth no- thing," John vi. 63. And even John's work, in fulfilling thefe things, was not wholly confined to the outward baptifm of our Lord. His con- ftant teftimony that his baptifm was but with water, as he adminiftered it to others, his lively and contradidinguifningdefcriprion of Chrift's, as that which efftS,s entire fandtification, and burns up all the chaff (not only fin, but figurative ce- remonial obfervations j for thefe are as chafl?" to the wheat, and as trees that bring not forth any real good fruits of the gofpel) tended much to exalt the fubftance above all figns in the minds of the people. And when once the fubftance is in due eftimation, and properly exalted over all in our minds, under the gofpel, the fign immediately lofes its importance, ^nd Chrift becomes all in all to us. Bur John not only divers times repeats the im- portant diliin<5lion between baptifm with water, and that with the Holy Ghoft, and holds to view the comparative inefficacy, and derceafing nature and defign of the oiie, and the exctllency, all- fufficicncy and increafing nature of the other : he degrades all claims of the molt exaifc artd tenaci- ous adherents to ceremonial inllicutions, without the heart-purifying work of the Lord. Even. the zealous pharifees, notwithftanding all they could boad of relationfhip to Abraham, either by blood, by circumcifion, or the moft Ihidl [ 33 ] flricl and fcrupulous outward obfervance of the whole law of commandments, contained in (the Ihadowy) ordinances, he upbraids as a generation of vipers; and plainly intimates to them, that the true feed of Abraham are they in whom the axe, the fan, and the fire of the gofpel make thorough work ; and that in this way God is able to raife up children in the true and living faith of faithful Abraham, of fuch whofe hearts were as ftones. There might be fuch then prefent, whofe difregard to thofe things, wherein lay nearly all tlie religion of too many of the pharifees, was fuch as to render them extremely obnoxious and contemptible in their view, and who yet were more eafy to be brought in love with the eflentials of true religion than they ; though they, in the fury of their zeal againit thefe, might ftrikingly exhibit the viper in fpirit. I believe the inward feelings and outward deportment of many, who have confiderable zeal in exteriors, are the very reyerfe of this, in m.eeknefs, gentlenefs and love. May tliey experience a blefled incrcafe herein; and may all ranks and denominations of Chriftians beholding the excellency hereof, and its vaft im- portance, in preference to ail party attachments, and zeal for or againft ceremonials, more and more prefs after it and into it th^mfelves, and chcrifii and promote it in each other, I doubt not many of the pharifees were zeal- oufly obfervant of the Mofaic inftitutions, becaufe they verily believed it was God's will they fhould be fo (as doubtlefs it was in a right way and difpofition.) 1 doubt not but lome of thefe were moral, goodly fort of men, as to outward regu- larity, uprightnefs, and honed dealing, and here they [ 34 ] they relied, well fatisfied, and defpifed the Jefs oblervant, and lefs regular. But here refting (even though they might be, as touching every thing merely ceremonial, or even merely moral, pretty blamelefs) they were and mufl be far fhort of that, which in every age of the world has been the true righteoufnefs, riches, and falvation of fouls. Tiiefe, as well as the more impure and grofsly polluted within, John wanted to alarm, and fhake from their falfe reft, and fig-leaf cover- ing; that they might come to know the pure and living righteoufnefs of faith, that works by love, purifies the heart, gives viclory, removes mountains, and is the fubftance, being of the operation of God in the heart; not a mere affent to certain well-eftabliflied facls, nor yet merely a full and firm perfuafion of their truth and certainty-, but a real and living hold on Chrift the life, in inward union with him; by a deep and powerful working of the holy principle of light and life in the foul. This is that righte- oufnefs which exceeds that of the fcribes and pharifees, and without which Chrift fays we cannot enter into the heavenly kingdom. See Mat. V. 20. This, in fulnefs eftablillied, fuper- cedes all figns and fliadows. Hence John, by rejeftion of the pharifaical dependence on defcent from Abraham, &c. was preparing his way, who coming after him, had much of this nature to do, among that fupcrftitious and bigotted people ; who, as he rightly teftified, had they been truly the children of Abraham, would have done the works of Abraham ; but not being truly his feed, in the heavenly birth, and holy principle of life and im^nortality, wherein th.e joint htirfliip with Chrift ever confifted, thj^y were fooliflily, though zealoufly, endeavouring to climb up fome other way i [ 35 ] way ; by outward performances, and exa6l ob- lervacion of ordinances; a kind of righteoufnefs which never gave admittance, or brought into the kingdom. And as men have ever been prone to Hop fhort in thefe, and rely more or lefs upon them, as things of fubftancial benefit in themfelves ; God was pleafed, in the fulnefs of time, to fend his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, and purpofely brought under the obfervance of thefe things, for their fulfihnent, in order exprefsly to blot out, remove and take out of the way; that a more fingle attention might take place to the writing of the law in the heart ; the very life, fum and fubftance of the new co- venant. See Jer. xxxi. 22- John's preaching tended direftly to prepare for and introduce an increafing attention to thefe great things within, and thus powerfully contributed to promote that living acquaintance with, and fingle dependence on the fubftance, which is the only thing that ever rightly qualifies the mind to fee beyond, and thoroughly, underftandingly, and profitably re- nounces and relinquifnes the fign. This was ful- filling his commifiion, preparing the way of the Lord, pointing our, declaring and promoting the decreafe of all figurative righteoufnefs, including even that of his own baptifni ; and aflifting in the fulfilment thcrreof, in order to the increafe, eitablifnment and general prevalency of that which was before all figns, and remains to the faithful, the fummum honum^ the one good thing needful, the life and fubftance of all true religion. CHAP. [ 36 ] CHAP. II. John's haptifri jiillin life after Chrifl was baptized y and on what grounds. Why John mufl decreafe. Why the leaf; in the kingdom is greater than he. Water haptifm never a gofpel ordinance, any more than burnt offerings^ circumcifion, lie. Chrifl's transfiguration clearly fhows all thefCy done away together y and water baptifm as much as any of th^m though afterwards fotnctimes ujed in condefcenfiony as divers other figures were. John Jeen in the mount as Elias. Peter's conduct with Cornelius y no perpetuation of water ; but rather a prudent condejcenfion. 'The full dif- penjation of Chrifi, is God and man in union., Man prone to imagery. Signs were ever by indulgence. A touch upon the paffover. Chrifl eating it, points to its antitype, the inward feafi, and communion of faints. ALTHOUGH on very fufficient grounds, as. already evinced, our blefled Lord received that baptifm which was figurative of his own, and io far as in that manner behoved him fulfilled ic, previoufly to his entrance on his own public mi- niftration, in preaching the gofpel, yet for his further manitcftation to Ifrael in fome other places. r 37 ] places, that watery fign, and the preaching ac-» companying it, were afterwards continued by John, till fome little time before the bleffed Jefus began his faid public niiniftry? and the difciples of Jefus having learned that baptifm of John, and underftanding it was for their Lord's manifeftation to Ifrael, they alfo pra6tifed it, and doubtlefs with a view and defire of his more extenfive and fpeedy manifeftaf'ion among the people; though we have ho account that Chrift ever at all en- couraged them therein, but an exprefs afTurance that he " himfelf baptized not," John iv. i. Perhaps he might have no objed:ion (as cere- monials were yet in ufe, as a fchool-mafter leading to himfelf, the life and fubftance, the pure gofpel (late not generally commencing till after his refurredion) to their baptizing others, as John had them, in the figure ; v/ell ivnowing that occafion might thereby be taken to turn the mind profitably from that likenefs of entire cleanfing, to the neceffity of the thing itfelf, his own faving baptifm ; and which feems to have been the very defign of water baptifm, as ufed by John. No other need of it feems ever to have exifted j and no other end feems to have been aimed at, by the divine wifdom., in fending John baptizing in that manner. It was to that end well adapted, and to that onlv. — And that John knew this, feems evident by his declaring that baptifm was for Chrift's manifeftation, by his fo conftantly pointing from it to its antitype,* the baptifm * The word in the common tranflation rendered figure, i Pet. iii 2 1 ; fpeaking of the baptilm which now faves us is antitypon ; and furely it is the antitype, and aot the type or figure, that is saving. that ■[ 38 ] that faves the foul; and by his acknowlcdgmenc that himlelf muft decreale, and Chrifl increafe. Had John been the adminiftrator of a gofpel or- dinance, and therein abode faithful, he might, inftead of decreafing, have increafed therein: but being the adminiftrator of a figurative ordinance, in its very nature, end and defign, decreafing j he, as its adminiftrator, muft decreafe: for though as great a Prophet as any born of woman, yea, as Chrift declares, " much more than a Prophet," the immediate forerunner and preparer of the way of the Lord j yet truly, as the Lord himfelf further aflerts. Mat. xi. 2, " he that is leaft in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he;" that is, greater than John, as John the Baptiftj for it is exprefsly as John the Baptift, that Chrift fays this of him j and in this fenfe it will forever hold true. For though as a faint and fervant of God> as a Prophet of the Moft High, John was great, yea very great in the heavenly kingdom, " a burning and a Ihining light," as Chrift ftill further teftifies, Jokn v. 25y yet that gofpel kingdom which John proclaimed as near at hand, and pre- pared the way for, being void of all mere figur- ative ordinances, and operating wherever it cometh in its full glory to their fulfilment, abo- lition, out -blotting, and entire removal out of the way •, the leaft in the pure fpirituality thereof, (having feen and advanced, beyond and to the difufe and total rejection of all fuch figns and figures, as being comparatively mean and beggarly elements, of ufe only till the feed came, and at bcft but fhadows of the gftod things to come) is and ever muft be in this refpe6f: greater than John, as John the Baptift; the adminiftrator of one, though a very fignificant one, of thole figurative ordinances. t 39 ] ordinances. And even though John Ihould fit higher, fhine brighter, and be far greater in the kingdom of eternal glory, than many of thefe, yet as the Baptift, or baptizer in water, he was under a difpenfation that was vaftly low in comparifon of that pure gofpel ftate which thefe little ones all witnefs in the new covenant dif- penfation i which water baptifm could no more be a part of, or belong to, than circumcifion, burnt- offerings, or any other rituals of the Mofaic dif- penfation. And if Mofes, however faithful in all his houfe, as a fervant, muft as to his law of ceremonials, his difpenfation of fignsandfhadows, decreafe and give place to the Son, furely fo muft John. The weaknefs, outwardnefs, and in- fufficiency, on account of which the fliadows of Mofes have vanifhed, are as apparent in water baptifm, as in any of thefe ; and it is of as much real necefllty that this be decreafed, fulfilled, and ceafe, in order to the true and pure enjoyment of its antitype, the faving baptifm of Chrift, as that circumcifion, and the divers wafliings and offer- ings of the law Ihould ceafe, for the fame reafon, or in order to the right enjoyment of their anti-" type. It is rather mournful to fee fo many religiousj- good people — people who love God, and are im good degree enlightened, entangled as it were in the bondage of outward and typical ordinances^ in thefe antitypical gofpel days. What volumes of controverfy, and not always in the fweteeft temper, have been and are v/ritten, and from time to time, even unto this day very zealouOy fpread, read, and rejoiced in, which yet contain little or nothing relative to the life of God in the foul, [ 40^ J foul, the one foul Paving, fandifying baptifm of the gofpel, or the one foul-fatiaring communion of faints, and fupper of the Lord j but are filled with learned or unlearned argumentation, about things as foreign to the true Chrifrian life and difpenfation, as the facrificing of bullocks, rams, and lambs ! I feel real tendernefs towards thofe who are not yet fo tranflated into the glorious liberty of the fons of God, not yet fo enlightened as to rife fuperior to their attachments to elementary and figurative obfervances ; and I wiHi not unncceffa- rily to hurt the feelings of one fincere fcul. I know fome fuch hold water baptifm, and what they call the other facrament, in great veneration; and I do fincercly defire them not to cake oiTence at my freely endeavouring to evince them to be- long not to the gofpel. It is love in great fin- cerity that engages rne to Ihew them that thefe things (land exaftly on a level v/ith the long ccafed ceremonials of the law, in point of obligation under the gofpel. It would be as flridly a gofpel controverfy, were men now to write volume after volume refpedting the due and precife manner of offering the ancient daily facrifice ; as is that about immerfion and fprinkling, or that refped- ing the various opinions and modes of admini- llration in what is called the Lord's fupper. Thou need have no more, O thou true-hear:ed Chiiftian traveller, to do with thefe, than the former i it no more imports to thy real gofpel duty, or thy growth in the divine life, to underdandand prac- tife in the moft precife manner, according to ancient original infticution and ufage in thefe, than in the others. Think of what entire infignifi- cancy [ 41 ] eancy it is, to controvert points refpefting the offering of the lambs, *' one in the morning, the , other at even," as ordained of old to be done day by day for a continual burnt offering. Numb, xxviii. ;?, 4. Think how unimportant to djfpute, whether a fifth or a tenth part of an ephah of flour, or whether mingled with a third, fourth or eighth part of an hin of beaten oil, would now under the gofpel be the mofl ac- ceptable meat offering to the Lord; and thou mayefl perhaps perceive to obtain a true glimpfe at leaft of the real infignificancy to thy life and duty, as a Chriflian, of all the elaborate enquiries and difcuflions, refpedling either what is the proper mode, or who are the proper fub- jeds of either the one or the other of the fa^ craments fo called. But feei-ng many pious fouls are yet under the vail in thefe things, wifhing to ferve God, and fearing to offend him ; and feeing it is much for the worldly interefl, emolument and popularity of too many who affume the character and office of gofpel miniflers, to keep them ftiJl under this vail and covering, and in bondage to the beggarly elements; I am willing to ufemy endeavours to evince yet more fully and clearly the abfolute celTation and difmiffion of figns and fymbols, as never having pertained to the ful- nefs of the gofpel flate. I think this is clearly exhibited by our Lord at the transfiguration j and I think it as much includes John as Mofes ; as much water baptifm as circumcifion ; and as much the pafTover as burnt offerings. In fhort, it is evident to my mind, that the whole tendency and defign of the vifion was to fhew D the t 4« ] the equal difmifTion of all thofe fhadows of the good things to come. And that for this reafortj of all the holy men of old, all the great types of our Immanuel, Mofes and John in the charader of Elias appeared, on this wonderful occafion, with Chrill and his difciples in the mount. None elfe would have fully anfwered the de- fign of the transfiguration. But thefe two, re- prefenting the complete body of figns and cere- monies, were the identical perfons to appear and difappear to them, and in teftimony of the difan- Bulling of all thofe foregoing ordinances, as the wafliings, oblations, &c. under Mofes, were but figns, and but until the full coming in of the dif- penfation of life and fubftance : and as the baptifm ufed by John was alfo but a fign, fo now, in exhibiting the entire abolition of both, our Lord in fome fort did it by way of fign or reprefentation. And as it requires fome fpiritual difcernment, clearly to perceive that offerings, water baptifm, &c. never were nor could be more than figns and figures, what they \yere particularly the figns and figures of, how long they were properly ufed, and when utterly aboiiftied, fo does it alio require fome true illumi- nation from on high, to read and underftand the myftery of transfiguracion, and to fee plainly that the whole drift and defign of it was, to teach us that the gofpcl, the kingdom, the baptifm of Jefus, are all inward and fpiritual, the antitypical righte- oufnefs which remains, and ever will remain to the true church; thcaigh all that typical righte- oufnefs, which Chriit fpake of in his anfwer to John, introdudory to his baptifm in the figure, be fulfilled. When God would fhow Abraham, Gen. xv, thai [ 43 ] that his feed (hould be a ftranger in ;a Jatid not theirs, and after four hundred y^ars a&ijBiqh " come out with great fubftance,*' he ordered him to take an heifer, ilie goat, rarri, turtle dove, and a young pigeon. Dividing feveral of thefc in the midft, he *' laid each piece one againft another." And when the fun was going down a deep fleep fell upon Abraham, and lo, ** an horror of great darknefs fell upon himj'' and further it " came to pafs, that when ;the fun went down, and it was dark, behold a fmoaking furnace, and a burning lamp that pafled between thofe pieces." A very flriking reprefentation of Ifrael's iron furnace of afflitftipn in Egypt, and the burning lamp, or, as the margin reads, " a lamp of fire," very beautifully betokened their joyful deiiverance, when long after the angel of the Lord led them by ^ ■«* pillar of fire" from the fevere exadtions of their hard-hearted enemies and tafk-ma(lers. — Thus dealt infinite wifdom and goodnefs with his favoured fervant, good old Abraham; by flrik- ing reprefencations (hewing him things to come, and divers other infliances of fomewhat fimilar reprelentations might be adduced. But pafling them, we come now to that very important one, the transfiguration, and to unfold a little its genuine import and meaning, according to the degree of underilanding received. I fhall firft endeavour to evince, that it was John the Baptifl who, with Mofes, appeared in the mount, though under the denomination and chaj-after of Elias. It is clear that John was the Elias, that is the Elijah, whom the Lord by the Prophet promifed to fend to prepare the way of the D 2 Lord, [ 44 ] Lord, Mai. iii. i, 4, 5. This promifc Mark re- cites exprefsly as fulfilled, in the coming and fervices of John, Mark i. 1. as it is written in the Prophets, " behold I fend my meflfenger before thy face, which Ihall prepare thy way before thee." That this was John, is further evident by what the angel faid to John's father, good old Zacharias, Luke i. 16, 17," many of the children of Ifrael fhall be turned to the Lord their God— and he fhall go before him in the fpirit and power of Elias," &c. Indeed Chriit's own words are full to the purpofe: he pofitively declares. Mat. xi. 14, *' if ye will reeeive it, this is Elias, which was for to come >" but as he did not mean that Elias was aftually come again in perfon, but that John was come " in the power and fpirit of Elias," as before mentioned ; he adds, verfe 15, knowing how outward the people's minds were, and how fpiritually dull they were of hearing, " he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." He doubtlefs knew that many could not fo hear as to believe and receive it, in its naked iagnification, efpecially as John had denied his being Elias. Thefe are contra- diftions to mere human wifdom : the ear that underftandingly hears them, the Lord alone openeth. John fpake truth from the heart ; for when they afked him, " what then, art thou Elias ?'* John i. l\. they were fo carnal and outward in their apprehen-fions, that doubtlefs John faw they fo little underftood the fcripture prophefies and promifes, that they were looking for the perfonal comins [ 4J 1 coming of Elias from heaven; and perhaps in a fiery chariot, his afcenfion, or taking up, having been reprcfented as in a chariot of fire. John anfwering their queftion according to their fenfe in afking it, faith, " I am not;" thereby harmo- nioufly coinciding with Chrift's defign in fpeak- ing in parables; for Chrift thanked his Father that he had "hid thefe things from the wife and,, prvdent, and revealed them unto babes," Mat. xi. 2, 5. Thefe babes are the fame' with thofe who" have ears to hear, and Chrift fpake in para- bles to concur with his Father in hiding thefe things from the pryings and invefligations of this world's wifdom and prudence : for when " the^ difciples came and laid unto him, why fpeakeft thou unto them in parables ? Mat. xiii. 10* [ he anfwered and faid unto them," becaufe it is given unto you to know the myfteries ^ of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not' given," verfe it. and in conformity to thefe defigns of Chrift and the Father, to make fooliih the wifdom of this world, John anfwered, that he was not Elias ; as truly he was not in the fenfe of the queflion, and yet in the fenfe of heaven and of the Holy Ghoft he was indeed Elias, yea, the only Elias that was fent in fulfilment of the promife, to prepare the way of the Lord Jefus. So that had he not come in the power and fpirit of Elias, the promife, for aught that appears, had utterly failed. This point, thus clearly eftablifhed in the facred records, contributes mucfi. towards a right underftanding of the transfiguration. The tranf- aftions of this ever m.emorable and important fccne, I have no doubt, were defigned to unfold, D3 as C 46 ] as far as thofe who faw and heard them, or thofc whci 'fince read them, have " ears to hear," the deep nriyltery of the three difpenfations of Klofes, J6|'in,', and Jefus — the entire pafTmg away of all thit was "but typical in the two former, as things li'abk in their very nature, and in the defigns of irifiriite', w!rdom,ever meant to be fliaken and re- moved • that fo the latter, the difpenfation of life and fubftance, the pure fpiritual unfhadowy gof- pt\ arid kingdom of Chrilt, as things that cannot be fliaken or removed, might with greater clear- nefs fucceed, and remain. 'To this purpofe the Loid of this glorious dif- penfation, after tellifying that fome then {landing there Ihould live to fee it — that is, fliould " not tafle of dtilth till they had feen the kingdom of Godcome \»)ith power,*' Mark ix. i — in order to prepare 'fome of his difciples for a more extenfive and clear difcovery of its purely fpiritual, anti- typical nature and glory, and to give as it were a cl'ueto the' fame difcovery to others (fee IVIat. xvii. Marie i'x.'Luke ix.) in that and after ages, " taketh with hiiii Petier, and James, and John" (three eminent inftruments in the primitive church) "and leadeth them up into an high mountain^ apart by tiiemfelves." This may Ihew us, that in order to a clear reception of divine knowledge, our minds mull both afcend above and be fepa- rated from the bufy fcenes of mere earthly joys, cares, and afibciarions, as it were into the mount of fequcftration, into an holy abftrac- tion of foul, where angels afcend and defcend, and the converfe is ac times with God. " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Here our Lord '* was transfigured before them, and his raiment [ 47 ] rainient became Ihlning, exceeding white as fnow, fo as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto themElias, with Mofes, and they were talking with Jefus. And Peter anrwered and faid to " Jefus, Mafler, it is good for us to be here." Alas ! too many think it is good to retain the long fmcc fulfilled and abrogated fymbols of good things, to this very day ; and not content with, or not enough acquainted with the one true " tabernacle of God, that is inwardly with men," Rev. xxi. 3. are, with J'eter, for building three, in order to retain a little from the ceremonies of Mofes, as the paff- over (which they dignify with the name of the Lord's fupper) and a little from John (here feen as Elias, in whofe life, power, and fpirit, John came) to wit, water baprifm. So Peter, igno- rantly thinking it good to remain, where all thrca might have place together, propofeth, or afks liberty, as followeth : " let us make three taber- nacles, one for thee, one for Mofes, and one for Elias ; for he wift not what to fay," Mark ix. 2. 7. In very deed, he will not, or, according to Luke's account, knew not what he faid : knew not that this propofal ftruck diredly againft the fimplicity of the gofpel, and was contrary to the life and defign of the transfiguration. He was for buildings which belong not to the gofpel day j tabernacles for thofe whofe difpen- fations were but preparatory to that which is purely of Jefus : for there was a cloud that over- Hiadowed them. Oh ! that it may be feen, and daily confidered, how exadly this is the cafe now, v;ith thofe wlio ftill think it good to re- main under the (hadows. Is not the cloud ftill over them ? The figns under Moles and John D 4 (here [ 48 ] (here Elias) pointed men to Chrift ; but the full difpenfation of Jefus, is nothing fhort of God and man in heavenly unio;i. As then in him, fo now, in all the feed, all his true difciples, there is a real joining and uniting of the life of man in and with the life of God in the foul. " He that is joined to the Lord is one fpirit," Cor. vi. 17- This is livingly taught us in the Chrift of God, being truly both the Son of God and the Son of Man. Here all preceding difpenfations end ; the figns are fuperceded ; Chrift becomes our one life in the heavenly fellowftiip, and, as Paul fays, ** I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me,** Gal. ii. 20. Here we enjoy the true riches and glory of his inheritance in the faints, which is Chrift in os the hope of glory. See Eph. i: 18. Col. i. iy. — What can all the fliadows of the good things to come do for thofe who pofTefs and enjoy the good things themfelves, are led unto, live and adt in the life and fubftance pointed at by all the types and figures of old? Did Chriftians know and enjoy this myftery in its true fulnefs and glory, ail old things would be done away; for here all things become newj all things of God ; here we are complete in Jefus, in whom the fulnefs dwells ; and have no need at all of figns to perfedt us in our Chriftian duty : no need of outward waftiing, being waftied in his blood, inwardly fprinkled, to the clean- fing of the heart : no need of outward circum- cifion — our circumcifion and b.iptifm are in Chrift — into death with him, putting off the body of the fins of the flcfti : no need of eating bread and drinking wine, in remembrance of him, feeing he has become ou: lifej we enjoy his foul-fatiat- [ 49 ] ing, his air confolating prefence — he fups with us, and we with him — eating the bread of life, and drinking the new wine of falvation with us in the heavenly kingdooi of his Father, inwardly and fpiritually — where all types ceafe for ever-— where the faith which is the very fub- ftance of things hoped for, the new creature in this union of God and man, is all in all. — Here every thought is " brought into captivity to the obedience of Chrift," 2 Cor. x. 5. No mere out- ward obfervations can add any thing ufeful to this flate ; and this is the reafon why they muft and do here ceafe. The reafon why they were once ufed was, that men were too much alienated from the life and fubftance — they were ufed as outward pointers to the inward life. — When the refurrec- tion of Chrift, the life is fully known in us, all mere figns are, and in the very nature of things, muft be, entirely fuperceded. Till then, we may be in a ftate of mixture, as many are with their three tabernacles, one for Jefus, one for John, and one for Mofes. Hence the figurative difpenfation was not altogether aboliftied out- wardly, till Chrift's outward refurredion; this being generally the cafe in the inward, Thofe who have not known this pretty fully in them- felves, are moftly Tome way or oj:her relying more or lefs on outward things j but they whofe life is fully and truly in him, who is the refurredion and the life, are got beyond all improper reliance on any thing but the life of Jefus in them — this is the plain reafon why the antitypical baptifm, which now faves us, is by the refurredion of Chrift---not by wafhing in water to put away the filth of the flefli— -for though fome of the tranf- lators ufe the word figure in a text which fpeaks plainly [ 50 ] plainly of this fpiritual baptifm, it is not To in the Greek. The original word, as already noted, is antitypon : fo that the faving baptifm, there fpoken of, and which is by tlie refurredlion and life of Chrift, is not a figure, but the very anti- type itfclf.— -Had Peter known this at the tinne of the transfiguration, as well as he did when he wrote hie epiftles, it is in no wife probable that he would have thought the building of taber- nacles, for the retention of figns and fhadows, a gofpel labour : but feeing Peter was as yet fo far from a clear underftanding of the nature and pure fpiritualiry of the gofpel, as to propofe three tabernacles even then, jufl when Chrill was fpe- cially opening the difmifTion of all but one, that is" the cabeinacle of God, that " is with men," Rev. xxi. 3 J let none marvel that this fame Peter afterwards commanded the'houfhold of Cornelius to be baptixed in water, a thing in no wife ilrange for him to do, even though it had not been done merely in condefcenfion, a» there is much reafon to believe it was. He remained for fome time too outward and limited in his ideas; he did not know that the gofpel was an univerfal thing, extending to Gentiles as well as Jews--^fo that a wonderful vifion was vouchfafed,. to remove his fcruples, and induce hisvifitto Cornelius — and when there, God gave him words luitable to the occafion, and which being de- livered in the evidence and demon ftration of the Spirit, and with divine power, were eminently inftrumental to their baptifm with the Holy Ghofl: who heard him, even in fuch a remakablc manner, that at his firll utterance, as he began £0 fpcak, the Holy Gholl fell on them. This [ 51 1 This at once ftrnck Peter, as being an exaft and gracious performance of the promiflbry word of the Lord Jefus — ^* John indeed baptized with water, but ye fhall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft," See A6ls xi. 15, 16. For this baptifm was now fo evidently difpenfed through Peter's preaching, that he inamediately remembered this precious promifeofour bleffed Lord — which had been very illy applied by him to the Holy Ghoft falling on them, had that not been ftridlly the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, as intended by the promife — nor indeed can any, who clearly know this baptifm, think ftrange of Peter's recollect- ing this promife, and applying it to what took place at this memorable feafonj nor is there any doubt with me but that the Holy Ghoft brought it to his remembrance, and fhewed him it was now adtually performed through himfelf as an inftru- m^nt ; for God had truly and eminently enabled him to execute, in a very exad and ftriking manner, the great commifllon of our Lord, Mat. xxviii. 19. which was to teach, baptizing; not teach, and then baptize, as two feparate acfls j but by teaching in the power and efficacy received from on high, they were to baptize them into the very name, that is the life and power, of the Father^ Son, and Holy Ghoft. — And into this name, life and power, Peter did baptize them: they received it as he fpake unto them, which exaftly anfwered the commiflion, " teach, bap- tizing.'* No marvel, then, that he immediately re- membered Chrift's promife, " ye fhall be bap- tized with the Holy Ghoft" — feeing the baptif- mal influences thereof, attendant upon his power- ful [ 5i ] ful preaching, were fo livingly in fuliilmenc thereof. — Neverthelefs, as water had been in great eftimation, it feems Peter thought bell: to condefcend to the weaknefs of thofe young con- verts, and of his Jewifh brethern tiien prefenr, as his Lord and Maftcr had again and again gracioufly condefcended to him in his weaknefs. — So he commanded them to be baptized -, and perhaps he could not have done better in their weak ftate, and efpecially as none appeared to forbid it, which it is probable he might not know but fome then prefent might have authority to do J for his mind began now to be confider- ably enlarged ; lie clearly perceived (which he feems not to have known before) that God was no refpeder of perfons, of Jew more than Gen- tile, &c. Indeed the very query, "can any man forbid water ?" &c. Ads x. 47. is an appeal to men, and befpeaks a ftate of hefitation, or uncertainty. Nor is his hefitancy at all to be admired at, things having fo wonderfully altered in his view in a Ihort time paft j and the anointing of truth, that brings all things to remembrance, having juft now revived in his mind the fweet and precious promife of his dear Redeemer — "John indeed baptized with water, but ye iliall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft," which he could not but fee and know, was then, through him, gracioufly taking place upon thefe Gentiles j it is by no means llrange that he doubted the propriety of baptizing them in water. It had been much Itranger, had he not doubted it, efpecially as water was the very thing which our Lord, in the words now brought to Peter's remembrance, had pointedly oppoled to his own baptifm ; that, as a thing which had been •, his own. i i3 1 own, as what fhould be : Peter therefore plainly feeing the latter, might well doubt the furthes ufc of the former, efpecially among Gentiles, feeing its very defign was thai Chrift might be manifeft to Ifrael. Cornelius and his family were not of Ifrael-, and if they had been, why continue the fign in prefence of the fubftance, unlefs in condefcenfion to the weaknefs that could not readily relinquifli it ? It is evident enough that Peter did not think it indifpenfible, or he would fcarcely have put the queftion at all. — There is very little room in propriety to afk another whether that can be for- bidden, which we know ourfelves we are indif- penfibly enjoined and commanded.— Water bap- tifm was not at that time in force; yet Peter might rationally doubt whether it would give fatisfaftion to omit it, and fo might cautioufly put the queftion, to feel out their minds j not really knowing but that fome one prefent might fo livingly open its abolition, and fo fatisfyingly declare its non-eflentiality, that all the reft would have been perfeftly fatisfied with the omiffion of it. — But none doing this, and it being a new cafe, Peter it feems, defirous of getcing through fafely, and without hurting any tender mind, and know- ing that his now commanding it done need not perpetuate it (nor does it, any more than James, direding to anoint the Cck with oil in the name of the Lord, perpetuates that) but that after mature confideration, and when the ftate of things would bear it, it might be quite laid ande, did on this occafion command it to be done; and it might really befafeft and beft, at that time, fo to do ; nor was this and the anointing with oil the [ 54 ] the only cereiiionies that were Hill at times con- defcendingly ufed, fome time after the abroga- tion of figns and figures, as to any further obli- gation. A well-timed condefcenfion to the wcaknefs of others, is an excellent thing — but let none now delight to dwell in the weaknels, and therein weakly confider the condefcenfion exercifed at a time, wherein it was evidently a very nice and difficult point to know how to proceed fo as to hurt no one, either Jew or Greek; asefi:ablifh- ing an ordinance of perpetual obligation under the gofpel, that difpenfation of life and fubflance pointed to, by fuch outward obfervation. For lb far is that condefcenfion from affording anyjuft pretence for fuch a conclufion, that we have great reafon to believe that even Peter himfelf, loon after this, became quite clear to omit water baptifm entirely, as a figurative thing, not belong- ing to the gofpel ; for we do not find he ever after- wards once ufed or ordered it to be adminiftered to any ; but on the contrary, we do find he delcribes the baptifm that now faves us as quite another thing, and as being effected by the refurredlion of Chrift the life, to the anfwer of a good confcience. And indeed it mufl: be fo ; for the gofpel of Chrift is, and in its own pure nature muft be, void of any mere outward and figurative obfervations — and to hold it forth fo, in its genuine purity, and ilripped of all thefe figns of both John and Mofes : -—we find there was a voice heard out of the cloud, juft after Peter's propofal to build three tabernacles, at the time of the transfiguration, Mat. xvii. Mark ix. Luke ix. 28, &c. faying, " this is my beloved Son, hear him," 35. A very timelv [ ss J timely admonition indeed, and fufficient, one mio-ht fuppofe, to prevent all who underftand it from wilhing to build three tabernacles, or to retain any of the mere fhadows of either Mofes or John, as circumcifion, the paffover, or water baptifm, now, fince they are all ended, and Chrifl! is to be heard in all things. Whilst the cloud oveffhadowed them, they were for three tabernacles (they knew not thac Mofes and John muft not be retained) but when the divine voice brake through the cloud, they had their attention called fingly to Jefus. But- further, that no confirmation fliould be wanting, and as it were in order to fet it home, and feal ic forever, that this was the true intent and mean- ing of this glorious vifion, and of the voice frcoi the excellent glory, we find that immediately upon their hearing faid voice, even " fuddenly when they had looked round about, they faw no man any more, fave Jefus only, with them- feives." Here is the genuine fimplicity of Chrift's fpi- ritual kingdom and gofpel beautifully and in- ftru6tively difplayed. — Here thofe things thac were of a nature, and in defign, to be fhaken, fulfilled and done away, are removed; and thac only which cannot be fhaken remains. This is fiiaking not the earth only, but aifo heaven ; noc fin, and carnality, and earchly-mindednefs alone ; but here a great part of many people's religion, and what they think belongs to the very kingdom of heaven, and gofpel of Jefus, are fhaken and removed out of the way j yea, things once of God himfelf ordained, as flriking Ihadows of the good things to come, but ever by hiii^ defigned to r 56 ] to vanifh, in the full prefence and enjoyment of the good things themfelves. Blefled are they who *' have ears to hear," and hearts to under- ftand, and faith to follow the Lamb of God where- foever he leadeth, even to the lofs of all their own buildings, their own righteoufnefs, and creaturely perfomances, till they come to ceafe from their own works, as God did from his. — Thefe fhall be eftabliflied as Mount Sion, that (hall never be removed ; and being preferved from fubjcfton to, or from touching, tafting or handling, thofe outward ordinances, which con- fift in things that perifh with the ufing, ihall know the Lord to be one, and his name one ; and living and ferving the one Lord, in the life, love and viclory of the faints' one true faith, fhall know affuredly that there is but one true gofpel baptifm, ** not the putting away the filth of the flefli (or outward body, which is the work of outward wafliing) but the anfwer of a good confcience towards God, by the refurredlion of Jelus Chrift." — For thefe fhall know him to be " the refurred:ion and, the life" to and in their own fouls : Chrifl in them the hope of glory, and fhall have no hope or confidence in any out- ward fprinklings or dippings, eatings or drink- ings, as pertaining to the work of falvation. The fubfiantial " anfwer of a good confcience" is not known without the refurredlion gf Chrifl in the foul ; buf this known in fulnefs ever makes "perfect, as pertaining to the confcience i" which yet cannot be experienced but through the putting off the body of the fins of the flcfh. *' For though the baptifm that faves, is not the putting [ 57 ] putting away the filth of the flefh," that is, the outward filth of the body; yet it ever does put away the finful filth of the flefhly mind ; this is the very work and defign of it. Hence its ad- miniftrator has his fan in his hand, to winnow the chaff from the wheat; his foap, like the fuller, to wafti and cleanfe away the filth -, and his fire, like the refiner, to feparate the drofs from the gold ; yea, purely to purge away all the drofs, tin and even reprobate filver, and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire j thus cleanfing, and that tho- roughly, the very floor of the heart. — This is the baptifm that faves, the work of him who laves '* his people from their fins," not in them. It is therefore altogether befide the true mea.ning of Peter's words, " not the putting away tlic filth of the flefh," to fuppofe he meant that the faving baptifm he there fpake of does not cicanfe from fin, or put away our finful filth ; but that it is an outward ordinance, which mull be fubmitted to, jull to anfwer a good confcience in chat par- ticular refpect, without any reliance upon it as to fanftification from fin ; which conftrudion I have often known it gloffed with, by the pleaders for elementary baptifin. But is it not flirange, that men of fenfe fhould content to believe, that the baptifm which now faveth us, doth not fave us from fin, doth not put away the finful filth of the fiefli ? If Peter fpake truth when he faid " baptifm doth alfo now fave us," he muft fpeak of the one faving baptifm,. There never was but one thing that could lave : *' according to his mercy he laved us, by the vvafliingr of regeneration, and renevvino; of the Holy Ghoft." Where this is livingly witneff*;d, " the refurreclion and the life" of Chrift i^ E alvvavs [ 58 ] always known, and therein " the anfwer of a good confcience towards God*' takes place, to a degree of iinfpeakable enjoyment j a ful- nefs of divine confolation, unknown in the per- fornnance of nnere outward ordinances, and never attained to but by being planted in the li-ke- nefs of Chrift's death, buried with him by true Chriftian baptifm into the death of fin, and this death, by the power of the eternal Spirit, arifing with him in the power of his refurredtion, and walking with him in newnefs of life. But to return -, as thofe outward things which had been " impofed until the time of reforma- tion," and were here exhibited, in the transfigu- ration, as not belonging to the gofpcl, were not abfolutely and entirely out of date till Chrift had rifen : he I'o far condefcended to their continu- ance, that he did not forbid and prevent hisdif- ciples baptizing his followers in water; for this was a performance at that time in very great vogue, and Chrift well knew how to deal with a people habituated to outward obfervances. It had all along, under the law and prophets, been found extremely difficult to reftrain that people from the idolatries of the heathen, even though God had fo far accommodated himfelfor his lavv to their outward ftate and difpofition, as to pro- vide them with many figns and ceremonies, ** di- vers walhings," a worldly fanduary, &c. Heb. ix. I. The mind of man once turned to religious ex- crcifes, and prefTmg on thercrin, is hard to be properly reltrained, is very prone to imagery, idolatry, and a great deal of outward fhow and activity. And from this ground fprang all pagan idolatry, [ 59 ] idolatry j all advances toward it among the Jews i all continuations of jewifh, heathenifh or other mere outward figns and fhadows among Chrif- tians, and many abfurd and foolifli obfervations among Turks and Mahometans. Chriil knew what was in man, and needed none "to tedify" unto him " of man," as appears by John ii. 25. And as he. had many things to fay unto his dif- ciples, which they could not at firft bear (fee John xvi. 12) he advanced them gradually, con- defcending to their weaknefs, and attachment to things that belong not to, and can have no place m the pure fpirituality of his kingdom. This amply accounts for his difciples continuing to baptize many new difciples, as they came to believe on him, and follow him, even after he and John had in great degree fulfilled that dif- penfation ; a difpenfation which probably had never been neceflary, but for the dark and unto- ward ftate of the people's minds. And had they all, when Chrift came, turned their attention rightly to him, and fully underftood the inward and fpiritual nature of his gofpel, there would have been very little if any real ufe for baptifm in water afterwards, A difpenfation of figns was ever in conde- fcenfion to man's weaknefs ; and once indulged, they are apt to obtain too great veneration, and be too long retained; for it is feldom if ever the cafe, that things highly efteemed, can be dropc all at once fuddenly. — It is often fafer, an'^ better, to lead people along gradually from figns to fub- itance, as they can bear it. Theretor*. the early followers of the blefTed Jefus were tenderly indul- ged, and all outward things were not at once rent E 2 from [ 6o ] from them j for though he plainly taught (Luke xvii. 20) that the " kingdom of God cometh not with oblervation,*' or as in the margin, " with outward fhow," yet during the twilight of things, or the evening time, wherein, though there was fome light, yet there was alfo fome darknefs ; things not being yet wholly clear, nor wholly dark -, not yet full and perfect gofpel day, nor al- together night. See Zechar. xiv. 6. 7. He might fafely, and he did wifely permit things not properly- belonging to his kingdom, but which were to de- creale, and terminate as the fun arofe, and the day advanced in its full clearnefs and perfeflion. And thefe things, though then only permitted in con- defcenfion, too many very fincere, but in this re- fpeft weak Chriftians, have been gleaning up, from that day to this, inftead of pre 111 ng into the fpi- ritual holy of holies, beyond all vails, figns and fymbols. They puzzle themfelves with the Apoflles condefcending pra6bices, and would ere6l thefe into gofpel ordinances, though nfiirher Chrift nor any of his Apoftles ever enjon' jd their o'v;- "vance as fuch. Indeed they were fo far '^etteath the fpirituality and pure fimplicity (>( the new cove- nant, which was and is in the heart and inward parts, that the great Mediaior thereof never con- defcended, that we have any accourit of, to bap- tize one perfon with water; it is on the contrary exprefsly declared, that ** Jefus himfiif baptized not, but his difciples." Oh ! he well knew why he omitted It; for had he clone it, it mi^ht have induced his mod enlightened followers to con- tinue it, out of veneration to his example; as many now do from that of his dilciplcs, though he C 6i ] he himfelf never once prafbifed nor commanded it; and though Paul thanked God he had bap- tized io very few. See i Cor. i. 14. As to its permifllon during the time after it was in a good degree fulfilled, till Chrift arofe from the dead, it might very well be fufFered in condefcenfion ; for the gofpel day and difpenfa- tion had not then fuHv come in: all that fpace was a time of unfulfilling: many things of an outward typical nature were during that time ful- filled, and very efpecially that of the palTover, which Chrift delired with great defire to eat with his difciplcs before he fufFered. See Luke xxii. 15. But why was he fo earneft to do it before he fufFered ? — The reafon of this hisearnefl defire is plain to him " who has ears to hear," to others it may be a myflery. Chrift could never do it with propriety, unlefs before he fufFered ; and had he not done it, it would have remained un- fulfilled, as to his a6lual fulfilment, by that fpecial participation of it. It belonged only to the law; it vanifhed with Mofes, as water baptifm did with Elias, that is John ; hence it behoved Chrill, in order to its fulfilment ; to cat it before he fufFered ; while things were fulfilling; whilfl the outward and typical things concerning him were having their end (fee verfe 37 of this fame chapter) that fo having done away all thcfe things, he might triumph over them, nailing them to his crofs (fee Col. ii. 14.) and be able on the crofs to fay as he did, " it is finifhed," John xix. 30 ; which he could not have faid with equal propriety, had fo important a type as the pafFover remained unaboliflied by him v and yet many are ignorantly celebrating the pafTover very frequent- E 3 ly. [ 62 ] ly, under an idea that Chrift, at the very time when he ended it, inflituted an outward fupper of perpetual continuance in his church, which could not pofTibly be, confidently with the nature of his kingdom, which is an inward thing; and therefore, when he fent his difciples to prepare for him to eat the paflbver, he bid them fay, " my time is at hand, I will keep the paffover at 'thy houfe with my difciples," Mat. xxvi. i8. He knew the time was at hand for all thefe things to be abolifhed, and have an end, Luke xxii. 37. He freadily calls it the paffover, and never, f think, once by any other name; and having eaten it with his dilciples, and turned their atten- tion to its myflical fignification, to the neceflity of their eating hisfpiritual flefli, and drinking his fpirirual blood, which, that he might take occa- fion to do, that they might live by hrm^ was doubtlefs one great caufeof his anxious defire to eat it wieh them, and juft reminded them, in eating the mere figure, to do it in remembrance of him •, he then, as if purpofely to fhew them it belonged not to the gofpel, wound up the cere- mony, telling them he would not any more eat or drink thefe outward fymbols, nor partake again with them of the paffover, till he drank the wine new with them in the kingdom of heaven (fee Mat. xxvi. 29.) or until it be fulHlled in the kingdom of God, Luke xxii. 16; or, as expreffed verfe »8, " until the kingdom of God Ihall come." This new wine he drank with them eminently in that holy and fpiritual king- dom, which they lived to fee come before they tafled of death, according to liis promife, on the day of Pentecolt and other blcfied feafons — continues to drink it ne-v in ihe fame glorious kingdom [ % ] kingdom with all that open and let him come in, for he fups with them, and they with himj and this is the only true celebration of the Lord's fupper — that which is outward is not (and cannot be) to eat the Lord's fupper ; for that is fpiritual ; no fuch fign and fyoibols can now have any proper place in Chrift's kingdom — but as he is fubftantially and experimentally in and with his people to the end of the world, Mat. xxviii. 20 j as he does not leave them comfortlefs, but Cometh unto them, John xiv. 18 j as he and his Father make their real and living abode with them (fee verfe 23.) fo he eats and drinks with them in his invifible kingdom, where they " fit together in heavenly places in Chrifl: Jefus," which can be only in that kingdom. There they fit under their own vine and fig-tree, where none can make them afraid ; See Mic. iv. 4. Thefe eat the flefh and drink the blood of the Son of God, whereby their fouls are made alive. "What is the chaff to the wheat? faith the Lord," Jer. xxiii. 28. What is a little bit of outward bread, and a cup of wine, at bed taken by way of remembrance, to the real fupper of the Lord, which all the faints partake of, and live by ? and what if Chrift did tell his difciples, as they then ate the outward fign, to do it in re- membrance of him, Luke xxil. 19; and what if Paul told them, as often as they did fo> they fliewed the Lord's death till he came/' i Cor. xi. 26: furely that makes no iriilicurion of a perpe- tual outward ordinance in the church of Chrift. It was a matter of liberty and choice, whether after that once they ate it or not; and that but until the Lord came, according to his prom.ife ^ 4 iihat [ 64 ] that he would not leave them comfort! efs, but •would come unto them. And furely they greatly mifs the true end and defign of it, who are ftill in thele days eating and drinking the outward figure, n )c difcerning the Lord's fpiritual body, nor partaking of that divine flefli and blood that gives life, nourilhrnent and vigour to the foul : for it this was their happy experience and enjoy- ment, in the prefence, company and kingdom of the Lord, with true, living and fenfible difcern- ment of his body, and that fpiritually broken for them, and of his fpiritual blood, livingly and life-givingly fhed for them; why Ihould they be ftill eating and drinking the old, long-ceafed fymbols of it, in remembrance of a prefent Lord and Saviour? Does not this praftice befpeak Chrift's real abfence to their fouls, or their non- difcernment of his fpiritual body ? Let the wife in heart among them ponder it well. But now to return to water baptifm : I was mentioning that it might be continued till Chrift's refurredlion, with fome kind of indulgent pro- priety — and accordingly we find, that as they came down from the mountain (after the transfi- guration) he (Chrift:) charged them that they fhould tell no man what things they had feen, till the Son of Man were ri fen from the dead," Mark ix. 9. The vifion looked forward to that time, for the full completion of the things it was defigned to exhibit — and therefore this very filence enjoined on them till that time, is a further and l^^ud confirmation that the foregoing is the gen 1 :i;: import and meaning of the whole vifion J but further they aflced him, faying, "why [ «s ] offible, Heb. x. 4, '* for ic is not polfible that the blood of bulls and of goats ihould take away fins," and it will for- ever remain as impoCible for outward wafhing to dp it— ^and therefore Peter wilisly adds, after mentioning ihe oaptifm that now faves us, " not the putting away the filth of the flefh j" for he had now learned, whatever he had when, he vifited Cornelius, and it is likely he pretty well knew it then, that outward water could not wafh away fm, nor " make the comers thereunto per- feft, as pertaining to the confcicnce," any more than tiic other figns and divers wailiings under the [ «7 ] the law ; and therefore having mentioned out- ward water in the preceding verfe, left any fliould ignorantly fuppofe he meant outward water, in ipeaking of the baptifm which now faves us, he carefully and immediately diftinguifties, and de- clares he did not mean any outward cleaning, but fomething which really doth fave ; and he aflerts it to be " by the refurreftion of Jefus Chrift,'* as that which livingly known in us, " the refurre>ftion and the life," brings to the comfortable anfwer of a good confcience ; and nothing elfe ever can, for " the law made nothing perfed'* as pertaining to the confcience; for, it having a fliadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with thofe facrifices which they offered year by- year continually, make the comers thereunto per- fect J for then would they not have ceafed to be offered, becaufe that the worfhippers once purg-» ed, fhould have had no more confcience of fins, Heb, X. I, 2. Here we fee thofe outward facrifices and wafh- ings, "the fliadows of good things to come," could never purge the confcience then; nor can any outward baptifms, nor all the waters of Jordan, any more do it now; and therefore Peter, fpeaking of the baptifm which now faves us, brings it home to that which alone can truly purge the confcience, and '* make the comers thereunto peife6l ;" to wit, the bringing in of a better hope, by the which we draw nigh unto God, Heb. vii, 19. Here we " lay hold upon the hope fet before us -, which hope'* (fays the Apo(lle) " we have as an anchor of the foul, both lure and fteadfaff, and which entereth into that within the vail," chap. t 68 ] chap. vi. 18, 19. This is "Chrift in us the hope of glory." See Col. i. 27. This is known only where Chrift is '* the refurreftion and the life" experimentally to the foul, as before ob- ferved. Here alone is the anfwer of a good con- fcience; hereby indeed "we draw nigh unto God," and this is all within, and is the experience of fuchonly whofe underltandings are fo enlight- ened, as to " know what is the hope of this call- ing, and what the riches of the glory of his in* heritance in the faints," Eph. i. 18. CHAP. [ 69 ] CHAP. Ill, j^Il old things dond away in the gojpel ftate. Signs and Jhadows ceajed. Their uje was from merCs alienation from Chriji ; the law being added be- caufe of tranjgrejfion. Chrifi inmeuy the life of all difpenfations , All change in theje^ but in accommo^ dation to the change in men. Shadows but impofed until the time of reformation. T'he way into the holiejl of all not mn?jifejl, whilji the fir ji tabernacle was Jlavding, and the mind refiing in outward ordinances. V/ater baptifmwas under the firji co- venanti and no part of the fecond. Hence the leajly purely under the. fecond ^ is greater than John, as John the Baptifl. As Mofes gave place to Jo- floua, fo John to J ejus. Mofes entered not into Ca- naan ^ nor Johny as the Baptifl:, in- o the purely fpiritual kingdom. Signs and figures make none perfeEl. Hence there is a difannidling of all tbefe for their weaknefs. // is idle tofuppofe one ft of ceremonials abolifjedy to make way for others as gofpel ordinances. Chrifi commijjionates his difci- pleSi at Galilee, to baptize into the very name, the IKtand powtr of God-, not as a feparate aEl, but by tbeir powerful gofpel minifiry. They were to teach baptizingly. AS I have long feen, with forrow, how the fhadows detain people from the lubdance, and how hard many ftrive, even againft lively convidions t 70 J Convlftions to the contrary, at times, and greatlf to their ov/n lofs, in regard to the true riches, glory and inherica^nce of and in the faints, to make thefe outward things anfwer, as a fubftitiite, inftead of inward fubftance ; I am in earned to affift them, if poffible, in the neceflary difcovery that thefe thirds have long agocealed, as to their proper iifej and can have no proper place in the full funihine of the gofpel day. Bear with me, therefore, friendly reader, whilft I further fliow how "all old things" (figns and ceremonies) **are pafTed away" to all thorough Chriftians, ** all things are" (to thefe) '' become new j all things are of God," 2 Cor. xvii. 18. Now it is clear to me, " all old things" arc rot pafTed away, in the experience of any who are continuing in the religious uie of outward bread, wine, water, or any of the old figurative things of the foriner difpenfations. The law was added bccaufe of tranfgreflions, till the feed fhould come, Gal.iii.xix. If man had not tranfgrefled againft the light of Chrilt, lliining in the heart, and enlightening " every man that cometh into the world" (John i.) I fuppofe no out- ward v/ritten law had ever been neceflary. Were not the minds of men alienated from the life and government of Chriftin the foul, where the kingdom of heaven is (for Chrifl declares it is within) none of the figns, either of John's or the Mofaic difpenfation, had ever been found needful. Thefe were only as a fchoo1mafi;er, to lead the mind back from its wanderings " to Chrift:, who is the fame yeft:erday, to day, and forever;" the change is only in us, and all the change of difpenfations, from firfl to laft, is in accommodation and coadefcenfion to the chang- ing t 71 1 ing and changed (late of men. Chrift was " before Abraham," and was and is all the real life, in and under every difpenfation j and thofe outward things were only " impofed on them until the time of reformation" (Heb? ix. lo) until a return to that from which the mind was enftranged, for in that enftranged, bewildered and outward literal llate of mind, the way into the holieft of all was not made manifeft-," for the firft, the outward " tabernacle, was yet ftanding,'* verfe 8j and the mind in this ftate was ftill difpofed to ftop and reft in the outward tabernacle, and in the ftiadow of the firft covenant, " which had many ordinances of divine fervice, and a worldly faniluary." See verfe i . Here the outward worftiippers refted fecure, altheugh this tabernacle was but " a figure for the time then prefent, in which were offered both gifts and facrifices, that could not make him that did the fervice perfe6l, as per- taining to the confcience, which ftood only (Ice it be duly noticed) in meats, and drinks, and divers wafhings and carnal ordinances impofed on them, until the time of reformation," verfe lo. But none of thcfe things belong to the golpcl, or times of real reformation, and full return to the life and fubftance, which was of old, before ever the outward law was written, amply fumcient for all that would keep to it. But men departing from this, and rebelling againft the light, they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof, Job xxiv. 13 And in this alienated and rebellious ftate "the law . entered, that the offence might abound," Rom. v. 20 -, for God, in gracious condcfcenfion to man thus darkened, and wandering from the fure guide, was pleafed lomeet him in'things more outward, toarreft his attention. [ 72 ] attention, and make him fcnfibleof theofFenfivc- nefs of his ftate and condition ; that fo, if it might by any means be efFedled, he might turn to the Lord, and find him a Saviour. Hence the law entered with many very fignificant ceremonies and fervices, pointing out man's need of purifica- tion, forgivenefs, and reftoration. All this was to ferve as a " fchoolmafter to lead to Chrift." It not only pointed to him as then yet to come a great way off, or a long time hence j but it pointed to him alfo direftly, as then at hand, in •and among them, if they would have known and attended to him. For, fays Mofes (Deut. xxx, II, &c.) "this commandment which I com- mand thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou Ihouldeft fay, who fhall go up for us to heaven, and bring it untous, that we may hearit and do it ? neither is it beyond the fea, that thou (houldeft fay, who fhall go over the fea for us, and bl-ing it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? but the word is very nigh thee, in thy mouth and. in thy heart, that thou mayeft do it. And verfe ao, he preffeth it upon them to love and cleave unto the Lord, affuring them thus; " for he is thy life, and the length of thy days.'* Thus did Mofes point out the word near and in them, and referred them plainly to the Lord himfelf, as the life to tht-ir fouls. And Paul tells the Romans, x. B, that this word which Mofes tells Ifrael was near and in them, " is ihe word of faith, which we preach." And in the preceding verfes exprefsly declares this to be the " righte- oufnefs of faith •," and that it fpeaketh on this wife, ** fay not in thine heart, who Ihall afcend into C 73 ] into heaven (that is, to bring Chrifl: down from above) or who fhall defcend into the deep (that is, to bring Chrifl; again from the dead,") &c. Hence it is clear, that the life of Chrifl: the Lord near them and even in them, was what Mofes meant to point them to, and wilh them to love and cleave unto, and which was nothing lefs than the true and living word of faith which the Apof- tles preached. This, as before hinted, has been the real life of all difpenfationsj and when and where the true reformation, return, and cleaving unto this, hearing and doing it, take place in purity and fulnefs, " all old things are pafi!ed away.'* The fliadows vanifli before the light, and the elements melt with the fervent heat of the gofpel fun. These things could never have been defigned. for perpetual continuance in the gofpel fl:ate, but only to lead unto it. " For if tliat firfl: covenant had been faultlefs, then fliould no place have been fought for the fecond," Heb. viii. 7. John's baptifm, as well as the paflbver, was under the firfl: covenant, and no proper part of the fecond. Had it been part of the fecond, how could Chriil have tefl:ified, as before noticed, that though among them that are born of women, there hath not rifen a greater than John the Baptifl., notvnth- ilandinp: he that is leafl: in the kingrdom of heaven is greater than he? Mat. xi. 11; but the reafon is now plain, as already evinced, why the leafl: in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he, to wit, that both he, as John the Baptifl, and his baptifm, belonged not to the fecond covenant: and that therefore, as John the Baptifl:, he was but the ad- minifl:rator of a baptifm that has no proper place F . in [ 74 1 in Chrift's fpirltual kingdom, to the leafl:> in the purity of which, " all old things are palfed away.*' This ftate is evidently greater, as has been ob- ferved already, than that of John, as the baptizer in outward water, in which capacity he is here ipoken of-, and as fuch he was to decreafe, and U'ls baptifm to give place to Chrift*s. As a faint and fervant of God, he was never to decreafe, but to " increafe with the increafe of God y'* but his difpenfation, his baptifm, was ever defigned to decreafe, and be fulfilled. And I think it will be granted, that the lead in the pure kingdom of life and fubftance is, and muft be, in the nature of things, greater than any ever could be in the mere adminiftration of a decreaf- ing and terminating inllitution. John was doubtlefs, as a Chriflian (and fuch there have been in all ages, Abraham was emi- nently one) great in the kingdom of heaven, but this was not as John theBaptilt; as fuch, he came to, but did not enter the kingdom, nor belong to it, he faw it with his eyes, and knew, and pointed to the Lord oi it j but as Moles went not over Jordan, though he did much towards leading Ifrael to their inheritance, but gave place to Jofhua, v/liofe name, like that of Jefus, fignifies a Saviour, and who conducted them after Mofes into the good land j fo John the Baptift, as fuch, could not belong to the purtly fpiritual kingdom of our Lord ; but gave place to him, the anointed Saviour, who baptizcth every member and fub- jefb of his church and kingdom, into the very life and power of the kingdom, which ■' is not meat and drink, but righteoufnels, and peace, and joy in [ 75 ] jn the Holy Ghofl," Rom. xiv. 17. And feeing John's baptifni was no part of the fccond cove- nant, but was under the firft, and its proper ufe was only whilft the firft tabernacle was ftanding, it is equally difannuUed by the aboliiliing of the firft covenant, and removal of the fi.ft taber- nacle, with the other figurative obfervations 5 and for the fame reafon was this difannulled, as were the others, viz. its infufficiency, weaknefs, and utter inability to make perfed: the corners thereunto. " For there is verily a difannuUing of the commandment, going before, for the weak- nefs and unprofitablenefs thereof. For the law made nothing perfect j but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God," Heb. vii. 18, 19. Here we fee that which went before the new covenant ftate was, for its weaknefs and unprofitablenefs in making perfeft, difannulled J and furely John's miniftration and baptifm went before that ftate, and were defigned exprefsly to prepare for it. I marvel that Chrif- tians do not fee it, and prefs on beyond it. It is idle to fuppofe one fet of figns and ceremonies difannulled for their weaknefs, and another fet introduced as perpetual ordin;mces in the gofpel ftate, we do not read, that, " finding fault" with the rites, figures and ordinances of the firft covenant ; God ordained water-wafhing, and eat- ing and drinking bread and wine, as more per- manent and perpetual inftitutions of the new or fecond covenant. Nay, verily, he finds fault equally with ail things in their own nature equally partal^ing of the fame weaknefs; both were of divine inftitution for a time, and equally weak and liable to a neceffary abrogation ; and being both typical, there was no more perpetual per- F 2 manency [ 76 ] manency in the one than the othen neither in themfelves, nor in their inftitution j and of the Mofaic inftitutions, it is exprefsly faid, find- ing fault with them, he faith, "behold the days come, faith the Lord, when 1 will make a new covenant with the houfe of Ifrael, and with the houfe of Judah," Heb. viii. 8. Now what was this new covenant ? It was intended to fuper- cede and fupply the defcds of the old ; but there is not one word of any of thofe outward ordi-- nances in it.— They are all old things ; and how- ever extolled by many good men, belong to the old covenant forever. So that the ceremonials of the law are as much gofpel ordinances as water baptifm, or bread and wine. The new covenant is altogether inward and fpiritual. *' For this is the covenant that I will make with the houfe of Ifrael, after thofe days, faith the Lord j 1 will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, and 1 will be to them a God, and they fhall be to me a peo- ple,'* &c. verfe lo. "Chrift has not entered into the holy places, made with hands, which are the figures of the true," Heb. ix, 24. Nor ought we, if we would become completely his followers, to continue in the figurative walhings, any more than in the figurative ofi^erings and old ceremonious worfhip of that temple, which was but a figure of the true. — " The priefthood being changed, there is madeof necefiity a change alio of the law,*^. vii. 12. It behoved that the baptifms accom- panying the firll priefthood, the worldly ta- bernacle, and holy places made with hands, fhould, like them, be outward : but now, the law being changed, and the covenant written in the heart, a fpiritual baptifm alone can be proper, and [ 77 ] and accordingly is the one only baptifm of thc^ gofpel, for if it was neceflary *' that the patterns of the heavenly things," thefe being outward, fhould be figuratively purified with outward fprinklings^ wafhings, &c. furely it is as necef- fary that the heavenly things themfelvcs be puri- fied with better facrifices and wafhings than thefe.'* See Heb. ix. 23. I think if the vail were done away in the experience of Chriftians, they might in this one text, Heb. x. 5, " when he Cometh into the world, he faith, facrifice and offerings thou wouldcft not, but a body haft thou prepared me," read clearly the difmiflion of all figurative atonements and purifications ; all the facrifices and offerings " he taketh away" — as the firft things, ** that he may eftablifhi the fecond" — that is, " lo I come to do thy will, O God." This muft be done in all the {ted ; and this is the thing that remaineth forever, eftablifhed under the gofpel. — The fcope of the Apoftle's reafoning in this chapter, againfl the continuation of the " fhadows of the good things to come," is from their weaknefs, their impro- priety and ufelefTnefs, where the fubftance is known, and thus he argues, that where remifiion of fins is obtained, there is no more offering for fin. See verle 18. Why then continue a baptifm that was exprefsly unto repentance, for the remif- fion of fins, if we have obtained remiiTion ? Paul brings in the new covenant written in the heart, and the remifiion of fins, attending it. ''Their fins and iniquities will I remember no more ;" and in the very next words forms the above conclufion. Now where remifTion of thefe is, there is no more offering for fin. — And after he gets through with the argument, inftead of urging any outward bap- F^ tifms, [ 78 ] tifms, or figurative obfervations, he prefTingly enjoins love, good v^^orks, holding faft, not draw- ing back, not neglefting aflembling, not to caft away confidence, patience, &c. — Can any thing be plainer, than that fuch care and conftancy in faith, patience, and godly walking, according to the writing of the new covenant, are the weighty matters of the gofpel difpenfation in Paul's eftimation ? that as he was not lent to baptize with water, fo he never in all his writing enjoins it, nor reproves for its omiffion ; he fpeaks of the believers, not as being then exercifed in the terrible things at Sinai, but as come to the excel- lent things of Mount Sion, '* the heavenly Jeru- falem, to the fpirits of jufl: men made perfecl ; and to Jefus the mediator of the new covenant j to the blood of fprinkling,'* &c. This is all fuffici- ent without the figures- — and fo he fhows the re- moval of all elfe, "Yet once more I fhake not the earth only; but alfo heaven'* — this is the re- moval of things that are (haken— " that thofe things which cannot be {haken may remain." *' Wherefore" (fays he) " we receiving a king- dom which cannot be m^oved, let us have grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably with re- verence and godly fear." • See about the latter half of chapter xii. and xiii. 9, He fubjoins ** be not carried about with divers and ftrange doiflrines ; for it is a good thing that the heart be eftabliflied with grace-, not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." — Did he not mean thefe elementary things, by the ftrange do(5lrines ? if nor, why does he fo immediately propofe grace as the means of eftablifiiment, and difcountenance meats as unprofitable ? and what means the altar in the next vcrfe. t 79 ] v^rfe, whereof they have no right to eat which, ferve the tabernacle? is not this altar and that which is eaten, by the we, who have it, and have a right to eat of it, fomething belong- ing to the kingdom they have received which cannot be fhaken ? and are not the meats, drinkings and wafhings, that are unprofitable, the things that are Ihaken ? and why is the Ihaking and removal of thefe, called fhaking heaven ? is it not plainly becaufe thefe are things that had pertained to devotion and religious fervices, and were ytt urged as fuch by too many ? and can any thing remain of a ceremonial nature, where this heaven is thoroughly fhaken, where all old things are done away, and all things become new, according to the new and living way of the gofpel ? — This epiftle is fuppofed to have been written in the year fixty-four; fo that there had been a pretty full time of trial what was and what was not profitable to thofe who had been occupied in them ; and we find here many good things inculcated and enjoined ; hut cerem.onials are rejected, as pertaining to the firft covenant, and as now fl^iaken and re- moved', and is it not truly worthy of remark, that John, the beloved difciple of our Lord, who is fuppofed to have written his hiftory of Chrift's life and doiftrines many years after his afcen- flon, makes no mention at all of our Saviour's condu6t at the eating of the paHbver, in regard to the difciples eating and drinking in remem- brance of him — but relaxes very circumilanti- ally his other condu6t of waOiing the difciplea feet, and the inftruclive leiToa couched in it ? May we not fairly conclude> that as the only F 4 propejt [ 8o ] proper time of 'the difciples* eating and drink- ing in remembrance of Chrift, was but until his coming again, the Comforter to take up his abode with them, and lead and guide them into all truth ; and as this feafon was long elapfed, when John wrote, that therefore, he thinking it of no ufe to mention it, pafled it in total filence, as one of the many things which Jefus truly did, but which are not noticed in his hiftory? We find him very careful in correfting a hearfay report, which might, if be- lieved, tend to lead people into outward ob- fervances, which he appears not to have relied on, nor inculcated in all his writings. The report I allude to is that, by the fpreading whereof "the Pharifees had heard that Jefus made and baptized more difciples than John** the Baptiil. This miftake the beloved difciple, who leaned on Jefus' bofom, and having near accefs to his heart, knew much of his mind and will, takes fpecial care to redify, by a full declaration that "Jefus himfelf baptized not, but his difciples." Obferving this general, omifllon of things not effential, and his great care to tranfmit down to pofterity many heavenly and truly evangelical and deeply interefting fayings, exhortations and divine intimations of the bklTed Jefus ; I have been ready to fuppofe his whole aim, in mentioning water baptifm at all, was juft to do John the Baptift and the Pharifees juftice; properly introduce Jefus as increafing, and John as decreafing ; carefully record John's repeated mention of water, as peculiar to his baptifm, in direfb contradif- tindion to Chrill'si and pointedly to con trad id the [ Si ] the miftaken opinion, that Chrift baptized in water. John knew very well the difciples did fo, and doubtlefs knew on what ground it was. - Let any- one read carefully his evangelical hifbory and epillles, and obferve his alaioft total filence about many things related by others, and how he abounds in the mention of deep fpiritual matters ; and fee if it does not greatly favour the opinion, that John faw the abundant need of preferving and inculcating things of an inward, living, fpiritual import and concernment, and divine nature: he aimed at life and fubftance, and carefully retained what is moft livingly expreflive of it, and what tends mod imme- diately to promote the knowledge of it among men. In his epiftles he dwells almofl: entirely on things really eflential : he makes the old com- mandment, the word they had " heard from the beginning" — ^and the new, " which thing" (fays he) " is true in him and in you," to centre in the doctrine of the true light that now fhineth, i John ii. 7, 8. And his advices are to faithful- nefs in keeping and abiding in the holy word, to love and good works j but not a word of ex- hortation to ceremonials. — And may we notfairlv conclude, both water baptifm, and the bread and wine, were much laid afide, or very little relied upon or inculcated^ at the late period at whicli, this beloved difciple wrote ? CHAP [ 82 ] CHAP. IV. ChrljTs baptijm is into the name, z. e. life and power of the Godhead. So his commijjion to his dijciples to adminijler it^ could not be executed but by divijie power. They waiting for, received th'iSj and bap- tized others with it. All gofpel preaching is herein, and in its nature is baptizing. Chrijt's baptijm effeEis entire fan5fification. John^s a lively type cf it, being all over in water. It pewed the need of cleanftng and remijfion, hut effected neither. Chriji's alone can, John conflantly dijiinguifhes YnsfroraChriJl's, by the word-^2iX.er. Cbrtflbap' tized none in water, nor ordered it (that appears) but douhtlefs would, had it been his baptijm. None of the prophecies point him out Jo baptizing, hut as effecting inward changes. Dijciples uje oj water no more perpetuates it, than their uJe cf circumcijion, anointing with oil, vows, &'c. do them. Paul's commijjion full, y^^ he thanks God be baptized Jo Jew. Council at Jerufalem. did not advife water, bread or wine. LET us now attend more particularly to the great baptifmal commiffion. Mat. 2S« The fbch verfe introduceth it thus: " and Jefus came' [ 83 ] came and fpake unto them, faying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." A very proper introduftion to command attention, in- ipire confidence, and fliow them whence their whole qualification to teach baptizingly was to proceed. 19th, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them eis to onoma, into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft." 20th, " Teaching them toobferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you : and lo ! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Obferve he fays, " go ye therefore j" that is, becaufe " I have all pow- er," and can and will qualify you fo to teach, in my own life and power, as thereby to baptize the people into the very name, the power, virtue and life, of the Divinity. Obferve further, the commiffion is not teach, and baptize, as two dif- tinft ads ; but teach, baptizing. And, as fuch a work might feem almofl too great for their faith, he adds, that he (who had all power) would be with them in the work, and that to the end of the world. It is plain that this commifllon, as it enjoins a very fpecial kind of teaching, fuch as fhould bap- tize the people into true difciplefhip, as members of the body, the church of Chrift; fo it could not be executed but by a fupernatural alTiftance received from on high. " Behold" (faid Chrift) ** I fend the promife of my Father upon you ; but tarry ye in the city of Jerufalem, until ye be endued vvich power from on high," Luke xxiv. 49. John truly baptized with water, but ye (hall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft not many days hence," Acts i. v. *' Ye iliall receive power after that [ 84 ] that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you j and ye Ihall be witneffes unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoft part of the earth," verfe 8. Thus evi- dent it is, that their being living witneffes of Chrift depended on the power of the Holy Ghoft coming upon them j and that they could never adminifter his baptifm, till they were thereby fo endued, as to teach, baptizing into the fame Spirit themfclves were baptized with. This bap- tifm into the name, they in due time fo eminently received, as they waited for it according to di- rection — " with one accord in one place," A<5ls ii. I J that is probably in filent retirement, wait- ing upon God ; that in the power thereof they taught with fuch baptizing efficacy, that multi- tudes were pricked in their heart, Afts ii. 37. The Holy Ghoft fell on them which heard the •word, chap. X. 44. Their very enemies were not able to refift the wifdom and the fpirit by which they fpake, as chap. vi. 10. Thus truly "with great power gave the Apoftles witnefs of the re- furrettion of the Lord Jefus," chap. iv. 33. And thus they preached the gofpel unto the people, ^' with the Holy Ghoft fentdown from heaven," I Peter i. x2. No wonder then it fell on thofe who in true faith, that was of the operation of God, received the word, and gladly embraced the gof- pel. Chrift promifed, ♦* he that believeth on me, as the fcriptiTe hath faid, out of his belly Ihall flow rivers of living water; but this fpake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him fhould receive," John vii. 38, 39. And what can be more natural than for it to flow into others, as it flows out of them? efpecially as Chrift's exprefs diredion was, " freely ye have received, freely t 85 ] give." It fccms the Spirit not only flows into* and continues to flow in tlie hearts of true believ- ers, but more or lefs flows out of them upon others ; for they are, as Chrift teftifies, the " light of the world," Mat. v. 14; "the fait of the earth," 13 J "a city fet upon an hill," 14, &c. He promifed to make his difciples " filhers of men." Some affirm, no man can baptize with the Holy Ghoft, truly none can, in his own time and abili- ty ; nor can any preach the gofpel but by divine afllftance. All true gofpel miniftry is in the life of the Son of God, and wherever it proves effec- tual to the converfion of fouls, it is a baptizing miniftry. None arc fifliers of men, but who are made fo by Chrift : learning and eloquence may amufe, but it is the Holy Ghoft fent down from heaven that makes gofpel preachers. This fheds itfclf through fuch, in a blefled diffufion upon others, oft times, in a very lively, inftruftive and foul-benefiting manner. And this is a thing as experimentally known, where the real gofpel, which is the power of God unto falvation, is preached jn the life, evidence and demonftration of the Spirit, and with power, as any gofpel ex- perience whatever j and it is fti'-ange to hear Chriftians deny it. Does the preaching of the gofpel in our day fucceed or not to the real benefit of fouls ? If not, it is ufclefs. If it does, what caufes the benefit? Is it of God, or of man ? Art thou fo vain, oh ! man, as to think thou canft do any fpiritual good of thyfelf, unafiifted by the Spirit of Chrift ? If this is thy idea, thou art no true gofpel [ S6 ] gofpel minifter; for they know they can do no- thing of themfelves. — If thou art fenfible of the help, life and affiftance of the holy Spirit in thy miniftry, and of a divine and beneficial influence on the minds of thofe who partake of it, thou may ft reft aflured, that fo far as it is truly fo, it is through the operation of the Holy Ghoft on their hearts; and whatever be the degree of this, more orlefs, thy miniftry is fo far, and no further, a baptizing miniftry: fo far, and no further, it is truly the miniftry of the gofpel. And it is thus, and only thus, that it pleafeth " God, through the fooliftsnefs of preaching, to lave them that believe,'* i Cor. i. 21. — It is very un- likely that any fhould be faved through preach- ing, unlefs thereby baptized with the one faving baptifm, for nothing elfe ever can fiive. Hence, clear it is, that through true gofpel preaching, this baptifi\T is adminiftered to them that be- lieve ; the word preached being mixed with faith in them that hear it. And no miniftry that is not in its own nature, life and influence, baptizing, is in any degree the genuine miniftry of the gofpel. — But, thanks be unco God, there is yet prefervcd a living, powerful and heart-baptizing miniftry j and many are the living witneflj^s of it, and of its blefled efFeds ; and 1 am well con- firmed, that no rightly qualified gofpel minifter can doubt of the baptizing influence of right mi- niftry. He who knows Chrift, living, afling and fpeaking in him, knows that which alone baptizes with the Holy Ghoft and with fire. " 1 in them, and thou in me," lays Chrift to his Father, John xvii. 23. And many other texts declare Chrift in us ; and true and bleflied expe- rience indubitably confirms it. What then can be [ 8? ] be too hard for his minifters, in and under his influence ? Paul fays, " I can do all things through Chrift, which ftrengtheneth me," Phil, iv. 13. But Chrift himfelf puts the matter be- yond all reafonable difpute, John xiv. 12; and he aflerts it with '^ a verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do Ihall he do ; and greater works than thef* fhall he doj becaufe I go to my Father." Hence Paul fays, " I have begotten you, through the gofpel," I Cor. iv. 15; and fpeaks of impart- ing fpiritual gifts, Rom. i. 11. Hence, on the laying on of the Apoftles hands, " the Holy Ghoft was given," Adts viii. 18. Hence, as Peter began to fpeak to the houfhold of Cornelius, the Holy Ghoft fell on them. And hence Chrift fays (in confideration that it was he who fpake in his difciples, and his Father in him, and fo in them) «' he that receiveth you, receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that fent me," Mat. X. 40. On this ground Paul calls himfelf ** the minifter of Jefus Chrift to the Gentiles ; mihiftering the gofpel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being fanftified by the Holy Ghoft," Rom. xv. 16. And verfe 18 he adds, " for I will not dare to fpeak of any of thefe things, which Chrift hath not wrought by me." Well then might he fpeak of miniftering the gofpel, which is the power of God; feeing it was all the work of Chrift by him, and refulted in fandlification, by the Holy Ghoft, the baptizing power of the gofpel. Indeed the very defign of the gofpel miniftry is to open people's eyes, and to turn them from darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan unto God," Ads xxvi. 18. Thjs 88 ] This miniflry lays the axe to the root of the corrupt trees in men's hearts, and therein is exe- cuting the very work of Chrift. It is truly Chrift that does the work j but he works much by inftruments : John was a great inftrument in his hand : his miniftry was very ufeful in helping to kindle that fire which was to burn up the chaff. He powerfully taught the neceffity of this fiery baptifm, and of renouncing all dependence on being Abraham's children. This was a good be- ginning, and was a very neceflfary preparation for Chrift, who had afterwards ftill further, and pref- fingly too, to combat and alarm that difpofition, perhaps as prevalent now as at that day j and that among too many profeffing Chriftians, may I not fay, of all denominations ? I belong to this or that reformed and truly religious fociety j we are in the true faith and practice of the Apoftles. Here thoufands ftick in a lifekfs profeffion, as to themfelves j and yet imagine themfelves the tru^ feed and offspring of Abraham, fpiritually. And it is very hard removing them from their ftrong holds, or making them fenfibleof theneed of the axe and the fiie. John's miniftry was to fuch, doubtlefs, truly awakening. And then, as already obferved, his dipping them, not partly,, but all over in water, was a lively and very ftrik- ing reprefentation of the baptifm whereby Chrift thoroughly cleanfeth the floor of the heart. And to point out this, and to enkindle a defire to ex- perience it, was ail that outward dipping could do, fave to wafti away ilie outward filth of the flefti. It could do nothing in itfclf towards real remiffion of fins j that is the work of Chrift, and the foul is brought to experience it through his baptifm. Hence John v/ui, very careful to prevent the [ 89 ] the idea of his own baptifm being faving. He never once fpeaks of it, that I recolleft, but he adds the word water, to turn the mind from reft- ing in it, as a thing in any wife profitable, further than as it reprefented a perfect cleanfing and puri- fication by Chrill's, and engaged them to prefs after it. I indeed baptize you with water, but Chrift fliall baptize you with the Holy Ghofl: and fire, and thereby cleanfe you thoroughly within, as I wafli, or dip you all over outwardly, is the import of John's teftimony. And three times, in eight verfes, fpeaking of his own bap- tifm, he every time carefully adds the word water, in contradiftinftion to Chrift's. Firft, being ex- amined why he baptized, if he was not Chrift, Elias, nor that prophet ; it feems he thought it apology enough to tell them, John i. 26, " I baptize with water ;" and refer them to Chrift for gofpel baptifm, that is of the Holy Ghoft. For outward water being no part of Chrifl's baptifm, but being long before then in fome fort pradlifed among the Jews, it was no intrufion into Chrift's office for John to baptize with it. So that this fhort anfwer of John, that he only baptized with water (an old pradice) an outward, and compa- ratively a low thing, entirely different from Chrifl's baptifm, and no part of it, was amply fulficient to exculpate John from any juft impu- tation of meddling with things too high for him, or belonging to another. But further to evince how careful John was to keep up the diftinflion that forever exifts, in the very ground and nature of them, between his baptifm and Chrift's — we find that in the 31ft yerfe he again dwells on or repeats this important diftindion, by the word water, *' that he fhould be made manifeft to G Ifrael, t 90 ] Ifrael, therefore am I come baptizing with water^' — and no further on than the next verfe but one, the 33d, he again holds up the fame dillindionj •* he that fent me to baptize with water, the fame faid unto me, upon whom thou fhalt fee the Spirit defcending and remaining on him, the fame is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghofb." — One would think this three-fold teftimony, all in fo fhort a time, might fatisfy every fober mind that water baptifm, and that of Clirift, are en- tirely two diftin6t and feparate things; and more efpecially, as touching water, it is very particu- larly recorded that Jefushimfelf baptized not. He might and did, with a great deal of wifdom and condefcending goodnefs, as noted before; allow his difciples to do it, in that v;eak and early (late and ftage of things, before all the fhadows could well be laid afide, their minds not being then able to bear it : "I have yet many things to fay unto you, but ye cannot bear them now," John xvi. 12. And as the difciples did, through this all- wife permiflion, baptize confiderable numbers, and that upon their faith in and following Jefus, and becoming his difciples, it was but natural for the people to confider it as if Chrill had done it him- felf. Nor is it at all ftrange therefore that " the pharifees had heard that Jefus made and baptized more difciples than John (though Jefus himfelf baptized not, but his difciples") John iv. i, 2, And as what a man does by others, he is often called the doer of; fo the people then (fuppofing the difciples baptized by Chrift's authority and commiflion, becaufe they were his difciples and followers whom they fo baptized) faid he bap- tized; but it is clear enough that he only futFered it, and that in condefcenfion j nor do I believe it would [ 9' ] Would ever have been fo carefully recorded that he himfelf baptized not, had outward water been any part of his baptifm ; but his baptifm being quite another thing, he faw it proper wholly to avoid adminiftering outward water as an ordi- nance; and that probably left it fliould counte- nance an idea that it belonged to his gofpel and kingdom ; and fo ftrengthen the already too ftrong attachment of the people to things outward ; and to prevent this in after times, it was alfo proper, that it fhould be exprefsly recorded that " Jefus himfelf baptized not ; and in confirmation of thefe fenciments it may be obferved, that he never once on any occafion enjoined it on any to baptize, or be baptized, in water — we read particularly what he did, and what he ordered done, on divers par- ticular occafions. — Many believed on him, many he healed, and caft out devils ; but never a word that he either baptized any of thefe, or ordered them baptized, in water. — We read exprefsly, that he direfted one to go and offer for his cleanfing " the gift that Mofes commanded, for a tefti- mony unto them," Mat. viii. 4. Another he ordered to " go wafh in the pool of Siloam," John ix. 7 : but not an initance of any one ordered by him to be baptized by another in water. But had water baptifm been his, or any part of his gofpel, it would have been a ftrange thing indeed had he never vouchfafed once to adminifter it, nor order it done on any of the muliitudes that believed on him, or out of whom he caft devils, or whom he healed. And even this omilTion alone, it prevailing throughout the whole hiftory ofhis life, both before and after his refurre(5lion, were in my view fufficient to overthrow the notion G 1 [ 9« ] notion of water baptifm being a gofpel ordU nance. What! appoint a folemn ordinance, even a facrament (as feme call it) of perpetual obliga- tion in the church, and never once deign to ad- minifter it, or order it admirjiftered to arty indi- vidual, among all the thoufands who became his difciples ? This were ftrangc indeed j and to mc is quite incredible, and inadmiflible. Indeed among all the very pointed and remarkable pro- phecies concerning Chrift, there is not one in all the Old Teftament that points him out as the adminiftrator of water baptifm, or as eftablifhing a church or kingdom accompanied with any fuch outward ordinances. The Father, by Ifaiah, fpeaks of him as the Lord's Eleft, in whom his foul delightethj declaring, If. xlii. i, "I have put my Spirit upon him'* — giving him " for a covenant to the people, for a light to the Gen- tiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out the pri- foners, and them that fit in darknefs>" &c. and further, " behold the former things are come to pafs, and new things do I declare 5 before they fpring forth, I tell you of them." But not a word, among all thefe new things, of his bap- tizing in outward water. His work was to bring forth judgment unto truth, enlighten the Gen- tiles, bring out of prifon and darknefs, " bring the blind by a way they knew not," an inward fpiritual way; not the way of figns, Ihadows, and outward ordinances — thefe were the old things ; *^ I will lead them in paths that they have not known." Thefe are inward. Again, If. Hi. 13, "Behold my fervant fliall deal prudently," &c. — 15. " fo fliall he fprinkle many [ 93 ] many nations,'* &c. He was Indeed more truly wife and prudent, than to praclife or efteem out- ward fprinkling or dipping as a gofpel ordinance; his is a fpiritual fprinkling, as explained Ez. xxxvi. 25, " then will I fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye (hall be clean." The 26th and ajth verfes promiie a new heart, and new fpirit — the Lord's Spirit put within them. Such things as thefe did the prophets foretel — but not once in all their predidions, of return, reformation, reftoration, and building the wafte places, and the like, do they ever mention or hint at Chrift:*s bajKizing with water, or eftablifhing any fuch kind of (hadowy inftitutionsin his glorious gofpel church. Nor did Chrift, when he came, ever once, that we read of, call that of water his bap- tifm. Indeed it is never once fo called in all the Bible, that I can find. And, m.oreover, 1 do not find that Chrift ever called it by any other name than John's baptifm. And is it not wonderful^ that he fhould conftantly, and as often as he fpake of water baptifm, call it John's, if it was as truly his own, as John's ? Or how can we fuppofe he ordained it as a ftanding ordinance in his churchy and yet never mentioned it once as fuch? — Why Ihould he leave his followers, to the world's end^ under the great difficulties and difadvantages of fuch a total filence, if he willed them to ufe it as his baptifm? Was Mofes more faithful in his houfe, than Chrift in his ? Mofes was very parti- cular in defcribing the rituals of the law, even ta very minute circumftances : and would Chrift ordain a perpetual inftitution, and never once call it his own, but always call it John's? He knew very well that both himfelf, John, and Qthers, called and underftood water baptifm to Q ^ be [ 94 ] be John's. He alfo knew his own was repeatedly placed in diiedt connadiftinftion to it — and faid to be with the Holy Ghoft. So that in commifTion- ating his diiciples to adminifter his own baotifm, there vvas no need to defcribe it over again ; for it had been fo often exprefsly defined, and dif- tinguifhed from that of water, that he nnight well fuppofe no real dil'eiple of his need be at a lofs to know what he meant by the word baptizing in his great gol'pel commifTion — and efpeciaily after having fo abundantly, and on fo many occafions, taught cnem the inward and fpiritual nature of his kingdom, and fo repeatedly turned their minds from outward obfervations, to inward realities. But had he inftituted water baptifm, after all this, as a gofpel ordinance, it would have been highly requifite for him to have exprelTed it to. be water, in the moft particular manner— much more fo than if his baptifm had never been named as different from water. He might well know his followers would be apt to conclude he infti- tuted his own baptifm, and not one which had fo repeatedly been exprefsly diftinguiihed there- from. He might well know that thofe whofc minds were, at lead" in degree, opened by his repeated endeavours to turn them from things outward to things inward, from figns to fub- ftance, would not be unlikely to underftand his words to mean fpiritually; inftead of turning back, to fuppofe him now at laft bringing them in bondage to weak and beggarly elements. He had comforted their forrowful fouls with a pro- mife of coming again to them in fpirit, and taking up his abode with them, and thus remaining with them to the end of the world. — Almoft every thing [ 95 3 thing he had faid to them, for fome time paft, had tended diredtly and indeed been by him de- fio-ned, to lead inward, and to a fpiritual dif- cerning and underftanding of things ; fo that had he now, juft before he left them, turned back, and in diredt contradi6lion to the very nature of his gofpel and kingdom, and to the whole fcope and tenor of his own excellent parables and dif- courfcs, inftituted an outward baptifm or fupper, it might furely be expedted he would have told them exprefsly what he intended — nor can I fup- pofe he would by any means have omitted it.— I am fo well afTured of the fpirituality of the gofpel, and of Chrift's dodtrines and difcourfes, that I cannot entertain the leaft idea, but that had he eftabliihed outward figns, he would have very explicitly declared them to be outward. — Others may think othcrwife. But though I have great charity and good- will for many who adhere to thofe figns, I cannot but think, that where they come to have a full view of the purity of the gofpel ftate, and a clear underftanding of the drift and defign of Chrift's many hints, intima- tions, and heavenly communications to his dif- ciples, they muft lee the total abolition of all the mere rituals, both of John and of Mofes, It is often urged, that Chrift's difciples bap- tized in water. I conceive this no more per- petuates water baptifm, than their circumcifing, purifying, fhaving, vows, anointing the fick with oil, abftaining from blood, and from things ftrangled, perpetuate thefe things in the church. — Thefe two laft were exprefsly enjoined by the elders, even upon the Gentiles, and that after deliberate confideration and debate, at the time G4 of [ 96 ] of the great Council at Jerufalem, Acts 1 5, though at the lame time, through afliftance of the Holy Ghoft, they decreed againft circumcifing the Gentiles, and confidered circumcifion as an uneafy yoke J yet in the beginning of the very next chapter, we read that Paul, though he and Ti- mothy had thefe very decrees to deliver, to be kept as they pafTed through the cities, even at fuch a juncture as this, he aded fo greatly in condefccnfion to the weaknefs of the Jews, that he circumcifed Timothy, becaufe of themj and after he had palTed on, and they had delivered iaid decrees, on his return again to Jerufalem, all the elders, with James (who had pointedly decided againft circumcifion in regard to the Gentiles) told Paul that many thoufands of the Jews believed ; that the^ were zealous of circum- cifion and the law of Mofes, and advifed him to purify himfelf, and be at charges, &c. with four men that had a vow -, that fo thofe over-zealous Jews might fee he kept the law, and walked orderly, A6ts, xxi. 20 — 24. — And yet in the next verfe they fay, "as touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they obferve no fucli thing," 6cc. So we read, ver. 26, '* then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himfelf with them, entered into the temple, to fignify the accomplifhment of the days of purification, until that an ofiering fhould be offered for every one of them." So very great v/as the condefcenfion of the primitive Apoftles and elders to the weak ftate of the people in thofc early times. — To the weak, Paul fays he became weak, yea tliat lie was made all things to all men, that he might U\t fomc, i Cor. ix. 22 i and this he exprefsly declares he did for the gofpel fake, verle [ 97 ] verfe 23. — Yea further he fays exprefsly, he caught them with guile, 2 Cor. xii. 16. This kind of condefcending guile they doubtlefs thought neceffary in thofe times of weaknefs and zeal for ordinances. — Paul's knowledge of Chrift was by revelation, and fo he faw clearly beyond thofe outfide things, and knew that neither they, nor water baptifm, could pofTibly belong to the gofpel. Hence, though on the fame principle of condefcenfion he baptized a few, he thanked God it was fo very few •, and declared he was not fent commiffioned to do it, i Cor. i. 17. Had he not known it was not Chrift's baptifm, nor within the great commiffion, he would not have dared to affront his Lord, by thanking him that he had fo almoft totally neglefted his great gofpel ordinance. — Paul's commilfion to the Gentiles, Ad:s xxvi. 18, is exprefsly " to open their eyes, and to turn them from darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgivenefs of fins, and inheritance among them which arc fancftified, by faith that is in me." This is as full, and contains the very fum and elTence of the general commif- fion. Mat. xxviii. 19, &c. and Mark xvi. only that it feems confined to the Gentiles. The general commiffion is, to teach all nations, baptizing them into the name, &c. and declares that he that believeth, and is fe baptized, (hall be faved. — Paul's commifllon is to open the eyes of the Gentiles, and turn them from darknefs to the light, and from the power of Satan to God. And if any can doubt whether this is the fame baptizing miniftry of the gofpel, mentioned in the more general commilTion, let the concluding words of Paul's commiffion be duly weighed, •nhac [ 98 ] " that they may receive forgivenefs of fins, and inheritance among them which are fandificd, by faith that is in me/'-^Here they were not only to receive forgivenefs of fins, but the fame inherit- ance with all the other fanftified, and that through the fame faith j for thus believing, they were baptized through the powerful miniftry of the Apoftle, which was in the evidence and demon- llration of the Spirit, &:c. into the life, power and virtue of the fame eternal name: they were turned truly unto God ; and thus truly believing, and being livingly and fanctifyingly baptized into the fame holy name, and into the fame heavenly in- heritance, and therein abiding, the promife that they Ihall be faved, was equally in force to them, as to others fo believing and being fo baptized: that if there is any effential difference in thefe two commiffions, as to what was to be done by thofe fent forth in the execution of them, I have not yet difcovered it, except in Paul's limitation to the Gentiles J and 1 have not the leafl: doubt but that Paul did, in the execution of this com- miflion, as truly baptize into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, as ever an Apoftle of Chrift did, under the general commiffion ; yea, did adminifter the very fame baptifm therein en- joined, that is Chrift's, and not John's. I am full in the faith, that Paul well knew the general commiffion contained no precept for water bap- tifm. He knew too well the nature andfpiritu- ality of Chrift's kingdom, to fuppofe it did — and therefore doing what he did, at baptizing with water, in mere condefcenfion, he might as well, when he faw the abufe made of it, thank God that he had done no more — as he might that he |iad circumcifed no morci for as neither circum- cifion [ 99 ] c'lfion nor uncircumcifion, fimplyj is any thing in this kingdom ; fo neither is baptifm nor non- baptifm in water, fimply, any thing at all there- in — but the new creature : and this is all in all in this fpiritual kingdom. ^ Some may think I make very bold with gofpel ordinances, as they call them j but though I feel tenderncfs towards many who think them luch, I am at no lofs in pronouncing them no real parts of the goipel. And if they had been, why did not the great Council at Jeruialern, when it feemed good CO the Holy Gaoit and to them to lav upon the Gentiles no greater burthen than the few things they then nau.ed, mention water baptifm, ana the bread and wine, as things nccellary to be punctually obferved ? Paul was in tnac Council : and he knew water baptifm was defigned that Chiift "might be made manifeft to Ifrael"— and did not wifn the Gentiles burihened vvith it, any more than with cnxumcifion. He and others, as occafion might feem to require, in becoming all things to all men, in thofe early times of weak- nefs and mifguided zeal for externals, might con- defcend to baptize either a Tew or a Gentile : but neither the one nor the other could any more be brought under this fign, as a gofpel ordinance, than under the many figns and fymbols of the Mofaic law. 1 could go through every inftance recorded in fcripture, v/here it was ufed by the Apoftles, and I think clearly evince, that in no one cafe it was ufed as llriclly pertaining to the kingdom of the Meffiah, nor under or according to his great gofpel commiffion : but fo much of this kind has been done by others, as, Dell, Bar- clay, Penn, Pike, Claridge, Forder, Phipps, Fo- thergill, &c, that I think it not neceffary to be fo [ 100 ] lb particular; firmly believing, that when men lay afide all preconceived opinions, and look fully and fairly into the nature and defign of the gofpel, in the true light and life of it, they mufl: unavoidably fee all thefe " old things done away j" and perceive how earned: Paul in particular was, to prevent the believers from degenerating into an attachment to and reliance on things outward. Read the whole epiftle to the Galatians -, it abounds with his care on this account. And if we go to the bottom of things, we fhall find the fame need of prefTing forward to the difufe of water baptifm, as of other ceremonials. It is as mere a ceremony, as merely figurative, as was circum- cifion, or any of the divers wafhingsj has no more in its nature or eff^eds to fupport its con- tinuance ; and is no more perpetuated among the precepts and injunflions of Jefus, CHAP. t 101 3 C H A R V. Kemarks on fever at p^Jfages in " A plain Account of the Ordinance of Baptijm* (as the author calls it,) He is or was a fenfible writer ; hut Jlriving to unite old fhadows with the gofpeh hey like all who attempt it^ blunders. Chriji takes the lambs in his bofom, and bears zvith much weaknefs. "The vail is done away in ChriJl. He is the end of all things. His are 7iot JuhjeLl to ordinances^ in things that pe- rifh with the ufng. If all waited God *s fendingy water baptifmy (^c. would ceafcy and preaching would all be in baptizing efficacy. The non-expe- rience of this y a caufe of doubt in many^ whether gofpel minifiry is baptising. Chriff s minifiers not always ready y hut minifter the- Spirit to othen^ as it is given them. The words " into the name of the Fathery' ^c. not a form to ufe in fo low an ad as that of water baptifm. Hence never once Jo ufed by the Primitives i but doubtlefs would have beeny had water been the baptifm of the commiffion. Peter's commanding baptifm at Contelius'y no more perpetuates it, than Paul's baptizing Crijpus and GaiuSy though not fent to do it ; nor any more than the ttfe of circumcifiony purifyingy anointing with oily i^c, perpetuate them. The name, is the vir~ sue, power, ^c. Chriji Lord of the Sabbath-day •^-and of all figurative infiitutions made under the laWy to redeem thofe under it. Then John was under it, fo his baptifm ended. It was iji fame fort [ lo^ ] fort ufed under the law, long before John. Old rituals not to be incorporated into Chrijl's pure re- ligion and ivorjhip. His talk with the woman of Samaria, and with John^s dijciples, import this. His faji is inward. IT is remarkable how ftrongly the advocates for dipping or plunging infift, in their argu- ings againft theP^edoBaptifts, or fuch as fprinkle infants, upon a plain, full and exprefs command. This 1 think they pretty generally maintain to be neceflfary. The author of " A plain account of the ordinance of baptifm," as he calls ic, and who feems to be as fenfible a writer as almoft any I have read in defence of water baptifm by immerfion, maintains thcfe proportions, page 4, Bofton edition. '< I. The receiving of baptifm is not a duty of itfelf, or a duty apparent to us from the na- ture of things ; but a duty, made fuch to Chrif- tians by the pofitive inftitution of Jeliis Chrift. *' II. All pofitive duties, or duties made fuch by inftitution alone, depend entirely upon the will and declaration of the perfon who inflitutes or ordains them, with refpeft to the real defign and end of them ; and confequentiy to the due manner of performing them. *' III. It is plain, therefore, that the nature, the defi^n, and the due manner of receiving baptifm, muft of necefiity depend upon what Jefus Chriftj who inftitutcd it, hath declared about it.'' On- [ I03 ] On which I would remark, that if the nature, end and defign, with the due manner of admini- llring and receiving Chrift's baptifm, muft de- pend entirely upon what he himfelf hath declared about it, I think it is plain, that the nature of it is altogether inward and fpiritual. He never once calls outward baptifm with water his ; never once declares any fuch thing about his, as that elementary water or any other outward thing belongs to it ; but diftinguifhing his own from that of water, fays plainly, " John truly baptized with water, but ye Ihall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft." Adts i. 5. And as to the manner of its adminiftration, he has not declared one word about its being by dipping in outward water. On the contrary, what he does expr^fsly declare, as to its adminiftration by his apoitles, ihews it to be by and through the efficacy of their powerful gofpel miniftry* They were to teach, baptizing: and that not into water ; but " into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft." And even this very author, in reciting this paflTage, this great commifTion both affirms it to be *' the firfl account of baptifm as a Chriftian inftitution: and renders it *' into the name," &c. p. 39. Now if, as he aderts, this is *^ the firfl account of baptifm as a Chriftian inftitution," and if this is fo very different from that which was in water, that it is into the eternal name, how" could he add v/ater to this inftitution, and yet repeatedly maintain the abfolute necelfity of a plain and exprefs declaration from Chrift himfelf, both as to the nature, end and defign, and alfo the due manner of performing and receiving Chriftian baptifm ? [ 104 1 baptifm ? This he urges again and again. See P^g*^ 45- " Jt cannot be doubted Jefus Chrift Sufficiently declared to his firil and imiViediate followers, the whole of what he defigned fliould be underftood by or implied in this duty ; for this being a pofitive inftitution, depending en- tirely upon his will, and not defigned to contain any thing in it but what he himfelf fhould pleafe to affix to it, it muft follow, that he declared his mind about it fully and plainly ; becaufe, other- wife, he muft be fuppoled to inftitute a duty of which no one could have any notion without his inftitution, and at the fame time not to inftru6b his followers fufficiently what that duty was to be." If this is good reafoning againft fprinkling infants, why not as good againft dipping adults in material water, fince Chrift never once men- tions either as belonging to his baptifm ? And yet this fenfible author will not allow any thing at all in it, or to be underftood, or even implied in it, but what Chrift fully and plainly declared iiis mind about: and then queries, " Where has Jefus Chrift declared his mind, and declared it fully and plainly, that infants are to receive Chriftian baptifm ?'* Now, ferious reader, let us juft vary the terms of this queftion, and afk, ** Where has Jefus Chrift declared his mind fully and plainly — -nay, where has he declared it at all, that adults are to be baptized in water? or where has he ever declared material water to pertain to his baptifm?" I believe the text where he has declared this is not in the Bible, any more than the other ; and alfo that dipping adults outward- ly, is no more the baptifm Chrift ordained, than fprinkling infants i and tiiac the foregoing rea- foning [ 105 1 foning Is as fubilantially conclufive in one cafe, as the other. But he goes on, and afks, " Is not our Sa- viour's conamiflion far from declaring fully and plainly in favour of children's baptifm, perfectly filent on this head ?" And I afk, is it not as perfedly filent about water ? But he further afks, " does it fay any more than this, make difciples, converts, believers, amongft all nations, and baptize them ?" Here I anfwer, yes j it is not only perfeftlyiilent as to water, as not at all in- tended therein ; it exprefsly enjoins into what they are to be baptized, the name of the Father, &c. But had it faid no more than make difciples, baptizing them, he who prefumes to add water, adds that which Chrift has no where enjoined j but has emphatically diftinguiflied from his baptifm. And he who feparates baptizing from teaching, in this commiffion, and reprefents the baptifm here cnjoinedj, as enjoined to be otherwife adminillercd than by the baptizing miniftry of the gofpel, puts afunder what Chrift here plainly joined together. Page 41, 42, he fays, " When therefore our blcfled Saviour, after his refurredion, inftituted his facrament of baptifm, if infants were to be received to it, it cannot be doubted that he him- felf fufEciently declared this to his firft and im- mediate followers, which fuffic.ent and only au- thentic declaration muft appear in fome paflage of the New Teftament. ** There feems" (fays he) '* the greateft reafon to expe6b fome exprefs declaration on this head, becaufe otherv/ifc men who had hitherto been ufed to exclude infants, and to look upon them no way concerned in the ordinance of baptifm, would be likely ftill to H pais [ i°6 ] pals them by, and not think of them as coming within the reach of their frelh commiffion. Men who, during John's miniilry, had already bap- tized an infinite multitude of the adult only amongft the Jews, would naturally conclude, on their being fent forth to pra(5lire the fame rite among the Gentiles, tuat with them alfo the adult only were proper fubjefls, unlefs there appeared fomething upon the face of theii com- miflion to teach them otherwife." Now does not this hold altogether as forcibly againft immer- fion in water ? let us read the argument thus : when our Saviour, after his refurrecflion, com- miflionated his difciples to adminifter his one faving baptifm, if outward water belonged to it, it cannot be doubted that he himfelf fufficiently declared this to his firft and immediate followers j which fufficient and only authentic declaration mull appear in fome pafTage of the New Tefta- ment. There feems the greateft reafon to expeft fome exprefs declaration on this head ; becaufe, otherwife, men who had hitherto been ufed to hear water baptifm called John's, and pointedly diftinguifhed from Chrift's, and Chrift's exprefsly declared to be quite another thing, the Holy Ghoft and fire, in which it were very abfurd to fuppofe material water to have any part, might be very likely ftill to rejetfl water, as not at all •within the meaning of a commiffion confined wholly to the one faving baptifm and miniflry of the gofpel, which was to continue to the end of the world, and which could not be adminillered without the immediate prefence and help of Chrift in fpirici and therefore required their waiting at Jerufalem, till they were " endued with power from on high," before they could execute the com million. Mbn t 107 ] Men who, during John's miniftry, had bap- tized many of the Jews into his watery baptifm, and had confidered it only as his, and as pre- paring the way for Chrift's, might very naturally, on being fent to baptize the Gentiles with Chrift's baptifm, and for qualification, promifed his di- vine prefence or the enduement of " power from on iiigh," conclude that water baptifm was ftill but John's, and required no more power from above to adminifter it now than before; but tl:at Chrift's, being, as they had ever been taught, entirely a different baptifm, required quite dif- ferent qualifications to adminifter it; and which, accordingly, they were promifed to receive, and direfted to wait for, before they went forth, or indeed could pofTibly go forth, in this commif- fion. All this, the very nature of Chrift's bap- tifm, the manner and terms of the commiOion, and the qualifications exprefsly pointed out there- in, as necefiary to its execution, might nar.urally lead them to conclude, unlefs there had alfo fomething appeared upon the face of their com- miffion to teach them otherwife, and turn their minds from Chrift's to John's baptifm -, which yet, in itfelf, were, in fuch a commilTion, un- accountably abfurd. But prejudice has fuch a powerful influence, that many texts are read and. quoted in fupport of elementary water, which fpeak only of the fpirituai water of the word. I even admire at the mifapplication of a confidera- ble number, in this way, by the author now men- tioned J and perhaps I may,, before 1 have done, point fome of them out; though i ai n not at controverfy, but the advancement of all, beyond figns and ftiadows, to the life and fubftance. And this I think will be the cafe with fuch as H 2 fully [ 108 ] fully adhere to the beft part of the fentlments contained in their beft writings ; as for inftance, the foregoing in theprefent author's account. And again, p. 46. " A limited commillion amounts to a prohibition of the things not there- in contained." This he doubtlefs thought, and doubtlefs many of his readers ftill think it con- clufive againft infant fprinkling. 1 think it as much fo againft outward immerfion. The com- mifllon is as much limited in one cafe as the other, and as much "amounts to a prohibition." Let then this fentiment be admitted in its full force and latitude, and it will lead to the unftia- dowy difpenfation of gofpel realities, to the bap- tifm that now faves us. But inftead of this, too many are adling, as he fays the Romanift does, about infallibility, p. 71. "Thus" (fays he) " the Romanift, in an affair whole nature admits of none but pofitive evidence, endeavours to make up the want of it by inference, and rea- foning from fitneis. Such an inftitution there was under the Old Teftament, therefore it re- mains under the New." And do not both Picdo and Antipjcdo-Baptifts endeavour to make out water to Chrift's baptifm, which is wholly want- ing in the words of his commifTion, and wholly repugnant to the nature and defign of his baptifm, by inference ? And is it not urged upon us by them, from what v^'as under a former difpenfation too, and that a decreafing one, and deiigned to terminate, and be fulfilled in Chrift? — whofe gof- pel and baptifir. is the power of God unto falva- tion to true believers ? — p. 61, he fpeaks of fureties for infants, as entirely a fiipplement. — I fay the fame of water. — Ic is entirely a fupple- menr. [ 109 ] ment, that men drive hard to add to the gofpel. — But in the matter of an inftituted duty, he maintains " no one can be a judge but the infti- tutor himfelf of what he defigned fliould be con- tained in it, and becaufe, fuppofing him not to have I'poken his mind plainly about it, it is im- pofiible that any other perfon (to whom the in- Ititutor himfelf never revealed his defign) Ihould make up that defed^ : all that is added, therefore (fays he) " to Chrift's inltitution as a neceflary part of it, ought to be eftecmed only as the in- vention of thofe who add it : and the mOre there is added (let it be done with never fo much fo- lemnity, and never fo great pretences to authority) the kfs there is remaining of the fimplicity of the inltitution, as Chrift himfelf left it." p. 6i. What pity it is, reader, that men who can argue fo clofely again ft human inferences, ad- ditions, fupplements and inventions, do not fo feel the force of their own arguments, as to leave all additions, and come home to the naked fim- plicity of Chrift's inftitutions, as he himfelf has left them to us. — But he goes on faying, " I am the more folicitous to obferve this, and to im- prefs it upon the minds of Chriftians, becaufe it is the only thing that can either prevent or cure the miftakes of many finccre Chriftians upon this fubjed*." He fays, p. 54. " the people called • And yet, after all his folicitude to obferve and imprefs " thefe fentiments, he has himfelf, throughout his perform- ance, miftakenly kept up, and endeavoured to maintain, the addition and fupplement of an outward fign (for he repeated- ly calls it a fign himfelf ) to the ipftitution of an important and foul-faving ordinance of the gofpel. So hard is it either to prevent or cure the miftakes of maay fincere Chriftians upon this fubjeft. H 3 <,^iakers [ 110 1 Quakers are of opinion, that the baptifin of the fpirit is the alone Chriftian baptifm, and the bap- tifrn of water belonged only to the difpenfation of John. But in the cafe of Cornelius we have an inrtance under the Chriftian difpenfation, and upon the call of the Genules to the faith of the gofpel, wherein it appears the Apoftle Peter is fo far from concluding the baptifm of the fpirit, renders that of water uini^^cefiary, that he infers diredlly the contrary, viz. no man ought to be againft their baptifm in water, becaufe they had, previoufly, received the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, Then baptifm with the Holy Ghoft was the proof and reafon of their right to the baptifm of water." This argument fhould be well examined; no doubt it weighs much with miany, and feems to them unanfwerable : but to me there is fomething in it which tends dire6lly to the confirmation of the Qiiaker's doctrine, and the overthrow of his own. The Quaker fays, " the baptifm of the fpirit is the alone Chrillian baptifm, and the bap- tifm of water belonged only to the diipenfation of John." But this author, throughout his " plain account," infifts on immerfion in water, as the baptifm of Chrift. Now there is but "one Lord, one faith, and one baptifm," belonging to the Chriftian difpe,nfacion — but here this author, three times, mentions exprefsly both the baptifm of the Spirit, or Holy Ghoft, and the baptifm of water, as diftindt things, as two baptilms, and urges them being both u fed in the cafe of Corne- lius, as proof that water baptifm belongs to the gofpel.-— Will he fay, Chrift inllituted two bap- tifms ? if not, as here were two mentioned, it is plain [ III ] plain one only of them was Chrifl's. If Chrlfl's is but one, and that one be that of the Holy Ghofl, then that with water is not Chrifl's, but, as the Qtiaker fays, was John's. On the other hand, if Chrifl's is but one, and that one be immerfion in elenrientary water, then that of the Holy Ghofl is not Chrifl's. — So that this inflance, i^^flead of proving water baptifin to be Chrifl's, proves the quite contrary ; and powerfully con- firms the Quakers' do6lrine, that it was only John's, and was continued through condefcc^nfion to the weaknefs of many* in that early flate of things in the Chriflian church. And as it was adminiflered to feme before, and to others after they received Chrifl's baptifin of the Holy Ghofl, I think nothing can be gathered from this inflance in fupport of the right, the divine right, as he elfe- where calls it, of outward immerfion under the gofpel, unlefs it be granted that fuch as received , immerfion before the baptifm of the fpirit, had no right to it i the which to grant, is ac once giving up leveral of the fuppofed flrong holds in favour of water. Indeed whoever attempts to prove figns and fhadows part of the gofpel, will ever meet with infurmountable difficulties : hence we find many attendant on every attempt (however ingenioufly executed) to dignify water baptifm to the degree of an ordinance with Jcfus. — But when we once come to the genuine fimplicity of the gofpel, thefe difficulties vanifli ; and nothing leems more na- tural and eafy, nothing more confonant to plain icripture, and the neceffity of occafions, than thefe frequent condefcenfions, in times of weaknefs, and therein thofe diverfe continuations of things, H 4 in [ n» ] in point of obligation, ceafcd, which arc recorded in the New Teftament. — Indeedt his very condef- cenfion is one eminent difplay both of the wif- dom and compaflionate goodnefs of our Saviour. — It exhibits him equal to all ftates and condi- tions, "touched with a feeling of our infirmities,'* commiferating our weaknefs, taking the lambs in his bofom, and " gently leading thofe that arc with young;" feeding them with food they could bear, milk before ftrong meat ; and indulging them with figns, till they could fee the all-fuffi-. ciency of the fubftance, to which all the figns pointed — " there is a time to every purpofe ;" — and, fays Chrift, if I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how fhall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?" John iii. 12. He knew what was in man, knew all his attachments and weaknefles, and gracioufly ftooped to the loweft, darkeft and moft literal (late of fincere feekers; waiting patiently their gradual advance- ment to a ftate of pure fpiritual worlhip, void of " all old things," of every fign and fymbol. — And I have a fulTperfuafion and belief, thatfuch is his condefccnding goodnefs and forbearance, in our days, towards great numbers of lincere- hearted dilciples, who are ftill, even in reading the New Teftament, fo far under the vail as not to perceive the abolition of certain ceremonials, which never did, and in the nature of things never could belong to the gofpcl : and the travail and prater of my foul is, that they may not, as too many certainly and forrowfully do to their f^reat hindrance in the true Chrift ian progrefs, fettle down, and rtick in thefe things? but may pafs forward into the myilery of Chrift, till they experience the vail entirely done awav in him. — The C "3 ] The vail is done away in Chrift. — This is the joyful experience of fuch as are livingly in him the life, the fubftance, the Lord from heaven, the quickening fpiric, the light of men, and in- ward hope of glory : but a mere profefTion of Chrift can never do away the vail. — '* The cover- ing is fpread over the face of all nations" — and is as thick, and dark over the minds of nominal Chriftians, yea, thoufands who are high in pro- feflion of Chrift, and zealous in exterior perform- ances, as it is over any perfons whatever, or ever was over the Jews in reading Mofes. — And though the God of all grace is pleafed to permit many upright hearted men and women to remain fo under the vail as ftill to ufe and plead for thefc exteriors ; yea, fome who are in a degree preach- ers of the gofpelj yet, bleffed be his holy name, he is not without, but has raifed up and preferved many living witneiTcs, from time to time, to the pure fpirituality of his gofpel kingdom, who arc truly of the inward heart, *' circumcifion, which worftiip God in the ipirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flelh," Phil. iii. 3. Thefe dare not confide in touch, tafte, handle, or become fubjeft to ordinances, in -thefe things, which perifti with the ufing. Col. ii. ao, 21, 22. Many fuch there are, even in our day, who can truly " thank God" that he has (liewn them clearly the emptinefs and abrogation of all thefe things, and can truly declare, with Paul, touching water baptifm, that *' God fent them not to bap- tize, but to preach the gofpel." And it is be- lieved, that if the preachers of our day were all t» wait till God fent them to baptize in water, or no^ [ "4 ] not to run without his commifTion and fendino-, we fhould foon fee a total ceflation of the pradice, and no real lofs to Chriftianity neicher. — Indeed if they were all to wait his fending, before and until they comnaence preachers, there would doubtlefs be abundantly lefs of that teachino- which is not baptizing. And is it not highly pro- bable, that one great reafon why many, under fuch teaching, cannot believe the gofpel miniftry is truly according to the gofpel comminion,. " teach, baptizing," — in their non-experience of the power and efficacy of the pure living miniftry of the gofpel, which is always in the power of God, and is more or lefs to the falvation of them that believe ? But where there is a living miniftry in purity prcferved, and where the living word, thus livingly preached, is mixed with true faith (which is ever of the operation of God) in them that hear it ; thefe can fet to their feal, that fuch do really '* minifter to them the fpirit." See Gal. iii. 5. " he therefore that miniftereth to you the fpirit." Here " the excellency of the power is of God,** even though we have this treafure in earthen vcffels, 2 Cor. iv. 7. — Though it is men, that out of this good treafure of the heart bring forth excellent things, " minifter the fpirit," im- part fpiritual gifts, and adually baptize into the life and fpirit, name and power, of the Father, &c. — yea, beget fouls to God j as Paul fays, " I have begotten you tiirough the gofpel," 1 Cor. iv. 15.; yet the inftruments have no fufficiency of themfelves ; — their "fufficiency is of God," who maketh them able minifters of the New Tefta- ment, " not of the letter, but of the fpirit," 2 Cor. iii. 5, 6. — Hence Paul faid, he would " know not the fpeech of them which arc puffed up. L 115 3 ; up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." i Cor. iv. 19, 20. Were all to keep ftriftiy to this life and power of the kingdom, thefe figns would ceafe for ever ; and we fliould have no other miniftry, but the pure baptizing miniftry of the gofpel. And here arifeth the neceflity of waiting upon the Lord, for the renewal of ftrength, and qualification for all gofpel miniftry; that fo the power may in- deed be of God ; as the apoftles waited to be " endued with power from on high." — And thofc who fo wait, and dare not run of themifelves, or preach in their own time, or at one time, be- caufe they have at another, they follow the great fhepherd, learn his experience, and are led in his footfteps : — their hour is not always ; — it fre- quently is not yet come, as was the cafe with him : but great is their advantage, by this ex- perience and limitation ; for when it does come, it comes with power; and they know the life and meaning of Chrift's words, John xx. 21. ** as my Father hath fent me, even fo fend I you.** And furely he was fent of the Father, to baptize with the Holy Ghoft, and did do it, and that even in preaching the gofpel to the meek. And as he was anointed for this fervice by the Spirit of the Lord, that was upon him, as before no- ticed, in order that his minifters might be qua- lified for the like fervice, and be fent in like manner as he was ; im.mediately " when he had faid this, he breathed on them, and faith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghoft," vcr. 22. ; and thus qualified by the fame anointing, and fent forth in the fame fervice, they were enabled to work the fame works, according to his promife^ John xiv. 12, "verily, verily'' (mark the cer- tainty t n6 ] tainty of it) " I fay unto you, he that belicveth on me, the works that I do, fliall he do alfo ; and greater works than thefe fliall hedoj becaufe I go unto my Father." — But why becaufe he went to the Father ? becaufe he would then pray the Father, and the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, lliould be fent to abide with them for ever, to lead and guide them into all truth, and qualify them to work the works of God. Paul exhorts Timothy, " that good thing ■which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghofl:, which dwelleth in us," 2 Tim., i. 14. And was not this good thing truly, as Paul calls it, " the gift of God ?" and yet was it not in Timothy by the putting on of Paul's hands ? 2 Tim. i. 6. Thus we fee, as in other inftances, " through laying on of the Apoftles hands the Holy Ghoft was given," Acts viii. 18. and why not as eafily by their preaching ? It is evident, that it was given by their preaching, which was in the divine power, as well as by the laying on of hands, in the fame power, and that too in this very inftance, the cafe of Timothy ; for fays Paul to him, " negled not the gift that is in thee, which was given by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of thePrefbytery," i Tim. iv. 14. Here Paul declares this gift of God was given by prophecy, as well as by laying on hands. And what is prophecy ? It is preaching the gofpel ; for " he that prophecieth" (fays Paul) *' fpeaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation and comfort," I Cor. xiv. 3, Great edification and Lomfort indeed attend fuch truly gofpel prophe- eying and teaching, when thereby he that thus fpeaketh [ I'? ] rpeaketh unto men, " minlftereth unto them the Ipirit," the gift of God, that is thus given to them, as a good thing indeed, and which, after they have received it, they cannot keep it, " but by the Holy Ghoft that is in them." — It is the fpirit that firft quickeneth j and as thefe quicken- ing are attended to, an increafing with the in- creafe of God is happily experienced; even "grace, for" (the faithful improvement of) " grace." And after all improvements and communications of grace, or the Holy Ghoft,. it is ftill this alone that can enable us to keep this precious treafure, which we have thus gracioufly received from God j being given to us, of him, in our earthen vef- fels. It is neither fpeaking, nor laying on of hands, in a formal manner, that can convey di- vine influence to the foul, or qualify for divine fervice. The power is only of God \ and he that is not immediately impowered of God, has no- thing more to do, either with preaching or laying on hands, than Simon the forcerer, who would have bought with money the privilege of com- municating the Holy Ghoft, that he might trade with it, as I conclude, and make money by the bufmefs. It is probable the fign of laying on of hands was, in that weak and early ftate of the church, or of many young converts, made ufe of as a con- firmation, thereby ftrcngchening their faith in the truth of the gofpel, and in the power attending the apoftles j but is neither needful where the gofpel is generally eftabiilhed, nor, out of the life, any more availing than the brazen ferpent was to Ifrael, after its real ufe was ceafcd, and they were become enfnared by an idolatrous at- tachment [ Ii8 ] tachment to it, and dependence on It. The miilds of men, not lingle to divine light, are ever liable to miftake the real ufe and defign of fuch things -, to continue them out of all proper feafon, and rely too much upon them. Hence the continu- ation of water baptifm, bread and wine, layjng on of hands, &c. among Chrifhians, even to this day, as of Ifrael's lifelefs looking to that mere piece of brafs, for feveral hundred years, formerly, and long after its real ufe was over, and when no good was derived from their formal looking to it. Ananias was fent to Paul exprefsly, A6ls ix. 17, that he might " be filled with the Holy Ghoft." Then furely he inftrumentally difpenfed or miniftered it to him, or (which is the fafnc thing) baptized him with it. Some contend againft baptizing fpiritually by teaching in the power of the gofpel, and urge that the gift of tongues always attended the bap- tifm of the Holy Gholl. If fo, who have this baptifm in our day? Will it be granted that none are now baptized with the baptifm of Chrift ? Then the faints now receive none but John's. But there are divers inftances in the New Tefta - ment of perfons baptized with the Holy Ghoft, where not a word is faid of their fpeaking with tongues, as the attentive reader may fee for him- fclf. Peter, in relating his vifit to Cornelius, men- tions the angel's faying to him, to wit, that he (Peter) (hould tell him words whereby he and his houfe Ihould be faved. This fliews his words would [ ii9 ] would be with baptizing efficac)'; that he would, as he certainly did, baptize them with the Holy Ghoft : he taught baptizingly, according to com- miffion ; and he himfelf evidently confiders that baptifm with the Holy Ghoft, which they re- ceived through his teaching, as an exa6t accom- plifhnrient both of this faying of the angel, and of our Lord's pronaife in regard to the baptifnri of the Holy Ghoil. Do, kind reader, examine the pafTage for thyfelf. Ads xi. where the angel, fpeaking of Peter, fays to Cornelius, verfe 14, " who fhall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy houfe fhall be faved." In the very next fentence, to fhew how exaflly this was verified, Peter fays, verfe 15. " and as I began to fpeak, the Holy Ghoft fell on them, as on us at the be- ginning." Here he plainly connects their re- ception of the Holy Ghoft, through his miniftry, with the faying of the angel, that he fhould tell them words, by which they fhould be faved. In- deed, how could he poflibly tell them words by which they fhould be fiived, unlefs baptizing in- fluence attended his words? Nothing ever laves the foul, without the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft. Had I heard the angel tell Cornelius, that Peter would tell him words by which he fliould be faved, I think it would to me Jiave been fufficierit evidence that Peter's words fhould be with bap- tizing power. And this I think might be de- pended on J feeing nothing faves fhort of " the wafliing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft." And on this ground we might take it for certain, from this faying of the angel, that Peter's powerful teaching was to prove bap- tizing to Cornelius and his houfliold, whether <'-hrift had ever verbally commiflionatcd him and the [ I20 ] the other apoftles to teach baptizingly or not-i and whether Peter had ever related that he did fo or not. But feeing Chrifl: did fo commifTionate them, and feeing the angel did declare, that Peter ihould deliver words by which men fhould be favedj and feeing none can be faved without the one only faving and fpiritual baptifm ; and feeing they received this, as Peter began to fpeak, the Holy Ghoft then falling on them ; and feeing Peter himfelf evidently confidered its fo falling on them as the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft j and immediately, in the very next words, applied our Lord's promife to what then took place, through his miniftry, faying, verfe i6. " then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he 'laid, John indeed baptized with water; but ye Ihall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft:" I think all thefe fadls and confiderations, taken together, amount to a very full and ftrong confirmation, that the miniftry of the gofpel is a baptizing miniftry, and that men did inftrumentally baptize with the Holy Ghoft. And this will affuredly be the cafe, as long as Chrift continues to be with his minifters, and they thereby continue to preach the gofpel, as it was preached in the primitive limes, " with the Holy Ghoft fent down from heaven." And this (it is the unlhaken faith of fome) will be the cafe " even unto the end of the world. Amen." This account of Peter's, refpecfling the bap- tifm of Cornelius and his family with the Holy Ghoft, through his minillry, is fo conneded and expreflcd by him, as to confirm Jiis meaning, where, afterwards, he fpeaks of the baptifm which now faves us, to be, that this faving baptifm is the t i2i ] the fame by which Cornelius and his houfe were baptized, while he was delivering thofe words, by which the angel had faid they fhould befaved. Peter knew no figure could fave, any more than the " blood of bulls and of goats'* could " take away fins;" and thereforie, in telling what is the baptifm which faves (which is fcveral times al- ready remarked^ he alfo car«ful!y fhews us what it is not, left nis mention of the word water fhould draw fuch as were too outward in their views to truft in or continue the ufe of that which only puts away the outward filth of the flelh, or of the body. And his commanding Cornelius and his houfe to be baptized, no more proves he had a commifilon to baptize with water, than PauPs baptizing Crifpus and Gaius proves he had a commifllon for it, which he declares he had not i nor yet a whit more than his circumcifing Timothy-, and purifying in the temple, and James* dire<5ling the fick to be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord, proves a divine com- million for all thefe things. Had Paul given a circumftantial relation of his baptizing the few he did baptize in water, without mentioning that he was not fent to do it, or thanking God that he did it in fo few inftances, it had been as ftrong in favour of the practice, as any inftances of its ad- miniftration by the reft of the apoftles. This he might have done, as well as others, though he was not fent to adminifter that baptifm. And do not all fee it would in reality have been no true fupport of the pradlice ? Yet how eagerly would i[ have been claimed, as a fupport thereof, juft as are ihc inftances where others ufed it. I Now [ 122 ] Now let us fuppofc they had all teftified (and 1 can fee no reafon why they nnight not, as truly as Paul) that Chrift fent them not fo to baptize ; that they did it in condefcenfion, and thanked God that they did it no more ; what then would become of all thofe inftances, now fo confidently urged as proof that a mere figurative immerfion is the faving baptifm of Jefus ? They did divers things without commiflion, and yet do not ex- prefsly declare they were not fent to do them. Does their omiflion of fuch a declaration infer they had a commiflion ? By no means. Neither does their notdeclaring they were not fent to adminifter elementary baptifm, infer they had a commiflion for that. But, fay many, Chrift gave them a commilTion to baptize. Very true: and the minds of men looking outward for the meaning and ac- complifhment of many things that are inward and fpiritual, has induced them miftakenly, among other infl;ances, to underftand a commiflion ex- prefsly to baptize into the eternal name, as mean- ing into water -, and thus to retain, as a gofpel ordinance, a mere figurative, preparatory, decreaf- ing and terminating inftitution. Some think it muft have been by divine commiflion that the apoftles baptized in water, becaufe it was in the nam.e of the Lord. But we fee the anointing of the fick with oil, \^as alfo in the name of the Lord. And yet I know of none who now hold to a divine commiflion for this pradice. But we may take notice, that neither this, nor water bap-» tifm, *' was into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft." No, there is not one inftance of this form of words in all the Bible, in the ufe of water, which furcly we may conclude [ 123 ] conclude would have been the cafe, had the com;- miffion defigned an outward dipping; for, in that cafe, that mull have been the ordained form of words J but as water was not meant, the com- miflion contains no form of words at all to be ufed in baptifm-, but the words into the name,&c. exprefs the very nature, power, and divine effi- cacy of the baptifm they were to adminifter. It was not their own, it was not John's, it was not water, it was not any thing that they could ad- minifter at any other time, than when fpecially *■' endued with power from on high ;** and there- fore this they were to wait for, and were pro- mifed to receive, as their qualification, from him who has all power. Now he who had all power, was " Lord even of the Sabbath day," Mat. xii. 8. and juft as much Lord of every other fign, and has equally fulfilled them all, and redeemed his people from every yoke of mere ceremonial obfervations;-^— for he was made of a woman, *' made under the law, to redeem thofe that virere under the law,** Gal. iv. 4. — And if Chrift was made under the law, furely John was alfo under it, as I have be- fore advanced ; nor was it ever totally abolilhed, even as a law of carnal or outward ordinances, till Chrift rofc from the dead. — And this holds good inwardly with the true Chriftian traveller in his own experience — " he that hath an ear, lee him hear." BcjT as John was under the law (though ad- vanced near to the kingdom) Chrift has, in re- deeming his people from all ceremonials of the law, alfo redeemed them from water baptifm, I 2. which t »H 1 which indeed was frequently in fome fort pra6lifcd under the law, long before John -, as appears by the very precepts of the law — and which is al- lowed by the author of the " plain account" be- fore mentioned ; for fpeaking of baptifm in th€ days of the apoftles, he fays, " the principal fccne of baptifm lay in a country where immcr- fion was quite familiar, and muft, by the very laws of their religion, come into daily ufe through all parts of the land," p. 29. Baptifm in water being therefore a ceremonial of the law, was, though differently ufed by John, completely ended, with every other ceremony thereof, when Jefus rofe triumphant from the grave, led cap- tivity captive, and gave fpiritual gifts unto men'. And when he rifcs fo in us, and completely puts all things under him, in our fouls, we ftiall all find there are no figns or fymbols in the gofpel, as ftanding ordinances thereof.-— John's ufing water baptiliii a little differently from what had been ufual before, made no difference as to its perpe- tuity, though thai difference might have taught the Jews, had their ears been open enough to have heard it aright, that he who was coming afrer him would make great alterations, and remove thofe things that could be fhaken, that thofe only which could not be fhaken might ^emain. — There is abundant evidence in fcripture, that Chrift never intended to incorporate any of the old rituals into his pure religion and worlhip. — Thus he taught the woman of Samaria, at the well, that the true worfhip was inward, " in fpirit and in truth," — and turned her mind from outward water to the inward, John iv. And when John*3 difciples came to him, faying, " why do wc and the pharifces faft oft, but Uiy difciples faft "■ ■ not?" [ »25 ] not?" Mat. ix. 14. he firft: (hows the time of mourning is not while the bridegroom's comfort* ing prefence is enjoyed ; but that, when he was taken from them, then they would faft : which fhows the faft he meant was inward.— And, in the next place, to fliov/ the impropriety of uni- ting the ceremonials of the law, as outward fafts, wafhings, &c. with the gofpel, the life, the fubftance — he tells them, " no man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment," See. ** neither do men put new wine into old bottles," &;c. plainly inculcating, that his gofpel was the new and living way— his new cloth, the robe of pure righteoufnefs — the garment of falvation j his new wine, the wine he drinks new with his chofcn, in his Father's inward and fpiritual kingdom — and therefore is put only into the nev/ bottles, the hearts of the fandified ; that fo their hearts might be animated, and rejoice in his falvation, out of all formality and ritual obfervancesj for that he was not come, with his new wine, to fupply the old bottles of law ceremonies, or animate there- with the vanilhing difpenfation of types and fhadows, — nor with his new cloth, to patch up the old garment of thole '* carnal ordinances,'* impofcd on them until the time of reformation, Heb. ix>. 10. which was only ** a figure for the time then prefent," v. 9. N^y, verily, this was not his intention ; — not the dellgn of the Father in fending him-^he came to abolifti all thefe, and fo to bring in everlafting righteoufnefs; an4 which, wherever it is completely brought in, ctif tirely fupercedes the necelTity of all thefe outward ordinapces, and abolifhcs ihcm for«vcr» 1 3 r^ [ 126 ] It is further obfervable, that Chrift's direc- tions about fading, point plainly to that which is inward, and wherein thofe whq faft according to them " appear not unto naen to faft," Mat. vi. 1 8. Indeed, it being his peculiar office to fulfil and aboliih the cerernonial ohfcrvances, I believe we fliall find, by a careful and illuminated perufal of all his parables and difcourfes, that he never oh any occafion expreffed any thing for the per- petuation of outward figns, but, on the contrary, very repeatedly, and on almoft every occafion that fvirnifhed proper opportunity, pointed out, though often times very obfcurely, at leaft to this world's wifdom, the unceremonious and purely fpiritual nature of his kingdom. — But thefe are things which " the vulture's eye'* (though very prying) ** hath not feen," Job xxviii. 7. They are only " fpiritually difcerned." The natural man (with all his talk of Chrift and gofpcl or- dinances) cannot know them. See 1 Cor. ii. 14.. CHAP. t 1^7 ] CHAP. VI. yill baptized with Chriji's baptifm are members of his churchy and none elje. Six queries ; which , rightly anjwered^ will determine which is Chrifi^s baptifm^ Divers other queries. Paul's care to avoid run" fling in vain ; hence he omits open proclamatioM againft circumci/ton, at Jerujaleniy though he had preached againjt it among Gentiles. Not Jirange^ then^ John's baptifm was filll in vogue. The TWELVE baptized only by Johny in water. They could adminijler John'Sy without the power they were to wait for to adminijler Chrijl's, Putting on Chriji in baptifm^ is putting on the armour of light. The word for teach in the commiffiony not the common word^\^z'^Oy but matheceuo, to difciple^ inJiruSl into the kingdom of heaven. Sprinklers and dippers both greatly err about IfraeVs baptifm in the cloud and fea. It fupports neither. ^^ Plain account^' corrected in this refpe5f. The author of it allows the difciples the ufe of water baptifm^ du- ring Chrift's minifiry on earth, ix^as the fame as John*s. It is the foul needs purgation. Water cannot do it. Diverfe texts peiving plainly the name is often ufed for the life,prefencey power of the Lord. THERE is a baptifm by which every mem^ ber is initiated into the body of Chrift, As lure as any are thus baptized, they are mem- 1 4 bers [ ll8 ] bers of Chrift. — If any arc not thus baptizedj they are not of Chrift's church. Now, Q,nery i. What is the baptifm, without which none can be members of Chrift's church — • and which none can be baptized with, but they immediately become members ? Query 2. Are all fure to be members of Chrift's true church, who are baptized in water ? Query 3. IHfas Chrift two baptifms ? SeeEph. iv. 5. ** one Lord, one faith, and one baptifm." No more two gpfpel baptifms than two Lords, and two, faiths. Query 4. Does not Paul plainly fay, '^ by one fpirit we arc all baptized into one body— and have been all made to drink into one fpirit ?*' i Cor. xii. 13.' Query 5. Can any other but this, which bap- tizeth intp the one body of Chrift, be the one ini- tiatory and faving baptifni of Chrift ? Query 6. Can that be the orie baptifm of Chrift, which thoufands may be baptized with, and yet not become members of his true church, but remain in the gall of bitternefs, and bond, of iniquity ? 1 think thefe fix queries, rightly anfwered, will determine which is the one initiatory ancf faving baprifm of Chrift in the gofpel. Is it not iirange rhat men do nor fee it ? — Why do they itick in the praftlceji of the Apoftles fo rigidly, in [ 129 ] in regard to John's baptifm and the fupper, and To eafiiy get over divers other of their pradices? — Would it not have been a ftrange and ahnoft unheard of thing, had thofe famous inftitutions dropt into difufe all of a fudden ? — Could it pof- fibly have been borne ? — Do we not always rind it much eafier to bring people by degrees to re- je<5b old venerated laws and cuftoms, and adopt new ones, than to rulh on and enforce them all at once ? — Is not God a God of condefcenfion and tendernefs ? Did he not anciently lead his people Ifrael, after he brought them out of Egypt, pur- pofely a different way from the neareft, left they Ihould meet with diicouragements, and return back to Egypt? Exod. xiii. 17. Would he not at leaft allow his Apoftles to exercife condefcen- fion, and go in and out before the primitive be- lievers, as they could bear it ? — Was not this evidently the cafe on divers other occafions ? — Did not Paul, in communicating to the brethren at Jerufalem how it was that he preached the gofpel among the Gentiles, to wit, void of cere- monies, and without circumcifion, do it privately, to fuch only as were grown in the truth, and able to fee the propriety of it, and to underftand that the £ofpel has no fuch outward obfervations ? Gal. ii. 2. — Does he not fay, that this his care to avoid a general communication to all was, " left he fhould run, or had run in vain ?'* Might it not have been wholly in vain for Paul to attempt benefiting the believers that were of the circum,- cifion at Jerufalem, if he had bluntly at firft der clared off hand, that circumcifion was abolifhed B And was not this about the year of our Lord fifty- two, and about the feventeenth year of Paul's apoftlelhip? It [ 13^ ] Is it ftrange, then, that he had to circumcifc Timothy, purify in the temple, &c. on account of the wrong zeal and attachments of the Jews, feeing fo late in the day circumcifion fo far main- tained its ground, that he had probably run in vain, if he had not avoided an open declaration of its being no gofpel ordinance ? — And is it any ftranger, that John's baptifm fhould be in too high eftimation to be eafily laid afide at once ? Is water baptifm once called Chrift's in all the Bible? Is it once called a gofpel ordinance ? Did Chrifl ever praftile it ? Was John's baptifm Chrift's ? If not, were Chrift's twelve difciples ever baptized with Chrift's baptifm, or not ? If Chrift's is water, and yet not the fame of John's, who baptized thefe Apoftles,- feeing Jefus bap- tized none in water ? And we never read of the Apoftles being baptized therein by any but John. I have often mentioned, that the defign of water, baptifm was, that Chrift and his baptifm might be made manifeft to Ifrael : and as this was fully done to the Apoftles, as to his outward coming, they needed no more water baptifm-, and it feems pretty evident they had no more than was admini- ftered to them by John. — But if the commiflion. Mat. xxviii. 19. was water, and diff^erent from John's, why were they not baptized with it them- felves, before they went forth to baptize others ? Is it not plain, that that commiflion, as then ver- bally delivered, did not qualify them with power to adminifter the baptifm mentioned in it? Were they not to wait for '^ power from on high ?" Were they ever able to adminifter that baptifm, till they were firft baptized with the Holy Ghoft them- felves? — Is not this a confirmation ihat, as they had firft received and then oft adminiftered John's baptifm [ 'SI 3 baptifm before, without this more powerful en- duement and qualification, but could not admini- fter Chrift's without it, that Chrift's was quite a different thing from John's, and out of their reach or ability to communicate, but as it was poured upon them from on high, and flowed through them upon others ? " Behold how good and how pleafant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity; it is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the r^irts of his garments : as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that defcended upon the mountains of Zion ; for there the Lord commanded the blefiing, even life for evermore," Pfalm cxxxiii. Is there no- thing in the delcending of this precious ointment, even down to the very fkirts of the garment, in likenefs of the living unity of the brethren, like the dew on Mount Hermon, and like the Lord's blefiing on Mount Zion, that may give us fomc idea of the communication of the Holy Ghoft, through the baptized Apoftles, to and upon the fouls of the people ? — And is not this the one plain reafon why they could not adminifter Chrift's baptifm till livingly baptized themfelves, as the oil could not defcend to the fkirts till it was poured upon the head of Aaron ? — And let it be once for all ferioufly confidered — ought we not to hold it as a certainty that if the baptifm in the commiflion had been water, the Apoftles would have been firft baptized with it themfelves ? Or can we fuppofe their having been baptized with John's baptifm, by John, before they became Chrift's difciples, fufficient to authorize them to adminifter Chrift's ? But even though this were granted, will any fay the Apoftles never received Chriftian baptifm themfelves ? If Chrift's is water, and [ 132 ] and yet not John's, how could it pofTibly be dif- penfed with, in the cafe of the Apoftles — in the cafe of Apollos, and the many which Paiil taught, and begat unto God, but did not baptize in water ? — We read of none fent exprefsly to bap- tize in water, but John. If then, Chrift's bap- tifm had been with water, and yet not the fame with John's, ought not Clirift himfelf to have baptized his difciples with it, before he fent them to baptize others, feeing we have no account of any other but himfelf, that had any authority to adminifter his baptifm, till fift baptized with it by him? — Who among the fons of men had a right to adminifter his baptifm, before they were baptized with it themfelves ? If none had a right fo to do, then if his was with water, and yet different frorr\ John's, is it not certain that his Apoftles never received it, feeing " Jefus himfelf baptized not" with water, and none elfe had any right to admi- nifter his baptifm, till themfelves were baptized with it ? — Does it not, therefore, plainly appear, that there is no other baptifm with outward water but John's ? And did not Jefus himfelf wholly avoid baptizing any in water, on purpofe that it might plainly appear that there is another ? Or if there is any other with v/ater but John's, whenj, where, and by whom did it begin ? — Who firft dared to adminifter it ? Would it now be thought lawful among the Baptifts for any to adminilter the baptifm of water, who had not received it ? And would it not have been very arrogating for any one in that day to have intruded himfelf into the office of an adminiftrator of Chrill's baptifm, who had never himfelf received it ? Or, had any fo done, how would that convey a right to thofe by fuch an one baptized, to baptize others ? I ^hinlc we have all the rcafoii we have a right to dcfire [ J33 ] defire to conclude, if Chrifl: had ordained water baptifm, he would have adminiftered it to thofe he had fent to adminiller it to others. And I reft firmly perfuaded he never did ordain it, but that all the water baptifm now pradifed among Chrif- tians is derived from John, or elfe is altogether unauthorized in the New Teflament. And why do thofe who now" ufe it, ufe a form of words never once ufed by any of the Apoflles ? If they fay Chrift commanded ir, then why did not his Apoftles obey his command ? Is not this another ftrong evidence that they were not commanded any form of words at all, nor any ufe of water, but that the words, into the name, &c. as plainly fhew into what they were to baptize, as water would have been plainly Ihown, had the com- miffion been expi efsly to baptize into water ? It is urged by fome, that putting on Chrifl:, which all do who arc baptized into laim. Gal. iii. ay, is giving up their names to Chrill in water baptifm ; but of thofe baptized into Chrift, in the Apoftle's fenfe, he here declares, ** ye arc all one in Chrift Jefus. And if ye be Chrift's, then are ye Abraham's feed, and heirs according to the promife,'* 28, ig. that is, real heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift. This certainly is not true of as many as are baptized into water, though it certainly is true of as many as are baptized in- to Chrift. Putting on Chrift is therefore plainly thus, "put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and make not provifion for the flelh, to fulfil the lufts thereof," Rom. xiii. 14. that is, ** caft off the works of darknefs, and let us put on the armour of light," V. 12. This is diredlly baptifm into the name, for <» God is light," and Chriil is light ; and ( IJ+ ) and putting on the whole armour of light, is trulf putting on Chrift in baptifm. And it is very ilrikingly obfervable, that divers texts fpeak ex- prcfsly of baptifm into Chrift; thus preferving the very intent and tenor of the commiffion; for as all the fulnefs of the Godhead dwelleth in him, and as thefe texts exprefs baptifm pofitivcly as being into him, and verbally in his name, as was the cafe conftantly when water was ufed, it is as evi- dent as any thing can well be, that this baptifm into him is really putting on him, the life, the fubftance, the whole armour of light — and that this anfwers the commiflion exaftly, being into the name, the life, the power, the eternal virtue itfelf; and not into water, or any thing elfe, merely and verbally in the name. — I think this meaning of the words, into the name, &c, is much confirmed by a pafTage in the forementioned ** plain account." The author pleads wholly for immerfion of adults in water-, and to maintain it againft fprinkling of infants he fays, p. 43, 44. *' the word in Matthew, rendered teach, is not the word commonly rendered teach in the New Teftament. The word commonly ufed is di- DASKO, which occurs very often ; but the other word, MATHETEuo, tcach, in the baptifmal com- mifiion of Matthew, is ufed only three times more in all the New Teftament, Mat. xiii. 52, every fcribe which is instructed into the king- dom of heaven. Mat. xxvii. 57, Jofeph, who alfo himfelf was jES'js' disciple. Afls xiv, 21. when they had preached the gofpel to that city, and had TAUOHT many. They did not (fays he) barely preach the gofpel, but taught fo effectually, as to prevail on many to become difciples or believers. This is the plain import of the original." Does [ >35 ] Does not this make ftrongly in favour of the Quakers* dodtrine ? Does it not Ihew the teaching, mentioned in this great commiflion, was to be with divine power, and to prevail effectually to difciplefhip ? — Was not this the reafon they were commanded to wait to be endued with power from on high, becaufe they were now far otherwife to baptiy.e people than they had done before ? They were now to difciple them ; that is, teach them fo livingly and effectually, as truly to baptize them into the name &c. Why elfe was this word ma- THETEuo ufed here, to exprefs this peculiar kind of powerful, difcipling, or baptifmal teaching ? a word ufed but three times more, as this author himfelf fays, in all the New Teftament. — He further fays in the fame page, that this word *' implies teaching full as much as the more common word, didasko. The difference is, that the former has a more precife and determinate meaning, conveying to the Apoftles this idea, viz. "fo teach the people as to perfuade them to become my difciples.'* Now, ferious reader, feeing this paffage does mean teaching, but at the fam« time is fo very precife and determinate in its meaning, as to convey a clear idea of great difference from the fimple common meaning of the word teach, plainly fignifving to make difciples by teaching, that is, to teach or difciple all nations, baptizing them; let us fee how the three other paffages, where it is ufed, will concur with the doftrine of baptifm into the name, &c. The firft is Mat. xiii. 52, " every fcribe which is Jnftru6ted into the kingdom of heaven/' — This is the fame word that is rendered teach in the commiffion : and here the fcribe is inftrudtcd, taught or difcipled intQ [ 136 ] into the kingdom of heaven. — I think this is the very baptifm enjoined in that commifllon : it is into the very life and fubftance intended by the name, to wit, the life, ftrength and virtue of the kingdom; the ftrong tower oflafety, which the name of the Lord ever is to the righteous, the well inftruded or truly difciplcd fcribe. And we fee this fcribe is initiated into the kingdom by teaching, and that the very teaching, difcipling, or inftru(5ting, which is enjoined in the commil- lion, and which therefore required power from on high to perform, becaufe it was a very different and much more effetlual teaching (as this author maintains) than that expreilcd by the common word DiDASKO, teach. The fecond paffage is Mat. xxvii. 57, ** Jofeph, who alfo himfelf was Jcfus' difciple." It feems plainly this ; he had been taught, inftrucfted, difcipled, in this more powerful way of teaching than that meant by the other word didafko -, that is, he was a fcribe well inilru6led into the kingdom of heaven — or bap- tized into the eternal holy name, which is the fame thing; for none can be a difciple of Chrift without his faving baptifm. The third paffage is Ads xiv. 21, ''' when they had preached the gofpcl to that city, and had taught many" — that is, according to this author's own words, " taught fo effedualiy as to prevail on many to become difciples," " This (he adds) ** is the plain import of the original.'* Then, it feems, they taught them juit according to the commiffion; and by which teaching they muff have been baptized into the name ; or (which is the fame thing) inftrufted or difcipled into the kingdom, — But this fenfible author adds further, " the [ 157 ] " the common appellation of Chriftian believers occurring in very numerous pafTages of the New Teftament, is mathetai, difciples. " As this'* (fays he) " is the ufual name of believers in Chrift, we have the verb of it in our Lord's com- miflion, where he bids his followers to go and make converts to him throughout the world ;'* and p. 45 he quotes " Whitby's note on Mat. xxviii. 19'* that is on the very commifTion itfelf — faying, I defire any one to tell me how the apoftles could maiheieuin, make a difciple of an heathen, or unbelieving Jew, without being mathetai^ or teachers of them." — By all which it is clear, that both the learned Whitby, and this learned author, were fenfible that this extraordi- nary kind of teaching was making difciples of Chrift, believers in and real living converts to him : and it is certain none are fuch without baptifm into him — his difciples, all true be- lievers, all his fincere converts, throughout the world, are baptized by the one fpirit into one; body ; they drink all into one fpirit, and are thus initiated, as well inftrufled fcribes, into the kingdom of heaven. — Is it not marvellous that this writer was not, by the time he had feen and written thus much, fo far inftrufted into it him- it\{\ as to have feen with equal clearnefs, that no part of all this had any thing to do with elemen- tary water ? — He maintains that the word ba^-^ tizo always means immerfion or bathing all over in water i and rejedts the fprinklers, notions re- fpeding 1 Cor. x. 2, " and were all baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea." The fprink • iers, idea on this pafiage he reprcfcnts thus, p 2^, " the cloud which hung over the children ot ifrael is a w.itery fubftance, fprinkling its wat^r ( >38 ) in drops. The fea, which was as a wall unto them on the right hand and on the left, by force of the ftrong wind which blew, fent forth a great fpray or fprinkling. So they were plentifully fprinkled by the cloud above, and by the waters on each fide." This he cannot agree to. Lee us fee how he underftands it, and whether he mends the matter. He thinks " a man of plain fenfe, not thinking of this cloud or pillar of fire, dropping down water, but of opinion — that the baptifm of fcripture is immerfion, would be apt to carry his thoughts no further than to apprehend here is an allufion to the cuftom of immerfion ; the Ifraelites being, as it were, covered with the cloud over, and the waters on each fide of them.'* Thus they ftumble on every hand, who are vainly contending for the figures. His remark is very juft, that a man of plain fenfe would not think of drops of water from a pillar of fire : and methinks it requires a little more than plain fenfe to un- dcrftand immerfion all over in water from this paflfage ; but though a man *' of opinion that the baptifm of fcripture is immerfion," miight be very likely to fl:op fhort of the fubftance, and ap- prehend nothing further than an " allufion to the curtom of im.merfion ;" yet I do not fee why a man of real plain fenfe may not query how a pillar of fire can reprefent immerfion in water ? Or how going through the fea on dry land, as a firm foundation, points out bathing all over in that fiu6luac-ing unftable element? The apoftlc in this pafiage exprefsly declares, they eat. the fame fpiritual meat, and that they drink of that fpiiitual rock that followed them-, and that rock was Chrift. Hence it appears, they ate and drank r.he very .fubllance- which the faints in all agc-.j live [ 139 ] live by. This indeed they muft have eaten, or elfe have had no divine life in them. Eating the outward emblems of it never gave life divine to the foul, any more than outward baptifm. Their eating outward manna, and drinking outward water from the rock, could never make their fouls alive to God, and was but typical of that " fpiritual meat" which they alfo and as truly ate, as they did the outward: and of "that fpiritual rock whereof they drank j for that rock was Chrifl." And why may not plain fenfe look a little further than to art " allufion to the cuftom of immerlion'* for the fubftance of their baptifm, as well as for the fubftance of their eating and drinking? For feeing they did truly feed in greater or lefs degree on Chrift in fpirit, as well as on outward manna, &c. and fo enjoyed fomething of the very life and fubftance of the L,ord's fupper ; why may we not believe they were in degree fubftantially baptized into the fellowfliip of his fufferings, and con- formity to his death, as well as into thofe deep outward trials and afflidions, fo preftingly ex- perienced by them, whilft conduced by the pillar of fire, and whilft purfued by their enemies at and into the midft of the red fea ? And' thus the word baptizo may anfwer as well to plunging into fiery trials, as into water. Our Saviour fays, " I have a baptifm to be baptized with, and how am 1 ftraitened till it be accompliftied," Luke xii. 50. And can it be doubted that thofe who really fed on Chrift in fpirit, in that day, were in degree truly baptized with him into fufferings, and in fome degree at leaft buried with him into death ? In this way I think we may fee fomething further in their bap- tilin than outward immerlionj and thus refcue K 2 the [ 140 ] the pillar of fire from either dropping down water, or importing immerfion into it j and in- deed there Teems little or no fenfe in the paffage underftood as fpeaking of either : for fuppofe we underftand with the plain account " an allufion to the cuftom of immerfion," it then amounts to this — immerfion in water is a figure of purifi- cation — and Ifrael's paffage through the fea is a figure of that figure; or that the apoftle, in his affertion here, that they were baptized, only had an allufion to that figure. Now if it was nothing but a figure of a figure, I fee not how he could pofitively in truth fay, they were baptized. — Either they were, or were not — if they were properly baptized, it was inward or outward j if it was outward, and a proper water baptifm, then either dipping, fprinkling, or any thing that has a little relemblance and will bear an " allu- fion to the cuftom of immerfion," may, for aught I can perceive, be called baptifm. Why then contend fo long and loud about the prccife mode of it ? If Paul meant as he faid, that they were baptized, I think he muft mean fpiritually: but if any will have it mean outward water bap- tifm, do they not at once introduce a third kind, or a third mode of it, different from either im- merfion or fprinkling? At any rate, and turn it every w^y, will not the refult be, either that Paul did not mean as he faid, that they really were baptized, but only that their paffige refembled baptifm, and may bear an allufion to it, or that he meant an outward baptifm, without either dipping or fprinkling, or that he meant an in- ward cind fpintual baptifm ? The two firft mean- ings I fhould fuppofe moft if not all would, on due confiderafrion, rcjeif^ — zhc lait i am confirmed is. t HI ] is, as before evinced, the genuine meaning of the apoftle. He is here prefling it upon the once livingly baptized among the Corinthians, to hold out to the end. A few verfes before (fee the preceding chapter, i Cor. ix. 24) he fays, " fo run that ye may obtain." 25th, " every man that ftrivcth for the maftery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but wean incorruptible. 26th, I therefore fo run, not as uncertainly ; fo fight I, not as one that beatech the airj 27, but 1 keep under my body, and bring it into fubjedlion, left that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myfelf Ihould be a caft-away." Here he urges his own fubjettion, and the temperance of others, as examples i and then, to enforce the caution, imprefs the danger of their falling (hort, and if poflible prevent their becoming caft-aways, he pertinently reminds them how it fared with fome of the ancient fathers who came out of Egypt with Mofes ; and who, though they had partaken oi the true fpiritual baptifm, meat and drink of the faints, yet afterwards (fuch is the weaknefs and danger of man) they lufted after evil things — murmured — tempted God — committed idolatry and fornication — and fo were overthrown in the wildernefs. — And in full confirmation that his aim in all this was to warn the Corinthians, he declares, " thefe things were our examples, to the intent that we fhould not luft after evil things, as they alfo lufted," nor tempt Chrift, nor mur- mur, &c. as they did ; and ftrikingly adds, '' wherefore let him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed left he fall," v. 12. Perhaps all will agree, that thofe thus warned by Paul had re- ceived Chrlftian baptifm, whether it be agreed K .3 or [ U2 1 or not what that was; and if Chriftians were in all that great danger of falling, after the example of unbelief and apoftacy here exhibited by him, and if this example was pertinent to their ftate and danger, does not that pertinency confift much in the Ifraelites having known a good degree of that which is faving, and turning from it ? Nehemiah teftifieSj that the Lord faw their afflidion in Egypt, and heard their cry by the red fea, and gave alfo his good Spirit to inftruft them, Neh. ix. 9, 20. God was fo near and attentive to them, that he not only led them by ; he even went himfelf before them in the pillar of cloud and of fire. Let none therefore marvel that Paul fays they were baptized in the cloud, feeing that holy pre- fence was adually there, into which all the fpirit- ual Ifrael are baptized. — Mofes tells them, Deut. V. J, " the Lord talked with you face to face*' — and Ifaiah calls them the ranfomed, teftifying, li. 10, that the Lord " made the depth of the fea a way for the ranfomed to pafs over." — But in regard to their, pafTage through the fea, it is evi- dent the cloud was not then over them, but be- hind them. — It had gone before them ; but jufl: before their going through, we read, " the angel of God, which went before the can~p of Ifrael, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and Hood behind them," Exod. xiv. 19, So that unlefs immerfion all over into and under water, or atleaft an illufion to it, can be gathered from their going through the fea as on dry ground, with a cloudy and fiery pillar behind them, I can- not fee any thing more in it for immerfion, than for [ 143 ] for fprinklingi and in fact it appears to have nothing to do with either. This author fays, p. 41, " the difciples of Chrift, during his miniftry on earth, as well as the difciples of John, were very well acquainted with the inftitution of baptifm j" and agrees with Whitby, that " they only baptized, as John had done, into the faith of the Meffiah which was to come, and with that baptifm of repentance, which prepared the Jews for the reception of his king- dom," By this it is conceded, that during Chrift's miniftry on earth, that baptifm which his difciples ufed was the fame as John's. No wonder then Chrift never ufed it himfelf ; and as he never once ufed it either before or after his refurre6tion, as we do not find his twelve apoftles were ever bap- tized in water, but only into John's baptifm, as before noticed, it feems clear to me, that Chrift's commiffion does not contain water baptifm.-^ His injundion to teach the people ail things that he had commanded them, includes no fuch ob- fervation ; for he had not commanded it ; nor does it appear that the difciples ever ufed it, after Chrift gave them this commiflion, in any wife as a different ordinance from what it had been before. If it was John's, and ufed by them as his before, it was afterwards but a continuation of the fame ordinance. It no where in all the Bible appears to be an ordinance of Chrift j but having been in great veneration, was indulgently continued through weaknefs, even after the re- furredlion. Nothing can be gofpel baptifm, that is not faving; it is the foul that needs purgation; the K '^ baptifm [ 144 ] baptiftn which cff*e(5ls this, cannot be that which is merely with elementary water; but mud be that which burns up the filth, and removes the defilement i that is, the baptifin into the name, the life, the cleanfing virtue of the divine nature. — Chrill's baptifm is ever defcribed as faving, and none were ever laved without it. We all know that baptifm into water may be received by fuch as are not in any degree faved j and I think, if we exercife but the common reafon of mankind, we mull fee, that if water baptifm were faving, it were a conllant miracle, and that as oft re- peated as it proved faving, even as truly a miracle as the turning water into winc; for there is no- thing in a bare wafhing in outward water, that has any more efFecSt: towards an inward cleanfing, than there is in anointing with oil, or (having off the hair. If therefore it were the baptifm of Chrift, it mull either be a Handing miraculous purification of fouls by outward application, or a thing not faving j b«t the baptifm of Chrift is that which now faves us, and is in its own nature and operation as truly and conllantly faving to the foul, as wafhing in water is cleanfing to the body. In proportion to the degree in which the body is wafhed in water, it is cleanfed by the outward putting away the filth of the flelh ; and in proportion to the degree in which any foul ck- perienceth the baptifm of Chrifl, it infallibly produceth inward landification, by putting away the filth of the fpirit. That name into which all the faints are baptized is fuch, that their baptifm into it mull purify. Purification is the very thing itfelf, and that is the one plain reafon why it not only is, but muft be, a baptifm into the holy name: "for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we muft be faved," [ MS 1 faved," Afis iv. 12. It is truly by the name, that we are faved j for this divine and living *' name is as ointment poured forth," Cant. i. 3. This is the " undlion from the holy one,'* i John ii. 20. ** The name of the Lord is a ftrong tower J the righteous runneth into it, and is fafe,*' Prov. xviii. 10. Well may they be fafe in this name, feeing the baptifm into it is ever faving. Deeply fenfible that there was no other falva- tion, the Pfalmift prays, liv. i, " fave me, O God, by thy name ;" and Jeremiah fays, x. 6, " thy name is great in might.*' Indeed his name is the ftrength and falvation of his people j none can run into his name, or be gathered into it, or baptized into it, but they mu(t at the fame time be gathered and baptized into him. — Hence the ilripture phrafe, ** baptized into Chriftj" and hence alfo the abfolute certainty that where two or three are gathered into his name, there he is in the midft of them. See Mat. xviii. 20. He doth not fimply promife that he will bej he de- clares " there am I in themidftof them;" for he knew none could gather into his name, where he himfelf was not. The Greek word, truly tranf- lated, is into ; the fame word ufcd in Chrift's baptifmal commifllon, and with great propriety ; for none can be gathered into him who are not baptized into him — neither gathering in his name, nor baptifm in it, profefllonally availeth. — The promife of falvation is fure to none but thofe who are truly gathered and baptized into the name itfelf: and to thefe it cannot fail; for the name has all healing virtl^e in it. " Holy Father" (fays Chrift) " keep through thine own name thofe whom thou haft given me, that they may [ 146 ] may be one, as we are," John xvil. ii. " While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name," 12. If ye Ihall alk any thing'" (fays he) "in my name, I will do it," xiv. 14. This can never fail, any more than falvation can fail to fuch as are truly and thoroughly baptized into his name ; for as this baptifm is falvation, fo alking in his name is in his own life, fpirit and power, and he cannot deny himfelf. As the Father al- ways hears him, becaufe his afking in his the Father's life and power ; fo he always hears and cannot avoid hearing, all who afk in his name ; for the one plain and all fufficient reafon, that his name is his life and fpirit, his power and pre- fence; and all done in it, is done to purpofe j for therein there is no lack — therein is fulnefs, and divine fufficiency. We are complete there- in for ever, without any of the figns or fymbols of former difpenfations. CHAP. [ 147 1 CHAP. VII. FauVs epijlles to the Galatians and Cokjfians written furpojely to dijfuade from attachment to Jhadowy ordinances. Circumcijion, water baptifniy &'c, plainly fuperceded i and true Chrijiians fiewn to be complete in Chrift without Phem. This the evi- dent f cope of thefe epijlles. This chapter contains many quotations from, and remarks on them. SEVERAL of the epiftles feem to have been written on purpofe to diffuade from attach- ment to and retention of the rituals of fhadowy difpenfations. Paul having his knowledge of Chrift by immediate revelation, knew the difpen- fation of figurative inftitutions was ended; and that Chriftians viewing lifelefs figns as gofpel or- dinances, muft powerfully divert and detain them from the living, faving fubftance: hence he pref- fingly invites *to Chrift, the life, and fubftance, and warns againft a continuance of ceremonials. — His epiftles to the Galatians and Colofllans, and a good deal of feveral others, arc full to this purpofe. Some troublefome perfons had got in among [ H8 ] among the Galatlans, infifting on circumcifion, and the rites of thelawj and had fo influenced the believers, that this infpired apoftle vehe- mently expoftulates with them for being fo eafily fhaken from grace (of itfelf fuflicient for all) and turned to elementary obfervances, chap. i. 6, 7. «' I marvel that ye are fo foon removed from him that called you into the grace of Chrift, unto another gofpel." But as rituals are not of the gofpel, he immediately adds, " which is not another; but there be fome that trouble you, and would pervert the gofpel of Chrift." — Indeed every attempt to eftablifli ceremonial inftitutions as gofpel ordinances, is direflly an attempt to pervert the gofpel, and fruftrate its bleffed defign, that of fuperceding all thofe figurative obferva- tions. And on this ground he pronounces any one, even though it were himfelf and companions, or an angel from heaven, that fhould preach any other gofpel than that already preached unto them, accurfcd, v. 18. — The gofpel that Paul preached, was Chrift within, the word nigh in the heart and in the mouth; which he exprefsly calls the righteoufnefs which is of faith; and declares of this inward word, " that is, the word of faith which we preach.'* See Rom. x. 6, 8. — A few words before he had declared, " Chrift is the end of the law, for righteoufnefs to every one that be- lieveth." Hence it is evident, that this inward word of faith, which he preached as nigh in the heart, &c. is that whicii Supercedes and ends the fians and Ihadows of the law to true believers. The Ifraelites had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge; for they being igno- rant of God's righteoufnefs (the inward righteouf- ntli of faith— Chrift, the word in the heart) and C H9 ] going about to eftablifli their own righteoufneis (in the figurative obfervances, the letter and cere- monies of the law, and creaturely performances) have not fubmitted themfelves unto the righte- oufnefs of God.'* See v. 2, 3. That he means by the righteoufnefs of God, this inward living word in the heart, and by their not fubmitting to it, their non-fubje6tion to the motions and teachings of it, is evident by the 6th, 7 th and 8tli verfes. *' But the righteoufnefs which is of faith fpeaketh on this wife ; fay not in thine heart, who fhall afcend into heaven ? (that is, to bring Chrill down from above :) or who fhall defcend into the deep ? (that is, to bring up Chrifl; again from the dead) but what faith it ? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart j that is, the word of faith which we preach." This will remain, through all ages, the one only gofpel of life and falvation. It is Chrift in man, and ends the types and Ihadows. Were it not Chriil himfelf the divine and holy word in the foul, did it not unite the life of the foul with the life of God, and bring into fubjeftion to him, dependence upon him, and adtion by him, it would never efFeft complete falvation for until all this is witnefTed, God becomes not our " all in all." Though we have known Chrill after the flefli (faith the apoftle) yet now hence- forth know wc him no more,*' 2 Cor. v. 16. — It was neceffary he went away, as to his vifible ap- pearance in the flelh, that he might come again, or more ful4y in fpirit abide with and comfort his for ever. This he promifed, and performs it to every true believer, who rightly looks for him in fpirit, not gazing up into heaven, watching for his outward coining, or fecking to know him after the flelh : unto ail who thus inwardly look for [ «5o ] for him, he appears in them, where his kingdom is " without fin to falvation." See Heb. ix. 28. This final coming to judgment will be to thou- fands who look not for him, and will not be un- to their falvation, but condemnation, to their fhame and everlafting contempt ; but his fecond coming is promifed only unto them that look for him, and is to their falvation. And thus he did come to thofe he faid Ihould not tafte of death till they faw the kingdom j for this is truly the coming of his kingdom on earth, to thofe who rightly wait and pray for it, and livingly experi- ence it, which many then didj for fays the apoftle. Col. i. 13. " who hath delivered us from the power of darknefs, and hath tranflated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.'* Here Chrift fitteth on the throne of the heart, in his inward kingdom; for Paul tells the Galatians that it- had pleafed God, who called him by his grace, " to reveal his Son in him," This entirely fuper- ccdes the occafion of figns, as eating, drinking, or the like, to keep him in remembrance. This inward revelation and knowledge of the Son, in man, the hope of his glory, was a myllery that had been hidden from ages and generations. — ■ The mifis of darknefs, and their relting in the law of carnal commandments and ceremonies, had hid and vailed from their minds the clear know- ledge of it : but the vail being done away in Chrift to the faints, in that day, the apoftle de- clares this myftery was " made manifeft to them;" — and goes on to ftiew what is the very life, riches and glory of it; faying, " to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this myflery among the Gentiles, which is Chrift in you the hope of glory." See Col. i. 26, 27, There [ 151 3 There never was but one true life and fubftance of religion. — Hence though this myftery of ChriH within was greatly hid to moll men for ages, yet was it the very thing Mofes referred Ifrael to of old. Deut. xxx. 14, " the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayeft do it." Here Mofes preached the gofpel: and Paul affirms it was preached to Abraham, Gal. iii. 8. Indeed it mufl: be fo ; for Abraham faw Chrift's day, re- joiced in it, and came in degree into the life of it, though not to the end of all the figns. — He not only faw it, as then to come in greater fulnefs and glory; he knew it in himfelfj for when the Jews faid to Ghrift, *' thou art not yet fifty years old, and haft thou feen Abraham ?" he did not efcape their delemma by telling them, Abraham forefaw his day afar off. That was not the thing he aimed at : but he came direftly to the ever important point, to the very life of the matter; " verily, verily, I fay unto you, before Abra- ham was, I am," John viii. 57, 58 : not I was; for, as the holy word (the fame that appears in- the heart) he is the eternal am. — Abraham knew and enjoyed him as fuch, as the life and fubftance of the new covenant, " four hundred and thirty years" before the giving of the outward law. — This is the inward gofpel which Paul learned by the revelation of Jefus Chrift, Gal. i. 12 — by God's revealing his Son in him: had he not fo learned it, but only taken it by report from others, though well authenticated, he might have preached up Jefus and the refurredlion in word, with as much zeal as ever he had in the Jews re- ligion, while he was fo " exceedingly zealous of the traditions of his fathers," v. 14, and yet never [ 152 ] never at all have preached the gofpel of Chrifl, which ever is in itfelf (and is never preached but in) the power of God to falvation. I mourn that the preachers of our day fo ge- nerally lay hold of the hiftory of the gofpel in the Utter, out of the life and power of it — zealoudy urging and ufing elementary obfervances, as or- dinances of Chrift, to the fubverfion of many fouls from a clofc and fmgle attention to the inward word of life ; under which, for a feafon, they have been well exercifed. Thus *•' the letter kiileth," 2 Cor. iii. 6. The literal preaching of what is called the gofpel, being out of the new- nefs of life, leading into and landing in the ce- remonials of religion, has flain its tens of thou- finds, even of fuch as have in degree begun in the fpirir, and run well for a feafon j but by and by» through the influence of this lifelefs miniftry, have turned to and come under the Ihadows, and there reded from the further pur- fuit of their journey in the fpirit, which they ought to have fervently profecuted in the open light, and under the warmth and animating beams of the fun. Paul knew the danger of thefe things, and confidered the attempts of thofe *' falfe bre- thren" to continue the obfervance of outward ordinances, as direflly tending to bring the be- lievers " into bondage," Gal. ii. 4, and would not give place to them, " by fubjeftion'* (to fuch obfervances) " no not for an hour, that the truth of the gofpel" (fays he) " might continue With you," V. 5. By the truth of the gofpel, he means its pure and genuine fimplicity, unfettered with figns and ceremonies; againft the retention whereof he was fo bold and faithful, that he de- clares [ '53 ] dares he even withftood Peter *^ to the face," at Antioch, v. ii. and reproved him " before them all," for compelling the "Gentiles to live as do the Jews,'* 14; and efpecially, feeing he himfelf had, " before that certain came from James," eaten with, and lived " after the manner of the Gentiles." And then this great apoftle pertinently incul- cates, that even the believing Jews themfelves could not be " juftified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift," 16. It is evi- dent he means, by the works of the law, the out- ward obfervances of it ; for he is here exprefsly labouring againfl: the continuance of thefe, as will yet further appear. The 3d chapter begins thus, " O foolifh Galatians, who hath bewitched, you, that ye fhould not obey the truth ?" the 2d and 3d verfes query, " this only would I learn of you, received ye the fpirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? are ye fo foolifh? having begun in the fpirit, are ye now madeper- {e6t by theflelh?" all true religion, in every age and nation, ever began in the fpirit j and all that ever continued in true religion, continued in the fpirit : and no man ever enjoyed any more of it than he enjoyed in the fpirit. None ever were, or ever will be, "made perfeft by the flefhj" by any thing man, as man, can do; nor receive the fpirit by the works and obfervations of the law ; though many are afling as if they thought they could not be complete in Chrill alone, or be " made perfect" in and by his holy fpirit, with- out the addition of " weak and beggarly ele- ments." It leems the Galatians were of the fame L mind. [ IJ+ ] mind. They began in the fpirit, but not being content to abide in it, advance forward in it, and depend fingly upon it, they were feeking to be •* made perfeft,** or completed in ihe work of religion, by ceremonial obfervations. Againft this departure from a fingle reliance on that holy fpirit which began the work, the apoftle was zealoufly engaged, and declares, v. ii. "the juft Ihall live by faith/' What faith? The righteoufnefs of that inward word of faith, which Paul preached *' nigh in the heart and mouth.'* For there never w^s nor can be but one things through all time, that the juft could or ever can live by ; and that is this inward word of life, the fpiritual flefh and blood of Chrift. " He that cateth me, even he fhall live by me," faith the bleflcd Jefus, John vi. 57; and he that eateth him not truly and fubftantially (how oft foever he eats the figures, and how loud foever he pro- claims his faith) has "no life in him," ^2' This is the tree of life, in the " midft of the paradife of God." This heals the nations of them that walk in the light of the lamb i and by this, and this only, they live unto God. Hence Paul fays, <* I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me; and tlie life which I now live in the flefli, I live by the faith of the Son of God." Gal. ii. 20 ; that is, by the faith of Chrift living in him. He was; ** dead to t!ielaw, that he might live unco God," 19. He renounces all mere legal, ceremonial righteoufnefs, and comes home to Chrift alive in his own foul. He mentions the " blefling of Abraham" as coming " on the Gentiles" only through "Jefus Chrift" the life; and the re- ceiving of " the promife of the fpirit," only " through £ '55 ] ^' through faith," chap. iii. 14, This is experi*. mental religion, all ftanding in that faith which is " of the operation of Go J'* in the foul. Col. ii. 12. and which is the very life and " fubftance of things hoped for," and therefore, and thereibre only, it is alfo the fure and certain " evidence of things not feen." See Heb. xi. i. Many ftrive hard to believe, and think they do believe j but no mere opinion, or fimple credence, is the faith of the gofpel. No other faith than that which is in its own nature the very " fubftance of the things hoped for," can be a fure and unlhaken evidence of the eternal inheritance, the things not yet feen. " To Abraham and his feed were the promifes made. He faith not, and to feeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy feed, which is Chrift. And this I fay, that che covenant that was con-r firmed before of God in Chrift, the law, which was foyr hundred and thirty years after, cannot difannul, that it fhould make the promife of none efFed," Gal. iii. 16, 17. " And if ye be Chrift's, then are ye Abraham's feed, and heirs according to the promife,** 29, Obfervc, reader, the covenant is confirmed only in Chrift, the life, the word in the heart, the inward " hope of" glory." The promife is to all that are Chrift's, and to them only, God promifed that in Abra- ham, and in his feed, Chrift, all nations ftiould be blefled. This " promife is fure to all the feed;" fee Rom. iv. 16 j to all that are "born again of God,'* begotten into fonfliip and joint heirftiip with Chrift, by this " incorruptible feed, and word of God," in the heart. This alone is the true faith, wherein all the children of it L2 75 ] fomevvhat a like import, in fupport of water bap* tifm } when the manner of the Apoftle's bringing it in, juft after warning them againft the rudi- ments of the world, pointing out the fulnefs of Chrift, the inward hope of glory, and declaring them complete in him, and then immediately fhewing how they are complete in him, without any of thofe rudiments he had juft warned them againft, fhews as plainly as funftiine, that their circumcifion and their baptifm were both in him, the one as much as the other. So that I defire the candid reader to turn to the pafTage, and read for himfelf. And I think he that can find argument in it for water baptifm, may find as much for circumcifion made with hands. But as the circumcifion here is that made without hands, fo alfo is the baptifm. It is all fpiri- tual : and, as the Apoftle words it, confifts " in putting off the body of the fins of the fiefli." Almoft exadlly fimilar is what he fays, Rom. vi. 6, fpeaking exprefsly of this inward and fpiritual baptifm " into Chrift," and *' into his death," being '' buried with him by baptifm into death,'* &c. The words are, " knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him-, that the body of fin might be deftroyed, that henceforth we fliould not ferve fin." Here the fame Apoftle afcribes the fame effe6l to fpiritual baptifm into Chrift, as in the pafiTage juft mentioned, in the epiftle to the Coloflians, he afcribes to circumcifion fpiri- tually in him, the "putting off"" or " deftroy- ing the body of the fins of the flefti." It muft be a wrong philofophy, and vain deceit indeed, that can fo wreft thefe plain teftimonies of the Apoftle, as to draw elementary water from them for baptifm. M4 If, [ «76 ] If circumcifion here is inward, fo is the bap-» tifm. If the baptifm is outward, To is the cir- cumcifion. They are fo joined together, that- neither true wifdom, found reafon, nor connmon fenfe, can put them afunder, and make the one outward, and the other inward. And if the apoftle here excludes outward circumcifion, he equally excludes outward baptifm. If he re- tains one, he retains both. But he retains nei- ther. He clearly rejefts both ; and (hews our circumcifion and our baptifm both complete in Chrift, without hands, without a knife, or a fingle drop of elementary water. He plainly fhews the believers not only '' buried with him in bap- tifiti," but in the fame baptifm alfo " rifen with him } " and that exprefsly " through the faith of the operation of God;" which is wholly an internal thing, the very *' fubftance of things hoped for." /^nd having (hewn what the one faving baptifm and circumcifion is, he then with great pertinency exhibits Chrift *' blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances," taking " it out of the way, nailing it to his crofs," as of no further ufe to fuch as know him in the fellow- fhip of his fufTcrings, and in the power of his refurreftion ; fuch as experience his fulnefs, and are circumcifed, baptized, and complete in him. For thefe know his crofs, and are crucified by it to the world, and to the rudiments, elements, and ordinances of it ; and the world alfo is cru- cified unto them. There is no friendfhip be- tween Chrift and belial -, nor much between his difciples and the world. His religion does not fuit the world. It is too fimple, unpopular, un- pompous, and too unceremonious i too much a ^eath to fcif. And I am well faiisfied that many, wliQ [ 177 1 ,who are and have been livingly wrought upon by the power of God, and made to pant for di- vine fupport, have yet driven hard co fave their life in felf, in popularity, and in the friendlhip of this world J and from this difpofition have Ihunned the crofs •, and though they have owned Chrift, and chofe to be "called by his name, to take away their reproach," they have ftill pre- ferred to eat their own bread, and wear their own apparel ; and, with Nicodcmus, to acknow- ledge and worlhip the bleffed Jefus, in the dark figns and fhadows of the night j than openly to embrace the contempt of the crofs, and confefs him in the inward, unceremonious purity, fpiri- tuality and fimplicity of the clear and genuine gofpel day. Dipping under water, and calling that "buried with him by baprifm into death," the fpirit of the world, which ftill too much liveth in them, can more eafily endure ; nay, is fometimes pieafed and plumed with it. Far be it from me to think this of all who ufe this fign. I doubt not, even this is a real crofs to fome ; but I believe it is generally much more tolernble to the fpirit and wifdom of the world, tlian1:he pure fimplicity of the gofpel j the real death and burial with Chrift, in putting off the body of the fins of the flelh, and ceafing from man, and from their own creaturely adlivity in religion j waiting on God, in abfolute dependence, in nothingnefs of felf, and the lofs of all things : this is too hard for the fpirit of the world. Thefe are hard fay- ings to it-, who can bear them? Hence many who walk with him awhile in the fpirit, and run well for a feafon under the crofs, grow weary of the fufFerings and reproaches of Chrift, turn away back, and walk no more with hirn ; but get [ «78 ] get into the " beggarly elements," and fic at eafe in the friendfliip of the world, under a for- mal pro fefTion of religion j very little converfant with the crofs, to which they would know all thefe things nailed, if they rightly abode with Jefus, and followed him in the regeneration. But as none reign with him, but thofe who fuf- fcr with him ; as none rife with him in the like- nefs of his refurredlion, nor walk with him in newnefs of life, but thofe who are really, not ceremonially planted with him in the likenefs of his death •, as none fit with him in the throne of his kingdom and glory, but who drink of his cup, and are baptized with his baptifm ; a rem- nant of true-hearted followers have chofen to fufFer affliction with him, and follow him, where ever he leadeth, bearing his crofs. Thefe know " the hand-writing of ordinances nailed to it." Their blotting out, and removal, is a thing in familiar experience with them ; not merely a matter of record in the letter of the fcriptures, and thence gleaned up, and fyflemized into a lifelefs creed, confefTion or profefTion of faith. Birr let us follow the Apoftle a little further. The next verfe fhews Chrift having " fpoiled principalities and powers," and " openly tri- umphing over them." Then he enjoins upon the Coloffians, the way being now quite cleared for it, "let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink '* (are not the bread and wine here included, as we have feen circumcifion and ele- mentary baptifm were a few veifes before ?) " or in refpeft of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the fabbath day." He goes very thorough in difmiflion of ceremonials, and well he might ; for his next words are, v. i;, " which are a fhadow [ 179 ] fliadow of things to come ; but the body is of Chrift." Therefore he adds, v. i8, &c. "let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and worlhipping of angels, intruding into thofe things, which he hath not feen •, vainly puffed up by his flefhly mind. And not holding the head, from which all the body, by joints and bands, having nourifliment miniftered and knit together, increafeth with the increafe of God. Wherefore, if ye be dead with Chrift from the rudiments of the world, v/hy, as though living in the world, are ye fubje6l to ordinances ? Touch not, tafte not, handle not ; which all are to perifli with the ufing, after the command- ments and do6lrines of men." He does not fay, wherefore, if ye be dead and buried with Chrift, by plunging into the elements or rudiments in water baptifm ; bur, quite differently, " where- fore, if ye be dead with Chrift from the rudi- ments," or, as the marginal reading has it, " from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye fubjetSt to ordinances ? '* This home query fliould go to the heart of every obferver of thefe outward ordinances, and beget a clofe examination, whether their obfervance thereof, and fubjeftion thereto, is not rather fol- lowing after the traditions " and doftrines of men," in their unfeafonable and unprofitable con- tinuance in the abrogated inftitutions and ordi- nances of former difpenfations — the rudiments ■which ought to be left behind, than after Chrift, who has triumphed over them all, abolifhed, and nailed them to his crofs ? And when this ex- amination is rightly made, and the Apoftle's pro- hibitory injundlion, *' touch not, tafte not, handle not, which all are to perifli with the ufing," &c. [ i8o ] &c. rightly complied with, I believe the "weak and beggarly elements " mud be rejected ; bread, wine and water, as ordinances of" religion, re- nounced, as things *' which perifh with the ufing-,** and the one only and laving baptifm of the gofpel retained. Here the walking in newnefs of life, and the anfwer of a good confcience towards God, by the refiirreCtion of Jefus Chrift, will be known. Here the earth will enjoy her fabbaths again, men reft-ng from their own works, as God did from his. Here the morning ftars will iing together, the fons of God will Ihout aloud for joy, and the in,habitants of Sion keep holy dny to tlie Lord, C H A P. [ iSi ] CHAP. VIII. Is a recapitulation cr Jummary of a number of the principal reafons againji Juppofng the Chrijlian eommijfion for haptifmy Matt, xxviii. can mean water. THUS having exhibited to the view of the reader many important pafTages of the fa- cred records, with many remarks and arguments thereon, which appear to me fufficient to fatisfy the minds of fuch as may, under divine influence and illumination, carefully weigh and confider them, that the gofpel is an inward, living and fpiritual difpenfation, void of any mere outward, figurative and ceremonial inllitutions, or ordi- nances j I think proper here, in one view, to re- capitulate and prefent the reader with feveral of the principal arguments, or reafons, why the great gofpel commiffion. Mat. xxviii. Mark xvi. cannot be properly underltood to enjoia water baptifm. I. Because every religious wafiiing in out- ward water, both under John and Mofes, was fymbolical of inward purification, and pointed to it, as effected " by the wafhing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft." John's minif- try, and water baptifm, in particular, was for Chrift's manifeftation to Ifrael. To prepare his way, r 182 3 way, by turning their minds to fee the necefHty, and to a defire and readinefs for the reception of, and fubmifllon to, this his baptifinal purification; and then exprefsly to decreafe, as the fubflance ihould increafe. The type to give place to the antitype ; feeing figns and fymbols were ever in- tended to vanifh out of the way, when the fub- llance fignified by them was fully come : they being only as a fchoolmafter, to lead unto Chriftj jvho is, to every one that believeth in him, the full end of the law of commandments, contained in ordinances ; becaufe they are com- plete in him, without any of thofe reprefentative obfervances, which only pointed at him, but can have no place in him, nor in his pure gofpel dif- pcnfation. II. Because the Greek word eny the common word for in, might have been ufed in the com- mifiion, as on other occafions, where in fimply was intended, if this baptifm had been only into water, verbally in the Lord's name. But the word eis being here ufed, fignifying direflly into, and fo ufed in many other paffages, fhews the baptifm is into the name, the virtue, life and power of God; into holinefs, meeknefs, purity, gentlenefs, divine wifdom, true judgment, and whatever communicable grace or virtue a Chriflian receives by ingraftment into Chrift, when *' cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature •, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a good olive tree," as Rom. xi. 24. The ingraft- ment is plainly into Chrift. The baptifm is fe- veral times exprefsly declared to be into him. Nor need we doubt but the common word for teach, to wit, didajko, would have been ufed in this [ '83 ] this commilTion, had it not meant a converting, difciplining, baptizing kind of teaching, which gathers fouls into God, their habitation, refuge, and ftrong tower, III. Because the Apollles were not and could not be qualified to adminiftcr this baptifm, till they were endued with power from on high : could not impart, minifter or communicate the Holy Ghoft, but when and as they were baptized or filled with it themfelves. Hence were they commanded to tarry at Jerufalem, till qualified by the outpouring of the Spirit upon them ; and thus to wait for the promife of the Father, which they had heard of Chrift, that " John baptized with water, but they fhould be baptized with the Holy Ghoil." And it is very abiurd to fup- pofe Chrift, in direfting them how and where to wait, and what for, in order to their quali- fication to adminifter his baptifm, would ex- prefsly point their attention from and beyond that of water, to that of the Holy Ghoft, had he been then giving them dire6lions about preaching the gofpel, and baptizing in water. IV". Because in all the after inftances of bap- tifm in water (through condefcenfion) there is not one, wherein the form of words in this com- miflion is made ufe of; which it muft have been in every inftance, where the commiflion was duly obferved, had it meant \vater, and eftablilbed a form of words to be ufed in its adminiftration. And how can we fuppofe thofe, who now ufe water, better know, are more bound by, or more duly obferve the commiflion, than the difciples ? The difciples were fo far from underftanding it of [ 184 ] of water, that they never once ufed water, as under it ; never once ufed the words of it, as a form in any wife proper to an outward or mere figurative performance. And does not this their total omillion of thofe words evince that they were of an high and heavenly import, meaning nothing lefs than a real baptifm into the divine nature, the very life and fubftance of the God- head, and by no means applicable to the mere outward and vifibie fign of this inward and fpiri- tual immerfion, ingraftment and purification ? But men now prefume to apply thefe expreflions to a mere outward ceremony, and dignify im- merfion in water, a moft unliable element, with the title of a gofpel ordinance j yea, a lacrament of Chrift Jefus. V. Because when the Holy Ghoft fell on Cornelius, and his houfliould, through Peter's fpeaking to them in the life and power of the fame, he was immediately made to remember (doubtlefs by the great and promifed remem- brancer) the words of Chrift refpe6ling the bap- tifm of the Holy Ghoft. Thus clearly applying them to the falling of the Holy Ghoft on thofe Gentiles, through his miniftry ; that is, through the words fpoken by him, whereby they ftiould be faved, as foretold by the angel. And as only the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft is faving ; as they did evidently receive this through Peter's mini- ftry J as the angel told Cornelius, Peter fliould tell him words by which they lliould be faved j and as Peter really underflood the baptifm they then received (through thofe words by him fpo- ken, and by which they were to be laved) to be the one faving baptifm of the gofpel, the very [ i85 ] I'ame promifed by Chrift, in the words which were thereupon brought to his remembrance j it is evident the baptifm of Chrift is only inward. And more efpecially, as at this very time, in re- crard to the baptifm of water, which was John's, and was for Chrift's manifeflation to Ifrael, Peter fo far doubted the propriety of its adminiftration to the Gentiies, that he even appealed to the judgment of men about it: (which, how would he have dared to have done, had it been his Lord's command) and though none did forbid it, yet he only commanded them to be baptized in the name of the I^ord (the Greek word here is en) and not into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoil; tbefe words in no wife fuiting the nature and deiign of that out- ward adminiftration. VI. Because Peter not only never baptized any in water afterwards, that we have any account of, but exprefsly declares the faving baptifm; both negatively, what it is not, to wit, " putting away the filth of the fiefti,'* the proper effed of water; and pofitively, what it is, and by what it iseffeded; it efFeds, in its complete operation, fuch a thorough purification, as eftablifhes in the foul, the anfwer of a good confcience towards God, and is efteded by that which only can do this, the *^ refurredion of Jefus Chrift," the light, and life, and hope of glory in us. And it will for ever be in vain for any to uippofe they have received Chriftian baptifm, unlefs they thus know him to be truly and experimc-ntally *' the refurredion and the life " in themfelves; for this alone can produce the true fandification and baptifm of the gofpel, A figure cannot favc us, N All [ i85 ] All the wafhings in water are figures. And one; figure is not the fign of another figure. Neither any of the divers Mofaic wafhings, nor John's immerfion (being all but figures) pointed to the baptifm of the gofpel, as to an outward figura- tive plunging in water-, but as (which in truth it is) to an inward, fpiritual wafhing, in the true laver of regeneration. And I think, the old Mofaic typical laver might be as properly con- tinued under the gofpel, as fprinkling or dipping in w^ter. VII. Because Paul, a mofl: eminent Apoftle, not a whit behind the chiefefl, and who received his commifiion and his knowledge of Chrift by immediate revelation (God revealing his Son iri him) and thereby knew his will, and the true fpiritual nature of his baptilm j fpeaking of that with water, declares pofitively, that *' Chrift fent him not to baptize, but to preach the gofpel j" and even thanks God he had baptized no more ; which would have been an high prefumption, and mifdemeanour, had he not known that baptifm in ■water, was no more an ordinance of Chrift, than circumcifion made with hands. But knowing the circumcifion, and baptifm of the new covenant, were altogether inward, he fays, writing to the ColofTians, " ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power ; in whom alfo ye are circumcifcd with the circumcifion made without hands, in putting off the body of the fins of the flefli, by the circumcifion of Chrift; buried with him in baptifm, wherein alfo ye are rifen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raifed him from the dead, chap. ii. 10, II, 12: thus plainly rejeding both out- ward ( i87 ) ■Ward circUmcilion and baptifm, the one as much as the other} and fhewing that the inward, wherein they are complete in Chriflj is a real putting off the body of fm, a death tinto it, a real burial with Chrift, and rifing with him j which is fo far from dipping under and rifing out of the water, that it is only by a faith that is fo living, and fo much above all that is outward, and merely of man, that it is truly and power- fully of the very operation of God in the foul. Here is that refurreclion of Chrift^ by which the good confcience is witnefled in Chriftian bap- tifm. And having thus Ihewn believers' baptifm to be as entirely inv/ard as their circumcifion, he immediately and very pertinently reminds them of Chrift's " blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances," and taking " it out of the way, nailing it to his crofs j '* cautions them to let no man judge them in refpe6l to thofe outward things, which are but " a fliadow of things to come, " and then roundly queries of them, "wherefore, if ye be dead with Chrift, from the rudiments or elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you fubjedl to ordinances ? " This fhews, *' dead with Chrift," or planted in the likenefs of his death, is noc a burial into the rudiments, or elenaents, as in outward baptifm, but " dead with Chrift, from the rudiments ; " therefore he immediately en- joins, " touch not, tafte not, handle not, which all are to perifti with the ufing, after the com- mandments and do6lrines of men." By all whiclx we not only perceive his full rejeftion of all the mere ihadowy ordinances, but that he was fo far from efteeming water baptifm to be Chrift's, that he was truly thankful to God that he had never N 2 uied ( t88 ) iiftd it, even in condefcenfion, but in a very few inllances ; and that he confidered the real baptife into Chrift to include a death with him from all thoie rudimentary or elementary things which pcrifli with the ufing; and which, there- fore, are not to be touched, taftcd, or even hand- Jed, as ordinances, nor by any means fubjefted to, by thofe who are dead to them by baptifm into death with Chrift. VIII. Because all thofe who truly believe, and in this faith of the operation of God are bap- tized according to the commiflion, are thereby faved, as promifcd by Chrift, in giving the corn- miftion ; which is not true of all who are baptized in water. Simon the forcerer both believed and was baptized j and yet, at the fame time, was fo far from having any lot, part or portion in gof- pel faith of baptifm, that he was in the very *' gall of bitternefs, and bond of iniquity ; '* which no doubt has been the cafe with too many befide Simon : whereas all who are baptized ac- cording to the commiftion, and therein witnefs the floor of the heart thoroughly cleanfcd, are baptized into Chrift, have pot him on, the "whole armour of light," and thus being planted in the likenefs of his death, arc alive in the like-- nefs of his refurreftion, in true newnefs of life. IX. Because we have no account, nor the kaft reafon to believe, the firft Apoftles were evef baptized in water, after John baptized them-, for *' Jefus himfelf baptized not." And we have heard of none clfc authorized to baptize them therein, but John ; and fo they being outwardly baptized only into John's baptifm, if Chrift's was alfo ( iS9 ) alfo outward, and John's was not it, they never had it. And then they would have been fent to baptize others with a baptifm thennfelves never received. But they received freely, and were freely to give, and could not give what they never received, nor what they did receive, before they had received it: and therefore were under an abfolute necefllty to wait till they adually did receive the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, before they pofTibly could baptize others with it. This they did receive, and this they did admimfter j and their not prefuming, nor being allowed by their Lord, to attempt baptizing according to the commiflion, till fir ft thus baptized them- felves, lliews evidently what the baptifm of the commillion was, and that the qualification for its adminiftration was through the fame baptifm firft received in themfelves, the endument of power from on high. But had the commifHoH intended John's baptifm, that they were qualified to adniiniilerj and did adminifter before? had it intended water, and yet not as John's, they ne- ver receiving it after the commiflion, any more than before, were no more qualified to adminifter it afterwards> than before. Hence it refults, that Chrift's is that they waited for, received, and then, through the communications of it, admini- ftered to others j that is, the one baptifm of the gofpel. X. Because whoever receive Chrift's baptifm, are initiated thereby into the church of the firft- born, the pillar and ground of truth, and have their names written in heaven, have the white ftone, and new name : and being buried, and rifing with Chrift, are joint heirs with him ; and h« is not afliamed to call them brethren, they- in all ( ^9© ) all things reverently afcribingto him the pre-errii- nence. But this is by no means true of all that are baptized into water. This is in fubftance fomewhat the fame as the 8th reafon ; but may ferve to (hew, that as baptifm in water is not faving, fo it never initiates any into the church of Chrift, however it is extolled as an initiatory ordinance. XL Because Chrift himfelf, though he was . circu.ncifed, baptized, &c. outwardly, in order to fulfil, terminate, blot out, and for ever difan- nul all fuch ceremonials, never circumcifed or baptized others outwardly ; nor ever ordered any of the multitudes that believed on him, that we have any account of, to receive either. He even wafhed his dilciples' feet, and taught them to wafh one another's ; but never baptized them in water, which we may venture to believe he would by no means have omitted, had it been his own baptifm, the one faving and perpetual baptifm of all true believers. XII. Because he did baptize them with ttic holy Spirit, declaring he fent them even as his Father fcnt him j that is, anointed with the Holy Ghoft, that they fliould do the works which he did (baptize with the Holy Ghoft, befure, was a woik which he did.) And as, in order to qua- lify them, he breathed on them, and bid them receive the lioly Ghoft, this was truly fending them as he was fent, and turning their minds, and fixing their dependence, on the like anoint- ing, for qualification for the like ferviees. XIII. Because baptifm in water is certainly one ( 191 ) one of the old things, one of the things that can be Ihaken ; and not one that remains, when and where all are fhaken and removed, that can be Ihaken ; not one that can remain, when and where not only the earth, not only fin, carnality, and earthly mindednefs, but alfo heaven ; things efteemed heavenly, and which were once really ordinances of God, are thoroughly fhaken, and all removed, but what cannot be fliaken ; and which alone can remain in this truly gofpel (late. The rejoicing of true Chriftians is in that which God creates, after the old heavens and old earth are fliaken, and all typical righteoufnefs is paflcd away ; that is, in the pure antitypical righteouf- nefs which muft remain, becaufe it cannot be fliaken, but is of the very nature of, and per- taineth to the new heavens, and new earth, where- in dwelleth righteoufnefs, in its pure, uncum- bered, unceremonious fimplicity and beautv. The elements (thefc elementary, figurative obfcrva- ' tions) are known, in the truly gofpel ftate, to melt with fervent gofpel heat ; whiift too many are retaining thefe, and expecting the outward ma- terial elements to be melted wich outward material fire, at the end of this outward material world. Thus miffing the marrow anci hibftance of things, through the outwafdnefs of their ideas and ex- peftations. XIV. Because it is certain, that it does pleafe God to fave fome through the foolifhnefs of preaching, to wit, fuch as truly believe. No foul can be faved, but according to God's mercy "by the wafliing oi regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghofl." This is Ciirift's baptifm. And hence it follows, that every foul faved through ( ^9^ ) through preaching, muft thereby be baptized with the Holy Ghoft and fire, or witnefs the re- generating wafiiing, and renewal of the Holy Ghoft. For this being that without which none can be faved, it is idle to think of preaching, faving, or contributing towards the fulvation of any, but through the work of this baptifm. If preaching at any time contributes more or lefs to falvation, it certainly contributes in the fame degree to this fpiritual baptifm. Thus Paul begat fouls to God through the gofpel. But no piniftry that is not baptizing, can ever do this. And this is the reafon why they who run with- out God's fending and qualification, do not profit the people. They cannot baptize them into the name by all their arts of rhetoric, and powers of elocution. That is a worlc furpaffing jhe utmoft influence of all fuch unauthorized mi- niftry, and effected inftrumentally, by no other preaching than that which has its efficacy from the power received from on high. This even the Apoftles were under an abfolute necefTity to wait for, and receive too, before they could thus teach baptizing. And the farne neceffity of wait- ing for the fame qualification will remain, to ail Chrifl's true miniflers, to the world's end. Indeed the fubftance of the in junction, tarry at Jerufulem till you are endued, &c. refts now wiih equal force on all who are equally obfer- vant of divine direftion, in the work of the gofpel. And to thefe Chrift's words for ever hold good, ** he that receiveth you, rcceiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth hin> that fent me." Mar. x. 40. They who truly re- ceive Chrift, receive his baptifm. Hence none truly receive his minifters, and their miniftry, bur ( ^n ) but therein and therethrough they receive him and his baptifm. This muft hold good forever; they who truly receive him, know it. It would be as true, if it had never been fo exprefled. Expe- rience would livingly confirm it. But they re- joice that this great truth is fo clearly, and by fo many modes of expreflion, eftabliihed in the facred records. And their prayers are fincerely and fervently to God, that feeking fouls may be enabled to fee, hear and believe it, to the falvation of their fouls, in the faving operations of the one only foul-faving baptifm of Jefus. FINIS. BOOKS publi{hed by J. PHILLIPS, George-Tardy Lomlard-Street. No Crofs, No Crown : A Difcourfe, fhewing the Na- ture and Difcipline of the Crofs of Chrift, &c. By W, Penn. 8vo. New edition bound 5s. Ditto in French, a new Tranflation, 6s. bound. 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