THE TRUE CHURCH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1054, 23 January 1913, Page 4

THE TRUE CHURCH.

Text—“ Upon this rock I will build My Church.’” S. Math. XVI. 18. BY THE I.ATE BISHOP RYT.E. Do you belong to one true Church ; to the Church ouside of which there 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 the one true Church ? What is this one true Church like? What are the marks by which this one true Church may be known ? You may well ask such questions. Give me your attention, and I will provide you with some answers. The one true Church is composed ot all believers in the Lord Jesus. It Is made up of all God’s elect—ot all converted men and women —of all true Christians. In whomsover we cau discern the election of God the Father, the sprinkling of the blood of God the son, the sanctifying work of God the 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 all born of the Spirit; they all possess “ repentance towards God, faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,” and holiness ot life and conversation. They all bate sin, and they all love Christ, They worship differently and after various fashions; some worship with a form of prayer and some with none ; some worship 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 all draw their religion from one single 800k —that is the Bible. They are all joined to one great centre —that Is Jesus Christ. They all even now can say with one heart, “Hallelujah” and they can all respond with one heart and voice, “ Amen and Amen.” It is a Church which is dependent upon no ministers upon earth, however much it values those who preach the Gospel to its members. The life of its members does not hang upon church-membership, and baptism, and the Lord’s Supper—although they highly value these things, when they are to he had. But it has only one Head —one Shepherd, one chief Bishop—and that is Jesus Christ. He alone, by His Spirit, admits the members of this Church, though ministers may show the door. Till He opens the door no man on earth cau open it—neither bishops, nor presbyters, nor convocations, nor synods. Once let a man repent and believe the Gospel, and that moment he becomes a member of this Church. Like the penitent thief, he may have no opportunity of being baptised ; but he may have that which is tar belter than any water-baptism—-the baptism of the Spirit. He may not be able to receive the bread and wine .in the Lord’s Supper ; but he eats Christ’s body and drinks Christ’s blood by faith every day he lives, and no minister on earth cau prevent him. He may be ex-communicated by ordained men, 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 true Church. It is a Church whose existence does not depend on forms, ceremonies, cathedrals, churches, chapels, pulpits, fonts, vestments, organs, endowments, kings, governments, magistrates, or any act of favour whatsover from the hands of man. It has often lived on and continued when all these things have been taken from it; it has often been driven into the wilderness or into dens and caves of the earth, by those who ought to have been its friends. Its existence depends on nothing but the presence of Christ and His Spirit; and they being ever with it, the Christ cannot die.