The Democratic press. (Eaton, Preble County, Ohio) 1860-1865, 1861-12-05

OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Had the translators of the Scrip.
lures translated the original word
tseh allt ~.
81 IN the New Testament az" well
as the Old, it would have prevent
ed much misconception, and the
poor and uneducatcd reader Of the
Bible would thus see at once, that
the word docs not mean q material
building, but congregation OF
faithful men, who unite together
to Give soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world" The
term Church may with safety be
restricted to two significations,-
viz, The whole body of the faith
fu! i'll all ages andnations, of whom
Christ is tic head-"IIead over all
things to the Church, Eph. i. % ;
see also 1 Cor. xii. %; "And he is
the Head Of the church," Col. i.
IS; "Christ is the Head of the
church," Eph. V, %; "Christ also
loved the church, Eph. V. 25. BY
these, and kindred passages, we
are taught that the term Church
applies to the whole body Of real
Christians, throughout all nations
and ages. The word Church means
also a single congregation. In
primitive times the distinction
which is now made did not exist.
The church was then the congre-
cation, and the congregation was
the church and it should be so
now. All who attend places Of
worship ought to repent Of sin, and
unite in church fellowship, and
thus obey the law Of Christ. "They
ordained elders in every church" :"
(Acts xiv. % J "AIl the Churches
Of the saints" q Cor. xiv. 33 y
"Confrming the Churches" (Acts
XIV. Il j "The Churches Of Mace
donia," 2 Cor. viii. ~ "The
Churches of Judna," (Gal. i, % J
"Tho Churches Of God,' z Ties. i.
~ 1t is evident from these and
other texts, that the term Church
is employed, invariably, in the
New Testament, to mean, either
"the Church Of the first born which
are written in heaven" or q single
congregation. When single con-
gregation is meant, we read of but
one Church. When two or more
are spoken of, we read of them in
the plural number, as-the Church.
es Of Asia, of Macedonia, of JudGa.
When the inspired Apostle speaks
of one Church, then we read of it
in the singular number, as-the
Church at Jerusalem.
1t is the doctrine of the New
Testament that Christ, as the Ruler
of the Church, is now actively en-
ployed in heaven for its good, and
that he will continue until the end
Of the world to support and enlarge
it. The spirit and essential nature
of true Christianity will remain,
however much either ignorant or
designing men may alter its eX-
ternal form. Christianity, howev-
er, is not so connected with any
one place or nation that it must
necessarily be perpetuated there,
nor has any one Church a promise
that its descendants shall be Chris
tians. We know from the history
of the Church, that whore Christi
anity was once most fourishing, it
has since been expelled, either by
superstition or unbelief, and it has
thence travelled to other regions
which were formerly sunk in the
deepest nights of ignorance. Let
the reader call to mind the former
hourishing condition of Eastern
Churches, and then compare with
it their present state. Every
Church should make the use of
this fact which is suggested in
Rev. ii. 5.
Learning, it is said, may be an
instrument of fraud so may bread,
if discharged from the mouth of
cannon. be an instrument of death |