Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-10-06
GOing to Church.
BIZ Charlie. y. Lnneraon. d. D.

cause of their sCrdid and selfish and
wicked lives, it is a fact worthy of ser
ious consideration that protesting
Iari5tiaug do not consider church at
tendance the impOrtautand obligatory
thing which it was to men Of former
times We Americans are avcr5e to
l0GmaIity, and we never like TO do
anything which does not pay, and
there is 2 feeling abroad that going to
church is 3 species offormalism foreign
TO the spiritual genius of the Christian
religion, and that however useful such
Il habit may nave been to our God
fearing ancestors, the time has now ar
rived when the time-hOnored custom
. may with property be dispensed with.
One cannot help wondering if what
we most need is not thorough and ays-
tcnatiC instruction in the New Testa-
! meHt doctrine Of the Christian Church,
, For public worship is only one phase
/ Of a much larger subject; and if Christ
ians arc inclined to underValue the
Importance of church attendance it is
not unlikely that the root Of the diff
Guilty is a failure to apprehend the
character and mission OF the Church
| as outlined by Christ.
According to the New Testament
the Church is a visible institution with
visible 5acraments and visible officials
and visible members. 1t is the body
OF Christ, the sanctuary of the eternal
| Spirit, The household of faithful souls,
the medium of revelation, the pillar
| and ground of the truth, the radiant
| bride of the worlds RCdeemer. it is
through the Church that God is to
carry on His work of redemption.
That Jesus loved the Church and gave
I r.. ,.y.i, Il
with His own blood is borne out by
| the history of the gospels. To the
founding and molding Of a brotherhood
our Lord gave the bulk of his time
lie knew that truth must have home,
Chat ideas must possess a body, that
principles in order to conquer must be
organized into Institutions. He placed
His work in the hands Of a society
Not to the individual but to the society
was promised ultimate victory. Against
His Church the gates of hadcs should
not prevail.
With the new commandment ringing
in their ears it was inevitable that the
disciples should keep together, and
that converts as soon as made should
be received into the Christian fellow
ship. Al who were in the process of
| being saved came at once into the
| brotherhood. The converts continued
steadfastlv in the apostles teaching
and fellowship, IN the breaking of bread
and the prayers An isolated Chris
tan is unknown to the New Testament.
/ Christianity is in its essence social. A
/ Christian enters into life only in com
pany with the saints. He is first and
! last and always brother In the
/ deepest sense there is no salvation out
J I, =. I Sc
/ solitary worshiper i'm the closet, but
when two or three are assembled in
| His name He is present with fuller
/ blessings and more abundant power.
/ Social or public worship is essential,
/ then, to the existence of the Christian
/ religion on our earth. Christians have
! known this from the beginning. Be-
| fore Christian architecture and Chris
| tian music, before Christian officials
/ and Christian government. came the
| Christian assembly. The Christians of
apostolic days knew intuitively that
ONLY as they met together could the
Lords will be wrought out in their
! hearts. They knew they had passed
from death to life because thev loved
the brethren. Later on. when it be-
came dangerous for Christians to as
sanahIe an insnirnd leader URGES Them
= to take the risk of losing their liberty
ar their life saving. "I ,et Ms consider
one another to DroVol5e unto love and
to Good works: not forsaking the as
semRIinp of ourselves together. as the
manner of some is. but eShortinp one
another,n
= his is the teaching of all the apos-
tIes and Of all who have understood
what christianity is and who have
| tr;,,r,,,h pcn,an o,,,,,oro,s coco, 70
crneb the new relioinn forbade the
aseemhlino of Cbristiens tooether Had
Christians oheved Christianitv would
have died in its vonth WHENEVER and
yvherever the snirit If the Lord is act.
mo naightiIv on the hearts of His fol
IoS9sara raIiGione maetings hecome nm.
roerors and farvant
Nodanger ie more snht1e or fatal than
+ha ,rbiiGso,b,, Ill ,ybiob diSrarooea tba
vaIua val Of cbnrnb attandonca Rreak m
H.