To the baptism of John, Jesus Himself submitted. The reason He gave to John for this was, “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness:” (Matt, iii. 15.) hereby inculcating the duty of attention to whatever God hath commanded; and intimating His solemn entrance upon His Priestly Office, according to the directions which God gave to Moses concerning the washing of Aaron and his sons with water, as already referred to. (Ex. xxix. 4.) Occasion was also hereby afforded for the fulfilment of the sign given to John for the discovery of the Messiah: “Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.” And John “saw, and bare record that this was the Son of God.” (John i. 33, 34.) After His own baptism by John, and His choice of the twelve Apostles, Jesus also baptized those who became His disciples. But _the fact itself_ is all that is recorded. Water was evidently used; but we are not told any thing of the time when He began to baptize, nor of the description of persons baptized, nor of the mode and form of His baptism, nor of what followed after it. We are simply informed in John iii. 22., as a part of the gospel-narrative, that “Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He tarried with them and baptized.” And the only farther mention of the subject is in reference to a report, “that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,” and that Jesus Himself did not administer the Ordinance in person, but that His disciples (meaning probably the twelve) baptized for Him. (John iv. 1, 2.) This is all that the Scripture says upon the subject. _Why_ the Lord did not baptize with His own hands, we are not informed. It could not have been lest any should say that He had baptized in His own name; for men came to His baptism avowedly _as His disciples_. But _for obvious reasons_ He chose to employ Himself in preaching, and the twelve in baptizing those whom He had taught: as He afterwards sent St. Paul “not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” (1 Cor. i. 15.) He would also wish to prevent _the preference_ which would doubtless have been given to _His own_ administration of the Ordinance. Of the baptism of the twelve disciples themselves we have no account. As the baptism of John was so general, it is probable that they, or the greater number of them, had partaken of it. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, undoubtedly had. He was one of the two of John’s disciples who heard him say of Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God!” and who was afterwards one of the twelve. It probably was the case with others of them also. But nothing is said respecting them. Tertullian observes, that with regard to them,—(the twelve)—“the peculiar privilege of the first accession to discipleship, and of the individual familiarity to which they were admitted with Him, had power to confer on them _the compendium_ of baptism;” the sum and substance of it.