Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-06
CHUCRB MEMBERSHIP.


Corinthians SO,
is it the duty of everyone who believes
IN Christ to unite with some church? Can
8 man be just as, good a Christian, who
never places his name on the rolls of
church? There are but two parties in the
great contest going on in this world,
Gods and the DEVILS, and every person be-
longs to one or the other. The church is
the recognized army of Christ. 1t may
number among its members traitors, cow
ards and laggards but it is the only recog-
Eized army of Christ.
The church is emphatically the home of
Christs friends. However much men may
use its sanctity as cloak to cover their
sins, or to further their partisan or selfish
interests, still it is the home whose foun-
dations Christ laid when he called his
twelve APOSTLES 10 follow lin 1t is the
natural thing for man to do, who has
felt the exceeding blessedness of the
love of God, and who hopes for eternal
life through Christ, to join himself to
those who have the same faith and the
same hope. Ought not the names of the
roster of the army, the church?
That all church members are not Chris
tans, is as true as that all Christians are
not church members, but there are weighty
reasons why Christian should belong to
some church, and one is that it holds
hm more steadfast to the cause of Christ.
When temptations to evilassail him the
nnh n fhn hn Lo1 al
the world, and of the open shame
he would bring upon the name of his
Redeemer, if he yielded, will give him
strength to resist His honor is pledged
to has God, and he cannot go back without
perVuring himself. Another reason in
favor of church-membership is that per-
son can work more efficiently there than
alone. Concerted action always produces
the grandest results. A mountain strel,n
rushing over rocks and Winding tncuu-a
meadows may turn mill wheels ans carry
row boats, but when It's waters minrle
with the ocean they form a highway for
nations, and the proudest ship ever built is
but play of its waves. A single
sharR8hOoter may do good service II time If
WAY, but it is the ranks Of trained soldiers.
whose steady resistless charge drives the
enemy from the field.
The redemption of the heather through
She spread of a freei Bible, the growing
prevalence OF the idea that amicabe ar
bitraton in the settlement of information
al difficulties is better than war are the
work of the church. Personal salvation
may not depend upon church membership.
but If man is determined, earnest
Christian, his home and his place of work
2re in the church.
But 1t is urged, human nature is so
weak, and every one must fall into temp
sations and sin sometimes, and if man
does not belong to a church he cannot
bring reproach upon the name of Christ.
OF course, if a man has decided that he
must sin, the church is no place for him,
there are too many such men in the church
already. But if he has faith in God, and
AZ determined to do his will and keep his
commandments, his place is on the Lords
side.
That some of the best and noblest men
OF this age are not church members is very
trne, and the fault belongs to the church
itself 1t arrogates for itself infallibility and
unless man subscribes to its creed he
is cast out as heather. The church is no
longer simply the church of Christ; Calvin.
Auther, Wesley and a host of other
men have each his following. and
although there was no council to
declare for them one and all
as the council of Genevp, did for the
doctrines of Calvin, that 'they were the
holy doctrines of God, and that from this
sine forth no one shall dare to say augbt
against the said book, or the said doc
trine, but shall all and several adhere to
this Still each sect hold that nothing
can be added to its creed, and nothing
taken from it.
A man may be st. John in his love for
MS Master and in purity of life, but if he
does not believe in election, immersion or
hell of eternal torment, he is not con-
sidered worthy of place in the church. or
seat at the Lords table.
Tile bigotry and dogmatism of
church members has made not
en.s more jnfdels than all other
causes combined, but it keeps intelligent
thinkiog CHRISTIANS out of the church. it
bars them out.
Nj many years ago Christian gentle
m a.. brought sick friend to a hospital
IN the auspices of a denomination of