a sect or denomination of Christians, who deduce their original from the apostolic age. This name was given them by their opponents, soon after the Reformation, by way of scorn, and imports re-baptizing; but this charge they disclaim, by denying that the sprinkling, or pouring of water, upon infants has any relation at all to the scripture-ordinance of baptism, either as to its subject or mode.

Though they believe the salvation of elect infants; yet they deny their being the proper subjects of baptism: Because they can find neither precept nor example for such a practice in the N. Testament: Because Christ's commission to baptize appears to them to restrict this ordinance to such only as are taught, or made disciples, and believe the gospel, Mat. xxviii. 19. Mark xvi. 16.: Because the apostles, in executing Christ's commission, never baptized any but those who were first instructed in the Christian faith, and professed their belief of it, Acts ii. 41. viii. 12. xviii. 8.; And because the nature and design of the ordinance is such as can be of no advantage to infants, it being a sign and representation of spiritual blessings, intended to impress the mind of the person baptized with a comfortable sense of what is signified thereby, 1 Pet. iii. 21.; and as infants can neither discern the sign nor the thing signified, so they think they can reap no benefit from it, any more than from the Lord's supper, or any other ordinance of the gospel.

They repel the argument drawn from circumcision, by distinguishing betwixt the Old and New Testament dispensations, and betwixt the natural and spiritual seed of Abraham, Rom. ix. 8. Gal. iv. 22, 23, 28, 31, and maintain, that as circumcision belonged to the carnal birth, so baptism belongs only to the spiritual birth, or those who are of faith, Gal. iii. 7. Our Lord's words in Mark x. 13, 14, they consider as having no relation to infant-baptism, as he there neither enjoins nor exemplifies it; and they distinguish betwixt those who may be subjects of the kingdom of heaven in God's sight, and those whom he points out to us as proper visible subjects of gospel-ordinances. The argument from the apostles' baptizing whole-houses, they answer, by shewing that these houses heard the word, believed, were comforted, and abounded in good works, Acts xvi. 32, 34, 40. and xviii. 8. 1 Cor. xvi. 15, 16. and so could not be infants.

The mode or manner of baptism they affirm to be dipping or immersing the whole body in water. This they say is the primary and proper meaning of the original word *Baptizo*, to dip, immerse, or plunge. In support of this sense of the word, they produce other places in the N. Testament where it is so rendered, as Mat. xxvi. 23, Luke xvi. 24. John xiii. 26. Rev. xix. 13. as also the circumstances of our Lord's baptism.