FIFTY-THIRD YEAR.
ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE.
RALEIGH, N. C, THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1908.
NUMBER 48
FACING THE FUTURE.
HY M T. PLYLKR.
Enough time has elapsed for the testing of the
proverbial new year resolutions to be on in earn
est. Some have already grown weak and begun
to waver in their new endeavor, ready to fall in
with the usual compromises. They fail to break
with the ignoble past and are perplexed by the
failure to realize the expectations of their loftier
moments. The days gone, marked by disappoint
ments, cruel anxieties and heataches, leave the
tamest souls of earth full of questionings, all of
which tend to beget a timidity in facing the fu
ture. Prolonged efforts to escape business wreck,
weary watchings through the long nights for the
morning that never comes to the wrecked family
circle, and the trying ordeal of concealing a
breaking heart behind a smiling face, cause the
first shadow of coming trial to assume the aspect
of the black night of despair. Only the brave,
trusting heart can face the future with unruffled
calm.
Why not this be the lot every follower of
the Man of Sorrows during these coming months?
March steadily on without the slightest misgivings
because of your inability to dip into the future,
for, God knows; and and raise the joyful shout,
even when men forget, for God cares. Leave be
hind your enmities and destroy enemies by mak
ing friends- of them; repent of your sins and
leave the load with the great Burden-bearer;
profit by your sorrows and failures until they be
come the wings by which you rise. Up and on
should be the glad watch-word.
The ministry should these winter months com
pass new fields of thought, led by the master
spirits that have taught the world to think, and
should make new friendships with God in the deep
silences of life where the familiar associations
with the eternal are formed. To repeat the empty
jargon of worn-out theological phrases, with sub
lime confidence in the piety of it all, is to engage
in the most contemptible cant when the people
should have a message from God. Good many of
our well-worn expressions like "get religion, "be
saved," "old-time religion," ete,. need to be born
again in the thought of the ministry and filled
full again for the people. To many, they are but
empty sounds devoid of life and power. When
fresh and full they throb with new force and en
ergy. In our town and city pulpits should be men fill
ed with the spirit and courage of the old Hebrew
prophets to save from the dry-rot of respectability
and the death stupor of worldly indulgence men
so conscious of the Divine as not to be abashed
or abused in the presence of a sordid age filled
with its sin and shame. Men afraid to wrestle
v. ith any new phase of thought, or lacking in a
desire to be filled full of God, would do well to
keep out. of our centres and float in the stagnant
places of the world's life. Only the face hard-set
to the future and the heart hard-pressed against
the heart of God is of any real worth, in these
eager uncertain times. To walk with God like
Enoch, to delight in the Master like John, and to
press forward like Paul, makes men .to triumph
at all times.
The spiritual desolation in the pew, manifest
with som j in poverty of soul, with others in an
unsatisfied hunger of heart, calls for a determined
effort to secure a real advance in all our Zion.
Too many do not even lift up lame hands of faith
to the Father over all and in all. They have
never practiced Peter's gospel of addition, much
less joined in Paul's shout of triumph. A few
cling with fond memory to a "meeting" years ago
when "God blessed their soul," many do not have
quite so inspiring a record, as they drift along
somewhere, some whither. Oh, man of a few days,
set your face forward and place your feet in the
way to Beulah land.
THE NATURE, THE MODE, AND SUBJECTS OF
CHRISTIAN 11APTISM.
BY KEV. L. L. NASH, D. I).
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you,
and ye shall be clean: from all your illthiiiess,
and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within" you; and I will take awuy the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you
a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 30:25, 20.
Those who believe in, and practice the ordi
nance of baptism by any other mode than that of
immersing the subject in water, are frequently
condemned and criticised for so doing by those
who contend for exclusive immersion. They gen
erally lay so much emphasis on the mode that it
becomes necessary for us, who practice any other
mode, to give our reasons for so doing. This is
our reason for discussing the question. We do
not attach enough importance to the manner of
applying water in baptism to make the mere
mode of sufficient importance to alienate Chris
tians from each other. We allow the largest lib
erty on this subject, and administer the ordinance
as may be desired by the person who wishes to be
baptized in the Christian faith. Hut we prefer
baptism by affusion, for the reason that we be
lieve it to be more clearly taught in the Scrip
tures than any other mode; while we do not con
tend that any mode is so clearly taught as not to
allow the largest liberty on the subject. Many
practice exclusive immersion, for whom we have
the highest regard and the deepest Christian
charity. We believe it is our duty to give those
who hold a different view from us our reasons for
practicing baptism by affusion; and f propose to
do this in the spirit of Christian charily.
We believe the text taken here contains a
prophecy of the blessings of Christ's Kingdom,
which is fulfilled in the regeneration of the soul
and typified in the ordinance of Christian baptism.
The sprinkling of clean water in baptism is typi
cal of the cleansing from filthiness and from idol
atry; and is an outward sign of the taking away
of the stony heart and the giving of a. heart of
flesh in that marvelous change that takes place
in the moral and spiritual nature of man when he
is born of the Spirit of God. Passing from these
brief introductory remarks we proceed at once
to the discussion of
The Nature of Christian Baptism.
We have two sacraments, ordained of our Lord,
in the Christian church. The Sacrament of the
Lord's Supper and of Baptism. The Lord's Sup
per was instituted first, and signifies what Christ
did for us by His atoning death. The Sacrament
of Christian Baptism was instituted after His
death and resurrection, and signifies what the
Holy Spirit does in us in the regeneration of the
soul. It is necessary for us to keep the purpos
of our Lord in mind that we may have a' clear
conception of the meaning of these simple but
significant sacraments.
Christian baptism has been frequently con
founded with the baptism of John, which preced
ed Christian baptism and was practiced to signify
n different thing. The meaning and purpose of
John's baptism passed away with the dispensation
in which he flourished. It was a baptism unto
repentance, and was prophetic of the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, of which Christian baptism is a
sign and a significant recognition. The nature of
baptism is of much more importance than the
mode of administering the ordinance. John said:
"I need baptize you with water unto repentance:
but he that cometh after me is mightier than 1,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall
baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with Are:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly
purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner; but he will burn up the chaff with un
quenchable fire." (Matt. 3:11, 12.) We find un
der the ministration of St. Paul that he kept the
distinction in mind. "And it came to pass that
while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed
through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus: and
finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have
ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? and
they said unto him, We have not so much as heard
whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said
unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized?
And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said
Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of
repentance saying, unto the people that they
should believe on him which should come after
him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard
this they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on
them, the Holy Ghost came on them: and they
spake with tongues and prohesied." (Acts 19:
i-6.)
To be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
meant to be baptized in the formula given by him,
in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost. No one was baptized in this mime,
until after the resurrection of Christ. He gave
the command, "Go ye into all the world and
preach the Gospel to every creature, lie that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he
that believeth not shall be damned." (M irk 16:
1 5-1 6.) "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever J have commanded
you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end of the world." (Matt. 28:11), 20.)
This was the origin of Christian baptism. Paul
commanded the twelve men spoken of in the l!nh
chapter of Acts to be baptized in this name, after
they had been baptized in John's baptism: and
after they had been thus baptized he laid his
hands on them, and the Holy Ghost came on them
and gave the divine approval to the ordinance. Our
Church holds that: "Baptism is not only a sign
of profession and a mark of difference whereby
Christians are distinguished from others that are
not baptized; but it is also a sign of regenera
tion, or the new birth."
This being clearly the nature and meaning of
baptism, it is a misconception of the nature of
baptism to speak of it as referring to the death
and burial of Christ. The being buried with him
in baptism relates to the nature of the spiritual
baptism whereby the soul is regenerated by the
Holy Spirit, of which baptism is the outward and
visible sign.
(To be Continued.)