My Baptism and What Led To It.
By The Rev. James Mountain.
Preface by Rev. F. B. Meyer.
(A book review by E. C. Dargan)The author of this little book was a highly esteemed minister of that branch of the Methodists in England known as Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion. He was pastor of a flourishing church of that body at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, having held the position for eight years. But his mind became aroused to the lack of Scripture authority for the practice of infant-baptism, and after long and painful search he became convinced that the rite was opposed to Scripture and that he must therefore cease to practice it. This led to trouble, for the creed or discipline of his church required the ministers to practice the rite. Mr. Mountain applied to the court of chancery to see if legal measures could be found for him to retain his pastorate and yet act out his conviction. When this failed he withdrew and set up an independent church, founded on believers’ baptism. Many of his brethren followed him. A new building was erected and is now partly paid for, and the property is held by the Baptist Union of England and Wales. Mr. Mountain was baptized by the Rev. F. B. Meyer [a Baptist] soon after his mind found rest in the Bible views of the ordinance. In this book, under the form of conversations, reproductions largely of some that he actually had during the time of his struggles, Mr. Mountain has given an interesting examination of the errors of infant-baptism. The argument follows the lines with which we are more or less familiar: examination of the Scripture, history, and the concessions of Paedobaptist scholars of various communions.While there is not a great deal that is new to well informed students of the subject, there is much that is interesting, and the spirit of the author is so eminently frank and conciliatory that the book interests and holds the attention from first to last. As a recent and valuable contribution to the baptismal controversy it is well worth a careful reading. It is an excellent work to put into the hands of those who are disturbed and seeking light on the question of baptism.
========== [From the American Baptist Publication Society, 1904; via The Review and Expositor: A Baptist Theological Quarterly, Volume 2, On-line. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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