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Great difference be

tween Chrift

about his loins, and his meat locufts and wild honey; but especially his Miniftry was mighty, being in the Spirit and power of Elias; and his Baptifm new and famous; fo that all the People stood in great expectation of fome work or event from Him, that fhould manifeft him to be the Chrift; wherefore John, to take them off from that grofs and dangerous mistake, plainly told them all, and that openly, that he was not the Chrift, but that there was a great deal of difference between Himfelf and the Meffias, and that both in regard of his Perfon and Office.

First for his Office. For he begins to fhew the difference from thence, becaufe the newness of his and John, Baptifm was the occafion of the Peoples conceiving, in regard of hat he was the Meffias; whereupon he vilifies his and Offices. Own Baptifm in respect of Chrifts; faith he, I in

their Perfon

deed Baptize you with water, that is, my Baptifm is but water-baptifm, that washes the Body only, with a Corporeal Element; but one mightier than I comes, for I am but a Creature, He the Power of God; but a Servant, He the Lord of all, and one fo infinitely excellent above all that I am, that the latchet of his fhooes I am not worthy to unloofe; that is, I am unworthy to perform the meanest and lowest Office for him. And having thus firft fpoken meanly of his own Baptifm, and then magnified Chrifts Perfon above his own, now he proceeds alfo to magnifie Chrifts Baptifm above his own, He (faith he) Shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire; that is, I that am a Servant do baptize with water, but he that is the Son baptizes with the Spirit i my Baptifm washes but the body, from the filth of the flesh, but his, the foul from the filth of fin; fo that how much the Spirit excells water, and God the Johns Bap- Creature, fo much his Baptifm tranfcends mine.

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Now hence I gather clearly, even from the Baptifts own mouth, that Johns Baptifm and Chrifts,

were

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were distinct Baptifms, the one Water-Baptifm, the other Fire-Baptifm; and though our late Writers and Teachers, have and do affirm, that Johns Baptifm and Christs make up but one entire Baptifm, yet all generally of the ancient Chriftians apprehended them to be distinct; one whereof faith, Illud manifeftum eft, alium fuiffe Johannis Baptifmum, ater. Petil. alium Chrifti; and I could produce many more Te- 2. c. 37. ftimonies befides, but it is not my meaning to intangle any body with the Authorities of men, and therefore I fhall make it plain by clear Scriptures, and evidence from them, that Johns Baptifm and Christs are distinct.

1. Johns Baptifm and Christs are diftinct in their Appellations in Scripture; for Johns Baptifm was ftill fo called, even when the Apostles used it; and it was not called by their Names who Admiftred it, but was still called Johns Baptifm, yea after Chrifts Baptifm came in, Johns still retained its name, as being distinct from it; and therefore, Acts 18. 24, 25. it is faid, Apollos taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only To Balo Iwave, the Baptism of John.

2. The Scripture faith, that Chrifts Baptifm was to follow Johns, and did not accompany it at the fame time, for Mat. 3. John faith, w μiv Banli(w, I do Baptize you with water, but he that comes after me, i. e, in order of time, αυτὸς ὑμᾶς Βαπτίσεις, he fhall baptize you; and in Luke 3. ¿ga pèv isáalioa, I have baptized you, dulos falion, but he shall baptize you; which places plainly declare, tha Chrifts Baptifm did not go along with Johns, but was to follow it, and that he was to baptize with the Spirit, after Johns Water-Baptifm had its full course, to wit, when he was rifen from the dead, and afcended into Heaven. And therefore Chrift, after he was rifen from the dead, and immediately before he was to afcend into Heaven, though his Difciples

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Difciples had ufed Water-Baptifm, or Johns Baptifm, for above three years, yet affirms, that that which John had faid of Him touching his baptizing with the Spirit, was not yet fulfilled, but was fhortly to be fulfilled, as appears, Acts 1.4, 5. Chrift being affembled with the Apostles, commanded them that they should not depart from Ferufalem, but wait for the Promife of the Father, which, faith be, you have heard of me; for John truly baptized with wa ter, but ye shall be baptized with the Spirit, not many days hence; and this was fulfilled at the day of Penrecoft; whence it is evident, that Chrifts Baptism did not go along with Johns, and make that up one entire Baptifm with it felf, feeing it followed almost four years after; and therefore Johns Baptifin and Christs must needs be distinct,

3. It is evident, that Chrifts Baptifm and Johns were distinct, in as much as the Baptifm of Chrift was neceflary for those very perfons, who had before been baptized with the Baptifm of John; whereas if Johns Baptifm had been one and the fame with Chrift, that only had been fufficient; but now, those whom John had baptized with water, Christ was to baptize again with the Spirit, as in that place before mentioned; I have baptized you with water, but one comes after but one comes after me who shall baptize you with the Spirit, even you whom I have before baptized with water: and this was not a fecond Baptifin, but the first Baptifm of the New Teft ment, Johns Baptifin being more legal than Evangelical, and Evangelical only in fo much, as it pointed out this Baptifm of Chrift at hand.

Again, the Baptift himself faith, I have need to be baptized of thee; fo that the very Author or chief Minister of Water-Baptifm ftood in need of SpiritBaptifm himself: Paul alfo, A. 19. when he found certain Difciples baptized only with the Baptifm of John, he baptized them again in the

Name

Name of Chrift, because they had not received the Spirit; and this Baptifm into the Name of Chrift, was not the repeating of any water, but meerly the gift of the Spirit; for Paul preached to them largely the Doctrine of Faith in Chrift, (for the Text relates but the abftract of the thing) and laid his hands on them, and through his Miniftry the Holy Spirit came upon them; and this was Chrifts Baptifm indeed, and no renewing of water at all, as the Anabaptifts would fain inforce from this place.

By these things it is evident, that Chrifts Baptifm and Johns are diftinct; and therefore as what God hath joyned, no man ought to put afunder; fo what God hath put a funder, no man ought to joyn; as if the Baptifm of Chrift were infufficient and incompleat, except we fhould add to it the Baptifm of John; which is exceedingly to eclipfe the brightness of the Son of God, and to draw a vail over the greatest glory of the New Testament, which is the Baptifm of the Spirit.

Object. If the ordinary Objection fhall be offered Object. against this, to wit, that Johns Doctrine was the fame with Chrifts, and therefore his Baptifm alfo was the fame with his.

Anfw. I answer, It is most true, that John did Anfw. preach Chrift-clearly, both in regard of his Perfon and Offices; but this was not his proper work as he was the Baptift, but in fo much as he preached Chrift in the Spirit, be belonged to the Kingdom of Chrift, which is fpiritual as alfo Abraham, Mofes, David, Ifaiah, and all the Prophets, did in the fame fence: but fo far forth as he preached the Doctrine and adminiftred the Baptism of Repentance, and both these not really and fpiritually, bac only in the letter and fign fo far he belonged to the Old Teftament rather than to the New; and here ras John in his proper Office. I fay, fo far as

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The Bap. rifin of John, or

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John preached Chrift fpiritually, he did not that as John the Baptift, but as John a Believer and fo the fame John in regard of his Baptifts Office, belonged to the Old Teftament, but according to the Revelation which he had from the Father touching Chrift, and his Faith in him, and Confeffion of him, he belonged to the New. And except we learn thus to diftinguish of Johns Doctrine, to wit, what 'he preached as Baptift, and in his proper Office, and 'what as a Believer, who had the Revelation of the Father, we fhall never understand his Baptifm aright; for Johns Baptifm was the Seal of his Old Teftament-Doctrine, and not of his New, or of his own immediate Miniftry, and not of Chrifts; at the highest, Johns Miniftry and Baptifm pointed out Chrifts, but neither of them were the fame with Christs.

And thus having cleared from the Word, that Johns Baptifm is diftinct from Chrifts, I fhall proceed to speak of each of these baptifms appart by themfelves, and to hold forth to others what my felf have learned touching them, from the fame Word.

And first, I begin with Johns Baptifm, as being the first in order of time.

Now the baptifm of John was brought in befides the rite and manner of the Law, and fo was a fign ter-Bap- of a great charge to follow; the Jews indeed had their baptifms in the Law, for they washed their members, garments, veffels, &c. And by this they were cleanfed from legal pollutions, but not from any fin, or ftain that did cleave to their confcience: but John was the Author or firft Minifter, of a new and unwonted baptifm, calling all men to Repen tance for fin, and to flee from the wrath to come, and awakening them to confeffion of fin, and amendment of life, alfo pointing out One to come, and now at hand: who fhould do all these things for them indeed,

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