The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-17

and that It was their duty to decide
promptly and thoroughly which course
they would take. So we may see to-
day that Christians of all denomina-
lions are In a trying position and that
prompt decision to stand by God and
the Bible Is the necessary thing for
those who would be delivered from the
darkness of the past and avoid falling
into the Adversary's great deception of
che present--into which their leaders
are guiding them. Unless they heed
speedily, the blind leading the blind
will fall into the ditch of Darwinism
and the mire OF Higher Criticism.
There are not many ways to escape
this threatening calamity! There is
only one way-the Bible way. Many
Baptist and Disciple ministers are be-
coming awake to the Inconsistencies of
their positions and drifting without
foreknowledge Of where their course
will end For instance, have before
me the words OF the Rev. DR.. Mac Don
aid of my own city. Brooklyn, on Feb
ruary 9th. This gentleman speaks Of
the Baptist Confession Of Faith as
these s,odddling clothes Of an ancient
dogmatism." And respecting the Bap-
fist doctrine which recognizes only i'm
mersed persons as members of the
Church Of Christ and heirs OF saliva
ton, he says, "Henceforth il can be re-
garded to be as dead as the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrdh. and as ,oorthilv
buried" The gentleman rejoiced that
recently a Baptist minister had been
ordained to the Sixth Avenue Baptist
Church of Brooklyn who affirmed in
advance that he would invite all to
communion and Church membership
who loved the Lord Jesus. He urged
received into Baptist communions
without imposing baptism upon
them"
This courageous brother failsVo see
wherein the course he advocates is
illogical. What he needs to see is the
real teaching of the Bible on the sub
ject Of Baptism-that it is baptism into
Christ's death. and thus into the real
Church of Christ-not tie Baptist
Church, nor any other human organiza-
ton, but the Church of God-"The
Church of the firstborns. whose names
are written in heaven" That roll con-
tains the names of all the sanity.
faithful. consecrated believers in the
Redeemer-of all denomina tons and
outside of all denominations.
"Sanctify Them Through Thy Truth"
1t is not sufficient that we get rid of
the errors and superstitions of the
past. We must supplant those with
the Truth that I'VE may be able to
withstand in this evil day" Ephesians
vi. 49,. 1t alone will constitute the
armor of God. Christian people hold
much precious Truth, but hold it in
so illogical and confused a manner
that it fails to give them the needed
strength. God permitted us to come
to this very hour and has permitted
the present tests for the purpose Of
developing the characters of the is
raelites indeed. in whom is no guile"
and for the purpose Of gathering out
from them all the tares. all the chaff.
and all not at heart copies of his dear
Son. Let me now briefly summarize
the errors of our creeds and briefly in
dictate the Bible remedy.
None of our Creeds were too strict
in defining the saintlness of the
Church class, invited to become the
Bride of Christ and his .Joint-heirs in
his Kingdom. On the contrary, in
many respects they were too loose
they were not nearly up to the stand
ard of the Masters word. IF any man
will be my disciple, let him take up
his cross and follow me-" Strait is
| the gate and narrow the way which
| leadeth unto life; and few there be
that find it" (Matthew vii, AZ. Jesus
| taught that his followers must drink
of his cup Of suffering and be baptized
| into his death-and not merely into wa
| ter. Our too-low standards have ad-
mitted to membership i'm all denomna-
| tons millions who are far below the
Masters standards.
| Our error and deception was the sup
position that all who are not sanity.
all who would not become the Bride Of
J Christ, all who are not baptized into his
| death. all who do not drink of his cup
of ignominy will be eternally tortured.
This great mistake common to all
Protestants land In the much modi-
| fed form of Purgatory shared also by
Catholics) must be displaced by the
Bible teaching that as soon as the
elect Church shall be completed and
| glorified the antitypical Year of Jubi-
lee will begin; that then for the thou
sand years of the reign of Christ and
the Church as the spiritual Seed Of
| Abraham, the non-eiect, of all the fam
| lilies of the earth will be blest by the
elect Galatians iii. 16, 20; Acts iii,
| 1929. Let us. dear brethren. choose
this day to stand by the Word Of God,
| to reject all human traditions contrary
to it and to hold fast the things that
| are true. just. loving, good.
If occasionally n thoughtless friend
asks, Why do you believe in Millen-
mum? answer that it is one of the
oldest doctrines of Christendom and,
above all, the Bible doctrine. Answer
that he who does not believe in the
Millennium and the resurrection then
of the world of mankind" that
are in their graves account for
the dead in some other way-must
claim that they have been experience