Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-04-10

When Paul addressed himself to
his Brethren there, his subject was the
church. Its organization had been a
source of great solicitude to him, and
he was constrained to great earnest
ness in his exortations relative to the
welfare of the church. He withheld
nothing in his statement to the Elders,
he enjoined upon them that they
preach repentance, he exorted them to
remember and irafch
".7nd now Brethren, commend you
10 God, and TO the ,rord Of His grace,
whica is atie 20 build you up, and 70
giUe yoa an inheritance among all them
which are sanctjfcd"
The imagery of the text is grand
and worthy of the apostle Paul.
The church in its organization is
represented as a building with Chr,St
for a foundation. Chr,st is the cor
ner-stone, and the material of the
church are the fallen men and women.
Paul calls the material ',you that were
dead"
God is the builder of the chtirch;
God only cen renew the church.
From the long introductory which
has Just been briefly outlined; Mr..
Sherlock announced the
THEME
to be THE CHURCH. From the theme.
the Reverend gentleman analyzed the
sermon.
FIRsT-THE VISIBLE CHURCH. s
The visible church must consist in
snch temporal or worldly things as a
house Of worship, where people nsy
assemble to hear the gosrel presehed,
and where ss6faments riay be admin
istered- Organization is part of this
visible church. The membership is
part of the visible church. The Sab.
tdth school is part of the visible
church. Man has much to do with
this part of the church, but God
moves upon the minds. of men to
baild and to organize.
sEcoND-THE SPIRITUAL or INVISIBLE
CHURCH.
There may be pleasures connected
with the duties in the organization
and work of the temporal church, but
the higher delights are found in the
spiritual or invisible church. God
builds up the true believer and the
spiritual church is the true believers
paradise. There is a spiritual pro
gression that exceeds the delights of
temporal possession, or intellectual
progression Temporal organization
is good, hzcwledge is good, but no
possession, and no knowledge is like
the knowledge of God Christian
friends, get the knowledge, 1.-The Joy |
of God"
At this point in the sermon Mr..
Sherlock deduced three principles as
springing from God the builder of |
the spiritual church in the minds and |
hearts of men.
lsf. God builds up the beiieUer's FAITH. |
2nd. God builds up the believers LOVE
3rd. God builds up the believers HOPE
And now, brethren, 1 commend |
you to God to be built lip; 1 com
mend you to FAITH, LOVE, HOPE These |
will give you the inheritance spoken |
of by the Apostle in the text.
The church is an inheritance
Christ is an inheritance. 1t is the |
future inheritance that Paul speaks
of. If you could unveil the future,
how you would long to enter upon
the possession of that inheritance.
1 am glad that there is such an inher-
itance awaiting the faithful believer. |
The martyrs are all there, our kim
folks who have preceded us in the
future world are all there, and Joy |
mspeakable viii be ours when we get |
there. 1 commend and commit you
'fO God and the ,rord Of His grace
Men sometimes, these days talk of
the traditions of the church. Ispeak
no such words. 1 speak not of ira
ditions. i speak of God and the ,cord
Of HIS grdce, to these 1 commend you.
At the conclusion of the sermon
proper, the Reverend gentleman
spoke of the time that he lived among
this people, of how he ''came in and
went out before them,' of his friend
ly relations with the people Of the
place generally, Of how God had re-