Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-05-05

1
would remain for he has no right to exer-
else private judgment on matter settled
BY his superiors. So II Christ gave His
people certain act to perform they com
init an offense by doing something else in
preference, Details about dress are min
or affairs in the soldiers life. but they are
not overlooked by the rules of his profess
sion; they may become very significant Of
his disposition to obey more important
rules, and we may cay the same of bap
tism. II one betrays an insubordinate
spirit In so small q matter one Of the
least in the christian life, who will expect
him to be docile and obedient in graver
concerns2
| But l started out to speak of baptism
A. the outward side Of faith, the baptism
Of true believer. 1t Is the evidence that
such person is the child Of God. That
is what st. Paul Is saying here In connec-
tion with the text, ye are all sons Of
| God through faith in Jesus Christ, 1. e..
your faith made you sons. but faith has 4
visible as we'll as an invisible side and the
visible side is baptism. So he says 10
the text In close connection with this
| statement that faith made them sons of
| God IN Christ Jesus: For As many of you
As were baptized into Christ did put on
Christ. Now as Christ is the Son Of God
to put on Christ is to be clothed In the uni
form OF the sous of God. We are not to
separate believing in Christ from being
baptized they are two sides OF the same
act and the act is imperfectly done. not
! really done completely until II is done on
| both sides.
But suppose that the apostle here re-
ferred to baptism to recall his readers to
the act they had themselves performed
| voluntarily. They may not have compre-
hended sll the bearings of 1t, so he sets 1t
before them with the necessary explana-
tion. soldier does not know all the sig
| nifcancc Of wearing q uniform when he
puts 1t on the first time. The only thing
| he does need TO know Is that he intends to
be good obedient soldier. so when one
is baptized he may he very ignorant of
great deal that will be required of him, but
he needs TO have the flial spirit he needs
to feel genuine desire to live according
to the will of the spirit of Christ that is
given him.
find that st. Paul alluded to baptism
in this way in various connections; when
he had to deal with the question whether
a christian might commit sin because he is
not under the law, he answered 'Ye are
dead to SIM" i. e., you have no inclination
TO sin. no desire that sin would graft |
fy. And how did he impress that on the
readers mind: BY saying Are We ignorant
that all We who were baptized into Christ |
Jesus were baptized into His death! They |
were buried therefore with him through |
baptism into death: thst like as Christ was |
raised from the dead through the glory Of |
the Father so we also might walk in new |
ness Of life" Rom. 6 81 So he empha- |
sized bearing of that act of baptism by |
which they exhibited their faith in Christ |
which they may not have thought Of; that
it is grave that separates them from sin, |
Christ puts the power OF sin to death that |
is.if 1t is a real faith. full of the godly sor-
row for sin that leadeth to repentance. |
And think that this connection between |
baptism and the resurrection to q new /
life is the true explanation Of that OBJ |
scure statement in | Cor. 10 30. Else what |
shall they do which are baptized for the |
dead. III the dead are not raised st all |
why then are they baptized for them? As
II to say, what did your baptism amount |
to If there is no resurrection? Why was
there a symbol of resurrection IL there |
was no reality to it? Just as before he |
said. your faith was vain il there is no res
direction, so now he intimates the same |
of baptism which is part of the act of
faith. the visible part. So we see that |
when ST. Paul had any lesson of the chris |
tian life, doctrine or duty to enforce he |
could appeal to the baptism Of those whom |
he addressed just as one might refer to his |
uniform in reminding soldier Of the pc
culiar duties to which he was called or
when ncitng him to the glorious achieve
ments by which he would prove himself
worthy of that uniform. Baptism Is re-
minder all the way through life of the will
of the Holy Spirit who was given to US
when we believed frs: in Christ.
III. In the second place baptism by
which we visibly put on Christ is means
of recognizing each other as children of
God by faith In Christ Jesus.
1t is . profession of mutual interest in
the kingdom of Christ and in each other.
Here again St. Paul. in his never ceasing
efforts to preserve perfect union in the
churches makes appeal to baptism. Among
other possessions which all have in com
mon he mentions lone baptism" (Eph. /
81; and again, for In one spirit were we
all baptized into one body, whether Jews
or Greeks. whether bond or free. This is
fact that we cannot dwell upon too
much, that the whole fellowship of the
| baptized are included In the same class be-
| fore God, and are made the subjects Of the
same operation of the Holy Spirit. Their
natural differences may be great and con-
stantly increasing, their spiritual differ
ences are constantly diminishing. They
are all coming to hold q common faith.
reciting very much the same ideas and ex-
periences. 1t may seem to some duty to
magnify differences In belief that on care
full examination seem to be differences Of
words or even of emphasis. | am per-
suaded that unity is more to be desired
than zeal for party and sect. Even
when all the army Of Christ is numbered
1t is small compared with the unchristian
and irreligious world. And the ranks are
continually thinning by death. was sad
ly impressed during the past season by a
sentence from letter of N. Mason, secre-
tary of the II. NJ. Society: Il am sorry
to say my health is poor. fear that my
work which l love is nearly done" This
intimation while yet the rules we're turned
| in the Wdtchmdn. for Dr. Olmstead warns
us that the Grave, faithful workers are
passing away. Wherever there is bap-
tized believer wearing the uniform Of
Christ greet him with friendly encour-
agement. If he is indeed seeking to serve
Christ in an unworldly spirit would be
Joined with him in his work.