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The Baptist Messenger,
VOLUME 3
FROM THE BAPTIST CHIP BASKET.
(By HENRY SHEETS.)
If you love your church, why don’t you
attend the services and pay into the treas
ury to help forward the cause?
If infant baptism' is commanded, as is
claimed by some, what then becomes of
believer’s baptism?
Baptists should never follow others in
saying “baptized by immersion’’ because
baptize means immerse—it is that—and
nothing else. Just as well say dipped by
dipping or immersed by immersion.
It is hard to understand how a man
claiming to be called of God to preach the
gospel and administer the ordinances, will
do his best to dissuade a person from be
ing baptized, saying that it is indecent and
when he fails in his purpose, to say “Weil,
I don’t believe in it, but if nothing else will
do. I’ll baptize you.” Do a thing he don’t
believe in, in the name'of the Holy Trin
ity, just to get a member. Quoting an-
9ther: “0 inconsistency, you am a jewel.”
Did you ever think why others are so
anxious to commune with Baptists? Just
when was it that they began claiming
that we ought to invite them to the Lord’s
table ? There was a time when they did
not desire to partake with us. Baptists
were “made as the filth of the world, and
the offscouring of all things,” as Paul put
it. They were jailed and whipped and re
ceived the most shameful treatment. No,
no one wanted to commune with them
then. 'Wonder if it was not about the
time that religious liberty gave Baptists
a fair showing and a chance to grow ?
■ftTien they came into their own, they
grew most rapidly. Then it was that oth
ers began to love us.
COUNTRY PASTORATES.
WINGATE, N. C., OCTOBER 4, 1915
NUMBER 1
ened interest is being taken in every move
ment for the uplift of society, the lynch
ing mob is looked upon as any other gang
of outlaws, and everything that has for
its object the promotion of virtue and in
telligence finds ready acceptance. Now
the school teacher, valuable as he is in
community betterment, cannot do the
work of the preacher. By virtue of his
high office the preacher becomes the leader
in every good word and work. ^ Some of.
them fall down, we are sorry to say,, at
this point, but this is not the fault of the
plan but of the individual. May we name
a case or two of prosperous country pas
torates? For long and happy years Rev.
C. W. Scarborough was the pastor of two
strong country churches a few miles apart,
and he lived half way, between them. That
is one of the most delightful and attrac
tive communities in -North Carolina, and
Mr. Scarborough was the moving spirit
PROF. HENRY J. LANGSTON.
The secular papers are agitating |the
question of the country pastorate, which
is a good omen of better days. And they
can discuss no question more vital to the
material interest of the State. Country
pastorates mean good roads, good schools
and civic betterment in every way, as well
as more efficient churches. The presence
of an active and capable minister in the
midst of his churches simply spells strong
leadership in every matter of moral and
material worth. Our country neighbor
hoods are deficient in this very thing.
Trained leadership is what they need. Pub
lic sentiment needs to be crystalized and
focussed and given the proper direction.
This can be done better by the preacher
than by anybody else. To illustrate—we
happen to know a few communities in
North Carolina in which the people had
sense enough to know that no minister
can be a pastor at long range, and so they
grouped themselves together in the
churches nearby and called a pastor to
come and live among them. In one or two
cases one church was able to call a pastor
for ah his time; in others two churches
combined and in others as many as four
entered into this pastoral arrangement.
Every community tlms calling an intelli
gent and prudent leader in the moral realm
incidently but inevitably furnishes a lead
er in the civic life of the people as well.
In those neighborhoods the kpirit of ed
ucation is constantly growing, an enlight-
Th« above is a cut of Prof. Henry J.
Langston, our Business Manager. We de
cided to give you an introduction to him
before you let him handle your money. He
is a wide-awake fellow sure.
throws them to so much disadvantage they
cannot do their best. We have been trying
for some time to get several fields formed
in Stanly county. Thus far we have suc
ceeded in forming one of which w'e are
proud. We refer to the Norwood field.
This is a fair example of what the group
ing of churches means. Examine into the
conditions on that field now, and you will
see that it has brought those churches
closer together, than ever before. Thei’e
is absolutely no rivalry there now and ev
erything seems to take a delight in doing
the very best for the cause. Now', we must
admit that some want, to raise objections
to the grouping of churches into fields, but
what are their objections? Why, nothing.
They claim that it is not baptistic. Well,
some folks are more baptistic than Christ-
like, and many have more ambiiton than
common sense. When it comes to the ques
tion of having a pastor pn a field and some
one says, well, w'e will not have him be
cause it is not baptistic for a field to call a
man, 1 think this is Baptist independency
gone to seed. No pne' desires to be more
baptistic than I, but I want to look to the
best interest of the cause in the time of
it. The truth about it is I cannot be bap
tistic without doing this. Take Pleasa/it
Grove, Plyler, Canton, and Big Lick or
Barbee’s Grove, Oakbero, Philadelphia
and Big Lick, and I might say several oth
er groups would be so much better off it
they had the same pastor. It means so
much for the uplift of the country. Now,
will you not line up and try to get fields-
formed so that you may have your pastor
with you on all occasions, and so that he
may share your sympathy? We long to
see fields formed in all the counties adja
cent to Union.—Editor.)
in all the advancement of his people. For
a great many years Spring Hill church in
Scotland county has had its pastor settled
in the midst of the congregation, and the
Spring Hill pastor is the central figure in
the leadership of that great people. The
newspapers can well afford to take up this
qustion and urge its importance upon their
readers for it means more to our material
prosperity and to the happiness of our
homes than all the industrial enterprises
of the State, or all the other movements
for the betterment of our social or finan
cial conditions.
(We clip the above from Charity and
Children as we think it a timely article.
There is nothing more needed today than
the formation of good fields. Many of
our churches are suffering terribly be
cause they are not in a field so that they
can have the services of a well trained
man, and more than this many of our
preachers are suffering because they, have
to pick up churches just anywhere. This
SAD DEATH OF LITTLE ELIZABETH
LOWDER.
The death of Mary Elizabeth, the five-
year old daughter of Brother and Sister
-Robert Lowder of Silver Springs, which
occurred September 23, was an exceeding
ly sad one. The father and mother were
out picking cotton while the children were
playing about the house. About 11 o’clock
the mother went to the house to get din
ner. Elizabeth was not with the other
children, and the mother called but did not
get an answer. She then went in search
for her and found that she had fallen
head downward into a hole in a pile of cot
ton, and the supposition is that she suffo
cated. She was already dead and getting
cold when found. May the Lord bless and
sustain the parents, who are almost craz
ed with grief.
The funeral was held from the Silver
Springs church, September 24, by the
writer, in the presence of a large and sor
rowing congregation.—Jas. C. Gillespie.
Mittie Leola Cooper, daughter of J. W.
Cooper of Norwood, raised five chickens
for the Orphanage this year and sold them
for $1.25. She is but seven years old, but
has learned to love the little fatherless
ones enough to sacrifice her chickens to
feed then. She has set a wonderful exam
ple for other little boys and girls. How
many w'ill raise a flock of chickens for th#
Orphanage next year? Let everyone that
will drop me a postal card and let me
know it. I want to publish their names.