Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-10-07

tnat everyone IN
the large audience went home fully
satisfied that he had located the one
true Church to which the Bible con-
tinually refers. 1t is not too much to
assert, however, that the vast major
ity Of those who heard were both
pleased and convinced No really
great man is without his enemies, but
It may surely be said that Pastor Rus
sell is gaining many friends through.
out the Christian world every week
through the widespread reports Of his
sermons. The text for the occasion
was, "The Church Of the First -Borns,
whose names are written in heaven" ="
Hebrews xii, %.
Church Of Christ onO-Not Many
He adverted to the Scriptural rec
Ords which refer to the Church OF
Christ as one. not as many. Pastor
Russell declared that In this matter
the Church Of Rome and the Church
Of England hold aloof from many
Protestant denominations. They claim
that to recognize them as churches
would be unscriptural, since there is
but one Church Of the Living God
The various Protestant denominations
started out with similar views, similar
theories, though today they have aban-
dOned them. The Church Of England
formed an organization separate from
that Of Rome, believing that the for
mer had been the one true Church but
had departed from the faith, and that
1t was the duty Of the faithful to rec
Ognlze her as Babylon, confusion.
The claim to be the true Church they
applied TO themselves. Similarly, Pres
byterlans, Methodlsts, Congregational
lists, Adventlsts. Disciples, etc. have
withdrawn, and many of these orlgi-
nally claimed to be the one true, loyal,
faithful Church of Christ Today
however. the pendulum has swung to
the other side. Moreover, the narrow
ness OF the past is rapidly giving way.
All are learning that to be Christian
means more than merely to be i'm
mersed; more than merely to be sprin-
kled; more than merely to believe In
the doctrine OF Election; more than
merely to believe In the doctrine OF
Free Grace; more than to believe in
the doctrine OF Transubstantlation or
Consubstantlatlon. With this enlarge
ment OF mind Christians are indeed in
danger Of losing sight of the fact that
the True Church is the custodian OF
''the faith once delivered to the saints"
which acknowledges zone Lord, one
Faith, one Baptism, one God and Flu
ther OF all, and one Church Of the llv-
ing God"
One Church In Many Churches
The key to the situation is found in
our Lords words; mot all that say
unto Me, Lord. Lord, shall enter into
the Kingdom OF heaven" not all who
call themselves Christians, with one
denominatlonal tag or another, are
members of the one Church, the Church
OF the irst-borns, mentioned in our
text, As good, rich milk is sometimes
called cream, 80 all the members OF
Christian denominations are sometimes
called Christlans-ln complimentary
sense, because not unsympathetic with
true Christian principles. Neverthe-
less, only those in all denominations
who have cOnformed TO the conditions
required OF Christian dlsclpleshlp. the
sanity ones, constitute the True
Chuych-"The Church Of the First
born, whose names are written in
heaven"
II we hHd q box Of sOwdust and scat.
tered ihourh II q paper Of tocks I'M
IN the latter were quite hidden from
view, surrounded and covered in the
sawdnst, we know that we could take
magnet and, by passing II TO and
fro amongst the sOwdust, the magnet
would attract 10 itself every tack.
The tucks Of this illustration repre-
sent a small class OF humanity, Jealous
,. heart for God and righteousness.
The magnet represents the Gospel In.
vitatlon which Is now PASSED up, and
down, hither and thlther throughout
the civilized world, and to some ex-
tent. into the heather world,
When we convince our hearers that
the nunelect OF this Age are not doom
Vd to eternal torment, but win have a
Blessing Of inferior degree to that Of
''the elect" the effect should be to
right our minds and TO cause us to
think carefully ard critically OF the
stringent terms OF disclpleship which