Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-09-10
REV. DR.. WILLIAMS SPEAKS.
lie Uses Strong Language The Queries Of Ram
bier answered.
A Church and Its Membership
1RREGULARITY IN BAPTIST BODIES-HE AR
CUES FOR REFORM-AN APT COMPARISON
Nh. EDIroR

Nh. EDIroR:
In this your iDestimable journalsof
she Bird inst, the PLANET Rambler
asks the following question: "How
many eolored ministers asre tell the
public in this paper or any other paper
ths status of his members, how msny
NE holds legally, how many he holds
dllegslly2
VETERAN IN TIE CAUSE.
suppose / may be considered . min
aster or in the ministry. having been
an such forty-seven years. I entered
the ministry when l was nineteen
years old. Labored six years a. IL
ecentiHte, forty-ono years an elder.
During my ministerial career / have
been honored with the pastoral care Of
'Swo churches. The second and pres
eent church, Gilfield Baptist Church,
Petersburg, Va l have had thirty-two
wears and nine months
SELECT MEMBERSHIP.
In the two churches. have.and now
look upon Jesus Christ as the Head Of
the Church; that IL is his Ichnrch, aud
he addeth to it such as shall be saved.
As an under shepherd in union with
Jesus Christ the Chief Shepherd, l
6have aimed land aim to have none to
membership bat those regenerated,
born of water and OF the spirit; Tor
none but such can enter the kingdom
of God. have aimed for quality and
mot for quantity. Thank God, hold
no person illegally.
ALARGE FOLLOWING.
The Gilfield Church when I took
charge OF her, reported to the Shiloh
Baptist Association of which she is one
~of the founders in the Ebenezer Bap-
fist Church, Richmond, Va, in 1865 g
membership of 1900. Last year she
reported to the Bethany Baptist Asso-
citation of which she is q member, q
membership of 2612 as follows: PASS by
baptism; lilo by letter; IA by expert
~ence. Each one of the experience, was
not member Of any church. The
church of which he or she was a men,
Der OF was destroyed by the late civil
war. We have no person as q member
10y christian experience who was
member OF any Baptist Church when
ne or she applied 20 us for member
sship.
BUT THREE NODES
There are but three modes OF aduis-
csion into Baptist Church of the regu-
lar Baptist denomination: 1st, By Bap-
fism immersion ID By Letter. The
church which he is q member of giving
him or her permission TO join thereby
another Baptist Church OF same faith
and order. Sd, By experience. The
Bapt Church of which the person was
- member of, has ceased to be, or the
person has been immersed, as the case
OF the Eunuch, Lydia, Cornelius, the
PhiIlipian jailer and others, but not q
Smember of any church; or an i'm
-mersed member of q Pedo-baptist
Church. leaving it and seeking to join
- Baptist Church because OF CONVEX
sion to the Baptist faith, doctrine
cand practice.
THE WAYS TO GET OUT.
There are but three ways of getting
out of = Baptist Church. LIST, by let
ter, transferring his membership BY
permission of his church to another
church OF the same faith and order.
Ind, by exclusion, the church with
drawing the hand of fellowship from
him, he is no longer a member in the
~church. but is unto it, q heather, q
publican. Sd, by death. has gone out
of this world. There is no law OF the
-Oaptics denomination, that absence OF
"a member from his church a certain
Aength of time forfeits his membership
SShereln. l have never found such a Law
written or unwritten OF the denomina-
'tion interruptions brethren in order
TO swell their membership, have made
such law unto themselves.
THE CHARGE AGAINST 0ILFIELD.
Various excuses are made to Justify
FSaking members of Baptist Churches
without letters of dismission, but they
~dwlndie into insignificsnce, null and
void. Some have said that the Gifted
eOhurch refuses to tgrant letters of dis
EMISSION to member until he pays his
Financial dues, Such is a deliberate
e1ntruth: Our church books show that
the church has granted letters to her
members East, West, North and South
when properly applied for. Refusals
nave been when improperly pplied
sEor, or the parties names could not be
11ound upon the roll of membership.
THE ExCUsEs OF THE BRETHREN.
The excuse OF some is, that they take
A8aptists to membership without let
Gers of dismission, to keep them from
going to the Pedo- Baptist. have al.
ways found that if Baptist is disposed
TO join the Pedo-Baptist, it is better
1or me to let him do so than for me to
BE guilty of breaking the commands Of
sS3od: Thou shalt not steal" To steal
-za to take avvav from, au0fho~9o ~oz,ae