QUES. 19.-There are none here, where I am, with whom I can have much fellowship in the things which I have learned out of the word of God, though there are earnest Christian people who belong to churches, and who seem to be anxious to secure the salvation of others. What advice would you give as to identifying myself with them?
ANS.-Our hearts should be ever open to all the people of God, wherever they may belong."Faith in Christ Jesus, and love to all the saints " (Col. 1:4), is the chief mark of the true Christian.
We should also express our fellowship with them in everything that is of God, both in their doctrines and in their ways. As to identifying yourself ecclesiastically with any of the various denominations of Christendom, you will find two things continually facing you :
1. The impossibility of holding, preaching and practicing the whole, truth. The word of God in its entirety is not free in any of them; a portion of the truth must be suppressed here, and another there, or offense is given. It is a serious thing for a Christian to be found where things continually clash against some part of the word of God; it hinders his growth and fruitfulness, inasmuch as it grieves the Spirit of God.
Thus, to love all saints, even if found in abominable Romanism, is right, and of God; but to be identified with an order of things which is not of God is ruinous, and contrary to His revealed mind (2 Cor. 6 :14-18 ; 2 Tim. 2 :15-22).
2. You will be liable to encounter "Higher Criticism" at any time, for the schools are now, almost without exception, training the young men into it; and this is not merely error, or ignorance of truth; it is apostasy;-the destruction of all truth.
Do you think it would be love to God to countenance what He hates? or love to His people to encourage them in what either robs them of their blessings or destroys all their hope ? It may cost one much to be faithful. It always does. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). The conditions in the Church to-day are no better than they were in Israel in Jeremiah's day. See his sorrow, his position, his reproach, and God's promise to him, in Jer. 15:15-21. It is great profit to the soul now to suffer with Christ. It will be no mean glory to reign with Him after a while (2 Tim. 2 :12).
To most professing Christians it looks like denying all about the Church to stand outside all denominations. This is because they do not know what the Church of God-the " one body "-really is. They cannot therefore know the blessedness of membership in it by the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12, 13) and the power of the ecclesiastical tie between all those who confess this membership and refuse all other.
The Lord give you grace to be faithful to all yon possess of the truth. ," Behold, I come quickly:hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev. 3 :11).