The Newtown bee., 1900-05-18

ciples seem to bave been among tthese things" which Jesus thanked the Father in heaven for hiding from "the wise and understanding" and revealing "unto ba bes.''
 1. l am, then, a Baptist, because this Charch sdheres inflexibly to the stand ards of New Testament religion. The direct, unequivocal teaching of the New Testament alone compels me to stay in it. Baptists build their faith upon the Bible, and the Bible alone; upon the Bible ss 1t \ interprets itself to the ordinary reader of open, honest mind and fair intelligence. It was written for just such readers. It ! takes profound erudition and subtlety of intellect to read mystery into it, and all such mystery is falsehoed. The Bible is a revelation, and revelation reveals, and l does not obscure truth. Baptists hold l the Bible to be the constitutional law of the Church. The Bible did not make the ! Church, neither did the Church, as such, make the Bible. The Old Testament was received intact, and the documents con- posing the New Testament are traceable back to the hands and brains of men of the first century. The best the early fathers could have done for the spiritual enlightenment and guidance of humanity was to have transmitted, unabridged and without comment, the literature of Apos- tolic times. There never has been man, from the day when Jesus Christ ascend ed into the heavens, who possessed au- l thority to revise phrase of the teachings of. the Founder of the Church, or abrogate I single command of His, or submit 8 substitute for an ordinance enjoined by Him. I stand with Luther when, at the Diet of Worms, he hurled defiance at the enemies of the Bible in " ords that thrilled the heart of humanity: II shall not be convinced except by the testimony Of the Scriptures, or plain reason; for believe neither the Pope nor councils alone. Here I stand, l can do no otherwise. God help me. Amen.'
 THE BIBLE IS THE TEST.
 The test of every doctrine and institu- tion Is the Bible. Bsptists accept nothing in religion that is not there taught; they submit to no ordinance that IS not there enjoined. Your appeal to the opinions of men makes no impression whatever upon them. They deny the right of any man, or of any church, to set aside the teaching of the New Testament. They affirm that fhSf ia thoir oop sfSkutiopaI Ia au and ina none other exists for the Christian Church. From the verdict of that court there is no appeal.
 Baptists do not deny the law of prog ress, they insist that progress must con- form to principle. There may have been 8 time when an ape grew into man, but that Is not the progress with which we have to reckon in church development A tree does not grow out of it's nature aE & tree, no matter for how many centuriel it defies the storm. The Christian Church has right to grow, the necessity was upon it to grow, but the holiest obli ) gation was upon it likewise to preserve - it's original type.
 tl 2. l am Baptist because the New Testament throws upon me the entire I responsibility for what believe and do 2 "Esch one of us shall give account oi 3 himself to God" Faith that saves ii essentially an individual thing. Youl faith is vital for you, but worthless fol
 me. Your understanding of God and ot a duty cannot be mine,,. though you may
 help me to acquire for myself an equally
 clear understanding. You may come tt
 me and say, 1T am a busy man. have [ no time to investigate religious matters
 draw up for me certain articles of beliet
 and will subscribe to them," but must tell you that is wholly useless. Any creed that might formulate would be ot
 value to me, but would not be your creed.
 The faith of man IS as distinctly per-
 sonal thing as the heart within his body.
 The only convictions which are of real
 value to him are those which he derives
 from personal study of the Bible, and reflection upon the truth he finds therein.
 This involves work which no man can
 perform for another. The Baptist holds that 1t is not merely the privilege, it is the bounden duty, of every man to study the Bible for himself. No priest, or preacher, or bishop, or pope, or church can bear the burden of souls responsi- bility, or assume the custody Of mans conscience. All the creeds and formulae of Christendom, all the decisions of church. councils, and the judgments of astute theologiana, are not sufficient to Irelieve any man of the responsibility God has put upon him of doing his own think ling and praying and believing.
 IPERsECUT1oN FOR FREEDOM OF CON- SCIENCE.
 Every man must interpret the Script