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|W <|omsponi>its.
For the Index and Baptist.]
Woman not Warned as an Kvantiellst In Oar
Cliarthes.-—vl.
Nothing is more difficult than to
correctloDg-standingerrors. The mind,
accustomed to think in certain ways
and arrive at certain conclusions, will
invariably think in those ways, espe
cially if they “are ways of pleasant
ness,” and will invariably arrive at the
same old conclusions however absurd
they may be. Water does not more
surely and readily flow in its well-worn
channel to the ocean that finally re
ceives it, than the human intellect
moves along its well-beaten track to its
favorite opinions and its most cherish
ed sentiments. Now, there is no error
of longer standing than that which we
are combating at this time —that success
in and of itself affords the most positive
proof of the divine sanction. We con
tend against this, not merely because
it is an error, but because in its influ
ence upon human character and con
duct, it has proved most injurious and
disastrous. Could that influence be
traced in its workings in the past and
tho present, and could it be accurately
measured, it would be found to have
been, and to continue to be, far more
potent and fatal than the influence ol
skepticism, infidelity, or atheism. It
has aroused men to life and action
who lay perfectly passive while pour
ing over the speculations of philoso
phers, who have impiously tried to in
vest the Throne of the Eternal with
clouds and mists, to shut their eyes
against the light that streams so
dazzingly from that throne, or to sweep
that throno forever from tho universe.
Once convince a man that there is a
God “who doeth according to His
will in the army of Heaven and among
the inhabitants of tho earth,” and you
convince him at the same time that
“His favor is life and His loving kind
ness is better than life.’ And, if that
mati' would act out this conviction, he
would ask in the earnest language of
Saul of Tarsus: “Lord, what wilt
thou have me to do ?” What offering
is too costly for him to bring ? what
sacrifice is too dear for him to pay to
secure that favor and that loving kind
ness ? “Thousands of rams, ten
thousands of rivers of oil, the first born,
tho fruit of tho body ; all these will
tho convicted soul offer; all these it
has offered to win “one blissful smile
from Him, which far outweighs them
all.” So the ancient heathen wor
shippers thought, felt Jand acted. So
satisfied wore they that the success of
every enterprise depended upon the
approval of their gods that they never
set out upon any expedition without
consulting and propitiating them by
the most costly solemn, and imposing
rites. No ship left the shore to battle
with ihe perils of the treacherous deep;
no army left its camp to battle for the
defence of its country, or for the de
feat of its country s foes, until the of
ficiating priest declared the gods were
propitious. Then in the utmost confi
dence of success, the mariner flung his
sail and the soldier his banner to the
breeze, and when the mariner returned
with his baik freighted with tho vari
ous products and valuable treasures,
and when the soldier returned laden
with the spoils of victory, they were
doubly assured that their several
enterprises were right, because they
were sanctioned by the gods them
selves. It mattered not what was vhe
object of the voyage, or what was the
design of the expedition, if it was to
rob vessels engaged in lawful com
merce upon the high seas ; if it was to
invade peaceful and prosperous com
munities, to burn their cities and mur
der their citizens; it mattered not if
the utmost disregard for the rights of
others characterized them from their
inception to their consummation, every
suspicion that they were wrong died
away in the hour of success. This was
excusable, perhaps, in the untutored
pagan, whose mind had never received
the feeblest ray of truth through the
gross darkness that shrouded it. Ex
cept the impel feet and demoralizing
maxims of blinded priests and phil
osophers, he had no standard by which
to measure the rectitude of his course.
The messenger for whom Socrates
sighed and prayed to reveal “the un
known God,” had not yet left the
bosom of the Father and enshrined
himself in the form of man.
ARE THE SHEPHERDS ASLEEP?
How admirable, bow Christ-like,was
the conduct of I’aul in his parting in
terview with the elders of the church
at Ephesus. It is so full, so eloquent
of the spirit of the true pastor or shep
herd. It reminds us of that other
memorable interview of the “Shepherd
and ißishop of our souls" with His
disciples upon the shore of the sea,
when he singled out the erring and
deeply penitent Peter, and without re
buking, openly reinstated him in all
the privileges of the Apostleship, which
he no doubt supposed he had forfeited
by the public denial of his Lord. The
language used by the Master to His re
covered follower, is strikingly similar
to that used by the earnestly solicitous
apostle to the elders who “would see
His face no more.’’ “Feed my sheep—
feed my latnbs," were the commands of
the former to Peter who was thus spe
cially commissioned to “strengthen
the brethren."
“Take heed, therefore, unto you r
selves, and to all the flock over which
the Holy Ghost hath made you over
seers, to feed the church of God, which
He hath purchased with His own
blood” are the words of the latter.
To feed a flock, every one knows, is
to give them food suited to their health,
strength and age ; food that will nour
ish and develop the young and the
old, the lambs and the sheep. To give
them anything else is not to feed, it is
to starve, to poison and destroy them.
So, too, to feed the little flock, the
spiritual fold, the lambs and the sheep,
the church of Christ is to give them
the sincere milk and meat of the Word
that they may grow thereby, “When
the Chief Shepherd” ascended on high
leading captivity captive, He gave
gifts unto men —“gifts of various and
peculiar kinds.” He gave some apos
tles, and some prophets, and some
evangelists, and some pastors . and
teachers, for the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ. That we, henceforth, be no
more children, tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of
doctrine by the slight of men, and
cunning craftiness whereby they lie in
wait to deceive.” This is the special
work assigned to every Christian pas
tor. How great! How glorious! How
responsible ! Can the puny workman
too often contemplate its magnitude ?
Never, never. It is to be feared, how
ever, that there are many pastors who
have not only a very imperfect but a
very erroneous conception of their
work. We base this assertion upon
their ignorance of the Bible, and upon
the belief of false and heretical doc
trines, which obtain amongst Chris
tians in general and Baptists in par
ticular. S.
For tho Index and Baptist.]
LOOK—NO. 111.
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends
of tho earth, for I am God and there is none
else.” Isaiah 45 : 22.
Having briefly considered the re
quirement of God as presented in this
passage of Scripture, we will not ce
the second point that occurs in the
text.
2. The Object: “And be ye saved.”
The salvation of the sinner is the
great object for which even the Triune
God has labored, and for which the
Son ot God has suffered. In the Bible
we have an account of a most wonder
ful work —the work of creation; in the
same book we have an account of the
daring and ignominous act of trans
gression by our first parents; in the
same record we have an account of the
rising wickedness of man in the earth,
and the means adopted by the Al
mighty to swallow it up and once more
purify the world. Hut while all these
are wonderful events, it is to be ob
served that but a comparatively small
amount of space is required in which
to record them all; while it requires a
large amount of space to setforth, il
lustrate, and elucidate the perfect,
complete and eternal salvation ol man's
immortal part.
The history, prophecy, and episto
lary writings of the Scriptures are de
signed to establish the doctrine of sal
vation by Christ, for which we are re
quired to look in the text. And so
great is this object that all should feel
and realize the importance of at once
looking to Jesus, a kind and loving
Saviour, for eternal life. O, that the
sinner was not blind and deaf and
hard-hearted, so that he could com
prehend the vastness of an eternal ex
istence, realize the sorrows of that
world, where the fire is not quenched
and the worm dieth not, and under
stand the fruition of the new Jerusa
lem, and the felicity of being forever
like our blessed Saviour !
This salvation consists both in de
livering and giving. Not only are we
metely deliver! and from the hards of
Satan, but we are given a reward that
is “incorruptible, undefiled, at.d that
fadeth not away,” Not that we merited
either the deliverance or the gifts, but
God in great mercy “so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting
life;” and “God ccmmendeth His
love toward us in that, while we were
yet sinnres Christ died for us.” There
fore we are delivered from the iron
chains of sin that bind, not only the
will of man to the service of Satan,
but the soul is released from its des
tiny to eternal perdition, and to the
same rebellious creature is given the
inestimable reward of eternal life; for,
“When He ascended upon high, he led
captivity captive, and gave life unto
men.”
3. The number specified who are
called upon to “Look”: “all the ends
of the earth.”
These words, properly expanded,
amount to as much as to say : If any
are saved from among the vast multi
tudes of earth’s inhabitants, they are
saved by the power ol Gcd. All na
tions,kindred tongues,and peoples who
are saved from sin, must, like an Is
raelite bitten by a serpent, “look” unto
the Son of God, who is indeed the Sun
of righteousness that arose with heal
ing in His wings. Indeed, it is truly
said of evety ore, “by grace je are
saved threugh faith, and that not ot
your>elvet; it is in the gift ot God, not
of works lest any man should boast,”
4. The Claim: “For I am God and
there is none else.”
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOTJTH-WESTERN BAPTIST.
One God is a Scripture doctrine, for
God, in many places in His word,
claims the honor of being the only true
and living God of the vast universe,
and this claim is altogether just. “I
am God and there is none else” is a
declaration often repeated by inspira
tion, and a fact admitted by nearly
every one ; the happy throng above,
no doubt, rejoice to repeat the name,
the lost legions below tremble at the
remembrance of Him who hath bound
them in everlasting chains under dark
ness, the teeming millions of earth in
concert rejoice to repeat the sound,
yea all nature conspired to raise the
soundO ne hand hath made us, that
One is Divine.
We have now seen the requirement,
the object, the number, and the claim;
therefore, “Seeing we also are com
passed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the
race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy that was set be
fore Him, endured the Cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God.”
F. M. Blalock.
For the Index ana Baptist.]
TIIK MADISON BAPTIST ClitgUl.
At tho beginning of last year our
church organized four committees, to
which were entrusted different depart
ments of labor. These committees
have reported, one at each monthly
meeting, during the year, and at our
last Conference, on the 31st ult., they
gave a summary of their doings for
the entire time.
The Mission Committee, whose duty
it was to solicit contributions from the
membership, quarterly, reported as
follows, viz:
For the Ist quarter $53.0])
“ “ 2<l “ 3125
“ “3d “ 22 40
“ “ Ith “ 35.30
Total from January Ist, 1870 to Jan
uary Ist, 1877 $144.95
In addition to this amount, about
twelve dollars havo been sent direct to
two of our aged ministers, and the
Sunday-school has given nearly thirty
dollars more, so that the entire contri
bution for the year has reached about
$185.00, or an average of nearly $2 00
for each of our resident members.
This is the amount that has been con
tributed to the cause of Christ else
where, to missions at home and abroad,
to aged ministers in different parts of
the State, and to the Sunday-school
Evangelist. In addition to this, we
have met the demands upon us for the
support of the Gospel in our midst,
having service regularly every Lord’s
day, and have supplied the necessary
wants of the Sunday-school.
The deacons, who, with four Sisters
to aid them, were appointed to ascertain
and provide for the wants of any of
our number who, at any time, might
need assistance, stated that there had
been but little need for aid, and that
that little hud been rendered.
The committee on the state of reli
gion reported that the coldness of the
membership, and the general apathy
of the community, in regard to matters
of religious interest, at the time of
their appointment, indicated the neces
sity for some special effort; that the
same necessity still exists ; that the
social prayer-meetings that were held
from time to time were very pleasant
to those who attended, but were not
generally participated in. The com
mittee advised a continuance of these
meetings, and also recommended “that
special efferts he made by every mem
ber of this church to secure attendance
on, preaching of the large class in this
community who are seldom seen in the
santuary of God.”
The Chairman of the Sunday-school
Committee being prevented by sickness
from attending the meeting, there was
no formal report. It was, however,
stated that the committee had raised
such amounts as were needed for the
school, that it was supplied with fifty
copies of Kind Words, and that the
library had been considerably increas
ed.
Altogether, the reports indicated
that there had been some work done
for the Master, and while it is to be re
gretted that more has not been accom
plished, and that all of our members
have not shared in these labors, we yet
rejoice in what has been effected, “and
I thank God and take courage.”
Haviug adopted this system, we
have resolved to carry it on so as to
make it a success, and to endeavor to
present the spectacle of a “live
church,’’ all striving to honor the
Saviour in our lives, and to win souls,
and to build up the kingdom of our
Lord. W. B. Crawford.
Pastor Maduou Baptist Church.
Madison, Georgia. Feb. 6, 1877.
For the Index and Baptist.l
BlOlti: YKT ABOUT TOBACCO—X®, V.
If the use of tobacco is filthy, ex
pensive injurious, and the example bad,
it follows as an unavoidable logical se
quence that it is a folly—a great folly.
If there were no evils connected with it,
yet if there is no good, it is afollv. It
is doubtful whether any besst, fish or
fowl indulges in any practice which is
in no sense profitable to it. Much less is
it to be supposed that it would indulge
in that which is positively injurious.
Still less should man—intellectual, in
telligent man—made in the image of
God, indulge any appetite negative of
good and evil. How much less should
he, unlike the brute, indulge in an ap
petite not only negative of good but
full of evil! Can there be any sense
in this, except nonsense ? Is there not
humiliation in this contrast ? But still
more humiliating is it to see Chris
tians, ministers of the Gospel, bought
by the blood of Christ, enlightened by
the Spirit of God, consecrated to His
service, indulging in a practice that
defiles them and the air around them,
consumes their money, or rather the
Lord’s money, injures them and ‘heir
posterity, set a bad example without
affording a single good. Is not this
the perfection of folly ? And strange
to say, a folly found only in human
beings—a folly for which no legitimate
excuse can be given. Would there be
folly in a man who should throw his
greenbacks, one by one, into the fire ?
There is more folly in giving them for
tobacco, and using it. Would a man
be thought foolish who would use his
greenbacks to light his pipe or cigars ?
He would be more foolish in smoking,
because in burning his money it would
be only the loss of the money, but in
smoking or chewing it would be filthi
ness and damage added.
If tobacco worms think the writer
severe in his remarks, let them quit its
use and get thoroughiy cured of it,
and see if they will not look at the
practice in their former associates with
pity, if not with loathing and disgust.
llow long shall this filthy, expensive,
injurious folly be continued among
men ? How long shall men and boys
and women submit to such an intoler
able tyranny? Let all classes, es
pecially Christians and ministers, rise
in their strength and drive this un
reasonable, inexcusable, senseless folly
from the earth ! Monitor.
For the Index and Baptist.]
NOTES ON TIIK ACT OF BAPTISM—NO. XX.
By Rev. J. 11. Kilpatrick.
REVIEW OF THE SACRED* IDEA THEORY
CONTINUED.
Having spoken generally of this the
ory, we will now give it a more minute
consideration, and the reader is re
quested to turn back and read again
the synopsis of it given in the last ar
ticle. Supposing that this has been
done, I remark:
1. Certainly the question is, “In
what sense did the Holy Spirit employ
the term baptizo ?” This is the ques
tion, and how can we answer it, but by
going to the language which the Holy
Spirit adopted? And this is admitted
to be not classic Greek but Hellenistic,
the very Greek, however, of all other
which gives the most abundant testi
mony for the meaning immerse.
2. This theory, as here developed,
makes all Greek outside of the New
Testament to be classic Greek, and the
New Testament to embrace all there is
of Jewish or Hellenistic Greek. Both
of these notions are false. The Sep
tuagiut version of the Old Testament
is Jewish Greek, and it had been in
existence for more than two Hundred
years when the New Testament was
written. The Apocryphal books are
also Jewish Greek, and though not so
old asthe Septuagint translation, were,
the most of them, and perhaps all of
them, undoubtedly written prior to the
New Testament. The extensive works
of Josephus give us an ample supply of
Hellenistic Greek literature, and they
were written in the same generation
with the New Testament, though
doubtless somewhat later than most
of it.
3. The impression is here made, and,
indeed, quite generally in the writings
of anti-iuimersionists, that we rely
upon classic Greek alone for our proof.
This, too, is false, as every one must
know who is even moderately acquaint
ed with the details of this controversy.
We appeal to Hellenistic Greek just as
confidently as to the Greek of the
classics ; and it seems a special provi
dence that there should be abundant
contemporaneous Greek in the identi
cal dialect in which the New Testament
was written. And it is a fact worthy
of note that most of the modifications
of classic Greek, found in the New
Testament, had been previously made
in current Jewish Greek—thus pre
venting an abrupt transition from the
pure Greek of the classics to the Hel
lenistic Greek of the New Testament,
and so prepariug the way for a clearer
understanding of the revelation that
was to be made. So far as baptizo is
concerned, however, there is not the
shadow of ground for the alleged con
flict between classic and New Testa
ment Greek. New Testament Greek
is Jewish Greek, and if there be any
difference between the classic and the
Jewish Greek as to their testimony for
the meaning immerse, the preponder
ance is in favor of the latter. Most
assuredly, if the usage of a language
proves anything, the Jewish conception
of baptizo involved immersion, ami im
me'sion only.
4. Suppose the New Testament does
use Greek terms in an appiopriateo
sense. Who denies it? is not the
same thing done in all languages ? But
what sense, pray, ; s appropriated ?
Clearly and unmistakably the sense
which wasinthetermsatfirst. Bible isan
appropriated word. Because the book
containing therevelation ot God to man,
is the best of ali books, it is called by
way of preeminence, “The Book.”
But is it, therefore, no longer a book ?
What folly! Do appiopiiated teims
cease to mean the very thing which
caused their appropriation just as soon
as they are appropriated ?
5. But what is this principle of ap
propriation which is relied upon to work
such wonders in mystifying the mean
ing of baptizo 1 Avery simple thing
indeed—quite naturally originated and
easily understood. A designation prop
erly and originally belonging to a class
is appropriated to an individual of that
class. The most of the terms cited as
establishing the sacred-idea theory,
are explainable on this principle; and
I want no better illustration to show
the worthlessness of this theory, so far
as concerns the point at issue.' Let us
notice' some of them.
Ekklesia, translated church in our
version of the New Testament, origi
nally referred to an assembly gathered
by legal summons—later, it seeni3 to
have included gatherings of any kind.
In the New Testament, however, it is
appropriated specifically to organized
assemblies of G’hristians. The churches
of Christ differed in many respects
from the old Greek ekklesiai, but they
agreed in this—both were assemblies.
Apostolos, apostle, originally meant
any one sent forth upon business by au
thority—in the New Testament it is
appropriated to those whom Christ sent
forth upon the business of His king
dom. Certainly the apostles of Christ
were very different charaeters from the
apostoloi of the Greeks, but in the one
case just as truly as in the other, the
title indicated those who were sent
forth.
Episkopos, bishop or overseer, is lit
erally and primarily one who overlooks
or oversees, and it had some specific
appropriations among the Greeks ; in
the New Testament, however, the term
is applied to one who looks after the
interests of a church. The episkopoi
of the New Testament and the episkopoi
of Homer and Aristophanes were by
no means the same, but both had cer
tain interests entrusted to their care,
which they were to watch over or over
see, and hence the common name over
seers. To suppose a change in the
meaning of the word episkopos because
of these different applications is every
bit as witless as to imagine that basket
means one thing when it is made to
hold cotton, and quite a different thing
when meant for potatoes.
As in the foregoing instances of ap
propriation, and many others which
might be mentioned, just so it is with
baptizo. A Greek word used outside of
the New Testament to denote any sort
of immersion, whatever the subject,
the administrator, the element, or the
object, is in the New Testament es
pecially appropriated to the immersion
in water of professed believers in Christ.
And now, forsooth, must baptizo be
cause of this specific application cease
to have its essential meaning ? What
conceivable reason can be given for such
a necessity ? What principle 6f lan
guage requires it. Shall we, also, say
that a church is not an assembly ? —that
an apostle is not one sent forth ? —that a
bishop is not an overseer?—that a
Bible is not a book ? Is a church any
less an assembly, because it is an as
sembly of Christians ? Is an apostle
any less one sent forth, because Christ
sent him ? Is a bishop any less an
overseer because the interests to be su
perintended are spiritual ? Is a Bible
ahy leas a book, because it is the best
of books—the book of God ? By no
means, by no means. And so, likewise,
the baptism of the New Testament is
none the less an immersion, although
water be the element and believers in
Christ the subjects.
6. So much has been made of Kuri
akon deipnon, the “ Lord’s Supper,”
that we will give it a separate notice.
Deipnon, currently employed to desig
nate an ordinary feast or supper, seems
to have been applied in the apostles’
day to the eating and drinking of the
symbols of the Lord’s broken body and
shed blood. Referring to this use of
the term deipnon, an eminent affusion
author says: “Immersiofaists do not
scruple to speak of the Lord’s Supper,
albeit they do not take an ounce of
bread, or a spoonful of wine; aud
what they do receive they do not take
in the posture of Christ and His apos
ties.” Thence tho interence is derived
by him, and also by others, that though
baptizo might origiually have implied a
copious use of water, or some particu
lar mode of applying it, it might finally
have been enaployed when only asmad
quautity of water was used, and a dif
ferent mode of application adopted.
I reply to my affusion brother thus :
(1.) Your argument amounts to this,
“ That which is not a real supper is
nevertheless called such ; so that which
is not a real baptism may also be called
such. That is, before you can use
your argument, you have to admit that
your baptism is not a real baptism.
And so your argument actually cuts its
own throat. (2.) An argument to
prove what might have been done is
worthless. A thousand changes from
outside Greek might have been made
in New Testament usage, while yet
there was none in the case of baptizo.
What might have taken place in the
use of this word is not to the point—
you must prove that a change did take
piaee.. If you do not see the pertinency
of this demand, give up your sword
and quit the arena. (3.) You adroitly
assume that baptizo means to apply
water. Ido not wonder that you are
anxious for such a meaning. Oh, if
this incorrigible word baptizo could be
made to mean apply water, what a wind
tail it would be to the cause of affusion
ists! How their long standing troubles
would disappear in a moment! Then,
indeed, would a few drops be as good
as an ocean; and then it would not
matter whether the water were applied
to the head, the hands, or the feet—
from a pitcher, a horn, a shell, or the
hollowed hand—with the fingers or a
hyssop branch. But, alas for the claims
of affusion, baptizo does not mean to
apply water —it is as destitute of water
as the sands of the desert. You might
as well say it means to apply fire.
(4.) Immersionists do not scruple to
call the “ Lord's Supper” by that name,
because it seems to be a Scriptural
designation. If the Bihle calls it a
supper, so will we. But mark : The
testimony is just as decisive for saying
that baptizo is immerse, as for saying
that deipnon is a supper. Affusiomsts
do not “scruple” to call one ordinance
a supper, “albeit it only receives this
designation a single time —why should
they not be equally willing to call the
other ordinance immersion? Ah, why?
Well, I will hazard a solution of the
mystery, “albeit” my solution may not
be acceptable. Nobody sees any in
congruity in calling that a supper, or
feast, when the chief feature is eat ng
and drinking, and especially as this
eating and drinking symbolizes par
ticipation in the priceless benefits of
Christ’s death ; but any and everybody
must see, at a glance, how glaringly
absurd to call that an immersion where
only a few drops of water are poured
upon the head. Hence this desperate
clinging to the transfeired term baptize
—translate baptizo as deipnon is trans
lated and “Othello’s occupation gone.”
(5.) What is the essential idea of a
supper? Manifestly it is the eating
and the drinking, without reference to
the quantity taken or the manner of
taking it. A person may take his sup
per reclining, or sitting, or standing;
and in eating and drinking, one may
take ten times as much as another,
which is actually sometimes the case.
In the Lord’s Supper the eating and
drinking of the symbolic elements is
the essence of the ordinance as to the
external act. Taking “an ounce of
bread and a spoonful of wine” per
fectly fulfills the command, so far as
the quantity is concerned —and as for
the posture, if any particular one can
be proved essential to eating anddrink
ing, then, and only then, need posture
be b' ought into the account. In re
spect to a New Testament baptism, the
essential idea, so far as the act is con
cerned, is the immersion. This is the
essence, and it matters not how this is
accomplished, so it is really done; and
it matters not how much or how little
watei is used —just enough to be able
to say truthfully one is immersed, is as
good as the waters ot the Atlantic.
(6.) The command, “ This do in re
membrance of me,” cannot be obeyed,
except we actually eat the bread and
drink the wine—neither looking at. nor
touching, nor smelling, will do. We
are commanded to eat and to drink,
and nothing else will suffice. But the
words phagete and piete no more cer
tainly mean “eat” and “drink,” than
does the word baptistheto mean “be im
mersed,” and as we cannot eat except
we do eat, and cannot drink except we
do drink, so neither can we be baptized
(baptistheto), except we be immeised—
one of these is just as absurd as the
other. Moreover, if we cannot refute
to eat and drink in remembrance of
Christ without being counted trans
gressors, neither can we refuse to be
immersed and remain guiltless. So
long as the command, ( baptistheto ,) be
immersed, stands unrepealed upon the
King’s statute book, so long let him
who fails to comply, be sure that he has
a reason which will abide the test of
the great day.
For the Index and Baptist.]
WIXE-GROWLXG.
This subject is commanding some
considerable attention throughout our
State. But lam free to confess that
my own weak conscience is dissatisfied
about the position our churches hold
with reference to it. I heard two pro
fessed Christians speaking, the other
day, about having had a hundred or
two of vines put out. One of these
men takes a very decided stand against
the use of whisky by Christians. I
could but wonder what he would do
with his wme when it had grown.
We feel in duty bound to discipline
a member for drunkenness by turning
him our. With a man who is called a
brother, if he be a drunkaid, we are
required not to keep company; nor
to eat; “For no drunkard shall inherit
the Kingdom of God.’’ (See i Cor.,
S t n, and 6 : 10.)
Now, the man who furnishes him
with the means for self-destruction,
body and soul, becomes a sharer
of his guilt. A woe is pronounced
against the man who puts the bottle to
his neighbor's lips. How very low
then must that church be fallen from
its high position as the light of theib,
world and salt of the earth , which can
retain in its fe'lowship one who is ei
ther a drunkard or a drunkard-maker!
I hey labor to make you believe that
they are only making an honest living .
Honest indeed ! When they are rob
bing women and children of the nec
essaries of life, of a husband and fa
ther ; robbing the world of men, hon
est, noble men ; and men of their self
respect, self-control, manhood, and
even their immortal souls. Fallen in
deed must be that Christian church
which can fellowship either the drunk
ard or the whisky-shop.
Now I am not able to see the differ
ence between making and sellin gcorn