The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-02-12
THE FIRST CHURCH
Rev. Welehmer Gives His Idea of
What 1t Was-The Revival
Meetings.

At the First Christian church re-
vival last night, Rev. Welshimer
preached on the subject, (which Was
the First church," He said in part:
The church was instituted on the first
pentecost after the resurrection of
Christ. It's founder was Christ; Matt.
1918. It's foundation was Christ; lisa.
2S:6, Matt. 1918, 1 Cor. 81. 1t was
founded in Jerusalem. 1t was called
the Church of God and Church of
Christ and the members were called
disciples, Christians, saints, brethren
and children. It's officers were elders
and deacons. Its creed was Christ. 1t
practiced immersion in water of a pen
itent believer for the remission of
sins. Infant baptism was unknown to
it. Its rule of faith and practice was
simply the word of God.
After nearly three centuries, when
the apostles had all died, Judaistic
teaching and paganism were added to
and substituted for much of gospel
teaching and gradually the church
that Jesus founded refrigerated into
the Catholic church. After over elev-
en- hundred years Martin Luther pro-
claimed the doctrine, IAN open Bible u
This was the beginning Of the return
to the simple church of the New Testa-
ment. Calvin taught the divine SOW
ereignty of God. Wesley came with a
great message saying Gods followers
should be more spiritual. Now we had
various bodies of Christian people
who having come out of Catholicism,
had divided and subdivided into num-
erous branches until early in the nine
teenth century instead of fighting sin
and the devil they were using their
strength in fighting one another In
all churches were those who believed
that all human creeds and human
tests of fellowship should be abol-
ished and sectarian walls should be
laid, low and the followers of Christ
get together on the New Testament
basis. Early in the century Thomas
Campbell and his son, Alexander, |
came to America, from Ireland, The
father was a Presbyterian preacher. |
He and the son, a student from the
company with others from different
denominations threw aside the teach |
ings and traditions of men and said:
1--WE will go back to the teaching of |
Christ and the apostles" They never
attempted to form a new church or re- |
form an old one. They were not re-
formers. They simply had Christ's |
hnnly. ", - lei
Christ's church. They then set 10 |
work to reproduce or bring back that |
church in its completeness and restore
it as it was in the days of the apos-
ties. They took its name, it's creed, |
its conversion, its baptism, its COM
munion, its rule of faith and practice |
and its organization. Now If we have
these things, and we have, just the |
same as the church had in the be- |
ginning is it not conclusive that this !
church was the church of Christ |
and the apostles?
At the revival yesterday there were
SO persons added to the church; 40
came in the morning and II at the
evening service, making 107 added in
the first seven days in the meeting. !
These were 1877 in the Sunday school. |
Tonight Rev. Welshimer will preach !
on the subject "Perplexing Problems"
This promises to be an exceedingly in
teresting discourse. Many questions
will be answered at the close of the |
service. The music of yesterday was
the best of any time in the meeting. |
Mr. Huston has recovered from his
cold and is now prepared to give some
excellent music this week