The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-04-07

isasasses .===s he Many of the
a5AsT9R SgsSELI leading newspa-
pers. both here
and in America, publish his weekly
diScourses He took for his text. Il
am not asian med of the Gospel Of
Christ (Romaus i. lGl. He said
Let us approach our subject rever-
emily With reverence. because many
Of our creeds are white with CEN
turtles. They were the creeds of our
fathers and mothers. They must not
be handled ruthlessly. unkindly. But
we must approach the subject with
courage because IL is a Christian duty.
For long centuries Gods people have
been divided into Sects and parties.
separated by creedal fences. AT one
time they gloried in their differences
and destroyed one another in their
zeal for what they believed 10 be the
Truth.
Now we see more clearly that
none Of our creedS are without flaw.
Now we are willing-yea. glad. 10
take the Truth wherever we find it
and to acknowledge the error. though
il be our own. The oneness Of the
Church requires that we should have
this courage. The interests of the
world demand it. We have come here
realizing that the time for covering
errors Of which we are ashamed. is
past: that the time for reverencing
Coo and His Word has come. Who
ever thus approaches the subject can
not fail of blessing from God. In
harmony with the Masters prayer
"Sanctify them through Thy Truth;
Thy Word is Truth" C1ohn xvii. II.
Are We Not All Christians?
Our topic must be. What is the Cos
pei Of which st. Paul was not asham-
ed--"the faith once delivered unto the
SANDSTONE Lord. one Faith. one
Baptism dude 3; Ephesians iv. II.
The speaker showed that the Roman
Catholic Church. in order to unite with
others, would need to cut out OF her
creed everything not found i'm the Bible
prayers TO saints. homage TO pictures
and images, the sacrifice OF the mass,
holy candles. holy water. Purgatory,
the iufallibiity of the Pope and the
general theory that the clergy alone
are the Church and brethren OF Christ.
and the iaity are merely the children
Of the Church. He acknowledged that
so great a concession could scarcely be
expected at once; that the study OF the
Bible must prepare Catholics to accept
it as the only standard OF the faith
once delivered to the saints +"
The Protestant Episcopal creed next
had attention. Little that was objec-
tionabie was found. One point alone
could cause any hesitancy, lie was sure
Apostolic Succession. He urged that
no Scripture could be found sustaining
this theory in clear terms. On the con
trary he gave numerous citations in
proof that the twelve Apostles only
possessed plenary inspiration and We're
directly under Divine control-St. Paul
taking the place of Judas. These are
the twelve foundation stones OF the
New Jerusalem. and the foundations
OF the holy temple mentioned by ST
Peter--the twelve authorized by the
Master to bind or TO loose from doc
trines and practices Matt. xviii, 49,.
Election eordination-Predest
ton.
The Westminster Confession. the
foundation of the ma jority of Pro
testant creeds. distinctly emphasizes
the teachings of Brother John Calvin.
We can all agree that the words elect
and election, predestindted and fore
that a truth must underlie and per-
wade them But it will give none of
us any pain to repudiate entirely the
peculiar definitions attached to these
words by Brother Calvin. Surely we
are all prepared to deny that a God
of Justice. Wisdom. Love and Power
foreordained and predestinated from
before the foundation Of the world
that everybody but the ELECT" should
20 TO eternal torment! IL we cannot
all agree as to what these terms mean,
we can unite in denying the atrOcious
doctrines of the past which have so
greatly dishonored our Creator and
ourselves and which have driven SO
many honest minds away from God
and from His Book.
Baptists and Disciples. Pastor Rus
sell declared. have something further
to surrender. Surely they may keep
water immersion. Surely they may
claim that. more fully than sprink-
ling. it represents the underlying
thought expressed in the symbol The
unreasonable and unscriptural thing
which they must renOunce in favor
OF union is that water immersion is II
test Of membership IN the Church ot