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not to baptize, but to preach the Gofpel. That Stephanas the Jailor, and his Houfhold were baptized by Paul, we read Ats xvi. 33. and we believe the Pleaders for Water Baptifm will readily grant that it was with Water, yet he pofitively declares, That Chrift fent him not to baptize, but to Preach the Gospel. What therefore can be more evident and plain, than that the Apostle took the Commiffion Mat. xxviii. 19. not to be a Command to baptize with Water, but to Preach the Gospel?

AND, if with the Words of the Apostle, we join and compare the Words of Chrift, Mark xvi. 15. it will appear undeniably plain even to Demonstration, that Chrift fent not his Difciples to baptize with Water, but to preach the Gofpel, Go ye, fays he to them, into all the World, and preach the Gospel to every Creature.

THE Words of this great Apostle, which declare that Chrift fent him not to baptize, ought, we think, to be a Rule and Direction to all who are of the Stock of the Gentiles and not Jews; and so strong a Proof are they, that Water Baptifm was no Part of Chrift's Commiffion to his Difciples, Mat xxviii. 19. that the zealous Contenders for that Rite or Ceremony, feeing how much the exprefs Declaration of the Apostle weaken'd the Foundation upon which they ground the Use and Practice of Water Baptism, have endeavoured by adding a Word to the Text, to make the Apoftle fay that he was not principally fent to baptize; but fuch a Glofs can by no Means be admitted; for in the fame Manner, the plainest and most positive Precept in the Scripture, by adding a fingle Word only, might be enervated, and the Force of it quite taken away.

BUT

BUT the ftrenuous Pleaders for Water Bap tifm, when they have been told that there is not a Word about Water in Mat. xxviii. 19. which they bring for the Support of their Practice, fly to the Words of Chrift in John iii. 5. Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Here fay they, is exprefs

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* M. Pool's Annot. on John iii. 5. By Water, then we are to understand the Grace of the Holy Spirit in purifying the Soul, which is fitly reprefented by the Efficacy of Water. And this purifying, refreshing Virtue of the Spirit, is promis'd in the Prophecies that concern the Times of the Meffiah, under the Myftical Expreffion of Water. Thus'tis twofold by Ifaiah, I will pour Water upon him that is thirsty, and Floods upon the dry Ground. Ifa. xliv. 3. And this is immediately explain'd, I will pour my Spirit upon thy • Seed; and the divine Birth follows, they shall spring up as among the Grafs. In the fame Manner, the Effects of the Holy Spirit are expreft by Ezekiel, I will pour clean Water upon you, and you shall be clean, Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 27. and presently after, I will put my spirit within you. Our Saviour inftructing a Pharifee, to whom the prophetical Writings were known, exprefly uses these two Words, and in the fame Order as they are fet down there; first Water, • and then the Spirit, that the latter might interpret the former; for Water and the Spirit, by a ufual Figure when two Words are employ'd to fignifie the fame Thing, fignifie spiritual Water, that is, his divine Grace in renewing the Soul; as when the Apoftle fays, in Demonftration mus &Auro, of the Spirit and of the Power, to fignifie the powerful wiz. aureis Spirit. Thus Fohn the Baptift, foretold of Chrift, That Pateris.Virg.. be fhould baptize with the Holy Ghoft and Fire, that is, with the Spirit that has the Force and Efficacy of Fire to re fine us from our Drofs and Corruptions. Thus our Saviour plainly inftructs Nicodemus, of the abfolute Neceffity of an inward fpiritual Change and Renovation, and thereby fhewing the Inefficacy of all the legalWafhings and Sprinklings, that could not purifie and make white one Soul, which were of high Valuation among the Jews. Entring into the Kingdom of God, is of the fame Importance and Senfe, with the feeing the Kingdom of God, in the third

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express Mention made of Water and of the Spirit, therefore Water Baptism and the Spirit make up the one Baptifin of Chrift. But to this we reply; There is no more Reason in our Judgment, to take Water in this Place for Elementary or Material Water, than to take Fire, where 'tis faid, He Mat.3.11. fball baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with Fire, for Elementary or Material Fire. For tho' the Word Fire be join'd with the Holy Ghoft in JohnBaptift's Words, yet when Chrift fpoke of the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, and repeated John's Words Atsi. 5. he us❜d not the Word Fire, from whence we infer, that as Fire is no Part of the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, no more is Water a Part of Chrift's Baptifm. And they who difallow of material Fire's being a Part of Chrift's Baptifm, ought, we think for the fame Reason to dif allow of material Water, fince one is as much join'd with the Holy Ghoft, as the other is with the Spirit. But as we take Fire to be only a Term us'd by John-Baptift, to fet forth or explain the Nature and Operation of the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, fo we take the Term Water, to have been us'd by Chrift to fet forth and explain to Nicodemus the Nature of the Heavenly Birth, or what it was to be born again. For Chrift us'd not the Term Water at firft; he only faid, Ex- John 3. 3 cept a Man be born again, he cannot fee the Kingdom of God, but when Nicodemus took thofe Words in a literal Sense, as if Christ had spoke of a natural Birth, then Chrift repeated his Words again, with an additional Explication. Verily, Verily, I Say

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Verfe. That is, without Regeneration no Man can truly be joined with the Society of the Church of God, nor partake of the Coeleftial Privileges and Benefits belonging to it, here and hereafter.

fay unto thee, Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I faid unto thee, ye must be born again, The Wind bloweth where it lifteth, and thou hearest the Sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whether it goeth; fo is every one that is born of the Spirit.

BESIDES, divers Learned Men, *who were reckon'd to have good Skill in the Stile of the Original Languages

*Grotius fays, the Words, Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit, are spoken of the Spirit only: There are two Things put for one, as in Mat. iii. 11. Holy Ghost and Fire, is as much as to fay, the Fiery Holy Ghoft, fo here Water and Spirit, is as much as to fay, the Walery Spirit.

Robert Stephens, a Learned Man, a very famous Printer Mat. 3. 11. at Paris, notes, in one of his Bibles, on thefe Words, He fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghoft and Fire. Baptize you with Fire, that is, he fhall purifie you, he fhall procure you Remiffion of Sins, and the Love of God, and the Love of one another. For Fire is a Symbol of Purification and Love: Or as others expound it, He fhall procure you the Holy Spirit, which in Regenerating has the Effect and Nature of Fire; it shall regenerate, renew and cleanse your Hearts, and fhall make you Partakers of the Adoption of the Sons of God. And upon these Words, Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit, that is, the Spirit which has the Effect of Water. To be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, is to be endued with Power from on high. To receive the Holy Spirit or the Power of the Spirit in one's felf Is all one. Luke xxiv. 49. Acts i. 8. and ii. 15, 16.

John 3. 5.

Calvin fays, The Word Fire is joined with Spirit, because the Filth of Sin is purg'd away juft as the Fire refines Gold, and in the fame Manner Water is us'd metaphorically John lii. 5.

Grotius in Johann. cap. iii. ver. 5. yen Úμaтs, natus fuerit ex Aquà & Spiritu. qualem Nativitatem intelligat, ne Nicodemus gorice locutionis ignorantia fallatur. Eft autem

Jaros xai Exponit jam diutius allev Svoir (unum

Languages of the Scriptures, have faid, that Water and Spirit are us'd in this Place to denote or fignifie one and the fame Thing, that is, Spirit, and its Effects of cleanfing or Wafhing; and that Holy Ghoft and Fire in Mat. iii. 11. fignify no more than Holy Ghoft, and its Effects of purifying and purging the Soul.

BUT if Learned Men had not told us that That was the true and genuine Meaning of thofe Phrafes or Expreffions, yet by only comparing other Places of Scripture, where Chrift us'd the Word Water, we might plainly fee, he us❜d it not in a literal but a figurative Senfe: As when he faid, He that believeth on me as the Scripture bath faid, out of his Belly fall flow Rivers of living Water; But this fpake be of the Spirit, which they that believe on him, should receive: For the Holy Ghoft was not yet given because that Jefus was not yet glorified.

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(unum per duo) Nam ficut in Spiritu & igne Mat. iii. 11. fignificat per Spiritum igneum, ita hic ex Spiritu & Aquâ, eft ex Spiritu Aqueo.

Ex Gloffa Roberti Stephani 1553. Baptizabit item vos igni, hoc eft, purgabit vos, conferet vobis remiffionem peccato rum & amorem Dei, & inter vos mutuum. Ignis Symbolum eft Purgationis & Amoris. Vel ut alii, baptizabit Spiritu Sancto & Igni, id eft, conferet Spiritum Sanctum, qui in Regeneratione, Ignis Officium naturamve habet: corda veftra regenerabit,innovabit & mundabit, in adoptionémqne Filiorum Dei confecrabit. Johann. iii. 5. Nifi quis renatus fuerit ex Aqua & Spiritu Santo. i. e. Spiritu qui Officium mundandi habet. Baptizari Spiritu Sanéto, indui virtute ex alto, accipere Spiritum Sanctum, aut Virtutem fuperveni entis Spiritus in fe, idem fignificant. Luke xxiv.49. As i. 8. and ii. 15, 16.

Calvini, Transfertur autem Ignis nomen ad Spiritum : quia Sordes non aliter purgat quam Aurum igni excoquitur, ficut metaphoricè vocatur Aqua, Johann. iii. 5.

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