The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-04-12

nsnt" with Abraham. If at first it might
seem natural to refer this promise to the
gift of the Spirit promised in Joels prophecy
". II, view which may seem to be con.
6rmed by the farther quotation from that
prophecy, "as many as the Lord our God
shall call, it must be remarked that the
promises of that prophecy are but carry
ing out of the promises of the Abrahamic
covenant. Moreover We are carried direct
ly back to the covenant itself, by the form
of the statement, "the promise is to you and
your children, compare Gen. xvii T. and
by the phrase which designates the heather,
81 all that are afar off ;" for this is based
upon the statement in that covenant trans
action, "a father of many nations have
made thee" Peter afterwards on a similar
occasion again brought before his Jewish
hearers this covenant with Abraham, ACTS
lii: 25) These inquirers were urged to
enter the recognized church, by profess
sion of faith in Christ, and the reception Of
the iniatory rite, baptism in the name Of
Christ and as an incentive to this they
were pointed to the covenant of Abraham,
and told that their children were included in
its promise. We could scarcely have strong
er inferential evidence, both of the cOntin-
uation of the church, and of the baptism Of
its infant members. Peter taught as Jesus
did with regard to infants, I" of such is the
kingdom of heaven"
V. 40. "With many other words, i'm,
plies that we have only an abstract of Pc
ter's instructions to these inquirers. 1t is
probable also that we have only an outline
of the discourse that produced conviction in
their minds. Peter testified as to the doc
trines of the gospel which they were to be-
lieve, and exhorted them to action, in EN-.
bracing the salvation offered. "SaVe your,
selves, is passive in the original, "be saved. u
" Untoward," means crooked, perverse, not
tOward, (the right Every man belongs to q
generation going astray from God, and il
saved, must be saved from the midst of those
in the way to ruin.
Their admission to the Church, v. Al.
These anxious inquirers embraced the COS
pei offer with gladness. The same Spirit
that convicted them by the word spoken.
opened their hearts to the reception of saving
truth. The work of salvation was great
one: three thousand being admitted that
day into the fellowship of the Church on pro-
fession of their faith in Christ. These re-
ceiyed baptism, the seal of their faith, which
in this respect also was identical with cir
cumcision under the old dispensation, rom
iy: IL
Every circumstance in this narrative il
adverse to immersion as the mode of bap
tism, and in favor of affusion. There was
not time for the immersion of so many
Twelve men could not immense three thou
sand in a aOhole day, without an indecent
haste inconsistent with sacred ordinance
and in Whist remained of day, after all thai
bad transpired, including the giving o.
* many other words of instruction to the
inuuirere, they could not have done it all
The want of water is another difficulty. Je
rusalem bad no running streams. The pub
lie cisterns would not have been allowed fol
such purpose to shy persons, much less tc
the followers of the eruci6ed Jesus. If there
were private baths in the city, no provision
had been made to secure their use, for the
event was unexpected The silence of the
narrative as to any provision for the INNER
sion of 80 many is significant. The suppO'
siton that the apostles authorized thirty OF
more of the disciples to assist them, that they
found and obtained permission to use forty
or fifty private baths, that the unity of the
assembly, which thus far had had our guide,
was broken up by dispensing the crowd into
80 many companies, that suitable changes Of
raimeut were provided,-that all of this
occurred, land tbs immersion theory re-
uuires nothing less, and that the historians
passed over these occurrences, and the stir,
and delay, and the opposition that must have
attended them, without one word, will hardly
be admitted by an impartial reader. In our
own day, in city well supplied with water,
three thousand men Unexpectedly converted,
could not be immersed in one afternoon, by
those accustomed to this method of baptiz-
ing, without previous preparation; and yet
this number were baptized so easily in Jeru-
salem that there is not an illusion to the
difficulty. On the other hand with prepa-
ratiOns at every hour for baptizing by efu-
sion, which they constantly practiced there,
was no difficulty. (See John ii /: 6, iii: 25,
%, Mark vii: 49, And the onspouring of
the Spirit which Peter explained IS bap-
tism Acts XII: Is, 16) was in harmony with
affuson as the mode of administering the or
dinance and this view is strengthened by
the promise of the Spirit made them, if they
should thus confess Christ.
Condition of the Church, VS.. 1914.
V. AZ. This verse gives the internal con-
dition Of toe church Doctrine is not
system Of truth, but teaching" as here
used. The meaning is the believers attended
diligently upon the instructions of the apos-
ties. Having joined the church they wished
to know their duty, and came to be taught.