and the preparation which the prophet described, and that on which John insisted, was a moral purification, "Repent, for the reign of heaven approaches." It may, therefore, be inferred, that the title of his office had a moral signification, and one that would be suitable to the precursor of the Messiah. The term the dipper, as descriptive of office, is obscure, common, and degrading; it has no allusion to the spiritual portion of his work, nor to the prophecies of the Old Testament, nor to the expectations of the Jews. The term the purifier, is distinct, sacred and honourable; it refers to the spiritual as well as the ritual portion of his work, it expresses the character under which John had been predicted, and would of itself suggest the nature and design of his office. We conclude, therefore, that by the term Barriors he was designated, not as the dipper, but as the purifier of the Jews.

II. The verb Barrio is used in connexion with the baptism of John twenty-eight times. In some of these passages prominence is given to the subjects of the rite-in other to the means employed-in some to the places of its performance-and in other to its design. We shall examine a few passages belonging to these four classes. As the most explicit, and as exhibiting all that will afford materials for investigation, we select the following:

"Then there went out to him the people of Jerusalem, and all the people of Judea, and of the vicinity of the Jordan, and they were baptized at the Jordan by him, confessing their sins."-BanтiCovтo v Tập Ἰορδάνῃ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Matt. iii. 5, 6. "Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him; but John objected, saying, I need to be baptized by thee." v. 13, 14. "And Jesus, being baptized, immediately went up from the water.”—ἀνέβη εὐθὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος. V. 16. "Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus being baptized and praying, the heaven opened," &c. Luke iii. 21. “All the people hearing this, and the tax-gatherers, praised God, having been baptized according to John's baptism."-Banтiolévтes Tò Bánтioμа. Luke vii. 29.

"I baptize you with water for repentance; but he who succeeds me is my superior, his sandals I am not worthy to bear; he will baptize you with a holy influence, and with fire. His fan is in his hand, he will purify his threshing-floor, and collect the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaft he will utterly consume with fre.”—ἐγὼ μὲν βαπτίζω ὑμᾶς ἐν ὕδατι. . . . αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί. . . . διακαθαριει τὴν ἅλωνα. . . . ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρί. Matt. iii. 11, 12. "I baptize you with water," &c. 'Eyà μèv vdari Banтičw iμâs. Luke iii. 16. "John baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with a holy influence ere many days have passed." Acts i. 5.

“John was baptizing at the downs."—èv tŷnj épýμų. Mark i. 4. “And all the people of Judea, and of Jerusalem, went out to him, and they were all baptized at the Jordan river by him, confessing their sins."— ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ. v. 5. « These things occurred at Bethany, on

the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing."—èv Bŋlavia. John i. 28. "John was baptizing at Enon, near Salim, for there was an abundance of water there, and people came to him and were baptized." —ἐν Αἰνὼν—ὅτι ὕδατα πολλὰ ἦν ἐκεῖ. John ii. 23.

"I baptize you with water for repentance.”—eis perávolav. Matt.iii.11. "And they asked him, Why dost thou baptize if thou art neither the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet." John i. 25. "I have come baptizing with water for this end, that he might be made known to Israel." v. 31.

From these statements respecting the subjects, the means, the places, and the ends of the baptism of John, we may learn the following particulars. That the meaning of the word is such, that it may properly stand alone, or associated with the names of places. That its signification naturally accords with sacred things, and is in harmony with them and that the rite thus designated is symbolical of mental purity. That the sense of the word is such, that it may be applied to effects produced by water and fire on material substances, and by a sacred influence on the minds of men. That it expresses something which the Messiah was expected to perform. That what it denotes might be done in a few months to large multitudes of people by a teacher of religion, without unfitting him for the work of instruction. That it might be done in public to men and women. That it was unconnected with circumstances likely to be mentioned by the historian, and that the action was of such a kind, that nothing was needed to explain or justify it. Now all these particulars are opposed to the suppositions that to baptize is to dip, or that the baptized were dipped; but they all support the conclusion, that to baptize is to purify, and that the persons baptized were sprinkled with water.

1. The term Banτiç∞ is used alone, or in connexion with the names of places. Why dost thou baptize? John was baptizing at the downs, at Bethany, and Enon. Now terms denoting a definite end may with propriety be thus used, but not terms denoting a general mode of action. Words denoting to dip, are combined with one or two objects to which the action relates-that which is dipped, and that into which anything is dipped. But words denoting to purify, have that completeness of sense which fits them for being used alone. The strangeness and imperfection of the phrases, Why dost thou dip? John was dipping at the downs, &c. is at once felt. The phrases, Why dost thou purify! John was purifying at the downs, at Bethany, at Enon, give a natural and perfect sense.

2. This word is so associated with the terms belonging to religion, that it is highly probable the accordance of signification was such as to favor the union. "Jesus having been dipped and praying," is felt at once to be incongruous; "having been purified and praying," is a natural and just connexion. The same remarks may be made on the statements, "The people were dipped in the Jordan, confessing their

sins," and "the people were purified at the Jordan, confessing their sins." "I need to be dipped by thee," is a declaration for which no reason can be assigned. "I need to be purified by thee," is a statement, the truth and importance of which are equally obvious. The assertion, "I baptize you with water for repentance," alone makes it certain that baptism was symbolical of repentance-in no other way could it be for repentance except as a sign. This also was the meaning of all the purifications with water enjoined in the law; they were signs of moral purification. It does not appear that dipping and repentance had ever been associated in the minds of Jews. The declaration, "I dip you for repentance," would, therefore, be to them as unnatural a mode of expression as it seems to us. Purification with water and repentance often had been thus associated, " Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean." Psal. li. 7. "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be purified (kabaρionσeσe) from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I purify you (kadapt.) A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you." Ezek. xxxvi. 25. The declaration, "I purify you with water for repentance," so exactly agrees with the phraseology of the Old Testament, as to be intelligible at once to all. 3. The contrast made between the baptism with water, and the baptism with a holy influence and with fire, would alone indicate the meaning of the word. Fire is commonly employed in the Bible as emblematical of the means of destruction: "A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies." Psalm xcvii. 3. The purification of a people by fire would denote the separation and destruction of the wicked who were among them. It appears to be so used in the prophecy of Malachi-"Who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire." It is certainly so used in the verse following that in which the baptism with fire is mentioned, where it is said, "The chaff he will utterly consume with fire." The words of John were addressed to an assembly of those who would believe in Christ, and of those who would reject him. It was not true, that all would be baptized with a sacred influence. It is more likely, therefore, that the two baptisms had a corresponding reference to the two classes of which his audience and the whole Jewish nation consisted, than that both should relate to the one smaller portion. In the illustration of the threshing-floor, these two classes are distinguished; and it would seem, that they who were baptized with a holy influence were represented by the wheat collected into the storehouse, and they who were baptized with fire, by the chaff that was to be consumed with fire. The collecting of the wheat and the burning of the chaff are described as the purifying of the threshingfloor. In similar phraseology, the spiritual improvement of one portion

* Ῥαντιεῖς με ὑσσώπῳ καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι.—Ps. l. 7.

of the Jewish nation, and the destruction of another portion, would be described as a purification of that social body, of so mixed a character, which had long borne the name of the people of God. The term baptize is used to represent effects produced by water, by fire, by a sacred spiritual influence. The baptism of a number of persons is compared to the cleansing of a threshing-floor. Dipping, or immersing, has no accordance with any of these things, but purifying agrees with them all. As the threshing-floor is purified, so was the Jewish nation purified. Water is used for purification. Fire is used for purification. And this is the great end for which the "Spirit of Christ" is givenChristians are those who are purified by Christ Jesus.

men.

4. From the questions proposed to John by the priests it appears, that there was nothing in the rite of baptism to call for inquiry. They did not ask why persons were baptized? or what baptism meant? but only why he baptised? We may from this conclude, that it was no novel performance, in itself liable to objection, but that, in its form, it agreed with the customary public purifyings of the Jews. It was thought right that the Messiah and his precursor should baptize the Jewish nation, but not that others should undertake this work. The reply of John taught them, that he and the Messiah were to baptize John baptized their bodies with water-Christ would baptize their minds with a holy influence. If we suppose that a purification by sprinkling, like those with which the Jews were familiar, was all that took place in John's baptism, we see why the act should excite no surprise, but only his doing it. But dipping the multitudes into the river Jordan would be an act of itself requiring explanation: they might well have demanded of him why he, or any other person, should do such a thing. If John said that he came purifying with water, to indicate the approach of the long-expected Saviour, all is natural and clear. If he said that he came dipping into water for this end, all is unnatural and obscure. It may surely be supposed, that, if this had been his meaning, he would also have informed them why he employed such a sign-a sign of which the law furnished no example, and the prophets had uttered no prophecy. If to baptize is to purify, we can see why the Jews should expect that the Christ would baptize men: it was predicted that he would purify. "I purify with water; but there is a greater among you." This was sufficient to remind them of the Lord, who was suddenly to come to his temple, and who was to sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. Mal. iii. But there is no reason to suppose, that it ever was expected that Christ would immerse in water the whole, or any part, of the Jewish nation.

5. The multitudes baptized by John, render it physically impossible that they should have been immersed by him, and consequently prove, that to baptize cannot mean to dip or immerse. The statement, that the people of Jerusalem, and all the people of Judea, and of the

vicinity of the Jordan, were baptized by John, need not be understood as meaning every individual, but it must be interpreted in reference to the larger portion of the population. A few of the higher classes, and many of the ministers of religion, rejected his mission, but it is repeatedly intimated that all the people regarded him as a prophet. It should be remarked, that it is expressly stated, that the people were all baptized by him, not by his disciples; and it certainly would appear, from the account given by the evangelists, that much of his time was occupied in imparting religious instruction. They must have strange notions of his office, who was to prepare the way of the Lord, to turn many to the Lord their God, who imagine that the performance of an external rite, rather than the communication of truth, occupied the time and the bodily and mental energy of this illustrious man. Now it may be safely asserted, that it is impossible for one man to immerse in the waters of a river so many as two hundred persons in one day, or one thousand in a week, or thirty thousand in a year. It is not likely that the ministry of John preceded that of Christ by more than a few months; so that, if, instead of being engaged in teaching the people, he had stood in the water for nine or ten hours of every day, he could not have immersed during those months more than a few thousand persons. Josephus estimates the number of persons present in Jerusalem, at the passover, at two millions seven hundred thousand. Many of these, no doubt, came from distant regions; but if we take only one-third, nine hundred thousand, as being inhabitants of Judea, Jerusalem, and the vicinity of Jordan; and if we suppose that one-third of these might be designated the whole population, we shall have the number of three hundred thousand who were baptized by John. Such a work could not have been accomplished in less than ten or twelve years, supposing him to have been engaged every day in this laborious and unhealthy occupation. And can it be imagined that this was the work performed by one man the work narrated by the evangelists with such brief simplicity-the work assigned to the most honoured of the messengers of God under the old dispensation-this the work that was to prepare the people for the spiritual kingdom of our Lord!

6. The baptism of John was administered in public to men and women, afar from their homes, in the quiet seclusion of the country. It is surely just to infer, that the rite was of such a kind, that it could be administered to multitudes, of both sexes, without any great liability to any thing indecent; that it could be received with only the use of articles usually taken on a journey; and that the want of houses would be no great inconvenience. Now, that men and women, wearing only the long loose robes of oriental dress, could be immersed without the risk, and the certainty, in many cases, of much that would be indelicate; that the poor people, who, more than others, flocked to his baptism, had a change of their coarse woollen vestures provided for the