Br-2-Additional Material
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
I. Introduction
We now offer some additional material, mostly quotations, from both the Bible and secular history, which time would not permit us to give in the body of the speech. We believe this material will be interesting, enlightening, and helpful.
2. Church Government and Organization
There is no passage in the Bible which binds congregations together with ecclesiastical ties and episcopal authority. Instead, the Bible pictures the complete independence of each congregation working under the oversight of its own elders, bishops, or presbyters—these words being used interchangeably. The Bible sets forth a plurality of elders, bishops, or overseers in one church rather than a plurality of churches to one bishop. And from Miletus he sent Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.—Bible, Acts 20:17.
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.—Bible, Php 1:1.
During the lifetime of the apostles the different congregations were independent of each other, and elders were appointed in every church. There were no Synods, Councils, Conventions, Associations or Conferences composed of delegates from different congregations constituting an Ecclesiastic Legislative Body. (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5. Also, Mosheim’s Church History, p. 22; Neander, Vol. 1, p. 1830—Church History for Busy People, Klingman, p. 11. The system of episcopacy and papacy was gradually developed, growing out of the unholy ambition, for power and leadership. This growth was slow, little by little, but sure. The elders or bishops selected one to preside at their business meetings. Later he came to be known as "The Bishop" and was exalted above his fellow bishops. In the second century they digressed so far as to have one bishop for one church. During the greater portion of the second century the churches remained independent of each other, but later the churches within the same district began to unite into a confederation and hold conventions at stated times to plan for the good of the whole district. Such conventions were called councils. These councils soon began to pass laws, and claimed authority from Christ to dictate to the people. These councils increased in number and the church took on the form of a republic with provinces in different parts of the world; thus came the patriarchs and finally the pope.—Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I pp. 116, 117. Historians are agreed that the first fully developed pope was Boniface III, 606 A.D.
3. Who Should Be Baptized? The Bible teaches the baptizing of taught, believing, and penitent persons. It provides for the baptizing of no one else. Read Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, as given in the speech.
Jerome, one of the early greats claimed by the Roman Catholic Church, was plain and pointed in teaching believer’s baptism:
Fourth Century.—Jerome says, "The Lord commanded His Apostles that they should first instruct and teach all nations, and afterwards should baptize them that were instructed in the mysteries of the faith; for it cannot be that the body should receive the ordinance of baptism before the soul has received the true faith."—Jerome’s Comment on Matthew 28:19-20.—Christian Baptism, Campbell, p. 359. The doctrine of infant baptism grew out of another erroneous doctrine, hereditary depravity, the doctrine that infants are born guilty of sin. We quote:
If infants are guilty of original sin, then they are proper subjects of baptism; seeing, in the ordinary way, they cannot be saved, unless this be washed away by baptism. It has been already proved, that this original stain cleaves to every child of man; and that thereby they are children of wrath, and liable to eternal damnation... Infants need to be washed from original sin; therefore they are proper subjects of baptism.—Wesley’s Works, Miscellaneous, Vol. 2, p. 16.
Neander also states that infant baptism evolved from the doctrine of original sin.—Church History, Vol. I, pp. 426, 427. But infants are not born guilty of sin. See Genesis 8:21; Ezekiel 18:20; Matthew 18:3.
4. Act of Baptism The Bible plainly states that baptism requires much water, a going unto the water, a burial, a birth, and a coming up out of the water. In addition to the passages given in sermon, consider the following passages: And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. —Bible,Acts 8:38-39.
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.—Bible,Romans 6:3-4.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.—Bible,John 3:5.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.—Bible, Ephesians 4:5.
Now we come to secular history. The first person baptized by affusion, of whom we have any record, was Novation, 251 A.D.:
Novation, as before shown in the histories quoted, had water poured all over him in a bed. This happened not earlier than A.D. 251, probably 253. (Eusebius, p. 114) About eighty years after this time, when other sick and feeble persons were preferring this method introduced by Novation, so far as all authentic records inform us, a decree was issued, called "the 12th canon of the Council of Neocaesarea," against such pourings, inhibiting persons so poured upon from any participation in the honors of the ministry or priesthood.— Christian Baptism, Campbell, p. 191. In 1311 A.D. sprinkling—which had been the exception to the rule—became the regular doctrine and practice of the Roman Catholic Church, as mentioned in speech.
Mosheim’s Ecclesiastical History 1st century: "The sacrament of baptism was administered in this century, without the public assemblies, in places appointed and prepared for the purpose and was performed by immersion of the whole body in the baptismal font."—Christian Baptism, Campbell, p. 186.
Wesley’s remark on Romans 6:4 : "We are buried with him... alluding here to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion."—Christian Baptism, Campbell, p. 143. In the 5th of the Smolcald articles drawn up by Luther, he says, "Baptism is nothing else than the word of God with immersion in water."—Christian Baptism, Campbell, p. 144.
Calvin: "the word baptizo signifies to immerse, and it is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church."—Christian Baptism, Campbell, p. 145.
5. Creeds The Bible was given to be the all-sufficient creed, as mentioned in sermon, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Men not satisfied with the all-sufficiency of the Bible as a creed began to write human creeds. The first was the Nicene Creed, 325 A.D.: The first Council of Nice, 325 A.D., is conspicuous... after being in session for an entire month, promulgated on June 19 the Nicene Creed.—The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. IX, p. 156.
6. The Confessional The Bible does not teach "Auricular Confession." The Bible teaches that we should confess our sins to one another, not in secret to a prelate. For instance:
Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed.—Bible, James 5:16.
Auricular confession: Confession into the ear of a priest enjoined by Leo the Great (440-461) as a substitute for public confession. The twenty-first canon of the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215) under Innocent III makes it obligatory every year upon all Catholics, on pain of excommunication. and consequently the loss of Christian burial.—The New Schaff - Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I, p. 373. For auricular confession in the sense of the medieval and Roman church, there is no authority in Holy Scripture. It is traceable to the practice of examining those who were about to make a public confession of some notorious offense, and of giving advice concerning how, far the circumstances of the sin were to be announced; an expedient that was found advisable, since as much injury could be wrought by injudicious publishing of details in the confession as by the sin itself. The practice once introduced for particular cases was in time extended to all cases; and the private confession of sin was demanded by the church as a condition of the absolution, and made an element of penitence, which was analyzed into contrition, confession and satisfaction.—The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, pp. 699, 700 7. Music in Worship
Every passage in, the New Testament—no exception—which mentions music in the worship specifies vocal music instead of instrumental. For instance:
I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.—Bible,1 Corinthians 14:15.
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Bible,Ephesians 5:19.
Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.—Bible,Colossians 3:16.
Secular history informs us: In my earliest intercourse among this people, congregational singing generally prevailed among them... THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ORGAN AMONG THE BAPTISTS. This instrument, which from time immemorial has been associated with cathedral pomp and prelatical power, and has always been the peculiar favorite of great national churches, at length found its way into Baptist sanctuaries, and the first one ever employed by the denomination in this country, and probably in any other, might have been standing in the singing gallery of the Old Baptist meeting house in Pawtucket, about forty years ago, where I then officiated as pastor (1840)... Staunch old Baptists in former times would as soon tolerated the Pope of Rome in their pulpits as an organ in their galleries, and yet the instrument has gradually found its way among them... How far this modern organ fever will extend among our people, and whether it will on the whole work a RE-formation or DE-formation in their singing service, time will more fully develop.—Fifty Years Among Baptists, David Benedict, pp. 204-207.
Charles H. Spurgeon, recognized as the greatest Baptist preacher that ever lived, preached for twenty years to thousands of people weekly in the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle, London, England, did not have musical instruments in the worship. — Instrumental Music in the Worship—Kurfees, p. 196. For additional quotations from history see those used in body of speech.
8. Purgatory The doctrine of purgatory is the doctrine that man at death goes to an intermediate state between heaven and hell for temporary punishment. The Bible does not speak of it. In Luke 16:19-31 we read of two men who died. One was saved. The other was lost. Neither went to purgatory. If neither the saved nor the lost go to purgatory, then who will? No one, for there is no such place!
According to secular history this doctrine can be traced back to 593 A.D.—History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff. The first decree on this subject is found in connection with the councils of Florence, 1439. The 25th session of the Council of Trent declares that there is a purgatory and that the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful.—Nelson’s Encyclopedia, Vol. 10, p. 114.
9. Celibacy Celibacy — marriage forbidden to certain ones in the church.
First we quote the Bible:
Marriage is honorable in all.—Bible,Hebrews 13:4. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife. Bible,1 Timothy 3:2.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith... forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats.—Bible, 1 Timothy 4:1-3.
Quotations from secular history: The large number of canons on this subject (celibacy) enacted from the eighth century on shows that their enforcement was not easy. After the middle of the eleventh century the new ascetic tendency whose champion was Gregory VII had a strong influence in this matter... In the synod of 1074 he renewed the definite enactment of 1059 and 1063, according to which both the married priest who said mass and the layman who received communion at his hands were excommunicated.—The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. II, p. 465.
10. Religious Names Divine history, the Bible, says: And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Bible,Acts 11:26.
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (in this name, A.S.V.).—Bible,1 Peter 4:16.
Quotations from secular history:
I pray you to leave my name alone, and call not yourselves Lutherans, but Christians. Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine. I have not been crucified for anyone. St. Paul would not let any call themselves after Paul, nor of Peter, but of Christ. How then, does it befit me, a miserable bag of dust and ashes, to give my name to the children of God? Cease, my dear friends, to cling to these party names and distinctions: away with all; and let us call ourselves only Christians after Him from whom our doctrine comes.—The Life of Luther, Stork, p. 289. So far as present researches go, the name Baptist as applied to this body of Christian people, first appears in literature in the year 1644. Prior to that date they were without a name.—Johnson’s Universal Cyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 489.
I say of the Baptist name, let it perish, but let Christ’s name last forever. I look forward with pleasure, to the day when there will not be a Baptist living. I hope they will soon be gone. I hope the Baptist name will soon perish; but let Christ’s name endure forever.—Charles Spurgeon, recognized as the most talented Baptist preacher that ever lived, Spurgeon Memorial Library, Vol. I, p. 168.
11. Indulgences The Bible does not speak of indulgences. This is another one of the many additions to the Bible. The early church knew nothing of indulgences... The first powerful impulse to the introduction of indulgences, properly so called, was given by the Crusades at the great Synod of Clermont in 1096.—McClintock and Strong’s Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, pp. 563, 564. In the fifteenth century the disposal of indulgences became a common traffic, and public sale of them was generally preceded by some specious pretext. Often the pretenses for selling them were in reality bloody, idolatrous and superstitious. Pope John XXIII empowered his legates to absolve penitents from all sorts of crimes upon the payment of sums of money proportioned to their guilt. D’Aubigne, in his History of the Reformation tells us that when such indulgences were to be published, the disposal of them was commonly farmed out; for the papal court could not always wait to have the money collected and conveyed from every country of Europe. And there were rich merchants at Genoa, Milan, Venice and Augsburg who purchased the indulgences for a particular province, and paid to the papal chancery handsome sums for them. Thus both parties were benefitted....Yet, that this species of traffic might have a religious aspect, the Pope appointed the archbishops of several provinces to be his commissaries, who in his name announced that indulgences were to be sold, and generally selected the men to sell them, and for this service shared the profits with the merchants who farmed them... Leo X, in order to carry on the expensive structure of St. Peter’s Church in Rome, published indulgences, with a plenary remission to all such as should contribute toward erecting that magnificent building.—The Church, The Falling Away, and the Restoration, Shepherd, pp. 68, 69.
12. Church Membership
Jesus commanded man to go teach and baptize (Matthew 28:19-20). That is man’s business. The Lord adds to the church. That is His business. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved—Bible Acts 2:47. The Baptist Church manual states that this was the teaching and practice in apostolic times:
It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but "one Lord, one faith, and one baptism" and no differing denominations existed, the baptism of a convert by that very act constituted him a member of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and privileges of full membership. In that sense, "baptism was the door into the church." Now, it is different; and while the churches are desirous of receiving members, they are wary and cautious that they do not receive unworthy persons. The churches therefore have candidates come before them, make their statement, give their "experience," and then their reception is decided by a vote of the members. And while they cannot become members without baptism, yet it is the vote of the body which admits them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.—The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, Hiscox, p. 22. The Baptist Church manual says, "Now, it is different." Yes, that is right. There are so many things in the religious world today which are different from the apostolic age. But why? And who made them different? And by what authority were they made different? Friends, it is evident that we are pleading for the restoration of primitive Christianity. With love toward all men and malice toward none we make this plea.
13. Conclusion
All of these additions to and perversions of the Holy Bible and many others which space will not permit us to give, cause us to ponder anew these passages: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.—BibleGalatians 1:8-9. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.—Bible, Revelation 22:18-19.