The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-06
| A SOUL REG[N[RATD RISES BAPTIST DOGRN[|
lev. w. w. Bverfs BxpOunds
HE Cenuineness OF The
Baptist Essentials.

AS feature of the Lenten services at the Peoples
nurch has been arranged of by pastors
various denominations setting forth why they have af-
Hated with the secs with which they identified
The topic of the first sermon delivered last evening
large congregation, 'Why Am Baptist" by Rev.
William Wallace Everts, pastor the Woodland Park
}aptist church
Mr. Everts said:
1 am Baptist because Christs saying, "Ye must be
on again. is the starting point of Baptist church. We
10 not start the Church of England does, with
ion the Jews do, with race or as the Presby-
erians do with the family, the Untarlans do
he individual; but with soul has been
oln again. You may be born Episcopalian you may
e born Methodist you may be born Presbyterian you
nay be born Congregatonalist you must be born
'gain to become Baptist The Protestant denominations
epresented i'll this of lectures include two
hat have more than half million adherents in this
country The other denominations represented in this
course of lectures begin with infant apply
one of the rites of the church, but years
hscreon until the new birth until the word of
ruth is heard and believed. The Epscopaan declares
hat the baptized infant is regeneate The Presbyterian
says that the church consists of believing parents and
their children What Methodists and Congregationasts
of the relation of the church have often
inquired but have never found out. They with
unconscious es we with the conscious spirit They
Niln the natural, we with the spiritual They
what they hope has taken place take place in the
infant point what has already taken place in the
candidate for baptism, to Christ evidently formed within
him. to the gladness with which the received and
the love expressed for the brethren They expect
blessing performance which never commanded;
we look for Gods blessing because do what He COM
manded and bapze those who believe They baptize on
faith by proxy, if there is any faith at all.
PERSONAL FAITH REQUIRED
We bapze, the apostles did, personal faith only
We start with new creature. We allow nothing to
come between the soul and God man S born not of
the church, not of baptism but of the Holy Spirit We
-lo not Christ through the church. but we come
to the church through Christ are not means
of grace. There sacramens in the New Testa-
meh Inc word OF God is the only means of grace The
ruin Is the seed soWn in the heart Baptists appeal
ceremonies to organizations but life to the mani
fest life of God in the soul The church does not impart
life but combines living Christian rites do not
impart life but they express life already present Bap-
fists are not satisfied with the memorzng catechism
or with submission to ceremony, but they insist on an
experience of grace joyful to God on the
assurance OF the forgiveness of sins before they will re-
ceiye member of the church. 1t is not cere-
mony 1t is reality to join the church of the living God
Where the blessing of God is assured the cand
date himself has met the conditions of the promise
there the right start is made in building up church and
that is where Baptists start.
YE ARE ALL BRETHREN
1 a Baptist in the second place because Cbrist,s
saying, zone is MASTER and all We are brethren
is an accepted Baptist principle In claiming Christ as the
master of our consciences discaim any master
This position naturally follows the first for soul that
is born not of man, but of God, subject not to man
but to God The birth from God is followed by a
walk with God Where Christ is neither king nor
prelae, neither magistrate eccesiaStc has any bs
hess There is but judge censor, superior and d-
rector of the SOUL and that is Christ rules in the
soul that He renews High above court of honor at
the worlds fair inscribed these Federation
in religon the best fruit of the last centuries,
REAL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Religious liberty, freedom of conscience was regarded
until recently dangerous innovation Leckey saws in
his History of RationalSm" may believe be sa fe
y affirmed that there example of the consistent
advocacy or practice of liberation in the sixteenth CEN
tuy that was not generally denounced by sections of
the clergy, and scarcely any till the middle the seven
teehth century, persecution distinct definite
doctrine digesed in elaborate eatses ndissolubly con-
neced with large portion of the theology de-
Yeloped by most enlightened theoogians and enforced
against most unoending secs What Leckey saws of the
oogans is true Of statesmen, philosophers and poets
Catholic and Protestant alike but is not true of Ban
lists who the first in modern to speak for
soul liberty to write for soul liberty found govern
men with soul liberty and die for liberty Soul
liberty American idea was Baptist before II
American.
LAW OF GOD SUPREME
Baptist, in the third place. because Cbrists nro
test against those who made void law of God Inv
their traditions" is Baptist protest We are perfectl
satisfied with the law Of God, with the Bible and uo
raise voices against all those who to mnrovo II