relations; forming the sacraments of salvation, which assuredly claims the very solemn and serious attention of all who profess the high calling of Christ. The Apostle Paul assures us that there is one baptism. This baptism is a federal act of admission into the new covenant, which is a covenant of gracious promises on the part of God, and demands a cordial reliance on these promises on the part of man, with a solemn engagement to fulfil those duties which are required. As a mere inaugural rite-as an outward form of initiation into the church of Christ, the sacred ordinance of baptism is in itself of a very simple nature, and very easy to be understood. It is the washing or baptizing the body in pure water. "Let us (says the Apostle) draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." "Christ so loved the church that he gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy, and without blemish." The wash ing of the body in water is an act of religious purification, which generally prevailed in the Gentile world before the gospel was preached. Plutarch says that water tends to purify and cleanse the soul; and Tertullian assures us that it was employed by all nations for this purpose. Selden asserts, That among the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians it was the custom for those who were initiated into their sacred rites to pass through an act of purification by dipping their body in water.' There is reason to suppose that all these mystical rites of purifying by water which prevailed among the Gentiles, had their origin from what God himself had ordained among his own people. For we know that water was appointed for this purpose under the law of Moses, especially for the priests when they were consecrated to their holy office. God said, Thou shalt wash them with water (Exod. xxix. 4.) And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. The Levites were consecrated to God after the same manner. "The Lord spake unto Moses saying, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them, and thus shalt thou do unto them to cleanse them, sprinkle water of purifying upon them." There were indeed under the law, divers washings, all intended to sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, and all in use among the Jews. Water is constantly set forth in the word of life as an emblem to represent the Spirit and grace of God, and indeed the resemblance in many respects between the natural elements and the spiritual grace, is very striking; for the one tends to purify and cleanse the body, and the other is designed to cleanse and purify the soul. Thus before the creation of the world was reduced from a state of chaos into order, we read that "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The prophets often employ this figure to denote the washing of God's Spirit—“ Wash, and be clean,”—" Wash you, make you clean.”— 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters' -"for I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." And the prophet Ezekiel, speaking of the sanctification of God's people, says " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you." It is then with good reason that the grace and spirit of God, as cleansing and purifying the soul, are so often represented in the word of life under the emblem of water; but all these spiritual gifts proceed from one and the same source the fountain of the water of life, or the fountain of living waters-even from our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the never-failing spring of light and life, and truth; of grace, mercy, and peace to his people. "I (says he) am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." "I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely," and "whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." - This fountain of living water,-by the blood of Christ, and by the grace and Holy Spirit of God, was not fully opened under the old covenant, yet it flowed at times and seasons for the people of God. Thus when a few persons were saved in the ark, it was designed as an emblem of the salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ: "For as (St. Peter says) "in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, eight souls were saved by water, the like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth now save us." The passing of the people of Israel through the Red Sea was another symbol of the same kind, intended as a figure to represent the great de liverance wrought by the water and the blood which flowed from the side of Jesus Christ, when as he hung on the cross, 66 one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water, and he that saw it bare record, and his record is true." "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood." This baptism of Christ by water and blood were typically represented under the old covenant. "I would not (says the Apostle) that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that rock which followed them, and that rock was Christ." The fountain of living waters was again opened at Mount Horeb, when Moses smote the rock and water gushed out. "He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great deep, he brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers." "He opened the rock and the waters gushed out, they ran in the dry places like a river." We can have no doubt but these |