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this way. For fprinkling, or any fmall, partial waf ing, never was, is not now, nor ever will be, what the fcriptures mean by Chriftian baptifm.

4. That a perfon must be greatly unacquainted with the plain, literal, fcripture account of baptifm, or extremely prejudiced, not to say perverfe, to affirm, that the Bible fays nothing about immerfion, or burying in water, for baptizing. For it fpeaks of this mode, and of no other, in the application of water as a gospel ordi

nance.

The Baptifts have for their mode the broad bafis of feripture, antiquity, and the uninterrupted, and fomewhat univerfal, practice of the church.

5. that for well informed Pædobaptifts to It appears oppofe the Baptifts, as to their mode of baptizing, is very great wickednefs. For the Baptifts have the advantage of plain and exprefs fcripture on their fide, and the learned, critical and candid Pedobaptifts know it.

Ignorance is the beft and only excufe which we can make for ourselves for any oppofition which we have made against the ancient and primitive mode which the Baptifts have practifed in the adminiftration of the ordi nance. Our contention in this matter hath not been against the Baptifts merely, but it hath been againft their Lord and ours.

Dr. Lathrop appears generously to grant the truth, that immerfion is fcripture baptifm, and only contends that fprinkling be alfo allowed; which every candid mind would readily do, were there one text of fcripture to-support it.

6. No true Chriftian, if he knew what he did, would ever make light of immerfion, which the Lord commands, and the Baptifts practise, as the mode of baptiaing, or, more ftri&tly, 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 Ghoft; teach ing them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you: And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

HILST difcourfing to you upon thefe words, I at to you upon

have, as I fuppofe, 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.

in

All which I afk of you in this matter is, that you, the spirit of meeknefs, hear the whole, and then judge and practise, in fuch a manner, as you cannot refuse to do, without doing violence to your reafon, and without difobedience to the command of Heaven.

Some of you may be afraid of difcord; but whence, I pray you, will discord arise among brethren? Will a candid, prayerful and felf denying attention to truth saufe 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 difci ples 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 muft, declare to you, so fast as I profitably can, all thofe truths of God, which appear neceffary to build you up in found faith and holy practice.

As I have faid before, fo fay I unto you again, that all which I ask of you is, to give truth a candid hearing, and yield your affent, when facts are plainly proved.

Nothing fhould, 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 difcourfe, after having attended to the purport, end or defign of baptifm, answer fome objections, which may for the present obftruct the force of truth.

Before we proceed to the particular business of this difcourfe, 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 counfel 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 fubje& 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 juftified fhould you lay the blame to me?

5. Should I teach you the truth, and produce all the evidence which you can afk for, and you should, all, like faithful Christians, believe it, where or whence will arife any difficulty among us? Should any of you refufe 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 pleafe to give a Chriftian and judicious anfwer to each of these questions, and let you practice be conformed with the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Christ.

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

Lafily, The purport, end and defign of the Baptifmal Inftitution may call for fome attention.

The purport, end or defign of this Chriftian ordinance, or inftitution, appears to be-

: 1. 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 wifdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord; and that Chrift fhould be made manifeft to Ifrael, therefore, fays John, am I come baptizing with water. John's miffion comprehended a double purpose, to make ready a people, prepared

*Luke i. 17. + Foba i. 31.

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prepared for the Lord, and to manifeft Him unto Ifrael. The people which he inftrumentally 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 difcourfe which he had with them, Matt. iii. 7 to 12, is good evidence that he admitted none to baptifm but fuch as brought forth visible fruits of repentance. Such perfons he admitted among that people which he was making ready for the Lord. This people were, when prepared, to compofe that kingdom, or the beginning of that kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, and which is an everlafting kingdom, which fhall ftand forever: Daniel ii. 44, and vii. 27. This kingdom Christ calls the kingdom of heaven, and fays, it is not of this world.

It appears to be this kingdom, which was now at hand, almoft ready to be fet up, of which Chrift fpeaks to Nicodemus, when he fays, 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 fubftance, meet the fentiment of Baptifts and Pædobaptifts on this fubject. Both fuppofe, that none can belong to this kingdom without being born of water, or baptized. Both fuppofe that men may profeffedly, or visibly, belong to this kingdom, without being born of the Spirit: but, perhaps, neither the Baptifts, nor Pædobaptifts, would fay, that any do, ftrictly 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 heaIf a man cannot enter into this kingdom but in way, he cannot belong to it in any other.

ven.

this

* Matt. iii. 7.

Both

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