The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-05-30 00:00:00

ttebitin.

UNITY.

- - •
I Under the title of " A few words in favour of Unity
and Peace in the Church," addressed to his parishioners,
the Rev. Edward Headland, M A. rector of Broreiwey
and Bincombe, Dorset, and eirmetiime Fellow of Cairo College, Cambridge, (Denhester, Foster: London,
Hatohard and Co.), has pot forth a praiseworthy .
brochure in which he eays
"It is sad to see and to hear, on all aides 11111011114 us, so many evidences of religious strife and divines,.
It is sad especially at this mason. We have recently .
been celebrating the Sacrifice and the gloriosa Iteserree,, tioa of our common Lord—of the Good Shepherd ,
who gave hie life for the sheep, sad who has told le that " there shall be one fold awl owe Shepheritrr,
, (John a. 16). We than shortly. if God sperm " livea, celebrate another glorious event in the „
history, when the Holy Gbast descended spew ths,.
waiting praying disciples. Of that blessed day if is..
written that " when the day of Pentecoat waspits'. come' they were all with one accord in one
(acts ii. 1). Alas! how different is the conditional the professing church M the present day. le not en*. even of our peaceful' villeges—oertainly aappea
ourselves—do all those who "profess and sail thesis
selves Christians," meet together with one ward ; one place. If at all times, midi more at t hie he ' season which reminds us of the Bestirred:on of OW
and of the descent of the Holy Ghost, should we seek
peace and ensue it. Let us pray, then, for the "ps
of the spiritual Jerumlism, for "they shall prove; that love her" (Psalm men. 6). Let us not set to work
as if there were two religions, two Chen* Ism
baptisms, two Gods and Fathers of us all. as mazy masa
to do, but let no endeavour "to keep the unity el the spirit in the bond of peace." For myself, bed Um
example and eousniand of any Lord end of His &poses,.
and the duties of the pastoral °Mee to which I have
been tolled, teach me to be instant in season and owt eif
season, to do what in me lies to heal up the eaping
wounds of Christ's Chureh. Among other salmis
questions which were put to me by the Bishop on the day of my ordination was this —" Will you maintain
and set forward as much as lieth in you, quietn,ss.
peace, and love among all Christian people, aaa
especially among them that are or shall be oratmitted
to your charge ?" The answer which I made to this
solemn question VU—" I will so do, the Lord beling
my helper." Now, my dear brethern, I cannot thiet
that it is according to the will of our Lord Jeans Christ,
nor that it tends to promote quietness, peace, and love
among all Christian people, that there should be
amongst us two distinct congregations, two ministries,
two tables of the Lord, two baptisms, in fast two entirely
(or almost entirely) distinct bodies of Christians. I
fearlessly assert, while! do it in all love, that to orate
and to continue needless divisions is to act contrary to
the oommsnds of our Lord and of His apostles, and to
be guilty of the sin of schism. I must, in all lioneety
and love, go further than this, and assert that our
divisions are needless. There is really, when we come
to look into the matter, not a ehadow of sense far
them. Have we not all "one Lord, one faith, on.
baptism, one God and Father of all r (Spin:Maim isr,
5,6). Why should we not then, according to the
beautiful words of a prayer in our Prayer Book, at
which we know and think too little "seriously ley to
heart the great dangers we are in by our
divisions r Why should we not be henoeforth?"l
of one heart and of one soul, united together in yew
holy bond of truth and peace, of faith 'and charity,"
so that we may with one mind and one mouth, glorify
God through Jesus Chriq nor Lord. (Collect SR the
form of prayer for the 20th of June.) I know of few
more blessed sights here upon earth than to sea the
great mass of the inhabitants of a parish, young and
rich and poor, masters and servants, wending their way
to the House of God. Why ansongst us should the..
be two currents, one in one direction, another in
anothor„ clearly manifesting our divided state? Are
there two religions amongst us—are there two Saviours T
Was Wesley crucified for you? or where ye baptised in
the name of Wesley? Nay, I will stew you, my dear
erring brethren before I have done, that if you would
listen to John Wesley you would never leave the
Church. The present Wesleyan' (so-called) have is
al., matter followed in the *tepee( the northing of old.
They build the sepulchres of the prophets. They Pry
great honour in word to the memory of John Wesley,
but they do not follow the precepts of that good, though
not perfect man.
After adducing arguments in support of this posie
from the Rev. J. Wesley's works, contained in as
excellent tract called the "Pastoral Advice of the
Rev. John Wesley, M.A." Birmingham, Walter J.
Sackett, edited by two clergymen, and consisting almost
entirely of extraote from Mr. Wesley's works, heartily
recommended to the perusal of all honest Weeleyaas;
the rev, author proceeds :
"The Church of England ham been an untold
blessing to our country, and is the acknowledged
bulwark of Protestaniam, not only ia this country, bet
all over the world. If ever the evil day should come,
, and a eery evil day for this country it would be, when
through the unnatural combination of Dissenters,
Bomanists, and Infidels, the Church shall be over.
risingland thrown,
w,
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He awns up thus
"Ran. I painted a picture, dear brethern, too bright
for thia world I earnestly hope not. I will constant),
pray to our Heavenly Father that this day may some.
and I do not despair of seeing it. I earnestly invite
all those of you who value unity, to join with me is
this prayer. We oan hardly do better than constant',
to use from our hearts the prayer which we have in
our Prayer Books, ard which I have mused to be
printed at tl-e beginning of this tract. Let us nott
despair of anooeqs. With matt it may seem impossible,
but with God all things are pootible. I have soon,
through God's great mercy, many happy and pomaded
days in this pariah; but that would be the most happy
and most joyful of all if I oould see our own unhappy
divisions healed, and all mot more assembled with one
accord in one place. so that with one mind and moult
we might glorify God, even the Father of our Lord
I Jesus Christ."