ticular."* Now, as it is not so much a want of precision in the Articles and Liturgy of the national establishment which occasioned this exception, as a dislike to the doctrines they contain; so I suspect, that it is not so much a defect of meaning in the word βαπτίζω, to signify immersion, as a disapprobation of that very immersion, which was the reason of our opponent's remark. It may, on our part, with reason be asked, if our Lord intended, and if the apostles practised pouring or sprinkling, why was not such or such a word used, which, in its obvious and primary acceptation, signifies to pour or to sprinkle? But it is quite foreign to the purpose, and proves nothing so much as the want of better arguments, to think of another word to express the idea of immersion, when that is the radical and obvious meaning of the term Banτiw. The following observation of Mr. Alsop will therefore apply, mutatis mutandis, to the case before us. "If λutρov, αντιλυτρον, and αντιλυτρον ύπερ, will not evince a proper price paid by way of ransom for another, we must despair of ever expressing truth with that clearness, but it shall be liable to misconstruction, by the possibility of another meaning: and it is in vain to seek a remedy against that evil for which there is no help in nature." + Reflect. X. Before I conclude this chapter, I will present the reader with a pertinent quotation from Dr. Waterland. "In all manner of controversy which depends upon interpretation of dead writings, he that undertakes to prove a point, or to establish a doctrine, lies under this disadvantage; that, as long as there appears any possibility of a different interpretation, an adversary may still demur and demand farther evidence. Now, considering the great latitude and am * In Dr. Waterland's Supplem. to Case of Arian Subscrip. p. 34. ↑ Antisozzo, p. 644. biguity of words and phrases, in all languages, (if a man would search into all the senses they are possibly capable of,) and that even the most full and express may be often eluded by having recourse to tropes and figures, or to some other artificial turn of wit or criticism; I say, considering this, there may be always something or other plausibly urged against any thing almost whatever."*-Now, though every person of reading and observation must acknowledge this remark to be just, yet we may venture to affirm, that if the preceding authorities produced from the Quakers, whose hypothesis is not affected by any particular sense of the term in dispute-from the most learned Pædobaptists themselves, whose cause is deeply interested in the meaning of the word-and, by some of our opposers, from Greek authors,t-do not sufficiently warrant our sense of the word under consideration, we may justly challenge our brethren to fix and authenticate the meaning of any expression in the original scriptures, against any opponent whatever. Nay, if the term baptism do not determinately signify that the ordinance should be administered by immersing the subject in water, we should be glad of information what other expression could have conveyed that idea, without being liable to similar exceptions with those against which we now contend. It may therefore be safely concluded, that if there be nothing in the design of the ordinance, nor in the apostolic practice, inconsistent with the notion of dipping, we do not deserve reproach for insisting, that baptism and immersion are terms equivalent. * Eight Sermons, Pref. p. 4, 5, edit. 2nd. † To the authorities produced from Greek authors, No. 31, 45, 52, 55, 64, and 82, a multitude of others might be added; as the reader may see by consulting Dr. Gale's Reflections upon Dr. Wall's Hist. of Inf. Bap, lett. iii. CHAPTER III. The Design of Baptism; or the Facts and Blessings represented by it, both in regard to our Lord and his Disciples. WITSIUS." Our Lord would be baptized, that he might conciliate authority to the baptism of John; that he might manifest himself to be equally the head of those who are baptized, as of those who are circumcised; that he has communion with both, and came that of both he might make one; that by his own example, he might commend and sanctify our baptism equally as other sacraments to which he submitted; that men might not be loth to come to the baptism of the LORD, seeing the Lord was not backward to come to the baptism of a servant; that by his baptism, he might represent the future condition both of himself and his followers-first humble, then glorious; now mean and low, then glorious and exalted; that represented by immersion, this by emersion; that by the use of this sacrament, the promises of the covenant, which was between himself and the Father, might be confirmed to him, concerning the entire expiation of those offences which he took on himself, the justification and sanctification of those persons whom he represented, and concerning a glorious resurrection, by which he should soon emerge out of the waters of tribulation, (Psalm cx. 7;) and, finally, to declare, by his voluntary submission to baptism, that he would not delay the delivering up of himself to be immersed in the torrents of hell, yet with a certain faith and hope of emerging ....Immersion into the water is to be considered by us, as exhibiting that dreadful abyss of divine justice, in which Christ for our sins, which he took on himself, was for a time as it were absorbed; as in David, his type, he complains, (Psalm lxix. 3.) More particularly, seeing such an immersion deprives a person of light, and of other things pertaining to this world, it excellently represents the death of Christ, while his continuance under water, however short, denotes the burial of Christ, and the lowest degree of his humiliation; when, being laid in a sepulchre that was sealed and guarded by the Roman soldiers, he was considered as entirely cut off. Emersion out of the water, exhibits an image of his resurrection, or of the victory which, being dead, he obtained over death in his own dark domains, that is, the grave. All these All these things the apostle intimates, (Rom. vi. 3, 4.) Besides, baptism also represents those benefits, both present and future, which believers obtain in Christ. Among the present benefits, the principal is, communion with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; and, which is consequent upon it, the mortification and burial of our old, and resurrection of the new man, in virtue of the blood and Spirit of Christ. For immersion into the water, represents the death of the old man, in such a manner as shows, that he can neither stand in judgment to our condemnation, nor exercise dominion in our bodies, that we should obey his lusts. In respect of the former, the death of the old man pertains to our justification; in regard to the latter, it belongs to our sanctification. The continuance under the water, represents the burial of the body of sin, by which all hope of its revival is cut off; so that it shall never be able afterwards, either to condemn the elect, or to reign over them." Miscel. Sac. tom. ii. exercit xv. § 63. Econ. Fœd. 1. iv. c. xvi. § 25-29. 2. Dr. Robert Newton." Baptism was usually performed by immersion, or dipping the whole body under water, to represent the death, and burial, and resurrection of Christ together; and therewith to signify the person's own dying to sin, the destruction of its power, and his resurrection to new life. St. Paul plainly refers to this custom, (Rom. vi. 4.)" Pract. Exposit. of Catechism, p. 297, 298. 3. A. H. Frankius.-"The baptism of Christ represented his sufferings, (Matt. xx. 22,) and his coming up out of the water, his resurrection from the dead." Programmata, program. xiv. p. 343, 344. 4. Mr. Rich. Baxter." In our baptism, we are dipped under the water, as signifying our covenant profession, that as he was buried for sin, we are dead and buried to sin....They [your lusts] are dead and buried with him, for so your baptism signifieth; in which you are put under the water, to signify and profess, that your old man is dead and buried.... We are raised to holiness by his Spirit, as we rise out of the water in baptism (Col. ii. 11, 12, 13, where note,)—that the putting of the body under the water did signify our burial with Christ, and the death, or putting off of our sins. And though we now use a less quantity of water, yet it is to signify the same thing, or else we should destroy the being of the sacrament: so also our rising out of the water signifieth our rising and being quickened together with him. Note also, that it is not only an engagement to this hereafter, but a thing presently done. They were in baptism buried with Christ; and put off the body of sin, and were quickened with him: and this doth all suppose their own present profession to put off the body of sin, and their consent to be baptized on these terms." Paraphrase on the New Test. at Rom. vi. 4; Col, ii. 12; 1 Pet. iii. 21. Disput. of Right to Sacram. p. 58. 5. M. Saurin." Paul says, We are buried with him by baptism into death;' that is, the ceremony of wholly immersing us in water, when we were baptized, signified, that we died to sin; and that of raising us again from our immersion signified, that we would no |