1. Its External Form
We are accustomed to think of a church as a class of people united upon a creed, like the Methodist church, the Episcopal church, and the Catholic church.
Yet these are not Churches, but they are different sects of one Church, which is the Apostolic Church. A Church primarily is a form of goodness and truth from the Lord in the lives of men. When a new dispensation occurs, a new form of good and truth is revealed. This truth and good from the Lord constitute a Church. To preserve and propagate a new form of truth and good, it is necessary that there be some who receive that truth and good, and keep it distinct from the former forms of faith. There are essential to a Church, therefore, new revelation of divine truth and good, and a body of men and women who receive them, stand for them, and teach them. This necessitates the organization of an external
L. of C.
