Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1915-07-07
Synopsis of a Sermon Preached
Sunday Morning in Baptist
Church by DR.. E. PEN
dleton Jones.

| Psalm 6O:4 Thou hast given a
banner to them that fear thee, that
it may be displayed because of the
truth.
One hundred and thirty nine
years ago, the most momentous
document concerning human free
dom was given to the world.-the
American Declaration of Independ-
ence. Great world movements have
small beginnings, sometimes they
begin century before the idea
takes possession of the masses of the
people.
The emancipation of the world
from the dark ages,'' when the
Bible was chained to the altar and
men were spiritually enslaved began
with the reformation. Wycliff, Huss
and Martin Luther were pre-emlnent
among the leaders. Luther, restated
and gave great force to the old
Pauline doctrines of justification by
faith, but it remaiued for the ana
baptists of Europe to give it its
deepest meaning and for their
spiritual successors to rightly in
terpret the reformation, giving to
the world the great idea. of soul
liberty and spiritual democracy.
Out of the reformation and be-
cause of the great ideas of soul hb'
erty and spiritual democracy, came
the French and American revolu-
tions. The demagogue mastered and
dominated the French revolution,
hence the reign of terror which was
the logical outcome of wrong inter-
pretion of spiritual democracy. !.
In the American revolution
statesmen interpreted the IDEA of
spiritual democracy and beheld a
great nation leading the world to.
ward pure democracy born in the
heart of our God.
On this the l39th year of our ma
tional history / want us to consider
what Baptists have done for this
country and the world. They have
burned into the worlds history the
great fundamental truth of The
competency of the soul under God
for religion" That is that every
soul is competent to have God
speak to it, and has the capacity to
interpret his message for himself,
without anyone coming between the
soul and his Cod. Every soul must
believe for himself, repent for him
self and be- baptized for himself.
Out of the idea of soul competency
has grown a number of self evident
truths. Running PARALLEL, with it is
the great idea of political democra-
cy.
Thomas Jefferson was not a pro-
Tossing christian, but he was pro-
found philosopher as we'll as states
man. He used to attend a little Bap-
tist church under the shadow of the
Blue Ridge mountains near Char
louisville, Va, and there he learn
ed his great lessons of democracy.
He said that that little church had
the pu,est democracy he had ever
known.
The truths growing out of this
fundamental idea of the competency
of the soul, have been SO we'll stat.
ed by DR.. E. Y. Mullins, president
Southern Baptist Theological Semi
nary, in the form of axioms of re-
ligion, that we will make them the
basis of our thinking this morning.
lst "A holy and loving Gcd has
a right to be sovereign" The politi-
cal counterpart of this truth, is, the
government in recognizing the in
dependence Of the churches, recog-
nizes an authority higher than it.
self.
End AL souls have an equal
right to direct access to God" No
one has a right to deny or hinder
the soul in its approach to God. Its
new birth cannot be hindered with
out violating the most sacred rights
of every soul. The attempt to CO.
cree sonl in its God-given rights,
of personal approach to God is an
attempt 70 turn back the progress
of the world in it's upward march to
God. The political counterpart of
this truth is, "All men are created
free and equal" Not equal in men
tai capacity, but before the law.
Just as God is no respecter of per-
sons and all are equal before him.
Deny this truth and men become