W. B. Godbey - Enter His Rest
W. B. Godbey - Enter His Rest
W. B. Godbey - Enter His Rest
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that privilege, and baptized her the second time, as the substitute of her mother who had gone on to paradise. Or<br />
a brother begs the evangelist to baptize him in lieu of his dear elder brother, who is now lying in the family<br />
sepulcher. To this he cheerfully consents, favoring his pious request. The very fact that it was a common thing<br />
for those primitive Christians to receive baptism in lieu of their departed loved ones manifests the broad<br />
freedom they enjoyed in reference to the ordinance. Paul merely alludes to it as an argument in favor of the<br />
resurrection of the body, which is the subject of that whole chapter, without a word of approval or disapproval.<br />
Of course it was an innocent affair, or he certainly would have corrected any disharmony with the will of God.<br />
It falls in line with the uniform trend of the Scriptures, recognizing water baptism as a non-essential, in which<br />
we all enjoy the very largest liberties. In any form whatever, it is a beautiful souvenir of the one baptism which<br />
Jesus gives. Eph. 7:5.<br />
Was not the eunuch immersed? You may ask. I am satisfied he was not. In the providence of God, I have six<br />
times visited the place where we have every reason to believe the event transpired. It is now on the<br />
macadamized road due south from Jerusalem about eighteen miles. It is a single water spout, an inch or two in<br />
diameter, flowing out from a cliff on the left, as we go south. In that country good water is prized much more<br />
than in this, because of its scarcity. Every time I visited Philip's fountain where he baptized the Ethiopian<br />
eunuch, I found from a dozen to twenty women with their waterpots, waiting each her turn to put the mouth<br />
under the spot and hold it till filled; then setting it up on her head she walked away. There is no mistake about<br />
this being the place. Baedeker's guide book, which is the authority for all of that country, as Mr. Baedeker was<br />
there thirty years traveling everywhere and investigating everything, says positively that this is the place.<br />
Popular sentiment is unanimous in reference to it. It is known far and near as Philip's fountain at which he<br />
baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. There is no chance for immersion, unless they would catch the water and keep it<br />
a good while; and this would be hard to do because the people depend on it for constant use. It is a splendid<br />
article and the only fountain in that neighborhood. Eusebius, the old historian who lived in the fourth century,<br />
states that Philip baptized the eunuch at the fountain of Bethsoran, which is the name of that place. The<br />
statements, “went down into the water” and “came up out of the water,” are surely gratuitous, and optionary<br />
with the translator, as eis means to, just as literally as into, and ek means from, just as really as out of. Therefore<br />
a perfectly correct translation would read, “went down to the water,” and “came up from the water.” There is<br />
always water standing around the fountain and the people going to it, nearly all barefoot, wade into it, get the<br />
water and then come out of it.<br />
When I took my second tour in the Holy Land, in 1899, was accompanied by Rev. F. M. Hill, my son-in-law,<br />
and Rev. J. A. Payne, of California. As I had been at Philip's fountain twice before, when the carriage halted in<br />
front of it, I did not get out, but those brethren, anxious to examine it closely, dismounted and I saw them walk<br />
down into that waste water, look at the fountain, catch some of the water and drink and bring me a drink. Then<br />
they came up out of the water. Both of them had on shoes and I asked them if they got their feet wet, and they<br />
answered in the negative. The fact is that “down” is antithetical to the “up,” when the eunuch invited Philip to<br />
come up into the chariot and sit with him. So when they got to the water, they came “down” out of the chariot.<br />
When they came to it, the eunuch said, “idou,” behold! He used a note of surprise, saying, “behold water,”<br />
clearly implying that Philip had not noticed it, which would not have been the case if they were approaching a<br />
large stream. The truth of it is there is actually no immersion water on all of that ridge, continuous through the<br />
Holy Land and extending from the Great Sea on the west to the Dead. Sea and the river Jordan on the east.<br />
I have heard many a sermon preached on the eunuch's baptism to prove immersion. It illustrates the deplorable<br />
fanaticism which so frequently takes the place of solid Gospel truth. When I was boy I do not think I ever heard<br />
a Campbellite sermon or exhortation that did not give us water baptism by wholesale, which is n part of the<br />
Gospel and never was. If it had been, Paul could not have said, “I thank God that I have baptized none of you,” I<br />
Cor. 1:14. “For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel,” verse 17. It is utterly impossible for you<br />
to believe these words of Paul and still say that water baptism is any part of the Gospel. It is merely a symbolic<br />
ordinance of the Gospel Church; while the Gospel is not forms and ceremonies, “but the power of God unto<br />
salvation unto everyone that believeth.” Rom. 1:6.<br />
“Power” here is the Greek “dynamite,” that wonderfully strong word. The most glorious privilege this side of<br />
Heaven is to preach the Gospel and give God a chance to use our humble instrumentality for the salvation of