Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-01-26
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

estants Of the United States. What
they must yield for Church Federation
is therefore an important question.
upon the Congregational platform.
which recognizes as Scriptural the in
dependence of each congregation as to
it's own creed in all matters of faith
and Church order. These bodies Of
Christians. therefore. could not join
the Federation as denominations. The
only method by which they could give
adherence would be either by aban-
doning their principles of independence
for which they have so long cOntended.
or else by remaining quiescent while
their ministers through Councils and
Conferences essay to act for them.
And here it should be noted that the
membership of these large Christian
bodies have more and more during the
past thirty-6ve years shown their Will
ingness to have their ministers regu-
late their affairs, even though contrary
to their avowed principles of Church
Government.
But it is from the standpoint of doc
trines rather than Church government
that we shall examine our subject. AS
we progress we shall find that some of
the doctrines once considered all-im-
portant can in the light of our day be
laid aside as obsoete-aS hindrances
in every sense of the word Caution,
however, would suggest that for every
thing discarded as unscriptural the
truthful substitute should be found
otherwise our progress would be to-
ward the destruction, not only of the
bad of our creeds of the past, but also
Of their good features.
DoctrinaI Surrender of Baptists.
Baptists will find little to dispute
with their co-religionists of the Fed
Grafton along general doctrinal lines;
their chief difficulty will be in the mat
ter of what constitutes Christian bap-
tism-the necessity of water INNER
sion to admission to Church member
ship. For years this doctrine has been
even more tenaciously held than Is
generally realized. Our Baptist breth-
rem hold to justification by faith as a
first or preliminary step which the sin
ner must take. But they equally hold
that this Is not the final step-that the
step of sacrifice. the step Of regenera-
ton much follow In order to salvation.
And baptism in water they recognize
as an Indispensable outward indication
of this regeneration. Hence it is stand
ard Baptist doctrine, both North and
South in all Baptist Churches with
rare exceptions, that no uninnerSed
person should be esteemed O member OF
ChriSt'S Church.
In a word, faith and reformation are
steps of justifca ton, but water INNER
sion is the door into Christ Only those
who pass through this door are mem
bers Of the Church of Christ from this
viewpoint; hence. consistently, none
others are invited TO partake of the
Eucharist-the Lords Supper. The ar
gument is that this Supper, symbolic
ing death with Christ. was offered only
to the coDsecrated and accepted mem
bers of Christ's Church. Hence to in
vite others than those immersed in
water would be a violation Of the let
ter and the spirit of the Divine Word
and q countenancing of false doctrine
The argument is that all of 1.-The elect
will be guided of the Lord. so thai
their hearts and heads will become
amenable to these teachings. Obedi
ence thereto will be shown by submis
sion to water immersion-the door int
the Church of Christ.
Like the rest of us. our Baptis
friends have been in the past rathe
illogical in all matters religious ant
doctrinal; so much so that many o
them have never realized the flu
meaning of their doctrine. The mean
ing was grasped in the long ago. blu
has generally been lost sight Of With
the last fifty years. 1t is this: Sine
water immersion is the evidence Q
obedience to Divine instruction an
since all of 1.-The elect" are not only IL
structed of God but obedient to hin
therefore those not baptized in waite
are not of Gods elect-are not men
bers in his Church. And this in turf
according to Baptist doctrine, implie
that all not immersed in water ar
outside of the Church-outside of th
number of 1.-The elect"-outside {
Gods favor-outside of the salvatio
provided in Christ-and therefore IL
side the damnation and eternal to-
ment which Baptist doctrines impl
have been foreordained for the etern;
torture of all the non-elect.
Do our Baptist friends who me,
un1mmersed Christians Of other d
nominations in the walks Of life fro
day to day really believe that the la
ter are on their way to an eternit
Of torture? Most assuredly they {
not! But this is merely because the
nre illogical. like the rest Of US. The
are as illogical as their brethren
other denominations. They have on
grown at least this feature of Il
teachings of the dark ages" hand'
down to them by well-meaning b
less enlightened forefathers.
One glance at the matter will suff
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