The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-08

derstand that they would be damned if they
were not immersed. They were thus led to
doubt the reality of the religion of their fathers
mothers and families from time immeinorial,
and, in this dilemma, to draw back from their
professions of Christ In this emergency of dan
ger to so many souls, produced by spirit so
Jesuitically at variance with the union work OF
evangelism in which we were engaged, and
| which God was favoring so nightly l indignant
ly protested against this species OF proseiytism
In doing so did tell the converts, in substance
this:
Ii anyone approaches you in attempt to prose
as oy feng 0n rha; bansm tell them
that Sam Jones says they liars. The efficacy OF
baptism is not much in the mode of it. but in the
who is baptized and the spirit in which he re-
ceives it. If you believe in immersion, be immersed;
if you believe in pouring be poured upon II you be-
lieve in sprnking be sprinkled but be sure that In
the act, however il is performed you are wholly con-
secrated to Christ.
The above has always been the tenor of my
preaching when called to face like emergencies.
That it was warranted upon the occasion in
question will more fully appear from the state
ment that my colaborer, Mr. Small during that
meeting was the subject of like advice as that TO
which replied, and he has now in his posses
sion lengthy letter from Baptist minister of
Columbus urging him to join the ministry OF
| the Baptist church the only true ministry OF
Christ, by virtue of its doctrine of baptism by
immersion.
make these statements for truths sake; not
for defense of my speech, for that, conceive.
needs defense in face of the facts My catho-
licity of Christian courtesy and con-fraternity
needs fictitious bolstering before the Christian
people of this country. My language at all
times am willing to freely and fully submit in
parallelism with that which gives its only pun
| gency to the circular address of Rev. Mr. JEFF
ferry. Very respectfully,
Mr.. Small then said that as denouement to
that statement of Mr.. Jones he desired to read
clipping from the Cincinnati Enquirer of that
morning iJune ~ The extract is as follows,
and bears the headline Large Accessions to
Trinity Church,"
Trinity NJ f. Church was filled with people last
night and the pastor, Rev DR.. Joyce happy the
occasion being the receiving into full membership of
about one hundred and fifty probatonists. The new
members stood in two full rows around the entire
chancel rail- and number of twos down the aisles.
No regular sermon preached but the pastor in
some remarks appropriate to the OCCASION awarded to
Sam Jones the credit and the Lord the glory this
large accession to Trinity Church The services lasted
nearly two hours.
Mr.. Excl then sung, as a solo, 'The Hand
writing on the Wall" He has a wonderful
voice. quite filling the great hall, and sung the
hymn with great feeling and expression, there
being much applause at its conclusion.
Mr.. Snail then spoke as follows:
/ will ask your prayerfu attention tonight to
a discussion of thoughts suggested by the follow
ing verses from the sixteenth chapter of the Cos
pei according to st. Matthew:
When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Phppi
He asked His disciples, saying Who do say that
l. the Son of Man ann
And they said Some say that thou art John the
Baptist some Elias, and others Jeremias, of
Me prophets.
He sayeth unto them, But whom say ye that I am'
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God.
tn 90 h.
life Of Christ that would appear a very unneces-
sary question for him To ask of His disciples Why
should Jesus have turned to them and asked them
what are men saying about me, and what thoughts
have men got as to who | am. If Jesus was in
deed the Son of God if He indeed had the quail
tiles of God, if He indeed was omnscient, He
knew perfectly well-and Jesus did give abund-
| ant evidence all through His ministry that He
could read the minds and hearts of men and tell
what they were thinking about, and frequently
He answered their thoughts before they
could frame them into questions or into declara-
| tons-then why should He ask His discpes
what men were saying about Him. and who they
were saying He VAST Jesus was a profound phi
l0sopher, and Jesus was MASTER as we'll, of the
art of presenting contrasts and of putting truths
and facts in antithess, and by comparison max
ing an argument upon the instant that
whelmng In its character and that needed no
involution of logic or philosophy. Jesus could
frequently take two facts and state them or nut
them in such attitudes before the understand
ings of men as to naturally throw flood of
light upon the whole situation, and leave them
to the truth without speaking another word
And it was for this purpose that Jesus
asked these questions of the disciples He said
to them: "Whom do men say that am?p And
they answered Him and told Him what the peo-
pie round about were saying about Him. One
said He was John the Baptist; another said, no.
He is Elias another said no. He is Jeremias, or
He is one of the old prophets come to life again.
Then Jesus turned TO him and said: 'But whom
lcuu We hot ami vhnra hat ogD IL
wanted to draw from them a declaration of their
faith. He wanted to show them the difference
between the faith that they had and the error
that was abroad in the world. He had divine
purpose III bringing them to the statement of it
in SO many words He desired them not only to
state it in their own language, but he desired to
enforce upon them the necessity of not only being
ready and able, and willing to testify as to what
He and to His true character but to do il
everywhere and in the presence of all men. He
wanted to show them the difference, too, in the
character of faith that would be generated in
man from the absolute knowledge of Jesus Christ;
from an absolute association with Him, from be-
ing so thoroughly acquainted with Him, and so
thoroughly absorbed by His thoughts, by His
principles, by His doctrines, as to get His
spirit into him. He wanted to show the differ
ence il the faith of who was
thoroughly In Christ and Christ in him. and the
faith that people had and the coniectures and
ideas that people had who did not have that in
ternal faith nor that outward association with
Him. In other words. Jesus wanted to call
their attention to the facts that He had called
them, and they had obeyed; that He had taught
them. and they had learned; that He had en-
lightened them by His spirit. and they had come
into the fulness of the spirit with Him. They
hae associated with Him. and they knew, as a
matter of absolute truth, the purity of His char
acter the elevation of His thought, the entire
unselfishness of His deed. They knew Him
from personal contact, association and affilia.
ton with Him, and for that reason if any
persons earth ought to be able to
know in themselves who He WAS they were
those persons. He wanted them to say
whether the test had been sufficient for them and
they had a well-grounded faith in Hum. And
when they answered what the people had said,
He said to them: Now whom say We that am?'
Simon Peter, the impetuous, the always prompt
Peter spoke up for the whole company. and said:
'Thou art the Christ. the Son of the living God y