The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-09-17
Anabaptism Run to Seed.
Nashville Christian advocate.
NV REorEST-

By NEQOESI.
An interesting case of AnabaptiSm lately
occurred in Kentucky. The parties are emf.
nentin the Baptist Church, and the facts and
logical results have been strongly presented
by O baptist.
1t appears that many years ago Brother
Weaver was converted among the MethOdists
and was immersed by a Methodist minister.
He left the Methodist and Joined the Baptist
Church, and for thirty years has been q sue
cesslul minister; becomea d. D.. and is now
pastor or the Chestnut-street Baptlst Church
In Louisville.
Rev. ]. Lansing Burrows, d. DIN the Vest
erl Recordcr-Baptist Orgnn-has n communi-
cation which may interest our readers. we
quote:
Allow me a brief space In your columns for
n few comments concerning the eXtraordi.
nary performance in Chestnut-street Baptist
Church, on the 5th of July. SO privately acted
and so publicly ~divulgcd-the immersion ol
the Rev. DR.. Weaver by the Rev. DR.. Boyce.
one reason given by Dr.. Weaver FOR seeking
baptism ut this late day of his life Is. that he
has become convinced that his former baptism
was ''irrcgular.'
DR.. Weaver was either baptized or unbap-
tized. If he was buptized. then all admit that
the ordinance ought not TO have been repeat
ed. II ~unbaptiZed, then he has never been
lawfully q member OF u Baptist Church ; for
Baptist Churches cannot lawfully receive un
baptiZed Christians into membership. Can
DIR. Weaver beudmitted now into member
ship with the Chestnut-Strcet Church without
nprSDlll HDDIltlUlOl, TCItilOn ol CNlcIlCllCc,
and the vote of the Church? BY What title
does he hold membership now?
Again: If DR.. Weaver was IN baptized, then
he vas never ordained to the Christian imlliis,
try. Baptists do not ordain unblptizGd men
consequently his ordination was Il nullity.
Our 'Hisl.church' leaders Insist that un'
baptized ministers coming Into our Cominu'
MON shall be rcord'lned: Is this case an cN,
ceptiou? and If So, why? Shall a council be
called to examine and 0rduin DR.. Weaver
pas,or OF the Chcstnut-strcet Church
Again: 1t Is held that unbaptizcd ministers
can have no authority for administering tht
Lords Supper. Have the members OF Chest-
mortal ordinance since DR.. Weaver has been
From the standpoint occupied by these
brethren. and those who believe with them
this private performance was noth Haliu nup
TO administer, and DR.. Weaver had nc
"Church-nuthority' to receive such n baptism
Neither The Broadway Church, of which Dr.
Boyce Is u member, nor the Chcstnut-strecl
Church. OF which br. Weaver IL n member,
were consulted. No Church authorized nor
consented to IT.
From the point of view taken by anti-"Alicn
Imtncrsionist," DR.. Boycc Is himself IN IN
b,ptiZed administrator OF baptism. ii Dr
Weaver w3s u%nbuptiZed, SO Is DIR. Boyce UNI
baptiZcd. If an immersed administrator Is
essential to the validity Of baptism, then
none OF US have been baptized, and there is
no valid baptism In Christian Churches. Dr.
Viewers first unbuptized administrator Was
only one remove back. DR.. B0ycc's may DC
five, perhaps ten, removes BACK: San ina
make any difference as to validity? II the
first In the series was unbaptizcd, must thty
not ali nave been u%nbartizcd ? Atwhat point
was the invalidlty made valid? HOW many
nothings does 1t require to make up some
thing? II DR.. B0yce had not had an ulioTo,
ken line Of ordained md ChErGh. utnorlTGu
i,nhcrsers back to the days or Christ and his
APOSTLES, then he Is. on his own grounds, an
unbaptized minister; for neither he nor any
other intelligent student OF ecclesiastical MS
tory will venture the affirmation that an un'
broken succession of orthodox immersersc can
be traced to apostolic times And in this line
of succession
Whatever link you strike,
Tenth or tcn-thousandth, breaks the chain
alike.
If DR.. Weaver was u%nbaptized, so is DR.
Boyce unbaptized, and consequently Dr: Wea.
must look again, and look further, for an au'
BE it remembered, DR.. Boyce is President of
the Baptist Theological Seminary, located In
Louisville, formerly IN Grcenyiile, ;: I: III;
Richmond, Va, now or Louisville, and pastor
of the principal Baptist Church there, presses
the consequences OF these "Eigh-church'
views d step or two further. He says,
If DR.. Wcaver's baptism was invalid, then
nil the converts he has immersed arc unoap-
tized. When DIR. Weaver instructsa and exhorl
all who have received baptism at his hands
to prepare themselves for reimmersion, II
will be an interesting scene, to avoid seeing
which I would travel q thousand miles in a
contrary direction, II II was necessary;
But 1t is certainly rs much their duty nnd
privilege 10 be rclmmersed asst is his.
DR., Weaver has baptized some whoare no"
ministers Of the gospel. Must they all, too be
reimmersed, and then rebaptizc al their con-
verts? II not, why not7
Nothing deducible from ecclesiastical histo
nv is more certain than If we receive INNER
sion in an unbroken line OF succession IRON
apostolic days, 1t has been "alien immersion,
through the corrupt Roman Catholic or GreeB
Churches, or through heretical bodies that
were not evangelical or true gospel Churches
And when some Of our logical" rs contrhdis
tinguished from .'scriptural," polemicS con
tend that an immersion administered by Q
red to an immersion by q godly Methodist OF
~Episcopalian. who gives clear evidence ina,
he Is called of God to preach the gospel, there
Is such O manifest elevation OF the rltua
above the ~spiritual--of the formal above the es
sential-as should alarm our Baptist people
and call forth most earnest protest agalns'
such dognlas.
with a sad heart and burdened conscience
DIR, Burrows adds, in conclusion:
do, in the honesty OF q sincere soul, sount
this alarm and enter this protest. Some o
| our ministers are leading our churches into
the arid, fiowcrless, and ~fruitless deserts, o
High. churchiSm, SHINING, as l mournfully pc
lieVe, against charity, and Christ, and hi!
Church. Archbishop Iaud never proclaimed
more arrogant assumption OF Churchism ovel
evangelical Christianity than j. 4. Graves
and d. Is. Ray. and others of the followers. o
these new heresiarchs o Endorsed by l r
Weaver and by DR.. Boyce.