Читать книгу Dorothy Page - Eldridge B. Hatcher - Страница 8

At eight o'clock they gathered in the library.

"Now, Sterling," said Mr. Page, "we are all attention. Open up your Presbyterian treasures, for you have our curiosity aroused."

Sterling was anxious to bring to Dorothy's attention the facts about his denomination. He felt confident that the history and doctrines of Presbyterianism would prove very attractive to her and lead her into his church.

"I fear I cannot do my denomination justice," he said. "It deserves an abler champion. It has had an illustrious history and on our honor roll are such notable names as John Calvin, John Knox, Thomas Chalmers and a host of others."

"What are the doctrines of your church, Mr. Sterling?" asked Dorothy.

"We believe in God as the creator and preserver of the world, in Christ as the Savior of sinners, and in the Bible as the Word of God."

"How about those doctrines, daughter?" asked Mr. Page. "Can you accept them?"

"Of course, father. The Bible teaches them plainly."

"Good! Give us some more, Sterling."

"We believe that Christ offered himself on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of men, that he was buried, rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven, where he sits at the right hand of the Father. We believe in the Holy Spirit as being sent by the Father to convict men of sin and righteousness and judgment to come."

"What about that, daughter?"

"Father is pinning me down, Mr. Sterling, as we go along," she said with a smile. "I think I can accept those doctrines because the New Testament teaches them—at least that is my recollection from my reading of the New Testament."

"We believe that Christ in organizing the church gave two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper; that baptism is a sign and seal of God's regenerating grace and that the Lord's Supper is a memorial of his death—the bread typifying his broken body and the wine his shed blood. We believe that Christ speaks of his church as his bride."

"Yes, I remember that."

"Sterling, you seem to be making good progress," said the father. "Do you accept the doctrines as he has announced them thus far, daughter?"

"I think so. They seem to be in accord with what I have read. I have only read the New Testament through twice."

"In mentioning our doctrines," he said, "I am not attempting a logical order, nor am I confining myself to strict theological terminology. I am giving our doctrines just as they come before my mind."

"Go ahead," said the father. "I think Dorothy will soon find herself a Presbyterian."

"I ought to have stated," continued Mr. Sterling, "that we believe that salvation comes by faith in Christ. All of the redeemed in Christ will be received by him when he shall come again and shall live with him in everlasting happiness, but the unbelievers will be banished into everlasting punishment."

"Hold on," said Mr. Page; "you don't endorse that last awful doctrine, do you, daughter?"

"It is awful, father, but I have to endorse it, for I have read it in the Bible with my own eyes and I remember it was declared by Christ himself."

Sterling was delighted at the progress he was making. The thought of Dorothy coming into his church filled him with joy.

"Another doctrine," he said: "We believe in Christ's words concerning the little children—'of such is the Kingdom of Heaven'—and that, as Peter said, God's promise is unto his people and to their children and their children's children, and as baptism is the door to the church—"

"Oh, yes," exclaimed Dorothy, "I saw a baptism once. Do I have to be baptized, too, Mr. Sterling?"

"Yes, indeed."

"That was a very interesting baptism I saw in Nebraska, where I was visiting. It was in a river and they put the people under the water."

"Oh, Miss Dorothy, that was not baptism," exclaimed Sterling, apparently horrified by her remark.

"It was not? What was it, Mr. Sterling?"

"It was merely an odd practice observed by certain curious sects. I beg that you will get that well fixed in your mind."

"Well, you know I have to learn about these things. What do you mean then by baptism?"

"Baptism is performed by having water sprinkled or poured gently upon the head of the candidate. It is a very impressive ceremony."

"That is strange, for do you know I saw in the Bible just the kind of baptism that I witnessed that day in Nebraska?"

"Oh, never. Bible baptism is by sprinkling and sprinkling alone."

"Well, I read in one or two places about people being baptized by being put under the water; that is, unless I am very much mistaken."

"Hold on," said the father. "I guess you had better clear up that point about baptism before you go any further."

"Not at all," said Sterling very earnestly; "there is nothing to clear up. It is a plain fact of history as well as of Bible teaching that baptism was done by sprinkling."

"Do the denominations differ about baptism?" asked Dorothy.

"Not worth talking about; nearly all the denominations agree that the baptism of the Bible is by sprinkling or pouring."

"Daughter, get your Bible and let's see that passage where you say the people were put under the water."

"I must not be too sure," she replied. "I know so little about the Book that I may have been mistaken, but I don't think I can be."

The Bible was brought in, and as Dorothy opened it and began turning its pages she said: "One passage was the account of the baptism of Jesus."

"What!" exclaimed Mr. Page. "Was he baptized—Jesus Christ? Well, well, that's one on me."

"Oh, father, how can you speak so?"

"I beg your pardon, daughter. I surely did not mean to be irreverent. But let us have that passage telling how he was baptized. That ought to be mighty interesting."

"It is the third chapter of Matthew," said Mr. Sterling.

Dorothy read: "'Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him.'"

"The Jordan was a river, was it not?" asked the father.

"Yes," replied Sterling.

"And you say that Jesus went to that river to be baptized?" asked the father.

"Yes," answered Sterling.

"And you say he went there to have some water sprinkled on him instead of being put under the water?"

"Certainly he did."

"Do people generally go to rivers now to be sprinkled?" asked Dorothy.

"I do not know that they do, but they could certainly do so if they should so desire."

"Did you ever hear of anybody doing so?" asked the father.

"Why, possibly not; but that doesn't prove that it never has been done; but let us have the rest of the passage."

She read: "'And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water.'"

"Hello!" said the father, "that sounds curious. Why did he go down into the water, Sterling, if he was simply to be sprinkled?"

"Why, he simply walked a little way into the stream and stood there while John gently sprinkled the water on him. It must have been a beautiful ceremony."

Dorothy was consulting her concordance.

"Here is another passage in the third chapter and twenty-third verse."

"Let us have it," said the father.

She read: "'And John also was baptizing in Aenon, near to Salem, because there was much water there.'"

"Much water!" exclaimed Mr. Page. "What about that, Friend Sterling?"

"I think that is plain. There were great multitudes following John and camping around him, and he selected a place where there would be abundant water for the cattle. The country was dry in many places."

"But it says he was baptizing there because there was much water there," said Dorothy.

"That simply means that he did his baptizing in that section because of the abundance of the water for the cattle," insisted Sterling.

"What is your reason, Mr. Sterling," asked Dorothy, "for saying it was the cattle that John had in mind?"

"You mentioned the passage as indicating immersion," continued Sterling, "and I replied that the mention of much water did not necessarily prove immersion, because it may have had reference to the cattle rather than to the mode of the baptism. And besides, the dryness of that Oriental country is another fact that indicates that John selected the place for watering the cattle."

"But is it necessary to have a place of much water in order to water cattle?" asked Dorothy. "Would not a small stream be sufficient for many cattle?"

"Come, come, children," said the father, "why not take the words as you find them? By the way, did John do anything for the crowds except baptize them?"

"Oh, yes," said Sterling, "he was a great preacher for the crowds. That was his principal work. Baptism was a very small and almost insignificant part of it. They did not make the ado about it then that certain sects do now."

"Exactly; that is what I am getting at. You say preaching was the main thing John was doing. I should think, then, that if it was the cattle that made him select the place, it would have read 'John was preaching at Aenon because there was much water there'. But it says he was baptizing there, and that would indicate that the baptizing part of his work brought him to that place. He could have preached where there was not much water. You think, Sterling, that his baptizing had nothing to do with his selecting that place. Why, then, did it say he was baptizing there because of the much water? It looks mighty plain to me that the baptizing was mentioned because of the much water."

Dorothy was puzzled.

"I don't see how I am ever to get at the meaning of the Bible," she said, "if I am not to take what seems to be the natural meaning of the passages, but must rather suppose that something else was intended."

"Evidently we can't agree on that verse," said Sterling with a smile. "Let us have another, Miss Dorothy."

"Here is a passage, Acts 8:35-39: 'Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way they came unto a certain water and the Eunuch said: "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip said: "If thou believeth with all thy heart thou mayest." And he answered and said: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." And he commanded the chariot to stand still and they went down both into the water, Philip and the Eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip that the Eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.'"

"You see they stepped down to the water's edge," said Sterling, "and Philip sprinkled him."

"But it says they both went down into the water and both came up out of the water. Why did they go down into the water if the Eunuch was simply to be sprinkled?"

"Look here," said the father; "life is too brief to be squandering it on debating a question like that. That's as plain as a chimney on a house. You could never make me think that all that going down into the water and coming up out of the water was simply to have a few drops of water sprinkled on the man. Sterling, I know you don't mean to do so, but it looks as if you are afraid of the natural meaning that lies on the surface."

"But the surface meaning in the Bible is not always the true one. We know from other passages that baptism was by sprinkling, and when we come to one like this, that may mean either kind of baptism, we know from the general teaching of Scripture that sprinkling and not immersion was the mode here intended."