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it was necessary, (under the Messiah) for a man to be born of the water and of the Spirit, shows that it was prophesied of, and, therefore, he, being a master in Israel, was inexcusable for not knowing it. If it had not been prophesied of, there could have been no blame for ignorance.

The expression in 1 Peter iii. 21, "baptism doth also now save us," by "the answer of a good conscience towards God, by [or through] the resurrection of Jesus Christ," probably means, that the Spirit which raised up Christ from the dead, and which he received (when he "was" exalted at the right hand of God) and shed forth on his disciples as a comforter, and on the world to "convince it of sin;" did upon their repentance and "baptism for the remission of sins," cease to convict them of the guilt of sin, (it being the Spirit of truth, and of course would bear witness to it) and SAVED THEM from a guilty conscience, by bearing testimony that they were forgiven, for it is by the Spirit that the conscience is convicted, therefore, it cannot have peace until the Spirit ceases to convict it.

CHAPTER VI.

Taking water baptism in the light of "the remission of sins," and spiritual baptism as cleansing from indwelling sin, the passage of the Israelites out of Egypt, might illustrate them thus, (for it was "a shadow of good things to come," and was written for our admonition :") their leaving the service of the Egyptians at the command of God, illustrates the sinner's repenting and doing works meet for repentance, i. e. his forsaking the service of sin for the service of God; their being pent up at the Red Sea by the Egyptians, the guilt of sin separating between him and God, and indwelling sins, ready to fetch him into its service again, and thus destroy him; their salvation By the Red Sea, by their standing still and seeing the salvation of the Lord, his salvation by water baptism from the guilt of sin, (thus answering a good conscience towards God;) their receiving the law at Sinai, his instructions (as in Heb. x. &c. after he is proselyted by repentance and baptism) before he has received the birth of the Spirit, by faith in the blood and resurrec

tion of Christ, the typified Canaan; his receiving it, by their passing Jordan; his fulfilling the law of God, by the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Spirit, (for he that loveth fulfilleth the whole law,) by their obedience in serving God all the days of Joshua, and those that entered the land of Canaan, that had seen all the mighty acts of God.

These sentiments being correct, the ERROR of refusing baptism, (to which the promise of remission of sins, and the gift of the Spirit is attached,) to those who are inquiring what they shall do to be saved, (before they are saved) assumes a DREADFUL importance, and in what are called "revivals," convinced as I am of their importance, I have no doubt but there have been millions of souls sacrificed to this ERROR, who are now in perdition, who would have been in glory if they had been (when they asked "what they should do to be saved," i. e. to be born of the Spirit) in the words of Peter, required to "repent and be baptized, EVERY ONE OF THEM," with the promise that "they should receive the remission of their sins," and also [not had -but] SHOULD receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." From this error which might be considered as an unimportant one, we can see the fearful danger of having ANY error in our DOCTRINES, and the importance of the command of the apostle to TAKE HEED TO YOUR DOCTRINE, FOR, IN SO DOING THOU SHALT SAVE BOTH THYSELF and THEM that HEAR THEE,' And although the repentance of sin cannot be too thoroughly insisted upon (and as no person can be saved, until he repents of all sin, by determining to live to the will of God in all things) yet there IS NO PROMISE in the New Testament that the birth of the Spirit shall be given, upon repentance alone; neither was it ever given, however long and thoroughly a person may have repented, until he believed in Christ as an atonement for all sins, and a saviour from them. And I would ask how is it, but for the soul-damning errors in the church, that, whilst in the days. of the apostles, ALL who "asked what they should do to be saved," were admitted immediately into the church by baptism, and were saved by receiving the Holy Ghost, whilst often now, nine out of ten, after blindly seeking until they are dis

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couraged or overcome by the tempter, fall into the ditch with their blind leaders; for we certainly have the same religion and the same Spirit? and further more how can a nation be born in a day, until we return to the apostolic truth? But be careful that in your zeal to keep all out of the visible church, until they are born of the Spirit, you do not reap the rewards of the "fearful and the unbelieving!" for God, by the apostles has promised, that those that repent and are baptized for the remission of sins, SHALL receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, but you are "fearful" that he will not fulfill his promise, and therefore you will not "believe" him.

From the foregoing, the conclusion is that the qualifications that were necessary to fit a person to be united to the church by baptism was not the "being born of the Spirit," but it was "repentance towards God," (which repentance is a full determination to do the will of God in all things,) and "conversion" to christianity.

CHAPTER VII.

The word "converted" when used in the New Testament, did not mean (as it now does) the being born of the Spirit, but it meant the embracing the belief that Jesus was the Christ which was promised by God in the prophets, and that he should save them from their sins by putting his Spirit within them, "that they might serve God in righteousness and holiness all the days of their lives, (in opposition to the belief held by the unconverted Jews, that the Christ when he came should be a temporal Saviour, and save the Jews and all that should become Jews, out of the hands of the Romans and all their political enemies,) is proved from Acts iii. 10, for it says, "repent and be CONVERTED, that your sins may be blotted out WHEN the time of refreshing SHALL COME from the presence of the Lord;" the expression" be converted," undoubtedly meaning that they should embrace or believe the christian system, and reject Judaism, and that this "conversion" to, or belief of, the truth of Christianity, was not the birth of the Spirit, is evident, for the "blotting out of their sins," (by the birth of the Spirit,) was

promised upon condition that they should become converted, and was to take place when they should be born or baptized by the refreshing (of the Spirit) that should aftewards come from the presence of the Lord.

The quotation of our Lord, from Isaiah vi. 10, in Matt. xiii. 15, surely does not mean their "renewal by the Holy Ghost," for their renewal or "healing" was promised upon condition that they should be "CONVERTED;" it reads, "their eyes have they closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyesand understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I shall heal them." The "healing" mentioned here, was evidently to take place after the conversion.*

From the foregoing examination it is evident that the New Testament meaning of the word "converted," is not the being born of the Spirit, but the turning from error, and the embrac ing of the truth, i. e. it is the believing that christianity is true,

* That the apostles were not converted until near the day of Pentecost, is also evident, first, from the fact, that they were expecting the Messiah to be a temporal prince, (and not a Christ crucified;) and the unbelieving Jews rejected him, for the very reason that he had informed them that he was not a temporal prince, whilst the disciples did not give up the hope that he was a temporal prince until he was crucified; and that then their hopes were blasted is evident, for they said "we thought that it was he that should save Israel." And previous to his crucifixion we find them clinging to the hope of worldly splendor, and contending that each might be the greatest; now as Christ said to the Pharisees, "how can ye believe, who receive honor one of another, and SEEK NOT that honor which cometh from God ONLY;" it is evident therefore, that the disciples were not then converted, and that they were not, is certain from the fact that Christ (to reprove their pride and ambition) sat a little child in their midst, and said unto them, that except they should be converted and become as that little child, they should in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven," (which kingdom was the dispensation of the Spirit, which commenced at the day of Pentecost.) And just previous to Christ's crucifixion, when he was trying to convert his disciples to a belief of his real character, by telling them of his death, &c. "Peter rebuked him; Christ then said unto him get thee behind me Satan; and he also directed Peter to comfort the brethren when he should be converted. That they were not converted, is also evident from the fact, that no christian denomination would admit members to their communion who held to the view the apostles did before the resurrection of Christ. The apostles (with the exception of their repentance, baptism and belief of "the kingdom of heaven at hand, and of Christ's being the Messiah,) had as much need of conversion in reference to his real Messiahship, as the rest of the unconverted Jews.

with a

determination" to obey its precepts, which “determination," is repentance.

Acts xv. 3, where Paul declared the "conversion" of the Gentiles, "does not prove that conversion means the renewing by the Holy Ghost," although their renewal by it would follow as a matter of course, as well as their eternal salvation.

CHAPTER VIII.

That the word "regeneration" when used in the New Testament, does not mean the baptism of the Holy Ghost, will appear from Titus iii. 5, where water baptism is called "the washing of regeneration ;" and in Matt. xix. 28, where Christ calls (the following of him under the dispensation of repentance and water baptism) the following of him in the regeneration; and that they were not then born of the Spirit is apparent not only from the foregoing arguments on "conversion; but also from the fact that the Spirit was not yet given, because Christ was not yet glorified :" And in Gal. iii. 22—26 iv. 6, 7, Paul, speaking of those that were the servants of God because “they had yielded themselves, his servants to obey; says (that the Scripture hath concluded all under sin,) that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to all that believe, but before faith came, (i. e. before the resurrection of Christ, and dispensation of the Spirit, &c.) we were kept under the law; shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law, (i. e. repentance towards God, sacrifices, &c.) was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be JUSTIFIED by faith. But after faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For we are all the CHILDREN of God, by FAITH in Jesus Christ," (and him crucified,)-" and because ye ARE SONS, God HATH sent forth the spirit of his Son INTO your hearts, crying Abba, Father, wherefore thou art No MORE A SERVANT, but a SON."

As (has already been shown) Cornelius was accepted of God as a servant, although he was not a son by being saved, (i. e. he was not born of the Spirit,) for Peter was to tell him things whereby he and all his house should be saved, i.e. should be born

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