The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-03-26

Do you think membership In the
church-and all of service that it i'm.
| pIles-t0 be simply voluntary thing
/. e., something to be chosen or not
as your fancy moves you: or do you
understand that the proclamation oil
| the kingdom Is In itself summons
! for our allegiance, and loyal and con.
slant service?
The Scriptures clearly show the or
ganIZatl0n OF the church by Christ
| and His Apostles, but even II no trace
OF such organization could be found
there, 1t would spring out of the neceA-
stiles of the case. The association OF
those who believed in Christ, and
were loyal to Him, and would heed
Ills last command to 20 into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every
creature. would require some such Or
ganiZatlon. Even II no provision had
in Christ's life and teaching been made
for 1t. Christianity In It's simplest
form. would call the church into exist
ence.
When we speak of the Kingdoms of
this world. We understand that the
words carry with them the Idea Of
law, and organization, and discipline,
and authority. So 1t Is with the king
dom Of God-His church In the world.
This church has had many changes
Of fortune. many ups and downs in
its history, for the current of the world,
the tide OF human affairs has gener-
ally been opposed TO ii. 1t has ELI
countered many prosecutions, and the
civil power has often been arrayed
against it. Yes! and even worse than
that, the Inconsistencies and misguid-
ed zeal Of It's own sons has often done
much to destroy confidence in it, ana
so to neutraliZe It's benevolent intlu-
Cnces MS to make 1t appear to be but
OF little worth. And yet the gates OF
He'll have not prevailed. Just here
Is to be found one OF the great evil
dences that the church Is indeed from
God, that Notwithstanding the world
opposition manifest through all the
ages. and It's own inherent weakness,
yet 1t Is constantly victorious.
Yes! notwithstanding many appar-
ent failures the church triumphs in
every age, and that, because by virtue
OF the indwelling Spirit, 1t is able con-
tinuaIIy to renew its youth. History
shows that after every interval Of
corruption, even when 1t seemed to
lay in ruins, 1t has arisen anew, like
life from the dead. That vision of
Ezekiel wherein he saw the valley Of
dry bones, may be taken as a parable
of the revival Of the church repeated
in its history from age to age. He
tells lis how he was set down in the
midst of the valley that was full of
bones, and that they were very many
and very dry, and at the command Of
the Lord he prophesied, and the bones
came together and flesh covered them
and the breath came into them and
they lived and stood upon their feet
an exceeding great army. This fact
that the church thus rises again from
every disaster, and RECEIVERS itself
from every corruption, is pledge of
its divine vitality, and prophecy of
It's future glory.
Undoubtedly this church of God in
the world is a great factor OF which
every one ought to take the measure.
But we are so familiar with the pres
ence OF the church and its work among
us, that we take 1t as a matter Of
course and fail to do justice to 1t as
a worldwide power. and as the nurse
and guardian Of our neutral and moral
life. Like the air we breathe 1t bathes
our whole being with influences we
do not stop to analyze. and We hold
1t cheap in proportion to the magnt-
tude of its unostentatious service. The
sun rises on us day by day in the
heavens, and we heed not his surpass-
ing beauty, until our languld sense Is
reused by some observant astronomer
or artist. and so the Christian church
pours, even upon those who love 1t
least, floods of intellectual and moral
light, but it is only occasionally We
are aroused to value its influences, and
heed its call.
In this church is the sphere of our
activity, and whatever we do for the