Rantist.
You talk of in the river, and into the River, but you heed not what Mr. Bax∣ter saies in the present section that you are desired to speak to, he tells you the word into is not to be taken as if either John and Christ, or Philip and the Eunuch were at all in the water or descended into it, but unto it onely, it being below in the bottoms, and the countrey being montanous, in which respect they might well be said to go down into it: Mr. Cook also and Mr. Blake do both very elegantly answer your observation in that particular Mr. C. thus to A. R. viz. your collection from Philips going down into the water with the Eunuch, there∣fore they used dipping is as vain, must they not go down to the water where it was if they would use it? would the water have come up to them in the chariot any sooner for sprinkling then for dipping? of the same stamp is your inference from Mat. 3.16. Mark 1.10. from Christs ascending from the water, for as Christ was pleased to be baptized with water, so he was pleased to go where the water was viz. in the channel, where there was a descent, and from which there was an ascent, so that he must go down to, and come up from the wa∣ter.
Nay rather your conceit is here confuted, for if our blessed Saviour had been plunged of John into the water then it would rather have been said that John cast or plunged Christ into the water, and took him out of the water, but it is onely implyed that Christ went down to the water, and came up again from it.
Mr. Blake thus to Mr. Blackwood viz. for your criticism of the ascending and descending, if you compare Acts 24.1.25.1. also with your places quoted, you will see it nothing for your purpose, those phrases are used when men go to a place, or from a place, when they neither ascend upwards, neither descend downwards, Bishop Usher will furnish you with ten severall Scriptures, where the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the Acts of the Apostles is used for no descent from a high∣er place to a lower, but onely a removing from place to place, though in this place we may believe there was some ascent and descent, waters being lower places, and when they went to the place of waters the channell in which the waters had their current, they may be fitly said to go into the water, howsoever one or two examples serve not your purpose, but a General concurrence of all examples:
We have examples giving full evidence of a different practise, and nothing can be concluded from those examples.