do not fay that all good men have; but the most learned have, and some who have appeared very pious. But you will say, Why have they not practised differently, if they have thus believed? I am not answerable for their practice; but, if the Lord will, I shall, ere long, give you the reasons which they affign. I shall only add, for the present, two or three confequences, and then leave the subject for your confideration.. I The Baptists have, against our practice, and for theirs, that kind of evidence which is, perhaps, in all cases but the present, considered the most unequivocal and certain. This evidence is given in by a cloud of witnef.. ses, who, whilst they are bearing their testimony, condemn themselves every sentence they utter. If these men, who are confest by both fides to be both pious and learned, may be believed, the cause will most certainly be determined against us; for there, was never a clearer cafe. They unitedly testify that the scripture mode of baptifm is immersion, but omit the practice. In this they condemn themselves. 2. The scripture sense, and, for aught appears, the only sense, of baptifm, is, dipping, immersion, burying in water, being overwhelmed, and the like.. 3. We are brought to this dilemma, either to com-mence. Baptists, as to the mode, or do as our fathers.. have done, confefs the truth in theory, and neglect it in, practice.. THE MODE AND SUBJECTS OF BAPTISMМ. SERMON III. MATTHEW XXVIII. 19, 20. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. MEN, brethren, and fathers, we are still upon a've important fubject-a subject which highly concerns us as Christians-a fubject in which our feelings, our reputation, and our peace too, may not be a little concerned. Many things, not to say every thing, call upon us not to go too fast; and, at the fame time, obedience to our common Lord forbids all backwardness, in pursuing where his truth and Spirit lead us. All which I request of you is, with candour hear, with readiness obey, what truth shall dictate. Should we, after long and serious deliberation, be obliged to believe and practise differently from what we have heretofore done, we shall be much exposed to two things: one is, to be reviled; the other, to revile again. What What we shall need is, patience to bear the one, and grace that we may avoid the other. Perhaps human nature is more inclined to nothing than to an overbearing spirit. It is perfectly confonant with human nature to make ourselves, and not the scriptures, the standard of both faith and practice. The natural consequence of this is censure against all who dare to think, or act, as we do not. To guard you againft unreasonable and common prejudice, I will, for your confideration, suggest a thought, which we may do well to remember; and it is this: many, who shall believe and practise as we have long done, may be as honest and faithful as we then were. This being true, the following confequence is plain, that the line of conduct which the Baptifts ought to have practised, in months and years past, towards us, the fame, if we be Baptists, will it become us to pursue with relation to others. It requires not much forefight to discover, that we shall need much of that wisdom which is profitable to direct. Whilst it may be indispensable with us to use every prudent mean to diffuse that light which God may graciously afford us, it will be our wisdom to do every thing in such a manner as not to heighten, but, if poffible, to lower, the prejudices of good people, Whilst you, my dear friends and people, know that light chaseth away the darkness, and that truth will ultimately prevail against every error; I solicit your can, dour and prayerful attention, that error may not be retained, or prevail against any of us, to our wounding. Our attention hath already been called to the definition of a number of words, which relate to the ordinance of baptifm, to the scripture account of baptifm, together with fome other texts, which were supposed to throw light upon the subject, and also to some evidence in fup. port of the given definitions. As the great question turns upon what is commanded, and as that cannot be otherwife known than by making fure the import of the words used, we shall therefore search for additional light and certainty, by inquiring 4. How the apostles and primitive Christians under. stood this matter, and how they practised. If this can be made plain, then, perhaps, your mind will be fatisfied, and your judgments made up. I proceed to lay the evidence before you. There appears no neceffity of spending time to pro. duce evidence that the apostles understood the matter to be as I have proved to you that it was: for they, no doubt, understood the words which Christ spake, and the commands which he gave; besides, if the apostles and primitive church practised thus, it is evident that they thus understood it; for doubtless they, especially the apostles, were honest men, and practised as they understood Je fus Christ to have directed them. I will here make two observations to you; and I wish you to remember them. The first is, no person should, especially in important matters, make up his judgment, that any particular fub. ject is true, till he has evidence of its truth. The other is, the best proof which the nature of any case admits of, may and ought to be considered as evidence, and so received by us, as to those things we are called to believe and practise. There are different degrees of evidence: the highest kind produces knowledge. When the evidence is small, * it produces a weak and dubious belief. But where it is such that, on supposition the thing be true, the evidence could 1. could not be greater than it is, there we are obliged to yield our affent, and we do violence to our reason if we will not believe. The evidence, which we have with respect to the practice of the apostles in the matter of baptizing, differs in degree, and, in some measure, in kind, from the evidence which we have respecting the practice of the church in later ages as to the same matter. But if we have, with respect to the practice of both, the best evidence which the different cafes admit of, we are under obligation to believe the evidence good, and the facts true which are supported by it. 4 We have much the fame kind of evidence with refpect to the practice of the apostles, which we have as to the practice of the church for many ages after them. Mr. Baxter, bishop Hoadly, and others, testify, that the apoftolic practice was, immersion. We have, moreover, as to their practice, a much higher kind of evidence. In support of their practice, I shall produce the best kind of evidence, and afterwards, whilst speaking of the practice of the church in succeeding ages, may oc cafionally bring forward some of the other kind of evidence, in support of the apostles' practice. As to the practice of the apostles, in the administration of baptifm, I observe, we have in the scriptures four diftinct sources of evidence. The 1st Is this. When baptifm is mentioned by the difciples and apostles, and the common word is not used, they uniformly employ one particular word, and this word is of very determinate fignification, and expresses the bathing, or washing, of the body in water, as Heb. x. 22: Having our bodies (leloumenoi) washed with pure water. Als xxii. 16. Arife and be baptized, and (apoloufai) |