an act of Almighty God, sealing you with his
appointed sign of the covenant, you have strong desires to receive it,
here in this 'way unto Gaza, which is desert,' from my hands.

"'See, here is water,' in rich abundance. But, alas! there is no pond,
nor pool, no lake, nor river!"

"Even if there were," said my wife to Mrs. Blair, "I should shudder to
have you venture into untried waters, in this lonely place. Fear, at
least, would prevent any peace of mind, or satisfying enjoyment."

"'What doth hinder me to be baptized?' you would properly say to me," I
continued. "'O,' my reply could be, 'the water is not in an available
shape. Had we time to scoop out a tank in the earth, or make a stone
baptistery in the rock, then you might be 'buried with him by baptism
into death.' But it is impossible. This living fountain of waters in the
mountain, full and overflowing though it be, does not allow of Christian
baptism. Besides, as to suitable apparel, and all the necessary
arrangements for comfort, not to say propriety,--you see that baptism,
here is out of the question.'"

"Do you think," said Mrs. Blair, "that the Head of the church has
appointed any such invariable mode of administering baptism,--one that
cannot be applied in numerous cases?"

I said to her, "I cannot believe it. The genius of Christianity seems
opposed to it. Let all who will, use immersion; we love them still, and
rejoice in their liberty, but I cannot agree that it was the New
Testament method. Even had it been, I should expect that the rule would
be flexible enough to meet cases of necessity."

"I was thinking," said Mr. Blair, "that, at least, four fifths of all
the people of God have gone to heaven unbaptized, if immersion is the
only valid mode of baptism. This is rather a serious thing, if the
solemn words, 'He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved,' look
only to baptism by immersion. It seems to me," he added, "that the
providence of God would have brought in some great reformation from so
calamitous an error in the church, if it were an error. Some Luther, or
Calvin, or Knox, or some John Baptist, would have been raised up, as in
other emergencies, to bring the church back to her duty."

"How clearly," said I, "does that seem to prove that all the people of
God have, as Paul says, 'One Lord, one faith, one baptism,' however
variant their modes of worship and administration may be."

"How many baptized children, from Christian fami