The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-12-02
A BAPTIST BROIL.
The East Sedalia Baptist
Church in q State of Inter-
nal Agitation.
A Smouldering Fire Which Threat
ems to Break Forth Into a
Lively Blaze.

| hSCAy fAo6O'
The New Testament is full of the most
urgent admonitions to Christians to dwell
together in the bonds of brotherly love,
and the Divine Master taught, by precept
AMI example, the sweetest spirit Of humili-
ty and charity that ever shone In human
life or dropped from human lips. "Let
brotherly love continue" is one of the
bright jesels of the gospel, and the Apostle
Paul enjoined upon the church to "besr
one another's burden, and thus fulfill the
law of Christ" The seer of Patmos,
looking into the ineffable light and glory
of the besti6c land, wrote these words !:
Beloved, let Us love one another; for love
is of God" and then, when dissensiops
arose among the bre,bren over some trivial
and Insignificant doctrine, or what was so
construed, how the scimetar of PauPs
logic cut it of at one fell swoop and lett
The cherished idol dead mass of nothing.
In fact, self-sscri6ce, both of opinion and
bodily comfort, is the great lesson urged
upon the followers OF Christ, that the
world, wherein sel6shness IeigDs supreme,
and men wrsngle and fight over the little
and mean as we'll as the great and import
ant things Of life, might have a revelation
Of the mighty explosive power of q new
affection, 10 lift the human soul above the
narrow and petty confines and influences
of purely sordid nature.
This little preschment has been brought
out bya condition,of things in the East Soda
Lin Baptist church, q condition not st all to
the credit oil the membership nor conduc-
i've 10 the growth and prosperity of the
Ii e he int ~ he
porter, 10 whom this state OF affairs in that
church was made known, first by hints, ru-
mors and iusinuatiop, and then by patient
ve,tigation Yesterday, interviewing sever.
al of the prominent and leading members,
| to let his imagination take wing In detailing
the condition of affairs in that church, bu:
to simply state fscIs as they are, for there
is a morbid desire and sickening hunger on
the part of the world to gloat over and feed
upon the unfortunate errors of the individ.
dissensions and wrangles of any church,
or the fights between denominations.
Ii what is here written shall have thu effect
of bringing the members of this particular
church to a realization of the fact that they
are not bettering, but inj1ring, their spir-
itual life, and retarding their divinely ap-
pointed mission and work. the publication
of this article will not have been in vain.
"a word TO the wise is sufficient"
RETROSPECTIVE.
The East Sedalis Baptist has a history
almost coeval with that of the city II was
founded by Rev. E T. Brown, a man of
God, who has been gathered to his fathers. !
Mr.. Brown was one whose life bore no stain |
upon il. He stood for purity of character !
and uprightness of life, and when he died |
men said of him that he left a void hard to |
be filled. The church was his special care
and pride, and to it he gave his time and |
money most literally.
In Its growth, the church has had the |
usual experience of all similar organiza-
lions situated in sparsely settled neigh
borhood. 1t has Of necessity been slow,
but II has steadily pulled along, sometimes
going forward most encouragingly and a;
time stopping by the wayside to rest But.
so il charged, there has been an opposi-
ZION to the prosperity OF the church from 8
quarter which was least expected, and for
many years "troubler in Israel" has done
all
WITHIN HIS POWER
to create discord in the camp and SOW the
seeds OF disruption in the soil. Nor has
be laborsd IN vain, If the statements of
those with whom the reporter talked yes.
terday, are true, and there is every reason
TO believe they are.
When the founder of the chuch settled
in East Sedslia, he became possessed
of large tract OF land, which he subdivid-
ed into lots. These he sold of, gradually,
and in the erection of the houses thereon,
had as his chief mechanic, brother Bap-
fist minister by the name OF l.. w. Whip
pie. Alter time 1t became necessary for
Mr.. Brown to dispense with Bro. Whip
pies services, and, so it is said, from that
day to this The latter has been angered at
his former employer. He has since become
an enemy TO the church Mr.. Brown found.
ed, and has let no opportunity escape to
strike II a blow. He has persistently de-
the organisation as irregular, I'M
orthodox and unworthy the support of
those who love the pure tenets of the reg
nlar Baptist church. 1t is charged that
Bro. Whipple has taken pains to
keep Baptists who have settled
in East Sedslia from uniting with this
church, and in many ways has sought to
injure that body.
DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES.
The trouble has assumed that of doctrinal {
differences, especially as 10 the reception of .
alien members and the diaconste. Alien
members are those coming fron. other de. 8
nominations, who have been immersed and {
Sho were received without a second bap- I
ism. This Bro. Whipple opposed, although
ne was not nor never has been a member of i
he church under consideration. His OBJ I
position has eDgendersd a bitter feeling G
,gainst him, and to his door is laid the I
serious charge of wreaking personal hate
ipon the church of Christ. This charge
vas made to the reporter by several of the
eading members of the church, and is 4
,iven as their statement. I
Bro. Whipple managed to draw to his !
ide several adhsrents and fhsu mall L