BELOVED BROTHER,-Seeing that the question of baptism is being discussed in your pages, I venture a few thoughts on the subject, giving you briefly what I believe God has given me.

I was once a Baptist; and if immersion makes a Baptist, then I am a Baptist still; but I do not think baptism makes a Baptist, in the sense that the term is now used. Nobody called the early Christians Baptists because they had been baptized. The Holy Ghost never owns them as Baptists, but as "disciples," "believers," "Christians," "brethren," "saints," "beloved of God;" and no one questions this, so there is no room for controversy on this point; and I am not writing for controversy, but, as I said, simply to give out what I believe God has given me out of His Word.

As I have said, I was once a Baptist. And you understand that if there is any thing that a Baptist knows, it is this, that he knows all about baptism,-at least, he thinks he does. And so it was with me. But there came a time when I found that I did not know all about it, and that many of my Baptist opinions and views were changed and modified by a better understanding of Scripture; then I concluded to wait on God with an open ear (Ps. 40:6), and I was in that attitude for eight years before I got clear as to my convictions.

And the point which troubled me most was the baptism O children. And while I read and heard different views upon the subject, I found nothing which satisfied my convictions until I saw the household character of Christianity.

Christianity has its individual character first, its household next, and its corporate or church character last; and when viewed in each of these characters in the light of Scripture, all is clear.

And I take Abraham for an illustration of these three characteristics. And mark this, beloved:Abraham is the one whom the Holy Ghost has given for this very illustration:Abraham, the father of the faithful-"the father of us all." (Rom. 4:11-16.) Now, there are two things worthy of our consideration, in Abraham first of all, as illustrating this point before us,-His call and his faith. His call was in sovereign grace, his faith was an active principle. And his call and his faith were first of all individual, and all the blessing flowing out was but a result-to his seed and to the world. See Gal. 3:14,-" That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

The blessing of Abraham, then, is the blessing of Christianity- the blessing of sovereign grace through faith. Can there be any question as to this ? I do not see how there can; and, to me, this settles the question as to Old-Testament saints,-sovereign grace through faith.

According to the chronology of our Bibles, Abraham was about seventy-two years old when God called him :and it would seem that Terah could not give up his son to obey the call of God; and Terah leaves Ur of the Chaldees and comes with Abraham to Haran, where he stops, for God had not called him; and in about three years he dies. And now Abraham is about seventy-five years old, and is no longer under the headship of his father Terah, but is responsible for himself and his own house. And this brings us, first of all, to the individual character of Abraham's faith and walk for twenty-five years, as noted by Stephen, Acts 7:1-5,-"The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham." "The God of glory"-the very One who appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Hence Jesus could say, "Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad." The Son of God appeared to Abraham, and Abraham rejoiced in the sovereign grace that has come to us.

And this, beloved, is individual,-the first characteristic of Christianity. And this is the ground upon which Abraham stood for twenty-five years, "until his own body was now dead" (Rom. 4:19), when God gave him Isaac; and then he is called to a household responsibility, which before he had not known; and then we get another characteristic of faith brought out, viz., death and resurrection. See Rom. 4:17-19. The figure is, death and resurrection. He received Isaac from his own and Sarah's dead body. This, then, is the true ground of faith, from Abel down to the present hour. And now, when Abraham is ninety and nine years (Gen. 17:10), God gives him His covenant of circumcision, for himself and his house (5:13)-"He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."

Now at this time Abraham's house consisted of males, three hundred and eighteen household servants, "born in his own house" (Gen. 14:14), himself, and Ishmael. These were all circumcised on the day that Abraham was ninety-nine years old (Gen. 17:23-27), and at this same time he gets the promise of Isaac; and then God said, " I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him" (Gen. 18:19).

And one year later, Isaac was born, and Abraham was one hundred years old, and he circumcised Isaac (Gen. 21:4, 5) at eight days old,-the symbol of resurrection,-eighth day, and a new creation, born out of death in resurrection-power; and this gives us the symbolic character of circumcision. And this symbolic character of circumcision is confirmed in Gen. 65:25. On the third day, when the Shechemites were helpless in their tents, they were slain. Compare also Josh. 5:1-10. On the tenth day, they came up out of the Jordan (death), with the twelve stones pitched in the bed of the Jordan-symbolizing the twelve tribes in death; and twelve stones, taken up out of the Jordan (death)-symbolizing twelve tribes in resurrection- pitched at Gilgal. Then they lay three clays under the power of circumcision, and on the fourteenth day they keep the passover, and are ready to go forth in the power of the Spirit to conquer the land; and this is corporate relationship,-typically, resurrection-ground. This gives us the root of the subject. First, individual, second, household, and third, corporate relationship and responsibility. And we find that this passes down from Abraham to the present. I do not say circumcision is a type of baptism, but, as we have seen, it is a symbol, type, emblem, or figure of death; and intimately linked up with it is resurrection, as we have seen; and this was given as the household-covenant to Abraham and to his seed,-"a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised."

Mark, it is not said to be a seal of Abraham's righteousness, but of the right-straightness of his faith, and his faith stood on the ground of death and resurrection:-sovereign grace, through faith, had put Abraham on the ground of death and resurrection, and this was the righteousness of faith; and circumcision was the seal, sign, or mark which was to distinguish himself and his household forever,-and this meant separation. By this mark they were separated from all others. And we find that baptism by water is also the symbol or emblem of death; and intimately connected with it is resurrection; so that (as you have said in January number of Help and Food, 1889, p. 27,) there is an analogy between baptism and circumcision, the eighth day also being symbolic of resurrection. And in contrast with this, we may remark that sprinkling, in Scripture, and pouring as well, symbolize the Word, and the application of the Word of God, and never death, hence never baptism, that I am aware of. "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life."-" Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."-"That He might sanctify and cleanse it, by the washing of water by the Word."-"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible-by the Word of God."- and, " Of His own will begat He us by the Word of truth." The washings and sprinklings of water in connection with the temple service were symbolic of the application of the Word, as I believe. So that if we take water as the emblem or symbol of death and life-both, it might be stated in this way:burial with Christ in baptism into death; being raised up out of the water is life and resurrection, and the mark of separation from all that is of the old man, as in Rom. 6:and Col. 2:; for when a man is dead and buried, he is done with his old standing in this world,-and it seems to me that 1 Pet. 3:21 has this double meaning.-"The like figure whereunto baptism also doth now save us …. by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

The waters of the flood were death to all outside the ark; the ark, a type of Christ in resurrection, God's salvation to all within; raised up out of and above the waters was life; buried beneath the waters was death. Baptism, the death and burial of the old man; raised up out of the water is life in resurrection,- (Rom. 6:4) "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."-(Col. 2:12) "Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead."

The household character of baptism, then, is linked up with the household character of Christianity; and this, as we have seen, is the household responsibility. When this is seen, all is clear. But our Baptist brethren will tell us that there is no evidence from Scripture of the baptism of infants; and surely, if the household responsibility is not seen, I have no authority from Scripture for infant baptism. Others may think that they have, but I confess that I have not.

But our Baptist brethren will agree with us that there was the household responsibility in circumcision; and Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, and was baptized by John the baptizer at the age of thirty in the Jordan-the figure of death, not because He was a believer, but "to fulfill all righteousness,-thus setting forth in figure the baptism of death on the cross to which He was hastening (see Mark 10:38, 39 and Luke 12:50),-and this was not sprinkling, nor pouring, nor yet christening.

No one can doubt Abraham's responsibility to put his house upon the ground which he himself occupied,-not because they were believers, but because he was a believer. It was Abraham's responsibility, not theirs !-from eight days old and upward. And this principle is recognized when Jesus was circumcised, and when he said, " Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Now, as to their fitness, there can be no question, much less of the little ones feeling their own fitness, nor of believing. Is it not, then, probable that Jewish Christians felt that question of household responsibility as to their children ? And is it not recognized when Peter says, in Acts 2:39, "For the promise is to you and to your children " ? Also Acts 16:15-" And when she was baptized, and her household,"-also 5:33, "And was baptized, he and all his, straightway."-also 1 Cor. 1:16, "And I baptized also the household of Stephanas."

But it may be objected that there is no evidence from Scripture that Lydia, the jailer, or Stephanas had children. But it cannot be said that they had no household.

What, then, is the probability ? Does not a household include children? and if not children, then servants; and if servants, why not children ? And yet it is only said that Lydia and the jailer believed, but their households were baptized. Now Scripture does not speak of believers' baptism, but it does speak of the baptism of believers and their households; and to me, this settles it as a question of privilege and responsibility for all believers and their households; and 1 am constrained to say that there is no person in the world who can receive baptism (not sprinkling, nor pouring, nor even christening, but genuine baptism,) with greater pleasure and delight, and even fitness, than a babe of eight days old, or a child of thirteen, if in proper subjection, and the parents in happy faith about it. And this should always be the case,-happy agreement and faith on the part of both parents; but the responsibility is upon the head of the house,-the husband first; in his absence, the wife and mother. "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear," and "whoso readeth, let him understand." C.E.H.