sons and your daughters shall prophesy. 29. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days, will I pour out my Spirit.

Acts ii. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. 6. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? 8. And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 13. Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 14. ́ But Peter standing up with the eleven, lift up his voice and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, 17. And it shall come to pass, &c.

Acts xxi. 8. And we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, (which was one of the seven,) and abode with him. 9. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

Gal. iii. 26. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. See also the Proofs to the 88th Answer.

93d Q.-What are the benefits attendant on a gospel ministry?

A.-God thereby affords strength to the weak, encouragement to the desponding, and life to the spiritually dead: indeed a call to

the ministry is a call to awaken mankind to a sense of their sinful state by nature, "to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God;" baptizing them into the name or power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Isaiah xxxv. 3. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not.

Luke xxii. 31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren.

Acts xxvi. 15. And I [Paul] said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16. But rise, and stand upon thy feet; for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee e; 17. Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee. 18. To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

1 Cor. iv. 14. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. 15. For though / you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

1 Thess. v. 14. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Heb. xii. 6, Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but

grevious: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, unto them which are exercised thereby. 12. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.

Eph. iv. 11. And he [Christ] gave some, apostles : and some prophets and some, evangelists: and some, pastors and teachers; 12. For the perfecting of the saints; for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. See also Matt. xxviii. 18, 19, 20.

SECT. III.

94th Q.-Do those ministers then, whose preaching is "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power," baptize the believing hearer with the baptism of Christ?

A. They do, or rather the divine power of Christ does it through them as instru

ments.

Acts x. 44. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the word.

Acts xi. 15. And as I [Peter] began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them as on us at the beginning. 16. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said. John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

95th Q.-Is this Baptism experienced only through the medium of preaching?

A.-No, the soul feels the baptizing power of Christ, not only mediately through his

ministers, but also immediately through the renovating power of the Holy Spirit operating upon it; whereby, being cleansed from its most secret corruptions, it is purified, and fitted for communion with the Father and with the Son. It was thus, without the medium of preaching, that the disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

Matt. iii. 11. He [Christ] shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire : 12. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Isaiah xliv. 3. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.

John vii. 37. In the last day that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters, 39. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him, should receive for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

1 Cor. xii. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Gal. iii. 26. For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. See also Acts ii. 1 to 3, in the Proofs to the 87th Answer.

K

96th Q.-Was there not an outward baptism with water that was at one time practised by a commission from heaven?

97th Q.-Who received the commission to baptize with water?

A.-John, on that account stiled the Baptist, who was the fore-runner of Christ, the Elias that was to come to prepare his way, as foretold by the prophets.

See the Proofs to the following Answer.

98th Q.-In what consisted the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of Christ?

:

A.-John baptized the body with water; his baptism was therefore of an outward, elementary nature whereas Christ baptizes the soul with the Holy Spirit, which, from its purifying and penetrating nature, is compared to the element of fire.

Luke iii. 2. The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4. As it is written in the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths strait. 5. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall