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ATTERSOL.

'Dipping into water is not necessary to the being of a sacrament. Sprinkling of water is not necessary to the being of a sacrament. But wetting and washing with water are necessary to the being of a sacrament."*

HAMMOND. "By Christ's appointment, whosoever may be received into his family should be received with this ceremony of water; therein to be dipped three times, or instead of that to be sprinkled, with it."+

WALL. "The word Banuto in Scripture signifies to wash in general, without determining the sense to this or that sort of washing."‡

POOL. " Why does Mark use βαπτίζεσθαι oι νιπτεσθαι,” in Mark vii. 4?. "Answer. It was lawful to wash the hand in either mode, either by pouring on water, or by immersing them .... so that it is not without reason that a word is used which is common to either mode.”||

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WITSIUS. "We are not to imagine that immersion is so necessary to baptism, that it cannot be duly performed by pouring water all over, or by aspersion."§

OWEN. "Baptism is any kind of washing, whether by dipping or sprinkling."¶

TILENUS. "If we regard the etymology of the word baptism, it signifies dipping, and also sprinkling."**

KECHERMAN. Baptism signifies either immersion, or washing or pouring (perfusionem.")++

FLAVEL. "The word baptize signifying as well to wash as to plunge; a person may be truly baptized that is not plunged.‡‡

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otherwise than as it is a mode of washing with

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DOEDERLEIN. "The power of the word Bantigo is expressed (in lavando, abluendo) in washing or performing ablution; on which account we read of the baptism of cups, in Mark vii, 8,, and the rite itself is called (xabugioμos) a purifying, in John iii. 25.”†

MORUS. "To baptize is in a solemn manner to immerse a man in water, or to pour water upon him."‡

ADAM CLARKE. "To say that sprinkling is no gospel baptism is as incorrect as to say that immersion is none. Such assertions are as unchristian as they are uncharitable. Those who are dipped in water in the name of the Trinity, I believe to be baptized. Those who are washed or sprinkled with water in the name of the Trinty, I believe to be equally so; and the repetition of such a baptism I believe to be profane. Others have a right to believe the contrary, if they see good."||

This list of quotations need not to be enlarged. The reader. will see what the opinion of distinguished menlexicographers, critics, and theologians-has been, in regard to the point before us; and on a question of this nature, the judgment of the learned ought to have weight. -I know it will be said, that authority is pleaded on the other side; and that quotations have been given from Pedobaptist writers, seeming to favor the idea of exclusive immersion. But in making these quotations, our brethren have not always treated either their authors or the public fairly, In selecting single sentences, or parts of sentences, from large works, where saving clauses and

* Diss. on In. Bap. p. 25.

Institut. Theol. Chris. Vol. ii. p. 748.

Commentarius Ex. His. Vol ii. p. 491.

Comment. on Mat, iii 6. and Mark xvi. 16.

§ Mr Carson, while endeavoring to show that Bantico "always signifies to dip," concedes, that he has "all the lexicographers and coinmentators against him, in that opinion." p. 79.

qualifying words and phrases are omitted, authors may easily be made to speak a language which they never intended, and wrong impressions may be left upon the public mind. It is true, that some Pedobaptists have been partial to immersion, and have wished that it might come into more general use; but where is the Pedobaptist who, (judged of, not by insulated passages, but by the whole of his works) has maintained that immersion is essential to baptism? For this, it will be recollected, is the point at issuė, Is immersion essential? Truly, I know of no such Pedobaptist. Whatever the preferences of individuals. may have been, writers of this class would say, with united voice, that immersion is not essential to baptism; that the ordinance may be validly administered in other. modes.

(3.) We come now to consider the import of BantiĻO, and the kindred terms, as exhibited in their general use. My object will be to show, that these words are often used by writers, sacred and profane, to signify something less than a total immersion.

The Sibylline verse concerning the city of Athens, as quoted by Plutarch in his life of Theseus, is as follows + Ασχος βαπτίζη, δέ τοι θέμις εστι.

"Thou mayest be baptized, O bladder, but it is not permitted to thee to go under the water."-The représentation is that of a leathern bottle or bladder cast upon the water, but which can hardly be pressed under it ;-importing that though the Athenian state might be brought into great dangers, it could not be destroyed. The idea of immersion is of course precluded.

Aristotle says, "The Phenicians who inhabit Cadiz relate, that, sailing beyond Hercules' pillars with the wind at East, in four days they came to a land uninhabited, whose coast was full of sea weeds, and is not (ẞantigeσÔα) ·COVered with water at ebb; but when the tide comes in, it is

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entirely overwhelmed."*-Here is a baptism, but no immersion. The coast was not plunged into the tide, but the tide flowed over the coast.

Homer, representing the death of one of his heroes, says, "He struck him across the neck with his heavy sword, and the sword became. warm with blood.". One ancient Greek critic remarks on this passage thus; "The sword is represented as (εbuлtion) baptized with blood." Another says, "In this phrase Homer expresses himself with the greatest energy, signifying that the sword was so (Baлtiσ0εvios) baptized in blood, that it was even heated by it.' But how could a sword be plunged into the blood of a man, in cutting off his head? Doubtless it was more or less stained with blood. By a strong figure, it might be said to be bathed in blood. But in this case, the bathing must have been effected by the blood flowing over the sword, and not by the sword being plunged into the blood.

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In his account of the Platonic Banquet, Aristophanes acknowledges that he had been (3e6aлtioueror) baptized with wine on the preceding day. Surely he had not been, either literally or figuratively, plunged into wine; .but the wine had been poured into him. Figuratively, he had been overcome by it..

.Mr. Ewing, in his greek Lexicon (Art. Barugo) has several examples of the same kind.” Βεβαπτίσθαι τω azgato, to be baptized with wine." Οινω δε πολλω Αλεξανδρον βαπτισασα. Having baptized Alexander with

much wine."

A few examples of the figurative use of antico by profane authors will show, that this word is not altogether so determinate in its signification, as some men seem to imagine.

* In Carson and Cox on Baptism, pp. 17, 86.

In Quarterly Review, Vol. xxiv. p. 431.

Diodorus Siculus says, "On account of the abundant supply from these sources, they do not (antigovor) oppress the common people with taxes."*

Josephus speaks of some who, without engaging in faction, afterwards (ebaлtσav) oppressed the city.". Plutarch says "(Вebaлtioμεvoi) oppressed with a debt of five thousand myriads."

Josephus, speaking of the purification from defilement by a dead body, says, "and (Bantioavies) having baptized some of the ashes with spring water, they sprinkled," &c. || From the direction in the ceremonial law, we know how this baptism was performed. "They shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel, and a clean person shall sprinkle it." Numb. xix. 17. This putting of running water to the • ashes is called by Josephus a baptizing of the ashes.

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In Ecclesiasticus xxxiv. 30, we have a similar use of the word βαπτίζω. “ He (βαπτιζομενος) that is baptized or purified from the touch of a dead body, and again toucheth it, what is he profited (10 Lov100) by his washing?" Here, the purification from the touch of a dead body, which consisted (in part at least) in being sprinkled and washing the clothes, is called a baptism. It is also called (hourgo) a washing, making baptizing and washing to be of the same import.

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In Judith xii. 7, Judith is said to have gone out the night, and (ebuлize10) baptized herself in the camp. (εлi Tηs anys) at the fountain of water." The preposition here used, (e) as well as the circumstances of the case, forbid the supposition that Judith plunged herself into the fountain. She went and washed herself at it; and this washing is called a baptism.

* Lib. 50. Cap. 73.

+ Joseph. de Bello, iv. 3.

In Carson and Cox on Baptism, p. 131.
See Numbers xix. 19.

Antiq. Lib. iv. Cap. 4.

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