Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-08-19
COMM U MIC TON S.
For the Advertiser
EOr tNr NNVtrtScr.
REVISION lOVEllENT...RET ETISIONISTS--." MAIN
DESIGN" OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

there were errors in the common version OF til
Bible, Or whether it was cxpedient to har
them corrected, but to enquire if these moderl
revisionists are suitable persons for this work
We have seen that q studied effort to misleat
the public in reference to the "main design
has characterized their movements, prolessin!
to be Catholic in their feelings and object, an'
yet secretly engaged in preparing version o
the Scriptures on immersionist principles in
Weighing against the Bible on account of tn
contradictions which they say it contains, wLil
marked and irreconcilablc contradictions have
been pointed out among themselves; in fact
Protcus like, they have changed their face anc
form according to circumstances. Attention
has been called to the daring and presumptuou;
manner in which many of them have spoken o
the Bible, and of their union with infidels tt
destroy the vencration in which it is held; ant
vet these arc the men, whom " E. L. w." says
are superior to party considerations, who love
Christianity better than the Church, who res
pect the Bible more than the creed, and who
have resolved to lave translation Of God;
word, free from any sectarian bias" Oh! "E
L. W." how could you talk that way?
As the .man design" Of this movement is tc
have "immerse printed in the Bible" brie
consideration Of that matter will conclude these
number5. We arc confidently told that baptism
means to immcrse. In this, according to E.
L. Wnall denominations, and all Lexicons agree
This, We are prepared to prove is untrue, II
both cases. But, suppose that baptizc does
mean to immerse, will it follow that Christian
baptism must necessarily be administered by
immersion? BY no means. The word baptize
is translated from the Greek, though there i:
no word in the Greek language that means
what baptism means in English. There was a
time when there was no such ordinance as
Christian baptism,-the idea did not exist, and
OF course there could be no word in any language
to mean that which did not exist.
Now when the idea of baptism as we now
understand it in Christian sense, first came
about, in speaking Of it, they must use such a
word or words as they had which came nearest
to it. Of course the word would now change
to conform itself to the new idea, or have new
meaning, and be used in new sense from what
it was before. 1t is absurd to suppose that the
word in the ecclesiastical sense in which it is
used by Christians to denote their ordinance,
means the same it did before it was used in an
ecclesiastical sense. We have another example
in the word Church" which E. L. W." says
" of right has no place in the Holy Scriptures. ."
What is the meaning of the word Church q
We answer, ga company Of Christian people
met to worship God, &C.," but he saysit means
no such thing,-it means merely q company or
met to deliberate on any subject.
Then, a Rail Road meeting is q Church, Town
Council is Church, &C. ave are bound to
admit" says Mr.. Abbey, that this is the only
meaning attached to the Greek word which we
translate Church, but contend, nevertheless
that its meaning is changed very materially,
when applicd to the Use it now subscrvcs. But
VIC are told that the sword baptizc is word
of mode" This is n favoritc argument with i'm
Now will any one tell us how one
word can describe the mode Of doing thing
No word as a uoun can fully describe thing,
neither can word as rcrb describe the mode
of doiog thing. Tie word house means
thing. but what sort Of a house is meant, a
building, or del bcrative body, as the house
uC REPRESENTATIVE? or mercantile house, as
the house 4. =. 4 Co? Just so in regard to
verbs. the word eat means to do thing a bird
eats. a fish eats, an OK cats, Frcnchman eats
but they cat in very different modes. Elt also
means to corrodc, to wear away, &c. This WORD
is As much word Of mode rs any other, and
vet the word does not tell you how the eating
is done. The word immerse itself, docs moi
describe the morle in which The act is done
whether the thing is immersed i'll water, spirits
the cares Of the world, &c. And SO 1t might b'
aroucd of many other words. The new appl
cation given to them, the new idea they ar'
made to represent, gives new meaning, anu o
course when used in new sense, they are III
longer to bc restricted to tie old meaning
This shows tue folly, in attempting to describe
Christian baptism, to go back TO Greek lltera
turc. to ret at correct manner of using it, BY
searching out the meaning of the Greek word
which we translate baptism. We submit thu
f" demonstration to "E. L. W."-he will find i
fully elaborated in Abbey's Baptsmal Demon
strations'-and to our noa-sectarian rcvisionlst>
though with no expectation, that men who vii
do, what they lave done, will, in any degree, b
benefited by it.
The cause of immersion must be in srca
danger, when it has to be sustained by nc'
version Of the Bible with IMMERSE, "printc'
in it." Whatever other corrections may b
made, this is Il " sine qua no's." A Bible with
ont immersc "prntcd in it," the revisionist
will not have, and ono with immcrse i'll II
other denominations will not have; and to sup
nose that the time will ever come, when ioul
tifths Of Cbristendoln will exchange their Bibl
to satisfy the intolerant bigotry of the other
and that too, when no vital principle, but a
outward ceremony only is involved, argues a
approach to insanity.
Thus, instead of the orthodox denomination
becoming more united in these latter days, an
making common cause against vice and erro
precedent is being established to widen til
distance between them, and which will adm