Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1886-03-18

w Tue FeCtpicnos VI ."s A'S
Now how are we TO understand and 4
interpret this, the only law OF bap-
tism in the bible? am glad Mr.. Dun
can is lawyer--hope he isl agood one
for he will not deny that svery law is
to be interpreted in the light Of all
The facts and circumstances surround
ing it's promulgation-the example
and previous teaching of the law
doctrines, customs and
principles of Those to whom the law
was given, as well as tie manner
those to whom the law was at first
given understood and carried out its
precepts.
In the space allotted to me in this
article will have to pass over the
facts that when this law was first
given there had been in existence for
ages a pure, spiritual, visible church
of Jesus Christ-possessing all the
characteristics and differentia OF the
church of Christ of any age-with
the infant children of Gods people
as a component part of its member
ship; that these children were IN his
church by the express command OF
the law-giver, Jesus Christ, and un-
less this commission, Math. %: 10, 2O.
expressly excludes them, then they
were intended to be included. L will
have to omit the argument derived
from the fact that when our Lord
made disciples during his living min
istry he never in single instance
/ required any previous instruction.
but made them disciples and taught
them afterward, just as thsi law says
1 will have to pass over all the sur
rounding facts except the one show
ing how the Apostles understood the
commission and how they acted when
they were carrying out its require
ments.
Now, reader, turn to Acts 18th
chapter. Notice the Apostles Paul,
Silas, Timothy and Luke (all these
four were together) as they come to
the gentle city Philippi-the very
kind the law required them to make
disciples of. See them as they take
their places at that female prayer
, meeting. Hear Paul as he speaks to
and pleads with those women No"
I the Lord opens the heart OF one ol
! them. Lydia attends to the things
! spoken by Paul. She believes, be
1 comes a faithful" She is made
disciple and is baptized. Here th'
record is explicit. No one else be
lieved except Lydia, but there wer'
q others baptized the record tells us
}. fActs 16:l5) "And when she wal
baptized and her family she besough
. us, saying, IF ye have judged me tt
be faithful (or a faithfully come init
l. nv house and abide there" (No
. very long since one of Mr.. Duncan
}. brethren labored hard to show Ful
. ton audience that Lydia was com
IL mercial traveller and had no house q
: Philippi. Here we find the belie'
% ing in the singular number-but on
q q persou-but the persons baptized ar
in the plural number-more than ont
8 The record says explicitly that Lydia
'e family was baptized and just
plainly tells us that none but Lydl
believed or was made faithful.
70 The word "oikos'' here translate
~ household means family, and wht
~ relating to persons always has refe
ence to the children-somrtimes
3 babes unborn. The word ''gune
translated woman, is the only woI
" IN the Greek language for wife
- married woman. So that we are to-
expressly that Lydia was wife
" married woman-baving living hu
: band, and of course she had rig
., to have, as the record says she had
family of children. These childr'
-. we're baptized and the only reas'
given in the text is that they We
~ Lydia's family-children Of faithf'
believer. 1t makes no difference
me whether these children were lii
-. babies or big babies; they were ha
r trzed On Lydia's faith or they we
baptized totally without faith.
= But" says Mr.. Duncan, ''look
,s verse 40 and see that Lydia's fam
are called brethren" Yes that
l., Just what 1 expected he would say
have seen that silly subterfuge !
r sorted to before. 1t so happens tt
the context shows US plainly that
~ "brethren" mentioned in verse
= were Luke and Timothy. All fe
~ of the Apostles went together to
:, house Of Lydia after she 'constra
., ted them," verse Is. When Paul a
iSilas we're arrested and thrown il
prison, Timothy and Luke went
their home, at the house Of Lyd
;n After a night in prison Paul q
Silas went to Lydia's house a
=, counseled with Timothy and LII
=: and then went on their journey. I
othy stayed at Philippi for seve
weeks, but Luke remained there
preached for seven years.
the This baptism was exactly accord
,,ar to the commission or law of bapti'
o,r lydia and her family were made I
,,h ciples and baptized and Luke sta.
va there for seven years and tau
the them, and others, all things the L