THE HELPER
Of ttie Baptist CfiLircties of Wilmingtori and Eastern Association.
VOL. 1.
WILMINGTON, N. C-. AUGUST 1, 1900.
7.
THE IJTTIE tlKAVE.
Only a marble stone
At the head of a little grave.
By it I stand alone,
While over my heart a wave
Of mortal anguish sweeps,
Of sorrow, tender and deep.
While my spirit breathes a prayer
For the little one there asleep.
Only a marble atone
At the head of a little grave.
O’er it the blossoms blow'.
Round it the grasses wave.
And I can fancy I see her
Snailing as once she smiled,
And reach out my arms in longing
To clasp them around my child.
Only a marble stone
At the head of a little grave.
I have given my darling back
To the Infinite One who gave.
But still my tears are falling.
And I cannot help but moan.
When I look at the grave before, me
With the little white marble stone
■'Mother Bunch.”
WHY AM Pa baptist
A few days since, after a conversa
tion on the subject of baptism, my
mind was deeply affected by the diver
sity of views and feelings upon this
subject among the people of God. I
determined to Icok at the subject
afresh, and to rerounce at once and
'’u,..'!.! 1- ''''Of'Olr p!evu''U':
which woiild «eew, >n careful exam: •
nation, to ^ -wTOn^. In accordance
with this resolution, I reviewed the
question as carefully and candidly as
I could, and with the following result;
1, My first appeal was, of course, to
the New Testament; and the first
passage in which I found the word
"baptize,” was Matt. 3:6, "And were
baptized of him in Jordan, confessing
their sins.” lln the Revised Version
it reads, ”in the river Jordan.”—Ed.]
For "baptize” here, I substitute the
word “pour,” as follows: "And was
‘poured’ of him iu Jordan, confessing
their sins.” But, said I, this will
never do—the very statement is an
absurdity. "Sprinkle” was then sub
stituted, but vi'ith no better success.
John did not sprinkle the people “in
the Jordan.” Immersion was then
tried, and it fitted exactly: “And
were ‘immersed’ of him in Jordan.”
I could not believe that baptize meant
to sprinkle or to pour; for. without
absurdity, John could neither have
sprinkled or poured the people in the
water. And wherever the word “bap
tize” occurred. I found that if the
word "immerse” were substituted, it
made good sense; but "pour” or
"sprinkle” did not.
2. I appealed to the Greek diction
aries—Greek being the language iu
which the New’ Testament was first
written—and I could not find one
which gave sprinkle or pour as the
meaning of baptize. If there is one
in the world that so does, I am not
aware of it. There is not one that
does not translate it immerse. And
after the most careful investigation
for many years, there has never been
found an instance in all the Greek
writers where “baptize’’ primarily
means to sprinkle or pour—not one,
indeed, without the aid of immersion.
With these facts before me, I could
be nothing but a Baptist.
I consulted history, and it told
me that no denomination sprinkles or
pours, which does not descend from'
the Church of Rome. The Romish
Cliurch asserts that she has so changed
the ordinance of baptism from immer
sion, the primitive mode, -to sprink
ling. The Episcopal, Presbyterian,
Lutheran and other churches, seceded
from the Roman Catholic Church.
From the Episcopal Church came the
Methodist, and at different times oth
er sects have arisen. They all, like
the Church of Rome, sprinkle or pour.
But, throughout all Christendom,
wherever the Pope of Rome has never
borne sway, immersion is practiced to
this day. Amid the storms of Siberia
and Ru.ssia, in Europe. Asia, and Af
rica, throughout the dominions of
the Greek Church, and wherever the
sceptre of Rome has never extended,
millions now practice immersion, and
have ever since the first introduction
of Christianity among them.
4. I asked myself. Where has the
Holy Spirit set the seal of his appro-
bationV Thousands of times since
John the Baptist entered the Jordan
has the ordinance of immersion been
blessed to the awakening of thebe-
holder. Multitudes on earth and in
heaven are now rejoicing in a Savi
our’s love, whose first impressions
were received at the water’s side. To
such a mighty army of witnesses can
the advocates of any other mode
jK)intV It has never been claimed by
those wb j practice sprinkling or pour
ing, that th'eradmiuistration has been
marked by such effects as these. We
do claim this—Heaven's own mark
of approval—its evident seal of ap
probation.
.’). Multitudes of members of Pedo-
baptist church-es are dissatisfied with
Ln-lii'an. •' fjuoh len
chiirohf.s :\x>d submit to tiic orffiriiCce
as Christ appointed it. and a greater
number remain, dreading a change,
yet subject to continual uneasiness.
But among all the widely scattered
Baptist churches, from one end of the
earth to the other, who ever heard (>f
a Baptist becoming convinced that
immersion was wrong, and request
ing to have water sprinkled upon him
in the name of the Father, Son. and
Holy Spirity
6. Many persons in Pedobaptist
churches who have never read a Bap-
ti.'it work, have become Baptists by-
reading only the Bible. Such instan
ces have occurred within the range of
almost every one’s observation. But
who ever heard of a Baptist being led
to renounce immersion by reading
the Bible?
7. All Baptists are perfectly satis
fied to place the Bible in an iuqirer’s
hands, and have him come to a con
clusion from that alone, without hear
ing or reading any thing else on the
subject. They are confident that this
course will almost uniformly make j
Baptists. Hence advice of this kind
is frequently given to young converts
in answer to their inquiries on this
subject. The advocates of sprink
ling and pouring, on the other hand,
rarely or never give this advice, and
are extremely unwilling that a person
should be directed to make up his
mind from the Bible alone, uninflu
enced by any thing that friends may
say.
8. There are two great facts in gos
pel history, and there are two ordi
nances designed to set them forth
unto the end of time. These facts are
Christ’s death and Christ’s resurrec
tion; the ordinances are, baptism and
the breaking of bread. Both set forth
Christ’s death iu different relations—
the former with special reference to
his burial and resurrection. Immer
sion is a striking figure of both.
With these facte before me, can I
be any thing but a Baptist? Should I
not sin against God,against conscience
and the clearest teachings of right, if
I were anything else? And, Christian
reader, can you be .anything but a
Baptist? Is not the way so clear, that
no man who honestly desires to do
just what God would have him, can
mistake his way? Then fear God and
keep his commandments. Follow the
Lamb whithersoever he goeth.
A PR11ER FOR PITIESCE.
God of all patience, by, whose long-
suffering love alone we are permitted
to continue in the opportuiiities of life,
keep us in the quiet of Thy presence
all day long, that we sin not iu hasty
word or deed. Be swifter than our
provocations, stronger than our easy
besetting sins, and kinder than our
thought of others. In impatient hours
when anger burns within us and
cries out for utterance, give us cour
age in the memory of Thy love for
self-restraint. In the reflection of Thy
mercy may our faces shine. In cheer
ful hours may we await the ripening
of Thy purpose. So teach us to weigh
the hopes and fears, the joys and dis
appointments, of this mortal life that
we may know the worth of the endur
ing treasure of Thy grace. And glo
rify Thyself in us through ..-esus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Closet and Altar.—Watchman.
Speak a kind word to your neighbor—
’T will do your own heart good—
It will cheer him, and lighten his
labor.
And help him t« carry his load.
Suppose y.-iii -fry it. j,.
' -t.AftyiJaA:;'.
Every church" sP old hsi:.i.root!g
its cesvdaT stat-Jd one for
teaching the Scriptures. This is as
clearly its duty as is its duty to pro
vide for preaching the gospel. Christ
■ffas a teacher as well as a preacher.
The New Testament is full of such
expressions as “He went throughout
all Galilee teaching in their Syna
gogues” (Matthew iv. 23); ‘‘And as he
was wont he taught them again’’(Mark
X. 1); "Jesus went into the temple
and taught” (John vii. 14); “He sat
and taught them” (John viii. 2).
Many other expressions clearly show
that Christ was a teacher.
Jesus left as the very last command
ment given to the disciples an order
to teach His commandments. After-
commanding His disciples to make
disciples among all nations and to
baptize those won to discipleship, He
gives the injunction, ‘'teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you.” The word em
ployed by Jesus in this command ‘‘to
teach” is that used to express the
question and answer method of impart
ing instruction rather than the word
translated '‘preach.” whose primary
meaning is as often given iu the Re
vised Version of the Bible ‘‘to make
public proclamation.”
That the early followers of Jesus
obeyed this is seen from the passages
scattered throughout the Acts of the
Apostles, such as: "They taught the
people” (Actsiv. 2); “They entered
into the temple early in the morning
and taught” (v. 21); “A whole year
they (Barnabas and Saul) assembled
themselves with the church and
taught much people” (xi. 26). The
teachers of the church at Antioch are
named in Acts xiii. 1. And the call
ing of two of them to the regular'
work of the ministry and their ordi-
natioir is recorded in the verses suc
ceeding.
Teaching is a mighty power in
shaping character. It iS not strange
then that Christ should have given so
prominent a place to the work of
teaching. So important is it that the
Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul,
gives as one af the necessary qualifica
tions of a bishop or pastor that he be
“apt to teach. ”
Some churches are and ail ought to
be doing this teaching work of Chris
tianity. The agency employed to do
this is the Sunday School. The teach
ing during the Sunday School hour is
as much a part of the work committed
to his disciples by Christ as is the
public proclamation during the
preahing hour. The one is a church
meeting and the other is a church
meeting for preaching.
THE UST SOiV'C.
An old Methodist, a singer of no
mean order, was afflicted with a can
cer on his tongue. He went to a hos
pital for an operation, and there the
pathetic incident occurred.
Holding up his head, he said: “Wait
a bit, doctor, I have something to say
to you. ” The operator waited and the
patient continued: “When this is
over, doctor, will I ever sing again?”
The doctor could not speak; there
was a big lump in his throat. He
simply shook his head, while the tears
streamed down the poor fellow’s face
and he trembled convulsively. The
sick man then appealed to the doctor
to lift him up. The physician com
plied. He said: ‘‘I have had many a
good time singing God’s praises, and
you tell me, doctor, I can never sing
any more after this. I have one song
to sing, whic' will be, the last, it
w,i! be p song jf grati-f'.:,?.^ a,id p-eise
frdta operaw
BP ue of T' - \r^t
t m;
“I’ll praise my Maker while I’-^e
breath,
And when my voice is lost in death
Fraiso shall employ my nobler
powers.
My days of praise shal^ ne’er be past.
While life and thought and being last,
Or immortality endures.”
—Christian Budget.
THE YOUXG I»EA TRTIM TO SHOOT.
Many queer examination papers
have been printed; but here is one for
which we can vouch, which was pre
sented by a boy fourteen years old,
a boarding pupil iu one of the best
academies in the United States. It
was given to us by one of the profes
sors:
KXA-MINATION IN GRAMMAR.
I. —1. A noun is a word that expres
ses something. 2. A verb is a noun
that tell some particular thing. 3. A
prououn is a noun that tell what is
done. 4. An adjective is a word that
ask what was done. 5. An adverb is
a word that expresses the thought.
6 A preposition is a sentence that tell
something. 7. A conjunction is a sen
fence that tell what i^ done. 8. An
interjection—
II. —Mascaline, feminine, and neu
ter genders. Mascaline is the man
sect, feminine is the woman sect, and
neuter gender is things having no life,
(b) Mascaline: man, priest. Femi
nine: niece, lady, widow. Neuter
gender: house, animal, hero, tigress,
teacher.
IV. —Hard, fine, beautiful, good,
bad, little, many, earnest sweet, I
can’t compare.
V. —1. An indicative mood is when
the word states something after itself.
2. An infinitive mood is when some
thing is stated before itself. (b) Pres
ent:. to learn. Past: I am learning, I
have been learning.
VI. —1 cannot answer.
New York Christian Advocate.
Affection is the broadest basis of a
good life.—George Elliot.
108 North Front St.,
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WILMINGTON, N. C.