Do
you belong to the one true Church; to the Church outside of whichthere
is no salvation? I do not ask where you go on Sunday; I only ask,"Do
you belong to the one true Church?"
Where
is this one true Church? What is this one true Church like? What arethe
marks by which this one true Church may be known? You may well asksuch
questions. Give me your attention, and I will provide you with someanswers.
The
one true Church is composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus. It ismade
up of all God’s elect —
of all converted men and women of all trueChristians. In whomsoever we can discern
the election of God the Father,the sprinkling of the blood of God the Son, the
sanctifying work of Godthe Spirit, in that person we see a member of
Christ’s true Church.
It
is a Church of which all the members have the same marks. They are allborn
of the Spirit; they all possess "repentance towards God, faith towardsour
Lord Jesus Christ," and holiness of life and conversation. They all hatesin,
and they all love Christ. They worship differently and after variousfashions;
some worship with a form of prayer, and some with none; someworship
kneeling, and some standing; but they all worship with one heart.
They
are all led by one Spirit; they all build upon one foundation; they alldraw
their religion from one single Book —
that is the Bible. They are alljoined to one great center —
that is Jesus Christ. They all even now cansay with one heart,
"Hallelujah"; and they can all respond with one heartand
voice, "Amen and Amen."
It
is a Church which is dependent upon no ministers upon earth, howevermuch
it values those who preach the Gospel to its members. The life of itsmembers
does not hang upon church membership, and baptism, and theLord’s
Supper — although they highly
value these things, when they are tobe had. But it has only one great Head
one Shepherd, one chief Bishop —and that is Jesus Christ. He alone, by
His Spirit, admits the members of thisChurch, though ministers may show the
door. Till He opens the door noman on earth can open it —
neither bishops, nor presbyters, norconvocations, nor synods. Once let a man
repent and believe the Gospel,and that moment he becomes a member of this
Church. Like the penitentthief, he may have no opportunity of being
baptized; but he has that whichis far better than any water-baptism —
the baptism of the Spirit. He maynot be able to receive the bread and wine
in the Lord’s Supper; but he eatsChrist’s
body and drinks Christ’s blood by faith every
day he lives, and nominister on earth can prevent him. He may be
excommunicated by ordainedmen, and cut off from the outward ordinances of
the professing Church;but all the ordained men in the world cannot
shut him out of the trueChurch.
It
is a Church whose existence does not depend on forms, ceremonies,cathedrals,
churches, chapels, pulpits, fonts, vestments, organs,endowments,
money, kings, governments, magistrates, or any act of favorwhatsoever
from the hand of man. It has often lived on and continuedwhen
all these things have been taken from it; it has often been driven intothe
wilderness or into dens and caves of the earth, by those who ought tohave
been its friends. Its existence depends on nothing but the presence ofChrist
and His Spirit; and they being ever with it, the Church cannot die.
This
is the Church to which the Scriptural, titles of present honor andprivilege,
and the promises of future glory, especially belong; this is thebody
of Christ; this is the flock of Christ; this is the household of faith andthe
family of God; this is God’s building, God’s
foundation, and the templeof the Holy Ghost. This is the Church of the
first-born, whose names firewritten in heaven; this is the royal priesthood,
the chosen generation, thepeculiar people, the purchased possession, the
habitation of God, the lightof the world; the salt and the wheat of the
earth; this is the "Holy CatholicChurch" of the Apostle’s
Creed; this is the "One Catholic and ApostolicChurch"
of the Nicene Creed; this is that Church to which the Lord Jesuspromises,
"the gates of hell shall not prevail against it", and to which Hesays,
"I
am with you always, even unto the end of the world"Matthew
16:18; 28:20.
This
is the only Church which possesses true unity. Its members areentirely
agreed on all the weightier matters of religion, for they are alltaught
by one Spirit. About God, and Christ, and the Spirit, and sin, andtheir
own hearts, and faith, and repentance, and necessity of holiness, andthe
value of the Bible, and the importance of prayer, and the resurrection,and
judgment to come — about all these
points they are of one mind. Takethree or four of them, strangers to one
another, from the remotest cornersof the earth; examine them separately on
these points; you will find them allof one judgment.
This
is the only Church which possesses true sanctity. Its members are allholy.
They are not merely holy by profession, holy in name, and holy in thejudgment
of charity; they are all holy in act, and deed, and reality, and life,and
truth. They are all more or less conformed to the image of JesusChrist.
No unholy man belongs to this Church.
This
is the only Church which is truly catholic. It is not the Church of anyone
nation or people; its members are to be found in every part of theworld
where the Gospel is received and believed. It is not confined withinthe
limits of any one country, or pent up within the pale of any particularforms
or outward government. In it there is no difference between Jew andGreek,
black man and white, Episcopalian and Presbyterian —
but faith inChrist
is all. Its members will be gathered from north, and south, and east,and
west, in the last day, and will be of every name and tongue —
but allone
in Jesus Christ.
This
is the only Church which is truly apostolic. It is built on thefoundation
laid by the Apostles, and holds the doctrines which theypreached.
The two grand objects at which its members aim are apostolicfaith
and apostolic practice; and they consider the man who talks offollowing
the Apostles without possessing these two things to be no betterthan
sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.
This
is the only Church which is certain to endure unto the end. Nothingcan
altogether overthrow and destroy it. Its members may be persecuted,oppressed,
imprisoned, beaten, beheaded, burned; but the true Church isnever
altogether extinguished; it rises again from its afflictions; it lives onthrough
fire and water. The Pharaohs, the Herods, the Neros, the bloodyMarys,
have labored in vain to put down this Church; they slay theirthousands,
and then pass away and go to their own place. The true Churchoutlives
them all and sees them buried each in his turn. It is an anvil thathas
broken many a hammer in this world, and will break many a hammerstill;
it is a bush which, often burning, yet is not consumed.
This
is the Church which does the work of Christ upon earth. Its membersare
a little flock, and few in number, compared with the children of the
world;
one or two here, and two or three there. But these are they whoshake
the universe; these are they who change the fortunes of kingdoms bytheir
prayers; these are they who are the active workers for spreading theknowledge
of pure religion and undefiled; these are the life-blood of acountry,
the shield, the defense, the stay and the support of any nation towhich
they belong.
This
is the Church which shall be truly glorious at the end. When all earthlyglory
is passed away then shall this Church be presented without spotbefore
God the Father’s throne. Thrones,
principalities, and powers uponearth shall come to nothing; but the Church of
the first-born shall shine asthe stars at the last, and be presented With joy
before the Father’s throne,in
the day of Christ’s appearing. When the
Lord’s jewels are made up, andthe
manifestation of the sons of God takes place, one Church only will benamed,
and that is the Church of the elect.Reader, this is the true Church to which
a man must belong, if he would besaved. Till you belong to this, you are
nothing better than a lost soul. Youmay have countless outward privileges;
you may enjoy great light, andknowledge —
but if you do not belong to the body of Christ, your light,and
knowledge, and privileges, will not save your soul. Men fancy if theyjoin
this church or that church, and become communicants, and go throughcertain
forms, that all must be right with their souls. All were not Israelwho were called Israel, and all
are not members of Christ’s body whoprofess
themselves Christians. Take notice, you may be a staunchEpiscopalian,
or Presbyterian, or Independent, or Baptist, or Wesleyan, orPlymouth
Brother — and yet not be long
to the true Church. And if you donot, it will be better at last if you had
never been born.