and discoursed with many, touching this point, and having seriously considered what they say, as one that searched after the truth, for itself only, and for the satisfaction of my own soul; I do profess, I could not find any thing almost, spoken for my spirit boldly and safely to lean on, as perceiving most of what they said, to be but the apprehensions and thoughts of men, and that they spake very much by conjecture, and at uncertainty in this matter; and thereupon I resolved wholly to withdraw from such discourse, and to lay down whatever opinions I had before entertained touching this point, and to come to the plain and manifest scriptures, and from thence (after much seeking God) to learn whatever the Lord should please to teach me ; choosing rather to build on the clear word, though alone, than on any uncertain inferences and blind conjectures of men, though embraced and magnified by all the world.

Now, in this inquiry from the word, I met with that place, Heb. vi. 2. where the apostle, speaking of some of the first and initial points of the Christian religion, names Barrioμv Aidans, "the doctrine of baptisms;" whence I perceived, that in the primitive church they had the doctrine of baptism in the plural number; and therefore did apply myself to search from the word, what these baptisms might be, and so met with the Baptist's own doctrine, touching baptisms, mentioned in Mat. iii. Mark i. Luke iii. and John i. (for all the evangelists make mention of this, it being a matter of so great concernment) and Luke makes mention of the ground of this doct

rine of the Baptist, chap. iii. 15. "As the people were in expectation," saith he, "and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not, John answered, saying," &c. The people, it seems, had great and high thoughts of John, because he was the son of the high-priest, conceived after an extraordinary manner, his parents being both well stricken in age, and past children by the course of nature : and then the manner of his life was strange, for he lived in the wilderness, out of the ordinary converse of the world; and his apparel and diet were unusual, being raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat locusts and wild honey; but especially his ministry was mighty, being in the spirit and power of Elias; and his baptism new and famous; so that all the people stood in great expectation of some work or event from him, that should manifest him to be the Christ; wherefore John, to take them off from that gross and dangerous mistake, plainly told them all, and that openly, that he was not the Christ; but that there was a great deal of difference between himself and the Messias, and that both in regard of his person and office.

First for his office. For he begins to shew the difference from thence, because the newness of his baptism was the occasion of the people's conceiving that he was the Messias; whereupon he vilifies his own baptism in respect of Christ's saying, "I indeed baptise you with water;" that is, my baptism is but water-baptism, that washes the body only with a corporeal element; "but

one mightier than I comes," for I am but a creature, he the Power of God; I but a servant, he the Lord of all; and one so infinitely excellent above all that I am, "that the latchet of his shoes I am not worthy to unloose:" that is, I am unworthy to perform the meanest and lowest office for him. And having thus first spoken meanly of his own baptism, and then magnified Christ's person above his own; now he proceeds also to magnify Christ's baptism above his own; "he," saith he," shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire;" that is, I that am a servant do baptise with water, but he, that is, the Son, baptises with the spirit; my baptism washes but the body from the filth of the flesh, but his, the soul from the filth of sin; so that by how much the spirit excels water, and God the creature, so much his baptism transcends mine.

Now hence I gather clearly, even from the Baptist's own mouth, that John's baptism and Christ's were distinct baptisms, the one waterbaptism, the other fire-baptism: and though our late writers and teachers have, and do affirm, that John's baptism and Christ's make up but one entire baptism: yet all generally of the ancient Christians apprehend them to be distinct; one whereof saith, "Illud manifestum est, alium fuisse Johannis baptismum, alium Christi:" August. contra Liter. Petil. cap. 37. And I could produce many more testimonies besides, but it is not my meaning to entangle any body with the authorities of men, and therefore I shall make it plain by clear Scriptures, and

evidences from them, that John's baptism and Christ's are distinct.

1. John's baptism and Christ's are distinct in their appellations in Scripture; for John's baptism was still so called, even when the apostles used it; and it was not called by their names who administered it, but was still called John's baptism yea, after Christ's baptism came in, John's still retained its name, as being distinct from it; and therefore in Acts xviii. 24, 25. it is said, "Apollos taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only το Βάπτισμα Ιωαννα, the bap

tism of John.”

ύμας,

2. The Scripture saith, that Christ's baptism was to follow John's, and did not accompany it at the same time, for in Matt. iii. John saith, eyw μer Barrisw, "I do baptise you with water, but he that comes after me," i. e. in the order of time, avros vuas BanTICE, "he shall baptise you." And in Mark i. εγω μεν εβάπτισα "I indeed have baptised you," αυτός δε Βαπτίσει, “ but he shall baptise you;" which places plainly declare Christ's baptism did not go along with John's, but was to follow it, and that he was to baptise with the Spirit, after John's water-baptism had had its full course; to wit, when he was risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

And

therefore Christ, after he was risen from the dead, and immediately before he was to ascend into heaven, though his disciples had used waterbaptism, or John's baptism, for above three years, yet affirms that which John had said of him, touching his baptism with the Spirit, was not yet fulfilled, but was shortly to be fulfilled

as appears in Acts i. 4, 5. "Christ being as sembled with the apostles, commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which," saith he "you have heard of me; for John truly baptised with water, but ye shall be baptised with the Spirit not many days hence;" and this was fulfilled at the day of Pentecost, Whence it is evident, that Christ's baptism did not go along with John's, and make that up one entire baptism with itself, seeing it followed almost four years after, and therefore John's baptism and Christ's must needs be distinct.

3. It is evident, that Christ's baptism and John's were distinct, inasmuch as the baptism of Christ was necessary for those very persons who had before been baptised with the baptism of John; whereas, if John's baptism had been one and the same with Christ's, that only had been sufficient; but now those whom John had baptised with water, Christ was to baptise again with the Spirit, as in that place before mentioned, "I have baptised you with water, but one comes after me, who shall baptise you with the spirit;" even you whom I have before baptised with water and this was not a second baptism, but the first baptism of the New Testament, John's baptism being more legal than evangelical; and evangelical only in so much, as it pointed out this baptism of Christ at hand.

Again, the Baptist himself saith, "I have need to be baptised of thee;" so that the very author, or chief minister of water-baptism, stood in need of spiritual baptism himself: Paul also,