Chapter Two: The Ordinance of Baptism Explained.

                                CHAPTER TWO

                    The Ordinance of Baptism Explained.

For the better and clearer speaking to this point in hand, I shall explain what this Ordinance of Baptism is in four things which will more clearly appear if we examine the Commission that Christ gives his Disciples in Matt. 28:19, 20. Here we find in verse 16 that the eleven Disciples were sent by Christ Who had all power in heaven and earth given to Him, verses 18 and 19. He says, "Go ye therefore and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you."

                      The Four Essentials of Baptism.

From whence you may observe four things contained in this Commission, essential to this Ordinance of Baptism. Here is:

First the Ministry,

Secondly the Form,

Thirdly the Name into Whom the were baptized, and

Fourthly the Subjects.

                               The Ministers

First, who are the Ministers who must dispense this Ordinance? They are preaching Disciples. So in the 16th verse the eleven are so denominated, "then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, and Jesus (in verse 18) came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth; Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them."

                    Who is a Lawful Minister of Baptism?

Where you may observe that the persons bid to go are Disciples enabled to teach the doctrine of the Gospel for the conversion of souls to faith, and repentance. For it is clear That they who are bid to teach are bid to baptize also. So from this Commission I gather that a disciple enabled to bring down God to a soul, and to bring a soul again up to God, is a lawful Minister of Baptism. For that is the tenor of the New Covenant, Heb. 8:10. "I will be to them a God, and they shalt be to me a people; and I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine," Canticles 6:3.

                      What the True Minister Preaches

God in Christ is to be opened in all the fundamental Doctrines of faith for man's salvation. Then is the soul's conformity to God to be preached as the soul's duty to God again. Where God has furnished a Minister with abilities from Himself to declare the Doctrine of Faith and Repentance, to conversion, and having converted that soul, he is furnished with the knowledge of God to teach to this soul all the fundamental Ordinances according to the Commission which says, "Teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you," it is without doubt that this is a justifiable Minister sent from the Lord according to the Commission.

                  A True Minister Must Know About Baptism

Though a man should be able to preach the doctrine of Faith ably for the conversion of souls unto that faith, yet being destitute of the true knowledge of the doctrine of Baptism and how it ought to be dispensed, to be sure this man is not a justifiable Minister according to the Commission. He is ignorant of his Commission. When he has converted souls to the faith he neither knows how to discover to these men the fundamental Ordinances of God, nor can he discover to them the evil of those superstitious practices which they have been nursed up in by the Traditions of their Fathers.

                     Minister According to God's Gifts

Yet, notwithstanding, I dare say so far as they have a gift they are warranted from I Peter 4:10 to administer it, "Let every one as he hath received the gift Minister." So it was lawful for any Christian man, in that sense, to administer such gifts which God had bestowed upon them.

              Those Pedobaptist Ministers are Not Sent of God

But sure it is that these who are utterly unacquainted as to how they are to dispense the Ordinance of Baptism were never sent of God to dispense it.

That instead of dipping, do sprinkle, and instead of the true subject, A Believer, dispense it upon a carnal ignorant child; instead of baptizing into the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, do sprinkle them at the naming of so many words only.

                          The True Form of Baptism

In the second place, the true form of Baptism is commanded of the Lord Jesus by way of dipping, and as it were, by drowning, overwhelming, or burying in Water and not by sprinkling with water, as appears from many ways.

                         Never Rantism for Baptism

First, in that although there be frequent mention made of that appointment of Christ, in His last Will and Testament, yet it is never expressed by the word that may be rendered Rantism or Sprinkling, but by the word that is rendered Baptism or Dipping.

                           Definition of Baptism

Secondly, in that the word by which it is so frequently expressed, does in proper English signify to Dip, to plunge under water, and as it were to drown them, so as with safety the party (as to the manner) may be drowned again and again.

See the instance of Naaman, who dipped himself seven times in Jordan, 2 Kings 5:14. To this sense of the word (at least in this place) both the Greek, Latin, and English Churches agree, as is affirmed by able Authors.

                             The Preposition IN

Thirdly, in that the phrase where there is mention made of such an

appointment of Christ, it does necessarily import dipping. Therefore, when mention is made of baptizing, which is commonly translated in, or into, suits with dipping, and not that preposition which signifies with, and so suits with sprinkling.

It may be as well rendered, I baptize you in Water, and he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit, Mark 1:8. So it is rendered, John did baptize in the wilderness, and in the River of Jordan, verses 4 and 5; or that John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, Rev. 1:10. They were baptized in the Cloud, and in the Sea, 1 Cor. 10:2. It may as well be rendered, I baptize you or dip you into Water. As it is rendered, "they were casting a Net into the Sea," Mark 1:16 for which the words are affirmed to be the same. It would be too improper a speech to say, John did baptize with the wilderness, and they were casting a net with the Sea.

Fourthly, that this appointment of Christ, is by way of Dipping and not sprinkling appears:

   Dipping Resembles the Israelites and the Red Sea Wherein the Egyptians Picture the Old, Hard, Cruel Things Which Held The Saints in Bondage

In that, for the resemblance and likeness hereunto, the Israelites passing under the Cloud and in the Sea, where the Egyptians who were their Lords and Commanders, their Pursuers and Enemies, who sought their destruction, were drowned, left behind, and seen no more. This is, by the Holy Spirit, called a Baptism, 1 Cor. 10:2. They were baptized in the Cloud.

                     Baptized IN the Red or Bloody Sea

Here observe, it is not here rendered with the Cloud and with the Sea as in the other place, Mark 1:8, with Water, because it suits with sprinkling although the word be the same, but in the Cloud, and in the Sea. This suits with Dipping or Over-whelming. So with the appointment of Christ, they passing on to dry land through the midst of the Red or bloody Sea which stood on both sides as a Wall, and being under the Cloud, as men (in a carnal eye) overwhelmed and drowned. But they were truly saved and safe from their Enemies.

                           Philip and the Eunuch

Fifthly, that this appointment of Christ is not by sprinkling but by dipping or putting the person into or under Water, appears by Philip's baptizing the Eunuch. It is said, "They went both down into the Water", both Philip the baptizer and the Eunuch, who was the person to be baptized. Being there in the water, Philip baptized or dipped him in that water as John did Jesus in the River of Jordan.

                     They Both Went Down Into the Water

It is said they descended or went down into the water. So they also ascended or went straight way up or out of the water. See for this Acts 8:38:39; Matt. 3:16. Mark the expression, "And Jesus when he was baptized went up straightway out of the Water." Therefore, He had been down in the water.

                  John Baptized Where There Was Much Water

Sixthly, that this appointment of Christ is not by sprinkling but by

dipping, or as it were, a drowning, appears in that John the Baptizer (his work being to baptize) remained in the Wilderness, by the River of Jordan, and afterwards in Enon near Salem. The reason is rendered by the Spirit of the Lord as why he abode there was, because there was much water. This need not have been if that appointment could have been performed by sprinkling and not by dipping. See Luke 3:2,3; John 3:8,23.

 At His Baptism, The Believer Testifies of His Union with Christ in Death to Sin, Satan, the Law and its Curse.

Seventhly, this appointment of Christ is not to be performed by sprinkling but by dipping. This appears from the nature of the Ordinance itself. It is such an Ordinance whereby the person who submits thereto does visibly put on Christ Jesus the Lord.

The believer is hereby visibly planted into His Death.

The believer holds forth therein a lively similitude and likeness unto his own Death whereby only through faith he now professes he has escaped death and is in hopes to obtain life everlasting.

So the believer is to have fellowship with Christ in His Death and to reckon himself dead with Him to Sin, Satan, the Law, and the Curse, Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:2, 3, 4, 7, 9; 1 Cor. 15:29.

But the planting of a person into the likeness of death is no way resembled by sprinkling. By dipping it is lively set forth and demonstrated.

      Dipping Resembles the Believers Union with Christ in His Burial

Eighthly, this appointment of Christ's baptism is an Ordinance whereby the person who submits thereto does hereby, visibly and clearly, resemble the burial of Christ and his being buried in respect of the old man and his the former Lusts and Corruptions (like the Egyptians) are to be taken away and seen no more, see Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12. But sprinkling does no way lively resemble the Burial of Christ or the person being buried with him as Dipping does.

   Dipping and Rising Up Resembles the Believer's Union with Christ in His Resurrection and New Heavenly Life

 Ninthly, this appointment of Christ's baptism is an Ordinance whereby the person who submits thereto does visibly and lively hold forth herein the Resurrection of Christ, declares Him whose life was taken away from the earth, to be alive again. Who, although He died and was buried, yet He was not left in the grave to see corruption but was raised again and behold, He lives for evermore.

               The Gospel in Baptism Shows these Particulars

As hereby he holds forth the Resurrection of Christ, so he also holds forth his own resurrection, having been planted in the likeness thereof. So he reckons himself to be in Soul and Spirit quickened and risen with Christ from henceforth to live unto God Who is the Fountain of Life and Christ Jesus the Lord, Who died for him, and rose again. The believer is helped so to walk in newness of life in this present world, being also begot into a lively hope that in the world to come he shall be raised and quickened both in soul and body, to a life everlasting. See Rom. 6:4,5,8,11; Acts 8:33,35,36; Col. 2:12; 1 Cor. 15:29; 1 Pet. 1:3.

     Sprinkling Shows No Resemblance to the Gospel Work of Jesus Christ

Sprinkling does no way lively resemble the resurrection of Christ or the Soul or bodies rising or being raised by Him as dipping does. Therefore, this appointment of Christ was and still is to be performed by way of dipping or putting the person into or under the water and not by sprinkling.

                 Dipping Holds Forth a Conformity to Christ

Tenthly, dipping does hold forth a conformity to Christ in His sufferings

and afflictions as Christ says, "I have a Baptism; and how am I straitened until it be accomplished," meaning his sufferings.

  One End of Baptism is to Represent Christ Sufferings and Deliverance and Our Union with Him Therein

One end of Baptism is to represent Christ's Sufferings and our Sufferings with Him. This is set forth in a lively manner by dipping into water. Therefore, when the Saints do express their afflictions they do set the forth by being in the depths or in the deep waters, as David said in Psalm 130, "Out of the depths have I cried unto the Lord," meaning deep

afflictions. God says in Isaiah 43:2, "When thou passest through the Waters, they shall not overflow thee," meaning affliction. Therefore, a believer is to be dipped and plunged all over into the river or water to hold forth that now he must resolve to take up the Cross of Christ and suffer. Not only so, but his being raised and delivered out of the water again by the hands of the Minister, does hold forth that so shall such believing souls be saved and delivered from all their afflictions as in Psalm 34:17. "Many are the Afflictions of the righteous, but God shall deliver them out of all."

               This Pictures Our Total and Complete Salvation

This does sign or signify our salvation, 1 Pet. 3:21 "the like figure whereunto Baptism does now save us," and Mark 16:16, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved;" So that Baptism is to sign and confirm signally our Sufferings and Afflictions with Christ, so Salvation or Deliverance from them all. One is seen in dipping and plunging a believer in Water, the other in raising a believer out again.