_Elder B_. That baptism is an essential part of the righteous law of God is evident from the answer of Jesus, when John demurred to baptizing him--"Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."--Matt. iii. 15. Jesus also says that baptism is a part of the counsel of God to men--"And all the people that heard him [John], and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him."--Luke vii. 29, 30. Baptism may also be considered the door of the Kingdom of God, or the law that adopts us into the family of God. Immediately after Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened over him, and God owned His Son. Jesus says, "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth."--John x. 1-3. The sheepfold was the Kingdom of God, the door was baptism, the porter was John. Upon those {45} who attempt to enter any other way, will rest the imputation of dishonesty. _Mr. W_. Not a very desirable imputation, certainly. _Elder B_. No. But you see, by the illustration, the necessity of baptism. _Mr. W_. I must confess I do. _Elder B_. Baptism does not mean infant sprinkling or pouring. The true mode of baptism is by immersion. _Mr. W_. That is my opinion of the matter. When my friends have been discussing the subject, it has always appeared to me that immersion was the proper form of baptism. _Elder B_. True. This is plainly evident from the Scriptures. John the Baptist baptized in the river Jordan. If sprinkling or pouring were the mode, there would have been no necessity for his going into the river. It is true, I have seen representations of Jesus and John standing in the water, while John poured the water upon Jesus, but such a representation carries improbability upon its very face. If pouring would do, why go into the water? And we know that Jesus did go into the water, for he "went up straightway out of the water," after he was baptized, says the Evangelist.--Matt. iii. 16. "And the multitudes who went to John were baptized of him in Jordan."--Matt. iii. 6. Again, John baptized at Aenon, near to Salim, because there "was much water there."--John iii. 23. Of what advantage would much water have been, if sprinkling or pouring were the mode? A bucketful of water would sprinkle a thousand people. A very insignificant brook would suffice to baptize a nation, if pouring were the mode. If either of these were the mode, there was no necessity to choose a place of "much water." Unless immersion were the mode, we cannot see any sense in John's baptizing at Aenon because of the abundance of water there.