Peter preaches "Peace by Jesus Christ;" and WHILE he yét spake, the Holy Spirit fell on them which heard the word: "As I began to speak," (is the language of Peter, Acts xi. 15, 16;) "the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that He said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." How clearly was Ananias instrumental in conferring the Holy Ghost upon Saul, Acts ix. 17; and the apostle himself afterwards was similarly employed in the case of the twelve Ephesians, Acts xix. 6. Of similar import are his words on another occasion "In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." 1 Cor. iv. 15.

Those who take a different view of this subject think they are supported in it by the practice of the apostles, on which they lay great stress, and from which they infer that the apostles understood our Lord to institute water-baptism as a standing ordinance in his church. There is no doubt that in some cases they did administer a baptism with water, after as well as whilst He was with them. But the question is whether this practice establishes a divine institution or is only to be considered on their part as the adoption of a customary rite of initiation. Jesus himself, we are told, did not baptize; and there is no reason to believe that any of the first twelve apostles were admitted into fellowship with their divine Master by this rite. Had it been that essential institution which many Christians esteem it, is it probable either that our Lord would have abstained from the administration of it; or that his apostles would have been sent forth to administer it, without having themselves been thereby introduced into the Christian covenant? I think not. It certainly however does deserve our serious consideration whether they who had been the companions of our Lord, and who were so largely endued with divine gifts from Him could be likely

to adopt any practice which was not clearly enjoined by Him; or whether they would be in any degree under the influence of their Jewish attachments, and not see the full extent of the liberty and spirituality of the Christian dispensation.

Whilst I fully believe in the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures and the inspiration of the apostles, it is, I think, evident from the Scriptures themselves, that the apostles, highly gifted as they were, and with all their privileges and advantages, were, for a long time, to a great degree, under the influence of those views of religion in which they had, as Jews, been brought up, and were slow in fully appreciating the spirituality of the Christian doctrine, and the extent of its application. This need not surprise us, when we recollect that the ceremonial observances of the Jewish ritual, as well as its moral enactments, were appointed by God himself; and, in proportion as they had reverenced and faithfully observed them, they would be reluctant to lay aside their use.

The personal mission of our blessed Redeemer was primarily, and almost exclusively, to the Jews; and it appears that, for about eight years after his ascension, the gospellabours of the apostles were very much confined to that people. It was about this time, that Cornelius was converted to the Christian faith; and we find, that then Peter required a vision to enable him to overcome his prejudices, and to convince him, that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles, although he had himself received the command from the lips of his divine Master, Go ye, therefore, teach ALL NATIONS;" and, when he came to Cornelius, his language was, "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man, that is a Jew, to keep company or come unto one of another nation, but God hath showed me, that I should not call any man common or unclean," Acts x. 28. And, as has been before mentioned, when

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called to account by the apostles and brethren, for going in to men uncircumcised, and eating with them, he, with particular reference to the extraordinary effect of his teaching" upon his hearers, takes care to point out the difference betwixt the baptism of John and spiritual baptism: "As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that He said-John, indeed, baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost."-Acts xi. 15, 16.

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From the fifteenth chapter of the Acts, we find, that about ten years after this, in the year 51, about eighteen years after the crucifixion, "Certain men, which came down from Judea, [to Antioch,] taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved." These, no doubt, were Christian teachers, otherwise it would not have been thought needful, and that after "no small dissension and disputation with them," to send Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them to Jerusalem, for the settlement of this question. It was not until after " much disputing" in a council of the apostles, and elders, and brethren, that this question was settled. The result of the deliberation upon it was conveyed in letters sent by Paul and Barnabas, and other chosen men, to the brethren, which were of the Gentiles, in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia, in this language, It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things, that ye abstain from meat offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication, from which, if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well:"* thus setting at rest the question about circumcision, but

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* Doubtless in the infant state of the church this counsel was of the Lord; and yet we find that two of the things forbidden, are not now considered unlawful for Christians.

giving no intimation, that whilst one initiatory rite was to be discontinued amongst the Gentiles, another of a similarly outward character, (that of water-baptism,) was to be retained or established anew. In Galatians ii. we read, that Paul withstood Peter, for compelling the Gentiles to live as do the Jews; and, from Acts xv. 35, it would appear that this was subsequent to the beforementioned council, at which Peter had been present, and taken a prominent part. We also learn from the next chapter of the Acts, the sixteenth, that Paul so far accommodated his conduct to the attachment of the Jews to the ritual of the law, as to circumcise Timothy; although, subsequently, he wrote to the Galatians: "If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing;" "for neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing, but a new creature."-Chapter v. And, in Acts xviii. 18, it is stated that Paul had shorn his head in Cenchrea; for he had a vow.

In the year 60, or about twenty-eight years after the ascension of our Lord, we are informed, in Acts xxi. 17, &c., that Paul went up to Jerusalem, unto James, all the elders being present, and after he had saluted them, and occasioned them to glorify God, by an account of what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry, they said unto him, "Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the law: and they are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, saying, that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.” But this was an insinuation, which it is evident James and the other elders did not believe, for they tell Paul of four men, who had a vow upon them, and recommend him to unite with these men in certain Mosaic ceremonies, in order that "all may know, that those things whereof they were

informed concerning thee are nothing, but that thou thyself walkest orderly and keepest the law;" and Paul did as they advised him; thereby giving a contradiction to the report, that he had called the Jewish converts from the observance of the Mosaic ritual, as before stated.

From a consideration of these various particulars, with regard to the conduct of the primitive church in the time of the apostles, I am brought to the conclusion, that however the authority of the legal dispensation ceased with the offering on the cross of the one great propitiatory Sacrifice, yet, that in the inscrutable counsel of Him, who is perfect in wisdom, it was permitted, that the change from one dispensation to the other, should, in regard to outward matters at least, take place gradually, not suddenly. These different circumstances are here brought forward, not in order that we may sit in judgment upon, or presume to censure the conduct of the apostles, or with a wish in the slightest degree to lessen our reverence for, or weaken our attachment to, their authority as inspired teachers of the blessed gospel, but simply to show, that, under the peculiar circumstances of their situation, their practice of certain things is not, of itself, to be regarded as an authority to which Christians, in after ages, are bound to yield obedience.

With such abundant evidence before us, that the apostles themselves long retained a strong attachment to the outward observances in which they had been educated, and that many, if not all, the proselytes from Judaism to Christianity continued, to a considerable extent, to practise the ceremonials of the Jewish law, after that law had been abrogated by the introduction of a more spiritual and glorious dispensation; need we be surprised at their continuing in some cases also to use water-baptism, as an initiatory rite, in the case of new converts; seeing it had been so copiously administered by John the Baptist, who