Where has God forbidden infant baptism? Where has he forbidden
sprinkling for baptism? Where has he forbidden the offering of incense,
the counting of beads, in worship? What harm is there in all this?
This is sophistry, deception, delusion, and that, too, of a very low
and unworthy order at that. Where is the divine authority for doing
this or that? If there is no divine authority for doing this or that,
in religion, or worship, that very circumstance is _divine authority
against it_. “Who hath required this at your hand?” is the inquiry
of the word of God, to all such as introduce things into religion
or worship, not authorized in Scripture. We may add nothing to the
religion of Christ, the faith or practice, the precept or example, the
worship, the rewards or punishments.
Those who consider themselves free to do anything _not forbidden in
Scripture_, are out at sea, pretty much cut loose from the Bible. They
have in their horizon a broad range. They are not in search of divine
authority, not engaged in that for which there _is divine authority_,
but things for which there _is no divine authority_—things _not
forbidden_. They are not studying how to do the commandments, but
whether men can not be saved without doing the commandments; how to
obey the gospel, but how men can be saved without obeying the gospel;
not how to build up the church of God, set it in order and keep it in
order; how to worship according to the Scriptures; but how to make
the church attractive, entertaining and popular. Their theme is not
the gospel, nor is their mission turning the world from darkness to
light, and from the power of Satan to God; but to so model and fashion
the church as to please the world as it is, in its unconverted state,
without the work of turning it to God. Let them have their way, and
the church, in a short time, will be so let down that men will need no
conversion to come into it. There will be no cross nor self denial in
it. Be careful and not fall “into the trap,” as Luther did. If there is
no divine authority for a thing, that is enough. We need no Scripture
forbidding it.
We can unite on the things required in Scripture—the things
commanded—but we never can unite on the things not forbidden. There
are too many of this latter class; they are too various, contradictory
and inconsistent. Let us stick to the things that are written. These
are divinely authorized. The things not written are not divinely
authorized. Let us stand to the prescribed terms of pardon, the
prescribed life of the saints, and the prescribed worship. Those who
depart from this _are going back_.