ᎪᎡᎢ. XXVII.

ARTICLE XXVII.

Of Baptism.

Baptism is not only a Sign of Profession and Mark of Difference, whereby Christian Men are discerned from others that be not Christened; but it is also a Sign of Regeneration or New Birth, whereby, as by an knstrument, they that receive Baptism rightly, are grafted into the Church. The Promises of the Forgiveness of Sin, of our Adoption to be the Sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly Signed and Sealed, Faith is confirmed and Grace increased by virtue of Prayer to God. The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the Institution of Christ.

WHEN St. John Baptist began first to baptize, we do plainly see by the first chapter of St. John's Gospel, that the Jews were not surprised at the novelty of the rite; for they sent to ask who he was? And when he said he was not the Messias, nor Elias, nor that Prophet, they asked, 'Why bap- John i. 25. tizest thou then?" Which shews, not only that they had clear notions of baptism, but in particular that they thought that if he had been the Messias, or Elias, or that Prophet, he might then have baptized. St. Paul does also say, that the Jews were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud, and in the 1 Cor. x. 2. sea; which seems to relate to some opinion the Jews had, that by that cloud, and their passing through the sea, they were purified from the Egyptian defilements, and made meet to become Moses's disciples. Yet in the Old Testament we find no clear warrant for a practice that had then got among the Jews, which is still taught by them, that they were to receive a proselyte, if a male, by baptism, circumcision, and sacrifice; and if a female, only by baptism and sacrifice. Thus they reckoned, that when any came over from heathenism to their religion, they were to use a washing; to denote their purifying themselves from the uncleanness of their former idolatry, and their entering into a holy religion.

And as they do still teach, that when the Messias comes, they are all bound to set themselves to repent of their former sins; so it seems they then thought, or at least it would have been no strange thing to them, if the Messias had received such as came to him by baptism. St. John, by baptizing those who came to him, took them obliged to enter upon a course of repentance, and he declared to them the near approach of the Messias, and that the kingdom of God was Matt.iii. 2.

ART. at hand; and it is very probable, that those who were bapXXVII. tized by Christ, that is, by his apostles; for though it is expressly said that he baptized none, yet what he did by his disciples he might in a more general sense be said to have done himself; that these, I say, were baptized upon the same sponsions, and with the same declarations, and with no other; for the dispensation of the Messias was not yet opened, nor was it then fully declared that he was the Messias: howsoever this was a preparatory initiation of such as were fitted for the coming of the Messias; by it they owned their expectations of him, as then near at hand, and they professed their repentance of their sins, and their purposes of doing what should be enjoined them by him.

Gal. iv. 4.

Water was a very proper emblem, to signify the passing from a course of defilement to a greater degree of purity, both in doctrine and practice.

Our Saviour in his state of humiliation, as he was subject to the Mosaical law, so he thought fit to fulfil all the obligations that lay upon the other Jews; which by a phrase used Mat.iii.15. among them he expresses thus, 'to fulfil all righteousness.' For though our Saviour had no sins to confess, yet that not being known, he might come to profess his belief of the dispensation of the Messias, that was then to appear. But how well soever the Jews might have been accustomed to this rite, and how proper a preparation soever it might be to the manifestation of the Messias; yet the institution of baptism, as it is a federal act of the Christian religion, must be taken from the commission that our Saviour gave to his disciples; 'to go preach and make disciples to him in all nations, (for xxviii. 19, that is the strict signification of the word,) 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.'

Matt.

20

By the first teaching or making of disciples, that must go before baptism, is to be meant the convincing the world, that Jesus is the Christ, the true Messias, anointed of God, with a fulness of grace and of the Spirit without measure, and sent to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. And when they were brought to acknowledge this, then they were to baptize them, to initiate them to this religion, by obliging them to renounce all idolatry and ungodliness, as well as all secular and carnal lusts, and then they led them into the water; and with no other garments but what might cover nature, they at first laid them down in the water, as a man is laid in the grave, and then they said those words, I baptize or wash thee in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost' then they raised them up again, and clean garments Rom. vi. 3, were put on them: from whence came the phrases of being baptized into Christ's death;' of 'being buried with him by baptism into death;' of our being risen with Christ,' and of

4, 5.

Col. ii. 12. iii. 1.

6

'our putting on the Lord Jesus Christ;' of putting off the ART old man, and putting on the new. After baptism was thus XXVII. performed, the baptized person was to be further instructed Col. iii. in all the specialities of the Christian religion, and in all the 9, 10. rules of life that Christ had prescribed.

This was plainly a different baptism from St. John's; a profession was made in it, not in general, of the belief of a Messias soon to appear, but in particular, that 'Jesus was the Messias.'

The stipulation in St. John's baptism was repentance; but here it is the belief of the whole Christian religion. In St. John's baptism they indeed promised repentance, and he received them into the earnests of the kingdom of the Messias; but it does not appear that St. John either did promise them remission of sins, or that he had commission so to do; for repentance and remission of sins were not joined together till after the resurrection of Christ; that he appointed that

6

Rom. xiii.

14.

' repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Luke xxiv. name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'

47.

2-5.

In the baptism of Christ, I mean that which he appointed. after his resurrection, (for the baptism of his disciples before that time was, no doubt, the same with St. John's baptism,) there was to be an instruction given in that great mystery of the Christian religion concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; which those who had only received St. John's baptism knew not: 'they did not so much as know that there Acts xix. was a Holy Ghost; that is, they knew nothing of the extraordinary effusion of the Holy Ghost. And it is expressly said, that those of St. John's baptism, when St. Paul explained to them the difference between the baptism of Christ, and that of St. John, that they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.' For St. John in his baptism had only initiated them to the belief of a Messias; but had not said a word of Jesus, as being that Messias. So that this must be fixed, that these two baptisms were different; the one was a dawning or imperfect beginning to the other, as he that administered the one was like the morning star before the Sun of righteousness.

6

Our Saviour had this ordinance (that was then imperfect, and was to be afterwards completed, when he himself had finished all that he came into the world to do)—he had, I say, this visibly in his eye, when he spake to Nicodemus, and told him, that except a man were born again, he could not see John iii. 3, (or discern) the kingdom of God:' by which he meant that 5, 6. entire change and renovation of a man's mind, and of all his powers, through which he must pass, before he could discern the true characters of the dispensation of the Messias; for that is the sense in which the kingdom of God does stand, almost universally through the whole gospel. When Nicodemus was amazed at this odd expression, and seemed to take

ART. it literally, our Saviour answered more fully, Verily, verily, I XXVII. say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' The meaning of which seems to be this, that except a man came to be renewed, by an ablution like the baptism which the Jews used, that imported the outward profession of a change of doctrine and of heart; and with that, except he were inwardly changed by a secret power called the Spirit, that should transform his nature, he could not become one of his disciples, or a true Christian; which is meant by his entering into the kingdom of God, or the dispensation of the Messias.

47, 48.

Upon this institution and commission given by Christ, we see the apostles went up and down preaching and baptizing. And so far were they from considering baptism only as a carnal rite, or a low element, above which a higher dispensation of the Spirit was to raise them, that when St. Peter saw the Holy Ghost visibly descend upon Cornelius and his friends, he upon that immediately baptized them; and said, Acts x. 44, Can any man forbid (or deny) water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" "Our Saviour has also made baptism one of the precepts, though not one of the means, necessary to salvation. A mean is that which does so certainly procure a thing, that it being had, the thing to which it is a certain and necessary mean is also had; and without it the thing cannot be had; there being a natural connection between it and the end. Whereas a precept is an institution, in which there is no such natural efficiency; but it is positively commanded; so that the neglecting it is a contempt of the authority that commanded it: and therefore in obeying the precept, the value or virtue of the action lies only in the obedience. This distinction appears very clearly in what our Saviour has said both of faith and Mark xvi. baptism. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;

16.

and he that believeth not shall be damned.'

Where it appears that faith is the mean of salvation with which it is to be had, and not without it; since such a believing as makes a man receive the whole gospel as true, and so firmly to depend upon the promises that are made in it, as to observe all the laws and rules that are prescribed by it such a faith as this gives us so sure a title to all the blessings of this new covenant, that it is impossible that we should continue in this state, and not partake of them; and it is no less impossible that we should partake of them, unless we do thus believe. It were not suitable to the truth and holiness of the divine nature to void a covenant so solemnly made, and that in favour of wicked men, who will not be reformed by it: so faith is the certain and necessary mean of our salvation, and is so put by Christ; since upon our having it we shall be saved, as well as damned upon our not having it.

On the other hand, the nature of a ritual action, even when

commanded, is such, that unless we could imagine that there ART. is a charm in it, which is contrary to the spirit and genius of XXVII. the gospel, which designs to save us by reforming our natures, we cannot think that there can be any thing in it that is of itself effectual as a mean; and therefore it must only be considered as a command that is given us, which we are bound to obey, if we acknowledge the anthority of the command. But.. this being an action that is not always in our power, but is to be done by another, it were to put our salvation or damnation in the power of another, to imagine that we cannot be saved without baptism; and therefore it is only a precept which obliges us in order to our salvation; and our Saviour, by leaving it out when he reversed the words, saying only, he that believeth not,' without adding, and is not baptized, shall be damned, does plainly insinuate that it is not a mean, but only a precept, in order to our salvation.

As for the ends and purposes of baptism, St. Paul gives us two: the one is, that' we are all baptized into one body, we 1 Cor. xii. are made members one of another?' we are admitted to the 13. society of Christians, and to all the rights and privileges of that body, which is the church. And in order to this, the outward action of baptism, when regularly gone about, is sufficient. We cannot see into the sincerity of men's hearts; outward professions and regular actions are all that fall under men's observation and judgment. But a second end of baptism is internal and spiritual. Of this St. Paul speaks in very high terms, when he says, that God has saved us according Tit. iii. 5. to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.' It were a strange perverting the design of these words, to say, that somewhat spiritual is to be understood by this washing of regeneration, and not baptism; when as to the word save, that is here ascribed to it, St. Peter gives that undeniably to baptism; and St. Paul elsewhere, in two different places, makes our baptism to represent our being dead to sin, and buried with Christ;' and our being Rom. vi. ' risen and quickened with him, and made alive unto God; which are words that do very plainly import regeneration. So that St. Paul must be understood to speak of baptism in these words. Here then is the inward effect of baptism; it is a death to sin, and a new life in Christ, in imitation of him, and in conformity to his gospel. So that here is very expressly delivered to us somewhat that rises far above the badge of a profession, or a mark of difference.

That does indeed belong to baptism; it makes us the visible members of that one body, into which we are baptized, or admitted by baptism; but that which saves us in it, which both deadens and quickens us, must be a thing of another nature. If baptism were only the receiving us into the society of Christians, there were no need of saying, 'I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' It were