The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1903-01-15
Two Works of Grace ~
- = and Gods
y = Hand in it All
BY w. c. ANDERSON
CHAPTER III-Continued.

they have been baptized into that state
by the holy spirit neither can they
know what God wants them to do till
His spirit has taught them that it is
one thing to qualify yourself for posi-
ton in His spiritual kingdom, and it is
another covet earnestly that which His
spirit bids you covet, till you know
that you have got your commission by
His spirit witnessing the fact to your
soul. And Why do l say this? Be.
cause the Holy Spirit is to witness to
exery gift we get from God. Heb. 10
1916. And for the fact that / am en-
joying the gift of writing what l call
prelude TO the little book tlat the spirit
bid me write nearly four years ago,
though / did not know that the gift
must be coveted till l was willing to
fast and pray that God might set me
into His body to write the little book,
and also for the sad fact that | am now
at this time of fasting and praying for a
gift that have been anxious for all the
while but did not know how to seek it
or just how it would come. But,
praise God, l know to not tarry at Gill
gal, Betham, Jerico or at the Jordan
but just cross and follow on though l
drown. ] am just in for this blessing
that God has for me. He does not say
for US to covet earnestly the best gift,
but gifts, and yet shew l unto you a
more excellent way q Cor, xii, 3D.
The apostle Paul says in the very
first verse of this chapter, 'Now, con-
cerning spiritual gifts, bretheren, 1
would not have you ignorant" Oh,
how ignorant / have been of the true
meaning of this chapter from first TO
last. l could not see that the apostle
was addressing his holy brethren, they
ought to know all things. Then we
see why he still exhorts the Ephesian
brethren to keep the unity of the spirit
in the bond of peace, and says there is
one spirit even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling. And what more?
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, aud
does not use the conjunction and which
clearly shows that the baptism is a
spiritual one that brings to us,all spir-
itual gifts and witnesses to each and
all (Eph. iv, to B. l hold and the
little book will teach that baptism with
water is divine, holy ordinance and
should be obeyed at the earliest conve-
nience after knowledge of pardon for
all past offences has been witnessed to
the soul by the Holy Spirit, aud that
nothing short of faith in his broken
body and shed blood will regenerate a
soul, and that nothing less than an ap-
plication of that blood by the Holy
/ Ghost can sanctify or cleanse soul.
We read that when he was dead one of
the soldiers with spear pierced his
side, and forthwith came there out
blood and water (St. John xix, "a So
we find that it was faith in the Christ
TO come and Christ that had come that
brought justification or pardon to all
his followers before his death, and thai
it is faith still in the crucifed Christ
hat regenerates, and faith in his las
prayer and words that bring the Holy
Ghost the cleansing power (Rom. XIV
t6.) We would not mimify it in thu
least, either the blood or the water, fol
God the father let each flow out from
the side of his dear son, which doubl,
, cure was to cleanse the world from sin
Hence we sing after that spiritual maj
Watts,
"Rock of ages cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood
I From thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin double cure,
Save from wrath and make me4pure. "
The baptism into Christ referred t,
in Galatians iii, ~, and Romans Vi, 9
is spiritual baptism and means deaf
: TO sin as you see the whole chapter
Romans vi, showsA Hence we see VIII
II Paul said, ''Why are We baptized fo
ihe dead if the dead rise not?" q Go,
xv, 29) The little book will teach ths
Christ was our pattern and that he wa
buried in water baptism to obey tn
father and to tipify his death to sin an
his burial and resurrection to walk
new life, and also to prove that th
= Holy Ghost, the promised comforter
which was to abide with us forever
was to come as soon as we obeyed an
! believed, and the word says that th
: Holy Ghost came in the bodily shaT
OF dove and lit on him and RENAME
on him luke iii, 90 SO the questlo
naturally comes when why and no
are we baptized for the dead? And {
- we understand the word we answe
"When we have died to sin" (Rom. V
! and2) Why? Because people al
= buried after death. How? Planted
~ covered up with that which fiowe
( from his side. How often? One tim
- Is the Holy Ghost had given comman
y nent to baptize in Christ's name onl
. Acts i, and q, and that was to tipi
his one death, one burial and one re
erection.
In concluding this, the third, cha
ter of my prelude to the little book,
ne earnestly entreat you not to stop
illgal, Bethany, Jerico or Jordan, b
follow the man of God right into Il
Canaan land where the old wheat, cor
vine, grapes, pomegranates and all I
luscious things are that God has
r eason for his children. Alb, how maj
h With their carnal minds eye beho
the picture of the beautiful Cana
land with its picturesque mountai
md broad, fertil valleys with proli
rrees and vines groaning under thu
Dad of the sweetest fruits, nuts, spiC
md melons of every kind and nal
e hat are as numerous as the memb'
- in human body, but, alasl are I
lble to see with their spiritual eye IL
hose blessings only represent the sp
tual gifts that the apostle Paul spes
# in / Corinthians, xii.
gro BE CoNTNUED)