April - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

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Sermon. 4872. The word" Church" is It translation of the word" Ecclesia "which means "called ont" or "separated." We use the wordin a double sense. The visible and the invisible Church. (1) The"visible Church" includes all who are baptised with water ~nthe name of the Trinity. Such are members of the visible Churchand are called Christians. This is what we are to understand bythe question in the Shorter Catechism. "To whom is baptismto be administered~".... "The infants of such as are membersof the visible Church are to be baptised." Baptism separates or,distinguishes us from Jews and Mohammedans, etc. At the sametime to be memoers of the visible Church will not save our souls.'There is no such thing revealed in the Word of God as baptismalregeneration. We are called Christians and we enjoy the outwardprivileges of the Church but alas! how true that the majorityare utter strangers to the saving operatiQns of the Spirit.(2) We use the word in the sense of the "invisible church:"'The word in this sense takes in the whole election for whom.christ died. They were "called out" or "separated" in thepast eternity and they are called out in the day of their effectual,calling. "They are not of the world even as I am not of the·world." This separation Qught to be manifested by them in a"life and conversation becoming the gospel. The cause of Christ-to-day is low and despised but may we not ascribe the reasonat least to a large ext.ent to the loose and inconsistent conductof professing men and women and nQ less to ministers.The invisible church is not confined to one generation. Theywere in every age down from t.he days of Ac1arn_ They are-not of one age, there are babes and sucklings, young men and'old. They are not in one country or of one colonr. There areblack, white and yellow among them. "He gathered them out. ofthe lands from north, south, east and west." They were not of-the same social standing. Among them were kings and beggars.Neither had they the same moral character while in their natural·state. Some lived moral lives while others of them were thieves'and murderers. That was God's purpose in building His home'in the world that tbey should be gathered from all parts of
488 Free Presbyterian Magazine.the earth. Free Presbyterians have been often accused of holdingthat there are no godly people in any denomination but theirown. The charge is false and should be treated with the contemptit deserves. At the same time we endeavour to hold and hopewe shall hold by the infallibility and inerrancy of God's Wordand a distinct testimony as a Church.3. The Church is here spoken of as a house. "The houseof God." How may the Church be compared to a house~(1) A house does not grow of itself. It is not like a treewhich one wonld plant. A house must be built by some one." Every house is builc1ed by some man, but he who built all thingsis God" (Heb. iii. 4). It is God who builds this house. Whateverefforts men may make unless He builds, all will be useless."Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain thatbuild it" (Ps. cxxvii. 1).(2) When a house is to he built, plans and specifications aredrawn out and the builder must go according to these plans.If he does not keep to these his work is condemned and heis liable to a penalty. Now God, whose house the Church is,gave a plan and specification as to how His house is to be builtand ruled and if builders go not according to these their wurkwill be condemned and they themselves punished. As He o,aidto Moses: "See that thou make all things according to thepattern shewed to thee in the mount" (Heb. viii. 5). Thereare many in these days of blasphemy and rebuke, who areprofessed builders, but who have cast aside God's plan whichHe has given in His Word and who build according to theirown carnal fancies. But when the Chief Inspector will cometo examine their work He will condemn it; however, beautifulthese erections may appear in their own eyes.(3) A house must have a foundation and the larger the housethe stronger the foundation must be for if the foundation givesway the whole building will collapse. We may notice that therewas another house which God built or rather created and thatwas Adam and all the lmman race dwelt in him as their first
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Page 4 and 5: One of John Knox's Stamp. 483govern
Page 10 and 11: Sermon. 489covenant head. The coven
Page 12 and 13: --'\\Sermon. 491His truth and cause
Page 14: Sermon. 4!}3whether they will hear
Page 17: 496 F1'ee P1'esbyterian Magazine.We
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Page 28 and 29: Diterary Notices. 51)7of the Islami
Page 30 and 31: Notes and Comments. 509and cast in
Page 32 and 33: Ch~wch Notes. 511out of the country
Page 34 and 35: A ckno'H'ledgment of Donations. 513
Page 36 and 37: The Maga.zine. 515MacKenzie, Rose C

April - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

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