The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-01-28
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

lists, Adventists and Disciples repre-
sent more than one-third of the Prot
estants Of the United States. What
they must yield for Church Federation
is therefore an important question.
All three of these systems are built
upon the Congregational platform,
which recognizes as Scriptural the in.
dependence Of each congregation as to
its own creed in all matters of faith
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 10 act for them.
And here ii should be noted that the
membership Of these large Christian
bodies have more and more during the
past thirty-five 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 obsolete-as hindrances
in Of hn
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-
rel hold to justification by faith as a
first or preliminary step which the Sim
ner must take. But they equally hold
that this is not the final step-that the
step Of sacrifice. the step of regenera-
tiOn 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 nnimmersed
person should be esteemed q member Of
Chiist's Church.
LII word, faith and reformation are
steps of justification. but water INNER
sion is the door into Christ Only those
who pass through this door are men,
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 cousecrated aud a. epted men,
bcrs Of Christ's Church. Hence to JIM
yite others than those Immersed in
water would hp a violation of the let
ter and The spirit of the Div inc Word
and ii countenancing Of false doctrine.
The argument is that all of 1.-THE elect"
will be guided of the Lord, 50 that
their hearts and heads will become
amenable to these teachings. O..rdi-
cnce thereto will be shown by sub.Iis-
sion to water immersion-thc door i-.co
the Church OF Christ
Like the rest of us, our Baptist
friends have been in the past rather
illogical in all matters religious and
doctrinal: so much so that many OF
them have never realized the full
meaning of their doctrine. The mean-
ing was grasped in the long ago. but
has generally been lost sight of within
the last fifty years. 1t is this: Since
water immersion is the evidence OF
obedience to Divine instruction and
since all of "the elect" are not only IN
structed of God but obedient to him,
therefore those not baptized in water
are not Of Gods elect-are not men,
bers in his Church. And this in turn,
according to Baptist doctrine, implies
that all not immersed in water are
outside of the Church-outside Of the
number of 1.-The elect"-Outside or
Gods favor-outside of the salvation
provided in Christ-and therefore in
side the damnation and eternal tor
ment which Baptist doctrines imply
have been foreordained for the eternal
torture of all the non-elect.
Do our Baptist friends who meet
unimmersed Christians Of other de-
nominations in the walks Of life from
day to day really believe that the lat
ter are OH their way to an eternity
of torture? Most assuredly they do
not. But this is merely because they
are illogical. like the rest of us. They
are as illogical as their brethren Of
other denominations. They have out
grown at least this feature Of the
teachings of the ozark ages" handed
down to them by well-meaning but
less enlightened forefathers.
One glance at the matter will suffice
TO show our Baptist brethren that the
very strongest features Of their teach
ing needs some revision. However
fundamental may be the doctrine of
baptism. some of their conclusions re-
speeding it will be greatly advantaged
by q liberal pruning. But caution
should he used. The Bible should be
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