Miscellaneous Matters From "Burnett's Budget"
(In the reproduction of this material from "Burnett's Budget," the reader should keep in mind that a serious and heated controversy in the brotherhood in the early years of this century was the "re-baptism" controversy. Much of the writings and quotations found in "The Budget" in those days had to do with this matter. Burnett was one of those who believed that Baptists or others who had been immersed could be "shaken" into the fellowship of Christians, that is, did not have to be "rebaptized." Lipscomb and Harding of the Advocate shared this view, although there were staff writers of the Advocate at that time who did not. In Texas the Firm Foundation, Joe S. Warlick, and many others contended that Baptists must be baptized if they would have the fellowship of- Christians. This will clarify their statements to those of us who read these writings over a half-century later. The material quoted in this article is from the Sept. 15, 1907, Budget. — B.C.)
1. A scribe in a re-baptism journal in Arkansas says, "Certain preachers receive all kinds of sectarians if they have been immersed." He forgets that they are not sectarians when the certain preachers receive them. They have laid all their sectarianism aside, and retained what Bible truth they had. A re-baptism scribe will not represent people fairly — not even Baptists. Said scribe perpetrates a few stanzas, of poetry, and his verse is worse than his re-baptism doctrine!
2. David's Throne in Heaven. "There is no denying the fact that Christ is to reign upon the throne of David. For this reason some of the sects try to prove that David's throne is in heaven, in a place where David never was, and possibly never will be." — Gospel Trumpet.
David occupied the throne formerly occupied by Saul, and Saul received the throne from God, for God was originally king over Israel. So David occupied God's throne, and the original place of the throne was in heaven. The throne is now back in its original place, and Jesus, who is heir to the crown by reason of being a son of David, and the Son of God, is on the throne! You have a good deal to learn about the kingdom of God, and about the soul of man. — Burnett in The Budget.
"Burnett ought to have a premium for making bare assertions. Just the idea of the throne upon which Saul and David reigned being once "in heaven," and that the throne is now "in its original place"! Who told you so, Burnett?" — Gospel Trumpet We told you that you have a good deal to learn about this question, for you know nothing about it at present. When you have exchanged criticisms with us a little while longer, you will have learned enough not to dispute what Burnett says: You think that David did not sit on God's throne. Listen at this: "Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father." (1 Kings 2:12). Now at this: "Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father." (1 Chron. 29:23) Now at this: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David." (Luke 1:32) Now you know who told Burnett, don't you? Don't you also know that you are as green as grass on the subject of the kingdom of God? — Burnett
3. The camp meeting at Nolanville, Texas, resulted in twenty-eight baptisms Bro. F. L. Young did the preaching....The epidemic of dengue at Brownsville, Texas, has been, abated by the killing of the mosquitoes. Coal oil was the medicine used....An Oklahoma woman won the prize offered by an eastern journal for the best answer to the question: "Why is a newspaper like a woman? Her answer was: "Because every man should have one of his own, and not borrow his neighbor's"....The Baptist Sword and Shield says Satan is using his dope on the dupes. Yes, we are sure somebody has been doped, or so many good people would not call a church of Christ a Baptist church. ...An eminent health expert testifies that ninety per cent of the crimes are produced by bad cooking. There now, you women! ...No preacher should preach for a living, but every preacher should have a living while he preaches....Which one of the apostles was a Baptist preacher? Which one of the apostles was a Methodist circuit-rider? Which one of the apostles was a presiding-elder? Which one of the apostles was a Corresponding Secretary? Bro. Price Billingsley baptized twenty-six at Anson, Texas.... Bro. Jas. L. German baptized thirteen at Brock, Texas.... Bro. Geo. F. Whitley baptized eleven at Covington, Texas.... Bro. Leroy Elkins recently had a fine meeting at Cumby, Texas, and baptized more than two dozen people.... Can anybody tell us what good an organ has ever done in an assembly of worshipping Christians? We will give a copy of this paper one year for the information....The editor of the Eye-Opener says a believer hath eternal life in actual possession in this world, and he is trying to "set the brethren right" on this little excerpt of Baptist doctrine. Prof. Showalter is trying to set the Eye-Opener right....An eminent man, writing on natural history, says: "Some monkeys have long tails, and others smoke cigarettes."
4. This paper, when it speaks of a Sunday-school, means an organization bearing that name, with its officers in addition to the church officers. It does not mean a church teaching the Bible on Lord's day, either with or without literature, either with or without classes, but a separate organization. If you have one single man appointed to superintend the teaching or the management, then it becomes an organization, and you violate Eph. 4. We have our views about the evil arising from the use of literature, but the use of literature does not constitute a Sunday-school, and does not violate Eph. 4. The gravamen of our contention is that the Lord's own institution should do the work of teaching the Scriptures, and not leave that work to Robt. Raikes' institution.
5. Not the Man. "Dear Bro. Burnett: In the last issue of the Budget you speak of a hobby-rider at Lufkin, who, on just two pages of manuscript, made the unenviable record of seventy errors. Now I am willing to help my brethren, bear their burdens, but this load is more than I can carry. As I live at Lufkin, some might think that I am the hobby-rider to whom you refer, therefore I hereby disclaim all knowledge of the affair. Brotherly, G. W. Largent."
We will lift the burden from Bro. Largent's shoulders, by stating that he is not the man who made the record. Bro. L. was recently elected County Superintendent of Schools for Angelina county, and we never knew a man with brains enough and education enough to be superintendent of schools that did not know too much to ride the re-baptism hobby. Take the hundreds of preacher-hobbyists in the west, and (except a few who wish to be leaders) there is not an educated man among them.
6. "I have myself fellowshipped some persons who have been baptized by Baptist preachers, but not until they made me know that the Baptists turned aside from their rule, and baptized them like they did Alex. Campbell and others, in the name of the Lord, and this means not simply that they used the correct formula, but that the baptism was by the authority of Jesus Christ When Baptists baptize by the authority of Jesus, they never administer 'Baptist baptism.' See?" — Joe S. Warlick.
Yes, we see you have missed the whole issue. In Texas, "Baptist baptism" is that administered to a candidate who does not know that baptism is "for remission of sins." On this hang the law and the prophets of the re-baptism party. But this is the kind of baptism Mr. Campbell received, and that all the fathers received. The only turning aside in his case was, that he was baptized on a confession of faith, without the vote of a church. He did not learn till eleven years later that baptism is "for remission of sins." Do you say his baptism was valid without this knowledge of baptism? If you do, we will have you up before the Sanhedrin of the F.F.-Monitor-Gunter-Gospel Syndicate. If you say Campbell had this knowledge, we will read you his own words to the contrary. Query: Did Campbell receive valid baptism? Is he in hell today? Yes, or no!
7. A prominent Ft. Worth minister made the startling statement from the pulpit that Col. Bob Ingersoll was a "damned fool." He relieved the situation by showing from the Scriptures that "the fool hath said in his heart there is no God," and that Ingersoll is now damned.
8. The Budget received a call recently from Bro. J. M. Norwood. Bro. N. was prospecting for a location at Dallas, and may move to this city at an early day. He is one of this scribes's twenty-five Timothies. Formerly a resident of eastern Texas, he has lived in the west for a number of years. They say he can preach much better now than when he lived in the post-oak woods, in fact he is one of the "big guns."