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Chapter 1: True and False Churches
An unusual interest has, of late, been awakened in the study of church history. This is a hopeful indication. It shows that many are disposed to turn away from human organizations, and seek for the true church of Christ, as revealed in the Gospels. It is worse than folly to suppose that the Saviour left his work so incomplete that…
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Chapter 2: The Significance of Baptism
The advent of John the Baptist into the world was not an unexpected event. Although his birth had not been announced by angels, as was Christ's, yet God had declared, "I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me."—Mai. 3:1. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful…
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Chapter 3: The Definition Of The Church
Before proceeding further it will be necessary to examine into the meaning of the word "church." This word has come to be used in such a broad sense that it takes in and is applied to any religious organization, or society, whether a Scriptural church or not. By some writers it is made to "include the entire body of professed…
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Chapter 4: The First Church
The night before his crucifixion the Saviour formally assembled his disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem, and with them he instituted the Memorial Supper. This was the closing act of his life as far as it related to his church, and was well calculated to remind it continually of the responsibility which rested upon it as the executor of…
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Chapter 5: The Expansion of the Church
A.D. 29. After the day of Pentecost the disciples went everywhere gladly preaching the word, while great success attended their ministry. In a very short time a second church was planted at Samaria, and soon another at Antioch. Persecutions were now inflicted upon the Christians everywhere, and Saul was on his way to Damascus, with authority to arrest men and…
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Chapter 6: Heresies and Persecutions (A.D. 34-426)
Heresies and corruptions begun to creep into the churches very early in their history. Even during the time of the apostles there was a strong tendency to introduce Jewish rites into the Christian churches, and if the apostles had not learned that "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," they did learn that the most untiring vigilance was necessary to…
