SECTION II.

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST.

THIS important fact is recorded by all the evangelists.* The most circumstantial account is that of Matthew, which I insert.

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousThen he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt. iii. 13-17.

ness.

It has already been observed, that baptism is associated with the "beginning" of every stage of the development of Christianity. In its earliest dawn we have found John baptizing. Now Jesus himself refuses to enter on his public ministry, till he has sanctioned that ordinance by submitting to it in his own person; by and by we shall find the disciples of Christ, in their very first act of co-operation with their divine Master, baptizing; and, finally, when the commission is given to the apostles no longer to confine their ministrations to Judea, but to regard the world as their field of labor, we shall see that they are peremptorily enjoined to baptize as well as to teach.

By submitting to baptism at the hands of John, our Lord authenticated the divine character of his mission, confirmed

Matt. iii. 13-17. Mark i. 9-11. Luke iii. 21, 22. John i. 29-34.

and honored the ordinance of baptism as a Christian institute, and prefixed his own example to the command which he evidently gave immediately afterwards to his disciples, and which, after his resurrection, he confirmed and enlarged.* Although in this instance the ordinance could not be emblematical of the purification from sin of the individual himself, yet it was still a most solemn figure of his death and resurrection, his sufferings and glory, by virtue of which all purification from sin, and all the glories of the resurrection, were to accrue to his disciples.

The effect of Christ submitting to the baptism of John, in identifying that ordinance with the Christian dispensation, has already been sufficiently discussed; and it remains only to consider this act of condescension on the part of our Saviour as an example to his disciples in all ages. This view of the subject is powerful on the mind of the Christian, and apt to lead converts into some stream, from the desire they feel to follow that example in all points in which it behoves them. This circumstance has induced many pædobaptist ministers to throw a doubt, and others even actually to deny, that on this point our Lord was an "example to us." The pious Mr. Scott, after urging the solemn importance of following the example of Christ" without exception," seems to fear the

* The reasons suggested by the celebrated Witsius, as given by Mr. Booth, are well worthy of a serious perusal.

WITSIUS:-"Our Lord would be baptized, that he might conciliate authority to the baptism of John-that by his own example he might commend and sanctify our baptism-that men might not be loath to come to the baptism of the LORD, seeing the Lord was not backward to come to the baptism of a servant-that, by his baptism, he might represent the future condition both of himself and his followers, first humble then glorious; now mean and low, then glorious and exalted; that represented by IMMERSION, this by EMERSION-and, finally, to declare by his voluntary submission to baptism, that he would not delay the delivering up of himself to be immersed in the torrents of hell, yet with a certain faith and hope of emerging."-Miscel. Sac. T. II. Exer. xv. § 63.

consequences, and to dilute the force of his previous remarks by the ill-placed observation, that "we are not bound to do exactly as he did." The trouble the good man is in, between his desire to honor the Lord he loves, and to save infant sprinkling to which he had the attachment of religious habit, is very apparent in the close of the passage.

*

Dr. Adam Clarke, with his usual vigor of fancy, while in one line he admits that this baptism was "the initiating ordinance of the Christian dispensation," in the next affirms it to be a compliance with a supposed law respecting washing the Jewish high priest !† The doctor surely forgot that Christ

* "John, being aware of his divine dignity and excellence by immediate revelation, hesitated to comply with this proposal, declaring that he needed to be baptized of Christ with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and to be purged by him from his sins; and he could not but be sur prised that Jesus should come for this purpose to him, who was his servant, and a poor sinful man. But Jesus, allowing the truth of his words, intimated that it was proper that he should permit it to be so; 'for,' says he, it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness.' We never find that Jesus spake of himself in the plural number; and it must therefore be allowed that he meant John also, and all the servants of God, in a subordinate sense. It became Christ, as our surety and our example, perfectly to fulfil all righteousness;' and it becomes us to walk in all the commandments and ordinances of God without exception, and to attend on every divine institution according to the meaning and intent of it, as long as it continues in force. Thus far Christ's example is obligatory; but, as John's baptism, not being exactly the same as Christian baptism, is no longer in force, the example only proves that Christian baptism should be honored and attended on. Controverted points, however, cannot thus be settled. Christ's example does not bind us to do exactly as he did, for he was circumcised, kept the passover, and observed the seventh day sabbath, according to the dispensation under which he lived; but we are not required to do these things."-Scott's Com. vol. iii. p. 13.

"There was a kind of baptism among the Jews, viz. that of the priests at their consecration, Lev. viii. 6. Now, as Christ had submitted to circumcision, the initiating ordinance of the Mosaic dispensation, it was necessary he should submit to the initiating ordinance of the Christian dispensation, instituted by the same authority. But it was necessary on another account. Our Lord represented the High Priest,

was not a High Priest after the order of Aaron, but "after the order of Melchizedec." (Heb. vi. 20.) As a Jew, it would have been criminal, instead of praiseworthy, for our Lord to have appropriated to himself any of the ceremonies belonging solely to the tribe of Levi; and no one has pretended to affirm any thing respecting the washing of Melchizedec. Indeed, not being of the tribe of Levi, it would have been a direct violation of the ceremonial law for Christ to have partaken of any of the ceremonies peculiar to the Levities.

These and similar attempts to divert the baptism of Christ from the great object "of setting us an example that we should follow his steps," serve only, as error ever does, as the dark ground of the painting, to throw out the beauty of truth with the greater effect. When it is remembered that divine authority has affirmed that "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," we need no longer search amidst Jewish rites, for a reason why our benevolent Redeemer should add the powerful influence of his own example to an ordinance, compliance with which he presented as the first great test of the sincerity, and therefore of the salvation-state of the professed believer. While our glorious Lord has condescended to set us so plain an example, we apprehend the conscience of every believer who thinks on this subject at all, will never be perfectly at ease till he does "exactly as he did;” and pays a solemn voluntary regard to the ordinance of baptism.

It is lamentable indeed to hear christian ministers telling their hearers not "to follow Christ in baptism." Error

and was to be the High Priest over the house of God; now, as the High Priest was initiated into his office by washing and anointing, so must Christ be; hence He was baptized, and anointed by the Holy Ghost. Thus he fulfilled the righteous ordinance of his initiation into the office of High Priest, and was prepared to make an atonement for the sins of mankind."-Dr. Clarke's Comment. Matt. iii.

grows more bold as it tends to its doom. Good men spoke not thus in former days. Hear the founder of the Presbyterian church, John Calvin :-"For this reason he dedicated and sanctified baptism in his own body, that he might have it in common with us, as a most firm bond of the union and society which he has condescended to form with us."*

That the baptism of Christ was by immersion has been, till of late, universally admitted. Like others, indeed, whom John baptized, our Lord was baptized "in Jordan ;" but it is also added that "Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water." Few persons will be found who can be induced to go into a river for the purpose of being sprinkled; but, most will agree with Dr. Macknight, that Jesus "submitted to be baptized, that is buried under water, by John, and to be raised out of it again, as an emblem of his future death and resurrection." May all who have hitherto neglected or hesitated to follow their Lord, not only say with Mr. Polhill," the pattern of Christ and the apostles is more to me than all the human wisdom in the world," but act upon this principle: and, though the Spirit may not be seen to light upon them, nor the voice be heard that then God is "well pleased" (for these were honors appropriated to our great exemplar), yet shall the "answer of a good conscience" towards God, and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit, lead them to rejoice that they have known "the way of God more perfectly."

Institutes, vol. iii. p. 425.

↑ Macknight on the Epistles, London edit. 1829, vol. i. p. 262.