Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-03-23
&eadiua fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
IOrlginal.1
NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH..

There are some persons who think the Old
Testament Church and the New Testament
Church mean two distinct churches. This is
dangerous delusion. We say delusion, be-
cause there is no ground in the Bible for any
such conclusion. There is but one Church
now. and there never has been but one Church
on the earth. BY Old Testament Church is
meant-when the expression is properly used
the Church under or during the former dis
pensation and by New Testament Church, is
meant the Church under the present dispensa-
tion. BY dispensation, is meant the mode or
manner of administration.
The first dispensation began with the time
that God made the first promise TO Adam, in
the Garden of Eden, and continued up to the
ascension Of Jesus Christi period of about
four thousand years. The present dispensa-
tion began when the former ceased, and is still
in force and will continue to the end of the
world. The two dispensations are the same,
in that the object of faith is the same in BOTH
They differed in this, that under the former
dispensation Messiah was believed on prospect
lively, or as the Saviour to- come under the
present dispenSatiOn, he is believed on as a
Saviour already come.
| Under the former dispensation, the mode of
worship was different, but the object of wor-
ship was the same Then, God was worshiped
in such a way as to express faith in promised
Saviour. This was the design of all sacrifices
that are prescribed in the Old Testament Scrip
lures. These sacrifices all typifed Christ to
come. In fact, the name Jehovah means
''Him who will cOme' To Jehovah all these
bloody sacrifices pointed. These sacrifices
were abolished when Christ died, because the
end for which they were originally designed
was accomplished.
In the Old Testament Church there were
several periods. One period reached from the
time that God promised that ''the seed. of the
woman shall crush the head of the serpent, :"
to the time of the giving of the law on Mount
Sinai. This period embraced more than twen-
ty-five hundred years. During these years the
Church was in formative State. 1t was
without a written revelation and had no stated
public ministry. There were priests, but, so
far as we know, they were not regularly ap-
pointed. Every individual officiated as priest
for himself and his household. During this
|
thrilling events transpired. Cain slew his
brother Abel, the inhabitants of the world
were destroyed by a flood, the tower of Babel
was built and the confusion of language took
place. 1t was during this period that Abra-
ham was called from Ur of the ChaldeeS, and
the Egyptian bondage and rescue occurred.
The second period reaches from the giving
of the law to the time of the Saviour. This
period was full of wonderful events. The
theocracy was granted, the Aaronic priesthood
was established, the theocracy was withdrawn
and Saul made King, Saul was rejected and
David crowned. 1t was during this period
that the Jewish temple, the grandest edfice
the world ever saw was built, destroyed and
again rebuilt. Every event, in both periods,
was one of series of development which ter
minated in the birth, life, death, resurrection
and ascension of Jesus Christ.
In the New Testament Church, or to speak
more correctly, in the Church in or during the
present dispensation, there are no marked Pc
RODS, unless period be made during the life
time of the Apostles The last of these was
John. BY him the Canon of Scripture was
completed. Since his day no new revelation
has been given to the Church, nor have we
any. authority to expect that any will be given.
All the revelation concerning Gods will and
mans duty that the world will ever receive is
contained in the Scriptures.
With regard to the Church, it is not as some
persons enormously think, some one of the
many religious denominations now in the
| Tbo cisfc Of oil lUb bn
profess the true faith, that is of all those per-
sons who profess faith in Jesus Christ as the
Saviour of sinners. Part of the Church is in
heaven and part is on earth. Part has crossed
the river, part is crossing, and part has not yet
reached it. That part of the Church which
has not yet reached the narrow bound, which
separates time and eternity is called the Church
militant, or the Church engaged in war that
part which has crossed the bound is called the
Church triumphant, Or the Church celebrating
long series of splendid victories.
The first volunteers who entered the Church
militant were Adam and Eve, and the first of
Adams race who entered the Church triumph
ant was Abel. Ever since the days Of Adam
the Church has been increasing in power and
numbers. The Church militant will soon take
the world. No weapon that has ever been
formed against it has ever prospered. Its enc
mics are forced to lick the dust.
gage One or Mr.. Surgeons latest is the fol-
lowing II was in Cologne on a very rainy
day, and I was looking out for SMILES and
metaphors, as / generally am, but | had moth
ing on earth to look at in the square of the
city but All old pump and what kind of a SINH
lie could make out Of it could not tell. All
traffic seemed suspended, it rained so hard |;
but noticed woman come to the pump with
a bucket. Presently noticed man come
with bucket, nay, he came with yoke and
two buckets. AS kept on writing and look
ing out every now and then, l saw the same
friend with the often buckets and the blue
blouse coming to the same pump again. In
the course of the morning think l saw him
II dozen times. | thought to myself, "Ah, you
do not fetch water for your own house, am
persuaded; you are water-carrer; you fetch
water for lots Of people, and that is why you
come Oftener than anybody else.' Now, there
was a meaning in that at once to my soul, that
| inasmuch as had not only to 90 to Christ for
myself, but had been made a water-carrier to
carry the water of everlasting life to others, I
must come much oftener than anybody else."
THE SCRIPTURAL VIEw.-When death oc-
ours in family the friends call in great num-
bers for few days or weeks, but in month
or two cease their attentions But experience
proves that it is then that loneliness becomes
insupportable. Visiting "the widow and the
fatherless in their affliction," does not mean
attending the funeral nor making formal
call, but the continued manifestation of Chris
tian sympathy and friendship. There are
many widows and many children in the Chris