Wild Honey; but especially his Ministry was Mighty,being in the Spirit and Power of Elias; and his Baptifm New and Famous; fo that all the People stood in great expectation of fome Work or Event from him, that fhould manifeft him to be the Chrift; wherefore John, to take them off from that grofs and dangerous Miftake, plainly told them all, and that Openly, that he was not the Christ, but that there was a great deal of Difference between himself and the Meffias, and that both in regard of his Perfon and Office.

Firft for his Office. For he begins to fhew the difference from thence, because the newness of his Baptifm was the occafion of the Peoples conceiving, that he was the Meffias; whereupon he vilifies his own Baptifm, in refpect of Christ's, faying, I indeed Baptize you with Water, that is, my Baptifm is but Water-Baptifm, that washes the Body only with a Corpo real Element; but one mightier than I comes, for I am but a Creature, He the Power of God; I but a Servant, He the Lord of all, and One so infinitely Excellent above all that I am, that the Latchets of his Shoes I am not worthy to unloofe: That is, I am

unworthy.

unworthy to perform the meanest and lowest Office for Him. And having thus firft froken meanly of his own Baptifm, and then magnified Chrift's Perfon above his own, He (faith he) fball Baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire; that is, I that am a Servant do Baptize with Water, but he, that is, the Son, Baptizes with the Spirit; my Baptifm washes but the Body from the filth of Flef; but His, the Soul from filth of Sin; so that how much the Spirit excels Water, and God the Creature, so much his Baptifm tranfcends mine.

Now hence I gather clearly, even from the Baptift's own Mouth, that John's Baptifm and Chrift's were distinct Baptifms, the one Water-Baptifm, the other Fire-Baptifm: And tho' our late Writers and Teachers have, and do affirm, that John's Baptifm and Chrift's, make up but one entire Baptifm; yet all generally of the Ancient Chriftians apprehended them to be Distinct; one whereof faith, Illud manifeftum eft, alium fuiffe Johannis Baptifmum, alium Chrifti: Auguft. contra Liter. Petil. 2. c. 37. And I could produce many more Teftimonies befides, but

it

it is not my meaning to entangle any Body with the Authority of Men, and therefore I fhall make it plain by clear Scriptures, and Evidences from them, that John's Baptifm and Chrift's are Diftinct.

1. John's Baptifm and Chrift's are Diftinct in their Appellations, in Scripture; for John's Baptifm was ftill fo call'd, even when the Apoftles used it; and it was not call'd by their Names who adminiftred it, but was still call'd John's Baptifm: Yea, after Chrift's Baptifm came in, John's still retained its Name, as being diftinct from it; and therefore, Acts 18. 24, 25. it is faid, Apollos taught diligently the Things of the Lord, knowing only rò Báloμa 'Iwávvo, the Baptifm of John.

2. The Scripture faith, that Chrift's Baptifm was to follow John's,and did not accompany it at the fame time,for Mat.3. John faith, y un Baliw, I do Baptize you with Water, but he that comes after me, i. e. in order of time, alsas Bali, he shall Baptize you : And in Luk.3. ἐγω μήν ἐβαπλίσα, I have Baptized you, los 5 Bários, but, He fball Baptize you; which places plainly declare Christ's Baptifm did not go along with John's, but was to follow it,

and

and that he was to Baptize with the Spirit, after John's Water-Baptifm had had its full Course, to wit, when he was Rifen from the Dead, and Afcended into Heaven. And therefore Christ, after he was Risen from the Dead, and immediately before he was to Afcend into Heaven, tho' his Difciples had used Water-Baptifm, or John's Baptifm, for above three Years, yet affirms, that which John had faid of him, touching his Baptifm with the Spirit was not yet fulfilled, but was short

to be fulfilled, as appears Acts 1. 4, 5. Christ being Affembled with the Apostles, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the Promife of the Father, which, faith he, you have heard of me; for John truly Baptizeth with Water, but ye shall be Baptized with the Spirit, not many Days hence; and this was fulfilled at the Day of Pentecoft; whence it is evident, that Chrift's Baptifm did not go along with John's, and make that up one intire Baptifm with it Self, feeing it followed almost four Years after, and therefore John's Baptism and Christ's must needs be Diftinct.

3. It is evident, that Chrift's Baptism

and

and John's were Diftinct, in as much as the Baptifm of Chrift was neceflary for those very Perfons, who had before been Baptized with the Baptifm of John, whereas, if John's Baptifm had been one and the fame with Chrift, that only had been fufficient; but now, those whom John had Baptized with Water, Chrift was to Baptize again with the Spirit, as in that place before-mentioned, I have Baptized you with Water, but one comes after me, who fhall Baptize you with the Spirit; even you whom I have before Baptized with Water: And this was not a fecond Baptism,but the firft Baptism of the New-Teftament, John's Baptifm being more Legal than Evangelical; and Evangelical only in fo much, as it pointed out this Baptism of Chrift at hand.

Again, The Baptift himself faith, I have need to be Baptized of thee; fo that the very Author or chief Minister of Water-Baptifm ftood in need of SpiritualBaptifm himself: Paul alfo, Acts 19.. when he found certain Difciples Baptized only with the Baptifm of John, he Baptized them again in the Name of Chrift, because they had not received the

Spirit;