A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin FranklinFranklin, Benjamin
Religion
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
Franklin, Benjamin
Churches of Christ
Referring to the position of the disciples on the action of baptism, a
correspondent says: “That, in regard to the sacrament of baptism, the
whole christian world have been in the dark, from the earliest history
of the church until within three hundred years, and much the greater
part are still behind!” He adds, “Not deceived, be it remembered, about
some things not essential to the ordinance, but _in regard to the very
nature of it_. And what is yet more singular, denominations possessing
much the greater share of learning are most in the dark!” He proceeds,
“Nay, even the christian fathers, who were, some of them, Greeks, and
men of learning, and who certainly should have known something about
their own language, were in serious error upon this very subject!”
All this is said, by our worthy friend, in reference to our position,
that nothing but immersion is baptism. It contains several items, and
to give them all possible conspicuity we notice them separately.
_First._ His first trouble is about the whole christian world being
in the dark, if our position is true. This expression, “the whole
christian world,” must be simmered down a little. We strike out of
it, then, all the christians of the first two centuries, as not in
the dark, for they held and practiced nothing but immersion for
baptism. This is sufficient, if we could say no more. But we add to
this all Baptists of modern times, who have not been in the dark on
this point. No fact is better authenticated than that for the first
thirteen centuries immersion was invariably practiced by all professed
christians, except, after the third century, in cases of extreme
weakness, where they thought immersion could not be endured, they
decided that affusion would do; but these could never hold office in
the church. Even the Episcopalian church, in the time of Mr. Wesley,
almost invariably immersed. Now sum up all these, and then decide how
large the number in the dark, and you will find that the sprinklers are
a mere drop in the bucket.
_Second._ The above shows that they have not possessed much the greater
share of learning, but much the smaller share of learning.
_Third._ The christian fathers, so called, are not to be entered in
that list. They were on the other side, and practiced immersion and
nothing else. The remark of the Cyprian shows that he is defending
something new and in doubt; hence his remark that “it is of equal
validity with the laver of salvation.” There was no doubt about what he
calls “the laver of salvation,” but there was doubt about sprinkling.
The one needed argument and the perversion of the passage in Ezekiel to
support it; the other was universally acknowledged.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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