Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-06-03

cross The joy set before Him of bringing u.s. rebels,
back to God and making U.S. of our own free choice,
His representatives in the world, sustained Him in His
work of mediation, terrible in suffering as it was.
The mission of the church on earth is, to a certain
extent, identical with that of Christ Himself She
stands related to Him as He does to the Father GAS
the Father hath sent me into the world have sent
you into the world"
Sand the glory which Thou gavest me have given
them" The glory conferred on Him, was, that Of
making God, His true character, known to the world
The glory conferred on US, is that of making Christ
known to the world, He came a hight into the world
the Sun of Righteousness, shining in borrowed lus
tre He was emphatically the Light ofthe world. He
sends out the church saying to each and to all, aye
are the Light of the world"
We are light only as we receive and reflect His
Brightness
In our text the object of the church is declared to
be to shoU forth The praises Tor virtues of Him who
hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous
light
This then, to represent Christ His feelings purpos
es His character entire is the object of the church
member and the whole collective body into this sacred
relationships make each in the station where provi
dence has placed him. Chrsts chosen representative.
The minister of the cross, the physician the merchant
the lawyer, the mechanic, the farmer the editor, the
politician &c. &C., each in his appropriate sphere, is
called of God to this high trust These various ndi-
viduals are united into local churches for the purpose
of carrying out this design with greater efficiency.
Grace amply sufficient is freely proTered that this
design may be fully realized. That we might never
lose sight of this object Of MISSION Christ inst
tuted that most significant ordinance, the Supper Thus
He designs to keep the crucicton fresh our
memories, and the pressure of obligation to live to His
glory who hath bought us with his own blood, perpctu
ally on our hearts. Hence He has made it matter
of perpetual obligation, resting on all His followers
until He shall return in His glory, to observe this or
dnance.
q With equal truth we may say, in answer to our
question, The object of the church earth to ac-
cOmpSh the highest possible amount Of good-the real
izaon of those plans of benevoence which Christ has
adopted in the salvation of revoted province of eho-
vahs empire
When it hls secured the complete salvation of all the
members of Christs body it has accomplished one of
the great designs of its earthly mission. When all
shall receive the end of their faith, even the salvation
of their SOULS the object of the church, looking no far
Their than this, will be to be grand consumma-
ton devoutly to be wished
But the church, o may it never be forgotten! is not
to be mere recipient of Gods bounty. 1t is not her
object merely, or mainly, TO receive the end of her
faith. AS an associated body, and each individual as
a member of that body, is to be an almoner of Gods
gifts to a lost world Unless the church of the pres
ent age increase the number of "hose who sing the
Song Of Moses and the Lamb" by the addition of mill
ions more to that countless number she fails her OBJ
ject. Millions there are, whose darkness, degradation,
sins and sorrows, appeal to us to extend to them the
Bread of Life, before they, like generations of their
fathers go down to the grave in hopeless darknuSs-
These millions can be reached. They must be reach
ed. The church is Gods instrumentay for effecting
an object of such superlave grandeur and excellence.
Hence He has not given the honor and the awful
responsibility to angels of giving the bread of life to
starving nations They are not privileged with the
honor of an embassage from the King of kings. Nor
are they His epises, to be known and read of all
men," The glory which was conferred on the Son of
God is withheld from angels and bestowed on usi-
"This treasure have IN earthen vessels" o mira
Gle of grace to the chief of sinners!
But let it not be supposed that the entire object of
the church is to convey blessings to the souls of the
needy. She must minister to the necessities of the
ail tenement, we'll as to the immortal inhabant;-
do good TO man a creature of time, as we'll as pro-
bationer for eternity. With the light of our Saviors
example shining upon our path who went about heal
ing the sick, lifting up the bowed down, and opening
the prison doors to those who are bound we cannot
mistake our duty.
3. The work given to the church in general and to
every local church in particular perform is to coun-
eract the mighty influence Of sin, of every kind and de-
gree, and save sinners, making them pure, peaceful
and Godke;to renew the hearts of men and to purl-
fly the lfe;to arrest the mountain tide of ungodness
that is rolling over the earth; l. e. all mpiey towards
God, and all unrghteousnesS and wrong between man
and man-to lead men to put off the lion and put on
the lambto forsake the hellish spirit of war; and op-
preston, and impury, and embrace the pure spirit Of
love and OF heaven; to pull down the dark bloody tenn
pie of lnquity with Its thousand affairs, and to erect
from its ruins the fair temple of holiness to the Lord
In short to lead men, every WHERE to abandon every
thing which the spirit of the gospel does not sanction
and follow after whatsoever things are pure honest and
of good report.
In their individual capacity the church must be good
men and true; separate from SIM ga peculiar people,.
Each must be a vaent soldier and fight against
whatever "the captain of salvation" hates, and with
the spirit that animates his breast
In her associated capacity also, she must bear
steady, bold and unequivocal testimony against al
forms of sin that prevail in the hearts of men or exhb
it themselves in their conduct By the love of Christ
calling her out of darkness she is bound to seek the
salvation OF an impentent world BY her VOWS to he
Lord, she is pledged to have no fellowship with the
unfruittul works of Darkness but rather to reprovt
them"-to "be not paraker of other mems sins, bu
Ito keen herself nnre1 Rv the worry ohinct IF hnr mic