. / i>^-f^ ,/..*••*■ CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. (ii.i.rsrKAiKii) ITS PROPER Sl^BJECTS AND PROPER ACT, Wn II A UK IKK IlISI'dKV ()|- RAl'TIST PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES, KUOM IIIK IM.ANIlNd OK IIIK AI'OS|<">l.lf (HUUCIi i'o IIIK TUKSKN 1' II M K. \I.S(i A Biographical Sketch of the Life and Labors of Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, PASTOR OK XIIE MKTUOPOLITAN TAHKRXACLK, I,()NI)ON, KNCJLAXIf. BY THE REV. T. H. CAREY, ESSEX, ONT. KSSKX, ONT. PRINTED AT IHK KREK I'RKSS HOOK ROOMS. 189I. Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thous- and eight hundred and ninety-two l)y Rev. T. II. Carey at The Department uf Agriculture. ■1 '" PREFACE -o- ^T^HE author has no apology for sencling forth this small volume to the jnihlic. lie, '"^" in common with his brother pastors, has long felt the need of a more extensive lit- erature on the wide and important suliject of Baptist principles and liaptist Church History. Our own people require indoctrination in those New Testament institutions and practices which distinguish us as Baptists from all other denominations. Our young people and children retjuire indoctrination. To do this skillfully and well re- (|uires patience and tact. Tin: imporlaiice of setting forth and expounding our princi- ples few will doubt. Those doctrines which are characteristic of the - baptized churches," are misapprehended, and often misrepresented, by others. While we need not only to be apologetic in our denominational position, and aggressive in our life and activity, yet we should put forth every reasonable effort to be understood, not merely for our own sake, but that truth may come to be received and loved by all. The importance of Christian unity in the truth cannot be overestimated. Love re- joiceth in the truth and no error can be pleasing to our Heavenly Father. The contents of this book are, for the most part, a series of sermons delivered to my own peojile for their instruction and upimilding in truth and righteousness; for this reason, and by the urgent re(|uest of many hearers and frient's, I have consented to give this volume to the public, my only apology being, the small number of books on these subjects to-day, in print, and whose price brings them within the reach of all the meml)ers of our Baptist Churches. More expensive books are l)eing circulated, and plsi) tracts on Christian Baptism, Communion and allied subjects are having a sale, and yet few that come within the limits indicated and cover the field suggested. While no volume of similar character is being produced in this country. I hope my venture may encourage others. It has been prepared by using the snatches of lime in a busy pastoral life. I am aware that this svork is marred by imperfections, yet it will l)e like all other human productions, and due allowances will be made by the earnest seeker after truth. It is sent forth with the prayer of the author that it may contribute, at least in some small degree, to the honor and glory of our Lord and Master. u c I u c < i U J o I I a; '1 J 1 ^^^'^ S ^ • S Charles H. Spurgeon.. i i ^ !i '« 9 * 1= f 5 17 li: "^ , t r w. ' Scholars /,i ^ i S -ri ^ J =/. swered 56 W^ 2i'J i>„ 90 ^ i 15 I ^ ^1 lATIONS. ■-£ 'Ec- !A S'* ••■ Frontispiece ^'/l" CS5; '.t ,, I C'-rt"'r7C" U*^ 1 o^ffi >^£S§ ^^ 26 C W " CU (u >/: % « •, 40 1:: = 111 L5 £ ;^ 55 5=1 = i 5 .S" e 'i5 56 Lgl SS^ wfJ^ ^^^^ °^ ^'^ vSubjects in SI-: II' ^ ^ i 63 i ii . g' si s'l I II "•SSZ-SB- c«S" oeof t)ur Lord's Bap- .r .. •>£ •- - - ' -"£ 77 <^T^TJ•i: T*-o t^u t^oo 5 ;nna ^ 82 WbTbJOijtxWiM:; bxwijt .... 84 j_a,a.ta.a,&, $0.0, £ at Rome 87 88 :- . : 88 QO ■•-B. ' . ons with descriptions 99-100 2. 1 ne iJaptismal 1 ree. A bircls-eye view ot the immersionist and sprinkling denominations, a history of the question, and the status of the world in regard to the subject at the present time I0I-I02 * The pages used to indicate illustrations are those of the printed matter opposite or nearest to them containing description. + ACKNOWLEDdMENTS. My acknowledgments for favors received in the preparation of this work, received either from their publications in the way of illustrations or suggestions, are due the Rev. Nelson Cote's Archseolagy of Baptism; The Baptism of the Ages and the Na tions, by the Rev. Dr. Cathcart; Dr. T. J. Conant's Baptizein; Rev. Dr. Armitage's History of the Baptists; Baptism, what is it ? McDiarniid ; also the Rev. Howard Osgood, D. D., Rochester, N. Y. ; Rev. Dr. Newman, Toronto; Rev. G. B. Davis, Windsor; and T. S. Shenston, Esq., of Brantford. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PACE A Biographical Sketch of the Life and Labors of Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon.. I Who are the Proper Subjects of Baptism ? 9 Arguments of Pedobaptists Reviewed and Answered 17 The Meaning of the Word Baptism 27 Baptism and the Bible — Sprinkling and the Opinions of Scholars 41 I'cdohaptist Arguments and Sophistries Refuted and Answered 56 Bai)tisnial Catechism 69 The Archivology of Baptism 77 Reasons Why I am a Baptist 90 • LIST OF PICTORIAL. ILLUSTRATIONS. The Baptism of Christ P'rontispiece Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon I Bible — Balances or .Scales 26 Burial and Resurrection Symbolized in Baptism 40 Woodstock College 55 Baptistery of Bishop Paulinus 56 Fig. 1. — The Baptism of King Clovis and Three Thousand of his Subjects in One Day 63 Fig. 2. — A Baptism in the Greek Church of Russia 73 The Baptism of Christ (a small cut) 76 Fig. 3. — From the Catacomb of .San Ponziano, a Frescoe of our Lord's Bap- tism 77 Fig. 4. — Mosaic from the Baptistery of St. John of Ravenna ,i 82 f^'R- 5- — The Alba from the Roman Catacombs 84 Fig. 6. — Mosaic of the Seventh Century from St. Marks at Rome 87 ^'K- 7- — Baptism in the Thirteenth Century 87 Fig. 8. —Baptism of the Eunuch by Philip 88 Fig. 9. — Baptism of Jewish Converts 88 Jarvis St. Baptist Church, Toronto, Ont 90 CHART ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. The Relation of the .Mosaic and Christian Dispensations with descriptions 99-100 2. The Baptismal Tree. A birds-eye view of the immersionist and sprinkling denominations, a history of the question, and the status of the world in regard to the subject at the present time 101-102 * The pages used to indicate illustrations are those of the printed matter opposite or nearest to them containing description. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. My acknowledgments for favors received in the preparation of this work, received either from their publications in the way of illustrations or suggestions, are due the Rev. Nelson Cote's Archieolagy of Baptism; The Baptism of the Ages and the Na tions, by the Rev. Dr. Cathcart; Dr. T. J. Conant's Baptizein; Rev. Dr. Armitage's History of the Baptists; Baptism, what is it ? McDiarmid ; also the Rev. Howard Osgood, D. D., Rochester, N. V'.; Rev. Dr. Newman, Toronto; Rev. G. B. Davis, Windsor; and T. S. Shenston, Esq., of Brantford. V I t « /'^ .. Till-: HAITISM OF CHKIST. V v ^ ^. ^.^^i^^^^-^ w ■■^v.: A BIOC.RAl'UICAL SKETCH OF THE REV. CHARLES HADDON SI'URCIEON, I'ASTOR OF THE iMETKOI'OLITAN TABERNACLE, LONDON, ENGLAND. Mr. Spiiif^eon was l)orn at Kelvedon, in Essex, England. His father \v.\s the pas- toT cf a small Independent Church in Essex. His grandfather, the Rev. James Spur<^eon, officiated for many years as pastor of the Stambourne Independent Church, near Halstead, in the same county. His grandfather has been brought prominently before the pui)lic by his having written a biography of his noted gran.'son. Indeed the name Spurgeon has been popularized and rendered conspicuous by the renowned Spurgcon, wh')se name is well-nigh a household word wherever the English language is spo':en; besides, his sermons and other works have been translated into many other tongues and languages. .' . • j^ . • . Youn, Spurgeon was educated under the influence of his grandfather, from whom he ha*; ''nherited many of his decidedly Puritanical notions, while his ideas concerning nonconformity and dissent have grown into a positive stream of influence which is wo'king to bring al)out the disestablishment of the English Church. As a boy, Spurgeon was remarkable for truthfulness, seriousness and piety. He was in early life an omnivorous reader, aiid a lover of literature of the solid and substantial type. His practice was to read aloud — to engage im conversation, while he sometimes preached lo his younger brothers and sisters both to their profit and amusement, He enjoyed the benefits of a school education in the way of a thorough primary educa- tion, and became grounded in the rudiments and fundamentals of an English train- ing. He could not be persuaded to matiiculate into Oxford or Cambridge univer- sity. Young Spurgean could not be induced at that early stage of hi-, history lo study Greek or Latin, but thought he could employ his time more profitably. In his l6th year he manifested some degree of independence by striking out for himself; he be- came an usher in a school. Subsecjuenily he took a bold stand. Doul)ts began to creej) into his mind in lesjiect to baptismal regeneration, infant baptism, and the act of Christian l)aptisni. His noted relatives were not able either to controvert or silence liis convictions, he therefore left the Independent Church and united with the Baptist Church — his baptism being increasingly impressive and solemn from the fact of its being his mother's birthday. His first sermon was preached a few months Liter under the auspices of the ''Lay Preachers" Association" at a village near Cam- 2 ■ CHARLES iLinnox sri'RGF.OW hridfje. Me spent some months in preaching in that section, and then rece; • ; call to become pastor at Waterbeach. There he had forty church members, a ; n. lil sal- ary ; his pecuniary circumstances compelled him to continue his former dnties as usher in the school we have referred to. lie walked every day from Waterlieach to Cambridge and back again, while his journeys would be pleasant and profital)le, as he would be brought into closer communion with nature and with nature's God. His labors were not in vain in the Lord ; the church at Waterbeach doubled its member- ship, and, as coming events cast their sh"idows, the people began to hear of the preacher and to be charmed and influenced by that genius and oratorical alnlity which have since been recognized !)y the world. While the pastorate at Waterbeach did not enrich the financial effects of the preacher, yet, that was the period of his novitiate andapiirenticeship, and an important part of his preparation for future use- fulness and eminence. In 1853, Spurgeon's reputation had overflowed its nirrow bounds and he received a call to preach at New Park Street Church, London. He at once grew in such popular favor and became so useful, that he received a call to become pastor and removed in 1854 to London, where his labors have been abundantly and increasingly successful even unto this day. Spurgeon's ministry became at once so popular, that New Park Chapel became l)y far too small for the ever growing con- gregation. His fame was at once established, and has never decreased from that day. For a time he preached in the famous Exeter Hall, where some of the most famous and brilliant orators of the world have held spell-bound their audiences and swayed them with moral and spiritual impulses, even as the trees of the forest are swayed. This immense hall was filled to overflowing. In 1855, Spurgeon went on a visit to Scotland. At Aberfeldy the bellman was sent around to cry — "Vour auld playmate and auld ac(|uaintancc, Shony Carstair, the jiarson of the padsh, wants to see you all at the Independent Chapel to hear my friend, the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon." His hearers increased by thousands instead of hundreds, and his Sunday School scholars in the same proportion. In [anuary, 1856, he was married to Miss Susannah Thomson, of London, in the presence of thousands of his friends. It was soon de- termined by his church to proceed to erect an edifice of sufficient cajiacity to hold the immense congregation. One hundred thousand dollars were speedily collected and the tabernacle was commenced. Spurgeon, in the meantime continued to preacli to immense multitudes, wherever he could get a building large enough to accommo- date! the throngs, " who heard him gladly;" sometimes in the open field, in E.xeter Hall, in the Surrey Musical Hall. One great discourse was preached in the Crystal Palace to a congregation of about 30,000 persons. Upon the completion of the Metro|)olitan Tabernacle, it was approjiriately dedicated to the service of Almighty God, and has been crowded through all the years of the past with congregations CHARLES H ADDON SPURGEOX. . . . 3 which have taxed its seating capacity to the utmost, having a congregation ranging from 6,000 to S,ooo people. Of Mr. Spurgeon's style the most strikinf/ peculiarity is his earnestness and home- liness. He is never afraid of saying anytliinj,, or of hurting any one's feelings. lie tells the truth straight out, no matter whom it may offend; and he tells it in the plain- est and n)ost emphatic Saxon. He is at times humorous and sarcastic. .Some time since, when ]ire.aching liefore 10,000 people in the Surrey Hall, he announced the second lesson, and then paused, observing, " If I make a sliort jiause between the lessons, it will give an opportunity to those persons who have their hats on to take them off in the house of dod." . On another occasion he was preaching on the contrast between the sufferings of the damned in hell and the delights of the blessed in heaven. When he came to that part of the discourse in which he draws a picture of the place of punishmen's, the orator's voice was raised to the highest pitch, his tone was sonorous and awful, his manner so vivid that many of his hearers actually tpiivered with horror. In the midst of one of his most terrible periods he suddenly paused, and without the least change of manner or tone, observed: "' If those persons near the door continue their conduct I shall send for a policeman." He then resumed his discourse on hell. One, in describing Mr. Spurgeon, says: "Who has not seen Naples, has seen nothing," say the Italians; who has not heard Spurgeon has not heard the greatest of living preachers, will say hundreds, not only of Englishmen, but of Americans, who have listened to the burning words of a Beecher, a Liddon, a Punshon or a Hall. To visit London without seeing the Metropolitan Tai)ernacle and its preacher, would be like visiting Rome without seeing St. Peters, or making a lour of America without beholding Niagara." The Tabernacle is a plain but massive church of brick, adorned with Corinthian pillars; standing i)ack from the street and inclosed by an iron fence. The vast auditorium resembles that of a theatre. At the farther end is a stage-like platform, with a table on castors, and a few chairs; below a few feet is an orchestra-like enclosure, filled with a number of neatly dressed and bright-looking b )ys. Everything grandly and perfectly arranged for both seeing and hearing. Tho house being amphitheatrical, the preacher is in full view of his hearers, while thry are arranged in semicircle arounl him, he comes into close and sympathetic relations with each and all, as eye and gesture-as well as intonation of voice are brought into play. The accoustics are well nigh faultless. Mr. Spurgeon, personally is descrii)ed as follows : " In his physiogntmiy and gen- eral appearance there is little to give assurance of a great orator. Short, stout and m.iscular, with a somewhat s(|uare face, sparkling eyes, a well-formed nose, a mouth 4 CHARLES HADDUN Sn'RCEON. • . , :' shaded by a black moustache, and a jrcneral air of frankness, straightforwardness and honesty; he is a good type of the Anglo-Saxon, and no one coidd possibly mistake him for a native of another countr/. Natural, decided and impressive in his manner, full of force and fire, and speaking in a loi; ', bell-like voice, at once clear in its artic- ulations and pleasant in its tones; he rivets your attention at the start, though pre- cisely what is his hold upon you, you are unalile to tell. He begins the service with ))rayer; and a prayer it is, a real outpouring of the soul to Clod, noi an oration before the Almighty, or an eloquent soliloquy. He is evidently not one of those preach- ers who, as Soutn says, ' So pray, that they do not supplicate, but compliment Almighty (iod.' He expresses in his prayer, utter indigence and want." Mr. Spurgeon's style of preaching is extemporaneous. As he preaches unwritten sermons, his immediate jirepiration for the pulpit is very rapid, while his general jireparation in the way of reading — broad personal observation and study of men — is both varied and exhaustive. What is the secret of Spurgeon's power ? is often asked, for through all the many years of the past he has held audiences varying from 5,000 to 8,000 people, and still the interest keeps up and increases, while his church has grown to number thousands of communicants. More than 20,000,000 of his dis- courses have been circulated in the English language, besides, they have been trans- lated into all the languages of Christendom, and many into heathen tongues. He is a man of wonderful power. Not only do the common people hear him gladly, as they did his Master, but also the professional and cultured classes, scholars, barris- ters, members of parliament and peers of the realm, all acknowledge his power. Spurgeon's power is not in his fine figure or personal appearance. Short and chubby with a round, homely and honest face, though with an expressive eye. It is not S]Hirgeon's culture which gives him superior power over men, though he is a man who lias done much to remedy his early neglect of educational advantages. He has studied both Greek and Latin, which he was at first inclined to undervalue. .Spurgeon is a man highly cultured in the true sense of that term. He has drank deeply from the sources of both systematic and biblical theology; he knows and be- lieves in the inspired word, while he has filled his mind and saturated his soul with deep draughts from the I'uritAn divines. He has studied |jatiently the English clas- sics, ard also astronomy, chemistry, /.oologj', ornithology, etc.; but field-sports, also, have helped to enrich his fund of illustration. He gleans his illustrations from all directions and sources. .Spurgei ■> has a wonderful voice of great richness, fullness and melody — a voice over which he seems to have the most perfect control; a voice of great flexibility, pureness of tone and compass. But it is not alone in his personal appearance, his vast and varied "tinowledge, or his bell-like and musical voice which, separately or together, arc the elements of his puvscr. It is r.o one thing. But his CHAN/ES HAD DON SPi'^GEON. 5 power may be traced to his elocution, his style, and the earnestness that grows out of a strong co.wiction of the truth of what he teaches. Everyc-ne hearing Spurgeon is impressed that he is intensely in earnest; that he believes, and tiiereforc, speaks; that he is a nianof (Jod, a man of prayer, and the truth he proclaims has first been melted in the furnace of his own soul, moulded in his own religious experience; that it has griped his own heart, and therefore it lays hold of other hearts. Spurgeon si)ealt planted shall be rooted up " — Matthew xv. 13. I liave no apology to ofler for a series of sermoiis on the siii)iecl of Christian Bap- tism, as l)a])tisni is a part of the great commission — an act of f)l)e(lience to the " Kinjj of kings and Lord of lords," whose we are and whom we are to ol)ey in all things. I do not engage in this discussion for controversial reasons; though controversy is not always to l)e deprecated if conducted in the spirit of the Master and in friendliness, and is done to defend the truth; as we are set, like Paul, for the defence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Controversies are like thunderstorms, which clarify the murky at- mosphere, and are followed l)y sunshine and clearness. It is our duty to preach the ■xvhole gospel — ^the gospel in its entirety, and not a nvitilated gospel. We ought to approach the subject of baptism with an unprejudiced mind and in an unbiassed spirit, with an honest desire to know the truth and nothing but the truth, and with a purpose to bow to the supreme authority of truth wherever it may lead us. Kairness of mind is a necessary quality in order that we may diligently search for the truth, and ol)ey it when found. No ordinance or commandment can be unimportant to any child of Ciod. We ought to be willing to follow in any path— the path of duty and privilege — wherever it leads us. Cod's word is truth. The holy bible is our guide, and not men — the plain, Uiivarnished and unglossed word of Ciod. There is no co- ordinate or ecjual authority. The book of Cod rightly translated and interpreted is our only guide. This is an old-fashioned Baptist doctrine. The liook is our authority in doctrine and duty. This position is bed-rock. Every person has a right to study this book, and it does not require a great array of scholarship to find out our duty if we are honestly searching for it, l)ut it requires a vast amount of explanation, special pleading and sectarian zeal to cover up the truth. There are some people who can not be convinced of the truth of any doctrine, if contrary to their early training. We ought always to be open to conviction, i. There are those who seem to have neither desire nor capacity to know the truth. 2. Some so blind they wont see; they are even ol)stinate in their blindness. 3. Those who will not see the truth in respect to baptism because it is not popular. 4. Tho.se who are .so j^rejudiced and built up in their own erroneous notions and party ideas that they will not see the truth, though a man declare it unto them — " It has no form nor comeliness that it should be desired." With the various classes thus instanced there is little hope; but to those lo V/'h'/S7/.ible. Who should i)e ba|)ti/.ed ? "And every nlant which my Heavenly Father has n(tt planted shall be rooted up." Christ uttered these wonis in rej^ard to the vnilawful traditions of men, having; no authority and warrant in (Iod's word. Infant baptism and sprinkling may be classed under this head; " they shall be rooted up." How many are zealous for the traditions of the .Scribes and !' harisees and di.srepard the book of heavenly origin. In regard to the subject of infant baptism, there is neither connnand nor examjile for it in the inspired volume; if it were there it could be easily found, and the whole controversy would be at an end. Neither is there to be found in the bible a single passage, which either by reasonable inference or implication, teaches the baptism of new born infants, or any other subjects who have not arrived at the years of discretion and accountability. Infant baptism uuist first l)e put into the scriptures before it can lie found there. Our Lord jesus Christ, who is head over all things unto his church, authorized and appointed Christian bajitism, as the door of entrance into his visible kingdom; it is a positive institution, dependent wholly upon his will for its authority and administration. He therefore has ajipointed who shall be baptized, and he has authorized the bajitism of believers or converted per- sons, and no others. I will proceed to make good this statement from the great conunission and command of our Lord, and the practice of hi.s inspired apostles. John the Haptist, the forerunner of Christ, had been preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and baptizing his converts in the Jordan; our Lord, also, in his lifetime, pre- vious to his giving the great commission, hail preached and baptized by the hands of his disciples. What kind of subjects did John the Haptist and Christ's disciples baptize ? Whatever kind of subjects John baptized, or were baptized under the im- mediate eye of our Lord, must have been the subjects enjoined to be liaptized in the great commission. If you will turn to Matt. iii. 6, it will not be difficult to see, for it is very plain: " And were baptized of hifti in Jordan, confessing their sins," while he said, "Bring forth fruits meet for repentance." The subjects were those who could repent and confess their sins. .As baptism is a confession of sins, infants C7/A'/S77.IA^ /l.l/'VVS.]/. II rouI• oxporionco, iU(|iiiro a ciislom or lial)it, to be informed, to oomproiio'id, to disciple, to follow, to ho trained.- 'I hey, the apostles, wore to make disciples of the nations, and l)ai)ti/e those who wore made disciples. The order is, first, disciple; secoml, liapti/e; third teach them all thinf^s whatsoever Christ has conmianded. Hahos could not he thus suljject; htcome disciples or followers of Christ until old enough to re- ceive liio gospel message, as none Init disciples, or followers, were to lie hn|)li/ed. We read ahfxit the Misciples of I'lato and Aristotle. They were not infants who could not know their right hnnd from their left. Tiie (ireek word for teach all the nations, or disciitle, or make disciples of all the nations, I have given already. Tlu' Creek word for " teach," in the twentieth verse is altogether a different word; it is tiidaskontts. from liii/asko, to teach or speak in a pi\hlic assembly, taught teachai)le; hcnre instruction or teaching. Hence, those disciples were capable of being taught — taught or instructed in all those things Christ h.id commanded them. Those could not have been infants or babes. If you turn to tiie last chapter of Mark, we shall see Christ's own commission, as given by Mark, corresponding with Matthew's record, with mere verbal changes -Mark xvi. 15-16: "Co ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. lie that lielicveth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believetli not shall be damned." The order of this cfunmission is jilain: Kirst, they were to preach; second, faith or belief; third, l)aptism. They were to preach the gosjK'l to every creature and baptize every believer. The order o{ this com mission is INSI'IRICK; it is not first, l)ai)lisni, and second, faith; but it is first, faith, or belief, and then baptism. These are the terms of the new covenant, the covenant of grace; and infant baptism is not in this commission or covenant. If infant i)aptism were anywhere, I should think it would he in tlie commission, init it is not. These arc the instructions to the churches, and those instructions are positive and explicit; they are not at all aml)iguous, and as a minister of Jesus Christ I dare not go beyond the word of the Lord to say less or more. Helievers are commanded to lie baptized, which jiroliibits an/v/»7- of Christ's kingdom. N'ochanj^o or reversion of the jjreat commission. We are not even left here. We have a further record Acts ii. 41-42: "Then tliey that jjladly received liis word were baptized. And llity continued steadfastly in the apostles" doctrine (or teaching), and fellow- ship, and in lueakinji; of bread, and in prayers." Infants cannot gladly receive the word -only such were bapti/.ed. I lere was action in harmony with the great com- mission. I think I could even afford to rest my case here, as tlie great commission teaches only the baptism of believers — to go beyond that is to transcend our instruc- tions, and the apostle I'eter acts in harmony with this commission on the day of I'en- tecost. If ("hrist commands the baptism of believers or converted persons, i)y the very same terms he excludes the baptism of all who are not i)elievers. If a recruit- ing officer were sent out to enlist soldiers for the Uriti.sh army with the instructions to enlist men six feet tall, all men five feet and six inches, however robust and nnis- cular, would be excluded by the terms of those instructions — they are definite; in fact, all men five feet and eleven inches would be excluded by the terms of the instruction. Those who atHirm that infant baptism is in the great commission must first prove it there; and the burden of proof rests with those who afifirm it to lie there, for no man, who has only one eye, can fail to see that faith precedes baptisn\ in the gospel order. Hut we need not rest our case here. We have other scri])tures in the .\cts of the Apos- tles, which are sources of church history — indeed the Acts may be called inspired history, which no Christian can deny. Acts viii. 12 — '* I!ul when they believed Philip preaciiing the things concerning the kingdom of (lod, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were l)aptized both men and women." Surely there were no infants here; the verse is explicit — "men and women." I wonder where all the babes of those men and women were, and the infants of the men and women baptized on the day of Pentecost? Surely those could not have been Pedo-Haptist Churches, be- cause their infants were not baptized- -had there been such — then the infants would have been iiaptized in that case Hut we go on to the thirteenth verse of the eighth of Acts, — Simon /'c/ievet/ nm\ was baptized, though he did not turn out very well. The ecnuch believed and was baptized. First, Philip joins himself to the chiriot and preaches the gospel of Christ to the prcmiineni official in the employ of <^ueen Can- dace; seccmd, he believes in Christ; third, is liaptized; fr)urth, goes on his way re- 14 CIIRIS'I'IAN HAPTISM. joicin^. He was no little infant. In the ninth of Acts we have the iiaptisni of Saul, afterwards called Paul. He \va.s no balie, only a babe in Christ. We have deluged you with proof taken from the great commission and the early practices of the apos- tles and primitive C!hristians, and all our proof is authority for believers' liaptism. There is no authority for infant bajnism in the conimi.ssion. But I am al)out to make another statement before examining other ))assages of scripture, and tiiat is this; that not a case of infant liaptism even implied can be found in all the book of (lod, either by prece|)t or example, indirectly or remotely, and that I challenge any man or wo- man to |)roduce it. The silence of scripture concerning infant l)aptism implies and speaks in thunder tones that it is not in (jod's l)ook Another remark is that the de- nominations who hold and jjractice infant l>aptism are not agreed among themselves as to their grounds for holding it, or reasons for practicing it, or the effects and virtue the rite ))roduces in the child The Romish church, which devised or invented the rite of infant baiuism, as I will show further on, holds that baptism washes away original sin. It is Simon jnire l)aptismai regeneration with a vengeance. The Epis- co])alian, or English church man, believes, indejiendent of Puseyism, that baptism makes a babe an heir of (lod, a member of the church and an inheritor of the king- dom of heaven. I refer you to the Anglican catechism in the l)ook of common ])rayer. This is Iiaptismal regeneration as plainly expressed as words can express any idea. The Methodist Church is an offshoot from the Church of England. John Wesley was a priest of the Church of England, and if an honest man, (I believe Wesley was honest), he held the doctrine of the prayer liook in respect to the bap- tism of infants — Wesley believed in baptismal regeneration — so, that the Methodist discipline contains the ritual or office for the baptism of infants which was copied from the prayer book, with slight modifications, so that the discipline contains the germs of baptismal regeneration. Many Metliodists claim it to be a mere dedication of the child to (iod, as do Congregationalists, and see nothing in it beyond an act of conse- cration and nothing more, Init are not agreed among themselves as to the virtue and value of the rite. Some discard it altogether. I'resliyterians hold that the visible church is composed of all those throughout the world who profess the true faith with their children, and only the infants of believers are to be baptized, and baptism is not only a sign, but a seal of the covenant of grace. Lutherans hold substantially with High Churchmen and Romanists; and Ritualists, that baptism is a regenerating rite. If people believing in infant liajitism are so largely in the majority and more numer- ous than those who hold believers' baptism, yet it can be seen at a glance that they are far from being agreed among themselves as to the why they practice infant baptism. Some baptize the child because he is innocent and pure ; others, because he is full of sin, and they baptize him to wash away his sins; some to put him into CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. ' 15 the covenant of grace, others because he is in the covenant already, and there is the greatest confusion prevailing, which is far from unity. Can any reasonable man, for one moment, suppose if infant baptism were a command of (iod, and taught in the holy l)il)le, there could possibly be all this confusion? Certainly not; to ask the question is to answer it. But to go on. We are told that there were many families, whole households baptized, and consequently there must have been some infants in those households. Some good people draw greatly upon their imagination. Hut we will confine ourselves to the record. If infant baptism is in the scrijitures I want to find it. as it is as much for me to see the truth as any other Christian. The next is the ba]itism of Cornelius, the centurion. Peter goes to tliis converted Centile official and soldier. He ])reaches the gospel to him and his family; they all receive the word and are Iwptized. Acts x. 47. —"Can any man forbid water, (the use of water) that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy (Ihost as well as we?" There were no infants here — in this household. Those brjilized had received the Holy C/host, and infants do not receive thv^ Holy Chost. Besides, "they prayed Peter to tarry with them certain days." Do you know of any households in this town without infants ? I certainly do, and have seen many households and baptized several such and not an infant in them. They were converted families. We come to the sixteenth of Acts, the baptism of Lydia and her household. Who was Lydia? A seller of purple in the city of Thyatira; that was her home. Lydia was in Philippi when Ciod opened her heart, many miles from home, and it is not a supposable case, much less a reasonal)le one, that she would have infants with her. She was tempor- arily sojourning in Philippi when Paul and Silas were there preaching the gospel. Her household would consist of servants, male and female servants at that. That she had infants in her household no one can prove. Those who see infant bajitism here must prove that Lydia had a husband. Indeed the suppositions are all the other way. If she had infants, those who profess to believe in infant bajitism must prove that they were liaptized, because we have not found a single apostle in a single in- stance departing from the commission, which was preach the gospel, faith, then bap- tism. Lydia had those in her employ who were necessary 10 carry on her business. Besides, that she was unmarried or a widow is implied in the mentif)n of her name as the head of the household. She likely had no husband. Cod opened her heart. But we have a more definite statement yet to show that Lydia's household was com- posed of believers — the last verse of the sixteenth chapter — " and they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia, and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them and departed." Lydia's household are called brethren ; infants cannot be called brethren. We are not left even to supposition or conjecture, but have positive proof Those who see infant baptism in Lydia's family are farsightcd I6 CIIKISTIAN llAP'l'IS.^r. and noL'd a microscope to aid them. In ihe sixteentii of Acts we have also the account the baptism of the jailer and his household in the city of i'hilippi. From the thirtieth verse, " Sirs, what must I do' to lie saved ?" The anxious question of the jailer under deep conviction, and the reply of Paul and Silas, " And they said, lielieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt l)e saved and thy house. And they spake unto ////// the word of the Lord, and'/^? all that -ioere in his lioiise.'' Here we have the preat ctmimission order a^ain, first, the apostles preached to them - " They could all hear the wtjrd of the Lord "' — second, they believed; third, they were baptized. No infants in this family. Hut this is not all. " And he took them the same hour ol the night, and washed their stripes; and was l)aptized, he and all his Aimily, straightway And when he had i)rought them into his house, he -set meat before them, and rejoiced. HELIKVINC. in (lod w'wh all liis liousc/" IIow plain, no aminguiiy. The ajjostles spoke the 7vonl of God to Al.L in /lis house; they were old enough to hear and understand; no infants; they believed, and 7ir;r baptized, and all rejoiced. As Spurgeon remarks on this narrative by way of comment : "We have here, a be- lie'i'ini:; household, a baptized household, and a rejoicing hou.sehold; not an infant among them." The next instance of baptism is recorded in Acts, xviii, 8, which reads: "And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue i)elieved on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were bajiti/ed.*' The house of Crispus was a //^//W'///^'- household, no babes. The Corinthians believed and were baptized; no infants baptized among them. I Corinthians, i i6. — "I baptized also the household of Stephanu.s. " To prove that there were no infants in the house- hold of Stephanus, we may turn to I Corinthians, xvi. 15, " I beseech you, brethren, ye know the house of Stephanus, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the mmistry of the saints." The household of Stephanus were the first fruits of the apostles' ministry in Achaia — they?r.f/ converts; they were not little inj'ants, and they were active workers for Christ, and he wished to make special mention of them to the Church in Corinth, and also wished .f/tvvVf/ recognition for them, as their services were worthy of mention. They were not infants; had they been, they could not have been called the first fruits of the apostles' ministry, and could not have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints, in caring for the jwor, and the active duties of religion. We have the iiaptism of five households mentioned in the New I'estament, and they were all believing homeholds. To hear some good people talk, you would think there were a dozen or two, but this all arises from the failure of most people to search for themselves. I have known twice as many baptized households in a single BajUist church, of which I have been pastor, and not an infant among them, as are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Now we have examined minutely all the cases of household mentioned in the New Tes- CHRIS'riAN BAPTJSM. "• 17 lament, amounting to five cases of household baptism, and they were all believing households. We have not found a single departure fnmi the inspired order of the great commission which is, first, faith; second, baptism. No person baptized until lie professed faith in Christ. We have found believers, anil lielievers only, the proper subjects of Christian Baptism, and we have examined all the cases of households in the New Testament. We shall have lo look elsewhere for infant baptism than in the houseliolds mentioned in the Acts. :'::■:-"-, i - 7. ,';';■ . \ SKCONl) SERMON. '^ • I will now address myself to the arguments used by IVdo-llnptists to prove infant baptism. I. Circumcision. This was the sign of a Jewish carnal covenant, a cov- enant that embraced in its fulfillment the giving of the land of Canaan by the party of the first part to the Hebrews, and the party of the second part was to observe the rite of circumcision as one of their conditions of the covenant. I will prove what I state. Turn to Genesis the seventeenth chapter, commencing with the seventh verse, "And I will establish my covenant between me an(l thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a (iod unto thee, and thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an overlasling posses.sion; and I will be their (lod. And God said unto Abraham, thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; every man child among you .shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall he a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall lie circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seefl. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circum- cised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant." To the fifteenth verse. Circumcision was a national, fleshly and Jewish sign, the sign of an earthly covenant whose blessings seem to have been confined to this earthly existence to give to Al)raham and his seed the promised land, which was the land of Canaan. Circumcision was not a spiritual rite, like i>aptism. It was a Jewish national sigr], terminating with an earthly inheritance, to give the chosen people the land of Canaan. Circumcision was a national, Jewish sign and became incorporated along with the other rites and statutes of the Mosaic Law. Exodus, xii, 48. — "And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then, let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one born in the land, for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof." Circumcision was an initi.atory rite, in the sense that it made a man a Jew, a Jewish citizen, and entitled l8 CIiniS'l'IAN /i.l/''J-/S.]/. . . ' hill) Id llic privilct^os and Ijciictits of tlic old cuivonant. Il coidd m)t l)e authority for infant Ijaptism. The old dis|)ensation was outward, and in the flesh — the new dis- pensation was inward and spiritual, and had (jrdinanees in keepint^ with its pre-eni- ineiilly spiritual character. Circumcision could not lie authority for infant l)a]iliMn for the tollowini; cogent reasons: First, l)ecause only male children were circumcised an! male adults. According to this reasoning, if l)ai)tism comes in i)lace of circum- cision, only male infants and males should l)e baptized. There would not le the sliglite-.! authority for the i)a|)lism of tiie females, and yet i)ei)ple are using liie ancient practice ol ciri'umi'ising male-; a-, an argument for the indiscriminate hajuism of males and females. This is indeed poor logic. Second, drown up male servants in tlie houses of tile Israelites, (lod commanded to he circumcised, as well as the male infants. According lo this reasoning all the hired men in I'edo-Haptist flimilies ought to l;e liapti/.ed, for the male servants were circumcised under tile law. Third, hajilism did not come in lieu of circumcision for another reason, our Lord was circumcised at eight days old and was l)a|)ti/ed when he entered upon his public ministry. Circumcision fulfilled the old law, wliich was to pass away, and he instituted the new order, and baptism is under the gospel dispensation. The church of Cod in the New Testament was not a continuation of the Jewish church, it was to be comjiosed of believers, con- verted persons, of all jiersons, jews and (jentiles. The terms of admission to tlie gospel cliurch were faith and baptism, not Jews exclusively, but Jews and tlentiles, renewed liy the Holy .Spirit —not males, but males and females in Christ Jesus. Were l!ie covenant of circum.-ision in force, then none but males, male infants, and male servants could be baptized. There is no escape from liiis logic. Fourth, ba])- tism did not come in lieu of circumcision for another reason. Some in the early times were circumcised who had previously been baptized, namely, Timothy. Acts, Nvi. 3. — "Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him, because of the jews whicli were in those ({uatters." The Jews nor the early Christians did not understand that baptism came in lieu of circumcisiiin or they would have said so, and would not have demanded the circumcision of Timothy after his baptism. Circumcision made a man a Jew; baptism is a sign ors\-mliol of the new life. As the confession of faith well says : "Bajitism is an outward and visible sign of an inward and sjiiritual grace." That is to say, baptism is a sign or an act that can be seen of something that is inward and spiritual and cannot l)e seen, and which Vnn\ desires to be known anil declared, and he has intrusted baptism with announcing those important fads. Wiiat is ba|)tism the sign of in a little infmt, wiio has no in- ward or spiritual grace ? A red light is a sign of danger. I see one hanging in th - street, and I go to it; there is no open sewer, no obstacle to travel or danger to life andjimb. That red light is a deception, a beguilement to the passer; it may lie an ' CHRISIIAN liAP'J'JSM.' ' * • 19 innocent pun or a joUl", however, it is a fraud and a delusion; it utters falsehood. A man j^oes into a town or a city, and he looks around for a drui:; store, but he tinds the siffns all mixed up. In front of a boot and shoe stuie, lie (inds the siyn of a druy store; in front of a dry ^oods store, he finds the grocer's sign; in front of the clothing store he lin:l-i the sign of the iiotcl. What a medley and confusion. Tiie misjilace- ment of signs did it all. Wiial sli;dl be done? Take the signs nnd put them where they belong. We s;i\-, place the sign of baptism where it l)elongs. It jjejongs to the believe:' -no one else. J5abes are not subjects of bajitism '.ucause they have no in- ward ().• spiritual grace. liaptism is a personal act of loving and joyful obedience to a believer in Jesus. fifth, liaptism did not c )nie in lieu of circumcision for another rc.is )!i. In the liiU'cnth cha|)ler of the .\cts of the .Xpislles, the early Chiiilians held a cjuncil in ri'g.ird to circumcision ami the obligation of the law of .Moses in re- gird t ) th'j ("i.Miile c. inverts. i'ii'th verse, " I'mt there rose up certain of the sect of the I'harisee-i, which believed saying, that it was needful to circumcise them, or com- mand them to keej) the law of .Mose-;. This verse ])rovis (a) that the believing Jews did n It understand that liaptism had come in place of circumcision; because they werj trying to circumcise tho.se who had been baptized. I'edo-Haptists a.sscrt that bap- tism has come in lieu of circumcision, tliat would have been the opportunity to have stated tliat fact, had it been so. 15ul it is a modern argument to bolster uji the im- scriptural practice of infant baptism, which rests upon the frailest kind of a projection, (b) That council decided that circumcision was an integral part of the law of Moses; those who were circumcised were under obligation to keep the whole law. In the thirteenth verse, the dispensation of Moses, with circumcision as its outward sign, is called a yoke upon the neck of theut to become a menace and a troulile to the primitive churches We have found no authority for baptizing infants in the outward rite of circumcision, as only the males were circumcised and not the females; men servants and slaves were circumcised who would not l)e bap- tized, even liy Pedo-Ha]>tists. Besides, the terms of the new covenant and the great commission command only the baptism of believers, and persons were to believe l)e- fore being baptized. The terms of the new covenant sjiecify its conditions and ben- efits, and set aside all former covenants, as a man who makes his will to-day, .sets aside and annuls all former wills he may have made, and they are virtually null and void, so the new covenant of Jesus Christ, expressed in the great commission, enjoin- ing Uie Inptism of believers, the last will and testament of our Lord and Saviour Je.sus Christ, sets aside and fulfills all pre-existing wills and covenants, and renders them null and void as guides to Christ's church. Among those covenants displaced is the Al)rahamic covenant l)y one greater than our Father Al)raham, who rejoiced to see Christ's day, as being superior to him in authority, he having all power in heaven and on earth, and the conditions of the Abrahamic covenant would have to i)e re-en- acted if of any force at all, which has not been done. So the Abrahamic covenant is gone and in its stead is a greater and nobler covenant, enjoining the liaptism of believers. Rat I shall hear some Pedo-Raptist saying if the infixnts are to be left out and are not to be baptized is it not a sad omission? No, no. God is to .say and not man who is to be baptized, as baptism is a positive ordinance and dependent upon his will. Besides, females were left out of the Abrahamic covenant, as only males were circumcised, .-\gain we hear it said, the silence of the scriptures on infant bap- tism, as the bible does not command it, it does not foroid it, and we may practice it. We hear pe )ple talking about infant baptism iieing in the bible, then, when they are driven from that position, they take refuge in the silence of scrii)ture. Well may they talk about the silence of scripture, as it is not in God's Book. The bible com- mands the baptism of believers and no others; that command prohibits the baptism 22 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. of infants and unljclievers; if it did not, then, we would be at liberty to baptize the unconverted as well as the converted, as (lod by the command to circumcise males, male infants and male servant;^, prohil)its the circumcision of females, so by the parity of reasoninjj, the commission and covenant of grace, which enjoins the baptism of of believers, prohii)its the bapti:im of infants. That is clear. Again, infant bai)tisni or christening is a l)eautiful ceremony, it is said, — giving the child to God, and can do no harni. (lod has made everything l)eautiful in its time. Hut no ceremony can be beautiful, harmless and right, which is contrary to (iod's word, and has enfolded in it the poisonous germ of baptismal regeneration, and is opposed to the entire letter and sjjirit of the gospel, as infant baptism generally practiced according to I'edo-Hap- tism would practically annul and void the l)aptism of believers, setting aside the com- mand of Ciod by human traditions, as all the infants l)aptized in their bainhood would not confess Christ when converted, depriving themselves of the blessings which flow from the oliedience of love, and set up an authority opjiosed to fesus Christ. We might ask, " Who has required this at your hands ?" The silence of scripture could not be interpreted in favor of infant baptism no more than the silence of scrip- ture on polygamy or polyandry can be interpreted in favor of a man having more than one wife, or a woman having more than one husband. The passage which says, "In the beginning God made them male and female," said, "Wherefore shall a man leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. And what God hnth joined together let no man put asunder." Polygamy and poly- andry are both nipped in the bud and prohibited by the bible teaching monogamy — one man and one woman joined in wedlock. Polygamous marriages are forbidden and prohibited, so the covenant that enjoins the iiaptism of lielievers prohil)its and forbids the baptism of all infants. Again, why do not people who baptize infants give them the communion — the bread and wine? They can understand one as well as the other; l)esides the Roman Catholic church, which instituted infant bajuism, instituted infant communion. Dean Stanley in his " Institutions of the Christian Religion, or Christian Institutions," says, pages 102.3 : " We have seen in the ear- lier ages it was the custom, as it is yet in the Eastern worship, to give the commun- ion to infants. This cus'om, since the thirteenth century, has in the Latin church been entirely proscribed. Partly, no doubt, this may have arisen from the fear — increasing with the increase of the superstitious veneration for the actual elements — lest the wine, or as it Was deemed, the sacred blood, should be spilt in the process. It was the same revolution with respect to the eucharist, that the almost contempor- ary substitution of sprinkling for immersion was in baptism." Here we have .he au- thority for the history that infa it communion was once practiced in the Roman church. There is nothing again t infant communion in the bible; there is as much CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 33 for it as for infant l)aptism, and Ijoth are against the teachings of scripture. Christ puts faith before baptism, and faith and liaptism before comnuinion, and then says : *' Do this in remembrance of me." A babe cannot l)e liaptized because he cannot believe; neither can he receive the communion l)ecause he cannot rememijer Christ; .so both stand or fall together. The argument that will give l)aptism to l)abes will give them also the communion— both are contrary to the l)ible. Let us be consistent. Do you l)elieve in dedicating children to (jod ? Certainly, giving them to God and his service by prayer, and training ihem up for him, as did the holy men and women ol the l)il)le. This duty belongs to parents, and not to ministers and priests. There are the divine rights of parents as well as ministers and kings. The family is of (iod, the church is of God, and the state is of (jod, each performing separate and distinct, yet harmonious functions in the welfare of men and the development of the race. We hear some people say, "Infant l)a[)tism is not in the great commission, neither is infant salvation in the great commission." I grant this — neither am in the great commission. Female infants were not in the Abrahamic covenant, as they were not circumcised. Infants cannot be baptized because they cannot believe, while " He that believeth not shall be damned." This commission in its terms can only refer to those who are old enough to believe and receive and jiracticc the gospel. Infants dying in infancy are saved by the unconditional benefits of the atonement, but not by this commission, which requires faith, which they are incapable of exercising. God saves all infants dying in infancy without the waters ofbaptism by the blood of his own Son, in a way unknown to us. " Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." But there is not a word said about our Lord baptizing those children; he blessed little children, he put his hands upon them, but he did not sprinkle or immerse them. The warring disciples were displeased with the mothers for bringing them, and deemed their presence an intru- sion, but Jesus made the child an object lesson of trust, artlessness, humility, lowli- ness and teachableness, and showed that men must be converted and l)ecome like those little children spiritually, or they could not enter the kingdom. Jesus did not baptize them he baptized none. In I Corimlii^ns, vii. I V14» some Fedo-Baptists think they see an argumeut for in- fant baptism. A drowning cause, like a drowning man, catches at a straw floating upon the current of the stream to save itself. The passage reads: " And the woman which hath an husi)and that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him, for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy " There is no intimati m of infant baptism in the passage. The marriage relation, the conubial tie was not abrogated or voided by the unbelieving 24 CHRISTIAN liAPTlS.^r. wife or unlu'lievini; hushand; l)iU the helievei in either event would be l)roii{,'lit under tile inlUienco of Christianity. The children would not i>e left unt'er heathen influ- ences; hut under Chrisliani/inu; inlluer- c and save. I. There is as nnich argument for the baptism of the unl)elievin{^ husl):in(l or wife; but there is no arj;unR'nt for . either, and no mention of either. No infant baptism here. Aj^ain. we are told in a very ironical way, that there were millions of Israelites who passed throu^ii the Red Sea in their flij^ht from bondage to freedom, and there were infants among tlieni, and they were baptized. I am amazed at such trilling. Now that was not the ordinance of Christian i)aptisin; it was a l)a|)tism in a figurative and a metaphori- cal way, and it was a dipping or an immersion at tliat. TIk- sea was on all sides of them; the cloud was not a rain cloud; it was a pillar of cloud b> day and pillar of tire by night. There could not have been nuu^h m(li^lure or rain in the cloud which had gone l)efore them, and securing their total submersion in the cloud and in the sea. Allow me to quote from the portable commentary, a work by Presbyterians: "There is a semblance between the symbols, for the cloud and sea con.si.sl of water, and these took the Israelites out of sight and restf)red them to view, so the water does to the baptized." .Some .say there were infants among the Hebrews, anti they were i)aptizeenerate, and hepan to baptize infants to save them. The baptism of infants was the opening for the incoming of other errors, id) I'"or the reason there havi. been so many determine' and unscruplous attempts on the jiart of Pedo-Baptists, if not to make this word bapiizo mean something else, at least to cover u]) its true meaning, or surround it with a cloud of doubt and darkness, when its meaning is as clear as day; no scholar has ever denied that baptizo meant immerse. We will bring forward our witnesses; examine, and cross-examine them, get tlieir evidence before our minds, and I only hope, my friends, you will be an impartial jury, and give your verdict according to law and evidence, and not according to special jileading or pettifogging. \Ve only ask a patient hearing and an impartial verdict, i. The dictionaries, or lexicons. I will do little more than give the evidence, for the clearer the evidence, there remains the less for the advocate and the lawyer to do in the way of a plea. My task will be an easy one, especially when the witnesses all so perfectly agree among themselves. I think we are prepared to call to the witness box, witnesses, as to the meaning of the Greek word bapiizo. Scapula's Lexicon, says : The mean- ing of this word is, "To dip, to immerse, as we dij) anything for the purpose of dyeing it." Alstedius says: "To baptize, signifies only to immerse, not to wash, except by consequence." Stockius says : "Properly, it means to dip, or immerse in water." Stephanus' says: "To plunge under, or overwhelm in water." .Schleusner says: "I'loperly, it signifies to dip, and immerse, and immerse in water." T ounegan says : "To immerse repeatedly into a liipiid, to submerge, to sink, thoroughly to saturate " I'iirkhurst says : "To dip, inmierse, or plunge in water." Liddell and .Scott say: '"To dip rejieatedly." .\ few years ago, the Rev. Dr. I'armly, a Baptist minister, and the Kev. Dr. Spring, a Presbyterian minister. both of Brooklyn, N. ^'., had a conversation on baptism ant! the meaning o{ bapiizo, in wiiich Dr .Spring, Presbyterian, asserted it meant to sprinkle, immerse, pour, etc. — meant everything and nothmg. Rev. Dr. Parmly wrote Professor Anthon, the l)rofessor of Cireek in Columbia College, asking his opinion. This is his reply : (I'rofe.ssor Anthon was an Episcopalian.) Mv Dear Sir :— There is no authority for the singular remark made by the Rev. Dr. Spring, relative to the force of baptizo The primary meaning of the word is to dij), or immer.se ; and its .secondary meaning, if it ever had any, all refer in some 30 ■ CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. ' - way or other to the same leading idea. Sprinkling, etc. , are entirely out of the question. I have delayed answering your leUer, in the hope that you would call and favor me with a visit, when we might talk the matter over at our leisure. I presume, however, that what I have ^liift written will answer your purpose. Yours truly, Charles Anthon. * i , Like all our testimonies, this comes from one who is not of us. There is not a respectable (Ireek lexicon out of the fifteen or thirty puhli.shed, that gives another definition than to dip or immerse, to wash by immersion. The scholarship of the world is united in this definition, and he who denies it, insults the (Jreek scholarship of the ages, and the nations, and is a laughing stock to all men of intelligence. I may be allowed to state, that a few years ago, a letter was addressed to several professors of Greek, in American colleges, asking the following question : "Is there one standard Greek-English lexicon, which gives sprinkle or pour as one of the meanings of the Greek baptizo? Professor W. S. Tyler, of Amherst college, Massachusetts, in reply says : "I do not know of any good lexiccm which gives sprinkle as a rendering for baptizo. Liddell and Scott, which is now the standard lexicon for classic Greek, gives pour upon as one of the meanings, and the lexicons generally, give wash and bathe, together with dip, immerse, sink and dye, among its meanings. The primitive meaning of the word was probably dip ; indeed, the root bap, like our word dip, seems to represent dipping in its very sound." Professor Tyler fails to tell that "pour upon" appeared only in the first edition of this lexicon ; the five later editions leave out "pour upon" as not being correct. Professor ^^'m. S. Tyler, whose (J reck text books are familiar to every classical student, has had a continuous service as instructor in (jreek at Amherst college for fifty-five years. In regard to this point, let us read what Professor J. B. Foster, of Colly university, Waterville, Maine, says : "Liddell and Scott, in their first edition, gave as one of the meanings of the word baptize, to pour upon, but corrected it in the second edition, and the correction stands in the latest edition." Milton \V. Humphreys, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy (Leipsic), professor of Greek in Vanderbilt university, Nashville, Tennes- see, a Methodist institution, declares that : "There is no standard Greek-English lexicon, that gives sprinkle or pour, as meaning of Imptizo."' We cannot do without the help of dictionaries and scholars, to aid us in finding out the meanings of words. We could scarcely read a single chapter, or verse, in the Hebrew bible^or the Greek Testament, without the aid of a lexicon, to ascertain the usage of words in the language. We will now bring forward our proofs. We are indebted to the late Dr. Conant for these examples from the CJreek clas.sics. P(jlybius, born 205 B. C. History, book I, chap. 51,6. In his account of the sea-fight at Drepanum, between the Romans and Carthaginians, describing the advantages of the latter in their choice CHRISl'IAN BAPTISM. 31 of a position, and in the superior structure and more skilful manaf;ement of their vessels, he says : "l"or, if any were hard pressed by the enemy, they retreated safely, on account of their fast sailing, into the open space ; and then with reversed course, now sailing round, and now attacking in flank the more advanced of the pursuers, while turning and embarrassed on account of the weight of the ships and tlic unskilfulnessof the crews, they made continual assaults and submerged (baptized) many of the vessels." Who doubts the vessels were immersed ? Again in Polybius' History, book 34, chap. 37, in describing the manner of cajjturing the sword fish, he says : "And even if the spear falls into the sea, it is not lost ; for it is compacted of both oak and pine, so that when the oaken part is immersed (l)ai)ti/.ed) by the wi'ighi, the rest is buoyed up and easily recovered. The oak ])art being the heavier of the two, it would be more easily immersed or baptized th.in the pine," In Strabo'^ liook sixty years before Christ, we have an account of the stormy weathe,'. lie says: "Alexander happening to be there at the stormy season, and accustomed to trust for the most part to fortune, set forward before the swell subsided, and they marched the whole day in water 'en hudati,' immersed (baptized) as far as to the waist." When any part of an object or the body was immersed, (baptized) it is mentioned, by the way, "en hudati." We find, here, in this passage are the same words as found in Matthew iii. Ii: I, indeed, baptize you with water. '■'■ Ego men baptizo.'''' '"''Humas en hudati.'' "I immerse you in water. " The American committee of the revisers use in, instead of with, showing the element or place in which a thing is done. losepluis' Jewish Antiquities, book 15, chap, iii, 3, descrii)ing the murder of the boy Aristobulus, who was drowned by his companions in a swimming bath, thirty-seven years before Christ, says; "Continually pressing down and immersing (baptizing; him while swimming, as if in sport, they did not desist till they had entirely suf- focated him." This word signifies a total submersion, and never a sprinkling or pouring. Somebody asks is there anything in the word to signify the taking out of the object from the baptizing element. We answer : That is to be determined by the connection. A person not to be drowned would be immediately withdrawn, the emersion would be shown l)y the context, as in the ordinance of Christian baptism, where persons were said to be buried in baptism, immersed in the element of water, in the likeness of Christ's death, raised in the likeness of his resurrection to walk in newness of life." But this Greek word is used all through the bilile, haptizo, every- where signified a dipping, an immersion, a covering in the l)aptizing element, josephus in giving a chapter from his own life, says : "P'or our vessel having been submerged (bajni/ed) in the midst of the Adriatic, being about .«,ix hundred in num- ber, we swam through the whole night." In Plutarch's Life of Theseus, another (Jreek writer, born in the year fifty, after Christ, says : "A bladder, thou mayest 32 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. he immersed, (baptized) hut it is not possihle for thee to sink." Here the ol)jecf l)aptized rehounds, as soon as suhmerged, to the surface, and does not sink, while .shi])s and other ol)jects, said to l)e baptized, sink to the bottom. In the hfe of Alexander, another Greek writer, born 450 B. C. -"For he praised," says he, "because he dipped (bajitized) the stewards; being not lamias, (stewards) but latiiias, (sharks)." In "Hijiocrates on epidemics," a medical work in (Ireek, written before the Christian era, is the following : "And she breathed, as persons breathe after having been immersed (bajitized)." Vxnxn a (Jreek jjook, giving an account of Roman history, Mark Antony in an address to his soldiers, before the .sea fight at Actium, boasting of the .strength and equipment of his vessels, .says : "And even if anyone came near, he could not escape being immerged (baptized) by the very multi- tude of the oars." From a pa.ssage in one of Chry.sostom's sermcms, on the paralytic healed by Christ, the golden-mouthed preacher says : "But here, no such thing is to be seen ; no fire applied, nor steel plunged in, (ba])tized) nor flowing blood." In one of /Ivsops fables, which were in (jreek, we read of a mule which had remarkable sagacity, which lightened his load, when carrying salt upon his back, by rushing into the river, immersing himself, there dissolving the salt and lightening his burden, tried the same experiment when loaded with sponges and wool." The writer says : "One of the salt-bearing mules, rushing into a river, accidentally sli))ped down, and rising up lighter, (the salt becoming dissolved) he perceived the cause, and remem- bered it ; so that always, when passing through the river, he purposely lowered down and immersed (baptized) the panniers." Vou see, there is not the slightest (piestion about the meaning of the word baptizo ; it always means dip, immerge, immerse, etc., as the lexicons testify. But what about the jjrepcjsition into, eis in Cjreek? This writer says, "The mule rushed into tlie river" — -Greek, "m emhallon Totamon,''' the mule was in the river. What about John the Baptist baptizing peo- ple in Jordan. An(I they went down into the water. They were only at the edge of the wa'er. The mule did not get into the river, much less into the water, according to such puerile criticism. They ought not only to be taught the alphabet of the Greek language, but they ought to be honest and fair when dealing with (Jod's book. Let me instance a few passages from classic Greek to show further the meaning of the word baptizo with the prepositions en, in, and eis, into, connected. In a Greek epi- gram of Eupolis about 40c B. C. , we read : " You dipped me in plays {baptes, the root word bapto); but I, in waves, in waves of the sea immersing, (baptizing) will destroy thee with streams more bitter." In Achilles Tatius, we read : "And there is a foun- tain of gold there. They plunge (baptize) into the water a pole smeared with pitch and open the barriers of the stream." The pole is plunged into the water, eis to /in- door, (baptizo). How similar to this Greek is the Greek found in Mark, i. 9, speak- ^ CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 33 ing of the baptism of Jesus, " And Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was im- mersed or baptized of John into, m, (Jreek, the Jordan. Vou can baptize a mau into the Jordan, but you cannot sprinkle him into the Jordan. What are you going to do with those who are saying going down into, eis, the water, or in water, and coming up out of the water, do not mean being in the water or river at all ? But let me give you the Greek parallel where the pole was plunged into the water and Jesus was liap- lized in the Jordan, Konton oun eis to hudoor baptizousi {baptizo). They plunge, eis, into the water. Greek Text, Mark i. 9 — Ebaptisthe hupo loannoti eis ton lordanen, " And immersed of John, eis, the Jordan." If the pole was plunged or immersed, so was Jesus. If m, into, means into the water by this writer, eis, into, means into by Mark in describing the baptism of Jesus. He was immersed into the Jordan. I will say more on another occasion on these prepositions. This word, baptizo, has its figurative as well as its literal uses, both in classical (jreek and in the New Testa- ment. The words immerse, dip, overwhelm, all have their figurative as well as their literal meanings. The same is true oi baptizo. When we read of our Lord having a "baptism to be baptized with," we understand an overwhelming of sufferings and sorrows in the work of redemption. It was a baptism of his soul or mind. But we would never think for a moment of speaking of his having a "sprinkling to be sprinkled with." That would be supremely ludicrous. In regard to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a mere outward envelopment of the body is not under- stood, as the Holy Spirit is not a material element, but we understand by the bap- tism of the Holy Spirit, not the sprinkling of the Holy Spirit, but the over- whelming power and influence of the Spirit which envelops the mind and the soul. We speak of a man immersed in care, overcome and overwhelmed with wine when intoxicated. These are not the ground or literal meaning of words and yet they often help us to admire as well as see the literal meaning of words. So words are metaphorically and poetically used every day. For instance, Milton says : " A cold trembling dew dips me all over." We do not fail to grasp Milton's idea. .V man coultl be dipped in the dews of eastern countries in Palestine. When our ver- sion says, Nelnichadnezzar, was dethroned and sent forth to herd with the oxen, his body was wet with the dew of heaven. The (ireek is baptoawiX not baptizo, the word for the ordinance. Even here it would be a dipping or an immersion. The dews in Palestine and other eastern countries are so heavy and profuse in the absence of rain, that travelers tell us that they are well nigh like a shower. Sprinkling could not express the idea. The body and clothes were completely soaked in the dew. But the word was Inipto not baptizo, not the word used for the ordinance, which has no other meaning than we have already shown, than to dip, immerse, overwhelm, etc. We come now to the ancient translations of the bible to still get additional witnesses 34 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. to prove that hapttzo means to immerse, dip &c. \'oii would think that some people did not know by their talk hut what the bible was written in the English language, that it had dropped down from heaven in its present form in the English language. It is needless for me to remind intelligent people that the Old Testament was given in Hebrew, the New Testament in Greek. Both were translated into the Latin, called the Vulgate. While we venerate (lod's book, let us not l)e guilty of bil)liola- try, that is, idolizing the book without understanding these things. I might over- whelm you with a multitude of the classics showing the meaning of tlie word baptizo, but must desist for lack of time. We will turn to the versions and translations. Many versions of the scriptures have been made in the ancient and modern languages: The Latin, the Ethioi)ic, Coptic, the German, and the Dutch; the New Testament into Hebrew, the Old Tes- tament into Greek, called the septuagint by the seventy scholars of Alexandria, and wherever baptizo has been translated it has been rendered by a word which signifies to dip, immerse, plunge, overwhelm — sprinkle and pour are out of the question. Let me give you examples: The version of the seventy — H Kings, v. 14: "And Naaman went down and immersed, (baptized) himself seven times in Jordan." It is the same Greek word. Our version reads: " And dipped himself seven times in the Jordan." The Hebrew \?,tal>al, to dip or immerse. Job ix. ^i — "Thou shalt plunge (baptize) me in the ditch." In the Apocrypha of the Old Testament we find this passage in Judith: " And the attendants of Holfernes brought her into the tent and she slept until midnight. And she arose at the morning watch, and sent to Holfer- nes, saying: " Let my lord give command, to allow thy handmaid to go forth for prayer: And Holfernes commanded the bodyguards not to hinder her. And she re- mained in the camp three days, and went forth by night into the valley of Bethulia and immersed (baptized) herself in the camp at the fountain. And when she came up she besought the Lord God of Israel to direct her way, for the raising up of the sons of he people." I think I have proven the statement that baptizo means dip or immerse. But before ])assing to a few passages in the New Testament, allow me to call as witnesses a few of the Greek and Latin fathers and writers, who lived immedi- ately, or in succeeding ages after the apostles, and knew the meaning of this word and its force in the command of God. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, born A. U., 315, says : " For as Jesus assuming the sins of the world died, that having^slain sin he might raise thee up to righteousness; so also thou going down into the water, and in a manner buried in the waters as he in the rock, art raised again, walking in newness of life." The same writer continues: "After these things ye were led by the hand to the sacred font of the divine immersion, (baptism) as Christ from the cross to the prepared tomb. And ye professed the saving profession, and sank tlown thrice {eis) CHRISTIAN RAPTISM. 35 into the water, and again came up." The same writer on the Holy Spirit, says: " Ve shall be immersed (baptized) in the Holy Spirit not many days after this. Not in part of the j^race but all-sufficing power. For as he who sinks down in the waters and is immersed, (baptized) is surrounded on all sides by the waters, so also they were completely immersed (baptized) by the Spirit." Here we have the true baptism ex- l)lained as immersion; also the baptism of the Holy Spirit, not as .n sprinkling or pouring, but an immersion or overwhelming of the SjMrit. The same writer says : " The water jiresents the image of death, receiving the body as in the tomb." Chry- sotom, the golden-mouthed preacher of Constantinople, born A. D., 347, made Ijishop and Patriarch of Constantinople, says: "For to be immersed, (baptized) and to sink down, then to emerge, isa symbolof the descent into the underworld, and of the ascent from thence." Therefore Paul calls the immersion (baptism) the burial saying: " We are buried, therefore, with him by the immersion (baptism) into death." Are we going to believe small men, who are like Liliputians, in Gulliver's Travels, who present the most pusillanimous arguments — men who are pigmies — or shall we believe the giants of the old time, as well as the scholars who all affirm in one chorus that, buried with Christ in baptism refers to the primitive way of baptizing by immer- sion ? But do we not read in the bible about the baptism of pots, of couches and tal)les ? Ves, in Mark vii. 3-4 : " P"or the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash (baptize) they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables." Now, in the third verse the Greek word for wash, is nipontai, from nipto, to wash the hands or the face. Before they ate they washed their hands. I A6 not care how they washed their hands, whether they dipped them in the water — which seems to be a common sense way of washing hands— or whether the water was poured upon them, it is of no consequence; the woid haptizo docs not occur licic. .It is sure they did-not sprinkle them, as liie amount of water used in sprinkling would not wash anything.. It, is very likely they would dip them in the water as it was a ceremonial washing and they would lie very particular. But re- member the Greek word is nipto, not haftizo. I am not concernec' how they washed their hands; let people who are driven to the wall and have no arguments, talk about that; but in the fourth verse baptisontai, {baptizo) and baptistnous, the one verb and the other noun,Ioccur, and which mean^to immerse, a dipping, an immersion. We have proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, that baptizo means to dip and immerse in all the history of the Greek language. The inspired writer says those beds and tables, cups, pots, and brazen vessels were immersed. I am prepared to believe him. When they sit down to meals they wash their hands — iiiplo. But when they come 36 CHRISTIAN lU/'I'ISM. from the markets, where they have been in contact with the polUited Gentile Romans, they do something different — they then immerse themselves, according to the meaning of the word baptizo. Now, about the immersion of those beds, tables, pots, etc. A bed in those days was not like our beds. When Jesus told the man he healed to " take up his bed and walk," if it had been a large bed it could not have been so easily carried; but being a couch, it could be easily carried. Matt. ix. 6- " Arise, take up thy bed and go unto thine house." It could be easily immersed when unclean. I suppose it is use- less to add that clothes and f)l)jects are washed by putting them into the water, anil not by sprinkling water upon them. The table referred to would be a stool, and not one of our tables, and could be easily immersed for ceremonial purification. But let me give you proof from Greenfield's definition of baptize and baptisnwtis: " To im- merse, immerge, submerge, sink." Baptismoits, immersion, washing, ablution. What about the diverse washings or baptisms in Hebrews ix, ic — diap/iofois, baptis- tnois; this word refers to immersions or dippings. It has no other meaning in ail Greek literature, than to dip, immerse, plunge, etc., diverse immersions — there are no sprinklings here. In the same chapter in the nineteenth verse, the apostle refers to sprinkling, and uses the word rantizo, not baptize. The sprinklings of the law were the sprinklings of blood, ashes, oil, or, the waters of separation — not a case of sprinkling of clear water by man in the bible The author of the Hebrews is speak- ing of sprinkhng the sanctuary with blood, and not with water. When he is speak- ing of diverse washings or immersions, he is speaking of objects and persons unclean, that were immersed in water for purposes of cleansing, as you will see by consulting Lev. chaps 14-15. — " The clothes of unclean persons must be washed in water and the unclean person must bathe his flesh in water." The apostle refers to those bathings, or immersions of various kinds for various purposes. But as I said, I will give you authority and not words. Mark vii. 4. — " And after market, unless they (the Phari- sees) baptize themselves, they eat not. And many other things there are which they have received to hold fast, — baptisms of cups, and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of couches" (klinon). " Baptisms of pots, and of Ciips." Rhantists (sprinklers) say that the mode of baptism could not have been inmiersion in the case of couches, etc. But it may be seen in the following rabbinical extracts, that the Pharisees immersed themselves after they had touched the common people (e. g., in the market); and that they immersed their unclean vessels and their couches: " If the Pharisees touched but the garments of the common people, they were de- filed and needed immersion (Ti7>ilah); In a laver which holds forty seahs, /'. e., one hundred gallons) of water, every defiled man dips himself; and in it they dip all un- CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 37 dean vessels" (Mnimonidcs in Mishua Chagi}:;a\ and Ililchoth, xiii. 8) ** If he dips the couch {Mittah) in the pool of water, although its feet are plunged into the thick clay (at the bottom of the pool), it is clean " (Mishna Mikzhxot, vii. 7). Ill the third verse, where the washing of hands is sjioken of, the Greek word nipto (wash) is em])loye(l; hut in the fourth verse, where baptizo is used, it is clear that ref- erence is made to the immersion of the whole body. In support of this, (Irctious — an eminent scholar who was born in 1583, at Delft, in IloIIand^says: "The Phari- sees were more solicitous to cleanse themselves from the defilement they had con- tracted in the market; and, therefore, they not only washed their hands, but im- mersed their whole body. Luke xi. 38 — " Hut the Pharisee, when he saw it was amazed that he (Jesus) had not first been liaptized l)efore dinner." We have seen that tiie Pharisees, after hav- ing touched the common people, needed immersion; and tiiat every defiled Jew dipped hi ".^'iclf in water. The Jews, after their sulijection to the Romans, were es|)ecially exjiosed to intercourse and contact with unclean persons; and, therefore, frequent immersion was necessary. Remembering this, we can fully understand why it was that the Pharisee, when he saw that Je.sus — who had just left a place where he had been casting out an unclean spirit, and where both clean and unclean persons " were gathered thick together " went in and sat down to meat, " was amazed that he had not first been immersed." Hel)rcws ix. 10. — " Relating only to kinds of food, and to drinks, and 10 divers baptisms." The "divers l)aptisms " here spoken of, are the inniiersions of the Jews, and the immersions of cups, and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of couches " (Mark vii. 4). As it has especial reference to the Jewish personal immersion, another rabbinical extract will not be out of place. ,■ Maimonides, who was called the " eagle of the doctors " and the " lamp of Israel," says: " Wheresoever, in the law, washing of the flesh is mentioned, it means noth- ing else than the dipping the whole body in water; for if any man wash him.self all over, except the toj:) of his little finger, he is still in his uncleanness. " Proselyte baptism was an immersion and not sprinkling. Whenever a CJentile joins the Jewish community he has to be circumcized and immersed (baptized). I iiave this upon excellent authority — the authority of Jewish rabbis. Dr. Lightfoot, as ipioied l)y Adam Clark, the great Methodist coi imentator, says in regard to Jewish washings: " The liaptism of John was by plunging the body, after the same manner as the washing of unclean persons, and the baptism of proselytes "' One other (|uo- lation from the Latin fathers, who lived immediately after the apostles, and I will conclude, as it is impossible for me to give one in t.Cty of the authorities on the Baptist side, to show that baptizo means to dip or imraerse; and none of those au- 38 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. thnritics arc Uaptists. Tertullian, a Latin father from the middle of the second cen- tury, says : "Know ye not that so many of us as were immersed into |esus Christ were immersed into his death?" Ajjain he says: " As of baptism it is a bodily act, that we are immersed in water; a spiritual effect, we are freed from sin." I have proved from the citation of passaj^es in classical and sacred (Ireek; from historians and lexicons, that haptho, the word used for the ordinance, always signfies to immerse, to dip, plunge or overwhelm, so that we are prepared now to read the bible and understand this word. And when we read in Matthew iii. that they were baptized in Jordan, we readily understand they were immersed in fondan, and not sprinkled in Jordan; as this is the meaning of the word, and was according to the customs of Oriental countries. " And Jesus came from CJalilee to Jordan to be im- mersed l)y John, and when he was immersed he went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were ojiened." John the Baptist is called, in (ireek, Baptistes, ( Baptist, baptizer, an immerser). Also when Philip and the eunuch were riding along, and (iod opened the heart of the eunuch by Philip's preaching, they came to a certain water, when the new convert exclaimed: " See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized ? And they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he immersed (baptized) him, and when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip." That is plain, when we do not try to kick uj) a liig dust, so that the people cannot see (lod's commands. Buried in baptism is also plain. I cannot close better than i)y giving an array of Pedobaptist authorities on the whole subject — on the question of baptism — proving that the primitive baptism was immersion. Let us love Christ and strive to keep his commandments. Jesus says : " If ye love me keep my commandments. Ve are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." BAITISM A SYMBOL. •' Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we ho"e been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. — Romans vi. 3-5. John Wesley in his comments on this text, says : " In baptism, we through faith, are ingrafted into Christ, and we draw new spiritual life from this new root, through s his Spirit, who fashions us like unto him, and particularly with regard to his death and resurrection." We are buried with him; " alluding," he continues, " to the an- cient manner of baptizing by immersion." This is making more of liaptism than Baptists do. C//A'/S7/AN BAPTISM. 39 Albert Bnrnes speaks as follows on this text: " It is altogether probable that the Apostle in this place had allusion to the custom of baptizing by immersion. This cannot indeed be proved so as to be liable to no objection; liut I presume that this is the idea which would strike the great mass of unprejudiced readers." Upon this very candid statement, I would simply remark that every Christian ought to be an unprejudiced reader of (jckI's word; and that it must be a very extraordinary fact that can be so jjroven as to be liable to no ol)jection. Kvery doctrine of the (Jospel has l)een objected to, and will be, I suppose in the future. Dr. (Chalmers in his " Lectures on Romans," says on this text : " The original meaning of the word baptism is immersion, and though we regard it as a point of indifference, whether the ordinance so named be performed in this way or l)y sprink- ling; yet we doubt not that the prevalent style of the administration in the Apostle's days was liy an actual submerging of the whole l)ody under water. We advert to this for the purpose of throwing light on the analogy that is instituteil in these verses. Jesus Christ by death underwent this sort of baptism, even immersion under the sur- face of the ground, he soon emerged again by his resurrection. We, by being bap- tized into his death are conceived to have made a similar translation. In the act of descending under the water of baptism to have resigned an old life, and in the act of ascending to emerge into a second or new life." . Martin Luther says, "on this account I could wish that such as are baptized, should be completely immersed into the water, according to the meaning of the word, and the signification of the ordinance; not because I think it necessary, but be- cause it would be beautiful to have a full and perfect sign of so perfect and full a thing, as also without doubt it was instituted by Christ." In that masterly work — "The Life and Epistles of St. Paul," by Conybeare and Ilowson, ministers of the Episcopal church, these writers remark: " It is needless to add that iiaptism was (unless in exceptional cases) administered by immersion, the convert being plunged lieneath the surface of the water, to represent his death to the life of sin, and then raised from his momentary burial to represent his resurrection to the life of righteousness, and it must be a subject of regret that the general discontin- uance of this original form of baptism (perhaps necessary in our northern climate) has rendered ol)scure to popular apprehension, some very important passages of scripture. " And they render this text in their translation, designed to be a paraphrase rather than a literal rendering, as follows: "With him, therefore, we were buried by the baptism wherein we shared his death (when we sank beneath the waters); that • ven as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life." 40 CH.'thinj; ean lie gained hy unnatural exegesis. The persistency and aggressiveness of the Hnptists have driven retiohaptists to the f)pposite extreme." C7/A'/.S //. /iV llAl'TISM. 41 IJAI'TISM AND THK MIHIJ;. Sl'RINKLINd AN1> TIIK Ol'lXlONS OF SCIIOKAKS. '• Ik- hai)li/c(l."— Act> ii. 3S. Wo ])rMVo(l in (uir lasl sermon tlu.' meaning nf tlie word /uiplizOy to liave been in all classical and sacred (Ireek, to immerse, t(» dip, plunuie, sulimer(fe, overwhelm. We proved it (a) from lexicons; (l>) from the citation of actual ixissages from ancient (ireek writers in which /'(i///:r) occurs; (<) from the translation of Inxpiizo into other lanLjuafjes, and (i/) i>y the opinions of scholars, as well as citations from the early fathers, who lived immediately after and followinfj the apostles, and knew what the ordinances of the church were, the meaning; of the word and the actual practice of Christ and his a])ostIes. It will not he necessary for me to rejjeat what the lexicons say, for this would be to repeat my last sermon. I have merely recapitulated for the benefit of those not here the last evening. We say to-night that baptism is a positive ordinance of the gos])el, depemlent en- tirely for its institution and existence upon the expressed will of the Law-giver; and men have no right to change it, either in form or in sul)jects. To do so is an act of high-handed treason to the Lord who bought them. The Romish church has changed l)()th ordinances of the gospel, namely, baptism and the holy supper. The priest gives the people the wafer, denies the laity the cup and drmks th^" wine him- self in the communion. Hut this grows out of the Romish doctrine that the church has a right to change the sacraments of Christ, both in form and subjects, and could abolish them altogether if she chose to do so. Hut Protestants, who take the bible as their only guide yet change the ordinances, I cannot understand. Romanists have changed the ordinance of baptism from immersion to sprinkling, and subjects of baptism from converts, or i)elievers in the Lord Jesus, to little unconscious babes. To i)e i)aptized is the duty of every believer. We have no right to neglect this plain duty, taught in the word of Cod; we are to obey Cod, to study our bible and find out our duty. As we showed in our last sermon, "to be baptized" is to perform a definite, specific act, namely, to l)e immersed in the name of the Holy Trinity. When we have found out the meaning of the word daptho, we can read the bible in- telligently and understandingly. Dean Stanley, of the English church, one of its I greatest scholars, and who had travelled all over Palestine, gives an account of the annual visit of the pilgrims, who come from the different parts of the world to bathe in the historic river of the Jordan — the sacred river, the river of Cod — in commemor- 42 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. ation oTour Lord's l)aptism in its sacred floods — in Stanley's "Christian Institutions," he says: " The plunf^e into the hath, of purification, h)ng known among the Jewish nation as the symbol of a change of life, had l)een revived with a fresh energy by the Hssens, and it received a detiinite signification and impulse troni the austere propliet svho derived his name from the ordinance. This rite was retained as the pledge of entrance into a new and universal communion. In that early age the scene of the transaction was either some deep wayside spring or well, as for the Kthiopian; or some rushing river, as the Jordan; whither, as in the baths of Caracalla at Rome, tlie whole population resorted for swimming or washing. The earliest of the immersions was in the jord.m; the jjilgrims bathing in that river. The baptistery coniisied of an inner and an outer chamber. In the outer chamber stood the candi- dates for baptism. They then plunged into the water. Both before and after the immersion their bare limbs were rubbed with oil." In descril)ing the western churches, almost every particular is altered, even in the most material points. Im- mersion has become the exception and not the rule. Adult bajjtism as well as im- mersion, exists only among the Baptists. The dramatic action of the scene is lost." He says again: " Baptism in the sweet, soft stream of the rapid Jordan. Baptism was not only a bath, but a plunge; an entire submersion in the deep water, a leap as into the rolling sea or the rushing river; where for the moment the waters close over the bathers head, and he emerges again as from a momentary grave; or it was a shock of a shower bath — the rush of water passed over the whole person from cai)a- cious vessels, so as to wrap the recipient as within the veil of a splashing cataract. There is no disappearance as in a watery grave. There is now no conscious and de- liberate choice made i)y the eager convert at the cost of cruel partings from friends, perhaps of a painful death." He says: "Conversion in the ancient church — or regeneration — ^was not distinguished from baptism. Regeneration, conversion and repentance did not exist alone; they all meant the same thing. In the apostolic age they were absolutely combined' with baptism. There was no waiting till Easier or I'entecost for the great reservoir when the catechumens met the bishop; the river, the wayside well were taken the moment the convert was disposed to turn, as we say, the new leaf in his life." .\gain he says: "In the first two characteristics of baptism which we have mentioned, water, as signifying cleanliness of body and mind, and im- mersion, as intlicating the plunge into a new life, the iiaptism of John and the bap- tism of Christ are identical. First, they came up from the waters, naked and shivering, from the cold plunge into the bath or river, they were wrapped round in a white robe. There was the yet more strange persuasion that no person could be saved un- less he had passed through the immersion of baptism." . , ,' In the first age. Dean Stanley proves that none init converted jiersons were bap- CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 43 tized — no infants. He tells us that immersion and immersion only was baptism. But let us hear this great scholar and orientalist a little further. He says: " For the first thirteen centuries the almost universal practice of baptism was that of which we read in the New Testament, and which is the very meaning of the word baptize." In the margin he says it is the meaning of the German tan/en (dip); that those who were ijaptized were plunged, submerged, immersed into the water. That practice is still, as we have seen, continued in eastern churches. The CJreek church in all its branches practices immersion; consisting of 80,000,000 to 100,000,000 of peple in Russia and adjoining countries." Regarding sprinkling, he says: "In the western church it still lingers among Rcmian Catholics, excepting in the solitary instance of the cathedral of Milan— in that one place and cathedral in Italy the Roman Catholic church still |)ractices immersion. With Protestants, among to the numerous sects of the Baptists, it lasted long into the middle ages. Even the Icelanders, who shrank from the water of their freezing lakes, were reconciled when they found they could use the warm water of the geysers. And in the cold climate of Russia has not been found an obstacle to its continuance throughout the vast empire. Even in the Church of England it is still observed in theory. In the Rubric, the pubuc bap- tism for infants enjoins, thut, unless for special causes, they are to be dipped, not sprinkled. Edward VI. and Elizabeth were both immersed. But since the begin- ning of the seventeenth century the practice has become exceeding rare. Baptism by sprinkling is rejected by the whole ancient church (except in the case of death-beds, or extreme necessity, and they believed it a saving ordinance,) as no baptism at all. Almost the first exception was the heretic, Novatian." Allow me to say, this is the first recorded departure from immersion. "A. D., 252, Novatian fell sick and was going to die, (and the church was fast drifting into baptismal regeneration, or salva- tion l)y l)aptism,) and they poured water all around him in bed to resemble an immer- sion as nearly as possiiije. This was called clinic, or sick-bed baptism. Novatian afterward got well and was elected bishoj) of the church, l)ut was opposed bitterly on the ground that his baptism was not lawful, as he had only been poured. For 1,300 years baptism was practiced by immersion; even infants as well as adults were im- mersed after the third century." Is it not strange to contemplate, that both infant baptism and departure from the order of Christ and pourinir for baptism, should have l)oth had their rise in the false notion that baptism is a regenerating, saving ordinance. Baptists do not hold that baptism is a saving ordinance, for they only profess to bap- tize saved people — such as give evidence of regeneration. But let us hear Dean Stanley patiently. He says: '* It still has the sanction of the powerful religious com- munity, which numi)ers amongst its members such noble characters as John Bunyan, Roijert Hall and Havelock, In a version of the bible which the Baptist church has 44 , CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. compiled for its own use (the bible union, not the proi)erty of the entire denomin- ation) in i\merica, where it excels in numbers all others but the Methodists." The Haptists in the States number more than three millions, and outnumber the Method- ists at the present time, as it is some time since the Dean wrote. "It is thouf^ht necessary, and on physiolot^ical t;rounds it is quite correct to translate John the Bap- tist by John the Immerser. Sir fohn Kloyer datee done, without scriptural consent or authority. Christ was immersed i)ecause John was innnersing. St. John iii. 23 — "And John was also baptizing in .Knon, near to Salim, because there was much water there; and they came and were baj)- tized." There were many springs or streams. Our Pedobaptist friends are very con- siderate of the camels and other beasts in this passage of scripture, and also when he 46 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. ' was l>aptizing in /Knon because there was much water. They are more ready to see camels than baptism, I am sorry to say. There is nothing said about camels in the passage The much water in the passage is connected with the ordinance of bap- tism. "And John was &c." It seems to me there is a good deal of straining at a gnat and swallowing a c.imel. It looks like immersion when you talk about going to a place to baptize because there is much water there. It does not re(|uire much water to sprinkle with. The much water is a circumstance pointing strongly in that direction. Our Pedoliaptisi friends admit much water for the sake of the poor thirsty camels, and perhaps donkeys. How considerate they are. They used to dodge this issue. But the old dodge did not work. The Greek in the New Testament, is hii- dati polla en ekei — much water there. We find the same expression in Ezekiel, xix. io,in the Greek version of the Old Testament — the septuagint — fiudatos polloii, where much water is spoken of. .So that the sprinklers see the much water, but it is all for the poor camels, when the camels are not mentitmed at all. Vou might as well say for an aquarium or a fishery if you are going to imagine or speculate. But much water is connected with baptism. "And John was baptizing, or immersing, in .Knon near to .S-ilim c\:c./ A strong circumstance pointing towards immersion. Let there be no obscuration of the scriptures — no taking away or adding to (iod's word, for G«d says, "He that shall take away from the things written in this book, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, while he that shall add to these things God shall add to him the plagues written in the book." I may be allowed to introduce the testimony of a Jewish Rabl)i, who is a competent witness as to the rites, customs and usuages of his own people — a man conversant with their history, their present prac- tices and language; a man competent to give evidence, and as Christianity may be said to be the outcome, the germ and afHorescenceof the Jewish religion. As the blossom unfolds from the tree or plant, and the sprout evolves from the seed, the cus- toms and manners of the Jews must shed at least some light upon these ordinances and rites about whit h there is so much dispute. I will give you the testimony of a Jewish Rabbi which I personally secured from him and which bears his own signa- ture. I will give you his own words: • : ^ -, ; Detroit, May 12th, 1891. The Jewish people at the present time have no sprinkling as a religious ordin- ance or rite. Proselyte baptism is still perpetuateesan amphoteroi eis to hudoor (and they went down both into the water) hote te Pliilip- pos kai {\^o\\\ Philip and the eunuch) Eunouchos kai ebaptisen,''' (and he baptized 48 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. him.) " Anebesav ek ton /iiu/atos, ( and when they were come up nut of the water.) There is no getting around the fact that Philip and the eunuch went down, (V'.f, into the water, and when he had immersed the eunuch they came up out of the water. All the circumstances ])oint to immersion and sjjeak in tones so loud that no amount of sojihistry and caviiUng can silence. The circumstances of baptism are not always described in the New Testament, but we have sufficient to l)rove that immersion, and immersion only, was intended. It is not always necessary to give the circumstances of ba|)tism. Now in the Ha])tist denomination peojile un- derstand the |)ractice to be, the immersion of professed believers in the sacred name of the Trinity. In our religious papers and missionary magazines the baptisms re- ported do not always describe the circumstances attendinL' the administration of the ordinance. They do not always say the candidate and the administrator both went down into the water, and when the baptism was finished they both went u]) out of the water; but who doubts this to be the usual and uniform practice. Now when it is remembered that in the days of the apostles, that John immersed converts in the Jordan, and the Tews have always and still immerse their proselytes, that this was the meaning of the (Jreek word /)af>lizo, according to the testimony of the lexicons, and passages from tlreek classics and sacred vvriters, according to the testimony of th^ ancient Greek and Latin fathers, and the testimony of all respectable church his- torians, and the practice of the (Jreek church in Russia and adjacent countries, and was the general practice of all Christendom for 13CK) years, who doubts that the in- spired writers meant immerse, when they say immerse, for such is the force of l)af>- tizo. When Lydia was baptized in I'hilippi, the women met for prayer by the river side which was a suitable place for baptizing. The church from the days of the apos- tles to the present time has utilized bodies of pure water for the i)urpose of baptizing converts, such as rivers, lakes, pools and baptisteries The archreology of baptism is a most interestmg study, when discrimination and justice without prejudice are em- ployed. Baptisteries, artificial pools and places for baptizing converts in churches, and baptisteries at first ajiart and in sejiarate buildings from churches arc of very an- cient date. In connection with many of the ancient churches and cathedrals there were some very fine and large l)aptisteries architecturally considered — one requiring fifty years for its completion, and sufficiently large to accommodate a fair sized con- gregation all around the baptismal font or pool, anc' those pools have varied in depth from three to four feet, with a corresponding circumference, sufficiently large to im- merse any candidate. These liaptiiteries were in shape hexagonal, octagonal, jioly- gonal, and even circular. .Some of the grandest and most magnificent were .St. Gio- vanni in Fonte, at Rome, commonly known as the baptistery of ('or.stantine; another at Florence. Next in importance was the baptistery of Pisa, 116 feet in diameter, CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 49 with a spacious font or baptismal pool. These baptisteries all lift their voice in un- ison in favor of the primitive baptism, immersion. When sp inkling began to prevail those old baptisteries began to be deserted and smaller fonts substituted, and yet those old liaptisteries are being discovered l)y travelers, and are affording us an archteolog- ical prool of the prhnitiveness and apostolicity of immersion, which the scholarship of the world is beginning to recognize. The frescoes on tiie walls of those baptisteries are in keeping with the primitive practice; they are of immersion, and the candidate standing in water to the waist, and the administrator making ready to immerse the canc'idate in the baptismal element. Where any sprinkling frescoe has been found, it is of recent date, (and it is very doubtful whether one has been found), is modern in origin, and betrays its modernness, since the ordinance was changed. Dr. Withrow, of Toronto, has given an account in a book of which he is the author, "The Cata- ' combs of Rome," of a number of those frescoes in the catacombs. He has done it in the sjnrit of a partisan, I am compelled to say, to bolster up sprinkling, which has no warrant in (Jod's book. His frescoes, however, all prove immersion, and though of uncertain date and are cited to prove sprinkling, but strange to say his catacomb pictures prove immersion and not sprinkling. But what is the impartial testimony of those catacombs and frescoes — immersion, the primitive baptism — Christ standing in the waters of the Jordan to the middle, and John's hand laid upon the head of our Lord, not in the act of sprinkling him as some Pedobaptists have concluded, or why is the candidate in the water to the waist? Look a little more closely and carefully in the art of immersing him. It is conceded by some impartial archaeologists that many of those frescoes or paintings are palimpsests, that underneath the modern |)ictures are still older ones, and those ancient ones, as well as more modern ones, with eloquent tongue, though silent voice, are unaninK)us testimonies to immersion. Many of the ancient pictures hove been changed or tampered with to suit confessedly modern practices. The true archo?ology of liaptism must correspond with the meaning of the word. Hut Dr. Withrow, whose book would serve sectarian purposes, fails in his zeal for partyism to tell us about the good frescoes which testify to the primitive bap- tism as being inmiersion. A man who looks through blue or green goggles will swear almost that ttie world is of the same color, and we could expect little else from a man of so narrow caste of mind. (For a fuller discussion of the archivology of baptism see ' article on that subject in this l)ook. ) We may turn to the baptism of the jailor in Acts, xvi. Where was he baptized, in the river that ran through I'hilippi, or the fountain in the jail yard? Dr. Jiidson, the first American Baptist missionary to India, was con- vinced that the jailor and his household were immersed, as when he passed along in V his travels he saw a large fountain in the front yard of every Oriental jail. The word baptizo means he was immersed. But if he was only sprinkled, he could have re- 50 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. mained in his house for the ceremony; it was not necessary to go out. It is certain they went out and went into the jailor's house. The difference between the circum- stances in immersion and sprinivling are, in the case of the sprinkling the water is brought and sprinkled ujion the candidates, and in the case of immersion the candi- dates are brought or go to the water. In the 30th verse, " the jailor brought them out," out of prison, and brought them into his own house near by. Verse 32 — "And thfy spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house." This is clear. The preaching and teaching were done in the jailor's house. Now they go out of the house either to the river or the jail fountain. Verse 33 — "And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and was baptized, he and all his straightway." They went out of the house for the baptism. Verse 34 — "And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and re- joiced &c." They were in the house when the Apostles preached, they go out of the house for the baptism, and go back into the house after the baptism. These circum- stances as well as the meaning of the word are against sprinkling. .Sprinkling could have been performed in the house. The jailer was immersed because immersion was the primitive baptism. But we have the phrase "buried with Christ in baptism" in two instances, Rom. vi. 3-4, and Col. ii. 12, also "planted in the likeness of his death, and we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection." These phrases point unequivocally to immersion, as all fair minded scholars testify. We hear peojile say- ing, "Vou cannot find immersion in the bible," but I have irresistibly and incontro- vertibly proved that haptizo and baptismos are rightly translated immerse and immer- sion. "And Naaman went down and baptized, dipped, himself seven times in Jur- don." We have immersion in the bible. Neither can you find the word trinity in the bible, but you find the words, Father, Son, and Holy .Spirit. The Adventist says, with a challenging attitude, you cannot find immortal soul in the bible, but is not the doctrine of immortality taught in the divine book, and that materialism is a contradiction of sound philosophy and scripture, and yet the phrase named does not occuK Talmage has recently printed a book, entitled " From the Manger to the Throne," giving an account of his travels in the Holy Land. While there he bap- tized a man in Jordan. He did not sprinkle the man. They sang, "On Jordan's stormy banks I stand and cast a wistful eye A'c. , and ofl'ered prayer. The man was led down into the water and plunged beneath the Jordannic flood. How like the bap- tism of Jesus. .Sprinkling would have been an incongruity out of place and out of harmony with the history of the sacred river. The picture of the baptismal scene is in the book. The emblematic character of baptism, as a burial and a resurrection, are all so many indisputable proofs to immersion as its primitive form We are told in one of St. John's epistles f»f the spirit, the water and the blood — the coalition of CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 5I witnesses^ — that these a^;ree in one. The water is the water of l)aptism. Also our Saviour's reference "to being born of water and the spirit," and immersion more closely resembles a birth than sprinkling. Baptism is spoken of in scripture as a washing or bathing, the washing of regeneration, ".\rise and be baptized and wash ^louo) or 1 athe away thy sins," which passages more perfectly comport and harmonize with immersion, or immersion harmonizes with them. Also the emblematic allusion to liaptism in I'eter, iii. 20-21, "which were sometimes disobedient, when once the long suffering of (lod waited in the days of Noah, wliile the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved iiy water. The like ligure wherein even baptism doth also nov.' save us (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer, or more correctly translated from the Cireek, the enquiry of a good con- science toward Ciod, by the resurrection of lesus Christ from the dead." The figure of baptism, («), the flood which drowned the world buoyed up Noah and his family and saved them from the destruction which oveiwhelmtd the antediluvians. (/') Tlie ark was immersed in the waters of the deluge, immerged and emerging, it be- came a symbol of saving truths, death and resurrection, and of the spiritual trans- formation which take place in the believer. (<) Baptism is not only the enquiry or response of a good conscience by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. (le. The Creek word is ratitizo, from ranio. There is no sprinkling for baptism in the i)il)le, either in the Old Testament or the New Testament. The Hebrew as given by Cesenius for sprinkle is //(///cr?//. 7\xl>al is for immerse, corresjionding to the Creek for baplizo^ immerse. Cesenius' Hebrew and Knglish Lexicon gives the definition naJiza/i, to leaj) for joy, to exult, to spring; of li(|uids to leaj) forlli, to spout, to spit, to sprinkle water, blood, oil." There is also another Hebrew wjrd sometimes used to signify s])rinkling, zarak, to .scatter, to spri.ikle, applied to the sjjrinkling o[ dry things, dust, ashes, &c., and sometimes to sprinkling with a liquid, and also with blood. These two words did not have a common root-origin is certain. Whenever the idea of sprinkling is ex- CHNISTIAN HAPTISM. S3 pressed in the Old Testament one of these words is used, eiliier nahzah or zarak, to sprinkle, l)ut these words are never applied to sprinklinjj with the pure un- adulterated or unmixed water. There is not a single instance of sprinkling of clear water in all the hihle. Kx, ix. 8 -"(lod told Moses to s|)rinkle the ashes toward heaven." Lev. xiv. 7 - "(jod commanded them to sprinkle Mood upon the leper seven times." Verse 51— "!S})rinkIe the house with the blood of the slain bird seven times." Lev. xvi. 14— ,\gain it is sprinkling with the blood. Numiiers, viii. 7 — Here it is sprinkling water of purifying. Nund)ers, xix. 18 Here it is sprinkling with water and '.he ashes of the red heifer ; verse igUere we have the same kind of sprinkling. Isa. lii. l5--"So shall he s])rinkle many nations." Scholars are di vided as to the meaning of this passage, as to its translation. It is rendered by (les- enius, one of the greatest Hebrew scholars, in his Hei)rew-Knglish Lexicon, ".So shall he rejoice many nations." Hy others, "He shall astonish many nations." In the septuagint, the version of the seventy, a translation from Hel)rew into (Ireek— "Thus shall many nations wonder at him." There is no thought of any rite or or- dinance in this Messianic prophecy. It is understood i)y still others, which I am in- clined to think is not an improi)able meaning, "He shall scatter many nations." Sow have not a case of sprinkling with clear water in the bible, and no man is able to produce one. It is quite certain that the eunu:;h, when I'hilip was called to in- struct him, was reading the translation made into Greek l)y the seventy scholars of Alexandria, called the .septuagint, as it was the common version of the Old Testa- ment used by our Lord and his apostles, and in proof of this we may instance, the form of proper names mentioned in their writings and cpiolations, Isaiah is called by Luke, Esaias. This being the case, there would be no mention of the word sprinkle in that verse, for it reads, " Thus shall many nations wonder at him." What be- comes of the a:rgument in that case? The eunuch would not see any kind of sprink- ling in the verse. Hut what about Ezekiel, xxxvi. 25? "Then will I sjirinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean." It is not necessary for me to state that tliere is no ordinance of Christian baptism in the Old Testament; that we do not go to the Old Testament for religious rites and institutions, which are alone to be found in the New Testament. Ciod said, "He would s])rinkle water upon the nation, and a new heart he would give them." This is (lod and not man who can do this; this is not a priest or a minister. Hut what was this water that (]od would sjirinkle upon them then ? It would i)e the water of separation — the water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer, as commanded in the law of Moses. Numl)ers, viii. 7 " And thus shalt thou do unto them to cleanse them; sprinkle water of )nirifying upon them," iVc. .Says a Presbyterian commentary on this verse in Ezekiel, "Phraseology taken from the law; the water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer and sprinkled with hyssop 54 CHNISTIAN H APT ISM. on the unclean; llic tiling siynilied l)oinjj the cleansing blood of Christ sprinkled on the conscience and heart." We have these Hebrew words for sprinkle, and rantizo in (Ireek for s|)rinkle, and none of these words apj)!)- or allude to Christian baj)- lisni. liaplizo is the (Ireek word which everywhere signifies to dip, immerse, plunge, overwhelm, submerge. 'J'a/xil, the IIei>rew word, which in the Old Testament, signitii's to innnerse. (a) We have not a case or an example of sprinkling with clear water in the bible. (/') Those who would find authority for sacramental sprinkling in the Old Testament should sprinkle with blood, oil, or with water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer. (<) The sprinklings in the Old and New Testaments refer to the sjirinkling of the Itlood of Jesus and not the ordinance of baptism, (r/) I chal- lenge any man to bring forward an authenticatetl case of sprinkling with water un- mixed, alone, in all the bible. We must go to the New Testament for Christian baptism and not to the Old Testament, where forms and ceremonies were to last until the time of reformation of all things. Allow me to dose by giving you the opinions of a few tlistinguished scholars, and all Pedobaptists except the first, who have tes- tified against the sprinkling practice of their own churches, for when a man speaks against the customs and practices of his own party and sect, we shall expect to find him impartial and speaking as a scholar, as the Inirden of proof is on that side. Alex, de Stourdza, Russian State Councillor f)f the Creek church, says, " The (■;;■ hixjliwd /it one day. \ CHh'/S'/'/AN HATJISM. 57 Rome; it is Jesus or men. The same issue is before us to-day. It is narrowed clown; it is Jesus or men. Unless a man forsake all he has, leave ail and follow Jesus, he cinnot be his disciple. The road is a narrow one. There are clashings of human wills interests and authority. Vet Jesus Christ is supreme in respect to bap- tism, and obedience to him must be our motto, because he has fully legislated on this initiatory rite of his church. No man has a right to annul or change that legislation. The issue is a s(|uare one, " Rome or the i)ihle. " I think I have been fully realistic and clear in the elaboration of this principle of divine law and human obedience, and I am going to apply the principle to Christian baptism. We will spend this hour in exposing some sophistries and arguments used by Pedobaptists against l)il)le baptism, and see if we can aid men and women who are honestly desirous of knowing the truth to a lietter understanding of Cod's word. Now in regard to the Creek ])repo- sitions m, into, cu, in, apo, from, ek, out of. We are told by I'edobaptist writers and jjreachers where it says, when they were baptizing or immersing they went down eis, into the water, or in, en, water, these phrases mean near l)y or to the water, and do not mean in the water; that a}>o means from the water, ^x\Aek does not necessarily mean out of the water, but from the water. This is the merest moonshine, and the sheerest nonsense, and cannot be dignified by the name of argument, and if it were not misleac'ing I. would not deign to notice it. We will take the Creek prepositions eis or en. for into, and in, eis, into, means into; this is the usual and almost univer- sal meaning of the word. It may sometimes mean to or towards, but these are not its usual significations. Eis is into, and en is in. I suppose some of you have read the jiuzzled Dutchman, which is a humorous take-ofif on peojile who try to pervert Cod's sacred liook in regard to baj^tism. According to the reasoning of these men (m liaptism, Jonah was not in, en, the whale's belly at all. 'I he same Creek prepo- sition IS used, en, in the whale's lielly, for Christ was not in, en, the water. We are tokl by tile i)uzzled Dutchman, "Jonah jumped on the whale's back and just rode ashore." Christ was not in the heart of the earth, or in, en, the sepulchre. The Hebrew children were not cast into, eis, the hery furnace. Daniel was not in, en, the lion's den. We are told in Matt. ii. 11, that when the wise men were come into, eis, the house, they fell down and worshipped. But they were not in, en, the house, say some of these jireachers on baiitisui. The wicked will not go away into, eis, everlasting punishment, and the righteous into, m, life eternal. "We went up, f.. , into Jerusalem," — Acts, xxi. 15. "Me was come m, into Cana of Calilee," — .St. John, iv, 46. "Committed them 67'.r, into prison" — Acts, viii, 3 The eis, into, took them into Jerusalem, in Capernaum, eis, into jirison. "He entered, eis, into heaven." "The angels were gone into, heaven." "The same Jesus who is taken up, eis, into heaven." "Vc have seen him go into, eis, heaven." "The vessel was * 58 CHRISTIAN BAPT/SM. received u j again into, m, henven." "Jesus Christ who is gone into, eis, heaven." "Entered into, eis, the house." "Went into, m, the synagogue.'" "To be cast m, into, the fire eternal.'" "Wine into, eis, new l)otlles. " "Not the whole body of thee 1)0 cast into, c/.f, hell." "They went down both into, eis, the water." If eis, into, gets" one into a house, the angels and lesus into heaven, the same prejiosi- tion can get them into, i'is\ the water of baptism, if the preachers will not kick up a big clou. I of dust, and thereby deceive people. Such reasoning would destroy the i)ook of (lod on other subjects, make infidels rejoice and devils jubilant. En means in, en litidati, in water. The swine ran down into, eis, the sea and were drowned or choked. Hut they were only to or near li fr;entism of Ages and the Nations, page 87, in the year 597, we read of Augustine immersing ten thousand in the River Swale. Paulinas immersed several thousand on one baptismal occasion. (See Figure of baptistery of Hishop Paulinus). Dr. Thomas Fuller, a learned Episcopalian, in his church history states, vol. i. pages 97-98, London, 1837, "That the Archbishop (Augustine) is said to have 64 C//A'/SV7.LV HA I' T ISM. comnmndctl, by the voicf of ciitr^, llial tla- people sluiiild enter the river ednfidently, two hy twt), anil in llie nnini' ol" the Trinity Imptize one another. This was clearly a f^rand inuiiersion. (ireen's histi>rv of the Knjjlish snys : "As yet the results of the labors of the Roman missionaries were .'till distant. Tlu' Kentish men crowded to baptism in the river Swale. On tht- 20th of .April, .\. I). 597, Mthelijert, Kinj; of Kent, nnd ten thousand Saxons were baptized in the river .Swale. These persons, at the command of the divine teacher, as if he were an anjjel from heaven callinj; upcjn them, all entered the danqerous depths of the river, two and two together, as if it had l)een a solid plain ; and in the trvic faith, conlessinfj the exalted Trinity, they were l)apti/ed one l)y the otiicr in t.irns, the apostolic leader blessing; the water. So j^real a proj^eiiy for heaven liorn out of a deep whirlpool." The word "whirlpool' is n striking; tijjure of the chasm made in the waters by plunj^iiit; tb.e candidate under their surface, and of the returning; waters as they rusii toj^etlier oser the immersed body." ('athcart"s Baptism of tlie .Xf^es and Nations: " When we remember that baptizo means to dip or immerse, and that immersion was the almost universal prac- tice of the church for thirteen centuries— except in cases of sickness and approaching death, when sprinklinj^ was substituted for immersion -as they believed they could not be saved without baptism. They regarded sprinkling or pouring as uncanonical, if not invalid. The ancients and the medievalists viewed it with a cold suspicion, and refused to regard a man as fitted for the priesthood, as in the case of Novatian, because not rightfully baptized, being only lunired and not immersed."' But let us hear the venerable Hede on baptism, whom Catholics and I'rotesants vie with each other in regarding as a holy man, as also well informed in history, lie says: "I'or he truly who is bajitized is seen to descend into the fountain — he is seen to be dipped in the water, — he is seen to ascend from the water." Ik-de died .\. I). 735, the father of Knglish history. " The Baptism of the Ages and Nations." But we have instanced not the innnersion of 3000 in a day, but lo.ooo by St. Augustine in the Kivcr Swale. It is said they dipped each other in turn, which would not consume an hour for the baptism of the ten thousand. But where could they lind water in Jerusalem in which to immerse the 3,000? Did you never hear of the pools of Jer- usalem, covt-ring acres of land ? Dr. Robinson devotes nineteen ])agesof his book in describing those pools. K.very Pharisee had a bath in his house, and the tem|)le had a brazen laver or sea in which the priests washed themselves in the course of their ministrations. Smith's bible dictionary says of the ]iools at Jerusalem: " Pools and fountains. — Among the objects of interest al)out Jerusalem the pools hold a conspic- uous place. Outside the walls on the west side were the upper anil lower pools of (lihon, the latter close under Zion, the former more to the northwest on the Jaflla road. There was Euroqel, the 'well of Jol)', in the midst of the king's gardens ; the L'HRISI IAN HAniSM. 65 l)nol of Hezekiah, the kinp's pool, or the fountain of the virgin; Siloah or Siloam and Bethfsvia with its five porches." Jerusalem was a city whose people believed in di- verse al)lutions— a city of l)ath;. These artificial tanks were fur the purpose of stor- injj up sudicicnt water for the city in the time of seiges and famine. Dr. Thompson, in his volume "The Land and The Hook," vol. ii. pajje 523 and succeediny; pafjes, rt:///sf7, to dip, immerse, submerge, &c., in Haydock's i)ible with notes, endorsed i)y I'ope I'ius the IX, and commended by various cardinals, archl)ishops and bishops, published in New York in 1852, there is a note on Matt. iii. 6, *' Baptize. — The word baptism signifies a washing, particu- larly when it is done l)y immersion, or by dipjiing or plunging a thing \in(ler water, which was formerly the onlinary way of administering the sacrament of baptism." Now we have the ordinary literal meaning of the word hnplizo, and the weight of our superstructure rests upon a foundation of granite, as I have alrea any other liquid, to rise around it till it is covered or suhinerged. The shores in classic (IreeU were l)n|)li/ed when the tide came over them and nnl)a|)tized when the tides ehhed. It was not the poiirinf; or the falling; u|)on that would be the hapti/.ing, but the immersion of the object. When I ])ray for the baptism of the spirit, it is that my soul may l)e overwhelmed with his influences and energies. Hut we all understand this to be a figurative expression, as the i)oet sings, "IMunged in a gulf of dark des])air," or C'owper, "And sinners ])lunged beneath that flood." Allow me to close by fjuoting Merman Cremer, I). I)., Professor of Theol- ogy, in his lexicon of the New Testament Greek: — ^'/iaptizo, to immerse, to sub- merge. The peculiar New Testament use of the word, to denote immersion, .submer- sion, for religious purposes, may be pretty clearly traced back to the Lcvitical wash- ings." I think I have shown the meaning of this word pretiy thoroughly i)oth in classical fireek and in its ai)i)lication to the ordinances of (iod. if we are ('hrislians, and call Jesus Lord and Master, let us do the things he commands us; not talk of nonessentials and of no importance — that immersionisis are exclusive, and are in the minority (iod and one man are in the majority. I would rather walk with (Iod than go with a multitude to do evil. Love is the e.s.sence of obedience, the fragrance of religion. Obedience is the sweet blossf)ming out and efllorescence of iove in the human life. "If ye love me keep my commandments." CHRISTIAN liAPTlSM. 69 BAPTISMAL CATKCIIISM. Question I. -If n person is f)nly sincere, will not sprinklinjf , custom }^rew u|) in the innnediate ages after the apostles, but trine immersion wns not established by Christ or his apostles. It began at the end of the second cen- tury. Beyond Terlullian there is no record of it. Jerome, one of the early writers of the church, presents the truth concerning trine immersion when he says: "Many other things which are observed by tradition in the churches have secured the author- ity of written law for themselves, as, for example, to immerse the head three times in the font." Jerome lived in the fourth century, and knew the customs of the early times. i'here is no authority for trine immersion in the bibk. I'aul says, "Onk l'>Ai'l ISM." Besides, it is certain that early additions were made to this ordinance The l)apti/.ed were anointed with oil, tasted a mixture of milk and honey, were clothed in white gowns, witti exorcism, insufflation, &c. , which were no jiart of bap- tism. (Cathcart's Baptism of the Ages and Nations). (Question III. — Were not the ancients baptized naked ? The authorities are disagreed up(m that jioinl. I am not able to answer categorically. The exami)les from the catecomlts, the mosaics and manuscripts, some of them are naked, perhaps most, and some are more or less robed. However, tlii-. is of little importance. The very fact of their undress is an unanswer- able argument to their immersion. But one thing I do know, and that is, Christ was immersed, and he recjuires immersion. The apostles and early Christians would not shock the tastes and sensibilities of their day no more than we would in our day. ,\ccors nnisl have be- longed to their church, as th.ey strain their eyes to see sprinkling. Christ is repre- sented as saying at till' jiidgnu'nt, "I was naked and )e clothed me." Now, I do not suppose that our Lord was absolutely naked. Let people answer this (|uestion who know all alxiut ii. (^)uesti(m IV'. —Have you seen the Kev. Mr. .McKay's iiook, of Woodstock, on Baptism.'' .Answer, I have, and was greatly impressed with it; l)ut unfortunately for the author, it was made in lilissful ignorance of the scholarship JO CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. of the age, the history of the i)ast, and of the church of God, to say nothing of the bible, for that it does not touch, and is characterized l)y verbosity, sophistry, unreli- al)ility of statement, audacity of style, and of even theojunionsof Pedobaptists. Mr. McKay is a Hrst-class example of a man who shuts his mental if not physical eyes tightly against the light and goes it blind. His acrobatic performances are certainly very amusing and would provoke little more than a smile, if we did not consider the harm he is doing. "To his own Master he stands or falls." Question V. — Was not Jesus baptized as a Jewish priest ? I answer no. Christ did not i)elong to the riglit tribe to be a Jewish priest. Our Lord was of Judah, and the jiriests were of Levi. Hebrews, vii. 14 — "For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood." No man outside of that tribe could be a Jewish priest. And this is the meaning of the question. Priests were not consecrated in the River Jordan, but at the door of the tabernacle or temple. The priests were washed in water. The Levites as the singers or choir of the temple were merely sprinkled. However, this is all irrelevant, as Jesus was not a Jewish priest. Question V'L — Do Baptists believe that baptism is a saving ordinance .'' An- swer, emphatically, no. But our opponents have persisted in j)erpetuating and urg- ing this misrepresentation. Baptism is an act of obedience on the pari of a professed believer, and a symbol of death and resurrection. To live in neglect of known duty is a sin, and disobedience must deprive even the converted soul of rich and large blessings which it otherwise might enjoy. People who practice infaiit baptism are the ones who believe in baptismal (egeneration, and that baptism is a saving ordin- ance. Question VH. — Have you read Dr. Dale's works on baptism, classic, Judaic, patristic and Christian ? Answer, I have, and regard them as literary curiosities, as I would the products of the taxidermist, a stuffed bird, or a specimen of conchology, a sea shell, or a fossil in a museum. Dr. Dale deserves great credit, however, for striking out a new path, oi at least blazing the trees, as he is evidently tired of walk- ing in the path of worn-out and fruitless arguments, worn threadbare by his Pedo- baptist brethren; but I was wondering who could ever follow the path of this bold classic adventurer, who pushes on through the mire-holes and tangled thickets with the ferocity of a mad steer, and plunges into the forest and buries himself amid the wild surroundings. To change the simile a trifle. This cometary genius flames through the sky with all the phosphorescent glow of lliat exceedingly anomalous planet, while it would seem that its long tail would become entangled in the wheels of the solar system and sweep them away. But, alas, the comet glides harmlessly in its strange orbit through the sky— -there is no consternation amoni^ the stars. Men wonder and prophesy at the peculiar motions and circlings iif suns and stars. So when we read Dr. Dale, wc fell as though the bottom was going to drop out of the CHRIS7/AN BAPTISM. 71 Cireek grnmmars, antl Greek lexicons, and perhaps Clreek writers. The cometary jTcnius went whizzing by ar-.l it didn't. We drew a sigh of relief and waited for the next fusillade. "IJiii the earth do move," as the colored preacher said. But, seri- ously, Dr. Dale, with all his great learning and prodigious research, jjossesses one trait in common with the rest of his I'edobaptist friends, and that is an obliviousness of the scliohrshiii of the world, of the testimony of the Clreek-English lexicons, he seems never to iiave consulted, at most to no purpose, and yet his ponderous tomes of musty literature have not changed the definition oU>aptizo, to dip or immerse, in a single lexicon; his ()])inion does not weigh as much as a grain of sand in the learned world, which seems to be as oblivious of Dr. Dale's literary vaporings and peregrin- ations, as he is of the existence of the lexicons. With him, baptizo expresses (l) the "idea of complete intusposition, without expressing and with al)solute indifference to the form of the act by which such intusposition may be effected, as, also without other limitations." (2) To merse, "In secondary uses it expresses condition the re- sult of complete influence effected by any possible means and in any conceivable way." Now I am just a little doubtful whether the Dr. was not a little or much befogged. He utterly fails to give anything like a clear idea to his readers. What does he mean by such jargon ? What blindness and determination to cover up, for he not only obscures the plain and defined meaning o{ baptizo, but he coins two new English words, intusposition and merse, not found in any unabridged dictionary, to cover up and create mistiness regarding a word, when he does not want to understand its meaning. Haptizo is not a generic word, or a word with generic meanings, but it is defined by every scholar, to dip or immerse. Dr. Dale must be a monomaniac in misconceptions. He is like a certain fish which surrounds itself with a dark inky fluid and makes its escape from its assailant in the blackness. Dr. Dale presumes upon his reader's ignfirance and credulity, and leaves him in ignorance of his mean- ing, only as he mdulges in guesses and speculations. His voluminous writings create voluminous darkness. His efforts, however, arc only equal to that other argument urged to turn the force of the lexicons, which say baptizo means to dip or immerse, that this word means motion, and nothing Init motion, and in the same l)reath assert it means |)urification. Whi< ii horn of the dilemma, or the trilemma, taking Dr. Dale into the account (for he has complicated the whole fpiestion for them) our I'edo- baplist friends are willing to adopt; this reasoning is only on a par with that which misrejiresents the Rev. Alexander Carson, Drs. dale and Conant, and other Haptist writers. I am willing to receive the testimony of the lexicons, history and scholar- ship. Dr. Dale is not. It would seem, if we can only judge at all, that the two new words freshly minted cut the ground from under his own feet and give it to the Baptists, as it would seem utterly im]>ossible to bring anything into the state described 72 CIIklsriAN HAri'/SM. by Dr. Dale without complete immersion. (^)uestion \'II. — Why wns not the word haptizo translated into our lanj^unj^e, instead of i)einf; transferred, as it was into the (lerman and other versions? Answer, Kin^ James' translators followed an old Roman Catholic custom of tninsferrin^ ecclesiastical words from one version to an other without translating; them, lience, haptizo, l)ein}; an ecclesiastic word, in accord- ance with this rule was transferred. Question VIII. — What do you think of the Rev. T. L. Wilkinson's l)ook on "Christian Baptism," illustrated, with its inj^enions charts anil diaf;;rams? .Answer, I do not remember to have read l)eforc such a tissue of errors and misrepresentations. Mr. Wilkinson is only followin}^ in the footprints of Dr. Dale in his Classic, judaic, Patristic and Christian Baptism already referred to in this catechism. He follows as sees the footj^rints of his forerunner, which are like those of a traveler on the sand of a desert, half ol)literate^ X §■ •" '11 >- T"' '>• vlfl -i s^ _i ^1 m •' • ^ 'A M' H ■v.' "- ■>. ^ \ 1 <; o ■> X V &I ,! 1 ** r- 7^ 1 S. 1^ •^ I >s. £ *., I" ... I)!, ^lk\. V'i4i::t-;N^^^-^M^}^^TiA..^^ ' Sill "^^^^i^M nj\ . 'Hi- i:,., .:ik.i*i5?',';irf(l lo ju ((^1 hi-, own lo^jic. \a\ us siriiHl hy llic vvnrd of (loil fvcii lliou^h we lie III tlic iiiiiKiril)', iis ni.'ijorily mid ini^lit do no) iniikc ri^lll I'ihlilj, in ri'^iird lo llic Kisci jiidiiii, Mr. Wilkinson idls us ii is so (k'c|), rapid and iniiddy, llial il is danj.'i roii-. I( lia|ili/r in. .\( loniin^ lo liis own llicor)' and liirliircs, |ii'o|)|c were ill llic walcr u|i ni llic w.iisl. Il i^ a wonder lli.il llic vsaicr did nol -,Wfi'|i llicin awa\. I)i. rainia^c liapl i/cil, iiiinicrscd, a man in Jordan and yiA onl alive in lii^ reeeiil lii|> lo I'aU'stiiic. I>r. Scjiari liallied in llie water aiul ^ot oiil alive, as iuindrcds of ollieis li.uc done, as .N'aaiii.in llie Svri.in did. Wlieii I was a l)oy, thi- old nrmiinenl of llie sprinklers \\a:>, llie River [ordan was Irio shallow lor imiiiersion, loo little water. I.ieiiteiiani Lynch was sent to the Holy i,anil, exploreij the lordan, its soiirees and triliiiiaries, and Mniiid an aliiiiiilaiice of water. Now there is loo nineh water. Too niiuh lor the sjirinkliii^ ar^iinienl v\e .are constrained to confess it is too deep and to rapiil. This is the old ami immersion dodj^e to keej) people from obeying (ioil. I'liit which armimeni o( ihe I'edohaplisis are we f^oin^ to acccpl, for ihcy arc all ihc while clian^in^, the one that made the )ordan too shallow for iininiTsion. or too rajiid ami deep. I'.iil they are off the same pieic. I'ut soi.erly, did you ni-ver hear of the fonls of the Jordan, where peo|)le waded the stream in .safc-ly, and where there was ample room for liapli/in}^ .■' .And did you never he.ir ol Naanian's f^'iinj; down and di|>|)in^;, l)a|)li/in^^, himself seven times, and ^eltinj^ out alive.'' 'i'lii' word is /ia/>/iui, the same as used for the ordinaiKc. Now does this af;ree with W'ilkinrion's stateiiniit, "liut the lact is, that there is no recordi'd insl.inci: from tin- pen of any (ireek writer, where they ever haiiti/ed ;i person in this way, except with the express intention of drowning him, and there is no such case on re- cord where they did not succei' one of W'il- kiiison's lictions. Naaniaii hapli/ed himsell seven times in iIk' [ordaii .and ^ot out alive. iloliernes liapti/ed lierseK at the fountain and t^ot out alive. ('Iir)so-,ioiii says, "I'orto li'- iinmersed, hapti/ed, to sink ilown, liien to emerge, ('hrvsoslom must have missi'd a ^rt-al deal, that he did not live in our day to have Revs. .McKay and Wilkinson to instrurl him. All this false .s)lloj^isiii is on ,i p.ir v\iih Wilkinson's |)lay on words, when he says, "A thitj^ as soon as it is taken from the water is un- liapli/.ed." What ju}.;(^lery. .As soon as the minister stops spriiikliii|^ tlu' hahs, il is iinsjirinklefl. 'Ihe iilea ol emersion is nol expressed hy the word haftizo., hut is de- teriniried hy the circumstances. ,\ luimTin hein^ put into the water and not to he ilrowned would immediatel)' he wilhdrawn. \\i.\t\ liol iron is plun^^ed into water lo harden il; it is taken out (or usi;. People immersed in the waters of haptism are taken out to ( oiii))lele the sviniiol o( death and resurrection. Tin's is only (|uil>lilin^; the word loiio, to hathe or wash in its etymology, does not exjiress the idea to take out. The word laiitizo has nothinj^ in its etymology si^iiifyiiii^ that tlu- liiiu- comes CIIKISI l.\i< I'.AI'IIS.M. 71; wlicii 1I1C ;ii I of s|iriiikliii^; is (•(nnplctc. '\\\Vv the (irrck wnrd rst/iia, lo t-nl. 'riicrc is iiolliiii^ ill llic ctyinolo^y ol this word, liovv miicli or how loii^ a man shall cat. Wliiiiicr ill" will cat the Lorfl's Sii|)|K!r or be a f^lulton. 'I'lic (act is, all ihosi- words denote actions wliicli he^jiti and tfrniinalr, the same as haptizo and their meaning', lie^iniiin^ ;iiifl conclusion are determined liy the circumstances, and there is no dif- (iciilly wlierr oiii does not wish to evade the truth. Sixthly, Dr. Dale, .Messrs. .Mc- Kay ihkI Wilkinson exiiiliil no scholarslii|», nr»r prove themselves orij^inal investiga- tors ol (Irccls classics, as they have recourse to Dr. 1. |. ("onant's iJapti/ein. Sev- i'lillih', I am sorry to sec them misrepresenting Conanl, Dr. D.ile and ihe Rev. .Alex- ander ('ar->on, wImii llicy (ail to answer .1 single ar^^umeiil. liij^hliily, I wish lo reply to aiioihcr arcMiiienl advanced by Mr. Wilkinson, which is so siraiif^ely misleadinn lo llic uiisop|ii-,tic,ilcd and the youni^ cone ernin^ llic poimlousiicss o( Jerusalem and (iidea in llic days of our Lord. I |c asserts it lo have liccn aboiil .5,000,cxxj, and thai this was according lo Josepluis who lloiirished in the year about A. I). 35. ']'his is another unreliable statement, to pul it mildly. Hebrew and (ireek numerals are not always trustworthy and .satisfactory, as any scholar will ti'll you. josi'phus is jjivinj,' an account of ihe feast of the passover in the days r)( ("eslius (iaihis, held in Jerusa- lem, and |>revious to the flestrurtion of the city. The 3,ooo,fX)0 jews from all parts of the then known world, Murojje and Asia, and not the settled inhabitants of judea and lerusalciii, and this would be about the year 70 or thereabouts, the destruction of [eriisalcm. Wars of the Jews, chap. xiv. paj^e 464, "While Ceslius Oallus was president o( the I'rovince of Syria, nobody did so much as to send an embassage aj^ainst I'lonis; but when he was come lo Jerusalem, ujion the- approach of the feast o( unleavened bread, the )»eople came about him, not fewer in number than 3,cxxj,ooo; llic-,c besought him lo commiserate tin; calamities af iheir nation, antismal formula, and they all stoop down and immerse themselves. It would not take lonj; to iinmer.se a larj;e i)opulation in this way. Im- mersion can be ailministered as rapidly and decently as sprinklinj,' has often been dcinonslratcd. It may be neec'less to add that immersion is the baptism of the Nes- torian and ancient Coptic churches of l')j^yi>l. Their baptisteries and baptismal fonts are an interestinR study. I r^-fer the reader for proof of this to a work en'itled, "The N'l'slorians and their Rituals, with the narrative of a Mission to .Mesopotamia and 76 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. Corclistan," by the Rev. (J. \V. Hadger, in two volumes— the ritual of l)a|)tism. "And the priest shall dip him three times, h dip him over the head so he is im- mersed." Says another, "Immersion is the only form of baptism recognized by the Christians of Alexandria." (See Ancient Coptic Churches by Alfred Butler, M. A., vol. ii. page 267.) There is this difference between the Nestorian and Coptic Churches in the manner of the immersion. They are all agreed that immersion is essential to the validity of the sacrament. The Nestorians dip the child three times over the head. The Coptic Churches for the last three hundred years have dipped the candidate, first to the middle, the second dipping to the neck, and the third time the child is dipped over, the head, is totally sul)merged. The Armenians and some eastern communities mingle aspersion with the baptismal rites of immersion, but not without innnersion. W\ the ancient canons and customs enjoin immersion as the very essence of the ordinance. The sprinkling is not thf* baptism, but the im- mersim and the trine immersion. Hut do not these Oriental churches practice in- fant bapti-sm? We answer yes, and also infant connnunion, and there is no warrant for either by precept or example in Cod's word. Let us have a "Thus saith the .ord. THE HAI'TISM OK CHRIST. Fig- 3- FROM THK CATACOMB OF SAN I'ON/IAXO. Si(pfosi-ti to he one of t/ic oldest firscoi's of our /.o/d's l>aptisiii. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 77 THE ARCH/EOLOGY OF BAPTISM. The study of bajitismal frescoes or pictures in the catacombs of Rome, or the an- cient l)urial places of the early Christians, and on the walls of the ancient baptisteries, baptismal fonts, i,arly manuscripts of scriptures, psalteries and church books, as well as the size, shajjc and design ot the old baptisteries, is a most instructive study. But one thing needs to be be kept in mind in a study of those ancient pictures and struc- tures, that they vary, change and conform to the ideas and customs of the church in the age of their creation; so that the symbolic pictures of the catacombs must reflect error as well as truth; so that the archtvology of baptism, which would be baptism in art, could not be scripture, or have the authority of Holy Scripture no farther than it conformed to the commands and examples of scripture, while the tastes and idiosyn- crasies of the artist would be superadded to the notions of the age in which they were made. Then a few things are to be borne in mind in the study of the important sub- ject of archisology. (i) That those catacomb pictures are of an uncertain date. A few. archaeologists ascribe the origin of some of them to as early a period as the second century, and others to a much laterjage. Among the oldest and most remarkable of the baptismal paintings is that in the catacomb of San Ponziano, outside of Rome, in the Chapel, called Cappella del Battisterio, and given in this volume. (Fig. 3.) Upon the wall is the painting of Christ's baptism. This picture represents Christ in a nude state according to ancient art, in water up to the waist in the River Jordan, and upon his head rests the hand of John the Baptist, standing on the shore. On the other shore an angel is seen upon a cloud, holding the Saviour's robe; the Holy tlhost like a dove descends and alights upon the Redeemer. John places his hand upon the head of Christ to immerse him. A hart is also seen on the shore and looking fixedly at the water, the symlK)! of the catechumen ardently desiring the waters of l)aptism, according as Jerome says in his commentary on the forty-second I'salm. Below is painted on the wall a cross set with precious stones, and orna- mented wiih flowers and leaves, and two candlesticks. The cross descends into ihe water, completing the symbol of death and resurrection. According to Boldetti these paintings behmg to the fifth or sixth century. (See Cote's Archaeology of Baptism.) Again in the calacoml) of Santa Lucina is a painting of the baptism of Christ outside of the Willis of Rome. John the Baptist stands on the shore, and holds out his hand to the Saviour and assists him in ascending the brink of the river. Christ is in a state of undress, and in the water up to his waist. No one can doubt that the lan- guage of these pictures is a testimony to immersion. The fact of lieing in the water 7S . CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. at all, and up to the waist, could sugtjest no other idea than Ijaptismal immersion to an unprejudiced mind. In the cataconil) of St. Callixtus is another frescoe of bap- tism. A youth stands in a wide expanse of water above the ankles; his I'ody is e.'- veloped in a spray of some kind. He, too, is in a nude state. The bnptizer lays his ri{jht hand upon the boy's head to immerse him. A man on the shore pulls a large fish out of the water, which could not have floated in a depth of water less than twelve or eifjjhteen inches. The expanse of water, the undress of the candidate, and the (ish, are all symbols of the l)oy's immersion. De Kossi, the author of Rome .Sot- terranea, thouf^ht he found a case of baptismal affusion; l)ut Father (iarrucci, a learned archa-ologist, who is preparing a magnificent work on the history of Christian Art, says that "the youth, quite naked, is entirely immersed in a cloud of water, and that this bath is rejiresented by streaks of greenish paint thrown with a brush around the liody and above the head of the person." — Cote's Archieoiogy of Baptism. There is another baptismal picture in the same series. A boy in water to the ankles. A man smites a rock from which gushes an abundant supj^ly of water. Another catches a fish, and the boy is l)aptized. There is no spray of any sort around the i'ody or the head of this boy. As we shall have reason to refer to some of these pictures fur- ther along we pass on in our discussion. (2) We must keep in mind that those cata- combs were not only said to be the burial places of the early Christians, Init the l)urial places in .some instances of the Pagans, for some of their emblems have been found on the walls. Notably, we see the river god as a witness of our .Saviour's baptism in some of the old frescoes or mosaics on the baptistery of St. fohn of Ravenna. ( j) We need to remember that archneology must agree with philology and history in a study of baptism. The Greek baptizo is shown to mean to dip or immerse in all the history of the Greek language, classic and sacred. All respectalile church historians are a unit in testifying that immersion was the universal practice of the church for thirteen hundred years. Now these witnesses cannot and will not contradict each other. Hence we find the archa-ology testifying to the primitive baptism of immer- sion. Those tombs and mosaics are not in favor of sprinkling or pouring. (4) Those pictures do not always mean what they seem to on the surface or at first appearance; they must be carefully and patiently studied; that they are highly allegorical and sym- bolical is evident. A few hours study are not sufficient to grasp their meanings. De Rossi, Garrucci, and others, have spent many years in archa'ological investigations. To illustrate my meaning, when I say those paintings are allegorical and emblemat- ical, we may instance the picture of the Lord's Sujjper found in one of the catacombs. It is represented as being celebrated with bread and fish, in particular with tish. There is no wine or chalice upon the table. No bible student l)elieves for a moment that the holy communion, instituted and commanded by our Lord, was celebrated CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 79 with fish, and without the fruit of the vine. We are told, "Jesus took bread;" "lie took the cup, saying, this is the New Testament in my l)lood." There was no fish upon the table. I5ut the painting is allegorical, and not intended to represent the actual eml)lenis or things done. The fish was a representation of Christ, and is placed tliere to represent him by one emlilem. Again, Noah's ark in the catacombs is represented as a box of al)out four feet square, and Noah is in the open chest. But that is allegorical like all the pictures of the catacombs. Now in all the baptismal pictures of the catacombs the candidate is in the water, in a vast expanse, over^the ankles to the waist, and in some ancient pictures and mosaics to the neck, mostly in a nude state. Now those paintings cannot be explained upon the theory of s|)rink- ling; the circumstances do not harmonize with sprinkling. Persons do not lake oil their clothing, either wholly or in part, or go into the water u|) to the waist and even to the chin, to i)e sprinkled. (5) We must bear in mind that those frescoes and mosaics were for the most part painted upon the walls of the catacombs and baptis- teries by Greek painters. Bear in mind that the men who placed those pictures there were (Jreek artists. We may refer to such excellent authorities as I'arker and Tyr- whitt. dreek art was born and flourished in the days of Phidias. The Kemaissance found (jreek art in ruin and decay. Various streams of art had flowed down through the ages, and Oecian art had conquered. Now Grecian pictures cannot contradict (ireek })liilology and church history. Immerse is the unquestioned meaning of the ( Jreek word baptizo. Historians say that immersion was the practice of the church through all those ages in which those pictures were placed upon the walls of the cat- acombs, the ancient baptisteries, baptismal fonts, early manuscripts of the bible, psalteries ant sidiierfu^e when driven from every other, tell us al. cut thesyndiol of the li.^li .•' in the works of De Kossi comiiiled by Kcvs. Northcote and Hrownhiw, part siv'ond, pages 50 and 60, in speakinj^ of the common frescoe of the fish as an emblem of baptism, has much to say about it. "An ex|)ression in art in the mosaic |)avement of the lapiistery at l'esar(j of the age of Justinian, vshere we see a (igure partly of a man, jianly of a li.>h, with a legend, ''Est homo ttoti totiis, illediiis siul purs al> i/np,' telling u.> that iie is not wholly a man, but a fish in all the lower parts of his body, clearly implying that as he emerges from the laver of the New Birth (the bajitisnial waters), he will altogether cease to be a fish, and bec(.nie a living man." That fish is the emblem of iiiniiersion, and as that fish was wholly in the water, so the candi- date for baptism was wholly buried in the waters of baptism. There is a picture of a man i)apti/.ing a i)oy old enough to l)elieve the gospel. There is not a frescoe paint- ing in t!ie catacombs of infant baptism, even in St. .Sei>astian. Tertullian said of all Ciirislians, "that we are little fishes born in the water after the example of Jesus our fish." The fishes spawn, or are born in the water. The baptized were com- pletely immersed in the water, and were said to be born in the water. Pouring or sprinkling could not fit this description. Sprinkled people are not in the water. While the ancients attached a saving efficacy to baptism, which is not scriptural, yet the fish born in the water could mean nothing but inniiersion. This synd)ol of the fish seems to be the key to the baptismal frescoes. The same work .says, page 91, "And that we must understand this ]iicture, and that other miracle wrought on a paralytic at the pool of Hethesda, which Tertullian and others have interpreted as typical of the healing of l>a|)tism." The paralytic was to be put into the pool, as persons are |)ut into the water.-, of baptism. On page 93 there is an allusion to the ancient epitaph of St. .Abercius and of Autun in both of which there is a natural and easy transition from the waters of bajitism to the Heavenly Fish of the Holy luicharist. To i)rove there are no fres< oes of infant baptism in the catacombs, and none have been jiro- duced, page 95 of the same work says, "Just as the person receiving baptism is a mere boy, or a very young man, not because the artist intended to denote some one determinate person, who was really of that age, but because youth is the time of bap- tism, and it was even customary to call neophytes, of whatever age they might be, infantes or pueri,"— infants or children; old men and women would be called infants. There was the doctrine of baptismal regeneration fast growing and spreading in the early ages inducing two tendencies, ( I ) to defer one's baptism to the dying hour that the sins 82 67/ A' /.V 7 IAN HA I ' ■/ VS. I/. (if a lifetime mifjht l)e washed .iway in baptism; (2) which led to the adoption of in- fant baptism, both unscripliiral practices; but the history of sacred art lifts its voice in favor of iielievers' liaptisni. The fish is a constant einl)leni of baptism in the cat- acombs, and that of immersion, and nothinjjj else. If our l'edoba|)tist friends sliould tell the whole truth they would be as uneasy as a Hsh out of water. There is not a case of sprinklinjj or pourin^j in the catacomlis. Dr. Withrow does not produce one. (I''R' 3) ^'i** picture is of immersion. I)e Rossi says, that ])icture does not go l)ack farther than the seventh century. Jesus stands in A-ater to his waitt; fohn stands on the shore; an angel is a witness; one of the hands of the i)apti/er rests upon the .Sav- iour's head either in the act of innnersini; him or ble.-;sinji; him after the immer.^l()n. There is no water i)eing sprinkled upon Clirist. The dove, the end)leni of the I i(jly .Spirit, hovers over the Saviour's head. A harl is ga/int^ intently at the water. An- other picture of the Redeemer's baptism is given by McKay and Wilkinson. (Kig. 4) MOSAIC KROM rilK ItAI'lISIKRV OK SI'. (OIIN, RA\KNNA. Jesus stands in water to the middle in the Jordan. A mosaic from the baptistery of .St. John of Ravenna. The horned river god is a witness; in the water is a cross which completes the symbol of death and resurrection. John the Baptist is represented as pouring something upon the head of our Lord. The dove descends and hovers over the head. But let me tell you something else about those baptismal frescoes which these men fail to tell, and it would not be good for their theory to tell. Following the bap- CHh'/siiAN lurr/s.v. 83 tism in tlie early church wns the anointing; of the person, the pouring of the anoint- iny oil or unclion upon the head. This was the custom of the uR-dioval ihurcli, an a) lie speaks of the immersion and the pouring of oil upon the head. (< ) He distinctly tells us that the pouring was not the baptism. (<{) Baptism in an rcHecis those eprly customs. John is not pouring water upon the Lord's head, hut oil. The dovediil not descend at Christ's baptism until after the immersion, and the dove represents the bajnism of the Holy Spirit. The boy, that .Mr. Wilkinson gives asan example of affusion, is explained liv (iarrucci as a case of immersion and has already been exidained. The bajitizer's hand is laid u])on his head. There is no vessel of pouring in his hand, either con- taining water or oil. The spray represents his immersion. lie stands in an expanse of water over the ankles. A man sitting on the opposite shore pulls a large fish from the water. Large fish do not live in very shallow water. The Rev. Wilkinson does not give that i)art of the picture, and yet it is a part of the symbolism. The boy is in a nude state. The spray around him does not fall I'rom the baptizer's hand. It flies ujiward and has no apparent source. Dr. Armitage is not sure whether it is a realism or a symbolism. It is not a nimbus or an aureola. I'oiiring is entirely out of the question. One thing we do know by applying a principle of catacomb interpre- tation. It is an allegory or a symbol. .Armitage thinks it represents the baptism of the Holy S])irit and fire following the immersion. Father Carrucci says, "It is a case of immersion." Kut to keep to our subject. We have proved from Tertullian that oil was i>oured upon the candidate's head after the immersion. Let us hear Tertullian a little further. "Then the hand is laid on us, inviting the Holy Sjiirit through the wokIs 01 benediction, and over our cleansed and blessed bodies, freely descends from the Fatlier that most Holy Spirit." Now Tertullian's words and tiiat baptismal frescoe agree. That is not water in Messrs. McKay and Wilkinson's picture, it is oil, which was poured from a vessel upon the candidate's head, before his leaving the water. The ancient ampulla, or anointing vessels which held the sacred oil, were of various shapes and designs, and were made of gold and silver and other costly materials. Cold and silver tloves filled with an anointing oil were suspendeil over the ancient i)aptisteries, while from the beak of the dove flows the precious unc- tion. Those doves were not filled with water; they represented the Holy Spirit, and (•//A'/S//.IX II APT ISM. thf oil wns a symliol of llic Spirit iilici llif imiiicTsidii. The AIha, a piclMrc i>f wliii Ii is i^ivcii in this worlv, (I'Ik- 5) is also froin llu- (•alncomlis and is full of oil. which is pimrcd upon the girl's hi-ad after her iiiiiiicisioii, and is to tlie point. One baptistery hasliccn found with a Iar|,'c' rcntral stand- aril and a caparions u'cci'tack' for the anoiiitin<^()iI. Dr. Cave, (|iiolin^ from St. Cvril. says : - "Office of anointing'; was an an- cient sNiidiol lioih of heinp desig- nated to tlieiii, and intercNted in them, ami no lime was more proper for it than at his haplism wlien th<' name of ('hri>t was confessed upon him. That the ... person baptized was anointed the KROM TMK CATAcoMliS.- I llK ANOINTINC, Oil, second time, indeed, whatever I'OUKKl) TKOM TIIK AI.HA Ul-o.N Tilt: (;IKI,"S IIKAI) , , r ,,„. ,„„.,;,,„ ,i,.,t I'OM OK TiiK ANCIKNT cilttRcii. was before his itimiersion which would be washed ofT liy the water, 'tis certain that wiiich Tertullian sjieaks of the ancient discipline--after the jierson was bajjlized. The anointing took place before and after the immersion and the whole .service was finished by binding a white linen cloth around the head of the immersed to retain the oil for a week afterwards."' Of course sprinkling would not have washed off the oil. Those men who imagine they have .seen pouring in t!ie catacomiis of tlie ancient mosaics or jiictures of liie baptisteries have seen the amjudla or the glass of .Mlia, the anointing vase, pouring oil after the inniiersion, and not a case of pouring or sprinkling of water in liie caia- comi)s. I challenge them to produce their case. We don't want guesses. Rev. Dr. Philip Schaff, one of the t>est church historians and tlie chairman of the .\merican committee on the revision of the iiible, and a Presbyterian, on an ancient work, "The Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve .\posiles," has something to say aliout those catacomb pictures of baptism. He says, "The oldest baptismal pictures in the Roman catacombs may be traced back to the close of the second century. They are rude and defaced and have no artistic merit, but considerable archivological value and furni.sh monumental evidence of the mode of liaptism, (the various archa-ologists differ from Dr. Schafll'as to the age of those pictures,) which prevailed at the time." They are on the walls of the crypt of Lucina, the oldest part of the catacomb of Pope CHRISTIAN HAmSM. 85 St. Callistus, on the viti Appia, ant", in two of the six so called chambers of the sacra- ments of the cemetery. The .ii f painting can only exhibit the beginning or the end of the act, not the entire process. Hut as far as they go those pictures confirm the river baptism prcsrril)e(l l)y the Didache as the normal form, in imitation of the typical bai)tism in the Jordan. They all represented the baptized as standing in a stream, and tiie hapli/.er on dry ground; the former nude, the latter more or less robed. These two facts juove that immersion, total or partial, was intended, other- wise the standing of the feet in water would i)e an imnecessary superfluity, and the nudity an unjustifiable indicency. Pouring is confirmed in two of these pictures (the pouring of oil alreatly referred to in the case of the mosaic from the baptistery of St. (oliM of Ravennn, Fig. 4) but in connection with partial immersion, not without. Tfie oldest of thesu |)ictures represents the baptized as coming up out of the water after llit- immersi(m which reaches over his knees, and joining hands with the bnp- tizer, who is drcisod in a tunic and assists him in ascending the shore. Schafif siiys of the frescoe in the catacond) of San Ponziano, (Fig. 3), "Christ stands undressed in Jordan with the water up to the waist, and John the Baptist from a projecting rock places his hand upon the head of Christ to immerse him, while the dove descends directly from the ojien heaven. In a mosaic at Ravenna Ciovanni in Fonte from the year 450 the same scene is represented, but John the Baptist completes the immer- sion by pouring water with his right hand from a shell upon the head of Christ. Two other pictures in the catacomb of St. Callistus, the second oldest next to the first given above, represent the baptism of young catechumens by the immersion of the feet supplemented by the pouring or some action on t'.j head. Dr. Schaff is not very certain of the pouring or act being done, but it is certain that it is the pouring of oil after the immersion. The first picture is a naked boy, about twelve or fifteen years, stands only ankle deep in a stream, while the baptizer wearing a toga, and holding a roll in iiis left hand, I; ys his right hand on the head of the candidate, either pouring water or re.idy to (Mp him or blessing him after the ceremony. In the second picture the boy stands likewise in the river naked and is surrounded by a spray of water as in a shower-bath, or as (iarrucci says, "he is entirely immersed in a cloud of water. The sprays are thrown in streaks of greenish color with a brush around the body and above the head." (The first boy referred to has no spray of any kind around him. No water or oil is being poured upon him. The hand of the administrator rests upon his head as he stands in the water to dip him.) The baptizer lays his right hand on the head of the baptized, while another man, whose figure is mutilated, in a sitting posture draws a fish from the water. From these pictorial representations we have a right to ('raw the inference that the immersion was as complete as the depth of the accessible stream or fount would admit; and that defect, if any, (and there was none) 86 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. was supplemented by pouring water on the head. In one ot the catacombs, the cem- etery of St. Pontianus, there is a baptismal fount fed by a current of water, about three or four feet deep and six feel across, and approached by a flight of steps, (deep enough for immersion). In the Ostrianum cemetery, not far from the church of St. Agnes on the via Nomentana is the traditional spot of St. Peter's baptisms, called Ad Nym phas S I'etri or F"orms S Petri. River baptisms ceased when l)aptisteries began to l)e iiuilt in the age of Conslanline in or near the churches with all the conveniences for the performance of the rite. They are very numerous especially in Italy. Tiiey went out of use when immersion ceased in the west. Tiie last is said to have been built at Pistoia in Italy, A. D. 1337. Dr. Schaff finds immersion in the catacombs McKay and Wilkinson do n )t. McKay is a Presbyterian and sg is Dr. .Schafi" — a greater one. The Arian ba)>tistery at Ravenna has a mosaic of immersion with no pouring of oil or water. The pouring is of oil in St. John's at Ravenna, as we have already shown. The evidences to immersion are everywhere in ancient sacred art. The pouring was no par^ of tlie baptism. The oil is jjoured from the All)a, which was over one of the 'oaptisteries or streams, on the girl's heail after her immersion. This picture is from the catacombs and explains the picture frr^m St. John's of Rav- enna. See the Alba, Fit'. 5. The girl is standing in the water to the waist, whil.T the oil is falling upon her head. The ancient manuscripts, psalteries, and church books give numerous pictures of baptism of various ages and dates, by far too numer- ous to mention, and they are invariably of immersion. The baptisteries of St. Sophia, the Lateran at Rome, .\rian at Ravenna, St. Marks at N'enice, with that connected with the cathedral at Milan, and all over Italy are of immersion. It might be interesting to read the testimony of the "Didache, or the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," relative to baptism, edited by Dr. Schaff, who says it is older than Ter- tullian or Iremvus, or the Ignatian Epistles, or llermas the Shepherd. However ;his may l)e. a grain of allowance must W made, as its autliorshiii is unknown and it is dateless, d/) It is nm ;is uid a> the ( lospels and I'.|iistles, and is not of ro-f(|uai MUtliorit). (/') It doui)llc>s originated in tiie >econ(l or lliird century, as it tcaciio baplisuuil regeneration as in cases of emergenc)', sickness and dentil, or in liie al> sence of the facilities for immersion; it would change ("lod's ordinance from innuer- sion to pouring to save peojiie. {c) There is not a trace of infant i)aptism in the doc- ument, tmly as the germ of baptismal regencation always has that lool;. Hut then- is no infant l)a])tism in the Teaching. ((/) It is merely (juoted to show what the jjractice of the church was in that remote age of antiijiiity from whence the document came, (f) It came into existence after pouring was recognized in cases of emergency, already referred to. I will give it. ".As regards baptism, baptize in tiiis manner. Having first given all the i)receding instruction, on the way of life and on the way ol CHKIS77AN BAPTISM. 87 death, chap. i. 6, '"Baptize, eis, into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy (Ihost, in living, running water. But if thou hast not living water, baptize eis, into other water; if thou canst not in cold, then in warm water. But if thou hast neither running nor standing, neither cold ncr >. y_ teenth century. The candidate is in water itAl'TIsM IN TIIK 13TII «'KNTtiRY. up to the i)reast, the baptizer lays his han" on his head to immerse him. The angels- hold the garments of the ba|.tized. This is one of the unquestionable cases of im- mersion. Thv ancient artist has sometimes, in addition t ' Rome. In this library there is a Greek psaltery of the eleventh century, which con- tains a picture of the baptism of the eunuch. The eunuch is standing up to his neck in a pyramid of water, the usual form in the earliest representations of Chrjjitian bap- tism. Philip is clothed in purple. Close by the two are seen in a chariot with four horses driving away at full gallop. This painting exists also in a Byzantine MS., in quarto of the eleventh century, in the British museum. Cote's Archaeology of Bap- tism, page 41, (Kig. 9), is a |)icture of baptism administered by John to Jewish con- Fig. g. BAPTISM (>!• JF.WISH CONVERTS BY JOHN. verts, and taken from a MS. of the eleventh century, in Bibliotheque Nationale at Paris, and is interesting from the fact that the candidate is fully immersed in water, CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 89 whic.i is piled over his head, while other candidates are either robing themselves after baptism or disrobing for the rite. In a study of the archseology we may con- clude cs follows: (i) There is nothing but immersion in the Roman catacombs, (2) There is nothing but immersior, in the ancient frescoes and mosaics, including the frescoe of St. John's of Ravenna, with the anointing oil poured upon the head after the immersion and according to the glass of the Alba. (3) That the ancient bap- tisteries are in favor of immersion and could have been constructed for no other purpose. (4) That the ancient MSS., and psalteries and church books bearing pic- tures are of immersion, and not afl'usion. From this it is reasonable to conclude that the voice of impartial archaeology is in favor of immersion. go CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. REASONS \\\\\ 1 AM A HAl'TIST. "What is truth?"— St. John, xviii. 38. This should he the honest, sincere inquiry of every true man, especially of every Christian man. Not in the temper of the trucklinj:;, temporizing, vacillating Pilate, who seemed devoid of all individual and manly conviction, who in the same moment would pleaL. Christ and his enemies. A Christian should be able to give to every one that asketh him a reason for his hope with meekness and fear. I intend to spend this hour in giving you as concisely and cogently as I can the reasons why I am a Baptist, and in doing so I would disclaim all invidious remarks; our motives should be actuated by love and charity. But there are reasons which constitute us BajJtists, which we have no right to ignore, and which the worUl has a right to demand and know, and which we in the interests of truth ought to joyfully give. (l) Of all Bap- tists are agreed with all other evangelical denominations in regard to the great body of fundamental truths of the Christian system, such as the being of God, the inspira- tion of the scriptures, the Trinity, the fall of man, the moral depravity of all the race, the atonement through Christ, the regeneration by the spirit, the resurrection of the dead, the endless happiness of the righteous, and endless punishment of the wicked. But Baptists believe that no doctrine or ordinance taught in God's word is non-essen- tial to obedience and a correct faith, as men have not been able to discover the ma- terial utility of a thousand objects in the universe, in the earth beneath or the sky above, the air and the sea, yet they all unite to constitute the globe what it is for the habitation of man, so (Jod's complete circle of truth tends to minister to the entire spiritual nature of man. But there are doctrines which have characterized and dis- tinguished Baptists through all the ages, from the days of John the Baptist, our illus- trious founder, to the present time; truths or principles of which we are not ashamed but of which we may be justly proud, if we glory in the Lord. (2) Baptist churches are distinguished from other religious bodies by making the scriptures their only rule of faith and practice of doctrine and duty so that whatsoever is not contained therein or can be proved thereby is not binding upon any man's conscience either as an arti- cle of faith or an ordinance to be obeyed. All churches do not hold this truth. Chillingworth, the staunch and sturdy old Protestant, said, "The bible and the bible only the religion of Protestants." The church of Rome recognizes the bible as of secondary authority and importance. .She recognizes the pope as infallible, and the church through her cardinals, bishops, and councils as possessing equal authority. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 91 She also values the authority of tradition and the early church Fathers as of equal authority. Other dissenting bodies which have come out of Rome also recopnize the a ithority of the early councils and church with holy scripture. This in the position of the Kpiscopal and Lutheran churches largely to-day. Other lK)dies of Christians while claiming to how to the supreme authority of the holy biliie, yet by their un- scriptural practices acknowledge the authority of the early Ka'hers and traditions. I am glad that the Christian world is coming more and more to the Baptist principle, thnt the l)il)Ie and the bible only, the religion of Protestants, for which Baptisi mar- tyrs died at the stake, and gave up liberty and life nnd all that was dear to them, rather than give up a doctrine which all true Christians are found to embrace. (3) The Baptist church differs from all other Christian denominations in its view of church organization and ordinances. Baptists hear the voice of their Lord sounding in their ears, "See that thou make all things according to the pattern shown thee in the Mount." They dare not add to the pattern or change its form or fashion in the least. The Baptist position is unique and radical and thoroughly consistent with scripture and reason. Baptists say believers and believers only should be baptized; other de- nominations say believers and infants; the visible church is composed of believers and their unbelieving infants. While many believe that sprinkling regenerates the child and makes its chances for heaven more secure. A great many good people seem to think that a few drops of water sprinkled upon the brow of an infant confers upon it some indetinal)le, mysterious and sacramental grace which may not be tied to the absolute moment of the administration of the rite, but a germ is imparted which is destined though lying long dormant and latent to produce a harvest. Those good people seem to feel easier and safer after the child is baptized or christened. They breathe more freely. Baptism, in this light, must be regarded as magical, as the quintessence of sacramentarianism. It has been repeatedly shown that there is no command or authority for infant i)aptisni in the bible; that the Apo.-.tolic church was composed only of baptized believers. .Says one, if infant sjjrinkling does no good, it can do no harm, Ijcsides, it is a most impressive ceremony of dedicating the child to (iod. But this is a sad mistake as well as a grave error. («) (jod does not com- mand this ceremony, and he cannot lie pleased with a rite not ordained, {h) Infant baptism siands in the way of (iod's positive command, as it keeps persons who grow to years of accountability and believe the gosjiel from obeying (jod, and known dis- obedience is injurious to one's spiritual life and growth, (c) Infant liaptism is a most .serious error, that it has inherent in this apparently innocent ceremony the seed of baptismal regeneration, which is contrary to .scripture and sound reason, and is at the founilation of other errors which have corrupted Christianity, and made it possible for the church of Rome to become what she has in her world-wide imperial character. 93 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. But we are told that surely no Protestant church believes that sprinkling saves the child. I am not so sure of all that. Then their speech or their actions hetray them. Allow me to ask a question or two in good faith and all candor. Why are ministers repeatedly summoned, even at the dead midnight hour, to sprinkle dying children ? This is being constantly done. I ask, what does this mean ? Babes are sprinkled in the agonies of death. There are cases on record where the orpse has been sprinkled after the life was extinct. Let me give you one or two. An authenticated case was given the Chicago Standard, a Baptist journal, and also other papers a few years ago, of a Methodist minister being called to administer the sacrament of baptism (sprink- ling) to a dying girl, aged twelve years. This was in one of the Southwestern States, and when the clergyman reached the house the girl was dead. Nothing deterred, he proceeded to sprinkle her corpse. We speak of the superstition and ignorance of Romanism, surely Romanists could not surpass this so-called Protestant clergyman. You may draw your own conclusions; the man was only carrying out the principles of a false system to their logical fruitage. But another instance. Not far from here a child was dying in a good Methodist family. A Baptist clergyman, in the ab.sence of the Methodist pastor, was almost summoned and asked to perform the service, which he would not have done. But a Congregational clergyman was at hand and went to the house. The child was still alive, and had slightly revived. The family had some hopes of securing their own pastor to christen the bahie, but the Congregationalist was told to be in readiness to come at a moment's warning in case the child should begin to sink, and there was danger of immediate death. I will vouch for this case, while both are well authenticated. What do these things mean, if they do not mean bap- tism is a saving ordinance? I have known many cases of infants to be sprinkled in the dying hour, and yet these same preachers, and same good people, I am sorry to say, go right on year after year repealing their misrepresentations r d vile slanders that Baptists believe baptism is a saving ordinance, when that statement is shown to be false, as Baptists baptize only saved people. (4) Infant baptism originated in the third century in Africa to save the children, as we have shown in another sermon. Infants dying in infancy are saved without baptism through the merits of Christ's death. Infant sprinkling casts discredit and reflections on Christ's blood as not hc- ing sufficiently efficacious to save the children. (5) The evils of infant baptism are various and numerous. It secularizes Christianity. It fills the churches with uncon- verted members. It changes and revolutionizes the church and renders her defacto and de-novo another body from what Christ instituted. It crushes out individualism, robs the church of her spiritual life and power as the great evangelizing agency and force she ought to be in this wicked world, and hinders the work of Jesus Christ. Permit me to give facts. A few years ago the Congregational church was the state .> lAKNis s'iKi:i:r hai'iisi' ( ih;r(ii, Toronto. 11. I). rilOMAS. I). |). . PASIdk. , I ,• / ' . ■ ■ ' CHRISTIAN HAPTISM. 93 church of New ICngland; it was denoininated the standing order. It was the state church because of its CO. stitution. Its membership had mainly l)een added by in- fant baptism. Those Congregational churches had what was called the half-way covenant. A change of heart was not required of those who sought admission to the fold. The churches were filled with unconverted men and women, unconverted ministers in the pulpits, and as office-bearers and leaders. In a few years later there followed the Unitarian defection; many of the al)lest men and strongest churches went over to Unitarianism in a .solid phalanx. Infant baptism has filled the state churches of Kurope with unconverted people. A Jonathan P2dwards, as a great reformer and a man of (lod, was raised up to save evangelical religion in Turitan New England. In Germany the Lutheran church is almost wholly made up of unconverted people, secularists and rationalists. A Thohick and a Christlieb were needed by the cause of (Jod in that land to keep alive the spirit of evangelical Christianity. In .Scotland where I'resliyterianism is the state church, that church was well nigh denuded of its spiritual life and power, though it was the home of John Knox, the sterling old re- former. Infant baptism wrought sad havoc for the cause of spiritual Christianity in the land of the Melvilles, the old Covenanters and Burns, and hence we have the Free church as the saviour of evangelical Christianity in Scotland. The same may be said of the Church of England in England. The church required no spiritual tests or qualifications in its members. The infants were baptized in their infancy, growing to boyhood and girlhood were confirmed by the bishop, as they had been made Christians in their infancy by their baptism and added to the church without their knowledge or consent. No wonder a church like this should have within its broad and ample fold three parties as wide apart as the poles — the High Church, the Low Church, and the Broad Church. The ritualist seems to belong to another species, and yet this professedly amplest and roomiest of all folds was not broad enough to retain in its communion John and Charles Wesley and the earnest White- field, who had done more under liod to sa\ye its religious life from utter extinction and petrification than any i)ishop or archbishop who ever lived. Infant baptism makes a state church possible. It joins the church and the state in an unholy wedlock and desecrates the alt.ars of Christianity l)y offerings of strange fire and vestal sacrifices for offerings of living souls. The Druidical worship and Pagan oblations are not more to be dreaded. The worship of Osiris and the Pantheistic ritualism of Egypt, the Baal worship of Israel, could not be more to be dreaded by all well-wishers of (iod's cluirch, than the union of church and state. Infant baptism is the link which binds them together. The state is taken into the bosom of the church with no religious tests required. The church is supported and pampered by the state, and becomes denuded of its spiritual life. I charge infant baptism with secularizing the church, ^ ' CHKIsriAN HAI'TISM. and uniting church and state, [ohn and (Iharies VVesIey were the means under (lod (if a glorious revival of relij^ion, which not only spread like the all-enfoldin^j and on sweeping waves of the ocean, Init saved the Church of Kngland as well. .\ simple gospel church composed onlv of converted i)ersons, linpli/.etl on their faith, and con- gregational in its government could not liecome a state church. Hut I shall l)e told, while infant baptism has secularized Christianity throughout Europe and the Old World, it has not secularized (Ihristi.-xnity in the Methodist church and other I'rotes- tant churches. The rotten sjiecU endangers the entire a|)ple, and so it remains to he seen what infant iMptisni may -till do in tho>e churches who-,e religious life seems to he more intense, and wholly and practically overrules and sets aside the logic of in- fant baptism, for infant baptism is not logically carried out in the Methodist and other evangelical bodies, while they practice it. N'et they re(|uire the person baptized in infancy to be converted in adulthood, when arriving at ilie years of accountability in order to become a memlier of the church. Whereas we can only see it carried out in its logical tendencies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and state churches of Europe. Infant baptism makes the child a member of the church, or it means nothing. If he is a member of the church he has a right to the communion when he grows up, and all other privileges of the church. (6) I charge infant bap- tism with a i^erseculing spirit; in its path are martyrdom and bloodshed. By absorb- ing intf) the body of the church the body politic, becoming a state church it dis- franchised the individual and arrogated to itself the right to do the thinking I'or the whole people; Ijecame intolerant of all dissent and nonronformity; enacted the in- quisition, and coerced the conscience and faiths of men, and in cases of pertinacious heresy, murdered the saints of (Jod, and the history, shall I say, not of God's church but of Anti-Christ is stained with blood. Baptist churches have never persecuted, and two eminent historians of the Lutheran church say: "They are the only com- munity which have stood since the days of the Apostles." Another says, "They are so old that their history is lost in the remotest shades of antit|uity." Baptists are a power, not only in tiie United States and Canada, Init also in the Old World, and their principles have done and are doing much to save other communions from the logic of infant baptism, while their principles are doing much to leaven those churches with spiritual influences by their continued and constant protest against infant bap- tism and kindred errors. The religious world little realizes the extent of its indeiu- edness to Baptist principles which are the very life and salvation of bible truth. Baptist churches differ from Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopal churches in re- gard to the act of baptism. They say, sprinkling, pouring or immersion is baptism. Baptists say, immersion, and immersion only in the name of the trinity in which a believer shows forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem, his fellowship with his CHA'ISTJAN BAPTISM. 95 Lord in death, l>iirial and resurrection. This is proved (l) from the meaning of the word baptizo, to dip, immerse. (2) The circumstances attending the rite, the candi- date and administrator i)oth go down into the water, and when the candidate is bap- tized they go up or come up out of the water. They go lo a river, to the Jordan, to a place where there is "much water." All those circumstances strongly favor im- mersion. (3) The symbolical import and significance of l)aptism — Rom. vi. 3-5, Col. ii. 12 — Paul, so far as we know, at the writing of this epistle had never seen the Romans, and yet he knew they had l)een luiried with Christ in immersion. The teaching of commentators, including John Wesley, Albert Barnes and Dr. Chalmers, all unite in saying that he refers to the ancient method of baptizing by immersion. The language of symbolism is fixed and unchang»Ml>le. Let me give you St. Paul's words, as we have the design of baptism forcibly set forth — "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized unto his death. There- fore we .ire buried with him by baptism unto death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in new- ness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Buried with him in baptism where- in also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of (lod, who hath raised him frf)m the dead." The symbolic language of baptism is stable and un- changeable. The symbolic significance of the rite fixes the form and the act. As a symbol of washing, of death, of burial and resurrection, we understand it. It com- prehends the new birth, or regeneration, and all the means to the end. Baptism announces and declares the i)eliever's fellowship with his Lord and .Saviour in all those atoning events, death, burial and resurrection. Baptism then is not an empty form or a useless rite. It is full of meaning, the Redeemer humiliated, defeated and triumphant, the Christian's life ennobled and transfigured by that death, burial and resurrection of the world's Redeemer. Immersion is (lod's appointed syml)ol of the new life, and man has no authority to change it or substitute sprinkling for it. Sup- pose some respt)nsil)le or irresponsible person should go to changing the signals and symbols on our railroads; the red light is a sign of danger, the white or yellow of a clear track. But, suppose some fellow persists, the red light is non-essential as a danger signal, it makes no difference; the white light will do as well. Vou would think the man who talks in that way going towards insanity. Vou say, hands oflF, you must not change it. There will be confusion, catastrophe and danger, destruc- tion of life and jjroperty. Vet these signals are only forms agreed upon by men. But baptism is Cod's symbol, his form, by his authority. We may not change it without disarranging the forms and modes of expressing divine truth, and without disloyalty to the Lord and peril to souls. How much art, painting, photography 96 CHh'/ST/AN HArriSM. and Kculptiiri have done for the world, not only in the directirin of civilization, l>iit in the way of conveying truth from one n ind to another, as well as the perpetiiatifjn of the memorials of events which have. been the birth-throes of nations —the winninj; of lil)erties by carnn(;e, lire and battle. The race has not oiitj^rown the use of syn>- bols, shadows and types. The hitro{;ly|>hics of K(^ypt and Oriental enijiires found in ancient temples and toml>s, sinjjular characters and cimiform inscriptions which sujj^est the {greatest anti(|uity, while |)ariil)le, ti^ure, type, sacrifice, metaphor, imaj;- ery and symbolism pervade the bible. Man is so constituted, so sensuous and ma- terial, that pictures aid him to {^rasp an idea, a truth. .Viistractioiis are incompre- hensible. In these (lays of picture makin^j, of photoj^raphy and lithofjraphinj,', if we would impress men with the richness, hjveliness and beauty of a country, a locality, a city, a villa^je, a waterinfj-place, we make a picture, a picture of a mountain, j^rand and majestic, mighty ami massive. No nuin ever yel made a picture of a mountain of the fjrandeur of the Rockies, the Andes or the .Alps, and yet by the aid of a j)ic- ture he will convey the idea more perfectly to a man wlio never saw a mountain than by mere words and abstract terms; the picture of a lake surniunded by a forest, a grassy fringe on one side, and trees bending over the lake and dipping their branches in its trancpiil, lovely bosom; on one side, a sandy beach, and all beautifully mirrored in its calm surface; a picture of a river, a series of cascades, a sheet of rushing sil- very spray, a picture of Niagara helps us to see in Niagara the grandeur. A picture of the ocean, broad, expansive, reaching beyond the power and the boundaries of human imagination, the picture heljis us and renders vivid our conceptions as well as perceptions of things we have not seen. (jod has given us two pictures amid the picturesque symbolism of his word — Baptism Tnd the Lord's Supper, bap- tism, a pictorial creed of death, burial and resurrection. What a picture of sacrifice, death, resurrection and triumph on his part, and glorious experiences through him on our part. We read about the witness of the spirit, the water and the blood. Hap- tism symbolizes those truths which are to save the world. Somelx)dy says only a form. The Union Jack, the flig of St. tleorge, only a form. It has braved the bat- tle and the breeze for a thousand years. We may see it biyonel pierced and bullet riddled in the grime and smoke of i)altle, only a piece of bunting. Let some one sug- gest the idea of changing it, and instantly the cry of treason will rend the air. The Union Jack is the emblem of an empire, .strong, consolidated, mighty and powerful; an empire so vast in its possessions that the sun never sets upon them. Wherever we see the flag waving, whether from the flag-pole, the mast head of a ship, her ma- jesty's navy, her public buildings, or her private residences, it is the symbol of a na- tion of power, intelligence, wealth, culture and religion. It means that (Jreat Brit- ain like ancient Rome defends and protects her citizens wherever they travel or re- CHKISIIAN JUPTJSAf. 97 side. The stars ami >tri|ies are the grand Hag ol the American repiddic, a repuMie • tfa wonderful growth (tf civil and religious lilterty; in whose soil the phuit of free- (it)ni has had a most luxuriant growth; the word lil)erty has had a fresh coinage in the new mini of the world's life, melted in a crucible of larger and noliler sacrifices from whicli it has emerged with a l>righter lustre. .Suggest the expun;^ing of a single stripe, or the oliliieration of a star and how soon you would lire the American heart with a (pienchless patriotism, and the cry of disloyalty would fall like a clap of thun- r\to Will«rcl '^Fract Depositor^'. SOMC GOOD BOOKS FOR THE HOME. .SACA'ED SONGS AND SO/.OS, j^o Pieces, -.uith Musu, Cloth l.imp, i)o Cents. Word Edition, lo Cents; by Im P. Sankey, and others. HYMNS OLD AND NEW, -i'ith Music, No. 3, ly D. B. Towner, 2/8 pieces, jjr. 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