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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/bibleonbaptismorOOsmit 
 
THE 
 
 BIBLE ON BAPTISM; 
 
 THE SCRIPTURE DIRECTORY TO BAPTISM. 
 
 A FAITUFUL CITATION OF THE PRINCIPAL PASSAGES OF TUE 
 
 OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, WHICH RELATE TO THE 
 
 MODE OF ADMINISTERING THIS ORDINANCE ; 
 
 With the Sacred Text 
 
 IMPARTIALLY EXAMINED, AND THE PLAIN, OBVIOUS MEANING 
 
 EXHIBITED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF EVERY ONE 
 
 WHO IS WILLING TO KNOW THE TRUTH. 
 
 BY A LAYMAN. 
 
 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they re- 
 ceived the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures 
 daily, whether these things were so. — Acts xvii. 11. 
 
 Whatever pretends to exceed the direction of the Word, may safely be 
 rejected; and cannot safely be admitted. — Dr. Owen. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 PRESBYTERIAN PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 
 
 1334 CHESTNUT STREET. 
 NEW YORK : A. D. F. RANDOLPH, 683 BROADWAY. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1861, by 
 
 WM. L. HILDEBURN, Treasurer, 
 
 in trust for the 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 
 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for 
 
 the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 
 
 .<&*«*& 'urvW* 
 
 STEREOTYPED BY L. JOHNSON & CO. 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
NOTE. 
 
 This little work was prepared, and, more 
 than thirty years since, published, by a lay 
 member of one of the Presbyterian churches 
 of Philadelphia. In it the author, who has 
 since gone to his rest, seeks, by actual cita- 
 tion, to gather together the texts of Scripture 
 having a direct reference to Baptism, and to 
 give the reader an opportunity of ascertaining 
 what the Word of God says on that subject. 
 " In a few notes," he remarks, " I have humbly 
 endeavored to point out what appears to be 
 taught in these passages. In these notes, I 
 have written under the impression of my ac- 
 countability to the righteous Judge, and am 
 not conscious that I have, in any place, given 
 a sense different from what was intended by 
 the Holy Spirit. The reader is exhorted, how- 
 
 3 
 
4 NOTE. 
 
 ever, to allow his mind to be influenced by the 
 word of God alone." 
 
 The work has been revised and abridged. 
 The notes, though not from the pen of a prac- 
 tised writer, are forcible and intelligible, and 
 well adapted to counteract the unfounded as- 
 sertions by which young Christians are often 
 assailed and troubled. To our Baptist friends 
 we commend the perusal of these texts, with 
 or without the notes. 
 
k 
 
 THE 
 
 BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 I. Introductory. 
 
 The gospel is intended for fallen creatures. 
 As we have broken God's law, and have be- 
 come depraved, we need two things, and only 
 two, to raise us up to love God and fit us for 
 his service and enjoyment. These two things 
 are the forgiveness of sins and regeneration, 
 as effected by the operation of the Holy Spirit. 
 These two great truths are taught constantly, 
 not only by the Bible in words, but also 
 symbolically in the various ordinances which 
 God has instituted, at different times, for the 
 observance of his people. 
 
 Every ordinance which God has ever insti- 
 tuted in his church is full of meaning, intended 
 to convey some valuable instruction, some im- 
 portant truth, or to keep in mind some im- 
 portant event. 
 
D THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 When Adam and Eve transgressed his law, 
 by eating the forbidden fruit, God did not in- 
 flict upon them the penalty of eternal death at 
 once, (which he very justly might have done,) 
 but was pleased to preach repentance and faith 
 to them in the garden, and to promise that 
 " the seed of the woman should bruise the ser- 
 pent's head." And, further, to keep this in 
 7nind, he instituted sacrifices of clean animals, 
 to point their faith to the Lamb of God, the 
 great sacrifice for sin, and thus early to teach 
 them, that "without the shedding of blood 
 there is no remission." 
 
 I. Circumcision and Sacrifices. 
 
 Circumcision. — And when Abram was ninety years old 
 and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto 
 him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be 
 thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me 
 and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. . . . And I 
 will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy 
 seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting 
 covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after 
 thee. . . . This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, be- 
 tween me and you and thy seed aft er thee : Every man-cbild 
 among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circum- 
 cise the flesh of your foreskin ; and it shall be a token 
 of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is 
 eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every 
 man-child in your generations, he that is born in your 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 7 
 
 house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is 
 not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that 
 is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised : 
 and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting 
 covenant. And the uncircumcised man-child whose flesh 
 of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut 
 off from his people ; he hath broken my covenant. — Gene- 
 sis xvii. 1-14. 
 
 Here we have the origin of the rite of cir- 
 cumcision. It was a most important rite, and 
 appointed by God himself as a token of a 
 covenant made with Abraham, the father of 
 all believers. 
 
 It was also a bloody rite : it not only signi- 
 fied the putting off the sins of the flesh, but 
 represented an internal work of the Holy Spirit 
 upon the heart ; as the Bible in one place says, 
 "a circumcision made without hands." 
 
 It was also a profession of separation from 
 the rest of the world, — a token that the person 
 circumcised was set apart for the Lord's ser- 
 vice, and to show forth his glory. 
 
 This rite was continued from Abraham to 
 his posterity, down through all their genera- 
 tions, until Christ; when the Jews who be- 
 lieved in Christ discontinued it and exchanged 
 it for baptism; but the Jews who rejected 
 Christ continue it to this day. 
 
8 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 Levitical Sacrifices. — When God appeared, 
 to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian 
 bondage, he instituted the Passover. He di- 
 rected the Jews to take a lamb for each family, 
 to kill it, and then 
 
 Take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood of the 
 lamb that is in the basin, and strike (or sprinkle) the lintel 
 and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; 
 and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until 
 the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite 
 the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the 
 lintel, and on the two side-posts, the Lord will pass over 
 the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto 
 your houses to smite you. — Exodus xii. 22, 23. 
 
 Ceremony of Sacrificing.- — And Moses took half of the 
 blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he 
 sprinkled on the altar: . . . and Moses took the blood, and 
 sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood 
 of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you con- 
 cerning all these words. — Exod. xxiv. 6, 8. 
 
 When we examine the various sacrifices 
 which were instituted by Moses at the com- 
 mand of God himself, we find that on almost all 
 occasions the priest took part of the blood of 
 the victim offered, and sprinkled it round 
 about the altar, and upon the person who 
 offered ; and then he poured the remainder 
 down at the bottom of the altar. 
 
 In all the various kinds of sacrifices and 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 9 
 
 offerings, we never hear any thing of the 
 dipping or immersion of the person or object 
 represented in the sacrifice or offering, nor of 
 any kind of ceremony which could possibly 
 signify, or lead any person to think of it ; but 
 it is all sprinkling and pouring, sprinkling 
 and pouring. 
 
 Design of Sacrifices. — When Aaron, or any 
 priest or king, was to be consecrated or anointed 
 to his office, it was always done by pouring oil 
 upon his head, as well as sprinkling the 
 blood upon him. The oil was to signify the 
 descent or pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon 
 him, to renew and sanctify and cleanse his 
 heart; the blood to show forth the atoning 
 efficacy of the blood of Christ. 
 
 By consulting the Scriptures it will most 
 abundantly appear, that these two great truths 
 are to be learned by them; in every part of 
 the Bible the promised blessing of the Holy 
 Spirit is always compared to pouring out 
 water or rain, and never, in any one place, to 
 any thing like dipping. And invariably the 
 blessing is said to be applied to the person, 
 and not the person applied to the blessing. 
 
 The Scripture nowhere speaks of dipping 
 
10 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 people into the Holy Ghost, or of dipping 
 them into the "blood of Christ. 
 
 On the contrary, all the Jewish sacrifices, 
 and all the anointings of the stones, and kings, 
 and priests, and prophets, were performed by 
 sprinkling the blood and pouring out the oil. 
 I will cite a few passages. 
 
 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door 
 of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them 
 •with water. Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and 
 porit it upon his head, and anoint him. Thou shalt also 
 take one ram ; and Aaron and his sons shall put their 
 hands upon the head of the ram. And thou shalt slay 
 the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it 
 round about upon the altar. And thou shalt take the other 
 ram ; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon 
 the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram, and 
 take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear 
 of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, 
 and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the 
 great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon 
 the altar round about. And thou shalt take of the blood 
 that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and 
 sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon 
 his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him; 
 and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, 
 and his sons' garments with him. Exodus xxix. 4, 7, 15, 
 16, 19, 20, 21. See also Exodus xl. 9, 15. 
 
 And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him 
 out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak 
 unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 11 
 
 man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring 
 your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the 
 flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let 
 him offer a male without blemish. And he shall kill the 
 bullock before the Lord ; and the priests, Aaron's sons, 
 shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about 
 upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the 
 congregation. And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, 
 of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice ; he 
 shall bring it a male without blemish. And he shall kill 
 it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord: 
 and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood 
 round about upon the altar. — Leviticus i. 1-11. 
 
 See also Lev. iii. 2, 8, 13; iv. 6, 17, 25, 30, 34; v. 9; 
 vii. 2, 14; viii. 10, 12, 15, 19, 24, 30 ; ix. 18; xiv. 7; xvi. 
 14, 15, 19. Also Numbers xix. 14, 21 ; Deut. xii. 16, 24; 
 xv. 23. 
 
 From all which passages, and many more, it 
 is plain that whenever God himself speaks of 
 purging, purifying, cleansing, or sanctifying 
 any thing, he always speaks of sprinkling or 
 pouring out water, or oil, or blood, or the 
 Holy Spirit, upon them ; and never by dipping 
 them into water, oil, or blood, or dipping them 
 into the Holy Ghost. 
 
 II. Predictions Illustrating the Subject. 
 
 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; 
 as showers that water the earth. — Psalm lxxii. 
 The palaces shall be forsaken, the multitude of the city 
 
12 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 shall be left ; the forts and towers shall be for dens for- 
 ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks, until the 
 Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilder- 
 ness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted 
 for a forest. — Isaiah xxxii. 14, 15. 
 
 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and 
 floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon 
 thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. — Isaiah 
 xliv. 3. 
 
 And in the fifty-second chapter of Isaiah 
 (where the Ethiopian eunuch was reading 
 when Philip found him and baptized him) it 
 is distinctly declared and predicted of Christ 
 that, when he came in the flesh, he should 
 
 SPRINKLE MANY NATIONS. 
 
 And God declared by the prophet Ezekiel, 
 that he would do the same thing for his 
 people upon their return from among the 
 heathen, when he says : — 
 
 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall 
 be clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, 
 will I cleanse you. — Ezekiel xxxvi. 25. And by the same 
 prophet God says, Neither will I hide my face any more 
 from them, for I have poured out my Spirit upon the 
 house of Israel, saith the Lord God. — Ezekiel xxxix. 29. 
 Again, by the prophet Joel, God says : And it shall come 
 to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon 
 all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall pro- 
 phesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young 
 men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 13 
 
 upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my 
 Spirit. — Joel ii. 28, 29. And by Zechariah, God says: 
 I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the in- 
 habitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of suppli- 
 cations : and they shall look upon me whom they have 
 pierced, and they shall mourn. — Zechariah xii. 10. 
 
 And so Malachi iii. 10. 
 
 Pray, when are these predictions to be ful- 
 filled, if not in gospel days ? 
 
 Now, here are not only allusions of the 
 strongest' kind, but express and positive pre- 
 dictions of God himself, to show the exact 
 mode in which baptism should be adminis- 
 tered; for the atoning, pardoning efficacy of 
 the blood of Christ, and the baptism of the 
 Holy Ghost, is everywhere compared to the 
 pouring out or sprinkling clean water upon 
 the persons. 
 
 And as the Jews used sacrifices until the 
 time of Christ, in which the sprinkling and 
 pouring out of the blood still continued, how 
 could they ever have thought it most proper 
 to dip a person into water, to supply the place 
 of sprinkling and pouring the blood ? 
 
 Would it not have been naturally expected 
 by everybody (who understood any thing 
 about the two great truths taught in their 
 sacrifices and anointings) that when sacrifices 
 
 2 
 
14 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 were ended, and water was substituted for the 
 blood and the oil, some mode would be em- 
 ployed still to signify the same things by the 
 application of water ? 
 
 Who would ever have supposed that dipping 
 the subject into water could be understood by 
 the Jews, when their prophets had always 
 represented the blessings of the gospel by 
 sprinkling and pouring ? And they had never 
 heard or learned, from the law' or the pro- 
 phets, any thing about dipping into the blood 
 of Christ, or dipping into the Holy Ghost ? 
 
 If dipping had been attempted, many objec- 
 tions would have arisen and much opposition 
 been made ; but we hear nothing of all this. 
 These reasons alone would render it highly 
 probable that neither John the Baptist nor 
 the apostles ever practised dipping under 
 water for baptism. 
 
 John's Baptizing the Jews, 
 
 (Before the beginning of our Lord's ministry.) 
 
 The first place of Scripture where the ordi- 
 nance of baptism is found, describes the mis- 
 sion, preaching, and baptizing of John, the 
 harbinger of Christ. As all the four evangel- 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 15 
 
 ists have given us some account of John and 
 his practice, I shall take the fullest informa- 
 tion from them all, and present it to the reader 
 in its proper connection. The following col- 
 lection and disposition of passages will afford 
 us, I conceive, a complete account in the pure 
 words of Scripture. 
 
 The divine mission of John, and the design of it. 
 
 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of 
 God.— Mark i. 1. 
 
 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 
 — John i. 6. 
 
 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my 
 messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way 
 before thee. — Mark i. 2. 
 
 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, 
 saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare 
 ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. — Matt, 
 iii. 3. 
 
 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the 
 Lord their God ; and he shall go before him : ... to make 
 ready a people prepared for the Lord. — Luke i. 16, 17. 
 
 Now . . . the word of God came unto John the son of 
 Zacharias in the wilderness. — Luke iii. 1, 2. 
 
 John' s preaching, as to the grand theme of it. 
 
 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the 
 wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the king- 
 dom of heaven is at hand. — Matt. iii. 1, 2. 
 
 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preach- 
 ing the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 
 — Luke iii. 3. 
 
16 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 John preached the baptism of repentance to all the 
 people of Israel, saying unto the people, that they should 
 believe on him which should come after him, that is, on 
 Christ Jesus. — Acts xiii. 24 ; xix. 4. 
 
 John's baptizing. He informed his hearers that God had'sent 
 him not to preach only, but to baptize tvith water. — John i. 
 33. 
 
 And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and 
 they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the 
 river of Jordan, confessing their sins. — Mark i. 5. 
 
 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees 
 come to his baptism, he said unto them, generation of 
 vipers! who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to 
 come? 8 Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repent- 
 ance : 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have 
 Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is 
 able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 
 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees ; 
 therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit 
 is hewn down, and cast into the fire. — Matt. iii. 7-11. 
 
 Sigyiification of John's Baptism. 
 
 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but 
 he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes 
 I am not worthy to bear ; he shall baptize you with the 
 Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, 
 and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his 
 wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff 
 with unquenchable fire. — Matt. iii. 11, 12. 
 
 For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be 
 baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. — 
 Acts i. 5. 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 17 
 
 Mode of Johns Baptism. 
 
 One thing can be made very plain : that it 
 never could have been by immersion. 
 
 1. Such a mode would have been without 
 significance. "When John says, " I indeed bap- 
 tize with water unto repentance ; but he that 
 cometh after me is mightier than I, whose 
 shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall bap- 
 tize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire ;" 
 he made allusions which were both intelligible 
 and striking to his hearers. But if he had 
 been immersing them, it would read thus : " I 
 indeed baptize you by dipping you into the 
 water; but he that cometh after me shall bap- 
 tize you by pouring out the Holy Ghost upon 
 you." The mode is so very different, that all 
 the force of the allusion is lost. For men are 
 never dipped into the Holy Ghost, or applied 
 to the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Ghost is 
 always sprinkled, shed, or poured out. And, 
 therefore, for John to have immersed the 
 people would not have represented the bless- 
 ing intended to be signified at all. It would 
 have exhibited nothing like it, and would have 
 been an emblem without any expression — a 
 symbol of no significancy. And there could 
 not have been any allusion to Christ's death 
 
18 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 then, for he was not dead, and the people did 
 not expect him to die. 
 
 2. It would have been a manifest departure 
 from the symbols then in use, and from those 
 pointed out in the language of prophecy; for 
 these are all sprinkling and pouring. How 
 would John's language have sounded to the 
 people, and how would his practice have struck 
 their minds? Would they not have objected, 
 and asked to know the reasons of this glaring 
 departure from the old established mode of 
 sprinkling and pouring ? and would they not 
 have pointed out the incongruity of a mode 
 entirely destitute of meaning? For it is not 
 pretended that Christ had been buried at this 
 time. 
 
 But if John in fact baptized by sprinkling 
 and pouring the water, (as we suppose he 
 did,) then the phraseology which John used 
 would be perfectly straight, and the whole 
 subject easily understood by them. 
 
 It was as if he had said, U I indeed baptize 
 you by sprinkling and pouring the water upon 
 you; but there cometh one after me who is 
 mightier than I: he shall baptize you by 
 shedding or pouring the Holy Spirit upon 
 
 you." 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 19 
 
 3. As great multitudes were baptized by- 
 John, there is a most serious improbability in 
 the way of his immersing them, on the score 
 of physical possibility. Since it is said that 
 " Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region 
 round about Jordan, went out and were bap- 
 tized of him," the number of the baptized 
 must, on any explanation, have been very 
 great. 
 
 The writer, to satisfy himself on this point, 
 asked an eminent physician (entirely disin- 
 terested on this question) with regard to the 
 ability of a man to endure the fatigue of 
 immersion. He took a little time to con- 
 sider, and returned for answer: 1. That he 
 had witnessed the ceremony several' times. 
 And, 2.. That he did not believe the most 
 muscular man of his acquaintance could dip 
 one hundred persons in a day, and stand the 
 fatigue one month. And a moment's con- 
 sideration must convince every one that he 
 was correct. For when a person is dipped, he 
 walks down into the water, the operator takes 
 hold of him before, by clasping one hand in a 
 band tied round him, and puts the other hand 
 under his back; then throws him backward 
 into the water, and dips him all under the 
 
20 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 water, and then lifts him up again by main 
 strength, and sets him upon his feet. 
 
 A gentleman of veracity told the writer, 
 that he was once present when forty-seven 
 were dipped in one day, in the usual way. 
 The first operator began and went through 
 the ceremony until he had dipped twenty-five 
 persons, when he was so fatigued that he was 
 compelled to give it up to the other, who with 
 great apparent difficulty dipped the other 
 twenty-two. Both appeared completely ex- 
 hausted, and went off the ground into a house 
 hard by, to change their clothes and refresh 
 themselves. 
 
 Baptizing in Jordan. 
 
 But why, it is asked, unless immersion was 
 practised, go to Jordan, or to ". Enon, near to 
 Salim, because there was much water there" ? 
 The reason is a very simple one. Water in 
 quantity is absolutely necessary when a large 
 multitude come from a distance and encamp ; 
 as must have been the case with those who 
 went into the wilderness to John. 
 
 But, if the only object in view was to dip 
 them one by one, a large river, like the Jor- 
 dan, would not be necessary. A very small 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 21 
 
 stream, a brook, ten feet wide and three feet 
 deep, would answer a great deal better. To 
 say that a great river like Jordan was neces- 
 sary on that account, is a very foolish reason, 
 and has absurdity on the very face of it. 
 
 In the great camp-meetings that take place 
 nowadays, they always fix upon some place 
 where water is easily obtained for the horses, 
 &c. If our Methodist brethren should adver- 
 tise that on a certain week they were to have 
 a camp-meeting in a certain place, where they 
 expected many thousands of people, and that 
 they had located it near some large stream of 
 water, would anybody think from that circum- 
 stance that they meant to dip people ? "Would 
 not the reason be obvious to every person why 
 such a place was chosen ? 
 
 On the supposition that John had immersed 
 the immense multitudes of which mention is 
 made, what possible analogy could there be 
 between such a mode and the blessings in- 
 tended to be represented by it ? If the mode 
 was an exhibition of the work of the Spirit, 
 then dipping was not such an exhibition, for^ 
 the Spirit's work is uniformly represented by 
 sprinkling and pouring. And, besides, the 
 Spirit is said to be applied to the subject; but, 
 
22 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 in dipping, the subject is applied to the water, 
 and not the water to the subject; and conse- 
 quently, if John did dip or immerse people, he 
 must have acted in a most inconsistent and 
 absurd manner. At this time, no one thought 
 about the burial of Christ, for he was not dead. 
 
 III. The Baptism of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Our Lord's baptism we next find imme- 
 diately following the above account of John. 
 The infinite dignity of the person baptized 
 attaches to it infinite interest and weight. 
 The following is the fullest account given us. 
 
 Matt. iii. 13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jor- 
 dan, unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John for- 
 bade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and 
 comest thou to me ? 15 And Jesus answering, said unto 
 him, Suffer it to be so now : for thus it becometh us to ful- 
 fil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. Mark i. 9. 
 And — JESUS — was baptized of John in Jordan. 
 Matt. iii. 16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up 
 straightway out of the water. Mark i. 10. And — coming 
 up out of the water, Luke iii. 21, and praying, the heaven 
 was opened. 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a 
 bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came 
 from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son ; in 
 thee I am well pleased. 23 And Jesus himself began to 
 be about thirty years of age. 
 
 John i. 32. And John bare record, saying, I saw the 
 Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 23 
 
 upon him. 33 And I knew him not; but he that sent 
 me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon 
 whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining 
 on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy 
 Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the 
 Son of God. 
 
 What, my pious reader, can we say of the 
 subject of baptism in this case? What an 
 honor is here attached to this ordinance, and 
 consequently to all that piously follow the ex- 
 ample of the Eedeemer in it ! 
 
 Here we have the whole account of the bap- 
 tism of Christ : and these passages are often 
 quoted to prove that Christ was dipped or im- 
 mersed in the water of the Jordan, merely 
 because it was said, "He went up straightway 
 out of the water," and "coming up out of the 
 water;" as if it was impossible for a person to 
 come up out of the water unless he had been 
 all over under water. 
 
 But here nothing took place, no circum- 
 stance whatever is related, but what was 
 equally proper and necessary to describe his 
 baptism, if it was done (as we suppose) by his 
 stepping down a little way into the water, 
 and John pouring the water upon his head. 
 
 And although we believe that in common 
 baptisms John made use of sprinkling, yet 
 
24 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 here we think it probable that he poured the 
 water upon his head. 
 
 1. Because prophets, priests, and kings were 
 always consecrated to their several offices by 
 solemnly pouring the oil upon their heads. 
 The priests, in particular, were consecrated 
 and anointed with oil when they were thirty 
 years of age; and here it is expressly men- 
 tioned of Christ, that " he began to be about 
 thirty years of age:' 1 as if the Holy Ghost in- 
 tended to inform us here of the reason why 
 Christ was baptized at this time ; and that the 
 water was poured out upon his head, to signify 
 his being anointed a priest. 
 
 2. Because the name "Christ," and "Mes- 
 siah," by which he was called, signifies "an- 
 ointed," the anointed one. 
 
 3. Because at this same time the Spirit was 
 actually poured out upon him; but he was 
 not dipped into the Spirit. 
 
 4. Because the prophet Isaiah prophesied 
 that Christ should be "anointed to preach 
 good tidings to the meek, to bind up the bro- 
 ken-hearted," &c. — Isaiah lxi. 1. Which pro- 
 phecy Christ particularly applied to himself. — 
 Luke iv. 21. 
 
 Now, we know that, being of the tribe of 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 25 
 
 Judah, he could never have been consecrated 
 and anointed as priest by any of the priests at 
 Jerusalem. And if this was not the time when 
 he was anointed a prophet, priest, and king, 
 we cannot find any other place where it was 
 ever done. And if John, to " fulfil all right- 
 eousness," anointed Christ at this time to these 
 sacred offices, it does not seem very probable 
 that he did it by dipping him, which would 
 signify nothing at all; but it was done by 
 pouring the water upon his head, to represent 
 the pouring of the oil by the priests, and also 
 the descent of the Holy Spirit; and at the 
 same time the Holy Spirit did actually descend 
 in the form of a dove, and sat upon him. 
 
 Now, we cannot suppose that he was dipped 
 to represent his burial, for he was not yet 
 dead ; and if his burial was not represented by 
 it, then it must have been either to represent 
 his induction to the priest's office, or the de- 
 scent of the Holy Spirit; or there can be no 
 meaning in it. 
 
 IV. Christ Baptizing, 
 
 [By his disciples, in Galilee and Judea.) 
 
 This is the only mention of baptizing by our 
 Lord or his disciples during his personal pre- 
 
26 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 sence with them, and consequently it claims 
 our very serious attention. 
 
 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into 
 the land of Judea: and there he tarried -with them, and 
 baptized. 26 And they came unto John, and said unto 
 him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to 
 whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, 
 and all men come to him. 27 John answered and said, A 
 man can receive nothing, except it be given him from 
 heaven. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. — John 
 iii. 22-30. 
 
 When, therefore, the Lord knew how the Pharisees 
 had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples 
 than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but 
 his disciples,) 3 He left Judea, and departed again into 
 Galilee. — John iv. 1-3. 
 
 The import of this passage is simply this : 
 Jesus and his disciples had been preaching 
 a.nd baptizing in Galilee ; and great numbers 
 resorted to him; so that it was reported to 
 the Pharisees that he had made and baptized 
 more disciples than John had in Judea, Jeru- 
 salem, &c. He came out of Galilee a short 
 time into Judea, and baptized a few persons, 
 but probably found a very few who had not 
 been baptized by John ; and there he heard 
 the reports of the Pharisees, upon which he 
 departed again into Galilee. 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 27 
 
 There is nothing here to determine the mode 
 in which this ordinance was performed, nor 
 what description of persons were baptized. 
 They were principally Galileans, and undoubt- 
 edly the same description of persons as before 
 mentioned. There is, however, no mention of 
 any large river ; nor was there probably any 
 need of it. There were nowhere such large 
 collections of people, with their camels, horses, 
 and asses, as to render an encampment near 
 convenient watering-places necessary, as was 
 the case when John baptized. Our Saviour 
 probably went with his disciples from village 
 to village, and baptized, sometimes in their 
 houses, and sometimes in the open air, and 
 under the shade of the trees ; but we have no 
 account in all these passages that any persons 
 were ever dipped in water, or that Christ or 
 his disciples ever went near any river. And 
 it is very remarkable, if immersion is the 
 only mode of baptism, and is so important, 
 that there is no account in any place that 
 Christ or his disciples ever dipped any per- 
 sons. 
 
28 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 V. John's Last Baptizing in Enon. 
 
 The next passage we find on this subject is 
 contained in a very few words. It is, how- 
 ever, a passage which has been thought of 
 considerable weight as to our inquiry. 
 
 John iii. 23. And John also was baptizing in Enon 
 near to Salim, because there was much water there ; and 
 they, came and were baptized. 
 
 This passage has been much relied upon by 
 our brethren the Baptists, to prove dipping or 
 immersion. For why, say they, should John 
 choose such a place " because there was much 
 ivater there, 11 if it was not for the. purpose of 
 dipping them ? 
 
 But a moment's examination and reflection 
 will show that this is an illusion; and that if 
 the only thing wanted was a convenient place 
 to dip them, much water, or many waters., (as 
 the original is,) would not be necessaey: 
 for (as we said before) a very small stream or 
 brook of clear water, not more than eight or 
 ten feet wide, and three or four feet deep, 
 would answer just as well. But a collection 
 or encampment of many thousands of people, 
 with their camels, and horses, and asses, from 
 all parts of the country, would indeed require 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 29 
 
 a place near some convenient streams of water, 
 where they could lead them to water several 
 times a day, that- they might not suffer and 
 die of thirst. This was undoubtedly the true 
 reason, and was a good reason ; and not for 
 the purpose of dipping them. 
 
 John's baptism could not have been de- 
 signed to represent Christ's burial, for he was 
 not yet dead. It must have been to represent 
 the pouring out the Spirit of God, which could 
 only have been by sprinkling or pouring t and 
 could not have been represented by dipping. 
 
 VI. General Account of John's Success. 
 
 Luke vii. 29. And all the people that heard him, and 
 the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the bap- 
 tism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected 
 the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized 
 of him. 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children. 
 
 There is nothing here expressive of the 
 mode of baptism. 
 
 VII. Christ Eepresents his Sufferings 
 
 UNDER THE FlGURE OF A BAPTISM. 
 
 (See Mark x. 35 and 40, and) 
 
 Matt. xx. 22. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know 
 not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I 
 
30 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that 
 I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 
 23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my 
 cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized 
 with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not 
 mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is 
 prepared of my Father. 
 
 Luke xii. 50. But I have a baptism to be baptized with ; 
 and how am I straitened till it be accomplished ! 
 
 Here is another confirmation of our opinion 
 as to the mode of Christian baptism. Christ 
 here calls his sufferings and death " a bap- 
 tism;" and with the most beautiful propriety. 
 
 The prophet Isaiah, liii. 12/ represented 
 Christ's sufferings by the words "h.eh&th. poured 
 out his soul unto death." God also poured out 
 his indignation and wrath upon him. When 
 it pleased the Lord to bruise him, he put him 
 to grief, and made his soul an offering for sin. 
 
 And justice poured upon his head 
 Its weighty vengeance, in our stead. 
 
 This mode of speaking is very frequent in 
 Scripture, to express the sufferings of those 
 who fall under the wrath of God due for sin. 
 See Jeremiah vii. 20 : " Therefore thus saith 
 the Lord God, Behold, mine anger and rny 
 fury shall be poured out upon this place," &c. 
 Also, Ezekiel vii. 8: "Now will I shortly pour 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 31 
 
 out my fury upon thee." See also Ezekiel xiv. 
 19, xx. 8, 13, 21 ; also, xxx. 15. Jer. x. 25. 
 Psalm lxix. 24; lxxix. 6. Nahum i. 6. Job 
 xx. 23. 
 
 In the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the 
 cross were the vials of divine justice poured 
 out upon him. There too did water and blood 
 pour forth from his pierced side, emblems of 
 atonement and sanctification, prefiguring the 
 teachings of the two sacraments, the Lord's 
 supper and baptism. 
 
 My Saviour's pierced side 
 
 Pour'd out a double flood : 
 By water we are purified, 
 
 And pardon'd by the blood." 
 
 Christ told the sons of Zebedee that they 
 should be baptized with the baptism he was bap- 
 tized with ; that is, be partakers of his suffer- 
 ings : and so they were, some time afterwards. 
 
 VIII. Cheistian Baptism. 
 
 Baptism, it is evident, was instituted long 
 before the following commission was delivered 
 to the apostles. It was instituted by God, and 
 enjoined on John, the forerunner of Christ, as 
 a part of the work to which he was especially 
 called. Hence, when speaking of the Father, 
 
32 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 he describes him by this very circumstance : 
 "He that sent me to baptize with water." 
 John i. 33. Our Saviour also had directed his 
 disciples to baptize such persons as should re- 
 ceive his word, when he commenced his public 
 ministry; (see § III. p. 22 :) but he delayed the 
 full and formal institution of Christian bap- 
 tism till he was risen from the dead, when 
 he united it with his last most solemn charge, 
 given by Matthew and Mark, in the following 
 verses : — 
 
 Matt, xxviii. 16. Then the eleven disciples went away 
 into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed 
 them. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 
 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 
 Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them hi 
 the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
 Ghost ; 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatso- 
 ever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you 
 alway, even unto the end of the world. 
 
 Mark xvi. 15. And he said unto them, Go ye into all 
 the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 
 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he 
 that believeth not shall be damned. 19 So then, after 
 the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into 
 heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 
 
 How solemn and interesting was this occa- 
 sion ! The Eedeemer had undergone the " bap- 
 tism" of his sufferings last described. The 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 33 
 
 wrath, of God had been poured out upon him. 
 He had been crucified, and the blood had been 
 made to pour down from his hands, his feet, 
 and his side ; and, after the bitter cry and 
 agony, he had given up the ghost. But now 
 he is risen triumphant, and about to ascend to 
 glory. He had appointed his disciples to meet 
 him on a mountain of Galilee, where he was 
 to give the important charge, and commission, 
 contained in the verses above. The solemn 
 hour is come ; we may be assured the disci- 
 ples are eager to catch every word from their 
 ascending Lord, and that he would give them 
 his directions in the plainest language possi- 
 ble. He begins by encouraging their sorrow- 
 ful minds with a view of his supreme power 
 in heaven and earth ; in heaven to give them 
 the Holy Spirit, to employ angels in their be- 
 half; and, finally, to bestow the kingdom of 
 heaven upon them. 
 
 So also he had, to fulfil the prophecy re- 
 corded in Isaiah and Ezekiel, to " sprinkle 
 many nations," and to "sprinkle clean 
 
 WATER UPON THEM." 
 
 You may be sure he would not forget this 
 important business. Accordingly, he here com- 
 mands his disciples to go into all the world, 
 
3d THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 and teach all nations, baptizing (or sprin- 
 kling them, as the prophets had said he would) 
 in the name of the Father, and the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 In this way, and this only, could this pro- 
 phecy ever be fulfilled ; and if this is not the 
 meaning of this scripture, and the fulfilment 
 of these prophecies, we should like to have 
 our brethren tell us (if they can) when and 
 where and how this is ever to be done. 
 
 IX. The Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 We have now read and examined, as far as 
 our limits would admit, all the passages of the 
 four Gospels that relate to our inquiry. We 
 have found the example, the practice, and the 
 command of Christ on this subject, and the 
 most striking allusions ; but nowhere can we 
 find any command, example, or practice of 
 dipping or immersion. 
 
 We have next to examine the Acts of the 
 Apostles, to ascertain by the practice of the 
 disciples how they understood the command 
 of their Lord; so that if we have any way 
 mistaken his commands, their obedience and 
 practice will most certainly correct our error; 
 and on the contrary, if we have rightly under- 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 35 
 
 stood his word, their practice will confirm 
 our opinions. 
 
 "The penman of this scripture," the As- 
 sembly of Divines, in their argument to it, 
 assure us, "was Luke the Evangelist, (as ap- 
 pears from the first words of it,) for the most 
 part an eye-witness to the things he records, 
 being constantly a fellow-laborer with Paul. 
 His purpose," they add, "in writing this nar- 
 rative, was, as he intimates in his first preface, 
 that the Church might have the certain know- 
 ledge of Christ, his gospel, and kingdom ; that 
 our faith might not be built on the uncertain 
 reports of pretenders to truth." Hence, ad- 
 mitting the writer to be a faithful and pious 
 historian, and writing purposely for the direc- 
 tion of the people of God ever after, and, 
 above all, under the influence of the Spirit of 
 God, we may safely rely, not only on the accu- 
 racy of the accounts, but on the fulness and 
 sufficiency of the information to answer his 
 professed purpose. 
 
 We have here recorded nine instances of 
 the administration of baptism. If, therefore, 
 as above stated, we have misunderstood the 
 Saviour's commission, the apostles certainly 
 did not; and hence by their obedience to, it 
 
36 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 we shall find an infallible interpretation of his 
 will. 
 
 And first let us see what mode they might 
 naturally have expected after all this ; and 
 from our Saviour's words, when he promised 
 the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which they 
 should receive on the day of Pentecost. 
 
 Acts i. 4, 5. And [Jesus] being assembled together with 
 them, commanded them that they should not depart from 
 Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, 
 saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized 
 with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost 
 not many days hence. 
 
 Now, would our blessed Saviour have traced 
 any resemblance between the two baptisms, if 
 one had been by dipping f If dipping had 
 been the practice, he would have said, " John 
 truly baptized by dipping people into the 
 water ; but when God comes to baptize them, 
 his way is very different : it is to pour out his 
 Spirit upon them." But if John baptized by 
 sprinkling and pouring water, (as we believe 
 he did,) Christ's language was perfectly intel- 
 ligible, and it seems they understood him, and 
 did not ask any explanation. "And so it 
 came to pass on the day of Pentecost, the 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 37 
 
 Spirit was poured out upon them, as Jesus 
 had said." 
 
 Acts ii. 1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully 
 come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And 
 suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rush- 
 ing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they 
 were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven 
 tongues like as of fire, and it sat upox each of them. 
 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began 
 to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them 
 utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem 
 Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 
 Now, when this was noised abroad, the multitude came 
 together, and were confounded, because that every man 
 heard them speak in his own language. 
 
 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, say- 
 ing one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others 
 mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 14 But 
 Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, 
 and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that 
 dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken 
 to my words : 15 For these are not drunken, as ye sup- 
 pose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But 
 this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 
 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I 
 will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your 
 sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young 
 men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream 
 dreams : 18 And on my servants, and on my handmaidens, 
 I will pour out in those days of my Spirit ; and they 
 shall prophesy. 
 
 Here we see the fulfilment of our Saviour's 
 
 4 
 
38 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 promise, and prediction. As John had baptized 
 them by sprinkling or pouring water upon 
 them to signify the atonement or forgiveness 
 of sins and sanctification by the Holy Ghost, 
 so here (as their sins had already been for- 
 given) the Holy Ghost was poured out upon 
 them, to sanctify them, and fit them for the 
 arduous work committed to them ; the Spirit 
 was "shed on them abundantly through Jesus 
 Christ our Saviour." Titus iii. 7. Now, if 
 John had used dipping in his baptism, we can 
 see no kind of meaning in it, nor any truth 
 of any importance to be signified by it. 
 
 But, in the true way, there is a beautiful 
 propriety in the whole ceremony ; for when- 
 ever baptism is properly administered, it 
 brings to mind (by the pouring and the sprin- 
 kling of water) our dependence upon the in- 
 fluence of the Holy Spirit to enlighten, con- 
 vince, convert, and sanctify the soul; and so, 
 when the Lord's Supper is administered, it is 
 to show forth the death of Christ till he come, 
 and to show that as bread is broken in pieces, 
 so his body was broken for us ; and when the 
 wine is poured out, it represents his blood 
 shed and poured out for us. These are the 
 only two sacraments of the Christian church; 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 39 
 
 there are no others. The one, to signify the 
 forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ ; 
 the other, sanctification by the Holy Ghost. 
 And if there be not a very great sin in this 
 innovation, there certainly can be no pro- 
 priety in introducing a new Sacrament, to 
 represent the burial of Christ, which is of no 
 more importance than his crucifixion, or cir- 
 cumcision, or presentation at the Temple, or 
 any other circumstance of his life. The shed- 
 ding of his blood at his death is the only 
 thing made use of by the Holy Ghost, and 
 prefigured by all the sacrifices in the Jewish 
 church, to point out the great doctrine of the 
 atonement, and to show that without the shed- 
 ding of blood there could be no remission or 
 forgiveness of sins. 
 
 X. The Baptism at Pentecost. 
 Ten days after the ascension, when the 
 apostles and disciples were together at Jeru- 
 salem, it pleased God to accomplish the promise 
 of pouring forth upon them the extraordinary 
 gifts of the Holy Ghost. By this divine power, 
 they all were enabled to speak in different lan- 
 guages to the multitude then assembled at 
 Jerusalem from different nations ; so that 
 
40 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 every one heard in his own tongue the won- 
 derful works of God. Some having spoken 
 dishonorably of the disciples, Peter stands 
 forth to defend them ; after which he delivers 
 to the multitude a discourse, in which - he 
 charges the Jews with having crucified the 
 Lord of glory ; but that God had raised him 
 from the dead and exalted him to his right 
 hand, as the only Lord and Christ. Upon 
 this follow the verses relating to the ordinance. 
 
 Acts ii. 37. Now when they heard this, they were 
 pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter, and to the 
 rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we 
 do ? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be 
 baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
 for the remission of sins ; and ye shall receive the gift 
 of the Holy Ghost, 
 
 41 Then they that gladly received his word were bap- 
 tized : and the same day there were added unto them 
 about three thousand souls. 
 
 Here we have an account of the baptism 
 of three thousand persons at one time and in 
 one place, and that in part of a day. 
 
 After a statement of the discourse of Peter 
 to the Jews, delivered on the morning of this 
 day, the sacred historian adds, " With many 
 other words did he testify and exhort" the 
 multitude. " Then they that gladly received 
 
THE BIBLE OX BAPTISM. 41 
 
 his word were baptized" immediately, on the 
 spot. How many of them? About three 
 thousand. To believe that they were baptized 
 by sprinkling or pouring involves no difficulty. 
 Near the door of Jewish houses water-pots were 
 customarily kept, (see John iii. 6,) which could 
 readily have served for this occasion. But to 
 suppose that three thousand persons were im- 
 mersed in Jerusalem in one day, is, to any one 
 familiar with Jerusalem as a city, or its arrange- 
 ments for water, simply absurd. If the sacred 
 historian desired to have the impression made 
 upon the readers of the Bible that these per- 
 sons were immersed, is it not strange, to say 
 the least, that no hint is given which would 
 countenance the notion? Where were they 
 immersed? How long would the ceremony 
 have taken the disciples if there had been a 
 place in which even two or three could have 
 been immersing at once ? (See Section II.) 
 
 Not a hint is given to countenance this idea of 
 the immersion of the three thousand. Every 
 probability is against it. Nothing in the cir- 
 cumstances or in the narrative gives any color 
 to the idea. But if pouring or sprinkling was 
 the mode, as we suppose, then the whole account 
 appears straight and consistent. 
 
 4* 
 
42 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 And this is more especially the case if we 
 consider the fact that the apostle had just be- 
 fore informed them, that the outpouring of 
 the Holy Spirit was an express fulfilment of 
 the prophecy of the prophet Joel. His words 
 are, 
 
 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is 
 but the third hour of the day ; but this is that which was 
 spoken by the prophet Joel ; And it shall come to pass 
 in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit 
 upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall 
 prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and 
 your old men shall dream dreams : and on my servants, 
 and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days 
 of my Spirit ; and they shall prophesy. 
 
 Had there been a sufficient number of apos- 
 tles to dip all this multitude the same day, 
 had there been rivers of water there, what 
 possible analogy or representation would there 
 be between the outpouring of the Holy 
 Spirit on them, and dipping them in the 
 water ? Was the Spirit applied to them, or 
 were they applied to the Spirit? Was the 
 Holy Ghost poured out upon them, or were 
 they dipped into the Holy Ghost ? 
 
 The Holy Spirit was applied to them; and 
 we are compelled to believe that the water was 
 also applied to them by pouring or sprinkling; 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 43 
 
 and that they were not applied to the water 
 by dipping. 
 
 These considerations amount to a moral de- 
 monstration, that the mode of baptism prac- 
 tised by the apostles was not immersion. 
 
 XL Philip Baptizing at Samaria. 
 
 This Philip was a deacon of the church at 
 Jerusalem, chosen to that office with Stephen. 
 (Acts vi. 5.) Stephen had not entered the 
 ministry long before he was called upon to 
 suffer martyrdom in the cause of his Lord. 
 Philip's labors and success are thus described : 
 
 Acts viii. 5. Then Philip -went down to the city of 
 Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6 And the 
 people with one accord gave heed unto those things 
 which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles 
 which he did. 8 And there was great joy in that city. 
 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things 
 concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus 
 Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 
 Then Simon himself believed also ; and when he was 
 baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, be- 
 holding the miracles and signs which were done. 
 
 There is nothing said here to show any 
 thing particular about the mode. jSTo doubt 
 these were baptized in the common way, by 
 
44 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 sprinkling and pouring, as nothing had taken 
 place to make any alteration in the work. 
 
 Samaria was built upon a mountain, (as is 
 well known and appears from John iv. 20, 1 
 Kings xvi. 24, I. vol. Josephus, p. 292, Phila- 
 delphia edition, by J. Gregg, 1829,) and con- 
 sequently there could be no stream running 
 through it, and, in order to get any water, the 
 people had to dig their wells very deep. Now, 
 if these converts were baptized in Samaria, 
 they certainly were not dipped. No intima- 
 tion is given that they left the city, nor any 
 account of any river anywhere near, or 
 change of clothes, or any circumstances what- 
 ever, to lead to the inference that these con- 
 verts were dipped ; nor would any person 
 ever suppose that such a mode was practised, 
 unless his mind was previously prejudiced, 
 and he was determined to believe it, in oppo- 
 sition to all evidence. 
 
 XII. The Baptism of the Ethiopian 
 Eunuch. 
 
 The eunuch described in this chapter was 
 a person of high importance in the kingdom 
 of Ethiopia, but a proselyte to the Jewish 
 religion. He was now returning from Jeru- 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 45 
 
 salem, whither he had gone to worship at one 
 of the public festivals, when Philip is directed 
 to meet him, and to teach him what, with so 
 much success, he had taught the Samaritans. 
 He found the eunuch sitting in his chariot, 
 reading the prophet Isaiah, chap. liii. 7, 8, He 
 was led as a sheep to the slaughter, &c. Philip 
 having asked him if he understood the prophet, 
 the eunuch acknowledged his inability without 
 assistance, and wished Philip to explain to 
 him whether the prophet, in that place, spake 
 of himself or of some other ; and took him up 
 into his chariot for that purpose ; upon which 
 we read, 
 
 Acts viii. 35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and began 
 at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 
 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain 
 water; and the eunuch said, See, here is water: what 
 doth hinder me to be baptized ? 37 And Philip said, If 
 thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he 
 answered, and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son 
 of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still : 
 and they went down both into the water, both Philip and 
 the eunuch ; and he baptized him. And when they were 
 come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught, 
 away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he 
 went on his way rejoicing. 
 
 This passage has often been quoted as a 
 
46 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 strong and conclusive proof of the correctness 
 of the mode of dipping. And the going down 
 into the water, and coming up out of the 
 water, is quoted on all occasions, as one of the 
 main pillars to that whole system ; as if the 
 going down into the water was the baptism 
 itself. But a moment's consideration will 
 show that the baptism was something which 
 was done after they went down into the water, 
 or " to the water," as it undoubtedly could as 
 well be rendered. For after they went down 
 into (or to) the water, it is said, " he baptized 
 him." Now, how, or in what manner or mode, 
 this baptism was performed, the Scripture does 
 not say ; it is perfectly silent; and we have as 
 good a right to say that it was done by pouring 
 or sprinkling, after they w r ent into the water, as 
 others have to assert roundly, without an atom 
 of Scripture proof, that it was done by dip- 
 ping. 
 
 The truth is, the Scripture is silent, in this 
 place, as to the mode. 
 
 Now, it is indisputable, that if all the other 
 baptisms were by affusion or sprinkling, (as 
 we have proved,) then this would have been 
 so too. But we have proof strong enough, 
 independent of any thing we have said before, 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 47 
 
 to carry demonstration to every unprejudiced 
 mind. 
 
 It seems the Ethiopian eunuch was reading 
 in the fifty-second and fifty-third chapters of 
 Isaiah, in which the prophet was describing 
 the character and mission of Christ, and what 
 he was to do and suffer, &c. And, in a part 
 of this very passage which he was reading, it 
 was predicted of Christ, among other things, 
 that when he came "he should spkinkle 
 
 MANY NATIONS." 
 
 Now, when the eunuch was told who this 
 person was of whom the prophet spake, that 
 it was Jesus Christ, that he had actually come, 
 and suffered all which the prophet had fore- 
 told, for the remission of sin; he very natu- 
 rally asked, when they came to a certain 
 water, " What does hinder me to be baptized, 
 (i.e. sprinkled,) since this great Saviour has 
 come, who was to sprinkle many nations, and 
 I am one of those nations he was to sprinkle?" 
 Philip told him, if he believed with all his 
 heart, he might. He immediately professed 
 his faith in Christ, and Philip took him down 
 into the water, and baptized him. Probably 
 they both stepped a little way into the water, 
 (as it was a warm climate,) so that Philip 
 
48 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 might more easily take up a little water in 
 his hand, and sprinkle him. There was no 
 other handy way to get to the water but to 
 go down into it, or down to it, (as it might 
 with equal propriety have been rendered,) and 
 so, of course, they must come up out of the 
 water, or come up from it, to get back again 
 to the chariot. But can any person in his 
 senses believe that Philip would take the 
 eunuch down into the water and dip him, 
 to fulfil a prophecy about sprinkling ? 
 
 What is the whole amount of evidence to 
 show that the eunuch was dipped ? Why, he 
 went with Philip mfo* the water, and came 
 out as;ain, as a matter of course: this is all. 
 No man of reason can say this evidence is 
 conclusive, because nothing is said as to the 
 mode. That he was dipped, is merely an in- 
 ference. It is asked, Why did they go down 
 into the water, unless the eunuch was im- 
 mersed ? Now, you perceive that this is only 
 an inference; otherwise the fact would be 
 stated in precise language. The case, there- 
 
 * Supposing this to be the true rendering, and not that 
 " they went down to and came up from the water." 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 49 
 
 fore, is to be decided by probabilities. All 
 know that a man may go into the water with- 
 out going under it. Certainly Philip did not 
 go under the water, although he went into it, 
 as well as the eunuch. The most that can 
 be claimed is, that there is a probability that 
 dipping was used; but I maintain that even 
 this is not the. case. It is not probable that 
 he was dipped, because — 1st. The eunuch was 
 reading about sprinkling, as expressive of the 
 work of the Holy G-host, which work was to 
 be represented by the application of the water 
 in baptism. 2d. No account is given of a 
 river, or any body of water that was suffi- 
 cient to dip a person; they were travelling 
 along, and saw some water, and the presump- 
 tion is, that it was no more than a very small 
 stream, or watering-place, not sufficient to 
 immerse a person. 
 
 Why, then, it will be asked, did they go 
 down into the water at all? I reply, that 
 whether they went to it, or into it, it was in 
 order that Philip might more easily sprinkle 
 water upon him, to represent the work of the 
 Holy Spirit, and to fulfil the prophecy which 
 he had just read. 
 
50 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 XIII. The Baptism of Paul. 
 
 Saul, while breathing out threatenings 
 against the disciples of Christ, is met in his 
 career of persecution by the Lord himself, at 
 whose exceeding glory, and powerful word, he 
 falls prostrate and blind to the ground. Ana- 
 nias, a devout disciple, is directed of God to 
 go to him, and teach him what he is to do, 
 and, for his encouragement in visiting the per- 
 secutor, Ananias is informed that Saul was 
 praying, and that God had made him a chosen 
 vessel to himself. 
 
 Acts ix. 8. And Saul arose from the earth ; and when 
 his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him 
 by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 
 
 And he was three days without sight, and neither did 
 eat nor drink. See verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. 
 
 Acts ix. 17. And Ananias went his way, and entered 
 into the house ; and putting his hands on him, said, Bro- 
 ther Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee 
 in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou 
 mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy 
 Ghost. Chap. xxii. 14. And he said, The God of our 
 fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his 
 will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice 
 of his mouth. 15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all 
 men of what thou hast seen and heard. 16 And now 
 why tarriest thou ? arise, and be baptized, and wash 
 away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Chap. 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 51 
 
 ix. 18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it 
 had been scales ; and he received sight forthwith, and 
 arose, and was baptized. 
 
 Acts ix. 19. And when he had received meat, he was 
 strengthened. 
 
 There need be little said upon these passages, 
 for there is nothing said about their going out 
 of the house, to any river, or coming in again. 
 Ananias only told him to "arise," or stand up, 
 and be baptized ; and then Ananias probably 
 sprinkled or poured water upon his head. 
 
 No impartial person, in reading this account, 
 but must conclude that in whatever mode the 
 water was applied, it certainly was not done 
 by dipping. Paul was in a house; he was 
 weak from fasting, and could have had no 
 previous intimation that he was to be bap- 
 tized. In this condition Ananias met him ; 
 and when he received sight, Paul arose and 
 was baptized. You observe that Paul did 
 not leave the house, nor did he change his 
 clothes; but he "arose," that is, stood up, 
 and received the ordinance. 
 
 Now, according to the Baptists' notion, a 
 person must be buried in the water ; but so 
 far was Paul from being buried, that he stood 
 up when the water was applied, and conse- 
 
52 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 quently could not be dipped. If you are 
 willing, reader, to follow the example of this 
 apostle, then you must receive the water in 
 an erect posture, and not in a horizontal one. 
 And, as we said before, dipping could not re- 
 present the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which 
 he had just received, nor remission of sins by 
 the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. 
 
 XIV. The Baptism of Cornelius and his 
 Friends. 
 
 The next instance is a record of the first 
 Gentiles that were baptized and received into 
 the number of the disciples. Cornelius was a 
 devout man, and one that feared God with all 
 his house. He is directed from Heaven to 
 send for Peter the apostle, who should unfold 
 to him the mysteries of the gospel of Christ. 
 Cornelius, against the apostle's coming, called 
 together his kinsmen and near friends, to hear 
 the will of God, and requested Peter, when 
 arrived, to declare all that God had com- 
 manded him. The apostle begins his dis- 
 course by testifying that he evidently saw 
 that God respected not the persons of men, 
 but everywhere, of every nation, he was ac- 
 cepted with God who feareth him and worketh 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 53 
 
 righteousness ; and after having taught them 
 the leading doctrines of the gospel, he con- 
 cludes by repeating (in the first two verses 
 below) what Christ had commissioned his 
 apostles to do as their first and chief work, 
 and the testimony of the prophets concerning 
 him; after which we have the ordinance in 
 question. 
 
 Acts x. 42. And he commanded us to preach unto the 
 people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of 
 God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all 
 the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever 
 believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 
 
 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost 
 fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the 
 circumcision which believed were astonished, as many 
 as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also 
 was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they 
 heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then 
 answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these 
 should not be baptized, which have received the Holy 
 Ghost as' well as we ? And he commanded them to be 
 baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they 
 him to tarry certain days. 
 
 Now, this passage of Scripture is very plain, 
 and needs little comment. As the Holy Ghost 
 fell on all them which heard the word, how 
 natural it was for Peter to say, " Can any 
 man forbid water" (to be brought) and to 
 
 5* 
 
54 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 pour it out upon them upon whom had just 
 been poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost ? 
 
 You hear nothing of their going out of the 
 house, to a river or pool; but it seems the 
 water was brought into the house at the com- 
 mand of Peter, and that they were all bap- 
 tized in the house, in the usual way, by sprin- 
 kling or pouring. 
 
 Here the only reason given by Peter why 
 these should be baptized was, that the Holy 
 Ghost had just been poured out upon them. 
 But there could have been no analogy to the 
 pouring out of the Holy Ghost, if they had 
 been dipped. For, 1. They were not dipped 
 into the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Ghost was 
 poured upon them. 2. They were not applied 
 to the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Ghost was 
 applied to them. 
 
 XV. The Baptism of Lydia and her 
 
 Household. 
 
 Paul, whose baptism we have just consi- 
 dered, is now become a most zealous apostle. 
 He, with Silas, (and with them, probably, 
 Luke, the writer of this history,) are sent to 
 Macedonia, and to Philippi, a chief city of it, 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 55 
 
 to preach the gospel. Being arrived, they 
 began their work in the following way and 
 with the following success : 
 
 Acts xvi. 13. And on the Sabbath we went out of the 
 city by a river-side, where prayer was wont to be made ; 
 and we sat down, and spake unto the women which re- 
 sorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a 
 seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped 
 God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she 
 attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 
 And when she was baptized, and her household, she be- 
 sought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to 
 the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she 
 constrained us. 
 
 There is nothing very particular in this 
 passage. Lydia, it seems, went out of the 
 city to a prayer-meeting by the side of a 
 river, — perhaps the river Strymon, which runs 
 near the city of Philippi; and, as she was 
 converted at this place, it is quite possible 
 that she was also baptized there. This cir- 
 cumstance, if so, would not determine any 
 thing about the mode. From the habits of 
 the East, it is in the highest degree impro- 
 bable that the apostle would lead females into 
 the river and immerse them. 
 
 Here it must be observed that a prayer- 
 meeting was held by the river-side. A ques- 
 
56 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 tion naturally arises, why was such, a place 
 selected merely for the purpose of devotion ? 
 This assembly was doubtless composed of Jews, 
 and therefore it is perfectly certain that they 
 did not select the river-side for the conve- 
 nience of administering baptism. What then ? 
 It is alleged that John chose Enon and Jor- 
 dan because much water was needed for dip- 
 ping his converts : nay, they infer that dipping 
 was the mode he practised, on account of the 
 mention of much water. But here a river is 
 selected for a religious meeting when baptism 
 was not to be administered at all. How is 
 this to be accounted for ? Evidently, the fact 
 of selecting the river's edge for divine wor- 
 ship, or a place having " much water" for the 
 gathering of a multitude, affords no reason 
 either for or against any mode of baptism. 
 
 XVI. The Baptism of the Philippian 
 Jailer and Household. 
 
 Paul and Silas, having been cast into prison 
 at Philippi, were delivered from their confine- 
 ment at midnight, by the miraculous inter- 
 position of God. An earthquake shook the 
 foundations of the prison, so that the doors of 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 57 
 
 it were opened, and the prisoners' bands loosed. 
 The jailer, suspecting the escape of the pri- 
 soners, drew his sword to destroy himself, 
 which Paul prevented, by assuring him the 
 prisoners were all there. Upon this we read 
 of his conversion and baptism. 
 
 Acts xvi. 29. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, 
 and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 
 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I 
 do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 
 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to 
 all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the 
 same hour of the night, and washed their stripes ; and 
 was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 
 
 As the jailer and his household were bap- 
 tized straightway, or on the spot, it is in the 
 highest degree improbable that they were im- 
 mersed. No one, not determined to believe it, 
 will suppose that there is any likelihood of 
 accommodations for such a submersion in this 
 prison. The water for washing their stripes 
 would be amply sufficient for baptizing in the 
 generally received mode. 
 
 That the jailer left his prisoners to go 
 abroad to a stream is not supposable, and 
 would contradict the narrative. 
 
58 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 XVII. Paul Baptizing at Corinth. 
 
 Acts xviii. 4. And he reasoned in the synagogue every 
 Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. 5 And 
 when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, 
 Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews 
 that Jesus was Christ. 8 And Crispus, the chief ruler 
 of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house ; 
 and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were 
 baptized. 
 
 A church being formed in this place, Paul 
 afterwards writes them two epistles. In the 
 first of these he laments the unhappy divisions 
 that prevailed among them, in contending for 
 different ministers, as if they had so many 
 Saviours and had been baptized in their sepa- 
 rate names. Upon which he reasons : 
 
 1 Cor. i. 13. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for 
 you ? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul ? 14 I thank 
 God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius : 
 15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own 
 name. 16 And I baptized also the household of Stepha- 
 nas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 
 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the 
 gospel. 
 
 Paul at Corinth, as at all other places, be- 
 gins his work by testifying to the people " the 
 things concerning Jesus Christ." He con- 
 tinued his labors at Corinth a year and six 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 59 
 
 months, in which time many, hearing his 
 preaching, believed and were baptized. He 
 himself baptized but few, and in this he after- 
 ward rejoiced; for, he adds, the first and chief 
 work for which Christ sent him was, not to 
 baptize, but to preach the gospel. 
 
 Here we are not told any thing about the 
 mode. 
 
 XVIII. Disciples at Ephesus baptized. 
 
 This is the ninth and last place, in the 
 Acts of the Apostles, relative to our present 
 inquiries. The question whether the persons, 
 in this instance, were baptized twice, first with 
 John's baptism, and now Christ's, does not 
 concern us. As to the mode, there is no hint 
 given. Were immersion essential, it would 
 be strange that we should be thus left in the 
 dark as to its being practised by the apostles. 
 
 Acts xix. 1. Paul, having passed through the upper 
 coasts, came to Ephesus ; and finding certain disciples, 2 
 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since 
 ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so 
 much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3 And 
 he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized ? and 
 they said, Unto John's baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John 
 verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying 
 unto the people, that they should believe on him which 
 
60 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When 
 they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the 
 Lord Jesus. 
 
 XIX. Supposed Allusions to Baptism as 
 a Burial. 
 
 Rom. vi. 1. What shall we say then? Shall we con- 
 tinue in sin, that grace may abound ? 2 God forbid. How 
 shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ? 
 3 Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into 
 Jesus Christ were baptized into his death ? 4 Therefore 
 we are buried with him by baptism into death ; that like 
 as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the 
 Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 
 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of 
 his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrec- 
 tion. 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with 
 him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hence- 
 forth we should not serve sin. 
 
 Col. ii. 12. Buried with him in baptism, wherein also 
 ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation 
 of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 
 
 These passages are often quoted and much, 
 relied upon to establish the doctrine of im- 
 mersion. An examination of the apostle's 
 argument will show the danger of building so 
 important a dogma upon a foundation which 
 exists merely in a fancied resemblance of 
 words to facts. 
 
 It is said that this being buried with Christ 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 61 
 
 in baptism can mean nothing but immersion, 
 and therefore immersion is the only proper 
 mode of baptism. As Christ was laid in the 
 grave and covered up, say Baptists, so we lay 
 a person in the water. And as he rose from 
 the grave, so we raise the person out of the 
 "watery grave." 
 
 But what resemblance has immersion to the 
 burial of Christ? Does any one believe that 
 Christ was put into a coffin, that he was let 
 down into a grave, and covered up with earth ? 
 No ! Every one knows that Christ was not 
 buried at all, in the modem sense of the word. 
 People are carried away by the mere sound 
 of words. 
 
 Our Lord was laid, according to the custom 
 of the Jews, in a niche or shelf, cut in a room 
 hewn out of the solid rock, and doubtless 
 above ground. Multitudes of such tombs may 
 now be seen around Jerusalem. Says the 
 Evangelist, (Matt, xxvii. 59-60,) " When Jo- 
 seph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a 
 clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new 
 tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock. 
 And he rolled a great stone to the door of the 
 sepulchre." 
 
 After his resurrection, the women came, and, 
 
62 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 finding the stone rolled away from the door of 
 the sepulchre, "entering into the sepulchre 
 (Mark xvi. 1-5) saw a young man sitting on 
 the right side." 
 
 Where is the likeness to the "watery grave" 
 upon which our brethren are so fond of dwell- 
 ing ? If they will note the apostles argument 
 in his Epistle to the Komans, it will not be very 
 difficult to see that he has something very 
 different from the mode of baptism in his eye, 
 and that the allusion to. "burial in baptism" 
 has a higher significance. 
 
 Let the reader carefully consider the pass- 
 age, and, with his eye upon the Bible, see if 
 this is not its bearing. 
 
 The question which the apostle meets is this : 
 "Does God's scheme of justifying men by faith 
 lead them to continue in sin?" His answer 
 is, "No! By the very profession which he 
 makes in baptism he acknowledges his obliga- 
 tion to live a new life of holiness." 
 
 (V. 2.) How shall we, that are dead to sin, 
 dead to its power and dominion, live any 
 longer therein? 
 
 (V. 3.) So many of us as were baptized into 
 Jesus Christ, into a profession of faith in Jesus 
 Christ, were baptized into his death; we en- 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 63 
 
 tered into an engagement to fulfil the purpose 
 for which he died, that is, the abolishing of 
 sin. 
 
 (V. 4.) Therefore we are buried with him 
 by baptism into death ; as Christ died and was 
 buried, so we die to sin (see v. 2) and are 
 buried to it; we utterly forsake it and re- 
 nounce its' dominion. That, like as Christ 
 was raised up from the dead, even so we also 
 should walk in newness of life. "We die to sin 
 and rise to a new life of holiness. 
 
 Does, then, justification by faith encourage 
 us to live in sin ? 
 
 No ! In our profession, made at baptism, we 
 have become dead to sin; and, being devoted 
 to him by that baptism, we are bound to rise, 
 as he rose, to a new life, a holy life, a life 
 freed from the dominion of sin. Buried thus 
 with him in baptism, we rise with him to walk 
 in newness of life. 
 
 Still further to illustrate the idea, the 
 apostle, in verse 5, uses the figure of seeds 
 sown together; we and Christ united in this 
 matter of death, and rising together; and, in 
 verse 6, again, of our old nature being cruci- 
 fied with him. 
 
 The quotation from Colossians (chap. ii. 12) 
 
64 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 has a similar purport. It is a favorite thought 
 of the Apostle Paul. Thus (in Galatians ii. 20) 
 he says, " I am crucified with Christ," meaning 
 the same thing, and not that he was either 
 planted, or buried, or crucified. It was the 
 Christian's profession in baptism, not the mode 
 of baptism, that occupied his attention. What 
 can be more fallacious than to argue that no 
 one can be baptized unless he is entirely im- 
 mersed under water, from such passages as 
 these? 
 
 XX. Occasional Mention of Baptism. 
 
 Eph. iv. 5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 
 
 1 Cor. xii. 13. For by one Spirit we are all baptized 
 into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether 
 we be bond or free ; and have been all made to drink into 
 one Spirit. 
 
 Gal. iii. 27. For as many of you as have been baptized 
 into Christ have put on Christ. 
 
 1 Cor. xv. 29. Else what shall they do which are bap- 
 tized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all ? why are 
 they then baptized for the dead ? 
 
 To the Ephesians and Corinthians the 
 apostle is here recommending peace and unity ; 
 that they should be all of one heart and mind, 
 so that there be no schism in the body, as all 
 were one in Christ: to urge which, he puts 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 65 
 
 them in mind of what they were taught at 
 the first, that there was but " one Lord, one 
 faith, one baptism," and that "all were bap- 
 tized into one body, whether Jews or Gen- 
 tiles." 
 
 There is nothing in these passages which 
 affects what we have said before about the 
 mode. They show, indeed, how wrong it is 
 for baptized Christians to be divided about 
 the mode of baptism. Various interpretations 
 are given of the last passage; but, as they 
 have no bearing on the mode, it is foreign to 
 our purpose to consider them. 
 
 XXI. Baptism Illustrated by Events 
 Becorded in the Old Testament. 
 
 These are the last passages we find in the 
 New Testament which relate to the subject : 
 
 1 Cor. x. 1. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye 
 should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under 
 the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 And were all 
 baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 
 
 1 Pet, iii. 20. The long-suffering of God waited in the 
 days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein 
 few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. 21 The 
 like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save 
 us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but 
 6* 
 
66 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the 
 resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
 
 The better to understand the Apostle Paul, 
 in the first passage above, the reader would 
 do well to peruse the place, in the Old Testa- 
 ment, to which he refers, viz. Exod. xiv. 
 From this chapter, and references to it, we 
 learn that the Israelites went down into the 
 midst of the Eed Sea ; and the water divided, 
 opening a passage for them, and forming a 
 wall on each side, so that they passed over on 
 dry ground. We also learn that the cloud 
 hid the Israelites from their enemies ; that it 
 was bright and shining toward the former, 
 while it was dark toward the latter. Now, 
 upon the supposition that there is here a refer- 
 ence to the ceremony of baptism, or the act of 
 baptism, it certainly could not be by dipping. 
 They may have been sprinkled from the spray 
 of the sea, which the wind scattered upon 
 them, and also by the cloud which was over 
 their heads. 
 
 Attempts have been made to strain this 
 passage so as to make it seem something like 
 immersion. But how could the Israelites be 
 dipped, if they were marching upon dry 
 ground, the sea forming a wall upon each 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 67 
 
 side, and the cloud flying above their heads ? 
 It is plain that they were not baptized by 
 immersion. 
 
 If there is any allusion to the mode here, 
 the Scriptures tell us how these Israelites were 
 baptized. Psalm lxxvii. 16-20. " The waters 
 saw thee, God, the waters saw thee; they 
 were afraid ; the depths were troubled. The 
 clouds poured out water ; the skies sent out a 
 sound; thine arrows also went abroad." Here 
 was thunder, and lightning, and rain. 
 
 In point of fact, however, we think that 
 there is here no reference to the mode of bap- 
 tism, but to the fact that they were thus initiated 
 into a profession of that religion which Moses 
 was to teach them, and of which he was the 
 representative. 
 
 As to Noah, there need be little said. If 
 he could be baptized by any thing like dip- 
 ping, when he was fast shut up in the ark, 
 when it rained forty days and forty nights 
 upon the earth, so might any of us be dipped, 
 with as much propriety, when we are sitting 
 in our houses, while the rain is sprinkling 
 upon the roof. It does indeed look exactly 
 like sprinkling and pouring; but not the 
 least like dipping. 
 
68 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 We think one occasion of the great differ- 
 ence of opinion upon this point is, that our 
 brethren have totally mistaken the meaning 
 and design of water-baptism. They have 
 somehow imbibed a notion that there is great - 
 importance in the supposed burial of Christ, 
 and so have thought themselves under obliga- 
 tion to celebrate and imitate that, by some 
 solemn rite; as if his burial were of more 
 importance than his birth, or his death, or his 
 crucifixion. Now, a careful perusal of the 
 scriptures we have quoted will show that the 
 burial of Christ (as it is called) is of small 
 importance in the Christian scheme. It is 
 his death, and not the burial, which is the 
 most important fact in the whole economy; 
 and that is fitly represented by the Lord's 
 Supper. 
 
 And water-baptism has its designs and 
 uses also; and very important ones, too. 1. 
 "Water is designed to represent either the 
 gospel, or the cleansing and purifying effect 
 of the Holy Spirit. 2. Much water uniformly 
 represents the gospel, or the holy effects of it. 
 (See Ezekiel's vision of the river that pro- 
 ceeded out from the throne of God. Ezekiel 
 xlvii.) Hence the spread and success of the 
 
THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 69 
 
 gospel is represented by a flowing stream. 
 (See Isaiah lxvi.) A small quantity of water 
 represents the effect of the Holy Spirit. Hence 
 the continued using of the words pour, sprinkle, 
 &c. &c. 
 
 The fallen children of men need two things 
 to prepare them for heaven. The one is the 
 forgiveness of sin, the other the sanctification 
 of the heart by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Two sacraments have been in the church to 
 represent those two important things. Before 
 the coming of Christ, circumcision and the 
 passover, both attended with the sprinkling 
 and pouring of blood, because they were typi- 
 cal of a coming Saviour. Since the coming 
 of Christ, they are baptism, and the Lord's 
 Supper. Of the Lord's Supper it is said 
 expressly, "Ye do show forth the Lord's 
 death," and, "This is the blood of the New 
 Testament for the remission of sin." 
 
 Blood is omitted in both cases now, because 
 we look back to a Saviour already come. 
 That baptism means the outpouring of the 
 Spirit, the apostle taught on the day of Pente- 
 cost: "This is that which is spoken by the 
 prophet Joel." Acts ii. 16-18. 
 
 After a careful examination of every part 
 
70 THE BIBLE ON BAPTISM. 
 
 of the Scripture which had any bearing upon 
 this subject, we have never been able to find 
 any precept, warrant, or practice of Christ or 
 his apostles which calls for immersion. Nor 
 do any of the facts, or doctrines, or sacra-' 
 merits of the gospel teach any such practice. 
 
 Believing the doctrine that baptism must be 
 by immersion to arise from a forgetfulness of 
 the meaning of the ordinance, and believing 
 it to be wholly unscriptural, we think it will 
 not prevail; but, as the light increases, and 
 the Scriptures come to be better understood, 
 and the real design of these sacraments, the 
 mistake will be seen and abandoned. 
 
 In conclusion, we would say to the reader, 
 do not allow the observations contained in this 
 pamphlet to form your opinions on a subject 
 of so sacred a nature. Peruse the passages 
 of Scripture again, omitting all the rest, and 
 then form your sentiments, and govern your 
 practice, by the pure unerring word, and that 
 alone. 
 
 THE END.