Volume 1.
BIG LICK, N C, AUGUST, 1914.
Number 11
WHY I AM A BAPTIST.
Brought up in a Presbyteriam fam
ily and decidedly Presbyterian in
fluences which saturated the very at
mosphere, and “kirk” traditions mel
lowed with antiquity, were treasured
beyond compare, attendance, as a boy,
at a Presbyterian school, where the
Shorter Catechism was taught every
day with frequent vigorous applica
tions of the “tawse” to render the
“answers” more emphatic, and later
a student in a Presbyterian college
where Baptists were locked upon as
plebian and schismatic, yet coming
out of it all a dyed-in-the-wool Bap
tist preacher, very naturally pro
vokes the question. How in the world
did you become a Baptist? Well, it i.s
a brief and direct story.
As in most Scotch homes, so in
ours, religion was a topic of daily
discussion, and mv parents, though
very decided Auld Kirk folk, almost
invariably would wind up by conced
ing to themselves that immersion was
the only scriptural mode of baptism
and that independei cy was the only
scriptural church policy, and that the
lordship of .lesus Christ was the only
scriptural headship and that the Old
Book was the only true, absolute and
universal authority in life and work.
As an impres.sionable and religiously
inclined boy I naturally imbibed those
sentiments, so when I became a Chris
tian at the age of 15 I investigated
them for myself until they became
profound convictions, and then God
gave me the courage of my convic
tions and I was baptized into the
membership of the Bristow Place Bap
tist church, Edinburg.
A very interesting fact in this con
nection may not be out of place here.
For a time I fought off my convic
tions and tried to find some excuses
for evasion, among others, the hope
that “baptizo” might admit of sprink
ling as a meaning, however remote,
but I was signally disappointed in this
hope by finding that not one of the 18
lexicons I examined would allow any
shadow of the essential signification
of the word. Then I went to the
Greek classics with a sneaking hope
for an excuse, however slim, but again
1 was driven back and conquered
wholly.—D. D. Munro, in Baptist
Standard.
MORE PARADOX THAN ORTHO
DOX.
Following are the officers and com- j
mittees of the West Albemarle Ba-1
raca Class: O. D. Caudle, President;:
S. A. Hooks, Vice President; D. M.
Herrin, Secretary; A. L. Burleyson,
Teacher. Hustling Committee: Robt.
Biles, H. W. Waller, E. F. McLendon.
Welcome Committee: M. L. Rogers,
A. J. Solomon, Cleveland Moss. .Re
porters: A. L. Burleyson and William
Herrin. '
The Menace.
The so-called Roman Catholic
church is neither catholic nor a
church. To be Catholic is to be uni
versal; and popery is not universal
in any particular. A church is a re
ligious organization, while Rome is a
political and military organization,
principally concerned with the acqui
sition of power.
Romanism is not Christian, for its
doctrines and ceremonies are borrow
ed from the pagan rites of ancient
Babylon; and it places its own tradi
tions above the plain teaching of the
Christ. Romish rites and alleged sac
raments are not scriptural for they
were not present in the original or
ganization, but have been invented
and added one at a time by evil evo
lution and obnoxious growth.
The ridiculous and impossible claim
of papal infallibility was not made
until so late as the year 1870. Pur
gatory’ was invented in 1482. The
confessional was set up in 1215. Celi
bacy of priests was decreed in 1074.
Boniface began the pope business as
universal bishop in 606, his predeces
sors being Bishops of Rome. Mass
was invented in 394. Wax candles
began to be used like joss sticks in
320. The order of cardinals originat
ed in 308, and their red hats came into
style in 1244. In 169 priests began
to shave their heads. Holy water was
invented in 123, and fonts for the
same were first introduced into the
church buildings in 159.
A desj>erate effort is made to es
tablish respectability for Rome be
cause cf its alleged age, universality
and fixed form. If age is the mark
of respectability then Satan, himself,
has them outclassed. The alleged
church is not universal or unchang
ing, but a slow growth in the wrong
direction.
Popery is un-American, for it
claims monarchial sway by’ means of
an aristocratic hierarchy of cardinal
princes; while the spirit of America
is democratic, and asserts the right of
the people to rule. Popery' is even
beginning to un-Roman; for the Eter
nal City no longer recognizes papal
authority. The pope has a few
churches and a big palace under his
rulership, and that is about all that
is left of the grsfat scheme to set up
an ecclesiastical despotism on the
ruins of the old pagan empire. A
better name for the Roman Catholic
Church would be. The Vatican Sect'of
Secret Politicians.
ALIEN BAPTIS.M.
Sister Bragg>^aughter.Ji{.^rother
Green-Whitley of Albemarle, is Very
sick. She is. theu mother of five chil
dren and chnnbt do anything for,
them. .
Series of Meetings at Newell Baptist
Church. ■
A series of meetings will begin at
Newell Baptist church the first Sun
day in August, continuing through
the second Sunday^ Services, wilt be
held morning and fitght.>'Rev.;-G. P.
Abemethy of Dallas, N. C.,’ will assist
in preaching, and Mr. J. E. Nofkett of
Mt. Holly will have charge of the
music.
The question of the Lord Jesus in
Matt. 21:25 is the crux of the alien
baptism question. “The baptism of
John, whence was it? from heaven or
of men?” Fearing to be pierced thro’
with either horn of that dilemma the
chief priests and elders said “ we can
not tell.” That is true of the advo
cates of alien immersion. If asked
whether valid baptism is from heaven
or of men they cannot tell. If they
say valid baptism is from heaven they
must face the question, when and
where did the God of heaven ever give
Martin Luther, Jno. Calvin, Jno Knox,
Jno. Wesley, Alex Campbell, or any
other founder of a modern sect, the
authority to baptize? This they can
not tell. To receive the baptism oi
any of them is to receive a baptism
that has neither the authority, the
sanction, the approval nor the witness
of heaven—a baptism that came from
man and man only. But if they say
valid baptism is of men they’ thereby
make void all baptism and say that
the baptism of John, was of men or
if from heaven, it has ceased to ex
ist.
Either horn of that dilemma im
pales them. Instead of making valid
alien baptism it makes invalid their
own. Instead of bringing alien b^’'-
tism up to the standard, it puts their
own down on the level with Catholic,
Mormon, Campbellite, Christian
Science and all other man-made and
man-originated baptisms. If baptisnri
is of men then all baptisms that are
“of men” are equally valid—infant or
adult.. And if all are equally valid
then branch church theory, open com
munion and open membership are a
logical sequence. There are said to
be 600 Baptist (?) churches (?) in
England that practice open member-
shin.
If the teachings of Profs. McGloth-
lin. Carver and probably others in ths
Louisville Seminary were followed to
their logxal conclusion we would have
that in the South; Alien baptism
sooner or later eventuates in open
membership. Again we say that the
crux of the whole alien bantism ques
tion is the question of authority. No
other baptism has the authority of
heaven except that one started bv
John the Baptist. All others are of
men and by men and are clinic or sick
baptisms.
Invalid baotisms are invalid ban-
tisms. The Greek word for “sound,”
used in the expression. “sound doc
trine,” means healthful. No church
can be healthful or sound that re
ceives invalid or alien baptism. Some
of our Louisville churches are con
crete examples of the debdiating
sickly effects of receiving invalid bap
tisms.
A good course of healthful or sound
doctrine would work marvelous cures
in many cases. - Such a .tonic would
probably purge out a good many
worldly-members-of a bilious temper
ament but ithe church body would be
more healthful by being rid of world
ly malaria and “Union”, miasma. It
Program of Meetings.
The meeting at Pleasant Grove will
begin the first Sunday in August.
Bro. Julius Whitley will aid Pastor
Black there.
The meeting at Big Lick will be
gin the second Sunday in August.
Bro. Julius Whitley will aid the pas
tor in this meeting.
The meeting at Silver Springs will
begin the third Sunday in August.
Bro. James C. Gillespie will aid the
pastor. This is the sixteenth meet
ing we have held with this church.
The meeting at Canton will begin
the fourth Sunday in August. Bro.
D. F. Helms, of Charlotte, will aid.
The meeting at Cottonville will be
gin the fifth Sunday in August. Bro.
Helms will aid here also.
We have made the best arrange
ments we could for our meeting work.
We have a fine class of helpers for
them, and now let us line up our
forces and get ready for a great cam
paign.
Bro. Willie Hopkins lost his little
babe July 23. It was not many
months old but had a place in the
aome. It was so sad to see the fond
mother leaning over the cradle look
ing for the last breath to come, yet
hoping that the Lord would be gra
cious and spare it. It was buried at
Norwood July 23. Bro. B. G. Whitley
conducted the funeral.
t-.,