^ ^- it&^6 ^^^BjSr^Sfev-" <: ^*.« r^SaR^ii ^itiiKr"' "^ PLUNGING A Subjed of BIGOTRY, When made efTential to . BAPTISM. Bigotry is an excejfive Fondnefs for a Man^s own Sentiments^ or ftanding up for this^ or the other Set of Opinions^ with more Conceit and Eagernefs than the Reafon and Importance of them require. --- "true Zeal is always according to Knowledge, meafured hy the Moments of 'Things., and within due Bounds : But Bi GOT KY is a difproportionate Concern to the Weight of the .Matter., and to the Prejudice of fome other Truth, Occafional Papers, Vol. I. No. r. LONDON, Printed and Sold by M. F e n n e r, at the Tl/r^'s- • Head in Gracechurch-Street. M DCC XLI . 31 [3] O N P L UN G I NG I N BAPTISM. HAT man, who wifheth well to all men, whofe good will and kind afifedlions are truly catholick, who regards every man as a crea- ture of God^ and from the love he has to him that created, loves him that is created by him ; every fuch man will feel a painful concern about the happinefs of others, efpecially, when he perceives hovj Jirjl principles. lofe their fpring and moment, by trifles engaging the attention. Men ufually fix on thofe things as the fubjedls of conten- tious, angry zeal, which the dodtrine of Je- A 2 fu« 4 On Plunging in Baptifm. fus has propofed to be the occafions of cha^ r'fy, and a fuitable means of difplaying the benevolent affedions. For my own part, I am of opinion, that fuch miftaken conducft fhould be freely ex- amined, and the folly of it, as much as pofli- ble expofed. — Nor v/ould I, vvhilft cenfuring the bigotry of another, (hew a temper unwor- thy the chriftian charadler ; being fully perfuad- ei, that ntiihtr fpr inkling, four hig, nov plunging, fliould be looked upon, as fufficient occafion of any abatement of my elleem, love, and brotherly affedion. The modes of baptifm fhould certainly be placed among thofe indife- rent things, concerning which, all chriitians have the liberty either to ufe the one or the other. And In no one inftance wherein chriilians may differ, has any perfon the le^iji right to judge or cenfure his brother, or to defpife or contemn him. '^rys^:r Let us not therefore judge one another any more y but judge this rather, that 720 man put a [lumbUng bloclz, or an occafion to fall in his brother s way. It is very dangerous to make that e[jhitial or neceffary^ either to chri- flian communion, or falvation, which the doc- trine of Chrift, and of his apoftles have not, — The queftion before us, is, n^vhat foundation can be dijcovered in fcripture, for laying anyjlrefs upon p J. u N G I N G in baptifm ? — Nor is the que- ftion unreafonable or impertinent > for, // is well known^ 07t Plungmg in Baptifm. 5 known^ that there are numbers among iis^ who will have it^ that christian baptism mujl imply IMMERSION, under flood by Jo plu?7ging in water ^ as to cover the whole body : and that pour ^ ing^ or fprinkliug of water on the body^ is no baptifm. But inafmuch as thefe perfonsmuft allow that the word ^ct-Tfltlco is fometimes uled, nay, frequently, for pour i fig ox fpr inkling : and fince they have no manner of evidence that either yohn xhtfore-rujiner^ or the difciples of Jefus, did fo plunge aiid cover with water, it fecms wrong to lay fo great a ftrefs upon it. That "John^ or the difciples of our Lord did plunge, is not a clear pointy as fliall be ihewn from many places, where the word can intend no more than pouring or fprinkling ; and like- wife from thofe pafTages which are faid to prove that Chriftian Baptijm exprefsly implies plung- i?jg^ i. e. covering all over with water. And, I. Take we notice of fome of thofe ^exts^ whch do not ufe the word for plunging : and they are asfolloweth, Mark viii. 4. — And when they come fr 0771 the7narket^ except they wash they eat not. Afid many other things they do^ which they have received to hold^ as the waj}ji7tg^ [^^Trl/^rit/.K?,] of cups and pots^ brazen veffels^ and of tables. In the firfl inftance, it is not probable that they plunged themfelves, and cover'd their whole bodies with water, befpre they eat , — and in thQ 6 On Plunging in Baptiim. the latter, tho' they miglit plunge their pots and ciips,and brazen veflcis, yet it is not hkely they fhould plunge their beds ; foi* fo. the word ren- dred tables {x^k'cov) is generally underflood. — Of this variety of baptifms, we have mention made, Heb. ix. i o. and divers baptifms. — BATlK^f^o/^ — which 159. 12 On Plunging in Baptifm. Nor fliould any fay, that this is too mean a circumftance to be taken notice of, for the decency or indecency of the rite would depend upon it, if plunging^ and efpecially plunging naked -f was eflential to chriftian baptifm. Under this head, which refpeds mens uncafy fcruples about the quantity of water ; we might expedl that the tender confcience fliould be as much, nay more folicitous about its quality^ that is to fay, whether it (hould be hard or Joft^ frep or fait ^ fprifig or pond y river or Jea water. • It is not fufficlent that John baptized in E?2on, where were much or many waters, un- lefs we know the quality of them. They might be running waters or (landing pools : or they might be wells that had been funk there for the convenience of cattle. And if the many or much waters (hould allude to the roaring of an high fea, they might be yi/if waters. But in reply, it may be faid, that the jfay- Icr could not be fuppos'd to haveanyyT?// or fea water in his houfc ; and therefore, we may fup- pofe that it vi2isfrej7j water. Grant it ; it does not yet appear whether it was running or Jlanding water that he had laid in, any more than what quantity. And methinks if either quality or quantity was of importance, one would have expeded t Cave'i Prim. Chriftianity. P. i. pag, 317. as hefire. On Plunging in Baptifm* 13 expeded much clearer hints concerning the quality % becaufe, this feems to deferve in its own nature 'Hijirjl regard : for fuppofing a man would apply an inftituted baptifmal rite as a fymbol of purity, and was fo fituated that he could not have water fufficient to plunge^ but what was foul and muddy, as from Handing and unwholfome lakes ^ and he could, at the fame time, be able to come at a clear and fweet fpiing, that would admit of his apply- ing the pure element only hy pouring or fprink^ ling^ any ftander-by would be able to difcern the aptnefs of the latter fymbol in a light much preferable to ih^ former. But, that neither quantity nor quality is effential to chriftian baptifm, is deducible from the Jilence of the facred hiftorians : for even Lydia herfelf and her houfliold, tho' baptized after prayer by the river- fide, are not faid to have gone into it, or to have been plung'd in it. Nay, their fiot being faid to have gone into it^ pro- bably may intimate that it was a deep river, and not fo fit for baptifm as the many waters, or rivulets, or wells, where fohn baptized. — The mark or note of plunging, from their going down into the water ^ and coming up out of it^ is quite loft in the cafe of Lydia^ and the inOance of the Jayler will only fufFer a warm imcigination to invent plunging. B JT I proceed to confider the ftrength of fome of their chiei fortrcfll?, — And the greateft ftrefs 14 On Plunging in Baptifin. ftrefs ff^ems \.o be laid on the two following paflages of fcripture, Ro7n, vi. 3, 4. and CoL ii. 12. — Thcfirji is, Rom. vi. 3, 4. Know ye not that fo many of us as were baptifed into Jefus Chriji, were baptifed into his death? therefore we are buried with him by baptifm info death : that like as Chrifi was raifed up from the dead by the glory of the Father^ even fo we alfoflmild walk in newnefs of life. Baptizing into Chrifi ^ all muft allow to be 2i figure^ and to intend no more than bap- tizing into an open profefHon of his doftrine : but the author of it bavins; been crucified, the dodlrine which the apoftles and firft chrittians profefTed, was that of a crucified J ejus. For grace ^ or favour^ reign eth thro* righteoufnefs unto eternal life, by this crucified Jefus ; tho' fin^ or the one offence had reigned unto death, fee chap. v. 9, 10, 12 and 21 ver. compared. therefore we are buried with him by baptifm into death ; i. e. into this doctrine of the crofs. But what was this ? fee ver. i o. In that he died^ he died unto fin once. Now, fin had no manner of place in him, ftripped of a figure : but his dying unto fin once^ mud intend his willing fubjeCtion to the curfe of that pofitive law, in the day thou eatefi^ &c. which had denounced death upon the humane family. Death was not impofed on him as a demerit^ but as the body which he took upon him was humane, and fo capable of mortality^ he, agreeable to his mifiiion, gave up his life a facrifice to the fin On Plunging in Baptifm. 15 fin and rage of men \ he died ufito fm once^ hut in that he Uveth^ he liveth unto God, And the privilege we are initiated into, by baptifm^ (hews us a moft reconciling view of our peri- lous ftate ; fince death is deftroyed by his dying once, or, once fubmitting to death 5 jor in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. — And if we have been planted together in the likenefs of his death^ we SHALL alfo be in the likenefs of his refur- rebVion, ver. 5. That this cannot intend any refemblance from the baptifmal water, feems evident ; becaufe, the^ it would have been rendered, we alfo have been in the likenefs of his refurrecSlion, when rifing out of the water ^ and not wx Aiofhall be.— — Th e being planted in the likenefs of his deaths don't feem to intend the being plunged in water ^ ^s fuch plunging bears no refemblance to his death, or crucifixion-, for there, the blood which came from his head, hands, feet, and fide, did not imbrue his whole body, or cover it, as a body immerfed or plunged in water. Nor does a likenefs of his refurreBion {land imag'd by the rifing out of the water. It evidently refers to what is future, and has for its antecedent our ( the apoftles ) fo being planted together in the likenefs of his death, as to be interefted in the atonement, to be juftified . by his blood. Knowing this, that our old man^ (or this animal life) is crucified with him, that the body of fin might be defiroyed, that henceforth we fiould not ferve fin --, for be that is dead, is freed 1 6 On Plunging in Baptifm. freed from Jin , which expreffions feem to refer to our (the apoftle's) being fecure of life, tho* the body muft be diflblved. And, notwith- ftanding our being dead with Chriji^ fubjed: to die once as well as Chrift, yet we are affured cflife with him ; forafmuch, as he being raifed from the dead, dieth no more 'y death has no more dominion over him. And tho^ this mortal iROTiY of ours mufl be dejlroyed^ yet^ henceforth^ (/xMJCfiT/, non amplius,) yet no more fjallwe befub- jedt to its dominion \ when like as Chrijl was raifed from the dead by the glory of the Father^ we alfo fhall walk in newnefs of life ^ ver. 4. Applying the phrafe, walk in newnefs of life, to a future ftate of exiftence, I ima- gine, may be defended, from its being the only ftatc in which we can refemble Chrift, confidered as raifed from the dead by the glory of the Father, And if we keep our eye upon fin ftill reigning to deaths ch. v. ver. 21. not- withfanding the abounding grace of God in Je-- fus; we may then underftand the queftion diredly put upon this, ch. vi. ver. i. to have refpecft Xofns reigning unto death ; and, confe- quently, we may look upon St. Paul as ufmg a metonymy, putting the cauje for the effeB, fn for death : hereupon the quefl ion will be un- derftood thus ; fhall we continue under the reign of fin, under death, that grace may abound? far from it ; this is every way incon/ifient : fome of us are dead to fin, how after this Jhall we live in it ? or, be under its dominion. And the man- ner On Plunging in Baptifm.^ 17 ner of our being dead to fin, ye know ; viz. oar being [emphatically ] baptized into Chrijl's, death. If this rend ring be juft, then the walking in neimiefs of life ^ would fitly be expreffive of the after-flate, or of a refurredlion from the dead, in refemblance of Chriil's bcifig raifedfrotn the dead^ by the glory of the Father, I HAVE found the word, yiewne^s^ but twice ufed in the New Teftament, /. e, here, and chap. vii. 6. There it is joined to Spi- rit, 7iewnefs of Spirit, and refers to their being dead to the Mcfaic law, as become the fubjeds of a 7tew confiitiition, — No impropriety then ap- pears in St. PWs expreffing himfelf thus, with reference to xhtjlate he fhould be in, wheji raifed up from the dead, like to his Lord : forafmuch, as his walking in new?2efs of life, would fuit the reflitutio?! or re-creating of all things, the new body, the refurreBio7i body, and the new heavens and 72ew earth in which dwells righteoufnefs. — — Besides, ver, 15. feems to (hew, that the queftion put, ver, i. refers to our (the A- poftle's) fubjedtion to death, rather than to his continuing thtfave of fin, or vice. And this fenfe may be confirmed from ver, 14. for he had declared, that fin fhould not have domi- nion over the converts, no more than over him, becaufe they were not U7ider the law but C ufider 1 8 On Plunging in Baptifm* under grace. Upon the mention of which, he fees a perverfe queftion arifing in their minds, viz. Whether this would be a toleration or lice?ife for their finning ? and he anfwers, far from it. He muft then in this former part of the chapter, have deaths and not tra^ifgrefjion in view ; and fecurity from death, as obtained by the death and refiirreBion of Jefus^ or, his argument through the whole chapter will feem very indijliiiB and confufed, Thus the apoftle appears, to me, to be defcribing the high advantages fecured to the chriftian, who has embraced the do&ine of his Lord, whom he before has been placing in contraft with the firft Adarn^ and therein ihewn, that the benefits confer d by Jefus, are of an infinitely fuperior nature, to thofe lofi by the firft Adam, So that although the queftions are put, ver, 1,2. viz. Whether we fhall continue in fin ^ that grace may abound'? And how JJmU we that are dead to fin live . any longer therein ? Yet, if under ftood of vice^ the ^ire6t anfwer to thefe queftions appears not to take place, till ver, 11, 12. Likewife reckon ye alfo yourfelves to be dead indeed U7ito fin-y but alive unto God through Jefus Chrijl our Lord. Let not fin therejore reign in your mortal body^ that ye fould obey it in the lufi thereof, -^^wX if from ver, 3. toi;^r. 1 1. be un- dcrftood as an immediate anfwer to the quef- tions On Phmging i?t Baptifm. 19 tlons put, ver. i, 2. the fenfe and reafoning will perhaps be plain and intelligible, fliould we apply the paragraph" to the apojlles, who were, in an high fenfe, baptized into Chriji's death! as may be illuftrated from fuch paf- fages as thefe, Matth. xx, 23. 7'e JI:all indeed drink of my cup^ and be hatized with the bap- tifm that I am baptized with, — In which fort of baptifms^ St. Faul fays, he had often been ; in deaths oft en ^ 2 Cor. xi. 23. — I die daily ^ I Cor. XV. 31. And how many converts to Chriftianity (fays Dr. 5. Clarke^ in the primitive ages, before they could be baptized, were carried immediately to martyrdom ? yet no one doubted, but their dying literally widi and for Chrifl, was more than equivalent to their being figuratively buried with him by baptifm into death. — Serm. Vol. vii, pag, 253. But upon the a/.ftom and practice of the primitive ages, fubfequent to the apoftles, I lay no ftrefs. — Sufferings and death for the caufe of Chrift were a proper baptifm^ as the efficacy of Chrift's doctrine was very fignificantly ex- hibited by fuch death and fufferings. Besides, there feems to be a great agree- ment between the reafoning of St. Paul heie, and in that xv^^ of 1^' 0)r, There ^ he had been aiferting the foundation of the chriflian's hopes of a refurreflion to eternal Ife, upon C 3 ChriiVs ao On Plunging in Baptifm. Chrift's being r//67z, and become the/r/? /rz/zV^ of them that fleep 3 and that fmcc by man came deaths by man came alfo the rejurreBlon cf the dead ; that as in Adam all die^ even Jo in Cknjl P:>oAI all be made alive ^ ver. 20, 21, 2.2, And then he takes notice of the eyMU tation of Jefus: but at ver. 29. he draws this inference ; elfe what Jl:all they do, inJoich arc baptized for the dead, if the dead rife not at all ? "why are they then baptized for the dead ? aitd why ft and we in jeopardy every hour? and in ver, 31, 32. he mentions his own perils. After that, he expatiates upon the nature of the refurredtion ; and concludes the chapter with an exhortation to his brethren^ to be fted- faft. — A parallel to this, we have in Rom. v. and vi. — We are then to confider St. Paul, as having, in chap. v. reprefented Adam and Chrifi in ccntn^ft, and {hewed the great ad- vantage that the mediation of Jelus intro- duced ; — and in chap. vi. reprefenting the certainty cf the dodrine, as built upon the refurredion of Jefus, and his dying no more. Hence, it is not at all tmnatural for him to mention himfclf, as being buried with Chrift in baptifm ; and to keep in his eye the fecu- rity of immortal life which he had through him, — and after this, to enforce the dodrine upon chriflians. Nor can we fuppofe St. Vaul to have lai4 any manner of ftrefs upon the mode of water- paptifai here 3 lincc we find him, i Cor, i. i4r and On Plmtgmg in Baptifm. 21 and onward, glorying, that had he baptized but few ; and that baptifm was oi final I im- portance compared with the preaching of the gofpel ; for Chrift fent me not to baptize, but to preach the gofpel. The other paflage of Scripture on which {o much flrefs is laid, is, CoL ii. 12. Buried isoith him in baptijm, wherein alfo you are rifen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raijed him from the dead. Here the advocates for plunging would have it, that this muft refer to the rite of water-baptifm ; to our being covered with water, or buried with him in it -, and to our riling again out of it, as anfwering to his re- furredion. But the wherein alfo, is not juft; for the fame phrafe is rendred, ver, 11. hi whom alfo, zv % ^ — In whom alfo you aj^e rifen together ; and the burying with him, confirms this rendring. So that if we attend to the ar- gument, it can intend no more than that by bap- tifm, they profeffed to embrace the chriftian doc- trine, and to renounce fudaifm, and all pagan and idoktrous rites and cufioms ; for the twentieth verfe is a comment upon this ; if ye be dead with Chrift from the rudiments of the world — this is the being buried with him. But it cannot refer to the rite of water- baptifm, in- timating, as fome would have it, a plunging or covering over with water, as Chrift was by "^ohn in Jordan, For, it is not probable that 2 2 On Pltmgt7ig ill Baptifm. that "^-fohn did plunge our Lord ; but if he did, and that this was the cuftom of the Jew^^ in their baptifm^ yet this burying with Chrijl ij2 baptifm^ can by no means refer to that refemblance of him 3 for, he remained a conformijl to Judaifm in many refpeds till he had fulfilled his miniftry ; and the hand- 'writing of ordinances^ he took not out of the way, till he nailed them to his crop ! fo that being dead with him from the rudiments of the worlds or being buried with him in baptifm, as it here refpeds an abfolute freedom from all the carnal ordinances of few or Gentile^ muft have reference to the death or crofs of Chrift. And baptifm being the external fign of mens acknowledging his dodlrine and mif- fion, would prefuppofe and include their being dead with him to thefe rudiments, tho' they had no more than a fmall quantity of water applied by infufion^ afperfion, or pouring. Farther, \? plunging in water muft be underftood in thefe places ; I fhould afk, who we have now that are the proper fubjedfs of baptifm ? none, unlefs they be fews^ who throw off Judaifm; or Gentiles^ who renounce idolatry ; or men, who have lived under the dominion of fin. Men cannot, with any pro- priety, be plunged in order to fliew their be- ing dead and buried from that they never in- dulged, embraced, or fubmitted to ; and how they can be buried with Chrift from fin, or from the Mofaic law, in baptifm, I know not. The On Tlu7iging in Baptifm. 2j The blelTed Jefus was without fpot, and had no guile. And the Jewifli ordinances he died not unto at his baptifm, they were nailed to his crofs, and blotted out there, not by /;;;- merfion^ but rather by afperjion, » Farther, as the word haptlzo^ is ca- pable of different fenfes, and has been dif- ferently applied by the facred writers them- felves, we might reafonably have expedted fome expletive^ that fhould have faften'd down the fenfe to plunging : fo that when ufed concerning the cbrijlian rite of water- baptifm, none might by the ambiguity of the word, be led into any doubt concerning it. And certainly if the thing had been of importaiice^ this would have been done. But as the flrong term of burying^ very probably, has no re- ference to water-baptifm, when annexed to the word baptifma^ it will by no means lend us any aid in determining its fignification, on the fide pf plunging. Nay, fhould we imagine that the word there intended plunging^ we fliould be diffi- cultly fet to find out the moral or fpiritual meaning of the mode. For as applied now, few yews renounce Judaifm, or are plung'd. Many^ I doubt not among chriftians that are plung'd, have had no habits of vice to re- nounce; have no new religion to make a public profeffion of, and openly to embrace, but 24 07t Plunging in Baptifm. but have been all their i^di^^^ putting on Chrijl^ without making provlfion for the liefli, to ful- fil its lufts. How thefe are buried with Chrift in baptifm, to fin, and how they rife in it to newnefs of life, is difficult to difcover. They have had no putting off the old man, with his deeds, which are corrupt. And if we fhould underftand it as referring to the do6lrine of a dead and rijen Jefus, our being plung'd in water has no manner of refemblance with it. The manner of his defcending into Hades feems to have nothing in it imitable by us; unlefs our actual diiTolution be. Nor can rifmg out of the water convey any fimilar idea to his refurredlion, the inanner or modus of whichy was hid from the obfervation of all men. The mod then, that can poffibly be made of thefe texts ^ as fuppofing the prad:ice of phmging^ is, that if they do refped: isoater-- baptifm^ they are nothing more than an al- lusion to that mode of dipping or plung- ing. They enter not into the ?iature of an INSTITUTION; but only exprefs the manner in which they baptized, in thofe hot coun- tries. They can intend no more, for even where the order is given for the difciples to go and baptize^ not one word is fa id about all nations being dipped ox plunged-, nor that any one nation {hould ; no, nor any one per- fon. Families^ we find, whole households bap- tized together. One houfehold baptized in their 0;^ Plunging in Baptifm. 25 their own houfe ; but no quantity of water mentioned. But fhould we underfland the burying with Chrifl in baptifm ^ 'Rom vi. to refer to St. Paul in bis own perfon, as it feems probable it muft be fo refer'd, then we fliould expe6l to have had fome account of his having been plung d himfelf, ABs IK, 18. at his baptifm : whereas we have not one word about it, nor of his going out of the houfe of Judas to receive his baptifm, in his weak and infirm condition. Once more-, fhould we grant that the chriftian baptifmal rite was adminiftrcd by plunging 'y as this mode of the rite would be fuitable.toanhot climate; it will not thence follow, that 'tis fuitable to a cold one. None will pretend that a rite can lofe the nature of a rite. And if it cannot, then the change of circumjiances^ will render it fit or imff, Inftances of which fort of rites the Jewifh ftate abounded with. — Their wafliings, and purifications, numbers of them, would have had no fitnefs or fuitablefs in them in a cold climate. — They were locals tho* pofi- tive inftitutions, and tended to their health ; preferving them m.ore free from infedious diftempers. — But as great care was taken,- by their laws, to preferve modefty and cha- ftity of body among them, as well as clean- linefs and health, we cannot fuppofe that their bathings were promifcuous. So that D the 26 On PIu7Jging in Baptifm. the difficulty will recoil upon us, if we imaf^ine that the crowds of the firft converts were dipped^ oi* plunged in baptifm. For, inafmuch as we have no account of women baptizing of the women, and of men bap- tizing only the men, it would have brought an early reproach upon the chriftian rite^ if plunging had been the pradice. Lest It {hould be thought that T/>. iii. 5. was wilfully pafs'd over, becaufe of its weight, I fliall add it here ; — according to his mercy he faved us by the wajhing of regeneration, A^l^ovy lavacnmi^ if ftridly ren- dred, fliould be the wajlmg-place of rege- neration, or the hath of regeneration. But who lees not that here the figure is exceed- ingly high. — The place wherein we are wafhed, does not furely, in any proper fenfe, contribute to our falvation. If it di^, then there would be a f?iaferial caufe produce- ing an immaterial and fpiritaal efFed.-^ The Romanijis have indeed ihewn us, in many aflonifbing inftances, to what extra- vagancies our laying ftrefs on modes and rituals may carry us. — Thus the texts lie, in my viewj if I miftake them, it is after feme pains taken to underftand the true {<:i\\iQ of them -, nor would my miftaking their dired fenfe help the argument, for, as I have already obr ferved^ Ofi Phmgi?2g in Baptifm. 27 ferved, fhould they allude to the viode of baptilm 5 they will conclude nothing farther, than that plunging in baptifm was ufed in an hot country. They can no way recom- mend or enforce the 7110 dc upon us, unlefs it could be proved that a greater quantity of water makes a ftronger impref- lion upon the moral temper of the mind, and has a greater aptitude to make men die to Ji?7, and live to God, than a lefTer quantity of water has. — Mo R E ovE Rjhere might be fubjoined zpre^ fumptive argument again it plunging -, and that is, that fince plunging was common to bathing, it is not probable that it {hould be adopted as the mode 0^2, f acred rite. We know that eating bread and drinking wine, in the common ufage of it, i, e. fo as to make a meal, or to fatisfy hunger and thirft, was not permitted in the other chrijlian rite ^hut looked upon by St. Paul as a profanation of the Supper ; i Cor, xi. 2O5 21, 22. And if analogy might here take place, then to plunge in baptifm would be no other than a profane zfe of water 5 it having been the common way of bathing. — This argument againft plunging, feems to have as firm a bafs, as moft, if not all that are brought for it : none of them rifing much, if any, above prefumption. — But it is farther faid, by the advocates for plunging, that going down into the water, and coming up out of the water ^ do imply D 2 immmcr- 2 8 071 Phmging in Bciptifm. mfnerfion, ABs viii. 38, 39. Was this the cafe ; it would prove too much ; for both Thilip and the Eimtich^ are faid to do fo : and if it implies plunging^ then Philip was plung'd as well as the Eimiich, But there being nothing that will account for the fit- nefs of Philip'^ being plung*d, we muft not imagine that goi?2g down into the imter^ and coming up out of it^ are expreffions which in- timate plunging. Besides, the prepofitions en and k, ren- dred into, and ont oJ-\ are as juftly rendred / --^--^ -.^ j|Ljp ■ j:_ - vaBBiif v^M,-- J^ '";■'" a» 5^ ""^;^^M»^^ J.^ aizk' ,.=^