Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-05-27
DUNCAN'S GOSPEL LESSONS.
REPLY NO. 2l.

Of few passages of scripture which
bear on the question of the mode of
using water in the ordinance of bap- {
ism. The reader must bear in mind
that John and the Apostles baptized
in the very same places where they
preached. No single example can be
found in the word of God where any
one ever left the place where he was
converted in order to hunt water for
the ordinance of baptism. When
John preached in the wilderness he
baptized in the wilderness; when he
preached in the River Jordan he
baptized in the Jordan; when he
preached at Aenon, near to Salim, he |
in the same identical place.
The same may be said of the Apostles
in their work. Not one of them ever
left the place where he preached in
order to go to deep water for bap-
tism. Whether in the crowded city,
sparingly supplied with water { Acts
2:41), in the private residence (Acts
1O:47, in the heathen prison, at mid
night (Acts 16:33), in the room, by
the bedside, (Acts 9:1s) or in a
heathen city, without warning or
preparation (Acts 19:l-7), baptism,
in Apostolic time, was always admin
istered without any delay or search
for water. No set of dippers on earth
ever acted in this respect as did the
Apostles.
But now some one whispers that
''Philip and the Eunuch went to the
water,' and Mr.. Duncan asks in one
of his articles, "In the name of all
reason, what did he go into the water
for if he was only sprinkleds" l re-
ply that the word of God says moth
ing about anybody ever having gone
into the water for baptism. That is
one of the 100000 blunders" of
King James translation. Let us
read that passage as it is in the
original Greek, Acts S:26-40-"But
an angel of the Lord spake unto
Philip: saying, Arise, and go toward
the south unto the way Cor road)
that goeth down from Jerusalem un-
to GAIA: the same is desert. And he
arose and went: and behold, man
of Ethiopia, Eunuch of great au-
thority under Candace, queen of the
Ethiopiams, who was over all her
treasure, who had come to Jerusalem
for to worship; and he was returning
and sitting in his chariot, and was
reading the Prophet Isaiah. And
the spirit said unto Philip, go near
and join (attach) thyself to this
chariot. And Philip ran to him and
heard him reading Isaiah the Proph-
ct, and said, understandest thou
what thou readest? And he said,
how can l, except some one shall
guide me? And he besought Philip
to step up (anabaino) and sit with
him (verse 35). And Philip opened
his mouth, and beginning from this
scripture ii. e., Isaiah, So chap,
preached unto him Jusus. And as
they went on down the way (road
they came upon ii. e., unexpectedly
some water; and the Eunuch saith
'ssee, water! what doth hinder me tc
be baptized?" (verse 81 IS spurious)
And he commanded the chariot t
stand still, and they both stepped
down (kdtaJdino) to the water, botl
, Philip and the Eunuch; and he bap
tized him. And when they steppec
up (anabdino) from the water, tn
+ Lord caught away Philip, and th
! Eunuch saw him no more, for b
: went on his way rejoicing. Thu
reader, is an accurate rendering o
+ the passage. The whole idea of go
i ling down a bank into shallow, an
h then into deep water, and then wad
: ing back again to dry and, is pur
h fiction! Nothing of the kind
p found in the inspired Greek. Th
p word andJaino in verse 81 (come ~
> put Philip upon the chariot with th
q Eunuch. When they came unel
J. pectedly upon the water they wei
both upon the chariot. And all tt
"going down. there is in the rccor
', is their stepping down from ii
chariot to the water. The wore
Z dndbdino and kdtdbdino are use
>, continually in the Classics an
= Josephus for stepping upon a stag
= S to speak or sing, and stepping dow
. again; for mounting a horse as
- dismounting again, and in Judg
u 4:15 we read, land Sisera light,
- dosUa (kdtabdino) from his chari
IL and fed
=, So it is positively certain that the
% is no "going down into the water
nor looming up out of the water"
ID Acts S:3S. 1t will be remember,
he that / challenged Disciple and N
it Duncan to give a single instance
IN the Greek of the Old or New Test
is meEt where the single proposition
'i- signified ''iat0, in the sense Of c
sh trance or development; and whe
be the single ek meant ''oH Of in Z
st sense Of emergence from. Neith
We one of those gentlemen ever dar
lie to attempt a reply. But they st
no go on repeating-"why go down
'm to the water for sprinkling:' VIII