Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1885-04-30
MEXICO MISSOURI, THURSDAY, APRIL so, 1885. .s.
THE ACTION OF BAPTISM.

THE ACTION OF BAPTISM.
When l sent my reply to "Disci-
ple's" article Of April I'd l did not
know Of the existence of the article in
the LEDGER Of March 18th. A friend
has kindly furnished me that paper
and l find one or two, items that /
wish to notice.
lst, tsDisciple" very confidently as
serts that there is '.no divine COM
mand for the sprinkling of mere or
unmixed water given since the world
began" That kind of positive asser-
ton pleases me. Now there is q
definite issue between us. Now we
will see how much foundation Mr..
DISCIPLE has for his confidence.
l will inform "Disciple" and his
hackers that the sclean water" in
Ezekiel SO rs and the "pure water"
of Heb. 1922 are expressed by pre-
cisely the same Greek words. But
the ''pure water of Heb. 1922 is,
according to Disciple" and his
friends, held to be baptismal water.
If that Is so then the pure water of
Ez. 1925 is identically the same.
In fact Paul evidently got his ssKath-
aro hudati" (pure water) of Heb.
1925 from the ''Katharon hudor" of
the Septuagine Greek of Ez. 1925.
And further, "Disciple" has not a
particle of seriptural or reasonable
evidence that the purifying water
of Mum. 81 was anything else than
pure, unmixed water. 1t is certain
that it had no heifer ashes in it, for
the law for making the "water Of
separation" was not given for nine
teen years after the divine command
was given to cleanse the Levites by
sprinkling purifying water upon them.
call for the scriptural proof that
there was any blood in that purifying
water. Let us have chapter and
verse, Mr.. Disciple.
And still further, disciple" will
not pretend that the water in the
laver had anything else mixed with it
Now we read in Ex. 40: 1892, "And
he set the layer between the tent Of
the congregation and the altar, and
he put water there to wash withal
And Moses and Aaron and his sons
washed their hands and their feet
thereat; when they went into the
tent of the congregation and wher
they came near unto the altar, they
} washed, as the Lord commanded
Moses" Now how did they wasl
according to this divine command
We turn to Josephus, who was {
High Priest of Israel during th'
Apostolic age and we learn in hi
"Antiq. of the Jews" Book 8, Chap
6, and Sec. 2, "that the Priests
washed theis hands at this laver ant
sprinkled their rect" I have tn
! original Greek of Josephus and tn
word he uses for "laver' is "perir
rantarion," which signifies vesse
for sprinkling water. Now, candle
reader, what becomes of disciples
confident assertion, "that sprinklin,
or pouring Of mere water on any per
! son or thing for any moral or relig
ious purpose was never done b.
+. Gods authority since the world be
l gan?" "Disciple" has been misle'
4 by the s.confdent boasting" of som
other disciple. But his boast is no'
demolished.
. I will now make a counter affirms
ltion. Let "Disciple" attempt t
9 meet it as l have met his assertion
"God never, since the world begar
!. Il commanded any person to put an
other person into water, (pure {
q mixed) or oil or blood Or any othe
y element, for any moral or religion
rite ceremony or sacrament, and 3
+ never commanded or required an
/ person to get into water or any othe
l, cleansing element for self-washing
u self-cleansing; and He never drec
ed or required the construction
IA any tub, pool, vat or hole in tt
d ground as any part of the furnitul
{. of any place of divine worship, I'M
;, which any person could dip himse
~ u or be dipped by any other! Now i
u "Disciple" come down to his wol
u or take in his confident assertion
The Apostle, in Heb. 9:10, says th
in the Tabernacle service there We
"divers bapt,sms," but there we
y positively no immersions nor di
ie pings and absolutely no vessels, SUI
~ as tubs or tanks, in or about the Tia
ae ernacle in which any person cou
ie limmerse himself or be immersed
" another. And there were no river
creeks, ponds or natural pools in t
l desert where the Tabernacle was bu
10 and where the Israelites worshipp
ne God for forty years. What th
." were those "divers baptisms" if n
the "divers sprinklings Of divine q
pointment?" This will be prov
in hereafter.
u. I'd. II anything said by "Discipl
er could surprise me I should certain
a. be astonished that he should quote
rs. proof Of immersion in the Jew
Tx ritual the mistranslations OF XII
Ie- James dipped and dipping trans