The evening times., 1899-09-20
BAPTIZED BY FIRE.
A Religious Sect That Brands Its
Converts With a Hot Iron.
(From the Philadelphia Record.l


(From the Philadelphia Record.)
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. Sept 10-Kan-
sas missionaries of the queer sect known
as the Fire Baptized Association keep up
their work in Franklin county. and a furOr
in religious circles has been stirred up by
them in Certain districts. These people do
not believe in the baptism by water, but in
the later method-by fre-as set forth by
st. Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. This
they regard as personal privilege granted
only to these who join their associations.
They also believe that one man should
not have more Of earthly possessions than
another, but that all should share in COM
mon. In fact, they go little further than
this and take the thirty second verse Of
the fourth chapter of The Acts literally,
and say that their possessions are not their
own, but are given TO them by a divine
being merely temporarily. They are seeed-
ers from the River Brethren denomination.
and during the first few weeks of their stay
here the missionaries concentrated their
attacks almost entirely upon that Church.
Recently, however, they have turned their
guns upon all religious sects and declare
at their public meetings that their faith
is the only one which guarantees absolute
safety in the life to come.
The Fire Baptized have located in Leh-
mans Grove about six miles from this
place. They hold two meetings a day-ons
in the afternoon and another in. the even
ing. On account of the novelty OF the
affair, they attract large audiences, but
their converts have been very few. One
Of these is Amos Musser, one of the most
prominent farmers in that section of the
country. The evangelists have been max
ing their home with him. There are low
about a dozen here from Kansas
Musser was baptized last Sunday, a red
hot iron being used TO brand him on the
back. So earnest is he in his belief that
while attempting to fly from loft in his
barn he fell to the floor. sustaining. how
ever, but slight injuries. He has also
disposed of a large herd of hogs, believing
the assertion of the evangelist that hogs
are unclean. A few days ago he was willed
farm, but he declined to accept it on ac-
count of neither said any of them that
aught- Of that which he possessed was his
own Musser. however, has not given
an equal share in the magnificent farm
upon which he resides to his brother evan
gelists.
The eyangelists profess to be able to
cure disease, and tell their hearers that
anything can be accomplished by faith,
but this doctrine was given terrific shock
few evenings ago, when one of the num-
that neighbor would bring them a supply
of buttermiik at once, which did not come.
All sorts of attempts are made to prove
their omnipotenee, but, like the butter
milk, the things asked for have failed to
materialiZe.
AS the camp is established in close prox-
unity to the Air Hill River Brethren
Church, their opposition to that particular
denomination is made more apparent. The
| converts so far obtained are former men,
bers of the River Brethren Church. That
| the latter body is determined to present a
| hostile front to the seeeders is shown by
| the expulsion of a number of the members
of the mother Church who greeted the Sc
ceders with the holy kiss There Is a
| tacit understanding that the members OIL
| the old denomination are to have nothing
I to do with the new sect. For this offence
several members of Bishop Martin w.
Overholtzer's church were deprived OF their
membership.
| Were not the River Brethren an exceed
| ingly law-abiding people 1t is questionable
/ if the seceders would progress very far
with their work. Should they continue
their Trades against other denominations
trouble will likely follow. for already there
is talk OF driving them from the commune
ty In which they are located.