The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-28
WHY HE is 4 BAPTIST.
Rev. Mr.. Davis Gives His
Reasons to a Taberna-
Gle Congregation.
OTHER RELIGIOUS SERVICES.
The Centenary Church Wipes Out
Its Debt for Repairing
Its Building.

~
Notwithstanding the pouring rain, a
large congregation gathered in the Taber-
nacle yesterday morning to hear the Rev.
Irving F. Davis, Of the Summit Ave-
nue. Baptist Church, tell why he was a
Baptist. Mr. Davis based his sermon on
the fifth verse of the eighth chapter oi
Solomon's song
Who is this that cometh up from the
wilderness, leaning on the arm of her be-
loved.''
The text, he said, illustrates the pro-
gress of the church through the world.
leaning upon Christ for support and trust
ing him for guidance. There is a church
universal composed of all the regenerate,
and there are churches local and visible.
Those of the regenerate who follow
most closely to the Lord in doctrine and
practice, clothe the Church in the most
beautiful garments and show the great
est honor and respect to the Master. Be-
cause believe that the Baptists do this I
am q Baptist.
We hold many things in common with
others--the doctrine of God, the Trinity
the unity Of the race, the fall in Adam
Justification by faith the free agency OF
man and predestination as taught in the
Eighth of Romans. We believe in the
eternel punishment of the wicked and
the second coming of Christ to judge the
world and to receive to himself his own.
Our church government is independent
or congregational There is no higher
church government than the local church
itself. Our great gatherings are purely
missionary and educational Our prin-
cipal peculiarity is belief in immersion
alone as baptism.
REASONS FOR IMMERSION.
Our reasons for this faith are partly
rahiio10Rfnal ny4r mn {< 81
cant, given us by our religious opponents.
The word baptise is not translation of
the Greek term, but is an anglicised form
OF the original word which means to dip,
to plunge, to submerge. In the thirteenth
century the papal decree changed the
practice from immersion to sprinkling for
baptism. The protestant church in leav-
ing the mother carried this changed prac-
tice of baptism with 1t and King James
translation coined the word "baptise'
because to have translated the Greek
word would have compelled them to use
simmerse.
Second, the historical reasons. The
great mass Of historical evidence goes to
show that immersion was the practice of
the Church for the first three centuries
after Christ.
In Chaff's Apostolic Church, we
find these words;-'.As to the outward
mode of administering this ordinance,
4bAAAS1k0AO1A eLAA1 A1Uu fSP11A1RlUR Was I'LL
questionably the original normal FORM"
DR.. Chaf further says:--.sNot till the
thirteenth century did sprinkling become
the rule and immersion the exception"
This change occurred only In the West
ern or Latin church. The Greek church
immerses to this day, and has more than
60. .000,0 COO members. They immerse all
their infants three times, each of which is
in the name of o person of the Trinity.
Baptist history in the United States
dates from 1886, when Roger Williams
organized the first Baptist forces in
Providence.
SCRIPTURAL REASONS.
Third and chiefly the reasons are scrip
turai Mark says:--"Jesus was baptised
of John in Jordan
Take instances of baptism in the gos-
pels and place the word sprinkling in
stead of baptism and note the inconsist-
ency. Then put immerse where baptize
is used and note the consistency. Christ's
baptism set forth His coming burial and
resurrection Our baptism is the sign of
our burial and resurrection with Him.
No other ordinance SO forcibly teaches
the doctrine of the atonement and the
fact of the resurrection. We do not be-
lieve baptism essential to salvation We
believe it essential to a scripturally di-
rected life. We believe that baptism
should precede the Lords Supper What
is called close communion Is close bap-
fiern