"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghostt." W As baptism is the rite by which we are admitted into the Christian church, so was circumcision the type of admission into the people of GOD under the law of "the lesser light ; and, as by the law of Moses", and by the appointment of GOD" himself, when He established His covenant with Moses, he that was eight days old was to be circumcised; so children, which "have no knowledge between good and evil," are submitted to the ordinance of baptism, and they are thereby admitted members of the church of Christ, who said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven *;" "Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaveny." So that, when children are admitted into the church of Christ, a figure is afforded of those who shall be members of His spiritual church in the kingdom of heaven. Faith in the efficacy of the atonement offered by Christ, in His divine nature, in the truth of His Gospel, and in His promises, forms an Acts, ii. 38; iii. 19. Luke, iii. 3; xiii. 3. w Gen. xvii. 12. essential requisite in every one who presumes to call himself a Christian; without such faith, indeed, he is not a Christian, his true appellation is that of Infidel. "He that believeth in me," said our Saviour, "though he were dead yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." He that believeth on the Son of man shall have everlasting life. "He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life b." "GOD gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life;" "he that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the " If only-begotten Son of GoDd." ye believe not that I am He, ye die in your sinse." rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day f." "He that receiveth me, receiveth Him that sent mes." The same doctrine is inculcated by the Apostles: "Whosoever believeth John, xi. 25, 26. * John, iii. 15, 16. b John, v. 24; vi. 40. с John, iii. 16; xx. 31. 3 d John, iii. 18. "He that e John, viii. 24; xvi. 9. f John, xii. 48. 8 John, xiii. 20. that Jesus is the Christ, is born of GOD." "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be savedi." "Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sinsk." "He that believeth on Him shall not be confounded'." "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of GOD?” "The Gospel of Christ is the power of GOD unto salvation unto every one that believeth"." "To whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not° ?" «For we which have believed do enter into rest"." "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth¶.” Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"." "Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 66 Our faith in Christ must be rooted and firm: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered"." "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and esta blished in the faith "." "Stand fast in the faith, "Con quit you like men, be firm, be strong *." tinue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospely." "Stand fast in the Lord"." "Stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." "Continue in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of." "Hold fast that which is good.","Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondaged." "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without waveringe," "not carried about with divers and strange doctrines," nor "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrines;""not shaken in mind ";" not turning our ears from the truth, "having itching ears," but holding fast the form of sound wordsk." "He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son"," "whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope, firm unto the end m" "If any man draw back, my soul e Hebr. x. 23. 8 Eph. iv. 14. i 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. Hebr. iii. 6. "Be not shall have no pleasure in him "." slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." "Be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord P." "Abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming 9." "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved"." 66 If The Christian must love Christ:" He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of mes." any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." "Continue ye in my love"." "Grace be with them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity"." "If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be anathema-maranatha [or accursed at the coming of the Lord"]. It is required, that "all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father ;" and "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, |