Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1894-02-22
Church Membership.

Il is curious how frequently persons
who hnnw better will fall lNto the
common error insrraEing OF these whom
,frv ca. 'church mem ers. BY this
term hey almost INTERNALLY mean those
who have become communicates IN
church or as 1t is otherwise lhrasrd.
united With the church. EntlieI y tor
g,if Of their c,techi;,n and It's very
expl! it :. item ats when 1t saws, 1t
teaches every child 10 say, NV sponccrs
in bapt,,N, uh.ycin was made mem
ter Of Christ, a c.4lId Of God, an an m
he.tor Of the Kingdom Of Heaven.
Now. a>anrvdiy, no p"rson can become
A member of Christ without being Il
rrrmber Of the church, because th,
Church j, l.e b Dds Of Cnrlsl and HIS
mem ,ys u,l be ler UeLnbe.s Tins
is rot erelv the teaching Of the Epis-
copaI Church ard her Ca,echiSm. II
j. the r,ainvst and most dir, ct teaching
Of Cow Word, Ivr St. Paul positively
saws tna, ,husc who have tcrE baptlse
INTO Htr.-t have on CAr'>t 1t Is
IN Tins sense ,oD hat 81. Heier says,
',yon b.,t!:m al o doth uow save US,
b,c4nss, as s.. nike R.Hs in accounting
the effects of s.. Ietyl setm1n Oh ,Ae
De- OF lie ecust, "t.t LOAD added to
the rlolun daily, such as should be
saved TAe connection between all
these passages is very c!ta'' III i the
one th'n.Nt. BApti,m is confession OF
Cbl-t.n III 81 wn0socyev in faith of lAis
premise is btpllseI luto Hun, cort '-ses
Him and wnoSo r1uic$2e- IL IN before
men, hlu viii! Christ "oonfe>s before
lIle F.;Nrr Which Is in Heaven.
The crulp. Of links is very beautifully
w,'b,d .oy,,hs, ~ the Apostolic Writ
lnss Btp'lsn /, the entrance into the
Gao. Il aud tn 'rcToye church memb r.
snip i, continually insisted upo'. ST.
Paul asks the early members Of the
Church Know We not that 50 many OF
rs a. were bApt.sci INTO Christ We're
bar,;,vG uuto His death" And AGAIN
eve alr buried with Him in baptism :
showing tie absolute participation IN
and with IlL. which constitutes mem.-
ip.
IN fact. to 90 to tie very beginning
OF the Divine Truth, our bless d LORD
himself ,lrciared it when teaching Mic
Ulen.uS yhcarnlng the earthly things
Of HIS LIN dolu. He affirmed 5" solemn.
~, ~ orlv. verify, say unto Won, en-
u-u' il man he bun Of water aud Of the
Spirit. he clunor enter the Kingdom Of
God. Of course we all know that the
Fingdom of God aud the Kingdom of
Chrl,1 are te ms usd to cypress the
.C.ulth or liousrhold; as IN he frs,
CHAPTER of Acts We are tod that af'rr
His resurrection He rem ln"l with His
disciplrs forty days speaking If the
Inns pertaining to the Kingdom OF
Evi,lrgtiy then, our blessed Lord was
declaring Nlcodeu4ns the .nitlatorv
Ilte and solemn sacrament ~ which
alone through water and thr Acali"g Of
the Holy Gnost as ratified covenant
tn. ~ who "e,c 10 become members
;f tbs KING lolu could enter It. After
all, you So, what Difference does it
make, Where aprrson Is b'p'sed and
becomes mc!aLer E The Church, he or
she becomes a comnH,nlcant Ct course
and SO it is the same thing. Not At ali.
Baptism is puttIr on Chnst and com
,nanion ~ feeding Oh CHRIST. B,ptls,n
il the b. inning Of tEe outset; being
horn again into u new Kingdom. We
are hv nature born IL the natural,
amin ! 9-lom By The blessed gift
Of Christ in Els Church, we are born
again INTO s"iidlAl, heavenly King
dom. Tins l. what Is meant b. regen-
,ra,aon; a., IT. Peter calls It Washing Of
regeneration; T. ...'ore, It Is bless a.,
holy sraI U! ,hl, II uem bershnp by
which We are r"geuerarel aud born
anew inc GoI'g Krnglou, beng made
.nemb,ys Of C1rist ksmt Gber how
eyer, regeneration - not n,orut,J" ,
being torn into I KIM lom Is not being
renewed IL. Ae.rt AMI ilt'.
suaIl nave something to say about