A third place is that of 1 Cor. 15:29, before mentioned, concerning baptism for the dead: out of which he concludeth, first, that prayers for the dead are not unprofitable; and out of that, that there is a fire of purgatory: but neither of them rightly. For of many interpretations of the word baptism, he approveth this in the first place, that by baptism is meant, metaphorically, a baptism of penance; and that men are in this sense baptized, when they fast, and pray, and give alms: and so, baptism for the dead, and prayer for the dead, is the same thing. But this is a metaphor, of which there is no example, neither in the Scripture nor in any other use of language; and which is also discordant to the harmony and scope of the Scripture. The word baptism is used (Mark 10:38 and Luke 12:50), for being dipped in one’s own blood, as Christ was upon the cross, and as most of the apostles were, for giving testimony of Him. But it is hard to say that prayer, fasting, and alms have any similitude with dipping. The same is used also Matt.