JOHN'S BAPTISM: WAS IT From Moses or Christ? JEWISH OR CHRISTIAN?

JOHN'S BAPTISM:

WAS IT
From Moses or Christ?
JEWISH OR CHRISTIAN?

OBJECTIONS TO ITS CHRISTIAN CHARACTER
ANSWERED.

BY
J. R. GRAVES, LL. D.

PREFACE.

The Baptism of John, whence was it?
--Christ.
And they answered, we can not tell.
--The Jews.
Why could they not tell?
[--J. R. Graves.]

For three centuries the Religious world has been divided
between three Theories touching the place of John's Min-
istry in the Development of the Redemptive Economy.
I. It belonged to the JEWISH DISPENSATION [O.T.].
II. It was an INTERMEDIATE DISPENSATION.
III. It belonged to the CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION [N.T.].

It must of necessity have belonged to one of these, for we
can not conceive of a fourth Theory.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

CHAPTER I. PAGE
Introductory . . . . . . . . . 7
CHAPTER II. Introductory . . . . . . . . . 12
CHAPTER III. Characteristics of the Man . . . . . . . . . 17
CHAPTER IV. John's Ministry did not belong to the Law, or Jewish Dispen-
sation . . . . . . . . . 22
CHAPTER V. Exegesis of Acts xix, 1-7 . . . . . . . . . 39
CHAPTER VI. John's Ministry not an Intermediate Dispensation. . . . . . . . . . . . 48
CHAPTER VII. Proposition: The Baptism of John belonged to the Christian,
or Gospel Dispensation . . . . . . . . . 54
CHAPTER VIII. Proposition: The Baptism of John belonged to the Christian
Dispensation . . . . . . . . . 72
CHAPTER IX. The Roman Catholic Church on trial by John's Baptism. . . . . . 84
CHAPTER X. The Episcopal Church tried by John's Baptism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
CHAPTER XI. The Campbellite Society tried by John's Baptism. . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

viii CONTENTS.
PAGE

CHAPTER XII. The Baptist Church tried by John's Baptism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

PART II.
CHAPTER I. Meaning of Baptizo . . . . . . . . . 123
CHAPTER II. Sacred use. . . . . . . . . 136
CHAPTER III. Physical objections to Immersion considered. . . . . . . . . 141
CHAPTER IV. The River Jordan--Does it afford water enough for immersion --
Are its waters accessible--They were in the days of
Moses and David. . . . . . . . . 144
CHAPTER V. AEnon--Was there water enough to immerse a person . . . . . . . 160
CHAPTER VI. AEnon, near Salem . . . . . . . . . 166

PART III.
CHAPTER I. Infant Baptism (unscriptural). . . . . . . . . . 177
CHAPTER II. The Old Testament Covenant given up as affording any ground
for Infant Baptism . . . . . . . . . 192
CHAPTER III. Pedobaptists answer themselves--A most singular argument. . 195
(Testimony of the Churches, in the order of their origin, touching
the meaning of Baptizo, and the practice of that Church)
CHAPTER IV. The Greek Church, A. D. 3d Century . . . . . . . . . 201

CONTENTS. ix

PAGE

CHAPTER V. The Roman Catholic Church, 7th Century . . . . . . . . . 206
CHAPTER VI. The Lutheran Church, 16th Century . . . . . . . . . 210
CHAPTER VII. The Presbyterian Church, 16th Century . . . . . . . . . 213
CHAPTER VIII. The Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Church
of America, 17th Century. . . . . . . . . . 217
CHAPTER IX. What do the scholars of the Independents, or Congregationalist,
of England and America, say is the meaning of Baptizo.. 221
CHAPTER X. Unsectarian Works, English Encyclopedias and Dictionaries . . 224
CHAPTER XI. What the commentators say . . . . . . . . . 228
CHAPTER XII. Reasons why I should prefer immersion, were sprinkling and
pouring admissible . . . . . . . . . 232
CHAPTER XIII. The children of Christians not baptized in the early centuries--
Acts of Councils. . . . . . . . . 238
CHAPTER XIV. Why I am a Baptist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Appendix A . . . . . . . . . 242
Appendix B (Certificates v. Ditzler) . . . . . . . . . 251