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 cla.s.sic 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 un.o.bserved 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 G.o.d 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 pa.s.sage 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 d.a.m.ned."
"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 d.a.m.ned"."
"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 d.a.m.ned"? 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.
"h.e.l.lo," 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?"