Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-06-30

Preached at the baptist Church. Ellsworth.
Published a. onc u the sermons ~ Ellsworth
pa-tor-.
John l3 BY caU nae Muster.
(Tearier Ind Lord lComnundrr) and ye
do 'r,It, for 50 nm.
Yea, Son OF God. we delight TO call Thee
Master and Lord We acknowledge that
Thou art our teacher. We would OWE
Thy lordship over Us by striving to be 10y
al TO Thee in all things, at all times.
Two X ago it was my privilege to
administer the ordinance of baptism. To-
day We a. Baptist church, shall ''rrp-
claim the Lords death" in the observance
Of the Lord', Supper, Between the hap-
tism and The partakiug Of the supper stand.
the union meeting Of lE>t SUNDAY eyenr =
in the interests Of our church alliance,
which has as one Of it. objects the help
ing toward the answering Of Clrist's pray
er that they may all be one
Although doubtless some, and perhaps
many, would question the wisdom Of look
Ing at matters as | do, yet find, in
the combination Of these three things. the
baptism, the observance Of the Lord'. Sup
per and the union meeting, justification
for the sermon Of today.
Il i scarcely necessary to say that Bap
fists are. in many respects, in perfect
agreement with all other evangelical de
nominations That they are in disagree
ment, on some points, i well known.
1t has been said that The true organ
ling prime pie of Baptis: churches may be
stated IN three words; it is oiei,snr. Ia
christ. The principle OF obed-
ience TO Christ is The Baptist principle
4 Bspti-ts hold that believers alone
are ,criptural subjects Of baptism. This
i only another way OF saying tha, We con-
sGrr ''the baptism Of all others, whether
adult unbelievers or unconscious infants,
utterly unwarranied." II Is necessary to
60 into the beginning Of the third century
after Christ to find the hrst reference to
the subject Of infant baptism.
And We believe strongly that il any one
VIII carefully examine the so called proof
texts fer infant baptism he will be ,lriy-
en- to confess That among all the texts OF
scripture cu>tomarily cited TO attest the
doctrine or practice Of infant Baptism
that, suppo>irg The doctrine or practice not
already III the thought of the student,
would ever have 20 much as suggested the
idea of it, in the faintest suspicion 10 his
mind"
II. Bapti-ts hold that baptism is al
ways and only immersion.
Strictly speaking We cannot talk of in
fant baptism" because the child or old
er person who is sprinkled or poured up
on is not baptized If this were the mere
expression of our opinion, as Baptists,
modesty would demand that we should
say lis not baptized We MiHh' or 'Aold'
or "beliers." Just because the form OF
baptism is not matter of opinion of Bap
fists can make the assertion as have
| believe that it IS principle of law that
the admission Of the adverse party, wher
deliberately made, Is the strongest author
ity. Our appeal, as Baptists, Is to the
New Testament. There we find teaching.
10 reference to something which is calleC
baptism" We are willing to acknow
ledge that our opinion, as based on stud,
| By Bartists. may not be worth much. W.
| think that Our opinion, based on the testi
mony Of the adverse party" those who il
their practice use some other form thar
| immersion, is worth great deal.
| Moses Stuart, the late eminent Congre
| gational scholar of Andover, took occa
sion to examine carefully the testimony o
made confession in this strong language
"Jdpto and Jdptiz0 mean to dip, to plunge
| to immerge iato anything liquid. All lex
/ icographers and critics of any note" b.
says, "ars agreed in this" But his exam
ination does not stop with the lexicons
He looks with care through the classica
writers. His search leads him to say, Il
| is impossible to doubt that the word
Japto and baptizo have, in the Greek elias
steal writers, the sense of dip, plunge, i'm
merse, sink, etc"
1889, DR.. Maclaren, in his notes on tn
lesson in the Sunday School Times, sal
that Jesus was immersed. numbe
wrote to DR.. Trumbull, who is not Bar
tist, protesting. In an editorial he said
Most christian scholars of every demon
ination are agreed in finding the primitiv
meaning of the word baptize to be to dip
or to mmerse.' The sweep of scholar
ship In and out of the Baptist church is i
favor of immersion as principal NEAR
ing of the word baptize. A very larg
portion of the scholars of the world agre
with DR.. Maclaren that immersion was th
mode of Johns baptism"
But it is worth our while to see whs
church historians have to say. Pro
Fisher, of Ylle, says: Baptism, it is no
generally agreed among scholars, ws
commonly by immersion"
Prof Paine, of the Bangor Seminar,
teaches that immersion is baptism. Con
planned Of by some of his friends
justified himself by saying: sit may
honestly asked by some, was imme
sion the primitive form of baptism. ant
if so, what then? As to the questio
of fact, the testimony Is ample and decii
i've. No matter Of church history is clea
er. The evidence is all one way, and q
church historians of any repute agree