the further growth of infidelity; as they defire to be accounted confiftent Proteftants, and would promote real and unadulterated Christianity, in order to please God the great author of it; I hope, they will now see the neceffity there is of a reformation, from all fuch human traditions, by which the commandments of God are made void; and, as a motive to induce them more speedily to fet about this good work, which will greatly tend to their own credit and true intereft, I commit these remarks, with the following letters, to their moft ferious and christian confideration.

The letters were written in answer to an objection against certain perfons fubmitting to Chrift's inftitution of baptifm, which arofe in the mind of a very pious and learned divine, author of two volumes of fermons lately published; which were preached in a courfe of lectures before, and after, his obedience to that facred ordinance. For when he had got over the arguments urged in Mr. Emlyn's previous queftion, and fome other objections, his fubmiffion to that great duty was a long time deferred from this thought: That baptifm, being an ordinance of the introductory kind, was, as fuch, defigned only for those, who had never been admitted to the privileges of the christian church; and therefore could not be properly administered to any, who bad taken on them the chriftian profeffion, and, in confequence of that, had been admitted to the holy communion; tho' as he confeffed to me, in a very irregular and unjustifiable way and manner. For he declared, that be looked upon the fprinkling, which was given him in his infancy, as nothing, and did not fcruple to own himself, an unbaptized minifter of the gospel; and had feveral times faid, that the reafon, why he forbore communicating at the Lord's table for feveral years, was, becaufe, being unbaptized, he was not, as fuch, qualified to receive the Lord's-fupper.

He applied to two eminent minifters for fatisfaction in the cafe above-mentioned, but one of them

was

was too long filent; and tho' the other fent him an excellent fermon or two, which have fince been printed, and alfo writ him a pretty long letter; yet mistaking his objection the difficulty still remained, as Mr. informed him, defiring his further thoughts, which were deferred for a long time, either thro' abfence from home, or an application to other affairs: and therefore not obtaining from thofe worthy minifters the defired fatisfaction, he was pleased to tell me, I had time and leifure, and be wished I would undertake it. With this request I was at laft induced to comply, merely, that I might prevent the ill confequences of their filence.

What he was pleased to fay of my letter in converfation, made it known to other perfons, and fome of my friends requested me to favour them with a fight, or bearing of what I had written to him; fince which I have been defired by feveral perfons to print that with the fubfequent letter. But tho the folicitation of friends has very often been given by authors, as the reafon for fending their writings abroad; yet I could not efteem it fufficient to juftify this publication, if I did not also think with them, that it might in fome measure fubferve the cause of truth. For which reafon only I have fubmitted them to the public, hoping they may become useful towards checking the growth of an opinion, which I find fome very able ministers, from a mistaken notion of charity, arifing from mere good nature, complaifance, or private friendfhip, feem fomewhat defirous to promote. They may hope perhaps to establish the reputation of Christianity, and prevent fome attacks from the Deifts or others, by uniting Chriftians of all denominations in communion together; but difcern not, that they are thereby giving them a much greater advantage, by fapping one or more of the very foundation principles of the dottrine of Chrift, Heb. vi. 1, 2; by taking away the fences and de

ftroying

ftroying the very boundary, which Christ himself has made. But more of this hereafter.

Dr. Wall, in his History of infant-baptifin, and in his Defence of the fame, fays; That all the ⚫ ancient Chriftians (without the exception of one man) do understand that rule of our Saviour, Jobniii. 5. to mean baptifm; and that be believes Calvin to be the first man that ever denied it fo C to be meant. This is fo full an atteftation to the univerfal judgment of all antiquity for 14 or 1500 years in favour of the fenfe, which I have given of John iii. 3, 5, that I could not avoid tranfcribing it for my readers.

And this is further confirmed by the learned Dr. Whitby, who in his annotations fays; That to fee the kingdom of God here, and to enter into it, ver. 5. is the fame thing, and both thefe phrafes fignify to be a real member of that kingdom, and to enjoy the bleffings belonging to them who are fo;...That Chrift feems to fpeak this not primarily of that heavenly kingdom, into which the ⚫bleffed fhall enter at the day of judgment, but of that fpiritual kingdom which was to be erect ed by the Meffiah; and into which men entered by baptifm; whence it must follow, that no man is indeed a member of Chrift's kingdom, who is not truly regenerate..... That this feems to be directed againft the falfe and pernicious ⚫ conceptions of the Jewish doctors, the Scribes and Pharifees, who thought they had a title to the kingdom of God, and the bleffings of it, as being the feed of Abraham according to the * flesh..... And on the fifth verfe,

That our Lord here fpeaks of baptifmal regeneration, the whole chriftian church from the beginning hath always taught, and that with very good reafon; for, firft, tho' water is fometimes put to fignify, or reprefent the purifying, opera

* Hift. 572, Defence, p. 11.

tion

⚫tions of the holy fpirit, yet to be born of water is a phrafe never ufed in fcripture, for being born of the fpirit; but very properly is it used of that baptifm, which is the laver of regeneration, Tit. iii. 5. and was by all the antients ftiled, ← waλeveria, or regeneration. Secondly,

be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost, most likely fignifies to be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, and with the fymbol of water. Thirdly, The queftion betwixt Chrift and Nicodemus was about that which was requifite to fit a man to enter into the kingdom, that is, the church of God, and make him partaker of the bleffings of the gofpel. Now it is certain that baptifm by water is, by our Lord, declared to be the ordinary means of entering into his kingdom, for he • faith, Mark xvi. 16. He that believeth and is baptized fhall be faved; .... Chrift therefore here declares it to be a rite neceffary for the entrance of adult perfons into his kingdom, and it feems highly reasonable to esteem fo of it; for what • falvation can be expected by them, who, after • he hath told them they must be baptized with water, that they may enter into his kingdom, do by refufing that facrament too plainly fhew that they refufe that way of entering into his kingdom, and becoming his difciples, which he had appointed for that end?

6

Dr. Benfon alfo, for 1 am told, he hath had the degree of doctor in divinity conferred upon him by one of the Universities in Scotland fince these remarks were written, has in his book, intitled, The Reasonableness of the Christian Religion, paraphraf ed thefe words of Chrift to Nicodemus, Except a man be born again, be cannot fee the kingdom of Ged, of his publicly taking upon him the profeffion of the chriftian religion, by baptifm, or else he could not fee the kingdom of God, could not become a member of Chri's church, or kingdom which he further illuftrates and confirms

from

from the fifth verfe. And as he there takes it for the true meaning and intention of our Lord, the fenfe most eafily defended against the cavils of an infidel; he cannot, I think, well object against the use I have made of it, and the inferences drawn from thence in my letter.

Dr. Benson is very juftly esteemed by many perfons for his writings, who, no doubt, will think it no small recommendation of my expofition, that it is approved by him. Therefore, tho' the paffage is pretty long, yet I will give it my readers; whereby they may also fee, what groundless fuppofitions, even the doctor himself is ready to make from Nicodemus's ignorant anfwer to Chrift, in order to fupport a favourite opinion. He fays,

page 247,

Our Saviour's converfation with Nicodemus is the most just and proper, provided we attend to his character, and to all the circumstances. He • was a Pharifee, and laboured under the common prejudices of the Jews, and as he was a • ruler among them, and of a timorous temper, he came to Jefus by night; however he owned his miracles, and thence inferred his divine miffion; moft probably taking him for the Mef • fiah. 66 Jefus let him know that coming to • him by night was not fufficient, neither had he, as a few, any right to be a member of the mef⚫fiah's kingdom, but he muft, like other profelytes (in the Jewish phrase) be born again, or publicly take upon him the profeffion of the chriftian religion, by baptism; or else he could not fee the kingdom of God, could not become a • member of Chrift's church, or kingdom." Nicodemus thought himself already one of the people of God, because he was a Jew. If our Sa'viour had told him that an heathen, in order to ⚫ become a profelyte to the Jewish religion, must be born again, by baptifm and circumcifion, he could have readily understood him; because

⚫ that