The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-04-24
GENUINE GOSPEL.
The Church Of Christ Organ, Member
ship, Objections Sabbath
Keep it Holy-The Spirit in
Vision.


HE#N 5AS %F
M. E. CHURCH.
The church OF Christi
Text: "And the Lord added TO the
church daily such as we're being saved"
Or. W Acts 2 Al.
l. The church is at Divine origin.
In the midst of 70 many different de-
nominations, and the rapidly multiply
ing, fraternal, philanthropic and reform
atory societies, we are in danger OF
losing sight of the Divinity OF the church.
The church is as old as mankind. 1t
has evolved itself through several
periods p~atriarchal, Levitical evangi-
cal and now the triumphal. The birth
OF the Christian church was the dawn OF
the triumphal period. The old church
under a new charter, and with new ok
p~erience and power. 1.-THE church OF
God" is a common term proving it's
divinity. The intimate relation,
amounting to practical identity
is established by the following passages:
Husbands love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it; ETC." .And he 10 the
head of the body, the church, etc." st.
Paul has defined the church as a body
OF people who have faith in the Lord,
Jesus, and love unto all the saints"
Denominations seem to have been provi-
dentially born. re it wa not Gods first
and best plan, yet the result OF a per-
missive and overruling providence. They
have stimulated bible research, christian
zeal and consecratlon.
The rock which is under the christian
church is the firm faith and fervid con-
fession that Jesus is the "Christ, the son
of the living God" The church is more
than a lodge, club or society.
2. Who, then, are eligible to church
membership.
Every chris. Ian, and only such, accord
ing to text and context (a) the saved.
Those who havefbeen forgiven, justified,
regenerated, adopted, children of God
may be weak, inirmities and hopeless;
may have had an unsavory and unenvi-
able reputation in the past, but notwith-
standing, if God receives, the church
should do likewise. (b) The baptised,
Baptism is not to save, but because we
are saved. 1t is al outward sign OF an
inward grace" 1t should be attended
to il it has been neglected previously,
(c) Those showing a christian spirit,
verses AZ to AZ explain fully. These are
the new testament requirement for
church membership, and orthodox
churches should demand as much and
no more.
3. Many objections are urged against
uniting with a church, by young con
verts, (a) some say II am not good
enough" 1t is not the thought oil
Christ through the church to receive
every man perfect, but to present every
man perfect" IL your aspirations are
to be better, the church will help. The
babe needs a home the more because it
is a babe, (b) "Wait and see how / hold
out, this is equivalent to saying II have
about made up my mind to 60 back, and
hence not worth WHILE" It betrsys the
double mind which unstable is in all its
ways, (c) can get along, and live a
christian without the church." Possibly
SO, probably not.
BAPTIST CHURCH.
Is. 58:13. IA. Elk. 20:8. The root idea
of the word Sabbath is cessation-rest.
1t does not necessarily refer to any par.
ticular day of the week, as ia Lev. %
there are six or seven Sabbaths, ON az
many days of the week, "holy convoca.
%tions," in which mo work is to be done
and "to be kept for ever, throughout all
your generations" There were over
sixty Sabbaths each Jewish year, and
the whole Of every seventh year was a
Sabbath. The seventh day Sabbath,
like all the others, was distinctively a
Jewish institution. The command to
keep none Of these Sabbaths is repeated
In the New Testament, though other
commands were often repeated. Until
Jesus death and resurrection, Jesus and
the apostles kept only the Jewish Sab
baths, being under the law and the
prophets" Being jews they would have
been stoned to death had they not.
subsequently they observed also the
first day 8 the Lords Day. in com