The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor showing…The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor shewing…

Now that Baptism is essential to Church-Communion, I prove from ⟨p. 10⟩1 Cor. 12. where we shall find the Apostle labouring to prevent an evil use that might be made of Spiritual Gifts, as thereby to be puffed up; and to think that such as wanted them, were not of the Body, or to be esteemed Members; he thereupon resolves, that whoever did confess Christ, and own him for his Head, did it by the Spirit, ver. 3. though they might not have such a visible manifestation of it as others had, and therefore they ought to be owned as Members, as appears, ver. 23. And not only because they have called him Lord by the Spirit, but because they have by the guidance and direction of the same Spirit been baptized, ver. 13. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body, &c. I need not go about to confute that Notion that some of late have had of this Text, viz. That the Baptism here spoken of, is the Baptism of the Spirit, because you have not owned and declared that Notion as your Judgment, but on the contrary. All of you that I have ever conversed with, have declared it to be understood of Baptism with Water, by the direction of the Spirit: if so, then it follows, that Men and Women ⟨p. 11⟩are declared Members of Christ's Body by Baptism, and cannot be by Scripture reputed and esteemed so without it; which farther appears from Rom. 6. 5. where Men by Baptism are said to be planted into the likeness of his Death; and Col. 2. 12. We are said to be buried with him by Baptism; all which, together with the consent of all Christians, (some few in these late times excepted) do prove that Baptism is necessary to the initiating Persons into the Church of Christ.

Now that Baptism is essential to Church-Communion, I prove from ⟨p. 10⟩1 Cor. 12. where we shall find the Apostle labouring to prevent an evil use that might be made of Spiritual Gifts, as thereby to be puft up; and to think that such as wanted them, were not of the Body, or to be esteemed Members; he thereupon resolves, that whoever did confess Christ, and own him for his Head, did it by the Spirit, ver. 3. though they might not have such a visible manifestation of it as others had, and therefore they ought to be owned as Members, as appears, ver. 23. And not only because they have called him Lord by the Spirit, but because they have by the guidance and direction of the same Spirit been baptized, ver. 13. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body, &c. I need not go about to confute that Notion that some of late have had of this Text, viz. That the Baptism here spoken of, is the Baptism of the Spirit, because you have not owned and declared that Notion as your Judgment, but on the contrary. All of you that I have ever conversed with, have declared it to be understood of Baptism with Water, by the direction of the Spirit: if so, then it follows, that Men and Women