Robert Davis did much studying between the two prayer meeting nights.  Peter Newby searched through his old Bible at home for “he that saith he liveth and sinneth not is a liar,” but he could not find it.  The nearest text he could find that was like it was 1 John 1:8, and he knew that Robert Davis had already explained it.  Peter studied hard, however.  He found several texts, such as Prov. 20:9; Matt. 19:16, 17; Rom. 3:10; 1 Tim. 1:15; Rom. 7, and others, which he thought supported his theory that no one could live free from sin.  He reckoned without taking his opponent into account, however, and came off worse confounded in the second encounter than he did in the first.  Romans 6 was rather hard on Peter’s theory, and he decided it would not pay him to say much about it.

The prayer meeting was well attended on that night.  The air was full of expectancy.  Peter’s long supremacy in debating caused several to wish secretly for him to be beaten; others took his side, and did all that they could to encourage him.  A few were interested for truth’s sake.  After the chapter was read, Peter Newby was first on his feet and began his diatribe.

“Verse 4 means water baptism,” he said, “and if a man is not baptized he cannot be saved.  We go down into the water a sinner, and come up a Christian.  Some of you people have never been baptized, and yet you claim to be saved.

“Now, last prayer meeting night, I promised to find that old familiar text, ’He that saith he liveth and sinneth not is a liar and the truth is not in him,’ but I have not found it yet.  But I will find it, mind you.  Moreover, I have some texts that prove my contention that no one can live free from sin while in this life.

“Prov. 20:9:  ’Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?’ This text can mean only one thing, which is that no one can be clean from sin.

“Matt. 19:16, 17, ’There is none good but one, that is God.’  Now, how can any man call himself good in the face of this scripture?

“Read Rom. 3:10:  ’As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.’  No, not one!  Do you hear it?  No, not one!” Peter shouted.

“And Paul said that ’Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief’ (1 Tim. 1:15).  And if Paul was the chief of sinners, do we think we can live free from sin?  No, sir! we can not.  And in Romans 7 he declared that he was carnal, sold under sin (Rom. 7:14).  I tell you we cannot live better than Paul did.  But I am a Christian, for I was baptized fifty years ago in the Big Sandy river, and the Scriptures say that he that ‘believeth and is baptized’ the same shall be saved.”  And Peter again resumed that air of triumph that made him famous throughout the community.  Then he cast his eyes around the audience, and poised his head at various angles, in token of his victory.