The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-10-17

ZI(}4% emily. They are
- called guerillas.
But guerilla warfare as n rule is in
effective, demoralizing, and dlsreput-
able. 1t damages the very cause 1t
tries TO help.
In like manner there are some peo.
pie who claim to be Christians, but
who refuse 10 join the church. Like
guerillas, they uncOnsclously damage
the very cause they ought to help.
They cannot give a single good reason
for their position, but there are many
reasons why every Christian should
Join some church.
I. There he can render the most ef.
fective service. He Is one Of many,
who are all working under one COM
mander and for the same end, and
who, collectively, can accomplish hat
could not be done separately. If 1t Is
a good thing to have churches In a
community, then Christians should
support them.
Remove the churches from town,
and property would depreciate, busi-
ness would decline, and all good peO-
pie would move away. Sunday would
become a holiday, life and property
would be unsafe, and the town would
soon have such bad reputation that
no decent person would move into 1t.
For this reason every Christian owes
Il to himself, his family, to society,
and to his God, to join and support
some church.
u. II is the only consistent position
for a Christian. In the church his In
nuence will help and not hinder; for
an outsider, who ought to be In the
church, damages the cause of Christ
Just as much as an lnsider who ought
to be out. A Christian who refuses TO
join the church practically says to the
world that the commands of Jesus are
not binding or important, which Is not
true.
III. A Christian who does not Join
the church will soon lose his Joy, and
perhaps his hope. II, knowing his
Masters wish, he refuses to comply
with 1t, he cannot be happy person.
He may be saved man, but he will
lose the joy Of his salvation. And II
he loses his Joy he will also lose his
power, for "The joy OF the Lord Is
your strength"
w. To be a member Of Christs
church is the highest honor this world
affords. Its sacraments are the most
sacred, its literature the most sublime,
and its fellowship the most sweet and
enduring. All lodges and other or
ganizatiOns are man-made affairs, but
the church Is n divine institution,
founded by Jesus Christ, guided and
guarded by the Holy Spirit, having
for its mission the evangelization of
the world, and for It's destiny eternal
fellowship with God and heaven.
v. If It be objected that there are
some hypocrtes in the church, the an
swcr is: "Ycs, II may be true, but
I Jesus Christ Is no hyp0crte, and he is
the life of every church"
Remember also that when the
church goes through the pearly gates
there will be sitting, and the hypo
critics will be left on the outside OF
the gate, on your side, unless you obey
Christ, and you will have to spend al
eternity with them. Would 1t not bt
better to live with them few years
In the church than to spend all eter
nifty with them elsewhere? You mus
spend some time with those hypocriteS
somewhere. Where shall 1t be?
VI. The Christian who refuses Il
Join the church, dishonors Jesus Christ
1t ~ like proposing secret marriage
lie Is willing that Christ should die
for him, but he Is not willing to live
for Christ, or even 10 acknowledge hi
relation to him. He desires to b,
saved, but he Is not willing to serve
He wants the benefits of Christianlt,
without the sacrifices, whereas thu
sacrifices constitute nine-tenths Of thu
benefits.
The meanness of It is well illustrated
by the following story Doctor Lorimel
once asked man why he did not joiI
the church. The reply was that thu
dying thief did not join the churcl
and he was saved. "Well," said thu
doctor, az you do not belong to
church, you help support missions, o
course?"
"NO," said the man. "The dylnj
thief did not help missions, and III
was saved, was he not"
"Yes," said the doctor. 81 suppose
he was, but you must remember tina
he was dying thief, whereas you arr
living one"