2 O let its facred heat increase, concurrence with water, the help of the Holy Spirit is neceffary; and they lay the foundation for their will-worship, Col. ii. 23. by going back to the difpenfation of John for water; at the fame time fhould their creed require them to go back to Abraham's difpenfation and be circumcifed, their practice of circumcifion is as much fupported in the New Teftament as that of Water Baptifm. For after John's difpenfation was ended, Paul circumcifed Timothy, and was as much juftified in doing it, as he was in baptizing Crifpus and Gaius; however we ftill fee, that the prejudice of education fo fupports tradition, that, whether it be founded on truth or error, it is more generally received, both by learned and unlearned, than the pure doctrine of inward Baptifm, and the true Spiritual Worship of God, which to every serious enlightened mind is full of comfort, without being dependent on any outward element whatever. Thefe outward Court Worshippers would then do well to confider, that God drvelleth not in temples made with bands, Acts xvii. 24. Yet he condefendeth to dwell with him that is of a contrite aud bumble fpirit, Ifa. lvii. 15. And every true believer a temple of the living God; as God bath said, I will dwell in them, and will walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, 2 Cor. vi. 16. But before a finner that has defiled himfelf with fin, can be made a temple fit for the Spirit of God to dwell in, 1 Cor. iii. 16. he muft pafs through a fpiritual ftate prefigured by that which the children of Ifrael paffed through, mentioned Exod. xiii. 21. and xiv. 22. and again by the Apoftle to the church at Corinth. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, bow that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea; and were all BAPTIZED unto Mofes in the cloud and in the fea, I Cor. x. I, 2. this ftate he is humbled under the hand of the Lord, Baptized into his death; burried with him in Baptifm, Rom. vi. 3, 4. and he washes away his filth by the fpirit of judgment, and by the fpirit of burning, Ifa. iv. 4. which judgeth, condemneth, and confumeth all evil that is found in the finner, makes him a new creature, 2 Cor. v. 17. Or new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true bolinefs, Eph. iv. 24. he fhews forth the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. v. 22, 23. and is made able to adorn Thus Jefus the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things, Tit. ii. 10. Chrift is magnified in his offices of High Prieft and Minifter of the Sanctu ary, and of the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man, Heb. viii. 1, 2. The Scriptures alfo are fulfilled, which fay, that be abideth a Prieft continually, Heb. vii. 3. and that be bath an unchangeable Priesthood, Heb. vii. 24. But Priefts who fuppofed themselves to be duly authorized by Epifcopal ordination, have, in all ages of Chriftianity, been frequently dividing and fubdiving into new parties, on account of different opinions When this has happened among those who had any dependence on Water Baptifm, either its form or time, In 3 Then joyfulf I will henceforth do, My words and works" fhall likewife fhow (f) Heb. x. 34. (g) Matt. xii. 37. (h) Jam. iii. 17. and manner of ufing it, has moftly undergone fome alteration. Some have made choice of a River; others have built Baptifteries or Tabernacles, according to their own vildom: Some ufe immerfion dipping only once; fome dip thrice: Some ufe the fign of the Crofs, with oil, falt, chrifm, fpittle, &c.; others ufe the fign of Crofs, and only fprinkle the face with water: Some baptize only at Eafter and Whitfuntide; others at any feafon of the year: Some baptize only infants, or fuch as were never baptized before others baptize infants, and rebaptize when they profefs to have received the Holy Ghoft: Some think fponfors neceffary; others entirely reject them, &c. &c. . Who but HIRELINGs, blinded by intereft, or perfons drunk with the prejudice of Babylon's education, can call this the direction of an unchangeable Priesthood! but fuch is the blindness of multitudes, that they either do not fearch the Scriptures for themfelves, or elfe they dare not believe contrary to the Creed they have been taught; but it is not fo much to be wondered at when we confider how early children's minds are poisoned by having falfe doctrines taught them. For as foon as they can be taught to read, they are taught to be believe, either in thefe words or others to the fame purpofe, that Water Baptifm "is generally neceffary to faluation;" and to eftablish the belief of it, they farther add, for being by nature born in fin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby. made the children of grace." But this is alfo another very dangerous fundamental error; for it fuppofes the fin committed by the first man to be greater than the free gift by the fecond man, which is the Lord from beaven, 1 Cor. xv. 47. And the fource of this error feems to have its rife from a wrong interpretation of Eph. ii. 3. the meaning of which is very obvious when compared with the reft of the paffage; particularly with the 11th and following verfes: It does not prove that we come into the world children of wrath, (the text fays no fuch thing) but it was to work a conviction in the mind of the Ephefians, of the fame nature of that which was wrought into the mind of the Apoftle Peter, by the vifion which he faw, A&ts x. 9. &c. And fure this could not be done more to the purpose, than by letting them fee, that they all bad their converfation in times paft in the lufts of their flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Even as the rest of mankind who have yielded to fin, whether Jews or Gentiles. For there is no more previous caufe in any one, to bring them under a neceffity of committing fin, than was in our firft parents, when the ferpent beguiled them, Gen. iii. 6, 13. For this reafon none can be chargeable with any degree of fin whatever, until they tranfgrefs against a known law; for where no law is, there is no tranfgreffion, Rom. iv. 15. Then doubtless the law of God is written upon the hearts of children, and they like the Gentiles, which : 4 For this my fpirit earnest cries, (j) Pfal. cxlvi. 2. had no outward law, do by nature the things contained in the law, Rom. ii. 14. And while they remain in this ftate, they are not guilty by breaking the law that was given to Adam; neither by any breach of that law given by Mofes. For Jefus called a little child unto him, and fet bim in the midst of his difciples, and faid, verily I fay unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of beaven, Mat. xviii. 2, 3. None can reafonably fuppofe that this was a new born infant, for it is clear that it was a child grown capable of understanding what our Lord faid to it; confequently it was a FREE AGENT, having power either to obey or difobey ;-but it was obedient, and because it had not yet tranfgreffed the laws of its Maker, he fets it, in this finlefs ftate, in their prefence, and fhews them at once that its nature was pure in every respect; and that their's, which had been defiled by fin, must be made fo too, before they could enter into the kingdom of heaven: But there is no mention made that ever it had been Baptized with water, either by Chrift or his Difciples; or that any other change had paffed upon it, previous to the call of our Lord. How prepofterous then to say that a new-born child has a diabolical nature, which it derives from its first natural parents? It is faying in the plaineft language (as before obferved) that the FREE GIFT by Jefus Chrift was lefs meritorious of Divine favour, than the fin of our firft parents was of Divine difpleafure; and is quite contrary to the judgment of the Apostle Paul, who thus contradicts it: Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon ALL men to condemnation; even fo by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon ALL men to juftification of life, Rom. v. 18. If fo, all men are born in a ftate of acceptance with God, and are as truly the “children of grace," as it is poffible to make them. Where then is the ufe of Water Baptifm? It is certain, that, like circumcifion, it was once of real ufe, for the time which God had ordained it; but being included in the Old Covenant, it is now more than feventeen hundred years fince it was abolifhed, and the veil done away in Chrift, 2 Cor. iii. 14. by the glorious Miniftration of the Spirit. For in that be fath, a new convenant, be bath made the firft old. Now, that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish arway, Heb. viii. 13. And in the 10th verfe of the next Chapter it is again included among the ordinance of the first covenant, which food only in meats, and drinks, and divers WASHINGS, and carnal ordinances, impofed on them until the time of reformation. And this time of reformation was then come: For Jefus Chrift the great High Priest and Mediator of the new covenant, had put away fin, by the facrifice of himself; and fealed the new teftament with his own blood. He, thereby, is become the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Mofes defcribetb the righteousness which is of the law, THAT THE MAN WHICH DOETH THOSE THINGS SHALL LIVE BY I XIX. For Inspiration and a due Preparation for Eternity LORD, as my future state of bliss Depends on present holiness, O let thy Spirit, from above, Inspire my heart with faith and love. 2 For now to thee I all refign, Let not my will be done, but thine: 3 Hence fear and forrow will depart, 77. (m) 2 Cor. vi. 2. (n) Luke i (q) Gal. iv. 19. (k) Heb. xii. 14. (1) Matt. vi. 10. (r) Heb. ii. 14. THEM. But the righteousness which is of faith Speaketh on this wife, Say not in thine heart, who shall afcend into heaven? (that is, to bring Chrift down from above:) Or, who shall defcend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Chrift again from the dead.) But what faith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy beart: that is, the word of faith which ve preach; that if thou shalt confefs with thy mouth the Lord Jefus, and halt believe in thine heart that God bath raised him from the dead, thou fhalt be faved, Rom. x. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Although this Apoftle had once been a Baptizer himself, he now excludes Water Baptifm from the new covenant, and fays, that a man is not juftified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Fefus Chrift, Gal. ii. 16. and to fhew that he had no miffion to renew any part of the old covenant of works, he pofitively declares the contrary: For Chrift (fays he) fent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel. Surely then, if Water Baptifm was generally neceffary to falvation," it could not have been feparated from the Gospel, but must always have been preached as a neceffary thing, along with faith in Jefus Chrift. To do this would make the Apostle either deny the Baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, or acknowledge two Baptifms; and it is certain that he does neither: But according to the miffion which he has received of the Lord Jefus Chrift, he preached, one Lord, one Faith, ONE BAPTISM, Eph. iv. 5. and not a plurality of Baptifms. *This paffage is not intended to be understood to annihilate the perfon of the devil, but only his diabolical power, nature, and works. 4 Prepared thus, I long to be, My foul doth on thy promifes reft, XX. The Parable of the good Samaritan paraphrafed by an ACTUAL SINNER, who confiders himself in the fame ftate with that CERTAIN MAN who fell among thieves. I AM that certain" man which fell Among the crafty thieves of hell Who ftript and wounded me, then fled, Leaving my naked foul half dead. 2 Robbed of ev'ry thing that's good, 3 Come, O thou good SAMARITAN! 4 On thy own beaft the helpless lay, 5 No more on Aaron, or Levi, (s) Luke i. 72.(u) Luke x. 30, 35+ |