Lessons from Yesterday

[Page 10]

     Neither the Episcopalian, nor the Presbyterian church, is the church of Christ, for a man can be in the church of Christ, and not be in either of the churches named. No Methodist will deny that a man may be in the church of Christ, and not be in the Methodist church. The same is true of the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian churches. We are not denying that there may be Christians in these churches, as there may be in other bodies, but no one of these bodies is the body of Christ. A man may be a member of the body of Christ, and not a member of any one of these bodies. We doubt not there are many members in those bodies who are not members of the body of Christ at all. These are complete, separate and distinct bodies, in members, officers, and name. That which makes a man a member of any one of these bodies, does not make him a member of any other one, nor does it necessarily make him a member of the body of Christ. On the other hand, that which makes a man a member of the body of Christ, does not make him a member of any one of these bodies. A man may take every step required by the Lord, to make him a member of the body of Christ, and thus become a member, and he is still no member of any one of these other bodies. To become a member of any one of them, he must take some additional steps or do something in addition to what the Lord requires, to become a member of his body. To create and perpetuate these other bodies, something must be added to the Lord's requirements. They are themselves additions to the Lord's will, and to become a member of any one of them, a man must do something in addition to the Lord's will.

     When we take the steps required in the law of God, to make us members of the body of Christ, we are made members, and united with all the other members, who are simply members of the same body, but not united with those who have made the addition necessary to become members of some of these other bodies. Nor are the members of these other bodies united with each other. How, then, can they be united? We answer, and let him controvert who can, that those who have gone through the process required by the Lord to become members of his body, and thus been constituted members, as they are in the body, and united with all the members in the same body, should refuse to add to the Divine process, the human process necessary to make them members in any of these other bodies, and thus remain in fellowship with all in the body of Christ.

     Those who have not submitted to what the Lord requires to constitute them members of the Lord's body, should immediately do so, and thus become members of his body, and united with all the other members. Those who have added to what the Lord requires to make them members of his body, what men require to make them members of other bodies, should at once repudiate the addition to what the Lord requires, and return to be nothing but members of the body of Christ. Every religious body in the world, except the body of Christ, should be disbanded, and the members immediately submit to Prince Messiah, to be members of his body and no other. Nothing short of this will ever result in union among the friends of the Lord.

     This is the ground we have taken, and by the grace of God, intend to maintain to the end. We opened the law of the Lord and learned the steps required there to become his disciples, enter his body; took the steps, and entered his body. We claim now to be his disciples, members of his body, and nothing else in the name of religion, and are ready to unite with all other members of his body, disciples of Christ. We look upon it as treasonable to get up any other religious bodies, go into them, or be anything else in the name of religion, except disciples of Christ, Christians, members of his body -- the church.

     The Church Union says: "We have no desire to encourage the growth of branches." We are not sure that we un-

[Page 11]

derstand the meaning of the writer. He evidently intends by "branches" the different religious bodies now extant. But does he mean that he has no desire to encourage these bodies, or "branches" to grow any larger, or to grow in the number of parties? We incline to the opinion that the latter is his meaning. But then, if they are all branches of the same tree, we cannot see why he should not desire the number of branches to increase as is the case with all healthy trees. We know these bodies do exist; but if we consider them branches at all, of what are they branches? If we look at them historically, the Romish church is a branch of the church of Christ. The Lutheran church is a branch of the Romish church. The Presbyterian church is another branch of the Romish church. The Presbyterian church has been branching till there are some eight or ten kinds of Presbyterians. The Episcopalian church is a branch of the Romish church. The Methodist Episcopal church is a branch of the Episcopalian church. The Protestant Methodist church is a branch of the Methodist Episcopal church. Then the Methodist church has continued to branch till there are possibly fifteen kinds of Methodists.

     Now, are all these branches of the church of Christ? If they are, looking at it under the figure of a tree, where is the body? The body of a tree is something different from the branches, and when you trim off all the branches of a tree and put them together, they do not make a body, but what we of the backwoods call a brush heap.

     But the Church Union puts the question: "Is there no church of Christ outside of a sect, whatever that may be?" Certainly there is. The church of Christ is the body of Christ, and no sect. A sect us a schism, or heresy. The same original word is translated sect and heresy. Sects, or heresies, should all be done away, or abolished. A child of God should not belong to a sect, or heresy, but to the body of Christ. This is our purpose, to keep this precious body separate from all sects. (The above article is from The American Christian Review, 1867).