The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-12-12
Baptism Succeeded Circumcision.

Baptism Succeeded C!rcamc:s:cl:.
Manning, Clarendon Co., $. c..
December 10, 1851.
20 my Methodist FrianGs:-
AS | never use a:1y policy either in
business Or political matters. GER
taiuly could not be induced 20 trii,a
with sacred Things. Wherever I ap-
proacn divine affairs, always feel
that l viii be called to account, nut
for what l believe so much as for
whatI an capa5i" OF believing. i
look nct to Calvi;. Wesley, or any
other uniEspired writer for my creed
or religious faith. staHt; on higher
grounds-tle OLD and new testa-
lpents. They are God-inspirel works,
which make up but one holy book
the sacred scriptures. ! would net
add or take from thai great lig:l;
TO our benishJed world. There can
be no ;.duit baptism whatever with
out such repen tauce ard belief rs
will make anyone ''aS perfect a. i lit
tie child Only such adult baptism
has been ordered ~ the good One
Then as s2ch = severe test is reQuired
20 I'll an adult for baptism, tie per
lection OF e little child" l''w!linh
needs no repentance can be no mis-
taken preparation FOR baptism. II
the repentance and belief of an aduit
Is not sufficiently perfect 70 at,iGit
him or ner tas the case may be- into
heaven. 10 laying on Of hands or use
Of water can scripturally result in q
Christian baptism. When the order
was given to repent and believe prior
to baptism, it meant just such q
change of heart as would render the
subject as independent OF sin las a
little child Hence, our Saviour
says: Except ye become as little
child, we can in no wise enter into
the Kingdom OF Heaven" So if an
adults repentance be not as perfect
as the innocency of "a little child,
how ''in the world can the baptism
be crip.1ral which follows, when
the subJe is TO- alike "a little
child" prepared for the Kingdom
OF Heaven? Such being the case.
there can be no mistake made when
a little child has been baptised, VII lie
adult baptism can only be a success
when the subject has been converted
through repentance and belief Il is
plain then to my mind that infant
baptism was designed 60 superseGe
that Of the adult. No minister can
by the ''laying on OF hands and the
use of water baptiZe an un2onverted
subject. There must be ti,at repent
arce and belief which is acceptable
to God. before an adult can receive
christian baptism. But the infant
by its perfection and blessing OF our
Saviour, is always prepared for bap-
tism. Could q minister successfully
baptiZe an unconyerted adult. he
would most certainly be possessed OF
a power TO perform miracles. But
the days of miracles have passed and
gone. The baptisnai virtIe resides
in the perfection Of the repentance
and belief which prepare tie adult
for baptism, and not in the supposed
miraculous inspiration Of the minis
ter. If just one class Of ministers can
alone do this baptismal work in the
eyes of a certain sect. then they must
place the essential baptismal virtue
in none of the requirements Of the
bible, but IL the minister himself,
which would be unscriptural both in
letter and IN spirit Well, then. is
not the certainty OF the perfection OF
infants far better than the uncertain
ty of the preparation OF adults? We
can make no mistake in the one,
whilst thousands of mistakes may be
made in the other. When Sod re-
quired the Jew TO be circuIncised in
infancy, the virtue of said circun-
cision resided IL the inuocsncE and
perfection OF early childhood. Tne|
same reason why Sod ordered infants
to be circumcised no doubt prompted
our Saviour'to say: Suffer little
children to come unto me, and for
bid them not AS the old testament
is book Of prophecy much older
than that Of the new. the one last
written, should be translated to con
cord with first Otherwise, we ignore
prophecy to a considerable extent.
Let us translate the figures il the
new testament so aS to make them
conform with the prophecies IN the
old. What goes before. in the old
testament must forever stand. SO
what comes after in the new tesla
nens must be considered as resting
upon that which preceded it. When
we read a prophecy fairly translated
in the old testament, we must lind
fault with any translation OF the
new which would seem to dispute
said prophesy. When John said to
our Saviour on the banks Of Jordan.
81 have need to bc baptized Of thee,
and Jesus answered, suffer it to be
so now, for it becometh US to fulfill
all Righteousness" did not Christ by
the use of the word fulfill, point to a
prophecy in the old testament which
foretold the manner of his baptism
Did he not point John to this verse
of Isiah's: 80 shall he sprinkle
many nations; the kings shall shut
their mouths at him: for that which
had not been told them shall they
see; and that which they had not
heard shall they consider The
word fulfill could not have alluded
to the new testament, as that book
was not written at that time.
Yours il the faith,
JOHN J.. EAsTERLING.