The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-11-11

Redeemer 10 marching onward. In tue
earlier stages Of their progress some devices
aud appointments are necessary, and so
God has set them in the Church for the ex-
press purpose Of "perfecting the saints, the
work Of minlstratlon, and the edifylus OF
the body Of Christ"
This Is the philosophy OF true Evangelical
It admits those diyersities
and preferences, which, In the FIRST move
mcnts OF q religious life, seem naturally to
arise among the members Of the one great
family of Christ on earth. In the first |
and-by, when tho spiritual life has aug |
mented and out-grown thom, then they cease |
to have the value which was once accorded |
them. So that the very theory Of Protest. |
antism, when rightly understood, afiirms |
that there can be diversitlcs in unity and
without sehism. Hence we de-
rive an answer to the standing objection OF
the multiplicity Of sects, and to the repeated
question, why are there so many different
and churchesi The presump-
ton Ia that, ", as they profess to do, they all
found their faith and pollty upon the one
volume of the Sacred Scriptures; II they are
all believers and all Christians, they should
then all, from the very beginning, belong to
one aud the same Organization. And so In
deed they should, and do In the higher spirit
ual sense Of Christian unity. But II Is fur
ther assumed that outward uniformity, as
well as intellectual argument, Is essential to
the very existence Of the one Holy Catholic
Church Of Christ among men. This Involves
not only an identity Of the philosophical sys-
tenn, but also q oneness OF visible organlza-
ton. Yet, In the earlier states OF the spirit
ual experience, Just the reverse OF this Is the
truth. The different members OF the body
have different visible organizations. The
foot Is not organized like the hand; the ear
is not organized like the eye. Each member
OF the body has It's own peculiar organiza-
tion, and lis own appropriate sphere, Office,
and function.
"For the body is not one member but
many; IL the foot shall say, because am
not the hand, am not Of the body, is II
therefore not of the body; and II the ear shall
say, because am not the eye, l am not
of the body, is II not therefore Of the body
Or II the whole body were an eye, where
were the hearing : And II the whole were
hearing where were the smellingl But now,
whether God set the members, every one OF
them, in the body, as 1t hath pleased Him,
and II they were all one member, where
were the body But now they arc many
members, yet but one body. And the eye
cannot say unto the hand, have no need Of
thee; nor again the head to the foot, have
no need Of you. Now ye are the
body of Christ aud members In particular"
nus we GOING 70 sec, tnerc ID tue nlBucr Or
ganization Of the whole body and the lower
| organization Of the different members, but
they are entirely compatible and consistent
with each other. And the whole differen &C
between Evangelical Protestant churches Is
a difference Of Intellectual philosophy, or of
Biblical interpretations or OF educational pre-
ference, neither of which is the essence ofthe
Christian religion. They arc wholly matters
Of metaphysical speculation, of increasing
Etn n yf cd and Of phanuinH artt.iaUn
stantly passing into new phases, from one
degree TO another, until "that which is per
feet Is come and that which Is in part shall
be done away"
Yet, while this process Is going on from
the less 10 the greater, from the physical and
dlyisiblc up to the spiritual and undivided,
the very diversities Of Professionalism may be
the secret Of its beauty, its majesty, its
| power and It's success. The stateliness Of
the monarch tree Is not alone in the solitary
trunk, but likewise In Its manifold, broad
and reaching branches that, In their united
loveliness, bear up the royal garniture OF its
summer honors the rivers that roll deeper
and grander on their course, are fed from a
thousand tributaries, larger or smaller, till
having borne the commerce and frelghtage
of the world, they seek their rest and arc
merged In the great ocean bosom, which
embraces all. 30, too, when mighty armies
are going forth to conquest, they cannot
march in one body, but must be handled, In
order to the most effect, 10 divisions, corps,
brigades, regiments and companies. Yet,
one and the self-samc impulse may animate
them all, till finally, after long training and
discipline, and the living, fearful experience
Of a hundred battle fields, those aids to con.
centration-to concerted action-may be.
come less needful, and perhaps be finally dis.
used, and at last, when the corps signal or
the State escutcheon has fulfilled Its pur'
pose, then may these lower standards begin
to disappear, while In their rtead shall rise
above all the host, the one grand ensign of a
powerful people, whose name and whose
fame are the common heritage OF all.
And SO the kingdom of God begins at the
centre, begins in human hearts and Their
creates a spiritual capacity, a tendency t.
the higher union Of soul with soul. Then !
works outwardly through many diversitles
until these very diversities are left beneat
II, as the scaling, ladders are left by tn
J stormlng party which goes over the pal
apet OF some frowning fortress. And SO tn
} obstacles are being overcome, and the glo
rious reign OF Jesus In its final, transcendcn
: conSnmmation Is Fastening on. And as W
reach TO higher points Of spiritual attain
ment, we see no reason why there may no
be, II not an entire obliteratlon OF all differ
enccs In external pollty or Intellectual opn
ion, at least a true agreement and harmony
OF sentiment pervading the whole body. Il
Is rational TO suppose that there may be q
confluence OF systems and organizations
most analogous to each other. Ecclesiasti
cal politics are one thing formulas OF creeds
are another, brevlarles OF worship are an.
other; but none of these things are of the
essence of the Church. They are only toe
outward yestments, changeable and chang.
ing with the ages. But while for conve.
nience OF OBLIGATION and the greater efTec'
tivenes of the body, there may even remain
separate outward organizations, still the
spirit of party, the spirit of exclusivism viii
be gone, the acrimony and contention Of the
past will be no more, and the reformed, re-
animated, reconnaissance Church will move,
In its path Of progress, with an unwontcd
majesty and muni6cence. And all this will
be the heritage of the whole Christian
| Church, and OF every several part of ii, and
| of every individual member of Ii. The weak
est and the poorest followers OF Jesus shall
have an undivided interest In the whole pos
session. And, therefore, because they are to
enjoy all, why should they contendi
2. The second consideration is, that both
they and all they have belong to Christ.
Christ Ia the head Of the body, and there Is
| no other head Of II, either In heaven or on
car'h-ranl Is not the head, Apollos Is not
tue mead, Peter Is not the head-and no sue
ccssor OF either Of them Is the head Aud
as Christ Is the sole head OF which the whole
Church Is the body, it follows that all who
are members Of His ono body, belong to
Him, and to Him oniY This Is the exact
measure OF trne Catholicity, That Is a false,
spurious Cathoiclty which attempts on The
one hand, either to substitute. or on the other
to subject this one, sole, supreme headshin
OF Christ. The RomisE Church is Tins seem
not only to have practlced the most HAS,
phemous usurpation, but also to lRyc f,iier
into the most fatal dclusion. 1t has mad. q
monster Of the Christian church, BIZ renra,
sentlng 1t as bieephalOuSj and not ouiy no.
but far worse than that; 1t pretends that on,
Of these heads Is the successor of Peters, /
human being. We might as well say tia
our hand or our foot is our head Aud nov
great council Is about to convene simply +
render this moustrosity the more glarlng Ii
the sight Of the whole civilized and Christian
wOrld-for this pretended human head /
about to open his mouth and speak-an
what he is about to declare, Is his own In fal
llbillty, aud that the liberty OF the world |
, llcentiousness, that the progress OF tn
world is inildelity, and that the civilization
Of the world is damnable apostacy. NJ
wonder that another Carmelite In the spiri
and power Of Elijah again appears upon tn
stage and lifts the old battle-cry Of reforma
ton, and cxclaims among the people: " How