The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-12-05 00:00:00

To Mg loldor.

84,—When a writer asks for space in a newspaper
it must be assumed he has either something to say, or
soutethin.; to call attention to, with the view of its
being made plain. rile correspondent " X." in the
bursa County &rpm, d..es not stem to no to have
anythieg to the subject of Baptiamal Regens
eratiou ; and the only thing he calls attention to me the
fact, that diver.e opinions exist among the teachers of
the Church of England on Co itupertsi.t a pint the
question whether chiidr m are regenerated by the
water of holy baptism. That these I.lfering opeims
exist is eri lent all who regatd the Church of Eng-
land; but it is abut clear that the teaching .4 rtgeu,ra•
two by baptism ir pee ;liar to the scsol who, when
further developed, teach also the priestliness of
ministers as 11M,V0 the people, the supremacy .if the
priest-, and from which tchool 11,w the d edrines that
we should confess to and receive absolution from the
. .

• riot
'bebop of the Diooesse, in his charge on entoing
hie see, at ulted aterked him.elf as believing in tit"..e
doctrines and belonging t • this echo .1; and hi, send.
lug of Bishop Jointer was no inconaiatent or thought-
less act. He Ls oppuusi warmly by the Evangelical
school, and between the two the “ignoraut and un-
issamed" are mystified, mid anything that can clear up
the matter will be acceptable, so tt at I deny entirely
your correspohdeut's contention that the pa,ges of •
newspaper are unlit for the tubject.
The or.onsse ol the Lord, with regard to His way
is, " The wayfaring mail, though • fool, ellen not err
therein," and if "X." had sr much difficulty io stating
his case that it cannot be done before the light of
day in • newspaper, but intuit be relegated to
pages not " uoderstanded of the people," then the
teachers miss iheir mare. It is through arousing
di titiet of their religdots teacher." that the mis-
sionaries of the S.P.G. and the •'. M.S. cannot fail to
pam in heathen lands, and the trade of Church-of-
Euhlmolisin—piofitable enough to ministers with
rectories whose value is reckoned by hundreds a year,
to higher dignitaries who..e ewolumeute extend to
thousand., aud to '' Palmas of the Church" who
rank with royalty—must be content to bear the light
of day and te-t ..f the people's enquiry " Who will
ahlw us any good !" The Saviour answered that
clearly, straight-forwardly, folly; and lie proved His
mower; the Church of England thunders against the
" ignorant end unlearned" the terriole anathema., of
the man-male Athanarnan Creed, while it calla upon
thous to believe elaborations and mysticisms not con-
tained in the W grd. The Church of Rome demands
our faith in transubstantiation ; some prieets of the
Church of England asi us to believe an equal
wowler—the change of spirit by a material substance.
Well di i our all-eering Lord warn his mieionaries
against official prieets—" They love the uppermost
e,,ou,a at Woo, and the chief seats in the tynkgogues,
and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men
'Rabbi, Rabbi.' But be not ye called 'Rabbi,' for
one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye ale
brethren. I commend that to our title I materialist,
or mystics of the Church ~f England. se well ea of the
Church of R 'lnc. Whi e they will not" do His wili"
how can they expect to "know of the &maitre!"
While they are weighted with grandeur shall we not
hear Ea, I Shafteanury mmriiing that irreligion,
scepticism, and infidelity Lave hold of the mu.?
While they pretend to *Aiwa how can they adrauce
truth? . . . . . . .

The sign or symbol of the Lord's body and blood
cannot be the Lord's holy and blood themselves,
therefore common-sense disposes of the Hornish
doctrine that the bread aad wine of the Lird's supper
are tranatnuted into the body and blood which He
offere I for our salvation. The size or symbol of the
rrgener ding power cannot be the regenerating power
itself. there! re common-souffle disposes (4 the Anglo-
ritu .Ist doctrine that by baotism of water on the
body foe spirit is re.:eneratsd. The Church of Eng.
land Itself might teach the matari dist priests that the
water is but Vie outward and visible sign, and God's
purifying influence is the thing oi which it is the sign,
for the Spirit produce's the inwana and mpiriival grace.
When? Clearly when we believe, for then is the
epirit «Awed, then are the evitences of regeneration
manifest. " Relieve no the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be 1W10.1." " ver shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall
they call on Him in whom they have not believed
and how altall they believe on Him of wh in they
have not hard ?" One or two exitance* (4 the Dear
Master's will (Mow that He honoured c .min,n-eense,
for, said He—" That which is b(no of the flesh I.
flesh, and that which is born (4 the Spirit is spirit."
Yours, truly
A wiTriatNo MAX.
Weymouth, Nov. 1&12.