' The answer of a good conscience toward God.' The original, Eperotema, signifies a counter-questtion. It is very likely that when the apostle wrote this, he had a reference to the judicial custom of his day. It was customary among the Romans, that when any one bound himself in a reciprocal stipulation to another one before a court, he employed certain forms of questions ; whereupon the other one was constrained immediately to impart his prescribed answers, otherwise the bargain was considered invalid. This was called Eperotema. Agreeably to this, there are also stipulations made in baptism. There are reciprocal questions and answers. In short, there is a covenant established, as the German translation reads ; for in every convenant there are stipulations, and reciprocal questions and answers. God and the baptised are in convenant ; even so God was in covenant with the circumcised. Gen. 17–Rom. 4.

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