New-York tribune., 1872-03-25
CUURCH DISCIPLINE.
sER,;Oy OF TIE REV. HUGH MILLER
THOMPSON

TION-CuRISIIANiff BOrh sTEhN ANU i''
The Rev. Hugh Miller Thompson, Pastor OF
Christ Church. delivered the sixth lecture In his course
on Church History" yesterday AFTERNOON LIS SuI''
being Church Discipline" He said:
,ltbough we may fiud IN this examination CERTAIN
thtnrs winch seem TO apply to mere aniqnaiianso ye'
with us members OF the church, nothing arec.Ih8 '"o
past of Chrstendom Is purely atquarianlsn. For our
Church at the Reformation, ~ We uhurrS'anu,
took distinctly the example Of the early ana
nriuiiye church for oil matters In "hleh
she chose 10 differ from the continental .chirehss
at that time and to this hour she stands piofessedy on
the basis of primitive Church truth that TO her ine
bers an examination OF Christian Antiquities III resr" "
any question il a living and vital thing. IL IL hot
done merely 10 crafty curiosity, put because VIC
claim TO inherit and TO stand to-day on 'ho
inheritance OF primitive truth aud order, ana
IT, on examination, wc find ourselves deficient III any
matter we eoafcss it, We d. not pretend to say lt We
are right and the ancents wrong simply weigh our
own SHORTCOMINGS. 10 never occurs to Us 10 measure
the primitive truth OF the past by the present
We always measure the preseht ny tHo
mast For US there be but one chutch-
the Church which the Apostles plant" ana 'e pooo Vi
the lnaryrs waterod. And In the ancient Church we
and there was ,gc are not say that We have
improved upon the past but should bewail the loss
of that discipline and speak OF II as something that wo
trust God will restore.
In the fret place, in speaking oi discipline al u'c'
stand that any social order arrangement must nave
discpine--must have its laws and its punslmcnts for
those laws Yon cannot form the merest Society
of the hour unless you have certain peuues attached
10 the breach Of It's bylaws. So, IL you grant
an organized Church Of God at all, you must
grant that that Church has power to make laws Iors
own good and 10 attach penalties Tor bf'ach
OF these laws But as the Clutch Of God il society
formed in heayeu kingdom not Of this world aud as u
affects mems sous and their bodies, az 1t dwels en-
Therefore, che laws Of tho Church OF God
must be moral and sprtuJ laws, and the penalty Tor
breach a these laws must be moral and spiritual
penalty. Not until the Church became connected WIN
the State did it enter lto the head % man to dream
that failure obey Gods Church was to he punished
by inncting penalties mans body tbat his person
should pay for the fault OF his soul. In the
early ages of Churchas with ourselves III this happy
land where there was 40 uaon between church al'l
state; the penalties which the church inflicted for breach
OF her laws, entirely SPIRITUAL She dd nothing
at all which concerned the Ia his person. his
reputation or his property. All that belongs to
the civil Authorities Hcr penalties purely spir
iual But she must have the power 10 discipline, aud
her final action in all should be expulsion from the
church fnsl penalty with n religious bodies shou Id
he 10 cpriyc OF the pryiog VI THEN organizations
outlaw them, cast them oil.
But Code Church, ike God Himself. s;Ii'cs only thai
size may heal Furnishes only that she may pardon With
her penalties are Inflicted. God. are, FOR the good Of
those who suffer. She like 10 rum n man-to
send his soul TO everlasting pcIdluon. The
primitive church runsheh man 10 bring him TO
force him. if It possible, to rep"mi; and
her doors were always open, her arms always spread
lat had wandered III the path. OF darkness. Aud they
came 9ac; and, therefore IA the early church history:
flnd there existed body OF mon called penents'
those do,ng penance; passing thi1n9h q period on
he admitted back 10 the fn.i rights aud privileges OF
th" faithful They .tood condemned Tor certain notor
committed some snalt indscreilon. but for some
notorious crloe ny which they had brought
aud for that they hal been takcn 70 the
doors sna 3 put Gt @ ., III te sG iSd a t6S how
in the church, standing BY themselves Perhaps in
not have been large; yet in those hear;-searching
days wnen for man s 10 profess Chrh'tlan' nai
when meant the AK aud fagot, we may Wen believe
tnat there were lew lpocTites Would not the spectacle
impress men that they sinned they wonid confess
instantly AT all events, the church never from tie
Christians are made slowly Nations arc converted 10
were emerging from the inire OF hcathensn, we do
mark the church ana hedge It in there should have been
the steTnest demand FOR purity and tine stcrnest nc-
ton OF penalties on him who transelcsscd the laws
Go back aud take look at primitive Christian
church, say the third century We have account
shining TOO altar in the side. in Solo
mons temple. The doors were facing the east.
tails displayed beautiful carving aud ornainenta-
ton. Within the courtyard was u fountain, in
which the people washed their hands and feet before
entering the cnarch II you 60 into certain churches
waer not 10 wash in yourself with, aud il
you ask why they are there, you viii be told that
snsy 'q% tines aUa III" answer viii be s
for tnose who 40 not examine for themselves to infer
same purpose, but the primitive fountains were for
washing the hands ami feet in. while these ba-
of ' o % ar Wishing !AS our Gand,
and feet, we enter tDe door of the church and
first meet class called hearers" who only como
hear ana do not worship. sometimes wonder, when
hear Christian preacher address my dear hcareI,
whether he understands precisely the meaning OF that
Word as Gnp9yedd N tn the primitive & enurGhsslhe rem the
sent out when the W9rsmPlng or communion
tervico began Above this class stood the penients Of
whom have spoken. Tais OLD canOnca arrangement
by which man stood there Ia church prolezsed sinner
was called confession; and when he was brought back
cause the was taken on Confession IN the
primitive church quite another thing from the mod
up in a corner whispered a priest aud forgiven by
bm. scandal ana insult to the Church Of Christ could
pcrng to man in box Nay the sinner stood con-
1csed before the whole congregation asking tie church
But You say We cannot discipline now. what makes 1t
imp0ssiDef divided Christendcm-nothing more nor
will 90 another that will lie very glad 10 take him II
BspMst MoboG.1 brethren i%l9 s n out x win go
GET upa Protestant Methodist Church OF my own. AT
least, these manufacture church 10 suit tho III
selves and tue idea OF applying discipline and requir
ing holy life under " public penalty BY men who
b, ,oyo they can make church as good Us
yours tomorrow, is absurd GU the face OF 1t.
But ut the time OF which | speaking,
Gods Church was the wide world over A mau dis
cipl1ed III one place was communicated wherever
the Christian name was known No bishop could rc.
store him the who laid the penalty upon him.
He must go back 10 his own church where the wrong
done aud atone for IL. And did not believe they
could make church at all. They all thought IN thUSo
days that church-makiBg was q Divine business.
DO you ray have presented hard, stem features Of
carly Christend0mY Wcll brethep. have tins say,
that for my part do not ut all about church
OF which am not afraid. 1 would belong for hvo
minutes to Il church Of which i did not some-
thing Ike holy terror and lear. IL did not believe