might have used these baths also; and surely it would have conduced much to the decent manner of this ceremony, and the feasibility of its performance, over the plunging of men and women into a deep, rapid, and powerful river, or a foaming cataract. But John did not use these baths-his manner of conducting this ceremony could be done with equal facility where there was much water or little-at or on the Jordan or fountain of Enon, or in the wilderness where Christ took up his abode. Consequently he did not baptize near these places for the sake of immersing his followers-some other inducements marked out his course and fixed on his stations.

VI. Upon the whole we conclude, that the great parade of our opponents about John's dipping in Jordan and in Enon, because there was much water in these places, amounts to no more than a feather against a millstone in the scales of rational investigation. Superficial minds may be caught by the sound of words; but persons of judgment will weigh their sense, and determine accordingly: and this has been our object in the present enquiry.

SECTION SEVENTH.

CERTAIN ALLUSIONS TO SCRIPTURE BAPTISM.

Our opponents often refer us, with a good deal of exultation, to various references made by Christ and his disciples, which, in their humble opinion, countenance their method of performing this initiatory rite, as

The baptism of the Israelites in the Red Sea, (1 COR. x. 2.) Of Noah and his family in the ark, (1 PET. iii. 20, 21.)

The sufferings of Christ and his disciples, (Mat. xx. 22, 23.) The sufferings of believers in Christ, as their federal repre

sentative, (Rox. vi. 5, 6; Col. ii. 10-13.)

These allusions are often brought forward and much dwelt upon by our respected brethren; but they do not produce in our minds any impressions favourable to their mode of baptism. A brief consideration of each will doubtless justify our sentiments. As the first three are not deemed very important, and as the fourth is regarded as an impregnable battlement about their cause, it claims, and shall receive, most of our attention.

I. ' And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and ' in the sea,' (1 COR. X. 2.) This text, according to the literal construction of our our opponents in other cases, should be rendered, ' And were all totally dipped (eis) 'into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.' The passage says nothing of their being dipped into the cloud and into the sea; but only while passing behind, under, and before the one, and between the waters of the other, they were baptized into Moses. But not to be too literal with our brethren, and to allow them advantages they have no right to claim, let us enquire if these Hebrews were dipped into the cloud or the sea in their transit from Egypt to the wilderness of Shur? Mr. Booth assures us, that the word bap'tize, in this dispute, denotes an action required by divine 'law, and the simple question is, what is that action?" We reply certainly not dipping in the case before us; for the sacred historian assures us, that they all went through the channel of the departed waters upon dry land, (Ex. xiv. 22.) What was the action here?-walking between the divided flood. To retort, that the clouds were over their heads,

1 Vol. iii. p. 265.

The

and the heaps of water on each side of them, whereby they were as if immersed, has nothing to do with the matter in debate, which is about the action embraced by the verb and displayed by the event. The Baptists contend for dipping a person really and absolutely under water, in order to constitute a proper baptism, and ridicule the notion of any less or otherwise being baptism at all. If water-baptism were at all intended, it was effected by a shower. 'clouds poured out water' (Ps. lxxvii. 17); and in this way they were baptized, like Nebuchadnezzar, with a copious sprinkling from above. The refuge of our friends in the supposed saturated state of the Hebrews, is a mere conjecture and a sophism—a conjecture, as they do not know that even the rain fell on the chosen tribes-and a mere sophism, since a person walking in the rain till wet to the skin would not, according to their notions, be properly baptized. On this principle, a copious shower-bath would be equally efficient with an artificial or natural baptistry. This would however be giving up the action in which the essence of the sacrament is said to consist. At all events, this allusion will not support the exclusive system of immersion.

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II. Which sometime were disobedient, when once 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. The like figure, whereunto baptism 'doth now save us (not the putting away the filth of the 'flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), 'by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,' (1 PET. iii. 20, 21.) Now, if this text refer to any mode of water-baptism at all, and not to the influence of the Holy Ghost, it must be to the baptism of the ark, or of Noah and his family in it, or of both conjoined. Suppose it were of the ark, then what

was the action here? Was the vessel absolutely dipped under water, or did the water descend upon it? Unquestionably the latter; and though, from the quantity of rain which fell, the vessel was at length partly in the water and partly out of the water, it was never dipped, nor ever entirely under the rising element. The baptism of the ark was much like some of the representations in Mr. Robinson's plates of ancient Christian baptism; where the converts are seen standing up to the knees or middle in water, while the officiating minister pours some of it on their heads.-Suppose it were Noah and his family in the ark, then they were baptized with a 'dry baptism;' for the water from above or below never touched them. The rain fell in torrents on the roof of their vessel, but they were not brought in contact with it. And if this were baptism, we are often baptized by our fire-sides, while a copious shower is falling on the tiles of our habitations; and the mariner in his cabin at sea is being constantly baptized when it rains on the deck of his ship, though not a drop of it reaches his person. At any rate, Noah and his family were not plunged, immersed, or dipped, in the waters of the deluge; and what may be said of the ark and the people separately, may be pronounced of both conjointly. To say that the Hebrews and Noah were, as it were baptized, only betrays the difficulties felt by our opponents in this case. If in this or the preceding instance there was a baptism analagous to their method, the Egyptians were the only subjects in the former case, and those who were shut out of the ark, in the latter; and who, as stated in the Baptist Magazine, were ' baptized to a general destruction.'

able to drink of the cup that I shall drink

1 Bapt. Mag. for 1816, p. 198.

of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized 'with,' (MATT. xx. 22, 23.) I have a baptism to be bap'tized with and how am I straitened till it be accomplished?' (LUKE xii. 50, see also MARK x. 38, 39.) Our Lord, in these passages, evidently alludes to his last sufferings and death. The Baptists tell us that Christ was plunged into affliction or overwhelmed with it.' But these professed elucidations evidently obscure the subject-plunging and overwhelming being directly opposite acts. As to the former expression, it may be remarked that the phrase plunged into affliction, and particularly into à penal suffering for sin, is a mode of speaking, very rare, if ever, used in the New Testament. The punishments inflicted on account of sin— like every good gift and every perfect gift-are from above, and are represented as descending on us. As to the latter, it may be seen from our previous observations, that a person overwhelmed suffers from the pressure of a superincumbent weight and is at complete variance with our opponents' hypothesis. It is perceivable that drinking the cup and being baptized are here used synonymously, and are both expressive of pain and punishment, without specifying any particular mode of inflicting them. To drink,' says Mr. Keach, denotes being overwhelmed with calamity,'2 (Is. li. 20 ; lxiii. 6. JER. xlviii. 26. EZEK. Xxiii. 38. REV. xiv. 10.) But let us come to historical facts. Had our Lord and his disciples suffered death, like Aristobulus, by drowning, our opponents might have had some colour for their conclusions. But neither Jesus, James, nor John, were martyred by dipping or immersion. Christ, as we all know, was crucified; James was killed with a sword, (Acтs xii. 1 ;) and John, according to universal opinion, and which our opponents

1 Booth, vol. iii. p. 318.

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2 Met. p. 168.