The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-19

w1tnouy reV6ia61on. Her0&and there you may
find little group OF advanced thinkers who IN
form us that man was made in the image of the
ape, and is specimen OF the animal Thea,
why does not mans soul sleep on in its little
straw bed In some miserable little hutf The
soul has been up on the mount and caught
glimpses of the divine. Man is to reach the
goal of his highest and truest destiny by build
ing up his character according to the divine pat
tern or ideal, and to this end the church ex-
tends her means and instrumentalites. First
the ideal church is divine institution; its high
est possible function on earth is to commend
God to the trust, obedience and fidelity of men.
The God which the church commends is not a
mere name for an external cause, not as oxygen.
'the matter king" not great intramundane
and animating force, but as person who can
say "In and "thou," who may love
be and loyed, who hears and answers
prayer, who may have a family
bound to him by reverence gratitude and love-
1.-THE God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which, according to his abundant mercy, hath
begotten US again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an
inheritance lncorruptible and undefled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time" The church not only includes the idea Of
God who is a person, and who reigns as a
king, but also as moral governor who has sub
jects allied to him by will and choice, we'll as
by creative act, and so form a distinct and
spiritual kingdom. The ideal church includes
1.-THE word of His grace" the gospel-a system
that is known to US as Christianity. Instead of
negations, there is something that we positively
call 1.-The TRUTH" instead of series of PROPOSE
tions which may be held or sundered at will, in
stead OF chapter after chapter Of antiquities
which may mean little or much, something or
nothing the New Testament presents system
called the gospel. 1.-The word of His grace" which
is neither paganisn, nor transcendentalism, nor
ecclesiasticlsm; which Is not built upon the
opinions of men, but the word of God, which is
the last and only perfect revelation of the way of
salvation, and (which is able to build
you up and to give you an inherit
ance among them which are sanctifed."
The Christian church includes and gives great
prominence to what is commonly called ex-
perimental piety-personal reconciliation with
God upon the condition of personal faith in the
Redeemer-the importation Of divine life to- the
soul by the agency of the Holy Ghost and
growth in grace and the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ by living in the constant use of the
means OF grace.
culture, or civilization however valuable they
may be, constitute religion in the Christian
sense of that term. Organization is a condition
of power, and Is essential to the work of the
church, but we do not believe that forms are es-
sential to the church of Christ that officers of
authoritative power essential to the organi
cation of the Christian church. I do not be-
lieve that under the Christian dispensation any
form OF ecclesiasticlsm is of divine origin. Our
Lord came not to construct ecclesiastical forms,
but to lay the foundation of spiritual kingdom:
hence no denomination can claim to be divine
institution as to its outward forms.
Evidently it was the divine ideal, as revealed
in the life and teachings of Christ that all forms
are adjustable and iexible. and to be efficient
must possess the power of adaptation to the ex-
listing wants of the people; that they are time
serving and will all pass away when the
last note of the conflict has died away on the
ear, and all the spiritual Israel are kings and
priests unto God and His Christ in the New Je-
church Of Christ is not UNCONVENTIONAL, but
embraces all denominations who love our Lord
Jesus Christ. The organic unity Of the church
is a gross perversion OF the unity of believers
as taught by Christ and His apostles, and as far
as it has obtained has greatly circumscribed
and impeded the progress OF the Christian re-
ligion. From this idea OF the apostolic sue
cession of church ecclesasticism has come the
bigotry, narrowness and intolerance that has 80
sadly misrepresented the true spirit of the
Christian church, and so foully stained the
otherwise fair pages of her history.
Observation-Disclosures is great blessing by
means of which the church of Christ is in
creased in all respects a hundrsd-fold. AS
Methodists We cherish that particular form of
government which 10 called episcopal, believing
that there is some foundation, although no au-
thority for it in Gods word We cherish, like
wise, the spirit of Christian fraternity. and re-
joice in the prosperity of all branches of the
church of Christ. The kinds Of ma
chinery, organizations, methods, which
we want to-day in religion, as in ev-
erything else, are such as adapt themselves most
perfectly to our present condition and needs So
Jesus taught So all best experience teaches.
So reason teaches. I know that some people
still cling to the old idea that Jesus gave his dis
cples and apostles instructions as to how the
Christian church should be organized, and that
81 fol1n aT Ia in ho
organization Of the Christian church Now this
theory is without foundation in the New Tesla
ment Jesus did not organize any outward
church at all; He simply gathered together con-
gregations and preached to them. He was by
birthright and the faithful observance of all the
ceremonies member Of the jewish Church. but
He clearly taught that Christianity must have a
form and organization essentially different from
the Jewish Church. Neither do men put new
wine into old bottles, else the bottles break and
the wine runneth cut and the bottles perish; but
they put new wine into new bottles, and both
are preserved" This remarkable declaration of
Christ touches this whole question squarely, and
teaches conclusively that so far from prescribing
any form OF church organization or machinery.
He gave us the great principle that no such form
should be prescribed, only so far as to meet the
demands of the work Of preaching the gospel to
every creature The disciples of Jesus unques-
tionably organized churches. But every
where they seem to have done this,
but simply always in such form as would best
subserve the religious needs of the people; in
other words, they always seemed to have acted
upon this broad principle OF Jesus. For a con-
siderable time the early church seems to have
been governed by this principle. The authority
of the Christian church was to be found in 'the
word Of His Grace" kingdom that cometh not
with observation but that is within US. and must
be within as, else we cannot have an inheritance
among them which are sanctifed. The gospel
is the ''same yesterday, to-day and forever" but
adjustable and flexible. Methodism did Tot
meet with such wonderful success because 1t had
any new gospel to preach. 1t preached the same
old gospel. but the secret of success was found
to be in the methods of Methodism. They were
new and adapted to the wants of the people.
The machinery of Methodism has run well for
hundred years, but that does not prove that the
very same machinery will run well for a thous-
aud years, or even for the next hundred years.
Some notifications have been made already, and
it is my convection that just at this time we are