The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-05-04

elmtlh toIlufd amer the model OF
the Roman Empire. no ereat hon,
wheei 70 crush ont indtrdnahsm. no
Ferris Wheel to lift the lew abovs'
the many. No tyranny Of one con.
lgfegat1on or group or association Of
CONGREGATIONS oyer another, and there
fore no danger that come ~areh-heritic
may be brought to trial and SO disrupt
The Whole brotherhood Of believers.
We have no speculative theology, we
are too busy preaching Christ and Him
crlcided, that we have no time to
write out a system Of divinity. We
are willing to defer these questions Of
the upper side, the God side, the Dt.
vine side, until we shall NO longer see
through a mirror darby. We are will.
Ing to heed Paul's instructions; aErJt
we strive not about words to no prof.
It; that We shun profane and vain
babblings;" neither give need to ia.
bles and endless genealogies. whicA
minister questions rather than godly
edlfy1ng which is in faith"
To be more specihc,-Bautlsts and
Disciples believe, that each church,
In its government, should be an Inde-
pendent body, subject to no one but
Christ, and that the Membership OF
Inc church SHOULD form a common
brotherhood with equal rights and
powers. We believe that there should
be interchurch comfy, and that all
councils, conferences, associations, and
conventions resulting from such com.
lty. should be voluntary and advisory
only, with no right to dictate or com.
pei a local church here or there, or
elsewhere to do anything other than
It's own Judgment telches It, II oughI
ITO do. We both believe in the com.
plete separation OF church and state,
In absolute civil and religious llber.
ty. In a free church and a free state.
We both hold that the classes Of Off.
GERS In the CHURCH are two.-mstors
who are called also elders. bishops
shepherds. stewards, overseers, and
I'd deacons. In Acts goth chapter and
i'm verse, we find Luke writes OF the
elders Of Epheslan church: in verso
%. just eleven verses further on, Paul
addresses these same men and calls
them bishops. Paul writes 10 the
PhilliD'an church and says, ITO all
the saints of Philip, with the bishops
and deacons." They seem to have
only those two Offices. In !. Tim.
third chapterd the apostle is defining
the duties of officers OF the church: IN
the first verse. he mentions tie Dish.
OPP, in the eighth verse he mention
the deacon: you will find no ether off.
GERS mentioned there. or in any WV
indicated. In Titus. first chapter, fifth
verse, We learn that elders are to be
ordained in every city, and In the sew
enth verse, these elders are also called
bishops and stewards. Now. In on q
chapter and In two verses of that cnap.
ter the same men are coIled some.
times elders, sometimes bishops, some
times stewards, and yet a great many
protestant churches today make those
distinct offices, and one higher In rank
thar the other. In first Peter fifth
chapter, verses one and two. We So,
Peter eXhorting the elders and he calls
himself a fellow elder" He wants
them to do, two things. to s~heDlerd.--
that Is to pastor or feed the flock
and . to bishop or oversee the flocI.,
he does not indicate two ranks of II.
nee; but two duties. one of ieediny
and when he speaks Of the minister
thus. he calls him pastor, the other %
overseer and when he speaks of ois
duty OF overseeing, he calls his btsh.
op. but he is talking about the sama
man. To-day We call the same man a
clergyman, a minister. a preacher. n
pastor, a parson, a dominic, etc. So N
the New Testament we find that the
terms bishop, elder, ~presbyter, over
seer, steward. pastor. minister, desty-
nate the same Office and order Of per.
sons who are to teach. administer the
ordlna6?es. superintend the discipline.
ana prescribe at the meetings Or the
church. so I am pastor GrisSo, MN
lister Grisso, preacher Grisso, elder
Grtsso, Bishop Grisso, presbyter Girls.
So or steward GrisSo, and 1t does not
make much difference to me what Won
CAN me, since any Of these desIgna.
tons are scriptural. AS to which term
you use depends upon the side OF my
work you wish to emphasize; but | am
moi an elder and some other mar a
bishop with power to tell me 10 go and
come. I have tried to give chanter
and verse here. so that at your leisure
you may study tnis matter for youc.
selves. The deacon Is helper to, the
cider, bishop, pastor, presbyter, minis.
ter or whatever you may call him, and
Is to render aid TO him and the church.
IN botl spiritual 9nd temporal things
Baptists and Disciples believe in
the pure word of God as their light
and their food; and fellows shin in keen.
ing the commandments of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Every one bound to hon.
or Jesus and obey him: no one bound
IN ought outside of this. Every soul
~answerable to God for It's convictions.
In a word. they believe in the church
on the New Testament. in oppositIon
to scots: Christ in opposition to all
human le~aderships; faith in Carist
and obedience to Christ, as terms Of
Fellowship, in opposition to all specu.
ative doctrinal and ec~clesiastjcai
tests: the New Testament In opposi.
ton to all human credes, as the stand.