The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1876-03-02
BAPTISM AND SALVATION.
Synopsis Of = Discourse by Elder Shoe
maker.
MAINE PRAIRIE, Feb. %, 1876.

MAINE PRAIRIE, Feb. %, 1876.
EDITOR JoURNAL.-It had been pre-
viously announced that on account of some
misrepresentation, Elder Shoemaker
would preach on Sunday, the 9th of
February, on "The new BIRTH" and the
good people of Maine Prairie were on the
qui vive to hear him, and in spite of the
snow storm yesterday there was quite re-
spectacle audience. The Elder took for
the basis of his discourse part of the 5th
verse of the 18th chapter of John: "Ex-
cept a man be born Of water and the
spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God" He began by saying that very often
person speaking from one position was
misunderstood by one listening from an
other position; it had been his aim not to
misrepresent his christian neighbors and
the reason why he had chosen this subject
was because this church had been misrep-
resented by other denominations, and that,
too, by those who were not lay members.
and that he was merely standing on the de-
fensive. He does not believe in water SAL
walton, but believes what the bible says
and would not fellowship with one who
breaches water salvation. We teach what
the bible plainly points out on this subject
and believe that except man be born of
water and of the spirit he cannot enter in
to the kingdom of God. Does Jesus teach
a water salvation? There are three births
LIST. The birth Of nature, being born into
the world. I'd. Born into the kingdom of
God, of water and Of the spirit. Sd. Birth
from the grave, being the resurrection
Jesus was speaking Of the new birth, and
there were no christians when Christ gave
utterance to these expressions to Nicods-
mus, but he was looking forward to the
coming kingdom. We have three points
of view: 1st. Christ spake to Nicodemus
prospectivelv. I'd. At Pentecost the new
birth was = present reality Sd. The allu-
sions to the new birth in the epistles are
Retrospective. Every denomination says
that baptism is q divine command, but
many religionists say that it is of no i'm
portance. We would not dare say that
We are charged with teaching that baptism
alone will save sinner and We are also
charged with denying that the Holy Spirit.
repentance and faith have anything to do
with regeneration. We do not believe
that baptism alone isof any account at al,
and for this reason we reject infant baptism,
for that's purely baptism alone, and baptism
alone changes no ones heart. Faith
changes the heart, repentance changes the
life, and baptism the state. The Elder ex-
empli6ed the case by saying that he had a
few days before solemnizeda marriage. The
ceremony did not change the hearts Of the
parties their hearts were united long be.
fore that occasion, but they needed achange
of relation. She needed to take the name
of her husband, which could not be done
without the ceremony, and by taking his
name she became partaker of bis fortune.
So no one can take the name of Christ un-
til he is baptized into Christ and puts on
Christ. Do not believe that water ia holy
one stream is as good as another. When
Naaman dipped himself seven times in the
river and was healed there was no virtue
in the mater, but the virtue was in obeying
the commands of God. Christ commands
his disciples saying, go We into all the
world and preach the gospel to every crea-
ture. He that believeth and is baptized
hall be saved, but he that believeth not,
shall be damned" The Holy Spirit
through Peter says, "Repent and be bap-
tized every one of you in the name Of
Jesus Christ for the remission Of sins and
ye shall receive the gift Of the Holy Ghost"
This is but crude synopsis of his dis
course NJ p