Baptism

Upon looking over the sacred pages of the bible, searching into the prophets and sayings of the apostles, we find no subject so nearly connected with salvation, as that of baptism. In the first place, however, let us understand that the word baptise [baptize] is derived from the Greek verb baptiso, and means to immerse or overwhelm, and that sprinkle is from the Greek verb rantiso, and means to scatter on by particles; then we can treat the subject as one inseparably connected with our eternal welfare; and always bear in mind that it is one of the only methods by which we can obtain a remission of sins in this world, and be prepared to enter into the joys of our Lord in the world to come.

As it is well known that various opinions govern a large portion of the sectarian world as to this important ordinance of the gospel, it may not be amiss to introduce the commissions and commands of Jesus himself on the subject.-He said to the twelve, or rather eleven at the time: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising [baptizing] them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: Thus it is recorded by Matthew. In Mark we have these important words: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptised [baptized] shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned. And to show how the believers are to be known from the unbelievers, he continues and says: And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues: they shall take up serpents: and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. And in Luke we find the finishing

clause like this,-that it was necessary that Christ should die and rise the third day-that remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.

We will now examine the witnesses. As it will be recollected, they were to wait at Jerusalem till they were endowed with power from on high and then go and teach all nations whatsoever the Lord had commanded them. As Peter held the keys of the kingdom, we will examine him first.

Now on the day of Pentecost, when there was a marvellous [marvelous] display of the gifts, according to the promise in Mark, many were pricked in the heart, and said unto Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles, men and brethren what shall we do? Peter said unto them: Repent, and be baptised [baptized] every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remissioe [remission] of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, &c.-Here one of the witnesses says in so many words, repent and be baptised [baptized]. And we are of the opinion that Peter having been taught by the Lord, and commissioned by the Lord, and endowed by the Lord, would be about as correct a counsellor [counselor], or ambassador as we or they could enquire [inquire] of to know the right way to enter into the kingdom.

Again, Luke in this record of the acts of the Apostles, says:-And it came to pass, that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus; and finding certain disciples, he said unto them have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptised [baptized]? And they said, unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptised [baptized] with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, That they should believe on him which should which should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptised [baptized] in the name of the Lord Jesus.-And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophecied [prophesied].

From the above witnesses we are informed that baptism was the essential point on which they could receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. It seems from the reasoning above that some sectarian Jew had been baptising [baptizing] like John, but had forgotten to inform them that there was one to follow by the name of Jesus Christ, to baptise [baptize] with fire and the Holy Ghost:-which showed these converts that their first baptism was illegal, and when they heard this they were gladly baptised [baptized], and after hands were laid on them, they received the gifts, according to promise, and spake with tongues and prophecied [prophesied]. We do not calculate in this short dissertation, to bring in the immense reasoning and quotations that might be adduced to show that the ancients who were actually the fathers of the church in the different ages, when the church flourished on the earth, according to the pattern of having apostles and prophets, &c. for the work of the ministry and the perfecting of the saints-were initiated into the kingdom by baptism, for it is self evident in the scripture-God changes not. The Apostle says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation unto them that believe; and also informs us that life and immortality were brought to light through the gospel; that the scripture, as Paul said to the Galatians, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham: saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Now taking it for granted that the scriptures say what they mean, and mean what they say, we have sufficient grounds to go on and prove from the bible that the gospel has always been the same; the ordinances to fulfil [fulfill] its requirements, the same; and the officers to officiate, the same; and the signs and fruits resulting from the promises, the same: therefore, as Noah was a preacher of righteousness he must have been baptised [baptized] and ordained to the priesthood by the laying on of hands, &c. For no man taketh this honor upon himself except he be called of God as was Aaron, and Aaron was baptised [baptized] in the cloud and in the sea, together with all Israel, as is related by the Apostle in Corinthians. This position or fact, is witnessed in this manner: the covenant of circumcission [circumcision] made with Abraham, and practiced steadily up to the departing of Israel out of Egypt, was abandoned in the wilderness, forty years-and renewed by Joshua after he passed over Jordan, and encamped at Gilgal, where he made sharp knives and circumcised the whole male portion of the church.

Circumcision was merely a sign of the priesthood, given to Abraham: according to the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second

time into his mother's womb, and be born?-Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This strong and positive answer of Jesus, as to water baptism, settles the question: If God is the same yesterday, to day and forever; it is no wonder he is so positive in the great declaration: He that believes and is baptised [baptized] shall be saved, and he that believes not shall damned! There was no other name given under heaven, nor no other ordinance admitted, whereby men could be saved: No wonder the Apostle said, being "buried with him in baptism," ye shall rise from the dead! No wonder Paul had to arise and be baptised [baptized] and wash away his sins: No wonder the angel told good old Cornelius that he must send for Peter to learn how to be saved: Peter could baptise [baptize], and angels could not, so long as there were legal officers in the flesh holding the keys of the kingdom, or the authority of the priesthood. There is one evidence still further on this point, and that is that Jesus himself when he appeared to Paul on his way to Damascus, did not inform him how he could be saved. He had set in the church firstly Apostles, and secondly prophets for the work of the ministry, perfecting of the saints, &c.; and as the grand rule of heaven was that nothing should ever be done on earth without revealing the secret to his servants the prophets, agreeably to Amos 3: 7, so Paul could not learn so much from the Lord relative to his duty in the common salvation of man, as he could from one of Christ's ambassadors called with the same heavenly calling of the Lord, and endowed with the same power from on high-so that what they loosed on earth, should be loosed in heaven; and what they bound on earth should be bound in heaven: He, the Lord being a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec [Melchizedec], and the anointed son of God, from before the foundation of the world, and they the begotten sons of Jesus through the gospel, to teach all nations-and lo I am with you always to the end of the world-that is--by the other comforter which the world cannot receive-for ye are the witnesses-having the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy.

From what has already been introduced as testimony to prove that no man can be saved without baptism, it will be seen and acknowledged that if there was sin among men, repentance was as necessary at one time or age of the world as another-and that other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If, then Abel was a righteous man he had be become so by keeping the commandments: if Enoch was righteous enough to come into the presence of God, and walk with him, he must have become so by keeping his commandments, and so of every righteous person, whether it was Noah, a preacher of righteousness; Abraham, the father of the faithful; Jacob, the prevailer with God; Moses, the man who wrote of Christ, and brought forth the law by commandment, as a school master to bring men to Christ, or whether it was Jesus Christ himself, who had no need of repentance, having did no sin; according to his solemn declaration to John:-now let me be baptised [baptized]: for no man can enter the kingdom without obeying this ordinance: FOR THUS IT BECOMETH US TO FULFIL [FULFILL] ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS. Surely, then, if it became John and Jesus Christ, the Saviour [Savior], to fulfil [fulfill] all righteousness to be baptised [baptized]-so surely, then, it will become every other person that seeks the kingdom of heaven to go and do likewise; for he is the door, and if any person climbs up any other way, the same is a thief and a robber!

In the former ages of the world, before the Saviour came in the flesh, "the saints" were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to come, because there never was any other name whereby men could be saved; and after he came in the flesh and was crucified, then the saints were baptised [baptized] in the name of Jesus Christ, crucified, risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, that they might be buried in baptism like him, and be raised in glory like him, that as there was but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and father of us all, even so there was but one door to the mansions of bliss. Amen.-ED.