'tell but he may save one in the voyage, that had better be drowneds,' (Barrioαi,) sunk into the sea.

Thus I put an end to my laborious task: you see, sir, how many examples I have produced, and I might easily enumerate as many more, from the authors I have named, and likewise from those I have wholly omitted; but I am wearied with heaping up dry sentences, only to get at the sense of a word, which I think sufficiently clear already, and altogether as plain of itself as any thing in the world can make it. Your expressly obliging me to this service is a very good excuse; and yet I can hardly forbear thinking I had need say something more, but that I consider it was apparently necessary to do as I have done, since some persons so confidently pretend, and withal so very unreasonably, that Barri(w does not always signify to dip; and among the rest Mr. Wall is one. He takes the liberty to say, Mr. ' 'Walker has largely shewn from the Greek authors, and lexicographers and critics, that besides the signification immergo, they give it that of lavo in 'general.' Whereas you see, sir, I have fully baffled all that is alleged from any passages in the Grecian writers as to lexicographers and critics, were it so material, I could easily prove him to be very much mistaken there also: the Greek lexicographers afford him no ground at all for his pretence; and the most learned of the others, if they do interpret the word by lavo, do not mean, as he pretends, any washing in general, but only such as is performed by dipping for they may render it well enough by

s Orat iv. P. 133. Οὔτε ὁ κυβερνήτης, εἰ σώζει ἐν τῷ πλῷ ὃν καὶ βαπτίσαι ἄμεινον ἦν.

laro, the general word, which comprehends mergo the particular.

I know it signifies to wash, as a consequence of dipping; but so likewise it does to wet, colour, dye, drown, and to poison: it also signifies to put on Christ, and to be buried with him, as the apostle himself teaches us. But what I have further to say I must leave to my next.

I am, &c.

LETTER IV.

CRITICS constantly affirm the proper and genuine sense of Barrica is immergo, &c.—So Vossius, Constantine, and Stephanus render it-A testimony from Casaubon-His poor evasion-Another from Grotius-Another from Dionysius Petavius-It is needless to collect more-Mr. Wall conscious, notwithstanding his pretence, that the opinions of learned men are against him-Whereas Mr. Wall appeals to the Scriptures for the sense of the word, it is shewn largely to be never there used in his sense, but the contrary—Lev. xiv. 6. considered-That the word does not always necessarily signify to dip all over, is the most that can be inferred from it; besides, here it means to dip all over. Isa. xxi. 4; Ezek. xxiii. 15; Dan. iv. 33. and v. 21. considered-Hot climates very dewy-The Syriac version confirms our sense-Ecclus. xxxi. 26; 2 Macc. i. 21: Ecclus. xxxiv. 26. considered—The purification enjoined for touching that which is dead, to be performed by sprinkling-together with dipping-The Mahometans purify in such cases by washing all over-Washing was the main part of the purification among the Jews-For which reason the son of Sirach uses this word to intend the whole ceremony-Luke xi. 38. considered-Mr. Wall pretends the Jews always washed their hands, by having water poured on them: which is false-The priests washed their hands and feet by dipping them—Our LORD washed his disciples' feet so likewise-The authority of the rabbins not to be depended on-Dr. Pococke allows, the Jews were obliged sometimes to wash by dipping-And from thence accounts for the use of the word Barrigeσbai, Mark vii. 4.—Mr. Wall's next instance, which is Mark vii. 4. considered-Those that came from the market did wash by dipping-Sects among the Jews who washed themselves frequently-The words may refer to the things brought from the market-Heb. ix. 10. and Matt. xxvi. 23. considered-The sacramental washing being expressed by words, which signify any kind of washing, does not prove it may therefore be administered by any kind of washing-Words, like our ideas, have their genera and species -Words of a more particular sense should explain the more general, and not the contrary.

SIR,

THE proper and genuine sense of ẞaTTi(w, the critics constantly affirm, is immergo, mergo, &c. Constantine almost always renders it so, and Stephens never fails to do it, and explains it to signify to dye, or wash by dippinga; till in another period he inclines to shew a little favour to the authority of the church and her practice, and to that end indeed interprets it by lavo, abluo, &c. But he confirms this exposition by no examples, except two from Scripture, Mark vii. 4. and Luke xi. 28, which we shall examine by and by, and some from the later ecclesiastical writers.

And yet, at the same time, he cannot forbear blaming such as use those words in relation to the Christian sacrament, and says expressly, 'That Ter⚫tullian rendered it more properly by mergitare, 'on account of the trine immersion in baptism, ' retaining what the grammarians call the frequen'tative termination b.'

The great Vossius speaks exactly to the same purpose, and indeed almost in the same words; for without ever taking the least notice of lavo, or the like, he expressly says", • Though βάπτω and βαπτίζω are rendered by mergo or mergito, and tingo, yet they properly signify mergo and tingo only by a

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a Ad voc. Barriłw, ut quæ tingendi aut abluendi gratia aquæ immergimus.

b Ad voc. Banтi. Tertullianus de Corona Militis, magis proprie interpretatus est mergitare, servata propter trinam immersionem, forma quam frequentativam grammatici vocant.

c Etymologic. in voc. Baptismus. Etsi autem ẞánтw et Banrijw, tum mergo, vel mergito, tum tingo transferri soleant; proprie tamen mergo notant, et μεταληπτικῶς tingo.

'metalepsis,' i. e. as tingo implies mergo; and therefore he adds, "Tinging follows immersion, and is 'done by itd.' Also in his Treatise of Baptism, as well as here, he translates the Greek word by mergo, and says again that is its proper signification; and, farther than this, that particularly when it relates to the Christian sacrament, it should of choice be rendered by mergito; as you may see in his Etymologicon at the word baptismus.

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Casaubon, no inconsiderable judge in matters of this nature, is very express in his note on Matt. iii. 6. which being so remarkable, I will transcribe the whole passage: For the manner of baptizing,' says he, was to plunge or dip them into the water, as even the word Barrier itself plainly enough shews; which as it does not signify dúveiv, to sink down and perish, neither certainly does it signify 'éπITOλázev, (to swim or float a-top); these three · words, ἐπιπολάζειν, βαπτίζειν, δύνειν, being very differ'ent. Hence it appears, that it was not without 'reason that some have long since insisted on the 'immersion of the whole body, in baptism, for which they urge the word ẞaTTiew. But their opinion is justly long since exploded, the force and energy of this sacred mystery not consisting in that circumstance. A very poor evasion for so

d Ibid. Nam posterior est immersione tinctura, quia hæc immersione fit.

e Hic enim fuit baptizandi ritus, ut in aquas immergerentur: quod vel ipsa vox Banтiew declarat satis; quæ ut non significat Súvei, quod est fundum petere cum sua pernicie, ita profecto non est ἐπιπολάζειν. Differunt enim hæc tria ἐπιπολάζειν, βαπτίζειν, dúvew. Unde intelligimus non esse abs re quod jampridem nonnulli disputarunt de toto corpore immergendo in ceremonia baptismi: vocem enim Barrie urgebant. Sed horum sententia