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July 5, 1911 ]
ANOTHER INTERESTING BIT OF
BAPTIST HISTORY.
By Rev. S. M. Tenney.
(Continued from page 617).
The Confession published in English
just after Smyth's death (1612) and
before 1614 has paragraph "39. That
all mortified persons are also buried
with Christ, by the baptism, which is
unto his death (Rom. vi.:5, Col. 11:12)."
It is a significant comment on the early
Baptist use of this expression burled
with Christ, by the baptism," etc., to
read paragraph 41, "That there are
grafted with Christ to the similitude
of His death and burial shall also be
to the similitude of His resurrection
(Rom. vi:4, 5). (It is hoped by the
reviewer that the reader will notice
carefully the Scripture references cited
by these early Baptists are the same
that are so much used by the Baptists,
of today) :"for He doth quicken or
give life unto them, together with himself
(Col. ii.: 13, Eph. ii:5, 6); for that
is their salvation, and it is by grace
(Eph. li.:5; 1 John v.:ll, 12,13; Titus,
lii.: 5,6,7). 42. That this quickening
or reviving of Christ this laYer of regeneration
(emphatic words mine), this
renewing of the Holy Ghost, is that pure
river of water of life clear as crystal,
etc. (p. 73).
Paragraph 71 reads "That in Baptism
to the penitent person, and believer
there is presented and figured the spiritual
baptism of Christ, (that is) the
baptism of the Holy Ghost, and tire:
the baptism into the death and resurrection
of Christ," etc. (p. 79). The
Confession of the English Baptist
printed 1611 says, "That Baptism or
washing with water is the outward
manifestation of dying unto sin and
walking in newness of life, Rom. vi.:2,
3,4 (p. 89). The Confession of 1644?
the first to institute baptism by immersion
only Art. xi. has: "The way and
manner of the dispensing of this Ordinance
the Scripture holds out to be
dipping or plunging the whole body
under water; it being a signe, must
answer the things signified, which are
these: first, the washing the whole
soul in the bloude of Christ; secondly,
that interest the Saints have in the
death, buriall, and resurrection; thirdly,
together with a confirmation of our
faith, that as certainly as the body is
buried under water and riseth againe,
so certainly shall the bodies of the
Saints be raised by the power of
Christ in the day of the resurrection,
to reigne with Christ" (p. 185).
The Confession of 1656 called the
Somerset Confession, owned by the
churches in the west of England has
on this point Act xxiv. " * it
is the duty of every man and woman
Mo be baptized (Acts 2:38,
8:12. 37. 38). that is dirmed or buried
under the water (Rom. 6:3,4; Col.
2:12), * * * therein to signify and
represent a washing away of sin (Acts
22:16), and their death, burial and resurrection
with Christ (Rom. 6:5, Col.
2:12), and ? (p. 208).
The Confession of 1677 which was
but a slight modification of the Westminster
Confession says?Chap, xxlx.:
"1. Baptism is an Ordinance of the New
Testament ordained by Jesus Christ, to
be unto the party Baptized a sign of
his fellowship with Him, In His death,
and resurrection: of his remission of
sins; and of his giving up unto God
through Jesus ChrlBt, to live and walk
In newness of life" (p. 270).
The New Hampshire Confession first
published In 1830, and with additions
in 1853, and which was adopted as the
"Articles of Faith" of the Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary now located
at Fort Worth, Tex., under the
presidency of Dr. B. H. Carroll, this
Confession says (Act. xiv.): "We believe
that Christian Baptism is the 1m
THE PRESBYTEBI
mersion of a believer in water, in the
name, * * to show forth in a solemn
and beautiful emblem, our faith
in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour
with itB purifying power; that it is prerequisite
to the privileges of a church
relation" (p. 306). The Confession of
the Freewill Baptists adopted and published
in 1834 has "Christian Baptism
(d) This is the immersion of believers
in water (e) in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost, (f) in* which are
represented their death to the world,
the washing of their souls from the pollutions
of sin (g), their resurrection to
newness of life, the burial and resurrection
of Christ, their resurrection at
the last day, (h) and their engagement
to serve God" (p. 326).
The Confession of Faith of the Ger
man Baptists published 1908 says: Art.
8, "Baptism is a first fruit of faith and
love to Christ, the entrance into obedience
toward the L<ord (6) and his
church (7). It is the solemn declaration,
the confession of the sinner (8)
who has recognized the frightfulness
of sin and the damnability of his whole
being (9): that he sets all his hope
solely on the death and the resurrection
of Jesus Christ his Saviour (10)
and believes on him as the Redeemer
from the curse and wages of sin (11),
?that he consecrates himself with body
and soul to Christ and puts him on
(12), as his righteousness and strength
(13),?that he gives his old man to
death and wishes to walk with Christ in
a new life. (14). Baptism is, moreover,
the solemn declaration and assurance
of God to the believing candidate that
he is swallowed up in Christ Jesus (IB),
and so with him dead, buried and risen
again (16); that his sins are washed
away (17) and that he is a beloved
child of God in whom the Father is well
pleased (18). Baptism should call
forth the consciousness of his deliverance
and salvation in the candidate
more definitely and powerfully (19)
and such will God work through a sealing
with the Holy Spirit (20) though
only where he has previously brought
forth through this Spirit true saving
faith in the Son of God in the power
of his death and his resurrection" (pp.
340, 341).
In the Confession of Faith of the
Union of churcheB in France published
in 1879 we find, Art. ix.: "We believe
that baptism is, for Christians voluntarily
dead to the world and to sin, the
striking and solemn emblem of burial
and resurrection with Christ, to whom
they are united by faith to live In Him.
a new ahd a holy life" (p. 359). With
these quotations from the various Confessions
I would like my readers to
associate the language of "The Baptist
Catechism" which is but a modification
of the Westminster Shorter Catechism
Ques. 80, "Why Is baptism administered
in water? Ans. The water of baptism
represents the cleansing from sin already
wrought by the Holy Spirit. Acts
22: 16; lPt. 3:21." "Ques. 81. Why was
immersion prescribed by our IjOrd as
the external act by which one professes
his faith? Ans. Th^burlal in water
and the being raised therefrom represent
that the believer has died to sin
and has risen to a new life in Christ"
(p. 25).
Now read the later Catechisms by
Rev. C. H. Rowe and J- A. Broadus:
"123. What does baptism signify? It
sets forth in a solemn and impressive
emblem the believer's faith in Christ,
and his union with him in his death,
hnrlal onrl roanrrnntlr\? O.Ai
MU* > vwui ? Wbi\/Iit XXI/1D 6.11, IVU111
6:4 (p. 33). "4. What does this signify?
The water signifies purification
from sin, and the immersion signifies
that we are dead to sin, and like Christ
have been burled and risen again"
(Broadus, p. 32). With these associations,
the following from the "Query
A. N OF THE SOUTH)
Department" of the Baptist Standard,
iBBue of March the 9th, 1911: "Baptist
believe the mode of baptiBm is by immersion
only. That baptism symbolizes
not the work of the Holy Spirit, but
the work of Jesus, particularly His resurrection
from the graYe" (emphatic
words by author). .
1 have quoted thus very fully that it
might be made very plain to the most
careless reader how greatly our Baptist
Brethren have modified their ideas
as to the significance of baptism. In
the earlier Confessions one notices
such expressions as this: "The whole
action of external, visible, baptism
places before our eyes, testifies and
signifies that Jesus Christ baptizes internally,
in a laver of regeneration and
renewing or the Holy Spirit," washing
away * * * through the virtue and
operation of the Holy Spirit, which is
a true heavenly spiritual and living
water." "The whole dealing in the outward
visible baptism of water, settled
before the eyes wltnesseth and Bignifleth
the Tx>rd Jesus doth Inwardly baptize
* * in the laver of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost
washing the soul, etc."; "These that
rre grafted with Christ to the similitude
of His death and burial shall also
to the similitude of his resurrection for
He doth quicken * * * ; this quickening
or receiving of Christ, this laver of regeneration,
this renewing of the Holy
Ghost, is that pure river of water"; "in
baptism to the penitent person *
is presented and figured the spiritual
baptism of Christ, the baptism of the
Holy Ghost."
It will be observed that everywhere,
here baptism is a washing, cleansing,
and represents the baptiBm of the Holy
Ghost. Not until immersion entered in
1644 did the burial theory come into
existence. A careful reading of the
Confessions since that date will show
how gradually the Holy Spirit has
dropped out of the Confessional significance
of baptism, until those of recent
years speak of baptism as only "a solemn
and beautiful emblem" of "our
faith In a crucified, burled, and risen
Saviour," and Baptists of today make
bold to write "baptism symbolizes, not
the work of the Holy Spirit, but the
work of Jesus, particularly His resurrection
from the grave." Not after
immersion is adopted as the only mode
do the C onfessional statements lay any
emphasis on the laver of regeneration,
or the washing, but more on the being
united to Christ. Only in the German
Confession is the Holy Spirit mentioned
after "immersion only" is adopted. And
it is worthy of notice how the passage
is made from "burled with Christ" to
"like Christ have been buried and risen
again."
I doubt not that it is the mission of
the Holy Spirit to make Himself of no
reputation, "not to speak of Himself,"
but to take of the things of Christ and
show them unto us, and I doubt not
tnai tnis union with Christ in His
death, burial and resurrection is the
work of the Holy Spirit In applying
to us the redemption purchased by
Christ, but I doubt very much the authority
for eliminating the "one baptism"
by the Holy Spirit altogether
from the articles of our faith, and the
SECURITY A
THAT M
THE AMERICAN
Thm Skytcrapmr Main and 7c
8 , LEARN *
(641) 17
direct connection of water baptism with
the results obtained through the Spirit
baptism. I do not think Sacred Writ
means to emphasize so much here the
person of the Holy Spirit as the baptism
through which we are united to
Christ. These comments, are by the
way, our point is to call the attention
of the reader to the significance of the
changes of our Baptist Churches in
their theory of baptism. It is a far
cry from the position of their fathers?
"the whole action of external, visible
baptism places before our eyes, testifies
and signifies that Jesus Christ baptizes
internally in a laver of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost,"
in hontlom
... UuKu?ui iu me persun presented and
figured the spiritual baptism of the
Holy Ghost." I say it is a far cry from
this teaching to the Baptists of our
day "baptism symbolizes not the work
of the Holy Spirit."
A study of the development of the
burial theory of baptism is of intense
interest.
(To be continued.)
H AMPDEN-8IDNEY COLLEGE.
By common consent the 135th Commencement
of Hampden-Sidney College
June 11-14, has been pronounced the
most successful in recent years.
The Baccalaureate sermon was
preached Sunday morning, June 11th,
by the Rev. J. D. Paxton, D. D., of
I jVnphhnr?r Vn f ? 1 1 "*,n
?????.di ? tivai me lt;ai. whoboever
hath, to him shall be given" (Luke
8: 18), His theme was "The scientific
justification of the Christian," whom he
showed to be the latest term of a long
ascending series?chaos, order, organized
matter, life, soul, spirit.
The annual address before the Y. M.
C. A. was delivered in the college chapel
Sunday night by the Rev. C. R. Stribling
C84), of Petersburg. Va? from
1 Kings 2: 1. He chose as his text the
words, "Show thyself a man," and developed
his discourse by pointing out
that to be a truly successful man one
must have a purpose in life, a plan in
life, and more than all else a powpr in
(Coattnuea on page 20 i
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