The Dippers Plunged into a Sea of Absurdities

PRovidence hath brought to my hand a printed Paper, with your name Peter Chamberlain, directed to Doctor Gouge, whom you do much insult over for not answering your former Letters about this question, viz. Whether that sprinkling of Infants in Baptissm is of God or man? Now because the Doctor is ancient, and had not need to be daily troubled with all the vain Queries that Anabaptists may put unto him, although in respect of his ministerial abilities I doubt not but that he is able to non-plus all the Sectaries in England; yet in consideration of his age, and in regard you put your Question in print to the view of the world, I shall endeavor, till some better pen shall move herein, to give you satisfaction, and I am confident I shall, unless that apparent pride of your heart, expressed in the last words of that paper, do not hinder, wherein you pray the Lord to subdue his Spirit to the truth, and to know you as you are; but this prayer of yours is like that of the Pharisee, I thank God I am not as this Publican, Luk. 18.11. when as the Publican was justified, rather then he: so you censure that grave judicious Minister to have erred from the truth, and yet you say he hath not answered your Letters, but for yourself you take upon you the title of Tyrus, Full of Wisdom, and perfect in beauty, Ezek. 28.12. He that is first in his own cause, seemeth just, but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him, Prov. 18.17. If you were so perfect in knowledge, you do but minister questions of strife, rather then godly edifying, which shows, that you are turned aside to vain jangling. 1 Tim. 1.4.6. But knowledge without charity puffeth up: And such a one thinking that he knoweth anything, knoweth nothing as he ought to know, 1 Cor. 8.1, 2. Paul calls himself the least of Saints, and the chiefest of sinners, Ephes. 3.8. 1 Tim. 1 15. For God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble: Surely it is meet to be said unto God, That which I see not teach thou me; and if I have sinned, I will do no more, Job 34.32. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults, and keep me from presumptuous sins, Psal. 19.12. But I hasten to satisfy your Quere, which is not rightly stated, whereby to give a right Answer; for sprinkling those of full age is not at all here questioned, but is either waved, or granted to be of God, and not of man; and dipping or plunging infants is also either waved, or granted to be of God, and not of man.

Now if this be the sense of the question, to know, Whether sprinkling the baptized be of God or man, be they Infants or of full age, I shall answer, and prove, That sprinkling of the baptized is of God, and not of man's invention.

First, Because the Lord foretold, That in the times of the Gospel his people should be sprinkled with clean water, Ezek. 36.25. And the water in Baptism is the sign of the blood of Christ, which is called the blood of sprinkling, Heb. 12.24. Therefore it is said, To sprinkle our hearts from an evil conscience, and to wash our bodies with pare water, Heb. 10.22. Thus Moses sprinkled the people, and said, Behold the blood of the Covenant, Exod. 24.8. that both the Jewish and Christian Sacramental Signs may both resemble the thing signified: Therefore sprinkling the baptized is of God, and not of man.

Secondly, The Sacrament of Baptism must be visible to our corporal eyes, that by beholding it we may be put in mind of the thing signified: The Rainbow being the token of the Covenant, shall be seen in the Clouds, Gen. 9.11.14. And as I said, Moses bid the people behold the blood of the Covenant, Exod. 24.8. But he that is plunged under water can neither behold the sign, nor hear the words of Institution, to put him in mind of the thing signified, they cannot have their senses exercised in that Ordinance as they ought, Heb. 5.14. and therefore as unfit to use that Ordinance, as a man that is mad or drunk, being out of their element under water.

Thirdly, Many were baptized in their houses, as Paul, and Cornelius, and others, Acts 9.17, 18. and 16.25, 48. and the Jailor and all his were baptized in the prison, and at midnight: But what vessel could they have in their houses and prisons sufficient to plunge them in? and who should fetch all that water the same hour of the night to do it? see Acts 16.33. And what vessel had Peter to plunge three thousand persons in? and if not all at once, how often was it emptied? and who fetched all that water? And did Peter stand in the vessel all that time? or how many times went he in? or was he in at all? And so of the rest which would beget a thousand Absurdities, if we should deny, that sprinkling is of God, and hold it to be man's invention.

Fourthly, The Sacraments must be administered where the Word is preached: The text saith, Preach and baptize, Mat. 28.19. And as I said, many were baptized in their houses, as Cornelius, and others, immediately after Jesus Christ was preached unto them; neither is it said, preach in one place, and then go to another place to plunge them: In this the Anabaptists do but imitate the Popish Pilgrimage, for Christ hath instituted Baptism to be administered in the Assembly where plunging cannot be.

Fifthly, If a man should stand on the bank, and plunge the baptized under water, in so doing he may break his neck, if the water be shallow, and drown him, if it be deep; and if one should stand in the water to save him, while the other casts him in, there must be two at the least to baptize one man, flat against all examples in Scripture. Now to avoid all these Absurdities, the baptized must be sprinkled, and not plunged under water.

Sixthly, To plunge them naked is against modesty: Let all things be done decently, and in order, 1 Cor. 14 40. Paul rejoiceth in beholding their order, Col. 2.5. The Spouse of Christ is comely as the Curtains of Solomon, Cant. 1.5, And to plunge them naked were a great temptation: David by seeing a naked woman was tempted to adultery, 2 Sam. 11.2, 4. And Christ hath taught us to say, Lead us not into temptation, Mat 6. Neither may they have drawers appointed for that use; this were to make them, the holy breeches of Aaron, Exo. 28.42, 43. as bad as the Prelates Surpless; and for women to wear them, being man's apparel, it were an abomination to the Lord, Deut. 22.5. and the water by that means not touching them all over, they had as good be sprinkled on one p • rt for all: And those in Scripture were not plunged in their clothes, for Lydia and the Jailor feasted the Apostles straightway, Acts 16.15, 34. neither do we find that they shifted themselves, nor that they sat dung wet at meat with them: Therefore to remove these Absurdities it must be granted, that they were sprinkled at their Baptism, and not plunged under water.

Seventhly, John saith, I baptize with water, Mat. 3.11. he doth not say, I baptize you in water; but always the Scripture saith, with water, Ephes. 5, 26. With the washing of water, and with pure water, Heb. 10.22. Yea, to read, in water, when it is said, with water, were as great an error, as to bow at the Name of Jesus instead of in the Name of Jesus: For observe the Scripture, Paul saith to Timothy, When thou comest, bring my cloak with thee, not in thee, 2 Tim. 3.16. Abraham said to the young men, Abide here with the Ass, Gen. 22.5. not in the Ass; so baptize with water, not in the water: So on the other side, Levi paid tithes in Abraham: He was in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him, Heb. 7.9, 10. Now it were very improper to read it thus; Levi paid tithes with Abraham; He was with his fathers loins when Melchizedek met him: So Christ saith, You believe in God, believe also in me; now it were absurd to read, You believe with God, believe also with me: And to bapt • ze in the Name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to read, with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Christ never gave that power to any man, John saith, He that cometh after me baptized with the Holy Ghost, Mat. 3.11. All that were bapt • zed with water were not baptized with the Holy Ghost, as Simon Magus, and others: So where it is said, Sprinkle the door posts with the blood in the bason, it were absurd to read thus, Take the door posts, as Sampson did on his shoulder, and plunge them in some river: So absurd it is, to take any Christian and plunge him under water, when as they are only required to be baptized by sprinkling with water.

Eighthly, The Anabaptists who plead so much for plunging, condemn themselves in their own practice, while they suffer the baptized to wade into the water up to the middle without their help, and then they plunge in the other half: Now, either they must acknowledge that the party doth and may baptize half himself, or else grant, that the lower half was not at all baptized, for they did not put that under water, but our Minister holding the water over the baptized, doth put the baptized under the water. Thus their own practice condemns their plunging, and justifies our sprinkling the baptized to be of God's Institutions.

Lastly, I shall show, That sprinkling one part of the baptized is sufficient: First, Because one drop of water is as truly water as the whole Ocean Sea. 2. There is no measure of water prescribed, only it must be water. 3. The baptized may be under one drop, as well as under a tun. 4. We shall see this cleared by the Conference of Jesus Christ with Peter about washing of his feet, John. 13. saith Peter, Thou shalt never wash my feet, verse. 8. but saith Christ, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in me: This shows, that that washing was Sacramental, and that it was necessary that the Command of Christ should be fulfilled, and that to contemn the Ordinance is damnable, without repentance, although I doubt not but where it cannot be had, God will have mercy, and not sacrifice: But then Peter, who would not be washed at all before, now he is in the other extreme, he, like the Anabaptist, would be plunged all over, verse. 9. but saith Christ, That needeth not, because he is clean every whit, verse. 10. Hence I conclude, That to wash all over by plunging is needless, and to wash one part is sufficient, therefore to sprinkle one part of the baptized is of God's Institution, and the other extremes, one is abominable, and the other more then sufficient.

But Anabaptists will have something to say for plunging, although to small purpose: First, That Jesus when he was baptized went out of the water: And Philip and the Eunuch went both into the water, Acts 8.38. therefore they were plunged under the water.

I answer: Every pit or river in those hot Countries were not always full of water up to the brim, but sometimes a man might go down into the pit or river to the water, and not go in the water: but suppose it were granted, that they did wade into the water, yet that is not plunging them under the water; and to wade in till they came where it was clear, and then to sprinkle them in the Name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, may very well stand with the text, and the contrary cannot be proved without all the former Absurdities.

But they will say, Many came and were baptized of John in Jordan, Mat. 3.6. and the Greek word shows, that was by plunging them into that river.

Answ. They might wade in, and yet be sprinkled, as I said before; and the Greek word as well signifies to sprinkle, as to plunge; but in regard plunging is accompanied with so many Absurdities, sprinkling is to be chosen rather then planging. I might add more Absurdities, thus: Either this Ordinance must be laid aside all the Winter, when as Christ never said, Baptize in Summer, and cease that Ordinance in Winter, which would be a great prejudice to the Church; or else, if observed, it would endanger the lives of those that should be so plunged in the midst of Winter; yea, we can tell the Anabaptists, that some, whom they have plunged in the cold of Winter, have died immediately, and God will require their blood at their hands one day; for God, that would have us to perform all duties in love and charity, will not put us upon duties so ridged, which cannot be performed but by murthering of one another: all which shows plainly, that this is not the easy yoke of Christ, nor the duty required of a gracious God, but rather his invention who was a murderer from the beginning, who murders the bodies in Winter of those that observe it, and the souls of those that neglect it.

But we are said to be buried with Christ by Baptism, Rom. 6.4. therefore the baptized is to be plunged under water.

Answ. In this text is no mention made of baptizing with water, which is the outward form of Baptism; only we are said to be baptized into the death of Christ, and after death, buried with him by Baptism. Now Jesus Christ, along time after he was baptized of John in Jordan, saith, I have a Baptism to be baptized with, Luk. 12.50. which was his death and burial: And he saith to the sons of Zebedee, Ye shall drink of my cup, and be baptized with my Baptism, Mat. 20.23. that is, they shall die, and be buried, and rise again at the last day, and also they shall receive the things signified; that is, the body of sin shall die by the death of Christ, and their sin shall be buried or covered by the bu • ial of Christ, and they shall rise to newness of life by virtue of the Resurrection of Christ; and these are all expressed in that text, Rom. 6.2, 4. This is the Doctrine of Baptism spoken of, Heb. 6.2. But I say here is no mention of the form of Baptism therefore no warrant from this text to plunge the baptized under water. Now if we should bring all those texts that speak of Baptism to prove the outward form, we should run into such a Labyrinth, that we should not be able to get out: As for example, Paul speaks of baptizing the body when it is dead, saying, If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead? 1 Cor. 15.29. Now although here be more in this Text to prove the form of Baptism then in that, Rom. 6. yet we may not at all ground any form of Baptism from it: First, Because the party is dead, and so unfit to make a Member of the Church by that solemn admittance. 2. Any woman may wash the body when it is dead, but none may baptize any Christian with that form of Baptism given to the Church, but the Ministers of the Gospel which are sent to preach and baptize, Mat. 28.19. 3. This washing the dead carcass was done without any words of Institution, therefore not the form of Baptism given to the Church: So then, from such Texts as these we have no warrant to plunge the baptized in, or under the water.

But I shall here end with one caution, which is this, Our Ministers are lawfully called and authorized by Jesus Christ to preach and baptize; and they do administer this Ordinance of Baptism in a right form, that is, in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and with the right matter, being water, and on the right parties, being either men of years, converted to the Christian Faith and Religion, or else to Infants born of Christian Parents; and to a right end, to distinguish Christians from Turks and Infidels; and as a sign of their ingrafting into Christ, engaging them to obey the Gospel, and make Profession of the true Christian Religion. Lastly, That Christ should ratify that outward form, and baptize many of us with the Holy Ghost: Whosoever is thus baptized in our Church, ought not to renounce his Baptism, lest he both renounce the Seals and the Covenant of Grace also: for many of those that have first renounced their Baptism, have at length denied that there is either God or Devil, Heaven or Hell, Grace or Glory, and call themselves Seekers of the fore-mentioned things, which for the present they have lost.

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