Of these four explanations the second and third are far more satisfactory than the other two, and tlie third seems to be the best. It is a violent hypothesis to suppose that words of such importance as Mt 28" were never spoken by Christ, and yet were authoritatively attributed to Him in the First Go.'ipel. The insertion of the doxology after the Lords Prayer (Mt G") is not parallel. Not only is the insertion of less importance, being covered by genuine utterances of Clirist as well as by 1 Ch 29", but it is absent from all the most ancient authorities, including all Greek and Latin commentators; whereas the baptismal formula in Mt 28"' is in all authorities without exception. It is as well attested as any saying of Clirist which is recorded in one Gospel only. Nor does the variation of the Trinitarian formula given by Justin Martyr {Ajwl. i. 61) cause any difficulty. He is not giving the exact words used in baptism, but is paraphrasing them, so as to make them a, little more intelligible to the heathen whom he is addressing. It is reasonable to believe that Christ prescribed the Trinitarian formula, and that His command was obeyed.
(6) The Recipients of Christian baptism were required to repent and believe. This is set forth, both in the Lord's commands and also in the first instance of baptism on the Day of Pentecost. ' Peter said unto them. Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins ' (Ac 2^). Here repent- ance is expressed and liAth in Jesus Christ ia Implied, as in the farewell charge to the apostles recorded by St. Luke : ' that repentance and re- mission of sins should be preached in His name unto all the nations ' (24"). More often it is faith that is expressed and repentance that is implied, as in the charge recorded in the appendix to Mk : ' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned' (16"-'*). So also in the case of the jailer at Philippi (Ac le'i-*"), of the Samaritans (8"), of Cornelius and his company (I0"-«), and of the Corinthians (18»). Compare the Western insertion Ac 8". Of the two requisites, faith is the one which more needs express state- ment. Repentance without faith in Christ was possible, as in the case of John's baptism. Faith m Christ without repentance was not possible. Comp. He 10«.
411 the instances just quoted (especially those of tiie converts on the Day of Pentecost, of Cornelius and his friends, and of the Pliilippian jailer and his household) tend to show that no great amount of instruction or preparation was at first required. But somewhat later, after the apostles, who had been a protection against tne admission of un- worthy candidates, had died out, and after the Churcn had had larger experience of unreal con- verts, much more care was taken to secure definite knowledge and hearty acceptance of tlie truths of the gospel.
This primitive freeilom in admitting converts to baptism is in itself an argument in favour of in/nnt havtism, although no huptism of an infant is ex-
pressly mentioned. Whole households were some- times baptized, as those of Lydia, Crispu§, the jailer, and Stephanas ; and it is probable that there were children in at least some of these. There may also have been children among the three thousand baptized at Pentecost. According to the ideas then prevalent, the head of the family repre- sented and summed up the family. In some respects the paterfamilias had absolute control of the members of his household (Maine, Ancient Law, ch. v.). And it would have seemed an unnatural thing that the father should make a complete change in his religious condition and that his children should be excluded from it. Moreover, the analogy of circumcision would lead Jewish converts to have their children baptized. Had there been this marked difference between the two rites, — that infants were admitted to the Jewish covenant, but not to the Christian, — the difference would probably have been pointed out ; all the more so, because Christianity was the more com- prehensive religion of the two. There is therefore primd facie ground for believin" that from the first infants were baptized. And this position is strengthened by "eneral declarations of Christ Himself : ' Suffer uie little children to come unto Me ; forbid them not : for of such ia the kingdom of God ' (Mk 10"). ' Except a man (tis) be bom of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the king- dom of God ' ( Jn 3°) ; where there is no intimation that children are exempted. On the contrary, the condition of children is given as the ideal for entrance into the kingdom (ftlt 18').
But there is primd facie evidence on the other side. Not only is there no mention of the baptism of infants, but there is no text from which such baptism can be securely inferred. ' Make disciples of all the nations' (Mt 28"), implies those who are old enough to receive instruction. That little children may be brought to Christ, and are a type of Christian innocence, does not prove that tney are fit to receive baptism. And we cannot be sure that Jn 3° is meant to include infants, because Jesus often states general principles, and leaves His Church to find out the necessary limitations. An ordinance may be generally necessary to salvation, and yet not be suited to infants ; which is the Western view of the Lord's Supper. Scripture tells us that repentance and faith are requisite for baptism. Assuming that infants have no need of repentance, can we assume that faith also may be dispensed with ? Cyprian slurs this (Ep. Ixiv. 5). He points out that adults must have faith, which includes repentance, and that infants have no sins of their own to repent of ; but he is silent about infants' lack of faith. Those who maintain that the infantine state is a substitute for faith and repent- ance, must remember that faith and repentance are the conditions given in Scripture, and that the infantine state is not mentioned as an equivalent. It is probable that all that is said in Scripture about baptism refers to the baptism of adults. L'ntil there were many Christian parents to whom children were bom, the questiim of baptizing infants would be exccption.ol ; and perhaps evan- gelists used their own discretion ; for infant baptism is, at any rate, nowhere forbidden in Scripture.