Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-10-23


whole world; it is great enough They
have no right to interfere with each 9TH
er. Lastly, the duty of such churches,
is cooperation, joining each other as
brethren in Christ in promoting Christ's
cause and kingdom in the world. APP
plause. 81 sfaa-< 1H
If these principles be correct, it is of
the last Importance that they be carried
into practice. II we are all of one mys-
tical body, in sense we don't yet un-
derstand, if all local bodies constitute a
visible Church of Christ on earth, if all
these bodies are bound.tO recognize each
other as churches, and,their sacraments
and orders as valid, and to avoid inter-
ference and to exercise cooperation,
then instead of conflict we should have
harmony; we should have mutual re-
spect and confidence, and the whole
Evangelical Church throughout the
world, of every name and denomination,
would appear in the sight of man, as it
does in the sight of God, as one great
sacramento host, marching in different
corps, all under one great head, and all
devoted to one great object"
Regret has been expressed that the
conference had not in some way settled
the minor and unimportant differences
that breed discord and disputes between
churches and Christians
How could they come nearer the eff
fectual accomplishment of this than by
the endorsement of those truths. They
could not Danish the differences by re-
solutions. They are effects of a cause
which would entirely disappear when
these truths are universally accepted
The conference has gone to the extent
of its power when it has done its most
to disseminate these truths
individuals of the conference have
done still more. On Sunday morning,
in Dr. Adams church, one of the most
prominent officials of the English church,
the Dean of Canterbury, united with
Dr. Angus, a Baptist clergyman of
London. in the administration of the
Lords Supper Truths had crystaIized
into deeds.
AS regards the spirit toward bodies
not represented in the alliance, the fol-
lowing from DIR. Hitchcock is a very
fair exhibit of the tone of the confer
ence. He closes his paper on Infalli-
bility with these words:
We have, strictly speaking, no Gcu-
menical creed, not even the Apostles
creed, for each one of us interprets it
for himself, making it mean mere or
less. But from the rising to the setting
sun there is not a Christian man, or
Christian woman, or Christian child,
whose eyes would not mOisten as he
sang, "My faith looks up to Thee"
Controversy must still 60 on but we
are very foolish to have it so bitter.
Communion is one thing; inter-com-
munion is another thing; just as nation
al law is one thing and international law
another Into the family of nations the
door is wide, admitting some nations
that none of us would like to belong to.
But anything that governs at all is better
than anarchy. In Palestine beyond the
Jordan, among wild Bedouin men,
Turkish troops are welcome to the
traveller So in the Church, Coptic
Christians in Egypt may be far enough
beneath our idea, but after all the cross
is over them and not the crescent. For
myself, of course, / prefer my own
communion, or. l would leave it for an
other But God forgive me if l ever
looked or shall ever look into any Chris
tian face without finding in it something
of the old family look
Positive opinions of course are eX-
pressed, but we see the feeling which
goes with them, by the utterauces of this
representative man. <.t.- '..'#
The Fundamental idea of the alliance
. is, in essentials, unity; in .non-essentials
charity; and the Christian church is
nearer the acceptance of this idea, to-day,
because of this series of meetings held
in the metropolis of the new world.
This, then, is the great gain. Papers
of literary and scientific value. have
been read thoughtful opinions On most
important subjects from learned and
disciplined men, have been added to our
Christian literature; new suggestions,
the result of deep study and careful
practice, are brought. out of their local
tiles and made to enrich the universal
church, but more than all these is this
result of the Christian congress: The
world is made to realize how substan-
tial is the unity of the disciples of
Christ, that while the denominations are
many like the waves, the church is
one like the sea.