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3^rd. What is a Disciple? Mark 16:16. He that be- lieveth, and is baptized shall be saved.

To teach, or to make disciples by teaching, is the same as to preach the gospel, that men may believe it. Consequently, to believe is to become a disciple.

To be a disciple, then, is to be a believer. One, who is really so, or professeth to be so. The following passages, may give us further light.

John 8:31. Then said Jesus to those Jews, which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. ―

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John 13:35 By this shall all men Know, that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. -------------- 15:8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear munch fruits, so shall ye be my disciples. A real disciple of J. C. is one that believes, that continues, is his word, that loves the brethren, and that bears fruit.

No person can doubt, but that the Apostles & their successors whe were to aim at making just such disciples as these. They were to address the gospel to the nations, and whosoever believed, no matter of what age, who their parents were, whether Jews or Gentiles

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Christians or Heathens, whether, wise or unwise, learn ed, or unlearned, if they only believed, they were to be received as disciples.

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4.^th What are we to understand, by, "baptizing them"?

I shall for the present wave the consider of the meaning of Baptizing.

My enquiry now is, who are intended by the them, who are to be baptized?

It must mean all the Nations, ―

or those, who beleeved among the nations.

I cannot conceived, that any man, or set of men would seriously adapt from the commission any other, than, one of these two propositions. + Let one make the enquiries of several classes.

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1. I will enquire of the Pope & Cardinals of the Church of Rome. Will your Holiness xc tell us, who are intended by "them", in the text. O, yes, very readily; all nations are intended. Therefore we Command accordingly ―

2. I enquire of the authority of the Church of England. All nations, all nations is the reply.

3. I ask the desenting PeodoBaptist, who are "intended by" them, in the Commission?

And here, I get no deffinite answer. For to say that

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it means all nations, would be, cra can cantradicted too by their practice. -------- To say, it means those who believed among the nations, would be interpreting the commision against themselves ― ------------ To say that it neither mems all the nations indiscriminately, nor disciples simply, but disciples and a part of the people, who give no evidence of discipleship, is to spiak contrary to the gramatical construction of the words of Matthew, and the reverse of Mark's expression. Therefore they seem to say, we cannot tell. ―

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4. I ask the Baptists. Ans. We believe, that the "them", who are to be baptized, are those, who are made disciples.

Ta ethnē, Nations, a noun in the Neuter gender.

auotous; them; Although we render by, what we call a personal pronoun, yet it is that class of pronouns, which Greek grammarians call relative pronouns.

We must remember, then that "them", is the translation of autous, which is the relative pronoun, of the masculine gender, plural number.

But the Greek grammar; says that the relative must agree with the Antecedent in gender, number and care person.

Autous, therefore, does not relate to esthn Athnᾱ, but to Mathetas, an antecedent

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understood. See Hackenberg's Gram. pg.158. ------ ---------- Thus we I have made enquiry of four different classes, and they have made enqur replies diverse from each others. Who of them have given the correct answer? The Apostles no doubt understood the Commission, and their practice, we are confident, will be according to it. Let us proceed to examine their practice. ------------------- 5.^th Who deed the Apostles baptize, Believers, or otherwise? Act. 2: --------------- Apostles preached vs.14-36. ------------ People prick xc. v.37. ---------------- Peter replied ― vs.38 ,39. ----------------- People comply v.41.

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This account gives us the Baptism of penitents only. ---------------- Some think they find it in the 39 vrse authority to baptize others then believers. But observe 1. That not Baptism, but the promise is unto you and your ― ------------ 2. That this promise, is the promise of the Holy Ghost. vs.16-18,33,38. ------------------------------------- 3. The children, are evident - such as are able to receive this promise, or the gift of the Holy Ghost. They seem to be such as are mentioned in the words of Joel 2:28. vs.16-18. ― according to the meaning of Tekna. ------------------------- 4. The 1^th two clauses, are evidently, explained, by the last clause; even to as many as the Lord our God shall call. ― ------------------------- Now I have stated nothing on this verse, but can be sup

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port from the opinion of Peobpaptist Writers.

1^th. Dr. Whitby. (Church of England.) Acts 2:39. These words will not prove the a right of infants to receive baptism, the promise here being that only of Holy Ghost, mentioned vs. 16-18. and so relating only to the times of the miracul ous effusion of the Holy Ghost, and to those persons who by age were capable of these extraordinary gifts. ― [Annot,. in loco.] ----------------------- 2. Dr. Daddridge. (One, who in in this country, would be called, a Congregationalist.) "The promise is unto you and to your children; Considering that the gift of the Spirit had been mentioned just before, it seems most natural to interprete this as a reference to that passage in Joel, which