1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



561 



point to another (with hardly time to eat 

 and sleep) the way I usually do when I am 

 visiting. You can address your cards to 

 Medina or to Bingham, Leelanaw Co., 

 Mich. They will reach me in due time 

 either way. 



CAN A MAN BE BAPTIZED WITHOUT BKCOM- 

 ING A MEMBER OF ANY CHURCH? 



Mr. Editor : — I am now in trouble. I thought 

 Gleanings was published strictly in the interests of 

 bee-keeping, and no sectarian or orthodox rel'gion, 

 and no partisan politics were admitted into its col- 

 umns, not even questions of political economy, when 

 these questions gravely affect the prices of our lioney. 



On pages 782 and .S24 brother A. I. R. gives us advice 

 concerning our duty in attending church, and on 

 pages 8(X) and SOI l5r Miller and the editor give us 

 another lecturing. Now, I know I can't reply to the^e 

 diffeient articles without starting up a religious dis- 

 cussion that would not be permitted: but I am in trou- 

 ble, and desire to ask all you brethren what I shall do. 



rp to some six or eight years ago I was guilty of 

 using profanity. I tried to live honest all my life — 

 really had an innate dtsire to practice the golden rule, 

 but I sometimes was guilty of taking the name of God 

 in vain. At last I becatue conx icted of my besetting 

 sin. I looked around me, and saw that all other sin- 

 ners could give an excuse for their sins. The drunk- 

 ard could give as his excuse that he liked the taste or 

 effect of his "dram." The gambler gambed because 

 he liked the sport ; but for my sin there was no 

 excu.-e under the heavens. It seemed that I was con- 

 victed. I decided to live a Christian life 1 began to 

 read my Bible as I never had before 1 .soon discover- 

 ed that it was my duty to be baptized, and that im- 

 mersion was the ai cient mode I soon discovered that 

 the orthodox denominations did not give us the great 

 depth of meaning attached to the ordinance of bap- 

 tism, but I wished to consecrate myself to Christ, and 

 to have that consecration witnessed by baptism. I 

 applied to a missionary Baptist minister, and asked 

 hnn to baptize me. He told me he could not do so 

 unless I would join his church. His church teaches 

 some things that contradict the plain statements of 

 the Bible, and make Paul's words, "attain to immor- 

 tal. ty by patient continuance in well doing " mean- 

 ingless.' They have some things in their creeds that I 

 can't indorse. So, to join that church simply to obtain 

 baptism I would be acting the hypocrite. 



I am in earnest in this matter^ I can't afford to be 

 dishonest with myself on so important a matter as my 

 own salvation. What am I to do ? Can't some of you 

 brethren tell me? Seeing the matter in the light I 

 now see it. I could not join any orthodox church with- 

 out violating God's command to " come up out of her 

 (Babylon), my people." Of course, I can't give the 

 scripiuial proof of the light I now see, without start- 

 ing a discussion on this question. I am asking for 

 light— for help. I can't understand that any orthodox 

 denomination preaches the great depth of meaning 

 attached to God's divine plan of salvation, nor to the 

 gospel of glad tidings. They teach contradictions in 

 the Bible which give infidelity a chance to attack the 

 blessed word of God. Any help on this matter would 

 be greatlv appreciated. T. K. M.\ssie. 



Tophet.' W. Va. 



Friend M., your kind letter gives us ad- 

 ditional proof, if anj' proof was before want- 

 ing, of the different kinds of people it takes 

 to make up this world of ours. I have read 

 and heard related many strange religious 

 experiences, and many of them as honest 

 and sincere as the one you relate; but I 

 never before, that I can remember, heard 

 of a person who felt that the Holy Spirit 

 impressed him with the need of baptism, 

 and who at the same time felt as yuu do, 

 that he did not wish to unite with any body 

 of Christian people. Since you have writ- 

 ten so frankly to your old fritnd A. I. Root, 

 I think you wi 1 have at least sotne confi- 

 dence in his belief that Christian people 

 ought to be banded together. The maxim, 

 "United we stand, divided we fall," will 



certainly apply to the Christian religion as 

 well as to every sort of business we find in 

 this world of ours. In business nowadays 

 we are told it is of the utmost importance 

 that, no matter what a man's calling may 

 be, he should unite with others of a like 

 calling. 'j\ recent prominent lecturer told 

 us that, while it was quite customary (and 

 the fashion) a few j-ears ago for people of 

 the same occupation to be clashing and 

 cutting prices, this new centur3r seemed to 

 be ushering in a sort of brotherhood among 

 people of like occupations. Capitalists are 

 uniting and forming S3'ndicates; laboring 

 men are uniting and forming trades unions; 

 yes, bee keepers are uniting in a union to 

 protect their interests and do things thit 

 would be utterly impossible for each man 

 fighting alone. In a like manner, churches 

 are almost a necessity. How can we build 

 comfortable places of worship, how can we 

 send missionaries to foreign lands, how can 

 we pay the minister, unless a lot of us unite 

 and work as a unit? I think you are mak- 

 ing a mistake; but, notwithstanding, if I 

 were a minister of the gospel I think I 

 would baptize you whether you united with 

 my church or with no church. I hope my 

 clerical friends will forgive me if I am not 

 orthodox on that matter, or I fail to see why 

 the plan is not practicable. 



In regard to creeds, I have been told by 

 members of ever so many different denomi- 

 nations that they could not conscientiously 

 indorse every part of the creed they sub- 

 scribed to; and we find great numbers of 

 people standing outside because they can 

 not find any church creed that exactly fits 

 their convictions. When I united with the 

 Congregational Church here in Medina I 

 did not feel any promptings of the Holy 

 Spirit toward the communion service. I 

 talked the matter over with my pastor and 

 the deacons of the church. They advised 

 me to subscribe to the church creed not- 

 withstanding, saying that, later on, I would 

 see the value, and feel happy in being per- 

 mitted to commune with my brother-Chris- 

 tians.* All this has come true. It is not 

 at all likely that the creeds of the various 

 churches are just exactly what they might 

 be, or perhaps will be in the future. They 

 were framed by fallible men. Notwith- 

 standing this, I believe the Holy Spirit is 

 leading. The various church creeds have 

 been changed, and are being changed, as 

 3'ou perhaps know; and for that reason I 

 would advise you not to put too much em- 

 phasis on your feelings in such matters — I 

 should like to say your notions, for I believe 

 that the best Christians often have peculiar 

 notions in matters that are not particular- 

 I3' important. 



* Dear brother, do not be in haste to call certain 

 things, that certain Christians often do, hypociisy. I 

 am sure there is no hypocrisy on mj' part when I 

 indorse the creed of our church without having feel- 

 ing or conviction on this matter of the communion 

 service, as I have explained to you. If each individ- 

 ual insists on having a creed that just suits his convic- 

 tions in every resoect the result must be still more 

 denominations, and I am sure there are enough and 

 mote than are needed already. 



