Baptism And Feet Washing

all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins," Mark i. 4, 5. " And were baptized of him in Jordan," Matt. iii. 6. Suppose we should admit, for the sake of argument, that John did dip in the river of Jordan, how would that prove that Christian Baptism is dipping, and nothing else? For if this was Christian Baptism, then John the Baptist, not Christ, instituted Christian Baptism. Who then did institute Christian Baptism? Christ instituted Christian Baptism, when he said to his disciples: "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. The idea of Christian Baptism is poorly illustrated by putting a person into water and drawing him out; for ritual Baptism is a symbol agency, and not an enveloping element. Christian Baptism is a symbol of grace. The symbol is to be applied to the subject, and not the subject to the symbol element. The symbol is pure water, applied to the subject in the name of the Triune God, and the grace thus symbolized is the Holy Ghost, by whom alone we are brought into a permanently saved state or condition. As the Holy Spirit is applied to the subject, so also ought the water to be applied. '' For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we ...