REPENTANCE.
Sin cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It is so entirely opposed, so essentially antagonistic to the spirit of righteousness, that the two cannot possibly dwell together. God does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. Consequently the soul which aspires to His presence, which expects to behold His face and be able to endure His glory, must be previously cleansed and purified from all sin. Now, no soul was ever successful in getting rid of its sins that did not first sincerely repent of them. No fault was ever corrected that was not first discovered and confessed; no habit was ever reformed that had not first been freely acknowledged; and no sin can in any wise be remitted until its perpetration has been truly repented of, and its perpetrator is resolutely resolved against its repetition. It is useless for any accountable being to say that he is without sin. The Scriptures declare that all men are sinful and that no man can truthfully claim exemption from the universal imputation. Little children (under eight years) are not responsible for their acts, and being sinless and therefore unable to repent, are redeemed by the blood of Christ from the foundation of the world. But all accountable souls, to whom the Gospel of salvation is sent, must repent of and forsake their evil ways, habits, deeds and desires, if they wish to make any headway in the pursuit of the precious prize of everlasting exaltation.
BAPTISM BY IMMERSION.
Baptism is symbolical of the burial and resurrection of Christ, and as an ordinance of the Gospel was instituted for the remission of sins. The only proper mode of its administration is by immersion, whereby the two events above mentioned may be illustrated. "We are buried with Him by baptism into death," says Paul, "that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together (buried in water) in the likeness of His death, we shall be also (by coming forth out of the water) in the likeness of His resurrection." Even as Christ, by descending into death, put off the mortality in which He was clothed, and rose triumphant to a higher sphere of action, so we by going down into the liquid grave, put away the sins and follies of the flesh, and are brought forth to "a life divinely new." Hence it is that baptism is also called a birth, and Christ, in declaring to Nicodemus that a man must be "born of the water and of the spirit," plainly signified emergence from the womb of the waters as a prerequisite to His entrance into the Kingdom of God. He not only pointed this out as the way in which others should walk, but by submitting to baptism himself, He set the example of "fulfilling all righteousness," and was greeted from the heavens, as the result of His obedience, by the voice of God, declaring: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Nevertheless, water of itself cannot wash away sins. Not even immersion, though in strict accordance with the method prescribed, could have the slightest effect upon the soul of the penitent sinner, unless performed by a person holding authority from on High. God recognizes no administrations but those of His chosen and commissioned servants, clothed upon with the power of the Holy Priesthood, as was John the Baptist; "called of God as was Aaron," and sent forth by the voice of divine revelation to open wide the portals of eternal life to all who are willing to walk in that straight and narrow way which, on account of worldly pride and perversity, but few souls are able to find. But all repentant believers, who are baptized in the proper manner and by the proper authority, are acceptable in the sight of high heaven, and can confidently rely upon the promise made by Peter to the believing portion of the Pentecostal multitude: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the
GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST."
The Spirit of God, in certain measure, is universally distributed. It is the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. By it and through it all things live, move and have their being. It
"Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,
Lives through all life, extends through all extent,
Spreads undivided, operates unspent."
But the Gift of the Holy Ghost—bestowed by the "laying on of hands" upon every faithful, penitent, baptized believer in the true Church of Christ—is a special endowment for special purposes. It may possibly be a superior quality, or it may be only an increased quantity of that universal essence which pervades all animated nature throughout the illimitable realms of space. But be that as it may, it is certain that this Gift, this Comforter, this Spirit of Truth, which sustains the soul, enlightens the mind, leads into all truth, and enables the spirit of man to comprehend the otherwise incomprehensible things of God, is an important addition to the original possession and like it is susceptible of further increase, cultivation and development. Through obedience and righteousness it may be made to grow and expand, until sin is entirely banished, until the eye is made single to the glory of God, and the whole body is filled with life and light. By disobedience and unrighteousness it will readily decrease and diminish until the light of the soul is utterly extinguished, and darkness, despair and spiritual death ensue. A fullness of God's Holy Spirit should, therefore, be the grand object of human existence, for by it alone can the soul of man be eternally exalted and glorified. Still there are various kinds of "fullness," even as there are different degrees of glory, corresponding to the various merits and capacities of those who rise in the resurrection. The fullness which each soul obtains will be of that particular glory—either Celestial, Terrestrial or Telestial—by which its body is quickened from the grave. The "fullness of the Father" constitutes Celestial exaltation, and this, though not a thing to be suddenly attained, should be the soul-absorbing aim and ambition of every son and daughter of God. We should begin to acquire it now, for all may rest assured that the dispensation of these eternal awards will be strictly in accordance with and regulated by the deeds done in the body. Christ, our Savior, it appears, acquired and possessed a fullness while on earth. But pure and spotless though He was, He did not receive that fullness at first, but afterwards received it. By constantly growing in grace and godliness, living from day to day by every word that proceeded forth from the mouth of God, He gradually became entitled to the steadily increasing possession of the Holy Spirit, till finally "it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." We all have it in our power to do and become likewise. He is our great Guide and Exemplar. As He was pure, we must be pure; as He was obedient, we must likewise be; as He became perfect and was found free from all fault or blemish before the throne of God, even so we must become, if we expect to be conformed to His image, inherit His celestial glory, possess a fullness of His Spirit, become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and have an eternal residence in those heavenly mansions prepared for the righteous and the faithful before the foundation of the world.
That the Gospel of Jesus Christ is necessarily one and unchangeable, and with the foregoing as its first or initiatory principles, a perfect and therefore exclusive system of salvation is a proposition which, however unpopular, is susceptible, as previously asserted, of the plainest possible proof. The Holy Scriptures abound in evidences of this fact, and reason amply supports revelation in confirmation of its truth. The Apostle Peter, the highest authority of his times, after the ascension of the Savior, declares (Acts 4: 4) that "there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." This passage alone is sufficient to prove the unity of Christ as the Savior of the world and likewise to substantiate the fact that even if there could be another Gospel possessing efficacy as a medium of salvation, it also would have to be a Gospel of Jesus Christ, since He is the sole author of salvation to all the inhabitants of the earth. But Paul, another Apostle, in the fourth chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians, testifies of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit," and plainly demonstrates that one of the principal objects of the Gospel, by means of its inspired Priesthood and spiritual gifts, is the bringing of its believers to a "unity of the faith," previous to their being made perfect in Christ; and this, too, corresponds beautifully with the pathetic prayer of the Savior himself (John xvii.), that His disciples might be made "perfect in one," and become one with Him even as He was already one with His Father in heaven.
Paul also, in another place, denouncing the apostasy of the Galatian churches (Galatians i, 8, 9), and the efforts of certain persons to institute "another Gospel" and pervert the true Gospel of Christ, employs the following forcible language: "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed!" and in order to render his meaning still more plain, unmistakable and emphatic, he repeats the injunction as follows: "If any man preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." These inspired utterances are too obvious and intelligible to be misunderstood by any honest-hearted reader of the Holy Scriptures. They show as plainly as words can possibly show that the Gospel of Christ is one, and unchangeable in its nature, the same yesterday, today and forever; that its object is the temporal and eternal union of its converts, and that it was designed for the benefit and blessing of all humanity, especially for such as would believe and faithfully obey its principles. And why should it be otherwise? God is not the author of strife and confusion. He is essentially a lover and promoter of union, and looks with no favor upon those who evince a contrary disposition. He would be the last to encourage, either by thought, word or action, anything having the slightest tendency towards discord, disunion and division. Peace and union are among the prevailing characteristics of His nature, and order, system and eternal harmony are widely manifest in all His wondrous workmanship. We cannot conceive of such a Being, whose avowed purpose is the bringing of His offspring to a oneness of profession and practice, engaging in the institution or promotion of any cause whose inclination would be directly inimical to the attainment of His fondest desires, and laying aside the basic principles of His union-loving, harmony-enhancing nature, to inaugurate strife and contention on earth, and engender difference and disputation among His children upon that greatest and most vitally important of all questions, the eternal salvation of their souls. And would not such consequences ensue, were He to reveal to the human family more than one method of attaining salvation?