Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-10-18
in honey for sick elephants, is Christian bap-

in honey for sick elephants, is Christian bap-
tism. Neither will any one say that every
time river or creek overfows the low lands,
that this immersion (most persons would say
overflow is Christian baptism. :;
We think the candid reader will grant that
we have proved from the Scriptures, and from
Aristotle, that every immersion is not Chris
tian baptism. Hence, We conclude, that al
though it should be proven, beyond the shad-
ow of doubt, that John immersed, dipped
or plunged Jesus Christ into the Jordan, it
does not follow that he thereby received
Christian baptism.
Johns baptism, whatever may have been
the mode, was not Christian baptism. Here
we may remark that the practice of baptism
was in existence among the Jews, long before
the days of John, the forerunner of Christ.
Some of the rabbinical writers tell us that
the patriarch Jacob introduced it, and cite
Genesis xxxv: q, as the first example of bap.
tism. These are the words: "Then Jacob
said unto his household, and to all that were
with him, put away the strange gods that are
among you, and be clean, and change your
garments" Aben Ezra says that the words
"be clean" in this place, and ".oash their gar
ments" in the following quotation, mean to
wash or baptize the body. Other Jewish rab-
bis date the practice of baptism as beginning
with Moses. They quote these words as the
first example: "Go unto the people and sane
tify them to-day and tomorrow, and let them
wash their clothes" Exodus xix 10. In
the 18th verse of the same chapter, we find
these words: "And he sanctied the people !;
and they washed their clothes"
During the time of David and his son SOL
omon, when the government was in a pros
porous condition, it was common for the Gen.
tiles to forsake their own government and be-
come members of the Jewish government.
These deserters were called proselytes. The
ceremonies observed in receiving proselyte,
we're circumcision, Offering up sacrifice, and
baptism. The proselyte was baptized, or i'm.
mersed, in the presence of three Jews. Both
men and women had to submit to this rite,
and if they were parents, all their children,
which we're born at the time they were re.
ceived as proselytes, were baptized but they
were not required to baptize any children that
we're born to them after they became mem.
bers of the Jewish government. Those born
afterwards we're regarded as holy.
On the authority of rabbinical authors, we
conclude that baptism existed long before the
DAYS of John. This accounts for the fact that
Johns baptism created no excitement among
the Jews They had been accustomed to d.
vers baptsms or washings (Heb. tx: 10y all
their lives Hence they do not charge him
with introducing some new or unheard of rite
but only ask him why, or by what authority,
he baptized, or immersed. John :25. We
conclude that because John baptized-or i'm.
mersed, if that word be preferred-does not
prove that his immersion was Christian bap.
tism.
Again, the baptism of John, whatever was
the mode he adopted, was not instituted by
Christ. This is manifest from the fact that
when Jesus came to John to be baptized, John
says, che knew him not" John i: 81. We
know that John was expecting, daily no doubt,
the appearance of the promised Messiah; but
although the Messiah had been in the world
for about thirty years, John had never seen
him, nor are we informed that he had even
heard of him. John had been baptizng for
some time. He had gathered around him a
number of disciples, and had made himself
very popular as pious man. 1t is clear,
that in point of time, Johns baptism was prior
to Christian baptism. Had it been Christian
baptism, it would have been regarded as valid.
No one baptized by John, or bis, disciples,
would ever have been rebaptized by either
Christ or his disciples. But this was not the
case. At least twelve of Johns disciples were
rebaptized by Christ's disciples. Here Is the
proof: "And it came to pass, that, while Apol.
los was at Corinth, Paul having passed through
the upper coasts came to Ephesus and finding
certain disciples, he said Unto them, have ye
received the Holy Ghost since ye believed ?
And they said unto him, we have not so much
as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
And he said unto them, unto what then we're
ye baptized And they said, unto Johns
baptism. Then said Paul, John verify bap-
tized with the baptism of repentance, saying
unto the people, that they should believe on
him which should come after him, that is, on
Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 4"
Acts xix: 1-5. IfJohn's baptism was Chris.
tian baptism, it is most manifest from this
Scripture, that Paul did not know the fact
1t has been found out since his day.
John was the forerunner of Christ. The
work which he had to perform was to prepare
the people for the reception of the Messiah.
He had no authority to establish any rites,
ceremonies, ordinances or sacramento. The
prophecy concerning him is in these words :
behold, 1 will send my messenger, and he
shall prepare the way before me" Malachi
iii: 1. Here is the message which he was to
proclaim: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert highway for
our God" Isaiah xl l:3. This language
is quoted (not literally) in Matthew iii: 3;
Mark is; Luke iii 4; and in John i %.
Now where is there anything said about bap-
tiziug or immersing, either in the original pro-
phetic command, or as repeated by Matthew,
Mark, Luke or John7 Not one word.
When Jesus was baptised, or immersed, by
John in the Jordan. "the Holy Ghost descend