quently, with equal confiftency, admit believers to their communion, who have neither been immers ed nor fprinkled; and fo, like the Quakers, have nothing at all to do with water in the worship of God. Whether, therefore, a person has been immerfed in a river, be the waters ever fo many; or fprinkled with that element from the palm of the hand, be the drops ever so few; or has had no concern with water at all, it makes no material difference with them, in pomt of communion. So, then, as they can receive members into their communities, fubfift in a church state, and enjoy fellowship at the Lord's table, with either much wa ter, or little water, or none at all; I humbly conceive that if our bantering opponent would do them juftice, while he displays his own wit, he should give them a different name. For though they seem, at fome times, to be as fond of water as we are; infisting upon it, that where there is no immerfion there is no baptifm; yet, at others, they warmly contend, that believers of all denominations, (i. e. Baptifts with much water; Pædobaptifts with little water; and Katabaptifts without any water at all) have a right of communion with them in the sacred supper. · It behoves the Doctor, therefore, if ever he favour us with another address, to fearch for a new diftinguishing epithet, to connect with the term bigots, that shall include and exprefs thefe various ideas. But whether our own language be able to furnish an adjective comprehenfive enough, on fuch an occafion, I dare not affert: very probably, however, among those numerous compounds contained in the language of ancient Greece, he may find one that is fit for the purpose. And as it is not every one, no, nor every Doctor, who could have 4 thought of that elegant phrafe, Watery Bigots; I doubt not the fertility of his invention, and the well-known accuracy of his pen, when handling the Baptifts, will enable him to give our brethren a defcriptive character, that fhall be equally polite and perfectly fuitable: a Though I am far from fufpecting that our brethren want fincerity, or from thinking that they violate the dictates of conscience, in maintaining their very fingular hypothefis; yet their conduct, in regard to baptifm, has fuch an ambiguous appearance, and looks fo much like holding both fides of a contradiction, that I fhould not wonder if one or another of our Pædobaptift opponents, were to apply to them, with a little alteration, the Spirited remonftrance of Bishop Hall to Archbihop Laud. The latter being strongly fufpected of predilection for Popery, and the former intending to deal roundly with him on that fubject, addreffed him in the following language. I would I knew where to find you-To-day you are in the tents of the Romanifts: to-morrow in our's; the next day between both, against both. Our adverfaries think you our's; we their's-This of your's is the worst of all tempers. Heat and cold have their uses; lukewarmnefs is good for nothing but to trouble the ftomach--How long will you halt in this indifferency? Refolve one way, and know, at laft, what you do hold; what you should. Caft off either your wings or your teeth; and, loathing this bat-like form, be either a bird or a beaft. If you must begin, why not now?-God crieth with Jehu, Who is, on my fide, who?—Take you peace; let me have truth, if I cannot have both.' Thus the acute and good Bishop Hall, to one whe halted between two opinions; who was neither an uniform Papist, nor a confiftent Proteftant. And now, before I conclude, our brethren will fuffer me alfo to remonftrate; and the reader may reft affured, that I do it without the leaft impeachment of their integrity-If infant fprinkling be a human invention, difown it, renounce it, entirely reject it, and no longer let it hold the place of a divine inftitution in any of your churches. But if it be from Heaven, embrace it profefs it, practise it in the face of the fun, and lay the other abfolutely afide, as destitute of a divine warrant. For as there is but one God, and one faith, fo there is but one baptifm. Divine truth is confiftent; divine ordinances are confiftent, for they are not yea and nay; and all the Christian world are confiftent with themselves, relating to baptifm; be ye, therefore, confiftent in this, as you are in other refpects. That is, be either confiftent Baptifls, or Padobaptifts; for, according to your prefent practice, all thinking and impartial men must pro nounce you an heterogeneous mixture of both. FINIS CONTENT S. SECTION Ì. The Baptifs not chargeable with laying an unwarrantable Stress on the Ordinance of Bap tifm. SECTION II. Page 5 The general Grounds on which we proceed, in refufing Communion at the Lord's Table, to Padobaptift Believers Novelty of the Sentiment and Practice of our Brethren, who plead for Free Communion: and the Inconfiftency of fuch a Conduct with their Baptift Principles. SECTION III. Arguments against Free Communion at the Lord's 27 Table. 39 SECTION IV. Several Paffages of Scripture confidered, which our Brethren produce in favour of their Sentiments. 88 |