Children, and to all that are afar off, even as ma→ ny as the Lord our God fball call.

Ir appears by the Account Luke has given, that all the Hundred and Twenty were fill'd with the Holy Ghoft, and 'tis plain by thofe . Words of Peter, that the Promife of the Holy Ghoft was made not only to the Eleven Apoftles, and those who were met together at Jerufalem at the Time of Pentecoft, but even to as many as the Lord fhall call, in what Part or Age of the World foever they live.

AND the very Words of the Commiffion which Chrift left with his Disciples when he parted with them, manifeftly fhow that the Baptifm of the Holy Ghost was by their Preaching to be confer'd on all Nations: And fince he promis'd the Difciples to be with them always, even to the End of the World, we may juftly conclude, that as the Power, fo the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft will ever accompany his Prefence, and confequently is not to be limited and confin'd to the Apostles and the Time of Pentecoft only.

WE fhall in the next Place fhow, that the Command which Chrift gave his Difciples Mat. xxviii. 19. was not, as many have taken it to be, a Command to baptize with Water. The Words of the Context are. And Jefus came and spake unto them faying, All PowER is given unte me in Heaven and in Earth: Go ye therefore and teach ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to obferve all Things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo I am with you ALWAY, even to the End of the World. By comparing the feveral Evangelifts together, thefe Words will be found to be fome of the last which Christ spake to his Difciples; And according to Luke's Relation, be

then

then open'd their Understanding that they might un- Luke 24. derstand the Scriptures, and faid unto them, Thus it 45• is written, and thus it behov'd Chrift to fuffer, and to rife from the Dead the third Day. And that Repentance, and Remiffion of Sins fhould be PREACHED in HIS NAME, among all Nations, beginning at Jerufalem.

HERE Luke fays nothing of baptizing, only that Repentance and Remiffion of Sins fhould be preached in his Name among all Nations beginning at Jerufalem; but thefe Words manifeftly relate to the Commiffion which Chrift gave his Disciples, Mat xxviii. 19. And if we add what Luke has faid in the Acts of the Apostles, which is a farther Account of Chrift's laft Words, we fhall fee that his Discourse at That Time was about fomething of much greater Moment and Concern than Water Baptifm; that it was nothing less than the Difpenfation of the Spirit which the Prophets had foretold: A Difpenfation that was to fuperfede and take Place of the Law, which flood only in Heb.g.io Meats and Drinks and divers Washings, and carnal Ordinances, imposed on them until the Time of Reformation. This Difpenfation of the Spirit was the Subject of Chrift's Difcourfe, as the following Words will show. Being affembled with them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Je... rufalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which, faith be, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with WATER, but ye shall be baptized with the HOLY GHOST, not many Days bence.

WAS not this telling his Difciples very plainly, that the Baptifnt with Water, which John adminiftred, was Then to pass away, and give Place to the Administration of the Spirit? Was it not putting them in Mind of what John had declar'd fhould be the Office of him that was to come after

Acts I

26.

Joh. 1.29. him, Behold, faid he, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the Sin of the World. I baptize you with Water, but there ftandeth one amongst you, whom you know not. He it is, who coming after me is pre27.you "fer'd before me, whofe Shoes Latchet I am not worthy to unloofe, the fame is he which baptizeth with the 33.Holy Ghoft. He must increase, I must decrease.

6-9.

AND when the Disciples afk'd of him faying, Lord, wilt thou at this Time restore again the KingActs 1. dom to Ifrael? He faid unto them, It is not for you to know the Times or the Seafons, which the Father hatb put in his own Power. But ye shall receive Power after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you: And ye fhall be Witneffes unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost Part of the Earth. And when he had spoken these Things, while they beheld, he was taken up and a Cloud receiv'd him out of their Sight. Now in Luke's whole Relation taken together (as it lies in the Acts of the Apoftles and his Gospel) we find no Command given the Disciples to baptize, neither fhall we find any if we look into Mark's: But only a Commiffion to Preach the Gospel. And he faid unto them, Go ye into all the World and preach Mark 16. the Gospel to every Creature. He that believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved, but he that believeth not Shall be damned.

THE Contenders for Water Baptifm have taken this to be a Command of Chrift's to baptize with Water, but whoever will read the Context, must see that this was not spoken of Water Baptifm, but the Baptifm of the Holy Ghost, for the very next Words are, And these Signs fhall follow them that believe; in my Name fhall they caft out Devils, they fhall fpeak with new Tongues. They fhall take up Serpents, and if they drink any deadly Thing it fhall not hurt them: They shall lay Hands on

the

the Sick and they fhall recover. Can any Thing be more plain, than that Chrift fpeaks here only of the Baptifm of the Holy Ghost, and of fuch Believers as the Apoftles and Primitive Disciples, who receiv'd the Power of the Holy Ghoft, as Christ had promis'd? Have we any Inftance in Scripture, that Water Baptifm impower'd any to fpeak Tongues and heal the Sick? But that the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft did give that Power we have many Instances in Scripture. It appears therefore very evident by the Words of Luke and Mark, that Chrift's laft Commiffion to his Difciples, was not about Water Baptism, but the Bap· tifm of the Holy Ghoft, therefore we think the Word Baptizing, Mat. xxviii. 19. ought not to be understood of Water Baptifm, but of the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft..

AND we have ftill thefe Arguments farther to prove, that the Word Baptizing was not there us'd by Chrift to denote Water Baptifm. ft. Because Chrift us'd the Word Baptifm not to denote Water Baptifm, when he said to his Difciples, ye fhall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft not many Days hence, Acts i. 5. 2dly Because it appears in other Places of Scripture, That Christ fpaké of Baptifm, and being baptized, notto denote Water Baptifm, but in a Figurative Senfe, as in Mat. xx. 22. Mark x. 38. Luke xii. 50.

And

3dly. Because it evidently appears by two of the Evangelifts, that Chrift us'd the Word Baptifm in his laft Difcourfe, not in the literal Senfe of Water Baptifm, but in a Figurative Senfe, to denote the Power and Operation of the Spirit, therefore by the Rules of fair Conftruction, the Word Baptizing ought to be taken in the like Sense in the other. And we can but admire, that any fhould Mat. 28, take the Words, Go ye therefore and teach all Nd- 19. tions, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and

N2

of

of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; to be a Precept and Command of Chrift to baptize with Water, when there is no Inftance to be found in Scripture where any one was baptiz'd with Water in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, which we cannot but think there would have been, if the Apostles and Difciples had understood those Words to have been a Precept or Command of Christ about Water Baptifm.

BUT 'tis more likely, that the Apostles and Difciples of Christ took thofe Words, not in a literal but figurative Senfe, to denote the Baptifm and Power of the Spirit, which were indeed the very Subjects Chrift difcours'd with them about at that Time: And the Word +Name

is

* 'Tis not only Matter of Admiration, that any should ground their use of Water Baptism, upon a Place in Scrip ture where Water is not fo much as mention'd; but that they should take Chrift to have Inftituted and Ordain'd fuch an External Rite after his Resurrection. and juft when he was about to afcend into Heaven. Certainly if he had then inftituted Water Baptifm as a perpetual standing Ordinance in his Church, an Ordinance too, without which, as fome have weakly thought, neither Man nor Child car be fav'd or become Members of Chrift's Church, fome one of the Evangelifts would have taken Notice of it, and been very explicit How, and When, and by Whom the Baptifm fhould be adminiftred ; but not a Syllable of any fuch Thing is to be found in all the four Evangelifts.

+ In the Original it is, es To ovopa, that is, into the Name, now the Name of the Lord is often taken in Scripture for fomething else than a bare found of Words, or literal Expreffion, even for his Virtue and Power; as may appear from Pfalm. liv.3. Cant. i. 3. Prov. xviii. 10. and in many more. Now that the Apoftles were, by their Ministry, to baptize the Nations into this Name, Virtue and Power and that they did fo, is evident by the Teftimony of Paul, where he faith, That as many of them as were baptized into the Name, i. e. Power and Virtue; and not a meer formal Ex

preffion