The doctrine of baptisms : scriptural examination of the questions respecting:I. The translation of baptizo, II. The mode of baptism, III. The subjects of baptism

Front matter

THE DOCTRIIE OF BAPTISMS.

ANCIENT PICTORIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST, BY JOHN, IN JORDAN.

This picture is copied from the door of the Church at Beneventum, which was oue of the first cities in Italy where the Gospel was introduced. It is rudely executed, and extremely ancient.

Chapter I

§ 1. Statement of the Question. § 2. Limitation to Baptizo — Reasons for this. § 3. Limitation to Baptizo used as a religious Term — Reasons for this— History of the Hellenistic Greek. § 4. Radical Fallacy in the Baptist Argument, . 25

Chapter II

§ 5. Jno. iii. 25, 26. Kathariso (to purify), used as a synonym for baptizo § 6. Jno. i. 19-25. Confirmation of this sense of baptizo. § 7. Significance of

John's silence respecting the nature of baptism, 48

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Xll CONTENTS.

Chapter III. Mosaic Laws Of Purification

§ 8. Rites of personal Purification. § 9. Rites of Purification for inanimate Things § 10. Purification by bathing and washing. § 11. Effects of Purification. § 12. Definition of the Term purify (katharizo). § 13. Definition of the Term baptise (fiaptiso), as used in the Word of God, 54

Chapter IV. Use Of Baptizo In The Septuagint Version Of The Old Testament

§ 14. 2 Kings, v. 14. § 15. Ecclesiasticus, xxxiv. 25. § 16. Judith, xii. 7. § 17. Isaiah, xxi. 4, 66

Chapter V. Use Of Baptizo In The New Testament To Signify Mosaic Purifi- Cations

§ 18. Mark, vii. 4, and Luke, xi. 38. § 19. Hebrews, ix. 10. § 20. Hebrews, vi. 2. SO CHAPTER VI.

FIGURATIVE APPLICATIONS OF THE WORD BAPTIZO.

§ 21. Christ's Baptism in his Death, Matt. xx. 20-23 ; Mark, x. 38, 39 ; and Luke, xii. 50. § 22. Baptism " unto Moses," 1 Cor. x. 2. § 23. Baptism in the Ark, lPet.iii. 21, ..... o 92

Chapter VII. Baptism With The Holy Ghost And With Fire

CONTENTS. Xlll

Chapter VIII. Use Of Baptizo In A Spiritual Sense

§ 25. 1 Cor. xii. 13. § 26. Gal., iii. 27. § 27. Eph. iv. 5. § 28. Origin of the Doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration, 121

Chapter IX. All Water-baptisms In Their Nature Purifications

§ 29. " The Baptism of Repentance." Matt. iii. 7, 8, 11 ; Mark, i. 4 ; Luke, iii. 7, 8, 12 ; Luke, vii. 29, 30; Matt., xxi. 25 ; Mark, xi. 30 ; Acts, i. 22; Acts, xiii. 24; Acts, x. 37; Acts, xix. 1-7; Acts, xviii. 24-26. § 30. Christ's Baptism by John. Matt., iii. 14-17; Mark, i. 9-11 ; Luke, iii.. 21, 22; John, i. 32, 33. § 31. Christian Baptism. Acts, ii. 41; Acts, viii. 12-16; Acts, xviii. 8, . . 128

^nrt ihrntrir,

THE MODE OF BAPTISM.

Chapter I

32. Statement of the Question — § 33. Arguments relied on to prove that Immersion is essential to valid Baptism, 151

Chapter II. Symbolic Import Of Baptism

XIV CONTENTS.

Chapter III

§ 38. John's Baptisms in Jordan. Matt. iii. 1-6; Mark, i. 4-10; Luke, iii. 3, 21. John, i. 28, X. 40. § 39. John's Baptisms at .2Enon. John, iii. 23. § 40. The Baptism of the Eunuch. Acts, viii. 36-39, ........ 179

Chapter IV

§ 41. The Baptism of the three thousand in Jerusalem. Acts, ii. 38, 41. § 42. Paul's Baptism, Acts, ix. 17, 18 ; xxii. 12-16. § 43. The baptism of Cornelius, Acts, x. 44-48. § 44. The Baptism of the Jailer at Philippi, Acts, xvi. 82-34, 198

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE.

The Practice of Immersion in Early Times, 214 f urt ffitriL

THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM.

Chapter I

43. Statement of the Question, and of the Arguments relied on by Baptists and Pedo-Baptists, 228

Chapter II

46. Christ's commission to his Church, Matt, xxviii. 19, 20 ; Mark, xvi. 15, 16 ; Luke, xxiv. 47-49 226

CONTENTS. XV

Chapter III

§ 47. Is the import of Baptism inconsistent with its administration to Infants ? Acts, xxii. 16, and Deut. xxx. 6. Gal. iii. 27, and Rom. ii. 28, 29. 1 Cor. xii. 13, and Rom. iv. 11. Col. ii. 12, and Col. ii. 11, 285

Chapter IV

§ 48. Essential Character of the visible Church. § 49. Nature of Church Membership, 245

Chapter V

RELATION OF THE CHURCH UNDER THE NEW TO THAT UNDER THE OLD TESTAMENT DISPENSATION.

§ 50. The Charter of the Church unchanged. § 51. Scriptural Representations. § 52. The first Christian Church but the Old Testament Church purged of the Apostasy, 252

Chapter VI

§ 53. Christ's Recognition of Infant Membership in the Church. Matt. xix. 13-15. Mark, x. 13-16. Luke, xviii. 15-17. § 54. Christ's re-commission of Peter. John, xxi. 15. § 55. Peter's preaching of Christian Baptism. Acts, ii. 38, 39, and iii. 24-26. § 56. Significant Silence of the Jews, 268

Chapter VII

INFANT MEMBERSHIP RECOGNIZED BY GIVING TO CHILDREN THE PECU- LIAR TITLES BELONGING TO CHURCH MEMBERS.

§ 57. Names given to Church Members in Scripture. § 58. Eph. i. 1, and vi. 1-8; Col. i. 1, 2, and iii. 20. § 59. Titus, i. 6. § 60. 1 Cor. vii. 12-14, . 287

XT1 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER Till.

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT.

The Christian world has long been divided in sentiment, on the question — What constitutes a valid Christian baptism ? All agree, that in Christian baptism, there must be an application of water to the person of the baptized ; and that this application must be made " in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The difference is —

First. Respecting the mode in which this water is to be applied ; some contending that in order to valid baptism, the subject must be immersed ; others, whilst admitting the validity of baptism by immersion, hold, that the application of water by sprinkling or pouring, constitutes a baptism equally valid ; — and that to require immersion, in order to admission to the church of God, is to infringe upon that

xvii

XV111 PRELIMINARY STATEMENT.

Christian " liberty wherewith Christ hath made his people free ;" and to " teach for doctrine, the commandments of men." This is the difference between the Baptist, and, what may be called, the Non-Baptist churches.

Second. Respecting the proper subjects of baptism ; some, contending that none but such as make a credible profession of their faith in Christ, are proper subjects of baptism ; others, holding that, " not only those that do actually profess faith in, and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of one or both believing parents are to be baptized" (Presbyterian Confession of Faith, chap. 28). This is the difference between the Baptist, and that large portion of the Pedo-Baptist churches, to which the Presbyterian church belongs.

A controversy, on these two points, has long existed in the Christian Church. In support of their doctrine, that immersion is essential to a valid Christian baptism, Baptist writers affirm, that the word baptizo (the word in the original Greek corresponding to baptize in our English version) " has but one signification — it always signifies to dip, never expressing anything but mode ;" and hence, they argued, that to speak of baptism by sprinkling or pouring, is to be guilty of a contradiction in terms, just such as there would be in speaking of dipping, by sprinkling or pourings Thus, does the question respecting the Droner translation of baptizo enter as an

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT. XIX

element, and a most important element, too, into the decision of the question respecting the mode of baptism.

On such a version as our commonly received English version, in which the Greek baptizo has been simply Anglicized and transferred, persons differing in opinion respecting the meaning of the word, may unite, without any compromise of principle ; and had not the Foreign Missionary work, in its progress, called for versions of the Bible in heathen tongues, the probability is, that no breach in the church of God would even have arisen from the " translation question." A breach, however, has been created by this question ; and the Baptist church, in our country, has withdrawn itself from the " Bible operations," in which all other Protestants are united, and formed the " American and Foreign Bible Society," for the express purpose of translating the word baptizo, by words corresponding to our word immerse, in all new versions of the Bible required for heathen lands.

As a natural consequence of the formation of this Bible society, and more especially of the spirit in which they have pursued their work, we have, within the last few years, the formation of the " Bible Union," for the purpose of giving us a new English version of the Word of God, in which, among other changes, the words immerse and immersion, shall be substituted for baptize and baptism. The American and Foreign Bible Society, at its anniversary, held April 28th,

XX PRELIMINARY STATEMENT.

1840 : " Resolved, That by the fact, that the nations of the earth must now look to the Baptist denomination alone, for faithful translations of the Word of God, a responsibility is imposed upon them, demanding for its full discharge, an unwonted degree of union, of devotion, and of strenuous persevering effort throughout the entire body." And in their Annual Report, the society stigmatizes all the translations made for the heathen, excepting only such as may be published under Baptist auspices, as " versions, in which the real meaning of words is purposely kept out of sight, so that Baptists cannot circulate faithful versions, unless they print them at their own expense." And they add : " It is known that the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the American Bible Society, have virtually combined to obscure at least a part of the divine revelation, and continue to circulate versions of the Bible, unfaithful, at least, so far as the subject of baptism is concerned."

It is true, that a majority of those united in the " American and Foreign Bible Society," condemn the new version movement, and declare that they are unwilling to see our venerable English version altered in a letter. And yet, we believe we do them no injustice, when we speak of the formation of the " Bible Union " as the natural consequence of the formation of their society, and of the spirit in which they have pursued their work; — and when we hold, not those

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT. XXI

engaged in the " new version " alone, but the whole Baptist church, directly, a party to this translation controversy.

Here, then, we have a third point of difference, in which the Baptist church stands as the one party, and all other Christian churches in our land, as the other.