National Baptist world., 1894-09-21
THE CHURCH AND ITS ORGANIZER,

MR.. EDITOR: Please permit me
to say word upon the above
caption, to your many read
ers. There is always something
said about all other societies and
their organizers, and | think that
something ought to be said about
the church and its organizer so that
the people may know the true organ
lied church and it's organizer.
You will find that the word church
in the original, means ecclesla or
congregation, but the people Of God
were spoken Of in the old testament
times under different names, but not
as a church. The organized church
Is referred to 90 different times in
the new testament and not a single
time in the old, and this is evident
that while the church in the sense OF
q great congregation or the chosen
peOple Of God existed from the days
Of Adam to the beginning Of the Chrls-
tian dispensation, yet it never assum-
ed organic form, as separate BODIES
with membership, rules OF action, or
dinances and doctrines until the new
difpensation. For many ages the
people read the law with mystic
veil over their faces, and saw God
through the smoke Of their sacrl1-
cial affairs, and their worship was
surrounded with mystery, vapor
and clouds, which could only be dis
pelled at the rising Of the sun OF
Righteousness God only reveals
himself to men in proportion to the
compass Of their preceptive power;
hence, different periods have mark
ed the progress Of man, and then he
demanded fuller revelation of the
Deity, In the first ages OF the World
men found themselves without IN
yentions, without history, without
books. without written language, and
in barbarous and savage state; then
d traditional revelation Of the know
ledge Of God came to men, and then
came also, the object lesson OF the
burning bash, the scape goat, the
slaughtered lamb and sprinkling OF
blood and ashes, which brought
some attribute Of God before the con-
centiOn Of the understanding ana
development Of the mind OF man.
AZ men advanced in knowledge, IN
,ran+ion came to their assistance and
then God revealed himself TO
them through written mediums
thus. from time to time, making such
revelations Of himself as the moral
and intellectual standard Of the age
conld receive. This brings to notice
the revelation Of the Divine to the
human, through the human; Tor the
prophets were the moral leaders OF
their dav and many Of them in poln'
Of intellect, social position ana Juol
cial power, were greatly in advance
Of their age and people. 1t was no.
the family training or the ability O
the prophets that made monarch'
tremble and Empires shake, but |
was the delivering Of the Divine vii
conceived and delivered to the hu
man intellect concerning crimes
prescribed actions, and leading doc
trines thus the historic past anC
future opening kept step with TN
advance guard in the worlds pro
oressive march nntil the fulness
time and the progress OF man ue
manded new and more comprehen
sive revelation. Then the reap
hook-which had served its day
gave way to the swinging scytn
which in its turn was laid aside an
the wheel Of progress took its plac
and reaped the harvests. At the IL
vention Of the telegraph, the mess
enger boy on horse back stoppe
riding, and when the iron hors
came plunging out making man
miles an hour, the clumsy WACO
stopped with its passengers. 30 yo
see all Of these were swallowed up
the great revelation wherein Gt
had revealed himself to the wor
through the man Christ Jesus. NO
at this time the world beholds
Kingdom within Kingdom and
State within State. In this kin
dom the standard of manhood is pc
fection the object to be obtained
the image Of Christ; the work to
done is the destruction Of sin, a
the ground to be occupied IS 7
world. So when we look for the
ganization, laws and doctrines OF
Church, we dare not go beyond
Christian era, AS every other
stitution had beginning and So
one to begin with, SO did the Chul
have beginning and some one
begin with. John was appointed
notify the people Of the new orga
zation and to notify them that
organizer was the Lamb Of God y
taketh away the sins Of the wol
So. whdn Christ came to organ
the Church and to give the rules
- Voc ackn0wled ped b