25 himself for his church, that he might sanctify and cleans^ it, u xhtqu t« JSa7oj sv pviu.a.1it with the washing of wa- ter by the wordthat is, Christ cleanses his church by such a washing of water, as is brought about by the word and the water, with which the word washes in the Spirit; for by the word the Spirit is given; and the word cleanses by the Spirit, and the Spirit by the word : and therefore it is also said, 1 Cor. vii. 1. “ Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and Spirit.” From all this it appears, that Spirit baptism is not to be performed by water, but by the word; and no man, under the New Testament, receives the Spirit through the baptism of water, but through the ministry of the New Testament, which is the only ministration of the Spirit. To conclude: this baptism of the Spirit, that is performed only by the word, is that baptism of which so many excellent things are spoken in the New Testament. As, 1. This baptism of the Spirit gives a new nature, and this nature is a divine nature, or the nature of God ; and hence it is said, “ Except a man be born of water and the Spiritso that the baptism of the Spirit gives a new birth, and so a new nature: and again, “ That which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit;” so that the baptism of the Spirit makes us Spirit, and through the baptism of the Spirit, we become that which the Spirit itself is ; and so the true foundation of Christianity begins from faith and a new creature, and not from water washing. 2. This baptism gives a new name, not John or Thomas, &c. but as Christ saith, Rev. iii. 12. “ I will write upon him, to 6vom« to xahov, my new name. Our own name is sin and ignorance, and pride, and injustice, and envy, and covetousness, and uncleanness, and all evil; and this is the name which the first Adam wrote upon us; but the name the second Adam writes on us, is righteousness, and holiness, and truth, and love, and meekness, and wisdom, and all good ; and this is the name the second Adam writes on us, or his own 4
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