The convert instructed in the origin, signification and advantages of baptism : to which is annexed an address on the improvement of baptism ..

Stanford

Convert Instructed

BAP

THE

i3

CONVERT INStRUCTED

IN THB

ORIGIN, SIGNIFICATION, AND ADVANTAGES

OF

. BAPTISM.

TO WHICH IS ANNEXED,
AN

ADDRESS

OK THE

IMPROVEMENT OF BAPTISM,

Delivered to the Church preparatory to Communion

AT THE

LORD's SUPPER.
By JOHN STANFORD, M. J.

Thefe are they which follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth.

Rev.

NEJV-YORK:
Printed by T. and J. SWORDS, No. 99 Pcarl-ftreet.

— 1795-—

■ ■ . — -fc=

THE

CONVERT INSTRUCTED, §ft

JL HAT the Eternal God, through the death
of h's Son, the communications of his Spirit,
and the preaching of his Gofpel, hath pro-
vided a falvation worthy his attributes, com-
nienfurate with human mifery, and fufficient
to produce the pure ft holinefs and happinefc,
is a fentiment fufficient to defy the rage of
infidelity, and confirm revelation to be a fyftem
worthy of all acceptation. That heart which
is enriched with the grace of the gofpel, and
is brought to the feet of Jefus for pardon, and
obtains peace with God, through the blood of
the crofs, makes an unreferved furrender ct
itfelf to be the Lord's forever ; and, as ardently
thirfts after the paths of obedience as the
over-driven heart pants for the cooling dream.
One of the fiiit public duties enjoined by
Ciirift on thofe who are thus called by his
grace, is, a fubmifiion to his .will by water
A 2 baptifm.

( 4 )

baptifm. And, as a right perception of the-
nature and intention of the duty, with the
pofTeflion of principles congenial with the
command, is effential to acceptable, plea-
furable obedience; it is the intention of this
treatife, in fubmiffion to the benediction of
Chrift, to affiffc the chriftian convert to obtain
a more competent knowledge of the origin,
iigniflcancy and advantages of baptifm; that
thus, when called to obey, he may enjoy the
pleafures of the inflitution, and go on in his
way rejoicing.

THE ORIGIN OF BAPTISM:.

IT requires but a fmall degree of attention
to perceive that water baptifm does not arife
from the precepts of nature. Nature knows
nothing of fuch a command, nor is fhe com-
petent to ascertain, either the fignificancy or
the intention of it. To immerfe in water,
either to cleanfe, or to refiefh the body, is
indeed natural ; but that by plunging into
water, and riling again by the hand of ano-
ther, as a religious fervice, acceptable to God,

is

( s )

is far remote from Nature's comprehension.*

As baptifrn is therefore not ordained by the

A 3 law

* As almoft every learned psedobaptift writer has
acknowledged that the primitive meaning of the
word baptize is to immerfe, and that the ordinance
in the apoftolic age was administered by dipping
the fubject in water, and by which mode alone the
fignificancy of the inftitution is preferved; thofe
who have taken leave to deviate from the primi-
tive order, to accommodate perfons, governments,
or climates, will excufe the Author if he diibwns
any other mode of baptifrn than that of immerfion.
For a full explanation of the ivord, and the fenti-
ments of the learned paedobaptift writers upon it,
the reader is referred to Booth's Paedobaptifm Ex-
amined, vol. i. chap. '2. For the information of
thofe who are incompetent in the Greek language,
I will transcribe an obiervation of the learned Mr.
Robinfon: "It is fufEcient to obferve, that the
word (baptize) is confefedly Greek, that native
Greeks mufl underftand their own language better
than foreigner?, and that they have always bap-
tized, and do yet baptize, by immerfion. This is
an authority for the meaning of the word infinitely
preferable to that of European lexicographers y
fo that a man who is obliged to trad: human tefli-
mony, and who baptizes by immerfion becaufe
the Greeks do, underftands a Greek word exactly
as the Greeks themfelves underftand it; and in
this cafe the Greeks are unexceptionable guides,
end their practice is in this inftance fafe ground of
action." Ktiinfm^ Hijluyof Maptifn^ p. 5, 6,

( 6 )

Jaw of nature, we muft fearch for it in the
volume of revelation. In the Old Teftament
we have no information of an inftitution of
this kind by the God of Ifrael. The Jews
had a haptifm introduced by tradition, and is
to be found in the writings of the YadChazaka
of Maimonides, a celebrated Jewifh writer,
who, in the beginning of the twelfth century,
was head of a famous fchool in Egypt. But
the New Teftament affords us full informa-
tion upon the fubje£t. There was a man fent
from God whofe name was 'John* The miflion
of this extraordinary perfon was to preach and
to baptize. And fo far from his baptifm be-
ing a part of the Jewifti ritual, he acknow-
ledges that he received his inftruclion imme-
diately from God.* John continued preach-
ing the kingdom of heaven, baptizing all who
came to him confefiing their fins. Then
came Jefus from Galilee to Jordan to be bap-
tized. From a conviction of the glory of
Chrift, the Son of God, the promifedMeffiah,
the Baptift declined the adminifhation, faying,
I have need to be baptized of tke, and comeft
thou to me? But Jefus faid unto him, fuffer
it to be fo now, for thus it becometh us to

fulfil
* John i. 33.

( 7 )

fulfil all righteoufnefs. John immediately
baptized him ; and when he came up out cf
the water the heavens were opened j the
fpirit of God defcended like a dove, and light-
ing upon him, while a voice from above pro-
claimed, This is my beloved Son in

WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. Mat. 3. Je-

fus now commenced his public miniftry, and
commiflioned many of his difciples to teach
and to baptize in his name. Thus we learn
that baptifm was inftituted firft by the will
and authority of the Father, communicated to
John, and afterwards by Chrift, to be per-
formed by his difciples to the end of the world,
Mark xvi. 15, 16.

Dr. Sherlock fays, " what is matter of in-
ftitution depends wholly upon the Divine
will and pleafure ; and though all men will
grant that God and Chrift have always great
reafon fcr their inftitution, yet it is not the
reafon, but the authority, which makes the
inftitution."* But fince baptifm is not founded
in the original conftitution of nature, it is a
queftion worth enquiry, how this new inftitu-
tion was introduced ? For although it be
granted that God's will is the eiTence of a«

inftitution,,
* Preferv. againft Popery, title 9. p. 419,

( 8 )

inftitution, yet in the divine ceconomy he
cannot orr ; a fyftem of nature lias already
been provided for man on his creation; nor
can we luppole iuch fyflem capable of altera-
tion or addition, without grofsly impeaching
the wifdom and goodnels of the divine Legifla-
tcr. Baptifm, therefore, is appointed by God
in a new relation, for a different adminiftration,
and for fubjech of another ffcatc. All gofpel
appointments are made by God as the God of
all grace, who, by the power of his Spirit,
trc.rfatcs guilty men out of the kingdom of dark-
fiefs, into the kingdom of his dear Son : and alfo
bv Jefus, as King in Zion, whefe office it is
to reveal fuch laws as are calculated to preferve
the honour and hapoinefs of his fpiritual king-
dom. Jefus fa id, "My kingdom is not of this
world ;" it is not of the fyftem of nature ; net
is it of carnal policy ; but, compofed of fubjects
created new creatures in Chriil: Jefus, and who
■need a new law congenial with their new Hate
of fpiritual exiftence, and by which they may
exprefs their obedience to their Lord and King.
Now Baptifm is one of thofe laws, and binding
only upon the fubjecls of grace; therefore it
was that John, Philip, and all the primitive
adminiftratcrs of the ordinance, required faith

and

( 9 )

and repentance in thofe who came to be bap~
tized.* When Jefus came to John to be bap-
tized of him, he faid, " 'Thus it becomcth us to
fulfil all righteoufnefs ;" by which he could
neither mean the righteoufnefs of the moral,
nor of the ceremonial law, as neither of them
required obedience by baptifm ; but that gofpel
righteoufnefs peculiar to the difpenfation ot
grace ; and thus Chiift, as leader of his people,
has fet them an example that they fnould fol-
low his fteps.

It is prefumed that the Chriftian, thus tracing
the origin of baptifm, and viewing it as an in-
ftitution peculiar to the kingdom of grace, will
not only find, that an obedience to God therein
is clofely connected with his hope in a Saviour's
blood, but it will lead him, in holy admiration
of the glory of Jehovah, in the rich difplays
of his love among his people, and thus,
when called to obey, he will enjoy the higher
fatisfa&ion. Being a fubjecl: of grace, the
voice of this appointment of grace will power-
fully penetrate his heart, and prompt him to
obedience. Nor will he liften with attention
to the cavils of men, or confide in any fort of
baptifm he may have paffed through in his

ftate
* Mat. hi. Acls viii. 3^.

( 10 )

ftate of infancy or unregenerr.cy ; for, being
brought by grace into the kingdom of Chriit,
he can enjoy no plenfure in obedience but that
which he knows is commanded by his King,
and peculiar to his new and happy ilate.

As we cannot profit by any duty, considered
as a means of grace, unlefs we are aflifted to
underfhnd its nature and dehgn, I Avail now
proceed to attempt the inftruclion of the
Cbriftian Convert in the Signihcancy of Bap-
tifm. If baptifm be an appointment of God,
for the obediencv of thofe who obtain mercy
to believe, it certainly muft have an expreflh e
meaning— -be calculated to difplay the w\£dom
of its Divine Inititutor, and conduct the be-
liever into greater admiration of the realities
of redeeming grace. May that bleiicd Spirfe
who was prom i fed to the difciples to guide
them into all truth, vouchfafe to lead us by
his word in our prefent enquiry, and fill Om
hearts with fac red joy.

THE

( II }

THE SIGNIFICANCY OF BAPTISM.

T. IT is a mirror in which are ftrikingly
reprefented the Sufferings, Death, and Refur-
redtion of the Son of God ; by which alone
iinners are faved from plunging into the wa-
ters of divine vengeance. When Jeiusdrew
near to the period when all things that were
written in the pfoims and in the prophets con-
cerning his fuffe rings and death were to he
accomplished, with magnanimity of foul he
faid unto his diiciples, ** I have a baptifm to bo
■baptized with, and hoiv am I Jlr aliened until it be
accompli/lied /"*. And how ftrikingly were
thefe forrows anticipated as a baptifm ? Water
is a well known fcripture emblem of diftrefs ;
— a plun&iag into water, for the moment, de-
priving us of light, and fequeftering us from
the world ; and its frequently being an inftru-
nient of fufFocation and death, prefent us a
lively reprefentation of the extreme fuffe rings
and dreadful death of Jefus, cur adored Savi-
our. And, as the learned Witsius fays,
" The continuing, how fhort foever, under
the water, reprefents his burial, and the

low eft
* Luke xii. 50.

( n )

lowed flate of his humiliation, when lie was
thought to be wholly cut off, while in the
grave that was both fealed and guarded. The
cmerjion, or coming out of the water, gives
us fome refemblance of his refurre&ion or
victory, obtained in his death over Death,
which he vanquished within its inmoft re-
cedes. All thefe particulars the apoftle in-
timates, Rom.vi. 3, 4."* And, I may add,
thefe great things ofChrift. were prophetically
defciibed by David, Pfa. Ixix. 2. M I am
come into deep waters where the floods overflow
me ; all thy waves and thy billoivs are gone over
me."

Come, then, ye fons of grace, anxious to
obey your Lord in baptifm--- come fee the
place where your Lord lay ! Behold how
cheerfully with John he defcended Jordan's
bank, and bowed beneath the rolling wave,
and thus realized to himfelf his future, bitter
death. How ftrong his love ! not the flight
of paffion, or of inftant zeal; fteady and re-
-folved he urged his way through life, endured
the pains and penalties of death, and then
arofe triumphant from the grave. Was Jefus
thus baptized? Did that depict his future

fufTeringSj
* Witfius on Baptifm, fee 26.

( i3 )

iufferings, death and refurrection ? Be affured
it was not for himfelf, but for his church,
whom he loved and came to redeem. His
people were baptized with him into his death,
that with him, as their glorious head, they
might enjoy everlafting life. They were
buried with him by baptifm into deaths that like
as Chrift was raifed up from the dead by th&
glory of the Father, evenfo they alfo Jliould walk
in newnefs of life, and bring forth fruit in rich
abundance to the glory of his grace. Through
the baptifm of Chrift into the water fee your
iniquities warned away by his bloody death ;
by his emerging and returning from the waves,
fee your justification complete in him, and
your title to happinefs fecured; for " He was
delivered for our offences, and was raifed again
for our jujlification.* This, my fellow finner,
is the fource from whence alone our peace
can flow ; this is the rock on which, with
fafety, we can build; and this ihail be our
fong through this dreary vale of tears. Thefe
great truths being realized to our believing
minds in the ordinance of baptifm, what a
glory reds upon the inftitution ! How happy
ihofe, who, from a fenfe of perfonal interefl
B in

* Rom. iv. 25.

( H )

in the rich falvation of Jefus, (land ready to
obey his great command ! Jefus was baptized
in water, in forrow, in blood, in wrath, in
death, to refcue you from endlefs woe; yon
are to be baptized in water only, as a public
declaration of your faith in him, and to prove
your affectionate obedience to his will.

IT. The next fubjecT: expreffed by baptifm,
is the Regeneration of a finner's heart. I pre-
fer introducing this view of the inftitution
immediately after an explanation of it, as de-
scriptive of the fufFerings of Chrift ; becaufe
the fatisfaclion of Chrift is the foundation of
our regeneration. If Jefus had not reconciled
us to God by his vicarious death on the crofs,
the fpirit of God, in juftice, could not have
regenerated and reconciled the finner's heart
to his offended Lord. Paul, in his letter to
Titus, iii. 5, evidently confidered water-bap-
tifm an emblem of a finner's regeneration ;
" According to his mercy hefavcdvs by the vjaJJi-
ing of regeneration, and renewing cf the Holy
G/10/i."* Paul furcly could not mean, that
by a man's body being immeifed in water to

the

* " Warning us by regetteratim, asinalaver, the
pledge and fign of which is in b^ptiim." Poo! on
tie text*

( ftf )

the waftiing away the filth of the body, thai:
the foul thereby was regenerated and cleanfed
from its finful pollutions.- Job, from a con-
viction of the guilt of his nature, faid, " If
I luafh my f elf in fnow water, and make my hands
never fo clean, yet jhalt thou plunge me in the
ditch, and mine own clothes Jh all abhor me. For
he is not a man, as lam, that I Jliould anfivcr
him, and we fhould come together in judgment"
Job. ix. 30, 31. Alas! a perfon may bo
(piinkled with water in infancy, or immerfed
at riper age, but ic will avail him nothing
while his heart remains unchanged. The
leprofy lies deep within the foul, and denes
the pureii waters of nature to cleanfe. Simon
Magus was baptized by an apoftle, but his foul
was not a whit the cleaner, and remained in
the gall of bitternefs, and in the bond of ini-
quity. Ifbaptifm, in any form, ad mini fie red
at any period of our lives, be regeneration, it
fuperfedes the grace of God. If by water-
baptifm I have been regenerated, made a child
of God, and an inheritor cf the kingdom of
heaven, I am fafe ; there is no need of my
being born again cf the Spirit. What a de-
lulive fnare has this been, and full is, to thou-
fands .' They crag on a finful, miferable ex-
Tj 2 iftence,

( 16 )

iilence, fuppofing, by their baptifm, they are
in the way to blifs, while their condudt and
ilate are fuch, according to Chrift's own
words, that " they cannot enter into the kingdom
of heaven."* However, therefore, perfons
may wifh to be baptized, merely to affume
a public profefTion of religion, they fhould
be informed, that " works done before the
grace of Chrifr, and the infpiration of his
Spirit, are notpleafant to God, forafmuch as
thev fpring not of faith in Jefus Chrift; nei-
ther do they make men meet to receive grace;
but they have the nature of fn."f None
but the fobs of grace can extract the fweetscf
the means of grace.

If it be replied, " Did not Peter exhort the
triotifands tfjat were pricked in the heart, under
his fermon, to repent and be baptifed for the re-
i cffr.s '?'''% and did not Ananias fay
untb Paul, " Arij' and be baptized, and wdjh
away thy Jim, calling upon the name of the Lord
jefus."§ we reply, in neither of thefe cafes,
did the converts expect to be cleanfed from
their guilt by the fimple wafhTng cf water.

They

* Matt, xviii. 2, 3.

f 15 Article of Epifcopal Church.

J Acls ii. 38. § A£ts xxii. 16

( |? )

They had previoufly been directed to behold
a crucified Saviour, through whom alone par-
don could flow to their guilty breafts. And,
it is equally evident, regenerating grace had
already reached their hearts, elfe the Jews
had never cried for falvation through him,
whom, with wicked hands, they had ilain ;
nor Paul have flopped in his persecuting rage
ngainft the church of Chrift. But they were
commanded to be baptized for the remiflion of
iins; becaufe that ordinance realized the death
of Chrift, by whom forgivenefs came; was
an inftitution by which Jefus would manifeft
to them his pardoning bve, and by which
they were to commence a public profeffion of
their Lord and Saviour, Not water, but the
bleeding heart of Chrift, is the fountain open-
ed to wafh away fin ; and the fpirit of God
is the efficient caufe of the ftnnei's fpiritual-
iife.*

B 5 Moft

* The Germans call baptifm tanff, fiot&debiftl
which they call tieff, in their language; as if it were
proper thofe (lion Id be deeply inmerfedi who are
baptized. And, truly, if you confider what bap-
tifm fignifies, you (hall fee the fame thing required:
for it fignifies that the old man and our nativity,
that is full of fin 6, which is entirely .of flefli and
blood, may be overwhelmed by divine grace. The

Moft miftakes on thisfubjec"f. have originated
from taking water for the fpirit ; the fign for
the thing fignified. God, in condefcention to
our capacities, has made ufeof fenfible objects
to explain the great fubjedts of our faith.
Invifible and fpiritual things are brought down
to our underftanding by thofe which are vifi-
ble and material. I will therefore attempt to
fhew the fitnefs of water- baptifm to reprefent
the regeneration of a finner's heart.

The element, water, having a natural qua-
lity to cleanfe the the filth of the body, fuf-
iiciently reprefents the efficacy of the Holy
Spirit, to purify the foul.* Water is the moit
penetrative cf all bodies, except fire; and is
the moft difficult to confume ; and is therefore
expreflive of the irrefiftible grace of the Spirit
in penetrating the inward recefTes of the heart,
to produce its renovation, which can never
finally be deftroyed. Water is the principle
of many living things, and in their creation,
the fpirit brooded upon the waters. The

very

manner of baptifm, therefore, ihould correfpond
to the fignification of baptifm, that it may mow a
certain and plain fign of it. Luther in Dr, Du Veil
en Afts viii. 38.

* John iii. 5.

( 19 )

very generation of the human foetus is faid to
be by water. Between the firfl and fecond
creation, there is a finking analogy.. The
fpirit of Chrilr, as the myftical water, is the
principle of regeneration and fpiritual life,
and by which we are brought into fenfible
union with God, as our eternal portion. In
fome countries baptifm has been performed in
fonts, or baptiftrys ; in others, in rivers. — The
latter, when conveniently to be attained, to
me is mod expreffive of the living, animating
influences of the Spirit, and nearefl refembles.
the baptifm of our Lord in Jordan's ilream.

The Univerfaliiy of regeneration is likewifc
reprefented by the whole body, and not a part
only, being baptized in water. It is not thp
head, the underftanding, nor a fingle faculty
of the foul, which is renewed to the exemp-
tion of the reft: but the whole inward man,
mind, will, and affections, which undergo an
equal renovation ; fo that the fubjecl: becomes
a new creature in Chrift Jefus.

Nor is our obedience to God in baptifm ones
only to be performed in the courfe of the chrif-
tian life ;-— and that alfo by once dipping, the
Jeaft exprefTive fign in that ordinance of our
regeneration, The regeneration of a Tinner's

heart

( 20 )

heart is one infiantaneous work of God. Al-
though a man may have many changes in his
natural life, he has hut one birth ; and although
the chriftian, like Peter, may need manycon-
verfions, and frequent reftoring, fanclifying
mercies from God, yet he has only one Spiri-
tual birth. In this we perceive the difference
between baptifm and the Lord's fupper. Bap-
tifm, as a fign of our regeneration^ is once and
forever t the Lord's fupper is the emblem and
means of our perfonal fenclif cation, which is
progreflive, and therefore often to be received.

III. In baptifm the chriftian is directed to
contemplate and adore the HOLY TRINI-
TY, as his COVENANT GOD. When
the rifen Saviour gave his laft orders to Ins
difciples to go forth and preach the gofpel to
all nations, he enjoined them to baptize *« In
the name of the FATHER, and of the SON*
end of the HOLY GHOST."* The order
of thefe facred names, to be pronounced on
- the adminiftration of baptifm, could not have
been without exprefs defign ; and upon which
I will beg leave to make the following remarks..
Baptifm was to be adminidered in the name
of the trinity, becaufe the inftitution itfelf is

fo
* Matt, xxviii. 19.

( 21 )

fo very expreffive of the nature and excellence
of that falvation which is the refulc of Jeho-
vah's connlcl ; and in the execution of which
each adored perfon aftumed his own relation
to his people, and performed his feparate en-
gagements; therefore baptifm is called the
counfel of God. *

As it is a God in trinity and in unity
who is the chriilian's God, he, in baptifm,
owns that God as fuch. This God is the
grand fubject of revelation, whom nature nei-
ther knew, nor reveals. I cannot better ex-
prefs myfelf on this fublime truth, than in the
words of the evangelical Mr. Romaine. " Fa-
ther, Son, and Spirit; thefe three exift
in one Jehovah. They took thofe names,
not to defcribe rheir manner of exifring, but
their manner of acting ; net what they are
in themfelves, but 1k>w they fland related to
us in the ceconcmy of redemption: fcr the
eternal Three entered into covenant before ail
worlds, and agreed to fuitain certain covenant
offices, and affume names defcriptive of their
offices. Father is the title of that divine per-
fon who gave an innumerable company of
finncrs to his fon, upon condition that he

would
* Luke vii. 3a

( 22 )

would be manifefted In the fiefli, 2nd would
become their furety, to work out for them a
iighteoufnefs in his life, and to make an atone-
ment for them by his death, and then he would
be his father, and their father. A co-equal,
and co-eternal perfon accepted the conditiony
and covenanted to be made man, and to live
and die for the many ions whom he was to
bring to glory ; therefore he tock the name
of Son, Son of God, Son of man, &c. An-
other co-equal, co-eternal perfon covenanted
to breathe life into them, to be to them the.
Spirit, or breath of life, that they might be
regenerate from a cea:h in trefpafies and fins,
and be made the children of God, heirs of
God, and joint heirs withChrift; therefore
he is called throughout the fcriptures, the
Spirit.17* The doctrine of the trinity* how-
ever derided by thofe who difefuem revela-
tion, is confirmed in the experience, of thofe
■who have received the grace of God in truth.
'■' Through Chrijl they have accefs by one Spirit
unto the Father. "f They find no other way to
enjoy peace and communion with God ; no
other way in which the attributes of God

fhinc
* Romaine's Walk of Faith, vol. i. p. 21.
f Eph. h. 18..

( n )

mine in pardoning fin ; therefore they rejoice
in being baptized in the name of the TRI-
NITY, to cxprefs their union, and experi-
ence of their falvation.

As there was an auguft difplay of the tri-
nity at the baptifm of Jefus, fo the ordinance
is to be adminiftered in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Spirit. John received his
commiiTion to baptize from the Father. Je-
fus was obedient to the Father in that ordi-
nance, as the Head of his Church, as necef-
fary to his public miniftry ; and to leave his
people an example to follow his fteps. The
Holy Spirit defcended upon him like a dove,
and the Father, in glorious accents, proclaimed
him his beloved Son. Therefore, as tin's me-
morable event was the public introduction of
the gofpel, the fame God bears teftimony to
the fame ordinance, whenever and wherever
duly .adminiftered to gofpel converts.

Nor was this pofitive order to be obferved
without its ufe and influence on thefe minifters
who were appointed to adminifter it. By this
they might know the God by whom they were
commiffioned ; and that through their mi-
niftry, and under the Spirit's influence, the
knowledge of this JEHOVAH ihould be per-
petuated

( 24 )

petuated from age to age. Happy is that fer-
vant who realizes the fource of his million,
and is found faithful in declaring the whole
ccunfel of God !

I venture once more to add, that the body
of water into which a believer is baptized, in
the name of the trinity, is exprefiive of the
unity of the divine essence ; and that by ones
dipping is our teilimony of belief in that truth*
If the Son, or the Holy G/ioJi, be inferior to
the Father, one great figniricancy of the in-
fticution is removed, and thole, who either
adminifter it, or fubmit to it, are, in my efti-
mation, expofed to the charge of idolatry.

IV. As the duty of baptiim is enjoined on
perfons, immediately on their converlion to
God, the chriftian convert may, in this in-
Aitution, realize the nature of his experience,
and the public profejjion he is folicitous to
afTume.

That degree of experience neceflary to a fub-
je£t for baptifm, is a conviction of guilt which
merits the wrath of God, and a lively faith
in the perfon and merits of Jefus Chrift;
thefe were demanded by the firffc preachers of
the gofpel, of all who defired to be baptized.
Repentance was required by John for his bap-
tifm.

( 25 )

tifm.* Chrift commiflioned his difciples to
go and teach all nations, and thofe that be-
lieved were to be baptized, t When the mul-
titude, who were pricked in the heart, en-
quired what they fhould do to be faved ; Peter
faid unto them, Repent, and be baptized every
one of you, in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the
remiffon of fins. Then they that gladly received
his word, were baptized. £ Philip preached
Chrift, and the things concerning the king-
dom of God, to the people of Samaria ; and
they believed, and were baptized, both men
and women. § Paul was baptized after God
called him by his grace, and allured him that
he was a chofen veflel.|| The Eunuch of
Candace was baptized on a profeflion of his
faith in Chrifr. as the Son of God, and went
on his way rejoicing.^" Lydia's heart being
opened of the Lord, (he attended to the things
which were fpoken by the apoftles, and was
baptized.** The jailor, likewife, with ail his
C houfe,

* Mat. iii. 6, 8.
f Mark xvi. 15, 16.
i Ads ii. 38-44.
§ Acts viii. is.
j| A&s ix.

«f[ Adh viii. 26, &c.
i** Ads xvi. 14, 15.

( 26 )

houfe, through a remarkable difplay of Al-
mighty power, obtained mercy to believe, and
were baptized.* From thefe inftances pro-
duced from the fcripture, it is very obvious,
that the fubje£te for primitive baptifm were
thofe, who believed* repented, received the word
if life, and rejoiced in God; and, as no man is
at liberty to change the command of the Lord,
neither can he, without fin, prefumc to alter
the fubjecls enjoined to obey. The ordinance
of baptifm, being a fpiritual inflitution ; you
may perceive from the fcriptures cited that
none but fpiritual fubjects were capable of en-
joying the advantages it was defigned to con-
vey; and none but fuch were received by the
apcftles. It is necefTary however for me to
add, that in no inftances of fcripture baptifm
were there objections to youth, provided they
had been taught of God. Nor was a wicked
life, fuch as the jailor's, or the finners at Jcru-
falem, who had ignorantly crucified the Lord
of Glory, an exclufion from baptifm, 11 nee
there were evident demonO rations of con-
verfion to God. Much lefs did the apoftles
require and extenfive variety of gifts, or long
landing in experimental grace; neither of

tbefr

* Afb xvi. 2£ — 33.

( 27 )

Jieie were efTential pre-r'equifites to baptifm ;
ibr thofe who by any means had delayed their
baptiiVn, until a confiderable age in the chrif-
tian life, vet when baptized, they could be
baptized only as converts to Chriit. In the
poffefficn of grace, the babe in Chriit is' as
much entitled to baptifm, as the venerable
father who may have known Gftrift forty
years. If the perfon who nowreads this can
appeal to God, that grace hath made a change
in his confeience*— justifies God in his con-
demnation as a finnerf— flies on the wings
of faith and love to Chriit. for refuge, as the
only hope let before him in the gofpelj-*-
and is anxious to teftify his obedience and gra-
titude to Jefus by being baptized ;§— if God
hncfa done thefe great things for you, it is
enough to entitle you to the facred infhtution ;
and I may confidently addrefs you in the
language of Ananias to Paul, " And noiv why
iarriefl thou P arife and be baptized, and wajh
mvay thy fins , calling on the name of the Lord."
The convert advancing to the water of bap-
C 2 tifuv

* Eph. v. 8.

f Pfa. cxliii. 2. Pfa. exxx. 3.

X Heb. vf. 16 — 20.

§ Johnxiv. 15.

( 28 )

tifm, as expreflive of his falvation, thus dif-
clofes the emotion of his foul—-" This water
into which I moft cheerfully defend, brings to
my recolleclion that abyfs of woe, into which,
by fin, I was heedUJJly plunging my immortal foul.
But grace unmerited, almighty grace prevented ;
and Ifoppcd in my fight, and direcled to a Sa-
viour's arms. Yes, my Saviour fefus, who plung-
ed beneath the waves of vengeance, to rcf cue guil-
ty me! He was bapiized in fuffering, in blood,
m wrath, in death, that I might be brought near
to a reconciled God. Let my heart now charge
itfelf, with fwift obedience, to perform his holy
will. IVith Paul, and thofe whom grace inclined,
I will ntw ttftfy my hope in Chrifl, be baptized
into his deed'. ; that like as Chrift was raifed up
fi~pm the dead, by the glory of the Father, even
jo I alfo may walk in yiewnefs of life, and no
mor<e pnrf.ic the delujive paths of folly. Thou
Aing of Zion, in this thine own appointed way,
bear tefimony to my heart* and fill me with thy
love. By thy blood and merits, five me from
the guilt and power of fin. Shield me in the day
of trial, and let me prove a faithful foldier of
the crofs. Into thine hand I now commit my fp'v'n,
for then haf redeemed me, O Lord God of truth ;
end let mi be forever thine f- Amen.

The

( *9 )

The profejjion of a chriftian is no lefs
realized than is his experience. " As many
of you as have been baptized into Ch?ij?, have put
on Chrijir* As if he had faid, .« Thofe of
you who have been conquered by grace, and
have hope in Chrift, as your righteoufnefs,
Lord and King, did, by baptifm, teftify to
men, and angels, your allegi nee to him.
You then put on the robe of his profeffion,
and die armour of his gofpel, that as good
foldiers, you might fight manfully under the
banner of the captain of your falvation ;—
that by your attachment to his perfen and
government, you might diftinguifh yourfelves
from thofe, who are alhamed of the crofs."
Such is the nature of chriftianity ; and fuch
the oppofition of the world to it, that " all
that zvill live godly in Ckrift J*fut\ fliall fiiffer
perfecution"\ But the chriftian, vitally united
to his matter, is zealous in his caufe, and dares
to outbrave the rage of earth and hell ! And
in the water -of baptifm, as in a mirror, he
realizes to himfelf the peifecutions and afflic-
tions which may await him in his journey
through life. Although Zebedee's children
C 3 were)

* Gal. iii. 27.

f'2 Tim, iii, 22,

■

c 3° )

were, at the time of their mother's requefr,
much unacquainted with the cup, and the
haptifm of Chrift's fufferings; yet every be-
liever finds a meafurc of fufFering necelTarily
apportioned to him. Conftrained by the love
of Chrilt, he pafTes through the water in tef-
timony of his cheerfulnefs to undergo any
«iRic~tion which may b,*fall him; and thus
confirms the triumph of the (pou{e,—Afany
waters cannot quench love, neither can the foods
drown it *

V. The laft fubjedl: which I fhall name,
exprefTed by baptifm, and neceffary for the
ehrifHan convert to realize, is his hope of in-
tereft in the triumphant refurre6tion of the
jilft at the laft day. The wages of Jin is death.
By one man's cfFence, the King of Terrors
afeended his awful throne, and now extends
his reign over all mankind. f Into the black
waters of death, all muft delcend, as a part
of the confequence of fin ; and, for a man to
realize this doleful fcene, terror and anguifh
muft feizc his breaft. But Jefus, for his peo-
ple, overcame death, by atoning for fin, and
thus received the fling of death into his own

heart.

* Sol. Song. viii. 7.

t Rom.vi. 23. Jobxviii. 14. Rom. v. 17, 18;

( 3t >

heart. He died ; he plunged beneath the wave
of death, nnd by entering into the dominion
of the dead, he foiled the foe, and jrofe again-
as the complete deliverer of his church ; for
it was not pofliblc that the bands of death and
the grave (hould hold him within their power.
Jefus is now the Refurreclion and the Life of
his people; and their fure pledge of conqueft
over death, and admiffion to eternal glory.
All this was realized in his baptifm ; and, in
adminiftering the ordinance, we may addrefs
the candidates, in the angel's words to the
women feeking their bured Saviour, " Come
fee the place where your Lord lay."* Partaking
the virtues of his meritorious death, we may
look with triumph on the tomb. " For if we
have been planted together in the likenefs cf his
death, we Jiiall he alfo in the likenefs of his refur-
reclion."~-\ In the firm belief of thefe great
truths of revelation, the Convert approaches
the ordinance of baptifm with profound reve-
rence. Calm and ferene he enters the dream,
in plealing anticipation, that when he comes
to the folemn waters of death, he mail there
be triumphant. Chrift hath taken away the

fling

* Mat. xxviii. 6.
f Rom, vi. 5.

f 3* >

ill rig, and reduced what I may call die penal
fub fiance of death ; fo that its jhadoiu alone re-
mains for the believer to pafs * And how
flrikingly is this ihadowy paflTige of death re-
prefented, by the perfon palling through the
waters of baptifm, and then riling again with
a refreihing, animating glow ; — inilcad of
being compelled, as the demerit of fin, to
plunge beneath the inconceivable, dreadful
billows of divine wrath, never to anie again !

Having thus attempted to affift the Chi if-
tian Convert, in afcertaining the fignification
of Baptifm, he may admire the wifdom of its
Divine Inftitutor, and with additional fatisfac-
tion go forward in the difcharge of his duty.
An inftitution, (o expreffive as this, can never
be realized but by thofe who have arrived to
the exercife of reafon, and enjoy a meafure of
that ja:tfi9 ivithont which it is impojjible to pic aft
God.f: It certainly mull: be a high reflection
upon the wifdom and grace of Chrift, to fup-
pofe he fhould cflablifh fo glorious an ordi-
nance, to be adminiftered to thofe who poffefs
neither a natural, nor a fpiritual capacity to
enjoy it. But this is not the cafe with you,

£01

* Ffa.xxiii. 4.,
f Heb. xi, 6.

( 33 )

for whofe inftruction this treatife is dengned ;
you have not only arrived at an age in which
reafon exercifes her extend ve powers, but
you have obtained mercy to believe, to the
laving of your foul. The fuffe rings, death
and refurreclion of Jefus Chrifl ; the regene-
ration of the heart by the influence of the
Holy Spirit ; the Trinity, as the chriftian's co-
venant God ; the nature of experience, and a
public profeffion of the gofpcl, and his hops
of intereft in the refurrefiion of the juft in the
laft day: thefe important fubje&s are in fome
gcod degree perceived and enjoyed in your
own foul, and by which your right to baptifm
is indifputable. Convinced of your duty, and
feeling a glow of ardor to obey the command
of Chrifr., and to devote yourfelf to his ho-
nour before faints and angels, perhaps you fay,
as did the converted eunuch when he came
to a certain water, " See here is water, what
doth hinder me to be baptized?" Not to retard
your fteps in following Chrift; for, as the
amiable Mr. Hervey faid on the obedience of
Abraham, " The Great Jehovah experts ala-
crity in his fervice. Nay, cheerfully as well
as inftantly muir. his command be fulfilled. "*

Yet,
* Theron and Afpafio, vol. Hi. p. 198.

34 ]

Yet, for your farther information, and meet-
nefs to obey, you will give me leave to inform
you of fome of thofe advantages which are to
be derived from a believing fubmiffion ta
Chrift in baptifm.

ADVANTAGES OF BAPTISM..

IF all the commands of God, in nature, are-
intended to promote the intereft of the rational
creation, we mufr. believe that the fpecial in-
ititutions of his grace are dehgned, in a more
extend ve manner, to enrich thofe whom he
hath adopted in Chiift to be his children for
ever. As the ordinance of baptifm is fo very
expreuive of the truth of the gofpel, it cer-
umbJv muft be calculated to convey the mofl
(alptary benefits to thofe who arc true candi-
dates for it. Some of thefe. advantages we
will now recite.

I. The anfivcr of a good confdence towards
God.* A good confidence is a precious jewel
to him that. hath it. It iupplies the want of
every thing d(c within ; and iupports the pof»

feflbr

** i Peter hi. 2:.

1 35 |

■feflbr amidlt the unforefeen calamities he may
meet with from without. The poiTefficn of
this forms the bafis of our perfonal happinefs ;
|he want of it is the avenue to complicate
wretchednefs. That baptifm is the anfwer
of a g->od confeience towards God, I may be
permitted thus to explain :---

It realizes that renewing grace which makes
the confeience good. Every man's confeience
by nature is evil. It deceives itfelf — abhors
the fear cf the Almighty— daily increafes its
own guilt, impelling the poffeiTor to walk in
thofe paths which end in bitternefs and death.
In order to the enjoyment of God, this con-
feience mutt be enlightened ; its guilt muft be
pardoned, and, as Paul faid, " purged from
dead works to fcrve the living God."* Now,
as baptifm, the iign for the thing ilgnified, in
lively colours reprefents the death of Chrifi,
and the regenerating influences of the Holy-
Spirit, by which alone a man's confeience can
be purified; it is therefore called the anfwer
cf a good confeience. And is not this a va-
luable bleflingr That heart which will not
bear the trial cf Chrift, muff, prove a fource
cfrnifery to itfelf .! But, blefled is the man

who
* Keb. ix. 14,

( 36 )

who can fay, " He that judgeth me is the

Lord."*

If baptifm be called the anfwer of a good
confcience towards God, it neceflarily implies
a queflion propofed. In baptifm, Chrift and
the Convert have a folemn meeting. The
Saviour, by his word, addreffes the Convert
in fuch accents as thefe : — u I am the Lord that
created thee, and formed thee. L have redeemed
thee, I have called thee hy thy name, thou art
mine. My fin, give me thine heart, and let thine
eyes be attentive to my ways. My grace is fuffi-
cientfor thee \ I will never leave thee, nor fcrfake
thee. No weapon formed againfl thee JJi all prof-
fer. Since thou wafl precious in my fight, thou
haft been honourable, and I have loved thee. Tea
I have loved thee with an everlafting love, there-
fore with loving- kindnefs have I drawn thee.
Even to your old age I am he, and even to hoar
hairs will J carry you : I have made, and I will
hear, even I will carry, and will deliver you.
Where I am, there thou jhalt be alfo, to behold
my glory ; foi I am the Lord thy God, the
Holy One of Israel thy Saviour. "
To this addrefs the chiiftian may be faid thus
to reply : — " Lord, why have I found grace in

thine
* i Cor. Iv. 4.

( S7 )

thine eyes ; and why haft thou taken knowledge of
me, feeing I am a fir anger P Thou art my God,
the rock of my falvation. In thy blood am I par-
doned. In thy right eon fiefs am. I juftified, and
will glory. By thy WORD and Spirit do I
hope daily to be JanBificd : and by thy power 2
hope to finijh my courfezvith joy, and finally dwell
with thee above. As thou Lord haft called me
from Jin andflavery to be a fubjecl in thy glorious
kingdom, here, at thy holy inftitution, I give my-
felf to Thee, to be thine forever. Witnefs to
my confcience that I am thine, and let me ever
enjoy the fweet, reviving, healing virtues of thy
blejfed Spirit, which this water of baptifm realizes
to my mind. And, as by im?nerfing into them I
expeel to ar'fs with an animating glow upon mv
body, fo, in the morning of the refurreclion, may
I arife with tranfport from the waves of death,,
meet thee in thcfliies, and be for ever blejfed in thy
frefencc.'0 Such an anfwer as this, and fuch a
teftimony, does a good confeience declare in
baptifm towards the God of falvation ; the
poiTeffion of which mufl create that fublime
joy my pen is incompetent fully to defcribe.

Let me add, baptifm is the anfwer of a good

confeience towards God, as, by the chriftian

being baptized, be difcharges that important

D public

( 38 )

public duty which God, in his gofpel, required
of him, and which, with deep conviction,
may have long imprefled his mind. " He that
knowcth his mqftcr's will, and doth it not,JJiall be
beaten with many Jlripcs.% And what (tripes
have been more fevere on the confeience of
many than a wilful neglecl in not obeying
Chrifl in the ordinance of baptifm ? It is not
my prefent intention to enumerate the many
frivolous excufes made by fome for their delay
of baptifm ; but I will confidently fay, that
where a man is clear in his judgment that he
is a fubje£r. of grace, and would fenfibly feel
on being thought not fo by others; and that
baptifm is enjoined only on thofe that believe ;
that man's delay is fin : for, " to him that
knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is
Jin.^'f Aperfon living in fuch wilful difobe-
dience may in vain complain that fermons,
and other means of grace, are to him unpro-
fitable; and he need not be told, that while
his confeience returns not an anfwer to the
commands of God, he muft live in obfeurity
of mind, and be a prey to the toimenting
accufations of his own confeience. But that

man

* Luke xii. 47.
f James iv. 17.

(■ 39 )

man who has cheerfully obeyed the voice of
his Lord, feels his heart relieved ; and he can
bed tell the force of this text ; " Baptifm is the
anfxcr of a good confcience towards God."

II. An increafing manifeftation of Jeho-
vah's approving, fatiating fmiles.- God,' ac-
cording to his prc-mife, meets with his faints
in their obedience to his commands ; and it
hath been the teftimo'ny of thoufands, that
their joy in God was inexpreflibly great when
they obeyed his will in baptifm. When the
Saviour commimoned his difciples to go forth,
teach and baptize, he animated them to pur-
fue, by pronouncing this gracious promife;
" Lo f I am with thee always to the end of the
werla7'." And this, ina very eminent degree,
hath been accomplished, both to the admini-
ftrator and the fubjedl of baptifm. The
minifter hath experienced the higheft pleafure
in the fervice of his matter, and the baptized
believer exulted in the dedication of himfelf
to his adorable Redeemer. One of the many
prumifes Jefus hath made, that his fenfible
pre fence fhaJI attend his people in the dif-
charge of their duty, is recorded by John:*'
" He that hath my commandments, and kecpeth
D 2 them,

* John xiv. 21.

f 40 )

them, he it is that lovcth me; and he that lovcth
mc JJiall be loved of my Father ; and I will love
him, and willmanifejl my/elf unto him. Preciouc-
promife ! how replete with facred confolation i
to be enjoyed only by fuch who are found obe-
dient to the dilates of the word of God,
How infufficient, therefore, the excufe of
1'hofe, who, though fatisfied of their hope in
Chrift, hefitate to honour him in baptifm,
becaufe they feel not that fpiritual activity
■which formerly they enjoyed ! Let fuch learn
£o to keep the commands of Chrift as to dif-
charge them faithfully, and to believe that
thereby the promife fhall be accomplifhed to
them ; and they then will afluredly enjoy that
delightful frame of foul, the want of which
they now fo much regret. As the Eternal
Father, by voice from heaven, attefted the
SonJJiip of Jefus immediately on his coming
out of the water of baptifm j fo, in a propor-
tionate degree, God grants his people the
tcftimony of the fpirit of Adoption in the fame
ordinance ; and by which they are more firmly
perfuaded of their intereft in cvcrlafting love,
and with joy embrace Jehovah as their eve;
lafting Father in Chrift jefus. In addition
to this fenfibility, the obedient chriftian, in

this

( 4i )

this inftitution, beholds, as in a glafs, the
glory of the Lord Jefus; the greatnefs of his
fufferings, the horrors of his death, and the
triumphs of his refurre£tion. In the exer-
cife of faith he now triumphs in Chrift as his
Saviour and his King, " If Jefus is mine;
if the virtue of his crofs is mine; if the full-
nefs of his grace is mine, I need no more ; my"
heart is fatisfied, and at reft/ In him will I
triumph in profpeet of death and judgment;
and from him I hope to receive a never-fading
crown of blifs." Thus the baptized believer,
like the -eunuch of Ethiopia, goes on his way
.rejoicing, '

III. The baptifm of the HOLY GHOST
was a bleffing which primitive believers en-*
joyed upon their obedience to God in water
baptifm. John the Baptift foretold that the
Son op God JJiortld- baptize with the Holy
GAo/i, and with fire, And although jefus fre-
quently difcour fed with his difciples on the-
office cf the Spirit, and encouraged them to
wait K for vie promije of the Father, vet none
received this fpiritual baptifm until Ghri-rf
afcended and was glorified. On the day of
pentecoiV this gift was bedewed upon many
in a moll aftoni thing manner 3 their fouls were
D 3 filled

I 42 )

filled with the Holy Ghoft ; their lips became
converfant with languages they knew not be-
fore ; and power was given them to perform
miracles in the holy name of Jefus. The
fame miraculous baptifm was conferred in
fucceflive periods in the apoftolic age, by the
laying on of the hands of the apoftles, but is
now ceafed ; unlefs we conclude the gifts of
the miniftry, to underftand and unfold the
myftery of the gofpel, to be a degree thereof.
It however appears, that even in the primitive
jige, the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft was
.not always given for miraculous operations.
77ie difciples at Antioch were filled zvith joy, and
ivhh the Holy Ghofl. The Ephefians, after
that they believed \ they were fealed with the Holy
Spirit ofpromife. And the three thoufand con-
verts were by Peter afTured, that after their
baptifm they Jliould receive the gift of the Holy
Ghof. In neither of thefe inftances docs it
appear that the fubjecls were baptized with
theory, or miraculous gifts of the Spirit ; but
in a foul-fatiating manner, by which their
knowledge, hope, love and experience were
increafed, and they enabled to advance in the
chriftian life with zeal. If the primitive
.faints flood in need of this fuiritual baptifm,

I atn

( 43 )

I am fure we do likewife; for we are fubje£t
to the fame fears, temptations and afflictions,
and need adequate fupport and confolation.
And although it be not my province to fay
what baptized perfons may, or may not have
enjoyed the baptifmal vihtation of the blefled
Spirit, yet, as I find it a privilege in the gofpel
equally free for all who believe and are bap-
tized, and that God hath promifed his Spirit to
them that afk him, I am bound, while writing
this treatife on baptifm, to encourage the
chriftian convert to be found in the difcharge
of his duty, wait for the promifed bleffing,
and to leave the event wirh his Lord. I will
only add, that as Chrift was led out of the
water of baptifm into the fire of temptation,
and that the fame trying difpenfation, more or
lefs, is the portion of his faints ; and as the hu-
manity of Jefus was ftrengthened for the con-
flict by the efTufion of the Holy Spirit upon
him immediately after his baptifm ; fo, the
young chriftian, after givinghimfelf to Chrift
in water baptifm, in a lefs or greater degree
enjoys the fealing baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, by
which his joy is increafed in the Lord, and is
emboldened to meet the temptations that may
await him in his future courfe.* IV,

* " The practice of laying hands upon the bap-

X

( 44 )

. IV. By a goipel obedience to God in bap-
;ifm, the chriftian convert has an indifputable
right to a union with the vifible church of
Chrifr. The three thoufand who were pricked
in the heart, and gladly received the word
under the minillry of Peter, were immedi-
ately baptized, and the fame day added to the
church.* He therefore who fbnds alone, and
at a diftance from the communion of faintc,'
not only deprives himfelf of one of thegreatefl>
bleflings to be enjoyed on earth, but, he cafts.
an infult on the King of Zion ; tacitly charges-
the church with folly ; lefiens the viilb!e>
kingdom of Meffiah, and gives men leave to.
qucftion the fincerity of his perfonal religion.*
In the formation of the human foul, the wife
Creator not only enriched it with powers ca-
pable of felf-gratjfication, but he gave it a
principle of fociabiljty, in tiie exercife of
which, the more fublime paffions of our nature

might

tized is alfo grounded upon this promife ofthe far-
ther communication of the Spirit, and is ufed as a
ju-ft expreflion of our expectation, that he will
lead believers into greater degrees of light, ccm-
fort and holinefs, ai> welt as a prayer, that this
may be the happy experience of the perfon upon'
whom the hands are laid." Dr, Jcfefh Jenkins,

* Ads ii,

( 45 )

might attain their higheft improvement and
perfection. In every fphere of life we prove,
" It is not good for man to be alone."* No
fooner is a foul torn of God, than he finds
the mod cordial attachment to thofe who are
partakers of the fame grace. The King of
Ifracl faid, '? lam a companion of all them that
fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts ."t
11 One thing have 1 defired of the Lord, that will
J feck after ; that I may dwell in the houfe of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty
of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.' ' % This
privilege of gofpel fellowfhip God promifed
by Ifaiah ; " One fli all fay, I am the Lord's;
and another fn all call himfelf by the name of Ja-
cob ; and another fliall fubferibe with his hand
unto the Lord, and firname himfelf by the name
cf Ifrael. Unto them will I give in mine houfe,
and within my walls, a place and a name, better
that; of fons and of daughters: I will give them
an evcrlnfling name, that fliall nst be cut off"^
The privileges to be enjoyed in a church,
eftablifhed on the principles of the gofpel.
and honoured with the fmiles of God, are

many
* Gen. ii. 18.
f Pfal. cxix. 63.
t Pfal. xxvii. 4.
§ Ifa. xliv. 5, lvi. $.,

C 46 )

many and precious. A union with God's
fpiritual family, enfuring their advice, watch-
fulnefs, gifts and prayers; the Table of the
Lord Jefus, where he converges with his chil-
dren by lively emblems, hears their com-
plaints, and conveys to them aflurance of his
precious love ; the pailoral care of the miniltry
of Chrifl, by whom inftruclion, comfort, and
many other advantages, under God, may be
enjoyed ; unity in the public and private pray-
ers and praifes of Zion ; to behold the goings
forth of the Lord in the adminiftration of his
laws and ordinances, the gifts and experiences
of his people, the converfion of tinners and
the reftorationof backiliders, and in the rich
variety of his facred truth ; a greater enjoy-
ment of Jehovah's promifed prefence, in fuch
a focial capacity, than individuals have a right
to expect; a growth and habitual meetnefs
under thefe means of grace, for the more per-
fect fruition cf God with the church trium-
phant in glory :— Thefe, and many other pri-
vileges, by grace and by baptifm, you are
entitled to; not as a ftranger, nor a vibrant,
but &s a citizen cf Zion, and a child in your
Father's houfe.

Having thus, according to the ability God hath

riven

( 47 )

given me, attempted to inftruft the Chriftian
Convert in the nature and advantages of bap-
tifm, as a glorious ordinance, pertaining to
the church of God, I prefume you are con-
vinced that the inftitution, in its own nature,
requires a fpiritual underftanding, and the
pofleffion of grace, in order to acceptable
obedience to God in it ; and, that the great
gofpel truths it is defigne-d to difpiay, can he
performed by immcrJiGn only. The conduct
of others, who in any mode profefTedly bap-
tize infants, not yet attained to the exercife
of their rational powers ; or of adults, who
may be Grangers to renewing, pardoning
grace; thofe you leave to the judgment of
God. Enough for you to know your duty
and privilege, exprefied by the law of your
matter. As it is the being of grace, and not
the abundance of grace, by which a perfon is
entitled tobaptifm, you may humbly prefume
vourfclf a lawful candidate for the ordinance.
And although you be neither fo rich in grace,
nor fo lively in religion, as many others, nor
as you yourfelf wiih to be, yet, you know
that God hath done that for your foul which
nature never could have performed. Permit
xne, then, to exhort you to a rife and be bap-
tized

1 48 )

tired in the name of that adorable Imma-
kuel who has thus called you by his grace.
He waits to be gracious, and to bear witneik
that you are his, and fatiate your foul with his
fmiles, in his own appointed ways. All the
rich variety of truth, (o urikingly difplayed
in baptifm, he can realize to your mind, and
make your obedience to him cheerful and de-
lightful. Senfible of this, I preiume you
have no difpoTition to linger in the path. No,

Afham'd of Jefus! fooner far
May midnight blufh to own attar!
Afham'd of Jefus! juft as foon
May midnight blufh to think of noon.
Afham'd of Jefus ! yes, I may,
When I've no crimes to warn away;
No tears to wipe, no joys to crave,
And no immortal foul to fave.
'Till then, nor is the boafting vain,
'Till then I boaft a Saviour slain!
And, O may this my portion be,
That Jefus' not afnam'd of me!

As this treatife may probably be read by
lb me who are fatisfied with the baptifm they
may have received in their infancy, I hope
they have felt no unpleafant emotion ao-ninft
the author, or others, whofe fentimems and
practice he hath recited, ami endeavoured to

confirm

( 49 )

confirm from the Holy Oracles. To prevent
this as much as pofTible, 1 have avoided that
acrimony which hath too unfortunately been
indulged in a difcuflion of baptifm. You
may, however, interrogate yourfelf, if your
baptifm, in its nature and efFeiSts, correfponds
with what hath now been cited from the fcrip-
tures. If you are a perfon who knows, by
experience, the nature and efficacy of discri-
minating, regenerating grace, I will take the
greater liberty of aiking, how can you connde
in a religious iervice, performed while you
was a ftranger and an enemy to God? And
was not this done without your knowledge or
confent? Can you produce one evidence, ei-
ther from the volume of nature or revelation,
that God either commanded you, or approves
of it ? If you can, you undoubtedly ought to be
Satisfied therewith. Say not it is a light thing ;
a non-efiential appointment of Chrifi:, on
whole blood you reft for pardon, and whom
you profefs to love, and is of equal magnitude
and excellency as the Lord's fupper, which
probably you hold facred to your foul. If you
can produce evidence that you enjoved the
peaceful prefence of Jefus; devoted yourfelf
to his honour, on the riches of his grace to
E vour

( CT )

ycur foul ; and that you favv in your mode of
baptifm the great realities of the gofpel, as is
illuftrious in immerfion by faith, and feel the
approbation of God therein as done by his
appointment ; then I have nothing more to
urge, but leave you to that God to whom alone
you are accountable. But, if you cannot,
and feel a defect in your own conscience, in-
flead of reproof, all I will now fay to you is,
that you have yet a mod precious privilege to
enjoy, and to which, as a child of grace, you
are entitled. Embrace it with joy ; honour
your Saviour, and his fmiles will attend your
path. Amen!

AN

A N

ADDRESS

ON THE-

I. M P R O V E M E N T

BAPTISM,

DELIVERED TO Till CHURCH PREPARATORY TO THE

LORD'S SUPPER.

M

A N

ADDRESS, &c

Brethren in the Lord,

A

NTICIPATING your attendance en the
Lord's Supper the enfuing Sabbath, I am in-
duced to aflitt you in the improvement of vour
baptifm, as preparatory to that folemnity.

Infants, you (ay, are baptized without active
reafon or faith ; therefore they are incompetent
to know the path of duty ; nor can thev at a fu-
ture period improve, baptiim to real advantage.
Whatever truth there may be in thisaflertion,
the cafe was different with ycu, From the
poffeffion of grace, and the ftudy of the New
Teitament, you had fomc knowledge of the
nature, intention and advantages of baptiim ;
therefore, rn-y brethren, you are left without
excufe if you neglect the reviewal of that fo-
lemn tr3nfac\icn, and make not fuch improve*
meat of it as it is calculated to afford. How-
ever, there may be no duty more generally
E 3 neglected.

( 54 )

neglected, and lefs underftood than this. As
on fucli an occafion ns the prefent, when we
are withdrawn from the world to discharge
many of thofe relative duties refulting from
our union in a church ftate, and are looking
forward to the approaching Sabbath, when
we mail partake of the fupper of the Lord ;
an attempt to aflift you in the improvement of
your baotifm may not be unacceptable. Oh !
that the adorable Immanuel may indulge us
with his fmiles, grant us the power of reflect-
ing on our paft life, and, anew, to advance ia
the path that leadeth to glory.

I. A reviewal of your baptifm will necef-
farily bring to recollection that early experi-
ence which gave you a title to the institution.
•' Call to remembrance the former days in which
ye were illuminated ',"* is an apoflolic injunc-
tion. The time, the place, the means by
which Jefus brought us to the enjoyment of
his fmiles ; or, if his w?ork of grace was more
gradual and lefs imperceptible, to bring to re-
collection our firft experience of peace with
Gcd ; this cannot fail to produce in us the
mod fublime joy. When we advanced to
the water of baptifm, we Caw in it a ftriking

emblem
* Jleb, x. 32.

( 55 )

emblem of that finful, dreadful (late we were
in by nature; and the fuffering, death and
refurrection of the Lord Jefus, by whom
alone we are delivered from wrath to come.
Paul reminded the church at ColofTe of their
having enjoyed the fame privilege. " Buried
with him in baptifm, wherein alfo you are rifen
with him, through the faith of the operation of
God, who hath raifed him from the dead."* In
that early ftage of the chriftian life, how
bright was our faith ! how lively our affec-
tions ! how cheerfully we followed the Lamb !
Precious moments! delightful enjoyments!
never, never to be forgotten! With what:
pleafure did we advance to the gates of Zion,
faying, " Come and hear all ye that fear God,
and I will declare what he hath done for my foul, f
Open to me the gates of right eoufnefs ; I will go
into them, and I will praife the Lord."% How
fatisfactory and eftablifhing to our minds was
the teflimony of the faints in our favour ! and
how pleanng the welcome we received !
" Come in, thou blejpd of the Lord '; wherefore
fandeth thou without P Come, and with us be-
hold

* Col. ii. 12.

t Pfal. lxvi. 16.

% Pfal. cxviii. 19.

( 56 )

held the beauty of the Lord in his temple \ enjoy
the rich feeft of his grace at his table ; and await
/us coming to receive us to glory. For he brought
us into his banqueting hcufe, and his banner over
us was love." Thefe p'eafures, however,
did increafe in obeying the Lord in baptifm.
The recollection of our duty brings the (bene
afrefh to view. Surrounding faints, an rid*
miring world, and holy angels witnefTed our
furrender to Cn'rift, who bought us with his
blood. With what cempefure of foui did
we go down into the water in the hand cf
the honoured Servant of the Lord L and how
truly iolemn the accents of his lips, when
pronouncing the holy name of the Father, of
the Son, and oi the Spirit; and then interred
us in the liquid grave with Chrift ! From the
teftimony of a good confeience, and under
the fmiies of our adorable Saviour, how cheer-
fully did we goon our way rejoicing- took
our feat among the family of God, and re-
joiced in the hope of. greater blifs in' the
Church above !

While I recite this cur eariy experience, it
may not be improbable that your breaft may
lament, " Oh that it were wuh me as in months
pail ' But, wot i$ me, for I am as when they

have

( 57 )

have gathered the fummer fruit; as the grape
gleaning of the vintage: there is no clutter to
eat; my foul defired the faft ripe fruit."*
Do you indeed, my brethren, deGre the firfr.
ripe fruit of converfion, and again enjoy the
fame lively fenfibility you had at your bap-
tifiri? Go then to the table of the Lord;
there you fee many of the fame rich blef-
fings of grace exhibited in lively figures,
which you beheld in baptifm. Go to Jefus,
and with David fay, " Thy vows are upon me
OGod; I will render praifes unto thee. For thou
haft delivered my foul from death ; wilt not thou
deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk
before God in the light of the living? \

II. We cannot recollect the pleafures 'we
enjoyed at our baptifm, without improving
that ordinance as a mean of humiliation, and
to raife in our bread; the molt lively emotions
of gratitude to Godf who, am it) ft the many
imperfections of our life, hath proved himfeif
our unchangeable friend.

Did we not at our baptifm renounce the
world, and profefledly embrace the Lord of
Life as our only portion? Did we not, by

bending

* Micah vii. i.
f Pfal. Ivi 12, 13.

( 58 )

bending beneath the wave, declare our deai.1i
to fin; and by i in merging from the liquid
tomb, proteft our fouls ihculd live anew to
God ? Yer, on a reviewal of our life, what
imperfections have attended our path ! With-
out enumerating the thaufanus of cur offences
before our bap ti fen, let us review thofe only
which we have committed ilnce. How great
their number ! how aggravated their nature.'
Contrary to our moft f iemn vows and firmer!:
refolutions, what wanderings of heart, un-
hallowed thoughts, and sfciJinL'negie&s may
we juftly charge upon ouvfelves! How ex-
tremely hath our love declined ! and how •
has our faith yielded to the 1 aneful powers ct
unbelief, decoying us men; dreary

fhades ! In our private walk '-with- God, in
our family, and in the . < f OSj it

eapedj have been 10 faithful, holy
and zealoas, as to leave no room for regret.
Every heart in this affemblv kuoweth its own
bitternefs ; and each one of us feels within his
breafc an accountability to our Saviour. What
a mercy is it, my brethren, that we have to
do with an unchangeable God! Our Jefus,
into whom we have been baptized, is the fame
yefterday, to-day and forever. He refteth in

his

( 59 )

his love, and is a friend that fticketh clofer
than a brother; therefore it is that we have
been preferved unto this period. Goodnefs
and mercy, m rich abundance, and in clofe
fuccefiion, have followed us all our days.
How frequent the interpofition of his hund,
when we were furrounded with danger ! and
how fafe the refuge we enjoyed beneath the
wings of his grace, when ftorm and tempeft
beat frirloufly upon us, and no human aid was
nigh ! When empty in ourfelves, he hath
often led us to receive the water of life flow-
ing from the never-failing fountain of his
heart. Yes, this is the Gcd to whom we gave
ourfelves in Bapfcifm ; and who at firfi: brought
us from darknefs to light, that we might have
pardon and peace in Jefus. Oh for an heart
to live to his praife ! As we have been baptized
into the death of Jefus, and buried with him
by baptifm, Oh that asChrifr. was raifed from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even fo
we, by the fame power, may daily walk in
newnefs of life ! Let us then await the ap-
proaching Sabbath, furround the table of
Chrift in tils church, tell him all our grief:,
confefs our various fms, and implore his par-
doning love. There let us renew our en-
gagement;

( fe )

gagements with him, feed upon his bread,
drink his wine, and charge our fouls to live
forever to his praife.

III. You may, my brethren, improve your
baptifm (o as to confirm and endear the focial
band of fellowfhip which you enjoy with
each other as a branch of Chrift's vifible
church. " There is one body, and one Spirit,
even as ye are called into one hope of your calling ;
&ne Lord, one faith, one baptifm, one God and
Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you #//."* You all profeffed an intei eft
in the fame Chrift, were received into the
church as partakers of the fame grace, and all
drank the fpirit of the gofpel. «* As the body
is one, and hath many members, and all the mem-
bers «f that one body, being many, are one body^fo
is Chrift. For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body, whether we be fews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free ; and have been all
made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not
one member but many."\ You are all loved
with the fame everlafting love, children of one
glericus Father in Chrift, and have an equal
right to the laws, privileges and honours of

Zicn*

* Eph. iv. 4, 5, 6.

f 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13, 14.

( 61 )

Zion. And how ftrikingly was this exprefled
by your own baptifm, and by once dipping it
As the many particles of water formed one
body, into which you were baptized, fo grace,
in all its rich and inexpreffible variety, is one.
How ought this view of your baptifm to unite
your hearts, minds, judgments and affections
in the higheft poffible degree ! u Walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith you are called. Love
as brethren ; be tender hearted one tozvards ano-
ther, putting on charity as the bond of perfccJ-
nefs." Enjoy the means of grace with a
fteadymind, a believing heart, and a praying-
foul. li FoIIqvj after things that make for peace,
and things whereby one may edify another." Be
faithful to God, in maintaining the glory of
his truth, and the fimplicity of his inftitutions.
Ever bow to the authority of Chrift: in his
laws, agreeably to your profefled allegiance to
him at your baptifm. " Henceforth be no mere
children, tojjed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of do Brine, by the flight of men,
and cunning craftinefs, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive: but /peaking the truth in love, may grow
up into him in all th'rngs, which is the head,
even Chrift ; from whom the whole body fitly
joined together > and compacted by that which every
F join*

I 02 j

joint fuppliethj according to the cjj'etiual working
hi the meafurc of every part, moheth incrcafc of
the body, unto the edifying of hf elf in love.'* Pray
for the peace of Jemfalem ; they lhall prof-
per that love her. Pray that the power and
fenfible prefence of the Father, the Son, and
the Spirit, into whom ye were baptized, may
be highly experienced among you. Thus
ihall your miniftry bebleffed; your ordinan-
ces will yield you delight; and your numbers
lhall increafewith men as with a flock.

IV. I will take leave to add only, that a
review of your baptifm will aflift in the con-
firmation of your fouls in God. He who
gave you pleafure at the water of baptifm,
will give you fupport in the water of death.
Though we cannot extract merit from our
pair duties nor experiences, yet we may ufe
them both as arguments to encourage our fouls
in God. That God did, by his grace, give us
a title to baptifm, we dare not deny. That
he met with us in the duty, and enabled us to
go on our way rejoicing, are facts, the force
of which can never be erafed from our breafts:
and it is equally true, that he now hoideth

our

* Eph. iv. 14, 15, 16.

( 63 )

our fouls iti life. He cannot, he will not
forfake the work of his own hand. He will
perfect that which concerneth us. The fol-
lowers of the Lamb fhall not mifs the path
that leads to the Throne of Glory. As Jefus
arofe, fir ft from the water of baptifm, then
from the water of death, to enter the prefence
of his Father; fo, the hope you profeflfed in a
rifen Chrift, in your baptifm, (hall not prove,
abortive. He lives at his Father's right hand,
and ye lliall live alfo.

Suffer tne to remind you as a Church, what
the Lord hath done for you, fince your bap-
tifm, and your conjlitution. Attempt to review
your judgments, and your mercies. What
decays by death, and what increafe by con-
verfion ; what afflictions by fin and error,
and what prefervation by the arm of Jefus, the
King of Zion. If, as individuals, we have trod
a diverfified path ; equally fo has the church
feen her changes. Confide in the future pro-
tection of your Lord. I prefume to believe,
he will not forfake the inheritance which he
hath among you. The walls of Zion are ever
before him; and her name is engraven upon
his heart. As a vineyard of red wine, the Lord
is your keeper, and hath faid, I will water it

every

( 64 )

every moment; left any hurt it, I will keep it
night and day* Remember, that Chrift loved
the church, and gave him/elf for it ; that he might
cleanfe it with the waJJiing of water by the word ;
that he might prefent it to himfclf a glorious
church, not having fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch
thing ; but that it Jhould be holy, and without ble-
mifti.f With thefe fentiments ; and filled with
reverence, may you approach the Lord's Ta-
ble ; and God will confirm your hope unto the
end. There may the glory of the Lord arifc
"upon you, and your fouls enjoy that delight-
ful repaft, that can only be exceeded by your
fetting down at the mairiage-fupper of the
Lamb.

You now perceive, my brethren, that you
may improve your bnptifm to fpii itual advan-
tage ; and that to neglect this duty is your
lofs. May my prefent addrefs to you be fo
far nfeful, that you may frequently reflect
•upon your biptifm, and thereby enjoy the moil:
pleafurable fatisfaction in Chrift, and with
one another. Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning ; and ye your/elves like

unt$

* Ifa. xxvi'. 2, 3.
| Eph. v. 26, 27.

( 65 )

unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will
return from the wedding; that, zuh-en he comcth
and knocketh, they may open to him immediately.
BlcJJed are thofe fervants whom the Lord, when
he cometh, JJiall find watching.* Amen.

* Luke xii. 35, 36, 37.

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