[Baptism by immersion is] the usual form of the original meaning of the Greek baptidzein and baptismos; from the analogy of John’s baptism in the Jordan; from the apostle’s comparison of the sacred rite with the miraculous passage of the Red Sea, with the escape of the ark from the flood, with a cleansing and refreshing bath, and with burial and resurrection; finally, from the general custom of the ancient church, which prevails in the East to this day.
Philip Schaff