The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1902-07-04
Foster, Besse & Company,
$50 and o5S Main St, Bridgeport.

lations, as house of God, church of the
living God, pillar and stay of the
| truth are sent forth by God
TO FILL LARGE PLACE IN THE AT
FAIRS OF THE WORLD.
AS members of Gods household, as
vital parts of the spiritual body of
Christ, the Church, as together stand
I ing for and upholding the truth, the
Christian people have a certain unity.
They group themselves about Christ
whose name they bear, and though
they have many defects andahort-com-
ings and many inconsistencies, they do
represent the highest and best things.
''The seriousness OF, life, the holiness
and love of the one God, the reality OF
sin, free salvation from sin by the
divine grace in Christ, human duty
learned from God in Christ, an inward
power for goodness, a deathless hope
these are the fundamental conceptions
of Christianity and the Christian peo-
pie are those whose experience CORE
spends to these conceptions. Or, more
truly, Christ presents these as reali-
ties and the Christian people are those
who experience these realities. Such
experiences create type Of character.
No other religion ever had such ex-
periences to offer, and therefore have
never made people like the Christian
people. knowledge of God is COM
mon enough, but not such knowl-
edge of God; knowledge of sin is
common, but not such deliverance
from sin; knowledge of duty, but not
such inspiration for duty; hope but
not such hope.''
Such is the truth which the Chris
tian people uphold, commend and keep
alive. Our apostle calls it the mystery
OF godliness; a revealed secret of holy
living, learned from the great Master
who initiated us into the Christian So
ciety.
Paul then proceeds to illustrate his
meaning and to define the mystery by
quoting, as it is supposed, six-lined
stanza from some early Christian
hymn familiar to the congregation Of
the saints. Its quotation from the
midst of hymn accounts for the alb
rupt and indefinite opening. The
-StanZa, as the revision shows:
'Who was manifested in the flesh, :
justified in the spirit,
Seen of angels,
Preached among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Received up into glory
The "who" evidently refers to Jesus
Christ and the stanza declares the
leading events of His life.
In His personal life. Jesus was man
Tested in the flesh. His spiritual
claims were made good by the spiritual
power of His life, death and resurrec-
tion. In His human person He assembled
to His Father and was seen of angels.
AS to His public life, Jesus was
preached among the nations, believed
on in the world, received up into glory.
lifted up on the cross and thence to
draw all men unto Himself.
This short rythmical creed confessed
great truths, any of which was start
ling, every one Of which was mighty.
To hold up these truths alone for the
worlds study would be well worth the
effort of the Christian people, initiated
into these, man might become godly.
But there is a whole volume of truth,
nay, volumes, inscribed to the person
and work of Jesus Christ. The truth
of Christianity is very large, as we
have said. We owe what we know of it
to the Christian people.
This reference to a Christian hymn
reminds us that the Christian people
used to get together in some organized
way to show their faith as we'll as to
study and teach it. The hymn pre-
supposes some unity of life, some uni
ted worship also. The church Of the
living God gathered itself into little
churches or congregations for the bet
ter carrying out Of Gods plan concern
ing it's mission in the world. Hence,
the local church, while we may call it
man-made, is God-inspired. Its men,
bers have been led under their new
81 anize to promote the in
whole. This is the true
Vocal church. 1t is as if
Rad said, Separate for
and Saul, but the
ing In this place,