Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-05-15

er published any dsnominational stati
ties, it is somewhat difficult to determir
their exact number. Those, howeve
who are acquainted with the entire bod,
state that their number is not far frol
one hundred thousand. AS this est
mate was made several years ago it
likely short of their number, for in var
Gus localities they have increased i
numbers very fast, and it is perhaps sa
to place their number considerably aboy
one hundred thousand.
WEALTH AND OCCUPATION.
The larger majority of them are farm
ers, and where they settle to any gres
extent they are sure to make well im
proved country. Manyof them are ms
chAnics, while small number are pre-
fessional men. Such thing as Dur
kard 1awyef>is wholly unknown. The
are usually in good circumstances, an
many of them are men of considerabl
wealth. AS it is part of their religion
y to inculcate industry and frugality, ab
staining from all extravaganza an
worldly display, they are likely to be
ssa RH l4e = n6sRs15 lll{s 81 sII MA q
| they not only improve their health AM
increase their wealth, but set before tn
world a good example OF plainness ant
frugality. {.
1 THEIR CREED.
They have no written creed, save tn,
New Testament, which they regard a!
the only rule of their religious faith ant
practice. They consider this to be al
that was used by the primitive Chris
tians in the first century, and by Virtue
of the same is sufficient now. The mi
nutes Of their Annual Councils are pub
lished, from year to year; this by not 6
few is innocentIy regarded as their dis
Icipline, but they do not regard it as such
but receive it as advice from those who
are assembled on that occasion. Lately
they have collected and published ali
the Minutes of their Annual Councils
and bound them in book form.
I FAITH AND PRACTICE.
They believe in the Trinity-that
there are three divine persons or powers
iu the Godhead. They accept the entire
Old and New Testaments as being OF
divine inspiration, and strongly contend
for a liberal Interpretation of the same.
as we would interpret the language OF
other books, SO far as it may appear 10
harmony with the general tenor of the
Bible. They believe in future rewards
and punishments-that the wicked,
those who wilfully disobey the gospel,
shall go away into everlasting punish
ment, but the righteous into life eternaI''
Matt 26: 26)
/ They believe that idiots, all infants,
land persons who die before they arrive
at the years of Acknowledgements, know good
from evil-will be saved without obedi
ence. being sufficiently atoned for by
the death of Christ. They are, however,
strong opposers of infant baptism, be
lieving like the Baptists in general. that
baptism is intended for believers only,
and as infants cannot believe, are not re-
quired to do so, they are perfectly safe
without it. 1t is further believed by
them that baptism in connection with
faith and repentance is for the s'remis-
sion of sin" Acts 2 :39) i. e. actual sins
cOmmitted-and as the children have
committed no actual sin against a law
] of which they know nothing, they are
/ fit subjects for heaven without being
baptized. 1t being further maintained
that baptism is 1.-The answer of good
conscience towards God" list Pet 3 :: 21)
cannot apply to children, as they know
tQpthing of baptism, and cannot, there
I fore, have amy conscience In the matter.
! Faith, repentance ard baptism are
considered essential to salvation and for
tie remission Of sins. without faith
it Is impossible to please God.n HE
| that believeth not shall he damned. ~
Except We repent We shall all likewise
perish. /" Repent and be baptized ev-
| cry one of you, In the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of SINS" "Ex-
cept a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
| of God" None are recognized as men,
bers until after baptism.
TRINE IMMERSION.
First in order of the ordinances is bap-
tism. W hich is to be observed immediate
~ after the exercise of true repentance,
according to the command, Repent and
be baptized" The mode of baptism is
peculiar is called trine immersion, and
their general service attending it is as
follows: At the water side they all kneel
down-especially the applicant and the
admlnistrator-and the administrator
then offers up short prayer to God
This being over, they both go down into
the water to proper depth and the ap-
plicant kneels down. The administrator
then asks the following questions. all of
which the applicant answers in the af-
firmative: "Dost thou believe that Jesus
Christ is the son of God, and that he has
brought from heaven saving gospel p
Dost thou willingly renounce Satan,
with all his'perniciOus ways, and all the
sinful pleasures of this world? Dost
thou covenant with God, in Chris
Jesus, to be faithful until death ?" Then
he proceeds-"Upon this, thy confession
of faith, which thou hast made before
God and these witnesses, thou shalt, for
the remission of sins, be baptized in the
name of the Father" (then bends the
applicant forward till he is wholly i'm
mersed) ''and ofthe Son." dipping him
the second time1 "and of the Holy
Ghost" [dipping him the third time.
After this, and while the applicant is
yet kneeling, the administrator lays his
hands on the applicants head and offers
up short prayer to God in his behalf.
Baptism makes the recipient member
of the Church, and Is never repeated for
the same individual. Excommunication
does not impair the validity of the bap-
tism, so that they can be received again
on proper repentance and reformation
without the readministratiOn of the ordi-
nance.
In defense of their practice 1t is main
tanned by them that the commission
"Baptizing them into the name of the
Father. and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost" is very elliptical, and when fill
ed up agreeably with the rules of the
English as we'll as the Greek language
will read as follows: "Baptizing them
into the name of the Father, and bap.
tizing them into the name of the Son,
and baptizing them into the name of the
Holy Ghost" This is claimed to be the
grammatical import of the language,
and is amply sustained by all the an
cient Greeks of antiquity who have
written on the subject. It may be in
place to remark that Chrysostom, the
most renowned Greek scholar of antiq-
uity, and who lived and wrote in the
fourth century, says: "Christ delivered
to his disciples one baptism in three inn
mersions of the body, when he said un-
to them, 'go teach all nations, baptiging
them in the name of the Father, and ol
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" The
Greek portion of Christendom, who re-
ceived the gospel directly from the apos.
ties, themselves, to this day, amid all
their speculations and ceremonies, still
retain the use of the three-fold immer-
sion which Ia on y1nopcyvora h1c