The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-12-05
OUGHT TO BE DEAD.
But Mr.. Thornquest Is Very Hard
to Kill.

Thornquest's article of Nov. 21st. The
heading was You Hit Me-" It is
true I did hit him on the question of
confirmation. I hit him hard, SO hard
that he ought to be dead, if he only
knew when he is killed. But Mr..
Thornquest is hard to kill, and won't
stay dead, and so he appears in print
again and tries to get out of and wrig-
gle round the point, and tries to
throw dust in your readers eyes. But
it won't do. 1t is quite impossible to
argue man down who will not stick
to point, but who, as soon as defeated
there, steps back on something else,
and shouts louder, and screams shriller
than ever. Let me show how he
twists and turns:
If Mr.. Thornquest has made any
thing plain, in the various articles
he has written, it is that he insists
that whatever is done in regard to re-
ligion, must have Bible warrant and
sanction. I quite agree with him in
that, and have done so in the matter
of laying on of hands. In my de-
fence of confirmation, I stood on the
Bible and the Bible only as my au-
thority. His question, in issue of
Oct. Sd, was "Nor do you believe that
it (the Bible) teaches that you can
graduate people as Christians, by the
process of confirmation, do you?" In
reply to that question showed from
Hebrews, sixth chapter, verses one
and two, that six fundamental princi-
pies of the Christian religion we're,
Repentance, Faith, Baptism, Laying
on of hands or Confirmation, Resur-
rection, and Judgment. I called at
tention to the fact that these princi-
Piles stand in proper order, and SO we
find baptism is followed by confirma-
ton.
Then I showed, very clearly from
Acts xix, verses five and six, that St.
Paul followed this order of funda-
mental principles exactly; he first
baptized certain persons and then laid
his hands upon them in confirmation,
and the Holy Ghost came on them. I
further referred to Acts viii, verses Is,
Is, II, where we again find the Apos-
ties following baptism by confirma-
ton, with the like result that the Holy
Ghost was given to those so con-
firmed.
Now you see all this is perfectly
scriptural, and 'ought.to be most con-
vincing to a man who boasts as Mr..
Thornquest does in his last article
that Ito the Bible and the Bible only
does he appeal" But behold how he
ignores his Bible authority.
/ Let us turn to this same last article
ip issue of Nov. 2lst. He says: "Mr.
Beer puts this question confirmation
in an unfair light by referring to the
act of the laying on of hands," He
says what he referred to was the GUS
tom in the Episcopal Church to put
children through course of lessons
on the catechism, and, upon their be-
ing able to answer some questions,
henceforth to consider them Chris
tians.
I am surprised at the assurance OF
| Mr.. Thornquest in making such u
statement as that, in q paper which
circulates in. Redwood Falls, where
people are intelligent and know as
much or more about the Episcopal
Church as he does. Who is there in
this city who does not know that con-
firmation consists in the person max
ing profession Of religion, and
thereafter having the bishops hands
laid ON them in prayer7 Who does
not know that learning the catechism
and answering questions has nothing
whatever to do with the laying on OF
hands? / do not know what he can
be thinking about to make such a
statement. Can it really be that he is
SO ignorant of the subject he is talk
ing abouts Or is he only perverse'
He cannot blind ones eyes with any
such dust as that.
/ It is true all our Sunday School
scholars learn the catechism and study
the Bible, ETC., but what has that to do
] with making q profession Of religion