SERMON I.

ON CHRISTIAN BAPTISM.

MATTHEW, XXVIII. 19, 20.

GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST-TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL. THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU AND, LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, EVEN

UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD.

My dear friends, and beloved brethren,

It is my prefent design to address you on the ferious and important fubject of Baptifm.Treating this point, as God fhall enable me, in a course of sermons, I fhall endeavor to handle the fubject with great plainnefs and candor, not feeking fo much the applause of man, or the conviction of those who differ from us, as the establish-ment of your minds in the truth. The words which I have now read are joyful, folemn words. They were spoken in a very affecting fituation they are fome of the last words of our bleifed Lord and Saviour to his dear difciples. In the preced

ing chapter, we have an account of his crucifixion and painful death on the cross-In this, of his joyful refurrection and appearance to the apostles, whom he informed of his acceptance with God as the Mediator and Saviour, and of his great power in heaven and earth. He gave them the commiffion in our text-" Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft;-Teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

I fhall here mention feveral things of great importance to the fubject before us, in which all parties agree; and beg you will keep them in view through the enfuing difcourfes.

Firft, Our bleffed Saviour's command, in this text, is equally binding on all his minifters, in all ages of the world-that they are to preach the gospel to every creature, and to teach all who are capable of inftruction, in all the doctrines he has revealed in his word.

Second, The minifters of Chrift are to baptize among the nations, " in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft," all thofe, and only thofe, who, according to his revealed will, are the proper fubjects of baptism.

Third, All his minifters, by this, are bound to teach the nations to obferve and obey all things, whatsoever he hath commanded; all the laws, ordinances, and inftitutions, which, according to the fcriptures, are in force under the gospel difpenfation.

Fourth, Let it be well obferved, that according to this promife, Chrift will be with his minifters, to

fupport and comfort them-to blefs and fucceed them in the glorious work unto the end of the world. These things being obferved, I fhall proceed to confider our text, with reference only to the facrament of baptifm-and fhall endeavor to fhew,

I. That baptifm with water is an institution of Christ, to be a standing ordinance in his church to the end of the world.

II. I shall speak of the mode of baptism as it respects the controverfy between us and our brethren called Baptifts.

I. I am to speak of water-baptifm, and fhew that it is an institution of Chrift, to be a ftanding ordinance in the church to the end of the world.

There is a baptifm of the Holy Ghost, and with fire, agreeably to Mark, i. 8. "I, indeed, have baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." Luke, iii. 16. "He fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.' But its administration Chrift has reserved to himself. We no where read of his commanding any to administer such a baptifm. Some, indeed, fince the apoftles' day, have undertaken to do it; but we expect they will stand reproved in the great day of the Lord.

That baptifm by water is an institution of Christ, is evident from our text. very 66 Go, fays Christ, teach, or disciple all nations, baptizing them," &c. They are commanded to teach, and they are commanded to baptize. The fame precept is alfo recorded, Mark, xvi. 15, 16. " And he faid unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel unto every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."-We accordingly find

the apostles, and primitive ministers of Christ, baptizing all whom they difciplined to him. On the day of Pentecoft, when three thousand were added to the church in one day, the apostles called on them to repent, and be baptized. The Quakers, and fome others, deny that baptifm with water is to be continued in the church; but the contrary seems evident, from the very face of the command. The apostles, and fucceeding minifters of Christ, were commanded to teach, to preach the gofpel, and to baptize all nations; and in faithfully teaching and baptizing, Chrift promises to be with them to the end of the world. Our bleffed Saviour, likewife, expressly enjoins on the apostles, to teach his difciples to obferve all things whatsoever he hath commanded them; but baptifm by water was the command which had juft then proceeded from his facred lips. It is manifeft that the primitive church received the practice from the apostles, and obferved it is a command of Chrift.

The defign of baptifm as a feal of the covenant, and badge of the Chriftian profeffion-its ufe as an initiating ordinance into the church, and its obvious fignification, all plainly fhew it to be a standing institution in the church, and to be administered with water, to all proper fubjects, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft,' by all the fathful minifters of Jefus Chrift.

وو

II. I am now to fpeak of the mode of baptifm. Before I proceed, two remarks are worthy of particular notice.

1. As baptifm is merely a pofitive inftitution of Chrift, nothing, with regard to its mode, fhould be made effential, but what Chrift has exprefsly enjoined. This obfervation must be too evident to meet

with any oppofition. Should any think this or that mode most decent, convenient, or fignificant, let them answer a good confcience, where the fcriptures are filent; but let them not make it effential to baptism, unless it is exprefsly enjoined by Christ.

2. No denomination of Chriftians has a right to fet up one mode of baptifm as effential, and exclude all other modes without exprefs fcripture warrant, or fome pofitive proof, that it is the will of Christ, the great king and head of the church. The reason of this is plain. Since it is the prerogative of Christ to appoint the ordinances of his church, it must belong to him alone to determine, what fhould be confidered effential to them. For any, therefore, to determine the exclufive mode of baptifm, or make anv thing effential to it, which Christ himself has not appointed, is not only very uncharitable to their brethren, but alfo a great prefumption on the prerogative of Christ. Our brethren, the Baptifts, my hearers, hold with us, that baptifm must be administered, by a regular minifter of Chrift, with water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; but, they affert, that it must be done in the mode of dipping, or plunging the whole body under water, otherwise it would be no christian baptifm. Let us now candidly examine this matter. The question is not, whether dipping or plunging is baptifm, but whether plunging or dipping is the only mode of chriftian baptifm. It is not fufficient for them to prove in the clearest manner, that plunging is a proper mode of baptifm; but they ought to prove, and must prove, if they do any thing to the purpofe, that plunging is the only mode of baptifm by water inftituted by Chrift. Inattention to this circumftance,