other places, baptism was administered by sprinkling, they thought they could not do the church of England a greater piece of service, than to introduce a practice dictated by so great an oracle as Calvin. This, together with the coldness of our northern climate, was what contributed to banish entirely the practice of dipping infants in the fount.--Enc. Perth. Vol. 3, p. 256.

"The practice of aspersion or sprinkling, was bro't into the church by the Popish school men; and our dissenters have it from them. The schoolmen employed their thoughts how to find out a reason for the alteration to sprinkling; and brought it into use in the twelfth century." -John Floyer, Essay on bapt. p. 58.

All the Nations of Christians that do now, or formerly did submit to the Bishops of Rome, do sprinkle; and though the English received not this custom till after the decay of Popery, yet they have since received it from such neighboring nations as had began it in the time of the Pope's power. But all other Christians in the world, who never owned the Pope's usurped power, do, and ever dip.”—Dr. Wall, hist. of infant bapt. part 2, p. 477.

SECTION V.

Versions of the Bible.

THE old Syriac or Peshito, was translated from the original in the beginning of the second century, and in the very country where the Apostles lived, and by persons who understood both languages, and within a few years past, it has been reprinted by the British and foreign Bible Society, and is used by all Christians in Syria and the East. In this version, Barrig is rendered samad, immerse. The Ethiopic or Aby

ian in the Gheez, was translated from the original, about the middle of the fourth century. In this version Baxtiga is translated by pro Tamak, immerse. The Amharic in the common dialect of Ethiopia, was translated by Mr. Abraham, a learned Ethiopian, and was published by the British and Foreign Bible Society, A. D. 1822, in which fanтita is rendered p Tamak, immerse. The ancient Armenian version was made by Miesrob, and the patriarch Isac, in the beginning of the fifth century, in which Bantito is rendered mugurdel, immerse. See Mekitar Vartabed Dictionary of the Armenian Language, Venice, A. D. 1749, and Horne's Introduction, Vol. 2, p. 208.

The modern Armenian version, printed and circulated by the Russian, and British and Foreign Bible Societies, translate fanrito, mugurdel, immerse. The Georgian version, made in the eighth century by Euphemius, renders Bantito, nathlistemad, immerse.Robinson's hist. of Bapt. p. 7.

The Coptic, made in the fifth century, and used in Lower Egypt, renders Barriga, TлMC, tomas, immerse. -See Louis Picques, in Le Long Biblioth, Sac. Pars 1, p. 287, and the anual report of the English Baptist Mission Society, for A. D. 1834, p. 32.

The several Arabic versions of the New Testament which were made between the seventh and eleventh

centuries, render ßantitw, amad ¿

tzabag or mi gatas, dip, plunge, immerse. The Persian four gospels, were translated by J. J. Al Tabrizi, A. D. 1341, and the whole New Testament, by Meer Seyd Ali, A. D. 1812, and published at Petersburgh, London and Calcutta. This version renders βαπτιζω

in Shustgah, ghusl, and the derivative of s amad, ablution, immerse. The Turkish version of the New Testament, written by Albertus Boboosky, and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society, A. D. 1819, renders fatica e am

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ad, immerse. The Orenberg Tartar, published by the Russian Bible Society, renders fartigo, e amad, immerse. The first Hebrew version of the New Testament, translated by Elias Hutter, A. D. 1599, renders Bantiga, taval, immerse. The old Latin Italic version, adopted the word Bantico without translating it; but that they understood it immerse, is evident from the fact that the MSS. Codex Vercellensis, and Codex Veronensis, uniformily construct Barrica with the accusative case. Thus, Matt. iii. 6, Cod. Vercel, "et baptizaban-ab illo in Jordanen." Cod. Veron, "et baptizabantur- -danen," and were baptized by him into the Jordan. Verse 11, Cod. Veron., "baptizo Vos in aquam," I baptize you into water. Verse 13, Cod. Veron., "Tunc Venit Jesus a Galilaea ad Johannen ut baptizaretur ab eo in Jordanen." Then came Jesus from Galilee to John, that he might be baptized by him into the Jordan."-See Evangeliarum Quadruplex ed J. Blanchini, Rome A. D. 1749.

Jaspis, an eminent German scholar, renders ßantita by immergo, immerse, or tingo, to dip. The Gothic, was translated from the Greek by Uphilas in the fourth century. Of this version, we have only the four gospels, and a part of the Epistle to the Romans. But in these, he renders fanti, daupyan, to dip. He renders Mark vii. 4, on which there has been some dispute, "ni daupyand," unless they dip; and many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as "daupeinins," the dippings of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and couches. The German translation, from the Latin Vulgate, printed in 1466, and Luther's translation which was published in several parts or numbers, between 1522 and 1532, and the translation of Caspar Ulenburg in 1630, all render Bantita, taufen, dip. Gesenius classes taufen, with the Gothic doufan, (daupyan,) the Ital. tuffare and

other words signifying to dip, and says it is identical in form with the Heb. taval, to dip, to immerse.

M. Luther says, "the Germans call baptism, tauff, from depth, which in their language they call tieff, as it is proper that those who are baptized should be deeply immersed." The German Swiss or Helvetic version, made by John Piscator, in 1604, and the translation made by Jo. Henry Reizius, in 1703, both render Bantico taufen, and explain it in the margin by eintauchen, and use the same word at Mark vii. 4: Luke xi. 38: Heb. vi. 2: ix. 10: thus making it certain that these texts teach dipping. The Jewish German translation, published at London a few years since, renders ẞantito taufen, dip. The Belgian or Flemish translation made from the Latin Vulgate in 1475, republished by the Synod of Dort in 1637, renders Banrico doopen, dip. The Danish version, made from the Latin vulgate, as well as that which was translated from Luther's version, by order of Christian III. king of Denmark, in 1550, and the version made by order of Christian IV. king of Denmark, from the original Greek, in 1607, all render Banrıça dobe, dip. The Swedish Bible was made from Luther's version, at Upsal, in 1541, and was afterwards revised and made to conform with the original, by order of Charles XII. king of Sweden, in 1703. This version renders BanTico dopa, dip. The Welsh translation of the New Testament was first made by order of Parliament, in 1567. During the reign of James I. it was corrected and republished by Dr. Parry, in 1620. In this version Barrica is rendered bedyddio,immerse. Edward Lhuyd, a learned Welshman, says, "Bedydd, the Welsh word for baptism, is derived from suddiant, a British word, which is well known to signify dipping, or immersion, and the verb of which is suddo."-(See article Baptisma, in Lhuyd's Arch. Brit. comp. vocab. Ed. in 1707.

The Sclavonian, or Old Russian translation of the New Testament, was made by Cyril and Methodius, in 1570. The Russian being a branch of the Greek church, uniformly practiced immersion, but they added the sign of the cross, which they considered the essential part of baptism; therefore they tranlated fanTo krestit, to cross. Thus, Matt. iii. 5, 6: "There went out unto him Jerusalem, and all the region round about Jordan, and were crossed by him in Jordan." The New Testament made by order of emperor Alexander, in 1816, which was finished at Moscow in 1822, retains krestit, yet every reader knows that the Russian church uniformly dips.

The Romanese language is divided into two dialects. The Churwelsche is spoken by those of Engadine, a valley of Switzerland; and the Ladiniche by those who live on the confines of Italy. In each of these versions they have adopted the word fango without translating it.

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Of the English versions we can only say, Wickliffe's was made in 1380, Tindal's in 1526, Coverdale's in 1535, Mathew's in 1537, Cranmer's in 1539, Tonstal's in 1541, Geneva in 1560, Bishops' in 1568. All these versions followed the Latin vulgate in adopting fantıço), only changing the Greek o omega for the Roman e. Queen Elizabeth was immersed in infancy; still, she ordered all Baptists to leave the kingdom, and allowed two of them to be burnt at Smithfield, July 22d, 1575. About this time the English bishops began to practice sprinkling, having borrowed it of the Scotch; and in the time of this rage for Baptist blood and Calvin's sprinkling, our version of the Bible was made. King James I. succeeded Elizabeth in 1603, and although immersion was still established by law, yet sprinkling in practice was constantly gaining the ascendency. A. D. 1610, James made our version; and April 11th, 1612, he burned at Litchfield Mr. Edward Wightman