A PUZZLED DUTCHMAN

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 100, 6 September 1929, Page 3

A PUZZLED DUTCHMAN

(By Pastor L. R. HiVRVKV’.) One who did not believe iu loir mersion for baptism was bolding a protracted meeting, and one nigat preached on the subject of “baptism.” He said: •‘And people be-

lieve it necessary to go into the

water and come no out of it to be baptised.” But this he claimed to be a fallacy, for the preposition “jnto” of should be rendered differently, as it does not mean “into” at' all times. “Moses,” he said, “we are told, went up into a mountain, etc. Now, we do not suppose he went into the mountain, but upon it. So with going down into the water. It means simply going down to or near the water, and being baptised in the ordinary way of sprinkling.”

He carried out this idea fully, and in due season and style closed Ins discourse when an invitation was given to any one who felt disposed to rise and express his thoughts. 'Quite a number of the brethren arose' and said they were % glad tney had been present on this occasion: that they were well pleased with 'the sermon they had just heard, and ■ felt their souls greatly blessed. Finally a corpulent gent, a stranger to a.ll, arose and broke the silence, which was almost painful, as fol- ! Vi :?;(! lows: — . • 1W

“Mr s ßreacher, I ’isli' so glad I vasli here to-night, for I has Had exblained to my mint something dat I never could believe. Oh I ish

so glad ‘into’ does not mean ‘into’ at all, but shust ’close by’ or 'near to,’ for now I can believe manish thingsvot I could not understand before. We reat, Mr Breacher, dat Tanicl was cast into te ten of, Rons, und come olid olifc. Now, I nevei could understand 'do, for de wilt 'peasts would eat him up right off; but now it ish very clear to my ■'mint He was shust close by 01 ‘near to,’ and he did not get into de ten at all. Oh, I ish so glad I vos here to-night. And wd read dot te Hebrew children vos cast into de firish furnace, and dat always looked like a peecr story, too, for I tinks they would have been purnt up, but it ish ail Main to my mint now, for dey were shust close by 01 near de furnace. 0, I vash so glad I vash here to-night. And now, Mister Breacher, if you will shust explain tw r o more passages of sciipture I shall be, 0, so happy I vast here to.-night. One of dem is were it saish de wicked shall be Cast into a lake dat burns mit fire and brimstone alwaysh. O, Mr Breacher, shall I be cast into dat lake if I am wicked, or shust close by, or near enough to be comfortable I hope you will say I shall be cast just close by, a good way off, and I will bo so glad I vash here to-night. De oder passage is dat vish saish “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter i*r through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22: 14. Oh, tell me, Mister Breacher, I shall get , int 0 de city, and not dose by or near to, shust near enough to see vas I have lost, and I shall be s 0 blad I vash here to-night.”

The foregoing clearly pictures the quiucksands in which shepherds find themselves when they . leave the Word and turn to fables.