The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-07-21
HOW CHRISTIANS ARE MADE.
Mr.. Barbee Objects to a Recent
= Sermon Preached in This
City.
lie Failed. Apparently. to Catch the
Drift of DR.. Wasson's
N"rMOn.

An editorial in THE TRIBUNE of the
Eth claims to be a c%orcis, reproduction
of the lesson taught by the Rev. Mr..
WATSON in his sermon the Sunday be-
fore, namely: that men are made Chris
tians by baptism. RECOGNIZING as | do
that "the bible is the only rule, and the
sufficient rule. both Of our faith and
practice" and this, no doubt. Mr.. Was.
son himself steadfastly believes | am
at a loss to know how he can so inter.
pref tho bible as to make it teach that a
man is made a Christian by baptism.
Baptism is an outward act, and material:
christianity is of the heart and spiritual.
There is a water baptism and a spirit
baptism. The former is the application
OF q material substance TO the body by
the hands of a personal administrator:
the latter is the work of the Holy Ghost
upon the heart, the spiritual nature of
man, whereby his nature is renewed. he
becoming "a new creature in Christ" 1t
appears to me that the Master forever set.
ties this most momentous of..all questions.
Christian citizenship. when he declares
that ut is not by might nor by power"
that is, not by any physical CT material
means whatever. but by my spirit. saith
the Lord" Paul sums up the whole
case thus: lie is not a Jew who is one
outwardly neither is that circumcising,
which is outward in the flesh: but he is
a Jew which is one inwardly, and cir
cumcision Is that of the heart. in the
spirit, and not iu the letter, whose praise
is not Of men, but of God" And. again.
Paul says: # thank God that | ban.
tised none of you. but Chrispus. Gaius,
and the household of Stephanus. for
Christ sent me not to bapt's Sc. but to
preach the gospel"
But you say again: The Episcopal
pastor combatted the notion that the
church is an invisible body. and declared
that it Is a body as distinct and tangible
as any corporate body" Surely we are
not to understand thereby that the true
church Of Christ is nothing more than a
corporate body" The charitable view
OF Mr.. WasFun's teaching is that he un-
Willingly Orcrlooks tine cardinal doctrine
OF Christ. that his essential church is in
visible. or spiritual, not forgetting at the
same time that there is Il visible organ
~ization Of believers. men and women,
vino constitute the embodied idea Of the
church in the world. The doctrine OF
the bible is. "Ihe kingdom Of Christ is
within you Into his invisible kingdom
surely no M can he baptized with
water; this is rre.cmincntiv and solely
the office and work Of the Holy Ghost.
No mystic rite Of baptism" can ever in
tfOducc Il man into this divine relation
ship Of spirit with kindred spirit.
Your illustration oi the man "whO
Joins the Masons'i is not at all analogous;
and even if it were. you lose the cOurrc-
ton in your attempt at naturalization.
y m"n is made Il Mason first in his
heart; after this he submits to the
mystic rite" and "suh-cribcs to their
%tcucts,' but this does not make him d
Mason.lt is only the outward and visible
obligation to put into practice the con
vlc'lous and prom iiugs Of thu heart. in
which. on his owr admission. he has al
ready been made Il Mason.
And again. YOU are equally rs vrfur.-
uua'" in your analogous iracuI.g a. To-
the naturalization Of a foreign torn ger
son. In his case he simply submits To
the operation ur "a" a sta,.t. ti.ing'.c
conditions Of citizenship. lie sirurN
suhacr.te~ t. t.' law ana t.eitlg uhays
its maE1a.,s. - 90 IT, a,nrar. "uo j.
not UrIgr the law hut ur1pr grace.
zinc letter Ei!le,h hut t!r spirit u.as,tr.
,tIHIa f'ltE tr..sN .r#a "a. -tt.. : tl.-,. q.