THE MODE AND SUBJECTS

OF

BAPTISM.

SERMON II.

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 obferve all things whatsoever I have commanded you: And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

HE bufinefs which we are now upon depends very

TH

much upon the definitions of certain words, and principally upon the definition of the word baptize, and upon the certain evidence of fuch definition, or definitions, being accurate and juft. For we can no otherwise understand what God the Lord faith unto us, than by knowing the import of the words by which he is pleafed to communicate his will. The Great Teacher, who came from God, hath doubtless communicated his mind fo explicitly that the humble in heart may know the common matters which relate to faith and practice. we devoutly fearch the fcriptures, and feek wisdom as filver, and search for her as for hid treasures, God will make us to understand knowledge, and to ferve him

If

with acceptable practice. The Spirit of the Lord hath, most certainly, chofen acceptable words, words of defi nite meaning. We are to fearch out their fignification, and to be obedient. I cannot judge of their fignification for you, nor can I anfwer for the judgment which you fhall make up, nor can you for me.

I am, by my office, obliged to exhibit, so far as I can, all thofe divine truths which relate to faith and practice. I am obliged to believe and practife according to the best light which I can gather, or have in any way afforded me. You are under fimilar obligations.

Whilft we proceed, I wish you to believe, fully, two things; one is, that truth, if believed and practised, will not, on the whole, harm you. The other is, that the moft fure way to acquire truth is, to be of a humble and obedient mind, ready to receive the truth. For God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

In the preceding difcourfe, we attended to the definition of certain words which appertain to the ordinance of baptism; and then collected the fcripture account of baptifm, together with fome other texts, which are sup. pofed to throw light upon the fubject under confidera, tion, In this discourse we are-

3. To produce the more direct evidence, that my definitions of baptifm, and to baptize, are accurate and just.

The definition, which I gave of baptifm, was, a washing, a facred, a ceremonial washing. I will now add to this definition, that it is immerfion, or dipping one all over in water.

The definition which I gave of the word baptizō is, to dip all over, to wash. I will alfo add, that the word fignihes, to wash the body, or any thing, all over. What I mean,

is, that these are the fignification of the words baptifma and baptizo, which are rendered baptifm and to baptize. I am now to produce evidence, that this is a just and accurate definition of the words.

You will obferve, that this is quite different from the fubjects of baptifm; that is another subject, which must be attended to in its place.

The evidence which I have to offer, in order to fix precisely the juft fenfe and meaning of the words baptifm and to baptize, is contained in the following facts. The

ift Comprises what the Greek Lexicon, Concordance, and two English Dictionaries, teftify of the words.

Schrevelius's Lexicon teftifies, the import of baptifm is lotio, wafhing. Alfo that to baptize fignifies to wash, to put under water, or under any other liquid thing; to fink, dip in, duck or plunge over head, to immerse.

Butterworth's Concordance fays, baptifm is an ordinance of the New Teftament, inftituted by Jefus Christ, whereby a profeffed believer in Chrift, is in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, immerfed in and covered with water, and then raised up out of it, as a sign of his fellowship with Chrift in his death, burial and refurrection, and a fign of his own death to fin, and refurrection to newness of life here, and to life eternal hereafter. The fame concordance defines the word to baptize, thus-to dip, immerse, or plunge.

Entick's dictionary fays, that-Baptifm is a facrament that admits into the church.-Baptizer, one who chriftens, or dips.-Baptistery, the place of baptizing at, a font. -Baptize, to chriften, plunge, overwhelm.-Baptized, admitted to baptifm, dipt, &c.

Bailey's dictionary, fpeaking of baptifm, or rather the place in which persons were baptized, fays, Baptiftery is

either the place, or veffel, in which perfons are baptized. In ancient times, this being performed by immersion, the perfons fo initiated went into a river and were plunged; but in the time of Conftantine the Great, chapels, or places on purpose to baptize in, were built in great cities, which was performed in the eastern and warmer countries by dipping the persons; but in process of time, in the western and colder countries, sprinkling was fubftituted in place of dipping; which was the origin of our fonts in churches.

2. I will repeat fome of the attendant or circumftantial facts, which have relation to the ordinance of baptism, that you may look at them, and judge for yourfelves, whether the preceding definitions appear juft.

John baptized in the river Jordan.

He was baptizing in Enon because there was much water there.

The name of the place, where baptifm was administered, is baptifterion, or baptiftery, which fignifies a place in which to wash the body all over.

Baptifm fignifies to dip, plunge, immerfe, or wafh the body all over in water.

Baptizer fignifies one who dips, plunges, or washes the body all over in water.

To baptize fignifies to plunge under water, to dip, or to wash the body all over.

To be baptized is to be plunged, immerfed, or washed all over in water,

Does this whole matter, taking so many of the words, and some circumstances, and finding them all fo well agreeing together, help you, in any degree, to the definition of the word baptize? Suppofing these things be facts, and you had never had any prejudice for, or againft, the

word baptize, would you be able to gather the meaning of it from what hath been faid?

There is an objection ftarting in the minds of fome of you, which should be now obviated, left it prejudice your minds from the truth.

The objection is, Do not the words fignify fome other things, as well as those which have been mentioned?

Anf. I have thought they did: but I have fearched in feveral dictionaries, and read many authors upon the words, yet have not found one dictionary which has given a definition of the words different from what I have given; nor one author who has been able to show, that the true meaning of the words is any otherwise than what I have mentioned. Befides, the very courfe of argumentation which Dr. LATHROP, Mr. CLEAVELAND and others have taken, by which to prove that baptizō hath fome other fignification than to dip, immerse, to bury or overwhelm, is an implicit confeffion that they were not able to prove any fuch thing. It is also a strong prefumptive argument, that no different fignification can bẹ found.

Their argument is this: Baptō fignifies, in one instance, in the Old Teftament, to wet with the dew of heaven. Baptizo is the offspring of baptō, and confequently may be taken in the fame fenfe. This argument is of the fame weight with the following: My father believes in fprinkling, as being baptifm;. I am his offspring, and confequently I believe the fame; when the fact is, I am largely convinced that it is no fuch thing. Would gentlemen employ fuch an argument, did not their cause labour? Such an argument, when it ftands, as it does, at the front of all their fuppofed evidence, is an implicit

confeflion