9. _John Calvin_ (Presbyterian): "Wherefore the church did grant liberty to herself, since the beginning, to change the rites somewhat, excepting the substance. It is of no consequence at all whether the person that is baptized is totally immersed, or whether he is merely sprinkled by an affusion of water. This should be a matter of choice to the churches in different regions."
10. _Westminster a.s.sembly_ (Presbyterian), 1643: "In the a.s.sembly of Divines, held at Westminster in 1643, it was keenly debated whether immersion or sprinkling should be adopted; 25 voted for sprinkling, and 24 for immersion; and even that small majority was obtained at the earnest request of Dr. Lightfoot, who had acquired great influence in that a.s.sembly." (Edinburgh Ency., vol. 3, p. 236.)
11. _Dr. Wall_ (Episcopalian): "One would have thought that the cold countries should have been the first that should have changed the custom from dipping to affusion. But by history it appears that the cold climates held the custom of dipping as long as any; for England, which is one of the coldest, was one of the latest that admitted this alteration of the ordinary way. . . . The offices or liturgies for public baptism in the Church of England did all along, so far as I can learn, enjoin dipping, without any mention of pouring or sprinkling.
The Prayer Book, printed in 1549, adds: "And if the child be weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it"" (Wall"s Hist. Inft. Bap., vol. 3, pp. 575,579.)
12. _Dean Stanley_ (Episcopalian): In speaking of immersion, he says: "The cold climate of Russia has not been found an obstacle to its continuance throughout that vast empire. Even in the Church of England it is still observed in theory. The Rubric in the public baptism for infants enjoins that, unless for special causes, they are to be dipped, not sprinkled." (Inst.i.tutes, pp. 18,19.) The Church of England has changed to sprinkling, but its creed teaches immersion.
13. _Sir John Floyer_: "I have now given what testimony I could find in our English authors, to prove the practice of immersion from the time the Britons and Saxons were baptized, till King James" days, when the people grew peevish with all ancient ceremonies, and through the love of novelty and the niceness of parents, and the pretense of modesty, they laid aside immersion." (History of Cold Bathing, p. 61.)
14. _Bishop A. C. c.o.xe, editor of Ante-Nicene Fathers_ (Episcopalian): "The word (_baptizo_) means to dip. In the Church of England dipping is even now the primary rule. But it is not the ordinary custom. It survived far down into Queen Elizabeth"s time, but seems to have died out early in the seventeenth century. I ought to add that in France (unreformed) the custom of dipping became obsolete long before it was disused in England. But for this bad example, my own opinion is, that dipping would still prevail among Anglicans. I wish that all Christians would restore the primitive practice." (In a letter to J. T. Christian.)
Thus we have the testimony of all the scholars in all the churches, who are recognized as Greek experts outside of their own party, that the New Testament teaches immersion and that it has been changed to sprinkling and pouring by human authority. We do not believe that this change was made with a bad motive. It was evidently done in sincerity and in the honest belief that it was the right thing to do. We must accept the honest testimony of these scholarly experts that the New Testament teaches immersion, but we certainly believe they were mistaken in taking the liberty to change Christ"s command. If we take such liberties, all of the commandments of Christ will soon be set aside and confusion will be worse confounded. Indeed, it is this very liberty of subst.i.tuting what men thought best for the things revealed in the New Testament, that has caused our present sectarian divisions by adding human names, creeds, customs, etc., to the primitive gospel.
_Scriptures to Show It is Wrong to Change Christ"s Commands_.
"They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant" (Isa. 24:5).
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandments of G.o.d, ye hold the tradition of men. Ye reject the commandment of G.o.d that ye may keep your own tradition. Making the word of G.o.d of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered; and many such like things ye do"
(Mark 7:7-9, 13).
"Though it be but a man"s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto" (Gal. 3: 15).
"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" (I Sam. 15:22,23).
"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination" (Prov. 28:9).
"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it" (Matt.
7:24, 26,27).
"If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. If a man love me, he will keep my words. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 14: 15,21,23; 15:14). "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say" (Luke 6:46).
"And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified G.o.d, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of G.o.d against themselves, being not baptized of him" (Luke 7:29,30.)
"And hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (I John 2: 3,4).
But, after all, the very best way for ordinary people to learn the meaning of baptism, is to go to the English Bible. Although human authority and prejudice have hindered the translators from translating the Greek word, and thus telling us what it means in English, the contexts and sidelights on the subject make its meaning so plain that all can readily see it if divested of prejudice and preconceived ideas.
By reading the introduction to the English Revised Bible, you will learn that the translators of the Authorized Version were forbidden to translate the word. Other translators have followed their example; so that it is neither translated to _sprinkle, to pour_ nor _to immerse_ in our standard English Bibles. The Greek word _baptisma_ has simply had the last letter dropped and been carried over into English bodily.
But the word has been translated in numerous editions in various languages, and whenever it has been translated, it was always by the word _immerse_ or an equivalent term. No scholar, in any language, has ever had the temerity to translate it _to sprinkle_ or _to pour_. Even our English translators translate it when it is not used as an ecclesiastical term. And when they translate it, they say it means _to dip_. In 2 Kings 5:14, we read of Naaman, "He went down and _dipped_ [_baptizato_] himself seven times in Jordan." We may not have a sufficient knowledge of Greek to determine what Jesus meant when he commanded us to be baptized. But the Apostles certainly understood him; and if we can find out what they did when they baptized, and we do the same thing, then we know we are right, and have done what Christ commanded.
Let us turn to the Sacred Record and see what they did when they baptized.
We read: "And there went out unto him all the country of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem, and they were baptized of him _in the river Jordan_, confessing their sins. . . . And it came to pa.s.s in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John _in_ [Greek _into_, marg. of A. R. V.] _the Jordan_. And straightway _coming up out of the water_, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him" (Mark 1:5,9,10). "John was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, _because there was much water there_" (John 3:23). "And they _both went down into the water_, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when _they came up out of the water_ . . . he went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:38,39). "We are _buried_ with him _by baptism_," "_planted_ in the likeness of his death," "and _raised_ in the likeness of his resurrection" (Rom.
6:4,5). "Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and _our bodies washed_ with pure water" (Heb. 10:22). "Except a man be _born of the water_ and of the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven"
(John 3:5). The italics are mine.
The following chart summarizes our study of baptism in the English Bible:
BAPTISM IN THE ENGLISH BIBLE
THE BIBLE AND IMMERSION SPRINKLING AND POURING REQUIRE: REQUIRE:
1. Water. Acts 8:36; 10:47 1. Water
2. Much water. John 3:23 2. Little water
3. Going to water. Mark 1:9 3. Bringing water
4. Going into water. Acts 8:38 4. Staying out of water
5. Putting into water. Mark 1:9 5. Putting water on (Margin of A. R. V)
6. Form of burial. Col. 2:12 6. No form of burial
7. Form of planting. Rom 6:5 7. No form of planting
8. Form of birth. John 3:5 8. No form of birth
9. Form of resurrection. 9. No form of resurrection Rom. 6:4
10. Form of doctrine. Rom. 6:17 10. No form of doctrine
11. Bodies washed. Heb. 10:22 11. Head wet
12. Coming up out of the water. 12. No getting out Mark 1:10
We thus learn that in being baptized they _went to water_, to _much water_, went _into the water_, were _put into the water_, were _buried in the water, planted in the water, born out of the water, raised out of the water_, had their _bodies washed_ and _came up out of the water_. If we do these things, we are Scripturally baptized and have been immersed.
The following pa.s.sages are the only places where sprinkling and pouring are found in the New Testament:
_Sprinkling and Pouring in the New Testament_.
1. Heb. 9:13.--Blood.
2. Heb. 9:19.--Blood.
3. Heb. 9:21.--Blood.
4. Heb. 10:22.--Hearts.
5. Heb. 11:28.--Blood.
6. Heb. 12:24.--Blood.
7. 1 Pet. 1:2.--Blood.
8. Matt. 26:7,12.--Ointment.
9. John 2:15.--Money.
10. Acts 10:45.--Spirit.
11. John 13:5.--Water.
12. Luke 10:34.--Oil and Wine.
13. Rev. 14:10.--Wrath.
You will notice that none of these Scriptures refer to baptism and that none of the Scriptures that do refer to baptism hint at sprinkling or pouring as the action. Sprinkling and pouring for baptism must come from some other source. We have already learned whence they came.