EVANGELIST'S MANUAL.

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The spiritual Adam, in whose image man was made fulfilled the whole law, both spritual and moral. In the Divine economy, the all-atoning Lamb was slain from before the foundation of the world. And the actual personal sacrifice of Christ, is the consequence, and not the cause of God's love to us. Of this we have abundant testimony in the Scriptures. (Consult Isaiah liii. 5, 6. Daniel ix. 24. John iii. 16, 17. 1 John 4, 9, 19. Romans iv. 25-v. 8. John xv. 13. Acts ii. 23, and various parallel passages,) all which go clearly to prove that God has not estranged himself from man; but that it is man who has estranged himself from God; and as an unchangeable being, God has never loved his creatures less since the fall, than before it; nor is he unreconciled toward them; "for if he was unreconciled who could reconcile an unchangeable Being?"

It is man then, and man only, that is in an unreconciled state toward God; and man being a changeable being, it is possible for him to be reconciled to God, and thus says the Apostle: "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ; as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God." (2 Cor. v. 20.) "That the Scriptures abundantly prove, that all men are sinners, and in an unreconciled state, considered under the law, or in the earthly nature, will not be disputed by any. Then it is certainly man that needs reconciliation;" and that it is "man that receives the atonement, was evidently the opinion of St. Paul, see Romans v. 11, “and not only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." In the marginal reading it is translated, "the reconciliation;" which we understand as a synonyme of conversion, and of being renewed in the Spirit.

Of the ability of Christ for reconciling us, and all things unto God, it is unnecessary for us to write; the Scriptures are full of proofs of that nature, and he can never fail of accomplishing all his will in us and by us, so long as it is written, that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; not imputing their trespasses unto them."

"Without atonement God's glorious design in the everlasting welfare of his offspring, man, could never be effected; the ordination of an infinitely merciful God could not be carried into effect. The Almighty must not be deprived of the means of accomplishing his gracious designs. We read of his covenant with day and night, which cannot be broken, but it would be broken at once, should the causes cease that produce these changes. So of the covenant of eternal mercy, the testament of eternal life, it must be put in force by the death of the testator, and its life and immortal glory be brought to light through his resurrection." (See Ballou on Atonement.)

ART. VI. Of the one Oblation of Christ, finished upon the Cross.-We believe, with our Protestant Episcopal brethren, “that the offering of Christ once made, is that complete and perfect propitiation and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual, whereby he obtained pardon and the redemption of all mankind." (See thirty-first Article of the Protestant Episcopal Churches of America, ed. 1817. And also the twentieth Article of the Methodist Episcopal Church, ed. 1817.)

We do not believe that it was the humanity alone, or the man Christ Jesus, that suffered death on the Cross; but that it was truly the Son of God, in that sanctified nature which had been prepared for him for the purpose, that he might suffer, and by the grace of God, taste death for every man.

ART. VII. Of the descent of Christ into Hades, (in the English version translated Hell.)-We believe that Christ was "put to death in the flesh, being quickened by the Spirit, by which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah," &c, (1 Pet. iii. 18, 19.) We consider the object of our dear Redeemer, in preaching to the spirits of the dead, in their prison, or Hades, was to offer them salvation on his own gospel terms, in order that they might be placed upon an equal footing with the living. And that this is no visionary idea the Apostle continues in the same epistle, (iv. 5, 6,)

and says, "For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; but live according to God in the spirit." And that some, at least, of those that were dead, arose with him in his resurrection, we have the authority of St. Matthew, who says, "And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints, that slept, arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and were seen of many." (Matt. xxvii. 52, 53.) We perfectly accord with the Moravian church, i. e. the German Baptists, and believe that “the souls of the Just are employed in preaching the gospel to those who have had no revelation in this life;" and we believe, that thousands are saved by this method.(See page 42.) The literal translation of the term Hades, is a place of darkness, silence and dread, and about which the most prying eye, and the most listening ear, can acquire no information. (Campbell.) It is also rendered "the Grave," "the Prison," "the Pit," &c. "The heart of the earth." (Matt. xii. 40.)

ART. VIII. Of Christ's Resurrection and Ascension.— We believe with the Royal Psalmist, that the soul of the Son of God was not left in hell, neither was the body of the Holy One suffered to see corruption. The Son of God had power to lay down his life, and to take it up again. He had laid down his life, had given his flesh for the life of the world, and having paid the ransom price for the world, he arose from the dead; wherefore, all that the Father hath, he hath given to the Son; the Heathen are now his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth are his possession. He had humbled himself unto death, even the death of the Cross, but again bursting the bonds of death, by which he could not be holden, and being now full and complete, in the fulness of God, as also the fulness of man, the human family at large, the purchase of his blood, thus full, complete and perfect, he again ascended into heaven, where he has been exalted to the right hand (the symbol of Power) of the Majesty on High, where, as the Mediator between God and Man,

he ever liveth and reigneth, to make intercession for all

men.

We believe that the heaven must contain him, "until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." (Acts iii. 19, 21.) And that he shall come again to judge the quick and the dead.

ART. IX. Of Sacraments. We acknowledge only two Sacraments as the ordinances of Christ: that is to say, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.

1. OF BAPTISM.

We believe Water Baptism,* or the Baptism of John, to be a sign or seal of faith, or of repentance, and is of Divine authority, and ought to be administered to all who desire to be made members of the church of Christ. With regard to the form of administering this Sacrament,† while we consider immersion as the most significant, proper and impressive, particularly in adult subjects, we al low liberty of conscience to all; wherefore, such persons as insist upon receiving this Sacrament in the mode of sprinkling or pouring, as is the custom of some churches, ought not to be denied,

We believe that Infant Baptism, or the Baptism of such as are under years, to be, if not actually commanded, very strongly implied, in the Holy Scriptures. The covenants of God with his people in the Mosaic Dispensation included children as well as adults, and we can see

*"Water is the metaphor most frequently used to represent the Spirit; and the act of sending or giving the Spirit, is represented by pouring out, shedding forth, sprinkling, washing, or baptizing. And the descent of the Spirit is compared to the descent of rain and dew." And doubtless, it was from these metaphors the various forms of administering the ordinance of Baptism originated. Each form is considered as a sign or symbol of the Spirit; the "outward and vi sible sign," whereas the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, or Christ's Bap tism is "an inward, invisible sign" of our being regenerated and born of the spirit. We desire to retain the simple Apostolic form as recorded, Acts viii. 37. Faith in the Son of God was all the Apostles required as qualifying the candidate for this rite. Genesis xvii. 7, 14, Deut. xxix. Gal. iii. 17,

no reason why they should be excluded in the Christian Dispensation, from entering into the covenant mercies of the Redeemer. The church has the most indisputable authorities for proving it to have been the practice of the Apostles, and that it was universal, without any exception from the Apostolic age to the twelfth century.* We, therefore, advocate and practice Infant Baptism, inasmuch as it is an evidence of their initiation into the church as an act and offering of faith on the part of their parents or guardians, in obedience to their Lord's command"Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." "And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." "Lo! children are an heritage of the Lord." (Psalms exxvii. 3.)

Let it be remembered here that the Saviour's Baptism was with the Holy Ghost and with fire. "I indeed," says St. John, "Baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am unworthy to bear; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." And this latter Baptism we consider essential to salvation; while the former is but a necessary and preparatory ordinance.

2. OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.

We consider this ordinance of our Lord to be a Sacrament of faith and of love. 1. Of faith, in believing in, and of honouring him as the very and true Son of God, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, a predetermined sacrifice in the immense Mind, in which, by his concurrence with the Father's will, he laid aside the "form of God," and took upon him the "form of man,' in which form he was then about to offer himself a sinless sacrifice for the redemption of the world; that our Lord instituted this ordinance as commemorative of his sufferings and death, that in its solemn participation his followers might thenceforward, by this testimony, show

See the writings of Origen, Dr. Wall, Dr. Gill, Reed's Apology, Abbot's Discourse, &c.

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