The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-07-12
Close Com muniOn,
Editor Herald:

EulbOr herald
Our dear Bro. Petite has offered
twenty five dollars as a reward for a
verse IN the Bible in favor of omen
communion. | do not wish the twenty
i've dollars, but / do wish that the
public should know something CON
corning the other side of this question
! love the Baptist church. It's mem.
Ders when they are converted are as
good as the converted members of any
other denomination, but no better
So, this article is not fight on the
Baptist church God bless it more and
more. J Nor criticism on Bro. Petite
but | wish to turn little light on this
subject. Let me say, furthermore
that 1t is not so much a question of
open or close communion, as it is of
exclusive immersion. They stand or
fall together. Close communion is the
logical sequenter of exclusive INNER
sion Remove the one, aud the other
goes necessarily.
Now, what are the facts concerning
exclusive Immersion, upon which
hangs close communion. Introduce a
paper by the learned Baptist histo-
ran, the Rev. DR.. William II. Whit
sitt He is one Of the leading-if not
the leading scholar in the South.
No man had better opportunities to
ascertain facts than he At the time
OF writing the article given below he
was The historian in the BAPTIST Thee
logical Seminary, located in Louis
vile, Ky, and afterwards, uron the
death of DIR. Broadus, became its pres
ident Hear bin:
BAPTIST BAPTISM.
During the autumn Of 1877. shortly
after | had been put in charge of the
School OF Church History at the South
ern Baptist Theological Seminary, in
preparing my lectures on Baptist His
tory, | made the discovery that, prior
to the year 1641, our Baptist people in
England were in the practice of sprink-
ling and pouring for baptism. | kept it
to myself until the year 1880, when
had the happiness to spend my summer
vacation at the British museum. There
| assured myself largely by researches
among King Georges pamphlets, that
my discovery was genuine and estab-
llshed it by many irrefragable proofs
from contemporary documents.
Upon my return to New York, IN
September, 1880, | felt 50 sure of nv
I ground that l made known my discov
cry in the columns of the 'Independ-
ent. 1t was received with much dis
approval and sneers from many quar-
ters 'Iion's Advocate, Of Portland,
Me-, and the Standard, of Chicago,
will be found, upon consulting their
files, to have given special attention to
the subject, Among others, | was also
engaged with Rev. Henry MARTIN
! Dexter, d. D.. whom | criticised be-
cause he had recently asserted in the
| 'Congregationalist that Roger Will
ans was immersed by Ezekiel Holli-
man, and pointed out to him that it
was entirely probable that Mr.. Will
Jams had been sprinkled by Hoffman
Apparently Dr. Dexter was int crested
| by my explanation and proofs, for he
shortly found his way to the British
Museum, where he also convinced him
self that my view was correct and my
citations authentic. AS fruit of
these researches he issued, near the
close of 1881, more than twelve
month after my discovery had been de-
clared in the Independent, the well
known volume entitled John Smith,
the Se-Baptist, wherein he adopted
my thesis. defended it by many cita-
tons, and entirely ignored my discov-
cry, as set forth in the Independent. ,
my discovery was not only EN-
braCed by such an eminent authority
as DR.. Dexter, but it has likewise been
accepted by Baptist historians of note,
who have written for the public since
it was made known. In his History
of the Baptist Churches in the United
States, DR.. Newman says of the bap-
tism Of John Smith: 1T is almost
certain that the rite was administered
by affusion and not by immersion
The same is conceded of Salisbury s
church, organized in London on the
18th of September, 1888 Histoy, p. 80. J
1t is ganted, he says, that contem
pOraTy testimony is UNANIMOUSLY in favor
of the view that immersion was prac
tiCed by Roger Williams, but DR..
Newman shows admirable discretion
in omltting to cite the passages.
In an article that may be seen in
the Southern Baptist Convention
Teacher for the current month OF
April, Prof. H. G. Vedder adds hi,
eminent authority to the view main.
tanned by me. He says: 'Baptists die
not always practice immersion exclus-
lively; both the Anabaptists of the con
tinent and the early English Baptists
practiced spinkling and pouring for
time as well as immersion. Gradu.
ally they came to believe that the onl,
baptism the New Testament knows il
immersion. Thus it will be seen tina
the three most eminent masters o
Baptist history in our century accep
! my discovery. In fact. it has now be
come a universal possession anon.
scholars, a commonplace in this depart
, ment. feel well repaid for the many
reproaches have endured for making
+ and maintaining this discovery. -
In conclusion, DIR. Whitsitt declares
? Il do not claim to be intallible. an,
yet in other instances where | hav
2 opened a new way have found recog
= milton and approval by the fOremos
authorities of our times. l have hope
= that these will all stand with me o
this ground likewise. Years ma
{ elapse before that result shall be de