all advances toward it among the Jews; all continuance of jewish, heathenish, or other mere outward signs and shadows among Christians, and many absurd and foolish observations among Turks and Mahometans. Christ knew what was in man, and needed none "to testify" unto him " of man," as appears by John ii. 25. And as he had many things to say unto his disciples, which they could not at first bear, (see John xvi. 12.) he advanced them gradually, condescending to their weakness and attachment to things that belong not to, and can have no place in, the pure spirituality of his kingdom. This amply accounts for his disciples continuing to baptize many new disciples, as they came to believe on him and follow him, even after he and John had in great degree fulfilled that dispensation; a dispensation which probably had never been necessary, but for the dark and untoward state of the people's minds. And had they all, when Christ came, turned their attention rightly to him, and fully understood the inward and spiritual nature of his gospel, there would have been very little, if any, real use for baptism in water afterwards.

A dispensation of signs was ever in condescension to man's weakness; and once indulged, they are apt to obtain too great veneration, and be too long retained; for it is seldom, if ever, the case, that things highly esteemed, can be dropped all at once suddenly. It is often safer, and better, to lead people along gradually from signs to substance, as they can bear it. Therefore the early followers of the blessed Jesus were tenderly indulged, and all outward things were not at once rent from them; for though he plainly taught, (Luke xvii. 20,) that the "kingdom of God cometh not with observation," or as in the margin, "with outward show;" yet during the twilight of things, or the evening time, wherein, though there was some light, yet there was also some darkness; things not being yet wholly clear, nor wholly dark; not yet full and perfect gospel day, nor altogether night, (See Zechar. xiv. 6, 7.) he might safely, and he did wisely, permit things not properly belonging to his kingdom, but which were to decrease, and terminate as the sun arose, and the day advanced in its full clearness and perfection. And these things, though then only permitted in condescension, too

many very sincere, but in this respect weak Christians, have been gleaning up, from that day to this, instead of pressing into the spiritual holy of holies, beyond all vails, signs, and symbols.

They puzzle themselves with the apostle's condescending practices, and would erect these into gospel ordinances, though neither Christ nor any of his apostles ever enjoined their observance as such. Indeed they were so far beneath the spirituality and pure simplicity of the new covenant, which was and is in the heart and inward parts, that the great mediator thereof never condescended, that we have any account of, to baptize one person with water; it is on the contrary expressly declared, that "Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples." Oh! he well knew why he omitted it; for had he done it, it might have induced his most enlightened followers to continue it, out of veneration to his example; as many now do from that of his disciples, though he himself never once practised nor commanded it; and though Paul thanked God he had baptized so very few. See 1 Cor. i. 14.

As to its permission during the time after it was in a good degree fulfilled, till Christ arose from the dead it might very well be suffered in condescension; for the gospel day and dispensation had not then fully come in; all that space was a time of unfulfilling; many things of an outward typical nature were during that time fulfilled, and very especially that of the passover, which Christ desired with great desire to eat with his disciples before he suffered. See Luke xxii. 15. But why was he so earnest to do it before he suffered? The reason of this his earnest desire is plain to him " who has ears to hear," to others it may be a mystery. Christ could never do it with propriety unless before he suffered; and had he not done it, it would have remained unfulfilled, as to his actual fulfilment, by that special participation of it. It belonged only to the law; it vanished with Moses, as water baptism did with Elias, that is John. Hence it behoved Christ, in order to its fulfilment, to eat it before he suffered; while things were fulfilling; whilst the outward and typical things concerning him were having their end, (see verse 37 of this same chapter,) that so having done away all these things, he might triumph over them, nailing them to his cross

(see Col. ii. 14,) and be able on the cross to say as he did, "it is finished," John xix. 30; which he could not have said with equal propriety, had so important a type as the passover remained unabolished by him. And yet many are ignorantly celebrating the passover very frequently, under an idea that Christ, at the very time when he ended it, instituted an outward supper of perpetual continuance in his church, which could not possibly be, consistently with the nature of his kingdom, which is an inward thing. And therefore, when he sent his disciples to prepare for him to eat the passover, he bid them say, " My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples." Mat. xxvi. 18. He knew the time was at hand for all these things to be abolished, and have an end. Luke xxii. 37. He steadily calls it the passover, and never, I think, once by any other name; and having eaten it with his disciples, and turned their attention to its mystical signification, to the necessity of their eating his spiritual flesh, and drinking his spiritual blood, which, that he might take occasion to do, that they might live by him, was doubtless one great cause of his anxious desire to eat it with them, and just reminded them, in eating the mere figure, to do it in remembrance of him. He then, as if purposely to show them it belonged not to the gospel, wound up the cere mony, telling them he would not any more eat or drink these outward symbols, nor partake again with them of the passover, till he drank the wine new with them in the kingdom of heaven, (see Mat. xxvi. 29,) or until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God, Luke xxii. 16, or, as expressed, verse 18, " until the kingdom of God shall come.' This new wine he drank with them eminently in that holy and spiritual kingdom, which they lived to see come before they tasted of death, according to his promise, on the day of Pentecost and other blessed seasons--continues to drink it new in the same glorious kingdom, with all that open and let him come in, for he sups with them and they with him. And this is the only true celebration of the Lord's supper; that which is outward is not, and cannot be, to eat the Lord's supper, for that is spiritual. No such sign and symbols can now have any proper place in Christ's kingdom; but as he is substantially and experimentally in and with his people to the

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end of the world, (Mat. xxviii. 20,) as he does not leave them comfortless, but cometh unto them, (John xiv. 18,) as he and his Father make their real and living abode with them, (see verse 23,) so he eats and drinks with them in his invisible kingdom, where they sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," which can be only in that kingdom. There they sit under their own vine and fig-tree, where none can make them afraid. See Mic. iv. 4. These eat the flesh and drink the blood of the son of God, whereby their souls are made alive.

"What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord," Jer. xxiii. 28. What is a little bit of outward bread, and a cup of wine, at best taken by way of remembrance, to the real supper of the Lord, which all the saints partake of, and live by? And what if Christ did tell his disciples, as they then ate the outward sign, to do it in remembrance of him, Luke xxii. 19; and what if Paul told them, as often as they did so, they showed the Lord's death till he came," 1 Cor. xi. 26: surely that makes no institution of a perpetual outward ordinance in the church of Christ. It was a matter of liberty and choice, whether, after that once, they ate it or not, and that but until the Lord came, according to his promise that he would not leave them comfortless, but would come unto them. And surely they greatly miss the true end and design of it, who are still in these days eating and drinking the outward figure, not discerning the Lord's spiritual body, nor partaking of that divine flesh and blood that gives life, nourishment, and vigour to the soul: for if this was their happy experience and enjoyment, in the presence, company, and kingdom of the Lord, with true, living, and sensible discernment of his body, and that spiritually broken for them, and of his spiritual blood, livingly and life-givingly shed for them; why should they be still eating and drinking the old, long-ceased symbols of it, in remembrance of a present Lord and saviour? Does not this practice bespeak Christ's real absence to their souls, or their non-discernment of his spiritual body? Let the wise in heart among them ponder it well.

But now to return to water baptism: I was mentioning that it might be continued till Christ's resurrection, with some kind of indulgent propriety; and accordingly we find, that as they

came down from the mountain, after the transfiguration, he (Christ) charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the son of man were risen from the dead. Mark ix. 9. The vision looked forward to that time, for the full completion of the things it was designed to exhibit; and therefore this very silence enjoined on them till that time, is a further and loud confirmation that the foregoing is the genuine import and meaning of the whole vision. But further they asked him, saying, "Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?" verse 11. And he answered and told them, "Elias verily first cometh, and restoreth all things," verse 12; "but I say unto you, that Elias is indeed come," verse 13; or, as Matthew has it, chap. xvii. ver. 12, 13, " but I say unto you, that Elias has come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed: likewise shall also the son of man suffer of them." Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Thus clear it is that John the Baptist was Elias, who had thus appeared and disappeared in the mount with them. On the whole, it is as evident to thoroughly enlightened minds as any doctrine in the gospel, that neither water baptism, eating material bread and wine, nor any other mere outward performance, can possibly in the nature of things, have any place as standing ordinances in the church and kingdom of Christ. Christ's coming was designed to put an end to all these things; and therefore the eating, drinking, washing, and purification, which remain in the gospel state, are all inward and spiritual, and can be no otherwise. The one gospel baptism is not that which puts away the outward filth of the flesh, (which is all that water can do,) but it is that which actually saves us, and brings to "the answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 1 Pet. iii. 21. This no figure could or ever can do, though such as continue under the signs of former dispensations would have us believe, that the apostle here affirms that a figure saves us, by the resurrection of Christ; whereas there never was and never can be but one thing that saves the soul, and that is the inward purifying baptism of the holy ghost: as Titus iii. 5, "According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of VOL. II.-61