de Bapt. p. 56. tom. 2. oper. that is, "Jesus Christ did not in these words institute a form of baptism, which we should use, as divines have hitherto falsely taught:" and he affirms it upon the same grounds I have mentioned before.

Again, if this place, "Go teach and baptise," be meant of water-baptism, Paul did very ill observe the command of Christ, who baptised but two or three believing families, at the most, with water-baptism and yet preached the word in a circuit from Jerusalem to Illyricum, Rom. xv. 19. through many kingdoms, countries, villages, people; but I say, Paul, though he used not waterbaptism yet did punctually fulfil the command of Christ and did teach them, and baptise them into the name of God. So that no question there were many churches planted in Paul's time, who believed in Christ, and received the Spirit, and walked in fellowship with the Father and the Son, and with one another in the Father and the Son, who never were washed at all with waterbaptism; for Paul knew well, that no outward thing was of any account in the kingdom of God; and that as circumcision and uncircumcision were nothing, so neither water-baptism nor the want of it were any thing, but a new creature is ALL; and if there be faith and the Spirit, they are sufficient to the kingdom of God, without any outward ceremonies whatsoever.

So that neither of these two places prove any institution of water-baptism, of Christ, but that still remains John's baptism and not Christ's.

Object. 6. The last, and that which seems the strongest objection, is, that the apostles practised

water-baptism, not only before Christ's baptism came in, but after; and this is most evident in very many places in the acts of the apostles.

I answer. True indeed, the apostles did practise water-baptism, but not from Christ but from John, whose baptism they took up, and an outward ceremony of honor and account is not easily and suddenly laid down; and hence some of the apostles used circumcision, and that after the ascension of Christ; for circumcision was an honorable ceremony used from Abraham's time, and so they could not (no not in the time of the New Testament) suddenly and abruptly leave it off; but they did use it for a time, for their sakes who were weak, well knowing that the circumcision without hands, would by degrees put an end to the circumcision made with hands. For ceremonies are best laid down, and old customs best laid aside, by the efficacy of the Spirit and power of righteousness. And so in like manner the apostles used the baptism of John, or waterbaptism, it having been of high account in the dawning of the day of the Gospel, and for the present still continuing so; but they knew that spirit or fire-baptism, would by degrees consume water-baptism, and lick up all the drops of it; for so John himself intimates, saying, "he must increase, but I must decrease; that is, the truth must eat out the ceremony, and the substance the sign, and the more his ministry and baptism come in, mine shall go out; and the ministry of the Son shall swallow up the ministry of the servant, as the sun-light doth the moon-light; and the baptism of fire shall devour the baptism

of water; and his spirit-baptism by degrees shall put an end to my water-baptism: and therefore Paul, as you have heard, after he had used this baptism twice or thrice, quite forebore it and yet planted many churches of Christ; and so probably by degrees did other apostles too; for they knew that Christ's baptism included John's, and was fully sufficient of itself without it; and therefore we find Paul teaching in Christ's kingdom but one baptism and this the baptism of the Spirit, Eph. iv. from which the church of the New Testament, both Jews and Gentiles, was to take its beginning, and not from outward elements of water-washing.

Wherefore seeing these things are so, the Anabaptists have extremely mistaken, who have made their water-washing so essential a work of the New Testament, that they would neither hear the word, nor have Christian communion with any one that was not so washed; yea, though they were convinced touching them, that they had received the Spirit: this, I say, hath been the great error of very many honest and well-meaning people, through misunderstanding the word, to make washing with material water so necessary a thing in spiritual worship; yea, and more essential to the communion of saints, than the very Spirit itself; whom I do not therefore judge, but pity.

And thus much for water-baptism, which was John's, and belonged only to that middle ministry, betwixt the prophets and Christ.

Now the other baptism I am to speak of, is Christ's which is spirit or fire-baptism; and this

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is the one and only baptism of the New Testament, as we find Paul affirming, Eph. iv. 4, where he saith, that in Christ's kingdom there is but one body and one Spirt, and one hope of our calling, and one Lord, and one faith, there is also but ev Barriona one Baptism; and this is the baptism of the Spirit, as the apostle elsewhere shews, saying, I Cor. xii. 13. "For by one Spirit we are all baptised into one body, and have been made all to drink into one Spirit."

Now this spirit-baptism did not go along with John's water-baptism, but followed it about four years after, as you have heard, and as appears by the forementioned place of Christ, Acts i. 5. where he tells his disciples, saying, "John verily baptised with water, but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days hence." And this promise of Christ, and of the Father, was fulfilled at the day of Pentecost, when the apostles being all met together, "There came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Spirit." Here was the first beginning of Christ's or Spirit-baptism, for it began not until after the ascension of Christ into heaven, and his sitting down on the throne of God; and John the apostle also witnesses to this, chap. vii. 39. saying, "The Spirit was not yet given, because Christ was not yet glorified:" but as soon as he was glorified, then did he begin to baptise with the Spirit, not the apostles only,

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but also the Jews and Gentiles, and all sorts of people that did believe in his name through the word of the gospel; so that then Christ's baptism began to take place, and prevail, as you may see, Acts viii. 14, 15, 16. "When the apostles that were at Jerusalem had heard that Samaria had received the word of God by the preaching of Philip, they sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he was fallen on none of them (only," saith the text, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus," i. e. they had only been baptised with John's baptism, who only baptised with water, saying, that they should believe on Christ that was to come after for John's baptism was yet usual, inasmuch as Christ's Christ's baptism was but new begun) "then did the apostles lay their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit: so that here now was the progress of Spiritbaptism. And after, when Peter preached to Cornelius, and his family and friends, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. Acts. x. And Peter gives this account to those of the circumcision at Jerusalem, Acts xi. 15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them as on us at the beginning; then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptised with water, but ye shall bẹ baptised with the Holy Spirit: so that Peter evidently declares, the gift of the Spirit by the ministry of the gospel, to be the baptism of Christ, or the baptism of the Holy Spirit and