Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-05-20


diverted from the spirits work to
the external rite. This is demon
strated by the fact that all dippers
say, "if little water is good, much
will be BETTER" showing that all the
good they know anything OF, or think
anything about, is in the external
rite. This ritualism has been the
bane and curse of christendom for |
near 1900 years. The Corinthians
said, "if little be good much will be
better" about the Lords supper and
so prostituted the ordinance.
But. now, some one says, didn't
John use "much water" in his bap-
tisms? reply with all possible en-
phasis, no! In John 1928 of Mr..
Duncan's favorite, laundering version
of King James we do find such al
expression. But the revisers say the
Greek reads "many waters" and the
ward "Enon' signifies Springs"
so that the passage read correctly is,
"And John also ii. E., as well as
jesus was baptized at the springs
near to Salem, (for there were many
springs there) and they came and
were baptized" The parenthetical
clause is thrown in to show that
John and Jesus might both carry on
their work without any collision. 1t
is not strange to any one who knows
anything about the original of the N.
T. that A. Campbell said that King
James translators "were all dipped
and they did not favor sprinkling by
any translation or note" So there is
no much water'' used with baptism
in the word of God.
But now Mr.. d. or some of hi
surviving friends will say, shut Johr
, baptized in Jordan" Well, suppose
he did? He baptized "In the tow
: of Bethany" (see John 1:2s, Revis
Version), and sin the wilderness
: MARK 1:4), and "in Enon near t.
Salem John 3:23), and Sin tn
| place" where Christ afterward mad
his residence John 10:4O.) Th
3 proposition sin" in all these passage
+; simply indicates locality, and an
5 swers to the question "where" o
a sin what places" did John baptize
e It is proper to answer Gin" the place
n mentioned above. But it should b
;, remembered that John preached Sin
f the identical places in which he bar
9 tized. He never left his preachin
e places to hunt water for baptism
g But when we ask, show did job
/. baptize?" then the proposition Sin
q signifies "with'' and indicates tb
n instrumentality-'I indeed bsptiz
Il with water" Sometimes the Gin
is expressed, but often it is omitted
ii See Mark LIS, (Revised Creek Lul
Y 3:16, Acts 1:5 and 11:16, and IL
l. use of the water in the dative cas-
II without the proposition sin" SHOW
G that the water is simply the instr
r mentality used by John in his ritu
If baptism. So that in Johns baptisr
le as in Christ's, the baptizing eleme
is was moved and put upon the person
I'd not the persons moved and put in
D, the element. And then John was
ne Jewish Priest, accustomed to Il
n ritual edivers baptisms" of the ia
lis ernacle and temple service. He b.
he never seen or heard of any other WI
of of water being used in religious ore
g nances except by sprinkling.
lal when he was ''sent to baptize'
a would administer the ordinance
a sprinkling clean, living water-n
ns impure, stagnant water-as he Meth
he knew or could know of any 9th
lat scriptural mode. That much then
lat settled.
res Twill next examine Acis 1926.
ne and I6 :23-40. 7. GALLAHEE.