The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-05-27
THE CORPORATE LIFE OF THE
CHURCH.

A Discourse Preached at the Opening
of the General Assembly Of the Pres
6yterian Church iR the United States,
IN tie Frankha Street Church, Bali
more, May 21st, 1868, By the Reu. Z.
Y. Moore, ID. d., Moderator of the
last assembly.
"The head, even Christ, from whom the whole
body fitly Joined together and compacted by that
which every Joint supplieth according to the eff
feetual working in the measure OF every part,
maketh increase of the body unto tie edifying
of itself in love. '-Eph iv: 10, 10
1t is a familiar affirmation of theology,
that Christianity is life, and not mere
dogma or law. Il is not simply creed
to be believed, or a rule to be obeyed,
but life of God in the soul of man, of
which faith and obedience are manifesto
tions. This life of the soul, is in some
respects analogous to the life of the
body. We see the manifestations OF
both, and understand them largely, but
the nature and source of each are alike
inscrutable. The life of the body lies
hidden among the unrevealed secrets of
our physical organization, too deep or
the knife of the anatomist, or the test of
the chemist The life of the soul lies
hidden behind the phenomena of consci-
business, too deep for the analysis of the
philosopher, for it is ''hid with Christ in
God" Most of the controversies in both
departments of science, refer to this hid
den domain, and not to the resulting
manifestations of life, after it comes
forth to our vision. Psychologists dis
pute about the nature and source of the
vital principle, just as theologians dis
cuss the great facts which lie behind hu-
man consciousness and head up in the
Divine agency, and most of the insolu-
bic problems of both sciences will be
found to terminate in this inaccessible
region. Those who speak sGghtingly of
theological controversies, seem to forget
that they are precisely analogous to the
deeper discussions of physiology and
psychology, which men have often sneer-
ed at likewise, but never when they un-
derstood them, and the Stiffness of sneers
in these cases, ought surely to check
them in the other.
But this analogy between the life of
the body and that of the soul, is found in
the manifestations, as well as the nature
and source of each. There is a certain
identity in the laws of all life, that hints
its common origin in that one mighty
and self-subsisting Life, the living God,
"who only hath life in himself" who
''giveth to all life and breath and all
things" and Sin whom we live and
move and have our being" Some of
these laws pertaining to the physical life,
are perfectly familiar to US, especially
those by which its continuance and growth
depend on proper aliment and exercise.
The living body must have pure and suf-
fcient nutriment, or the famewill expire
for the want of fuel. But alment is not
enough. 1t must also have exercise to
secure healthful growth. By this law
of exercise the human body is capable of
indefinite improvement, so that by proper
gymnastic trainings man of common vigor
can be developed into Hercules, whilst
by the same law, q neglect of suitable
exercise will cause the strongest frame to
dwindle, pine and finally perish. The
same laws precisely govern the spiritual
life. 1t also needs both aliment and ex-
ercise, or it will grow sickly and feeble.
That aliment is the "truth as it is in
Jesus" that exercise, what the Apostle
terms the gymnastic of godliness, when
he exhorts Timothy Il Tim. iv: g. to
exercise himself (gymnaze) unto gOdli-
ness. The manifold duties of the Chris
tian life constitute the appointed training
of the living soul.
This individual life of the soul is the
first stage in the matter of personal reh-
gion. We must be born again, born of
the Spirit, and this life is hid with Christ
in God. But it needs for its growth to
be fed on the truth, and to exercise itself
in the duties of godliness, and according
to the purity of that truth, and the per-
fectness of that obedience will be its de-
velOpment.
But as soon as this personal life be-
gins, the individual christian finds that
there is another life into which he is
introduced by the same act of regenera-
ton. Christ is revealed in Scripture,
not only as the Saviour of the individual
soul, but also as the Saviour of the col
lective Church, his body, of which indi-
vidual christians are members in partic-
ular. 'sFor as the body is one and hath
many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many are one body,
so also is Christi and this image is
elaborated to great length by the ApOs-
tie in the 18th chapter of 1st Corinthians,
as well as in other Epistles.
Here is new life, distinct from the
individual life of the christian, the life
of the body of Christ, the gradual form
alton of great corporate existence, In
to which each regenerate soul is intro
duced, in which that soul shall be per-
feet, when the Spouse, the Lambs
wife is prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. This grand fact of cor
porate existence into which each individ-
ual believer is grated, is represented to
us by a great variety of illustrations.
Now it is a kingdom of which each be-
lever is citizen, yea, more, a king and
priest, one of commonwealth of kings,
congregation of priests, each individual
sharing part of the glory of the whole.
Noxy - - q b,;1I;o, ifba L,tl-lO3l OjLos