Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-06-17
FOR A UNITED CHURCH.
nEv. HARRY cAssiL SAYS THERE'S
BUT ONE CHURCH OF GOD.
No Power Less Than God, No Power
other Than God Can start. Pound
or Establish "a Church of Cod
RI his Views.

Gazette: To the large majority of
Americans the question OF the origin
OF any denomination OF Christians IS
one of no Importance and little interest
Regarding them all as scots. each hay
Ing the same authority. the same right
TO exist. and each "as good as the
other" the people OF this country usu-
ally select the church TO which they
viii belong, and care very little what
sect others may join. To me the origin
OF each body claiming to be u part Of
the Church of Christ is a vital cues
ton. Against my early training and
against what is usually stronger than
training, early prejudice, | have. With
In the past dozen years, been educated
into the belief that:
l. There never has been, is not now,
and never will be but one church OF
God on earth at the same time.
2. No power less than God, no power
other than God, can start, found or
establish a church II God, and the
man or body OF men attempting to
make a change In that church. with
out direct commission from heaven.
IS guilty OF the awful presumption OF
Uzgh.
Q. Passing over the early history OF
the church, the last change IN It's form
and scope was made by the Lord Jesus
Christ. the divine Son oc God, tho Sec
ond person OF the blessed Trinity, and
the change was complete on the day
OF Pentecost following the Lords res
direction. (scicncc and history have
determined that the exact date was
one thousand eight hundred and sixty
one years ago. dating from the 18th
OF Mas. ultimo)
4. Separation from. or opposition to,
that church Is sin, and, like all other
Sin. will need to be repented Of 10
men who hold the belief do. II would
be wllful sin, and objectionable while
81 continues. To others. and by Ear the
larger majority OF Americans. II Is un-
conscious and unintentional sin, ana
men must look upon it's Yotarics with
tender pity and love.
The True church.
These propositions being true, It is
tho duty OF all who profess a belief In
the Bible as the word Of God to ind out
which is the true church, and get into
it's fold as quickly as possible. For
fifteen hundred years all ehrlstendom
held, and TIL this good hour nineteen
twontieths OF chrlstendom hold that
the four propositions here advanced
nre imDregnabe In their truth. Hence
~ lNllbWh ANtA "A tllICn lulN WNlcn
Christian may lawfully go and remain
free from the sin uf separation must
have had lts origin, not 800 nor 1900
but 1861 years ago. IL was for thia
reason that Ia your Issue OF the 2Sth
ult. | challenged the statement Of the
antiquity Of the Baptist church. l
want TO know the truth. l want the
people whom have been set TO teach
60 know the truth, / want my fellow
ffhfIutluttg ~ uftaa IN, N
truth. | believe do know. and teach
II. Others think not. and they teach
what believe 10 be error. 1t ~ only
a kindness to them to expose their
error, and set them 20 study that
Will bring them Into the way OF truth"
i shalt take It as an act Of brotherly
love and Christian courtesy II any
man Will set me right whore | am
wrong. ! neither shun nor seek news
paper notorlety. but with all other
ministers OF the mysteries of Christ.
"a necessity ia laid upon me. for woe
is unto me " I preach not the gospel"
Nor am | permitted to preach only
what hearers wish 10 hear 1t was St
Paul who said: ~ testify unto you
this day. that am pure from the blood
Of all men. For l shrank not from de-
clarlng unto you the whole counsel OF
God"
Pleads for history.
In my challenge plead for Just one
fine OF history. written prior to the
year 1900 a, D., and showing the eN-
istence Of just one Baptist congrcsn-
tlon. So sure was l that no such HIS
tory could be found that offered, upon
its presentation by anybody. 10 seek
membership In the Baptist church. A
communication in your paper Of last
Sunday morning accepts the challenee.
apparently, and nm appearance OF ef-
fort to trnce Baptist history ~ made.
] do not need 10 hunt up authorities
Go answer IT.
The first quotation Ia from history
written In 1881. II Gays the picnrds
hold In all things with the Anabap-
lists At that time the term Annbap-
fist was loosely applied to nearly ov-
erything that was not IN full accord
with the old church. Here the enor,
j. made to treat "Anabaptlst" and
.'Baptist' RH Interchangeable terms,
They have very different mornings
md the Buptists OF the sixteenth cen.
iury resented the appellation "Anabap-
tiat' with n righteous Indignation
which was quite commondnhlc. Hut II
They hold In all things with the Picards,
That settles their likeness to the pres
mt day Raptats. The Pleards had ali
things In community. started as n men
hlcant order, and ended with n history
that Is not proper 10 repeat In news.
paper. The Baptista with whom
have met are In nothing like the Pl.
cards.
Infant baptism.
The second quotation shows that
various sects repudinted infant hap.
item In the middle ages." stnl that
IS not the hist ,ry OF eny Baptist CON
gregation. It is only one mark which
various aeeta" had. md which Bnp.
tats now have Our brethren OF the
Christian demons nation "repudiote In.
FAINT baptism" but our Baptist broth.
rem do not therefore call thcm Daptlsts
know several families IN the Episco-
pal church whv rrepudiate infant bap.
tism." never heard them called Bap-
lists. nor even Anahnptists; for, Al,
though the heads of these families were
bpptised In infancy and confirmed In
early youth. one Of them have even
been baptized asnit,
The third quotation gives the ''views'
Of DR.. Ludwig Keller DR.. Keller's
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