# Moreover, The Conditions Required In, At, And About Baptism, Indicate Sufficiently, That It Was Not Administered To Children, But To Persons Of Understanding.

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In order to receive baptism in a worthy and true
manner, there are required sorrow and repentance
of sins, accompanied with a confession of the same.
Matt. 3:6, we read: “And were baptized of him in
Jordan, confessing their sins.”

Besides this, it is required that we should bear
good fruits. “Bring forth therefore,” says John,
to those who desired to be baptized, “fruits meet
for repentance.” Matt. 3:8; or, according to Biestken’s
translation: “Do genuine fruits of repentance.”

Mark 16:16, it is also required, that we believe,
yea, that we believe with the heart. Acts 8:37.

In short, repentance or conversion, and baptism
are joined together, Matt. 3:6,11; as also, teaching,
believing, and baptizing, Mark 16:15,16.
Confession and baptism went hand in hand with
the Ethiopian, Acts 8:37. Baptism is a burying of
the old man, and a sign of resurrection into a new
life, Rom. 6:3,4; a putting on of Christ, Gal. 3:27;
and the answer of a good conscience toward God.
1 Pet. 3:21.

These and other conditions required in baptism
cannot exist in infants, who know neither good nor
evil, cannot discern between the right hand and the
left hand, and do as children do, Deut. 1:39; Jon.
4:11; 1 Cor. 13:11.

Here we might adduce much more, but since it
is not our purpose to dispute about this point, but
simply to show from the unadorned testimonies of
the holy evangelists and apostles, that baptism was
administered in the first century only to adult (that
is, penitent and believing) persons, we shall leave
this subject, and proceed to give an account of
those who, according to history, have, either by
word or by deed, maintained this doctrine.

64



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