Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-01-26

OCOe-s~s"s~s~s"'s-e's-e.'s"
specting it will be greatly advantaged
by liberal pruning. But caution
! should be used. The Bible should be
/ consulted. We offer the suggestion
that too hasty rejection of water
immersion would be a mistake-that
the proper course for our Baptist
friends is to study the Scriptures
afresh on this subject. What wonder
ful advantages are now at the COM
mand of all Bible students. They
have marginal references by which
one passage throws light upon another
They have also concordances. CLOS
saries, indexes. and all manner of helps
for Bible study. Our forefathers be-
fore the Reformation were generally
illiterate. And even had they DOS
sessed education the pen written BIZ
bles were expensive and obtainabie
only in the Latin language Indeed it
is within only the last few years that
Bibles have become cheap aud plenti-
full and the masses able to read them
What Must Adventists Concede?
The doctrine of the Second Advent
OF Christ Is common TO all denomina-
lions. And the Adventist belief that
at that time the earth will be burned
up is also a feature of all the various
creedS. Many Adventists have aban-
! doned the thought that the Savior's
second appearing is at hand. And
many more are abandoning the thought
that when be appears Adventists alone
will be saved and all the remainder of
mankind will participate in the de-
structiOn and burning which shall then
engulf the earth. 1t should not be
difficult for them to realize that there
is no great necessity for controversy
along the lines of the time of Christ's
! coming. since they acknowledge them
selves completely in the dark on that
subject. Neither can we suppose that
after thoughtful consideration they
should feel justified in assuming that
! they alone are 1.-The elect" Let us hope
that with broadening sentiment they
are more and more realizing that
there are saints and sinners in their
own number. as we'll as in all denomi-
| T,
and that "the Lord knoweth them that
are his'' and will care for them, regard
less Of UNCONVENTIONAL lines. But for
that portion Of Adventists which con-
siders the keeping Of the Seventh Day
of the week the all-important part Of
Christianity we see no ground for Fed
Grafton, unless, indeed, they may choose
to get about the difficulty by counting
the calendar the other way around the
world. Thus they might bring their
Seventh Day into harmony with what
others term the First Day. Or. by
counting the calendar in the opposite
direction they may still keep their Sew.
enth Day and realize that others are
keeping the same day, though calling
it the First Day.
Disciple Doctrines to Be Voided.
Undoubtedly Alexander Campbell
was a good man with a great head
And undoubtedly many of similar
class following his lead are today
known as Disciples or Christians
Undoubtedly these are following close
ly to apostolic customs in the matter
Of Church organization. which il
many respects is beautiful in it's sim
plicity Doctrinally they claim mos
faithfully to stand by the Word o.
God alone. And one of their familiar
declarations is, when the Word O
God speaketh we speak; when tn,
Word Of God is silent we are silent.
But this beautiful simplicity of theor.
our Disciple friends have found diff
cult to work out in practice. Henc
we find them as strongly intrencheC
behind unwritten creeds as are other
behind elaborated creedS. These ar
inculcated through the writings o
! their standard uthorities-includin
the editors Of their leading journals
| Disciples" hold mos tenaciously a
: the Bible teaching that baptism
t t1ater is indispensable to the remissiO
q of sins. This doctrine is supported b
e several Bible texts which declare
t "Arise and be baptized and was
j away thy SINS Baptism unto repent
/ ance and remission of SINS" etc.
/, Before pointing out their misappl
r cations of these texts let us note th
i facts that according to their theor
/, all others Of mankind, Christians, Jew
8 and heather, who have not been in
Q mersed have not had their sins washe
9 away. Consequently such are yet
4 their sins. Consequently such are los
a And lost according to the general III
l. Outstanding of Disciples and otht
= Christians signifies shut out of heave
y shut out Of Paradise-shut into he
u and its eternal torment.
Do our Disciple friends act &
It though they believed this teaching
= Do they spend all of their time an
n energy and money in seeking to brir
T. fellow Christians into water baptis
y for the remission of sins and oscar
10 from eternal torture? Assuredly the
y do not. Hence we are justified
y supposing that like our Baptist frient
or they have not taken seriously and 10
t. ically their own doctrines Rath
he they have assented to them though