The McArthur enquirer. (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1873-1884, 1873-03-26
Behold the Church.

What is the { ..urch? Eacl
sect says" "Members ofour Zion
What is the Church? The follow
ers of Jesus. Where and wha'
was the Church before he came
Was there no church? TC
what Church did Abraham be-
long? To the Jewish Church
And here again comes the
question, WHAT'S the Church.
Is it Judaism? Again what is the
Church? That which was found
ed by Peter? And is RomanisnI
Christianity any more than
Judaism is Christianity?
These inquiries are suggested
from reading that most remark
able book Of this age, Ecee &c.
Resia."
The discovery Of what has
long been SO long lost is a nee
essary antecedent to a correct
idea of what we are striving
after in Church union. Nor
gan Dix thinks the Church is
Episcopal or Catholic, and en-
leavors to cram all the Christi
unity of this country into the
American Church Union and its
supporters at No. 7 Church
street. Not a few think a man
must be immersed to enter the
Church, and build to a totter-
weight a sect of a million on
his sharp edge.
In all rigl t minded inquiring
after true organic Church unity
the settlement of the question,
what is the Chmc ch? must pre-
,ede all questions. If we be-
lived he Westminster Cat
'chism to be essential las the
basis of the Church we should
shout ourselves hoarse over the
glorious prospect of Presbyter-
ans all together and heal the
lurt of Gods people unto a So
luton of the great Psalmody
question, and how much nearer
ire you? Are the Psalm singers
of the Church, or are the be-
Iievers in the grand old Cat
9chism OF Westminster the
Church?
And shall we go to bort,
md blend in fact the reformed
Churches" now one in name,
md is that the Church?
Shall we 60 to Augsburg,
and though we rally some mill
Ions, are Lutheranism and
Christianity identical? Judaism
S not the Church, Episcopacy
If Presbyterian is not the
Church. Nor is independency,
lor Immersionism, nor Wesley
lnism. Nor is it all this put car
lal together. There is something
n each. That In you that
makes you deny the table of
he Lord unimmersed member
# the Church, is sectarianism
'ure and simple, and is carnal.
f you don't believe it, see how
hateful it makes you, and in
olerant, to have assailed. You
would bear to hear your Master
eviled without so much as cut
ing off the right ear of the re-
'iler with the sword perhaps,
Peter like, but you would run
i'm through, we fear, should he
ssail your weakest point,
lose communion. Mark the
pirit of that most eminent mod
rn Caiaphas, High Priest
in ruling everything ire
evant that makes not for his
ect idea. Our word for it,
'tephen T,vng, Jr., could get as
ight as a Lord at Rector
'tubbs' rectory and no charge
e lodged against him, and High
'riest Beach would dismiss ii |
t once, if he did, as irrelevant,
nd go dine with the prisoner
hat day. And why? Because
'hrist only is offended, and is
othing to the Church. 1t rs
ecause Priest Beach thinks
is Church is in danger and
is sect-craft in peril, that he
,rgets even the common court
sizes ofjustice, and braves the
ontempt and would go to the
caifold as did Laud for the
lhuych." Is there nothing car
al in this? Just SO is it with
hibboleth. 1t is the yeriest
Test it and see