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September 20, 1011 ] THE
opened its gales to Israel and the Gentiles, respeetively.
As, however, the Textns Receptus,
'1 ischendoi 1 and Nestle have epi upon in Acts
2:38 there is only one undisputed passage,
Acts 10:48, where baptidzo with en is used in
the sense of authority.
2. Locality. "In or at the Jordan .River,"
Alt. 3:8; Alck. 1:5; "in the wilderness," Alck.
1:4; "In or at Aenon,'' John 3: 23.
3. Agency, means, instrumentality, "with
water," "with the Holy .Spirit. The phrase
Willi water" is used live times: Mat. 3:11;
Mck. 1:8; J no. 1:26, 31, 33; the phrase "with
the Holy Spirit" is used six times: Mat. 3:11;
Mck. 1:8; Lk. 3:16; J no. 1:33; Acts 1, 5, 11, 16;
and the phrase "with one Spirit" is used once,
1 Cor. 12:13. Critical texts like Tisehendorf,
Wescott and Hort & Nestle's differ slightly regarding
the use of en in Mark 1:8.
That the translation should not be "baptize
in water," denotng locality but "baptize
with water" denoting agency, means, instrumentality
the following considerations show:
(1) The exact meaning or significance of
baptidzo in these passages require it. There is
a contrast between the baptism which John administered
and that which the Messiah will
administer: (1) In the administration?John the
servant on one hand and Christ the Lord on
the other; (2) In the means or agency used?
with water by John, with the Holy Spirit by
Christ; (3) in the kind of baptism effected?the
baptism of J ohn was a ritual or ceremonial one,
a symbol, a shadow, a picture, the baptism
which Christ administered was a real, a true
baptism, a baptism which effects a radical and
permanent spiritual change in those baptized.
Even in secular Greek the kind of baptism
depended greatly upon the agency or instrumen4?1
lA 3 rn -r ^
wmiy usea. r. ?j. Uonant, the greatest scholar
in this word that the Baptist church has produced,
finds baptidzo and its cognate words used
Sv i imes in secular Greek literature. In 20
oases or more than one ninth baptism was
effected by means of wine, or other intoxicating
beverages, poured down the throat. Persons
were baptized, that is became drunk by means of
wine. People were baptized or ruined by taxes
put on them.
In Israel from the days of Moses until Paul
;< m kling of water mingled with the ashes
ui. a leu nener ^see lieD. y, 1U, 13; Num. ly ill,
20; Ecclesiastic us 34: 2o), baptized, that is
brought from a condition of ritual death to
ritual life, a man who had become ceremonially
dead by touching a dead body. The full significance
of this baptism, could not be fully appreciated
until Christ having risen from the dead
on the third day?also on the first day of a
new week?at the end of the seven days of the
old week?entered upon his resurrected life,
u new eternal life, which he imparts also to every
one whom he with his Spirit baptizes into union
with himself, that is, makes a member of his
body by baptism with the Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:13;
Rom. 6, 3ill. The contrast between John's baptism
and that which Christ administered requires
the translation "baptize with water." (2) The
parallel passages in Mark and Luke, including
the Acts (according to texts of Nestle, W. & H.
and Tisch.) require it. Mark and Luke use the
dative without the preposition which every
scholar translates "with water." Writing for
Romans and Greeks especially they use the heathen
mode of expression. Matthew and John,
however, appealing to Jewish minds, express the
same thought Jewish fashion by using the dative
with en.
The meaning of baptizdo among the Jews requires
the translation "baptize with water."
From the first appearance of baptidzo in extant
Greek literature (in Pindar, born B. C. 522)
PRESBYTERIAN OP THE SO
until Polybius (born B. C. 205) baptidzo always
applies the baptizing element to the object baptized.
By the time of Polybius, however, the
Jew by means of the Septuagint had become familiar
with baptidzo and he used it to denote his
ritual purifications effected by sprinkling water
mingled with blood and especially with the ashes
of a red heifer (See Hebrews 9; 10, 13, 19, 21;
Num. 19 chapter; Ex. 24 chapter, Ecclesiasticus
34:25).
The Holv SDirit in the Orpelr TeHtJ?ment nnllo
these ritual purifications by the sprinkled water
mingled with ashes and blood baptisms. Pharaseeism
which magnified rites and trusted in them
carried baptism to the extreme of not eating a
meal after coming from the market until the
Pharisee had baptized himself and also his
cups, pots and brazer vessels. Luke 11:38; Mk.
7: 4, 5.
For this abuse of baptism Christ reproves
Phariseeism and declines to sanction it by his
act.
The phrase then baptize with water adjusts itself
to the facts while the phrase baptize in water
is antagonistic to the facts.
"AND SOME EVANGELISTS."
Eph. 4:11.
Edwin A. Wilson.
It is clear that "Evangelists" are a part of
God's plan. This being true, we are to receive
them and "try the spirits whether they
are of God." 1 John 4:1?"Beloved, believe not
every Spirit, but try the spirits whether they be
of God: because many false prohpets are gone
out into the world-'' Primarily, then, the opening
verses of this chapter imply the need of
proving and furnishing the guage for determining
first qualifications of him that cometh. The'
first, then, the indispensable, prerequisite is
found in these words: "Every Spirit that cosfesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
of God."
It is a great joy to count among your close
personal friends such men as Moody, Sankey, B.
F. Jacobs, Wm. Reynolds, J. V. Far well, Jas.
H. Brooks, E. P. Hammond, P. P- Bliss, E. W.
Bliss, D. W. Whittle, Robert McBurnie, W. F.
uioVmff w n i ? v ?i v- T
A , VJl. liUOigU, U. U. 1 CiiUCilUUl ^11| O
Hudson Taylor, George C. Needham, J. W.
Dean, John G. Paton, and other faithful ones
who have fallen asleep, or be able to reckon
among the true land tried some of the now perhaps
living ones who have been and still are
in their measure used of the Lord L. W. Munhall,
Chas. M. Morton, Alexander Paterson,
Peter Billhorn, H. M. Parsons, Maj. J. H. Cole,
Henry Varley, W. E. Blackstone, \V. J. Erdinan,
S. Hartwell, Pratt, John Salmon, Prof. W. G. '
Morehead, C. I. Schofield, H. W. Brown, and j
others- These men stood on the impregnable
hock, the God-inspired Scriptures.
These were giants in those days with limita- ^
tions, but each in his measure with zeal for God
and for souls. Commercialism was an unknown ^
quantity. The measure of tangible gifts (
bestowed upon the dependent ones was not |
orrnflt Knf wd?*a kohoIt? i^ ava*
11/uv vx?vno *r ui u i.aiUij ax g *CI giupivj CU
to swell the sum. Most, if not all these men
1 ]
preached the unconditional gospel, "salvation t
* for nothing."
Simonical motives was an unknown quantity, j
The spontaneity of the gifts was marked in ^
those times and it was rare if any of the num(
ber referred to, ever mentioned the matter of
J
compensation. Most, if not all the evangelists,
brought heaven-sent blessings when coming,
and were not denied a human equivalent when
going. Gradually the spirit of commercialism C
has crept in and substituted the dollar mark for
the Spirit's presence in'pvtffifr, painfully and
emphatically voiced by one not named here,
U TB (891) 3
who, iu a degree, had departed iroin the simplicity
oi the gospel he was presumed to preaeii
?.nen lie boasieu "that ins plant was worth to
nun Ten 'thousand a year."
ihe labulous sums gathered these days awaken
a suspicion in the observing that evangelizing
is becoming commercialized. When the
present methods in some quarters are analyzed,
it would appear that the paramount thought
was monetry gain, where the evangelist is represented
by great machinery assembled apparently
with a view to keeping him the center of
i he whole scheme. Nightly visiting delegations
sounding loud personal plaudits as they file into
their reservations. Great crowds from neigh
uUIMig uuus wiui Daages and bands, ostensible
converts swarming into already tilled tabernacles,
singing rhymings in which the name of
th evangelist was frequently resounding, spectacular
in the extreme, but culminating in one
spot where the hero of the occasion was always
in .evidence. Preaching marvelously demand
impressive, loyal to the Word of God, seemingly
dominated by the Spirit, with conviction,
evidenced apparently by some invisible power
which sent men, women and children in great
throngs through the aisles in an atmosphere of
music with ever recurring sounds of applause
to the platform, to the evangelist, and seemingly
to the point of decision for Christ, which no
one would dare to question. Even though the
conspicuous center, the evangelist there and
then might take up some personal grievance
and denounce the offender in unmeasured terms
of bitterness in tlio AL
? |>ivwuvc ui me new converts.
The scheme comprehensive, perfect in adap
tation, made up of tabernacle music, choir, soloist,
director, ushers, committees, collectors,
preachers, liags, lights, applause, provision for
the deaf, for the decrepit, reservation for the
lodge or for the visiting town, all incomplete
without the vital and vitalizing personality,
the center, the Evangelist. The question of
money from the start is persistently pressed to
the point of exasperation; not for the evangelist
and his aggregation of paid helpers?no?
for this is in harmony with the plan, the subscription
growing out of the condition precedent
wherein all subscribers are verbally assured
that they will never have to pay. Nightly
efforts are put forth to make good, for when
the expense of the tabernacle, music director,
pianist, janitor, board, advertising, and other
attendant expenses are met, the whole money
lllipstinn io 1 ' "
~ tiiiu liut reierred to except
for deficits. In the meantime, the Thank-offering
is not left to the crowds caprice. The organization
comprehends a scheme for moneygetting,
though not visible to the eye or audible
to the ear, is still as complete as that which provided
the active and impressive machinery for
the occasion. Long before the closing days,
there is an under-current engaged in studying
utuations and elaborating methods to assure
the minimum of difficulty in starting right on
the day of days. Preachers and others are
arought into requisition to suggest names and
unounts as starters; cliques are analyzed and
nHiviHimla nlmon^. *? ?
v,i.uocu m uarne suggestive sums;
'bunches" are worked with equal care so as to
jjet them into degrees of orderly producing
ines. Every part of the great throng is made
;o contribute its part; preachers are to be made
:onspicuous at this point, through much embar- p y
assment, in leading out on the all-important
question of finance, though they have been hithrto
on little more than dress parade in a charmed "TP*)
iircle, within easy reach of the master of ceremo- . 0
lies and in full view of all. The closing hours are
o find many with a bad taste in their mouth, for Ah*
(Continued on page 11).