The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-04-08
Of a Splendid Qualify is De
liyeTed by the Rev,
Father Hayden.

One Of the best sermons OF the
mission was preached at the Catholic
church last night by Father Hay
den. His subject was The Mercy
OF God" It was strong apr.,.i 10
everything that Is best in man to
give up sin and serve God faithful-
~.
There Will be no services at the
Catholic church this evening, as the
entire time viii be given to. confess
Isions.
The mfsaton services will come to
a close tomorrow evening.
Among the questions answered the
principal one Of general interest was
the following:
Baptism by Immersion.
Question What is the correct way
OF baptizlng? Was not Christ bap-
ti2ed by immersion?
Answet The essential things IN
baptism are that water be applied
to some part Of the body OF the per-
son to be baptized. preferably the
forehead, by one who has at least
the Intention to do what Christ
meant should be done when He in
stituted baptism, and that at the
same time the person should say, III
.baptize thee in the name of the
Father, and OF the Son, and Of the
Holy Ghost" Christ did not de-
termine the way in which the water
was to be applied. The ordinary
way in use in the Catholic church
today is pouring" though any
other way is looked upon as valid.
The questtoner. suppose, is OF
opinion that baptism by immersion
is the only correct form. Those who
adhere to immersion as the only
form OF baptism offer in support Of
their contention first or all the fact
that the word in the Greek CORE
spending to our word 'fbaptize"
means to immense. 1t is true that
the first and most common mean
ing of the word was to immerse or
plunge under the water. but the
word has many secondary meanings.
Did Christ use the word In It's first
meaning or in secondary meaning?
THE context does not show it, and
the belief and practice OF the early
sqhtistian Ashureh fayots the latter.
Mo- conclusive sargumept, Wherefore,
Iean NE drawn from the word itself,
Their second argument is taken
from Rom. 6:4: For we are buy-
led together with Him by baptism
into death;s that as Christ. is risen.
| from the dead bysthe glory OF the
Father, 50 We also may walk in
newneks of life" According to this
they say We must he buried in the
water. But St,lPaul was here plain,
'ly not giving any doctrine concern
ing the manner OF baptizing. He
was simply using the ordinary way
in which baptism was at that time
being administered publicly to adults
in the churches to illustrate an
other truth, viz: that once we have
been baptized. once We have really
become Christian. we must be
dead to sin and rise to new life in
Christ; the same idea which he de-
!scrtbes in another place as putting
off the old man and putting on the
new" In the very next verse. he
repeats the same idea UNDER Another
figure, that of being planted"
which sure does not mean baptism
by immersion. Il
The next argument is taken from
the fact that Christ was baptized
that way. Perhaps Christ was bap-
tizod that way. Catholics generally
concede it, as they consider it of no
Importance in the matter OF Chris
tian baptism, lHowever, if required,
a strong argument could be put up
on the other side, The Oldest rep
resentations we have Of the baptism
of Christ are found in the Roman
CataconNbs. There Christ is repre-
scented as standing at the river, and.
St. John is pouring the water from
- -1,nit ,,DoN HE 'hpad This Ia hs n
tism by pouring, and yet fulflls all
the texts OF Scripture: sic went
down into the water and came up
out OF the water
But If Christ was baptized by int.
mersion, what of it? Christ did not
receive Christian baptism, but the
baptism OF John, which was a thin5I
entirely distinct from Christian bap-
tism, or, the baptism which Christ
Instituted. In Acts 10; is we have