Excerpt from An Inquiry Into the Usage of Baptizo and the Nature of Christic and Patristic Baptism: As Exhibited in the Holy Scriptures and Patristic Writings A modern theory respecting ritual Christian baptism throws into deepest shadow this idea of purification, and declares, that another and diverse baptism, namely, a dipping into water (not found in and not possible to the real baptism), constitutes both the spirit and the substance Of the rite; and, that in it is exhibited a death, a burial, a resurrection, a grave, a womb, a pollution, and somewhere, somehow, a purification. This theory is so unique in the complexity and perplexity of its symbolism, and is so grievous (as declared by them) to 'its friends in compelling a separation from all God's people who receive but one baptism (the real Christie baptism by the Holy Ghost and its ritual Christie bap tiem by water), that it becomes necessary to draw out its details for a rational judgment and a Scriptural determination. This I will endeavor to do by brie y adducing the statements Of those who are of acknowledged authority among its friends. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

In the 19th century, Dr. James W. Dale, a Presbyterian minister, embarked on a scholarly project that proved to be the most exhaustive study ever undertaken on the word "baptism." Aiming at a contextual understanding of the work, Dr. Dale meticulously examined its use in a wide range of historical documents, and his analysis is a masterpiece of lexicographical scholarship.