A Manual of Christian Baptism; Or, a Brief Summary of Congregationalist Views on the Subject of Baptism. with the Grounds on Which They Rest Intended Specially for Young People

This historic book may have numerous typos or missing text. Not indexed. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1874. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER III. PRE-EXISTING KITES OF PURIFICATION AMONG THE JEWS. We now enter upon a brief inquiry into the nature of those more ancient Jewish rites, which bear any analogy to Christian baptism, with the view of ascertaining how far they affect, in the way of confirmation or otherwise, the conclusions at which we have arrived. Our limits will not permit us to do more than just to glance at these rites; and we refer the reader, who desires a more complete investigation, to more elaborate treatises. 1. Mosaic baptisms. These consisted in sprinklings and washings, which in certain cases were Divinely enjoined, as when a Hebrew had contracted any real or ceremonial uncleanness, disqualifying him from entering the temple, or taking part in religious service. A full account of them is given in Numbers xix.; and they are called baptisms in Hebrews ix. 10, though not by precisely the same word as is applied to Christian baptism and to that of John. No doubt one design of these Mosaic baptisms, or at least of the regulations connected with them, was sanatory, and particularly in the case of leprosy, in which the priest was not to sprinkle the water upon the person, until he was satisfied, by a personal inspection, that he was perfectly sound. The same thing appears also in the case of contact with a dead body. But besides the sanatory purpose, there was one purely religious; and it is with this that we are now exclusively concerned. The external baptism had confessedly some relation to moral and religious purity; and we ask, what it was. It was not an outward sign or profession of such a purity, as actually existing, and previously produced by other means. In most cases it was too evident that this had no existence. "All the nation of Israel do assert, as it...