21 name of God. So that no question there were many churches planted in Paul’s time, who believed in Christ, and received the Spirit, and walked in fellowship with the Father and the Son, and with one another in the Father and the Son, who never were washed at all with water baptism; for Paul knew well, that no outward thing is of any account in the kingdom of God ; and that as circumcision and uncircumcision were nothing, so neither water baptism, nor the want of it, were any thing, but a new creature is all ; and if there be faith and the Spirit, they are sufficient to the kingdom of God, without any outward ceremonies whatsoever. So that neither of these two places prove any institution of water baptism, of Christ, but that still remains John’s baptism and not Christ’s. Object. 6. The last, and that which seems the strongest objection, is, that the apostles practised water baptism, not only before Christ’s baptism came in, but after ; and this is most evident in very many places in the acts of the apostles. I answer. True indeed, the apostles did practise water baptism, but not from Christ but from John, whose baptism they took up, and an outward ceremony of honour and account is not easily and suddenly laid down ; and hence some of the apostles used circumcision, and that after the ascension of Christ; for circumcision was an honourable ceremony used from Abraham’s time, and so they could not (no not in the time of the New Testament) suddenly and abruptly leave it off; but they did use it for a time, for their sakes who were weak, well knowing that the circumcision without hands, would by degrees put an end to the circumcision m de with hands. For ceremonies are best laid down, and old customs best laid aside, by the efficacy of the Spirit and power of righteousness. And so in like manner the apostles used the baptism of John, or water baptism, it having been of high account in the dawning of the day of the gospel, and for the present still continuing so ; but they knew, that spirit or fire baptism, would by degrees consume water baptism, and lick up all the drops oi it; lor so John himself intimates, saying, “He must increase.
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