But stay a little, gentle reader, that we may talk with you, and prepare your mind for the perusal of this small volume. Just walk down to the river, and there you will see a man, called a Baptist minister, with uplifted hands; and hear him vow before earth and heaven, "All learned men say, that immersion is the proper mode of baptism, and that it only was practiced in the days of the apostles." Is not this sufficient to make the spirit of a Quaker.feel warlike? In view of this and kindred statements, when composing the materials of this volume, we thought on the cancer and over the remedy, and the result of our labor was, to use the knife, instead of a soothing plaster. In bringing this Preface to a close, we would wish it to be distinctly understood, that every sentence, proof, contrast, application and re-application of evidence, throughout the entire work, ought to be regarded, wholly regarded, as the results of design. on our part, and not of accident. Error is opposed with facts, fiction with sober reality, misstatments with the truths of history, o inions with well establishel authority, examples from the classics with examples from he classics, words and sounds with the plain teachings of inspiration. making, on the whole, these points unmistakab'y clear, that Baptist authors cannot be relied on, when writing on immersion and its claims--that the figure in John's baptism looked to the descent of the Spirit, and not to the burial and resurrection of Christ-that John did not baptize in water, but with water-that all of the apostles, if they baptized as John did, baptized by affusion--that infants are proper Scriptural subjects for baptism, and that affusion is the only plain mode taught in the New Testament. With good wishes for the spread of truth, all is most respectfully submitted to the reader. A PLAIN WORK ON BAPTISM. CHAPTER I. ERRORS OF BAPTIST AUTHORS. WE advertise our readers that we shall talk pointedly and plainly, calling things by significant terms, throughout a series of chapters that lie before us in contemplation. Would not justice forbid any other course, in view of the fact, that the energies of immersionists are enlisted to the work of proselyting? Are not our people told that they ought to be immersed-sprinkling being only a "rantism," not a baptism? When one is proselyted by misrepresentations of the fathers, and the history of the church, are we not called on to read the result in Baptist papers, as a triumph of truth? In short, as long as this state of things will exist, we shall deem it due to the cause of truth to present the false positions, theories, and assertions of immersionists, and expose their errors. They frankly inform us in their journals, that "the time is at hand" when they will "give no quarters to Pedoism," nor to its advocates, but will urge on the water-warfare throughout the length and breadth of this land of light and liberty. We have concluded to present to our young ministers, who may not have time nor opportunities to study the history of the proceedings of immersionists, some facts which will enable them to stand equipped for the war, and to rout those devotees of water from their supposed strongholds, causing them to feel shame and confusion of face. In doing this we shall collect, in A the first place, a number of statements, showing the gross impositions practiced on the public mind by the advocates of the doctrine of exclusive immersion. Their commentators, translators, writers, and historians, are either remarkably ignorant, or willfully and knowingly pervert sacred things in order to spread abroad their heartless system of religion. This is a grave charge, and when the facts are carefully examined by our readers, they can judge whether or not we sustain it. In a work entitled the "Baptist Library-three volumes in one," we have this notable falsehood: "German Testament, Matt. iii, 1: In those days came Johannes der Taufer-John the Dipper." Now, we have carefully examined the German Testament, and German Lexicon, and find that Johannes der Taufer, taken as a phrase, is neither more nor less than John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer the same as in the English version; nevertheless, in what immersionists call "standard Baptist works," this barefaced untruth is packed on the reading public as a matter of fact. In this work, page 359, we have this remarkable discovery and news: "John also was immersed in Enon, near to Salem, because there was much water there; and they came and were immersed." On reading this passage, we doubted our eyesight, and paused, reading, and re-reading, before we could be satisfied that it was so, or that any people in their sober senses would send forth such a declaration to the world. Pray, who immersed John in Enon? We can conceive of a person being immersed in water, but it does bewilder our thoughts to think on the immersion of John in Enon-yes, Enon. Well, we live to learn, and if an untruth can make us wiser, and add to our stock of knowledge, we bow our heads before immersionists, and thank |