Was that the Gospel? Yes, unless the apostles disobeyed the instructions of Christ, because they were sent to preach the Gospel, and they were endowed that they might preach it perfectly and represent God, the Maker of heaven and earth, in the words and spirit by which they presented it unto the people. Now, my friends, faith in Christ was the first principle of the Gospel; repentance of sins was the second principle; baptism for the remission of sins was the third principle, and then the reception of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, as taught by Peter on that day in Jerusalem. Is there any objection to this? "None at all," says one, "that is Scriptural; we cannot object to it." A Bible believer cannot object to it. But what is becoming of us if such doctrines are not taught? "Well," says one, "are they not taught?" No. "Faith in Christ" is taught, and "Repentance of sins is taught," although by some people the latter is taught first, before faith in Christ. Some teach that we must repent of our sins before we can have faith in Christ. This is a mistake. We cannot possibly repent of sin committed unless we are convinced that we have committed the sin. We cannot repent of laws broken, {127} which Jesus has taught through his apostles, unless we are first convinced that Jesus was divine, and had the authority to teach them; so that faith in Christ and his divine mission must be the foundation of our practice as Christians. And the first effect that faith in Christ produces, is repentance of the sins which we have committed. So repentance is the second principle of the Gospel. But we differ a little more about the third principle. Just read your Bible, and you will find that Peter taught baptism for the remission of sins (Acts ii, 38). Again, John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Christ, baptized for the remission of sins (Mark, i, 4). "John was sent from God." You will find this in the 1st chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, 6th verse. John himself said, in the 33rd verse of the same chapter, "He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me," referring to the instructions he received from the Father regarding Christ. Both passages assert this, that John the Baptist was sent by God to baptize with water, and we are taught in the Bible that he did teach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. That is just what we might expect. John was God's servant. So was Peter. They both taught the same doctrine. John taught baptism, and Peter told the people to be baptized every one of them. You will remember the servant of God who was sent to speak to Paul, to instruct him just after his conversion. He went to him, and when the scales fell from the eyes of Paul, or Saul, this man of God said to him: "Why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling upon the name of the Lord" (Acts xxii, 16.) Be baptized and wash away his sins? Yes.