The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-02-14

TX suBJkcT OF :" UNITY, ONE OF TIE ESSENTIAL
cHARAcrRRIsrIcs OF THE True CHURCH OF CHRIST"
On SUNDAY EVENING, THE 6rH OF FEBRUARY, 1886
The reverend gentleman commenced his argu-
nent by quoting the holy Scriptures He selected
he llth chapter Of st. John, the 47th 4Sth, 49th,
10Th, 5lst and ed verses, as follows:-
"Thsn gathered the Chief Priests and the Pharissss
many miracles. If We let him thus alone all men will
believe him, and the Romans shall come and take
way both our place and nation And one of them,
amsd Caiaphas being the High Priest that year.
nat i sspsdlsnt sr thsons man should die for the
pake not Of himself but being High Priest that year
prophessd that Jesus should die for that nations and
lot that nation only sst that also ne should gather
'etasr IN ONE the children Of God, that scattered
abroad"
Afor reading this divine and nfabls testimony, il
rot possible that there can be any doubt this point
hat unity il essentially necessary among the true fol-
overs and disciples Of Christ that ell the sheep be-
ongng to his flock should be indessolubly united; and
hat all the members belonging to the true church. should
gathered together n one For the purpose of unit
ngsll the faithful In Judsa and throughout the world
INTO people and church. was sxpsdient that Jesus
hould suffer, and should dis He died, that no might
rather into onenot merely those who Jews but all
no faithful Of all timss who were to live after him,
sunday evening vndicated, and hope, proved the
,essity of cathocty in the church, and having shown
AXE this evening the task provo tina tunity likewise
feature Of the church of Christi that
here must be unity among true believers in point Of
octrine and shall afterwards prove that there must
pc unity in poirt Of government a. far that govern
nen instituted BY the Divine founder Of the Chris
the true church, in which this unity this ndisse
ubility If may the expression, of doctrine and Of
government. can be discovered; and, consequently,
hat unity Of the church 10 ansther Of the charac-
erscs by which the true church 10 designated and by
the true church can be separated from all other
his importan propositionChrist intended that there
be but ono church, or In other words Il was the
Intention Of Christ that all believers in him. and all the
1embers Of his Church. should be united in the same
octrine This i the first proposition Tho second 10,
nat was the prayer Of Christ that all those who
kody as under the PASTOR believing.
lame doctrine: which received originally from his
Eivne lips, and taught by the apostles and their
ors II the intenuon of Jesus Christ that there
hould be but religion, that intention must have
hemous suppose for that what he intended
not been effected. If he prayed for unity we must
that unity Il. been D'ps om his dsg
Eownt to the age in which We live. It was. there
ore, his sent0x that there should be but church,
lie Pvuysd that there should be church. This must
o proved. from the text, II ID evident that he died
ha his church should be and that all who belisv
In Him should be united in one repeat, therefore,
wherever that church exists in which unity has been
Preserved from the beginning to the present day. that
hurch has been and IT, the true church Of Christ It
every candid enquirer after truth investgae
inong all denominations, which il that church which
hsrshed, from the beginning, and retains now, that
winch t0te10e0, LOT WnlCn CnrlSt
In the FIRST plaes-as is our custom-ws shall have
to the pages of the sacred Scriptures in order
prove the intention Of Christ that there should be
elgion Then will adduce the prayer that our Di.
ne Saviour put forth his Heavenly Father in order
hat unity should be broken but should bind his
scipes-sll true Christans-through succeeding ages
refer to ST. Jshn 10th chapter 18th and 10th
AZ the Father knoweth me- even so know the Father
md lay down my LIE for the sheep and other sheep
have which not Of this fold them also must bring.
nd they shall hear my voice. and there shs bs fold
Nd shepherd" From these words il manifest that
hom the doctrines Of his Gospel to be taught into
Inc and the same body that all should form but ono
heepold and that the .heep should Be under and
~ sans head. And wherever that pastor and sheep
xised there unity must be perpetuaed and there the
us church to he found, and to continue visibly
uring the Life Of her Divine Foundsrw composed ola
Of shephsrd and of sheep the church through all
me was % b the same Unity therefore was intended,
bat church whisA s bssn characterized BY this unity
md IL now chaIsctszissd by unity. can alone BE- ths
bay claim ne spsciou. title. Again, in st. John 18th
haptsr and s0th 2lst a2nd and a3rd hnd the
hem also which shs hsisvs on me through their word
That they all be thou Father art in me, and
thee they also may be one in that the world
hou gavest me have given them, that they may be
Inc even AZ We are one-I In them and thou in
thai Ii. World know A! su IL. ssn
,he, and hast loved them thou hast loved NO."
lpsre Is the prayer Of our Divine Savior. First,
h regard to the establishment his church. That in
he church there should be difference Of opinion
ms ss no no Pr gn
sntion. therefore, is explicit Mediate upon the beau
HUI sublime and pathetic prayer he puts forth to his
yer, be perpetuaed through ell ages and that might
ontnue he established IL The object Of the prayer
E % da
his voice. and received his doctrines from himself
person. but for all those to whom they should com
sqnenily throughout the whole world, that unity
5reement are only to be found without the
ted sheepfoid without the sacred precincts Of the
|bu,ch into which il was his prayer that no disagree
lscplss understand the meaning OF the Divine Savior
They uDde1tood il literally, the church Of tho present
effect unity; and any individual who should array him
III against the unity Of the church was to be branded
heEsc and IN the language q s. PAUL va, 70 Ds
scond admoniion avoid" Titus, chap >. Y. 10. 81
aul declares, in Ephes chap J. 81 that Christ Is the
nd bis church il the body Of Christ there il necessa
union between the head and the body; and long a.
rs@sn n united y win the BODY tine church con
70 Ephesisns the eth chapter and Ah and 9TH
one hope Of your calling; one Lord. one faith ono
aptIsmr Asthere 10 but Lori so there can be bat
ne on.
-s~~"
but baptism, psrpetuated through but one true
hurch Any one who rebels against God is gunty Of
sinous crime. Any who rebels against the faith
,st comes from God, or against the institutions Of
hris s guilty Of crime As faith and the sacraments
mansed from God-having Christ for their head-it
vidsnt from the argument Of st. Paul. that there must
pespstual unity in the church teaching that faith and
imnistsring those sacramento. You perceive that
quote hut few passages from the Holy Scriptures.
e US now consult the venerable and ancient orsclss Of
ns Christian Church Amer having the intention
Christ having heard the prayer which he put forth
his Heavenly Father and after learning the doctrine
III st. Paul on the subject, Let " come down lit
o farther, and discover what were the sentiments
the oraclss Of the primitive church, who taught
10 doctrines Of all the Christian world which they rep
scented. Let W what are the sentiments Of st.
yprian who lived IN the third century The uscsssity
union We will read from his work, snkitlsdF d.
ssste Ths church 10 ono, - the u one
Dough his rays are many-ss the tree resting one
rm foundation, has many branches-as from one river
iany streams how. Although they appear numerous
ON tho copous diffusion that extends abroad stu there
unity In the origin. Tear on ray from the body OF
10 sun, and this division destroys unity break the
ranch from the tree and that branch canoot produce
nit cut on the stream from the fountain head, and