baptism began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the day of Pentecost, which ranks among God's wonders which he has wrought since the beginning among the children of men. This baptism continued during the times of the apostles, and all persons, whether Jews or Gentiles, who believed the Gospel and were baptized were eligible to receive a measure of the gift of Christ. And as a result, all persons who received the gift of the Spirit were able by reason thereof to do some thing that they could not do before, whereas in these times of darkness when people ignorantly suppose that they have the Spirit, it proves to be a dead spirit, and were it not for the veil that they are under, they could easily see that they are deceived. There is no outpouring of the Holy Spirit now, and will not be again until the wonders. of the latter days are manifest in the earth.

The Baptism of Suffering

Jesus replied to the two sons of Zebedee when they asked him saying, "Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire," saying unto them, "What would ye that I should do for you?" They said unto him, "Grant unto us that we may sit one on thy right hand and the other on thy left hand in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of and with the baptism that I am baptized withal, shall ye be baptized, but to sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give."

In these words of the Lord to two of his disciples he speaks of the cup that he was to drink of at the hands of the wicked; and when the time came to do this he prayed and said, "O my Father, If this cup may not pass from me except I drink it, thy will be done." This cup was the cup of death; he died and went down into the lowest parts of the earth, and was raised again out from among the dead, and this operation is called a baptism, after the figure of it as it obtains in baptism for the remission of sins, in which a person is buried in water in the name of the Lord, and raised again up out of the water a new man in Christ Jesus, leaving the body of the sins of the flesh behind.

Thus when Jesus awoke in his Father's image and likeness and came forth up out of the waters of death, immortal, leaving mortality and the sins and lusts of the flesh behind, this is the baptism of suffering for the truth's sake. This cup those two disciples had to drink, and this baptism they had to be baptized with, and seal their faith with their blood; and all persecutions, afflictions, and trials that a person endures for the truth's sake is a part of this baptism, even though we may not be called upon to suffer death at the hand of the enemy, and therefore Peter says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing had happened unto you, but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the truth's sake, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as an evildoer, or

as a murderer, or as a thief, or as a busy body in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf; for the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God, and if it first begin at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God; and if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in welldoing as unto a faithful Creator" (I Pet. 4: 12-19).

Again, Paul after enumerating a multitude of persons who had endured every form of persecution and death for the sake of a better resurrection, says, Wherefore seeing ye are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us (the sin of unbelief), and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and ye have forgotten the exhortation (Prov. 3: 11-12) which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him, for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If," says the apostle, "ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons (Heb. 12:1-13). Paul reckoned that the suffering which he endured was filling up that which was behind the afflictions of Christ in his flesh for his body's sake, which is the church (Col. 1:24).

These things constitute the baptism of suffering, that we may be proved, and that the "trial of our faith, which is more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ," not at the hour and article of death, but at the coming of Christ and the resurrection of all his saints.

FOURTH, THE DOCTRINE OF LAYING ON OF HANDS

The laying on of hands, first by the apostles and afterwards also by the presbytery, as it was ordained and established by the apostles in the churches, was chiefly for communicating the gifts of the Holy Spirit to those who in that day believed and obeyed the Gospel; but when the work was accomplished for which the Holy Spirit was given to men in that day, then the Spirit was again withdrawn and, as Paul said, only three things remained; namely, faith, hope, and charity. When this obtained, the laying on of hands. also would cease with wise men. But among such as are ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth, the practice of laying on of hands has continued to this day, but it is the form without the substance. The power has departed, and therefore the persons now who lay hands on others and say, Receive ye the Holy Spirit, have no Holy Spirit to communicate, and therefore the parties on whom they lay their hands receive no Holy

Spirit or power in the least degree; and therefore the whole ceremony is at sham and a mockery as it obtains among those that know not God.

FIFTH, THE DOCTRINE OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead is here classed among the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, and consequently it comes under the head of milk and not of strong meat, and therefore must needs be understood and believed by all persons who desire to render the obedience of faith; and of them, says Paul to the Corinthians in his first letter to them (3: 1-2), “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with strong meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." Therefore what the apostle says in this letter in what appears in the fifteenth chapter, touching the resurrection of the dead, is milk, and not strong meat. If a man errs and stumbles in attempting to interpret a doctrine which is represented by milk, who would feel safe to trust him when he attempts to interpret doctrines which are represented by strong meat? or as Jesus said. to Nicodemus, "If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?"

Now Jesus had just been attempting to feed Nicodemus with milk, that is, to show him earthly things about the resurrection of the dead, saying, "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit," he can neither see nor enter the kingdom of God. Again he said, "That which is born of the flesh. is flesh, and, that which is born of the spirit is spirit." When the righteous. come forth again into the world the second time, they are brought forth and born of the Spirit, and are therefore not children of an earthly mother, as they were when they were born into the world the first time, but they are born of God by the Spirit, and are then the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

They who suppose that when the righteous are born from the dead, they come again the second time in their earthly bodies, may well be classed with Nicodemus in the day of his ignorance, for he seemed to think that if a man must be born again, he would need to enter his mother's womb again, and be born as he was before; but Jesus showed him that while that which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. This lesson the mortal resurrectionists need to learn, as well as Nicodemus did.

There are two kinds of flesh: mortal, earthy, and sinful flesh, such as all those have without a single exception who are born of woman; and immortal, pure, and holy flesh, which also is called spirit, insomuch that the bodies in which the righteous appear, being born of the Spirit, are called "spiritual bodies,❞— not by any means that they are spiritual in the sense of being ethereal or immaterial, but spiritual in the sense that they are pure and holy and freed from the law of sin and death, for the immortal body has flesh and bones as well as the earthy body, and is far more material and substantial, as it abides forever, whereas the earthy body waxes old, dies and vanishes away.

The Scripture doctrine concerning Spirit and spirits and the Spirit's manifestations, is far removed from the views the natural man has of these things,

for the Father himself is a spirit, yet he has a person consisting of body and parts in which eternal life has always dwelt; Jesus Christ is, since his resurrection, called a spirit, yet he also has a material body like his Father; angels are called spirits, yet they are tangible and material persons. Of the angels which tarried all night with Lot to save him and his family out of the destruction of the city, it is said that, while he lingered, "the men (the angels) laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto them; and they brought him forth and set him without the city." Thus these angelic spirits are called men, and are material persons; and so the righteous, when made immortal either by translation or resurrection, are called "spirits of just men made perfect." 1

SIXTH, THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL JUDGMENT

This doctrine applies to those who fall away, and who by so doing are said to "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." For such there is no more redemption. Christ was crucified once for sinners and is never to be crucified again. Therefore those who trample under their feet the benefits received from Christ's suffering never get another chance, but have become the subjects of eternal judgment. They must die the second death, and perish from among the great congregation of the righteous, for the apostle adds, "It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame."

While it is not competent or possible for us in this day to be partakers of the Holy Spirit and the powers of the world to come, yet it is possible for us to believe the Gospel and be baptized for the remission of sins and become heirs of the inheritance which is in Christ Jesus; and therefore it is also possible for us to fall away again, and in the end be numbered with the primitive apostates who are the subjects of eternal judgment.

Moreover he illustrates these things by facts in nature saying, "For the earth which drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth the herbs meet for those by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned." Nevertheless he adds words of comfort to the disciples, saying, "But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things which accompany salvation, though we thus speak; for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister; and we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises."

Now the slothful person who becomes weary in well-doing lays himself 1 See also Index under “Spiritual body."

that

open to every wind of doctrine, and is easily overtaken with the errors of the wicked, and liable to fall from his own steadfastness. And so it is said of such in the Scriptures, "I went by the field of the slothful and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw and considered it well; I looked upon it and received instruction." It was enough to look upon it without attempting to go through it! This fitly represents a man who has grown negligent in spiritual matters and the truth has leaked out, like as out of leaking vessels, and nettles, thorns and briers have grown up instead, is, errors of all kinds; when you attempt to correct them, you find them like briers and thorns, that unless you are careful you may be badly lacerated and soon see how disagreeable it is to come into contact with them. Therefore the wise man considered it well; he looked upon it and received instruction. But Paul places before them a good example to follow, saying, "When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee, and so after he had patiently endured (for a period of about thirty-five years), he obtained the promise."

And since he submitted such an excellent example as the patriarch Abraham for them to copy after and imitate in all things spiritual, and as there is so little known of him and his faith in these days in which we now live, we will give attention to some things which Paul lays before the spiritual Hebrews of his day, which are just as important for us now to give heed to as it was for them.

THE TRUE AND ONLY HOPE SET BEFORE US

ABRAHAM'S SEED

Melchisedec, says Paul, blessed Abraham, who had the promises. Abraham was a Hebrew according to the flesh, and a Hebrew according to the Spirit; and as these disciples to whom this epistle was addressed, consisting of Jews and Gentiles, had become Abraham's spiritual children by embracing the faith and hope of Abraham, and as they were justified by faith as Abraham was, they also were called Hebrews and stand associated with Abraham and are to be blessed with faithful Abraham, as it is written, " In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

Now when we become Abraham's children by embracing and cherishing the same faith that he had even before he was circumcised and by having the same hope that he had and by looking for the same inheritance that was given him by promise, which he saw afar off, and died looking for, which he was promised and expected to enter upon at his resurrection from the dead, and not before,-— when we understand all these things and are then baptized into Jesus Christ for remission of sins, we are then constituted Abraham's seed; and so Paul said to the Galatians (3:29), "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."

HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE

Now let us consider the position in which those who are Abraham's seed stand in relation to the promises that Abraham holds, and what guarantee