example to after ages: * well might David be afraid of its coming near him. And what ground can you show from scripture, that baptizers of the present day are any more appointed to meddle with Baptism, than Uzza was appointed to meddle with the ark? The case also of King Uzziah,† who was obstinately bent on offering incense, (which was only the province of the priest to perform), for which one foolish attempt he received the instantaneous infliction of the loathsome and incurable disease of leprosy, far worse than death, were there not an hereafter; and thereby eventually closed, in ignominy and disgrace, an otherwise useful and honourable reign of fifty-two years. Why were these terrible effects stamped upon an interference with divine prerogative? Will any dare to hope that things of this nature were an abomination to the God of wisdom and consistency a few thousand years ago, and that they may even, by possibility, be acceptable or indifferent to HIM now? How ought the proper recollection of these examples to awaken awful feelings on our entry upon the performance of any religious rite, or encouraging another to perform it without a divine call.

In endeavouring to follow out what appears to you a divine command to christians at this time, I feel sympathy for you in the difficulty which I believe it to be your interest to experience, in seeking out some men to baptize you, whom you can fairly hope may possibly have been divinely authorized to that service; for if you apply to any other than a divinely authorized person, how can any good come of it? You are not fulfilling a divine command unless you perform it in the way commanded, and by the authorized servants commanded. The various

* 1 Chron. viii. 12. † 2 Chron. xxvi. 16. 23.

members of a family may as well baptize each other, as employ one no more divinely authorized than themselves; indeed, if the baptizer takes money for it, you, by employing any to attempt enacting by you the Baptism of John,* as Simon Magus sought ability to act by the Baptism of the Saviour, are apparently, at least, identified with the same spirit, inasmuch as you attempt the same works by the same means, and produce the same fruits; attempting to serve God in the will of man, instead of striving with all prayer and supplication, that He would condescend to rule and reign in your hearts without a rival, agreeably with the spiritual description which Christ gives of the connexion between His Father and the Church.

Now consider the obvious danger, may we not say the strong probability, that, relying in some degree on the elementary and typical Baptism, we. may rest in these shadows, instead of pressing, with all our souls, and all our strength, after the one, real, saving, Baptism by the Holy Ghost and by Fire:† "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" in the conscience; and submitting to, and co-operating with, every trial, and every lesson with which he is pleased to baptize us; not that we should stop, as at the bottom of Jordan, in the midst of these elementary waters, but rather that each of us should seek of the Lord ability to bring up from thence stones of memorial, and go on in the Lord's strength, until all our spiritual enemies are subdued, and we placed in possession of the promised land, in that state of mind in which we are enabled to hear the word of God and keep it,"§ the only state

66

*Acts viii. 18. 19. † Ephesians iv. 5. 1 Peter iii. 21. § Luke xi. 28.

in which it is possible for any of us to know that God is really our God; the only state in which it is possible for any of us to know that Christ Jesus is really our King, or our Saviour. In this blessed experience, each of our hearts would become an altar to God, on which, and in which, all that is offensive to His divine purity would be sacrificed, and we should be enabled, in that which goes beyond all elements, rejoicingly to set up our

66

Ebenezer, saying, hitherto hath the Lord helped us ;”* not that one of our fellow-sinners hath helped us by pouring water upon us. But what authority can christians shew from John the Baptist, and the Lord of Life and Glory, for continuing this Jewish ordinance ? Do they not both clearly shew, first, that it was about to be fulfilled, and very soon after that it was finished? John, in speaking of his own Baptism and that of Christ, says, "He must increase, but I decrease;"† and Matthew gives the following account of John's mission and exhortation : I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall Baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with Fire: whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable Fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Jesus, answering, said unto him, suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, † John iii. 30.

* 1 Samuel vii. 12.

lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”* By which it appears, that on the occasion of Jesus being baptized with water, that ordinance ceased, or was fulfilled; for He gave John this reason for baptizing even Him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness;" and immediately on this fulfilment of water baptism, the baptism of the Holy Ghost commenced by His descending from Heaven and lighting upon Jesus: and it was by this Spirit of God that Jesus wrought; for He says, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you :" † and the disciples who wrought in that same Spirit, not only cast out devils, but they also, by the same Spirit, were to be the judges of the poor deluded creatures who blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, by imputing His operations to Beelzebub the prince of the devils; yet it is written, All men counted John that he was a prophet indeed;"§ but of what benefit was water baptism by John to those who obeyed not the advice or Divine message of John, to prepare the way of the Lord in their hearts, and make His paths straight?|| that all might be straightforward and sincere; that there might be no crooked policy to disgust the God of Truth and Righteousness; that there might remain nothing to hinder the Lord walking in their hearts, and baptizing them into that heavenly communion which cannot be appreciated or understood by "the carnal mind, which is enmity against God;"** but

Mat. xii. 27. § Mark xi. 32. **Rom. viii. 7.

*Mat. iii. 11,17. † Mat. xii. 28. Mat. iii. 3. 2 Cor. vi. 16.

that they might be engrafted into the pure Vine which bears good fruit ;* that they might become fit to be presented faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, There to abide for ever, witnessing His glory and doing His will. †

Now, although the Jews were ready enough to avail themselves of the outward form of water baptism, by which they hoped to secure at least a greater probability of salvation, by a means which still left them in the enjoyment of their sins; thus relying, as they evidently did, on the outward ordinance, the type, the shadow, they so far forgot the substance to which that shadow pointed, that they crucified the Lord of Life and Glory ;‡ and such, in every age, have been those who say, but do

not.

On endeavouring to discover whether Scripture shews any ground to believe that the Holy Ghost sanctions the continuance of water baptism to christians of the present day, or that any may perform it with safety to their own souls, the instance of Paul stands rather prominently, who, like the other apostles, shewed a tendency to cling to the Jewish rituals, for which tendencies the disciples were occasionally rebuked by the immaculate Redeemer; and for which the apostles had, on one or two occasions, to rebuke each other, after Jesus had ascended to the everlasting Father,§ (who, if we duly honour Him, will condescend to be our Father), to His God (who, if we obey Him, will condescend to be our God).

Now Paul, who was so active a persecutor before conversion, and so active a preacher and writer afterwards, enumerates two individuals and one household

* John xv. 1, 2. † Jude 24. ‡ Mat. xxiii. 3. § John xx. 17.