The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-10-17
ThORNQUEST NOT FAIR.
So Says Rev. II. Beer In a Reply
Full of TaCks.

To THE EDITOR: Will you kindly
allow me space to reply to Mr.. Thorn
quests article in last weeks issue.
I think might justly complain
that Mr.. Thornquest is not fair, in
trying to make it appear that I had
said, either directly or Indirectly, that
to read the bible was a wicked
thing to do. I remember saying that
1 yielded to no man in my respect for
Gods holy word; and that the bible
must be the final court of appeal in
all matters connected with the Christ
ian religion, and that nothing con-
trary to the teaching of the bible
must be taught in the Christian
church. This has been the tenor of
all my articles, and it is unfair to
twist the meaning he did out of what l
said. Let us in our search for truth
deal honestly and fair with each other.
That is enough on that point.
There are many things I should like
to take up in the article OF last week.
as for instance, when Mr.. Thornquest
does not seem to know the difference
between the "historic episcopate" and
Church history" he takes them for
one and the same, as is evident at the
end of his second paragraph. But
you cannot afford me space to say
all 1 would wish to, SO I pass right on
to the end of his article, where he asks
me some questions. He says, ''you
don't for a moment believe that the
bible alone sustains sprinkling as
baptism, do you?"
Now l am sure MIR. Thornquest will
be surprised when l reply that the
church to which I belong teaches
immersion as method of baptism.
If he will turn to the ritual on baptism
in our prayer book, he will find that
the minister is instructed to "dip" the
child or it may suffice to sprinkle
it. So you see we believe in immersion.
After giving surprise number one,
let us have surprise number two. This
is the surprise. There is not, I say,
in the bible, from cover to cover,
single case of immersion. Please I'M
derstand me. I say there is not a
single case of baptism, where it must
undoubtedly have been immersion
and could not have been pouring or
sprinkling.
Now with regard to confirmation.
Mr.. Thornquest asks me if 1 believe
that we can graduate people as
Christians by the process of confirma
tion." Did Mr.. Thornquest ever read
that ''fools rush in where angels fear
to tread?" Surely the fact that the
Christian church has practised this
rite for eighteen hundred years ought
to make Mr.. Thornquest hesitate to
doubt it's authority. All the knowl-
edge of the bible does not rest in Mr..
Thornquest's head. Other people
have read and understood the bible as
we'll as he, and from the bible they
get confirmation. But let us satisfy
him from the bible.
In the sixth chapter of Hebrews
and first and second verses, you will
find six principles of the doctrines of
Christ. And what are these six prin-
ciples? Repentance, faith, baptism,
confirmation or laying on of hands,
resurrection, and judgment. First re-
pentance, then faith, then be baptised,
then confirmed, and SO pass on by
holy life to the resurrection and the
judgment.
Now let us see whether the apostles
did follow baptism with the next
principle and did confirm. Turn to
Acts the nineteenth chapter, and in
the fifth and sixth verses we read that
Paul baptised certain persons, and
then he laid hands on them, and they
received the gift of the holy ghost.
Here we learn that the apostle follow
ed the principle of baptism by the
principle of confirmation, and the
blessing of confirmation was the gift
of the holy ghost. Now Mr.. Thorn
quest, don't you see that we have
good bible warrant for confirmation?
It was the apostolic custom.
But I have not got through with
confirmation yet. Turn to the eighth
chapter of Acts and in the twelfth
verse, you will read that Philip, the
deacon, baptised certain men and
women, then in verses fourteen to