baptized by John, we may consider him, by that rite consecrated, in a certain sense, to the great work, for which his Father sent him into the world. Now, since by baptism a person is consecrated to God, our Saviour's sufferings were a baptism, in that, by his sufferings, he was consecrated High Priest forever. He was consecrated High Priest by his sufferings, in this sense, that it was necessary for him to die, as a sacrifice, in order to be prepared to officiate in the heavenly tabernacle, as an Intercessor for the people of God. When he had been baptized by John, and anointed with the Holy Ghost, he began his ministry, as the Saviour of that which was lost; but in order for him to be prepared to sit King on God's holy hill of Zion, to sit at God's right hand, to intercede for all, who should come to God through him, to prepare mansions for them in his Father's house, and to save them to the uttermost, it was necessary for him to experience something vastly different from that baptism, which he received from John; it was necessary for him to die a bitter death, and to be "raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father," and be "declared the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness."*

* Rom. i. 4.

As the baptism of Christ by John may be considered, as answering to the washing given to the priests at their consecration; so the passion of Christ may be considered, as answering, at once, to the sacrifices offered at the consecration of the priests, to the sacrifices offered by the high priest, to make the annual atonement, and to the washing, which the high priest gave himself on the day of that great atonement, previously to his entering on the solemn services of the day. As the high priest gave himself that washing, according to the requirement of the law; so Jesus, in obedience to his Father's will, whose law was in his heart, voluntarily laid down his life, that he might with his own blood appear, not in "the holy places made with hands," but in "heaven itself,” and "make reconciliation for the sins of" his "people."

The following expressions of the apostle Paul have been urged by the Baptists in favour of immersion; "Baptized into Jesus Christ;" Baptized into his death;" Buried with him by baptism into death;" Buried with him in bap tism, wherein also ye are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, wha hath raised him from the dead."*

* Rom. vi. 3, 4. Col. xi. 12.

These are figurative expressions, representing the union of believers to Christ, and their interest in the benefits purchased by his death, and ensured by his resurrection. They are bap tized into Christ. "He is the head of the body, the church." Believers are the body and members of Christ. Hence, as members of his body, they are said to be crucified, dead, buried, and risen with him. May not the apostle be setting forth the death and destruction of sin in the soul, without suggesting, that there is any thing like a burial of the body in baptism?

These passages, in the epistles to the Romans, and to the Colossians, have been thought by some Pedobaptists, who consider sprinkling as a scriptural mode of baptism, to refer to baptism by immersion. Those Pedobaptists have supposed, that, in the times of the apostles, baptism was administered sometimes by immersion, and sometimes in a different mode. These passages, taken by themselves, may appear to favour immersion; but it seems rather unreasonable to suppose, that, in the times of the apostles, modes of baptism very different from each other were practised; and such strong ar guments may be drawn from the Scriptures in favour of a mode different from immersion, that

it will not be proper to consider these particular passages, as teaching us any thing concerning the mode of baptism, if they will admit of a satisfactory explanation, in which the mode may not be brought into view.

From what the apostle says, in the passages under consideration, it is evident, that baptism, in whatever mode it is to be administered, has a great respect to Christ's death and resurrection. This idea of baptism is agreeable to what the apostle Peter says; "Baptism doth also now save us"-" by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."* A person, when he receives Christian baptism, professes to believe in God "manifested in the flesh," and "justified in the Spirit." He professes faith in the blood of Jesus, who "once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring" sinners "to God; being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." He professes to "believe in him, who raised up Jesus, our Lord, from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." He professes faith of, or in,† the operation, the

* I. Pet. iii. 21.

Compare in the Greek, Col. ii. 12. with

Gal. ii. 20.

powerful operation of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, and who will give all believers a glorious resurrection, that they may, in this respect, "be conformed to the image of his Son," "the first begotten" from "the dead," "the first born among many brethren." May not this help us to understand what is meant by being "baptized for the dead."* Though this phraseology seems singular, the apostle may mean no baptism different from that, which has been common to the great body of Christians.

1

Christian baptism, according to the general account of the ordinance in the Scriptures, is a washing. This washing, agreeable to what was said in a former discourse, is significant of a spiritual washing, which consists in regeneration, and the remission of sins.

Now baptism, as signifying each of these two things, has such a respect to the death and resurrection of Christ, that without bringing into view any particular mode of baptism, we 'may, perhaps, see a reason, why the apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, and to the Colossians, used the figurative expressions under consideration. When a person is baptized, if

*I. Cor. xv. 29.