know him and the power of his resurrection [as a member of his body, his Church], and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death,—if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Phil. 3: 10, 11.) Now to understand Romans 6: 5 to mean that a share in Christ's resurrection would be the sure result of an immersion in water would be to make this passage contradict every other passage, and to outrage reason. Why should a planting, or burial, in water result in a share in the First Resurrection? We are safe in assuming that thousands have been planted, or buried, or immersed, in water who will never share i the First Resurrection-the Christ Resurrection.

But when we understand this verse, in harmony with the two preceding it, to refer to baptism into death, to planting in death, in the likeness of Christ's death, then all is plain, all is reasonable. Having been called of the Lord to be joint-heirs with his Son, and to suffer with him and to be dead with him, to live with him and to reign with him, how sure we may feel that if we are faithful to this call, if we are planted or buried into his death, like as he was buried into death—as faithful soldiers of God and servants of the Truth,-we shall eventually get the full reward which God promises to such, viz., a share in the First Resurrection—to glory, honor and immortality.

Baptism into death is the real baptism for the Church, as it was the real baptism for our Lord; water baptism is only the symbol, or picture of it to us, as it was to him. This is conclusively shown by our Lord's words to two of his disciples, James and John, who requested that they might have his promise that eventually they should sit with him, the one on his right hand and the other on his left hand in the Kingdom. Our Lord's answer to them was, "Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to be baptized with the baptism that I am [being] baptized with?" Their avowal of their willingness to share, not only his ignominy but also his baptism into death, our Lord approvingly answers, "Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I

am baptized with." (Mark 10: 35-39.) Whoever of、 his called ones are willing at heart for these experiences, the Lord will grant them the privilege,—and also his assistance. Such shall indeed be immersed into Christ's death, and, as a consequence, have a share with him in the First Resurrection and in the Kingdom glories appertaining thereto. That our Lord here made no reference to water baptism is evident; for these two disciples had been with him from the beginning of his ministry, and as his representatives had been baptizing multitudes in water, "unto repentance and remission of sins". John's baptism. (John 3: 22, 23; 4: 1, 2; Mark 1:4.) Our Lord's inquiry respecting their willingness for a share in his baptism was not misunderstood by the apostles. They had no thought that he wished them to be baptized again in water; they understood well that it was the baptism of their wills into his will and the Father's will, and accordingly their participation with him in his sacrifice, dying daily, laying down their lives for the brethren, to the finish, unto death actual.

"BY ONE SPIRit we are aLL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY.” -1 Cor. 12: 12, 13.

Let no one misunderstand the Apostle, when referring to our baptism into death with our Lord-"into his death"-to mean the baptism of the holy Spirit. Death and the holy Spirit are distinctly separate, and the two baptisms are distinct and separate. The baptism into death is an individual matter, in which each who would become a member of the body of Christ must individually consecrate and sacrifice his will. Subsequently, his sacrifice accepted, the Lord by his Spirit assists each to lay down his life in the service of the Truth and for the brethren-even unto death. The baptism of the holy Spirit was one baptism for the entire Church. It took place in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, and has needed no repetition, because it has not ceased to abide with the Church from then until now. A repetition of some of the outward manifestations was given in the case of Cornelius; but merely as an evidence to Peter and to all the Jewish believers, and to Cornelius

and all Gentile believers since, that God makes no distinction or discrimination as between Jews and Gentiles. The Pentecostal immersion was accomplished, we are told, by the filling of the upper room with the holy Spirit, so that the 120 brethren present were all immersed in the holy Spirit," the apostles receiving, additionally, a symbol of divine favor in the appearance as of cloven tongues of fire upon their heads.

This anointing with the holy Spirit corresponded to the anointing of Israel's high priests and kings with the holy anointing oil. The oil was poured upon the head and ran down over the body. The antitype of this pouring upon the head was the impartation of the holy Spirit to our Lord at the time of his consecration at thirty years of age, when the Father gave him the spirit "without measure.' (John 3: 34.) When Pentecost was fully come, and our glorified Head had appeared in the presence of the Father, and made propitiation for the sins of his people, he was permitted to 'shed forth this," the Pentecostal holy Spirit immersing his Church; thus signifying their acceptance by him and by the Father, as members of his Ecclesia, his body-members of the New Creation. His Church, his body, has since continued, and the holy Spirit has continued in and upon it; and as each additional member is added to the Church, which is his body, each becomes a participant in the one baptism of the Spirit which pertains to and pervades the body, the Church.

The text under consideration links this Pentecostal baptism of the Spirit with our individual baptism into death, and shows us the relationship of the two. It is as justified men that we are baptized into death; it is as members of the New Creation that we are anointed of the holy Spirit and constituted members of the Ecclesia, the body of Christ. As already seen, we must first be justified out of Adamic sin and death, by faith in our Redeemer, before our sacrifice could be accepted and we be counted "dead with him,"-with our Lord, our Head. So, likewise, we must first make this consecration, or sacrifice, of our justified selves, and be accepted

as members of the New Creation, before the dying processes begin which will, by the Lord's grace, result in our complete baptism into death, in the likeness of our Lord's baptism into death, and thus insure a share in his "First Resurrection." This is in accord with what we have already seen; viz., that it is not our justification that constitutes us New Creatures-members of the body of Christ-but our baptism into death with him, as the Apostle says, "As the body is one, and hath many members so also is Christ. For by one Spirit

we are all baptized into one body been all made to drink into one Spirit."

and have -1 Cor. 12:12, 13.

This Gospel age is the "acceptable year of the Lord," during which he has been willing to accept the sacrifices of believers, their full consecration unto death. Each sacrificer thus responding to the Call of the age (Rom. 12: 1) has at once been accepted to a place, a membership, in the "Church of the First-born, whose names are written in heaven." But this acceptance, as we have seen, does not conclude the matter: it is required of all consecrators that they shall "die daily"—that is, that their attitude of entire consecration shall be continued daily until they too can finally declare, "It is finished." It is required by the consecration that this perseverance in sacrificing and well-doing shall be continued patiently and faithfully, and that the end, with us as with our Lord and Head, shall be literal death. As it is written: "I have said, Ye are gods [elohim-mighty ones] all of you sons of the Highest;-yet ye shall die like men, ye shall fall like one of the princes"—not like Prince Adam, convicts; but like Prince Jesus,—participators in his death. (Psa. 82: 6, 7.) This faithfulness, this daily dying, is requisite to our making our calling and election sure; and it is to such as faithfully walk in the footsteps of the Lord that he promises the glory, honor and immortality reserved for the faithful overcomers who shall constitute the "Very Elect" members of the New Creation. Our Lord's words are, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Rev. 2: 10.) We see, then, that it is with the Church as it was with her

Lord and Head-that the consecration brings the firstfruits of the Spirit, faithfulness daily continues the blessing of the Spirit, with increasing joys and fruits, while the faithful finishing of the covenant in actual death is essential to the receiving of the full inheritance— a share in the First Resurrection and its glories and honors.-Eph. 1: 12–14; Rom. 8: 16, 17. .

THE BAPTISM OF FIRE.

We have already at considerable length* called attention to the statement of John the Baptist, made to the Jews respecting Jesus, "He shall baptize you with the holy Spirit and with fire," (Matt. 3: 11), thus pointing out the Pentecostal blessing upon faithful Israelites and the fire of God's anger, “wrath to the uttermost" (1 Thess. 2: 16), that came upon the remainder of that nation. The baptism of fire is not a blessing, nor is it intelligently that Christian people sometimes pray for it. As there was such a baptism of fire in the end of the Jewish age upon the "chaff" of that nation, so our Lord indicates there will be in the end of this age a similar "fire" upon the "tare" class of Christendom-a baptism of fire, of trouble, which will be appalling; "a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.”Dan. 12: I.

THE SYMBOLICAL BAPTISM IN WATER.

We have already called attention to the various water baptisms in vogue amongst Christian people, and almost universally misunderstood by them to be the real baptism; we have shown how false and inconsistent are the tests which are based upon these water baptisms, which cannot affect the heart, and which at very most are symbols, but not seen to be symbols by their advocates, because they do not clearly discern the real baptism into death with Christ. How simple and yet how accurate becomes this test of real baptism, as respects the Church of Christ-the "body," the Ecclesia, whose names are written in heaven-not depending upon earthly enroll

*Vol. V., Chap. ix.