The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-12-02
q Baptism. =

4. NJ. November %, 1908. Acts -
Is; Rom. 6 40; Col, IL.
Let MS first note our authority for
the ordinance of Baptism
A. Christ submitted Himself to it.
II. He commanded it.
{. His disciples taught it.
II. The early church praetieed it.
As man entering the Christian life
wish to in the form of symbol.
make public confession of my faith.
What are the truths | wish to show
forth
/. My Spiritual Death Through
the Bible sin is pictured as death.
Dead in tresspasses and in sins.
Eph. / The soul that sinneth it
shall die. is 4. "The wages of
ain is death. Rom. + %. To sym
bolize this may be "buried with Him
i'll baptism. Rom. & 4
My Spiritual Resurrection.
wish to express my entrance upon
holy career. This holy career is spek
en- of as life The gift of God is
eternal life, = Rom. 6 %. He that
hath the Son hath life. / John r.
''He has passed from death into life =
John 5 II. How can better do this
than to enter the liquid grave and be
raised that like as Christ was raised
from the dead. Rom. & so may
be aud in this way symbol forth my
resurrection to new life.
3. My Deflement of Sin. In the O.
I. sin is pictured MS Il detlement.
This is carried over into the n. L. aud
We find Christ saying that it is not the
things that SO into the man that de
files, but the things that come out that
detiles. Matt. Il %. Here He uses
deiilemcnt in the sense of sin. Had
there been no deillemcnt there would
have been no need for fountain
filled with blood How may | show
by symbol my sense of delilement ex-
cept it be as the apostle directed,
when | arise and he baptized and
wash away my sin" Acts ~ l6.
/ My Cleansing in the Blood of
Christ. When symboli2ed my res
direction it was n resurrection to II
life Of purity Purity or freedom from
sin is i'll the q. 4, symbolized by
cleansing. This is very distinctly car
ried over into the n. T., ms seen in
the writer to the Hebrews, . /: 1914,
where he speaks of the blood of Christ
ns more eflicatious than the blood of
the O. Il.
=. Christ's Death for my Life aud
Cleansing. Ny new life and my
cleansing are SO vital TINT must show
forth the instrument aud power by
which | have boon quickened and
eleansed. The suffering love of Christ
eliminates in the tomb. Now ean
show that entombed expression of
love. How show my faith with the
words of the apostle John The blood
of Jesus Christ His Son eleunses us
from all sin. John 80. There
IL no way better than 10 be buried with
Him in baptism. Col. > Il
d The Resurrection of Christ
While the tomb is the highest express
sion of Divine love an entombed
Christ is the depth of dependency
IF Christ be not risen then il your
hope vain Cor. Is : Hi. The res
direction shows the Divine, the Father
side. 1t is the proof of His divinity
the Father 8 testament TO His Sonship.
How shall express my faith in Him
as the Son of God Again we find II
in Col. , IL, also risen with Him.
1 The Resurrection Of my Body.
The fayorite theme of the disciples
was 'Jesus and the resurrection. "
Paul says "that if in this life only we
have hope in Christ we are Of all men
most miserable" Cor 10 10
Standing as | do on the very begin
ming Of my new life I wish to symbol
i've forth my hope in the resurrection
of my body to an endless life. How
can do this .? Paul tells us ''for if
we have been planted together in the
likeness of His death we shall also be
in the likeness of His resurrection. E"
These seven truths are the heart aud
the essentials of the gospel. And
standing as | do on tho very eve of my
entrance to it, | wish to symbolic to
the expecting world not only one but
all Of them. One emblem expresses my
death III tresspasses and in aims and
my quickening to a new life, my de
Element by sin and my spotlessness
in the blood of Christ; tho nader of
the humiliation of Christ and the re
NTH of the Qualification of tho Son of
God; together with II hope Of II glori.
ficatlon with Him in His kingdom
above. Search where you may moth
ing bni baptism ns commanded by our
| Master can at once symbolic all tins.
In baptism we have this complete sym
| Dol.
Yet we must note that while baptism
thus teaches more than words can il is
only n symbol and not power; only
shadow and not n substance. II does
not cleanse from sin but symbolizes
the cleansing.
Its being symbol does not III any
way lessen its importance, however.
Our flag ms Il piece Of bunting is of
little value or importance, but as TO
the symbol OF our nation, it is Of great
importance. Make baptism rite and
you surrender all, see it as n symbol
and you see in it the essence Of all our
faith. Substitute any other and you
change divine institution for a hui