CHAPTER VI. THE TRUE CHURCH-INVISIBLE-UNIVERSAL. THAT which ennobles our world is the glorious truth that on it 'Christ hath loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.' This earth has been the scene of mighty human transactions. Of vast importance, they have produced lasting consequences. Stupendous as they are, they can never approach the greatness and glory of the one event for which this world will eternally be distinguished. The Son of God, incarnate, died on earth for sinful men. Born to die, He lived to die. His death was the consummation of redemption. This one fact will be ever remembered with adoration and gratitude. The Church of God,' 'He hath purchased with His own blood.' The salvation of the Church was thus infallibly secured. His purpose was, 'that He might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, 'not having spot or wrinkle, nor any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.' The true Church manifestly comprehends all that ever shall be saved (Eph. v. 26, 27). This is the society of the redeemed— Them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus.' They are not believers in name, but in deed and in truth,-the called (xλ) out from (2) the world and sin unto salvation and the service of the Lord. The Church embraces that portion now in heaven, -all who from the fall to the present moment have passed through the gates into the Celestial City. It embraces that portion now on earth,—all the living who have been, or yet will be, brought into a covenant connection with Christ. And it embraces all those yet unborn, who, on earth, shall come into possession of the great salvation. In a word, all to whom the King at last shall say, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' The true Church consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered under Christ, the Head thereof.' The members of the true Church may be unknown to man ; they are all well known to the Omniscient. No one can with infallible certainty pronounce upon the eternal destiny of his fellow-man. We may, in the judgment of charity, hope well. Tokens there may be, leading to the conclusion that the salvation of some are probable, in a lower or higher degree. There may be as much reason to fear the reverse regarding others. And yet, at the last great day, there may be found some awanting that were supposed to have gone to heaven. Others may be found in glory, who of all men were least expected there. A godly man may mourn, from what falls under his observation, that there are few who shall be saved. He may declare, 'I, even I, only am left,' while the Lord is proclaiming, 'Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel.' Divine sovereignty has been, and ever will be, conspicuous in the salvation of souls. Man, at best, is short-sighted. He is swayed in judgment by many interests. This secret thing belongeth to the Lord. As redeeming grace is heralded throughout all lands, souls are called out of darkness into marvellous light;' but man cannot say with certainty who are its subjects. He cannot see into the heart. He cannot accurately weigh its conditions and purposes in the balances of the sanctuary. This God only can. The Church thus, in its highest application, is invisible to human observation. The particular members of which it is composed cannot be accurately discerned and numbered by man. Every attempt to do so must fail; it savours of presumption. The Church, invisible to man, is universal or catholic. Its members are found in every age and country, people and tongue. It has its lower and its upper provinces; the lower having its seat in human hearts: Behold the kingdom of God is within you;' it'cometh not with observation.' Wherever grace takes possession of a soul, whatever its outward circumstances— whether in connection with, or far removed from, a visible community of professing Christians—that soul is a true member of the Redeemer's kingdom. Then there is the upper province of glory. That too is wholly invisible to the eyes of living men. But there, assuredly, the whole number of the saved, openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall be gathered into one in Christ.' They shall constitute the general assembly and Church of the First-born, which are written in heaven.' Wherever then, on earth, genuine piety is found, as shown by repentance, faith, and love to Christ, there exist the members of the true Church. Divided they may be by many barriers. High mountains, broad rivers, stormy seas, imaginary boundaries, human ignorance, passion, prejudice, unbelief and sin, may keep them apart. They may be found in every section of the professing Church. They may be distinguished by different names, opinions, practices. Marvellous as it may appear, some may even be found within the shadow of false churches, for the Most High God is Sovereign, and delights to manifest His thorough independence of human thoughts and conditions. Saved ones may even be gathered out of heathen lands. They are found on lonely islands of the deep, far in the Australian bush, by frozen seas, in ships of ocean, in sandy deserts of the torrid zone. No matter how or where, if united to Christ by a living faith, these are the sheep for whom Jesus died. These are brethren, all one in Christ Jesus, kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed.' Notwithstanding all peculiarities, they are one in the unity of the Spirit. They are all living members of their one glorious Head. They are all built upon the one Foundation laid in Zion. In whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.' QUESTIONS. 1. What grand transaction highly distinguishes this globe? 2. State the purpose of Christ, and how this points out the true Church. 3. How may its members be regarded by men and by God? and why? 4. Where is the lower province of the kingdom? What are its boundaries? and where is the upper? 5. State some of the obstacles to full union and communion among its members, and where is found the grand centre of unity. CHAPTER VII. THE VISIBLE KINGDOM. THE true Church of God on earth embraces those 'called to be saints,'' all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.' That this is the place of the preparation of the redeemed, is the fact next in importance concerning this world. The Church visible on earth is preparatory to the Church of the First-born. In addition to the inner province of grace and the higher province of glory, there is also the province of visibility in this united kingdom. The second general application of the term 'church' is to this universal visible community of professing Christians. In all ages it has possessed this characteristic more or less. The Church of God was visible IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES. In the first family, when 'Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.' In the patriarchs, when from the altar of Noah the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and promised that the ground would be so cursed no more; when Abraham, in obedience to the divine command, bound his beloved Isaac, and took the knife to slay his son; and when, his arm arrested, he took the ram and offered him in the stead of his son. These acts of solemn homage unto God were visible at least to that son of the promise. In the Mosaic economy, the Church was more fully visible. When the first-born were slain, a bitter wail arose in Egypt, while Israel in safety were redeemed. The Egyptians could not fail to perceive the rite of bloodsprinkling on the Israelitish dwellings, and, most of all, the miraculous triumph of the Church at the passage of the Red Sea. When, through the wilderness, they did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink ’— when, on the great day of atonement, the high priest offered for himself, and then for the people-when, with the blood of the goat on which the Lord's lot fell, he entered into the holiest-when 'The scapegoat on its head The people's trespass bore; And to the desert led, Was to be seen no more that impressive solemnity was conspicuous to the twelve assembled tribes. Ay! when the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night brought them onward in their marchwhen their enemies quailed and fell, until they took possession of, and rested in, the land of promise, then surrounding nations and tribes failed not to observe that there was a visible professing Church of God. So also in all the Old Testament history,-in the building and service of the temple -the captivity-the restoration and rebuilding at Jerusalem, -all loudly proclaimed by visible tokens that Jehovah was the true God, and Israel His people. The Church was more clearly visible under the NEW TESTAMENT DISPENSATION. On the arrival of Eastern sages, inquiring, 'Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him;' that worship was eagerly observed. So when shepherds, to whom angels brought glad tidings, said, 'Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass; and when they had seen, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.' The Church was most visible when Jesus inquired and taught midst doctors in the temple,-when He was baptized at Jordan,-when He sat on the mountain and taught,-when, standing in the fishingboat, or resting on the brink of a well, He unfolded to sinners the way of life and peace. His Church was visible when, distributing bread and wine in the upper room, He commanded, 'Do this in remembrance of Me,'-visible in His agony in the garden and on the cross,-as, gathering a multitude of disciples around Him, their risen Lord, in the mountain in Galilee, He said, 'Go, preach, baptize, and teach,'-and, as from Olivet He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.' Bereft of the bodily presence of Jesus, the Church was of |