Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PARTI. will firft enquire, What is the true fcriptural mode of Baptifm ? There are two ways, in which this ordinance is adminiftered; one is immerjion, or plunging the whole body into water: The other is affii- fion, which is pouring or fprinkling water upon the fubjeft. We do not deny the validity of im- merfion; we only deny the nccejfity of it: But our brethren (at leaf t many of them) deny the validity ofaffujion, and reprefent it as no baptifin, to whomfoever adminiftered. It is therefore of fome importance that we enquire, whether there be not fuch evidence, that affufion is a fcriptural mode, as may juftify our ufe of it, and fatisfy thofe who have received baptifm in this manner. I Shall firft examine the import of the Greek word ufed for baptifm?then conlider the ufes of baptifm and the allufions of fcripture to thefe ufes?next enquire, what was the apoftolic practice?and laftly take fome notice of the ufage of the church after the apoftolic age. I. We will examine the import of the word taptizo, which is the ufuatM not the only word by which the writers of the New Tcftament ex- prefs the chriftian ordinance of baptifm. It is agreed, that the word baptizo, fignifies to wa/h by the application of water: But then, bow the water is to be applied, whether by plunging the fubjeft into water, or by pouring or fprink- Kng water upon the fubjeft, is the queftion. This willbeftbe determined by confidering, how the word is ufed upon common occafioas. a The The author of the Letters to Bifhop Hoadly teHs us, ‘ That the writers of the New Teftament borrowed their phrafes from the Greek tranftation of the Old Teftament, called the Septuagint’ He refers us to this for the fenfe of the words, which they have ufed for baptifm. He allows that baptizo is the offsp…
