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VOL. LXXXV1I. RICHf
The Churcl
i I By 1
THE C11UKCQ AS A BODY.
The Church of God is aa unit, an organism, a
closely knit body, with various meiribers, and
many holy and blessed functions, not to possess
alone but to perform, in the service of its Great
Head, Christ Jesus the Lord. It is a lave, alert,
active body operating under the personal sup
erintendence of his guiding, animating Holy
Spirit; lias a job, and must needs be onto it, if
it does the Master's will.
Augustine, in nis uontession, testis an incident
of his experience as a young lawyer. He was so
fascinated with the study of Cicero's orations
that he became Ciceronian in his tastes and ambitions.
One day he had a dream, in which he
thought himself seeking admission at the gate of
heaven. The angel standing there said, "Who
are you!" " Augustine of Milan," replied the
young lawyer. "What are yon!" asked the
angel. "A Christian," answered Augustine.
"Oh, no!" said the angel, "You are not a Chris
tian; you are a Ciceronian." Whereupon the
dreamer demanded an explanation. Said the
angel: "They who are here are judged by what
dominated their lives upon earth. In you, Augustine,
not the Christ of the Gospels, but the
Cicero of Roman jurisprudence, was the dominating
force. You cannot enter here." Augustine
was so startled that he aiwakened and resolved
that henceforth Christ, and not Cicero.
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The Church is the Body of Christ, the body
of those dominated in heart and life by Christ
on earth. Are we daily under His ble^wed
xnastery, as a church, as a ministry, as members*
Let us try ourselves, not only by "the
Test of Love" which Jesus put to Peter (Jno.
21:15-221, but bv l"the Oomlmission of the
Church" given by Jesus (Matt. 29.18-20) :"in
which He says to His followers?"All authority
haith been criven nnt/-> Af# -in ihommn ??>
? 0 jia i?v??tu cum. uu
earth. Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of
all the nations, 'baptizing them into the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit; teaching them to observe all things
whataover I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you all the days, even unto the consummation
of the age."
A. CHRIST ATTTTTOWTn?n pnnv
It takes its rise in Christ 'himself. It exists
because be has authority universally in heaven
and on earth. He is at the head of it. It
is not a merely voluntary human society; but
the Society of Jesus. In it, to it, back of it
Christ is pre-eminent. Because the world is his
and he Is concerned about it. He establishes and
extends his Church in it to carry out his plans
and save it. Its power in being and acting is in
Christ. He originated it, he sustained it, he empowers
it, he commissions it, he bleaes it. He
is its chief corner-stone, by which all the build
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IgJUKTU It^T- jy THE SOUT.
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ing is guaged. Woll may it be termed, there- v
fore, "The Church of Christ," or "the Chris- c
tian Church," for through rt he seeks to es- 1
tablish his kiugdom in the earth. It is his by v
every right of heaven and earth therefore. t
A WOWiD-REACIIINQ BODY.
The Church is the body commaudcd to go
lo everybody, one that has "go" iu it, one 1
that is on the Divine march of world-conqu&st, 1
me that is making ?progress according to s
Christ. From Jerusalem to the uttermost part 0
y
of the earth, leaving no point untouched between.
It follows the program of Christ. Be- x
iieving in Home Missions as truly as in Foreign 1!
Missions, in the one only in order to the other. ^
Not waiting for people to come to it, but in its 11
leadership and membership going out to and *
after the people. It seeks men in the streets s
and lanes of the city and in the highways and 0
hedges of the country. Sent by the Master 1
on a mission to men, it believes in and practices *
World-wide Missions. No human oreature is T
omitted from the Church's marching order list. 11
HUMAN JTY-D1SCIPLINO BODY.
On this mission the Church is to make Chris
lian disciples of all the nations. It goes with,
the gospel of Christ, heralding Christ as God's "
appointed Saviour of men from sin unto righteousness
and holiness and blessedness. It brings
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as learners of "the Teacher Come from God,"
that they may learn how to get right and live c
right with God and men. The Church is to win d
people not so much to itself by its work as to '
Christ the altogether lovely and loving One, the '
Compassionate Lord and Almighty Saviour of
all who come unto God by him, and henee it f
must be a winsome body every way.
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- ? V ** A11U D\M?I,
Learning of Christ leads men into union with ^
God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and there- ^
fore, by i*pen avowal in baptism, into union P
with those bearing his name. One is accomplish P
ed by faith, the other by confession. The v
Church officially brings men into union with and f
allegiance to the Lord Jesus, so that they enter 11
upon a course of witnessing for him as far as 11
their ability extends. It puts men under oath n
(promise to God and men), to turn from sin ^
and live right, to trust and obey Christ as Saviour,
Master, and Example. The visible token
used in sirm ifvin? v-?^-1 v ?
i_ ?0?.? "? wini wilier o
into acknowledged union with the name of the ?<
Trinity; the baptism of the body with water ti
(.<sprinkled or poured), symbolizing the baptism d
ot the soul by the Holy Spirit as effecting the <v
union between the believer and the Saviour, and ?1
making fit for the Master's use. The Church i*1
i$ the body ihat ceremonially by baptism into ai
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy >!
Spirit, publicly before the Church /md the
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YES TERNPRESB Y TERIA/\(\
<tL PRESBYTER/AN <C
VEEN P&ESBYTEJRIAM
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vorld, brings people into a personally acknowldged
union with the Blessed Godhead and his
jiving Body, the people of God. It publicly
veds lives devoted to Christ and his cause in
he world.
A TEACHING-OBSERVING BODY.
The Church instructs those it leads to Christ
n the things of Christ under the guidance of
he Spirit of Christ. It gives proper religious
chooling or discipline in what is right to the
confessedly Christian life. Not mere recruits,
ui more, wen-trained soldiers, is what Christ
rants in his service; and the Spirit-led-Chunch
5 his commissioned agency to train his disciples
or worthy Christian service in the world. They
re to be fitted to exert a saving influence on
he world about them. "Teaching them to oberve
all things that I commanded," is Christ's
rder. No' t none teaching, but teaching in order
a performing, Christ's will. Teaching in order
o observing; orders for service, plans for praciee,
training for service. All tliat Christ has
aid down is to be carried out if the world is to
<e saved from sin and misery. His will is to be
earned aud taught to be done. The Church is
training for practice body, a teaching as well
s preaching body, a training as well as a leaning
body of which Christ is the radiating center
f spiritual energy.
A CHRIST ACCOMPANIED BODY.
Says the Lord, to th? Church obedient to his
ommission, "And lo! I ani with you all the
ays, even unto the consummation of the age."
ct the pathway be hard, let the difficulties come,
>t the means be limited or hard-taxing to faith,
?t the tests and trials multiply, let barriers be
aced, the Lord Jesus Christ is with his people
ii doing his work in-the world. There is no _
oom for the blues or discouragements or down
astings; we have the pledged presence of the
InwmiP in a11_n*??.l/*S 4- ?-1 -11 *
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roblems. It is his work we are in, we have his
resencc (with all that involves), all the day,
ea. all the days, unto the consummation of tinge
we are in. His Spirit is not only with but
i his Church all the while. Christ goes with
s, stands bv us and sustains us in his service
nto victory; so that "we are more than conuerors
through hi:n that loved us."
WHAT OP OUR CHURCH?
The Church, then, that is onio its job. judged
y the Commission of Christ, is performing these
'VPral PllTlptinn?
, lb JO I J V.. eilllllt'd l??
\f name. In a word, the Church's job is the
oing of Christ's assigned work?having its
riginntion in his authority, extending his king-,
mi hy going to (veryhody everywhere, proaiming
the goo J news of saivation to sinners
nd making men Ins disciples, committing men
penly to alliance with an I allegiance to him.
(Continued on page 3.)