St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-27
SAINT PAUL.
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.
Its Advantages FOrcibly Set Forth
by Rev. e. X. Edwards.

by Rev. e. X. Edwards.
Rev. E. r. Edwards, of the Christian
church, preached yesterday on the
necessity and advantages Of church
membership. taking as his text Heb.
X, %.
We are to consider our subject in its
broad and collective phase rather than
in its individual and special meaning.
Our discourse refers primarily to the
church upon earth as made up of hui
man beings. Church membership may
be understood in twO-fold relation.
namely, the visible and invisible. Large
numbers claim Identification with Gods
people whose names are not upon the
roll OF any specific organization. 1t
shall be our purpose to prove that such
position, while juStiiable, is never
theless against spiritual development
along the safest and best lines. Asceti-
cism and mOnasticism belong to an age
that has long since passed. The soil
tary life of hermit monks is AS foreign
10 the natural and spiritual constitution
OF man as that the sun should shine at
night and the moon unfold her bright
ness at MONDAY.
Christ mingled with the people. He
moved among all classes. BY His
example we must learn that His re-
liglon sends US into an active, hustiing
world to help humanity. A recluse is
an oddly. The word religion itself,
signlfying binding together, forever
banlsheS the idea that a hermit can ever
benefit the race by his retirement or
emphasize the beauty OF the Gospel by
his asceticiSm. Man is pre-emlnently
social being. When God said at is not
good for man to be alone" the principle
of association was universally estab.
lished. This idea is now one of the
inherent and innate desires arising
from the constitution of the MIND.
70 recognize it, is to seize an
element of growth; to act upon it,
is to find the secret of all evolution
into well-rounded and developed per-
Sonality. 1t is an essential factor in
reaching the highest standard Ofman-
hood and w0manhood. The assembling
of ourselves together reveals our weak
ness and another's strength, our lack
and another'S Sufficiency. Contrasting
and comparing ourselves with others
enables each to discover what is most
desirable i'll the formation of character,
and to eliminate whatever binders our
progress toward the ideal. The princi-
pie known as love of society obtains in
binds and preserves the welfare of the
nomadic tribes that travel a trackleSS
desert, and conserveS the pleasure of
the polished assemblies of culture,
fashion and grace. This law emphasizes
and makes possible the brotherhood of
man, and becomes the foundation of ma
tlonal existence. Society is sub-diyided
into numerous classes. These divisions
are the children of circumstance and
environment. Diverse conditions ariS-
ing from the positions occupied by men
necessitate these factions whose inter-
estS are as widely separated as the
poles. Instead of mutual cooperation,
and universal blending of what
touches all, there is frequently war of
class against class. Each organization
III Itself, however, was made stable and
united on the basis of the innate prili-
ciple called the love of society,". The
unlfiying of the mass was principally
that the whole association might secure
advantages not possible to the indiyid
ual singly and alone. II human Soci-
cites thus discover plan whereby their
common veal is promoted and find it
in the law of association shall
we not be quick to realize it as the best
method to advance the spiritual inter-
ests of man? The futility and absurdity
of suppOsing that your personal welfare
and interest will be we'll cared for indie
pendent of your fellow men, is no more
foolish than to suppose we can unfold
the possibilities of the soul separate and
apart from fellowship with our fellow
Christians. We sometimes are amazed
at the stupendous and rapid growth of
the church in early times. If each i'll
dividual converted had reasoned as
some now rnocnn itc history XUOnI1 have
been less inspiring and arouse but little
enthusiasm. As the people were in
Quoted to life of piety and goodness
they associated with each other in wor-
Shipping God. This gave them both
power and prestige. and was largely in
strumental in cOnquering the regions
roundabout for Christ.
They did not neglect Ito assemble
themselves together" and thus very
materially advanced their own spiritual
growth and drew the attention of others
to the preaching and teaching of the
apostles. AS a result. the Gospel made
magnificent conquests and claimed
many a victory. The difference be-
tween man in the church that is ideu-
tilted with some specific body and one
not so situated is the difference between
a brick in building and brick on the
street. One serves good purpose aDd
the other has no set and fixed sphere of
usefulness. 1t is true that in another
sense some persons out of the church
may be designated i'll modern parlance
as bricks. So they are, and good sub
stantial ones, but they would be still
more of brick if they would get into
the walls of the spiritual temple and
become identified with their fellows.
The fact that they are made of good
material is the reason they should oc-
cupy position among Gods worship