piety, virtue, social happiness, and so on, and some of them of great weight.

Those who practise infant baptism have been requested to consider whether the baptism of babes have not effected a revolution greatly in disfavour of the evidences of Christianity by exhibiting whole nations of Christians, who were all forced to profess the religion of Jesus without their knowledge or consent. Is it, they ask, because Christianity will not bear examination, or have the children of Christians less right to judge for themselves than the first converts had? In the days of the apostles, it was argument to tell, multitudes were added both of men and women (8). The word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith (9). The same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls (1). This is no argument now. Further, it is inquired, whether the turning of whole nations into christian churches, so that there is no world, but all is church, have not deprived Christianity of that noble argument which the purity of the doctrine of Christ afforded. The few upright lose the evidence of their shining as lights in the world in the vast multitude of wicked characters, among whom they are obscured, confounded, and lost. Of what national church can it be said the people are holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners? What nation, if they observe the direction of apostolical epistles, durst claim a letter directed to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints (2)? To such a change, say they, it is owing that infidelity abounds; and a Christianity of this kind admits of no defence.

Such as confine the administration of baptism to men in orders, have been requested to advert to the history of priesthood, and to reconcile, if it be possible, the effects produced by it to the spirit and temper, the doctrine and conduct, of the Lord Jesus Christ, the freedom and peace of mankind, the maxims of good civil government, the prosperity of commerce, and many other articles remotely or immediately affected

8 (8) Acts v. 14. (9) Ib. vi. 7.

(1) Ib. ii. 41. (2) 1 Cor. i. 2.

by the dominion necessarily connected with every kind of priesthood.

To those who set aside baptism, it hath been asked, What is there in the inoffensive ordinance of baptism that should tempt a wise and good man to lay it aside? What line of separation do you leave between the world and the church? Why deprive Christians of the honour and pleasure of confessing Christ? Why take away the powerful motives to holiness, which are taken from a voluntary putting on Christ by baptism? If it could be proved that a few Greek Christians wholly disused waterbaptism, which by the way is not granted, what is this to a modern Christian? Is it history? Let it pass. Is it urged as argument? On the same principle, it may be also argued, that the established church of Greece used trine immersion, and the single church of Antioch, only one city of many, consisted of one hundred thousand souls, half the number of inhabitants (3). The Greek dissenters all baptized, and particularly the Eunomians, who denied the Trinity, and rejected the baptism of trine immersion of the established church, administered baptism by single immersion (4) either in the name of Christ, or in the death of Christ; supposing either that Peter had altered the form of words (5), or that Paul described the form of administration when he said, Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death (6)? If numbers be argument, the yeas have it; but where the authority of scripture cannot be quoted, and where no substantial reasons from the fitness of things can be urged, and where history cannot help, it seems at least hazardous to lay aside a practice, which the Lord Jesus himself honoured by his own example, and which it seems he left to his disciples to enable them to follow his steps. There can be no danger in following his steps in an imitable case, as baptism is allowed to be,

(3) Chrysost. vita.

(4) Concil. Constantinop. i. Can. vii. Evvoμiavous μsy ToL, TOUS HIS MID χαλκουσιν Βαπτιζομένους, &c.

(5) Egidii Carlerii Orat. in Concil. Basil. habit. Petrus Apostolus formam baptismi a Christo traditam mutabit in istam, Ego te baptizo in nomine domini nostri Jesu Christi, &c.

(6) Basilii Op. Tom. ii. de Spiritu Sancto. cap. xii. Adversus eos qui discunt sufficere baptisma tantum in nomine Domini. Binii note in canon. Apost. Can. xlix.

and there is no likelihood of placing Christianity in a better state than that in which he himself placed it. True the baptism of immersion is in modern times, in some churches, fallen into neglect and contempt; but if that be a motive for disowning it, let such Christians be thankful they did not live in the days of Jesus himself, who was more despised by Jews than any of his institutes ever were by Christians.

CHAP. VIII.

OF APOSTOLICAL BAPTISM.

THE state of baptism during the lives of the apostles is to be gathered from the book of Acts written by Luke, the first ecclesiastical historian. It extends from the ascension of Christ to the residence of Paul at Rome, a space of more than thirty years. The book is full of information, and in regard to baptism, it informs by what it does not say, as well as by what is reported. For example. The historian relates the baptism of many proselytes, as Cornelius, the Ethiopian eunuch, and others, on their profession of Christianity; of course the administrators did not know of such a custom as proselyte-baptism, or they did not understand proselyte-washing to be baptism, or they practised anabaptism, which is not credible.

There are frequent narrations of the baptism of believers, but not one infant appears in the whole history; yet, no doubt, some Christians had married, and had young families within the thirty years between the ascension of Jesus and the settlement of Paul at Rome.

There is no mention of any of the ceremonies which modern Christians have affixed to baptism: no consecration of water, no sprinkling, no use of oils and unguents, no sponsors, no kneeling in the water, no trine immersion, no catechumen-state, no giving a name, no renunciation of any demon, none of the innumerable additions, which, under pretence of adorning, have obscured the glory of this heavenly institute. It belongs to those who practise such additions to say how they came by them, and under what master they serve.

It is observable, there is no mention of baptizing in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Peter exhorted the Jews of Jerusalem to repent, and be baptized every one of them in the name of Jesus Christ. Philip baptized the Samaritans in the name of the Lord Jesus. Peter commanded believers at Cæsarea to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Many Christians taking it for granted, that the apostles thoroughly understood the words of the Lord Jesus, and supposing the form of words of local and temporary use, administer baptism in the name of Christ, and think themselves justified by the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

CHAP. IX.

OF EASTERN BATHS.

IN this country, bathing is not considered, except by a few individuals, as an enjoyment, and many think of it with reluctance; but in the East it is far otherwise, and is to be numbered among the conveniences, if not the necessaries of life. Established customs derived originally from nature are seldom changed, they continue the same, or nearly the same, in all ages in the same countries; for they rise out of the climate of the country, and the condition of the natives. The inhabitants of the East from the most remote antiquity to this day, have been naturally impelled, from the warmth of the climate, to consider bathing as one of the highest enjoyments of life, and their water-works for this as well as for other uses are magnificent and innumerable. It is difficult to compress a subject so voluminous into a narrow compass, and to leave unapplauded those grand reservoirs, those expensive aqueducts, those extended and incomparable canals, those ingenious devices for raising and distributing water into baths, those distinguished honours which have been bestowed on the immortal architects, and those innumerable benefits which the inhabitants derive from them, and which make so conspicuous a figure in all good histories of the East. A general idea, however, is necessary to the

present design; and omitting the great and national (1) works of this kind, a small miniature picture of a domestic enjoyment of water shall be taken from a late celebrated lady (2). These are her words:

"Abroad the common people enjoy themselves (3). For some miles round Adrianople the whole ground is laid out in gardens (4), and the banks of the rivers are set with rows of fruit trees, under which all the most considerable of the Turks divert themselves every evening, not with walking, that is not one of their pleasures; but a set party of them choose out a green spot, where the shade is very thick, and there they spread a carpet, on which they sit drinking their coffee, and are generally attended with some slave with a fine voice, or that plays on some instrument. Every twenty paces you may see one of these little companies, listening to the dashing of the river; and this taste is so universal, that the very gardeners are not without it. I have often seen them and their children sitting on the banks of the river, and playing on a rural instrument perfectly answering the description of the ancient fistula, being composed of unequal reeds, with a simple but agreeable softness in the sound.

"In their gardens water is an essential part of elegance. In the midst of the garden is a chiosk, that is a large room, commonly beautified with a fine fountain in the midst of it. It is raised nine or ten steps, and enclosed with gilded lattices, round which, vines, jessamines, and honey-suckles make a sort of green wall; large trees are planted round this place, which is the scene of their greatest pleasures, and where the ladies spend most of their hours, employed by their musick or embroidery. In the publick gardens there are publick chiosks, where people go that are not so well accommodated at home, and drink their coffee and sherbet.

"In private rooms water is a part of the innocent luxuriance of eastern embellishment (5). The rooms are low, which I think no fault, and the ceiling is always of wood, generally inlaid or painted with flowers. They open in many places with folding doors, and

(1) Grævii Thesaur. De Aquæduct ----Balneis ---- Thermis, &c. ---- Pococke's Description of the East. Aqueducts.

(2) Right Hon. Lady Mary Wortley Montague's Letters.

(3) Vol. i. Let. xxx. (4) Vol. i. Let. xxxii. (5) Vol, ii. Let. xliii.