The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-10-01
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For the tIulgSStcr Ledger
PENTECOSTAL BAPTISM AGAIN.

PENTEC0STAL BAPTISM AGAIN.
MM Eunou: As this su! ject has Iatc,y
elected some attention iu Your paper, |
hope YOU viii do me the favor 10 insert
"a ihc columns ot the l."hgcl, All extract,
r"i"lng Thereto, Iakcu irum work re-
ce4'iIy ru'irNhrG III reply 10 DR.. Car>un
;Y-I V.ncis, Oh TIC Nui!. I; Of baptism.
QUiDAM.
Son the day e; pentccost. here was
hnvti'm', hul no mncr>i"n;' Acts Ii: 1t
"Amd When the day oi l'rnieco>t wa> tut
y come, they were all with cuc ,cr,.r,l IN
one place. AMI suddenly There cam" II
sound from heaven, n of a ruShsug miyh
~ "lmd, au'l 1t filed AL the house where
they were sitting. And there appeared
Gnl" them cl"ven tongues, like "s ut fire,
and 1t sat upon each Of them and they
were a.! flied with the Holy Ghost, and
began 10 speak with other tongues, ~ the
sprit gave ihrin u;tcrancc." The Efforts
"i lmncr>oni>tS to dctrci dipping in this
Transaction, Which is universally rccor
nizeJ rs 'he Sliri's baptism, have pro
dnc'd some cu''"uS spccim. Us al hih,ica!
Interpretation. y the nhIcst Of our op.
r"mcEts, 1t is ALLEGED that on the day Of
prm,ec"sl, IL" Disciples were dipped into
Ihe cmblcms .; the Spirit: and while Ghc
extraction Of this scuSe from the sacred
narrative dcmrIds some exposilory mgc.
nni,y, the sUl joined remarks will show
that IlI;s indi' 'rcusablc commodity has
not been wanting.
DR.. Carson nilirns explicitly, that "on
the day of lentecos, there was real
baptism in tie on,Jitms ot' tie sj,irii."-
Tho Disciples" he further informs Us,
"were literally covered with tbs op2CJr.
GMce "f wind and fire J" In similar
strain Of remarks, he speaks of the wind
descending to fill the iroU,e, that the Dis.
ciPles might ho baptized in it," And
again, they were surrounded by the
wind, and covered 10y the fire above
They were. therefore, buried in wind and
fire" When We reflect on the character
OF the acute author, these expressions ap.
pear to us among the most extraordinary
we have ever encountered. Only think
OF a man eonred with the appearance Of
VIM is there a particle of meaning in
The laEguagel But this does not form
our main objection. When DR.. Carson
represents the wind rs descending to fll
The house, apart altogether from tho phil.
osophy Of tho case, we would gladly learn
the scripture authority ior such rcpresen.
tation. Does the Bible state that the
house was filed with wind 7 Is the sacred
penman responsible for the airy 6opiisic-
rum, which immersion genius has con.
.tructed. We reply with an unfaltering
negative.
The passage supplies 20 ground for the
assertion that TIE house was filed with
wind, nor is the existence OF wind, on the
occasion, in evidence. The Evangelist
simply ailirms that there WAS \ sound as
pfa rushing aigbty wind; aud that the
sound filled the apartment where the Dis
ciples were assembled. lie, therefore,
stands pledged merely Tor the fact Of the
soun !, and the circumstance Of i,s simi.
larity to the ut;eraRce of the tempest,
without implying that there was, in reali.
ty, any atmospheric commotOn, or conse-
quenuy any filling Of iho.house with wind.
On this text the Baptist can make out no
case fnr dipping, on tho gEognd occupied
by his modern leader; or If be. will per
sist in immersing the Disciples in Rentecos
tai wind, he must tst provide that ele-
meni, solitary breath OF which, SO lar as
We learn from Scripture, never entered the
chamber in which baptism with the spirit
was administered. Whether on the au.
thoritg OF :his construction, a more adyen
turous polemic may undertake the defence
ofa "reai baptism in sound and fire
must be left to the further revelation OF the
controversy.
Immersion'baptism is not supported
even by DR.. Carsons exposition Of this
text There was, he maintains. "rsal