PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY AND ITS CORRUPTIONS. DEPARTMENT OF ECCLESIASTICAL POLITY. DISCOURSE I. CHRIST THE FOUNDER OF A DISTINCTIVE CHURCH. "On this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."— Matt. xvi. 18. "Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it; * * * That he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." - Eph. v. 25, 27. "The Churches of Christ salute you."— Rom. xvi. 16. In the first volume of the series constituting my complete work upon PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY AND ITS CORRUPTIONS I treated of the Theology taught by Jesus Christ and his early Apostles according to the New Testament Scriptures, as distinguishable from those misinterpretations and perversions of it which, soon after their day, came in to supplant or at least vitiate its most essential characteristics and seriously weaken its power of moral and spiritual |