The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-09

On Their Way
, to America. s.

and i. Is thus that they understand the pro-
They say that Jesus Himself was and is the
gospel eternal and living, and has sent it
forth. preached in the world. He Him e.f is
the world, and can be written only en- our
hearts.
.. They believe that except through God
and His Christ, there is no salvation; but
if God is invoked without a pure heart He
Himself cannot save man.
g.. For the salvation of man, indubtable
faith in Christ is necessary; but faith with
out works is dead, as also are works without
faith. The only living faith is the hearty
acceptance of the gospel.
Z. Concerning baptism, they say they are
Son and Holy Spirit, as Christ taught the
apostles, saying: Go forth and teach all ma
t Ions. ba soa them in the name Of the
takes Ilace when man repents with pure
and willing heart, and calls upon God, and
God, and not to the word This is the only
baptism for the remission of sins which they
profess.
FAITH IN GOD AND PRAYER.
The new birth and baptism, according to
their understanding, are one and the same
The means of attaining the new birth are
living faith in God, and prayer. The signs of
the newly born, or baptized, are the works of
the new man.
The contamination of baptism or new birth,
they say, a man attains when he is united
to God; and such man may see God with
gard as useless, saying that water only
body.
s. They confess their sins in prayer to the
heavenly God, good and merciful, who for
gives all our sins. If they. sin against their
brethren. they confess before all, and ask
their brethren to forgive them.
To deny ones sins when others remark
them is regarded by the Spirit Wrestlers as
Of calling ones self sinner, and making
this a kind of boast, a sham meekness to ex-
e Gus one from trying to correct ones errors.
| ly recover himself, ask Gods forgiveness with
humbled heart, and with all his might strive
not to fall again into similar sin.
all times of the sacred life-giving, eternal
sacraments, in the forgiveness of their
sins spiritually, through the inward accept
ance of the word Of God which is Christ and
such communion, they say, penetrates the
understanding CT man, as it were, to the
marrow of the bones.
The communion of the body and blood of
Christ in the form of bread and wine thew
do not accept, saying that bread and wine
into the understanding of man, as it were. to
| the narrow of the BONES.
! The communion of the body and blood of
! Christ in the form of bread and wine, thew
/ 60 not accept, saying. that bread and wine
are Of no avail TO the SOUL
lo; Fasting they regard as matter net of
+! kind or quality of food, but of abstinence from
| gluttony and other vices, of purity, mezk-
ness and humility of the spirit. Mere out
| ward abstinence from food does not, according
| to them, yield any good TO the soul.
IL. They respect the saints, but do not call
| for their help saying that they-the saints
have pleased God on their own behalf, and
| that must simply initiate them.
They do not however, indiscriminately
count as good all the deeds Of the so-called
saints; thus they deem that when st. Mich
| olas, during church council, hit Arius on
| the cheek, the word of God had then deserted
him.
THEIR VIEWS OF MARRIAGE.
! u. Marriage among them is not regarded
| as holy sacrament, and is accomplished
merely by the mutual consent of the young
| couple. AS among the Spirit Wrestlers no
preference is given to wealth rank, the
| parents do not at all interfere in the mar
! riages of their children. There are also no
/ marriage rites or ceremonies; the mere con-
| sent OF the two, and a promise to live TO-
Abstinence from marriage for the sake Of
purity is regarded among them high viz
J tue.
| 10. The dead they commemorate by good
| deeds, and in no other way. God Himself,
| they say, will remember the righteous in His
kingdom. Therefore they do not pray for the
Christian they do not call death, but change;
| therefore, they do not say: Our brother has
died but our brother has changed"
| IA. Concerning the state of the righteous in
| in heaven, they say that the kingdom is In
mans will, and that heaven is in the soul;
! that the souls of the righteous are In the
|
! of the unrighteous and hell, they believe
that unrighteous souls walk in the dark, ex
pecting soon to perish, and that hell consists
| in evil feeling.
AS to the transformation of souls after
! DEATH they believe that man is either justified
| by deeds, or by deeds is condemned; that the
| deeds of each take him to his true
place, and that after death there is no re-
| pentance.
/ Is. AS to the general resurrection of the
righteous and unrighteous, the Spirit Wrest-
| lers do not enter into discu sion, leaving this
| in the care OF God.
16. For man to save his soul they do
not think it necessary for him to belong to
| their society. They say that conduct brings
a man salvation. and that for this it Is only
necessary to understand the way Of God, and
CLEAN, HENCE UNPOPULAR.
IT, The Spirit Wrestlers are careful as to
| the neatness Of their houses, and say that
for Christian it is proper to live Clearly
and tidily-in this they have always been
distinguished from the other peasants in the
| same village-and that it is only necessary
to take care that the spirit be not set upon
| these things.
They. think in the same way about. pictures
| In their rooms, portraits of remarkable men
| ana even of saints. They say that such pict-
ures serve to ornament the house and are
pleasant for the eyes but they should in no
case DC worshlpped for that Is deadly sin
IS The Spirit Wrestlers like to express
their religious thoughts and feelings in the
form of allegories. Thus. for example they
| speak of seven heavens, the first being hui
| m1llty; the. second, understanding; the third
abstinence: the fourth brotherly love; the
| NTH, compassion; the sixth, good counsel /:
| liar Way they denote twelve Christian yir
tues. under the guise of twelve friends, thus
l. Truth, which delivers man from death.
| 2. Purity, which brings man to God
3. Love; where love is, there God is also
| T. Labor honorable for the body and help
| full for the soul.
8. Obedience. a quick way to salvation
6, Not judging, salvation without labor.
| T. Reasonableness, the highest of virtues
.. Mercy, of which Satan himself is afraid
y. Sef-controi, the work of Christ our God
10. Prayer and fasting, unite man with
II Repentance, there Is no higher law or
y. Thanksgiving gladstone to God and
His higher angels.
FAITH OF TODAY.
Such was the belief and practice of tb.
Spirit Wrestlers of a hundred years ago
sketch of their present principles is thus
described:
the Universal Brotherhood because ali mon
are equal, children of one Father. God and
those who live in deeds and not only in word
universal body. " LIE
To belong to this community one has to
prove In practice ones love for ones fellow
Adii, ouu 50 q man is able to adopt the es-
sence of Christ's teaching without anv az
ternal forms or rites.
Our brethren having recently adopted this
name, try to justify 1t in practice, and thus
70 neip the human race to adopt the teaching
OF the Savior. who was and is still perse-
cuted. sometimes weakness overcomes us.
but this is only the result OF habitual evil
tendency which shuts out heaven, and there
that. pseA snai'
But with Gods help there will be men
who will conquer their passions and carnal
desires and will serve the living and true