think it needful, for the use of ordinary readers, to premise, by way of Introduction, some account of that matter also.

I do not pretend, in this Introduction, in which I treat of the Custom of the Jews in baptizing Infants before our Saviour's time, to do as I do in the book itself, wherein I treat of the Custom of the Christians in baptizing them after it; that is, to recite all the authorities that are about that matter. Partly, because the quotations for that purpose are to be searched for in books with which I am not so well acquainted; and, partly, because those few which I shall produce, will make it clear enough that there was such a custom. I shall, therefore, content myself with reciting such of them as have been already made use of by learned men; such as Ainsworth on Gen. xvii.; Dr. Hammond's Annotations on Matt. iii.; Matt. xix.; Matt. xxiii.; John iii; item, Six Queries; item, Defence of Infant Baptism; Selden de Jure Nat. et Gent. juxta Hebræos; item, de Synedriis; item, de Successionibus, &c. Dr. Lightfoot, Hor. Hæbr. on Matt. iii. and John ii; item, Harmony on the New Testament, Luke iii.; Jacob Alting. Prælectio 7, de Proselytis; Godwyn's Moses and Aaron, &c.; and the learned author of the Discourse concerning Lent, part ii, ch. 2.

First, then, it is evident that the custom of the Jews, before our Saviour's time (and, as they themselves affirm, from the beginning of their law) was to baptize as well as circuncise any proselyte that came over to them from the nations. This does fully appear both from the books of the Jews themselves, and also of others. that understood the Jewish customs and have written of them. They reckoned all mankind beside themselves to be in an unclean state, and not capable of being entered into the covenant of Israelites without a washing or baptism, to denote their purification from their uncleanness; and this was called The baptizing of them unto Moses.

This custom of theirs is fully and largely set forth by Maimonides, Isuri Bia, c. 15 and 14. He had been

saying there that the Israelites themselves were entered into covenant by circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice; and then he adds, " And so in all ages, when an Ethnic is willing to enter into the covenant, and gather himself under the wings of the majesty of God, and take upon him the yoke of the law, he must be circumcised, and baptized, and bring a sacrifice; or if it be a woman, be baptized, and bring a sacrifice. As it is written (Num. xv. 15) As you are, so shall the stranger be.

How

are you? By circumcision, and baptism, and bringing of a sacrifice; so likewise the stranger [or proselyte] through all generations, by circumcision, and baptism, and bringing of a sacrifice. And what is the stranger's sacrifice? A burnt-offering of a beast, or two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, both of them for a burntoffering.

"And at this time, when there is no sacrificing, they must be circumcised and baptized; and when the temple. shall be built, they are to bring the sacrifice.

"A stranger that is circumcised and not baptized, or baptized and not circumcised, - he is not a proselyte till he be both circumcised and baptized; and he must be baptized in the presence of three, &c.

"Even as they circumcise and baptize strangers, so do they circumcise and baptize servants that are received from Heathens, into the name of Servitude, &c.

"When man or a woman comes to join as a proselyte, they make diligent inquiry concerning such, lest they come to get themselves under the law for some riches that they should receive, or for dignity that they should obtain, or for fear. If it be a man, they enquire whether he have not set his affection on some Jewish woman; or a woman, her affection on some young man of Israel. If no such like occasion be found in them, they make known unto them the weightiness of the yoke of the law, and the toil that is in the doing thereof, above that which people of other lands have, to see if they will go back. If they take it. upon them, and withdraw not, and they see that they come of love, then they receive them, &c.

Therefore, the judges received no proselyte all the days of David and Solomon; not in David's days, lest they should have come of fear; nor in Solomon's, lest they should have come, because of the kingdom and great prosperity which Israel then had; for whoso comes from the Heathens for any thing of the vanities of this world, he is no righteous proselyte. Notwithstanding, there were many proselytes that, in David's and Solumon's time, joined themselves in the presence of private persons; and the judges of the great Synedrion had a care of them. They drove them not away, after they were baptized, out of any place; neither took they them near to them until their after-fruits appeared."

Maimonides gives at the same place an account of several circumstances of time, place, &c. observed in this action of baptizing a proselyte; as that " They baptized not a proselyte on the Sabbath, nor on a holyday, nor by night, &c. They do it in a confluence of waters, &c. As soon as he grows whole of the wound of circumcision, they bring him to baptism; and being placed in the water, they again instruct him," &c.; and such a confluence of waters, Jonathan's Chaldee Paraphrase determines ought not to be less than forty of the measures called Sata; where he paraphrases on Exod. xxix. Lev. xi. — and other places.

The Talmud says the same thing of receiving proselytes by baptism; only, whereas Maimonides speaks of the number of three, as necessary to be present at the baptizing. The Babylonic Talmud does not insist on any more than two grave men.

Talmud Babylon. Mass. Jevamoth, fol. 47. "When a proselyte is received, he must be circumcised; and then when he is cured [of the wound of circumcision] they baptize him in the presence of two wise men, saying, Behold, he is an Israelite in all things; or if it be a woman, the women lead her to the waters," &c.

But the Talmud Hierosol. Jevamoth says, as Maimonides does, that "a proselyte has need of three *;”

and directs the other circumstances as he does, viz. "They do not baptize a proselyte by night;" and "They were not baptized till the pain of circumcision were healed t."

The same continues to this day to be the practice of the present Jews; for so Leo Modena, in his history of them (part v. chap. 2) speaking of a proselyte's admission, "They take and circumcise him; and as soon as he is well of his sore, he is to wash himself all over in water; and this is to be done in the presence of three rabbins, &c.; and so from thenceforth he becomes as a natural Jew."

The books do speak of this washing, or baptism, as absolutely necessary; and an ordinance, without which none was to be counted a proselyte; -so Gemara Babylon. ad tit. Cherithoth, c. 2. "The proselytes entered not into covenant, but by circumcision, baptism, and sprinkling of blood."

And tit. Jabimoth, c. 4." He is no proselyte, unless he be circumcised and baptized; and if he be not baptized, he remains a Gentile" [or Pagan]; and there is in that chapter a proof given of that opinion of the necessity, which I shall have occasion by and by to

mention.

Maimonides says the same thing, as we saw in the chapter I quoted before ‡.

Also the Talmud Tract. Repudii, speaking of Jethro, Moses's father-in-law: "He was made a proselyte by circumcision and immersion in waters." Godwin, in his Moses and Aaron, lib. 1, c. 3.

To the making of a male proselyte, at first, three things were required: 1, Circumcision; 2, A kind of purification by water; 3, The blood of oblation. Moses Kotsen, fol. 20. Of a woman proselyte were required only purification by water and oblation. Drusius de Tribus Sectis.

This custom of the Jews continued after Christ's time, and after their expulsion from the Holy Land;

* Fol. 46,

2.

+ Fol. 41, 2.

Isuri Bia, c. 13.

and continues (as I shewed from Leo Modena) to this day, if there be any that now-a-days do turn proselytes to their religion. Wherever they sojourned, if they found any of that country that chose to be of their religion, they would not admit him, unless he would first be washed or baptized by them; and some Heathen writers do express a great deal of scorn and disdain at this their valuing themselves upon their own purity, in comparison with other nations; so Arrianus, a philosopher at Rome (about the year of Christ 147) jeers * those that turned proselytes to the Jews, calling them ßeßaμμéves, dipped; and describes their custom to be, that when a man is so dipped by them, then he is accounted Tý ovτi 'Isdatos, a right Jew; and calls one that is a counterfeit proselyte to them, παραβαπτισὴν, one that puts an abuse upon their ceremony of baptism.

-

This solemn baptizing of proselytes differed from the rest of their divers baptisms (which St. Paul, Heb. ix. 10, says were customary among the Jews) in this, That those others were, upon new occasions of uncleanness, &c. many times repeated; but this was never given but once to one person. It was called (as Dr. Lightfoot shews †) Baptism for Proselytism, distinct from Baptism for Uncleanness.

It is not very material to our purpose to enquire upon what reasons or authorities this custom of the Jews, of baptizing all proselytes, was grounded. All that is material is to know that they had, time out of mind, such a custom; and for that, the sayings of their own writers here produced are a sufficient evidence; yet I shall spend a few words in shewing how they prove the necessity of this washing, or baptizing, from Moses's law.

They take notice that Moses (Num. xv. 15) orders thus: "One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger [or proselyte] that sojourns with you. An ordinance for ever in your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before

* Dissert. in Epictet. lib. 2. c. 9. + Hor. Heb. on Mat. iii. 6.