Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1842-02-02
Y, WED'NEsDAY. FEBRUARY ?, 1912.

go Into the water or not? Do YOU not
believe that they will have something like
q real conscience in illthinking they have
been actually baptized2 Your last plea,
then, IS good for nothing. Thousands of
E'nem cannot come to you without sacrifc-
Ing conscience. Bit 2 You are again
censurlng him. while, you thus consider
him as wanting in moral principle, and
treat him as altogether unworthy of your
confidence and christian fellowship. If
ne Is SO destitute Of all principle as not to
go down into The food and be immersed
when he might do SO without any tronble
from his conscience. you ought to discard
him at once, and no longer treat him as
christian in any respect. But must no.
forget the point. | am upon the effect of
this rigid communion, IN dividing the one
body of the Lord. This have repeat
eddy brought into view. Ii is dreadful
fact, which the whole world know, that
Baptists and those who are not baptized
have the eGgewise feeling, speak of. Ii
is always coming in thousands of instances,
land on almost every occasion. AS, what
lis It owing to-? difference Of opinion about
Baptism! No, there is nothing in this to
disturb the harmony between them. They
could and would feel as brethren, notwith-
standing that. Now then what is it that
creates the whole difficulty! The stiff
elbow the one brother holds out, meaning
to let the other know by this act that he
has something against him and The other
one always considers it in that light-thal
there is fault finding in that elbow; hence
he never comes 10 sight of it without hav-
ing his feelings hurt. Thus mutual
GOODNESS and sourness is kept up. The
true spiritual church is sundeted. God
dishonored, angels grieved, and devils
grati6ed. And indeed as it respects these
last, have for great length of time con
sidered this Baptist rigid communion tc
be master device of the devil to keeE
Ichris:ians divided-while they have beer
lsincere about it, and conscientious too
But must not this conscience be a bac
one2 For can Christ-diyiding consci
ence come from the right quarter2 satar
has by it secured darling object, and one
he ever has much at heart. He keep!
those who belong to the one family of tht
Redeemer aloof from each other. While
| BY other methods he keeps christians o
other sects divided he could find no olhel
way to keep Baptists and their brethreI
alienated but by rigidness in communion
So he pitched upon that; and he has beer
successful indeed in pulling upon thi
string. Ever cetheday when | first knew
the Lord, my heart has gone out strong
lily to all who appear to wear his image
My attachment has uniformly been in pro
portion to the evidence manifested by on
that he or she has been made partake
of spiritual baptism. love. all Of God
!, children, because they are such. Th
}, church, the whole church has ever bee
my motto and that they might be one
E feeling and fellowship has been the pc
e petual prayer of my heart. Hence an
i thing which tends to divide il is an obje
;. of loathing. Knowing that close con
| munion does thus tend, and that I've
i fully, my testimony has been emphat
: against it, feel that il is the Lords ties!
mony, and that all the grand characie
I ;;slics Of the gospel speak againstthe pra
! luce; and it must be condemned when OF
4 Redeemer shall come to judgment. IL
!. rigid communion does violence to Il
Z great law Of love. That such is the fac
: we have already seen. The Bible r
i quires of believers that, willie they differ
and are led 10 practise Different
!, vet TO treat each other kindly to bear al
forbear in love. How express and he
!. strong the apostle Paul on this pol
Now this strict comnunion utterly ST
aside these injunctions. There in no ODE
= ing them under its influence. Love a
l. kindness will not be kept up while il
"a prac,ised. The very act itself is BIZ
: into the vitals Of love, and will always
8 felt to be so, however we ourselves 10