The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-03-28
f MI'OltIA NEWS.
FRIDAY. MARCH %, 1873
p THt news.
,a.>t ESTABLISHED 80 sEcrs.

: in it appeared to me TO be so ut
terly nnfounded in truth, that
was at a loss to know how it founG
: q place in TIE NEWS. Icould no
: think that it came from the pen o
, the thoughtful. intelligent, cool
headed editor of The NEWS.
settled in my own mind that il
; was from the pen of a fast you'll
in school, who was perplexed
about the writing of an essay
and that to give vent to his agitat
ed mind, he took the above named
topic. And when his production
j was completed, he thought he had
done smart thing and sent it 70
The News for publication. But
having some scruples about its
Orthodoxy withheld his name;
which was generously granted by
the editor. But when the next
paper came out, to my utter sur
prise, 1 found it was from the pen
of the editor, and that he really
"meant business"
Now, Mr.. Editor, occasionally
have a few leisure hours that
might be spent with you in inves-
tigating some important question.
Investigation is to me a fruitful
source of profit and pleasure.
In your last article you stated
that "Christ established no sects."
This may be true, but as the evil
dence was omitted, it may leave it
in doubt in the minds of some of
your readers. Further investiga-
ton may be considered out Of
place, as you have rendered a posi-
tive verdict on this question. But
the spirit of the age ignores YER
diets, even when they are given by
good judges. We will therefore
not be considered out of place if
we inquire into the correctness Of
the statement.
"Christ established no sects."
The question at this point arises,
what is a sect? By turning to
Webster we find it is ga body, or
number of persons, united in
tenets, chiefly in philosophy or
religion, but constituting a dis
tinct party, by holding sentiments
different from those of other men,"
Holding, here, is used in the sense
of believing sentiments different
from those of other men. Al
sect, then, in q nutshell, is q dis
tinct, conscientious belief of the
truth. If this be correct, then,
no honest man can hold and be-
come the leader of two sects at the
same time. No man can believe
two distinct theories of philoso-
ply, religion, or politics, at the
same time. AS his faith fastens
upon the one, the other will wane. |
Therefore, to say that Christ es-
tablished no sets, using the term
sect in the plural, we believe, is |
using the word incorrectly. The
true question is, did Christ estab- |
fish sect. If so, and he has said, |
''if any man will be my disciple,
let him deny himself, and take up |
his cross and follow me-" We
should follow his precept and ex-
ample. Again, he said, 81 have
given you an example, that ye
should do as l have DONE" These
two passages of scripture, we be-
lieve to be susceptible of general
application, and is intended to
teach us that his example is our
guide. Therefore, if Christ estab-
lished a sect, it is not wrong for
other men to do the same. Then
Calvin and Luther, and Wesley,
as they each had distinct con-
scientious views of the great doc
trines taught by Christ, did well
in establishing the three distinct
sects commonly called the Pres
byterian, the Lutheran and the
Methodist churches. Who will
say that these three distinct re-
ligious bodies have not been q |
great blessing to the world.
When Christ commenced his
work on earth there were among
the Jews three distinct sects,
namely, the Pharisees, the Sadu-
sees and the Essences. Did Christ
unite them together and become
their leader? No. Did he join
himself to any one of them for
the purpose of instructing them
in the great principles of religionp
No. Did he call about him ga
body or number of persons united
in tenets, distinct from those Of
other men," and become their
leader? Yes. If this be true,
then, Christ did establish a sect.
And the great cry against sects is
a thrust at Christ's own work.
The sect that Christ established
is called in the New Testament
the sect of the Nazarenes
Christ gave it its distinctive tenets
and the people named it after the
town in which he lived.
1t is the body of persons with
distinctive tenets that constitutes
sect, and not the name. The
church in sections, like the nation
in States, constitutes the strength
and purity of our Protestant
Christianity.
Archbishop Hughes, of New
York, in his lecture on the decline
of Protestantism in ST Patrick's
Cathedral, was at loss to define
the term. He said, 'sHere are SO
many Protestant sects that
scientific man is puzzled to know
what this thing you call Protest
antism is" DR.. Berg, of Philadel-
Phia, responded to the learned