Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-02-27

CONSTITUTES THE CHURCH-lTS UNI
TY-ITs PERPETUITY.
&C.. &C., &c.
The Presbyterian Church, on Sunday
morning and night, and on Monday night,
was filled to hear series of discourses by
Rev. DR.. W. A. Pratt, Of Lexington, on
the subject of 1.-THE Church, The ser
mons were written at the time the Evan
gelical Alliance was appointed to meet in
the United States. We give below a brief
sketch of the points Of each sermon.
WHAT CONSTITUTES THE CHURCH.
The speaker took for his text, the opening
of Paul's LIST Epistle to the Corinthians,
Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ
and Sosthenes our brother unto the Church
of God, which is at Corinth, called to be
saints, with all that in every place, call
upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord,
both theirs and ours.' If the apostle had
addressed his Epistle to the Church of God
which is at Staunton, it would have been
regarded as a matter of intense interest to
know to whom it was addressed. Ii we
are the Church of Godi is addressed to us,
but if we are not, then we have nc interest
in it. 1t is an important matter; christ
died for his Church all His promises are
to His Church. and to His church there re-
maineth rest which is only for the people
of God. There is no midway ground in
this matter. We are either in the Church
of God or we are out of it-either safe OF
lost. Surely, God has not in such matter
left us in doubt. And he has not. Every
page of the new testament is luminous
with answers. 1t is clear that Paul adj
dressed the Church at Corinth as believers
in Christ, but it is also clear from other
chapters that there were those in the
church who were not true believers, so as
Paul could not distinguish what was III
their secret hearts, he addressed only those
in the visible Church, who, being true be-
levers, were members of the Invisible
Church All through the Epistles is taught
that only those who are believers are of the
church. and no others, no matter to what
visible organization they might have be-
longed. They are spoken Of as being lin
9'sons of God,'' and that, The that believ-
eth that Jesus is the son OF God, is born OF
God.'' Justification, adoption, regenera-
ton, sanctifcation, and eternal life, are
all referred to, and made
DEPENDENT ON FAITH AND UNION
WITH CHRIST.
Thus, believers only can be in Christ, and
therefore of his church. The word
''Church" (ecclesia), and the word ''called"
(keltoi.l have the same derivation, and
are used as synonymous in the new TESLA
ment, and in no single instance i'll the new
testament is this word called applied to
the externally called, but invariably TO
them effectually called by the Holy Spirit.
The salutation in the new testament epis-
ties are addressed to ''them that are sane
titled in Christi ''to the saints and faith
full brethren in Christ Jesus always pre-
Stunning that those OF the church are such.
This has been the doctrince of the people
of God for all ages, and was held by the
fathers Clemens, Cyprian, and others. 1t
was the doctrine of the Reformation, and
explicitly held by the Lutherans and the
English Churches, and by the Romanists.
All the liturgies Of the Greek, Roman and
ANGLICAN churches, proceed upon the same
assumption. The condition of membership
is faith. and therefore it follows that the
essential characteristic of a church is
NOT AN EXTERNAL VISIBLE ORGANIzA-
TON
and that a church is a society of belierers.
All RituaIists claim that there is no dis
tinctiou between the visible and the invls-
ible organization, and this is the doctrine
of the Romish and Anglican churches
The only difference between the Romish
and Anglican churches on this subject IS
that for the Roman PoDtiff, as head Of the
visible church, they substitute the words
ssprelates hav ing apostolical succession
Christ organized his visible church on earth
and left it to men endowed with no mirac-
nlos1s power to read the hearts of men and
thereby keep the visible church pure. but
with his Holy Spirit he keeps his invisible
church, the souls of men, which no NOR
tai man can know OF organize, and through
the operations of chat Spirit showing
through holy lives can Dc seen the only
visible church in the world, and the only
claim of any visible organization to be the
sstrue church. is just SO far as the lives OF
its members show faith in Christ by holy
living. The Scriptures speak of the Church
Of Christ as holy, composed OF 'the sanctl-
fed in Christ Jesus and led by his spirit,
hut none Of these things are true of any
merely external organization. If there were
any sstrue church" external organization)
it would follow that it was lnfalllble, and
that all that it has received into its fold are
real members of the body OF Christ, which
is manifestly absurd. The doctrine OF
visible church
CHANGES THE WHOLE NATURE OF RE-
LIGION,
changing it from spiritual to an external
service. 1t was so with the Jews and IS so
with Romanists and High Churchmen,
Whenever the favor of God is supposed to
he peculiarly granted to those who are dis
tinguished by something merely external,
! the idea fills men with spiritual pride and
with contempt and hatred of all Others
The Jews regarded themselves as the favor
ties of God in consequence oftheir connec-
ton with Abraham, irrespective of their
moral character, and this belief rendered
them proud, contemptuous and malignant.
We see the same thing in the Romanists
and, although repressed and cnrbed by cul-