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Show 'DEM PADMCD'O t i.si!0aklnff Pon tho theme of "The I3lbjlcal and Popular Beliefs Regard-ing Regard-ing Salvation," Rev. Carver, speaking on the question, "Is Church Member-ship Member-ship EaGonilal to Salvation?" said In part: "There is a viscid, structureless substance iu animal organisms which tno sciontlst calls protoplasm or bioplasm. bio-plasm. In many ways It Is ono of tho most wonderful of all naturo s storehouse store-house of marvels. As one has said, This viscid substance throbs and sur-ges sur-ges with llfo like an ocean In a storm. It has tho marvelous power of turning ' dead mattor into llfo." Dr Gregg tells i is, "It builds up from dead mutter tho complete human body, brain, artery, ar-tery, nerve, bono and muscle." This wonderful substanco seems to be over building, building Taking lifeless mattor and weaving, spinning, constructing con-structing it Into brnin, bono and tissue. tis-sue. It aeems aa If In this common substance you have tho meeting place between llfo and death, growth and decay. God and matter. In many wnys It Is an Illustration of Just what tho church Is doing in the moral and spiritual sphore It la taking tho spiritually and morally dead and building them up into living nnd transforming agencies. Only go bnck far enough and you will find that moBt everyone of our beneficent institutions and customs havo their origin or-igin In tho churoh of God Macauley in speaking of Athens says "Her power is indeed manifest at the bar, In the senate, on the field of bat-tlo bat-tlo and In the schools of philosophy But these aro not her glory Wherever Htoraturo consoles sorrow or assuages assuag-es pain, wherever It brings gladness to the eyes which fail with wakefulness wakeful-ness and tears, and ache for tho dark house and the long sleep There is oxhiblted in its noblest form tho Immortal Im-mortal Influence of Athens " And so catching Mncauley's spirit an omlnont divine has said of tho church "It has transformed savngo pud sensual empires; it has mastered i the barbarians, it has changed the I tace ol Europe, It has built cathedrals and hospitals and universities; it has , covered America with Us appropriate civilization; it hcis madp Christendom j tho leader of tho progress of the world. It has done all this, but while It has clone this, It Is not Its chief glory. Its true glory Is that It has wiped the toars of sorrow from Its disciples and has comforted the hearts which wore desolate with grief and has given celestial visions to those who dwelt In tho realm of death." Ofttlmcs we hear of one who while speaking highly of God and of Christ has little use for the church today save In tho time of death But the church Is far more perfect today than It was in Christ's day and yet Christ even gave to It his complete influence. He was a member of It He sought Us ordinance. He attended its services, took part in them and paid his part towards their support He was jealous jeal-ous for its purity and twice showed it by cleansing the temple Ho declared de-clared his intention of founding It anew, which ho did and all that was vital of his life command and teaching teach-ing was gathered Into and kept by It. In fact the onward march of his cause would have been Impossible without It. In splto of all which can be said against the church thlB much is true. It is the world's hope and blessing today ,and the only one who is at variance with it is the one who gives it no real place In his life Must a man be a member of it to be saved' That depends upon the reason why one is not a member of It. If one Is by distance or Inability kept from It It most assuredly is not a bar to salvation, sal-vation, but If one Is not a member because he would rather lead a worldly, world-ly, self-contered and Godless life, pay neither heed to nor give time to spiritual spir-itual things, be bearer ofno responsl blllty for the moral and spiritual condition con-dition of his place and time then tell me why should such an one delre to enter heaven at all? If he has no desire de-sire for God or Christ hero why should he desire to be near them eternally? eter-nally? If he has no love for splrtual things here why should he seek a spiritual realm eternal? The fact, however, Is that these same people who havo seemingly no use for a church hero cannot bo persuaded to live In a country where there are no churches They do not uesire tneir children reared apart from the Influences Influ-ences and blessings which only a church can develop. They desire church Influence to sweeten and purify puri-fy the moral atmosphere about their homes, but do not desire a part of the burden and denial essential to the creating cre-ating of that moral llfo. Now faith Is an active and not a passivo word. It implies action. It Is not mere pnsslve assent. And faith In Christ is not passivo belief in him a3 a historical personage. It Is active following his will. You can apply this to your own case. Wo know of no other promise for those who have tho free opportunity to accept or reject him. Neither can we understand how anyone can attempt to follow tho Christ or seek his spirit and at the same time not place their lives in full mission with his work. |