Gospel Herald, 1860-07-28

              GOSPEL HERALD.
.^^.*:"".'"'V*" C3Uri»ii.u.Uy, Al or-aUty, th^rxterest-B^of^at>>^^ Schools, Social It^px-o^exr.er.t, Temperaxxce, Bdtxcutior., ax.a Oetxer^l New«- " BEHOLD,    I   BttlHO   TOtr   aoOD   TIDINGS   OP   GEEA^T^ ^ -==-
ON   EAKTH   PEACE,   GOOD   WILL   TO-WAED   MEN.'
VOL. 17.
Di^YTON, 0., SATURDAY, JULY 28,1860.
NO. 13.
ORIGINAL POETRY.
Writlenfor tne Qotjiel Utrald.
"As Sorrowful, yet always Eejoioing."
UY 1. .IKFrKIimuV Ll.NIlHJCV,
Thro-ugh all of oartli's trials, liowiiver severe. The foltowors of Jnsiif! stiuul linn and seoure; And -wlicn life-Willi  ita  tcmpealB ftuil clouds is
arrayed, Tliey can trust in that frioiidsliip ivliich never
BliiiU fado, '
'l'J^o^^gll troiiblo,>?,  tcmiiliitions and sorro-ws op-
proSB, And often tliisy nigh for a "aeanoii of rest," They -wage a f.oo(I  -warfiiro—tlio  liuttles aoon
o'er, The priio tliiiy contend for, in theirsevermoro.
Althougli they may Htriigf^lo iu poverty's valo, TJiough foiis may deride tiiem,  and frieiidHliips
may fail; While the Mahxkr stands for theni, no foe cair
o'orcomo. riven   Death  would bo   Victory  -when noaring *       tlioir home.
Tliough they meet with the scoffu ofa gainsay¬ ing world,
And oi:.)iii![iny'8 iirrowBagainst them are hurled;
Much more waw once botnaby God's holy Bon,
Vot, He prayed that tiio-will of H'm Fatlior be dono.
Though nature apoalcB to  thom of oliango aud
decay— That. 0.11 things terrestial must soon pass away; IIopeB of bloBt hnniortality in Uioin do burn— Thoy  conlido in tliu Savior's proniiaad  return.
{»,   -when  Christ  al His  "second  appearing,"
shall oomo To   mfilio up   big   Jowols and  summon  Uiem
lioino; May we have so live.l that-with that happy Band A, Beat, may bo ours at the Ha-vior's rigid, liaml.
Cheer up, Kellow-sailorsl tho' our vessel is toesed With fibiist at the helm, she'll novflrbe lost; But,   outriding the   storms,    shall  roach that
briglit sliore Where suffering and aorro-wand flin isnoiuore. JlamersvilU, Ohio, April US, IKOI).
ORIGINALITIES.
WrtUmfortht tfutpet Horald.
A Notice of Dr. Craie'e  Remarks on the following: Proposition:
•< 1 he Chritt'tan Clmrc.h, in a Di^wminalional form, took ils rise rihunt iho commmicemrnl ofthe year eighteen hunilreiV
Tho iibovo iH takon IVotn tho Gospel .Iler^'ld, M-iiy ID, nnd publinhod June IG^ with romarks by AuHtin Craig, in th e wha,pe, form, style, or whutovor yoa may to pleased to call it, I think it was offered in tho form of an objection to "tho po.sition, as above stated. I will r.ot suy but what tho poeition, in tho form in whieh it is stated, is an ob- joctiO'^a'ble one; yet beforo I am pre¬ pared to admit tho objection to the po¬ sition, in the form in which it is sta¬ ted, I woiird bo ])leased and must have Jactter evidence than I am able to find in tbe short notice of my good friend tho Doctor.
This opinion, as offered, is not t^without form." Yet to my mind it is not in clear, distinct seeing form, at loaBti it docs not jirosont ituclf in a cleJtr light to my mind. My whole Qj;>joot in life has befcn to learn tho tratt*' live it myself, and present it to others in all its forms luid modes ol j-jiji-nifestation to men.
jjy tho uso of the term "Tho Chris¬ tian Church,"  I meant that body or
CO lection of men and women, associa¬ ted together in Christian fellowship in., what tr.ey hold to be a visible church form, aud held, that tho name Christian was the most appropriate name for the disciples of Christ.— Hence, in speaking of their risein visi¬ ble, church form, I called them "the CJinstian Church,",t\to name taken by thom, when they camo out from the; othor churches na.med. I hold that the spiritual body of Christ—"That mystic body in which all the members of Christ are symmetrically joined together" is nobler than any denominational form since the day of Pentecost. I hold that the spiritual form given tothe mystic body of Christ, is that peculiar form given by the "illuminations and in-workings of the Holy Ghost," and is more glorious than the finest "mani¬ kin" in denominational form. Yet all of this does not show that thoro is no denominational form, in -which tho visible Church of Christ—"The Chris¬ tian Church"—presents itself to the world. There aro men and women who do not present a perfect body in form, yet they may have a perfect spiritual form. The visible body may bo defective and pol- I luted by disease, while the spiritu- I al man may be perfect in form, so far as the pollutions of sin are concerned. Ilonce, the spiritual body of Christ, in its highest form of purity, is superior to any of the visible, denominational church fortns among men.'
Tho spiritual body of Ghrist, the Catholic Ohristian Church, which "took its rise" on, or in my opinion: beforo tho "day of Pentecost," has but one form, and that form is perfect; because it is the work of the spirit of God, and the immutable truth of God on the intellectual and spiritual attributes of the mind, "All with open face * * and are changed * * by the spirit," &o. -
The best and moat tangible ideas I can give of it is this, that it. is that peculiar form of holiness of heart, produced by an intellectual, spiritual and uniform Eternal obedience of men, to the Divino will. This internal, fipiritual form gives a manifestation I in outward associated caurch form laud action; while the internal form I may be one, and perfect men may, j and do differ in opinion about:the in- I ternal form.
j     But  when I   said,   "the  Ohristian ' Church, in   a   denominational' form, I took its rise, &e.,"   I did not intimate that external visible .form,  in the de¬ nominational sense of the term, was a ' perfect representation of either thein- j visible   or visible  form,   in which the primitive churoh presented itself to the world,  as   a   collection   of  men and ! women,   in   visible   church form, for j Christian worship, fellowship, and uni- '¦ ted effort to present the claims of the i now institution, to both Jew and Gon- ' tile.    However, it is my opinion, that .' it is about as near the visible denomi- ' national form, ofthe primitive church, supposed by some to have "took its rise on the day of Pentecost," as tmy other  churoh   form  among us.    But perhaps tho chnrch to which my friend the Dr. is an able minister, has a visi¬ ble form, in  a   denominational sense provided it has any in advance ot all i other forms, which I  suppose it has;
for I am of the opinion that the Dr, would not spend so much of his pre¬ cious time in preaching to a people so long, and not mold them into some regular, visible church form, such as he and his people hold to be th« best form.
Should he  be pleased to give a de¬ scription of the "denominational form" of his Christian Church,  in  regular visible working form, and that "form" of his church   should   suit me better than   the   form   of   "The   Christian Church, which took its rise &c." then Iwill most gladly givo up that form, and with all Wiy tort receive that bet- i tur form which may be preseiated by! my worthy   friend,   the Dr.    But, l| think I must have some visible form of; "the Christian Church," and my most] ardent desire is, to have the best form. | Thero are many visible forms, claim-1 ing to be the best representations of the visible   form   of  "the   Christian Church" on earth; but as before stated the Church of Christ has in truth, but one internal and external form, and all! other forms are only the efforts offal-! lible men to imitate the infallible form i or forms given by the Divine Father,; in the primitive form of "the Chris-: tian Ohurch."
Now then, if tbe Dr. will be pleased to give me a plain description of the' internal and external forms of the prim-1 itive Christian Church, as God made; them hy the Spirit of Divine Inspira-1 tion, ih the power of Divinely inspired truth, then as an honest learner of. truth, I will, with all my heart say { Amen, and give up all the modern de-1 nominaiional forms, of "tho Chitistian i Church, which took its rise ,&c."—and i take hold of the pure primitive form, without, or even with a denomination-1 alform, which took its rise on, or before i the day of Pentecost.; 1
i do not for one moment doubt the, statement that "many Christian peo-j pie.think that "form" in which "Thej Ohristian Church took its rise," is su¬ perior to that "denominational" pro¬ duct of .our illustrious Century; and that it began to exist on the day of Pentecost," I might admit this all to be true, and yet it would not come in contact with my position, in the sense in which I used it, T was speaking of a class of men and women, who had at a certain time, left the different church-forms with which they had been connected, and had associated themselves together, in what they at that time understood to be nearer the primitive form of the "external mani- festation-of the Christian church" ta¬ king the name "Christian," as the natoebest suited to thedisciples ofthe Good Master. Hence, I said "the Chris¬ tian Church, in a denominational form took its rise &o," in -visible forrn. Al¬ though they may not have been in that form, that some hold, "commenced on the day of Pentecost," yet in my opinion, they wore not "without form" and that form into which they had been pleased, under tho blossing_ of God to form themselves, was, in their opin¬ ion ot the visible form^ of tho primitive Christian Church the best form. They may have been in an error in reference to tho true original visible form,given to the Christian Church, ' in the early part of the first Century;" yet I feel quite well contented with this visible
form "of the Christian Church" as- .sociation, and foel disposed to hold on to it, until I am preocnted with, and convinced of a better one. I am deci¬ dedly of the opinion, that at least the leading features of "that peculiar form" that took its rise, after a long fall, came for{^ in 7iew life, about the com¬ mencement ofthe "year eighteen hun¬ dred," did exist during the "early part of the first ijentury," Hence, I hold that "the Christian Church" in inter¬ nal and external ibrm, and also iu de¬ nominational form, in tho sense in which the term was used, is as near primitive as any among us,
I may be mistaken, but I am not sure, but what, that Christian Church, which "began to exist on the day of Pentecost, and was not without form" did not exist in denominational form. I think that there are those in the world who claim to have the form of the Ohristian Chureh, which they say "began to take its rise or exist on the the day of Pentecost/' and exist in a denominational form. Perhaps some one in "our Illustrious Century" can give an understanding statement ofthe form ofthe visible church, which be¬ gan to exist on the day of Pentecost, not in denominational form, yet "with¬ out form," The peculiar form of that church, which began to exist at that time, is what I desire to learn that I may embrace it.
As before stated, the form of the spiritual body of Christ—the Catho¬ lic Christian Church ia one—it is a spiritual unit—it is the form given to it hy the Divine Father. But tome there is, a -visible form, which is es¬ sential to the existence of the Chris¬ tian Church on earth, so far as the as¬ sociated action of men and women are concerned. I have used the term de¬ nominational, in speaking oi a class of men and women, associated in visible chnrch-form, taking the name Chris¬ tian, as in their judgment, themost proper name for the disciples of Christ, i But if I was wrong in making use of the term denominational form, in the connection, and in tbe sense in which I did, then 1 am willing to be correct¬ ed and taught the better way by the Dr., or any other Brother, who may be pleased to give mo light in that di¬ rection.
Brother Ellis—Suppose that some future correspondent of the Gospel Herald, say the one hundred, and twenty-fifth volume, should, from read¬ ing the 16th of June, 1860, Ask the question—what did Dr. Craig me.in when he said "God gave it (tfiat is the Christian Church) a 'form' di'vinely fit, when he constituted it 'the body of Christ 1'" Surely such correspondent could form no ideaof the form, he would give the Christian Church, that "be¬ gan to exist on the,day of Pentecost." The Dr. might mean, the Presbyte¬ rian, Methodist, or even Eoman Cath¬ olic form ci'the visible church, for all such correspondents could learir. AU would admit the form given hy the Divino hand, as "Divinely fit." Yours in the 19'^e of Christian truth, and fool¬ ing thatl am a member of thespirifcual body of Christ: and in the .denomina¬ tional light of the subject, ^member of the Christian Ohurch. whieh took its rise in denominational form, &c.
n,   SlATONTON.