pofe that his garments will be ftained, fprink led, or colored, in fome measure, by the blood of thofe falling by his victorious hand.

Relative to the cafe before us, we may obferve that St. John, in the 18 chap. of the Rev. heard an angel proclaiming the fall of Babylon, by which we understand the fall or deftruction of the antichristian power in the world. And in the beginning of the 19 chap. he faith, "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, faying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his fervants at her hand. And again they faid, Alleluia. And her fmoke rofe up for ever and ever." In the verfe he faith, "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, faying, Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." In the next verfe he faith, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."

6th

Thus, we perceive St. John had been pointing out the overthrow of the enemies of Chrift and his kingdom, and that Alles

fuias were proclaimed under the confidera tion, that God had avenged the blood of his fervants, and that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, that is, Chrift's power and kingdom prevail.

After these things were revealed to him, it feems there was, in fome measure, a por trait of the fcene of conqueft held up to his view. In verfe 11th and on, he faith, "And Maw heaven opened, and behold a white horfe; and he that fat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteoufnefs he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himfelf. And he

was clothed with a veture dipped in blood;
and his name is called the Word of God."
And we are informed that the armies which.
were in heaven followed hiur ; and that,
"out of his mouth goeth a fharp fword,
with which he should fmite the nations, that
he fhould rule them with a rod of iron ;-
and that he treadeth the winepress of the
fièrcenefs and wrath of Almighty God." And
he hath on his vefture and on his thigh a
name written, King of kings, and Lord of
lords." And St. John informs us, that he
"faw an angel ftanding in the fun; and
that he called to the fowls of heaven that
they might gather themselves together unto
the fupper of the great God, That they

D.2

1

might eat the flesh of kings, of captains, off mighty men, of horfes, and of thofe who fat on them, yea, the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.'

Now, taking in view the fcene prefented in this part of the Revelation, confidering Christ as avenging the blood of his fervants, as treading the wineprefs of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, as overcoming the power of his enemies like a mighty conqueror, it is no wonder that his velture is reprefented as ftained with blood, that is, with the blood of his enemies falling before him.

But in this conflict, there is not the least idea of his being caft down into any collection of the blood of the flain, fo as to dip or immerse his vefture therein. But was may confider his vefture as ftained or fprink-. led, as that of a conqueror in the field; or, as of thofe who tread the wineprefs. This idea of treading the wineprefs may allude to a reprefentation in the prophecy of Ifaiah: 63 chap. "Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah ??? Here, in the Hebrew word (hhaumuts), which is tranflated dyed, there appears to me to be no fignification of the act of dip.. ping, but of sprinkling, tinging, staining, polluting, and the like. And in the 3d: verfe the idea is made plain. "I have trod.; dea the wineprefs alone, and of the people there was none with me; for I

will tread them in mine anger, and tramplethem in my fury; and their blood fhall be fprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment."

A number of tranflators have viewed the Greek word in the paffage we here hold in view, as defigned to convey this idea, Sprinkled or flained, rather than dipped.And it appears to me they had good and fufficient ground therefor. And while this is evident, it is alfo evident they confidered baptō as ufed in a fecondary or confequential fenfe.

Hence, it appears that the idea that bepto may be used, not only in cafes where there is the act of dipping, bur alfo where there is no fuch act, but an application of fome. liquid to a fubftance, is not a new or late idea, but has been of long standing and appears to be well founded.

Having examined the primitive verb, bapto, let us proceed to its derivative baptizēr

While we wish to obtain a juft idea of the meaning of this word, which is ufed in. the facred fcriptures, expreffive of an ordinance of Chrift, let us ufe the means wen are furnished with for that purpose. Let us not confine ourfelves to the information. afforded by any one Lexicon, or even all of them we meet with, but attend to the information thofe writers have collected.

Bebammenon

from Lexicons preceding theirs, and bytheir other refearches. While we examine their ideas, collected by fuch means, we have the fame right to search for ourselveswhich they had, ufing every fuitable means in our power, to obtain the knowledge of the truth, in the case before us.

We will first confult Scapula, in-whofe Lexicon baptizō is defined as follows (mergo, feu immergo) to dip, plunge, or immerse; (ut quae tingendi aut abluendi gratia aquæ immergimus) as we immerse things in water for the fake of wetting or washing.": He repeats (mergo) to dip or plunge, and adds (fubmergo, abruo aqua)" to plange "to under, to overwhelm with water." Alfor (abluo lavo) to wash off, to wash.”

Here it is obfervable, this Lexicographer ufes a number of words to convey his ideas i of this term, and let us endeavour to find what the amount is.

To-dip, plunge, or immerfe, to plunge under, to overwhelm with water, to wash off, to wash.

"

The extent of thefe definitions is to immerse or overwhelm, that is, with water, i which may be expreffed by other words thus, to dip wholly as to dip a substance wholly in water or other liquid, is to im nerfe, plunge or overwhelm it. Therefore, to dip wholly appears to be the extent of the verb, as here defined.

And, as here defined, it fignifies to wash, and we may wash with dipping, or without. *See Luke 7. 38.