THE DISCIPLE PREACHER.
The next morning was spent by Dorothy at the library searching through
encyclopedias and making full notes. On the next evening the discussion
was resumed.
"Well, here we are," said the father, coming into the library a short
while after supper. He had heard Mr. Sterling's voice. "Now let us take
up the subject of the other churches."
Sterling was anxious to get into that subject, for he felt confident
that the result would be that Dorothy would find it as easy to decide
for the Presbyterians as for any of the others, and probably more so. He
began with the remark:
"The other denominations--the Methodist, the Episcopal and the
Catholic--which you mentioned last night believe just as we do about
sprinkling, and infant baptism."
"There now," said the father, "you are shut out of four denominations at
the start."
"That may be true," said Dorothy, with a troubled look on her face, "and
yet what else can I do? Is there no church, Mr. Sterling, that believes
that only immersion is baptism and that only believers ought to be
baptized?"
"Yes, there is one denomination--the Campbellites, or rather the
Disciples--for they do not like the first name. The Disciples believe
only in immersion and the immersion of believers. They are the only
denomination that teach this except, I believe, the Baptists; but of
course you would not join them."
"It looks, daughter, as if you are shut up to the Disciples."
"But think, Miss Dorothy, these Disciples have just started up not a
great many years ago. They are a small denomination and with few
churches."
"That does not make any difference. Believing as I do about the Bible, I
would certainly feel more comfortable with them, than with some other
denominations whose doctrines I could not accept. It seems to me I would
have to cry out and not keep quiet."
"But how do you know that you would believe the other doctrines of the
Disciples? You seem to have fallen suddenly in love with them."
"What do they believe?"
"They believe in baptismal regeneration."
"My, those are words!" said Dorothy with a smile.
"What do you mean by that, Mr. Sterling?" asked Mr. Page.
"They believe that a person's sins are washed away in baptism."
"Washed away in baptism?" asked Dorothy with amazement. "Are you sure
they believe such a strange doctrine?"
"I know it. I have heard their ministers say that a person was not saved
until he was baptized."
"What, even though the person had believed in Christ?"
"They say that such a person is only partly saved and not completely
saved until he is baptized."
"I can't understand, Mr. Sterling, what you mean by being partly saved.
Don't you reckon you have been misinformed about these people?"
"I have been told that there is a Disciple preacher that lives here in
town," said the father, "and that he has two churches out in the county,
but makes his home here. Suppose you capture him, Sterling, and march
him up here to speak for himself, and tell him you have a prospective
member for him." The last remark was accompanied with a smile at
Sterling and a wink towards the daughter.
"No, indeed, you must not tell him that," spoke up Dorothy. "And yet I
should like to hear about the doctrines of his church. I want to know my
duty and I desire all the light I can get."
Sterling felt sure that Dorothy would recoil from the doctrines of the
Disciple church.
On the next evening at eight o'clock Mr. Sterling arrived, bringing the
Rev. Mr. Garland, the Disciple minister. He was a striking figure.
Young, tall and with classic face and fluent speech, he commanded
attention at his first word. Sterling saw that he was captured
immediately by Dorothy's beauty, and he thought that he also noticed
that the handsome young preacher was not entirely unobserved by
Dorothy. But the shadowy suspicion flitted out of his mind as rapidly
as it had slipped in. Not a great many words were spent in
preliminaries. Mr. Sterling soon remarked:
"Miss Dorothy, I have told Mr. Garland about the earnest study you are
making of the different churches. The question came up, Mr. Garland, as
to the doctrines of your church. I told them your church believed in
immersion as baptism and also in the immersion of none but believers."
Mr. Garland with a bow indicated that Sterling had stated the case
correctly.
"I also said that your church believed in baptismal regeneration."
"Oh, never!" replied Mr. Garland.
"I thought you believed that a person was not saved until he was
baptized."
"Yes, but that is a very different statement from your first one."
"What is the difference? If he is not saved until he is baptized, then I
should think his baptism must have something to do with his salvation."
"Here is my position: 'The Bible declares that he that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved'. Note that not he that believeth shall be
saved, but he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. That shows
that it takes both believing and baptism to save a person."
"How about the thief on the cross? He was saved without baptism, don't
you think so?"
"Baptism was impossible for him, and God does not require
impossibilities. Besides, that was an unusual case and Christ made an
exception in his conversion and salvation."
"But does the Bible say it was an exceptional case? If he could be saved
without baptism, why not others? But let me remind you that you did not
read to the end of that passage that you quoted just now. You read a
part--'he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved'--but read the
remainder of the verse."
Mr. Garland repeated the other part of the verse as follows: "He that
believeth not shall be damned."
"Exactly," said Sterling. "That seems to teach that believing is the
important thing. He does not say that a person is lost if he leaves out
both believing and baptism, but simply if he leaves out believing, as if
believing was the necessary thing for salvation. If baptism had been a
necessary part of salvation, Christ would have said 'he that believeth
not and is not baptized shall be damned'."
"Not at all. There are two things necessary to salvation, believing and
baptism, and leaving out either one of them is sufficient to cause a
person to be lost. You have to mention both of them in stating what is
necessary for salvation, but you need mention only one of them which, if
neglected, will cause a person to be lost."
"You think, then, Christ could also have said 'he that is not baptized
shall be damned'? Would a believer in Christ be lost if he were not
baptized?"
"If he could be baptized and would not be, then I think he would be
lost."
"Mr. Garland," said Dorothy, "really I cannot understand what you mean.
Mr. Sterling said that he thought your denomination believed that in
baptism the water washed away a person's sins. You say you do not
believe that. Do you think the water has any magic about it? If Mr.
Sterling should immerse a person, would that water help to make him a
saved person?"
"No, not that. I do not believe the water has any spiritual cleansing or
saving efficacy, and I don't think it does anybody any good whatever
unless the person first believes in Christ. I think believing is one
part and that baptism is the second part."
"You don't think, then," asked Mr. Sterling, "that a person is saved
simply by believing?"
At this point a message came for Mr. Sterling that he was wanted at his
home on an important matter. "Too bad," he said, "for this discussion is
getting mighty interesting. I hate to miss any of it."
"We will hold it until your return," said Dorothy. "I will try to keep
Mr. Garland contented during your absence."
Sterling could not understand why she should be so contented to have him
leave and should so happily accept Mr. Garland's company. The thought
that he might not be able to return that night irritated him.
Fortunately, he was successful in attending in a few minutes to the
matter that called him home, and in less than twenty minutes he was
hurrying back across the lawn to the Page library.
"Hello," said the father, "you must have chartered the lightning
express. But we held up the proceedings until your return and are now
ready to get down to business again. Where were we when you left?"
"I had just asked Mr. Garland if he believed a person was saved simply
by believing, and he remarked that he did not. I would like to ask Mr.
Garland this question: What about the inquiry that the Philippian jailer
put to Paul and Silas? You remember that when the jailer was converted
he came in trembling before Paul and Silas and said: 'Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?' And what did they answer? Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved.' Not one word, you see, about baptism."
"You would think," said Dorothy, "that they would have said 'believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized and thou shalt be saved', would
you not, Mr. Garland?"
"Yes, but you notice that just a little while afterwards that very night
the jailer was baptized. You see the baptism had to come. In fact,
baptism always came immediately after believing. It was a necessary
part, and the work was not complete until the baptism had taken place."
"But does that prove that the baptism was a part of the man's conversion
or salvation?" asked Sterling. "Suppose the person had fallen dead just
after he had believed and before any baptism was performed on him, would
he not have been saved? If so, I think it proves that he was saved
simply by believing, and that baptism is simply a matter of obedience."
"By the way, Mr. Sterling," said Dorothy, "you remember that passage in
Romans where it speaks of being buried by baptism. We found that baptism
was a picture of something that had already taken place in the person's
heart and life--that he had been buried to his old life and risen to a
new life. It is not baptism, therefore, that helps to make the change in
a person, but it simply pictures the change that has already taken
place."
"What is the use of a person being baptized?" asked Mr. Garland, "if he
can be saved without being baptized?"
"Mr. Garland, I trust that I have already been saved by believing in
Christ. I want to be baptized, however, not to help me to be saved, for
if I am not saved now I certainly do not think my going down into the
water will make me any more saved. I simply want to be baptized because
Christ was baptized and because he commands all who believe in him to be
baptized, and because all those who claimed to believe in him in the
days of the apostles were baptized. I reckon I will find from the Bible
that there are a great many other things besides baptism that I must do,
but that does not mean that the doing of all these things is a part of
my conversion or salvation."
"I guess you take up these duties because you are already a Christian
and already saved. If you were not already a Christian I guess you would
not feel like doing them," said the father.
"I do not exactly agree to that," remarked Mr. Garland, "and yet I do
not think we are very far apart. There are some people of our
denomination who go to an extreme and declare that the water does wash
away sins, and they seem to put more stress on the baptism than on the
believing. My doctrine is that every believer must be baptized, and that
unless he does become baptized he has no right to consider himself
saved."
"But that is different," said Dorothy. "Of course, if a person refuses
to be baptized, although he believes that Christ commands it, why, such
a person has no right to claim to be converted. I can't imagine a
converted person flatly refusing to do what he believes Christ commands.
I cannot understand, Mr. Garland, just what your doctrine about baptism
is."
"We have another doctrine which I am sure you will like," said Mr.
Garland.
"What is that?" asked Dorothy, who was eager to learn everything
possible about the denomination.
"We believe in what is called open communion rather than in what is
called close communion."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"I mean this. The Lord gave two ordinances to the church, baptism and
the Lord's Supper."
"Yes, that is what Mr. Sterling told us."
"Now as to communion, one of the questions of the day about which
Christians are divided is the question as to who ought to be admitted to
the communion."
"Let me understand clearly about the Lord's Supper. I have read about it
in the New Testament, but I wish you would explain it to me fully."
"Christ, on the last night that he spent with his apostles, instituted
this supper of bread and wine."
"Yes, I have read that."
"He told them that the bread typified his body that was that night to be
broken for them, and that the wine poured out typified his blood that
was that night to be poured out for them, and that when he was gone they
must repeat that ceremony, and they must do that in remembrance of him;
and that as often as they did that they would show forth his death until
he should come again."
"What a beautiful thought! And so that is why the people in the church
have the communion? I see it clearly now. What, then, do you mean by
open communion?"
"I mean that we throw the door to the communion table open. We do not
say that nobody but members of our denomination should come to our
communion table, but that anybody who loves the Lord may come."
"You mean anybody who is a Christian?"
"Yes."
"Well, that would certainly seem proper. Does the Bible specify who
ought to come to the communion?"
"We simply have to take the practice of the apostles and early
Christians. It looks as if all people who loved the Lord were welcome to
the table."
"Don't all people believe alike on that point?" asked Dorothy.
"Yes, all except the Baptists. They believe that none but Baptist people
have any right to the communion."
"Oh, how selfish!"
"They believe that unless you have been immersed you must not come to
the table," said Mr. Sterling, "and they will not let anybody come to
the table when they have it in their church unless he has been baptized
in their way."
"Why not?"
"I don't know, unless it be because they are so ignorant and narrow."
"Maybe they believe," ventured Dorothy, "that a person ought to be
baptized before he takes the communion."
"Of course," said Sterling, "that is just what they do believe; and
since I come to think of it, our church holds the same position as to
baptism. Our church believes that a person must first be baptized."
"You mean," said Dorothy, "that your church and the Baptists believe
alike on the communion question?"
"Not exactly. We both believe that baptism must come before the
communion, but we differ as to what constitutes baptism."
"Does the Bible teach that a person must be baptized before he can
commune?"
"The Bible teaches that all who believed were immediately baptized. That
always seemed to be the first thing they did."
"It seems the natural thing to me," said the father, "for baptism to
come first, and before the other duties of the Christian life. In the
passages which we have studied baptism seemed to follow on the heels of
believing. The question is, however, does the Bible have anything to
say on that subject? Does it teach that baptism must come before the
communion?"
"I think it would look strange for a person to be going to the communion
table before he was baptized," said Dorothy.
"Excuse me, Miss Page," said Mr. Garland. "Is it a question as to what
you or I might think ought to be done, or is it a question as to what
the Bible teaches? I affirm that the Bible does not state that baptism
is a prerequisite to the communion."
"That is a somewhat new question to me," said Dorothy, looking at Mr.
Sterling, as if he were the proper one to give the answer.
"We do not have from the lips of Christ the actual words," said Mr.
Sterling, "'ye must be baptized before partaking of the communion', but
I think it is definitely implied in Scripture. In the first place, take
the command of Christ: 'Go ye into all the world and disciple all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you.' There you have first baptism, and next observing all things that
Christ has commanded, and the Lord's Supper is one of these things."
"Very true," said Mr. Garland, "but you exclude the great body of
Christians from the table simply on your interpretation of that one
verse."
"Isn't this the proof?" asked Dorothy. "In nearly all the passages about
baptism we have read we found that baptism always came immediately after
the believing; and father, I feel that I must not delay my baptism.
What shall I do, and whom shall I ask to baptize me? I think, Mr.
Garland, that I ought not to go to the communion table until I have been
baptized. That seemed to be the custom in the days of the apostles."
"Suppose people in the days of the apostles did become baptized quickly
after conversion," said Mr. Garland, "would that prove that no one has a
right to commune before he has been baptized?"
"I think it does, if we find that in every case the first thing people
did after believing was to be baptized. It must mean that they were
instructed by the apostles that baptism came first."
"Do you mean that it would have been wrong for them to have done
anything whatever before baptism?"
"Of course they could not cease all activity."
"Why, then, do you pick out the Lord's Supper as something they must not
engage in until they were baptized?"
"Because," said Sterling, "there are two ordinances, and if the
ordinance of baptism always came first, then the other ordinance must
not come first, and so I think it is clear that only baptized persons
had the right to the table. Don't you remember about the people
converted on the day of Pentecost? It reads 'then they that gladly
received his words were baptized', and then in the next verse we read
that 'they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrines and prayer
and in breaking of bread'. Notice 'breaking of bread' came after
baptism."
"Does the Bible say anything about who ought to commune or who did
commune in those days?" asked Dorothy.
"Get your concordance, daughter," said the father.
Dorothy did so and soon turned to a passage about the Lord's Supper. "In
First Corinthians, chapter nine, the writer is writing to some people
about celebrating the Lord's Supper."
"Is that so!" exclaimed the father. "Find out then whom he is writing to
and who are taking part in that supper, and that will answer your
question."
"It was the Corinthian church," said Mr. Sterling.
"If it was the members of the church who were taking communion, then
they must all have been baptized, don't you think so, Mr. Garland?"
asked Dorothy.
"I guess the members of that church at Corinth which was founded by Paul
were all baptized."
"It does look plain, then," said Dorothy, "that all those early
Christians were first baptized and then took the communion and then
performed the duties that came up."
"Yes," spoke up Mr. Sterling, glad to join the forces with Dorothy
against Garland, "baptism was a duty to be performed once and for all
time and in the beginning, but the communion is something that is to be
observed right along through the Christian life at regular times."
"Mr. Garland," said Dorothy, "I can't understand why anyone should want
to come to the communion table before he is baptized. Why does he not do
the first duty first?"
"I don't see the point in all this," said the father. "I think it is a
clear proposition that baptism always comes first after believing and
before communion. But all the churches baptize--Presbyterians,
Disciples, Methodists and the rest. Why, then, cannot they all commune
together?"
"Ah!" said Mr. Garland with a smile, "there is the point. These other
denominations have been sprinkled, but according to the Bible they have
not been baptized. Now if I believed that baptism had to come before
communion, I would not commune with the Presbyterians, Methodists and
others who sprinkle, because I do not believe they have been
scripturally baptized; but even though I think them unbaptized, yet I
would invite them to the communion, because I do not think baptism is
necessary to the communion."
"That certainly sounds strange," said Dorothy. "Why, I thought you
considered baptism so important that a person could not be saved unless
he was baptized; and now you say baptism is not necessary for the
communion. That seems contradictory. I should think if baptism is
essential to salvation it surely would be essential to taking the
communion. Do you think a person ought to take the communion who has not
been converted?"
"Of course not."
"This is what puzzles me," said Dorothy. "You say a person can't be
converted without baptism. If an unbaptized person should come to your
communion table claiming to be converted, would you not have to deny his
conversion because he had not been baptized? You say you do not require
baptism before communion, and yet when you require conversion before
communion you thereby require baptism before communion, because you say
there can be no conversion without baptism. In other words, you must
hold that an unbaptized person cannot come to your table."
"That does look like a clear proposition, daughter," said Mr. Page.
"Let me ask you this question, Mr. Garland," said Dorothy: "Why do you
admit members of other denominations to your table?"
"Because it is not my table, but the Lord's table, and I have no right
to shut any of his people out."
"You think the members of other denominations are Christians, then, do
you?"
"Certainly they are; probably as good Christians as we are. We do not
set ourselves up as being better than others."
"How can you think they are Christians? You do not think with their
sprinkling and pouring they have been scripturally baptized, do you?"
"No, I do not."
"How, then, can you think them converted? I understood you to say that
none are perfectly converted and saved until after baptism, and you say
that sprinkling and pouring are not Scriptural baptism. Therefore you
must think they are not Scripturally converted and saved."
"But such people think they have been scripturally baptized, and they do
what they consider right."
"But do you think it is right?"
"It is right for them."
"Do you think anybody will be saved if he will only do what he thinks is
right for him? Suppose a person should come up and say that he believed
that touching the tip of the little finger in the water was baptism,
would you say that baptism would be all right for him?"
"Well, hardly," he said with a laugh.
"I declare, Mr. Garland," said Dorothy, "you confuse me. I really don't
understand what you believe. It may be my stupidity. I wish I did
understand. One thing, however, seems clear to me, and that is that in
the Bible teaching the first thing that comes after conversion is
baptism. I certainly do not think that I ought to go to the communion
table in a church before I have been baptized."
"You don't seem to be able to accept the views of Mr. Garland's
denomination," said Sterling.
"I want to say," said Mr. Garland, "that there are variations within our
own ranks. In some sections of the country our denomination is more
radical in its views than in other sections. In the East our people are
not so pronounced as we of the West are in regard to the relation of
baptism to salvation."
In response to Sterling's remark to Dorothy about her accepting the
doctrines of the Disciples, she replied:
"No, I cannot accept the views of Mr. Garland. I am not sure that I
understand clearly what his doctrines are, and yet from what he has said
about free or open communion and baptism I must say they do not seem to
me to be in accordance with the Bible teaching. I am speaking frankly,
Mr. Garland. I have been interested in your statement of the doctrines
of your church, and I thank you for telling me about them."
"I am sorry that you have not had an abler champion of our doctrines to
present them to you," said Garland with a smile. "If you can't join us
you can't join the Methodists, nor the Presbyterians, nor the
Episcopalians. You are therefore shut up to the Baptists."
"Oh, I do not think I could join them, either. What do you mean, Mr.
Sterling, exactly by their close communion?"
"I mean that they think they are better than anybody else, and that
nobody but Baptists have any right to partake of the Lord's Supper. They
are an ignorant, bigoted set and think that nobody can be saved who is
not put under the water."
"Well, the Disciples believe that, don't they, Mr. Garland?"
"Ah, but not in the way the Baptists believe it," spoke up Sterling.
"Miss Dorothy, there is a little Baptist mission here in the eastern
part of town. I will take you over there that you may take a look at
their base of operations, and I think a sight of it will set at rest any
further inquiries as to the Baptists."
The members of the little Baptist mission to which Sterling referred
worshiped in a plain, unsightly frame chapel. The city had raised the
street that ran in front of the building so that the lot on which the
chapel stood was left several feet below the level of the pavement and
could be reached only by a rough board stairway from the street to the
door of the building. Here a Baptist minister had been ministering to a
small and struggling flock in connection with two other churches out in
the county. The members were poor and many of them unlearned, and the
pastor with such a poor building equipment found his task a difficult
one.
"Daughter, I think you want to keep away from that Baptist crowd," said
Mr. Page. "They are very small fry and I would hate to see you tied up
with such folks."
"I have no intention of joining them, and yet I am much bewildered over
this matter of church membership. What must I do? I cannot unite with
any of these denominations that I have heard about without doing wrong
to my conscience."
"Miss Dorothy, you do not have to endorse all the beliefs that every
member of your church holds," said Sterling. "Where will you find such a
church? Each person must interpret the Bible for himself and be
accountable to God only. If a church is composed of Christian people,
why is not that the essential thing, and why can you not join with them?
You will have to live in Heaven with them, and why can you not live with
them here?"
"I am living with them here. I mingle freely with them, but when
Christians divide themselves up and group themselves according to their
interpretations of Bible teaching, then I must join myself with those
who interpret the Bible as I do."
"But suppose you cannot find any church group or denomination that
interprets the Bible as you do; what will you do? You have not found
such a people yet. Suppose you do not find such, will you stay out of
all the churches?"
"That is a puzzling question. I am not sure just now what I ought to do
if I find no denomination believing as I do. But really, I would rather
stand alone, keeping loyal to my convictions regarding the Bible, than
to compromise them in order to join some church. This is all very new to
me, but I am determined to stand alone rather than go against my
religious convictions. I know that each individual must interpret the
Bible as best he can, and it must be his own conclusion, his own
conviction, and I certainly shall not join a church whose doctrines I
think are contrary to the Bible. Such a church is no place for me. I
would be uncomfortable and I would be in constant controversy with the
members."
"Well, there is no sin in controversy," said Sterling. "Our discussions,
I hope, have not been very wicked. In fact, such discussions are often
the best means for bringing people to see the truth. Why not come into
our church simply on the ground that we are Christians like yourself,
and then try to teach the other members the truths which you hold and
which you think we ought to embrace? In other words, I should think you
would have the best reason for coming in among us because we need the
truth--according to your view--and you could come and sow the good seed
among us."
"Oh, Mr. Sterling, what a strange thing you are saying. You surely don't
mean it. Do you say that your church will take in people no matter what
they believe?"
Sterling saw in a flash that in his eagerness to save Dorothy from
joining some obscure sect he was advocating an impossible procedure.
Dorothy continued: "Your church has its own special doctrines, does it
not?"
"It does," said Sterling, seeing in advance the point to which she was
aiming.
"Would your church accept a person who should apply for membership who
should declare he could not accept the teachings of your church because
he thought them unscriptural?"
"I surrender on that point, my fair antagonist," said Sterling with a
smile. "But I will take down the church bars any fine morning for you
and help you over the line into our ranks whenever you decide to come. I
think I could swallow my Presbyterian doctrines or lay them on the shelf
for a few days under those conditions, because I think in a short while
after you had come in and gotten well acquainted with our denomination
you would discover we are not far apart after all."
"Oh, Mr. Sterling, how can you talk in that fashion? I like a person who
believes something, and though I may not agree with him, I can respect
him for his convictions."
"That's a straight thrust you are giving me, and I guess I deserve it,
but it was the thought of the fair recruit for our ranks that got my
logic and my Presbyterianism into a mixup. So if I was guilty of
inconsistency I must blame my accuser. But seriously, it looks as if you
are shut up to joining the Baptists."
"No, Mr. Sterling, I do not have to join any denomination unless my
convictions lead me to them. But why do you keep mentioning the
Baptists? Are my beliefs nearer to theirs than to those of any other
denomination?"
"Oh, no; I was joking that time. You do not believe as they do. Please
consider them out of the question."
"Mr. Sterling, you make me curious to know what these Baptists do
believe. Could we not get the pastor to explain their doctrines?"
"Miss Dorothy, that is not at all necessary," with a show of impatience.
"I can give you their views. It is true they believe in immersion, but
they have a horrible view about it. They believe that unless you are
dipped you are doomed. They think infant baptism was born in the lower
regions, and as for the communion they are as close as a clam, and in
addition to this they have achieved brilliant success in the matter of
ignorance and bigotry."
"Daughter," said Mr. Page with much earnestness, "keep on the other side
of the road from that gang. There are some things that a father knows
better than a daughter."
"Father, you would not object to my hearing a Baptist preacher tell
what his denomination believes, would you?"
It occurred to the father that that would be the quickest plan for
curing Dorothy of any curiosity she might have about the Baptists. He
thought that a sight of that preacher would show her the impossibility
of her linking herself with his people, and so he said:
"Yes, daughter, that will be all right. Hear the preacher. Let us all
hear him and get his side of the question."
"Mr. Page," said Sterling, "I think it would be humiliating to you and
your family to be entering into negotiations with that preacher about
the views of his sect."
"Mercy, are they so very terrible?" asked Dorothy.
"They are not a wicked people, so far as I know," said Sterling. "They
are a fairly good sort of people probably. In fact, our country is a
fruitful soil for all manner of sects, with all sorts of peculiar
doctrines."
"Are the Baptists a regular denomination like the other denominations?"
"In a sense I guess they are, and yet they are not in a class with the
other prominent denominations."
"Sterling, suppose you get hold of that Baptist preacher and march him
up for our investigation," said Mr. Page.
Mr. Walton was the pastor of the little Baptist church. He was also
pastor of two country churches, each of them several miles from town,
but as the town was about midway between the two points, Mr. Walton
chose the town as his home.
He was much surprised next morning to receive a visit from the rich
young Presbyterian elder, and still more surprised when Mr. Sterling
told him the object of his visit. He listened with interest as Mr.
Sterling told of Miss Page's desire to know the beliefs of the different
denominations, "and of course", continued Mr. Sterling, "she does not
wish to leave out any denomination." He said this in a tone that seemed
to hint that, while the Baptists were hardly worth considering, yet they
called themselves a denomination and therefore could not be omitted. Mr.
Walton stated that he held himself ready always to give a reason for the
faith that was in him, and that if Miss Page desired to know the
doctrines held by his people he would cheerfully explain them to her. He
was unwilling, however, he said, to force his views upon the young lady.
It was finally agreed that Mr. Walton would call at Mr. Sterling's
house, and that together they would go next door to the Pages'.