The Portland daily press., 1896-04-27
NEW JERUSALEM.
Rev. Mr.. Spiers breaches His Farewell
Sermon.

He Makes an Answer to Mr.. Galloupe-He
| Claims the New Church Is the Church,
At the New Jerusalem church, yester-
day. Rev. J. B. Spiers delivered his fare
we'll sermon. He had served the society
here nearly five years, but the time had
come when his interests in other direc-
tions compelled him to give up the work
in Portland. He had shared the joys and
sorrows of those who were engaged in do
ing the Lords work in Portland. He had
much to regret, but much more to be
thankful for. Mr.. Spiers very feelingly
alluded to the kindly treatment which
had been accorded him. He did not want
to have u formal farewell address, be-
cause he hoped 1t was not to be perma-
readily secured he should be glad to come
from Newport, which would be his home,
to supply, when no one else could be got.
Mr.. Spiers will engage in secular work
at Newport, looking after his father-in-
laws seed and fruit farms, but he will
|
ty offers He will support his family by
outside work and preach without re-
muneration in the missionary field. He
hoped to build up church society at
Newport.
He had chosen a subject which was of
especial Importance for this sermon. The
text was the answer to the important
question "What is the Churohs" Rev.
81, IT, "The measure of man that is an
angel" Measure the angel and you
measure the church. Learn the principles
of which the angel nature is composed
and you learn the principles of the
church, that is, learn the principles of
which the angel Is the embodiment and
you learn the principles which we call
| the doctrine of the church, which are the
genuine truths of the word. Ous be-
comes an angel SO far as he learns and
| makes his own, by good life the truths
| he knows, and to the other degree in
which he does this Is he In and of the
church. Neither the organization nor the
| temple was the church. The claim that
the church was confined to one organiza-
ton, whether Catholic or Episcopal, or
our own was too absurd to discuss. Those
who make such claims were totally in the
dark as to the relation of the Lord to
men. The church is true doctrine in the
sincere life. Where there is no true
doctrine there can be no church. Where
there Is the tiniest ray of truth there is
something OF the true church. Where the
| true doctrine of the word are known
and loved and lived, there is the church
in it's perfection. This is true of the
church in Heaven, therefore the so-called
church we saith is church only in por-
portion as 1t is controlled by the same
principles.
| The church has no artificial boundaries.
People compose the church in proportion
as their measure is that of the angel.
| There is something of the church in every
man that lives, who has not totally given
himself over to the devil. There can be
only one church the bride of the Lord,
| and that church Is composed of those
heavenly principles of love to the Lord
and the neighbor which find lodgment in
the human heart. The name of this
church as given by Revelation is the new
church as distinct from the old church
founded by the Lord and His Apostles
which absolutely came to its end during
death. Behold" said the Lord, 81
make all things new" The
truths Of the word were used to
attain selfish and earthly ends. Babylon
the great is fallen, and become the
habitation of the devils" not only refers
to Roman Catholicism, but to the
Protestant church 80 far as she modified
| the same principles Of domineering self
love and lust of worldly power.
| Prophesies do not refer to organiza-
tions, but to principles, and so far as an
organization embodies a principle which
is condemned, the organization is con-
demned. The old church is dead. The
only church that today is, is the new
church, whose members are all those in
Protestant, Catholic or heather circles
who live sincere life in the light of
what truth they know. The veriest
| savage SO far as he does the best he
knows how Is of the new church. Those
who embody in their spiritual nature the
| largest measure of truth and good would
be the heart and lungs Of this heavenly
home, the church; those who embody the
| least-the nails and hair-yet accepted of
| the Lord as an essential part Of the
''maximus homo" The true doctrine of
| the word could not be given to the world
| without a teacher. The Lord chose
Emanuel Swadenborg and through
him He opened the mysteries Of the word
| teachings of the word have leavened the
| entire Christian world, and have directly
as divine influence touched the heather
heart. When the truth Is preached any
where it Is new church truth; when
falsities are preached they are of the old
dead church. Therefore SO far as any re-
| l1gious organization teaches the pure
truths of the Bible. SO far. it is the new
church; SO far as it does not do this, it is
no church at all. Here is the dividing
line, between principles and not between
organizations The time will come when
ali the organizations, even the Catholics
will forever discard the old church falsi-
ties and accept the pure truths of the
word which are the doctrines of the new
church.
THE ISMS OF THE WORLD.