674. III. Baptism was instituted to take the place of circumcision, because the circumcision of the foreskin was a representation of the circumcision of the heart. The purpose of baptism was so that the internal church should take the place of the external, which in every detail prefigured the internal church.

It is well known in the Christian part of the world that there is an internal as well as an external man; that the external is the same as the natural man, and the internal is the same as the spiritual man, for his spirit is in this. Since a church is composed of people, there can be an internal and an external church. If the churches which succeeded one another in due order from ancient times down to the present day are examined, it will be seen that the former churches were external churches, that is, their worship consisted in externals representing the internals of the Christian church, the foundations of which were laid by the Lord when He was in the world, and which is now for the first time being built by Him.

The outstanding characteristics which distinguished the Israelite church from the others in Asia, and later from the Christian, was circumcision. Since everything in the Israelite church, being external, prefigured, as has been said, everything in the Christian church, being internal, therefore the outstanding sign of the former church was inwardly similar to the sign of the Christian church. For circumcision meant the rejection of the lusts of the flesh, and so purification from evils. The meaning of baptism is similar. It is obvious from this that baptism was enjoined in place of circumcision, in order both that the Christian church should be distinguished from the Jewish, and that the internal church should thus be more closely known. This results from the uses of baptism, which will be discussed later.