this way. For sprinkling, or any small, partial wash ing, never was, is not now, nor ever will be, what the scriptures mean by Christian baptifm. 4. That a person must be greatly unacquainted with the plain, literal, fcripture account of baptifm, or extremely prejudiced, not to say perverse, to affirm, that the Bible fays nothing about immersion, or burying in water, for baptizing. For it speaks of this mode, and of no other, in the application of water as a gofpel ordi nance. The Baptifts have for their mode the broad basis of fcripture, antiquity, and the uninterrupted, and somewhat univerfal, practice of the church. 5. It appears that for well informed Pædobaptifts to oppose the Baptifts, as to their mode of baptizing, is very great wickedness. For the Baptists have the advantage of plain and express scripture on their fide, and the learned, critical and candid Pædobaptists know it. Ignorance is the best and only excuse which we can make for ourselves for any oppofition which we have made against the ancient and primitive mode which the Baptifts have practised in the administration of the ordi nance. Our contention in this matter hath not been against the Baptifts merely, but it hath been against their Lord and ours. Dr. Lathrop appears generoufly to grant the truth, that immersion is scripture baptifm, and only contends that sprinkling be also allowed, which every candid mind would readily do, were there one text of scripture to support it... 6. No true Christian, if he knew what he did, would ever make light of immersion, which the Lord commands, and the Baptists practise, as the mode of baptiz.. ing, or, more strictly, as baptifm itself. THE MODE AND SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM, SERMON IV. 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; teach ing them to obferve all things whatsoever I have commanded you : And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. W HILST discourfing to you upon these words, I have, as I suppose, proved to you what is the outward and visible part of baptifm. You have, to appear ance, given a ferious and folemn attention, and, I hope, a candid one, to what hath been faid. All which I ask of you in this matter is, that you, in the spirit of meekness, hear the whole, and then judge and practise, in such a manner, as you cannot refuse to do, without doing violence to your reason, and without disobedience to the command of Heaven. Some of you may be afraid of difcord; but whence, I pray you, will discord arise among brethren? Will 2 candid, prayerful and self denying attention to truth cause this feared difcord? Hath truth a tendency to produce produce difcord among the faithful followers of the Lamb of God? I know that once, when Christ preached the doctrines of the cross, multitudes of profeffing difciples went back, and followed no more with him. I hope it will not be thus with any of you. But, my brethren, however it may be with any of you, one thing is clearI ought, I must, declare to you, fo fast as I profitably can, all those truths of God, which appear necessary to build you up in found faith and holy practice. As I have faid before, so say I unto you again, that all which I ask of you is, to give truth a candid hearing, and yield your assent, when facts are plainly proved. Nothing should, by me, be thought too much to be done, to clear away from your minds the darkness of prejudice, together with any erroneous belief and practice which you may have imbibed, in part, by my means. I fhall, therefore, in this discourse, after having attended to the purport, end or design of baptifm, answer some objections, which may for the present obstruct the force of truth. Before we proceed to the particular business of this discourse, you will, if you please, attend for a minute to a few questions and their anfwers. I. Is it not a plain cafe, that it is my duty to deliver to you the whole counsel of God, according to the best light it may please him to afford me? 2. Is it not equally plain, that your duty is to yield, not to me, but to the truths which I deliver, an obedient ear? 3. Should you, from an uncandid and prejudiced mind, refuse to be converted by the truth, will the fault be mine? E 4. Should 4. Should I exhibit full evidence, as to the subject on hand, and exhibit that evidence clearly too, or should it be that I have done, this, and yet great difficulties fhould arife, will you be justified should you lay the blame to me? 5. Should I teach you the truth, and produce all the evidence which you can ask for, and you should, all, like faithful Christians, believe it, where or whence will arise any difficulty among us? Should any of you refuse to believe, will you charge your difficulties to my account? 6. Are not all of you determined that you will hear candidly, and believe upon evidence ? You will please to give a Christian and judicious anfwer to each of these questions, and let you practice be conformed with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Chrift. Having laid before you the principal part of the facts and evidence, which I intended, as to the visible and outward part of baptifm, now Laftly, The purport, end and design of the Baptifmal Institution may call for fome attention. The purport, end or defign of this Christian ordinance, or institution, appears to be 11. For a dividing line between the kingdom of our Lord, and the kingdoms of this world. John was Chrift's forerunner: he was fent before his face to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just: to make ready a people prepared for the Lord;* and that Chrift should be made manifest to Ifrael, therefore, says John, am I come baptizing with water.t John's mission comprehended a double purpose, to make ready a people, prepared of prepared for the Lord, and to manifest Him unto Ifrael. The people which he instrumentally made ready, and prepared to receive the Lord, he baptized; and it appears from his rejecting many of the Pharifees and Sadduces, that he intentionally baptized none other. * The whole discourse which he had with them, Matt. iii. 7 to 12, is good evidence that he admitted none to baptifm but such as brought forth visible fruits of repentance. Such persons he admitted among that people which he was making ready for the Lord. This people were, when prepared, to compose that kingdom, or the beginning of that kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, and which is an everlasting kingdom, which shall stand forever: Daniel ii. 44, and vii. 27. This kingdom Chrift calls the kingdom of heaven, and fays, it is not of this world. It appears to be this kingdom, which was now at hand, almost ready to be set up, of which Christ speaks to Nicodemus, when he says, John, iii. 5, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. All this does, for substance, meet the fentiment of Baptists and Pædobaptists on this subject. Both suppose, that none can belong to this kingdom without being born of water, or baptized. Both suppose that men may professedly, or visibly, belong to this kingdom, without being born of the Spirit: but, perhaps, neither the Baptists, nor Pædobaptists, would fay, that any do, strictly speaking, belong to this kingdom, except they have been born of water and of the Spirit. Our Lord faith, Verily, verily, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. If a man cannot enter into this kingdom but in this way, he cannot belong to it in any other. * Matt. iii. 7. Both |