couplative indicates a double birth. But then the two births are not real births; nor are they necessarily connected, and still less consentaneous. The new birth of water is a birth in name; the new birth of the Spirit is a change of nature. The one is a new birth "in the name of the Lord Jesus," the other is a new birth into Christ. The one is by a visible action, the other by an invisible agency. The one is connected with the flesh, the other with the Spirit. And so our Lord declared "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

In order that we may distinguish between the two baptisms, we have the marks given us as the result of Spirit baptism. The marks, as we have seen, produce altogether a change of character. They are summed up by Paul in the words, "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness" (Rom. viii.). In these words is declared the great truth which the whole chapter maintains, in unison with the whole Gospel, that without Spirit baptism there is no union with Christ, and that with union a change of character invariably follows.

The life which Churchmen claim to give as a result of ritual baptism, is a life which by their own admission may die out. In this respect is it different from the new life of the Spirit. The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is a life which cannot die out. The baptism of the Spirit produces a heartfelt belief in Christ, and he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John iii. 16); and again, our Lord declared, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John x. 27-29.)

The "one baptism" of Paul is undoubtedly Spirit baptism. No other baptism can give unity to the "one body." Water baptism has never conveyed unity, or one faith to one body, and never will. It was not instituted with that object. It was instituted for an object it will not fail to accomplish. The prophecies point to a future when greater unity and peace and love shall prevail; but then not as a result directly of water baptism. Water baptism will be an agent therein, but not the efficient cause. The efficient cause will be a larger out-pouring of the grace of God's Holy Spirit. "God will put His Spirit in men, and they shall live." (Ezek. xxxvii.)

Taking the high church theory as a basis of theological truth, that is, the theory which recognises the Great Head of the Church acting through a deputed body, giving a god-like unerring wisdom and power, and an infallibility resulting therefrom, where has been exhibited "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?" Has the "one baptism," as administered by the ecclesiastical body, had the effect of producing such an unity as described by Paul? Does not the ecclesiastical church exhibit any and everything but unity.

If ecclesiastical hands baptise into new life, if they convey an inchoative germ, the merest speck of a living principle, the state of the ecclesiastical church and of Christendom presents the fact that the germ is of uncertain character. Every kind of life springs out of it, and these bear their several fruits, the lusts of the flesh. Now this life cannot be of the character of the life of the Spirit. The life exhibited, as too frequently following ritual baptism, is under the dominion of the law of sin in the members, and Paul says, if ye be led of the Spirit ye are not under this law; he lays down the marks by which the two opposite conditions may be distinguished, and concludes "they that are Christ's" (that is led of the Spirit, or baptised by the one Spirit) "have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Gal. v.)

In the ecclesiastical church are men of every moral hue; some

led by the Spirit of God; some led of the spirit of evil; supposing them to transmit of the power to which respectively they give allegiance, in accordance with the claimed prerogative of a mediating body, then may be explained in this way the origin of a vast amount of evil. But this is idle. In truth there is no mediating transmitting body. There are two laws operating upon every son of Adam, and these laws, as the one or the other predominates, so is there life or no life. A mediating body to transmit either of the one or of the other is a monstrous fallacy. There is no body deputed to transmit. Men are commissioned to give a new birth of water in the name of, but this does not empower to give new life in Christ. There is no transmissive power in men, save to teach; "go, baptise; teaching." They have a power to lay the foundation for new life in knowledge. In the past they have failed to do this. Herein is the cause why the mass of evil has not been penetrated and subdued. They have taught that ritual baptism washed away sin, and gave life in Christ, and as no such influence is possessed by water, so the result has been the opposite of that proposed.

The mass of evil which Christendom has ever presented is proof that water baptism does not possess a deputed power to communicate a principle of new life in Christ. If the principle were sown, it would germinate and bear its fruits. But, alas! how many millions have been baptised in Christ's name, who have never presented the fruits which accompany union with Christ.

Opposed to the doctrine of a transmissive agency in men are the declarations of Scripture. "No man can come unto me, said Jesus, unless the Father draw him;" and again, unless men "eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, they have no life in them;" that is, unless drawn by the Spirit by which true union is created there is no new life. Christ "is the bread of life," and those only nourished in Him have life. Men may prophesy or teach in His name, and do many wonderful works in His name, and yet be far from Him. They may be externally

allied, and acknowledge Christ, and minister in His name, and yet Christ may profess unto them, "I never knew you." If Christ knew them not, they had no life in them, and could not transmit it to others. The Gospel, throughout, teaches that the Spirit alone gives life. It is the Spirit which maketh intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered. It is the Spirit maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Rom. viii. 27). They that love God are the called, and the called are the justified. These are they who on earth are "the conformed to the image of the Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren." These are led by the Spirit of God, and "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God;" they have received the new birth, and have entered into heirship, "the Spirit itself bearing witness with their spirits that they are the children of God: and if children then heirs, and joint heirs with Christ." Compare with the 8th of Romans, the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th chapters of St. John, and it will be manifest to a careful and prayerful reader that water baptism does not entitle to heirship. The title comes through the baptism of the one Spirit, whereby the sons of God are enabled to cry "Abba, Father.”

It is by the baptism of the One Spirit into the one body which entiles to heirship, and not by a transmissive agency by authorized hands through ritual baptism. Paul has used the term "one baptism" to signify the influence of the Spirit; he is not meaning water baptism. There is no reference to water baptism. He is writing "concerning Spiritual gifts," and he does not in any way allude to ritual baptism. When our Lord said, "My kingdom is not of this world," there was, and is, a reality conveyed which men generally have not received. Christ's kingdom is purely spiritual, and, therefore, called an everlasting kingdom. External aids and helps in connection with the time state, or flesh and blood kingdom, are instituted, but they have no true or abiding relation to His kingdom; and

they are external helps. They are not internal mediums through which the Spirit operates. The Spirit operates through unseen mediums: "As the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

Jesus Christ never baptised with water (John iv. 2); and this is significant. It is His office to baptise with the Holy Ghost. If water baptism were co-ordinate with Spirit baptism, then may our Lord have baptised with water. If it had been intended to make ritual baptism a medium of communicating new life by a transmissive agency, the probability is Christ would have originated it. But he did not originate new life in water baptism; he originated it in Himself, and transmits it by His own direct act now through an unseen medium;* in the apostolic age, sometimes in visible demonstration. Water baptism had no power given it to convey the Holy Ghost.

It is not asserted that no grace attends, at any time, water

* "The Scriptures nowhere refer us to the time or manner of our regeneration for evidence that we are regenerated. If the time and manner of our regeneration were certainly known by us, it is intuitively evident, that our regeneration itself would be equally well known. If this, then, were the case, it is incredible that the Scriptures should not, even in a single instance, refer us to so completely satisfactory a source of evidence, to determine us finally in this mighty concern; but should, at the same time, direct us to the so much less perfect evidence, furnished by the subsequent state of our affections and conduct. "By their fruits shall ye know them," says our Saviour. "Then are ye my disciples indeed, if ye keep my commandments." "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven, is my disciple." These are the rules by which, together with others of exactly the same nature, we are directed to the Scriptures to judge of our moral state. But these rules are not only superfluous, but useless, if the time, the manner, or the fact of our regeneration were ordinarily known by us. For these, and each of these, would furnish evidence of this subject completely decisive as to the state of all men. He who knew these things would certainly know that he was a Christian: he