Newspapers / The Atlantic Messenger (New … / Aug. 1, 1905, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Atlantic Messenger (New Bern, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Monthly] VOLUME SIX, Devoted to the Relief of Baptist Destitution in Eastern North Carolina. [25 Cents Per Year. MOREHEAD CITY, N. C., AUGUST, 1905. NUMBER THREE. Thy Will Be Done. My God, iny Father, while I stray Far from my home, on life’s rough way, Oh, teach me from my heart to say— Thy will be done! If thou shouldst call me to resign What most I prize—it ne’er was mine, I only yield Thee what was Thine— Thy will be done! E'en if again I ne’er should see The friend more dear than life to me. Ere long we both shall be with Thee— Thy will be done! If but mj' fainting heart be blessed With the sweet spirit for its guest. My God, to Thee 1 leave the rest— . Thy will be done! Should pining sickness waste away My life in premature decay. My Father, sthl I strive to say— Thy will be done! Renew my w'’ll from day to day; Blend it wdth thine and take away All that now' makes it ha.d to say— Th}' will be done! Then, when on earth I breathe no more. The prayer, oft mixed with tears before. I’ll sing upon a happier shore— Thy will be done. Charlotte; Elliott. Twenty Evits of Infant SprinlfMng, 1. Its tendency is to annul the importance and necessity of re generation, for those wlfo rely upon their sprinkling for regener ation show no signs of regenera tion at all. Those same creeds would force ns, and people of those creeds would have us be lieve that in the act they are regenerated. 2. It dispenses with conscience as an element of divin; work- TKor'-bip. ,t Pot. 3:ai, 3. It changes the subjects of church-membership from that which formed the first churches. Acts 2:42; 8:12; 18:8; iyi.^-12. 4. It is wicked in that it per verts the gospel order, blinds the child for life without allowing it auy choice in the most important of all matters, claiming to obey a command, when as a matter of fact no command has ever been given for its observance. 6. Its observance gave rise to every species of innovation. If councils or usages might find a fundamental law, the very basis of membership in the church of Christ, there was no change which might not be thus intro duced. Hence we find that the prolific age which gave birth to “Infant Sprinkling,” was fruitful in numbers of other innovations upon the simple gospel of Christ. Dr. Wall claims the antiquity of the observance as an acceptable reason why it should be accepted, but the good Doctor should re member that, historically, both baptismal regeneration and tiine immersion both antedated infant sprinkling, 6. It is diametrically opposed to and annihilative of believers in baptism. 8. It unjustly palms' off on God it.'= authorship and holds him responsible for giving to it its efficacy, when such is absolutely false, it being of pagan parentage. 9. It impugns divine wisdom and insults the divine authority, because it claims to be needful,or useful, to religion; though Christ, by not appointing it when he instituted the church, decided it to be neither needful nor useful. Because it requires the 10. officiaters to declare that which is false, in the very performance of that which should be a most sacred oadinance. He delares what is false when he says, “I baptise thee,’’ since he rantizes (sprinkles) it, and does not bap tise at ail. Still again when he says in this act the child is re generated and grafted into the body of Christ’s church; and also when he asserts that in the name of the Trinity he comes with this authority, he falsifies the facts most flagrantly when he asserts divine authority for this ordi nance, when the only authority is the Roman Plierarchy. ir. It seeks to obscure the in consistency and unscriptualness of an impenitent life with Church membership, i Pet. 2:5. 12. It puts in the place of the command of Christ, the command ment of men, and so admits the essential principle of all hersey, schism and false religion. 13. It makes a man made creed necessary. The sprinkling of I children made poor headway un til the year 604. In that year Gregory, the Roman bishop, formed a ritual for its celebration, and from that time until now no denomination practicing infant sprinkling has been able to get along without the liturgy. When a Baptist minister is about to bap tise a person, be reads such pas sages as Mark 1:9, 10; Acts 8:38, 39, Romans 6:4. But did any body ever see a Pedobaptist min ister holding a bible in his hand reading such scriptures while pre paring to spriiukle a babe. No; but you will see him read a lit tle book wrought out by human device on the basis of so-called inference. Without these little books infant sprinkling would go to the wall or through it where it ought too—fall out of practice and recognition. 14. Because it regards his re ligious faith as settled, when as a matter of fact it has never been intelligently settled. You ask a Pedobaptist about I Peter 3:15, and he replies: “That has al ready been settled by my parents for me.” A true Baptist exam ines his doctrine over and over again not fearing investigation. He does not regard his condition religiously settled until he settles it fof himself. 15. It minifies and misplaces the nece.ssity and utility of the cross. Eph. 2:7; Gal. 5:11. 16. It contradicts the New Testaments doctrine of justifica tion by faith and renders inseni- able the doctrine of repentance and faith. 17. It reduces to an absurdity the work of the Holy Spirit, leads the soul into a false trust, and ultimately to endless death and suffering in the world and the place of the impenitent and un- godly. 18. The reasoning produced in favour of its support is un sound, unscriptual and dangerous in its tendency, viz., baptism in the room of circumcision. Of this had Dr. Nathan L. Rice, a distinguished Presbyterian divine to say,, that the covenant of grace and circumcision were one • and the same. This would lin%it sal vation to the Hebrew common wealth, for they alone had the covenant of circunisision. 19. It disregards the authority of the New Testament, placing the authority of the Roman Heir- archy and loyalty thereto as ot more importance than the author ity of God and the Bible, and thereby has been theforermmer of religious persecution. 20. It lulls the souls to sleep under false delu.sions of salvation, easing its recipitents 'down into a ritualistic and 'sacramental con ception of salvation, placing them in an irredeemable state. ,He who believes that the grace of God was conferred upon him by water will seek no other way and die unregeuerated. He who is taught that he is better for having been sprinkled in infancy, wil’ be tempted to rest satisfied with the blessing it promises and thus the soul is lulled to sleep lender fatal security. God save Christendom from this fatal erroi under the name of Christianity.—^J. L. Vip- permaii in N. C. Baptist. Gfadsfone’s Advice fo Ycang Miu. Be sure that every one of you has his place and vocation on this earth, and that it rests with himself to find it. Do not believe thocc V.'lic too llglilly SdV, ‘Tvo . u- ing succeeds like success.” Effort—honest, manful hum ble effort—succeeds by its reflect ed action, especially in youths better than success, which, in deed, too easily, and too early gained, not seldom serves, like winning the throw of the dice, to blind and stupefy. Get knowledge, all you can. Be thorough in all you do, and remember that, though ignorance often may be innocent pretention is always despicable. Quit you like men; be strong, and exercise your strength. Work onward and upward, and may the bless ing of the Most High soothe your cares, clear your vision, and crown your labors with reward! —Ex. “Show Us Your Hands.” A wild looking man w'as loudly declaring at the street corner and asserting that he was the Messiah. Just as he finished his prepos terous assertions, a detachment of the Salvation Array came march ing down the sreet singing. “We shall know Him, we shall know Him, By the prints of the nails on His hands.” In an instant the crowd caught up the suggestion in the song and turning fiercely upon the impos tor, demanded: “Show us your hands! Show us your hands!” Are you prepared to show your hands? You Christians who are always telling of the great good you derive from a certain preach er, have you tried to help any poor wanderer? Have you ever done anything for your fellow creatures.—Commonwealth. Living In God’s Time. A number of years ago Fran ces E. Willow made a temperance addess in Boston. During her stay in the city, a young man happened to call upon Windell Phillips, who entertained hhn until late in the night telling of the old abolitionist days, and showing him relics of their strug gle. As the young man arose to depart, he said to Mr. Phillips: “Mr. Phillips, I think if I had lived in your time I would have been heroic, too.” Mr. Phillips who had gone to the door with his caller, pointed to the saloons down the street and his voice was keen with in dignation. “Young man,” he said “you are living in my time, and God’s time. Did you hear P'rancis Willard last night? Be assured that no man could have been he roic then who is not heroic now. Good-night.” His Only Chance. “Is there a man in all this au dience,” demanded the female licturer on woman’s rights, “that has ever done anything to light en the burden on his wife’s shoul ders? What know you about women’s work? Is the’-e a man nere,”she continued, folding her aams, and looking ov^r the as- -sembly rvith superb scorn, “that has ever got up in the morning, RaviUghis l'ucu, worn-out w'llc to enjoy the her slumbers, gone quichly downstairs, made a fire, cooked his breakfast, sewed the missing buttons on the children’s clothes, darned the family stock ings, scoured the pots and kettles, cleaned and filled the lamps, and done all this, if necessary, day af ter day, uncomplainingly? If there be such a man in this au dience let him rise up' I should really like to .see him!” And, in the rear of the hall, a mild looking man in spectacles, in obedience to the summons, timidly arose. He was the hus- bond of the eloquent speaker. It was the first time he had ever had a chance to assert himself.—Ex. The Man in the Moon Saw Picayunish Baptists. Bapti.sts who do not attend prayer-meetings. Those who thought that preach ing was an easy thing to do. The member who always wants to change pastors. Brethren who excused them selves from duty because others failed. The broLhec who remained away fromc'hutch because money was to be raided. ' Church members whose chief business was to obstruct the work of the church. People who really believed that sprinkling and pouring, as an ordinance, were taught in the New Testament. Those who subscribed to the support of the church and then failed to pay. Brethren who failed to vote when it came to withdrawing fellowship from unworthy mem bers.—Henry Sheets in Biblical Recorder. Baptist Doctrines. BY W. C. TYRER. Baptists believe and teach many doctrines which are held by other Chtistians. About ma;iy things they entertain practically the same views that are taught by nearly all Protestant churches, such as the existence of a ner- i. sonal God, the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Ghost; the inspi ration of the Scriptures, the fall of man, the atonement of Chri.st, repentance and faith as the con ditions of salvation, regeneration, justification, progressive sanctifi cation, the immortality of the soul, the eternal punishment of the wicked, and bles.sedness of the righteous; the efficacy of prayer, the duty of personal holi ness and world-vdde missions,etc. Besides these generally accept ed doctrines. Baptists believe and teach some things which other churches do not believe to be the doctrines of God’s Word. These peculiar doctrines, wdiich Baptists regard to be too sacred and im portant to be sacrificed, justify the separate existence of Baptist churches. To teach, defend and propagate these great truths is the peculiar mission of Baptist people and Baptist churches. The fol lowing is a brief statement and ' explanation of these peculiar doctrines; SUBMISSION TO THE BIBLE ONLY, I. Baptists DeJieve mat the New Testament is the sufficient, the exclusive and absolute rule of faith and practice. Other Prot estant denominations, theoreti cally, claim this; but they do not adhere to it, for they do not get sprinkling and pouring, infant baptism, and certain forms of church government out of the Bible. Baptists emphasize and rigidly adhere to this doctrine We do not in any sense admit the authority of custom, tradition, or the laws and decrees of pope, council, synod or conference. We do not admit any obligation to believe any doctrine, or practice any duty, which is not plainly taught in the Bible. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. II. Baptists have always advo cated perfect religious liberty. They believe that everybody has the right to worship God accord ing to the dictates of his owju. conscience. They believe that the state and church should be entirely separate, so that no de nomination can control the civil government about secular mat ters, and no government can con trol the people about religious matters. They believe it is wrong for the government to tax people for the support of any denoniination, or to persecute or discriminate against the people for their religion beliefs. Every impartial historian admits that the enjoyment of religious free dom in this and other countrie.s is due chiefly to the influence which Baptists have exerted. In our own country’, and in many other places. Baptists have fre quently been persecuted for their doctrines, but they have never persecuted others. They have never sought nor accepted money from the government to support their churches or establish their schools. [TO.BE CONTINUED IX NEXT LSSUE.] */ # # # ' • . • it.- . 1
The Atlantic Messenger (New Bern, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 1, 1905, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75