On John 3 and Nicodemus:
. . . when he was in his capacity
of public teacher, Nicodemus, a man also known in the Jewish nation of similar
occupation, came to inquire what was required of a person in order to enter the
kingdom of God; Christ replied, "a man must be born again;" at which
Nicodemus marvelled exceedingly. Christ seeing his embarrassment, explained
himself and in these remarkable words he plainly and definitely told him,
"except a man is born of the water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God." Here, then, my reader, was the explanation to the new
birth, for when a person follows the example of the blessed Lord by being
buried in the water, entirely immersed therein, and emerges therefrom, he may
truly say he has been born of the water. (David C. Kimball, "On The Necessity of Baptism as a Means of Salvation," in The Fireside Visitor;
Or, Plain Reasoner [Liverpool: R. James, 1846], 1)
On the Thief on the Cross:
Many, and in fact nearly all,
believe the place in which Christ promised the thief they should be together
was heaven, but he did not so call it, but paradise, which is not heaven. Do
not be amazed, but listen to the words of the Saviour after his resurrection
when met by Mary, he exhorted her not to touch him, for he said he had not yet
ascended to heaven, "but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend
unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God and your God." Then,
probably, in astonishment you ask where had he been; for a solution of this
query I refer you to the last few verses of the third chapter of the first
epistle of Peter. His business is there plainly told; and who shall doubt its
truth and again say the thief on the cross went to heaven without baptism.
(Ibid., 2)
On Cornelius receiving the Spirit before baptism:
. . . however just a person may
be, attentive to many things, blameless in his walk and conduct, yet if he has
not as yet bowed in obedience to all these requirements, permit me, as one who
desires your salvation, to say they are yet astray from the fold of God, a
stranger and foreigner to the commonwealth of Israel; for notwithstanding the
justness piety, and zeal of Cornelius, he had to send for Peter to come and
teach him the way of the Lord more perfectly, and being baptized was thereby
brought nearer to God. But here is an instance of the Holy Ghost being given
prior to baptism; this was done to convince Peter the time had come for the
gospel to be presented to the Gentiles; and he being very rigid for his own nation,
could not be constrained to preach the gospel to them, although shown a vision
of clean and unclean things, but had to receive occular demonstration, which,
having got, he exclaimed they had a right, and Cornelius was baptized; but
prior to this event and afterwards, whenever the Holy Ghost was to be received,
it was so imparted by the laying on of the hands of the servants of the Lord.
So when Paul had baptized those persons on the upper coast of Ephesus, he laid
his hands upon their heads and they spake in tongues and prophesied, and this
was one of the gifts promised by Jesus Christ to all who believed, and it was
of universal practice among the followers of the Lord; also the laying on of
hands for the healing of the sick, as promised and clearly set forth by the
apostle James in these very remarkable words, "is any sick among you, let
him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and God shall raise him up," &c. (Ibid., 3)
