The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-07-10


into the fellowship of the Christian
church and is one with all the others so
far as the basis idea IS concerned. 1t
was certainly in use among the Jews in
the reception of proselytes from the
Gentiles so that the form was not new
er than the idea. 1t was practiced by
Christ whose disciples worked under
His direction. 1t was authorized by
Him as the rite of admission and was
practiced by the early church and has
continued turnout the years. 1t was
preferably by immersion. In an old
ritual coming from not later than 100
A. D. and quoted by DR.. Cobern in New
Archaeological Discoveries there is this
direction, "And if thou hast not living
water baptise into other water; and if
thou canst not in cold, then in warm.
But if thou hast neither, pour water
thrice upon the head into the name of
the Father and the Son and of the
Holy Ghost" So that thus early there
was an accommodation of the mode to
the conditions under which it was gwen
and it would seem that it is the fact of
baptism rather than the form of it up
on which stress is to be laid.
THE PERSONS.
The lesson gives two instances in the
first of which Jesus is Himself the sub
ject. John had sent his challenging
message into the ears of the Passover
pilgrims and 1t had been heralded far
and wide so that he was thronged with
listeners who pressed upon him for bap-
tism as the military rite of revolution
airy party expectant of the Messiah.
Jesus came with the rest and John
speedily knew that the man needed
nothing of the kind but urged he finally
consented and the ceremony proceeded.
Then came the opened heavens thru the
rent of which the Spirit came and Jesus
heard the voice that brought comfort
to the questioning mind if such it was
and stood forth fully conscious of the
mission that was His. The other pic
ture is that of the rich official who had
visited Jerusalem probably at the Pass
over feast for worship and heard the
wonderful story of the resurrected
Lord and the poured forth Spirit, heard
the bitter challenge of the Jew that had
stoned Stephen and was eager to know
the truth. Philip met him, taught him,
baptlsed him and sent him rejoicing on
his way one reason for his joyousness
being the free admission into the Chris
tian community where he was barred
by his condition from full access to the
heart of Judaism.
THE PURPOSE.
The purpose of baptism is initiation
into the church, the visible company of
believers, not into the spirit of a new
life. John clearly distinguished be-
tween the baptism by water and Spirit.
Jesus had no need for any change in his
character nor was it wrought by the
act. The Ethiopian had been brought
to an acknowledgement of the Lord
ship of Jesus oyer his life before the
water touched him. 1t is the symbol of
the inner fitness of the applicant be-
cause there has been already IN his
spirit the beginning Of the Kingdom s
| life and because of this he desires en-
rollment in the only organizati, n that
has as its end the bringing in of that
Kingdom of which he is already part.
| 1t is a dedication to religious and So
cial movement, not an importation of
life. Yet there are those who insist
upon the efficacy of the rite in itself &c
create changes in the person affected
and this carries with it an absolutely
exact formulary since any inaccuracY
might impair its potency. This fetish
ism is seen in the belief that baptism
will cure an i'll child or prevent sickness,
| was asked to baptise child because
it was thought that the person who hac
done so before must have made some
mistake as the little one had been sick
eversince. Surely there is need of In
structlon even in Christian America.
THE POWER.
Each sacrament is means of
grace" and Professionals recognize two,
Baptism and the Lords Supper. Be-
heving the use of the form means Of
expressing definite intent of the will
regarding it symbol of the regener-
atlng power of the Holy Spirit and &C
cepting it as the opportunity Of ex-
pressing the allegiance of the soul to
its Lord every spiritual door swings
open to Gods touch and growth must
be stimulated thereby. But this can
not be true in the case of the babe?
Certainly not. 1t is, then the recogni-
ton of the membership of the child in
the Kingdom and as such having a per-
feet right to share in the life of the
church. The parents make the dedi-
cation of the child to God and assume
the obligation of so caring for its nur-