The people called Baptists have, historically, held to the principle that EVERY INDIVIDUAL is personally responsible to God for adherence to His order in both salvation and service. This separates the individual from his family, friends, society --- everything; it brings him face to face with His Maker. To his own Master he stands or falls; to his own Master he must one day give account.
    Individual responsibility entails the FREEDOM OF CHOICE. Baptists have, through centuries past, insisted on the freedom of the individual to: read the Bible, interpret the Bible, approach and serve God without interference from bishop, church or state. We would have a Bible in the possession of every man, woman, boy and girl -- insisting that each one, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, read, interpret and decide for himself.
    Baptists have always rejected, as a violation of individual liberty, the Romish imposition of infant baptism -- a trap that Rome has always felt necessary to assure the perpetuity of an extra-scriptural and un-scriptural system of deception and spiritual bondage. Every

member of a Baptist church secures that membership on his own initiative; no one is unconsciously or un-willingly brought into our fellowship.
    No group of people may be discovered in the annals of history, who have made a greater contribution toward implementing the principle of CHRISTIAN LIBERTY than have the Baptists. And, considered from a HISTORICAL standpoint, Baptists alone have held this tenet through the past centuries. (In the beginning the Word of God alone was our support: Dan. 3:16, l8; Matt. 22:17-22; Acts 4:l8-2O; 5:29). That it is guaranteed by the Constitution of our United States of America stands as a monument to the non-violent Baptists among the early settlers in this country who put spiritual principle above physical comfort. Religion must be a purely VOLUNTARY matter. Civil power may make a nation of hypocrites and infidels; it can never make a Christian! What terrible havoc has been wrought by a disregard of this biblical principle.
    Under the direction of Calvin (and some Baptists (?) still call themselves "Calvinists" without a blush of shame) Servetus was burned at the stake near Geneva -- while

    Our sincere sympathy goes to the family of Sister Vera Goodwin who went onto be with the Lord on January 18, at the age of 89 years.
    Sister Goodwin was a charter member of Landmark Church, and a real blessing while she was with us. It is good to have assurance of her promotion to a higher realm - beyond this vale of suffering, heartaches and tears.

    You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late. (Emerson)

Lewis Craig in Spotsylvania; William Webber in Chesterfield, James Greenwood in King and Queen, John Shackleford in Essex, John Waller in Middlesex, and John Ireland at Culpepper FOR PREACHING THE GOSPEL. Yea, they confiscated the property of Baptists to support a worldly and profligate ministry of the establishment.
    True Baptists have ever fearlessly denounced the unholy union of Church and State -- proclaiming the right of every man to worship God as he chooses. Our principles will not allow us to persecute. The moment one begins to persecute, that moment he ceases to be a Baptist.
    (The above article was been rewritten from "The People Called Baptists", by Geo. W. McDaniel.)

    Jesus does not even finish the Beatitudes before He comes to speak in the most amazing and wonderful way about Himself. Note carefully the last of the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:11). Is this a blessing promised to such as meet a certain ethical standard? or possesses a certain quality of soul? NO! It is something promised to those who stand in a certain RELATIONSHIP to Jesus Christ. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, FOR MY NAME SAKE. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven." Look again at those words - "FOR

MY SAKE". Here is a unique claim. Men must be willing to bear HIS NAME, and even to suffer shame FOR HIS SAKE. In so doing, their reward will be great in heaven. Does not this sound like the very same Jesus who said: "If any man come after me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple", (Lk. 14:26)?
    And again Jesus declared: "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels", (Mk. 8:38). Nor is this in conflict with the words of Paul who wrote: "Unto you it is given IN THE BEHALF OF CHRIST, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake". . . "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; IF SO BE THAT WE SUFFER WITH HIM, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us", (Phil. 1:29; Rom. 8:l6-l8).
    In the strongest possible terms Jesus Christ, whose selfless life religious liberalism admires, demands the submission of everyone and everything under His own benevolent authority. To obey is to share His fulness; rebellion assures eternal loss. The choice is clearly YOURS. WHAT WILL IT BE??

    One wonders whether any degrading and demoralizing business on earth has been more persistently promoted by dishonesty than the sale of intoxicants. A current misrepresentation, which is being used to defend this pernicious traffic, is the supposition that where liquor is easily accessible moderation prevails and drunkenness is scarce. It is argued, for instance, that where wine is served at the dinner table, as in many of the homes in France, there is little alcoholism. This is entirely untrue! Recently published statistics show that alcoholism is France's most serious health problem. The annual death rate from Cirrhosis, in France, is actually ten times the death rate in the U.S.A, claiming the lives of 22,000 French men annually.
    The Bible is right: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and WHOSOEVER is deceived thereby is NOT WISE", (Prov. 20:1).

    A recent note from Bro. Michael Rogers, pastor of the Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church, of Bradford, Arkansas, reports that their fund -- designed to purchase some means of transportation for the Potter's in Brazil -- now stands at $1,82O.

    If YOU have not yet sent an offering toward this worthy undertaking, why not ask God how much He would have you send -- then do it AT ONCE. Make your check payable to: "Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church", and send it c/o Pastor Michael E. Rogers, Route 2, Box 209 Bradford, Arkansas 72020.

    "Hezekiah received the letter...and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord, (Isa. 37:14).
    That was Hezekiah's way of laying his troubles in the Lord's hands. He could not do anything, and so he gave the matter to God. We all have our cares. Sometimes it is a business perplexity, sometimes it is a temptation, or it may be a combination of circumstances that seems about to crush us.
    What is our duty? What is our privilege? We may take the matter directly to God. We may cast the burden upon Him. That is what Paul tells us to do with all our anxieties; and he says the peace of God shall then guard our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus.
"Peace, perfect peace, in this dark
    world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers
    peace within.
Peace, perfect peace, by thronging
    duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus -- this
    is rest.
Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows
    surging 'round?
On Jesus' bosom naught but calm
    is found."