The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-01-12
FoR THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
OUGHT YOU TO JOIN THE CHURCH?
LETTER l.

My Dear Friend,-You have been consid-
eriDg this question some time. You have
assured me that you do believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, that you do cordially love Him,
His church, His ordinances, His worship
both public and private, His Word and His
people. Still you object to joining the
church. Let US weigh your objections.
Your first objection is, 81 do not feel good
enough to join the church" Now protest
against your stating your objection in this
form, because if this language means what it
seems to do, it is foreign to the issue be-
tween US. Paul had to write all his Epistle
to the Romans to expose and refute the er-
ror which such language as this involves
Say, if you please, that you do not feel fit to
join the church. Then We can join issue,
and discuss the questions. Let me ask now
what rule is given for enabling US to judge
of fitness to join the church? Obviously,
the Scriptures of the Old and New Tesla
merit. What then is the fitness which they
require, and upon which apostles and evan
CYCLISTS admitted persons into the communion
of the church? A single clear case in Acts
wiz 36-38, will show US what We want. The
Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip "what doth
hinder me to be baptized :" that is, to be in
itiated into the church? Philip said, eff
thou believest with all thine heart thou
mayst." The Eunuch said, Z" | believe that
Jesus is the Son of God" He made cred
IDLE profession of his faith in Christ, and on
this credible profession Philip received him
by baptism into the communion of the
church. Hence the fitness, and the only fit.
ness required is to make credible profess
sion of faith in Christ. And this is all that
our standards require of those who join
the church communion. You do profess
Christ when interrogsted privately. If
your pastor or any of your elders speak with
you on the subject, you profess Him. Why
not then make that profession before them
when they are assembled for business as
court of Christ? II is for them to judge of
the credibility of your profession. You must
make the profession in the sincerity and
knowledge of your own heart; they must
judge of the crcdibility of that profession.
If you do believe on Christ, and do profess
Him in private, then you owe it to yourself,
to your God, to His church, and to consis-
tency, that you offer your profession such
as it is, to the judgment of the proper author
tiles of your congregations.
You cay again, " 1 am so far from what
ought to be; l am SO imperfect" This
difficulty you considered, and necessarily de-
cided, when you were considering the ques-
ton whether you do believe on Christ If
you have reached the conclusion 81 do be-
lieve, you have already decided upon the
value of this difficulty. Weighing it against
opposing states of your heart, you have de-
cded that there is preponderance of evi
dence that you do believe, and have con-
cluded therefore that you have real scrip
tural faith in Christ. Now then any ques
ton Of your imperfection is too late, when it
comes in to make you pause upon the protes.
sion of the faith which you feel. II is in
such case altogether foreign to the question
" Ought to join the church"
But after all, am glad you know that
you are imperfect and far from what you
ought to be-" If you felt otherwise you
would be both very self-righteous and very
Moses, Job, Isaiah, and Pc
Ter, law giver, patriarch, prophet, and apos-
tie, all felt very Imperfect, and that long af
ter they had been in the church. Paul in like
manner felt so when he wrote to the Romans
drawing distinction between Christ's right
eousness and mans righteousness. Read
Rom. viz Intelligent Christians feel so
now. 1t is then idle to wait for perfection. l
To wait for it is superstitiously to expect the !
of an idle and unscriptural dream. t
You will never be perfect in this world, :
where, by the very constitution of man, his il
motives and purposes are mixed. You will n
therefore,, if you wait on that expectation, n
lever join the church on earth; but must T
Eait till you pass over Jordan, and then join n
the general assembly and Church of the g
rat born which are written in heaven, made a.
erfect in the communion of God forever T.
lore anon. A. G. II. IL