The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-01
BlPTISM and BICYCLES.
A SERMON BY THE REV. MIR.
BRINEY
or the Christian Church Sunday
Last-An Interesting
Discourse.

A nee COukttBhhlOu oosNuolNN ~
the Linden Street Chr sian Church |
on Sunday night 10 hear Mr.. Briney
sermon on Bicycles aud Baptism"
Having read Matthew xviii, 10, as
10 xt the speaker sad: In revealing
bis will 10 men the Lord made use of |
hmm an Language ss the medium Of
commun GATOR, aud as he WISHED 10 !
he understood by those addressed he |
az course used words in their usual !
and most KIN, wa sense. The text |
saws, "Go aud teach the nations, bao-
thing them" This language OF the
great King imposes a Guty on tue
Chr stan teacher, and alfo on the
taught. The teacher is to perform an
Act on the taught (bsptiz'ng them,
Wills the taught ire TO sub nit to that
act VIVA, is the act thus u be PEI
formed snd submitted TOT The an.
swer depends upon the meaning oil
the word "baptiz ng, and this briggs
MS , consider the mode OF ascei tain
ing the IN anings OF worcs:
Ii is not the business OF men who
make dictionaries to coin meanings
for words, but it is their duty to go
among the people, hear them talk,
read what they write, and thus learn
from the pit ople themselves the tense
In which they uee their own words
This is a question that usage must
decide. ARBITRARY authority has no
place here. .u.
Let us suppose that au intslligent
company OF foreigners, upon landing
in the city OF New York, hear Tor
the first time the word bicycle u'ed;;
Having o idea as to tn, meaning OF
the word, they begin to guess what
A bicycle is-each expressing
different opinion from the res
Presently they hear one man say &c
another: Bring me bicycle an1
one Of them says: Lets wafer
and see what he brings" BY and by
the man re turns with an instrumen
having one large wheel and on
small one, and they say tina
is what bicycle meaus." They go I
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington
CITY, Cincinnati, Chicago and on t
S. n Francisco, and all along their lin
of travel they hear the people apply
ing this word to the same sort oil
s two-wheeled vehicle. Now, suppos
: that, upon arriving st San Franclsc,
!. one of them Is told TO bring a hicycI
i. and he brings wheslbarrowP Bt
YOU say "that is impossible; no ma
!. could make mistake like that" Vtl
we'll; Just hold this illustration OF II
IS method OF ascertaining the mtanir
of a word, in mind, till we take I'll
:. through ancient Greece, that we ms
/ hear Gre elk. speaking people use the
" word bsptizs and thus ascertain u
!. transa ction to which they applied
l. Let us suppose ourselves to be stan
A. ING on one of the mountains OF GALL
in hearing dlstauce OF the risen ID
of glory a, he commissions the ape
y ties to 20 aud teach the nationr, pa
r. tizing them" BY hypothesis we new
Of heard the word used before, az
" have no knowledge Of its mean'r
n and we now start upon a lourn
Is among the Greeks OF That day that
a. may a 81 ertsin how they applied t
ar word.
The first man we chance 70 he
using the word is Polyo,us, n Gre
. historian, no lived ABOUT two hr
20 dted wears before Christ. Speaking
I rs the iron. pc ntad spear used in TAX
10 the swoid-fsh, he saya: And II
III spear falls iuto The sea it is not lt
TO- for it is companl ed If 10th oak .
pine, 81 inst VI ca the Caken palt
TO- bdptieed ny the weight, the RESI-
'n' bn, v.o up md ia e,siy recove o
81 H.r, PoIyotrp Gala the pnlling
~ something under the wat hap
"a ing it.
M we next hear S rsha usiog
ne word. Ia big geography, speaking
by the mgrca uf Alexander's III
TO- through wstsr, he says; "Alexan
happening to be there 1T the stoi
season, and accustomed 70 trust Tor
most part to fortune, set forward
fore the swell subsidized and I
G. marched the whole day
N. water, baptized as far as
on the waist These soldiers wa
waist deep in water, and this Ill
@. wri err Gays that they we're baptize
J. to that part of their bodies that
rio. under the water, the rest bsing
ub. cep ed from the baptism.
We next encounter the VOID In
int, mouth of Josephue, who, thong
oso Hebrew, wrote his history OF the )
in the Greek tongue. He was Dor
yor- the year 81 after Christ. In
ev- account Of Herod's method of dest
sm- ing Aristobulus, by instructing
Youths companions to drown biI
Il. a swimming bath, he says; "
lore tinually p essipg down and bspti
asa him while swimming, as if in Fl
eet. they did not desist til they
!, L. entirely suffocated HIM" Even
drs. "small boy" can appreciate
Ct having engaged in such sport,
,ub- ss ociates OF Aristobu US pressed
8 OF under the water, and Josephus
that "bsptiziDg him."
rus. Next we hear Lucian, the u
east hater." using the word. To ind
on his hatred Of mankind, he resolve
follows: "And II the winters to'
II. were bearing cne away, and he
Ger outstretched hands were impit
AS help, 10 thrust even him head
i at bapt zinR MIN, 60 that he should
road be able to come up sgain."
writer was born about 1876 year
fore Christ. The meaning OF
word, as used by him, Ia self-evl'
We next hear the word use
arch Hi pocrates, an ancient Greek p
clan. In describing the symptol
a patient afflicted with come Il
'phs trouble, he rays: "And she brea
nday "a persons breathe after having
Proi baptized, and emitted a low 8
rs OF from the chest, like the so called
was triloouist." According to this wr
idea Of it, baotism Is something
A., disturbs respira ion. This Fprin
'rsAh never, but immersion always, do
lizard Plutarcb, born in the year DO
VI, Christ, speaking OF the hslcyon II
o vsru' structing her nest 60 that II hoa
tafety on the water, says: That
u is moulded by her, or rather
,IsT ct ucted with the shipwrgbta.
many forms, the only one not LA
$50 he overturned, nor to be bapti
G WGssSsSi This is a very striking example,
ing not only what is baptizm, bu
Rllace o2,o th;n1u that are not bADtlg