affufion or fprinkling of water upon them, was the moft ftriking representation of their fpiritual baptifm, and of courfe a very fuitable and proper mode of baptizing, and, probably, the mode which he adopted.

Fourthly. The next inftance of baptizing, which we shall here note, is that of the jailer and his family. It is mentioned in Acts 16. According to the account given us by St.. Luke, they were baptized at home-at midnight-the very fame hour in which they be-lieved. A terrible earthquake had happened. The keeper of the prifon was greatly aftonifhed; and being convinced and converted to the chriftian faith, by the preach-ing of Paul and Silas, he and all his were bap tized straightway. Now, how can we fuppofe, that they were dipped; or that they left the jail and went away to fome convenient place, for that purpofe? Nothing of this nature is intimated, and no fingle circum-ftance appears to favour the fuppofition. Their baptifm was adminiftered in the dead of the night, while the whole city was une doubtedly alarmed, and in the greateft perturbation. Befides, the Apoftles, but a little before this event, had been severely beaten with rods, and fo abufed, that when leave was granted them, on the enfuing day, to de-part, they abfolutely refufed, until the magis trates fhould come, themfelves, and fetch them out. This clearly indicates, that they had not, pre

viously, in a clandeftine manner, quitted the prifon and returned.

"You will perhaps fay, there was a bath, for the purpofe of dipping perfons, within the limits of the jail." If an infpired writer had told us fo, I fhould certainly believe him; but we have no reafon to be wife, in. this matter, above what is written. It is, however, faid, that the keeper of the prifon fprang in trembling, and brought them out. This is

true. He brought them out of the flocksthe dungeon-the inner prifon, where he had confined them without any particular orders. He brought them into a room of more liberty and better accommodations. Here the Apoftles fpake to him, and to all his household. Here he believed, and here he and all his were baptized, ftraightway. After they had received baptifm, it feems the jailer proceeded a little further, and brought the Apostles into his own houfe, which undoubtedly adjoined, and was within the bounds of their confinement. Here he fet meat before them, &c. It is not faid, nor even hinted, that they were dipped. But every circumftance feems to intimate, that they were baptized by sprinkling.

Fifthly. We proceed to confider that wellknown ftory of Philip and the Eunuch, on which the baptifts put fo much dependence. This is the only inftance mentioned in the new teftament, after the chriftian baptifm was. inftituted, where it is faid or intimated, that

any perfon was baptized at a natural ftream or fountain of water; and when we attend to the peculiar and very uncommon circumftances of the cafe, it will not appear to fa vour the mode of dipping, any more than that of fprinkling. Philip and the Eunuch were riding in the fame chariot.. When they had come within fight of water, the Eunuch obferved; "See here is water, what doth hin*der me from being baptized?" Philip told him, that if he believed with all his heart, he might. The Eunuch replied, "I believe that Jefus " Chrift is the Son of God." There being no objection, he now commanded the chariot to ftand fill. Which expreffions plainly fhow, that they had not stopped, nor arrived at the water, (as Dr. Gill pretends) when the quef tion was firft propofed by the Eunuch. They had come to the fight of water, but not to the place where the water was. According to our tranflation, " They both went down "into the water, both Philip and the Eu "nuch, and he baptized him. And when they "were come up out of the water, the Spirit "of the Lord caught away Philip," &c.. Acts, 8th chapter.

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The baptifts take it for granted, that Phil ip dipped the Eunuch. But the facred hiftorian has not faid that he dipped him. It is remarkable, that the fame form of words is used with refpe& to Philip, as is used with refpe&t to the Eunuch, "They both went "-down into the water, and they both came:

66 up out of the water." But it is not pretended, that both were dipped. This manner of expreffion does not determine the mode in which the Eunuch was baptized. They might, perhaps, go a little way into the water, in order to obtain clean water, for the purpose of sprinkling. It is not likely that they were provided with a change of raiment, nor is it certain, that the water was fuitable for dipping. There are, comparatively, but very few ftreams, upon our roads, of fufficient and fuitable depth, for the purpose of total immersion. The fuppofition, however, that they actually went into the water, at all, is wholly without proof. The words here rendered into and out of, might have been rendered to and from. This is a truth beyond difpute, and well known to every one who is acquainted with the Greek. The Greek prepofition eis, fignifies to, and unto, as well as into. We read in John xx, 4, 5, "That the other difciple did out-run Peter, and came first to (eis) the fepulchre, "yet went not in." Every perfon perceives, that the word eis, in this place, is rightly tranflated. For if our tranflators had fubftituted the prepofition into, in the room of to, it would have occafioned the most palpable abfurdity and contradiction. Although the Greek prepofition eis, is most commonly tranflated into, yet it is very frequently rendered to and unto; and no less than 285 times, in the five first books of the new tef

tament, as Mr. Chaplin informs us; and even in this very chapter, which has reference to the baptifm of the Eunuch, it is rendered to and unto, fix times, and into only once; a circumftance that is very remarkable. Again, the Greek prepofition ek, which is here rendered out of, is moft commonly and properly tranflated from. It is rendered from 102 times, and out of but 77 times, in the five firft books of the new teftament. Rivers and ponds always lie in vallies. Accordingly, when converfing or writing about them, we naturally accommodate our language to their fituation. We always defcend or go down, when approaching toward a natural ftream or fountain of water; and always af cend or come up, when we return from them. But nothing can be more trifling, than to infer the mode of baptifm from the fignification of the words into and out of, as here rendered by our tranflators. I do not mean, Sir, to tax you with thus trifling, for the aforefaid inference has never been fo much as once hinted at, in your feven fermons.

It will, perhaps, be enquired, why the Eunuch did not ftop at fome private house for the purpose of being baptized? There could be no need of this. Befides, the Eu

nuch was at a great diftance from homeamong ftrangers, who were probably, at that time, ignorant of the chriftian religion, or elfe its inveterate enemies and oppofers. It is not however certain, that he paffed by