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thefe. From the confideration of which Peter Martyr has faid; that, indeed, according to almost all the prophets, especially Isaiah, the happiness of the church will be great: which it has not yet attained to, but it is probable that it will then (on the converfion of the Jews) attain to it." We have not indeed, the least doubt, that there are many prophecies both in the Old and New Testament to this purpose the full meaning of which we ardently pray the fupreme Being may teach his people by the event, the only undoubted interpreter of prophecies. It is however our duty to be modeft on the head, and not rafhly intrude into the fecrets of providence, nor boldly abufe, what we are neither allowed to know, nor fuffered to fearch into.

1.

THE

CHA P. XVI.

Of Baptifm.

HE ordinary facraments of the New Teftament are only two; baptifm and the Lord's Supper. These are signalized by the express inftitution of our king. These were made use of by our Lord himself, to set us an example, and by this use they were confecrated to the elect. These are recommended to the Corinthians, as excellent privileges of the New Testament church, and two like them, but of an extroardinary nature, were granted to Ifrael in the wilderness, 1 Cor. x. 1-4. These are held forth by the apostle, I Cor. xii. 13. as facred feals of the union and communion of believers, both with Christ, and with one another; and if there were any more of the kind, the apoftle, according to his ufual accuracy and diligence, would not have paffed them over in filence. These in short, are sufficient to fignify and feal the fulness of grace we have in Chrift. For as two things are requifite to complete our happiness: first, our being abfolved from our fins, and washed from our pollution; that we may be regenerated by the communication of the Spirit of Chrift to a new life of grace: and then nourished in that life of grace, that is, fuftained, ftrengthened and increafed therein, until we be promoted to the life of glory: both these are fufficiently confirmed to us by these two facraments. Our first ingrafting into Chrift, and our regeneration by his Spirit, are fet forth by baptifm; and the nourishment of our fpiritual life by the holy fupper.

II. Concerning both thefe facraments of the New Teftament we are to obferve, that fomething correfponding to them, but

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only of ecclefiaftical ufe, not of divine inftitution, was practised by the ancient Ifraelites. And herein the Lord Jefus difcovers his exceeding great wifdom and goodness, that he would not difcompofe the weak minds of his people, by too much innovation, but retained the ancient rites, established them by his own authority, and rendered them more illuftrious, by their fignifying the most noble and mystical things which depended wholly on his own institution.

III. And with respect to baptism, of which we are first to fpeak; it appears, that there was a twofold baptism in use among the Jews; the one of which they called the baptifm of uncleanness or of Luftration, whereby legal uncleannefs was wafhed away; the other, the baptism of Profelytism or initiation, whereby thofe of the Gentiles, who were converted to Judaism, were initiated into the church of Ifrael. Omitting the former, which is not fo material to the present subject, we shall mention a few things concerning the latter.

IV. When a Gentile was received into the Ifraelitish covenant, and, as the Jews fpeak, became a Profelyte of righteoufnefs, three ceremonies of initiation were used, without which even the Ifraelites themselves, according to their received notion could not enter into that covenant; to wit, circumcifion, baptifm, and facrifice. And the Jewish mafters have fixed it as a law, that this baptifm is fo neceffary, that without it, as much as without circumcifion, there can be no profelytism; but this along with facrifice is all the initiation, that is neceffary in the cafe of a female profelyte.

V. The manner of baptifm among the Ifraelites was this. ift, They examined the profelyte, who was to be initiated, with refpect to the fincerity of his converfion to Judaifm: whether he defired to make a profeffion thereof, from the hopes of riches or honours in a flourishing republic; or from fear; or from an affection for an Israelitefs: or any other fuch like motive that was not good. And after he declared, that his motive was the alone regard he had for God, and an unfeigned love to the divine law, they inftructed him in the feveral articles thereof; as concerning the unity of God, the abominable nature of idolatry, the reward of obedience, and concerning the future world, and other heads of their divinity. Which after he folemnly profeffed to receive without the leaft exception, he was directly circumcifed. 2dly, After the wound of circumcifion was perfectly healed, he was led to baptifm; which was not performed, but in the prefence of Triumvirs or three men, who were the difciples of the wife who could exercife judgments, that is, Ifraelites of the pureft blood. It was their bufinefs

bufinefs not only to take care, that every thing was duly performed, and to teftify concerning this due performance, according to the practice of their ancestors: but further to inftruct the person to be baptized, and already placed in the water, concerning fome more, and fome lefs, important precepts of the law. Such Triumvirs are generally in Scripture called Elohim. Christ in like manner declares, that, in the baptifm of the New Teftament, the Elohim are prefent, Mat. xxviii. 19. who are called the three witnesses in heaven, 1 John v. 7. 3dly, It was unlawful to adminifter baptifm but in a natural current or collection of waters; as a river, lake, fountain: because according to them, none could be duly baptifed in water fetched from any place, and received in artificial receptacles. 4thly, The entire body was to be plunged at once, for if but the tip of a finger was undipt, fuch a person was accounted to remain ftill in his uncleannefs. Yet it was not neceffary, that the person to be baptized should put off all his clothes, provided they were fuch, as the water could eafily penetrate. 5thly, But we are especially to obferve, that even little children were baptized, generally at the fame time with their parents. For thus it is faid in Talmud. Babylon. Tit. Erub. fol. II. c. I. "They baptize the little young profelyte in confequence of the mind of the Sanhedrim."

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VI. The effect of this initiation was, 1ft, That the perfon fo baptized, "being taken out from among the body of the Gentiles," was accounted a fon of the covenant, who was permitted" to come and have a safe retreat, under the wings of the Divine Majefty." 2dly, He was looked upon as one that was new born. Hence that common faying in the Talmud; "when ever one becomes a profelyte, he is accounted an infant newly born." For, they fuppofe, that fome new foul, instead of his Gentile foul, is fent down, from fome palace in heaven, into the body of the profelyte, after he is once come under the wings of the Divine Majesty, and honoured with his kifs. Affertions which either have no meaning, or enigmatically fignify regeneration by the Spirit of God. 3dly, The confequence of this regeneration was a new kindred; fo that he was not to look upon his former relatives (as brothers, fifters, parents, children) as belonging to him; nay, after this regeneration, he was to have no more any heathen kindred, or ftand related to thofe born in the time of Gentilifm; juft as, by the imperial law, all fervile relation ceafed upon manumiffion. Hence Tacitus fays, Hift. Lib. 5. nor do they entertain any notion more than that of making no account of their parents, children, brethren." With which may be compared Luke xiv.26.

VII.

VII. They make the first practice of this baptifm to be very ancient. Some afcribe it to the patriarch Jacob, when he received into his family and domestic church the Shechemite young women and other Gentiles, who refided with him; because it is faid, Gen. xxxv. 2. " then Jacob faid unto his houfehold, and to all that were with him, put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments." Where Aben Ezra explains the words be clean, by the washing of the body. Others derive the firft teftimony, or practice of this baptifm, from what is said to Mofes, Exod. xix. 10. “Go unto the people and fanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes." And again, ver. 14. " and he fanctified the people, and they washed their clothes." Thus they would have the washing of the perfons to be included in, or fet forth by, the washing of their clothes. But these things are uncertain. They would have spoken more to the purpose, had they obferved with Paul, that the " Ifraelites were baptifed unto Mofes in the cloud and in the sea, 1 Cor. x. I, 2. of which we have formerly fpoken at large. It is more probable, what they fay elfewhere, that, in the time of David and Solomon, when the republic of Ifrael was in its most flourishing state, a great number of profelytes were initiated by baptism. Whoever would know more of this baptism, and learn the testimonies of the Jews themselves, may confult Selden, de jure Nat. & Gen. Lib. 2. c.2 and 4. as alfo, de Succeffionibus ad leges Hebræor. c. 26. And again de Synedriis Lib. 1. c. 2. and Lightfoot on Mat. iii. 6. Alfo Altingu differtat. de profelytis, Thef. xxvii. feq.

VIII. But whatever be the cafe as to the antiquity of that rite, no divine inftitution can be affigned for it prior to John, the harbinger of Chrift, who was fent by God to baptize. For, this was exprefsly given him in charge, "the word of the Lord came unto John," Luke iii. 2. John i. 33. From this, however, it appears, whence it came, that the Scribes and Pharifees are never said to have found fault with John for his baptifm, but that they only asked him, by what, and whofe authority, he baptized? John i. 25. hence alfo it was, that such numbers of people flocked to his baptifm: for, he was celebrated both for his piety and doctrine; nor did he use a new rite; he taught, that the kingdom of heaven, which was ardently longed for and expected by all at that time, was at hand; exhorted every one that came to him, to fuffer himself to be initiated therein, as it was now at the door, by taking upon him his baptism, and by a profeffion of repentance. From that time baptifm was of divine inftitution among the Jews.

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IX. But it was not yet a facrament of the New Teftament: for, as the whole of John's miniftry was, as it were, fomething intermediate between both Teftaments, and tended to prepare the way for the Lord, the author and herald of the New Teftament; fo, in like manner, his baptism initiated the penitent and believing into the kingdom of heaven: which indeed, was near, but not yet actually come, Mark i. 2-8. Hence Ter tullian, adverfus Marcionem, Lib. 4. c. 33. calls "John the boundary fet between the Old and New, at which Judaifin fhould terminate, and from which Chriftianity fhould begin." Nazianzenus alfo, Orat. 39. quæ eft in Sancta lumina, calls him the "middle person between the Old and New Teftaments." Yet his ministry belonged rather to the New, than to the Old Teftament: as a forerunner is rightly judged to be of, and with that king, whom he precedes. Whence the baptifm of John is by the author of Queft ad Orthodoxos, which we have in Juftin Martyr's works, Queft. 37. called the proem or introduction to the gofpel of grace. To which that baptifm came nearest, which John adminiftered unto the faith of the Meffiah, now prefent, and manifefting himself to Ifrael, John i. 29, 31.

X. I take the first baptifm of the New Teftament to have been that, which was administered by Chrift's difciples, at the command of their master, for a confeffion of the presence of the Meffiah, John iii. 22. Yet at that time it was confined, for the most part to the Jews. But it was made a facrament of the univerfal church, after the New Teftament was fealed by Chrift's blood, and confirmed by his refurrection, to be preached all over the world by the apoftles, who were very foon to be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, Mat. xxviii. 19.

XI. John's baptism differed from that administered by Chrift's difciples, not in effence, but in circumftances only. For, 1ft, Both were from heaven, and grounded on God's command: which we are fure of with refpect to Chrift's baptism,' and as to John's appears from John i. 33. Luke vii. 30. Mat. xxi. 25. 2dly, In both there was a dipping in water, Mat. iii. 11. Acts viii. 36. 3dly, Both adminiftered into the faith and confeffion of Chrift, Acts xix. 4, 5. 4thly, Both were a fign and feal of the remiffion of fins, Mat. iii. 6. Luke iii. 3. Acts ii. 38. 5thly, In the participation of both, there was an obligation to repentance on the perfon: fee the laft text. Nevertheless they differ. ft, In that John's baptifm was indeed from God, but not from Chrift, as the incarnate Mediator, acting as the king of his church. 2dly, In that, as we have faid, it was rather a preparation for, than a facrament of the New Teftament. Bafil in his treatise, quomodo baptizetur aliquis baptifmate, quod eft in VOL. II. Evangelio

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