Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-08-28

support the ones who do go. The Lord
does not tell us whether one individ-
ual is to do the supporting or one
church or an Association or a State
Convention or a whole denomination.
He makes it clear that He expects ev-
cry individual who does not himself
go to support those who do go. He
gave us world task and left us to
work out re best methods for doing
the task. He did not tell us to form
ourselves into Associations, State, Con-
ventions and general conventions. He
merely told us what to do and be left
us to discover the sanest, most practi-
cal way of doing it. Our so-called
Gospel Mission brethren say that there
is no Scripture authority for Conven-
tions and Boards and so they will not
cooperate with those who have them.
They do, however. have district asso-
Citations and general associations aud
committees. They fail to realize that
the same Scriptures tIst suthorizl
these which they recognize / ave au-
thorized also the Conventions and
| Boards, for their terms are merely
different names for the things which
they fight. The brethren ought to he
able to see that this is tru9 and ought
to have the good grace and wisdom
to throw away their objections They
are 50 busy however, accusing the
Board aud Convention people of vio-
lating the doctrine of the sufficiency
of the Scriptures, that they have no
time to make practical observation
with reference to the correspondence
in methods. their own methods and
their brethren's methods, nor have
they much time to give to cooperation
with each other. They boast of the
number who agree with them, but
make shameful showing in the amount
of work done. They have not the cap
acity to do two things at once. They
are like most of the human family,
able to do only one thing az time,
and they have chosen to spend their
strength in criticising the brethren
who are trying to do the work of the
Master in way they think He will
! approve, AMI AZ consequence the
"riticS have no time, money or strength
| left for real cooperative work in line
with what ley claim is in keeping
with the sufficiency of the Scriptures.
When they meet to discuss the tasks
which Christ has assigned to US, their
strength is spent in denouncing their
brethren who are doirg the work, and
not in telling how gloriously they are
doing it. This is not written for the
sake of criticising their chosen method
of cooperation, but in criticism of
their lack of real cooperative work.
The method of cooperation is not
nearly SO important as is real cooper
alton. No one. it seems to me, who
wants to see the Lords work done
could complain If by any method their
brethren really got it done at all. The
indictment l have to bring against the
Gospel Mission brethren, SO called, is
that they do not effectively cooperate
at all, and they have suffered them
selves to be led away by perversion
of the great doctrine of the suficiency
of the Scriptures. If they ever get
right at this point and the Scriptures
really become sufficient to them. the
greater part of the Baptist family get
together in mission work and all prac
tical ministries. They are saved men.
They have as great per cent of saved
men in their ranks as have their CO.
operating brethren, but they have got
ten tangled on great doctrine and it's
practical use and SO have gone astray
and are missing the mark. There is no
occasion for saying here unkind things
about them, they are our brethren to
be taught the way more perfectly, toll
be wooed and won to real, genuine
cooperation with Baptists. It has
never been this writer's practice to
say unkind things about the brethren
who could not see as others of us see.
In passionate in Texas it was this
secretary's privilege to be pastor Of a
splendid church in which there were
a number of strong men who refused
to cooperate with the general Conven
tion of Texas. Never q word was ut
tered by the pastor against the plan
that these brethren had chosen for
their work, but on one occasion l
greatly embarrassed the objecting
brethren by telling them that l did not