P acific C hristian M essenger .
“OO YE, THEREFORE, TBACH ALL NATIONS.”
X.
VOL X.
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MONMOUTH, OREGON; FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1880.
TT
Pacific
C hristian M essenger ,
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.
Theological Discussion.
1 1 ■
,
Dear P. C. Messenger :
—
In the. Oregonian of May Sth ap­
pears an open letter of N. Doane,
under the above heading, in which
the writer epeaks of a proposed dis­
cussion between himself and one S.
Monroe Hubbard, to be held at
Sheridan, in Yamhill county, com­
mencing June 2, 1880. TTe proceeds,
by giving the proposition to be dis­
cussed, which is couched in the fol­
lowing words, to-wit: " Immersion of
a proper person in wader, in the name
of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is
the only Scriptural Christian bap­
tism.”
Now-, the question with myself is,
in what way or manner is the cause of
truth to be benefited, and light and
knowledge imparted among the people
by the discussion of any such enig­
matical proposition as the above ?
Why insert the words " the only ” in
discussing immersion ? If Mr. Hub­
bard teaches and practices immersion,
he should be willing to appeal before
a competent jury, and prove from the
Scriptures, that immersion of a proper
subject in water is Christian baptism,
which, if so proven by the word, should
be an end to all controversy, by those
who love the truth, as to the action of
baptism, because, under the Christian
economy, we have “ one baptism,” not
three or four baptisms. Therefore, if
any one. believe in and teach any
other baptism, should he not in all
reason and justice, be required to
affirm directly, and prove from the
Scriptures, the existence and truth of
such baptism? Will an enlightened
public be satisfied with four or six
days’ discussion of any such double
headed, such affimative, negative pro­
position, ostensibly under which Mr.
Hubbard appears as the champion and
advocate of immersion, but really not
so at all, because no one denies im­
mersion.
Again, ostensibly Mr.
Doane, would appear as the champion
■ , «f affusion, but really not so, because
he affirms nothing—absolutely no­
thing-under their proposition.
Again, let me ask is this the way to
bring out and establish truth, one dis
putant affirming everything even
negatively, the other denying every­
thing even affirmatively, if such things
be possible. Will thinking people be
.satisfied, will light and truth be shed
forth by any such indirect methods—
either aggressive or depensive ?
Rather will they not demand that
each disputant affirm directly his
teaching and practice. Mr. Hubbard
then would be required to prove di­
rectly from Scripture, that immersion
I
Nd 21.
p
its nature, objects, and methods with­ tion in its best form have much in
out a change of its ambiguous name. common, and preparations for the two
From being a meeting of prayer for can^ be used interchangeably, as a
Sunday schools, it came to be a meet­ reading or a recitation is preferred.
ing of prayer with the Sunday school,
The Sunday school lessons of a
and finally a meeting of the Sunday month, or of a quarter, or of a year,
school and its friends for general ex­ often form an excellent basis for “con­
ercises, including the devotional, the cert ” recitation. Thus, the life of
hortatory, and the recitative. For the Joseph, or Moses, or Elijah, or Daniel; .
past twenty five years the *' Sunday the captivity and restoration of the
school concert ” has had larger promi­ Jews; the miracles, or the parables,of
nence in New England and in the Jesus; the travel of Paul; or the his­
West than elsewhere throughout the tory of the apostolic church, would,
country, although it has been by no perhaps, present itself as a timely
means unfamiliar to any section of the topic. And there are appropriate
land. In many places it is held in Christmas and Easter and Thanks­
the early evening, at an hour suitable giving topics, such as Christ in
for the attendance of the children ; in ■prophecy and Christ in history;
many others it is held in the after­ Christ’s resurrection and its teach­
noon. It often takes the place, for ings; seed sowing and harvesting.
one Sunday in the month, of the or­ Missionary duties and privileges can
dinary second church service of the be most effectually impressed by
day p and in very many communities topic^ljBible recitations ip that direc-
it iS counted flie mosT attractive, and tion. So in every line of duty or of
one of the most impressive and pro­ doctrine. A -^familiar hymn some­
fitable, services of the month. Of times furnishes a good topic of recita­
course there are abuses of this agency, tion. Each line of the hymn is to be •
as of every other good thing. The tested by Scripture—according to a
dramatic feature has sometimes been prearranged assignment of texts—and
introduced, to the serious detriment each verse is to be sung by the as­
of the service; and again undue pro­ sembly when thus approved by the
minence has been given to individuals ^wdrd of God. The hymns beginning
Methods in the Sunday School —very young children and others—
“ All hail the power of Jesus’ name,”
'
Concert.
in their recitations ; while miscellan­ and “ Songs of praise the angels
And to begin with, What is a Sun­ eous selections—prose and poetry— sang,’’ are good specimens for experi-
day school concert ? A Sunday school have often been preferred to Bible ment in this line. Bible questions to
concert is not a Sunday school concert texts. But aside from all this, there to be responded to with Bible answers
at all ; .nor indeed-4» it a concert of arc advantage^ in a well-conducted furnish - another - good variety ’ liT
any sort. The fact that its name in­ “ Sunday school copcert,” with appro- method of recitation. . Admirable
priate devotional ■ exercises; and' " illustrations of this method can be
Polk County, May 10, 1880.
nature has often stood in the way of topical Bible readings and recitations found in G. Washington Moon’s “The
its appreciation and acceptance by on the part of young and old alike, Soul's Inquiries Answered,” and in
Prudence Papers.
those who had no wish to introduce which are not to be found in any • The Soul’s!'ry and the Lord’s An­
LOCATING PREACHKRS.
“ concerts ” into their Sunday school other form of religious service; and swer, ’ published by the American
on this account it deserves careful Tract Society.
There arp “ ways ” of locating work. How then came the Sunday
consideration
by all who are yet un-
Of course very much depends upon
preachers, and there is a “ way ” of school concert to have such a name ?
famiar
with
its
best methods, and its the skill and tact and .studiousness of
That is a question very, easily an­
locating preachers.
largest influence for good.
the person who attempts the arrange­
This is one of the " ways.” A per­ swered ; and one that it is worth our
while
to
answer
just
here.
ment of one of these topical Bible ex-
Among
the
simpler
methods
of
re
­
son of considerable zeal, some knowl­
In
connection
with
the
revival
of
I
:
ercises
for the “ Sunday school con­
citation
in
the
Sunday
school
con
­
edge of Scripture and of a short purse
foreign
missionary
work,
in
the
early
cert.
”
fcreat ingenuity is displayed
cert
”
is
the
giving
of
texts
beginning
comes and wants a " location.” The
part
of
this
century,
a
monthly
meet-
with
a
designated
letter
of
the
alpha-
I
by
some
of the pastors and superin-
brethren have been without preaching
ing
for
concerted,
or
united,
prayer
in
bet,
or
containing
a
designated
word,
I
tendents
who have had practice and
for some time, and, as they never (?)
behalf
of
missions
came
to
be
very
|
or
on
a
designated
general
topic.
The
'
success
in
this department of Bible
meet unless a preacher comes along,
generally
observed,
both
here
and
subject
of
the
“
ftmcert
”
is
announced
work. Nearly twenty years ago, Mr.
they are very thirsty for the healing
fountains. He holds a “good meet­ abroad, on the first Monday evening beforehand, and each person present ' Trumbull, at present editor of The
ing,”
“ several
accessions.”
He of each month. This meeting was at is expected to repeat a Bible text Sunday School Times, published in
preaches his best, of course. They first called " the monthly concert of I within the limits of that subject, these columns a series of articles on
must have some one to preach for prayer for missions,” but before long | Bible characters, Bible localities, Bible the history, advantages, and »Ibises of
them. “ We will look about us and its name wasi ^joftreviated into “ the narratives, and Bible doctrines, aie the “ Sunday school concert^wTtK
buy him. A farm and build him a. monthly concert?__ After Sunday named Tor illustration, or proof, by apjrroved -mndcs nt’ condifcting R7” i
house, and pay him something for schools had acquired prominence as a ^appropriate texts. The godly men or These articles were afterwards gather­
staying indefinitely." Very indefin­ religious agency in the American the godly women of the Bible; the ed into a small volume. Some ten
ite, that ! He preaches for them a churches, the second Monday evening good kings, the good prophets, the years later, Mr. Trumbull prepared a
year or six months, or less or more. of each month was in many places good children, or the bad ones; the larger and completer work, under the
He engages in his secular calling, observed as an evening for concerted lakes, the rivers, the mountains, the title of “ Children in the Temple,”
necessarily as he has a farm. Soon, prayer for Sunday schools, and the valleys, the cities, the trees and covering the whole ground of general
too soon, it seems his cruise of oil is meeting on that evening came to be flowers, of the Bible ; the fall of man exercises for children, including
exhausted. He repeats and repeats. known as “ the Sunday school con­ and its consequences; the plan of children’s services of worship, preach­
He goes through (?) the Bible—some cert” It first came into general no­ salvation and its subjects ; the taber­ ing to children, children’s prayer
like the boy through college, in one tice, so far as we can learn, from nacle and its teachings; the com­ meetings, and specimen exercises for
door and out of the other. Somehow, northern New York, and it was given mandments and their illustration; the " Sunday school concert.” We
the congregation is not fed. They a national prominence by its recom­ the prayers, the covenants, the build­ know of no book of a later date—or,
understand how to enter the king­ mendation, in the fall of 1824, by the ings, the letters and letter-writers; indeed, of any other—that treats this i
dom. They wonder if they are to be Board of Managers of The American the blessings and the curses, the invi­ subject with equal fullness. But in
left at the “ brink of the river ” for all Sunday School Union. Its observance tations and the promises, of the Bible, addition to all the helps that are
time, while so eagerly desiring to was for a time well-nigh co-extensive are among" the many themes chosen accessible in permanent form, there is
roam through the green pastures, into with the Sunday school in the United for miscellaneous " concert ” recita­ much of new material being supplied
the vallies of humility, and up to the States;. and it was even recognized, tions—where all can take part with­ for Sunday school workers, in the
mountain top to view the promised as early as 1832, “ in England, Scot out a special individual assignment. specimen exercises for the “ Sunday
land. Na ! Keep close tp the water. land, Ireland, France, Germany, along But a better method than this is the school concert,” appearing month by
the Mediterranean, and at missionary assignment in advance of particular month in The Sunday School Times.
’
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’
5
[Those are not the editor’s mark ; stations of India, Ceylon, and the dep*rtments.i^k subject to different Our intention js tp keep up the fresh-4
they are mine. They stand for the Sandwich Islands.” Prayer was its section^ or claaRSr,- nr -Individuals, for ness and varieity of eontributions to
empty seats in the church for some main feature. There can be little text recitations, so that all shall com­ this department of Sunday school
weeks after the audience learned the doubt that a blessing came through bine to illustrate and enforce a com­ helps.-— S. S. Times.
it to the Sunday* school cause in this mon topic with logi<5al force and sym­
preacher’s sermons by head.]
country.
metry. In this way the chief benefits
So that preacher has to sell out and
—Dean Bickersteth of Lichfield will,
(pocketing the cash for the house and
After a time both concerts of prayer of the modern “ Bible readings ” are
it is expected, be the first bishop of
lands) go and commence anew. He were changed from Monday evenings secured to all who attend the “ con­
the new Diocese of Liverpool, The
came up to his agreement—like the to Sunday ; and gradually the “ Sun­ cert ;” indeed the Bible reading and
incomq of the bishopric will be •17,-
man who preempts, plants his patch day school concert ” was changed in the " Sunday school concert ” recita- 300.
’’ it
of a proper person ifi water, is Chris­
tian baptism.
But say you Mr.
Itoane would not negative that pro­
position, because he and his chuich
practice immersion. Very well, if he
would not deny that proposition, then
is it not clear, as demonstration, that
immersion is not the point in issue,
in the proposed. discussion, and there­
fore it is not the practice of Mr. Hub­
bard and his church, that is to be in
issue, and per consequence, the word
immersion is not rightfully or pro­
perly in their proposition. Seeing
then that immersion is not in con­
troversy at all ; just take that word
out. of the proposition, and what, let
me ask, is there left ? Moreover, im­
mersion, net being in controversy, Mr.
Hubbard would have nothing left to
affirm, and Mr. Doane, under the pro­
position, has not agreed to affirm any­
thing, and' finally, what is all this
war of words in the proposed dis­
cussion, to be about ? Is it not
manifestly about the practice of Mr.
Doane and his church, viz. : about
sprinkling water; upon either infant
or adult, and calling it Christian bap­
tism. , Most clearly, this is the ques­
tion, and no ordinary amount of skill
in the wording of propositions can
successfully hide it from Afie intelli­
gence of the people. Therefore, let us
have an affirmant, and respondent, to
this, the real issue, in order that light
may be shed forth, ?our minds in­
formed, and some good result from the
investigation.
C ritic .
of potatoes on his farm, according to
the law (of the lapd) and raises them
next morning according to the law
(of gravity). Some of the congrega­
tion are a little “ sore ” and think
Bro. X. Y. Z. did not do just right,
but grant him a little to “ go,” not
according to the commission.
I do not think'this picture has the
proper coloring for any known cast.
It may be overdrawn. Perhaps you
know of several congregations through­
out the land that have been crippled
in their efforts by such work, unwise
work on the part of the church,
thbugh entered Into with the highest
hopes. Some of the “outsiders”
thought he was to stay an indefinite
time. He did. What are you talking
about ? Silence those cavilers who
forever prate about the propriety of
things. ' The merchant sells you a
barrel of sugar and on the debit side
writes after ypur name,"-“-seme dollars
and cents.” You say immediately,
“ He needs more of the latter than of
-the former;” but spelling it differ­
ently.
Moral—The ohildren of this world,
fcc..
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S ilas , J r .