%. ^>. v^. '■°' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4p A % 1.0 I.I 1.25 Uilli 125 1^ 1^ 12.2 " lis lllllio 1.8 i-4 111.6 — 6" % v3 wV '/ /^ PhotDgraphic Sdences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 d^ c?c?'^^ 4 PREFACE. would have all the glory ; but the illiteiate cannot rob him of that — ami this ia one reason why I write. The second reason is,— as I have been preaching in the wilderness of New Brunswick for the last thirty years, — but I was generally the mouth-piece there— and during that time I never heard a sermon on baptism, and others of my own sentiment never did, so for the sake of these I use my pen very imperfectly. I often go to the city, and with great pleasure I visit many very kind friends, of all classes, . but all the times I was in the city, that subject was never brought forward. And the third reason is,— to let many of my loved ones among the Baptists, who have never seen the other side of the question, see it,— I do not want them to fall in the ditch with their leaders. For these three reaeons I write. I need not ever presume to give a small piece of bread to the great lexicographers, who soar aloft so high that we cannot see them, — they feed the large eagles, and other high-flyers of the feathered tribe. 1 go through the wilderness to feed the hens and the chickens, the robins and the blue-birds gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing may be lost. When going through the green fields I have plucked the daisies and put them in my lap, and, wandering on, I would see others of more glowing colors, and would gather them also ; my atten- tion was attracted by some nice pebbles in the brook, I then emptied my lap, and again supplied it with the little stones, etc., and matured manhood would pass me by unnoticed, and I may expect the bame now. I confess sometimes I cannot gather up my scattered thoughts myself, — but I hope to spread some branches of the tree of life in the wilderness (the truthful promises), among those who are as ignorant as I am, who do not know one sentence of grammar — the majority of those who are in the wilderness are in that position. And to tell the truth I think I heard my father say he paid half-a-dollar a quarter for two quarters at the night schools, that put me through the five common rules, and my parents thought it might do a farmer very well, and so it did, and it cost a dollar. My parents, to please their children, thought they would p\ake Presbyterian ministers of my two elder brothers, two younger than me were to be made mechanics, and I was to be the farmer. The two elder brothers were delicate, they did not get through the lectures — they died. When young they kept me as their herd, upon a beautiful hill, where the Danes, as I heard, had their forts ; and to this day I would like to see the lambs leap, sport and play on the banks of a healthful soil. As a family we moved iu one of the happiest spheres PREFACE. of that— ua I have last thirty tliat time sentiment •foctly. I very kind at subject many of other side itch with the great em, — they Lbe. 1 go he robins t nothing e plucked (vould see my atten- 1 emptied [ matured ame now. myself, — v^ilderness am, who » who are I think I quarters rules, and . did, and ley would iger than The two ectures — beautiful is day I iks of a ; spheres any one could live in— neither poverty nor riches,— and my father had a home for all Ministers; he thought that the familiarity of the min- isters with his family, bringing themselves down to the capaciV of the children, was as good as their sermons. I may say that from the cradle I was brought up a Presbyterian and a Methodist, and with respect to«name, I do not belong to any church now. I differ with them a little with respect to church government, but we are one on the rock Jesus, the truth, the way. My member- ship in Christ's Church is to love God supremely, and my neighbour as myself. In this sense I wish all to come up and share with me this superior love, without envy or jealousy, and love all that he lias made less. According to God's will and word, spirit and nature, this makes me and all churches his spiritual members— for all the names would avail but little without his nature. I go to hear all, and, like the dis- ciples, help to drag the net to shore, and cast the dog and cat flsh away, and salt and save the good for future usefulness. So, you see I cannot be charged with proselyting from any of the 'anominational churches, when I have none to put them in. Both heavenly and earthly fathers taught me to be the friend of every man and the en- emy of none, to condescend to the low estate of the poor and the needy, the weak and the feeble, and respect all the animals he has made, in their place. I love poetry, but I am no poet. I put in my first book " The Old Fashioned Bible," and I new insert the 23rd Psalm, owing to a circum- stance that took place in the Streets of Stewartstown, Ireland. My father had a servant man who was blessed on the Sabbath at Family Prayers, he left and I heard he settled in a street they called the Castle Open. I went and seen him, and asked him did he go to meeting now ? he said' very seldom, they were toil-worn all the week and lay on the sidewalks on the Sabbath to rest themselves. I talked and prayed with them, and it_,wa8 impressed on my mind to go and preach tc them poor people. I kept putting it off till the third week, and I said in my heart: with the blessing of the Lord I will go and preach to them poor people the Sin- ner's Friend. I went and got on a rock, and they gathered round me as if they had got a new play-actor to gaze at. I felt a little nervous, it being the first time I took the stand, but when I gave out the first Psalm, "The Lord's my Shepherd, I shall not want," my heart replied, I'll not went wisdom, I'll not want patience, I'll not war. grace in , PREFACE. preparation for my day, and all at once my spirit rose like electrie ti*'e and all timidity left mo. A lady in thn town heard of the strange things i)a8feiufr, and came and heard me, the second time she said to me, if I would go and collect money I would soon get a preaching house built, and I'll give you the flrst subacription, ten pounds. I was rather surprised, I did not think of such aching, but through this lady and her family the preaching house was built for the poor to worship in. In memory of that day, I write that blessed Psalm with all my heart; The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me down to lie. In pastures green be leadeth me, The quiet waters by. i My soul he doth restore again, And me to walk, doth make, Within the patlis of righteousness, Even for his own name's sake. Y«a, though I walk through deatli's dark yale, Yet will I fear no ill. For thou art with mo, and thy rod, And staff me comfort still. My table thou hast furnished, In p^e>.^ence of my foes, My head with oil thou didst anoint, And my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy all my life Shall surely follow me : And in God's house, for evermore My .dwelling place shall be. There is a piece of poetry I have never seen in print, entitled " The Scotch Lamentation." The story, as I heard it, is as follows :— €argill, one of Scotland's worthies, had escaped hia pursuers for a long time, but at last they caught him, and martyred him on the hill on which he h8Mi preached. Some time after a male and female were passing, and feought they would turn aside and visit the tomb of Cargill. like electric : the strange ) said to me, iching house I was rather lis lady and orship in. ill my heart; PREFACE, ' He began to lament and say, — "There is nae covenant noo, lassie; nae preaching noo, lassie; there is nae singing of the psalm noo, lassie." A poet heard it, and he composed the following verses :— There is nae covenant, noo, lassie. There is nae covenant noo, The solemn league and covenant, lassie, Is a' broken through. There is nae kindred noo, lassie, The is nae guid Cargill, There is uae evening preaching, lassie, Upon the martyr's hill. The martyr's hill's forsaken, lassie, In summer's evening calm, There is na gathering noo, lassie, To sing the evening pealn. The martyr's sound asleep, lassie, Beneath the warrior's k'rn ; The martyrs they shall rise, lassie, ' Abune the waving fern. As the wise man said, « buy the truth and sell it not," so every family should have one of them. The Authob. ntltled "The W8 :— Cargill, a long time, lill on which were passing, b of Cargill. I ! MM THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. The Heavenly Father's Teaching is the title of this book, and I come to support his sovereign right in pleasing the babies, und also his suitable and timely free grace, freely bestowed, without one cent, or act of faith or prayer to merit it ; all this lie bestows freely on this dependent generation. His little ones dare not trus^'t themselves to take one step without a hold of the parent's hand; this is his hand— " I'll never leave you or forsake you." Peter says, (Ist Peter, 1 : 3, 23,) he begets (he gives repentance) and brings to the birth and gives power to bring forth, — the effect is nearly the same, — and our Lord uses the human as a figure to represent the spiritual (John 1 : 13), that is, not "bom of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." And when brought forth how nea^" a resemblance : (1) the new breath is breathed in the kingdom that was never breathed before, (2) and a voice is heard that never was heard before— the new tongue, the new language their hearts never uttered before— " glory to God in the highest," and (3) the great giver of both gives water in both cases, provided and allowed by the giver to be used freely without being afraid of any forbidder, and (4) their garments are purchased, made up and put on, without money and without price; (5) when a babe is unable to take a spoon in its hand and feed itself, parental eyes and hands and spoon are ready, and, unconsciously to itself, it is fed and cared for, — and the heavenly Father says, "eat and drink abundantly, oh beloved little one;" and (6) when the baby is going around the door, if a stranger approaches, it regards him with suspicion, and looks and sees the parent's arms, and by faith, without doubt or fear, throws itself into the parent's army, — its education is not letters and words, but fact and experience; to encourage the weak ones, he says he will carry the lambs in his bosom, — and since the sheep and the lambs mix together, let them still keep near the shepherd's side, aiid know not the voice of a stranger. a 10 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. I will tell you a little of my experience, and how I escaped, owing to the shepherd's care. Having the evidence of the child- ren's spiritual birth, they truly can say — Am I not of birth divine, Bom to rise, and soar, and shine ? Yes, eternity is mine, And I'm an heir of God ! I will now state how I became acquainted with my Baptist friends in New Brunswick. When I landed I got acquainted with Mr. Samuel Robinson, whose family I was acquainted with at home,— whom I still revere with due respect : I heard of Mr# Robinson coming out to baptize in the Willow Grove Settle- ment, and I thought I would go and see how the pupils of this new religion acted. It was new to me, for I had never seen any one immersed. (I did hear Dr. Carson preach, once ; he was called a " Dipper" in the old country sixty years ago. I heard he had a congregation in Tubermore, in county Derry ; I went; to hear him, and was much pleased with his preaching ; he was the only immersionist I ever heard in Ireland.) I proceeded to the place where Mr. Robinson was baptizing, and he invited brother Collins across the river beside himself. I accepted his kind invitation, and walked on a log that was across the river, but my foot slipped, and I went down into the water, I thought I would remain in my position in the water, and watch every step about to be taken. I stood and heard Mr, Robinson exhort — and that was not baptism ; and heard him sing, — and that was not baptism ; and I heard him pray, — and that was not baptism; and they both went down into the water, — and yet not baptized ; then he took the candidate and applied him to the water, and raised him up again, and that distinct act he called baptism : and now he is baptized — and he is not out of the water. Here I had seen — going down into the water was the first act, and applying to the water the second act, and coming up out of the water the third act. Here we see that going down and coming up is not baptism at all, and I prove it by myself, — for I went down into the water and came up out of the water, and if down and up out of the water r^akes a Baptist, I am a Baptist, so I cannot but admit their claims on me. But when I heard the words used in the act of baptism upon the profession of their faith — plunge, dip, and im- merse, — on the moment I thought they were not the worda John used in tlie act of baptism. John's baptism was with water, applied to the subject; and here I had two acts di- rectly opposite to each other, and I believed John's mode was f ij THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 11 7 1 escaped, f the child- my Baptist acquainted ainted with eardof Mr, :ove Settle- pils of this er seen any lice ; he was I heard ry ; I weni; tching ; he eland.) I baptizing, de himself. t was across ) the water. water, and heard Mr. heard him pray, — and n into the ididate and a, and that ed — and he •wn into the the second . Here we at all, and r and came rater makes ir claims on of baptism >, and im- tbe words m was with vo acts di- I mode was right, and my respected friend's, Mr. Robinson's wrong. Ai>ain, coming home some of my Baptist friends said to me, " You \\ ould not compare baby baptism to that." I replied, " It is a dis- puted point, and I am not fit to discuss it, — the ceremony is all new to me." Some persons w'lhed Mr. Robinson and I to re- view it ; but I did not wish t. review the subject, and some- times we would rub very close in the harbour, and I got many a hint to preach on baptism, but I passed it all by good na- turedly. At intervals I considered all that I had heard, and tried it by the Godhead statutes, asking the sunlight upon it all, and putting it oflf for nearly three years. There was a revi- val among the Baptists, and they began to annoy several of my neighbours ; one woman told me she could not sleep half the night, for they told her sprinkling was no mode of baptism, — that we were deceived, that immersion was the true mode, and that there was no other way right but to be immersed. I told them that I differed with them, and denied immersion to be an act of baptism. Some said to me : " The Baptists wanted you to preach on it, and now Vre want to hear your views of sprink- ling on the other side, that we may be capable of judging l)oth sides ; for we never heard sprinkling preached on in all our lives" (and I must say, neither did I). It seemed to me that we practised a mode we were afraid or ashamed to advo- cate in open day, and I resolved, with Divine help, to take my Bible and marginal references, and the Concordance, and give the subject serious considerat^'on. A Baptist friend informed me that sprinkling was spoken of in the old Testament but not in the new Testament. I never gave it any thought, but be- lieved he spoke the truth. A^h6n I got my Concordance I found in Hebrews three or four passages where sprinkling was lecorded ; and Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling ol blood. I saw that this man and myself were building on the "th ink so and say so" of man (what sand banks). I then studied the two disputed points, — first, the lawful and scriptural mode of baptism with water applied to the subject; the second, be- lievers and their children. I sent the minister a message, in- forming him that some of his pupils wanted me to preach on baptism, and others, of my own sentiments, wished me to do so, and requested him to allow me the use of his meeting house — (for I never wish to say anything behind a man's back that I wouldn't say to his face, and let it bear the investigation ol open day). The congregation voted me the use of their house. I went for the first time to witness for my Lord's mode — with the Holy Ghost ; and John's mode — with water applied to the subject. As I was expounding my views, and using words pretty 12 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHINa. !il !, sharp, one person wished me to be put down, but the minister acted the part of a gentleman and a christian, and said : " We voted him the use of the house, and no one shall put him down, but I will reply to him." I thanked him, and proceeded with my discourse. All the reply he made was about the jailor. He said Lydia's house was near the jail, and the river near Lydia's, and 1 hey took them out the same hour of the night, and went down to the river and baptized them. I replied, — -'Sir, that is your own construction, for Lydia's house and the riVer are not mentioned in the passage., The truth is, when he believed they took them out the same hour of the night, and washed his stripes, and he and all his were baptized straightway^ He made no further reply. The reader will perceive how unexpectedly I was brought into the discussion. My second discussion was under the following circumstances. There was a schoolmaster at the head of Dutch Valley, in the parisli of Sussex, who was a very kind, good-natured man, and one \ ery zealous in the cause. I heard he wanted a Presbyte- rian and also a Methodist to preach on the text "the last com- mission of Christ," but they put it off. He heard that I -wiv.i coming to the settlement, and sent messengers who in- form c^d me that if I would preach on that text he would give me tlie use of his schoolhouse and ten shillings. I sent him word that I would study the text, and accept the offer of his schoolhouse to preach in. I arrived at the place, and the school- mast(;r informed me that his schoolhouse would not hold the half of the people, and invited me to preach in their meeting house. I consented, and found in the congregation two minis- ters and two or three elders, and the chief minister to take notes. All right. I laid down my bible, and the schoolmaster took it up and looked at it. I asked him if it would do, he said, yes. Then he takes out his own and reads me out my text : Mark 16; 15, 16. "And he said unto them: Gro ye into all the world and preach the Grospel to eVery creature. 16, He that belie veth and is baptised shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be datoned. Recollect, said he, it is not he that be- lieveth is to be saved, (but he that is baptized shall be saved.) I said grace and faith is inferior to your water,— so I must infer your water-god saves you. Then he gave me a second text— " Can any man forbid wat-6r that these should not be baptized," Act. 10: 47. Again, he gave me a third text, Peter 3: 20, 21 — " The like figure whereunto* bajjtisra doth now save us," &c. I said, Sir, you seem to give me an over-charge to-day, for you gave me only one text to study, and now you give me two more in ad- dition; but if I prove the last two in harmony with the fiirst, will I Tflfi SEAVEKLt FATHER*S TEACHING. IS e minister lid: "We him down, eeded with jailor. He sar Lydia's, , and went ■Sir, that is Lver are not 'lieved they washed his He made nexpectedly cumstances. Hey, in the id man, and a Presbyte- he last com- heard that gers who in- ei would give I sent him offer of his id the school- not hold the ,heir meeting »n two minis- lister to take schoolmaster would do, he I out my text : ye into all the 16, He that hat believeth Dt he that be- all be saved.) 10 I must infer second text — , be baptized," «r 3: 20,21— ve us," &c. I ,y, for you gave ffo more in ad- fa the first, will I that do you ? and he said yes. Again, he said I want you to prove from that bible that an ignorant, unconscious baby is a fit subject of baptism. Again^ he said I want you to prove from that bible where a baby was ever sprinkled in baptipm. I said, T hope to prove from that bible that an ignorant, insensible, unconscious baby is a subject of baptism With God, but not with you, there- fore God and you are two opposites. And I hope to proves from that bible where a baby was sprinkled in baptism, and you will never have to inquire about that again. And I am. going to prove from that bible that your immersion is not baptism at all, but an act of God's displeasure on his enemies* He stiid no man ever did nor ever can, and we have you now. I said, now as you have got me, keep me and take good care of fce. I then read out my text : " Go into all the world," &c. I then intro- duced it by saying, now, gentlemen, if we get the first baptism, and the first baptizer, and the first candidate, and the first mode, will we not have the true foundation ? They agreed. The Apostle quotes it from the old Testament — " And they were all baptized with Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Hcie we have (1st) God the baptizer, (2d) men, (3d) women, and (4th) children, the subjects of baptism, and (5th) the mode. The cloud that rose up from before them and passed over theiu, and went behind them, and kept the Egyptians from touching them by day, and fire by night, as God their baptizer seen they re- quired them. The psalmist says, having reference to this place, and the clouds poured out water, and the children w^^re sprinkled from the clouds, as well as fathers and mothers, and God e«|ually accepted them in the ordinance (but you would not). Here God sprinkled babies in his first baptism, (for Moses did not lift the cloud, it was God.) Now I am going to prove your immersion is not baptism at all, and God the immersionist allows the sea to close in over the Egyptians, — your mode completely, — an act of God's displeasure on these his enemies — and God saved the families of Israel by dry land baptism — and his enemies lost their lives by immersion. Again, God equally accepted Isaac, the baby, as his father, the first adult lueliever — and being circumcised became an heir of Canaan, and Isaac, when circum- cised was as true an heir of Canaan as his father; you may despise and reject them a thousand times, but it goes for nought. God honors them with the covenant right, and God accepts him a true heir to the inheritance, and he knows nothing about it. If some of our Baptist friends had been there, they would surely have shown God his error and mistake, and have had theia sent back to Egypt, for they must believe as their adult fathers before th£y could be heirj?, or share in the covenant (and this is jour su- 14 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. i ! W preraacy, and so ye say all). And the cliief minister said to me, Why are women not circumcised? It surprised me, and T thought be wanted to trap me, as some in olden times attempted to trap m.y master in his words. I said my Lord never mentioned the female sex, and I have no right . but he was very good to our femaies, and many of them were good to him, and indeed I would not find fault with him for laying the sacrifice on the male sex, and freeing our females. And I now refer you to God to settle it. As I was about to dismiss the subject, it seemed as if the answer was sent to me, without thinking or expecting it ; and I said, Sir, 1 have the answer. You recollect the woman Jesus healed on the sabbath day, for which the lawyers arraigned him at the bar, and ftiarged him with the crime of breaking the sabbath ? Our Saviour defended himself by saying — Do ye not loose your ox and your ass from the stall and lead them to watering on the sabbath day, and should not that woman, being a daughter of Abrnliam, be loosed from that bond on the sabbath day? She was the lawful, legitimate offspring of the circumcised male, through whom God freed the females. Would you deny hig sovereign right in freeing them, sir ? He got his coat on his arm, and moved away. " Stop, sir," said I, " do not go away until we finish it," but he went on, and made no further reply. The kind-hearted, friendly schoolmaster said to me, — " Well, Mr. Collins, I am sorry I gave you the challenge ; will you promise you will never take up a challenge again, and I will promise I will never give you one again ? "No," said I, "chal- lenge me to-day, and I will take you up to-morrow." Some were offen not go away further reply, me,—" Well, nge ; will you in, and I will 'said I,"chal- w^." Some were feed me, and 3s I have many ;h dup respect, ain, wnere Mr. ions some were them baptized rid is ray par- from the place with some of taptists getting reeable sort of They said if I :, for the Bap- id never heard e almost every ptist ministers ad they seemed i that evening. I told them what I came to do, — that some of our people had never heard a sermon on baptism by sprinkling, but as this is your meeting, hold it, and publish for me to-morrow evening and also the following evening, for the two sermons. They in- sisted on me preaching that evening, and I did so. The three ministers listened but made no reply. The following evening only one minister attended, and he did not make objection to anything said, but there was a Mr. Spicer who asked permission to speak, which was granted. Said he, " You all know me to be a Calvinist Baptist, and that my wife and I were baptized by immersion, and I believed there was no true mode of baptism but by immersion, never until this day, and I confess my opinion is shaken to-day ; I am determined to search the Scrip- tures, and when I am satisfied I will show my decision." I sub- sequently heard that he had three of his children baptized (sprinkled) by Mr. Prince. I cannot find fault with many of my kind-hearted Baptist friends who have fallen under the in- fluence of these one-sided teachers, who teach to make disciples to themselves and their party, — these are to blame, not the simple-hearted ones. Now these ministers, when they saw they could not support their wyetem, should have acknowledged and given up, like Mr. Spicer ; but they still go on, where there is no one to contradict them. Oh, what an awful woe against them that give the trumpet an uncertain sound. Now, to tell you the truth, I do want to whip these teachers with my Master's small cords, that they may never again be guilty. Solomon says, an open rebuke is better than sacred salve. I heard that one min- ister said that sprinkling came from the low pit, another ?aid it came from popery, and a third called it "abominable sprink- ling." Are these true trumpet sounds ? I answer. No * It came from above, and it never came from popery,— for He ..as a Jew and not a gentile, — and he told the woman of Samaria that sal- vation was of the Jews. And his blood is not abominable sprinkling blood, and, as a proof, God has accepted the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as a lamb with out spot; and(l Peter, 1:2) " unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ;" and no doubt Peter saw it sprinkled from his head, his hands, his side, and to tell Peter he was a false witness would be cruel. I would adopt the apostle's saying, — " Why are ye offended with me because I tell you the truth." . I have visited Middleland settlement, among the Freewill Baptists, and was very much at home with them. I felt such kindred spirit that I took the sacrament with them, aud I could almost wish to be their minister. Some advised me to join them, but no, I would rather go into the poor house without a I : t! ;i t 1 1 16 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. bhoe on my foot or coat on my back, with a clear conscience, tlian to join immersionists. No, I would not take Queen Vic- toria's throne and be immersed or immerse any one. From th(^ the first day I saw immersion performed, I believed it to be opposed to the Godhead's mode, — and John a true witness, witii water, and with the Holy Ghost, and there is no other that God will accept of in its place ; he would never allow John to changt^ the commission and the mode given him, and I believe he will not allow the best man in the world to alter it, — and if he does, God will never accept of the amendment. Therefore, I would not take the whole world and deny my Heavenly Father's teach- ing. Under his yoke of hu ility, his divine nature, he teaches* me that God is truth, and the opposite is lies and deception. For example, let us go to the foundation — that is God (I cannot be mistaken here) — and Truth said to our first parents " the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." "Well, these are words — th« sounding brass and tinkling cymbal — facts, acts and deeds are tkt chief proofs. Truth says, " thou shalt surely die." We ask — what is death ? It is a separation from life — from the same truth-speaker. First, he says, — your sins have separated you from your God, — and they felt it after they eat the fruit; theyloit their fellowship with their life-giving God in the garden. Second, they felt its terror, — dread and dismay filled their breasts and swelled their bosoms, — this proves the third fact, that is, — he walks no more with God ; and the fourth is, — they wanted to stay in the dark, and hid behind the trees in the garden : and sin then, and since, and now, produces the same effect, death, which proves God's word true. Surely you will still allow me the honor and pleasure of receiving all spiritual, truthful knowledge from this divine teacher, who is meek and holy. Now let us take a glance at the opposite teacher, the serpent that betrayed Eve. He comes to teach and explain God's word, and directly tells her, " thou shalt not surely die." If she had said, " I do not believe thy teaching, I'll rest here, I'll never be moved," she never would have fallen. We see here there is no sin in temptation. The serpent could not make her sin ; God permits the serpent to tempt but not to force any one to sin. It isdaid, "hitherto shalt thou go and no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." "God is his own inter- preter, and he can make it plain." Hear him, — his word says, "Lust when it is conceived bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." Here the tempter presented to her, first, lust of the eye, — the fruit was beautiful to look at ; second, the fl.eshlust, it was pleasant to the taste; third, to get so nH iO. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 17 dear conscience, take Queen Vic- one. From th(^ lelieved it to b^ ue witness, witii other that God V John to chantj:(- 1 believe he will —and if he does, lerefore, I would y Father's teach- iture, he teaches* s and deception, is God (I cannot "st parents " the ." Well, thes*.' nbal — facts, acts hou shalt surely tion from life — -your sins have ifter they eat the e-giving God in ead and dismay —this proves the God ; and th(^ i hid behind the id now, produces rd true. Surely of receiving all ! teacher, who is i iher, the serpent I explain God's surely die." II" ;, I'll rest here, >n. "We see here Id not make hei' to force any one no farther, and is his own inter- — his word says, and sin when it npter presented tiful to look at ; ; third, to get so much knowledge as to know good and evil (how desirable !); and fourth, the lust of being a god crowned the whole. This is Satan's nature and work, to contradict God's word, spirit and nature, and way-lay, betray, lie to and deceive all the simple- hearted ones who listen, indulge and consent to him, and by their own voluntary act and deed desiring and indulging in the flesh lusts and pleasures, which will be the sure destruction of the soul. Thou art inexcusable, man, whoever thou art, for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, and we are all invited to come and find grace to help us in every time of need. And 0, thou miser, there is not one cent to pay for it — does this not suit thee — and thou art inexcusable. Again, see his opposition to Christ, and God permitted him to tempt himself, and he taketh him up into an exceeding liifjh mountain. Satan commences his lying, (for he had not the kingdom to give nor the glory to transfer,) and he wanted Jesus to cast himsef down, for he would give his Angels charge con- cerning him, (and that was true,) for they ministered unto him, but not at that time to please satan; but satan quotes scripture, and if possible, makes a counterfeit and mis- applies scripture, — he did not care so he could overthrow the scripture of God, — and he takes the advantage when he was hungry, and wanted him to do a miracle to please satan — to make stones bread. Here we see Jesus never gave way, he never conceded to the tempter, therefore he never could bring forth his progeny. Christ has gained the victory. ' Satan would do the same now. There was a family in Ireland whose provisions were out. Their next neighbor had plenty. The father and his son went at night and filled two bags of potatoes from his neighbor's pit. Before putting them on his back he looked cautiously around him. His son said, " Father, there is one place vou did not look yet." "Where is that?" "You did not look above!" "True, my son," and the father put the pot4\toes in thepit again. Next morning he went to the man and told him all about it. The man gave him great credit for resisting the devil, gave him a supply, and told him he should not want. Again Christ gains the victory. See these two opposites, — satan in the dark, and Christ in the meridian day. We see in both these temptations there is no sin in being tempted — the sin is in giving away to the tempter. Oh, think of satan's bold hardihood — when he could not get supremacy over God, he would feed others with the tree of knowledge, to make them gods to reign supreme over God's heritage, and alter and make amendments according to their superior judgment; to supplant Christ's humility, I 18 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 111 ! 1 i J i 1 i 1 1 i 1 i 1 1 'I II i"t and put Satan's pride in its place. Yes, he would plead ^^or^K the flesh's respectable appearance, deopney and order. Wtk-^j^j know tlh se flesh-lovers by their father's breath they lireathe.T^^^ His nature would tell on them. Never mention Christ, but., jx cover him in the dark who accepted the sackcloth, tlie of-t^ ^^ roots of the Nrnevit-es' repentance, — for it would not do to set_|^ j ^ him supreme in this a^e of superior knowledge. .^ As I am sowins^ broadcast, I will give you a specimen of some* ' of these recent explainers of God's word. When they were <• talking of the derivation and meaning of words, they asserted ^ Aj the words in and with meant the same thing, quoting the scrip-mim; ture — "and they were all baptized with Moses in the cloud andii fo in the sea," — and this would take the spray from the cloud, ^ u " passing over them for baptism, and in the sea. They would J-g^^j accept that as immersion, and they would accept both as baptism. ^^ , I thought it over, and it being new, I did not like to commit w,, myself, but by and by I heard some of the same sentiments in- A^t^ dorsed, and I heard that some of the most learned of the Church ^^^ , of England and Methodists, and some of the Presbyterians, do ac- . = knowledge that immersion is an ordinance of God, and is T^^-p-^l^i.u tism. Now, if I believe these learned divines, and concede to^ ^^ them, they would be my God, and I would argue they were the^^ tnie statute, and rest there and be one with them; but not be-||, lieving them, I must look out for another, and I go to the God^ of the bible and I ask his spirit, its own interpreter, to make it plain, and having what I never acquired : capacity, reason and ^~! a grfiin of common sense,— and the exercise of those upon divine r"*' truth belongs to me. I said to myself, are two opposites one ? No, ^ Light and darkness one ? No. Is heaven and earth one? No. ^® Is Christ and Belial one? No. Again, applying the water to the T^5 subject, and the opposite applying the subject to the water, are ? ** these two one ? No. And believing in John being a true witness ^ ri with water and with the Holy Ghost, I coiddnot trust doctors nor w ^ professors. I ask, — What la the meaning of the words before fep^ Christ ever came? And here we find Moses stretched the rod over the sea. Now for the sake of contrast, the rod was qiiss not placed under the sea. Again, Moses smote the rock with how the rod ; the opposite would be the rock smote the rod. We cent will see what was the meaning of the word " with" in the New plie Testament, Paul says " thrice I was beaten with rods ;" the apd opposite would be, — Paul beat the rods. Again, the word " says, " Stephen was beaten with the stones ;" the opposite is, thei Stephen beat the stones. Why, no man would believe Ste- a B phen beat the stones, and I would ask these learned doctors f no of all the schools they have ever heard of, and all the schools ^ « tt> se 0tmii in di< ( :o. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHINO. 19 ^ l" -H » \^^^^y ^^^^ ^^'^^ heeu in, did they ever know the children to l)e ^'^ fh ' 1^^ flJ^^^K^^^ ^® ^P^^^ "^^^^^ ^^^^ *'^^^''^ pronounce it in; and in conchision ey 'i'6atne.|^^Q^jjj j^^j^ ^^^^ ^^j^j^ ^^ common sense, is not its meaninLC now 1 *'l +>i "fi f ■• ^^ ^^^^ ^^^' — with, to apply to? — and parents should know it •kcloth, the oi-jky their knowled;,^e of practice,— I'll switch you with the n^I ; a not do to setjjj^ children cannot forget when they remember the effects of iiB application ; and the man that transubstantiates with into in )ecnnen ot so^^c^mugt, acknowledije him to be another pope supreme. 'I)en they were f r r r they asserted * Again, as I was at a friend's house, I happened to see a com- loting the scrip- munication in the Christian Fi«ir, dated January 28, 1869, n the cloud andM follows : — rom the cloud, " ». ^^ Editor— Here are a few nuts for Pedobaptists to ■^a. They would^^j^ . ^ like to cornet " " ' ^^-^^^-"^ ^^''^' — ^^' ^' ^' '^' Boothe, in his sermon oo ^ sentiments in *^08pel Order,' makes the following sharp points with our Pe- d of the Church t^,^P^^«] 1"^^!^^, ''y ,,,.,. . , , . jbyterians doac-. P believe that either sprmkhng, pouring or od and i' b ifcniersion, is valid baptism ; that Christ commanded any one and con d t ^ *'^^ three distinct acts, leaving it optional with the candidate le thev w tbp^ select. That is, if the candidate preferred sprinkling, Christ em- but not be-^°^^°^^^ sprinkling; if pouring, Christ enjoined pouring; I P-'o to fh r It iniDiersion, then Christ appointed immersion.' reter to make it ^ " ^^^ will refer us to the proof texts in favor of a theory so city reason and ip-dically at varience with the plain teachings of the word of 3ose upon divine r °"' _ posites one ? No. ' " ' There is * one baptism, and that baptism is the one that jarth one ? No. 1^® Baptist, John, administered to Jesus. Reader, have you the water to the ^J^d ?' " ' Some talk of modes of baptism. As well talk of modes repentance. There is one repentance which is satisfactory Grod, namely, scriptural repentance. And so it is with iptism.' " The Baptist Centenary. — Rev. Amory Grale, our general issionary of Minnesfiota, was asked by a Methodist minister )w long it would be before the Baptists woidd celebrate their 3 the rod. We i^tenary, as the Methodists have recently done. Mr. Gale re- ith" in the New j^ied that the Baptist centenary would occur in about 32 years, i^ith rods ;" the «id that it will be our nineteenth centenary celebration, gain, the word " Note. All Home missionaries should, like Bro. Gale, carry the opposite is, j^eir wits with them, and give Bible answers, as above. It was dd believe Ste- g Baptist minister who Baptized Jesus Christ, as evei^hody learned doctors .fnows ! all the schools I «xhe first Baptist— The Name.— Baptists have seldom if .0 the water, are g a true witness trust doctors nor ;he words before retched the rod it, the rod was 3 the rock with 2C THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHINO. ever, V)een perrnittod to name thoniHelves. The first Hajr •nrsi did not so name hiiiiaelf. He was nut so named by his pan|j|l.s. The prophets who foretold liis coming did not say that he nh. npi(ci| \)e known as a Baptist. The angel wlio appeared to his pai>l intinialrfl notliinjj; of the kind. .Jelmvah who 'sent liiii/ preach and to baptize' j2fave him liis mission and his liH]) are sprinkled are not baptized. Hti from the days of John the Baptist till now, no one who sprinkled his converts has been called a Baptist. When people had all come to know and to speak of John as ' the 11] tist,' then, and not mitil then, did Jesus and the EvangeliJ speak of him as ' Jolm the Baptist.' They were not particiifHj as to the name so long as the faith and the pi'actice were ri}^ " There has never has been a time when a remnant of tii people liave not remained in the faith, who have not bowed tuiy, knee to the Baal of Infant BaptiHm. And never was t<||;iies number greater than at the present time. In Church Histiwbce, they are little known, as their enemies have often burned i#6d and destroyed their records. iwh e " But they are not ^without hegmning of days.'' They ha:lifee ] Scripture record in which they antedate all existing church f|iur c ganizations, the Roman Catholic included, and they should fil|end preferred before all 4'or they were before them.' SSi^.» a " Kemember it ever. — That restricted communion — that W ^^ the communion of disciples who have obeyed Jesus in baptit"^^ P and in life — is only another name for fidelity to Christ. atntut "W. S. McK."e^,d^ ■bfliel Again, there is a Baptist friend of mine in the City of !^9j)iri John who offered me three himdred dollars if I would pre- n\ the temple and altar, at the hands of this generation. opposite tells Him he was a glutton and a wine-bibber, and _t hc! cast out devils V)y Kelzebub th§fc prince of the devils ; Joim an ^ tlie J^u taught John better, and said, " See thou do it not, for I am th ^ fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of ther%i^ which keep the sayings of this book : worship God." Peter oiljly earth and John's fellow servant from heaven would not receivljpa it, tliey knew better than to create God's wrath and displeasur and lie cast out of his presence, I am sur^ Peter would neveilril wisli to be worshipped again ; and Peter's successors shouli never allow themselves to be worshipped. And as we havipc( heavenly and earthly witnesses— "Thou shalt have no other godjuc before me," so I quote two verses of a hyi r^n : V'2 Lord, I believe thou hast prepared — |^ig Unworthy though I be — |4.g. For me a blood -bought free reward, ^^ j- A golden harp for me ; ^^ ban Tis strung and tuned for endless years, will And formed by power divine, tgj^^ To sound in God the Father'cj ears ^ m No other name but Thine. , ^ tha And now, let us — as the Father has assigned all judgmentc ^ B the Son, and as his name is above every other name, and everj tiifei tongue confesses to his knowledge and glorious majesty,— let ui hov have a judgment-day before the final one. Come and let us hoh place Christ on his throne according to St. Matthew 25: 31-33— Loi " When tlie Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the Ues holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his >ia glory : and before him shall be gathered all nations : and he shall tail separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his I sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right tmi hand, but the goats on his left." And now, my Lord, I appeal dis to thee on thy seat on the throne. out To save us lengthy discussions let us confine ourselves to the ob< two generations — the righteous and unrighteous, the sheep and otl the goats. (1st) "Mr. Editor — here are a few nuts for pedo- for baptists to crack : — * Sharply put. — Rev. J. W. T. Boothe in his sermon on gospel order makes the following sharp points with our pedo-baptist friends.'" (I quote his statements in full on a previous page, to which I refer the reader.) As I intend to take up the disputed points, I would first propose a few com- ments on that old proverb, " Once a man and twice a child." When I was a baby I had to depend on parental strength, and op when a man I was independent ; I am now in my seventy-sixth f^"^ Jo th( hb th( IINO. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACfHING. 33 would not receiv4 th and dispJeasurj ^eter would nevel successors shoulfi And as we ha\ i lave no other god< I: l-od of his honor,-3fiar, and I feel like Jacob, I want a staff to support my babyish ),26 ; again, (ReAebleuess. And, sir, I thought you were about to make the 3 angel, the angdi>ung babes' jaws to ache in cracking the nuts, and the old t not, for I am tbHkbes' grinders, too, and, sir, I would not attempt it at all. But )hets, and of thewi-g? long ago, when I got a hard nut to crack, I would go to God." Peter oi#y father and he would crack it for me, — and now I go to my venly Father, who perfects strength in weakness, and makes ce sufficient for me. I perceive that this gospel-ordered rmon is for pedo-baptists, to prove pouring or sprinkling ia lid baptism ; he says " they who sprinkle do not baptize cording to scripture." To the scriptures I repair, and let the dge of the quick and dead witness to it. See Jeremiah 23 : 25, " I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies my name, saying,! have dreamed." (v. 26) " How long shall is be in the heart of the prophets that prophecy lies ? yea, ey are prophets of the deceit of their own hearts." (v. 29) * Is not my word like as a fire ? saith the Lord ; and like a jammer that breaketh the rock in. pieces." (And I believe he *"• #ill never trouble my old teeth to crack one of them, I will pave all of them for my Father's fire and hammer.) (v. 30) f Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, mat steal my words every one from his neighbour." (v. 31) ed all judgmentf f Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use name, and even ttifeir tongues, and say, He saith." (And to the present day i majesty,— -let u! low many want to pass their sayings for Christ's.) (v. 32) "B«- Come and let uj iold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the thew 25: 31-33— i»ord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lory, and all the lies, and by their lightness ; yet I sent them not, nor com- the throne of his laanded them ; therefore they shall not profit this people at all, ions : and he shall ijaith the Lord." lerd diddeth his i Now, to return to the three modes, — sprinkling, pouring and eep on his right immersion, — it appears that for hundreds of years this is in y Lord, I appeal dispute, and in dispute still, and the minister has not found it 4ut, and the candidate teaches the minister, and the minister ourselves to the •beys his superior teacher. God's people must be in the dark, IS, the sheep and ©therwise God has never revealed it, and there is some ground w nuts for pedo- for >Ir. Booth's observation. I would wish to remind you of V. T. Boothe in four mistake, — you have said there is one baptism, and that ng sharp points baptism is the one which John administered to Jesus. Sir, :atements in full John, who baptised Jesus, says there is two. Now, my Lord, .) As I intend thou hast said there are two f thy opponent says one. We leave opose a few com- him at thy bar. If they are true, there is no need for Christ, for twice a child." jfcliey must have supreme power to make death-stricken material il strength, and l>perate upon inmiaterial, and give life for the land of the pure ly seventy-sixth inad holy. I leave him wr;.b thee to give him his sentence with the 24 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. ■> ! ! I sheep or the goats. Now, I believe there ia no mode of baptism according to the divine statue, but with the water and with the Holy Ghost, (applied to the subject, the medium of conveying his blessings,) and I also believe in God that he is the author of immersion, (not John,) and that it is the act of his displeasure upon his enemies. Now these are assertions of mine, very like your own, without a proof, and as the contents above require four replys : First, pouring, — second, immersion, — third, the baal of infant baptism, — fourth their old original church. First, let us go to the first baptism ever recorded in the book of God, and Paul quotes from the Old Testament, " and they ^^ ere all baptized with Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Exodus 14: V. 19, "and the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them." First I observe God is the foundation of baptism and the baptizer, and he establishes the mode forever, that is the angel and the pillar of cloud went before them, and God caused the cloud to rise from before their face, and it stood behind them. Here we see the cloud was the operator, and passed from before their faces and stood behind them. Now, my Lord, can any one believe that men, women and children were above the cloud, and were applied to it (I think I hear Moses and hundreds of Israel cry out no I no! no! we were baptized on dry land.) Here are two facts, — first they were never above the cloud ; the second is, that they were baptized on dry land, which proves it is baptism and not immersion, and I do d«fy all the immersionists in the whole world to prove they ever immersed a man on dry land ; and thirdly, the candidates, — men, women and children, the whole families, households of Israel. Now, sir. here is God's proof text — the fire and the hammer, — that is, and they were all baptized with Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and the children equally accepted with God as their believing parent (but not with you, the opposite) ; and here again your nut-shell boast that there is a remnant of their first or second Church that never bowed the knee to the baal of infant baptism. Now sir, you have entered into contact with God's sovereignty, and hear my father's hammer, " who art thou that replyest against God, can the thing formed say to him, — why hast thou formed me thus." I hope, sir, you will acknowledge ray father has broke your nuts, and I hope you see it is stagnated and foul Pharisaical b^ast, not akernal of truth in it at all. Hear my father's fiery words, " the God of this world blinds the minds," so then this god and his party denies the God of Heaven for his baptizing ignorant, insensible, unconscious babies. So this .1. i I'' -j TG. lode of baptism er and with the m of conveying is the autlior of ■ his displeasure mine, very like } above require ion, — third, the i church. First, le book of God, id they ns ere all ." Exodus 14: >re the camp of le pillar of the behind them." ptism and the lat is the angel jrod caused the 1 behind them, led from before rd, can any one ove the cloud, ad hundreds of on dry land*) 3ve the cloud; ■y land, which do d«fy all the 7eT immersed a len, women and ael. Now, sir, ', — that is, and md in the sea, their believing ere again your first or second nfant baptism. I's sovereignty, u that replyest why hast thou idge ray father stagnated and : all. Hear my Is the minds," of Heaven for kbiea. So thii THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 25 il>"-ng the foundation of God thflt standeth sure, — now my Lord we leave him with thee for his sentence ; I am only a witneas and cannot make one hair white or black. r now come to prove the foundation of sprinkling as my Father has taught me. See Isaiah 52:15, — "So shall he sprinkle many nations." (Proof text. ) Again, Isaiah 53, he it* still the subject of the prophet's theme, as wounded and bruised, stricken, smitten and afflicted ; and here the prophet tells it as true upon the goatish generation, virtually and actually done when they blindfolded him, and struck him and smote him, and in their boasteii wisdom and nut- shell puffs, asked him to pro- phecy who smote him. ("We may infer he did not know any- thing about it, but the sapient and wise knew all about it. ) Isaiah tells of his suffering, and, in the fulfilment Christ calls it a baptism, — when the ploughers should make long furrows there (the mode applied to); see v. 7, "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his moutli," ( proof text,) and this was fulfilled when he answered Herod never a word. I now bear wit- ness that the Father then appointed his Son to the office of a sprinkler of nations. The Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to reveal to us that Jesus' office was to be a sprinkler of nations. Isaiah, did you prophecy this of yourself? "No! no I !" 1 think I hear him say, " I cannot deliver one word, or alter one sentence, without being commissioned (I am thy fellow-servant and of the prophets, I cannot alter one jot or tittle), nor no prophet, nor no apostle," — and of course no inferior from that day to this — and if he did he must bear the peniUty of God's woes unto the Scribes and Pharisees. Hear the Son's response to the Father, — " Lo ! 1 come in the volume of the book, as it is written of me, to do thy will, God." (Proof text. ) Wf here see the essence and substance, — the Godhead agreed that sprinkling is the foundation and medium of conveying his blessing to his people, — and the prophet bears witness to thr truth of the Godhead. (Proof text,) " There is no foundation to be laid, but that which is laid in Jesus Christ." Now to re- turn to Isaiah 53: 7, where He was led as a sheep and a lamb to the slaughter. This was the scripture that the eunuch was reading, — where God's Spirit bid Philip to join himself to the chariot ; and the eunuch asked Philip if it was himself or some other one the prophet was speaking of ; and Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture, and preached untci him Jesus. Here we see how Philip understood Isaiah and the sprinkling, and Jesus as a sheep and a lamb. And after him - dreds of years, when he reached our shores, John called every 3 \t I (■ 26 lUE HEAV2NXY FATHER'S TKACWIJCGV ;;.i: ! eye tc Hitn, saying, " Behold the Lamb of God that taketh aWu\ tiie sins of the world/' To be short, fihis vei'y Laml) was leaii and slaughtered on calvary's cross, he rose, went up to heaveii. and now he is the same, and now and forever receiving tin praises as God and the Lamb. And you see that tShis sprinklinL; Jesua, after all that he has passed thiough, is unchangeable and distils his dew upon mount Heimon, and another shower of love on Sion's hill, and one breeze of the' heavenly air after anothei to fill the upper chamber. And this is the Godhead's mode ir. shedding the love of God in our hearts by the Holy Gho»t giver unto us, — -see Acts 8 : 32 (and */he margin refers to Isaiah), and in that verse He is the sheep and the lamb for the slaughter (36t.) " And as they went on theit way, they came unto a cer- tain water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water ; what doth hinder me to be baptized ?" (37 v.) " And Philip said, If thoi; believest with all thine heart, then mayest, and he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (3^ v.) ** And he commanded the chariot to stand still," (but wt know it wa» the horse, and it is little naattier about misword- ing it, the fact is they both stood still,) ''and they went down both into the wat6r, both Philip and the eunuch, and he bap- tized them," and never mentions the mode at all. Now, tak< thifr scripture apart from having any connection with the word of God, and hear the one say he baptized him by sprink- ling, another may say be baptized him by immersion, and both parties are building on " think so" and " say so" infer- ence and conjecture (poor sand-banks of men). But let us come to the facts in the case ; the first is, they both went dews into- the water, but tliat is not baptism y tlie second act is, and he is baptized, },nd he is not out ; and the third act is, they came up out of tl e water ;• and here we see that goiag down and coming up s not baptism at all. I was ready to ask Philip why he didn't mention the mode, as John in the first act of baptis':a with water, and Christ with the- Holy Ghost ; but it was well understood by Philip and all the Apo&tles, the foundation laid in the Godhead, and that John and the Apostles, so much in practice, it did not require mention, and it might have been mentioned and not recorded ; but Philip may say the Godhead is the statute, and that he will not allow any inferior to put his tools upon it to pollute it, or alter a jot or tittle of it (see Ex. 21 : 25). Now, Philip, first you were baptized by John ; second, with the Holy Ghost, in the upper chamber ; and third, you were baptized upon the profession of your faith that the kingdom of God is come ;. and all these under the government of the Godhead, and >n ! mm i :bat taketh awu\ ' Laral) was leaii it up to heaven, jr receiving tlu b this sprinkling achangeable and 3r shower of lovt lir after anothei dhead's mode in oly Grhost giveri jfers to Isaiah) : or the shiughter, ime unto a cer- iter ; what dotli lip said, If thoi; id he answered i of Ood." (3H i still," (but wt about misword- they went down h, and he bap- ill. Now, take 3tion with the bim by sprink- mmersion, and " say so" infer- >. But let U9 )otb went down I'ie second act le third act is, see that goiag was ready to \9 John m the rith the' Holy and all the nd that John d not require not recorded ; nd that he will pollute it, or V, Philip, first oly Ghost, in zed upon the jrod is come ;. jodhead, and THE HEAVENLY FATHERS TEACHING. 27 isus in the office of sprinkling and shedding his blessings on )ul8 and bodies all around. Now, immersion is in opposition all the foregoing, and if Philip immersed the eunuch, I |ould tell him he left the lambs and sheep and joined the jpposite : for there is no greater proof for sprinkling in the jok of God than the whole of this in connection, and the limax and topstone is the Godhead's foundation, and the irophet's witness. Did not my Father teach me well, to get fD. this foundation, and not on man's. I come in the thind place to show you my Father's com- land and the first act of sprinkling, in harmony with tlie jundation aforesaid. (See the proof text) Ex. 12 : 21, 22,— Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto lem, draw out and take you a lamb according to your fam- ;iie8, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of b'ssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike le lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the ►asin," &,c. First vfe seejhat parents are required of God to lepresent their children and households, — ignorant, insensible Ind unccnscious babes, and through the medium of his Son, the )rinkler of nations. The fact is they kept the blood in a basin id they took the bunch of hyssop and dipped it in the blood lat was in the basin, and struck the lintels and the side posts fith. it. But the god of this world would not endorse this from le God of heaven ; and by some the babes and the basins are reatly despised, but God commanded the basin and that is lough. Some may say, this is not baptism ; I say, it is : ly proof text, tlie words from Jesus' lips to his disciples, — tarry at Jerusalem till they would receive the blessing of le father, and the power from on high ; therefore every jjlessing he gives ns is the Godhead baptism. And oh, what blessing it was for the parents and households rejoicing and jlieving in all their house, seeing his sovereign will in pre- irving their loved ones : the opposite dam their children jcause they are not immersed, — their own evidence, they must jlieve and be baptized or they cannot be saved. From a re- ^ew of the three proofs of the Godhead plan, in conveying ' imself to men, women and children, there is not a link roken in God's golden chain. I hope we will never hear Irom the opposite lips that sprinkling came from the " low ||it," and that " it came from popery," and that sprinkling is T" abominable sprinkling." We see this lamb's blood was a type it. He reproved that is, John, do )ur duty, and do not interrogate me with your why and the Lamb of God, and God sav^d by John by saying, " Suffer it to be so now, 28 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. Ill wherefore ; I know I must fulfil all righteousness, and tha! ' is enongli : but John was learning — yes, and many a Jolir since and now. Now, I have given three proofs from the Godhead, the fountain where sprinkling came from. Thesf three gentlemen have asserted it came from three oppositf quarters, and they do not give one word of God to prove it and if people take their assertions for the word of God, the} must all fall into the ditch. To be short, God must be ; liar, and these men true ; otherwise, God must be true, am every man a liar, that is his opposite ; and his word say? no lie is of the truth, see Ist John, 2:23, "Who is a liai but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ ? He is antichrii*t that denieth the Father and the Son," and this settles it for ever, for " anti " is always known as opposite to the govern ment, on earth or heaven, see Ist John, 5 : 10 " He tha believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself ; h^ that believeth not God hath made him a^ liar, because he be lieveth not the record that God gave of his Son." And to \» consistent with their " say so" it is impossible they could r^^ ceive the record of God decreeing and appointing the Son t( be the sprinkler of nations. Now, I dismiss you, and if yoi; are the liar, your sentenceis passed already ; and if God is the liar, you must have a stronger arm than God to inflict tht punishment. I come to the New Testament and prove the Godhead tljf statute again, without one link broken in the chain. John i; witness in the new as Isaiah was in the old. The three wit- nesses of the Godhead's mode of Baptism : — first, the Spiri* in the lx)dily shape of a dove descended and rested on Him,— so descending means application to Christ's person, the opposite would be that Christ's person was applied to the dove, the spirit. Second, — John calls it the baptism of the Holy Ghost i and fire, and in the act of this baptism, the heavens opened and; a mighty rushing wind filled the place, and the cloven tongue? ; like as fire, sat on each of them, — the fact is it came from Him who is above all. It is not a fact that the. opposite, the lower place, opened and covered them over with the lower fire, — if could not be this lower fire, for its nature operating on it- subjects is to look up and oppose and curse God. But the upper fire, its nature is to praise and exalt his ever blessed name, for ever blessed, and tell to sinning worlds his wondrous works. No one can ever be mistaken again between the uppei God and the effects of his fire, and the lower god (that blinds and the effects of his fire ; first, these facts, second these act?, and third, their nature opposite, settles all debates forever. NO. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 29 isness, and that d many a Jolir; proofs from tlif le from. Thes^ n three oppositf urod to prove it ord of God, the} God must be a list be true, anr I his word says "Who is a liai He is antichrist His settles it for to the govern 10 " He that in himself; h^ because he be ion." And to h 6 they could re iting the Son tc 5t us look at the neir analogy between the baptism in the Id testament and Christ's in the new. First, in the opposite. We never can be mistaken in the two natures; hut when words, Spirit and nature a^jree in one, without varying, we have thy truth. Some, to carry out their immersion for the re- mission of sins, quote Acts 2 : 38, when the people under Peter's preaching were convicted of sin cried out " What shall we do ?" " Then Peter said unto them, repent and he baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Hi^Iy Ghost." Now allow them to put tlie body in place of the soul, and material water in place of Spirit and the living water, they have their point gained. But this is one sided, — such as I heard in immersion when he said *' Wash away your sins, calling on the name of the LothF' (there are two sides again). My side is, the name of thfB Lord took tl\eir sins away; and the other side is, the water washed them all away. Christ's baptisui being spiritual operates on tlie spiritual senses and suul of man, and water, a beautiful figure, to represent the fountain open in the house of David to cleanse from all sin. Why, what is so useful as water for our outer man 'i — and our garments would be filthy without it, — hut it eanuot operate on a soul to take its sins away ; no, for the angel preached before Christ was born, " They shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." The opposite in elfect says, immersion in water takes them all away, and there is two baptisms on the spot. This baptism recorded in the SSth verse is Christ's baptism and name. Jesus Christ luis reuiitted their sins, and the free best owment, the gift of the Spirit, is given them. See the following verse, 41 : "They that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day tliere were added unto them about three thousand souls." So the spiritual prefers the souls, and the opposite the bodies. Is it not unjust assumption to presume to transubstantiate Christ's blood into water. Surely we may well say, an enemy has done this. And in the 10th chapter of Acts, Peter carries it out and demanded water baptism, and gi-.es his reasons why, because on the gentiles was poured out the gift of the Holy Grhost. Oh how the god of this Avorld blinds the people, and so I leave these cliaracters with the Judge, for it is with him to give the sentence and place, on the right hand or left (shpep or goats). I should have taken up John as th<» first witness to introduce the new dispensation, and between the two he stood the last prophet. But I wanted to show Jesus the foundation of sprink- ling, which led me to Philip and the eunuch. But the cases are the same in this much, that going down into the water and coming up out of the water is wouded. alike. But John worda Vi *n II tbt ^01 A ot P ^an Br i. ley are (iirectZy o natures; bu( ut varying, we lion for the re- under Peter's t shall we do ?" ized every one lission of sins, V thera to puf er in place of gained. But when he said > Loid" (there le Lord' took washed them 'rates on tJie Lutiful figure, vid to cleanse for our outer tt it,-— but it no, for the ihall call his r sins." The hsm all away, ;ism recorded Jesus Christ lie gift of the 41: "They he same day 1 souls." So e bodies. Is tiate Christ's my has done 3s it out and S because on Grhost. Oh I so I leave to give the sp or goats). introduce od the last nofsprink- t the cases i 5 water and | lohn words j^ TllK HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 8$ e act of biiplism and Philip did not contradict John's mode itli water. IMiilip knew right well from history hy iHaiah, nd his own experience gave him to know that wi'b water ap- lied to the subject was the only act of baptism, nnd Philip new that John had his commission, yes, and his u)>Ar too from Ithe sprinkltir of nations. John 3.:33, "And in these days came •johoi the Pnptist, preaching repentance,'' that i^< to give up fyour sins, 1«^ circumcised no more, nerer shed a bnnb's blood. JjAgain there is one ready provided, all sufficient, we want no /other. Behold him! he taketli away the sins of the world! |0h, ye gentiles, give up your idols, the workmanK]ii]> of your ^aniraal hands, give thera to the molds, let them peiish from iyo'ur sight, ;md behold Jesus, this one object of faith, who is the trutli, and the life and the way into his church and heaven ; above. And this was the substance of John's preacliing. And • ,all the regions round about Judea were baptized of John in ; in Jordan, confessing their sins, (but they were nof all) but no matter how it is worded, the fact and substance is right — and I all that believed John's preaching wore baptized of him, — but j this other |)arty he would not give it to them,— why? be- 'i cause they looked to get exceptions through Abraltam's death t stricken corrupted flesh ; and this relationship done the rich man in hell no good, though he called Abraham his father, and Abraham culled him his con. But if he had believed John's preaching, and looked to his seed and spiritual Son of God, they would have been all right, — but rejecting Christ, tlie way, they were all wrong. John deals very faithfully with this opposite generation. With what contempt he treats them, and calls ; them a generation of vipers, and tells them the axe is laid to the root of the tree, and warns them faitlifully if they would not bring forth good Iruit they would be hewn down and cast into the fire. Christ never flattered, and John gives the trumpet its certain sound. There are two fires which come from God on two distinct characters. The little, .simple, child-like, believing ones, the Holy Ghost's fire fills them with heaven and love, and joy and peace. And sup- j)ose satan has beguiled them and for years has had them, building on Christ their dead work of self-rightoousness and filthy rags, such as gold and silver, nay, stubble, this would burn up all this rrbbish, and leave them stripped of self, — they look to Jesus, the Holy Ghost's fire comes down, and the bosom inspires, and kindles the fire, and WTaps the whole 8t)ul in the flames of desire. It restored David's soul, made him to walk again, and praising the giver of the life-giving fire, says " and they are saved, yet so as by fire," and again. 34 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. ill '* like Mopes' bush they mount the hi^jher. and still are un- consumt'd in fire ;" it licked up the water out of the branches. This is the upper tire (not from beneath) from the Lord tliat fell and consumed the sacriticoa, f^ee 1 Kings 18 : 38. And the last character God says his ministers are flames of fire. I am striving to contract and be short, but it appears volumes could not exhaust the subject. I am wishing to take up every item of assertion, conjecture and infertnce that this opposite party raises against the godhead's government. Now, the lower fire to the lower character, — hear the proof texts, — God is a consuming fire to the workers of iniquity; there are no greater workers of iniquity than false prophets and false apostles, contradicting and amending God's laws. Isaiali 66 : 15, says, " For behold the Lord will come with fire, to rend his anger with fury and his rebuke with gleams of fire." verses 16, 24, &c. Ezekiel 21 : 31, "I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath ;" v. 32, '* thou shalt be for fuel for the fire. James says, 3:6" the tongue is a world of iniquity, and is set ou fire of hell" (lower fire). Here we see the two characters, and the fire that belongs to them. I have touched a little on repentance and fire, but I now leave it and come to John's first act of baptism, and Jesus called him a baptist, but if ; ome of these divines who have got a great dinner from the tree of knowledge had been pres- ent they would have corrected his mistake, for tie should not call him John the Baptist, but John the immersionist, and also charge him with the guilt of commissioning John to use the word with water to apply it to the subject — for they know better — in this enlightened age. For it should be ac- cording to our godhead's superior judgment, plunge, dip, im- merse ; and this is your direct opposition against the com- mission and him whom he has commissioned, John the Bap- tist. And Christ acknowledges him the last and greatest prophet born of woman, — he did not take in the upper pro- phet, the angel, that said he was the fellow-servant with John, — no, but they that are recorded in this dispensation. And any one of the foregoing prophets that would baptize contrary to John's, with Christ, his true witness and advocate at his head, I would dismiss them with Simon Magnus, until they repent and come to acknowledge Christ the true statute, and John the true witness, and be baptized according to the statute of tlie godhead. There is not one broken link in the godhead's chaixi from first to last. I do call it the godhead's unchangeable government, — see Isaiah 42:1, the office of Christ and God's veil hil hi S| tij 'I w| bti hi St til n| ai r( ' d ■'<)i ■i. 4 %■ G. i still are un- r the brant-hen. tlie Lord that 18:38. And flames of fire. pears volumes > take up every this opposite It. Now, the 3roof texts,— 'ty; there are lets and false avvs. Isaiah with fire, to eams of fire." >ur out mine io the fire of Q fire. James liJ is set on ) characters, ', but I now a, and Jesus es who have d been pres- e should not 'sionist, and John to use :t — for they lould be ac- ge, dip, im- t the oom- in the Bap- id greatest upper pro- rvant with spensation. dd baptize advocate at . until they tatute, and the statute * godhead's changeable and God's THE HEAVENLY FATHER'H TEACHING. M ^ )romi8e to him, — " Be)u)ld my .servant, whom I uphold ; mine jle^t, in whom my soul deligliteth ; I have put ray spirit upon dm," iSic. And farther, I want t^) show tlie correspondence and iharmony, and not a contradiction in all John's witnesses. In St. Jolui, Ist chapter, John says he came to bear witness to the true liglit, and says, " In the lieginning was the word, and the word was with God, and Ihe word was God." And he was in the beginning with God; and there was nothing made without him ; he is the life and liglit of man. But I will confine my- self chiefly to the case in hand. See v. 26, ** John answered them saying, I baptize with water ;" v. 31, "And I knew him not, Vmt that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water;" v. 32, "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him ;" v. 33, " And I knew him not, but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said tmto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remain- ing on him, the same is He that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." Oh, read this chapter, and ask God's Spirit, its own interpreter, and He can make it plain. Just see how the Jews and priests and Pharisees cross-examined, but he was firm, no contradiction in his evidence, it was all of a piece and seamless, like the seamless garment, — his master and him one. Now the immeriionists say that Christ gave John the mode of immer- sion for the true statute, and it is like a great many of their proofs, — themselves and their assertions. Now, they say to us " read your bible, search the scriptures." Very good advice, thank you; and I have obeyed your demand, and in the old and new Testaments, proving the ones of the godhead without a broken link, and John and Christ one on the spot ; and not a contradiction from Genesis to John's first chapter. And I hope you will acknowledge with me that my Father's fire and word, his hammer, has saved the young babes' tender jaws, and the old babes' worn out teeth, for his word, the hammer, has broken all the nuts, and shows they are nothing but shells and ear puffs, but intend to be like the apostle Paul, not to know the speech of them that is puffed ^p. And I now demand of you where I will find your godhead sustain in the act of baptism, " plunge, dip, immerse ;" for I cannot find it in the Bible. Now, if your " say so" was true — that John was an immersionist, after the witness he has given above, I would tell him he denied the godhead, and he would bring on himself swift destruction. I ask, where did God use the word " immerse" in the Bible ? and in the act of immersion where do you ever prove he blessed a subject in the act ? You cannot, — you must be deceived. For 3« THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHINO. I the Bible does not record that the word " immersion" flowed from his lips. To tell the truth, it is the god thut blinds, and gets his agents to seek out many inventions, and all to over- throw the sceptre of Christ, for Christ did not know the origi- nal word, nor the translators did not know it, for 'f they did they never would use the words " baptize with water," not sprinkle nor descending on, or pouring out on them, and the Spirit fall- ing upon them. And God has blessed through these words, yet they must be all dismissed, owing to your superior knowledge of the original word, — for it is impossible that it cordd mean anything else but immersion. And this is your verdict, gentle- ' men, and so ye say all ; — under your crownhead -is it possible' that men can believe that immersion is an ordi^i-^.nce of Grod to ' save either soul or body. I am not one sided, and wlien I have " settled the above, I will give you your immersion. The above is truth ; my fathei's.Jiammer has drove the n;,'l of truth, and riveted it and clinelied it sure, ne^'ertobe erased. There never was more simple, plainer words used by man than John uses, " He sent me to baptize with water." John knew as well as tiie woman who received the virtue, and Jesus knew it had gone out of him : John vas no imposter, he was too much the gen- tleman and the christian — which is the best re ;v;il glory of gem- tlemanly honor, — John got both from the crownhead of heaven. Yes, bright as the beams above, Christ never isllcwed himself to be dependent on aiiy boy or girl to choose the mode for him, — no, nor the prophets ; no, nor John, for he acknowledges Christ the giver; no, nor any Professor, nor D. D., nor any original Greek lexicographer, nor Mr. Wesley nor Dr Clark, nor any other on e.\rth or in heaven. Therefore, vM being inferior should be amenable to their superiors. ( I do spealif with author- ity, and not as the Scribes.) I cannot but adnv're John's firm- ness from the first act of baptism; and he b;qjti:'ed Jesus, his commissioner and mode giver, with water; he hi all his cross- examination never deviated ; and once in M utthew, and three times in the first chapter of John, he always said *' with water." Now, if three cons stent evidences prove the cuse, we have one to spare, for John has given us four, so we have one overplus. Hear my father's hammer, the word, in the old and new Testa- ment, meet to prove the oil was poured and the v^nier too. Hear it from the Grer.t High Priest''^ lips that clinch the nail. Hear the hammer's ptro) e — the word from the beginning — and Christ is the witness. See Luke 4: 18, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me becau'-^ he hath annointed me to preach the gosple to the poor," &:c,, and here he stands to bear witness to both Isaiah and Johvi, tliat both these prophets were true, — and he 4^ % I fl ■P I SI w THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. -ii if 'rsion" flowed it. Winds, and ^11 to over- ovv the origi- they did they Qot sprinkle e Spirit fall- ■^se words, yet >r knowledge c<>Mld mean 'diet, gentle- is it possible ■^e of God to wlien I have The above truth, and There never John uses, «[ as well as it had gone cli the gen- l(jry of ggn- i of heaven. d himself to for him, — ^dges Christ ny original K nor any f^S" inferior ith author- ^>lm's firm- Jesus, his his cross- imd three th water." ' have one overplus. ew Testa- too. Hear ■lil. Hear nd Christ Lord is 'e gosple i to both -and he ■# i [gave the book to the minister and sat down, and told them — "This d;iy is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." So it is fastened for ever and ever. And satan had his opposite party on the spot, and lie wants to lessen him, and they said " is not this Joseph's son?" and as this generation is still on hand to overthrov the sceptre above, and get it beneath their superior one, as they think. And smce they make boast and battle, we must be ready to defend— mark like a great many of the same party's " say so" and "they said,"- and not a prophet nor an apostle to sustain them. And Twill give another stroke of the hammer, which I think will be sufficient to break all these nuts, — yes, and break satan's wine-bi))bers, and dash them to pieces. See Acts 2:15, 1(5, " And as John began to speak these words" (tlie hammer) " the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning" ; " Then remembered I the word" (the hammer) " of the Lord, how that he (Jesus) said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." So here is Peter, apart from John, how he heard from his Lord's lips that he said " John indeed,'' — look at the em- phasis that Peter puts upon the word " indeed," — " baptized with water ;" and here Peter's evidence proves beyond contra- diction that the Lord gave John his mission and his mode. And when I get " Thus saith the Lord," to me it is worth a thousand " say so's." At the conclusion to have such a disin- terested witness as Peter, and when I see those long links of golden union, diamond with truth, and glorious and bright as the noon-day, it settles it up in my mind forever and forever more. Amen. I leave you with the judge to answer for your denial of the Godhead's government, and supplanting it with your own godhead. And as one of my kind and sincei-e Baptist friends, who wishes to save me from ruin, as.erted that we had no founda- tion for our church, for John's church and immersion was the true foundation, and he has so much confidence in the original Greek lexicographers, and their learned divines, — they could not be mistaken in respect to the word haptiso — that I could do nothing with him ; but I thought wliat an awful thing it is for ministers to teach men to draw life from the old relics of John's death-stricken church. It was all right in its day, but these men i lust surely know it has passed away, for John tellfs them his mist decrease and Christ's increase. Why, these men must be awfully in the dark, — but when men leave the sunlight it is hard telling how far they may go in the dark. It is a pity that such simple-hearted men disobey God, and trust in the arm of man in whom there is no stay. 38 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. Lord, I have made thy word my choice, My lasting heritage, There shall my noblest power*? rejoice, My warmest thoughts engage. And as I am not one-sided, and I want to return to many of these loved ones, — the foundation of immersion, — I cannot give you John, as I would not take him for a foundation my- self (he is only a witness for the Father), but I will give you God himself as he has taught me, — a far better foundation than John, — for all men that have lived in the world, that now live or may live can be no substitute in his place, — therefore, I give you the highest authWity, God himself, the author of baptism, and also the author of immersion. I have said that years long gone by, immersion was not an ordinance of God nor an act of baptism, but an act of God's displeasure on his enemies. There are three cases where God immersed the peo- ple, and the fourth case he buried by immersion, according to my Father's teaching. When I read Jewett on bapjbism I found two pages of his work taken up with the opinions of va- rious men on words such us plunging, diving, dipping, over- wtielming, and iron sunk, immersed, a ship sunk, immersed, &c., — men's " say so." Now let us be short, and allow you that plunge, dip and immerse. And this, you say, is immersion — not baptism, for you have supplanted baptism and put immer- mersion in its place, and you have changed John's character from a baptist to an immersionist, therefore never let me hear from your lips the word baptism again, God does not like the double tongue. The first immersion was when God commanded Moses to stretch the rod over where the Egyptians were pursu- ing his Israel, and God made the walls give way and they sunk in the mighty deep. Here God made use of Moses and his rod to immerse the Egyptians, — and here God is the immersionist, and God made use of Moses and kis rod to open the sea, giving his Israel dry land bapt'sm — two distinct acts, to two distinct characters and subjects. Who will deny the facts. Louder than any language, God is the baptizer and the immerser. The second immersion is that of the antideluvians at Noah's flood ; see Peter 3:21, "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth now save us, not the putting away the filth of the flesh," — so it never washed nor took sin away — " but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection f Jesus Christ." Now this figure is beautiful, and it represents Noah's family and household baptism, and the opposite, despisers of God and Noah. Noah preached one hundred and twenty years to those rebels to the throne, and no doubt they would mock ill hi F -A4U warn NO. THE HEAVEKLY FATHER'S TEACHING. Z9 turn to many of •sion,— I cannot foundation mj- I will give you foundation than ^orld, that now ace,— therefore, \ the author of liave said that iinance of Grod sleasure on his lersed the peo- 3, according to on bapjtism I pinions of va- dipping, over- ink, immersed, allow you that f immersion — id putimmer- hn's character 'r let me hear s not like the )d commanded IS were pursu- md they sunk es and his rod immersion ist, he sea, giving two distinct cts. Louder le immerser. Js at Noah's even baptism f the flesh," e answer of on f Jesus sents Noah's despisers of wenty years «^ould mock ind laugh at Noah building his ship on land a distance from liver?, lakes or ocean, their natural conclu»ion would be — it liever can be launched (how wise they were). But Noah's reason rfeiled, and his faith prevailed, he took God at his word, and no rinore ^ why"' or " wherefore." As faith comes by hearing, when ^John heard Jesus say " suffer it to be so now," he received his word, he acted, and his works proved hia faith. I think, after «that lesson, he never would alter or amend His word again. But 4his awful counterfeit of man's coining — passing button-mould jbrgings on us — is the curse of the world. For example, some 4ime ago I was in company with one of my Baptist friends who lid, " away with your bowls and basins, we represent the reatest quantity of water, our lakes, our rivers and our oceans." think it did net originate with himself, but getting addition )f P and D , it p.i8sed current ; but it stuck with me, could not digest it, and said, — I beg leave to differ with you, "or sprinkling represents the greatest quantity of water ever ecGvded in history ; see one day's sprinkling, and another pour- ng, and another descending or., and another falling on, — the ery act and language of the Grodhead baptism, and John the rue witness, with water applied to the subject. Let us see the ffect of the foregoing causes : first, it launches the ark, inde- endent of rivers or ocean, it pours on, it rises above tlie rivers nd the ocean, yes, and above the mountains, and above the ihighest pine that studs the forests, and higher still and rests ion Ararat. Oh, what a glorious, sublime figure is this — Jesus, |f rom the Father's fbuntain,appointed through all ages a sprinkler |of nations ; and that day Grod opened the fountain when death |liad passed upon all men to condemnation. Oh, hear the spring Mrpm the fountain, that is, the free gift of God has passed upon |all men justification of life. See the effect of the fountain and ^his Son the sprinkler of nations (this is the first stream) ; oh f hear it, — life supplants death, and justification condemnation ; fthe Son has made them free indeed, he has put them in a save- fftble state, and with joy they go up, through the Sqji, to the . Father j reconciled, and together they walk and ialk in Eden again. > And as with us when cast down in sorrow and trouble, he de^ Bcends like the dove, and then in greater showers, as we are able * to bear it, and it lifttj us up and up, and higher and higher, and , at last it lifts us out of the body and lands us '" n Ararat — in ~ heaven— our resting place. Now this is the fig we of baptism • and defies all contradiction. Now let us see how this figure 4 will suit your immersion — first sink the ark, then you must have ; it &k tight, and forty days and nights with the animal's breath ,.**" 40 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. and their own they would be suffocated and choked, and im mersed in their own overwhelming, and lose their lives by it ] too. Again, ventilate the ark, say as much as the dove could get out, and sink the ark, why in forty days and forty nights the' ark would l)e filled with water, and the fact is tliey would U} immersed under deck, and the dove would have had nothing to., rest upon but water ; if the ark had not been kept above theO water to take it, it would have lost its life by immersion like^ many another dove ; and there is not one foot's brea(ith to sus-J tain your immersion, scripture-twisting as you imagine. These opposite parties, climb the mountains and clefts of the rocks as<] they please, they sink and are immersed in the deep. And the g truth is it proves it is neither an ordinance of God nor baptism, J and two opposite operations, by the independent sovereign above. I now take up biu-ying by immersion. See Numbers 16:31 , 32, 33 — " And it came to pass as he had mide an end of speakiH;; _ all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under j them ; and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, ,, and their houses, and all the men thatappertaineth unto Korah, ' and all their goods, they and all that appertaineth to them \ went down alive into the pit and the earth clpsed upon them." Now, here is the two opposite parties, Moses and Aaron and a great portion of Israel, and this party always consults Grod in everything and takes no man's advice unless they have " thus csaith the Lord" for its author. This other party conserving to p^itan, and he wants his party to be respectable and knowledge- able and honorable, — and you can build and alter as well as they, and your experience will make yn competent to burn incenses as vvell as any of them taught of God ; they are too particular and narrow up the road so that flesh can hardly have any pleasure or honor at all, — and he works them up, like Cain, with jealousy. And this is the nature of the god of this world. And the opposite says. Thou shalt have no other gods before me, and is jealous for his honor in not hearkening to him and his ; and He (not any man) causes the earth to cleave and open her mouth and swallow them (in the language of immersion) down into the pit ; and here God buries them alive by the im- mersionist system ; mode and words, — you take them alive too, — and every one you immerse, you declare by your act and deed — we represent God's wrath upon his enemies, — for it is not the medium through which God conveyed his blessings unto Israel. The next proof for immersion you may find in Matthew 25th, where the Lord gives his servants their talents, — and to cne he [)r 92 iv n I '1 ga <^ hi U in W us G w iNG. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 41 choked, and im. e five talents, to another two, and to another one, and to ry one according to their abilities. Here are two generations, one belonging to the Grod of heaven, and the opposite, the d of this world. The faithful servants employe 1 time, talent, as and language in obeying and honoring their Lord, and tending his kingdom: and, as many know, the lower lord nts to seduce and draw away the upper Lord's servants and bjects, and using his old subtle cunning — now tjee you hide ^e talent in the earth, it may be a long lifetime of pleasure fore your Loid returns, and there is no harm in this and that ^her innocent amusement, — there is no harm in wearing a few ed roses, rose bushes and painted feathers, with a few floimces, lis and ruffles — there is no command against these, — (when don't plait the hair or wear gold or costly array) ; yes, and u may go to the pic-nic, that is no harm, — have n't you epherds and 'leaders to guide you in the display of vanity -' •<»•"* '' — P"^^ ^^"^ ^^^ ^ ^^^^y ^^^^^ ' ^'^' s^tan, this is your na- tnat was under jwre, always supplying the flesh, — and unbounded avarice would diowed them up, ;. Jt satisfy its appetite. This may last for a little, but when e Lord gives a rap at tlie door, — then comes sickness, the art beats slower, the limbs get feeble, the eyes get dim, then ve an account of your stewartship. Hear his approbatory proval to his faithful servant : — their lives by it i the dove could ^ i forty nights ml s they would h% i had nothing U> 1 kept above the 7 immersion like 1 3 breadth to sus- imagiue. These 1 ts of the rocks as deep. And the; od nor baptism,! udent sovereign',! nibers 16:31,32. ^ end of speakia leth unto Korah, | taineth to them % ied upon them." id Aaron and a consults God in bey have " thus Servant of God, well done, Rest from thy loved employ. The bsttles's fought, the victory won, Enter thy Master's joy. M by conserving to 1 md knowledge- J as well as they, «! Jq the 24th verse how plainly the features and complexion of to burn incense * _ . ■ too particular irdly have any up, like Cain, d of this world, er gods before ig to him and leave and open of immersion) live by the kn- ke them alive i by your act iiemies, — for it his blessings e father is shown in the son when he charges his Lord with ijustice and lying, that he reaped where he did not sow, and thered where he had not strewn ; and he makes a liar of him- ilf, says, Lo, there thou hast that is thine. Here he proves him- (If a true son of the old father of lies. Oh, how he darkens e mind ! The Lord, in the 30th verse gives him his sentence. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there all be weeping and gnashing of teeth." His Lord calls him 8 servant, — and a wicked, slothful and unprofitable servant. !ere Grod acts and proves himself an immersionist, both in word d deed — plunge, dip, immerse, — now you have Grod the im- }T|aersionist (not John), and he has given you both shell and ker- :%e\. According to your Grreek lexicographers they have given ps the shell of words, and they have given us the kernel too, so jlp^od and your Greek lexicographers and myself have agreed, Matthew 25th, j^d three consistent testimonies settle the case forever, that and to cne he Jbhmge, dip, immerse, is immersion, not baptism ; now you have Sa H I» 42 T^E HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. nothing to complain of when you have got all you want in t case — both shell of words, and the kernel (what they mean down, down, down, plunge, dip, and immerse, — for these thn words mean one and the same, that is, " down ;" now separai these words and you could not make one of them mean " up and I believe God's word will never be altered or changed, wh he sent them down to the pit. You would not want to hu u» t John an immersionist, when you have far higher authority t clotl it, and I am sure God would never allow John to supplant liiiand either in baptism or immersion. John is in his place a tn rejprc witness for the descent of the Spirit coming down and givinallsi us the sweet waters of life that raise us to sit in heaven' wftdc places in Christ Jesus the Sprinkler of nations. And I del nor all the devil's forces below and his angels of light, men's putlinto to drive him out of his office, — for you can't make one hair whi: wl^o or black in the case. Surely all must see it was never inst I ^^ tuted as an ordinance of His or a medium to convey a bles into ing to any. Now, I have a witness on hand that hearcomi a Baptist minister say sprinkling came from the lower pi nw^ I hope you will never forget, God being the proof-text, tlialow your immersion ends there, — down into the pit. Now suppo> you you meet a man going down the hill, and he asks you if he wi tof^^ soon be at the top of the hill ; you tell him he is awfully mir ''^^l taken, for he is going down the hill ; but no, he insists he i " *^' going up the hill, and would not believe any one to the contrary of h — would n't you believe the man was blind or a maniac ? An nciw how is it that men possessing common sense will presume to g t^ ' up to heaven on a road that God has not told them to go bv ^no Surely they must be blind or insane, fit for the asylum. I mu: P*^ tell you, a church built on immersion will be like the hou^ n6w built on the giand-banks of man, that shift with the tide, or ar ^^ driven by the current; poor, vain man, full of fanciful conjee *^t ture, and his best estate is but vanity. God says it, and i: ^^^ is better to give him credit than the fleshly corruptible death "*" stricken man. Again, was Moses or Aaron the author of sprink "**^*^ lin^? See Numbers 19 : 1, 2, 3, 4.— "And the Lord spake unt ^be Moses and Aaron saying : This is the ordinance of the lav 8^ which the Lord" — not man — " hath commanded saying, speal ^^^ unto the children of Israel, to bring thee a red heifer withou ** ^ spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke ^^^ and ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, . . . and one shal *J • slay her before his face : and Eleazer the priest shall takeof hei *"* ' blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly befoK *^® the tabernacle . . . ." Verses 18,19, 20, 21.— " And a clear ^^ person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle ii *""^ [ING. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 43 you want in tlaMlhe tent . . . and the clean person shall sprinkle upon the irhat they meaclBPean to the third day, and the seventh day ; and on the — for these thixsevienth day ... he shall be clean. But the man that shall be 'n ;" now separaitUMllean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off." lem mean " up |<»ily quote the substance and not all the verse. It is all in Bible. " And it shall be a perpetual statue unto them that that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his hes." First, here is the Lord commanding ; second, Moses Aaron ; Israel being the sacrifice, and the priest the type to iresent the anti-type — the blood and the water to cleanse from in. There are about fourteen passages in the Old Testament ch speak of sprinkling — all commanded by God — not Moses Aaron nor any other in all ersation ; so you have entered contest with Grod who gave the command ; and to those obey him he conveys the blessings that cleanse and purify, ave heard some say " Obey the command, follow the Saviour the water." Grod never gave such a command. He has manded his disciples to preach and baptize, and he has com- pded us to follow him in regeneration, this is spiritual fol- !.ng — it is not animal or bodily following at all. And would pass your button-mould coin on the people, and get them believe they are my Lord's gold guineas ? My Lord has tten of such who compass sea and land to make one proselyte, d when he is made, ye make him two fold more the child hell than yourselves." — See Matthew 23 : 15, — and then and the generation are somewhat alike. As I have pressed all proofs of sprinkling together, and as I have met with some ,0 would not believe that there were more than one or two ,ces in the New Testament where sprinkling is mentioned, , for the sake of those who are converted from that belief, others who hardly give it a thought, I will give the proof ts. 1. See Hebrews 9: 13, " For if the blood of bulls and of ts, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sancti- h to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the od of Christ, &c. 2. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 3. For Mo- took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet ^ , 1 and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and the people, d heifer ^itlioii ^ Hebrews lo : 22, " Having your hearts sprinkled from an evil 3ver came yoke w^science." They show a better way opposite. 5. Hebrews . . and one slial M • 28, " Through faith he kept the passover and the sprinkling shall take of he; ^ blood." 6. Hebrews 12 : 24, " And to Jesus the mediator of I directly befoif ^® ^^^ covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh -" And a clear lietter things than the blood of Abel." (Jordan's water is better and sprinkle i; ^^^ ^^^-) ^* ^ Peter 1:2," Elect according to the foreknowledge or changed, whet, ot want to ha\l^ her authority f to supplant hill his place a tri* down and giviu sit in heavenl )ns. And I def ight, men's puffi ajce one hair whit t was never insti to convey a bles; land that hear )m the lower pi; ^ proof-text, tha it. Now suppos sks you if he wi! e is awfully mi>i he insists he i* le to the contrary < a maniac ? An ill presume to <,/ d them to go by ^1 i asylum. I miis e like the hoiis. :h the tide, or ar • fanciful conjee I says it, and i: )rruptible death author of sprink Lord spake unt ince of the lav 3d saying, speat 44 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. I ii (( of God the p-ather, through sanctification of the Spirit, iintu obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ : Gract untoyou,and peace be multiplied." We see Isaiah seen him a^tln foundation, and Peter beholds him the top-stone, where all tlif^ types and shadows meet in Christ their glorious centre ; then is not a lie, nor contradiction, nor variableness, nor shadow of turning ; his plan and system is the seamless garment — all ot a piece throughout. It is not goat's blood, but it is Jesu' Christ's sprinkling blood, through which great is his grace, — it showers down and peace distils, with the sweetest fragrance like the morning dew. Is it possible that any man bearing tht- name Christian wovdd call Christ's blood, because it sprinkled, abominable sprinkling," and prefer, in great boast, " our lakes, our rivers, and our ocean ?" To be honest in the case, if I be- lieved as they do, that my sins were washed away in the abovc- montioned waters, I would expect grace, mercy and peace to tlow through the same, but as I do not believe that earthly, cor- rupt water, or words, or hands, can operate upon the immaterial and wash away sin from the soul, therefore my faith leads mc to the fountain opened on the cross of calvary to draw all my gTace, mercy and peace from, and leave the opposite to differ with me. I will now state in his own language how he dispises sprinkling blood. In his seven or eight propositions he says — Had he sprinkled his converts they would not have called him a Baptist. And this is his own " say so," without any proof — but " say so" proves everything. Again, he says, (another of the same) The common people know, and they always have known, that those who sprinkle do not baptize according to the Scripture. Oh, how these stories impose on the simple-minded, and they belong to the opposers of Jesus the foundation and sprinkler of nations. Now, sir, I deny your assertion, for I am one of the common people, aad hundreds with me never knew that baptism by sprinkling was not according to the Scripture. Sir, do not tell lies on me, and himdreds of others. I must tell you your state is an awful one, for you have, as Peter said you have, not lied to men, but you have lied against the Holy Ghost, and you tell the Godhead that the Spirit never descended on Jesus, and that they were never baptized with the Roly Ghost and with fire ; and the first pouring upon Cornelius and pour- ing on them are lies. So your god and your " say so" prove it, and your god and your supremacy have erased the word with and put in in its place, and, in effect, you tell Christ he is a liar, for he never gave John his commission to baptize with water ; and Jolm also is a liar for saying he baptized with water, when he did not baptize with water ; and Peter must also be a mi to to lai •a! ■h r the Spirit, unt.j s Christ : Grace h seen him as tin le, where all the 18 centre ; there I, nor shadow of garment — all of hut it is Jesus is his grace, — it it fragrance like lan bearing the se it sprinkled. ast, " our lakes, s case, if I be- J in the above- y and peace to lat earthly, cor- the immaterial faith leads me to draw all my >osite to differ low he dispises ions he says — -ve called him it any proof — ^s, (another of 7 always have icording to the tmple-minded, 3undation and tion, for I am e never knew the Scripture. !. I must tell ^eter said you e Holy Ghost, descended on B Holy Ghost us and pour- so" prove it, le word with irist he is a baptize with i with water, ist also be a THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 45 ar for saying he heard his Lord saying John truly baptized ith water, when he did not baptize with water. So you appear be supreme above all, therefore I leave you with the Judge give you a lamb or a goat's sentence. According as he has laid himself he will place you — and the whole world can neither ^fase nor inflict — the filthy shall be filthy still, and the righteous rail be righteous still. ^. I come to his last proposition but one, and it seems to me he 1^ filled with Satan's proud wine ; and the reason why I think , — it is not like Christ's humility, his kingdom was not of is world, and be made no boast of it. But it is the nature of e opposite to boast of the kingdoms of the world and the lories of them. He boasts of the numbers of his church — never was the number greater than at the present time. In burch history they are little known, as their enemies have /^i^ften burned up and destroyed their records." I never heard f it before, and [ do not believe it. There is a proverb which lays, " A liar caimot be believed even when he speaks the truth." nother great gust of wind blows out, — " They are not without ginning of days. They have scripture record in which they ikntedate all existing church organizations, the Roman Catholic Deluded, and they should be preferred before all, 'for they were iefore them.' " Oh, what a gust of wind, and it is all assertion, have always heard that a woman represents a church bringing brth children, and fostering and nourishing them for the inter- ist of the family. And hear is the mother and the daughter, f^nd there is no second but herself. And I heard from each ■'churches that it was the first church, and it would be the last ijiph, this is like the nature of satan and his children). It is V,-|i^ell known that in many portions of the earth, when some of |the daughters grow lazy, wise and self-important, that they flmagine they could bring forth children and train them better l|than their mothers. But I believe neither church was the first tllchurch. This is an assertion, — just the same as yours, — and it f^is worthless ; no court in the world would tnke it as evidence. I As my Baptist friends often bid me read my Bible, I feel thank- l^ful ] obeyed them a little, but not enough ; but the little I did 1(read enables me to refer you to the proof texts. First proof, — 4' John's church was a Jewish church, that leaned on the arm of liei" beloved coming up through the wilderness. Now and then you are both Gentiles and not Jews. Jesus and his mother were Jews, and his own lips told the woman of Samaria, she wor- sliipped, but she knew not what, for salvation was of the Jews (himself). See Rev. 3 : 9, — "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, but are not, but 46 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. do lie." I was ready to ask, — Are these the people that God has given over to strong delusions, that they should believe a lie ? Who can escape who holds close communion with the old father of lies. We should always know him l)y his nature ; he carries on his mischief in the dark ; like the night-owl he com- mences to fly about when the sun sets, but he hides during the hours of the day, he cannot bear the Sun of light and glory, but desires to rob him and have the glory to himself. He dims tlie way of others with his darkness, and makes his servants act as eclipses, and he and his provoke Grod to send them strong delu- sions tliat he may keep them in the dark and make them more like himself. Do not believe him again when he tells you that you belong to John's old dead church, for John witnesses that Christ is the life and light of man. Christ took his life and light from the old Jewish church and transferred it to the new Jewish Church, which he organized on the day of Pentecost by his spiritual fire operations, and heart and voice were filled with love on that day, and on that day there was not a dissenting voice from any member of his new church. But satan had his agents with his nature there, who immediately commenced to tell lies, saying, " these men are filled with new wine" (their own " say so"). But Peter gave the proof texts, (not himself) but fact, and said, " these men are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day." The Jews never drink till after dinner, and the fact of their own usages proved them liars. Peter continues, — " But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel : And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith Grod, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy." No wonder that this gen- eration, whom John called vipers, were offended when they heard Joel and Peter, the old and the new, proclaiming Grod's powers by his Spirit poured out on sons and daughters, enabling them to sing Sion's songs in their native land. See proof that they were all Jews, Acts 2 : 5, — " And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven." Now you see in the transfer there were Jews out of every nation, and not one Centile mentioned. In the 10th chapter Peter takes in Cornelius, a Grentile, and all his house ; Peter pleads when Grod gave them the kernel, he thought they should have the shell, the outside ; and they were baptized and taken upon the same platform with the first Jewish Christian church in the world, — God being the head of it, it will never be changed, it will be the last memorial forever and ever. Christ's ministers always prefer the baptism of heavenly fire, of light and love, and the water, their profession of faith. mm iople that God ihould believe a on with tlie old his nature ; he fht-owl he com- des during the ' and glory, but He dims the ervants act as m strong delu- ke them more tells you that witnesses that his life and it to the new ■ Pentecost by ^ere filled with ssenting voice had his agents ed to tell lies, leir own " say self) but fact, 3ose, seeing it ^er drink till ^d them liars, ipoken by the St dayg, saith md your sons ;hat this gen- d when they liming God's ers, enabling ie proof that dwelling at ider heaven." ivery nation, iiapter Peter i*eter pleads should have taken upon lurch in the changed, it Javenly fire, n of faith. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 47 scondary ; their opposites prefer the water as the superior. I im happy to say there are some of my Baptist friends who do lot give the preference to the water, — they are the exceptions, think if we prefer anything his hands have made we dishonor ' tlio maker and cannot be a member of his church, for he has ^^aid — " Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 'W I now come to mother and daughter. Surely you see you i^don't belong to either, for you never were a Jew, and how many "hundreds of times have you asserted that you belong to I' John the Baptist's church, when you did not and do not belong ';to it. See, tJhrist has left that church, and he that is the life 'andlightof a church is not in it. Well, put you in a church 'where there is neither life, breath nor light, and can you see without liglit — can you breathe without air ? No. It is death in every shape and form, without the life and light of Jesus. Now your sentence is given, — he will make them of the syna- gogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, and do lie. I hope you will desert that old murderer, and live and 6y to Jesus, the city of refuge, crying " life, life, eternal life." [ have come to the last statement, which is — " Remember it ever, — that restricted communion — that is, the communion of disciples who have obeyed Jesus in baptism and in life, — is only another name for fidelity to Christ." Restricted communion ' ( with my God is — ye are not to eat the Lord's Supper with liars, '0 drunkards, blasphemers, idolaters, extortioners, &c. No, not to % eat. My God forbids them on account of their character, and ■!h I am to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of dark- ,: ness, but rather reprove them, — which I am now doing. My ,ji Fa. her, through I aul, forbids them eating and abusing, and I' drinking to be drunken,— an awful abuse. In 1 Corinth. 11:23, Paul gives as he has received, not as his own, — " For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread : and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat : this is my body, which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of me." Here he is the Lamb to be slaughtered, his body broken with thorns, spikes and spear. " After the same manner he took the cup, when he had supped, saying : This cup is the new testament in my blood : this do ye, aa often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." No binding to any cer- tain time, but as they found most expedient, for it was lawful every day, but the disciples' usage was the first day of the week, — a very good example — but no special command from God. The soul that walks with God is always ready. From the way the passage is worded some might be led to think there was !?»' ■% 48 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. great mystory in this tragedy, for he says " this is my body," broken in the hands of that body it represents; and again Ik says, " this cup is the new testament in my bh)0(J," and all his l>lood in hiri veins. From the teachings I received and the- knowledi.'^e I have got of the Godhead, in the creation the threcj^j divine essences in tlieir sovereignty liad a right to lay out their pliins, and (rod to reveal his laws in the govf -"ynt of liis cre- ation, and keep his secrets to himself, and U' - can ever Ik- able to fathom their vast immensity only as ne in his wisdom is pleased to reveal them as expediency and la-fulness demand. It could never have been before that time that Peter took Cor- nelius into the Christian church, for there was no such church. Our Jiord took peculiar means to get Peter to believe that tli( Gentiles were to be followers, and draw their nourishment from his native olive tree ; and God having all his plans organized, it was oiie eternal now with God, without a change in his pur- poses and iaithfulness in giving his Son as the sprinkler of na- tions ; avid when applied to Adam's family according to his sovereign will, it took death and condemnation from them; — the same wijon a babe in Bethlehem, the same when the wise men from tlie (just worshipped him in the mpnger nd offered the laurels belonging to the kings of the Jews i 'ra, with gold, frankincense and myrrh ; the same when ^iux^. inder the law shed the ii rst meritorious blood — and all the types pointed here ; and tlie same when he received the two baptisms, the water and the Spirit ; the same when John witnessed its descent ; the same as when God showered down his blessings on all who law- fully claimed him ; the same as when he told his disciples he had a baptism to be baptized with. Here our Lord says with his own mode, and as it is the third he is about to get, I think he should know how to word it ; but no matter, it is the tongue, — shell. Just the same when the thorns were applied to him, the hammer, the nails and the soldier's spear, — all applied to him liki; the water and the Spirit; and the truth is his body was broken and his blood poured out ; the same when he suf- fered an. 1 rose from the tomb ; the same as when he made their hearts burn when he talked with them ; the same when he gave the last commission to the disciples to teach and baptize all na- tions ; and when he went to heaven unchangeably the same — our Great High Priest and advocate before the throne. If you reject the sacrifice that God the Father has accepted, will he accept oi" any of your own choosing ; or, in other words, go for- ward to the emerald gates and say that your sins were washed away in the lake or in the river ! Oh, hear him say, as he has said, " get behind me, satan," — " cast him into outer darkness." I ii i NO. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHlNTr, 49 ■- -f n's is my body," ; and again lu od," and all his ceived and tlie eation the three ' to luy out their ynt of his cro- ' can ever Ix; "' in his wisdom ilness demand, i'eter took Cor- no such church. >e]ieve that tlie urisiiment from •lans organized, n.i>e in his pur sprinkler of na- !cording to hia om them ; — the 1 the wise men nd offered the 'm, with gold, mder the law s pointed here ; , the water and descent; the n all who law- is disciples he ^ord says with 'O get, I think ' is the tongue, )plied to him, all applied to h is his body when he suf- he made their when he gave •aptize all na- j the same — rone. If you pted, will he vords, go for- were washed ay, as he has er darkness." 1^ til ink of " outer darkness," where a sunbeam i« never seen. Our Lord accept* of all on account of their faitli in him, — the wao ufime and the one fountain to cleanse from all sin, — and if lH^eir characters are consistent, they are free to go forward and 1 take of that bread, and discern our Lord's body broken for ; and I lielieve it is all-suthcient to save my soul and body eternal lit«. I al«o take this cup in remembrance of Him hi shed his blood for me. And I believe the h.liest man that ^vcr lived, or now lives, nor myself, with all my pleaching and aying and travels night and day, cannot take on** sin awiiy. drink this wine as emblematic of that blood shed on calvary's OH8, wljich is aH-«utficient to cleanse me from iill sin, — and if 1-sutficient, I want no other, any other would disgrace the odhead's fountain. So in (iod's plan, faith and character only required; for in Christ .Jesus there is neither Jevv nor Greek, ythian, bond nor free. Accept of Chiist, he is all in all. ow, as I understand your godhead system, it is no matter how uch grace and fhith I have, and an unblemished character, ou would not receive me mitil I would bow down to your great od immersion, the standard of infallibilify with you. Why, r, you cannot sit down at the Lord's table and not discern his ody broken and his liff-atoning, sprinkling blood, poured ut and put in that office 1/ his Father, for that very end. It s impossible you could dib< rn his body broken and hie blood jpoured out, and yet deny it, nd prefe ■ and draw efficacy from ijihe lower fountain, — you siuei v discern it. Now, sir, hear the ,)^|)roof texts, — my Father's hammer: — 1st Cor. 11 :29, "For he -iithat eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh dam- i» nation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." And as ♦tiyou have been very bold in demanding proof texts, I will give il you another. See Hebrews 10 ; 29, — " Of how much sorer pun- i fishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath 1;, trodden under feet the Son of Grod, and hath counted the blood - of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, ,ii and hath done despite mato the Spirit of grace." Now, air, it is no matter if all the popes and bishops and ministers of all sects, yea, and John Collins with them, curse and anathemise you a thousand times, it avails nothing ; but the 30th verse says, — " Vengeance belongeth unto me, 1 will recompense, saith tlie Lord," 0, sir, agree with thine adversary while thou art in 1 the way. You see I give no man's words as a statute, *:hey can l>e nothing but witnesses, either false or true ; for 1 believe none of them have got te the upper house of parliament to legislate for us. I intended to try the truth of the " Baptist Centenary,"' but forgot, — it is an infirmity to which old and young babes I.* ) ^0^ fHE tffixvfcNt^ FAtttEift's fMcmm. are subject. I feel pleased when my father spoon-feeds and brightens up my ideas, bringiag to my memory whatsoeij'JJ h he has said to me. jm^ t Another burst of his pride wine. — " A Methodist nainis^imut asked the Rev. Araory Grale, in- Minnesota, hoW long it would y^^ before the Buptists would hold their ^'fentenary. Mr. Gale :((p|,ur plied that the Baptist centenary would occur in about 32 yea^ li and that it would be their nineteenth centenary celebratioij( Why, these people are drunk and doting about thei? age» Ttii are before all others, — they aeknowledge" only one equal wif themselves. I have been searching to iind out their b^innii ne'j^ei and the best I can find is in the " Relio^io'us Denominations ^trnt the World," from the best authors-, by Vincent L. Milner, paj^ 300 38 and 39. He says the father of the Baptists in America w \^ n Kogers Williams. In the year 1639, the Baptist church in ti loi^c country was organized in the Province of Rhode Island, it ce^ John and Christ's. No,— the mode is not mentioned in eitln place ; but Philip surely understood the mode, witli water, wIki John baptized him with water ; and all* the discipks and all tin iim. THE HEAVENLY FATHEB'S TEACHING. 51 t lem 1 "^ 'Wgfon round about knew John baptized with water, for it was J w^atsoeuQij jjj(j in a corner. Philip, from the fact of his own experience r ,r ,. . . and the knowledge he had of Jesus, — whom he preached to the . ^^^'^««Jluch, the slaughtered lamb, the sprinkler of nations, — could \f p*^'^*^y*^ think that Philip used the words, in the act of baptism, ■ h^ *^' ^ale '^lii^'^^f?®' *^^P ^^^ immerse" ? — words that were never heard from a out 62 }eai(jgr]ipg of Jesus, nor from one of the apostles, neither is the Ttl celebratioi^d recorded in the New Testament. They told me to read the leiFage. il Jj^e, thinking that when they seen it in every page, x would /^"? f 4ual \v g^iy ggy it loo^ I confess I read it a little, and in all I read I It their beginr.i) q^j. found that great god " immerse." It seems he made his L ATl"^^^"' ifiearance in the days of Rogers Williams, between 200 and . Milner, pa. ^J^ years ago — a good while ago, — in their blindness striving f ^1^ America w totiiipset the government of heaven ; and now have grown so tist church in ti \^e as to defy the armies of the God of Israel, and as broad- ^ ^ ^®^^^"» 1^ f '11 m^ as John proclaimed " with water," the opposite proclaims e wnole C0m]);u «i^niersion" is the way, the only way. To prove this they have issed the inferior word "with water," and put "in" in its ice ; and also the inferior word, used and uttered from the of Christ and John, "baptize" is supplanted, and their great iah " immersion" put in its place. This is the truth, and ^^ ■ ^, ^_i cannot deny it, — I am a witness, ready any time to prove it. 30tb day of Jnii- »«ere is no proof against John and Christ from Philip and the aaeplan. I hop. ,|||ixich, for there is neither plunge, dip nor immerse here nor Id clanish sfci fi| Enon. I believe such language was never used in either ot he Mormons, ;ii 0e two cases, to contradict John and Christ. No, they prove >lume of inspiiv niching against either. Well, Christ and John were in the first slated them hi ig^t with water, and it is not mentioned with the other two, — tist,— and six jgjt, all right, — for I believe ihey give no opposition to John «itd Christ the str-tute ; John and Christ are members of the wret Jewish church, and Christ transferred the old Jewish church the new Jewish church, and as there is no foundation but rist, and Christ not being in any of the three aforesaid, — l&hn's, the Roman and Baptist, — why, they must be bottom- Ibbs, without a foundation. Is it possible, after all the toil and hfhoY of my weak baby mind, that you will provoke God to jver having \m bers, Mr. Ezeki . retuTB baptiz. !v. Benjamin ILi Armenian, orj^ai ■ But I see ^1 John's baptism i :ed by him in ti 1 into the wate 13 immersion, here. On the- Hireh, and strai >w, 1 think Y, true statute iin ommenced baji ily declared an and the eu»u( i ► witness agaiii> tiened in eitln 'itli water, wlui £'ve you the sentence, — cast the unprofitable servant into outer jkness. Outer darkness, — terrible thought ! the last immer- fion, I can do but little, — but still I have duty to do ; poor, fesignificant me, like a bubble on the stream, or a moat in the breeze, — but God knows, if I could I would never let one ot -jfou smell the fire, let alone to feel its scorching smart. Again, how blind was Amory Gale making his triumph over 'Hie Methodists who were only one hundred years of age, saying ^plesaod all tli they (the Baptists) would celebrate their ninetepT>th centenary 52 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. ew^Al el in about thirty-two years. Now Q-od's church never ex. ■ built or raised on lies, it must be built on his Son, tht fj^j rock; and he has said he will make them of the 8ynap:ou satan who say they are Jews and are not, and do lie. The is you never belonged to John's old church ; and, sir, yoii mend others to have their wits about them and give bili swers like the above. It is said "one lie makes many," ^^[^ they have to be covered over with gosple order, bible aast^^. and scripture records — like those on whom God prononfj*^ woe,— ^see Luke 11 : 44 : " For ye are as graves which appear*5^j^ and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."*^^! I come now to reply to my mistaken friend's boast respec^fflL the Baal of Infant Baptism. He says, — There has never ^ff^jp a time when a remnant of this people have not remained ii ^^^• faith who have not bowed the knee to the baal of infant tism. Now, sir, I think you are very like Peter, when J told him he served the things that be of men, — and I \vi> serve tAi6 things that be of God. And here are the two dist generations, — ^and when I make a digression from the Godli the true Statute, and tell lies, I wish you to apply my m;ie God a pedo-baptist, so I go back to^^^jn|^j^ first baptism ^ver recorded,---that at the Ked Sea, — ^when ^^qJ^q^ women and children «'ere equally accepted with the first b^| ^-^p tizer, God. ^ nd one of my imthinking friends said they 'ijn^^) all adult believers. Oh, caid I, there were six thousand k^mm's and tvhat a numerous offspring they must have had. j^t^ \ think , a few nights before they left how God saved the first-bjn^ \^^ when they applied the blood out of the basin. And here ^||^£ 5 C ho' er ACHING. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 63 fhurch never c^.-M m his Son tin ^ 3F" ^^® opposite, for God commanded it to be kept in the 3f the synap'o. i*^*"^^ ^^^"^ godhead sentiment is — 'away with your bowls id do lie. The ^^'^^^'^^ '' ^ ^^^ would not allow any one to follow God's ; and sir vou ''*''**'^^ ^^ example. And again, if your godhead had been n and give bi}),**'^*^^ ^^J^^^ out your system, you would have corrected makes many "^'^Ml'^d Mosea' mistakes, and have sent these ignorant, insen- )rder bible an ^v^^'^^ unconscious children back to Egypt until they believe om God pronoi .^ir parents did, and then let them get their parents' bap- i^es which annei "** ^^^ ^^^ accepted them, — and again we prove the two ware of them ''^''l''l^^^ directly opposite. What would be the effect of send- nd's boast respei *fSeni back,— why, God in his sovereign design choose that here has neve . 'ply my ma? you will equally nng the examp " In the first pi' for they gave tl t, and the pa pted the offei ■believing pan gn of the covei to be taken in epting them, would upset the government of heaven. Iii>me to prove God is unchangeable and entered into cove- iwith Abraham. See Genesis 17:9, — read it, it is not hand. " God said unto Abraham, every man-child that ng you shall be circumcised." Read it. But I will take annlv mv m P^^® ^^^^ characters that are to undergo the sign. And first, ^^ y.. y ''V«-dnam; second, his seed, Isaac ; third, those born in thy fourth, the man or stranger bought with money, that 'go this sign, to you is the land of Canaan given. If G od covenant had said to you Abraham, and to your seed, ose mentioned are to be circumcised as I am, an adult r, why it would have been then as it is now, only be- are to be baptized ; if you had been permitted at the 11 you would have had it changed to make it consistent your principles and practice, — you would have suggested Hhe word " child" be erased, and " eight days" changed, md th W ~^^^ there would be some reasonableness in bearing the sac- cts Dro ^^Wilk^ when they became adults. But the independent Sov- ici-Hi • Z'^'x 'ns&ipi has worded it, to you Abraham and adult believers, and isted m that ^^^t u • li. j i j j • • j • i. , ,, . .^OttR Isaac, when eight days old and circumcised, is as true an so brfh ^^ l^^^i*^ Canaan as his father. It is enough when G^d is the ibo P "? '•eoflfder, — and the record says the babe is as acceptable with ^ jQ^as his adult believing father. There are some who have ) r >i Ir f '^^ ^^ much from the tree of knowledge that they have not ^ ® ^^ :xvmd the knee to this baal. God says it is an everlasting th Ih fi ^ f ^MWfltoant. It is awful presuming in man to try to break the ds 'H fh ^^*'^» '^^'^ ^^^y ^^^ ^^ ^^^ soverign choice of bowing (not his th ^ A '^^^"Pl^) ^^^ nature and carrying the lambs in his bosom. Abra- h ^"h*^ "^iil's spiritual seed will never know a change in God ; if they rl fTi a\ k*^*^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ word, and never fear results, but draw the knife ij f ^"*" W let God stay the hand or slay the victim. It will be all right nere l|j| ^^ ^^^^ Never bow to satan's wiley cunning and serpentine 54 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. it' twisting. Grod never gave a command to a child- to believe, — God is not an austere man, to reap where he did not sow (see Matt. 2:14), but God commaiifls the parents who have them in trust. He commanded Joseph and Mary to take the young child and get him circumcised, and he took them by night and departed into Egypt, and he called them to return to the land of Israel again. Parents are commanded to bring up their children in the nurture of the Lord. He does not bid them to take his place and convert them, but to reprove, admonish and teach them, and offer them to God both day and night. God was displeased with Moses for his neglect in not getting his son circumcised,— se Ex. 4 : 24. The .apostle warns them against the opposition,— see Phillipians 3 : 2-5—" For we are the cir- cumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." The apostle could boast of having been circumcised the eighth day, and of being a Hebrew and a Pharisee ; but he counts all these manual works and fleshly labours as dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. As he expresses it in Galatians 5 : 6 — " For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any- thing, nor uncircumcision ; but faith which worketh by love." The apostle Paul has settled it up forever. We see God com- manded circumcision in old times, — the age of sacrifices, — and it ended with Christ himself. And in the new, before he went up into heaven, he commanded his disciples to teach and baptize all nations. So he is the Commander-in-chief in both, and his subjects are to obey equally in both. A Baptist friend said to me — " God does not show any displeasure on us as he did to Moses, and we don't baptize our children." Well, your children should — if ah nations are to be baptized — but the fact is your children's name is not honored with the name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and here again you prove your opposition. Several of my acquaintances have called children for me, and my common humanity hailed it with respect, and I did not request it, as the above do ; but if you were bidden to do some great thing you would do it, but in so trivial a thing your majesty would not bow the knee. And here we may infer that common humanity is better than this godhead's system. But there are exceptions, — one of my favorite Baptist friends told me that two of his children were very sick, a lady friend came to see them, and she was as superstitious on her side of the question as he was on his — (and it is superstition to think t^ at any man's hand, word or that water could take away one stain of sin ; it would be a dishonor to Christ's fount, as that took death away and justified thera ; and I would have them all THE HEAVENLY FATHEIt'S TEACHmG. 35 'ba'ptized in the name of tl>e Justifier, then my duty would be -done, and I would have a good conscience toward Grod ; the chiid has nothing to do in it, but it is left with the Fountain and Name, Who has the efficacy and increase to give,) — but the father of the children, in his filiai kindness, gave his con- sent to have them baptized, although he did not believe in the rite for children, yet h« believed tlie name would do the child- ren no harm ; I confess I do revere hi« memory for his liberty and philantrophy. I heard of a temaln who could no* let her head go down under the 'water, — some said '-sprinkle her bead,' but no, -she wae a true opposite. But the foundation of God stands sine — ihe promise is to Abraham and ^his spiritual ^eed to all generations. Come, children, praise your meek and holy King — the opposite if they would -st^p you, but they cannot, — for your heavenly King in- ihales your sweet, docile and dependent breath, and when your babyish tones are accepted, that is enough. I am not a poet, /but I Jftow writ«a«i appropriate hymn: — How large tiie promise, how divine, To Abraham and his seed — I am a God to thee and thine, * Suppljdng dll you need. Tho words of his extensive lovre .From age to age endure ; The angel of the covenant proves. And «eal« the blessing sure. Jesufi tfee-aneient faith confitmed. To our great father given — .He lakes our (children to his arms, And calls them heirs of heaven. Oh, God, how faithfal ate thy ways, Thy love endures the swne ; Nor from the promise of diy grace "Blot out our childrens name. 1 now oome to the transfer of the J-ewish covvinantto the Christian dispensation— and t.hough the dispensation is changed -the subjects are not changed— -^n the first- christian day that ever dawned on the world, the hrst christian baptism was pcr- * formed on that day; there «could not have been a chris(.ian bap- 'tism before a christian day. There are four characters men- tioned in the Christian as in the Jewish Covenant. (Acts 2 : .39.) iFirst, to you, adult telievers ; second, to your children-; third!, tto all that are afar off- to us gentiles; fourth, even as many as Abe Lord our God ^hall tice and judgment mingle into love. What an awful faith is the doctrine that rejects all believers in Christ because they are not immersed ; I their godhead's system condemns their own children without they are immersed. I heard it from their lips, — it is not he that believeth shall he saved, but he that is baptized. So grace and faith will not save us, but their immersionist god will. An old oountry woman brought up to this point her senses got into a puzzle and confusion, finding 'according to their new doctrine they must be immersed or lust, in her simplicity she exclaimed, " The Lord pity us if the old country people are all lost, where the name of baptism by immersion was never h^ard." But to return to the paragraph which the minister dismissed, imagining he proved the sin of infant baptism. As three consistent wit- nesses prove all cases I will give you them. I will not give you the prophets nor the apostles, but the three witnesses of the Grodhead. First, the word ; second, his spirit ; third, his nature. He said, " Suffer little children to come unto me," that is his word ; second, his spirit, — he was displeased with his disciples (not with those who brought the children) ; and third, his nature proved,-T-hi8 hand and his blessing. And here the question is settled forever and ever — first, the baby fit for the old Jewish church; second, and the new Jewish church; third, fit for his holy hands and blessing, and fourth, fit for heaven. See Israel's pen tie Shepherd stands, ' With all-ongtiKin^ charms ; Hark I how he calls the tender Iambs, And folds them in his arms. Permit them to approach, he cries, Nor scorn their humble name, For 'twas to blesa such souls as these The Lord of angels came. ' We bring them, Lord, in thankful hands. And yield them up to thee, Joyful tliat we ourselves are thine, — Tkine let our ofiPspring be. Very lately I heard of a Baptist minister who would not sing this hymn. Why you would think they would like to see them cast down and their mouths stopped. Our Lord has said " What- : Boever measure ye meet shall be measured to you again." *1 / k ' I 62 THR ItRAVKffLY PATHRR'h TRAOHINO. m w Tn Mark 5 : 22, a ruler of tlie ayna^oj^ue, J aims by name, })e8ou;;lit him to put liis hands on his little daufj^hter and she would live; he went, and when he came near tiie house certain met the father and told him his daughter was dead : wliv troub- lest thou the Master any further? VV^hen Jesus heard the word he said to the father, " Be not afraid, only believe." It could not })e the flau;;hter'8 faith, slie being dead. The opposite party were at hand, and they laughed him to scorn, but he cast out the laughers and scorners, and took in the fat.ier and mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and he took her by the hand and said, " Damsel, I say unto thee, arise." And the damsel arose and walked, for she was twelve 5'ear8 of age. Well migiit the household sing,^ — gl^ry ^^ God on high, above all gods he is. We never heard such joyful notes from the opposi- tion household. It has been thought by some that children l)ecome accountable about twelve years of age, from the example of Jesus, who said to his parents — " Would ye know that I must go about my Father's business." But I leave it there, and come to the solid rock, that is — Jesus took in the father and mother, the presenters of their daughter ; what a happy household, to have the covenant; law revealed, to you and to 3 our children ; the most convincing and confirming of the covenant was the dead child brought to life. I would say in scripture language, " Let God be true and every man a liar," and let the opposite revers-e it if they can. ♦ In John 4 : 47 — the nobleman's child presented by his father. And Jesus said except ye see signs and wonders ye will not be- lieve. He said. Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth. And the man believed the word Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. His servant met him, and said. Thy son liveth. And he enquired at what time he began to mend ; and he said, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. Then he proves whether it was nature or nature's God restored his child. So the father knew it was at the same hour in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth ; and he and his whole household believed. It was not the child's faith, for it was not present with Jesus and the father when they conversed. And in that hour he was healed. Here, through the father's faith alone God conveyed the bless- ings of liis covenant to his household — to you and your children. And all the opposite who veject, by unbelief, can never draw a blessing to themselves nor their children. Here his omniscience and omnipresence is proved, — the attributes of the Father in him,— though far apart., the moment he spoke the healing came. Distance is not with him, — what a mystery to poor humanity I la in TlfR Hrt.WK.N'LY FATH Mil's fVACttim. 69 Whaf a mystery, wlurn we think of .r.>hT>, the l)ri])f',leip;n(v wlien Mary, who was l.ririn<,' JcrtuH*, s«aliit('(1 KHnabotli, and nhe \\\ » filled with the llolyCJhost: Who l>y sparchiri',' rnn fmd him out? In thf'oase ot'tlie jaihir wltfn he "a^ked, Hirn^ what shall I do to be saved? tlu^did not direct him to wrnfkii of ri<;hteoM8nes? to get salvation; that is not the medinrn or way to find it. The new and livinn- way is- believe on the Lord Jeans Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy liouse. He little knew this way of salvation for himaeif and miicli lesg his house ; but the apoetle with firmness told it to him before eith»M' him or his house were saved, and made no mention of ajre. Where did Paul ^ct this bold assertion ? Paul well knew the original par(nit stock to Abraham, and Jesus the native olive tree. When the jailor be- lieved lie took them first out of the inner prison ; here the good works spring from his saved souL— instead of being their tyran- ical master he U^comes their stivant and washed their stripes ; the apostles taught them the word of the Lord, that because he was Abraham's seed his household was implied, and he was bap- tized, he and all his straightway. Then they multiplied their good works, for when he had brought them into his houst; he sat meat before them, and rejoiced believing in God with all. his house; here an increase of faith and grace is multiplied unto them ; it is but the earnest of that which lay before them, and for us all who live and believe. Some may ask where Paul got this teaching about households. See Luke 19:9. — There was a man named Zacchoeus who was anxious to see Jesus, he gave him an outward call and it was an effectual one, too, for he came down and rec^eived him joy- fuUyi He stood before the Lord and said, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I giv^ to the poor. The law did not bind him to give the half to the poor, that was left to his own discretion, but the law bound every man who had ill-begotten property to n 'ore it fourfold, and he submitted to his Lord's requirement. suK said unto him. This day is salvation come to this house, rasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. This is the con- usion and top-stone in settling all disputes about households. The apostle Paul puts the house last, but Jesus puts it first ; it is the same in substance, — that Gfod equally accepted the house- holds with the adult believing parents. I am more convinced of this si' ^ writing of the act and deed of Jesus, and in his saying " v believe." The damsel being dead had no faith. He tool by the hand and gave her alire to her parents, the only fit senters of their chili. Jesus accepted the faith of the parei and never scrvpled a')Out her being twelve years of age. TL rpostle Paul was grieved when he heard of innova- )1 I 64 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TjiACHINQ. Si*' vations on the faith and abuse of the ordinances. He baptized Crespes and Grains, and also the household of Stephanas : but he preferred the great work of preaching i he gospel. And then and now there is not one golden link broken from Abraham to Jesus. The diamond and topstone, of truth crowns the whole. I insert a hymn which appeared in the Christian Banner : — Above all names the precious name Of Jpsus is the beet ; li, is srt simple, short And easily expreased. The babe can lisp this precious name, The cliild can tell its story, The sick can whisper it through pain, The old still speak his glory. It is so small and yet so great, Su much does comprehend, That v/hen the angels speak the name Then every knee must bend. So small that little children's hearts Can give it dwelling place ; So vast the heaven of heavens itself Can scarce aford it place. Then, too, this name has wond'ro«8 power To comfort, soothe and cheer. To brighten every gloomy hour, And scatter every fear. No other name can save the soul. And lead to heavenly rest. Now children sing this lovely name, The dearest and the best. There is no namo so sweet on earth, No name so sweet in heaven, The name before iiis wond'rous birth To Christ the Saviour given. We love to sing around our king, .\nd hail him— Blessed JesusT For there's no word ear ever heard So dear, so sweet as Jesus. And to me it is sufficient. Tie acts, deeds, words, spirit and nature of Jesus, against his false prophets and false doctrines, and approving of his true ones. God always exposed the sins of his apostles and prophets, lest any one shuuid be deceived by them. A wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein, even if he has never learned a sentence of grammar or any of the dead languages,— Christ has not put it as a stumbling block in the way to get to him ; only knoir your mother-tongue and heavenly Father's voice, and all will be well with 50U, your paspport will be clear. 1 come to prove the harmony of Grod's word, spirit and nature with respect to baptism. 1st Corinthians, 15 : 29, — " Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" Doctor Clark says this is the most difficult verse in the New Testament, fov notwithstanding the greatest and wisest men have labored to explain it, there are to this day nearly as many different in- terpretations as there are interpreters. I shall not employ my time, nor that of my readers, with a vast number of conflicting opinions. I think the Doctor was disgusted with their corrupt streams and he threw them tronj hi° senses, — as I felt when I read the " One Hundred and [Cyyenty Denominations," and seen the inventions of satan and mati, and covering all over with THE HEAVP.NLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 65 ^1 land ^our ture ?hat 3tor mt, )red in- imy ping lupt In I leen rith Christ and Christianity, j^oapel order, etc,— and every denomi- nation wants to baptize; in the faith ot its creed atid or^'unized church government, assertin*; chat it is Ihe bit)le dortiine. We have a right to believe one as well ns the other, when they ac- knowledge the statute, the bible. The Doctor, in his tirst observation states tlie truth, for the apostle Paul all through was proving the doctrine of the resurrection. This doctrine Christ taught his disciples, and Paul is his witness. Many of the denominations are not Saducees. I now wish to show the christian fait:h recorded in the bible, apart from all sects and creeds ; and every candidate for baptism should make his profession of faith in the doctrines Christ taught his disciples. First, the fall of man. Second, the remedy, Jesus, God's free gift ; tiie moment he gave him he restored all that was dead in Adam to life, and all condemned, to justification. Third, the doctrine cf repentance, which he taught his disciples ; Peter understood it well, and told his master he forgave his brother seven times, — our Lord approved of his obedience, and taught him if his brother repented to for- give him seventy times seven. He taught this practically to his servants, he fdrgave them because they had nothing to pay with, and because th'^*y desired him ; and one of them met his fellow servant and demanded payment of his debt, his fellow servant promised to pay him all, he would not wait, but put him in prison ; his lord called him to account, and told nim he should have forgiven his fellow servant as hi ? lord had foi'given him, and he ordered him to be put in prison (not for the former but the latter) ; so there is forgiveness with (rod by repentance, jind according to his teachings there is forgiveness, man with man, — but let no man take God's place. When the law-clause is complied with, this free gift is not the justifier of one offence but of many offences ; and this is the fourth doctrine he taught his disciples — justitication. Fifth, growing in grace and the farther knowledge of Jesus Christ. See Hebrews 6:1. Leav- ing the foundation of repentance from dead works, the doctrine of Christ is to go on to perfection, and faith toward God in the doctrine of baptisms ; — yes, multiplied and renewed blessings every day. Sixth, the resurrection from the dead, eternal judgment, etc. These are the essentiaf doctrines Christ taught his disciples ; the candidates believing these doctrines, being determined to persevere to the end— and if they have children, upon their profession of faith in God, tl a children will Jae accepted by him, and honor their name with Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Constant living and believing faith is sure to draw the blessings we need to conquer . \ ery foe, and living and I -I 66 THE HEAVEXLY FATHER'S TEACfflNG, believing in him we shall never die, — he cannot die, and his life;* being ours we cannot die,— -but will pass througk death's rapids as a shadow to life's fruition, where death can never come. Let man keep his place and not intrude on God's place to attempt to regenerate either men or children, hut accept of them when God has done that work for them. Parents have to lament over the disobedience of their children, yes, and our Lord has made lamentation and said he had brouubt up children and they had rebelled against him, and he upbraids thcmj »aying, " the ox knoweth his owner," etc. — Isaiah, 1 : 2. But to return to Corinthians 15:9, which the wisest a id most learned men in the world, the Doctor says, have labored at and discussed, each one striving to be wiser tb-an all the rest put together, and the Doctor seems to leave it to them to finish. It seems plain to rae, — as Paul was a great advocate of the doctrine ot ihe resurrection, the topstone tbat crowns all the rest in heaven, and as it is upon the profession of their faith all baptisms take place, and as Christ is the resurrection and the life, and Paul his advocate, it is essentially necessary that all candidates for christian baptism should profess their faith in the resurrection. Paul says there is a natural body and a spir- itual body, in other words, an outward man and an inward man ^ he also says, as the outward man decays- the inward man is to* be renewed day by day. The inward man resides in the decay- ing man, and when unable to sustain its guest it takes its flight, and when the resurrection morn dawns the re-creating hand of God brings it forth a spiritual body. See Romans 7 : 3, 4. Paul asks, — " How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were l)aptized into his death ?" This repre- sents us as penitent, broken-hearted sinners : by the Spirit of God and by faith our souls are saved thr«xigh His death and' resurrection, — we are raised to newness of life, the flesh lusts are crn.cified, and are dead to the pleasures they formerly lived in. How can we lire any longer in sin when we have no de- sire for or pleasure in it 't Another correspondent proves the above, — " You liatli he (juickened who were dead in tresspasses- and sin." Christ has all the glory here, and man is stripped of his tig leaves. There are two figures which our Baptist friends greatly boast of, — they are " burying" and " planting-" First, btiried with him by baptism unto death. It must men •> the soul, for there is no change in the body by going through the operation. I heard tiiem say they should follow the Saviour to- the grave. That is another " say so," for we never heard of him being buried but once; and what was the mode? — ki* THE HE.WENLY FATHER'S TEACHINQ. 67 m toger Itized grave WdS hewn out of a rock, and far less particles thrown out than we do with the spade or shovel. How was he covered — was it by an application,— was the rock cleaved asunder, and was he covered over by it ? Here you are confounded. He was buried the way we bury, by an application to the subject. The stone was placed to the door and sealed (the same as I have seen in the votes in Ireland). The atone applied to and the same plastered. Therefore there is no figure suits their system but Coradatha, where the earth opened and closed over them, — a complete burying by immersion, and more complete still by the people being buried alive. Again, we are planted in the likeness, we shall also be in the likeness at the resurre'^tion. How do we practically plant say apple quicks ? We dig up and prepare the place, pulverize the soil and apply it to the roots ; likewise the same to all others of the kind. To say we pressed them under the soil would be untrue. When potatoes are planted in beds we generally spread the mannrp md drop the seed, take the spade, dig the earth and apply it to them ; with the hoe we prepare a place for the seed, and then apply the soil to them ; we make the drills with the plough, spread the manure, drop the seed and then apply the mould to them with the plough. It is all in harmony with Christ applying the Spirit to the subject, and John the water. We sow wheat, oats and other seed broadcast, and apply the mould with a harrow, rake or other instrument, — by application. I believe you are a contradiction to your system, for you never followed the sower and with your finger pressed the seed down vnder the earth. This does not refer to the body, but to the soul taking its roots out of the world's pleasures. We know when the roots are taken out of the soil they draw no nourishment from it ; and then in their withering, dying state Christ takes them and plants them in his soil of grace, and they draw their nourish- ment from the soil they are planted in ; Christ nourishes it to bring forth holy living and triumphant dying. See 1st Corinth. 12 : 13, — " For by one Spirit are we all bap- tized into one body," (this must be the inner man) " whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free ; and have been all made to drink into one spirit." This belongs to the spiritual membership of Christ's spir-' -this is surely the inucsr man ; not making little oi toward man, but keeping it in its place, like leaves about iruit and chaff about wheat. If you think you can live on leaves and chaff you are mistaken — you will not surv ive long ; a soul cannot live on means and ordinances, — it must have Christ's spirit and lif** to ^lyoy them or else they will die. 68 THE HEAVENLT FATHER'S TiSACHINO. I refer to Ephesians 4:5, 6,— There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and God and Father of all, who is ovOT all, etc. There is nothing plainer than — 1st, God is the spiritual father ; 2d, his spiritual children ; 3rd, his spir- itual baptism — the blessing of the father and the power from on high — for he is above all and over all. Had they all the baptisms by the holiest men they could not be made members of Christ's church without the blessing and acceptance of the Father. I heard this scripture explained by a speaker in the Baptist society ; he said that one faith, cne Lord and one bap- tism was John's baptism by immersion. Why they might as well bow down to Diana of the Ephesians as to bow to su<*h teaching as this. They do not seem to know that John's bap- tism is done away with ; in sympathy and aifectiou I will take a little more pains to prove it. See Acts 19:2, 3. Read it, for I will only give you the substance in as few words as possible. Paul finding certain disciples said unto them, — Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed ? Unto what were ye bap- tized ? They said,-T-Unto John's baptism. Paul said, — John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. So they are looking and believing no more, for t'.at is come (so John's baptism is done away with), and a second takes its place. And they were bap- tized in the name of the Lord Jesus ; and when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied. John's was as true a mode as Christ's, for Christ gave it to him ; but Christ's mode had power and fire in it. Here it is proved by Paul, by acts and deeds, (not by words) that John's baptism is done away with. The same apostle writing to the Collosians (2 : 8,-14) warns them to beware of being spoiled by philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and not after Christ : in whom also ye are circumci' M with the circumcision made without hands, (this must be ti .' inner man) in putting off the body of the sins of t])o flesh by the circumcision of Christ : buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him, thr6ugh the faith of the operation of God, — and forgiving all trespasses and blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. Here Paul shows them by Christ's circumcision, baptism, death and resurrection, and we having faith in Christ's redeem- ing plan, the old man of sin dies and is buried, and the new man is risen with Christ to sit in heavenly places with him. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHINQ. 69 •^1 Piaul carries oul Christ's pure spiritual baptism to operate upon the inner man. Bodily exercises are but little esteemed by God. See Tim. 4 : 8,—" For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable for all things." etc. See Titus, 3 : 5,— " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but ac- cording to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regenera- tion, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour." We see that works must spring from the heart, the true spiritual fountain. God the Spirit accepts them, (not from the outer man) see Gal- atians, 6 : 2,— « Behold I Paul say unto you, that if you be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing." Paul proves that circumcision and John's baptism have passed away with the dispensation, and the opposite has no profit from Christ ; he accepts of no corruptible flesh deeds for pure spirituality. See John 6 : 63, — " It is the spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profit- eth nothing : the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." As the body with the world is death stricken, how could it and its servers give life to the soi^l or spirit ? — that God alone quickens, giving it life and keepi»ig it alive. Paul and John were taught in this spiritual, heavenly and divine school. The foregoing proves God unchangeable and consistent in all his attributes — without variableness or turning. I come now to make some remarks on the New York Ameri- can Bible Union. Years past, when they were collecting money to get, as they said, a true translation of the Bible, — for they would have the most learned men of all denominations to trans- late it, and they would surely have the original and true trans- lation now, — by telling these tales they got hundreds of dollars from the simple ones. While satan feeds them with the tree of knowledge, they get so full of it as to tell all former trans- lators to stand aside, we are more holy than you, and there are none so. wise, none so learned or fit to find out the meaning of words as we are ; none fit to make laws or amend God's laws, or to inflict penalties or give indulgences but us. The people gathered them thousands of dollars — an extensive fleshly har- vest. Paul tre its this generation in this manner, long, long ago, — We are fools but ye are wise ; ye are honorable, but we are despised, etc. Such pasture as barren rocks and pride's ambitious hills, goats might live upon, but aheep and lambs would get dwarfish and lean on it. Sheep and lambs can only live and thrive in meek humility's lawns and vallies low, with pastures young, and fresh and green, and waters deep, and still and calm. I confess I am an old pedo-baptist baby, and belong to a Father who is a pedo-baptist; he baptized whole families, 70 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHINQ. and my elder brother, Jesus, did the same (he was not ashamed to call us little ones brethren), and by act and deed he baptized babes with his baptism, by conveying it by an application of his hands. Babes are not very careful whose ears they greet, and it is no matter what any baby says ; but we should listen to the Father who wields the word and spirit. In the preface to the three gospels they remark — it is proper'to say that there is a difference of opinion among the members of the commis- sion in regard to the substitution of " the immerser" for " the baptist." And now to be plain with you, I charge you with placing two lies on your bible's forehead, and will give your own evidence to prove it. First, I hear of a great Bible Union^ and then this Union states there is a dJisunio'n among the mem- bers of the committee in regard to erasing " baptist" and sub- stituting " immerser." Your own testimony proves disunion — a lie on your bible's forehead. Second, they say — " The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." The same words are used on the covering of our Testament, but the inside of yours is not the same, — it is an imposition. I heard some of them say — teach and preach what Christ said and commanded. Now, I demand of you to prove where in all the New Testament Jesus said " immersion" or commanded it to be used in any act of conveying a blessing to one subject ; I want you to prove where God instituted it as an ordinance of his, and where he blessed in the ordinance ; and where the apostles preached immersion for the remission of sin. It is not in all the New Testament, — true, it is in yours. Do you suppose we will give up Father, Son and Spirit, all the prophets, all the apostles, and what they commanded and said, and indorse your angel-of-light men ? I got a New Testament, (as a whole) which was printed two years after the three gospels, and I looked to see if they had retained " John the Baptist," but no, he is an immerser, — in op- position to the words expressed by Jesus, for he bore witness of John himself, saying, of all the prophets born of woman there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist. What learned men these are, who know the original word better than the orig- inal God knows it. All the disciples called him a baptist, but these learned men in the world (for so I have heard) and these divines may tell them they are as ignorant as Christ, or they would not have named him so. At the first of your book you state it is the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and on the inside you deny the plainest words that ever fell from Christ's lips, and from the apostles, who never used the language of your book ; telling us this is Christ's Testa- ment must be an untruth, when you deny him and his words. THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 71 lese ley jon ksus Iver Ised kta- pda. See Prov. 80: 5, 6,— Every word of God is pure. Add not unto "his word? kst he reprove tltee, and thou be found a liar. Prov. 13:5, — A rigihteoiw man hMteth lyinj;; but a wicked man i8 loathsome, and cometh to shame. The Father wields the two- «dged blade, — see Jeremiah 50 : 36,— A sword is upon the liars, and they shall dote ; a sword is upon hermighty men, and they shall be dismayed. Titus 1 : 12,— The Cretians are alway liars, «tc. When tbey preach baptism one time they are sure to end with immersion; when they deny baptism they should never name it, for by doing so it looks as if they were the characters of whom the lipostle Paul warns the simple children no more to be tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. In that day, as well as now, this generation •existed, blowing their windy doctrine about to dtceive the child-like simple ones. I say, I thank thee, Lord, that I am •not snared yet, and I owe it all to thee. In justice, my friends, you cannot be offended with me when I give you to see your -enemy, and how you have to meet him, — you have time to make peace with him, or else gather up your forces and overthrow his system. I have been ready to say when you preach baptism, — why do you make a new version to destroy it? — the other changes do not amount to much. I will cite a few of the changes made in words. Matthew 5 : 3, — Happy are the po^sr in spirit,— instead of " Blefised," etc., and wherever the wo' i ■*' blessed" was in the verses following they have substituted " happy," I believe the way Jesus words it ia the best, — for when he blesses happiness flows through the blessing or bap- tism he gives. By their version one would think they can be bappy without his blessing or baptism ; if they can it will show their supremacy over the illiterate Jesub, and the untaught fishermen. " But we have been in highest schools and colleges of the day and age," (so I was told) " the nine*' enth century." They cannot eraee fae original or place words to aquit us. Again V. 15, they substitute " lamp" for " candle, and "lightstand" for "candlestick," and " shine to all" instead of *' light to all." Mattliew 10 : 35, — they change "daughter in law" to "bride," and in the 1 1th chapter the have to " report to John" instead ot " shew John ;" v. 12, "the violent take it by force," they say *' the violent seize upon it." Eevelation 22 : 19, — in one place they change from " book of lite" to " tree of life." These are specimens of their new-fangled order of woids. They do away with candle and canvllestick, and put lamp and lightstand in their places. Oh, how men darken council with words ; but I like the kernel, the subat-aace of words, and that is light, — and 72 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. m I lit God said in the beginning, let theie be light, and there was liglit. This new firm, keeping p;ice with the age as it passes, in effect says, — you must not use the word light, for it woiild offend this late superior god's ears, and t'ni the fntu/e use the word shine, and acknowledge our godhead's superiority. See Matthew 3 : 11, — John says, " I bapti/e you with water," and " he shall baptize you with the Holy (iliost and with fire ;" they say, " he will immerse you in the iloly Spirit and fire." You tell to a listening world that J<»hn said of Christ that he would immerse you in the Holy Spirit and fire. As I have partly gone over this ground before, I will strive to be short. This is John's prophecy (»f Christ coming after him ; and on the day of Pentecost it was fulfilled ; hut John bears witness- of Christ, that he gave him his commission to baptize with water, and John", faithful to his commission and Master, never varied in all the cross-examinations he pissed through, his evidence was always, without an exception, with water and with the Holy- Ghost; you say Spirit, but that is right, for God is a spirit and his is a spiritual kingdom and spiritual subjects. In fact, you tell John he is a liar for saying he baptized with water when he did not, but immersed in water ; and John is a false prophet for prophesying that Christ would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire, when he immersed in the Holy Ghost and in fire. Either the god of this world and his subjects must be liars, or else the God of heaven and his subjects, fortelling that, — that which was not, must be a lie. And here we come to the battle field to fight the good fight of faith, — either to believe the God of heaven, whose natiire is to bring all up to himself, otherwise, believe the god of this world, whose nature is to darken and blind the people, and get them to believe they are going straight up to heaven without God the Spirit at all, — and then he is sure of his prey. My father teaches me that I can always find out the truth here, and not to believe man's mere assertions. The truth is God has the two fires for the two characters, — for the weak and feeble little ones the smiles of his face ; for the opposite the sentence is passed, waiting for the day of execution, — cast into lie!], where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. — Mark 9:46, 48. This is the fire for satan and all flesh lust lovers, and i)ll opposers of God's sovereignty. Satan would not lead any one to believe that this- is the fire they will be plunged, dipped or immersed in. Let us try the case whether it was upper fire or lower fire. This prophecy of John's was fulfined on the day of Pentecost. The fact is the upper fire came down from heaven and descended od them ; the second fact is. by its application they were filled THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHINO. 73 with joy and praised the God of heaven. The first fact with this God of immersion is, they must be al)ove, for they will not allow anything); to descend on them — they must ^ret above and be applied to the fire beneath, — this fact proves it is not the upper tire. And second, its effects, which we hear from an in- habitant of that fire, — " I am tormented in this flame ;" what a different effect from the upper fire. Now, if you could prove that they were all with one accord in the upper chamber, and a door in the floor, or tank, as in some meeting-houses, and the Holy Spirit tilled 1 he basement and lower parts of the house, and the door lifted and they were let down into the Holy Ghost and fire, and plunged, dipped and immersed, we could believe you, but we cannot take your " say so." I believe your new version must be a counterfeit, and God will never pass such opposite currency in his bank. You cannot prove the above true ; if you could you would prove Christ and John both liars. This firm should tell Christ he was immersed in the dove, the Spirit, and that would be as true as what they have said. John may say to you, as Peter said to Annanias, " Thou hast not only- lied to man, but to the Holy Ghost." I would ask this firm — How could satan blind your minds to carry out your system, for you must get above God and heaVen to carry out your immer- sion with consistency. You must get above G-od in order to be immersed in God the Spirit ; you surely have read that God fills heaven's bounds and space, and is above all. Satan would be pleased to get you above God and heaven, and Father, Son and Spirit beneath. And having in your imagination achieved such a victory, and you being the second church according to your own counting of kindred, and as you fancy your old mother is doting by this time, and say — as I am second, and your daughter, too, and you hear I have got supremacy over God and heaven, — and sure you never got liigher than that— and you know that I, as well you, love to boast of our age, our antiquity ; and you transubstantiate Christ's material body, but I transubstantiate (Christ and John from Baptists to immersionists ; and, like you, I would not baptize any without they gave up their consciences to me, and make their profession of faith to the true church statute, and talk a little about believing in God, — but that is secondary, to cover over, — other churches stretch like india rubber, but we are firm ; you and I agree that none should sit at the Lord's table but those who have passed through our qual- ifications and fitness ; we can boast of our property, riches and great numbers, to encompass the world and get all to bow to our supremacy — the last church. ( I never heard but from your- selves that you were the first church and you would be the last.) 74 I THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. / Ml Their near affinity continues, — the one corrects Christ's trans- lation, "repentance," and substitutes "penance" in its place. So Jesus in his government would put the soul to travail and labor, and the opposite would have the animal body power of man to ^o throufjfh the labor and travail. Also, in our translation it is Jacob who worships leaninj^ on the top of his stave ; theirs is the supreme translation, to suit their system, — earth, earthy, as is the superior to the above, and fact proves it. The new ver- sion has dismissed " baptism," a word too inferior to be recorded in their new Bible Union, (falsely so called) and " immersion" is put in its place ; and by an application of the body to the water their sins are washed away. It shows the respect they hdve for the material — expecting material to operate upon and cleanse the soul for the upper country, and saving Christ from applying his regenerating grace and spirit. And you prove yourselves to be the highest, — in your own estimation, — far above all other churches, ifor other churches have not presumed to be superior to God and heaven. The fact is, your versions, the Douay and the new version, are both united to bind and loose God at tl ir pleasure, to show their superiority. I must leave mother and daughter to contend as to who shall havp the supreme chair. Tn my babyish simplicity I would prefer a seat at the feet of Jesus. In reading this new version I was surprised to find the fol- lowing : — Matthew 20 : 22, 23, " But Jesus answered and said, ye know not what je ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of? They say unto him, we are able. And he says to them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but is for them for whom it has been prepared by my Father," etc. Con- trast the foregoing with our version — (22), " But Jesus answered and said, ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the bap- tism that I am baptized with ? They say unto him we are able. (23) And he saith unto them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with : but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." And here, from the lipn of Jesus, in each verse, he mentions baptizing and baptism ; six times Je§us has spoken the words, — not the words of his disciples — they might dis- pense with theirs or any other man's words, but they have had great audacity and hardihood to drop Christ's words with silent contempt. We see, first, they transubstantiate them ; second, they bind and loose, as it suits them ; and third, they are so THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. is inferior that they will not notice them, or give them a place in their new version, which is to enlighten the world. It appears to me they are like so many crows, or clouds of earth, that hide the sun or dim its rays. The Lord might well tell them that the light that is in them is darkness. It is acknowledged by all that this baptism was a baptism of suffering. They shift about, and like those that .Tesus asked was John's baptism from heaven or of men, they thought it over and seen it would not do to say of men, for all belived John to be a true prophet, and to say from heaven would commit them- selves, when they would not be baptized of him, and they said we cannot tell. If they had said, we will not let conscience speak the truth, for we would commit ourselves, they v/ould have been nearer the mark. He answered them and said, neither tell I you by what authority 1 do these th-ngs. We see God does not allow himself to answer this mighty, wise and learned generation, that wants to turn the truth of God into a lie ; but if a blind leper would call on him when passing by, he would tell him to come ; the eclipsers were there, and or- dered him to hold his tongue, — why should you, a poor, blind pauper, dare to stop the sun from heaven in this wi«e ? But he called him, and gave him proof positive on the spot that he was the light of both soul and body, and his prayer was ac- ur epiritual taste to sit at the Lord's table and to say, 'Christ we are thine, no more the world's, but thine;' no more to oumelves and flesh- lusts to reap corruption, but we sow to the Spirit, and hope to reap a glorious harvest of life- everlastmg." Here we see the difference between the two kings and kingdoms, and between the two different subjects or war- riors in the field. It was reported some time ago that the world, the ilesh and the devil were gaining the victory, and christians were beating a retreat. Christians have no right to retreat, for their Captain has powder and ball enough to sweep the world with a blast and put the alien armies to flight in a moment ; but needless self-indulgence, or nestling down in the wool to get ease or honor or popular applause, will be sure to make them captives. In the fitth chapter of the first Epistle of John you will find how you are to overcome the world* — The sixth verse of our version reads — " This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ ; not by water only, but by water and blood. \nd it is the spirit that beareth witness, be- cause the spirit is trrth." In the new version the word "■ by" is used once, and the word " in" is used three times, — the word " in" is not recorded in the verse ; the new vesioc reads as fol- lows, — " This '■« he that came by water and blood, Jesus the Christ. Not in the water only, but in the water and in the blood, and the spirit is that wnich bears witness, because the spirit is the truth." According to their binding and loosing system they have dismissed the seventh verse and give it no place in their version. The Douay version, which is before me, gives the word " testimony" in place of "record," which in sub- stance is the same. The r\ew version in the seventh verse does not give place to Father, Son oi Holy Ghost ; ^^hey have dis- missed the three without reserve. The Pope might say, — " Daughter, take the chair, for you are before me now, and above- r ^ — supreme over all." In our version the seventh verse reads as follows t — " For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Fatlier, the Word, and the Holy Ghost^ and these three are one." When the upper three are dismissed we cannot find out the contrast with the three spcken of in the eighth T^erse, as follows : — "And thc;e are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit the water, and the blood : and these three agree in one." So the three in heaven being one, and the three on earth agreeing in one, helps our understanding lo compre- hend divine things by the a^*»'>:nent of natural things. These translators, instead of giving us clearer light, are not only eclips- ing title sun, but are talimg away the sunlight and leaving ua THE HEAVEKLY FATHRU's TEACHING. 79 in the dark forever. Some ot' them, in their over-heated zeal, wished to strain this into immersion. It appears to me that if water is named in any phice, it can be nuthin«j; but immer- sion with them. I say it is in opposition to immersion, and supports baptism in every sense. Baptism represents the bless- ings of cleansing and purity, and the answer of a good con- science toward God. The nature of the t^pirit of God is to clea,nse and purify ; and the nature of water is to cleanse and purify our garments and persons— (its own nature, but not a spirit) ; and the nature of the blood of Jesus Christ is to cleanse from all sin ; the three agree in their nature— to cleanse. First, — I have proved God's Sprit descended; second, — rain descended ; third, — when Christ was raised between earth and heaven his sprinkling blood descended on our guilty world. In point of mode and in all other senses they agree in one. Facts prove it, and we do not want the words of man to explain it; we want no Greek lexicographers to dim the rays of truth. This generation is like the one that said, — This is the heir, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. If this new ver- sion is the production of the most learned men, I never want to see it passed off on the simple hearted as the original word of God. Here I dismiss them to appear unclothed before the bar, without a counsellor to plead their cause. If I have said any- thing to injure either their souls or bodies, I beg their pardon ; but God can witness to the motive, that is, to destroy sin and satan, and save your souls and bodies. But I now come to the the text the schoolmaster gave me to preach from. Mark 16: la, 16, — "And he said unto them. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believetb and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned." I am greatly for spirituality, and I was drinking in the sentiments of the Quakers, with whom I occasionly sov^Hted, and I revere their memory still on account of thei" \lm ; ^sg, cleanness and truthfullness. A Church of England curate and myself were begging for money to build a new schoolhoiise, and we came to one of these rich J'riends who gave to us largely and freely, and in so pleasing a manner, that the curate and [ could not help but admire ; but this last commission of Jesus saved me from uniting with them ; and I give God the credit of making me another John the baptibi (not an immersionist). I seen that his last charge was to be perpetuated to Abraham and to his believing seed t« the world's end ; therefore, the sign sh'uld never be discontinued wherever a baby breathes the new air. imd Christ makes them free, — the r'ght of baptism is theirs, whether old or young, when they 80 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. m depend on their Father, God. When the sclioolmaster said,— *' Recollect, it is not he that helieveth shall be saved, but he that is baptized shall be saved," he conveyed my eyes of sense away from the fountain, Jesus, from whence the blood and the water flowed, yes, and living water that lifts us up to the foun- tain above — and brought to my view immersion, which is not baptism at all, which I have proved before, and Grod acts as the proof text. Water is a great blessing to our bodies, but to make it our water-god, as I told the schoolmaster, is an awful abuse. Here they pass by Christ's gospels, which is the power of God to save, and no matter what righteous works we do, it must be accepted of him, and then through the channel of faith in his supremacy to save, the living water, his grace and salvation, flows ; but the opposite gospel is, — immersion is the way, and the onlj way to get to heaven. They say, — obey the command of the Saviour and follow him down into the water. Is it not awful for them to say it is a command of his, when he never gave such p command ? His command is to follow him as dear children, and follow him in the regenera- tion ; there is no bodily following here, it is a spiritual and divine following with God. The opposite gospel is, none are to be saved but believers in immersion and those who go through the operation ; so there is no gospel with them to save babes and idiots without they believe and be immersed ; no gospel for heathens, without believing in the gospel they never heard, and being immersed. Go and preach this gospel — say it in your own, not Christ's — that the holiest and happiest believers in Christ cannot be saved without being immersed and that they must be buried in baptism. The angel that rolled away the stone, the grave of Lazarus and your own practices bear witness against you that your assertions are untrue. Now get me one instance where you pressed the corpse into the earth and the earth opened and swallowed it. You cannot. There are four proofs of immersion, but they were the result of God's dis- plensure, when he used immersion to destroy his enemies, especially Coreth and all his ; and every one you immerse you represent God's act of burying his enemies alive. As Moses warned Israel not to touch anything belonging to them, but escape away, so I would warn the simple ones to escape for their lives. Again, they preach the gospel that they are im- mersed in the Holy Ghost and in fire. They are not satisfied to be above the earth and the water, and be applied to them to show their opposition to God's system and mode, but they must be above heaven, auu be applied to God, and God to get all his blessings through their application, as the disciples got in THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 81 olden lime, whfn the Holy Ghost descended on them, and they drew all their blessings from the Holy Ghost's application, it filled them with heavenly light, life and love. These new ver- sion men intimiite to God that he is to draw all his blessings from their superior application ; our high position is above all that is called God ; and all inferiors should bow down and wor- ship ns for our superior knowledge of the word baptizo. Thrg is satan, the same to-day as the day he wanted Jesus to bow down and worship him. It is an awtnl gospel that supports satan, — and men want us to bow down at his shrine and accept the inventions of his dupes. Now, ^ mit them to get to heaven,— would they sing to the Fountain open in the house of David for sin and uncleanness, when they deny the sprinkling blood of Jesus Christ that flowed from that fountain ? They must sing to lakes, rivers and oceans,— glory, glory, glory to the water that washed away our sins ! How could Jesus listen to such rivalry ? Could you say it would be unjust oi Christ to give them the same immerson he gave their father for doing his works — the last immersion — cast them into outer darkness ? Some years ago if any had sworn to me that there was such corruptions of the word and opposition to the God of heaven, I would not have believed it; but this new version has given me to see them as I never did before. I want no better bible than that issued by the British' and Foreign Bible Society ; I have been spreading it for fifty-five years, and there are nb images or pictures in it to drfiw the carnal eye, but to the spir- itual eye and taste there is everything desirable, — heavenly, divine, sublime, — and everything in it suitable to supply the wants of the human family, when asked for with huiriility. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the power of God to save us from sin, and fit us for heaven, without any merits of man or earthly material efficacy. The angel preached his name before he was bom, and when he commissioned his disciples to preac^ his name and kingdom everywhere he forbid them to preach themselves, they were to preach Christ Jesus the Lord, the original Word and the sprinkler of nations, who brought our death-stricken race up to have communion with the Father. When individuals and churches commit sin, they have to repent and confess to God — " I have sinned against heaven and before thee" — and God accepts and justifies. The gospel they preached was, to grow in grace and the farther knowledge of his sancti- fying spirit, and the glorious doctrine of Christ the resurrection, as he said — " I am the resurrection and the life." These six doctrines he taught his disciples. Having the knowledge of Christ in all, through all and over all, and being baptized with 6 82 THE HEAVENLY FATHEB's TEACHlTfG. his blessings, you want no other gospel than Jesus, the truth, the life, and the way. I give two proofs, which occurred in my own experience, that the gospel of Christ is all sufficient to save. In the north of Ireland, ray native land, I was passing a house, when the ser- vant maid came out and asked me to see her mistress. I went in and asked, like Peter to Cornelius- -" Why have you sent for me ?" She said, " I heard you were vigiting all around, and I wondered why you did not come to see me; I thought I couldt open my whole heart to you, as I heard you were familiar and kind with all the people. A fit of illness seized me last night, I thought I would die, and came to the conclusion I would be lost, for on reflecting on my past life I could not look up for mercy.'* ** Well, ma'am," said I, " will you tell me the cause that produced such an effect as that ?" She said, " I was brought up a Presbyterian, and was taught to believe in justifi- cation, adoption and sanctification, but lived without them. Once, when reading the ' Saint's Kest,' I thought I could give up all for God, but giving way to lightness and frivolity I put it off; a second time I had the same fe<4ing, but put it off; I then began to ' keep company,' and thougt if I had religion I could not ' keep company,' but resolved if I got married I would be religious ; I was married and have two children and a kind hus- band, we had grown rich, and had horses and chariots to use when we pleased, still I put it off ; and when I could not make any excuse, I did not serve God. If he would say, 'depart ye cursed,' I could not say it was unjust ; a load of sin presses me down, and I must die. Oh, sir, do you think God would have mercy on me, when I can serve satan and sin no longer, nor en- joy the world or the company of my husband or children ? I must die. Last night, if I was tp have got heaven for {getting out of my bed and kneeling at my bedside I could not have done it." I said to her, " God does not require you to move a hand or foot in order to be saved, for it is no more ' do this and ye shall live,' but " believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.' This is God's command, — ' Look unto me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved, for I am God ar j there is none else.'* No other name but that of Jesus saves, God's gospelof mercy is free redemption for all ; and if you were tp live a hundred years you could not make yourself any better, nor all the men in the world could not make you better or more fit for heaven, but Christ, the end of the law for righteousness, by a touch of faith, by a look can convey his virtue, and Jesus,, the balm of Gilead, that never failed to make a cure when law-? fully applied to, will heal all thy diseases." " Sir," said she, Whei God. gold a ing. looked sit up at tliei ohiidre I askec surely j THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 88i " you do cheer and comfort me." " It is the Spirit, the Com« forter ; I am only like a finger-post to point the way to the Lamb ; I am only a reflection, there is no light in me, but God has constructed my heart so that it catches the 8unl)eam8, and like the star reflects in midnight shade. See the suitableness of the Good Siimaritan — our fallen race and backsliders when fallen among thieves and robbers, and left wounded, bleeding and paralyzed, and the law condemned him and passed him by, the Levitical priesthood, when he had not the price of a turtle dove to oiFer, passed him by on the other side, but Jesus in mercy— the Good Samaritan — with pity-softened eye, beheld our fallen race, and came with his bandages, and oil, and wine, and horse, and his strength to put him on, and money to pay the host, and promises to pay the whole account and give us our passport clear to heaven." She said she was getting stronger in faith and hope. " This is Christ's gospel power. God can save you before I leave this house, his strength is all-sufficient, his love cannot be less now than it was when he accepted the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for you. You have confessed your transgressions unto God, and I am witness, now forsake them, and he will bless you now, for he sayi^, ' now is the ac- cepted time, behold now is the day of salvation.' Let God witness your heart praying — ' now. Lord, let this be the day of my salvation,' and according to your fnith it will be done unto you, and you will know when he enters into you, joy and glad- ness will rise to your tongue, and you will praise God." I knelt at the bedside, and sung these verses : — Heal ufl, Immanuel, here we are Waiting to feel thy touch ; Deep-wounded souls to thee repair, And, Saviour, we are such. And she who touched thee in the press And healing virtue stole, Was answered, 'daughter go in peace, Thy faith hath made thee whole.' Like her, with hopes and fears we come, To touch thee if we may, Oh, send us not despairing home, — Send none unheard away. When prayer was ended a holy calm came, and she praised God. I told her not to look back, but to gaze on the streets of gold and rivers of Eden, and on the whit« robed company sing- ing. A few days after she sent for me, — I asked her if she had looked back again " Oh, yes,; I felt better, and was able to sit up in bed, my children were playing on the carpet, I smiled at them and my spirit sunk within me, I was afraid I loved my children more than God, and have been sorrowful ever since." I asked, " Did you love your children more than,God ?" " Oh, surely I did, else 1 would not have been so ca3t down." " Let 84 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. US try the case," said I. " There is a fall into sin and there is another into temptation. We read of God's people fallinpj into manifold temptations, that the trial of their faith might be found to the honor and glory of God. A fall into sin is a con- ceiving of lust, and it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth death. Now, did you conceive to the tempter when he suggested that you loved your children more than God ? Did the thought of being restored give you delight. " No,'' said she, " it was my sorrow." " It was a fall into temptation ; at present would you wish to be restored to your children, your husband, your riches ?" She said she would rather die than go back to the world again. " You were cast down through temp- tation, not sin ; if satan comes again, tell him you love your children and you have given them to God to keep and prepare them to meet you in heaven." She said that was right, and rejoiced with exceeding joy. I told her to go on her way re- joicing. She said if she went back again she would send for me. " Oh, ma'am," said I, " this is satan again ; he wants you to make a god of me instead of looking to God and drawing the gospel power to save. I am nothing but a finger-post to point all to Him, the way." Three days after she bid them a long farewell, and sent her dying love to me, to tell me she never looked back again, and she died without a doubt, a cloud or a fear. This was the effect of Christ's gospel, which saves living and dying forevermore. I believe she never heard the word ' immerse' in all her life, let alone go through its operation. The second was a daughter of Mr. Loghery, who was married about a year before to a Mr. Patterson. She was sinking with hasty consumption, the doctor said she was proof against all med- ical aid, and must die ; she became alarmed and cried out, " I cannot die." She sent for me ; I asked her how she was. She replied, " Very poorly, and the doctor says I must die." She was in great distress and began to cry out against the world, and exclaimed, " how can I die ; I have lived to the world — I lived to fashion and pride ; I might say my prayers, but oh, my heart did not pray, — I have not joined any christian people, — how can I die ?" She looked at me with such distress (and I thought of David, when he said the pains of hell took hold of me), and tears ran down her cheeks, — she said, " Mr. Collins, do you think would God save m^ when I can serve satan no more ? I must die — how can I die ?" My tears began to flow, too ; I said to her, " 1 have been visiting the sick and dying for upwards of fifty years, and during that period, I witness for God, he blessed, all those that fell out with sin and satan — God saved them all ; and all other characters who justify them- THE HEAVEXLY FATHER'8 TE^CHINQ. 85 selves and complain of all others, I never knew him to bless one of them. I now stand a witness to G-od for you, that you are the lawful claimant ; you are the broken hearted — he came to heal it ; you are the weary — he says he will give you rest ; you are the mourner — he came to comfort you : his law is, he that confesseth and forsaketh sin shall find mercy; and you being the character, his law binds him, and his mercy delights to save you,— here is Grod's law. - ercy and justice combined to save you. I believe you will never die, — you will live forSver. I would doubt my existence sooner than doubt Grod's saving grace. Now he is here and has the blessing with him ; make thy sins the plea to draw the sinner's friend to thee. I sung — Jeans, thy far extended fame, My drooping soul exults to hear, Thy name, thy all-refreshing name Is music in the sinner's ear. Tho' eighteen hundred years are past. Since thou didst in the flesh appear, Thy tender mercy ever lasts. And still thy healing power is here. When prayer was over, she could ^y fear gave place to filial love, and peace o'erflowed her heart ; when leaving her she said it was the happiest day of her life. I visited her again and found that Grod had greatly blessed her. When she was talk- ing with them, her mother told me, her countenance shone with joy. She said to me "When you came first to see me I could not die, but I can die any minute now. Oh, Mr. Collins, my heart is as light as a feather." " Yes," said I, " the life-breath of God has taken you up. to heavenly places." In a few days she passed away in glorious triumph. I might enumerate many more, but they were all saved by Christ's gospel and power divine. I now come to my friends who offered me three hundred dol- lars, and a Baptist minister in St. John offered one hundred dollars for any one to prove baptism by sprinkling, pouring or application to the subject. T have proved all through that the Godhead's mode was by jipplication, from the rock with the rod, and the Red Sea, to the present day, without variation or a shadow of turning. I quoted the following before, but I will strive to be short. John 1 : 33, — " And I knew him not but he that sent me to baptize" — this is John's commission from God but not his mode, but the next link, srithout a jot between them — "with water," — is the mode Christ gave John, and John prophesied that " the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." Here the Godhead's mode is by descent or application to the subject. Acts 11 : 15, — " And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning." In the 16th verse Peter bears witness to Christ and John's mode, and 86 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. no other, — " Then remembered I the word of the Lord," (not man's word) " how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." So it is settled forever — Christ gave John his commission, and his mode as sure and as true as his commission. If John or Philip bap- tized contrary to Christ's mode and commissiou they were false witnesses; even if they did change, that would not alter the Godhead, — for he never changed for any prophet or apostle. The words (poured out) used in the Godhead's baptism, — des- cending, by the dove ; granting that heaven is above and we beneath, it must descend — the heavens opened and the Spirit came down on them ; when Peter used the words the Holy Ghost fell upon them ; and Peter demanded that th*i ger^'les be bap- tized, seeing that on the gentiles was poured oi ^ the Holy Ghost. Words and effect prove baptism to be the blessing of the Father to wash away, purify and cleanse from sin. Immer- sion denies these words as well as the word " with ;" and the tens of thousands of blessings from the Qodhead are of no use without immersion. (The above words are in our version.) I now quote from the new version, to shew it is a disgrace to common sense, and a contradiction in itself. See Matt. 3 : 16, — And lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. Here you grant me all I want — the descent of the Spirit, by application in the Godhead's mode of baptism. Again, John 1 : 32, — I seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven (is heaven beneath ?) and it abode on him. Verse 33, — The same said to me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abid- ing on him, the same is he that immerses for the Holy Spirit. Their version is a contradiction to themselves — at one time they say, the descent of the Spirit, and at another, the opposite, immersed in the Holy Ghost. Here they deny the word "with" altogether, but grant the word " descending" is the Godhead's mode from heaven. Again, see Acts 10 :38 — How Godannointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. Here they use the word "with" three times in the act of the Spirit's baptism, and consequently contradict themselves. Jesus j^^ot the power by an application of the Spirit — not by water, although water is right in its place, but don't put it in the place of the living water. Verse 44, — While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. Hear they accept of the words " fell on ' in the Spirit's baptism. Again, in verse 45. — That on the Gentiles was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. These translators have given me all the words I want in the Spirit's mode of operating on the subjects, — the words " de- THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 87 Bcending," "with," " fell on," and " pouring out upon" occur in two or three different places ; all these words express tlie God- bead s mode of baptism, oi)erating on the subjects. Here God has taken the wise in their own craftiness, for they prove ours a true translation and theirs a counterfeit. The Godhead's mode and the effect —new ton|j;ues, f^ivin;^; J^lory to God — is proved by words in both versions, so that they have made nothing by their new translation. As there is no other statute in earth or heaven but the Godliead's alone, and if John or Philip, or any prophet or apostle, or minister, or myself should immerse any one, we declare by such an act that we deny his sovereign right to be above us, or to descend upon us, and prove ourselves to be in opposition to Christ. I do not blame you, my much re- spected friends, for you were not the authors of this new, un- godly version, which is in opposition to God and contradicts themselves ; I have every sympathy for you, lest you should fall in the ditch with them. And now, gentlemen, I allow ylication, — I think I am entitled to the four hundred dollars. But, gentleman, I can eay I want you m(jre than the four hundred dollars, so that yon may be brought from Goliah Immersion, to Jesus, the sprinker «f nations. A few words in favor of the temperance cause. For seventy years I have been a witness of the unhappy consequences of intemperance. In the village in which I was brought up there was a distillery, three public houses and three dancing schools, together with horse racing and cock fighting every quarter. Satan's greatest supporters gather where intoxicating drinks are sold ; by mixing with them I saw that the effect was to lead the young mind astray, hardening the heart to everything religious, sacred or holy. 1 have heard drimkards wish that there was not a drop distilled in the world. A woman told me that her husband came in at midnight, took her by the feet and dragged her out of her bed (she was near her confinement), and in con- sequence of the kicks and blows received from him she had to drag out a dreary existence. Seventy years ago our town was in this degraded state, when a gentleman, a local preacher, came into our town and my father b'-ought him to his house ; as he labored the leaven began to work, souls were converted, and they began to war with the devil's seminary and training schools ia vanity's fair. (His name was Jeans Sloan, he not only preached freeh , but he built a preaching house on his es- tate in the town of Cole Island, the nearest place from which ship- 88 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TifiACHINO. pinpf came to us.) In a few years there was neither a pnblir house or dancing school in the town. The last innkeeper re>- mov^d to another place, and I gave him my advice never to sell any more. He was a generous, kind man, but his wife got a love for it and commenced again ; some time after she was nursing her only son, about ten months old, and he fell from her arms so near the fire that a coal burned a hole below the ribs, so that his inside was seen, — he died in great pain ; when the husband came home he said if he had taken my advice his- child would have been living ; the mother, when sensible, had to have her hands tied to keep her from tearing the hair out of her head. Volumes might be filled with such tragedies a& this. I 3ay the stream should be stopped at the fountain, and never let another drop be distilled. Why, it is worse than slavery. I believe there is more individual and family suffering from people being slaves to the maddening, intoxicating bowl, thaa there is in the bondage of slavery; and then drunkards are enrolled in the cataloyfue of those who are to be sent t o hell, (see Ist Corinth. 6 : 9, 10) to be slaves under satan through all eternity, — ten fold worse than bodily suffering. Some years hince while visiting St. John I met with Dr. N , and he wished me to visit another Doctor, who wag a drunkard, aiKi near unto death, for the purpose of talking and praying with him. On my way I asked him why he could not quit it ; be said it grew with his growth and now it would be like breaking his bones to quit it ; he seemed to be half drunk at the time, but seriously said, — " Isn't it a pity that we should be damned.'* I talked to both of them, saying that there was only one way whereby sinners could be saved, that one way was by Jesus and the fountain opened in his side tc» cleanse from all sin. You and I and all others can get access to it ; it we confess our sins and forsake our evil ways we shall find mercy. Confess to God your lying, swearing drunkenness, let the last glass be the last forever, and please God, v>ho wants you to crucify the flesh and its lusts ; if you do so with all your heart God will save you. I commended them to God and bid them farewell. What a pity it is that men with talents of the highest order are lost to their own liappiness, lost to the world in point of usefulness, and worst of all, their spiritual loss of heaven. Why should not every man of common humanity, like Paul resolve never tO' partake of anything to please the flesh which would miike a. brother man fall into hell. Womeo and chiMren in every land cry out to stop the murder of body and soul for tirae and eter- nity. Cut the stream at the fountain — distil no more. I be- lieve our world would be better in. time,, even if there were iao< c I THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 89 eternal consequences to follow. During fifty years of my life I have used only two or three tablespoonsfull of spirits, as medi- cine, and my health is better than those who use it habitually ; I am acquainted with people who never tasted spirits of any kind who are strong and healthy. Granting tliat it can he used as medicine, and granting that it has cured one of the human f imily, — has it not killed ten for one it has cured. It would be better for a father and mother having fiftr»en children to banish it from their home, and let one die without it than to have ten with it. I believe it has been the means of pro- ducing ten quarrels to one it has quelled ; it ia the cause of ten suits at law for one it has settled, and the cause of ten bad prayers for one good one ; and I believe it has sent ten to hell for one it sent to heaven, — I question if it ever sent one to heaven. It is deplorable to know that men of strong mind and judgment will foster their flesh lusts, form alliance with satan and be his servants, assisting him to people his kingdom ; and disgraceful to know that ministers (whom God has characterized as the light of the world, and the city on an hill — some of them call themselves apostolic successors) have been found bereft of their senses, and rolling in the gutter by the wayside — as Christ used the figure, " a sow wallowing in the mire." I have often thought if our Representatives were true to the pledge they give ub, that " they will do all that is in their power for the interest of the country at large, R,nd especially for the interest, peace and happiness of the county they represent," we would «oon have it banished from our land. In future I hope our Representatives will not rest until they banish this murderer from our lalid, for wherever he reigns he opens all other avenues to vice and destruction. I think I cannot be found fault with if I foHow the example of Christ, who came to his own first and then to all around. As I am a member of the British family it is but natural that I should wish that we would excell in everything noble and divine. To this end I hope our much beloved Queen, Victoria, will stand side by side with her heav- enly Husband, whose nature was made manifest to destroy the works of the devil (his opposite) ; I hope she will live to see the murderer driven away from all her dominions and the im- mense family which she governs. I also hope that this prin- ciple will spread through our much loved neighboring Republic, (U. S. America) with whom wp are closely allied. Take cour- age, go on, persevere, and drive this two-fold murderer from your shores. You either hang or incarcerate murderers in your States' prison, and how can you, with a just and clear con- science, allow this murderer of bodies, and family interests, and .n%. t>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A A 1.0 I.I 116 1^ 112.2 m m Hi u 140 2.0 1.8 IL25 iiiiu iiiiij.6 ^t 7. ^4 CJ^/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST M.^IN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 # \^ V ^^ ^^ \ :\ ^f- o^ & 90 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. souls, to go at larfi^e ? And let Father Mathew's successors 2:0 on rnd carry out the labours and character of that noble man ; let it spread to France and G-ermany and all the other king- doms of this world, where Adam's sons and Eve's daug-hters breathe the air ; and let every heart subscribe with me, to be the friend of every man and the enemy of none. Let us take the Captain of Israel's hosts to lead us to victory. Kead He- brews 1 1 : 33 — " Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions." Th^ following are appropriate closing lines, — Bound on tlie alter of thy cross Our old offending nature lies, Now, for tlie lionor of thy cause, Come and consume the sacrifice Consume our lusts as rotten wood. Consume our stony hearts within, Consume the dust, the serpent's food, And dry up all the streams of sin. Saturday, Dec. 27, 1873. — I thought I had finished, but I liave seen in the Wesley an^ quoted from the Baptist paper, the Christian Visitor, and also in the next issue of the Messenger, that at a meeting of the Evangelical Alliance the general peace was disturbed by attempts to introduce " close communion," a subject which covild not be allowed, even by inf3rence. Here are the latest expressions in the Visitor : — Now they are not likely to be wheedled or cajoled into mock relations or false positions by the temptations of such sugar- coated inducements as Christian Associations or Evangelical Alliances, with their dinners, receptions and displays to be offered. But the cliurch says — Union. What shall it gain? Who is the church, I ask ? Let Rome, the mother of pedo- baptists reply. Let the church and state advocates answer. I say, whosoever believes and are baptized, they, and they only, can claim to belong to the church. — An Old-fashioned Bap- tist. L Are these the sentiments of the Baptist people? — If not, who not, say ? 2. Does this writer mean that only Baptists are members of the church ? Let us have light. When I read the above it was like a resurrection of old times to me, inviting me to preach on it. They charge the Christian Associations and Evangelical Alliances with wheedling, cajolry, mock relations or false pretences, sugar-coated inducements, etc. As I was not in New York at the meeting of the Alliance, I dismiss the above, as I do not know anything about the treat- ment they received. Thi3 writer says, — " But the church says — Union." Union is all right when the Head of the church ac- cepts of it ; he forbids union with the unlawful works of dark- ness — no union with Christ and belial, — and no union with a THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. '91 newvemonwhicbhastwolieson its forehead, and is contra- dictory to Itself. " Who is the c'.urch, I ask ?" Why not an- swer, and tell us m ph,,in words-' We deny all your sprinkled, bapti/ed churches, tor we heloncj to the only old, true, imirer- sionist church,-^-stand aside, for we are more holy than you, and the temple of the Lord are we, who never bowed the knee to haal. I think it would he right to bring you out in vour true character, lou deny baptism and have put immersion in its place; you have changed John, or trabsubstantiated his char- acter trom a baptise to an immersionist ; here we see you in your true c^^Iors. I am surprised, sir, to hear you give a chal- lenge to o d mother Rome. Why, sir, you must be awful blind, or short of memory, for your organ, the Visitor, in an article quoted into this book, has acknowledged her to he before all, and that you are second, and then you threw away all other churches and bn„r,d yourself to old mother Rome, from whom we suspect yc: U:,. .; -. tne binding and loosing system. Heie you loose old m..u.e. Rom"?, and have thrown her off to the l-edo-baptists. I would not accept of a mother for a statute or church customs without a father's acceptance. God, the spir- itual heavenly father, is the father of Pedo-baptists. The first proof is--God commanded the parents and xMoses to get a lamb and shed its blood and strike it on th^ lintels and door-posts, in behalf of their children. Would any one think that if the parents neglected to shed the lamb's blood, f.ud disobeyed (rod s command, that their ignorant, insencible and imconscious children s lives would be spared? Surely not. The second proot. IS from the same foundation- -the families of Israel, old and young, baptized and equally accepted with the founder, (rod ; and the third proof is— hundreds of years after, when Christ came, the unchangeable Godhead appears, and told Zac- cheus— " This day has salvation come to this house, inasmuch as thou art a son of Abraham." Here are the three witnesses of the Godhead, in word, act and deed, and let the god of this world and his agents, who are opposite, cast these sunbeams of light and truth in the shade if they can. It is throutWi the medium of believing that God blesses his children aSd the members of their households included. Before the jailer be- lieved, Paul comforted him in his distress— that by him believ- ing his house would be saved, without inquiring whether they were a year or twelve years old. Paul is a true witness for the Godhead, but satan would have his votaries tell lies, saying that they were all adults, and they have no proof but their in- ferences or conjectures, or the " think so" and " say so" of the Greek lexicographers. The three acts of the Godhead, in th^ 92 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. old and new testament, accepting them in hi* independent sov- reignty, and Paul as the witness, settles it forever — GTod is a Pedo-baptist. It speaks very bad for either old or new mother to give the father the lie, and say that you will not let this father reign over you, nor allow him to pnt our unbelieving children ou an equality with adult believers. If he will bow to this baal and give nfants equal rights with us, we deny his government, — for we will not be wheedled into any false pre- tences, nor own such a father as would impose on us with his sugar-coaling that abominable sprinkling. Having denied the spiritual father, how can you have spiritual children with- out the operation of a spiritual father, — what Peter calls " be- getting us again." We must infer that neither mother or children can belong to the spiritual church of God. See Jere- miah 3: 20 — the contrast, — "Surely arf a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, house of Isiael, saith the Lord." As you formerly threw off all others for old mother Rom*?, and as there are so many traits alike in your characters, I advise you never to say again that sprinkling came from popery, and never dare to pre- sume to rob God of his glory as a Pedo-baptist. I am sure God will not thank you for trying to displace him from his office and as the founder of sprinkling, given by covenant right to men, women and children who are eqally accepted. Do not attempt to bring forth spiritual children by death-stricken material, — by men's hands and words, and by water, — which the father will not accept in the place of his own spiritual be- getting, fo- Jv. SU8 said, " That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit." How pit- iable ai'e those who have teachers that would transubstantiate a spiritual birtli into a human baptism. Carnal minds are ignorant of God's spirituality, and they being ignorant of God's righteousness go about to establish their own righteousness. How bad the foundation of a church is which is built on float- ing Peter instead of Christ, who reproved him sharply for serv- ing the things that be of men, but approved of him and his profession of faith in him, the Christ, the Son of the living God. And equally bid must be the foundation of those churches built on water, whether larger or smaller quantities ; and equally bad to build on Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas. Satanic subtlety would take Christ for a cloak to cover manual self-righteous corruptions, and then try to pass it as the pure spiritual gold from the mines of heaven. There is no foundation but (-hrist, without any appenda;.fe3 of men whatever to recommend him — he is independent and self-existent. Several have said that THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. 93 they wished to see a church of my organizing. Well, if it was mine, it would be another "like mother like daughter" church, full of biles and corruption, which the flesh more or less pro- duces ; thex-efore I dismiss myself, with all other churches who proudly boast in opposition to Christ's suffering, humble spir- itual church. I stand this day a witness, as John did in his day, for God's pure spiritual church, Grod himself being the founder and head. So let us pick and dig all fleshly rubbish off the rock, that we may see it and get a fast hold of it. I confess that I have not nor cannot do half justice to the subject in hand, but when this is published I will have more accurately and carefully witnessed for my Father. Let us take a glance at the Godhead's church. First — com- ing up out of the wilderness. See Acts 7 : 38 — " This is be that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina," and in this chapter it men- tions " in" six or seven times, and Christ was not born, there- fore it must have been that he was in his church spiritually. In this first old church, when God begat them, holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, which proves that God was in his church members. I have shown that the foundation of this church was the sprinkling Jesus, and the members were men, women and children, who were baptized on dry land, with the cloud passing over them, back\/ard and forward, at the bap- tizer's pleasure, — Moses, Aaron and the priests directed them, with truthful men to assist them, — see Ex. 18:21, " Thou shalt provide out of all the people" (and here is their charact^) "able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness ;" the right kind of men to lead and rule a church of men, women and children. Again, Luke 2 : 25, you will find Simeon's char- acter, — he was "just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel ; and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (How enlightened must these churches be which are independent of God, needing no Holy Ghost to teach them, for flesh and blood has revealed all they wanted to know.) Christ told Peter that he was not revealed to him through flesh and blood but by his spiritual Father. God commanded and organized his church members, — Exodus 20 : 10, " but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant," all of them, side by side were accountable to God in the old church. Again, Luke 1 : 15, — " For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink," (one of God's u THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. temporal men, a pattern for all God's witnesses,) "and be shall be filled witb the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." But this tleshly god denies it to him because he did not believe in order to g-et it ; and their system denies tlie Sovereign of Heaven the right to make such a bestowment on babes from the womb ; but the covenant right made it lawful for him to get it, for he was of the seed of Abraham. How blind they must be to claim John as the head and foundation of their church, and deny that God gifted and qualified him as his fore- runner, to prepare the way for a greater affusion of the Holy Ghost. In his own church, (which was tiue in spite of all gainsayers) we see God qualifying, gifting and graceing, and lawfully accepting them as his church members. According to your church law they cannot be accepted or become members of your churcli, for your own paper, the Visitor says — " I say whosoever believeth and are baptized, they and they only can claim to belong to the church." Here you deny John, the founder of your church (as you say), for he never believed so as to make him a membcu* of your church ; but God accepted him as a member of his church, withoi't faith or belief, (and a baby, too). Your pope-supremacy seems to be " whosoever believeth and is baptized, they and they only can belong to the church." Christ did not say tJiat they and they only belong to the church. This is your " say so," which is bfd currency, and I believe Christ will never cash it in his Bank of Truth. Their church gosple is to preach that God's mode of destroying his enemies is the mode by which they will get to heaven. It is directly opposite to God and his modes and means of performing duties in the churches ; and I defy all the men in the world to make these two, opposites one. The true baptism is the baptism of God's grace and the power from on high to renew our character with the nature of Christ, the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth ; yet we should go through the or- dinances as a duty, putting no faith in men's words, or in the watei:, but leaving it with God to fulfill his promise, that is, to give the efficacj and increase. There is not a broken link in God's unchangeable chain ; but your godhead would break this chain, — 1st, by denying God's command to parents to kill the lamb and keep the blood in a basin, and Aaron to apply it to the posts in order to save ignorant, insensible, unconscious children, who did not know anything about it, — (but their parents knew and rejoiced in their salvation) ; 2d, you would break the chain by not allowing Isaac the sign and acceptance equaiJy with his adult believing father, Abrahajn ; 3d, you woui4 break the ch^in by not allowing the children to get the (TIE HEAVENLY F4TIIEIl's TEACHING. 9S> baptism of their adult believinfy parents on dry land ; 4th, your system breaks the transfer to the children on the day of Pente- cost, the first gospel day, when Jews and their childien were equally received — (the unchant^eable God binds them to[i,ether, and let no man at his peril put them asunder) ; oth, yf»ur j^^od- liead cotdd never allow salvation and baptism to the honsHhold of 'Zaccheus on the foundation of Christ accepting him as a be- liever and son of Abraham ; 6th, and Paul, a true witness, does the same in the case of the jailer ; 7th, your system would ignore the act and deei] of Christ in taking little childien in his arms and blessing them. Now, I think you caunot l)ut see your church is founded on names, modes, forms, conjectures and inferences. To become a member of your church the candidate raust be applied to and put under the water ; this seems to be the essential rite for your church membership. God, in his first act of baptism accepted his Israel's members' h.ip by dry land baptism ; and according to his covenant right ami trans- fer, the character that fears God and worketh rigliteousness is accepted of him, and becomes a member of his church. As far as [ have heard of the Evangelical Alliance, I rejoice that it was formed, and hope that it may, with the bles&ing of God, bring in the heavenly millenium, when the Prince of Peace dhall reign over us, and who shall make us one family. As far as I can ascertain the Evangelical Alliance admitted candidates as God admitted them, — upon their character, and debarred them on account of their character (without names, or creeds, or bodily exercises which profiteth little). — See 1 Cor. 5 : 8, — Keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (This is spiritually partaking, on character). — Verse 11," But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idol- ater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ; with such an one no not to eat." They were debarred on account of bad character. So we see they have Christ and his apostles to jus- tify their conduct. I hope the Alliance will succeed, until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, — when there will no boast of Jew, nor Greek, Sithian, bond or free, but Christ will be all in all. I now appeal to men of reason and religion to support the truth. I wished to avoid using the word " liar," as I felt it harsh to the ear, but Christ used the word when speaking to the Pharisees, see St. John H : 55, — " If I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you." Here he wishes to convict them ; again he had lying children — and nourished and brought them up, but they rebelled against him. Jiike my 96 THE HEAVENLY FATHER'S TEACHING. Lord, I wish to apply it to the guilty opposers, to bring them to conviction, and never to those who are not guilty. Oh., how darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people. May God bless this book, and open their under- stani ling, that the world may be illuminated with the glory of the Sun of Righteousness. May God bless our beloved Queen, Victoria, and establish her sceptre in righteousness and truth ; may the local govern- ments of her dominions be guided by thee ; bless our Queen with thy love divine, that she may rest in her heavenly hus- band's bosom, pescefully, calm and happy ; may her children know and do their Father's will, at whose command the chair is taken, or left vacant for distant heirs, — may they be thine faithfully, and be transferred to thy kingdom where the crowns shall never leave their brows. May God bless the President of the United States, and his family, also, — may he and they rise as stars in the kingdom of heaven and grace, may they catch the beams of the Sun of Righteousness and reflect them in the midnight shades and drive back immorality and crime ; may all the subjects unite in serving thee^ and in driving the maddening bowl from their land. God bless the Pope with the meek and holy mind of Jesus — the man who had no worldly honors — and do thou prepare him and his for the home of the Prince of Peace in heaven. An«i may God bless France, Spain, Gcx many, and all other nations who have joined with the Prince of Peace, — may they }earn the art of war no more, and do thou hasten the time when man shall become the friend of man, and earth resemble heaven, — when the trumpet shall never call out a brother to shed a brother's blood. May God bless his mes- sengers with glorious sucoess, till the inhabitants of heathen lands and distant climes, and mountain tops, and valleys low, and desert waste, with hearts and tongues proclaim " Salvation, oh Salvation, its joyful sound we know." These petitions I offer in the name of thy Son, to whom be glory, the undivided glory. Amen and Amen. I remain yours, &c., JOHN COLLINS, In the wilderness of New Brunswick, — the friend of every man and the enemy of none. \ .A them Ohv nds of ander- lory of tablish Tovern- ' Queen ily huB- •hildren ae chair 36 thine 3 crowns 'resident md they nay they 3ct them id crime ; iving the } with the 10 worldly Le of the ice, Spain, Me Prince ^d do thou man, and sr call out „ his mes- [f heathen lUeya low, [salvation, [ctitions I undivided Or-OSll^fG HYMN. \ ilNS, the friend This is the field, the woild below, Where wheat and tares together grow, Where oft we meet in mingled band— Siiinor and and saint together stand. Chorus — But sonn the reaping time will come And angels shout the harvest hom«. Will it relieve their horrors there To recollect their sins when here— How much they heard, how much they knew How much araong the wheat they giewl Chorcs — But soon the reaping time, 4w. No, — this will aggravate their case,- They perish under means of grace ; To them the word of life and faith Became an instrument of death. Chorus — But soon the reaping time, Ao. We seem alike when here we meet, Strangers might think we all were wheat— But to the Lord's all-searching eyffs Each heart appears without disguise. Chorus. — But soon the reaping time, &c. Though in the outer church below The wheat and tares together grow ; Jiesus e'er long will weed the crop. And pluck the tares with anger up. Cborus — But soon the reaping time, ^. To love my sins, a saint to appear, To grow with wneat, a saint to appear. May serve me when on earth below. Where tares and wheat together grow. Chorus — But Gdbn the reaping time, &c. Most awful thought, and is it so — Must all the world the harvest knowT Is every one a wheat or tare 1 Then for the harvest home prepare. Choru& — But soon the reaping time, &c. Then all that truly righteous are, Shall in their Father's kingdom share ; But tares in bundles shall be bound, And east in hell — Oh ! awful sound. CaoRus — But soou the reaping time, ire. *^ ■ 1 ? 1 rmE VOICE from: heaveis. I ghino In the llRht of God, Oh, friends of mortal years,— His likenesH Ntunips my brow. The trusted nnd the true,— TbrouKh the shadow of death my feet have Ye are walking still in tho vale of tears. trod. But I wait to welcome you. And 1 roam in ^lory now. Do I forget? oh, no,— Vo brea)(inf{ hearts are licre, For memory's golden chain Ko Itecn, no thrillini{ piin, Still binds my luart to the hearts below. No wasted clutk, wliere the frequent tear Till they meet to touch again. Ilath rolled and left its stain. Each link is strong and bright. No sin, no Rrief, no pain,— And love's electric flame Safe in my hiippj- homo. Flows freely down, like a river of light. Sf V fears aif fled, my doubts all slain. To tlio world from whence 1 came. My hour of triuinpirscoine. I chant the joys of heaven, I'm one of tlie an^fl band.— To my l(eiid a cr"wn of jjiory given. And a harp is in my liand. Do you morn when another star Pliines out in tho glittering sky ? Do you weep when the raging voice of war And the storms of conflict die? I have learned tho son^s they sing Then why should yo\ir tears run down. Whom Jesus hath set free; And your hearts bo sorely riven ? And the glorious walls of heaven still ring For another gem in the Saviour's crown. With my new born melody. And another soul in heaven. THE BACKSLXDEK. When I think upon my former days. Hark ! listen to a Saviour's voice- My many happy j-ears. It's mercy from the skies ; My days were spent in pleasure. My nights in prayer and praise: He bids thy mourning heart rejoice. Hocalls thee to arise. But since I lost my Saviour, Present to him thy offering— I rove in sin's domain. Thy suit he'll not disdain. Alaa, I am abandoned. So come, blacksliding sinners. How can I come again ? For you may come again. I travelled from Jerusalem I saved apostiite Jonah, Down into Jericho, Amidst the foaming flood ; I fell among the robbers. I pardoned trembling Peter And tasted grief and woe ; When he returned to God. I am wounded, I urn bruised. I am the Good Samaritan, My garments deeply stuined. I'll soothe thy every pain ; I'm poor, distressed and weary, — Rejoice, backsliding sinner. How can I come agtun ? For you may come again. Like Jonah, I have fled To liberate the captives from the presence of my Lord ; Like Peter, I've denied him My mercy cannot fail, — I rescued Paul and Silas And trampled on his word ; When they wore bound in jail; Like Judas, I have sold him I broke death's iron slumbers For a little earthly gain : In Bethany and Nain : • I'm p)oor, distressed and weary, — Rejoic, backsliding sinner. How can I come again ? For you may come again. I am a morning captive. I'll press thee to my bosom, I' 1 till thee, with my love. Far in Assyria's lind,— I weep beneath the willows. I'll heal allrthy backslidings I mourn upon the strand ; With balm of heavenly love; I feel the howling tempest, I have pledged my oath and promises — My heart is sorely pained ; That none shall come in vain ; I'm poor, despised and weary,— Rejoice, backsliding sinner. I cannot come again 1 For I am thine again. I hear the songs of Zion How faithful to his promises But cannot sing thorn now, — ■ The Lord has been to me,— My harp, untuned, is hanging He cleansed my ttltliy garments. From every stain I'm free ; Upon the yielding bow. God s people long have marked me 111 shout loud hallelujahs. As one that had been slain : I'll sing the loudest strain — I'm lost I I'm lost forever 1 1 Mv heart is filled with rapture. I cannot come^ again I The Lord is mine again 1 McKillop !f Johnston, Printers. X-