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THE
KINGDOM AND THE CHURCH.
A REPLY TO A PLYMOUTH BRETHREN TRACT, VVRITTO
BY MR. R. T. GRAXT, ON THE ABOVE SUBJECT
BT TUB
REV. JAS. CARMICHAEL,
INCUMBENT OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, CLINTON, C. W.
-♦•^■•-
CLINTON:
PRINTED BY K. HOLMES, AT THE "NEW BRA" OFFICE, ALBERT 3TREET.
1866.
A short account of the controversy betvveen Mr. Grant and il-e
anf« /hic"!'''f"'^ t\^u^ information of those parties into whoso
In Tn V T«fi?"f ' If rr'°"^P""'"^ ^y •^^hers which preceded
. in Jul>, 1865, I published a sermon at the requestor some valued
^^ansh.oners on ' The Tares and the Wheat." The sermon was direc-
ed against a sect called the Plymouth Brethren, who had long ;reMed
the parable froni ,t8 original meaning, in order t'o prop up their vievvs
on the subject of a " Pure Church." Their theory being^' That evil
of any kind, if sanctioned in the assembly, will quench the .Spirit.'"
Ihe parable of the Tares and the Wheat of course stood in thei^r way,
llZ \Z^''\^^\''^^T'y '^^y ^^^^ ^» t^« expression used in fhe
pa ab.e - the field is the world,'' and then boldly stated that it had
the Lrf.n?-''^ V° '^' ^"^'^'" ^'^"'"''^^ ^' ^'^-^ I" ™y «e^"^0" I ««lied
the attention of my congregation to the fact that it was in God's
fehfnT. ^K?' T ^'^^l ^^^ *^ ^^'^^ ^^^^ 5 that they were to be
aIZ ll ^^"-":^f'^\Y"^ \^'^ ^^^^' ''^^ ^^"-'^t eame,'and'that on Hi.
l.e destroyed. This Kingdom I stated to be the Visible Church, in
accordance with the generally received opinion of most cSlan
TJ /7.^^''\"J?"^^^ ^}'^ «®^T'°'^ remained unan^werel, and then Mr.
ri'thi; wi ('^°,7«'-^y «" -p.scopal.an clergyman) answered it, or
Hther professed to answer it on the part of hi,/ sect. In his reply h,.
l.devevvth.ng but grapple the pomt as to what the Kingdom of God
vvas He stated that it could not be the Church ; '^ that the Kingdor^
hat thf^r "T' >"-/^'' ^' established when the Lord comes^
rpnni I \\ ^ ! r^"^' unc^efined and mystical a statement of course
requned explanation, and in a short reply I called on Mr Grant to
mform me what our Lord meant by the expression - K ngdom of God
or Kingdom" us* d once in the parable and three times in its explana-
• Prao. Unity Gh., paafe «.— J. N. D
UiiU, pnge 2
Unity Gh.
\ Brief Remark., pl^lT'" '■'"*''1"»"'«^'"» ^^o"" Church of Kn^,
39^^/
tion. H's answer ig now before the public ancf 10 entitLd, " Th*
Kingdom and the Church— are they the same?" and Ih'ia tract ic
written in reply.
Mr. Grant'* theory as to the Church may bo summed up thus :
The Church is distinct from the Kingdom (page 9) ; it was not in ox-
irttence nor could be till the death of Christ ; and in the Church Abra-
ham and others have n> part (page 9).
I call this a theory because it is not Scripture. Mr. C ant has
not found it in Scripture. I will dispose of it in a few words. As to
the distinction between the Church and the Kingdom, I will deal with
it in its proper place. The two other poi-.ts should be met here*
If the Church (Ecclesia.) did not, or cuuld not exist till after the
death of Chiist, why did Stephen, speaking of Moses, state " This is
he that was in the Church (Ecclesia.) in the wilderness ?" (Acts 7,88)
or why did David say '« I will declare thy name nnto my brethren in
the midst of the Church (Ecclesia.) will I praise thee ?"* or why '!,>
Mosee speak in the ears of all the Church (Ecclesic-) of Israel ih.
words isf his song until they were eaded ?t or why did Od /■ ,b
iiaw in the presence of the Church (Ecclesia) at Sina. ; l .^r
easy thing for Mr. Grant to say that the Church was not in ex -\ >
till the death of Clirist. Of course the Christian Church was 1,
(Jod's Jewish Church was. The Church of the wiide'
('hurch of the Law.
This leads me to Mr. G's second point— that Abriham will have
no part in the glorified Church. Has Mr. G. ever read the 3rd chapv
ter of Galatians ? — " Know ye, therefore, thai they which are of faith,
" the same are the children of Abraham, for the Scripture foreseeing
"that God would justify the heathen through /ai7A preached before
*' ilie Gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee slmll all nations be
" blessed." So then they which be of faith are blessed with faith-
ffil Abraham. If 1 have faith in Jesus Christ I expect to be blessed
with faithful Abraham. Mr. Grant does not. I'm very sorry for it.
Mr. Grant's theory as to 'Mhe Kingdom" is of a more elaborate
nature. I have read it very carefully, and I am sorry as a Uterary
production that it is not more creditable to the writer and th <sect to
which he has allied himself. It is a foolish theory, unsupported either
by Scripture or common sense. It leaves a person just as dark on the
subject of the Kingdom as if M:r. Grant had never written a special
tract to throw light on it. It suits me, however. It proves to me
that the " Kingdom of God" in the Tares and the Wheat mu,st mean
the Visible Church, according to Mk, Grant's own theory.
He first refers to Nebuchadnezzar's image vision of the King-
doms and to the Millenial Kingdom which ahould break the others to
pieces. This Kingdom, he slates, was recognized by both John the
Baptist and our Lord in th,e announcement '• That the Kingdom of
Heaven was at hand."
Christ then goes forth and preaches this Kingdom to Uie J^ws,
but his labour ends in rejection. Then our Lord and the Kingdom
• »2nd P»liu., ap. LXX. f Deu. 31-30, «p. LXX. f Deu. 18-16, ap. LXX.
takft a change of position. The setlina: up of the KingJom among the
Jews in power is «• deferred^^ or \.\n off, and the Kingdom Isoffered to
the world a* large, first by Josus Christ, then by the Apostles at the
conversion of Cornelius. But in preaching the Kingdom to the Gen-
tiles .lesus adopts a style different from that used when speaking of it
to Israel. He does not say " The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,"
but He deals in parables or similitudes which all have reference to the
Kingdom during his absence from the earth.
Mr. Grant does not think it necessary to dwell much on these
parablep. He admits th.-.t wheat and tares grow in this Kingdom.
He gets slightly sarcastic, and wonders how any one could confound
the Church and the Kingdom " because the Kingdom was offered t)
the Jews, and who could say the Church was.?" So he quietly ex-
communicates Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and consoles himself by
the thought that he is in a very different position.
It will be seen from this outline of Mr. Grant's views that he be-
lieves iii a Gentile Church and a Gentile Kingdom, the former united
to Christ and pure ; the latter mixed and composed of good and bad
people.* But I would ask Mr. Grant where is this mighty o.-ganiza-
tion outside of what is generally spoken of as <'the Visible Church?"
what road must we take to look for it? what guide book will Mr. G.
put in our hand? Could Mr. Grant shew me a holy man a member
of God's Kingdom yet who is altogether ou'.side of the Church and has
nothing to say to it ? What admits a man into the Kingdom and yet
debars him from being a member of the Church ? anJ why, if a man
be a holy man, is he left in an impure Kingdom, when as a holy man
(according to Mr. Grant) he has a right to belong to the Church ? If
in accordance with Plymouth views the good should separate In toto
from the evil, in worship, in everything, surely it is impossible that
God would shut the door of a pure Church on a holy man and leave
him mixed up with evil. men till the second advent. The good man
can only be good, because he has faith in Christ, is sanctified by the
Spirit, lives, and speaks, and moves as a Christian ; but if he be thus
blessed, according to Mr. Grant's own views, he is pait of the " Body
of Christ" and could not be a member of the Kingdom at all. If Mr.
Grant staled that the members of the Kingdom were altogether xdcked
then indeed the case would be different. Put he would°ask sensible
Bible readers to belipve that God owns two distinct classes of Chris-
tian people. One class~THE Church— is pure, holds no connection
with worldly people, and the other class— Kingdom Christians— aie
to remain mixed wstt the evil till the second Advent. It would be
better, after all, for xMr, Grant to screen himself behind Bishops,
Pr:e8t8 and Deaconsf— behind men who wroie sense and read their
Bibles— than to broach ideas 80 dishonouring tb God as the covenant
Father of his peoplu. In the meantime I would ask Mr. G. to give
me, a Gentile, in this Gentile land, a letter of introduction to a Uue
Chrxslxan who does not belong to the Body of Christ, does not belong
• Kingdom and Church, page 8. f Tbe Kingdom and tha Church, page i.
tnl^lTS^::^ ^^fJ* » "J'*5*V"^'*» *«in^*hill shine forth es the
*un 111 the Kingdom of the Father."*
un I f "^^ '*.^^'' ^[•"*> .•''®*"'^ ^^'^u* ^^'e KingdonT. It is not original,
J,l^ '. • ^*'" 0">'"ed to mention that the expression '' King-
flPr^'lLTy^^^^^^ ^^^^ Christ, whether bond or
h?J .^ or femde, Kingdom Christians or Plymouth Saints ; that if
'hmV ii . '.'^^''^^^^ '",^" .^'J?^*^^"''"^'"'' t^'^y are members of the
nl? n, 1 T^ ^^'''' ""'-^ ^"^'*"*^ ^° ^^« «^°^»" of the Church trium-
pnaiit nereaiter.
In cpDosiiion to this most unscriptnral view, I will now proceed
n iS]?'of i> '"^T"'^ "^ 1^1 ?"^^"h Visible and the Kingdom in .he
parable of the Tares and the Wheat, and i„ so domi? take up Mr.
«.ranl^s challenge as given on the eleventh page of his tract.
IJelievhio a<» I do most sincerely thai the " Kingdom" mentionnd
n the parable nnder diapute refer* to the Christian Church, still I do
no wish to fall into Mr. Grant's erior and confine the expression
I. /'v'T' u°?''''- '^hi^" Mr. Grar.t does. His Kingdom from the
<ia}s ot Nebuchadnezzar to the present moment is the Millenium in
Its nursery But surely Mr. Grtnl is aware that the expre.ssion when
used outside of ihe 13th Matthew is ol a much wider application :-
M.me imes it refers to the Gospel, sometimes to the influence of the
.pint within a man's heait, at other times to Heaven a? the home of
itie redeemed and often to the Millenial Kingdom of Christ set up
alter the second Advent. Of cour,«=e I have nothing to say to these
»!LTk J VI '?..^hal of proving that nn.ler some circumstances
the Church and the Kingdom are identical and that the term Kincrdom
• n the parable ot the Tares and the Wheat refers to the Visible C^hri,-
tian Church.
The Church of God is characterized by certain marks or notes that
It carries with it wherever it goe?. Its most prominent note is, that
o it has been committed the Gospel, and ihat through it talvatiou is
o be made known to all. It was to the Apostles as founders of the
Church our Lord said ''Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, teach-
lo^on "^ ^" obseive all things I have commanded yon," (Matt. 28,
19-^0) or as Mark (16-15; expresses it : '' Go ye unto all the world
and preach the Gospel to every creature." By these words Jes^us
.•ommilted His oracles to the Apostles as the founders of the
i.hurch, and as His representativas. Now wherever that Church
went, or goes, there certain events followed and do now follow
consequent on the mode in which the Gospel is leceived. In some
cases people do not understand it, in other cases it makes only a slight
impression but always some receive it. It matters not to whit p"art
ot the w'orld the Church of God goes in a missionary spirit, whether
to the burnmg plains of India or the ice-bound coasts of Northern
• Matt. l»-43.
k
K
'eliraei, whewver the Charchof God raites the stantlard of the GobdoI
these events are ame to follow.
Now if the Kingdom and the Church are perfectly di«t»nct how
comes It to pass that to the Kingdom also is committed the Gospel,
^nd that the eflectsof tho Kingdom Gospel are identical with those of
he Church ? "I do not know that it is necessar) to dwell much on
the parables," (Matt. 13) writes Mr. Grant.' I suppose he meant, I
do not think it's mse. But I will dwell on them « Wheh any one
heareih the words of !he Kingdom,'' said Christ, then certain events
loliow : some do not understand it, others cannot retain it in the face
I u-.'""' °*^®''^ *^'°^ '^« deceitfulnoss of riches to choke the
word, whilst others hear it and bring forth fruit to God's glory. Nojv
1 ^ul iV^'i-. Of'""™^" sense of Bible readers whether, viewed in this
Jight, the Kingdom and the Christian Church are not identical. To
bo li are given the oracles of God-to both God commits the dissemi-
nation of the Word. They must be idei.ticiil, unless Mr. Grant would
l.uve us beheve that God has two distinct agencies at work for spread-
iiig the Gospel-one agency He set in motion when he said to the
Apostles « Go yp into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature, and the other agency-when, Mr. Grant, and where and
afvi \T^iV if'P^'^^'.it "^««-k of the Church i. that controversially
St J led « The ^owerofihe Keys.'' Avoiding anything controversial, I
Hould simply refer to the fact that God has left power in Hi. Church
w 'L .h^'m",^'''/ ^" expressed in the wo.ds of Scripture, " Whatsoever
>e shiul bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye
snail loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Malt. 18, 18). And
fj'' "^ ^'t '''V,^^^'^ "^ ^'-^^'hed on them and said unto them :
Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit they are
■ emitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are
retained. (John, 20, 22). That these wordi conferred cer«an
S f °;' K^ ^^""^^ "°. °"'' ^ ^^'"'^ «^" ^'*^"y' however men may
ditter as to the nature and extent of the powers conferred. But what-
rhn'Jh^'ir v^'"' r''^ they belonged to the Kingdom as well as the
Lhurch ; the Kingdom gave birth to the power of the keys, and to the
same extent as to the Church. A reference to the 16th of Matthew
Tn fh T'' r'^ 'H'- . ^■'^' ^^''- ' «o»^ession of Christ, our Lord
fhit K °'; that confession He would build His Chiistian Church and
hat he ga es of hell would not prevail against it ; and then he added.
- whnL'Iv ^T ""T.^^^^ '}^ ^^y^ "^ ^^'^ Kingdom of Heaven, and
J whatsoever thou Shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
tinct th\T i^l ?^^^"'''l' ^"!! ^^^ Kingdom are totally distinct, (so dis-
met that Mr. G. wonders how any one can confound them together)
how comes It to pass that to both Church and Kingdom God ha°s com-
raitted what controversialists call the power of the keys. This Kingdom
that ,8 nothing, compared to the Church ; this Kingdom thai Mr. Grart
put into mystery m his first tract and leaves in greater mystery in hii
• Pag« 8.
Mcond, wh) this Kmnrdom after all hm all the powers of the Church.
It bimlM, It Joo8enP, it remil^, it retains. Is i( not apparent that in
Matt. 16, 19, the Kingdom of heaven h formally, as elsewhere virtu-
ally, idei.tifiec! with thu Church ? (Ecchsia.)
Bnt thero is anciher most important murk of the Church .vhich
requires notice. B^^ptism was and is (JoilV ordained mode of recep-
tion into the Christian Chtrch. Previons to His ascension, our Lord
commissioned the Apostles to go forth "and teach all nations, bap-
tizing them ;n the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost'."
Ami on ih3 day of Pentecost Peter said to the Marlled multitude,
'Repent and be baptized every or,e of you, ii the name of Jesu^
Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive tht Holy Ghost."
Now a reference to the 3rd of .John will sh-iw us that Baptism was
also nececsary for reception into the Kingd nn ; for when JNicodemus
came to our Loid hetolil him " except a man he born of Water and 'he
Spirit he could not enter into the Kinjrdom of God." It was the same
in the case ol Philip (Acts 8-19) « when they believed Philip preach-
ing the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jems
they were baptized, both men and women." If ti.e Kingdom and the
Church are not identical, will Mr. Gvant pleas? ex,)lain°wh2ther the
baptism administered to thof^e '* who believed the things conce nin<.-
the Kingdom" was different from that which admitted a man into the
Apostolic Church, and if so, will Mr. Grant kindly inform me
where I could now get "Kingdom Baptism" for a child if I did not
care to have it made a Church member?
Again, it is a sure yet saddening fact that the Church of God has
ever been mixed with evil. She has ever had her Jndas, ready to
take the cup, (i.uke^2, 21)' ever some sinner to be dealt with gently
test .le should be swallowed up of over much sorrow. All efforts to
render the Church pure lu:ve tailed. The Donatists fried, and failed
The Sandemaiiians, Walkerites, Kellyites, &c., all failed ; and the
[lymouth Brethren, after thirty years trial, are failing too, for Mr.
Henry Grattan Gnmness (who, if not a member, was an admirer of
the sect,) states " that the shape of their churches is simply shaps-
** less ; that their system is the mere negation of system, and that the
" wear and tear of reality has put their ideal of a Church to the test
"and It has fai u.y gone to pieces."! That God for his own wise
purpose peimiift thi.s mixture in the Church is plain, for 'iurely He
would otherwise have blessed the efforts of men like Kelly, Pope, and
Walker. No man could doubt their piety or the prayerful earnestness
witn which they embarked in the cause of Church purification.
Now as with the a3tual uncleniable history of the Church, so with
the Scriptural history of the KInmlom. The wheat and the tares, the
net cast into the sea, may indeed be the history of the Kingdom, but
they are equally the history of the Church, for in some strange way
their histories have assumed a twin-iike uni^formity, both are mixed
with evil, both either men or angels have de&ired to cleanse, and of
both God has laid, to one by inspiration, to >he other by •tern fact,
" make no division." His inspired words on record with reference
to the Kingdom are, " Let both grow together until harves'," and his
teaching in refere.jce to the Church may bo read in the failures of th»
Donatistfl, Sandemanians, Kellyites, Fopeites, and Darbjltes.
Once more. The history of the Christian Church has been of a
peculiar nature. Tho ama'lest of all religious parties in the East, it
has swept on for 1800 years, wielding an influence that it would bo
impossible fairly to describe. Nations, languages, peoples, and
'ongues have received the Gospel committed to its keeping. It speaks
lor Jesus in nearly evpry torig;ie, and is fast decreising ihe few
remaining languages of the earth which as yet have not pleaded for
His atcn-ment.
Ht-i gain the literal history of the Church is i('entical with the
Scriptu:-i, account of the Kingdom. " The Kingdom of Heaven is like
*• to a i,rain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field,
" which inueed is the leaet of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the
" fi, reo ^l amoLg herbs and groweih unto a tree so that the birds of
"the au co;T»e and lodge in the branchefi thereof." If the Visiblo
Church and the Kingdom' are not iiip!?:! al will Mr. Grant txp'ain
how their distinct histories are so p^; :;;Afly .".like.
The Kingdom of God then is possessed of the following notes or
remarks in common with the Visible Christian Church :—
THE VISIBLE CHRISTIAN CHLRCII
1— IIa» arisen from sms^ll beginnings to a
mighty power.
2— BaptisMi is ihe seal of admission into
ilic Cliiirch.
3— The Church has power io bin',1, loose.
remit, and retain.
4— The Church is the guardian of the
Gospel.
6 — The Church has e^er been mixed with
evil.
6— The Clmrch i« the Church of God on
earth.
THE KINGDOM
1 — Has arisen from small begmiiings to ■
miohty power
4 -Bnpt'sm is tne seal of admission iirto
the Kingdom.
3— The Kingdom has power to bind.
loose, remit, and retain.
4— The Kingdom i* the guardian of the
Go^ipel.
6— The Kingdom will ever be mixed
with evil.
6 — The Kingdom is the Kingdom of God
on earth.
A glance at the ^\ove tabl? (which could be easily enlarged) will
prove, I think, to the .eailers of this tiact that in mr-iy places in the
New Testament the expression '* Kingdom of God or Kingdom" refers
to tlifc Christian Church.
The question now drise.s : in what sense is the expression King-
dom of God or Kingdom used in the 13lti chapter of Malthew, in the
parable of the tares and the wheat— wluU Kingdom Is it in which God
sees Rl to let the evil giow side by side with the good 1 It cannot
mean t^e Kingdom of Cod in a man's heart, (14 Ro., 17) for our
Christian life must be spent in tearing up and battling against ail thh^
would dishonour Jpsus ihare. Neither can it refer to '^e3Vt:i ; thb,«
will be nothing to pluck up in Heaven— dogs are without, it is only
the pure that enter iti. Well, can it mean tne Millenial Kingdon, qf
Christ? Impossible, and for two clear reasons— first, it is on iha.
fcecond Adyenl of Christ that the Kingtiom vi'iU be cleansed a,n\\ tha
m
tares cast out, and the setting up of the Millenial Kingdom is subse-
quent to the seconu advent and the cleansing of the mixed kingdom :
51 J secondly, there will be no tares in the Millenial Kingdom : sin
may exist as the exception, but godliness will be the general tule :
hatan wil be bound ; the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth
as the waters cover the sea ; all men shall know the Lord, from the
least to the greatest, ft can only mean, then, that Kingdom which
men enter by Baptism, where they hear the Gospel, and whose min-
ifetermg servants have a right to declare and pronounce to God's
people the absolution and remission of their sins, This Kin^rJom
iTe'tsth :f'M^H'^''\^'"'"'''^ 9"'^*'^" C'^"-h' ^.ill, according to
fnif. f ^^\^^^'-\ t)e purged and cleansed and purified frorn all
U ngs that offend, at the spcond coming of Jesus Chri.st-lhen, but not
fill then, and consequently the Plymouth theory of " A pure Church"
is wrong Irom beginning to end.
i.^^I ^•°?^'' "°^ ^''^^ ^" "°^^^^ ^ "^^^^er in connection with this con-
troversy by no means creditable to Mr. Grant and his advisers. I
rli«oin.^.oV"i ?'?''"'■ ^° '.'^^'' '^'^ P"^'^° t" ^"PPO'^e I stated that no
d sciphne should be exercised in the Church. I defy Mr. Grant to
fr.nfil?'' '^"^^"^V" VT^'^S ' ^^^^ ^""^^ published which could
mih r>l° '"^^°r lY^ ' ^^"'^^^ ^^'^ necessity or value of discipline
mw whh i , "'' ^"^'' *° ;'• ^^^'"^" ^ ''^''^^ of »^'>e«li"g i" the same
FnllrK ^> "'•'"''"■^ ^^ ^f ^^°^^ -'^"^^ ^^'^ being allowed to congregate
togeiher, what in the world have either cases to say to discipline ?
LIZ.T ""'T^ °"*"'''; °f discipline. I was not speaking of Church
nierribers ; f was speaking of any well known drunl;ard (lober for the
ew rinnr s'^ / ''""T ^°.*^''"-'^'^ «f'^' ^^ whom I WOUld tluOW OpCH my
hZ ^'o^-^' ^""'l«y after Sunday, and hand him a prayer book to enabli
rsenee o'f ^m/.V' '^' ^^^'-''^t' ^''- ^""'^'y ''^'^^ ^'^^^ ^^e continued
ftll^ ? M ^T,^ ""/" "' ^^'^ assembly would quench the Spirit.*
' or^ev^. wl'i'l' ^^^.; Comforter which abides wi.l. the child of God
'^ ImnH 7 -'''^^^ V"^ J''^ ^^' '"'^'^'^ ^yhelhex- he kneels beside a
diunkd.d or a saint. Jt would be too hard to rob me of my heri^a-e
-because my next door neighbour had nolliing ,o say to il" 'hHs
to M 1^1"' I was battling for and will «lill Lttle for. According
-re^aiim,'S'/-^T" " ^^"^••'"'1*'^^ ^^ '''^ «^'''I«^t degree in any con"-
clrau fmm^ll^'''''^'''."-''"f "' ''^'^'' '^"^'-"^^''^ tl'« Brethren -with-
ev^Pnf '"^"' '?''^VP ^'"'^^'' P" '" "« 1''^^'^^ ^' Cliristian worship
da?e^en p/'T:"' T^ "'"'^i'' " '^'''' ^''"''S^' O' ^'1" i'^"«"ity that noni
Churr-1 nf r . ^\T\'''^''' "^*"' l"0""'^"ce their Shibboleth. The
His d os/p ;:^n ?"°^'' ''h '' ^"'^'""''^ "« '■•« '"o""^''^'- 5 n« had indeed
f hi «Jr "' "T"'! '""'' o^^'" »1'^^ "e could wield discipline
tie scourge of a word the look that could rend the heart ; but oUskfe
"comT;,n?o. ^'^V^';f«•^«^^ to callthem with the lovely words,
be irCathoMc?' rnr;''t?7" you rest." And shall dis Church
tasteful To Mr Crnn? cf°n '^r^ ^^P'" ^ '^P^^' '^'^ «*^»t«'^«e so dis-
lasieiul to Mr. Grant : " f he Comforier which abides with the child
• rrnfctical Unh>- of Uie Church, pnge G.
n
« of God for ever will be with him just as much whether he kneels
" beside a drunkard or a iaint.''*
As to discipline amonj? communicant?, of course it should be usedj
but w;th prayerful care. We may warn, rebuke, and admonish, andj
in some cases, excommunicate, but we have no right to excommuni-
cate as long as the erring one promises amendment, or to excommu-
nicate any one simply because he does not come up to Mr. Darby or
Mr. Grant's re-ulntion standaid of piety. The rule of the Church of
lingland is pla.n enough on the subject. Its e.tcommunication is not
a tearing up, but a discipline of mercy which, whilst it excommuni-
cates, does 60 ni the earnest hope that the sheep will return to the
fold, where a kind voice is ever wailing \o welc me it.
I.astly I would notice Mr. Grant's puny argument based on the
expression *' on this rock I will build my Church."
He says: <^ Could our Lord say ' / tvill build my Church » if it
was built before ?" I reply it is not likely our Lord would, inasmuch
as the Christian Church, was not built before ; but God's Church was.
In proof of this I refer Mr. Grant to the texts already quoted in this
tract as found in the Septuagint version of the Scriptures. A sliohi
acquaintance with that version will at once shew him that the word
" Ecclesia" is perhaps as common a term in the Old Testament as it
is in the New.
I now leave Mr. Grant with a firm conviction that he believes in
a Visible Church just as much as I do. His Kingdom in which the
good and bad are mixed is the \i8ible Church. He may not call it so>
but perhaps he Will yet see that any religious orf,anization to which
God has committed the Gospel, the power of the Keys and into which
men are admitted by Baptism, must be the Church and nothing else,
and when he comes to see this then he will remember that the^heat
and the tares are to grow together in that kingdom till the second
advent, and that Messrs. Darb>, Stanley, Macintosh, and others, have
been rushing in the face of Scripture for the last thirty years in striv*
ing to make the separation.
• Tare« and Wheat, pago 7.