before he is baptized. Why does he not do
the first duty first?"

"I don't see the point in all this," said the father. "I think it is a
clear proposition that baptism always comes first after believing and
before communion. But all the churches baptize--Presbyterians,
Disciples, Methodists and the rest. Why, then, cannot they all commune
together?"

"Ah!" said Mr. Garland with a smile, "there is the point. These other
denominations have been sprinkled, but according to the Bible they have
not been baptized. Now if I believed that baptism had to come before
communion, I would not commune with the Presbyterians, Methodists and
others who sprinkle, because I do not believe they have been
scripturally baptized; but even though I think them unbaptized, yet I
would invite them to the communion, because I do not think baptism is
necessary to the communion."

"That certainly sounds strange," said Dorothy. "Why, I thought you
considered baptism so important that a person could not be saved unless
he was baptized; and now you say baptism is not necessary for the
communion. That seems contradictory. I should think if baptism is
essential to salvation it surely would be essential to taking the
communion. Do you think a person ought to take the communion who has not
been converted?"

"Of course not."

"This is what puzzles me," said Dorothy. "You say a person can't be
converted without baptism. If an unbaptized person should come to your
communion table claiming to be converted, would you not have to deny his
conversion because he had not been baptized? You say you do not require
baptism before communion, and yet when you require conversion before
communion you thereby require baptism before communion, because you say
there can be no conversion without baptism. In other words, you must
hold that an unbaptized person cannot come to your table."

"That does look like a clear proposition, daughter," said Mr. Page.

"Let me ask you this question, Mr. Garland," said Dorothy: "Why do you
admit members of other denominations to your table?"

"Because it is not my table, but the Lord's table, and I have no right
to shut any of his people out."

"You think the members of other denominations are Christians, then, do
you?"

"Certainly they are; probably as good Christians as we are. We do not
set ourselves up as being better than others."

"How can you think they are Christians? You do not think with their
sprinkling and pouri