Observer, Feb. 1, '72. Let us, now, notice a few of the facts recorded in that first, and most eventful year of church history, and let us ask ourselves, as we go over the ground, how our present, but now nearly ended, year of church-life appears in the light of that comparison. The first thing that strikes us is, the church's complete reception of the apostles in that position of extraordinary elevation in which the great Head of the church had placed them. They were His ambassadors—those who heard them, heard Him-they could say, "He who is of God heareth us." It was theirs to command, to institute, to set in order. They were the Legislature of His church-of the dispensation of the Kingdom now graciously granted to the children of men. The law of pardon, of justification, of adoption, of translation into the kingdom of God's dear Son, was, on that day, given by the apostles of Jesus-given by them, on His authority, to stand for every generation until by Him revoked. Under their direction the first church was set in order and became a model church for all time. By their command its first deacons were elected, and by them they were ordained. Everywhere the word of the apostles was imperative and their commands and prohibitions settled all questions among the obedient members of the church of God. To disregard their decisions was to set at naught the law of Christ. The Holy Spirit has taken care to preserve such records of their enactments as shall guide the church now on all things settled by the law of the Lord, so that, they, being dead, still speak and rule. But how do many popular preachers in our day treat the apostles of Christ? They exhibit them in stained glass, in church windows, and carve them in stone for the outside ornamentation of their houses of worship. In more senses than one, they leave them out in the cold. They hold them up as high authorities when convenient and utterly discard them when it suits their theories and practice so to do. Not long ago the so-called minister of the so-called Church of the Saviour, in this town, discoursed upon the apostle Paul after this fashion: "We try honestly to find out what Paul says, and, if we cannot believe with Paul, we differ from him. We are alive; and Paul was once. He judged for himself in his day; and we judge for ourselves in ours. Paul is to us a glorious apostle, a wondrous saint, an admirable guide; but we have to walk, and live, and sin, and be saved by ourselves, and not by anything that Paul said or taught or did." Thus teaches this Birmingham Apostle-Paul, no doubt, was a glorious apostle for his day, but for our time, apostle Dawson is, in his own estimation, a better guide. Paul delivered that which he received from the Lord, but then Mr. Dawson can only believe with Paul sometimes, and when he cannot, he is, of course, an authority for himself, discarding both Paul and the Saviour, and setting all law at defiance, he becomes a law unto himself, clearly affirming that by what Paul said and taught we are not to be saved. But, as we have seen, the apostles were not dishonoured in the early days of the church. How, then, has it been with us? I think, in this respect, we are at liberty to say, that we do hear the apostles of the Lord Jesus, that we recognise their legislative authority, and seek in all things to order the church according to the way laid down by them. It is true that our best performances are poor and defective, but in this particular, I think we may say to our neighbours, "What you see in us, do." Let the apostles rule in the church and the union of Christians upon the one God-given foundation will be easily accomplished; denominations will cease, and, as of old, the One body will stand out in Observer, Feb. 1, '72. visible union, and then, but not otherwise, will the world believe that the Father has sent the Son to be its Saviour. In the second place we may notice the ENTHUSIASM of the church in this first year of church life. By enthusiasm we are here to understand ardent zeal, engendered by demonstrated facts which in their very nature affect the highest interests of man, in this world and the next-in time and in eternity. These Christian enthusiasts were not men whose imaginations had become frenzied, but persons who had come to discern the present and the future in the light of God's revelation, and who were, consequently, prepared to subordinate the perishable to the imperishable, the earthly to the heavenly. What was the result of this? They sought first, and ever first, the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness-to be Christians and to make others Christians was the great purpose of their lives. The things of this world were secondary, the things of eternity were primary. Not that they neglected the proper duties of the positions in which they were placed. By the most exemplary performance of those duties they served the Lord. But in all things the work and cause of Christ were uppermost. They were not striving to get to heaven by the most easy road, with as little sacrifice as possible, giving up just so much or so little sin as may suffice to escape damnation. Such, evidently, for the most part, were the members of the first church, during its first year. How has it been with us during this year? Are we in any measure like them?Let each ask himself the question before God. Is there not room to fear that the Christianity of some of us may not pass muster? Where is the ardent love for Christ, and for the church, and for sinners, which fashioned the life of the first Christians? Who of us has displayed some reasonable measure of it during the last year? This first year of church life shows us the church in suffering, and teaches us how to bear affliction for the cause of Christ. In prison, in stripes, in death, we behold the sufferers. Think of the glorious Stephen, as they crush him with stones, his face shining with the radiance of heaven as he commits his spirit to the keeping of his Lord! Think of those scenes of suffering for Christ, and then say whether your faith this last year has been such as would have sustained you in like trials! Has it sustained you in the workshop and in the mart as men devoted to Christ should be sustained? My brethren, let us ponder as we compare our present life with the life of those first Christian sufferers! In the next place, let us notice the BROTHERLINESS-the true fellowship of the first days of the church. There was wide distress, no poor-laws, and no public institutions from which to seek help; the distressed were cast out of the synagogues, and thus cut off from Jewish aid. But there was true brotherhood, and that was enough. Those who had estates sold them and brought the money and laid it at the feet of the apostles, and distribution was made to each as he had need. No man reserved his property simply for himself. There was enough to meet the necessitythere was no man that lacked-sufficient and to spare proclaimed the deep love of the newly-born brotherhood-the world held its breath and looked on in profound admiration. "Happy the souls that first believed- May the Lord forth in them! With grace abundantly endued, They all were of one heart and soul, Observer, Feb. 1, '72 help us to long for, and to attain, the love which shone May the language of our heart be— Blessed service, that-thrice blessed! Blessed to him who serves; also to those who are served; and then counted as done to Him who gave Himself for us. "But our brethren are not turned out of the synagogue; are not beaten and stoned; are not starving. We may have no estates to sell, and if we had there is no need to sell them." Grant all this, and what then? Why, there are a hundred kindnesses we do stand in need of: deeds of love, for which the heart pines; for the most part small things, but small things make up the great sum of life. How, then, has it been this year with us in this matter of love? Let each ask himself what, in this respect, his year of church life has been. Have we been paying our debts of love as they became due, or have we allowed them to stand over. If the latter, let us hasten to make reparation by discharging the obligation with interest. "Little children, love one another, for love is of God, and if we love not our brother, whom we have seen, how shall we love God, whom we have not seen?" I do thank God that at your recent anniversary meeting you were able to say that the year had been characterized by peace and concord, and that the church had been undisturbed by strife; but I do, nevertheless, fear that some of us have fallen short in the nurture and manifestation of that love which thinketh no evil, which is kind and patient, which seeketh not its own, but the welfare of others. May the love of the first church speak to our heart and find a more satisfactory repetition in our life, if we are spared yet another year! We may further notice, and, I trust, to profit, that this first, zealous, loving church was NOT PERFECT-the stains of sin were upon it. Some from love sold their estates and devoted the produce to those who stood in need. But it is possible to hunger for the approbation that results from generous action when the spirit of generosity is absent. Scarcely had the church been organized, and its flow of love commenced, when there came one professing to have sold his property and to have presented to the church the entire proceeds, yet keeping back part of the price. It was not required that he sell the whole, nor that he give the proceeds. While it remained it was his own; when sold, the money was in his own power, to give in whole, in part, or not at all. There was no abolition of private property; no communistic demand to cast all into a common fund. This man wanted the praise of men, not having the heart to make the sacrifice needful to obtain it, and he lied, not only to man but to God, that he might enrich his reputation and save his pocket. His wife, who was privy to the transaction, confirmed his lie, and both were stricken dead at the feet of the apostles. What a blow to that joyful, zealous, loving church! I think I see every eye dimmed by tears, every face sad Observer, Feb. 1, 72. dened by sorrow, and a pang agitating every Christian heart. It was the church's first public, open sin and punishment. It would seem, to those truly loving souls, as incongruous and as much out of place as was the first transgression in the fair garden of Eden. And yet it was needful. It was well to have taken place thus early; and the record, standing where it is, comes to us a thing of grace and wisdom. Needful! did 1 say. Yes. He who knew what was in man had before said-"It must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." The church is a company of imperfect creatures-not one perfect man in the whole membership. It is composed of the truly converted, the half converted, the self-deceived, the hypocrite, and of men who have fallen from true godliness but not from the profession thereof. Ever and anon, then, offences must come, the church must be made sad, its tears must flow, its discipline must be exercised. Some of us have at times been ready to turn from the church when these painful cases have arisen, and have cried, Can this be the church of Christ? The answer is, Yes! and so it was in that first church, in that loving church, in that pure church, in that best of churches. It was then as now-" offences must needs come." We thank God for the record, take courage, through our tears look to the end, and press on. But still the "woe remains to the offender. Better that a millstone were hanged about thy neck and that thou wert cast into the sea, than to offend one of Christ's little ones. How has it been, brethren, with you this year? You have already said that this church has enjoyed a peaceful year; contention and strife have not prevailed within its borders. But let each ask how far that result arises from his good conduct. Sometimes a breach of the peace is prevented solely by an immense exercise of forbearance. Among those who rejoice in the end of the year at the unbroken peace may be some who have done much to break it. That they have not landed the church in turmoil is not due to them. The patient forbearance of others takes the crown, and their sin remains to be reckoned for. The church is the temple of God; and if any man destroy the temple of God, him will God destroy. So we learn from the apostle Paul. But how can man destroy God's temple? He can waste the church by strife, contention, agitation, of which he is the cause, and which he may carry on, with others like himself, not for the maintenance of any principle, not in defence of divine truth and order, but solely of self-will and for self-pleasing. Who among us, of any considerable experience, has not known churches thus agitated, and churches thus destroyed? Who cannot tell of souls thus destroyed, and of sinners thus left unconverted? One sinner destroys much good-one root of bitterness springing up defiles many. It may be that in the coming year some one of us may become such a sinner, or such a root of bitterness. May the Lord forbid! But how may we prevent it? By submitting ourselves in all things to the revealed law of the Lord, and by submitting to the majority of the church in all matters of church action left to be adjusted by the church. In all things let the majority rule. The rule of the minority against the will of the majority is tyranny. Every member of the church is bound to do his best to work out to the best possible results, under whatever arrangements the majority of the entire church may determine-that is, in matters left to the church to settle and to change from time to time. Sin is sin. Drunkenness, theft, lying, fornication, are gross sins, which God forbid that I should for one moment palliate. But I confess to the opinion that none of these equal in deplor Observer, Feb. 1, '72. able results and in enormity that satanic masterpiece, the promoting and perpetuating strife, inutility and ruin in a church of Christ. I can think of but one sin that has surpassed it, and that is the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ. That crime, however, brought down from the throne of God a river of healing, for the cleansing of our sin-stained race; but this sin dams up the stream, and thus turns from sinners the healing agency they need. The church is the pillar and support of the truth. The church is the Lord's instrumentality for perfecting saints and converting sinners; but a church at war within itself is like a lifeboat turned upside down-it is useless where it ought to save, and by its uselessness dooms men to death. May the good Lord, if it be possible, keep this church, during the coming year, from internal strife, even as in the year now ending! And may each member see to it that offences come not by him! Lastly, let us note the WORKING QUALITY of that first church. Read the first eight chapters of the Acts, and the church appears like a hive of bees; on every hand are energy, activity, the work of faith and the labour of love. It seems as though a drone could not live there. Daily they meet, from house to house with gladsome feet they move, the glad tidings they tell, not by hired minister, nor in consecrated building, nor in stated service, but each tells to others, not "in season and out of season," for the season never ends. O for one year of such church work here in this Birmingham. But we are men of business, and have but little time! I know that, and would only desire that after due attention to business and home duties, to the extent that God approves as compatible with a proper pre-eminence to eternal things, the rest be given to Him and to His church. Let only this be done and our hive here will be busy, spiritual health and prosperity prevail, peace and joy fill our hearts, and the work of the Lord prosper in our hands. Proxy-work is the curse of modern churches. We appoint a few visitors to look after absent members and omit to visit them ourselves, as if the Lord's blessing were promised to those who pass a resolution by which a board of visitors is created. A few teachers are recognized and we expect in an hour or two in the week, to be made learned in the Bible, and fed to the full sustainment of spiritual life. But anything of this sort is an absurdity and a blunder. The Bible must be studied by every man for himself and teaching must be mutual and daily, each must seek to impart to others. Preaching is now chiefly the work of ministers and evangelists. But it was not so in that first church. The whole church was scattered, and the whole church went everywhere preaching the Gospel, that is, except the apostles. And why were they not driven out in the persecution? Most likely, because they were not the most prominent preachers in the Jerusalem church. I doubt not but that their work, then, was more that of organization and oversight. Preaching was not lecturing, not a thing of platform and pulpit, but every-day talking of Christ and His salvation, as men now talk of passing political events and great national movements. Give us this kind of preaching and we shall not want very many men to prepare and deliver elaborate discourses. There will still be work for such men, but the great bulk of the required work can never be done by that class. The other day I was looking into a brief memoir of a devoted believer in Christ. His was a strange life of wonderful results. In several neighbourhoods, by quietly talking from house to house, he produced a deep religious feeling and considerable 3 |