Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-01-31
[Original.J
THE CHURCH.

IHE CHUhCn.
Two facts stare every one of us in the
face. The first is all men are sinners. The
second is some remedial scheme has been
devised by God for the salvation Of sinners.
The first fact is made manifest by the prOVi-
dences of God, and the second is revealed in
the word of God, and is cOrrobOrated by all
the dealings Of God with the human family.
No argument is required to prove that men,
universally, are resting under the curse of
God The effects of sin are seen and felt by
all men, at all times, and under all circum-
stances. The punishment of sin is, hOWev-
er, in no case in this world, complete.
Those who suffer most have many and great
mercies mingled with their sufferings. God
is waiting to be gracious, is the language of
his word and of his providences.
Jesus Christ came into the world to save
sinners. Sinnerssaved constitute the church
triumphant, or the church in heaven; and
sinners undergoing the process of salvation
constitute the church militant, or the church
here on earth.
The church in heaven embraces the whole
number of those redeemed by the blood of
Jesus Christ and sanctified by his word and
spirit. The church militant embraces all
those who are undergoing that peculiar
transforming process which shall ultimately
result in their fitness for heaven.
One remarkable feature of the militant
church is that each single individual is con-
sidered in connection with the whole. In
other words, Jesus Christ did not come into
the world to save q sinner, but to save SIN
SERs. The salvation Of each redeemed sim
ner is linked with the whole of the redeem
ed. Such is the nature of the plan of saliva
ton that each individual naust labor for the
salvation of all the redeemed. One man or
,4r<l t.,{n
plish nothing. Each individual member of
the visible church must work in concert
with each other individual. 1t is in this
concert of action that the operative strength
of the visible church lies. In this respect
the visible church is not unlike the honey
bee One single bee can accomplish moth
ing. 1t cannot live. 1t must die. So it is
with the members Of the visible church..
They must all work, but all must work to-
gether.
Those who claim that they are not bound
to labor for the salvation Of others make a
sad mistake, so far as their own salvation is
concerned. They are opposing the order of
grace, and the final result in their case must
be failure. God made man a social being.
In an isolated state, he can neither be useful
nor happy. He may toll, and in some sense,
accumulate wealth, but his toll will only be
the struggle OF putrel;tctloli, anu HIS lleap
ing together nothing but stagnation. The
visible church is made up of vast multi
tude of single individuals, but all those in
dividuals are united together by a tie which
is indissoluble. Not unfrequently individ-
uals, prompted by the enemy of all good,
come to the rash conclusion that they will
abandon the church. They do not mean to
say that they will abandon the service of
God and give up all hopes of heaven. All
that they design by this conclusion is that
they will work for themselvesand by them
selves. The man who attempts to work
only for himself and alone, undertakes a
task which he never will accomplish. He
may cease to work for God, but the less he
labors for God the more will he toll and
struggle for the devil.