A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin FranklinFranklin, Benjamin
Religion
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
Franklin, Benjamin
Churches of Christ
But, it fares infinitely worse than this with him who treats with
indifference the pearls of Jesus Christ. He who prefers the darkness
of this world to the light of the Son of God, turns away his ears from
the holy and lovely lessons of the benevolent Redeemer, refuses to
inform himself in reference to Him, to whom God requires all nations
to be attentive, incurs a responsibility for which he will certainly
answer at the most solemn tribunal. He who turns his back upon the Lord
of heaven and earth, when we would call attention to him, not only
loses or forfeits the benefits proposed through him, but incurs censure
for indifference, ingratitude and disrespect, if not contempt of his
Creator and merciful Benefactor. God has created him with a heart to
believe, given the truth, and furnished the testimony to convey it to
the understanding, and holds him responsible for the exercise of his
abilities. Come, then, dear reader, and let us fix our minds upon Jesus
of Nazareth, and carefully consider his claims upon our attention. The
whole question is about him. What do you think of him whom we claim as
the Savior of the world? Do you love him and those like him? Or, are
you opposed to him?
ONE BAPTISM.
We take it as Wesley did, that “by one Spirit,” is by the _direction_
of one Spirit, we are all immersed into one body. It is clear that
the baptism alluded to is the initiatory rite, for there is no other
baptism _into one body_. The immersion in the Spirit is not _into one_
body, or _into_ anything. At the house of Cornelius they were immersed
into Christ after they had been immersed in the Holy Spirit. The
immersion in the Spirit was to convince Peter and his Jewish brethren
that God intended to receive the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Hence,
when Peter, in his rehearsal of the matter to his Jewish brethren, when
he came to this, exclaims, “What was I that I should withstand God?”
The “one baptism” of Paul is the initiatory rite—the baptism of the
Commission, connected with the faith and repentance for the remission
of sins, and will remain as long as there is one to believe, repent or
seek remission of sins. The faith, repentance, confession, immersion
and remission of sins stand connected in the gospel of the grace of
God, and we see not how any man can be so perverted as to try to evade
any one of these items.
DISTURBING ELEMENT.
The Bible is not the disturbing element, or property that prevents
fusion, for all the sects have the Bible, speak well of it and commend
it. They all bold the Bible in common. It is well received among all
denominations. The Bible is not, then, the divisive element, or the
repellent property among them that renders fusion impossible.
The Lord is not the repellent element, or property that prevents
fusion, for they all speak well of him. Indeed, they all claim to have
him with them and to love him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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