ESSAY ON THE EXTERNAL ACT OF BAPTISM ENJOINED BY Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. BY BAPTIST WRIOTHESLEY NOEL, M.A. "Go ye, therefore, and disciple all nations, baptizing them unto the name Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ 19. LONDON: JAMES NISBET AND CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. 1850. PREFACE. As many of those into whose hands this little work may fall may not have the opportunity of seeing any argument upon the most important part of the baptismal controversy, the exclusive right of believers to baptism, I will here give a brief sketch of it. I. When a person who has been living in the neglect of Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of sinners, becomes, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, a penitent believer, it is right that he should individually, distinctly, and openly, confess Christ before men. A public profession of his reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and of his purpose to consecrate himself to his service, is a natural and necessary expression of his faith and gratitude, Matt. x. 32, 33; Rom. x. 9, 10. The or dinance of Christian baptism secures that profession. II. Before our Lord ascended he enjoined upon his disciples, till the end of the world, to bring men to be his disciples by preaching the Gospel; to immerse them after their conversion, and then to teach them, as his avowed disciples, to keep his commandments, Matt. xxviii. 18-20. Having thus desired his ministers to preach the Gospel and to immerse converts, he added, "He that believeth and is immersed shall be saved," Mark, xvi. 16. It was necessary to salvation, first to believe in him; secondly, to confess him; and this confession was to be made by immersion unto his name. III. As soon as he was ascended his disciples began to act upon this commission. On the day of Pentecost fifty or sixty of his ministers who were then living at Jerusalem (Acts, i. 15; ii. 1; Luke, x. 1-17) preached to crowds of devout Jews, who had flocked from every part of the world to the Feast of Firstfruits. Three thousand listened, were convinced, and asked what they must do (Acts, ii. 4, 6, 7, 37): to whom Peter replied, Repent and be immersed, 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" (38). These three thousand "gladly received his word:" they felt that they had shared in the murder of Christ; they believed that Jesus was the Lord, who had shed forth the Spirit (33-36); they gladly received the apostle's exhortation to repent (38); they gladly received his assurance that their faith. would secure the remission of sins (38); they gladly looked for the gift of the Spirit as the seal of their adoption and the pledge of salvation (38); they became believers in Christ, and were immersed in his name (41). Compare 42-47. Wherever the disciples of Christ went they continued to convert men to him, and to immerse them when converted. At the preaching of Philip the Samaritans believed and were immersed, Acts, viii. 5-8, 12. The Æthiopian Eunuch, a devout man (Acts, viii. 27, 28), believed at the preaching of Philip (35, 3639); and after believing was immersed (38). As soon as Paul was converted, he testified his faith by immersion, Acts, ix. 1-20. When Cornelius and his friends heard the Gospel preached (Acts, x. 33), they received the Holy |