Jon Gary Williams
Articles / Resources
0163
A. O. Calley vs Will Maxidon (Methodist)
Dresden, Tennessee
(By Joe E. Ratcliffe, Bardwell, Kentucky)
December 28, 1909 at Pisgah Church near Dresden, Tennessee. Maxidon affirmed (1) Sprinkling and pouring water are baptism; (3) Infants are proper subjects for baptism.
Calley affirmed: (2) Immersion only is baptism; (4) Baptism is a condition of pardon.
Maxidon, in first speech, quoted passages that have "sprinkle" or "pour" regardless if it meant "blood, clean water, ashes, or dirt." He said these words were in the Bible and also in his proposition so sprinkling and pouring must be baptism. Calley examined every passage and showed they do not teach baptism at all, but showed what they did teach. Then Maxidon used R. H. Pigue's argument on (Ezekiel 36:24-27). He makes this fit into the Methodist theory: (1) Gathering out the people; (2) New heart given; (3) New spirit put in them; (4) Sprinkling clean water on them; (5) They walk in his paths. He made these fit the items in Acts 2. Bro. Calley exposed him for treating God's Book that way, and showed that he had put "sprinkling" as the fourth item when it was the second item. He also showed that this was God's promise to cleanse Israel when they came out of captivity into their "own land." He denied having changed it till Bro. Calley borrowed his scrapbook in which he had the items made out. After being thoroughly exposed on it, he said, "I was only giving the teaching of the passage, not the wording."
Maxidon's next great break was on "with water" (Matthew 3:11) He argued that it must be applied to the subject, not the subject applied to the water. Bro. Calley quoted the American Revised Version where it says "in water." Maxidon said, "The Campbellites have fooled with our Bible and changed it until it does not read like our Mother's Bible (King James Version)." He denied the American Revised Version said "in water". Bro. Calley passed his Bible over to Maxidon and demanded that he tell the audience whether it says "in water" in Matthew 3:11. He refused to say, but did say the King James was his Bible. Bro. Calley gave the meaning of "with water" and badly routed him again. When Maxidon came to criticize Acts 8:36-39, "when they were come up out of the water," and Matthew 3:16 "and Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water," Maxidon went back on his "Mother's Bible" said it did not tell it right, and proceeded to tell what it ought to have said. Bro. Calley used these blunders on him with telling effect.
Maxidon's effort against immersion was amusing. He tried to show that the word "immerse" did not occur in the Bible. Bro. Calley showed what it took to baptize in days of Jesus: "water," much water (John 3:23) going to water (Acts 8:36) going down "into water", being baptized "in water", "coming up" ut of water, a "burial." What it took then, it takes now to constitute baptism. Things equal to the same thing are equal to each other. Then knowing his defeat, Maxidon began to ridicule immersion as filthy, vile, dirty, and stinking thing. In response, Calley read from the Methodist Discipline where it says Methodist preachers "shall immerse". After saying how filthy it was, and that God nowhere commanded it, Maxidon admitted that Methodists do immerse. Calley asked him by whose authority they do that "filthy" thing, and if he says, "By the authority of Jesus Christ I baptize you," when he immersed a person. "What do you tell, Mr. Maxidon, when you say that?" Maxidon was exposed in all his weakness.
On the other issues: infant baptism, and baptism for remission of sins, Bro. Calley did fine work; overturning all the objections offered to the truth and establishing by "a thus saith the Lord" every position his opponent took.
R. H. Pigue attended the last two days, but his presence only caused Bro. Calley to expose Maxidon with more power.
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