Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-16
The Christian Church.
distract Of a Sermon by R. NJ. Web
ster. Jan. 5th, 1873.

ster. JAM 5th, 1873.
"On this rock will build my church and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'-Hdt
16; Is.
In accordance with the programme
Of the Evangelical Alliance, who have
arranged the subjects that may proper
ly come before us on this week Of
prayer. | will talk Of the church
the church Of Jesus Christ. [ am the
more ready to dc this, as [ love the
church with my whole heart. The
captives in Babylon sang Of the an
cient church-s:If I forget thee, o
Jerusalem, let my right hand forget
her cunning. If [ do not remember
thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof
of my mouth, if prefer not Jerusalem
above my chief joy" II IS with the
same admiration and faith that [ think
of the church of God to day. Wheth-
er I consider its foundation princi Piles,
it's enduring strength, or its growing
greatness whether | think of its
mighty founder its honorable brother
hood, or the work it proposes =; wheth-
er | read its history, the record of its
fiery trials, or its magnificent victories :;
even when | reflect upon its frequent
failures and defeats or look at the
company of its enemies, | rejoice in it
as in the beloved of my Lord, even
that beloved "tdat''--in the words of
Solomons song 'slookcth forth as the
morning, fair as the moon, clear as the
sun, and terrible as an army with ban
ners."
What then. is the christian church /?
Not the Romish Church, not the
Greek Church, not the Anglican
Church, not the American Church, (if
VIC may so speak Of anything in Amer
lea. } not any society, or sect, or de-
nomination, which separates itself from
others. The Christian Church is no
sectional thing. 1t is not peculiar to
any nation even 1t belongs to the
world, and the world shall sooner or
later belong to it for 1.-the kingdom
and the greatness of the kingdom un-
der the whole heaven, shall be given
to the people of the saints Of the most
High"
Part of the christian church may be
found in any and every sectional
church or particular denomination.
Part of it may be found, outside of
any visible and special organization.
The priest and the levite, 10 doubt
counted the good samaritan an outsid-
er, yet he was of the christian church.
rather than they.
1t is the whole number Of the true and
the loving of all ages. who shall finally
constitute that august, that magnificent,
that glorious ecclesia, or assembly, Or
church Of the Firstborn, which shall
gather on the right hand of the white
throne.
Look at the Foundation of this church.
not any abstract truth, not any system
of pf Iosophy, not any human COM
pac,, not even the teachings Of Jesus
himself
1t is founded on ''the Chria-the SCI,
Of the liring God."
"Behold' said God Il lay in Zion
for a foundation a stone, tried stone,
precious corner stone, sure founda-
ton The apostles tell us this prec-
ious stone, this sure foundation was
Jesus Christ himself
! Peter said ''Thou art the Christ, the
son of the living God" Jesus said
BLESSED art thou x and |
say also unto thee, that thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will bald nay
church." this is, as thou art Peter
an incontestable fact so sure is it,
that upon this rock, which thou hast
seen-sthe Christ the son of the liv.
ing Cod" will | build my church.
The foundation is not a theory, but
person not ideas merely, be they
ever so good, but the Son Of God In
this foundation therefore, is Omnipo-
tence, Omniscience, eternity, and the
absolute love.
The security Of tie chris.iar church,