he eyes of the portrait
so that they shall look only on you, and to your part of the room. We
think that you ought to be satisfied with the present kind look which
you get from them. There is one comfort--you will make a new picture to
please yourselves, and we shall keep the old portrait.

"Please do not be too severe on my husband for that mistake of his,"
said Mrs. K.; "I think that he is getting better of it, in a measure."

_Mr. K._ I will make you a present of the book when it arrives, and,
perhaps, you will agree with me. But I am surprised to hear you say that
you do not believe the Saviour to have been immersed by John.

_Mr. M._ It was not Christian baptism, at any rate, if he were; for the
names of the Trinity are essential to Christian baptism, and those names
had not been thus applied.

Besides, John could not have plunged and lifted those thousands without
superhuman strength and endurance, which we know he did not possess. The
same reasoning applies, in the baptism of the three thousand at the day
of Pentecost, both as respects what I have said of raiment, and the time
and strength of the apostles.

The baptism of the Eunuch was, to my mind, most probably by sprinkling,
making no change of raiment necessary. "See, here is water,"--a spring,
or stream, by the road-side, quite as likely (and, travellers now say,
more probably) as a pond. Yes, sir, Philip went down into the water just
as much as the Eunuch did, if we follow the Greek literally. I think
that _down_ refers to the chariot, the act of leaving it to go to the
water. But the English version, as it now stands, makes strongly for
your view of the case in the mind of the common reader.

Saul of Tarsus was baptized after having been struck blind, and while he
was in a state of extreme exhaustion from excitement, without food; for,
during three days, "he did neither eat nor drink." He was baptized
before he ate; for, we read, "And he arose and was baptized; and, when
he had received meat, he was strengthened." It does not seem to me
probable that they would have put him into a river, or tank, before
giving him food. But it seems to me natural and suitable for Ananias to
draw nigh, and impress the trembling man with the mild and gentle sign
of Christianity, the rite giving a soothing and cheering efficacy to the
words of adoption, and in no way disturbing him in body or mind. I have
always regarded the baptism of Saul as a strong presumptive proof