the person thus purified is here called Balμ one baptised. In Judith xii. 7. It is said-She went out, in the night, into the valley of Bethulia and washed * Canero and was baptised, in a fountain of water, by the camp. Did she dip her whole body in this fountain of water? Yes, some earnestly contend. But utterly without reason, and against all probability. For as there appears to have been but this single fountain in the valley of Bethulia; at, close by, or around which (eTMs #nyus verse 3.) an army of above two hundred thousand soldiers lay incamped, it is the height of absurdity to imagine that Judith, in the night, could with any convenience or modesty unclothe herself and plunge her whole body therein: or, if she could, that the soldiers would have suffered it; in a country, where water was both so much needed and so scarce; and so prodigious an army, with its infinite multitude of attendants and cattle, were to be continually supplied from it. When therefore it is said, she ZETO BY THE παρεμβολη επι της τήγης τα υδαίο. * was baptised in the camp, at the fountain of water, (this is the exact rendering) it may be left to any one to judgeWhether, she was totally immersed, or had the water applied only to a part of her body. This, then, must be accounted another very clear and incontestable instance, where a person is said to be baptised, without being overwhelmed. ISAIAH XXI. 4. It is said, Arousa μɛ Cañkļu iniquity baptises me. This passage is confessedly an error of the seventy. But it seems to allude to a form of speaking exceeding common in the scriptures, where God is represented as pouring Note, It is not which might be rendered in the fountain; but rus ayns at the fountain. out his fury or wrath, upon transgressors. So JER. xiv. 16. I will pour their wickedness upon them. And REV. xvi 2. The vengeance heaven executes upon kingdoms and nations is represented as poured out from a vial, or cup. Now, the penal effects of sin being thus usually represented as poured out upon men; it is a beautiful and easy figure to speak of iniquity as pouring them out. The only remaining passage is, 2 Kings v. 14. Then went he, (Naaman) down and dipt himself Carharо washed or baptised himself) seven times, in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. This is the only place, in the whole bible, where Carl is rendered to dip; nor is it at all necessary that it be so rendered here. Naaman, it is plain, expected that the prophet should have come and stroked his hand over the place, and recovered the leper. See verse 11. Instead of this, he bids him-Go, and wash in Jordan seven times. Verse 10. Then went he down (i. e. either from his chariot, or from Samaria to the river Jordan) and Car washed seven times, according to the saying. It is now enquiredWhether he plunged himself all over seven times? Or, whether he only sprinkled or poured water seven times upon the leprous place? There is nothing in the expression, (by which the command is given,) as wash, to determine it; for this may be alike understood either of a total, or a partial, washing; but there is a remarkable circumstance which seems to give it strongly for the latter which is this. The prophet, in comman ding him to wash seven times, alludes, no doubt, to the manner of cleansing the leper appointed by the Jewish law. Now there were two ways of applying water to the leper's body, injoined by that law; both alike commanded, and necessary to his cleansing, viz. bathing, and sprinkling the former, bathing, to be used but once; the latter, sprinkling, to be done seven times. See LEVIT. xiv. 7, 8. When, therefore, the prophet bids him-Wash seven times, it is much more natural to understand it of sprinkling, or pouring water, seven times upon the leprous part (over which he expected the prophet should have stroked his hand) than of dipping his whole body seven times; of which kind of washing there is not the least footstep nor shadow in the law.So the blind man is commanded, JOHN ix. 7. Go wash in the pool of Siloam: when not his whole body, doubtless, but only his eyes, besmeared with clay, were to be washed. Thus have we considered the scripture sense of the word Carl to baptise; and have, it is presumed, fully proved it to be used when the act of pouring, or sprinkling, not dipping is intended.-Amongst a multitude of authorities which might be produced from other writers, in confirmation of the same, I shall only beg leave to mention one from Origen.* He is speaking of John's baptism; and considering him as the Elias, he says "How came you to think that Elias when "he should come would baptise, who did not, "in Ahab's time, baptise the wood upon the "altar, but orders the priests to do that; not "only once, but says, do it a second time, and "they did it the second time.-He therefore who "did not himself baptise then, but assigned the "work to others, &c."-Now the act which Origen here calls baptising, and which Elias ordered the priests to perform, was not dipping the wood into water, but pouring water on it. Comment. in Joan. p. 116. D. See 1 KINGS Xviii. 33. Fill four barrels of water, and pour it on the wood. * The force of the word Carl having been thus carefully examined, it may, in the opinion of some, at least, throw some light on this enquiry, to observe:-That as water-baptism is confessedly but a figurative thing; so the scriptures frequently speak of God's giving or imparting to us those very spiritual blessings, which the water in christian baptism was designed to represent as given or imparted, under the figure of sprinkling or pouring. Thus, when David prays-Purge me with hyssop, (alluding to the rite of sprinkling with hyssop) and I shall be clean. He means the very same thing, viz. pardon, or justification, which is signified by the baptismal water, corresponding to which are the words of Ananias, ACTS xxii. 16. Arise, and be baptised, and wash away thy sins. When Ezekiel † speaks of God's gathering the Jews from among the heathen, purging them from their uncleanness, and forming them into a church, of peculiar people under his protection (the very things which are intended to be represented by christian baptism) what figure does be use? I will sprinkle clean water upon them, and they shall be clean. So when Isaiah describes the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom, or of the christian dispensation (when the blessing of Abraham, even the promise of the spirit, was to come upon the nations,) he does it under the same figure. He shall sprinkle many nations. And, I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. Now from these, and other like pas * Psal. li. 7. ↑ Ezek. xxxvi, 25, ‡ Gal. iii. 14, ́|| Isai. lii. 15 ¶ xliv. 3. sages, it may be fairly argued thus:-Forasmuch as the water in christian baptism applied to the body, is confessedly but an emblematical or figurative thing, and was intended to represent some spiritual blessing to be imparted to the soul; and forasmuch as this spiritual blessing, which is intended to be represented by it, is in the old testament often spoken of, as to be given when the new should take place, under the emblem of water sprinkled or poured out; it follows, that if the word Car to baptise will at all admit of this sense, then it is perfectly agreeable to the analogy of scripture to administer the baptismal water by sprinkling or pouring. It further strengthens this argument to observe -That these very spiritual blessings, of which the baptismal water was the appointed emblem or figure, are in the New Testament also spoken of as actually imparted to us under the figure of sprinkling or pouring. Thus, we are said to have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, or a consciousness of guilt. To be come to the blood of sprinkling. To be chosen through sanctification of the Spirit, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. And to have an unction, or anointing, from the Holy One, poured on us.-Now what, I ask, is meant by all these emblematical and figurative expressions? Is it not remission, justification, or the holy Spirit; the very things which the water, in this christian ceremony, was intended to be an emblem of? But it is objected-John was baptising in Enon because there was much water there. Does not this very clearly and certainly imply that he baptised the multitudes by dipping? I apprehend, Heb. x. 22, † xi. 24. 1 Pet. i. 2. 20, 27. § John iii. 23. 1 John, ii. |