indeed, which neither he nor his baptifm could do.

Now touching Johns baptifm, I shall fhew,

First, the Honourableness, of it in it felf. And fecondly, the Weakness and Imperfectness of it in reference to Chrift.

And thirdly, the Continuance and Duration of it.

1. For the Honourableness of it felf it appears The honou in feveral paflages. rableness of 1. That though the baptifm of John in it felfons Bapwere more legal than Evangelical, yet in this itself. did excell all the former legal Baptifms, that it pointed out Chrifts baptifm near at hand; for as John himself was greater than all the former Prophets, because he pointed out with his finger Chrift the true and great Prophet of the Church; fo his baptifm was more excellent than all the former baptifms, because it pointed out Chrifts great and glorious Baptifm now at hand, as he faith, I bape tize with water, and he that comes after me shall baptize with the Spirit.

2. Johns Baptifm was from Heaven and not from Men it had its inftitution from God, and was not an Ordinance he took up of his own head: Luke 3. 2. It is faid, that at the beginning of Johns fetting forth to his baptifm and Ministry, that the word of God came to him in the wilderness; that is, he was infpired, inftructed and taught by a word from God himself touching his Miniftry, baptifm, and the discovery of Chrift he was to make; and John. 1. 6. There was a man fent from God, whofe name was John; and ver. 33. He that sent me to baptize with water faid unto me: he went not of his own accord, but God fent him to baptize; fo that as God was the Author of thofe inferiour baptifms of Mofes, fo of this more high and excellent baptifm of John; and hereupon the Publicans that received Johns baptifm, are faid to justifie God; and

the

the Pharifees and Lawyers that refused it, to reject against themselves, that is, to their own harm, the Counsel of God, Luke 7. 29, 30.

3. Chrift himself, who was born under the Law, and fubject to the Law, fubmitted himself also to the baptifm of John, as the last and liveliest Ceremonie, Mat. 3. 13. Then cometh Fefus from Galilee to Fordan to be baptized of him; and fo Chrift who had fubmitted himself to the Circumcision of Moses, fubmitted himself alfo to the Baptifm of John; and as he fubmitted himfelf to all the Ceremonies of Mofes, not for his own fake, but for ours, fo allo to the baptifm of John. For feeing Christ was free from fin, he stood in no need of Repentance, and To not of that baptifm, which was the baptifm of Repentauce for the Remiffion of fin; but there the Head who was free from fin, was baptized for the body, which was full of fin, that he might fulfill all righte ousness in his own Perfon. And this was a great Honour to the Baptism of John, that Chrift (though in reference to our flesh more than his own) fub 'mitted himself to it.

Thus it appears, that the baptism of John was very Honourable, and of high account in its time, fo that the very Difciples of Chrift took it up, and Chrift himfelt fuffered them, because Johns baptifm was the fign aud fore-runner of His, and because the time of his own Baptifm was not yet come; but Chrift himself used it not, as John witnesses Chap. 4. 2. faying, Jefus himself baptized not, but his Difciples; to wit, with Johns baptifm, which was water-baptifm. For it became not the Son of God to baptize with a Creature; nor the Lord of all to use the baptifm of a Servant.

And thus having fhewed how Honourable Johns Baptifm was in it felf, (wherein I conceive I have not done him, though a Servant, the leaft preju dice, but have fully attributed to his Office what

T

ན་གས ད ་ ་“ས.........

nefs and

ever the Word, or he himself a Messenger from 2. The weak. God attributes to it) I fhall now proceed to fhew, Imperfe&iThat the baptifm of John, how honourable and excellent on of it, in foever, is yet far beneath and below Chrifts, yea and chrifts. moft weak and imperfect in comparison of his.

For firft, Johns Baptifm was with a Creature, with the Element of Water; for the Creature could baptize but with the Creature; that is, John with Water; and fo this was far beneath the baptifm of Chrift, which was the work of God by God, the work of the Father by the Son, and of the Son by the Spirit.

2. Johns Baptifm was tantum exterius lavacrum, but outward, and reached the outward man only; the baptifm of Water reached but the body, and it could pierce no deeper; and after all the washing of the body with water, the Soul still remained as full of filth, fin and corruption as ever; and fo it was far beneath Chrifts, which reaches the Soul; the baptifm of John was the baptifm of Bodies, but the baptifm of Chrift, the baptifm of Souls; and only the baptifm of the Spirit reaches the Spirit, and attains to the Soul, Conscience, Inner-man, to purge and purifie them.

The Baptifm of John was but a Sign and Ceremony, though it had more life and light in it, than any of the figns of the Law, as being nearer to Christ, and more newly revived by God; and fo though useful in its feafon, yet the Efficacy of it (after the manner of all Signs) was but weak.

For firft, it did not give the Spirit, not one drop of the Spirit; yea fome who were baptized with Johns Baptifm, did not know the way of the Lord perfectly; that is, had no certain knowledge of Chrift, the only way to God, as Apollos, Acts 18. yea, fome of them did not fo much as know, whether there were any Holy Ghost or no,

reference to

as

as thofe twelve Difciples, Acts 19. much less had received the Spirit.

Secondly, Neither did it give Repentance and Remiffion of Sin; (for what was the plunging of a man in cold water towards Repentance and Remillion of Sin ?) but thefe, were the works of Christs own Baptifm, which is the Baptifm of the Spirit; for no man can repent of Sin, but by the prefence of the righteoufnefs of God in his heart, which is the work of that Spirit, which is given in Chrifts Baptifm; neither can any remit Sin but God; our Sins are never forgiven by God, till God dwell in us through Jefus Chrift, by the work of the Spirit; fo that Repentance was given, and Sin forgiven but in hope only in Johns Baptifm, but really and truly in Chrifts, which was the real Baptifm of Repentance and Remiffion of Sins.

Thirdly, Neither did it give entrance into the Kingdom of God; for the Kingdom of God is a Spiritual Kingdom, and no Earthly or Corporeal thing can give entrance into it: The Baptifm in the water of Jordan could deliver no man op into the Kingdom of God, but the Baptifm in that River that makes glad the City of God, Pfal. 46. 4. in that River clear as Chryftal, that proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb, which is the Spirit, which delivers up all that partakes of it, firft, into the Kingdom of the Son, and after through that, into the Kingdom of the Father. The bap tifm of John left men in that Old World whereia it found them, but the baptifm of Christ delivers them up into the New World, or the Kingdom of God.

Now in all these regards it appears, that Johns baptifm did not do the work of the baptifm of the New Teftament, for then that only had been

fufficient,

fufficient, and there had been no need of Chrifts

to come.

And thus you fee that the baptifm of John, as it is diftinct from Chrifts, fo it is far inferior to his. And therefore great hath been the mistake of many, for several Ages, who have made Johns baptifm equal to Chrifts; for what is this, but to make the Servant equal to the Lord, and to fet down the Creature in theThrone of the only Begotten of the Father? yea, and it is the quite perverting of Johns Office, for John was to be a burning and fhining light, to ufher in Chrift the true Light; he was to be as the Morning-star to usher in Chrift the Son of righteousness, and was not to be fo much Clouds and Darkness to obfcure him; he was but to point out Chrift, and depart again, and not to fit in equal Glory with him, on his Throne in the New Teftament. John faid, he was not worthy to bear his fhoes, and therefore they do not well, who have prepared an equal Crow for him with Chrift, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Wherefore we must take great heed that we do not fo magnifie Johns Office, as to intrench on Christs, and to make the Son out of the bofom of the Father, to take up the baptifm of John a Servant, and to adminifter one, entirely his own; furely this would not have been fuitable to the Glory of the only begotten Son of God.

tion or Con

The third thing I propound to speak to touch- 3. The time ing Johns baptifm, is the time of its Duration or of its DuraContinuance, and that was but very short; for tinuance. Johns baptifm, as all the Ceremonies of Mofes was but for a time; yea this being nearer the Truth and Subftance than they, was of lefs Duration; as the Morning-Star, though brighter than the rest of those Heavenly Lights, fhines lefs while than they, because the hafty appearance of the

Sun