The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-10

Louisville Stark county, last week, between Rev.
s:H. Bashor, editor Of The Gospel Preacher Of Ash.
land, Ohio, and Rev. William Dillon, of Dayton,
Ohio, presiding elder Of the Kenton District OF the
United Brethren church, attracted many interest
ed persons from the immediate neighborhood
and quite number from abroad. The meetings
were held In the United Brethren church, which
was daily crowded with between I've and seven
hundred auditors. Rev. ], E, Roop Of Ashland'
Rev. s. Y. KOontE Of Canton and Rev. William
Miller Of Alliance, acted as moderators.
NODE OF BAPTIsM.
The first question, THAT trine immersion ls the
only mode Of baptism commanded by Christ and
practiced by the Apostles and the primitive
church, was taken up at the hrst session Tuesday
afternoon, March LIST and concluded at the ai.ar'
noon session Wednesday. The sessions were Of
two hours duration, EACH speaker being granted
two speeches OF half an hour each alternately
Rev, Bashor said, Single immersion, backward
action, was introduced In the fourth century
single immersion, face forward at the fourth
council at Toledo, Spain, 635 A. D., and single
immersion In the name Of Jesus by Eunomius,
the hereto, In the fourth century. The first case
Of asperslon or sprinkllng was that mentioned
by Novatlon $50 252 A. D. Pouring was used
solely in case Of sickness, and was not regularly
employed as a mode Of baptism until the thir.
teenth injury. Trlne immersion was used by
the apstles, and is now employed by the Greek
Church, who have the Testament in the original
language, with none Of the errors common to
translatons. The wording Of the commission
Mathew xviii 10, was referred TO- in which It
speaks Of baptism In the name Of the Father and
Of the Son and Of the Holy Ghost. According to
the grammatical construction and genius Of the
Greek language this IL a clear proof that dipping
three times iS the proper mode.
In reply Mr.. Dillon said that Greek grammar
would not allow Of such a construction. The
iginal grammatical form is such that the action
Of the verb cannot be carried past the Gccusative
form Of the noun name" so as ito embrace the
genitiVe form Of "son" and Of "Father" and OF
"Holy Ghost" Here extracts from MOAhelm,
DR.. Wsll, Pressense and other church writers,
showing that trlne immersion instead OF single
immersion was introduced by Pope Gregory at
the fourth council Of Toledo In Spain. 6S3 A. D,
In the writings of TertulliAn In the beginning Of
the third century the first account Of trine i'm.
mersiOn Is given. This was at the time when
many corruptions were creeping into the church
ceremonies, and both TeTtullian and Wall say
that the men who praotlced 1t said they had no
SCriptural authority for so doing. The Greeks
practced pouring and sprinkling as we'll as dip.
ping holding 1t Of equal validity.
BAPTISM FOR REMISSION OF SINS.
The two sessions of;Thurpday and the morning
session OF Friday we're devoted to the oonsidera.
ton Of the second proposition, that baptism as
commanded by Christ and practlCed by the apos-
ties iB for the remission Of SINS Mr. Bashor start
ed out with the assertion that baptism is neces.
sary condition In conjunction with faith and re.
pentsnce, for forgiveness Of SINS BE based his
assertions upon the New Testament, and gave
many quotations to substantiste his views. In
Acts ii 9S, Peter said to the trembling inqulrerS
who wished to find the true road to religion, RE.
pent and be baptiGed for the remission Of SINS"
Marx xvi, 16 He that elieveth and is bapllSed."
Paul's conversion In Acts xii, 16, reads ARISE
and be baptsed and wash away your SINS" John
III, 5, Except man be born Of water and Of the
Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom Of God" Re-
gardIng this last quotation all good scrptural au.
thoritles agree that "born Of water" in that con.
nection means baptism. Peter III, "a, "BaptlEn
doth now save u.s."
In response Mr.. Dlllen said that the passage
referred to In Acts II 33 should be rendered 30 as
to read repent and be baptlSed with reference
to- the remission Of SINS" e. as an external sgH
of remission he based this upon the fact that in
the Greek and Hebrew there are forty three pre-.
POSITIONS the meaning Of which are translated by
the English proposition "of" wilhelm the Original
text instead Of the word of 1t res lily intended
"with reference to-" II blptlsm is necessary to
salvation, why does not the passage HE that be.
| lieveth not shall be condemned" read, HE that
belieVeth not and is not baptised shall be con-
demnedP' Paul 'in Romans, says Abraham be.
lieved God, and 1t was accounted to him for
righteousness" Elder Dillon argued that faith
and repentance were the two essentials, and bap
| tism was but an external sign that the two for
mer were present A man who Is devout in faith
and truly penitent II he should chance to fail to
be baphsed or not have the opportunity, can nev.
| ertheless be saved,
| CEREMONY OF FEET WASHING. ...
The third question, that feet washing is not an
ordinance Of the house Of God, to be practiced in
connection with the Lords Supper and commun.
ion aud was not thus practioed by the apostles
and primitive church, was taken up at the Fri
day afternoon session and concluded at an even
log session. Mr.. Dillon opened the affirmative
with challenge to Mr.. Bashor to point out a
single passage in the holy writ where feet wash
ing was commanded as religious ceremony. II
he could do this, he was willing to yield the palm
but II he could not he claimed that he had gained
the point BE was not opposed to feet washing
in the least when 1t was needed. He was In for
all sanitary measures, but as far as q religious
ceremony was concerned he claimed that 1t was
purely an optional matter, not having been given
az q direct ordinance or command. A direct
command must be In the imperative mode and
nowhere In the Scripture can be found passage
where feet washing Is commanded as a religious
act, Jesus washed the feet Of his disciples Ia
teach them humility Jesus did much of his
teaching by such object lessons and did not want
his followers to carry out his idea in LITERAL bu
in hgurNtIve sense He was willing to submit
the scriptural quotations to committee OF schol
ars and let them decide whether feet wash
ing was a direct ordinance and command or
not,
Mr.. Bsshor admitted that feet washing Is moi
commanded directly in the imperative mode, i'm
plying compulsion, but thatit Is so stated in the
potential mode as to indicate duty. Because it II
thus stated and because Jesus, Himself, set the
example, all true followers Of Christ should par
ticipate in the feet washing ceremony, as well al
in the partaking of sacrament or any other relig
ious observance As the German Baptists desire
to follow the teachings and examples Of Christ tC
the letter, they prachced feet washing with al
much sacredness as they did the partakIng Of thu
body and the blood Of Christ in the sacramento
service. Hedivided feet washing into three parts
ordinary washing for cleaning purposes washing
of each others feet as observed In Oriental coun
tries as token OF hospitality and fr'eLdlness ant
the washing Of feet as Christian ordinance, a
practiced by Christ and the apostles Of old, AM
by the German Baptist church to-day. Ifshow
ing the command In the imperative mode woul
cause Mr.. Dillon to yield the discussion and sem