Christianismus redivivus Christndom both un-christ'ned and new-christ'ned, or, that good old way of dipping and in-churching of men and women after faith and repentance professed, commonly (but not properly) called Anabaptism, vindicated ... : in five or six several systems containing a general answer ... : not onely a publick disputation for infant baptism managed by many ministers before thousands of people against this author ... : but also Mr. Baxters Scripture proofs are proved Scriptureless ... / by Samuel Fisher ...

Baptist.

By that expression of Paul viz. Christ sent me not to baptize, but preach the Gospell the latter clause of which as having weight in it, I suppose you willingly leave out, he cannot rationally be understood to mean thus, viz. that the Gos∣spel he preached had not baptism enjoined to be preached, and practised as an inse∣perable companion of it (for tis undoubtedly apparent by what is said above that baptism and teaching, baptism and faith, baptism and repentance were ever prea∣ched and practised both together) but that Christ did not enjoin him absolutely to the actual dispensing of the ordinance of water baptism alwaies with his own hands, but to preach the Gospel (mark that) to preach the Gospel, i. e the baptism of faith and repentance for remission of sins, and to see that the thing were done either by himself or some other, when persons believed, but not to baptize necessarily in his own person, so but that the opus operatum, i. e. the work it self might be aswel done per alios, if not per se, even as well by the hands of any one, as his own: and so indeed it might, for whereas in these daies there is such ado, and such stumbles in the hearts of many about a right administrator of baptism, i. e. that may actually with his own hand dispense it, as if he must be meliori luto some ex∣traordinary kind of person, of better mould then other men, some strange man, or miracle worker or other, yet there is nothing more clear then this viz. that the bare administration of it, being something a more servile work then ordinary, might be done, and was of old (and why not now I know not) by the hands of any, at least any gifted he disciple: neither do I find, but that people are minded willing¦ly many times to puzzle and wind themselves off from submitting to the admini∣stration of that dispised and to the flesh unpleasing service of baptism, though con∣vinced that tis their duty, by pleading that they cannot find no fit administrator, that the word speaks one tittle about the quality of the administrator, but onely of our submission, ex officio, to the administration: its said by way of narration they were baptized in Iordan Matth. 3. when they believed they were baptized Act. 8.12.-10.15.33.18 8. and by way of precept repent and be baptized Act. 2.39. arise and be baptized Act. 22.16. and by way of promise he that be∣lieveth and is baptized, in the passive still, shall be saved: but never required by whom in particular the thing shall be done, so as to say repent and let such, or such a one baptize you, as if we should be better in having it from some hands rather then from others: neither doth the efficacy of baptism to us depend one straw up∣on the quality of the person administring be it Paul, Apollos or Cephas, or any other disciple inferiour to them in capacity or office, as Ananias or Philip, but upon the quality of the person or subject to whom its administred, which if it be a person professing to repent and believe, and so doing also as he professes, it mat∣ters not so much who does it, so the thing be done: nay the validity of the bap∣tism depends as not upon any other qualifications of the person baptizing, so not on his being baptized, or not baptized himself, that does it, specially in such a case or juncture wherein at first, or after long neglect of it, theres none but unbap∣tized

persons to begin it nor yet do I find, but that in the primitive times the simple act of baptizing the believers when once converted was any other but an act so inferiour, servile and subservient to that of preaching the gospel, of preaching re∣pentance, faith, and baptism in Christs name for remission of sins in order to con∣version, which more specially belonged to the messenger-sh••p, that it was (unlesse any desired the Apostles to do it themselves, or when the multitudes to be baptiz∣ed were so great that twas fit that every he disciple, that had two hands, as I may say, should be assistant) committed mostly to more inferior persons, com∣mon disciples, who as they might baptize, and preach too occasionally, so when any were converted by either themselves or the Apostles, did attend more to the bare act of dispensation then the Apostles did: we cannot think that Peter him∣self, nor the eleven did baptize all the three thousand without the hands of many other of the 120 to help at least, though in that case the Apostles baptized some also tis like.

Moreover we see Philip baptized the Samaritans and the honourable Eunuch, yet, though an occasional preacher of the Gospel, he did it in the capacity of adisciple only, for his deaconship did not make him ere the fitter to baptize: and Ananias bap∣tized Paul, who is stiled but a certain disciple: and the rest of the disciples that to∣gether with Philip were scattered abroad by the persecution that arose about Ste∣ven went every where, even as far as Antioch preaching the Lord Jesus, and turn∣ed many unto the Lord Act. 11.19. to the end, and baptized them surely as Phi∣lip did, for that businesse was the foundation of the famous Church at Antioch, be∣fore any such great administrators as Apostles came neer them, for though Barna∣bas, who together with Paul was sent forth afterward from that Church with prayer and laying on of hands, from which time they both were visibly, and in foro Ecclesiae Apostles, and were so called and not before Act. 13.3-14.14. was sent to confirm and comfort them, and exhorted them to continue in that faith which they were baptized into before; yet he was but in the capacity of a teach∣ing disciple only yet, and not an Apostle: nor do I believe that Peter baptized them with his own hands Acts 10▪ but by some of them that came with him from Iop∣pa, only he bid it should be done, as that which no body could forbid, and com∣manded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord, but by whom twas done we know not.

The father sent Christ to baptize, i. e. to give order for the baptizing of the dis∣ciples he should make, or else he could not be truly said both to baptize, and yet also to speak and do no more then the Father that sent him gave command for, as he is Ioh. 3.22.4.1.12.49.40. and yet in another sense it may be said Christ was not sent to baptize i. e. personally to dispense the ordinance it self, for if he had been sent to baptize with his own hands he had not fulfilled his message, for howbeit its said he baptized more then Iohn, yet he himself dipenst baptism to none with his own hands, Iohn 4.1.2. but by the hands of his disci∣ples.

When therefore Paul saies he was not sent to baptize, he means not that bap∣tism was none of those things he had in commission to meddle with (for had it been so, he had meddled beyond his commission in baptizing those few he did baptize with his own hands, which were absurd to think) but that he had not such a positive command to dispense it after he had preacht the Gospel to conver∣sion so himself, but that others even inferior persons might baptize the disciples of his converting as well as himself: he means not that baptism, was no part of his message, which he received in charge from God to deliver and declare among men as his will (for he saies God sent him to preach it, not to baptize but to preach the Gospel saith he, and what was that but the Gospel of repentance and baptism, the baptism of faith, and repentance for remission of sins among the nations) but that there was no necessity that himself should administer it, when it

might be done by others. not that twas not needful to be done, but that twas needlesse he personally should dispense it, so it might be done by ano∣ther.

Neither doth Paul make that the ground of his giving of thanks to God that no more but Crispus and G••us, and the houshold of Stephanus &c. were bap∣tized (for then he had thankt God that the Corinthians had most of them neg∣lected their duty in that point of baptism, which its evident he preacht a∣mong them as well as faith, or else sure none of them at all would have submitted, Act. 18.8. but that he himself had with his own hands baptized but some of them, least (perceiving what a foolish dotage on his person was in the hearts of many of them) any of them, at least his party (for some doted too much on Paul, some on Apollos, some on Cephas i. e. Peter) should either think the better of their baptism as long as they lived, because he dispenst it, or else think the worse of him for it, i. e. that he had baptized in his own name: this is the clear sense in which Paul speaks and not the other, 1 Cor. 1.14.15.16.17. viz. that no more then such and such were baptized by his hands, not that no more then such and such of them (for they were all baptized by one or other) were baptized at all; for that many more then those he there names as baptized by him, were baptized by one or other (for all Crispus's house, and many more of the Corinthians be∣sides Crispus's his own person, whom onely with Gaius and Stephanus his house, he here names, believed and were baptized as well as he and they) is evi∣dent Act. 18.8. yea verily and elsewhere that all the Corinthians were bap∣tized, for 1 Cor. 1.13. Paul speaking to the whole Church of Corinth (none excluded) saith thus were ye i. e. ye O Corinthians, that were all baptized, bap∣tized in the name of Paul? and 1 Cor. 12.13. speaking to and of the whole Church again, together with himself, he saies, we are all baptized into one body, and have been all made i. e. in the supper, to drink into one spirit: all the body of them therefore were baptized.

Notes

• John did no miracle yet what he spake was true, nor were any held excused that believed not his baptism to be of heaven, but those are said ••e reject the councel of God against themselves that were not baptized of him.
• as if Christ had admini∣strations in force but had made no pro∣vision of ad∣ministrators whereby they might be at all dispensed.
• which may serve to the satisfaction of such as think that after the long cessation of tune bap∣tism that hath been in the world there must be an ut∣ter omission, and no resur∣rection of it again for ever because none but unbaptiz∣ed persons to begin it, for Iohn himself the greatest administrator of water bap∣tism that ever was, ei••her was not bap∣tized himself at all▪ or else by ••ome that were never baptized, or else by some of those which himself had first bap∣tized, which still makes the case the same, and evidences that unbaptiz¦ed persons may possibly be right ad¦ministrators, and that the non baptiza¦tion of the person that does it nulls not the dis¦pensation of it to believ¦ers.