come.

John, and the difciples of our Lord, were employed in giving information to the Jewish nation, that Christ was at hand, and would foon erect the Gofpel kingdom. John proclaimed a Meffiah about to The difciples of Chrift proclaimed a Meffiah already come, who would foon appear among the people. John published his meffage and ceafed. At, or near the clofe of John's ministry, the difciples began their miffion. The preaching of John and that of the difciples united in one defign. The conclufion is, that as John and the difciples were fent out for like purposes, so John's baptifm and that of the difciples were used for the fame end.

Nothing, perhaps, exhibits more fully, the important miffion of our Lord than the preparations made for his reception. John was fent to give notice of his coming, and introduce him to his public ministry. The twelve and the feventy disciples were commiffioned to go forth, two and two, and communicate the interefting tidings, that the Meffiah had come, and would foon make his appearance, in the cities of Ifrael.

As, therefore, the preaching of John and that of the difciples united in defign, it is highly probable, that John's baptifm and that which the difciples ufed, in the time of our Lord's miniftry, were defigned to answer the fame purpose, or rather were the fame kind of baptifm.

The principal inquiry yet remains; is John's baptifm to be placed under the Chriftian, or Jewifh difpenfation? Before I proceed to examine this question, let me confider the inftance of John's baptizing Christ. While John was baptizing the Jews, Jefus came to him and prefented himself for

baptifm. Matthew, iii. 13, 14, 15, "Then cometh Jefus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him: but John forbad him, faying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comeft thou to me? And Jefus anfwering faid unto him, fuffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh. us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he fuffered him."

It seems that when Jefus offered to be baptized by John, John would have modeftly declined that honour, faying unto Jefus, I have need rather to be baptized by you, than you to be baptized by me, that is, in other words, you are by much the greater perfon. I can baptize with water only; but you fhall baptize your difciples with the Holy Ghoft. I have fins to repent of, and be cleansed from; whereas you are entirely without fin, and confequently you can have no need of the baptism of repentance for the remiffion of fins. For these and the like reafons, the honour feems too high for me. Unto John Jefus replied, "Suffer it to be fo now." I did not come to defire baptism of you without a divine direction. I acknowledge what you allege is, in general, true. I am your fuperior, and am without fin; but it is my Father's good pleasure, that as Aaron, the high priest, was confecrated by the prophet Moses, so I should, in this manner, and by you, as an extraordinary prophet, be introduced to my ministry as Meffiah. Whatever I know to be the will of my Father, I am ready to perform ; and fo ought you to be ready to do alfo. For thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufnefs; that is, not to comply with every moral duty only, but every pofitive inftitution alfo, or every appointment of God. Then John fubmitted, and confented to do what Jefus defired of him.

If it fhould be objected, that the baptifm of John was the baptism of repentance for the remiffion of fins, and that as Jefus had never committed any fin, he could have no occafion for the baptifm of repentance, nor for the remiffion of fins. Why then did Jefus go and desire the baptifm of John? or why did he not acquiefce, when John would have declined baptizing him? In anfwer to this objection it might be replied, that the fame divine inftitution may, to perfons in different circumftan ces, answer different ends and purpofes. Here let it be carefully observed,

1. That the baptifm of Christ by John was not defigned to manifeft his repentance. When John administered baptifm to the Jews, their baptism fignified repentance. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance." Take away the idea of repentance, and you take away the principal, if not the only defign of John's baptifm, when the Jews were the fubjects of it. But no repentance was intended to be manifested in the baptifm of Christ by John. For Chrift was not a finner. Hebrews, vii. 26, "Who is holy, harmlefs, undefiled, feparate from finners,"-1 Peter, ii. 22, "Who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth."

When Christ offered up his life a facrifice, he was without fin. Hebrews ix. 14, "Who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without fpot to God." Baptifm then was not applied to Chrift; for the fame purpose for which it was applied to the people of Ifrael. In them it fignified their repentance. In Chrift it fignified no repentance.

Neither did Chrift receive baptifm from John, as a token of his being wafhed from fin. Baptifm, under the gospel difpenfation, is expreffive

of a man's being cleanfed from fin. So it is understood in the words of Ananias to Faul, Acts, xx. 16, "Arife and be baptized, and wash away thy fins." But it is certain, that Chrift did not receive baptifm for this purpose. He could not; for he had no fin to wash away. He, who was pure, could not be washed from fin; nor was it poffible that he should receive a token of being washed from fin. The baptifm of Chrift by John was used for a different purpose, than baptifm was intended to exprefs, when either Jews under the legal, or believers under the gofpel difpenfation were the fubjects of it.

3. Neither did Chrift fubmit to be baptized by John, as an example to the Jewish nation, or believers among the Gentiles. Christ was a great and fhining example to the Jewish nation, in all his actions which are imitable. He is an example to all believers, in all ages of the world, as far as his practice was defigned for imitation. But in the instance of his fubmitting to be baptized by John, he was not a pattern for the people of Ifrael to follow; nor is his baptifm by John an example of imitation to believers under the gofpel. Had Chrift defigned that his baptifm by John fhould have been an example of imitation to the Jews, he would probably have fubmitted to it at a much earlier period than he did. John had almost finished his minif try, when our Lord was baptized. John had baptized almost all the people, who received his baptism at all, before Jefus came to him to be baptized. Jefus was among the last, who received baptifm by John. Luke, iii. 21, "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jefus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened."

Chrift did not defign to lead the Jewish nation down the banks of Jordan, in imitation of his baptifm; for he came to John too late, to fuppofe that he meant his baptifm as an example to the Jews. The greater part of the people, who fubmitted to John's baptifm, had been baptized before Chrift came to John.

Neither could Chrift, in his baptifm by John, mean to be followed by believers, in gofpel times. For his baptifm did not import the fame thing, nor was it used for the fame purpose, for which baptifm is used by chriftians. If the mode of administration was the fame in John's time, as it was afterwards, it was defigned for different purposes in Chrift, from what it was in chriftians; and therefore it became virtually another, and a different rite.

No man can submit to chriftian baptifm, in imitation of Christ's baptifm by John, if regard be had to the things fignified by Chrift's baptifm. For no inftance of baptifm among men, can in any cafe mean the fame thing, which Chrift's baptifm meant. There being nothing fignified in Chrift's baptifm, which is fignified in chriftian baptifm. Therefore following Chrift, in his baptifm, is totally without foundation.

4. Christ's baptifm by John was a conformity to fome law, which had refpect to that occafion only. When Jefus came to John, he said to him, Suffer it to be fo now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufnefs. Fulfilling of righteousness must have respect to fome law already in existence. And Christ, in fubmitting to be baptized by John, fulfilled righteoufnefs, or conformed to fome divine rule. But the righteousness, which was per