Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-02-19
Religious Miscellany.

Gam the Recorder and Watchman' mas We
-. ,bo affections to immersion, drawn W
go tho uncertain meaning Of the u;
3 i r,aok words, in their true light. He W
he presented our Pedo-baptlst brethren ii,
,",h the alternative in which they are IN AZ
"arod. so plainly that they have no es- !,
NC The first paragraph is from Pc i
do.baptist paper then follows Drotner n
Weredth's comment.-Ch Secretary. 7
PROOF Oy IMMERSION. O.
1T once heard Of the following case o
being proposed to a Baptist preacher = n
cnnoose there had been a law in Judea, O
maLEinr it capital crime-murder In the A
s.y degree--to immerse a man in water; G
anI suppose that John the Baptist had {
baco taken up under this law and brought {
trial, for immersing our Savior ;-and
Inn you had been one Of the jury in the
c7sp And let it be allowed that all the
Evidence in the case, was the statement as
we have it in the New Testament, by the
different Evangelisls, corroborated by all
The other cases Of baptism that are men
toned. What would have been your
verdict in such case, upon trial OF life
and death2 The Baptist preacher took
dly for consideration, and his answer IL
nalIy WIS If We're Presbyterian, as
YOU are, suppose | should acqult him
bat being a Baptist, | should condemn
him | believe that any one would find
not little difficult 10 make out ver-
1, Dict of guilty in such case"
n .f AUSTIN.
y Il has been often affirmed that it cannot
le oroved that John immersed his disc-
Mes in the Jordan, or that the baptisma
et ,.remony was ever certainly administer
re, a bv an act of immersion. The same
la ,N,yenpe is clearly contained in the fore
n. gong paragraph from our old iriend' the
nis. Hc CORES pondent of the Walchman OF
sill me South. As strong assertions some.
icy tines pass for more than argument, and
n ..s a. this repuied difficulty is capable of az
5 60 eosv Illus, ration, we accept the challenge
are and accordingly hereby pledge ourselves
'ph1 u rroye. either that John immersed HI
on ub;ects in the Jordan, or that there is NJ
ejul such thing as proof in language, writer
had CT oral. >,
y VI The proof which we have TO adluce Is
10 II IA brief, the following: 1t is deposed b.
also Az blotiZed where there was mnch T0
wv kr:s 2 That when the Savior was to Q
o,~. birzal, he went down into the water; j
aad ufer his baptism, came mp out OF IN
water: 3. That when he baptized tn
lpos' Jews !, was done in the river Jordan :
~ That the act was in every case an az
-. - Of immersion. The testimony is Their
U S. fore bo,h cilcumStantiGl and posture
,alth, ,onesssdIv The most unequvocai KIND
list IS ,.,,;nonv that can be adluced on al
fubiec,. And as no one has ever p
sumpd TO show an exception to THIS g
cal rule, either as to Tact or clrcumslaI
,, IS, we must consider the case as clea'
y" md unanswerabIy made out
But stop, says one of our pedoesop
friends,
no, quite So fast il you please. Your
tjmoav, though plausible, is by no me-
$50 conclusive. Every part and portion o
ester cg2irocal, and of course quest1o"a
There is not a word in all your dep
lions, when referred TO the original Gre
which has not several meanings,
which nav not therefore admit REM
ing entirely different from that aItlche
j! in the above. For example, @dat0
a. much water, may be rendered m
2riags-eis, en-, and apo, have each s
Ten or a dozen meanings, and m'gt
rendered 10, near, al, from, &c.--anc
ca baptizo, the term denoting the
does not always mean TO immerse,
therefore may not have that meanlr
the cases in question. So, you see,
circumstances and facts are all reno
doubtful; and therefore, instead OF hi
Sseries of clear, distinct, definite, an
eqUivocal dispositions. you have only
collection of nde6nite, dubious exI
IONS which, like the oracles oil the al
heathen, might admit this, that, Q
Oher meaning, to suit the emergenc
eases and the peculiar views and
-- @ Of interpreters.
. Very good. This lie certainly sa
,bs Hon. good deal for the language of insp'
Rutland; but for the present we shall admit
udlu,,' he and see to what result it will lead.
randOu n reply is the following:
went .S SSG The aforesaid objections to our Z
n dSy Of n.y. are either valid or net valid.
RI tor ll'a a, are not valid, they are of no 70
,rIes I'M. Course, and therefore our proof i
IA Sf d said oct. II they are valid, they IN
ny s. y@ ~ equally against all rerbal teslim
: r every description, and consequent
.,.r cave US without the power Of prov
'" ,-.,s hing by testimony, written or sp
10 confirmation OF this latter p
submit the following:
account. 1t is proved before court OF
my Of O o"d Ina, A. committed murder upon
e cas- S, re. Tie following attestations: One
impotauO0 spOses that be saw A: take Inc
Is. down into the James rivera sec
my 70 P,1s he saw the deceased an the river