The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-02-17


was packed to its fullest capacity on Sunday
! night last, to hear the Rev Mr.. Frost on the
subject of Baptism The speaker is fair ex-
ponent of the doctrines and usages of his
people, and was therefore listened to with the
profoundest interest and attention. He chose
for his text the last two verses of the Gospel
by Matthew: go, we, therefore, and teach all
nations, baptising them" sc. First of all, he
desired to say that in Kentucky, his native
home, while the Baptists are more numerous
than almost any two of the denominations
and willie they at least equal them in social
position, wealth and literary advantages, and
while other denominations can advocate, at
pleasure, their distinctive doctrines, yet it is Of
ten deemed violation of all rules of propriety
for Baptist to preach on baptism. Hence his
Hesitation on making the announcement last
Sunday. But he counted himself happy that,
Judging from the immense audience, his lines
had fallen among more fair-minded people.
Starting out with the proposition that in
this, as well as everything else, we should ask
ourselves: What does Christ require of his
followers" he said that as Christ was bap-
tized, and as the Apostles did baptize, SO
ought we to do. Confning his remarks
therefore, strictly as to the "hoao" baptism was
primitively performed, he proceeded to affirm
that the original Greek word 6aptizein was
simply transferred, and not translated into our
| language. He then averred tina. the definition
of it in common acceptation among those who
spoke the language, was to dip, to plunge, to
sink into, and only that; adducing in support
of it the testimony of every Greek lexicon ex-
tant, and of any standing whatever, showing
| at the same time that the Greek words for
pouring and sprinkling were never used by
the inspired writers, in single instance, in
connection with the Christian baptism of the
New Testament Scriptures.
He then arrayed in solid line as witnesses,
all the great lights and leaders of the Pedo
Baptist churches with one single exception,
DR.. Conant, a Baptist) to testify, in language
as plain as language can be, that the Apostolic
and primitive churches, for the space of thir-
teen hundred years, practiced and acknowl-
edged no other than immersion as the only
one valid Christian baptism. Conspicuous
among these witnesses were Calvin, Luther,
Wesley. Adam Clarke, Moses Stuart, Dean
| Stanley, and a host of others, both in the Old
and the New World, high in ecclesiastical
authority, and scarcely inferior in scholarship
or leadership. And no less than fifty divines
of the Church of England, in Ecumenical
| Council, solemnly and UNANIMOUSLY corrob-
Grated all this mass of testimony in language
| equally unambiguous. The Church of Rome,
said he, first saw fit, in case of extreme sick
ness, to alter this divinely and long established
practice of baptism by immesion Surely,
said Mr. F., with such an amount of testi-
mony who can wonder that Baptists so te-
naciously cling to what they believe is the
only true and Christian baptism.
Evidently the point made was strong one,
anG all the more striking because strictly de-
Tending the peculiar views of his own de-
nomination.
Throughout the entire sermon, which occu-
pied about one hour and three-quarters, there
was nothing said or done TO hurt the finest
| feelings of any one present, and those who
differed most widely from the speaker, as to
| the propriety and validity of one or more
modes of baptizing, could but concede to him
everything of candor, of earnestness and of the
utmost christian courtesy. So impressed was
Mr.. F. with the uniform and deep felt respect
shown him by the very large audience, that
words seemed to be waiting and inadequate
upon his part to express his gratitude to them.
He was constrained to thank his hearers, more
than once, for their respectful attention,
At the close of the discourse, thirteen per-
sons were immersed in the pool in rear of the
stand, and it was announced that the series of
meetings, known as the Great Baptist Revival
in Stanton, was about to close. About one
hundred and thirteen persons were added to
the church during these meetings.