404 A TREATISE ON RE-BAPTISM. couldnotbe establishedwithoutdissensionamong thebrethren and mischiefto the church, assuredlyitought not,rightor wrong, as they say— that is,contraryto what is good and proper— rashlyto be flunglikea stainupon our motherthe church; and theignominy of thisaudacityand impietyought with reason to be attachedto thosewho would attemptthis. But sinceit is not in our power, accordingto the apostle's precept,u to speak the same thing,that therebe not schisms among us;"1 yet,as faras we can, we striveto demonstrate the trueconditionofthisargument,and topersuadeturbulent men even now to mind theirown business,as we shalleven attaina greatdeal if they willat length acquiescein this sound advice. And thereforewe shall,as isneedful,collect into one mass whatever passagesof the Holy Scripturesare pertinenttothissubject. And we shallmanifestlyharmonize as faraspossiblethosewhich seem tobe differingor ofvarious meaning ; and we shallto the extent of our poor abilityex amine both the utilityand advantageof each method, thatwe may recommend to allthe brethren,thatthe most wholesome form and peacefulcustom be adopted in the church. 2. To such, then, as approach to a discussionof saving and modern, that is,of spiritualand evangelicalbaptism, there occurs firstof allthe announcement universallywell known, made and begun by J ohn the Baptist,who, somewhat departingfrom the law, that is,from the most ancientbap tism of Moses, and preparingthe way of the new and true grace,both preoccupiedthe earsof the Jews graduallyby the baptism of water and of repentancewhich for the time he practised,and took possessionof them with the announce ment of a spiritualbaptism thatwas tocome, exhortingthem, and saying," He that cometh afterme is mightier thanI. whose shoe'slatchetI am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptizeyou with the Holy Ghost, and with fire;" * and for thisreasonwe alsoought to make a beginningof thisdis coursefrom thispoint. For in the Acts of the Apostles,the Lord afterHis resurrection,confirmingthissame word of J ohn, " commanded them thatthey shouldnot departfrom 11 Cor.i.10. *Matt.iii.11.