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authorized to say, that the authority of the SEPTUAGINT is decidedly against the opinion, that baptizo means "to immerse, submerge, or sink." We turn now to the New Testament, and inquire how baptizo is used there.

1. This word is used as synonymous with words which denote washing. "The Pharisees and the Jews, except they wash hands, (nipsontai,) eat not. When they come

from the market, except they wash, (baptisontai,) they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing (baptismous or baptism) of cups and pots, brazen vessels and tables. Why do thy disci

ples eat bread with unwashen (aniptois) hands." (Mark vii. 3, 4, 5.) So, "The Pharisees marveled that Jesus had not first washed (ebaptisthe or baptized) before dinner." (Luke xi. 38.) That nipto does not mean to immerse, is admitted by all; but every reader may satisfy himself of the fact by examining the places where it occurs in the New Testament. (Matt. vi. 17; xv. 2 ; John ix. 7, 11, 15; xiii. 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14; 1 Tim. v. 10.) Baptism is also called the washing (loutrou) of regeneration, or "the new birth." (Titus iii. 5.)

2. In a majority of instances in the New Testament, the word is used without any qualifying words to denote the manner of its performance, and we must therefore interpret it according to the customary usage of the Scriptures, to signify, a washing.*

3. It is construed with words denoting the instrument WITH which baptism was sometimes performed, in such a manner as to exclude the idea of immersion. Thus St. Luke says: "John baptized WITH water, but Christ baptized with

Mark i. 4, 5, 9;

xiii. 38. John

*It is thus used in Matt. iii. 6, 13, 14, 16; xxviii. 19. vi. 14; xvi. 16. Luke iii. 7, 12, 21; vii. 29, 30; xi. 38; i. 25, 28; iii. 22, 23, 26; iv. 1, 2; x. 40. 36, 38; ix. 18; x. 47, 48; xi. 16; xvi. 15, 33; xviii. 8; xix. 3, 4, 5; xxii. 16. 1 Cor. i. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; xii. 13; xv. 29. Gal. iii. 27.

Acts ii. 38, 41; viii. 12, 13, 16,

the Holy Ghost." (Luke iii. 16; Acts i. 5; xi. 16.) A similar phraseology, but accompanied by a preposition, occurs in Matthew, (ii. 11;) Mark, (i. 8,) and John, (i. 26, 31, 33.) Some, however, claim that these passages should all of them be translated so as to read, "I baptize you in water, but he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost." They ground their argument for this, on the meaning of the Greek preposition en, which primarily denoted in. But however well this argument might hold in reference to the writings of Matthew, Mark, and John, it has no force when applied to the writings of Luke, as, udati, water, is, "the dative of the instrument,"* or "in the instrumental case," without the preposition, and consequently could not be rendered in. But further, it is not true, that en always means in. It frequently denotes "the manner or mode, that is, the state or circumstances by which an action is accompanied,"‡ as may be seen by comparing Matt. xxii. 37, and Rom. xv. 6, where it has the force of with.

4. It is construed with words denoting the effect of baptism, in such a manner as to negative the idea of immersion. Thus Christ says of himself: "I have a baptism to be baptized with." (Luke xii. 50.) And he inquired of two of his disciples, "Are ye able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with," (Matt. xx. 22, 23; Mark x. 38, 39.) So also, persons were said to be baptized "into (eis) Moses," (1 Cor. x. 2,) and " into Christ,” (Gal. iii. 27,) and “into repentance," (Matt. iii. 11,) and "into death,” (Rom. vi. 3.) To substitute immerse, submerge, or sink," as the meaning of baptizo, in any of these places, would be absurd. Indeed, these passages can not be construed so as to make any sense, except by considering baptism as a symbolic washing.

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*Rob, Gr. Lex. New Testament.

+ Hist. Crit. View of Ind. Europ. Cases, 7. III. 3. [2.] Q. C. Spec. IX.

425.

Rob. Gr. Lex. New Testament.

TO THE MODE OF BAPTISM.

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III. The allusions made in the New Testament to the mode of performing baptism, are such as to negative the idea of IMMERSION. Christ, a short time before his ascension, promised his disciples that they "should be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence." (Acts i. 5.) This promise was fulfilled upon the day of Pentecost, and at subsequent times upon those who afterwards believed, at the “laying on of an Apostle's hands." The language chosen by the sacred historian, in giving an account of this baptism, is descriptive of his view of it. Thus when the Holy Ghost fell upon the Gentiles, or when they were "baptized with the Holy Ghost," he says, "they of the circumcision were astonished, because the gift of the Holy Ghost was POURED OUT upon the Gentiles also." (Acts x. 45.) This, we believe, is the only direct reference in the New Testament, to the mode in which baptism of any kind was performed, and in this the act was that of pouring, or, as the language was figurative, and as every metaphor must have something to sustain it, the unavoidable inference is, that the instrument WITH which baptism was performed, was poured upon those who were baptized. Hence, the necessary conclusion is, that baptism was probably performed by pouring, of which sprinkling is a species.

We have now gone over with the Bible, and examined every place where either bapto or baptizo occur, (unless some instance has been overlooked by accident, which we presume is not the case,) and have found, that out of twenty-three instances where bapto occurs, it signifies to immerse but TWICE; and that in seventy places where baptizo is found, there is not ONE where it means to immerse. We are therefore authorized to say, that whatever may be the classic meaning of these words, they do not in Scripture signify to immerse. If any are disposed to cavil at our conclusions, we beg leave to ask the following questions:

where

1. Is there any place in the Bible where either of these words occur, not referred to in the foregoing? If so, is it, and what is its meaning?

2. Have we mis-quoted or mis-construed any passage above referred to? If so, what one, or ones?

3. Is there any proof, out of the Bible, as to the mode in which baptism was administered by the Apostles? If so, what?

4. If these questions are all answered in the negative, on what foundation can any one rest the claim, that immersion alone is baptism?

CHAPTER VI.

MODE OF BAPTISM CONTINUED.

HAVING shown that the Scriptural usage of the words denoting baptism, and the mode of their construction with other words, as well as the direct allusions to the rite, are all opposed to the supposed primitive practice of immersion, in the modern sense, that is, by total submersion, we shall now consider two forms of expression, on which some rely with great confidence: "Buried with him in baptism," and "they went down into the water, and they came up out of the water."

I. "Buried with him in baptism." 1. The phrase, "buried in baptism," occurs in the New Testament twice in Romans vi. 4, and Colossians ii. 12. Of each by itself. In the fifth chapter of Romans, St. Paul having shown, that God overrules the wicked acts of men to his own glory, and that where sin had reigned, grace did now abound, proceeds, in the sixth chapter, to answer an objection which might be made: "What shall we say then?" that is, if grace now abounds where sin formerly reigned, "Shall we continue in sin,

MEANING OF THE PHRASE.

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that grace may abound?" To this very natural inquiry he replies, "God forbid ;" and to show the impossibility, yea, the absurdity of the supposition, he asks, "How shall we who ARE DEAD TO SIN, live any longer therein?" This inquiry of the Apostle, is equivalent to a positive affirmation, that every Christian is actually dead to sin. He then proceeds to show the reason why Christians are dead to sin. "Know ye not," says he, "that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his DEATH?" Now, in order to make the Apostle consistent with himself, we must give this question such a construction as shall make it support the preceding. The death of Christ, then, into which we are baptized, must be such a death as is described in the preceding verse: a death unto sin." That this was the Apostle's meaning, he himself has expressly told us. Thus, in verse 10th, he says, "for in that Christ died, he died unto sin." He then proceeds to write the passage on which the whole of the argument turns :

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Therefore, (that is, because he died unto sin,) we are buried with him by baptism into a death to sin, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans vi. 4.)*

That the whole effect of the death and burial here spoken of, was spiritual, no one denies; but some claim, and many have admitted, that there is here an allusion to the mode of administering baptism by immersion. The sense of the first part of this passage, according to this interpretation, is,

Therefore, as Christ was buried in the earth, so in a similar manner are we buried in water at our baptism."

* This verse is quoted by several of the ancient Baptismal Liturgies, but most of them omit the first part of it. Thus it is with the Greek, Syriac, Jerusalem, and Antiochan, Ass. II. 132, 139, 222, 250.***

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