The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-31

I have expressed no opinion on the
quality of the name Pope" If IL
means. as you say, father" it GER
tainIy is not a bad name" My main
objection is to the acknowledgment In
the person Of the Pope of any spiritual
father upon earth; for If 1 did should
be disobeying the admonition OF Christ:
Call no man .our father upon the
earth: for one is your Father which
is in heaven" CMatthew 23:9l, and i
had rather displease the Pope than
Christ I may not be thoroughly fam
liar with the policy of your church
and therefore may not properly under
stand the relationship of the Pope TO
the bishops, but in the 18th chapter OF
The Acts, there is shown to be one
higher in church authority than
Peter in the person Of James. who had
/ the final disposition Of a church dis
pute in which Peter was actively in
| terested. And after Peter was deliver
| ed from prison by an angel he visited
| the house of Mary and instructed the
| occupants TO go, sheY these things
unto James, and to the brethren, .
which showed his feelings of Difference
towards this parsonage.
Regarding the necessity of baptizing
/ infants in order to admit them into the
kingdom OF heaven, l discover that
Jesus took them in his arms and bless
ed mot baptized) them. and said: "Of
such is the kingdom of heaven" You
say that you baptize infants because
Christ in enjoining people TO be bap-
i tiZed in the water and the Holy Ghost
| under penalty of not being admitted
into the kingdom of heaven, did make
10 exception of infants" And you
notify me that it does not belong to me
TO establish here an exception, because
in doing SO / viii exclude the poor in
fants from the kingdom of heaven"
Very well, then. when Christ said: He
that believeth, and is baptized, shall
be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned mark 1910, he
made no exception of infants; but IN
answer to my question: Can little
children who are not capable of COM
hitting sin believe and repenr?" You
say: No; they can not and need not"
Let me ask you in the terms of your
own challenge to me, what right you
have to establish here an exception ?''
/ will also quote the balance OF your
boomerang statement in this connec-
ton, although do not consider it ap-
plicable in the case, but merely quote
it as your own arraignment of your
own doings: because in doing so s.ss
will exclude the poor infants from the
kingdom Of heaven" Your mode Of
baptism bears no resemblance TO the
Scriptual form as it has no similitude
of a burial Paul says that those who
were baptized into Christ were buried
with him by baptism into DEATH" and
planted together in the likeness of his
deaIh-" AS you are a scholarly gentle |
man, L refer you to the literal meaning |
OF the word baptize," and ask you il |
its Greek root does not mean to dip, |
plunge Or immerse?" Is there not a |
great difference between burying a /
man underground and laying him on
the surface Of the ground and sprink-
ling, pouring, or otherwise applying |
dirt TO his body? 1t seems to me that /
in this matter you are claiming the /
greatest latitude when you say: We
baptize by ablution, and you can find /
no authority in Scripture to prohibit
il. The fact that a practise is not
prohibited in Scripture III specific terms
is no justification for it, If it is a devil
alton from or modification of a prac-
tise that has a positive definition, as
is the case with that of baptism The
reason you advance to account for the
absence Of the spiritual gifts from your
church by using as an illustration the
irrigation Of a young tree, which ceases
when the tree. has taken roots" is
wholly inappropriate since the simili-
rude does not exist. We are not deal
ng with the principle of growth; we
ire considering divine system. perfect
n it's appointments, and therefore in
capable of Improvement either by addi-
ton or subtraction The gifts were just
Is much a part of the divine system .
IS were the principles of the doctrine
If Christ and the offices set in His
,hurch- They were appointed for a
pecific purpose. Paul says: THE man
festation Of the spirit is given to every
nan to profit withal-" So that TO be
without the gifts must be Improbable:
md II your religious system is devoid
4 them il is incomplete and imperfect
There is no scriptural support for the
tatement you make to the effect that
he gift Of miracles was very frequent
4 The beginning in order TO show mani
estly to the unbelieyers that the hand
{ God was with the Apostles as
elper against the many odds that were
Forking against them On the con- 6
rary, Christ promised that the signs s
hould follow the believer; and the {
'ible states that the Apostles went $
orth and preached everywhere, the r
ord working with them, and confirm
lg the word with signs following" ?
Mark 1920. Paul says: We walk =
y faith. not by sight and faith >
1meth by hearing Let me also refer :
on 10 Christ's answer 10 the sign-seek-
g pharisees- 1t is syident from .
aus reasoning that the gifts placed !
the church by God. together with :
postles, prophets, etc, were just as ::
,sential 10 the spiritual life Of the ),
edy Of Christ (His church) as are the a
-gans and members Of the physical -
1dy TO the physical life =
Your attitude in regard 10 the spirit -
Il gifts reminds me OF the charge IL
u prefer against me: -sit is unlaw-
i for You and anybody else to SNUG al
2 your own opinions into the Scrip n
re by making distinctions and pro-
billions which il does not positively e
We"