Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1885-04-30

latlon. Does Disciple" really think
that / will admit Of any authority the
translation made by . company Of
dippers thus prejudiced at the outset
against sprinkling? No, Mr.. Disci-
pie; the Hebrew 'rachotz" or the
Greek sluo" never put any person
into the water for the washing re-
quired! The Hebrew word Is used
in Gen. 43:3l, where Joseph "washed
his face" and in Deut. 21:6, where
the elders 'swash their hands over
the slain heifer," and in Song Of Sol
omon SIP where the eyes are
"washed with milk Was there any
immersion in these washings3 A
large proportion of all the quotations
that "Disciple" made from the Old
Testament to prove the self-bathing
in water lave the word "water" with.
out any proposition at all, and in the
Greek it is in the instrumental dative
and cannot be rendered Gin water, -
but Is and ought to be translated
'swash with water" Thus we har-
monize the translation with the fact
that there was positively no vessel
for any person to bathe in or wash
n ever built by divine order.
And now we come briefly to notice
"Disciple's" rejoinder in the paper
Of April 20. Sometimes "Disciple"
can get along very we'll without the
help Of learned men and then again
the aid Of learned men is ab-
solutely necessary to everything.
That means this: When learned men
testify to suit "Disciple's" theory
then learned men are wise and use.
full; but when learned men oppose
and ruin "Disciple's" pet doctrine
then he can do very well without their
aid. Now we will hear what one
learned man has to say about the
water in Jerusalem. Dean Afford
says on Acts 2:41, "Almost without
doubt this first baptism must have
been administered by sprinkling or
affusion, as that Of the first Gentle
converts was (see Acts 10:47 and
note) and not by immersion. The
immersion of 5000 persons, in city
so sparingly furnished with water as
Jerusalem, is equally inconceivable
with procession beyond the walls to
the Kedron or to Sloan for that pur-
lpose." And in the note referred to
on Acts 1O:47 Afford says, 'rThe ex-
, preston 'Kolusai' used with the sto
hudor' (forbid the water) is interest
ling, as showing that the practice was
to bring the water to the candidate,
not the candidate to the water" So
much for one learned man. The
truth is, kind reader, whatever water
there may have been in Jerusalem
was just as inaccessible for dipping
purposes as the water in the cisterns
, Of Mexico or the water in the tank at
the depot.
, I will now inform this Disciple and
his readers, that the immersions of
the ancient Catholic churches and Of
the modern Greek churches, are
vastly diverse from the dipping, sub
mersion practiced by Disciple and
his friends. The ancient Catholics
and the modern Greeks practice q
mixture of immersion and affusion,
but it is not submersion, the head
lis not required to be put under the
water. Their partial dip was three
times repeated, in state of absolute
nakedness, with oil, crossings, exor'
:, Icisms and many other superstitious
, rites. There is not single step il
the entire administration of one o'
these ancient baptisms or of mod
= ern Greek baptism that Disciple vii
admit to be in accordance with tn,
word of God. Then where is th'
=, honesty in bringing forward th'
lpractice and literature Of the Cath
:. olics to support his putting peopl'
into the water over head and ears, {
. practice that was never heard of il
- the worlds history till after the mid
!. die of the 10th century, and was no
:. practiced by the Baptists till afte
:, l641? l have the records and the,
will be produced in due time.
=. called for classic Greek examples
~ older than Che commission wher
Baptizo meant to immerse. Discipl
brought two-both from Polybius
/, history. But, unfortunately, his firs
: example from Book "a of Polybiu
;, is like the drunken Scotchman'
i"151st Psalm" 1t is not in th
, Book. II Disciple will look at Al
= than's Classical Dictionary, Articl
=. ~ Polyblus, he will learn that there
" =, no ''book "a of Polybius' works
., existence" The other example
=. from same author, book 8, chap. z;
4, where, according to Disciple
rendering, in speaking Of the passal
" of the Roman army through the riv'
-, Tebia, swollen by recent rains, |
says: '.They passed through vii
:. difficulty, the foot soldiers baptize
- to their breasts" Now, gentle rea'
- er, is Disciple sincere in introducir
. this classic example? Is that VIII
he means by immersion? Is not tn
i, very specific "action Of baptism
. If those Roman soldiers were baptiz'
b. to the breasts by wading, then me
= Of the candidates for baptism amol