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ONE BAPTISM.”

Ephesians iv. 5.

THE BIBLE says one baptism-the professing world in the present day says two baptisms. Either the Bible must be wrong, or the professing world must be wrong-the Bible must be wrong when it says one baptism, or the professing world must be wrong when it says two baptisms. Both cannot possibly be right. How then, you say, are we to decide which is right, and which is wrong? You can have no difficulty in deciding, if you believe that the Bible is the word of GOD. If you believe this, you will at once decide in favour of the Bible, and against the professing world-that the former is right, and that the latter is wrong:-that the former is right when it says one baptism, and that the latter is wrong when it says two baptisms.

It follows-as the professing world is wrong when it says two baptisms, that one or both the baptisms which it practices, must be wrong likewise. If they are not both of them wrong, one of them must of necessity be so, for they are directly opposed to each other. If Baptists are right, Pædobaptists must be wrong. If Pædobaptists are right, Baptists must be wrong. This conclusion is inevitable, unless the infidel objection be admitted that the Bible teaches two opposites to be one and the same thing.

Hence, two questions arise; first, how are we to decide whether either of these practices is right?-second, if we find that either of them is right, how are we to decide which of them is right, and which of them is wrong?

We have already decided that the Bible is right when it says one baptism, and that the professing world is wrong when it says two baptisms. Then, as believing in the Bible-as protestant christians, who boast, that the Bible and the Bible only is your religion-seek to ascertain from this source whether either of the two practices is right; and if so, which of them is right, and which of them is wrong.

Assuming that you approve of this method of settling the point, we shall now endeavour to ascertain and lay before you, what the one baptism of the Bible is; afterwards we shall compare, with this one baptism of the Bible, the two baptisms of the professing world; and then leave it with you to say whether you think either is right-and if so, which is right and which is wrong.

I. We shall endeavour to ascertain and lay before you the one baptism of the Bible.

The one baptism of the Bible, as every protestant christian will admit, is embodied in the commission which Christ gave to his apostles, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, &c."-" Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, &c." Such is the commission. Yes, it may be said, but what is this baptism? Is it water baptism, or the baptism of the spirit?-who are the subjects of this baptism, and what is its mode?

There is one way of answering these questions, which is at once plain and satisfactory, viz., by referring to the practice of those to whom the commission was originally given. Let it be remembered, that before they began to fulfill the commission they were inspired, consequently they understood perfectly the meaning of Christ. Moreover, as such-as inspired menthey would not if they could, and could not if they would, depart in the most trivial matter from the instructions which they had received. Hence it follows, that the practice of the apostles is the very best exposition of what they understood to be the import of the commission: so that if we can ascertain what was the practice of the apostles, we shall at the same time ascertain what they understood by the commission-also what was the meaning of Christ: in other words, we shall ascertain what is the "one baptism" which was designed to be a standing ordinance in the church to the end of the world.

What then was the practice of the apostles?—whom did they baptize, and how did they baptize them?

1. Whom did they baptize? On the day of Pentecost they baptized such as gladly received his word, Acts ii. 41.-In Samaria, they baptized the "men and women" who "believed the things which were taught them concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ," Acts viii., 12.-The Ethiopian eunuch, was paptized when he believed, Acts viii. 37. Cornelius and "all which heard the word" were baptized after they had believed the gospel, and received the Holy Ghost, Acts x. 47, 48.-Paul baptized Lydia, after the Lord had opened her heart to attend to the things which were spoken,

68 ONE BAPTISM."

also the "brethren" who constituted her household, Acts xvi. 14-40.-He likewise baptized the jailor and his household, all of whom "rejoiced believing in God." Acts xvi. 31-34.— Stephanas and his household, were likewise baptized, of whom it is said that they were "the first fruits of Achaia," and that "they addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints." 1 Cor. i. 16, and xvi. 15.

Now, from these examples, what do we gather, as to the parties whom the apostles baptized? An unsophisticated, an unbiassed mind-a mind free from prejudice, free from preconceived notions, will, we think, gather from these examples, that those whom the apostles baptized were professedly penitent believers, for they were all of them persons to whom the word was first preached, and who professed to believe it. Hence it would appear that thus they understood the commission, viz. that they were first to preach, then to baptize those who professed to believe.

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2. As to how they baptized? In ordinary circumstances it would be sufficient to refer to the primitive meaning of the word baptizo, which explains the mode. As however this is not an English but a Greek word, and the meaning of the word is disputed, we may perhaps ascertain how the ambassadors of Christ baptized, independent of this. For instance, John baptized in Enon near to Salem, "because there was much water there." Philip and the Eunuch went down both of them into the water, and in the water Philip baptized the Eunuch. Paul, when writing to the Romans, reminds them that they were buried with Christ by baptism-also, when writing to the Colossians, he reminds them that they were buried with Christ in baptism.

Now, what do we gather from these examples, as to the mode of the apostles baptism? Is it not manifest that it was by burying or immersing? They went down into the water-they buried in the water-they raised up out of the water. From these examples, moreover, we learn that the baptism of the commission was water baptism, and not spiritual baptism, or the baptism of the spirit.

Thus then, by few and easy steps, we ascertain what is the ONE BAPTISM of the Bible. By ascertaining the practice of the inspired servants of Christ, we ascertain how they understood the commission;-and by ascertaining how they understood the commission, we ascertain the mind and will of Christ; and by ascertaining the mind and will of Christ, we ascertain what is the one baptism of the Bible.

II. Let us now compare with this "one baptism" of the Bible, the two baptisms of the professing world, that we may ascertain whether either of them is right; and if so, which of them is right, and which of them is wrong.

1. One of the baptisms of the professing world is the following, viz. sprinkling water upon the face of the child (or adult, as the case may be) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. In some cases the sprinkling of water is accompanied with the sign of the cross, consecrated spittle, holy oil, &c.— and in some cases the babe is said to be regenerated or born again; in other words, to be "made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven,"

2. The other baptism of the professing world is an immersion, or burying of the person in water in the name of the sacred Three, or a personal profession of repentance and faith. On this profession he is buried with Christ by baptism as were the believing Romans, wherein also he is raised with Him as were the believing Colossians.

Such in the main-in their essential features-are the two baptisms of the professing world in the present day. We now ask you to compare these two baptisms with the one baptism of the Bible, and to approve or reject as you think they correspond with or deviate from the word of God. If neither of them correspond with the one baptism of the Bible reject them both. If one of them corresponds, your conscience will, we doubt not, approve that, whichever it is-and we add, practice it, if you have not done so already-practice it at whatever cost, at whatever sacrifice.

Finally, we repeat-and we do it with all the emphasis we can command-that both the baptisms of the professing world' cannot be right. One of them must of necessity be wrong. If the baptists are right, the pædobaptists must be wrong. If the pædebaptists are right, the baptists must be wrong. We speak as unto wise men, judge ye what we say. God has given you reason-exercise it. God has made you accountable-act in this, as in everything else as those who must shortly give an account; and may God give you understanding in all things.

LEICESTER:

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ON

INFANT SPRINKLING.

JESUS CHRIST is not only the Redeemer and Saviour, but the Lawgiver and Judge of his church. What he commands is universally binding; what he forbids cannot be done without imminent peril. His own words are, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth." This settles the point of his prerogative.

Now, he commands all men to believe his gospel, and all believers to be baptized, that is, immersed. But he nowhere commands infants to be baptized, nor that ceremony to be performed by sprinkling. If he does, let the proofs be produced; the New Testament is his code of laws; examine the book; where do you find it? look from Matthew i. to Revelations xxii., and quote the passage. You have examined, you cannot find them; try your Concordance under the two terms infants and sprinkling are they there? Go to the Lexicon, and see if baptize means to sprinkle; all the Lexicographers are against you. Refer to the Greek writers who knew their mother tongue, if they ever used the word baptize in any other sense than dipping. You are perhaps no Greek scholar, or you have not leisure for such an investigation; it is too laborious-well: it has been done for you, and the result is, the Greeks never use it except to mean immerse. Enquire of the writings of early christians, they are all, without exception, for immersion. The attending circumstances, in all the narratives relating to baptism, show that immersion was the primitive practice. All the allusions made to baptism in the way of comparison, point to the same result; whether the expressions be figurative or literal, the same identical conclusion follows. The Greek is a copious language, and has different words to signify different modes of using water, such as dip, wash, sprinkle, pour, &c. There is no mistake here; it is plain popular language, such as is used every day in town and market. There are only two positive institutions of