ers take water, and baptize; yet not merely one out of a family,
but all; for God's mercies are poured as wide as the sun's light in the
heavens, they enlighten all they fall upon.

4. When Samuel had anointed David, observe what followed. "Samuel took
the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the
Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." And so,
also, when Christ's ministers baptize, the Spirit of the Lord comes
upon the child baptized henceforth; nay, dwells in him, for the
Christian's gift is far greater even than David's. God's Spirit did
but come upon David, and visit him from time to time; but He vouchsafes
to dwell within the Christian, so as to make his heart and body His
temple. Now what was there in the oil, which Samuel used, to produce
so great an effect? nothing at all. Oil has no power in itself; but
God gave it a power. In like manner the Prophet Elisha told Naaman the
Syrian to bathe in Jordan, and so he was healed of his leprosy. Naaman
said, What is Jordan more than other rivers? how can Jordan heal? It
could not heal, except that God's power made it heal. Did not our
Saviour feed five thousand persons with a few loaves and fishes? how
could that be? by His power. How could water become wine? by His
power. And so now, that same Divine power, which made water wine,
multiplied the bread, gave water power to heal an incurable disease,
and made oil the means of gifting David with the Holy Spirit, that
power now also makes the water of Baptism a means of grace and glory.
The water is like other water; we see no difference by the eye; we use
it, we throw it away; but God is with it. God is with it, as with the
oil which Samuel took with him. Water is something more than water in
its effects in the hand of Christ's Minister, with the words of grace;
it does, what by nature it cannot do; it is heavenly water, not earthly.

5. Further, I would have you observe this. Though David received the
gift of God's Holy Spirit, yet nothing came of it all at once. He
still seemed like any other man. He went back to the sheep. Then Saul
sent for him to play to him on the harp; and then he went back to the
sheep again. Except that he had strength given him to kill a lion and
a bear which came against his flock, he did no great thing. The Spirit
of the Lord had come upon him, yet it did not at once make him a
prophet or a king. All was to come in good time, not a