All of the utterances that we have read from Dr. E. Y. Mullins prove him to be not only one of the clearest thinkers, but one of the soundest Baptists of this age.

     In an article before us, written in 1903, we have an all-round Baptist view clearly defined, which we give as follows:

"In a sentence, Baptists stand for the whole Gospel for the whole world.

"1. Baptists stand for the whole doctrine of God. Most of the troubles among us have come from a fragmentary grasp of the truth. The Allah Akbar of Mohammed, God is great, is only

---

[p. 11]

a fragmentary statement about God and it has wrought out the hideous and tyrannical system of Mohammed. God is indeed great, but he is more. To shun error and fanaticism we must have a whole conception of God. The three persons of the Trinity must be apprehended with all of their attributes if we are to get a wholesome conception of God, one which will keep us from error on one hand and upon the other build us up in the truth.

"2. Baptists stand for a whole doctrine of man. We believe in Adam as the head of the race; that he fell and involved the race in sin, helpless until Jesus came to break its reign. I have heard of a great eagle which came and entangled its wings in the meshes of a fowler's net which had ensnared little birds, and then, rising in might, tore the net in shreds and liberated the captives. This poorly illustrates what Jesus did in breaking the reign and mastery of sin in the lives of the race.

"A Gospel with no sin in it is no Gospel. If sin is a cypher, as Christian Science says it is, then a cypher can do away with it, and at once there is no Gospel and no character. In short, man was made in the image of God, fell under dominion of sin, and was redeemed by the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

"3. Baptists believe in a whole Bible. The first Seminary article is very comprehensive and

---

[p. 12]

satisfactory, telling as it does of the loyal faith of Baptists in the complete Bible. The teachings of the Bible make up the written will of God in and through Jesus, and, for all things of spiritual enlightenment and guidance, is absolute.

"4. Baptists believe in a whole salvation. This means all that is locked up in the finished work of redemption, the vicarious atonement, the movings of the Spirit and the repentance and faith of the individual. In one sense it is completed then, but it takes in also the final completion of the character, even unto sanctification. It involves also God's election of the sinner, and God's direction and sustaining of the sinner. His eternal principles always work out in nature and man. In the beginning, God, and in the end, God, for he is in all, through all and over all.

"To talk only of God's goodness to man is to develop man into a weakling. To have a full salvation man must have a full conception of God, of his justice and might and holiness, as well as of his other attributes. Clear conceptions of a whole salvation enable us to understand the doctrine of freedom, the doctrine of hell, and along with these of the individual's repentance, his faith, his baptism. It cuts up the very roots of infant baptism and the confessional.

---

[p. 13]

"5. Baptists stand for a whole doctrine of the church. Historically, Baptists have ever held two doctrines of the church; a universal or spiritual church and a local church. So far as I know, no Baptist denies the first except an editor of whom I recently heard. The Seminary creed teaches the present existence of this universal church. If we do not agree on this subject, let us be brothers and agree to disagree. There are some Baptists who will not be a brother to any other Baptist unless he is a twin brother. In their local churches Baptists stand for baptism by immersion, and by immersion only, and that of believers. They stand for the mission of Baptists to the whole world as the Lord commanded in the great commission.

"Brethren, we need to think over again our great doctrines. I am trying to do that. They are great and glorious doctrines, given to us of God for the salvation of the world. They are the tried and trusted sword which has won us many battles through the years, a sword equal to every contest until the coming of Christ to reign over the world."

Alexandria, La.
===============

[From The Baptist Message, SSB/SBC, 1911, pp. 142-146. This book was provided by Steve Lecrone, Burton, OH. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

---

More of The Baptist Message
Baptist History Homepage