Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-16
MODES OF BAPTISM.
DIR. G. Z. Taylor breaches an Inter-
esting Discourse.
His Sermon AT the First Baptist
Church Last Evening-Immer.
sion Strongly Upheld,

At the First Baptist church last even
ing Rev. DR.. c. E. Taylor preached on
the subject, "The Mode of Baptism as
practiced by Christ and His Apostles and
the Cause of Change" The text was
from Ephesians. 14:5.
lone Lord, one faith, one baptism"
As Baptists, said the preacher. We al
ways avoid. where possible, controversy.
We bid each person take the scriptures
and follow their light. But recently it
has been boldly stated. in this city, that
immersion, as mode of baptism, is with
out scriptural authority and that the
grounds upon which we rest our mode of
observing the rite are pure assumptions.
The question as to the scriptural mode of
baptism is purely one of facts and not
one OF conjecture or opinion, nor are the
facts difficult to obtain. Our text refers,
not to the spiritual baptism. but to the
act of baptism in water.
ORIGIN OF BAPTISM.
Baptism begins with John the Baptist
whence did Johu receive the ordinance?
1. Not from Jewish Proselyte Baptism,
as it is the verdict of all scholars who
have Investigated the subject that the
Proselyte baptism was unknown among
the Jews till after the destruction of Jeru-
salem, and there is no hint in scripture of
such origin. g Not from the iustrs.
tlons. sprinklings and publications of the
Old Testament. g. From God as refer
ence too. see John 1 :33 and MatthewXXI,
23:27. The Christian church received the
ordinance from Christ IS shown in
Matthew XVIII, 10.
MODE OF BAPTISM.
The mode OF baptism as practiced BY
Christ and his apostles was the immersion
of the believer, in water, and after the
commission was given this was to be done
in the name OF the trinity. That the
mode was immersion is certain:
/. From the meaning of the word
baptize, which is always to dip, to sink.
to plunge into. TO immerse, and never has
the meaning of TO sprinkle or to pour
see Lexicons of Liddell and Scott, Dome
gan. Pickering, Robinson's Lexicon of
New Testament Greek, Cremers Biblico,
Theological Lexicon of New Testament
Greek, Lexicon Of the Greek of the Byz
antine period BY Prof. E. A. Sopboles,
the German Lexicons of Rost, Pape and
Passow.
2. Early trsnslations The Syrisc,
made in the second century, two Egyp-
tian made in the third and fourth centu-
ries; early Latin, made in Africa very
early; jerome, about the beginning of
the fourth century, transferred the word,
not because of doubt about the mode, but
because of q superstitious reverence for
the original word, but in his
personal writings he translates
also translation Of Ultilss and Lower
Saxon bible.
8. Practice Of the Christian church
for 1900 years. (See al credible church
historisns.)
4. The practice of the Greek church,
especially the Greek church in Greece.
A letter from DR.. a. Diomedes Kyriaskc.
professor Of church history in the uni
versity Of Athens. Greece. under date of
August, 1890, affirms that the Greek
church does now and always has baptized
by dipping and that bsptizo never has
the meBning to pour or sprinkle
3. The testimony of christian scholars
in all ages of the christian church; among
historians, Nesnder, Moshism. Kurtz
Schoff and all of note or authority.
Among leaders of christian thought, Mar
tin Luther, Zwingli. John Calvin, John
Wesley and all commentators and schol-
ars who speak simply as scholars and
faithful interpreters and not as advocates
for peculiar practice.
g. The bagtism Of Jesus; see Mark |.
$40, Kai Ebaptisths Upo Joannee is ton
Jordanan; Kai eutheo5 Ansbsinonek tou
udstos, can mean only when literally
translated, that Jesus was immersed into
the Jordan, Geikie speaks thus of Christ s
baptism. Holy and pure before sinking
under the waters, he must have risen
from them with the light of higher
glory in his couDtenance
OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED.
A large part of the christian world OBJ,
serves sprinkling or pouring as the mode
of baptism and of course seeks to Justify
its course. Hence we often find persons
who as scholars admit that immersion was
the New Testament mode of baptism,
VIM yCt pidCLiCS dDOtuer uOO6 ana enter
upon line of special pleading in Its de-
Tense. They have inherited sprinkling as
the mode Of baptism and grown up to so
regard it and have inherited arguments
more or less plausible in itsfavor In these
special rleadIngs for an inherited practice
such persons. /. Spend good deal of
time on Greek propositions We can
maintain that the argument from this
source is in our favor. but our case does
not rest on the propositions. 2. They
dwell much on the word bspto. But this
word is never used in connection with
christian baptism, yet its use is wholly in
favor of immersion. 3. They speak as
if the Christian church was the continues
ton of the Jewish Theocracy and as if
baptism took the place of the sprinklin 8
and purifyings OF the Old Testament
But the church is not remodelled Juda-
ism. nor was Christ priest after the
order Of Aaron; for instance see epistles
to the Galations and Hebrews. The
church was founded on Christ not Juda-
ism. Much handling Is made of the use
of the word sprinkle in the Old Tesla