The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-12-05

the day that their Representatives
made him Judge.
E"LlGHT"WHICHlS DARKNESS.
Matt. 6. %. eff therefore the light that
is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness?"
Rev. j. O. Cough, pastor Of the
Baptist church of Manning, was
pleased from his pulpit few Sun
days ago, to make an assault upon
Mr.. Wesley by reading certain his
torical quotations Not being pres
ent, and suspecting the character OF
the extracts, I propounded several
questions, signing the pseudonym of
"a Methodist" This had the effect
to draw Mr.. Cough out, by giving
the public the said quotations, all OF
which were extracts from a book
| written by a Mr.. Graves, the prince
of calumniators, published in 1856,
and answered the same year by
Mr.. Brow nlow, who came right down
| to the level of his opponent, and tri-
umphantly vindicated the Methodist
church from the foul aspersions OF
this rufian Baptist author. Where
ever Graves's book went, Brownlow's
reply went, and served as a complete
antidote to the poison flung out to
kill Methodism. So complete was
this reply, that have heard nothing
from 'sThe Great Iron Wheel, until /
read these extracts from the book,
by Mr.. Cough.
If Mr.. Cough proposes to fight US
with this book, the "Reply" can be OBJ
tanned, which will efectually dry up
TINS fountain of iniquity.
Nearly ffty-three years ago, was
sent on the Edge6eld circuit, which
was composed of twenty-three ap-
pointments. This circuit embraced
the whole of Edgefeld, Aiken, and a
part of Abbeville counties. Metho-
dism was Comparatively y small thing,
while the Baptists prevailed over that
portion OF the country. A Baptist
preacher took it upon himself to de-
nounce Methodism in general, and
Mr.. Wesley in particular. That was
a fighting age, and Methodist
preacher was nothing that could not
defend his church. One day after a
violent attack by this pugilistic Bap-
tist, a good Baptist brother said to
me: Brother Mood, you Methodists
might as well give up at once and
come over and join US, for in ten
years the Baptist church will swallow
you'll up" replied to him that the
man Of his church could not hold US.
Five times ten years have passed
since then and Methodism has en-
Ilarged every year and is more vigor-
lous and more numerous than at any
| time in her history.
! These slanders against Mr.. Wesley
have been replied to again and again,
but every now and then.some fedge-
ling, reaaing Graves, or some other
lauthor of the kind, fancies that he
has discovered a powerful weapon with
(which to annihilate Methodism, and
| with flourish of trumpets and with
flying banners, hurls his shafts at the
! Methodist church, but these persecu-
tons have only served to make her
stronger in gospel truth.
| Mr.. Coughs reply to the questions
propounded is an attempt to divert
| from the true issue between the Bap-
fists and AIethodists churches. The
true issue is not immersion baptism,
I for the different sects of immersion
lists constantly re-baptize each other,
and one of the forms of baptism by
1.-THE Methodist church is by INNER
sion. But the true issue is exclusive
immersion baptism. Our Baptist
| brethren admit no variation of form,
| and so exclusive is their view, that
Ithey will not admit to their sacra-
mental communion, any one unless
|be has been baptized by immersion,
|by one of his owr preachers, and the
person a member of the Baptist
Echurch at the time Of the communion.
! It is a sad commentary upon a
minister of the gospel, sustained BY
a few of his members who have more
Izeal than knowledge, to descend from
the profound doctrines OF the gospel
and turn their squibs upor sister
denomination, with whom they are
in professed friendship and love and
Ibv perversion of historical facts at
tempt to unsettle the opinions of the
young and proselyte them into their
church. There is g degradation in
this course of conduct, which is hu-
initiating to behold, by an honorable
person. Would it not be better for
Mr.. Cough to place higher estimate
on the gospel and a lower one on
baptism, and say with the Apostle
LIST. Paul, 1st Cor. l. II: "For
Christ sent me not to baptize, but to
preach the gospel"
It is well known that Mr. Wesley
in the early part of his ministry, was
an extreme high-church-man, and
held in common with few ecclesi-
astics of the church of England, a
preference for immersion as a mode
of baptism, but never held to ezclus-
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