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There is nothing new in this book. Every
truth contained therein can be found in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus
was very fond of the Baptists. His forerunner was called by His Father
"The Baptist." He himself walked sixty miles to get Baptist baptism. The
only time that the three persons of the Godhead ever manifested their
presence on earth at the same time was at a Baptist baptism, when the Son
of God was baptized. The most intimate associates of God’s well-beloved
Son were all Baptists. In selecting His companions, He chose Baptists to
be with Him. The first twelve missionaries sent out by the Son of God were
all Baptist preachers. He was not ashamed to call them Brethren. He
organized His church out of Baptists.
He had these
Baptist preachers do all His baptizing. There wasn’t anybody present when
He instituted His supper, except these same Baptist preachers. Not His
mother or brothers and sisters according to the flesh, but three of these
same Baptist preachers were chosen by Him to be near Him in every crucial
experience of His life. In the language of the miners, they were His
"buddies." They were a simple folk. Baptists have been a simple folk from
that day until now.
They are a people
of one Book. Wherever the Bible is read and obeyed, the Baptists go and
glow and grow. The writer of this volume is one of the simplest of these
folk. He believes the Book from cover to cover and loves to preach it.
Like his Master, the common people often seem to hear him gladly. This
volume contains a few of the messages, which at District Associations or
Bible Institutes or Debates or at other places, these Baptist folk, the
same kind the Lord loved so well while here on earth, have asked him to
put in more permanent form. If the humblest of them away back in the
backwoods or far out on the frontier or up in a hut on the mountain side
or on the far flung battle line on some mission field, shall be helped by
any thing said herein to love the Book better and obey it more perfectly;
or shall be encouraged to be more loyal to our Lord and to the church
which "He purchased with His own blood," the writer shall be happy. |