before he was born, yet this is what St. Augustine did, by affirming that Jesus baptized John (1): but Augustine had an ecclesiastical system to serve, and according to his sytem no unbaptized person could administer valid baptism to another; and yet the evangelists do not say either that John baptized himself, or that Jesus baptized him, or that he was ever baptized at all. Their silence is respectable, and to curve history to serve system is neither wise nor just; but Augustine knew how much depended on affirming that only his own party could baptize. There is in the royal library at Turin a manuscript of the twelfth century, containing a fabulous history of the Old and New Testament, and in it is a fanciful representation of baptism, and on one side of the picture these words, "Ubi XPS. et Ihoannes in Iordane flumine tincti fyerunt."-" Where Christ and John were baptized in the river Jordan (2)," It is not wonderful that such a man, pretending to inspiration, should utter oracles; but it is really astonishing that any should be so inconsistent, with the true histories in their hands, as to believe him.

It doth not appear that John baptized any persons of rank and fortune. No great names were seen among his converts. The Pharisees in reputation for piety, and the lawyers, famous for their knowledge of the law, rejected the counsel of God by John, and were not baptized by him. This, however, to such as know the men, doth not form even a prejudice in disfavour of the ministry of John.

It is generally supposed John baptized great multitudes. His converts indeed were of the multitude, but it is far from being clear that they were very numerous. All Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region round about, went out to him; many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to his baptism, but they went only as spectators, they went out,as the Lord Jesus expresses it, for to see (3); and this will appear most worthy of belief to such as consider the general character of the Jewish populace and their blind guides, and the pre-requisites necessary to John's baptism, especially when it it observed, that after

(I) Augustini Op. tom. v. serm. 293.

(2) P. M. Paciaudii Antiq. Christian. Roma 1755. Dissert, 2. cap. 8. Membranaceus is est signatus que D. v. 39. (3) Matt. iii. 5. 7. xv. 7, 8, 9.

the resurrection of Jesus, (and it is supposed all Christians saw him) the greatest number of believers assembled together at any one time were not many above five hundred (4). John's disciples were of the common people, of that class of mankind, which of all others is most friendly to free inquiry.

In the kingdom of heaven which John was forming, rank was nothing, superior faculties were nothing, moral excellence was all in all, and faith and repentance were indispensable qualifications for baptism; for on John's part there was no collusion, on that of his converts no blind credulity, and the individuals whom the Baptist formed into a people were distinguished by three characters, a character of freedom, a character of piety, and a character of virtue.

I. A character of freedom. John taught, but he employed no force, he used no allurements, offered no bribes, nor did any thing to give an unworthy bias. He published a fact, of the truth of which all the world was left free to judge, and it was a circumstance highly favourable to his doctrine, that no power in being took it under patronage. It was left in the country among the common people, wholly to itself, at a distance from the court, the temple, and the army, and many of his hearers fully examined, and freely entered on the economy; for they had nothing but conviction to induce them to act as they did.

II. A character of piety. The fact was contained in the prophecies, and the disciples of John believed them, giving themselves up by baptism to the guidance of him whomsoever God had appointed Lord of the economy, whenever it should please God to make him known.

III. A character of virtue. I baptize you, said John, at, or upon your repentance, your invisible abhorrence of sin, manifested by fruits meet for repentance, that is, by reformation. Except in one instance, John baptized only persons having these characters.

This one instance was the baptism of Jesus. In perfect freedom, with eminent piety and virtue, but without any profession of repentance, Jesus was baptized. By this he entered on his public ministry. When John be

(4) 1 Cor. xv. 6. Matt. xxviii. 10. John xx. 17.

gan to baptize at Bethabara beyond Jordan, his first baptismal station, Jesus resided at Nazareth in Galilee, and he did not arrive at Bethabara till all the people had been baptized (5). There is some difficulty in harmonizing this part of the history. The following appears the most probable train of events.

The Jews had many ills of various kinds, and they expected a deliverer, but, more sensible to civil inconveniences than to spiritual disorders, and to the condition of their own nation than to that of all mankind, they hoped to see a temporal prince invested with power to gratify the ambition and avarice of the seed of Abraham. When John appeared proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, the rulers of the metropolis sent messengers to him to obtain authentic information of what he meant. John informed them of what he knew, that he did not pretend to be the Messiah, that however he was standing among them, and would in due time be made known. John and Jesus were near akin, their mothers were intimate, and John it seems knew him when he came to be baptized, and paid that respect to him which was due from a man of inferior talents and virtue to his superiWhen Jesus came to Jordan, John knowing his general character, said, I have need to be baptized of thee: but he did not know till after he had baptized him, that he was the Messiah, for he, who sent him to baptize, had informed him that he should know the Messiah from every other man by a visible sign. I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest unto Israel. I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining, the same is he.

or.

To Bethabara, amidst a great multitude of spectators, in presence of those who had been baptized, and were now in waiting for him, a people prepared for the Lord, and while John was conversing with the deputation from Jerusalem, Jesus came to be baptized, giving by his conduct, as well as by his language to John, the most unequivocal proof of his entire approbation of water baptism. Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. The very handsome and respectful manner in which John received Jesus, and the conversation that passed between

(5) Luke iii. 21. Mat. iii. 13. ii. 23.

them, no doubt, held up Jesus to the multitude as some person of singular merit, produced a pause, and a profound silence, and attracted every eye to behold the man. Immediately after John had baptized Jesus, he went up out of the water praying, and while he was going up, the clouds parted, and a bright light appeared hovering over him, falling and rising, rising and falling, as a dove hovers when it is about to alight, and at length settling on him. This was placing his person in full view, so that his features could not be mistaken, and, to those who saw him, his face must ever after have been the best known face in Judea. While the spectators were beholding this new and strange appearance, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. John seeing the promised sign, exclaimed, addressing himself to the deputation from Jerusalem. This is he of whom I said, he that cometh after me is preferred before me; and he repeated the same record the two succeeding days, on seeing Jesus walking, and so engaged his disciples to deliver themselves up to the Son of God, which was the chief design of his ministry.

It is supposed the deputation from Jerusalem was present, because some time after, when Jesus was at Jerusalem he reproved the citizens for their obstinate infidelity, spoke of the embassy to John, and according to some criticks, referring to the voice from heaven and the luminous appearance, asked, Have ye never at any time heard his voice, or seen his shape (6)? implying that they

had.

John had foretold that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and various opinions are formAn ingenious foreigner supposes ed of his meaning. (7), that John alluded to a statute in the law, which says, Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire—and all that abideth not the fire, ye shall make it go through the water: and that he intended to inform the Jews, not of the tongues of fire to be exhibited at Pentecost, but only in general, that Jesus would exercise a much more effectual ministry than he, that he would purify some by exciting in them acute convictions,

(6) John v. 33, &c. Dr. Macknight quoted in the Theological Repository, Vol. i. p. 55. second edit.

(7) Conrad. Ikenii.

Dissert, Philol. Theol. Lugd. 1749. Dis. xix.

and by trying them with great calamities, and that he would punish the refractory and finally impenitent with destruction. Others (8) understand this of the effusion of the Spirit at Pentecost, which sense seems to be countenanced by these words, John baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.

CHAP. V.

WHETHER THE BAPTISM OF JOHN WERE TAKEN FROM ANY JEW. ? ISH WASHINGS, PARTICULARLY THAT OF PROSELYTES

IT is not pleasant to leave the high road of narration for the thorny paths of controversy. It is a drudgery, however, which men of great respectability have obliged, such as narrate the story of Baptism, to undergo. It is not impossible to state the case without entering into the dispute.

Before any reasonings from Jewish washings, or the baptism of proselytes, as it is improperly called, can be admitted in debates concerning Christian baptism, order requires, that the fact be ascertained. Purifications of proselytes indeed there were, but there never was any such ceremony as baptism in practice before the time of John. If such a rite had existed, the regular priests, and not John, would have administered it, and there would have been no need of a new and extraordinary appointment from heaven to give being to an old established custom, nor would it have been decent for John, or any other man to treat native Jews, especially Jesus, who had no Paganism to put away, as Pagan proselytes were treated. This uninteresting subject hath produced voluminous disputes, which may be fairly cut short by demanding at the outset substantial proof of the fact, that the Jews baptized proselytes before the time of John, which can never be done.

It is remarkable of this controversy, that they, who most earnestly take the affirmative, are of all men the least interested; for could a christian rite be taken off the ground of immediate divine appointment, and placed on

(8) Zuinglii de Baptismo. Lib. De prima baptismi origine. Calvini Inst. iv. 15. 10. Chemnitii Exam. Trident. ad Canon. De Bapt. Bullingeri adv. Anabapt. Lib. vi. cap. i. Musculi Loc. com. de Bapt. Chamieri Panstrat, tom. iv. De Bapt.