to baptism and church membership. Why,
that is plain. It runs this way: In the old dispensation all natural
children of Abraham were admitted by circumcision. In the new
dispensation all spiritual children of Abraham--that is, all
believers--are admitted by baptism; but you will notice, Doctor, if the
spiritual children are believers there can be no infants among them."

The brother was busy looking in the subject index of the Bible for
passages about circumcision in the New Testament, and he soon remarked:
"Here is an account of a discussion in a council concerning
circumcision. It is found in the book of Acts, the fifteenth chapter."

"Read it," said the father. "We want light on this subject."

"That council met in Jerusalem and was made up of the apostles and other
disciples to consider certain doctrinal matters," said the Doctor.

Roland began to read the account of the council: "'And certain men which
came down from Judea taught the brethren and said except ye be
circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.'"

"Now you are getting at the core," said the father. "You see they are
discussing whether they have to be circumcised. I guess the apostles
will say they need not be circumcised because baptism has been put in
its place. Read along and see if it does not say that."

He ran his eye down every verse, but could find no such statement.

"Do I understand that they came together in that council to discuss
whether circumcision was necessary for salvation, and that nothing was
said about baptism having been put in its place?" asked Mr. Page.

"It certainly looks that way," said Roland.

"What did that council decide?" asked the father.

"The council decided that it was not necessary for the Gentiles to be
circumcised," answered Mr. Sterling.

"Who were the Gentiles?" asked the father.

"They were all the people who were not Jews."

"You mean that they were discussing whether it was necessary for the
Gentiles to be circumcised, and that it was decided that it was not
necessary, and now do you say that nothing in this discussion was said
about baptism having taken the place of circumcision?"

"Oh, this may have been said in the discussion, but there is no record
of it."

"They would hardly have left it out of the record if there had been any
mention of it in the discussion. I notice here in this chapter they give
the different reasons for their views; but the word baptism is not
mentione