The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-27
BAPTISTS' VIEWS.
Actual Immersion, 1t Is Now
Said, Is Not Prerequisite
to the Lords Supper.
EMINENT DIvINEs SPEAK
Reasons Why the Change Of Doc
trine, Is Accepted-Among
the Churches.
EMINENT DIyINES SPEAK

"In baptism a p~requisite to the Lords
superb was the topic discussed at the
fifteenth annual meeting of the Baptist
congress, recently held in Chicago. The
position taken by DR.. Q. p Clifford, of
Buffalo, and DR.. r. Fl. CoRWell, of Pllila-
delphia, two of the most eminent divines
in the denomination, indicated a decided
change of sentiment among Baptists on
the subject of communion. Never per-
haps in the history of the Baptist denomi-
nation has so important a doctrine been
stricken dow on sue short notice.
Theodore M. .Banta, of Brooklyn, de-
clared that he had been a Baptist for 40
years, and for 16 years was a close com
m%unionist.
81 have studied the question carefully
said Mr.. Banta,, in conclusion, land l
have read all the close communion tracts
and books of the American Baptist Pub
LEGATION Society, and as at consequence of
my reading / have cone to the conclu-
sion that | nave been wrong. / stand
here tonight opposed to close communion.
What is the purpose OF the Lords sup
per? To bring to our remembrance the
death, burial and resurrection of our
LOid Silld OG9QS Sill 81 IN Nv tAAAo
it is not necessary tina the communicate
should be first immersed or baptised. It
is not Christian, and when we insist to
the contrary, we mistake the shadow for
the substance.
Rev. DR.. o. P. Clifford, of Buffalo, said:
we challenge the assumption that the
New Testament does furnish US with the
model of the church; that the model of
the church was furnished in Corinth, or
Rome, or Ephesus; that the practice of
the church in the first century is a COM
mon law. all the departures from that
practice SAVIOR of sedition and anarchy.
The essence of the Lords supper is in the
power to discern the Lords body. I'm
mersed men fail to discern the Lords
body do not observe the Lords supper.
Immersed men who do discern the
Lords body do observe the Lords sup
per-
DR.. Clifford quoted >liberaliy from DR.. A.
H. Strong's article on 9Th Unconscious
Assumptions OF Communion Polemics,"
n reached the conclusion that it is
often the serious misfortune Of able n
one men that they unwittingly argue
upon premises which when formally
StdlGG, tlSy WOQlI HSStlaltuSiy lSpuuidte.
The first OF the unconscious assump-
tions that underlie the arguments to
which we allude." said DR.. Clifford, lis
this:-Tnat the practice of the churches
is q sort of common law which when
ccditied may supplement cr qualify the
law of the New Testament. Second as
sumption. That there is no fixed, com
pleto and binding system of church
organization revealed in the New Tesla
rneat. Third assumption. The ordinances
are purely formal and external instead Of
being, living expressions of the inmost
realities of the Christian faith.
ITO meet these assumptions, it is
argued that the law of Christ is adequate,
that men ma not change it; that the
New Testament furnishes US with the
model of the church; that there are no
exceptions to its rules. a divine lay is
far-seeing and needs no change: Upon
this ground the BapEists brotherhood
ave stood and 60 stand"
DR.. Conwcll, of Philadelphia, took the
same position. He declared that not only
was baptism not q prerequisite to the
Lords supper, but on the contrary, 1t was
an ordinance peculiarly adapted to the
needs of the erring and imperfect:
DR.. Theodore A. K. GesSler, of Lake
Hopatcong, N. j., declared that baptism
was not even a church ordinance and that
Baptists had no right to dictate who shalt
sit at the Lords table. Spirituality and
not conformance to church ordinance, he
maintained, was the divine conception of
the Lords supper.
Rev. D. Lotus. of Nashville. Tenn,
insisted upon baptism as a prerequisite to
communion.
Rev. j. w. Conley. of st. Paul, took a
somewhat more liberal view, and, all
though apparently unwilling to let go Of
tho old doctrine, indirectly repudiated it.