The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-03-18
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY THE
REV. RceERT MACDONALD.
subjeet: Christians Outside the Church"
Many Man is Losing HE Soul Be
eaute He Cannot Believe in Jonah and
she whsle-Hsrmful rejudic...

Avenue Baptist Church sunday morning,
the pastor the Rev Robert Macdonald.
delivered she last OF the series of sermons
on Christians Outside the Church. the
special subject beng Reasons Why Those
Outside the Church Stay Outside The
text was from ! Corinthians, N,2
What? desplse ye the Church Of CHRIST"
Mr.. Macdonald sand
No church has power 20 take man 20
Heaven beyond the power ne has himself
20 gam entrance there And whether or
not he has the necessary ability depends
upon whether or not he l. taking up hls
cross and following IN the steps OF Jesus
Christ. Heaven Is state OF blessedness
rather than locality beyond the stars and
must come 10 US before We can 60 10 Il.
Whatever else Is implied IN following Jesus
church membership - included Jesus
commanded baptism. To illustrate HIS
meaning He Himself was baptized m the
Jordan. HIS reason was for so ~ becom-
eth us 70 fulfill all righteousness If He,
the perfect man. thought II necessary TO
fulfill all righteousness think not for a mo-
ment that any one Of HIS imperfect follow
ers can be excused. Paul IN Romans shows
baptism 10 be the likeness of Christ's death
and resurrection. If We have been united
with HIM IN the likeness Of His death, we
shall stand III the likeness of HIS resurrec-
ton. All denominations make baptism the
door OF entrance 10 the church. At Hente-
cost 5000 were added through baptism IN
single day Then there II the Lords Sup
per This is My body which was broken
for YOU j. the Redeemer's word The
apostle 10 the Church OF CorInth Commends
It's perpetuauon as a memorial 20 their
Lord Baptism and "the Lords Supper
are then very significant and belong 20 the
Christian Church. Not 10 JOIN the church
j. tC desplse these helps 20 the cultivation
Of the spiritual life so full OF sacred
meaning All Christians should embrace
both as precious memorials OF the Saviour :
death. To embrace these = 10 JOIN the
church. To neglect them Is 10 despiso the
church. Worse ;han that. To neglect
them j. 10 dIsobey your Lord, whom you
profess 10 serve. Even further, II y TO
show disregard for your Lords dying re-
quest This do IN remembrance of Me '
You would submit 20 much inconvenience
( TO comply with the dying wish of an
earthly friend. But your Lords dying re
quest u ignored How can YOU expect 10
grow spiritually? How can you ever hope
10 hear God say, "This Is Ny beloved Son
IN whom ] am well pleased Instead Of
I pleasing your Lord, you offend Him. You
never thought II was 30 serious y matter
/ before, did youy Sleep not tins night un-
I III YOU possess as well a. profess the Lord
Jesus BE an ont and ont Christian. Sym.
pathIze with and come into taat organ "a.
/ ton that u perpetuatnG these sacred
rites Keep not isolated from the one or
ganizatlon that God has set up for the re.
dempton Of the world.
/ Now for these reasons yol stay ont and
/ feel justified IN so dong
( You object TO the creed of the church.
! Creeds are forms and you detest the for.
! NAL. Yet | know of no one who needs
/ forms more than you who raise tins pro
test, your religious life II so slack. That
which You need above all else u 20 con
/ form TO worthy ecclesiastical order, for
! you are amazingly dlsoTderiy, rchgiousiy
/ speaking For Others that may be good
/ excuse, but hardly for you. We all admit
that no creed Is as important as the life It
+ contains, Just as no cradle Il a. important
/ a. the babe rocked there, and a no SUIT oi
I clothes y as important as the man who
wears them. Nevertheless a Christian OF q
" church without creed - hike an engine
without track-lttle progress can he
/ made. There IL neither ideal nor practical
/ existence without belief, and what a man
/ believes is has creed. And has creed Is
the channel through which the very water
OF life flows into his thirsty soul Block
up the channel and the water becomes
stagnaut. But that - not the fault OF the
. creed. Thou only art to blame. A grow
I ing man. II - true. needs an expanding
/ creed. and woe unto him whose creed n
/ not expressive OF the word OF God and the
| revelation IA Jesus, We must admit that
as many a Christian is kept outside the
. church because of ITS creed, 50 many a
. man Is IN the church for the crecd's sake.
Such a man Is as devoid OF vital hold on
Christ as Is an Egyptian mummy dead
. 10000 years. Creeds are a curse when they
. take the place of the life. and more than
F one church IN ChrIstendom has lost ITS
life and D. c.utching only It's creed. Better
. stay out of a church like that and retain
. your HE than. entering IN, lose u. SuCn
. church is. however, an exception to the
. RUE that does not strengthen the life OF
1 every member within lts fold, II they give
/ II the opportunity so 20 do. il Is our false
thought about the church that ~ 20 be de.
/ p,orcd. Our question is. What benefit
will we derive" Our question ought 10
+ he, What opportunity will u provide 90
render benefit 20 my fellows less favored
than myself Our Christian profession Is
sham that docs not lnterpose God and
. humanity IN place Of self Conversion IN
PRODUCES us 20 God and estrangcs us from
B self Not for sef's sake. then. but for
thrst's sake do We loin the church
When we become new men IN Christ Jesus
We take a. Instnctiyely TO the church a.
does the duck 10 the water or the bird %
the AR.
A second reason | have heard YOU give
Tor remaining outs dc the church j. because
its members are not good enough You
. look for perfection. You find impcrtectIon
. You are AZ fault. not the church You cx-
and % viii not be many months before YOU
. wonder how Satan ever SO got possession
o. your mind ~ 20 beggI.o YOU INTO cX-
. Hcctug perfection OF church members But
you VIII also find them much more Christ.
like than YOU eXpected-nOt IN absolute
holiness. but IN desire for more righteous
ness in their lives and IN the world Hear
the apostle eXClaIm that hie u a battle
hed Fight the good fight OF faith
LIE - race course, 20 run that you may
attain. Read his letters 10 the churches
. 1~putIugs. contentious among YOU. These
priceless letters 20 the Corinthians would
never have been written had % not been
to. Had the church az Ephesus been per
io,' u0 letter 10 tine Ephesians would have
been pouued Put away lying D. his com
mauI Let HIM VINO stole steal no more
1t a.I camor and wrath and envy be put
sway from you as becomcth saints.
Were the church Of to-day perfect ii
would be very IUsIpd No struggles So be
good. No fighting temptation. ]. for one,
would prefer 10 be out OF 10. ] would
sooner te imperfect. with a desire Tor hoh-
ness shan b. perfect and know 10 al and
be- 10 aIl and never have desrg for any
. thing worth while. ] would go 80 far as 90
thank God Tor an imperfect church lust
81 ] have many time thanked HIM ] wi,
a member OF sinful race, with Jcsu. as
tsdecmer than Oi sInles- race and know
HIM not The church holds 20 Its mem
ber. that relation which the school does
20 the little boy. A. 10 trains him for
uCh intellectual existence by and by, 20
\ the church trains for rCh spiritual exist
I ence uy and Ly. The most important
7 condition of both d unwllnguess 20 be
taught The church. in Its relation o. the
world - a. a regiment. with Jesus, the
great victorious Commander, leading the
L. eN.s A. i -