Newton County GaArchives News.....BAPTIZED IN A BRANCH May 19, 1892
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Phyllis Thompson http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002524 August 22, 2007, 11:32 am

The Georgia Enterprise May 19, 1892
     During a recent visit to Gaither’s district we were told that a Newton 
County local Methodist preacher, who works for himself during the week and 
labors for the Lord on Sundays, was called upon to baptize an old lady by 
immersion. He tried his best to get brother Bridges and other preachers to do 
the work, but failed, so he went forth in search of a good place and found a 
washed out hole of calm water in a spring branch, but was forced to cross a 
shallow run of the river in order to get to  the branch, the main run of the 
river was too swift for baptismal purposes, because the old lady was too heavy 
and clumsy to hold against the current. The banks of both streams were lined 
with people, and as the mournful melody of a “Hark from the Tomb” song went 
over hill and dale, the preacher proudly led the happy sister to the water’s 
edge, and as her feet came in contact with the warm river water, she 
exclaimed, “O how nice this sweet water feels!” “I thought to myself,” said the 
preacher, “Old lady, when you strike that hole in the spring branch you’ll 
change your tune.” And report says she did, for when the cold water began to 
close around her she went to pieces, as it were, for her form trembled and her 
teeth chattering, while the preacher showed that he was freezing about the 
body, no matter how warm he felt around the heart. At this point his foot 
struck a log in the hole, and as Alliancemen say, he “got on it with both 
feet,” in order to have a leverage, so as to let the old lady down and bring 
her up safely, while his brother stood by her side to aid him if necessary. 
Everything was now ready, and the minister  began, “ I baptize thee!” and both 
feet flew out from under him, as the log was round and slick, and sister and 
preacher disappeared under the water, the log dividing them, but in a moment 
both came up, and the brother caught the sister by the hand and led her gently 
to the bank, while the preacher wiped the water from his eyes and ears with a 
red handkerchief, and looked up and  down the branch to see what had become of 
the old woman. As he beheld her shouting on the shore and shaking hands with 
the multitude, who thought that the baptism had been administered according to 
custom and scripture, he raised both of his own hands and exclaimed: “The Lord 
be praised, for yonder she is, safe and alive on land.” “The fact is, 
HAWKINS, “ said the tender-hearted preacher, “Hang me if I didn’t believe, for 
the time being, that I had drowned, instead of baptized, the dear old 
soul.” “What did the old woman say about it?” we asked. “O well, nothing much, 
only she told Uncle Billie MCCART that ‘Brother BUNK might pattern after Paul 
in preachin’, but he wernt no John when it come to baptizin' by immersion. As a 
sprinkler, however, I take him to be fair to middling.


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