aviour.

Baptism is a profession of faith in the Saviour, who went into the grave
for us, and rose again to life. It is the great object-lesson to teach
the truth that the sinner must die to sin and the world, and have a
resurrection by the power of divine grace to a new life of obedience.
The ordinance is the sign of an actual experience, the means by which
the believer confesses the work of grace in the soul.

The Scriptures teach the essential conditions necessary to baptism:

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Mark 16:15, 16.

"What doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest." Acts 8:36, 37.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." Acts 2:38.

Thus it is seen that instruction in the gospel, belief in Christ, and
repentance are conditions to precede baptism.

Baptism for Believers

The experience of which baptism is the sign is thus stated:

"We are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life." Rom. 6:4.

"As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
Gal. 3:27.

"Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead."
Col. 2:12.

In this ordinance, commanded of God, the believer is following the
example of Christ, who, when baptized by John in Jordan, said, "Thus it
becometh us to fulfil all righteousness."

"Thus through the emblematic grave
The glorious suffering Saviour trod;
Thou art our Pattern, through the wave
We follow Thee, blest Son of God."

The Form of Baptism

The Scriptural form of baptism is shown in these texts:

"Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water."
Matt. 3:16.

"They went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he
baptized him." Acts 8:38.

"Buried with Him by baptism.... For if we have been planted together in
the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His
resurrection." Rom. 6:4, 5.

While the outward form of a religious service, without the spirit and
the experience which the form professes, must ever be unacceptable to
God, yet when