Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-27
THE VICTORY OF THE CHURCH.
A Strong Sermon by ReV..C. B. Graham
Of North Street NJ. E. Church.
The Institution, Mission and Tri-
umph Of the Church-Evidences
Of the Increasing Power of the
Christian Church To-Day Pre-
dictions of Its Ensmies Not Full
f1lled7Otller Religious Matters

dictions of Its Enemies Not Full
filed Other Religious Matters
Rev. c. B. Graham, pastor of the
North Street M. E. Church, delivered
last evening strong sermon on the
subject of 1.-THE Victory of the Church. y
1t was his last sermon of the confer
ence year and was much appreciated.
The congregation of North Street are
much pleased with the prospect OF be-
ing able to retain their pastor during
the next year. The words OF his SER
mon to his congregation last evening
were as follows:
"And thou, O tower of the flock, the
strong hold of the daughter of Zion
unto thee shall it come, even the first
dominion; the kingdom shall come to
the daughter of Jerusalem" Micah,
As.
The prophets of the Old Testament
stand in sacred history as do the signal
lights along the banks of the beauti-
full Ohio, and each occupying an i'm
portant place AS these lamps not
only cast light abroad where they
stand, but connect with each other so
that the rivermen may see the chan
mel as we'll as the breakers, SO the
prophets form a chain of testimony in
regard to the church and the Divine
hand which frames the destiny of
man. Micah, from whom we quote,
is no exception, and although called a
minor prophet, occupies place as a
oJy1nn f0hf in hn ir1r <,f
the sixth century before Christ. There
is striking similarity between some
of his language and that of the pro-
phet Isaiah in regard to the church,
and he is quoted by a number of the
prophets, and by Christ in Mat. 1896
Sc.
The figurative language of the text
presents the future triumph of the
kingdom of God on earth, a few fea-
lures Of which we wish to consider.
The terms Tower, Zion and Jerusa-
lem are used in the text spontaneously
by representing the church of God as
advancing to victory which was to
be consummated in Christ as the King
Of Kings, and Lord of Lords. After
declaring the lineage he says: "And he
shall stand and feed in the strength of
the Lord, in the majesty of the name
Of the Lord, his God. and they shall
abide; for now shall he be great unto
the ends Of the earth" We wish to
direct your attention briefly to the
Christian church, its institution, mis-
sion and triumph.
The term church is applied in many
ways in the Scriptures. 1t means
building in which to worship God,
congregation, a visible organization of
believers or the communion of all be-
levers. We have then the thought of
an invisible and a visible church. 1t
is also spoken Of as the church or mil
liant, referring to the believers on
earth, and the church triumphant, re-
ferrlng to the heavenly or translated
believers.
There has never been a time when
such church did not exist and was
manifested to the world in some wav.
In the language of Luther, there has
never been a time when there was not
church Of God. It's foundation was
laid Immediately after the Adamic fall
and has never been blotted out not
withstanding mans unfaithfulness.
Seth succeeded Able as the progenitor
of the children of God. After the food
Shem became the progenitor of the
people of God, and when idolatry over
Swallowed his posterity Abraham re-
ceived the Divine call, Get thee out
OF thy country, and from thy kindred
and from thy fathers house until a
land that l will show thee" with the
promise that in his seed by Christ all
men should be blessed. And as a
token OF the covenant entered into by
the Lord with Abraham, circumcision
was instituted and the nation >that
sprang from Isaac, the son of promise.
became the people of the covenant.
and were organized byaMoses into the
church OF the types and shadows of
the better things to come in the new
covenant. This reasoning brings us
within the sphere of the regularly req
ognized church, but we would not saw
that the Lord might not have had 9th
ers whom he recognized and approved.
we see the planet on which we live
ana reason about it and the other dis
covered planets revolving with it in
space. But we are reminded contin-
ually by scieptific discoveries that there
are planets still unknown, so there
may be spiritual worlds and systems
unknown to us that the searchlights
of revelation and science have not re-
Vealed. AS in the material world there
are discoveries by combinations and
new formations SO in the ecclesiastical
world there are new lights turned on
the mysteries of God.
we have referred herein to the cove
nant and signs of the Abrahamic
church, and this remains as a pillar
IN the church to-day, though changed
IN form. We understand by the visi-
pie church the outward communion Of
believers in the use of the sacraments
OF the church. All Christians do not
agree as to the number and nature of
these, but they do agree upon certain
cardinal truths pertaining to their use
and necessity. Jesus said, '"Think not
that l come to destroy the law or the
prophets; I am not come to DESTROY
but to fulfill" The sacraments have
their origin in the Old Testament. but
were not perfected until they received
the personal and Divine stamp of
Christ. The dual nature of man re-
Quired the use of visible and material
substances in the worshin of tbo +r,o