Grotius, who his biographer calls one of the most illustrious names in literature, politics, and theology says: “That baptism used to be performed by immersion, and not by pouring, appears by the proper signification of the word, and by the places chosen for the administration of the rite.” Annot. on Matt. 3:6; John 3:23.
Adam Clark, the great Methodist commentator, says: “Alluding to the immersions practiced in the case of adults, wherein the person appeared to be buried under the water as Christ was buried in the heart of the earth.” Com. on Col. 2:12.
Frederick Meyer, one of the ablest and most accurate exegetes of the present age, says: “Immersion, which the word in classic Greek and in the New Testament ever means.” Com. on Mark 7:4.
Dean Alford says: “The baptism was administered by immersion of the whole person.” Greek Testament, Matt. 3:6.
Bishop Bossuet, the celebrated French Catholic bishop, orator, and counselor of state, says: “To baptize, signifies to plunge, as is granted by all the world.” See Stenett ad Russen, p. 174.
Doctor Schaff, the well-known church historian, says: “Immersion, and not sprinkling, was unquestionably the original form. This is shown by the very meaning of the words baptizo, baptisma, and baptismos used to designate the rite.” Hist. Apos. Ch., p. 488. Merc. ed., 1851. Also see Noel on Bap., Ch. 3, sec. 8.
Dean Stanley, the distinguished scholar, and historian of the Oriental Church, says: “The practice of the Eastern Church, and the meaning of the word, leave no sufficient ground for question that the original form of baptism was complete immersion in the deep baptismal waters.” Hist. Eastern Church, p. 34.
Professor Fisher, of Yale College, the accomplished scholar and historian, says of the Apostolic age: “The ordinary mode of baptism was by immersion.” Hist. Christ. Church, p. 41.
Professor Riddle says: “There is no doubt that the usual mode of administering baptism in the early church, was by immersion, or plunging the whole body of the person baptized under water.” Christ. Antiq., p. 502.
Add to the above the testimony of Bishops Taylor and Sherlock, Witsius, Poole, Vitringa, Diodati, Calvin, Samuel Clark, Bloomfield, Scholz, Neander, and many others to the same effect, none of whom were Baptists.