tile, who had in any sense been admitted a disciple of the Gospel, could be ignorant of this necessary part of his religion. St. Paul himself thought so; for he immediately inquires with some surprise, "Unto what then were ye baptised ?”—The truth is, that they were the visible operative works of the Spirit, of which they were ignorant. On the day of Pentecost these extraordinary gifts were first imparted. Those, therefore, who knew Christianity only in its preparatory state, before that period, remained unacquainted with its miraculous effects. "Unto what then, said the Apostle, where ye baptised? And they said, Unto John's baptism." This sufficiently explains the nature of the answer of the Baptist's disciples to St. Paul. As if they had said, "We have not so much as heard whether the Holy Ghost has been yet given." The promise of the Prophet, perhaps, they well knew, that " In the last days God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh;" but that these days were actually arrived they knew not; for they were well assured, that they had not themselves received any portion of these gifts of the Spirit, and it is probable they had not been in any situation where these holy communications could have been brought to their knowledge. This interpretation may fairly be deduced from an observation of St. John the Evangelist, on an expression in one of our Saviour's discourses. "He that believeth on me," saith our Lord, "as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.-This," says St. John, "spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him

shall receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet, that is, was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified'."

St. Paul then proceeds to explain to these Disciples the difference between John's Baptism, and that of Jesus Christ. Those who were partakers of John's Baptism were so far in the way of salvation. John baptized with the baptism of repentance for the remission of actual sin; but his baptism implied only the expectation of Him who was to come after him, who should baptize them with the Holy Ghost, and with fire (an expression denoting its spiritual and purifying nature) and which baptism, through the grace communicated by it, should take away the guilt of original sin itself, should remove the stain of human nature, and impress the holy image of a new creation on the soul. same distinction: "I indeed unto repentance, but he the Holy Ghost, and with fire." The end of this baptism, he explained in no equivocal language, when he pointed out the person and character of Him who had lately submitted to his baptism. "John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world !"-Remark the expression," the sin of the world," that is, the great comprehensive sin, arising from the general corruption of human nature; including, in fact, both actual and original sin; which nothing but the blood of Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, can expiate.

3

John himself makes the baptise you with water shall baptise you with

1 John vii. 38, 39.

2 Matt. iii. 11.

3 John i. 29.

That the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit were those to which these twelve disciples of St. John allude, is evident from the effects of St. Paul's instruction. On being made acquainted with the full declaration of the Gospel concerning Him, whom they so imperfectly knew," they were baptized in, or rather' into the name of the Lord Jesus ; that is, not in his name alone, but into his name, including all the blessed Persons of the Trinity, concerned in the creation, redemption, and sanctification of the world.

It was necessary for the first establishment of the Church of Christ, that visible effusions of the Spirit should take place, and that extraordinary gifts of an outward nature, should be given unto

But these were not the only, or most important, effects of Baptism. These early communications of the Spirit were in general conferred for the sake of others. Healing diseases, speaking with tongues, and similar gifts, were of a special nature, and indeed might be employed by those whose hearts did not feel the force of every sanctifying grace. But the internal operations of the Spirit communicated in baptism, and diligently improved by the true believer, accomplish in the human heart, those great and valuable effects, which naturally flow from so important a cause. His mind, his affections, the habits of his body, the propensities of his soul, are all changed. He becomes "as those that are alive from the dead; as those

1 Εις το όνομα.

that are not under the law, but under grace'." Baptism is not therefore an unproductive ceremony, an admission merely of a member into the Christian Church; but the administration of it, according to the express establishment of Christ himself, the usage of the primitive Apostles, and the uniform and uninterrupted practice of the Church in all ages, communicates great and ineffable benefits; it confers the spiritual life through faith in Christ; it engages us by a solemn covenant to spiritual obedience, and places us in an actual state of salvation.

2

Helpless infants are equally entitled to these benefits of baptism with persons of the maturest age. -"Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not "," said our Lord. Lydia and her household, the jailor with all his, including, probably, young, as well as old, were admitted to baptism by St. Paul. If there were no other argument, the injunction of circumcision on the eighth day would imply the expediency of infant baptism. This difference indeed there must be between infants and adults in the duty of baptism, that if the former, when they come to years of discretion, do not accede to those terms upon which they have been adopted into the body of Christ's Church, they may quench the Spirit which has been thus benevolently communicated, and fall from the grace of the Gospel; for in the administration of baptism, it is not "the washing away of the filth of the flesh,"

which gives us these holy privileges, "but the answer of a good conscience towards God'."

Are we then, let us inquire, thus reconciled to God by baptism? "Have we, in this solemn sense, received the Holy Ghost since we believed?"—If we cannot fairly reply to this question, let us ask another. "Unto what then were we baptized?" Here indeed we are staggered in our answer; for "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Where are the good fruits, which should prove that we are in possession of the tree? Where are our works of righteousness? Where are our acts of piety and goodness? Where is that holiness of life, that humble demeanor, that spiritual mind, which becomes all the followers of the Gospel? Where is that spirit of universal charity, which Christianity inspires? Where is that submissive will, which falls prostrate before the throne of Grace? Where are those sacred motions of the heart, which display the powerful controul of the great Inspirer of every good suggestion? If we do not possess any, or all, of these characteristic marks of a true Christian spirit, "Unto what indeed were we baptized?" We do not acknowledge John's baptism, and we renounce-observe the awful declaration-we renounce the baptism of Jesus Christ.

One observation more I must make before I quit the subject of the baptism of John's disciples.