The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-12-17
REFORMED EPISCOPAL

church Rev. j. F. Gurus subject was,
"Tne True Temple" "To whom coming
rs unto living stone, dissllowed indeed
OF men, but chosen of God and precious;
We also as lively stones are built up q
spiritual house, to offer up spiritual sscri-
fees, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ,
Peter, 2, A. 5.
Rev. Curtis said: The question is often
asked, "Where can we lind the Church
OF God? Is 1t al assembly OF those VINO
profess to be MS people, "r IL It composed
of those who are such III reality
Bellarmin expressly adopts the following
statement OF Augustine: "TLe Church
is q living system, composed both OF
body and soul, the soul being the gifts OF
of the spirit, faith, love, sc; the body, an
external profession Of faith ard use OF the
sacramenLs. Hence it follows that some
belong both to the body and the soul OF
the church, VIZ: the truly pious; these
may be compared TO the living member
Of the body, although they psrtake OF
life IN different degrees. Others belong
only to the soul, MS Catechumens or eX
communicated persons, If (as may occur),
they have faith and love. Othsrs lastly
are OF the body only such, namely, rs
while they have no inward grace are IT
outward union with the church. This is
certainly sound doctrite and is In &C
cordsrce with scripture, which teaches
Us that the gospel net gathers in bo,n the
good and the bad, and that the tsres and
the wheat will grow together until the
end. What then are the real
points OF distinction between the
Protestant and RomaEist? The same
writer says the difference is this: "The
Romsnist while admitting that there
is or ought to be, in the church, an In
terror lite, not cognizable by the eye, yet
regards til, rs Il separsb!e &C dent, and
makes the essence of the church TO con
sist IN what Is external and visible. The
Protestant, on the contrary, while sd-
hitting that TO be visible is an Insepsrs-
BILE property of the church, makes the es
senCe thereof 10 consist in what is spirit
ual and unseen, viz: The work of the
Holy Ghost in the hearts of Christians
Tho Protestant believes that il per.
son Is ;ruly pious that it is not absolutely
necessary for him to belong to any par
tculsr church, but that he may choose
from among the different denominations
of Christians the one that suits him best,
and is, according TO MS own estimation,
the nearest TO the apostolic pattern.
He believes that certain things
are necessary TO constitute
1F I, b. ,-, 81
church. These are the pure preaching
of the word; the proper standardization Of
the sscrameHts and the exercise OF dIsci-
pine. BE considers membership in
some church generally necessary to SAL
walton; but he does not claim that mis- is
the only true church, nor consign al
without her psle to the uncovensnted
mercles of God.
The Romsnist believes land sill who
accept his theory that there is but one
true visible church, and not finding IN
scripture any notes by which it msy be
distinguished, hss invented some to suit
himself. These are Unity, Sar city,
Cstholcity and Apostoliclty. But to the
sincere inquirer after truth, the words
OF men are nothing unless they are
supported by the word of God
The Protestant idea OF the true church
is taught in the text.
We learn then, who is its foundation,
OF whist it is comp Jsed, and by whom it
is inhabited. We can say with perfect
conhde ce, for the scriptures plainly de-
clare that CHRIST Is its foundation. ST.
Paul says, "for other foundation can no