names, "renovating grace," "victory," "the dreadful abyss of Divine justice," "the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ." (These latter expressions make it like a mass, a repetition of the offering ONCE offered for ever.) The act of administering the rite they call "burying and raising," "cleansing," "descending and rising," "interring and raising," "entombing and raising," &c.; and by it, they say, they are "baptised into Christ their Head,” "buried with our Lord," and "put on Christ."*

The natural conscience, until "purged from dead works," may obtain a false peace from any form of godliness, and the attendance to rites and ceremonies, as the Papists do from fasts, penances, &c., and as many Protestants do from their attendance at ordinances, and the observance of water-baptism especially. And yet these persons, deceiving themselves and others, assure us, "that nothing is or can be a part of Christian worship which is not recommended either by precept or example in the Holy Scriptures;" that "to go beyond or come short of what is expressly noted in the Scriptures of truth, with respect to a positive institute, is to set aside. the institution itself, and to practise a human rite;" that "in the worship of God, nothing is to be admitted. therein as worship without some plain and express word, by precept or practice, to warrant the same out of the New Testament;" and that "as nothing should be excluded from the worship of God which Christ hath ap

• Gale, pp. 74-77. Ryland, pp. 6, 26, 36. Rippon's Hymns, 525 -532; 442-477. Stevens' Hymns, 298. Fellows' Hymns. Gibbs, p. 348, &c., &c.

pointed, so nothing should be added by human authority; He alone, as Legislator of His own kingdom, can alter or annul what He hath Himself commanded. To interfere with the economy of things established in the Church, is to be wise above what is written, and to invade the prerogatives of His office, who is Head over all things to His Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who filleth all in all." * From whence, then, do they get their baptismal garments, which they call grave-clothes, and their holy water, and their blessed pool, &c.? Not from Christ, but from their own wisdom, which invades the prerogative of our Lord, and rejects His essential baptism with the Spirit.

Now as so much stress is laid on water-baptism, and the advocates in favour of it call it "their cross," saying they are despised on account of it; and as they ascribe to it Divine attributes and operations, while Dr. Gill calls the baptism of Christ's sufferings and blood, and the baptism of the Spirit, "figurative and metaphorical:" and Mr. Craps says of them, "They are not figurative, but are figuratively called baptism :" is not the ESSENTIAL, the INTERNAL baptism the despised baptism? for the NON-essential external ordinance is unduly honoured. Is it not "witchcraft" for one baptised with the SPIRIT to be afterwards baptised with water, "to fulfil (as they say) all righteousness?" (Gal. iii. 1-3). How often have Baptist ministers thus abused our Lord's words and work! But

to the law and to the testimony! Where do they find in

See Pierce, p. 14. Maclean, vol. 1, p. 119. 8. D'Anver's Innoc., pp. 66, 67. Gibbs, p. 253.

Paice's Sermon, p.

the Holy Scriptures any authority for their doctrine? is certain as Protestants they never received the doctrine from the word of God. Yet Mr. Craps very properly rejects the customs of the Church not warranted by the Scriptures, saying, "Customs are no authority on the subject of baptism. We are under the law to Christ; the word He has spoken will judge us in the last day." He also saith, "The most severe judgments are denounced against those who 'add to,' or 'take away from,' the book of God." "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Rev. xxii. 18, 19). Therefore it surely becometh us to search the Scriptures, and let the Divine testimony decide whether John the Baptist did not declare the truth, that Christ's baptism is with the Spirit! And whether our Lord did ever set aside this, His baptism, or did ever declare it should cease with the apostles' days; or whether He appointed water-baptism to be its substitute? for there is but one baptism under the New Testament dispensation (Eph. iv. 5). If these important inquiries had been made with a prayerful reliance on the teaching of God the Holy Spirit, it would have been found that water-baptism was introduced by Judaizing teachers; for it has not Christ's command for its observance after the legal dispensation was at an end, and which was at an end

"It is

when He uttered those most momentous words, finished." "All righteousness was then fulfilled:" none was left to be fulfilled by water-baptism, or any other ordinance. But the legal dispensation was not at an end till HE had fulfilled the whole of the law, when He declared "It is finished." It was therefore in strict conformity with the law, that His disciples should baptise with water as it is recorded they did in John iv. 2; but the same Scripture testifies, that He Himself did not baptise WITH WATER, which was also a fulfilment of the law; for the priest did not baptise, bathe, or wash with water any one or anything for purification, save his own flesh (Exod. xxx. 19-21; Lev. xxi. 4, 24), or his garments (Lev. vi. 27). Seeing, then, that water-baptism was no part of our Lord's ministry, that He was not sent to baptise with water, and that He did not baptise with water; but that He was sent to baptise with the Spirit, we find, after His resurrection, when the legal dispensation was at an end, He sent His disciples to baptise with the Spirit for it is recorded (John xx. 21, 22) that He said to them, "As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you; and when He had so said He breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost!"

Believers may rest well assured that there is but one baptism which makes believers of one faith, &c., namely, the baptism with the Spirit; and Mr. Booth very appropriately and truly says, "Far be it from us to suppose that our gracious and omniscient Lord should give a law relating to Divine worship, which may be fairly construed to mean this, that, or the other action: a law which is

calculated to excite and perpetuate contention amongst His wisest and sincerest followers !!”

Surely not!

Mr. Booth's declaration is an important truth; and that truth has influenced some, who were Baptist ministers, residing in Kent and Hertfordshire, and elsewhere, to withdraw from the Baptist denomination. It has also induced others, who are Baptist ministers, to have what they call an open table; and it may have influenced the particular Baptists, so called, as Dr. Gill and others sound in the one faith, to declare as Dr. Gill has done, that water-baptism is non-essential, that the thief on the cross went to heaven without it, and Simon Magus to hell with it. But rather, he should have said, the thief on the cross went to heaven, for he was a believer baptised with the Spirit; but that Simon Magus, it is said, believed and was baptised in or with water, but was not baptised with the Spirit, for he was in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity (Acts viii. 12, 13, 18-23). We cannot, therefore, desire a greater proof, that the one faith is SUPERnatural, and the one baptism is SUPERnatural, for it is the baptism of the Spirit; and that the one faith and the one baptism are inseparable and essential to salvation (Eph. iv. 5; Mark xvi. 16).

God is not the author of confusion or of schism, therefore Christ's law of baptism, the one baptism, is with the Spirit, for it makes no schism in the body! But whatsoever does make a schism in the body is an Antichristian act, being in opposition to the intercession of Christ for the union and communion of the elect family in Him their Head, who makes them to drink into one spirit by bap