XXVII.

ART. came to him, took them obliged to enter upon a course of repentance, and he declared to them the near approach of the Meffias, and that the kingdom of God was at hand; and it is very probable, that thofe who were baptized by Chrift, that is, by his Apoftles; for though it is exprefsly faid, that he baptized none, yet what he did by his Diciples he might in a more general fense be said to have done himself; that thefe, I fay, were baptized upon the fame fponfions, and with the fame declarations, and with no other; for the difpenfation of the Meffias was not yet opened, nor was it then fully declared that he was the Meffias; howfoever this was a preparatory initiation of fuch as were fitted for the coming of the Meffias; by it they owned their expectations of him, as then near at hand, and they profeffed their repentance of their fins, and their purpoles of doing what should be enjoined them by him.

Water was a very proper emblem, to fignify the paffing from a course of defilement to a greater degree of purity, both in doctrine and practice.

Our Saviour in his ftate of humiliation, as he was fubject to the Mofaical Law, fo he thought fit to fulfil all the obligations that lay upon the other Jews; which by a phrafe used among them he exprefles thus, to fulfil all righteoufness. For though our Saviour had no fins to confefs, yet that not being known, he might come to profefs his belief of the difpenfation of the Meffias, that was then to appear. But how well foever the Jews might have been accustomed to this rite, and how proper a preparation foever it might be to the manifestation of the Meffias; yet the inftitution of Baptifm, as it is a federal act of the Chriftian religion, muft be taken from the commiffion that our Saviour gave to his Difciples; to go preach and make discixxviii. 19. ples to him in all nations, (for that is the ftrict fignification of the word) 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.

Matth.

By the first teaching or making of difciples, that must go before Baptifm, is to be meant the convincing the world, that Jefus is the Chrift, the true Meffias, anointed of God, with a fulness of grace and of the Spirit without measure; and fent to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. And when any were brought to acknowledge this, then they were to baptize them, to initiate them to this religion, by obliging them to renounce all idolatry and ungodlinefs, as well as all fecular and carnal lufts, and then they led them into the water; and with no other garments but what might cover nature, they at first laid them down in the water, as a man is laid in a grave, Rom. vi. 3, and then they faid those words, I baptize or wash thee in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: then they raised

4, 5.

them

XXVII.

Col. ii. 12.

them up again, and clean garments were put on them: from ART. whence came the phrases of being baptized into Chrift's death; of being buried with him by baptifm, into death; of our being rifen with Chrift, and of our putting on the Lord Jefus Col. iii. 1, Chrift; of putting off the Old Man and putting on the New. 10. After Baptifm was thus performed, the baptized perfon was to be farther inftructed in all the specialties of the Chriftian religion; and in all the rules of life that Chrift had prescribed.

This was plainly a different Baptifm from St. John's; a profeffion was made in it, not in general of the belief of a Meffias foon to appear, but in particular, that Jefus was the Meffias.

Rom. xiii.

14.

The ftipulation in St. John's Baptifm was repentance; but here it is the belief of the whole Chriftian religion. In St. John's Baptifm they indeed promifed repentance, and he received them into the earnefts of the kingdom of the Meffias; but it does not appear that St. John either did promise them remiffion of fins, or that he had commiffion fo to do: for repentance and remiffion of fins were not joined together till after the refurrection of Chrift; that he appointed that repent- Luke xxiv. ance and remiffion of fins fhould be preached in his name among all 47• nations, beginning at Jerufalem.

In the Baptifm of Chrift, I mean that which he appointed, after his refurrection (for the Baptifm of his Difciples before that time was, no doubt, the fame with St. John's Baptifm) there was to be an inftruction given in that great mystery of the Chriftian religion concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft; which those who had only received St. John's Baptifm knew not: they did not fo much as know that there was Acts xix. a Holy Ghoft; that is, they knew nothing of the extraordinary 2, 3, 4, 5ò effufion of the Holy Ghoft. And it is exprefsly faid, that thofe of St. John's Baptifm, when St. Paul explained to them the difference between the Baptifm of Chrift, and that of St. John, that they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jefus. For St. John in his Baptism had only initiated them to the belief of a Meffias; but had not faid a word of Jefus as being that Meffias. So that this must be fixed, that these two Baptifms were different; the one was a dawning or imperfect beginning to the other, as he that adminiftered the one was like the Morning Star before the Sun of Righteousness.

Our Saviour had this ordinance (that was then imperfect, and was to be afterwards completed when he himself had fi nished all that he came into the world to do)-he had, I fay, this vifibly in his eye, when he fpake to Nicodemus, and told him, that except a man were born again, he could not fee (or John iii. 3, difcern) the kingdom of God: by which he meant that entire 5, 6. change and renovation of a man's mind, and of all his powers,

through

ART. through which he muft pafs, before he could difcern the true XXVII. characters of the difpenfation of the Meffias; for that is the

fenfe in which the kingdom of God does ftand, almost univerfally through the whole Gofpel. When Nicodemus was amazed at this odd expreffion, and feemed to take it literally, our Saviour anfwered more fully, Verily, verily, I fay unto thee, except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The meaning of which seems to be this, that except a man came to be renewed, by an absolution like the Baptifm which the Jews used, that imported the outward profeffion of a change of doctrine and of heart; and with that, except he were inwardly changed by a fecret power called the Spirit, that fhould transform his nature, he could not become one of his Difciples, or a true Chriftian; which is meant by his entering into the kingdom of God, or the dispensation of the Meffias.

Upon this inftitution and commiffion given by Christ, we fee the Apostles went up and down preaching and baptizing. And fo far were they from confidering Baptifm only as a carnal rite, or a low element, above which a higher difpenfation of the Spirit was to raise them, that when St. Peter faw the Holy Ghoft vifibly defcend upon Cornelius and his friends, he Acts x. 44, upon that immediately baptized them; and faid, Can any man 47, 48. forbid (or deny) water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghoft as well as we? Our Saviour has alfo made Baptifm one of the precepts, though not one of the means, neceflary to salvation. A mean is that which does fo certainly procure a thing, that it being had, the thing to which it is a certain and neceffary mean, is alfo had; and without it the thing cannot be had; there being a natural connection between it and the end. Whereas a precept is an inftitution, in which there is no fuch natural efficiency; but it is pofitively commanded; fo that the neglecting it, is a contempt of the authority that commanded it: and therefore in obeying the precept, the value or virtue of the action lies only in the obedience. This diftinction appears very clearly Mark xiv. in what our Saviour has faid both of Faith and Baptifm. He that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved; and he that believeth not fall be damned.

16.

Where it appears that Faith is the mean of falvation with which it is to be had, and not without it; fince fuch a believing as makes a man receive the whole Gospel as true, and so firmly to depend upon the promifes that are made in it, as to obferve all the laws and rules that are prefcribed by it; fuch a Faith as this gives us fo fure a title to all the bleffings of this New Covenant, that it is impoffible that we should continue in this ftate, and not partake of them; and it is no lefs impoffible

that

XXVII.

that we should partake of them, unless we do thus believe. It ART. were not suitable to the truth and holiness of the Divine nature, to void a covenant fo folemnly made, and that in favour of wicked men, who will not be reformed by it: fo Faith is the certain and necessary mean of our falvation; and is so put by Chrift, fince upon our having it we shall be faved, as well as damned upon our not having it.

On the other hand, the nature of a ritual action, even when commanded, is such, that unless we could imagine that there is a charm in it, which is contrary to the fpirit and ge nius of the Gospel, which defigns to fave us by reforming our natures, we cannot think that there can be any thing in it, that is of itself effectual as a mean; therefore it must only be confidered as a command that is given us, which we are bound to obey, if we acknowledge the authority of the command. But this being an action that is not always in our power, but is to be done by another, it were to put our falvation or damnation in the power of another, to imagine that we cannot be faved without Baptifm; and therefore it is only a precept which obliges us in order to our falvation; and our Saviour, by leaving it out when he reverfed the words, faying only, he that believeth not, without adding, and is not baptized, fhall be damned, does plainly infinuate that it is not a mean, but only a precept in order to our falvation.

As for the ends and purposes of Baptifm, St. Paul gives us two: the one is, that we are all baptized into one body, we 1 Cor. xii. are made members one of another: we are admitted to the fo- 13. ciety of Chriftians, and to all the rights and privileges of that body, which is the Church. And in order to this, the outward action of Baptism, when regularly gone about, is fufficient. We cannot fee into the fincerity of men's hearts; outward profeffions and regular actions are all that fall under men's obfervation and judgment. But a fecond end of Baptifm is internal and spiritual. Of this St. Paul fpeaks in very high terms, when he fays that God has faved us according to his Tit. iii. §. mercy, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft. It were a ftrange perverting the defign of these words, to fay, that fomewhat fpiritual is to be understood by this washing of regeneration, and not Baptifin; when as to the word fave, that is here afcribed to it, St. Peter gives that undeniably to Baptism; and St. Paul elsewhere, in two different places, makes our Baptifin to reprefent our being dead to fin, Rom. I. and buried with Chrift; and our being rifen and quickened with Col. i him, and made alive unto God; which are words that do very plainly import regeneration. So that St. Paul must be undeftood to speak of Baptifm in these words: here then is the inward effect of Baptism; it is a death to fin, and a new life in

Christ,

ART. Chrift, in imitation of him, and in conformity to his Gofpel. XXVII. So that here is very exprefsly delivered to us, fomewhat that

rifes far above the badge of a profeffion, or a mark of difference.

That does indeed belong to Baptism, it makes us the visible members of that one body, into which we are baptized, or admitted by Baptism; but that which faves us in it, which both deadens and quickens us, must be a thing of another nature. If Baptifm were only the receiving us into the fociety of Chriftians, there were no need of faying, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It were more proper to fay, I baptize thee in the name or by the authority of the Church. Therefore these auguft words, that were dictated by our Lord himself, fhew us that there is somewhat in it that is internal, which comes from God; that it is an admitting men into fomewhat that depends only on God, and for the giving of which the authority can only be derived by him. But after all, this is not to be believed to be of the nature of a charm, as if the very act of Baptism carried always with it an inward regeneration. Here we must confess, that very early fome doctrines arose upon Baptism that we cannot be determined by. The words of our Saviour to Nicodemus were expounded fo as to import the abfolute neceffity of Baptifm in order to falvation; for it not being observed that the difpenfation of the Meffias was meant by the kingdom of God, but it being taken to fignify eternal glory, that expreffion of our Saviour's was understood to import this, that no man could be saved unless he were baptized; fo it was believed to be fimply neceflary to falvation. A natural confequence that followed upon that, was to allow all perfons leave to baptize, clergy and laity, men and women, fince it seemed neceffary to fuffer every perfon to do that without which falvation could not be had. Upon this, these hafty Baptisms were used, without any special sponsion on the part of those who defired it; of which it may be reasonably doubted whether such a Baptism be true, in which no fponfion is made; and this cannot be well answered, but by faying, that a general and an implied fponfion is to be confidered to be made by their parents while they defire them to be baptized.

Another opinion that arofe out of the former, was the mixing of the outward and the inward effects of Baptism; it being believed that every perfon that was born of the water, was alfo born of the Spirit; and that the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, did always accompany the washing of regeneration. And this obliged St. Auftin (as was formerly told) to make that dif ference between the Regenerate and the Predeftinated; for he thought that all who were baptized, were also regenerated. St. Peter has ftated this fo fully, that if his words are well confi

dered,