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nock, in their assembled capacity, with their Shep
herd in their midst, while the command was limit
ed to the household of faith, “ Wash one another’s
feet.” Furthermore, it is evident that the simple
act of washing the feet, as an act of hospitality,
could have no suitable identity with that washing
of which the Savior spoke to Peter, in connection
with feet-washing: “Except I wash thee, thou hast
no part in me.”
It is further oljected, that we have no account
that any of the disciples who participated in the
first feet washing, eh her taught or practiced it af
terward; both of which they were bound to have
done, had they understood the Savior’s injunction in
a literal sense. To this I reply that one of them
at least, and he a chief one too, while sitting on’ that
“ Throne” to which he was designated by the King
of Zion, not only gave a plain, literal and full ac
count of the institution, but in language equally
plain and precise, enjoined its after obsei vance, en
forcing obedience by that touching and never to be
forgotten appeal from the Savior’s own lips, “ If I,
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you
ought to wash one another’s feet.” The assurance
that the Savior instituted an ordinance and com
manded its perpetuation, is a sufficient guaranty to
us that the Apostles both practiced it themselves
and enjoined it on the church, whether we have
any after account of it or not, else we must impeach
tbeir faithfulness to the highest trust ever imposed
upon men. Besides, had they understood the wash
ing of feet in some mystical sense, they would sure
ly have given us some explanation leading us to
that conclusion, or else how could we know when
we have done an act, which it is declared we ought
to do ? I need hardly ask, where any inspired wri
ter hasever denominated works ofeharity and kind
ness, “ washing one another’s feet.”
Further, as regards ‘the fact that John stands
alone among the evangelists in his history of this
institution; Luke also stands alone.atnong them,
in eijoining the perpetuation of the supper; for
although Matthew and Mark both give a short his
tory of its celebration by the Savior, yet neither of
them says a word about its obsei vance, or that it
was to be ever again practiced. But this does not
vitiate Luke’s testimony, “ This do in remembrance
of me.” True, Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles,
gives us an orderly and methodical account of its;
institution, and the obligation resting on the church
to perpetuate it, according to the pattern given in
theorig’nal. But it is woithv of notice here that
this account was called forth by the gross abuse oft
that holy ordinance by the Corinthian Church, in I
turning the solemn simplicity of the ordinance into j
an idolatrous feast; to correct which, the Apostle
wrote his plain and touching account of the design
and manner of the institution ; closing his account
with a notification to them that “The rest will I
set in order when I come.” Ist Cor. ii. 34. This
word rest, pre supposes that there were other things
pertaining to their church order, not included in
is letter, which he would attend to in person when
e came among them. May we not conclude, with
ut much doubt, that feet washing was included
SOUTH RUN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
among the rest ? especially when the same Apos
tle elsewhere classes “ Washing the saints’ feet,”
among those good works that evinced Christian
faithfulness and piety. 1 Tim. v. 10.
That John, in the veiy close of the apostolic age
after the last of the inspired Judges in Israel, (him
self alone excepted.) had been called from their
thrones of judgment, on reviewing their writings
and finding no recorded test : monv setting forth
the institution of feet washing, should have affixed
his apostolic seal to it, that none night question its
divine authority afier he was gone, and when in
spired authority could be no longer invoked in its
favor, as had till then been the case, is reasonable.
But that he should, thirty-four years after all other
inspired writers had closed their testimony, have
given us a plain, full arid touching account of the.
washing of the disciples’ feet by tbe Savior, with
an emphatic injunction to them to do to each oth
er as he had then done to them—to wash each
other’s feet in token of their love and forbearance
one toward another, as he had manifested h?s for
them by the same act, knowing, at the same time,
that the apostles and prmitive churches had never
practiced it, neither intending the churches after
him to observe it, would have been stiange indeed.
Nor would it be less strange to suppose that John
would have given a plain, concise narrative of a
simple litei al act, and enjoined its future observance,
when he intended nothing more than a sentimen
tal or figuiative fulfillment, and yet gave no inti
mation of such fact.
I will close my remarke with a brief summary.
First, The Savior washed the disciples’ feet litera'lv,
and in their assembled capacity, and enjoined them
to do to each other as he had in that example done
to them. Second, Neither he nor the apostles after
him have explained away the literal act, or abro
gated it. Third, No acts of mercy, love or charity
lae any where characterized as synonymous with
washing one anothei’s feet. Fourth, The literal act
is positively enjoined by one of the enthroned
judges, and ncognized by the apostle to the Gen
tiles, while the Supper is enj .ined to be perpetuat
ed by one of the evangelists only, and recognized
in the same order by the same aposile. Fifth, If
one literal ordinance is to be done away by a figu
rativefulfillment, without special inspired authority,
then all literal ordinances may be dispensed with
upon the same piinciple.
The above is submitted to the consideration of
the household ol faith, I hope and believe, in the
spirit of Christian love and fellowship. And while
I have endeavored to contend earnest!}’ for what
seems to me a command of our blessed Lord, I hope
no brothei or sister will construe my earnestness
into a spirit of dictation or censure. On the con
trary, I think my heart’s desire and prayer to God i
is, for the peace, union and prosperity of Zion. —
May her watchmen see eye to eye, and all her in
mates he of one heart and one mind. May they
all be brought to harmonize in faith and in prac
t ee, and, as brethren, live in peace, abound in love i
to God and each other, and thereby manifest their
heavenly birth and parentage.
Brother Beebe, I aift awate that I inav be tres*
passing too much on y v our space of late, and feel
therefore to apologize for asking you to publish this
lengthy epistle.-
Grace be with you and yours.
HOLLOWAY L. POWER.
Pinckneyville, Gwinnett Cos., Ga., )
June 16, 1860. f
Dear Brethren Editors — it has been a long
time since you have seen anything from my pen
for publication, for reasons peculiar to myself.—
My mind has at last caught upon the words of
the Aposile toTirnolhy, Ist letter and 4th chapter,
Ist and 2nd verses. Now the Spirit speaketh ex
pressly 7 , that in the latter times some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and
doctrines of devils. If it could be shown front prop
e” authority’s that the Apostle spake of his own ac
cord, there might be some reason to scruple its
authenticity, but not so, it is the language vf the
Spirit of truth through tbe mouth of the Apostle
of the Gentiles. And I consider the latter tunes in
the text to be the Gospel day, or time, and if so,
the text will apply to some even in the Nineteenth
Century, for recollect the text says, som**, then it
is not all, and the church should it joice, in my
judgement that she is kept by the power of God,
so that she is not suffered to depart. Yet I do not con
sider that there is a particle of testime ny in the
word of God that we could safely predicate a belief
upon, that the child of God was spoken of in the
cai-e, by no means, because the teachers and the
teaching which they are so bl ssed to ei j *y, will
i not admit of their departure. Perhaps some are
ready to say , if any depart from the faith, then they
have fallen from grace, for how could they d* part
if they never had faith? I answer, truly they once
professed to have faith, and for a time made a great
show, but as James says, a double minded man is
unstable in all his ways. The tongue will some
times lie, but the foot will tell the truth. Faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not et n ; faith is one of the graces which h < Spiiit
gives the child of God, and it is of such immense
worth to him, that he has no desire to depart from
it, nor that it should depart from him, for he is kept
day by day and hour by hour bv the power of God,
through the exercise of that faith, not that the man
ha- any control of it. No, God’s power and God’s
faith which he is pleased to give, both control and
keep his children as long as they remain in this
imperfect s'ate, but says one, there are a great
many faiths in the world. If there is more than
one faith, I have no account of it in the Scriptures.
I shall therefore take the. same position that Paul
took among the Ephesians, and do say, without the
fear of men or devils, there is one Body and one
Spirit, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, &e.
Giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of dev
ils. In all ages, so far as I can Lain, eveiy depar
ture has saw almost paralelled that is, those who
have departed, has manifested the same disposition;
they have to a greater or hss extent, bent their
bow at tlie church, and have endeavored to bathe
their ariows with ail the poison they possibly could
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