Christian Messenger. (Bonham, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 14, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 13, 1887 Page: 2 of 8
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CHRISTIAN MESSENGER.
THE MESSENGER.^ %'«!X2g!S£ ~
simply undeniable that in the gospel is
that I hold the threeffact definition in
order to sustain the practice of receiv-
ing Baptists without re-baptizing them.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1887. I revealed to us the pardoning mercy of j I will inform Bro. Jackson that this is
—— 1 'i I God ; it is revealed to us in order to
BRO. BURRETT'S P$R VER TED j produce faith : and we must belieTe it
GOSPEL 'in or^er to justification or salvation.
The delay in replying to Bro. Burnett
has been unavoidable ; and even now I
think . a reply scarcely necessary. I
have no time to devote to a rambling,
disjointed war of words, but am anx-
ious to learn the truth and follow it, no
matter what the consequences may be.
I object seriously to Bro. Burnett’s
manner of “putting words into my
mouth.” I am not a coward, and I can
easily find words enough in which to
express my deliberate convictions nor
There is more here than three facts.
But Bro. Burnett' asserts most confi-
dently that “there is positively not a
particle of good news in a command.”
A “leading light” of this reformation
the definition held by all our brethren
for fifty years, until a few months ago
when the re-baptism, hobby was
sprung ; then a new definition became
necessary. I never heard a Christian
preacher give any other definition than
that given in* the fifteenth chapter of
Corinthians, till the new issue came
thinks differently. Acts 2. 41. “Then j before the public. He says the
they gladly received his word and wer$ j definition of a word does not in-
immersed and the same day there were! dicate all its uses, and instan-
adfled about three thousand souls.”
“The pronoun they identifies the parties
immersed with those. who cried out,
what shall we do l It shows that they
promptly complied with the command
which Peter had given them. The word
stances the word faith and the word
tied with Christ, buried! with Christ,
and raised with Christ. No difficultly
here. 1 Pet 3.17: “What shall the
end be of them that obey not the gos-
pel of God.” This w^s answered in the
one preceding. Persons who obey not
the gospel, or form of doctrine, (Rom.
6,} are not made free from sin, and will
be punished.
He next refers to my interpretation
of Rom. 1.17, and says Alfex. Camp-
bell gives it differently. If he takes
Alexander Campbell on this passage,
he ought to take him on re-baptism al-
so. The passage reads : “For the righ-fc
eousness*^ of God by faith is revealed
do I ever refuse lb give my reasons for j which they gladly received can not be
the faith and hope I have. I have not; the mam part of Peter s speech for this
called in question Bro; B.’s honesty,
nor do I impugn his motives, though I r
might retort with the charge that his
main reason for his three-fact definition
had pierced them to the heart, but it is
the word of his answer which gave their
feelings great relief by opening to them
so easy a method of escape from the
grace. If the definition of a word does in it (the gospel) in order to faith.”
not indicate all its uses, how are we to Alex. Campbell says the righteousness
determine its uses ? The word baptizo of God means the pardoning mercy of
God. The pardoning mercy of God is
certainly revealed in the death, burial
and resurrection of Jesus. We deny
that thereds any righteousness of God
revealed in the design of baptism in
its original meaning, or acquired a new order to faith. Faith is produced by
one, and it devolves upon the person, facts, and not by the design of baptism,
claiming the new use of the word to So Bro. Jackson gains nothing &omt
is defined to dip or immerse, and is
applied to the dipping commanded by
Christ. But suppose it is used in the
sense of sprinkle, how are we to deter-
mine its meaning ? It has either lost
of the gospel is to support the unscript- doom which they dreaded and which
, A *____*_____^ fTiPir rinhlv deserved”—J. W. Mc-
they so richly deserved.”—J. W.
Garvey's commentary on Acts.
ural practice of receiving immersed sec-
tarians into the fellowship of the
church. But this I will not do.
The point at issue is this : Bro. Bur-
nett affirms that the apostles defines
the gospel to be the three facts of issue ; that Bro. Burnett
Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
This three-fact definition he thinks for-
ever settles the “re-baptism question.”
I am not concerned at all about the re-
. \ i
lation that this definition bears to the
Mc-
But
show that it has acquired such mean
ing. The word gospel means good news,
Rom. 1. 17.
He next quotes
Acts 2. 41, “They
D ^ ---o — r u / •
____^ ________ _ and is applied by Paul to the good that gladly received his word were bap-
upon this point I desist. The readers news of the death and burial and resur- j tized,” and says the word they gladly
of the Messenger can decide for them-
selves; remember however the point at
confines the
gospel of Christ to three facts and I
deny it.
As to the baptism question 1 am
ready to affirm what I believe and
practice and hope that those who ad
rection of Jesus. If it has acquired a received was not the three facts, and^
new use, it is the business of Bro. Jack- quotes Prof. McGarvey to prove it.
son and his friends to show it. The Will he take Prof. McGarvey on re-
only place it is defined in the Scrip- baptism also \ l do not claim that
tures is the fifteenth chapter of Corin-
thians, and I affirm that this definition
indicates its use in every occurrence in
everywhere the term “word” occurs it
means the death, burial and resurrect-
ion of Jesus, or the gospel either. The
_____ vocate the reception of unimmersed
re-baptiam question. That, with me is j sectarians are ready to affirm and de- — „~,7-
an after-consideration I want to tfthffront right he™ SayS
'where th£ Bible speaks and as the give his reasons-for such practice. He 1S aPPiie(^ to t e y p
Bible speaks. I can not do this and thinks however that he has propounded brought to man by Christ. Well, is not
define the gospel as Bio. Burnett doesU few questions that will so tangle me “ ' —- - —* T
uc h . that I will have to give up the question.
Paul’s use of the word forbids suck|^s t^ese questions I have this to
Bro. B. affirmed the perpetuity or
definition. The meaning of a word
does not necessarily indicate all the
uses and applications that may be
made with it. The word grace means
favor, and yet we find it applied in the
New Testament to that system of re-
demption brought to man by Christ
Jesus. Titus 2.11. Eph. 2. 8. Gal. 1. 64
deny that the' word faith, when used
by itself, ever means any things else
than belief of testimony. If it has ref-
erence to the system of redemption, the
And now a
say
continued existence of the church of
Christ from the apostles to the present.
This I deny. Bro. B. affirms that thei ^
Baptists are in the kingdom of heaven context must indicate it.
or church of Christ. I emphatically few words as to Bro. Jackson's
deny it. They are not in the kingdom • ous uses” of the word gospel.
or church by a succession of apostolic As preached to the Israelites,
faith and practice ; nor are they in thei
van-
i kingdom or church by a succession of, says it means a land flowing with milk
Rom 5. 21 6. 14, Jo. 1. 17. Again the! churches. Now Bro. Burnett if you j and honey. But is that the gospel
word faith means the belief of testi-j {£ Xr’b^fhald*^ Jack™ and 1 “* talkinK about ?
In the New Testament it lo * * -1-----1- — — -----
mony. in tne JMew Testament it is succession of churches, give us your
used to denote the system of redemp- proof or dismount from ^our hobby,
lion given through Christ. Jude 3. Acts
C. 7, Gal. 1. 23, 2. 16, 3. 23. Rom. 1. 5,
16.26. Thus it is with ’the word gos-
REPLY.
After a delay of one
month, Bro.
pel—it means good news, glad tidings Jackson presents his reply to my last
and is variously applied in the Scrip-
tures.
Heb. 4. 2. The gospel preached to
the Jews Was the good news of a land
flowing' with milk and honey. Ex. 3.
10-18.
Gal. 3. 8. It is applied to the promise
made to Abraham. Mark 1. 1. It means
the history or biography of Jesus.
It is also applied to the system of re- presume he has said all he can say
demption given through Christ.
article, and passes by everything in the
article exept one single point! My four
questions are unanswered, the ten de-
ductions are untouched, and the argu-
ment on the new birth is passed by in
is
Is that the gospel Paul defines in the
^_________^ fifteenth chapter of Corithians ? As
J. W. Jackson. ; preached to Abraham, (Gal. 3. 8,) he
says it means the promise made to
Abraham. Well, the promise made to
Abraham was that in him all nations
should be blessed, and all nations
are blessed in Abraham by
the death, burial and resurrection of Je-
sus. Mark 1. 1, he says has reference
to the history or biography of Jesus.
Mark 16.15-16. 1 Cor. 9.14. 2 Thes.
1. 8. 1. Pet. 4.17. et. al. - '
‘ Bro Burnett’s interpretation of Rom.
1.17. is not in harmony with the lead-
ing lights of this reformation. He says
ttiat “the righteousness of God here re-
ferred to is revealed in the gospel the
death burial and resurrection of Jesus.”
Alexander Campbell on this verse says,
“the righteousness of God seems very
plainly to have the same meaning that
it has in Rom. 3. 21. and in the other
'1. .
. ■
life':. >
* •
passages just referred to in this epistle,
viz., the justification or pardoning
mercy bestowed on sinners who are nn-
der the' curse of the divine law.” The
verse is thus rendered by M. E. Lard.
“Itor in it is revealed God’s justification
Joy belief in order to belief as it is writ-
- -
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defense of the new theory. It was our
desire to have this question thoroughly
discussed, now that it has been com-
menced, and Bro. Jackson is the most
competent man that has yet appeared
on that side of the issue. His abilities
are ample, and his spirit is most admi-
rable. He should go on.
But as I wish to show not simply the
failure and inability of our opponents
to meet the logical deduction of their
doctrine, but that the teaching and
practice of this reformation is in strict
harmony with the true interpretation of
the Scriptures and the definition of
words, I must notice what Bro. Jackson
says upon the one point of Paul’s defin-
ition of the gospel, as given in the fif-
teenth chapter of Corinthians. Bro.
Jackson says hs might retort upon me,
the Scriptures where it has reference to j promise of pardon was the word of Pe-
the gospel of Christ. Bro. Jackson j ter that made them glad, and not tbe
command to be baptized.
• i -
Bro. Jackson wants me to come up
to the defense of the practice of reoeiv-
the system of redemption a. favor ? I ing Baptists and other immersed per-
" sons without re-immersing them. That
is exactly what I have been doing all
the time, but I can not induce
the brethren to answer my argu-
ments. Why did not Bro. Jackson
meet what I said on the new birth ? I
laid down an argument there which I
defy all the anabaptists on earth to set
aside. Will He yet notice it l John
says, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is begotten of God.”
Every Baptist believes that Jesus is
the Christ before he is baptized. Is he
begotten of God? John says he is.
What is necessary to bring a begotten
child into the family ? You say it must
be born. What is the birth act ? You
say baptism. Then every Baptist has
been born. Is he in the family of God?
If you say that a begotten and bom
child is not in the family of God, I
would not give a fig for the statements
of the Bible. Bro. Jackson wants me
to defend Baptist succession. I have
no concern about that—it is not in this
controversy. There was no Baptist
church on the earth for fifteen hundred
years, and of course no Baptist succes-
sion during that time. Baptists are in
the kingdom by virtue of the new birth,
and not by virtue of belonging to the
Baptist denomination. Bro. Jackson
wants me to affirm the perpetuity of the
church of Christ. All right. That is
what I have been doing from the com-
mencement of this debate. Let him
answer the scriptures that I have ad-
duced on that subject, and I will give
him more. I think I can also give hirn
the statement of J. W. Jackson that the
little stone spoken of by Daniel was
not lost before the flays of Alex. Camp-
bell, but that “a great defcl of rubbish
was piled on it, and Alex. Campbell
and his co-laborers pulled away the
rubbish.”
utter silence ! This is the way our j There is no conflict here. When it is
brethren of the re-baptism doctrine de-jkept in mind that the meaning of the
bate. As Bro. Jackson says in a pri- word gospel is good news, and that any
vate note that this is his last article, 11 good news is gospel, the trouble all dis-
appears. The passage simply reads :
“The beginning of the good news of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark
means that here he commences to write
the good news about Jesus. Mark 16.
15: “Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature.”
That means simply that they were to
go into all the world and preach the
death, burial and resurrection of Je-
sus. 1 Cor. 9. 14: “They which preach
the gospel should live of the gospel.”
That means that they which preach
the gospel (death, burial and resurrec-
tion of Jesus) should receive a living as
a result of that preaching. No diffi-
culty here. 2 These. 1. 8: “Taking
vengeance on them that know not God
and obey pot the gospel of onr Lord
Jesus Christ.” The Lord will take
vengeance on them that are not cruci-
y
vJH
— y /:
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Burnett, Thomas R. & Wilmeth, C. M. Christian Messenger. (Bonham, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 14, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 13, 1887, newspaper, April 13, 1887; Bonham, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth913920/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bonham Public Library.