The Perpetuity of the Church
ARTICLE III The Church of God is the New Testament Church and the New Testament Church is the Church of God. This Church is a model Church in origin, doctrine and practice; and any organization that does not conform to this original and divine model cannot be the Church of Jesus Christ. The model and pattern of this Church has riot and cannot be changed and altered and be an exact pattern of the original, If it was necessary for the Church in the days of our Saviour to be as the Son of God said it was, is it not just as necessary in our day? He said; "My kingdom is not of this world." If it was not of the world then, can the kingdom be of the world now and be like the original? If it is not like the original, then it must be of the world. If the Church now is of the world and the Church God set Up was not of the world, then the Church now is not like the original. If it is not like the original, then it is not the original. If it is not the original multiplied, then its origin is wrong, and therefore it is a counterfeit. Jesus said, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt. xvi. 18. Jesus built His house or Church on a sure foundation --a tried stone. "Therefore. thus saith the Lord God. Behold. I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."--Isa. xxviii. 16. God laid the foundation of His Church in Zion and no other foundation can any man lay. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."--I Cor. iii. 11. The Church of the New Testament was builded upon this Rock, which is Jesus Christ. The Church was being built by the Son of God while He was here in person, when He said to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my Church." He did not mean He would set up His Church on the day of Pentecost. Jesus organized His Church before He was crucified, while He was in this world as a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. It was not the work of the Holy Spirit through the twelve apostles to set tip the Church on the day of Pentecost, or any other day. It was the work of God, His Son and the Holy Spirit to set tip the first Church. This being done by the Holy Three in One, the apostles and the ministers of God had a pattern to go by. The apostles went from country to country and from city to city, establishing churches, according to tire original pattern. "And God hath set some in the Church; first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles; then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."--I Cor. xii. 28. God set up the kingdom or Church when? In tire days of these kings. God set up the Church where? In the top of the mountains. Before God of heaven set up His Church His Son must be baptized, and there was just one preacher to baptize the Son of God, and that was John the Baptist, who was a Primitive Baptist minister. "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John."--John i. 6. John was the messenger prophesied about by the Old Testament writers. John was not sent to regenerate, or impart spiritual or eternal life to sinners. It was impossible for John to do a thing of that kind, but it was possible for him to "prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple." Matthew said, "For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John."--Matt. xi. 10-13. The kingdom or Church dates back to the days of John the Baptist. If there was no church or kingdom in John's day, how could there have been a least in the kingdom of heaven? and how could the kingdom of heaven suffer violence? and how could the violent take it by force? As the Baptists were so closely connected with the first Church that was set up, I see no impropriety in saying it started with them; and as it started with them and shall not be left to other people, it is absolutely with them right now. It is said by some that John was called a Baptist because he baptized by immersion. That might have been true in John's day but it is not so in our day. Matthew said, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."--Matt, iii. l.. 2. This is the kingdom Daniel told us about. This is the kingdom Isaiah said should be established in the top of the mountains. John the Baptist, no doubt, was baptizing the children of God at that time. preparatory to the setting up of the Church of God. John did not set up or organize the Church, but he did baptize the material used by the Son of God in organizing it. If this is objected to then John was not sent to prepare the way of the Lord, as the prophet said he was. John being a Baptist, is it a thing incredible for those he baptized to be considered Baptists also? It is stated that there went out to John, Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Little infants were not baptized by John. Those he baptized went out to him; they confessed their sins, and infants eight days old cannot do either. When John saw many of the Pharisees, who were Absoluters, and Sadducees, who did not believe, in the resurrection of the dead, coupe to his baptism, he said unto them, "0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" To them he said, "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." And then he tells them what not to do: "Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." John said, "I baptize you with water," and the Pedo-Baptists say with water means that John sprinkled the water on them. I remember seeing my mother dye our wearing apparel with dye of some kind, but she did not sprinkle or pour the dye on my trousers, she put the trousers in the dye; but she dyed my clothing with dye. John baptized with water, but he put his subjects in the water, which could not be true if he sprinkled or poured the water on the people. The people John baptized with water were the children of God by regeneration; and the people of God are the only people that are eligible for baptism and church membership. Jesus Christ had a fan that was peculiarly and exclusively His. "Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." The work of the Son of God was His, and no one else could do it. He begins His work "in you," and in this work the sinner is thoroughly purged from his sins It ;vas this kind of people that John was baptizing in the river of Jordan. "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John. to be baptized of him." John, like the servants of God now, felt his unworthiness and "forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove. and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Jesus the Son of God at about the age of twenty-seven years went to John the Baptist and was baptized to fulfil all righteousness.
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