of them in the beginning, at Pentecost.[17] Then
Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he said "John indeed baptized
with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Here Peter [18] was made instrumental in baptizing with the Holy Spirit
through Gospel preaching, and he recognized this to be the same baptism
which his Lord [19] had promised should supercede John's water baptism
[20] and the same as that with which they were filled eight years
before, in the beginning at Pentecost, and the Pentecost baptism[21] he
said was that which the prophet Joel foretold should be poured out upon
all flesh; upon sons and daughters,[22] servants and handmaidens, and
that they should prophecy.

Can anything be plainer than that this Pentecost baptism[23] and that
the baptism which was poured out upon the household of Cornelius as
Peter preached[24], and the baptism which our Lord promised in the place
of John's water baptism and the baptism which Joel foretold should be
poured out upon all flesh are all one and the same baptism, and does it
not follow that this is the baptism of the commission, the one baptism
of the Gospel, and that this is Christian baptism and that there is no
water in it?[25]

Because Peter and others continued to baptize with water is no evidence
to the contrary. They continued their old Jewish customs generally. They
pronounced it necessary to abstain from certain meats. They insisted
that Paul should adhere to circumcision. They refused to eat with
Gentiles. With such Jewish proclivities how could they at once abandon
water baptism?[26]

Some evidently realized that John's water baptism had ended at
Pentecost, but they were not prepared to drop it entirely, so sought to
perpetuate it by repeating the words, "In the name of Jesus, Lord or
Christ." They claimed no divine authority for using this formula and the
disciples of water baptism in our day mostly discard it.[27]

Baptism with the formula, "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit"[28] is not to be considered in connection with the apostles and
first Christians, as they never mention it and evidently never practised
it. Such formula was unknown at that time. It came in as an
afterthought; a human invention of later date.

The great diversity in the form of expression used by each of the
evangelists and Peter in defining Christ's commission to his apostles is
positive evidence that they understood him to prescribe no formula f