Download Christian Fellowship, Or, the Church Member's Guide Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1859 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII. DUTIES OF CHURCH MEMBERS TOWABDS EACH OTHER. I. The first, and that which indeed seems to include every other, is Love. . This is enforced by our Lord as the identifying law of his kingdom.--John xv, 12. Jesus Christ was an incarnation of love in our world. He was love, living, breathing, speaking, acting, amongst men. "His birth was the nativity of love, his sermons the words of love, his miracles the wonders of love, his tears the meltings of love, his crucifixion the agonies of love, his resurrection the triumph of love." He has made his love to us, not only the motive, but the pattern, of our love to each other. "This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you." Sis love was real and great: free, disinterested, and fruitful: it was eternal and unchangeable; a love of forbearance and forgiveness, and a purely spiritual flame. These were the characteristics of his love, and should therefore be of ours. Love is the basis, cement, and beauty of the christian union, and in the best and purest ages of the church, it shone so brightly in the character of its members, and was expressed in actions so replete with noble, disinterested, and heroic affection, as to become a proverb with surrounding pagans, and call forth the well known exclamation, "See how these christians love one another!" Brotherly love will operate, 1. In peculiar complacency in our fellow members, viewed as the objects of divine love. Complacency is the very essence of love; and the ground of all proper complacency in the saints is their relation and likeness to God. The love of christians is of a very sacred nature, and is quite peculiar. It is an affection for them primarily for God's sake, and only secondarily for their own. They may...