Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-04-01

I'd Samuel 14:14 LIST Kings SAT-;
Ezekiel l4:6 and 1890 Job. AZ :G.
9Th. That church had external,
ordinances, with internal
spiritual meanings. (Rome. 2:2S, 20;
Rom. All; Deut. l0:16; Levitt.
26 Al Acts 7:5l). Circumcision
was the symbol of the separation be-
tween the sin and the soul by the
work of the Holy Spirit. By that
spirit the connection between the
soul and the carnal or ieshy nature
was severed, and that work was the
real circumcision of the heart, OF
which the cutting off Of a piece of
flesh was only the sign or symbol.
The passover pointed to the work
of Christ for US, that is his atonement
for our sins-1st Cor. ST, "For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for
u.s." So that the eating of material
food in the passover feast vas the
symbol of eating by faith of that
bread that came down from heaven.
John 6:33. The eating of the pass
over was just as much, and in the
same sense, eating of the body and
blood of the Lord as eating the bread
and wine in the Lords supper. No
uncircumcised person was to partake
of the passover. Elk. 12:4S. Females
in families where the males were cir
cumclsed were not counted uncir-
~cumcised, but females of heather ma
tions were called uncircumcised.
Judges 14:3.
So we find a church of Christ un-
der the former dispensation. The
Lord Jesus loved that church. Deut.
1868. The holy spirit in his regen'
Grating, sanctifying and miraculous
power, as well as his indwelling and
comforting influence, was in and
with that church. Divinely appoint
ed teachers and ministers were there.
Rites, ceremonies and sacraments.
appointed by the Lord, were there,
The word worship and service OF
heart and life were there. Faith, re.
pentance, confession of sin prov.
28:13), prayer and good works were
there; all organized and directed by
the Lord Jesus in person. 1t was
a true, visible, spiritual church OF
Jesus Christ, but it had infants (suck
ing babes. Joel 2:16) IN it as a com
ponent part of Its membership, anc
that by the Lords express command
ment. Their membership vas re
cognized by a divrnely appointed
rite. Circumcision did not make tn.
child a member, for the uncircum
cised was to be "cut off, Gen
17:14), but it recognized that thu
child was a member-born under OBJ
legation to be the Lords in heart ant
life.
The i~ncsrnate Lord was born il
this church and was recognized a
belonging to the Lord and undo
obligation to keep the whole law, b.
being circumcised the eighth day
Much of his teaching was in tn
synagogues (the houses Of divin
Worship and in the temple. which h
called his own house.
This was the only visible churc.
of Christ on earth. John the Bay
tizer did not organize any church
Christ in person did not, and tn
Apostles did not. The word churc
is not found in the first three chap
tiers of the Acts in the best Gree
Testaments.
The Lord Jesus Jehovah) re
/ cognized the infant children of hi
people as being in his church by ez
press command. When did he pu
them cut by express command? Whc
) did he authorize anyone else to pu
them out? Never, and that is on
reason l claim that the law of BAL
tism (Math. 2s:19-2O) includes the,
unless they are expressly excluded
But now Mr.. Duncan objects this
in the church of Christ under a To-
mer dispensation there was yer
, much of ungodliness and unbelief
Sure enough we find a great deal
/ iniquity and among the members {
I the visible church before the inca
nation of Christ. But We some
times find that discipline was exerci;
} ed in that church in such a way tbs
if such discipline was exercised nov
adsy there would be quite a numbe
I of first class funerals. And the
we're all who became disciples {
Christ free frem unbelief and 81
even while he q on earth. Loo
at John 6:60-66 and John S;3O-4
where those swim believed on him
are called "children of the devil.n
Lnok at the church at CorintI
Were they all certainly born of til
spirit2 lst Cor, 5: 1-3, and |, Ills
Look at the seven churches Of Ash,
Rev. 2nd~gbd Ord cAaptsrs We.