The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-22
IN THE CHURCH.
Room for All Corners
Within the Fold.
Rev. .WallaceNutiing breaches
About Membership.
The Idea of Being Christian Out
of the Church Is Absurd.

At the Union Congregational Church
yesterday Rev. Wallace Nutting preached
upon "Church Mem bership," taking for
his text Acts 2:47, "And the Lord added
to them day by day those that were being
saved.''
An abstract of his sermon is as follows:
IL We calculate the position of planet,
II will move on while we are still en-
gagged in our computations, and our result
will not be exactly correct. And were
we to measure the height OF a growing
plant and report it, the increase of the
plant would render our words inaccurate.
Similarly definitions OF what the church
is are always little wrong, because the
church, like the planet, changes its po-
sition, il moves on. And like the plant
IL grows.
In proportion 10 our knowledge of a
thing our definitions Will differ. We eau
tell better what the bew President will
do when he is elected, land we see more OF
him.
The church of the living God, the
bride OF Christ, the general assembly of
the first born, the chosen OF every tribe
and nation, the Holy Cstholic-that is
the tru9 universal-church is magniti-
cent conception. Like planet ii swings
on its course, whence Ii knows not. with
or 1t asks not, only 1t is propelled by an
invisible and omnipotent hand. Like a
plant IL becomes a tree, and refuge for
the life OF a world. Like a stone cut out
without hands, 1t grows to fill the whole
earth. Like a cathedral, IL is the work
of ages, tn which generations OF spiritu-
nj builders have expended their thought
and life, from course to course laying its
stone, springing its arches, rounding its
dome, carving its orDameDtation, all
centered around the foundation OF the
cross. Into it's various architecture have
entered the false anc the true, and down
would crash one of its pillars, until men
reared il again with purer hearts and
truer vision. And its UNCONVENTIONAL
members have been employed each upon
some feature of strength peculiar to it
self, one giving order, from Rome; anoth-
er giving beauty, from Greece; another
giving utility, from Germany. John
contributing the pillar of love; Paul
faith; james good works; Peter zeal.
Luther to cleanse and restore; he Walden
ses to exhibit it's strength and the Hol-
landers iIs grandeur and unsbaka hle
repose. The Moravians 10 enlarge 1t;
Cromwell TO be its trustee; Nesnder and
Schaff its clerks; Mozart and Handel
it's organists; England and America its
missionary committee.
Evidently there is enough OF it to fur-
nish food for thought ana affection, and
to give room for action. For the testi-
mony remains that Christ Himself loved
the church and gave Himself up for IT,.
Thus much by way OF introduction. Upon
these facts we base several statements.
/. The church Is large enough for as
all. IL we have the spirit OF Jesus. The
Lord added men TO the church. rs they
were being saved, and hence lie felt that
there was room for them in It. i meet
people who claim they are "too broad"
for the church. Both worse men and
better men than they were not too broad
for the church. IL is an idea not uncom-
mon, that there is no branch OF the
church capable OF giving scope for some.
My experience with men Is that the
people who do the least good want the
most room. The man who wants gov
ernment that won't touch him must
needs 90 out OF the world. i think mems
need Is not so much for more room in the
church as for more character TO fill the
church.
The real difficulty with mon who think
the church narrows them is that they
have not understood the use of the
church. The church Is not 10 cwarf
men, but TO stimulate them. The con-
servatory to force growth. The church
Is a school of enlargement, a stimulus 10
action, spur to ambition, a shsper OF
character. The ground IL a narrow place
for a dead thing. A life i'm the seed pro-
ceeds TO appropriate all IL can from the
ground. A dead spirit in the church
cannot expand. There Is always
room for life in this world; II not
Il makes room for itself. There IL
complaint that the creeds OF the church
arc too narrow. Let us see what they
contain. Jesus Christ, the fullness OF
the Fathers glory, ohulgent in tie world.
This presence spread. II grew to healing
the sick, casting out devils, fceiing the
poor; TO the wisdom Of the pnrsb bles; the
logic OF the sermon on the mount, the
love OF the cross, the power of the result
reotiop, the glory Of the promises OF n
great future. Surely this Is a great idea
larEe enough Tor the greatest creed.
The sweep OF power la the Holy Ghost
at Pentccost-that Is in the creed. The
overshadowIng perpetual providence OF
God through oil aRes-tbat Is there No
small idea that. The tremendous fact OF
fetribution for Unrepented sin--a fact
voiced IN tho greatest literature OF the
world--Christian and pagan from
Aeschy lus onward fact uttered in reit-
Grant persistence in every shuddering
human heart that IA. thorn lu the creed.