Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1885-04-23
ACTION OF BAPTISM.

[ notice the articles which have re-
Gently appeared in the LEDGER have
started up one of Fulton's Doctors
of Divinity. / also notice he is careful
to let US know just what he is rs we'll
as who. Well, all right. Of course
we will stay with him as long as we
can or at least as long as we think
necessary. We are sorry he has such
little confidence in our learned men.
If we are not to hear the testimony
of photographers and scholars of the
present and past ages, what are we to
do? Now hear him; he says: IF
we are to depend on the authority of
photographers, commentators and
learned men, | can prove that the
earth Is fat and that the sun moves
around it and that the world does
not turn over Now is not that
grand? My dear sir, take from the
world our learned men, our scholars,
and what they have given to us on
the subject of astronomy, and what
would we know about it? Your an
swer will certainly be, nothing. Now
it will not do to lay aside our lexicons.
We must know, if possible, the mean
ing of the Greek Baptidzo, that we
may know what the Savior meant
when he said "baptizing them" He,
the Doctor, says: Il most positively
deny that at the time our Savior gave
the great commission Baptidzo had
ever had the meaning or signification
of dip OF immerse. Now that is
certainly pretty bold. The Savior
did not give the great commission till
after his resurrection. John the
Baptist used the word Baptidzo, and
[ am sure you cannot find where
John sprinkled water On the people.
Look at the facts. Let US try and
get at the meaning of the word, if
possible; we certainly can without
the aid of learned men. Now where
did John baptize? In Jordon. Matt.
3rd chap, 9th verse. Where was
Jesus baptized In the river Jordan.
See Matt, 3rd chap, 18th and 16tl
verses.
John was baptizing III Enon neal
to Salim; why! Because there was
much water there" John, 3rd chap
23rd verse. [ am certain from al
the facts that John the Baptist uset
the word baptidzo in the sense o.
immerse and 1 have this much to say
that all scholars of any note say th'
word means ''immerse, plunge, dip
There is no translation, no matter b,
whom made, IN which it is rendered
sprinkle or pour. No scholar main
tains that baptize should be transla
ted sprinkle or pour. No lexicon il
common use defines baptize to meal
sprinkle or pour. There is not
trace of sprinkling or pouring TO
baptism in anything written in th
first two centuries in the Bible or an,
other book. 1t is an established fac
in history that immersion was invari
ably practiced for the first two cen
turies. The change from immersion
to sprinkling or pouring is clearl
admitted in all the authorities of an
note. Luther, Calvin and Wesley ad
NIT that immersion was the origins
practice, The Greek church whic
has always spoken the Greek languag
has immersed from its origin.
makes sense to read immerse for bar
tie in any instance where it occur:
! - oVSo hOt LlahC SCuoC W lStN Spi IL
kle or pour. The figurative allusio1
to baptism such as "buried with Hi
in baptism "born of water" ''plan
ed in the likeness of his DEATH al
admitted by all the authorities {
note to refer to the original rite
immersion. I will now give a fe
Examples from the classic writer's.
want to show that the word was the
in use and had the meaning of in
merse; l mean before the giving
. . the great commission. Examples:
Polybius, book 81, chap. 81, sa,
land even if the spear falls into Il
sea it is not lost, for it is compacte
of both oak and pine SO that whit
the oaken part is immersed (baptizet
by the weight the rest is buoyed |
and is easily recovered" Polybil
was born 205 years before Chris
The same work, book 3. chap. ~,
speaking of the passage of the R
Z man army through the river Teb
says "they passed through with diff
Guilty; the foot soldiers immerse
(baptzed) as far as to the breasts
These examples touching the meanil
of the word baptize before the givil
of the great commission, must ST
ifice.
The Dr.. says Disciple is very u
fortunate in his references to t
places where baptism was admin
tered" He says he mentions b
one. l thought l noticed several.
= am astonished at the Doctor calli