George Smeaton Admitting John 3 was Universally Interpreted to be "Water Baptism" in the Patristic Era

Commenting on the term “water” in John 3 in his 1882 book on the Holy Spirit, while rejecting baptismal regeneration (due to his Reformed theology), George Smeaton (1814-1889) admitted that the unanimous consent of patristic authors understood the “water” to be a reference to water baptism::

The term WATER has been variously interpreted. (1) Some refer it to baptism,--an opinion current in Patristic theology from the earliest times, and asserted in the Greek and Latin Church and in some of the Protestant formularies. (George Smeaton, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit [London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1958], 169)

For an exegesis of John 3:1-7 in favour of baptismal regeneration, and a survey of some of the overwhelming patristic evidence for this doctrine, see:

Baptism, Salvation, and the New Testament: John 3:1-7

For other articles, see:

Refuting Douglas Wilson on Water Baptism and Salvation

Christ's baptism is NOT imputed to the believer