_THE CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN_
"_Pray for the peace of Jerusalem._"
--PSALM cxxii.
And my Jerusalem is "the church of the living God." Do I carry her on my
heart? Do I praise God for her heritage, and for her endowment of
spiritual glory? And do I remember her perils, especially those parts of
her walls where the defences are very thin, and can be easily broken
through? Yes, has my Church any place in my prayer, or am I robbing her of
part of her intended possessions?
And is the _entire_ Jerusalem the subject of my supplication? Or do I only
think of a corner of it, just that part where my own little synagogue is
placed? I am a Congregationalist; do I remember the Anglican? I am an
Anglican; do I remember the Quaker? Am I thus concerned only with a small
section of Jerusalem, or does my intercession sweep the entire city?
"_They shall prosper that love thee._" I cannot be healthy if I am bereft
of fellowship. If I ignore the house of prayer I impoverish my home. The
peaceful glow of the fireside is not unrelated to the coals upon the
common altar. The sacrament is connected with my ordinary meal. To love
the Church of Christ is to become enriched with "the fulness of Christ."