What The Scholars Say About "Baptism"
As long as there are people in the world who are satisfied with tradition, or what men say is true in regard to certain religious questions, just so long will it be necessary to state, argue and prove some of the very plainest lessons given in the Word of God. Take the action of baptism as an example. There is no question more simple, or more easily understood than this, and yet, many, many people are totally blinded, it would seem, to the real truth with reference to it. This is altogether due to inattention, upon the part of the people, who are satisfied to allow others to do their thinking for them. Ask the people what they believe about the subject and a great majority of them will answer by saying, "Learned men say that this or that is baptism, and they are presumed to know all about it, and so I will risk my case upon their judgment."
It was not until after the thirteenth century, however, that any one scarcely ever thought of saying that anything but immersion of the whole body in water was the act commanded by Christ, and practiced by the apostles for baptism; the exception being only in cases of sickness, called "clinic" baptism. Of course, in these cases, the thought was simply to substitute for the Lord's ordinance what human wisdom had devised for an emergency. The first person who had water poured on himself for baptism was a sick man, who in the fear of approaching death, decided he had better substitute pouring in his case rather than miss being baptized at all. Speaking of this case in his "ecclesiastical" history Eusebius, who wrote about 300 A.D., says: "To him (Novation) indeed, the author and instigator of his faith was Satan, who entered into and dwelt in him a long time. Who aided by the exorcists, when attacked by an obstinate disease and being supposed at the point of death, was baptized by aspersion, in the bed on which he lay; if, indeed, it be proper to say that one like him did receive baptism. But neither when he recovered from the disease, did he partake of other things, which the rules of the church prescribe as duty, nor was he sealed (in confirmation) by the bishop."
In all the history of the Christian religion, no one can find an earlier case of effusion for baptism. It will be observed also, that Novation was denied any position in the church by the bishop, all because his baptism was not regarded at all. But in this example the act of pouring was introduced to the world for all cases of sickness and like other inviting fashions, it was readily accepted by the sick and dying, and after the thirteenth century began to be used for those who were not sick. Historical authority on this statement is plentiful; in fact, there is nothing to the contrary. Among much that might be recited, we give the following, all from the advocates of effusion for baptism, on the ground that it would do under the circumstances.
Bishop Bossuet, in Stenet's answer to Russen, says: "We are able to make it appear by the acts of councils, and by the ancient rituals, that for thirteen hundred years, baptism was thus (by immersion) administered throughout the whole church as far as possible."
Stackhouse, another able Pedobaptist writer, says: "Several authors have shown and proved that this immersion, as much as possible, continued to be used for thirteen hundred years after Christ." (History of the Bible.)
Archbishop Tillotson: "Anciently, those who were baptized, were immersed and buried in the water, to represent their death to sin; and then did rise up out of the water to signify their entrance upon a new life. And to these customs the apostle alludes in Romans 6:2-6." (Works, Vol. I, Sermon vii, P. 179.)
Archbishop Seeker: "Burying, as it were, the person baptized in the water, and raising him out again, without question, was anciently the more usual method; on account of which Saint Paul speaks of baptism as representing both the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and what is grounded on them, — our being dead and buried to sin, and our rising again to walk in newness of life." (Lectures on the Catechism, Lecture xxxv.)
Dr. Nicholson, (Bishop of Gloucester): "In the grave with Christ we went not; for our bodies were not, could not be buried with His; but in baptism, by a kind of analogy or resemblance, while our bodies are under the water, we may be said to be buried with him." (Exposition of the Church Catechism, P. 174.)
Dr. Whitby, (Author of a Commentary on the New Testament, and more than forty other learned works): "It being so expressly declared here, Rom. 6:4, and Col. 2:12, that we are buried with Christ in baptism, by being buried under water; and the argument to oblige us to a conformity to His death, by dying to sin, being taken hence; and this immersion being religiously observed by all Christians for thirteen centuries and approved by our Church, and the change of it into sprinkling, even without any allowance from the author of this institution, or any license from any council of the church, being that which the Romanist still urges to justify his refusal of the cup to the laity; it were to be wished, that this custom might again be of general use, and aspersion only permitted, as of old, in case of the Clinic, or in present danger of death." (Note on Romans 6:4.)
Reverend Richard Baxter, the most eminent Nonconformist of his age: "Therefore, in our baptism, we are dipped under the water, as signifying our covenant profession, that as He was buried for sin, we are dead and buried to sin; that as the glorious power of God raised Him from the dead, so we should rise to live to Him in newness and holiness of life." (Paraphrase on the New Testament, Rom. 6:4.)
Dr. Doddridge: "Buried with Him in baptism. It seems the part of candor to confess, that there is an allusion to the manner of baptizing by immersion, as most usual in these early times." (Fam. Epos., Note on Rom. 6:4.)
Reverend George Whitefield: "It is certain that in the words of our text, Rom. 6:3, 4, there is an allusion to the manner of baptism, which was by immersion, which is what our church allows." (Eighteen Sermons.)
Reverend John Wesley: "Buried with Him — alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion." (Note on Rom. 6:4.)
Dr. Chalmers, (Professor of Theology in the University of Edinburgh): "We advert to this (the practice of immersion) for the purpose of throwing light on the analogy that is instituted in these verses. Romans 6:3, 4, Jesus Christ, by death, underwent this sort of baptism, even immersion under the surface of the ground, whence He soon emerged again by His resurrection. We, by being baptized into His death, are conceived to have made a similar translation; in the act of descending under the water of baptism, to have resigned an old life, and in the act of ascending, to emerge into a second or new life." (Lectures on the Epistle to the Romans.)