as deny the obligation of baptism mainly rely are to be found, John iii, 30, "He must increase, but I must decrease;" and 1 Cor. i, 17, "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." They conclude from the passage in John, that as he was to decrease as Christ increased, therefore baptism ought to have ceased in the church centuries since. The conclusion is good from the premises, but the premises are false, and the conclusion is therefore good for nothing; for in the same chapter you will find John's disciples informing him that Christ was baptizing, and all men were flocking to him; and John said, "I am not the Christ." "I came to bear witness of him." "He must increase, I must decrease." Consequently we hear nothing of John's baptism after he was beheaded, only that St. Paul rebaptized some at Ephesus who had previously received John's baptism. See Acts xix, 1-7. John received a temporary commission to herald the approach of the Messiah and his kingdom; and baptizing the people with the baptism of repentance, taught them to believe on him who was to come-i. e., on Christ Jesus. And so little were the disciples at Ephesus acquainted with Christianity in its doctrines or spirit, that they had not so much as heard whether there was any Holy Ghost.

We request you to refer to the passage and read it attentively, as we shall have occasion to quote it again in the course of the argument. The view we have given of John's baptism we

are happy to find supported by that able and distinguished minister of the Baptist Church, Robert Hall, of England. See his Works, vol. i, p. 372. His words are, "No rite celebrated during the ministry of John is entitled to a place among Christian sacraments." It is to be regretted, however, that most of his less intelligent brethren differ with Mr. Hall in opinion. Some of them have maintained from the pulpit, and others from the press, that John's was Christian baptism. On this point the Rev. Mr. Broaddus seems not, as yet, to have made up an opinion. See sermon, p. 34.

The other passage (quoted from Corinthians) will be found, upon examination, not to weigh against the obligation of the ordinance. A faction had arisen in the church at Corinth, the apostle was informed that they had raised parties, and had used his name, and the names of his friends Apollos and Cephas. He writes them a severe letter, remonstrating against their course, and asks, "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius." And why? He immediately assigns the reason, "Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name." "For Christ sent me not to baptize," &c.; i. e., my main and most important business is to preach the gospel. He did baptize some, as you learn from the context; and it is certain that he baptized others, in other places, as the twelve disciples at Ephesus, &c. But as a

wise master builder, he had learned to give to things severally the importance due to them.

Having thus shown that these texts lie not against the obligation of the ordinance, we must remark, that as Christ gave a command to the apostles, after his resurrection, to disciple all nations, by baptizing and teaching them; with the promise to be with them to the end of the world; and as that command has neither been revoked nor complied with to its full extent, the obligation still rests upon the ministry to administer the rite, and upon the nations to submit to it. And furthermore, when the apostles went forth in obedience to the above command, whenever and wherever the word took effect upon the hearers, and they were willing to receive Christ, the apostles dedicated them, if Jews, to Jesus, as the true Messiah, and, if Gentiles, to the true GodFather, Son, and Holy Ghost.

On the day of Pentecost, when the three thousand cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (although, in all probability, many of them had been baptized by John,) Peter said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

And when Peter opened the kingdom of heaven to the Gentiles, in the house of Cornelius, as he had done to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, while he was speaking, the Holy Ghost fell on the congregation. "Then an

swered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord," Acts x, 44-48. Will any one, in view of this evidence, still assert that water baptism is not obligatory? Those who maintain that the baptism of the Spirit supersedes the necessity of the baptism of water differ in judgment with the apostle Peter. And you, my reader, can judge whose opinion is entitled to most deference; the inspired apostles, who received the command at the mouth of Christ, or one, or many at this late period, who are not under the infallible inspiration of the Spirit; as is evident from the fact, that those who deny the obligation of baptism disagree among themselves upon the most important points in Christian theology.

It will be in vain to say that the ordinance has been abused, by having too much stress laid upon it; for the abuse of a good thing is not a valid argument against its use. "I speak as unto wise men, judge ye what I say."

ON THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM.

We shall now present for your consideration and judgment our views in answer to the question, who are the proper subjects of the ordinance?

Before I enter fully into this part of the subject, I beg your serious and candid attention to two important preliminary considerations, namely, that as there is but one true God and

one true faith, so this true God has never had more than one church in the world, from the day that pious Abel by faith offered an acceptable sacrifice, to the present hour. I am aware that this principle has been disputed, but I take my firm stand upon the truth of God, and shall maintain this view, without fear of successful contradiction. In the sermon of Mr. B., p. 14,

he

says, "The truth is, there never was a visible church of Christ on earth, until he came and established it himself." There was a visible church of Christ before his coming as really as there has been since; as is evident from Acts vii, 38, "This is he that was in the CHURCH in the WILDERNESS with the ANGEL," compared with Exodus xxiii, 20, 21, "Behold I send an ANGEL before thee, &c., provoke him not, for he will not PARDON your transgressions,"- -compared with 1 Cor. x, 4 and 9, "And did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them; and that rock was CHRIST." "Neither let us tempt CHRIST, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents." It is clear from these passages, 1st, that God had a church in the wilderness; 2dly, that the angel spoken of as having power to pardon sin was Christ; 3dly, that he was with the church; 4thly, that him they tempted, and fell under his retributive administration.

In all the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the province of reading men's hearts is ascribed to God alone, and conse