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TEACHINGS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES CONCERNING BAPTISM IN THE WATER. · Part 3

Observe well, beloved reader, had they obtained the covenant with God by the sign and not by grace, then the females must have been excluded and without the prom­ise. Not so, it was by grace, it is by grace, and it ever will be by grace. If they had been disobedient to the word of God, and not circumcised their males on the appoint­ed day; or if they had done differently from the commandment of God, and circumcised their females, then they would have had to bear the punishment of their disobedience in their children, Gen. 17:14, excluded them from the covenant with the Lord, and not have obtained the gift of his grace. For God, the Almighty Father, whose voice, will and commandment all creatures, both in heaven and earth, should obey, will have the commanded ceremonies performed as it pleases him and as he has commanded them to be performed, for therefore he has commanded them. If we do not perform them or perform them differently, we have, by our disobedience, neither covenant nor promise. This is the right, scriptural mean­ing of Abraham's covenant, circumcision and promise. Whosoever teaches you dif­ferently deceives your soul; for he points you to merits and works, and not to Christ Jesus through whom alone are received the eternal covenant of peace and promise of grace, given of God.

O brethren, brethren, how long will you oppose the Holy Ghost! Give the word of God its due praise, and observe that little infants are not buried with Christ in bap­tism; nor are raised into newness of life: for if they did die, and were buried in bap­tism, then sin, would be so destroyed in them that it would never more vanquish their spirit. Inasmuch as sin, after their baptism, so powerfully, and so abundant­ly flourishes in them as they begin to come to understanding, as may be plainly seen, therefore the infant baptizers must acknowl­edge anal confess that they bury the chil­dren alive, which should not be; or else that they baptize them all without faith, and contrary to the ordinance of Christ, therefore useless and vain.

For this reason, learn once, beloved read­er, that infant baptism is not of God nor through him. But whosoever rightly ac­knowledges the love of God for himself through Christ Jesus and is baptized upon his own faith through true love of God, ac­cording to the doctrine of Christ, Peter, Paul and Philip, is rightly circumcised in his heart with the circumcision of Christ, as Paul teaches; he is buried with Christ Jesus; he has died unto sin, and is again raised up by a fruitful faith with Jesus Christ in a new life, Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12,

In opposition to this, the infant baptizers have still another point, saying, Because Paul, in this passage, has not forbidden in­fant baptism, therefore it is right. To this we reply by asking: Whether infant baptism is commanded in this or any other Scriptures They must own the truth and answer, no. If it is not commanded of God, then it is not his ordinance, and therefore it has no promise. Again, if it is not commanded of God, then it is not his ordinance; if it is not his ordinance, then it has no promise; and if it has no promise, it is doubtlessly useless and vain.

Again, we ask them, Where in the word of God it is expressly forbidden to baptize bells? They must own the truth, and an­swer, nowhere. If it is, then, not expressly forbidden to baptize bells, is therefore bell-baptism just and right? Not at all.

Thirdly, Israel was not forbidden to cir­cumcise the females. Now, would it have been right if they had circumcised their fe­males? Far from it. For the Scriptures commanded that the males should be cir­cumcised therefore they considered that it was forbidden to circumcise their females.

In the same manner Christ Jesus com­mands us to baptize the believing, and that which is represented by baptism is only found in the believing, as may be plainly seen from Peter and Paul, therefore we in­fer that infant baptism is sufficiently for­bidden; for they have no faith and do not understand the representation of baptism which comes by faith.

I repeat it, If the infant baptists assert that by this Scripture of Paul, infant bap­tism is not forbidden, and that therefore it is right, that it is not expressly forbidden in the holy Scriptures to bless (as they call it), holy water, candles, palms, goblets and robes; to hold mass, and other ceremonies; yet we pointedly say that it is wrong. First, because trust is put in it. Secondly, because it is done without the ordinance of God, for he has not commanded us a word thereof; and there is no ordinance in which his holy, blessed word is not expressed and implied either in spirit or letter.

Since Christ Jesus has commanded bap­tism upon the confession of faith, Mark 16:16; since the apostles have thus taught and practiced it, and as the meaning of baptism Rom. 6:3; Col. 2:12; Tit. 3:6; Gal. 3:27; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Pet. 3:21, cannot be appli­cable but to the believing, therefore it is sufficiently forbidden by this divine ordi­nance, to baptize infants; for there is no faith in them nor do they understand the meaning thereof; notwithstanding that in­fant baptism commenced soon after the time of the apostles, or perhaps yet in their time, and thus it has been practiced many centuries; for length of time can not prevail against the word of God, as we have suffi­ciently shown the pious, god‑fearing read­er, above.

Fourthly, Thus says the holy apostle Paul, "The kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost," Tit. 3:4, 5.

Most beloved brethren, if we rightly and thoroughly examine this passage of Paul, with spiritual eyes, and weigh it with the Scriptures, then the infant baptizers, by force of the Scriptures, must acknowledge that the christian baptism which is com­manded by God, pertains alone to the be­lieving, according to the commandment of Christ, Mark 16:16, and not to those who are naturally unable to hear, speak and understand, namely, infants; for it is a washing, of regeneration as holy Paul has taught and testified to by the above words.

My worthy, kind brethren, because the holy, christian baptism is a washing of re­generation, according to the doctrine of Paul, therefore none can be washed there­with, to the pleasure and will of God, but those alone who are regenerated through the word of God; for we are not regenerated because of baptism, as may be perceived in the infants who have been baptized; but we are baptized because we are regenerated by faith in God's word, as regeneration is not the result of baptism, but baptism the result of regeneration. This cannot well be controverted by any man, by force of the Scriptures. Therefore all should be shamed by this passage of Paul, let them be ever so learned; the learned, who so shamefully teach and make the unsuspecting populace believe that infants are regenerated by bap­tism. Beloved reader, such teaching and belief is, verily, nothing but fraud and de­ceit. For if the infants were regenerated, as the learned say, then their whole course would be humility, longsuffering, mercy, pure and chaste love, true faith, certain knowledge, sure hope, obedience to God, spiritual joy, inward peace, and an un­blamable life; for these are the true and natural fruits of the new, heavenly birth; but what fruits are found in infants every intelligent reader may judge from every day experience.

Do you think, most beloved, that the new birth consists in nothing but in that which the miserable world hitherto has thought that it consists in, namely, baptism? Or in the expression, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? No, worthy brother, no. The new birth consists, verily, not in water nor in words; but it is the heavenly, living and quickening power of God in our hearts, which comes from God, and which, by the preaching of the divine word, if we accept it by faith, quickens, renews, pierces and converts our hearts, so that we are changed and converted from unbelief into faith, from unrighteousness into righteousness, from evil into good, from carnality into spirituality, from the earthly into the heav­enly, from the wicked nature of Adam into the good nature of Jesus Christ; and of such Paul spoke in the alleged Scripture.

Behold, those who are of such a nature are the truly regenerated children of God; those are the beloved brethren and sisters of Jesus Christ, who are born with him from above of one Father, namely, of God, Jn. 1:13; Heb. 2:13. And these regenerated are those to whom, alone, he has taught and commanded the holy, christian baptism, as a seal of faith, Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:1C, by which they receive remission of sin; Acts 2:38, and not the unconscious infants, as has been frequently shown above, from the word of God. Therefore the holy apostle Paul teaches us by this Scripture that God sanctifies the regenerated by the baptism of regeneration; because they are regenerated by the word of God, they deny themselves by the power of their regeneration and have obediently taken upon themselves all that which God, the Almighty Father, in his holy word, has taught and commanded his chosen children, through his beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and through all his true servants and messengers. Therefore I repeat that the baptism by which God sanc­tifies us, belongs to the believing or regen­erated, as Paul teaches. And in this man­ner: First, there must be the preaching of the gospel of Christ, Matt. 28:19; Secondly, The hearing of the divine word, Rom. 10:17; thirdly, faith, by hearing the word, Rom. 10:17; fourthly, there must be the new birth, by faith; fifthly, baptism, by the new birth, Tit. 3:6, in obedience to God's word, and, lastly, the promise follows.

If we do not desire willfully to oppose the Holy Ghost and reject the grace of God, it is impossible to believe that a true faith can be without regeneration and obedience, and that this obedience can be without the promise. For the eternal truth, the blessed Jesus Christ, will never fail nor deceive us in his holy word; and it is he who taught this: First, to preach the holy gospel, say­ing, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; therefrom fol­lows faith, saying, And whoever shall be­lieve; from faith follows baptism, saying, And be baptized; and from these follows the promise, saying, Shall be saved, Mark 16.

Inasmuch as the ordinance of Jesus Christ thus reads, and as the one follows from the other, therefore Paul here teaches us that God sanctifies us by the washing of regen­eration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost; for in case true faith and obedience be sep­arated from each other, as is sometimes the case, such as grieving the Holy Ghost and sinning against him, then such faith does not profit us; for it has no promise, on ac­count of disobedience and is, besides, use­less and dead before God, Jas. 2.

To all those, who, of their own choice, and contrary to the Scriptures, assert the regeneration of infants, because they were baptized, notwithstanding there are no fruits in them, as may be plainly seen, I reply: First, that he does not know what the new birth is. Secondly, with the same propriety and reasonability, bells are bap­tized. God in his word has no more com­manded the one than the other, for accord­ing to their nature, there is as little faith and fruits in the one as there are in the other. O, Lord! when will this awful abomination once cease to be practiced. When will those who now call themselves christians be christians? Yea, when will the blessed Lord Jesus Christ be acknowledged as wise, true and perfect in his holy word? I fear, never. The false teaching, unbelief and opinion is esteemed and loved by these miserable, carnal men, far above the same doctrine of Jesus Christ and his holy apos­tles. Notwithstanding we say in Christ Jesus, let them baptize their infants as much as they will, let them teach it as long and as strong as they will, and let them assert it on the strength of the garbled Scriptures, of learned men, and of long usage‑yet it is all vain and useless before God; for the regeneration of infants cannot be main­tained by virtue of the word of God.

Chosen brethren, let them freely cry out against us, let them adduce all doctors, learned and famous men who have lived centuries ago, let them console themselves with long usage, even from the apostles' time; yet where there is no new birth there can be no baptism administered in accord­ance with the commandment of Jesus, for baptism is the washing of regeneration, Tit. 3; which regeneration none have but the believing, alone, as we have shown our readers before.

Therefore I would admonish all my be­loved readers in the Lord, not to heed the philosophy of the learned, nor to look at the long usage, but to the plain and un­mixed word of God, and you will surely find by this Scripture of Paul, and others, that, according to the commandment of Christ, the christian baptism should be ad­ministered to none but those who, by grace have become believing and regenerated through the word of God. As long as bap­tism is, administered to infants, it is no washing of regeneration. For the new birth is of the word of God, as has been often said, which word infants cannot hear and understand; therefore they cannot be born again as long as they are minded as a child. All that which the Father has not planted should be plucked from the heart by the word of God, Matt. 15. God's word shall stand forever, and according to the divine word, every pious christian shall and must build the structure of his faith, if his work shall be pleasing before God; and should not build it according to his own pleasure. For God, the Almighty Father, who rules all things by his word, will not be honored by human doctrine and com­mandments, Matt. 15:9; Mark 7:7; Col. 2:22; Jer. 29:8.

In the fifth place holy Paul teaches us saying, For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ," Gal. 3:27; Rom. 8:3.

My beloved children in Christ Jesus, you are aware that all the world, by their blind and foolish unbelief, have hitherto whored with outward works and ceremonies. Yet you should not do likewise. But you should know that the righteousness which avails before God, consists not in any cere­monies and outward works, but solely in a true, pious and fruitful faith and in nothing else, in this manner. For the faith which comes by the word of God cannot be with­out fruit only in those who sin against the Holy Ghost, as said above, but it leads into all manner of righteousness, it willing­ly submits itself in all obedience and it cheerfully complies not only with baptism, but with all the words and ceremonies which God, the gracious Father, through his blessed Son, has so clearly taught and commanded in his holy gospel.

Therefore true faith is the fullness of righteousness, Rom. 3 and 6; yea, it is the true begetter of all christian virtues; and by reason of this, the word of God ascribes to it righteousness, Rom. 3:23, the blessing, salvation, and life everlasting, Jn. 3:36; 17:4, and does not ascribe these to ceremo­nies. If ceremonies are commanded by him, it is not because of these ceremonies, but it is because of the faith which com­pels us to observe these ceremonies for they are commanded of God. Therefore you should know, kind reader, that when the ceremonies in God's word are coupled with the promise, as the Israelitic offerings in the law, and baptism under the gospel, then it is not because of ceremonies, but it is by virtue of faith, which obediently and in love fulfills not alone the commanded ceremonies, but also all that which God has commanded, as has been said above.

For this reason holy Paul taught the Galatians that they were become the chil­dren of God through faith and not by bap­tism, saying, "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." And again, because they were the children of God by faith, they showed obedience to his word, and therefore Paul said unto them, "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." Therefore the principal thing is in faith, and not in cere­monies. But this godly, fruitful faith, in which all consists, together with its christian fruits, is not known to many, and for that reason they ever seek their righteous­ness in outward ceremonies, yea, also in the most useless ceremonies of human in­vention which are neither taught nor com­manded of God, as they have shown, these many centuries, in baptizing infants. Read what we told you above about the parents, godfathers and baptizers and you will see that all the world is led into a false trust by infant baptism; has become estranged from God, and is blinded in regard to all christian matters. And to give their false pretensions a beautiful, holy and divine appearance, they mutilate and twist the precious word of God to suit them, as they fully show in this case; for, by this Script­ure of Paul, and other garbled Scriptures, they have fooled and deceived the poor, ig­norant people these many years; teaching them that infants put on Christ in baptism, plainly showing by such doctrine that they do not know what regeneration is, nor what it is to put on Christ Jesus.

Most beloved brethren, verily it is the nature of all heretics to tear a fragment from the holy Scriptures and thereby to prove their chosen worship; never observing what is written before or after, by which we may ascertain the right meaning, as in this instance they have so plainly shown. For this sentence: "as many of you as are baptized have put on Christ," they pick out to give their infant baptism an appearance; but the foregoing sentence: "Ye are all the children of God because you believed on Christ Jesus," from which, as we have shown above, all the rest must follow, that they seem not to have noticed; and thus they, seek merit in ceremonies and not through faith in Jesus Christ.

Besides, inasmuch as they are not clothed with Christ nor have put him on, either act­ively or passively, and have not tested his heavenly, spiritual nature and Spirit, be­cause they are carnally minded‑therefore they do not understand, however much they write and teach, what it means to put on Christ Jesus, I repeat, either actively or passively.

That we may convince all gainsayers of the word of the Lord, and that we may neither stumble nor err in these words, therefore I would refer all my readers to holy Paul. He shows who they are that put on Christ, and what fruits they man­ifest, by which we may know that they have put on Christ, thus saying; "If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteous­ness," Rom. 8:10; 6:5.

Kind reader, however dexterously the scribes and infant baptizers may controvert under a false semblance of the divine word, yet none can deny that Christ dwells in those who have put on Christ. Since the truly baptized put on Christ Jesus, he is in them; and if he is in them then the body is dead unto sin and the spirit is life because of righteousness; this being the case, I again call on all reasonable persons to judge im­partially for themselves, whether it is found in truly believing persons, or in infants? If they say, in the believing, their judgment is right; for Christ Jesus dwells in the hearts of the believing, Eph. 3:17. But if they say in infants, then I would again ask by what means we may find this out, inasmuch as in these infants the death unto sin and the spiritual life are not shown nor found? For all of them, from infancy, so long as they do not believe the word of God, not­withstanding their baptism, are not alone prone to evil, but also to disobedience, as daily experience openly shows in all those baptized of this world.

Therefore I conclude from this Scripture of Paul, and say, If the infant baptists re­main constant in their opinion and belief, that by their baptism, infants put on Christ, that they must come to the conclusion by virtue of the word of God, that Christ Jesus is unbelieving, proud, ambitious, envious, vain, drunk, adulterous, refractory and dis­obedient to the word of God; for whosoever has put on Christ Jesus does not live him­self, but Christ lives in him. If they, then, have put on Christ by their baptism, as they claim, and as, according to Paul, Christ lives in them and rules their actions, so it must follow that Christ is vain and useless in them, or that their accursed works are begotten of Christ, for they yet live in all manner of carnality and ungodli­ness, and it therefore follows that they have not put on Christ.

No, verily, no. For Christ Jesus cannot be without fruits; but whosoever has put on the humble, long‑suffering, merciful, amiable, peaceable, sober, chaste and obe­dient Christ, in such an one the beforemen­tioned accursed works are not found; for whosoever has put on Christ, is dead unto sin and lives in righteousness, Rom. 8; is led by the Holy Spirit, born with Jesus, from above, of the Father; and therefore he lives according to the will of the Father, and cannot sin because he is born of God, 1 Jn. 3:9; 5:18.

Inasmuch as all those who are baptized without faith, prove the contrary by their life and do not manifest the nature and vir­tues of Christ whom they have put on, as they falsely claim; but they manifest in their whole walk the nature and vices of the flesh and of Satan; therefore it proves clear­ly that they have not put on Christ who is from heaven; but that they have put on the devil, who is from hell; for it is he who actuates and leads them at will, as may be plainly seen as all their thoughts and works of the flesh and of Satan are natural, inherent fruits which are found all over the world, in all men; no matter of what state, trade, condition, class or sect they are.

Beloved reader, you will acknowledge that every tree brings forth fruits after its own kind, and that by the fruit we may know the tree, Matt. 7:20; 12:33. There­fore it can not fail but that where Christ Jesus is, there are the good fruits of life everlasting; but where the devil is, there are the wicked fruits of eternal death. Yea, whosoever has put on Christ, in him the works of the devil are not found. On the contrary, where the devil is, there Christ is not; the one must give place to the other; for they are two princes so very different that it is impossible for them to dwell in one heart, or for the two to be conceived and included in one human heart, Matt. 6:24; Eph. 2:2.

For this reason I would admonish all God fearing christians in the Lord to pon­der well upon these words of Paul, and to­understand them according to the divine truth, and you will plainly see that Paul taught by this Scripture just what Christ had commanded, Mark 16:16. The believ­ ing, alone, put on Christ Jesus in their bap­tism, and they alone bring forth true fruits, and not the infants, as we have here, and also in our first writings sufficiently proven to all the pious and true believers.

Most beloved brethren, let the infant bap­tizers, to their own condemnation, thus scornfully ridicule such plain Scriptures, and let them subtlely garble and twist them as much as they please, yet this Script­ure will ever remain unbroken by them; it will remain so firm and binding that they will stumble thereon, be shamed thereby and will have to stand back, notwithstand­ing all their flattering. If they would but rightly look into the matter and then judge according to the word of God, what it means according to Paul, what it implies, to put on Christ, whether spoken in the active or in the passive (for all those who are not content with the active may apply the pas­sive to Rom. 13, although it is in the active by Paul, according to the translation of Erasmus), they would soon perceive that it makes no difference in this matter whether it is used in the active or in the passive. But what will it benefit? If the learned have nothing wherewith to obscure the truth they garble things before the ignorant, sim­ple populace, by strange tongues, false ex­planations, lies, and high‑sounding philo­sophical reasons. O how justly Christ Jesus said unto the Pharisees, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in your­selves, neither suffer ye them that are en­tering to go in," Matt. 23:13.

In the sixth place, Paul teaches, saying, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit," 1 Cor. 12:13.

By these words of Paul the baptism of the believing is again plainly taught and con­firmed, and, on the other hand, the anti‑chris­tian, infant baptism is rejected and made of none effect, because God, the merciful Fa­ther, in his holy gospel, points us to faith, alone, through Jesus Christ, and to the new birth. Because the believing or regenerated act rightly before God, and diligently seek and fulfill his holy will according to the grace they have received‑therefore we must forcibly acknowledge that we cannot be led to this godly gift of faith and of regen­eration, otherwise than by the word of God, through his Holy Spirit. All writing, read­ing, and teaching is in vain, when the Holy Spirit of God, the true Teacher of all right­eousness, does not quicken, pierce and turn the hearts of the disciples or hearers, by the only means for this purpose given of God, which is his word.

Since we are baptized by one Spirit into one body, according to the teaching of Paul, and since this same Spirit must quicken and turn the hearts by the word of God—therefore it incontrovertibly follows that none should be baptized but those alone whose hearts are quickened and turned by this Spirit through the word of God.

All those, then, who hear the holy gospel of Jesus Christ and sincerely believe it and are thus inwardly quickened and pierced, by the Holy Spirit (let them be of whatever nation or sex), are baptized by this quick­ening Spirit into one holy, spiritual body, of which Christ is the head, that is into the church. And thus Paul has taught by this Scripture in conformity to the command of Christ, Mark 16:16.

Beloved reader, as those should be bap­tized who are urged by faith and forced by the Spirit, as Paul teaches, so I will again leave it to your judgment who they are that are led and impelled by this Spirit. Whether they are the believing or whether they are the infants? If you say the believing, your answer is right. For the believing die unto their flesh, lusts and desires, Gal. 5:24; they put off the old man and all his works, Eph. 4:23; seek Christ Jesus in purity of heart; bring forth the precious fruits of the Spirit which is in them, and show outward­ly and inwardly in all their actions that they are taught, led and impelled by this Holy Spirit, Gal. 5:18; Rom. 8:14. But if you answer, the infants, then I would ask you, Where are their spiritual fruits? As nothing appears in a child but their childish actions, as we said above. Yet they are baptized and called christians, without doctrine, faith and commandment, from which follows that in all the baptized of the world nothing is found but abomina­ble blindness, idolatry, hypocrisy, evil thoughts, vain words, madness against the truth, disobedience, blasphemy, trickery and a very wicked life contrary to God and his blessed word.

I am aware, brethren, that children have spiritum vitalem, that is, the spirit by which they live, which God breathed into Adam and into all flesh that they might live, Gen. 2:7; Acts 17:25. But they have not the Spiritum Justificantum, aut innovantem, that is, the spirit which sanctifies or regen­erates. For if the latter spirit was in them it would surely be manifested in the fruits, as it is impossible that the Holy Spirit of God, which of itself is awake, living and fruitful, and by which all true christians are justified, taught, led and urged, should be idle, dormant, and fruitless in those in whom it dwells. Let the infant baptists controvert this as much as they please, no matter whether they are old, learned, or of high renown, yet it will never be proven by the word of God, that the Holy Spirit of God is ever idle, useless and without fruits. I am aware that one may stumble, notwith­standing he has the Spirit of God, as is shown in the case of the pride, adultery, and manslaughter of David; the hypocrisy of Peter, and the quarrel of Paul and Bar­nabus; they will not long continue therein, but will be immediately admonished to re­pentance, either by the kind admonition of the brethren or by the Spirit. For it is im­possible that those, in whom is the spirit of love and the fear of God, can long continue in a shameful sin and transgression. If the baptized infants, now, have the Holy Spirit, as the infant baptists affirm, then they must admit that it is a dead, unfruit­ful and powerless spirit which can beget neither faith, love, fear of God, obedience, nor any evangelical, divine righteousness, in these children.