Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-08-28
Some Hinderanees to Baptists
Cooperating With Baptis.s

4
operation. In this article, it is my
purpose to discuss a second hindrance.
A second hindrance to general CO.
operation among Baptists is found in
the divergence or inequality in ability
among the several elements OF the
Baptist family to make practical use
of their great doctrines. This, of
course, has been limited at in what has
been said, but it needs elaboration
here. In discussing this, we will find
variations in the classes of Baptists.
I. In our Baptist family, we have
the brother known among us as the
Hardshell Baptist He is great doc
trinally. He is exceeding sound; in
deed, he seems sometimes to be mostly
sound. He is, however, distinctly
Baptist. He is totally anti missionary
and incorporating, as far as practi-
cal ministries to the world are con-
celned. He has made it his business
to feed the sheep and to seek in turn
TO be fed. The chief trouble with him
is that he Goes not know what to do
with the doctrine of election. He
thoroughly and rightly believes his
doctrine up to certain point He has
it right il its bearing on the saliva
ton of the saved, but he does not I'M
derstand it all at all in its bearing on
the lost. He wants to give it credit
in the one case and charge it up with
responsibility in the other case. He
has so interpreted it as to make it do
double duty. To him, it accounts for
the salvation of the saved and at the
same time the condemnation of the
lost Having gotten tangled here, he
falls into other error. He rules out
man as an instrument in Gods hands
for the salvation of men. He says a
God who selects does not need any
one to help him make effective the
election. He stoutly maintains that,
since the man is elect, he will be
saved whether anybody carries him
Gods message or not. He as stoutly
maintains that certain ones are elected
to damnation and that it will do no
good to carry such ones the gospel.
So, in his judgement, there is no need
for any effort on the part of those
whose calling and election has been
made sure by their acceptance of Jesus
Christ. But in this be flies in the
face of Scripture, for does not the
Word say, in Eph. 11-t2 sin whom
also we were made heritage, having
been foreordained according to the
purpose of Him who worketh all
things after the counsel of His will to
the end that we shall be unto the
praise of His glory3" Here we have
the salvation by REORGANIZATION and
we have the purpose of the salvation
foreordained also, that is, that we
shall be unto the praise of His glory.
The purpose of our salvation is just as
much matter of REORGANIZATION as is
the salvation. The same apostle
makes it yet clearer, if possible. in
Eph. $40, "For we are His workman
ship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works which God hath ordained that
we should walk in them" Here is
the election unto salvation plus the
creation in Christ plus the election
unto good works. The good works
are Just as much matter of election
as is the salvation. The elect good
works, of course, have to do with NOR
al character and outward and inward
good and consistent behavior, but it
also embraces the things of the great
commission found in Matthew 2S:19-
30, go ye, therefore, and make dis
ciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever l have commanded you"
If our anti mission brethren could be
set right on the doctrine of election,
they would at once be found in the
ranks of the cooperating Baptists, but
having gone wrong at election they
have found it impossible to manifest
the spirit of cooperation.
2. A second element in our Baptist
family is our so-called Gospel Mission
brethren. They put much emphasis on
the terms "Gospel Missions - They
would have us believe that their theo-
ry of doing missions is the gospel
theory as contrasted with all other
ways. They are Baptists in their
great doctrines. They do not, how
ever. cooperate either with themselves
or with other classes of the Baptist
family. They fail in cooperation be-
cause of their inability to rightly
handle the great Baptist doctrine of
"tbe sufficiency of the Scriptures.
They are loud in their boast that
where the Scriptures speak they speak
and where the Scriptures are silent
they are silent and where the Scrip
lures command they obey and where
there is no Scriptural command they
have nothing to do. In all matters of
they ought to do as they say
they do, but they forget that doctrines
and Jules are not one and the same
thing. Rules are intended to tell us
how to do things. The Bible is a great |