The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-01-08
GtreGnteIli9sucer.
The Disciples Denomination.
What II Believes and Teaches as
y Religious Organization.
Statistics OF Present Member.
ship, Number OF Colleges.
ScnIinarieS, and De-
nOnIinhIIOnal
EeriOui'

Gals.
Extract from 4 sermon delivered yesterday ut the
Disciples Church, Centre Whssling, by the pas-
tor. IsV. o. +. Mlllsr.)
. Another religious movement
was inauguratcd shortly after the begin.
ing u the present century, ultimaLinH in
the religious body known as the Disci.
ples' Of Christ, or the Christian Church,
oiwhiCh will speak more particularly.
ltgaye less attention to church polity
than some movements that preceded il;
and was concerned more with tho faith
and practice Of individual life, claiming
that there had been great departure
from the ancient faith and practice Of the
apostolic church. lts great aim was to
return, in all things, 10 that divine
model.
RELIGIOUS BELIEF.
/: held, in common with all evangeli.
cal churches, to the divine inspiration Of
the Old and New Testament Scriptures;
to the divine character and mission Of
Jesus Of Nazareth; to the personality OF
the Holy Spirit; to the absolute necessity
o! all who come to years Of responsibli
" to be personally regenerated by the
agency Of the Holy Spirit through the in.
strImentality Of the Gospel. Those thus
becoming new creatures in Christ Jesus,
are permitted 10 possess the indwelling
OF tie spirit given unto them, and by a
continued Cody walk and conversation,
to 1.-Two in hope Of eternal life.
So, ,,.....
The movement specially urged the all
'uIiciency Vi the Holy Scriptures for
Christian faith and practice, az opposed
10 all crCcds and confessions Of faith,
other than the simple word Of God. il
was plea especially for the union Of all
Gods people into one body, holding that
the Scriptures taught the one Lord, the
ono Faith and the one Baptism; that
there was bu: one Church in the DAYS OF
the Apostles and should be but one now;
that i0rmularies OF faith aLd practices Of
human framing, such Us were held by
most Protestant churches, tended to di
vision and strife, and were therefore evil.
The current argument against creeds rs
authoritative, and ~ tests OF fellowship,
waI that il they contained anything that
was not in the Bible they should for that
reason be rejected; and il they contained
nothing but what was in the Bible, Us
was claimed for them, they were there
toro unnecessary and should for that rea-
Son be rejected. Nothing has been more
patent IN the history Of crecls than the
constant growth OF division. 1t has been
found more difficult, often, 10 determine
the meaning Of the creed than the meaning
Of the Bible on the same subject. There
fore the surest way to unity OF faith and
practice is to carry everything directly
To the Bible fer settlement, always calling
Bible things by Bible names, and con-
forming in all things to Apostolic prac.
tice and teaching.
MIRACULOUS CONVERSIONS DISCARDED.
The movement, discarded those marvel.
Gus experiences, wonderful visions and
highly wrought emotions, as examples OF
true conversions to Christ, or the work Of
the Holy Spirit, Us they were claimed to
be; and held that the pardon OF all sin,
giving peace,tO the conscience and Joy TO
the heart, was to be found alone in the
atoning blood Of the Lamb Of God, and
that the merits Of that blood, we're
reached through Seriplural faith in
Jesus as the son Of God; sincere repent.
anCe from all past sins, and an humble
obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ in the
ordinance OF Christian baptism.
FLEA FOR BAPTISM.
The plea for the necessity OF baptism |
was that, according 10 the commission
given by Jesus, ale that beliovelh and is
baptized shall be savedh and, in the Ian.
guage Of Peter OH Pentacost, "Repent
and he baptized, every one OF you, in the
name Of Jesus Christ, for the remission Of
sins, and ye shall receive the gilt Of the
Holy Ghost" Other Scriptures were
cited to the same import. As all other
passages must agree with these, and these
with all others, the pardon oil sin and the
gift Of the Holy Spirit, clearly foLiotred
these conditions; and when the sinner in.
huenced by the holy spirit, operating
through the truth, was brought to seek
peace and pardon in the blood OF Jesus
on these conditions, they (the Conditons)
became to him, in The very words Of God,
the evidences OF the pardon Of sin; and
this evidence joined 10 the glad expert
Cnce OF heart redeemed from sin, and the |
joyful indwclling Of the Holy Spirit, con.
stituted an evidence OF pardon, that he
could not mistake, and thus permitted
him, like the Eunnch Of Old, "to 20 on |
his way rejoicing"
WHAT. BAPTISM MEANS. -----I
As to what the ordinance OF baptism
really meant in the scriptures; twas held
that there was but one testimony in all
classic authority, us 10 the primary
meaning Of the word used to describe the
ordinance, viz: 10 dip, 70 pllINye, to in,
mSnt: and according to the united
testimony Otall church history, aud the
most approved authority upon the sub.
iect, and from the plainest teaching OF
the scri ptures, the ancient practice was
lmmerston. II was held that . scriptural
baptism was the immersion III water Of
believing penitent into the name OF the
Father and the Sou and the Holy Spirit.
This being the practice OF the Apostolic
Church, and the teaching and practice Of
the Apostles Of whom Il w,S said; "whats.
ever you bind on earth shall be bound in
Heaven" is the divine law to us; there.
fore, this, and this only, is Christian
baptism.
FORM OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT.
As regards church polity, it was
thought that the Apostolic form OF church
government was congressional, and all
association beyond the single ccongrega.
ton was advisory, or for carrying The
gospel to "regions beyond" and that
departure from this simple type OF cccle.
'iastical polity, finally grew into the for.
nation OF the oppressive establishment Of
the Church Of Rome. In this regard, no
more than any other, ii was held, had we
any right to depart from Apostolic model
or practice. With this faith and practice,
holding that in matters Of faith the PEG: