The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-06-23

| to the difference that exists between life
in the temperate and tropic zones. Mucf
that in one enj ,yed but a feeble growth
has become under the new great tree
under the shadow of which the church OF
| God finds protection and shelter. Let III
look at some of the characteristics of the
| church which under the dispensation Of
the Spirit, have been most strikingly de
Veloped.
l. The doctrine Of the brotherhood Of
mankind, and equality in the sight Of
God, of all who belong to Christ. Ac
cording to the ancient. way of thinking
men were divided into widely distinct
classes and walls of. separation were
raised between them, which were main
tained with tenacitY of which the mod.
ern world knows nothing. Go into the
Jewish temple. Even in that sscred
place you do not find quite the Christian
view Of human equality. You find first
the court Of the priests; second, the
court of the men; third, the court Of the
women; finally the court OF the gentiles.
Even In the religious services of the TEN.
pie the people did not stand on a plane of
equality, and outside Of that institution
We find social dist. ctions strongly mark
ed. The wife was not quite the equal of
her b shand. There was freedom of
divorce that Christian law does not toler-
ATE. There was distinction between
slave and freeman, between Jew and
GENTLE, between Learned and ignorant,
which, even among the chosen people,
separated society into castles almost as
'igid as those of the heather world.
With the organization Of the Christian
church, forces were introduced which
have been constantly tending to do away
with such distinctions. He who was IN
the form of God, descended in the form
Of servant to the lowest strata of society
and took up his abode among the poorest
Of the people. On the day of Pentscost
the Spirit was poured alike upon the sons
and daughters of Isreal and the gift of
prophecy was conferred upon both. 1t
was at one time the teaching of the
Christian church that the right to proph-
ecy in the church Of God was given to
man alone. In the teaching of the text
find authority for the practice of these
more modern days. On the day of Pente.
cost the Holy Ghost descended upon men
and women alike, and it is permitted to
each to utter in the public congregation
whatever has been revealed to them from
above.
st. Paul in his instructions to the
churches always writes in similar spir-
it. In the Ephesian church there had
arisen debate concerning the relative
privileges Of Jew aad GENTLE. In dis
GUESSING the question st. Paul declared,
I'VE were once aliens from the common
wealth of Israel, but now In Christ Jesus,
Ye who sometime were far off are made
nigh by the blood of Jesus. For He is
our peace who hath broken down the mid
die wall of partition between US. There
fore ye are no longer strangers and for
OF INF Fol 10
saint and of the household of God, and
are built upon the foundation of the apos-
ties and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone. For as
many as are baptised into Christ have
put On Christ. There is neither Jew and
Greek, neither bond nor free, neither
male nor female, for all are one In Christ
Jesus. In the Jewish church there were
seperate orders from which there could
he no change. There was the line of the
priesthood descending from the family of
Aaron. There was the royal line deg
cending from the family OF David. Into
hem no others could enter. In the
Christian church distinctions of this kind
are forever swept away. We are all alike
kings and priests unto God. Peter ex-
claims, rye are chosen generation, q
royal priesthood, peculiar people, that
ye should show forth the praises OF him
who hath called you out of darkness into
bis marvellous light"
Closely connected with this is another
great privilege of the New Testament.
Not merely are we more closely united
together, but we are brought nearer to
God. Here a great advance has been
made upon the period before the advent
God has never withdrawn himself entire.
~ from mankind. st Paul says that
even the heather are without excuse.
For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen,
being underatood by the things that are
made, even bis eternal power and God
head. God manifested himself to the
heather world Indirectly through the