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I AM HERE. John the Baptist.
I come because I want to encourage you to pray more and to believe. The Father's love is waiting for you to fill your soul to its utmost, and the only things required on your part are prayer and faith.
We are all interested in you and want you to get into a condition that will enable you to take the Master's messages as rapidly as possible for the time is now ripe when they should be given to mankind, and started on their work of redeeming men from false beliefs and erroneous doctrines and dogmas. I, John, tell you this, for I can see that men are longing for the truths of God,--such truths as will remove from the teachings of the spiritually guided all superstition and errors. Such truths as will accord with the reasoning of men who are not biased by erroneous beliefs either in matters spiritual or material.
I tell you that these truths will be easier for the mere materialist to receive and understand, than by those who are bound by the beliefs which the creeds and dogmas of the churches have inculcated. And the acceptance of this New Revelation of the truths of God will be by those who have no preconceived ideas of what the nature and relation of man to God, in the spiritual sense, is, rather than by the learned theologian and the simple worshipper at the altars of the churches, who believe whatever may be told them by the priests and preachers.
As I was, at one time, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, I am now the voice of many spirits of God, who know that the Master will teach the truths of his Father, and that these truths must be accepted by mortals on earth, and by spirits in the spirit world in order that they may receive that salvation which the Father has prepared for them, and which, when accepted and realized and possessed, will fit them to become partakers of the happiness and immortality which the Father has promised them.
I have written you in this manner tonight, because I want you to realize more fully and deeply the important work which the Master has selected you to do, and also the necessity of continuing this work at the earliest possible moment.
Well, I have been interested in the great amount of discussion on that point, and how the belief one way or the other has caused those calling themselves Christians to form distinct sects. If they only knew or would know, that it does not make a particle of difference to their soul's salvation, whether Jesus was immersed or sprinkled, they would not let the bitter feeling arise that frequently does in discussing this matter.
But to settle this dispute to the satisfaction of those who may read the book which you may publish and believe in its statements, I will say, that when I baptised Jesus, I went with him into the water and then took the water in my hands and placed it on his head--there was no immersion.
As this water was merely symbolical of the washing away of sin and error, and does not actually accomplish that great necessity, in order for men to become one with God, it did not make any difference whether the recipient of baptism was immersed or sprinkled.
It is strange that many men who profess to have received the forgiveness of their sins and become reconciled to God should let a trifling thing of this kind cause so much strife and bitter disputations.
I will now stop.
Your brother in Christ,
- JOHN THE BAPTIST
Vol. II, p. 109
