Should one of the fervants of Chrift be called to visit a dying perfon, on entering the room fhould discover that death was juft ready to receive him in his icy arms-that he was paft hope of recovery. The crifis is important-a few minutes will decide his cafe for eternity! The dying man fixes ghaftly eyes upon him, as a master in Ifrael, and expects fome directions from him, while with a faultering tongue he thus relates his fad cafe; I am a poor undone finner, just going into eternity, and have no evidence of an intereft in Chrift! What shall I DO? Will the faithful minifter now tell him, he must attend the use of means, as God's appointment for his converfion? Will he direct him to receive baptifm, or to join to the church, or receive the facred fupper? all which he may do and yet be damned or will he not rather adopt St. Paul's directions to the jailer, Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved: Acts xvi. 31. And tell him, if he believeth not, he fhall die in his fins: John viii. 24. It will undoubtedly be granted, that the last mentioned is fafeft for the dying man; if so, it is alfo fafeft for living men; for living men are all dying men! and we know not which will die firft, either the fick or the well! Therefore, we ought ever to give fuch directions to finners at all times, as would be fafe to give them when on a dying bed.

Having taken this brief furvey of the gospel doctrine relative to the character of God's profeffing people, and the churches of our Lord Jefus Chrift, we find this to be the account : That those who had been fo taught as to underftand the doctrine of the cross, and so learned of the Father as to come to the Son, immediately

manifefted their faith by their works of obedience, in fubmitting themfelves to the ordinance of baptifm. After thus publickly giving themfelves up to the Lord, "they gave themselves to one another by the will of God," or according to his will. Then they broke bread and continued in fellowship.

But we have no account of any one's believing before taught," for how fhall they hear without a preacher?" Nor of any one's being baptized before he believed, (or profeffed to believe.) Nor of any that came to the facred fupper before they were baptized. We then believe it to be the apoftolick order, to baptize none till they profess their faith in Chrift; and that till then, they cannot be confidered as qualified members for a gofpel church, nor be received into their fellowship at the Lord's table. Therefore, before we are blamed too much, let a different line of conduct be proved from the writings of the evangelifts or apoftles, and it will be our happiness if we are wrong, to be convinced, that we may have opportunity to reform.

But that our reason for refufing communion with other denominations, may more fully appear, let us go on to confider the following things:

The Impropriety of the Baptist Churches communicating with thofe of other Denominations confidered, and their difference in Sentiment more particularly pointed out.

THE Baptift churches believe, that no perfon can be a difciple of Chrift, that is not capable of felf-denial; for the Author of our religion has

faid, "Whofoever he be of you that forfaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my difciple: Luke xiv. 33." "Let him deny himself and take up his daily cross and follow me: Luke ix. 23."' And if he be not a difciple, he cannot be confidered a proper subject of special ordinances.

We believe in one Lord, one Faith, one Baptifm. 1ft. That this one Lord is the woman's SEED, the IMMANUEL, born of the virgin, the one MEDIATOR between GoD and MAN, the HEAD of the Church, and ZION'S KING, a LEADER and COMMANDER of his people, the great Pattern and Example for all true Believers.

2d One Faith; that faith that works by love and purifies the heart; which is the only faith of God's elect, and which alone can give a right to fpecial ordinances; for without it, it is impoffi ble to please God. And that this one faith, is particularly in each qualified subject, and cannot give a right to any but thofe that have it.

3d. One Baptifm; that this one baptism is an immerfion in water, in the name of the triune God; which is to be continued until Chrift's fecond coming.

Should any fuppofe this one baptifm to be the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft and fire, spoken of by John Baptift and our Saviour, I fhall take leave to diffent from their opinion, and give fome reafon for my own.

The baptifm of the Holy Ghoft was spoken of by Chrift and his harbinger as that which had not then taken place.

I think any one would take fingular freedom tofay, that there were then no Chriftians who had experienced the bleffings of grace in an ordinary conversion; if it be not fo, this confequence

must follow, that thofe whom Chrift had chofen, fome of whom he had fent forth to teach and do miracles, were ignorant of the fpirituality of religion, and were fill in their fins.

Again, further, if the baptifm of the Holy Ghost be the one intended, it would exclude water baptism in every mode: For we can as eafily conceive of two Lords as of two baptifms referred to one inftitution.

The doctrine of baptifms mentioned by the apostle, Heb. vi. 2. has no reference to the gofpel inftitution of baptifm; but is the fame Greek word that is tranflated washings in another chapter of the fame epistle, Heb. ix. 10. There is a negation fixed to these baptifms, and they were to be left, because they were law ceremonies, and not gofpel inftitutions.

But here will a question arife, What are we to understand by the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft and fire? fpoken of by John, Matt. iii. 11. and by Chrift, Acts i. 5. John's words are, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but be that cometh after me is mightier than I, whofe fhoes I am not worthy to bear; he fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghoft and fire." Chrift's words are," And being affembled he commanded that they should not depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the promise of the Father; which, faith he, ye have heard from me, for John truly baptized with water, but ye fhall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, not many days hence." Doubtlefs thefe, at this time, had as great a measure of the Spirit, as Chriftians in general have, and yet were not baptized with the Holy Ghoft.

But the explanation of the foregoing, we meet with in the beginning of the next chapters, foon after Chrift's afcenfion, "They were all with one accord in one place, and fuddenly there came a found from heaven, as of a mighty rufhing wind, and it filled all the house where they were fitting and there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it fat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghoft, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance: Acts ii. 1, 2, 3.

Here is the Holy Ghoft and fire that was mentioned. For Jefus was now glorified, and the Holy Ghoft according to his promife given. I think it is very evident, that the baptifm of the Holy Ghoft and fire did not refpect the ordinary influence of God's Spirit, either in the converfion of finners, or in its confirming influences on his people: But muft refpect the extraordinary and miraculous gifts beftowed on the apostles and others, for the confirmation of the gofpel; fuch as the gifts of tongues, healing, prophefying, &c...

But as these obfervations may differ from the general opinion, I must therefore be a little more particular. Will any perfon dare to say, that those believers at Samaria, whom Philip baptized, were not true converts? If they were not, then Philip baptized a number of unqualified fubjects, that were ftrangers to the love of God. If they were true converts, I think my obfervation must stand; for it is further obferved of them, that "when the apoftles that were at Jerufalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they fent Peter and John unto them, who prayed for them, that they might