But there is yet another mark by which the followers of Christ, as a body, may be identified. Some chief men among the Jews said of the original body: ““We know, as concerning this sect, that everywhere it is spoken against." Is there any church, or body of people, in our time-a religious body-that bears this mark? Is there any one religious body that is everywhere spoken against? There is certainly one religious body that bears this mark. No matter how many differences there may be among the various parties of these times, nor how great their differences, nor what their nature may be, there is one point on which they all agree—that is, to speak against the religious body that takes Christ as their only Head, and his law as their only rule; who acknowledge no authority but him. They are all very lenient toward each other, frequently conceding that "whatever a man thinks is right, is right to him;" but this does not hold good all around. If a man thinks the law of God is right; that to follow that law is right; that the law of God is the absolute authority in all matters of religion, they will not admit it to be right, no matter how much he thinks it is right. But the plain truth is, that the law of God, as set forth in Scripture, is right, whether men think it is right or not. All other religious law is wrong, no matter how many men think it is right, or try to prove that it is right.

We rejoice that thinking that the truth is a lie, can not make it such; nor can thinking that the true Church is false, make it false. Men can, and do, think wrong, about as often as they do anything else wrong. Indeed, it is almost invariably the case that thinking wrong leads to doing wrong. But we stop not here to discuss matters of this sort, but proceed to sum the whole matter up. There is, as a reality, now. existing one body,

called in Scripture "the Church;" or sometimes since we have bodies that are not the true Church, styled "the true Church;" and these are now, in reality, "Christians." The main matter, then, that concerns us now, is not successions of priests of any sort, ordinances, or religious bodies, but simply two matters: First, how a man became a Christian in the time of the apostles; second, what were those Christians when assembled in the time of the apostles, as a whole, or in their congregated capacity? They were the Ekklesia in that place. This is the Greek word for "church," or generally translated church in the Common Version. It occurs one hundred and sixteen times in the New Testament, and is translated "church" in all but three places. In those three places the word has the same meaning it has in all the other places. Those three places are Acts xix. 32, 39 and 41. In these places it is translated "assembly." But any one can see that it means assembly in ail the other places, as certainly as it does in these places. It is true, in these places the assembly was very different from the assemblies in the other places; but that difference can not be learned from the word Ekklesia. That word simply means assembly, or congregation, and we must learn what kind of a congregation, or assembly, is meant from the connection, and not from that word, or from any peculiar translation of that word.

The Christians met, or assembled, in any city, town, or community, are the congregation, or the Church there, or the body of Christ there. Hearing the gospel, then, believing it, and obeying it, brought a man to Christ; made him a Christian, and he was then added to the saved-to the others, who had in like manner been saved. These, by faith in Christ, are one with all the other Christians in the world; or, we may say more,

with "the whole family in heaven and on earth.” Here, then, ends the whole matter of identifying the body of Christ, and the union of Christians. When we are turned to the Lord, reconciled to God, made one with him, we are united with all that are united with him. This is the genuine union, the genuine religion, and the genuine body in which to meet and worship.

Look carefully into the Scriptures, and there learn how to come to the Lord, and be united with him, and you will have no trouble about uniting with those that have come and been made partakers of the divine nature. How precious and glorious to know that he loved us, and has provided for us, so that we can come and worship him acceptably. To Him be glory in the congregation now and ever.

SERMON No. XXI.

THEME. THE SIMPLICITY OF THE DIVINE ECONOMY.

In the works of God everything is arranged in the best possible manner—no room is left for improvement. No light, invented by man, or what is called artificial light, is as good as the light God has ordained for the day-the light of the sun. In the arrangement in nature, no human wisdom, or even angelic wisdom, can suggest a single improvement that would not result in failure. In the work of God everything is perfect. There can be no change without injury. This is true, not only in nature, but in all the works of God. No way can be invented to do anything better than the way God has ordained. It is preposterous and absurd to presume anything else, and worse to attempt it.

This men generally appear to know, in the whole range of temporal things. In the mechanic arts, natural powers, and all operations with material substances, the laws of nature, or the laws of God in nature, have to be strictly observed. If these laws are misapprehended, mistaken and violated, the consequences are certain. There can be no departure from them without disaster.

The Lord has set the members of the human body in order, and ordained each one to perform its own part. There can be no change made in these members, or in their arrangement, or work, without disaster. The arrangement is simple, but it is perfect. It is the result

of infinite wisdom. The body, as the Lord made it, with all the members, and the arrangement of the members, is complete and perfect. There is not a complication in the entire structure. Every emergency, or contingency, that can possibly occur in its operations, is provided for. The Creator did not make it and then wait to see how it would work, but he knew how it would work in every part. He did not create it, and leave somebody free to remodel it, organize it, as human wisdom might think best.

In the same way, the divine economy, in the New Institution, was perfect at the start. It can not be improved-it is the perfection of infinite wisdom. The Lord's work, or the work he does himself, is simply right. The revelation he has made to man is perfect— complete. The gospel is perfect-complete. Nothing can be added, and nothing taken away, without bringing ruin on him who does it. The divine procedure, in the first promulgation of the gospel, and turning the people of the world from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, was right, and that procedure was a model for doing the same work in all time to come. The same gospel preached by the apostles must be preached now, and in all time to come, and preached in the same way. It must be heard and believed in all time to come, the same as it was then. The same repentance must follow, now as then; the same confession of the Lord Jesus is required now, as was then; the same immersion, "into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," is required now to introduce a person into the kingdom of God, as was in the time of the apostles; the same promise of pardon, and the impartation of the Holy Spirit, stands as good to-day as it did in the time of the apostles. On all this