The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-11-04

which We are told that Christ came by
water and blood; not by water alone but
by water and blood-as the r. v. renders
1t, by the water and the blood"
We al know what the blood means We
are redeemed by the precio-s blood Of
Christ as Of a lamb without blcmish and
without spot" But some OF us are much
at sea about the water. The water and
the blood are fguratiye expressions. But
the figures are typical. And II we under
stand the types, both win turn our
thoughts TO the sacrifice OF Calvary. The
Numbers 10. Water that owed it's cere-
monial efficacy to the sin offering. But
the SIN offering was only for a redeemed
people; a people already redeemed by the
blood of the Paschal Lamb. When the
Lord returns IN blessing 10 Israel, then,
as Ezekiel 80 teaches US, He will come by
the water" But this is because His first
coming was not by the water only, but
by the water and the blood. The blood
has already been shed, redemption is ac-
complished.
The two, I repeat, must never be sepa.
rated. And as redemption is altogether
Gods work, 90 also is the new birth. Like
the Apostles ministry tGal. I: ], X. W,
II Is not from men, neither through
man" No ordinance or sacrament" has
anything to do with 1T. Men can fix time
and place for ordinances, for ordinances
relate to earth; but the new birth is from
above. The Spirit breathes where lie
wills
1t is to this thirty-sixth chapter of Eze.
klel that these words OF Christ refer.
Three elements in the new birth are speci-
fed in the prophecy:
ID II will sprinkle clean water upon
you, and ye shall be clean" ". 25)
~ II viii give you new heart"
'3l. And ! will put Ny Spirit within
You" ". 27.)
THE WATER OF REGENERATION"
In Matt. 1923, the time Of its fulfill.
ment for the man is designated by the
Lord as THE Regeneration" And in the
where that word occurs, II is used IN con.
nection with the water OF purifcation"
and the Ezekiel prophecy. | allude OF
course TO Titus 3:5 He saved us by
the washing OF regeneration aud renew
ing Of the Holy Ghost" The word here
used is loutron. 1t is mis-rendered
washing" for 1t is noun substantive
and not a verb; and the X. Y. gloss tmar
gin) IL misleading, for loutron is never
used IN the Greek Bible for the laver."
BA in the Greek Version OF Ecclus. "a y
II is used for the vessel which held ".he
water Of publication"
But to return to the Diyinely appointed
rite Of the Jewish religion, What was the
symbolism OF the water Scripture itself
supplies the answer The word loutron.
like the word Regeneration, occurs only
twice IN the New Testament. j have al
ready spoken of Titus 3:5; the other pas.
sage is Eph. 5:26. Christ gave Himself
for the Church. that He might sanctify
and cleanse IL with the loutron of water
by the Word" In the type the lsraelite
reached the sacrifice by means OF the wa
80. L. lz..l..
the sacrifice by means OF the Word. Hence
the language Of Scripture, "the loutron OF
water IN the Word" The water of pun.
hcatIon was as we have seen, the water of
regeneration, and II Is by the Word that
the sinner IL born again to God. IL has
nothing TO do with mystic arts or shib-
bOeths after the pattern OF ancient Pa
ganism I'VE are born again tas the IN
splred Apostle teachesl by the Word OF
God'-"the living and eternalIy abiding
Word of God"
And to guard against all possibility of
error or misapprehension. u IS added,
And this il the Word which by the Cos
pei is preached unto you"-preach ched. as
he had already declared, with the Holy
the Spirit without the Word, nor the
Word without the Spirit bu: the Word
preached IN the power OF the Spirit.
In all this the truth of Christianity is
the counterpart and complement of the
teaching OF the Old Testament. How can
sinners, helpless, hopeless, dead - rs dead
as dry bones scattered on the earth--be
born again 10 God? "Can these bones
live? was the question which led the
prophet to cast himself on God. And the
37th chapter Of Ezekiel gives the answer:
Preach to them. Call upon them 20 hear
the Word of the Lord. w. ~. This is
mans part or If anything more remains
it is Prophecy unto the breath"-pray
that the Spirit may breathe. upon these
dead The rest is Gods work altogether.
For "the Spirit breathes when He wills.'
Men preach; the Spirit breathes; and
the dry bones live Thus it is that sinners
are born again.-London Christian.