The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-01-09
BEERS VALEDICTORY
To Mr.. Thornquest as Welt as the
People.

Editor, Tor the space you nave pJaceC'
at our disposal, and the impartial
manner in which you have flung your
gibe at both of us, in the headings
you have placed over our papers. !
esteem it quite privilege to have
had the opportunity to place some
good sound doctrine before the public
in this town and neighborhood.
had not the faintest hope of convert
ing Mr.. Thornquest, but did hope
to give some food for thought to some
of your readers and 1 have been as
sured that the articles were read with
interest and benefit by some at least.
I am sorry space and time will not
admit of a reply to Mr.. Thornquest's
earnest invitation. I might perhaps,
just to satisfy him, show how shallow
his arguments, some of them are. For
instance, 1 showed that the three
thousand converts at Pentecost could
not have been immersed, for there was
no water at Jerusalam to immerse
them in. And what does he reply.
Why he says where there is will,
there is way" Any old washer
woman would be ashamed of such an
argument as that. The apostles had
neither will? nor a way, for they
had been told to baptize, not to i'm
merse. Even Baptist writer's allow
that to baptize does not always mean
to immerse in scripture.
Again Mr.. Thornquest is very lavish
with quotations from scripture, but
the trouble is they do not always fit
the subject. For instance, he says in
the issue of Dec. 18th Baptism is a
burial in water" then he quotes Rom.
"A in proof. Opening the bible we
read therefore we are buried with
Him (Christ) by baptism into death"
Now what has that got to do with i'm
mersion? If we are to be buried with
Christ, we shall be buried in the
tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, for that
is where Christ was buried. At any
rate, Christ was not buried in water at
death, therefore the text does not in
the least prove immersion, which Mr..
Thornquest thinks it does.
So much for Mr.. Thornquest. I
wish him the compliments of the sea-
son and adieu.
wish to pay my respects to "Sub-
scriber" before [ close He thinks,
innocent man, that the way to church
union is by shutting our eyes to our
differences. That is like the ostrich
that hides it's head and thinks that it
cannot be seen, because it cannot see.
BY honestly discussing our differences
we shall find that the other fellow Is
not all wrong, and thus CHARTERS will
be burned away"
Subscriber is unfortunate in his
reference to Heb. 4. St. Paul does
not advise the leaving of the doctrines
of baptism and confirmation as Sub
scriber says, not at least until these
foundation principles have been firm
ly laid: then after that we may go on to
perfection. 1t is just such superficial
reading of the bible as Subscriber is
guilty of, that has led to the disunion
in the church to-day.
He is quite wrong in supposing that
the texts quoted refer to the Jewish
church. st. Paul, though a Jew, was
a Christian preacher, and preached
Christian doctrines, to convert to the
Christian religion. He is also wrong
when he imagines there was bitterness
aud mud-slinging between Mr.. Thorn
quest and myself. There was earnest
ness if you like. We both feel very
much in earnest about these matters,
and it would be good for Subscriber
to feel the same. Neither Mr.. Thorn
quest nor I used the expression
knocked higher than kite" This is
another example of his careless, super
fetal reading. Neither of us have
anything to ask Gods forgiveness for
in that discussion, we have earnestly
contended for the faith, and have
tried to give an answer for the faith
that is in us, and we have done it over
our own names also, in manly man
ner. We did not take refuge under
an assumed name.
But Subscribers greatest mistake
OF all is in supposing that he is the
public. He says "spare the public .
suppose he speaks only for himself,
L e. l. IL L