the Lord's Supper is never put in this order, then I
think it is clear that baptism is expected always to come first. And if
it came first in Bible times, why should anyone now wish to reverse the
order?"

"Let me ask you a question," said Sterling. "You say a person ought to
be immersed before coming to the table. Suppose a person has believed in
Christ and been immersed and joins a Methodist church. You would then
have a Scripturally baptized Christian. Would you permit such a person
to commune with you?"

"You speak of my permitting such a person to commune with me. In the
first place, I doubt whether such a person would want to commune with
me. I never find such people coming to our church asking to commune with
us. We do not have guards before our table. We simply have our views as
to those who are properly qualified and the people know it."

"Would you think that this immersed Methodist ought to commune with
you?"

"Why do you say 'commune with me'?"

"I will change the question, then. Do you think that an immersed
Methodist ought to partake of the communion anywhere?"

"I think not, as long as he occupies that position. But of course he can
follow his own convictions. If, however, he should ask my opinion, I
would tell him I think he is living in disorderly fashion. He believes
that immersion only is the Scriptural baptism, otherwise he would not
have sought immersion when the prevailing mode in the Methodist church
is sprinkling. Believing thus about baptism he yet throws his membership
with a church that seeks to put another form of baptism in the place of
the Scriptural baptism. I think that is wrong. He is a Baptist by
conviction, and yet for social or other reasons he joins a church of a
different faith. Why does he not join the church of his own faith?
Besides, in joining that church he is linking himself with an
organization that teaches and practices not only sprinkling in the place
of immersion, but also infant baptism. I would have to say to such a
person, if he should ask my opinion, 'Sir, I think your first duty is
not to go to the communion, but to get the matter of your church
relationship straightened out'."

"But suppose he should say he believed in infant baptism and therefore
could not join the Baptist church? Suppose he should say he believed in
all the other doctrines of the Methodist church except their view of
sprinkling, and that even on the point of baptism the Methodists
believed