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point nearer to the centre, and it can not be | affords a foretaste of the joy of that desira

otherwise than that the points will all close up-the nearer they are to one another, the nearer they are to Christ.

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iii. Let us also seek a more abiding experience of the communion of the Holy Ghost. Is he the Comforter, and have we fellowship with him? Then must we aim at comforting them which are in any trouble by the comfort where with we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Cor. i., 4). Is he the Sanctifier, and are we made partakers of his holiness? Then must it be our part to promote the growth in spirituality of our brethren, that "the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, may make increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. iv., 16). Is the Spirit the great witness for Jesus, with whom the disciples are associated by the Lord himself? How, let me ask, can we more effectually bear our testimony so as to affect the world than by the exhibition of that love and unity which our Lord has thus solemnly commended: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John xvii., 20, 21).

ble, that anticipated day, when "there shall
be one Lord, and his name one" (Zech. xiv.,
9); when "there shall be one flock and one
Shepherd" (John x., 16). To-day we do not ut-
ter the wish, "Unum corpus SIMUS in Christo;"
we make the solemn, the glad declaration,
"Unum corpus SUMUS in Christo." Let us, then,
keep this feast for we are, as Israel of old,
gathered from all parts for a festival-let
us keep this feast, and let us return to our
homes, when we have kept it, as those who
confess that Christ is all and that Christ is in
all. Let us watch and pray against "what-
soever may hinder us from godly union
and concord; that as there is but one body
and one spirit and one hope of our calling—
one Lord, one faith, one baptism-one God
and Father of us all-so we may henceforth
be all of one heart and of one soul, united in
one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith
and charity, and may with one mind and one
mouth glorify God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ." Brethren, "to do good and to
communicate," or, as I may more correctly
render it, encouraged by the subject and the
occasion, "Of well-doing and of fellowship
be not forgetful; for with such sacrifices God
is well pleased" (Heb. xiii., 16).

the present, to restate, as it were, the case, and proclaim without hesitation the conviction of our hearts, resting as that conviction does upon firm and sufficient grounds.

I now come to the concluding point for our consideration-the assertion that Christian union is consistent with denominational distinction. Alas! that after the lapse of iv. So much as regards the promotion and eighteen centuries from the establishment of manifestation of communion by the cultiva- the Christian Church among men, it should tion of our fellowship with God. And as to be necessary to advance arguments upon the practical display of it among ourselves, this topic. Surely we should receive it as what better can we do than frame our life an axiom; not argue about it as a matter and conduct after the Scriptural rules so ev- demanding proof. Yet error is so pertinaidently urged, so exquisitely illustrated, in cious, and false views of union are so comthe pages of the New Testament? Should we mon while the conditions of union pronot, like the early disciples, continue stead-pounded by some are so extravagant—that it fast in fellowship as well as in doctrine? is well for us, especially on an occasion like Should we not aim at making others partakers of our spiritual things? Should we not encourage, as between ministers and people, as between fellow-workers in the same or in different spheres, the interchange of the ever warm grasp of the right hand of fellowship? Yes; unquestionably we should. And let us do so. This meeting-oh! God grant that it may give a higher tone to our Christian communion than has ever hitherto been attained. Beloved, as those who profess to be one with the Lord Jesus, let us remember with especial care that those who are one with him are one with each other in him. The holy fellowship which during the days of this Conference exhibits itself in so practical a shape before the eyes of Christendom-is it not a reality? Yes; assuredly it is an even greater reality in the purpose of our divine Master than it is in our intention. It is an attempt-imperfect, perhaps, but still an attempt-at the realization of his prayer, "That they all may be one." It

The true idea of Christian union may evidently be drawn from the Scriptural teaching which has been delivered in reference to the fellowship of the saints. Now it is certain that the New Testament nowhere shows this fellowship, resulting as it does from union, to be dependent on externals. Oneness with Christ is really the essential basis of oneness in Christ.

For a few moments recall to your minds what the communion of the saints has been shown to be, according to the voice of the New Testament. The saints have communion with the Father in nature, light, and kingdom; with the Son in life, righteousness, grace, sufferings, and glory; with the Spirit in sanctifying influences, consolations, and testimony; and with each other in all the spiritual blessings of the new covenant,

I need not, however, enlarge in this strain. We admit with readiness, with gladness, that the Presbyterian, the Episcopalian, the Con

in the affections which result from their unity in Christ, and in the service which they can render to advance the glory of God. Now can it be said that differences of organiza-gregationalist-all the Christian brethren, tion, of ecclesiastical regimen, of forms of indeed who "hold the Head"-have, severalworship, affect any one of these branches of ly and with each other, communion with the communion? Is it possible to assert, with Father, the Son, and the Spirit; that they exany truth, that Christians whose religious perience this communion; that they can and bodies are organized on different models can do communicate with each other in the pracnot alike call God their Father?-that those tical manifestations of fellowship noticed who put themselves under various kinds of and enforced in the Scriptural statements to Church government can not alike rejoice in which reference has been made in this adJesus as their Saviour?-that individuals dress. The Evangelical Alliance is a standwho adopt this or that or the other form of ing witness to the fact that hundreds of worship can not alike enjoy the precious Christians make this admission, and rejoice presence of the Holy Ghost? Is it possible in making it. The present Conference, the to say that these various bands of Christians most imposing display of Christian fellowcan not realize the joys of a common faith ship that the world has ever seen, is a living and a common salvation?-that they can illustration of the truth that union in Christ not be linked in fraternal intercourse, and is consistent with denominational distincwith mutual good wishes encourage one an- tions. other in serving and glorifying their God? Questions like these need only be asked to make it evident that you can not answer them in the affirmative, unless you put indifferent things in the place of that which is essential, and insist upon settling in your own way matters which God has seen fit to leave unsettled in his Word.

Fellow-believers, brethren and sisters in Christ, we who are here assembled can apply to ourselves, and to this our association, the grand passage in the fourth chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, to which I have already adverted. We profess and proclaim, by this important demonstration, that we, humbly yet confidently speak

lowship with God and with each other; that we realize, not the possibility, but the fact of our Christian union, while recognizing the existence-I may almost say the necessary existence-of our differences in constitution, arrangement, and form. We do not ask for uniformity; we assert our unity. There is, indeed, a uniformity, according to Hooker's idea, which all several persons belonging to the visible body and Church of Christ have, by reason of that one Lord, "whose servants they all profess themselves, that one faith which they all acknowledge, that one baptism wherewith they are all initiated"* This uniformity we own; but we have learned that uniformity, in the ordi

For it is manifest that such matters asing in dependence on divine grace, have felthe constitution of churches, their internal organization, their forms of worship, are not clearly and strictly defined or prescribed in the New Testament. I say, it is manifest that these are not so prescribed; for, if they be, it would be easy to show the Scriptural ideal in each respect. Then it would follow that if any one of the existing forms could be shown to be alone right, all the rest would be wrong. But, strong as our preferences may be for one or another mode of organization and worship, none of us will venture to assert that he and his alone possess the true secret of worship--alone command the springs which fill the sweet wells of fellowship with God and man. To assert this, or any thing like it, would be to thrust all oth-nary sense of the word, is by no means the ers on one side and call them "Esau," while they might cry in vain, "Hast thou but one blessing, O my father?" But then it might be retaliated upon ourselves with too much truth, "Is he not rightly named Jacob, because he hath supplanted me?" Weighty and solemn are the words of one who wrote well and boldly on the unity of the Church: "If the body holds to the one Head, and is animated by the one faith, and is sanctified by the one baptism, it is a Church before God; and woe to us if we deny that it is so!ucts shall come forth all alike, cast in the Our denial will recoil upon our own heads; and we shall only cut ourselves off from the blessings of Christian communion with those by whose faith and knowledge and love we might otherwise be instructed and edified."*

* Archdeacon Hare, "Sermon on the Unity of the Church;" Note, A, D.

shape in which unity necessarily manifests itself, and that the desire of imposing it is one of the commonest errors of our weak, self-relying, narrow-hearted, stiff-minded nature. Uniformity is of man, and we have already too much of what is of man to wish for more. Unity is of God, and we long for an increase of that which is of him and from him. Uniformity, let me repeat, is of man. Man can frame you a machine so ordered and regulated that a thousand of its prod

same mould, running in the same groove, unvarying, indistinguishable. But it is not so with the works of God. Do you find uniformity among the members of the human race? Look at the hundreds of men and

* E. P., III., i., 4.

women in this room. Is there any uniform- | whom the saints have fellowship, preserves

ity in the figures, the faces, the features, the expressions of all these? There is a unity of design and end in the sexes, but what a diversity in the individuals! Do you find uniformity in the leaves of the wood, in the waves of the sea, in the stars of heaven, where one star differeth from another star in glory? No. And "they who have seen the blessed vision of unity, with the prayer of the Saviour breathing through it as the spirit of its life, and the smile of the Father beaming upon it, how can they turn from this to dote upon any thing so shadowy, so harsh, so empty as mere uniformity? or how can they care much about uniformity, except so far as it is indeed the expression of a living love for unity, submitting its own heart and mind to do as others do for the sake of a more entire union and communion?"* Let us prize, if we will, our own peculiar modes -I do not know why men should not have their preferences; let us be glad when others adopt our views, if we can win them without base proselytism—I do not know why men should not encourage an honorable esprit de corps; but above all this sectional feeling let us put the welfare of the common, universal Church of Christ—the promotion and development of our oneness in him who prayed that we may be one.

Union-this is the true condition of the body animated by the spirit. The spirit it is which keeps up the union in the natural body: let the spirit be absent, the body wastes, corrupts, decays, crumbles to its atoms. The presence of the Spirit of God, with

* Hare, "On the Unity of the Church."

the union which God has constituted, and which really and essentially exists. What the apostle applies to individuals in a Christian community has its force of application to the churches in the Church. They are members one of another by virtue of communion. None of us can be the head-for the head of the body is Christ; but we are members one of another. And if, in a survey of the churches and their efforts, their theologians, evangelists, and members, we find that one community is blessed with farsightedness; another with quickness to hear the cry of the world's need; another with skill to mould Christian operations; another with ready swiftness to run upon the Master's bidding then shall the eye say to the ear, or the hand to the foot, Thou art not of the body? "For the body is not one member, but many. And God hath set the members every one in the body as it hath pleased him. And the eye can not say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. God hath tempered the body together that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. Now, ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (see 1 Cor. xii., 14-27).

If so, let it be our care, whatever place in the body we occupy, so to realize our fellowship, so to manifest our oneness, so to live in the communion of the saints, that we may show to the world that Christian union is a reality, and that each of us feels in the heart what we have together repeated with the lips, I believe in the communion of the saints.

CHRISTIAN LOVE THE BOND OF CHRISTIAN

UNION.

BY THE REV. GEORGE R. CROOKS, D.D., NEW YORK.

As the human body, though composed of cause they are his, then they begin to inmany members, is one, so also is Christ and quire whether this unity is practically rehis Church. This body is made one by the alized. Before this consciousness is developeration of the Spirit. "For by one Spirit oped, they try to form other unities. These Spiritoped, are we all baptized into one body, whether are such as the unity founded on acceptance Jews or Gentiles; whether we be bond or of a creed, which is the most common form free." One very important point is, there- that the effort has taken in Protestantism; fore, established: the Church is already one. in a unity of external organization, which It can not be made two, or divided; it is is that of Romanism. These fail, as they one by virtue of a common life. Its unity deserve to fail; the fact that they have led does not consist in subscription to a common to bloody persecutions is prima facie eviformula; that is unity of opinion. Its unity dence that they are not the true principles does not consist in the agreements or reso- of unity. The Christian world has latelutions of Christians that they will be one; ly made the discovery that the oneness of that would be the unity of a league or com- Christ's Church is not a fact to be created, pact. Nor does its unity consist in the con- but one in harmony with which we are to sent to follow a certain method of practice; live. He is a Christian who partakes of that is the fruit of the unity rather than the Christ's life; he is the brother of every one unity itself. else who partakes of that life. All Christians are therefore of one family; and the problem before them is by their conduct to express the oneness which has been divinely created.

We can not, therefore, of ourselves, create the unity of the Church. It is already created. We might as well speak of ourselves creating the unity of the human family. The human family is already one by virtue This exhibition of Christ's Church as alof its descent from a common stock. God ready one is a leading Pauline idea. With has "created of one blood all nations to Paul the unity of Christ's body is present, dwell upon the face of the earth." Whether not future, and his effort is to bring his felthe members of the human family recognize low- Christians not to create the oneness, this fact or not, it remains unaltered. And but to apprehend it. Thus he writes to the this is the sin of human nature that we, be- Galatians: "As many of you as have been ing of one kind, having one common nature, baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. do not act toward each other in harmony There is neither Jew nor Greek," i. e., there with this relationship. We act as though are no distinctions of race recognized; "there the human race were not truly and organic-is neither bond nor free," i. e., there are no ally one; as though it had not a common destiny; as though all its members were not embraced in the same comprehensive plans of the Providence of God. The members of the human family are brought into more satisfactory relations with one another by the recognition in their conduct of the one-ences of sex. The fact that believers have ness of the race. The vital unity becomes the ground of the moral and affectional unity.

Now, as the vital unity of the human race remains, whether men recognize it or not, so does the unity of Christ's Church, whether it be or be not clear to the consciousness of Christians. For the Church recognizes as its head the second Adam, its life is his life pervading its members. By the Spirit these members are baptized into one body, the unity is created by a divine power, the power which makes the Church a living body at all. When Christians come to a consciousness that all who are Christ's really are one, be

distinctions of condition; "there are neither male nor female,” i. e., there are no distinctions of sex; "for they are all one in Christ Jesus." The three great causes of separation among mankind are (1) differences of race, (2) differences of condition, (3) differ

put on Christ is sufficient, according to Paul, to overcome all these causes of separation, and to create unity. Let it be observed that these causes of separation were more powerfully operative in the ancient world than any causes of separation at work in the Christian world now. Jews and Gentiles after accepting Christ were hedged about by habits and opinions which still kept them apart. We see from the whole tenor of the Gospel history that they were far from thinking alike. Paul reconciled these differences by pointing to their higher unity. The believing slave and the believing master were

in Christ one. According to the ancient action, and his followers to separate church system, there was an immense distance organization. And there can not be much maintained between the sexes; there were done now for the more perfect union of no pure associations of men and women to- Christians till the consciousness of the esgether. But both sexes were alike redeem-sential unity of all who believe truly in Jeed by Christ, and the slavish subjection of sus is more perfectly developed. Then the the weaker was at an end. differences which now separate us will melt away in the perception of a higher unity.

Let us observe further. There are three ideas frequently confounded with each oth

er.

The first of these is unity, which is of spirit and life; the second is unanimity, which is oneness of thinking; the third is uniformity, which is oneness of method. The effort to establish the last of these has been given up in Protestantism, and yet it operates as a cause of alienation. It is the effort to establish the second which is now about being abandoned, and Protestant Christians are ready to fall back on the first. When they have so done, they will find that unity of life does produce a sufficient unanimity and a sufficient uniformity; for a oneness of life does, in time, produce a sufficient agreement in thinking and in procedure.

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The history of the last century is a striking proof of the correctness of these positions. John Wesley began his labors in the hope of reforming the lives of the English people. The object of his attack was practical ungodliness. In 1760 he issued a circular to fifty ministers of various churches, proposing that they should acknowledge and treat each other as brethren, notwithstanding their differences. In this he says: "I do not ask a union in opinions. They might agree or disagree touching absolute decrees on the one hand or perfection on the other. These may still speak of imputed righteousness, and those of the merits of Christ. Not a union with regard to outward order. Some may still remain quite regular, some quite irregular, and some partly regular: but these things being as they are, as each is persuaded in his own mind, is it not a desirable thing that we should love as brethren?" And again, in 1765, he writes to a minister of the Church of England: "I desire to have a league, offensive and defensive, with every soldier of Christ. We have not only one faith, one hope, one head, but are directly engaging in one warfare. Come, then, ye that love Him, to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." In the spirit of a true catholicity, he publishes a life of Madame Guyon, a Roman Catholic, and of a French Unitarian. The simple law by which he decides the question of Christian union was wherever he saw the image of Christ to recognize in its possessor a brother. What God had accepted he would not call common or unclean.

May I, without censure, refer further to this great reformer as a leader in the pro-. motion of union of Christian men? I hold in my hand some paragraphs from his sermons on a "Catholic Spirit." Its date is 1771, just one hundred and two years ago. His definitions are those which we have accepted-that personal faith in Christ, and love which is its product, are the true bonds of Christian Union. In looking for the traits. in his fellow-man which constitute a claim to fellowship, he asks:

"Do you show your love by your works? While you have time, as you have opportunity, do you, in fact, 'do good to all men,' neighbors or strangers, friends or enemies, good or bad? Do you do them all the good you can; endeavoring to supply all their wants, assisting them, both in body and soul, to the uttermost of your power? If thou art thus minded, may every Christian say yea; if thou art but sincerely desirous of it, and following on till thou attain, then 'thy heart is right, as my heart is with thy heart.' 'If it be, give me thy hand.' I do not mean, 'Be of my opinion.' You need not. I do not expect or desire it. Neither do I mean, 'I will be of your opinion.' I can not. does not depend on my choice. I can no more think than I can see or hear as I will. Keep you your opinion; I mine, and that as steadily as ever. You need not endeavor to come over to me, or bring me over to you. I do not desire to dispute those points, or to hear or speak one word concerning them. Let all opinions alone on one side and the other. Only 'give me thine hand.'”

It

What he asks for himself from his fellowChristians is conceived in the same spirit:

"I mean, first, love me. And that not only as thou lovest all mankind; not only as thou lovest thine enemies or the enemies of God, those that hate thee, that 'despitefully use thee, and persecute thee; not only as a stranger, as one of whom thou knowest neither good nor evil. I am not satisfied with this. No; if thine heart be right, as mine with thy heart,' then love me with a very tender affection, as a friend that is closer than a brother, as a brother in Christ, a fellow-citizen of the New Jerusalem, a fellowsoldier engaged in the same warfare, under the Captain of our salvation. Love me as a companion in the kingdom and patience of Jesus, and a joint heir of his glory."

Yet for the want of a consciousness in the churches of that age of the value of the truth Finally he sums up his whole theory of which was so clear to him, he who would Christian union in the pithy statement, have united with all was driven to separate! "Catholic love is a catholic spirit."

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