Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Excerpts from Elias Smith, The Age of Enquiry (1825)

The following are excerpts from:


Elias Smith, The Age of Enquiry, Christian’s Pocket Companion And Daily Assistant; Calculated Also For The Benefit of the Rising Generation, in Leading Them Into Truth (Exeter, N.H.: Abel Brows, 1825):

 

Jesus called “the everlasting Father” (Elias was not a Modalist):

 

To Saints of every denomination.—Beloved brethren, of the great family of our Lord Jesus Christ, the everlasting Father; . . . (6)

 

On Matt 16:18 and Jesus being the “Rock” (πετρος):

 

By the Rock mentioned is meant Jesus Christ, the stone laid in Zion for a foundation, that whosoever believeth on him should not be ashamed. Christ is a foundation of his church as a sacrifice for sin, and as king and lawgiver. This foundation remains unmoved, and will throughout all ages, world without end. The church built on this rock, means the same as his kingdom. (111)

 

On Baptism:

 

Elias Smith believes baptism is not regenerative, but something one does after they are saved as an external sign of their new status:

 

The first law given to a person born again, is baptism. (112-13)

 

Related to this, his interpretation of 1 Pet 3:21:

 

This figure mentioned, has reference to the ark in which Noah and his family were saved from the flood, “wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” The water did not save them, but the ark which was in the water; so baptism does not save the believer, but Christ the ark which was in the water of Jordan; the believer being baptized or immersed in water, is to shew that he is in him who was baptized, even Christ. Noah and his family left the old world to go into the ark, and in the ark discovered the new one: so the believer leaves his old company, is “buried by baptism,” and rises to newness of life. The Apostle says, baptism does not put away the filth of the flesh, but answers a good conscience, because he does it knowing that Christ has commanded it, and is happy in manifesting his love to him by obeying his commands. Baptism saves by the resurrection of Christ; when the believer is raised up from the water, he shews that his salvation depends on him who was raised from the dead, of which baptism is a figure. (108-9)

 

The following is reminiscent of 2 Nephi 29:3-10:

 

But you have heard formerly, and some of you may still hear strange and uncommon surmises, wild conjectures and most dismal insinuations. But if you would know the truth at once, if you would be fully informed by one that best knows what religion I am of, I will tell you (with Mr. Baxter) ‘I am a chrisitan, a mere christian; of no other religion: my church is the christian church.’ The Bible! the Bible! is my religion; and if I am a dissenter, I dissent only from modes and forms of religion which I cannot find in my Bible; and which therefore I conclude have nothing to do with religion, much less should they be made terms of christian communion, since Christ, the only lawgiver of his church, has not made them such. Let this congregation be that of a chrisitan society, and I little care what other name it wears. (135-36)