development theory of Neander, see his Church History, 1:179‐190. On the general subject, see Hitchcock, in Am. Theol. Rev., 1860:28‐54; Davidson, Eccl. Polity, 1‐42; Harvey, The Church. 2. The nature of this organization. The nature of any organization may be determined by asking, first: who constitute its members? secondly: for what object has it been formed? and, thirdly: what are the laws which regulate its operations? The three questions with which our treatment of the nature of this organization begins are furnished us by Pres. Wayland, in his Principles and Practices of Baptists. A. They only can properly be members of the local church, who have previously become members of the church universal,—or, in other words, have become regenerate persons. Only those who have been previously united to Christ are, in the New Testament, permitted to unite with his church. See _Acts 2:47_—“_And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved_ [Am. Rev.: ‘_those that were saved_’]”; _5:14_—“_and believers were the more added to the Lord_”; _1 Cor. 1:2_—“_the church of God which is at Corinth, even them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours._” From this limitation of membership to regenerate persons, certain results follow: (_a_) Since each member bears supreme allegiance to Christ, the church as a body must recognize Christ as the only lawgiver. The relation of the individual Christian to the church does not supersede, but furthers and expresses, his relation to Christ.